I'll answer reviews next chapter. And to whomever keeps reviewing the Tomb Raider/Soul Reaver: World's Collide with numbers:

F**KING KNOCK IT OFF!!! FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, IF YOU WANT TO FLAME ME, DO IT, BUT DON'T WASTE MY F**KING GODD*MN TIME!!!

Next action will be to report you to fanfic, and I'm positive I have enough friends on here to make you're life miserable.

If any of you know who it is, tell him to stop it, please.

Anyway, here's the story.

Lara stepped closer to him, hardly believing her eyes. "What on Earth are you doing here?" He looked around himself.

"A very apropos statement," he commented, almost bitterly. Just as quickly, the tone was gone. "Would it be possible to speak to you in more . . . private quarters?"

Lara nodded and lead him into a smaller reclining room and indicated for him to take a seat. He sat only after she did.

"No doubt you have questions for me."

"Yes." Lara leaned forward slightly, interested. "What are you doing here, and why do you look . . . different than how I remember you?"

He actually smirked as he stated, "I believe I shall answer the latter first. It seems that the essence of this world has a bizarre effect on my form. None of my powers are altered, but I seem to have regained much of what I looked like as a vampire. I don't completely understand it, but it allows me to pass much more easily among humans. I just have to be careful about my eyes. As for why I'm here . . ." He hesitated. "Things in Nosgoth haven't particularly improved, and so Kain and I decided we were going to need more firepower, so to speak. We need the Soul Reaver."

Lara blinked at him. "Don't you have it already?"

"Our world's, yes, but I came here to look for this world's Soul Reaver."

"What makes you think we'd have one?"

Raziel sighed. "You have the Pillars that resonate the same energy as ours, and they look the same. The Pillars are the lock, no matter what world they are on. And for every lock, there is a key, which is exactly what the Soul Reaver is. So I have come looking for your world's Soul Reaver. It probably won't look like ours, but it'll be here."

"All right." Lara nodded, taking in the information. "Why did you come to me? I can't say I've had a lot of experience with ancient swords. I don't run into those too often."

"I know. I came to you because you're the only human we know here, and the only one we can trust. I did a little research around your planet, so I know that the sword has probably already been found. It's most definitely in a private collection of some sword cache. I need your help to look for it."

Lara let her head rest on her hand and tapped her temple lightly as she thought. "Hm . . . well, let's see. As I recall, there's going to be a collector's exhibit tomorrow. I seem to remember them saying something about a sword, but I believe it was supposed to be Excalibur." She paused. "Although, with a reputation like that, I suppose . . . Hold on but a moment, Raziel, while I call a few contacts of mine and get us on that list."

"So you will help?"

"Of course," she responded, obviously surprised he asked. She walked out of the room, then came back in, after having made her calls.

"All right, we have an exhibit to go to tomorrow."

"Wonderful." He stood. "It was a welcome experience to see you again, Lara. I will be looking forward to tomorrow." He seemed like he was going to say something, then apparently changed his mind as he commented gently, "I will see you tomorrow then?"

The two stepped out into the main hall where Bryce was still whimpering over the machine.

"Oh, Bryce," Lara sighed, "I regularly cause that thing damage."

"I know, Lara," he whined, "but with you it's just bullets. He broke this thing in two." He glared accusingly at Raziel as he worked.

"And this is . . . ?" Raziel inquired, addressing Lara, but keeping his eyes on Bryce.

"This is Bryce. As someone close to my heart once called him, he's my 'pet nerd'."

"Oh Lara, please don't call me by that name. You know it annoys me to no end."

"Mainly because it's true?"

She led Raziel toward the door, ignoring Bryce as Raziel gazed at her curiously, almost sadly. Someone close to her heart?

'So,' he mused to himself regretfully. 'She took to heart what I said about it being a fling, hm? Oh well, it was probably better to be remembered as a lovely, one-time only thing.'

Lara waved to the door and Raziel stepped through the threshold back outside. He turned back to her as she said almost shyly, "I'm glad you're back for a visit, Raziel." Before he could inquire exactly what she meant, she had gently shut the door. He blinked slowly, wondering what had happened with Lara in his absence. She seemed happy to see him, but also sad and distant, as if he reminded her of some painful thought, a sensitively tender memory. What that was, he could not begin to guess.

Lara leaned back against the door and breathed a sigh. Hillary and Bryce watched her curiously, noting she was acting rather peculiarly. When she glanced up at them, they hastily vanished from sight. Well, Hillary did, anyway. Bryce went back to working on the broken machine. Lara shook her head as she headed back into the gym.