A/N: Okay, I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted, but this chapter's been giving me some trouble. I know it's a little slow in some places, but I promise it will pick up after this. I've been really tired from my internship and work, so hopefully you guys enjoy it. Thanks to PirateGyrl for always listening to me rant. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Cryin'

I was cryin' when I met you

Now I'm tryin' to forget you

Your love is sweet misery

I was cryin' just to get you

Now I'm dyin' 'cause I let you

Do what you do to me

-Aerosmith

A year and six months after their first meeting…

The lawn was perfectly manicured and shaded by several large oak trees. It was here that Becca and Johnny were stretched out, eating lunch between classes, curiously sans any girlfriends or boyfriends as Johnny's girlfriend Tracy had scheduled a lunch with friends.

"Johnny," Becca said, taking a mouthful of her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as she spoke, "you have got to stop dating airheads."

"What?" Johnny asked, slightly shocked. His mouth hung open as he stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on," she chewed as she considered how to break this to him, "Tiffany? Donna? Juliet? None of them could even string two sentences together."

Johnny smirked, "well, now that you mention it, we weren't very interested in talking. "

"Oh God," Becca said. She put her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear about that. Too much information."

"Lighten up. Just because I'm not searching for my soul mate at the moment doesn't mean all these girls are idiots. Look at Jessica," he gestured wildly, "she was a law student."

"She takes classes from some bogus online university. I asked her what she knew about that case involving malicious prosecution of the teacher down in Georgia. She said she didn't know anything about manicures."

"Please," he rolled his eyes, "she did not."

Becca had to withhold a snort, "I swear to God."

Johnny closed his eyes, and finally broke into a grin, snorting as he started to laugh. They were both rolling on the grass, tears running down their faces by the time they managed to control themselves, ignoring the curious glances they were drawing from their fellow classmates as they laughed.

Johnny sat up, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "Come on," he said, still laughing, "your boyfriends aren't any better."

"Right. Except they're just the opposite. It's almost impossible to get them to think about anything but classes. They're all intellectual. No emotion."

"I never could figure out why you dated all those nerds. You're nothing like them. Look at Tony."

"Oh God, no." She directed her eyes skyward and closed them tightly as he continued to speak.

"You like having fun: skating, skiing, swimming, racing, dancing. And yet, you dated Tony, the most boring guy on earth, whose idea of a good time was, well, debating theoretical quantum physics. He was a genius, but if you tried to do anything fun, he practically freaked out."

"It's called a mistake," Becca said, "and you've made plenty."

"Amen to that," Johnny said with a grin, toasting her with his can of Coke. "And I thank God for every one of those 'mistakes'."

"Gross," Becca said, rolling her eyes.

"You know what?" Johnny said, changing the subject as Becca was still screwing her face up in disgust. "With classes being almost over for the week, we should celebrate."

"Celebrate? What, more than getting drunk and dancing like idiots down at McNabb's?"

"Yeah. It's been the first week of school of our senior year. That should rate a celebration.."

"What did you have in mind?" she frowned. Johnny's ideas sometimes ended badly.

"We should do something tonight," he said, grinning.

"Like what?" she asked. Normally he had something going every night of the week. "What about your girlfriend, Trixy?"

"Tracy," he corrected. "No, she's got a night with her girl friends. I heard about this party tonight. It's being thrown down in the village."

"Oh God," she put a hand to her forehead. "You know those parties are just a bunch of sorority girls getting drunk."

"Are they really?" he looked ashamed, "I didn't know."

"You go on," she said, "I'd rather not go to that party. Maybe I'll call Katarina and see if she wants to go dancing."

"No, no," he said, waving a hand to stop her, "we can do the dance club. Sounds good. Dinner before?"

"Wow," she was surprised, "I guess. Give me a call when you get out of your last class. Speaking of which," she checked her watch and frowned, "I gotta get going or I'm going to be late. Professor Barton will skin me alive if I miss a lecture."

"Okay," he stood and grabbed her hand, yanking her up. "I should be out by five. I'll call your dorm."

"Sure," she smiled, leaning down to collect her trash from lunch. "Later."

They headed off in opposite directions, a smile on both of their faces.

The club was loud, the music audible from the field where they parked Johnny's Jeep Wrangler. "Nice," Johnny said, smirking at a group of girls milling around, obviously overdressed in short skirts and extremely high heels.

