Notes:

I don't know what's up with me! I don't usually feel like posting a fic unless I have more done with it, but lately I've just been wanting to share with the world I guess. Haha.

Anywho, I honestly don't know what direction this story will take, or where it's headed, so I'll add relationships and tags progressively.

Thanks for reading, and any feedback, ideas, comments, ect. are welcome!

Chapter 1:

He was reeling from the betrayal, trying to come to terms with the fact that his brother had lied so effectively. It was irrationally cruel now, Nathan realized, how his brother had given him such forlorn frowns whenever he didn't share the same excitement about Avery's treasure. He could hear Sam's words repeating in his mind, something along the lines of, 'It's just us. You can show your excitement.' His brother had been irritated with his guilt over his treatment of Sully, his attachment to Elena. To learn that his brother had been facing no danger, had made the story up just to get him to come along… Well, it stung. Nate stole a wide-eyed stare at his kin before turning back to Rafe.

"You're half right." Nate just barely realized his former partner was mulling over his insistence that he needed both Drake brothers alive.

"I just need Sam."

The barrel of the gun was raised once more, pointing straight at him. His mind seemed to instantly clear, forgetting in that moment how much Sam had hurt him. "Wait, you're making a mistake!" Nate shouted, hands up in a defensive gesture.

It wasn't lost on him that Sam stepped forward, blocking the weapon's path of trajectory.

It was unlike Rafe to pause, but he did so now, finger stilling against the trigger as he stared at the two of them. "Perhaps… I could be persuaded." An eager grin lit up his face, and the gun dipped as he watched them, the threat dwindling.

Nate clung to the chance, however small. Adrenaline was racing, his heart pumping wildly. "Yeah," he breathed, not quite letting relief flood through him just yet. "We can make a deal."

Nadine huffed loudly, pacing behind Rafe and her men. "This is ridiculous," she hissed, glaring at Nathan with the full force of her hatred. He grinned back at her, making sure it was the cheekiest smile he could manage in the face of his still very possible demise.

Rafe smiled thinly, eyeing the interaction between his partner and Nate with something close to amusement. "On your knees, Nathan," he commented offhandedly, and the command was so sudden that Nate almost didn't understand it was directed at him.

"Rafe," Sam growled threateningly, but Rafe pointed the gun at him and glared.

"On your knees, Nathan," he repeated, but his eyes were on Sam as he said it.

He complied, trying not to let his trepidation show. Dropping to the harsh stone beneath him, Nate smiled widely, doing his best to keep up his unconcerned front. "This is hard on the joints, you know." His tone was flippant, and if Nadine practically growled at his jaunty words it just made it all the better. No one else seemed to have heard him.

The stare off between his brother and Rafe had reached the climax. Sam was practically vibrating with restrained violence and Rafe's glower was so intense, so challenging, Nate was glad he wasn't on the receiving end. He took a moment to survey the rest of the scene. The two gunmen had their weapons at the ready, one pointed at Sam and one aimed at him. Nadine prowled behind them, a dangerous predator that would pounce any second now. Nate could see her already thin patience dwindling.

"Join your brother, Samuel."

The command left no wiggle room. If Sam didn't obey, Nate had no doubt Rafe would shoot him as punishment. His brother warred with himself, the trembling becoming more pronounced as he weighed his options. Sam chanced a glance over at Nate, and he wasn't sure what he saw in the other man's eyes. Desperation probably. Sam obeyed nobody. But… I'm his brother, aren't I? Won't he do it for me?

It was crushing that Nate wasn't sure about the answer anymore.

Seconds ticked by slowly, and with it Nadine's tolerance came to a breaking point. With a snarl of rage she pushed past her mercenaries, pulling out her pistol as she approached Nathan. He didn't even try to defend himself. Nadine ignored Sam's indignant shouts as she tangled her fingers into Nathan's short locks, pulling as hard as she could. Tears sprung to his eyes at the sharp pain, but Nate refused to let out anything other than a hiss of surprise. The pistol's muzzle was tucked underneath his chin, and Nate knew if he tried to even breathe too heavily she wouldn't hesitate.

