Okay, had to take a breather for a few days! I'd been spending all of my time writing this story, and I wanted to take a break, step back, and make sure I wasn't losing track of my overall plot. Yes, I have an overall plot. I've got beginning, middle, and end; I just need to elaborate greatly on what happens in between. Oh, and 100 points to the first person who can tell me what Nate was referring to when he mumbled "Reichenbach" in his sleep. (The points are like on Whose Line, they're made up and they don't matter, I just thought it'd be fun to say.)
Elena sighed as she was interrupted by the doorbell. She shot Nate an upset look, which he deflected with his usual "Don't hurt me, I'm innocent" face.
"Put Juliet in her high chair," Elena commanded, walking out of the room.
"I'll kill him later," she thought as she made her way to the front door.
Elena looked through the peep hole on the door, and took a deep breath, putting a smile on her face as she opened the door.
"Hi, come on in!" Elena said, her voice changing to a kind, gentle tone.
"Good evening," Gabriel replied softly as he stepped inside, a polite smile on his face, "It's great to see you again Elena, it's been too long." Elena felt her anger towards Nate soften at his friend's disarming politeness. "Thank you for having me, I hope it's not a problem."
"No, it's no trouble. It's great to have you here." Elena said, recalling the fight she and Nate had had just a short time before.
"How many times Nate, how many times?" Elena had asked earlier that evening.
"I'm sorry Elena," Nate had replied, "I didn't think it would be a problem!"
"Yeah, you didn't think! I was already getting ready to make dinner for us, and then you spring this on me!"
"He's my friend Elena, I thought it would-"
"It would've been alright, if you had told me earlier! I didn't have enough food to accommodate a guest! I'd love to have Gabe over he seemed like a great guy, but please, PLEASE, give me some notice!"
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"Next time you want to invite a spur of the moment guest, I'm not making a last minute trip to the store!"
"I brought macaroni casserole, I hope you like it," Gabe said, holding up the foil wrapped dish, snapping Elena out of her flashback. "I figured it would be rude not to bring anything."
"Oh, thank you," Elena replied, "You didn't have to…"
"I wanted to," Gabe interrupted, "It's the least I could do, coming on such short notice."
Elena guided Gabe through the living room, and they made their way through the kitchen to the dining room table.
"You can set that with the rest of the food," Elena said, pointing to the kitchen counter. Gabe complied, setting the casserole next to the other dishes that had been made. Nate finished securing Juliet in her high chair, and walked around the table to greet his friend.
"Hey Gabe, glad you could make it!" he said enthusiastically as he hugged him, but frowned when he saw the upset look Elena gave him behind Gabe's back.
"Guess I'm still in trouble," Nate thought in dismay.
"I'm sure you remember Elena," he continued, "And this little angel over here is Juliet."
Nate bent down next to the high chair, giving Juliet a kiss on the cheek, making her giggle.
"I wish we had gotten to know each other better back at the wedding," Gabe said to Elena, "I'm actually a big fan of your work."
"Oh stop," Elena blushed.
"No, I am," Gabe continued, "I was a big fan of your show, and I think you've done fantastic work as a foreign correspondent." Elena smiled shyly at the flattery.
"When Nate first told me about the two of you, I asked, 'Elena Fisher, the journalist? The one who had that history program?'"
Nate sat down at the table next to Juliet, with Elena and Gabe following suit.
"I didn't believe him at first," Gabe joked, to which Nate made a hurt expression.
"Oww," Nate said, but Gabe ignored him.
"Then I had to ask how a guy like him managed to get a woman as beautiful as you," Gabe continued, smiling as he got under Nate's skin.
"Hey, I'm right here!" Nate complained. Elena laughed at Nate, knowing that Gabe was messing with him.
"Yeah, sometimes I wonder the same thing," Elena replied with a smirk, Nate's hurt face worsening.
Gabe and Elena shared a laugh at Nate's expense, and then Gabe spoke, "How old is your daughter?" he asked.
"She's eleven months old," Nate said as he poured mashed peas into a bowl in front of Juliet.
"She's a beautiful little girl," Gabe complimented, "You both must be very proud."
"Thank you Mr. Finch, we love her very much," Elena replied.
