A/N: This story is kinda AU, because it's a sort of crossover between the events before Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and an original story. Every chapter has its own song as inspo, whose reference can be found down below. English it's not my native language, you're welcome to correct me if you find misprints.

Warnings: Violence (gunshot), swearing, alcohol

Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused.

— "Sweet Dreams", Eurythmics (cover by Joseph William Morgan ft. Shadow Royale)

''Good evening, Miss Walker''.

Aya smiled uneasily at the young man who opened the huge gate of the residence of Dr. William Myers. The rancid habits of the archaeologist did not cease to surprise her, since William had made particular emphasis on, although it had been a long time since she was not a young girl, Aya should be called as Miss, in the absence of marriage alliance in her hand. In any case, that detail was not the fault of the boy who, with marked nervousness, picked up her coat in the hall of the huge house and insisted on announcing to the doctor the arrival of one of his most appreciated guests.

"Don't worry, I prefer when he's taken by surprise" Aya winked at the boy to reassure him, although she was not sure that it was effective. "Surely your presumptuous boss already has much more work for you".

"Actually, yeah... I mean ... I didn't want to say the doctor was a..."

The woman could not prevent a laugh escaping, which finally seemed to relax the boy's face.

"With your permission, I must continue with my duties. Enjoy the party, Miss Walker".

Aya nodded with a smirk crossing her lips, and soon she directed her critical eye to the hall that she had crossed so many times, without letting go the usual dread it caused to her. William Myers was a man obsessed with labels, having a perpetual insistence to remind everyone around him his Ph. D. in Archaeology, so he reflected his boasted personality in his luxurious house pretentiously built on one of the hills of the Californian city of San Francisco. Aya would never have thought about surrounding herself with professionals like Myers, but in a job like treasure hunting, that man archetype was the most common. He had known how to condense in his residence, much smaller than those of the criminals with whom they sometimes had to work, all the lavishness that his delusions of grandeur allowed him. In his vestibule, he had strategically placed the most coveted archaeological pieces of his collection to delight the guests who, appropriately bedecked, were received without hiding the astonishment in their faces.

Aya crossed the threshold to the ballroom of the mansion, which already accommodated a good number of guests. The parties the archeologist enjoyed celebrating were not absent by anyone who was in his right mind, because beyond the excessive pomposity, it was considered a pleasure to be a guest of William Myers. That occasion did not differ in reasons from the previous ones: to coax some foolish rich to embark on another adventure in which, of course, Aya would be the one who had to get her hands dirty. William wanted to keep the details in secret until that night, assuring that, and paraphrasing his favorite actor, it would be "an offer she can't refuse". "Tempting," she replied, unable to avoid the sarcasm.

She peeped at the blond head of the archaeologist in the center of the room without much trouble. His imposing height made it not difficult to locate him, despite the tide of reckless novices who usually surrounded him and seemed to sigh at every word that came out of his mouth, just ten young people duly selected from the students who crowded seminars that the doctor taught occasionally in the university. Aya sometimes wondered if he himself paid his entourage to chase him at every event, filling him with praises, without thinking who could brook him for so long. In any case, these boys and girls must have been more than satisfied with the position they were in that night, although they probably ignored the moral quality of some of the guests around them.

Turning toward him, her elegant burgundy wide-legged trousers swayed to the rhythm of high-heeled shoes that, in spite of appearances, Aya did not quite get used to. Beyond her reticence with the shoes, she could not deny that in each reflecting surface that she found in her way she cast a sideways glance at the silhouette marked by a tight black long-sleeved blouse with a suggestive and pronounced v-neck. Pleased, she saw certain curves in her figure that she was not accustomed to having given to her athletic profile, revealed under the fabric in the subtle shapes marked by the musculature of her arms. As soon as William realized the presence of his companion in adventures, his retinue vanished. The theory that they received some kind of compensation was beginning to make sense.

