Chapter 7

A/N: This one was tricky to write. I'm trying to follow the main timeline since the animus makes you a spectator of the past and you can't prevent the events but I also need Lara and Sam to keep moving with their storyline. Like I said once, I don't know a lot about the AC franchise but I try to respect the general concept as much as I can while playing with plotholes and inconsistencies. Apparently, the new Atlantide DLC brings new information but since I won't play it, I might just incorporate elements if it helps.

I put a lot of time and effort into this story so feedback is appreciated and thank you to all the regular reviewers who take the time to comment.

"Lara!" Sam called again as Kassandra got rid of the archer. The filmmaker rushed to the side of the house where her wife had fallen. She braced herself for the sight she was sure to encounter but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw nothing on the ground. She looked around frantically. There was no sign of Lara, her body or even blood anywhere. "Lara?!" She cried out desperately.

The other women joined her. "Where is she?" Kassandra asked in confusion.

"I don't know," Sam answered, her voice breaking.

Myrrine glanced toward the street. "Do you think they could have taken her?"

"Not enough time." Kyra jumped in. "And I think we killed all of them."

"I don't understand." The producer kept searching with her eyes. "What happened?"

Kassandra's mother stepped closer and squeezed the woman's arm in comfort. "We will find her. I'm going to put my most trustful men on it. Something clearly happened if they decided to attack us right here."

"Do you think it has something to do with the mission you asked me to complete this morning?" The mercenary inquired, a guilty look on her face.

"I don't know." Myrrine looked at her daughter. "Please, don't blame yourself, lamb. The cult is after all of us, it was just a matter of time before they strike." She left them to warn her crew.

"The safety switch..." Sam declared suddenly.

Kassandra pushed her guilt aside to focus on her friend. "What did you say?"

"The animus, the…" The producer realized her friends had no idea what she was talking about. She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain the situation, especially since they didn't know anything about the 21th-century technology. "The device that sent us here, we had a theory that maybe, there was a way to wake up in our own volition. We were trying to find a way to trigger it but..."

The mercenary was trying to follow as best as she could. "Does it mean the pain woke her up?"

"I don't know. Is she just wounded? Is she dead?" Sam started to panic. "If she dies here or if her spirit dies, does it mean she's dead in the present? Is it why she disappeared?" She felt tears streaming down her face. "Oh my God, I'm going to be stuck here forever, and… and… Lara…" A sob escaped her.

Kassandra wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's okay, prinkipissa. You are not alone. I'm going to help you, I promise."

"I'm going to get Phoibe." Kyra excused herself.

The producer held her friend until her tears subsided. "Thank you." She pulled away.

"You're welcome." Kassandra smiled sadly. "What do you want to do know?"

Sam sniffled. "I need a moment alone, if that's alright."

The mercenary nodded. "I'm going to make sure none of them escaped and then get rid of the bodies. Call me if you need anything."

The filmmaker nodded before making her way to her room.

When Sam didn't join them for dinner, Kassandra grabbed a plate and went upstairs to check on her friend. She gently knocked on the door. She waited for an answer but after another minute of silence, she decided to step inside to make sure Sam was okay. She found the room empty and frowned. She searched every room without success before going back downstairs. She made her way to the garden and called her friend's name, worry slowly creeping into her mind. She could only hope Sam hadn't left and got herself in trouble.

"Sam?" Kassandra moved to the side of the house.

"Did you find her?" Kyra asked, joining her.

The mercenary sighed as her eyes fell on her friend. "Yes, I just did…"

Kyra followed her line of sight and saw Sam asleep, her back leaning against to wall, a shirt in her hands. "Oh, poor thing."

"I'll carry her to her room." The Spartan woman took a few steps forward before turning around to look at Kyra. "Can we talk after? I… What happened made me realize… I mean…"

"I'll wait for you." Kyra smiled reassuringly before going back inside.

Kassandra made her way to her friend. She bent down and gathered her in her arms. "Let's put you to bed."

"Lara?" Sam called in her sleep.

