"Two Sides of the Same Coin"

by Celes Star

Chapter One: Something Left Behind

Israeli Coast

Lara's boots skidded to a halt as she reached the cliff's edge. Terry stopped next to her.

The pair stood at the edge looking down at their only escape. They were almost 50 meters from the blue crashing waves of the Mediterranean Sea.

"OK… You go first," Lara exclaimed.

"Oh, no Croft, I think you can go ahead and do the honors!"

Gunshots fired past Terry's shoulders. He swiftly stepped aside.

"It's always a fun time with you, Croft," he said sarcastically.

"You wanted to tag along," Lara said smugly.

"I'll show you tagging along," Terry shot back. With one quick stride he wrapped his arms around Lara's waist then jumped pulling her with him.

Like synchronized divers the pair free fell then dove perfectly into the ocean entering with barely a splash.

Lara swam up to the surface and looked up. Their pursuers were not going to follow them.

She laughed triumphantly then turned to her company.

Terry was smiling at her.

"I'm going to think twice the next time you ask me out," Terry said.

"Next time?" she said with a mischievous smile. Terry pulled her close causing her chestnut hair to tumble around her face.

"You know you can't get enough of me, Croft" Terry responded. She placed her arms around his shoulders studying the shadow of his strong jaw line then looking into his steel-colored eyes.

"Well, Terry, you've proven that you can at least keep up with me."

"You mean you've proven that you can keep up with me! These past three months of guns firing at us every second, escaping on motorbikes as the walls collapse, even balancing on a rope over a pit of spikes - that's nothing" he replied. Lara scoffed while arching an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I think I saw you having trouble when we had to jump from pillar to pillar or had to outrun those moving razors ---"

"Well how about that time I had to save your behind from that falling statue or what about my contacts with the Discori Gang," he countered.

"Oh yes, I really should congratulate you for having relations with thug arms dealers," she said sharply.

"You're not a team player, Croft," Terry replied.

"Oh and you are?"

"I do lead a group of commandos with the Royal Marines, in case you've forgotten," he reminded her. Lara felt his arms tighten around her. "I have to admit, though, that these last three months with you have been the best time of my life."

Lara's smile broadened, she was speechless.

The two held each other, swaying on the ocean's waves.

"Lara! Lara! Are you listening," a voice said.

Lara snapped out of her reverie. Immediately, to her annoyance she realized that she was daydreaming - again.
Lara turned to her questioner.

"I'm sorry, Allen, I was just --- remembering something," she responded a little awkwardly. "I'm so sorry what were you saying?"

Lara grabbed an apple slice and repositioned her body on the blanket they shared. It was a beautiful day in Cornwall and the two were picnicking next to a cliff edge overlooking the sea.

Her companion, Allen, shook his head and smiled. "You're a mystery Lara," he said and shifted closer to her. She smiled up at the man who had entered her life only very recently.

Allen was an art dealer at the auction house. He was certainly attractive, but she never thought about him as more than an acquaintance until a week ago when he shyly asked her out.

Her first instinct was to say no, but she admitted, he was a welcome distraction from the events a little over a month ago when she prevented a mad man from retrieving Pandora's Box.

"What were you thinking about," Allen asked. A smirk appeared across her face.

"Well, I was thinking about diving off this cliff," she responded coyly.

Allen grinned. "Mmm, cliff diving – sure I've done that, but," his expression became serious, "this cliff must be what, 40 meters high? The highest you should jump is about 28 meters high… before the velocity becomes too strong," he said in a man-knows- everything tone.

Lara opened her mouth to say something – then stopped. Instead, she pursed her lips and nodded.

A seagull's cry filled the silence.

Kenya, Africa:

Kosa hadn't returned to the village in almost a month since Lara Croft had stopped Jonathan Reiss from taking Pandora's Box.

His Land Rover halted to a stop on the village outskirts. A few children ran enthusiastically to the tall African warrior. He lifted them up easily and greeted the group that had waited for him.

"How is everyone doing," he said happily. The children grabbed his hand and led him eagerly to the center of the village.

Chief Juma and his wife sat at their usual perch. Juma had a worried expression on his face. "My friend, what is the matter," Kosa asked with concern.

"Kosa, it is good that you return… For many days we wondered what to do with the foreigner," Juma said solemnly.

"Foreigner," Kosa said perplexed. The older man motioned for Kosa to follow him. The chief led Kosa to one of the village's homes. The man lifted a flap covering the doorway. Kosa starred in disbelief. On the ground a figure lay stretched out on the floor-mats motionless, but he was breathing, and he was definitely not dead.

"Juma – what happened! Lara Croft shot him, this cannot be," he said pointing at the body.

"A few of our warriors, they found him. They went inside the cradle before we sealed it to see -- Kosa they were just curious. And it was a good thing because they found that this foreigner was alive. Kosa, there is no explanation. We think the Cradle of Life has kept him alive… He hasn't awaken," the chief continued. "But he speaks in his dreams."

Kosa let out a sigh of relief. He had feared that Terry was in a permanent coma.

"What does he say Juma," Kosa inquired.

"We don't understand him," the chief said with a shrug. "He says the word 'Sarras'. We don't understand…" Kosa repeated the word to himself. He had no clue either.

But he knew who would.

He had to get Terry to her right away. 

Chapter Two: There's something you should know

He walked slowly through the mist. 

Although he did not know where he was going, he feltan unseen force making him move forward. 

Then, a flash of light caused him to raise his hands to his eyes. He looked up to see the light's source.

Floating in the sky was an object…the object was bright, like the sun. 

A voice whispered his name.

"Terry…"

Terry looked frantically around him. He couldn't see who was speaking. 

As he looked around, for a split second, he thought he saw something behind the bright object in the sky. 

It looked like the silhouette of a castle…

Then his mind faded to black...

'Something isn't right,' Lara said to herself. 

She stepped slowly, cautiously.

With a flare in hand she negotiated the dark catacomb's twists and turns.

Her senses were on full alert. Though she could only hear the sound of her footsteps and dripping water she knew she wasn't alone.

Lara advanced a few feet further when something told her to halt. It was the silence that caught her attention. She realized that the sound of dripping water had stopped. Her instincts shouted that her company was close.

'It's behind me!'

Lara dropped her flare, rolled, and swiftly pulled out her weapons. With two guns in hand she fired shots at her oncoming visitor.

Her assailant was big, typical of the mystical type that she often encountered. She backward flipped in time to avoid the attacker's lunge, never losing sight of her target.

Upon landing, Lara unleashed more rounds into the creature's body, but to no avail, it kept advancing.

Then she saw it - a red glowing dot that was hidden on the left side of its torso. Her instincts told her that this was its most vulnerable spot. 'Otherwise, why hide it,' she reasoned to herself. She raised her pistols and took aim…

"Lara!"

The lights in the simulation room switched on. Simultaneously the "creature" – one of Bryce's robotic creations – switched off.

"Lara!" Bryce shouted again over the simulation room's intercom system.

"Bryce, this had better be good," Lara said irritated.

"I'm not sure if 'good' is how I would categorize this," Bryce exclaimed. "I think you need to take this call."

