Note: Sry bout the )s, only way to keep my paragraphs in order
What Would You Do?
Lady Lara Croft sat in the plush chair in front of the fire and stared into the flames, her mind blissfully blank as she blocked everything else from her mind. She'd just returned from Cairo and it felt wonderful to be at home and with her Isis statue no less. She'd run into some men who'd thought they could successfully attempt to take the statue from her. They'd learned they were dreadfully wrong. Crossing her legs Lara lifted her arms towards the ceiling for a long stretch before pulling the blanket she'd wrapped around herself for warmth closer. There was something homey and warm about snuggling in front of a warm fire on a cold evening with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Turning her attention back to the book in question Lara trailed a finger along the book's spine but made no move to open it just yet. Hearing the sound of footsteps coming towards her from behind Lara gave an inner sigh. She'd given her staff a holiday and had agreed to take on a temporary replacement till her darling butler/keeper returned since that was the only way she could convince him to go. The replacement was a Brit with a steel pike up his ass and he was Lady Crofting her to death and it was only the first day. No matter, she'd have him all broken in by the time her boys got back.
"Excuse me for interrupting you, Lady Croft. I know you said you didn't wish to be disturbed but you have a visitor who is refusing to leave. I told him you had retired for the evening but he was very insist that I ask you before turning him away." The butler, Lawrence said with a hint of aggravation having been kept at by the annoying young man until he'd agreed to ask her ladyship as to her wises on the matter. Young people today were completely devoid if manners and he very much hoped that her ladyship would give him leave to have security send the boy on his way.
"Who is it?" Lara asked with a raised eyebrow since she wasn't expecting anyone and someone dropping in for the wrong reasons certainly wouldn't knock. She'd talked to Bryce that afternoon and according to him the boys were having loads of fun on their vacation and still wouldn't be coming back until Friday. In other words it couldn't be one of them and she wasn't expecting anyone else. She hoped there wasn't going to be trouble; she doubted Lawrence's heart could take the shock. Well if he wasn't a foe she'd see him if only to put Lawrence's nose out of joint. She was beginning to find irritating the butler amusing.
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"A Mister Alex West, Lady Croft. He seems to think that you'll see him despite the late hour and the fact that he was not invited." Lawrence said with a sniff at the boy's gull. The man hadn't even come properly dressed to speak with someone of Lady Croft's standing. Why security had even let him in past the gates was beyond him and he was going to find out at the earliest possible time.
"Really..now what could he possibly want." Lara wondered aloud, intrigued despite herself at this unexpected twist. She'd only seen Alex once or twice since they'd barely escaped a Russian dead zone after finding and destroying the Aluminati's goal of world conquest. Of course up until the end Alex had been working for them but then Alex was one to do just about anything for money. Like Terry, Lara thought with a flash of pain, still hot and searing even after nine months. But it wasn't as bad as it had been the first time he'd betrayed her whatever small comfort that was. "Show him in, Lawrence then you may retire for the evening. I'll see him out after our discussion personally."
)
"As you wish, Lady Croft." Lawrence said with a stiff bow before exiting the room with long, measured strides. Not at all pleased that he wouldn't have the chance to dispose of the young hoodlum he walked a little faster then normal as he'd left the man in the hallway where there were several articles of value. He wouldn't trust the boy to think to help himself to something. Finding the man studying a painting with his hands in his pockets Lawrence cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "Lady Croft has decided to permit your audience. If you will follow me, please sir." Waiting for the man to cross the room Lawrence turned to give him his back before heading back up the stairs.
Now where the Hell was Laura's butler Hillary, Alex wondered as he watched this unknown relic lead the way to where ever Lara was in this huge place. Alex couldn't picture Lara living in the same house with this old wind bag but then he couldn't really picture her in this house as Lady Croft either. She was simply Lara to him. A tomb raider like himself on the trail of treasures lost and forgotten. Waiting to be found and shown the light of day. With plenty of profit to be made doing it, Alex admitted with a smirk as he tried not to stare around him at all the pricey stuff he was going past. The place was full of stuff that sold would make Lara likely twice as rich as he'd heard her to be. Feeling a bit like a peasant visiting royalty, something he was sure was deliberate on the butler's part Alex was a bit uneasy about this. He'd agreed to approach her about the deal but he really should have waited until tomorrow to come. This Lawrence guy had said she'd retired for the evening and as often as he'd fantasized about it he really didn't want Lara entertaining him in her nightgown. If she was he wasn't going to be able to string two bloody words together much less make a lick of sense. Then again he never quite managed to say what he meant to say when she was around. Not that any man with eyes could blame him. It was hard to think when you were looking at Lara in a snow suit much less the short shorts she preferred and the skimpy top.
