Hey guys! Two chapters in a week! damn i'm good : ) alright so anyways, this chapter is a lot slower... you'll see what i mean. this is the last update before 2007 rolls around, so the next time we speak will be next year. once again i don't own anything, and reviews are greatly appreciated : ) HAVE AN AWESOME NEW YEARS!!!!! best regards from me to you guys and thank you again for reading! enough already! here is "Unexpected News"...

She was tired, and Kurtis worried that the opposing weather wasn't doing her any good. Lara sat behind Kurtis as the motorcycle slashed through the freezing night. Her weak figure pressed against his heated body. Goosebumps rippled up her legs making her shiver. She wrapped her frail arms around him tighter, trying to soak up any heat she could.

"We need to stop somewhere, get some rest." Kurtis filled the nights' silence with his comforting voice. It was one Lara's vulnerabilities for him, his balance of kindness and perplexity. He knew how to be gentle but, yet there was always this dangerous side to him. He was a mystery, and Lara hadn't yet solved him.

She mumbled something into his back, apparently agreeing. "There's something I need to tell you." Kurtis softly whispered, turning his head towards Lara while still watching the road.

Lara was practically half asleep as she heard his murmur in front of her. His voice was soothing, almost like a river flowing peacefully down into a grassy valley. She could feel his rhythmic heartbeat thumping against her palms, and his breathing was slow and calm. She felt safe with him, but there was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't really trust him. Something about him, perhaps it was the fact that he just showed up last night at the museum when she hadn't seen him for almost four years. She didn't push it, but instead mentally noted to ask him about his sudden appearance later. Lara rested her head on Kurtis' shoulder, hiding her drowsy face in his jacket. She didn't reply to Kurtis' statement, rather she closed her eyes and let the cradling of the motorcycle, and his body heat, drift her into the light sleep she had been deprived of for so long.

Kurtis couldn't stop thinking about her. Her sweet scent and those dark gorgeous eyes made him want to stare at her and take in everything she was. Lara's body pressed close to his, and all he could think about was all the things he could do it. Caress every curve, and kiss away all of her pain as his hands would rove over Lara's toned physique. Kurtis snapped back from his reverie and sighed as he turned into a small secluded hotel.

Lara awoke when she felt the motorcycle stop. Kurtis killed the engine and gently shook Lara off his shoulder. He stood up and gazed at her- the jacket he had given Lara looked so large on her, the sleeves hung loosely below her hands. She looked more like a young child dressed up in her parents' clothing. She yawned and looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing" he replied and smiled. "C'mon, let's see if they have room for two more."

She raised her arms and stretched. What little sleep she had gotten was enough to wake her and remind her of the nights' events. She slid off the bike and stepped on the gravel with her bare feet. Lara had dismissed the shoes that Alex had given her for the night; skinny turquoise satin heels were not the best kind of footwear for running. The paved ground under her feet was cold and she quickly tip-toed into the lobby with Kurtis ahead of her.

The woman behind the reception desk was quite tall, her wavy blond hair reached below her shoulders. She was doing some sort of paperwork and was surprised to see anyone checking in at 4 in the morning. "Hello, checking in?" she raised an eyebrow at Lara who was wearing an oversized leather jacket, a corset and a short skirt.

Kurtis stepped into her line of vision and replied "Yeah, two queen rooms. I'd prefer the first floor if you have any available there." He added.

"Alright, and how long are you planning on staying with us?"

"Just the night, thanks." He winked at her and she handed him two room keys that had fake-gold embedded in them displaying the room number.

Lara shoved her key into the lock forcefully. Finally after the third attempt she was able to get inside. Kurtis fallowed her in and flicked on the light switch. "Not bad, kind of cozy if you ask me." Lara turned her head towards him and smiled. He walked around inspecting the room of anything that shouldn't be there. She plopped on the bed, and then immediately regretted it as the scent of an unwashed comforter filled her nostrils. Kurtis sat down next to her, and stared at the floor. "Listen, something happened back at the Manor…" his words drifted off."I think you ought to know before it's announced on the news."

She raised her head and sat up with him. "What? What happened?" concern filled her voice.

"Last night, when you were taken, they left a message." He glanced up from the floor and looked into her deep brown eyes. The look on his face was filled with sorrow and Lara didn't understand. "Winston, they- I don't know why, there was no reason to." He shook his head. "They slaughtered him like an animal." She stared at Kurtis and let the information process. Lara stood up, and turned to face him.

"They killed him? But Winston had nothing to do with this!" she raised her voice and croaked at him.

He got to his feet and simply answered "I'm sorry Lara." Then he left the room leaving Lara standing in her room confused, hurt and angry.

