This sequel is something I've been planning on writing since 2017. I should've worked on it sooner, but I wasn't feeling very inspired for awhile. I loved writing the original fanfic and still love the Uncharted franchise, so I thought it was fitting to return to it and finish. I really love my OC Dani and worked a lot on her throughout the years

If you haven't read Part I and are planning on reading this story, I highly recommend doing so first! The beginning of this chapter is mostly a recap from Part I, getting into the details and the story in the second chapter.

Thank you for reading and for the support!


Recap:

Where do I even begin?

My life has never been normal, but last year had been such a whirlwind of events in a few months span,it's almost hard to comprehend.

My family had been in the collector-of-artifacts business for generations, hunting down rare artifacts for various clients. Our most consistent regular clients were the Adlers; our families became close even before I was born.

Rafe had been my husband of twelve years by an arranged marriage set up by both of our families. I was only eighteen years old, and Rafe was already in his twenties. Even though we grew up together as friends, our marriage had been cold and loveless. Our son Holden was born but died in a construction accident, which was the final wedge that was driven between us. I had to escape that household. Between Rafe's lack of an emotional connection and consistent absences, and Mrs. Adler's unfeeling and controlling influence, I felt myself slipping away.

Little did I know I was pregnant with our second child, a girl I named Vera after my maternal grandmother. I gave up custody of her to my cousin, Sophie, who lives in the Philippines part time as an arms dealer. I had to hide her away from the Adlers and keep her away from this life.

Ten years I was on the run from the Adlers, but my father had went over his head in the black market game, and ended up crossing and owing a sadistic treasure hunter by the name of Louis Simmons. The bastard had a reputation for doing whatever it takes to get what he wants, and enjoyed to torture individuals who owed him. My father used me as his puppet to retrieve what he wanted. He had an almost inconceivable amount of contacts and was infamous among other collectors and black market vendors around the world.

Under Simmons' thumb I was ordered to locate the legendary treasure of Henry Avery, a vast fortune estimated to be worth over four hundred million dollars. I was sent to the Rossi Estate to retrieve the St. Dismas Cross, but that's where all my plans had gone awry, and how I met the Drake brothers. Although the mission to find Henry Avery's treasure had been one of the most grueling jobs I had been given, I owe my life to the Drake brothers for saving me, in more ways than one.

I had fallen fast and hard for Sam Drake. Even though we hadn't been completely upfront and honest with each other at first, there was a connection and attraction there that was hard to deny. The two of us had moved a little too fast, sleeping together rather hastily as a means of comfort in our difficult lives. Even when things had gone horribly wrong, we could lean on each other.

Simmons had eventually caught up with all of us, as all of the parties after Henry Avery's treasure had met up at such a significant moment of discovery. The treasure was found on Henry Avery's ship in the rumored (and true) pirate colony of Libertalia, off the coast of Madagascar. I lost sight of Sam and Nate, and ended up alone with Rafe, Simmons, and Rafe's men.

Simmons put the extent of his violence on display. He broke my left arm, stabbed a knife through my left hand, broke some of my ribs, and cut off my middle and ring finger on my left hand. Rafe tried to approach him and ended up getting killed. The entire situation was a traumatic mess, one that I've spent the past year trying to recover from both mentally and physically.

I'm not sure how or why, but Nadine ended up killing Simmons and saving me. I don't know all the details because I was drifting in and out of consciousness until I eventually woke up in a hospital. My body had finally managed to heal after Simmons' savage and nearly fatal attack in Libertalia.

One year since Rafe was killed, one year since I was reunited with Sam, one year since all of Henry Avery's treasure sank with the ship into the ocean.

Sam had managed to track me down and arrived at my cousin's doorstep. He had a lead to another rare treasure, another lost city, asking if I wanted to come along. I agreed without a second thought. I had always collected artifacts for clients and by force, I wanted to make a decision and do things on my own for once. Other than my own personal motivations of self discovery and maturity, I also had a daughter who needed taking care of, and that meant making money.

Now we're here, a year later.


