New chapter, chapter four is currently in progress so it might be here sooner than later. Enjoy a little drama in this one at least. The Tomb Raider and Uncharted franchises do not belong to me, all rights go to the respectful owners as always.

The new phone Lara had bought Nate caused him nothing but headaches. Since the moment she had laid eyes on his outdated flip phone during her stay, she had hinted at possibly buying him a new one. Eventually, that harmless hinting turned into her insisting that she buy him a new one. Before Nate really knew what hit him, he was holding a brand new smartphone in his hands.

Trying to get himself used to it wasn't quite as easy as Lara said it would be. Sure, basic functions were a breeze to figure out; it was every other meaningless feature he couldn't wrap his head around. Fingerprints, face recognition, film quality cameras - why did a phone need any of that? A phone was meant to call people, and that was what his old phone did just fine, so why did he need this so-called "smart" one?

It would be better for them, Lara had said. You couldn't video call on a flip phone, she reminded him. It would be easier to text, she explained. All things he couldn't really argue against. If they were going to be in a long-distance relationship, he would have to adapt for it to work.

He had managed to at least get his list of contacts on the phone, although he hadn't done much else after he had gotten distracted, as he had given himself an ill-guided tour of the phone's features. When he had opened the app store, he was met with various types of social media, games, and tools. He told himself to wait until he downloaded anything, considering he still needed to figure out the phone itself.

"Still trying to figure that thing out?" Lara asked, walking into the living room. She leaned over the back of the couch, smiling softly as she watched him fumble with the phone. "I think you're showing your age."

"Really?" he replied jokingly, giving her a look. Their age gap certainly wasn't that far apart, but he decided to play along. What was there to all this if he couldn't at least procrastinate from learning about this phone by toying with her? "Wouldn't that say a lot more about you than it would me?"

She slapped his arm. "I should take that thing back just because you said that."

"No, no," he said. "What would I ever do without it?"

Lara rolled her eyes, though it was obvious she was amused, judging by how relaxed she was. She glanced back over to his cellphone screen, giggling as she shook her head. She decided to hop over the couch then, sitting next to him. She held her hand out to him, gesturing for him to give her his phone. Understanding what she was trying to do, he gave it to her. It would be easier if she gave him a rundown of it anyway.

"My god, you still have the default wallpapers," she mused. They would have to take care of that later. She opened up the app store and began to download various applications, some he didn't really get a chance to see, others he wasn't sure at all what they were. As she began to explain what she was doing, telling him which each app was, he made sure to actually listen. One app she had downloaded was for files and documents, another was for writing, another was for music. These all made sense to have, he knew. The more she actually took time to help him understand everything, the less incompetent he felt.

She squeezed at his thigh when she had finished, a grin coming across her face as she handed him over the phone. When he grabbed it from her, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "And if you don't change that wallpaper, I might just smack you."

"Awe, you don't like the stock ocean?"

"I don't," she snorted.

"Then what do you suggest I change it to?"

She hummed, seemingly thinking about the question. He himself didn't really have any good ideas, so he wondered what she could possibly come up with. He didn't see that much of an issue with the preset photos that came with the phone. He liked mountains and oceans, they seemed fine, even if they weren't the most spectacular images. Lara suddenly tapped the camera app on his phone and urged him to take a picture of them.

"Oh, we're gonna be those people," he replied jokingly, though he followed through with what she asked of him. Once the photo was snapped, he showed it to her for her to be the judge of how it looked.

"You can change it later," she said with a smile. She seemed to really like the picture. He figured he needed to send it to her later. As of now, he made sure to set it as his wallpaper if only because of how happy she was about it.

"I might not want to," he mused. He turned his head, kissing her temple with a soft sigh. Her hair was slightly damp from the shower she had taken earlier, he could still smell the fresh scent of her shampoo and conditioner. He felt he would only change the wallpaper if he found a nice picture of her that he liked. He'd rather have that than a stock image any day.

His phone buzzed, vibrating in his hand then. Surprised, he looked down to see who it was that was calling him. As soon as he saw the name, he was quick to almost dismiss it, though was stopped by Lara.

"Don't you need to talk to him?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I can another time."

"Nate, just answer it," she said.

He groaned in annoyance, considering he didn't really feel like talking, but he could get around it in some capacity, he knew. He accepted the call, albeit begrudgingly, and greeted the caller: "What, Sam?"

"Chloe called me," Sam murmured on the other line.

"Guess I was taking too long to get back to her," he mused. It had only been a few days by then, but Chloe was impatient sometimes. Especially when it came to her own work. "Why don't you just come over to Lara's later? I can send you the address."

"So you get to chew me out face-to-face?"

"I was thinking over a beer, but that sounds like a plan too."

"Ah, fine," Sam sighed, chuckling under his breath. "I'll see you when I see you."

"Yeah, you too."

