Please review:o

Disclaimer – Kiera Croft is my own creation but she is a merge of both Lara Croft and Kurtis Trent and shares some of their major personality traits.

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Chapter Two

† Merry Christmas †

"Merry Christmas love!" Melissa cried loudly, planting a huge kiss on Zip's cheek. He blushed slightly and pushed his wife back down onto her seat, where she sat giggling, her face bright red after her already immense consumption of alcohol. And she was still drinking.

Zip and Melissa had been married for near six years, which was a record time for Melissa and everyone had been invited to the wedding. In fact, Kiera remembered, it had been one of the only times Lara had behaved like a mother, dancing with Kiera, chasing her around the Croft Gardens where the party was being held, and generally having a good time. But afterwards, she had returned to her quiet state, only this time, it was worse… this time, she appeared to feel guilty.

But no one apart from Amanda knew why and she was just as likely spill the gossip as the sky was to start raining lollipops.

Angry though she was, Kiera was also very concerned about her mother's mental health, so much that she was tempted to find professional help for her. But it wasn't only Lara.

The whole household seemed to be infected withy paranoia and extreme, vivid hallucinations. It was worrying, especially when Kiera thought about it, scared that she, herself, was infected with the same lunacy that had beset her friends and family.

Shaking the thought from her mind, Kiera again concentrated on the present, and to her mountain of a Christmas dinner.

"I won't be able to eat all that!" She gasped as Gerald put it down in front of her.

"That's what you said last year and you managed fine." Gerald shrugged.

"But then I threw up for four days afterward." Kiera grinned and picked up her knife and fork anyway, staring at the plate with some trepidation.

"Merry Christmas everyone," She said.

"Merry Christmas," Everyone replied in unison, digging into the mouthwatering food, giving into the inevitable call of Gluttony, ramming turkey and roast potatoes into their gaping maws. They chatted as they ate, atmosphere jolly, but Kiera kept sending glances to her mother, who sat talking to Amanda and Kiera got the feeling that Lara was talking about last night's spat.

Kiera hated arguing with Lara, but it was a regular occurrence, it seemed that Kiera and Lara couldn't have a conversation without arguing, or raising their voices. No one knew why, but Lara and Kiera never seemed to connect, it was like something important was missing. Kiera was too much like the father she never knew, and she knew it.

"You okay, Kiz?" Zip had noticed her pensive face and was refilling her empty wine glass.

"Yeah. Just thinking." Kiera replied with a smile.

"About?"

"Dad."

"What about him?"

"What was he like?"

Zip laughed, surprised. "You've heard this a thousand times."

"It's funny to hear."

"He was a joker… very sarcastic, fun-loving but he had that serious streak that was so important." Zip laughed. "Good at chess."

"Do you miss him?"

"Yeah, we all do. It's been seventeen years without him… and the sun hasn't been shining as bright without the Lux Knight."

"Lux Knight?"

Zip only smiled.

"Hey! That's not fair! You can't just mention that and not tell me now!" Her eyes were wide. "Zip!!"

"It was just a nickname," Zip said quickly and Melissa smirked.

"Plenty of jokes surrounding that. He thought he was so important, you know? Like he had prophesies about him or something." Melissa laughed as Zip glared at her. "Bless him."

"Prophesies?" Kiera snorted. "He really was a joker wasn't he?"

Zip nodded enthusiastically, his hand balled into fist on the table, knuckles pale. Kiera didn't notice.

Kiera had been given mostly clothes and jewelry for Christmas, along with a new phone, money and some perfume from Zip (She had demanded to know what he meant by it) but her mother had said that she wanted to give Kiera her present later on when the others decided to start their planned poker tournament. Kiera decided that it wasn't a good sign. But for now, she was happy eating Christmas dinner with the family. Her mother, Zip, Melissa, Alister, Amanda and Gerald, the butler. Winston had died when Kiera was six.

That's all the family Kiera had. But she still wished that her father was around to share this time with them.

She knew a lot about Kurtis, mostly from Melissa, Amanda and Zip as her mother never really liked talking about him, as it made her miss him even more.

She knew he was seriously against the occult, giving himself the nickname 'demonhunter' amongst friends and family. It made Kiera giggle to hear that and so she also adopted the name, like she was stepping into his shoes. She also hated the occult.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine his face, but it was impossible, seeing as she had never seen any photos of him. She imagined him with black hair and her blue eyes, which everyone said that she had stolen from him, but after that she was completely lost. Her mother was beautiful, so she knew that Kurtis would've been good-looking. She also knew that the bike that was in the garage, unused, belonged to Kurtis.

Something caught her eye and she was yanked from her thoughts, staring at the fork in front of Melissa. It was rocking slightly on the table, but it wasn't a steady rock, it was almost flipping onto its side. Kiera looked at Melissa. She was staring at the fork, unblinking but, after about a minute she snapped out of her reverie and noticed Kiera's stare. She winked.

Kiera looked at her plate.

"Oh god." She whispered. "I'm going mad."

Melissa's smile grew.

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Lara led her daughter into her study, closing the door behind the teenager with a snap. Kiera winced.

"The gift I have for you," Lara started, a slight tremor in her voice. "is… not particularly useful to you, but its sentimental value surpasses any inanimate object in this house by far. I think you should have it now." And she passed Kiera a wooden box with a lock, she was also given to key.

Kiera took them both and quickly unlocked the box. Inside lay a golden disc, with five finger-holes, it was quite thick, with grooves along the edge. Kiera carefully took it from its case, which she placed on her mother's beautiful mahogany desk, and examined the glaive.

"What is this?" She asked.

"It's called the Chirugai, a bladed disc… it belonged to your father."

Kiera looked up, shocked. "You're giving me this?"

"He'd want you to have it." Lara tucked Kiera's hair behind her ear so she could see her face. "You're his daughter and he loved you the moment he realized you existed."

Kiera looked again at the Chirugai, at the way it gleamed in the light, without a single scratch or nick, it was perfect. But the metal was cold, so cold, Kiera shivered when she touched it.

"Thank you," She mumbled. She glanced up and kissed her mother on the cheek. Lara looked surprised but then she smiled.

"I love you Kiz. I know it may not seem that way sometimes but I do. You mean the world to me… you always have, you always will." She said slowly.

Kiera put the Chirugai back in its box.

"I love you too… mum." She smiled; a light in those familiar blue eyes that had long been extinguished. "Merry Christmas."

"And you." Lara hugged Kiera and the daughter left the room, carrying the box and the key. "Look after it."

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Thanks to:

Pen-a-holic – :o I actually like broccoli!!!! Lol ok… Kiera is a little Naïve, she's like that a little.

TangoFever – Lots of people think that. I'd personally love to slap her.

Drivergrl – Grown up too fast, hasn't she?