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tealenko · 11 days ago

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The Three Letters (Chapter 13)

Chapter 13: An Eighth of a Normal Life

Woooow. So, this one became experimental... like, A LOT. But here we are: longer chapter than usual (that's why it took me a bit to write) but I finally did it yeeeeeyyyyyy!!! *self five* So, 8 nightmares and 8 moments in the present that somewhat echoes them (hence the change in the title) Hope you're here for some ptsd coated fluff (I sure am lol)

As always: Italics for inner thoughs and bold for cannon dialogue.

Summary: Lara learns to live in the present despite of her past.

Words: 8295 Rating: Teens and Up Warnings: talking about death, wounds, trauma... You know, as always

All Chapters -> [link] Read in AO3 -> [link]

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~ 1 ~

“Chak Chel.”

��Ix Chel?”

Blinding light, blinding possibilities. She discards them nonetheless.

Her next steps are clear.

A chill travels throughout her spine the moment her back meets the stone. Her body is so warm that she almost expects to see steam when it comes into contact with the chilled surface, but even if that happened Lara would not be able to see it.

The golden mask narrows her eyesight to a mere speck of light, but it is enough to discern her fate.

The strange creature raises both arms, dagger in hand, as time seems to slow down.

Nearly stops.

Red ink wraps and climbs around their skin, and Lara suddenly thinks she’ll soon match them, once the blade meets her, and crimson rivers start flowing throughout her own body.

She should be more afraid, but she isn’t.

The frozen moment seems ethereal to her, unreal, all sound and chaos muffled, all sight and damage of the battle blocked by the ornate mask.

She knows what's next, but she doesn’t close her eyes. Not yet. Umber crystals shimmering in the face of an unavoidable destiny.

The dagger resumes its movement.

She remains still. A few last breaths.

Lara expected to cry, but she doesn’t.

She thinks of her parents. She just saw them in her vision.

She will meet the real ones soon.

That moves her for a moment, still no tears, but then she remembers.

And her eyes close.

Her last thought: is for him.

A gasp fills the empty cabin as she wakes up, her upper body rising before she adjusts to the real world.

Drops of sweat scurry through the back of her neck for a few moments as she scours the room, one hand moves on instinct towards her chest, applying pressure to tame her heart back into a normal rhythm.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

The remnants of the nightmare fade as her mind manages to calm down, lowering her feet to the ground, and leaving it behind on her bed along with all her fears.

It doesn’t take too long for Lara to exit the cabin. Her clothes don’t vary much from one another, so she just throws on the first thing she grabs and is already on her way out while she’s still putting on her one and only favorite jacket.

The sun greets her high up in the sky, and so do many villagers as she crosses the small settlement, finally grabbing a piece of fruit after the third time the blacksmith insists she should have something before starting her day.

She eats it as she walks away, pausing her bites in order to follow the stairs down to the lowlands, jumping two steps at a time with a steady rhythm in her movement, humming along as the well too known scenery coats her mood with many unfamiliar shades of comfort and happiness.

He said he’d be…

The idea doesn’t fully form before her eyes lock onto him.

Jacob is seated on a tree platform, legs dangling and moving ever so slightly, all of him far too focused on what he’s reading to notice her presence until she speaks.

“It’s really not that good.” Lara yells at him, conjuring his lips into a smile, examining the tree trunk for just a few moments before she climbs it, finding herself successfully seated next to him in no time.

“Agree to disagree.” His glee deepens, and so does his grip on the letter. He pauses for a second to look at her before slipping it back in its envelope and hiding it in the inner pocket of his dusty blue coat, right next to the one she wrote him three years ago.

Jacob leans forward ever so slightly, ice blue eyes locked onto hers in that way that always manages to strike down her ability to breathe.

“Good morning…” She barely whispers, her voice struggling to come out of her body, an anomaly that’s completely ignored by her hand as this one moves with natural grace to land on top of his leg.

For a moment there, she could swear he bites his own lip.

“Good morning.” Low and composed voice, as always, with that tinge of sweetness only Lara ever gets to hear.

His hand decides to travel too, finding its usual resting place on her neck before leaning in for a kiss.

So soft and tender. So sweet and kind.

More a blend of slow yet short kisses than a unique one.

His tongue teases hers just for a moment and, maybe he didn’t bite his own earlier, but there’s no doubt that he’s targeting her lips now, leaving behind a careful nibble before the greeting meets its inevitable end.

“Yeah…” Lara looks away for a few seconds, needing space to recover her voice. “Good indeed.”

The comment makes him laugh in a way that doesn’t help her either, but she still finds the strength to meet his eyes one more time.

“Did you sleep well?” Jacob asks.

Her smile falters for just a moment but, no matter how little hesitation she casts before taming it back to normal, doesn’t succeed to escape his eyes.

No use in lying about this, after all. She reminds herself, aware he’s caught on with the truth, needing to reassure herself before she replies.

“A bit rough, as all nights are…” Lara admits with more ease than expected. “Morning is presenting itself much better, though.”

The tiredness melts back into joy as she leans forward with all the care in the world, leaving more than enough time for Jacob to retreat into a safer position if he wishes to before giving his earlier kiss the reply it truly deserves.

“Good to know.”

Another smile, another touch, and the kiss happens. After all, Jacob’s never been one to retreat from a battle.

