#forgot how much deaths there but to take into account this was two books smudged together

[skrs-cats]

I feel like the pacing is a bit all over the place at some parts, lots of stuff had to be cut too in time for space for sure. But all in all I really liked it ☺️

[inkedsoldier]

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA - Chapter Four

A/N: Here it is – chapter four of the AMOR VINCIT OMNIA series! Grab a handful of tissues and sit down, because we are going on an emotional ride. The original chapter was way longer than anticipated, so I had to split it in two. Chapter five will now be the second part of this chapter. I hope you enjoy & please let me know what you think about the series so far! Thanks for all the support!

Y/N = Your name.

Y/F/N = Your first name.

Y/L/N = Your last name.

Characters: Sam Drake, Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, Jameson, Y/N.

Warnings: angst.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Masterlist

Chapter Four 

Unlocking the Past

 New Orleans, November 2015

(15 years later)

It was a fine day in New Orleans. The week long storm had washed every sidewalk and gutter clean. The vibrancy of the city had bounced back in the instant the clouds cleared, and already the parks were a hum of activity again. You enjoyed feeling the warmth of the brilliant rays of sunshine on your face as you walked towards the docks. Around three years ago you and Nate took on a normal job after you found the lost the city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the Sands. Jameson, the owner of the salvage company Jameson Marine, hired you both instantly after getting knowledge of your “qualities”. Nate was already in doing some paperwork for today’s job and smiled when he saw you entering the small office, “Hey you! Had a nice weekend?” You chuckled as you answered Nate’s question, “Well, let’s say, I’m glad it’s Monday! I can’t wait to put on my wetsuit and look for some wrecks.” I walked over to him and gave him a warm hug. “So, your date didn’t work out then?” he asked while you sat down behind your desk. “Oh, hell no! I’ve never met such an uneducated pig as him. Damn. It was awful, Nate!” you replied to him with a disgusted look on your face. Five years after Sam’s death you tried to start dating again, but nothing took you further then some drinks at a local bar. “Ah, seriously? There must be someone out there perfect for you. I’m sure about that,” Nate told you before he left the office to check the equipment for the dive.  

 Later that day “If you don’t find it soon, I’m calling it,” Jameson said through the communication system. You had been looking for the wreckage for almost twenty minutes, and the tanks were already down to a quarter. “We’ll find it,” Nate answered. “Ah… there you are. Found it! It’s beat up, but intact. A lot of the crates is still strapped down, but by my count we’re shy two,” you said before starting your search for the other crates. It took a few minutes before you and Nate found the other two and the cargo was accounted for. With the help of Jameson you lifted the wreck out of the water and cleared the river of just another piece of rust. “I’m gonna stink like fish for a week,” you chuckled as you walked towards Nate and your boss with your tank in hand. “…look at that. We struck copper,” Nate said with an unamused look on his face. “Well, you’d be surprised how much this stuff is worth. Client’s paying good money for the full recover,” Jameson told you as he closed the crate again. “Well, I’m going to freshen up a bit and finish the paperwork for the client, so they can pick up this treasure,” you laughed as you walked off towards the locker rooms.

 The day went on and the paperwork was piling higher and higher. “Save the trees, huh” you sighed as you picked up the next file. The clock ticks on the wall and time seems to slow down again. Sitting here makes you think over the choice to live a normal life. Jameson told you about the news from one of his contacts about the Malaysia job earlier this afternoon, but he had to get Nate on board. Not having any permits made that task pretty difficult for him. Jameson wants to take on the job to finally be able to retire, but you want the job purely for adventure; you missed the action. You finished the last paperwork for today and closed the office. Nate had already left, because he promised Elena to be home early for dinner today. When you headed back home your hair fluttered in the air, as the cold wind stroke your skin. You owned a car, and a motorcycle, but some days you loved walking; it cleared your mind.

