A lot of stuff went down in the last chapter, I hope everybody enjoyed it! I was afraid that the scene between Elena and Ben was a little too dark, but I felt that, with a character like Ben, it's so inappropriate, it's appropriate.
Benjamin Edwards walked down the street, a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He had traded his suit coat for a black leather jacket, and despite the late hour, dark sunglasses adorned his face. He turned quickly to his right, walked into a nice bar & grill, and leapfrogged up onto the nearest barstool.
"Wheeee!" he exclaimed as he spun around in circles on his seat.
He stopped abruptly to face the bar, and waited with a large flirtatious smile on his face as the pretty redheaded bartender made her way over to him. She blushed as he removed his glasses, his eyes wide, taking in her figure.
"What'll you have?" she asked him, returning the flirty look, eyeing him as he did the same to her.
"The strongest drink you got baby," Ben winked, "Work was a killer."
The bartender poured him a glass of their strongest drink as he watched happily. She started to turn way to put the bottle back in its proper place, but before she could, the glass was empty, and Ben had a satisfied look on his face. She stared at him for a moment; she hadn't even seen him move. But the glass was empty, and the smile on his face said he was expecting a refill.
"Thanks darling," he flirted as she poured him another drink. Before she knew it, she had given him five refills, and except for the ecstatic look on his face, he seemed unaffected by it. After he downed the last glass, he took a deep breath, bared his teeth, his eyes bugging out, and exhaled sharply. As the bartender went to help another customer, she looked over at him from across the bar. He had a strangely endearing, almost manic personality. He was spinning on his barstool again, like a little kid.
"Maybe it affected him more than I thought," she considered.
He stopped, facing away from the bar, his slick curly black hair slightly messy, and looked out the glass front of the building, craning his neck as he stared at the establishment across the street.
"It almost looks like he's watching someone," she thought as he pulled out his phone, taking a few pictures. She stared out the window, trying to follow his gaze, but with the crowd across the street, it was impossible to tell. So she just continued to serve her customers.
Back at the bar, Edwards had his large eyes level with the bar, staring intently at his empty glass, watching droplets of moisture run down the side, a look of wonder on his face. His eyes perked up when he saw another bartender walk up to him.
"You want a refill?" the new bartender asked.
"Yes please," Ben said enthusiastically. As the bartender stepped away to grab the bottle, Ben turned his head, and smiled giddily when he saw a gorgeous brunette sitting next to him. "Better make it two," he whispered when the bartender came back. But he frowned when he saw a young man flirting with the girl, holding her attention. Ben felt what little was left of his sensible side nag him to stay focused, that he was here for work.
"Shut up brain." He thought in response, surprised that he had any trace of sensibility left.
"I'll be back I a moment," Ben told the bartender, and followed the young man into the bathroom.
A few moments later, Edwards walked calmly back out into the bar alone, drying his hands off with a paper towel. He sat hopped up onto his seat, and the bartender sat down two full glasses in front of him. The bartender eyed him suspiciously as Ben stuck the paper towel in his pocket. He could've sworn there were traces of red on the paper towel. But he really didn't care, so he just walked away. Ben turned to face the brunette next to him.
"Hello!" Ben said, sliding one of the drinks to her, getting her attention, and when he smiled that bad boy smile, she felt her knees weaken. "You wanna play a game with me?" he asked playfully, and she blushed in response.
Next thing she knew, they were both in the bathroom, unable to keep their hands or lips off of each other. Everything was moving so fast, she didn't know what to think. Before she knew it, he had pulled her shirt off, and his jacket was on the floor. Ben managed to pull his eyes away from her long enough to look at one of the locked stalls, and he hoped she wouldn't notice the limp, motionless body inside. Not that he cared about said body being found; he just thought it would ruin the moment.
The heat of the moment escalated as they groped each other, and Ben started to unbutton his white shirt, the two of them grabbing at each other with animalistic energy.
Then, the brunette jumped at a loud bang sound. It sounded like a gunshot outside. She looked at Ben, whose face had turned to one of frustration.
"SHIT!" he yelled, stomping his foot on the ground. Then, without another word, he picked up his jacket, and had stormed off, goose stepping out of the room like a spoiled kid who was just told 'no', leaving the pretty brunette alone and half naked in the bathroom.
Ben walked robotically out into the bar, shoved a man out of his way, and looked coldly out the window into the panicked crowd outside. He watched intently, scanning the faces as they ran away from the café across the street, and just as he had expected, saw Nathan Drake running from the scene, hand in hand with Elena. Ben smiled, taking a few pictures with his phone.
"Hey asshole!" called out the man who Ben had shoved, but Ben didn't respond. "Hey, I'm talking to you, you skinny prick!" the man continued, grabbing Ben's shoulder.
