"You have exactly ten seconds to tell me what he's talking about."
"I ‑ I‑" Court choked back tears. "I didn't mean to cause trouble, Ari! I didn't! I found your pictures ‑ in the trunk ‑ of when you were in college! And you looked so happy with Aric I . . . tracked them down." she finished in a whisper. Fury radiated from Ariane.
"I called Thomkins, told him I was Dena and that we needed some assistance. I asked for the twins. Then I called and talked to Quinn. And then they arrived." Tears flooded down Courtney's face. Ariane looked ready to throw up.
"You went through my personal things; you meddled in my life! Did it occur to you that if I wasn't with Aric, there was a reason?" she yelled. Then she turned on Quinn.
"And you! You pretended to have only just met my sister! Did you plan your little seduction of her when you accepted this assignment?"
"Ariane, you know that's not true," Quinn said.
"Get out. All of you. Get out of my trailer! And Courtney, if you're so in love with him, you can go stay with him! You betrayed me! Because as of this moment, I have no sister!" Ariane yelled, Quinn held the sobbing Courtney against him.
"Ariane‑" he started.
"GET OUT!" She hollered. Quinn lifted the weeping girl in his arms and carried her out. Aric remained. Dena slipped out, leaving Ariane and Aric to discuss it.
"Your sister wanted you to be happy. You can't fault her for that."
"My sister, is a selfish, little bitch who wanted me to be occupied with you, so she could get into trouble!" Ariane spat, advancing on him.
"Courtney is a good kid. If you'd ever give her a chance‑"
"I did! And look what she pulled! I was perfectly happy before you showed up! You just couldn't resist the lure of this assignment could you? To come back into my life and drive me insane!" she yelled.
"It wasn't my idea, it was Quinn's! By the time he told me everything, it was too late to back out!" Aric stepped towards her, eyes flashing. Aric was fed up with her. Enough was enough. Gentleman or no, he was sick of Ariane's paranoia.
"You think I'm going to believe a damn thing you say to me? You'll never change my mind that you two plotted with my sister to come back here and torment me!"
Impulsively, Aric grabbed her and pulled her into a fervently passionate kiss. Easily, he overpowered her and she gave in to her pounding heart. Holding tightly to him, she was thrown back in time, nineteen again, head over heels in love with the charming, handsome, blond boy from her class.
Their feverish embrace slowed to luxurious kissing, and gently Aric pushed her onto the bed, both lost in the memories and the physical pleasure. Aric held her face gently as he kissed her, never wanting to stop.
The smack to his cheek sent him backwards. Ariane was shaking, tears streaming down her face. She held one hand against her lips, sitting up, dishelved.
"Get out," she whispered. Aric touched his stinging face.
"Why did you do that?"
"GET OUT! And if you ever try to take advantage of me again, I swear by Artemis, I will kill you with my bare hands!"
Outrage building, Aric left the trailer without another word. Damn her to hell.
Ariane, hysterical, slid to the floor shaking.
* * *
Dena moved Courtney's things to the boys' trailer later that afternoon, while Ariane was out. The girl hadn't stopped crying since the outburst.
"I think this is the last of it," Dena said, setting the box down. Aric nodded.
Outside, he squinted in the bright light. Dena stepped closer to him.
"She whacked you good, didn't she?" Dena murmured.
"I sleepwalk," he replied. Chuckling, she handed him an ice pack.
"Liar. I've seen her handiwork before. What'd you do?"
"Pissed her off, as usual," Aric replied.
"Yeah, well, I'll hit her back for you. You're too chivalrous."
"I wish I wasn't sometimes," he muttered. Dena put one arm around his shoulders, resting her dark head against his shoulder.
"It'll be over soon. You'll be rid of her soon."
Aric sighed. Yes, he loved Ariane, and he still wanted her. But he cared for Dena, even though she didn't return the feelings. Aric could see a future with Dena if he looked hard enough, but she didn't feel the same.
Looking up into the azure blue sky, he wondered why he was destined to be alone.
* * *
Ariane groaned as she tried to open her eyes. Body aching, she sat up in bed, glancing over to Court's side of the trailer, as usual. Puzzled briefly, the events of the day before came flooding back. That's right. Courtney had betrayed her.