"Please, call me Gabe," Finch politely requested
"Do you have kids of your own Gabe?" Elena asked. Gabe's eyes seemed to sadden at the question, but only for a moment.
"No, I don't," he replied, "Life just never saw fit to give me the chance."
"I'm sorry," Elena said, detecting the sad pause in the conversation. Then she turned to address Nate. "Nate, could you please go get the drinks for me?"
"Sure," Nate said, and he got up from his seat, leaving the room. Juliet whined as her dad walked out, looking down helplessly at her mashed peas. Elena chuckled at her daughter's predicament, and moved to the seat next to her. Juliet smiled when her mom picked up the tiny spoon, taking a scoop of mashed peas. Gabe chuckled as Elena pretended the spoon was an airplane, Juliet opening her mouth wide to eat her food.
"So, how's it feel being Nate's professor?" Elena asked as Nate walked back in, "Must be strange, since you were both students when you met."
"It's not as strange as you might think," Gabe replied, "We just have to remember that in the classroom I'm his teacher, he's my student, and we treat each other accordingly. Outside of class, it's no different than when we were in school together."
"You know," Nate piped in, "It was actually when I first heard that you had become a professor here that I started seriously thinking about going back to school."
The three of them continued to talk and reminisce as they ate, telling stories about their respective lives. Gabe eventually broached the subject of the dig in South America, and Elena listened quietly as he explained all of its details. Nate was actually surprised she hadn't spoken out against it yet. When Gabe was finished speaking, Elena pondered the idea quietly for a moment.
"I don't know," Elena said hesitantly, "It sounds like a great opportunity, but I don't know if I can get the time off of work, and I'm sorry, but I do not trust a contract daycare center in Brazil."
"Well, we could-" Nate started, but Elena interrupted him.
"And we're not letting Sully babysit again! You remember what happened last time!"
The three of them sat in silence for a moment; interrupted only by Juliet's fussing, demanding the rest of her food.
"Well," Gabe broke the silence, "You could always come down as a journalist, and just bring Juliet with you. It could make a good story, and the site coordinators would love the publicity."
Nate and Elena stewed on the suggestion for a moment. "We'll have to think about it," they agreed.
"Of course," Gabe said, "Take all the time you need."
The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful, with the exception of Juliet ruining Finch's sweater vest with a well slung glob of mashed peas. After apologizing and cleaning up the mess as best they could, Nate and Elena said goodbye to Finch, and Finch thanked them again as he left for his car.
"You've got to admit, this dig sounds like a good idea," Nate whispered as he delicately placed a sleeping Juliet down in her crib.
"It does Nate, but I'm not sure if you should go."
"I'm not the same guy I was eight years ago," Nate whispered, "I'm not going to go on some adventure, freak out about our relationship, then disappear for months on end!"
"I know, Nate, I know. I trust you, but we need to think about our family, about Juliet."
"I'm not going off treasure hunting again! This is a safe, legitimate archaeological dig," Nate reassured, "No guns, no cursed cities, and nobody trying to kill me, I promise." Then with a cocky grin, he added, "C'mon, what could possibly go wrong?"
One month later.
"This is not how I thought this would go," Nate thought, wincing as he took a swift punch to the ribs.
Bringing his arms up, he barely managed to block two powerful strikes to his face. Seeing an opening, he threw a left hook to his assailant's jaw. But his opponent outmaneuvered him, bringing an uppercut underneath Nate's punch, knocking the wind out of him. As he tried to catch his breath, he caught a jab to the nose and a cross to the jaw. He felt blood fill his nose, his head ringing, and moved to block a body shot. Successfully countering his opponent's attack, he delivered three jabs followed by a cross to his attacker's chin.
"Alright, I can get this guy."
Then, as he moved to block a body blow, a powerful haymaker plowed into his temple. His vision blurred as he spun on his feet and fell to the ground, almost blacking out.
"Hey Nate… NATE!" he heard a voice call out as he blinked, trying to remain conscious. He couldn't black out now "Nate, c'mon man, you've gotta get up! C'mon, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Nate's vision cleared just in time to see David Reese standing over him, giving him the middle finger.
