LADIES & GENTLEMEN, BOYS & GIRLS, HERE'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE WAITED FOR!

Unlike my last stories, I'm not finished with this one yet.
But Fang and I are working on it.

We're also working on another story at the same time.

I don't own Tomb Raider. All OCs belong to me and Fang.

Chapter 1: A Faint Light & In the Shadows

"Owen? Are you there?" Lara Taylor Croft's voice spoke out inside a dark space.

No answer. Just static, causing Lara to sigh.

"Damn..." she cursed, softly.

She turned on a light she had strapped to her belt. She was in between two rock walls, and her right leg was stuck under one.

She tried to pull herself free, but it didn't work.
"Shit."

"Baby, are you okay?" Owen's voice called from her radio.

"Owen, I'm here," Lara said. "I'm, uh...I'm just a little stuck. A rock pinned my leg."

"Don't move," Owen said. "I'll get help."

"No, I'm right on Trinity's tail," Lara told him. "I don't want to attract attention."

"I'm on my way," Owen said.

"I won't be long," Lara said back.

She then held up a knife and tried to use it to pry the rock off her leg, but she ended up cutting her leg, instead, and the rock didn't budge. She grunted in pain as she fell back a bit, then felt around for her pickaxe.

She got it, and latched it onto one of the rocks above her, and tried to pull herself out.

"Come on, you've got a husband and daughter waiting for you..." she told herself, wincing.

Soon, her leg began to move, and though she was in pain, she kept pulling.

Compared to giving birth, this was nothing.

Eventually, she pulled herself free.

She rested for a minute, then looked up,
"Maybe through there..."

She then began to climb up through the crevice, panting with the exertion. As she climbed higher, she saw a faint light up above...the way out. Determined, Lara continued to climb up, slowly but surely. The ground shook for a moment, causing her to freeze momentarily, but when the tremor settled, she panted as she kept going until she finally managed to pull herself out.

She collapsed onto the rocky floor, catching her breath, then got out some tape to wrap up the wound on her leg.

Once she was finished, she managed to stand up, but also stopped a skeleton wearing a Trinity uniform.

Doing further research on Trinity, she and Owen had discovered that they'd existed long before Christ, and were ruled by an Illuminati-like High Council. They were determined to find and exploit all the ancient artifacts in the world. She and Owen had been hunting them since she found out they'd killed her father.
'If they were willing to go that far just to have my father out of the way; I can't let them do the same to my family. Especially my daughter.'

"Lara?" Owen called. "Lara, you still there?"

"Owen, I'm out," Lara replied. "Be careful, the way in is full of traps."

"Trinity's not done with it yet," Owen surmised.

"They're protecting something," Lara agreed as she started to climb up a rock wall with her pickaxes.

"Six weeks and still no solid leads on who's leading the local Trinity cell," Owen mentioned.

"Has Jonah found out anything?" asked Lara.

"He talked to some people in town," Owen began, "And they're excited. There's a V.I.P. coming to the Day of the Dead. Name's Dominguez. We should look into it."

"Got it," Lara replied as she jumped onto an overhang and began to climb her way across, then up and over a ledge, where she saw a beam of sunlight shining through a hole in the cave wall.

"Babe, I made it," Lara said to her radio.

"I'm on my way in," Owen replied. "Almost there."

"I'm sorry I didn't wait," she said. "Be careful."

"You, too," Owen said. "Remember who's waiting back here for you."

Lara chuckled at that.

She ran around a big pile of rocks and found some ruins.

There was a big statue in the middle of a platform, which the light was shining down on.

She stared at it, marveling at the sight before she sighed.

"Beautiful," she said before she walked toward it...unaware that there was a charge stuck under one of the stones of the platform she was walking on as she took pictures with her camera.

She noticed that one of the pillars, there seemed to be a map...no...more like a constellation of some sort.

