Disclaimer: I own the OC's and the fic and that's it.
A/N: See? I didn't forget about this fic. I almost updated last month but I decided the chapter wasn't good enough.
^_^ Huge thanks to everyone for all their support. You guys are awesome! :D
Two weeks, and a day, later Lara's search for a new lawyer ended.
Somewhat.
"How can there seriously be no one who's willing to take me on as a client without an agenda?" Lara asked in frustration, seated on the table in front of the fireplace in the grand hall.
Bryce shrugged as he sipped his cocoa. "I dunno. Maybe they've all gone out of business?" He suggested.
Lara shrugged. "I have no idea! I just want this stupid search to be over with," she grumbled as Hilary hurried past to answer the door, "so that I can resume trying to get back to my normal life."
"Which means doing paperwork and sitting behind a desk all day." Bryce pointed out.
Lara dropped her head into her hands and screamed at that point. She was really beginning to hate all of the responsibilities that came with taking over the family business.
Someone coughed behind her and she noticed that Bryce had gone suspiciously quiet, so she raised her head and twisted around on the table to look at who was standing behind her.
There was Hilary, of course, and... A tall, handsome, blond, and dare she think, rugged, male, standing there. Staring at her. He couldn't be much older than her, she realized.
Her cheeks turned pink. "Oh, hello," she said, hurrying to stand. Since it was 7 o'clock in the evening, Lara was dressed down in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She was even barefoot, and she felt so ridiculous all of the sudden.
I shouldn't. This is my home. She told herself, yet she couldn't stop staring into the mesmerizing blue eyes of the stranger.
"Lady Croft, this is Alexander West." Hilary paused, a devious grin crossing his face before he stifled it. "And the man you've been looking for."
Everyone looked at him as Lara tried to figure out what he meant. Then, it hit her.
He's a lawyer! She thought, going around the table to shake Mr. West's hand. Hopefully, Hilary was right.
Lara and Alex, as he insisted she call him, quickly were introduced before they went to her office- which was a mess since she had thrown a fit earlier in the day and tossed everything around, fed up with time standing still at the manor.
Alex stopped just inside the doorway of the office, surveying the room with an amused look on his face. Lara, nervously, put her hands in her pockets and cleared her throat at that point, bringing his attention back to her, unintentionally.
Sure, riiiiiiiight. She thought, critically. "Um, I just lost something and was desperately trying to find it." she lied through her teeth as he continued to watch her.
He smirked, quirking his eyebrow, as Lara's heart skipped a beat. "Right."
A little annoyed, Lara flipped her braid over her shoulder and went towards her desk, carefully stepping around the items lying on the floor… Save for the "to do" list that her aunt had given her.
It's more like "to don't". She thought grumpily as she took a seat.
Alex took a seat across from her, still scanning the messy room.
Lara felt more and more ridiculous by the moment as she waited in silence for his gaze to return to her. When it finally did, she wished he'd start looking around the room again so she wouldn't feel as flustered.
"So, you're a lawyer." Lara stated. "I assume you've heard through the grapevine that I am currently looking for one." She said, feeling a little suspicious finally.
Alex leaned back in the leather wing chair and grinned slowly, making both Lara's heart rate spike and her suspicions grow.
There's something about him… She thought, both annoyed and intrigued, as she gripped the armrests of her chair firmly.
"Actually, Hilary recommended that I stop by."
The words shocked her.
Just how on earth did Hilary find this man?
Alex could see Lara's big brown eyes grow wide, then narrow, as she thought over his words.
Hilary's warning when he had returned to the manor just moments ago, that Lara was not a woman to be taken lightly, was an understatement.
He could tell that she didn't trust him, yet the fact that she hadn't outright turned him down, well… He had a feeling that this was a good meeting with Lady Croft.
Or, well, at least it was a good start to a meeting. He'd been warned by several friends that Lady Croft's temper quickly rose when it came to business matters.
This is going to be interesting, he thought with a smirk as Lara tilted her head, studying him.
"Oh, really?" she responded with. He had a feeling that Hilary would be in trouble with her if this meeting didn't turn out well. "How did he find out about you? Did you send a messenger as well?" she quizzed him with, crossing her arms across her ribs as she leaned back in the leather chair.
She was gorgeous- the photos from the tabloids had understated her beauty. And tough. Dressed in an old college t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants spotted with bleach stains, Lady Lara Croft looked less like an heiress in dire need of his assistance and more like a... A...
A girl you would take out for drinks and dinner at a local pub while catching a game? His conscience- the one he ignored most of the time- spoke up.
"Let's just say it was a right place, right time kind of deal." he responded casually with, not wanting to mention his little adventure trying to find his way to a grocery store. Although, chicks do dig guys who can ask for directions. His conscience added again.
Lara nodded slowly, her brown eyes narrowed as she studied him, assessing whether or not he was telling her the truth.
Just who's been applying for this job? Snakes? he wondered, suddenly feeling- oddly- protective of the woman he had only met minutes before.