"Very funny asshole," Nate groaned, pushing David's hand away as he tried to sit off the mat.
"Come on Nate, is that the best you've got?" Reese mocked as he reached a gloved hand down to Nate's fallen body.
Nate pulled off his right boxing glove, and reached up, grabbing David's outstretched hand. Reese helped his friend to his feet, a cocky smirk spread across his face. Nate pulled off his other glove, sat them in the corner of the ring, and took a drink from his water bottle.
"You keep dropping your guard on your left," Reese continued, his Kentucky accent thick, patronizing Nate more than teaching him. "I don't know how you lasted so long in the dangerous world of thieves and treasure-seekers."
Nate laughed as he sat down in the corner of the ring. Reese's sarcasm was never ending.
"Oh, and I suppose living the life of a Kentucky con man makes you so much tougher than me!" Nate replied cynically.
"Well my time on the Rangers' boxing team helped, but I had my fair share of dangerous run-ins in my grifting days too!" Reese grinned, pushing his dirty blonde hair out of his face.
"Oh yeah, you were Mr. Army Boxer," Nate laughed, "And thinking of your 'dangerous run-ins,' wasn't the reason you left Kentucky because you managed to piss off both the Crowder's and the Bennett's in one job?" Nate asked as he wiped the sweat off of his face.
"What's your point?" Reese inquired.
"That there's a fine line between tough and stupid."
"Well I think we both walked that line regularly," Reese countered, "And sure, almost every scumbag in the county had tried to kill me before I got out of there, but I did get almost a quarter mil from that one job."
"Did you not stop to think, at any point in that process, that cheating, lying to, and robbing two of the biggest criminal families in Kentucky at the same time, was a bad idea?" Nate asked with an amused smile.
"Well, I guess I just, how'd you always put it?" Reese paused for a moment, a big grin on his face, "I didn't think that far ahead."
Nate laughed at the sound of his old mantra being thrown back at him.
"Besides," Reese continued, "From what I've heard, you did your share of trying to rip-off extremely dangerous criminals too. Guess we're both just suckers for money and life threatening hare-brained schemes."
"I suppose you've got a point," Nate sighed, a small half smile glancing across his face. He took another swig from his water bottle, and wiped the blood from his nose. After pausing for a moment, his grin broadened. "Ready to go again?"
"Oh what, you haven't let me whoop your ass enough for one day?" Reese teased, "Hope you can move faster this time!"
"Shut up jackass!" Nate retorted, trying to counter Reese's cockiness, "You got lucky."
"Oh luck, is that it? Did I bring a rabbit's foot, or find a four leaf clover in the parking lot?" Reese laughed when he could tell he was getting under Nate's skin, "Or maybe it's the twenty pounds of luck I've got on you!"
Nate chuckled as he slipped on his boxing gloves, "Ah, I've beaten guys bigger than you!" he cracked as stretched his shoulders out, "Let's see how well your twenty pounds of luck holds up this time!"
Reese laughed, and put on his boxing gloves. Stepping forward, he met Nate in the center of the ring, the two of them standing equal height to each other, and each with equally cocky grins.
"The con-man versus the treasure hunter," Reese joked as they touched gloves, "Round two, fight!"
Meanwhile, a man in a three piece suit stood outside the boxing gym, barely noticed by the world around him, looking in through the plate glass window at Nate and David. He watched them fight for a few moments before he turned way, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked down the street. He hit the speed dial button, and raised the phone to his ear.
"Mr. Edwards," the man said in a calm, articulate voice when the phone picked up, "It's me. The word is 'go.'"
Without saying another word, he flipped the phone closed, and stuffed it in his pocket.
Across town, Elena pushed Juliet's stroller up the driveway, returning home from their weekly trip to the park. Juliet was quiet as she pushed the stroller through the front door, wrapped tightly in a small blanket. Elena kicked her shoes off as she made her way to the nursery, her feet tired and weary from the long walk. She reached into the stroller, lifting Juliet out as carefully and delicately as she could.
"I'm sorry baby," Elena cooed as Juliet stirred, visibly distressed from being moved.
Elena held Juliet close, and began rocking her in her arms. Juliet gurgled, smiling as her mother began to sing a lullaby to her.