"A very becoming choice" William interjected referring to her outfit, maintaining a broad smile of satisfaction that his previous conversationalists would have given him, "although on one occasion like tonight I expected you to let your hair down ... At least, literally."

Aya chuckled, adjusting with one hand the improvised but effective pickup of her dark hair.

"Not too bad to yourself".

The host smiled wolfishly, his blue eyes of Central European heritage sparkling, framed by the slight wrinkles of a middle-aged man. William did not spare any detail when it comes to his appearance, always giving a touch of distinction, daring this time with a three-piece suit on whose waistcoat gleamed the silver chain of a pocket watch. In other times, William would have been a dandy.

"But let me give you a little advice" Aya went on, not allowing her companion to articulate any bluster disguised as gratitude. "You should stop wasting your energy in predicting everyone else's moves, especially when you're surrounded by criminals.".

"Believe me, I've been assuming how you work for a long time" he replied, with a gesture of resignation. Certainly, in the four years they had worked side by side, he had not finished investigating the paradigmatic framework that gave form to the mentality of his companion. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm still counting on you".

Aya shrugged, before taking a glass of white wine from the tray that a waitress offered.

" 'Cause you're not the one who puts money in our pockets". Then, a half smile appeared on Aya's face. "You wouldn't risk it when you know I'm the best in my business".

"You couldn't do it all by yourself" William answered, disguising a wounded pride.

"Unfortunately".

Dr. Myers combined some expeditions arising from his work as a scholar at a reputed university in California with irregular paperwork in which Aya was his best asset, along with a good sponsor — almost always dedicated to the black market art. Little did he know about his partner's life, but without being specially cultivated in historical knowledge, she was a very capable explorer who, despite everything, insisted on remaining in the shadow. Myers used to lead expeditions in which he had a large number of troops willing to succeed in their excavations, although the efficiency of his companion had convinced him to accept jobs limited to the two of them. Arguing for additional discretion in their more illegal services and a treasure to divide into fewer portions, William had not only achieved greater autonomy but more economic benefits while continuing to take away the glory of the findings. Aya, on the other hand, did not care about the fame of the archaeologist as long as he was able to disguise the illegality of their work. Meanwhile, the woman did not shrink from insisting that her efficient services be duly appreciated and, consequently, well paid. However, William did not fully understand the stubbornness of Aya for remaining apparently detached from the business, even calling her a paranoid. As far as their clients were concerned, no one knew Layla Walker was the secret of the success of William Myers, since none of them knew that the high percentage the archaeologist received had not been used for an expensive archaeological team.

"Yes, as long as it's with your rules" criticized Myers. Aya sipped her glass while she looked around, with the tired gesture of who gets bored of a conversation that never stopped repeating itself since she knew William. "Maybe you could, you know, give in favor of other professionals. Trust a little more".

Still with the glass on his lips, she immediately fixed his green eyes on the doctor. In a few seconds that seemed to Myers timeless, Aya remained silent until the rough liquid that ingested allowed her to articulate a word.

"In favor of what professionals, William? Enlighten me, since you have your sense of loyalty so definite".

William swallowed. His mouth had dried, soothing it with a sip of his glass, remembering the harsh reality: being an important pillar in the success of the last four years, it did not suit him to hinder who he considered one of the most valuable explorers that an archeologist could have in his favor. At that moment, he continued to doubt how much he should confess to his partner his intentions for the party he was organizing that night.

"My lack of a sense of loyalty will help your bloated sense of convenience, my dear" Myers replied, with an evident trace of mockery in his words. "I told you I would lend you a hand with that thing".

"You'd better be worth it" interrupted Aya, as if she did not want her partner to say a word about it. "You can't imagine how much effort has cost me to get up off the couch".

"You always have your priorities clear, huh?" at last, she smiled. "Well, I shouldn't let you be caught with your pants down before our new guest, possible and generous source of funding, so I'll give you some details".

"How kind of you".

"Have you ever heard about Henry Avery?".

