Chapter 2

A/N: Reviews make my day

After months of work, the main part of the Manor was finally renovated. Despite being reluctant at first due to the importance of the Manor in the Croft family, Sam ended giving her input on the renovation after Lara claimed it was her home too and it should match both of their personalities.

The place was also less empty after Winston moved back in to work for them. In spite of his age, the old man had insisted he should serve the Croft until his last breath. It was nice to have some help around the house, especially when they spent most of their time researching for their next expedition in Peru.

Sam knew Lara was still wary about letting her come along and she knew, in the future, they would have to make concessions on when they would go on expeditions together and when Lara would go alone.

When they weren't working in their private library, Lara was teaching Sam to defend herself, from basic combat moves to weapons.

One day, while Winston was out running errands with Jonah, Sam and Lara decided to indulge themselves and spent a part of the afternoon watching movies.

They were cuddled on the couch, Sam commenting on the poor directing choice to Lara's amusement when they heard a commotion outside.

"What was that?" Sam asked as she paused the movie.

"I don't think Winston and Jonah would make that much noise." Lara disentangled herself and stood up to look through the window. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"What?" Sam joined her girlfriend at the window.

"Trinity…" Lara stated. She grabbed Sam's hand and started running toward her study, opening her gun safe and taking out her weapons. "I only saw a dozen agents, if they don't call for back up, we should be okay. Use the safe door and go hide in the secret room, you'll be safe and text Jonah not to come back yet."

"Like hell I'm going to let you do this alone!" Sam brushed past Lara and grabbed a handgun. "We're in this together."

"No, it's dangerous." Lara said as she geared up.

"And we had this talk before, I won't argue with you again, this is my house too and I won't let them barge in as if it's happy hour at the Nine Bells." She grabbed a holster and put it around her thigh. "You trained me for this exact reason."

"Sam."

"Lara."

Their staring match was interrupted by an explosion coming from the front door. "Fine, but stay behind me and do as I say." She grabbed her bow and handed Sam the shotgun.

"Okay, it's really not the time but it's a bit of a turn on when you say that."

"Definitely not the time, no." Lara slightly glared at her. She took a Kevlar vest and strapped it on Sam. "Let's go. Be silent now."

Sam pumped her shotgun and nodded as she silently followed her girlfriend into the hallway. Lara spotted the group of men in the hallway and didn't waste a minute to throw an explosive device at them, killing four of them on the spot.

"We just finished redecorating the foyer!" Sam whispered-yelled, already thinking about the work it was going to be to clean up.

"Well, I guess you'll be busy furniture shopping in the next few days."

"You threw that thing, you can bet your cute ass I'll drag you with me as soon as we're safe." Sam informed her.

"Yes! Hush now." Lara leaned against the wall as she saw two men rushing toward the East wing. She grabbed an arrow and notched it before aiming at the first man, who quickly fell dead as soon as the arrow pierced his skull. His confused teammate turned around, ready to shoot. Without missing a beat, Lara shot another arrow and killed him. She noticed some movement from her periphery and pushed Sam backward.

As Sam turned around, she was met with a man in full gear. "How the fuck did you…" She didn't have the time to finish that the man punched her and she stumbled to the floor.

"You bastard!" Lara pulled out her handgun and moved forward to shoot three bullets right against the side of the agent's Kevlar vest, where the protection wasn't maximum before bashing his head against the wall. She was about to turn toward Sam to check on her but another man showed up, she swiftly grabbed Sam's shotgun from the floor and shot at him. She scanned her surroundings and when she was sure it was clear, she helped Sam to stand up. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live." Sam touched her temple with her hand for a few seconds to try and focus back on the situation. "Where the hell are they coming from?"

"They must have broken a window. Come on." Lara gave her back the shotgun. "We're gonna have to protect the house better after that."

"No shit. We should put cameras around the property and get an alarm system at least."

"Yes, something like that." As they turned around the corner, another Trinity agent approached them but to Lara's surprise, Sam was the first to shot him with the shotgun. She looked at her girlfriend in awe. She knew Sam could give someone a run for their money even armed with just a dessert but it was something else to witness it, especially since Sam had never been fond of firearms.

"What?" Sam frowned. "Did he mess up my face so bad?"

"No, no, you're still as beautiful as always." The English woman smiled.

"Sap!" Sam winked before moving further.

Lara shot the man on the floor again to make sure he was dead before following Sam.

They found three other men, one of them ended up giving Lara a bit of a trouble as she wrestled him on the floor. After some struggle, she broke his neck and heard Sam wince. She looked at Sam, scared to see fear or judgment in her eyes from the level of violence she could use sometimes but could only see concern.

"Are you okay?" Sam extended a hand to pull Lara up.

The Englishwoman nodded. "I think it was the last one."

