Tomb Raider:

The Adventures of Lara Croft

Book 1-Curse of the Scorpion

Chapter 6- Crash Landing...



Lara could tell that he was hesitating. "Alex, do you trust me?". Lara said as she looked into his eyes. "Lara...". Alex was looking into her eyes, getting a little closer to her. "Do you trust me. Alex?". Alex nodded, "You know I do...". Lara then backed a few steps back to put more distance between them. "Then on three we jump...". Alex and Lara then stood side by side facing the open air,"One...Two....THREE!"...

Lara then tossed herself out of the plane and into the violent wind, Alex was right behind her. The wind whipped at their faces as the two plummeted towards the ground at an insane speed. "THIS IS INSANE!". Alex yelled at Lara. Lara just smiled, the adrenaline rush was making her day. Maybe the curse wasn't after them just yet.

Everything was moving so fast, the two tomb raiders then noticed that they were heading straight for a forest looking place. There were high trees directly below them, hiding who knows what other dangers. Alex's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that there were trees like that in the desert. It just didn't seem right, it was impossible. Yet, there they were.

Lara then pulled the string on her parachute and it opened pulling her back suddenly. Alex followed Lara's lead and pulled his. The two then continued to head for the patch of trees that shouldn't even be there at all. Lara smiled to herself, "Maybe Alex was right...Maybe nothing bad is going to happen...There are many reasons why the plane might have gone haywire...".

Just then Lara heard a loud ripping sound. Her eyes quickly looked up to see that a huge hole had started to rip in her parachute. "Then again...Maybe the curse is after me...". Alex's eyes widened when he saw the hole in Lara's parachute getting bigger, "Oh shit! Lara!".

Lara didn't hear Alex. She couldn't do anything but wait for the inevitable. She heard a louder rip, "Bugger! I have to get closer to those high trees, they may break my fall.". Lara then pulled out her switchblade and cut one of the straps so that it would shift her weight towards the trees. Lara then put her switchblade away. She was starting to go faster again.

"What is she doin'?". Alex watched the whole thing. "She's trying to head for the trees. She'll never make it!". At that moment Alex realized that there was nothing he could possibly do to help her. Lara's parachute then finally gave way and she started to plummet at a reckless speed towards the trees. "LARA!!!!". Alex yelled as his eyes widened. His heart was racing and all he could do was watch her fall to her death.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!". Lara's scream echoed through the air as she fell towards the trees, there was a crashing sound and then....Nothing. Alex couldn't even see her anymore. She had completely disappeared into the thick forest green of the trees. "LARA!!!...No....She...She has to be ok...She has to be...". Alex couldn't do anything until he reached the ground, which would be a few more minutes. He was already moving further away from where he had seen Lara enter the trees. He would have to hurry to find her, it would be dark soon and then he wouldn't have much of a chance.

Lara shielded her face with her arms as she crashed through tree branched. The small ones lashed at the clothing and one had managed to give her a swift cut on her left cheek. Leaves and branches blurred by her as she continued to fall. "Ugh!...". She finally came to a stop as her torn parachute hooked onto part of the tree. She moved her arms and sighed with relief. She had been just metres from hitting the ground with an impact that would have surely killed her.

"Well...That was fun!". Lara laughed as she hung above the ground. A drop of crimson blood trickled down her cheek and hit the ground. Lara's top and shorts had a few rips and tears, but nothing major. Lara then reached into her bag for her switchblade to cut herself down. It wasn't in her bag. Something shiny of the ground caught her eye. The silver bladed knife lay on the ground beneath Lara. "Ah bugger! Guess I'll just have to find another way, or wait for Alex.". Lara crossed her arms.

Meanwhile, a few minutes from where Lara was stranded in the tree, Alex had just landed safely on the ground. He quickly unhooked his harnesses and ran off towards where he figured Lara had landed. He started running without even looking around, he didn't care where he was. He'd find out after he found Lara and made sure that she was ok. "Lara!? Lara where are you!?". He was too far away for Lara to hear him.

Soon he was right under where Lara was stranded. Yet, due to the surrounding vegetation and the height of the trees, Alex didn't see Lara. Lara, however, saw him. *I don't believe it, he actually came back for me. He must be lost or something.*.

Alex saw the switchblade on the ground and the drop of crimson blood near. "Lara?...Lara!!!". Alex yelled as he looked around. "You have to be ok...You have to...This is all my fault...". Lara then smiled, she had heard everything. "Why Alex, if I didn't know better...I'd swear that you were worried about me?". Alex then looked up. "Lara!". Lara raised her brow and smiled, "You're late Alex.". Alex then smiled with relief. "Yeah I guess I am...Forgive me?".

