Here it is, the fourth chapter. Thank you all so much for the kind reviews :) And, EIE, You share those mice with the rest of the reviewers! lol
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last one.
=^..^=
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Roxton eased through the jungle slowly, following a trail Marguerite had unknowingly left him. He and the others had arrived back at the treehouse about three hours after Marguerite had left, according to Veronica. Once he had heard what had happened, Roxton had rushed back out into the jungle. Knowing that Marguerite was out there alone made his stomach tighter. He had been following her trail for the past hour, and with each minute he didn't find her, another worry entered his head. Already, he had imagined himself coming across her as raptors tore the flesh from her body. Images that had haunted Roxton's nightmares threatened to become reality.
He stopped outside of a cave entrance. Marguerite's footprints went in, but there wasn't a set coming back out. She was still inside... unless there was another exit. But Roxton swore he could hear something moving around inside. Hopefully, it was Marguerite, and not the dino that ate her.
Roxton held his riffle at the ready, leaving his torch in his backpack. If it wasn't Marguerite, there was no point in letting whoever -or whatever- it was know he was there. A few feet, and a couple turns in, he noticed the glow of torch-light. Two turns later, Roxton stumbled upon a large cavern. Two or three torches lit up the empty space quite nicely. And there, crouched before one of the four walls sat Marguerite. She was chipping away at the wall, apparently mining for gems. As he got closer, Roxton noticed dirt smudges on her face, and the hint of tears in her eyes.
"Marguerite?" Roxton called across to her.
Marguerite jumped slightly at the sudden noise.
"Damnit, Roxton, don't sneak up on me like that!" She scolded him.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"Me? Yes, of course." Marguerite tried to laugh off his concern. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Roxton closed the distance between them and helped Marguerite to her feet.
"What are you doing?"
"Just looking for diamonds." Marguerite told him. "I thought I remembered there being some here."
"Any luck?" Roxton regarded the wall.
"Not very much." Marguerite sighed. "I was just about to give up over here, and move to another wall."
"Ah, I see."
Marguerite dusted her skirt off, watching Roxton out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you doing here, Roxton?" Marguerite asked finally.
"You know how I feel about you being out in the jungle on your own." Roxton answered.
"And *you* know that I'm not an invalid." Marguerite snapped, moving away from him to the next wall.
"You're limping." Roxton noticed.
"Oh, this?" She indicated her foot. "It's nothing."
Roxton eased out of his riffle and pack, placing them both on the ground.
"Let me see it." He insisted.
"John, I'm fine. I just twisted it a bit on the way here. It hardly hurts." Marguerite assured him.
Just seconds after saying that, Marguerite stepped down on it and her ankle gave out. She made a dull thud as she hit the floor.
"Well, if you're sure you're all right." Roxton teased her.
"Ok, that really hurt." Marguerite complained as she eased herself into a sitting position. "Can this day get any better!" She demanded.
"Let me see it." Roxton insisted once more, as he crouched down to her level.
Marguerite offered him her left leg, and he began to remove her boot. The heiress winced, and Roxton noticed.
"I thought it hardly hurt." He said as he slid the boot off.
"That was before you started tugging on it." Marguerite replied.
"It's already starting to swell up pretty badly." Roxton noted as he gingerly handled Marguerite's ankle.
"I told you, I'm fine." Marguerite insisted.
Roxton tapped her ankle, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
"Yes, I can see that." He said sarcastically.
Marguerite eased her way back a bit, and leaned against the wall behind her. With the back of her head on the wall, Marguerite closed her eyes. Roxton followed her, and sat down next to the heiress.
"Veronica told me what happened." Roxton spoke.
"I figured that she might." Marguerite sighed.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"Not even a little."
"You're so damned stubborn!" Roxton exclaimed. "You don't have to face everything on your own. Marguerite, you know that I..."
"Don't." Marguerite cut him off.
"No, Marguerite. Wether you want to accept it or not, you know that I love you. And you've confessed to loving me. So, what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I don't have 38 million in gems!" Marguerite snapped. "And I don't want to have to let my sister kill me." Her eyes started to water.
