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Kink Meme - Assassin's Creed pt. 5
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Finding Connor 25
(Anonymous) 2013-08-20 08:14 am (UTC)(link)Chapter 24
Charles had been afraid. A plan like that, even one so much simpler than his usual plans...
Well, there was a reason that he had gained a short patience. His plans rarely worked out the way he wanted them to, and it took many failed attempts for him to learn the hard lesson that complexity was simply inviting disaster.
And so he waited and dreaded his counterpart discovering their plot. Or the servants overhearing them working out the details. Or even this world's Haytham Kenway deciding to eliminate the unknown element in this world and terminate his presence.
He was not afraid to say that these fears kept him up at night, and he often found restless strolls to be somewhat comforting, even as they gave him even more time to ponder what could go wrong.
Damn his ever-thinking mind! Would that he were able to turn off his thoughts as the likes of Hickey could do. It was a very useful trait, and certainly his fretting was not helping any. Even Doctor White had noted it and warned him that the chances of his having a mishap were all the greater for his ceaseless anxiety.
If only he could take such advice. Alas, his mind was not so easily stopped, and with his memory of his failure with his wife so clear in his mind, he found sleep difficult.
One day turned into two, and then two into three. And soon, he declared that he would leave to seek his fortune.
As expected, the servants looked relieved, though no less wary. Doctor Davies did not seem to suspect a thing, but his counterpart...
The man was clearly suspicious, but was cuaght between a desire to see Charles leave and a distrust of Charles's intent. It was exactly as Charles and Doctor White had hoped. Caught between the two sentiments, the other Charles ended up voicing nothing at all and instead made arrangements to see Charels off.
It was as Charles had planned. It was a vital part of the plan, and Charles should be feeling rather triumpahnt that his plan had nearly come to fruition with minimal effort on his part.
And he would be, under any other circumstances.
But...
Charles shifted atop his horse and glanced at his companion. His counterpart had done him no real wrong. Nothing like what the man had done to his own wife. For Charles to be killing him still felt rather disgusting to Charles.
Surely, Charles thought. Surely there must be a way to resolve all this without the unnecessary bloodshed.
Ah, but he had made the promise to Doctor White, that he would do everything in his power to make things right and give this world's Connor the best chance at life at this point. And while Charles was not so foolish as to believe it unthinkable to ever break a promise, he was not sort to break them easily.
Promises were not forever. They could be broken and often were with impunity. But Charles was a man of his word, and he tried, at least, to keep as many as possible. Within reason.
But he did not revel in the sight of mindless killing or blood either, and that he had to erase his own double in this world...
That definitely felt uncanny somehow.
Perhaps if he tried again to get his counterpart to understand the part he played in his wife's ailment, if he tried harder to influence the other Charles...
Yes. He didn't really try hard enough. He needed to do more, so that he could return home without effectively killing himself.
It would be for the best. If the Connor of this world woke, what then? His land was seized in the name of the Charles of this world. His monies and properties were confiscated and added to his husband's property. He had survived before, or so Doctor White had informed Charles, but that was largely due to the generosity of Achilles Davenport. The man had raised Connor, give him food and lodging and taught him skills. That initial help from Achilles was enough to make a successful businessman out of Connor.
Charles's lips curled.
And an Assassin, yet another trade that Connor earned somewhat of a living on. But both these avenues were now closed to the Omega and unlike before, there was no more Achilles Davenport to bequeath properties and a living onto him.
Keeping the other Charles alive would enable the Connor of this world to survive.
And the servants! Surely they would be devastated if their master disappeared as Charles was likely to do once this world's Connor woke. It would be best for Mary and Ronald and all the others if he did not kill his counterpart. They needed their master, needed his employment and needed his use of their services. It was all they had known for a very long time, and while Charles did not doubt that Mary and Ronald could find work with little difficulty, he did worry about the other servants.
Their skills were rather simple, something that most indentured servants fresh off the boats could do. And unlike those indentured servants, they were freemen and freewomen and thus would require a higher salary than those indentured servants. In this day and age, they could not hope to compete against them.
Which meant the master of the house had to stay alive. If Charles Lee disappeared from this world...
The consequences would be disastrous. And Charles planned to disappear, to return to his own world.
He shot another glance at his companion, still watching him warily.
That meant he could not kill his counterpart.
Re: Finding Connor 25
(Anonymous) 2013-08-20 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)I'm sure Haytham, being Connor's father and probably mentioned somewhere in Charles' will, would step in. This world's Connor was an enemy of the Order and now their prisoner, doubt they would let him go so easily. Haytham could just marry him off to another Templar.
Though I do have a feeling that FW!Connor is shooting himself in the foot here by letting Moth!Charles live. Wonder what ultimately drives him into killing his counterpart.
Re: Finding Connor 25
(Anonymous) 2013-08-21 03:26 am (UTC)(link):)
Re: Finding Connor 25
(Anonymous) 2013-08-21 07:44 am (UTC)(link)Finding Connor 26
(Anonymous) 2013-08-25 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)Chapter 25
Charles felt both more relieved and more anxious as he came to his decision. Certainly, he would face much more work to try to persuade his counterpart to cooperate, and it was not a guaranteed success, but there was something to be said about not having to murder without cause that lifted a weight on Charles.
