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Ana was never supposed to stay with the Crofts for this long.
She was supposed to stay for maybe half a year, weasel her way into Richard Croft’s research and siphon as much information as she knew back to her brother and Trinity. But somewhere along the way, things… changed.
After a lifetime of subterfuge, infiltrating the Croft household was easier than she thought. Richard was a lonely man, the loss of his wife caused him to want for the love of another. It was simple to give him the affection he so desired. It was supposed to be a mask, a persona she put on to help fit in. She played the affectionate girlfriend, a replacement goldfish for his deceased wife. But Richard always treated her so… gently.
Even after the signs of her sickness grew more prominent, Richard didn’t throw her away like Trinity had expected. In fact, he had treasured her more, gave her a comfortable life and all the doctor appointments she needed. Maybe she wasn’t allowed in the main building, but she lived in great luxury in the guest house. Ana hated to admit it, but she was beginning to grow fond of this persona. She could afford to take advantage of Richard’s kindness and love to live this cushy life, at least that’s what she told herself, even as her heart started to feel differently.
It was just a play, a role she was mastering. Despite what Konstantin believed, she was not attached.
It took some time for Ana to get introduced to the young Croft of the household, Lara. Richard had hid his daughter from her for a few months, she could tell that he was quite protective of her. But when they were finally introduced, Ana’s role evolved, not to just that affectionate girlfriend, but to a mother.
Ana never liked children. They were noisy and annoying, they asked incessant questions. To avoid suspicion, Ana was forced to smile, to play nice, but it always got on her nerves.
But little Lara was different.
She was obedient, quiet, naïve maybe, but there was an air of maturity to her that wasn’t present in other children. In their first meeting and babysitting session, Lara spent most of her time at a distance, eyeing her warily, studying her with side-glances and careful peeks as she read her books and drew pictures. Ana found it strangely amusing, the only one who was suspicious of her presence was the little girl.
“You’re dad’s girlfriend, aren’t you?” Lara finally asked.
“He didn’t tell you?” Ana replied, a little surprised that Richard hadn’t taken the time to tell her before getting her to babysit. Though she wasn’t surprised, he was waist deep in his research, this child was neglected.
“Don’t need him to,” the girl responded instead. “I knew from the moment I saw you. You’re exactly his type.”
“Smart kid.” And Ana meant that. She glanced at the books she was reading, realizing that it was literature far beyond what a young girl like her was supposed to be reading. “What are you reading?”
“Dad’s book,” the girl answered, nose up in the air in pride. “It’s about artifacts of immortality.”
That was some heavy reading. Even Ana had trouble understanding the finer details. “Aren’t you a little young to be reading that?”
Lara scoffed. “No. I’m not so young anymore.” Offended by her statement, Lara took her book and fled into her playground. Ana watched her expertly climb up the structures and disappear into the insides of the ship.
“Didn’t mean to offend,” Ana called out. But… she was impressed. Even so young, Lara was intelligent for her age, and it was clear she was following in her father’s footsteps, if her reading was any indication.
It took a few more play dates for Lara to warm up to her. As dedicated as Richard was to his daughter, he lost himself in his research far too often to pay attention to her. As a result, Lara was incredibly lonely.
Lara didn’t like the other children, she was a loner. Too roguish for the other girls, but too different to hang out with the boys; she preferred the company of adults. The Croft Manor staff frequently entertained her, but they had their jobs, they were busy.
And with no mother, Ana frequently found herself in the role of a parent.
“Oh, Lara! What on earth are you doing up there?” She would call out as yet again, the young Croft had climbed onto the patio rafters. And she wasn’t even pretending, how did she even get up there?
“I’m on an adventure, Ana!” She called back with a cheeky grin, completely fearless. Ana was pretending to be concerned, but she was impressed.
“Do come down now,” fretted Ana.
A grumbling laugh sounded from beside her, and she turned to see that it was Roth. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, Ana,” the older man said with an amused chuckle. “How else is she going to learn how to get down?”
“She’ll hurt herself,” she replied with a frown. Because she would. This was silly and dangerous.
“Then, she’ll learn,” Roth said simply, crossing his arms with a knowing smile.
How this man treated Lara was certainly a strange thing. Ana wasn’t sure what to make of him, but he was cordial with her as Richard’s girlfriend. Gentle, but Ana made sure to keep him at an arm’s length, maybe he wasn’t as intelligent as the Crofts, but he was street smart. He’d sniff out her ruse if she let him.
