Author's Note: Wow, sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been having some problems and everything was just going crazy these past few weeks…my computer crashed and wiped out everything I had saved so I kinda lost my motivation to continue this fic. But it's back now and updates should be a bit more regular. Another thing worth noting (if you haven't already) is that this fic follows the storyline up to The Last Revelation then totally disregards all continuity.
Chapter 3- I Won't Let You Go
"Glad you remember me." Mark chuckled softly. Lara could not help but notice how much he had changed over the years, not at all what he was like when she first met him in high school. Mark had been a small and skinny kid but was now very tall and muscularly built, sandy blonde hair reaching his ears. Back in school, the man apparently liked the tomb raider a lot, but Lara subconsciously began to push him away when Mark's true feelings were made clear. It was not that Lara did not like him, the problem was she did. "So how do you feel?" The man asked softly.
Lara brought a hand up to rub her bandaged head. "Not as bad as it looks. Honestly I've lived through much worse." An awkward silence then enveloped the room, reminding them that there was still a degree of tension between the two old friends.
"If you're up to eating something, I brought you some soup." The man offered her a bowl and Lara graciously accepted it, taking a sip of the steaming broth.
"Thanks." She said as Mark nodded then walked out of the room, deciding he would allow her to get the rest she needed.
Lara could not suppress a smile as he walked out, and then mentally kicked herself. No! Not now. This is the last thing I need, the tomb raider told herself sternly as she ate some more of the proffered soup. Laying back down she pulled the tan sheets up to her chin and closed her eyes, a small voice in the corner of here mind telling her that this was a battle she was destined to lose.
A few hours later, Lara woke up and looked around. The room was only illuminated by the pale, watery glow of the moon, and was completely silent. She stood up, fighting dizziness and several conflicting emotions as she put on the ski cap that lay on the dresser next to her and carefully guided her way down the stairs. It's really for the best, the tomb raider tried to convince herself.
The auburn haired woman walked quietly through the living room, the door only a few feet away from her as she tried to make as less noise as possible so she did not wake Mark up. Part of her knew full well that if she saw him, she would be unable to leave. Lara was almost past the kitchen when she heard a voice that made her freeze dead in her tracks. "Evening Lara." Mark said. Recovering from the initial surprise, the tomb raider turned around sheepishly. "Were you planning to leave?"
Mark was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a pair of black silk pants without a shirt, he had a gentle look in his eyes which Lara found to be slightly unnerving. Finding it ironic that she could escape from a military base filled with soldiers without being noticed, yet not from a house inhabited by a single man, the tomb raider realized her efforts had been thwarted so she resigned herself to having a seat across from him. "I really should get going now. Thank you for everything." Lara said as Mark just smiled and shook his head.
"Why do you think I'm sitting here Lara? I've known you for years…I know you well enough to know that you would try to leave me without saying goodbye. To tell the truth, letting you go the first time was the biggest mistake I've ever made." The man said softly, feeling unable to look the tomb raider sitting across from him in the eye.
That statement stung Lara more than she would have liked to admit. Just before her graduation from high school, she set out on a trip to Cambodia in order to leave everything from her past behind. Despite the fact that Mark was her friend she was unable to tell him for the same reason she tried to leave this time without him noticing—Lara would not have been able to go. To the tomb raider, love was a liability. She did not need anybody else to protect nor to take care of her, and Lara had grown up only depending on herself. The woman ran away from her feelings toward Mark for what she thought had been the last time, but now they were like a brick wall she had hit full force.
Finally, a bit of her resolve broke down. "Mark, I'm really sorry. I should have never left without telling you…but when I was eighteen I just had so much on my mind, I thought leaving it all behind was the only way to sort it out." Lara never thought she was the type of person who would run away from her problems, but as soon as those words left her mouth, she realized that that was what she had been doing. The woman, who had stared down death so many times and had gone toe to toe with dinosaurs and dragons without fear, was afraid of her own emotions.
