Foreword:

I don't own most of the characters. Lara Croft, Hilary, Bryce and all the others I won't mention to keep it interesting are copyright Eidos, Annie Richardson is copyright Top Cow, Kazuya Mishima and Devil are copyright Namco.

This is a sequel to my story Dangerously in Love, but it can be read without the knowledge of the first story, but in that case, you have to understand that the character Kazuya Mishima, who is from the fighting game Tekken, has sold his soul to the Devil.

And why the hell does my spellchecker know Namco but not Eidos?

Intro

Lara had been running through the catacombs underneath the Strahov for ages, her feet were hurting and she felt really tired. In her hand she still held Kurtis' Chirugai. What had happened to Kurtis? This question was constantly on her mind. She had left him back in the arena with Boaz. The women had transformed into a giant spider-like creature after Eckhardt supposedly killed her. 'But he had insisted.' she told herself again and again. He had sent her after Eckhardt with the shards and Lara had been victorious. After killing Eckhardt and also Karel, who turned out to be behind everything in the end, she had come back looking for Kurtis. On the floor of the arena, she had found a bloodstain and his Chirugai. She had followed the trail he had left, but after a few hundred meters, she couldn't track it any more. Lost forever? She sat down on the floor and lay her head down on her knees. Typical. Just so typical. Each time she had found someone she cared for, something happened - they died, they betrayed her and her beliefs, they lived thousands of miles away and were always busy...

Lara placed the Chirugai on the ground and rummaged in her bag to find something to drink. When she had found her water skin, she took a sip and leaned her head back against the stone wall. Suddenly she sat up straight. Had that been a yell, or had her mind been playing tricks on her? There it was again. Lara got up, threw the water skin back into her bag and grabbed the Chirugai. She noticed that it was pulsating slightly. She darted down the passage as quickly as she could. Now she could clearly hear someone calling for help. In a side passage she finally found what she had been looking for the whole time.

"Kurtis..."

He looked very pale and had a huge wound in the stomach area, it seemed like something had pierced right through him. Lara remembered the remains of an insect like creature she had seen in the arena where she found the Chirugai. Kurtis was leaned against the cold stonewall, clutching his wound.

"Lara. Help me...," he whispered.

"Kurtis, what happened?" Lara asked while she searched in her bag for some bandages.

Lara helped Kurtis out of his shirt and bandaged his wound. From what she saw, she assumed that whatever had injured him had stabbed him in the back. The wound looked worse there.

"Lara..." Kurtis said rolling his eyes.

"Kurtis, stay with me," she said slapping his face lightly. "We have to get out of here, and I cannot carry you all the way."

"It hurts..."

Lara reached into her bag and held out a painkiller to Kurtis.

"This should ease your pain, at least till we are out of here."

Kurtis moaned and closed his eyes. Lara bent over him.

"Kurtis?" she asked worried.

He opened his bright blue eyes and looked at Lara.

"I am still with you, baby," he said.

Lara was somewhat annoyed with him calling her baby, she never liked that kind of talk from men, but she didn't say anything. 'But just because you are badly hurt.' she thought. He took the painkiller and drank from the water skin Lara handed him.

"Can you stand up?" she asked him after a moment of rest. "We have to get out of here."

"Let me try." he mumbled.

He scrambled to his knees and tried to stand up but his legs gave way. Lara caught him and helped him to stay on his feet, shaking he stood there, holding on to her. Lara felt his weight pulling on her, but she stood firmly. They made their way through the catacombs back into the Strahov. Kurtis had insisted to climb out through the underground caves, where he came in and had parked his motorbike but Lara had disagreed and told him he was in no condition to climb through catacombs or ride a bike. He was also in no condition to argue and so they had returned to the bio dome. It was almost deserted. A look at Lara's watch told her why. It was nighttime and probably most of the people had gone home. There were hardly any guards left. But in the warehouse they ran into one of them.

