- Chapter Eighty-Five-

It's For Real

Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan.

Man. Myth. Legend...

For all the titles and nicknames that the most infamous mustache in the business had accrued, the ones that really mattered would only go as far out as the hall they had pitched in to rent out. Mentor. Friend. Godfather. Grandfather. Father. Most of all 'father'. Sully might not have been biologically related to anyone in that room - not that any of them knew at least - but that did nothing to diminish the impact he had in their lives.

Had had. Wringing his hands as he sat in front of the golden urn, Nate was still trying to reconcile that Sully was really gone for good this time.

London, France, Borneo, the Amazon, Yemen, Cartagena... Not killing some scrawny street urchin when it would have been beneficial, raising that same kid up by teaching him tricks of the trade, putting himself in near-constant danger to have a wisecracking orphan's back. Not to mention that he had also taken in that starving boy's troublesome older brother... For better or worse, Sully had been the closest thing the Drake boys had known to family.

"Look, I, uh... I had a lousy father. Lousy childhood. I hit forty I figured I was never gonna have a son of my own. Hell, I never wanted one. What the hell do I know about raising a kid? Then you came barreling into my life. I have made a lot of mistakes, kid. A lot. And, ah... well, I'm not a perfect man."

Risking life and limb to save Sam from himself, traversing the desert because Nathan had been too afraid to settle, jumping from a cliff into what should have been certain death just to avoid an even more certain swiss cheese contest. Oh, don't forget a rather shady scene at a German U-boat. Sully could have died at any time during the countless times they had thrown their lives into the fray without a second thought.

True, Nate definitely would have blamed himself for any one of those demises, however at least he would have been there. Not being there to say goodbye to his best friend... it hurt so much more than the descendant of Drake ever could have imagined. I should have been there.

Professional foot forward as she made the rounds and thanked everyone for coming, Elena found her husband sitting with his oldest and dearest friend one last time. Joining him by his side, she slipped her arm through his, "You know, Victor's probably still laughing that he got to go out on his own terms. Not too many people get to say that, especially not in this line of work."

She wasn't lying just to make her spouse feel better - Sullivan really had gone out the way he would have wanted, down to the cigar in his mouth. So much for staying off the stuff. Although he had to admit that a part of him had been disappointed to learn that Sully had relapsed and started smoking again, Nathan agreed with his wife about the rest, knowing what a dirty old man his mentor was.

"Thanks, 'Lena." Squeezing her hand and kissing the side of her blonde head, Nate felt a tiny bit better.

[A Man Of The World]

Wake of a near-stranger not the most comfortable place in the world for obvious reasons, Meenu may not have really interacted much with the deceased, but she was close with two who would consider themselves good friends. Present all throughout the grieving process when she had been dealing with the passing of her father, the woman wanted to be there for Chloe and Nadine now. It was what friends did.

Cluttered together in a loose sailor's knot with the duo, a regal sheik called Salim, and a woman with short, graying-brown hair that had introduced herself as Marisa Chase, Meenu noted all the different groupings.

Air permeated with at least a dozen different tongues and absolutely brimming with people from across the most obscure pockets of the world (and several from the South Americas in particular), there were attendees ranging from their late nineties to all of five years of age, possibly. Glancing around the tuna can of a room for signs of others like herself, that were less acquainted with Victor Sullivan, she bobbed her head with a second old man joined them. Quieter than the first, Chloe greeted him cheerfully as Tenzin. In her endeavor, she only-half listened as Salim politely inquired as to how Marisa knew Victor.

Just behind the growing semi-circle, Mary-Elizabeth was tending to a statuesque vision that would have made the Greeks jealous, a thick sable plait draped carefully over the same shoulder that sported a portable oxygen tank. Ali hovered nervously by her side as if she might collapse at any minute.

"You shouldn't force yourself to be here if you can't manage it. People would understand." Wishing that his father where there to back him up and not pacing up and down the aisle as he thought of what he was going to say to Sullivan's remains, Ali pleaded with his stubbornly insistent mother, "At least sit down?"

Strong enough for this even if her sweet child had his reservations about her health, Layla waved her overly concerned son off, "If not for that man, Charlie and I may never have had you. I'm going to say my goodbyes, you hear, boy? I owe Sully that much."

More than slightly embarrassed by the implication, he averted his eyes and hastened to comment on something unrelated to his step-mother. "Whoever decorated did a nice job, don't you think?"

Nodding along as the boy's biological mother rolled her dark chocolaty eyes, Mary-Elizabeth helped guide the fragile woman to one of the various chairs that had been shoved thoughtfully along the far walls. Placing her near a wax fern, the younger of the two baby-mamas scanned the detail in the room. Finding it to be fine if not anything remarkable, she changed tactics partway through and sought out her own son. Joey better not be being too friendly to Cassie...