Owen ran in through the main entrance, "Lara!" He looked around at the chamber and whistled. "Get a load of this place! Guess all of our research paid off, now we know what Trinity's after."

"Yeah," Lara replied as she kept taking pictures. "They really didn't want us in here."

"I'm glad we followed your father's notes," Owen said.

"Mmmhm," she hummed back.

Owen noticed the tape around her leg, and it was partially bleeding,
"I saw where the passage collapsed on you back there. Want me to take a look at that wound?"

"No, I'm fine," Lara said.

Owen put his hands on his hips, "Lara Angelina..."

Lara groaned at the use of her middle name. Whenever Owen did that, he was insisting on something and he was not going to take no for an answer.

So, she sat down so Owen could look at her leg.

"...I think this might need stitches," Owen said.

"Alright," Lara sighed.

Owen got out the sewing kit and unwrapped the tape from his wife's leg. He cringed a bit when he saw it,
"Oh Jesus, it really got you. But this other cut was from something else..."

"That was my fault," Lara said. "I tried to use my knife to pry the rock off, but I paid for it."

Owen sighed, but he smiled nonetheless.

"At least you didn't cut it right off," he said before he began to clean and disinfect the wound, causing Lara to grunt from the stinging.

"I wonder how Amelia's doing," Lara said, mentioning their baby girl. "I hope she's not causing too much of a fuss without us."

"My parents and Lisa are looking after her," Owen said. "Hana and the pups are pretty good company, too."

"...I miss her," Lara said.

"I know," Owen said as he cupped her cheek. "I miss Amelia, too. We'll see her again, though."

"...Are you sure we're not neglecting her?" Lara asked.

Owen sighed, but he could understand her worry. She had never been a parent before, and she was just afraid of repeating the same mistake her father made.
"Well, your father was obsessed with one particular finding. We do this because it's our career and we love it."

"That's true," Lara said, but then she grunted again as she felt Owen begin to suture her wound.
"And I love Amelia so much, but...I want another one."

"Me too," Owen said, running the needle and thread through her wound.

Soon, he had finished suturing the wound, then bandaged it up.

"You're good to go," he said.

Lara tested her leg, much better. She gave her husband a kiss,
"Thanks baby."

Owen smiled back, then looked at the structure,
"So, what's all this?"

Lara got up and went over to it, walking around it,
"Constellations. This inscription-it's some sort of riddle. Pink fish..."

"Pink fish?" Owen repeated in confusion.

"A silver-crowned mountain," said Lara as she kept taking pictures before she noticed that part of the monument was chipped off. "There's a date, here...but something's off. Looks like it was damaged. Perhaps intentionally."

Owen walked over, "Why would Trinity sabotage this? They usually just destroy everything."

Lara took a closer look, "No, I think the damage is older. But who would've tampered with it?" She stepped away from the structure, then Owen grabbed her arm, which made her freeze. "What's wrong?!"

"Don't, move," He breathed. "My danger sense is going off."

He stepped very cautiously over to the stones behind her, and checked below it, finding the charge.

And what's worse...it was about to go off!

"OH, SHIT!" Owen cursed. "RUN, LARA! IT'S GONNA BLOW!"

"What?!" Lara asked, but then, she heard a loud explosion, and the place began to shake!

Lara quickly took a picture of the damaged section, then she and Owen ran for the exit!

"Move! Move!" Owen shouted as they ran through a narrow tunnel.

"Hurry!" Lara cried as they reached the light of the outside and jumped for it. Thankfully, they made it.

They panted to catch their breaths as they laid on the ground.

"Thank God that wasn't as close as the other times," Owen said.

"Yeah," Lara agreed.

They both got up and hugged each other, relieved that they were still alive.

"You wanna freshen up?" Owen asked. "Regroup with the others at the café? Dr. Dominguez is supposed to be there tonight."

"Sounds good," Lara agreed as they started walking. "Then we can try and decipher the riddle-see if the date has anything to with it."