She rolled her eyes and climbed out of the jeep, slapping her hands on the thighs of her jeans. She'd worn boot-cut jeans, a white tank top and a simple ponytail. Compared to the girls Johnny was checking out, she looked like a boy.

"You ready?" she asked, leading him to the front door where a large man wearing a tight t-shirt highlighting his bulging muscles hulked. Johnny followed and paid for two adult admissions after they both showed their IDs. She made her way into the din, grinning at the flashing lights, the great song already coursing through her blood, making her want to dance.

"Drinks?" she asked, turning back to Johnny. He nodded and she led the way to the bar. The bar was crowded, but she managed to elbow her way to the front, motioning to the bartender for two beers with a smile. When they arrived, she passed one to Johnny who took a swig and gestured to the dance floor. She grinned and followed him to the middle of the hard wood floor, still carrying her drink. Aerosmith's Crazy was playing and she lost herself in the music. Johnny put a hand on her hip as they danced. She smiled up at him as they swayed to the music. It was nice to have a friend she was so comfortable with.

Three hours and three beers later, they were both sweating. As she jogged into the bathroom, she noted that her face was flushed. She grinned. It had been a great night. She loved dancing. The alcohol left a nice buzz in her system, but she made a note to grab a water to dilute it as she was a bit tipsy, her balance off as she made her way out of the bathroom to where Johnny was waiting, holding another drink. He'd been at the bar ordering them when she'd left him. "Bottoms up," he said, toasting her as he took another swig.

She laughed and followed suit.

Two hours later and she and Johnny were dragging themselves out of the club, laughing as they held each other up, both barely able to stand. Katarina frowned at the two as she leaned against Johnny's jeep, wearing a spaghetti strap top and pajama pants.

"You two," she said, "are idiots."

"What?" Johnny looked wounded.

"Did you not realize you'd need a DD?"

"Well," Johnny smiled, "we didn't mean to drink so much."

"You so owe me. I'll have to bring you back over here to get your car in the morning. Johnny, you can crash at Becca's place because I'm not driving all the way over to the Greek village."

"Sure," he grinned and slung an arm around Becca. "You don't mind a little sleepover, do you Bec?"

Becca laughed and shoved him away, "just as long as you keep your hands to yourself, hotshot."

Becca gave Katarina a sloppy hug as she climbed out of the car. "Thanks," she said. "Sorry for all the trouble. You're a lifesaver."

Katarina sighed, "I'd rather do this than have to hear that you ended up in a ditch somewhere. Next time, call a cab."

Becca waved as she slammed the door and stumbled to her dorm room door where Johnny waited. Being the RA had its advantages. She had a whole room all to herself, and was able to have sleepovers because, honestly, no one would notice. Of course, this was the first time Johnny had ever 'slept over'. She dug in her pocket for her keys and shoved the door open. The cold refrigerated air hit them full in the face, a drastic difference to the humid night air.

"Nice," Johnny whispered surveying her bunk bed that was a convertible full sized futon couch on the bottom bunk and a normal bunk on the top as well as a few pinup posters of perfectly proportioned half-naked men.

"Glad you approve." She moved to her closet, picking out some old clothes from past boyfriends and tossed them to him. "Here," she said, "you can sleep in these. Of course, they might be a little big, but at least you won't smell like a bar room floor in the morning."

He caught them and held them up. "Whose were these?" he asked.

"Jason's, I think." She leaned over and didn't see Johnny's snarl of disgust as she pawed through her pajamas for a comfortable selection. She chose a comfy pair of pink pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt she'd bought on a road trip to Colorado Springs.

"I'm going to the bathroom to change," she said, "you can change out here."

He nodded and stripped off his shirt before she'd even made a move to the bathroom. She held up a hand, "Could you at least wait until I get to the bathroom?"

He smirked, "you'd better hurry." He swung the shirt on his finger and rolled it up, about to pop her with it. She dodged into the bathroom and slammed the door, laughing. She could hear Johnny laughing outside as she did so.

When she emerged, she didn't see him. Thinking he may have wandered outside for some reason, she called, "Johnny?" When she felt arms around her waist, she squealed.

He laughed as he swung her around. "Gotcha."

She smacked him on the chest while he still held her to him. "Johnny, you idiot. You scared me half to death."

