Sorry it took so long, guys. I was really busy this weekend =P



Zip tossed the suitcases into the gravel path outside the front of the manor. He glanced at his watch, looking up as Alister emerged from the front door, a saddlebag full of books and paper slung over his shoulder, pondering through a book in his hands. The chopper was already landed in the front grass field, just outside the path that led to the entrance of the manor. The sooner we get out of here, the better, he thought.

Emily pushed the door open, dragging a wheeled-suitcase with one hand, and gripping the strap of her backpack with the other. She sighed as she approached her comrades. "I have a really bad feeling about this," she said slowly.

"Don't we all," Alister sighed, closing his book shut.

She glanced backwards, then looked back, her eyes swamped with anxiety. "Are there going to be more guys trying to…you know…hurt me? Or any of us, for that matter?"

Alister and Zip glanced at each other. Alister turned back to her, chuckling nervously. "Well, Emma, you see…"

"We don't need to worry about it for right now," Kurtis said, approaching the group.

Alister and Zip were thankful that Kurtis had finished the sentence. They weren't quite sure of what to say, anyway.

Emily slowly looked up at him. "Is that a yes?" she asked quietly.

Kurtis sighed, taking her bag from her hands. "Look, Emily," he began, "I'm not going to lie to you. There is a high chance that more people are going to come around to try to get the upper hand. You just need to do what we say, and stay close. Got it?"

Emily swallowed, trying to be brave. "Yeah, I understand," she said.

Kurtis adjusted the bags in his hands and then moved toward the chopper to stow them away. Emily sighed, pulling the backpack straps taught against her back. "When do you think we'll be back?" she asked.

"Not sure," Zip said, scooping up his bag into his hands. "It depends on how long everything takes."

"I don't get why we're leaving anyway," Emily said. "Besides the fact that the 'Carl' guy is trying to find us…"

"Your parents will explain everything to you," Alister assured her, picking up his bag.

"Yeah, sure," Emily sighed, pulling her long ponytail through her baseball cap. She glanced backwards as Lara came forward, dragging two suitcases with her. Emily appeared confused. "Why do you have so much?"

"Weapons," Lara responded.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Relax," Lara chuckled. "They're for protection."

"Is that Carl guy really that bad?" she asked timidly.

"These aren't for Karel," Lara said.

"Then who – or what – are they for?"

Lara sighed. "People like that man in your room last night," she said.

"There will be more of them?" she asked in a small voice.

"Emily," Lara said, setting the bags down and placing her hand on her shoulders. "I know this is all a bit sudden and very scary for you, but you're going to have to trust us, and do exactly as we say. Do you understand?"

Emily drew in a deep breath. "Yes," she said.

Lara brushed the hair out of Emily's face, then stood, picking up her bags and following after the rest of the group towards the chopper. Emily, however, remained still, as if she were weighted against the ground. She knew she really did need to trust her parents if she wanted to, well, survive, but the mere thought of her life being threatened – or her parents' lives being threatened – was enough to scare the daylights out of her.

She needed to be ready for this, no matter how hard it was. You're just going to have to brush past all this fear, she told herself. Might as well look at the bright side of this…She was going to get to go for a ride in a helicopter, she was going to France, and she was with both of her parents, strangely enough. She was still in the state of shock over realizing that Kurtis was her father, but of course, she reveled in it. She finally had a father…but how long would he stay around?

Emily shook her head clear of these thoughts, drawing in a deep breath. With one final glance back at her home, she turned away, heading towards the chopper. Alister and Zip were climbing in once she reached it, and she glanced over to see that the pilot was a man whom she didn't recognize. Lara was strapping a holster onto her left thigh, and removed a gun from one of the suitcases. She loaded a clip into it, switched the safety on, and slipped it into the holster. Then, she climbed into the cockpit of the helicopter, seating herself opposite of Alister. Emily drew in another deep breath, looking up at Kurtis, who was still standing outside, holding one hand on the upper railing of the chopper. "You going in sometime today?" he said, though Emily sensed he was trying to be light-hearted and not pushy.

