After visiting her doctor, Lara spent the afternoon trying to beat her time
on the assault course and trying equally hard not to think about anything
except pushing herself to the limit. As she swung across the monkey bars
she heard footsteps on the gravel below and let go, dropping ten feet to
the ground and landing in a crouch but falling forward onto hands. That was
further than she had thought!
"Lara, are you ok?" a man came running up. Lara looked up and it wasn't the person she had been both dreading and hoping to see.
"Here, let me help you up," Peter Farringdon was holding out a hand for her.
Lara ignored it and got to her feet, brushing gravel from her palms and eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?" she asked, wiping sweat from her brow and breathing heavily.
"I want to apologise for scaring you the other night, I know I was taking it too fast and it's ok, we can just go back to the way things were".
Lara held back a laugh. "I don't think so Peter," she said coldly.
"Come on Lara" he said, stepping towards her, "don't be silly". He took hold of her by the shoulder.
"Let go of me," she said dangerously. What was it with men thinking they could manhandle her like that?
"No!" he said holding on, "you can't blow me off like that, you probably won't get a better offer than me, you shouldn't have rejected me like that. No-one else would put up with this...gallivanting around," he gestured to the assault course, "you should be thankful I'm giving you another chance."
Lara struggled against his grip and was just about to explode at him when a familiar metallic clicking noise behind them stopped her.
"Let go of her right now," Alex said in a cold voice, pressing the barrel of the gun into Peter's back.
"Don't be stupid Alex, put that away!" Lara shouted, "I can fight my own battles so just stay out of it!" Pulling her arm free she slapped Peter hard across the face. He put his hand up to his cheek in shock and turned to look at Alex, who had put the gun back into the holster under his jacket.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked. He turned back to look at Lara who was obviously fuming. "So what, you're with this jerk now? You think scum like that is good enough for you?"
Alex couldn't control himself on hearing this and landed a punch squarely on the other man's jaw. Peter was knocked down, and he lay with his hand over his mouth, blood dripping onto the gravel.
"Alex!" Lara shouted at him in anger then turned to help Peter up. "I think you'd better leave," she told him. He took her advice, shooting Alex a dirty look as he stalked off.
Lara pushed past Alex and went in the kitchen door. She poured herself a glass of water and turned around to see him leaning against the worktop, a guilty look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said massaging his knuckles, "but that guy was asking for it".
"I know," Lara said, "but I did tell you stay out of it."
"How could I, when he started insulting me like that! Besides you're hardly one to lecture me about resorting to violence," Alex retorted, touching the tender swelling around his left eye.
Lara sighed, she did feel guilty about punching him that morning, although she couldn't help feeling some degree of satisfaction at her good aim. He was going to have one hell of a black eye. "And why are you carrying a gun anyway?" she asked suspiciously.
Alex's expression changed. "Because of this," he replied, pulling something wrapped in cloth from his pocket. He handed it to Lara, who began to unwrap it with interest. "This is what that intruder last night was looking for. I found it on a dig in France. I've no idea what it is but someone certainly seems to want to get it. I was just gonna sell it, but seeing as someone wants it so badly I figured I'd try and work out what it was. Although I'm probably risking my life coming here..." he gave her a pointed look, "I thought you might have an idea."
Lara looked closely at the flat piece of metal in her hand. It looked like it might have once been a pendant of sort, but it was very worn and rusty. One side had a motif of a circle of some sort of plant, and the other side had a lopsided cross, the ends of the lines being marked with large dots. "To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea," Lara said, "but I know someone who might be able to help us," she looked at her watch and saw that it was after five. "We can go and see him tomorrow, and until then would you like me to put it in the safe?"
Alex shrugged, "sure. I made certain I wasn't followed here but you may as well."
Lara left the room, shouting for the butler. When she returned she gently pushed Alex into a seat and went to get an ice pack for his bruised knuckles. He flinched as she pressed it against his hand, but he was pleased to note that she had an identical injury on her own hand.
"That's not the only reason I came here," he said cautiously.
Lara nodded, "I do owe you an explanation," she began.
"Just an explanation?" Alex asked, although he thought he might be pushing his luck with that one. He was right, an apology was not forthcoming.
"Do you want it or not?" she said crossly. He didn't think that one needed answering. Lara took a deep breath. "This morning, when we were..." Alex nodded. "It reminded me of what happened in the helicopter." Alex was smiling now, thinking about it. Lara despaired of him, she was trying to be serious. "It reminded me that we didn't..." she sighed. This would be so much easier if he could guess what she was getting at. He didn't.
"It reminded me that we didn't use contraception," she finally said hurriedly. Alex's mouth formed an 'oh'. "I had to find out, right then. That's why I rushed off."
He nodded with understanding. He had been beginning to think that it had all been some cruel punishment for betraying her. He was relieved, at least, that it wasn't that. Lara was looking down at her hands, examining the bruises on her knuckles. He remembered how she had been ill that morning.
"You're pregnant?" It was actually more of a statement than a question. Lara nodded slightly, still looking down. He was silent for a long minute, so many questions forming in his mind that he couldn't decide which to ask first.
Lara took his silence to mean he was unhappy with the news. "I should have not told you and just..." she began, finally looking up to meet his eye.
Alex looked back at her with a hurt expression on his face. "Is that what you're going to do? Get rid of it?" he asked incredulously.
"I don't know," Lara shrugged.
