Author's Disclaimer: I don't own "Tomb Raider 2013" or "Rise of the Tomb Raider." They belong to Square Enix.
Author's notes: Doing a part two and making this a series thing. "Alpha Raiding." I hope you enjoy! A look at Sam and Lara before "Rise of the Tomb Raider." My thanks to Revan's Mask for her Tomb Raider stories.
"Turnabout"
Part two of "Alpha Raiding"
Lara scanned the targets across from her, pistol held loosely in one hand. She tugged her ear protectors down and raised her weapon, scanning the targets in her sight. She popped off a few rounds and hit the button beside her to track the target paper back to her. A laugh came from beside her. Sam lowered her ear protectors and regarded her target.
"Excellent scoring, sweetie," Sam said. Lara grinned, laying the pistol safely down on the table in front of her.
"Why don't you try a few rounds? You can never take too many practice rounds," Lara said. Sam came forward and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned up to kiss Lara's cheek and Lara smiled widely, looking aside.
"That one of Roth's sayings? He was right, apparently," Sam said. Lara sobered, wrapping an arm around Sam's waist. The two held each other.
"His funeral's tomorrow. I don't know how we're gonna get through this," Lara worried. Sam leaned full up into her torso, pressing her breasts into hers. Lara swallowed as heat went to more interesting areas.
"I'll help you manage. Oh, I'd say you have a big problem," Sam teased. Lara regarded her with hooded eyes. The new staff knew not to intrude on her studies or practice, and the large gym was empty except for them.
"Oh, I'd say so." Lara nipped a few kisses down along Sam's throat. "What are you proposing, Ms. Nishimura?"
"You, me, on the floor, here," Sam grinned. Lara grinned back when she stepped back and began to strip. Lara tugged at her pants, trying to help. Her hands smoothed over the soft skin of Sam's flat belly and up to her breasts. Sam laughed, trying to take her bra off as Lara kept groping her all over. "Lara!"
"You started it," Lara said. She tugged Sam close and hungrily kissed her. The past week on semi-permanent vacation at her manor was just what they needed. Lara didn't know when Sam would be willing to go to therapy, and she knew she needed it too, but at least a welcome pair of warm arms and equally warm body helped a lot of things. Sam moaned into her mouth and tugged on her belt, unfastening her pants. Lara kicked off her shoes to help and Sam tore her t-shirt off. Soon they were pressed belly to belly, naked, on the gym mats. They were cold beneath Lara's back, but she didn't care. She bucked and thrust up beneath Sam, making her laugh, before she lined them up and thrust down.
The soft sigh that erupted from Sam filled Lara with longing. Her shaft ached, encased in silken walls. She grasped Sam's hips, tugging her closer.
"Sam…." She leaned up on her elbows to kiss her. As they wound higher and higher, Sam clasped her shoulders, pushing her flat on her back, thrusting up and down on her shaft, taking her pleasure. Lara liked some of Sam's decidedly rougher movements lately, but there was a hint of something savage in her dark eyes when she did so. She snarled down at her lover, hissing as she slammed onto Lara's aching shaft again and again. Sam spit words in Japanese, lost in her pleasure. Lara gaped at her lover. She knew she'd been taught Japanese even being the third generation born in the UK. But she didn't know that much…. It didn't seem like her.
Lara grasped her hips with both hands and tried to guide her to a slower rhythm, but Sam wasn't having it this time. She grasped her hands and slammed them on the mat above Lara's head, holding her down and grounding down. Lara choked out a gasp as her orgasm was ripped from her, her seed coating Sam harshly inside.
Only then did Sam sigh and sink down to lay across her, sounding more like her usual self. "Oh, sweetie…."
Lara chuckled, dousing her moment of doubt on ice. "What got into you there? I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
"But you're planning on it." Sam leaned up on one elbow, keeping Lara inside. She quirked a nervous smile at her lover. "I've seen your research notes. You're planning on going to Syria next?"
It wasn't phrased as a question. Lara gave a nod. She cupped the back of Sam's neck, massaging her, guiding her head onto her breast. "Dad's notes circle around to this man called The Prophet. Before founding Kietzsch he and his followers were in the desert for some years. That's Syria."
"Wait, this guy made it all the way from… where before Syria?" Sam asked. She kissed Lara's nipple, watching her shudder.
"Constantinople," Lara said.
"Right, Constantinople. Then to Syria, then all the way from the middle east to Russia? Guy really got around," Sam joked. Lara nodded. She shifted her legs beneath Sam, slightly chilled by the air conditioning in the gym. She could feel their joined fluids around the base of her shaft, and she shivered.
"Aw, don't get cold," Sam purred. She leaned down to kiss her. Lara kissed her eagerly and ran her hands down her back, holding her close.
"How could I when you're doing that," Lara said. A flash of darkness swept through Sam's eyes and her smile was too wide. Lara blinked then her girlfriend was back. "Hey, listen…. Do you want to come with me?"
"Where? Hang on… uhn…" Sam moaned, sliding off her. Lara's shaft slid out and fell limply against her thigh. Her seed leaked down Sam's thigh as she shakily sat beside Lara.
Lara sat up and reached for her boxers. "Syria. Jonah can't come, not right now. But I need an assistant."
Sam's eyes gleamed, but her face distorted slightly. Lara blinked. "I don't know, sweetie. My parents are coming tomorrow…"
Lara's heart sank. She reached for her pants. "They're going to try to take you back home." What was going to happen? To Sam, to them…
Sam gave her a soft smile, pulling her clothes on. "I want to stay with you. What's for lunch?"
Lara stretched her legs as she got herself dressed. Sam leaned against her as they limped their way to the hallway. Lara kissed her brow.
