Chapter Text
Hospital
Trina pressed an ice pack to her head, trying to fight a throbbing headache.
“He said what?”
“Samuel knew blondie wanted you dead so the plan was to have Nadine take a non-fatal shot that looked fatal,” Chloe added helpfully.
“What if she'd actually hit me?”
Nadine shrugged. “You were far enough away I had a cleaner shot. Plus I fired a few milliseconds faster. Knocked you down before she could.”
“You're nuts.”
“You're alive, aren't you?”
“You shot me in the head!”
“No, I grazed you in the head, Drake. There's a difference. Honestly… after everything you still don't trust me, do you?” the ex-mercenary asked, looking a bit hurt. Which seemed almost impossible to do. Hell, if she hadn’t witnessed Asav fighting Nadine, she’d still think the ex-merc was invincible, but nope, she was as human as the rest of them.
“No, I guess I don't. It's harder for me. You saw what Rafe did. Especially after Sam left.”
“You mean after he nearly killed you.”
Lying broken at the bottom of the stairs in her own blood, her wrists bound with a belt. Thrown through a coffee table. More bruises than not. Life without Sam was full of pain.
Trina nodded. “And yet you never did anything.”
“Wasn't my place.”
“You're a woman–”
“Did you ever once ask for my help?”
“What?”
“Did you ever once go ‘hey, Nadine, my husband uses me as a punching bag, how much money will it take to kill him?’”
“Why would–?” Trina shook her head, her headache roaring. Nadine wanted to kill Rafe? Since when?
“You asked to learn to shoot. I thought, ‘good, next time the prick comes at her, she'll shoot his balls off’. But you didn't. You let him hurt you again. And again. Almost like you were punishing yourself. Then, it all made sense in Libertalia. On the cliff.”
She remembered that day vividly. Sam, bleeding, as Rafe took out his anger on him. Her, unable to hide it any longer so she screamed for him. Endangering herself, Sam, and Nate. Exposing her affair to her psychopathic, abusive husband.
“He hurt Sam.”
“I'd always thought you two were perhaps friendlier than you led on. I wasn't expecting a full-blown affair. I'll give you that. Though you in his shirt was quite a look.”
“Didn't exactly get kidnapped with a change of clothes.”
Nadine laughed. “Yeah, I kinda figured that was bullshit. But Rafe? He bought it. He complained all day and night. Worried that Samuel would ‘defile’ you.” She even used air quotes. It had to be Chloe’s influence. She’d never seen Nadine Ross use air quotes in all the time she worked for Rafe.
“He never raped me. Or coerced me.”
“No? Not even once?”
She shook her head, looking disgusted at the very suggestion. “It wasn't like that! We never meant to fall in love. It just happened. It was real. No trickery. No deception. No force.”
“Huh.”
“Told ya!” Chloe called triumphantly and got a glare in response from the other woman.
“He might be an ex-felon and a thief, but Sam's not a rapist. He'd never hurt me. Not like Rafe.”
“Well, that one was always self-absorbed.”
“Sam is the opposite. He always has been. He reminded me what love should be. And no matter what, I'll never regret a single moment we've spent together.”
“Even though you've been stabbed and shot just this month because of him?”
“Yes, because that's love. I love him, Nadine. Besides, you shot me.”
“Touché.”
“Mrs. Drake?” a young man in scrubs ducked into the room. “Your chariot awaits. Radiology is ready to take a look at your wrist.”
Unknown Location
Ben tapped his feet impatiently from the couch, a gun in hand. As if Sam needed a reminder of what was at risk. “Well?”
“I’m checking to see if my brother is awake yet. If you wanna be pissy about it, talk to your partner,” Sam snapped, texting Elena.
At the same time, a text buzzed in from Nadine. Multiple fractures, she’ll need surgery, bone chipped. Doing ok. She’ll text after. FYI not pregnant.
He sighed. He hated being away from Trina, especially when she was hurt. But she had Chloe and Nadine acting as bodyguards right now and support. Plus the biggest threat to her safety thought she was dead. And he’d keep it that way as long as possible.
