Hello everyone and thank you for the reviews! xD I'm sorry this had to be so late, time is difficult to find nowadays. This one is once again concerning the plot at the beginning of AoD! I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lara Croft, Kurtis Trent or Werner Von Croy. All rights of the characters belong to Eidos.

~The Mourning One and the Seeker~

* Lara Croft refuses to let go of Egypt and despite the many attempts that Werner Von Croy has done in order to persuade her to go visit him in Paris, she never pays a visit. After his death though, Lara will make up her mind and will decide to at least attend the funeral.

* Kurtis Trent is informed about another Monstrum killing, this time in Paris. After searching about Von Croy's past, he's sure that the person closest to him, Lara Croft, will surely attend the funeral. So he decides to meet her there while hoping she will be providing him with answers that will lead him to Eckhardt.

Why did this have to happen? Why did she have to be so selfish? Why couldn't she have just forgiven him and have helped him deliver a peaceful soul to wherever the soul travelled after death?

Many whys tormented her mind, chasing the peace away. Lara Croft wasn't aware of the people surrounding her or of the situation she was in. Her mind was functioning in flashbacks of her once mentor leaving her to die in Egypt, of her unwilling to forgive him, of her refusing to visit him in Paris over the phone although she had sensed fear in his voice. She had never guessed that her not accepting to see him would lead him to death. Or she thought that she didn't even care. But she was wrong and this hurt her so much. If she had been with him, maybe, maybe she could have protected him. Or even if she had been unable to, at least she could have forgiven him and make him die without guilt. But no, Lara had to let wrath take over instead of forgiveness even whenever she was certain that he had not given up on her. He had even become obsessed with finding her. How could she let this happen?

No matter how much she thought, he could not be brought back and the only thing she was managing to do was torment her mind even more.

Lara's thoughts abandoned her as she forced them out of her mind and reality was unveiled before her eyes. She was wearing black, many people had gathered in order to honour the famous and revered archaeologist named Werner Von Croy. Lara sighed, her consciousness burdened by the loss of the old man. She had been among the few people that had been called by the French police to identify the body and Lara had felt shattered as soon as she faced the abused and mistreated lifeless body of her unfortunate mentor. She had not showed a single trace of weakness, though. Coldly, she had informed the police that he was indeed Professor Von Croy. Lara was then given information about the possible circumstances under which Werner might have died. She was told about the Monstrum and the occult activities that possibly lied beyond those bizarre murders. He was right to have feared, Werner had been indeed in danger and instead of trying to help him, Lara remained inactive, punishing him with a cold, cruel demise.

The funeral was about to begin in a few minutes. As she was waiting, many people also dressed in black were discussing about the remarkable archaeological achievements of Von Croy. She had met some of them in the past but most of the people were unfamiliar to her. Lara noticed a group of people staring at her and talking silently. She assumed they were talking about how Werner had taught her the secrets of the ancient history or perhaps about her apparent sleepless state as the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her fatigue. Lara did not have the strength to even feel annoyed. She had been tortured by insomnia ever since she learned about Werner's death. All she kept on thinking was that she could have helped him, had she not been that selfish and all she could feel was remorse and a slight pain in her heart.

The ceremony of Werner Von Croy's funeral had ended about half an hour ago and most of the people that had gathered to send their last farewells to him had already left the graveyard. There were very few people walking, passing by the tombstones and talking about Werner. But it was Lara alone who was standing right before Werner's grave, staring at the rose she had thrown for him, totally indifferent about everything that could be taking place around her.

Lara heard footsteps approaching her from behind but she did not bother to turn around. She assumed it was one of the people that had attended the funeral and that they wanted to mourn for the loss of such a dear friend. In any case, Lara did not care. Her soul was crying her own lament.

"I'm sorry for your loss", she heard a man's voice from behind. She turned slowly and faced a young man with unusual blue eyes staring at her with understanding. Lara had no idea who he was, she had not seen him in the funeral or even in her life. She managed a weak nod indicating 'thanks' and turned to face the grave again. Under other circumstances, Lara would have felt attraction building up inside her for that man. He was the kind of man that could attract the attention of every woman he might desire, whether he was aware of it or not. But there was nothing more she could think of right now but her mentor's death and that she was responsible for this unfortunate outcome.

The man took some steps and stood beside her while keeping his distance. He did not want to become any trouble or bother her with questions while in this mourning state of hers but he needed information. And once she heard about his purposes, he was sure that the young lady would be more than eager to help him.

Lara looked at him from the corner of her eye. Then, she once again locked her gaze on the grave, still unsure about whether this was real or not. After some voiceless moments, she heard the man's American accent disturb the silence. "Lara Croft?" he asked with a tone that indicated he didn't want to be any annoyance for her. Lara quickly faced him with an expression of confusion. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" she more demanded than asked.

The man was quick in calming her down. "I don't mean to bother you, Miss Croft. I just need some information about…" there was a small pause before he spoke again. "About your friend's murder" he finished his sentence. Lara shut her brown eyes and sighed, then opened them and faced the man with not a very friendly expression. "Are you some kind of detective?" she asked, expecting nothing less from him. His reply though, surprised her a bit. "No. But I need to find the man who's committing those murders" he explained, feeling he had to somewhat gain her trust in order for her to help him. "Why?" was all she uttered, her voice expressing mistrust. The man smiled slightly and bitterly as he unpocketed a cigarette and a lighter. "Personal reasons", he replied and then lit his cigarette.

