A/N: Aug 21, 2012: Here's the 4th chapter, now updated. The next chapter's will take a little more time for me to fix. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost World.
Chapter 4:
Roxton and Veronica were up at dawn the next day. They wanted to be up early for fear of missing the people they heard last night. Quickly, they packed up what little belongings they had. When they finished, they went in search for the people's camp.
It didn't take them long. A fifteen minute walk at most. When they came upon the small settlement, they approached with caution. It seemed to them that everyone was still fast asleep.
"Roxton, what if these people aren't friendly?" Veronica whispered.
"They're definitely of the British empire. You see that flag, there," he pointed out. "I may be able to appeal to them. Hopefully, we'll get to speak to this governor of theirs directly. Just leave out things like dinosaurs and we should be fine."
"I hope you're right," Veronica said, still slightly unconvinced.
They made their way towards the camp, reaching its boundaries, they noticed a man sitting by a fire with their back turned to them, standing guard—doing a pretty horrible job at it, too. They approached him carefully, hoping not to startle him. But, no such luck, the man turned around abruptly and pointed a gun at them. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"We mean you no harm…" Roxton began in a calm voice. "I am Lord John Roxton and this is Veronica Layton. We've been lost for weeks and we're in need of some assistance…"
The man's eyes narrowed, considering Roxton's words, but the gun remained aimed at them.
"May we at least speak to this Governor of yours?" Veronica inquired, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice, when she noticed that the man was not letting up.
"Governor Smith is probably still sleeping and dreaming about all of his gold," the man replied sarcastically.
"Governor Smith, as in James Alexander Smith?" Roxton questioned quickly.
"Yes, how did you know?" the man said.
A smile overtook Roxton's face, perplexing Veronica, until he uttered, "He happens to be a very good friend of mine. Now if you don't mind, we'll just sit right here and wait with you until he wakes up."
The guard shrugged his shoulders, apparently deeming the two of them harmless and said, "Fine, do as you like."
Slowly, without taking their eyes off the armed man, Veronica and Roxton took seats on the opposite side of the fire. After a few moments' silence, Veronica leaned into Roxton, so that he alone could hear her words. "Do you really know him?"
"If it's the same James Alexander Smith, then yes, I do know him. I've known him since I was a child. We were best friends. If it's him then we can count on him to help us," he assured.
"Thank goodness," Veronica said, beyond relieved. They were finally getting some good luck it seemed.
3 months later ~ ~
"Oh my goodness," Challenger blurted out unexpectedly.
The three remaining explorers were seated around the table in the middle of breakfast that Sunday morning. Marguerite and Malone eyed Challenger with matching amused smiles, thinking he was about ready to run off to one of his experiments. Instead, he surprised them both with what was really on his mind.
"I just realized something," the scientist continued, looking far too serious. "How could we have been so stupid?"
"Challenger?" Malone said quizzically.
"George," Marguerite said cautiously. "What? What have we done?"
A frown firmly on the older man's face, he answered, "We neglected to tell Assai."
Neither Marguerite nor Malone had to ask for clarification, they both knew exactly what they'd forgotten to tell the Zanga woman. A hand fluttered up to Marguerite's mouth in disbelief. They had indeed been stupid.
"Oh my God, you're right!" she exclaimed.
"Someone's got to go and tell her," Malone said grimly.
Challenger nodded his head definitively. "I'll go; Malone, I'll need you to come with me. Marguerite, you should stay here."
"Stay here, alone? I don't think so, George. Ned can stay here with me. You're a big boy, Challenger, I'm sure you can go by yourself. It's only a half a day walk," Marguerite countered decisively.
"I'm not quite sure that that's a good idea," Challenger replied hesitantly, clearly something on his mind.
Malone sat there, silently, watching the two argue.
"He stays here," Marguerite put her foot down. "And why don't you stay there a couple of days, too, get some rest. You've been overworking yourself."
"Fine!" Challenger exclaimed, getting out of his seat. He stomped off, mumbling to himself, "I should have known… can't argue with the great Marguerite Krux."
