A/N: Sept 29, 2012: Another updated chapter. Hope you enjoy this latest chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost World.
Chapter 9:
"I found it!" Challenger exclaimed, five minutes after he'd caught Marguerite and Malone kissing.
"Found what?" Marguerite called back. She and Malone were still seated.
Challenger turned on spot and glanced at her incredulously. "For God's sake, the reason we've been out here all day."
"I think he's mad," Malone leaned in and whispered in her ear, very amused.
Challenger ran back to them, thrusting a jar that contained an ordinary looking butterfly in their faces. Marguerite made the mistake of commenting on its average looks, getting an irate Challenger as a result.
"Ordinary!" he exclaimed. "Anyone with eyes can clearly see that this is no everyday butterfly. Well, just look at it."
He shoved the jar in her face which she quickly batted away. Malone stood back as he tried to suppress his laughter. Challenger stormed off, then, in the direction of the tree house.
"George, come on, I was only teasing," Marguerite called out to him.
Malone couldn't hold it in any longer, he burst out laughing despite the glare Marguerite shot him. With a roll of her eyes, she started off after Challenger, leaving Malone, laughing, behind.
Back at the tree house, nightfall ~ ~
"I'm very sorry, George. I was just teasing. I didn't mean it."
"It's quite all right, Marguerite," Challenger assured, having cooled off considerably. "I understand you were just having some fun."
"So, we're all right?" she asked. She did not want to be on the outs with the quirky man.
"Yes, yes, don't worry another moment," he told her, patting her arm. He let out a wistful sigh. "Oh, how I wish you took more interest in science…"
Marguerite grimaced slightly. It was times like this she wished Summerlee was still around. They used to butt heads when it came to scientific matters, but at least Challenger had someone to share his interests with.
"I understand, George; but, you know, living here on the plateau doesn't give you much time to think about practical diversions. Staying alive is mostly what I think about…" That was stretching it a tiny bit. She didn't have the heart to just outright say that she had no interest in his interests.
Marguerite stood off to the side in Challenger's lab, not wanting to get in the way. She watched as the man went from one experiment to another, picking up various vials, analyzing each of them.
"Yes, well I for one think of the Plateau as an opportunity to learn new things and forge new discoveries that could change the world," Challenger stated melodramatically.
Marguerite once again reserved her eye roll. "Well, how about you make the scientific discoveries, while Malone and I try to find a way off this damn plateau."
"Does that mean you won't help me tomorrow?" Challenger asked, looking for all the world, a lonely little boy in need of friends. Blue eyes wide, mouth slightly open, Marguerite thought he did it on purpose. Still, it worked.
She so didn't want to go out on another hunt. But… "Don't worry, Challenger, I'll go, and—" A thought, suddenly popped into her head. "—I know Ned will be quite happy to come along, too!"
"Happy go where?" Malone asked as he came down the stairs; he gave Marguerite a questioning look.
"Thank you, Malone. Marguerite has assured me that you would only be too happy in helping me once again tomorrow," Challenger explained.
Malone looked to Marguerite and saw that she was grinning from ear to ear, an evil, smug grin.
He hurried after her when she started for the steps out of Challenger's lab.
"Excuse me," he protested, irritated. When she didn't respond he quickly went around her to stand in her way. "What just happened?"
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, her voice innocent, her look not so much. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Oh, you mean back there," she said lightly, pointing behind them. "Well, you and I are going on another bug hunt." Her grin became wider when she saw the look of disbelief on his face. She was feeling very satisfied with herself all of the sudden.
"You knew I wanted to stay home and write tomorrow!" he exclaimed.
"Well, maybe tomorrow, I'll give you something else to write about. Maybe you'll get another chance to laugh at me some more," she replied, knowing very well that she sounded the moody child.
She stomped off in the direction of her room, leaving him standing there, bewildered momentarily. She entered quickly, shutting the curtain that served as a door.
His speechlessness didn't last. "Marguerite, you can't seriously be angry at me for that…"
A second later he was entering her room without invitation. "It's customary to knock before entering a lady's room, you know," she gritted out.
"For one, there's no door to knock on, and another, I'm not quite sure if I'd call you a lady right now," he said blatantly, a wicked grin of his own now on his face.
Marguerite, outraged, threw a pillow at him from where she sat on her bed. It hit him straight in the face.
"Ooh, now you're going to pay…" He picked up the pillow that had landed at his feet and walked purposefully towards her.
Marguerite seemed to read his mind, arming herself with another pillow. Getting to her bedside, the next thing he knew, they were having a full-fledged pillow fight.
Each swatted at each other with a pillow. No one seemed to be winning, but they both were laughing hysterically.
A few maneuvers later, Malone suddenly overpowered her. Taking hold of her pillow arm, he pinned it down to the bed, then did the same with her other arm. It was then that they both noticed that Malone was atop her, straddling her body, their faces mere millimeters apart.
"I do believe," he seemed to whisper, "that I've won."
He didn't understand her smirk or what she said next, "Not quite yet," until she carried her next move.
Lifting her head from the bed, she captured his mouth with hers. Malone didn't hesitate, kissing her back; he released her arms so he could wrap them around her body instead. Her arms came to circle him too, settling at his lower back.
Malone, feeling like they were on the edge of something un-nameable, began to move back as if he wanted to stop. Marguerite, however, had other ideas. With all their playing, she'd found that his shirt had become un-tucked and she was taking absolute advantage of the fact.
Her hands inched their way under his shirt and across the smooth skin of his back. The touch sent shivers down his spine. He pushed back slightly to look into her eyes unsurely. He had to know what she was feeling right now. The look he found there was pretty hard to decipher.
"Marguerite," he breathed out, knowing what he was about to say was the right thing. "It's getting late. I should probably go to bed now."