He laughed as she glowered at him. "You scare way too easily." She rolled her eyes and shoved at him. "Let me go, I wanna get some sleep."

He squinted as if considering. "Well, I suppose. If you can give me a good reason."

She sighed, "Johnny," she said, "you're so drunk, I'd only have to poke you and you'd go down. Do you really think now's the time to compare fighting techniques?"

He laughed, "who said anything about fighting?"

"Well," she looked over his shoulder, noting the time was 2:30, "if you don't let me go, it's going to turn into a fight."

"That right there," he said softly, "is why you fascinate me."

"Huh?"

"You're not the typical female. Any other girl and she'd be all over me by now. I'm so easily taken advantage of when I'm like this."

"Well hun, I'm not one of your blonde haired, long-legged bimbos."

"Back to criticizing my girlfriends? That's harsh."

"Well you do know how to pick them. Why don't you try one with a brain? You might actually enjoy it."

"Is that an invitation?" he asked, smiling, an eyebrow rose. "You're certainly not my usual type."

"Of course not," she pushed against him again. "Now, unless you want to be in some serious pain, you'd better let go."

"Sure," he said, releasing her from around the waist, but grabbing hold of her wrist, spinning her back to him, her arm twisted behind her back.

"Johnny," she breathed, "you do realize we're just friends."

"Umm hmm," he said, as he sniffed her neck. "I love your perfume. It's so...enticing."

"It's just soap," she said.

"Interesting," he said, "because it smells better than anything Tracy's worn lately."

"Johnny boy," she said, "you're drunk. Now, why don't ya let go and we'll forget all about this? Hopefully the alcohol will take care of that."

He tipped a finger under her chin so that she met his eyes with her own. "Can you honestly say that you don't care about me?"

She looked up into his clear blue eyes, his cocky grin lighting his face. "Of course I care about you. You're my best friend."

He put a hand to his heart. "You kill me, Becca."

"Why? Because I won't fall into bed with you?"

"Now there's an idea," he laughed, bending down to nuzzle her neck.

"Johnny, stop." He leaned back, his face falling and his lower lip sticking out. "Really?" he asked. "Just tell me you really want me to stop and I will."

She studied his face again, the blue eyes, the smirk accented by the day's growth of stubble which made her just want to bite his jaw. He had been her friend for a long time and she'd never had the urge to kiss him. What was wrong with her? Although her conscience was screaming at her, she ignored it. It had been so long since she'd found someone who could surprise her, make her laugh. She cocked her head to one side and a smile blossomed over her face. "What the hell." She threw her arms around his neck, her lips covering his. She felt him take a fistful of her hair as he pushed her back towards her bed, shedding her fluffy robe on the floor and letting her tug up his shirt as she went. She threw it over her shoulder as he pulled at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up until he exposed her bra. She raised her arms so he could pull the shirt over her head and then let it drop beside them. He grinned as he pushed her down on the bed, climbing on top of her. She smiled up at him, not thinking about anything but him, not tomorrow, not next week, just him.

Present day…

"It's the strangest thing," Becca said. "It's a rotating cipher, but changes after every seventh letter. Not that difficult to decode."

"Then why has it taken so long for someone to decipher this?" Reed asked.

"I don't know." She tipped her head to one side, her chestnut hair glinting in the dim light, "Maybe he did decode the scroll."

"Then why let everyone think that he was still working on this up until his death?"

"I don't know. It makes no sense."

Johnny stood in the kitchen, watching the lights of the city. He could feel his temper bubbling just below the surface, his blood warm, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. Becca and Reed had cloistered themselves in his lab. He wasn't going to go barging in there, not because he couldn't understand what they were talking about, but because he didn't want her to think that she was the one in control. They were going to have this out, but only when he was damn well good and ready. When Sue walked in, she didn't see him narrow his eyes but they glinted against the windowpane.

"Did I hear yelling earlier?" she asked, smoothing blond hair behind her ear.

"I don't know, did you?"

"Johnny, what's the matter with you?" He kept his back to her and rolled his eyes.

"Nothing, why?"

"Well, there just seems to be…friction between you and Dr. Yale. I was just wondering if there was something going on."

"Nothing I can't handle," he said. Before she could ask anything else, he'd brushed past her and was heading down the hall to his room. He felt like he'd spent more time in there than he had in a month.

"This makes no sense," Reed said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know," Becca continued, "but it's the only logical solution."