 As you lay down on the couch, covered by an old checked plaid, you could hear the gentle tapping of raindrops against the window. These were your favourite kind of nights, where you didn’t have to feel bad about not leaving the house to be social. You already cleaned the kitchen and took some time to read one of the books you recently bought in a local bookstore. Absorbed in the historical theme of the book, you transported to another reality. Reading was like an escape from reality; it takes over your imagination to fantasize about whatever you want without the worry of being judged. Unfortunately, the sound of your phone took you out of the world in your mind. You move around the room, and almost trip over the boots you kicked off a few hours earlier. “Where the hell is that stupid thing?” you mumble as you try to steady yourself looking for your mobile phone. A few moments later you find it still in the pocket of your jacket. As you swipe through the notification, you notice a text from Elena and start typing.

 Lena: Hey! You want to come over tomorrow for dinner?

Y/N: Yeah, love to come over. Shall I bring something from the bakery across the street?

Lena: Oh, god! Yes, please! Loved the cappuccino brownies from last time.

Y/N: Deal! See you tomorrow. X

 You loved spending time with Elena and Nate; you would always talk about adventures and yet unlocated treasure. Elena was still a reporter and wrote a lot of articles about hidden fortune and beautiful uncharted destinations. You smile as you put down your phone on your desk as you spot one of your favourite finds from one of your adventures; a small silver jewellery box. It was one of your first finds in the jungle when you were looking for El Dorado with Nate and Sully. You didn’t know how old it was, but the carvings made it special. There was a little heart on top of it with the letter S engraved in it. When you discovered it, it felt like it was meant to be found by you. Even after all these years you still missed Sam. Nate eventually stopped talking about him and so did you, but you were still broken hearted; maybe that’s why dating didn’t work out for you. There are things in your life that you did give up, but Sam wasn’t one of them. The little jewellery box kept two things safe for you. One of them was a silver necklace with a little heart, which Sam gave you on one of your first dates. “I think it’s time to wear you again,” you spoke softly as you hang the piece around your neck. You took it off before one of your diving jobs a couple of months back and totally forgot to put it back on. When you take the other valuable out of the box you need a moment to catch your breath – your eyes start to water as you unfold the little piece of paper. It was the print of the ultrasound you had taken less than a week before you lost the baby. “You would have been a teenager by now, little one” you mumble as you touch the heart on your necklace.

 The next day Before the day has started for most of the people in the neighbourhood, you’re already in your kitchen, fully dressed and ready to start a busy day at work. Outside it is still as black as night, and only the clock tells you the difference in time. These are the days you live for; waking up before the alarm and getting ready while it’s still dark. You lock the door behind you and walk towards your motorcycle, which is parked next to your old jeep. The lights of the bike shine as smudged stars, the thick mist cold upon your skin. The asphalt was like charcoal under the early morning sky, only the white lines gleamed under the headlamps. Here and there were dark patches where potholes had been filled. The bridge near the docks arched elegantly over the green river. It was the only way to cross from one side of the city to the other. The moment you arrive at the docks you see Nate’s car parked in front of the small office. “Hm... he probably couldn’t sleep,” you chuckle as you make your way towards the small space.