Dena was lying awake in her bunk over Court's and rolled over onto her side.
"How do you feel?"
"Like shit. I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder." Ariane sat up, hair tousled, rubbing her left shoulder.
"Did you hit Aric that hard?" Dena asked cooly. Ariane glared at her best friend.
"No. And I hit him with the other hand." she stuck out her tongue and got up from the bunk.
"Can you honestly tell me you didn't feel anything when he kissed you?" Dena sat up, dangling her long, tanned legs over the edge of the bed. Ariane shrugged.
"Yeah, I felt something. I haven't been kissed or even touched by a man in how long? Yeah, it startled me."
"What about that guy at the museum last year?"
"Kissing him was like kissing a dead fish," Ariane shuddered at the memory. Dena chuckled.
"You always said Aric was a great kisser."
"Dena, leave it alone." Ariane sighed. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat." Ariane slid into her shorts and tank top. Dena jumped down from her bunk and dressed quickly. "I'll wait outside for you."
Walking outside, Ariane lit up a cigarette and surveyed the site. The men were waking, eating and getting ready to go back to work. Though she had given up her scotch, she still felt the urge for a cigarette every now and then.
Walking over to where the holes began, she studied the temple. Her eyes drifted up to the sky. It was darker than yesterday. Squinting, out in the distance, she could see a dark skyline.
Storm clouds.
"Hey! Everyone!" Ariane approached the men. "Let's get moving! There are storm clouds coming up from the south, let's get this baby out of the ground! There's no telling when they'll hit!"
Quickly, the men began responding.
Aric watched Ariane, cigarette in her hand. Cool and collected again, there was no indication of the hysterical girl she had been last night.
“C'mon, bro. Let's get moving," Quinn nudged him. Court stood at his side, pale and quiet. The girl followed Quinn.
* * *
Ariane leaned back against the wall of dirt. Throbbing pain wracked her shoulder. An old injury from her adolescence, occasionally it flared up. In college, Aric would massage it until the pain went down. Briefly her thoughts wandered into the past, of nights spent studying for exams, late nights spent making love and dreaming of their future as an archaeology team.
Why had Court done it? Why had she brought the twins back into her life? So maybe her life wasn't the happiest in the last few years, but she was content. The job at the museum had been good to her, and was still available if she wanted it when this dig was over. Ariane looked forward to it, going back to the museum. Since they had put up money for the dig as well, they would be featuring artifacts. Currently they were working on a new wing to showcase Artemis' treasures.
Dena would return with her to the museum, and try to get custody of her son again. Maybe they would get another project, but all Ariane wanted was to curl up in the museum and play with her newfound toys. She would be in charge of the Artemis wing.
Snuffing out her cigarette on her shoe, she slipped it into her pocket, for disposal later. On her dig, she kept strict rules about littering. The men were not to leave anything lying around and woe to the man who did.
Dena approached Ariane.
"Do you see those?" Dena asked softly.
"The clouds? Oh yeah. Rain could destroy everything, Dena."
“I know. Have faith, Ari. We've come this far. We can't let some water get us down."
"Can you start carbon dating?"
"Not until a chunk falls off somewhere or we find one. I'm not about to take a piece off and mar it."
"Surely someone will pull a chunk down," Ariane muttered. "These men can't be that careful."
"Ari, about Court‑"
"I don't want to hear it." Dena sighed. The walls were up. "I'm going down there." Ariane headed towards the main site. Dena turned as Aric walked up.
"How's Court?"
"Withdrawn. Ariane cut her through the heart."
"She's good at that, isn't she?" Dena muttered.
"It would seem so. At this point, I just want this dig to be over so I can go home and get on with my life."
"I'm going to try and get my son back," Dena said. Aric nodded.
"I hope you do."
"We'll be in Athens. You'll have to come visit."
"Sure," Aric said quietly. "I'm gonna help them."
The older brother walked off. Dena shook her head. Aric was such a sweet man. Why did life have to be so complicated?
