The moment he strode up to her, she knew it would be bad... she had no idea how bad.
"You really blew his mind," Carter whispered into her ear as he pulled her against him.
(Painful.) She kissed his mouth closed.
He smiled as she began giggling, breaking the kiss, "He lost his head over you."
She gripped his buttocks, still he would not relent.
"You..."
"...took a weight off his shoulders?," she finished for him, "Happy? Now... shut up, and kiss me."
"Oppresive aristocrat," he moaned as he palmed her buttocks, and lifted her till she straddled his tight, narrow waist.
Jean strode up as Evan began carrying her toward a locked, intact, ancient storage shed. "A gift from Serge," he said, handing Evan a little blue pill, "For HER. Take it Carter."
Lara turned her head and looked at her lover's hand. "He doesn't need that!" she remarked as the young assassin happily popped it in his mouth.
"No need to thank me," Serge shouted, "If he experiences an erection lasting longer than five hours... ."
"He will have finaly given you what you deserve," Jean added.
Lara buried her blushing face in her lover's shoulder, and laughed hystericaly as he kicked open the door, and threw her down on an old bedroll. He pulled off his shirt the moment the door was locked, and she caressed his abdomen as he unbutoned the kevlar vest she was given earlier the previous day.
"Time for the peasant uprising," he sighed as he pulled off her shorts and thong in one tug as she returned the favor.
"Vive le liberte," she moaned sweetly as he slowly slid into her.
...
Eighteen hours later...
Lara awoke in the bright light of the noonday sun. Evan was passed out with a huge grin on his face.
"Nobody does it better... 'James'... Carter." she whispered before kissing his lips. She dressed quickly.
Serge was waiting outside, near the old camp she had tended to Roth by. He was grinning, but his eyes betrayed some level of seriousnes. "'L'," he said softly, "HE is here. My boss."
She was swept up in a rush of emotions. A master of shadows was here: A man who ruled over an invisible empire as vast as ancient Rome; and he was here, to see her... alone.
Serge placed a hand on her shoulder, and gestured to a waiting jetcopter on the higher elevation.
She turned to the shack.
Serge smiled, "I now truly admire the bastard," he said indicating the shack, "if either of us tell him you did that however... he will never let you live it down. You will be fine. Trust me."
She climbed to the helicopter.
...
The 'burning ritual' cave.
He was somewhat average in height, she thought as she spotted the man standing before the great stack of partially burned wood that surrounded the stake his daughter and Sam had been tied to.
No great, menacing, silk suit wearing, manicaled master-mind. Rene Dupont was just an exhausted looking man of fifty; one who looked as if he had not slept for years.
"Do you think she prayed for you?" He said as she entered, not bothering to look away from the place of his cherished child's inhuman demise; his heavily accented voice speaking flawless english, but cracking under the strain of his emotions.
She bowed her head, looking down sadly at the rare vase that she hd placed his daughter's ashes in.
He looked back breifly, and gasped out his breath in an audible sob, then force it back, "Do you think she... as they stood here... watching her beautiful long auburn hair - that she would brush 100 strokes every night as a child - burn." He staggered slightly, as he kicked the sticks.
She kept her head bowed.
He continued after a brief fit of crying, "Do you think she prayed for you? Before she begged them for death? An avenging angel. A WOMAN to slaughter them like the soulless animals they were."
She was at a loss for words as he turned to her, his face red with tears, his body shaking with his sobs. He gazed at her, he gasped out his breath as he aproached her, dropped to his knees, took the urn reverently in his trembling hands, placed it lovingly to his right, then took Lara's hands in his own, "La justice..." he cried into her wrists as he kissed them, "est une femme."
She began to cry, "Justice is a woman? You do me too great an honor Mr..."
"No," he corrected, as he stood, "I can never do you too great an honor." He looked to his daughters ashes. "I soiled that beautiful urn as surely as my blood soiled her beautiful soul. I want YOU to carry her ashes to where I want them scattered."
"I'd be honored," she said somberly.
He touched her cheek as softy as air, then pulled his hand back as quickly, "You are real... amazing. So like her. It has to be fate. Come... let us do her the honors only you can."
...
The helicpter landed on the top of the Zigurat, and Lara and Dupont departed.
Serge, and Evan stood silently as Lara stepped forward, carrying the urn. She turned to the young killer, he smiled breifly at her, and bowed his head solemnly.
Dupont placed his hand on her shoulder, "She loved the culture of Japan, all the orient. She was kind to all, and forgave when asked... instantly. I know you would have been like sisters; as you are to my eyes. Now, please, do her this honor: as her champion, as her avenger, her sister, her friend. Let her know the compassion you felt for her the night you did her the honors of the pire. Pour my Madeline's ashes over the place HE fell."
Lara did as asked, "Sorry I was too late for you...," she sighed through her tears, "please be at peace Madeline."
Rene sniffed back a tear; composed himself as the last of the ashes blw over the cliff, then turned to the men beside them, "You are witness, as her consort?," he said to Evan.
"Proudly," the Brit said respectfully.
"And You, as her adjutant?" he said to Serge.
"Oui," the frenchman said softly.
"And YOU!?," Rene screamed at the sky, "Himiko!? Are you seeing THIS? I hope so. I am dying to know... What was lacking in my daughter? My beautiful Madeline?! Or any of them they burned? Whore!"
The wind just blew quietly.
Lara gaped in disbelief as the man composed himself and turned once more to her, nodding.
"Please Lara, know this, as far as what I just said regarding this 'Bitch'; yes... I believe you. Now come I have much to show you... as my heir."