"Well, then, Mr. West, tell me why you think you are the right man for this job." she said, issuing him a challenge that he could not- would not- refuse.
Alex shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable under her inquisitive, yet stern, gaze. He felt like he was in trouble when in reality he was there to help her.
Leaning back lazily, he smirked at her. "It all started when I got lost looking for a grocery store to purchase ice cream at..."
Bryce, and Hilary, though he would deny everything in an instant and then disappear to a corner of the manor not seen by many, spied on Lara and Alex through one of the camera's Bryce had set up around the manor.
"See? I told you these things are useful." Bryce quipped as Hilary rolled his eyes.
"I'll pay you back on that wager after we see the outcome of this meeting." Hilary responded with, cutting off Bryce's next quip before he had begun to formulate it.
Bryce blinked, his eyes wide and innocent. "What, we had a bet going for this? I had forgotten all about that. I take cash only, you know." He added, turning to face the screen again.
Please hire him. Please please please. Hilary thought. He was growing tired of fielding calls from law offices, independent lawyers, and anything else to do with the legal world. When she was done with this search he was going on a vacation. A long one. To a place like Australia or something where he could focus on something fun that was not within driving distance of the manor. And by driving distance he meant Lara's standards of the phrase. So, basically, a long ways away.
With an ocean in the way. And some mountains.
After several more moments of watching the boring footage- and Bryce hilariously trying to interpret what was being said- Alex and Lara stood and the two spying on the meeting backed away from the computer like it was possessed.
"Quick, turn it off!" Hilary hissed as Lara and Alex shook hands. Bryce inched his rolling desk chair forward, hands shaking as he prayed that Lara wouldn't know anything. Hands flying over the keyboard, he quickly closed out the footage and pulled up the feed for the driveway. Hilary scrambled away, pretending to dust a statue as Lara and Alex left the study.
Bryce resumed being bored stiff while Hilary flew into his role as polite butler easily, asking if Alex was staying for dinner or would like something to drink as the lady of the manor and the lawyer reached the bottom of the stairs.
"No, he will not be staying." Lara said in a tone that stated her disapproval of Mr. West. "Quite frankly, I find him too infuriating to want him to stay." she said, turning to Alex and looking him in the eye.
Alex just grinned a smug grin at her, his blue eyes bright. "Admit it- you love me."
Bryce sucked in a nervous breath at that point. "Oh dear God we're all doomed." he muttered, grabbing his coffee cup and exiting the tech room out a side door in order to avoid seeing the blow up that was inevitable. Hilary, too, moved out of the way.
He was left stunned when Lara just quirked her eyebrow at Alex, seeming to issue a silent challenge. Alex gave her a similar look then, and for a moment time seemed to stop as they had a staring contest.
"Good night, Mr. West." Lara said in a firm tone a moment later.
Taking her hand, Alex pressed a kiss to it, earning a faint blush from Lara. "Good night, Lara Croft." he said in a low tone that made her eyes grow wide. She didn't yank her hand away though, and she seemed a little disappointed when he let go.
Alex collected his wool coat, said good night to Hilary, and left minutes later calmly, leaving Hilary to wonder just what had been said at that meeting. Bryce, ever the curious one, lurked nearby, listening in.
"You can come out now, Bryce." Lara called, returning to the table in front of the fireplace. She sighed as she sat down, looking into the fading embers with a somber expression on her pretty face.
Bryce peaked his head out from around the doorway he had gone through, looking innocent. "Oh, I just forgot something..." he lied- badly- with. Hilary cringed when he heard that. "So... I take it he's not coming back then?"
The men held their breath as Lara sat, statue-silent, for a moment or two. She was deep in thought, it seemed. When she stood, they were anxious to hear her answer.
"No, he starts on Monday. Hilary, make sure anyone and everyone who was vying for the position knows that I've hired someone. I'm tired of seeing those darned letters on my desk every morning." Lara said as she started for the stairs. "And, Bryce? Next time you want to spy on someone, use a better camera. I could hear you zooming in and out the entire time." She paused halfway up the stairs, and turned her head to her shoulder so that they could see her profile. "Though, I don't blame either of you for being curious about the meeting." she grinned, and then resumed her ascension of the stairs. "Good night."
Bryce glared at Hilary as Lara went to her room, but Hilary was too busy grinning madly. "Oh, I like the looks of this."
"Why? Because now we're both in trouble!" Bryce hissed.
Hilary shook his head. "Not that. The Alex West bit. I think we're going to see a different side of Lara from here on out."
Bryce wasn't sure what Hilary meant, but he wasn't going to ask. All he knew was that the messengers would quit dropping by the manor with more stupid letters and, for that, he was very happy. He couldn't help but wonder, though, what Hilary meant by, "a different side of Lara".
He just hoped that it didn't equal more work for him.
…So, there's one more chapter coming. I didn't plan on it either, but I've left myself no choice.
Reviews would be lovely. :D Cake for anyone who does. ^_^
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