On past and future
By Carla
DISCLAIMER
Challenger, Marguerite, Roxton, Malone and Veronica belong to Telescene, not to me. No infraction to their rights is meant, I'm just having a little fun. I own nothing but the story.
Chapter VII
"What?!" Roxton couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. Marguerite was looking defiantly at him.
"You heard Roxton, I said we were fleeing from the Germans." She stood from the bed, Roxton was so shocked that he wasn't even able to stop her. She went to the balcony, that seemed to be the place where everyone hanged out when they were troubled. She was mad at herself, she had never meant to discuss so much of her past with him. Now, he would obviously take a distance from her, and she couldn't even blame him for that. She was a dangerous woman. She knew what Roxton wanted once they went back to London, a normal life with her, and knowing him even a family. That was something she wasn't sure she would be able to give him. Having a family when you have had her kind of life was out of the question. She heard his steps in the balcony. She was facing the night, Roxton just stood in the doorway, she could feel his eyes on her back.
"Would you mind telling me why?"
"Come on John, I think you would have heard enough for one night."
"I told you I want you to be able to tell me the truth Marguerite, so please, go on."
"Don't you see Roxton?" she turned so she was facing him "I'm more trouble than you can handle. You're a wonderful man and you are right, I..." she swallowed hard before she could say what she knew she had to say, what she wanted to say "I love you. That's why I keep pushing you away, you deserve better, a good life with everything you dream of and I can't give you."
"Listen to me darling," Roxton took her by the arms to make sure she wouldn't walk away from him "all I want for my future is you. Don't you get that? I want to know you, so please, tell me. Your secret is safe with me, okay?" he kept looking her straight in the eyes, trying to convey all his love for her and the truth in his words.
"Okay." She wasn't sure about what to do or to say anymore. She decided to finish what she had just started, and then take each day at a time. If someone deserved the truth, it was Roxton.
"Why?" he whispered, prompting her to tell him her truth once and for all.
"This is hard John... you know I have this ability with languages... well, when the war started, Britain had problems getting information from the German's moves. At that point everyone in London knew how bad the situation was and I did what I thought would help me make it through those years in one piece."
"I'm not sure if I'm understanding you..."
"You'd probably understand if I had told you that I had this business... Keith, me and a few friends, we made tones of money in jewel contraband. We got busted, but only Keith and me."
"By the government?"
"Yes. So, we made a deal. Keith and I had contacts all over the world, we could mingle easily, we could both speak German and for what was worth, we had nothing to lose."
"What was that deal?"
"We went to Germany as British spies. It was rather easy truth be told, I got involved with this banker and Keith with the daughter of a very important general... we got precious information for the Empire, let me tell you."
"And doing that, you and Keith stayed clear from jail, right?"
"Almost. We stayed clear from jail, and we could continue with the contraband."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Not at all. Keith and I were the heads of the organization, and we both were screwed up anyway. If they had sent us to jail, be sure we would have found a way to get off the hook. They knew that, so we decided to make a commitment."
"I see."
"The problems started once the war was over."
"The Germans realized you two had double-crossed them?"
"Yes. Make no mistake Roxton, we may have won the war, but Germany is a country that gets more organized by the day. They're not just licking up their wounds, they're up to something, I know it. If not, I can't understand how comes not long before we came to the Lost World a German agent tried to kill me in London."
"What?!"
"I told you John, this is a very dangerous thing. Don't worry, I got rid of that one, obviously."
"You mean, you killed him?"
"I had to Roxton. You're a hunter, you know that it's a matter of surviving, you can either pull the trigger or be killed."
"Go on."
"There were so many attempts against my life that I lost count, the same with Keith. We figured out they were getting our trail from the contraband, so we called it quits. So, we started to travel as I told you. When I learned about this expedition, I figured out it was the better way of getting rid of them. Keith even mentioned when he first showed up that they think I'm dead by now, so they're no longer looking for me."
"If that's so, what's the problem with your returning to London and having a life?"
