IMAGINE BEING A FEMALE WHO WAS SAVED BY A MEMBER OF THE MODERN BROTHERHOOD - (One-Shot Series) - Shaun Hastings x Reader

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Here's a one-shot for Shaun Hastings and I apologize that this is so short. But I do hope that everyone enjoys.

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Like most who were in the modern-day Brotherhood or the Creed, you were born into the life of an Assassin. And who were you, one might ask? Why, you were (Name), descendant of a female Assassin and combat instructor from the Levantine Brotherhood during the Crusades. You also had other ancestors that included a female Assassin named (Colonial ancestor's name) who often dressed as a male Patriot to pitch in the fight against the Red Coats during the Revolutionary War and a female British spy from World War II named (British ancestor's name) who was well-adapted in the ways of espionage against the Germans but who was also a master of disguise. But your Levantine ancestor was the most interesting of them all because she had more genetic memories that could be found in the Animus and information about her past from the memoirs she kept in a journal about her life, similar to Altaïr's Codex Pages. All in all, you were very skilled at your craft with the help of your parents, who were both devoted to the cause but even more so devoted to you, their only child. Learning how to hone physical combat and gymnastic skills as well as dominion over weapons at the early age of five, you eventually perfected your skills enough to become a Master Assassin with a hidden blade at the humble age of twenty-one alongside fellow friends and comrades Rebecca Crane, Lucy Stillman, and Clay Kaczmarek with William Miles as your teacher. Personally, you weren't biased about who could join the Brotherhood because ANYONE who could offer their skills to ensure Man's free will was welcome. But you also had never known a life that was ever normal because you were always on the run or helping the Creed wherever you were able, using your newly-learned skills in espionage and computers to act as a mole on certain missions to help fellow undercover comrades so they could get in and out of Abstergo-owned buildings with secrets much more safely. But you were also possessing the multitude of foreign language lessons in Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Braille, American Sign Language, Latin (even though it's just written and used for root words but not spoken), Italian, and Russian from your online college courses and Brotherhood members from around the world to help you in more ways than you could imagine (which is how Rebecca was able to add subtitles to her own Animus that she affectionately named 'Baby').

But you didn't meet your newest teammate until a couple years later after Rebecca saved him from Abstergo for putting their most-sensitive information and plans on Wikileaks under the fake name "Guy Fawkes," which resulted in the Templar's actions of trying to silence an innocent. The man you were thinking of was one Shaun Hastings, a strawberry blonde with dark eyes who had a knack for computers, conspiracy theories, and history. Sure, he was reckless about his endeavors to expose Abstergo with no disregard to what fate would befall him and he was very cynical to the point of being a pessimist, so he angered you because he had a normal life and decided to throw it away by being stupid enough to take on a well-armed, well-funded global organization bent on world domination and world peace through force and order. Sure, Shaun kinda made you off-put from his behavior and his recent recruitment into an organization that he wasn't born into but was instead thrust into because of his actions while living a normal life. But he was actually very intelligent, funny, and nice once you really got to know him. The more time you spent training him in physical combat and how to use a hidden blade or other weapons, the closer you both became. Eventually, you found yourself harboring a secret crush for Shaun because of how handsome and sweet he was, always being so attentive to your needs whenever you accidentally pulled a muscle in training or just came back from a stressful mission that psychologically changed him. However, you were an Assassin first and you couldn't let love compromise the Creed by clouding your rationale in case Shaun was to become injured or deceased, but you were also so devoted to the cause because it was the only life you knew. Therefore, you elected to stay silent about your little crush on the historian and analyst, even though you had already told Rebecca and she kept pressing you to confess since anything could happen and regret would be prevalent if you kept your mouth shut.

After a few months of being training partners in the Creed, William decided to send you and Shaun on the British recruit's first field mission, with you acting as translator since you both were traveling to Mexico and you were proficient in the language while Shaun was to steal data files from the computer of an Abstergo employee. So, immediately getting on the Altaïr II to avoid any red flags going off from Abstergo's part, you and Shaun decided to rest in the crew's quarters as you shared a room and a small bed since there wasn't much more room inside the naval transporting device. While you were tightening your double hidden blades to both of your forearms to make sure they were in working condition without a chance of sliding off in battle, you flicked the blade out by flexing your pinkies before you retracted the blade back in with a small grin. At the same time, you also began to check your belongings to make sure that you had plenty of medicine and ammunition while you made sure that your handguns were loaded before you noticed Shaun reading something on his laptop. Laying down on your back so that your hands were draped across your stomach and your head wad flat against the mattress, you turned your gaze to Shaun as he stared intently at the screen while you blinked your (eye color) orbs in tune with your crush's fingers clacking on the keyboard to scroll down the page. It was then that you realized that he was looking at a database of Assassins and was reading about you and your ancestor (Levantine ancestor's name), as little of a role as she had with the Levantine Brotherhood and the adventures of Desmond's maternal ancestor, Altaïr. You thought he was just brushing up on the history of the Creed so you paid no mind, but what you didn't know was that he wanted to better understand you by gaining insight into your past. So, you decided to engage him in conversation before the mission as you asked him with a teasing grin, "Hey, Shaun, whatcha doing? Reading up on some Levantine Brotherhood history?"

