Foreword: It's kind of a personal tradition for me that every Christmas I write a holiday-themed story. Normally, I write something that's more satirical but this year I decided to try something different. I admit, this is not the best story I've ever done; my job and final exams seriously cut into my writing time and I wanted to have this done while Christmas was still fresh on everyone's minds, so it may seemed a bit rushed in some places. Still, please read and review.

Also, "Tomb Raider" is a product of Core Design, Crystal Dynamics, and Eidos Interactive. I don't own any part of the franchise or the characters (but it would be totally cool if I did).

A light breeze blew through the air as snow gently fell on the grounds of Croft Manor. The manor stood as an island in a white sea that was illuminated brightly by the manor's security lights.

Lara Croft looked out her bedroom window, admiring the scene. It was the evening of Christmas Eve, just one day before Christmas Day; Christmas just didn't feel complete without at least some snow on the ground. Everything was ready for tomorrow; the food for Christmas dinner was bought, the tree was up and decorated in the main hall, and presents were under the tree.

Lara remembered the Christmases she used to have when she was younger, before her father died; all her relatives arrived at the manor on Christmas morning to celebrate. But when her father died, that changed forever; Lara was thrust into a legal battle against her uncle over the who would rightly inherit her father's wealth, estates, and title. Lara won the case, but she became estranged from the rest of her family. Some of them wouldn't talk to her at all; others wouldn't talk with her without their lawyers present.

But this year Lara had an unusual, but wonderful family to spend Christmas with. She had Doppelganger, her clone created by her arch-nemesis Natla; Amanda Evert, her old friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend-again and historian/mystic of her support team; Zip, her resident tech expert; and Winston Smith, her faithful butler and good friend who had been with her family since she was a little girl.

This was Doppelganger's first Christmas, and she had been absolutely ecstatic to learn about presents. After Zip told her about the gifts, she had ran all over the manor grounds for several hours and no one was able to catch her until Lara was able to calm her down and tell her that she had to get gifts for everyone else as well. After that, Doppelganger would disappear for days on end before showing back up unexpectedly. Lara suspected that her copy was Christmas shopping, so she didn't make an issue of it unless Doppelganger stayed away for too long.

Amanda was staying at the manor for Christmas because her family had died during her sojourn throughout the world in search of ancient magic, and she wanted to spend this particular time of year with somebody. She had briefly grumbled to herself about Christianity's history of muscling out the old magic that she belived in, but she helped anyways. She had helped to set up the tree and decorate it.

Zip also chose to stay with Lara for the holiday. He had family back to the US, but he didn't see them much anyways. Lara had suggested that since he didn't see them often that he should take off for the holidays, but Zip insisted they would get along fine without him. Besides, who's going to make the Christmas dinner if I'm not around, he'd added. Lara had to admit he had a point; Zip was perhaps the best cook she knew.

Winston was also staying at the manor for Christmas. As an employee, this was technically his time off. But he had no family left and the Crofts had always been like a family to him anyways, so he chose to spend the holidays here.

Lara's reflections were interrupted as her bedroom door opened and Doppelganger walked in. She still wore that same leather outfit, the one that Lara had first seen her on her. Even though she sometimes borrowed Lara's clothes if she felt like wearing something different, it seemed to be like a trademark image of her's.

Doppelganger walked up behind Lara. "Are you ready for bed yet?" she asked.

"In a moment, Doppie. Just savoring the sight outside," Lara replied.

Doppelganger hugged Lara from behind and sweetly kissed the back of her neck before moving to her lips, and Lara eagerly kissed her back. They made their way to the couch in the living area of Lara's room, their lips refusing to break contact. Lara sat down while Doppelganger rested her head on Lara's lap, lovingly gazing up at her template. Lara stroked her clone's hair and face while Doppelganger enjoyed the sensations.

Lara and Doppelganger were more than roommates and friends; they were lovers. After arriving at the manor in search of a new purpose in life, Lara and Doppelganger had become friends; but it was an intense adventure on the island of Kalipalu that brought out their true feelings of love for each other, which they consummated when they arrived back home. Since then, Doppelganger had moved into Lara's room.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Lara asked Doppelganger.

Doppelganger smiled and nodded. "And you?"

"Of course, and that's why we should get to bed now."

Lara and Doppelganger changed into their nightgowns and climbed into bed together. Doppelganger cuddled up next to Lara, both of them thinking about Christmas morning tomorrow.