Malone, of course, knew she would win the argument.
Malone and Marguerite had just begun to clear up the morning dishes when Challenger reappeared.
"Well, I'm ready to go," Challenger said to the two, more calm then when he'd left.
"All right… Safe trip," Marguerite wished for him. "Be sure to tell Assai that we miss her and she should come for a visit soon."
Malone nodded his agreement.
"I will," he answered. Pausing, he gave them a shrewd look before adding, "You two behave while I'm gone."
"Yes, father!" Marguerite joked.
Malone choked out a laugh earning him an extra glare from Challenger.
"Two days," Challenger said sternly as he boarded the elevator.
As Challenger disappeared down the elevator, Marguerite turned to Malone and asked, "What's he so worried about anyways?"
"I'm not quite sure…" he answered with an amused smile. "So, what do we do now?"
"How about a little outing?" Marguerite replied with hardly any consideration.
"What are you proposing?" Malone asked.
"A picnic!" she exclaimed, pleased with herself and her idea. Malone looked at her dubiously. "Come on…we've been cooped up in here for days and I'm tired of staying indoors. Why not grab a basket and go out?"
"Where too?" Malone asked, giving in.
"I know this lovely little spot down by the river about thirty minutes away. It has a small waterfall, beautiful flowers and lovely scenery. I went there once, with Roxton…"
Her eyes took on a sad look, and Malone thought that maybe a picnic might not be such a good idea.
"Maybe we shouldn't go or, at least, we should go somewhere else," he suggested.
Marguerite shook off her sadness and gave him a determined look. "No, no we have to go there," she paused, and he stared at her incredulously. "You've got to understand, Ned, this whole place has memories of us. Not going to one place isn't going to stop me from remembering him. And I know it's the same for you with Veronica."
"I guess I do understand," Malone said. "I really miss them a lot."
"Me too, Malone, me too," Marguerite replied, a tear in he eye as she walked to the kitchen to get the basket ready.
Roxton lay back in his comfy bed, home at his estate. Every morning since arriving home, he'd wake up only to remember how he'd gotten there. It really was a wonder that they'd gotten out of that mess.
"My God," he murmured to himself.
It definitely was lucky for Veronica and I to find good old James in the middle of nowhere, he thought to himself. I knew I could count on him to get us back home. But that ship ride sure was long; three whole months it took us to get home. My home, that is, I keep forgetting that this isn't Veronica's home… I better get up and check on her.
He got out of bed and got dressed quickly. He made his way to the bedroom that Veronica was staying in; knocking on her door, he called out, "Veronica, are you up yet?"
He waited and it wasn't long before he heard footsteps approaching the door. When the door opened, though, it was to someone he wasn't expecting.
"Mother?" he exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Lady Rebecca Roxton, a woman of nearly sixty stood there in all her stateliness, eyeing her son with intrigue. He realized that he was at a young woman's bedroom door early in the morning, and how that must have looked to his mother. This is not the plateau, Roxton, he chided himself.
"Oh, I was just helping Veronica get dressed," his mother answered after a too long pause. "She is such a beautiful girl…" She let that sentence hang, raising an expectant eyebrow at him. He didn't bite, though. He loved his mother, but she was known for her schemes—harmless schemes, but schemes nonetheless.
"Well, where is she?" Roxton asked impatiently.
"Really, John, a gentleman doesn't call on a Lady's bedroom chamber demanding to see her. I thought I taught you better manners…" his mother added to his own silent reprimand.
He pursed his lips and waited, not about to leave until he caught sight of Veronica.
"She's in her dressing room, finishing up," she finally gave in, giving his shoulder a pat.
A look he'd seen on his mother's face numerous times since coming back, flashed across her face just then. It was a mix of disbelief and wonder, of hope and calm.
"I'm so glad you're back," she murmured affectionately. "It wasn't easy without— I missed you very much. I almost gave up on you ever coming back."