Charles was a practical man, capable of horrific actions to obtain what he desired, but he was not the kind of man to take those horrific actions lightly. He had learned from when he choked the young boy who would become the Assassin. He had learned what could happen if he blindly leapt into something, rather than moving forward because the consequences were a necessary evil.
Killing his counterpart was not a necessary move. Leaving the servants and the other Connor and the other Haytham without a master, a husband, a successor was not a necessary evil. Not when he had not really tried to persuade his counterpart with all of his ability.
That's what it came down to, wasn't it?
Charles had not tried hard enough. He'd been too worried about keeping the peace, about not offending the one man who held the keys to his being able to go home, about not getting himself kicked out of residence with nothing to live on, not even a name, except the clothes on his back. It was valid and understandable, but hardly conducive to teaching his counterpart better ways of interacting with his wife.
Charles winced.
It sounded all kinds of patronizing, but what could he do? His counterpart clearly was not succeeding with his own methods, and Charles would not allow him to fail. The man's failure impacted Charles's own future too much.
Charles shot a look to the other man, who was studiously ignoring him now. Perhaps he would test out his ability to influence the man. There was no one about, except them, and with Charles physically very far from the man's wife, he should pose no threat to his counterpart.
Surely the other Charles would be more open to listening to him?
"Do you look forward to my leaving?"
His counterpart jolts upright from where he was beginning to slouch in his saddle and looks sternly at him.
"Are you trying to get me to fall off my horse and break my neck?"
Charles winced. That had been rather sudden, hadn't it?
"And to answer your question, no I do not."
Oh?
The question must have showed in his face for the other Charles decided to elaborate.
"While I do not particularly enjoy your presence in this world, I would rather have you where I can keep watch over your activities. This entire resolution you have to leave seems highly dubious, especially as we both know you are unable to return to your own home."
Charles blinked.
"Not only are you in charge of the armed forces, you also have the support of the Order's network of spies. I am sure one of them would be keeping tabs on me and reporting my activities back to you. And were you not uncomfortable with my proximity to your wife?"
His counterpart snorted contemptuously.
"You are me but from another place. What spies I have at my disposal I am sure you have knowledge of as well. It would be easy for you to evade them."
Charles was doubtful about it, given the differences in their two experiences that had already made themselves known to him, but he kept silent as his counterpart continued.
"And as for my wife..."
The man stopped for a moment, as if holding back immense anger.
"Your concern for my wife is highly inappropriate, particularly in regards to your relation to your own wife and your wife's relation to my wife. You constantly meddle, insert your advice where it is not wanted..."
He glared at Charles.
"It is not your place! How I conduct my affairs with my wife is my own business, and I will not be gainsayed by one such as you, who could not possibly understand that his own..." he sneered "...experience is neither relevant nor welcomed."
Something ugly in Charles's heart bled bitter at that. But he tried to calm himself when it felt it. He would not give it free rein. He sensed that nothing good can come of it.
"I understand," Charles began, "that the Connor here is your wife. And I do not mean to upset your authority, that was not my intention at all. But I, too, am reliant upon a happy outcome for your wife, so as to return home. Our wishes are aligned, and I am no enemy of yours."
He hoped his argument would allay the suspicions between them. He could not influence without trust, and trust could not be gained until the man stopped being so wary about his motives.
That the other Alpha was jealous of all those who neared his wife, Charles could somewhat understand. But that he let that jealousy cloud his thinking, Charles could not.
Was his motivations so truly unbelievable that even a sincere and heart-felt effort to bring peace between them should always be met with anger and hostility?
"That matters not. That you believe yourself better versed to help my wife than myself is of the most disagreeable nature. Your circumstances are wholly different to that of this world, and you know nothing of my wife. That you still press for your ideas so is unseemly and will not be tolerated."
Apparently so.
Still Charles tried. Still.
"It is not that I seek to force you to do things my way," Charles explained. "It is the fact that what you are doing right now is clearly not successful. Your Connor still lies insensate and every day he gets closer to the child's birth. Both Doctors White and Davies do not think much of either his chances or that of the child's if he remains so during the birth."
He paused for a moment, thinking. How to make this as clear and urgent as possible?
"If you continue doing what you have, you will lose them both. Is that what you really want?"
That should get through to the Alpha. That must get through to the Alpha.
Charles did not know what else he could do to convince his counterpart.
The man was silent.
Then, "I shall do what I deem best. And I will brook no more argument on this."
And with that, he dug his heels into his horse's flank and the creature jolted forward into a fast trot. And despite all of Charles's later efforts, his counterpart refused to acknowledge him.
The bitterness in Charles swelled.
Re: Finding Connor 26
(Anonymous) 2013-08-26 01:56 am (UTC)(link)Re: Finding Connor 26
(Anonymous) 2013-08-28 03:14 am (UTC)(link)No worries. He's not coming back with moth! Charles. He just doesn't realize it yet.
Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-01 08:00 am (UTC)(link)Chapter 28
Charles paced back and forth as he and his counterpart finished setting up camp.
He was...torn.
The other Alpha was arrogant and patronizing and completely infuriating. And if he had been anyone else, Charles would have done his best to put him in his place already.
