Hello all!

Sorry for the haphazard updating. I'm more of a fic reader than a writer. I just wanted to thank you guys for your reviews and follows. It's really quite inspiring when I'm trying to find motivation to write.

I hope you're enjoying the story. In all honesty I'm not wholeheartedly sure where I'm going with this. If you have any suggestions or if you like what you're seeing then I'd love to hear from you.

Heads up for this chapter, naughty times ahead ;)

Peace and love.

Chapter Three: Therapy

A harsh whimper followed by fast erratic breaths rasped through her chapped lips. Shoulders heaving with the effort.

"Miss Croft, you need to control your breathing. You're in a safe place, nothing can hurt you here."

The meaningless words washed over her. The tightness in her chest ever growing. Her eyes darted around the room, drawn to the shadows. Breath stuttered in her throat. How could her heart be hammering so hard? She was becoming lightheaded.

A large hand encompassed hers. She didn't realise that her finger nails were digging into the upholstery.

"Slow your breathing Miss Croft, nice and slow. We were making excellent progress today."

Progress? A strangled laugh escaped her lips, eyes screwing up. She tilted her head down to hide as much of her terror stricken face from the therapist.

"We can stop talking about..."

She jerked to her feet before he could finish. This session was over.

She bound for the door as fast as her trembling legs would allow. Pretty quickly it turned out.

Her hand was twisting the handle as the therapist called "please don't..."

She was out of the door before he finished.

The reception area was surprisingly full. Just how many people needed help?

Her abrupt entrance unfortunately drew the attention of every eye in the room towards her.

Her vision was pulsating. She couldn't get enough breath into her chest no matter how much she tried. There were so many people...

"Lara?" Her voice couldn't have stood out stronger.

Her eyes flitted right. Sam.

The magazine she had been reading had dropped to her lap, her hands still holding the pages in position. Glancing down she eyed the symbol of caduceus from the edge of a prescription packet peaking out of her handbag by her feet.

The beat of her heart faltered, as if the whole scene entered slow motion. The volume on reality had turned down. Her eyes drew up to meet ones filled with concern.

Three solid heartbeats. That's how long their gaze lasted.

It took three solid heart beats before sound returned to her ears, and then everything rushed forward.

She bolted.

Her senses were overloaded. Everything was so intense. She couldn't even form a coherent thought. She needed to get out.

She didn't care that staff and patients were hurrying out of her way. She didn't even mind knocking a few of them out of her way. There wasn't enough air in this place. She was going crazy.

She felt the brisk air on her face first. It filled her lungs and chilled her insides. It was wonderfully numbing.

She spent a few moments standing there, her gasping breaths puffed out tiny clouds of condensation into the air. It soothed the whining in the back of her head.

She heard hurried footfalls approach from behind. Her chest crushed inward on itself instinctively.

"Hey", the American intonation was unmistakable. She felt a warm arm embrace around her waist, glossy black hair swinging into her peripheral vision. Her shoulders relaxed in her presence.

She could feel Sam studying her face, gauging her. She wouldn't allow herself to look her way.

Delicate fingers found their way to her knuckles. Sam ran her thumb over them until Lara relinquished her tight fist. Sam's fingers slipped down to interlock with her own.

She felt her throat constrict.

"What happened back there?" She spoke softly and intimately.

The tension in her throat grew and she forced her eyes shut. She shook her head, over and over.

The pitch of Sam's voice highlighted her dismay. "It's OK sweetie, let's go." She tugged gentle on Lara's hand.

She managed to get into the passenger seat of the car before she broke.

Deep heart wrenching sobs filled the vehicle. Her face in her hands, shoulders rocking, tendrils of hair affixing themselves to her damp cheeks.

A firm hand pulled her sideways with a strength which surprised her. Her cheek brushed against a soft chest as a second hand guided her head there. Tender lips kissed her crown before settling a chin there. It only made her cry harder.

Her fingers grasped at the cloth at Sam's stomach. She was lost.

She wasn't sure how long they sat there, Sam whispering sweet nothings into her ear, but she couldn't be more grateful of her compassion.

The drive back to their flat was a long one.

Thankfully Sam was driving; she wasn't in the right mind frame to be operating heavy machinery. It allowed her to distract her mind with the passing views.

She found her gaze shifting towards her companion.

Her hair was growing out somewhat, it hung in disarray, the edges tickling her clavicles. Her skin was milky; it contrasted with the faint shadows encircling her eyes.

