AN: Glad to see you liked the last chapter ;-D
Lara sighed softly as she turned over in her bed, pulling the duvet on her bed up over her shoulders. Somehow, she felt....safe. For many mornings before, she had woken up and felt nothing but fear for the day ahead, knowing that she would be forced to run from Karel and push herself to the limits to find the artefacts that they needed to stop him. But now; she just wanted to stay where she was – in a happy place. For many reasons. All she wanted to do was snuggle up in the warm bed covers, and seize to exist until she was ready to face what the day held. Light from the window shined in, managing to soar into the dark room from the slit between the elegant curtains. It was still dark – because of winter closing in – but there was a rather bright lamppost located in the street outside of her room. She smiled as she heard a sigh behind her, and a pair of strong, yet soft arms tighten around her waist. Her eyes fluttered open as she gazed down at the familiar hands wrapped around her, noticing the gold ring she had always hated placed on a finger. His breath was hot on the back of her neck, and it sent shivers chasing up and down her spine, overtaking each other to make her cave in to the sensation of Kurtis Trent being near her.
She closed her eyes again, screwing them shut against the light, trying to block it out. All she wanted to do was stay in this blissful place. All she wanted to do was stay in Kurtis' arms forever. Too long; she had waited too long to be here again. But the question was; was she going to be able to think she could be with him again, or would he leave again? She didn't know, and she didn't want to. Not right now. She just wanted to keep him close, and thank herself that she was with him now. She smiled again, feeling Kurtis rub her stomach, securing his grip around her more. He pulled her closer to him, until her back was up against his chest. His breathe became heavier on her neck as he leaned over, trailing kisses from her neck and throat, down to her shoulders. She relaxed into his touch, turning over onto her side and opening her eyes to look at him again. He smiled as he brought his lips from her neck to her mouth, pulling away and leaving the taste of Lara's full lips lingering on his mouth.
She smiled back, settling down into the bed again, this time lying on her side so she faced Kurtis. He wrapped his arms around her again, and Lara rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. Kurtis sighed, stroking the hair away from her face. A few minuets later, Lara opened her eyes again, looking up at the cheap alarm clock on one of the bedside cabinets. It was only 4AM.
She felt Kurtis' chest rising and falling with the breathes he inhaled and exhaled. She felt his heart pound in his chest, and that was when she realised that their heartbeats were in sync. It had taken a near death experience for them to get back together. Something that doesn't happen often, Lara sighed in her mind. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just accept that she was here with Kurtis again; where she had wanted to be for so long that it actually hurt her? Because she never lived in the moment – that's why. She just doubted whether he would stick around or not, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. She crammed her neck to look up at him, and he opened his eyes as he felt the movement, also looking at her.
Time had not made her immune to the perfection of his face. Her eyes traced over his attractive features: His strong jaw line and the softer curve of his thin lips – twisted up into a smile now - were the first thing she noticed. The straight line of his nose, the sharp angle of his cheekbones. She scanned up his cheeks, until she noticed the line of a scar just below his right eye, stretching from the middle of his cheek to the end of his eye. She took a hand up and softly stroked over the scar, her touch soft on his skin. She saved his eyes for last, knowing that when she looked into them she was likely to lose her train of thought. They were wide, warm with liquid blue, and framed by the hair that fell onto his face. Staring into his eyes had always made her feel extraordinary – something nobody else had ever made her feel like before.
Kurtis gazed back into her own eyes, taking in their chocolatey brown colour, locking eyes with her. He moved one of his hands over to Lara's – which was still over his scar – entwining his fingers with her own. "What happened?" Lara whispered, bringing her hand back down, their fingers still interlocked. Kurtis looked away for a moment, before turning back to her. "Depression in my early twenties. Nothing to worry about, really." he passed over it easily. "You did this to yourself?" she asked. "I didn't do it to myself. I spent my nights at random bars during my depression. I would cause fights, thinking I was all 'it' until one guy showed me straight. Ended up with surgery." he ran his finger down the scar with his free hand, pointing to the end of it where the puncture wound was. "Broken beer bottle."
Lara cringed at the thought, but she passed over it. She stroked the scar again before she lay back down, ready to drift off to sleep, but she opened her eyes when Kurtis spoke again. "I'm sorry, Lara." he sighed softly. "For what?" she asked quietly, not moving.