~ 2 ~

“Jacob! Look out!”

A gavel hitting three times to deliver its sentence, the bullets hit him before she can react.

They both beg her: two different motives, two different outcomes. But neither of them matter.

Ana gets her wish and pays for it.

The source is in Lara's hands in no time after that, her mind yelling at her what she must do as her eyes meet Jacob’s.

He nods.

“It’s okay.”

Her heart breaks.

“I’m sorry.”

And she breaks it.

She knew what would happen, she knew this was the price.

So did he.

“You knew I’d destroy it.”

His smile is what finally makes her cry.

“In all my years… I’ve met few as extraordinary as you.”

She wants to scream, to yell, to tear her hair out and sink into the abyss.

“It’s finally happening. My ending.”

Almost feels like she’s the one who’s dying.

“I’m sorry. All I wanted was to make a difference.”

He starts to fade.

The pain does not.

“You already have.”

It twists in her heart like a poisoned dagger.

“... You already have.”

The nightmare still echoes in her mind despite the many hours that have elapsed since she woke up from the haunting ‘what if’ that darkened her previous night.

Lara finds herself in the eastern village library, searching for something, anything, that might distract her from the alternate reality that her decision could’ve caused and its consequences.

After a while, her method starts to prove effective, losing herself in her quest of finding something interesting and letting the past that never came to be slowly fade away.

Her hand brushes the spine of many volumes before stopping at one. This one somehow feels different than the rest. Special.

She’s about to pull it out of its place when someone else does it for her.

Jacob graces her skin ever so slightly on its way to take the old book, sending a shiver through her entire body.

“Nice choice.” He indicates, smiling at the ragged tome before turning to cast his happiness toward Lara.

“…"

The contact lasts only a moment, but she feels like she’s on fire, surprise and desire mixing into an amalgam of feelings that quickly short-circuit her entire being.

“This one focuses mainly on the impact of celestial makers in the development of a culture. Are you familiar with the concept?”

“Ermm…”

Think, Lara… Think!

“Are you feeling well?”

“Yes! Yes…”

“Yes, you are fine, or yes, you know it?”

“Both, I…” She laughs a little, all her courage doing its best to drown her embarrassment. “The Incan were, well are, better said, the prime example for that thesis”.

She laughs awkwardly before she starts to explain herself.

"They didn’t just track the sun and stars for rituals. They structured their entire empire around them. The ceque system, 328 sightlines radiating from Cusco, wasn’t just a spiritual guide. It was a functional geospatial network based on celestial alignments. It connected sacred sites, water sources, and even roads, all mapped to the stars.”

Lara forces herself to stop, fearing her knowledge is having its usual effect on people. Nevertheless, Jacob’s expression couldn’t be farther from what she’s used to.

"I see…" His voice is softer now, almost reverent. "Fascinating."

Jacob opens the book to reference a page, although she isn’t sure why.

It's quite obvious to anyone paying attention that he knows it to perfection and doesn't need to read it again. He’s even memorized where the passage is written on, but he does it anyway, almost as a ritual that Lara can’t help but find endearing.

“Look, this is similar to…” He shows her the page as he talks. “But if what you’re telling is true…”

He takes her hand, closing the book with the other, and looks at her with the same twinkle in his eyes that little kids get when they find out they’re about to have their favorite dish for dinner.

“Look at these...”

Before Lara can add anything, he guides her to the nearest bench. They sit side by side, still holding her hand while he expertly handles the book with his other.

With a flick of his wrist, the tome opens. Jacob flips through the pages with his thumb, searching for a specific chapter and, for a second, Lara’s mind is tempted to make a comment on the skill displayed by Jacob’s hand, but her survival instincts kick in just in time to save her from diving into something she wouldn’t be able to recover from.

So the moment vanishes quickly as she moves her eyes to a different target and sets them on what he's showing her instead.

“I’ve seen many records of patterns of sorts in ancient Egypt, the most known being the alignment of the pyramids of Giza with Orion’s Belt, and there are many other examples such as the nilotic calendar of their architectural temple construction. But to map your civilization based on such a system, both a geographical and a spiritual map… I’d really love to learn more about the subject.

Jacob’s eyes finally leave the book, twinkling with excitement and wonder, to find Lara looking at him with the deepest smile he’s ever witnessed.

“Or perhaps… We could talk about something else.” He almost looks flustered, for a moment. “Sorry. I get excited and sometimes forget t…”

“What do you wanna know?”

His heart seems to skip a beat, only to sink further than ever into his chest.

His lips mirror hers.

“I… ” Jacob laughs a little, not sure what he's done to deserve so much happiness. “Are you sure?”

“Sure?” She snorts and, with a quick gesture, snatches the book from his hand to inspect it. “Could talk about this stuff for hours.”

He laughs one last time.

“Your doom, then.”

~ 3 ~

A tremble.

Light.

And then: pain.

Her body moves on its own, robbing her of the opportunity of getting used to the light that seeps through the cracks of the wooden walls of the cabin.

Lara’s chest falls and rises with unprecedented speed, with her heart hammering the alarmed beat as the room takes form.

A few more breaths do the trick.

The scene gets lighter by the second, her mind catching up with reality as she remains seated on her cot, moving without moving, with her body trembling as a consequence of what her mind just witnessed.

