A/N: I'll have to join the ranks of people claiming exams as an excuse for
not updating much recently, but my excuse is good as on Saturday morning I
start finals for a degree in law from Oxford University. I guess this
counts as a little light revision relief.
Oh and next year I'm taking a year out to travel and write my novel - stay tuned for that one!
*
Somehow they managed to pick a restaurant without arguing, and to order a bottle of wine they both agreed on. Of course, it would be too much to expect the civil conversation to last.
"Do you er, um," Alex began, ripping a bread roll up with intense concentration, "don't you.."
Lara rolled her eyes across the table at him. "Spit it out..." she prompted.
Alex sighed and placed the remaining crumbs back on the side plate. "I'm just concerned about you going 'tomb raiding' in..."
"In your condition," she finished with him, a sarcastic note in her voice.
"Yeah." He looked up and met her eyes for the first time, but Lara hardly noted the genuine concern expressed in them. He frowned at her angry expression. "Is it really so bad for me to be worried, Lara? You're carrying my...I mean our child, and you're going into God knows what sort of dangerous situation..." he tailed off, having been given no encouragement by the set jaw and flashing eyes of his dinner companion.
"And what exactly do you propose we do about it?" A few diners looked up at her raised voice, so Lara made a deliberate effort to speak quieter. "If we don't go after the grail right now then Mr King sure as hell isn't going to wait around for, say, seven months..."
She was cut off mid-argument however by a man shouting loudly across the room as he bounded up to their table, "West?"
"Oh, God," Alex groaned, recognising the voice. He tried to hide behind his menu, but to no avail.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Lara cringed at the loud American accent of the man who came bounding up to the table.
"Al!" the guy pulled up a chair to their table with one hand as he clapped Alex on the back with the other.
"Jimmy Campbell!" Alex replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, but a grimace at Lara. He changed it to a smile as he turned to face his old friend.
"So? Are you here on holiday with your lovely girlfriend?"
"No, business," Alex replied. "This is my, er, associate, Lara Croft." He turned to Lara, "this is James Campbell, we were at college together."
"Associate eh?" James asked, taking Lara's hand. "A real pleasure," he said as he took in her appearance. He then looked at Alex with an expression that seemed to say 'fair game then?'. Alex shook his head slightly and James shrugged. Lara wondered to herself how men could possibly believe that women never noticed these little exchanges.
"I'm here on business too," the American said, "all alone. Mind if I join you?"
"I think perhaps you already have," Lara said in her best dead-pan voice, looking at him properly for the first time. His dark hair was gelled stiffly back and his features were chiselled in an obviously handsome kind of way.
"Wow! Love your accent! What are you like British aristocracy or something?"
"Actually, yes," Lara replied, turning back to her menu and wishing the guy would stop putting exclamation marks at the end of all his sentences.
"Lara is the Duchess of Saint Bridget," Alex explained, enjoying the effect that had on his friend.
James gave a low whistle. "Cool!" he said as he helped himself to a glass of their wine. "Have you guys ordered yet?"
*
Over dinner James flirted outrageously with Lara, much to Alex's obvious annoyance. Lara couldn't resist flirting back just to wind her 'associate' up, but despite the brewing argument she couldn't help wanting to be alone with him again. As the meal wore on, the amused, progressing to annoyed glances she exchanged with Alex became more and more frequent.
James noticed Lara's untouched glass of wine, which she'd abandoned after remembering that she wasn't supposed to be drinking. When he questioned her, Lara decided to see what effect the truth would have on him, particularly because she was getting fed up with him staring at her chest. "I'm pregnant," she told him with a slight smile, "I'm going to have a baby."
Lara looked from one man to the other. James looked as if he'd just been punched in the stomach, and Alex was leaning back in his chair, watching his friend with amusement.
"Uh huh," James said and quit looking at Lara's breasts to look at his wristwatch instead. "Wow, is that the time? I have to be up early so I'll have to leave you guys to it. It was great seeing you again Al, and uh, great to meet you Lady Croft." He dropped some cash on the table, then as he edged out of the restaurant Lara and Alex allowed themselves to laugh at his quick exit.
"Are you sure you want to hang out with a pregnant lady?" Lara asked.
"Are you kidding? When she's this beautiful?"
*
When they got back to the hotel and stopped in the corridor outside their rooms Alex reached out a hand to touch Lara for the first time. His hand rested gently on her shoulder as they looked into each other's eyes, both sure that the other could hear the sound of their heart beating heavily.
"Seeing as we're pretending to get on..." Alex murmured, his face close to Lara's now.
"What are you suggesting Alex?"
Alex gave a lop-sided smile as he pushed Lara gently up against the stretch of wall which separated their respective bedroom doors, with the bravery that came from the four glasses of wine he had consumed. "I'm suggesting that you look incredibly sexy in that dress," his eyes flickered over her body, "and that we should pretend not to hate each other for a little while longer. In my bedroom."
He steadied himself with one hand on the wall as he leant forward to brush his lips against Lara's, then stood back again to watch her reaction. Thankfully she smiled and grabbed his shirt collar to pull him in for a real kiss.
"Now would I have done that if I hate you?" she asked sweetly.
Alex raised his eyebrows at her and shrugged. "Right now I don't really care," he said, already rummaging through his pockets for his key. "Dammit!" he swore, being unable to find it.
"The lack of a key didn't seem too much of an obstacle for you earlier, when I found you on my bed," Lara said with a smile, "perhaps you'd like to go back the way you came?"
Alex hit himself on the forehead, of course that was why he didn't have his key. He laughed at his own stupidity, he actually would have to go back across the balconies. "It's a little dark for leaping across six foot gaps, perhaps I could wait in your bed until it's light?"