"It's Kassandra. It's okay, go back to sleep." The mercenary carried her to her room and kissed the woman's forehead before leaving.

Sam woke up with a start. She looked around, disoriented. She was still in Greece, still in Myrrine's house. "Lara…" She whipped her head to the side when she heard a noise. Phoibe was at the door, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Sorry. I… I didn't mean to wake you." Phoibe stared at the floor, twisting her fingers nervously. "Are you okay?"

The filmmaker ran her hand through her hair with a sigh. "I… yeah. What about you, sweetie? Can't sleep?" When the girl shook her head in response, she patted the bed and smiled tiredly. "What's bothering you?"

Phoibe sat down on the side of the bed but didn't move closer. "Are you mad at me?"

The producer frowned. "Of course not, why would I be?"

"You didn't eat with us and it's my fault if Lara is gone." The girl sniffled.

"Oh sweetie, no." Sam pulled the girl closer and hugged her against her chest. "It's not your fault. There are some really bad guys who are trying to hurt us and it has nothing to do with you. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry you had to witness all that. I should have followed you to the roof."

"But then you would be gone…" Phoibe cuddled closer. Her eyes fell on the shirt in Sam's free hand. "Why are you holding that?" She pointed at the piece of clothing.

"It's Lara's shirt…"

"Oh…"

"You should go back to bed, sweetie," The filmmaker said gently.

"Can… Can I stay with you? Kassandra is with Kyra and I don't want to be alone…"

"Sure." Sam moved to the side of the bed to make some space.

"Lara told me you were going on adventures together. Can you tell me about one of them?"

The producer mused. "Once upon a time, Lara and I traveled to…"

A couple of days passed without any sign of Lara. Sam had searched the island and questioned everyone but it was clear now that Lara was out of the machine and back into the present. What she couldn't understand was why Lara wasn't sent back here if she was fine, and that was what worried her the most, not knowing if her wife was still alive.

After a week, Sam felt hopeless, useless. She knew she had to figure out a way to wake up from the animus and find Lara. In the early morning of the next day, she discreetly left the house and made her way toward the hill.

Kassandra was looking for Sam. They were supposed to sail to Kirrha, in case Lara had woken up there. She was still confused about the magic spell that had brought her friends into her life but she was ready to do anything she could to help them, even delaying meeting her real father now that her mother had told her where he was…

When it was clear that Sam wasn't in the house, Kassandra started to ask around if anyone had seen her. She found Kyra outside.

"Maybe she went on a walk," Kyra answered when the mercenary questioned her.

"This early and without telling anyone?" The Spartan woman raised a doubtful eyebrow.

Kyra shrugged. "She is quite capable."

"I know that but…"

"Now that you mention it, I thought she was acting strange last night."

"What do you mean?" Kassandra frowned.

"She said some things, like how she was going to miss us or how she hoped we'll find peace once our fight is over. I didn't pay too much attention since I thought she was being wistful but now… Maybe it was a goodbye..."

Kassandra's eyes went wide. "I have to find her. Stay here." She ran toward her horse and mounted him swiftly. "Let's go Phobos!" She kicked the horse to go faster. She needed to check the dock first, in case Sam had convinced Barnabas with a sweet smile to leave without her. Once she made sure the Adestria and the crew were still there and no one had seen Sam, she galloped along the shore in hope to find her friend.

After riding for almost half an hour, Kassandra finally spotted Sam. She was standing on the highest spot of Naxos. Her blood went cold when she saw her friend lean closer to the edge. She rushed as fast as she could toward the hill. When she was close enough, she dismounted Phobos and approached carefully. "Sam…" Her friend only answer was to take a single step closer to the ledge. It was clear now that Sam wasn't just admiring the view. "Please, don't do it."

"I thought about it all night." Sam stared toward the horizon. "It's the only way to know if I can wake up and if Lara is alright."

"What if it kills you?" Kassandra discreetly took a step closer.

The producer shrugged. "Right now I don't really care."

The mercenary looked at her friend sadly. "You don't mean that."