"For leaving you," he sighed again, "I shouldn't have done so."
"Yes, you were quite the idiot, Mr Trent." she chuckled quietly. "But I was." he smiled half heartedly. "We've all done stupid things in the past," she glanced up at him, "But it's whether we make up for our mistakes or not that matters." she yawned, pulling the covers closer to her body. Kurtis stared down at her for a while, watching as she became peaceful, on the verge of falling asleep. He leaned over, kissing Lara on the top of her head before he leaned back into his pillow, "I'm not leaving again. I love you too much."
Lara smiled to herself, her eyes still closed as she tightened her grip around him. Minuets later, she was asleep again in Kurtis' arms, a place where she had doubted she would ever be again.
It was only around an hour later, before the sun had risen and darkness still filled the sky, when Kurtis awoke again. He shifted beneath the covers, turning to find Lara lying next to him, still fast asleep. Her hair fell lightly across her face, still tied up loosely in its braid. For the first time since Kurtis had met her; she looked peaceful.
He smiled, planting a lingering kiss upon her bare shoulder before slipping out of bed. Soon he was outside on the balcony, fully dressed and lighting up a cigarette. He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke, leaning forwards on the railing, screwing up his eyes and running a hand over his fatigued face.
Last night may have been the greatest in his life, and yet he was feeling restless, tense and not just a little but fearful. In only a few hours, they would be in Spain, getting what they needed before moving on to finding the next artefact. That meant that tomorrow was the night they would find the actual sword fragment, which meant they only had a few precious days left until they went to Cappadocia.
He sighed, letting the cigarette hand loosely from his lips. He truly could not remember how long it had been since he was not living with the threat of death hanging over his head. Perhaps living on the edge had seemed exciting at first, but it was many, many years since he had been a young, stupid teenager joining the Foreign Legion. Years of combat, death and fear had taken it toll, and he really did feel as though he wouldn't make it through the next few days.
If they did manage to get the artefacts and keep them under lock and key, what then? This was only one way to opening the portal, and no doubt Karel would find another way to do so. It was only delaying his plans. And soon enough, they would be on the run again, living in constant fear of discovery. Kurtis seriously doubted that Karel would let Lara live if they were caught, and he could not bare the thought of losing her...
Not after last night.
He took the cigarette from his mouth, letting some of the ash gathered at the end drop to the floor. He sighed, letting it drop to the floor fully. He needed a break. As much as he wanted Karel dead, he just couldn't bare the risks it brought with it – loosing Morgan again, having to fight to the death. Or worse. Loosing Lara. He crumpled the discarded cigarette under his boot, squashing it onto the stone floor of the balcony of yet another one of Mason's houses. How many does one guy need? He mused.
He strained his eyes as he looked up at the Scottish countryside, taking in it's beauty – or what he could make out of it. It was still early in the morning, and the sun still hadn't risen. He turned around from the scenery, heading back into the bedroom. He smiled as he glanced over at Lara as he made his way over to the door, her peacefulness still surprising him. He stood there for a while; just looking at her. He felt a smile tug at his lips as he exited the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Morgan stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom for that day. Another bedroom, she thought. In these past few days, she had slept in more beds than what she had all over her childhood. She guessed that's what came when you were wealthy. Or had wealthy family members, at least. Not that she knew what it was like to have a family that cared. She had given up thinking her family cared long ago. And Kurtis keeping a secret like this from her didn't help. She turned over onto her front, shoving her face into her pillow. She gripped her hands into fists, pulling at the bottom sheet of the bed, twisting it as her hushed screams escaped her lips. She turned around again, screaming at her anger as she battered the mattress of the bed, thudding her balled fists against them.
She had never been good enough for anyone. She had blocked herself out from the outside world a few years ago, and her best friend was the only one who found a way in. She had died. And it was all Morgan's fault. Her best friend had committed suicide. Committed a crime. Ended her own life. She had told Morgan about all her troubles, but she brushed over them. It was when she started self harming, that she knew she should have listened. Days later – she had been found in the orphanage's bathroom; two cuts on each of her wrists. This had sent Morgan spiralling out of control.