Lara twirled around to the glass entrance of the simulation room. Bryce was standing by the door with Hillary next to him. The look on their faces was urgent. Lara felt her irritation give way to concern. With an unconscious movement she holstered her weapons and strode towards the entrance. "Is everything alright," Lara asked as she walked into the simulation control room.

"Lady Croft, Kosa wishes to have a word with you," Hillary said as he handed her the phone.

The name caused Lara to pause in concern. It was a little over a month ago since she had seen Kosa. The Masai man had helped her stop Jonathan Reiss from stealing an ancient weapon of mass destruction. She thought that the job had been done, so she filed that adventure away. But yet, Kosa was giving her a call…

She took the phone slowly from Hillary's hand.

"Kosa, my good friend--" She stopped mid-sentence as Kosa spoke rapidly to her.

"Wait, what did you say," Lara exclaimed.

Bryce and Hillary watched with concern as the color in Lara's face disappeared. Her expression was of complete shock. The two had only seen Lara like this once before, when she had received a letter authored by her father from her father's law firm. It was delivered ten years after his death. Similar to that situation, Lara staggered back and sank into a chair.

"I'll be there," was all Lara said. She hung up the phone.

Hillary and Bryce looked at her expectantly.

"Are you alright," Hillary said worried.

"Lara, Kosa mentioned that something was recovered from the Cradle of Life," Bryce said slowly. "Has Pandora's Box returned!"

The tomb raider shook her head.

"No. It's Terry." She paused before looking at them with a strange expression.

"He's alive." 

Chapter Three: Return

Her logical-side, the side that screamed that his return was impossible, was temporarily impaired by her emotions.

Indeed, Lara was raging with emotions.

Terry is alive….

It was like a flood of repressed memories had taken over her mind which raced between images of their happy times and then to the hurt and betrayal she felt when he was taken away. She recalled their last adventure in Kenya. He had rescued her.

Then she shot him.

She had to.

Otherwise, Terry was going to destroy the world with Pandora's Box.

He was a dangerous man, yet Lara couldn't help but feel a sort of joy to see him.

It wasn't lost to her that those feelings probably wouldn't be returned. She had shot him.

'Terry. Thank goodness, you're alive…'

Propelled by guilt, happiness, relief… she wasn't sure, Lara jumped onto her motorbike. Gunning her engines, she raced towards the Royal Air Force station where Terry had been flown to.

Upon her arrival at the air force station, Lara was greeted by three men in dark, generic suits. She should have known. 

"I see Her Majesty is interested in a dead man," Lara said. As they were trained, the MI6 agents did not react. One of them, the oldest looking one, stepped forward. From his coat pocket he took out a badge and flashed his credentials.

"Lady Croft, I'm Special Agent Smith and these are my associates. Yes, you mention 'dead man.' See, we are bit confused about the debriefing you gave us – you said that Terry Sheridan had been killed."

"Yes, he was shot in the Cradle of Life," Lara responded. She had never revealed that it was she who actually shot him. For the sake of his memory she felt it right to not reveal the last moments of Terry's greed to the government agency. After all, it didn't matter whether he tried to take the box or not, he was dead either way.

"Right, yet clearly you were mistaken by his condition."

"Hmm, and the next time you're in a cave next to a horrendous weapon that has the power to wipe out every living creature on the planet, you tell me how discerning you would be. He was shot. That's what I saw."

The agents exchanged looks again. Lara felt her anger rising.

"If you mean to keep him here as a government secret –"

"Wait, Lady Croft. You have it all wrong," the agent quickly interrupted. "We have no desire to contain Terry Sheridan. As far as we're concerned he has honored his part of the bargain and we're going to keep our original terms: an acquittal of his charges and a fresh start."

For once Lara was surprised by news from the British intelligence agency. When Terry had agreed to help Lara find the orb map that would lead to Pandora's Box they had offered to set him free and a new identity if he complied and was successful. He was successful, but they all thought he had died in the field.

"You mean that he is free?" Lara questioned.

"Yes. The British government made a deal. And we're going to honor it… Though, we're not sure how useful that will be… Unfortunately, the poor chap is unconscious, and seems to have been for quite some time…"

Lara closed her eyes. The implications of Terry's condition were sinking in.

"We can keep him on life support," the agent continued "But there's no knowing for how long." Lara shook her head then looked Agent Smith straight in the eye.

"I'd like for Terry to be taken to my estate. I'll look after him."

"But Lady Croft you do realize what that requires –"

"I said that I'll look after him," Lara said sharply. The agent nodded.

"Then, I think that can be arranged." Lara was only half listening. She was looking past the agents. Smith understood.

"He's down the hall, third door to the right."

The agents watched as Lara walked solemnly and briskly towards the room.

"They say the two have a 'history' together," one of the agents said as soon as Lara was out of earshot.

"Must of ended when that no-good, son-of-a-bitch traitor was hauled to that Siberian klinker," the other agent said. "Hell, I thought the bastard got what he deserved."

"Enough," Agent Smith interrupted. "Terry Sheridan was a good Marine. One of the best… And as far as the British government is concerned, he helped save the world from one of the deadliest weapons of mass destruction." The agent paused before looking at his associates. "And now it's likely that he'll be a vegetable for the rest of his life."

"Show him some respect. Show them both some respect."

The first time Lara had seen Terry Sheridan there was a mischievous smirk across his face. She was irritated, but couldn't deny his charm and presence. No matter where he was or what mood he was in, she could always feel his presence. Terry was always full of energy. Now he laid still on a hospital bed, eyes closed and breath slow. His hair had grown longer and it looked as if doctors had hastily given him a shave. She had always liked his five o'clock shadow. 

Standing at the foot of his bed, Lara looked down at his expressionless face and remembered how his steel-colored eyes had looked into hers when he first approached her. Before she could say anything he had picked up her right hand and brought it to his lips. She was amazed and annoyed at how swift he was. She remembered looking surprised at her hand enclosed in his and then looking back up to see a twinkle in his eyes and that same smirk she had seen earlier. He always left a strong impression. Lara grabbed his right hand, looking sadly on at her friend.

"I thought you were dead…. But I wonder if this is worse," she whispered.

Of course, he didn't respond. He rested in a quiet state that was opposite the man of action that she was used to. She thought it so unfair for a man of his ability to be in this state. She squeezed his hand tighter.

For once, in a long time, a figure had come behind Lara without her being aware.

The tomb raider twirled around seconds before the hand touched her shoulder.

She looked up in surprise.

"Kosa, I didn't know you had come," Lara exclaimed.

The tall, African man stepped out of the shadows. He gave Lara a hug. She looked like she needed one. Lara stepped back and shook her head with a questioning look on her face.

"I'll tell you everything," the Masai warrior said. 

Chapter Four

The two sat in silence as Lara digested all that Kosa had revealed to her.

She was still feeling shock; it was the only emotion that she was sure of.

Locking eyes with the African man Lara slowly nodded her head in appreciation. 

"I thank you old friend. This whole matter could have been settled much differently."

Kosa nodded back.