Charles thought back to the man's ultimatum and saw red. To be ordered about and obviously expected to actually follow such orders...
Who did he think he was? Was Charles not also the same? They were the same person, and for his counterpart to treat him so dismissively was...was...
"Will you be useless this entire time or do you plan to find us some food?"
Charles grit his teeth and turned slowly to stare at the lounging man.
"I must be hard of hearing because I cannot have just heard you suggest that I should hunt for the both of us."
"It would not have been necessary if you had packed more."
Charles stared at him. He hadn't packed more because he had not expected to be in company for so long in the trip. He thought woefully to his soft heart. If only he had slain the man earlier...
"I certainly did not expect you to follow me and eat the food I packed," Charles said instead.
His counterpart snorted.
"As if you could ever believe me to be so naive as to let you wander off alone. It would be different if you were someone I had confidence in, but as it is..." He shrugged, seemingly seeing an end to the matter.
Charles did not.
"I confess that I do not understand this irrational hatred you possess for me," Charles pushed on. "Are we not the same person? Do we not share the same goals?"
A glare, though a halfhearted one.
"You know full well that it is because we share the same goals that I cannot fully let down my guard around you."
Charles felt his eyebrows climbing into his hair. Well, with a ludicrous statement like that, he could scarce blame them.
"Please," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am you. I know full well that you would never be able to let your guard down around anyone, not even Master Kenway, despite your feelings for him. It is the unusual strength of your misgivings that I allude you, and it does you a disservice to pretend otherwise."
Oh look. He'd upset the other Charles. Guess his counterpart did not much like reminding of his unrequited feelings for his mentor.
Charles had taken a gamble with that one. His own affections had long been fixed upon Mr. Lee, née Mr. Kenway. He held some mild attraction towards the elder, but as his mentor's son grew and blossomed into an especially talented and lovely and brilliant Omega...
Charles smiled fondly, remembering the first time he'd realized the strength of his admiration for his future wife. To see the young man so happy, playing with Spado and the others...
"My relations with Master Kenway are not for you to judge. And you know full well exactly why I would be a fool to trust you."
"I confess I do not," Charles returned. "I have no interest in your wife, beyond his safe recovery so that I may return to my own home. Why you persist in believing otherwise, I cannot understand."
"Can you not?" his counterpart had one eyebrow raised in sardonic amusement. "You, who have so recently lost a most beloved wife. And now you find a man who is your wife in a different world...can you truly not understand my reticence?"
Oh for the love of--
"No, I cannot," Charles said firmly. "I have said time and time again that your wife is not the same person as my wife. And I am not a cheater. I loved my wife with a passion that I doubt you can even conceive, given the way you treat your own. And I will not betray his trust in me."
The other Charles turned red. "And what is that supposed to mean? You dare to suggest that I am deliberately cruel to my wife? That I seek to harm him?"
Dear God, was the man deliberately being obtuse?
"No! But I do suggest that you are so used to thinking of him as your enemy that you automatically treat him as such, despite the change in his position with respect to you and yours."
"He is an enemy!"
Charles blinked, surprised at the outburst.
"He is an Assassin. I must never let loose his bindings, else he may raise that blade against the Order again. And I cannot allow that to happen. I will not."
His counterpart stalked up to him, suddenly fierce and very, very angry.
"Do you think that I am a weakling and a traitor? Ha! I put the Order above all else. All my relationships, all my bonds, everything dear to me. I know," he laughed bitterly, "I know what you think of me. You and that doctor of yours. And I do not care. I thought up this plan to defang a most dangerous foe and turn my enemy's strength into my own."
He paused at that, briefly looking away into the flames of the campfire.
"I admit I did not realize how magnificent he could be--" and he sounded almost regretful at that "--but it does not change anything. His talents are vital to the Order, and Master Kenway could only trust me to handle his wayward son. Even if he seems to have changed his mind now."
Oh?
The other Charles shook his head. "But that is neither here nor there. My first loyalty is to the Order. Yours seems to be to your son and your own Order, both waiting for you in another world."
Charles nodded. So his counterpart must understand then, why he could not be a danger to him. What had he to gain from stealing this Connor? His greatest desires needed this Connor to be well and whole, and did not the other Charles desire the same thing?
"I do not doubt you when you say you have no ulterior designs on my wife."
Charles blinked, suddenly feeling off-balance. Wasn't that why the man always treated him so disdainfully?
"I am sure you wonder why I have no been more welcoming to you in that case."
Charles could only nod mutely.
"Well, there is a simple answer to that."
A flash of pain, and Charles clutched his stomach in pain.
"It's a pity, because I truly do not detest you as you think I do. But you are trying too hard, and I cannot allow that."
He yanked the dagger out of Charles's stomach, and Charles dropped to the ground, curling around his wound.
Betrayal bled bitter in his mind.
What was the reason for this? Why? The other Charles had already said he understood, so why had he done this?
"I am not without empathy though, and I am sure you wish to understand why it came to this."
He glanced over Charles's shivering form and, apparently satisfied with what he saw, continued.
"It's really quite simple. My loyalties to the Order means that I am willing to sacrifice anything for it. Even," he said sadly, "my relationship with Master Kenway. He has not visited me, you know, since my wife fell ill. And I can only surmise that he has given up on me for my failure to convert his son from his improper thinking."