Without even turning to face him, Ben swung his arm out, backhanding the man's face. The man came clear off of his feet, landed several feet away, and slid across the floor to the other side of the room. The man groaned, strained to lift his head, and looked over at Ben in shock and astonishment, but Ben had made no further acknowledgement to his presence. He just kept staring out the window. He looked at one of the tables across the street, and smirked when he saw the body of the Russian man slumped dead in a chair, a large chunk missing from his head.
"Cute," he mumbled with a smile, and watched as Nate and Elena ran into a nearby alley. He popped an unfiltered cigarette into his mouth, and struck a match on the wall just as the cute brunette walked up to him.
"What the fuck was that?" she asked angrily, "Why'd you run off?"
Ben didn't even turn to face her. "Shut up," he replied coldly, his flirtatious demeanor completely gone. She stared at him angrily for a moment, but Ben said nothing else, he didn't even look at her. Her anger was replaced with shock when Ben took a last puff of his cigarette, exhaled the smoke as he pulled the end of it from his mouth, then extinguished on the back of his hand.
"What the fuck?" She whispered in disbelief, but Ben ignored her as he walked out of the bar, his whistling still audible after the door closed.
He stopped outside the bar, staring at the dead Russian across the street, examining the angle of the hole in the man's head. He looked down the street one way, then the other. Then he licked the tip of his finger, and held it up like he was making a wind call. After a moment, he nodded his head, and then turned to his right, and walked away, moving with purpose as police sirens became audible in the distance.
Ben walked down the block, stopped at an intersection, and leaned against the corner building, his sunglasses sitting on top of his head. He watched the other side of the street, and saw a man exit a parking garage about a hundred yards away.
"So predictable Mr. Reese," Ben thought with a grin, snapping a picture with his phone.
Reese had his dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, and shifted the duffle bag on his shoulder as he crossed the street, headed for the alleyway. Ben held out his hand in the shape of a gun, his long fingers following Reese's movements.
"Bang!" he whispered with a demented grin, but didn't move as the Reese disappeared. Ben looked down at his watch, then turned and walked away, putting his sunglasses back onto his face. He walked in silence for a few minutes, and then his phone buzzed. He stopped, retrieving his phone from his pocket.
They're at the house.
Ben smiled as he read the text message, and sat down on a nearby bus stop bench. He waited for a few minutes, drumming his hands on the bench and making musical beat noises with his mouth, and then pulled a little walkie talkie from his pocket.
"Nathan?" he spoke into the mike, his voice imitating a child's, "Are you there Nathan?"
He waited for a response, but when none came, he smiled, and then continued, his words becoming song-like. "I know you ah-are!"
Waiting for a moment, Ben smiled before continuing. "Ooh hoo hoo, I wish I could see your face right now Nathan," he paused for dramatic effect, "I really got you didn't I? Made you think I hurt your baby girl!"
He let go of the button on his walkie, and listened for a reply.
"I don't care who you are, or what you want," Nate's voice replied quietly. Ben faked snoring until he knew Nate was done talking. Then he grinned even larger, pushing his walkie button.
"I wouldn't hurt your little girl Nathan! I love babies!" Ben exclaimed, then licked his lips devilishly, "I can't get enough of the bite sized little things!"
Ben's manic attitude became cold and serious as Nate replied.
"This was just a warning Nathan," he said calmly, his tone all business, "Next time you try and get clever, think you can outsmart us, you'll have to deal with a lot worse than a post it note. We'll be in touch."
Ben continued to sit at the bus stop, and was almost unfazed as Nate's voice exploded over the radio.
Ben raised an eye brow, and then groaned as he started to make a mocking hand puppet gesture, barely listening. Then he caught the last few words Nate said.
"I WILL NOT HELP YOU!" he heard Nate shout. He chuckled, smiling a cocky smile.
"Aww, little Nathan thinks he's being threatening!" Then, after pausing to satisfy his desire for dramatic effect, Ben sang into the mike.
"Yes you will!"
Ben turned his head, seeing a bus approaching. He dropped the walkie talkie into the trash, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Yeah, it's Edwards," Ben said after dialing a number, "Everything went exactly like you said Mr. Reimer. I told him we'd be in touch." Ben said, and then hung up the phone, stepped onto the bus without a word, the lights onboard flickering as it pulled away.
The next morning, David Reese stood silently in the doorway of the Drake family's house, surveying the neighborhood, listening to the ocean waves as he took one last puff of a cigarette. He flicked his cigarette away, satisfied that there were no threats outside, and stepped back into the house, picking up the rifle sitting right inside the door as he moved. He paced around the house, checking all of the rooms. He looked into the bedroom, and even though they had been through hell, Nate and Elena were sleeping peacefully. The crib had been moved next to their bed, and Reese smiled when he confirmed that Juliet was still sleeping inside.