"I know why you did what you did Lara, which is why for a moment I thought to finish the deed... But whether he lives or dies, I realize, is not my decision." The man turned to look at the unconscious Terry Sheridan. "I leave him in your hands, Lara..." Kosa stood up, signaling that he was ready to leave.

Lara stood up as well. "Kosa, before you go… about the men who found Terry, did they see anything else unusual about the cave?"

Kosa shook his head. Then seemed to hesitate. "I'm not sure if it's anything significant, which is why I didn't mention it earlier, but one of the men said that they thought there was a symbol drawn beneath Sheridan."

"What do you mean?" Lara questioned.

"The man who lifted Terry's back said that after he lifted him, he thought he saw what looked like an inverted triangle," Kosa put his hands together in the shape of a 'V'. "But the man wasn't sure… it was only there for a second, after they lifted him up dirt got in the way and wiped the symbol away. It was dark and the man has since doubted that he saw anything..." Kosa shrugged. "An inverted triangle..." Lara repeated to herself. She stiffened. "Wait, Kosa, what is the word that you said the chief heard Terry saying in his coma?"

"Chief Juma said that once in awhile Terry would say something like 'Sarra', 'Sars' -"

"Sarras," Lara said with finality.

Kosa nodded in agreement.

A contagious grin spread across Lara’s face.

"Did you already solve the riddle, Lady Croft?" Kosa said returning her smile.

Despite the mischievous grin on her face Lara shook her head no.

"Not quite, but I'd say with an inverted triangle and a reference to an Arthurian legend..." Lara walked over and stood over the unconscious man who had come back to life. Staring at his chiseled features and soft breathing. His living body was almost proof enough, she thought.

Feeling herself grab one of his hands, she spoke soft but firmly, "I do think we have a Holy Grail mystery on our hands." 

Chapter Five

He was in the castle.

Terry wasn't sure how he arrived there, but he looked around and he knew where he was.

In front of him was a throne. He saw what looked like a familiar dragon carved in gold a top of it...

He turned around to see the rest of the room.

Terry's gaze fell on a man who knelt in front of him. He could see the man was well armored, holding his sword upright with blade touching the floor as he knelt. A blue and gold lined cape was tossed over his shoulder. There was something familiar about the man.

Before he could speak a glow rose from his hands. He realized that he was holding something but he couldn't tell what it was. He raised his arms up to see the object but its glow intensified casting a blinding light...

Lara watched concerned at the expressions on Terry’s face. He was having a nightmare, she was sure of it.

She placed a hand on his cheek then to his forehead then back to his cheek, she hadn’t realized she was also making soothing noises to try and calm him down.

Bryce and Hillary did notice, but didn’t say a word as they stood in the back of the room, ready to be of service.

After a few minutes, the unconscious man seemed to relax. Lara let out a sigh of relief.

Hillary stepped forward.

“How is he doing, my Lady, he asked cautiously.”

Lara shrugged. “Seems to be the same… with nightmares every now and then.”

“I’d say that’s a good sign, at least his mind is still up and about,” Bryce offered.

Lara nodded. Terry had been in her home for five-days now and she wasn’t sure when or if he would ever wake up. She hated to admit how frightening that was to her.

“Lady Croft, if you don't mind I think it's time we do his daily cleaning,” Hillary said.

Lara felt a small blush cross her face. It wasn't like she hadn’t seen “all” of Terry before, so what did it matter if she was in the room or not? She found herself walking to the door and stepping out.

She stood in front of Terry’s door feeling a rush of adrenaline. ‘I need to go for another run,’ she thought to herself and headed towards her quarters.

She had already completed her daily 5-hour workout but another hour wouldn’t kill her. Indeed when she was out in the field she was accustomed to 20-hour days.

Lara felt so helpless with Terry in his coma. She had already dug up past files and started new ones on the Holy Grail and the mystical island of Sarras that was said to house the Grail. Researching anything that might illuminate how to help Terry’s condition.

Other than the obvious -- that the Holy Grail healed wounds, prevented aging and could thus keep a person alive forever – and somehow this miraculously helped heal Terry – there seemed to be no connection.

Her heart pumping Lara had already changed into gym clothes and strapped on her training shoes. Maybe she’d do a few rounds on her punching bag. She headed towards her gym.

As she headed down the flight of stairs towards her gym she heard movement in the grand hall below her. ‘Hm, looks like I have a visitor,’ she thought. With a deft movement, her hands then legs vaulted over the staircase rail and she landed in a swift motion on the ground floor.

The man in the hall jumped back startled. Lara couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at his response. Allen’s boyishly handsome face was bright red. The man straightened his blazer jacket in an attempt to compose himself.

“Allen, I didn’t know you were here,” Lara exclaimed. As if to answer her puzzlement she heard the intercom system in her home click on.

“Oh, Lara, sorry forgot to mention that Allen Moore is waiting for you in the hall,” Bryce’s voice said over the speaker.

Lara rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “So hard to find good help these days,” she said. “Believe me I understand, my Uncle’s estate has the same issues,” Allen replied.

She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Nothing like dealing with the country’s aristocracy - of which she had the fortunate and unfortunate destiny to be borne to. She smiled in response.

“I’m sorry, Lara I see that you’re about to do some… training,” Allen responded. “I just haven’t heard from you this past week so I thought I’d pay you a visit.”

“Ah, yes, Allen, I do apologize. Something came up… a dear friend of mine needed some help.”

“Oh dear, I hope all is well,” he said concerned.

Lara nodded. “It’s complicated… and I don’t dare bore you with it.”

Allen chuckled. “No Lara, there’s nothing boring about you.”

She rewarded him with a radiant smile. He wasn’t a bad man, he was interesting, handsome, charming and smart, the whole package. Just the kind of gentleman she should be partnered with.

“Allen, where are my manners can I offer you --“ The man waved his hand to silence her.

“No, I’ll make this quick.” He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out an envelope.

“Next Saturday my Uncle will be hosting a ball in honor of his 40th wedding anniversary….” He paused gathering courage for what Lara knew he was going to ask.

“And I’d be honored if you would join me,” Allen said.

A ball. Absolutely. Positively. It was her least favorite activity.

“It will also be a charity event for Uncle’s local museum,” Allen offered when she didn’t respond right away.

‘Oh dear, he’s really reaching isn’t he,’ she thought. Taking the higher road Lara made her decision.

“Of course, Allen. I’d be happy to be your escort.” And as a side note she added that his Uncle’s museum had a fine collection. “And quite well known for its exhibits on Arthurian lore.”

“Ah yes, and that it should when your family traces its relations to Sir Thomas Malory,” he said proudly about his ancestor who authored the ever famous Le Morte d’Arthur. Lara nodded slowly.

“Well,” Allen said, clearing his throat and sensing that he should exit on a high note. “I’m honored, Lady Croft. And I look forward to enjoying your presence this Saturday.” He gave her a slight bow, followed by what could only described as a charming smile, and headed to the front door. If the door slammed she didn’t notice.

Lara found herself gawking at the overly ornate invitation in her hands: a mixture of Old English, modern script and a barrage of colors – probably Lady Malory’s favorite shades. She shook her head before tossing it on the side table beside her. Lara was thankful for the privileges that her life afforded her but couldn’t get over the self-entitled people who weren’t.

