Happy Holidays Everybody! This month has been hectic with shopping and work.

I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. A little bit of insight on Desmond's mother Elizabeth's background.

Chapter 11

The terrified screams of a child, especially your own flesh and blood struck like a thunderbolt through your chest. The fear of harm coming to that young and innocent life could either stun you with horror or cause you to move without realizing it as you desperately tried to save them. Bayek had felt that feeling for as long as he could remember. Khemu, Shadya, and all of his descendants who had died as children, too young to even participate in this endless war.

Desmond's screams had shot the whole Miles clan into action, chasing after the demon who had grabbed the young boy and was dragging him through the woods surrounding the Farm. they went deeper and deeper into the shadows, the trees thick to where they could no longer see the moon or the stars in the night sky.

Desmond's pleas were like whips on their backs.

This... thing was fast. It had to be immortal and from the deepest depths on the Other Side. How would they be able to free Desmond and stop it?

Their lucky break came when Desmond somehow managed to grab and hold on to a tree root, stopping the demon from dragging him further and allowing the Miles Clan to catch up. The boy looked up and his eyes connected with Bayek's. In his golden eyes Bayek could see the pure terror in them as he struggled to hang on. It was the same terror Bayek had seen in his own son right before he was killed and it urged Bayek to run even faster if that was possible. He barely made out the whoosh of flying arrows before they were embedded in the creature's hand.

The demon howled in pain, and Bayek recognized Amunet and Connor's arrows. However, the monster stubbornly held on to his prey, yanking Desmond so hard the boy lost his grip on his lifeline and hit the ground hard on his head. Bayek inwardly winced island anger filled him as he finally reached Desmond, and grabbed the upper half of the boy's body, and tried to pull him out of the creature's grasp.

The other ancestors reached them, and Shay, Edward, and Jacob pulled out their guns and with precision aim, fired on the dark demon.

The creature's painful howls sent shivers down everyone, but it loosened its hold on Desmond enough for Bayek to finally pull him out of its grasp. The boy was losing consciousness so Bayek hurriedly picked him up and held him protectively as the creature began to recover.

By now the entire Miles clan had surrounded the monster. Using their Eagle Vision they were now able to get a better look at the dark demon. It stood up taller than any of them maybe ten to fifteen feet with black robes covering it, his teeth just noticeable from the shadows of his hood, obscuring the rest of its features. Its clawed hands were the only parts of it exposed. They were long, sharp, and covered in all different kinds of scars.

"What the fuck is this thing?!" Edward spoke out loud for all of them.

The creature let out an ear piercing shriek before it swung its arms at them.

They ducked and rolled from it, but Bayek with Desmond in his arms was cornered into the tree. The creature made to approach him, but Jacob jumped on it from behind, wrapping his arms around its neck, or what he figured to be its neck. But the creature grabbed him and threw him off. The British Assassin yelled as he was flung several yards through shrubs and a tree before landing on the ground.

Evie fired her pistol at it, and it turned to her in a fury.

Before it could attack her next, Altair threw one of his knives at it, hitting on the right side of what would have been its collarbone.

Haythem from behind then swiped at where he judged its back knees to be. "Come on you pilge-sucking bastard!" The normally composed Colonial Templar swore an oath that he remembered his father swearing when he was a boy.

It angered the monster even more, charging at the Temple in fury. Connor and Ezio came at it on opposite sides, but the creature grabbed them by their throats before throwing Connor at his father and then the Italian at Evie and Altair.

The creature then grunted in pain from its back shoulder and turned to see that Edward Kenway had thrown a rope dart at it with Shay helping him to hold the line and pull at it. Connor, seeing what his grandfather was up to, quickly got up and threw his own rope dart at its chest and pulled. His father got up and helped him pull with Jacob who rejoined the fight. Evie shot her grapple at its right leg and pulled with Ezio and Altair to help her. For the moment it seemed the monster would be brought to heel between the eight Assassins and Templars, but then with a furious roar, it rose up and pulled the ropes and line with such power they were all piled at its feet before they could cry out.

The monster grabbed Haytham by the back of his neck and picked him up to where they were face to face. The Templar Grandmaster could smell the acid foul breath that reminded him of the Styx, see its teeth curl into a snarl, and for the first time since his death, he felt fear for himself.

An arrow pierced the left side of the monster's head coming out from the right side. A shot like that would have killed a mortal creature, but the monster only dropped Haytham, turned around, and growled furiously at Amunet who stood between him and her husband holding their descendant, bow in hand and another arrow pointing at it.

"We're just making it angry," Altair gasped as they all struggled to get back on their feet, and away from the creature's reach.

