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Nate had just destroyed the damned armoured car with the RPG, and he was seriously done with getting chased down by those insane things. They just weren’t fun any more and Rafe had far too much money to be able to afford so many. He could still feel the heat of the engine burning against his neck and the flying debris barely missing him. Thankfully they had. One giant rock to the forehead was enough.
Seeing Sully's face above him on the ridge was an immense relief. He hated how they had left things in King's Bay, but there would be time to fix things later. Honestly, Nate really was blessed to have Sully and Elena in his life. They had come back for him, even when he truly didn't deserve it.
“C'mon over. I'll get you out of there.” Sully shouted down as the truck burned behind them.
“Please!” Nate responded, breathless from all the running, climbing, and shooting. He watched Sully move closer and lean over the edge, arm extended down to him. With a couple of grunts, groans, and popping of joins from both men, Nate was hoisted up.
“Good to see you, kid,” Sully said fondly as he helped Nate onto his feet. Part of Nate’s mind wondered why Sully would want to see him. Sully really had every right to just up and leave. Nate had been a real dick…
Those thoughts were shoved away to deal with at another point. Nate wouldn’t get back from that deep rabbit hole otherwise. Instead of falling into the endless hole of despair, Nate answered Sully, light-heartedly.
“Yeah, right in the nick of time.”
“Yeah, well…got a little too antsy waiting around to hear from you two.” Nate felt a twinge of guilt about that, although talking to Sully hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind while surrounded by poisoned pirates, exploding mummies, and a goddamn army. Then, he had almost been crushed by an ancient cannon and drowned after getting separated-
Nate’s stomach dropped as he thought of Elena and Sam. He had absolutely no idea where they were. Everything had gone so completely silent. Either they got someplace safe or… No , they were both excellent shots, and Nate refused to believe they were dead after all that.
“Yeah, no, we gotta find Sam and Elena still,” Nate informed Sully, stepping away slightly because they really had to get going. Rafe and Nadine had their seemingly unlimited army crawling all over this island, and who knows what more traps Avery left them.
“Hey!” Rushing footsteps accompanied the most wondrous voice, and all the worry and exhaustion just vanished from Nate’s body.
He turned and Elena appeared under an old archway, alive and mostly unscathed. It was the most beautiful image Nate had seen in the last few days. Elena jogged right towards him, and Nate shuffled closer to bring her into an embrace. Seeing Elena was enough to quell his panic but holding her just made everything feel miles better than ever before. Despite the awkwardness and tension between them, Elena hugged him back without hesitation, and Nate felt a little more calm. The universe had blessed him with not having to rescue his wife from the clutches of a madman. She had already been kidnapped and hurt too many times on these adventures, losing her this time might have- no, would have ended him entirely.
“Are you okay?” Elena asked.
“Yeah.” He answered because lady luck had allowed him to get out of this situation bullet-hole and shrapnel-free.
“We heard those explosions,” Elena said, pulling out of the hug. Nate let her go, although he felt her hand brush his. “We thought-.”
“Yeah, that was all this guy.” Nate gestured to Sully, who drew closer. He didn’t miss the way the old man’s eyes cast an inspecting glance over Elena, looking for any injuries that were thankfully not there. Elena let out a gentle, breathy laugh, hands on her hips as she spoke.
“You saved his ass again?”
“Naturally.” Sully gestured in amusement, and Nate would have protested if it wasn’t utterly true. “How you doing?”
“Good. Good. There were a few close calls,” Nate’s heart rate sped up dangerously. “But, um…he covered me.” Elena stepped back, looking through the arch she had appeared from. Sam ducked under some hanging leaves, mostly likely having been checking they weren’t followed - keeping Elena safe, not that Nate would have expected anything less. Nate’s heart calmed down a little, although the blood on Sam’s arm didn’t do it any favours.
“Hey.” Sam raised his hand in a slight wave, as he walked towards the group.
“Hey.” Nate echoed, meeting his brother in the middle. Before they had found Sam again, Nate had last seen him held at Rafe’s gunpoint. It was a relief he was alive, not shot down by Nadine or blown to bits in the underground tunnel. His brother’s lighter had been the only thing to keep him calm and when he had found it in Avery’s mansion, undoubtedly a clue left by Sam, who knew Nate wouldn’t leave him behind. It wasn’t like the Panamanian prison again, Nate wasn’t going to let Sam suffer any longer on his own. Still, Nate’s eyes locked on the shiny, fresh blood that coated Sam’s bicep, the stained bandage that poked out from under his shirt’s short sleeve. Gesturing with his chin, Nate asked. “How’s that?”