A loud noise shook her out of her thoughts. She recognized the sound of a revving motorcycle engine. ‘At least he’s got just one thing right,’ she thought.

Involuntarily she found herself comparing Allen Moore to Terry Sheridan. Apples to oranges that’s the American phrase isn’t it, she thought. Thinking about Terry made her think about checking up on him again.

She couldn’t rationalize why she found herself heading to his room again, except that it would make her feel better. Bryce and Hillary should be done with him, she thought. She just wanted one last look before carrying on with the rest of her day.

The door to his room was slightly ajar. From the doorway she saw that indeed he had been cleaned, with a change of clothes and everything.

Stepping in and shutting the door behind her she walked quietly toward the unconscious man. He had on a new slate gray shirt, something she knew would reflect his eyes, and fit his well built torso. The rest of his body was covered by a blanket. It was a shame to see such an active man in the state that he was in. She made a mental note about needing to exercise him and make use of his muscles.

Thinking of muscles made her want to check something that had puzzled and fascinated her about Terry’s amazing recovery.

The area on his stomach where she had shot him… there wasn’t a single mark of evidence that it had happened. Nothing in the front of his stomach, nor in his back where the exit wound should appear. She found herself lifting his shirt over his abs to check again. Whatever had cured him had cured him completely. Her hand ran over his abs, searching for anything, any sign.

It had happened quickly her decision to shoot him, maybe she hadn’t hit his stomach maybe it was higher or lower? Her hand glided lower below his navel. She was so absorbed in searching for an explanation that she had forgotten that she was touching an unconscious man. Realizing what she was about to do, she began to lift her hand away. Suddenly, something grabbed her wrist.

Lara gasped at what she saw. Her wrist caught between the strong grip of Terry’s hand. Her eyes flicked up to see his eyes half open with a small smile on his face.

“I didn’t ask you to stop,” the man said with a twinkle in his now conscious eyes. A sound of joy rose from her throat. She felt tears rush to her eyes.

“Terry!?” Lara exclaimed feeling as if she was going to burst with happiness.

“Who??” The man responded.

Lara gasped. The look of puzzlement in his eyes said it all. 

Chapter Six

Still gripping Lara’s wrist the half conscious man pulled her inches to his face.

Lara not normally the one to be manhandled complied. His gesture was out of confusion not malice and she could see that through his troubled eyes.

Terry studied her face. “I don’t know you…” he said softly.

A wave of dread and relief washed over her. If he didn’t remember her then he wouldn’t remember the last moment before he became unconscious when she had shot him to prevent him from taking a destructive weapon known as Pandora’s Box.

But if he doesn’t remember me, what else does he not remember, she thought with a growing sense of concern. She switched his grip on her wrist to hold his hand.

“Terry, how do you feel? Are you hurt?” The man shook his head no.

“I feel fine, but my mind -- it’s a complete blank,” he said.

“Terry, what is the last thing that you do remember?”

He shut his eyes trying to sort out his thoughts. He shook his head again. “It’s so strange… nothing comes to mind…”

His grip tightened on her hand. “But you, I don’t know you… yet you seem familiar.” His steel eyes gazed intensely at her, so much so that Lara found herself looking away.

Terry always had an intense presence, but it was often offset by his cocky yet charming nature and thus made it easy for her to rebuff. But the powerful man staring at her now, with chiseled features and piercing eyes, was exuding an intense masculinity that made her body respond.

Lara felt self conscious in her form fitting workout shorts and sports bra which covered very little of her body.

Terry smiled. Lara could see the interest in his eyes. Not liking the awkwardness of the situation she released his hand and stepped back. I have to pull myself together, she commanded herself. “OK Terry, so you don’t seem to remember anything about the past… What do you know about yourself,” she asked.

“Well, I know that my name is ‘Terry’,” he said with a smirk.

“Does the world ‘Sarras’ mean anything to you,” Lara continued.

The man frowned as he thought. He shook his head negative again.

This time Lara’s brow furrowed in consternation, she wasn’t sure what to do next.

“I hate to interrupt your concentration,” Terry said. “But now that you’re done asking me questions, can it be my turn?” Lara threw her hands up in disgust.

“Of course, and where have my manners been! You must be hungry, thirsty… do you have any other biological needs?” Another smirk crossed Terry’s face. “Don’t answer that,” Lara said angrily.

Lara hit a button near her. “Yes, Lady Croft,” Hillary’s voice said over the intercom.

“Lady Croft,” Terry said incredulously. Lara ignored him.

“Hillary, I think I can use a shot of Bacardi.” She turned to the cocky, yet charming man in the bed. “Actually make that two. And could you see to preparing a nice big meal. We have a guest who is probably famished.”

The candlelight flickered as the flame was reaching the last of its wick. A few feet away the room’s fireplace still roared strong.

Lara poured out the last contents of the bottle of merlot into her wine glass. She had told him everything -- well almost everything. For the time being she left out the part about his desire to take Pandora's Box and her shooting him and instead leading him to believe that the box had somehow directly killed him - which was technically true. And she also left out that before their search for Pandora’s Box he was a high-level criminal imprisoned in a Siberian prison camp, and before that a mercenary with no loyalties.

“I’m sorry that I can’t go into depth with your personal history,” Lara said. “I’ve only known you by reputation and then… those three months,” she said referring to their brief (and ill-fated) relationship.

There was confusion on his face. “So you and I… we were a pair…but then we broke up and then reunited again to find this box,” he said. “…So what are we now,” he asked.

Lara took another long sip of her wine then set the cup firmly down. “It’s… complicated.” I did shoot you, she thought. “…But let’s say we’re good friends.”

“I owe you my life, Croft…”

She nodded. “Ah, that you might literally be able to do.” Lara said. “You came back to life Terry, something fantastic happened.”

His brow furrowed. “You mean the Holy Grail clues,” he said. Lara nodded.

“I wish I could help you, but everything is so hazy right now,” he smirked. “It’s even hard to believe anything that you say about me... like I was a royal commando?”

She laughed. “You don’t believe me,” she said while arching an eyebrow. She had an idea. “Terry, stand up and follow me.” She led him towards the couches and fireplace in the room. She stopped shy of the couches and turned around to face him. Terry couldn’t help but smile in anticipation. “I like where this is going, Croft.”

“Oh I think you will,” Lara said before swinging her right arm towards his face. “What the h--“ Terry cried but before he could finish Lara had thrown her left arm out and pivoted behind him, holding Terry in a chokehold.

An instinct in Terry took over. He found himself reaching behind him, pivoting his lower body and then holding Lara in a similar hold.

Lara laughed. “OK that was an easy one to counter, but what about this --“ She kicked her left leg out and rolled. In seconds, she was on top of Terry and smiling triumphantly. The man liked feeling Lara on top of him, but another instinct took over as he yanked her down and countered the move. Now he was on top.

Lara smiled up at him. “You were a master at Akido, Terry Sheridan,” she said.