* * *
Ariane spent even more time down in the ditches, scraping, shoveling, whatever she could to keep her mind off of Aric. And Quinn. She didn't want to talk to either one at this point. Courtney steered clear of her, working on the other side.
About a fourth of the temple was now visible. The outer columns were partially revealed. Unfortunately, as they dug deeper around the temple, the dirt was harder and more solid, slowing them down.
Gasping for air, Ariane leaned on her shovel. Dizziness crashed over her. What was happening? She kept feeling faint but there wasn't a chance in hell she was pregnant. She hadn't had any alcohol in two weeks, didn't even feel a taste for it. The air smelled funny. Almost . . . like . . gas . .
Ariane slumped to the ground, the shovel falling from her hand.
* * *
Aric inhaled deeply. Gas? They must be near a natural gas pool.
"Everybody out!" he yelled, climbing up to be seen. "Everybody, get away from the site!"
Puzzled, the workers obeyed.
"What's wrong?" Dena ran over.
"I smell gas. There may be some toxic fumes down there. Everybody out! Take a head count."
A few minutes later, she reported back.
"Ariane is the only one missing."
"She's being bullheaded. She's ignoring me."
"Let's find her."
Covering their mouths with clean clothes, the twins and two workers set out to find her, traversing all the ditches, calling her name. Dena set about finding equipment to test the air. Somewhere she had the equipment, designed for this purpose.
"Ariane!" Aric yelled. He headed in the direction he had seen her that morning. "Ariane!"
Jumping down into a ditch, he jogged along, searching each turn. In the corner, he saw her on the ground.
"Ariane!" Running to her side, he rolled her over. She was breathing, barely. "C'mon. I can't let you die. You'd just come back and haunt me," he muttered, lifting her. There was no rope nearby to climb out, and the others couldn't hear this far away. He'd have to carry her. Easing her over his shoulder, he started trekking back. Within a few minutes, he'd be within shouting range; he could barely hear Quinn and the others.
Waves of lightheadedness crashed over him. Oh no. There was too much gas down here. Setting Ariane down he kept going and finally yelled for Quinn. Returning to Ariane, he held her gently, depressed. If Quinn didn't find them . . . they'd die together. Aric could picture the afterlife, the two of them bound together forever, she'd hate him for eternity.
"Mmmm," she murmured. He looked down, brushing a strand of hair from her lovely, dirt‑smeared face. Even when splattered in mud, she was beautiful.
"What'd you say?"
"Aric," she mumbled.
"I'm here, so curse me out all you want," he sighed. Her head moved.
"Aric. . .I. .lo. . . ." her voice faded out.
"Loathe me? I'm quite aware of that, darling," he smiled sadly to himself.
"Aric!" Quinn was approaching.
"Down here!" he called. Quinn appeared. Two Quinns? Aric's eyes drifted close.
“Get them out of here!" Quinn ordered. Aric dimly felt himself being lifted and hearing another language around him before he submitted to the black.
* * *
A few minutes later, he was revived, lying in the warm sunshine. Quinn knelt next to him anxiously. Ariane was sitting up, looking dazed.
"It's just a simple gas. Dena says it should air out within 24 hours. Until then, we can't do much. It took both of you down pretty easily."
Ariane nodded and got to her feet shakily.
"Okay."
Courtney, worried, hung nearby but out of sight.
Dena steadied her best friend. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I didn't even think about it being gas until I went out. I just felt really sick and dizzy . . then . . . nothing."
"You'll both be all right. It might take a few hours until you feel normal," Dena told them. Ariane didn't look at Aric.
"What about those storm clouds?" Ariane asked.
"They're moving in. There's no telling what the mix of rain water and that gas could do to the temple, Ari."
"Shit!" Ariane watched the sky.
"We can't send anyone in until the morning. By then those clouds could rip it apart. Or dissipate. We're just gonna have to watch and wait."
"Two things I hate," Ariane muttered.
* * *
By morning the clouds had moved closer, setting Ariane on edge. The gas had evaporated completely and the crew set to work, all watching the sky at various times.
Ariane and Dena worked side by side in a ditch, shoveling dirt away from the side of the temple.