She pushed away her look of fear, drawing in a look of duty and fearlessness. Then, she leaned forward, climbing into the helicopter. Kurtis pulled himself up behind her, and the chopper's blades fired up. Emily seated herself on the far side next to the window, staring outside at the rustling grass. She heard someone beside her, and looked up to find Kurtis seating himself, loading a clip into his gun. Strangely enough, she felt safer next to Kurtis, even as he loaded his gun, as if preparing for an enemy encounter.

Emily felt the chopper lifting from the ground, and she leaned back into the seat, slumping forward as she pulled the bill of her hat over her eyes. Wherever they were going, she hoped they'd get their fast, and without any interruption.

"Glad to see you guys got here safely," Garin said with his ever-so-polite smile on his face. Alister and Zip carried their bags as Lara and Kurtis approached their old friend.

"So are we," Lara agreed. "You never know what Karel could be up to."

"Unfortunately, you're right," Garin said. He turned to Zip and Alister. "Feel free to take whichever bedroom you'd like. They're all open."

Zip and Alister brushed past Garin, carrying their heavy bags inside to occupy the room of their choosing. Garin turned back to Lara and Kurtis, drawing in a silent breath. "

"So it's just you two, then?"

"No," Lara said. "Emma's in the helicopter. Somehow she'd managed to fall asleep on the way here."

"From what I hear, she had quite the night last night," he said. "I don't blame her."

"I'll go get her," Kurtis offered. He turned away, heading towards the helicopter. He leaned inside the cockpit. Emily was lying across the bench, fast asleep, her baseball cap barely resting atop her head. Kurtis knocked on the outside of the steel door, waking her with a startle. She slowly looked up at him, stretching. "We're here," he said.

"Already?" she yawned.

"Already," he confirmed. "Help me take in some of the bags," he told her. She stood and scooped up some of the lighter luggage, while Kurtis pulled out one of the heavier suitcases tucked away in the back. Emily shielded her eyes from the sun as she approached Lara and Garin just outside the house. Garin smiled down at Emily. "Hello, Emily," he said politely. "I don't suppose you'd remember me…?"

Emily shrugged. "Nope. Sorry."

"I shouldn't expect so. You were just a baby the last time I saw you."

Emily glanced up at Lara, then back to the man. "Nice to meet you…" she said, extending her hand.

He shook her hand, then turned back to Lara and Kurtis. "Likewise with the three of you, choose any room you'd like. We have plenty of space for everyone."

"Appreciate it, Garin," Lara said, grinning. She took the bag from Emily's hands and turned past him, heading inside. Kurtis and Emily followed inside, and Garin closed the door behind them, locking it shut.



Emily snacked on the bowl of grapes, seated at the kitchen barstool, watching television. The news forecasted cool temperatures, and a chance of rain. Then, a cheesy commercial came on to promote the sale of some new cellular phone. The rest of the adults were upstairs, unpacking their things. Emily found it slightly weird that her mother and father weren't sharing a room – they were her parents. Sure, they weren't married or anything, but what was the big deal? They could still act like they were a normal couple.

Emily peered down the hall at the massive library in the other room. It was just about the same size as the one in the Croft Manor, but a little smaller. She glanced up the stairs to make sure no one was coming, then tiptoed down the hallway to see what she could find.

She entered the library to find nothing out of the ordinary – books, a computer, a desk, notebooks. Then, she saw the book that Kurtis had been carrying. She slowly approached it, glanced backwards, then picked it up, opening the book to the marked page. …but the Black Angel was believed to have been taken to Cappadocia, Turkey, and was never seen again after the Cabal murdered the fifth generation of the Lux Veritatis. What was the Black Angel? She glanced back down at the page, reading a few sentences before the one she'd just finished. The body of Siamak Lachesis was taken to New Zealand for reverence, but was believed to have been dug up and moved…

"Enjoying what you're reading?" a voice called. Emily startled, closing the book and turning to face Garin. She stood up, pushing the book away on the table.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I just…I saw your library and I thought…"

He chuckled. "It's alright," he said. "I'm sorry I don't have much in the way of entertainment for kids."

"It's okay," she said quickly.

Garin slowly walked past her, scooping up the book she'd been reading. Crap, Emily thought. He opened the page to the marker, reading over it. "Do you know anything about the Cabal and the Lux Veritatis?" he asked calmly.

