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CHAPTER THREE Nigel stared down from the living room window at the patrol car parked on the street outside his building, and then glanced over at Sydney who was sitting quietly on the sofa, her arms folded across her chest, lost in thought. She’d hardly said a word to him since they’d left her house, and he knew that she was probably still furious with him. He didn’t like her to be upset with him, but he’d be damned if he was going to let her bully him over something this important. Her life was nothing to be trifled with. He’d almost lost her once and he would do whatever he could to keep her safe, even if it meant fighting her every step of the way. He smirked, wondering when the hell he had gotten so brave. He certainly hadn’t been very courageous when he first started working with Sydney and he was still the first to cower and run when there were angry men with guns chasing them. Of course, it would be suicide to stand there and let them shoot, but he had seen Sydney go up against men with guns several times before, and it never seemed to affect her. He couldn’t decide if she was the bravest person he knew, or just the most reckless; he supposed that it was both. Perhaps that was why he admired her so much, she wasn’t afraid to be who she was, with anyone, where as he always hemmed and hawed at doing the right thing and stammered over himself in an effort not to appear stupid. He turned back to the window and sighed, she still hadn’t said anything. Oh well, he wasn’t sure what to say to her anyway, even is she would speak to him. His behavior had been less than appropriate and he still couldn’t believe he had yelled at her the way he did, or that she had listened, but every now and then even the Great Sydney Fox had to be pushed to see reason. Just like when Mason had that awful necklace on her, and he had made Sydney go through the trap reproduction that they had put together, over and over. He wasn’t doing it to be vindictive, he just wanted her to survive the traps and be alert for any possible deviation in the life threatening rods she had to twist through. Her earlier words had hurt him, and telling himself that it was just her anger talking did not ease the sting of what she had said. It seemed like he’d dreamed the whole scene in the restaurant and in the hallway of her home, and that he had imagined what they had said to one another just a few hours earlier. He could still feel the impression of her lips on his, the way her body felt beneath his touch; a sensation he never dreamed he’d be allowed to feel. Now it seemed it was all for nothing. He had only ever told one woman that he had loved her; that was Amanda, and she turned out to be piece of work, all right. Every other woman, he would admit that he cared for her, or allow her to believe that he loved her through his actions, more than actual words, but he always managed to get away from saying the word love. Besides, he had not exactly had a string of serious relationships since moving to America ; so talking about love was not something he had needed to worry about. Except with Cate, and with her everything was entirely too complicated to worry about what he could or couldn’t say. He’d lost almost everyone that ever meant anything to him and though he would speak of love, and truly was a romantic at heart, actually saying it to the person he cared so much for had always been hard. Especially with Cate, because he was never sure where he stood with her. Now, he’d told Sydney that he loved her, truly loved her, and although she admitted that she was attracted to him, she never once mentioned the word love. He understood that it was difficult for her to say, that she had a hard time trusting people; at least when it came to her heart. He understood that very well, which was why her trust meant so very much to him. He never wanted to betray that gift, so he had always kept his true feelings inside. Despite appearances that Sydney could be shallow and materialistic when it came to men and her relationships, Nigel knew that it was just a façade, and that she really felt things very deeply; her heart broke just as easily. He remembered the pain she went through when tracking Alistair Newel’s murderer, the sense of panic when her ex lover Alan had been poisoned and they only had twelve hours to save his life. Sydney ’s despair when her friend Queen Talib was killed, while searching for the Star of Nadir. He both hated and envied Sydney ’s intense drive to retrieve a relic at almost any cost and to always beat the opposition. She was strong, intelligent, resourceful, and often times boarded on arrogant. Most people found her intimidating, as he had when he first met her, but then he started to take a closer look. He witnessed the endless hours of work and imagination that she put into her classes, to show the students how important history was. He saw how she was willing to drop anything to help a friend in need, no matter what the danger and the sparkle in her eyes whenever they were taking on a new hunt. He heard the pride in her voice when she spoke of her father, and the sad smile that she wore when