Makati, Philippines

I peered into the mirror, trying my best to get my ponytail as symmetrical and free of loose strands as possible as I pulled it up. My hair was growing out again, now shoulder-length, but my cousin had talked me into getting it layered and now it was a pain to deal with.

I was going on a treasure hunting adventure, I needed to be as low maintenance as possible.

"Your boyfriend is coming back into town, you should get yourself all dolled up for him!" Sophie had told her, fussing over her hair as she cut it.

Sam had seen me at my worst state, I don't think he's going to care about my hair being layered, or if he'd even notice. My lighter golden-brown hair had started to come in at the roots, overtaking the dark dye I had been trying to keep up with. I honestly liked how my hair looked darker, it matched my complexion better. But at the moment a two-toned and imperfect ponytail was going to have to do.

I sighed, swiping the bangs out of my eyes, and ran the water in the sink. I splashed water on my face, using a towel to dab myself dry. Catching myself eyeing my freckles in the mirror made me think of my mom; I used to dislike how many freckles I had and how they littered my entire face and shoulders, but my mom used to compare them to stars and constellations in the sky.

Mom… It has been a year since I've spoken to my parents. I decided it was best to cut them off because of everything they had put me through my entire life, how they never stood up for me and used me in multiple ways. Although it was the right choice for me to make, I still mourned my relationship with them. That's something that enough people don't talk about, the loneliness and grief that comes after setting such a firm boundary.

A knock came from the bathroom door, interrupting my wandering thoughts.

"You okay in there?" Sam called from behind the door.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm almost done." I replied, calling back to him.

I decided to just leave my hair the way it was. I finished getting dressed, pulling up my cargo pants and putting on my tank top and loose fitting cover shirt over it. I opened the door, Sam was leaning on one of his hands on the doorframe, waiting for me.

"Come here often?" He joked, trying to be sultry.

I rolled my eyes, patting him on the cheek as I squeezed by him.

"Cute." I jested.

"I didn't know it was so cheap to book hotels in the Philippines, I would've come to visit you a lot more." He commented, following me into the living room.

I had helped him rent a condo on AirBnB in Makati, so we could have a place outside of my cousin's home to conduct our research before leaving for India. Paperwork, notes, maps, and books were scattered around the table in the living room. Sam continued to follow behind me, pressing his hand gently against the small of my back as he passed. He lingered for a moment, and I relished the feeling from the warmth of his touch.

"Damn, I can still feel the scars on your back…" he pointed out, his tone soft.

"Yeah, I don't think those are going to heal." I replied, giving him a lopsided smile as I rubbed my shoulder.

Simmons' definitely left his permanent mark on me, that and my missing fingers. Sam leaned against the wall of the living room, studying me as I fidgeted in discomfort. I didn't like talking about the past, it had taken me such a long time to heal and moving on wasn't easy with the constant reminders.

"So, you've been busy since I've been recovering." I changed the subject, gesturing to his studious pile.

"Oh yeah, but my contact is a lot more knowledgeable about this subject than I am. Hey, aren't Asian artifacts and art your forte?" He asked, walking over to the table.

I nodded, studying one of the notes in my hands. It was notes about Ganesha, with rough translations from Sanskrit. I placed the paper back on the table.

"I'm not as familiar with Southeast Asia as I am with the dynasties of Eastern Asia, but I know enough to get by." I explained.

Sam scoffed, "I'm sure you're better than you're giving yourself credit for."

"Come one, you know I was little to no help when it came to Henry Avery and the other founders of Libertalia."

"That's okay, because I was the expert. Now it's your turn to take the reins on this one." Sam reassured me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He smiled, sensing my doubt. "You're doing this for yourself, it's time to show the world what you're made of."

I couldn't help but smile at his words, his words giving me a slight confidence boost.

"Let's hope you're right, not just for our sake, but for my daughter's. We really need the money…" I mumbled, thinking about Vera and how much was riding on our success.

"We just have to make sure we don't fail, then."

"I don't have the same luck as a Drake." I joked.

"It's okay, I've got a good feeling about this one." He leaned in closer, coming down more to my height. "A really good feeling."

"Let's hope your intuition is right."