It was a steep knoll just off the highway. We were scattered around our Professor, who stood on a huge rock which gave it a stage like feel. His fingers were laced together and his neck length hair were pulled in a short ponytail. All that was missing were those characteristic black robes and I could imagine him making a grand entrance like Prof Snape while proclaiming, "There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." Alas! I was not at Hogwarts and this was no potions class.

I pulled my cap down to shield away from the direct sun while sarcastically remembering that January was actually meant to be a winter month in some parts of India.

"Very well then, I see that you have all gathered. Now let me make this very clear- this is an educational trip and not an excursion! There will be no fun activity, no joking around, no nothing!" His voice rose to such a decibel that I flinched. Starting again at a lower note he said, " Now behind me is a knoll, we will find dolomite there. I want you all to be ready with your hammer and hand lens to observe the mineral Dolomite. On seeing a dolomite rock you have break it using your Hammer," I had a vision of Thor wielding his hammer and shivered a bit considering that I had never used one in my entire existence, "and then examine it with your hand lens. Am I clear?"

A chorus of "yes sir" sounded from everyone. Of course we were all excited. This was our first geological experience.

"Wonderful! Now climb up!"Our Prof. who-looked-so-much-like-Snape proclaimed.

There was pause. Finally someone mustered the courage to ask, "I am sorry, sir, but are you asking us to climb this knoll?"

I looked up at the steep knoll with large boulders sticking out at precarious angles and resisted a shiver. I had never even climbed up a tree as a kid but to climb a steep elevation, well as the Prof says!

"Of course I am."

"Well, where are the ropes then ?" Vir asked him and the icy glare he got in return was enough for everyone to gather their courage and start their climb without another word.

Professor lead our troop to the top. At many points Vir had the advantage of his long legs when he had to just hop from one rock to another while I was stuck with nowhere to go. Then he would just offer me his hand and pull me up. This was a proof of how physically weak I was being a girl, a proof I did not like a bit.

After everyone had made their way to the destination, the Professor took attendance again as if to make sure that no one had fallen down to their untimely demise. After that he showed us how to break a rock. Just put it on the ground and no, do not keep holding on to it with your fingers while hitting it (like we are that dumb) and then strike. Poof! the rock broke into 2 fragments like it was meant to but with no thunder or lightning which happened when Thor's Hammer struck.

"Get to work!" He shouted, making me nearly deaf.

I found a nice big rock to sit on and found a Dolomite to break.

BANG!

My hammer contacted the hard surface.  The rock broke and I pulled back my hammer with a large smile on  my face only to realize that what I held in my hand was only a wooden handle while the iron hammer head which should be attached to it was on an upward journey to heaven.

"What the .." I shouted and ran after the iron head which was making a physics-problem worth parabola in the air. I mean whose first instinct is to run after a heavy iron head willing it to land straight on your hand rather than to shield yourself from it? Everyone's, right? See I knew you would agree with me.

So here I was running after it with my hand outstretched like any normal person's,  when it decided to betray my eager awaiting fingers and land straight on Ved's head. Here I operate under the assumption that everything, living or otherwise, is attracted to his over-smart head. Pulling tiny swirls in the air it made a descent to his cranial area, when at the last moment as if sensing the trouble he pushed away from the spot he had previously stood on. Alas! The Hammer head missed him by inches just like every fangirl had, who decided to flung her overeager-self on him.

"Phew!" He exhaled and trained his wide eyes at me.

"Well, that was.... an accident!" I squeaked in a high pitched voice.

"No doubt. You can never pull that impressive a parabola directed exactly at 45 degree covering the maximum range even if you wanted to." He smirked.

I gaped at him, trying to recollect the reminiscent of high school physics which made its way to my front brain. In such occasions people worry and "Are you okay?" "I'm so sorry" or such words are exchanged but while people rushed to inquire of his well-being I realized that we were anything but normal. He and me. Both.

"Wow, scary chick! Remind me never to be on her bad side" Someone howled like a ruffian before being slapped shut by someone. I had a sneaking suspicion that someone was Vir.

Only now did the gravity of the situation started to dawn on me. Anything could have possibly gone wrong, Ved could have been gravely injured.

The guilt and fear of my act might have been visible on my face because Ved stared straight into my eyes and said in a sincere voice, " It's okay, Kathy. Nothing happened. Don't worry, okay?" By the end he literally cooed as if talking to a child and I nodded my head in discipline. His expressions were so tender and comforting that it seemed that he might even hug me but that was before someone cleared their throat.

"What is all this?" Prof Snape-look-alike made his appearance and his hawk like eyes glared at me before  landing warmly on Ved. It was no secret that he was unreasonably partial towards him. If he were to save Ved by throwing off whole of this class down the knoll then he might willingly do that. Okay, the last bit was sheer exaggeration.

"Is there a problem, Ved?" The teacher asked softly.

"None at all, sir. Only Kathy happened to break her Hammer." Our classmates stared at Ved wide eyed. To see the Teacher's pet, the ideal student speak a white lie was a once in a life time occurrence.

"Are you sure?" The teacher inquired, taking in the expressions of all the students around him, especially mine. My face might have only registered shock. Why would he lie for me? He might have died because of me! Why would he save me? It was not like we were friends or something, right?