The phone call had been short and sweet. He leaned over and gently placed his phone on the coffee table, which was a bit of a 180 from how he would treat his flip phone. His other phone had been tossed and dropped so many times that he had been convinced it was practically indestructible, but he knew that a touchscreen definitely wouldn't be as forgiving. Besides, he would feel bad in breaking something Lara had gotten for him anyway.

"So?" Lara let out.

"He's coming over to talk," he muttered, stretching his arms over her as he began to envelop her in a hug. "Later."

"Don't you want him to come sooner than later?"

"Not really," he admitted. He pulled her closer to him in the hug, soon keeping her close to his chest as he held her there. Kissing the top of her head, he let out a small huff that indicated he didn't really feel like dealing with it in general. He'd rather just spend the rest of the day like this, but he knew that he needed to talk with Sam. It was important, even if he didn't really want to face it right now.

"Nate."

"Mm?" He leaned back, pulling her down with him to lay down on the couch. He knew she wouldn't be able to escape or resist, so he kept his grasp tight on her as he got comfortable. "I will, I will… I just want a little more 'us' time."

"Is that your excuse?" she laughed, relaxing her head on his chest. "We've done nothing but have 'us' time, you know."

"And what's wrong with a little more?"

"Nothing," she smiled, closing her eyes. He knew it was easy for her to be calmed immediately like this. She always liked to lay her head on his chest, mostly because she liked to listen to his breathing and heartbeat. "But… in an hour or so… you better text him."

She began to laugh, though it was quiet since she seemed somewhat tired. His hand stroked her hair softly. As she snuggled up more, he was quick to grab the throw blanket that hung over the couch and pull it over her. If she were going to nap, which he was sure she was, he wanted her to be as comfortable as she could.

"I will," he whispered to her. "You should get some sleep."

The knocking at the door had caused Nate to jerk, though he was glad he hadn't woken up Lara in jumping as he did from such a surprise. He had managed to text Sam earlier as she had asked, but he had all but forgotten about his brother even coming over until he was knocking on the door of the vacation home. Sighing, he lodged his way out from underneath Lara, trying his best to make sure he didn't wake her up. Walking to the door, he opened it up to see Sam and Sully waiting on the other side. He raised a brow.

"Did you really drag Sully over for emotional support?" Nate asked him.

"Maybe," Sam said. "May I come in?" The sarcastic remark made Nate step to the side to let them in, the two walking into the house, both looking around the new place with eyes of curiosity. "How much is she playing per night for this place?"

"Couldn't tell you," Nate murmured, closing the door. He turned to look over at them. Sully was being unusually quiet but he let it pass, considering it might have been because he maybe just didn't want to be there. If Sam did drag him there, he didn't blame the elder for acting that way. He crossed his arms and gave a heavy breath. "Well?"

"Already? Right, well, let's tear this off like a bandaid, shall we?" Sam rubbed his hands together, a nervous tick that Nate had memorized from his brother by now. "Nadine, Nadine, Nadine…"

He watched him with focus. It was important that he learned about the Nadine situation, especially if he were going to help Chloe on a new find. He waited, staying silent for the other to simply speak about the issue.

"So… Do you remember when I went to India? For a vacation?"

"Yeah."

"Well… it wasn't fully for vacation," he admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground.

"And when were you planning on telling me this?"

"When it came up."

"Great plan."

"I know. Stupid idea," Sam sighed. He put his hands up in defense, shrugging a little as if to indicate he understood his flawed plan. "But, in my defense… I didn't really know how to bring it up."

"Why is Nadine even an issue anyway?" Nate asked, scrunching his face up. It was still confusing, Sam hadn't explained anything yet. He desperately was trying to figure out how Nadine had managed a partnership with Chloe while he was apparently out of the loop.

"She got kicked out of Shoreline."

"What? But she was the leader—"

"Yeah, her lieutenant overthrew her," Sam explained. "That's why she was with Chloe. She wanted Shoreline back."

"And?"

"And… she never did," he shrugged. "Stayed with Chloe's crazy antics instead."

Nate pinched the bridge of his nose as a heavy sigh escaped him. If that was the explanation he supposed he would have to accept it, but he had to admit Nadine's change of heart seemed rather strange. She wasn't necessarily the most warm-hearted individual he had ever met.

"Chloe said I'd be working with both of them."

"It's not as bad as you think."

"We'll see about that," he muttered, dropping his hands to rest on his hips. He clenched his jaw as he began to think about the situation. Nadine might have changed occupations but he was wary about her, at least for right now. He tried to wave it off, "I wish you would've just told me."

"Yeah, well… we all do stupid things sometimes," Sam replied. He glanced over at Sully, who seemed to pretend he wasn't paying attention. "Isn't that right, old man?"

"Hey, don't bring me into this," Sully said.

"Sully."

