Hey guys! Thanks so much for following and liking my story and all of that good jazz. It really means a lot to me that you're supportive. I hope you like this chapter as well! I just want to warn you now, there isn't a full blown sex scene in this chapter, but there is a little mention of it, or a huge indicator that Sam and Tara had sex I should say...I will write a sex scene later! I promise! Anyway, moving on, hope you enjoy the chapter!
FLASH!
"Come on, dollface, I gotcha! Just jump!" Sam yelled.
"One: Stop calling me dollface! Two: I can't make that fucking jump so just leave without me before the cops get here!" I snapped.
"Well one: you're my damn girlfriend, I ain't leavin' you and that's final. And two: you clearly underestimate me! I'll fucking catch you so jump already! You're only wasting time arguing with me!" Sam mocked me.
"ALRIGHT FINE! GERONIMO!" I screamed.
I screamed as I began running at full speed, jumping off of the really high roof top. I felt my hand graze the edge of the rooftop on the other side and nearly had a heart attack, but Sam was quick and caught my arm just in the knick of time. Sam pulls me up as fast as he could, and after we both started seeing flashes of red and blue lights, we run like our lives depended on it. It might have been several minutes after we reached Sam's newly acquired motorcycle and hid in an alleyway several blocks away. He finally shut off the motorcycle as the both of us tried to catch our breath. I got off of the motorcycle and began pacing back and forth as I feel the anxiety and panic kick in.
If we had gotten caught, I don't know how that would have faired for me. On top of being punished by the nuns, I probably wouldn't be able to see Nathan let alone interact with him. While Sam was no longer welcome in the orphanage, I still had another year or two before I was considered a legal adult and kicked out. I couldn't leave Nathan by himself, he had a knack for getting himself into trouble like his brother. I knew he was acting out because of Sam's absence, and Sam being in prison would make matters worse. Despite the fact that Samuel was my best friend and boyfriend, Nathan needed us more.
"That was a close call, huh?" Sam smirked.
"God, you're such an ass!" I nearly shouted.
Sam's smirk faded away as he got off of the motorcycle and folded his arms, giving me a small glare.
"Me? What the hell did I do?!" He scoffed.
"Oh Tara! It'll be fine! We're just browsing through a museum! It'll be so much fun! No one's gonna catch us!" I tried mimicking Sam's voice.
"Hey! We made it out of there just fine!" Sam argued.
"BARELY! And you're the one that triggered an alarm! What the hell were we thinking?!" I threw my hands up.
"God damn it, Tara! Just fucking relax would you?! You really think I was gonna let us get caught by the police?!"
"We were pretty damn close to getting arrested! Nathan can't afford for his brother to be in a fucking prison!" I yelled.
"Yeah, well Nathan ain't your problem to begin with, sweetheart! He's none of your concern!" Sam retorted.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Nathan is like my brother too, you know! When you're not around, I'm the one taking care of him!"
"No one asked you to- -!"
I glared at Sam, slapping him in the face so hard that his head snapped over to the side.
"Fuck you." I spat out.
Sam held his jaw before returning the glare and backed me up against the wall. I almost regretted hitting Sam, but I honestly felt that he was asking for it, especially after what he had said. Sam's hands twitched at his side, like he aching to do something to me, even hurt me. I knew hitting me was something Sam would never do because he never had to resort to violence, and he would always try to laugh things off. I always admired Sam's temperament, considering he was just much better at keeping it cool and was always levelheaded.
Sam breathes deeply before he finally makes eye contact with me. I can see the heat in his eyes, and I grow nervous and aroused all at once. Then, something changes in Sam's expression as he goes from angered to something I can't quite describe. Sam surprises me when he kisses me forcefully, and after grabbing at my thigh and squeezing hard, I gasp and find myself moaning into his mouth as he slips his tongue in. My arms go around his shoulders, one hand squeezing and gripping the back of his shirt as my other hand threads through his hair and gently tugs.
Sam groans against my lips and dives right in between the gap between my shoulder and my neck, kissing and nibbling at a soft spot of mine. Our heavy panting mingles together as Sam continues to pin me against the wall and practically ravishes me with his teeth and tongue alone. I can feel my eyes roll to the back of my head from sheer pleasure and I already feel myself grinding against the leg Sam's planted between my thighs and against my crotch. The friction against my clit is enough that I'm moaning shamelessly as I rut against his leg.
It was a lust I hadn't quite experienced before, but I was far more into it than I thought I'd be. I tug at Sam's hair again as I pull his head back from my neck, and I immediately plant kisses along his jaw and gently bite down on his earlobe as I pant into his ear. Sam moans loudly and grinds against me, where I can feel his erection contained in his jeans. After nearly seven minutes of aggressive kissing and petting, that we finally regain enough of our senses to pull back and look into each other's eyes. Sam looks at me through his half-lidded eyes, nearly darkened with lust.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I was just a little worked up..." Sam muttered.
"I'm sorry too." I blurted out.
I grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt, pulling him in for another passionate kiss as I adjust my legs and wrap them around his waist. I rub my core against his erection, and see him bite back another moan.