"Another pirate? Christ almighty..." Aya showed a sneer of disgust. "Pirate treasures are a pain in the ass, didn't you have enough with Blackbeard?".

"No, no. You're wrong, Aya," Myers replied with his classic superiority smile. "It's not another pirate. It's The Pirate, with capital letters. He was responsible for the largest heist ever plundered, the Gunsway Heist..."

"Whose treasure is estimated at four hundred million dollars".

William and Aya turned their heads towards the unknown voice, receiving a haughty face framed by a brown hair combed back. His relaxed face contrasted with the powerful energy that emanated from him, perhaps thanks to the expensive dark blue tuxedo with which he was dressed. A lopsided smile awaited an answer, and neither of them thought they were facing a patient man.

"Four hundred million ..." Aya said. "You should have started there, William".

The new guest looked approvingly towards Aya, in a determined but subtle analysis of her figure. About to offer his hand, William stepped forward.

"Rafe Adler, welcome. It's an immense pleasure to have you here tonight".

Even when William's height could allow him to look over Rafe Adler's shoulder, it would never have been a good idea. Dr. Myers felt a chill run down his spine when Rafe's gray eyes were fixed on his face, trying to maintain a smile that threatened to fade, but the courtesy and the urgent need to please him demanded to keep it. The presence of such a businessman that Aya could distinguish as the heir of the Adler empire, once leaders of the black market of works of art, was accompanied by a halo of uncertainty, ignoring what might be crossing his mind. William could not be more anxious than he expected, accustomed to having a horde of followers under his control.

"How could I miss 'an offer I can't refuse'? Besides, we're old friends, right?" Rafe smiled, but in William's appreciation, the tension could still be cut with a knife. "Although at that time, my colleagues didn't label you as one of the best archaeologists of our time".

"I see I wasn't the only one to have been summoned to Marlon Brando" in a second attempt, Aya approached her hand to Rafe Adler, receiving a firm grip accompanied by an analytical look at her green eyes.

"Layla Walker, I guess?" Rafe answered.

The aforementioned could not avoid a gesture of surprise. Myers seemed to have supposedly ignored her demand, whom William's potential partners should not hear about until it was an inevitable exercise, as when he needed her techniques to dazzle a sponsor to their cause. Before giving Myers a stink eye, Aya wanted to relate that inconvenience to the change of loyalties William carried out when trying to affiliate with the Adler empire.

"Well, yeah, according to my driving license" responded the woman, accompanying the firmness in her hand, narrowing Rafe's with a pretendedly captivating smile. She did not know what her role would be for that night, but she wanted to be prepared for whatever plan Myers had contrived. "But I prefer my partners to call me Aya".

Rafe raised his eyebrows and gave a slight laugh.

"Straight to the point. I like it".

"Just how we like to work, don't we, William?"

Despite her usual bad manners with the archaeologist, Aya had shown to know how to deal with men difficult to dupe, after numerous occasions in which Myers needed the presence of his partner to lure some wealthy magnate given to the crime. However, Rafe Adler did not seem content with similar superficialities, so Aya soon found William's cooperation giving him a gentle nudge.

The archaeologist cleared his throat, before taking over the conversation.

"No doubt" he finally replied. "We don't want to waste your time".

"I know you won't, William" as he pronounced his name, a malicious smile grew on Rafe's lips. "In that case, what if we continue the conversation you were holding before I arrived? After all, that's what I came for, isn't it?"

Aya smiled, trying to build some complicity with Rafe. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched William playing with the chain of his pocket watch, apparently nervous.

"Anyway," Adler went on, "I'm eaten up with curiosity. Did I hear right about 'Queen Anne's Revenge'?"

More than a banal conversation, Rafe was testing them. Aya decided to shut up knowing, if talking about treasures, William was the right person. His usual boastful tone had calmed down, without neglecting the merit of Edward Thatch's treasure trove under his name. On certain occasions, Rafe turned his gaze to Aya, who simply chopped the few appetizers that fluttered in the trays of the waiters.