His phone flashed. Video call from Nathan Drake. He accepted.
“Hey little brother, you look like shit.”
“Haha, hilarious,” Nate said. “So do you. You slept in the last week?”
“Nadine drugged my coffee.”
“That’s great. You know, I’m starting to like her, minus the whole trapping us on a burning ship with a psycho bit.”
“Yeah, it takes some getting used to,” Sam admitted. “Look, Chloe and I got a few Drake artifacts and I really need to find that Jewel. The sooner I get it, the sooner I get to come home, Nathan.”
“Wait… where are you?”
He let Ben’s scowl show on the camera. “I traded myself, Nathan. For Trina and Henry.”
“Sam, no…”
“You’d have done the same. Sully’s got the kiddo.”
“And Trina?”
He shook his head.
“Fuck, Sam, I’m so sorry.”
“No one can hurt her anymore,” he said softly, spinning his wedding ring. “She’s safe now. No more nightmares either. No more Rafe.”
“Still, I’m sorry, Sam. I know how much you love her. You two are inseparable.”
“Yeah, yeah we are,” he sighed. “I need to get back to my son. He doesn’t have a mom anymore Nathan. He needs me.”
“Of course. Whatcha got?”
He shifted a bit. He’d kept some of the papers he’d stolen with Chloe. The rest were at Nate’s along with Drake’s journals. He knew the girls would get whatever his brother needed. This was just the start of the hunt. To get his brother off and running. Because if anyone could find the Drake Jewel, it was Nathan Drake.
“So I have a single folio I found before Panama but the clue was worthless. It led me to a box. All it had was a scrap with ‘Sic Parvis Magna’ on it.”
“Drake’s motto,” his brother said and he twisted his ring, seeing Trina brushing her hair, her engraved bracelet catching the light.
“Yeah, well it led me to a journal in South America. A fake—there was a leather store mark which certainly wasn’t around in Drake’s time. But it was about El Dorado.”
“Sully.”
“Bingo. You found the real journal. Which we know is missing some pages…”
“Yeah… crap, you found the missing pages, didn’t you?” Nate light up.
Sam held up the first page. “Blame Chloe for folding it. I’ll send you pictures. I can’t read his chicken scratch.”
“Oooh, definitely Drake’s hand though.”
“You’re gonna strain your eyes, kid.”
Nathan shot him a dirty look, which he ignored.
“There’s another one with a map. It’s at your house. And a signet ring. I thought, meh, it could be useful.”
“Knowing Drake, it probably is.”
“Cool, so I’ll send you pictures of this in a few. Let me know what you think once you read it. Call me whenever. Not like I’m doing much.”
“Sure thing. Won’t be long, Sam. Hang in there. We’ll get you home.”
Hospital
Hallway Outside Nate’s Room
Elena sipped at her coffee as she looked over at Chloe. “And you’re sure no one knows?”
“The only two people who’d care are distracted by the Jewel. And Sam’s not about to risk letting it slip. Besides, she’s in no shape right now. We didn’t want to freak him out, but there’s an infection from the stabbing. They’re working on that after they fix her arm. She’ll need hardware to set it after they remove the chips. They were pretty shocked by the scans.”
“Knowing Trina, she kept fighting with it broken.”
Chloe nodded. “And if Henry was involved—“
“Even more so. We can’t tell Sam.”
“Agreed.”
Hospital
Nate’s Room
Nate had loose sheets of paper on the tray and notes upon notes. He called Sam who picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, big brother.”
“Jesus, Nathan, it’s been, what, fifteen minutes?”
“Has it been that long? Shit, I thought it was five.”
“Whatcha got?” Sam asked.
“So, the Jewel was awarded to Drake by Queen Elizabeth.”
“Yeah…”
“Do you know why?”
His brother frowned. “I assumed for various exploration bullshit.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
“Nathan?”