"Yes, (Name), and also trying to learn more about you. It says here that you have many ancestors, but it seems as though your favorite ancestor is (Levantine ancestor's name). According to a personal journal that you found in Masayf in her tomb, she was of the same rank as Kadar Al-Sayf, the deceased younger brother of Altaïr's friend Malik, and the combat instructor Rauf until she eventually reached Master Adsassin under the careful tutelage of Malik Al-Sayf and Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad. (Ancestor's name) also sided with Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad after Al Mualim's betrayal only to act as double agent years later to Abbas Sofian when he enacted his coup so she could learn her opponent's secrets and help Altaïr take back the Creed at its rightful Mentor, and all while she had a husband, children, and grandchildren to take care of."

"Well, (Levantine ancestor's name) is literally my inspiration when it comes to my work as an Assassin. But it seems that all my ancestors were very skilled at espionage, disguises, and playing the double agent in order to learn secrets. Most others would call that cross-dressing and acting like the Disney version of Mulan, but I see it as using the wits that the Good Lord gave you to make a target give up their biggest, darkest secrets." You remarked with a smile as Shaun clicked out of the information guide about (Levantine ancestor's name) and scrolled down the page that showed your profile again before he started reading up about (Colonial ancestor's name) and (British ancestor's name), smirking to himself at your joke since he used to be an alter boy in a church when he was a kid living in London. On a scale of one through ten, Shaun thought your ancestors were so interesting that they deserved an eleven, which made him feel more interested in you and how you could be relatives to these amazing women. But to him, he didn't think it was weird for a woman to dress as a man to participate in large armies since that's the only way a woman could fight alongside their family members and friends or use their bodies as a way to interact with a target since espionage required the use of any means to get the dirt on the enemy. Therefore, Shaun gave the first smile he could to you before he teased, "Well, I mean, I can see why the male employees of Abstergo were so willing to give up secrets. But I'm thinking that there were some who were very tough nuts to crack and I'm guessing you gave them a beating they'd never forget."

"Exactly, Sir." You teased back with a giggle as you snapped your fingers on both palms before pointing at Shaun with both index fingers as they looked like little finger guns while the British male gave a belly laugh and tried to prevent his laptop from slipping off the bed. After you two had a good laugh, you decided to hit the hay since you both would have a long day as you made yourself comfortable by fluffing the pillow and securing the blanket around you before you announced, "Hey, Shaun, I'm gonna get some shut-eye since we dock tomorrow and go on foot to our destination. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"Oh no, you're going to bed?! I'm shaking in my boots just thinking about you not here to fight the Templars." Shaun teased as you gave him a playful death glare while you mocked with his clever nickname, "Ha ha ha. Very funny, salty Brit."

"I only kid with you. I'll be fine, sassy American." Shaun responded as he went back to scrolling on pages on his laptop before you nodded, "Alright, well, goodnight and may we finally have safety and peace tomorrow from what we're about to do to Abstergo by delaying them."

"Hopefully so, (Name). Maybe we will have safety and peace." Shaun replied as he looked your direction instead of where the glowing white screen of the laptop was before he asked, "Will the laptop's light bother you?" At once, you stared at Shaun before you shook your head and yawned while you stretched your arms over your head as you were still laying down flat on the bed, "N...No...I'll be fine. I don't mind white noise in the background when I sleep."

"Alright, well, goodnight, (Name)." Shaun replied as you said a simple 'night' while you waved at the strawberry blonde male and turned over in the bed so you were facing the cold, silver wall. Curling up into a fetal position with your legs drawn up to your chest, your dominant arm under the pillow, and your other arm draped over your stomach so you could conserve body heat, you eventually closed your eyes as you gave a final yawn before you felt yourself falling faster into the realm of dreams.

The entire seven minutes it took you to fall asleep, Shaun watched over you with silent vigil to make sure you were okay before he returned to his laptop. But even still, his fingers faltered over the keyboard as he paused in his typing to return to staring at you. You were just so beautiful and strong with such interesting ancestors that Shaun couldn't keep his eyes off of you. A fluttering started to stir in the heart of the British Assassin, and while he didn't really understand what he was feeling, he figured that he was having something for you. But similar to you, Shaun didn't want to compromise the Creed or you by letting his emotions get the better of him. He didn't need a computer full of Internet pages to tell him that much. He knew that he had a crush on you, but like the no-nonsense man he was, Shaun decided to keep quiet about the entire feeling. So, after shutting down his laptop and putting it in his bag before he strained his already-disabled irises anymore, Shaun took off his glasses and set them in the drawer beside the bed before he turned over in bed. Adjusting his own pillow for the best neck comfort while also securing a blanket around his body, Shaun faced the opposite wall so your back and his were almost touching before he felt himself descend further into slumber.

The next day, you and Shaun got dressed in preparation for the mission as you were the first to wake up since you needed more preparation than Shaun. While the British man was still asleep, you managed to take a small shower and put on your makeup and clothes after drying off before you finished your final preparations. After adjusting your naturally-(hair texture) tresses of (hair color) into a messy bun, you slipped on a tan cap over your head before you then set a form-fitting wig on top of the wig cap so you could hide your real hair. After making sure that the (second favorite hair color) wig was on correctly, you started putting on jewelry such as fake nose rings before placing colored contacts of (second favorite eye color) into your natural eye color of (eye color) so you could mask your appearance further. At the same time, you heard Shaun stir on the bed as he stretched his arms over his head and thought that you were a complete stranger when his eyes widened at your new appearance before you greeted with a smirk, "Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Rise and shine."

