Two chapters one day!
What do you guys think of the length of the current chapters? Are they too long?
Thanks to Eddie for helping me with the bits concerning Sam's nerdiness.

"Hey," Lara said, knocking on the door. Sam looked up at her, startled.

"Lara!" she greeted, a little too chirpy. She shoved some papers she was reading under her bed. "Come in!"

Lara looked at Sam peculiarly but then dismissed her suspicions. She went to sit on Sam's bed and brought out a tiny SD card. "Here, for you," she handed it to her with a smile.

"If this is my birthday present you need to do better," she jested, reaching for her laptop. "What's on it?"

Lara's smiled mysteriously. "You'll see. I'm sure you'll like it…I think." She wasn't really sure how much the content on the card was worth.

Sam inserted the card into her laptop then searched through the drive. Lara watched the expression on Sam's face change from curiosity to shock. "Oh my god Lara," she exclaimed. She threw her arms around her. "I love you! How did you get this?"

"Okay, that hurts…" she said, wincing as her stiches strained. Sam let go of her

"Sorry," she said, but she was grinning. She went back to the camera. "How did you get this?"

Lara put her head on Sam's shoulder and watched her playback a video, skip through it in a few seconds then open another video and repeat. "I forgot I had it," she said. "I found your camera on the island, but it broke my fall a few times so..." she shrugged. "I just opted to take the card. It was also easier to carry."

"Man this is amazing," she bubbled. "I never knew I recorded so much stuff. It's not anything official but because my Arri can't exactly be salvaged…wow I can do so much with this."

"Really?" Everything on there was rather casual and didn't show a professional or impressive side of anyone.

"Hell yeah!" she exclaimed. "If I was ever to create a documentary I can cut this up and incorporate it with some other footage to make a more realistic recount of our adventure. See this?" She forwarded the video to where Roth's, Lara and Reyes were at a table with a map of the region spread between them. They were discussing how bad the weather in the Dragon's Triangle could get and ways they could deal with that. "This part shows your expertise of the area, how Roth is a veteran in adventuring and a natural leader and Reyes' mechanical knowledge about the ship. The intimate angle in which I filmed this makes it easier to form a connection with them and thus you understand the difficulty of the situation quicker. For even more impact, we can put in how every person went west instead of east before us and how they turned up nothing. Maybe you could narrate that bit. Anyways, this would paint the situation as sort of wishful and you would seem smarter- or luckier-when you are proven to be right."

Lara chuckled. Sam was adorable when she bubbled like this even though she had lost her after 'archaeological'.

Sam shot her a miffed look. "Why are you laughing at me? I'm serious about this."

"Look who's the nerd now," she said, smiling. "Plus, it reminds me of the times in Uni where you would pester me while I was writing my dissertation. Before I knew it I would end up writing how flickering lead to Crete's defeat at the hands of fluorescent lighting."

Sam grinned. "You should be thanking me. Your papers couldn't have gotten any more boring- I just made them interesting."

"Interesting isn't how my professor put it." She watched Sam browse through several more videos as she talked about how they could be used to do this and that.

Tonight had been fun, just her and Sam like the good old days. Her presence just blew away all the clouds that hung over her and brought the sunshine- a different type of ecstasy. It was just so easy to forget about the world. Things weren't good on the ship, but at least she had Sam by her side. Now that she was back…maybe things could return to as normal as their lives could be.

Sam's gushing combined with the drowsy effects of her meds made Sleep start singing its lullaby. But there was something bugging her that she needed answered before she could go to bed.

"Didn't your dad want to talk to me?" she interrupted.

Sam stopped talking and stiffened. "Umm yeah…about that-"

Lara yawned, feeling the sleepiness pull at her eyes. "Hmm…?"

Sam looked at her. "He's going to talk to you tomorrow," she said. She brushed her bangs hair away from her face. "You should get some sleep. It'll help you recover quicker."

Lara pressed her temple against Sam's soft shoulder and yawned again. "All right," she murmured. "Do you mind if I sleep here? You're softer than my bed."

Sam laughed and pushed her gently off her shoulder. "I'm already sharing my house. Go to your own bed. Or do you want me to carry you there?"

Lara chuckled sleepily. It would have been an amusing sight, but she doubted Sam could hold her weight. "Thanks but my doctor told me to stay away from danger." She got off the bed and started out the door. "Night Sam."

"Good night sweetie."

Lara went into her room and crashed on the bed. She buried her head in the pillow and it wasn't long before she gave herself up to Hypnos and Morpheus.

He was holding her in his arms again, trying furtively to drag her to safety.

No, she pleaded. She knew what was coming and felt her heart twist in anguish. Please.

In the background, Lara could hear the shots behind her, deafening if not that her ears were ringing from the crash. She could hear his pained winces as he tried to ignore the agonising pain from his leg and feel his chest heaving for air under her.

Rise. Fall. Rise. Fall.

It got faster. Rise fall rise fall rise fall.

Roth…Every time she tried to focus her mind, to tell her limbs to move so that she could help him. Get your gun. Just draw it. But it never worked, it never changed anything. FOCUS! She yelled at herself.