“Oh.” Sam laughed humourlessly, looking at the mess momentarily. “Bullet grazed my shoulder. You?”
“Cliffside grazed my face.” Nate shot back, vaguely pointing to the wound on his face that had long since stopped bleeding. He was only slightly bitter that Sam had knocked him off the side of the cliff. Understanding that Sam had protected him from a bullet didn’t make tumbling from a high cliff any less unenjoyable. Really, Nate was lucky that the fall hadn’t killed him just as good as any old-fashioned bullet would.
“So, how’d you lose Rafe.” Sam let out a chuffed breath at that.
“Led his crew right into one of Avery’s traps.”
“Smart,” Nate commented, wondering if the rich boy had been blown up or caught in a net with Nadine. Either would have been a sight worth seeing. Hopefully, it meant getting the treasure for Alcazar would be far easier now. Having Sully and Elena to think properly for them was a certain bonus.
“What next, kid?” Sully asked, laying a hand on Nate’s shoulder. The action grounded him, as it always did. It also told him that Sully was putting his trust and confidence in him, knowing the older man would follow him anywhere Nate suggested (within reason, of course.) Nate thought for a moment. They were potentially close to the treasure yet, it could be booby-trapped to high hell for all they knew. The prize really wasn’t worth risking their lives for, yet, if they didn’t Sam was dead anyway. The only solution was finding the damn treasure. Nate had almost lost two of the most important people on this godforsaken island, he couldn't risk actually losing anyone…
“There is a shortcut in that direction.” Sam piped up, pointing back through the arch. “Rafe’s gotta go all the way around, we can just cut right through and get there first!” The familiar glee and anticipation of glory spread across Sam’s face and tainted his voice. Nate might not have seen that same expression or heard the familiar tone of voice in fifteen years, but he knew the feeling very well. He had been just the same since forever. It was an obsession that wasn’t healthy at all. Sam’s obsession, their obsession, was what landed them all in this situation to begin with. Then it lured Rafe in, the Panama warden now dead, Alcazar breathing down their neck, Nate’s marriage now in the crossfires… One could argue that it was their mother’s fault to begin with, but the details didn’t matter - the two brothers had got themselves into this situation.
“Is there no other way we can deal with Alcazar?” Elena queried, looking unhappy. Nate couldn’t blame her. She had left the comfort of their lives and home to confront him, then save him and almost die in the process. As much as Nate enjoyed these adventures with her, he hadn’t meant to drag her back into any of it.
“I wish, but no.” Sam sighed. “He wants Avery’s treasure, nothing else.”
“It’s just…this has become incredibly dangerous now. Rafe is far too equipped, and we’ve only got us four.”
“We’ve managed so far.” Sam pointed out and thought he was right, everything had been one giant close call. Nate stayed quiet, simply thinking as the rest discussed what they should do.
“Look guys, Avery scuttled every ship here so he could keep the treasure for himself. No one could follow him as he was leaving.” Sam explained, caught up in the excitement of finally finding their life goal after so long. An excitement that could leave you blind to the danger around, the adrenaline running out, so you wanted more than the running and shooting and discovering hidden societies that could find. At this point in their adventure, Nate felt no giddiness.
“I found this map of the island, okay?” He pulled out an old and worn map from his jeans pocket and unfolded it, moving to Nate’s side to share its contents. It was definitely a map, but Nate didn’t feel like jumping for joy right now. Any of his earlier eagerness about the treasure hunt had long since crumbled away, like many of the buildings on this island.
“That’s Avery’s ship right there.” Sam pointed right in the middle of the map as Nate took hold of it. “It’s right under that mountain.” Nate’s gaze rose with Sam’s pointed finger. They both landed on the giant, ominous-looking mountain that Nate had seen when he first washed up on shore. Go figures, it was in the most spookiest part of the island - seemingly on brand for Avery’s craziness. “That’s where the treasure is and exactly where Rafe is heading right now while we stand around.”
“What if the treasure is already gone, sunk somewhere in the ocean or in Rafe’s hands.” Sully pointed out, sweat dripping from his brow. Faintly, Nate could still hear the armoured truck burning, and he wondered if all the death and destruction would be worth it if the treasure was gone.