"Right," Owen said. "Pink fish, silver-crowned mountain...I'll ask Jonah to look into it. Oh, and this café is supposed to be really good! Jonah knows the chef."

"Mmm...I can't wait," Lara hummed, dreamily.

"I'll bet," Owen smirked. "Need to keep these full for the baby." He made the joke while squeezing her boobs.

"OWEN~!" Lara exclaimed, smacking his arm playfully as she laughed.

Even now, he still had times to make jokes like that...which is what she loved about him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COZUMEL
MEXICO

The couple was now in the city at the café, La Cosa Mexicana.

All around the area were decorations for the Day of the Dead, and the people had on face paint.

Masks were set up, candles were lit, food was placed in front of memorial pictures...basically, they were going all out.

And there was music playing all around.

"This makes me think of Coco," Sam said.

"I know, right?!" Tommy agreed.

Owen had gotten out his phone to Facetime his parents so he and Lara could see Little Amelia before she went to bed.

"Hi, guys," said Phoebe. "How's Mexico?"

"Great, Mom," Owen said. "Put Amelia on. We wanna say goodnight."

"Here she is," said Phoebe as she picked her up. Amelia was wearing pink one-size PJs with cute lamb faces on them. "Amy, here's your Mommy and Daddy!"

Amelia cooed as she waved at the phone, causing Lara and Owen to laugh as they waved back.

"Night-night, honey," Lara said.

"Mommy and Daddy love you and miss you," Owen said.

Amelia yawned and her eyes got a little droopy.

"I'm gonna go ahead and put her to bed," said Phoebe. "Be careful out there, okay?"

"We will," Owen said. "Nighty-night Amy~."

"We love you~!" Lara cooed.

Amelia cooed as she waved her little hands at her parents.

"Bye, guys," said Phoebe as she turned off her phone.

"Is it me, or does she get more adorable every time I see her?" Sam asked.

"It's not just you," Lara replied.

"She's really starting to look like her mother," Jonah added.

"But I can also see her father in her, too," Tommy said.

Jonah looked over the balcony to look at someone sitting at a table,
"There he is, Dominguez."

"Any news on him?" Lara whispered.

"He's leading a few Trinity digs here," Jonah answered.

"My father mentioned him in his journal, more than once," Lara said. "He's an expert on precolonial ruins."

"Everyone says he's a great guy," Sam said, recording the festival with her camera. "Big help to the town."

"Hey guys, look!" Owen exclaimed, holding one of the pictures Lara had taken. "The riddle, it's directions..."

Lara continued, pointing at the carvings in the photo,
"To find the hidden city, go south along the shore until you find the pink fish-"

"Oh, I know something for that!" said Jonah. "It's pink dolphins! Found only in the Amazon."

"It goes on-"then chase the heart of the serpent to the silver-crowned mountain-"," Owen continued, pointing at another photo.

"Look at this," Lara got the photo of the constellation. "It's the constellation, Hydra the serpent. This star is the heart, it sets in the southwest."

"So, southwest from the Amazon river-Brazil?" Tommy asked.

Lara shook her head and smiled, "Peru."

"Peru?" Sam asked. "You sure about that?"

"Yes," Lara nodded as she held up another photo. "This date from the ruins...see? If you look closely enough, it is damaged. This number looks like a Maya thirteen, what if it's really an eight? With precession it-"

"Pre-what?" Tommy asked.

"Precession," Lara repeated. "The Earth tilts, so over time, the stars appear in a different place on the horizon- important if you're navigating by the night sky."

"Okay," Jonah added.

"In the Maya calendar, that's a two thousand year difference!" Owen continued. "Back then, the heart of the serpent set directly to the west."

He drew markings on the map of South America.

"So that's why it's in Peru, not Brazil," Jonah realized. "Trinity has been looking in the wrong place."

"Exactly," Lara said. "We need to look for the silver-crowned mountain in Peru. There's more...um...something about a-a key. What is Trinity looking for in the Hidden City?"

