A/N: I'm very excited about this new story, I've had the idea for a few weeks now, and it's finally all written out. I hope you enjoy it, I thought it would be a neat original idea to try. Please try to bear with me if I'm not fast to update, I'm honestly awful at updating quickly.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Robert Langdon and all of the books he's been in belong to Dan Brown, not me. I'm just messing with his life a little bit.

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Dawn was just breaking, the golden rays of light beginning to filter through the branches and leaves of the full maple trees that were beginning to change color with the season. Anna Carter awoke from a peaceful slumber, sitting up in bed as she looked at her alarm clock through blurry eyes. A hand ran through a tangled mess of caramel-brown hair, catching on a few snags. The clock read 5:37 AM, which was perfect – she had just enough time to get ready before her classes at 7.

The day hardly felt real, and Anna's heart skipped a beat as she thought of going to classes. She was about to venture into the world of college for the first time – at one of America's most prestigious schools, no less. Anna Carter was about to attend Harvard University, almost unbelievable. It'd taken a while to grasp, although anyone who knew her immediately understood why she'd been accepted – especially Anna's mother.

Mom. Anna smiled slightly at the thought of her mother. Cecelia Carter had raised her daughter as a single parent, firm but caring and loving. She had gotten pregnant in her late twenties, after a short romance with a man whose name she never mentioned once. Cecelia was fiercely independent and totally determined to raise her child without any help. They'd had rough times along the way, but it had only served to make mother and daughter closer.

Anna got up from her bed, looking around the tiny bedroom in the tiny apartment she was renting in Boston. She'd grown up in a quiet town in New Hampshire, and found herself pretty familiar with Boston, as she visited the city every summer. It was one of Anna's favorite places in the world – mostly because of its historical importance, she had decided. History was one of Anna's passions. She was even planning to become a history teacher one day.

She left her bedroom, walking out into the main area of the apartment. She looked up, unsurprised to see her room-mate already up and at it. Chelsea Beckett was most decidedly a morning person, something that Anna despised greatly, even though she absolutely loved the girl. Sometimes Chelsea could just be too damned chipper, but Lisa was willing to let that slide – she could probably learn something from that, not being a morning person herself.

"Mornin', sunshine!" Chelsea greeted teasingly from the kitchen, already working on breakfast. Anna offered a half-hearted wave, making her way to the bathroom without a word. She immediately turned on the shower, and quickly undressed from her pajamas and stepped in, the heated water washing away any hint of sleepiness. She remained in the shower for a good fifteen minutes, enjoying the warmth of the running water before getting out, attempting (though not succeeding) to dry and tame her thick, tangled hair. She stared at her face in the mirror. She had pale skin, though her cheeks flushed red from the warmth of the shower. She had an oval face, a small nose, fairly thin lips. Her favorite feature was her eyes – they were a stunning blue that stood out from her mostly ordinary face. Turning away from the foggy glass, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a white blouse.

She re-emerged from the bathroom to find Chelsea eating breakfast on the couch, her eyes glued to the television set as she watched the morning news. Anna rolled her eyes, grabbing a plate from the cupboard.

"I seriously don't understand how you can watch the news. I mean, it's all war this and crime that. Why don't they have a happy story every once in a while? Something about how someone did something to help the community?"

"Oh, quit it," Chelsea replied, not looking away from the TV. "They have to report the bad stuff because it's happening whether you like it or not." She speared part of a waffle with her fork. There was a short silence as Anna entered the main room, settling into an armchair.

"What's your first class?" Anna asked, trying to make a bit of conversation to ease the quiet of the room. She'd always been uncomfortable in a quiet room, and a bit of discussion always seemed to help. Besides, maybe it would drown out the latest story about a break-in somewhere in town.

"Calculus," Chelsea answered, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "I hate math, you know that? I mean, I'm never going to use half of the stuff, so what's the point of it?" Both girls looked at each other and shrugged a bit before Andrea turned the question back on Lisa.

"Symbology," Anna answered, trying to keep her excitement from becoming too evident in her voice. Chelsea looked at her curiously.

"Isn't that guy… That guy who went to the Vatican and stuff, doesn't he teach that class? What was his name again?"

"Umm… Langdon or something," Anna spoke quickly, trying not to sound too eager to answer. In truth, she'd heard a lot about Robert Langdon. She'd watched on TV as he pretty much saved the Vatican from near-destruction, and then she'd heard about some incident in France a year after that, though she hadn't totally understood that case. She had to admit to herself that the man almost sort of intrigued her. There was something about him – maybe it was his heroics, or his brains, or just the fact that he was famous now – that Anna liked about him, and she was hoping that today she would find out just what that was.