What she witnessed, so many years ago.

Her hand moves instinctively to her side, holding onto the old wound like the day she got it, attempting to block the memory as she stopped the bleeding back then.

The blood is no longer there but the pain remains, and every now and then comes back to ensure it once existed.

Lara doesn’t remember what she's dreamt of but she doesn’t need to do so in order to know, as her body quickly recalls the dream her mind was able to dispel.

The pain is there to remind her. Burning, stinging, sinking into her skin like a claw that’s trying to rip her apart.

Always present.

Always alive.

And, as always, she takes her needed moment to adjust and just greets it, like an old friend, swallowing the embers of her own screams and using her breathing to control the pace of her heart, forcing it back to its usual beat before finally leaving her resting place to begin her day.

The pain is still there, as so will be tomorrow, but there’s more pressing matters to care about.

Her hand covers it yet again.

“Is it the scar?”

It takes Jacob a couple of days to notice there’s something off.

A few hours to pinpoint the origin.

And a lifetime of courage to finally inquire about it.

“Hi?” Lara smiles, surprised to see Jacob bursting into her cabin, moving her hand ever so slightly to rest her on the cot where she’s seated. “You were saying?”

He closes the space in a few long steps.

“You’re in pain.” It isn’t a question. There is not even a hint of hesitation in his voice. “Is it because of the scar?”

“The scar? Jacob please, I have so many that you’ll have to…”

He doesn’t let her finish.

“The one you cauterized in a crashed helicopter with an incandescent arrow.” Jacob kneels in front of her, envelops her hand with his own. “The one you were covering when I entered the room?”

“I… Well…” Lara hesitates. “I’m fine. I…”

One. Two.

Three seconds of silence.

He lets it fill the air. He lets her decide.

Lara sighs, and then: smiles a little.

“Truly, I’m fine.” She reasures him. “But yes… Sometimes it hurts.”

She lowers her head, taking some time to breathe.

“And sometimes the pain brings memories along with it, nightmares, decisions…” Her words tremble a little. “... consequences.”

Patiently, he lets his other knee hit the ground too, sits over his own legs, and waits for her voice to catch up with her courage.

“Consequences, you, should be aware of… ” Her voice is even softer this time around.

Her pain is different: no anguish, no burden. He can see that, whatever she’s feeling, she’s learnt how to live with it, through it.

Lara cups his face with her free hand and they stay like that for a while, gazing at each other’s souls, until Jacob decides to let his head rest on top of her legs, resting it on her lap with an exhale of relief.

“Whenever you’re ready: today, tomorrow or next year… ” He shifts a little, making himself comfortable in the new position. “I’ll be there to listen.”

“...”

Lara’s hands are suspended mid air, frozen, as she lets the development of the situation sink in as it shapes into her new reality.

After much consideration, and absurd amounts of hesitation, considering all they’ve been through, one of them lowers inch by inch until it's resting on his head. The left one returns to her side, to cover the old wound, as the right starts to play with Jacob’s hair.

The motion gets rewarded with a lower hum and, suddenly, both pain and wound are completely forgotten. Leaving just the consequences floating around in her mind, but not for too long.

“I’ll tell you one day, I promise.” Her strokes are now more deliberate, more loving. “Just… Not yet.”

“Whenever… Forever…” He smiles, eyes closed, sinking deeper into her touch. “I’ll be there.”

~ 4 ~

White.

Pure, calm and solid white.

The void gets filled with laughter in an instant. Three different tones mixing to create a beautiful melody.

“To claim her treasure, the adventurer, Lara Croft, must outwit the King--” She looks at her father with a defiant stare.

His response doesn’t make itself wait.

“Outwit the King?” He fakes to be wounded by her words. “I think the King might have something to say about that!”

The melody comes back: giggles filling the air that surrounds them until her mother interrupts their tempo.

“My loves, will you hold still for a second?”

“Yes, my White Queen.”

Lara and her father lock eyes before replying at the same time.

“One!” “One!”

What a beautiful melody, indeed.

“You’re quite good at it.” Lara tells her friend with a smile on her face, hand moving instinctively to her left side for a few seconds. “Though I`m not the best judge when it comes to that, more than half the planes I’ve been in ended up crashing, or exploding… Or both. So my expectations are not that high to begin with.”

Sofia laughs and hits her playfully.

“Don’t exaggerate.”

Lara shrugs her shoulders, not confirming nor denying if her statement is indeed true.

“You seem to be doing fine, though. Having learned all by yourself.”

“Well, after insisting we should get more familiar with technology these past few years, I needed to set an example among our people. We found a couple of manuals and started from there, little by little.”

“And now you get to fly a helicopter.”

“Yeah…” She smiles. “I must admit, I find the experience quite freeing.” Her head shifts to look at the sky for a moment. “We use them mainly to move cargo and resources, but there’s been a few occasions where I just used it to survey the area or patrol. Probably shouldn’t have.”

“I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if I were you… I probably should learn more about it.”

“You? Not knowing something?”

They both laugh before Lara pushes her a little, faking to be mad for just a moment until her smile betrays her.

“Just the basics, you know, to survive.” She finally admits “But I’ve never dedicated the proper time to learn.”

Sofia’s expression changes instantly as an exciting idea forms in her head.

