Treasure's Guardian A/N: Takes place after Hot Water and before Legacy. So if you haven't read it, get out of here and go read it FIRST. Then come back. I'll wait. Thanks to Ryalin and leener for their beta help and title suggestions. Disclaimer: Nope still not mine and the bit from Hot Water isn't mine either. I'm sure Zak & DNash don't mind me borrowing a bit from their fic since they placed the challenge to figure out how Roxton got his ring back by the episode of Legacy. This is how I think he got it back. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Marguerite woke up in a panic until she realized she was safe in her room at the Tree house. She lay on her back for a while, willing herself to fall back to sleep but every time she closed her eyes the same scene played out. She remembered fighting for the gun and falling with Domblé. She also remembered feeling him being dragged away while she was pushed closer to the surface. "You'd think after all that happened I'd be able to sleep," Marguerite grumbled quietly to herself. Sighing and shaking her head to clear the memory out, the dark-haired heiress got out of bed, put on her robe and headed upstairs absently twisting the ring on her finger. She had put it on just before going to bed. Once upstairs, Marguerite wasn't sure what to do considering the hour and how physically exhausted she was. She didn't want to disturb her housemates so making tea was out. She wandered out to her favorite spot on the balcony, sat down and stared out into the night. The weight of the ring on her finger caused other memories to push the day's events out of her mind. Pulling the ring off, she couldn't help but dwell on how it had come into her possession. She dug a hand into her pocket and fingered the gold ring within it. "I have something of yours." She pulled it out to return it to him. "Keep it," he said, not glancing at what she held, knowing full well what it was. "John--" "It's not doing me any good. You hang onto it for me." He paused long enough to look down into her eyes and she almost gasped at what she saw in his. The god, Aganju, was gone, but there was a depth in John's gaze that he usually kept veiled. "Put it with your other trinkets." The gold was warm and heavy in her hand and she weighed it. "Trinket?" she challenged, raising one dark, arched eyebrow at him. A tiny smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "Or treasure. It all depends on how you think of it. I know what it means to me." It was something very meaningful indeed and he ardently hoped she would understand and make the choice he wanted her to make. Finally, she nodded once. "All right." She pocketed the ring once more. "I'll look after it for you. For now." His voice was low. "That's all I ask. For now." "What about when you realize all I've done…when you know all my secrets," she thought to herself as she shifted her gaze to the ring. Marguerite held it between her thumb and fingers staring at it. A sudden noise caused her to jump, the ring dropping from her grasp. She scrambled to catch it before it rolled off the balcony. "Damnit!" she hissed as she watched it roll off the edge of the balcony. Marguerite moved as quickly and quietly as she could to the elevator, stopping long enough to grab a candle and light it. Hoping that the noise wouldn't wake any of her companions, she took it down to the jungle floor. Holding a hand in front of the flame to protect it from the slight breeze her movement caused, the linguist scurried over to where she hoped the ring had landed. Setting the candle on the ground near where she suspected the ring had fallen, Marguerite knelt down and started moving anything and everything in her search for the hunter's heirloom. "Please let me find it. Why did I agree to keep it?" she mumbled as she searched frantically for it. After what seemed like hours, she finally found it. Slipping it back on a finger, she picked up the candle and headed back to the lift. Once back in the elevator, Marguerite blew out the candle and pulled the lever to send the car back to the living quarters. "Trouble sleeping?" the hunter asked as she exited the elevator. "You could say that," she mumbled, not looking up. "Thank you," she added quietly as she tried to step around him. Roxton blocked her way. "Roxton, let me by please," she asked looking past him. "What were you doing outside?" he asked concerned. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk," she offered trying again to step around him. "At this hour? Alone?" he asked worried. "John, I didn't leave the compound if that's what you're worried about. I just walked around in the safety of the electric fence. I didn't want to wake anyone." Noticing some leaves and a bit of dirt clinging to her robe and nightgown, Roxton leaned down and brushed them off. "A walk, hmm? Did you trip and fall?" he asked looking up at her. Marguerite shivered a little from his attention to her nightgown and robe. "What? No, I dropped the candle I was carrying and had to pick it up before the flame started a fire," she lied as she tried to move past the handsome lord. "Want to talk about why you couldn't sleep?" "Not really. Now please let me pass. I'm suddenly feeling sleepy and would like to go back to bed," she responded quietly. Roxton stepped aside and waited a few moments before following her. Once in her room, Marguerite took the ring off and placed it on the night stand next to her bed… "John, I told you I don't want to talk about it," she said when she sensed him at the door. "It might help you sleep if you do," he offered. Marguerite turned slowly to face him. "I highly doubt it will," she told him. "Why is that?" the nobleman asked crossing to face her. Sighing, the linguist looked up at the man she loved and tried to figure out how to tell Roxton that holding onto the ring for him wasn't a good idea without it hurting