"How are we supposed to hurt it?" Jacob angrily asked.

Arno, who had been out of the fight so far had been creeping up one of the trees and carefully climbing its branches until he was perched over the fight and waited for the right moment to strike. When the creature was finally in position, Arno jumped off the branch, hidden blade engaged as if he were going to assassinate the monster. However, as if the creature knew Arno's plan all along, it caught the Frenchman by the throat and he dangled in its grasp. Arno tried to pry its claws from his throat and kick at it, ubt nothing he did affected it.

A glimmer of light shone from Arno's belt and reached the dark shadows of the creature's hood. It happened in a moment and before Arno could get a glimpse of its real features the monster dropped him with a painful shriek as if he had burned it. Bayek, who had been guarding Desmond as his family fought the creature, instantly realized what had happened. On his belt hung a small lantern that Arno kept in memory of the adventure he had shared with Leon after the death of Elise. Even in death, the lantern still held a light inside it, and it seemed to hurt the creature when he saw it.

"Arno your lantern!" Bayek shouted.

Arno scrambled to his feet and took the old lantern off of his belt, and held it out towards the monster. The light shone bright and the creature backed away from them, its growls sounding more painful as the light shined on its dark robes.

"Amunet, use your arrows!"

Seeing what her husband had in mind, the Egyptian woman hurried over to Arno. Dipping the tip of her arrow until it was alight, she pulled it back and let go.

The arrow hit the creature's robes and set them on fire. The monster's shrieks pierced the night for everyone to hear its pain. It ran deeper into the forest until its lit figure faded at a great distance. Even when it faded from sight, the Miles clan felt no relief.

"Everybody back to the Farm. We need to check Desmond's injuries and keep him where there's light. It seems the creature hates it," Bayek told them, his eyes on the last place he had seen the monster before it disappeared.

Everybody agreed and although they hated to admit it, they were all shaken to what had just happened. They began their trek back to the Farm, using Arno's lantern to light their way and kept their senses alert in case the creature came back or something else.

000{{*}}000

Crunch!

Gavin swore and the Farm's doctor, Dr. Heckler winced in sympathy as she set his nose back into place. "Sorry."

It had been years since Gavin and Bill had sparred together that the former had almost forgotten how hard his old friend could hit. He had been on his way to talk to William when the man had rushed out of his study and pushed Gavin as if he were chasing a target with a dozen Templars on his tail. The wild and desperate look in his eyes had shaken Gavin to the core.

He had known William for as long as he could remember. Their fathers had been good friends, and the two of them would spend hours playing in the forests outside the Farm, pretending that they were fighting Templars and hunting for Pieces of Eden. Bill had been the more adventurous and reckless one at that age, always pulling the biggest stunts and scaring their parents good. They promised that they would be friends forever and fight Templars side by side. Brothers until the end.

Then Bill's father died. Gavin watched as his best friend changed from the lively and reckless boy to a solemn one before he left the Farm in the care of his guardian Desmond Laden. It was years before they saw each other again. By then they were fully trained Assassins with blood on their hands, no longer the innocent and naive boys they had been. They were grown men hardened by the years of training and fighting, but the bond they had shared as children was still there. They fought and killed actual Templars instead of wooden dummies and hunted for the truth instead of unique ricks they used as Pieces of Eden. To see his best friend the way he was now hurt Gavin.

He had chased after Bill with Liz right behind him, worried that he might hurt himself or somebody else. His screams for Desmond were gut wrenching, but Gavin had to ensure his friend wouldn't hurt himself by running into the forest at night in his state. He had jumped Bill and tried to get the gun off of him. The man had fought viciously, ramming his elbow into Gavin's nose, breaking it. Despite the pain, Gavin held on to William, and a couple other Assassins came over to help get the gun off of him. The gun went off, but thankfully had been pointing towards the woods and had hit one of the trees harmlessly. With the state he was in, Gavin didn't want to further risk Bill hurting himself or anyone and had yelled for the sedatives.

He'd made the novice mistake in forgetting that Bill carried hidden blades on both of his arms. He'd barely avoided getting sliced when Bill triggered them and he jumped off of him. Gavin liked to think that he was decent with a blade, but if he was decent, Bill was a master. How many people had Gavin watched Bill kill with his blades? There was a reason he was allowed to carry two. Bill had told him and everyone present that he had heard Desmond and would have continued his charge into the forest if Liz hadn't managed to sneak up on him and inject the sedative into him. Gavin could tell it broke Liz's heart to do such a thing to Bill, but the betrayed and devastated look on his face when he realized what they had done had made Gavin feel just as guilty. They had no choice though.