----

Anna looked around the crowded lecture hall, practically shaking with nerves. Her first thought on entering the Harvard campus was something along the lines of 'This place is huge, I'm totally going to get lost here.' She'd nearly gotten lost on the way to the class and had had to ask two strangers for directions before finding it. It was her first day of classes and she was already confused as hell.

She looked around the room at some of the students – they were talking, joking, chewing gum, writing in notebooks, wearing t-shirts. Anna felt like she stood out, wondering if she was over-dressed or something. Trying to distract herself from that, she looked down at the book on the desk in front of her.

Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine by Dr. Robert Langdon. He's using his own book as a textbook? Nice.

She casually opened the back of the book, skimming through the short bio she'd read several times already. She looked at the place where he'd grown up – Exeter, New Hampshire – remembering that she'd once realized her mother had grown up in the same city and had even gone to the same school. Anna had attempted to ask her mother about it, but Cecelia would say nothing about him except that they had known each other in high school and college as well – her mother was actually just two years younger than Langdon.

At that moment, a door opened, and the packed room grew silent. Anna shut the book, forcing herself to look up, and realized that the teacher had arrived. She wasn't sure what this moment would be like, and she fought off a new wave of nerves.

However, it soon dissipated. As soon as she set eyes on Robert Langdon, Anna knew that she would like the man. He looked professional – tweed jacket, carefully combed dark hair – but at the same time, he looked friendly. A set of piercingly blue eyes scanned the silent room, and a smile formed on Langdon's lips, as though he were amused by them. Every set of eyes following him, he strode over to the blackboard, printing his name in a surprisingly neat hand.

Something seemed familiar about Langdon, like Anna had met him before or something. Was that even possible? She was fairly certain she'd never met him in person. She sighed inwardly, watching, waiting for the man to speak.

"As you probably already know, everyone, my name is Robert Langdon, and I am teaching this class." His deep voice reverberated throughout the room. "I don't care what you call me: Dr. Langdon, Professor, Mr. Langdon, I'll probably even answer to 'Hey, you', although if I were you I'd stick to a name. If you're feeling particularly brave, you can try calling me Robert, but I'd advise against that as well."

A few people in the room chuckled as the professor gave them a wry smile, setting an apple down on his desk. He leaned against the front of it casually, looking out amongst the crowd.

"And as you also know, we are here to talk about one thing, and just one thing: symbols, what they mean, where they come from. If anyone wants to talk to me about anything else, whether it's about me, or just casual conversation, I'm usually available, but try to save it for after class."

Anna smiled a bit to herself, already seeing that the man had a natural talent for speaking to people. She'd have to ask him about that sometime, maybe he could give her lessons. She found herself wondering if she could even work up the nerve to talk to him at all. He continued talking, outlining the rules, expectations, and everything else the teacher tells you on the first day of school. However, he made it a lot more interesting than most people did, and Anna watched him, already knowing that this class would be her absolute favorite.

----

Robert Langdon had entered the classroom and day feeling very energetic, more than usual. He had always enjoyed the first day of classes, because it was one of the easiest –and oftentimes, most entertaining – days of the semester. He got to know his students, they got to meet him, and they could get all the formalities out of the way to clear the way for a real teaching environment. He learned who was who in the class – the class clowns, the quiet ones, the ones who asked a million questions and always wanted to know more. And there were always the ones who stared in wonder like he was some kind of rock star. He had been in the news a lot lately, but he was first and foremost a teacher in his classroom and preferred to keep it that way.

The first thing he ever did was always introductions with the students. Who were they, where were they from, and why were they here? The introductions went smoothly, with the expected jokesters and the shy ones. But then it was one girl's turn, and apparently she was paying no attention. Instead, she was reading the book – Langdon's book, because he'd figured that it would be an interesting way to start. She didn't even seem to notice how the class had turned silent, a few people murmuring to each other. Langdon chuckled to himself, and stepped forward until he was directly in front of her desk, casting a shadow over her.

She looked up, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Langdon found himself looking into a pair of blue eyes very similar to his own, though they widened with a 'deer-in-the-headlights' sort of look. Langdon was surprised at how familiar her face looked. Even subtle details seemed so familiar, like he had seen her somewhere. He shook the though, looking at the girl for another short moment before giving her a sort of half-smile.

"I do appreciate reading in my class, especially when it's the classroom text, but I'd also appreciate it if I could have your full and undivided attention, alright?"

