Unexpected Suprises

Notes: This is my first fanfic. I am a huge fan of Relic Hunter (an even bigger fan of Nigel...lol.) I've always wanted Nigel to find someone, but, I've never been a big fan of a Nigel/Claudia, Nigel/Karen, or a Nigel/Sydney relationship. I've always thought he needed to find someone more like him...someone who wants "a nice teaching job surrounded by lots of quiet books...." Oh, and I'm quite aware of the repetition in the title. It comes into play later on in the fic.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize...and any resemblance that the relic in this story may have to any "real" relic is completely coincidental.

Chapter 1: New College, New Town, New People

"Ouch!" Her letter opener must have fallen out of the box that contained all of the supplies for her desk. Lindsey quickly shook the pain out of her right index finger and threw the letter opener back into the box. She looked up at apartment 232, and with a sigh, wondered what she had gotten herself into. Just then, the door opened, and a girl and a guy stepped out of the apartment.

"LINDSEY!!! OH, MY GOD!!" came Jenifer's reply. "It's so good to see you. Did you have a nice trip?"

"Yeah, it was fine. Mom practically called me every half hour to make sure I was okay," Lindsey answered. Jen had definately changed from the last time Lindsey saw her. It had been six years, but because of the wonders of technology like e-mails and instant messages, they had stayed in touch. Since Lindsey lived in Alabama, and Jen lived in Massachusetts, the two cousins rarely got to see each other. The curl of Jen's usually unruly hair had been tamed, and had a nice dark complection, which, Lindsey thought to be very odd for a New Englander. "Must be a 'fake-and-bake'," Lindsey thought. But, still, Jen was quite beautiful.

"Jake, get that box and bag from her. She's been driving all day." Jake complied with out complaint. He had always liked talking to Lindsey. "She seems like a smart girl," he always thought to himself. It was her he always went to when he and Jen were having problems. Even though he had never met her, he thought very highly of her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lindsey." I'm glad you and Jen are gonna be roomates. Now, I won't have to spend so long in front of the computer asking for advice on how to get her to forgive me." Jake grinned from ear to ear. He had a nice smile.

After they had gotten all of Lindsey's things from the car and had shown her around the rather spacious apartment, Lindsey showered and dressed so she could go with Jen down to Trinity College to meet her new professors and get better aquainted with the new campus. She was a graduate student in the theatre department, studying to be a dramaturg. She had always loved dramatic literature, and was excited to get to study how to be a professional analyzer of it at one of the top colleges in the country at which to study for it.

Lindsey and Jen shared a wonderful afternoon of catching up, and showing the "new student" around the campus. It was a rather beautiful campus, and Lindsey thought she would enjoy it.

"Oh, before we go, I need to drop by the Ancient Studies office. Nigel, Professor Fox's TA has some paperwork for me to pick up. He called me this morning to let me now. He offered to bring it over, but I told him I was coming to campus today anyway, so I'd just pick it up then." Jen chattered nonchalantly.

"Bring them over? TA's do that here?" Lindsey wondered, but didn't have time to ask. They had walked into the Ancient Studies office, and was greeted by three, "Hello, Jen!"'s. Jen quickly replied and introduced Lindsey to the office.

"Lindsey this Claudia, Professor Fox, and Nigel." "Guys, this is my cousin, Lindsey."

"Nice to meet you, Lindsey. I have the papers you wanted, Jen. There here in my office. I won't keep her but for a minute." And with that, Sydney Fox and Jen left the room.

Claudia engaged Lindsey in converstation. She wanted to know what life was like in the South, and how Lindsey had come from being an English Education major to being interested in the theatre. Nigel just watched the two.

"Claudia is going to rattle that poor girl's ear off," Nigel thought to himself. He had caught himself admiring Lindsey when she walked through the door. She seemed a bit timid, but still carried herself well. He thought she was very pretty, and her accent was enchanting. He caught himself feeling a bit disappointed that she wasn't going to be taking Ancient Studies with Jen. "Nigel, get ahold of yourself. What are you thinking??" He started to focus all of his attention to the unfinished crossword puzzle on his desk. He couldn't get this one particular clue, as easy as it should be, no matter how hard he racked his brain.