He seemed wistful, and Charles would have felt sorry for him if he were not bleeding away on the forest floor.
Charles carefully exerted pressure on the wound, doing his best to staunch the bleeding with only his hands and torn shirt. Damn the man. He deserved any kind of misery he received.
"And I truly do want to convert Connor. He has proven himself to be a most resilient wife and, with training, I am sure he could be a most admirable example. But in the case that he does not..."
He glanced again at Charles's curled form on the ground.
"Your first prerogative is to return home to your son and your Order. And so you are aligned with my wife's interests, not necessarily with my own. If Connor heals and does not adjust his wrong thinking, then you would be a very dangerous liability. And I cannot have that. I cannot tolerate a world where my wife is allied to my alternate self, an alternate self that is unduly sympathetic to him and not so much to his own counterpart."
And here the man glared.
"If Connor were to know his place, then I would not be concerned. But I cannot chance that he stands to gain such power when there is no proof that he has. It is too dangerous, and I will not allow the Order to face such risk. Better that I remove you from the situation early, to prevent any later misunderstandings."
Charles felt incredulous. Misunderstandings? As he lay bleeding on the forest floor? And, if his counterpart had been better with his aim, he would have been dead otherwise.
His scowled in pain at the man. And his blood chilled as the other Alpha withdrew a pistol.
"I am not without understanding and sympathy. And I am sorry to have to do this. But I will not allow you to endanger my Order. And I cannot take the chance that you've learned from your mistakes given that your very purpose here is to help my wife."
Unbelievably, he actually did look regretful.
Oh bugger that.
"I really am sorry."
And a shot rang out.
Re: Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-01 12:51 pm (UTC)(link)Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-01 08:01 am (UTC)(link)Chapter 26
Charles paced back and forth as he and his counterpart finished setting up camp.
He was...torn.
The other Alpha was arrogant and patronizing and completely infuriating. And if he had been anyone else, Charles would have done his best to put him in his place already.
Charles thought back to the man's ultimatum and saw red. To be ordered about and obviously expected to actually follow such orders...
Who did he think he was? Was Charles not also the same? They were the same person, and for his counterpart to treat him so dismissively was...was...
"Will you be useless this entire time or do you plan to find us some food?"
Charles grit his teeth and turned slowly to stare at the lounging man.
"I must be hard of hearing because I cannot have just heard you suggest that I should hunt for the both of us."
"It would not have been necessary if you had packed more."
Charles stared at him. He hadn't packed more because he had not expected to be in company for so long in the trip. He thought woefully to his soft heart. If only he had slain the man earlier...
"I certainly did not expect you to follow me and eat the food I packed," Charles said instead.
His counterpart snorted.
"As if you could ever believe me to be so naive as to let you wander off alone. It would be different if you were someone I had confidence in, but as it is..." He shrugged, seemingly seeing an end to the matter.
Charles did not.
"I confess that I do not understand this irrational hatred you possess for me," Charles pushed on. "Are we not the same person? Do we not share the same goals?"
A glare, though a halfhearted one.
"You know full well that it is because we share the same goals that I cannot fully let down my guard around you."
Charles felt his eyebrows climbing into his hair. Well, with a ludicrous statement like that, he could scarce blame them.
"Please," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am you. I know full well that you would never be able to let your guard down around anyone, not even Master Kenway, despite your feelings for him. It is the unusual strength of your misgivings that I allude you, and it does you a disservice to pretend otherwise."
Oh look. He'd upset the other Charles. Guess his counterpart did not much like reminding of his unrequited feelings for his mentor.
Charles had taken a gamble with that one. His own affections had long been fixed upon Mr. Lee, née Mr. Kenway. He held some mild attraction towards the elder, but as his mentor's son grew and blossomed into an especially talented and lovely and brilliant Omega...
Charles smiled fondly, remembering the first time he'd realized the strength of his admiration for his future wife. To see the young man so happy, playing with Spado and the others...
"My relations with Master Kenway are not for you to judge. And you know full well exactly why I would be a fool to trust you."
"I confess I do not," Charles returned. "I have no interest in your wife, beyond his safe recovery so that I may return to my own home. Why you persist in believing otherwise, I cannot understand."
"Can you not?" his counterpart had one eyebrow raised in sardonic amusement. "You, who have so recently lost a most beloved wife. And now you find a man who is your wife in a different world...can you truly not understand my reticence?"
Oh for the love of--
"No, I cannot," Charles said firmly. "I have said time and time again that your wife is not the same person as my wife. And I am not a cheater. I loved my wife with a passion that I doubt you can even conceive, given the way you treat your own. And I will not betray his trust in me."
The other Charles turned red. "And what is that supposed to mean? You dare to suggest that I am deliberately cruel to my wife? That I seek to harm him?"
Dear God, was the man deliberately being obtuse?
"No! But I do suggest that you are so used to thinking of him as your enemy that you automatically treat him as such, despite the change in his position with respect to you and yours."
"He is an enemy!"
Charles blinked, surprised at the outburst.
"He is an Assassin. I must never let loose his bindings, else he may raise that blade against the Order again. And I cannot allow that to happen. I will not."