"Glad they're all getting some rest," Reese thought, "They deserve it."
He walked through the house, rifle resting on his shoulder, and stepped over the broken furniture as he made his way into the kitchen. Sitting his rifle down, he searched through several cabinets, then finally pulled out the coffee grounds. Putting a new filter in the coffee maker, he poured the grounds and started the pot. Reese walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch as the coffee pot gurgled.
"Yep," he thought, groaning as the frame of the couch sank beneath him, "They broke the couch too."
Reese sat wordlessly for several minutes, his eyes alert, maintaining a constant vigil. He stopped, and a look of concern came over him when he saw Elena walk into the room, looking rested but still shaken up. He sat his rifle against the couch, and crossed the room to greet her.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked worriedly, giving Elena a comforting hug.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Elena replied gently, returning his hug.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're just peachy," Reese teased with lighthearted sarcasm.
"I'm okay, really, just a little rattled," Elena insisted, "How are you? You haven't been up all night have you?"
"No, Nate and I took shifts on watch," Reese explained, "He got the first half of the night, and I took over the second half." He chuckled quietly for a moment, "He was completely drained, but it took some work to convince him to get some rest, and that I could watch over you guys."
Elena sat down wearily in a chair, and looked around the living room. She had been so preoccupied with Juliet the night before; she hadn't noticed how bad the damage to the house was. Over half the furniture was broken, and all the windows had been smashed, with pieces of glass and wood strewn all over the floor.
"Thank you for helping us David," Elena said gratefully, "I don't know what we'd have done without you."
"It's no problem Blondie," Reese whispered reassuringly, "You guys are like family to me, I'd never let anything happen to ya'll."
Reese walked into the kitchen, glass cracking beneath his feet, and pulled two mugs out of a cabinet. He took the coffee pot, filling both mugs to the brim.
"How do you take your coffee?" he called out.
Meanwhile, Nate awoke to the sound of Juliet's baby talk. He lifted his head off wearily, looking at his daughter, who was standing against the side of her crib. Nate blinked several times, groaning as he sat up, shifting his feet onto the floor. He cringed at the feeling of wood and glass splinters on his bare feet, and then grabbed the pistol on the bedside table, tucking it into the back of his jeans before he lifted Juliet up onto his shoulder.
"I wish life was as blissful for me as it is for you," he whispered to Juliet as he stepped over broken photo frames and glass. He stopped at Juliet's room, looking at what was left of the door. It wasn't just taken clear off its hinges; it was broken completely in half, split straight up the middle. Nate looked around, but there was no sign of any furniture or anything having been used as a ram on the door.
"What the hell?" Nate thought, baffled, "What does something like this?"
He looked at the split on the door, and right at the center was a forceful indentation. Looking closer, Nate was bewildered by what he saw.
"That's impossible," Nate thought, staring in disbelief at what, as best he could tell, was a single hand print indented right where the door broke. "How is that physically possible?"
He took one last look at the trashed remains of the nursery, sighed, and walked toward the living room. "Happy birthday Juliet." He mumbled wearily into his daughter's ear.
Walking into the living room, he saw Elena and Reese sitting silently, each sipping cups of coffee. From the looks on their faces, both of them were avoiding the subject of what had happened the night before. He couldn't blame them.
"Morning," Nate grumbled, wrapping his free arm around Elena when she came up to greet him.
"You sleep okay baby?" Elena asked as she gave Nate a warm hug.
"Barely," Nate mumbled, "I finally passed out around two thirty in the morning. How are you holding up?"
"My nerves are a little fried, but I'll be okay," Elena reassured, "Can I take Juliet?"
"Of course," Nate replied, handing Juliet over to her mom, "At least she's doing just fine," he added with a smile.
"Yeah," Elena chuckled, "But this is not how I had hoped to spend her first birthday."
"I know baby," Nate whispered, giving Elena a kiss.
Elena sat down in her chair, lightly patting Juliet's back, smiling when she heard her daughter let out a light burp.
"Thanks for staying man," Nate said turning his attention to Reese, "And for all of your help. I don't think I'd have my family together this morning if you hadn't helped us."
"You don't need to thank me brother," Reese assured as he returned his friend's grateful hug, "I'd do anything to help you guys."
Nate put his hand on David's shoulder, guiding him into the other room. Then he pulled the silver pistol from his waistband. "Thanks for the loaner," he said, holding it in his outstretched hand grip first.
"You sure?" Reese asked as he took the weapon from Nate's hand, "You might still need it."
"I've got my own," Nate replied, "They didn't take it when they took Elena."
"Alright," Reese acknowledged, slipping the pistol into the leather quick draw holster on his belt, "What're we gonna do?" Reese asked, "I'm sure we haven't seen the last of these guys."