“I hope that’s some kind of art that helps me wrestle you to bed,” he said suggestively.

“Mmm, not quite,” Lara said. With a thrust she flipped him off and around and before Terry knew it, he was facing the floor with Lara’s knee pressing him down.

“You’re a bit rusty, I see,” Lara said.

“No, I think I just like being handled by you,” Terry replied.

Lara released him and let him stand up. She looked him over. “I wonder what other skills you have intact.”

Terry grabbed her hands and pulled her close. “I can think of one skill I’d like to test out,” he said. Lara pushed him off. “If it’s anything like you just performed, I’ll have to pass.”

Terry laughed. “Ok Croft, show me your other weapons and if I do well with yours, then maybe I’ll show you mine.”

Lara shook her head. Even if he couldn’t remember a thing, Terry’s cocky nature was still the same. It made her laugh.

It’s good to have him back, she thought. But the specter of his full memory returning - and his reaction to her shooting him -filled her with dread. 

Chapter Seven

The four non-doctors in the room looked expectantly at the elder gentleman as he paused to sip his tea.

Lara shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she waited for the response to her question from Dr. Chambers. Terry leaned forward his brows knit in concern. Hillary and Bryce stood towards the back of the room looking like they were holding their breath.

“My dear, that’s a good question and I wish I could give you a firm answer..." The doctor turned towards Terry. "His memory may return instantly or it may return slowly in the course of a few days.” As if to add to the drama, the doctor took another sip of his tea. "However, he might never remember the event that caused his memory loss. This seems to be the case with many trauma victims." Bryce giggled from the back of the room. "Well, somethings aren't worth remember anyway." he said with a smirk. 

Hillary elbowed Bryce in the ribs, then smiled apologetically at Lara. Lara gave him a look of disdain. If Terry were to remember the traumatic event that caused his memory loss it would be of Lara shooting him to prevent him from stealing a weapon of mass destruction. The thought made her uncomfortable.

"Dr. Chambers," Lara asked "is there a way that his memory might be triggered... right now he doesn't remember a thing..."

The old family doctor shrugged. "Quite possibly," he said. "And many im-possibilities seem possible with you Lara," he added with a smile. The old man stood up from his chair signaling that he was ready to leave. "Well the good news is that Terry is with people who care about him. Right now he needs rest and a safe and comfortable environment." The doctor seemed to emphasize the word 'safe' to Lara. If the circumstances were different she might have found the implication humorous, but having Terry remember his last moments while searching for Pandora's box was not a laughing matter at all.

"Doctor," Hillary intervened. "Of course you'll join us for breakfast?" The old doctor laughed.

"Oh no, I'm afraid I have another house call," he said with a smile. "Besides, the organic concoctions that this household prescribes to may be a little too advanced for my digestive system."

Lara frowned. "I thought you approved of my protein shakes," she said.

"Of course Lara, it's wonderful and highly nutritious for your body, but I'm afraid if the good Lord wanted me to eat grass he would have made me a cow," the doctor said with a joking smile about Lara's wheat grass morning shake.

"I'm a growing girl," Lara said with a grin.

"Yes, your father would be proud," Chambers said with a nostalgic smile. Lara returned the smile. "Well, I'll be off then," Chambers said while moving towards the door. "Now remember, let's keep Terry in a comfortable and safe environment these next few days."

All four of them nodded in agreement, although none of them believed it would happen.

Terry took a step back adjusting to what he intuitively knew would be the weapon's recoil. He couldn't remember ever firing a gun, but this also seemed very familiar to him. "You know, I don't think this counts as a safe and comfortable environment that the doctor was talking about," he said referring to Lara's indoor gun range.

Lara shrugged. "It's quite tame I assure you." She fired a few rounds. "Besides you're capable of hitting the bulls eyes in your sleep."

Terry looked skeptical but aimed for the target. "Sure if you say so," he said before pulling the trigger.

"See," Lara quiped. Terry smiled to himself at the bulls eye he had just achieved.

Lara chuckled. "Don't get too thick headed, that's nothing." She fired four consecutive rounds then promptly pushed a button that would bring the target up to them. Terry looked puzzled at the single hole that went through the bulls eyes. Then his eyes lit up in recognition.

"You hit the same place four times," he said impressed. Lara nodded affirmative.

"Was I able to do that," Terry asked. Lara shrugged and nodded her head towards his target. Terry understood what she meant. Raising his firearm, four consecutive shots rang out, followed by a fifth as an after thought. As the target moved forward the results told the story as only one hole marked the paper.

Terry couldn't help the huge grin that crossed his face, but before he could speak Lara expertly reloaded her weapon and fired six shots.

"Ahem," she said as the target came forward with the same results.

Terry smiled at her. "You've made your point Croft."

"That I've always been a superior shot," she said.

"And that you're an impossible woman to please," he said. "No wonder our relationship didn't work out, or your other ones for that matter." Terry winced, he definitely didn't mean to say that last part out loud. Looking at Lara's face he knew the damage had been done.

Lara held her ground as she struggled to not shout that he was a murderous traitorous thug. But his comment on her other relationships, that was out of line. She wouldn't condone any judgment from him...

"Shut-up Terry, you don't know anything about me," was all she quietly said. The tomb raider turned around stalked out of the room.

Lara headed straight for her library, the one that contained her Arthurian lore. The sooner she solved the mystery of the Holy Grail, the sooner she could get Terry out of her life. 

Chapter Eight

Terry had been at a loss. It’s true he didn’t know anything about Lara. He didn’t know anything about himself for that matter but he could sense that there was some unresolved tension between them.

Coming to his senses he walked out of the gun range and decided that he had to go find her and apologize. He had to.

Lara walked briskly through her home. Anyone who didn’t know the manor would have been completely confused by the twists and turns of the various hallways and chambers. Lara knew every corner. Heading towards the east wing of the building she pulled open the door to one of her father’s favorite studies, which also contained the subject matter that she was interested in.

The great room had bookcases that reached to the ceiling on all of the walls except for the wall that directly faced the door, that wall contained floor to ceiling bay windows with a seating area at the base of the window. It made for a wonderful reading corner as it overlooked the grounds of Croft Manor including its hedge maze.

Normally Lara was very appreciative of the view but instead her gaze fell on an ugly reminder sitting atop of the room’s large desk.

It was the invitation to Allen’s Moore’s ball, or his Uncle’s rather. Feeling irritated from her earlier encounter with Terry, Lara hit the intercom switch next to the door.

“Hillary, you’ve got a bloody cheek --“ she yelled into the speaker.

“My Lady, I just wanted to remind you that you accepted his invitation for Saturday evening,” the voice over the intercom said unperturbed. “Shall I start pulling some of you ball gowns to select from?”

Lara slumped against the closest wall with a thud. She absolutely hated balls. Why did she accept his invitation, she thought. Allen Moore invited me to his Uncle’s ball…. in Warwickshire of all places. Then it hit her. She had almost forgotten!

She hit the intercom button. “Yes, Hillary, please do so immediately.”

On the other side of the intercom, Hillary was speechless; he was expecting a fight. With a smile, the family servant and friend headed to the storage area to retrieve options for Lara to wear the following evening.

