lol, ok, I'm going to be fic-hopping for awhile. For those of you who have forgotten, Marguerite's sister appeared, and tried to kill her. Later revealing that a man was holding her daughter hostage, wanting either 38 million in gems and precious metals, or Marguerite dead. and, here we go. See you at the bottom.
=^..^=
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Marguerite exhaled in frustration. She and Avril had been digging around the blasted cave for over an hour, but there was still no sign of the emeralds she had noticed before. Not that they hadn't found anything in the past week. If Marguerite was calculating right, the two sisters had at least 24 million so far. Another few days, and they would have all of it.
"Damnit!" Avril exploded. "This cave is useless!"
Marguerite ignored her.
Avril glared at her sister's back.
"How do I know you aren't doing this on purpose?" She demanded. "Maybe you want him to kill my daughter."
"The sooner you get your bloody gem stones, the sooner you leave me alone." Marguerite snapped. "Trust me, I'm not doing anything to prolong this."
Marguerite sighed, finally stepping away from the wall.
"We aren't going to find anything in here." She admitted. "We can try again at first light."
~*~*~
Marguerite watched the stars come out one by one as she stood on the balcony. It had been just over a week since her sister had crashed back into her life. Avril was emptying out all of her gemstone deposits, but it didn't matter. Marguerite would just have to find some more once she left.
Avril.. Marguerite still wasn't quite sure how she felt having her sister back. It had been such a shock the first time she had seen her. She'd just arrived at the latest boarding house, only to find that she wasn't an only child after all. Avril, or Victoria as she had been called, had been so small. Only five, but so independent already. They had stayed together for over a year before the two sisters got shuffled around once more. To different convents, in different countries. After that, they hadn't really seen each other. When they did end up in the same place, it was usually by accident. Then, when Marguerite was finally old enough to rescue her sister, the nuns lied to her.They told her Avril was dead in the hopes of giving her little sister a better life than she could have offered. And now, Marguerite had become just another person Avril had been abandoned by.
The heiress was so wrapped up in her memories that she didn't even hear Roxton come up behind her.
"So, where are you two headed tomorrow?" He asked, leaning beside her on the railing.
"Hopefully, a cave littered with gold." Marguerite replied without thinking.
About a year ago, the explorers had come across a huge cave where gold covered every inch of the walls. Even the floor was covered with the shimmering nuggets that had fallen from the ceiling. However, it fell in the territory of a very hostile tribe. They had barely managed to escape with their lives, and a few nuggets Marguerite had grabbed in passing.
"There is no way you're going there Marguerite." Roxton exclaimed, knowing instantly which cave she was referring to.
"And how do you plan on stopping me?" Marguerite demanded, anger flashing in her eyes. "We need the gold, Roxton."
"There has got to be another gem stone deposit somewhere. It's too dangerous." Roxton countered.
Marguerite sighed, suddenly feeling very tired.
"Roxton, we need this gold." She repeated. "If I remember correctly, there is probably enough gold in there to push us over our required amount of money. It's the fastest way."
"So it takes a few more days. It isn't worth the risk."
"Every day we take is another day Avril's daughter is left in the care of that mad man. If we take too long..." Marguerite turned her attention away from Roxton and back to the jungle around them. "I can't let her die because of me." Marguerite spoke so softly that Roxton almost didn't hear her.
"You know I'm not going to let you go out there alone." Roxton said, stepping closer.
Marguerite turned to look at him.
"No, I didn't think you would."
Marguerite looked so alone, and so vulnerable that it made Roxton's heart ache. She offered him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. This was the most he had seen her all week. The two sisters were gone before the others woke up, and they didn't get back until sundown. And even then, they didn't say a word. They just went to bed.
Roxton reached out and tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind Marguerite's ear before caressing her face lightly. Marguerite unconsciously leaned into his touch. Roxton moved closer, wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her forehead lovingly. They both needed this right now. Marguerite to help her stay strong, and Roxton to assure himself that she was all right. Neither noticed Avril watching from the shadows.
~*~*~
The next morning, Roxton was waiting for the two sisters when they woke up. He knew that Marguerite wouldn't wake him, so he had made sure to be up extra early. And so, just as the sun was rising, Marguerite, Avril, And Roxton found themselves on the way to the golden cave. The trip alone would take half a day, so they weren't expected back at the treehouse until tomorrow night. Hopefully, that would be a sufficient amount of time to gather enough gold.