“The page mentions an Arthur Dudley. There was a Dudley in Elizabeth’s court—“
“Robert Dudley. But he didn’t—“
“That’s what history tells us,” Nate said with a grin and he saw the light flick on in his brother’s eyes.
“Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, had a son. With Dudley.”
He nodded.
“And Drake took him… somewhere,” Sam added.
“And got the Jewel for it.”
“Exactly.”
“Wait… why didn’t she just legitimize him?”
Nate shrugged. “I mean a male heir… she could’ve been overthrown in favor of him. Besides, didn’t her advisors hate Dudley?”
“Probably. She didn’t marry him… though pretty sure most people thought they fucked.”
He shook his head. Only his brother would put it so succinctly about one of history’s most influential monarchs. If only Trina was here. She’d probably have whacked Sam upside the head for that.
“What? Banged?”
“My guess is he went back with the Jewel to give it to the kid. And that map you found… that and the ring. I’m hoping that will help shed some light on the rest of this.”
“More nonsense?”
“More like code. He’s pointing to something, I just can’t tell what.”
Unknown Location
Evening
“You better not being telling me we’re going back to Panama,” Sam grumbled.
Nate was bent over the kitchen table with Drake paraphilia spread out, his phone resting against something. He’d been released from the hospital. Elena was hovering just out of sight most of the time. He’d catch glimpses of her and Sullivan from time to time. Plus his son.
“Why?”
“I promised Trina after last time.”
“Last time?”
“With Sullivan. She hates…hated it there.”
“Didn’t you meet her in Panama?”
“Yeah. Not like we fell in love there. We were there like a whole two days before going to Scotland.”
His younger brother shook his head. “Look, I don’t want you to break a promise to her, but that’s where El Dorado was. The real journal was there. All roads are leading that way.”
“Fuck.”
He ran his hands through his hair. He’d known they’d have to leave the US. He’d known. But it severally limited his family’s ability to travel. His son didn’t have a passport and he certainly didn’t want his first international outing to be to goddamn Panama. No, someone would need to stay behind with Henry. He wanted to nominate Nate, who really should still be in the hospital, but he needed his brother’s help. And Elena wouldn’t let him solo.
“Someone wants to say good night,” his sister-in-law said, entering the frame holding a babbling baby.
“Hey bud, bed time already?”
Henry squealed happily and looked at him through Nate’s phone. Being at Nate’s was routine now for his son, but he was glad he got to at least say good night to him. Especially after he’d been torn away from Trina. Poor kid had to be so confused.
“Papa loves you, you got that, kiddo? Now be good for Auntie Elena. Mwh.” He blew a kiss at the phone and Henry cried “Papa!” in response.
That kid would be the death of him one day.
“What, no kiss for Uncle Nate?”
Henry blew a wet raspberry at Nathan and Sam howled with laughter. Oh yeah, that was definitely his son. At least he seemed unharmed by his brief abduction. Which he knew had to be due to Trina’s presence.
He glanced at his texts carefully while Nate spoke to Elena. Sure enough, there was one from Nadine.
In recovery. She’ll text when she’s not slurring. Right now she loves everyone. And proposed to a nurse. How do you feel about bigamy?
He shook his head and responded. Nah, adultery is where I draw the line. Especially if they’re a right dick.
Sam scratched his neck, fingers tracing over his tattoo. He could almost feel her lips on his skin, hear her softly whispering, “Jailbird,” in his ear. Only she called him that.
“Okay, I’m back,” Nate said. “You and Trina made one hell of a cute kid.”
“That was mostly her. He just happens to look like me.”
“Well, Elena’s got him. She’s really enjoying this babysitting.”
“So when should I plan on becoming an uncle?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Trin and I had a little bet going before…” he trailed off, reminding himself that Nate could not know. He was the weakest link of the group aside from Sully. Especially not with Ben and Sara listening in. Well, Sara was off drinking somewhere on Ben’s orders.
“You were betting on me?”
“More on Elena’s ability to sweet talk you into a baby.”
“I hate you.”