“I could teach you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… I’d love to. Been dying to share what I’ve learned with someone.” She looks at the chopper. “It’ll also give us some time together… You’ve been hard to get a hold on, since you came back.”

Lara’s head moves on its own, avoiding eye contact to stare at the helicopter too.

“You think?” She rubs the back of her neck.

“Yeah. You’re always so busy no one really knows where you are most of the time. I’ll have to have a stern talk with my father.”

That definitely makes her look back at her.

Having everything in consideration, she’s quite proud of the nonchalant tone her voice acquires as she replies: “Your father?”

“He overworks you, Lara. I haven’t said anything until now, cause he’s been in a good mood lately and did not want to ruin it… But he’s always giving you tasks, books to read, hunting rounds, patrols… You should rest too.”

Lara is getting better at confronting her own feelings but she’s done her fair bit of training in the art of avoidance and, right now, she’s more than ready to put it to good use.

“And learn how to fly a helicopter while I’m on it?”

“Well… It’s more an excuse than anything. Spending time together is what I really care about.”

A cheeky smile forms on her face, but she manages to keep it at bay for a few more seconds, not willing to waste this opportunity.

“Awww… I’ll start thinking you no longer hate me, if you say things like that!”

Sofia pushes her back, just as she did a few seconds ago.

“Sometimes you’re impossible, Lara”

“And still, you want to spend time with me.”

The melody fills the air once again.

“That I do.”

~ 5 ~

The incandescent light of the fire bursts angrily illuminating the entire cave.

Sam screams for her help, but she’s immobilized, and so, when the strange force propulses the flames towards her, Lara closes her eyes, and sinks into the fire.

Deep waters crowned by flames. Screams and voices trapping her there.

“I have to go! I’m the only one…”

“You’re the only one that can what!?”

Jonah’s anger frees her. Swimming up towards the fire.

Water, mud, flames.

A hand that wraps around a sharp knife. Merciless and silent.

The blade descends with strength, committed to meet its target, flesh and agony mixing into one before it gets quiet.

Lara falls to the side, fist still closed around the dripping dagger. Her head moves slowly to look at it, but it’s no longer there, replaced now by tools, soaked in crimson pain, pulling from her like a wire.

“Go!”

The ground turns into metal. The air on her back bursts, surrounding everything, bullets flying through it as she focuses now on Alex.

She shakes her head in denial.

“Now!”

A tear falls slowly, and she starts to run.

She almost falls when she exits the room, the sunlight blinding her eyes as if it was fire. She takes a few steps backward as her arms move on her own, tensing the bow, an arrow already pointing at her target.

She’s too slow. She’s also a target.

“Drop your weapons!”

Grim doesn’t waste his time.

“Don’t fuckin’ do it!”

He makes the choice before she can do neither.

“Grim!”

She falls to the ground and so does the night, another blaze hitting her, unmobilized, surrounded yet again by fire.

“Lara!”

Everything is dim and shaky, so she remains frozen amidst the flames, hot rain pouring on her as someone grabs her.

“Come on!”

Roth screams in pain, limping, and just like that: the bullets start flying.

Lightning passing right next to them and then: silence.

He turns and that’s when she sees the axe.

“Noooo!”

She falls to the ground, everything darkens.

The familiar sound of the windchimes welcomes them as they get closer to the cave.

“Almost there…”

Her boots get soaked as she jumps gracefully on the meander, splashing droplets everywhere.

After one more minute they make it there.

“Impressive.”

Jacob’s eyes shimmer, lit by flames and anticipation on equal parts.

“You’ve seriously never been here?”

“No… Sofia has, and a few others, but you discovered so many things last time you were here that we’re still trying to catch up with most of it.”

She moves her torch towards his in order to ignite it, their eyes meet for a few seconds as she waits for it to get on fire.

“You won’t get bored.” Lara smiles and walks past him.

Fire, indeed. Fire.

Jacob takes a moment to recover.

“There’s always something to do, yes.” His feet resume their movement and he starts trailing her steps.

Despite her mind prompting her the perfect answer, Lara hesitates a little but, after considering it and its effects, she decides to enounce it nonetheless.

“I’d offer more help….” Lara halts her steps and turns to look directly at him. “...but I was sternly reprimanded yesterday by your daughter.”

“Heavens…”

She can’t help but laugh.

“Sofia thinks you overwork me too much, monopolize most of my time.” Lara clarifies and Jacob stops right in front of her, with the fire of the torch flickering through his many emotions.

For a moment there, he’s afraid that his daughter may be right.

“Is she into something?” Jacob links their free hands, lowering his head a little to get closer to her.

“No… Of course not.” Lara smiles, giving him a few playful tugs before raising her eyes to meet his. “I love spending time with you, especially like this.”

Strong and powerful, her heart crashes against her chest.

Then: he smiles.

Lost and found, her breath leaves her body in search of his and, with a sweet and tender pace, Lara seals his lips with her own, confirming her words with her actions.

“Good.” He says, although his voice struggles to produce the word, resuming his steps right after.

She laughs and follows and, after a couple of steps, a new idea enters her head.

“She’s gonna find out more sooner than later, isn’t she?”

“It appears so…” He agrees, knowing his daughter to perfection, considering the fact in silence before he offers her his thoughts. “I’d like to tell her before that happens… When the time is right, that is. If that’s okay with you.”