~*~*~
By late afternoon they were almost at the cave, and hardly a word had been spoken all morning. And now, each of them were on the look out for any savages. The hostile tribe whose territory they were trespassing in was famous for their poison darts. There wasn't an antidote, and the victim rarely lived more than an hour after being exposed to the poison. Not to mention that each of your organs shut down one by one, before you finally expired. Not a very pleasant way to die. But, thankfully, the three made it to the cave without any problems.
"There's only one entrance, so we should be all right." Roxton spoke. "I'll keep watch while you two mine the gold."
Avril and Marguerite got to work doing just that. After, of course, a moment spent in awe of the fortune before them. The cave was just as covered in gold as Marguerite remembered, and with an equal love of riches, the two women were almost giddy as they dug out the precious metal. After about three hours, two of the six packs they had brought were full to overflowing. In silent agreement, Marguerite and Avril finally took a break. Roxton had started a fire while they had been working, and was currently making dinner. With a satisfied look on her face, Marguerite sat down near him.
"How is it coming?" Roxton asked.
"If we work through the night, we should have all of the bags full by morning." Avril couldn't help but smile.
"That's a lot of gold." The hunter whistled.
"Well, there is no such thing as to much gold." Marguerite pointed out.
"How are you planning on getting it back to the treehouse?" Roxton asked.
The two sisters exchanged glances. Apparently, they hadn't thought this all the way through. Roxton couldn't help but laugh.
"John Roxton, this is not funny!" Marguerite snapped, clearly upset that she wouldn't be leaving with as much gold as she had hoped.
"Can't we build a cart, or something?" Avril mused.
Marguerite brightened visibly.
"That can be your job." She told Roxton. "You can build the cart while we finish digging out the gold."
Roxton sighed, but didn't argue. He would rather build a cart than have to make a return trip. There was no way he'd be able to convince them that two bags of gold was more than enough. But a few seconds later, building a cart was the least of his worries.
~*~*~
Marguerite stretched as she stood up, trying to work a few kinks out of her back. One of the many prices you had to pay for large sums of gold. But it was a price she didn't mind paying. She was more than certain that she'd be able to convince Roxton to give her a massage. She felt something fly past her ear, making her jump.
"I think our luck just ran out." Roxton exclaimed as he stood up quickly. "Are you all right?" He asked as he grabbed his riffle.
Marguerite's hand flew her face, checking for blood. But, thankfully, the dart had missed it's target completely. It hadn't even grazed her in passing.
"It missed me." Marguerite assured him.
"We need to find cover." Roxton exclaimed as another couple of darts flew into the cave.
The hunter shooed Marguerite and Avril deeper into the cave, into a tunnel that branched off from the main cavern. The two sister's were quick to each grab a bag of gold, although the weight slowed them down considerably.
"Damnit, will you just leave the gold!" Roxton snapped as he stopped to shoot another group of savages. They were getting too close. Another few minutes, and the three explorers wouldn't stand a chance.
"Are you insane?" Marguerite demanded. "It took us all afternoon to mine this."
"Not to mention how much closer it brings us to 38 million." Avril added.
"You're going to get us killed." Roxton insisted as he shot a few more of their attackers. "I can't hold them off forever, and we're moving much too slow."
"So, we make our stand here." Marguerite said as she dropped her bag of gold and held her guns at the ready.
"No, we've got to keep going." Avril countered, doing just that. "Maybe there is another way out."
"There isn't!" Roxton snapped.
Marguerite ignored him, shooting at the savages.
"Come on boys, don't get shy now!" She called.
Roxton tackled her suddenly, sending her bullets straight into the ceiling as a half dozen poison darts flew in her direction. And things were about to get a whole hell of a lot worse.
~*~*~
The air flew out of Marguerite's lungs as she hit the ground, and John landed on top of her. She felt the rumbles before she heard them, or saw what was happening.
"Look out!" Avril shouted.
Before she knew what was happening, Roxton was pulling her to her feet and practically dragging her behind as he ran like mad. Avril had abandoned her sack of gold, and was running as well. It took a few moments for everything to sink in. Her bullets had caused a cave-in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So, what do you think? Worth the wait? lol, R & M are trapped in a cave again. Eep, but Avril is with them! Think they'll end up killing each other? (Marguerite and Avril, not Marguerite and Roxton). I could really use a good cheering up, so pretty please review. Just went through a nasty break up, and my spirits could use a major boost.