As if sensing her scrutiny, Sam's eyes and head tilted to face her. She was beautiful.

It was the first time that she'd appreciated this.

The edge of Sam's lip quirked upwards, there was a warm look in her eyes that Lara couldn't place. She returned the smile. Her stomach turning in a pleasurable way.

Sam returned her view to the road. She turned away herself, feeling colour creep up her neck.

She cleared her throat.

"I, er..." she paused. "I'm sorry for freaking out before; it got quite intense in there." She looked down at the hands in her lap, she didn't realise that she'd been picking at a scab at the base of her thumb. She stopped.

Sam's eyes left the road again to bore into hers, in this light Lara could swear they were a shade of bronze. They were entrancing.

"Sweetie I'm proud of you. Don't be giving me any of that." The inflection in her voice was uplifting. "Seriously, the fact that you came with me today means so much to me," she reached over and squeezed her thigh. "It's a step in the right direction and that's what matters".

She pushed out a laugh, "since when did you start speaking sense Sam?" she threw a smirk her way.

The American girl drew her lip into her mouth. She seemed to play with it in thought. She took a breath and held it before speaking.

"I just, want us to get better" she finally said. She looked over again with an openness which Lara wasn't sure she'd seen before. "I think this can work" she said hopefully. She had a wistful look in her eye as she looked away.

It must have been Sam's positive attitude but she felt uplifted for the duration of the ride. Maybe they would get better.

She'd been watching a teabag swirl around her mug when she felt Sam come up behind her. She felt her hands rest on her hips as she leant her chin on her shoulder. The fingers of her left hand danced up to the mutilation on her side. She was oddly soothed by this.

She smiled to herself.

"How was your shower?" she queried, her fingers guiding a teaspoon into the hot liquid to remove the bag.

The American girl drew in a deep breath before expelling it into her neck, a soft hum vibrated in her throat. "Relaxing" she replied softly. Her hand had stilled over her hip, cupping it.

"I think you should have a bath sweetie, it's been a long day." she squeezed her hip. "I can order takeout for when you get out if you like?"

The Brit turned in her arms. The older girl's cheeks were tinged pink and her hair was voluminous from her hair dryer. She brought her arms up to rest on her shoulders so she could play with the soft strands at the back of her neck.

"Sounds perfect Sam" she quirked her mouth into a small smile as thanks for her offer. In all honestly she'd been trying every relaxation technique she knew since arriving home. She still wasn't quite ready to open up entirely about Yamatai, especially not to some therapist. A cup of tea and a bath sounded very appealing.

The warmth in Sam's eyes spread as her own lips curved, her thumbs brushing over the waist band of her jeans. "I'll go fill it up if you like while you finish making your tea" she said, nodding her head towards the streaming mug.

Lara ruffled the back of Sam's head before moving towards the fridge, the American's hands trailing down her side as she stepped away.

"You really are speaking sense lately Nishimura, maybe you should seek a career change", she threw a grin over her shoulder. "Samantha Nishimura, life coach" she gave a short laugh.

She turned to find Sam in the same position, head tilted towards her with a glint in her eyes. "Hey it's only worth it if my clients actually listen to anything I have to say. I've lost count the amount of times I've begged you to come out with me to bars instead of reading your stuffy books." She leant her weight onto her hip and folded hers arms across her chest.

"Miss Bookworm here would have had a lot more fun if she was out with Party Girl here." She signalled to herself with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"Miss Bookworm would have had a lot more fun if she wasn't looking after Party Girl's arse as she threw up all night into our toilet" she replied as she sashayed back towards her mug, milk in hand.

Sam leant against the counter, staring off into the distance. "I was perfectly fine to sort myself out Croft" she claimed, her toned gave away her surrender. She knew Lara had her.

"That's not what your texts suggested" threw Lara; she glanced up as she finished stirring to flash Sam her winning smile. She feigned a terrible American accent, "'Laaaara, I can't find my money', 'Laaaara I don't know where I am', 'Laaar-"

"-Yeah, yeah Croft, I get the picture." She returned the knowing look in Lara's eyes with a mischievous look on her face. "I'll go fill your stupid bath, Lady Croft", she span to give her a curtsey before sauntering off. A disapproving "oi" followed behind her. Lara only got a giggle as a response.

