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Chapter 3 - Home

2 and ½ months later…

The front door of Croft Manor opened gently as one of its only two inhabitants silently entered the house. They slowly pulled the door shut behind them in an attempt to make a minimal amount of noise, but the door gave a terrible screech and pierced the tranquil silence. Wincing slightly, it's entrant noted to have the door oiled sometime soon. As the door thudded to a close at last, light footsteps echoed throughout the grand hall and mixed with the incessant chirping of crickets that sang outside of the manor's walls. The footsteps came to a sudden stop, however, as a voice boomed from the top of the grand staircase.

"We'll have to oil that cursed door in the morning. It hasn't been attended to in God knows how long…"

Lara looked up to the top of the stairs, regarding her butler with a weary smile.

"My thoughts exactly. Sorry If I woke you, Winston. I did my best."

Winston smiled as well, as he slowly made his way downstairs to greet her .

"Not at all my dear, not at all. As you may have already guessed, I couldn't sleep without the usual racket coming from the gym, so I kindly stayed up for you."

Lara continued to smile tiredly as he came to stand near her at last, appreciating his attempt at sarcasm.

"I'm a bit too tired be training tonight, so I'm afraid you'll have to live without the noise for once." She began to take her jacket off as her butler aided her.

"Oh, pity." Winston feigned a hurt expression as he hung the jacket upon the coat rack near the door. "Well, won't you have some tea before you go to bed?"

"No thanks. Not tonight."

Lara was already making her way upstairs so Winston amicably followed her. Deciding to change the subject, he made a further attempt at conversation.

"So, how are the preparations for the Grand Opening coming along?"

"Things seem to be going quite well. Everything should be perfect by tomorrow evening."

"Wonderful! I'm sure all of your hard work will have finally paid off."

"Yes, I suppose so…"

Winston sensed a note of uncertainty in her voice and as Lara reached the entrance to her quarters and he took a moment to observe her, noting that she looked absolutely exhausted. Dark circles had formed beneath her normally vibrant eyes and her whole being seemed to emit a deep sorrow. A few moments of uncomfortable silence fell between them and Lara hesitated before speaking again.

"I don't think I'm going, Winston." she stated solemnly.

Winston frowned at her. "But you've worked so hard over the past few weeks… Are you really going to miss it?"

"I have my reasons for not wanting to go."

Winston's frown deepened as he regarded Lara with a pitying expression. It undoubtedly had to do with the events that occurred in France, just a few months before.

"We've been through this before… " he sighed. "You've been cleared of all previous accusations regarding what happened in Paris. If that's not good enough for the rest of the archaeological community, then I don't know what is."

"I know, Winston… but that doesn't keep people from assuming that I had something to do with it."

"Lara, you can't just-"

"I'm tired, Winston." she stated forcefully, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I'll see you in the morning."

Winston nodded, feeling slightly defeated. Perhaps if he gave her some time to think things over, she'd reconsider.

"Very well then. If you need anything, my dear, you know where to find me."

"Thank you, Winston. Good night."

He nodded in acknowledgement and made his way down the hall to his own quarters. Upon entering her chambers, Lara walked towards the answering machine that rested on the desk in the corner of her room. She pressed the "play" button as she sat down upon her bed, half-heartedly listening to the messages.

"Do you want to make great memories in exciting new destinations? Are you longing for an adventure out of the ordinary? Then you may be interested in investing in one of our lovely resorts, located worldwide in various exotic locations such as South America, The Bahamas, -"

Lara sighed in frustration, as she casually clicked the "delete" button on the answering machine.

"Bloody Timeshare… you'd think they'd give me some peace for once…"

She continued to delete multiple annoying messages before a familiar French-accented voice rang through the room, bringing a rare smile toLara'sface.

"Lara, ma chere! I hope that you are doing well. I wanted to let you know that I will arrive in London sometime tomorrow morning. I'll call you when I check into my hotel, so that we may further arrange our plans for the Grand Opening. I can hardly contain my excitement at being able to see you again, as well as being one of the first people to view Werner's personal wing at the museum!"

Lara's smile immediately vanished and became replaced by a frown, as Jean Yves' message continued, taking a sympathetic turn.

"I know that his loss must still weigh heavily upon you, but I'm sure that he would have been very proud of what you've done for him. It is an honor to have known such a man. Few people in the archaeological community can say that they have been so fortunate. Ah, but I am carrying on too long about such matters. I shall see you tomorrow night, but until then, please take care of yourself. Au revoir, Lara."

Lara found herself feeling decidedly guilty as the message came to an end. Her old colleagues had a way of doing that, it seemed. Not surprisingly, her thoughts immediately drifted to those of Werner and Paris... and eventually to a certain mysterious stranger. Lost in her thoughts, Lara instinctively reached over to her nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a familiar circular object that rested within it. She held the Chirugai at the tips of her fingers, twirling it around rhythmically as she often found herself doing as of late. Holding the weapon in her hands somehow had a calming effect upon her. Her head began to ache after a few moments, and she allowed herself to lie back as memories continued to creep back into her mind. Before she knew it, Lara drifted off into a restless slumber as her grip on the weapon loosened, and the Chirugai fell to the floor with a metallic thud.