His counterpart stalked up to him, suddenly fierce and very, very angry.
"Do you think that I am a weakling and a traitor? Ha! I put the Order above all else. All my relationships, all my bonds, everything dear to me. I know," he laughed bitterly, "I know what you think of me. You and that doctor of yours. And I do not care. I thought up this plan to defang a most dangerous foe and turn my enemy's strength into my own."
He paused at that, briefly looking away into the flames of the campfire.
"I admit I did not realize how magnificent he could be--" and he sounded almost regretful at that "--but it does not change anything. His talents are vital to the Order, and Master Kenway could only trust me to handle his wayward son. Even if he seems to have changed his mind now."
Oh?
The other Charles shook his head. "But that is neither here nor there. My first loyalty is to the Order. Yours seems to be to your son and your own Order, both waiting for you in another world."
Charles nodded. So his counterpart must understand then, why he could not be a danger to him. What had he to gain from stealing this Connor? His greatest desires needed this Connor to be well and whole, and did not the other Charles desire the same thing?
"I do not doubt you when you say you have no ulterior designs on my wife."
Charles blinked, suddenly feeling off-balance. Wasn't that why the man always treated him so disdainfully?
"I am sure you wonder why I have no been more welcoming to you in that case."
Charles could only nod mutely.
"Well, there is a simple answer to that."
A flash of pain, and Charles clutched his stomach in pain.
"It's a pity, because I truly do not detest you as you think I do. But you are trying too hard, and I cannot allow that."
He yanked the dagger out of Charles's stomach, and Charles dropped to the ground, curling around his wound.
Betrayal bled bitter in his mind.
What was the reason for this? Why? The other Charles had already said he understood, so why had he done this?
"I am not without empathy though, and I am sure you wish to understand why it came to this."
He glanced over Charles's shivering form and, apparently satisfied with what he saw, continued.
"It's really quite simple. My loyalties to the Order means that I am willing to sacrifice anything for it. Even," he said sadly, "my relationship with Master Kenway. He has not visited me, you know, since my wife fell ill. And I can only surmise that he has given up on me for my failure to convert his son from his improper thinking."
He seemed wistful, and Charles would have felt sorry for him if he were not bleeding away on the forest floor.
Charles carefully exerted pressure on the wound, doing his best to staunch the bleeding with only his hands and torn shirt. Damn the man. He deserved any kind of misery he received.
"And I truly do want to convert Connor. He has proven himself to be a most resilient wife and, with training, I am sure he could be a most admirable example. But in the case that he does not..."
He glanced again at Charles's curled form on the ground.
"Your first prerogative is to return home to your son and your Order. And so you are aligned with my wife's interests, not necessarily with my own. If Connor heals and does not adjust his wrong thinking, then you would be a very dangerous liability. And I cannot have that. I cannot tolerate a world where my wife is allied to my alternate self, an alternate self that is unduly sympathetic to him and not so much to his own counterpart."
And here the man glared.
"If Connor were to know his place, then I would not be concerned. But I cannot chance that he stands to gain such power when there is no proof that he has. It is too dangerous, and I will not allow the Order to face such risk. Better that I remove you from the situation early, to prevent any later misunderstandings."
Charles felt incredulous. Misunderstandings? As he lay bleeding on the forest floor? And, if his counterpart had been better with his aim, he would have been dead otherwise.
His scowled in pain at the man. And his blood chilled as the other Alpha withdrew a pistol.
"I am not without understanding and sympathy. And I am sorry to have to do this. But I will not allow you to endanger my Order. And I cannot take the chance that you've learned from your mistakes given that your very purpose here is to help my wife."
Unbelievably, he actually did look regretful.
Oh bugger that.
"I really am sorry."
And a shot rang out.
Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-19 04:49 am (UTC)(link)Finding Connor
Chapter 27
The other Charles stared at him, blinking owlishly. It was as if the man didn't comprehend that there was a bullet through his heart.
Then again, the man likely didn't know. He'd probably assumed that all was in his favor and forgotten his own caution.
Charles glared up at him through triumphant pain-filled eyes, hands still tightly clutched around the small pistol he had hidden in his coat.
Served him right for what he'd been about to do to Charles...and after Charles had decided not to kill him after all!
Charles gingerly pushed himself up, one hand leaving the pistol to press tightly against the bleeding wound in his belly. He winced as blood seeped through his fingers.
Thank God his counterpart hadn't been paying more attention. Just the fact that he was still conscious and, given that he had been stabbed, relatively well, it looked as if his counterpart hadn't hit anything of import. Just a flesh wound likely, though God knew how lucky Charles was for that to have happened.
Dying once was bad enough. Charles had no intention of dying two times.
Charles hobbled over to his defeated nemesis and stared at the cooling body of his counterpart.
Really, it was most inconsiderate of the man. Forcing Charles to kill him when Charles had gone through all that trouble to find a way to keep from killing him.
He deserved punishment for that alone, the ungrateful sod.
He considered the body for a bit. Then, with a sigh, he slowly stooped down, careful not to aggravate his wound, and knelt by the Alpha.
With care not to jostle his belly too much, he tentatively reached into the folds of the man's jacket and bared his shirt.
Relatively clean. It would have to do.