"Mother," he replied, letting out a sigh. "You know you needn't ever worry about me, I can take care of myself. I worry about you…"
She waved her hand in the air, dismissing his concern. "You don't realize this now, but one day when you have children of your own, you'll come to realize that a parent will never stop fretting over their children no matter their age or ability…"
He let out a sigh, accepting her answer. He leaned over to place a kiss on his mother's forehead.
The sound of throat clearing broke the moment. They looked in the direction it came from to see Veronica standing close by.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Veronica said timidly, clearly out of her element.
"Oh you look so beautiful. John, doesn't she look beautiful," his mother gushed as she elbowed a staring Roxton.
"Oh yes, very!" Roxton exclaimed in agreement.
Veronica was dressed in a light blue gown that had short sleeves and a modest neck. Her hair was done up in a proper bun, loose enough to let a few hairs down by her face.
"Thank you very much," Veronica replied.
"Shall we go have breakfast now," Roxton suggested, as he took Veronica's arm and led her down the stairs.
"I asked the servants to serve breakfast out on the patio," Roxton's mother added.
Being back in London for only a week now, Roxton and Veronica had not gotten used to any sort of routines. They were both just relieved to be back on dry land.
They took their seats at the patio table and ate the food served to them in silence. When they were done the servants cleared the table and then served the tea.
While they were drinking tea a servant walked up to Roxton and said, "Lord Roxton there is a Mr. Thomas Calaway here to see you and Miss. Layton. He says he's from immigration. Shall I send him in?"
"Yes, please do, Emily," Roxton said, sending a quizzical look towards his mother. "I wonder what this is all about."
"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Veronica asked unsurely.
"I don't see how you could be," Roxton answered, just as unsure.
A stocky sort of man strolled out onto the patio. He had a bit of a mustache that didn't suit him, and round eye glasses made his eyes look much bigger than they actually were. The man walked right up to the table and the three stood up to greet the man with equally perturbed faces.
"Hello, I am Lord Roxton, this is Lady Roxton and this is Miss. Layton," Roxton introduced as they all shook hands.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you all. Now, shall I get down to business?" Calaway asked briskly.
"Go on," Lady Roxton stated practically.
"Well, I know that you just got back recently. But it's come to our attention that Miss. Layton was not born in England," Calaway explained.
"Is that a problem?" Veronica wondered out loud.
"Well, you're not a citizen and that means you're an immigrant," the short man replied.
"Ok, so what? We get hundreds of immigrants every day," Roxton said.
"Well, you see, we've implemented tougher laws regarding immigration since you left…"
"In plain English please, what exactly is it you want from us?" Lady Roxton got straight to the point.
"I've been sent to inform you that Miss. Layton will be deported," Calaway said without flourish.
"What? But there must be something you can do? We won't be staying long. We plan on leaving very soon," Roxton argued.
"For the time being she is here illegally. There are no options but for one," Calaway added.
"Well, what is it?" Veronica asked impatiently.
"That is for you to marry an eligible British citizen," Calaway declared.
"Are we there yet?" Malone whined.
"Honestly Ned, you sound like a child," Marguerite replied, amused. "Another fifteen minutes and we'll be there."
"You said it'd only take us a half hour to get there. It's been about an hour, so far! Are we lost?" Malone asked, alarmed.
"No, we're not lost, we just took the scenic route is all," Marguerite replied confidently.
"The scenic route! You mean we could have been there sooner, and me holding the heavy, heavy picnic basket. What's in here anyways?" Malone continued to complain.
"Food," was her simple reply.
"Yeah, enough to feed an army, I bet," he muttered.
She stopped mid-step and turned around to face him. "A tough, strong man like yourself shouldn't have any trouble carrying that basket, me, and that big rock over there all at once," she joked.
"Ha ha, not funny!" Malone said dryly, "Shall we continue?"
"Nope, we're here," Marguerite said.
He glanced around their surroundings to see that they'd come to an area that looked just as she'd described. The river flowed towards them, coming down a slight incline, crashing over rocks and brush to create a small waterfall. The immediate area around the river bank was clear of any trees, creating a green blanket of grass for them to sit on. The sun shone down on them, but wasn't too harsh that day. The flowers that grew nearby in every color imaginable lent their scent to the scene. All in all, it was just as she'd said: lovely.