She didn't respond, she only looked at him with a forlorn look that he didn't not like to see on her. When he made the move to go, she suddenly grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him back down.
"No, please don't go," she said.
She looked into his light blue eyes, searching for something… more; she wasn't sure if she was in love or not, but… it felt good to be around someone who wanted her and cared for her like Roxton had.
No, she mentally scolded herself. I can't think about Roxton right now. He's gone… and I have Malone…. Who, she could tell from looking into his eyes, cared for her deeply.
"Marguerite, I…" he trailed off, at a loss for words.
"Please, I don't want to be alone tonight. We don't have to do… anything," she said, slowly. "Just… stay with me?"
He gave her a look that she couldn't exactly read, but a moment later, he was lying down next to her and she knew that he felt the exact same thing she was feeling. She just wished she knew what that feeling was…
"Good night," he murmured, his arms coming around her. She sighed contently.
The next morning ~ ~
Hours later, Marguerite awoke to the feeling of heavy arms against her body. The slight pressure gave her a happy feeling. It had been quite a while since she'd woken up in someone's comforting arms, feeling totally at peace.
Wanting to see if he, too, was awake, she turned in his arms. She found Malone, still fast asleep; she took this opportunity to just look at him, to consider every detail that made him the man that he was.
He was handsome, there was no doubt about that, she mused. She couldn't resist the urge to touch him. Her hand reached out and cupped his cheek. Almost instantaneously, he began to stir and Marguerite jerked her hand away. But it was too late; a few moments later came awake. Blue eyes stared at her wondrously.
"Good morning," she whispered, an amused smile on her face.
"Good morning," he said echoed.
Thinking he was still groggy from sleep, she was surprised when he suddenly planted a kiss on the tip of her nose, causing her to giggle like a young school girl. He smiled at her reaction, loving that they had this effect on each other. Who knew… he mused.
Later that morning ~ ~
"I've made breakfast and packed our lunches," Marguerite said to the two men of the house. "Once we eat we can be on our way. So, let's get on it, shall we."
Malone and Challenger had been busy putting together Challenger's equipment needed for the day's activities. They quickly dropped what they were doing at hearing this news.
"Coming," Challenger said eagerly.
All sitting down to eat, they began to casually talk about the weather and such things. No one was really in the mood for anything deep. And then, once done breakfast, they set off.
Once again, Challenger was off on his own, searching for a spider-like insect today, leaving Marguerite and Malone alone. A bit of an awkward silence settled between them until…
"About last night," they both blurted out at once.
They shared a curious look before both began to laugh. Soon, Malone motioned for her to continue.
"About last night," Marguerite started again. "I want to thank you for staying with me. I uh… had a dream the night before. Roxton and Veronica were on their way to save us. It felt so real… It sort of scared me. I really didn't want to be alone."
"Why didn't you tell me about the dream?" Malone asked, worriedly.
"Because it was just a dream," Marguerite scoffed. "Nothing more, well… at least that's what I thought."
"What do you mean?"
"Last night, I had another dream that seemed more real than the one before," Marguerite confided. "I know this is crazy… but it felt so real, I almost believed it."
"Tell me about," Malone requested.
Marguerite let out a bit of a sigh, settling herself down onto a wayward log. She looked up at Malone, squinting through the sunlight. "It was just a dream," she protested. But when he continued to stare down at her expectantly, she began her tale again.
"Fine. It started off when… uh… when John and Veronica fell off the cliff. But, instead of it ending there with us looking devastated… well, it was like I followed them down the cliff."
"You fell with them?" he asked unsurely, coming to sit next to her.
"More like I was watching them fall… They hit water… I think, no, I know Veronica remained conscious, but the fall knocked Roxton out. Veronica pulled him out of the water and got him breathing…"
She paused to let out a sigh of relief. The dream had been so real; in it, she'd been practically holding her breath until Roxton had taken a breath first.
Malone waited for her to continue. "They discovered that they weren't on the Plateau anymore. Someone helped them go back to England. There, they found Roxton's mother," Marguerite stopped there.
"What is it?" The perplexed look on her face somewhat disconcerted him.
"Well, this is the part where it gets a little strange. Someone, I don't know who, tells Veronica that she must marry or else she'll be sent back here, to the Plateau. And, at the very end of the dream I see Roxton and Veronica saying vows to each other." Marguerite stopped and looked to Malone. "I swear, Ned, if I didn't know that that wasn't at all possible, I would have thought it was absolutely real."
Malone was quiet for a long moment, while he took in the whole thing. "Wow," he finally breathed out. "That's pretty intense…"
"Right?"
"But, Marguerite, in the end, it was still a dream…" he assured.
Marguerite gave him a hard look for a moment. Despite saying it, she was still shaken, by the dream. "I guess… I guess you're right…"
They were cut off from any more talk about dreams or their encounter the night before by Challenger's sudden and loud shout.
"Hey, you two, I thought you were here to help, not dawdle around. Let's get to work!"
"You heard the boss," Malone said long-sufferingly. "Better get to work before we're fired."
"Is that a promise?" Marguerite asked, sarcastically.
They shared a conspiratorial laugh as they began to work.
So that's it for this one. Once again, I hope you're enjoying the re-vamped versions.
Just want to quickly address a new review I received from a guest called gem: Thank you for so eloquently telling me your feelings on the possiblility of a Ned/Margurite relationship. If you dislike it so much, I'm not sure why you would even click on this story, since it clearly states the two as the main characters and has romance in the genre. Who knows why people do what they do? Or, who knows, maybe you thought you'd let me know you're feelings and I'd magically change this story to your liking. Whatever your reasons, they were duly noted, and quickly discarded from my care. Thanks and uh... no thanks...
And with that, any and all reviews are much appreciated. lol.