With a grimace, he took a hold of the shirt and, with a forceful pull and a sharp cry as his belly protested his movement, tore a strip from the white cloth.
He'd never make it back to civilization as he was, bleeding out through his stomach.
Ten minutes later, after he used the dead man's whiskey to clean and bind his wound (and Charles found he had new respect for every soldier that had been injured in the field without a field doctor nearby), he turned a considering gaze to the body before him.
Call him maudlin, but he was hesitating at disposing of it. It seemed disrespectful to himself somehow. The thought of unceremoniously dumping the man and assuming his place.
And yet...what else could be done? He was already dead. Even out there, where few would likely venture, it was possible that someone would stumble upon the body. As unlikely as it seemed, Charles could not take the risk that the body be discovered. It would put their entire plan into jeopardy and remove any and all possibility of Charles returning to his son alive.
And wasn't that worth a little sacrilege?
To see his son again and make amends for his selfishness. To be with the last gift his wife had given him.
Charles closed his eyes.
He could just imagine his Connor rocking their son, that soft smile on his face as he lifted his head for a kiss from Charles...
Tears pricked at his eyes, and he brushed at them angrily.
Damn it. He thought he'd finally gotten over it. Finally let his rage and grief run his course.
But the thought burned in his head, and he glared anew at the dead man in front of him.
How dare his counterpart not appreciate his wife more. How dare he treat his Connor so callously, more than even an enemy merited. Did he not realize how fortunate it was that his wife still lived? Did he not realize how blessed he was?
And to try and kill Charles and nearly ruin the one chance Charles had to returning to the only family he had left...
It was unforgivable.
The other man did not deserve kindness, did not deserve consideration.
And so Charles would not waste his time thinking of him.
----
"Master Lee!"
Charles smiled wanly as Ronald stared at him. He was a sorry sight he knew, clothes ripped and dirty, blood stain on his clothes from where his wound had soaked through.
"Sir!" Mary ran up to him. "What happened? Are you well?"
Charles allowed her to fuss over him.
"Just a few bandits, I'm afraid. After I saw my cousin off, I ran afoul of an attack on a caravan shipping goods. There were only a few so I took care of them speedily."
"Oh sir," Mary's eyes misted as she worried over his healing wound.
"I am afraid one of them managed to stab me, though not well."
"A rather small blade to attack someone with," Ronald murmured, leaning in for a closer look.
"It was all he could muster as I had disarmed him of his intended weapon."
Understanding lit in Ronald's eyes, and he looked to Charles with pride.
"Very good sir."
Charles nodded wearily.
To be greeted so, as if he were in his own home...He began unbuttoning his coat, intent on being treated by a doctor and then taking to bed.
"Sir, I have news of your wife."
And he froze.
"And pray," he whispered, almost afraid to ask. "What news is there?"
"That he begins to wake," came a new voice.
Charles spun around, wide eyes lighting upon none other than Doctor White.
"Oh."
He knew not what else to say.
Re: Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-19 07:56 am (UTC)(link)Though you got me again in the feels with Charles remembering his Connor and the baby son he will never see again ;_;
But OMG /GASPS/ Connor is awake! Wow... I'm completely stunned. Thought Connor would be out awhile longer, and do hope Doctor White had filled him in on what's been going on.
Re: Finding Connor 27
(Anonymous) 2013-09-20 04:16 am (UTC)(link)Charles is paranoid. They both were, but the seeming advantage the other Charles had caused him to lower his guard and...
Lessen now never learned.
Connor is actually only showing signs of waking up. He's still weak and woozy and not altogether there, but the good doc has noticed some promising signs.
:)
Finding Connor 28
(Anonymous) 2013-09-28 07:14 am (UTC)(link)Chapter 28
After confirming that this world's Connor was improving with his own eyes, Charles immediately locked himself into his deceased counterpart's office. Now that the Omega was on the mend, then Charles should be going home soon.
He just needed to find that blasted amulet. And if he knew his counterpart as well as he thought, then the amulet should be right in...
He yanked open the desk drawer. Inside laid a few papers, a pistol (and what was the point in locking away a pistol) and the all important tell-tale glint of green that belied the amulet left by Those Who Came Before.
Charles reached in, grasped it and...
Nothing.
He blinked, a feeling of unease creeping through him.
He shook it, blew on it, tapped it, even tried praying to it.
Absolutely nothing.
The feeling of unease seized his body, and, legs weakened, he fell to his knees as his legs.
Nothing was happening.
His effort in the past few weeks, his killing of his counterpart, his relentless energy on helping this world's Connor improve...
Was it all for nothing?
It made him ill, thinking of it.
He had to return. He had to. His mentor was there. His son was there. His entire bloody life was there, and now he was stuck in this place that made no sense and...
No. He couldn't think that. There had to be a way to return.
There must be.
He was just missing something. Maybe this world's Connor needed to be fully awake. Maybe the child needed to be born. Maybe his counterpart needed a proper funeral.
It could be anything, but it had to be something.
Because the alternative was unthinkable. He wouldn't even consider it.
"It is one of your weaknesses, this stubbornness of yours. But it has served me well here, and I will not hold it against you."
Charles jumped to his feet and whirled about. He saw no one.
