"You just want to hold my hand," came her sing-song retort.

Vincent scowled, the only defense he had against the blush that burst across his face. "Now listen," he countered, raising a finger to her. "I'm focused entirely on the mission, and I think this would make us look less suspicious." Then, softer, "but if you're not comfortable with it, then-"

He was interrupted by Rayleigh's small hand plucking his from the air. She gave it a tight squeeze, and then a few dramatic swings between them. "Better?" she purred. The scholar, on the other hand, could not seem to find any words at all. Rayleigh tutted at his silence, and added, "How in the world could I be embarrassed? I mean, gods, you gave me mouth to mouth that time outside the temple. THAT must have been uncomfortable." She tossed him a side-ways glance, her medicine-bottle green eyes alive with laughter. Her partner blanched, the color that had only just filled his cheeks draining away in an instant. Gleeful satisfaction bubbled within the brunette. "You didn't think I knew about that, did you?"

Weakly, in a voice as small as the grains of sand beneath their feet, Vincent asked, "How do you know?"

"John told me," she confided easily. "He thought it was hilarious."

She continued to watch the scholar, the sun a halo above his blonde hair, his face mixed parts pain and embarrassment. "I thought you were dead," he finally muttered.

Something in the way he spoke softened that sharp wit she so often jabbed him with. Rayleigh squeezed his hand once more, then turned to watch ahead as they walked. "If only you were so lucky," she mused aloud through a muted smirk. A scoff was the only answer.

They walked in silence for a full twenty minutes before Vince finally spoke. "I'm never telling John anything again."

It was only a one hour walk, demonstrating once more that Rayleigh was an absolutely terrible judge of distance. But even if the walk had lasted two hours, the mechanic did not believe she would have minded. It was nice, leaving footprints in places she had never visited before. The water that lapped at her heels, dragging those prints back into the sea, was a cool contrast to the hot sand. And her company, no matter how much she teased him, was just as pleasant as the surroundings. This, she thought with the smallest tremble of contentment, was the adventure she had always longed for. She could wander white sands and search for mysterious caves all her life, were she given the chance. No, Rayleigh did not find it difficult to pretend she was enjoying the beach.

A tug on her hand indicated Vincent was stopping, so Rayleigh did as well. "I think we're here," he informed her, sapphire eyes fixed on a rocky outcropping further off-shore.

Rayleigh lifted her free hand to shield her eyes against the sunlight, squinting toward the newly discovered feature. "Is that it?"

Vincent paused to kick off his sandals, then took a few long strides into the waves. He gently brought Rayleigh along, still holding her hand as she scampered after him. Her shorter legs and body meant more steps to keep pace, and when her companion was at shin-deep water, it was already up to her thighs. He paused to let her adjust. "Chilly," she noted, but her smile revealed that she did not mind at all. Then, with a nod, she commanded, "lead the way."