 “Hey, early bird, did you have problems sleeping again?” you laugh when Nate appears in the opening of the door. “I… I…” Nate stuttered as he walks outside. “Hey, you okay? You don’t look so good,” you say as you wrap your arms around him. “You are scaring me, Nathan!” Just as he is about to answer you another person comes out of the office space. This can’t be. Sam steps from the shadows, stealing your breath; your heart starts to beat erratically as you struggle to process what’s happening. Before he can say anything, you run away as fast as you can towards the end of the dock. Sam wants to run after you, but Nathan holds him back guiding him to the nearest bench. “Give her some space, Sam. She needs it.” “Yeah, of course,” Sam nods. “But I didn’t expect…” “Yeah, me neither. She is often early to start with paperwork, but I think this is a bit too much to digest in the early morning,” Nate explains to him as he catches a sight of your figure standing at the other side of the dock. “I want to hear about you, huh?” Sam says as they finally sit down. “About me and Y/N?” Nate answers, clearly still trying to process what happened in the last thirty minutes. “Yeah, I called some of the old contacts and they tell me some pretty crazy-ass stories of you,” Sam explains. “Jesus… what crazy stories?” “Gut-shot, hanging from a derailed train in the Himalayas?” Sam continues. “Yeah, that ah… actually happened.” Nate confirms as he thinks about where to start. There is so much to tell. So much he and you experienced during your adventures abroad. “Okay, um… Do you remember the theory that we had that Sir Francis Drake faked his own death?” “Yeah, sure.” “Okay… He did. Y/N and I found the coffin.” Sam shakes his head in unbelief. “Off the coast of Panama?” Nate starts to laugh and confirms.

 Your eyes fill with tears. The walls that hold you up, that made you strong, just collapsed. They break down by the second. Salty drops fall from your chin, drenching your shirt. You press your face in your hands, while you try to stop trembling. Why can’t I stop crying? Brick by brick the walls came tumbling down. You broke down; it was a moment of unlocking the past. All the emotion that you had hidden away in the last fifteen years came at you like a freight train. For so long you had thought that he was gone; never to be seen again. And now Sam was back, out of nowhere he appeared in front of you. You didn’t know what to say, or how to handle this situation. Emotions came to your mind like waves meeting land.

  “I mean, what can I say? Another lost city destroyed, and uh… we made it out alive… barely,” Nate told Sam as he finished the story about the adventure in Arabia. Sam was quiet, in total disbelief. Nate looks towards where you were standing and noticed that you sat down against one of the wooden pillars at the end of the docks. “I think it’s time for you to talk to her, Sam” he speaks softly as he points towards you. “You think so? Do you think she is mad at me?” Sam asks as he tries to find the guts to walk to you. “No, she is not mad at you. She is just terrified. I haven’t told half of what happened in the last fifteen years, Sam. And I think it’s up to Y/N… when she is ready… to tell her side of the story.”

Tag list: @kiara-arts​ @wintermuteway​ 

[justanoutlawfic]

I Belong With You, You Belong With Me: Burn, Pine, Perish

Summary: James' inner voice jumps out.

Also on AO3

Storybrooke, Maine (December 1st, 2011)

 They listen to music in their cars or when they’re confined to Lacey’s bedroom. They sneak glances as he walks with his dad to the town hall meetings and she’s on her way to read her newest book recommendation from her. What’s more than that, are their text conversations with one another.

 You owe me dinner, Chinese. That’s what she sent him after she managed to get through The Tempest. They ate it on the beach, wearing thick jackets and listening to the waves crash in. They talked about everything over those weeks, getting to know each other as well as they knew themselves. James and Lacey spoke about their mothers who were taken from them too soon. Lacey never forgot to ask him how David is doing.

 The answer didn’t change much. He was released from the hospital, but didn’t return to Albert. He found an apartment and job quickly, thanks to the help of Mary Margaret and Emma. After Sheriff Graham’s sudden death, Emma took his spot but still required a deputy. So, she hired David onto help. The three had been spotted spending a lot of time together. Sometimes Henry would join them. James was happy for his brother, but wondered what it meant for him. David was never lucky in love, no matter how nice the woman was. And he didn’t quite get the connection that his twin and Mary Margaret felt to Emma. She was Mary Margaret’s roommate and they were her only friends. People wondered if the new sheriff in town was actually staying for good.

 For a solid month, James snuck around with Lacey. From their music dates to their mini-book club, he knew it was dangerous how much he was falling for her. He couldn’t offer her much. At the end of the day, he returned to the suffocating confines of his dad’s home and office. James was under Albert’s thumb, but he desperately wanted to find a way out.

 Lacey texted him again one afternoon as he finished up at the office.

 Wanna see a movie?