listening to her grandmother’s records. That was the Sydney Fox he had fallen in love with, the woman that few others ever got close enough to see, the vulnerable, spiritual, and romantic side of her that she hid from others to appear strong at all times. Nigel had initially been startled by her immediate approval of him, by the way she allowed him view her as no one else did, and let herself feel truly comfortable in his presence. From the start there seemed to be no barriers between them, except for the ones that he, as a slightly befuddled Englishman horribly out of his element, had erected. He had lived by certain rules all his life, regarding the separation of the sexes, been schooled on what was considered appropriate behavior in modern society. Sydney had blown all those beliefs out the window the first day; it just took him awhile to catch up and accept it. In time, rather than fight it or try to figure it out, he just started to go with the flow and had become grateful for such acceptance, allowing her the same trust and intervention into his life and letting her see things in him that he showed to no one else. Of course, in part, it was Sydney who brought out these other things, these special traits that even he had not realized he’d possessed. They had become true friends, in a way that Nigel never imagined a man and woman could be, and despite falling in love with her, he also knew that he could be content just being her friend and sharing his life with her as he had over the last three years. Sydney had given him, a confirmed cynic and book worm, the greatest gift off all; the chance to see the world through her eyes, eyes that, despite past betrayals, pain, and sorrow, still saw adventure and wonder through every door way and unexplored cavern. Sydney Fox was in every way a woman, but Nigel saw the child inside her and she had brought out the child in him; a presence he had forgotten existed since the death of his parents. She had taught him how to live and how to love that life and all those that lived beside him. No matter what else happened or didn’t happen between them now, he would always be grateful for that. Sydney looked up at Nigel keeping vigil at the window, intentionally avoiding his gaze when he had been watching her because she felt ashamed for the way she had behaved. She was still shaken from the explosion, it had been too much like Egypt , and she regretted taking out her anger on him when they were at her house. She hated to run from a conflict, to be bullied, but he had been right to make her leave. She smirked, although she had been thoroughly shocked in the way he had spoken to her, her respect for him had raised a notch after; if that was possible. She already respected him more than anyone in the world. She forgot sometimes that despite all his bumbling and clumsiness, Nigel was still the bravest man she had ever known. He had been quiet on the cab ride over, and had even remembered to take their pizza with him, though neither of them felt like eating. She wondered if he was still angry over what she had said, she had never meant to hurt him by saying he wasn’t her boyfriend. It was an automatic reaction; she didn’t like men to assume they had rule over her. And yet, Nigel had yelled right back at her and she had listened and done as she was told. If it had been any other man she would have knocked him on his ass, but Nigel was in the right and she had never before had a problem admitting when she was wrong. Why then was her heart in her throat at the idea of talking to him now? Why did it seem so hard to say she was sorry? Was it because she was terrified that he would not forgive her, and that he would take back all those beautiful feelings that he said he had for her? Yes, that was it in a nutshell. What if her terrible temper had pushed him away, just when she had him where she had longed for him to be? He would stay her friend and assistant, sure, but what about the rest? “Nigel?” Nigel turned to look at her. “Yeah, Syd?” She lowered her eyes to hide her smile; no, he wasn’t angry, but then he never stayed angry with her. She raised her gaze again and patted the sofa beside her. “Come here.” When he didn’t move she added. “Please?” Okay, so he wasn’t mad, but he wasn’t giving an inch on his decision, either it seemed. Nigel walked over and settled beside her. She offered him a small smile and caught his hand with hers, wishing her palms didn’t feel so clammy. What the hell was wrong with her? “I…I’m sorry for getting mad at you.” Nigel hid his relief and kept his expression blank. “It’s okay. You were upset.” “That doesn’t make it right, Nigel…” Nigel sighed, squeezed her hand, and then released it. “Syd, we’ve worked together almost three years now, I’m used to your temper and your moods.” He rose again, suddenly restless. “I’ve seen you in almost every possible emotional state, anger being the most prominent and I never take it personally.” “I’m glad.” Sydney ’s gaze never left him as he returned to the window and again glanced outside. What did he expect to see? “I would hate it if you did.” Nigel shrugged. “Hey, we spend a lot of time together and we’re going to fight