Authors Note: Thanks to gyikhu for the title :o)

Authors Note 2: I always wanted to do a story abot Lara and what made her become who she is today, so to do so I needed some life changing moments. This is the result.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tomb Raider and I don't make any money from it.

Fallen

Goodbye mother

"Mummy, I'm scared," Lara whispered the nine year old girl looked at her mother with her hazel eyes; they were shining with fear as the plane was shaking.

"I know sweetheart, just close your eyes and listen to my voice, everything will be fine," said Amelia Croft, not feeling completely safe herself, but she found it best not to share that with her daughter.

Lara nodded and closed her eyes, leaning as close to her mother as possible. Her mother leaned over as much as it let itself do and sang, "Hush little baby don't you cry, mummy's gonna buy you a mockingbird, if that mockingbird won't sing…"

Lara hid in her mother, clinging to her as the plane continued to shake while losing height. Amelia looked out the window over Lara's head seeing the ground coming closer. With terror she feared that she would lose what was dearest to her, her beloved daughter.

How could this happen?

"Mummy," Lara whimpered.

"Shhh it will soon be over," Amelia said in a soft tone, a lot of steady than what she felt like. She had to be strong for her even if she was scared to death.

Lara was shivering violently as the plane landed with a huge bang and slide forward for a while, then it stopped and everything went quiet. Amelia that had closed her eyes in the process opened them and said, "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

As she slowly released her grip, Lara looked at her mother with big eyes saying, "We crashed, didn't we?"

"That we did, are you injured?" she asked, noticing how she didn't even have a scratch, but she was feeling a bit shaky.

"I'm feeling a bit confused, other than that fine," said Lara, loosening her seatbelt and getting up. Her mother did the same, slowly going ahead to the cockpit to check on the pilots, she would soon find they were both dead.

To shelter her daughter from seeing that and to get out of the machine that could have resulted in their death, Amelia grabbed what was necessary and Lara and got out.

Lara's adventures side was triggered by the surroundings as soon as they were outside the plane. Even if they seemed to be in nowhere land somewhere in the Himalaya's that didn't stop her from taking a peak. She found that even there it was little signs of life both high and low.

"Don't go too far," Amelia yelled after her, trying to keep a watchful eye on her daughter that seemed to be exploring her surroundings. Not that that was anything new, she always did that. She'd grown up to be a curious young girl, maybe that was because both her parents were as well.

"And hi to you little Spiderman, where did you come from," she heard her say, as she took what Amelia could only assume to be a spider of her shoulder and put it on the ground, then she seemed to be following it.

Amelia shook her head as she looked at a map, trying to figure out where about they were and how to get home from there. The most logical thing was to be walking to the nearest city and there find somewhere to get to plane. This whole travel had truly been a mistake and now she wanted to get home to her husband. She needed the safety of his strong arms.

Her thinking suddenly got interrupted by Lara yelling, "Mummy, look what I found."

Amelia sighed as she went in the direction of her daughter's excited voice only to find her standing by the foot of a temple. She frowned not actually knowing it should be one there.

"Can we go inside, can we, can we?" Lara looked at her mother with pleading eyes.

"I don't see why not," said Amelia with a smile, mostly because she wanted to see what was inside as well. Maybe a hidden treasure of some kind, you never knew what was inside old temples.

The young girl let out a yelp of excitement as she run up the stairs, making her ponytail jump up and down. Her mother slowly followed her slowly, taking the time to look at the exterior of the temple as they approached the opening.

As soon as they came inside Amelia completely lost track of her daughter in all the corners and secrets pathways that were there.

"Lara," she called out, but there was no answer, although she thought she could hear her footsteps running somewhere nearby. Or was that her imagination.

"Lara!" she yelled out again, sure she could hear her giggles.

"I'm here," she could suddenly hear her yell back, and followed to where she thought the sound came from. Seeing her daughter talk to a woman standing close by surrounded with light.

"This is Amanda," said Lara with a happy smile.

"Where did you come from?" Amelia asked, looking questioning at the redheaded woman in front of her.

"The future," said Amanda, as simple as that.

"Cool huh?" Lara asked, smiling due to her mother's facial impression.

"And how exactly did you get here?" Amelia wanted to know, thinking it seemed too farfetched.

"With the help of her," she said, pointing towards Lara that were totally captured by this woman.

"Lara, how did you get her to appear?" asked her mother, looking at her with serious eyes.

"Easy I just made this sword move and there she was," said Lara pointing to a sword on the ground.

Amelia lifted it up and swung it around just as Amanda yelled no, but too late and with that both women disappeared. Lara gasped whispering for her mother. Sadly she was nowhere to be found. She swung the sword to get either to appear, but nothing.

"Mummy," the young girl whispered, tears starting to appear from her eyes, but there was no answer, no nothing at all. Her mother was gone.

A sea of tears made their way down her cheek as the young girl slowly made her way out of the temple, not knowing if she would ever see her mother again.

Slowly the young girl made her way from where she was to Katmandu, not wanting to go back to the terrible place where she lost her mother or where the plane crashed, all she wanted was to go home. To try to forget everything, or wake up discovering it was just a dream.

Finding a payphone somewhere in the crowded city, a tearful Lara called her father.

He quickly picked up saying, "Richard Croft, how may I help?"

"Daddy, mummy's gone, I'm all alone, please come and get me," Lara cried into the phone.

Richard having no idea what was going on, only that his wife wouldn't leave their daughter alone by choice, quickly asked, "Where are you?"

"Think Katmandu, please hurry," she whispered as their connection got cut due to no more money. She ended up passing out from emotional exhaustion moments later.

Richard Croft was looking frantically around in Katmandu for his little girl. In the end he ended up finding her in a back allay, hiding behind some trashcans. Her face was grimy and dirty, as were her clothes and her hair was a huge mess. She was shivering lightly where she lay as a little curl.

Lord Croft lifted up his young girl still not getting how she had ended up there alone. As he carried her out of there he asked, "Where is your mother?"

"Gone," said Lara.

This struck him as an arrow through the heart. His wife, the love of his life was gone. He didn't ask how it happened, by now he knew the plane had crashed, but not what happened after that. He knew he in time had to ask her, but now was not the time.

Now his little girl needed him more than anything, like he needed her, the mere refection of what used to be his wife.

He carried her all the way back to the plan so they could get home asfast as possible, sparing his little girl for more pain. As it slowly took off, Lara looked at the window whispering, "Goodbye, mummy, I'm sorry."

Lord Croft's heart was aching hearing his daughter utter these words. As she started to cry, he pulled her into his strong arms for comfort, promising himself he would never let her go. One loss was enough and even more than he could bear, but losing his little angel that he knew he could never live with.

Young Lara's soft cries slowly died away as she fell asleep in her father's protective arms. She knew she was going home and that she was finally safe as long as he was around, and right now that was that entire she needed.

Richard continued to hold her, watching over her, glad that at least one of his women was okay, and as the plane slowly headed home, he put a hand on the window whispering, "Goodbye Amelia, I love you and I hope we'll one day meet again."

With that a tear and down his cheek and landed on Lara, making her turn a bit but not wake up. He smiled, continuing to watching out the window as the plane kept on flying, desperately hoping that he one day would be united with his wife on the other side.

Feedback always welcome and very much appreciated :o)