Drew held tight to Aro's arm as they approached the dance floor. Many mingled along the sides a few couples were upon the marbled floor spinning and moving with the slow beat. The live string orchestra amplified by the speakers throughout the hall.

"How experienced are you in dancing?" He questioned turning to her.

"I did competitive ball room dancing until I was eleven." She replied.

Aro guided her onto the floor, beginning off with a simple waltz.

"Competitive dancing, you don't seem the type." He commented when pulling her back from a spin.

"My Grandma had me in dance class as early as two years old. I only did ball room because I actually enjoyed it." Drew revealed. "She wanted me to be a girl so badly. We fought often about the classes. I didn't like ballet nor jazz. I was always in the dirt digging around searching for dinosaur bones or treasure. She despised this. So, ballroom became our compromise."

"You were enraptured by archeology so young?"

"Take a kid to the library and museum enough times they can get hooked." She spun out catching a few members of the crowd watching them.

"You have a fondness for knowledge," he teased holding her close.

His hands didn't leave the fabric on the small of her back. Even though there were plenty of chances for him to do so. The dress revealed enough of her back for it to occur. Yet he was the gentleman as they worked through the waltz a few times. His hips pressed to hers only briefly. He moved her with little effort. She found herself leaning forward searching for some contact.

The time the songs sped up. Each spin increased with each note. None seemed to affect the man before her. He never took his gaze off her. She tried to remain as poised as he but it was in vein. She could feel her own body heating. No sweat accumulated. No blush to color his cheeks of winding. When the song ended, she huffed a sigh catching her breath.

He bowed to her, she curtsied in response. He placed a hand on her back, a cool thumb grazed her skin. She suppressed a shudder. A man passed with a tray of champagne. He plucked two off the tray. He offered her a flute of the bubbly liquid. She sipped at it.

She watched the few pass by, Aro cleared his throat.

He offered her a bottle of water.

"Thank you," she took it and downed half in one gulp. "You're utterly unaffected by that?"

She studied the man before her who sipped so casually upon his champagne. His black hair still fell over his shoulders in one wave of onyx. His tie still tight and collar buttoned up to his neck. She held tight to her drinks. To look so perfect after moving the way he did, was criminal. No sweat on his brow, nor exhaustion in his features. His cheeky grin curling his lips.

"I simply was in dance longer than you," He shrugged. "You are quite skilled. Maybe you are in the wrong profession."

Drew laughed. "I'm quite fond of my profession of choice. Dance required habits I didn't wish to maintain. I would like the story on when you entered the world of dance."

Her eyes crinkled with her smile. Aro glanced around as if debating it. He took to guiding her with his free hand. "I will consider divulging that tale. In a less occupied location."

"Come now Aro, is the story truly salacious?"

"I was a young man, the time eccentric." He sighed.

"You make yourself sound ancient," she chuckled. "I'm sure the story isn't terrible. You must've been the star pupil. My grandma would've been so proud of how you moved."

"She would be proud of you, I am sure." Aro commented, holding her close, his face inches from hers. "You are a brilliant woman, and as elegant as she would have wanted."

Drew paused. "I would like to think so. Despite the many arguments we had over my rankings. I always wanted to make her proud."

Aro opened a simple wooden door, down a few steps to the paved pathways in the cool evening. Lamps were placed around showing full gardens of different flowers and manicured hedges. A few bugs moved about in the warm night. She gasped slightly seeing the beauty around the stone buildings.

"I can attest to the wonderful woman you have become. In the short time I've known you, you take my breath away each time. I do not always know what to expect from you."

"I –Thank you," her cheeks warmed. "I believe I was promised a story."

She finished her flute of champagne. Aro took them setting them down on a small table beside a bench. He guided her with a hand upon her back. She kept close.

"I was a young man, I wished to impress some friends. I took quite a few dance lessons in classical dance. I could already dance from lessons of long ago." He shrugged. "The only story is I did dress up each time, not always in appropriate attire for the event."

Drew pursed her lips trying to hide her growing laugh. "Did you dress up for ballroom dancing?"

"I did." He admitted.

She chuckled this time, changing the subject. "So, what else do you enjoy, Aro? Tell me about yourself. What is your passion?"

"Beauty, that is my passion," he replied.

He led her in between the few hedges creating a maze. She looked away from the few rose bushes lit up by the lamp above them.

"Beauty? Seriously? So superficial Aro? I took you as a man who appreciated the fuller things in life." She teased turning to face him directly, her fingers ghosting over his tie right above where it was tucked into his vest.

"Beauty is only surface level when you associate it with only looks." He countered capturing her hands, placing a kiss to each. "Art is beautiful, the sciences are beautiful, drama, the creation of all is beautiful. It is what is behind it all that is what makes it beautiful. Take archeology, the artistry in what you do. Is it not beautiful? The process of learning what was and how it came to be?"

"When put like that, I agree." Drew admitted.

"That is my passion, finding the beauty in the world. Finding it and watching it come to life. A flower is beautiful when blooming, but also when it begins sprouting and then grows. The fashion designer who created this gown. Saw fabric and got to work to create such a beautiful dress. Then you chose it to show it off. It was the designer who knew how to manipulate fabric to create such a fine piece to compliment you."

