Yeah, I know that this is not my other story, but that is going to be on hiatus for a while. This is just something that belongs to a series I am creating with an original character of mine.
I am doing a writing challenge on livejournal and the prompt was Home Sweet Home.
Summary: Robert Langdon and his daughter spend a day together at home.
Spoilers: Just spoilers from The Da Vinci Code movie
Disclaimer: I do not own Robert Langdon or the movie or book. They belong to their respective owners. I only own Mara.
A/N: This takes place after The Da Vinci Code but before Angels and Demons. Again, I am only going with the movie-verse of Dan Brown's books. The story is set during the summer of 2006 (as well as pretending the movie took place during that summer).
It was just a month after the fiasco in Paris, and Robert Langdon was still trying to put all into perspective. It was not every day that one was an internationally hunted man. Fortunately, he and the lovely Sophie Neveu managed to piece together the puzzle and put the real criminals behind bars. But the crisis still haunted him to this day.
So, to pass the time (when not planning his classes), he has been to writing his newest book, Art of the Illuminati. Actually, it was part two he was trying to work on; he hoped to finish it except he was being stalled by the Vatican. They have been denying his petitions for access to the Vatican Archives. It was getting annoying.
"Dad! I'm home!" came the musical voice that he knew was his daughter's. The girl who was the light of his life. Mara was the result of a relationship when he was in college. Her mother left soon after she was born, leaving Robert as a single father struggling to finish graduate school as well as raising an infant child. Even though he married when Mara was still a baby, she never knew her real mother.
So far, he thought he did rather well. "I'm in the study!" he called back as he returned to his research. Hearing the door open, he looked up to see a lovely young woman enter. Slightly tall, with wavy shoulder-length dark brown hair and crystal grey eyes, Mara was the epitome of beauty. Considering how many teenage boys I've had to scare away, he mused to himself as she smiled.
Taking a seat on the couch, she said, "Figured I would find you working on that book."
"What else should I be doing?" asked Langdon as he put his pen aside and leaned back in the chair.
Putting on a mischievous smile, she replied, "Oh, I don't know. How about spending the day with me?"
He cocked an eyebrow as he answered, "Doing what exactly?"
"I only have a few weeks left before I begin at St. Mary's University. And your classes are going to consume your time; so I thought that we could spend some quality time together. Without you working on your book," she replied as she got up, went over to the window, and opened the curtains. The sunlight that she allowed in illuminated the room, causing many of the crystal figurines that she collected (and used to decorate his study) to sparkle. "It's a gorgeous day, and our backyard looks so inviting, why not have a small barbeque?" she added.
Thinking about it, Langdon realized that it was a nice idea. Maybe it's just what I need to relax, he thought as he smiled. "Sure, why not? I think we have some steaks in the freezer," he said as he saved his files and turned off his computer. As Mara practically bounced out of the room, the symbologist realized how fast time flew. It seemed like yesterday that she was a bouncy baby trying to steady herself while holding on to the edge of the coffee table. She spent a year after graduating high school to find herself. He was worried that she was suffering from depression, though he did not know the reason why. But a trip to Vermont and a visit to see Mac in New York seemed to help her – she seemed to be back to her bubbly self.
As he entered the kitchen, Mara turned her head and asked, "Do we have charcoal?"
"In the garage, I think. At least enough for tonight," he replied as she nodded her head and went out to the garage. She came back a few minutes later with the charcoal. "Can you get the grill for me?" she asked. He smiled and nodded as he followed his daughter outside.
"Who taught you how to barbeque anyway?" he asked as Mara set up the grill.
"A guy I met in Virginia. I helped him with a problem and he taught me to cook," she answered as the lighted the fire. "How you like it?" she asked.
"Medium well please," replied Langdon as he sat back and enjoyed the cool breeze. It was nice to be home for a change, relaxing with his daughter. "How you feeling?" he inquired.
"Better. Much better than I've been for a long time," she answered.
Sighing, he leaned forward and said, "I know you don't want to tell me. But I want you to know that you can tell me whenever you're ready. I'm not going to chastise or force you in any way."
Smiling weakly, Mara looked at her father and said, "I know. It's just…I don't know how to tell you. Or if I have the courage to do so." She looked away and added, "Besides, you haven't told me anything about what happened in Paris."
"Now that is complicated. It was just a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding that had me scared to death. How often does a person get a phone call in the middle of the night from a French police captain demanding to know if you had heard from your father," she complained as she flipped the steaks over.
"It involved my work. Just…don't worry about it," he said as he thought back on that incident. He wanted to keep her out of that for as long as possible. The less she knew, the safer she would be.
"If you insist," she said. They sat together in companionable silence for a while, just enjoy each other's presence.
Breaking the silence, Langdon said, "So you want to go into journalism?"
"Yeah! It seemed to feel right," answered Mara, a smile spreading across her face. "That also means that I will be able to report on all your activities," she added, her smile growing wider.
"Ha, ha," he sarcastically said as he got up and went inside. A good salad and some fries may be good, he thought as he stuck some fries in the oven. He just wished that he knew more about her real mother. Mara had always been an oddity, but there was some things that he could not explain. At least she had his bad sense of humor.
"Steaks are done!" she called.
"Okay!" he called back as he pulled the fries out and finishing tossing the salad together. Coming back outside, he put the side entrees down and said, "I figured some fries and a salad would be nice."
"Great idea," she said as she placed the steaks on their respective plates and sat down. Dishing out the fries and salad, Langdon also took his seat and began to chow down. As they ate, they both began to think about the past and what the future may hold for them. "You know what? No matter what has happened before, I'm glad that you are my dad," she said with a smile. Langdon smiled back as his daughter leaned against him, taking comfort that she would always be there.