"God, I love you." Sam nearly growled.
"Love you too. So fucking much." I breathed out.
Sam kisses me again as he maneuvers his hand down to first unbuckle his pants before he moves to unbutton my jeans.
FLASH!
After Nathan, Sam, and I stepped inside of the room, we all took a moment to relax and just catch our breath. Sully watched the three of us carefully as he smoked another cigar, and could obviously sense the tension in the air. He rolled his eyes and began muttering under his breath about how women complicate things. After I gave him a glare, Sully smiled sheepishly and pulled out a chair for me at the table to make up for it.
As we all gather around the table, Sullivan pulls out the scotch and gives us each a glass to settle our nerves before moving onto the big event. Sam's eyes keep flickering towards me as he pulls out the St. Dismas cross before he grabs a hammer that he obtained earlier. I quickly down my glass of whiskey, receiving looks from the other gentleman as my anxiety spikes up just a little bit. When our attention goes back to Sam, he finally gets on with it.
"Okay...well...I hope I don't go to hell for this." Sam joked.
Sam swung the hammer down on the end of the cross and peered inside of it before frowning deeply.
"Shit." He muttered.
Our smiles quickly faded away as we all stared at Sam in concern.
"What?" Nathan asked worriedly.
"It's empty." Sam blurted out.
"What?!" Nathan nearly yelled.
Sam snickered and tipped over the cross, letting a roll of paper slip out of it.
"Ah, you're such an asshole!" Nathan sighed.
"He's your brother." Sullivan grumbled.
We all gather together more closely as we were looking down at the roll of paper before us. It has an ink seal on the aged and yellowed paper, and I can see Avery's insignia on it.
"All right, skull and crossbones. Very good sign." Sully commented.
"That's Avery's insignia." I added.
Sam removed the seal carefully, unrolling the paper until it was flattened out on the table. The image was certainly interesting, and the dates listed were all too familiar to me. At first glance, it almost looks like an old advertisement. However, when I look more closely, it appears to be almost like an invitation of sorts. For now, I keep my thoughts to myself as we analyze what's on the paper.
"What is this?" Nathan muttered.
"Ah...Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso." Sam read aloud.
"Today you will join me in Paradise." I translated fluidly.
"It's what Jesus said to Saint Dismas on the Cross, but..." Sam said.
"Right." Nathan nodded.
"But what about these numbers here? What do you make of this?" Sam asked.
"Some kind of code? Or a phone number?" Sullivan lightly joked.
I pour myself another glass of whiskey before downing it. I can already feel my speech slur, but my nerves are much more at ease.
"No...I recognize th' numbers. They're both dates. Specifically dates tha' involve Avery. Such as 'is date of birth, and 'is date of death." I informed them.
"Yeah...Tara's right. Look. 1659, the year that Avery was born. And 1699..."
"Let me guess, the year he died?" Sully smirked.
"By most accounts, yes. Alright...well that means we have the date of birth, the date of death, and Paradise..." Sam mumbled. "Which means we're looking for Avery's grave."
"At St. Dismas' Cathedral." Nathan finished.
"Wait a second. Hasn't Rafe been scouring that site for ages already?" Sullivan asked.
"Yeah, the cathedral." I answered.
"Yeah, but do you see the symbols? Those are found on old Scottish gravestones." Nathan pointed out.
I quickly caught onto what Nathan was going at, but let him continue for Sam and Sully's sake.
"Right, now look at this." Nathan smiled at me.
Nathan pulled out a map of the area around the cathedral before pointing out a specific area to me.
"The layout of this place is really unusual. Here's the cathedral, but the graveyard...is way over here." Nathan said.
"Rafe's been looking at the wrong area this entire time. I was fuckin' right." I chuckled.
"Guys. We're going to Scotland." Sam smirked.
"All right, all right. Wait- -wait up." Sullivan stopped us. "You do realize that Rafe knows you're coming?"
"Yeah, we can deal with that when we get there." Nate shrugged.
"That psycho would like nothing better than for you three to show up. Plus, he's got Nadine and her whole army to back him up!" Sully brought up.
"Yeah, but he doesn't have this." Nathan argued.
Deep down, Sullivan was being the most logical, but I knew Nathan wanted me in on this. Who was I kidding though? I fucking missed this. Going against Rafe and Nadine was an extremely bad idea since Nadine had Shoreline on her side, but chances were...
Nathan and Sam would need my help and Nathan knew that too.
"The biggest treasure of all time is within our grasp." Nathan smiled excitedly.
Once again, my nerves are through the roof, and I grab the bottle of whiskey before I can help it as I pour another glass. Sullivan gives me a look of concern, knowing I delved into these bad habits when something was bothering me or when I got too anxious. It happened during our adventures more often than I could admit. Victor appears as if he wants to say something to me, but instead, averts his attention to Nathan as he spoke his mind.
"And just how is Elena cool with all of this?" Sully then questioned Nathan.
Nathan glanced away, a frown on his face as he let out a sigh.
"Look, it's just not that simple." Nathan shook his head.
"With all that you two have been through together- -" Sully started.
"She wouldn't understand this." Nathan cut him off.