"If that's the case," Reed said, "then this scroll needs to be taken somewhere safer. Whoever stole the other scroll is going to come looking for this one when they realize their mistake."

"Do you think Von Doom will come after it?" Becca asked.

"I'm not sure," Reed said, "but I'm more concerned by the implications of this scroll and the information it contains."

"As am I," she said. "Since we've discovered the cipher, I think it would be best if we transferred this artifact to a safer location to prevent this information falling into the wrong hands."

"What about Victor?" Reed asked.

"While he very well may come looking for this scroll, he won't find it. I'll make sure it's hidden in one of our most secure locations," Becca continued, her heart lightening at the thought of being able to escape the Baxter Building. "If we receive any more information, I'm sure you'll be hearing from my superior."

She stood and collected the scroll. "I'm going to contact the NSA and arrange for an escort and for safe shipping of this scroll. As soon as that's taken care of, I'll be heading back to Washington."

Reed watched her, his eyes narrowing, "I don't quite understand," he said. "The NSA brought us in to consult on this, but now you've decided that you don't need our help?"

"No offense Dr. Richards," Becca said, her voice warm, she turned and smiled at him, "this has nothing to do with not needing your aid in this case, but rather more importantly about the safety of the information in this scroll. Although you have adequate security in this building and I don't doubt your abilities for a moment, I'm sure my superiors would agree that this needs to be taken somewhere that even Victor Von Doom wouldn't even be able to steal it, if that is indeed who's after this scroll."

"I'm still not sure if I agree that this is the best course of action," he countered.

"Still, Dr. Richards, this is not your decision; you were brought in strictly as a civilian consultant."

Reed nodded, as if conceding defeat. "I'm only more concerned that the NSA is less able to deal with Von Doom than my friends and I."

"I appreciate your concern Dr. Richards, but this is my decision." She turned and carried her work papers with her, and then called over her shoulder, "I'll let you know when the security will be arriving to transport the scroll. I'll be leaving with them."

Reed turned back to his desk and took a sip of the coffee that had long since gone cold. He knew that something was going to go wrong, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Johnny rubbed a hand over his jaw where a day's worth of stubble had grown. When he saw Becca walking purposefully past the kitchen and down the hallway, he took the opportunity to follow her. This time, she didn't attempt to avoid him, but instead, smiled sweetly. "Johnny, what can I do for you?"

He was slightly taken aback by her altered demeanor and paused for a moment. "What's going on?" he asked, following her into her bedroom where she placed some papers on the makeshift desk and turned to the dresser where she'd stored some of her clothes.

"I'm leaving," she said, smiling, "and I'm taking the scroll with me."

"What? Why?" he asked, stunned. "What did you find out?"

"Why don't you go discuss that with Reed," she said, he voice still saccharine. "I've got some important phone calls to make."

She didn't see his expression turn to stone and fire behind his eyes. "Don't treat me like an idiot," he said. "I don't give a damn about what you think of me right now. This is important. What the hell is going on with Von Doom?"

"I don't have time to give you a watered down version," she said calmly, gathering some socks and a pair of pink pajama pants paired with a white tank top and tossing them on the bed. She was trying to provoke him, probably because she was so happy that she would be leaving. She wouldn't have to deal with all of those issues she'd been reliving the past few days. So she wasn't surprised when she felt him grab her around the waist and spin her around, slamming her into the wall probably harder than he'd meant to.

She smiled in spite of her temper flaring within her. "I don't appreciate being manhandled, Johnny," she said as he breathed hard in her face.

His face was hardened and she could see the muscle in his jaw flexing. "Really?" he asked, his tone not betraying his frustration, "that's not what I remember."

She shoved at him, but he caught both her wrists and pinned them to the wall. "Why are you leaving?" he asked, his face close to hers.

"We figured out what the scroll is," she said, finally conceding the information.

"And?" he prodded, still holding her wrists tightly. He could feel her pulse quickening. She couldn't stop it. She hadn't been in such close proximity to him in a while. It surprised her that he still smelled the same. Same cologne, the same smell of spice and soap. The memories that it evoked make her stomach clench painfully.

"This scroll is the key to the other," she said. "Without this one, whoever stole the other won't have any way to figure out what the second document contains."

"Which means," Johnny continued her thought, "that whoever stole the first is going to come looking for the second."

