Author's note: Sisterly Love has been completely reloaded and edited a little for content. For the compete, uncut version, check out my homepage http://mine.at/thelair or http://mine.at/mblow0t5 Enjoy!

***

Tristen looked up at the sound of the door opening. She had been lying awake in her bed after her nightmares prevented her from sleeping. Tristen had been examining her scars and praying that Alex would return and take care of her. Maybe she had been to hard on him. Perhaps she had misheard what he screamed. But every time he thought about it, she heard the same name escape his lips. Lara's name.

"Tristen?" She got out of bed, pulling her robe loosely around herself.

"Alex?" She called back. Tristen walked out of the bedroom, only to find her mortal enemy trying to balance her unconscious boyfriend on her shoulder while she closed the door to the hotel room.

"Lara!" Tristen shouted. Lara jumped, Alex slid out of her arms and onto the floor. He moaned softly from his place on the floor, but didn't move.

"Oh no!" Tristen rushed over to Alex, cradling his head in her lap. "What did you do to him?!" She snapped at Lara.

"I didn't do anything. I ran into Mr. West at a bar where he was hell bent on drinking himself into oblivion." Lara explained. "Then he passed out and I brought him back here."

"I don't believe you, you bitch!" Tristen growled. "I've told you to stay away from him. Do I need to get a restraining order?"

"Tristen, you're acting like I'm going to rape him if I see him for more then ten seconds." Lara said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You just might." She spat.

"I'm not even answering that. . ." Lara said.

"Go to hell, Lara! And leave me and Alex along."

"I will when I'm sure that you are not endangering him or yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Those scars. On your arms. Where did you get them?" Lara said, raising an eyebrow at her little sister.

"I, I, accidentally cut myself when I was cooking. . ." Tristen stammered.

"You 'accidentally' cut yourself four separate times on both arms?" Lara asked.

Alex moaned in his sleep. Tristen turned her attention back to him. "Oh, Alex." She glared at Lara. "Help me get him into bed."

"Get Alex West in bed. Perfect. Then my plans for finally sleeping with him will be that much easier." Lara said, sarcastically.

"Fine. Then you stay out here." Tristen snapped. She grabbed Alex by his arms and began to pull him into the bedroom.

Lara shook her head. She walked around the small hotel room, investigating. Dirty clothes strewn over the floor, empty dishes piled high in the sink, a pan full of a suspicious looking substance sitting on the stove and even a untouched box of condoms was sitting on the counter. Bugger, she needs Hillary more then I do. . . Lara thought.

Tristen emerged from the bedroom, giving Lara a dirty look. "Now, get out so Alex can sleep."

"No." Lara said, picking up a discarded Glamour magazine. "Ooo, twenty ways to a better orgasm." She said, glancing over the article.

"You are such a bitch! Do you really want me to call the police on you?" She snapped.

"Tristen, I'm not leaving until I know that you are going to be alright. And cutting yourself is not 'alright'." She said.

"Look, I was upset, okay?" Tristen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tristen, what ever happened to your mother?" Lara asked, suddenly.

"She's dead." Tristen spat.

"How did she die?"

"I. . . don't remember." Tristen said, biting her lower lip.

"Yes, you do. How did she die?" Lara urged.

"One of her customers." Tristen mumbled. "He stabbed her to death."

"How old were you?"

"Lara, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Then when would you like to talk about it?" Lara asked.

"Never! Just leave me alone!" Tristen said, raising her voice.

"Tristen, I think you need to attend therapy."

"How dare you come in here and start telling me how to live my live, you pompous bitch! You think you're so might and mighty, well fuck you!"

"Tristen calm down, I am only trying to help you."

"Bullshit."

Silence fell over the apartment as the two sisters starred at each other for a long while.

"I can't afford it anyways." Tristen finally bit out.

"I'll pay for it." Lara said.

"I don't need your hand outs."

"Alright then, Tristen. On the edge of my estate there is a home for orphan girls that is looking for an assistant. Are you interested?" Lara asked.

"I don't have anywhere to live."

"You can live in the manor. Hillary can find some things for you do to around the house if you want to earn your keep there." Lara said.

"What about Alex?"

"You can continue to see him if you wish. I have no objections."

"And you won't go after him?"

"Not unless he wakes up with a brand new personality tomorrow." Lara said, dryly.

"Why are you doing this, Lara?"

"Because you're my sister and I don't want to see you hurting yourself."

"I need to think about it."

"Alright, you know my number when you decide." Lara nodded.

"Okay. I'll call you." Tristen said.

"Until then." Lara walked out of the hotel room. She paused once she closed the door. Tristen, do the right thing.

***

Alex took another sip of the soup Tristen had warmed in the microwave for him since the stove was piled with dirty dishes since the dish pan wasn't big enough. He looked back at her. "Is something wrong?" He finally asked.

Tristen looked up from the napkin that she had been folding, rearranging and refolding for over a half hour. "Huh?" She asked.

"Is something wrong? I mean, I've been conscious for over a half hour and you haven't offered to blow me yet." Alex said, crudely.

"God, you are such an asshole!" Tristen cried. She slammed the napkin down on the kitchen counter and walked back into the bedroom.

"Come on, Tristen. Tell me what's going on. I mean, I wake up and you tell me that Lara Croft drug me in here at two in the morning and I don't remember a damn thing. I would like a bit of an explanation." He said, getting up from his lukewarm bowl of soup and following her into the bedroom. Tristen collapsed on the bed and glared at him.

"Lara offered to let me stay at her house." Tristen mumbled. "She said that I could get a job and help Hillary and she would pay for therapy. . ."

"You're leaving me?" Alex asked.

"Well, we could still go out, but I wouldn't be living with you like we planed."

"Are you going to live with her?"

"I don't know. I'm so confused." She murmured, holding her head.

"Look, maybe you better stay with her." Alex said, not trying to make it sound like he wanted her out of his life, which he did.

"You don't mind?" Tristen asked, looking up innocently at him.

"No, in fact I think it'll be good for you." He gave her a fake smile. Of course, this did mean that he could see Lara more often if he did decide to continue dating her.

"You're the best." Tristen said, standing and wrapping her arms around his neck. Alex hugged her back, ignoring the fact that she had just called him an asshole and smiled.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Tristen broke the embrace and picked up the phone, glancing at Alex with a smile on her lips.

"Hello?" She asked into the receiver.

"Tristen?! Is that you, you little bitch?!" Her manager screamed over the phone.

"What? What did I do?" Tristen asked, she sat down on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You stupid bitch, you had a gig tonight! Too good to show up you little slut!? You're fired, Tristen! And if you EVER come crawling back, you slut, I'll have you arrested!" Her manager slammed the phone down and Tristen burst into tears.

"Shit. . . Not again." Alex muttered.

"That's it! I can't do this anymore!" Tristen sobbed. "I'm going to live with Lara."

***