Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All names of characters are fictional and were made up. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.
This story was written for my good friend Fran Harmonica. The idea came entirely from him, along with the character and theme.
This is the classic version of Lara Croft, as seen in the original games and recent remasters. It takes place after Tomb Raider 1 and shortly before the 2nd game.
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Surrey, England, 1997
A sunny sky made for a bright, warm day at Croft Manor. Birds chirped outside. Their noises were only interrupted by the rattling of glass of a blue teapot and cup on a metal plate. Footsteps in the gravel made an older man's presence known beyond his faint muttering. No matter where she went across her massive estate, Lara Croft could depend on her loyal butler Winston eventually finding her. It was part of his job to tend to her every need, even if it meant walking around outside carrying tea until he found her. On a hot summer day like this, it was important for her to stay hydrated while doing her usual training exercises. Today wasn't any different than any time spent before. Lara was always training when she wasn't busy doing research on artifacts related to her travels. As that was the case since her most recent adventure across the globe last year.
The ballroom was previously used as a personal gym for training. After Lara returned home, she spent money remodeling the room back to the fancy interior decorations it once sported. The large empty space wasn't shared by anyone except her and Winston. Outside the gym had been turned into what Lara referred to as her 'assault course'. It took three weeks of work with a construction company she paid to enter her property. Rather than traveling somewhere to do training, she preferred it to all be right at home, where she could walk right outside and get to work. Two contractors were hired, with one being used solely to dig out a small area to fill with water. One man proved to do all the work by himself without the aid of more men to do the job with him. That impressed Lara the day she watched him digging the hole with no help from another person.
Alejandro was his name, but he preferred her to call him Alex. He spoke with an accent that made her remember the days she spent in Peru, though he explained he was from Chile. Alex told Lara that he only needed a single day to dig out the hole with a tractor supplied by his employer. After that was done, he used a shovel to even everything out into a basic square. The water would fill up to her thighs where she would have to drag herself through, slowing down her movement. Lara liked to see a man who could handle himself alone. The other construction crew did all the other work of erecting wooden towers to assemble the rest of the course while her interest remained around Alex. She paid him an extra tip in money and invited the man over for dinner one night.
It was rare she ever had someone over for company. Winston had been the only live-in staff at the Croft manor over the course of her life. His head was nearly bald with white hair in the back to show his age of seventy-three. To have Alex over gave Winston something to do with cooking dinner. That was last week. The evening went well with Lara eager to learn more about her new friend. She knew there was something under the surface of his muscular body and handsome face. He had short black hair that matched his brown eyes. Not a man from upper class nobility, he arrived at her estate for the date in casual wear of a black collared shirt and matching pants. Lara liked a man who was comfortable in his own clothes without putting on a facade in a vague attempt to impress her. Lara didn't care for high society herself. She walked away from that life when she felt adventure calling her. Her old life was gone, feeling like a distant memory by this point as she approached her thirties.
Alex told Lara that he was a traveler. He had not seen his home country in four years since spending time in the U.S. and fully immigrating to Britain. Most of his money had been spent on a vacation that led him to find wage work at the construction company. He described himself as a seeker. Someone who was looking for something in life and had yet to find it. Lara could relate to that. She told him stories about her own adventures, including some of the details regarding the one last year where she was employed by Jacqueline Natla. Lara didn't go as far as to explain what she was searching for, but she told Alex that she spent time in Peru, Greece, and Egypt. Fragments of the Scion were kept as a souvenir locked in her treasure vault. Alex was fascinated by her journey to Greece, so Lara told him about the sewer system she discovered beneath St. Francis' Folly.
Playing for sport was always Lara's motivation. The money or lavish rewards didn't matter to her. Sometimes she went out to find evidence for mythical artifacts or to see if they were historical hoaxes. This helped her build a number of contacts in archaeological fields and with researchers at various universities across the US and Europe. The Scion fell into a different category of artifacts. One of a kind that needed to be locked away from people with evil intentions. Some people were better off knowing of the existence of such magical weapons. For that reason, Lara didn't tell Alex about it. She kept the details vague in terms of what she was searching for. The man had an interest in firearms, so Lara changed subjects to her own collection. He smiled when she mentioned her preference of using two pistols instead of a single one. This gave her an idea of setting up a mini shooting range in the future for them to have fun blazing through a few clips to put holes in targets.
Besides Alex, other visitors had come to see Lara in the past few months. She was busy researching one specific mythical artifact that caught her attention. A Chinese artifact known as the Dagger of Xian was said to be located somewhere within the Great Wall. After the grueling business last year, Lara was quietly preparing for a new adventure. She employed some researchers and a Chinese translator to visit her. Three months were spent doing research and analyzing ancient scripture requiring translation to decode secrets. She had always wanted to travel to China, but not without a reason to go there. Much preparation was needed for this trip. After what happened in Peru last year, Lara wanted to teach herself some new moves and go prepared. Most of her year had been spent training for this trip. Lara had plans to go with a shotgun to complement her dual pistols.
As the days went by, she timed her runs through the assault course. Winston was her lone witness most of the time. Lara didn't like training when Alex was around. He insisted on wanting to watch her, which made her blush. She told him that he managed to accomplish something few men before him had done to make her cheeks flush red. Today was a special occasion for Alex. Lara allowed him to use her trusty stopwatch and clock her times at the assault course. Her boots were laced tightly around her feet. A dark green tank top covered her busty chest, exposing her muscular fit stomach and belly button. Below, her legs were covered in a pair of matching green sweatpants. The wind blew her long braided ponytail that dangled down her back, pinning her brunette hair up. Lara forgot her gloves when she went outside, leaving herself to grip the hardwood when she climbed up.
Alex watched from the side, holding the stopwatch and timing Lara. His eyes lit up at her perfect jumps. She could've been an acrobat with the way she did jumps in all four directions. By the time she reached the zip line to finish the course, he clocked one minute and eighteen seconds. Lara was frustrated that she couldn't top her best time of 1:14. It didn't stop her from trying, but luck was not on her side today. After two timed runs, she called for an earned break. Winston was somewhere stumbling around with the tray in his hands. The black suit he wore was undoubtedly making the old man sweat out in this heat. Alex arrived wearing a white T-shirt and brown cargo shorts to go with a pair of sneakers. His shorts reminded Lara of her favorite pair she had. When she made the trip to China, she would be wearing them with her favorite blue shirt, backpack, and other necessary gear. After joining Alex on the ground, they walked around the manor.
"Thanks for having me over today. This beats having to go to work."
Alex spoke as they walked near the garden. His eyes moved away from Lara to study the large fish statue. He had seen it a few times before, but never up close like this.
"I believe I should be thanking you for spending some quality time with me today. I must forgive you though, Alex. I believe you served as a good distraction from timing my jumps earlier."
His face turned red, blushing as he couldn't hold back his smile. When he looked at Lara, she was grinning. The sound of her strong accent with the delivery of her words made it all the better.
"I don't know if I can apologize for distracting you."
"Pardon me then. I forgot my gloves before we started. That's how I know my mind wasn't focused today."
He laughed, smiling back at her.
"I didn't know I'd have that effect on you today."
"Neither did I. But I wanted you to come over for a reason today so we could spend some quality time together before I leave."
His eyes returned to the statue, studying the strange pose it was sculpted in. He stepped to the side to see how it was curved into the shape of an S.
"Where are you going, Lara?"
"I'm going on an expedition to China."