This one girl who had gotten in was taken away from her in an instant. And if Morgan had only registered her calls for help, then she might still be here now. She was the only one who understood what Morgan went through with her physic abilities – the only person she ever trusted to tell. And so it was the most difficult thing for her to do to hold it all in after her death. It's like one more person had been plucked away from her life. Everyone in her life that ever mattered was dead. And it stayed that way; not matter what. She wasn't going to include Kurtis in her life – he had already made that decision years ago. The Kurtis she knew now may be alive; but her brother Kurtis – he was dead to her.
Lies upon lies, just stacked up against each other. And to keep them hidden, you had to lie again. And again. Everything was a lie. Always a lie. How was she supposed to react when someone told her they cared? She thought of it as a lie – because everything else was. Cowards. That's what they all were. They were afraid to tell her the truth, so they ran away from it. And they didn't think she would find out? Nobody's that good. In the end; if she didn't find out herself, they would face the guilt trip and tell her themselves. It made her wonder how many lies had been fed to her over the years. If so many things were merely imaginary – made up by someone else for her 'benefit' – then how would she know what to believe? She wouldn't, that's what. She was better off on her own, relying on nobody but herself; that way, she would never get hurt.
Her family was dead, and she was alone. She had always been alone. Sure, Kurtis may be her brother, but to her, it didn't matter any more. Keeping a secret like that, it was a lie. And she hated liars. No matter who they were, they were fakes. And it didn't matter whether they were lying for the well being of someone else, educational purposes, or just to prove something to someone else, it was still lying. So many people had lied to her. Too many to name. And now they were paying back for their choices.
Unwanted thoughts entered her mind, and her eyes snapped open, sitting straight up. No, she thought, trying to slap herself away from these feelings, don't think like that.
She passed over it; assuming the thoughts may have just been in the spur of the moment. She would never do something like that. It was never the answer. And it wasn't Morgan; no matter how depressed she was at the moment.
Her mind wandered back to her "brother". Kurtis hadn't even confirmed it. Hell – she doubted he even had any clue that she knew. He seemed to be speechless when she told him she knew, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. But she could at least hear him out. He could at least explain why he had left – he owed her that much.
She felt so angry, as if she had been let down by everyone she knew. Mason – he was the only living relative she knew about, and he hadn't mentioned anything like this. He always seemed like an honest man, someone who dressed sensibly, took care of themselves and looked out for other people. "A man from a catalogue," her mother would say at these types of men. A man with a descent personality, wasn't cocky and arrogant, and was attractive and sexy at the same time. Yes, a man from a catalogue, indeed. Morgan had trusted him, and he threw it back in her face. Lying wasn't Mason; it was far away from his usual expectations. He would never lie. Maybe he thought it was for her own well being that he keep something so important as this hidden from her. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he thought it wasn't his place to tell; because it had nothing to do with him. Her mother and father – never had they even mentioned the slight possibility of her having a sibling. More lies.
She screwed her eyes shut, wiping the sleep away from them before she dragged her eyes across the room until they landed on the clock on her dressing table. 5 AM. She should still be asleep – or at least get some sleep. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, because her mind was troubled with the haunting thought of her why nobody had told her she had a sibling. At least she was back home, in Scotland. There's one positive thing, she rolled her eyes. She lifted her bed covers off her body, sitting herself on the edge of her bed. Closing her eyes again, she rested her head in her hands, digging her elbows into the flesh of her legs, her pyjamas being simple shorts and a top with mid-length sleeves. She opened them again, grabbing a bobble from her bedside cabinet. She wandered over to her mirrored wardrobe, scraping her messy hair back into a ponytail before she pulled the bobble over it, tightening it afterwards. She sighed as she tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears, only for them to fall back out again. Turning away from the mirror, she grabbed a sweatshirt that was scattered at the end of her bed, pulling it over her shoulders. She shivered as she left it unzipped, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
She walked over to the door, pulling it open and she stepped out into the pitch black hall, the only light coming in from the moon that shone into the huge windows at the top of the grand stairs, leading down to the main hall. She silently closed the door behind her, walking along the length of the dark hall, looking at Lara's door on the way, before she looked down over the banister, taking in the design and ornaments of the main hall. She rested her hand on the banister, making her way down the stairs.