"Wow, Marguerite, this place really is beautiful."
"Yes, I know," she said softly, her gaze far away for a moment. Malone had a feeling he knew what she was thinking about. Or more precisely, who she was thinking about… But a second later she seemed to cheer up, saying, "Well, what do you want to do now?"
"I don't know about you, I'm starved. I think I can eat more than an entire army," he replied, smiling.
She patted the basket's side and said, "I can assure you that there's plenty. Help me set up and we'll be eating in no time."
Malone and Marguerite made quick work of clearing a small area in the grass from any large bits of debris. Then, they proceeded to take out the food from the basket, all the while joking away. When they finally sat down to eat, both went silent, savoring the food. It wasn't until they were onto dessert that Malone decided to speak up.
"Marguerite, you're a great cook," he complimented.
"Thank you. You're not too bad yourself," she replied, grinning. "Now that we're both so full, what shall we do? Hmm…"
Malone watched Marguerite look off into the distance as if she were thinking long and hard on this dilemma. But he knew her, and he could see the twinkle in her eye. She knew exactly what she wanted to do next.
"I think I'll go for a swim!" she announced.
"Wait a minute, isn't there a rule that says you have to wait a half hour after you eat before you can swim," he questioned. "Or is it the other way around, do you need to eat a half hour before you swim? I can never get it right."
"Who knows?" She shrugged her shoulders, standing up. Her mind was already made up anyways. "It's all superstition, that's what I believe."
He chuckled to himself. That was one thing he liked about her. Marguerite didn't let social cues/norms dictate how she lived her life. She was a bit of a free spirit that way. And he was just beginning to see that in her.
"Well, in that case, I think I'll join you," Malone said. The water did look pretty inviting, especially that waterfall. "But, let's clean up first. We don't want to invite any unwanted visitors to this picnic."
They each did their share of work as quickly as possible and then they changed into some homemade bathing costumes.
Not hesitating an ounce, they both jumped right in. At first, the coolness of the water was a shock to their hot, from the sun, bodies, but they quickly adjusted. They swam around each other, laughing happily. It was only a matter of time until the splashing began. And soon the playful splashes turned into a full-fledged water fight. By the end of the battle, the couple declared truce as it was clear to the both of them that no winner would be crowned in the evenly matched war.
Physically exhausted, but feeling light with glee, they dragged themselves to shore. Both dropped to the ground unceremoniously, lying side by side, each trying to catch their breaths.
Marguerite propped herself up on one elbow to gaze down at Malone lying flat on his back. Her breathing still heavy, she managed to get out, "You know… this is the most fun I've had since they left us. Shouldn't I feel guilty?"
Her gaze conveyed her confusion and awe at even the possibility of being content without Roxton by her side.
Malone turned his head towards her; he reached a hand up to touch her cheek. "No, you shouldn't. I think they'd want us to be happy. They wouldn't want us to be miserable for the rest of our lives."
Her lips twitched into a hint of a smile. It was bittersweet. Roxton was gone, so was Veronica, and yet here they were finding a new kind of happiness.
She allowed her free hand to settle on top of his hand, cradling her cheek. A look passed between them, one neither of them could decipher at the moment. However, it was a look that prompted Malone to urge her down to meet his lips. He kissed her and she fervently returned it.
It was a kiss unlike the first one they'd shared; this one was more passionate, it contained more feeling and meaning—though, they didn't really know what to make of it just yet. It was also different in its length. Each of them was reluctant to give up dominance; their lips warred with each other, taking turns leading the other on.
Slowly, they came out of the kiss, nipping at each other's lips, reluctant to end such an amazing feeling. They shared a private, knowing smile, foreheads touching.
"I think," Marguerite began wondrously. "I'm beginning to be happy again."
"Me too."
With that kind of declaration it wasn't any wonder that they allowed their lips to meet again.
And that's chapter 4 done. Reviews are much appreciated!