Chapter Fourteen
"No way!"
"Haley –"
"Just because I like you does not mean I'm going to let you watch me change into this stupid cleaners outfit. That's so presumptuous of you! I –"
"Haley, the outfit goes on over your clothes!"
"It – really?"
"Yes," Nathan nodded. "You don't have to take anything off. Not that I would mind, but you seem to have a serious objection to that."
Haley rolled her eyes at Nathan and started to take her clothes out of the bag, before noticing that Nathan was grinning down at her. "What?"
"You said you like me," he said, grinning wider.
Haley blushed furiously as she realized he was right. "Well – I –" she stuttered, "well, clearly all the kissing back must have shown that I wasn't repulsed by you, but –"
Nathan cut Haley off, by leaning down to kiss her softly. "I like you too," he whispered.
Now, it was Haley's turn to grin. Nathan grinned back, and as the ridiculousness of their situation hit her, Haley let out a small giggle.
"So," Nathan began, fingering the strap of Haley's dress, "need any help?"
Haley slapped his shoulder. "No! Now, turn around so I can change."
"What? But, you're putting it on over your clothes, why do I need to turn around?" Nathan protested.
"Because I asked you to," she said simply. Nathan turned around, as instructed, and soon Haley had finished. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Got the rest of your stuff?"
Haley looked down at her bucket, which contained her cleaning equipment, as well as her engagement ring, and nodded.
Nathan checked his watch before saying, "Okay, then it's time to go."
He and Haley both walked quietly out of the cupboard. However, instead of going towards the rope, they went in the opposite direction, to the board of keys. Nathan replaced the key to the cupboard on its hook, as Haley noticed something on the floor. "Look!" she told him. "Someone's left their drink here."
Nathan picked up the bottle of beer and observed it. "Hmm, this is a good brand. And there's quite a bit left in it."
"This is no time to be drinking!"
"Actually, I've got a better idea." Nathan led the way over the rope, and to the centre of the main room. Haley followed him. Even though she could see that the lasers were off she still felt nervous, and so did Nathan.
Tentatively Nathan reached his hand in towards the Venus. When nothing happened he reached further in and picked up the sculpture. He then replaced it on the stand with the beer bottle. Nathan didn't have to look to know that Haley was now frowning at him. He turned around and shrugged as if to say, 'What?'
She tiptoed up to him and whispered, "Don't leave that there."
"It's funny. Besides, it's more noticeable if nothing is there than if something is there."
"The Chellini Venus looks nothing like a beer bottle."
"Not from far away." Sensing Haley was about to continue her protest Nathan changed the subject. "The cleaners will be here in about ten minutes; do you remember where you have to hide until then?"
Haley nodded. Just in front of the roped off area, there was an old fireplace with a screen in front of it. There was space in there for someone her size, and the pillars on either side would also hide her from view.
"Then when they come, you have to join them. Some of the guards will come out a bit after that to check that they're working. As soon as they notice the Venus is gone scrub your way to the guards' room."
"Okay," Haley nodded again, "Wait – to the guards' room?"
"When they realize that the Venus is missing, there'll be guards everywhere – except the guards' room. And hang on to your bucket," Nathan added, as he wrapped the Chellini Venus in the large paper bag Haley had carried her things in, and put it inside her bucket.
"And you'll meet me there?" Haley asked.
"Yeah."
Nathan started walking away and Haley turned around to go to her hiding place, but she hadn't gone far before Nathan called her. "Yes?"
"I almost forgot something," he said, before kissing her and going on his way.
The cleaners turned up exactly on time (although Haley couldn't tell since she wasn't wearing a watch). They came in through the back entrance, and as soon as Haley could see them she bent her head a little lower down behind the screen so she wouldn't be visible to them. They didn't speak to each other, concentrating only on their work so Haley saw it would be easy for her to blend in. As they began to come up her way she crept out the side from behind the screen, and started polishing the base of the pillar nearest to her.
About five minutes later, by which time Haley was really getting into the task, a few guards sauntered into the room, sleepily observing the cleaners at work. One of the guards sat down on the bottom of the steps leading to the first floor and started telling the woman who was cleaning the hand rail all the troubles of the night. Tim sat down next to him, and nodded along at all the right places in the story. When he got bored of the story – since it had been discussed many times in the guards' room – Tim stood up and walked around the room. He came to a stop in the centre of the room, where the main attraction was on display. He just glanced over it, but something registered in the back of his mind so he looked at it again. Tim nearly fell over backwards with what he saw. That was his beer bottle!
………
Haley looked up from the ornament she was cleaning, and saw that it seemed like all the guards had now been alerted of the theft. Keeping her bucket close, she made her way out of the main room, cleaning things all the time, and towards the guards' room. When she got there she found the door was slightly open. Glancing back behind her, Haley quickly cleaned the doorknob and opened the door wide.
Haley gasped when she saw that there was a guard sitting in there, reading the newspaper. As he started to lift his head, she turned and was about to run but she heard his chair scrape backwards and he came after her. She hadn't time to go anywhere. He clapped his hand over his mouth and pulled her back inside the guard room, kicking the door closed behind her. Haley was ready to scream the moment he moved his hand off her mouth – she wasn't sure why, since she was the one not supposed to be there – but was surprised when he replaced his hand with his mouth. Haley immediately relaxed and opened her eyes to stare into the bright blue ones before her. Nathan!
"You have it?" he asked.
"Yeah," Haley nodded, and gestured to the full bucket still clutched in her hand.
"Well, then, let's go." Nathan took the bucket in one of his hands, put Haley's hand in the other and led her out the fire escape.
A/N: I just finished writing this story today: there are a few more chapters to be uploaded, and then it's the end! I'm sorry - I didn't realize until I finished that last chapter this morning. So, this is your warning.