Beyond Infinity - Sam Drake

Chapter Thirty Eight

Twelve years later

Ava watched as Nora panicked in her wedding dress as she tried to smoothen down her hair, for the whole day, Nora was running around aimlessly in circles. Watching Nora anxiously check every single thing was amusing to Ava in the beginning, but now Ava just sympathesized Nora's strutting around the beach house.

"Jesus- are you getting cold feet?" Ava teased as she watched her friend bite her nails while staring at her pure white sheath wedding dress through the mirror. "I sure hope not, I didn't get in this dress for nothing, you know."

"Does this dress look okay to you? Do you think it's ugly? I mean I liked it at first but now-"

"Dude, please, shut up." Ava rolled her eyes and grabbed Nora's shoulders, giving her a little shake. "You look smokin' hot- I really think Nathan's gonna cream his pants once he sees you."

Nora snorted loudly at Ava's witty remark, giving her a little playful push. But as Ava stared at the two of them through the mirror, Nora's arm hooked loosely around Ava's waist while she rested her arm around Nora's shoulders, Ava couldn't help but look back at all they've been through.

El Dorado, even though full of adrenaline and a terrifying discovery that monster-men did exist, deep down Ava couldn't help but feel that the adventure brought the three and Sully closer to one another, deepening their family bond- especially after Ava was traumatized because of Sully's somewhat 'death'. While Sully was taken captive, the whole time that Ava didn't know he wasn't really dead, she couldn't bear face the truth of losing another person she loved so dearly. Until when Nora excitedly ran to Nate and Ava and showed the footage of Sully with Roman did Ava gasp loudly and clutch her chest in relief- the moment she met up with Sully again, she grabbed the old man tightly in her hold and scolded him to not scare her like that ever again. But if you were specifically talking about Nate and Nora though, Ava would say that the little adventure only clarified their attraction to one another, slightly scaring the two that it drifted them apart temporarily.

Looking for Shambhala, Ava had to put up with an 'old friend' named Harry who brought along Chloe Frazer who caught the attention of Nate. Even though he was awe-struck with Chloe, Ava was sure that it was only a phase or he was simply mourning for Nora secretly.

In the end, Sully lost the bet against Ava- he truly believed that Nathan would probably move on from Nora since they've known each other for so long but Ava knew better as she patted Sully's hundred dollars in her back pocket with a smirk that hurt her cheeks.

The Rub' Al Khali desert was another extreme adventure that Ava secretly craved as she tagged along with Sully and Nate, later meeting Nora after Syria. And along the way, Ava and Chloe's bond seemed to grow before Chloe decided that it was best for her and Charlie to back down.

After Ubar of course, Nate and Nora made a promise to each other that all this running around for undiscovered legacies and treasures would stop. But Ava didn't know how she ended up being caught in between, with a heavy heart- Ava bleakly promised too, even though her heart yearned for more.

It seemed that Nora could read Ava's mind as she smiled at Ava through the mirror, the two of them silently taking in the appearance of one another. Nora would say that for the past few years, Ava tremendously changed, especially because Ava added new tattoos on her body.

Ava doesn't keep her hair short anymore, it now flowed in waves below her shoulder blades resembling the ocean's waves and sometimes when Ava was having bad hair days, it'd resemble the mane of a lion because of it's thickness and the golden brown color.

New scars littered her body due to all the treasure hunting she achieved with Nate and Sully, a one particular scar that would catch your attention compared to everything she had on her body was the old bullet scar that rested between the end of her collar bone and shoulder.

The side of her thigh was now littered with a crouching tiger in crimson red that she got in Cambodia and even though Nora wasn't a fan of tattoos, she found the crouching tiger rather interesting. Although, Nora had another interest in one of Ava's other tattoo. It rested right underneath her left collar bone and in white cursive ink, 'Ad Infinitum' was forever imprinted.

Nora didn't dare ask what 'to infinity' means to her friend, knowing that it probably would make Ava uncomfortable or that Ava would simply translate the Latin saying and brush her off later.

"Look at you." Ava smirked as her eyes admired Nora's beauty in the wedding dress. Nora's wedding dress was simple but it brought out the best features in her like her eyes and lushes lips, her ivory black hair that rested in a tight bun. "I can't believe you and Nate are getting married- Jesus, yesterday it was like you two were just kids getting to know each other, always fighting and bickering."

Nora sucked in a sharp breath before her eyes creased as her soft giggles escaped her lips, "oh God, don't remind me!"

Ava chuckled at the sudden memory of Nathan and Nora fighting over who gets to keep the Indian trinket treasure box. Turning to Nora with reassuring but soft eyes, Ava licked her lips before flashing her crooked smile, "I know you and Nate are gonna do great. Now, it may be hard for you to believe that I do, in fact, believe in fate, but I do have have faith that you and Nate are made for one another."

Nora raised a playful brow at Ava's sudden admittance and decided that it was her time to shine and tease her, "you believe in fate? Is this the Ava I know?"

Rolling her eyes playfully, Ava grabbed Nora by the hand and pulled her away from the mirror, "c'mon, we have a wedding to get over with- let's go."

"Now you may kiss the bride." Ava whistled sharply at the sight of Nora and Nathan smooching on the beach after their vow and the priest's usual marriage bull-crap that would bore Ava out of her mind. A huge grin grew on Ava's face like the cheshire cat when she caught Sully flicking away a tear as he hid his face.

After Nathan and Nora danced under the adoring eyes of the crowd, the newly wed couple took their pictures together and some with Sully and Ava.

"This is a good place." Ava said ad she strolled along the shore with Sully on her side. She'd occasionally dig her toes deeper into the sand to capture that feeling of sand between your toes that she simply adored. "Getting married on the beach, I mean. I'd have my wedding at the beach." Ava simply shrugged.

"And when that day comes, hell, I'll gladly walk you down that aisle." As Sully chirped cheerfully, his cigar would bounce up and down as he spoke.

Ava snickered at the man, bumping his shoulder with hers playfully.

"So, you really meant it about that promise, huh?"

"Yeah...I guess I did."

"Shame, I got a couple of odd jobs in Argentina and the job requires a, uh, a tough woman who mastered the tricks of thieving like a cat. A professional."

Ava sighed as the temptation grew within her, "stop it old man- I made a promise to Nate and Nora that it's an ordinary life from now on." Smirking, Ava tugged onto Sullivan's sleeve. "Sheesh, you're like that devil that keeps whispering 'just one more drink, Ava' whenever I'm at the bar- c'mon, let's get some cocktails, ay?"