"You know, Nathan. You really underestimate Elena sometimes." I cut in. "She is one of the most understanding people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"Tara's right, kid. You are not giving her enough credit." Sully agreed with me.
"I can't take that chance." Nathan argued.
"Nathan...they're right." Sam spoke up.
I stared at Sam in surprise, not actually expecting him to back us up on this instead of encouraging his younger brother.
"Things have changed. Rafe's involved now and...I can...I can take this on my own. Really." Sam sighed.
Nathan didn't seem to care for what we all had to say, and stood up from his seat.
"Great. Well, thank you for your input. All of you...excuse me."
Nathan grabbed his cellphone, and went out onto the balcony to make a phone call, most likely to lie to Elena some more. I grew frustrated and started making my way over to the door.
"Where are you going?" Sully asked. "I know you're a little angry and worked up over everything and I understand that completely but..."
"You know I have my own room here right?" I rolled my eyes.
"Oh...right..." Sully blushed.
"I appreciate you looking out for me Sullivan, but I'm a big tough girl...I can tie my own shoes and everything." I smiled faintly.
I froze after realizing I had nearly just quoted one of Anne's favorite Disney movies, which happened to be Hercules. Sam gave me a funny look but didn't get to say anything because I left to my room.
It might not have even been ten minutes before Sam snuck his way into my room and watched me struggle to take off my dress. I merely growl in frustration as I attempt to reach behind me and pull down the zipper.
"You need a hand there?"
I felt my face heat up drastically, but nodded when I glanced over at Sam.
"Yeah...that would be nice. Thank you." I muttered awkwardly.
Sam comes over, his hand working the zipper on my back as I held up my hair for him to get better access.
"You sound a little mad...you wanna talk about it?" Sam offered.
"I'm a hypocrite. I can't even judge Nathan about lying to Elena...I'm doing the same thing..."
"You are? To who?"
Sam sounded a little worried, and for a moment, I could sense a little bit of anger from him.
"I mean...I didn't expect you to wait for me, especially after fifteen years but..." Sam barely whispered.
Wait...did he think I was married or something?
Sam finally managed to pull down the zipper, staring at my exposed back as he gently caressed my skin, moving his hands to my shoulders. I gasped and turned around to face him as I held up my dress from the front.
"Sam...I'm not with anyone." I told him. "I've been alone mostly, had a few boyfriends here and there, but nothing serious..."
I can already feel my face heat up from embarrassment as I tell Sam the truth.
"I haven't had a serious relationship with anyone else since...you..." I confessed.
"Really? What was that about leaving to go back to someone that truly mattered to you earlier when you were threatening Nathan to come clean?" Sam questioned.
I meant Anne, not that Sam had any idea about her...
"Are you jealous?" I raised an eyebrow out of amusement.
"What? No!" Sam scoffed as he lied miserably.
"Sam, really...I'm not together with anyone. I can promise you that." I mumbled softly.
Sam finally relaxed, knowing that I was telling him the truth.
"So who were you talking about then? There's somethin' you haven't been telling me...I could tell this is the same thing you wanted to tell me earlier at the auction too." Sam sighed.
"Sam...I'm afraid...I'm afraid that if I tell you the truth- -" I grew nervous.
Sam cuts me off as he reaches for my hands and places a kiss on them. Then, he gives me that warm and comforting smile I hadn't realized I'd missed until now.
"I ain't leaving you again. If that's what this is about, you can stop being afraid." Sam assures me. "Tara, you can tell me. I won't judge you."
I stared into Sam's eyes and finally cracked a smile, especially from Sam's sincerity.
I can do this...I can tell him.
"Do you remember the night we spent together before you left for Panama with Nathan and Rafe while I stayed behind?" I asked.
"Of course I do. How the hell could I forget a fun night like that?" Sam wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I let out a small laugh and squeezed Sam's hand as I mustered up the courage to continue.
"Well...it wasn't long after but...it might have been a few weeks before I started noticing how sick I was at the time. It was actually after Sullivan visited our home one day that he made me realize something. We went out to get lunch together, and when we got back home, I got sick again and- -"
"Shit, you were sick? Was it serious?" Sam looked worried.
I put my finger on his lips, preventing him from talking because I was so desperate to get out the truth.
"After I basically threw up my lunch, Sullivan made a small comment, about how I was as sick as a god damn pregnant woman." I tried to mimic Sully.
Sam let out a small chuckle at that and nodded as an indicator that he was listening intently.
"I thought it was hilarious at the time but then I started to see the signs. I went to that pharmacy near the house, got a kit, and...found out I was pregnant." I finished.
I pulled away from Sam, trying to see his reaction to the news. He was silent for over five minutes and I could tell he was trying to process what I'd just told him. To say he was shocked into silence was an understatement. Finally, his eyes widened drastically and he gave me a small smile.
"Wait...you're saying you were pregnant? With our kid?" He let out a tearful laugh.