"And what's your role in all of this?" Rafe asked the woman, distrustful. "William insisted you're a very important part of the job."

Aya, almost choking on an appetizer of salmon and cream cheese, kept Rafe's gaze every precious second she could win before answering. Her work as an explorer had never required her to answer questions since she had never been recognized as such. Usually, the archaeologist gave an academic lecture with which to convince the highest bidder, who never cared about the tools they used, giving Myers a free way to magnify the booty to their benefit. As long as he received his disproportionate share without knowing it, the bidder did not care much about the media, convinced that Myers was sufficiently aware that his life was hanging by a thread if the treasure was not delivered to him.

"Let's say I'm the... tactical team," she finally summed up.

Rafe raised his eyebrows. Aya let all the air out of her lungs through her nose— she did not feel able to give a better answer. It was clear they could not walk with half-measures, and Myers made no effort to bring any help to the conversation. The only thing her head had concluded was the crazy thing it was that a businessman as Rafe Adler counted on William Myers for a treasure of so inestimable value, information sufficiently prized to pretend to have as many troops as Myers boasted. A considerable number of workers in a juicy expedition resulted in a high risk of the success of the same, in a world where traitors abounded under the stones. Aya was sure Rafe knew it well, if he had decided to attend that evening, and if Myers had revealed Aya as a treasure hunter.

"I don't know what your preferences will be" Aya continued, diminishing the tone of her voice disguised as suggestive reliability "but we should clarify that in our last jobs we have preferred to offer more... discreet services".

William felt drops of sweat fall down the back of his neck when he saw Rafe squint his questioning gray eyes at Aya. Myers claimed to have used his false method of working on Blackbeard's expedition, replete with great technological resources and a good number of workers, a modus operandi particularly contrary to what he had advocated having weeks before, the first time he and Rafe talked about Henry Avery. Rafe was not a man who could release his money without checking where it was going to be invested, so Myers had tried the trick of sincerity without taking into account the lies that already dragged previously. Logically, Rafe doubted the variability in the techniques of the archaeologist, but Aya continued talking without losing confidence before the frown of the businessman:

"I'm talking about services limited to William and me. Very effective, more silent and with less money to distribute. That's where my real work comes in".

Myers sighed imperceptibly. He had already realized sincerity was not going to allow his usual games with the percentages of profit of the treasure, but he had to remember the four hundred million dollars to be able to silence his greed. Then, contrary to what he was predicting, Rafe smiled broadly.

"Perfect, just what I expected," the businessman replied, softening the sound of his voice. Aya felt every fiber of her body relax, as if her cells were sighing in unison. "Ya know? I'm tired of charlatans who boast of state-of-the-art equipment and an army of explorers when they don't know how to find their balls with a compass".

"You can be sure we guarantee results" William answered, his heartbeat bouncing furiously in his chest.

Rafe gave a laugh of satisfaction, maintaining an air of distrust. Aya had seemed to notice a tinge in his words, which made her ramble on to what extent the businessman would suspect Myers's intentions toward other colleagues.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear" Adler continued. "I'm not interested in fooling around after so many years behind that devil of Henry Avery, and I'm not willing to be teased again. I hope you understand what I mean".

His icy gaze danced from Myers to Aya and vice versa, waiting for an answer. William seemed to get used to Rafe's ways, and he seemed calmer. On the contrary, it was Aya who began to see her mood altered.

"Absolutely" said William, breaking a brief but painful silence. "If you wish, we can discuss the details in private".

Rafe smiled with what resembled a hint of complicity towards the archaeologist.

"Is where you hide the good scotch?"

