I'm back! I know you all missed me horribly. /end sarcasm/ So, I'm back with another chapter and once again I would like to thank all of mylovely reviewers: Sadistic Shadow (Yeah, I'm a definite Kingdom Hearts fan. -laughs-), benetrice, QueenCaroline, Sign of the Rose (Glad you enjoyed my disclaimer!), Sophie Langdon, Insanitic, BiAnK rAdClIfFe, Funkyicecube, Star Sheep, Little Lunar Wolf, KD Skywalker (I love Star Wars. Which is where I assume you got your name. If not... -bricked-), and fincache. I appreciate all of them greatly. -bows-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in The Da Vinci Code. Sadly. Because I would just LOVE to be the subject of debate going on across the world. -smiles-
Chapter III: Take Flight

America!

He still couldn't believe it as he lay there with Sophie. It was good to be going back, just...not under their current circumstances. He'd always wanted to take Sophie in a more romantic setting...and being hustled over there surrounded by stuffy Templar Knights wasn't exactly what one might call romantic. Sighing slightly, he glanced down at Sophie, sound asleep. She'd been out nearly the second her head touched the pillow. He had to think that, if this whole day had been stressful for him, it must have been at least a hundred times worse for her. After all, he wasn't the one carrying the baby.

The Baby...

He smiled at the thought. He was going to be a father. It still sent tingles up his spine just thinking about it. Him. A father. Resisting the urge to laugh at himself, he settled down and drifted off to sleep as well.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

He awoke slowly, the sunlight filtering through the crack in the curtains blinding him momentarily. Sitting up, he groggily rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Glancing to his right, he looked upon Sophie, still fast asleep. He was startled when he heard a voice in the room.

"We'll go to the airport as soon as you're both up and ready."

Resisting then natural urge to jump in surprise, he turned to look for the owner of the voice. The girl, Kaida, sat on a chair in the corner of the room, perfectly hidden in the shadows. Her grey eyes looked a him in a friendly manner and she smiled. He smiled back, though, rather wished she weren't in the room. As though she'd heard his thoughts, she stood, going towards the door.

"I'll be back later, Mister Langdon," she said, opening the door and stepping out.

Sighing slightly, he was surprised yet again as she poked her head back in through the doorway, smiling.

"Oh. And you laugh in your sleep."

And then she was gone again, leaving him to wonder why he or anyone else would ever laugh in their sleep.

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Two and a half hours later, and they had bathed, changed and eaten. Currently, they were sitting in the back of a black van, Mulder was driving with Brandt riding shotgun, leaving Kaida in the back with them.

"Alright, I know a shortcut, take a left right here," Brandt said. "Alright, you missed the left. So, take that right over there. We're almost there...put your directional on...aren't you going to turn? Turn. Turn now. Turn or you'll miss it! You're missing it! Stop missing it! Bill, come on!"

"No shortcuts. Main roads only," Mulder said shortly.

"You know what? You suck, mate," Brandt replied.

"Brat."

"Old fart."

"Punk."

"Bran-Flake Scoffer."

"Fruit Loop."

"Are you insinuating that I'm gay?"

"I don't get where you're coming from..."

"Because Fruit Loops are like gay Cheerios."

"Where'd you get that?"

"Saw it on a T-Shirt somewhere..."

"Figures you of all people would take something like that seriously. Punk."

"Old fart."

"Oh, for Magdalene's sake, you two fight like an old married couple!" Kaida said suddenly, interrupting their squabble. "Can we just get to the airport and be mature about it?"

"We're mature. We're adults. Can't say the same for you, though," Brandt said.

"Bardiel, compared to you, I've got maturity coming out the yin-yang," Kaida said smugly.

"Not if you say it like that, you don't..."

Alright, so these Knights weren't quite as stuffy as he'd first thought. Quite the contrary, they seemed like a perfectly happy, dysfunctional little family. In an odd sort of way. Sophie seemed pretty amused with them, anyway, hiding a laugh behind her hand occasionally when the two in the front seats started another argument, ending when Kaida gave Brandt a sound whack over the head with the road map she was holding. He suddenly recalled the conversation they'd had with Marie before they'd left...

"But why America?" he asked, looking curious.

"Until this issue is resolved, it would be in your best interest if you were not in the country," Marie explained. "You will not be going to your home in America, however..."