"Sorry, sir," She stammered a bit, and Langdon smiled again.

"And you don't have to call me sir, either. That's totally up to you, but you don't have to."

The teen in front of him nodded mutely, seeming to be struck wordless, either in some sort of fear or surprise.

"Would you mind telling us your name?" Langdon asked, making his way to the front of the classroom, picking up the apple from the front of his desk and tossing it up in the air before taking a bite, all the while keeping his eyes on the obviously nervous girl, who fidgeted a bit in her chair and avoided his gaze.

"Anna," she said in a voice barely above a loud whisper. "Anna Carter."

Carter. That explains a lot. At least why she looked so familiar, anyway. She's got her mothers face. Must have her father's eyes, though.

Langdon gave her a smile and a nod.

"Well then, welcome to symbology class, Anna Carter."

----

"Did you have a good first day?"

Anna smiled to herself, sprawled out across her bed, her pen paused mid-word. She could still sense warmth in her mother's voice, even through the tinny-sounding speakers of the phone. She nodded, even though no one could see it.

"Yeah, I guess so." She started writing again, not looking up from the page she was working on. "I didn't get lost, if that's what you mean."

Her mother chuckled softly. "Congratulations. But really, how was it? Everything okay? You and Carrie settled in?"

"Everything is fine, Mom, don't worry about it. Carrie and I are fine. The classes will be fine, I guess. Most of the teacher seemed nice. Except for the math guy, but what do you expect?" She shrugged a bit and sighed, brushing some hair from her face. She paused briefly. "You know, I really do miss you."

"I know, baby, I miss you too, so much. You can come to visit some weekend, can't you?"

"Of course I can." Anna smiled genuinely. "I'm never too busy to come see you, you know that." There was another brief pause, and Anna bit her tongue, trying to restrain herself. Sighing, she slowly spoke anyway. "Can't you tell me something about Langdon, though? You knew him, but you never talk about him."

Cecelia gave an exasperated sigh. "Not tonight, Anna, really. It doesn't matter."

"Why do you always dance around it like that? What, it's not like you slept together or something, did you?"

"Annalisa!" Cecelia's sharp tone cut the air like a knife, and Anna winced. She recognized that tone, and had come to instinctually fear it. "That's hardly the kind of question you should be asking, it's not any of your business."

"Oh my God, you did!" Anna nearly dropped her pen. "That's so… weird! So creepy! I'm never going to get that image out of my head, Mom, oh God…"

"Anna, it's really not your business what Robert and I did and did not do." It was the first time Anna had heard her call him by his first name. "You should focus on what you're studying, not your teacher's private lives, past or present."

Anna deflated, still trying to erase the terribly strange (and slightly disturbing) image from her brain.

"Fine. But you're going to have to tell me sooner or later, you know. I'll get it out of you eventually, you can't avoid it forever." There was a pause from the other end of the line, a heavy sigh, then Cecelia spoke at last.

"I'll call you back later, Anna, I have work to do, and I'm getting a migraine, I should just…"

"Okay, Mom." She rolled her eyes, flipping over onto her back to look at the ceiling. She spoke to the air. "I love you."

"Love you too. Have a good day."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Anna reached over, switching the speaker-phone off and hanging up the phone. She sat there for a few moments, still wondering what else her mother had hidden from her. It was obvious now that Anna had struck a nerve, and that Cecelia had a past with a certain symbologist that she didn't want to discuss. And Anna was suddenly determined to find once and for all just what that past was.

----

Cecelia had been against Anna's entering symbology from the start. She knew what repercussions it might have, what she would have to tell her ever-curious daughter. She knew the inevitable questions would come up, and she'd eventually have no choice but to answer. After all, Anna was 18 now; she could legally do as much digging into the past as she wanted to.

Cecelia Carter wasn't honestly afraid of what her daughter might find; there were just a few things that she didn't want Anna to know. Sooner or later, Anna would wonder about something – someone – whose name she had never even been told in her life. She would dig, and the truth would come out. She would hunt him down, and she would tell him, and that was one thing that Cecelia dreaded the most.

And Anna would eventually find out that the answer to her question was right in front of her eyes.

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A/N: Well, I wonder if anyone here can see where this is going… If you do see it, try not to spoil it for anyone else just yet, it'll all be explained sooner or later.

I'm really hoping I have Robert in character, since we don't get to see him as 'Robert the teacher' very often in the books. I thought it was pretty close to what Robert might be like, trying to have a bit of fun with his class while still keeping a learning atmosphere.

Please review, thank you for reading!