"That at some point they're bound to realize that I'm alive John. Germans don't take betrayal lightly; for all they knew I was one of them. I killed, I lied, I stole, you name it Roxton, I probably did it. So you see, if I get lucky I can start again with my life once we go back home. On the other hand, maybe they're just waiting for me."
"Then we'll figure something out once we get back home," he said, taking her hand in his. Marguerite looked at him in disbelief and shove his hand off.
"Damn it, Roxton! Aren't you listening to me?! If we go back to London together and the Germans are indeed waiting, then they would kill you just to get even with me!"
"And if they are not, then we can have a life, together!"
"I can't ask you to take that risk!"
"Then don't! You don't need to ask a thing! I want to be with you and that's that!"
"John..."
"Marguerite, listen to me. You were afraid that if you told me the whole truth I would leave you. Okay, you just did. I have to admit I'm a little shocked, but if someone can understand what having things in your past that you're not proud of feels like, that someone is me. I won't stop loving you just because of what you did during the war, or what business you were in. You can't really think so little of me Marguerite."
"God, John..." Marguerite was out of words, he was there, looking right into her inner demons, and he was still willing to take a chance with her "I want to be with you, but I also want you to be safe and happy, and I don't know if I can give you that." While she talked, Roxton had slowly brought her closer to himself, embracing her lightly, hoping she wouldn't walk away from his open arms.
"I can only be happy with you Marguerite. I can't offer you to be safe any more than you can! Back at London I'm just the guy that shot his brother, I have my own enemies, although my story with them is not half as interesting as yours... Hell! I can't promise you will never suffer as much as a scratch while we're living on this plateau! I can only promise to make all I can so you'll be safe and happy because I love you. That's all I ask Marguerite. I ask you to give me a chance, to give us a chance. We can make this work if we want. It won't be easy, but I think for both of us 'easy' is a turnoff. All I ask darling is... do you want to be with me?"
She just stared at his face for what felt life an eternity. Those kind eyes on his rough face. He was so handsome and so honest. And he loved her, he wasn't playing games, he hadn't walked away when she had told him the truth about herself, he had offered her to stay. And he hadn't done it out of chivalry either; his offer stood before she had even told him anything. He was there, standing in front of her, asking for a chance to make them both happy, at last.
"I want to..." she said full of fear and emotion, encircling his neck with her arms, feeling as he held her with so much force that she would probably end up with bruises on her back, but it didn't matter "And I do love you John," she said, before covering his lips with her own.
They were finally returning to the treehouse after collecting all the plants Challenger thought he would need for the season. Veronica was happy about that, so she would no longer have to be near Keith Lawrence. She had done her best to avoid him, and he probably had got the message because he had spent more of his time chatting with Challenger. Veronica, on the other hand, had staid glued to Malone's side all the way back.
She felt humiliated. She couldn't understand why she had done and said those things to Keith. She was looking right at Malone, not even listening to whatever he was saying. All she could do was look at him and think about what a wonderful man he was. She always knew that, which only made her feel even more guilty about what had almost happened with Keith.
But she had stolen a glance or two at Keith when he wasn't looking. She was intrigued by him. If half of what he had said was truth, then he was a rather horrible man. On the other hand, the way he had spoken later, it was as if he had been trying to protect her... She was the one who had started it all, she knew that. She had created the situation, she had been the one who had kissed him and now she could see what a mistake that had been. Of course Keith had done his best at leading her on, but in some strange way, Veronica knew that Keith had never intended anything else.
She had claimed that she was a grown up woman, but she had been ready to throw everything out of the window just out of pride. She had acted like a child. Malone cared for her as she did for him, and she had decided to forget that in order to have her fun with a dangerous man. If he hadn't stopped it, she would probably would have another set of regrets by now.
Still, she wasn't about to talk to him after the way he had treated her. She had known that Keith meant problems since the first time she had seen him, and now she would simply stay clear from him. That was the best thing to do.
"Veronica, are you there?" she heard Malone's voice, bringing her back to her reality.
"What...? Oh... yes Ned, of course."