Lara, on the other hand, loved him, and he loved her too - he was the fun uncle in her life, the father she wanted from her own but couldn't have. But Roth wasn’t just ‘fun’, he taught her things - things a young female aristocrat had no business doing. Survival skills, climbing, archery, even how to shoot a gun. Once, one fine afternoon, Ana accompanied them to the shooting range, and despite being just eleven at the oldest, Lara had excellent trigger discipline. Maybe her aim wasn’t the greatest (yet) but she had potential.
Her eyes were bright-eyed and sparkly now that it was all just play and games, but Ana could tell. If she was ever pushed, forced into a situation to defend herself… Well, Ana was curious if she’d ever get to see that day.
This idyllic life continued and sometimes, Ana found herself forgetting about her true purpose, her true role. And she regretted ever taking on this persona.
Because Richard Croft’s days were numbered.
Her comfy life here would be coming to an end the moment Trinity saw no use for him any longer. But perhaps, his daughter may continue to provide some use. She had her father’s intelligence and drive, but also had much more edge than her father. Lara was an excellent candidate for recruitment. But, she was still only a child. Still, Ana made a report back to Trinity, and they too expressed some interest. All they had to do was wait.
Even though it had been a long time coming, it was time for Richard Croft to die.
They had given her the kill order, he was getting too close to finding something the higher ups didn’t want him to find. But Ana… she couldn’t do it. She didn’t oppose his death, but Ana had offered them the idea that her doing the killing might implicate her in the crime. Trinity still saw some use in her, so they accepted her reasoning and sent one of their top dogs to do it instead.
Despite knowing what was coming, Richard’s death had been a dark day for Ana. It was only after she had seen him in that casket did she realize that the love she had for him had been as real as the stars in the sky. Her comfortable, cushy life had only been superficial pretenses, reasonings she had given herself for enjoying her life with him.
Lara had grown completely despondent. After the initial day, she had completely stopped crying, reacting - she no longer seemed upset, she just stared blankly at the world around her. It would be unsettling, disturbing to some, but Ana found great comfort in her reaction. She felt the same way, not just now, but when she too had been a child, when she carved the stigmata into her own brother’s hands. A strange emptiness that would hollow her out for the rest of her life.
Part of her was hoping that Richard would have Lara go into her custody. If she did, it would be much easier to groom her into the perfect agent that Trinity wants. Ana was even excited about the prospect, but Lara chose to go with Roth instead, she had the choice in court. Not wanting to sour any bad blood, Ana didn’t contest it.
With Richard gone, Ana didn’t see much of Lara anymore, especially since she had essentially been kicked out of the Croft manor as well. One of Richard’s in-laws had stepped in to be executor of the state until Lara was older, and she was no longer welcome at the mansion. Lara had fled to live with Roth somewhere else, but Ana still sent her holiday cards and gifts on her birthday, just to stay on her good side, so when they would inevitably meet again, Lara wouldn’t be jarred by her reappearance.
Since then, years had passed since her assignment with the Crofts, and Ana busied herself with other Trinity business.
During that time, her illness got worse and worse, and it became clear that she was nearing the end of her lifespan. That desperation to prolong her life caused her to shift her focus and work again to Richard Croft’s research. Immortality: the Divine Source, that would surely save her life.
It was time to reach out to Lara Croft again and see if she knew anything that would help her.
Through Trinity, Ana had learned of Yamatai and what Lara had endured to survive there. Gone was the sweet, precocious young girl. She had transformed into a woman aged by murder and violent deaths, forced to mature beyond her years to survive. That island had changed her in a bad way, given her that final push she needed to turn into that killer Ana had envisioned when she was just a child.
It was difficult to approach at first, Lara had some support in the form of her friends, notably the other island survivors. Ana had to bide her time and wait and soon, an opportunity to reach out presented itself. Sam Nishimura, Lara’s closest confidant, was incarcerated and that was the final push Lara needed to devolve into the same madness that drove her father.
There had been some rumblings that Trinity was interested in Nishimura, as it seemed she harbored an immortal soul, but Ana wasn’t interested in anything that wasn’t going to save her life. All that mattered was that Lara was effectively alone, which made it a perfect time for her to reach out.
And when she did, Lara didn’t suspect a thing. She only remembered Ana as the kind woman from her childhood, which is what Ana wanted to be seen as, it made it easier to manipulate her.