Lara looked at him with suspicion. But she couldn't deny it, he had managed to draw her attention from those ugly thoughts that had been tormenting her mind. But his words had not yet been enough for her to decide that he was worth her time. "It's not wise to ask for help from people that cannot even help themselves, stranger. Especially from me" she told him as she observed that all his attention was on her. Lara's eyes became stained with unshed tears but she refused to let them fall. "Do you have any idea how it feels to hate someone… To think that you hate someone while this is not true? Do you have any idea how it feels to feel betrayed, how your heart yearns to forgive a dear friend that did something wrong but your mind orders you not to? Do you know how it feels to let someone die with the wrong impression of you hating them while this is not true? The weight it leaves on your consciousness?" she said with a trembling voice.

If only she knew… If only she knew they both shared the same pain, the same guilt. The blue eyed man knew exactly how she felt, it was the same thing that had happened between him and his father.

All this pain that the death of his father had caused him. The death of a person he thought he hated. He could never imagine the pain that the loss of a consciously loved one was able to cause. He did not want to experience that. For this reason, he had opted for loneliness, eternal if that was possible, no attachments with anyone. He had become cold, but the story of that woman, as well as the woman herself, had a slight effect on him.

Kurtis Trent threw his cigarette and put it out with the sole of his boot while his eyes were staring at the ground, as if his father was standing before him and he was ashamed to face him. He then raised his head and his ocean-blue eyes stared at her brown ones. "I've been living with that kind of pain for more than I dare to remember" was his short reply to her many questions. Lara was left speechless by a man she did not know while people she had known for years had not managed to surprise her, not even in the slightest. Afterwards, she regretted for putting her pain on display, especially before a man she had talked with for the first time. At least, she had refrained from breaking into tears.

"What is it that you want to know, stranger?" she asked. He had gained a small part of her trust, that was enough for him to take the information he needed, continue his search and avenge his father's soul. "Call me Kurtis" Lara heard the man say. A weak and slight smile was formed on her face. "Well, you already know my name".

Fate is a sinister force, playing with people as though they are pawns. Both Kurtis and Lara had lost a person very significant to their lives and had experienced the same pain that guilt and remorse brought because of the same murderer. Kurtis could not wait to prove to the Monstrum that every atrocity he had committed had already caused the beginning of his ultimate retribution. But for this, he had to be patient. His father had taught him that patience is a virtue as long as it is not associated with inactivity.

"Do you know what caused his death?" Kurtis returned to the subject, to his quest. Lara frowned in unawareness. "I don't. Although, he had repeatedly contacted me, telling me he was in danger and that he needed help. He was pleading for me to come and see him here, in Paris. I never did so" she informed Kurtis. He seemed a bit thoughtful and after a while, he made his next question.

"Did he tell you how he got in danger?". Lara thought well before she answered. "He told me he was asked to track down some kind of artifacts for a client. He told me the client's name, but I can't recall". Kurtis seemed alert. "Was his name Eckhardt?" he asked while anticipating her answer with eyes solemn and curious. "Yes! That's the name!" Lara almost screamed. She then felt surprised that the man knew so much and she was finally convinced that he could be the answer to all of her whys.

"How would you know?" she asked in anxiety. "He's the Monstrum, Miss Croft. He killed your friend and committed all the other murders all over Europe. I've been tracking him down for eight months, trying to keep him away from what he wants" Kurtis replied. "Call me Lara. And tell me… What does he want?" were her next words. Kurtis shook his head, fearing that giving her a straight answer would not keep her safe. So he decided to lie, "I don't know yet". Lara found new questions finding their way to her mind. But they would all be answered in due time. It was Kurtis' questions that had to be answered first.

"Did he tell you anything else?" he asked. Lara was quick in answering. "In one of the letters he sent me, he mentioned a Professor Margot Carvier. She was supposed to find the location of one of the artifacts he needed and he wanted me to retrieve it".

"Did he mention anything specific about the artifacts?".

"No, nothing at all" was all that Lara uttered.

She did not waste any time, she had her own questions to make. "How come you've been tracking down this man for so long? What do those murders have to do with you?" she asked. Kurtis decided to tell her the truth. She had trusted him, after all. "He murdered my father" was his reply. Lara's brown eyes widened.

"Was it for the same reason Werner was murdered? And if so, why did he do that? Why does he do that?" she asked in pure unawareness. Kurtis looked around and then felt a bit unsettled as he saw people approaching either Von Croy's grave or nearby tombstones. He had to attract as less attention as he could and with all those people around, this could not be possible.

"The answers are not that simple and I have to go. Thank you" Kurtis said and tried to walk away but Lara grabbed his arm. Kurtis turned and faced her once again. "Count me in" she spoke. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, we're after the same man, right? I don't intend to stay like this and do nothing. I need those answers. I need to know why. I need him to pay. I need closure" she said, almost as if begging him to let her follow him. "We could help each other. I'm sure since you know who I am, you also know what I'm capable of" she told him, wanting to let him know that she would not slow him down, she was able to deal with any kind of dangerous situations.

Kurtis thought about it for a while. He was unsure though, he knew that the battle between the Cabal and the Lux Veritatis was not an easy task. And he knew that whoever knew about their battles and the secret history concerning them, always ended up dead. Perhaps, if he didn't let her know about all this, she would be safe. And he could use a little help, he knew she was a skilled adventurer and he knew she needed to help in this quest. She had to chase her demons away and Kurtis was more aware than anyone else of what demons could do if you never faced them.

"Follow me" he uttered and walked away. Lara smiled and followed, ready to begin with this new-found mission and end her misery once and for all.

A/N: Last chapter coming as soon as possible! Yeah, I can't think of more than five theories, sorry! :P Have a great time, everyone!