A day later, Lara and Raziel were standing in front of the huge building that surrounded the Pillars. Raziel eyed it curiously.

"Judging from yesterday's experience, I would surmise that these so called . . . Scotland Yard humans would be all over this place."

Lara chuckled dryly. "Normally, they would be. But they took one look at the two names on the list and decided it would be better off if they just stayed out of the way. Strange things have a habit of happening around me and my compatriot."

"So it was you and one other?"

Lara nodded and before Raziel could question further, the owner of the previously unmentioned name pushed open the doors and stood blinking in the sunlight for a long moment. Then Jials McKintrey smiled widely and walked to where the two stood. He had improved since she had last seen him nearly five years ago. While his hair still retained its white streaks, it was gelled back and his blue eyes had light speckles in them again.

"Lara! Wonderful to see you again!" He took her hands in his and kissed either cheek. "I was afraid you blamed me for everything that happened to you."

Lara smiled slightly. "No, Jials, heavens no. I just blame you for getting me into that situation."

"Now, now, Lara. Last I checked, you let that situation get . . . into you."

"Jials!"

"Sorry." He held his hands up in defeat. "It's my dirty American sense of humor speaking."

Raziel raised an eyebrow, but decided he was going to stay quiet. What these humans did in their own time was their deal. Even if it meant making bad sexual jokes. Jials turned to him.

"Forgive me. I don't believe I know you. And you might be?"

"Raziel," was the short response.

"Oh." He turned to look at Lara and noticed she had an eyebrow raised. His eye twitched as if something sank in. "OH!!" He hastily coughed and began making his way back to the building.

"In the meantime, what can I do for you two?"

"Oh, nothing really," Lara stated. "We just need to get through your building and get to the portal."

Jials stopped dead and turned back to them. "You're planning on going through again? Last I checked, Lara, you're last words to me before you stormed out of here were . . . what were they again? Ah yes. 'My debt is paid tenfold. I am never going through that portal again, and if you contact me about doing such, then shove it up your arse and bugger off'?"

Lara nodded slowly. "I believe those were my words, yes."

"And now you want to go back into the portal again?!"

"I never said I wasn't going to go back into the portal. I just said that you couldn't come asking me to do it."

"You mean I could have sent one of my minions to ask you and possibly gotten a yes?"

Lara paused, then responded, "In theory, yes."

"Blast!" Jials began walking toward the building again at a feverish pace. Lara and Raziel followed him. Raziel glanced over at her.

"Paid your debt tenfold?" he inquired. Lara shrugged.

"When I came back, Jials sent me to a medic to have me checked over for any diseases or bacteria that might have come with me from Nosgoth. It was then that I found that I was pregnant. The statement Jials recited was one I made in anger and surprise about finding out."

"Were you angry with me, then, Lara?"

Lara stopped and looked up at him. "No, Raziel, I was not angry. What I was, was merely confused and frustrated. I'm a very active woman by nature, and to not be able to stretch my body to the limits for nine months straight for fear of hurting the child was a harsh blow to me. And then I actually stayed home for four years, to watch her grow and to raise her. You have no idea how tempted I was to get an abortion during the pregnancy. I would get my body and my life back, and since I thought I'd never see you again, there'd be no harm, no foul."

"Then why didn't you?" he asked after a moment. She breathed in as if to answer, hesitated, then let her breath out slowly.

"Because . . . I didn't want to. I think I wanted there to be something from that night. I wanted . . ." She hesitated again. "I didn't think I was going to see you again and I wanted a piece of you always near me."

Raziel touched her cheek gently, not knowing how to respond. Half of him wished she hadn't put this on herself, but the other half was elated she had cared that much about that night.

Jials leaned against the door, watching the two. So . . . this was the one and only Raziel, hm? This explained much, then. He watched them interact with each other, a single raised eyebrow and an amused smile. He noted the hesitance with which they spoke, but how much emotion came through one simple gesture such as Raziel touching her cheek. And as he watched the two of them, he became aware of something that Kain had begun to guess by the end of Lara's initial trip to Nosgoth: that Raziel and Lara were utterly, hopelessly, and completely in love with one another.