Terry was lost. He had given up trying to find Lara and now was just interested in finding a familiar room. After passing through a hallway that looked recognizable – he had no idea how many suits of armor and Egyptian sarcophaguses could be in one home - he thought he heard voices. With a sigh of relief he headed towards the noise.

Pushing a door aside, Terry found himself in a room that was completely out of place – he went from the old world of Croft Manor to the high-tech complexity of an advanced research and development lab. The voices he heard was coming from loud rock music piping through the room’s speakers. His eyes fell upon Bryce who was hunched over some gadget.

“Bryce,” Terry shouted, hoping the young engineering genius would hear him over the music. When he didn’t move, Terry shouted again. This time the young man jumped up from his seat. He turned around startled.

“Blimey,” Bryce yelled. “You scared me, mate,” he said whipping off his goggles.

“Sorry, Bryce, I didn’t mean to startle you, I was just searching for Lara.”

The young man snickered. “I’m sure you were,” he said.

Terry raised a brow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Bryce shook his head, not liking the intense stare of the man next to him. Terry was built like a linebacker but deadlier.

“Nothing, mate. I mean who else would you be looking for,” he said with a nervous giggle. Terry frowned before realizing that Bryce could be useful.

“So you knew me… before I lost my memory.” Terry said. The young man shifted knowing what was coming. Terry ignored his discomfort. “So what’s the deal with Lara and I?”

Bryce shook his head. “Um nothing, you two were… good friends.”

“I think not,” Terry replied. “We were more than good friends,” he said.

Bryce sighed and nodded. “Yeah, for awhile you and Lara did have… a thing but afterwards… yup… good friends.”

Terry gave Bryce a smile that looked more dangerous than friendly.

“What happened between us,” Terry pursued.

“You two had your differences that’s all, mate,” Bryce said quickly. He shrugged. “Come on now, is it so hard to believe, .... she’s a Lady and you, you’re just a bloke from Glasgow. Just differences.”

Terry sneered. “Aye, I see. You’re telling me this is an issue of class. From what I can tell Lady Croft, excuse me, is hardly your typical ‘Lady.’”

Bryce giggled. “That’s what you think. Why is she going out to some fancy ball tomorrow night then,” he said with a smile.

“What’s this,” Terry said, with a frown forming on his face.

“A ball in Warwickshire. Lara’s to accompany a bloke named Moore,” Bryce said quickly hoping to end the conversation.

The revelation caught Terry be surprise. He had just assumed she wasn’t seeing anyone. He had to learn more. “Take me to her,” was all he said to the techie. Bryce nodded.

Bryce led Terry to the east wing of the manor. Up a flight then around a corner then three doors down the two came upon a study.

As they entered, Lara’s back was to them. She was pouring over the pages of an ancient looking book. Her head rose as she heard the two walk in.

She turned around to face them. Terry stopped himself from gaping. With the sunlight behind her, Lara was seemed to glow. She was a classic beauty, although the expression currently on her face was more like the stern gaze of Athena than the loving one of Aphrodite.

“Bryce, please leave us,” Lara said. The young man nodded, eager to escape the tension in the room. As soon as the young man was out of earshot Terry felt he could speak. “Lara, I’m really sorry about --“

“I don’t want to hear it,” Lara said cutting him off. Terry strode up to her trying to look her directly in the eye. Lara looked away.

“Look, Lara, I’m really sorry --“

“I said that I don’t want to hear it, Terry,” Lara said almost shrilly. She quickly turned around, picked up the book she was reading, then turned again and held the book up to his face. “Does this look familiar to you?”

With the book shoved in his face, he was forced to look. With a sigh, Terry studied the image on the page.

The image looked liked half a figure eight, he wasn’t sure what it was but there was something familiar about it. His hands immediately grabbed the book from her and held it closer. Lara saw what looked like recognition in his eyes. Terry turned to Lara who was looking at him expectantly.

The man slowly nodded. “I don’t know what it is, but… I know this…” he looked at the figure again then looked at her. “But it seems to be missing something….” Lara nodded like she was expecting him to say that.

“Come with me,” was all she said.

“Where are we going,” Terry asked.

“To the garage first.” She looked him straight in the eye. “I hope you still remember how to ride,” she said. 

Chapter Nine

The green English countryside breezed by as the two sped north from Lara’s home. The motorbikes they rode sliced down the dirt road like the expensive high-end machines that they were.

Despite the coldness from the women riding ahead of him, Terry couldn’t help but smile now and then at the sheer exhilaration and adrenaline of the ride. Once again he found himself capable of operating a machine he had no memory of ever using.

The ride had been long and Terry had no idea where they were going. Over the wind it was impossible to talk to Lara and she kept herself firmly in the lead.

Clad in leather jacket, boots, and black athletic wear, even her tight braid looked like a weapon, Lara emanated a hardness and ferocity, which contrasted with the very womanly form of her body. Riding behind her wasn’t such a bad thing, he thought enjoying the view before him. It wasn’t just Lara’s appealing physical attributes, but he gained a further appreciation for her skill and ability. She never slowed down and she expertly dodged every vehicle in her way before turning off onto the dirt road that they were currently navigating. To his own credit he was able to follow, but it seemed that she expected no less from him. He wondered with awe and apprehension about what type of people he and Lara were. Who is Lara, and for that matter who am I, he thought to himself.

It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that Lara finally slowed down. They were approaching a small hill. Lara guided her bike up the hill and came to a stop to take in the view. Terry pulled up next to her. He let out a whistle of appreciation.

Stretched before them was an ancient stonewall that spanned as far as he could see in either direction. On the grassy fields of the countryside the wall in the middle of nowhere was obviously and deliberately placed. The amount of effort to build the wall, let alone to find the tens of thousands of stones that made up the wall was admirable to say the least.

Lara pulled off her helmet and breathed in the fresh countryside air. Barely acknowledging him she studied the wall as if looking for something.

“Where are we,” Terry finally asked after minutes of silence.

“This is Hadrian’s Wall,” she said not even returning eye contact. “This wall marks the northernmost border of the Roman Empire. It was built to protect Roman Britain from the savage inhabitants of the north –“

“You mean the Scots,” Terry said with a small grin. Lara ignored the comment and repeated her last line, but this time emphasizing the word ‘savage’.

“The savages, really the Pictish tribes - ancient inhabitants of Scotland - were deemed dangerous and the land not necessary for the empire, so Emperor Hadrian had his soldiers build this wall from seacoast to seacoast,” she explained.

“Pardon me for asking but the wall hardly looks formidable, it seems to stand at only quarter of a meter in some places,” Terry said.

Lara nodded. “Well in its prime days it stood five to six meters high with forts every ‘Roman mile’. The wall was an effective tool for the empire’s defense, as well as symbolic of Rome’s might.”

“Sounds fantastic, but I don’t see any forts that you mention,” Terry said.

“No,” Lara said. “Not above ground anyway,” she said turning to look at him for the first time, a radiant but mischievous smile spread across her face.