"You seemed like a million years away for a second."
"I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Nothing important Ned."
"If you say so..."
"We're almost home!" they heard Challenger exclaim, as he and Keith approached the couple.
"Finally." Lawrence muttered.
"Yeah." Veronica seconded.
"Professor, there was something I wanted to ask you about." Ned called Challenger.
"Tell me." The professor answered.
"Well, I'm writing in my journal about your plant discovery and..." slowly, Ned and Challenger started a conversation about the subject and walked ahead from the other two. Veronica found herself alone with Keith again.
"So..." Keith started.
"So..." Veronica replied.
"What a lame way of starting a conversation, don't you think?" he asked grinning.
"I guess so." Veronica tried to grin back.
"I wanted to apologize Veronica... for last night. I didn't mean to come so out blunt on you."
"It's okay, I shouldn't have kissed you."
"I didn't mind that part terribly." Keith smiled at her this time. Veronica could see he meant every word "But I was just having fun."
"I know."
"Right. What I'm trying to say, is that I come from a different life Veronica. My relationships with most women have mainly revolved about simply having fun. But you're not that kind of girl. If the flirting is misleading you to believe something is going on..."
"I don't believe anything Keith!"
"I know... all I'm saying is that, since we're going to be living together, then I would like for us to be friends. Treat me as if I were Roxton or Challenger. Do you understand what I'm saying, or are my words coming out all wrong again?"
"I think I know what you mean." Veronica patted him in the shoulder "And I know that in your rude, raw and tactless way... you were looking out for me."
"I guess I was... Friends?"
"Hopefully." She said, shaking the hand Keith was offering her.
"Did you hear that?!" suddenly, Challenger's voice ended their conversation. They had been so distracted they hadn't heard a thing. Now, Veronica could feel movement around the trees. She saw Keith prepare his rifle, as Challenger and Malone handled their pistols. She took her knife as well.
"Let's try to get back to the treehouse." Keith said under his breath, she nodded in agreement and started to walk backwards.
"Raptors?" Malone asked.
"We would be dinner by now..."
"They're moving." Keith said, looking directly at the jungle in front of his eyes.
"They're trying to encircle us... We have to get back home, now!"
Challenger hadn't ended his sentence yet when an arrow almost crossed his chest. At once, ten heads appeared from the trees, pointing their arrows at them, as a couple of them advanced towards the group. They had just crossed the slave traders.
Keith and Veronica were the first to react. Veronica attacked one of them with her knife as Keith tried to shoot the others. Challenger and Malone were in the middle of the action as well, but they were just too many. And whenever they took one down, they could see another two coming out of nowhere. At the end of the battle, the four explorers were trying to reach the treehouse for shelter and to get Roxton and Marguerite's help.
The slavers were just behind them. They had already injured Challenger in the arm, and their aiming just kept getting better and better. Then, it all happened in a flash: she saw as an arrow penetrating Ned's leg and him falling to the ground. The three of them stopped at once to help him, but the traders took this opportunity to throw a knife at Keith's right side. Both men where now on the floor, Malone trying to get back up and Keith barely conscious. They were both bleeding, and their injuries didn't allow much movement.
Then, Veronica crossed stares with the leader. He was a rather horrible big man. He looked at her daring to help her friends, but she knew that was impossible. They were too many of them! Challenger's hand was injured and she couldn't help Keith and Ned to their feet by herself. Plus, she wasn't sure they would be able to walk anyway. She knew her best chance was to go back to the treehouse for the others, then rescue their friends. The traders were more than happy with their catch. Malone and Lawrence were both young and strong men, they would be paid for handsomely. They were tying them to take them to their camp.
"Run." Veronica whispered so only Challenger would hear it.
"What?"
"We need help to set them free. We have to go to the treehouse, now!" the moment she said it, she and Challenger started the run towards the treehouse. Luckily, Challenger's own despair for their friends helped him keep up with Veronica.
She could hear the steps of the traders trying to catch them as well. But she heard a voice telling them to halt, they already had what they wanted...
