A/N: Ok people, I've decided to continue this, BUT I NEED SOME HELP! if one of you lovely readers knows anything about the University of Greenwich or the Old Royal Naval College in England I need details about the library that's on campus. I want to get details right, but I can't really find anything online. I am willing to spend hours researching to make sure certain aspects of my story is accurate and this is driving me nuts, so if someone could help me out, just review or send a PM. Any help would be great! thank you and enjoy the next chapter!
So late…so, so late, Darcy chanted in her head as she ran down the narrow streets, ignoring the car horns blaring behind her. She really couldn't believe she was going to be late for her first day working at the campus library. Between classes and helping/taking care of Jane, Darcy's schedule was pretty damn full. Being Jane's intern didn't really pay well though so she really needed this job.
"Move!" she yelled at a group of kids taking up the sidewalk as she barreled onward. They barely had enough time to scramble out of her way and Darcy was pretty sure she had clipped at least one of them with her book bag if the cursing behind her was anything to go by. Even as she managed to scramble through the doorway of the library, barely on time, the brunette was pledging to give up extra sleep and maybe take up long distance running in order to keep this job. The head librarian gave her a rather disparaging look as she huffed and puffed her way up to the desk. Darcy just gave her a cheeky smile.
"Ms. Lewis I presume?" the grey haired woman asked, scowling at Darcy over her glasses. Why do people wear glasses if they don't look through them? She wondered, even as she nodded in response.
"Yup, that's me!"
"I am Mrs. Crofts if you don't recall. Follow me, I'll show you what you'll be doing. I assume you have some familiarity with the filing system?" the librarian said, tone clipped and professional.
"Sure do, practically lived in the library back in New Mexico. The one in New York was really nice to hang out in too before it got a little bit smashed," she commented, attempting to keep her voice down. Really need this job she kept reminding herself. The older woman turned to her in surprise even as they kept walking.
"You were in New York during the attack a year ago?" she asked.
"Sure was! Terrifying as hell too," Darcy answered. The woman gave a weak nod and possibly attempted a smile, the brunette couldn't be sure, before she took a sharp left into a little alcove area filled with stacks of books.
"You will be re-shelving these books Ms. Lewis. I'm sure you're familiar with the system and if not, I'm sure you can figure it out. If you have some dire emergency, seek me out. I will be at the front desk. You have a one hour lunch break, and if you are scheduled for eight hours or more, a fifteen minute break as well. Any books that are returned or not needed will be put here in this room, but keep an eye out for those lazy vagabonds who like to leave things on the tables or put books back in the wrong place." And with that said, the steely woman was off through the stacks again. The life of a graduate student is so hard Darcy lamented, filling up a nearby cart with a random assortment of books and heading off into the vastness that was the library.
Darcy hummed to herself as she worked, daring to take out her iPod when she was far enough from the front desk, but keeping the volume low so as not to get busted. Out of all the libraries Darcy like to hang out in, this one was by far the best. It had been fixed up really well since the dark elves attacked, the ancient, intricate stone carvings replace meticulously well. The English sure knew how to preserve their history, that was for sure. She kind of mourned the loss of the great paintings in one of the hallways of the other building as she was shelving some art books, but the foundation who took care of the grounds had hired a great team of painters to replicate the originals.
Darcy was making her third trip into the stacks, one of the darker corners with the old, outdated books no one really used, when she ran into someone. The young woman hadn't really been expecting someone to be hanging out around this section and so had dared to turn the sound up. It was just her luck she would run right into the only other living soul in this part of the library.
"Oh my god dude, I'm so sorry!" she said, tugging the cart away from him while he grimaced and wriggled his foot, trying to shake the pain off.
"It's quite alright. I most likely wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he said, looking up from his injured appendage to smile reassuringly at her. Darcy was struck for a moment by how green his eyes were before she managed to return the smile.
"I definitely wasn't paying attention," she grinned, waving her earbuds before tucking them away, "I really don't want to get fired on my first day, so if you don't tell anyone I ran you over with the book cart, then I won't have to hunt you down and murder you, cool?" she giggled.
"I wouldn't want to get you sacked on your first day either so rest assured, I won't tell a soul," he replied, smirking.
"Great, thanks…what are you doing down here anyway? This is like, the archived and old as hell books section. I didn't think anyone would be looking for anything down here," she asked, pulling a book off the cart and scanning the shelves for where it was supposed to go.
"I was looking for a rather old book," he said, chuckling at the unamused look at her face.
"I'm Darcy by the way. If you live in the library like most of the students seem to I bet I'll be seeing you around mister…?"
"Lawrence," he answered. Darcy snorted, shaking her head.
"You English and your weird old names…though I suppose mine isn't any better, it at least sounds creative," she mumbled, looking down to see what she had left on the cart. He quirked at eyebrow questioningly at her and she grinned.
"There is nothing strange about my name dear girl…and now if you'll excuse me, I have a book to find," he told her, smiling and bowing his head politely before striding past her. Darcy hummed as he left, appreciating his lean physique as the man walked away. As she continued about her work, something niggled at the back of her mind, some sort of familiarity. Had she seen Lawrence before? He seemed old enough to be another graduate student, probably further along in his studies than she was in hers. She had probably seen him around the library before. Still, as she continued to shelve books for the next few hours, she couldn't help but think she had seen those bright green eyes somewhere else before.
A/N 2: ok, so, I didn't really plan on continuing this, but I happened to get inspiration from the reviews, so...would love to hear from you readers and please be patient with updates!