Chapter 7

Three days and four gallons of coffee later…

When did she turn into such a cynical woman, she wondered. She thought she was a pretty good person. She didn't hold grudges, typically. However, in this particular case, her brain had ceased to function. This hadn't been just a stupid mistake. He just hadn't cared. And the fact that nearly four years later she still seethed at the thought of the tableau she'd been presented with irked her even more.

Becca had hated him. Thankfully that feeling had faded somewhat and she was left with general loathing and dislike.

She didn't even care that he was gorgeous, maybe even more so than the last time she'd seen him. And she hated her fickle heart when it beat faster every time she saw him.

She sighed and looked down at her laptop, frustrated with herself. The lights were low in the room she'd been provided, and she rolled her neck to relieve some tension from sitting in one position for too long. She was almost there. Almost done breaking the code. It still bothered her. Why would they only steal one? One of the scrolls? It dated back several hundred years and she'd been very careful in handling the document, but she still couldn't figure out why only one had been taken if there had been twin scrolls.

Leaning back on the comfortable pillows, she studied the computer screen and smirked. Finally, a breakthrough.

She stood and lobbed the computer onto the bed so it thumped onto the cushion. However, when she slung open the door, to rush down the hallway, she was shoved back into the bedroom and the door was shut abruptly with a bang. Johnny stood staring at her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What?" she asked, innocently.

"Don't give me that, Becca," he said. "You've been hiding in here for days, running every time you see me coming. In short, you've been avoiding me."

"Look Johnny," she smiled sweetly, as if addressing a five-year-old, "I'm not discussing this. It's over and done with."

"Becca," he sighed, "as always, you think you know what everyone is thinking before they even think it."

"Please Johnny. Enlighten me. What can I do for you?"

"You drive me nuts," he turned and acted as if he was going to leave, but then turned again, reconsidering. "Look," he frowned as his eyes bored into hers, "you and I haven't seen each other in years. Maybe you should just give me a chance to prove that I'm not the same person I was then rather than just jumping to conclusions."

"I'm so sorry," Becca said, her voice dripping sarcasm, "if my attitude offends you. Fortunately, my job isn't to assuage your guilt. Once my job's done, I'm gone." She started to shove past but he pushed her back against the wall.

"So I made a mistake," he said, his lips a breath from her own. "One little mistake. I was a kid. I was stupid. Are you telling me that in all your life you've never done something stupid?"

"At least my mistakes don't hurt people." She put a hand up and shoved at his shoulder, irritated. "Unless you want me to kick your ass, you'll get off of me right now."

He laughed, "Becca, you stopped scaring me a long time ago. I swear to God you're so damned stubborn." He let go of her and she sagged against the wall.

"What the hell do you want from me?" she shouted, not caring if anyone heard. "I'm over you, Johnny. You hurt me, but guess what, I don't want you anymore. You're not as irresistible as you think you are."

His smirk irritated her. "Really?" he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then why do you care what I think so much?"

She stopped, "I don't. I just don't want you to have some ridiculous notion about me wanting you."

He laughed, "Hon, you don't have to convince me. Sounds to me you're trying to convince yourself."

"Blow me."

"We played that game already, remember?"

She kicked at him but he dodged out of her way and, still laughing, caught her chin with his finger and forced her to look up at him when he tipped it up. "Sooner or later, we're going to have this out. But," he said, noting the footsteps coming down the hall, "it seems like it'll have to be later."

"We're not going to have anything ou-" she was saying when Reed knocked on the door.

"Everything okay in there?" he asked loudly.

"Yes," Becca called back. "Everything's fine, thanks."

Johnny smirked as he heard Reed head back down the hall.

Becca jerked her face away from him and after shoving him away she threw open the door, leaving Johnny in the room again, staring after her.

She knew that he was probably sorry, and he was right, it had been a long time ago. But, she couldn't help it, she just felt irrational when it came to him.

She made her way to the lab where Reed was getting settled.

"Everything okay?" he asked as she rushed in, her face red.

"Sure," she said dismissively.

"Okay," Reed said slowly, taking in her flustered appearance.

"Yeah," Becca said, "I came to tell you what I found."

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she continued, "I think we have a problem."

Johnny lurked outside the lab, mirroring his behavior of the past few days. He'd gotten to her, or at least, he though he had. But he couldn't be sure. He knew that she was still mad at him. Hell, he couldn't blame her. But they were going to have this out, once and for all, whether she liked it or not.

Smiling at Reed, she continued. "I decoded part of the scroll," she said. She pulled up what she'd done so far on her laptop.

Reed smirked and studied the passage. "What does it mean?" he asked.

"That," she continued, "I don't know."