But Lara Croft was different from her father.
Back then, all Richard really needed was her presence - the rabid tabloids did the rest. Being outed as crazy by the media is what drove him forward. Unlike him, Lara was immune to the press, she didn’t seem to care much at all what the media thought of her. Her water on an oiled fire was actually kindness.
One would think that the key to manipulating Lara would be rude, disbelieving, insensitive, but strangely the strategy was gentleness and concern, and it didn’t even need to be from Ana herself (though it definitely made it easier). All anyone needed to do was to speak from a place of love, and Lara would grit her teeth and dig in her heels, burying her head deeper into her obsession. Lara didn’t want care, she didn’t want love; that kind of gentle touch was violent to someone in that much pain.
Kindness was stifling, all she wanted to do was to suppress it all, to put her focus on something else. And that focus had turned into obsession. Trying to remind her that she was hurting herself just seemed to push her harder.
So on one broody, rainy London day, Ana finally scheduled a coffee date with Lara. It had taken some attempts, it seems as though Lara wanted nothing more than to be alone, but it seems that the loneliness and loss of her best friend had gotten to her. It probably didn’t help that Kaz Weiss, her other roommate, also left on a soul-searching journey a few weeks ago, too. Lara was all alone and her mental health was deteriorating faster than anyone could help her with. A perfect time for the right ‘push’ from a loving mother figure.
“Oh, Lara, you poor thing,” Ana greeted the young Croft, giving her a tight hug. Lara stiffened in her hold and didn’t hug her back. To play the part, she gently caressed the young woman’s face. “You look terrible …”
“Thanks,” Lara replied with a wry smile. “Good to see you too, Ana.”
“You look like you need a coffee,” Ana said, continuing her role as a kind and concerned mother. “The strong kind. And how about some cake?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
There was an awkward warmness in Ana’s chest. “Come now, let’s get a seat. Tell me all about what’s going on with you lately.”
As expected, Lara was tight-lipped about anything about her research. She was carefully guarded, even around people she trusted. However, she did manage to inquire about the progress of her “therapy” sessions. Ana already had the logs, but it was clear that other than antagonizing her, Lara wasn’t going to share anything other than what she’s already shared publicly.
“How are things with Sam?” A known sore point. This would agitate her.
Lara instead looked pained, sad. “I'll do what I can for her,” she murmured quietly.
“I'm sorry to hear that,” Ana replied, not quite expecting this outcome. Lara was more saddened by her separation than angry. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Lara finally snapped. There was the reaction she was looking for.
A long, awkward silence followed, and Ana tried to look hurt. It worked, and Lara apologetically looked at her. “Sorry, Ana. I didn't mean to be so snippy. I've… been busy lately.”
“It's okay,” she assured her, pleased that the conversation was becoming more productive. “But what are you so busy with? I could barely get you to pick up the phone.”
Lara hesitated before speaking again. “I've decided that I'm going to continue dad's research.
Ana feigned confusion. “Your father's research?”
Lara nodded. “I want to know. I need to know.” Her fingers flexed uncomfortably, like she was reliving a bad memory. Ana wouldn’t be surprised if she was.
She gave Lara a look of exasperation, trying to be that worried mother. “Lara, are you sure this is a good idea?” Pressure the other way, gently. “From what I've seen, your father's research is quite…”
“True, actually,” Lara corrected her wearily, taking a long sip of coffee. “But that's something I'm working on.”
Ana made herself seem more concerned. “I just… worry about you, Lara. You haven't been the same since you left on that trip to that island.” She reached over to touch Lara’s hand.” The last thing I want is to lose you too.”
Lara actually cracked a smile, one that sent strange pangs in her heart. “Thank you for your concern, Ana, I appreciate it. But you won't lose me. I'm perfectly fine.” She stood up, clearly having enough of the situation. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“Wait,” she called out before she could leave. “At least tell me where you're living these days. I tried knocking at your old apartment and the manor, but you weren't there.”
The young Croft hesitated for a moment, then sighed, nodding. “I'll write it down for you. Just… call ahead if you decide to visit, alright?”
At least this meeting wasn't a total waste of time. Knowing where Lara lived would make things much easier to snoop around.
Though it was clear that young Lara was suffering. She was destroying herself in her obsession, but it was also molding her into a perfect Trinity candidate. Lara had both the determination and desperation that would drive her further towards their goals. With the right cards, she might even rise through the ranks and lead Trinity someday.
