"Good morning to my favorite tomb raider." Alex asked, sneaking up behind Lara and slipping his arms around her waist. He gently nuzzled her neck and sighed, happily. Lara ignored him and continued to organize the papers that she had been trying to file for the past hour.

"I had the most amazing dream about you last night." Alex murmured.

"Right. Now, where are the new applications we received? I tried to locate them on that landfill that you like to refer to as your desk, but I couldn't find them." Lara said.

"But don't you want to hear about my dream?" Alex asked.

"No, not particularly. However, I have a feeling that you're going to tell me anyways."

"Exactly right. I dreamt that we made love in the shower. The entire thing was utterly fantastic." Alex murmured, sliding his hand under Lara's tank top and placing it on her stomach. "You screamed my name at the top of your lungs. We made love for hours and hours. . ."

"And used up all the hot water? How inconsiderate of us." Lara stated.

"I still love you." Alex murmured, kissing her neck.

"Alex, I suggest you remove your hands from me if you would like to leave here with them still attached to your wrists."

"Ah." Alex did as Lara suggested. "I knew that was coming."

"Yes, so, where are the applications?" Lara asked, turning to face her business partner. She looked around for a second. "And where is Kyra?"

"Kyra is out with Melissa and her friends. They wanted to take her shopping. As for the applications, they're back at the house. You could come along, maybe take a look at the shower."

"Alex, you have heard about sexual harassment in the work place, haven't you?" Lara asked, giving him a look and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Lara, I love you. You can't expect me to hide it."

"Yes, I can. And I would also appreciate it if you could keep your hormones under control. Now, that wouldn't be too difficult, would it?"

"Yes, it would. Come on, Lara, don't be a prude."

"Alex West, you are contemptible."

"Why, thank you." Alex smiled. "I try."

"Now, I would like to get some work done today, so do you want to go fetch the applications, or should I?"

"I'll get them." Alex sighed. "Oh, by the way, my partner for the tactical maneuvers and stealth class called in sick. Wanna fill in for him?"

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Stealth?" She asked. "What kind of class is that?"

"Well, we're going to play paintball." Alex said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Paintball?"

"Yeah, you know, the game with the paint ball pellets."

"Yes, I know what you're talking about, I don't know what that has to do with tomb raiding though."

"Well, there's a very faint link. Besides, the kids just spent their weekend working on a paper, so I figured they deserved a break."

"Alright, when is the class?"

"At three, in the big tree in the woods."

Lara sighed. "Do I need to bring my own gun?"

"Nah, we have plenty. Oh, you might want to wear a jump suit. In case you get shot, the paint might ruin your clothes."

"Really now, Alex, I don't intend to be shot." Lara smiled sweetly before she walked away.

***

"Lara! Over here!" Lara looked up and saw Alex West's camouflaged form waving to her from beyond the trees. Lara waved to him in acknowledgement and strolled into the underbrush as she looked over her outfit. All she could find on short notice was a light gray jumpsuit that she normally used for caving.

Lara ran a hand over her braided her hair as she lifted a tree branch and walked under it. As she stepped from the underbrush she walked into a large clearing, where Alex and his students were assembled. The students were dressed in various outfits and were all carrying large black guns.

"Here ya go, honey." Alex said, handing the female tomb raider her own gun. Lara accepted the gun from him and looked it over, quickly. "Okay," Alex said, as he turned back to the group. "Is everyone here?"

There was a chorus of 'yeah's' from the group.

"Great. Let's get started then. I've already separated you into teams, so Alpha team, you're with me. Beta team, you're with Lara." Alex informed the group. "The rules are as follows; you are not allowed to shot anyone in the face. If this happens, even if it's by accident, which it shouldn't be because I've trained you myself, then you will be disqualified automatically and will be cleaning the bathrooms in the dorms for the next week. Understood?"

There was another chorus of agreement amongst the group as Lara shifted her weight to her opposite foot.

"Next, if you are hit, you are out of the game. No exceptions. You will return to this area and sit for the rest of the game. The object of the game is to be the last one to be shot. To do this, the members of the team need to work together. Any questions?"

A male student raised his hand.

"Yes, Trevor." Alex said.

"What does the winning team get?" He asked.

"The people who are not shot during the game will get a steak dinner on me."

There was a happy murmur from the crowd. Lara raised an eyebrow at Alex but didn't question the statement.

"Any more questions?" Alex asked.

No one spoke or raised their hands.

"Okay, let's spread out. Lara's team gets a five minute head start into the woods." Alex glanced at his watch. "Ready. . . . Begin!"

Lara shrugged. "Alright, let's go." She said, waving to her team and stepping into the woods.

"Hey, don't run off too fast now." Alex smirked. "We might not be able to catch you at that pace."