"I just need to know. I can't just wait, I'm…" Sam kept her eyes on the sea and sighed. "I'm tired, Kassandra. I just want to go home with my wife, and I don't even know if Lara is still…"

"Please, just… just wait a little longer…" The Spartan woman insisted, her voice almost betraying her fear of what Sam could do.

"For what exactly?" The filmmaker spun around angrily. "For another lead on a weapon we know nothing about? For a chance to magically wake up? Or for another attack that might kill me?"

"We were supposed to go look for her in Phokis, maybe she's there." Kassandra tried to be hopeful. Sam was finally engaging with her, it was a start.

"I don't think she is…" Sam forced a smile. "But don't worry about me. You should just go find your father."

"I can't leave you, especially if you are ready to end your life."

"I don't want to kill myself," The producer declared, running a hand through her hair. "I just want to free myself from the machine. I don't know what else to do…"

"Come with me to see my father." The mercenary suggested.

The filmmaker shook her head. "I think it's something you should do alone. I'll stay here."

"And I think you should come, Lara would want me to take care of you."

"What would you know?" Sam snapped despite herself.

"Sam…" Kassandra might not know Lara for long but even with the little time they had spent together, it was clear that the woman would want Sam to be safe above everything else.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. You're right, she would. I just… miss her."

"Give us one more week. I'll send someone in Phokis and I'll ask my father, whoever that is, if he knows anything about the people from before. Then, we'll see what we can do…" The mercenary offered her hand for Sam to take, she was still too close from the edge for comfort. "Please, I'm asking nicely."

The filmmaker snorted. "Fine. I'll give you one more week but you have to promise me to let me jump if nothing has changed." She took her friend's hand and let herself be pulled away from the cliff edge.

"I don't want you to."

"Then you better pray the Gods you'll find something because I will do it, whether you like it or not. It's my condition to our deal."

Kassandra put her arm around Sam's shoulder and led her toward Phobos. "Alright…"

Lara jolted awake, panting heavily as she felt the ghost of a pain in her stomach. She looked around in confusion, blinking a few times until she realized she was back into the present. Her head was pounding like a jackhammer. She licked her dried lips and felt the taste of iron. She sniffled and realized her nose was bleeding.

"Ah good, you are finally awake Mrs. Croft." Dr. Zuller approached her and wiped the blood under her nose with some gauze before throwing it away with a content smile. "I was starting to worry."

The archaeologist scoffed. "Didn't know you care…" He was the last person she wanted to see in her state but if he was planning on torturing her for information, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Only for the sack of the mission," The doctor sneered.

Lara tried to ignore the pain in her head. She focused on the man in front of her. "And what is the mission exactly?"

"You need to find the location of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus also known as the Caduceus. If you did your homework in school, you should know what it looks like… We were supposed to bring you back sooner to give you more information but it seems that, since your mind is projected into the past, it is harder to have a hold on you, unlike Ms. Makris."

"I would say I'm sorry but…" The Englishwoman saw the slap coming before she felt it. She spat at his face. "You tosser!"

Dr. Zuller grabbed her chin. "You will do as I say."

"Why don't you find it yourself, you coward!?" Lara tried to pull away, her anger slowly boiling inside of her. She refused to be a pawn in a game she had never asked to play. "Why is it so important to you? Do you really think I'm going to tell you the location of a potential weapon?"

"Oh, I think you will." The man let go of his hold and took a step backward.

The archaeologist chuckled humorlessly. "And I think you are delusional."

The doctor smiled darkly. "Am I?" He moved away and reached for a syringe on a surgical tray. He turned toward Lara. "It looks like you don't really care about your own well-being so it would be pointless to threaten you with harm. However, I am sure you would care if anything were to happen to your precious wife." He brought the syringe close to Sam's arm. "It would be a pity, wouldn't it?"

Lara's eyes darted between the man, the syringe and Sam's face. "What's in the syringe?"

"A nice little cocktail, and by that I mean, a deadly one."