"Nothing more than what my parents told me," she said.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough," he said, closing the book and dropping it on the table. Emily had expected to be scolded at or something of the sort, but Garin merely turned, leaving the room. She glanced back down at the book, wanting to read more, but feared getting caught again, possibly by her mother or father.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and she quickly made her way back towards the kitchen, trying to appear as though she'd never left. Zip and Alister rounded the corner, seating themselves at the bar. Then, Kurtis and Lara entered. Garin seated himself opposite of Emily, turning towards Kurtis. "So let's get down to business," he began. "What did you find out?"

Kurtis drew in a deep breath, leaning over the counter. "My hunch is that Karel is looking for the Lost Knight."

"The Black Angel," Garin said.

"Yeah," Kurtis agreed.

"The Sleeper?" Lara asked slowly.

"Something…different," Kurtis said. "My father used to tell me stories about the Lost Knight. Last night, though, it clicked – the Black Angel and the Lost Knight are one and the same."

"And what is this Lost Knight?" Lara asked.

"His name was Siamak Lachesis," Garin explained. "He was Lux Veritatis, who existed even before our forefathers. Ironically enough, he was half Nephilim, and half Lux knight."

"And where is he now?" Lara asked.

"Dead," Kurtis said. "I'm afraid Karel wants to find him and bring him back."

"Why?" Lara asked slowly.

"To use him," Kurtis said simply. "If he can get the knight to respond, he'll have control over it. It'll be his little puppet."

"But what if we beat him to it?" Lara asked.

"Then we'll have the upper hand," Garin finished. "There are some strings attached though…"

Kurtis looked to him strangely. "Such as?"

"The knight is powerless without his armor and sword," he said. "We'll need to locate those first."

"And where are those?" Lara asked.

"I was hoping someone else would have the answer," Garin admitted. "I'm not sure."

"Wait," Lara said slowly, looking over to Kurtis. "You found all this out last night?"

"Yeah," he said simply.

"And why didn't you tell me?"

Kurtis sighed. "Lara, you didn't need to hear about it right away…"

"When were you planning to tell me?" she demanded, growing angry.

"See, this is why I didn't say anything," he said, drawing back. "Regardless, you were going to get upset about it either way."

"No, I'm upset because for some reason, you withheld the information from me," she said, rising. "You're putting several lives at risk because of your ignorance."

"Ignorance?" he demanded, growing as angry as she was. "So you could react just like you are right now? These things don't revolve around you, Lara. Other people can hold the ball at some point."

"It's not about whose court the ball is in," Lara said. "It's the principle of the thing."

"Just relax for five minutes, will you?" he said, and she drew back, surprised by his attitude. He turned back to the rest of the group, who sat awkwardly, waiting for the tiff to end. He sighed. "Even if Karel reaches the knight before we do, it won't matter if he doesn't have the armor. We can still get the upper hand by finding it, but we need to get a location on that before anything."

"Can we rewind a bit?" Alister requested. "Why does Karel want to find the Black Angel anyway?"

"I'd bet my life on it that he's still trying to rebreed the Nephilim," Kurtis said, "and he wants to use the Black Angel to do that. With an undead warrior on his side, what's he got to lose?"

Garin sighed. "Sounds about right," he said. "Alister, we'll need you to try to pin a location on the armor and the sword. Zip, can you set up your security feeds here at the mansion?"

"I can do anything you need," Zip boasted, "but I don't know if…" He glanced in Emily's direction.

"Regardless," Garin interrupted, reading his mind about his suspicion that any security system would be pointless against Karel, "you still need to do it. We can't risk anything."

"One more question," Kurtis spoke up slowly. "What does he want with Emily?"

Garin sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "I wish I knew," he admitted. He looked up at her. "Regardless, we'll keep a close eye on her. I hate to admit it, but whatever Karel wants, it involves more than just getting rid of her."

Emily looked nervous. "He's trying to…use me?"

"I don't know," Garin said. "But we'll keep you safe. Don't worry."

"Don't worry?" she asked in a small voice. "But…but…"

"As long as we all stay on the same page," Lara said, glaring at Kurtis.

Inside, Kurtis was growing angry. Why did she have to blow everything out of proportion? So he didn't give her the information immediately after finding it – so what? She was irrationally paranoid. He needed to get away from her before he blew a fuse. Kurtis rose from the bar, sighing in frustration. "I'm going upstairs for a shower," he muttered.