"Do you think a crane would help?" Dena asked. Ariane shook her head.
"No. It's too big and clumsy. And we have no idea how big this really is. Trust me, I already thought about it." Ariane sighed.
Dena threw a shovel of dirt over her shoulder. "Do you remember anything about when you were down there yesterday?"
"No, why? I went out and woke up to see you." Ariane was brushing away a small dirt clod.
"Just curious."
"Who pulled me out of there anyway?" Ariane asked.
"Aric."
"I had a feeling." Ariane wiped her face against her sweaty shirt. Silence descended over the friends.
* * *
Ariane stood outside of her trailer, watching the storm clouds draw closer. Their taunts kept her awake, teasing her with the thought of the destruction of her dreams.
* * *
Ariane stood still, listening to the ground. It trembled again, then shuddered, pitching her into the mud.
"Get back!" she yelled, waving her arms. The diggers started to look up. "Get away! It's going to cave in! Move! RUN!"
Courtney heard Ariane shouting. Glancing up, she thought she felt the earth move under her. Carefully, she stood on top of the temple to see what the shouting was about. She could hear the twins. Ominously, the skies were turning black.
Dropping shovels, the crew ran. Ariane got to her feet and ran. Another tremor sent her down again. Strong arms grabbed her Round the waist and lifted her up.
"Come on." holding tight to her hand, Aric ran with her towards safety. Ariane glanced back and froze in her tracks. Court was standing on the temple, watching.
"Court!" she screamed, wrenching away from Aric, heading back through the mud. "Court, move it! You'll be sucked under!"
Quinn, too far away to reach her, looked up at Ariane's voice and saw his girlfriend, balancing awkwardly on the temple. Leaping to his feet, he ran towards them. Ariane was trying to run through the slippery mud towards her sister, who was puzzled, then terrified as she realized what was happening.
"Get her outta here!" Aric yelled, grabbing Ariane and shoving her towards Quinn. Without a second thought, Aric ran into the mud, towards Courtney and the gaping hole.
"Aric!" Quinn yelled, grabbing Ariane around the waist. Kicking at him, she tried to break from his grip, but Ariane was no match for the muscular man holding her.
"Court!" she screamed. Courtney was pitched backwards into the gaping hole, Aric dove after her and vanished.
"No!!! Court! COURTNEY!" Ariane screamed, punching Quinn in the stomach, fighting to be released, she ran.
Scrambling to his feet, Quinn was distressed when the sky opened up and gushed rain. Quinn tackled Ariane into the mud.
"Aric will get her!" he had to yell to be heard over the thunderous noise.
"Get off of me!" Ariane yelled. Quinn pulled her to her feet, rain soaking them.
"Trust Aric, Ariane!"
"She's my sister!"
"A week ago you disowned her!" he yelled back. Hate shot out of her eyes.
"I don't care about a week ago! They could die! You know it! I have to get her out of there!" Rain pounded them, plastering their hair and clothes to their bodies.
"It's suicide! My twin brother is down there, too! You think I don't realize it? That's my other half that just went to save my girlfriend, your sister!! You don't give a shit about Aric! You'd let him die to get Court back! He's nothing to you!"
"I love Aric!" she yelled, and Quinn froze. Mud sloshed over their feet. Ariane swallowed, wiping her eyes. "Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I love him! And I love my sister and I want them both back!" she screamed.
Sliding mud almost pulled them down again. Quinn grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards safety.
"Jonny, get some rope!" Ariane yelled to the foreman. Crew members ran.
"I didn't know Greece had earthquakes!" Dena yelled, helping them up.
"It's not an earthquake. The rain is causing all the dirt to move! This place hasn't been touched in 2000 years! It's a mudslide!" Ariane hollered back over the crashing rain. Jonny brought the ropes, tossing one to Quinn. They tied them around their waists. Lightning lit up the murky, black sky.
"You can't!" Dena grabbed her friend's arm.
"I have to, Dena. If we don't make it back, you're in charge. Do not follow us. You have to survive, you get the glory of the temple," Ariane flashed a grin at her. Dena shook her head.
"Let me go!"
