Author's Note: Oh my gosh, I've never written anything like this before and I have positively no idea what I'm doing. I'm sorry if it's not really good, especially since I have even written anything in a long time.

Enjoy this S.S. Endurance that I wrote in a bunk at a school that I didn't go to. Hah…

- Piper

-x-

The waves crashed incessantly against the ship, constantly rocking it back and forth in the turbulent sea. The wind howled through the hollow corridors of the ship, splashing water high up on the deck. The sky was black and stormy, rain beginning to fall. The crew of the S.S. Endurance were beginning to worry that they might capsize in the rolling ocean, but to some, they could care less about the impending weather.

Lara and I were in our small cabin in crew quarters that was below deck. Lara was reclining in her chair at the desk, poring over the maps and charts and ancient texts, trying to get an exact reading of the location of Yamatai, but to no avail.

"Hey, sweetie, why don't you take a break? It's not like Yamatai's going anywhere," I said, spinning her chair towards me where I was laying in my bunk. She gave me her signature 'never-gonna-happen' look, and spun around back to her charts. I gave a sigh and rolled over in my bunk. I just wished she would talk to me instead of being obsessed with looking for the island. Being with her made me smile and I felt sad when I couldn't be around her, for some reason.

-x-

"Sam?" Lara called.

My heart skipped a beat, my eyes opening, realizing I'd fallen asleep. But, oh my gosh, her accent was to die for. "Yeah?" I said back, smiling a little on the inside that she was talking. She was definitely a woman of few words, but it didn't necessarily mean she had given her vows to never talk.

"Let's do something. These maps are giving me a headache."

"What would you like to do?" I inquired, putting my legs over the side of my bunk, swinging them back and forth.

"I dunno. You decide," Lara said as she walked over to my bunk and sat down beside me. My heart started beating faster at the closeness and it was strange. Lara and I always kept in close contact, but lately it had set me off in anxious waves, leaving me confused.

"I always decide, your turn, sweetie." I smiled at my friend, knowing how much she disliked being bored. She was a very active soul and being confined on this ship had her going stir-crazy. Lara rested her head on my shoulder, letting out a sigh.

Suddenly, she reached over and poked my side.

"Eek~" I squealed, totally unprepared. "Stop that, I'm ticklish."

Lara's eyes lit up, "Oh, are you?" And went in for the attack. She pushed me over and started tickling my sides and the bottom of my feet and rendered helpless. I tried pushing her off with my foot, but to no avail, she was much stronger. Amongst all of the laughing and the tickling, I suddenly realized Lara was right in front of my face, she stopped tickling me, our eyes locked.

Without realizing what I was doing, I leaned forward, smashing my lips into hers, holding the kiss for only a moment before rationality kicked in and I realized what I had done. I recoiled, throwing Lara off of me and scrambling into the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" I shouted at her, "I don't know what came over me and I-I… I'm sorry." I mumbled sorry many times, but she just sat there, looking down. I couldn't see her face.

Why had I kissed her? Did I like her…? What the heck was going on? I was definitely so confused by the torrent of emotions and things that were going around right now.

After a minute of apologizing, I stood up to leave. I couldn't stand to be in the room right now, feeling the tangible tense air.

"Sam."

I stopped in my tracks, my heart racing. I looked over my shoulder as I pulled the door open. I hesitated to answer, knowing she probably hated my guts right now.

"Yeah…?" I managed to mumble out.

"Come here." Lara's voice held no emotion, but she held my gaze with a fierceness.

I had the feeling that she was going to beat me up or something, because she definitely could. I stepped forward towards where she sat, turning my eyes to the floor and keeping them trained on the floor. When I stood before, I wasn't expected what happened next.

Lara stood up, grabbing my shoulder and drawing me into her, kissing me. My eyes shot wide open with confusion, but I didn't want to break the kiss, that I was sure of.

Lara pulled away after a moment, giving me a small smile. "I thought I was the only one who felt that way… but when you kissed me, I was just so shell-shocked that it happened, elated that it had, and so confused that it was possible. And, so I, uh, er, like you, Sam."

My mind was assaulted by a thousand different thoughts, but one stood out among the rest, I liked her, too, whether it had registered or not until now, I was unsure of. I moved in closer to her, pressing my lips against her soft lips, whispering, "I like you, too, Lara."

"Good." Lara smiled at me. With her body pressed against, the gap between us shattered when she returned my kiss, I could feel her heart beat pounding, just like mine.