"Doctor! We found it!"

"Whoa, everyone, be quiet!" whispered Sam, just as a guy approached Dominguez.

"Yes?" he asked. "Show me?"

The guy nodded before he walked off, while Dominguez left some coins on the table and followed him.

"Let's see where he goes," Lara stood up to leave, but Owen grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, Trinity's all over this place, and they know three of our faces," he said, referring to himself, Lara and Sam.

Jonah got out three Day of the Dead masks, "He's right, try to blend in."

The group put on their masks and, for good measures, put on hats and hoods to cover up their heads.

They walked down the steps from the balcony, down to the courtyard.

"Where's Dominguez?" Lara asked, not seeing him anywhere.

"He can't be far," Owen said. "He must be in the courtyard somewhere."

"Yeah," Lara agreed.

"Let's take a look around," said Owen.

"Right," Lara replied. "Someone must know something."

The group walked around a bit, looking at all the kinds of food being made.

"Good thing I convinced you eat," Sam said.

"I was too excited," Lara defended herself.

They walked over to someone who was stirring what looked like potatoes in sauce,
"Por favor, por favor, prueba!" (Spanish: Please, please, try some)

"Gracias, senor," Owen said, taking one, then split it in half, giving the other to Lara.

Lara smiled before she took a bite, then swallowed it.

"Delicioso!" she said. (Translation: Delicious!)

They moved along, still eating.

As they walked around the fountain, there was a boy with a lit firework in his hand, standing next to a post with a lot of pinwheels.

"Mira, mi padre," The boy exclaimed to them. (Look, for my father.)

Lara smiled at him, "Tal vez pueda encender una para mi madre." (Maybe I can light one for my mother.)

They walked even further, and Lara was smiling again as they passed a florist.

"See something you like, honey?" Owen asked.

Lara pointed at the flowers she was eying, "Dahlias, they were my mother's favorite."

Owen smiled as he kissed Lara's forehead.

"Maybe we'll get you some later," he said.

"Thanks," she said.

"Found him," Sam said in a hushed tone. "He's at the gate."

"We see him," said Owen, eyeing Dominguez talking to a couple of men holding assault rifles.

"Good," he said. "Be sure I'm not followed."

He soon went inside.

"I think Owen and I can find a way over the wall," Lara said.

She looked over to a fence, causing Jonah, Tommy, and Sam to smile.

"You guys go," said Jonah. "We'll handle these guys."

As they went over and talked to the guards, Lara and Owen went over to the fence and hopped over it.

Once they were on the other side, they immediately saw Dominguez talking with someone before they walked off together.

"Alright, we're in," Lara said to her radio.

"Good," Tommy replied. "Those guards weren't at that gate earlier. Dominguez must suspect something."

"Let's go, Lara," Owen whispered as they made their way through the memorials, passed the people praying to pictures of their relatives.

They walked through the courtyard as they got closer to Dominguez, who was talking to his companion.

"Did you make contact with the High Council, Commander?" Dominguez asked him.

"Yes sir," he said. "Even after the fiasco in Brazil, no one questions your leadership of the organization." That news surprised the couple.

"We've come too far to stop now," Dominguez said.

"Yes sir," The commander replied. "They're ready for anything."

Dominguez and the commander moved on, so Lara and Owen followed after them, at a safe distance.

"Remember," whispered Owen. "Don't make a sound."

"I know," Lara whispered.

After they passed through another small group,

"Guys, Dominguez is not just the leader of this Trinity cell, I think he's the leader of Trinity," Owen said to the radio.

Sam gasped on the other end.

"Then be extra, extra careful," Jonah told them.

The couple continued to follow after Dominguez and the commander, passing by many tables with flowers, pictures and decorated skulls.

They managed to push through some people, excusing themselves as they did.

They stopped at a stand that was selling decorative skulls when Dominguez and the commander stopped not too far ahead of them.