"Who the heck are you?" Shaun asked with an exhausted tone as he tried to reach for his glasses to get a glimpse at the female in front of him before you turned on the room's light and took Shaun's glasses out of the drawer by the bed so you could hand them to him before you teased, "Salty Brit, it's me, (Name). You can relax before you get your fancy breeches in a wad. It's your first time as my partner in the field, so you should know that I always use disguises when I go undercover for the Brotherhood."

"Okay, makes sense." Shaun replied as he yawned with a stretch of his arms again until he pointed to the shower and before he could ask, you seemed to read his mind as you answered, "Yes, I'm already done in there. You go ahead and clean yourself, get dressed, and prepare to head out. We dock in thirty minutes."

"Yes, Ma'am." Shaun nodded sleepily but with every bit of polite civility in his tone and posture towards you as he grabbed up his extra change of clothes and a clean towel before you heard him close the door while the water started to rain down. After hearing him showering for a few minutes, you saw Shaun come out of the bathroom as he started buttoning up his shirt so that the supple skin and lean muscle could be hidden from the world, even if you managed to get a glimpse and started blushing because of it. It's not that you haven't seen Shaun shirtless before, but that was before you started having feelings. Now, your thoughts for the British Assassin were very suggestive and a little dirty even though you didn't really talk about stuff like that in public aside from the 'birds and the bees talk' that you were given before puberty by your parents. However, you were able to recover from your flustered affection for Shaun while you and him prepared to head out once the ship was properly docked in Mexico.

Once you docked the Altaïr II, you and Shaun decided to find the target on foot by walking on the beaches of Cancun to the hotel where you both would be staying, hoping that maybe the target would be there with the information. You two weren't expecting the target to be sitting in a beach chair with his swimming shorts and sunglasses on, sipping a Margarita or a fruity alcoholic beverage out of a glass with a cute umbrella hanging off the rim. But you were hoping that the target would at least show up so you and Shaun could get the documents and maybe so some tourism like normal people while you were at it. Then, you and Shaun started to walk around for a little bit of time as you managed to find a table outside a small restaurant before you decided to get something to eat since you hadn't eaten anything other than dinner from the other night. But you and Shaun decided to sleep in a little before the ship docked and it was now noon, so you and the British male were starving. Besides, a little bit of fresh coffee seemed to be in order and plus, you were craving some authentic Mexican food since it was very flavorful with a kick from the spice. Since Shaun didn't know a lot about Mexico aside from its vast history, he decided that you should be the one to order the food since you knew more about the culture and you could speak the language.

As soon as you were ready, a handsome waiter with dark hair and eyes to match a European tan came by the circular table for two as he set down some red and green cloth napkins and silverware on the white tablecloth before he greeted you in fast, fluent Spanish, "Buenas tardes, Señorita y Señor (Good afternoon, Miss and Mister). Soy Mark (I am Mark). ¿Como está (How are you)?"

"Buenas tardes, Señor Mark (Good afternoon, Mister Mark). Mi amigo y yo somos bueno (My friend and I are good). Gracias por su consideración (Thank you for your consideration)."

"De nada, Señorita (You're welcome, Miss). ¿Puedo conseguir las bebidas o las comidas para los dos (Can I get some drinks or food for you both)?" Mark asked you as he prepared his pen on his white notepad while you answered fluently, "Sí, Señor Mark (Yes, Mister Mark). Me gustaría un pedido de huevos rancheros y dos cafés para mi y mi amigo, por favor (I would like an order of rancher's eggs and two coffees for me and my friend, please)."

"Muy bien, Señorita (Very good, Miss). Variedad buena (Good choice)! Voy a conseguir su pedido en la computadora y llevo la comida a los dos lo antes posible (I will get your order into the computer and bring your food to you both as soon as possible)." Mark responded as he took the menus from you and Shaun before you remarked with a soft smile, "Gracias, Señor Mark (Thank you, Mister Mark)."

"De nada, Señorita (You're welcome, Miss)." Mark winked at you with a small smile before Shaun looked to you in awe at how fluent you were with the tongue rolling of your R's and your expert knowledge of the Spanish language to do something so simple as order coffee and breakfast food for lunch. Literally, his dark eyes widened under the shade of his prescription glasses as he stared at you before he asked, "How did you learn that?"

"Learn what?" You asked, genuinely confused at Shaun's words, as he interrogated you again, "The Spanish you just used. How did you do that?"

"Well, online college classes come in real handy and it also helps to have comrades from all around the world...Spanish and Italian were actually the easiest languages since they sound so similar and some words are the same. American Sign Language took a little longer. And don't even get me started on French and Russian! Galina always got so mad when I couldn't understand a simple phrase such as 'Hello' or 'Goodbye' in Russian!" You joked with a laugh as you remembered your encounters with the blonde Assassin for the Russian Brotherhood before Shaun asked, "Can anyone learn Spanish?"