They’ve never discussed this until now, and Lara hadn’t given the idea too much of a thought but, whatever she had in mind, she never expected it to be so easy.

So natural.

“I… You know… If you don’t mind I don’t see why… Why it should…”

“What?”

He is the one to stop and turn now, intrigued by what she’s trying to say.

“I mean, it’s your people, and their opinion of you, what’s at stake.” Lara takes a moment to read her own emotions, make sure they are as real as she feels them. “So, as long as you’re okay with it, so am I.”

Before she can react, Jacob is already hugging her.

The quick movement surprises her, so she stays frozen for a while but, once she recovers, her arms wrap around him too, sinking as deep as she’s able into the embrace.

“I’m more than okay with it. And so will they.” He pulls back a little and stares at her. “How could they not?”

“Jacob…”

His right hand moves towards her hair, playing with the rogue strands that always manage to get loose from her ponytail.

“I wouldn’t care, either.”

“You don’t mean that.”

He laughs.

“True, you’re right. As always.” He tucks the hair lovingly behind her ear. “I would care. I appreciate their opinion way too much to not care about them. I only meant to convey that I care about yours way more.”

That is indeed true and, almost as if he was trying to prove it, his hand anchors around her jawline before he goes in for a kiss.

Sealing the meaning of his words and their lips together with a single tender gesture.

The torches fall to the ground at the same time, their fire extinguishing as another one fuels and devourers.

Neither of them mind, nothing else seems to matter.

Darkness embracing them, as they embrace each other.

~ 6 ~

The entire cave trembles even before she grabs it, but she grabs it anyway.

A chill, roaming her body, to mirror the one she has after she turns, transporting her to the chaos her action caused, where not the night, nor the rain, are strong enough to avert her from witnessing the hundreds of lives she's just destroyed.

The flooded city flickers in the darkness, with the sound of water streams and screams muffling everything Jonah is saying.

Her hand trembles with the ghost of the dagger that’s no longer in her possession.

All these deaths, and it was for nothing.

Jonah keeps screaming. The rain comes now from a different direction.

“Are you out of your fucking mind Lara?!”

Metal shaking and banging. The water hits her face with sharp tiny droplets through the broken windshield.

“I’m not jumping out of this plane!”

Another tremble and the decision is taken from him. The cabin rips apart in two, propelling him away from her.

“Jonah!”

She turns to look forward and is suddenly standing on the ground. Jonah falls right in front of her after failing to recover the box.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

He smiles at her, panting.

“If I was you it would have worked.”

The ground starts to move, shaking furiously under their feet.

They share one last look.

“Go!”

“And then I woke up.” Lara finishes her explanation, letting her body fall backwards to rest her weight on her elbows. “No mystery what this one was about.”

She sighs.

“You regret taking the dagger…”

“How could I not?”

“You’re trying to…”

“A lot of people died, Jacob. Because of me.” She lets her head meet the ground, lying completely flat against the grass. “Innocent people.”

“There’s no excuse, then?”

“No… There’s not.”

Terminal. Decided. Not a hint of hesitation in her answer.

“What about me?”

Until now.

“What?”

Her question doesn’t need to be answered, for Lara already knows his reply. She asks nonetheless, hoping to be wrong about the matter.

She isn’t.

“How many people died because of me? My own people…”

“That’s different.” She tries to deflect, knowing it won't work either. “You were trying to help, you believed in something. You were doing your best to run away from Trinity. To protect your people.”

Jacob rests his chin on his hand and smiles at her, giving her a few seconds to realize what she just said.

“Oh, don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, mister.” She says, sitting up, to be at his eye level. “Two completely different situations.”

“And still…” He gets closer. “So similar.”

Lara huffs and looks away, on the verge of smiling, but still carrying enough weight on her heart to prevent her from doing so.

“Hey…” His hand gently moves to her chin, guiding her face back toward him. “You did your best. That’s all we can do: our best. Mistakes are bound to happen sooner or later but, as long as we try with all we have…”

“Other people's mistakes don’t get people killed.”

“Other people's successes don’t save lives.” Jacob counters immediately. “Don’t save my people.” He adds, grabbing her hand. “Don’t save the world.”

And there he has it.

A smile.

Faint, small, subtle. But a smile, nonetheless.

He smiles too.

“I'll let you have this one.”

Now he laughs.

“Heavens, did I just best the mighty Lara Croft in something?”

“Shut up…” She pushes him playfully. “Or I’ll take it back.”

Jacob brings a hand to his chest and bows in agreement.

“My deepest apologies, Lara. It won’t happen again.”

She’s now the one laughing. Her giggles are joined by the distant sound of a bell.

Lara turns and sighs, brushing her hair out of her face.

“We should head back to the village, it's almost time to…” She halts her sentence and turns her face towards him once again. “Shit, I’m a mess right now, aren’t I?”

Although Jacob would never share that opinion she’s somewhat right, her ponytail is barely holding up thanks to the long morning spent in the valley and her recent contact with the ground from just a second ago.

“Gimme a sec.” She says, pulling her hands backwards. “I'll do a quick braid before… Ugh.”

One hand moves quickly towards her left side, causing Jacob to instantly lose all of the glee that reigned his face.

“The scar?”

She sighs.