"Apex." Lindsey stated matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" Nigel asked questioningly. Almost on cue she had interrupted his thoughts and startled him. He looked up at her. Her eyes were a unique shade of hazel, with golden specks of color everywhere. They were, to be brief, beautiful.

"The answer is 'Apex'. Your crossword clue?" "You seemed to be having some difficulty." Lindsey knew she must have startled him from some serious thought, and she highly doubted that it had anything to do with crossword puzzles, and she immediately felt bad. From the look on his face, she couldn't tell if her input was appreciated or unwanted.

"Uh..huh?...oh, yeah...the puzzle. Thanks." With that answer, he was able to complete the puzzle. "All finished." He looked up at her with a shy smile on his face. "Are you a crossword fan?"

She didn't know why, but there was a sort of comfort in the smile that he gave her. "A fan?" Lindsey laughed at this absurdity. "More like a crossword obssesser. I work on them religiously." She smiled a soft smile back. His eyes were almost intoxicating.

"Well, aren't you just two peas in a pod?" Claudia brought both of them back to reality. "Nigel does those things all of the time. You should look in his desk drawer. He has like a million puzzles from back issues of the papers." Claudia couldn't be one hunderd percent certain, but she felt pretty sure that Nigel was completly taken by this girl. Well, as much as he could be from just having met her. Well, he practically already knew her. They all did. Jen had talked alot about her. Recently most especially because Lindsey was coming to Trinity to do graduate work. Jen could barely contain her excitement. She had thought then that Lindsey sounded like a good match for Nigel, and she had secretly hoped then that Lindsey would come to meet them. If it was one thing Claudia liked to do more than shop, it was to play matchmaker. But, from the looks of them, there wouldn't be much need for a matchmaker...they were doing just fine on their own.

Nigel blushed at Claudia's comment. "Thanks Claudia," he muttered under his breath. Lindsey just laughed.

"It's quite alright. You should have a look inside my desk drawers," Lindsey offered. "They're full of puzzles." She didn't know why, but she was completely taken by the young Englishman that sat behind that desk. "It's just the accent, Lindsey. That's all," she thought, but she didn't sound very convincing to herself. She certainly did not have the time to date anyone, let alone a TA. "Lindsey, get ahold of yourself."

"Ready to go, Lindsey?" Jen interrupted her thoughts.

"When ever you are. It was really nice to meet y'all. Bye bye!" And with that, Lindsey and Jen left the office.

"You two seemed to get along quite famously," Claudia observed. "So, when do you plan to ask her out?"

"CLAUDIA!!!" Nigel couldn't believe it. He could feel his face turning beet red. "She seems like a very sweet girl, but Claudia, I highly doubt that we'll ever be anything more than friends, if we even get to be that."

Sydney just shook her head and smiled. She could tell that Nigel would be greatly disappointed if they never even became friends. "You two are alot alike, Nigel. She's new in town, and she needs someone to show her around, especially around campus," Sydney pointed out. "I think you should really volunteer."

"She has Jen to help her out. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some work done, please?" Nigel was feeling quite flustered now.

Sydney went back into her office and picked up a fax that had she had just received. She read over it. It was someone needing her and Nigel to find a relic. "We're gonna need someone with expertise in this area," she thought. Then, all of a sudden, an idea popped into her head. She hurried out of her office. "Nigel, I need you to call Jen and find out where Lindsey is staying."

"Wha...Why?" Nigel didn't like the look Sydney had on her face. He'd seen that look a hundred times before...the "I've-Got-A-Relic-Hunt-That-Might- Get-Us-Killed" look.

"We need her expertise in finding our next relic." Sydney stated. She just smiled at the look on Nigel's face. He was glad to get the chance to talk to her again.

"Well, okay. What's the relic we're looking for this time?" Nigel asked...almost afraid to know.

"Socrates's Book to Dionysis." Sydney waited for a response, but Nigel had already begun to dial the phone.

A/N: I know that this is a little slow getting started, but like I said, this is my first fic. I promise it'll get more action packed later on, but I still plan to keep alot of romance involved. I'm a big sucker for romance, so that'll be a big part of it too, probably moreso than the action/adventure part. =) I promise to update very soon. Please R&R.