"Nate they're gaining on us!" You yelled over the storm and sounds of other boat engines, sharing a look with Sam, who passed you a gun without a word.

Not good. There was three of you against an entire fleet of Shoreline. You couldn't outrun them forever, though Nate was willing to try. It lasted about a minute longer before you were overtaken by the smaller boats and they started firing at you.

"They've got smaller boats! Ram 'em!" Sam yelled, and you had just enough time to think how bad of an idea that was when Nate did it, slamming into another boat so hard that you lost your footing and crashed into Sam, almost knocking him down. He managed to catch the pair of you, but then his eyes widened as he spotted something over your shoulder and started shouting a warning to Nate. "Uh....big boat. BIG BOAT!"

You ducked away as the boats collided and the roof was ripped from your boat. That only made it easier for you to see what they did next.

"They're dropping mines!" You yelled in warning, still trying to return fire to the smaller boats that raced along side your own.

Nate jerked the wheel each way to try and avoid the mines, and he was doing a good job until...

The boat hit one and all three of you went flying. You hit the deck hard, Sam inches from you, his face screwed up in pain, but he was back on his feet before you could ask if he was OK.

"NATHAN!?" He yelled when he saw his brother was no longer on the boat. Your heart froze as you looked into the water for any sign of him, seeing nothing.

"Get us moving! We have to find him!" You ordered, shooting towards another boat headed your way. You got off a few rounds before ducking down again to reload. Sam was beside you, dealing with the motor.

"It's broken!" He growled, his hands working fast.

"Well un-break it, or we're gonna die!" You snapped, standing to cover him. Movement in the water caught your attention and you yelled for Nate as he surfaced, watching him swim towards the boat. Once he was back on board you quickly explained what was happening, and the two of you covered Sam while he fixed it.

You were easier targets, so the Shoreline boats pulled up beside you and shot at you while you weren't moving. You returned fire, downing enough guys that they stayed further away. You were just beginning to think they might back off when you spied the guy with the mines again.

"SAM!" You yelled, firing at the guy with the mines and hoping to take him down before he killed you all. Sam swore but just as you downed the Shoreliner, he stood up and yelled at Nate to drive. You started moving again just in time to see one of their own mines hit their boat.

"That's what you get, assholes!" You yelled with an evil laugh.

Your victory was short lived though, as when Nate was navigating the rocks closer to the island, Sam yelled as one of the bigger boats came barrelling towards you, and Nate was surrounded by rocks so couldn't move out of the way fast enough.

This time all three of you went flying from the boat, and the last thing you heard before hitting the water was Sam yelling for Nathan again.

You hit the water hard, the impact knocking the air from your lungs before you were swallowed by the dark waters. You kicked for the surface, your lungs already aching for air, only to be hit by a huge wave that sent you tumbling through the waters again, losing track of which way was up. It was all so dark!

Kicking in the direction you thought was up, you were just beginning to panic when your head broke the surface and you sucked in the air you desperately needed. The next breath you used to scream for both Drakes, praying that they were ok. You thought you might have heard a reply, but it was hard to tell over the sound of the storm and the racing in your ears.

"Sam?! Nate?" You yelled again, fighting to stay above the water as you looked around. The Shoreline boats had retreated, probably believing the three of you were dead and not wanting to risk the storm. Small mercies, as it was only the stormy waters that would kill you now.

"Y/N!"

You turned and saw Sam fighting the current, trying to get to you, but it was a losing battle. They were far too strong, but you could go to him, so that's what you did.

Sam saw you coming and started heading for the island. You lost sight of him for a few minutes, but then you saw him again, laying on the beach, unmoving.

"Sam!" You yelled over the storm, able to wade through the waters now, your whole body exhausted and dripping wet.

Sam showed no sign of life, and your heart jumped into your throat as you scrambled to his side, panic rising as he didn't move. You'd only lost sight of him for a few minutes? He couldn't have drowned! He's a strong swimmer! Your thoughts denied what you were seeing, but your heart didn't care for the logic.

"Sam? SAM?!" You yelled, scrambling to his side, your hand going to his face, carefully brushing his hair from his face before feeling for a pulse.  Your own was too strong for you to feel any other, but he still wasn't responding, so you tilted his head back and leaned over him go give him mouth to mouth.

Your lips had just touched his when he started laughing, and you pulled back quickly, looking down to see Sam awake and laughing at you.

Realising that he'd just been playing a trick on you, you felt your mouth fall open, and you gasped before hitting Sam's arm. "You BASTARD! in what way did you think that would be funny? PRICK!" You screamed, falling back into the sand and throwing your hands over your eyes to block out the world for a moment.

Sam chuckled a little more and sat up, his fingers trailing your leg as he moved closer, his voice tired as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Y/N. I couldn't resist.  I was just getting my breath back, and you thought I was dead, so I played along..."

Removing your hands from your eyes, you glared at him and sat up, shoving him again. "You just played dead for 15 fucking years! You've already won that game, so stop. Trying. To scare. Me!" You growled, punctuating the last sentence with pokes into his leg. He just laughed and nodded again.

You were somewhat amazed that he found anything funny after the shit you'd all just been through. A thought which you repeated to him,and he shrugged. "We're alive! We're on the Island, and almost to Libertalia. Those idiots think we're dead, and you just kissed me again."

You stared at him, your mouth hanging open.

"Your brother could be dead!" You snapped,trying not to sound so shrill, but Sam just shook his head.

