Chapter 9:

After school, Eliot and Bianca went to a little café and had coffee, as they usually did when Eliot didn't have football practice and Bianca didn't have any club meetings.

"I can't believe Cara did that to you," Eliot said after Bianca told him about their encounter in the hallway.

Bianca shrugged, "It's no big deal. I'm more concerned about how I dodged her without even seeing her."

"Maybe you heard something and don't remember it," Eliot suggested.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Bianca agreed, "So…when do you leave?"

"Two weeks after graduation," Eliot answered, "But don't worry; I'll be back before you know it. We'll see each other over winter break again."

"You know I can't help worrying, Eliot. It's what I do. You're sure you'll be back for Christmas though?"

"I am positive! What about you? When are you leaving for Harvard Miss Smarty-pants?"

"I think it's the last week of August, but it might be the week before that. Honestly, I'm kind of nervous."

"You shouldn't be! You're so smart; you'll be fine."

"I hope so," she sighed.

Graduation was the week after that, and Eliot's departure date followed more quickly than they thought it would.

Bianca arrived at his house that morning before he got into the car to leave. He saw her and ran over to say goodbye. They hugged and Bianca cried (Eliot might have cried too, but he would never admit it if someone asked him).

"Don't cry, Bi," he said, "We'll see each other again. I'm not moving to the other side of the world."

"What if I don't see you again though?" Bianca asked.

"Don't say that, it will never happen. Let's make a deal, shall we?" Eliot asked.

"What kind of deal?"

"After I'm done in the army and you're done with school, the two of us are going to share an apartment together. We know we can cohabitate and I think it'll be fun. Deal?"

"Deal," Bianca agreed, smiling.

The months passed and Eliot even came home early to surprise Bianca at school. The two spent most of the break hanging out together and telling stories about what had happened in the months they were apart. They wrote letters to each other while they were apart throughout the years. After seven years, Bianca was done with school, and Eliot had left the military, having been part of some top secret force that even Bianca didn't know about. The last letter Eliot received from Bianca before he returned home for good was something Eliot wasn't prepared for in the least.

"Dear Eliot,

There is something I haven't told you, and I probably should have a long time ago. When we were in Italy for my parents' funeral, I learned something about my family and was told that I could share that information with one person, only. I chose you back then, but I decided to wait until we were older because I didn't even really understand it then. I understand it a lot more now, and I think it's time you knew. I'll tell you face-to-face when we see each other again.

Love,

Bianca"

After Eliot read the letter, he couldn't stop wondering what Bianca could have been talking about. He thought he knew all there was to know about her, but he was about to learn how wrong he was.

He was at Bianca's graduation from Harvard.

After the ceremony, Eliot ran over to hug Bianca and congratulate her.

"Bi!" he shouted from the other side of the field.

Bianca looked around to find the source of the sound and finally found Eliot in the crowd, "Eliot," she said running over to meet him, "How are you?"

"I'm just fine. Congratulations, Bi! Come stai?"

"Bene," she replied.

"Dobbiamo parlare della lettura…" he started.

"Si, lo so. Non possiamo adesso, parleremo un po' piu' tardi."

"Va bene."

Once they were alone, Bianca began to explain everything to him.

"Well, Eliot," she began, "It's about my family. My mother's maiden name was Plantard."

"OK, but what does that mean?" Eliot asked.

"I'm getting to that. Our family is one of the two families that can allegedly be traced back to—you might want to sit down," she warned.

"Alright," Eliot said, becoming nervous.

"Well, my mom wrote me a letter and in it she says our family can be traced back to Jesus and Mary Magdalene. She said that our family is protected by a secret society called the Priory of Sion. The Priory protects us from another society called the Council of Shadows."

"You're kidding right?"

"I wish I were kidding. My parents were murdered…it wasn't an accident. Mr. Williams isn't my mother's cousin; he's a member of the Priory and they want you to join, too. I know this seems crazy…I thought the same thing after I read the letter."

"You're damn right it sounds crazy!" he yelled, "Do you honestly expect me to believe this?"

"Here," she said handing him the letter, "You know that's not my handwriting."

Eliot read the letter, "Oh my god."

"I know it's a lot to take in, Eliot, but I wouldn't lie to you about this. You know I wouldn't lie to you about this. It's crazy and almost too weird to believe, but I think it's true. There wouldn't be a society dedicated to protect my family if it were a lie."

"I believe you," Eliot said after a long period of silence, "I'll join the Priory, too, if you need me to."

"Oh, Eliot, thank you! I'm sorry I didn't tell you when we were younger, but I thought it would be better to wait."

"I understand, Bianca. I'm sorry I doubted you, it was just…I don't know…it just seemed kind of…far-fetched at first, but with the letter…I believe it now."

"I know it's weird and it's seems impossible, but it somehow gets less weird the longer you know about it."

"I think it's time we start apartment hunting don't you?"

"You still want to live together after I dumped all of this on you?"

"Of course I do, Bianca this doesn't change anything except that now I'll be protecting you."

"Are you sure, Eliot?"

"I'm positive, and I can't wait to start. How do I join this Priory thing?"

"Priory of Sion," she corrected, "Give Joe a call and tell him that I told you. He'll take it from there."

A few months later, Eliot was a part of the Priory and he and Bianca were living together. Everyone they met still thought they were a couple, and they still laughed every time someone made the mistake.

About a year passed, and Bianca and Eliot started working together on retrieval jobs. Eliot would use his training to beat their opponents physically, while Bianca would use her knowledge to research possible locations of artifacts and lost paintings. She also used her linguistic skills to translate documents that led to their discoveries. What they did wasn't exactly legal, but they never got caught.

One night, Eliot and Bianca got a phone call from someone they had never even met.

As the phone rang, Eliot yelled, "I'll get it!" He picked up the phone, "Hello?"

The voice on the other side said, "Hello, Eliot Spencer and Bianca Giordano?"

"Yes, this is Eliot," he replied.

"Good, this is Nathan Ford, and do I have a proposition for you!"