By Carla
DISCLAIMER
Challenger, Marguerite, Roxton, Malone and Veronica belong to Telescene, not to me. No infraction to their rights is meant, I'm just having a little fun. I own nothing but the story.
Chapter VII
"What?!" Roxton couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. Marguerite was looking defiantly at him.
"You heard Roxton, I said we were fleeing from the Germans." She stood from the bed, Roxton was so shocked that he wasn't even able to stop her. She went to the balcony, that seemed to be the place where everyone hanged out when they were troubled. She was mad at herself, she had never meant to discuss so much of her past with him. Now, he would obviously take a distance from her, and she couldn't even blame him for that. She was a dangerous woman. She knew what Roxton wanted once they went back to London, a normal life with her, and knowing him even a family. That was something she wasn't sure she would be able to give him. Having a family when you have had her kind of life was out of the question. She heard his steps in the balcony. She was facing the night, Roxton just stood in the doorway, she could feel his eyes on her back.
"Would you mind telling me why?"
"Come on John, I think you would have heard enough for one night."
"I told you I want you to be able to tell me the truth Marguerite, so please, go on."
"Don't you see Roxton?" she turned so she was facing him "I'm more trouble than you can handle. You're a wonderful man and you are right, I..." she swallowed hard before she could say what she knew she had to say, what she wanted to say "I love you. That's why I keep pushing you away, you deserve better, a good life with everything you dream of and I can't give you."
"Listen to me darling," Roxton took her by the arms to make sure she wouldn't walk away from him "all I want for my future is you. Don't you get that? I want to know you, so please, tell me. Your secret is safe with me, okay?" he kept looking her straight in the eyes, trying to convey all his love for her and the truth in his words.
"Okay." She wasn't sure about what to do or to say anymore. She decided to finish what she had just started, and then take each day at a time. If someone deserved the truth, it was Roxton.
"Why?" he whispered, prompting her to tell him her truth once and for all.
"This is hard John... you know I have this ability with languages... well, when the war started, Britain had problems getting information from the German's moves. At that point everyone in London knew how bad the situation was and I did what I thought would help me make it through those years in one piece."
"I'm not sure if I'm understanding you..."
"You'd probably understand if I had told you that I had this business... Keith, me and a few friends, we made tones of money in jewel contraband. We got busted, but only Keith and me."
"By the government?"
"Yes. So, we made a deal. Keith and I had contacts all over the world, we could mingle easily, we could both speak German and for what was worth, we had nothing to lose."
"What was that deal?"
"We went to Germany as British spies. It was rather easy truth be told, I got involved with this banker and Keith with the daughter of a very important general... we got precious information for the Empire, let me tell you."
"And doing that, you and Keith stayed clear from jail, right?"
"Almost. We stayed clear from jail, and we could continue with the contraband."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Not at all. Keith and I were the heads of the organization, and we both were screwed up anyway. If they had sent us to jail, be sure we would have found a way to get off the hook. They knew that, so we decided to make a commitment."
"I see."
"The problems started once the war was over."
"The Germans realized you two had double-crossed them?"
"Yes. Make no mistake Roxton, we may have won the war, but Germany is a country that gets more organized by the day. They're not just licking up their wounds, they're up to something, I know it. If not, I can't understand how comes not long before we came to the Lost World a German agent tried to kill me in London."
"What?!"
"I told you John, this is a very dangerous thing. Don't worry, I got rid of that one, obviously."
"You mean, you killed him?"
"I had to Roxton. You're a hunter, you know that it's a matter of surviving, you can either pull the trigger or be killed."
"Go on."
"There were so many attempts against my life that I lost count, the same with Keith. We figured out they were getting our trail from the contraband, so we called it quits. So, we started to travel as I told you. When I learned about this expedition, I figured out it was the better way of getting rid of them. Keith even mentioned when he first showed up that they think I'm dead by now, so they're no longer looking for me."
"If that's so, what's the problem with your returning to London and having a life?"