Lara woke to feel Doppelganger gently shaking her shoulder. "Lara? Lara? Lara, are you awake?" she asked.

Lara grunted an affirmative and looked at her bedside clock; 6:00 in morning, earlier than when Doppelganger usually woke her up. Then Lara remembered what day it was and she was instantly wide awake as Doppelganger.

"Can I go wake everyone up?" Doppelganger eagerly asked.

"Go ahead," Lara told her as she got out of bed. "I'm going to go make tea for everyone."

While Doppelganger went to wake up everyone, Lara went downstairs and into the kitchen and made tea for herself and Winston, and coffee for Zip and Amanda. They preferred the bitter roast over tea. Lara started a fire in the hearth, warming to the room with its glow and heat. She sat down on one of the couches and admired the scene in the hall. The Christmas tree stood tall and proud, and brightly decorated in the middle of the room. Some of the furniture had been moved around to make way for it.

It wasn't long before Zip, Amanda, and Winston all tiredly trudged down the stairs, almost being pushed by a very excited Doppelganger. As soon as everyone had their tea or coffee, they took turns opening their gifts.

Lara was the first to open a present, and she picked the one from Doppelganger. As Lara examined the rectangular-shaped gift, she wondered what it was. Lara had only one rule about getting her gifts: no artifacts or relics. She preferred to earn those on her own. As the wrapping came off, she discovered it was a photograph in a clear glass frame. But the photo caught her attention; it was from their first adventure together, the expedition to the Temple of the Cat in Egypt. Lara and Doppelganger standing over a cut mummy they had killed together, and Lara had set her PDA had taken a picture of them with their kill; Lara had a fun grin, and Doppelganger had her enigmatic smile. There was also a caption next to them which read,

My dearest Lara,

I'm prepared for many adventures with you, but there's one in particular I look forward to: spening my life with you.

XOXO

Doppie

Lara smiled with joy. "Thank you, Doppie," she said.

Doppelganger was next. She picked the one from Zip. It was another framed photograph, but it was very touching. The picture showed Lara, Zip, Amanda, and Winston in the main hall. Lara was sitting on one of the couches while her support team stood behind the couch. But Doppelganger had been photo-shopped into the picture, sitting next to Lara. At the bottom of the picture was a caption simply reading, "My family."

Doppelganger was genuinely touched, especially considering how Zip had been so adamantly opposed to her staying at the manor to begin with. She hugged Zip. "Thank you, Zip. It's good to know when you're a part of a family."

Amanda was next; she picked the one from Lara and unwrapped it. Her eyes went wide when she saw what it was; it was also old photo in a picture frame, but she knew this one well. It was a photo of Lara and Amanda standing side-by-side in front of the ruins of the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico; it was the first dig site she and Lara had explored while they were at university, something to whet the appetitie of the aspiring archeologists. It was also where Lara and Amanda became friends.

Amanda's lower lip trembled as she looked at her present. "Where did you get this?" she asked Lara.

"I found it several years ago while I was going through some old things I'd saved from back then."

Amanda hugged Lara, who hugged her back. "Thank you, Lara. This truly means a lot to me."

Winston's first gift was from Lara: his Christmas bonus check. "I admit, Winston," she told him, "I always feel a little guilty only handing you your Christmas bonus every Christmas instead of an actual gift. You've been so good to me since my mother disappeared and my father died."

Winston smiled. "It's no trouble, Lara. Sharing your adventures with me has always been all the gift that I need."

Lara smiled. "Thank you, Winston."

The morning continued with everyone opening their presents from each other. Lara got an upgraded PDA from Zip (he promised that this one would play MP3s), several volumes of classical literature from Amanda, and a restored Japanese World War II-era katana from Winston (which Winston's cousin had taken as a trophy while fighting in the Pacific during the war). Doppelganger got a CD featuring a collection of horror movie soundtrack pieces (her favorite kind of music) from Lara, a pair of Ray-Bans sunglasses from Amanda, and a radio/alarm clock from Winston (he wasn't sure what else to get her, but she appreciated it anyways). Amanda got a Atlantian charm necklace from Doppelganger (something she had held on to since leaving Helheim), a book on mysticism and metaphysics from Zip (one she had already read, but enjoyed), and a some incense from Winston (she rolled her eyes at that, but thanked him anyways). Zip got a collection of technical computer journals from MIT and CERN from Lara (he went ecstatic over these), a top-grade smartbook laptop computer from Doppelganger, an autographed cookbook from Amanda, and some brand new kitchen cutlery from Winston. Winston got a collection of spy novels from Doppelganger (his favorite literary genre), a stereo from Zip (who figured Winston could do with some more music), and a suit by Savile Row from Amanda.