"Bastard! Don't touch her!" The Englishwoman struggled against the ties around her wrists. She watched helplessly as the doctor plunged the needle into Sam's arm. "Stop! Stop it!" She shouted frantically. "I will fetch what you need, please, just… leave her alone."

"Good girl." Dr. Zuller removed the needle from Sam's arm. "I am going to send you back. The next time we see each other, I hope you'll have more information, Mrs. Croft. The clock is ticking, not only because I am not known for my patience, but also because the longer you stay in the animus, the more likely you are to lose your mind or you know, your life." He leaned toward the console in between the beds and pressed a few buttons.

"This is not over!" Lara glared at him as she felt her mind slip away.

Sam was wandering around the garden, lost in her thoughts when she saw movement from above. She stopped walking just in time to see Lara crash on the ground in front of her.

Lara groaned as she hit the floor. "Bloody hell, I'm getting tired of this!"

"Oh my God, Lara!" Sam dropped to her knees and held her wife tightly. She pulled away to cup Lara's face into her hands, as if she couldn't believe she was back.

"Hey…" The archaeologist smiled tiredly. She discreetly checked Sam's arm to make sure Dr. Zuller's action hadn't hurt her and sighed in relief when she realized her wife was fine.

"Can you stand?" The producer questioned before offering her hands to help Lara. Once her wife was up, Sam led her to the side where there were cushions lying on the ground. "Where were you? You literally fell from the sky, like an angel!"

"Does it mean I'm Lucifer? Because I wasn't really in heaven!" Lara joked as she sat down.

"What happened?" The filmmaker stared at her wife with concern. "I was so worried, I thought I had lost you." She caressed Lara's breastplate, right where the arrow had hit her. There was no trace of injury. Maybe waking up in the present had worked as some kind of reboot on her body.

"I'm fine." The Englishwoman reassured. "I was only gone for half an hour."

"Are you kidding? You were gone for a week and half!"

"Really?" Lara frowned. Was time working differently in the animus world? "I… I was back in the present time. Dr. Zuller was there, he told me he had trouble waking us up because we are free spirits in the machine." She grabbed her wife's hands in hers. "Sam, the longer we stay here, the more in danger we are. Our bodies aren't meant to stay plugged to the machine for a long amount of time, it could kill us."

"Well, I'm all for leaving but did he tell you what he wanted this time?"

The archaeologist nodded. "Yes, we're supposed to find the location of the Caduceus staff."

"Okay, wings, snake and Hermes, right?" Sam looked at Lara for confirmation. "At least it's a start… Do you think Kassandra knowns something about it?"

"I don't know, we should ask her." Lara looked around and suddenly realized it was weirdly silent. "Where is everyone?"

"Kassandra went to see her father, she should be back soon. Myrrine is working and Kyra took Phoibe to the beach to keep her busy." The producer informed her.

"Should we join them?" Lara asked as she stood up.

"Maybe later." Sam followed suit. "For now, I'm willing to lose an hour of our life countdown to have you all to myself." She grabbed Lara's cape and led her inside the house.

Lara chuckled. "Lara Croft found dead because her wife wanted to shag."

"Perfect theme for a Greek tragedy." Sam laughed. "But if you want, we can go to the beach…"

Lara swiftly placed one arm behind her wife's back, the other behind her knees and lifted her up effortlessly. "An hour with you is never wasted."

"Oh, charmer! Take me to our room."

"Yes, dear."

Kassandra came back two days later. When she saw Lara standing in front of her mother's house with Sam, her eyes went wide. She rushed toward her friend and lifted her from the ground, hugging her in relief. "Lara! Thanks the Gods you are well!"

After getting over her surprise, Lara hugged her back. "I'm alright." She laughed.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"It wasn't your fault." The archaeologist looked down at her feet that were still in the air before smiling at her friend. "Not that I don't appreciate the hug but would you mind putting me down?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The mercenary smiled sheepishly as she put Lara down. "Thank you for saving Phoibe. I owe you."