I merely nodded and gave him a warm smile, feeling incredibly happy that he was actually taking this so well. I went over to my suitcase, coming back with my wallet, and pulled out an old photo of the day that Anne was born that I always carried with me. Nathan was in the picture with me, holding Anne almost protectively as the both of us smiled at the camera that Sully brought with him that day. I handed over the photo to Sam, watching happily as Sam's face lit up. I was definitely expecting a different type of reaction, but seeing Sam so awe-stricken and happy, it made me so relieved.
"It was a really good day. I never saw Nathan look so excited and happy since we both thought you had died. She was a blessing that's for sure." I commented.
"She?" Sam grinned.
"Yup. Her name is Anne Bonny Drake." I informed him.
"Anne Bonny- -you mean like the pirate Anne Bonny?" Sam asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I wanted her name to mean something. I really thought that I should dedicate her name to you in some way. Since we both loved pirates so much, I decided to name her after the most bad-ass female pirate to exist." I confessed.
"Anne Bonny Drake. It has a really nice ring to it." Sam mumbled softly.
Sam stared down at the picture and ran his hand over it, looking even happier than I had ever seen him before. I felt incredibly happy as well, and not just because it was good to finally tell Sam the truth about Anne, but because of how excited Sam was over a child and it made me realize that I was scared of nothing this entire time.
Maybe everything will work out just fine.
"She's so beautiful. It's hard to believe I helped in creating something so precious, you know?" Sam said.
I was shaken out of my thoughts from Sam's heartwarming words and let loose a few tears I had been holding back. Sam put the picture down on a table nearby before quickly coming over to me.
"What are you crying for, doll-face?" Sam laughed.
I quickly wipe at my eyes with the back of my hand before grinning at Sam.
"I'm just so happy." I admitted.
I tackled Sam into a hug, feeling him return the embrace wholeheartedly.
"So how old is she?"
"Fifteen, you goober." I mumbled into his shoulder.
"Right..." He sighed. "Shit...I can't believe I missed out on so much. I had a kid all this time..."
"Hey. You can meet her face to face when this is all over." I said.
Sam falters for a moment, looking nervous and excited all at once. I can only imagine the thoughts swimming around in his mind.
"I would love to...but...what if I'm a horrible dad? What if she hates me? I would hate me."
"Don't even say that. You're nothing like your old man. If anything, you'd be a kick-ass father. Anne would love you after getting to know you like I do." I argued.
"Really?" Sam muttered.
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Sam." I assured him. "Anne is so much like you, more than you'll ever know. It made me miss you so much more over the years. She certainly gained your sense of adventure that's for sure."
I can't help but feel a giddiness I hadn't felt for a long time, and for once, it didn't have to do with a long lost civilization. I pull away from Sam and walk towards the bathroom nearby as I enjoy the look of confusion on Sam's face. Gathering the courage, I finally let go of the dress and let it pool around my feet. I glance at Sam with a heated gaze, giving him a wink as I let him stare at my naked backside.
"Now, are you going to mope around, or would you like to join me in the shower?" I smirked.
Sam finally snapped out of his little moment of depression, before he smiled seductively in a way that made me weak in the knees.
"We've got a very long night ahead of us once we get started here. You sure you don't wanna back out now?" Sam huskily mumbles.
I cocked my hip to the side and put my hand on my waist, making a little show out of it.
"Don't make me wait. We've got so much to catch up on. I remember you saying you've got a lot of love to give." I nearly purred.
"Yes ma'am. 15 years worth of it." Sam bit his bottom lip almost seductively.
I laughed as Sam chased me into the bathroom.
The morning after, I wake up with Sam spooning me from behind, and I mentally noted that this was something else I had greatly missed. Previous lovers of mine like Harry Flynn, Rafe Adler, Charlie Cutter, Chloe Frazer and others were never so...affectionate, like Sam. I realized that maybe I craved this kind of intimacy since I thought Sam had died. When we get out of bed, we're pretty slow about the morning, and I'm thankful that there's a coffee machine in the room as I make a pot.
Sam and I take our time getting dressed, and he even orders room service as I put on some light makeup. Sam finds a lot of weapons in my luggage as I place it on the bed and start to pack, and he finds himself impressed when they're not metal and easily concealable. After we eat breakfast, I place my torn dress into my luggage before grabbing my other clothes.
"Jesus, you look good enough to eat." Sam breathes into my ear.
I can't help but giggle as he wraps his arms around my waist from behind, gently maneuvering my hair to the other side of my shoulder before he plants kisses along my neck. I can hear him hum faintly and I find myself smiling as I lean back into him.
"You're awfully affectionate this morning..." I mumbled.
"Well it's been fifteen years since I've had this." Sam nearly growled.
I shudder as he gives my ass a firm squeeze, and I grind back into him. I smirk as I hear his breath hitch. A small knock sounds on my door not even a moment later, and Sam doesn't bother moving as he hugs me from behind. I continue packing as we both see Nathan come in.
"Well shit..." Nathan muttered.
Sam nearly jumped in surprise and smiled sheepishly at his brother as if he was caught stealing a cookie.
"Uh...hey, little brother." Sam greeted awkwardly.
"I knew you worked fast Sam, but this is ridiculous." Nathan chuckled.
"I have my ways." Sam smirked.