Glah I've also been up for the past 22 hours. I'm going to bed, lol. Review, please, and I'll see you next chapter.
Dai stiho
~CrimsonCat~
=^..^=
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Marguerite exhaled in frustration. She and Avril had been digging around the blasted cave for over an hour, but there was still no sign of the emeralds she had noticed before. Not that they hadn't found anything in the past week. If Marguerite was calculating right, the two sisters had at least 24 million so far. Another few days, and they would have all of it.
"Damnit!" Avril exploded. "This cave is useless!"
Marguerite ignored her.
Avril glared at her sister's back.
"How do I know you aren't doing this on purpose?" She demanded. "Maybe you want him to kill my daughter."
"The sooner you get your bloody gem stones, the sooner you leave me alone." Marguerite snapped. "Trust me, I'm not doing anything to prolong this."
Marguerite sighed, finally stepping away from the wall.
"We aren't going to find anything in here." She admitted. "We can try again at first light."
~*~*~
Marguerite watched the stars come out one by one as she stood on the balcony. It had been just over a week since her sister had crashed back into her life. Avril was emptying out all of her gemstone deposits, but it didn't matter. Marguerite would just have to find some more once she left.
Avril.. Marguerite still wasn't quite sure how she felt having her sister back. It had been such a shock the first time she had seen her. She'd just arrived at the latest boarding house, only to find that she wasn't an only child after all. Avril, or Victoria as she had been called, had been so small. Only five, but so independent already. They had stayed together for over a year before the two sisters got shuffled around once more. To different convents, in different countries. After that, they hadn't really seen each other. When they did end up in the same place, it was usually by accident. Then, when Marguerite was finally old enough to rescue her sister, the nuns lied to her.They told her Avril was dead in the hopes of giving her little sister a better life than she could have offered. And now, Marguerite had become just another person Avril had been abandoned by.
The heiress was so wrapped up in her memories that she didn't even hear Roxton come up behind her.
"So, where are you two headed tomorrow?" He asked, leaning beside her on the railing.
"Hopefully, a cave littered with gold." Marguerite replied without thinking.
About a year ago, the explorers had come across a huge cave where gold covered every inch of the walls. Even the floor was covered with the shimmering nuggets that had fallen from the ceiling. However, it fell in the territory of a very hostile tribe. They had barely managed to escape with their lives, and a few nuggets Marguerite had grabbed in passing.
"There is no way you're going there Marguerite." Roxton exclaimed, knowing instantly which cave she was referring to.
"And how do you plan on stopping me?" Marguerite demanded, anger flashing in her eyes. "We need the gold, Roxton."
"There has got to be another gem stone deposit somewhere. It's too dangerous." Roxton countered.
Marguerite sighed, suddenly feeling very tired.
"Roxton, we need this gold." She repeated. "If I remember correctly, there is probably enough gold in there to push us over our required amount of money. It's the fastest way."
"So it takes a few more days. It isn't worth the risk."
"Every day we take is another day Avril's daughter is left in the care of that mad man. If we take too long..." Marguerite turned her attention away from Roxton and back to the jungle around them. "I can't let her die because of me." Marguerite spoke so softly that Roxton almost didn't hear her.
"You know I'm not going to let you go out there alone." Roxton said, stepping closer.
Marguerite turned to look at him.
"No, I didn't think you would."
Marguerite looked so alone, and so vulnerable that it made Roxton's heart ache. She offered him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. This was the most he had seen her all week. The two sisters were gone before the others woke up, and they didn't get back until sundown. And even then, they didn't say a word. They just went to bed.
Roxton reached out and tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind Marguerite's ear before caressing her face lightly. Marguerite unconsciously leaned into his touch. Roxton moved closer, wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her forehead lovingly. They both needed this right now. Marguerite to help her stay strong, and Roxton to assure himself that she was all right. Neither noticed Avril watching from the shadows.
~*~*~
The next morning, Roxton was waiting for the two sisters when they woke up. He knew that Marguerite wouldn't wake him, so he had made sure to be up extra early. And so, just as the sun was rising, Marguerite, Avril, And Roxton found themselves on the way to the golden cave. The trip alone would take half a day, so they weren't expected back at the treehouse until tomorrow night. Hopefully, that would be a sufficient amount of time to gather enough gold.
