Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. Like I said, this is my first serious attempt to write anything, so I love the support, and I'm glad to know my story's being read and enjoyed.

Elena blinked drowsily at a lone beam of sunlight hit her face. She smiled as she raised her head from the pillow, gazing out at the beautiful weather outside. Taking a deep breath, she reached behind herself, but her smile disappeared when she only touched air. She rolled over to look, and sighed when she saw that Nate's side of the bed was empty.

"Nate?" she called out. She stared out the bedroom door expectantly, but there was no reply.

After waiting for a moment longer, Elena wrapped her bed sheet around herself, got up, and walked out of the bedroom. She shuffled slowly down the hall, holding the sheet in place as she went. She stopped in the baby's room, and she felt her heart warm as she passed through the door, feeling the love only a mother could understand.

"Good morning Juliet," Elena said groggily as the stepped up to the crib.

But a rush of uneasiness washed over her as she saw the crib empty. Repressing the anxious feeling, if only momentarily, Elena stepped out of the nursery, making her way down the hall and into the living room. A rush of relief washed over her, and she had to repress a chuckle at what she saw. She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face, as she walked over to the cradle sitting next to the couch. Juliet was doing her best to stand, leaning against one side of the cradle as she reached out, her tiny hand tugging at the pants leg of an unconscious Nate. After a few moments, Juliet lost her balance, fell back into the cradle, and sat there with a look of confusion on her face as she stared at her unkempt father, who didn't even stir. Elena chuckled, which got Juliet's attention. Her face lit up at the sight of her mother, and she started to giggle as she stretched her little arms out towards Elena. Elena did her best to secure the bed sheet she had draped around herself, and lifted Juliet up into her arms.

"Good morning angel," Elena said happily as she looked into her eyes. Juliet stared back with a combination of happiness and curiosity.

Elena tickled Juliet's stomach, and felt her heart flutter as the baby laughed. She loved the sound of a baby's laughter. After gazing into Juliet's eyes a moment longer, she shifted her attention to the mess spread out on the couch. Shifting the baby onto her shoulder, she stood over Nate, an amused expression on her face. She looked at the book that was spread open across his chest, how it rose and fell with his breathing. She looked at him with a loving smile, and then wiped a small line of drool from his chin before placing his book back on the shelf. He grunted in his sleep, but didn't wake up.

"Until next time Mr. Holmes," Elena said as she slipped the old hardback into its rightful place. She walked back over to Nate's side, and laughed quietly as Juliet gurgled, reaching out eagerly for her father. Elena sat down next to Nate, and Juliet reached out, placing a tiny hand on his shoulder, confused by Nate's unresponsiveness.

"What's wrong with daddy?" Elena asked in a playful whisper, watching with amusement as Juliet tried to push on Nate's arm. As much as she wanted to wake him, Elena was glad to see him sleeping so peacefully. He looked like a stressed out mess, and she knew he needed the sleep. So she sat in the peaceful silence, bouncing Juliet on her knee. Then Nate started to stir.

"Reichenbach," he mumbled incoherently, still mostly asleep. Elena stared at him quizzically for a second before she realized what it meant. After a few more moments, his muddled brain seemed to gather its thoughts. "What time is it?" he groaned quietly.

"Almost nine."

Elena looked at him lovingly as he stirred, blinking his eyes open, and as he looked at Elena through bleary eyes, a weary smile stretched across his face.

"Someone wanted to see you," Elena said happily as Nate noticed Juliet staring at him. The moment he saw her, his eyes filled with life, and took his daughter into his arms.

"Hey Juliet!" Nate exclaimed, "How are you sweet heart?"

Elena watched contentedly as Nate played with her, lifting her into the air and then bringing her back down to give her raspberries on her stomach, all of which made Juliet laugh endlessly. As Nate kept himself occupied, Elena walked into the kitchen, smiling inwardly as she heard Nate making baby talk. She got the coffee pot ready, and as it gurgled, she sat closely to Nate, wrapping her arms around him.

"Morning sleepy head," Elena said, "So how long did she keep you up?"

"Not long," Nate replied as he bounced Juliet on his leg, "I changed her, but she was still upset, so I fed her, and then rocked her in the cradle as I read."

"How'd she like your choice of stories?" Elena joked.

"She thought the ending was sad," Nate quipped, "But I reassured her that everything turned out alright."

"Yeah, I don't know if a story that ends with the hero falling from a waterfall to his death is appropriate for an eleven month old," Elena replied with sarcastic amusement.

"Hey, Sherlock Holmes is appropriate for everybody!" Nate said defensively, "Besides, it turned out he faked his death after defeating Moriarty to save his friends!"

Elena paused for a moment, and laughed as she thought about what they were arguing about. Then she sat in silence for a moment, looking into Nate's eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. She frowned as she looked at the bags under his eyes.

"So when did you finally get to sleep?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know exactly," Nate replied quietly, "After I calmed Juliet back to sleep, I just felt restless."

