I stare at the ancient island of Yamatai off in the distance. I can't believe everything we've been through. I came too close to death way too many times. I sigh and look over my shoulder at Sam. But, Sam is safe and that's all that matters. My body is cut, bruised, bleeding, and sore. I should really get it taken care of. The ship has plenty of medical supplies after all. A hand on my shoulder causes me to jump and reach for the handgun that is no longer holstered to my hip.

I turn and catch Sam's sympathetic, grey eyes. "Lara, you need to get cleaned up." I shrug my shoulders and hiss slightly when her hand tightens. "Please, Lara. These wounds will get infected soon. Let me help you. I owe you my life anyway," she whispers the last part. I open my mouth to argue, but she shakes her head. I sigh and nod, letting Sam take my hand and lead me below deck.

"Why don't you go shower? It'll be easier to fix you up when you're not caked in dirt and blood." I nod at Sam's suggestion as we enter my bunk before moving to the shower. I wait for the water to warm up before stepping in. I cry out as the hot water makes contact with my body. I clench my teeth together as I begin to scrub the filth from my body. Tears run down my face, but I do my best to ignore them. I finally remove the last of it and shut off the water. I rest my head against the tiled wall to pull myself together. With a slight sob, I manage to get out of the shower and wrap a towel around myself.

I'm met with Sam's eyes again as I open the door to my room. "I got most of it. I just need your help with parts of my back," I tell her. Sam nods and grabs a bottle of iodine and a clean cloth before motioning to the chair in front of her. I take a deep breath and clench my teeth to keep from crying out as I move again. My entire body is screaming in pain. I drop down into the chair and choke back another sob.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry I got you into this mess," Sam whispers. I shake my head and let her pull the towel down enough to examine my wounds. "This may hurt a little, sweetie." I nod and clench my teeth again. I flinch harshly as she begins to clean my wounds. Sam continues to tell me how sorry she is.

Suddenly, it stops and Sam is pulling me into a warm hug. I wrap my arms around her the best I can and cry into her shoulder.

"This is all my fault, Lara. I got you into this mess and I'll never be able to apologize enough," she says.

I rest my hands on her shoulders and pull back to look at her. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this," I whisper angrily.

She opens her mouth and I shake my head.

"I may have saved you, Sam. But, I made you a promise and I was going to be damned if I broke it. You're the reason I'm sitting in front of you right now. There were times when I wanted to give up so much. I just wanted to die. But then I thought of you and that kept me going. I should be thanking you. Not the other way around."

Sam suddenly pushes her lips to mine in a gentle kiss. It's shocking to say the least, but I kiss her back. She pulls back and rests her forehead against mine. I smile at her and shake my head.

"If I get one of those every time I rescue you, I might have to let you get captured more often," I tease.

Sam laughs and lightly hits my arm. "I've liked you since we met in college."

I roll my eyes at her use of the word.

"University, Sam. It's only called college in the states."

Sam rolls her eyes at me and sighs. "Always the arguer. You're smart in a lot of ways, Lara. But when it comes to girls, you're absolutely clueless."

I scoff and push away from her. "I take offense to that." Sam smiles brightly at my teasing tone. Her eyes drop down from my face and she's suddenly entranced.

"Your body has changed so much, Lara." I glance down at my own body. The muscles are much more noticeable now. My abs are clearly defined, taut, strong. My arms have gotten stronger due to all the climbing.

"Well you were obviously checking me out before if you can notice that my body has changed."

Sam blushes and looks back up at my face. "Yea, well, it happens. You're Lara fucking Croft after all. Oh, here are your clean clothes," she says with a wink.

I glare at her playfully before grabbing the clothes and returning to the bathroom to change. The shirt fits me better than I thought it would and so do the cargo pants. I pull on the socks before returning to my room. I look down at my watch, which by some miracle still works. It flashes ten-thirty. There's a knock on my door and Jonah is suddenly peeking in.

"Hey, little bird. Just letting you know that Reyes and I are going to turn in. Good night Lara, Sam."

We both tell him good night and then I shut my door. I yawn and Sam smiles.

"You should get some sleep, sweetie. I know how tired you must be. I'll see you in the morning." Sam starts to leave, but I stop her by grabbing her wrist.

"Stay with me?" I must sound like a child, but Sam doesn't seem to mind.

"Of course, sweetie. Let me shower and change first, okay? I'll be right back," she says, pressing a kiss to my lower jaw. I nod and let go of her, watching her leave. With a sigh, I pull off my cargo pants before folding them and crawling into bed. I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes I think to myself.