Dr. Henrick finished cleaning the blood and bandaged his nose. He thanked her and got off the couch in the Miles' living room while she gathered her stuff up.

"Keep an eye on the two upstairs," the doctor said, her eyes glancing upstairs to where they had taken William after sedating him, leaving Liz to watch over him. "Everyone on the Farm has been talking and they're worried about the Miles losing their minds."

"Can you blame them? Their son has disappeared without a trace with an ancient artifact that no one truly knows what it's capable of, and could be who knows where in this forsaken universe!" Gavin didn't mean to snap at the doctor, but if he was going to be honest he was worried about his friends and their son too.

When they had discovered the Orb, the Mentor himself had contacted Gavin and had ordered him to take the Orb and all their research on it to where the Templars could not find it. The Farm Bill managed was well- hidden and kept a few of their best researchers in the Brotherhood. The glowing episodes Gavin had seen had only happened when Desmond was around, and now it and the boy were both missing, and everybody was losing their minds.

Gavin thanked the doctor again and took the painkillers she had given him before heading upstairs to check on the Miles. He passed Desmond's room, noticing the light was on and flipped the switch off. He continued his way to where he knew William and Elizabeth slept. There was a single lamp on, but he could make out all the books Liz's family had collected over the years on the bookshelf, the 18th century sword William had said was a family heirloom hanging above the headboard, and on the nightstand where Bill would sleep was an adjoined picture frame with the photo of Bill and Liz's wedding day and a photo of Desmond's birthday. The rest of the house was filled with weapons and plans to help the Brotherhood, but this room consisted of memories that Gavin felt like an intruder but he stayed.

They had strapped Bill to the bed like he was an asylum inmate, making sure to confiscate any weapons on him. He looked so tired, more tired than a man who hadn't slept for a couple of days.

In a chair next to the bed was Elizabeth who looked like she had dozed off. She had taken her hair out of its messy braid, letting the dark hair tumble over her shoulders as she slouched in her chair. Although she was younger than both William and Gavin, she looked as though she had aged a decade.

Gavin could still remember the day he and Bill had met Elizabeth Bransky. He had never seen his friend so blown away and he still laughed about it to this day. Liz's family had been scarred from WWII and had spent all her life hunting Templars with parents and sister on the move. Her father had died years before they had all met, but her mother, Gavin remembered, could make a grown man wet himself with a single look. Bill had his work cut out trying to impress the intimidating woman. Keren, the little sister was a sweet girl more suited to studies and research, but was determined to prove herself just as capable an Assassin as her mother and sister.

Gavin remembered when Keren had been sent on a mission to help protect Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India. The mission had ended in the young woman's death along with the prime minister. Keren's death had been a blow that her family never truly recovered. Elizabeth had been devastated, and her mother… they had watched the proud and formidable woman shatter at the news of her younger daughter's death. They discovered that the deaths had been ordered by Dr. Moira Rikkin, wife of high ranking Abstergo employee at the time and Templar, Alan Rikkin. The Templars had been experimenting on their new Animus project. Keren came from a long line of Assassins and Moira Rikkin had ordered the hit in order to get a hold of her body and analyze her DNA. The discovery had lit both her mother and sister with a raging fire, and before William or anybody could stop them, the two women declared war on the Rikkins, and stormed their London stronghold with several other Assassins. They killed over a dozen high ranking Templars, Elizabeth herself slitting Moira Rikkin's throat, and Nora stole back her daughter's body and all of Abstergo's research on her.

It was a bittersweet victory.

The council had severely reprimanded the Bransky women and all of those who had helped them in their attack. From what Gavin had heard they were all taken off the field for such recklessness and bringing attention to themselves. The Templars had retaliated for Moira Rikkin and the other deaths for the next several years. Assassins ending up dead, captured, or gone into hiding. Gavin heard that Nora had been cornered while visiting relations in England before she slit her own throat rather than be captured by Abstergo. Her death had sent Liz into a depression at the same time she had found out that she was pregnant with Desmond. It was decided between her and Bill that they would raise their child on the Farm where Bill and Gavin had grown up and devote their time to training novices and assist in research. Gavin could see that it helped Liz with her depression, but it also made Bill anxious, missing the action and being on the field. Now, with Desmond missing, Gavin worried about his friends.

Liz's head rolled and she jerked herself awake. She rubbed her tired eyes and noticed Gavin. "How long have you been standing there?"

Gavin shrugged. "About a minute or two. Didn't want to wake you up. You need the rest."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I know I need it. My body needs it. But every time I think about it I feel guilty and afraid. Every second I waste Desmond could be in some kind of danger." She looked at William's unconscious form, and they both knew that they were thinking about the incident.