Lara had to laugh as well at the terrible line, but she unlocked her door and allowed Alex to follow her inside.
Oh and next year I'm taking a year out to travel and write my novel - stay tuned for that one!
*
Somehow they managed to pick a restaurant without arguing, and to order a bottle of wine they both agreed on. Of course, it would be too much to expect the civil conversation to last.
"Do you er, um," Alex began, ripping a bread roll up with intense concentration, "don't you.."
Lara rolled her eyes across the table at him. "Spit it out..." she prompted.
Alex sighed and placed the remaining crumbs back on the side plate. "I'm just concerned about you going 'tomb raiding' in..."
"In your condition," she finished with him, a sarcastic note in her voice.
"Yeah." He looked up and met her eyes for the first time, but Lara hardly noted the genuine concern expressed in them. He frowned at her angry expression. "Is it really so bad for me to be worried, Lara? You're carrying my...I mean our child, and you're going into God knows what sort of dangerous situation..." he tailed off, having been given no encouragement by the set jaw and flashing eyes of his dinner companion.
"And what exactly do you propose we do about it?" A few diners looked up at her raised voice, so Lara made a deliberate effort to speak quieter. "If we don't go after the grail right now then Mr King sure as hell isn't going to wait around for, say, seven months..."
She was cut off mid-argument however by a man shouting loudly across the room as he bounded up to their table, "West?"
"Oh, God," Alex groaned, recognising the voice. He tried to hide behind his menu, but to no avail.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Lara cringed at the loud American accent of the man who came bounding up to the table.
"Al!" the guy pulled up a chair to their table with one hand as he clapped Alex on the back with the other.
"Jimmy Campbell!" Alex replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, but a grimace at Lara. He changed it to a smile as he turned to face his old friend.
"So? Are you here on holiday with your lovely girlfriend?"
"No, business," Alex replied. "This is my, er, associate, Lara Croft." He turned to Lara, "this is James Campbell, we were at college together."
"Associate eh?" James asked, taking Lara's hand. "A real pleasure," he said as he took in her appearance. He then looked at Alex with an expression that seemed to say 'fair game then?'. Alex shook his head slightly and James shrugged. Lara wondered to herself how men could possibly believe that women never noticed these little exchanges.
"I'm here on business too," the American said, "all alone. Mind if I join you?"
"I think perhaps you already have," Lara said in her best dead-pan voice, looking at him properly for the first time. His dark hair was gelled stiffly back and his features were chiselled in an obviously handsome kind of way.
"Wow! Love your accent! What are you like British aristocracy or something?"
"Actually, yes," Lara replied, turning back to her menu and wishing the guy would stop putting exclamation marks at the end of all his sentences.
"Lara is the Duchess of Saint Bridget," Alex explained, enjoying the effect that had on his friend.
James gave a low whistle. "Cool!" he said as he helped himself to a glass of their wine. "Have you guys ordered yet?"
*
Over dinner James flirted outrageously with Lara, much to Alex's obvious annoyance. Lara couldn't resist flirting back just to wind her 'associate' up, but despite the brewing argument she couldn't help wanting to be alone with him again. As the meal wore on, the amused, progressing to annoyed glances she exchanged with Alex became more and more frequent.
James noticed Lara's untouched glass of wine, which she'd abandoned after remembering that she wasn't supposed to be drinking. When he questioned her, Lara decided to see what effect the truth would have on him, particularly because she was getting fed up with him staring at her chest. "I'm pregnant," she told him with a slight smile, "I'm going to have a baby."
Lara looked from one man to the other. James looked as if he'd just been punched in the stomach, and Alex was leaning back in his chair, watching his friend with amusement.
"Uh huh," James said and quit looking at Lara's breasts to look at his wristwatch instead. "Wow, is that the time? I have to be up early so I'll have to leave you guys to it. It was great seeing you again Al, and uh, great to meet you Lady Croft." He dropped some cash on the table, then as he edged out of the restaurant Lara and Alex allowed themselves to laugh at his quick exit.
"Are you sure you want to hang out with a pregnant lady?" Lara asked.
"Are you kidding? When she's this beautiful?"
*
When they got back to the hotel and stopped in the corridor outside their rooms Alex reached out a hand to touch Lara for the first time. His hand rested gently on her shoulder as they looked into each other's eyes, both sure that the other could hear the sound of their heart beating heavily.
"Seeing as we're pretending to get on..." Alex murmured, his face close to Lara's now.
"What are you suggesting Alex?"
Alex gave a lop-sided smile as he pushed Lara gently up against the stretch of wall which separated their respective bedroom doors, with the bravery that came from the four glasses of wine he had consumed. "I'm suggesting that you look incredibly sexy in that dress," his eyes flickered over her body, "and that we should pretend not to hate each other for a little while longer. In my bedroom."
He steadied himself with one hand on the wall as he leant forward to brush his lips against Lara's, then stood back again to watch her reaction. Thankfully she smiled and grabbed his shirt collar to pull him in for a real kiss.
"Now would I have done that if I hate you?" she asked sweetly.
Alex raised his eyebrows at her and shrugged. "Right now I don't really care," he said, already rummaging through his pockets for his key. "Dammit!" he swore, being unable to find it.
"The lack of a key didn't seem too much of an obstacle for you earlier, when I found you on my bed," Lara said with a smile, "perhaps you'd like to go back the way you came?"
Alex hit himself on the forehead, of course that was why he didn't have his key. He laughed at his own stupidity, he actually would have to go back across the balconies. "It's a little dark for leaping across six foot gaps, perhaps I could wait in your bed until it's light?"
Lara had to laugh as well at the terrible line, but she unlocked her door and allowed Alex to follow her inside.