 A smile spread across James’ face as he immeaditely responded “Yes”. He asked her to pick him up in their usual spot, a place Albert would never look for him. Normally when he left the office, he’d check in with his father and explain his plans for the night (i.e, lie). That evening, he was too tired and just gathered up his stuff before walking to the park. It was 20 minutes from the office, but James was used to walking by that point. He had his driver’s license but his father kept such a tight hold on his finances, there was no way he’d be able to afford a car on his salary.

 Lacey’s Jag was in front of the park not long after he arrived. James climbed into her car and gave her a smile.

 “What do you want to see?” he asked.

“Well, since you’re making me read Shakespeare, there’s a showing of the classic 10 Things I Hate About You coming up soon.”

James chuckled. “Out of all the things we could see, that’s it for you?”

“I read it’s based on The Taming of the Shrew.”

“You know a Bard lover like me can’t pass that up.”

 She drove them to the theater where James bought the tickets and Lacey insisted on getting the snacks. Nestled in a back row, they shared boxes of Cookie Dough bites and a cherry Slurpee. Lacey kept popping bits of popcorn into his mouth and James wondered if that was what it was like to have a girlfriend.

 Can you stop being stupid? You’ve been hanging out for a month. She would’ve made a move by now.

 As Kat Stratford delivered her iconic speech about hate and love, James thought of his father. How he hated that he loved him. That didn’t seem like a good relationship to have with one’s father but he didn’t know how else to get out of it. He strained his mind to remember something good, but his childhood was a blur of missed baseball games and A’s on his report card not being good enough. In a way, it made him angry. There was that part of him that always attempted to jump out and yell at his father. That was always quickly subdued by…well, he could never quite explain it.

 The two walked hand in hand after the movie ended. James was silent as Lacey went on about Kat Stratford and whether or not she should have returned to Patrick Verona after everything. He listened as well as he could, but his mind was a fog.

 “You alright?” she asked, breaking through to him, finally.  “You’ve been quiet since we got out.”

“Doesn’t it always go that you talk, I listen?” Lacey raised an eyebrow and he sighed. “Do you ever think about how weird things are around here?”

“You’re not going to go all Henry on me now? You know he’s convinced I’m Belle from Beauty and the Beast.” She snorted. “Can you imagine?”

James laughed a bit, shaking his head. “No, definitely not. It’s just, my entire life I feel like I’ve just been who my father wanted me to be.”

“You don’t have to be that, James.”

“The thing is, the past few…God I don’t even know how many years, I’ve had this voice in my head that tries to stand up to him but I can never let myself. And the more I’m around you…God, this is going to sound weird…”

Lacey only got somber. “It’s gotten louder?”

“I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing…”

“No, you don’t get it,” she interrupted. “The past few years I’ve had this feeling like something was wrong or missing. At first, I thought it was my mom dying but then I realized it was more. I thought I needed to get out of this town but never could. And then…”

She trailed off and James felt his pulse quicken. “Then?”

“Then I met you.” Lacey let out a deep breath. “It’s like I’m uncovering a piece of myself that I thought I lost. I want to read books again, I don’t want to spend every night at the Rabbit Hole. I…I actually think I could fall in love.”

 Lacey moved her hand so their fingers were intertwined.

 “I think maybe I am.”

James blinked several times. “Are you saying…”

“When I’m with you, things just make sense. I didn’t know this part of myself and now I don’t want to stop learning it.” She moved closer to him. “I don’t want to stop learning about you. You’re all I think about when I wake up in the morning. James, you barely leave my mind all day. And if you knew me, you’d know that’s not the kind of girl I am. I fuck a guy and then I move on. But with you, it’s real. With you, I want more than just that.”

 Lacey swallowed and James put his free hand on her shoulder. Their eyes connected and for a moment, they didn’t remember that they were standing on a public street. They didn’t think about who they were supposed to be or what they wanted. Instead, James focused on her. From her baby blue eyes, to the curve of her chin. The way her bomber jacket was unzipped despite it being freezing and the Led Zeppelin sweater she wore under it. All of the reasons he liked her.

