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[ His grin is a little lopsided, awkward even. That’s almost rude, he’s young sure but he’s no baby. ]

Sam? He’s my brother. We’re working together. And then there’s Rafe.

[ Nate shrugs. Rafe ain’t important. ]

[Wait.

What?]

Since when have you had a brother?

You’re serious? Right? That’s a serious question?

[ He snorts. This one should go into comedy. ]

Since forever? He’s been there since day one. How...do you not know Sam if we’re together..?

[For a moment, Elena's silence is just stunned, and then it's just because her mind is racing. Nate has a brother? And he's saying it like it's obvious, like she's making a joke...which means he isn't.]

I don't know. You never talked much about your past.

[Except the way he's talking, 'Sam' shouldn't be part of his past. Oh god.]

Talked about my...past..?

[ His voice and words gradually drift off. Even if he wanted to leave the vehicle, already seated, his hands don’t cooperate with going anywhere near the seatbelt. Why would Sam be in his past...? Does something happen between the time they’re stuck with Rafe in Panama to now?

Nate stares at her like she has the answers to his unspoken questions. ]

If Rafe... If Rafe—

[ If Rafe, what? His heart and thoughts begin to race. ]

We need to find Sam. If I’m here then he should be here. He can’t be far.

[Elena's tempted to pull over, but if he launches out the window in search of Sam, she's probably not going to be able to convince him to come with her again so easily.]

Rafe who?

[She glances at him, then returns her eyes to the road. The last thing they need is to get into an accident.]

If you look in my bag, you can use the phone there to check the imPort directory. Everyone who's here should be listed. But...he might not be here, Nate, people don't usually come in pairs.

Rafe. A smug-ass weasel. Can’t trust him as far as I can throw him. Not that I’ve tried but... We were only in the Panama prison because of his connections, and by connections I mean all the money he’s been spoon fed since he exited the womb.

[ Nate ends up distracted as he pats himself down for his phone. He could check the directory from there, he assumes. Doesn’t need to root around in her bag. It’s no flip phone, and he hates it. Since when did they make phones so delicate now? How is he supposed to rely on this thing?

There’s some mumbling under his breath as he plays with the device and tries to locate this directory, brow knit in concentration and worry.. ]

[Elena searches her memory for any well-connected criminals named Rafe. There are none she's acquainted with personally, but Nate's told her a few stories over time; still, nothing's coming to mind, unless...]

This well-connected Rafe guy...you wouldn't happen to mean Rafe Adler, would you?

[ His head lifts and he looks over at her. His eyes search her face as he’s quiet. How much has his future self told her? Why does she know Rafe, a rat, but she doesn’t know his brother..?

Slowly, cautiously: ] ...yeah?

The one and only. Why..? You two didn’t have a thing, did you?

[Serious as this conversation is, Elena can't help but make a face at that suggestion.]

What? No! I've never even met Rafe Adler. But I have heard of him—second generation global business elite, more money than God? I know the name. But I never knew you knew him.

[Her expression softens for a moment as her eyes flick between him and the road.]

He was into treasure hunting, too?

[ Is he relieved that Rafe never got his slimy hands on her? Yes. Was that weird? Also yes. If Nate’s gut feelings were right, yeah no, Elena would do well to never meet the asshole. But it still meant he wouldn’t have to deal with any ex-boyfriend Rafe drama down the road. ]

Good. You’re better off not knowing him.

[ And here Nate scowls. ]

He was only along for the ride to prove to mommy and daddy dearest that they didn’t need to hold his hand and do things for him. He doesn’t know a damn thing about treasure hunting. Sam and I were the ones who had to put up with Vargas and his clowns. Rafe got a free ride.

[Bad blood, clearly. Huh. Who'd have thought. Elena's very aware that things can go wrong among partners in crime, but she'd never imagined a member of the Adler family as one of those partners.]

Was he providing the funding or something?

[Elena hides a smile. Nate clearly sees nothing amusing about the situation, but in a way it's nice to know that some things hadn't changed.]

I've seen him in the news here and there. Boring finance stories, mostly. But nothing related to doing time in Panama.

How do you think we got in there in the first place? Rafe was making it rain bills the entire time. That's all he was good for.

[ Good thing she's hidden that smile. Besides, Nate is still too distracted scrolling through the directory on his phone to notice. ]

You wouldn't hear about his time in Panama because of how he'd paid everyone off.

[Must be nice to be that rich. Wait, no, not nice. Convenient, if it can be said that buying one's way into prison is ever a matter of convenience.]

Not even if you all found what you were after there?

That's the thing-- we didn't. We found a piece of the bigger picture, that was it. Whatever Rafe does, once we're out, I have no idea. And I couldn't care less. Let the asshole choke on his greens.

[He has strong feelings about Rafe Adler, clearly. Not that she couldn't tell before.]

Okay...okay. [She glances at him again as she pulls onto their road.] I'm sorry, Nate. I can't give you any updates on this. Anything related to Rafe Adler is news to me.