The two of them stood in silence, pondering their situation. But before either of them could say anything, Elena called out from the living room. Nate and David walked back into the living room, where Elena had the TV on, where a news reporter was talking about the shooting the night before. They watched intently for a moment, but an uncomfortable feeling washed over them as the report continued.
"Son of a bitch," Reese groaned as they watched. Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, and held her baby close, "At least they don't have any suspects."
Then, the image on the TV crackled, and for a fraction of a second, they could've sworn they saw a man's face on the screen. The report continued for a few moments, but then the imaged crackled again, then Elena gasped, and the three of them felt their hearts jump when they saw the grinning face of Benjamin Edwards staring back at them, taking up the entire screen.
"Hello," Edwards said happily, his disturbed grin stretching from ear to ear, "How's everybody doing this morning?" He grinned silently for a moment, as if expecting a response, and then continued. "We interrupt this program to bring you an important announcement! I hope you don't mind, the news is soooooo bo-ring!" He sang. Nate, Elena, and Reese watched silently, and Elena held Juliet tight.
"So I've got a better story for you. There once was a man, who went by the name of Drake. Drake had a long history with some baaaaad people, and was a thorn in their side for many years. But Drake decided to retire, and hung up his guns, naively thinking he had seen the last of them."
The three of them watched in silent nervously as Ben continued.
"Then the bad people returned, and extended an offer to Drake. But Drake thought he could outsmart them, turn down their offer, and be a thorn in their side again," Ben smiled deviously for a moment, and then whispered, "But they had a surprise for him!"
Nate and Elena gasped, and Reese stared in disbelief, when pictures of Nate and Elena popped up on the TV, speaking to the Russian, then running from the scene after he was shot.
"Oooooooooooo, but that's not all!" Ben said giddily.
"Holy shit!" Reese muttered as a picture of himself appeared, running from the parking garage after the shooting.
"That's right Nathan," Ben said, his enthusiastic, storyteller demeanor gone, "You think you're sooo smart, but we are always a step ahead. You should've learned that after all these years!"
Nate felt his knuckles turn white as his clenched fists shook.
"Next time someone offers you a job, it would be wise of you not to get clever again."
Ben laughed for a minute as Elena's eyes filled with tears, David sat in disbelief, and Nate shook with rage.
"Oh, and I heard some great news!" Ben said joyously, "I heard that today's your daughter's first birthday! Congratulations to you and happy birthday to little Juliet Rose Drake! As a parting note, I'd like to recite my favorite variation of an old Irish birthday blessing." Ben grinned, and then continued.
"May you live a long life
Full of gladness and health
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth
May the dreams you hold dearest
Be those which come true…"
Ben paused, giving an evil grin, his voice turning malicious as he continued
"As the past life of your father
Returns to kill you."
Edwards laughed as Reese and the Drakes watched in shock. "Catch you later Nathan!"
The three of them sat stunned as Ben disappeared, and the TV returned to the news, as if nothing happened. After several minutes, Elena broke the silence.
"Who are these people Nate?" She asked, on the verge of tears, "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know who they are," Nate replied, his voice a mixture of anxiety and anger, "But we've got to disappear."
"Where can we go?" Reese asked, "They can put our pictures all over the news!"
"We need to leave the country," Nate replied, "As soon as we can,"
"It'd have to be off the books," Reese piped in, "So they can't track us."
"I've lost touch with almost all of my old contacts," Nate groaned, "We don't have many options."
The three of them put their heads together, trying to think of a quick way to disappear. Then Nate groaned as an idea dawned on him.
"I know where we can go," Nate mumbled half heartedly
"What is it?" Elena asked. Nate leaned in, putting his hands on Elena and David's shoulders, divulging his idea. Elena groaned.
"You have got to be kidding me," she sighed.
26 hours later
"Remind me," Reese whispered, walking down a small runway with Nate, Elena and Juliet. "How the hell is this supposed to work?"
"It's not that hard," Nate groaned, "Like I said, none of the tickets are in our names, so we're safe. We just need to act cool, and everything will be fine. Trust me!"
Reese sighed, "I'm not talking about that. I'm just wondering how this cover story of yours is supposed to work!"
"It's not difficult," Nate whispered irritably, "Elena's accompanying me as a journalist, and you're coming along as a cameraman! How tough is that to remember?"
"The guy's met me before! I don't think he'll buy that!"
"You met once, and you barely talked to each other!" Nate argued, "Besides, it doesn't really matter what we tell him, I trust him. The cover story is more of an explanation for everyone else! So can you please trust me?"
"Guess I've got no choice," Reese mumbled, shifting the camera bag on his shoulder as their contact approached them.
"Good morning Nate," Gabriel Finch welcomed, meeting them in front of a small plane, "I'm glad you decided to come!"