Chapter Ten

A few weeks later, and the newly formed Langdon family were on holiday in Paris. Faith had never been and Sophie wanted to check on her brother after the death of their grandmother, so they had decided to take a trip over there. Faith couldn't remember being as excited for anything. She had made a list of all the places that she had wanted to go. The flight was smooth and they found their hotel off to the side of the Champs Elysees. Sophie and Faith were amazed that they were able to stay there and Robert smiled, explaining that he had stayed here once before, giving a public lecture so he had got a decent deal.

They split up the following day. Sophie had gone off to find her brother, leaving Robert and Faith to explore the city together. They made it to Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and walked the entire length of Les Champs Elysees before they began to lose daylight. Faith fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow that night, tired out by her adventures in Paris. Robert promised that they would do the Effiel Tower and the Louvre tomorrow with Sophie.

That night, Robert was stood on the balcony, overlooking the Arc de Triomphe, marveling at the feat of engineering that had taken just thirty years to complete and was now a memorial to members of France's armed forces from the Napoleonic wars to the days of the Second World War. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear Sophie come and stand by him.

"What a view!" she said, waking Robert from his trance, "I forgot how beautiful Paris could be."

"My view is better!" he smiled, looking down at her.

She blushed, "That's so cheesy, you know."

He smiled, "But it's true. How did you get on with your brother by the way?"

"Very well, we had a lot to talk about…" she smiled.

"To do with the family?" he asked, curious.

"To do with our family."

Robert looked puzzled. Sophie took his hands and looked up into his face. It never ceased to amaze her how handsome Robert was. With the lights of Paris twinkling round him, he looked saint-like.

She smiled, "Robert, I'm pregnant!"

Robert froze, unsure what to do. The last time he had heard those words, it was on a phone call to Vittoria who was in Geneva. He had been woken at half three in the morning and was rather annoyed.

"Robert Langdon?" he had sighed down the phone.

"Robert? It's Vittoria."

Robert sat up in bed. He hadn't seen Vittoria in months, they had decided that their relationship wasn't going to work.

"Vittoria! How are you? How have you been?"

"I'm fine. Busy working. I have some news for you though…"

"What is it?" he asked, switching the light on.

"I don't know how to say this…"

"Vittoria?" he was worried now. He heard her sigh down the phone.

"I'm pregnant Robert, and it's yours…"

"Robert?" Sophie's voice seemed far off in the distance, "Robert?"

He shook his head and looked at Sophie. She looked worried, as if she had said something wrong.

"Pregnant?" he asked smiling, "We're gonna be parents?"

She nodded, smiling again, "Are you happy?"

"Happy?" he grinned, "Soph, it's the best news ever!" and he hugged her tightly.

"Sure?"

"Positive. Our little miracle!" and he kissed her passionately.

They found their way to the bed and fell asleep in a lustful embrace.

The next day, Sophie, Faith and Robert found themselves in the Louvre. Faith loved visiting Art Museums with her dad. He was a walking encyclopedia. Faith was sure she learnt more from her father than from the exhibits themselves.

"Her smile is in the lower spacial frequencies." Robert explained to Faith as they queued to get a look at the Mona Lisa. Sophie smiled. The last time they had been here was just after her grandfather had been murdered and before they embarked on a 24-hour grail quest that would take them to Scotland. "The horizon is significantly lower on the left than it is on the right."

"Why?" asked Faith, looking expectantly up at her dad.

Robert smiled, "Well, see she appears larger from the left than on the right. Historically, the left was female and the right was male."

"So, Da Vinci made her more feminine by make her larger from the left?"

"Something like that." Smiled Robert, "No one really knows."

"A Da Vinci mystery!" she smiled.

"Indeed!" smiled Robert, squeezing Sophie's hand.

They made their way underneath the museum, to where a small stone pyramid almost touched the upside down pyramid, suspended from the ceiling. While Faith amused herself, Robert took Sophie to one side.

"I never told you what happened after I left you in Scotland." He began as they walked round the pyramids.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Well, I was sat in my hotel room, mulling over the past few days, when something clicked. The way your grandfather had spelt roslin, the original prime meridian."

"The Holy Grail 'neath Ancient Roslin waits." Sophie whispered.

Robert nodded, "So I went for a walk and followed the Rose Line and as I walked more and more started to make sense. Like the fact that your grandfather asked to meet me here. As I followed the line, I found myself entering the Louvre courtyard. I came down here, and I was met by the two pyramids, La Pyramide Inversée." They had stopped walking now and Sophie looked up expectantly at Robert.

"The Holy Grail 'neath Ancient Roslin waits." He pointed at the ceiling, "The Rose Line stops in the middle of that glass pyramid." Sophie looked up smiling, he had figure it out.

"The blade and chalice guarding o'er her gates," he pointed out the pyramids, "One looks like the blade and the other like the chalice."

"Adorned in master's loving art she lies…" continued Sophie.

"She's surrounded by some of the greats, Bottichelli. Da Vinci to name a few."

"What about the last line?" Sophie could barely contain her excitement.

"She rests at last beneath the starry skies." He smiled, "Well, that one comes into its own at night, when the heavens gaze down on this spot. Sophie…" He looked at her and smiled, "Your grandfather moved the grail here and guarded her all his life. She's beneath you."

Sophie couldn't believe it. All this time, she had thought that the grail was lost, that her location had died with her grandfather, but Robert had figured it out. And now, she knew.

She looked at Robert with tears in her eyes, "My god, Robert."

He smiled, "I had another reason for wanting to bring you here today.."

Sophie looked confused.

Robert got down on one knee and Sophie gasped. Faith came running over.

"Oh my God!" Faith squealed.

Robert smiled, "Sophie Neveu, will you make this tired old Harvard Professor the luckiest man on earth and agree to be my wife?"

Faith looked between her father and Sophie, holding her breath.

"Yes!" smiled Sophie, tears now flowing down her face, "Yes, Robert, of course I will!" and she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Faith was jumping up and down in mid air while the people around them cheered and clapped. When Sophie and Robert broke apart, Faith ran into her father's arms and cried with happiness. The three of them sank to the ground, laughing and crying.

But more importantly, they fell together, as a family.

THE END