occasionally, but we’re friends, so it will always work out.” Sydney stared at him, thoughtfully. He had lowered the lights so that they didn’t hurt his eyes and she found the subtle glow rather cozy. She moved over to stand beside him and placed her hands on his shoulders, tentatively. “Is that all we are, Nigel? Friends?” Had she ruined what they had started with her spiteful words? Had he reconsidered a relationship with her? “No.” He shook his head and turned toward her. “We’ve always been much more, Syd. You know that.” Sydney smiled and nodded. She did know, even if they had not admitted it. “Yes.” She needed to know that they were going to admit to it now or at least stop hiding from their feelings. “Nigel…earlier, when we…are we still…?” The intercom buzzer sounded and Sydney glanced at it startled. “Who could that be?” Nigel moved away from her, slowly. “I…um, thought we could use some help with finding out who’s trying to kill you, Syd.” Sydney also rose. “What kind of help?” Nigel walked over and pressed the talk button. “Yes?” “It’s Cate.” Nigel glanced at Sydney , somewhat apologetically. “Come up, Cate.” Cate was a friend to them both, but Sydney also realized that the agent had a history with Nigel; she didn’t like where this was going. “Nigel, why did you call her?” “Because her contacts may be able to get us more leads than what the police here will, Syd. I asked her to look into that list of enemies we have to see if any have popped up recently.” “Oh.” Damn it, Nigel hadn’t answered her question. Did his calling Cate mean that he wasn’t going to give Sydney a second chance? “Well…I guess that was a good idea then.” Nigel smirked and went to answer the knock on his door. “So glad you approve.” He looked through the peephole before opening it, more cautious now that Sydney ’s life was in danger. “Hi, Nigel.” “Hello, Cate.” Nigel stepped back and allowed her access. “Come in.” Cate entered and walked over to Sydney . “Syd, Nigel told me what happened, are you okay?” Sydney accepted the hug the other woman offered and smiled, warmly. “Well, I came out of it much better than Nigel did with his.” Cate spun around to Nigel. “What? Were you hurt in the explosion?” “No, not this one,” Sydney replied. “Just the one in Egypt .” “ Egypt ?” Cate paled. “What explosion in Egypt ?” “Would anyone like a drink?” Nigel inquired, casting a look over Cate’s shoulder at Sydney , warning her to drop it. Cate however was not one to be left out of the whole picture. She followed him over to the kitchen. “What is she talking about, Nigel? When were you hurt? What happened in Egypt ?” Nigel glared at Sydney and she offered him an apologetic smile. “It was nothing, really. There was…a car explosion there as well. I don’t really remember anything about and it has nothing to do with what happened tonight.” “How do you know that? When did this happen?” “About ten days ago.” “And there just happened to be another car bomb here?” “It was coincidence!” Nigel snapped as he retrieved three sodas. “We know who was behind the one in Egypt and there is little chance that it is the same people now.” “Why? How do you know?” “Because they’re dead, Cate! They were buried inside a hidden temple by a sandstorm that we managed to escape, anything else?” Cate was startled by his hostility and had backed up a step. Nigel lowered his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. “I…look, I’m sorry.” He offered her one of the sodas. “Here, have a drink, wish I had something stronger but Preston took all the alcohol away last week.” “ Preston , you’re brother? Why…” “Um…Cate?” Sydney interceded to prevent another argument; she could see that Nigel did not want Cate to know about what happened to him in Egypt . “Nigel said he asked you to get a list of anyone from our past that could be the bomber?” Nigel and Cate continued to stare at each other for a long moment, before Cate finally broke eye contact and moved back to Sydney . She pulled a sheet of paper from her blazer pocket. “Yes. Of the names that Nigel gave me, they are all still locked away.” “Or dead,” Nigel muttered. Sydney cast him a stern look; what was it with him and death lately? “So, maybe we’re looking at someone new?” “Or just missing.” Sydney glared at Nigel. “Is there something you want to get off your chest, Nigel?” Nigel shrugged, wiped the top of his can clean with his shirt, and then popped the tab. “It…could be Da Viega, Syd.” His voice held that deep, no nonsense tone he always used when he was about to discuss something unpleasant. It made him sound older, wiser; Sydney hated that voice; because it usually meant that she didn’t want to hear what only he had the courage to say. “Da Viega’s dead, Nigel.” “He’s been dead before,” Nigel reminded. “He was gone, don’t you remember?” “I didn’t see him leave.” Sydney scowled at his play on words. “When we looked up, there was only the three of us, you, me and Preston .” “He could have escaped the chamber, gotten past M’s guards.” “Nigel, he was vaporized when he touched the book for crying out loud! He had to be.” Nigel shook his head. “We don’t know that, Syd, and as much as I hate dead bodies, until I see his in front