Ooh! Thankyou for the lovely reviews people, I'm quite emotional *sniff*

I suppose it's safe to carry on then!

Anyway, here is chapter 3, it took longer than the other two because (a) it's longer and (b) I had to do ACTUAL research for this one! I'm bringing in Cappadocia because of what Adrian Heath-Smith has said about the next game. The underground cities actually do exist (how cool is that?) and sounded like the kind of place the next game will be set, plus they have lovely names :)

Enjoy :x

*UPDATE* I have made a few tweaks to this chapter after some useful tips from Paenitentia and Virus Inside. Thanks chaps.

Chapter 3: Networking

The doorman who was welcoming invitees informed me that my guest hadn't yet arrived. I waited for Kurtis in the foyer of the grand old university building, but after a few minutes the chill coming in through the open doors started to bother me, not to mention the lingering looks from most of the men who passed me. I decided to make my way to the main hall, and left Kurtis' name, and a cursory description – tall, dark, and American – with the doorman on my way. I didn't want him getting lost when he did arrive.

People were milling around, greeting each other and drinking sparkling wine. I accepted a glass from the waiter, and started to scout around the room for familiar faces. I didn't have many close friends in this circle, but a number of acquaintances and even ex-teachers. I preferred companions who shared my sense of adventure to academics or theoreticians. Werner had been one exception who fell into both categories, and I felt a twinge of sadness to think of him. He had been a guest speaker at this banquet in years past. I started to mingle, finding it easy to strike up conversations as many of the guests seemed to have heard of me or my past exploits.

I was starting to build up a mental list of potential informers to track down after dinner, when I saw Kurtis. He was standing close to the doorway on the opposite side of the room, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a fresh glass of wine. He was surveying the room warily over the top of it. My heart jumped happily in my chest at the sight of him, and a smile pulled at my lips. He hadn't spotted me yet, and I took full advantage of that to look him over before I approached. He looked tired, and untidy despite the black suit and shirt he was wearing. His clothes were a little crumpled, he was missing a tie, and his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned at the collar. His dark hair was hanging in his face as it had the last time I'd seen him, and he hadn't shaved. I sighed. He looked fantastic.

I could have stood there watching him for hours, but he looked so uncomfortable on his own that I didn't have the heart. He saw me when I was halfway across the room from him, and his expression transformed. He looked me over as closely as I had him moments before, making me feel terribly self-conscious, and seemed to like what he saw.

"Holy Mary Mother of God," he said slowly, when I was standing in front of him. "You look amazing."

I blushed, suddenly very warm all over, and thanked him. "You're looking good too, Kurtis."

He looked unconvinced. "I look like I just got off a plane."

I linked arms with him. "Let's go and sit down. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

We were able to talk over the three course meal, but not in much detail because of the proximity of the other diners. I could tell he was itching to find out where my research had taken me, but I was wary of discussing the Nephilim with so many inquisitive ears nearby. Instead, Kurtis told me about his recovery in the hospital in Prague, which had been slow and frustrating for him. I sympathised, knowing from experience how it felt to be put out of action because of injuries. "It must have been awful." He nodded. "Plus, I couldn't eat for three weeks. I was on a drip. I can't tell you how shitty it is to be stuck in a bed, dreaming day and night about steak." He certainly seemed to be enjoying the meal. "And I couldn't even smoke," he added, as if wondering what was worse.

"You seem to be back to your usual self, though," I told him.

He shook his head. "I have to get back in training," he replied. "I'm completely out of shape after all that lying around." I opened my mouth to protest at this statement, but on second thoughts closed it again. I didn't want to give him a big head. I think he noticed anyway, though, because he raised an eyebrow and gave me a quizzical little smile. Being in his company again was wonderful, even if the setting was rather different to our previous encounters, and a lot more crowded.

When dinner was over and our plates had been carried away by the bustling waiters, the room slowly hushed as figures moved about on the stage at the end of the room. It was time for the speeches. Hopefully this would be useful. The guest speaker, Dr. Nikolajev, was a respected Scandinavian archaeologist based in London who had recently returned from excavations in Cappadocia, Turkey. He had been investigating the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli in the region, and had caused a bit of a stir in the academic community with his theories about the secrets they may contain. Some of my own leads had pointed towards Cappadocia as a possible link to the ancient Nephilim race, so I was eager to hear what Nikolajev had to say. I passed on this information to Kurtis in a low voice as we waited for the speeches to begin.

Everyone applauded politely as a short middle-aged man with fair hair approached the lectern. I leaned closer to Kurtis. "That's Jonathan Barclay," I told him. "He's one of the vice presidents of the RAS."

"You know him?"

"Not really. I went to a few of his lectures at college, but his speciality is medieval England. Not really my cup of tea."