"Shower first. Then lunch. Come on," Lara urged. When Sam put her arm around her waist, she tried to banish her thoughts of fear.
Himiko was dead. She'd made sure of it.
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Lara leaned against a pillar in her manor's foyer, watching guests arrive. Winston welcomed everyone, and she made sure to greet each person. There were a lot of colleagues of her father's and Roth's that she knew only in passing. They all greeted her warmly, having known her since she was a child. She tugged at her tie. She'd wanted to wear a suit today, and had it measured and ordered a few days ago. Croft money made things move.
Sam had opted for a simple black dress. Her shoulders were bare, enticing some of Lara's more primal thoughts, but everything else was modestly covered. Lara wanted to sink into warm thoughts about her girlfriend, but last night had been troubling. Their lovemaking had been pushed to harsher thrusts, Sam pushing her on, biting and clawing her. Lara had had to pin her and take her with deep hard thrusts to hold her in place and she hadn't liked how dark her thoughts had gone.
Sam, fortunately, seemed to like it and screamed beneath her. Afterward, she had fallen asleep, but as Lara finally had drifted off, trying not to feel guilty, Sam had woken. She had sat up, murmuring softly in Japanese, rubbing at her face with splayed fingers. Lara had been shocked to see her jerky primal movements. When she'd touched her back, Sam had pushed back at her, snarling. Then her girlfriend was there.
"Lara!" she'd gasped. She looked startled as if she'd just been jolted awake. Lara had held her, but she was worried. What was going on?
Now, Lara scanned her foyer, watching for Sam. The slim girl moved among Lord Croft's colleagues, shaking hands, and mingling. The older men and women were moved by her young beauty and all talked amicably with her. A nudge greeted Lara, in the shoulder from behind. She turned, smiling to notice Jonah had arrived.
"Little bird. How you doing?" he asked casually. Lara smiled weakly and gave him a hug. He was dressed formally in a black suit as well but looked very uncomfortable.
"Trying to survive. Come on, the service is starting soon," she urged. Sam came up and hugged Jonah as well, then linked her arm in Lara's.
"Someone like Roth had a full life. He did so many interesting things."
"Dad had worked with him for years, before I was born. He was always there," Lara remembered.
"Come on, let's sit in the back. I can't bear it," Sam murmured. Lara felt the same. As they filed into the garden of the manor, they took three chairs in the back row. They had a clear vantage point of everyone moving outside and where they sat.
"Hey. Reyes made it," Jonah muttered. Lara blinked. The tall woman was dressed in black, but made her dress look a fashion statement. A tall girl stood at her side and Lara recognized her daughter Alisha. Roth's daughter. Lara wondered if Reyes had told her yet. The girl looked very sad. Probably.
"We should say hi," Sam said. Lara tugged her elbow, urging her to stay seated.
"Afterwards. Let's listen to the service," she said. One of her father's professor friends took the podium placed amidst the garden flower beds. He spoke of Roth, where he'd traveled with Richard Croft, how the two of them had met at Oxford in their youth. Lara was hit with more pangs of grief and her friends held both her hands, one on either side. Pictures of her father were included in the slide show. Young, when he'd met her mother. There were pictures of the three of them in traveling photos.
Lara felt at ease when Sam leaned to kiss her cheek. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispered in her ear. Lara silently thanked her.
'But who's going to save you?' Lara thought.
After the service, everyone mingled through the garden and snacks had been brought out. Only then did Lara feel like intruding on Reye's grieving. She was holding it together, but she wasn't speaking to many people.
"Lara," Reyes said simply. Her daughter was taller than she was. Roth truly had given a lot of himself to his unknown child. Lara gave a soft smile, Sam on her arm.
"Hi, Reyes. I'm glad you're here," she said simply. Reyes gave a short nod.
"Thank you for doing this. I just never thought…this day would come," she said. Alisha rubbed a Kleenex between her fingers.
"If you ever need anything….you know you can call me," Lara offered. The warrior was back in Reye's scowl but she gave a fierce smile to the younger Croft.
"I'm still not going with you on your next expedition. No offense," she said. Lara inclined her head.
"I completely understand," she said smoothly.
The afternoon etched slowly on. Winston and the staff made their rounds and Lara stole a quiet moment in the corner of the garden. Jonah had snagged a blanket from inside and the three of them sprawled under one of the large oak trees. Lara laid her head in Sam's lap, hooking one ankle over her knee as she lay down. Jonah spoke above her and Lara closed her eyes. She was almost at peace. Almost.
Lara opened her eyes and seeing Sam's smile upside down above her flashed an image of a grimace instead. Lara rolled over and knelt up. No, her girlfriend was here. Not Himiko.
"Where is she? Where's Sam?" A voice rang out across the garden. Lara came up on one knee, scanning the gardens. Jonah tensed beside her then clapped a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"They came," he murmured. Sam stood up, brushing off her black dress.
"Mom, Dad!" she called to the elderly Japanese couple striding toward them. Mrs. Nishimura scowled at her and Lara was pinned to the spot by her glare.
"I'm so….glad you could come," Lara tried to greet them. Mr. Nishimura pulled Sam into a rough hug, as if searching her for wounds.
"I'm okay!" Sam insisted. Her father scowled and cast a glare down at Jonah and Lara. Lara couldn't help feeling like a scolded child, as she and Jonah cringed on the blanket beneath the oak tree.
"We'll determine that. Thank you for housing Sam, Ms. Croft, but we'll take her back home now," Mr. Nishimura declared.
Lara's heart sank.
End for now
End notes: I love these games so much. Like it, drop a review!
pen 5/1/2021