“Then we find out where it got sunk,” Sam argued, taking the map back. Nate hadn’t really been looking at it anyway, gaze focused on none of the map’s contents.
“That could take longer than we have right now!” Sully counter. Before Sam could answer and set things off, Elena stepped between them. Her stern look shut them both up effectively.
“Even if we head in there, Rafe could mow us down. We need a plan of how to deal with him if we end up running right into him and Nadine’s army.” As always, Elena was right.
"It’ll be dangerous.” Nate finally spoke up, and he caught Elena’s eye. A second of silence passed between them, and then Elena’s eyes widened knowingly.
“No. Absolutely not, Nate.” She argued before Nate could even say anything. Her resistance was unsurprising, as was her correct assumption of what Nate was planning.
“Elena-”
“No.” She doubled down, Elena’s finger poking into his chest as her face twisted into something between grief, anger, and horror.
“What’s going on?” Sully questioned, confused. He stepped closer to them, hands held up slightly, ready to calm the situation down.
“This…this asshole wants us to leave! So he can get himself killed by that lunatic’s army.” She hissed and Sully looked at Nate like he’s crashed the man’s plane.
“What the hell are you thinkin', kid?!”
“Neither of you need to put yourselves in danger for this,” Nate said in his defence. Although, watching as both their expression turned thunderous, Nate probably should have just kept quiet.
“Kid, we came here for you-”
“You are not going to pull the hero-”
“I’ll have you know I’ve been in this business-”
“We are a team, Nate!”
As the two ganged up on him, Nate backed away a little. He understood what they were telling him, but after everything, Nate couldn’t bear to lose them, hardly even thinking about his own safety in this situation.
“You’d be safer.” Nate insisted, clinging to a minuscule thread of hope that maybe they would give in and head home, where he knew they would both be away from harm. At least, maybe head back to King’s Bay, just somewhere far enough away from Rafe Adler and Henry Avery.
“No.” Elena snapped. “This isn’t fair, Nate. You cannot make us walk away.” She was right again…
In defeat, Nate shut his eyes. Everything was finally catching up to him now that the adrenaline had time to slink away. Nate hadn’t eaten in a while, nor had he had any water that wasn’t from the sea or his own sweat. His body was exhausted from all the exercise, and his head hurt from meeting a rock on the cliff. The adventurer wasn’t as young as he used to be (although not as ancient as Victor Sullivan) and it had been a while since he had gone on an adventure like this, diving didn’t demand the same intense physical activity as running from bombs and mini-guns did.
A moment- just a single moment was all Nate needed, but time was slowly running out.
“Nate.” A gentle but calloused hand touched his cheek, and he leaned into it before opening his eyes. Elena’s beautiful face was all he saw, brows pulled together in concern. He couldn't believe he had almost thrown everything in front of him away again… “Let’s just- let’s take a moment to rest.” She suggested finger held up to hush Nate when he tried to argue against it. “Not everyone can bounce back as quickly as others.”
“I hope you’re not talkin' about me, darlin'.” Sully quipped from behind Elena. Nate let out a quiet and tired laugh, glancing over at the older man and catching the care in his gaze. A rest did sound wonderful if only to gather some strength back and shake away the small tremble that had caught his hands.
“Never, Sully, you’re the best here.” Elena smiled and Nate allowed her to lead him to a rock to perch on. Not as comfy as their sofa back home, but it sure beat standing on his tired legs any longer.
"You’re lucky I brought my flask from my plane, kid." Sully commented, handing Nate the flask. The water inside was kind of warm but oh-so refreshing. It took a lot of strength to not drink the whole thing in one go, allowing Elena to pass it to Sam afterwards.
“Yeah, well, ours go taken by a huge storm.”
“Some pirate you are.” Elena teased sweetly as she took the time to inspect his head wound again. He could feel it throbbing, but none of them carried around painkillers, so Nate would have to suffer through it for now, until they were safely on Sully’s plane and going home. As Elena’s fingers danced across his forehead, dipping across his scalp to lightly scratch soothingly and remove any stray bits of dirt and sand, Nate was reminded of how lucky he was for the zillionth time to have a wife like Elena and a father figure like Sully. Truly, he would have died a long, long time ago without them.