"Who are you?" he shouted. "Where are you?"
"I am no one that you know, but I am important to your being here, in the now, rather than dead in the ground."
He could still see no one.
"Show yourself!"
"There is little need to. My voice suffices for the time being. You need only listen to my instructions and--"
"--and I can return to my own world?" Charles felt hope grip his chest painfully. It was that spirit again, he knew it. And if she had come to offer him a way to return...
He'd take it.
"Alas, you have died in your own world. There is no way for you to return."
And the hope was crushed under the weight of her words.
Charles found it difficult to breathe for a moment, imagining never seeing his son again.
"You brought me here," he finally managed. "Surely, if you gave me back my life and sent me here, you may send me back."
The voice sounded truly regretful this time.
"That will not be possible. I could only bring you here because you are not dead here."
"I do not exist here at all" Charles protested.
"Yes, that is true. And that is why I am able to bring you new life in this world. This world does not recognize you. You are not of it. And so you did not die as you ought to have after such a grievous wound."
That made a sort of sense, though Charles was not sure how.
"But surely I am better now. I do not feel as if I am dying--"
"--you are not--"
"--and so you must return me! I have a son to raise. I have an Order to run."
"That is not possible."
"But why?" His voice cracked, raw and pain-filled as it was.
"You remain healthy only because I cause you to be in this world. In your own, your wounds would reform because that is how your body is supposed to exist in that world."
No. It wasn't...that couldn't be it.
Because that would mean...
"I am sorry, but you cannot return home. Your place is here now."
He wanted to hear anything but.
Re: Finding Connor 28
(Anonymous) 2013-09-29 03:05 am (UTC)(link)/Hugs Charles/
And finally Charles realizes that he is stranded in a parallel world, especially after killing his counter part, because so many people are dependent on him now... including this world's Connor, cause if he survived the birth and recovered his mind, I doubt the Templars would ever allow him to ever go free.
Also, was wonder if FW!Charles received some special bonus for killing Moth!Charles... like in the movie "The One" Jet Li travels to different parallel worlds to kill his other selves and gains super human abilities as a bonus until his last self stands up against him.
Re: Finding Connor 28
(Anonymous) 2013-09-29 06:29 am (UTC)(link)But sadly no, Charles doesn't gain special abilities. :) Actually, the story is going to move on from him soon. Going to end his installment and start Connor's POV.
Re: Finding Connor 28
(Anonymous) 2013-10-01 04:06 am (UTC)(link)Finding Connor 29
(Anonymous) 2013-10-03 06:32 am (UTC)(link)Chapter 29
At the announcement, Charles felt his knees buckle, and he slumped to the floor in a heavy slide.
Here? Forever?
"It is difficult to bear, but you must. There is no other life for you."
He found it difficult to breathe.
"My life, my efforts to stop the Charles of this place, my existence here...what is the meaning of it all?!" He sobbed.
"As you deduced, I have a vested interest in the survival of the Omega known as Connor Lee. This world's Charles Lee was not conducive to his health, and I looked to find a solution to his continued detrimental effect on the Omega."
The voice softened.
"When I looked and saw how good you were to your own wife and that you had no future in your own world--"
Charles choked at that.
"--it seemed that it would be in both our best interests to bring you here."
Silence.
Then, "send me back."
"I cannot. You do not live in that--"
He slammed the ground with the flat of his palm.
"Send. Me. Back."
"You wish to die then? To return to your world simply for your wounds to grow back and to bleed to death? It is futile--"
"And yet I wish for it."
The voice grew curious then.
"And why would that be? You are still lost in the woods. You would not have enough time to see your son or your mentor and definitely not enough time to influence your organization. Why would you possibly wish to return?"
Charles shook his head.
"I would at least die where I belong. I have..." He stilled for a moment. "I have wronged my family, I know. My son and Master Kenway...they did not deserve my deserting them."
"And you believe that death is how you can best repay them?" The voice scoffed.
"No. But I wish to be as close to them as possible. I want to be where I belong. I left it all once, to chase after my wife's killer. The least I can do is return to my place and face the consequences of my actions head on."
Charles paused.
"I beg you."
A long silence fell. Charles felt afraid to even breathe improperly.
"I can see that you are sincere in your desire to return to what is certain to be your death."
Charles nodded.
"There is nothing I would like better than to return home, for however short a time."
A sigh fell around him.
"And yet, I will not."
Charles started.
"Lady, you--"
"--Your desire, while understandable, is not something I can grant you."
"I helped the Omega you wanted helped," Charles bit out.
"And do you really think I would reward such with death?"
Charles felt frustrated.
"Perhaps when the death is yearned and plead for."
"Not even then."
"I only want to be back in my world! The same world that houses my son!"
"And I will not send a man back to a place where he would die five minutes he returned."
Charles growled.
"You owe me for my efforts here."
"Returning you would not be paying back my debt to you, but simply adding to it."
Charles opened his mouth to protest.
"And before you ask, I will brook no more argument on this. I will not return you to the world whence you came."
"And if I kill myself here? What then?" Charles muttered darkly.
A laugh sounded.
"You will not. You want to return to your own world for your family and not out of a true desire for death. Killing yourself here would only serve to further separate you from your son, and you would never do so."