"Of course! Would you like me to teach you some basics?" You asked as you sat at the table with Shaun before he nodded while he offered up his own bit of sarcasm, "If you'd be so inclined to teach a English man some of this language, then please do so, O' Master of Languages and Tongues from around the world."

"Very well, my student." You teased back as you sat across the table from Shaun before you started your little lesson, "Okay, so here's some basic phrases in Spanish that you can use in any setting...'Hola' and 'Adios' are used to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' respectively. You try saying that now."

"Hole-la...Audios..." Shaun tried at first with some difficulty in pronunciation before you shook your head with a small fit of giggles so you could begin correcting him, "No, Shaun, native Spanish speakers don't pronounce their H's like an English speaker does. You say it like you did before but without the H. However, I must tip my hat to you if I had one that you pronounced 'goodbye' correctly."

"Hola..." Shaun tried again as he got the pronunciation correct this time before you started to clap slowly while you nodded and gave your partner in the field another lesson, "Muy bien, salty Brit...Muy bien is Spanish for 'very good.'"

"Charming to know...And I'm assuming you're going to teach me 'thank you,' 'please,' and 'you're welcome' too?" Shaun replied as he looked to you for answers to his questions before you nodded back, "Of course...They would be the following phrases in the respective order: 'Gracias' for thank you, 'Por favor' for please, and 'De nada' for you're welcome...Now, you try pronouncing those correctly, mi estudiante (my student)."

"I'm assuming 'estudiante' means 'student,' correct?" Shaun asked before you nodded with a thumbs-up while you answered, "Sí, Señor...Yes and no in Spanish is 'Sí' and 'No' while Mister, Miss, and Mrs. are 'Señor,' 'Señorita,' and 'Señora' respectively."

"What about the food you ordered for us? What did you tell the man that we wanted to eat?" Shaun continued to question you like a cop to a suspect before you teased with a grin, "Is this an interrogation, Shaun, or are you just that hungry for knowledge?"

"Maybe a little bit of both." Shaun teased back with a wink from behind his glasses before you answered, "Okay, I ordered us some huevos rancheros and some café. Huevos rancheros is Spanish for 'rancher's eggs,' and it's nothing more than some fried eggs over a large fried tortilla with red salsa on top. And café is the Spanish word for 'coffee.' I do hope you like black coffee though, but if not, they have some sugar and milk here."

"I don't mind black coffee; you know I drink Earl Grey tea and espresso for goodness sake." Shaun replied as he started to get the gears in his head turning about trying huevos rancheros until you kept teaching Shaun basic phrases in Spanish. For about ten to twenty minutes, you and Shaun relaxed by the beachside as the crystal blue waves lapped against the white sand while the smells of authentic Mexican food, Margaritas, and sea water filled your nostrils. This made you and Shaun feel somewhat like normal humans on vacation, like average people that weren't constantly on the run from people at Abstergo who were trying to kill you both and take over the world with the multitudinous collection of Pieces of Eden. Eventually, Mark returned with the food on his brown circular tray as he smiled and announced, "Vale, aquí es su pedido. Pot favor, Ustedes son cuidadosos. El plato y el café es muy caliente. (Okay, here's your order. Please be careful. The plate and coffee is really hot)."

"Gracias, Señor Mark." You piped out a kind sentence to the waiter as you unwrapped your silverware from your napkin so you could place the red and green cloth in your lap before Shaun copied you and spoke the best Spanish he could to Mark, as broken and jumbled as the pronunciation must've sounded to a native speaker, "Gracias, Señor."

"Él es va a aprender, pero voy a enseñar a él. (He is going to learn, but I am going to teach him)."

"Ah, entiendo, Señorita. De nada y disfruta, por favor. (Oh, I understand, Miss. You're welcome, and please enjoy)." Mark replied as you and Shaun thanked the waiter again before the waiter said 'You're welcome' in Spanish again and walked off to tend to other customers while you began cutting your section of the huevos rancheros in half while you took in a sip of some good coffee. Then, as Shaun cut a piece of his half of the plate up and put a bite on his fork, you and him looked at each other before you counted down, "Okay, since this is your first time trying Mexican food, we'll take our bites on the count of three. One, two...Three." Delicately shoving your own forks into each other's mouths, you and Shaun savored every bit of the breakfast food from the biting spice of the salsa to the crunch of the fried tortilla or the pleasant fluffiness of the fried egg. It even had Shaun nodding his head in tune with the rhythm of his chewing as he savored each bite before you swallowed your own food and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"Tastes like the Indian curry you can get in this restaurant in London near my parents' home. It's actually very good for my first time eating Mexican food." Shaun replied as he started to cut his half of the huevos rancheros with his knife and fork before you looked at him with widened eyes while you gasped, "You've never tried Mexican food?"

"Nope." Shaun replied with a shake of his head as he made a popping noise with the 'p' in the word before he tried to justify why he had never tasted Mexican food before until now, "I've just never considered it since my family mainly stuck to Indian curry or classic favorites like Earl Grey tea, cucumber sandwiches, crumpets, biscuits, sponge cakes, and fish and chips."