"You stay here." Lara said to Kurtis helping him to lean against a wall where he was hidden from sight. Then she marched ahead and approached the guy, who had his back turned towards them. She made an effort not to make any sound. When she had reached him, she tipped him on the shoulder and when he turned around freed him from his rifle. The man clenched his fists but before he could do anything, Lara had smashed her fist into his face. Then she summoned all her strength and punched him in the side as hard as she could. He was slightly stunned and stood there staggering. Then she punched him in the face again with two quick lefts and a right. The guard didn't know what was happening to him. Lara used this moment of confusion to spin around and then kicked him in the chest. The guy went down to the ground and seemed to be unconscious. Lara looked really pleased with her work. Then she returned to where she had left Kurtis.

"Wow, I am impressed," he said weakly, holding his wound. "Where did you learn that?"

"In Japan, when I've been there for a couple of weeks, last year." Lara replied. "I had a very good teacher... But now let's get out of here."

Two hours later, they were out of the Strahov. Parked nearby they found Luddick's car. He had driven Lara here and then had been caught and killed by Eckhardt and his men. Lara had found his corpse and luckily taken the car keys from his pocket. They were very useful right now. Lara helped Kurtis into the car and drove him to the nearest hospital. On the way Lara called the hospital to inform them of Kurtis' critical condition. When they arrived there, Kurtis was immediately placed on a stretcher.

"Lara..." he whispered.

She approached him and leaned closer.

"Get my bike," he said.

"I will. I promise." she said smiling at him.

She bent down and kissed him gently. He managed a smile before they carried him away.

Lara returned to the Strahov one last time, to fulfil her promise. She found the motorbike easily, although it was hidden behind some trees. For a moment Lara was tempted to follow the passage back into the catacombs underneath the Strahov, just to see where it would lead. But she reminded herself that there was no reason to go back in there.

"Just get out of here, Lara," she said to herself.

She got Kurtis' bike and drove back into town.

Then Lara went to the police and explained everything that had happened. At first they didn't want to let her go again, so she had to stay the rest of the night. In a cell she managed to get some sleep, it wasn't very comfortable, but better than nothing, after this adventure. In the morning a police officer entering waked her. Her lawyer had arrived and she was free to go, at least for the time being. Lara returned to the hospital to check on Kurtis. A doctor told her that they had stitched him up and that he was resting. He told her that Kurtis wasn't well enough to have visitors yet, and that she should come back the next day.

One day later Lara visited Kurtis in the hospital. He was sitting in his bed reading a newspaper. He looked up, smiled when he saw Lara entering, and put down the newspaper.

"I see you have cleared your name," he said pointing at the paper.

Lara had a look at it. The headline read 'Alchemist Pieter Van Eckhardt responsible for mysterious deaths in Paris and Prague'

"I am glad to see that you are recovering," Lara said to him. She fumbled in the pocket of her jacket. "And I've got something for you." she said pulling out the keys to his motorbike.

She walked towards his bed and placed the keys on the table beside it. Then she pulled out a chair and sat down next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel tired and my whole body is aching like mad. And also I am bored and I would kill for a cigarette."

"Smoking is a bad habit," Lara replied.

"I don't care." he shot back.

"I see you didn't have a cigarette for far too long." Lara commented. "So what are you planning to do now?"

"As soon as I get out of here I will try to find some former members of the Lux Veritatis. I have heard that some of them left before Eckhardt killed them. And you?"

"I will return to England, waiting for the next assignment. I know who murdered Von Croy, I know why... so this seems to be over for me."

"You are probably right. But I need to find those former Lux Veritatis members. So where do you think you will be going to next?"

"Who knows? I just hope it is not Egypt again. Or maybe I get some time off..."

After that day, Lara stayed with Kurtis in Prague for a while longer and then accompanied him back to Paris for another week. All the while Kurtis didn't show any interest that he wanted more than a normal friendship.