“Yeah, there’re some random movements that sometimes…”

He’s extending his hand before she’s able to finish her explanation.

“Here, let me.”

Lara is confused, for a moment, until she realizes he’s asking for the elastic.

“Erm…”

“Don’t be stubborn…” The smile makes a triumphant comeback. “I can help.”

“Ermmm…” Confusion shifts to hesitation on its way to morph into anticipation. “... okay.” She finally agrees, placing the black elastic in his palm.

Before she can fully process what’s happening Jacob is already sitting behind her.

His fingers start detangling her hair with care, beginning at the tips, and making their way up to the roots little by little, taking all the time needed to work it strand by strand.

A shiver conquering her body, slow and deliberate, exploring with care every inch of her skin as her breathing falters.

Once the overall mess is gone, he uses them to comb her hair for a while, making sure it’s as smooth as possible.

There’s an audible gulp and, for just a moment, she worries he’s heard it, but he continues working,completely focused.

His hands travel to her scalp, gathering all her hair backwards, making sure no rogue strands are left behind. Then they glide to the upper side of her head, and start braiding.

His technique is masterful, despite doing the entire process without a comb, and his movements feel more familiar than she expected.

It doesn’t take her long to realize why and, recovering some of her focus, she’s finally able to break their silence.

“Sofia did my hair just like this on my first day here, before the bonfires.”

“Did she?” He smiles, finishing his braid with black elastic. “That was kind of her.”

Lara turns to look at him, her braid follows the movement gracefully, perfectly executed and tied.

“Did you teach her?”

He laughs and stands up.

“Well, of course.” Jacob offers her a hand to help her do the same.

She takes it.

Perhaps it is because he pulls as she rises, or maybe it’s their magnetic energy, bringing them together once again but, whatever the reason, the entire action ends with both of them completely glued, standing in the middle of the valley as their hearts beat into one another.

She gulps again, and then looks up.

“Will you teach me?”

Jacob cups her face with his hands and suppresses a smile.

“Your wish is my command.” He promises before lowering his head in a vow.

His lips meet hers for the umpteenth time, a count that, if not for the distant bell filling the air once again to remind them where they should be, would surely double right now.

But, alas, their kiss comes to an end and, after a needed moment to come back down from the skies, they link their hands together and start walking towards the calling sound.

~ 7 ~

“How are you doing all this?”

Her steps are slow, measured, taking her time before sitting in front of her.

“I told you when we met: They killed my father.”

Unuratu smiles, analyzing Lara's expression with care.

“And so you’re willing to die too. I can see that.” The bonfire that separates them cracks and flickers filling the silence. “But you are not dead.”

“Yet…”

“Still. I’ve seen many skilled warriors in my life, some of them better than you, fail miserably in their fight against the cult.” Her eyes move for a moment to inspect Lara’s clothes. “What keeps you fighting?”

“It’s what I do, I guess. I survive.”

The room is quite warm, thanks to the fire, casting their shadows on the nearest wall, which Unuratu turns to admire.

Lara’s eyes follow hers, none of them looking at each other, as the rebel asks what she’s been meaning to since the conversation started.

“What’s his name?”

Lara turns in her direction, confused.

“Whose name?”

“The one you’re doing all of this for.”

“I’ve already told you…”

“Not Jonah, not your father.” She interrupts, redirecting her gaze to Lara. “The one whose letter you keep reading.” She points at her clothes. “The one who gave you that jacket.”

Her first instinct is to look around, for some reason she can’t quite comprehend, needing to be sure that they’re alone, and especially, away from Jonah.

“He doesn’t know?”

Unuratu reads her like an open book.

“It’s complicated…” She concedes, as she pulls the letter from the jacket. “Someone I met years ago, similar to how I met your people… A myth, a legend.”

Lara’s eyes remain glued to the envelope.

“It would be too difficult to explain it to him.” She hesitates for a second, but then extends her arm. “Here.”

For the first time in the conversation, Unuratu is taken by surprise. Her hand trembles subtly as she takes it, eyes filled with understanding and reverence.

“You’re letting me read this?”

“You asked about it, and, what can I say?” Lara replies, feeling somewhat lighter after finally finding someone to share all this weight with. “I don't feel like lying.”

“I… Thank you.” She stares at the ragged letter, wondering how many things it must have been through to be in this state. “I don’t take this lightly, Lara.”

She nods, but Unuratu remains still, hesitating, needing further approval to move forward.

“It’s Jacob, by the way.” Lara smiles at her before redirecting her eyes to the fire. “You asked his name… It’s Jacob.”

Her newfound friend smiles at her, opens the letter, and starts reading:

Dear Lara…

The string meets her skin to grace her lips, hand anchored on her chin to find its balance.

A thunder strikes his heart, halting its beating for what feels like an eternity.

The left arm, imperceptible to any other eyes, redirects the bow, her gaze fixed with determination on its target.

Jacob’s jaw drops slightly, in complete awe, unaware of the subtle gesture, mesmerized by the sight of Lara training while she perfects her stance even further.

Her hand is close to releasing the arrow when the wind shifts its course and, instinctively, so does she, correcting the posture so the trajectory is the desired one.

The air toys with her hair, setting free some strands to play with them, her ponytail dancing gracefully in the wind, revealing most of her neck as it flows.