Terry couldn’t help but return her smile. If she hadn’t rushed to put on her helmet and start her bike he thought it might have been a good time to apologize for what he had said to her that morning. But it seemed Lara was not going to give him that opportunity.

He strapped on his helmet then followed Lara toward the wall.

After riding along the wall’s perimeter for another fifteen minutes she finally found what she was looking for. Lara spotted the large flat stone that lay on the ground exactly where she had left it. The tomb raider jumped off her bike and bent down and placed her hands on the edge of the rock.

To Terry the rock looked ordinary enough, just one that had fallen to the ground, but not questioning her judgment, he jumped off his bike and bent down to help her. As the large stone gave way Terry made a sound of appreciation. Beneath the rock, Terry could see that crystals had formed. The revelation motivated him further and the two removed the stone quickly.

With the stone removed, he saw that they had uncovered a small dark hole, barely large enough for a man to pass through.

He looked at Lara skeptically. “Don’t tell me in my old life I used to do things like this,” he said nodding at the hole.

A tight smile crossed Lara’s face, but she didn’t respond. Instead she reached into her knapsack and pulled out a flare. With a swift motion the flare lit up and Lara dropped it down the hole.

Peering below he could see a dull glow of the flare rising from the floor, signaling that it was quite a ways down.

Lara was busy securing rope to a stone. With expert ease she tied a knot then tossed the rope down the hole. Lara looked at Terry expectantly and nodded towards the hole.

“Oh definitely ladies first,” he said.

“How gallant of you,” she said smugly. Lara pulled another flare from her knapsack, ignited it then reached for the rope and skillfully lowered herself down.

Even though it was a typical overcast day in the U.K., Terry looked up at the sky. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to see daylight for a while. Then he lowered himself down.

Lara was waiting for him down below. With flare in one hand and pistol in another she looked primed for action.

“Do I get one of those,” Terry said motioning to her gun.

Lara shook her head. “Don’t worry I’m just taking precautions. We’re probably the only living things down here anyway,” she said.

“That’s a bit of a relief,” Terry said not feeling entirely reassured.

“Of course it could be the non-living things to worry about,” Lara added.

“Thanks for that,” Terry replied sarcastically.

She smiled in the dark.

“So where are we,” he asked.

“These chambers were built beneath a Roman fortress for storage and other uses, but after the fall of the empire it fell into various hands of secret society,” she said nonchalantly.

Terry looked around the room, he could barely make out shapes and figures carved in the stonework – the only thing he could make out were columns and what looked to be intricate scrollwork around the borders of the ceiling.

“So, who is this secret society and what happened to them,” Terry asked.

Lara shined her flare towards one of the chamber’s walls. The shape illuminated was that of a cross. “The Knights Templar was the last of them,” she said.

None of this seemed to familiar to Terry at all. He shrugged. “Fine, so why am I here,” he asked. Lara nodded. “Follow me,” she said. She led Terry down a dark hall.

The further they walked down the hall, the older the enclosure seemed to get. Terry watched as the symbols in the hallway changed from what looked like the period of the crusades to earlier medieval times.

“You’ve been here before,” he asked and stated to Lara.

“Yes,” she said. “In an earlier excavation but whatever treasures that were housed here were taken centuries ago so I left this place as I found it for archaeologists to do their work.”

Terry frowned. “So you wouldn’t call your line of work archeology then,” he queried.

Lara shook her head. “No, the science and anthropological study I leave to the professionals who will dedicate years and years to studying a site.” She smiled. “I’m afraid I’m a little too impatient for that.”

Right then it dawned on Terry what she was. “So you’re a treasure hunter then, a robber of tombs?” Lara couldn’t help but chuckle. “No I’m an explorer. Almost all that I find I report to local authorities.”

“’Almost’ all that you find,” Terry was quick to point out.

Lara shrugged. “Well some things are better kept out of the publics' hands, and some places are too dangerous.” To emphasize her point she illuminated what looked like a huge blade stuck in the rock wall.

Terry looked at her stunned. “Did that blade almost kill you?”

She nodded. “Whatever used to be housed here was valuable.”

The two continued down the cave. Feeling out of his league, Terry was glad to be with the woman.

After another ten minutes down the hall the two finally came upon a chamber. Lara held out her hand signaling for Terry to slow down.

The two of them walked slowly into the room. From the airiness in the room he could already tell that it was a much much bigger space than the hallway.

Lit by the glow of Lara’s single flare Terry could see shadows cast against the wall. He scanned the room making out what looked liked more columns and then – to his surprise- he saw a pair of angry eyes looking directly at him.

Terry jumped back in shock, knocking the flare out of Lara’s hand. Then the whole room went dark.

Lara cursed as the room went pitch black.

“We’re not alone,” Terry hissed to Lara.

To her great surprise she felt Terry’s hands on her waist then quickly slide down towards her hips. “What the bloody h--“ Lara sputtered.

“Your guns woman!” Terry cried. He was looking for her guns that she kept strapped to each of her legs.

Lara pushed him off. “Behave yourself,” she said sternly. Nanoseconds later a flame brightened the room. Terry could see Lara from the small flame, he watched as she threw the match into a tall vase.

In seconds the vase lit up with a roaring flame, then he could see another vase light up and another. He realized that the vessels were connected.

The room was now brightly lit and Terry wasted no time searching for the angry eyes he had seen a moment ago. As he focused in on the area where he thought he saw the eyes he felt his heart rate drop and his face flush from embarrassment.

The angry eyes belonged to the statue of a beast. A dragon to be exact. Terry stared in disbelief. He could have sworn he saw actual living eyes looking at him. He wondered if he was crazy. Terry turned to Lara who had a huge smirk across her face.

“You still want a gun,” she said with an eyebrow arched. Terry was too ashamed to respond. “Not too worry,” Lara continued. “I did say it was the non-living things that we should fear.”

The man shook his head confused. “I don’t know what happened, I could have sworn those eyes were looking at me….” He turned to look at the dragon again. All of a sudden he felt a rush of recognition, but he couldn’t place it. Lara saw the expression on Terry’s face and this time felt concern.

“Are you OK, Terry?” she asked.

“I don’t know… it’s just that the dragon it feels… familiar…” he felt another rush of energy over him. Terry couldn’t help from taking a more detailed look at the rest of the room first noting its circular shape.

Towards the back wall of the chamber was the dragon - it’s angry face looking straight ahead, one claw reaching up and wings outstretched. He hadn’t noticed before, but the dragon framed a throne. Beside the throne were two torches. The rest of the room was barren except for columns along the walls of the room, and the only other piece of furniture in the room was a round table a few feet in front of the throne.

“Have I been here before,” he asked Lara.

Lara shook her head. “If you have that would be rather humbling to me since I’ve never revealed this location to anybody.”

“I don’t know. I just have this vague feeling….”

Lara couldn’t help but feel concerned. For all his masculinity, Terry’s look of confusion made him look vulnerable. She realized the hardship he must be experiencing with his memory loss.

“Terry, do you remember that figure I showed you back in the manor,” she asked hoping it would stop his negative mood. He nodded.

“I want to show you something over here,” she motioned to the man and guided him towards a wall directly opposite the throne.

