Sidney, Australia

October 2012

Nathan's phone call was late.

Victor Sullivan sat on the park bench, gazing out at the thunderheads rolling across the city, threatening rain that seemed reluctant to come. The previously picturesque view of the city had been transformed – the brightness of day seized by premature night, twisted into a dreamscape of encroaching darkness and shifting shadows.

Fitting, Sully thought. Still, his best friend surely had good reason to be late. He and Elena had been settling down and had just moved in together. Nathan couldn't be expected to put everything on hold just to make a phone call.

Yet here Sully was, waiting, sitting on a park bench because it allowed him to be alone with his thoughts, the vista of light and shadow, and his non-ringing phone.

He yawned. His eyes, normally a deep shade of brown but prone to change colors, were currently on the gray side of the spectrum. He didn't know if he was ready. No, strike that - he simply wasn't ready. Nathan was like a brother to him, his best friend, his… He couldn't really put the connection they shared into words. Years of life together, traveling around the world together, exploring, escaping from sticky situations, a lot of sticky situations. Despite their differences , despite Nathan's desire to get out from under Sully's constant mentorship, theirs was an uncommon bond, a bond that had grown in depth and breadth for all their lives.

Until now.

Sully didn't have a problem with Elena. Quite to the contrary, he liked her very much. She and Nathan made a good match. She, like Drake, had a brilliant mind and was intensely curios about… everything. Elena adored Nathan and patiently helped him to keep the rest of his life on track. She was also very bright, and, though their fields of interest differed, they challenged and spurred one another on to bigger and better things.

The truth was, they made a great couple. And that made it even harder for Sully. He took a deep breath. Blew it out as a sigh. He raised his eyes heavenward, but no answers presented themselves. Angry black storm clouds rumbled across the sky, turning day into night and blotting out the sun like a fire blanket.

For as long as Sully could remember, Nathan Drake had been his student, his friend. And vice versa. the one constant in his life was about to do the unthinkable. Change.

Sully didn't hear the phone until a few seconds into the ring-tone. He knew who it was without looking at the screen. Deep breath. He answered with a grunt.

"Sorry, Sully." Nathan's words came quickly, betraying his excitement. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, no." Remain nonchalant. Don't sound needy. Nobody wants that.

"So you want the long version or the short?"

"Both." Neither.

"Short version: it's official we're now living together!"

"Of course you are. No surprise about that." None whatsoever.

Nathan proceeded to tell Sully the long version. He clenched his jaw as he listened, joy and betrayal, excitement and loneliness, clashing in his brain.

"I'm really happy for you." Lie. Well, half0lie.

"Thanks. You okay? You sound-"

"Tired." Nip it "Just tired."

"Sorry. Hey, I wanted to tell you my research is really taking off."

Sully straightened himself up a little. "How so?"

"Hot lead. You still coming out next month? I'll tell you all about it then."

"Of course I'm coming. Why's it gotta wait until then, though?"

A tense silence on the other end. "Sully, I…I think I've stumbled onto something big."

"And your worried rival historians around the world are listening in even now with their sophisticated network monitoring systems that just about everyone has these days?"

"Not academia, Sully. Bigger than that."

Sully scoffed, half-smiling. "Oh, geez."

Silence.

Sully swallowed. " Wait you're being serious?"

"When you visit, Sully. All will be divulged. Of this you have my word."

"Alright mister Dramatic. I'll hold you to that. It had better live up to all the hype."

"It will, Sully. And so much more."

Sully raised his eyebrows. The wonder child had done it again. He stymied his jealousy for the time being, instead choosing to focus on the excitement of discovery that seemed to be rekindled. Maybe the good old days weren't gone after all.

Nathan cited the lateness of the hour, and they said their goodbyes