"I wonder how this is affecting Nathan and his brother. I have not yet met the man, but it is no easy thing to have to bury a father." In good company with Nathan and Sullivan, Salim had seen Sam standing side-by-side with a much younger woman at various points through the day, however he had not had the chance to meet either of them yet.

Today - and today only - the kid gloves were on, Nadine glancing almost sadly upon both Drake brothers in turn. "They aren't the only ones burying a father today." At the quizzical expressions her comment had earned, the former mercenary pointed out a woman called Jadranka Hzujak, or 'Jada' for short.

More in the know than almost anyone else in the room, Chloe elaborated further, "She's Victor's goddaughter."

[His Girl]

Lost between a sea of people all in blacks and close-enough grays (and one in deepest blue so faded that it could almost pass), two women stood apart from the rest of the crowd. One, Rika Raja, stood a scowling figure that kept a weary eye on the little girl that had slipped out of her caregiver's control and was darting through the crowd. The other, Jadranka Hzujak, was merely floating in place, shell-shocked that the inevitable day had finally come at long last. Victor Sullivan had been many things to many people, but he wasn't immortal. No one was.

Forced into feeling like they should at least speak to one other person at the wake, Rika and Jada found a path to one another, each asking at almost the same exact moment how the other had known the man of the hour. As the least affected by the tragedy, it was Rika that went first.

Eyes snapping off of the small girl-child when she was stopped by the brother that no one knew Drake had, the one-time fling admitted that this was more business than it was personal. Time and grief could do funny things to a person, and in her case that meant putting family affairs first and foremost. "I don't. Word has it that Sully had known my late brother, and since he's helped my father out once or twice. Unfortunately I was the only one available to make an appearance."

It went without saying that that was why so many different folks from so many different walks of life had shown up, to honor all of the achievements Sullivan had made, all the lives he had touched.

Jada picked up on the other's accent with no problem, which honestly made her curious to know if Rika had recognized anyone else there, or if the stylish criminal (Raja name being well-known) was the most out-of-place person there. Which was saying a lot when there were all of maybe five people there at the wake that hadn't engaged in some kind of illegal act at some point in their life.

Gaze then flickering to the same bold little one that Rika had been watching, Jada blinked impassively as she led Samuel Drake back to her guardian. Technically he was leading her by the hand to the person that the child had picked out, but semantics. The point was that it was a surreal thing to see so many criminals, outlaws, and outright bad guys interwoven with innocents like that dark-haired cherubim.

"Friend of yours?" It was a fair question, given all the time they had collectively spent observing that one child.

Aghast at the very idea, Rika shook her head in vehement disgust at the notion, "Not by a long shot." Children were messy monsters, holy terrors rife with illness and annoying tendencies. Much like Eddy.

Silver-clawed hands vanishing into the deep pockets of her sleek leather coat, the modern pirate shrugged, "But I do recognize a few people here." Nathan being the first, the second was less a friend and more someone that had only been in the same circle because of the obscene amounts of money their families had gathered from certain territories. "Nathan Drake, and Daniella Adler." Rika pointed them out as she said their names, earning a curt nod at Nate and a mild look of surprise for the heiress of both the Adler fortune and the Wen name. Not many people knew that she was even alive, living a relatively quiet life.

[Would That I Knew You Better]

Just the kind of guy that would stick out his neck for someone in trouble (if there was something to be gained from it, his peers would say), Sam saw a second girl with dark hair that looked like she could use a little saving. While the first had looked to be about his granddaughter's age or a bit younger, this one was old enough to drink with the boys and tall enough to ride all the rides.

Mood somewhat lifted by the genuine gratitude the harried caregiver had shown when being reunited with their ward, a frown tugged at his mouth when he came back to his own handful.

Still in the midst of a thing with Dells about her trying to keep secrets, the man 'harrumphed' in her direction before rejoining Logan and his family. Chelsea - having not entirely forgiven either for everything that had transpired - held her daughter a little bit tighter to her side. Logan, on the other hand, grinned that clueless, dopey-guy grin of his when the expert thief reentered their little circlet. Young Amelia would have peered around the straight leg of her mother's dress pants, were she not currently engaged with Daniella.

Aware that the girl was unaccustomed to seeing this many people in one place at a single time and was accordingly shy for it, Dells leaned in to appear closer to the child's height, "I get scared around crowds too. Usually I find a friend I can trust and just stay close to them, but you already figured that trick out, didn't you?" Smiling kindly even as she tried not to think about her own anchor, the heiress nodded at Chelsea, "Your mom will keep you safe. We all will."