"Before we leave Mexico, I'm taking you to get some fresh tamales and mole. Believe me, I've been to Cancun for missions before and I know where local places are and what they have here by the beach." You announced before you started to brush Shaun up on the history of the Mexican food you wanted him to try so badly, "Let me give you some background history and recipes for mole and tamales, Shaun...Tamales are considered a comfort food here in Mexico but they're also eaten during big holidays, especially Christmas. It's basically fillings of meat and cheese or fruit and mole stuffed in masa dough, which is basically corn-based dough. Then, they are steamed in corn husks and plantain leaves before you take the husks or leaves off once they're firm and that's all she wrote. Mole is just a popular sauce that consists of fruit, nuts, spices, and chili peppers and it's often used as fillings in tamales or as a side dish like a soup."

"They sound delicious." Shaun remarked as he sipped his coffee before you nodded and took a sip of your own coffee, "Oh, it is. We could always get some after we're done with our mission. We could even bring some back for the crew." That's when you saw the passionate gleam in Shaun's dark eyes as he stared at you almost as if lovingly before he nodded back, "That would be swell."

"Cool beans...Frijoles frescos (cool beans)." You replied as you took another bite of your half of the huevos rancheros while Shaun copied you until you both managed to finish off your warm beverages and the filling meal on the plate. Once you were done eating, you asked for the final bill and paid the waiter with pesos, even more pesos for his wonderful service, before you and Shaun got up from the circular table with the white tablecloth so you could go back down to the beach to look for the target.

All you and Shaun had to go by was a small picture and a name, and that's it. So without some kind of electronic facial scanner drone or Eagle Vision, you two would be looking down the beach all day until you found the male Abstergo agent. However, out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a man in jean shorts and a white button-down polo walking from the beach towards an alleyway. He was pretty clean-cut with blonde hair in a buzz cut and green eyes to match pale skin as he walked with lots of balanced grace for his muscular build, almost as if his large, sandal-covered feet never touched the ground and graced the sand while his tree trunk arms swung back and forth with every step. But you soon noticed him as you tapped Shaun's shoulder and alerted the British man to the presence of the Abstergo agent before he held up the picture to the guy who was walking far away from you two, only to find a perfect match. Therefore, you and Shaun decided to follow the man into the alleyway to see if you could get the data files from the computer and then return to the hotel so you could give Shaun a tourism experience he'd never forget with tamales and mole. Tip-toeing ever so slowly to avoid arousing the man's suspicions, trying your best to avoid a fight since you could see he was packing a gun in a holster hidden in his jean shorts and he was too big for you and Shaun to take down in physical combat, you and Shaun followed the man into the alleyway as you hid behind dumpsters and brick walls every once in a while to keep the man from discovering you both.

After about ten minutes of following the man closely from behind, you and Shaun stopped and hid behind a pyramid stack of wooden crates and boxes that were near a small curtain of cloth attached to a pole as you both crouched down so you were squatting with your feet planted firm and flat against the cobblestone while you both gripped the pole or the boxes. At that exact moment, the man walked into a small hotel as you pulled out some binoculars so you didn't lose sight of him. Eventually, you saw the agent go up to his single bed hotel room as he took something out of his bag and placed it on a wooden table. As soon as the man did that, you gave a small smirk as you announced, "He's put the laptop on a desk by his bed. Here, take a look."

Handing the binoculars to Shaun, he put them close enough to his face so they didn't smash against his glasses and break them before he glanced upon what you claimed you saw. Then, with a small nod, Shaun handed the binoculars back to you as you kept looking through them again before he whispered, "So, sassy American, what's the plan? Storm the castle and steal the data files?"

"Maybe, but we'll play it by ear, just in case this man decides to stay in his hotel room and make it difficult to get to his laptop." You replied as you still looked through the binoculars before you saw something interesting, "Hang on..."

"What? What do you see?" Shaun asked in earnest, with his voice showing some fear that there was more trouble to follow from Abstergo, as you smirked again, "He's looking at some tourist pamphlets that were in his room. Apparently, they have to do with food so maybe he's hungry and is gonna get something to eat."

"But we won't know how long he'll be gone from the room. It's way too dangerous." Shaun protested like the rational partner he was before you shook your head and replied with your own level-headed justification, "True, but we have to chance it if we want to get William those data files. How long does it take you on average to hack into a locked computer?"

"If I have a USB flash-drive and computer cord, which I do, then it takes maybe nine minutes. Why?" Shaun asked as you removed the binoculars from your eyes while you suggested with a small grin, "That should give us plenty of time since he's only on the second floor in Room 212 and the nearest restaurant is twenty minutes from here. So I say we do it."

"You sure it's safe?" Shaun asked as you put your binoculars up in your backpack before you gave a cryptic message to your male friend, "Dealing with Abstergo is never safe. Besides, if he comes back while we're still working, I'll take him down and protect you."