"Catch a falling star, and put it in your pocket,
Save it for a rainy day.
Catch a falling star, and…
Elena paused as the lights flickered momentarily. She stared at them for a moment after they returned to normal, shrugged it off, and turned her attention back to her baby. She started to rock again, returning to her lullaby.
Catch a falling star, and put it in your pocket,
Never let it fade away."
The lights flickered again. "Need to call that electrician again," Elena thought. She looked down at Juliet, who was fast asleep, and smiled as she stepped over to the crib. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard a voice, whistling the tune of the lullaby she had just finished. She placed Juliet down in her crib, and walked cautiously out into the hallway, chills going up her spine as the whistling continued.
"Nate?" Elena called out nervously. She turned and locked the baby's door when there was no response. She jumped at the sound of breaking glass, and ran into the bedroom. She reached frantically under the bed, and pulled out a small lock box. After punching in the key code, she opened the box and pulled out Nate's old Beretta. She made sure it was loaded, but before she could turn around, a large hand grabbed her by the arm. She screamed, and blindly swung a punch, hitting the man in the face. He staggered back, and Elena shot him in the stomach.
"Who are you?" She asked her attacker, but he said nothing. He just held his stomach, a look of pain and rage on his face as he fell to the ground.
Then another man came in, a large Russian who looked like an amateur bodybuilder, and fired a shot at Elena, but she ducked down behind the bed. The gunfire stopped, and Elena sat there silently for a moment, her heart racing and her breathing labored. All she could hear was that unnerving whistling. Just when she was about to pop out to fire again, a hand reached over the bed, pulling her out by her hair. She screamed in pain as she was dragged out from behind her cover, kicking her legs in the air. Firing several shots, she hit nothing but air, and the gun was quickly wrenched out of her hand. She punched the man in the face, and then hit him in the groin. He dropped her, and she tried to run for the door.
But before she could get to it, the door was blocked by a tall, slender man in a black suit with no tie, the lights flickering as he stepped into the room. He finished whistling the lullaby tune, and smiled the most disturbing grin that Elena had ever seen. All of her stubborn will to fight seemed to disappear, and she stood frozen as this new man struck a match, lit his cigarette, and stared at her with jet black eyes.
"You know," the man said in an Irish accent, grinning wide, and his cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth "That's not my usual tune, but I think I like it."
Nate shook hands with Reese as they exited the gym. "I told you that you got lucky!" he called out as they parted ways.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back!" Reese yelled back with a cynical wave, not even bothering to turn around.
Nate laughed as he walked up to his car, opening the driver's side door.
"He may be one of the best brawlers I know," Nate thought, "But I'll be damned if I let him know it."
Nate sat down in the car, and turned the ignition key. Creedence played on the radio as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed Elena while he drove away.
"C'mon Elena, pick up the phone," Nate groaned as the tone dialed out. When he reached voicemail, he hung up, tossing the phone into the passenger seat.
"Must be busy with Juliet," he thought.
He drove peacefully for a short time; the only sound was Fortunate Son playing on the radio. Then the phone rang in the seat next to him. He picked it up as he reached a stoplight. The caller ID said it was Elena, so he hit the answer button
"Hey baby, just wanted to let you know, Reese and I are done at the gym, and I'm on my way home."
He listened expectantly for an answer, but when he got one, he felt his heart race and his blood boil.
"Listen closely Mr. Drake," a man's voice told him over the phone.
Things are finally starting to pick up! Benjamin's back, Elena's been kidnapped, and Nate had no idea it was happening! What will Nate do, how will he save Elena, and what is Ben up to? I had lots of fun writing this chapter. It was originally written without the dinner scene, but I was sitting around, bored out of my gourd, and I decided to write the scene, see how well I could make it. After I finished it, I loved it, so I had to include it! And yes, I did make a reference to Justified. I could've just made up the names of the crime families that Reese had pissed off in his con man days, but I thought the Crowder and Bennett reference would be more fun. I had to resist the urge to greatly lengthen the scene between Elena and Ben. I think Ben's an incredibly fun character to write, and I wanted to write the entire interaction between him and Elena, but I knew it would be better to cut the scene off.