The four of them fell into a comfortable silence as they simply took the time to rest. Sully leaned up against another bunch of rocks while Elena and Sam elected to sit in the dirt and mud, clothes already a mess, ao more was not going to hurt. Nate watched the horizon to his right, just looking out at the endless sea and not really thinking. A weight against his leg drew Nate from his daze, looking down as Elena looked up at him from where she leaned against him.
His heart clenched, recalling how angry she had been back in King’s Bay, something he never wanted to cause again. Not only was it scary, but it was unfair to Elena. Nate had done many stupid things in his life, but the dumbest thing was lying to his loving wife.
Elena reached her hand up and Nate happily took it, squeezing it ever so gently. There was no way he was going to be so dumb again. Without saying anything, Elena pressed a light kiss to the back of Nate’s hand before she let go and turned towards Sam, breaking the silence by offering to check his wounds. He politely declined, which Elena had followed it up with a joke about them definitely being brothers which Nate didn’t get, but it left Sully chuckling to himself.
An explosion in the distance was what ruined their little moment of peace, shaking the ground underneath them.
“What the hell was that?” Sully asked, bewildered, looking towards the mountains as a flock of birds flew off in a panic. The explosion had sounded big, either Rafe had brought a whole load of dynamite from Scotland, or-
“It’s Avery’s traps,” Sam answered, pulled together in a frown as he stood up. He wanted to get going, Nate could tell
“Hey, that means they’re blowin' themselves up!”
“No, it means they’re on the right path,” Sam grumbled, looking at his map like he could wish Rafe into blowing up. Nate stood up from his seat, the monkey inside his head bashing his brain with a hammer - not feeling particularly dandy, but only his own bed and a nice hot shower could fix that.
“C’mon. We should get going.” Nate said, uneasy about Elena and Sully being near more explosive mummies and Rafe’s mercenaries. However, he knew he was outvoted whether he wanted them tagging along or not.
“Wait, wait- Wait a sec, yeah?” Sam said, stopping the three of them in their tracks. They all turned, confused. “Okay, I would feel bad if I kept this from you any longer, especially when you’re all riskin' your necks for me.”
“Sam, what are you talking about?” Nate questioned, more unease piling on what was already settled in his gut. Sam had kept something from them?
“Yeah, so uh… Alcazar, right? He died like six months ago in a shoot-out in Argentina…” Sam confessed, rightfully looking guilty.
“What?”
“Who the hell got you out?” Sully roared, outraged.
“Rafe did…two years ago.” Sam chuckled nervously. Nate’s ears began to ring as his vision tunnelled.
Everything they had gone through, everything Nate had given up had been for Sam. To save Sam from Hector Alcazar’s death threats. To pay off the hangman to remove the noose. Everything had been for a lie.
Nate locked eyes with Sam, who walked closer to him. “C’mon, little brother, this treasure was ours. It was always ours.” Sam reached out to him like everything would be okay with those meaningless words. But no, Nate saw red.
Now, Nate really wasn’t an angry guy, but putting those he cared about in danger, you would bring down the wrath of god upon yourself. Nate wasn’t going to kill his brother, but he did not hold back from punching him square in the face.
“I left my life for you!” Nate yelled at Sam before Sully stepped between them. He, too, was righteously mad, but killing one another would not be the best solution this time around. Nate would never forgive himself if he went too far, Sully knew that. The older man placed his hand in the middle of Nate’s chest, a small warning, so he backed off, although his anger hadn’t dissipated yet.
Nate watched as Sully helped Sam to his feet, his nose bleeding a little. A small amount of satisfaction coursed through Nate. After the entire deadly mess they had experienced, Nate was owed at least one punch. Once Sam was back on his feet, Nate drilled into him before Sam could begin to speak.
“When were you going to tell us, Sam? While we’re all getting gunned down? Eventually, we would have found out Alcazar was dead, Sam!” Nate paced from left to right as his brain scanned through every day since Sam returned to figure out if he should have realised he’d been played. Could Nate have realised earlier and avoided everything? Why didn't he question Sam’s story? Why didn't he find out Alcazar was dead…
Two hands on his shoulders, one each, stopped Nate’s hastened pacing.
“C’mon, kid, you’re getting lost in that giant brain again.” Sully cautioned, giving Nate a supportive smile.