Fond of each other long before this, Amelia beamed brighter than any of the lights in the room, "I know you will, Andi!" Coming up with that charming moniker long before she could properly pronounce 'aunt D', it had stuck. For once, it was a name that the heiress didn't mind.

"Some of us will just do it behind your back." Muttering underneath his breath so that the little one wouldn't hear, Sam spoke to no one in particular.

Dark hazel retreating before the hailstorm could claim the island, they were both removed from their feud when the famous surfer patted his little girl's head and looked over at the golden urn on display. Clueless as ever, Logan lamented in all earnestness that he had missed out, "Man, I wish I had gotten ta know the old guy better, ya know? Everyone's tellin' all these incredible stories, and I got nada. Sully seemed like a really great guy."

Tone clipped like so many chips of ice, Sam imparted a little parental wisdom on Logan and his wife. Not that it was aimed at anyone in particular or anything. "Shame you can never really know a person."

Narrowing dangerously to the point that decorum had whittled down immensely, the heiress leered at her thief when addressing his son, "I couldn't agree more. It's a shame we didn't get to know Sully better." When the blonde surfer dude turned to say something to his spouse, Dells mouthed something to Sam that would have been censored in a story with a lesser rating.

Taught better than to use that kind of language in an everyday setting, Amelia knew that this occasion made it even worse, so she scolded her other favorite auntie, "Andi, that's a no-no word!" Cue the stern finger wag. "Bad! Right?" Looking to the other adults to see that she was in the right, the little one blinked so innocently they would have agreed even if she had been wrong. "You have to respect the dead."

Spoken like someone that wasn't a treasure hunter. Although they did have to grudgingly admit that this was the last place they should be bickering. For her sake and for Victor's, they each forced a quick, empty apology. "Sorry."

Put to shame by a child that hadn't even reached double digits yet, Dells mumbled something about needing to see someone she knew, cheeks a bright pink as she departed. Victory hollow when it came from circumstance, Sam similarly bailed, jetting off to go check on his little brother. Only getting that there was some funky business between the twosome where there wasn't usually, Chelsea and Logan wondered if Amelia had helped or hurt matters - normally they were of the belief that honesty was the best policy, but with those two... It could have gone either way.

[Here For You Even Now]

Honestly not in too great a rush to meet up with Nathan - unless his little brother truly required the assist, it would happen when it happened - Sam was stopped by none other than his niece. Years in and still not Daniella's biggest fan, at least now that the bespectacled blonde had heard the heiress's story and came to her own realization that the woman wasn't actively trying to steal anything, it was... better. At the very least Cassie had come to terms with the fact that it seemed like Dells was there to stay.

She was there to stay, right? With his background alone, Sam was the very last person to tell anyone how to live their life... but... upon learning that she had been attempting to hide something from him... it didn't sit right. Kiboshing the thought that it was anything more than a little wounded pride, the historian assured himself that he was more bothered that she felt the need to go through the motions of lying than anything else.

I lost Victor, don't let me lose you too. Unable to help himself, Sam watched the woman over his niece's shoulder, frown only growing as the heiress hugged a figure that was starting to fall on the paunchy side. Hair slicked back and a sapphire stud catching in the somber light, the thief didn't need to see the guy's face to know who it was.

Already spending too much time on the spoiled brat for her blood, said niece wasn't about to just let her uncle take it from both sides, so she took one for the team. "Yeah, I wasn't gonna say anything, but you two seem totally happy. All things considered."

Ditching Joey when his trying to console her got to be more annoying than endearing, the blonde was also in a state of denial, thinking that Sully could walk in through that door at any minute. As her best friend, Cassie would have thought that Cutter would be more understanding of her not buying this was a real thing. After all, he knew just as well as she did that their families had been mixed into some hardcore shit, but there he was, repeatedly telling her that it was okay, that she didn't need to be sad.

"So..." Deciding to invest herself in the middle of her uncle's relationship instead of try to puzzle out why everyone was so damn adamant that this was for real, she watched the last remnant of a better era attempt to stalk old money. If she wasn't sure that they would find their way back to one another by the end of the day, Cassie might have thought it would be worrying enough to make the woman back away. "What are you mad at each other for this time?"

"Mad," Sam returned with a flippant scoff, "Who said anyone was mad?" Shit, was it really that obvious?!

Yeah, they were the model for happy-happy fun love, storming away from her cousin in opposite directions, huffing under their breaths to vent before they made contact with another human being. If the heiress was indeed a carbon-based life form... Jury still out on that one, Cassie turned around so she could at least see what it was that had her uncle so off his game. Shit.