"Just get me out of this bloody tree!". Lara said. Alex nodded, "Ok ok...Just hold on. Here catch!". Alex then tossed Lara's switchblade up to her. Lara caught it and started to cut the straps and her harness. Alex then had a thought. "Wait...If you cut the straps then you'll...Fall!". Lara finished cutting the straps and had replaced her switchblade into her back pack when she heard the ripping.

The harness then gave way and Lara was once again falling towards the ground. "Lara!". Before Alex could do anything Lara landed in his arms with one arm around his neck and the other just dangling at her side. Lara smiled mysteriously. "Good catch...". Alex just grinned. "Yeah...More like a lucky catch to me...".

"Alex?". Lara said softly. "Yeah...". " You can put me down now.". Lara said simply. "Oh...Yeah...Um sorry...". Alex then let Lara out of his arms, only to continue looking into her eyes.

Lara had come to hate when he did that, it was like he was searching for answers to questions that he had not yet asked. "I thought I had lost you...I thought you were dead...You scared me to death...". Lara looked into his eyes, she knew all that he was saying was purely the truth. "You were actually worried about me? Hard to believe...".

Lara then looked away from him, but Alex walked over to her and grabbed her arm turning her around to face him. "Of course I was worried! Lara, sometimes I wonder if you ever believe a word I say. It doesn't seem to matter what I say, you just say they're lies and turn away from me. You always turn away from me...Why?". Alex pulled her closer to him, while still looking into her eyes.

Lara could feel his heart racing, so was hers. She didn't want to deal with this situation right now, she didn't want to deal with Alex. "Alex...It doesn't matter alright. We have to find this artifact and get out of here. Nothing about this place rubs me the right way...". Alex still held her close to him. "You're worried aren't you? I told, everything's going to be ok. Trust me...".

Everything was quiet and then Alex started to lean in closer to Lara, the strange thing was that Lara found herself leaning closer to Alex as well. Alex wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. The cut on her cheek caught his attention. He gently brushed her cheek with his hand and then left his hand on the side of her face. "Alex...". Lara didn't know what to say, secretly she longed to be this close to him but she knew that it was wrong. They were wrong, they could never be together. She would only end up getting hurt.

Alex's face was now just inches from hers, she could feel his warm breath on her skin. She could smell the spicy scent of his cologne. "Lara I...". Alex moved a few inches closer. The sweet smell of her perfume was intoxicating. His lips were getting dangerously close to hers, but she didn't try to move.

She could feel his warm breath on her lips and she desperately wanted him to kiss her. Yet, she couldn't figure out why or find a way to make sense out of what she was feeling. She now had her hands on his muscled chest, she could feel right through his shirt. His heart was racing faster now that he was so close to her, but he didn't want to move any further away from her.

Lara knew that Alex wouldn't be the one to stop the whole thing. She knew that she would have to be the one to be focused, focused enough for the both of them. This would have been so much easier if she had come on her own. Lara decided that she had to stop this before anything had a chance to start. If anything happened between them, it would seriously affect the outcome of this trip to find a cursed artifact that Lara didn't even want to find in the first place.

As Alex leaned in closer, Lara turned her face away from him with her hands on his chest. "Lara I...I'm sorry...I...I don't know know that got into me...I was just so scared that I'd lost you and...". Lara cut him off as she pulled away from his hold. "I know Alex...I know. But we have to try and find the plane before nightfall. Who knows what is out here..". Lara then looked back at Alex and smiled. "Plus, I'm starving.". Alex then smiled, "Yeah me to. Let's go...".

The two tomb raiders then started to walk through the dense forested area. "We have to find some sign of the plane. It had to have come by here.". Lara said. Alex nodded, "Yeah...Um...But I can't believe that there's a forest in the middle of the desert! It doesn't make sense. It doesn't even show up on a map or anything.". Alex was walking behind Lara. "Well...A lot of things don't show up on maps. Mainly because they weren't meant to be found...".

*Aven*

*****Sixth chapter! Wow it's getting to be long! Well...Kinda...Maybe not...Lol. They were sooo close to kissing, wasn't that a tense moment? Ok I'll stop going on and on about nothing now. Well, I finished Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness! Yay! That game rocks!!! Now I see why there are sooo many Kurtis lovers, I now being one myself! He's sooo hot!

Oh and I'd like to apologize for saying that Kurtis wasn't human, I misread the thing I had once read. It made me think that Kurtis wasn't human. In truth he is, and he's HOT!

Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone wanted me to have the next book (story) with Kurtis in it instead of Alex? Just wondering.

Thanks again to all for reviewing! *****