Sam shrugged. “Join the club. I think there’s a referral bonus. Ask Nadine.”
“I’ll double check my calculations in the morning, but it looks like Panama. So, big brother, I’d recommend rest and pack a… oh. I’ll… we’ll pack some stuff for you. Obviously, you can’t go alone—“
“Nathan, you’re in no shape—“
“I already talked to Elena. She’s gonna stay back with Henry. Sully will drop me and Chloe, maybe Nadine. She might stay behind. I’m not sure. She scares me a bit.”
He nodded, knowing that wherever Nadine went was most likely where Trina was. She’d appointed herself as bodyguard. Perhaps it was because she felt responsible after shooting her.
“Fine…”
“Wait… you’re not gonna yell at me?”
“I’m tired, Nate. My wife’s dead. It’s been a long fucking day.”
“If you wanna talk about her…”
He shook his head. “No… it still doesn’t feel real. Especially not after last time.” After he properly mourned her. And only pulled himself together for Henry’s sake. And because he saw her face alive.
And he knew she was alive. She was safe in the hospital with Nadine at her side.
Hospital
Trina Drake had an urge to rip out all of the cords and tubes and wires and go home.
“No,” said the South African woman at her side. “Absolutely not.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You’re a Drake—I could see it. You’re going to stay in this bed until a medical professional clears you. Samuel would want you to stay.”
She made a face but sighed. “Can I have my phone?”
“Sure. I told him the surgery went well.”
“Thanks.” She used her good hand to unlock the replacement phone, which had a new number, Nadine had told her, and was set in Sam’s phone as Devon, her maiden name.
Awake. Miss you. Arm hurts even with the good drugs. Two plates and six screws and probably a few nuts and bolts.
Almost immediately a message popped through from her husband. Sam wasn’t a big fan of text but she knew he was doing his best given the circumstances.
Just don’t go all Terminator on me. Love you.
She smiled before responding. Not how that works. Nate help you out?
Yeah. Elizabeth had a son with Dudley. Drake hid him. Then hid real Jewel. Probably Panama. Sorry.
She sighed. Of course it was Panama. Where everything started for them once upon a time.
I’ll see you there?
There was a long pause. Too long in a way.
Take Nadine. Wig. Use Chloe’s passport.
Of course. I love you, Sam. I’ll see you there. I promise. Sic Parvis Magna, always.
Saw Henry. He’s ok. Elena’s got him.
Trina smiled. She had so many questions she wanted to ask her husband. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms. She wanted to be home, in their bed, just the two of them, with Henry down the hall. She wanted her life back—their life together.
Sic Parvis Magna. Have to go. Dream of you.
She set the phone down and sighed. She always dreamed of him. No one else haunted her the way her husband did.
“Well?” Nadine asked.
“We’re going to Panama. And I’m going as Chloe.”
“We dyeing this or getting a wig, love?” Chloe asked from the doorway, food and drinks in hand.
“Wig,” Trina said.
“Ah, Samuel likes the red, got it,” the dark-haired thief teased.
“The ex is a blonde,” Nadine said.
“True…”
“He said wig. And I agree. Plus it’ll be easier.”
“Guess I’m sitting this round out. Shame.”
“Sorry. But it’ll be safer if I don’t use my own passport. I need to get home though. Pack. Oh, Sam probably has no clothes—“
“Don’t think Ben swings that way,” Nadine muttered.
“Sara definitely would jump on that.”
Trina cringed. “Can we… not talk about the psycho bitch who wants me dead for a bit? And who wants to jump my husband’s bones?”
“Boner…” Chloe muttered, before raising her hands. “Last one. I promise.”
“Frazer, keep her plugged in while I track down a doctor. She’s getting squirmy.”
“Shouldn’t they keep her overnight?”
“You’ve met the Drakes, right? If we don’t get her released, she’ll pull herself free and be out the door before we know it, probably ripping stitches. It’s better for everyone if I just get her discharged.”
“You gonna flash your gun?” Chloe asked.
“No. Cash.”
“Bummer.”