Sorry it's late on Monday, guys. School and work keeps me busy these days =P


Lara paced about outside where the portal should be. She waited – and waited, and waited. It had been at least an hour now, which translated to half-an-hour in Lemuria. He's going to be okay, she thought nervously. He'll be back any second…

Then, she heard a noise behind her. She looked up, and her heart soared at the sight of the portal returning to existence. She saw activity beyond it, then saw the figure of a man approaching. She stepped closer, trying to draw in a clear look. Then suddenly, Kurtis stumbled through the portal, falling to the ground. Lara stepped backwards, breathing a sigh of relief as Kurtis lay wearily on the ground before her. She bent down near him, a relieved grin crossing her face. "I take it things went okay?" she asked, leaning over him as she placed a soft hand over his abdomen.

Kurtis chuckled, lifting the Sword of Light before him. "No problem," he said with a grin. He sat up, then rose to his feet, handing the weapon over to Lara so she could examine it. "It's quite magnificent," she said, turning the blade over in her hand. "This is what all the fuss has been about…"

"I ran into Garin inside," he said. "And Karel."

Lara looked up at him abruptly. "What?"

"Apparently Siamak banished him there," Kurtis explained. "I don't know how long that will last, though."

"So Emily is stuck in Siamak's hands?" she asked quickly. "She's left with the Black Angel?"

"You sound almost as if you'd prefer her being with Karel," Kurtis commented.

"Of course not," she snapped. "I don't prefer that she be with anyone besides us."

"Karel said they're in the Strahov," he said.

"And why should we trust him?"

"Because the Black Angel is the only thing standing in his way," he said. "Right now, as painful as it is to admit, Karel's on our side."

"At least so long as he's immobile," she scoffed.

"Right," Kurtis agreed. "Friends close, enemies closer."

"So what does Siamak want with her, then?" Lara asked, returning the sword to him.

Kurtis strapped the sword over his back, then moved through the exit with Lara. "She'll make him powerful," he explained. "That's what Karel said. I don't know if that means he plans to steal her powers, or if he just thinks she'll go along with his plans. Regardless, he wants her and he needs the Sword of Light to rule Lemuria."

"Why would he want that?" Lara asked.

"Because once he rules over Lemuria, he rules over all the psychics," Kurtis explained.

"And the Sword of Light can stop him?"

"Yeah," Kurtis replied. "Ironic how it's both his kryptonite and his miracle drug."

"Ironic indeed," she agreed. "How exactly are we supposed to get into the Strahov if Siamak is guarding it inside-out?"

"We always find a way," Kurtis reminded her. "We just have to protect the sword. If it falls into Siamak's hands, we're screwed."

"That's promising," Lara muttered. She tapped into her headset. "Are you boys hearing all of this?"

"Crystal clear," Alister replied. "Zip's already got a private plane in bound to pick you up and take you to Prague. We loaded it up with choice-weapons and all that jazz."

"Wonderful," Lara praised. "Getting into the Strahov is going to involve heavy scheming. Siamak isn't one to be toyed with, and he'll have mercenaries all over the place. It would've been nice if Karel would've so generously given us something to work with…"

"It wouldn't be Karel then, would it?" Kurtis asked.

"Certainly not," Lara agreed.

"We'll pull up satellite feeds and maps while you guys make your way over there," Zip chipped in. "We'll call it the 'Storming of the Strahov'."

"How clever," Lara muttered. She drew in a deep breath, peering up to the sky as a small aircraft flew their way. "Well, let's get going."


The Strahov fortress hadn't changed one bit since Lara and Kurtis had last been in Prague. And of course, they could never forget such a place – they would know the routes through the building like the backs of their hands. The real concern was Siamak. He had eyes on the back of his head, and the strength of a thousand warriors. If they were caught, they would be killed, and that was all there was to it.

Lara and Kurtis easily entered into the building, as was expected. Memories came back to Lara as she recalled entering into the industrial zone of the fortress, manipulating large hanging boxes and dodging small land mines. All they would have to do now was pass through the bio-research facility and then through the Vault of Trophies. "Did Karel mention where in the Strahov they are?" Lara asked as they pulled the door shut behind them.

"Of course not," Kurtis responded. "My guess? Either in the arena where I fought Boaz or in the region beyond Eckhardt's lab."

"Why is that your guess?" she asked dryly.

"I just have that feeling," he said with a grin.

"Reliable," she sighed. "Zip, what have you got?"

"Activity in the southern arena," he said.

