AN: I am so very sorry about the wait. Just over a month until my upcoming nuptials; that and work and Christmas arrgh. Anyway I've had so many wonderful readers nagging me for this story but I love that I truly do so please enjoy.

Commitment

Nate and Sully sat at the table in silence for a few minutes as Nate processed the situation.

"Kid?" Sullivan asked.

Nate looked up. "This is my fault Sully. All of it. Elena said she wanted to talk to me about something; it would have been the pregnancy, if I'd just stayed when she'd asked…"

"If you'd stayed those three men would have still broken in, still trashed the house and probably still have taken Elena. You can't beat yourself up about this Nate."

"Forget all of this Machu Picchu business my number one priority here is to make sure Elena is safe; I'll deal with this the old fashioned way." Nate pulled his gun out and loaded it.

Sully put a hand on Nate's gun to lower it. "Hold it right there cowboy lets just consider the consequences for a minute shall we?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Think of it this way. You charge in there; guns blazing. Freddy here knows now that he has the upper hand on you. He's not holding one life hostage anymore but two. Now when you and Elena get out of this; you go home you've got a newborn to raise. That costs money and lots of it. Now suppose this jerk off is actually onto something with that fancy stone of his…"

"No, no, no, NO Sully I see where you're going with this I am in no way indulging this little fantasy of his, Machu Picchu is worthless."

"But how do you know that, really? I'm just suggesting we do a little research a little digging, and it will buy us some time to work out what to do next. If this is all a dead end then so be it but if it's not…we do what we do best, we screw this guy over as revenge for taking your girl, we go home a lot richer than when we left and everyone's happy."

"You really believe that you're right about this?"

"I didn't get rich by being wrong kid."

"But you're not rich. You're broke." Nate laughed. "You're never rich for long."

"Well we can't take it with us; might as well spend it." Sully replied. "And don't worry too much about Elena. She won't let them push her around."

"Yea, that's what worries me."

Nate and Sullivan spent the next day in the local library sprawled over every book detailing Incan history and the ruins at Machu Picchu. Apart from learning a few things he hadn't known, Nate felt like they'd made no progression at all. He stretched back in his chair yawning. "This is ridiculous, we're getting nowhere."

"Break time; let's go sit outside for a bit clear our heads." Sully suggested.

The two of them sat on the library steps. "So kid; you never told me that you and Elena were trying for a baby." Sully tried to change the subject and take Nate's mind off things.

"We weren't. In fact we were the furthest away from planning to have a baby as you can be."

"You two were arguing again?"

"Not exactly. I asked her to turn down a really big job opportunity, a documentary about underground arms dealers; because I thought it was too dangerous."

"Hits a little too close to home?"

"Exactly. It's only been a year since that grenade scare. She said she understood but I could tell she was pretty pissed about it. She thinks I'm too much of a hypocrite that I go off and do whatever I like but when it comes to her I'm too protective."

"You don't think she has a point?"

"Sully she almost died." Nate protested.

"But she didn't."

"Maybe I should have stayed with Chloe."

Sully raised an eyebrow.

"I mean at least with Chloe I didn't care what happened to her. I mean, I cared, but I knew she could take care of herself. I wasn't wracked with worry and guilt every second."

"But you didn't love Chloe."

"And that's what made everything so easy."

Sullivan took a deep breath. "Nate, I'm not your father, but I'd like to think I'm the closest thing you've got. Now I can't tell you how you should feel, but last year, when you were in Nepal with Chloe and Elena, when did you realize what girl you wanted, was it when the grenade hit?"

Nate sat and thought about it for a minute, then shook his head. "No. Long before that. When we first met Lazarevic, he had a gun to Elena's head, they took Chloe hostage. We'd just escaped and it was raining. I don't think either of us really believed we were alive. Deep down I think I knew then. I mean I went after Chloe because I owed it to her, I was supposed to be her boyfriend. But Elena and I; I felt like I was fifteen again and you're with a girl and you'll find any excuse to brush up against her, you don't always mean to but your body just does it you know? Then when I was away from her, well I was focused on finding Chloe but then my mind would switch and I'd be thinking about when I'd see Elena again. And now she's pregnant. I mean this is huge. This is why Nathan Drake does not do serious relationships; I think I have a real problem with commitment."

"I think I need a cigar to get through this one." Sully lit one up and put it to his mouth with a grin.

"I've made a lot of enemies in my time, things are fine when it's just me they've got to threaten, now Elena's in trouble; what happens when we have a kid to consider, it's another person for them to target to get at me, another person I love that I've got to save."

"Kid I think you're over analyzing the situation. You have to settle down eventually; maybe this is telling you that it's almost time."