"I couldn't shoot him without risking hurting you." Sam cupped Lara's cheek softly. "I guess you'll have a few bruises to go with mine. I know I'm a fashion guru but I don't think it's a trend you should follow."

Lara chuckled before kissing Sam's wrist and stepping away. "I'll try to remember that. Let's…" She didn't get the time to finish as Sam pushed her to the side and shot at a man who cried in pain before hitting the floor.

"I guess there was still one left." Sam said, still keeping her eyes glued to the dead body and her handgun raised as if he could stand up again.

Lara looked at the agent and when she saw the pool of blood around his head, she slowly lowered Sam's gun. "It's okay, love, it's over. It's okay…"

Sam finally blinked and made eye contact with Lara. "Let's make sure of it."

They searched the house for a while but didn't find any other agents. What they found however, was an order of mission on one of the men, asking the team to bring back Lara and Sam's research. They expected the house to be empty, that was why they didn't send more men or why they weren't more violent, they weren't there to kill them.

Jonah showed up with Winston just when Lara was finishing dragging the last body in the corner of the foyer. "Lara? Sam?"

"We're here!" Sam answered as she finished cleaning what was left of the coffee table with her broom.

"Are you alright, Lady Lara?" Winston asked. "Lady Sam?"

"We're alright." Lara replied as she and Sam joined them in front of the now missing front door.

"What happened?" Jonah questioned as he looked at the mess.

"Sam woke up this morning and decided she didn't like the couch in the foyer after all." Lara shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's a bit extreme, even for you two." Jonah scowled, not in the mood for a joke. "What really happened?"

"We were attacked by Trinity." Sam jabbed her thumb toward the pile of bodies in the corner.

"They were looking for our research." The Englishwoman elaborated.

"Again?" Jonah groaned. "Did they find anything?"

Lara shook her head. "We didn't give them the time to." She sighed tiredly. "I just hope they won't send anyone else before we leave for Peru."

Winston walked further into the house and shook his head. "Oh dear, this is going to be a lot of work to clean up."

"Don't worry about it, Winston old boy, we'll take care of it." Sam reassured him. The man might work for them but he was too old for this kind of drama. Hell, she wasn't thirty yet and she was also too old for it.

"We just need to figure out what to do with the bodies, we can't really call the police…" Lara trailed off.

"I can help you with that," Jonah offered. "I know someone. Let me give him a call."

Later at night, after a few men had come to 'clean up' the house, Sam and Lara went to their room to get some rest, as Jonah kept watch downstairs, at his insistence.

"Sorry the house is a mess." Lara said as she laid on the bed, resting her back against the headboard.

"It's okay, I really wasn't a fan of that couch anyway." Sam finished checking her black eye in the dressing table mirror before turning around to smile reassuringly at her girlfriend.

Lara patted the spot next to her to invite Sam to join her. "How are you feeling?"

"Well," Sam walked toward the bed and shrugged. "I guess it's safe to say that I'm far from being GI Jane yet."

"You did well," The Englishwoman reassured her. "Maybe we need to work more on close combat but you're a good shot."

The smaller girl plopped herself on the bed and copied Lara's position. "Yeah, now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I realize that I killed a man."

"I'm sorry." Lara apologized dejectedly. She had promised herself she would keep Sam safe and at the first attack from Trinity, she had already failed. "I knew this would happen, I shouldn't have let you…"

"Don't." Sam held up her hand to stop Lara's apology. "You didn't let me do anything, I chose to be in your life, it's my decision."

"But they will come back." Lara insisted, trying once again to make Sam see it was dangerous to be with her.

"Then, we'll be more prepared. We're gonna train harder and I…"

"Sam, please…"

"No!" Sam exclaimed before sighing tiredly. "Besides, It's not like I haven't killed before so…"

"But they could kill you and I'd never forgive my..." Lara was ready for another speech about the risks when she registered what her girlfriend had just said. "Wait, what did you say? Himiko killed those men, not you."

"In Yamatai," Sam specified. "And it was all me."

"You killed someone in Yamatai." Lara repeated slowly, trying to pinpoint at what moment it could have happened.

"Surprise!"

Lara frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you've never asked?" Sam said, a little more harshly then she should.

"That's not fair," Lara sat up to face her girlfriend. "I tried to but…"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Sam grabbed Lara's hand. "I don't mean to be snappy." She started playing with her girlfriend's hand as she kept talking. "But I knew you would try to push me away as soon as something like today happened."

The Englishwoman laid back down and pulled Sam with her so they could cuddle. "I don't want you out of my life but I'd rather suffer from your absence and knowing that you're safe than watch you die."

"I'm safer with you by my side." The documentary producer assured her.

"Or more likely to get hurt." Lara pointed out.