She found Sam sitting on the edge of the bath as it slowly filled. Her head was bowed downwards towards a white box in her hands. A familiar green symbol covered one end. She watched her from the doorway, holding her mug to her face and blowing the stream away periodically. She couldn't help the knot forming in her stomach.

The older girl opened the tab to remove the plastic. She pierced the foil to remove the tiny white pill. She swallowed it dry, pulling a face and shaking her head. Her focus was now on the figure in the doorway.

There was a moment of silence where both girls studied each other. The sound of running water perforated the calm.

Sam broke eye contact first to return her attention to the box still in her hands. Her face had remained vacant during the whole exchange.

"So yeah..." she started. "Doctor Timlin thought I might benefit from taking these" she faced the Brit again shaking the box in her hand. "He said it would take a few weeks for them to really get to work, but it should help with how I'm feeling." Lara recognised the look of acceptance on the girls face.

She looked down again, slightly sheepishly. "I wasn't... I don't-" she paused, taking a breath. "You're OK with this right?" she finally returned her gaze, a hint of desperation underlining it, eyebrows drawn together anxiously.

She stood there stunned for a moment, midway through blowing her tea. Why would she..?

"Sam of course I'm OK with this, I don't know why you would think I wasn't", she said this softly, she didn't want to seem as if she was berating her. Sam needed her support, just as she needed Sam's.

Affirming her statement, she moved forwards into the bathroom, placing her tea on the hand basin, along with Sam's box of pills. She pulled the vulnerable girl into her arms, pulling her face to her chest. She felt her physically relax against her as she wrapped her own arms around Lara's waist.

"It's not a bad thing that you're taking medication, it isn't forever remember?" she withdrew from her, tipping her chin up to face her. There was a glossy sheen to her eyes.

"I know" her voice was stronger that she expected. "I just don't want you to think I'm... weak, or something..." she turned her head to the side, eyeing the water level in the tub. Her shoulders deflated.

So that's what bothering her...

"Sam you're not weak" she dropped down to her knees between Sam's legs, hands on either thigh. "I've never thought you were weak. This is just to take the edge off your nerves, it'll help you" she reached up to tuck a curtain of hair behind her ear, her hand lingered there.

"It's just not normal is it?" their eyes met again. The warmth in her eyes was clouded.

"What we went through wasn't normal" she whispered, fingers now tracing patterns on the side of her neck, her other hand tracing its way towards her hip.

Her eyes were murky. Pupils blown wide, they were entrancing. She felt Sam's fingers meet her elbow; they danced up and down her arm in a rhythmic pattern.

"No, it wasn't" it was barely a breath that ghosted over her lips. When did they get so close?

Her eyes dipped to Sam's mouth. Her stomach twisted and she couldn't help the tongue that darted out to wet her own lips. Breath held. She wanted her.

One look into Sam's eyes told her everything she needed to know.

Her lips were softer than she remembered. The plump flesh sliding against her own. A growl of appreciated crept up her throat. Fingers glided effortlessly through her silky hair to pull her closer.

She was aware of hands fisting the fabric at her shoulders, drawing her flush against the American girl. A hand looped around her back to trace down her spine. She couldn't help the shiver that followed.

A warm tongue outlined her upper lip as a hand ran over her bottom. Her breath hitched in her throat and she sucked the roaming muscle into her mouth. The action elicited a whimper from the older girl. A firm squeeze of her buttock followed.

Her own hand had dropped from her hair to toy with her collarbone, tugging back the cloth of her pyjama top. Her other hand fed up her waistline to thumb at her ribcage.

A delicate hand cupped hers and drew it down to the American's breast. Another groan emitted from the older girl as she squeezed the soft flesh in her palm.

Their lips parted for a moment, dark eyes meeting, hands still caressing their bodies. Breath mingling between them.

The younger girl swallowed. Lips parting she murmured "what is this?"

Her thumb caught over an erect nipple causing the other girls breath to catch in her throat. She brought her hand up to Brit's face and ran her thumb over her bottom lip, her eyes following the movement.

"We'll figure it out later" she insisted, her mouth moving down to cover her own again. Hands dropped to her bust and there was a satisfied groan released into her mouth.

Their lips tangled in a frenzy, erratic breaths escaping them with grunts and whimpers. Nails dragged down her abdomen, finger tips playing with the exposed skin above her waistline.