"That at some point they're bound to realize that I'm alive John. Germans don't take betrayal lightly; for all they knew I was one of them. I killed, I lied, I stole, you name it Roxton, I probably did it. So you see, if I get lucky I can start again with my life once we go back home. On the other hand, maybe they're just waiting for me."
"Then we'll figure something out once we get back home," he said, taking her hand in his. Marguerite looked at him in disbelief and shove his hand off.
"Damn it, Roxton! Aren't you listening to me?! If we go back to London together and the Germans are indeed waiting, then they would kill you just to get even with me!"
"And if they are not, then we can have a life, together!"
"I can't ask you to take that risk!"
"Then don't! You don't need to ask a thing! I want to be with you and that's that!"
"John..."
"Marguerite, listen to me. You were afraid that if you told me the whole truth I would leave you. Okay, you just did. I have to admit I'm a little shocked, but if someone can understand what having things in your past that you're not proud of feels like, that someone is me. I won't stop loving you just because of what you did during the war, or what business you were in. You can't really think so little of me Marguerite."
"God, John..." Marguerite was out of words, he was there, looking right into her inner demons, and he was still willing to take a chance with her "I want to be with you, but I also want you to be safe and happy, and I don't know if I can give you that." While she talked, Roxton had slowly brought her closer to himself, embracing her lightly, hoping she wouldn't walk away from his open arms.
"I can only be happy with you Marguerite. I can't offer you to be safe any more than you can! Back at London I'm just the guy that shot his brother, I have my own enemies, although my story with them is not half as interesting as yours... Hell! I can't promise you will never suffer as much as a scratch while we're living on this plateau! I can only promise to make all I can so you'll be safe and happy because I love you. That's all I ask Marguerite. I ask you to give me a chance, to give us a chance. We can make this work if we want. It won't be easy, but I think for both of us 'easy' is a turnoff. All I ask darling is... do you want to be with me?"
She just stared at his face for what felt life an eternity. Those kind eyes on his rough face. He was so handsome and so honest. And he loved her, he wasn't playing games, he hadn't walked away when she had told him the truth about herself, he had offered her to stay. And he hadn't done it out of chivalry either; his offer stood before she had even told him anything. He was there, standing in front of her, asking for a chance to make them both happy, at last.
"I want to..." she said full of fear and emotion, encircling his neck with her arms, feeling as he held her with so much force that she would probably end up with bruises on her back, but it didn't matter "And I do love you John," she said, before covering his lips with her own.
They were finally returning to the treehouse after collecting all the plants Challenger thought he would need for the season. Veronica was happy about that, so she would no longer have to be near Keith Lawrence. She had done her best to avoid him, and he probably had got the message because he had spent more of his time chatting with Challenger. Veronica, on the other hand, had staid glued to Malone's side all the way back.
She felt humiliated. She couldn't understand why she had done and said those things to Keith. She was looking right at Malone, not even listening to whatever he was saying. All she could do was look at him and think about what a wonderful man he was. She always knew that, which only made her feel even more guilty about what had almost happened with Keith.
But she had stolen a glance or two at Keith when he wasn't looking. She was intrigued by him. If half of what he had said was truth, then he was a rather horrible man. On the other hand, the way he had spoken later, it was as if he had been trying to protect her... She was the one who had started it all, she knew that. She had created the situation, she had been the one who had kissed him and now she could see what a mistake that had been. Of course Keith had done his best at leading her on, but in some strange way, Veronica knew that Keith had never intended anything else.
She had claimed that she was a grown up woman, but she had been ready to throw everything out of the window just out of pride. She had acted like a child. Malone cared for her as she did for him, and she had decided to forget that in order to have her fun with a dangerous man. If he hadn't stopped it, she would probably would have another set of regrets by now.
Still, she wasn't about to talk to him after the way he had treated her. She had known that Keith meant problems since the first time she had seen him, and now she would simply stay clear from him. That was the best thing to do.
"Veronica, are you there?" she heard Malone's voice, bringing her back to her reality.
"What...? Oh... yes Ned, of course."