"Lara we had this talk already, a hundred times, I'm tired of it… I'm not going anywhere," Sam tightened her hold as if trying to prove her point. Their fights always started the same and their arguments wouldn't change, it was like a broken record. They were working on it but she knew that until Trinity was defeated, they would continue this push and pull. "If anything I'm even more convinced than ever that you need someone to watch over your cute ass, today you…"

"I would be dead if it wasn't for you," Lara finished for her, aware that she hadn't expected the man to come out of nowhere. "Thank you, I... thank you."

Sam shrugged, trying to be nonchalant even though she could still see the agent aiming at Lara and her bullet hitting his brain. She shook her head to push away the memory. "Well, you saved me a few times too so it's okay. Let's just not make it a habit though, okay?"

Lara chuckled. "Let's try yes..." They cuddled for a moment in silence until she asked her burning question. "I need to know, what happened in Yamatai?" When Sam first moved in with her, they had therapy together – aside from their own private session - for a few months as they tried to rekindle their relationship. They had to talk about Yamatai and how they felt after that. She had learned how Sam had experienced the island, what happened to her when they were separated. They didn't share everything, some confessions were kept just between them, when they would lay together in the dark night. She knew that some things were still left unsaid, not because they wanted to hide them, but because they were still too painful, too fresh. She focused back on the present when she heard Sam talking again.

"After we talked through the wall and you told me to go ahead so you could catch the helicopter, I ran into some Solariis more than once before I reached Jonah and Reyes." She sighed loudly. "I asked them to let me go but they kept coming closer, just as the times before. I still had my gun and when they still didn't back down, I shot one. I was kinda aiming for the shoulder like I did with the others but I saw the hole in his chest before he fell to the ground."

"Maybe you didn't kill him, maybe he was…"

"Shot somewhere else than the heart and bled to death cause there was no hospital around?" Sam guessed. "Yeah, same thing."

Lara kissed her girlfriend's forehead in comfort. "I'm sorry…"

"What are you sorry for?" Sam raised the hem Lara's shirt and started drawing small patterns on her stomach.

Lara shrugged. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"You lived it too." The documentary producer reminded her.

"But it's different." Lara argued.

"Why?" Sam questioned. "Because you killed a hundred or because you had Roth?"

"Maybe a bit of both." Lara shrugged again. They might not have experienced the same things but they had both suffered. She didn't want to compare scars, she just thought Sam deserved happiness more than she did and she would carry the weight of Sam's pain if she could.

Silence filled the room as Sam kept caressing Lara's stomach. "It's weird, I know we're not out of the woods yet with Trinity and that we're still healing but killing a man doesn't make it to the top of the most traumatizing things that have happened to me. I guess I have Himiko to thank for that. Until now it was at the back of my mind but it all comes back to me now that it happened again. I guess it never really goes away, does it?"

"It doesn't. Although…" Lara seemed to hesitate but when she saw the reassuring smile Sam was giving her, she decided to share her fear. "I don't know if at some point you don't get desensitized..." She stared at the foot of the bed to avoid Sam's gaze. "I mean, I know I can turn into some kind of monster when the adrenaline kicks in and I'm afraid that someday you…"

"Hey, no, you're not." Sam interrupted quickly, forcing Lara to look at her. "You're not a monster," She repeated to make sure her words would get into Lara's head. "You didn't get up one day and decide to shoot people. We were on an island where everyone was trying to kill us so you did what you had to do in order to survive. Just like we did tonight when Trinity attacked us. It's like… war I guess, you don't want to kill but it's you or the enemy so you just pull the trigger. It has an impact on you, you're not a sociopath who doesn't care or take pleasure in murdering people."

"I..."

Sam's frowned. "What's wrong?"

Lara detangled herself from Sam. "I have to tell you something but I'm afraid that once I'm done, you'll be scared of me and that you'll run as far away as you can."

"You know," The documentary producer started. "For someone who tries to push me away every time something dangerous happens, you are definitely scared to see me walk away."

"Sam, this is serious."

"Sweetie, there's nothing you can tell me that will ever make me think less of you, I promise."

Lara bit her bottom lip nervously. "Don't promise anything before you hear what I have to say."

"Tell me." Sam prodded gently.

The Englishwoman put some distance between her and her girlfriend, as if bracing herself for the worst and cleared her throat. "I killed Konstantin, I told you he was dead but I didn't go into details. We fought for a while, until he fell to the ground, bloody and battered. I think he knew it was the end so he started saying all these things about my father to get a rise out of me. I could have just walked away and let him bleed to death, but I turned around and shot him, telling him to go to hell. And I, well…" She sighed. "A part of me enjoyed it." Once the confession was over, silence settled. Lara saw Sam puff some air before opening and closing her mouth a few times. Taking it as a bad sign, she panicked, raising on her knees to try and plead her case. "I swear I'm not deranged, I usually don't kill unless I have another choice but…"

"Lara…" Sam tried.