Everything was hazy and her mind didn't match the pace of her eyes. It was as if she was drunk and the world suddenly sped up. There were clicking sounds that forebode the future. She was being spun around and everything seemed to slow down. The axe spun towards them, but it never hit her.

Roth jerked beneath her and cried out.

NO! She yelled, as if her raw will was enough to change the world.

She fell from his arms and he looked at her, his eyes tortured and tired. I'm sorry, they said.

ROTH!

Lara opened her eyes. Her breathing was hard and stiflingly steady. The cloth beneath her eye was damp. Lara realised that she was clutching the pillow with her fists and she forced her hands to unclench. She pushed herself up and leaned back against the wall, clutching her sore side and closing her eyes.

Every night, her sleep was poisoned by a dream. Strangely though, she had never had any dreams when she was on the ship- only blessed silence. Maybe being alive and seeing others enjoy their breath made her feel guilty that Roth didn't have his anymore. No…it can't be. She had moved on some time ago…

Lara didn't want to think about it. She knew how fast this could consume her mind, and how lately, solitude was the most dangerous thing to her.

Lara threw the covers off and got out of bed. The clock read 6:17 a.m. but she didn't feel like going back to sleep. Yesterday, the lingering morphine had soaked up most of her feeling but now she could feel every touch raw and red. She ran her hands through her hair and reached for her meds. Twice a day for the antibiotics and every six hours as required for the painkillers. It wasn't hard to follow those rules.

Now she needed a shower to properly wake her up. She entered the bathroom and slipped her clothes off. The water was bracing as it struck her face and it made her recoil slightly. A stray thought caught her mind, and she wondered if her hands would be as clean as Lady Macbeth's.

Shh...Lara put her head against the wall, closing her eyes as the water ran warmer.

There wasn't much to do at 6.25 in the morning so Lara got her journal and grabbed an apple and glass of water then slid the glass doors open to the garden. It was chilly, but she enjoyed feeling the cool air against her skin.

She put her glass down on a wooden bench then walked around the garden, taking in the scenery and a bite of her apple.

Mr Nishimura had a beautiful garden. This house was the perfect blend between a Western and traditional Japanese culture. It was oriental with Japanese maples, snow white camellia, stone lanterns and pebble ponds in a pattern that evoked tranquillity. She walked lightly over a short stone bridge with a small waterfall to her right which ran into a pond of sleeping koi, and- she couldn't be sure- but a turtle camouflaged amongst the geological rises.

Lara wondered if Himiko's castle back in its prime had a garden similar to this. Considering that she was the Queen of Yamatai, it was probably much grander than she could ever imagine.

It was such a shame that she had to burn the whole place down. There must have been a wealth of artefacts and features that would have originated from the start of Yamatai. She chuckled cynically to herself. Her parents would have had her hide for destroying such a priceless piece of history.

At least she still remembered what it looked like before the great fire.

She returned to the dark wooden bench where she had begun and sat down, leaning against it. She took a sip of water then turned to a new page and began to sketch Himiko's castle.

The exterior details of the castle were finished in a couple of minutes. She moved onto the interior which had much more structures and she was in Himiko's castle, she never got much time to stop and admire the architecture of the citadel but when her mind wanted to, she could pick up details she would have not noticed if it were right in front of her.

"Lara?" Sam asked softly. Lara looked up from her sketch and felt her neck crack. The sun had fully risen and her back was really sore. How long have I been here?

"What time is it?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse from disuse. She wet her throat with a sip of water.

"Seven thirty," she told her, walking forward, "Did you sleep here last night?"

Lara got up and stretched. "Only a part of it. Wasn't much sleeping either." She staggered unsteadily and Sam rushed forward to help her. "Pins and needles," she winced. She sat on the bench until she could feel her feet again.

Sam caught her breath, "Wow did you draw this?" She was flipping through her journal. "It's quite realistic. A little heavy on the shadows but amazing."

"Hopefully the archaeologists think the same." She had never been the best at art but had been decent enough to compose a detailed diagram. Besides, this was probably the only image of the castle since it was a pile of rubble now. She stood. "I'm going to get something to eat," she declared. She walked back into the house and started searching through the pantry for something nourishing.

Sam followed her inside. "Hey uhh, there's something I need to talk to you about," she said.

"What is it?" she asked. There was barely anything fresh in the pantry, only staples and long lasting food. Mr Nishimura probably got his food on the go, on the way to the office. Maybe these things were for when Sam or Mrs Nishimura stayed over. She took a pack of jasmine tea in the corner and put the kettle on the stove. It wasn't English but at least it was tea.

"Umm…" Sam said, "My dad… he…"

Lara glanced back at her. She wouldn't meet her eyes and was drumming her fingers on the counter restlessly.

"What's wrong?" Lara asked, sitting opposite her on the stool. Sam looked at her, the edge of her eyes downturned. Lara raised an eyebrow.

Sam ran a hand through her hair then said, "He wants you to sign a contract giving him control of your publicity. You know- to make it official."

No. The word was about to roll off her tongue but then another thought came to her. Lara folded her arms, leaning forward. "Why are you the one telling me this?" she asked skeptically. "Why aren't you trying to dissuade me?"