He curses it and gives thanks at the same time, trailing the line of her exposed skin with his eyes.

The day couldn't be more peaceful, warmer, sunlight radiating and coating everything in its path. And yet, another lightning, feelings exploding to conquer all his being.

Heavens.

Her hand relaxes, fingers softening to release an arrow that flies violently away from her, sending more of her hair streaming backward.

Bull’s eye.

Lara lets her opposite arm fall to its natural resting place, the bow moves along with it, cheers surrounding her as Levi puts a hand on her shoulder.

The arrow is still wobbling, its head buried deep into the precise center of the target.

“Nicely done, Lara.”

She smiles, and Jacob realizes he was wrong, because the day gets even brighter.

“I’ve had my fair share of practice.” His training partner laughs, and so does their audience, many villagers cheering and clapping as she grabs another arrow.

She starts explaining the technique to Levi, and a few of the close watchers. Her words can be heard by everyone, even from where he’s standing, resting his weight in the newly repaired fance, but her voice gets lost in the wind, his eyes filled to the brim with admiration and desire.

As her friend starts shooting at a nearby target, now with her hands completely free, she undoes whatever the elements didn’t take care of and, after combing everything backwards with her fingers, starts braiding from the top of her head.

Her gestures mimic the ones Jacob taught her the day before, and he cannot help but to relive the sensation of when he did it for her a week ago, caressing every strand with care, as if he was threading gold instead of hair, stealing brief moments in the nape of her neck as his fingers yelled at him to go rogue.

The storm gets completely loose inside his body, admiring how even a skill she just learned has been conquered in so little time and, almost as she did it to prove him right, what he’s feeling is nothing compared to what she causes next, raising her bow once again and splitting her previous shot in two with a new arrow.

Heavens indeed.

Jacob shifts a little, taming his smile, pride and desire mixing together as the dart meets the target.

Heavens…

For a moment he starts doubting if she’s even real.

Has to be.

He tells himself, knowing no mind is powerful enough to imagine what he’s feeling. To imagine someone like her.

Breathtaking…

Breathtaking indeed, for Jacob needs a moment as his mind catches up with his breathing.

So skilled, so brave.

Lara grabs another arrow.

Not in a million years would anyone be able to conjure someone like her. With every single detail carved to perfection as a weapon to rule my heart. Skills, gestures, chosen paths… A soul forged by the fires of hell on earth to produce the proof of the divine.

Perfect yet imperfect.

The cord tenses against her skin.

Resolved and kind.

“…”

Graceful.

Strong.

And, as always…

Splinters fly everywhere: bull’s eye.

“Astonishing…”

“She truly is, isn’t she?” Sofia mimics his pose, resting her weight on the fence, eyes focused on Lara. “After all, every great warrior is forged by war.”

Jacob spends one more second in his own inner process to verify how much he’s said out loud. Luckily, his daughter’s expression tells him he can stay calm, leaving room to consider her statement instead.

A spec of sadness develops in him as he thinks about Sofia’s sentence, contemplating how deeply rooted into the truth is the statement she just deducted.

“Yes… They are, indeed.” He turns, placing softly a hand on her arm. “But please, don’t say that to Lara.”

“Why?” There’s more preoccupation than inquiry in her question, sensing already what her father is about to confirm about her friend.

“She’s still at war… Or her mind is, at least.” Jacob smiles briefly, but with too many shades of sadness to go unnoticed. “Let’s give her the chance to find some peace and not remind her of what she’s gone through before she extinguishes that fire.”

“…”

Sofia’s mind takes more than a second to let everything sink in and, before she has even started to process it he realizes that Lara, now taking a break, has closed the distance that kept them away, only a few steps away from the duo.

“Enjoying the show?”

His spirit rises to high heaven, a smile automatically painted on his face before he even notices that it’s there.

“Indeed.”

He laughs and she replies in the same fashion.

“I could use some help.”

“You already have some.”

Lara smiles, getting a bit closer, resting her hands on the fence from the opposite side.

“Now I am the help.” She explains, saying ‘I’ with more emphasis than necessary. “I’d like to learn too.”

His eyes travel instantly to her hair, braided to perfection and dancing with elegance.

“I think there’s nothing left for me to teach.”

“Bullshit…” She giggles, tracing his upper body before meeting his eyes once again. “You’ll always have plenty to teach, and there’ll always be something for me to learn.” The smile deepens. “For instance, without even thinking too hard, I remember how you handled yourself with a knife. Precision and expertise all mixed into graceful skills. Neat trick indeed.”

“You’re talking about what happened on the old train rails.”

“And there I was, thinking you needed to be rescued.”

Jacob’s laugh is deep yet short, tinted with both pride and shyness for a few seconds.

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

She turns to look at Sofia, whose attention is still too focused on the previous conversation to be truly present for the one that’s unfolding before her eyes. Lara takes the rare opportunity and gets even closer, to the point where she can notice Jacob’s breath coming to a halt, completely unprepared for what happens next.

“How could I forget?”

The storm turns now into a tempest, forcing Jacob to step backward in order to have a fighting chance, coughing in the process to recover the ability to breathe and the shyness develops into something he cannot get even close to name.

The sound of it, added to the fact that Sofia finally places together the last piece of the puzzle she was trying to solve, is what manages to finally capture her attention, bringing her back to their current conversation.