For some reason the thought made him feel sick to the stomach. She didn't seem to care, how could she be like that? He stood up and turned away from her. "Fine, do whatever you want," he said forcefully and strode out, slamming the door behind him.
"Lara, are you ok?" a man came running up. Lara looked up and it wasn't the person she had been both dreading and hoping to see.
"Here, let me help you up," Peter Farringdon was holding out a hand for her.
Lara ignored it and got to her feet, brushing gravel from her palms and eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?" she asked, wiping sweat from her brow and breathing heavily.
"I want to apologise for scaring you the other night, I know I was taking it too fast and it's ok, we can just go back to the way things were".
Lara held back a laugh. "I don't think so Peter," she said coldly.
"Come on Lara" he said, stepping towards her, "don't be silly". He took hold of her by the shoulder.
"Let go of me," she said dangerously. What was it with men thinking they could manhandle her like that?
"No!" he said holding on, "you can't blow me off like that, you probably won't get a better offer than me, you shouldn't have rejected me like that. No-one else would put up with this...gallivanting around," he gestured to the assault course, "you should be thankful I'm giving you another chance."
Lara struggled against his grip and was just about to explode at him when a familiar metallic clicking noise behind them stopped her.
"Let go of her right now," Alex said in a cold voice, pressing the barrel of the gun into Peter's back.
"Don't be stupid Alex, put that away!" Lara shouted, "I can fight my own battles so just stay out of it!" Pulling her arm free she slapped Peter hard across the face. He put his hand up to his cheek in shock and turned to look at Alex, who had put the gun back into the holster under his jacket.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked. He turned back to look at Lara who was obviously fuming. "So what, you're with this jerk now? You think scum like that is good enough for you?"
Alex couldn't control himself on hearing this and landed a punch squarely on the other man's jaw. Peter was knocked down, and he lay with his hand over his mouth, blood dripping onto the gravel.
"Alex!" Lara shouted at him in anger then turned to help Peter up. "I think you'd better leave," she told him. He took her advice, shooting Alex a dirty look as he stalked off.
Lara pushed past Alex and went in the kitchen door. She poured herself a glass of water and turned around to see him leaning against the worktop, a guilty look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said massaging his knuckles, "but that guy was asking for it".
"I know," Lara said, "but I did tell you stay out of it."
"How could I, when he started insulting me like that! Besides you're hardly one to lecture me about resorting to violence," Alex retorted, touching the tender swelling around his left eye.
Lara sighed, she did feel guilty about punching him that morning, although she couldn't help feeling some degree of satisfaction at her good aim. He was going to have one hell of a black eye. "And why are you carrying a gun anyway?" she asked suspiciously.
Alex's expression changed. "Because of this," he replied, pulling something wrapped in cloth from his pocket. He handed it to Lara, who began to unwrap it with interest. "This is what that intruder last night was looking for. I found it on a dig in France. I've no idea what it is but someone certainly seems to want to get it. I was just gonna sell it, but seeing as someone wants it so badly I figured I'd try and work out what it was. Although I'm probably risking my life coming here..." he gave her a pointed look, "I thought you might have an idea."
Lara looked closely at the flat piece of metal in her hand. It looked like it might have once been a pendant of sort, but it was very worn and rusty. One side had a motif of a circle of some sort of plant, and the other side had a lopsided cross, the ends of the lines being marked with large dots. "To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea," Lara said, "but I know someone who might be able to help us," she looked at her watch and saw that it was after five. "We can go and see him tomorrow, and until then would you like me to put it in the safe?"
Alex shrugged, "sure. I made certain I wasn't followed here but you may as well."
Lara left the room, shouting for the butler. When she returned she gently pushed Alex into a seat and went to get an ice pack for his bruised knuckles. He flinched as she pressed it against his hand, but he was pleased to note that she had an identical injury on her own hand.
"That's not the only reason I came here," he said cautiously.
Lara nodded, "I do owe you an explanation," she began.
"Just an explanation?" Alex asked, although he thought he might be pushing his luck with that one. He was right, an apology was not forthcoming.
"Do you want it or not?" she said crossly. He didn't think that one needed answering. Lara took a deep breath. "This morning, when we were..." Alex nodded. "It reminded me of what happened in the helicopter." Alex was smiling now, thinking about it. Lara despaired of him, she was trying to be serious. "It reminded me that we didn't..." she sighed. This would be so much easier if he could guess what she was getting at. He didn't.
"It reminded me that we didn't use contraception," she finally said hurriedly. Alex's mouth formed an 'oh'. "I had to find out, right then. That's why I rushed off."
He nodded with understanding. He had been beginning to think that it had all been some cruel punishment for betraying her. He was relieved, at least, that it wasn't that. Lara was looking down at her hands, examining the bruises on her knuckles. He remembered how she had been ill that morning.
"You're pregnant?" It was actually more of a statement than a question. Lara nodded slightly, still looking down. He was silent for a long minute, so many questions forming in his mind that he couldn't decide which to ask first.
Lara took his silence to mean he was unhappy with the news. "I should have not told you and just..." she began, finally looking up to meet his eye.
Alex looked back at her with a hurt expression on his face. "Is that what you're going to do? Get rid of it?" he asked incredulously.
"I don't know," Lara shrugged.
For some reason the thought made him feel sick to the stomach. She didn't seem to care, how could she be like that? He stood up and turned away from her. "Fine, do whatever you want," he said forcefully and strode out, slamming the door behind him.