"No. You have a son. Now stay here and keep everyone calm."
"You better come back, wench! You owe me dinner at the Hilton!!"
Grinning, Ariane turned and waded into the flowing mud. Quinn followed her closely. Over their left shoulders they carried more rope.
For one, glorifying moment, the temple sat upright, half‑exposed from the ground. Its richly white, columned front stood magnificently before plowing down into the mud again.
* * *
Aric dove into the mud and grabbed Court's outstretched arms. Sliding down he was able to pull her to him. Mud slid through his fingers as they were sucked down in the gaping mouth with the rain pouring down.
"Hold onto me!" he yelled. Her body was thrown against his and she clung to him for dear life. Aric kept one hand around her waist, the other searched for a hold. Gasping for air, he watched in horror as the temple shifted and came crashing down on them.
* * *
Ariane and Quinn stopped as the temple suddenly shifted. One side was going down into the mud, right where Aric and Court had vanished.
"Aric!" Ariane screamed. "Courtney!"
Quinn was speechless from terror. Trying to run through the mud, they feared for the worst. Even if Aric had caught Courtney in time, they would be crushed under the temple.
Dena watched in horror.
"Get more rope!" she yelled. "Be ready to follow!"
The crew scrambled to find more rope. The rain stopped as abruptly as it had started. The workers looked for Dena while Ariane and Quinn were trying to run through the mud.
"I want a team of seven out there now! Dig around the temple as much as possible and get them out!" Dena yelled. "Seven more get ready!"
Her dark eyes watched her friends fearfully.
* * *
Aric moved his leg carefully, gently feeling for any breaks. Courtney clung to him, whimpering. By some miracle they had been trapped in an air bubble in the mud. Aric knew Court was in shock, leaving their survival up to him.
"Well looky here...we've stopped moving!" he said cheerfully. For how long, he didn't know; they would run out of oxygen soon. Slowly, keeping his breathing even, he reached out and felt around his surroundings.
His hand touched something hard, above his head. Feeling his way, he realized it was a wall. A door maybe? It was ornate. . .no. . .that kind of luck just wasn't possible, he thought. It couldn't be. Pushing on it, he could feel it move slightly.
"Oh, come on," he thought, "save me, Artemis!"
"Court, keep holding onto me, ok? I'm going to try something and I need to let you go."
The man wasn't really worried about her losing her death grip on his neck. Easing his arm away from her waist, he reached up. There was no response from her except soft whimpering. Mud shifted under him and he froze, waiting to be buried alive. Without anything solid under his feet, Aric knew he was taking a huge gamble. Using both hands, he forced as much power into a thrust as he could.
Hot, stale, dusty air hit him as the door flew inward. Grasping the handle of it, he felt the mud sliding under him. Pulling up, he lifted himself and Court through the doorway to safety.
The temple didn't move .
Gasping for air, he lay on his back; the sobbing girl lay on top of him, clinging to his neck. His lungs burned with the dryness of the trapped air.
"Court. C'mon, Court. We're all right," he whispered, stroking her mud‑covered hair. Finally she looked up, her green eyes glazed. "Court? Talk to me, kid."
"Aric?" she finally whispered. He breathed a sigh of relief. Her sister was still alive.
"We're ok, hon."
"Where are we?" Court whispered, looking around. Lungs heaving, she tried to acclimate to the musty air.
"The temple of Artemis. One more thing your sister gets to hate me for."
"What's that?"
"Being the first human being in here in 2000 years. One more thing I took from her. If there ever was a hope of getting her back, it's gone now."
“I think my sister is a bitch," Courtney said flatly, brushing her muddy hair from her eyes.
"She's not a bitch. She's just, hard to understand . . . and like."
"Well, frankly, I don't like her," Court said. Aric was surprised.
"She's your sister!"
"She's a bitch. And she disowned me, remember? You were there."
Aric turned around, looking all around him. The pillars, holding the temple up, were famous in Greek architecture. Faded and decrepit tapestries hung on the wall. Pillows, once silk or some equivalent he suspected, where everywhere. With the temple at this angle, things were knocked over. Vases lay scattered on the floors. What looked to have once been a fountain spilled no water. Hanging plants, or what used to be, hung at bizarre angles. The carpets were faded, but, overall, Aric was impressed with the flawless condition of everything.