Lara shook her head. "You don't owe me anything." She reached out and squeezed Kassandra's arm. "How are you? Sam told me you found your father?"

"Yes, my mater told me where he was."

"How did it go? Who is he? What did he say?" Sam fired questions.

Kassandra sighed. "Who he is doesn't matter. He had me to perpetuate his bloodline, I'm just a weapon…"

"Don't say that," The producer said consolingly. "Your mother loves you very much and Nikolaos was a good father, well until…"

"It's not a good enough reason to have a child. I didn't ask for… It's… Anyway, where were you?" The mercenary suddenly changed subject.

Lara glanced toward her wife and decided to drop the topic. "I woke up in the present day and I was able to gather more information. Have you heard of the Caduceus?"

The Spartan woman blinked in surprise. "Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

The archaeologist noticed the woman's reaction and pursed her lips. It looked like Kassandra knew something but didn't want to answer. "So you have?"

"Who told you about that?" Kassandra crossed her arm.

Just like Lara, Sam noted the change in her friend's behavior and the sudden defensiveness. "Okay, we can't answer questions with questions, do you not want to tell us about it or something?"

"Is that the weapon you are looking for?" The mercenary answered instead.

"Yes." "Maybe." Sam and Lara said respectively.

"Sam!"

"What?" Sam raised her hands. "We have to tell her. It's not like we're going to magically find it just because we know what it is."

Kassandra locked eyes with Lara. "Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"Sam is right, you need to stop with the questions." The Englishwoman sighed tiredly. "I wanted to tell you but then you got defensive so…"

"So you thought you would lie to me." Kassandra accused.

"No!" Lara defended herself. "Just… Do you know anything about it or not?" The conversation wasn't going the way she had intended. She had expected her friend to give them straight answers, not hide crucial information.

"I do, but I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Sam frowned. "Why not?"

"You told me the people who sent you here are ill-intentioned," The mercenary reminded them. "I can't let you lead them to it."

"Why? What does the staff do?" The filmmaker was starting to get frustrated by the conversation that wasn't going anywhere.

"I can't say."

"You have to." Lara insisted.

"I told you I would help as much as I could but I can't tell you where it is, I'm sorry."

"But it's the only way we can leave!" Sam exclaimed.

"I am aware of that but in the wrong hands, it could be disastrous."

"No, you don't understand." The archaeologist squared her shoulders and took a step closer to the mercenary. "I need the location."

"It's not just about you, Lara, I have instructions." Kassandra stood her ground.

"From whom?" Sam tried to keep her voice steady. She could already feel the tension growing between Lara and Kassandra.

"I… Just… Maybe there is another way, maybe we could find another magic weapon you could…"

"And then what happens when they realize we lied!" Lara cut her off. "Just tell us where it is!" She raised her voice, taking another threatening step toward Kassandra.

"Why are you getting so angry?" Kassandra pushed her on the shoulder, forcing her to back off.

"Because they threatened to kill Sam!" Lara shouted as she pushed her back. She balled her fists and took a deep breath to calm down. "And I won't let that happen, even if it means fighting you for it. I might not be sure they're going to release us in the end, but they only need one of us to get what they want and I won't risk her life for your war."

"Wha…" The producer's jaw dropped in surprise. "When did that happen? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I…" Lara stopped talking when Sam hissed in pain and bent over. "Sam!" She reached out to keep her steady on her feet. "What's going on?"

"Oh, God." Sam groaned. "I don't know if it's the Animus reminding me I shouldn't be here or if our little friend started to put his threat into action, but I don't feel good."

"You should go lay down." Lara turned toward Kassandra. "See? We are running out of time! I don't want to help the people who sent us here, trust me. If we survive, I will personally track them down to get the staff back to whoever it belongs to but right now, Sam's safety is my priority. We'll leave as soon as she feels better but I will find the location of the Caduceus and if you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me."

"Lara, please." Sam pleaded her to stop as she felt her knees buckle.

"It's okay, love." Lara lifted her wife and carried her back inside the house.

Kassandra watched them go with a sorrowful look on her face. What now?