The old man pursed his lips, squeezing his eyes shut in what looked to be an annoyance. He stepped over and pushed at Sam, looking at Nate.

Feeling suddenly tense, Nate shifted his weight from foot to foot. Sam's story wasn't a big deal, it was just his brother being his brother. Sully, however, looking at him as if he needed to tell him something, made him nervous and even a bit scared. This was unusual and it made his stomach do flips.

"Sam thought it'd be fair if we both spilled out secrets," Sully told him.

"Secrets?"

"Yeah, if you wanna call it that," he replied. He shook his head. It was obvious he didn't seem to think his confession was going to be much of a secret. "It's about Elena."

Nate squinted, taking a step back. What did she have to do with anything? He remained silent, though his anxiety began to build when he had mentioned the name.

"Madagascar. I think you know where I'm going with this."

"You mean when she decided to show up?"

He inhaled sharply, "Yeah. That."

"What about it?"

"I know you know I called her. I just want you to hear it out my mouth," he said sternly. "Because at some point I can't keep watching you live in denial, kid."

Nate looked at his feet. His toes were curling up, almost as if it were a way for him to retract himself away from the situation. He knew what Sully was trying to say and he didn't really feel comfortable, but he faced it anyway. He gulped, his throat feeling just a tad bit dry as this continued.

"Denial?"

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I don't say that enough… but I shouldn't have meddled. I just thought… she deserved to know."

"Sully—"

"And I can't help but think that's part of the reason everything ended a little sour."

"I get what you're trying to do, but that's not because of you," Nate explained. They had been standing in the kitchen, but the open concept of the house made him talk quietly so as to not wake Lara. He leaned back on the kitchen counter, his hands gripping the edge of it tightly. "I mean, yeah, I knew you called her, I just–" He paused, trying to think of the right words, although he felt as if no words were truly the right ones.

"You trusted me."

"I trust you," Nate corrected him. He shook his head then, waving it off. "It wasn't just that. Things happen. We fell out."

Sam made a face, a bit confused as to what was really going on. He hadn't really been too much in the know of their relationship, Nate knew. He had been introduced to it rather late anyway. "Then what was it?"

"I don't think I was very happy," he murmured. He could remember the flashbacks, the random memories of when he knew Elena knew of his true feelings, and he tried to push them back. "I never wanted to retire, I just thought I had to."

"You 'had' to?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah," Nate nodded. He pushed himself off the counter and started to pace, his thumbnail in his mouth as he began to chew on it in between his words. His true feelings of anxiety were starting to overlap with his actions. "I don't know, I thought maybe… retiring would keep me from screwing up again." 'Screwing up' was code for running off, but he didn't want to say that. They knew what he meant very well. "But you can't really retire from a way of life, I guess."

Sam crossed his arms, looking over his brother with concerned eyes. It was obvious how he felt. It seemed as if he knew well what Nate was trying to say, perhaps because he himself had noticed before any of this ever happened. "Salvaging isn't really the same."

"Not many options for a high school dropout," Nate sighed. "I don't know. It was… a lot."

"And you never talked to her about it?" Sully wondered, suddenly budding in.

"I didn't want her to think it was her fault," he told the two of them.

Sully crossed his arms. Nate could see there was some kind of disappointment in his face but he tried to ignore it. It was already bad enough he had to talk about this thing he hated to talk about.

"So what? You pushed her away?" Sully asked.

"I didn't push her away," Nate told him. "I did that so I wouldn't push her away."

"Well, you did a helluva bad job at that, kid."

"I don't think we have a right to say anything," Sam tried to speak up, but was only talked over by Nate.

"It was her too, you know."

"After the fact."

"What? No. She had issues too, even before she got knocked up."

"Jesus," Sam sighed, grabbing onto Nate. It was somewhat of a comforting grasp on the shoulder, seemingly knowing this could escalate. He looked between them. "Why does it matter now? It's over with."

"Because this is what he does, Sam," Sully stated. His annoyance was clear as day. The fatherly look that oh-so-often frustrated Nate beyond belief was there on his face. "He finds a nice girl and ruins it because he can't handle an ounce of commitment."

Sam frowned, his brows furrowing. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything, at least that's what it looked like from his distraught, bewildered face. He put his hands up and stepped back, "I just don't think now is the time to be arguing over it."

"Then when is? When Lara gets the same treatment?" Sully questioned, giving Sam a look.

Nate perked, his eyes wide in response to what the other had said. At first, he was just shocked he had said such a thing. It began to sink in though, and he began to wonder why Sully of all people had the nerve to even mention such a thing. He shoved past the two of them and made his way towards the master bedroom that he and Lara had been staying in for the past few days. It was better for him to say nothing than anything at all.

Chapter four, like I mentioned above, is in the works, so it'll be here soon. Also, I think I'll change the rating to T for now unless it needs to be M for later, but as of now, I'll change it to T. Thanks for the read!