"No need to apologize Lara, it's all in the past now. I'm just glad I got to see you one last time, even under these circumstances, it was nice." Mark responded casually. But please, just stay for this night. You can leave in the morning…it would probably be easier for you anyway."
Lara opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips as her eyes dropped briefly to look at the table. "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow morning." She relented. With a smile, Mark placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Good night." They both said in unison before getting up and walking to their respective rooms.
The tomb raider lay on her bed looking blankly upwards, arms resting behind her head. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lara whispered as she continued her staring match with the ceiling. "Do I still…is it possible that I…love him?" In the profession of tomb raiding, you tend to make a lot of enemies who could target the ones you care about in order to get to you, and Lara did not want to see any harm come to Mark. Her mind rationalized that by fighting any feelings she felt toward the man, she would be protecting them both. With a shake of the head Lara tried to stop thinking about this entire confusing ordeal, and then closed her eyes before falling into a black and dreamless sleep.
The next morning Lara tied up her boots and walked downstairs, meeting Mark in the kitchen again. Vaguely she wondered if he had stayed up there the entire night. "Promise you'll come to see me again?" The man asked her with a smile.
"I promise, but…" Lara faltered. "But what if I don't come back…like in Egypt?" Mark heard about what had happened on the news and had been incredibly worried about his old friend.
The man pulled Lara into a tentative embrace, then looked her directly in the eye. "Lara, you can do it so I don't want you to give up. You're a survivor and I believe in you." Lara's head jerked up upon hearing those words as a chill ran up her spine. "What's wrong? Looks like you've seen a ghost?" Mark asked with concern as he saw the tomb raider's startled expression.
Lara just shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I'm alright." She replied. "Thank you for everything." She walked out the door and noticed that her motorcycle had been repaired, no longer the mangled mess it had been after the crash. Getting on the bike, she revved the engine then drove off into the distance.
What Mark said, she thought, those were the words in my dream…that voice, it was slightly different, but it sounded like him as well. Taking a sharp left turn she shook that thought away. After all, it was probably just a strange coincidence. The tracking system on Lara's motorcycle was beyond repair, leaving her no intimation as to where Lance could possibly be.
After a few hours of aimless driving Lance's motorcycle drove quickly past her, so turning around she followed him in pursuit. Stupid kid, he should have either killed me or made damn sure I never saw him again. She thought, I'll teach him that lesson the hard way. The chase continued off-road as Lance swerved from the streets and into the woods, the tomb raider making a screeching turn and kept him in her sights as she pulled close next to him.
Lance pulled a pistol out of his brown leather jacket and fired off two warning shots in the air, the woman noticing how hesitant he was to actually shoot her. Lara pulled one of her .45s and returned fire, a bullet hitting the young man in the forearm. The tomb raider did not want to kill Lance because she had the suspicion the young man was brainwashed by his father, however Lance had no qualms with killing the woman. He shot wildly at Lara, most of the rounds missing while she sent a well aimed shot to his shin.
The pistol lance had been firing had ran out of ammunition, so he took a shotgun from the side of his motorcycle and pulled the trigger. Lara felt a sharp, burning pain in her thigh and realized two things at that moment: That the shotgun blast had hit her, and that the recoil from firing the big gun had knocked Lance off of his bike.
"Bloody guilty conscience." Lara muttered as she stopped her motorcycle and walked over to Lance to assess the damage done, finding it slightly difficult to walk with the gunshot wound in her leg. The young man suffered two bullet wounds, a broken arm, a nasty bump on the head, and cuts and bruises covered his battered body. The boy had to have been no older than sixteen with wild brown hair that came down to his shoulders.
Once Lara was certain that he was out cold, she picked him up and set him on her motorcycle, ignoring the searing pain in her thigh as she drove off to find the nearest hospital.
Chapter 4 Preview: Lara takes Lance to the hospital, but how will the young man react when he comes to? Unsure of whether there will be a confrontation or a change of heart, Lara must prepare herself for the worst case scenario.