Marguerite stood alone on the balcony, "What the hell were you thinking?" she whispered to herself.
"Thinking about what?"
"Jesus! Roxton!" how he managed to sneak up on her, when during the war, if someone breathed she knew about it.
"I'm good… but I'm not God."
"Must you always sneak around and lurk in the shadows?"
"Just following your lead, darling."
A sarcastic laugh came from deep in Marguerite's throat, "Did you actually want something John? Or are you just here to spy on me?"
"I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"Marguerite?"
"After all, I did almost blow you up?"
"Stop it! Don't you dare blame yourself for that! Do you hear me? I'm serious!"
"But John…" she began stuttering, "I, did, almost blow you up!" she began to wail and cry. Chocking and sobbing, trying desperately to stop, and failing miserably at it.
"Shh… shh… shh… but I didn't!"
"But you could h…"
"But I didn't!" he interrupted. "What's wrong?" she was just staring at him, all starry-eyed.
"I… I… I…"
"You what?"
"I fucking love you! Okay? Is that clear? The parts that aren't clear are why? Why now? Why here? Why you? And most importantly, why I can't be with you if we ever get off the platue."
"WHY NOT!" he was furious! She built him up just to shatter his hopes, dreams, and ambitions completely, a moment later.
"John, I haven't, well I haven't been… completely honest with you." She untangled herself from his hold, though she wanted to stay forever in those bronzed, strong, loving, oh so capable arms. "Well technically speaking?" she paused for a minute, 'This was gonna make him hate me forever', she thought as she continued on. "I'm still married to my sixth husband." It was the hardest one of her secrets she would ever have to tell him, and with good reason.
"What! And you just decided, it would be a good idea to string me along? That it would be, be… fun?" he was even more furious than she'd thought he'd be.
"No! John! I…"
He cut her off, "No, save it Marguerite. I'm sick of your lies." And with that he started to walk off the balcony, when she grabbed his arm, stopping his retreat.
"John? Please?" she started in a softer, almost childlike tone of voice that made john's heart soften almost immediately. "I thought he was a good man… like you… but after the wedding, he changed… and not for the better." She shuddered at the memories. "I ran, I tried to divorce him, but he wouldn't sign the papers, and then he some how found were I was hiding, so he sent a… a… a what would you call it? An assassin? The night of challenger's meeting at the zoo-ological society, the 'assassin' in question came after me. So I killed him and ran into challengers meeting for 'safety'. When I heard Challenger's conversation, I decided if he still wanted to be my husband he could also still foot the bill for me… the money for this expedition? His, not mine." She looked up, expecting to find his eyes full of hate and loathing, instead she found they were nearly overflowing with love and compassion.
"Well you silly thing…" he pulled her into a hug so he could smell her hair, "Why didn't you just tell me all that from the get-go?" he stroked her hair gently.
"Mmh-mph-mmm!" her voice was muffled against his rather large chest, courtesy of his smothering hug.
"Sorry, continue." He continued to stroke her hair, but he did loosen his hold on her a bit.
"I was scared, scared you'd react the way you did at first." She mumbled, mindlessly playing with the lapels of his shirt.
"I'll tell you what, if we do ever make it back to England I will personally help you divorce that bastard… if I don't kill him first! If he ever lays a hand on you again? I will kill him!"
"Shh!" she whispered with malice, "The others might hear you."
"Sorry, you just seem to inspire something in me." He whispered in her ear, getting so close to her face she could feel him smile, as well as his stubble. She suprisingly liked the feeling and leaned into his face, which made his smile deepen and the shade of his face to turn deep burgundy.
"Right…" she spoke skeptically.
"Aveburry, Applegate, whatever his name was… is… he didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't…" john just couldn't even say it. 'If he had violated her in any way… not even God can save him from me.'
"No… nothing I didn't ask for."
"Marguerite? Can we not start the 'I deserved a come-upins'? Huh?"
" 'Kay. He didn't touch me, if that's what you mean. Just held a knife to my throat, and threw me around a bit." She thought she'd leave out the few, disgusting, battered kisses he'd given her.
"Veronica said you offered to take her place? That's very, very un-Marguerite of you."
"I have no recollection of the event."
"Oh, I think you do! Now, explain…." He folded his arms over his rather large, rather masculine chest. This meant he didn't want to play games. He wanted the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and she'd have to give it to him.
'Joy!' she thought sarcastically, to herself. "I had a knife, Veronica had no weapon. I've dealt with people like him all my life; Veronica's a bit new at all that. I know, … knew" she corrected, "him, Veronica had just begun to scratch the surface of knowing him. Veronica's a… Veronica's a… a…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
"Virgin? And you're not?" John cringed.
"Yeah." Marguerite sighed out in relief at his 'lucky' guess.
"Come here." He softly ordered, gathering her up in his arms. "It'll be all right. I promise. I'll protect you." He whispered.
"I only hope I can protect you." She thought silently to herself.
"Hey you know what you need?" he brushed back a few of her unruly locks, and placed them behind her nymph like ear.
"What's that?" she smiled, genuinely.
"You should stay at the tree-house while I go hunting tomorrow."
"But John?" she whined suprisingly, "I wanna be alone… with you… to talk… some more. And who knows? We could even spend the night in the jungle? Below the stars?" she urged.
"No, you stay here with Veronica and relax. I'll try and get a nice deer when I go hunting tomorrow, because you and Veronica have to help Challenger in about three weeks, collecting the plants and herbs."
"Uggh! Fine!"
"All right, now go get some sleep. It's been a hell of a long day." He smiled at her.
END