Chapter six: All's Well That ends
Lara carefully moved her rook across the chessboard, placing it in a most advantageous
spot. She smugly leaned back into the chair, waiting for her opponent to move.
Professor Jones pulled his hat more firmly on his head and moved his queen out of the way.
"You certainly do everything mercilessly, Lara," he smirked, "even a simple game of chess."
Lara grinned widely as she brought her bishop up to claim his last knight. "What can I say?" she
asked quite rhetorically.
Indiana shrugged as he shifted his queen once more. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll say it
beautifully."
Lara shook her head and laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Indy. I have a strong
competitive streak." She pushed a pawn closer to the queen row.
"You didn't have to tell me that, it's quite obvious!" he replied with a chuckle as he placed his
bishop in a defense position of his queen.
Lara paused her gaming strategy long enough to inquire, "What are you going to do about the
Eternity Stone?"
Indy's playful demeanor vanished, and his countenance grew somber. "I honestly don't know."
Lara gazed at him thoughtfully before replying, "This isn't the sort of thing that needs rushing,
but when word gets out of your youthfulness, as it surely will and quite soon, I'm afraid you will
have to make up your mind almost instantaneously if you don't want to become a human lab rat."
Indiana sighed heavily. "I've thought of that, and still I cannot reach any conclusion." He looked
straight into your eyes. "I want your honest opinion: what should I do?"
Lara was pleasantly shocked at his sudden thirst for her advice, but not wanting to sound
didactic, as doubtless any advice she could give would, she simply said, "At times like this, it's
best to follow your heart."
At this simple sentence, all the grief and doubt seemed to vanish from his face. "Thank you, Lara,
I think I will." Indiana stood up and was about to leave the clubhouse when he suddenly
remembered the chess game. He glanced at the board in hopelessness until he realized that in all
her scheming to capture his queen, Lara had left her own monarchs in serious jeopardy. In a
flash, he sent his queen to the other side of the board declaring, "Check mate," grabbed his
trademark leather jacket, and exited the vicinity.
Lara gawked after him in disbelief; then she turned back to the chessboard. "Well screw this!"
she exclaimed, scattering the pieces over the room.
****************************
Later that day, Lara was gliding in the pool once more while Jean-Yves was reviewing the
itinerary for the exhibition that evening on a lounge chair. The guests had obviously forgotten all
about the "emergency evacuation" of the pool the week before, for the deck and pool were full of
people; people talking so loudly that Lara almost couldn't hear what Jean was saying.
"First, the ladies and gentlemen from the press will arrive and interview you," he began as
loudly was he could. "Next the aparatiffs and hors d'oeurves will be served, after that . . ."
"I get the general idea," interrupted Lara, "the evening's going to be as dull as tombs." Then
realizing the irony of her last statement, she quipped, "I mean very dull."
Jean-Yves looked a bit confused at her correction, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he
asked, "Are you upset with me for what I did to Mrs. Jones?"
Lara stopped treading water for long enough to reply, "I can't blame you really, except that I
would never obey anyone, especially not a perfect stranger telling me what to do with an
artifact."
Jean-Yves seemed satisfied with this reply even though Lara had inferred that she wouldn't have
made the same foolish error. After all, Lara had made other errors in her lifetime, and they were
enough.
Just then, Professor Jones entered the pool area, suitcases in hand and jacket slung over his
shoulder. He set his luggage beside the pool and called out, "I'm leaving now, Lara."
Lara swam over to the edge of the pool. "Already?" she asked, the disappointment in her voice
quite evident. "I had thought that you could be my escort to the exhibition."
Indiana threw back his head in a hearty laugh. "So you like me after all, Miss Croft. I must say
that's a pleasant surprise."
"I didn't say any such thing!" protested Lara over the sound of his chuckling. "I just thought it
might be nice to have someone my equal with whom to converse at this dull affair."
Jean-Yves looked slightly hurt at this insinuation, but like the coward he is, said nothing.
The professor shook his head. "And be recognized in public and transported immediately to some
top secret lab? No, thank you, though the offer was a tempting one." He gazed at Lara with
something a bit more that professional admiration in his eyes.