Noticing it, both of them try their best to extinguish the fire that Lara so skillfully ignited.

“Well, thanks. But sadly, I’m afraid I find myself too busy.”

“Sadly…” Lara smiles again. “Tomorrow, then?”

Jacob sighs, trying his best to avoid looking at his daughter as he says. “I should let others have the pleasure of your company too, Lara.”

She understands.

“In that case…” Lara nods to fare goodbye and returns back to the practice range, joining Levi and resuming their training.

Jacob’s eyes follow her all the way there.

Sofia’s are fixed on him.

“She told you, didn’t she?”

He turns slowly, focusing his attention.

“She’s told you what happened.” She affirms, completely sure of her deduction.“How she defeated Trinity.”

His eyes cannot hide the truth from her.

Neither does he.

“Yes.”

“I see…”

For a moment she is tempted to push on the subject, but just by looking at her father, she already knows he won’t tell her anything.

The thought of it startles her a little.

The fact that his loyalty lies with Lara to the point of concealing information from her is a novelty for Sofia but, for some strange reason, the feeling doesn't last, to the point of even feeling natural the more she thinks about her father.

Instead, she asks quietly: “Is she okay?”

Jacob considers the question for a while before providing his answer.

“She’ll be, with time.”

The tone of his voice tells her everything she needs to know. Her feelings, sadness and relief all tangled together, battle as she realises the simple truth.

“Is that why she’s here? To heal…”

Sofia is still unaware of the accuracy of her shot, but he is and so, without wanting to give up too much, Jacob just adds: “Yeah, to heal.”

~ 8 ~

The water splashes everywhere, but the sun is finally visible in the sky, no sign of tempests in their victory as they leave the island behind.

I’ve been so blind… So naive.

Orange burns in the horizon, almost guiding their path.

For years I resented my father, doubted him like the rest.

Clearing the clouds with its light.

But he was right about so much.

Shimmering. Blinding.

I just wish I could tell him that now.

Trembling.

The air turns into freedom. Weightless, sharp. Passing through her and the boat to leave it behind.

There are so many mysteries that I once dismissed as mere stories. But the line between our myths and truth is fragile and blurry.

Combing her hair.

I need to find answers…

Drying her tears.

I must understand.

Lara knows she must be late when she doesn’t find Jacob in his usual spot, at the lookout that hangs over the waterfall.

Her morning training with Levi has extended longer than usual, and she silently curses herself.

She shouldn’t have let him convince her of doing that last sparring round but, to be fair, she was way too focused, and having too good of a time, to realize how much time had really passed.

After a second mandatory curse, she redirects her steps towards the mountain observatory, reaching it in only a few minutes, suspecting it may be the place where Jacob was going to be headed.

Lara finds him seated on the stairs: fingers crossed, hands in between his knees, head lowered. She knows way too well the meaning of the pose: he is praying.

Never to be one to waste his day, she assumes that he’s making the best of it while waiting for her.

Jacob’s lips move ever so slightly, mouthing the silent plea as his eyes remain closed, way too focused on the action to notice her presence. or too deep into his conversation with the higher powers to be able to break it just to acknowledge her.

She isn’t expecting it, either.

So, after a long moment dedicated exclusively to take in his peaceful expression, she sits at his side and waits.

At first she looks at the scenery, taking in the valley as she rests her weight on her elbows and her elbows on the steps.

Making the most of the pose, she dedicates her attention to the sky for a while, tracing the different shapes of the clouds, and admiring the way it seems to be painted in that impossible shade, neither blue nor gray, finding that kind of color which no one can describe without other person thinking they're completely wrong.

Once her eyes get tired of the sky, she closes them and, against her very own nature, raises them toward heaven.

She takes a deep breath in trying to feel something. Anything.

Trying to feel.

What should one say?

After a while her heartbeat becomes slower, more focused, rested. At peace. And, not without hesitating for a while, she takes a final second to take another deep breath, and lets her mind just speak and be true.

I… I really don’t… I’ve never…

She’s unsure of what she’s saying, but she says it anyway.

I mean, who… Who knows if…

She cannot even tell who she’s telling it to.

But… But, whoever is listening…

Or if she’s even telling someone.

If anyone is listening…

The only thing that seems to matter: is what she has to say.

After spending one last second in the darkness, she opens her eyes, resolved, turning to look at Jacob as if it were the only thing left to do.

Glee coats her face from the moment her eyes set on him.

I… Really…

Only one thing left to say.

A breath.

A pause.

…thank you.

-------------------------------------

Bum, done! Remind me to never write a 8000 words chapter ever again please T-T this was a nightmare to check (I'm sure there're still things that I missed- I'll change them with time) Really love this one, hope is not to confusing (although that was kinda the idea with some of the nightmares) Anyways, next one is the one I've been waiting for with all my heart: Sofia Starts to Notice. (HELL TO THE YEAH! I cannot wait to write that... But I may have to, I'll explain more why when I'm not falling asleep on top of my keyboard cause it's 5:02 am in Spain loooool That tells you how much I really want to post this)

Hope you liked it!!!

#tomb raider #fanfic #jacob lara croft #lara croft #jalara #lara x jacob #lara croft x jacob #jacob x lara #jacob x lara croft #rise of the tomb raider #RotTR #post SotTR

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