~*~*~
By late afternoon they were almost at the cave, and hardly a word had been spoken all morning. And now, each of them were on the look out for any savages. The hostile tribe whose territory they were trespassing in was famous for their poison darts. There wasn't an antidote, and the victim rarely lived more than an hour after being exposed to the poison. Not to mention that each of your organs shut down one by one, before you finally expired. Not a very pleasant way to die. But, thankfully, the three made it to the cave without any problems.
"There's only one entrance, so we should be all right." Roxton spoke. "I'll keep watch while you two mine the gold."
Avril and Marguerite got to work doing just that. After, of course, a moment spent in awe of the fortune before them. The cave was just as covered in gold as Marguerite remembered, and with an equal love of riches, the two women were almost giddy as they dug out the precious metal. After about three hours, two of the six packs they had brought were full to overflowing. In silent agreement, Marguerite and Avril finally took a break. Roxton had started a fire while they had been working, and was currently making dinner. With a satisfied look on her face, Marguerite sat down near him.
"How is it coming?" Roxton asked.
"If we work through the night, we should have all of the bags full by morning." Avril couldn't help but smile.
"That's a lot of gold." The hunter whistled.
"Well, there is no such thing as to much gold." Marguerite pointed out.
"How are you planning on getting it back to the treehouse?" Roxton asked.
The two sisters exchanged glances. Apparently, they hadn't thought this all the way through. Roxton couldn't help but laugh.
"John Roxton, this is not funny!" Marguerite snapped, clearly upset that she wouldn't be leaving with as much gold as she had hoped.
"Can't we build a cart, or something?" Avril mused.
Marguerite brightened visibly.
"That can be your job." She told Roxton. "You can build the cart while we finish digging out the gold."
Roxton sighed, but didn't argue. He would rather build a cart than have to make a return trip. There was no way he'd be able to convince them that two bags of gold was more than enough. But a few seconds later, building a cart was the least of his worries.
~*~*~
Marguerite stretched as she stood up, trying to work a few kinks out of her back. One of the many prices you had to pay for large sums of gold. But it was a price she didn't mind paying. She was more than certain that she'd be able to convince Roxton to give her a massage. She felt something fly past her ear, making her jump.
"I think our luck just ran out." Roxton exclaimed as he stood up quickly. "Are you all right?" He asked as he grabbed his riffle.
Marguerite's hand flew her face, checking for blood. But, thankfully, the dart had missed it's target completely. It hadn't even grazed her in passing.
"It missed me." Marguerite assured him.
"We need to find cover." Roxton exclaimed as another couple of darts flew into the cave.
The hunter shooed Marguerite and Avril deeper into the cave, into a tunnel that branched off from the main cavern. The two sister's were quick to each grab a bag of gold, although the weight slowed them down considerably.
"Damnit, will you just leave the gold!" Roxton snapped as he stopped to shoot another group of savages. They were getting too close. Another few minutes, and the three explorers wouldn't stand a chance.
"Are you insane?" Marguerite demanded. "It took us all afternoon to mine this."
"Not to mention how much closer it brings us to 38 million." Avril added.
"You're going to get us killed." Roxton insisted as he shot a few more of their attackers. "I can't hold them off forever, and we're moving much too slow."
"So, we make our stand here." Marguerite said as she dropped her bag of gold and held her guns at the ready.
"No, we've got to keep going." Avril countered, doing just that. "Maybe there is another way out."
"There isn't!" Roxton snapped.
Marguerite ignored him, shooting at the savages.
"Come on boys, don't get shy now!" She called.
Roxton tackled her suddenly, sending her bullets straight into the ceiling as a half dozen poison darts flew in her direction. And things were about to get a whole hell of a lot worse.
~*~*~
The air flew out of Marguerite's lungs as she hit the ground, and John landed on top of her. She felt the rumbles before she heard them, or saw what was happening.
"Look out!" Avril shouted.
Before she knew what was happening, Roxton was pulling her to her feet and practically dragging her behind as he ran like mad. Avril had abandoned her sack of gold, and was running as well. It took a few moments for everything to sink in. Her bullets had caused a cave-in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So, what do you think? Worth the wait? lol, R & M are trapped in a cave again. Eep, but Avril is with them! Think they'll end up killing each other? (Marguerite and Avril, not Marguerite and Roxton). I could really use a good cheering up, so pretty please review. Just went through a nasty break up, and my spirits could use a major boost.
Glah I've also been up for the past 22 hours. I'm going to bed, lol. Review, please, and I'll see you next chapter.
Dai stiho
~CrimsonCat~