"Get on your knees or I'll do it. I'm tired of this game," she barked, shaking Nate's head to emphasize her point, her hands still white knuckled around any hair she could grip.

"Hey hey, don't damage the roots," he piped up, unable to let the serious moment remain. Nadine growled again and pulled harder, causing Nathan to grit his teeth in an effort to keep any pained noises locked away.

From the corner of his eye, Nate could see his brother's tense form. Sam looked utterly defeated. He stared at Nadine, knew what his disobedience would cost. Glanced at Rafe, saw no compromise there. Finally, his brother's eyes settled on him. Nate did his best to remain impassive, didn't want to sway his brother one way or the other. He couldn't ask Sam to give up for him. It went against everything he believed. A man had to make their own destiny and all that, after all. But as flashes of his wife, of Sully flashed in his mind, Nate found himself whirling with the desire to beg. He couldn't go out like this. He needed his old life back.

He wasn't reduced to pleading though. His brother finally moved, his actions jerky and uncoordinated. Eyes blank, as if he couldn't understand just what he was doing, he dropped to the ground, knees cracking audibly on the stone. He stared down, breathing hard, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"There we go. Now was that so hard?" Rafe's patronizing tone was hard to swallow, but as he lowered his gun, Nate figured the sickly sweet relief outweighed any indignity his pride was suffering.

Sam didn't react at all. Not even when Rafe stepped near and placed a hand on his shoulder. Nate tensed, not sure what Rafe's intentions were, but he relaxed when he moved on, turning towards Nadine's soldiers. "Got any, uh, rope?" he asked, his face lit up with an easy, charming smile.

Nadine finally released Nate with a rough shove. "This is a bad idea, Adler."

If the anger in her voice intimidated him at all, Rafe didn't show it. "Nadine honey, trust me, okay?"

His attempt to sooth his associate only led to her anger intensifying. She whipped around and lashed out at Nate, hitting him in the temple with the butt of her pistol. Nate grunted, falling onto his hands from the force of the blow. Sam was scrambling towards him, calling his name in desperation.

"Do you know how much trouble they've caused? How many good men I've lost? Don't you dare honey me," she roared.

Again, Rafe showed no fear at her display. "I know, I know. Just humor me. Let me have my fun." His voice took on a pleading lilt, and he lowered his chin, staring at her from under his lashes.

She stared at Rafe for a long time, arms crossed across her chest in a clear indication that she was not receptive to his idea at all. With a groan, Nate hoisted himself back up on his knees. "Geese lady, didn't they tell you not to touch the merchandise?" he groused, rubbing at his aching head. There wasn't blood, but he could feel the lump swelling beneath his fingers.

"Shut up, Nathan," Sam whispered, pawing at him in an effort to inspect his head. Nate pushed him away without heat. The proximity of his brother had reminded him of his utter treachery and he was feeling sick from it. He closed his eyes, turning his face away from Sam. He let the sounds of conversation between his captors flow away, picturing Elena's smiling face instead. Sully was there too – "Hey kid!" – a cigar dangling from his mouth. The daydream brought him a sense of relief, a shield from the peril he had found himself in.

"Break his leg then."

That certainly regained his attention. Sam was near again, practically hovering over him. "Like hell," his brother snarled, glaring at Nadine with a fury Nate had never seen.

"Nadine, he couldn't keep up if we did that," Rafe reasoned, a placating smile on his face. But Nate could see the tension lines around his eyes.

"You said you only needed one," Nadine argued back, looking towards Sam with contempt. "What does it matter if the other is…damaged?"

"You aren't touching my brother, you crazy bitch," Sam seethed.

"An arm then," she countered coolly, as if that would be an acceptable alternative for Sam to agree upon.