Robert looked crestfallen at this. The thought of taking Sophie back to his home had made the whole trip sound at least semi-bearable. But now he wouldn't even be able to do that. Marie smiled at him, noticing his rather upset look.

"Don't worry, you'll be going somewhere I believe you'll find very suitable in place of your home," she confided.

"Where would that be?" Sophie asked, looking curious.

"Well, I can't say aloud, just in case we have unwanted listeners...but I trust you'll enjoy your stay," Marie said with a smile.

Robert felt even more confused, but decided to just go along with it. There was really nothing else he could do at this point. He still had a feeling, though, deep down, that he didn't fully trust these people; these Knights. But he was going to have to trust them for now, for Sophie's sake. And the baby's. So he nodded, smiling as best he could, given the situation.

"Good. Your tickets are taken care of, and your flight leaves in two hours. You will be accompanied by Brandt, Mulder and Kaida. You've met already, yesterday. There are four more Knights stationed in America, each at a separate location. Should your first location be discovered, you will be moved to the second. There are four locations in total. You will be well protected," Marie explained.

"Thank you. And you will be taking care of things here," Sophie said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. And when things have settled down, you will be returned," she replied.

"Alright..." Sophie said, still sounding wary.

"Now then, you should be off. Mulder has the car waiting out front and Kaida will escort you. Have a safe trip, dears," Marie said, seeing them off.

The two stepped into the hall where Kaida stood waiting, her grey eyes looking sad and wistful, as though they'd interrupted her from a recollection of a sad memory...

"Mister Langdon. Mister Langdon, we're at the airport," Kaida said.

Robert looked up, surprised they'd arrived so quickly, and found two passports shoved into his hands. Sophie looked over his shoulder at them curiously.

"Who are Mr. and Mrs. Johnathan Ainsel?" she asked.

"You are," Brandt said, very matter-of-factly.

"We can't risk you using your actual names, you see," Mulder elaborated. "And Mister Langdon, I realize you're a very well know person, which is why any location we go to will be a relatively good distance away from people. And any people we run into, won't know you."

"I see...and will you be using different names as well?" Robert asked.

"No. We have no need to. We have lived in the shadows so long, that even if someone were to learn our names, it would be of little importance to them," Kaida explained, as they began making their way through the terminal.

"Stop being so gloom and doom, Little Dragon," Brandt said with a laugh, giving her a light punch on the shoulder.

"Little Dragon?" Sophie said, questioningly.

"Yes. It's what 'Kaida' means in Japanese," Kaida explained.

"You're Japanese, then," Robert said.

"No, not a bit. This name was given to me by the Knights. I no longer remember the name given to me by my parents..." she explained, as they reached their destination and began boarding the plane.

They had tickets in first class, Robert and Sophie were surprised to find, and were not joined by any others. The plane was smaller than most, thought they knew not why, and settled in as it began to take off. Frowning slightly to himself, he looked to Sophie.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?" Sophie asked.

"Just...wondering. I still feel a little awkward about all this. And," he lowered his voice, "I'm still not sure we can trust them."

Sophie paused a moment, as though thinking it over. She had the same look on her face, he noted, that she often got when trying to break a particularly difficult code. At last she shrugged and looked at him with a light smile turning up the corners of her lips.

"I felt the same a little while ago, but...I believe they really do want to help us, Robert," she declared.

He smiled. "Well, if it's good enough for you, then it's god enough for me, I suppose."

"Good. So...where do you think we'll be going?"

"I'm not sure...Marie rally didn't give us any idea."

Kaida leaned over from her seat, smiling a bit.

"You're wondering where we're headed, correct?"

The two nodded. She grinned like a Cheshire Cat, her grey eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Then I'll give you a hint..."

A hint would be nice. They really had no idea where they were headed...other than somewhere across the vast country that was the United States. Kaida smiled knowingly, adjusting her glasses, as they ha slipped to the edge of her nose.

"Do you like...the ocean?"

Alright, first off, sono one gets the wrong idea...in no way was the joke about Fruit Loops meant to be offensive in any way. If it is, I'm terribly sorry. It's just a joke used to show the difference between the personalities of Brandt and Mulder. I apologize in advance if this has offended anyone.

Now then...I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible. They'll be going somewhere near the ocean, the question is, where?