William gave a nervous laugh, laying a hand on Rafe's shoulder to lead him through the labyrinthine residence to his office. Aya used to not be present at her partner's meetings as, to the outside world, she did not participate in the expeditions more than as an 'administrative support'. In that sense, the less people knew about the details of the treasure, the less competition possibilities there would be. However, William seemed to have forgotten to recognize her as an explorer to Rafe, and he made no effort to integrate her into the impromptu meeting. Adler wished Aya a good evening, shaking her hand again, and once again posing his sharp gray eyes on hers. A shiver born in her fingers when touching Rafe's hand, which did not disappear until they both vanished from the ballroom.

In other circumstances, Aya would have tried to enjoy the evening quietly until receiving all the information from William, if the professional alliance was fruitful. It was usual for her to limit herself to field work. But, without knowing how, there was something of that treasure stirring her conscience. Rafe had decided to entrust such suggestive information as a loot equivalent to four hundred million dollars knowing in advance the dubious reliability of William's methods, not because of lack of efficiency but because of the gaps in his misleading speech. In short, Henry Avery could hardly be an excuse — both Rafe and William knew their meeting that night was a transgression on the part of the archaeologist, although Aya had never come to know the reasons that gripped the fragile relationships between the criminal elites dedicated to the black market art. On the other hand, it was not clear to her that Rafe could be interested in money, a strange objective for who could inherit the fortune equivalent to the value of Avery's treasure. She could only hear from his mouth what his intentions were, and Rafe had not been reluctant to let Aya be present in the terms of the negotiation. Her only chance was to discover his plans from the shadow — she could not trust William himself would miss some important detail.

The benefit of being a guest of honor at the Myers mansion is that the waiters and servants do not dare to ask when going to a room not reserved for the other attendees. Taking advantage of it, Aya undertook with slyness the way towards the office. Before losing sight of the waiters, she got rid of her empty glass of wine to get a flat-bottomed glass whose content she did not know, and which, once she saw nobody was looking at her, emptied on one of the few plant pots she found in her way. Her new destination was located in a secluded corner on the top floor of the house, in an inhospitable lightly lit corridor. The door, locked tight, did not even allow a ray of light from inside and barely a murmur of the conversation. Wasting no more time, Aya placed the edge of the glass over the door, thinner than the walls that separated the corridor from the room. Luckily, they were so far from the party that the ambient noise and prying eyes would not be a nuisance.

"Old tricks are always the best" she whispered sarcastically.

She pressed her right ear against the base of the glass, slightly distinguishing the conversation that was kept inside the room.

"... so those have been all my clues" it seemed to be Rafe's voice "The fucking broken cross of the Good Thief. And, as you'll understand, I spent so much money buying the land of the Saint Dismas cathedral. But that's not my problem, it's time and the people that have made me lose it. Among them Nathan Drake".

''Nathan Drake, huh?", William interjected.

Aya, who was frowning as if that allowed her to hear better, opened her eyes in surprise. The conversation had become interesting when she could recognize the name of the treasure hunter — indeed, William was lending a hand to her.

"Yeah, he and his dead brother were the ones who got me into all this, before letting me down. At least that takes away my competence". Aya could imagine the same gesture of astonishment on William that now occupied her face, but for different reasons. "Do you know him?"

"Never had the pleasure, but I heard you were partners" the archaeologist replied. In his trembling voice, William was beginning to be affected by the symptoms of alcohol intake. "You know, people talk".

"Always so timely, Myers..." Aya muttered. William had not known how to hide his fascination, and even she had guessed it was not Rafe's favorite subject of conversation.

"Oh, really?" Rafe could no longer hide his discomfort, which translated into an aggressive tone. "And what are people talking about?"

"Well, everyone knows Nathan Drake is a legend".

After a few seconds of silence, Aya heard the crunching sound of William's couch. Someone had stood up. Then she could hear a click, which, alarmed, she could identify very well. Dropping the glass tumbler to the floor, she pushed open the door as a shot deafened her, disorienting her and tripping over a carpet.

William's lifeless body fell, and once again, Rafe's icy eyes locked on Aya.