"Maybe."

Sully finished his cigar and the two of them got to their feet. "Time to call it a day I think. Let's go clean up those books and go get a drink."

Nate called Frederick early the next morning.

"Ah, Mr. Drake. How goes the research?"

"Books are going to get us nowhere. I'm going to need that stone of yours."

"And why precisely is that?"

"Because I'm going after the artifacts that Bingham sent to Yale and I would like the stone to compare the other artifacts with. And since you've as good as hired me you get to pay for my travel expenses." Nate bargained.

"Very well then. I will have Jacob deliver the stone to you."

"How is Elena?"

"Rico is taking very good care of her."

"I want to speak to her." Nate shuddered at the thought of Rico anywhere near Elena.

A moment later Elena's voice came through the phone and Nate smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Nate?"

"Hey you how are you holding up?"

"I'm not being treated too badly for a hostage; they let me sleep on a couch last night which is a step up from the floor."

"This is all my fault I'm so sorry."

"It's not Nate; honestly; I'll be fine for a few more days."

"Hopefully it won't take that long. I'm working as fast as I can."

"I know. Nate…about the baby, I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

"Yeah…I was really….surprised." Nate was not ready for this conversation.

"…and?"

"And?" He tried to sidestep the issue.

"Well I know we didn't plan this, I'd like to know how you feel about it, you're face at the café didn't give much away." She pressed.

"Look sweetheart, something's come up," he lied. "I've gotta go but I'll see you in a few days I promise."

"Nate,"

"Yup?"

"I love you."

"Yeah me too." He hung up the phone.

When Nate landed in Connecticut he called Sully to fill him in. "I'm meeting my old University room-mate to see if he can make heads or tails of this stone."

"Yes Sully I went to University, I mean it wasn't Ivy League or anything but it was a decent institution."

"Why did I never graduate? You think I could be bothered actually taking exams?" Nate chuckled down the phone.

"I dropped out after my first year but it's not like I didn't learn anything. I spent the time wisely, when I wasn't chatting up the girls in my dorm I was learning languages and history and geography. Jasper; my room-mate was a complete brain-box who usually wrote half my essays for me and was smart enough to pass them off as mine it was great."

"Yes I'll let you know what I find out, talk to you later."

Jasper Haughney had come a long way in life since being Nathan Drake's room-mate. He was now a Professor at Yale whose area of expertise was History and Architecture. It was a surprise to say the least when through the middle of a lecture Drake himself slipped into the lecture hall and took a seat in the front row.

When the lecture was finished Nate approached his old friend with a hug.

"Nathan Drake, this is most certainly a shock."

"You're not the easiest person to track down mate. Teaching at Yale, I'm impressed."

"Thank you. So tell me what you're doing with yourself. Would I be correct in assuming this is not purely a social call?"

Jasper and Nate went for lunch and Drake filled him in on how he was being blackmailed to look into the stone Frederick had found at Machu Picchu.

"The museum collections are easy enough to view Nathan; the galleries are open to the public." Jasper told him.

"Yes but what if I needed to inspect certain artifacts more closely than others?"

"What exactly are you asking me for Nate?"

"Schematics, security details, things to that effect."

"And lose my job in the process."

"Not if we're smart my friend, which you are by the way. No-one needs know that you're involved, I just need the schematics. And if you're asked if anything were to go missing you can answer truthfully and say you know nothing about it. You know I wouldn't ask but I'm desperate. My girlfriend's life is at stake."

"I'll see what plans I can find for you Nate but that's all."

"Thank you Jazz. So tell me, in your professional opinion; Machu Picchu is worthless? A dead end as far as hidden treasure's concerned."

"Well as far as History is concerned the Architecture is the treasure. Any artifacts or treasure have been found. Although it is entirely possible that the Incan's still keep some secrets. But if I were searching for something I would look more towards Machu Picchu's sister site. It is far less known and explorers have been far less interested."

"Sister site?"

"Yes it's name is Choquequirao. The only way to reach it is a two day hike from the city of Cusco."

"Thank you Jasper."

"My pleasure." The two men shook hands. "My highest regards to Elena, I wish you both luck." He stood up. "Now if you will excuse me I have a lecture to hold. Give me the name of your hotel and I will have the documentation you asked for sent there."

Nate spent the next night holed up in his hotel room studying the security detail for Yale's museum. This was going to be a two person heist no doubt about that. But who could he trust that would be willing to help him?

"I wonder…"

He almost felt guilty as he dialed the number on his cell.

"Hello?" A familiar Australian accent answered.

"Chloe? It's Nate Drake calling, I need a favour."