She sighed as she walked over to the kitchen, finding the place covered in darkness. She slapped her hand against the wall, searching for a light switch which could illuminate the room, clicking it up and down once she found it. She tried to light the room up, to no avail. "Power cut," she guessed, feeling her way over to the sink. She turned the cold tap on, letting the water run. Then, she opened the cupboard above it, trying to grab a glass as she peered up, adjusting her eyes to the darkness. Happy that she had found a glass, she pulled it out, pulling her hand back as her finger sliced on a chip. The glass smashed to the floor. "Shit," she breathed, bending down to the cupboard under the sink, grabbing a dustpan and a brush. She turned around as she squatted down, sweeping the broken glass up.
She paused and brought her head up as a pair of legs found themselves in front of her, and traced them back to their owner. She sighed as she recognised his face within the darkness. Kurtis. She stood up, the shovel still in her hand, "What some help?" he asked, taking the item out of her hand, moving her out of the way so he could bend down, sweeping the glass up himself. Morgan sighed, sitting herself at the square table in the corner of the room. "I guess you're giving me it whether I like it or not," she rolled her eyes, grunting as she sat down. Kurtis stood up after throwing the pieces of glass in the bin. He took two more glasses out of the cupboard, turning around to face Morgan, "You want a fresh glass?" he asked, turning around again and filling his own glass up. "Well, no-ooooo, I was just planning on drinking from the glass on the floor," she replied sarcastically. Kurtis groaned under his breath, filling up both glasses regardless of Morgan's comment. "You can act the tough teen all you want, Morgan, but it doesn't make a difference to the-"
Morgan rudely cut Kurtis off, "To the people who know me?" she finished for him. "You know nothing about me." she said harshly, through gritted teeth.
She peered up at Kurtis as he sat down opposite her, pushing the water towards her. Kurtis ignored her comment once again, as silence filled the room. "You OK, kid?" he asked, finishing off his beverage.
"Don't patronise me," she scoffed, keeping her eyes trained on his, "I'm more mature than you. I didn't run away from the truth."
Kurtis instantly knew what she was talking about. He leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his hair, setting his gaze somewhere else, "So Karel told you....?" he said, bringing his eyes back to her face. "More than I wanted to know, yes." she replied coldly. Kurtis leaned forward, pushing his cup out of the way, "I'm sorry Morgan. I would have told you, but I didn't know how to." he excused himself.
"It would have helped if you hadn't left in the first place." she stood up, "Feeling guilty all of a sudden? Good." she moved away from the table, dumping her glass next to the sink as she made her way for the door. She didn't feel like talking to him just now. A scuffle behind her told her Kurtis had also stood up, and she felt his hand grip her forearm. She looked down, shaking herself free of his grip, "Sorry. I was a coward, and I'll admit to that." he said.
Morgan snorted as she turned around on her heel, leaning on one leg as she crossed her arms over her chest, "It's a little late to start acting like a big brother, Kurtis. Fifteen years too late." she waited for him to answer. "You don't know why I left. You know nothing of it. Hell; Mason doesn't even know!" he shouted.
"You should have told me," she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She turned around, ready to go back to her bed. "What was I going to do? Track down some random teenager and tell her she was my sister? I had no idea of your whereabouts until recently, Morgan. You have to understand I had my reasons."
"But you still waited until everyone else in out family was dead." the tears began to drip from her eyes, "You left me thinking I had nobody!" she turned around, watching as Kurtis carefully walking towards her, "How am I supposed to take all this in? I meet a guy, and a week later, I'm being told he's my brother!"
Kurtis sighed again as he took a step closer to Morgan, "Look. I can't act like I was there for you for all those years because I wasn't. And I can't say that I feel like I didn't do that right thing for you. You were just a child, and you were in the middle of a war! I saved your life by leaving you with Mason; I left you with a better life than you could have ever gotten if you were involved in the war during the Lux and the Cabal. I can't say I was there for you then; but I can be here for you now. You just have to trust me." he said, stepping closer again. He looked down at her from the advantage of his height, and Morgan locked eyes with him. Soon enough, she ran up to him, tears running down her cheeks as Kurtis embraced his sister.