"Was it the dreams?"

Nate frowned. "No, I just couldn't sleep."

Elena stared at him for a moment, uncertain of how truthful he was being. Juliet stared curiously up at her parents, confused by the sudden silence. Then Elena smiled, satisfied that he was telling the truth, and gave him a quick kiss.

"You should go clean up, you're a mess," she whispered as her lips parted from his.

"Gee, thanks mom," Nate replied in a childish voice, handing Juliet over to her mother. Standing up slowly, Nate stretched, and walked stiffly over to the bathroom.

"I feel like sh-," Nate started to say, but caught himself when he remembered whose company he was in, "Like I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night," he continued, correcting himself. "And like Charlie head-butted me again."

Elena let out a frustrated sigh, "That's because you don't use your reading glasses!" she gave him a look of loving irritation, then continued, "I keep telling you!"

Nate sighed. "I keep losing them!" he explained, "I hate wearing those things anyway."

"You're going to hurt your eyes," Elena replied. She stared at him for a second, realizing she wasn't getting through to him. "Besides," she continued, her voice taking on a flirtatious tone, "I thought they looked really good on you."

"Oh really?" Nate asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Elena replied, giving him a teasing kiss, "They make you look sophisticated."

"Sophisticated?" Nate chuckled, "They make me feel old."

"Nate, you need to wear them!"

"Okay, okay," Nate sighed as he walked into the bathroom.

Nate turned on the tap and splashed water on his face from the bathroom sink, trying to wake himself up. Taking a deep breath, he examined himself in the mirror.

"Don't worry, you still look great," Elena said, startling him. Elena chuckled as Nate looked at her in the mirror, a mix of surprise and frustration on his face. He turned to face her, a hint of a smile on his face.

"What do you mean 'still'?" Nate asked in an amused tone.

"Well you aren't getting any younger," Elena joked as she held Juliet close.

Nate rolled his eyes, "Thank you," he replied sarcastically, "I'm so glad you're here."

Elena chuckled, and then gave Nate a kiss on the cheek. Then, as she walked out of the room she called out, "You need to shave."

Nate smirked, and turned back to the mirror. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He wasn't getting any younger. He thought back to how he looked when they first got married, and frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror. Several grey hairs salted his five o'clock shadow, and a few more were visible scattered through his hair. As he continued to ponder the signs of his middle age, he was thankful that he hadn't put on any weight. As far as he could tell, he had actually leaned down. Nate paused for a moment, and sighed as he turned on the shower.

Nate walked into the hallway a short time later, tucking the right side of his shirt into his jeans as he moved. Stepping into the bedroom, he stopped next to his bedside table, strapping his leather cuff watch to his wrist. He picked up the silver ring that was sitting next to it, and slipped it on his left hand as he headed to the living room. He smiled when he saw Elena playing a game of peek-a-boo with Juliet. The two of them looked so happy; Nate just leaned against the door way, a feeling of pride flowing over him as he watched them silently.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Nate announced a few seconds later, "I'm having lunch with Gabe."

"Gabe Finch?" Elena asked, "Is he helping you with school?"

"Yeah, I've got finals coming up soon, he's helping me study," Nate said as he placed textbooks on history and archaeology into a backpack.

"Just like old times, huh?"

"Not quite," Nate said, giving Juliet a kiss on the forehead, which made her giggle with joy. "He's not going to college for the second time."

Nate hugged Elena, and gave her a quick kiss before slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll see you this afternoon," he said, and walked toward the front door.

"Nate," Elena called out, halting him in his tracks. Nate backtracked, leaning his head back into the living room.

"What?" he asked, and then sighed when he saw Elena's outstretched hand holding a rectangular pair of wire frame glasses. "Thanks," he exhaled, taking the glasses from her hand. He turned back to the door, hooking the glasses to his shirt before walking out.

Fifteen minutes later, Nate parked his jeep in front of one of his favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee shops. As he stepped out onto the curb, he saw his friend sitting at a table right inside. He walked in the door of the shop, and Gabriel Finch stood up to greet him, a warm smile on his face. Finch stood several inches shorter than Nate, with a slightly pudgy build, his brown hair combed back and parted on one side. He was dressed in slacks and a casual button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a set of almost perfectly circular glasses accentuating his large, round eyes.

"Hello Nate," Gabe said as they embraced in a brotherly hug.

"Good afternoon Professor Finch," Nate replied in a half mocking tone as they sat down.

Gabe chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "Nate," he said in his usual clear, but soft spoken tone, "It's Sunday, so I think Gabe will suffice. Besides, as long as we've known each other, I'm surprised you even address me properly on campus."

"Hey, I'm a very respectful person!" Nate responded, a look of false accusation on his face. Gabriel smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Sometimes," Nate admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

The two friends shared a laugh for a moment before Gabe spoke. "You know, I don't think you really need study help. You're one of the best students in my class." Nate chuckled, but didn't say anything. "No, I'm serious Nate. Your knowledge of history is, well, astounding."