"Thanks, even though I can take care of myself." Shaun remarked as he followed you towards the hotel while you nodded with your lips pursed shut and you gave your own retort back, "I'm well aware that you can defend yourself, mainly because you were taught by yours truly. But you have to hack a computer and I have to act as translator and bodyguard, so let's just go ahead and do it." With a nod exchanged between the two of you, Shaun followed you towards the hotel as you watched the male Abstergo employee leave through the lobby and out the front door before you both snuck in. The front desk didn't even care to ask who you both were because you managed to sneak past without much notice from other tourists due to the fact that many were college students on Spring Break and the entire hotel already had to deal with the handful of young adults. So, deciding to take the stairs rather than wait for an elevator and suffer the chance of getting caught by the target, you and Shaun jogged with quick steps up the flight of metal stairs until you made it to the second floor before you both started searching for the room. After a minute or two of searching, you managed to find Room 212 and began to pick the lock with two small metal sticks before you managed to hear a familiar click, which made you smirk. As soon as the door was open, you and Shaun crept inside as you started to guard the door while your male friend immediately started to hack into the enemy's laptop to steal the data files. Plugging his own laptop into the male Abstergo employee's laptop with a connecting cord, Shaun tapped onto the keys with fingers as fast as lightning while strings of zeroes and ones appeared on the brightly-lit screens. His concentration was never broken even with the noise of the streets in the background while you never broke your focus either, making sure that the mysterious man didn't come back to the hotel room and discover two Assassins of the Brotherhood there.

Eventually, Shaun found a backdoor into the computer as he managed to get inside the data files before he started downloading them to his USB flash drive so he could safely deliver them back to William. After a few minutes of waiting in earnest concern and nervous tension, Shaun announced that he was done with getting the files for William as he grabbed the cords off the computers and secured them in his bag along with the flash-drive before he made the enemy's laptop act and look as though he hadn't done anything to it. Then, he followed you out of the hotel room while you locked the door back so you could make it look like nothing ever happened in there while the target was gone. Going down the flight of metal stairs again, you and Shaun found yourself back in the lobby as you started to walk towards freedom so you could go back to your hotel room and get some tamales and mole like you promised.

But just when the door to freedom was within arm's reach, the Abstergo employee walked right into the lobby at the same time you and Shaun started to go out as you and Shaun inwardly gasped and tried to turn around so you could escape the clutches of the prowling wolf. Not wanting to arouse suspicion from the tourists or the hotel staff, you and Shaun started to head towards the flights of stairs as you power-walked fasted and turned sharply around corners of walls, using any means possible to escape. However, you and Shaun heard footsteps from behind as you both turned around at the same time to stare at green vats of toxic waste in the form of an Abstergo employee's irises before his tone suggested that he was just as venomous as a snake, "Well, well, well...Look what the First Civilization coughed up. Are the little eagle hatchlings lost? Because, if you want, a wolf like me could help you find your way."

"No thanks." Shaun responded as he didn't even look at the man while he held tighter to your hand with his own, and from the way he gripped your flesh, it seemed like he wasn't scared of being caught but was instead scared that you would get hurt. You were actually touched that he was actually showing care for you aside from that of a relationship between two business partners in the field, but you couldn't focus on that right now because you and him had to get out of here. And if you couldn't get out, then you had to help him get out since he had the data files William needed and the mission was more important than your safety. However, from the way Shaun kept squeezing your hand, you could tell that he wasn't going to let that happen as you heard the man stalking closer, "Oh come on. I promise not to do anything to hurt you, especially not the little lady if you cooperate." As you felt a warm hand come up for, behind you, getting ever so closer to the back of your neck as if to grab your hair from under the wig, you noticed a quick plan of escape as you grabbed a red lever and pulled it out before pressing down on it sharply. At once, a loud ringing and whining filled the halls as white lights flashed on and off before tourists all over the hotel sprinted out of their rooms to escape. Thinking that there was a fire starting somewhere in the building, they all crashed into the Abstergo employee with enough force to knock him back since he was so close to the nearest exit in the form of the stairs while you grabbed Shaun's hand and pulled him around a sharp corner out of sight of the dangerous man. Running away as fast as you could, you practically yanked Shaun by the wrist as you pulled him into an empty hotel room before you started pulling the window up by yanking on the glass until it pried itself open with a sharp crash against the wooden frame. Making a small ladder out of the long curtains that you ripped from the window pane, you climbed out the window with cat-like precision and quickness before you landed on your feet with a sharp thud. Then, you looked up above as you urged Shaun to follow you, which made him hesitate for a moment as he death-gripped the cloth and said he would "rather live than die as splat on a pavement" before you practically begged him to trust you and jump since you said you'd catch him. So, even as scared as he was to jump, Shaun followed you as he climbed down the curtain ladder before he landed beside you with a small thud so that you could use your arms as a crutch for him to steady the shock of his descent. Once you asked him if he was alright, you and Shaun looked up to make sure that the Abstergo employee wasn't following you anymore before you determined it was safe and sprinted off for freedom again.

However, you noticed the enemy climbing out of a window from the hotel before he began free-running across the rooftops to give chase to you and Shaun. And all the while, he was loading his handgun in his free running while aiming at you both as you and Shaun tried to lose him. With aching legs and burning lungs, you and Shaun could feel your pulses create a harmony like a duet of drums being pounded upon by an angry child as you clutched hands in your own free-running before you and the British man managed to lose the bozo. However, you were determined to make sure that Shaun got back safely to the Aquila II while you bought him time to escape as you pulled him inside an abandoned metal building full of metal storage units. Hiding behind some storage units, you looked around for any sign of the male Templar as you could hear his free-running getting closer in his pursuit of you and Shaun. You knew what was supposed to happen in order to preserve the mission, so you decided to make that known to Shaun as you announced, "Take the data files and get back to William as soon as you can. I'll hold him off."