While it was probably safe to assume the woman had kept her half of the interaction civil and clean, her conversation partner had not shown the same level of consideration. Entitled and acting as if they were intimately familiar with one another (granted, they weren't strangers by any way you cared to look at it), the man's bejeweled hands were all over her. Pawing at the velvet-and-lace cuff of her dress, pulling her close at the waist, Sapphire was showing all the signs of textbook possessiveness.

Not the right one playing the part, Daniella said something beneath a forced smile and promptly shooed his hand off her person. Giving her points for that much, the investigative journalist's daughter opted to look at this thing rationally, using the skills of her father before her to crack the clues. Which was well and fine, but frankly Sam could have done without the tone.

"Bet she'd be grinning like the cat that ate the canary if that were a certain someone else."

Time very much a factor, the twosome had been together for about a hundred years now, and the teen was pretty sure that they were living together. Maybe they weren't - technically - but ask any of their inner circle and they would all agree that they may has well have been. Could be that the reverse gold-digger wanted something in the way of a steeper commitment.

Even though she was getting older herself and was more than mature enough to hear the full story, he shot that theory down. Hard. Never going to be a viable option - not that the thought had ever even crossed his mind - due to certain tricky circumstances, the topic never came up. "We'll be sure to give you an invite to the wedding, just as soon as you send us yours." Nodding in young Joseph's direction, both paused to watch the boy fuss with his cuffs and lift his arms when he thought no one was looking.

"With Joey?" More a defensive mechanism than blatant horror at the very idea, it was the blonde's turn to scoff. "Yeah, okay."

"If you say so." Nice to be able to share a laugh with his family in the midst of such serious matters, Sam yanked the young woman into a giant bear hug, fondly ruffling her yellow hair as he did so. Well into her teens now, Sam had seen no reason to lie to his niece, and he was glad to see that that trust had been rewarded. Thank you, Cassandra.

Grinning at the return to classic form, when Sully hadn't chimed in it finally hit the young woman that this was for real. Sully really was gone this time, and he wasn't coming back. Mouth faltering into something less goofy, Cassie returned the hug to hide the tears that stung her eyes as they threatened to roll down her cheeks in front of all these people.

Voice cracking as it all washed over her, she tried her hardest to be strong, just like her mother had been during all of this. Like her father. Hastily wiping beneath the rim of her new frames, Cassie attempted to act normal, "If you want, I can have a little chat with her, girl to girl."

Catching the barely veiled threat, he chuckled in appreciation, "Thanks, but I got this one." Sam's way of asking her not to get involved with his mess, the man only loved his niece all the more for even offering. What'd I do to get this lucky?

What'd any of us do to get so lucky? Moved to see so many people, Sam never thought he'd see a crowd that big for something that yielded no actual monetary gain.

Paid portrait surrounded by a lively wreath and the sorrowful sighs of so many left behind, there were old associates, those that just wanted to make sure this one would be the one that stuck, and those that genuinely were going to miss Sully. Vast majority belonging to that last grouping, Sam's first thought was that he wanted to see just as many grieving flings and exes at his own wake.

Then he saw that little girl from earlier looking up at the tasteful display, her hand tight around her guardian's as she questioned who the man in the picture was to her. They were too far away to make out what was said, however something about it made the thief think of Dells. If memory served, she would have been about that age when she'd lost her father.

This whole time, he'd been so focused on how Victor passing had affected him and his little brother, he really hadn't thought about how it had hit her. Why would he, that little voice attempted to assuage that stab so oft associated with guilt, when she hadn't known Sullivan?

Because, you ass, sounding much more like that same guy that been hired to protect a scared teenager, another voice of actual reason chimed in, Dells had already been through this circus so many times before. Too many. That bitter side that resented her for putting this wedge between them was so sorely tempted to rub it in her face, to remind her that she should be used to saying goodbye to people by now. And then there was that other half, that suddenly felt the empty space at his side.

"Here's the thing, kid. We don't get to chose how we start in this life. Real 'greatness' is what you do with the hand you're dealt."

It might have been hand-me-down advice, but that hadn't made it any less true. Sully had seen first-hand the kind of people her parents were, the sorts of things they had done; he had also seen how much the heiress loved Sam. Going so far as to count her in the same standing as he saw Elena, even if it had only been the once, it was as good as giving his blessing.

Seeing what her uncle had in mind when she saw him looking at the heiress through the veritable forest of mourners, Cassie rolled her eyes as she nudged him on. "Oh, just go already."

Author's Note:

I have not had the pleasure of experiencing the 'Eye Of Indra' or 'The Fourth Labyrinth', but I have watched a play through of 'Golden Abyss'. Maybe for that reason I probably shouldn't include anything from them, however it would be rather criminal to leave them out. Plus, I'm all for seeing a wider Uncharted universe. Done right, I feel like there's just so much that could be happening in this world! Just me?