"He's alive. I know it. It takes a lot to kill a Drake, don't you know?" He asked with a straight face, his hand on his heart as if he could feel Nate's beating along side his own.

Deciding not to push it, you slowly got to your feet and looked around, hoping to spot Nate on the beach somewhere, but the two of you were alone, so you turned inland and looked at the cliffs. "We need to get to higher ground. Try to spot Nathan from up there," you instructed, giving Sam a hand to his feet. He nodded and gestured for you to lead on.

You did so, wishing you'd worn trousers, or at least a jacket as you stumbled up the beach and into the wilderness, shivering violently. You'd made it another minute before Sam called for you to stop, and when you turned to face him, he was stripping his shirt off, leaving him in just a soaking tee that clung to his body. He wrung the excess sea water out of his shirt and then stepped closer to you, putting it around your shoulders and helping your arms into it. You were too cold to object, and instead looked at Sam's face as he concentrated on dressing you. "We need to find shelter until this rain stops," he muttered, looking around at the cliffs you were gonna have to climb. The wet, slippery, fall to your death cliffs.

You followed his gaze and sighed. "We should probably get up there then."

Sam gave you a boost, and then the two of you were making your way up, painfully slow, but eventually the two of you were at the top, and you could see the length of the beach. Still no Nate though.

"Can you see him?"

Sam shook his head, looking more worried than he'd let on, so you took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "He'll be fine, Sam. You're right about the pair or you.  You don't die easy... I'm sure he's just waiting out the storm, just like we are. We'll find him in the morning," you promised. Sam's shoulders slumped and he nodded, allowing you to pull him along and take cover from the storm in a small cave that protected you from the wind and rain. You were both still cold though, so without a word, the two of you stripped down to your underwear and wrung your clothes out before pulling them back on. You kept Sam's shirt as he refused to take it back, and then the two of you sat down next to each other.

"Should we start a fire?" You asked, almost biting your tongue off in the process, but Sam shook his head and put an arm around you shoulders.

"No. Shoreline probably think we're dead, and it's better off if we keep it that way for as long as possible. We'll not need it once we're dry anyway. We just have to wait out the night."

He was right, but you half wanted to risk a fire anyway. You were too cold, and your wet clothes clinging to you weren't helping. Still, you supposed that if no one was looking for you, the pair of you could get some rest.

You repeated your thoughts to Sam and he nodded, laying down on the stone and opening his arms for you. It's just for body warmth, you reminded yourself as you lay down and inched closer to Sam, allowing him to hold you close. You entwined your legs with his and wrapped your free arm around him, shuddering when your shared warmth began to caress feeling back into your body.

The two of you lay there for a few minutes in silence, broken when you shifted a little and spoke into Sam's chest. "You know he's ok, right? Nathan can take care of himself. We'll find him first thing in the morning, and then the three of us will go find Libertalia and we'll be able to pay off your debt and you'll be free..." You mumbled as you drifted off to sleep. Sam said something back to you but you were already too far gone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the morning, it was still pretty dark out, but it was warm already, so you carefully tried to wake Sam up so you could move.

"Sam..." You whispered as you gently shook him, trying to wake him. "Sammy, come on. We need to find Nate," you urged, shaking him a bit more. This time it worked and he moved, tightening his arms around you for a moment before burying his face in your neck and sighing as he tried to go back to sleep. You couldn't help but laugh a little, gently running your hands through his hair.

For a moment you wondered if life would have turned out differently if you and Sam had never fallen out all those years ago. Would you have woken up in his arms everyday? Because you could fall in love with Samuel Drake if you wanted to. It'd be easier than falling asleep, and things had always been that way between the two of you, even when you were 17 and too scared to tell him. You wondered where you and Sam would have been if you hadn't been afraid of your feelings for him all those years ago.

It's not just then though, is it? Snarled a nasty voice in your head. You'd got him back but you were still running. You'd already told him that you were done when the treasure was found, even though you knew you were still in love with him. You kept pushing him away, but maybe you didn't need to...

Sam interrupted your train of thought as he woke up and realised how tight he was holding you. "Errr, sorry Y/N..." He started as he detangled himself from you and stood up, his cheeks glowing. He was probably thinking about the tower and your reaction then. So you stood up and smiled at him.

"Don't be. I-" You were cut off as you saw Shoreline boats in the distance, heading inland. "Shit," you breathed, looking to Sam to see that he wasn't looking at them, and was facing the opposite direction, staring at something.

Before you could ask, he quickly turned to you and held out his hand. "I need your flashlight. Quick!"

You handed it over without argument and saw as he started flashing it in the direction he was staring. You could make out the letters as he sent a message out.

Sic parvis magna

Obviously it was meant for Nate, and as you looked, you saw the beginning of a message get sent back, but then stop.

"What happened?" You demanded, peering into the gloom, but you couldn't see anything. There were no gunshots either, so maybe he dropped the torch? Either way, you had a direction now, so you and Sam headed off to meet Nate. The two of you spoke quietly as you moved, and after a mile or so, you gave Sam his shirt back, thanking him. He just shrugged.

"Any excuse to get my clothes off right?" He smirked and you rolled your eyes but said nothing.

As the two of you made your way through the trees, you kept your eyes out for signs of either Libertalia or Nathan, but so far, nothing. Sam looked like he was about to say something when the sound of distant gunfire sounded, and despite what could be happening, you laughed and bumped Sam's shoulder as you started running. "Found Nate!" You laughed.