But recruiting Lara was difficult.
Due to past repeated clashes and her friendship with Kaz Weiss, Lara was already incredibly suspicious of the organization. She wouldn’t so easily join, but Ana was certain that with enough time, she’d be able to convince her to join. Lara wouldn’t join her now, not yet, but at least Ana had her on a leash. She’d still lead her exactly where she wanted her to be.
Soon, when the time was right, Ana would talk, and Lara would have to listen. And if she didn’t, well.
Ana would break her down, and build her up again, just like she had with her brother. And by the end of it all, Lara would be a shadow of her old self.
-~*~-
Ana trudged after Lara in the snow, the younger woman not bothering to even spare her a helping hand. She supposed she deserved it, after all she had done.
She wasn’t sure what Lara intended to do with her. After watching her fade away along with the immortal soldiers, Lara had spent some time investigating the broken pieces of the Divine Source. She saw in her pocket a few fragments of it, and began walking towards the way she had entered.
“You can stay here if you’d like,” Lara had said to her, without a hint of emotion in her tone. She hadn’t even bothered to look at her. “But I’m going to find a way out of here.”
Ana had taken that as an invitation to follow her. It’s not like she had anything else to do, Trinity had likely written her off by now and would have her killed for her failure. Who knows what Lara would do with her, but it was better than whatever Trinity had planned for her. Even after all the ruin she’s brought into this young woman’s life, Lara was still too righteous to do anything remotely close to the torture Trinity would wring.
Finally, it grew too much, the snow was harsh on her sickness and she collapsed onto a rock nearby to rest. To her surprise, Lara actually slowed to a stop. A show of kindness? Or…
“Ana…” Lara turned around, her face bloodied and unreadable. “You said, ‘Another Croft doesn’t have to die for this’.”
Ana grimaced. She supposed it was a question coming, ever since she had said those words.
“What did you mean by that?” Lara continued, her eyes staring coldly at her, like a hungry predator waiting to strike. She was more of an animal than Konstantin ever was.
When Ana was unable to find an answer, Lara pulled out her pistol and aimed it directly at her. Ana didn’t react, this was also a long time coming. This was a perfect time for Lara to get her revenge.
“You killed my father, didn’t you?”
She had nothing, there was nothing left for her in this world. Her dear brother was dead and Trinity had abandoned her. Soon, she would succumb to her illness, if Trinity didn't get her first. Ana could stay silent, she could shut up and let all she knows die with her. But… she could also confess everything to Lara.
Was this a sense of obligation? Guilt? A want for redemption? Or was this… Love? No…
Love wasn't the right word. She didn't love Lara, their relationship was nothing like she had with Richard, or even her brother. There was just this… mutual acceptance, this acknowledgement that they both were here, they both existed together. They disliked each other to some degree, but they were also reluctant to kill each other, too.
Or, maybe Konstantin had been right. Maybe Ana had gotten attached after all. How pathetic.
But judging by how Lara hasn't killed her yet, maybe she wasn't the only one attached. Hilarious , they were more alike than she thought. Maybe this was a nurtured trait, instilled accidentally by her after all this time. Even after Ana was long gone, forgotten, a piece of her would live on in Lara forever.
Somehow, that was a cruelly satisfying thought. She would live on after all.
“Trinity ordered his execution,” Ana told her honestly, seeing no reason to hide anything else from her any longer. Smart little Lara, always too curious for her own good. She was dead anyway, but Lara… she might be crafty enough to survive. “But… I couldn’t do it.” She looked up at Lara, at the gun, trying her best to look as genuine as possible.
“ You’re lying !” Lara growled, her grip tightening, but Ana could tell, from the look in her eyes, that she didn’t quite believe her own words. She was in denial.
Ana shook her head, her heart aching at the thought of that man. Of that comfy life, of genuine love . Maybe if she had just stayed, begged for his life, maybe things could’ve been different. Then Lara wouldn’t be here pointing a gun at her, vying for revenge for the person, the organization who ruined her life. But there was no changing that. It was all empty, hollow. Just like that day.
“I loved him,” Ana said with all her heart.
And that was the last thing she would ever say.
A sharp pain pierced straight though her.
“No!”
The last thought as darkness eclipsed her vision, her body sinking into the comforting cold, was Richard. Perhaps it was selfish, perhaps it was foolish, but Ana hoped with all her heart that he could find it in himself to forgive her.
For she was sorry. So sorry.