I can't help but nudge him with my elbow at that comment, and hear him yelp in surprise as I shake my head and bite back a smile.
"So uh, does he know about...you-know-who?" Nathan looked at me worriedly.
"If you're talking about my fifteen year old daughter I've never known about until now? Then yes, I know." Sam cut me off.
"Hey, don't be a dick. It's not my fault you were stuck in a prison in Panama. How the hell would I have told you about her?" I rolled my eyes.
Sam pouted and looked like he wanted to say something, but Nathan beat him to it.
"She's not wrong, Sam." Nathan shrugged. "But listen, this was no one's fault okay? I'm just glad that you two are working things out."
Sam and I both smiled at this and glanced at each other.
"Yeah...you're right." Sam said.
After zipping up my luggage, I watch Sam go over to Nathan.
"Hey Nathan. Listen...uh...I want to thank you." Sam spoke up again.
"Thank me?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"For bein' there for Tara and Anne when I wasn't. From what Tara's told me, you're a pretty cool uncle. And a total softy towards kids." Sam smirked.
"Oh yeah? What else did Tara tell you?" Nathan narrows his eyes at me playfully.
"Well she might have mentioned a certain incident involving a lego set, a toy gun, and baking a cake. I nearly had tears in my eyes from that one." Sam bit his bottom lip to stifle his laughter.
"Is that so? Well did she tell you about that one time Anne found Tara's- -"
My eyes widened at Nathan and I snap at him immediately.
"And that's enough from you!" I blurted out.
Nathan's reaction is instantaneous, and he looks absolutely smug as he laughs.
"But now I'm curious!" Sam pouted.
"Nathan, we agreed to never bring that up again. Ever. Get your ass out of here, we're going to Scotland." I told him.
Nathan smirked and mock saluted me as we started walking out of the room.
"Yes, ma'am!" Nathan laughed.
"So that's it then? I'm just left with no answers?" Sam pouts.
"Let's go, Sam." I merely replied.
Soon enough, we get to Sully's plane as we head for Scotland, feeling more determined than ever before to find Avery's treasure. I kept having mixed feelings about the treasure, thinking it wasn't even in Scotland to begin with, but also wondered why this clue would lead us here in the first place. It was something I had wondered for over fifteen years, but I knew it had to do with St. Dismas. I just wanted to know what Avery's real intentions were if the treasure wasn't in Scotland.
Where was he going to take us to next?
I can feel myself reaching into my satchel, my fingers brushing against an old treasure my parents had gifted to me before they died before I grab the walkie-talkie and turn it on. I glance towards the plane and see Sullivan peaking out of it as it rests above the water.
"Well, Rafe's going all in, isn't he?" Sam asked.
"Well they're all concentrated on the cathedral, so that's good." Nathan replied. "Because we are gonna have that graveyard all to ourselves."
"Sully." I spoke into the walkie-talkie.
"Yeah?"
"Hey, listen, we're all good to go here." I told him.
"Okay, kid. Happy hunting." He responded.
"Last chance to come with." I smiled faintly.
"Yeah, well, unless you can find me an escalator, I think I'll pass."
"All right. We'll see you in a few." I waved down to him.
"Hey, Tara."
"Yeah?"
"I just...ah...just bring me back something shiny will yah?"
"That's the plan." I replied.
I put away the walkie-talkie and attach it to my waistband before I turned over to Sam and Nathan, both of which looked ready to go.
"Well, let's go pay our respects to Captain Avery, huh?" Sam smirked.
I followed Sam, jogging behind him as we all hopped down rock from rock and hill from hill.
"A Scottish cathedral. Strange place to bury your treasure, no?" Sam mentioned.
"Not really, I mean, by the time Avery would've sailed here, the place was already abandoned." Nathan said.
"I don't really think the treasure is even here to begin with." I guessed.
"What the hell makes you say that, doll?" Sam asked. "I'm trying to be optimistic over here."
"I'm not trying to be a downer but...it's just a theory I have on all of this. The graveyard was actually the first place I wanted to look since it wasn't working out with the Cathedral, but Rafe never listened to anything I had to say." I responded.
"It's good to have an open mind. Let's just hope for the best." Nathan told me.
"So uh, what happened with you guys and Rafe?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Well...Rafe was becoming impatient with finding the treasure, and it showed when he bought out the land to the whole cathedral and everything surrounding it. He just...went crazy with all of the dead ends, and he wouldn't listen to us." I started.
"Yeah, we were still coming to grips with your death, and with his frustrations from not finding the treasure. I'm pretty sure he was ready to kill me by the time I bailed. I didn't want Tara being left alone with him, especially given her condition, so I made her come with me. Not that I had to force her, she'd had just about enough with Rafe too."
"Ha, imagine what he'd want to do with you guys now." Sam muttered.
"Yeah, trying not to." Nathan chuckled.
It's another minute before Nathan looks to Sam with a more somber and serious expression.
"Sam, listen. He's ruthless. I mean, even more so than when we teamed up with him." Nathan assured him. "I mean, I've heard stories."
"He's become more unhinged that's for sure...and all because he's desperate to make a name for himself." I mumbled.