She moved her mouth from Sam's, gliding her lips along her jaw line to nip at the flesh of her earlobe. The older girl tilted her neck and she took advantage of the newly exposed skin.

She was sucking over a particularly sensitive part, guessing by the sounds Sam was making when the American slipped her fingers past the waistline of her jeans. She flinched back as fingers danced across the sensitive skin. She grabbed her wrist stilling her.

"Hang on" she panted, her eyes moving up to her face. The older girl looked just as flustered as she felt. "Maybe we should, I've never-" she swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I don't think we should be doing this right now. We should, take this slow" she placed a lingering kiss on the other girl's mouth, brushing her hair back.

When she pulled back hungry eyes bore into her own. She felt it in her groin.

"Yeah" she said somewhat breathlessly, her fingers now tracing the lines of her hips. "You're prob- shit!" she swiftly jumped to her feet, knocking the younger girl onto her bottom. She span around as water started to pour over the lip of the tub. She hastily jumped towards the taps to turn off the running water. A very wet arse now in Lara's face.

She couldn't help the laugh bubbling up her throat as she observed the situation. She leant over to grab for a towel to mop up the damage.

An irritated grunt escaped the older girl. "These we're clean on tonight! That's your fault for distracting me Croft" she threw a half-serious, half-playful look her way, hands now feeling how wet her bottom was.

She continued to grin as she soaked up the water. "I didn't hear you complaining at the time" she retorted. This was so weird flirting with Sam.

She glanced up to see the other girl's reaction. She still had that hungry look in her eyes.

"Speechless? That's a first" she laughed at the shove that followed.

"I'll leave you to your bath sweetie" she grumbled, "I need to get out of these pants" she grimaced as she pulled the wet fabric away from her buttock; a resounding slapping noise filled the room as she let go.

She pulled herself to her feet and pulled out the plug to empty the bath a little. She turned back to Sam to find her eyes roaming over her body. Did they really just..? This was weird.

"We'll talk about this later yeah?" she said, placing a small smile on her face. "A lot's just happened right now..." she trailed off. Her eyes fixated on her friend's chest. She shook her head.

"Agreed" the American replied. "I'll erm... I'll order us some takeout then yeah? Chinese sound good?"

"Great, I'll have the same as usual" she re-plugged the drain.

"Great" the American responded. The atmosphere was still heavy between them. She turned away and shut the door behind her.

Shit. What had just happened? She tilted her head back and let out a deep breath. Her body was still buzzed. She pulled her top over her head and unbuttoned her jeans. Pulling them down with her knickers she noticed how damp the material was. It caused her groin to twinge.

She faced the mirror to check herself out. Her skin was slightly flushed on her chest and cheeks, and her hair was falling out of its tie in loose wisps around her face. She eyed her breasts remembering Sam's hands there. Unclasping her bra she released them bringing her own hands up to feel them. She sucked in a sharp breath. They were so sensitive right now.

She dipped her hand downwards to the soft skin between her legs. Her fingers finding her hot centre and how wet it was. Shit.

She was so aroused. She couldn't help but trail her fingers up her slit to press over her clit. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sensation.

You were kissing your best friend not five minutes ago, you can't masturbate over it.

She eyed herself in the mirror again, one hand still between her legs and the other now plucking at her nipple. Croft this is stepping over a line...

She let out a sigh of defeat and turned her back to the mirror. This is wrong Croft.

She leant against the basin and rubbed a circle around her clit, a heavy breath leaving her. The bundle of nerves responded, a fire growing in her abdomen. She squeezed the flesh of her breast as she ran her fingers back down to her core, tugging at her nipple as she teased her entrance. She couldn't help herself.

Slowly she slipped a single finger inside, not too deep. She dragged her second hand down to bear down on her throbbing clit. She teethed her lip to quell any escaping noises. She slipped her finger out only to push in more firmly. Stop it Croft.

Her mind flew to their earlier actions. Sam's hands on her waist, in her hair, on her breasts...

"It'll be twenty minutes sweetie! They mustn't have many orders tonight. You best hurry up!"

She stilled her actions. Frozen. Fuck.

"Th-thanks Sam!" she cleared her throat, hands coming to rest on the basin behind her. She breathed out a sigh in an attempt to slow her thudding heart and tugged the bobble out of her hair.

"I won't be too much longer"

Pull yourself together girl...

She took a purposeful stride towards the bath. Maybe she was more messed up than she realised...