I thought of this about a month ago and finally decided to do something about it. Future pairings and I ship Lara/Alex. I also ship another pairing that…others may be stumped by.

Quote does not pertain to this chapter alone, serves for the entire story in general


"I have little left in myself – I must have you. The world
may laugh – may call me absurd, selfish – but it does not signify.
My very soul demands you; it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly
vengeance on its frame."
- Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre"


Ubeyte ikh."

Lara groaned softly as she faded into consciousness, the foreign words fresh in her ears. She bolted into sudden awareness when three gun shots rang through the air and then screamed as a body slumped in front of her. This wasn't one of her crew members, this was one of those twisted fucks that was holding them hostage. She did see familiar faces to her right but she was more focused on the open, gushing, skull almost in her lap.

"She's pretty."

Lara looked up, dark bangs brushing against her eyelashes as she laid those bright eyes on the slim figure hovering just a few feet in front of her. It was a girl, a young girl at that – maybe a few years younger than Lara herself – and she looked like a child compared to the burly men surrounding them. She looked out of place in the throng of Russians and putrid odor. She wore what appeared to be a simple white kimono, but it only came to above her knees, not traditionally to her ankles. Her hair, an off-white color, spilled over her shoulder as she cocked her head, examining Lara with those alien eyes.

Anisocoria.

Her right pupil was a pin point while her left pupil nearly swallowed her iris whole.

The young girl reached up and tugged on the sleeve of one of the men beside her, pointing to Lara, who knelt in the crisp soil as the trees burned around them. "Ona odna Vladimir interesovalsya?"

One of the men looked over at her, anger and hatred burning bright for his fallen brother. "Da, eto ona."

The child looked back over to Lara, utter interest and curiosity in those eyes. She approached Lara with small steps, stumbling on an exposed root before she caught herself; Lara noted how every man jumped towards her, like she was a porcelain doll about to tumble from its place on a shelf. But her movements were fluid and she crouched in front of Lara in seconds, tucking her skirt under her knees before she pressed them into the fallen leaves and cherry blossoms.

"What's your name," the young girl asked.

Lara floundered for a moment, the heat of the lit trees licking at the back of her neck. "L-Lara…and you are?"

The girl smiled. "My name is Teagen," she looked back at one of the men. "I want to keep her."

"But Mathias said –"

"He'll let me have her," Teagen smiled at Lara as she stood. "She'll be happy to see her friend anyway."

"Sam," Lara gasped out, trying to get to her feet. "Where is she you ba-"

She felt a hand connect harshly with the side of her face and twisted to her left, landing face-first in the dirt. "Don't hurt her," Teagen stomped her foot. "She's mine and Mathias will get mad if you break my stuff again."

Vladimir, Lara recognized him as the Russian that had caught them in the first place, glared at Teagen, who was glaring back. He huffed and pulled Lara to her feet. "Lucky bird," he growled into her ear. He gestured to the others. "Ostav'te ikh dlya ptits."

Lara looked around in desperation as Teagen grinned and she joined Vladimir at his side. "You're friend is safe with Mathias."

"How," Lara sobbed. "How are any of us ok?"

Teagen was cast in the light of gunfire, a smile still on her face. "I didn't say all of you were."


R&R please.