A/N: Hey there, well Lara is still stuck in Erik's torture chamber but I had a brief meeting with another muse for this one so that's why the next chapter came up so quickly. He's really nice and while Lara is away I asked him over.
Erik: What?
Me: Yep, Hey do you want to come in?
(Door of bedroom opens and Terry walks in)
Terry: Who the hell is that? Or maybe I should say what is it? (He points at Erik)
Erik: What did you say?!
Me: Boys be nice, your played by the same actor cool it, find some common ground.
Erik: We have no conmen ground.
Terry: The masked man is right.
Erik: I'm Erik! ( he flops down at his organ.) honestly because of Andrew L. Webber everyone thinks I was born with out a name. If I weren't a figment of the writer's imagination he would be dead for making me look like a soft ninny.
Terry: I want to kill who ever tried to kill me off.
Erik: (Eyeing Terry) we both want vengeance, we should team up.
Terry: All right.
Me: What? Oh god this isn't going to turn out good, I better let you read the rest of the story while I try to talk them out of killing people.
Chapter Eight Heidelberg and the Scott
Lara was in Heidelberg Germany. Alister found that the ring was given to the royal family there. She could only assume it was in one of the graves with one of the many dead there. The castle had tour groups going in and out all day long. Not good if she could help it. She hated that such a wonderful place was now an attraction people come to see. Lara was to meet an old friend who had all of the keys to the castle.
Her friends name was DR. Klidzen, he was a professor at Heidelberg University, which was less then three miles from the castle. Dr. Klidzen was a younger woman with thick black hair and dark eyes. She had gotten her doctorial earlier then any one in her class. She was shorter then Lara by almost a foot and was rather plump too. She was waiting for Lara at the main gate.
"Miss Croft!" The woman said.
Lara smiled. "Diana," she said using the doctor's first name. "Is everything prepared?"
"Of course it is. All you need to do is get down there and tell me what you find, to think that one of King Richards basterd sons might be berried here."
Lara had told that lie to get the permission to dig in the graves. She didn't like to be dishonest yet if she was to get what she needed she was prepared to do more then lie.
Diana led her down the castle halls and to the tunnels. "I don't believe you've been here before Lara."
Her friend was right. "I've had the tour of the upper castle, but I didn't think they allowed people down here."
"Normally not. But you are a different case." She said as they came to a door. "Alright on the other side is you work sight. If you need anything I'll be up stairs giving tours."
Lara nodded and walked in. Inside was nothing more then your classic old catacombs. Different markers told where people were buried. Lara got to work pulling out her laptop and connected to the Internet. Zip and Alister face appeared on the screen. "Alright boys what do you have for me?" she asked
Alister whose nose was in a book looked up. "The family registry said that the last surviving member of the family that owned the ring was Lord Claget the fifth."
"Right," Lara muttered looking from grave marker to grave marker.
"What if he wasn't buried here?" Zip said.
"Oh he had to have been." Alister said.
Lara passed by the last marker. "This must be it then."
"See," Alister said jeering at Zip.
Lara pulled out a small chiseled and hammer and started to dislodge the stone. It took a good hour just to make sure she didn't destroy too much of the grave. She might have been a tomb rider by she did have her respect for the dead. She wasn't a grave robber as Abby had said. Thinking of her sister was hard at that time. Right now her little sister should have been starting her tutoring lesions with Alister.
She opened the stone coffin to see the skeleton of a man in what would have been rich clothing. On his right hand was a thin gold ring. Lara pulled the ring off and noticed to her dismay that it was only part of a ring. "Zip, Alister, we have problems."
"What's wrong?" Alister said.
"It would seem Lord Claget had only half of the ring." She said.
"Oh man," Zip said. "Well Alister you're the brains where's the other piece?"
Lara looked around the room thinking that it might hold answers for her. Her back was to the door, as she heard it open. "Diana I didn't think you were coming back." she turned to see five men all-smiling at her.
"Zip Alister, I'll let you get to work, I need to do some cleaning up."
"Lara who's th-" Alistair's voice died as Lara shut her laptop with her foot. She pulled out her pistols and pointed at the men.
"Who are you?"
"David sent us. You have the ring."
"Half, only half of it is here." She said. Moving her guns aiming at each of them. "Where is he?"
"He's with the mistress."
"Who?" Lara said,
"She said you wouldn't understand," Said one of the men. "But she did say your sister has been a good girl and that as long as you give us what you want she won't be harmed."
"Well I can't give you what you want when I don't have all of It." she said. "If I could then wouldn't you think you wouldn't have to be having this conversation with me?"
The men looked at each other. Then one, who Lara assumed to be the leader stepped forward. "David will take the piece you have and you can go on you merry way and get the other, is that clear?"
Lara never let go of an object that wasn't put together, hadn't everyone who knew her know that? These men obviously didn't know, and she would have to tell them. "I think not, I'll give it to him after it's put back together."
"We don't like that offer missy." He said.
"And I don't like to be pushed around." She said.
"Boys have at her." As he said that the four men pulled out their guns and started to shoot. Lara dodged most of the bullets on of the scraped her left arm. She hid behinds a pillar checking her guns to make sure they were full. She could hear the men move about. The ring was inside of her shorts pocket and it wasn't going anywhere. Lara closed her eyes to calm herself down. She had to defeat all of these men and get out. She opened her eyes her heart was still pounding away like a frightened rabbit, you never get used to killing, no matter what they say.