"This is a really good opportunity for you," she said earnestly. "Plus, if you agree to this my uncle will terminate your previous contract so he'll only take forty percent of the sales."

"You've changed your tone," Lara noted with false optimism.

Sam bit her lower lip. "That's because my dad's offered me the chance to direct your documentary."

Lara stared at her. Well that explains everything, was her first thought. Then, I can't believe her. How could Sam be so selfish at a time when her best friend needed her most? Sam knew that she didn't want to enter a contract to be paraded around like a show pony yet she was the one offering her the shackles. She was her best friend… and she was doing the exact opposite of what a friend should be doing right now.

Sam shifted in her seat, uneasy. "Don't stare at me like that it's really scary," she said. "I know how it looks but hear me out."

Lara remained silent, keeping her breathing steady, waiting.

"Okay…I'll take that as a green light." She tapped the bench. "Umm… Besides the opportunity for me, he's going to let me have a say in how you're exposed. This way, I can make sure he doesn't take things too far and I can tailor everything to suit you."

Lara was unconvinced and still trying to repress her rage. "You're not making the point you think you are," she said. Then she added, "You do know your father's just using you?"

Sam put her hands up. "I'm well aware of that but that doesn't change the fact that what he's offering isn't a good deal. I know you don't want this, but you are going to get it anyway. Even if Whitman and Roth were still alive, the world will still see you as the archaeologist who played a vital role in its discovery and will want to know more about you. Your father couldn't escape this and neither can you."

Lara rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the tension in them. Sam had a point; there was no way this was going to fade anytime soon. But that didn't mean she wanted to trust her life with Sam's media centric father.

Sam continued, "If you continue to let the crows dissect you, you are going to get ravaged. Saying nothing is just as bad as saying something stupid and I know that you want the comments to stop. You can put an end to that but not by yourself as we saw yesterday. If you take this I'll be here for you, helping you capitalize on your publicity but to your limits."

Lara shook her head. "You can't promise that." Sam had a tendency to get carried away with almost everything she did. Whenever she brought a new camera or gadget she would often buy every accessory that went with it in the store. But there was another problem. "Not when your dad has control of this contract."

Sam got off the stool and walked around to her. "I will not let him do anything that you're not comfortable with," she promised, taking her hands in hers. "You mean so much to me- I won't let him hurt you but I don't want to see you continuing to get hurt by reporters. I have the contract in my room. Just read through it before you make any decisions."

Lara took her hands back and rubbed her jaw. Her heart was twisting itself into knots until she didn't know how she was meant to be feeling. A part of her was simmering; how could Sam be so selfish when the sacrifice wasn't her's to make? She had promised to always be there for her but now she was taking a step onto the other side.

Yet she could see the rationale in her arguments. Maybe it was relaxing for one night, or maybe it was because she couldn't feel the pain now, but she knew that she couldn't keep running from her responsibility- she had to turn around and tell it who was boss. And…maybe it wouldn't be so bad having her best friend as her manager- or one of her managers at least.

Lara rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know…I guess I'll take a look-" Sam's eyes brightened. "But that doesn't mean anything okay?" she quickly said. She looked down and fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. "I don't…I don't like this," she admitted.

Sam touched the scar on the edge of Lara's lips with her thumb. Lara remembered when Sam had kissed her there; a peculiar, intimate moment. After that, she found herself wondering how her friend saw her these days, though she didn't really want to find out. "I want to help you," she said quietly. "I don't understand what you're going through so this is the best way I can actually do something useful."

Lara brushed her hand away and pressed her lips together in the semblance of a smile. Sam had been so supportive and patient post- Yamatai, even though she was blind to the holes. She's just trying to help, she thought. If she couldn't trust Sam, then there wasn't anyone else she could trust in this world.

Lara sighed. "Okay…" she resigned. The kettle clicked behind her. "Let's take a look. Maybe you can explain it to me."

Sam beamed. "Thank you Lara-"

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," she reminded her sternly.

"I know," she said confidently. She went to pour the water into the cup of tea then placed it in front of Lara. "Enjoy your tea; I'll go get the contract." She hugged her quickly then went upstairs.

Lara had an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sam, though she argued that she didn't have anything in common with her father, had inherited his persuasive charisma and his ability to know what everybody's price was. Now that Lara had shown the slightest bit of interest, she was worried it wouldn't take long before she rolled over.

She wrapped her hand around the mug and recoiled as the heat seared her scar. What am I doing? she thought as pressed her palm against the burn. All she wanted was to focus on her archaeology and return home. We all need to reconcile with this change. That was what she had told Sam wasn't it?

Knowing and understanding were two different things and lately she had difficulties with the latter. This was her life now, one destined to be stalked by reporters and having every aspect of her life scrutinized under a microscope.

Reality was always a kick in the balls but everyone had to wake up sooner or later. She just hoped she had the strength to deal with it.

Lara looked down at the tea. A few miniscule leaves diluted with three parts water. It was hardly appealing and wouldn't sate her desires.

What she needed now wasn't a weak brew. She needed something stronger, something more deadening.

Something that came in the form of a pill.