"I hadn't thought of that," quipped Lara in a rush, embarrassment creeping over her normally
calm face. "Well, if you are going, I trust you've made your decision?"
Jean-Yves jumped up in excitement. "You are going to give the Stone to Lara and turn yourself
in to the government for thorough testing! How wonderful!"
"I never said *that,*"spat the professor, "and I never will, because this jewel won't even exist by
tomorrow morning." He patted a bulge in his pocket that was obviously the Eternity Stone. Jean-
Yves's face fell about twenty feet.
A wave of relief swept over Lara as he spoke. She didn't know why she was glad,m but
somehow she was. Perhaps it was because she couldn't stand the sight of a perfectly good
archaeologist being stripped of the very thing that made him so and put under close scrutiny for
the rest of his life, which would be forever. Or perhaps it was because her feelings for the
intrepid explorer were more than she would admit to anyone.
Indy saw the relief in her eyes and knew that their rivalry was finally over. "I *will* see you
again, someday, you can depend upon it, so I won't bother to say goodbye. I will merely say
'until we meet again.'"
Lara nodded her assent and Indiana Jones picked up his baggage and turned to exit the hotel.
"Wait!" she called out to him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "What about the skeleton
with the whip and fedora at Angkor Wat?"
Indy looked confused. "What skeleton?"
Lara shook her head. "Never mind. Have a safe trip. Beware of alligators!"
"Now you're beginning to sound like my mother," joked Indy as he headed to the parking lot.
And at that moment, Lara knew that he had forgiven her for everything she had ever done to
upset him. And somehow, Lara forgave him, too.
"Lara?" asked Jean-Yves, breaking into her thoughts. "What skeleton *were* you talking
about?"
"It's a long story," replied Lara as she exited the pool and watched Indiana's car drive away. "I'll
tell you tonight if I ever get bored, and that's almost guaranteed after what's happened over the
last few days!"
The End!
Raider rivalry
Copyright 2001 By Alexis Rockford
Lara carefully moved her rook across the chessboard, placing it in a most advantageous
spot. She smugly leaned back into the chair, waiting for her opponent to move.
Professor Jones pulled his hat more firmly on his head and moved his queen out of the way.
"You certainly do everything mercilessly, Lara," he smirked, "even a simple game of chess."
Lara grinned widely as she brought her bishop up to claim his last knight. "What can I say?" she
asked quite rhetorically.
Indiana shrugged as he shifted his queen once more. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll say it
beautifully."
Lara shook her head and laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Indy. I have a strong
competitive streak." She pushed a pawn closer to the queen row.
"You didn't have to tell me that, it's quite obvious!" he replied with a chuckle as he placed his
bishop in a defense position of his queen.
Lara paused her gaming strategy long enough to inquire, "What are you going to do about the
Eternity Stone?"
Indy's playful demeanor vanished, and his countenance grew somber. "I honestly don't know."
Lara gazed at him thoughtfully before replying, "This isn't the sort of thing that needs rushing,
but when word gets out of your youthfulness, as it surely will and quite soon, I'm afraid you will
have to make up your mind almost instantaneously if you don't want to become a human lab rat."
Indiana sighed heavily. "I've thought of that, and still I cannot reach any conclusion." He looked
straight into your eyes. "I want your honest opinion: what should I do?"
Lara was pleasantly shocked at his sudden thirst for her advice, but not wanting to sound
didactic, as doubtless any advice she could give would, she simply said, "At times like this, it's
best to follow your heart."
At this simple sentence, all the grief and doubt seemed to vanish from his face. "Thank you, Lara,
I think I will." Indiana stood up and was about to leave the clubhouse when he suddenly
remembered the chess game. He glanced at the board in hopelessness until he realized that in all
her scheming to capture his queen, Lara had left her own monarchs in serious jeopardy. In a
flash, he sent his queen to the other side of the board declaring, "Check mate," grabbed his
trademark leather jacket, and exited the vicinity.
