The Good In Him (Tomb Raider One-shot 1)

The Good In Him

In the small Croft family chapel, everything was silent. The shadows danced in the stone corners and the light beams filtered through the stained-glass windows, creating a multi-colored iris on the floor and walls.

At the altar, Father Dunstan held a small Mass in honor of the great absentee. Her friends and relatives, contrite, sat on benches.

The silence broke when the priest resumed his speech and proceeded with the service in a broken voice: "Requiem aeternam dona ea Domine et lux perpetua luceat ea..."

Suddenly they heard hurried footsteps on the outside, the crunching of boots in the dry leaf litter. Someone pushed open the door of the chapel and stormed into the small enclosure.

They all turned abruptly to observe the intruder who'd so disrespectfully interrupted the intimate and sacred ceremony - but none of them were prepared for that.

At the doorframe a tall and slender figure stood, her face not distinguishable, but everyone recognized her attitude, her agitated breathing and the long braid that fell over her shoulder. "What are you doing?" The apparition said in a familiar, but upset voice. "Who the hell put that horrible statue of me out there?"

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. And suddenly there was a thud.

Winston, the old butler, had collapsed unconscious on the bench.

As if it were an expected sign, the crowd instantly burst into screams and fuss. Lady Angeline let out a cry of horror and collapsed, livid, into the arms of her husband, Lord Henshingly, who was still staring at the newcomer. Charles Kane and Jean-Yves were too stunned to say anything, but they approached her with a cheerful countenance.

"Halt!" Father Dunstan shouted. In four strides, the gallant priest stood before the alleged apparition and began to splash her with holy water, while waving a crucifix in front of her. "You, shadow born of darkness, if you're not real, I exhort you to return to the hell you came from! In the name of Christ I command you!"

But the woman laughed and, dodging the crucifix, hugged the priest. "Do I really look like a ghost, Father Dunstan?" She smiled.

"How is it possible?" Charles stammered, recovering his speech.

"Long story." She sighed wearily. "You're celebrating a memorial? And that statue! C'mon!"

An upset voice echoed in a corner near the altar: "What did you expect? We had no clue about you for six months... Lara! We left you for dead!"

She confronted her mother's reproachful glance. Lady Angeline had recovered and now stared at her daughter, outraged.

Father Dunstan sighed. Lara didn't get along with her parents - and had not talked to them since they had disowned and cast her out of home for taking control of her own life. A few moments earlier, they were mourning her. Now that their daughter had returned from the dead, they were cold again.

"Let's go." Lord Henshingly commanded, taking his wife's arm. "Apparently she's been making fun of all us all this time."

Lara narrowed her eyes and bit her lower lip, but said nothing. Ignoring her parents, she passed next to them without uttering a single word and leaned over the unconscious Winston. He opened his eyes when she touched him and muttered: "Miss Croft...?"

"Yes, Winston."

"It's... it's you? For real?"

She smiled. "I'm back."

The old butler blinked, and then he buried his face in Lara's shoulder and began to cry - for the first time since he'd received the fateful news of her death.