Finally, after several minutes of awe, Courtney turned to Aric.
"You don't know Ari the way I do . . . did . . . she didn't mean it."
"Coulda fooled me. She treats you like shit, and you're sure as hell the nicest man I've ever met."
"Uh . . . thanks."
"Even after everything between you two, you still won't say anything negative about her. Why?"
"Dunno." he sighed, taking in the vision before him. "Probably the way I was raised, to be gentleman. Besides, I love her. There's not much more you can say about someone. I've always loved her. I always will. I made my peace with the fact we'll never be together. She still blames me. Once this whole adventure is over, I'm off to Milan and I'll never see her again."
"Yeah, well when we get outta here, I'm gonna tell her what a bitch she is," Court said. Aric shook his head, though he was grateful to hear the optimism. If she had been wailing and tearing her hair out, Aric wouldn't have known what to do. The spunky girl was going to be okay.
"Don't bother. It's a waste of time. She won't listen." Matt smiled sadly at her.
"Well, maybe it's time someone made her listen. You two love each other and all she's doing is hurting the both of you! Neither of you will be happy without the other."
Aric shrugged. Sadness overtook Courtney's lovely features.
"Does Quinn talk about me?"
"Huh?" Aric was caught off guard. Getting to his feet he was drawn towards a huge statue of Artemis in the center of the room. It was protruding from a wall? He wondered.
"Does Quinn really like me or is my sister right that I'm a convenience?"
Aric didn't know how to answer that one. He was studying the statue.
"We're on an angle!" he exclaimed. "This statue is bolted down to the floor, that why it looks so weird. The temple must have shifted onto it side."
"So we're walking on a wall?"
"Yeah, basically." Matthew's eyes roamed the temple. "What were you saying? I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"Is Quinn using me?" she asked softly.
“I don't know, Court," he said finally. "Quinn hasn't said anything like that to me. I think he genuinely cares for you."
"I don't see why. I'm just a kid. I'm a college dropout. Nothing I ever did was good enough to match Ariane."
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"I graduated as number 3 from high school . . .at sixteen. Still wasn't up to Ari being number 1. Mom and Dad love to brag about their archeologist daughter...how beautiful and talented she is, then there's 'oh, and this is our youngest, Courtney'."
Aric reached over and squeezed her hand. "They sound like perfect idiots."
"Quinn is my first real boyfriend. And I don't know if he qualifies . . . he's older."
Aric laughed. "And because he's older he can't be a real boyfriend?"
Court blushed. "That's not what I meant. I . . . don't know what I mean."
"Court, you're young. Quinn has a bad rep with women."
"I know," she said sadly. Aric reached over and lifted her chin, so similar to Ariane's.
"Court, if I wasn't so in love with your sister, I would ask you out in a heartbeat."
"You're just being nice cause we're gonna die down here." she said. Shaking his head, Aric smiled.
"No. You're a beautiful, intelligent, young woman. Quinn and I may be twins, but we're very different people. You and Ari are very different. Everyone is. Your parents haven't realized this, that's all."
Court smiled at Aric, almost wishing she could have him. Ariane didn't deserve such a man.
* * *
"Ari, take a break." Quinn pulled her away from where she had been digging for hours.
"No. We have to get to them."
"Ari, listen to me. You're about to pass out. We've got a full crew working on it. Let them do it."
Ariane turned to Quinn. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face exhausted.
"No. I have to get them out." Turning away she continued to scrape mud from the temple. Quinn grabbed her by the arm and made her face him.
“Ari, they're alive. I know it. I know Aric is alive."
"Well, I don't know about Court," she snapped.
Quinn stared into her eyes.
"Did you mean what you said?" he demanded. She pulled away.
"I love my sister."
"And my brother."
Without an answer, she turned back to the temple and resumed her digging. Quinn gave up and continued shoveling mud away.
"Ari, the temple is shifting again!" Dena hollered. Ari looked up as the temple suddenly shifted down, sinking several more inches.