[ He looks out at the road she's brought them to. Nothing is recognizable. It really is a whole other world, and Nate's there on his own, no Sam, no Rafe, no Vargas. It's just him and this lady. None of it sits right with him. Worry sits heavy in his gut, still. ]

See, I don't get that. Why? Why is it news? Why didn't I tell you anything?

I don't like that.

[She can think of a few different reasons. Some are mundane; at least one is very bad.]

Well...when we dated before coming here, it was casual in a lot of ways. You weren't good at talking about yourself. Maybe you didn't tell me once we got back together here because it bothered you to miss him.

Yeah... Yeah, maybe. Maybe Sam ends up stuck at the prison. Who knows...

[ That's one of the more reassuring thoughts than thinking about the Bad One. ]

[She doesn't know what to say to that, so she doesn't say anything. Good thing she's pulling up at their place.]

Well, here we are. Home sweet home.

[ He looks over to the place. Oh. So this was the place. With the car parked, he unclipped the seat belt. ]

Looks...cozy.

Eh. It's pretty nice, for government-provided housing. We could move out on our own, but it's been kind of nice, having a local community with other imPorts. Our room's up there.

[She points to the window as she gets out of the car.]

[ She slips out and he follows, eyes lifting to the window. ]

Huh. And what's our local community like in there?

You mean our roommates? Fine, I guess. We all mostly keep to ourselves, pretty in and out. None of us are really homebodies.

So no Peeping Toms? Guess that's a plus. Lot better than when you're stuck in a cell with two other muchachos.

Calm down, no one wants to see your dick, Nate.

[Okay, he probably doesn't deserve that minorly snide remark, but it feels weirder than she expected to have him home when he's not him. She moves ahead, unlocking the front door and letting them in.]

Ouch. Easy there.

[ He's following, always following. And yeah, okay, maybe he'd been watching her ass on the way to the front door. ]

No one's home?

Doesn't look like it.

[It's quiet, at least. She moves toward the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder.]

You want something to drink? Or maybe a change of clothes? Because no offense, but you're kinda gross right now.

Or uh maybe a...shower? [ He looks down at himself, sees the stains on his prison clothing, the dirt. ] Then I'll take you up on the offer of fresh clothes. If you think they'll fit.

Well, they're yours, so.

[She points.]

Bathroom's upstairs on the right.

So I stay the same size? Can’t tell if that’s disappointing or not.

[ He nods, looks off to where the stairs are, gives her one last look. ]

I’ll be quick.

[ And zoom! Nate is heading upstairs, out of place, awkward, but so damn ready to wash the filth of Panama off. Quick is like...ten minutes. He’ll probably take fifteen or twenty, savor the privacy and the lasting hot water. ]

[He doesn't, but he acquires a taste for tight shirts, so the clothes stay the same size.

He can take as long as he likes. It's fine. In the meantime, Elena makes herself some coffee, spiking it with a little something from the liquor cabinet because she feels entitled. It's enough that she can manage a smile when he comes back down.]

Feeling better?

[ He looks down at himself as he clears the landing of the stairs and is headed into the kitchen. It's a surprise to him that the shirt fits. Nate holds out his arms. ]

Loads. But I gotta ask, what the hell is going on with this?

[ What is he referring to? Look at these pants, Elena, just look at them. He'll turn around to show her the fitted jeans that sit low on his hips, pulling up the shirt a bit. ]

[She looks at the pants, looks back up at him. Is genuinely mystified.]

It's...a pair of pants? What do you mean?

He, or I, never told you how long I was stuck in prison, did he? I? God, this is so weird, [ he adds on a mutter to himself, and then shakes his head. ]

Sorry. It's just weird. Wearing normal pants again and not being stuck in filthy prison pants. They're kinda roomy.

I knew you did a lot of stints off and on. [There's a fun glimpse at his future.] Not about Panama, though. Anyway, the whole closet is at your disposal, because everything inside it literally is yours.

[ Christ, should he be proud? Always in and out of jails. ] Yeah? Who was there to bail my ass out? I bet it was Sam.

[She won't remind him that she doesn't know anything about Sam, because clearly that'll lead nowhere good.]

Maybe. I wasn't there for the actual bailing. I know Sully took care of it at least a couple of times.

[ Bringing up Sullivan was a good way to make a detour for the conversation, take it away from Sam. The corner of his lips ticked up. ]

Could always count on good ol' Sullivan. He ever try to schmooze you? He always had a way with the ladies.

Oh yeah, absolutely. First time we met.

[She's actually smiling at the memory. It's nostalgic, even if she'll never ever ever see Sully like that.]

But he cut that out when you and I started out thing.

[ He snorts and rubs a hand over his face. ]

Of course he did. I'm not surprised. And yeah? Good man, that Sully.

That he is.

[She sighs lightly and rubs her temple.]

Look, Nate, you're stuck here for now, but if this is anything like the other weird shit I've seen since getting ported in, it'll only be for a few days. You'll go back to Panama, and I'll probably have to explain things to the Nate I remember.

So...help yourself to the food, whatever you need. You can keep our room, I'll crash on the couch.