"Precisely," she said. "And that's why I've got to get it somewhere safe. So," she sighed, "if you wouldn't mind letting go of me, I've got to make some calls and arrange for transportation and security. We've got to get this scroll hidden as best we can before Von Doom or whoever comes looking for it."

Johnny smirked, his face transformed. He leaned in, pressing his body to hers so that she was pressed completely between his body and the wall. He sniffed her neck and smiled, "you still smell the same, you know?" He sniffed again and she had to suppress a shiver. "Vanilla, honey and mango. It still makes my mouth water." She closed her eyes, letting his soft voice wash over her, forgetting about the past and letting herself enjoy his proximity, but after a brief moment, she was released and by the time she opened her eyes, he had walked out of her bedroom and was halfway to his room. She licked her lips, and could still smell him in the room. But, shaking her head as if to clear it from cobwebs, she looked down at the scroll. Damn coincidences, she thought. If it hadn't been for this assignment, she never would've seen him again. Now, she was going to deal with work and get out of this place as quickly as she could. Before the past came back to bite her in the ass. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the number for security. After relaying the situation and the needed protection, she was told that transportation would be arriving within the next two hours.

Becca felt her eyes drooping as she studied her computer screen. Her head was throbbing. She'd been dealing with her superiors for the past forty-five minutes and she reached for the night table where a bottle of migraine medication sat. She'd stopped thinking about Johnny, at least momentarily, when someone knocked at her door. Great, she thought. She stood and pulled it open, and was greeted by Sue.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Fine," Becca yawned. "Security should be here in about an hour. Sorry to leave so quickly, but it's best to get this as safe as possible."

Sue nodded, "I understand. Reed explained the situation to me." She stepped farther into the room and smiled, "I was just wondering if there was anything I could do."

Becca shook her head, "no, everything's all taken care of."

"Well," she said, "I hope we were helpful. Please let us know if there's anything else we can do in this case."

She sighed and nodded, "I will, thanks."

When Sue turned, leaving without another word, she let out a little squeal when she looked up and saw Johnny leaning in the doorway, that irksome smile spreading on his face.

"What now?" she asked, drained of all energy. She felt exhausted, irritated that she was confronted with feelings every time she looked in his face, and even more frustrated that she had to leave him behind again.

"Just came to see when you were leaving," he continued standing where he was, blocking the doorway.

"Happy to be rid of me?" she poked.

"I can tell you're happy to be getting away from me," he continued to smile.

"Happy to be done with my job," she corrected. "I told you, this has nothing to do with you."

"Sure," he drew the word out, his voice full of disbelief.

"Always cocky," she drawled. "At least I'm leaving before we really are at each other's throats."

"Still can't believe you're so stubborn after all these years," he murmured.

"Damn it, Johnny, it doesn't matter. You were a jerk. It was years ago. Why does it matter so much to you now? You afraid that one woman in the world might actually find you resistible? Can't you just let it lie?"

He hadn't come to start a fight but he could feel his temper bubbling once again.

"Stubborn to the end," he smirked. "You know what, Becca, why don't you just keep operating under the delusions you've held so close for the past few years? Apparently the truth doesn't really matter to you. So damn self-centered you expect everyone to be as flawless and perfect as you are."

She could hear the note of anger in his voice but couldn't bring herself to explore it further. She groaned, "Johnny, did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to open up that old wound? It hurt badly enough the first time. Why should I put myself through more pain over something that doesn't even matter to me anymore?"

"Because, damn it," his voice raised, "you were wrong! And you ran off before I could even explain what happened. You were in D.C. and none of your friends would tell me where you were so I could even explain." He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly through his nose.

"Now that you're through having your tantrum," she said calmly, "do you mind if I finish packing? My escort should be here in a few minutes and I've got grown-up things to handle."

He blocked her path as she tried to move past him. He moved towards her until she sat back onto the bed. "Have a seat," he said. "For once you're going to listen to someone else's opinion." She stood up and dodged him as he started to push her down again.

"Unless you want a bloody nose," she growled, "you'll get the hell out of my way." He paused just a moment and then, as if an invisible force flung him, he was thrown across the room, hitting the wall and then slumped over, unconscious. Her scream was involuntary, but didn't last very long as the same force struck her that had hit Johnny and she felt pain shoot through her body, and then blackness overcame her.