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"Presenting Mister Alex West, Lady Croft." Came Lawrence's booming voice that made Alex start in surprise. He hadn't even realized that they'd stopped. Seeing that Lawrence was holding the door open for him Alex walked through, the door closing behind him. Looking around Alex saw that he was in a cozy little room with several couches and chairs set around a huge fireplace with the fire happily blazing away. Lara was sitting in the middle of a sofa directly in front of the fire with her back to him.
"Hello, Lara." Alex said, not knowing what else to say or how to begin. Walking forward he came to her from the right, noting that she looked the same as always dressed in jade colored silk pajamas with a quilted blanket over her shoulders as she remained seated. The only change was that her hair was down and Alex couldn't help think that it made her look softer, more approachable.
"Hello, Alex." Lara said with a smile of greeting as she motioned him to take a seat on one of the chairs. He was dressed for travel in plain, well worn blue jeans, a plain black shirt and a brown leather jacket. He needed a bit of a shave too and his hair was well tousled from the bitter November wind. The fact that he appealed to her looking this way showed just how unladylike her tastes ran. "Do what do I owe the pleasure? It's been a while."
"Yes it has. Thanks for seeing me, I know it's late." Alex said dropping into the nearest chair, surprised to find it so comfortable and Alex was tempted to just melt into it and not move for the next day or two. He definitely needed a vacation. "And actually I'm here because one of my employers asked me to see whether you'd be interested in helping us with an expedition coming up this spring in Italy. I told him you aren't for hire but he insisted that I ask and do so personally. Plus I guess I just missed seeing you point a gun at my head and threaten to pull the trigger." Alex said, trying for a stab of humor as she regarded him so seriously. What was going through her head, he wondered to himself. And what does she see when she looks at me like that. Like she can see right through me.
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How unfortunate for you then that I'm unarmed." Lara said with a small smile as she regarded him with a considering look. She rarely work with anyone, especially after what had happened in Italy the last time she'd been there but the idea of working with Alex posed an interesting scenario. He would make a good partner as he was both strong and intelligent, more then able to keep up with her as well as listening to her opinions unlike others in their trade. But that problem was there was just something about Alex that made him a hazard to her health though in truth she had little to fear from him. Alex was not the killing type. The problem was he got under her skin too easily and her skin was still tender from its recent burning. Plus she never worked for someone she didn't know unless she had to. "And you can tell your boss that I'm flattered but will have to decline."
"Not even going to ask what it is we're looking for?" Alex asked with a surprised look on his handsome face having expected her to ask at least that much. Then again Lara was impossible to understand under most any situation. "It shouldn't even be that difficult except for the usual booby traps and such. Willing to pay handsomely for it too not that the money would matter to you. It's always been for the thrill of the find for you, of holding something no one's seen or held in thousands of years. That's why you hunt, for the challenge and a love of what you hunt. At least that's what I think, I'm sure you'll tell me I'm wrong just to be contrary." Alex said with a smirk before launching into a detailed retelling of the temple they were going to be looking for in Italy even though he could tell she wasn't overly interested.
"Very true. You know me too well." Lara said with a nod when he was done speaking, not really surprised that he knew her so well. The expedition did sound interesting but she wasn't interested enough to get involved. At least not at the moment. Tapping her fingers on her lap Lara regarded Alex with a questioning look for a moment, wondering just how well he really did know her. They called each other friend and yet were they really or was it just an excuse they used against each other? Time had yet to tell. "Alex....I have a question for you. I'm curious to see how well you know me. Call it a tomb raider's insatiable curiosity. Are you game?"
"Oh?" Alex said, surprised at the sudden change in topic. Weary but curious as to what the question was Alex nodded his sandy blonde head though the weariness remained in his eyes. "All right then. What's your question, Croft? And no I don't know what your favorite food is so don't ask."
"It's spaghetti and meatballs and luckily for you that wasn't what I was going to ask." Lara said with a smirk on her full lips. "I'm going to give you a scenario and you are going to tell me what I would do. Understand?" When he nodded again Lara continued. "Say I was on a mission to recover something and accidentally stumbled upon something that could lead me to Pandora's Box. Unfortunately some other people are after it as well and so I have to get to it before they do and when I succeed I'm left standing there with the box in front of me, mine for the taking. Do I take the box or at the very least open it?"
