Sighing, Sofia walks to her little home, feeling bushed after working with the kids on their hunting techniques', the one little girl was having a hard time with skinning her first animal. The sun had been roasting today and she was grateful to have been sitting under the trees for the lesson, yes she has a perma-tan due to always being outside. But everyone has their own limit with how much they can take of the sun beating down on them.

Rubbing the back of her neck as she nears her door she spots Jackie sitting out front, legs crossed and hands folded neatly. Sofia gives her a quizzical look while spotting that the candles in her home have been lit already, "what have you been up to?" Sofia asks, craving to get a cloth soaked in cool water and to let it rest over the back of her neck.

Smiling, Jackie looks up at her, "I answered your phone an hour and a half ago, Lara was on her way back home. We couldn't talk long as they were flying through a storm."

Feeling less tired and fatigued by the thought of talking with Lara at long last, Sofia hurries into her home and goes to her large bowl, pouring water into it and setting her cloth into it. "Did she say anything else?" Sofia asks as she looks over her shoulder at the older woman.

Jackie steps into the home and takes a seat at the small table nearest to the door, admiring Sofia's joy and truly happy to see she is happy with someone, even if it isn't someone from her own home. "Not very much, she said she'd be home in an hour or two. I told her you were out with the kids," she says and Sofia pulls the cloth out, rings it out, and uses her left hand to scoop her long hair up and her right hand to set the cloth around the back of her neck.

"Ooooh… kneeling down for hours, with your head bent down, it does a number on your neck with the sun peeking through the leaves as if to say 'you can't escape me!'" Sofia gives a light chuckle as she stands up straight and stretches her limbs. I miss the feel of your hands Lara… rubbing the back of my neck, easing the tension that builds up… your smile… she looks at the moon dial outside her little window to see the time. Calculates in her mind as to what the time is for Lara and pulls the cloth off to set it back into the water.

"If she is home she could be asleep… I remember our last adventure together, the things you go through really takes its toll on you when you finally let yourself relax," Sofia toys with the cloth in the bowl for a few moments. Watching the bubbles, letting them stir around the cloth before picking it up and ringing it out again.

"You can only try love, remember that," Jackie says as she stands up and turns to the doorway, looking up at the rising moon. "If she doesn't answer right away then you'll know that she is asleep, might even call you back right away, but you won't know till you try," she turns to look at Sofia from over her shoulder.

Pressing the cloth to her face and then around her neck again she walks over to her private phone that Lara had installed, wetting her lips she places her finger tips to touch the cool plastic back. Swallowing she lifts it and within seconds it starts ringing.

She listens to one ring, her heart beat starting to pick up in excitement, she hears a second ring, the excitement is starting to die down she must be asleep… or I could be interrupting her in the bathroom getting cleaned up… her mind starts to wander to their fun in the bathtub when she hears the third ring. Hang up, she'll call you back or you can try again at a more reasonable hour she pulls the phone away from her ear hesitantly and then hears the silence. She picked up!

Smiling Sofia waits until she hears her breathing to know that the microphone is next to her ear, "Lara? Jackie told me you were going to call in about an hour or two; I hope I didn't wake you. I was about to hang up when you picked up, I'm sorry… I just wanted to hear your voice."

Waiting patiently, she listens to her breathing I probably woke her up and she's probably trying to form coherent thoughts. "Sofia –" Lara says and she hears a snap followed by an agonized scream from her, the sound has her heart skip a beat, she freezes, Jackie turns around as she heard the scream as well.

Clutching the phone tightly, panic, anger and confusion swirling in her head, "Lara! Lara? Who's hurting you? WHO ARE YOU?" Sofia demands Sofia feels herself tense up and then anger came boiling to the surface.

Sofia can hear Lara continuing to whimper, but the sound isn't as close as it once was, "My name is Alister Star, I work for Trinity," Alister says coldly and very smoothly, sending chills down through Sofia's spine. "Judging by the fact that none of the other phones in the house rang when you called tells me that you are special to our Lara. Which makes me wonder… where is the Wings of Light?"

Her heart is racing, her muscles tense up I can't… Lara… she had me promise, and now she's paying the price she takes a slow breath. "I don't know what you're talking about," Sofia lies.

"Oh I am confident that you do, and I am even more confident that you don't want me harming Lara any further, now do you?" Alister asks. Sofia starts pacing, taking the cloth off the back of her neck and Jackie walks over, placing her hand onto Sofia's shoulder to try and offer some comfort. She can see the worry and fear in the younger woman's eyes, feeling helpless.

"HANG UP SOFIA!" Liam screams, this makes Sofia almost jump in surprise he's there too? "HE'S-"she hears him give out a loud grunt, they're both getting tortured for this.

"Don't hurt them!" Sofia shouts into the phone, there's a short pause and she hears Mr. Star say "talk!" distantly followed by a sharp cry from Lara which is right at her ear again.

Sofia clutches the phone so tightly her knuckles turn white, she controls her breathing, making sure to keep it nice and even, listening to Lara sniffle, "Lara… what do you want me to do?" just tell me. I don't want him harming you any further for these Wings of Light… I just want to hold you like I did when you were tortured before. I want to be there for you, I know that you are suffering and I can't stand it! She feels tears brimming her eyes as she waits.

Finally she hears Lara take a breath, "listen to me very carefully Sofia," Lara says, Sofia can tell she is fighting to keep her composure, to stay strong, she's seen this side of Lara in person and she feels her gut wrenching. What are you going to do Lara? Please don't get yourself hurt more than you already are she looks at Jackie, she looks into Sofia's eyes and can see how much this is paining her. Being hundreds of miles away, and able to do nothing but listen.