"Don't make yourself sick, Liz," Gavin gently told her. "I'm worried that's what Bill did. He pushed himself until he thought he could hear Desmond, and almost killed someone. You won't find Desmond if you push yourselves too hard."

Elizabeth had a thoughtful look on her face like she was contemplating something. "What if Will actually heard something?"

"What?" Gavin hoped he misheard her.

"What if Will actually heard something?" Liz repeated.

"Come on, Liz."

"I'm serious. What if Will actually heard Desmond outside?"

Gavin shook his head. "Everyone's been searching those woods since last night. Are you saying that Bill somehow heard Desmond when he could be miles and miles from the Farm?"

"Not exactly." Liz bit her bottom lip. "You're going to think I'm crazy, but… earlier this afternoon while I was going through Desmond's things I felt… it almost felt like a touch on my hand and then a whisper."

Gavin looked at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads. "Come on Liz, seriously. Are you telling me that Desmond is suddenly a ghost and he's messing with you and Bill?"

"I'm not saying that. He's not dead! I know he isn't."

"How?"

"I just know."

Gavin rubbed his temples, feeling a migraine beginning. "Please, please Liz keep it together. Bad enough Bill here just lost it. I can't let you lose it too."

"Well maybe I have lost it!" Liz yelled at him. "Maybe I have lost my fucking mind, but before you go off judging just listen to what I have to say for one damn minute before you judge me crazy like everybody else in this forsaken Farm."

Gavin shut his mouth, wisely allowing her to calm down and speak her thoughts.

"That orb you brought, what if it could transport someone into a different world like a different dimension?"

"What?" Gavin was confused. "You mean a different world like in comic books?"

"Maybe, but like… what if when you die your spirit stays in this world, but you can neither be seen nor heard."

"So in other words: ghosts?" Gavin asked, skeptical. "How would the Isu be able to conduct something like that? It sounds supernatural. Something they wouldn't think logical."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Come on, gavin. Everyone born into the Brotherhood has grown up listening to stories about mind controlling apples, healing shrouds, and weapons that could bring the world to its knees. Is it unreasonable that there are things in this universe that not even the Isu could scientifically explain?"

Gavin sighed, his migraine worsening. "Suppose you're right. Desmond grabs the Orb of Eden and is now a poltergeist that only you and Bill can hear. So?"

Liz shook her head. "I know it sounds crazy and far-fetched. It probably is, but I can assure you Gavin, I have seen Bill go without sleep for five days and the craziest thing he's done is sprinkle Desmond's baby powder on his hands before training and rub my skin lotion in his hair while taking a shower, not runoff into the woods like a lunatic," she paused and looked past Gavin and into the hallway. "I thought I turned the light in Desmond's room off."

Gavin looked back and could see a light coming from the boy's room. They went over and looked in. the light was on, but there was nobody there. Everything was left the way they had found it when they realized that Desmond was gone. Gavin and Liz shared a frown before the latter turned the switch off and closed the door.

"I could have sworn I turned it off right after we strapped Bill down."

"I noticed it on when I came to check on you both. I thought you wanted to check something and forgot to turn it off, so I did," Gavin said, puzzled. He did turn the light switch off.

"I know I turned it off," Liz insisted. "I thought for a wild second that Desmond had returned before I looked in, and saw nobody and turned it off."

The light came back on through the crack under the door. The two Assassins looked at each other.

Silently, Gavin triggered his hidden blade, wrapping his hand around the doorknob, and then quickly opened the door and jumped in to attack whoever was in there. Only there was nobody there.

Gavin turned to Liz, puzzled. She turned to the lightswitch by the door, hesitated for a moment before switching it off.

A few seconds, ten seconds later the switch flipped back on, light filling the room.

Gavin hurriedly jumped out of the room, pushing Liz out, and slamming the door shut. His heart was racing and his migraine was forgotten.

"All that shit you said about ghosts and unexplained science shit," he gulped. "I'm a believer now."

Now he was losing his mind.

000{{*}}000

"You could have waited till they were gone," Evie scolded her brother.

"Come on Evie, it's the first fun I've had in years. Let me have this," Jacob said from his post at the lightswitch. "Besides I'm not taking the chance that thing is outside Desmond's window waiting to come in the moment the light's out."

"Told you the Bogeyman was real," Arno said in a tone that would have been smug if they all weren't still shaken from the attack.

Connor crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the Victorian Assassin. "Your great-great-granddaughter is recovering from depression, her husband is strapped to their bed, and is worried about her son, and you think messing with her mind is fun?"