him. He'd only want it back once he knew all her secrets and leave her. Picking up the ring, she took his hand with her other and placed it in his, "You should probably keep this since I can't be trusted not to lose it." "Marguerite, you won't lose it. I trust you with it. I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't," he said trying to give the ring back. "No, you keep it. I really can't be trusted not to lose it. I nearly lost it earlier," she confessed. "Is that why you went out at this hour?" he wondered moving closer to her. "Yes. I was lost in thought when a sound startled me, and I dropped it. It rolled off the balcony," she continued with her confession. "Marguerite, you know you should have waited until morning. You would have been able to see better," he chided her. "And have you find out I lost it? No thank you," the dark-haired woman responded. "Marguerite, I wouldn't have gotten mad if that's what you're worried about," the hunter told her. "How was I to know that?" she questioned. Wondering what was really bothering her, Roxton decided to tread into dangerous waters. "Marguerite, are you having second thoughts about keeping this?" he asked holding the ring up. "I don't need it to know how I feel about you or you about me," she said softly, moving away from him. "What do you mean?" the lord asked gently, catching her arm before she could get away. "John, I um..." she started to tell him that she loved him but stopped. She wasn't ready to tell him just yet. "What? You don't want my ring?" he asked, trying not to show how hurt he was starting to feel. "I thought you'd want to keep it, after all that happened today." "It's not that I don't want to keep it. I just don't know if you'll want me to keep it," she whispered, looking down so he wouldn't see how scared she was. Scared that once he knew all her secrets, he'd stop loving her. "Why wouldn't I want you to keep it?" Roxton asked, trying to get her to look at him. Marguerite slowly lifted her head to face him. "John, there is still so much you don't know about me". "So you've told me. Repeatedly, I might add. And I seem to remember telling you that your secrets would be safe with me when you were ready to share them," he reminded her, once again wondering what had brought this on. "I know, and maybe some day I'll be able to tell you all of them, but…" she started but the fear wanted her to stop. "Marguerite, I don't care about your secrets," he assured her. "You say that now, but if you knew you wouldn't," she told him. "Why do you think that? I figured that you probably had to do some things you aren't proud of as Parsifal, but what you did then helped save so many lives. And anything else we can work through together," he promised her. "John, some of the people I dealt with before Parsifal will not think twice about using you to get to me. I can't. I won't let that happen." Marguerite informed him while sitting on the edge of her bed. Roxton joined her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "What brought this on?" he inquired, using his hand to cup her chin and turning her face to his. "When Domblé tried to shoot you," she whispered. "Why? He didn't hit me, thanks to you. However, he could have shot you when you raced at him and started fighting him for the gun," he commented. "Lucky he didn't then, right?" she responded a little cheerfully. "Yes, lucky he didn't; but when you two went over the edge I thought I had lost you," Roxton spoke pulling her closer. "For a few seconds I was scared as well, but then I wasn't. Yemanjá was there, and, suddenly, I wasn't afraid. I knew I'd be okay, and then I was safe with you" the tired adventuress recounted, slipping an arm around his back. "So why would all this make you decide not to keep my ring?" he cautiously wondered. Marguerite looked at him and thought "Why are you so afraid to tell him? What is the worst thing that could happen if you tell him?" She knew the painful answer. "He could stop loving you and leave." "Marguerite, what is it?" he asked, noticing tears pooling in her eyes. Blinking back the tears and taking a deep breath, she decided against listening to the fear. Barely whispering she started, "I don't think I could handle losing you. When Domblé aimed that gun at you and then fired, I was sure he would hit you. Of all the people in my life, you've never given up trying to get past my defenses to see who I really am. Once you did, you didn't run away. You've taught me more about love than anyone I've known," she paused. "So this is why you don't want to keep the ring?" he asked, confused. "No, but I don't need it to tell me how much you love me. I see it every time you look at me, especially when you think I'm not looking. But if I keep the ring and still have it when we get back, some of those people I've mentioned would use it to get to you. I won't let you get hurt by my past. It's not fair to you," Marguerite revealed to him. "Will you ever want to keep it?" "John, it's not that I don't want to keep it, because I do with all my heart. I just don't want it to be used to hurt you," she advised him "So you don't think I can protect myself, is that it?" he joked. Marguerite smiled slightly, "No, but I don't want you to ever have to protect yourself from my past. You deserve more than that." "So do you and I'm not going anywhere. So if keeping the ring causes you to worry this much, I'll hold onto it for you until you're ready for it." He offered as he put the ring back on his finger. "Are you upset because I won't take it now?" she wondered. "At first I was a little hurt, but now that I realize it is because you're afraid for me, I understand. I know it's because you care a great deal for me. Like you, I can see it when you look at me. Even when you think I'm not looking," he softly spoke as he leaned in to kiss her. The End ***** Return to Hot Water Challenge Fics |