He held her closely, feeling awkward in the situation he was in. He may have ran away years before, but now he knew what he ran away from. Morgan had been strangely open, only fighting back for a few moments before she excepted his explination for leaving. Except, she had only heard half of it. He knew there would still be more questions – why he really left, how much danger they were in and what her parents were truly like. But deep down, there was still guilt there.
Lara awakened a few hours Later, the sun's warmth creeping into the room. She groaned as she rolled over, the soreness still in her body from yesterday. And she had a pounding headache to match it.
Kurtis wasn't in the room. Lara assumed he's already risen, showered, and was walking about in the house – house? Where exactly was she? Kurtis hadn't explained who's house they were staying at the night before. She rose as quickly as she could, dressing herself, and slowly opening the door to peer down the hall. The place was monstrous – perhaps the same size as Croft Manor. She quietly made her way to the stairs that led to the first floor, hearing voiced down below.
She walked down the stairs, her braid slapping against her back. She smiled politely as she entered the dining room, Mason returning the gesture from where he stood beside Morgan, the teen almost asleep. She looked over to Zip and Alister who sat near where the was standing, tucking into a Sunday brunch. "Good morning, Lara," Alister smiled, sounding cheery as he set his knife and fork down. "Good sleep?" he asked.
Zip merely smirked.
Lara sat herself down, looking at the layout of food. "What's this?" she asked, looking up at Mason who came to her side. "Just a little breakfast to cheer the mood up," he smiled, placing two fried eggs on her plate, "I was raised by women," he said, "This stuff was like a second nature to me growing up. I guess it paid off." he chuckled. Lara looked down at her plate after saying thank-you before she looked up at the group again. Mason, Morgan, Zip and Alister. Where was Kurtis? She looked up in time to see him entering the room, eating a slice of toast. He pulled it away from his lips and smiled, and smile that made her insides melt. She smiled back before she looked back to the plate in front of her. "We have some more useful information for you, Lara." Zip said after a few minuets of silence. Lara stood up, picking her plate up with her. "Shoot," she said as she walked through the open door to the kitchen and back, leaving the plate in the other room. "We're going to Cappadocia for definite." he sighed, "There's some underground tunnel there, that the Hebrews believed were where the Nephilim were sent to. The truth is – there's irregular activity. A time lapse, if you will. A portal can be opened." he said.
"And a time lapse has what to do with this?" she asked.
"Nothing. It's a cover story. Nobody knows what paranormal events happen there, so excavations were carried out. The archaeologists never found anything."
"But I'm no normal archaeologist," Lara reminded him.
"Yes, indeed." Alister said, "But we believe that this portal can be opened with the box of Heissturm. Only, there may not only be one box," he sighed.
Kurtis walked closer to the group, "I heard about that. Some guy in Turkey knew my father, and apparently he was entrusted with a second box. I thought he was talking bull, seen as I didn't want anything to do with the Lux at the time." he said.
"Yes, but we'll worry about the second box when we come to it. We still need the other artefacts before we have a chance of stopping Karel."
"So Spain's next?" Lara asked. "Yes." Mason said, "We need to get the other sword fragments before we even think about Cappadocia."
"Okay, then. Are we all going in to this museum, or just Kurtis and I?" Lara asked.
"It's completely up to you," Mason said, "But either way we'll have full contact with you through headsets."
"They didn't do so well last time," Lara heard Kurtis mutter under his breath. "Here's hoping you enjoy Spain, shall we? You'll be leaving via private jet tomorrow morning." he said, rather matter-of-factly.
Lara watched as everyone else exited the room – save from Kurtis -; attending to their duties for tomorrow. And Morgan presumably getting some rest. She sighed as she leaned across the table, gathering the breakfast plates. She turned around and startled as she felt Kurtis press his lips to hers, pulling away a few seconds later, before she had the chance to return the kiss. She opened her eyes and looked up to him, a smile across his face, "What was that for?" she smiled. "We've been apart for four months, I'm just making up for lost time." he smirked, exiting the room.
AN: Nothing seriously interesting going on in this chapter, but we'll get back to the action next week :-) And the week after that, we've FINALLY got a tomb!!!!