"What'd I tell you?" Kurtis retorted.

"Don't get cocky," Lara warned. "It was a lucky guess."

"What in the devil could they be doing in there?" Alister asked.

"We're going to find out," Lara replied.

Lara and Kurtis moved forward, traversing up the ladder beyond and over the portable trailer. Zip chipped in again. "By the way, guys – you're not going to have to trek through the bio-dome and all that stuff again. I've found a quicker way in."

"What would we do without you?" Lara asked in relief.

"You'd be lost," Zip replied. "Once you get halfway through the fortress, I'll tell you where the corridor is."

Lara and Kurtis moved along the back wall of the upper tier, thankful that no one was around to warn of their intrusion. Memories came flooding back to the both of them as they trekked deeper into the fortress, past the storage portables and suspended wires. They passed through the doors, down the hallways, and around the corners until Zip alerted them that they'd reached the location. "Alright, you see the air shafts above?" Zip asked.

Lara and Kurtis looked up. "Yes…" Lara responded.

"You need to get up there," he instructed. "Follow the airway east and you'll find yourself just above the airlock corridor that will lead to the arena."

"And that's where Emma is?" Lara asked.

"No guarantees," Zip admitted. "That's where the activity is, though."

Lara sighed to herself, then moved towards the storage portable in the corner. Lara reached a hand up, knocking the panel from its hinges until it fell atop the storage bin. Without request, Kurtis leaned forward, giving her a boost into the narrow air shaft. Then, he pulled himself up in behind her. They began moving forward, noting the decrease in temperature as they progressed. They moved as quietly as possible, careful not to alert anyone who might be below.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kurtis asked coolly.

Lara glanced back his way, not sure whether or not she should give in. She sighed. "Go for it."

He hesitated for a moment. "Why is it that you never…mentioned anything about me to Emily?"

I should've known he was going there, she thought regretfully. She sighed again, trying to figure out a good way to respond. She kept her mind focused on moving forward, trying to concoct a substantial reply, yet distancing herself from it as much as possible. "It was for a number of reasons," she said calmly. "I didn't want her to have something to hope for that wouldn't happen."

"Just like you did with yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," Lara responded. "She was first priority, though, regardless of what she thinks…"

"I know she is," he consoled. "I'm not questioning your decision…but don't you think she would've become more curious about what she didn't know as time passed?"

Lara sighed to herself, stopping in the middle of the shaft, leaning against the cool metal. Kurtis stopped, too, leaning against the wall beside her. "Of course I thought so," she replied. "Every single day, I thought so." She drew in a silent breath, closing her eyes. "You know…when you're a parent, you do what you can, and that's all that can be asked. There's no handbook or anything that tells you how to handle the things that come about. You just have to hope that you're doing everything right…"

He sighed. "I wish I could say that I know what you mean," he muttered. "I know as much about parenting as I do about gardening."

Lara chuckled a bit. "I guess we're the same in that aspect," she said. "The thing is…life seemed normal before having a child. Then, the next thing I knew, nine months after losing you, along came this tiny little baby, demanding all of my time and energy, my patience and my attention. I thought that after she was born, things would return to normal." She drew in a deep sigh. "This is the new normal. I can't think and act the way I used to. I'm not a 'tomb raider' anymore. I'm a mother – things have changed."

"You almost sound regretful," he speculated.

"Of course not," she said. "To be honest, I just doubt myself."

"What's to doubt?" he asked. "You're doing fine, and Emma knows it, too."

"So what do you call last night?" she asked rhetorically.

"Past-due venting," he said. "And teenage hormones."

"Emily and I have never really fought," she said. "Of course, we've had spats, but for the most part, we've been the dynamic duo. We've been okay with just the two of us, and no father-figure around. I guess I just assumed that she was okay with it and that it was nothing more than curiosity." She sighed, staring forward at the wall. "Or perhaps that's what I'd hoped it was…"

"I understand," Kurtis said softly. "I know you're trying to protect her."

"But she doesn't understand that," Lara sighed. "She couldn't possibly realize how much of an impact losing you had on me."

"Of course she doesn't. She's just a kid," Kurtis agreed. "But I understand."

Lara met his gaze. "It must've been hard in there," she said softly.

"The worst," he agreed. "Not being with you was absolute hell."

Lara locked eyes with him for a moment. "Let me ask you a question," she said. "If you would've known about Emily before you came to London, would you have come anyway?"

