A/N: I promise there will be an adventure eventually!
Alex woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, and remembered the bottle of vodka he'd polished off the night before after his run in with Lara Croft. He rolled over and thumped his hand on the pillow. She made him so incredibly angry, but somehow always managed to turn him on at the same time, and she had looked so beautiful last night. Was it really so bad he told the papers a few innocent details about her, or was it just that she was a complete bitch? Alex couldn't be sure. Shaking his head he climbed out of bed, pulled on shorts, t-shirt and a pair of trainers. The only thing that would take his mind off her was a good long run.
One hour later he returned, panting and dripping with sweat to find a delivery man knocking at his door. "You Mr..." the guy looked down at the form with a bored expression, "West?" he proffered the package. "Need a signature..." he continued, holding out the clipboard.
Alex wasn't expecting a delivery and he eyed it suspiciously. "Yeah that's me," he replied, out of breath. He signed and took the package inside, placed it on a table and looked at it again. He shrugged and ripped it open. Inside was a photograph frame with a note stuck on the front, obscuring the picture.
'Just so you know, I do have a heart. And I will take you up on the offer of dinner tonight. Meet you at 8, The Ivy. L"
He pulled the post-it off the photo to reveal a snap of himself and Lara on the dig in Tibet the previous year. Their arms were wrapped around each other, happy smiles on both their faces.
"Oh Lara," he said, gently rubbing her face in the picture.
*
The silver Aston Martin squealed to a halt outside the restaurant, the journey had taken almost an hour because of the driving rain and Lara was late. As she strode up to the entrance she recognised a funny feeling in her stomach and tried to ignore it. There was no reason to be nervous, this was ridiculous.
Alex was nowhere to be seen. 'How dare he be late!' she thought to herself indignantly, but spun around as he coughed politely behind her, returning from the bar with a drink in each hand.
"I heard the screech of brakes and assumed you had arrived!" he said, handing her a vodka and tonic with a slice of lime, just the way she liked it.
"Alex," Lara said. "Thank you." She suddenly felt very conscious of her gesture that morning, sending him that photo, and looked away embarrassed.
He smiled, amused at her obvious discomfort. "You're late," he said.
"Only because I spent three hours getting ready," Lara retorted.
"Ha!" Alex laughed, "I know you Lara. Besides, you always look beautiful without any effort."
Lara blushed. "Come on, our table's ready," Alex said as took her hand and led her through to the dining room.
They sat down at their table and smiled stupidly at each other for a good couple of minutes, neither sure quite what to say.
"I'm sorry..." they both began together.
"No Alex," Lara said "I'm the one who should be apologising. I was very rude to you last night, I guess I was just taken aback that you weren't either winding me up or trying to get me into bed," she continued. "I am sorry and...well I think I'm trying to say that I forgive you, and maybe I was wrong to hold it against you for so long. And I do take it for granted that I can afford to take jobs just for the fun of it, I know you have to earn a living."
Alex leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, an amused expression on his face. "My God," he said, "Lara Croft eating humble pie. I wish I had that on tape!" he laughed.
She looked cross. "If you're going to be like that..." she said, making to leave.
"Lara please!" he exclaimed. "You can't keep running off like this. Come on, lighten up. I'm just teasing you," he looked at her and felt the same feeling inside that Lara had felt moments before. "Affectionately."
Lara was unsure how to respond. She smiled, "ok," she said and laughed with him.
Alex looked at her seriously again, "thank you for giving me another chance, I probably don't deserve it but I swear I would never cross you again," he said.
"You'd better not," Lara responded, "because it certainly would be the last time then."
*
The waiter arrived to take their order and over dinner they reminisced about various adventures they'd had. Alex tried desperately to avoid looking at Lara's cleavage. Over dessert she told him about Lord Peter's proposal the other night and he laughed loudly. "I can't imagine you ending up with a guy like that!" he said at the end.
"Well what sort of guy can you imagine me ending up with?" she asked, one brow raised in amusement, "or will I die sad and alone?"
Alex smiled at her. "Well.he would have to be very handsome," he began "and fantastic in bed..."
Lara kicked him under the table.
"Ok, ok. He would have to enjoy living life on the edge as much as you do," he said more seriously. "He'd have to be a pretty amazing guy, to match up to you," he finished, looking down at his plate and fiddling with his spoon, wishing that he fulfilled that description.
Lara reached across and placed her hand on his. "Alex, I..." she began, as if not quite sure what it was she meant to say.
He looked up and met her eye. The electricity in the air was palpable, but suddenly the spell was broken as the waiter arrived to offer them coffee. Both of them looked slightly relieved and accepted much too enthusiastically, the waiter looking slightly bemused.
Lara had suddenly remembered her car parked outside, and the two bottles of wine they had got through between them. "I think I've had a bit too much to drink to drive home tonight!" she said. "Um...I guess I should find a hotel."
"Don't be ridiculous Lara!" Alex exclaimed, "you can come back to my apartment." She shot him a sharp look. "I'll sleep on the sofa!" he said, "and don't look at me like that, I did tell you I'd changed. I promise to behave." He tried to look as innocent as possible.
