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Note: I'm re-writing this. I got a bit stuck on chapter 5, so i thought if i changed it to first person, i might find it a little easier.

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the middle eastern sun. I searched the area around the dig site for James, but couldn't find any sign of him. Where could he have gone in this place? I turned to the side and nudged my mom.

"Hey, mom" I asked with a smile on my face, "have you seen my wandering husband-to-be?"

"Uuuh," my mom lifted her self off her knees and looked around. "There he is." She said, pointing across the dig to the opposite side. "you'd better hope he doesn't wander that much." She winked at me.

James was with one of the military escorts the Air Force had demanded go with us, walking away from the site. I shielded her eyes once more, trying to look past my fiancé and the Airman. Two men with guns were arguing on a ridge which over looked the dig.

I jumped up and wiped my legs free of the dust, sand and dirt that had stuck to me after kneeling for god-knows-how-long.

"Erin?" My mom questioned when she saw me leaving my area.

"Looks like trouble."

"Again?" Mom had that worried look on her face. The one that I had barely seen since my childhood.

"Don't worry mom. Whatever it is, I bet it'll be short, sharp and sweet." I smiled, then climbed out of the excavation, dropping my trowel next to the spades.

"Yeah, well it's the sharp I'm worried about!" Mom called after me. I flashed "V for Victory" at her behind my back. As soon as this war was over we'd be able to study in peace.

I ran fast around the dig to catch up with my fiancé. He didn't turn around at all, so I ambushed him from behind. He jumped and swore loudly, much to the amusement of the Airman beside him.

I kissed his cheek with a big 'mwahh' "Trouble, trouble?" I asked, grinning as I fell back onto my feet.

"Don't do that! Especially when these guys are around!" James swore again then gestured towards the two soldiers on the ridge, but he was still laughing. I knew he couldn't stay mad with me for any period of time.

"All right."

James wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. "Since when was I trouble?"

"Since ya don't tell me when there is trouble." I poked his arm softly. "Besides, This one 'ere," She gestured to the Airman on James' other side, "Doesn't know the languages I do. Et Vice Versa."

"I would have called you if we needed you. Besides," He said, imitating me, "I thought you wanted more time with your mom?"

I shrugged. "I think that even if she did want to tell me, she's had seventeen years to. If she's not told me in that time, I don't think I'm going to get it out of her on this dig."

The two soldiers on the ridge had descended and began walking straight towards them.

"This time you have an extra weapon in your arsenal, so to speak."

I looked up at him, confused. "I do?"

"Yeah." I could almost hear the cheeky grin on his face. "With all these guys around..."

My jaw dropped and I swung a fist into his chest. "That's just plain cruel."

James let go of Me and we separated, leaving a large space between us as the two sides met.

The older soldier of the pair spoke up, in a language that I recognised, Persian.

"He's asking who we are, what are we doing here." I translated.

"Well," James said. "You know, you're the daughter of the dig leader."

I turned to the soldier and told him, "We're archaeologists. We have a dig in the area." The older man repeated my words to his companion.

At that, both of the men grew angry. The younger one shouting out in an unrecognisable dialect.

James tried turning to the Airman, but he shook his head. Then he turned to Me.

"I don't know! I don't know!" I turned to the older man, asking him to translate.

"He's telling us we need to leave and hand over all the artefacts-"

"We can't!" James shouted, interrupting me, but I held up my hand to stop him.

"Otherwise," I continued, "They'll take back the land by force."

The two soldiers in front of us shouted to more on the ridges and cliffs that surrounded the dig site. Soon enough after the brief conversation, the soldiers were gone, apparently arguing amongst themselves.

Trying to hide my panic, I turned to James. "We need to start clearing away now!"

"No." said James defiantly. "We're staying."

"Dr. Elliot, your team has to leave. These people do not lie when it comes to things they believe in. Anyone can see when they turn to the war news. Civilians get hurt everyday. You are leaving." demanded the airman.

I gave James a piercing glare before storming away. I whistled loudly to every one at the site to get their attention but it was pointless; half of them had already been watching. "Pack up!" I yelled. "Label the finds and leave those in the ground in the ground."

Very few people were surprised at the early finish. The pack up was swift and the finds in the ground quickly and sneakily photographed for the records.

Eventually it got to the point where I could do nothing more to help; being only a college student and not a university one. I climbed up onto a ridge, keeping out of the way as the older people rushed around with the boxes. The sunset had begun in the west.

Something shining over to my left caught my eye. I dismissed it as the setting sun on the sand.

A few moments later the glint appeared again. I knelt up, shading my eyes to look. I dismissed it again.

Down by the truck, James shouted to me, but I was too far away. I couldn't hear a word.

A sharp pain struck the back of my head and reverberated around inside of it. I was unconscious before my head hit the sand.

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The button is longing to be pressed... please :P
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