Mystique, Haha a left you hanging on a cliffy, evil me huh? It was not my intension to get sexual intension between Aragorn and Lara, just a good friendship that's all. Anyway enjoy the next chapter, I hope u like it and thanks again for ur review.

Chapter 10, destroy it or keep it.

Pain…nothing but pain…she couldn't stop it…it was taking over. Sauron eye was nearing, she could feel the fire burning at her skin. Fear took over, fear of dying…she had lost, they were so close and now she had lost.

"Lara…" she heard a voice say.

At first she feared it was Sauron but when the voice called for her again she noticed it was a kind and gentle voice, coming from a woman. The woman started humming.

"Lara…do not be afraid…do not give in with death..."

She recognized the voice, it was Arwen.

"Arwen…?"

"Yes Lara, I am here to protect you from Sauron, you must fight, you cannot give up now."

"But everything hurts, there's so much pain."

"Fight the pain Lara, fight it, you've never given up before, why give up now?"

"There's too much pain Arwen."

"Lara look at me…"

She wanted to but Sauron tried to pull her away.

I see everything, I hear everything….join me Lara…serve me…

"Don't listen to him Lara, listen to your heart…"

All these voices, all this pain…Lara had the feeling she was becoming crazy. In her entire life she had never felt like this before. All these words, the pain in her head. She was confused and hurt.

"Think of Kurtis and Legolas, what is to become of them…their faith depends on you Lara…look at me…"

The pain in her head increased, Sauron's voice sounded again.

Serve me Lara…be my slave…

Her head felt like it would explode…the pain was too much to bare…

"No!" she yelled.

Suddenly the burning fire on her skin faded and the throbbing in her head was fading too. Lara finally had the guts to look up, to look at Arwen. She looked so peaceful, so kind.

"Hello Lara…"

"I'm dead aren't I?" the tomb raider asked.

"No," Arwen replied "your lost, find your way back Lara and destroy the ring."

"How can I go back, someone stabbed me in my stomach?"

"Yes, but you are not dead, you are protected by the elves, remember the necklace Aragorn gave you?"

Lara moved her hand to the necklace, suddenly a sharp light moved up forcing Lara to close her eyes. The light faded and Lara opened her eyes again. Lara saw she was back in reality. Immediately there was a horrible pain in her stomach. Lara gasped for air, her eyes scanned the room and she saw Aragorn fighting a man, a closer look at the man made Lara recognize him. It was the same man that tried to take the ring from her a few days ago.

Aragorn was loosing the fight, Lara wanted to help him but she knew she has to destroy the ring and if that means sacrificing his life for thousands of others there was no other choice, even though it hurts a lot to make such a decision.

Lara tried to get back on her feet, it hurt but she did her best to put the pain aside. Suddenly she was on her feet much faster then she had imagined, someone pulled her up by her shirt. The tomb raider grunted from the pain it caused in her stomach.

"Give me the ring you stupid English brat."

The tomb raider looked into the eyes of Lucien, immediately her eyes filled with fear.

"No." she managed to say through all the pain.

"I guess I'll kill you then, if the barer dies the killer can take the ring."

Lucien grabbed Lara by her throat and started to choke her. Lara started to gauge for air, her hands tried to pull his arms away, but the large amount of blood she had lost had made her weak and she was unable to break free.

Again darkness started to near her, but then the necklace around her neck started glowing, Lara felt another burst of energy going through her body. Her eyes shot open and she looked Lucien straight in his eyes. At that same moment, Lucien grunted from pain and his eyes widened in surprise. He let go of Lara and fell down with his stomach on the ground. In his back there was a weapon Lara recognized immediately, Kurtis's chirugai.

Kurtis had already crawled beside her.

"Lara, are you alright?"

Lara scanned the room and saw Aragorn was still fighting the demon and things were not looking good.

"I'll be fine Kurtis, please help Aragorn." She replied as she slowly tried to crawl back on her feet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…go help him." This time she pushed him away from her.

Kurtis nodded and turned to Lucien's body, he removed his chirugai from the dead body and turned to help Aragorn defeat the demon. Lara reached into her pocked and pulled out the ring.

"No!" she heard the demon yell.

Lara turned and saw the demon pushed Aragorn aside to come after her. But fortunately Kurtis crossed his path and delivered a strong right hook at the Demon's face.

Her eyes turned to the ring, it was shining and she could see the markings burning. Inside her head she could hear Sauron talking to her, trying to make her crazy, but it all didn't bother her. Lara just kept staring at the ring. What if she just keeps it for her self, add it to her collection. She had been through so much, why couldn't she keep this as a reward, her prize.

Yes, Lara, keep it, keep it for yourself…

Sauron's voice was giving her a headache. She shakes her head and tried to clear of all the pain that was floating inside. The ring will go into on of her secret rooms in the manor, safe from everyone else, it wouldn't be that bad, would it.

"Lara, think of your friends, what is to become of them. Look at Aragorn and Kurtis, they are fighting for you." It was Arwen's voice again. "Destroy the ring."

All the voices in her head were making her crazy, Lara didn't know what to do.

No Lara, keep it.

"Destroy it."

Keep it

"Destroy it."

Keep it…

"Stop!" Lara yelled. But the voices just continued talking. Lara was in a trance, she didn't know what to do. Her eyes just kept staring at the ring, when suddenly another voice sounded, one that she hadn't heard before. Lara looked up and saw a short man standing in front of her. He had curly brown hair and brown eyes, it was a Halfling.

"I know how you feel Lara."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Frodo, I was the former barer of the ring."

"Frodo?"

"Yes Lara, I know what you are going through. The pain in your head, the weight of your body. You're tired and the one thing you'd love to do most is close your eyes and never wake up again, but that is not the solution."

The tomb raider dropped on her knees, her vision was getting woozy, the cause of it was the bloody wound in her stomach.

"Why not, why can't I just close my eyes and never wake up again."

"Because the pain will only get worse then, you will serve Sauron and feel pain you have never felt in you entire life."

Frodo paced forward and placed his left hand on her shoulder and his right hand lifted her head up.

"Lara if you want all of this to be over, you must throw the ring into the acid, only then the pain will fade and Sauron will not poison you mind anymore, you must believe me Lara…"

Two pair of brown eyes were locked on each other, then Lara's eyes turned back to the ring. She sighed and did her best to get back on her feet. Frodo tried to help her, even though she was almost twice his size. Together they walked to the edge of the bridge. She gave Frodo one more look. He nodded at her, Lara nodded back and then looked back at the ring and said.

"To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour."

Then the ring slid down her hand and flew down into the acid. Not long after that Lara heard the demon scream in pain. But everything that happened from that moment was something Lara did not know as she collapsed to her knees. Freedom was entering her mind and body. No more voices, she was free. Free to die, because she knows that the wound in her stomach was deadly. She had lost too much blood, she knew it. For the first time in days there was no darkness when she closed her eyes, only light. White light and jasmine, she was on her way to see her father and mother again.

-

Just one more chapter after this one, but I decided to leave an evil cliffie behind for one more time, but I'll promise not to let you wait to long!