Another Chase - National Treasure

Four - Harriet

"That was quite the show back there," commented Ian as he and Alice joined  Abi, Ben and Riley.

"It sure was," agreed Alice. "And glad we could be of service," she added sarcastically. It appeared that the only reason she had been dragged along on this adventure was to be reunited with Ian. But she really wasn't all that annoyed by this, to be honest. She'd needed a push back to him, and this is the form it had come in.

"It seems like we always meet during a car chase," she added jokingly. Although she was glad she hadn't had to be a part of this one - once was more than enough in her opinion.

"Hi Alice," said Ben. 

"Ben," she greeted her sister's ex-boyfriend and the source of her heartbreak. "Hi Riley." Riley waved back. 

"If I didn't know better I'd say there's another treasure hunt in our near future." 

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Late the next morning Alice arrived at the flat whose number Ian had given her. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the front door.

Expecting Ian to answer, she was surprised to see a little girl open the door instead. She had long, fair blonde hair tied back with a ribbon, and wore a floral-print dress. A huge smile split across her face and a giggle escaped her lips and before Alice knew it the girl's arms were around her waist in a crushing hug. After recovering from the surprise, she hugged her back.

"You must be Harriet," she said when they pulled away from their hug.

"Yes, and you're Alice!" the girl cried in an adorable accent, practically jumping up and down with excitement. Then she turned and called into the flat, "Uncle Ian, Uncle Ian! Alice is here!"

There were the sounds of footsteps and Ian appeared. "Harriet, calm down," he chuckled. "And let poor Alice in the door."

Harriet, still beaming, stepped aside to let Alice in.

"Please excuse the mess," Ian said, nodding to the many boxes piled off to the side. "We're in the process of moving."

"It's all right," Alice said, waving away his apology. "It's fine. I understand."

"We're moving to America!" Harriet told her excitedly. "It'll be an adventure – right Uncle Ian?"

He smiled. "Yes, Darling, it will be."

"She's sweet," Alice  said as Harriet ran off.

He nodded, smiling fondly. "She is."

"How much does she know?" she whispered.

"Enough," he answered. She nodded.

"What about the others?"

"They're all off settling things of their own."

Again, she nodded. "So, what happens now?"

He sighed heavily. "They continue the search for him," he said, speaking of his employer. "If they cannot find him, they have to arrest us."

"I hope they find him – I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."

At this, he smiled. "Scream at him, throw one of your punches at him." Then he sighed again. "I hope so too. But he is very skilled, good at hiding."

She nodded as they sat down together at the table.  Then she moved the conversation to another topic and away from the elusive criminal.  "So, what does Harriet know about us?"

"She knows that we met on my last business trip, which is true. She just doesn't know any of the specifics."

Alice nodded. Probably best.

Then he chuckled. "She's excited that there's finally a woman in my life, or so she can see. She's very romantic, Harriet."

Alice couldn't help but smile at this. Then she turned serious. "Ian, about that-" Her words trailed off until she composed them. "I've had a lot of time to think about it, and-"

"You need more time." He nodded. "I understand."

She smiled. "Actually, I was going to say that there's not much else for me to think about. I was more confused, I think, that I had managed to develop feelings for you so quickly, and in our situation, but I did, and here we are, so-" Her smiled widened as his expression changed. "I thought I wasn't ready to see you again, but actually seeing you again made me realize that that was all I wanted. I want to give this a try. Let's put our past behind us, and start again, fresh."

He was smiling now too, appearing both surprised and relieved, and reached across the table to take her hand.

Now Alice chuckled. "I guess there's just something about treasure hunting that brings people together."

He chuckled too. "Yes," he agreed. "Yes there is. Can I kiss you?"

She leaned in. "You may."

And that's exactly what they did. 

(Short and sweet ;) 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))