Having Sully around right now was a saving grace. He had been there after Sam had died, and he knew better than anyone else how much Sam meant to Nate. He might not have been as close to Sam as he was to Nate, but even this felt like an utter betrayal of trust from the older brother. It was far worse than Harry Flynn and Chloe’s betrayals - Nate had always believed in his brother, taking his every word as gospel when he was growing up.
Sully knew that Nate would begin to spiral, he would figure out a way to blame himself. The older man would not allow that. Nate was too good-hearted and Sam had willingly chosen to exploit that. Samuel Drake would be incredibly lucky if he survived the wrath of all three of them, but Elena most of all. She didn’t know Sam, they had no history. Elena only saw the mysterious brother who suddenly showed up and caused her marriage to come under question. Sully wouldn't be able to stop her, even if he wanted to.
In front of him, Nate’s shoulders slumped, and he looked exhausted physically and emotionally. He could suffer through almost any physical injury, however, emotional damage would often stick with Nate for a long while. God, Sully wanted what was best for his kid, but he really couldn't have expected the situation they were currently in.
“That was one hell of a right hook, brother,” Sam spoke up, resorting to humour to hopefully salvage the situation. Nate looked over at him, as did Sully, who gave Sam the most unimpressed stare. Elena hadn’t said a word, but Nate knew she would give Sam a rightfully earned earful once they were off this island.
“Sully.” Nate started, turning to the man. “Where’s the plane?” He could see the relief in Sully’s posture, even if he didn’t voice it in his reply.
"This way," Sully pointed in the opposite direction to Avery’s treasure. “On the beach, other side of this town.”
“Woah- wait,” Sam spoke up as Nate started walking, Elena and Sully closing in and following him. For a moment, it was like old times together, the trio working together to leave the island rather than finding the treasure this time. They all stopped short when Sam spoke.
“What now?” Sully asked, patience wearing thin and only getting thinner as the heat prevailed against him. He’d left all of his cigars on his plane as well. Sam was still angled towards the ‘shortcut’ he had previously brought up.
“Are we not going for the treasure? Ya’know, Henry Avery’s long-lost treasure?” Sam asked, and Nate felt his earlier anger flare. He could not believe Sam. After everything, he still wanted to risk it all for the treasure. With the threat of Alcazar gone, Sam was free and all he wanted was to get the treasure . Perhaps at another time, Nate might have been able to see himself doing the same thing. He might have understood Sam’s need to finish things. But right now, Nate was tired, overheated, starving, and angry. Nate’s trust had been betrayed, his relationships rocky, and Sam wanted to go get the goddamn treasure.
“Are you insane?” Sully accused, sounding about as exasperated as Nate felt.
“I’m not the one who wants to leave the treasure to Rafe Adler!” Sam shot back, gesturing to the ominous mountain. He clearly couldn't see what Sully was trying to tell him.
“We don't need the treasure any more.” Sully reiterated in the hopes of getting through to the younger man. It was a call back to before Sam had ‘died’. More often than not, they had butted heads, never gaining the relationship Sully had with Nate. They were always civil for the youngest brother. Yet right now, after the whole reveal, Sully was pissed and ready to fight.
“Neither does Rafe-”
“Sam.” Nate interrupted, tone unbelievably calm despite how angry he was. Elena’s hand gently brushed Nate’s bicep as he stepped towards his brother. “Forget the treasure. You can’t go and get it alone, and none of us want to go get it. Rafe has a whole army at his beck and call, and this whole place is rigged with traps. It's not worth it. We don't have to prove anything any more. We’re not those kids any more.” Nate told Sam honestly, physically feeling all the exhaustion seeping into his bones, not just from this trip, but from all the years of grieving his brother and having a death wish he refused to acknowledge. Truthfully, even with his anger, Nate could understand Sam’s point of view, stewing in prison for fifteen years, thinking of nothing but Avery’s treasure, it did things to a person. But Nate also just wanted to go home.
Silence lingered between them, heavy like the humid air. Sam sighed, head rolling between his shoulders before he looked back at Nate.
“Alright. Okay. We can go.” Sam conceded, much to Nate’s relief. He realised this must have been what it was like to deal with him and his adventure obsession all those years.
“Thank you.” Was all Nate could whisper, turning to Sully once more. The older man gestured ahead again, and Nate fell into step with him, Elena close by his side. This was something he needed to sort out with them, but, for now, Nate was reading home. Treasure be damned.