She didn't know how to react. Her stomach filled with lead and she felt numb and completely alone. Lara walked into the dark bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked more like dead person than an alive human being. In the reflection she saw the blue checkered shower and turned around to bring it to life. Her thoughts kept shuffling everything. Images of memories would suddenly appear and then fly away. One memory in particular flashed in front of her and stayed there. It was Winston and her at the Manor. Lara was ten years old and Winston tried to teach her how to plant a flower properly. She sighed of boredom and stood up. "Winston, planting flowers is boring, isn't there something more interesting we could do?" He chuckled and slowly got up as well.

"Well Lara, either we plant flowers or we can make some tea." He smiled at her and she slumped her shoulders and whined.

"Please Winston" her brown eyes sparkled. She reached up and cupped her hand around his ear. "I promise I won't tell daddy we went hunting." She was beaming, hoping that he would give in.

Winston smiled and shook his head. "Alright Lara, just this once." She took his hand and being tugging on his arm.

"C'mon, can't you go any faster!" She giggled and then the two of them walked away into the distance.

Lara turned her head away, hurt by something that wasn't even there. The bathroom now was filled with steam, and Lara undressed and stepped under the hot relaxing water. She began to wash her hair, lathering her long auburn lock with hotel shampoo. The room quickly filled with the scent of lilies, roses and apricots. Lara let the warm water run over her exhausted body. She felt so alone, missing a part of herself; everything had been taken from her. After her father's death, Lara's life had become so different. She was sixteen when he died. Lara had stayed with Winston until she turned eighteen, one of her distant aunts decided that Lara was too young to take care of a home of that size. On her eighteenth birthday she got a letter from a local law firm. It informed her that in her fathers' will he stated that Croft Manor was to be inherited by Miss. Lara Croft.

She let the water wash away the dirt and the pain. Lara could feel her eyes brimming with tears, all the pent up frustration and anguish she had endured finally gave way. For the first time since her fathers' death, she cried. Lara slid down onto the tiled floor and allowed the salty hot tears to roll down her red cheeks. She wrapped one hand around her knees and the other she lifted up towards her head. Silently, the tears dropped and splattered onto the floor, mixing with the hot water and finally swirling down into the drain. She didn't want to cry, didn't want Vasiliev to win. One thing she knew for sure though, he was going to pay.

Kurtis laid down on the bed and flicked on the television. Flipping through random channels he kept thinking about Lara. He wasn't sure that telling her tonight what happened was such a great idea. He just wanted to hold her, soak up all the pain and suffering, and take it all away. Kurtis knew how it felt; his entire family was murdered by a psychopath that wanted to revive an ancient race and destroy every human being on earth. He understood the emotional agony she must have been going through, but the thoughts of her misery made him feel even worse. He let out an agitated sigh and got off the bed. Kurtis looked out the window, the streets were completely deserted. There were a few cars in the parking lot, one which occupied a man. He kept staring at that car; the man inside of it looked like he suddenly had to put something away. Press is gonna have a field day with this… His thoughts of newspaper headings signifying a murder at Croft Manor made him sick. It was then when he looked at the clock on the table and realized that it was almost five AM. They had checked in at least forty-five minutes ago and he could hear the shower still running. Lara's imaged flashed in his mind, and he walked out into the hallway, knocking on her door. "Lara? Its Kurtis, I'm coming in." He hovered his hand over the lock, flicked his index finger and the door unlocked.

Her bathroom door was open and light poured into the dark hotel room. "Lara? Hey you okay?" He stepped into the bathroom only to find Lara naked and huddled in the bathtub sobbing.

The site of Kurtis didn't bother Lara at all. She was too numb to even feel awkward. He grabbed a white cotton towel and walk towards her. The water that drenched her skin had become lukewarm and Kurtis completely turned off the shower. He crouched down beside Lara, and placed the towel over her. Trying to comfort her he kept repeating the words "It'll be okay, it's alright." She looked up at him and felt her heart ache. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." He tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. Then he bent down and lifted her out of tub. She wrapped her arms around his lean neck, holding onto him, savoring this memory. She didn't want to let him go in fear of losing him as well. She rubbed her tears on his t-shirt, and as he set her down on the bed she wanted to reach out to him and ask him to stay with her. Kurtis laid Lara into bed, tucking the comforter around her. He saw the tears that slid down her face and bent down and kissed them. "It'll be alright, I promise." He lightly squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead.

Kurtis stayed with Lara until she fell asleep. He watched her dream; she looked so different when she wasn't killing people, so peaceful and calm. He still held her hand and lightly brushed his lips against her fingers. "I promise."

I hope you enjoyed that, i couldn't resist on a little bit of romance : ) Happy New Year and REVIEW: ) a big hug from me to you guys! merci beaucoup!