"You can just tell me I look pretty." She ducked her head.

He tipped her chin up bringing her gaze back to him. "Simple compliments aren't worthy of you. You are so much more."

"You've quite the silver tongue."

"I have quite a few skills," Aro chuckled withdrawing his hand.

"What would those skills be?" She asked looking up from under her lashes.

Aro smirked. "In due time, cara. Some things to keep you wanting for more."

"A virtue I struggle with."

"It can always be taught,"

"How would you purpose that?" She faltered in her step. "Many have tried."

He leant down so he could whisper in her ear. "In ways no one has thought to teach you. You seem the type to respond to rewards better than punishment."

How many drinks had she had? Drew mentally recalled four maybe five flutes whilst between events. The dinner simple and she'd had one more. Okay enough to very much be seeing him as he was.

She wondered just how these 'rewards' would come about. In a bed room with her tied up waiting to climax again and again? He seemed like the man who knew how to please a woman. He controlled a room so easily, all gravitated to him. Confidence radiated off the man. While he wasn't the tallest in the room right below six feet. He still demanded attention. Something she would give him.

"You seem distracted." He mused.

Drew looked back seeing he was once again close to her, his face mere inches from hers. His breath washed over her face while he watched her. his brow furrowed. His hand once more found her cheek. A habit of his…

Holy heaven above, she internally sighed. It'd only be leaning forward to kiss him… No. she couldn't. This was her boss. Even if he was utterly tempting in his suit and easy on the eyes.

"I think we should go back inside." She blurted stepping back cheeks burning.

"If you wish," He consented, guiding her back the way they came.

"Am I allowed to call you an idiot while we're at work?" Davina asked while sorting through the current paper work.

"No," Drew rolled her eyes.

She tried to focus on the report before her. The carbon dating had come back on her bodies, all four of them.

The youngest of the four remains, the child, wasn't the youngest of all. No, the boy was third in time frame. The mummies much older, but even their timeline was further spaced than she anticipated.

She could place the full mummy down from roughly 2500 BCE, the second, their decaying friend was from 400 CE. The boy was from the 1400CE, and the man from 1500 CE. Questions began forming in her head, she needed to get them all aligned so she knew where to begin.

"Drew."

She took a deep breath, before she looked up putting her papers down. Davina stood expectantly.

"Sorry Davina," Drew sighed. "I'm a little more focused on this. The stuff we are meant to be dealing with."

"I've noticed, I was asking if you were alright." She pressed, coming around the lab table. "You've been spacy the whole morning."

"I've been focused on the report, the one that is our job at this time." Drew reminded.

"They will still be here in five minutes," Davina dismissed.

"I am your boss may I remind you,"

"That's exactly what I wish to discuss, your boss."

Drew groaned. "Why are you so insistent on that?"

"Because you ignored me all Sunday. Now I am your problem. So, spill why didn't you kiss the man?"

"It's highly inappropriate to do so, that's why."

"He was inches from your face, clearly dropping giant signs saying he was open to it. You're so obtuse sometimes."

"I'm seriously debating if I need specifically, you today for this. I can ask Ash to come inside."

"The more you ignore me, the more annoying I get."

Drew slumped on her stool. "Fine! I was scared okay. I don't do well with that sort of thing."

"You flirt constantly with Siobhan,"

"Yeah, because she's open about that stuff. She's forward with her communication of what she wants. It's been months of us back and forth. I've personally known Sir. Turi for 3 weeks. Since then, it's been hitting a wall of hot man. He's so confident, there's this effortless air of dominance. Its intimidating to go up against that. He's subtle in flirting, he didn't say or mention kissing. How was I supposed to know? We'd both had a few glasses of champagne, so who knows if sober him feels that." She vented.

"Our confident Dr. Danvers is intimidated by a man?"

Drew shrugged. "One that I kind of want to submit to… this doesn't leave this room Davina. I'm not sexually submissive to anyone. I'm not used to this giddy feeling of desire. Women are so much easier to be with. I've not been with a man romantically like this in six years and even then, I wasn't that attracted to him."

"You're that smitten already?"

"A few steps from it, I can seriously see myself dating the man."

"You won't even date Siobhan." Davina murmured. "Damn didn't think it was that serious of a crush."

"Not yet," Drew replied. "I don't know him well enough to declare it anything more than infatuation. He's easy on the eyes, I'll admit to that. I also know it doesn't seem to hard to fall for him. A few dates… who's to say?"

"Well, if you need any help finding out,"

"Davina, I adore you, trust me I do, but hell no. I know that devious smile and brow wagging way to well. You'd go barging into his office and demand to know how he feels. I don't think I can handle that kind of rejection right now. Can we please focus on our work right now? I'll speak with you later this week about it. I need time to think it all through."

"Okay," Davina deflated reaching over to go through some more of the reports.