All of the reasons he loved her.

 They had only been in each other’s lives for a month and a half. Yet to James, it felt like he had known her for years.

 She kissed him first. They both knew it would always come to be like that. Her red lipstick smudged with his pale, nearly chapped lips. Their tongues intertwined and his arms slid around her waist to pull her closer. She stood on her tip toes and grasped to his neck for support.

He could have stood there forever.

If only the sun didn’t have to be replaced by rain.

 “James!”

 James would know the voice anywhere. He broke apart from Lacey and clamped his eyes shut. Her nails dug into his palm, a weight to the world.

 “I have been looking everywhere from you! Have you not checked your phone?”

 Wordlessly, James pulled his cell from his pocket. A missed call, then a text from Albert questioning his whereabouts. He had turned it off for the film, but he knew that wouldn’t be a good enough excuse for his father.

 Finally, he found the bravery to face Albert. James was tall, just over six feet. Even so, Albert always seemed like a giant when he was angry.

 “I’m sorry,” was all James could say.

“You’re going to be.” Albert gestured to his Cadillac. “Get in.”

“You don’t have to go, James,” Lacey said. Her voice was calm, yet her eyes were narrowed on her beau’s father. “You’re a grown man, you don’t owe him anything.”

Albert let out a shallow laugh. “Why don’t you go pick up your daddy from the floor of Aesop’s, little girl.”

“Hey!” James found the venom coming to his voice. Albert and Lacey looked at him in surprise. “You can’t talk to her that way.”

Albert raised a salt and pepper eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” James knew what that meant. Shut up. Yet, that night, his inner voice came out.

“You can’t talk to her that way,” James’ voice became sturdier. “She’s a person. She deserves respect. You can’t just talk to people like they’re beneath you.”

Albert looked perturbed by his son’s sudden rebellion. “We can discuss this at home, James. Say goodbye to Lacey.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, no. I’m not going anywhere.”

 A pregnant pause hung in the air. Lacey’s fingers were still intertwined with his own. Albert’s eyes were wide. James felt like he was going to throw up.

 “James,” Albert managed to find some words. “You need to remember who you’re talking to.”

“Are you my boss or my father right now?”

“I’d say both.”

“Well, I quit one of those positions.”

 Lacey gasped. If James wanted to take the words back, it was too late. Albert was paler than normal and James wondered if he was going to have a stroke.

 “Think very carefully, son,” Albert’s voice grew darker. “I give you everything. A place to stay, an expense account. You only have a job because of me.”

“He doesn’t just need you,” Lacey spoke up. Both men looked at her. “There are other jobs he could get, ones where I’m sure they wouldn’t keep his actual checks from him.”

“You don’t know anything about this.”

“I know everything about it. And I know that if James needs a place to stay, he has me.”

James smiled. “Really?”

“Really. My dad would hate you staying with me, but I can help you get a room at the inn until you’re on your feet.”

“This is ridiculous,” Albert interrupted. “James, you are not leaving the job I gave you or our house.”

“James is a grown man. He can do whatever he wants.” Lacey squeezed his hand. “What do you want, James?”

 James looked from Lacey to his father. He knew that whatever choice he made, he’d have to stick with it. There was no going back from this.

 “I want to go with Lacey. I chose Lacey.”

 Before his father could react, James and Lacey headed back to the Jaguar. He slid into the passenger seat while she got in the driver. There was a silence for a minute, before Lacey grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. James pulled apart a few minutes later, panting.

 “I feel like I’m going to be sick,” he mumbled. “Not from the kiss…but…my dad…I just…”

“You just stood up to him, James.” Lacey tilted his chin up. “And I am so proud of you.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. He’s controlled my life for so long.”

“We’ll figure it out. Together.”

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