XXVII. Another Hope

September, 1770

The other ship was well within sight. A sigh came from the old man's lips. How he had lived for this moment…and dreaded it with every fiber of his being. He paced across the ship's deck, feeling the wood creak like a living beast beneath his feet. Fear ate as his heart, leaving naught but a shell, one that was filled with some sort of hope. Perhaps…it would turn out for the better but there was nothing to guarantee that.

The old man himself, though in his late seventies, was sprightly. One might even be mistaken of his age for he was lean and his hair still had a slightly sandy hue to it. It was pulled back into a short pony tail at the nape of his neck and he had just a bit of fuzz on his face – though he had not shaved that morning. He was dressed in old Assassin's robes, though not the ones he had pulled from Duncan all those years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago and yet it was.

"It's going to be fine" A hand took his and he looked to see a dark haired woman at his side. His wife of all these years. She also looked young for her age, though she was nearing eighty. She was still beautiful to him, after all these years. She squeezed his hand quickly and let go, reminding him of the emotional difference that had plagued their relationship for years now.

They were still very in love and he knew they were both frustrated but…he was so sure she blamed him for the loss of their son. He was the one who had brought that man – Chronos – into their lives. That man who told them to let their son go. He figured that Mary blamed him because he blamed himself. It was all his fault.

And to hear of the things that he had done…

The shore was coming up close and they stopped at the edge of the bay, with plenty of room for the other ship to get out around them. His crew was a good one – many of the children of friends or even the grandchildren of them. When had he gotten so old?

"Prepare a boat to take us to shore" he ordered a much younger man. They still respected him after all these years. There was something to be said for him he supposed. He inspired loyalty when he deserved none. When he thought he deserved none.

He and his wife boarded the ship and a lad much younger than them began to row them to shore. Up by the house he could see the figure of a single person standing, looking down into the bay he was sure. It would be interesting meeting this lad. He wondered if he could get through the meeting. He felt nervous. That was an odd feeling for him, he probably hadn't been nervous about anything since he was a boy yet.

The shore loomed closer as did their meeting. This was what fate had intended for him all along, he felt. He may have lost his son, but here was another hope, another chance. He prayed that it would go better than the last.

When they reached the shore, he could see two people – a man younger than him and a lad – coming towards them. The older man knew who he was and the younger lad had no idea, but he would know soon. Not the truth, not yet, maybe not ever but this was the only way to save his son, by using this lad here.

Haytham's son. His own grandson.

This is the final chapter for Another Hope. I'm sorry I was gone so long, I just had trouble figuring out how to get to this point. Um, also, as you can see by this chapter we might not be done after all. I will write a sequel. Probably? I'd like to if enough people are interested. I haven't played AC3 in a while so this one would take alot of research and probably time to complete. But, I wrote this with very clear hints towards a sequel, if that's what you people would really want. Who am I kidding? I might just write it because that's what I personally want.

Anyway, I'd just like to thank everyone for reading this, sticking with me and just being so fantastic. I enjoy writing these, probably more than I should and you all seem to enjoy reading them so much. Thank you for loving Edward and Mary!

A very special thank you to CzarAndrew. I'm sure this wasn't the story you were expecting when you approached me for the challenge and hell, very truthfully, it wasn't the story I was expecting. But here it is and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for letting me run far and wide with your idea. I absolutely loved it (and everyone who loved this story should seriously give CzarAndrew some love, because without them I wouldn't have written this story).

Thank you guys again! Hope to see you in my next fanfiction!