"No, I will not leave you behind!" Shaun protested as his jaw dropped and his dark eyes widened in shock at what you were even suggesting as you started flicking your hidden blades out while you cocked your handgun before you retorted back, "Yes, you will! I'm a big girl and I know what I'm doing. I can defend myself."

"I know you can, but I'd rather lose these data files than lose you. I will not compromise your safety."

"And you will not compromise the Creed or this mission. Remember the Tenets and everything I taught you, salty Brit, my student. Now, get your Novice ass back to the Aquila II and get the files to safety while I buy you some time to escape. I promise I'll come back." Then, squeezing Shaun's hands in yours, you and the British man exchanged a small nod before he remarked, "You better come back or I'll hunt your ghost down with a Piece of Eden so I can send you back to the First Civilization myself."

"I can believe that." You piped up with a smirk as you crawled up from your hiding spot and grabbed a small rock, throwing it to the side of the storage units to alert the Templar to your location as Shaun crawled away towards the nearest exit and out the door. In the meantime, you ran around the maze of storage units as the Abstergo employee was hot on your heels. But one thing was for certain: Shaun Hastings would live another day and you would keep the Creed safe by sacrificing yourself in the process as a prisoner of the war between Assassins and Templars. The data files would ensure the Assassin's success by delaying the enemy and you would help a great cause to ensure Man's free will. What more could you ask for? So, as you bought time for Shaun to get away while you played a game of cat and mouse with the Templar, you embraced the fact that you had won as you decided to chance a fight in the streets of Cancun before you took off sprinting out of the metal building with the man giving chase again from the roof after he realized a chase in the streets would only lead him into your trap but also arouse too much suspicion to his international company. Therefore, he cocked his handgun and prepared to fire as you started to run away from him, thinking you had lost him and were home free.

But just as you were about to turn down a side street to make sure you could lose the Templar, you felt a searing pain in your shoulder as you lurched forward with a grunt before you collapsed on hands and knees against a brick wall. Clutching your bleeding shoulder while hyperventilating through your parted mouth, you knelt down against the brick wall as you tried to collect your composure and regain your balance from being shot with a gun as you hid behind the wall. Then, cocking your own weapon, you made sure that you had gained proper cover before you shot up at the Templar on the roof. Hiding behind his own cover of metal, the Templar reloaded his weapon before he turned around and released everything he had at you from the rooftops in an attempt to silence you forever. However, you continued your cowboy-like shoot-out as innocent civilians saw the commotion and ran to get help from the police before you waved your hands back and forth and warned everyone to stay back or else they'd be killed. But after giving a warning and having innocents follow your instructions, you engaged in another shoot-out match with the Templar as the same cycle persisted for several tense minutes. You would come out of cover and shoot, then hide. He would come out and shoot at you and then he would get down. Over and over again, you both tried to aim for the other but timing was not on either of your sides. However, this battle seemed to decline in both of your favors as you both started to run out of ammunition. But you were running out of ammunition faster as you were down to your last round with only six bullets left in the chamber. Were you scared? Yes, you were bleeding out from a shoulder wound and you were getting shot at every few seconds! But at least you had helped Shaun get back to base safety to deliver the files to William and at least the mission was over. So you were very proud of yourself on the inside even though your mind and body told you to hurt and kill this Templar before he hurt others again.

But just as you were about to run out of bullets from your last round, you saw the Templar fall down dead from a shot clean through the neck as he collapsed on the roof before you saw the source of the shot. You knew it wasn't you because the angle at which the enemy fell suggested he was shot from the side, but then you wondered who had shot your opponent. Was it a fellow Assassin? Did Shaun maybe go back for back-up before delivering the files to William? It was certainly a plausible explanation. Or was it another Templar taking out another comrade to capture you and use you as bait for the Assassins to come rescue from an Animus or a prison cell? You would have to certainly find out. So, turning around to see the person behind the gun, you saw them standing behind their own handgun and staring up intently at the roof as he had your twelve-o-clock. Then, sprinting over to you while putting his handgun away, he grabbed onto your wrist securely and lifted you up from the ground so he could start to cover you up with his jacket to keep blood from being seen by civilians. Then, he pressed his hand against your bleeding shoulder to create a sense of pressure so your body could begin to heal itself before he took off his own sweater so he was only wearing a tank top underneath and he could wrap the fluffy, warm cloth around your shoulder. You knew only one person wore sweaters even in the dead of heat, and you were very surprised to see them again after you told them to leave and get data files to William. That's why you seemed a little angry and scared while you gasped out, "Shaun!?"

"Yes, in the flesh. Now, I already sent the files to William through my laptop so I could come back and help you take out that Templar, so you needn't worry about the mission or the Creed being compromised. Believe me, William will understand...I also know you promised to let me try those tamales and mole, but they can wait until another day while your wound won't. So let's move along and stop gawking like illiterate fools speaking nonsense." Shaun responded as he sharply turned corners to get you back to the Altaïr II so you could see the lead medic to get stitched up before you nodded politely, "Yes, Sir." But as you started to feel light-headed from blood loss and physical exhaustion, Shaun lifted you into his arms bridal style as he begged you not to leave him. In your current state of mind, it was very hard to even think or form a coherent sentence, but when you did, you asked Shaun why he cared so much before he gave an honest answer that even had you teary-eyed with a warm, fuzzy heart, "(Name), I don't care if this compromises our Creed or not. I don't care if this makes me any less of a good agent because of it, but I'm not keeping any more secrets from you. I love you and that's the God to honest truth."

