A/N: Sorry it's been a little slow going recently, but to be fair I have
finals (big scary exams) soon. I hope people are enjoying my little story,
any suggestions would be much appreciated.
*
As they left the hospital and walked up to Lara's bike Alex held a hand out expectantly. Lara looked at him in confusion.
"I take it the plan is to go and see Dr Bailey again and get that scroll translated?" Lara nodded, "well, it's my turn to drive!" Alex said with a smug smile.
Lara folded her arms and looked at him in amusement, one eyebrow raised. Alex looked right back at her, equally amused by her response. He reached out and grabbed hold of the lapel of her leather jacket, using it to pull her body right up next to his. Still holding her close to him he kissed her gently until she relented, finally parting her lips so he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. As they kissed Alex gently slid his hand down her jacket and into the pocket to carefully remove the bike keys without her noticing.
"Come on, let's go," he said, pulling away and getting on the bike. He put the key in the ignition and gunned the engine as Lara laughed and whacked him hard across the shoulder.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, now even more determined to scare her on the way to Oxford.
*
"You are such a hypocrite!" Lara shouted angrily as she pulled off her motorcycle helmet and stood facing Alex, hands on her hips.
He ran one hand roughly through his hair, looked at Lara, then sighed. He shook his head at her then started walking towards her, but he brushed past her and made for the college entrance.
"How dare you ignore me?" Lara said angrily, quickly following after him, "aren't you going to argue with me?"
Alex stopped and stood for a second with his back to her, then turned around slowly. "No, I've had enough of arguing with you. Is that what you want me to do? Do you want to fight with me Lara? Because if you punch me again I'll fight back," he warned.
"Do I look scared?" she asked icily, adrenaline starting to pump through her veins. For some reason she really wanted to fight him, as if by beating him she would prove she didn't need him. Lara took a step towards him threateningly.
Alex looked around nervously. A couple were walking down towards the river, arm in arm and a group were jogging in the opposite direction but there was nobody in the immediate vicinity. "You're really fucked up Lara, you know that? This isn't going to help anything," he was removing his leather jacket as he spoke.
Lara laughed nastily, then suddenly swung a punch at his stomach. Before it connected Alex grabbed her wrist and used it to spin her around so he was holding her in front of him with her arm twisted against her chest. She breathed in sharply through her teeth then kicked backwards, the sudden pain in Alex's knee causing him to stagger back.
Lara stood, hands by her side, fists clenched and watched him steady himself on a nearby car. "Hit me Alex, I know you want to," she said, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.
"No. I won't hit you."
"Oh please, don't even start with the sexism." With that she punched him squarely in the jaw, then spun on one heel and kicked him in the stomach with the other foot. Alex bent over at the waist in pain, but then suddenly stood up straight, grabbed Lara by her t-shirt and slammed her body up against a wall, causing her to cry out in pain. He raised his other hand, knuckles clenched, but paused.
"Go on," Lara dared him, but he lowered his fist. She pushed him backwards as hard as she could in disgust and Alex fell onto the stony floor. Blood was trickling from his mouth and he wiped it away with one hand.
"Does it make you feel better to hurt me? Does it?" he asked, his voice rising. Lara didn't reply. "It's not because you're a woman that I won't hit you," he said, sitting up and reaching for his jacket, "it's because I love you...and because you're carrying my child."
He stood up and brushed himself down, looking around to check that no one had witnessed their fight. "I don't know what your problem is Lara, but let's just forget about it for now and get on with the job. Fighting each other isn't going to get us anywhere."
Lara just stood with her mouth open, looking at him in shock. Not only was Alex being sensible, but he was 'handling' her. He really had changed. She swallowed as her throat suddenly seemed very dry, then she nodded and turned to enter the college.
*
Dr Bailey greeted them warmly as they sat down in his room, but immediately noticed Alex's bleeding lip. "Last time you were here you had a black eye, and now a split lip..." he looked at Lara sharply, "are you beating him up?"
Alex dabbed at his mouth with a shirt sleeve and looked at Lara, who was squirming uncomfortably on the sofa. "No, I'm just clumsy," he said finally, but he couldn't resist shooting Lara a quick sarcastic smirk.
She ignored him and wondered how she could even have considered getting together with him - it seemed that he couldn't help but antagonise her. She decided, however, to take his advice and just get on with the job. Lara handed a print off of the scroll photo to the professor, who sat back in his chair and began examining it.
Lara and Alex sat in silence not wishing to disturb him, and soon Dr Bailey got a pad of paper out of his desk drawer and began making notes. They shared a quick glance, but continued to sit quietly. Lara folded her arms and began scanning the volumes on the shelves that lined the walls.
At length the tutor spoke up. "Well, it's not the same cipher as the scrolls from Rennes-le-Chateau, but there are raised letters. I'm not sure I can decode this myself, but one of the maths fellows is a bit of a cipher nut. Could I show it to him? I'm sure he could figure it out soon enough."
Lara and Alex looked across at each other again, then both nodded. There really wasn't much choice but to trust someone else if they wanted to solve the puzzle.
"How long do you think it would take? I think time may be of the essence here.."
The older man shrugged. "We will have to see Lara," he smiled at her tense expression, "patience is a virtue."