"Trust me, me too. All the more reason I don't feel bad about any of this." Sam assured us.
I'll never know what Sam saw in Rafe when he decided to make us team up with him.
Soon enough, we make our way down noticing crates and other equipment set up along the way.
"What the hell is all this?" Nathan muttered quietly.
"It's excavation equipment." Sam answered.
We see a label on one of the crates.
"Shoreline?" Nathan asked in surprise.
"What?"
"Look." Nathan pointed at the crate. "I thought they were just by the cathedral."
"Damn. I guess Rafe isn't as dumb as I took him for...maybe he's finally taken my advice to look around here." I folded my arms.
Sam's eyes widened before he quickly pulled me down with Nathan, taking cover behind the boxes and crates as some mercenaries from Shoreline begin shooting at us.
"Holy shit. I didn't even notice them. Thanks." I breathed out.
"Not a problem, doll-face. Let's take these guys out before shit goes south, huh?" Sam smiled.
I nodded and grabbed my gun from its holster, peeking up slowly and taking aim for one of the mercenaries. I breathed in and pulled the trigger, feeling a little triumphant that I got a head-shot. Nathan and Sam glanced over at me in surprise before we go back to shooting the other men surrounding us.
"Okay, we're good." Nathan said.
I got up from my crouching position and followed the Drake brothers, smiling as I saw them walk together side by side.
It reminded me of the good old days.
FLASH!
Nathan ran around excitedly as we passed around a football, going all out and having a great time. It was originally Nathan's idea to come to the park, but with careful planning, we were able to make it happen. It was something I knew that Nathan needed since Sam was rarely able to visit Nathan. Sam refused to explain it all to me, but it had gotten to the point where the cops were involved and that the nuns wouldn't allow Sam to visit Nathan anymore. So for us to have a day together out in the park was a major success for all of us. I wasn't much for sports, but I knew it was something Sam and Nathan enjoyed from time to time.
It was just a simple small game of catch with a football, but we'd made it into a competition of sorts. Sam kept insisting that Nathan and I team up against him since he was the oldest. Nathan and I seemed to work extremely well together though. Nathan and I practically wipe the floor with Samuel as we use techniques we'd picked up from him. I laugh as Nathan successfully throws the ball in my direction, and I catch it before hugging it to my chest as Sam hops in front of me.
"Where do you think you're going with that ball, sweetheart?" Sam smirked.
I blushed and gave Sam a small but playful glare from the nickname.
"Stop calling me that." I pouted.
"What? Sweetheart? Why? Does it bother you?" He teased.
I can't help but let out a small huff of frustration.
"As a matter of fact, it does!" I said.
"Tara! Pass it over! I'm open!" Nathan yelled from a distance.
Sam got into a defensive stance, ready to stop me from getting past him. I smirk at Sam and get ready to chuck the ball towards Nathan as hard as I could.
"Alright. Heads up, Nate!" I shouted.
I threw the ball as Sam tackled me, laughing at the fact that Sam nearly yelped when we fell to the ground together. Sam ignored my laughter and straddled my waist, giving me a playful glare as he pinned my arms down.
"Do you surrender, Miss Walker?" Sam pursed his lips.
"Do I surrender? Hell no!" I stuck my tongue out.
"And you swear? Wow, what a bad girl." He chuckled. "Pretty sure that's a sin there."
"Oh shut up, Morgan. You do it as much as I do." I rolled my eyes.
"Oh what was that? You want me to tickle you?" Sam grinned.
"Sam no!" I cried.
"Sam yes!" He tried to mimic me.
Nathan laughed as he came over to us, watching Sam tickle torture the bejeezles out of me, before he's sitting down with us. Sam finally stopped and got off of me before wrapping an arm around my shoulders, planting a kiss to my temple affectionately.
"You guys are gross sometimes." Nathan gave us a look of disgust.
"Why? Because I kiss her?" Sam laughed.
"Yeah. Kissing stuff is weird..." Nathan muttered.
"You won't be saying that when you finally score with a girl." Sam winked at him.
"Yeah right. I ain't getting no girlfriend." Nathan shook his head.
"I believe you Nathan." I grinned.
"Shut up and go suck each other's faces already." He grumbled.
"Gladly." Sam said quickly.
Before I could say anything, Sam turned my head, giving me a deep kiss that lasted a good ten seconds before he pulled away, leaving me breathless. I playfully punched Sam's arm, giving him a pointed look for being so inappropriate around his younger brother.
"Bleh. See Nathan? You don't want a girlfriend anyway." I pretended to gag.
"The hell are you telling him that for?" Sam laughed.
"Because Nathan is my precious baby and I won't let him grow up." I pouted.
I hugged Nathan, hearing him chuckle at me from my motherly behavior.
FLASH!
"Tara!"
I snapped out of my daze, seeing Nathan waving his hand in front of me. Nathan chuckled as he gave me a look of amusement.
"I thought we lost you there. What were you thinking about?" Nathan asked.
"It's nothing important." I blushed.
Nathan gave me a stick of dynamite, clearly enjoying the look of surprise on my face.