"Well, if that's what you say", Professor gave my hammer to a lab assistant for repair and shouted, "now look scared and scuttle."

I eagerly took note that he had  just stated Mycroft Holmes. Fellow Sherlockian, huh? Slick!

After every body had left, I did what any normal person would do. I thanked him.

"Thank you, Ved. You really saved me today."

"No blood, no foul." He winked at me and I could not help but think that he looked a lot like Edward Cullen while saying that. Those high cheek bones glittering in the sharp sun, those down casted eyes which looked a lighter shade of blue blossoming in the spring when the sunlight un-invitingly penetrated through them, the slight stubble on his angular chin and his dust covered weather-beaten Denim jeans. He looked undeniably, smokingly ho....

Wait, what? I just did not think that. Cut that thought Kathy. This is not how you think of a man you nearly murdered. Wait, you just thought of him as a man, not a boy, but a man. Oh well, this place is getting to you, that is all. You are not used to the air, the water and that is what's playing with your mind. That's all!

He gave me an intense gaze and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes", I shrugged, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just had this far away look on your face. The kind of look fan girls have when they look at me." He shrugged casually too.

I swear my face would been as red as Paprika because I could feel my cheeks burn. "Wh-What?" I stuttered.

He chuckled, "Chill, Kathy. I did not mean that. Time to break rocks then!"

I smiled timidly and sat next to him. A Geologist without Hammer is like Thor without Mjölnir- POWERLESS! So I sat next to him, observing everything he did and he would explain me his finding. At one point he discovered something interesting in the rock specimen and beckoned me closer to share his eye-lens. It was only after appreciating his finding did I looked up and found a minimal distance of centimeters between us. His pink lips clouded my vision and somehow, I was transfixed. A sudden need seized me, more like a curiosity now that I think about it, a need to know if they were actually as soft, satin to touch as they looked. My breathing became heavier, heart rate increased, pupils dilated. Had I been Sherlock then surely I would have identified these symptoms but I was no Sherlock and human emotions are but a medley of stupidity.

Unlike me, he showed no visible signs of an adrenaline secretion, his breathing was slow... almost as if he wasn't breathing and his form was rigid as if he was carved of stone. My eyes trailed over his form, furious over my own traitorous peak but it was only when my eyes met his that I saw some activity. They were shinning brightly, not in a mischievous manner but it was something similar, it simmered with emotions I cannot decipher and then I felt him drawing closer, closer.... until he pulled away with a start.

" Oh see everyone's leaving!" He exclaimed, sounding breathless. Everyone was packing their knapsack and professor had already started his downward descent.

I suddenly felt cold, dejected. I don't know what had I expected to happen. What frustated me even more was the fact that I did not know why I acted the way I did.

I looked around for Vir and realized that he had already left, which was a good thing considering that I did not want him to see me blushing furiously. I packed my bag and made a beeline to the slope line. Ved was waiting for me there.

"Come on, I'll help you down." He offered me his hand which I did not accept.

" I can help my ownself, thank you." I said, maybe a bit harshly because I swear I saw him flinch.

I stumbled and slipped a lot but made it down with no major fractures and many bruises. I glanced up and saw Ved's lithe form jump gracefully from one rock to another. For some seconds our eyes met before I looked away angrily.  What was wrong with me?! With this singular frustation-filled question, I made my way to the awaiting bus.

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 It is very dark in the room and my half sleeping mind can hear the gentle lull of sea as it rushes inwards. I sigh and turn around. There is something poking my leg and I kick it before pleading the sea to silence itself so that I can sleep. Another nudge on my elbow and my now waking mind swears the person to a lot of unmentionable places, hell being one of them.

"Come on wake up, Kathy. We have to sneak out." Someone whispers and my mind jolts awake. An unknown voice in an unknown hotel room can wake up even a heavy sleeper.

"Its me." The voice calls out again and I can make out a hood-covered figure hovering over my bed in the darkness and I decide that if it turns out to be a Dementor (from HP) or Nazgûl (from LOTR) then I'll hide under my blanket only to wake up in the morning or perhaps never .

"Me? Wh-who's me?" I squeked like a rabbit.

"Me as in Vir. Now get up!" He shout/mumur.

Pushing the blanket off my form, I stare at him, "What?! What are you doing here? It's girls accomodations."

"Well, we are going partying so get up and change."

"Have you seriously lost it?! Why are we even partying?"

"Because the clock nears 12, lil nymph! Happy new year!" With this he flashes such a big smile that his teeth flash like little bulbs in the darkness. 

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A/U:- I am sorry for the frustration-filled climb and the bits of Geology but it was partly inspired my own geological excursion so I just could not keep the frustration out of Kathy's narration. For Goodness sake! I did not even had my own Ved or Vir so I had to borrow other people's Virs and Veds (things one has to do for geology :P).

As for the different HP, LOTR and Thor reference- sorry, I can't help it cz I'm crammed with fanfiction-dom today. An instance where my Botany Professor and I shared the same fandom. I have the SHERLOCK theme song as my caller tune and whenever this specific teacher's cellphone rang I used to freak out. Why? Because even she had Sherlock theme song as a caller tune. I always thought that it was my phone ringing and would steel myself for a good scolding.

Fellow Sherlockian, huh? Slick! :P