"You couldn't catch us even if we crawled." Lara shot back as she disappeared with her team.

The group walked several yards into the thick underbrush in silence. Lara had never been so far into the woods around the school. She wondered how far they could go without getting lost.

"Hey, Lara?" One of the girls on Lara's team whispered.

"Yes?" Lara whispered back.

"Do we have a plan, or anything like that?"

"No, not really. Why? Are we supposed to have one?"

"Would be nice." A teenage boy muttered.

"Okay, then." Lara said. "Here's the plan; don't get shot." To be honest, Lara was unaccustomed to working with partners and even more unaccustomed to dealing with teenagers.

"Should we spread out now?" The girl whispered after the group had gone several more yards.

"Yes. I'll see you all later." Lara said as she began to move towards the outskirts of the woods. "Hopefully." She added to herself.

***

Alex studied the woods underneath him from where he sat, perched on a large tree branch high above the forest floor. He had sent his team out in twos and told them to go after the less athletic students first. He told them not to go after Lara. She was a prize that Alex wanted to capture all by himself. Alex smiled, happily and leaned back against the tree, thinking about Lara.

He was about to revive the scenes of his shower dream when he heard a soft noise from below. He glanced down and saw Lara, completely unaware of his presences, softly stepping around a dead log that lay in her path. Alex's eyes lit up. He watched her walk past him, then slowly and quietly began to descend the tree. He moved swiftly and hopped onto the forest floor. Alex followed the tomb raider and just when Lara was few yards from him, he pulled his paint ball gun from where he had secured it from behind his back. He slid behind the trunk of a large tree, making sure that Lara didn't see him.

Then he slipped from behind the tree and began to follow the tomb raider. Alex had followed Lara for no more than ten yards when, so engrossed in his tracking her, that he ignored the ground beneath his feet. There was a rather loud snap as Alex stepped on a dead tree branch.

Lara whirled around, Alex swore and leapt at her. He tackled Lara, knocking her to the ground. Lara screamed in surprise. Alex landed on top of Lara and knocked her paint pellet gun out of her hand.

"Alex! What the hell are you doing?!" Lara shouted and began to struggle with him.

"Winning!" Alex shouted, trying to catch Lara's wrists.

"This is NOT how you play paintball!" Lara shouted back.

Alex was about to answer her, when he captured her other wrist and pinned her against the ground. Lara suddenly stopped struggling, a dark blush rising in her cheeks.

"Alex, let me go." She said. She could already feel his erection, swelling against her thigh, and was too mortified to pretend that he wasn't aroused.

"Lara, I love you." He murmured, gently nuzzling her neck.

"I told you 'no' already, now let me up."

"I can't keep doing this, Lara. I want you. All of you."

"Don't." She murmured, to no effect as Alex clasped both her wrists with one of his hands, leaving the other hand free to explore her body. Lara moaned softly as their lips met.

She was so lost in Alex's touch that she didn't notice the feel of cold metal against her thigh. However, she was rudely brought back to reality when she heard the soft sound of a paintball gun and felt a pellet connect with her upper thigh. Lara gritted her teeth against the stinging and looked down, incomprehensibly at the red paint that was spreading on her jumpsuit.

"Alex?" Lara asked, "what did you do?"

"I won." Alex murmured, gently kissing her neck.

"You. . . ! You. . . . !" Lara couldn't find the right word to describe Alex at the moment, but decided a knee to his genitals was a good indication. Alex didn't make a sound when Lara kneed him, his eyes merely bulged out of his head in an indescribable pain. Lara shoved Alex away from her and scrambled to her feet. She surveyed the paint on her jumpsuit, then picked up her discarded gun.

"Lara, baby, I'm sorry." Alex said, sitting up, still wincing in pain.

"No, you're not!" Lara shouted. Being a part of the aristocracy, Lara was not prone to making emotional scenes, however, she was too frustrated and exhausted to rationally deal with the situation.

"Please, Lara. It's just a game."

"Just a game?! If it's just a game then why did you cheat?! Or where you talking about our relationship, because all the things you do seem like they're part of some sort of game that you're playing with me!"

"I'm not playing games with you, Lara. I love you." Alex pleaded.

"No, you don't! And when you think about it; this!" She indicated the paint on her jumpsuit, "is the perfect metaphor for our relationship!"

"I love you."

"Stop saying that!!! It's not true! You just want sex!"

"No, I don't. Lara, calm down, please."

"No! I have never loved you, Alex West and I never will!" With those final shouts, Lara stalked out of the forest.

Several of the students, who had been watching from behind the trees, emerged and nervously looked around.

"Uh, Alex?" One finally spoke up. "Is the game over?"