"It's all right." Roxton murmured soothingly. He reached out and gathered Marguerite closer to him, until she was snuggled against his side.
"Listen, Marguerite." Roxton spoke softly. "I know how hard all of this must be for you..."
"No, Roxton, you don't." Marguerite insisted as she pulled away from him. "You weren't there! You... you didn't have to do what I did." Her voice was just above a whisper, and Roxton barely caught the last of what she said. Marguerite used the wall to pull herself to her feet, and turned her back on the hunter.
Roxton stood up also.
"Then why don't you tell me?" He asked gently.
"Why? So you can hold me close and tell me that it's all going to be all right?" Marguerite gave a hollow laugh. "Well, you can't fix this Roxton. You can't change what I did. You can't fix the past."
Roxton turned her towards him, but Marguerite refused to look him in the eyes.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Marguerite looked up at him, her grey eyes more tear-filled than they were earlier.
"I used everything I had to fund this expedition." Marguerite told him.
"Yes, I remember you telling me that."
"Well, I also had to borrow quite a bit. Marcus was one of the people I borrowed from." Marguerite exhaled. "He made it quite clear that if I didn't pay him back within the allotted time that he'd either kill me, or destroy what I cared for the most." She paused. "I figured that by the time I had to pay him back, I'd either have more than enough to pay him, or I'd already be dead. So, I wasn't worried."
Marguerite bit her lip lightly, looking for something to distract her.
"I... I didn't know she was still alive, but Marcus did. And if he kills her daughter because of me..." Marguerite looked away. "I had a feeling she wasn't really dead. Hell, I even ran into people she knew once or twice. But I figured she was better off without me."
"Marguerite.." Roxton began, although he wasn't sure what to say to her.
The heiress stepped away from him, still limping.
"I need to find those diamonds." She murmured.
Roxton just nodded. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to make her feel better. Instead, he'd help her look for the gemstones.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, there you go. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter, as writers block is starting to set in. Also, my life is going to be pretty hectic for the next few days. In the mean time, review this and let me know what you think. And just incase any of you are wondering where Marguerite's sister came from, don't worry, I'm getting there, lol.
Dai stiho
~CrimsonCat~
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last one.
=^..^=
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Roxton eased through the jungle slowly, following a trail Marguerite had unknowingly left him. He and the others had arrived back at the treehouse about three hours after Marguerite had left, according to Veronica. Once he had heard what had happened, Roxton had rushed back out into the jungle. Knowing that Marguerite was out there alone made his stomach tighter. He had been following her trail for the past hour, and with each minute he didn't find her, another worry entered his head. Already, he had imagined himself coming across her as raptors tore the flesh from her body. Images that had haunted Roxton's nightmares threatened to become reality.
He stopped outside of a cave entrance. Marguerite's footprints went in, but there wasn't a set coming back out. She was still inside... unless there was another exit. But Roxton swore he could hear something moving around inside. Hopefully, it was Marguerite, and not the dino that ate her.
Roxton held his riffle at the ready, leaving his torch in his backpack. If it wasn't Marguerite, there was no point in letting whoever -or whatever- it was know he was there. A few feet, and a couple turns in, he noticed the glow of torch-light. Two turns later, Roxton stumbled upon a large cavern. Two or three torches lit up the empty space quite nicely. And there, crouched before one of the four walls sat Marguerite. She was chipping away at the wall, apparently mining for gems. As he got closer, Roxton noticed dirt smudges on her face, and the hint of tears in her eyes.
"Marguerite?" Roxton called across to her.
Marguerite jumped slightly at the sudden noise.
"Damnit, Roxton, don't sneak up on me like that!" She scolded him.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"Me? Yes, of course." Marguerite tried to laugh off his concern. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Roxton closed the distance between them and helped Marguerite to her feet.
"What are you doing?"
"Just looking for diamonds." Marguerite told him. "I thought I remembered there being some here."
"Any luck?" Roxton regarded the wall.
"Not very much." Marguerite sighed. "I was just about to give up over here, and move to another wall."
"Ah, I see."
Marguerite dusted her skirt off, watching Roxton out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you doing here, Roxton?" Marguerite asked finally.