Barclay took some time delivering a rather tedious list of thanks and events from the last year, during which my attention wandered. I found myself noticing with some annoyance that the red-haired waitress who was refilling our wine glasses kept eyeing Kurtis up. He seemed oblivious, however, until she made a great show of spilling wine all over the sleeve of his jacket. She apologised profusely, standing too close and fussing over him while she mopped up the mess. Kurtis was thoroughly charming in return, despite the fact that she'd obviously done it on purpose. Seeing my scowl, she flashed me a patronising smile, which I ignored and carried on pretending to show great interest in Barclay's ramblings. After a while he finished his announcements and got on with introducing the main speaker, who was sitting at the edge of the stage out of my line of sight. Kurtis took off his soggy jacket and put it on the back of his chair, and turned his attention to the stage.

Nikolajev stood and graciously waited for our applause to die down before beginning. He was tall, beanpole thin, and his hair was completely white even though he only seemed to be in his early forties. He began speaking, his voice clear and articulate with only a slight accent. The main theme of his speech was the relationship between religion and archaeology, and although not based solely on Turkey, he did mention the underground cities. Most interesting of all, though, was when he talked about early Christian beliefs and the different levels of beings in heaven and earth. At the brief mention of the Nephilim race, Kurtis and I exchanged a surprised look, and although Nikolajev didn't go into any further detail we realised we would have to chase him up afterwards. I gave hearty applause when he finished, and then didn't waste time.

"I'm going to talk to Nikolajev," I told Kurtis. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "Probably best if we don't crowd him. I think that's his assistant," he said, pointing to the man Nikolajev was conferring with at the edge of the stage. "I could talk to him, find out more about the dig in Turkey."

"Good idea," I replied, nodding, and we split up. We approached the two men from different sides as they descended the steps from the stage, and I made sure I got to the archaeologist before anyone else could.

"Doctor Nikolajev," I said. "What a wonderful speech. Lara Croft," I added, holding out a hand. Instead of shaking it, he laid a kiss on the back and gave me a charismatic smile. I noticed up close that his hair wasn't white, but a strikingly pale blond.

"I'm delighted that you enjoyed it. I assume you are the same Miss Croft whose many Egyptian adventures I have read about?"

I smiled. "I expect so. But I'm far more interested to hear about your adventures in Cappadocia. I've always been fascinated by the subterranean cities. I'd love to hear more about them."

He was happy to discuss his pet subject with me, saying he believed that they had so far only uncovered about a tenth of the chambers in Derinkuyu. He thought they extended much deeper into the ground beneath the living quarters, churches and halls that were closest to the surface. He suspected that many levels further down the tunnels connected with the many other underground settlements in the area, and that at the lowest point there was some kind of vast chamber too deep for humans to live in, the purpose of which was vexing him. Although they had been inhabited by Christian missionaries in past centuries, the consensus was that the cities had been excavated many centuries before the birth of Christ by the Hittites. He leaned closer, however, and told me in a conspiratorial tone that he thought they may date back even earlier.

He seemed quite charmed by me, so I took advantage and probed further. "You mentioned a race of angel and human half-breeds. The Nephilim?" I was trying to sound more ignorant than I was about the subject, for the sake of caution. "Do those beliefs have any roots in Cappadocia?"

He looked impressed. "Actually I believe they do. There have already been rumours of findings elsewhere in Turkey, and there are even people in Anatolia who believe that a Nephilim corpse is buried somewhere in the region. There is some superstition about it." I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. I was thinking back to my final battle in the Strahov, wishing that it were true that the Sleeper was nothing more than a myth. Clearly Nikolajev didn't know that the 'corpse' had in fact been found and excavated. He continued: "We have found some interesting artifacts, paintings and such, that include references to the Nephilim. Some in the deeper chambers of Derinkuyu, in fact." My eyes widened in curiosity.

As Nikolajev spoke, I became aware of someone standing beside me, and looked up to see Kurtis. The assistant he had been talking to was nowhere to be seen. He had an oddly suspicious look on his face as he listened to the other man talk. Nikolajeva noticed, too, and his voice trailed off.

"Doctor Nikolajev, meet my associate, Kurtis Trent. Kurtis, I've been learning all about the underground cities. It's fascinating."

Kurtis looked at me sideways and said, "I'll bet."

Nikolajev held out his hand and Kurtis shook it. "A pleasure to meet you. And please," he continued, looking back at me, "Call me Tobias."

I tried to resume the conversation, but Kurtis' presence was bothering me. What was he doing, just standing there? He was cramping my style, that was for sure, and Nikolajev seemed uncomfortable. Spotting someone behind me, he took my hand again and shook it.

"It was delightful to meet you, Miss Croft. If you want to know any more about the cities please come and visit me at the university. I'm returning to Cappadocia shortly, but I'll be in London for the next week."

"Maybe I will," I replied. "Thankyou, Tobias."

"Please excuse me." He looked at Kurtis, and nodded to him. "Mr. Trent." He walked away, and began talking to his assistant who had just reappeared. They wandered off together. I looked at Kurtis. "What was all that about?"

"What was all what about?"

"The attitude with Nikolajev."

"Don't know what you mean. So, what did you find out?"

"Not as much as I could have done," I said pointedly, but recounted the details anyway. "It seems to confirm what I'd hoped, anyway. That some of our answers may lie in Cappadocia."

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Coming up next chapter… Kurtis rubs Lara up the wrong way. Keep reviewing, it's great to get the feedback, more posted soon!