Lara gawked after him in disbelief; then she turned back to the chessboard. "Well screw this!"
she exclaimed, scattering the pieces over the room.
****************************
Later that day, Lara was gliding in the pool once more while Jean-Yves was reviewing the
itinerary for the exhibition that evening on a lounge chair. The guests had obviously forgotten all
about the "emergency evacuation" of the pool the week before, for the deck and pool were full of
people; people talking so loudly that Lara almost couldn't hear what Jean was saying.
"First, the ladies and gentlemen from the press will arrive and interview you," he began as
loudly was he could. "Next the aparatiffs and hors d'oeurves will be served, after that . . ."
"I get the general idea," interrupted Lara, "the evening's going to be as dull as tombs." Then
realizing the irony of her last statement, she quipped, "I mean very dull."
Jean-Yves looked a bit confused at her correction, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he
asked, "Are you upset with me for what I did to Mrs. Jones?"
Lara stopped treading water for long enough to reply, "I can't blame you really, except that I
would never obey anyone, especially not a perfect stranger telling me what to do with an
artifact."
Jean-Yves seemed satisfied with this reply even though Lara had inferred that she wouldn't have
made the same foolish error. After all, Lara had made other errors in her lifetime, and they were
enough.
Just then, Professor Jones entered the pool area, suitcases in hand and jacket slung over his
shoulder. He set his luggage beside the pool and called out, "I'm leaving now, Lara."
Lara swam over to the edge of the pool. "Already?" she asked, the disappointment in her voice
quite evident. "I had thought that you could be my escort to the exhibition."
Indiana threw back his head in a hearty laugh. "So you like me after all, Miss Croft. I must say
that's a pleasant surprise."
"I didn't say any such thing!" protested Lara over the sound of his chuckling. "I just thought it
might be nice to have someone my equal with whom to converse at this dull affair."
Jean-Yves looked slightly hurt at this insinuation, but like the coward he is, said nothing.
The professor shook his head. "And be recognized in public and transported immediately to some
top secret lab? No, thank you, though the offer was a tempting one." He gazed at Lara with
something a bit more that professional admiration in his eyes.
"I hadn't thought of that," quipped Lara in a rush, embarrassment creeping over her normally
calm face. "Well, if you are going, I trust you've made your decision?"
Jean-Yves jumped up in excitement. "You are going to give the Stone to Lara and turn yourself
in to the government for thorough testing! How wonderful!"
"I never said *that,*"spat the professor, "and I never will, because this jewel won't even exist by
tomorrow morning." He patted a bulge in his pocket that was obviously the Eternity Stone. Jean-
Yves's face fell about twenty feet.
A wave of relief swept over Lara as he spoke. She didn't know why she was glad,m but
somehow she was. Perhaps it was because she couldn't stand the sight of a perfectly good
archaeologist being stripped of the very thing that made him so and put under close scrutiny for
the rest of his life, which would be forever. Or perhaps it was because her feelings for the
intrepid explorer were more than she would admit to anyone.
Indy saw the relief in her eyes and knew that their rivalry was finally over. "I *will* see you
again, someday, you can depend upon it, so I won't bother to say goodbye. I will merely say
'until we meet again.'"
Lara nodded her assent and Indiana Jones picked up his baggage and turned to exit the hotel.
"Wait!" she called out to him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "What about the skeleton
with the whip and fedora at Angkor Wat?"
Indy looked confused. "What skeleton?"
Lara shook her head. "Never mind. Have a safe trip. Beware of alligators!"
"Now you're beginning to sound like my mother," joked Indy as he headed to the parking lot.
And at that moment, Lara knew that he had forgiven her for everything she had ever done to
upset him. And somehow, Lara forgave him, too.
"Lara?" asked Jean-Yves, breaking into her thoughts. "What skeleton *were* you talking
about?"
"It's a long story," replied Lara as she exited the pool and watched Indiana's car drive away. "I'll
tell you tonight if I ever get bored, and that's almost guaranteed after what's happened over the
last few days!"
The End!
Raider rivalry
Copyright 2001 By Alexis Rockford