of me for real, I won’t assume that he’s out of the picture. He’s survived too many other times where others would have died. The man has nine lives and he hates you with a passion.” Sydney sniffed, knowing he was right, and folded her arms across her chest. Cate held up her hand, meekly. “Hello? Interpol agent, friend…Someone want to fill me in?” Sydney gave her a quick run down on what happened in Egypt , discretely leaving out Nigel’s injuries. “So, technically he just disappeared?” “There was this bright light,” Sydney explained. “We’d seen something like it before when we went after a special cross that was said to have been used in the crusades. Nigel was very…” She didn’t want to say scared in front of Cate, but she remembered the terror in his voice. “I was petrified,’ Nigel finished for her, unashamed as the two women settled on the sofa and he took the opposite chair. “I didn’t understand why but I just felt that something was horribly wrong in that chamber…a dark…evil, if you will.” “Evil?” Cate asked, skeptical. “As in the forces of good and evil?” “Nigel and I have seen some incredible things, Cate,” Sydney interceded. “Sometimes that’s the only way to describe them. The rest of us were oblivious to whatever…force there was in that chamber, but Nigel wasn’t and he warned us that something terrible was about to happen. When Da Viega released the seal on Ramses’ Tomb, I pulled Preston down so he wouldn’t look. We heard screaming, and then Da Viega was gone and Nigel had closed the book.” Cate turned to Nigel. “You? Weren’t you affected by whatever attacked Da Viega?” “I…I don’t remember.” Nigel winced. He hated lying to Cate or Sydney. He had been affected, still suffered the nightmares in his sleep and the uneasy guilt in his waking hours, but he didn’t want to worry them. “Look, the point is that neither of us can be absolutely certain that Da Viega is dead, so he could be a suspect.” “All right,” Cate conceded and wrote down what they had told her, putting Da Viega’s name at the top of her list. “Do we have any new suspects, since the last time Syd was kidnapped?” Sydney and Nigel exchanged an amused look, and then Nigel reached for Cate’s pen and pad. “This could take awhile,” he replied as he started to scribble the first few names that came to him. Cate shook her head and started to laugh. “Do you guys ever go anywhere without pissing people off?” Sydney glanced at Nigel, who had started to put on his glasses. She rose and snatched the pad from him. “No reading probably means no writing either, Nigel,” she said, reminding him of the doctor’s orders. “Sorry,” he muttered, removing his glasses and handing them to her. “Habit.” Sydney put on his glasses, as they wore the same prescription, and started writing out the names that she could remember. Nigel moved to settle on the other side of her and read over her shoulder, reminding her now and then of someone she had forgotten. She grinned and put the pad to her chest. “Stop it!” “I’m trying to help.” “Then do it with your eyes closed.” Nigel sighed and leaned back, doing as she instructed and closed his eyes. “Now I can’t think of anyone else.” He opened his eyes again. Sydney glanced down at the pad. “I think we’ve pretty much covered everyone anyway.” She handed the pad to Cate. “Here you go, all done.” Cate smirked and rose. “I’ll make a few calls and check these out,” she offered moving toward the kitchen so that she wouldn’t disturb them, and automatically reaching for the dimmer dial on the lights so she could read the page better. She was startled when Nigel cried out as she turned the lights all the way up. “What happened? What’s wrong?” she demanded, rushing over. “Turn the lights back down!” Sydney snapped, her own hand covering the two Nigel had over his sensitive eyes. “His eyes are sensitive from the explosion!” Cate rushed over and dimmed the lights again. “I’m sorry! Why didn’t you tell me?” Nigel blinked several times when he finally opened his eyes and tried to rid himself of the painful spots of color, he swallowed the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake him. When the doctor had said that his eyes would be sensitive to light he had no idea how sensitive. When he was at Sydney ’s he’d been fine, but then she had very low wattage in her lamps and his apartment had florescent track lighting. Cate rushed back over and crouched beside him. “Did I hurt you? I wondered why they lights were low. I’m so sorry, baby.” She wrapped her arms around him, worried. “I’m fine, really,” he assured, automatically hugging her back, before pulling away and rising. “I…I think I just need to lay down for a minute.” “Sure, Nige,” Sydney offered kindly, ignoring the jealousy that had suddenly risen within her. “You’ll feel better then.” Nigel waved at her, still holding his head and started for the bedroom. “Don’t go getting kidnapped or blown up without me.” Sydney smiled. “I promise.” He turned and gave them a stern look. “Either of you.” Cate grinned and nodded. They watched him disappear into the bedroom and close the door, and then Cate smiled at Sydney . “I’ll go make those calls.”
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