"Thought you'd like to blow some shit up with me." Nathan smirked. "Care to open that door for me?"
"Not a problem." I grinned.
I grabbed a match on a crate nearby, lighting the end of it with my boot and tossed the dynamite over after lighting the fuse.
BOOM!
"Man, you're pretty good with that stuff." Sam commented.
"Well, we've blown a lot of shit up over the years. I kind of missed it actually." I sighed happily.
"Oh? That's a little concerning." Sam chuckled.
"I almost wanted to become one of those demolition people that tore down houses and shit. But Nathan wouldn't let me." I pouted.
"Because you had a three year old kid at the time and you needed a more stable job!" Nathan argued.
Nathan started moving a box with wheels as I walked alongside him.
"Yeah...well...not anymore." I sighed.
"What?" Nathan stopped what he was doing. "What are you talking about?"
I rub the side of my arm awkwardly as I glance at Nathan sadly.
"The night you showed up at my place. I was fired that day." I confessed.
"What?! Why?!" Nathan nearly shouted.
"Well uh...let's just say that my boss was a little forthcoming..."
Sam and Nathan's eyes darken with anger.
"I knew he was a sleazebag, but what did he do?" Nathan nearly scoffed.
"Okay so get this, he was drunk during the evening shift by the time everyone else had already clocked out. So before I can leave, he threatens to terminate me if I don't give him a blowjob or some shit." I spit out bitterly. "I thought he was a piece of shit, and I intended on taking his job from him, but...I don't get to now because it's his word against mine. I told him to fuck off and then I left."
"Jesus...Tara, I'm sorry." Nathan sighed.
"It's fine...it's just a little convenient when you showed up and told me we were going after Avery's treasure again. Especially now, considering I could use the money. Hell, maybe I can go into early retirement after this." I smiled at the thought. "Anne could go to a nice college too."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Nathan muttered.
"You don't have any right to be criticizing me about keeping secrets." I gave him a knowing look. "You just dropped out of nowhere and told me we were leaving. You didn't seem to be in the mood for catching up. Plus there's the matter of your shit with Elena."
At first, the lack of response from Nathan has me feeling guilty, until I notice that he's stopped pushing the box in front of him before shoving me into the tall grass over by my right. I nearly got up and started yelling at him, until I heard more Shoreline soldiers coming our way. I managed to get into a crouching position, quietly loading my gun as the mercenaries began to spread out around the area. I grabbed a stick of dynamite that was on the ground nearby, and put it in my pocket for safe keeping.
Time to kill some bitches.
It took a lot of time, and by that I mean it took a lot of walking, climbing, and more sneak attacks on Shoreline, before we had made it to the graveyard. There were a lot of tombstones to go through with such little time to spare before Rafe caught wind that we were here on the site as well.
"Jesus. Look at this place." Sam smiled.
"Welcome to the Saint Dismas dormitory." Nathan spoke up. "Alleged final resting place of one Henry Avery."
"Let's find that grave." Sam chuckled.
I kept walking ahead, ignoring Nathan and Sam conversing with one another as they both continued their search for the right gravestone. There were many lookalikes, so it was understandable to get some of them confused. It was the small but very important details that one needed to be on the lookout for. For some reason, even after fifteen years, I was able to remember everything that involved Henry Avery. One reason stemming from my parents, because of their background as historians and explorers.
My parents dabbled into a bit of everything, but their expertise lied within pirates, and specifically Henry Avery. It was almost like a fairy tail that my parents kept telling me, and educated me about extensively. So naturally, history became my favorite subject to learn growing up. I'd always found it so fascinating to learn about a completely different time period as well as a different culture. After my parents had died, the subject of history, and the subject of Avery, was the only thing I had left of them.
When introduced to Sam and Nathan in the orphanage, the excitement never died or faded away and only grew stronger.
It was always there. My love and passion for history. For Avery.
After Anne was born, I took great pride in her education. Of course, Anne always did great in her history classes because Nathan and I were eager to teach her and we had many stories to tell. However, because of the work Nathan and I did together, my fascination had turned into obsession. So whenever I was deeply invested in something, it was mostly difficult to pull me away and snap me back into reality. Which also made it difficult when raising Anne, because my obsessions sometimes kept us apart.
And I could take blame for that. I wasn't the perfect mother sometimes, and it was something I'd seemed to inherit from my parents after all.
Much like right now, as my eyes scanned over every piece of sculpted stone in sight as I searched for the crossed cutlasses, skull and crossbones, and the years of Avery's birth and death.
Skull and cross bones...cutlasses, Avery's dates...
I continued walking, chanting those very words in my head as I continued my search. After another minute, I finally came to a stop as I stood in front of a tombstone that seemed to match the description. I wiped away snow, making out the years of Avery's birth and death as a smile spread on my face.
Benjamin Bridgeman
That's Avery's alias, that much I'm certain of...
"Sam! Nathan! Over here!" I called out to them.
I looked at the grave in fascination and touched the skull merely from curiosity.
That's not Avery's sigil though...it should be sideways...right?
I slowly turned the skull over to the right, flinching when I heard and felt something rumbling underneath my feet.