His breathing was starting to become erratic despite himself. These three psychos were discussing the terms of his continued survival as if it were a simple business deal. Didn't he get to voice his opinion on the matter? "I say we let him go," he interjected, voice high-pitched. Rafe, Nadine, and Sam whipped towards him with incredulous expressions. "You know…the quote from Pee-Wee Herman…?" he explained lamely, voice faltering when even Sam didn't laugh.

Tough crowd.

"He's going to be trouble," Nadine said, finally turning away from Nate. She gestured towards him as if his lame quip proved all of her arguments. "Samuel is bad enough…but Nathan? He's worked with Victor Sullivan for years, for god's sake. You can't trust him."

He couldn't stop himself. "Hey, don't you dare badmouth Sully!" The thought of 'Only I can do that' floated through his mind. Guilt was a sharp knife to his gut as he remembered how he had treated his oldest and dearest friend.

"Nathan, shut up!"

Ooooh, big brother voice. Better be quiet.

Sam then focused all his attention on Rafe, forcing himself to lower his body, looking more submissive. "Rafe, please. I need him with me. I can't do it without him. Without Nathan, I won't help you." His voice had hardened at that. Perhaps Sam realized ordering around the man with a gun wasn't a good idea so he added, "And he'll be good. I promise."

"Yeah well, I don't promise," Nate muttered, inwardly beaming when Nadine looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. So what if he was playing with his life. He got off on it, if Marlowe was to be believed. The memory of the old woman brought a shudder of revulsion.

Rafe tilted his head to the side, taking in both brothers with an easy smile. How was the bastard so calm? "Okay Sam, okay," he finally relented, motioning for the gunmen to approach. He ignored Nadine's fists balling in frustration. "Got that rope?" he asked.

One of the men grunted and produced a zip tie he had in a bag hooked to his belt. Nate belatedly figured that even Shoreline mercenaries took captives and needed some sort of restraint device. The idea wasn't one that brought any comfort, however.

At least it was Rafe trussing him up instead of Nadine, or one of her lackeys. The other man was somewhat gentle with him, pushing his wrists together and then looping the zip tie. He pulled it tight, giving no illusions that he was serious about keeping Nathan at his mercy. He motioned again towards the mercenary, adding a second tie at a different angle. Contemplating the bound wrists, Rafe grinned and then signaled once more, adding a third. The ties dug into his skin, and Nate tried not to panic at the confinement. He felt helpless, unable to escape.

"Bit overkill, isn't it?" he asked, forcing out a laugh. His voice sounded strained even to himself though. "How come brother dearest doesn't get the same accommodations?" Not that he was complaining. Maybe Sam could get his hands on a knife, cut him free.

Rafe patted his cheek, and his smile turned dark. "He'll behave with your life on the line." How was Rafe so sure? Nathan wasn't. "And you're a bit more…wily." He looked down at Nate's hands, as if trying to imagine if all the rumors of his adventures were true. Nate didn't offer any input on the matter, instead just sighing dramatically. Rafe gave him one last grin before rising with an excited, "Alright, let's go get Avery's treasure!"

Nate shook his head in disbelief. Rafe motioned for them to follow, spinning about with no worry that they would obey. Sam leaned down, grabbing Nate's wrists and helping him stand. He tried to push his brother away, resisting his help, but Sam stubbornly hung on. He didn't let go until Nate made eye contact. "You need to listen to me and follow my lead," he murmured, eyes dark and serious.

"Piss off," he responded, but it was weak and tired.

The sound of a gun cocking caused both Drake's to turn towards the noise. Nadine glared at the both of them. It was clear how she felt about the situation. "Move," she ordered, voice sharp.

Nate couldn't find it in himself to press his luck.

End Notes:

Got to Youtube and put: watch?v=9Z0VMI67a4Y

In case you have no idea what the referenced Pee-Wee Herman quote is. ;D