With all the presents unwrapped, Amanda stood up to address everyone. "I have one last gift for everyone," she told them. With that, she fingered the Wraith Stone, the pendant that she had picked up in Paraiso and used to house the strange monster that Zip had dubbed "Fluffy", and her eyes clouded over as she lost herself in the magic.

Tendrils of bright light softly flowed out of the pendant. Amanda spread her arms, and the lights spread throughout the hall and around the tree. It was an amazing light show.

Everyone stared in awe at the magnificent display. Lara could tell from the bright, warm colors how Amanda felt.

Finally, the tendrils of light all came together and exploded in a grandiose display.

Amanda smiled as her eyes returned to normal. "Merry Christmas to us all," she told them. Everyone enthusiastically applauded Amanda's display.

With the presents unwrapped, everyone started to prepare for the Christmas dinner. Zip and Winston prepared the food while Lara and Amanda prepared the dining room, and Doppelganger acted as a floater by doing whatever job came her way. Afterwards, they went to the dining room for the feast. Zip had cooked up a marvelous feast for Christmas dinner; it was a traditionally English Christmas dinner, with roast turkey, roast potatoes, and cranberry sause. He did add some of his own personal touches, such as garlic for the roast potatoes. Lara also asked for several dishes to be specially added to the dinner menu. After dinner, Zip and Amanda decided to do the time-honored tradition of breaking the wishbone to see who would get the bigger piece; much to Zip's dismay, Amanda got the bigger half.

Later that night when everyone else had gone to bed, Lara and Doppelganger went to their room. Lara and Doppelganger both lay cuddled up with each other on the bed.

"This has been a wonderful Christmas, love. But I have one last surprise gift for you," Lara told Doppelganger.

Doppelganger grinned. "So do I. What is your's?"

Lara kissed her. "That I love you, and so I'm your last Christmas present."

Doppelganger raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Really? I'm your gift as well."

Both women looked at each other awkwardly, then laughed and embraced. Their lips came together again, and a whole new light show went off in their minds as their tounges slowly probed each other's mouths.

Doppelganger brought her hand to Lara's face, gently caressing it, and looked deep into her lover's eyes. "Lara, you gave me the greatest gifts of all: freedom, and love. The best present I can give you is my love for you."

Lara took Doppelganger's hand and kissed it, holding it to her. "Doppie, every day with you is a gift in itself. There is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you. That is my gift to you; that I will love you forever, no matter what."

Both women let tears of joy fall as their lips came together again. Doppelganger started to slowly slip the straps off Lara's shoulders. Their kissing became hungrier and more passionate as Lara unzipped the front of Doppelganger's top.

For the remaining hours of Christmas night, both women explored their bodies in the way only two people so in love possibly could. Their love-making was passionate and tender, like their first time together. They brought each other to the boundries of ecstacy, and beyond; the way they felt about each other knew no limits of any kind.

Finally, spent and exhausted, they shared a sweet, passionate good night kiss. Doppelganger pulled the covers over them and they cuddled up against one another as they drifted off into a blissful, contented sleep.

It was the best Christmas that Lara and Doppelganger ever had, better than either of them could have hoped for.

FIN

Afterword and author's commentary: Sorry, no Lara/Doppelganger lemon this time.

According to his biography, Zip really is an acredited chef (what, you didn't think a tech-savvy guy couldn't cook, did you?). Also, the Temple of the Cat expedition is a reference to the "Shadow of the Cat" add-on pack for the first "Tomb Raider". Also, while Lara's support team isn't her biological family, I still put this under the "family" genre because they all act like a family, i.e. people who are close to and willing to do anything for each other.

If there are any raised eyebrows at the photos being used for presents, just remember that pictures and photographs really do make excellent gifts; the old "a picture is worth a thousand words" maxim at work. They've helped me in the past when I couldn't come up with a better gift for some people.

Anyways, like I said, this is hardly my best work. I'll strive to do better on the next story.

To all my fellow fan fiction writers and readers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!