"Yeah, I'm not laughing about that," Nate replied, "It's just that it's still feels strange sometimes, thinking of myself as one of your students. I remember twenty two years ago, back when we were students together."

"Yes, and we were studying for finals together then too," Finch replied. He paused for a moment, a thoughtful glint in his hazel eyes, and then continued, "Now that I think about it, I never asked you why you left."

"It's a long story," Nate replied, "Did you ever meet my friend Sully?"

"Victor Sullivan?" Gabe asked, "I met him once, I think. You've told me a lot about him though. You met when you were fourteen right?"

"Yeah, back in Colombia," Nate said, "Well, a few weeks after freshman year ended, I got a call from Sully. He was down in Panama, told me he was onto something big, and that he wanted my help. So I flew down and joined him."

"The old team reunited," Gabe interjected, a smile on his face, "Just like old times, huh?"

Nate paused, and then a smile spread across his face.

"What?" Gabe asked.

"Nothing," Nate said, "You're the second person to say that to me today. Elena said the same thing about you and me this morning."

Gabe chuckled. "So what where you saying about Sully and Panama?"

Nate took a deep breath, "Well, as usual, things went to shit, people tried to kill us, and before I knew what happened, the two of us were stuck in a Panamanian jail together."

Gabe stared at Nate in disbelief, unable to think of a response.

"We managed to get out about six months later, and I wanted to go back to school, I honestly did. But one thing led to another, I did more jobs with Sully, we kept travelling the world, and I never got around to going back. I just got hooked."

"The glorious life of an outlaw treasure hunter," Gabe commented with a sarcastic undertone, "The appeal is understandable. I couldn't live that way, and I wouldn't really want to, but I can understand. The excitement, the adventure, the thrill…"

"The money?" Nate interrupted.

Gabe smirked. "I don't think it was ever about the money Nate. The money may have been part of it, you may have done work for hire, but I know you Nate. For you, it was never about the money."

Nate nodded. "Whatever the case was, I'm just glad I'm away from all that now."

After a few moments, Gabe spoke. "So, you want to get started?"

"Sure," Nate responded, pulling one of his textbooks out of his bag. "But first, I need a coffee. I only got a couple hours of sleep last night."

Nate bought a strong black coffee, and put on his reading glasses as he sat back down with Gabe. Flipping the textbook open on the table, they spent the next hour going over what would be on the final.

When they had finished studying, the two friends stepped outside of the café, and were about to part ways when Gabe stopped.

"Hey Nate," he said, and Nate turned to face him, "I'm going to a dig down in Brazil this summer, you're welcome to come if you want."

"How big of a dig is it?" Nate replied.

"It's a mid-size dig," Gabriel continued, "I've arranged the trip so that I can bring some of my more dedicated students down with me, get them some field experience."

Nate hesitated. "I don't know. I don't think I can."

"Nate, you're one of my best students," Gabe encouraged, "This would be great for you."

"I've got to be here for my family," Nate explained, "Elena's still working as a journalist full time, and she still gets sent to cover international stories on occasion. I've got to say here to take care of my daughter."

Gabe stayed silent, thinking for a moment. "You can bring them with you if you want," he responded. Nate snorted, repressing a disbelieving chuckle, "No, I'm serious. Several of the staff at the dig will be bringing their families with them. There's a daycare that's been contracted there if you want to use it, or your family could treat it like a vacation."

"I'm just not sure; I'd have to talk to Elena," Nate sighed, pondering the idea. "Hey," he continued, "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know," Gabe replied, "I'd hate to be a bother."

"No, it's no problem. You can meet Juliet, and can talk with Elena about this dig together."

Gabe hesitated, but eventually relented. "Sure, you've told me so much about your little girl, and I haven't seen Elena in years, I'd love to come over."

"Alright, great," Nate said, "I live at 1635 Palm Terrace; you can come by at around six."

"Sounds good, I'll see you there."

After shaking hands, they said their goodbyes, and parted ways. Nate just hoped Elena wouldn't kill him for inviting a dinner guest on such short notice without asking her first.

I would actually be surprised if that was a real address in Miami. I really don't know, I just made it up. Sounds like something that would exist there though. And don't worry about Nate, I gave him signs of middle age, I'm not making him old. He'll still be the same Nate as always when the shit hits the fan. But eight years does have an effect, and I wanted to integrate that into the story. Their fight over Nate not wearing his glasses was actually a last minute addition. I added it in because I forgot to write it in when Nate was reading in the previous chapter! I always thought Nate might have gone to college at some point but never finished, so I thought I'd include it into my story. I actually made his story about why he never finished as an explanation for his "you've obviously never been in a Panamanian jail" line in Drake's Fortune. I'm not sure if I want to actually write the dinner with the Drake family and Gabriel Finch. I'm just afraid it could be redundant. But if you'd like to see it, I'll write it in, just let me know.