Beyond an Assassin - AC syndicate

Chapter 15

You were expecting Evie to stand angrily outside but you found Jacob slumbering up against the wall next to your door. He had a tight grip around the iron railing so he didn't fall off. He was not wearing more than his trousers and a thin button up shirt that may have been white at some point. A scratchy looking blanket was hanging over his shoulders and he was keeping it in place with his free hand.

"Jacob?" You said surprised and laid a hand on his arm as the train took a turn and he looked kind of wobbly. He didn't say anything but looked you in the eyes. At that moment you knew you were ready to fight for this man. Even if he had given information to the Templars, you would find a way to bring him back to the light.

"Come in. It's dangerous to stand out here in your condition." You said and tightened your grip in his arm when you felt how weak he still was. You could feel how painful it was for him to move by himself. You got him inside and sat him down on your bed. He fell back and rested his back against the wagon wall. The shaking from the wagon made him hiss but he breathed in heavily and stayed calm.

"How are you feeling?" You asked nervously and leaned on your desk opposite Jacob. He made a small hint of laughter before speaking.

"I have been better. But let me tell you; I have been a lot worse too. Thanks for helping me out there." He said and nodded. You kept your eyes locked with his to see if there was any regret. But you could only see the pain he was in. May that be both physical and mental?

"What am I hearing? Did Jacob Frye just thank someone?" You said a bit sarcastic, but you smiled at him and he gave you a hint of a smile back before his face turned to stone.

"Why where you there?" He asked.

"Evie send me to look after you."

"Ha. Then you must be very disappointed in what you got to see." Jacob said and he suddenly got busy looking anywhere else than at you.

"I'm not quite sure about what I saw." You honestly said and crossed your arms. Jacob said nothing for a moment before sighing.

"It's hard to explain."

"Jacob? Are you working for the Templars?" You said straight out and tried to catch his attention again. You succeeded because he was immediately staring you down like if you just insulted his mother.

"I would never do that!" He said harshly and sat up straight.

"You know the rules, Jacob! I have to ask because I don't know what the hell you were doing with a Templar. He made you blow up a house full of children and suddenly I'm involved in said rescue mission. What the hell is going on?" You yelled out in frustration and threw around with your arms.

"I did it for you!" He yelled back and he stood up in front of you. There was suddenly not much space between you two, but you crossed your arms in front of you to keep him in distance.

"I... I don't understand..." You stuttered. Not sure how to react to this new information.

"I did it for you, okay? I have tried to talk to you for so long but you keep rejecting me. I never got to explain myself but even if I didn't do anything on purpose I still feel horrible. And the fact that I do... Just tells me how found of you I have become. It feels horrible when the one you truly love look at you with disgust in their eyes!" Jacob was speaking with such a force that he became wobbly again. You reached out and tried not to touch his wounds.

"Jacob, please sit down." You said calmly. You were afraid that he was going to fall by the movement of the train. He did as you said and sat back down on the bed but he grabbed both of your hand and hold them tight.

"Y/N, you have to listen to me!" He said desperately like you were about to leave him on the bed.

"I'm listening, Jacob. I'm here." You reassured him and kneeled down in front of him now that he didn't let go of your hands. He was in state where he didn't need you to look down at him. He needed you to be in the same level as him to calm down.

"The Templar I was with... His name is Roth. He is one of Starrick's pets. He is cruel and cold towards human lives but he lives for entertainment."

"I don't quite follow." You said.

"Roth comes from a family of entertainers. When Starrick let him into the order he gave Roth a lot of money to start up a theatre. He operates from there but it is also becoming one of the most popular theatres in London. I wanted to give you the opportunity to get back as an actress. It's my fault that you were attacked and kicked out! I couldn't live with that. I tried to make a deal with Roth so he could clean your name and give you a job opportunity. In return I would do him some favours. You must understand that I was desperate to get you to just speak to me again." His head hung as he stopped speaking. He was waiting to hear what you had to say. The first thing that came to your mind and always should was the brotherhood.

"So... Did you give him any information about the brotherhood? Anything that could hurt us?"

"No... No I only made some dirty work. Roth was mad at Starrick for some reason so I sabotaged some shippings on the Thames. But then came the thing with the explosives... You know the rest."

"I don't believe I do. Why did you agree to place explosives around a house where poor children stay?"

"He lied to me! He told me it was a storage house!" Jacob said angrily. If he wasn't so exhausted you were sure he would have hit himself in the head with something. The shame and regret was so clear on him. You actually felt sorry for him. He had done all that just because he wanted you to be happy again. He wanted to make everything great again by sacrificing himself to the enemy.

You let go on one of his hands, which made him look up at you. You send him your most warming smile and placed you hand on his cheek. It was still all red from the contact with fire but he leaned into your hand and closed his eyes.

"I forgive you, Jacob. I forgive you everything. I have been stupid as well. I was horrified when I heard that a simple prostitute had got their hands on you, but she came to me and told the truth. It doesn't change the fact that she was all over you but it justifies it. As long as you have been taking a long shower since then." Your comment made Jacob smile.

"You have no idea how much I have longed to hear you say that, y/n. And I promise you, even though I have been lying around in mud a lot since the episode, I have tried to scrub myself clean like a mad man ever since." You would never have seen Jacob as a man, who could cry, but a tear escaped his eye and you caught it with you thumb. He finally opened his eyes and you couldn't do anything but smile at the in front of you. He was showing so many emotions you would have never imagined and you realized that you had longed for this as much as he had.

"Can I kiss you?" He whispered and you nodded faster than you wanted to admit. He started to get up from the bed and you followed his lead. He smirked at you before he took your arms and placed them around his neck.

"I need to stand up for this. I am still a man, even though I am acting like a child from time to time. My wounds shouldn't keep me from getting a good look at you either. God, I have been waiting a long time for this." He looked to the heaven before leaning forward and lucked your lips together. You were lucky that you were all alone in the wagon, because it wasn't suitable for anyone who wasn't married to show this kind of affection towards each other, but it was like you couldn't get enough of each other's lips and touch. Eventually you had to stop because Jacob was too exhausted to stand up for so long. But you both laid down in your bed and just stared at each other to get familiar again. You had missed him so much that you couldn't stop peppering his wounded face with small kisses while he tried to stay awake.

"You can sleep now, Jacob." You whispered as you stroke his cheek and his eyes fluttered.

"I don't want to right now. I just got you back." He muttered already half asleep.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be here when you wake up."