“Look there,” she said while pointing at an icon on the wall that was also shaped like a portion of a figure eight except -- similar to the image Lara had shown to him earlier-- it looked to be missing a piece.

“It looks like the other half of the piece you showed me in your manor…” he said stepping closer to it. He reached up his arm as if to touch it. “Why do I know this…” He whispered to himself. Lara nodded in approval.

“Great we are getting closer and closer to solving this mystery then,” she said. Terry didn’t seem to hear her, but she continued.

“These icons have matching partners if you will…. in a sister temple. Now all we have to do is figure out the missing third image and once completed the entire image will help us locate our next destination.”

Standing on tip-toe now Terry was able to reach up to touch the icon. His finger-tips brushed its surface. He took one more lunge poising himself to grab the icon off the wall.

“Terry you don’t need to bring it down, I’ve taken a digital picture and --“ Terry jumped and swiped the icon from the wall. He let out a sound triumph that was cut short by a loud metallic clink that rumbled on the other side of the wall.

“What did you do?” Lara said wide-eyed. Another - louder- metallic clink sounded.

Both of their instincts made them dash for the door, but a loud crack stopped them mid-track. “Son of a--” Lara cried as a huge boulder fell and blocked their only escape from the room.

Lara turned around wildly looking for any other possible escape. Another metallic sound banged and she felt the ground shake underneath them.

“What’s happening,” Terry yelled.

“The icon,” Lara yelled back. “When you grabbed it you set off some trap!”

Lara stumbled as the floor very shakily started to move. She caught her breath as she realized what was happening.

“The floor is rising!” Terry shouted. He looked up at the chamber’s ceiling and was greeted by several hundred jagged pointy rocks ready to skewer them.

“So this isn’t unusual for you, right Croft?”

Lara was busy searching the walls for any counter device, any clue. “Shove it and start looking for an icon, anything that looks similar to the damn rock you bloody pulled,” she said sternly.

Terry ran to the wall opposite her to search. He saw random Celtic looking designs but none of them looked like the one he held and further more they were all carved into the wall, the icon he had had protruded out.

Lara cursed as the floor rose higher and higher. She estimated that they had about five minutes. She began frantically to look to see if there were any other alternatives, anyway to stop the floor from rising, anyway to jam it or dodge it.

To her dismay she saw the dragon statue crumble as it hit the ceiling. If the stone dragon statue could crumble it meant that there was little that could jam the floor from rising.

“Over here,” Terry cried. Lara quickly turned to the man. He pointed to the ground where very small patterns similar to the icon were carved on the ground. The patterns all led in one direction.

“I think we need to get under the table,” Terry shouted. With the ceiling get closer and closer Lara had little time to think it through. She dove underneath with the fleeting thought that perhaps the table may shield them from the pointy rocks.

Terry crammed underneath with her - the table was only large enough to cover both of their bodies if they squeezed together very tightly.

Lara’s hands shot up patting table down looking for anything. Then her hand felt something. It was an object that was attached underneath the table. “I think I found something,” she cried. She twisted the object.

She cried in frustration as the floor continued to rise. The table began to shake as it approached the ceiling. She twisted again. Nothing. Lara turned her head and looked Terry in the eyes. The two knew it was close to the end. He instinctively placed his body over hers. The table continued to shudder. Terry closed his eyes.

Out of nowhere came a faint clink sound. Terry opened his eyes in disbelief, then another noise was made. “I think I heard something,” he cried. Lara thought she did too.

Seconds later the floor stopped moving. Both of them held their breath a minute longer wanting to make sure the movement was stopped for good.

Finally Terry spoke, “I think you did it Croft.” He said with a relieved sigh. He smiled in approval at her. She couldn't stop herself from laughing.

“Well, you did figure out to go underneath the table,” she offered, staring at him directly with a radiant smile.

The man laughed and wrapped his arms around her. The two held each other in relief as the floor began to lower.

After a few moments Lara became very conscious of his body against hers. The close quarters of the table caused her legs to wrap around him, her chest pressed against his. Lifting her head up to look at his face she found his eyes gazing intensely at her, drooped in what could only be described as desire. She noticed his breathing getting huskier and hers getting excited.

Not knowing who initiated what the two found themselves embraced in a passionate kiss. Lara couldn’t help her excitement as Terry’s hands moved, searched and explored her body.

He kissed her with fervor and she returned it with the same intensity. A rage of emotions swept over her. She felt passion, comfort, heat, and raw sexual desire all at once. His hands continued to sweep over her body, cupping her bottom then crawling up and fondling her breast. Lara shuddered with pleasure.

“I don't remember anything..." Terry whispered between kisses. "But I know that I’ve wanted this a long time. He gently raised her face to look into his eyes. His steely gaze seemed to penetrate through her.

The look caused her to gasp. It was the same look he had given her after he had rescued her from Jonathan Reiss. She had kissed him then and he looked at her with that same… longing gaze… At that moment, after he had rescued her, she felt certain that she could trust him, maybe spend her life with him, but then seconds later that trust was shattered. He wanted to take Pandora’s box and she couldn’t let him do it. She had to pull the trigger.

The memory caused Lara to push out of his embrace. She hit her head hard underneath the table.

“Lara,” Terry cried.

She placed a hand on her head thinking that she was grateful to have been literally shaken from his hold.

He tried to pull her back into his arms, but she refused.

“Terry, no,” she said pushing him off. “We… I don’t know what happened, but look…. WE don’t do that,” she said sternly. The hard look in her eyes made him drop his hands.

“What do you mean… WE just did,” he said with raised voice. "I felt it, that was real!"

Lara didn’t respond, she briskly crawled out from under the table.

“Lara, please, everything in my body it tells me that I know you and that my feelings for you have been there a long while ...and that you've returned those feelings too... My mind doesn't remember a thing, but my heart..."

She was moved by his words. Was it true that he still had those feelings... But why doesn't he remember those last moments... What if one day he realizes that she had betrayed him...

Terry was frustrated by her silence. "Look ... I know there is someone else,” he said with a sneer. If she was feeling any compassion it vanished. “What?" she said with disgust. "You’re a headcase.”

Dusting herself off, Lara was happy to see that the boulder which had blocked the door was now gone. She marched directly out of the room and back towards the entrance of the cave.

Terry followed angrily. “I know that you have a date tomorrow night, a fancy ball of sorts with some tosser.”

She stopped in surprised then quickly made herself continue to the exit. How did he know about that, she thought. Well, no matter…

“Yes,” she said not stopping her walk nor turning to see him. “I do.”

“Of course, after all Lady Croft, you do belong with high society not with jocks like me who’ve lost their memory and don’t have a penny to their name,” he spat our vilely.

“That has nothing to do with it.” Lara said crossly. “Lord Malory has something that I need.”

She could almost feel the contempt rising from Terry’s body when she said the title 'Lord.'

What she wasn’t telling him was that Malory was the key to finding the last image of the icon, and that the reason she needed to find the icon was so she could find the Grail.

Once that is accomplished I can get Terry out of my life for good, she thought. But part of her didn't believe the sincerity of her conviction.

THE END

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