As soon as Kurtis left, the room was quiet. Emily felt her heart sink – for the first time ever, her parents were together, and they were fighting. Right in front of her. Couldn't they at least try to get along, at least for her? Her mother wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with, but then again, she didn't know much about her father, and their relationship could possibly be deeper and more tangled than what Emily was seeing right now.

Alister cleared his throat. "Alright, then," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "I suppose I'll head into the library and see what I can't find about the Black Angel and his armor and such."

"Yeah," Zip said slowly, "and I'll go get the security system set up."

Zip and Alister quickly scattered, leaving Emily, Lara, and Garin in the room together, the silence being softly broken by the voice coming from the television. Emily slowly looked up at Lara. "Are we really safe here?" she asked nervously.

"Of course we are," Lara said simply, rising from her seat.

Emily looked to her with disbelief. "Mom, if they got in at home, what makes you think they won't get in here?"

"I didn't say I thought that," Lara said. "But I can try to be optimistic, can't I?"

"I'm not an idiot," Emily argued. "I know that there's a chance I'm going to die."

"Emily, listen to me," Lara said, folding her arms over her chest. "Kurtis and I have been doing this for years and years. Don't you trust us to take care of you?"

"Well…yeah, but –"

"Then there should be no room for doubt," she said. "Now why don't you go unpack, and I'll see you for dinner?" Emily quickly turned away, heading up the stairs. Lara sighed in her mind. Emily was too smart for her own good.

And then there was Kurtis. Why was he withholding information from her? Did he think she'd overreact? Was it this maternal image that made him feel like he should be the one to carry the torch? Just because I'm a mother doesn't mean I have to be the damsel, she thought, annoyed as she headed up the stairs. I'm just as capable as he is, and it's always been that way.

Lara heard rummaging beyond the door of Kurtis's room. She pushed it open just in time to see him pulling a t-shirt over his head. He looked up at her, sighing. "There is such a thing as knocking, you know."

"Just like there's such a thing as being completely honest," she said, folding her arms over chest.

"You're still on that?" he asked. "And I thought motherhood would've made you a bit more soft-hearted."

"And here is where you've committed the fundamental attribution error," she said dryly. "Just because I'm a mother doesn't mean that I'm not still as capable as you. That is why you didn't tell me, isn't it?"

"Let's not do this," he sighed, closing the drawer. "I've been in hell for twelve years, and the first thing you want to do when we're back together is bitch at me."

"Then don't give me a reason to," she said flatly.

"Jesus, Lara, I can't keep up with you!" he said, close to shouting. "You go back and forth faster than a pendulum! One minute you're dying to be with me, the next you're bitching at me for one simple mistake. I'm sorry I can't be as fucking perfect as you are."

"Don't pretend that that's what this whole thing is about," she argued. "I'm sorry for what you went through, but I haven't changed, and you shouldn't expect any different. Don't try to push everything off on your disillusioned excuses."

"Would you just stop playing the holier-than-thou card?" he said angrily. "Neither of us are perfect, alright? At least I can admit it."

"That's a bit of an oxymoron," she scoffed. "Why don't you just grow up? Stop acting like all of this has to do solely with me. You know you haven't been the same since you came back from Lemuria."

Kurtis gripped Lara by her shoulders and pushed her into the wall, rattling the objects on the nearby dresser. For a split instant in time, she became afraid of him. She'd never seen him act on such rage, such anger. Something in his eyes read as a strong desire to lash out, acting as nothing more than a façade for the underlying fear.

Normally, when put in a physically-compromising situation, Lara would react. That was when she was dealing with enemies, however. This was different. This was Kurtis. He'd never reacted so strongly – something was deeply troubling him. Lara, however, wasn't ready to push aside her anger and offer solace. She glared evilly at him, matching the anger in his eyes, and pushed his arms off of her shoulders. She turned away, opening the door to exit, leaving Kurtis to stand in the room with nothing but regret.


Well, there you have it. Kurtis is trapped inside his own mind. Nothing really to comment on review-wise. I should have the next chapter posted by Thursday, so I'll see you then!