They were all packed in Desmond's bedroom. The boy in question laid in Bayek's lap on his bed, still unconscious. They couldn't move his blanket and even if they did it would have just fazed through him, so instead Shay had shed his heavy overcoat that had kept him warm when he sailed the arctic. It was a cute sight, seeing Desmond practically swamped by the oversized coat, but they were all worried that he hadn't woken up yet. They had all experienced concussions and head traumas when they were living, but with Desmond still unconscious they had no way to be certain, and there was the fact that none of his previous injuries were visible. The scrapes and bruises he'd gotten were no longer there even in places that were still solid. It was worrisome. How could they help Desmond if they couldn't see or feel his injuries?

Jacob glared at the Native American. He liked Connor. He really did, but he would not tolerate anybody questioning his love and care towards his family. He cared for Evie, he cared for the mother they never got to meet, he cared for his grandmama, Greenie, his wife, his sons, his nieces, his grandchildren, he even cared about his arse of a father in his own way, and cared for all of his descendants and the distant relations in his present family. Even Haytham and Shay, posh gits the two of them though. After seeing the asylums in his own time and raising Jack, Jacob knew that mental health was no joke. The last thing he wanted was to drive his poor descendant Elizabeth insane.

"Of course not, but I seriously don't want to risk another attack in the house. I remember the last time there was a fight around our descendants. We nearly gave Nora a stroke," Jacob said, glaring at Ezio and Haytham. "Besides, it's better if we don't wholly depend on Arno's lantern."

"Too bad Desmond no longer sleeps with a nightlight," Shay commented, motioning to the corner of the room where a handmade star nightlight use to be.

"He was six years old when they took it out. It was time to grow up," Haytham said.

"Oh please. You wouldn't stop making me light a candle before bedtime until you turned nine," Edward reminded him to which Haytham looked embarrassed while Connor grinned at the news.

"Khemu couldn't fall asleep unless one of us was there," Bayek softly spoke, silencing everyone. "He once told me it was because he was afraid that the monsters would take us and eat him."

Everyone was silent, watching as Desmond's chest rose up and down with every breath like he was really sleeping.

"This used to be my favorite part when I became a father," Ezio whispered. "Seeing the children sleeping safe and peacefully in bed."

"Right after they demand another story," Altair added in.

"Or a drink before bed," Arno continued.

"They grow up so fast," Jacob finished.

They were silent, reminiscing on memories of their own children.

"Why was that creature after him?" Connor asked.

"I don't know," Bayek answered. "When we first came to the Other Side there were monstrous spirits and demons who terrorized both the living and the dead. The Angels had to capture them and when they did, they were thrown into the deepest bowels of the Other Side."

"Lucifer's pets," Evie realized. "When we went down to interrogate Herod, Lucifer said that Cain had taken some of his pets."

"But why would Cain set one of them after loose and after Desmond?" Edward asked.

"Could have been a distraction," Shay suggested. "Maybe he was hoping that we would be more focused in saving Desmond than finding him."

"Or maybe he wanted Desmond for something else," Amunet spoke.

That didn't bode well.

Arno checked his pocket watch. It was nearing eleven here.

It caused a frown on Amunet's face. "I don't like the idea of us splitting up while that monster is still out there. It took all of us just to protect Desmond from that thing. Cut in half who's to say it would be enough to protect Desmond here while the rest of us continue the search."

"Then what do you propose?" Haytham demanded. "Drag an unconscious and possibly concussed boy all over the Other Side?"

"We're running out of time," Evie reminded him.

"If I may," Bayek spoke up, garnering their attention. "We still have a few hours before de Sade returns. Let us wait to see if Desmond wakes before we make a decision."

As if he heard him, Desmond moaned.

000{{*}}000

So what do you guys think? I actually had to look up how you fight a bogeyman, and all I could gather was that it hates light (which is why parents install a nightlight for their kids). As for the background on William, Elizabeth, and Gavin, I wanted there to be a reason why they are the way they are and why Desmond was raised the way he was. As for Elizabeth being the one to assassinate Alan Rikkin's wife that actually popped in and I didn't want to let go of it. After a lifetime of killing and losing the people she loves it would make sense for her to want to settle down and focus on raising her child where he could be safe. As for William I get the sense that he had just as rough of an upbringing as well.

Gavin and Elizabeth seem to be getting an idea as to what's happened to Desmond. I couldn't resist a giggle at the lightswitch part. The place I work at has its own set of ghosts. One night while I was working, we heard something and saw the rocking chair rocking; it worried us for a second until we realized that it was only the cat who jumped on it just so he could get in the office. It was a good laugh.

Please review and let me know what you guys think. And Happy Holidays!