Chapter2.
Sara wanted to go home.
Truly, deeply, with all her heart.
Unfortunately, Lara Croft had other idea.
It was the fifth club they've visited that night and Sara was getting very tired. She was even
starting to think that she was getting too old for this sort of thing: loud music, cigarette's smoke and
dumb guys hitting on her. Lara, on the other hand, had the time of her life. She ruled the dance floor.
She played with the lads. She…
Sara leaned back against her private piece of wall and took a deep sip of beer.
'Good evening, Ian. You may stop lurking in the shadows.' She said, not looking at
Nottingham at all. After all this time she has grown accustomed to his constant presence. 'What
brings you to a place like this?'
He even smiled. 'The same thing that brings you, I presume'
'Touché!' She turned towards him from a sheer necessity of telling someone about her
problems. Jake would never understand. He would consider this a blessing… Sara opened her
mouth – and then the English party girl arrived, laughing, sweating, glamorous.
'Oh, my! Sara! Aren't you going to introduce me to your handsome friend?…'
Dozens of replies flew through Sara's head -- he's not my friend, introduce yourself, dumb-
head, oh my, what do you mean 'handsome'? – instead she just sighted and said: 'Lara, this is Ian.
Ian, this is Lara. Now excuse me, I need a drink.'
Then she saw that she still held a glass of beer and anticipated Ian saying something like: 'But
Lady Sara, You do have a drink.' or 'Let me order a drink for you, Lady Sara'. But he did not say
any of these. Sara blinked. And then blinked again.
Lara and Ian engaged in a party small-talk, as if she wasn't a world-famous adventure
seeker and he a world notorious assassin. Sara eavesdropped some of their conversation.
'Croft… Of THE Crofts?' Ian's deep voice, a bit astonished. Than Lara's giggle (Sara
didn't know she CAN giggle). 'Why yes. Actually I am.' A giggle once again. 'Lady Croft, It's a
pleasure to meet you; I have read all your books…'
Sara turned around and headed for the bathroom. Naturally it was packed, so she just stood
by the mirrors, waiting. She glimpsed in the nearest one. Just once, just to… Well. It was not that
bad. The hair was a mess, but it usually was. Eyes… Lack of sleep does not help them, no Sir.
Lips… After having eaten the whole lip-gloss, how they're suppose to look? Sara found herself
checking her figure in front of the mirror in a girl's room. Breasts -- rather fine. Hips – will do… Will
do for what? Jeez, Pezzini, get a hold of yourself!
OK. Fine. A deep breath and everything will be all right. Too much beer. Too little sleep.
Too much of Croft. Let Nottingham handle her for a few minutes, we'll see how he's going to look.
Poor Ian. Sara even felt sorry for him.
When she returned to the dance room, she could not spot neither Lara nor Ian anywhere.
She searched through both levels of the club, peeked outside and finally asked the bartender, if he
happened to see a tall, broody fellow in black and the dancing queen. He did.
'They left together, five minutes ago. Friends of yours, sugar?'
He got off with all of his teeth only because Sara was really fed up. And irritated. And she
wanted to go home, take a bath, wash the cigarette smoke out of her messy hair, eat a truck of ice-
cream, drink a bottle of vine and watch a dumb movie on the box. Or maybe just go to bed. She
couldn't even make up her mind in such trivial matters.
If this state was going to last a day longer, Sara Pezzini decided she would have to visit a
shrink…
End of chapter 2.
Took me a lot of time to post, I know. I'll try to make better next time, Cross my heart…
Sorry it took so long…
Sara wanted to go home.
Truly, deeply, with all her heart.
Unfortunately, Lara Croft had other idea.
It was the fifth club they've visited that night and Sara was getting very tired. She was even
starting to think that she was getting too old for this sort of thing: loud music, cigarette's smoke and
dumb guys hitting on her. Lara, on the other hand, had the time of her life. She ruled the dance floor.
She played with the lads. She…
Sara leaned back against her private piece of wall and took a deep sip of beer.
'Good evening, Ian. You may stop lurking in the shadows.' She said, not looking at
Nottingham at all. After all this time she has grown accustomed to his constant presence. 'What
brings you to a place like this?'
He even smiled. 'The same thing that brings you, I presume'
'Touché!' She turned towards him from a sheer necessity of telling someone about her
problems. Jake would never understand. He would consider this a blessing… Sara opened her
mouth – and then the English party girl arrived, laughing, sweating, glamorous.
'Oh, my! Sara! Aren't you going to introduce me to your handsome friend?…'
Dozens of replies flew through Sara's head -- he's not my friend, introduce yourself, dumb-
head, oh my, what do you mean 'handsome'? – instead she just sighted and said: 'Lara, this is Ian.
Ian, this is Lara. Now excuse me, I need a drink.'
Then she saw that she still held a glass of beer and anticipated Ian saying something like: 'But
Lady Sara, You do have a drink.' or 'Let me order a drink for you, Lady Sara'. But he did not say
any of these. Sara blinked. And then blinked again.
Lara and Ian engaged in a party small-talk, as if she wasn't a world-famous adventure
seeker and he a world notorious assassin. Sara eavesdropped some of their conversation.
'Croft… Of THE Crofts?' Ian's deep voice, a bit astonished. Than Lara's giggle (Sara
didn't know she CAN giggle). 'Why yes. Actually I am.' A giggle once again. 'Lady Croft, It's a
pleasure to meet you; I have read all your books…'
Sara turned around and headed for the bathroom. Naturally it was packed, so she just stood
by the mirrors, waiting. She glimpsed in the nearest one. Just once, just to… Well. It was not that
bad. The hair was a mess, but it usually was. Eyes… Lack of sleep does not help them, no Sir.
Lips… After having eaten the whole lip-gloss, how they're suppose to look? Sara found herself
checking her figure in front of the mirror in a girl's room. Breasts -- rather fine. Hips – will do… Will
do for what? Jeez, Pezzini, get a hold of yourself!
OK. Fine. A deep breath and everything will be all right. Too much beer. Too little sleep.
Too much of Croft. Let Nottingham handle her for a few minutes, we'll see how he's going to look.
Poor Ian. Sara even felt sorry for him.
When she returned to the dance room, she could not spot neither Lara nor Ian anywhere.
She searched through both levels of the club, peeked outside and finally asked the bartender, if he
happened to see a tall, broody fellow in black and the dancing queen. He did.
'They left together, five minutes ago. Friends of yours, sugar?'
He got off with all of his teeth only because Sara was really fed up. And irritated. And she
wanted to go home, take a bath, wash the cigarette smoke out of her messy hair, eat a truck of ice-
cream, drink a bottle of vine and watch a dumb movie on the box. Or maybe just go to bed. She
couldn't even make up her mind in such trivial matters.
If this state was going to last a day longer, Sara Pezzini decided she would have to visit a
shrink…
End of chapter 2.
Took me a lot of time to post, I know. I'll try to make better next time, Cross my heart…
Sorry it took so long…