"You mean that?" You asked in earnest as you wrapped your arms around Shaun's neck sluggishly before he rolled his eyes in annoyance while he retorted, "Would I be taking time out of saving your life from a bullet wound to say all that if I didn't mean it?" Shaking your head, you actually started to laugh as you pressed a tender kiss to Shaun's lips while he returned the affection before you winced in pain at the strain on your wound and the discomfort the metal gave off as it moved around and cut you inside your muscles. Thinking only of you rather than the mission, Shaun raced back to the ship on foot as he boarded the metal flotation device and started shouting out to the entire crew or anyone who could hear his pleas before he announced, "(Name) is injured. She's got a bullet wound to the shoulder!"

"Let me take her!" The lead medic, Dr. Stephanie Chiu, shouted from afar as she sprinted up to you and Shaun, which resulted in a switch-off between your new lover and your medically-inclined Sister of the Creed as you were lifted up bridal style. Once you were being led to the medical wing of the ship, Shaun spoke with the captain, Susan Drayton, as they discussed that your British comrade was smart enough to get the plans to William before returning to save your life from a Templar. But then, Shaun decided to stay by your side every step of the way in the medical wing as he offered to help Stephanie with medical procedures, which mainly consisted of getting supplies and keeping you calm and still just in case you started becoming erratic and jumpy from the pain. Fortunately for you, you had seen your fair share of medical supplies in order to treat wounds, whether by your hand or that of a medic for the Assassins. Therefore, it was easy to stay still as you felt Stephanie inject you with a numbing agent so your muscles would relax in order for her to be able to remove the silvery bullet from your shoulder before she stitched up the wound with a silvery needle and black medical thread. After remaining calm for the duration of the medical procedure, Stephanie left you to your own devices so you could properly heal your shoulder while Shaun watched over you to make sure you didn't hurt yourself any further as you took off your wig and contact lenses so you could be more comfortable.

He even followed you when you beckoned him out to a metal bar on the deck, which overlooked the crystal blue sea as the Altaïr II pulled off from the docks of Cancun, Mexico. Resting your elbows against the bar, you and Shaun stared up at the sky as the sun was starting to set before you looked over at him. It seemed that the British man wasn't as tense as before when you were fighting your life and he had to come back and save you, but he was still concerned for your safety as he noticed a physical discomfort from your wound as you winced in a breath and clutched the muscle. That's when he looked at you as he asked, "Are you alright, (Name)?"

"It's just a bullet wound, Shaun. It'll heal within a few days and then I'll be okay to go back into the field and train again." You remarked as you massaged your aching shoulder before you teased, "So, you really do like me?"

"Yes." Shaun nodded as he looked at the setting Sun while his face was bathed in rays of orange, pink, red, and gold to create a perfect complexion against his short strawberry blonde hair before you nodded, "I have too...It also doesn't help that Rebecca kept making me say something before we went on missions since anything could happen."

"No, it did help...She was badgering me to find myself a nice girl so I wouldn't be such a salty Brit, and she didn't even know I had a crush on you." Shaun remarked as he made a small joke before you laughed with him, "So, when did you start having a crush on me?"

"Well, it wasn't that sappy love at first sight that you Americans speak of...But I think I felt something for you when you were interested in learning more about me, when you showed that your comrades meant more to you than just numbers in a database or assets to obtain a common goal. You didn't just want to know how I came to be in the Creed, but you were more interested in my personal life and my family."

"Well, of course. My comrades are my family and if I can do anything to help them, I'd like to assist to keep their families and friends safe from Abstergo." You replied with a small shrug and a gentle smile as Shaun justified himself and his love for you, "But you are more interesting than I, with your ancestors and all, and maybe that's why I fell for you...Look, I don't care if you hide behind disguises or dress like a man for missions. I don't care if your ancestors did that either. You're absolutely amazing in my history books."

"Really, salty Brit?" You asked with a larger smile now as your natural (eye color) eyes matched well with the (hair color) tresses that were (hair texture) as they blowed wildly in the breeze while you used your friend's nickname before Shaun nodded and kissed your lips. Locking lips for a few seconds, you both held each other close as Shaun pulled away first to answer with your own nickname, "Of course, sassy American." This only made you want to kiss Shaun more as you grabbed his shirt collar in your fist and kissed his lips again before Shaun broke the kiss to reply, "But you still need to take me to try those tamales and mole." At once, you laughed at his joke as you commented, "Way to ruin the moment, Hastings." However, Shaun just laughed as he pulled you in for another kiss while the Sun continued to set. The whole moment was perfect because Shaun Hastings, a computer genius with a former normal life that threw it all away to expose Abstergo, saved your life and reciprocated love for you. And you, a female agent with many amazing ancestors, had fallen for the salty British man and helped him complete his first mission for William and the rest of the Creed. And to think it took a near-death experience to realize that Rebecca frigging Crane was right and you and Shaun were wrong! Nevertheless, you and Shaun were grateful because now you had each other and you were going to be together for as long as you were able.