Lara marched straight into her study and sat down, propping her feet up on
the desk. Hillary entered a few steps behind her and stood to one side
expectantly.
"Give me a job Hilly," she said.
"Is that wise Lara, in your."
"Don't say 'in your condition,'" she snapped, "it's irrelevant anyway." She had confided in him earlier that day.
"So you've made up your mind?" he asked tentatively, as Lara seemed to be in a foul mood.
"I saw Alex."
"Ah."
"He said he didn't care what I did."
The butler sighed and pulled up a chair to sit across from Lara. "Don't you ever think about having a family?" he asked gently.
Lara looked at him with an angry expression. "No," she said frankly. "It would hardly fit in with my lifestyle would it?"
"You've got me, and Pimms now too. You could get a nanny..." the butler began, but Lara was shaking her head. "You're father managed it," he said quietly, knowing this was about the only thing that might change her mind.
She looked up and saw the portrait of her father looking kindly down at her from the opposite wall. He only managed it for seven years, she thought, but at least he had someone to carry on his work when he was gone.
"Ok, well I apologise for prying," Hillary said, standing up and replacing the chair against the wall. He paused on the way out, "I just hope this is what you really want," he commented, "and that you're not just doing it to spite Mr West."
*
The next morning Lara decided to go and speak to the curator of the British Museum about the mysterious scroll before her appointment at a private hospital in the West End. She found the man she was after in the foyer talking to a police officer and clearly distressed. He looked up as Lara walked in.
"Lady Croft," he addressed her in a flustered voice.
"Is there some sort of trouble Mr. Watson?" she asked, head cocked to one side and eyebrows raised.
"Unfortunately yes. We've had a break-in."
Lara's heart sunk. "Let me guess," she said, "an ancient Arabic manuscript has been taken."
Watson and the police officer both looked at her sharply.
Lara remained cool. "It's an interesting piece. I was here for the Archaeological Association reception on Saturday and I noticed a pair of men examining it very closely. They seemed particularly interested in it, shall we say."
"Could you give me a description madam?" the officer asked.
"Certainly."
*
Alex pulled up outside Croft Manor at around 11 am, having rehearsed everything he wanted to say on the way there. He had been meaning to come earlier, but after tossing and turning until 4am he had only just woken up. He slammed the door of his beaten up Ford Escort and rang the bell.
"Can I help you sir?" Pimms asked, every ounce the butler of a stately home.
"Is Lara here?"
"No sir, she is not currently receiving guests."
"I don't care what's she's receiving, is she here or not?"
"No she's gone out," Pimms said, disappointed that the new phrases he had been practicing were not taken too well.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know." At this point Hillary appeared at the door and Alex turned to him in relief.
"Where's Lara?" he asked.
"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information, Mr West," he stated. Alex saw Pimms visibly curse himself for not having thought of that one.
"She's not gone to..." he stopped, not sure what Lara would have told her employees.
Hillary felt sorry for the desperate looking man standing on the doorstep and relented. He nodded, "you'd better come in," he said.
Alex looked distraught, "no, there's no time," he said, "please just tell me where she is, I have to try and stop her."
The butler was surprised, "I thought you wanted this too?" Alex just looked at him. "Ok, come on I'll show you the way," he said, then gestured at the clapped out vehicle on the drive, "but we'll never make it in time in that thing."
*
Alex pulled the car up on a double yellow line outside the hospital and dashed up to the desk in the entrance area. "Could you tell me where to find Lara Croft, she's a patient here?" he asked the receptionist slightly breathlessly.
"I can't give out that information," she replied, looking sharply at the man standing in front of her with a painful looking black eye.
"Please, you gotta tell me where she is," he said, raising his voice without meaning to.
"I'm right here Alex."
The voice caused him to look around and he saw Lara sitting in the waiting area. He sighed in relief and went over to perch on the edge of the table opposite, from which she obligingly moved her legs to make room for him.
"Why are you here?" Lara asked.
Alex took a deep breath. "To tell you that I don't want you to have an abortion," he stated.
"But you said..."
"No, I didn't. I just told you to do what you liked because I was upset that you were talking about getting rid of it."
Lara thought for a second. "I don't want to play happy families with you Alex," she said coldly.
"I'm not asking you to do that," he looked into her eyes urgently, "but this is my child too, you should at least know how I really feel about it."
"And how is that?"
"I want it," he said imploringly, "I want you to have our child." This didn't seem to be working. "Is it really your decision to make Lara, to take away a life?"
She wasn't expecting him to start being philosophical. "It's not like I've never taken a life before," she said this quietly, it wasn't really something she wanted to broadcast.
"When you had to," Alex said, "this is different."
Lara looked at him in silence for a minute that seemed to go on forever, until a nurse called out her name. She stood up, then looked back at the desperate expression on Alex's face.
"You really want to have a baby?" she asked, "you really want to be a father?"
He was nodding seriously, "I really do."