Charles could find nothing to say to that.
"You will remain here, and that is final. This is your world now, and you will make it your own."
"And if I do not wish to?"
"Then do not. But you will not return, I promise you that."
And as the voice left, Charles put his face into his hands and wept.
Re: Finding Connor 29
(Anonymous) 2013-10-03 06:58 am (UTC)(link)Re: Finding Connor 29
(Anonymous) 2013-10-20 03:25 am (UTC)(link)Sorry about the delay. //bangs head on wall// Should be faster now. Connor section is shorter, so may end soon.
Finding Connor 30
(Anonymous) 2013-10-20 03:23 am (UTC)(link)Finding Connor
Chapter 30
Soon, Charles's tears dried, and fury began to take its place. Charles would have raged, thrown his expensive teacups and the entire serving tray with choice bits of cheese that Mary had left him as a snack in his anger. To have come so far, to have served so and be regarded thusly...
It was not right. It...
He glanced wildly about the room. Ideas flowed through his mind. If he caused enough damage here, if he made it impossible for himself to stay here, then surely...
Surely...
“Surely nothing, for you are already dead in that world, and nothing you do here will change that.”
His anger petered out. His hands fell limply by his sides.
And he felt like weeping.
His son would never see him again. He would never see his son again. And Master Kenway would raise his son knowing that he had abandoned his duties in a reckless drive for revenge, a revenge his wife would never have desired him to take.
Master Kenway, his wife, his son...
He'd failed all his most important people.
“Is this my punishment, then?” he whispered. “Is staying alive in this world, knowing that I threw away all that I had back home...is this my punishment for my arrogance?”
The voice did not speak, but Charles could hear the condemnation in her silence.
It was a cruel punishment and perhaps not wholly undeserved.
That knowledge did not lessen the bitterness in his heart.
“All is not lost for those you hold dear,” came the dulcet tones again. “Your Master Kenway is capable and will raise your son well. Though he mourns for both you and his son and faces added responsibilities with your death, he is strong and will manage. The country you leave behind will face a tumultous journey. As with any new country, it will find its mettle tested, again and again. Foreign powers, thinking it easy prey, will try to take advantage of it, sometimes succeeding, oftentimes not. But it will grow and mature and come into its own. Your son will play an important part, raised into his great and terrible heritage, and he will be one of the guides that sways the country's future path. As will his children after him and theirs as well.”
It was...
Not enough.
But it was a start.
And really, what choice had Charles?
“None, I am afraid. I truly do not mean you ill, but the time for choice in this matter is past. All you can do is look ahead.”
Ah, but what future had he? Dead in his world, having murdered the him that lived in this one.
“Other paths. Or a reforging, if you prefer. There are those who need you here, but as much as I would compel you to do as I please, you have already done a great service for me and with little return.”
The voice softened.
“I would not force you now...though I would mention that the babe in Connor's belly is the same as your son.”
Charles's breath caught.
The voice gentled further.
“You may, of course, do as you will, abandon these peoples so similar to the ones you have known. But, as you already embarked upon a mission unaware before, I think it only reasonable that you understand what the effects may be before you begin.”
A brief hesitation.
“Without you here, your Order will begin to grow suspicious. The Charles Lee they knew would never leave his duties so unexpectedly, and so they will investigate. Once they find the body...”
Charles clenched his hands into a fist. He could imagine it.
The Haytham Kenway of this world, with his special eyes...discovering the body and who that body was...hunting down the unfortunate Doctor White who Davies would have reported as having something to do with the strange happenings...
And Connor.
“Your would-be father-in-law would seek to wed his son to another Templar, but rather than play the whore, passed from Templar to Templar, your wife in another world would beg his father to grant him the reprieve of death. And Haytham Kenway, in a moment of rare pity, would grant it. The day the boy who would be your son is born in this world is the day that the Omega who would be your wife in that same world dies strangled by the man who gave him life.”
Charles's blood chilled. He gulped.
Such heavy tidings...
“And if I stay, do as you desire...”
“That future is of your making. I cannot see it.”
Ah.
Charles found it difficult to breathe.
Ah.
“Then it seems I have little choice.”
The words were bile in his mouth.
“I will stay and do what I can.”
What else was there?
Fin
Re: Finding Connor 30
(Anonymous) 2013-10-20 03:37 am (UTC)(link)Oooh I can't wait for Connor's POV, love to see what his thoughts are on this Charles. Also, will Haytham and the other Templars be entering the fray soon?
Re: Finding Connor 30
(Anonymous) 2013-10-20 04:12 am (UTC)(link)Re: Finding Connor 30
(Anonymous) 2013-10-21 03:19 am (UTC)(link)Mostly undecided about Connor POV. Just trying not to make it into a 30+ chapter monstrosity. :) So may have Haytham + co or not. Definitely the focus is on healing on both their parts.
I think that, with moth! Charles's body, it's best not to know. I couldn't decide between dismembering, throwing into a convenient large body of water and other methods, so decided not to cover it.
Re: Finding Connor 30
(Anonymous) 2013-10-21 04:51 am (UTC)(link)Anyway, really do hope Haytham drops in... even just to confirm Charles is Charles. Also of course to try and reconcile with his son like he did in the original moth!timeline.