Drew tapped her pen on the pad of paper before her. She'd taken to her office after three in the afternoon. After collecting what she needed from the bodies she needed to get her thoughts in order and the lab techs weren't helping. Davina had eventually moved over to talk with them, and it was too much. She needed seclusion from them all. Not to hear the idle chatter or the moving of the many more treasures into the lab for processing. She'd cried happy tears when they were called out of the lab to help with the one tunnel at risk of falling.

So here she was sitting contemplating her next few moves. Research mainly. Four very different people all came to be buried four feet below one room's would have been floors.

She'd need to start with the eldest and most out of place of them all. Mummies were an unfortunate delicacy for alleged medicinal properties. The height reaching peak around the 16th century. Then why wasn't the body in parts or mostly used? If the Turi family were endeavoring in that at all, why were the bodies all different? Were they creating fakes? Testing for fake bodies? Looking to specify or maybe fraud. Then why was it pristinely wrapped still?

The perusal was common sure of bodies, but Europeans weren't always looking to learn the history of the body… She could ask Aro if the practice was noted somewhere. They were rich, doctors may have used the family's wealth to procure these supposed cures and abused it…

She put her pen down. Was it her place to even be doing this? She'd mentioned to Aro of the bodies, he said he'd come take a look. Should they not be donated to a museum at this point? They were on his property, maybe they just wanted to bury them at this point and move on. They obviously not what he was looking for. He'd call it off, wouldn't he? If these, were it?

He's a man of science, she reminded herself. They were fascinating to her, all so different. She didn't think these were it. She made a quick note to visit the archives to see if the bodies were in fact for the fake medicine craze of the time. Even if to sate her own curiosity.

Did they even want a cause of death found for these bodies? Did they have questions at all?

She flipped the document over to the images she'd printed from the mummies to the young boy. A photo she'd taken. She paused an up close on the young boy's file. What in the world? The left ulna bone, two indents two inches apart. Her brow raised. These would've been painful.

She hadn't even gotten to determine cause of death for the skeletons. Did they want the answers? If they didn't, they could destroy the reports. If they did, her work done. So, she got to work.

"What ever could be keeping a lady late?" A voice mused.

Drew gasped pushing away from her desk eyes going wide. In her door, illuminated by only the desk lamp and her computer light, a familiar towering man leant. Sir. Turi's brother, Marcus. She remembered as he gave her a familiar half grin.

"Don't you know, not to sneak up on people like that? What if I had a heart condition?"

"Apologies," He ducked his head entering her office. "I did knock."

Drew's face warmed. He could've and she would be none the wiser. She looked at the clock on her computer. It was just after eight in the evening. She stretched herself quickly standing up.

"I hadn't realized the time." She cleared her throat. "What brings you all the way here?"

"You requested a few documents from the archives earlier this afternoon. It took some time but I did find somethings." He held up five thick bound files. "I was going to leave these in your mail box, when I passed by and saw your light."

"Oh, yes! Thank you, did you find something on the mummies? I know it's a strange request but—"

"No request is odd." He assured leaving the files on her desk. "I was successful indeed. I was able to find some information on the mummy trade here in Volterra and surrounding cities."

"Wonderful! I thought I'd hit a dead end. It's often that we do." She explained.

She lifted the files up and skimmed through the few articles and some ledgers full of supply, with many dates written in the corners.

"What brought you to these?" He queried watching her.

She didn't look up as she prattled on. "Oh, found some bodies out in the ruins outside the city. Two mummies. If you can believe it. One perfectly preserved and another not so much. Two other bodies were with them. That's all."

"It was enough for you to request files from the archives, specific ledgers of the family businesses. These records are highly classified," he advised.

Drew froze, eyes widening as she looked right up at him. "You didn't need to bring them if they were so classified. Seriously!"

"I'm sure Aro would allow you to see them, especially if he is wanting the answer to how they got there. He is just as curious as you."

Her stomach flipped. She put the files back done on her desk, pulling away as if they burned her. "Sir Turi didn't request the files."

Her voice crack had the man rounding the desk. Marcus was hunched over her immediately. His cool hands took hers, as he pulled her closer to him. "I did not mean to cause you panic. It was merely a jest, I meant no harm."

Drew took a deep breath, tears pricking in her eyes. She really didn't think it through, how stupid had she been to take such liberties? Sure the Turi family allowed them access to the files in the archives but that did not mean all of them. She could be fired, or worse black balled for over stepping. Her heart slammed with each passing thought.

A finger curled under her chin. Drew focused in on Marcus, who guided her to him. He was barely a few inches from her. Dark eyes swimming with sorrow, his thumb ran over her cheek.

"Fret not," his breath washing over her smelling faintly of cinnamon. "Aro would be impressed you took initiative in this. I know my brother well, he has been busy and to have the how and why figured out, he'd be happy."

"Are you sure? He did tell us to tell him of anything of note. I withheld the bodies from him for a few days, to do this seems overstepping." She croaked.

"I will help you then, put together the reports. We will find out exactly what these bodies are doing here." He offered. "I promise we will get to the bottom of it."

His eyes sparked with his growing grin. Drew's stomach twisted a bit. She had so many alarms telling her know, but she just nodded returning the smile.