Lara looked up at the nurse, "I'm not doing it," she said.
"Give me a job Hilly," she said.
"Is that wise Lara, in your."
"Don't say 'in your condition,'" she snapped, "it's irrelevant anyway." She had confided in him earlier that day.
"So you've made up your mind?" he asked tentatively, as Lara seemed to be in a foul mood.
"I saw Alex."
"Ah."
"He said he didn't care what I did."
The butler sighed and pulled up a chair to sit across from Lara. "Don't you ever think about having a family?" he asked gently.
Lara looked at him with an angry expression. "No," she said frankly. "It would hardly fit in with my lifestyle would it?"
"You've got me, and Pimms now too. You could get a nanny..." the butler began, but Lara was shaking her head. "You're father managed it," he said quietly, knowing this was about the only thing that might change her mind.
She looked up and saw the portrait of her father looking kindly down at her from the opposite wall. He only managed it for seven years, she thought, but at least he had someone to carry on his work when he was gone.
"Ok, well I apologise for prying," Hillary said, standing up and replacing the chair against the wall. He paused on the way out, "I just hope this is what you really want," he commented, "and that you're not just doing it to spite Mr West."
*
The next morning Lara decided to go and speak to the curator of the British Museum about the mysterious scroll before her appointment at a private hospital in the West End. She found the man she was after in the foyer talking to a police officer and clearly distressed. He looked up as Lara walked in.
"Lady Croft," he addressed her in a flustered voice.
"Is there some sort of trouble Mr. Watson?" she asked, head cocked to one side and eyebrows raised.
"Unfortunately yes. We've had a break-in."
Lara's heart sunk. "Let me guess," she said, "an ancient Arabic manuscript has been taken."
Watson and the police officer both looked at her sharply.
Lara remained cool. "It's an interesting piece. I was here for the Archaeological Association reception on Saturday and I noticed a pair of men examining it very closely. They seemed particularly interested in it, shall we say."
"Could you give me a description madam?" the officer asked.
"Certainly."
*
Alex pulled up outside Croft Manor at around 11 am, having rehearsed everything he wanted to say on the way there. He had been meaning to come earlier, but after tossing and turning until 4am he had only just woken up. He slammed the door of his beaten up Ford Escort and rang the bell.
"Can I help you sir?" Pimms asked, every ounce the butler of a stately home.
"Is Lara here?"
"No sir, she is not currently receiving guests."
"I don't care what's she's receiving, is she here or not?"
"No she's gone out," Pimms said, disappointed that the new phrases he had been practicing were not taken too well.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know." At this point Hillary appeared at the door and Alex turned to him in relief.
"Where's Lara?" he asked.
"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information, Mr West," he stated. Alex saw Pimms visibly curse himself for not having thought of that one.
"She's not gone to..." he stopped, not sure what Lara would have told her employees.
Hillary felt sorry for the desperate looking man standing on the doorstep and relented. He nodded, "you'd better come in," he said.
Alex looked distraught, "no, there's no time," he said, "please just tell me where she is, I have to try and stop her."
The butler was surprised, "I thought you wanted this too?" Alex just looked at him. "Ok, come on I'll show you the way," he said, then gestured at the clapped out vehicle on the drive, "but we'll never make it in time in that thing."
*
Alex pulled the car up on a double yellow line outside the hospital and dashed up to the desk in the entrance area. "Could you tell me where to find Lara Croft, she's a patient here?" he asked the receptionist slightly breathlessly.
"I can't give out that information," she replied, looking sharply at the man standing in front of her with a painful looking black eye.
"Please, you gotta tell me where she is," he said, raising his voice without meaning to.
"I'm right here Alex."
The voice caused him to look around and he saw Lara sitting in the waiting area. He sighed in relief and went over to perch on the edge of the table opposite, from which she obligingly moved her legs to make room for him.
"Why are you here?" Lara asked.
Alex took a deep breath. "To tell you that I don't want you to have an abortion," he stated.
"But you said..."
"No, I didn't. I just told you to do what you liked because I was upset that you were talking about getting rid of it."
Lara thought for a second. "I don't want to play happy families with you Alex," she said coldly.
"I'm not asking you to do that," he looked into her eyes urgently, "but this is my child too, you should at least know how I really feel about it."
"And how is that?"
"I want it," he said imploringly, "I want you to have our child." This didn't seem to be working. "Is it really your decision to make Lara, to take away a life?"
She wasn't expecting him to start being philosophical. "It's not like I've never taken a life before," she said this quietly, it wasn't really something she wanted to broadcast.
"When you had to," Alex said, "this is different."
Lara looked at him in silence for a minute that seemed to go on forever, until a nurse called out her name. She stood up, then looked back at the desperate expression on Alex's face.
"You really want to have a baby?" she asked, "you really want to be a father?"
He was nodding seriously, "I really do."
Lara looked up at the nurse, "I'm not doing it," she said.