"You seemed like a million years away for a second."
"I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Nothing important Ned."
"If you say so..."
"We're almost home!" they heard Challenger exclaim, as he and Keith approached the couple.
"Finally." Lawrence muttered.
"Yeah." Veronica seconded.
"Professor, there was something I wanted to ask you about." Ned called Challenger.
"Tell me." The professor answered.
"Well, I'm writing in my journal about your plant discovery and..." slowly, Ned and Challenger started a conversation about the subject and walked ahead from the other two. Veronica found herself alone with Keith again.
"So..." Keith started.
"So..." Veronica replied.
"What a lame way of starting a conversation, don't you think?" he asked grinning.
"I guess so." Veronica tried to grin back.
"I wanted to apologize Veronica... for last night. I didn't mean to come so out blunt on you."
"It's okay, I shouldn't have kissed you."
"I didn't mind that part terribly." Keith smiled at her this time. Veronica could see he meant every word "But I was just having fun."
"I know."
"Right. What I'm trying to say, is that I come from a different life Veronica. My relationships with most women have mainly revolved about simply having fun. But you're not that kind of girl. If the flirting is misleading you to believe something is going on..."
"I don't believe anything Keith!"
"I know... all I'm saying is that, since we're going to be living together, then I would like for us to be friends. Treat me as if I were Roxton or Challenger. Do you understand what I'm saying, or are my words coming out all wrong again?"
"I think I know what you mean." Veronica patted him in the shoulder "And I know that in your rude, raw and tactless way... you were looking out for me."
"I guess I was... Friends?"
"Hopefully." She said, shaking the hand Keith was offering her.
"Did you hear that?!" suddenly, Challenger's voice ended their conversation. They had been so distracted they hadn't heard a thing. Now, Veronica could feel movement around the trees. She saw Keith prepare his rifle, as Challenger and Malone handled their pistols. She took her knife as well.
"Let's try to get back to the treehouse." Keith said under his breath, she nodded in agreement and started to walk backwards.
"Raptors?" Malone asked.
"We would be dinner by now..."
"They're moving." Keith said, looking directly at the jungle in front of his eyes.
"They're trying to encircle us... We have to get back home, now!"
Challenger hadn't ended his sentence yet when an arrow almost crossed his chest. At once, ten heads appeared from the trees, pointing their arrows at them, as a couple of them advanced towards the group. They had just crossed the slave traders.
Keith and Veronica were the first to react. Veronica attacked one of them with her knife as Keith tried to shoot the others. Challenger and Malone were in the middle of the action as well, but they were just too many. And whenever they took one down, they could see another two coming out of nowhere. At the end of the battle, the four explorers were trying to reach the treehouse for shelter and to get Roxton and Marguerite's help.
The slavers were just behind them. They had already injured Challenger in the arm, and their aiming just kept getting better and better. Then, it all happened in a flash: she saw as an arrow penetrating Ned's leg and him falling to the ground. The three of them stopped at once to help him, but the traders took this opportunity to throw a knife at Keith's right side. Both men where now on the floor, Malone trying to get back up and Keith barely conscious. They were both bleeding, and their injuries didn't allow much movement.
Then, Veronica crossed stares with the leader. He was a rather horrible big man. He looked at her daring to help her friends, but she knew that was impossible. They were too many of them! Challenger's hand was injured and she couldn't help Keith and Ned to their feet by herself. Plus, she wasn't sure they would be able to walk anyway. She knew her best chance was to go back to the treehouse for the others, then rescue their friends. The traders were more than happy with their catch. Malone and Lawrence were both young and strong men, they would be paid for handsomely. They were tying them to take them to their camp.
"Run." Veronica whispered so only Challenger would hear it.
"What?"
"We need help to set them free. We have to go to the treehouse, now!" the moment she said it, she and Challenger started the run towards the treehouse. Luckily, Challenger's own despair for their friends helped him keep up with Veronica.
She could hear the steps of the traders trying to catch them as well. But she heard a voice telling them to halt, they already had what they wanted...