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"Pandora's Box..THE Pandora's Box? The whole open the box and let loose untold horrors upon the world box?" Alex said with a raised eyebrow, both eyebrows when she nodded. Jesus Christ had Croft found the Box? No this was just a game, Alex assured himself and seeing how intently Lara was watching him knew that his answer had to be an honest and serious one. What would Lara do? Well that wasn't a hard question really. "You'd leave the box there. You've always been in it for the find, not the glory or the money so I think that knowing you'd found it would be enough for you. Given what could be inside that box you'd have to be an idiot to open it up. You'd be tempted to I think but you'd keep your curiosity under control in this case. Was that the right answer?" Alex asked with a hesitant smile since her face gave away nothing as usual. Damn annoying trait it was too.
"You do know me well." Lara said, surprised that his answer had been exactly the way it had happened. She'd been so tempted to take a peek but she'd forced herself to walk away, a first for her to be sure. "And what about you, Alex? What would you have done in the same situation? After all you'd get billions if you sold it and live like a king having found the relic of the century. Plenty of wine, women and money to keep you warm at night away from a dig tent to be sure."
"Money isn't everything, Lara and I happen to value my life a little too much to risk it by laying a hand on that bloody box." Alex said with a tinge of bitterness to his voice at the fact that Lara honestly seemed to think that the only thing that mattered to him was money. He was admittedly a man with lower morals and standards then some but he had them at least. He'd never killed anyone or anything unless it was in his own defense and that was the way it was going to stay. Maybe he was a thief of sorts but he wasn't a monster either. Exactly how low did Lara think he was? "That box, if it really exists is cursed, Lara. It would be the greatest biological weapon ever created and only an insane, heartless monster would bring that box back into the world. It would only be a matter of time before it started destroying everything it came into contact with and the end of the world. I don't know about you but I don't think causing the destruction of the world would rest easy on my shoulders." Alex said sarcastically with a brooding look.
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"Have I insulted you, Alex?" Lara said with a surprised look and seeing that she had felt she at least owed him some small explanation. Especially since he'd given the opposite of the answer Terry had given. Alex didn't deserve the comparison. "I'm sorry. I asked that question to someone else and he..he gave the exact opposite answer though I can't say his really surprised me. And I'd..I'd been thinking earlier that you two were similar but I'm afraid the comparison was off target, unusual for me and I hope you'll forgive me for it and put it down to exhaustion."
"Ah." Alex said hearing just the faintest note of both anger and sadness in her voice. Obviously when this other guy had stated he'd keep the box Lara had been hoping for the right answer even though she hadn't expected it. "Would I know the guy? Friend of yours?"
"No, you wouldn't know Terry." Lara said with a shake of her head sending her long black hair waving around her face. Even saying his name brought back memories she'd rather not remember but it was hard not to. Especially when she found herself attracted to another good looking charmer. She'd never acted on the attraction but it was always there, even when she pushed it aside with all her might. "And he was a friend and more a long time ago before he started to show his habit of choosing money over what was right. He would have sold that box off without a thought to the highest bitter without giving a damn as to who would pay for it. I did you a great insult to even compare you. My apologies"
"Well thanks I guess. For saying that." Alex said not quite sure how to take what she'd said. He wasn't stupid enough not to have known there had to have been lovers in the past but he didn't like hearing it either. But this made sense too because it wasn't hard to see where Laura's thoughts were going. He'd wondered what it was that made him turn away from him whenever he even remotely tried to show that he wanted to be more then friends and now he had the answer. This Terry guy had hurt her badly choosing money over her and Lara had thought he was the same. Well that pretty much put him in his place at least for the time being. It was obvious she was still hurting however long it had been and she wasn't going to be looking at him as anything other then a friend for a ways to come. "Anyway I should be heading out of here, it's late and we're both tired. I'll relay to my boss that you aren't interested and I'm sure I'll see you around." Getting up Alex walked over to stand in front of her, feeling his heart rate speed up when she stood up as well to face him. Taking her hand Alex brought it to his lips for a quick kiss on her knuckles before smiling crookedly at the surprise on her face. "I'll show myself out and even promise not to steal anything on the way. Good night, Lara."
"Good night, Alex." Lara said and before she could think better of it leaned forward and pressed her lips to his for a moment before pulling away, enjoying the look of surprise and heat in Alex's eyes. Perhaps he was just what the doctor would order. "I'll let you know about this little expedition of yours. You might make it worth my while."