She felt herself falling. Her mind's pace was too fast for that of her legs, and she tumbled into oblivion. Screaming, she tried to pull herself back onto her feet, but her body felt as heavy as solid steel, and she was withering underneath the tremendous weight. This would be the end, and she could taste the bitterness.

'Today is the fifteenth of May.'

'Would it make it easier for you, on more familiar ground, if I killed you now?'

'The clock is the key, Lara.'

A horrified gasp escaped the troubled lips of the woman, clad in white, as she awoke for the second time that evening. The voices from her past flooded her overflowing mind and nearly drove her over the brink of insanity. Lara Croft ran her trembling fingers over her face, which had broken into a cold sweat again. Her mind reeled questions at her that she was unable to answer, and she begged the intruders to stop.

Lara's last dilemma, with the Triangle of Light, had been over for nearly a year now, but the thoughts still tormented her. They scared her more than anything she had ever faced before. She had never had nightmares about her other adventures, so why this one? Why was this occurrence the only one that could penetrate her mind? She had been through so many ordeals in her life, and no more than a glint of satisfaction had ever invaded her dreams.

But these dreams that she had, they weren't dreams. They were more than nightmares. Each one burned her skull while she slept, and she felt like screaming until it all just went away. She was never successful in sleeping without a tormenting thought. Almost every night, she would dream horrible reoccurrences, most of them she couldn't even remember, but the ones that she could, tore at her heart, soul, body, and mind.

It was like an assassination attempt that she had bestowed upon herself- would that be considered suicide?

Lara lifted herself off of her bed and made her way to the door of her room, and walked into the hallway. Her feet padded softly on the cold floor as she made her way to the grand staircase that would lead her down into the main room. This scenario reminded her of the night that she had found the clock- the one object that had corrupted the minds of many, but the one thing that she needed to see her father again. Her heart wrenched inside of her as her thoughts dwelled on her father.

That damn Powell, Lara sneered.

She had held the power to bring her father back, the very power that would make her content, happy, and safe, but she was denied in using it, and it all turned out for the best for everyone else; Lara would remain the one alone as always.

She walked idly forward and pressed the code numbers on the pad next to the front door. The warm night air greeted the goddess in white as she quietly left the house, toward the tent where her father's memorial stone lay. She kneeled down to it as she had done so many times before, and touched the engraved stone. The flowered necklace she had placed there a year ago was sufficiently wilted, and she rolled it in her fingers absently. This whole scene had become routine for Lara in the past months. She was beginning to suspect insomnia, but Hillary had already noticed this question and had said:

"Healing is a process."

His few words had comforted her in an odd way, but she wanted, needed so much more. No, all she wanted was her father back. This, Powell had used against her. He had succeeded in penetrating her, but in the end, it was his downfall. Lara smiled at the stone.

"I miss you Daddy. I could not get back the time that was stolen from us, but I will never forget you."

Lara stood up and looked up at the sky. She closed her eyes briefly and let the warm air embrace her. Satisfied, Lara made her way back to the manor. She cocked an eyebrow as she passed Bryce's "area" and sighed. She almost felt the urge to go wake him up and demand why he must live in a little tin trailer, but she resisted and walked into her house, only to be met with the sound of a clock.

Lara's eyes wandered over the dark room.

"Another clock?"

She inched her way to a side-table and drew out a long blade. Steadily, she followed the noise. The sounds amplified as she padded past the stairs, into another hallway. Cautiously, Lara snuck through the hall until she saw the source of the ticking. Inside of a room, almost vacant of furniture, a disheveled man hunched over, Lara assumed, the clock she had heard. Stealthily, Lara moved toward the intruder with unkempt hair. Now close enough to attack, she grabbed the man's left arm, twisting it back, and with her other hand, she pressed the blade against the man's throat.

"Shit!" The intruder managed to gasp as he clumsily toppled over, causing Lara to lose her balance as well.

The captive squirmed, attempting to get free, but Lara trapped him between her legs, and forced the blade back onto his neck.

"What are you doing in my house?" Lara asked, not budging body or blade.

"Lara! Lara let go! It's me, Alex!"

Lara grabbed the man's collar of his shirt and threw him against the opposite wall; the force immediately made him topple over again. The moonlight that shone through the panes of glass illuminated the man's face. It was, indeed, Alex West. Lara didn't see a situation change- intruder, Alex, same thing.

"What are you doing in my house?" She repeated silkily. Lara watched as Alex righted himself, his whole body now illuminated in the light.

"I..." Alex began. He couldn't seem to get the words out. Lara raised her eyebrows and the dagger, both threateningly. Alex gulped and mumbled something inaudible.

"Excuse me, what was that?" She watched Alex fidget as he attempted to speak.

"I... I heard you had an... an amulet..." He wouldn't continue. His eyes, which had been cast down, finally looked up. He realized that as soon as his last word escaped, Lara had turned around and calmly left the room.

It took a minute, but Alex took into consideration of where he was and exactly whom he was dealing with.