Lara lets out a breath, "I love you," Sofia's heart seizes up, her eyes wide in alarm, before she can tell her to not hang up, that she doesn't need protecting, the line is dead. Beeping is the only thing that sounds in her right ear.

Dropping the phone onto the table, Sofia takes a seat at the table and places her left palm onto her forehead with her left elbow supporting it on the table. Right hand clutches her right knee, "she is trying to protect me, and I know that. She is going through hell in her own house because of an artifact… one that she wants to keep out of Trinity's hands no matter what the cost."

Jackie gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze, "what did she say to you?" and Sofia closes her eyes.

I love you… and I love you too but I never wanted to hear it in that way… not in a goodbye way her eyes open as she stares at the table top. She must have broke the phone after it… she is wanting to protect me from those who are harming her. Sofia rubs the bridge of her nose with her thumb and fore finger, fighting through her exhausted mind to think clearly. They knew you had it… they broke into your house… he noticed none of the other phones rang… he knows I'm special her eyes shoot open and she stands up quickly. "He's going to figure out where I am," she looks at Jackie, "Trinity is coming back! Lara was trying to warn me, we have to get everyone else up and ready for a fight!"

Bounding out of her home with the night air smacking her in the face waking her up from her haze, her mind suddenly clear and alert. Sofia heads to the top of the hill grabbing a torch as she does and lighting as many fire pits as she can on the way, those who are still up are giving her confused looks. She finds Brock leaning against the doorframe to his home. "Sound the alarm, Trinity is coming back!" she orders and he blinks, as though he doesn't know if he heard her correctly.

"What? Wait!" Brock hurries after her and catches her elbow as she is trying to take off. He pulls her to face him, "why would Trinity come back?" he demands and Sofia pulls her arm free from him.

"Because we have something they want!" Sofia pulls her arm free of his grasp and watches his face contort with anger. Looking him in the eye, "later… not now," she tells him and continues up the pathway to the top of the hill, overlooking the tents, homes, the fire pits, and then listens to Jackie bang the gong.

Very slowly faces come out of homes and tent openings, now I get to be the bad guy she takes a deep breath as all eyes fall on her. Feeling a weight on her shoulders she holds her torch up high, "everyone! We must prepare for another fight with Trinity; I just got word that they are on their way over here. I do not know how many, so we must prepare. Get the barricades up, prepare as many weapons as you can, arrows, axe's, spears, as well as armour! We have hours so let's make it count!" just like that everyone snapped awake, got dressed and set to work.

Sitting in the soaking wet tall grass outside of the rod iron fence, Jonah watches anxiously as he and Winston are drenched from the rain. They watch with baited breath from between the posts of the fence to try and see inside the Croft property.

When the two arrived with the hot pizzas they kept going when they got closer to the gates. Seeing people walking along the grounds that weren't supposed to be there and upon seeing armed guards at the front door, they kept going and parked on the shoulder several feet away. Not wanting to give themselves away they walked several feet through the tall grass instead of on the road to get to the fence looking at the garden out back.

Thanks to the thunder and pouring rain it is impossible to hear much, but they can hear Lara's screams. Jonah's blood runs cold when he hears it and he grips the bars so tight it hurts.

We are badly outnumbered, out gunned, out skilled… what can I do to help you Lara? Who is hurting you so badly? And where the hell is Liam! He hears a window smash and watches as a small object clatters to the ground.

"That couldn't be a gun," Jonah mutters and has Winston watching him closely, "given the number of people here, taking away one gun won't make a difference and to toss it and not use it… it couldn't be a gun," he presses his forehead to the freezing cold bars and watches as a man walks over to pick up the object. "What would you want to discard… no kaboom so it wasn't a grenade to get rid of, there's no rock… could it be a signal?" he shakes his head and feels the urge to kick the fence in frustration.

Eyes closed, feeling thousands of tiny taps pummeling all over his back, arms and back of his legs he looks at his mud caked shoes. The rain water shining in the moon light, the ridges of mud that are forming his foot prints. Hands are starting to grow numb from the continued exposure to the rain, lifting his head he looks through the bushes, trees and around the statues to look at the library window again.

"You don't want to be caught… maybe… or Lara ditched something," he watches as he sees his breath in front of his face. "A book maybe? Her notes on finding something? But that doesn't add up, even for the rain, sure the ink will run but with so many hench men, there's too much that will be saved."

His eyes open wide, "of course… the Wings, if they're here for the Wings then-" He feels a nudge to his right bicep and looks at Winston next to him who is pointing off to the distance, and a helicopter is approaching. His heart plummets, "Sofia… she has the Wings of Light, which means her people are in danger again!" he mutters angrily.

They watch as the helicopter lands in a wide open space of the Croft property, a group of men exit the manor, Lara looks like she is being carried into the helicopter she's not on his shoulder, she's hurt bad. If they're not willing to carry her on their back then she's of use to them still his eyes search for Liam, but he does not emerge with the group.

"Winston, we need to get into the manor and get to Liam," Jonah looks at the older man with a determined look in his eyes, "I'll need a diversion."

To Be Continued…

Phew I had this scene for Jonah planned for a long time, visualized it so much and wanted it to be written perfectly but when I wrote the part for Sofia well over a year ago… I hadn't written his part yet. But I feel pretty good about it. I hope you enjoyed this and of course, drama will continue to follow. What do you predict happening? Are we going to lose a beloved character? Please review!

Also help me title this chapter!

-SLITH