Please don't be a trap.
"Oh my God." Sam breathed out.
I looked behind the tombstone, noticing there were stairs that led underground that weren't previously there beforehand.
"Holy shit! Good job, Tara!" Nathan shouted excitedly.
Nathan clapped a hand on my shoulder, and I can't help but grin in response.
"When it comes to my history, I know Avery." I chuckled.
"That you do, my friend." Nathan laughed.
"So, you guys ready for this?" I asked.
"Sweetheart, I've been ready for a long time." Sam muttered.
Sam grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as we both walked down together.
"Listen, no matter what we find, just...keep your chin up." I told him.
"Let's see what we got." Nathan mumbled to himself.
We followed Nathan down the stairs, looking around in surprise.
"A crypt?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Behind a secret door? A little strange don't you think?"
"I assume the secret door was added afterwards." Nathan pointed out.
"To hide his loot." Sam guessed.
"Somehow, I doubt it will be that easy." I sighed.
"What? You still don't think the treasure's gonna be here?" Sam asked.
"If I know Avery worth a damn, it's that he never made anything easy or simple. Avery was an intelligent man of his time, but he was also complicated and elaborate about certain things." I concluded.
"...you might be onto something." Nathan muttered. "But I'm still hoping that you're wrong though."
"Hey, don't get me wrong, the sooner we find the treasure, the sooner we can save Sam's ass, but...I don't know. I just don't think the treasure would be at this location, it's too obvious, you know? Not to mention cliche. Finding his treasure at his fake grave? It's way too simple- -" I rambled.
I glanced over at Sam and paused, blushing when I realized that he'd been staring at me this entire time.
"Sorry." I mumbled.
"No...it's really cute...I always loved it when you went on your little rants...y'know, about theories you had." Sam confessed.
I bit my bottom lip, feeling embarrassed at how true that statement was when I truly thought about it. I knew I always kept an open mind about everything, but I didn't think I went on rants.
At least not until Sam pointed it out...
"You'd always have this little twinkle in your eye, your face would light up like a Christmas tree..." Sam continued with a smile.
"Aw, Sam. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to flatter her. What did you do?" Nathan joked.
"Oh shut it, knucklehead." Sam stammered.
"...I remember how passionate you were about anything involving pirates when we were just kids." I blurted out. "You loved the history as much as I did. It made me feel less insecure...like I wasn't alone."
Sam stopped moving, causing me to stop with him as Nathan went ahead.
"You know...I always thought about you every single day..." He mumbled softly.
Sam reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I was always afraid you'd forget about me and move on." Sam admitted.
"Believe me...I tried." I smiled weakly. "I could never stay in a committed relationship with anyone else...and Anne...she always reminded me of you. It might have been at least six years before the pain began to subside a bit. But it never really went away. I feel bad because, I think Anne picked up on that too..."
"I'm sorry- -" He started.
"Don't be sorry. I don't want you to ever be sorry, Sam. You had no control over it. I know you would have returned to me, to us. I'm just relieved that you're still alive to begin with." I gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
I was surprised from Sam's gentleness when he reached over, giving me a soft and tentative kiss that held so many emotions. It made me think at first that Sam was so out of character, or that something was really eating away at him. I couldn't tell if he felt extremely guilty of being away from Anne and I for fifteen years, or if it was from something else entirely, but either way, it made me genuinely concerned for Sam.
"I love you...so much." Sam placed his forehead against mine. "You're too good to me sometimes, and I don't deserve it."
From then on, we walked together in silence, moving quickly to catch up with Nathan.
Hey guys! I'm so happy from all the very kind reviews of encouragement that I received! I just want you to know, this took FOREVER to write, or it felt like forever to write. Anyway, let's just say, I'm finally finished with this chapter and it's 2:00 in the fucking morning. I'm going to change this rating to M, because I'm actually considering writing a little sex scene for Tara and Sam, I have little mentions in this chapter of sex, but...I've never actually written a sex scene before, I've read so many fanfics with so much smut, but I've never created any sort of smut fanfics myself. One, because I've never had sex before, I'm just waiting for the right guy (I'm not waiting until I get married and stuff, but I don't want a fling or anything if you catch my drift. Not that this is really relevant to begin with...sorry), and two, I don't want to mess this up somehow and have people roll their eyes as they look at the very possible mediocre sex scene I could most likely write. I just want to build it up and have it be a little more natural when it happens, I don't want this to just happen out of nowhere, you know what I mean? I'm sorry if I'm ranting over a stupid fucking sex scene, I just kind of get a little anxious about writing things I've never really had experience with writing about and have avoided writing any smut. But I do want to try new things, so just please bear with me! I know some of you want smut! Don't lie! I'm going to change the rating to M, but there won't be a full blown written sex scene until later. Not like a lot later until some of you might be at your tipping point and explode from anticipation. I hate stories that do that sometimes. All I want is for the timing to be absolutely perfect and not be random. I'm very sorry for this long rant at the end here, I just...I have a lot to say sometimes. I want to be cautious about this. Thanks for being awesome and let me know what you think! :D
-bellas2silly