DISCLAIMER: See Chapter 1 for Proper Disclaimer.

Author's Note: Wow, I'm glad I got the prologue out of the way. Already, I have two reviews! Thanks to xxroxy-dogxx and Dimonah Tralon for reviewing (you guys are the best) and for whoever I didn't get to mention for review. Now, on with the show!

(George Washington University, Present day...)

"By next week, I want a 4-page paper on your opinion of how Dan Brown's interpretation of the secret societies is presented in Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code," Alex said to a lecture hall of students. "Ok, that wraps up today's lecture. I'll see you all next week," she added as she dismissed the class.

The students slowly began to file out of the room, eagerly talking about the paper. As Alex was packing her messenger bag, she caught a few snippets of a couple of her students talking on the assignment.

"She makes it seem so easy for us…makes you wonder how much of the lecture is based on her experiences with finding the Templar treasure in New York," one excited student said to her friend.

"I'm not sure. She keeps that in a low profile, since she really doesn't like to brag on that while she's lecturing us. But, it would be awesome if she and her older brother found yet another national archaeological find," the friend said as both of them left the room.

Alex smiled on the friend's comment. True, she didn't like to bring up the events that nearly had her life completely wiped from existence, but she did want to give her students a glimpse into her world from time to time. Just as she got the messenger bag onto her shoulder, her cell phone blared out Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music". She pulled out her cell phone and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked.

Hey Alex… Riley's voice replied back from the other end.

"Hey, Riles. What's the matter? You sound like you have just been robbed or something like that," Alex said as she noted Riley's tone.

Yeah…my Ferrari just got impounded…

"Wait, what?! Are you serious?"

Yup. I'm dead serious, Lex. Can you pick me up? I'm over at the entrance to Border's, Riley said as he groaned on the other end. And it had to happen when I was doing my book signing…

"Don't worry, Riley. I'll come and get you," Alex replied.

All the while, Alex was walking down the hallway to get to the parking lot. What she noticed a bit into the conversation was a couple of students running to the doors that led to the parking lot. Alex narrowed her eyes as she caught one or two words from the passing students.

"…fight…outside in the parking lot…"

"Err, Riley? I'll call you when I'm pulling out of the university, ok?" Alex said as she hung up on Riley.

Alex walked as fast as her sneakered feet could go before she made it to the doors. She stepped out into the sunny, mid-afternoon campus grounds and saw a fight happening near where she had parkd her car. She groaned and hit her forehead with her hand as Public Safety officers rushed out from one of the other buildings to stop the fight.

"I can't believe this…not one bit…" Alex said before her cell phone rang to Michael Buble's "Home".

She groaned as she answered her cell phone again for the second time in ten minutes.

"Yes, Dad? Can I help you?" Alex asked with a sigh in her question.

You all right, Alex? Ben's voice asked from the other end.

"Ben? Why are you calling me on Dad's cell? Where is he?"

Err…you're going to need to sit down for this… Ben said, with an undertone of something bad.

"How bad is it?"

Pretty bad.

About a half hour later, Alex pulled up at the curb in front of Border's. Riley was sitting on a bench with a cardboard poster of himself in a safari outfit and a cart of his books. Riley looked a bit mad at Alex for being late, but Alex just gave him a roll of her eyes.

"Please don't make my day any worse…I had Public Safety not allowing me to my car, Ben calling me with bad news-" Alex started to list off the bad things that ruined her day.

"Don't whine to me," Riley simply said as he loaded the things into her car before sitting at the front passenger seat.

"We're getting Ben on the way to my dad's place. Ben said that he wanted to tell you the bad news in person," Alex said as she drove away from the curb with a street racer's precision.

Author's Note: Ok, you know the drill. Press the 'Review' button and I'll even throw in a cookie...or maybe Riley to the first lucky reviewer.