"Someone set off a trap at the first site," The commander said. "We think it was Croft and Taylor."

"Wait..." Dominguez looked in their direction.

Owen turned Lara around so her back was facing Dominguez and kissed her. Though surprised, she kissed him back.

Dominguez made a slightly disgusted face, thinking it was just a couple showing public displays of affection,
"I want confirmation, Commander. No more guessing." Then they moved on.

Owen then pulled away.

"...Well...that worked," Lara said, blinking in surprise.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"For what?" Lara asked, smirking.

They walked past the men that let Dominguez pass and headed for the back alley.

As they walked, they spotted him approaching a woman.

"Doctor!" she called. "So many of your men about..."

"You can never be too safe," Dominguez said as the woman gave him a fruit. "You're very gracious. Thank you."

"We should go," said the man leading Dominguez.

The couple went around the next corner, then ducked below a wall as Dominguez's companion stood near, talking into his radio.

"This is Commander Rourke," he said. "Dominguez wants confirmation Croft and Taylor are here. You have the photos. Croft is the female, Taylor is the male. Both Caucasian, both early twenties. You got that? Good."

"Well?" Dominguez asked.

"They'll find them," Rourke said, walking back over.

"Good, I don't want anyone getting in there," Dominguez said.

"Sounds like they're onto us," whispered Owen.

"Dammit..." Lara cursed. "Let's keep moving."

They went around more buildings, passing a drunk old man who told them to "get out of his office".

Up ahead, they saw a boy kick a ball, then trip and fall as Dominguez and Rourke came along.

"Lo siento," The boy apologized. (Sorry.)

Dominguez helped the boy up,
"No te preocupes. Ve, juega." (Don't worry. Go, play.)

"Well, at least he has a soft spot for kids," Owen whispered.

"I have a feeling that's just a ruse," Lara whispered.

"The readings at the site are unlike anything we've ever seen," Rourke said as they kept walking.

"Hmm, it's the key to our next phase," Dominguez said.

"If this is it, we'll be ready," Rourke assured him.

Lara and Owen continued to walk through the alley, making sure not to trip on any trash bags before they crawled through a hole in a wall, where they found Dominguez walking through another gate.

"Guys," said Lara. "They've entered the dig site. It's fenced-off and there's a guard at the gate. I'll find another way in."

"We've found a good spot," Jonah replied. "We'll watch the perimeter."

The couple went right, and jumped over a wooden fence, over to a more jungle-like area.

Once on the other side, they ditched their masks, hoods and/or hats, now only in their jungle gear.

Lara was wearing a sleeveless, fitted blue and black, moisture-wicking tank top, khaki pants with reinforced knees, fingerless tactical gloves, and waterproof boots. She still wore her jade trinket necklace and earrings, but kept her wedding ring in one of her pockets so it wouldn't get damaged. She also had a quiver stocked with arrows strapped to her back.

Owen was wearing a khaki, linen, short sleeved, button-up shirt that was unbuttoned at his chest area. He also wore green, olive drab cargo pants with front pockets, black leather, fingerless biker gloves, and brown, waterproof working boots. He still wore his T-Rex tooth pendant, and also has his wedding ring in his pocket.

Both of them put down some bags they'd been carrying over their shoulders. Lara's had her bow, pickaxes, a rope with a grappling hook, and one of the Remington 1911 pistols Roth gave her.

Owen's had his Colt M1911A1 pistol, combat knife, a machete, some climbing axes, and the parts for a Beretta ARX-160 assault rifle. It was Coyote brown colored with an 11.89 inch barrel, a Truglo Tru-Brite holo sight, Magpul MBUS, and a Surefire E1D LED Defender flashlight that could be mounted to the bottom of the handguard.

"You ready for this?" Lara asked.

"Always," Owen smirked.

There's the first chapter!

See if any of you can guess where I got the idea for Owen's outfit from! ;)

Read and review, please!