She smiled at him, "thank you, that would be great."
Alex woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, and remembered the bottle of vodka he'd polished off the night before after his run in with Lara Croft. He rolled over and thumped his hand on the pillow. She made him so incredibly angry, but somehow always managed to turn him on at the same time, and she had looked so beautiful last night. Was it really so bad he told the papers a few innocent details about her, or was it just that she was a complete bitch? Alex couldn't be sure. Shaking his head he climbed out of bed, pulled on shorts, t-shirt and a pair of trainers. The only thing that would take his mind off her was a good long run.
One hour later he returned, panting and dripping with sweat to find a delivery man knocking at his door. "You Mr..." the guy looked down at the form with a bored expression, "West?" he proffered the package. "Need a signature..." he continued, holding out the clipboard.
Alex wasn't expecting a delivery and he eyed it suspiciously. "Yeah that's me," he replied, out of breath. He signed and took the package inside, placed it on a table and looked at it again. He shrugged and ripped it open. Inside was a photograph frame with a note stuck on the front, obscuring the picture.
'Just so you know, I do have a heart. And I will take you up on the offer of dinner tonight. Meet you at 8, The Ivy. L"
He pulled the post-it off the photo to reveal a snap of himself and Lara on the dig in Tibet the previous year. Their arms were wrapped around each other, happy smiles on both their faces.
"Oh Lara," he said, gently rubbing her face in the picture.
*
The silver Aston Martin squealed to a halt outside the restaurant, the journey had taken almost an hour because of the driving rain and Lara was late. As she strode up to the entrance she recognised a funny feeling in her stomach and tried to ignore it. There was no reason to be nervous, this was ridiculous.
Alex was nowhere to be seen. 'How dare he be late!' she thought to herself indignantly, but spun around as he coughed politely behind her, returning from the bar with a drink in each hand.
"I heard the screech of brakes and assumed you had arrived!" he said, handing her a vodka and tonic with a slice of lime, just the way she liked it.
"Alex," Lara said. "Thank you." She suddenly felt very conscious of her gesture that morning, sending him that photo, and looked away embarrassed.
He smiled, amused at her obvious discomfort. "You're late," he said.
"Only because I spent three hours getting ready," Lara retorted.
"Ha!" Alex laughed, "I know you Lara. Besides, you always look beautiful without any effort."
Lara blushed. "Come on, our table's ready," Alex said as took her hand and led her through to the dining room.
They sat down at their table and smiled stupidly at each other for a good couple of minutes, neither sure quite what to say.
"I'm sorry..." they both began together.
"No Alex," Lara said "I'm the one who should be apologising. I was very rude to you last night, I guess I was just taken aback that you weren't either winding me up or trying to get me into bed," she continued. "I am sorry and...well I think I'm trying to say that I forgive you, and maybe I was wrong to hold it against you for so long. And I do take it for granted that I can afford to take jobs just for the fun of it, I know you have to earn a living."
Alex leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, an amused expression on his face. "My God," he said, "Lara Croft eating humble pie. I wish I had that on tape!" he laughed.
She looked cross. "If you're going to be like that..." she said, making to leave.
"Lara please!" he exclaimed. "You can't keep running off like this. Come on, lighten up. I'm just teasing you," he looked at her and felt the same feeling inside that Lara had felt moments before. "Affectionately."
Lara was unsure how to respond. She smiled, "ok," she said and laughed with him.
Alex looked at her seriously again, "thank you for giving me another chance, I probably don't deserve it but I swear I would never cross you again," he said.
"You'd better not," Lara responded, "because it certainly would be the last time then."
*
The waiter arrived to take their order and over dinner they reminisced about various adventures they'd had. Alex tried desperately to avoid looking at Lara's cleavage. Over dessert she told him about Lord Peter's proposal the other night and he laughed loudly. "I can't imagine you ending up with a guy like that!" he said at the end.
"Well what sort of guy can you imagine me ending up with?" she asked, one brow raised in amusement, "or will I die sad and alone?"
Alex smiled at her. "Well.he would have to be very handsome," he began "and fantastic in bed..."
Lara kicked him under the table.
"Ok, ok. He would have to enjoy living life on the edge as much as you do," he said more seriously. "He'd have to be a pretty amazing guy, to match up to you," he finished, looking down at his plate and fiddling with his spoon, wishing that he fulfilled that description.
Lara reached across and placed her hand on his. "Alex, I..." she began, as if not quite sure what it was she meant to say.
He looked up and met her eye. The electricity in the air was palpable, but suddenly the spell was broken as the waiter arrived to offer them coffee. Both of them looked slightly relieved and accepted much too enthusiastically, the waiter looking slightly bemused.
Lara had suddenly remembered her car parked outside, and the two bottles of wine they had got through between them. "I think I've had a bit too much to drink to drive home tonight!" she said. "Um...I guess I should find a hotel."
"Don't be ridiculous Lara!" Alex exclaimed, "you can come back to my apartment." She shot him a sharp look. "I'll sleep on the sofa!" he said, "and don't look at me like that, I did tell you I'd changed. I promise to behave." He tried to look as innocent as possible.
She smiled at him, "thank you, that would be great."