"Unfortunately I do not think it will be one that will help us recover the grail."
*
As they left the hospital and walked up to Lara's bike Alex held a hand out expectantly. Lara looked at him in confusion.
"I take it the plan is to go and see Dr Bailey again and get that scroll translated?" Lara nodded, "well, it's my turn to drive!" Alex said with a smug smile.
Lara folded her arms and looked at him in amusement, one eyebrow raised. Alex looked right back at her, equally amused by her response. He reached out and grabbed hold of the lapel of her leather jacket, using it to pull her body right up next to his. Still holding her close to him he kissed her gently until she relented, finally parting her lips so he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. As they kissed Alex gently slid his hand down her jacket and into the pocket to carefully remove the bike keys without her noticing.
"Come on, let's go," he said, pulling away and getting on the bike. He put the key in the ignition and gunned the engine as Lara laughed and whacked him hard across the shoulder.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, now even more determined to scare her on the way to Oxford.
*
"You are such a hypocrite!" Lara shouted angrily as she pulled off her motorcycle helmet and stood facing Alex, hands on her hips.
He ran one hand roughly through his hair, looked at Lara, then sighed. He shook his head at her then started walking towards her, but he brushed past her and made for the college entrance.
"How dare you ignore me?" Lara said angrily, quickly following after him, "aren't you going to argue with me?"
Alex stopped and stood for a second with his back to her, then turned around slowly. "No, I've had enough of arguing with you. Is that what you want me to do? Do you want to fight with me Lara? Because if you punch me again I'll fight back," he warned.
"Do I look scared?" she asked icily, adrenaline starting to pump through her veins. For some reason she really wanted to fight him, as if by beating him she would prove she didn't need him. Lara took a step towards him threateningly.
Alex looked around nervously. A couple were walking down towards the river, arm in arm and a group were jogging in the opposite direction but there was nobody in the immediate vicinity. "You're really fucked up Lara, you know that? This isn't going to help anything," he was removing his leather jacket as he spoke.
Lara laughed nastily, then suddenly swung a punch at his stomach. Before it connected Alex grabbed her wrist and used it to spin her around so he was holding her in front of him with her arm twisted against her chest. She breathed in sharply through her teeth then kicked backwards, the sudden pain in Alex's knee causing him to stagger back.
Lara stood, hands by her side, fists clenched and watched him steady himself on a nearby car. "Hit me Alex, I know you want to," she said, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.
"No. I won't hit you."
"Oh please, don't even start with the sexism." With that she punched him squarely in the jaw, then spun on one heel and kicked him in the stomach with the other foot. Alex bent over at the waist in pain, but then suddenly stood up straight, grabbed Lara by her t-shirt and slammed her body up against a wall, causing her to cry out in pain. He raised his other hand, knuckles clenched, but paused.
"Go on," Lara dared him, but he lowered his fist. She pushed him backwards as hard as she could in disgust and Alex fell onto the stony floor. Blood was trickling from his mouth and he wiped it away with one hand.
"Does it make you feel better to hurt me? Does it?" he asked, his voice rising. Lara didn't reply. "It's not because you're a woman that I won't hit you," he said, sitting up and reaching for his jacket, "it's because I love you...and because you're carrying my child."
He stood up and brushed himself down, looking around to check that no one had witnessed their fight. "I don't know what your problem is Lara, but let's just forget about it for now and get on with the job. Fighting each other isn't going to get us anywhere."
Lara just stood with her mouth open, looking at him in shock. Not only was Alex being sensible, but he was 'handling' her. He really had changed. She swallowed as her throat suddenly seemed very dry, then she nodded and turned to enter the college.
*
Dr Bailey greeted them warmly as they sat down in his room, but immediately noticed Alex's bleeding lip. "Last time you were here you had a black eye, and now a split lip..." he looked at Lara sharply, "are you beating him up?"
Alex dabbed at his mouth with a shirt sleeve and looked at Lara, who was squirming uncomfortably on the sofa. "No, I'm just clumsy," he said finally, but he couldn't resist shooting Lara a quick sarcastic smirk.
She ignored him and wondered how she could even have considered getting together with him - it seemed that he couldn't help but antagonise her. She decided, however, to take his advice and just get on with the job. Lara handed a print off of the scroll photo to the professor, who sat back in his chair and began examining it.
Lara and Alex sat in silence not wishing to disturb him, and soon Dr Bailey got a pad of paper out of his desk drawer and began making notes. They shared a quick glance, but continued to sit quietly. Lara folded her arms and began scanning the volumes on the shelves that lined the walls.
At length the tutor spoke up. "Well, it's not the same cipher as the scrolls from Rennes-le-Chateau, but there are raised letters. I'm not sure I can decode this myself, but one of the maths fellows is a bit of a cipher nut. Could I show it to him? I'm sure he could figure it out soon enough."
Lara and Alex looked across at each other again, then both nodded. There really wasn't much choice but to trust someone else if they wanted to solve the puzzle.
"How long do you think it would take? I think time may be of the essence here.."
The older man shrugged. "We will have to see Lara," he smiled at her tense expression, "patience is a virtue."
"Unfortunately I do not think it will be one that will help us recover the grail."