"But he hurt so many people and Ana..." Lara continued.

"Lara, stop, it's okay." Sam grabbed her girlfriend's hands and pulled her down so she could sit in front of her. "I wasn't rethinking my promise, I was just taking it all in and trying to formulate my thoughts. Konstantin was the real monster, he killed and injured a lot of people, he hit you and manipulated you with his bitch of a sister. I can't blame you for feeling a bit of joy at the fact that one less asshole is walking the earth. The fact that you feel bad afterward shows that you're not deranged, you're just human."

Lara sniffled in relief before throwing her arms around Sam's neck, hugging her tightly as they laid down on the bed. "You always know what to say to calm me down."

"I know, I'm awesome." The documentary producer joked to lighten the mood as they both laughed.

Lara settled on top of Sam and kissed her tenderly. After a moment, she pulled away slightly. "If I don't die and if you don't come to your senses and run away, I promise I'm going to marry you someday. I'll work every day to make sure you have everything you deserve."

Sam cupped Lara's face in her hands and looked into her eyes. "Are you serious?"

Lara nodded. "Dead serious."

Sam squealed and kissed Lara all over her face. "I can already tell you the answer will be yes but don't go cheap on the ring, if I have to be a Countess, I want to show it off."

Lara rolled to the side and grabbed a pillow before hitting her girlfriend with it. "You're incorrigible!" She sat up.

Sam followed suit as she smiled brightly. "That's why you love me."

The Englishwoman smiled fondly. "I do."

"Psshhttt" Sam waved her hand. "Don't spoil the end, the wedding isn't now."

Lara laughed freely, soon joined by her girlfriend. Once they calmed down, she added. "Thank you for being in my life, I love you." She was still a work in progress, struggling to accept that she also had the right to be loved and happy. She had an inkling that Sam was struggling with that too. It would take some time, but maybe together, they could make it.

"Thank you for being in mine, I love you too." Sam leaned forward to capture Lara's lips.

Lara woke up last the next day, to her surprise. She wouldn't have minded cuddling a bit more with Sam before breakfast but then she remembered the mess around the Manor and knew they had work to do. She slipped on her robe and went to look for her girlfriend. If Sam was out of bed early, it meant she had something on her mind. She found her in the foyer, mopping the floor while singing as Winston was dusting the fireplace. Lara stopped at the top of the staircase and watched the scene fondly, a smile on her face.

"Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you." Sam was swirling around, using the mop as a microphone. "Is it the look in your eyes or is it this dancing juice. Who cares baby, I think I wanna marry you. Oh, I'll go get a ring, let the choir bell sing like, ooh…"

The Englishwoman's smile widened. She had always loved Sam's voice, but there was something magical when she was singing. Not a lot of people know she could carry a tune but around Lara, Sam was always breaking into songs, serenading her with the cheesiest song possible to her pleasure and embarrassment. After their last conversation, Lara knew where the inspiration came from.

"You seem more cheerful than usual, Lady Sam." Winston noted. "I would expect you to be displeased by the state of the manor."

"Well Winston old boy, you know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make margaritas." The documentary producer declared.

"I don't believe that's the correct saying, my dear."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, but lemonade is so bland, it's nice to shake things up a bit."

Lara tried to hold back her laughter. Sam had taken on the habit to call the butler old boy - to the man's chagrin - in order to push him to stop calling her by her last name but the nickname had stuck even after Winston started calling her lady Sam. Deep down, Lara was sure the old man had grown fond of it but would take the secret to his grave and keep feigning annoyance.

"I don't know about lemonade, but I fancy some tea." Lara declared, finally announcing her presence.

"Lara!" Sam grinned, meeting her girlfriend at the bottom of the stairs to kiss her good morning.

"I'll bring you some with toast, Lady Lara." Winston answered before disappearing down the hallway.

Lara kissed Sam more fully now that they were alone. "You're up early."

Sam shrugged. "I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Let me guess, does it have something to do with what you were singing?" Lara raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe?" The documentary producer smiled innocently.

The Englishwoman chuckled before pinching Sam's cheek. "Aren't you precious?"

"Unless you've changed your mind?" Sam was smiling but there was a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes.

"Not a chance." Lara assured. "But unlike the lyrics of the song, we won't be plastered and we will do things properly."

"Oh, Lara Croft," Sam put a hand on her heart. "Romantic in disguise."

Lara shoved her gently. "I just want you to have the best I can give you."

"I have you, it's all the best I need." Sam answered sweetly.

The archaeologist snorted. "Who's cheesy, now?"

"Shut up and kiss me, Croft."

Lara smiled. "Yes, dear."