Kurtis turned away from her, staring forward as if he were contemplating his answer. Then, he drew in a deep breath. "I think so," he said slowly. "I really don't know. I would've been scared as hell, no doubt, but…" He turned and faced her, a soft grin on his face. "I like the way it's turned out so far. Kids have been the farthest thing away in my mind, but Emily…she's something else."

Lara smiled softly. "She loves you," she said. "She hardly knows you, but she loves you as if you've been here all along."

Kurtis slowly turned away, a soft smile crossing his lips. "A bold step for someone so young," he said. "She's obviously not an idiot."

"Certainly not," Lara agreed. She slowly dropped her gaze down to her hands folded over her lap, wriggling her fingers about absent-mindedly. There was still one more question she had…"Once this is all over…" she began slowly. "Are you going back home?"

Kurtis faced her. "Home?" he asked. "Where's that?"

"They say it's where the heart is," Lara shrugged. "Wherever that could be…"

"You have my heart, and you know it," he teased with that smooth grin on his face.

"I guess we're in a bit of a predicament, then," Lara said, grinning back, "seeing how you have mine as well."

"Then I guess we'll have to find a suitable placement for such a predicament," he said, leaning close to her face. She chuckled a bit as their mouths met for a soft kiss. Then, he pulled away, grinning as he leaned forward to continue along the path. Lara leaned forward as well. "I guess we will," she finished.

Kurtis chuckled a bit as he led the way. Lara was thankful he couldn't see her now – the grin on her face had spread miles wide. He hadn't directly confirmed it, but he'd implied that he intended to stay with her after this fiasco was over. Of course, an implication was hardly reliable…but it gave Lara something to look forward to.

"Lara," Kurtis whispered harshly, stopping in his path. Lara moved forward, peering through the grating. A mercenary was stationed outside a large metal door. Lara eyed Kurtis in confusion. "What is it?" she asked.

"Emily's in there," he said. "I can feel it."

Lara peered forward, noticing the grate lying ahead. That must lead to the room, Lara thought. Then, she heard noise in the distance down the separate corridor of the airshaft. She slowly crawled forward, peering down into the hallway. Several mercenaries walked about below, heading north of the hallway. And that must lead to the arena, she thought. "Go ahead," Lara directed, turning back to Kurtis. "Get Emma out. I'll follow this path to the arena."

Kurtis drew in a deep breath, nodding slowly as Lara held his gaze. Then, they turned away from each other to tend to their own duties. Kurtis moved forward, peering through the grate. He could see a hallway below. Great, he thought dryly. A door that leads to a door. He made sure no one was in the hallway, then he kicked the grating in a dropped to the floor below. Kurtis glanced about to make sure he was alone, then he turned towards the door at the end of the hallway. The door looked a lot like one in a maximum security penitentiary – there was a small nook at the top, probably where the guard could deliver food or something else. Kurtis peered through the nook, but to his disappointment, he didn't see his daughter. Strange, he thought. I know she's here somewhere…

Then, he could feel something was wrong. He quickly moved to the side, dodging the stream of pyrokinetic energy coming his way. At least she's on her toes, he thought. He peered through the nook again. "Emily, it's me," he called quickly. "Hold your fire…literally."

"Dad?" she returned. Emily emerged from the dark corner, the flame in her palm instantly depleting. She quickly rushed to the door. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I thought you were one of those Cabal guys."

"Where's Siamak?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know," she admitted. "He locked me in here while he got things ready…I don't know what he meant, but he's planning to take me to Lemuria."

"That's not going to happen," Kurtis said flatly. "We're going to get you out of here."

Kurtis moved to work about the door, but Emily stopped him. "But, Dad…we have to stop him. He's going to rejuvenate his sword."

Kurtis stopped, looking up at her. "What?"

"That's what he said," she told him. "I don't know why, but he plans to do it. He killed Karel, you know."

"He's not dead," Kurtis argued. "He's trapped in Lemuria." Then, the thought struck Kurtis. "Siamak is going to rejuvenate the sword so he can get into Lemuria."

"Couldn't he just go there right now if he wanted?" Emily asked in confusion.

"Not with you," Kurtis said. "Your mind isn't strong enough. If you went into Lemuria right now, you'd…you'd die."

Emily swallowed her fear. "How long before he gets the sword up and running?"

"I don't know," Kurtis said, "but we're going to stop him before he reaches that point."

"How?"

"The Sword of Light is the only thing that can permanently do away with Siamak and Karel."