"You know how I feel about you being out in the jungle on your own." Roxton answered.
"And *you* know that I'm not an invalid." Marguerite snapped, moving away from him to the next wall.
"You're limping." Roxton noticed.
"Oh, this?" She indicated her foot. "It's nothing."
Roxton eased out of his riffle and pack, placing them both on the ground.
"Let me see it." He insisted.
"John, I'm fine. I just twisted it a bit on the way here. It hardly hurts." Marguerite assured him.
Just seconds after saying that, Marguerite stepped down on it and her ankle gave out. She made a dull thud as she hit the floor.
"Well, if you're sure you're all right." Roxton teased her.
"Ok, that really hurt." Marguerite complained as she eased herself into a sitting position. "Can this day get any better!" She demanded.
"Let me see it." Roxton insisted once more, as he crouched down to her level.
Marguerite offered him her left leg, and he began to remove her boot. The heiress winced, and Roxton noticed.
"I thought it hardly hurt." He said as he slid the boot off.
"That was before you started tugging on it." Marguerite replied.
"It's already starting to swell up pretty badly." Roxton noted as he gingerly handled Marguerite's ankle.
"I told you, I'm fine." Marguerite insisted.
Roxton tapped her ankle, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
"Yes, I can see that." He said sarcastically.
Marguerite eased her way back a bit, and leaned against the wall behind her. With the back of her head on the wall, Marguerite closed her eyes. Roxton followed her, and sat down next to the heiress.
"Veronica told me what happened." Roxton spoke.
"I figured that she might." Marguerite sighed.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"Not even a little."
"You're so damned stubborn!" Roxton exclaimed. "You don't have to face everything on your own. Marguerite, you know that I..."
"Don't." Marguerite cut him off.
"No, Marguerite. Wether you want to accept it or not, you know that I love you. And you've confessed to loving me. So, what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I don't have 38 million in gems!" Marguerite snapped. "And I don't want to have to let my sister kill me." Her eyes started to water.
"It's all right." Roxton murmured soothingly. He reached out and gathered Marguerite closer to him, until she was snuggled against his side.
"Listen, Marguerite." Roxton spoke softly. "I know how hard all of this must be for you..."
"No, Roxton, you don't." Marguerite insisted as she pulled away from him. "You weren't there! You... you didn't have to do what I did." Her voice was just above a whisper, and Roxton barely caught the last of what she said. Marguerite used the wall to pull herself to her feet, and turned her back on the hunter.
Roxton stood up also.
"Then why don't you tell me?" He asked gently.
"Why? So you can hold me close and tell me that it's all going to be all right?" Marguerite gave a hollow laugh. "Well, you can't fix this Roxton. You can't change what I did. You can't fix the past."
Roxton turned her towards him, but Marguerite refused to look him in the eyes.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Marguerite looked up at him, her grey eyes more tear-filled than they were earlier.
"I used everything I had to fund this expedition." Marguerite told him.
"Yes, I remember you telling me that."
"Well, I also had to borrow quite a bit. Marcus was one of the people I borrowed from." Marguerite exhaled. "He made it quite clear that if I didn't pay him back within the allotted time that he'd either kill me, or destroy what I cared for the most." She paused. "I figured that by the time I had to pay him back, I'd either have more than enough to pay him, or I'd already be dead. So, I wasn't worried."
Marguerite bit her lip lightly, looking for something to distract her.
"I... I didn't know she was still alive, but Marcus did. And if he kills her daughter because of me..." Marguerite looked away. "I had a feeling she wasn't really dead. Hell, I even ran into people she knew once or twice. But I figured she was better off without me."
"Marguerite.." Roxton began, although he wasn't sure what to say to her.
The heiress stepped away from him, still limping.
"I need to find those diamonds." She murmured.
Roxton just nodded. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to make her feel better. Instead, he'd help her look for the gemstones.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, there you go. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter, as writers block is starting to set in. Also, my life is going to be pretty hectic for the next few days. In the mean time, review this and let me know what you think. And just incase any of you are wondering where Marguerite's sister came from, don't worry, I'm getting there, lol.
Dai stiho
~CrimsonCat~