"I give you one chance to leave." She said. None of them moved. They had signed their death certificates. She jumped out of her hiding place and started to shoot. The men dodged and shot back. Lara knew they had so many bullets between them, she only had to wait until they ran out then she could hit them with out worry.
The men kept shooting at her until the door opened again and another man entered. He was obviously not one of David's men. He was wearing jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and leather jacket. He had short almost military style of hair, maybe a solder of some kind. But that thing that Lara couldn't look away from was his eye, they were steel grey. He had a five o'clock shadow and was looking around the room. Obviously he was a tourist that lost his way. Or that's what Lara thought until he pulled out his own gun and shot one of them men dead on the spot. who ever he was he was on her side at that moment, so she didn't see him as a threat. The two of them continued until all of the men were dead or knocked out.
Lara was gasping for breath. She looked over at the man who was bent over catching his breath too. He was handsome, in a rugged way. "Dank" she said in German.
"What did ja say?" the man said in English, well English with a thick Scottish accent.
"Great a Scott save the day." She said getting up.
"You're an English woman." He said looking at her up and down. "Wouldn't of thought by they way you were fighting off those men, what are you doing down here?"
"None of your business." She said. She picked up her Laptop and sighed some how in the commotion it had been stepped on, "Great, now I have to get a new computer too. This day couldn't be getting better."
The Scott stared at her and started to pull out the men's wallets. "We need to get these to the authorities,"
"I'll call the police when I go." Lara said. "why would you care?"
"Well I don't know about you miss but I don't want to be put down for murder, my Major would kill me himself if I did something this bad." The man said.
"Your in the army." Lara said amused. No wonder he had a gun on him.
"Captain Terry Sheridan of her majesties forces." He said giving her a solute. "and you are miss?"
"Lady Lara Croft."
Terry eyed her again. "Lady? What Lady wields a pair of guns like that?"
"It's a living." She said. Starting to leave. "Do you have a cell phone."
He nodded. "What going to give me your number?" he said smiling.
Lara looked at him. He had one hell of a cocky smile, she'd give him that much, and he did help her defeat those men. He handed his phone to her and dialed her house. She put the phone to her ear.
"This is the Croft residence," Winston's voice said.
"It's me Lara, I'm out of the situation I was in, can you call the German police and tell them there were five terrorists in Heidelberg castle and that I disposed all ready of them, well me and a Caption from her Royal Majesties forces."
"I will lady Croft, how are you feeling?"
"Dandy, I think I'll take a shower and get a nice long nap and head back to England, had Alister figured anything about the other half of the ring?"
"Not yet, do you want me to send you the plane."
"Yes I think that will be nice. Good day Winston." She said hanging up the call and handing Terry the phone back. "thank you Mr. Sheridan."
"Call me Terry." He said flipping open the phone and seemed to be doing something. "You spell Lara L, A, R, A, right?"
"You're not saving that."
"Oh yes I am." He said
"Your impossible, Scott."
"Is that the only insult you have for me your royalness?" he said sizing her up.
"I could shoot you." She said.
"Oh but that would make you a bad guy." He said. "Killing a solder who helped you? Wouldn't look good on the report I must say."
"Why are you here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be somewhere with a group of men."
"Oh well I'm on leave for the month." He said. "Wanted to look around Germany, I don't get out much when I'm with my troop, but I love It." he said smiling devilishly. "Where's your hotel I'll take you there."
"No thanks, I need to get some sleep, and I hope not to meet you again."
Terry looked at her offended. "I helped save you and now you don't want to meet me? Man you English do have sticks up your Asses."
"I beg your pardon?" she stopped. "Run that by me again."
Terry stopped still smiling. "You English have sticks up your Asses. Do you want me to say it again? Or do you need me to say it slower for you."
"Maybe your ascent gets in the way."
"Ha very funny. So I told you why I was here why are you here?" he said as they got out into the sunlight.
"It's a long story that you wouldn't want to know about." She said.
"Try me?"
Lara looked at him. "A group kidnapped my sister and want me to find a ring that has healing properties in exchange for her. That is what I am doing, those men were from the group. They wanted the ring but I didn't have all of it yet." She said. "Is that a good enough explanation for you?"
"I'm sorry about your sister."
"I haven't known her long. She moved in with me because her mother died, and I'm the only family she has left." She stopped. "She's gone threw a lot with her mom, and being kidnapped is the last thing her mind needs. I just want her back home so we can get to know her better."
Terry put a hand on Lara's shoulder. "you'll find her, you have determination, I can see that much in you."
Lara looked at Terry, she had just met the man and he was already assuring her. "Thank you Terry. When are you going back to the UK?"
"No clue, when they call I had hoped, why?"
"Want a lift? My butler is sending the jet tomorrow."
"You have a jet?" he said stunned. "So you're one of those big manor, large garages full of expensive cars, goes to fancy balls, kinda Lady?"
"No, I'm one of those big manor, large garages filled with expensive cars and motorcycles, and guns, goes to fight clubs just for a bit of fun kind of lady." She said as they walked into the streets.
"I love a woman who can handle a gun." Terry said.
"Not interested Mr. Sheridan."
"Didn't I already say you could call me Terry?"
Lara looked over her shoulder at him. "Alright Terry." She stopped in front of the hotel. "I'll leave you here. If you want a lift back to England be here at o'three hundred hours clear?"
He gave her a solute as she walked into the hotel. Lara had to admit, he was cocky, funny as hell, good with a gun, and got on her nerves. She liked him, she wouldn't admit it to anyone but she liked him all the same.
a/n: Hope you like it, don't worry I'll talk about Abby soon if you are worried. See ya ^.^