"So what, then?" Emily asked. "You're going to kill Siamak and trap them both in Lemuria?"

"That's the idea," Kurtis confirmed. "Let's get you out of here, then we'll find Siamak."

Kurtis moved about the door, looking for some kind of lock. It wasn't until he glanced down that he realized the door could only be opened with a pass card. He muttered a curse under his breath, then looked through the nook, resting his hand on the edge. "I'll be back," he promised. "I have to get a pass card."

Kurtis turned away as Emily gripped his hand through the nook. He stopped for the shortest moment, glancing down at the desperate embrace. Don't leave me, she seemed to say. He swallowed his fear, staring into the matching pair of blue eyes, then slowly pulled his hand away with a heavy heart. "It'll only be a few minutes," he promised. "Hang on."

Emily watched as Kurtis disappeared, gripping the edges of the nook with such strength, she was sure they would crumble to pieces. She watched as Kurtis moved down the secluded hallway and out of sight. Then, she pulled away, leaning against the door with her eyes closed as she drew in a deep breath. He's not going to leave me here, she fought to convince herself. He'll be back…

Emily sighed, sinking to the floor as she remained leaned against the door. She held her palm before her, glad that she'd been practicing with her powers before Kurtis arrived. She knew she needed to be prepared for anything, and perhaps she'd jumped the gun a bit too much when she'd heard someone at the door…thankfully, her father had cat-like reflexes.

She opened her palm, allowing the flame to return. Then, she closed her grip, depleting it. She repeated the nervous habit for several minutes, until anxiety began to settle in her stomach. What's taking him so long? she thought worriedly. Then, she heard footsteps beyond the door. She quickly stood up, peering through the nook. "Dad?" she called.

Her stomach dropped when she found herself face-to-face with a mercenary. He roughly pushed the door forward, then he and his comrade grabbed Emily by the arms and dragged her from the cell and down the hall. She wriggled to break free, but found her attempts useless. They took her to the arena she'd found herself in before, then shoved her forward as they approached Siamak. He glared at her as he faced her with his arms over his chest. "If this is your idea of trust, it's quite far-fetched," he said, annoyed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked irritably.

From the arena down below, several mercenaries emerged from a nearby door, dragging Lara and Kurtis by the arms, their wrists bound at their stomachs. They shoved them forward onto the circular grating below. Emily gasped, then turned to Siamak angrily. "You said you wouldn't hurt them!" she demanded.

"That was before you disobeyed me," he replied.

"I didn't do anything," she said angrily.

"They've gotten into my business for the last time," he declared. "Now, they're going to learn their lessons."

"If you touch them, I swear to God I will –"

"You'll what?" he challenged with amusement.

Emily glared coldly at him. "I'll kill you myself."

Siamak chuckled. "Right," he said. "I'd love to see that."

Emily felt her eyes tearing as Siamak turned to face her parents below. The mercenaries stepped away from the circular grating, keeping their guns trained on the prisoners. Then, Siamak jerked his hands forward, and the circular grating began to descend. "I've managed to modify Karel's old contraptions," he said passively to Emily. "This airlock thing here would've been useless if it weren't for my alterations." He reached a hand up, and another circular grating began to descend from the ceiling above, coming towards the lower grating as it descended into the watery alcove. Emily writhed to break free as tears streamed over her cheeks. "Stop it, Siamak!" she shouted.

"It's too late," he said. The panel continued to descend until it followed the lower panel into the alcove and trapped Lara and Kurtis inside. Emily felt her insides turn to jelly with defeat, fear, and overwhelming loss. Then, she glared angrily up at Siamak. With a shout of anger and retaliation, she ignited her entire body into a walking inferno, knocking the mercenaries backwards. She dove forward and tackled Siamak, sending them over the edge of the balcony and to the hard ground below.

It had seemed like a good idea – until Emily felt her head hit the ground. The flames along her body depleted, and it took her a moment to clear her vision. Once she could see the room, she peered forward at the alcove. She quickly climbed to her feet to rush forward, hoping she could see her parents from above. Before she knew it, she was being taken hostage again by the mercenaries who had been below. She knew defeat had come. Slowly, Emily looked up at Siamak as he stood over her, casually dusting off his clothes. "I think it's time we went to Lemuria," he said. "You can bid your father a goodbye there."

Emily dropped her head as she fought back sobs. Siamak turned away, casually exiting the room.


Oh, no. What will become of Lara and Kurtis? Psh. Like there's anything to really worry about =P Next Monday!