Disclaimer: I do not own Jak and Daxter or its related concepts and characters. All belongs to the wonderful minds of Naughty Dog.
"Before He Cheats" and its lyrics belong to Carrie Underwood.
JKA: So this is basically a oneshot about how Keira was feeling after the end of Jak 3, and the little... interaction with Jak and Ashelin :P I randomly got the song "Before He Cheats" stuck in my head one day, and decided that Keira deserved a little revenge. Enjoy the mayhem. ^_^
Hell Hath No Fury...
Hard rock music blared into the night through open double-doors. The blinding light of a neon bar sign — a twelve-foot tall replica of an ottsel holding a pitchfork — broke the soft darkness of two a.m. Several obviously drunken men lingered outside the noisy tavern, laughing obnoxiously and downing endless bottles of scotch.
A lone figure strode quickly past the lively bar, shooting what was visible of the interior through the open doors a scornful glare. Judging by the shape of its silhouette, the figure was a woman. She was dressed in all black and had a hood pulled up over her head to conceal her face.
One of the intoxicated men wolf-whistled at the slight woman, despite not being able to see her features clearly, but she paid them no mind, her emerald eyes fixed determinedly on the road ahead of her.
Right now,
He's probably slow dancin'
With a bleached-blonde tramp
And she's probably gettin' frisky.
Sticking to the shadows untouched by the green-tinted Eco streetlights, the woman stealthily made her way around the back of the Naughty Ottsel to its near-deserted parking lot. Only a few vehicles remained due to the late hour, as most of the bar patrons had already called it a night and gone home.
Her eyes sought out one mode of transportation in particular, and she spotted it instantly. It was an unoffending, electric blue zoomer parked near the south wall of the bar — a zoomer she knew well.
Right now,
He's probably buyin' her some
Fruity little drink
'Cause she can't shoot whiskey
A slow, fiendish smile spread across her full lips as she approached the innocent-looking vehicle. She'd be able to recognize this spiffy piece of hardware from a mile away; after all, she was the one who'd built it for… him.
Her predatory grin faltered an infinitesimal amount when the thought of the zoomer's owner crossed her mind, reminding her rather forcefully of the reason why she was here. The reason why she had snuck over to the Naughty Ottsel, completely alone and unnoticed, at this ungodly hour. The reason why her entire world had been turned upside down, and why an ever-present ache had formed in her chest, constantly nagging at the back of her mind.
It was all because of her, the woman who had dared to swoop in with her "oh-so-perfect" curves and hard-ass attitude that rivaled his: Ashelin, the redheaded governess who had taken it upon herself to steal Jak's first kiss, an honor that Keira had been waiting for longer than she cared to remember.
Right now,
He's probably up behind her
With a pool stick
Showin' her how to shoot a combo
And he don't know…
Keira's black-gloved hands curled into tight fists at her sides, the fingers of her right hand holding a steel crowbar in a death-grip. Pure, fiery anger burned in her deep green eyes, and she bit back a hiss of contempt.
She'd been ecstatic when Jak and Daxter had returned to Spargus City after the big battle with Erol, sporting the triumphant grins of heroes. Her elation had lasted all of three seconds, however, before Daxter made an announcement that would result in the splintering of her heart into a thousand pieces.
"Our boy, Jak, here finally got a little action!" the loud-mouthed ottsel had broadcasted to everyone within earshot. "After I defeated ole robo-psycho, I caught him tongue dancing with a certain red-hot city governess!"
At the time, it had taken every ounce of strength Keira possessed not to break down into tears. She'd always thought that she and Jak had something; even if they weren't officially dating, there had definitely been a connection of some sort between them, on the borderline between "childhood friends" and "boyfriend and girlfriend".
Now, she felt no remorse over her lost love. The pain and betrayal had completely vanished from her mind. All that remained were a burning anger that surprised even her in its potency, and a desperate need for revenge.
Her eyes roamed over the glossy body of the zoomer, her mouth pulling up into an insane, face-splitting grin as she tapped the crowbar against the palm of her free hand.
You broke my heart, Jak. Well, two can play at that game. Time for me to break a little something of yours.
Letting out a maniacal laugh under her breath, Keira raised the crowbar over her head, and swung.
I dug my key into the side
Of his pretty little suped-up four-wheel drive.
Carved my name into his leather seat.
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights.
Slashed a hole in all four tires.
The steel connected with the single headlight of the zoomer, shattering it and scattering bits of broken glass in every direction. Without hesitating, Keira struck the vehicle again, this time in the side of the body. A good-sized dent was left in the crowbar's wake, caving in the side panel. She repeated the motions several times, until what had once been a zoomer looked more like a deformed metal pretzel.
Smirking at the nearly unrecognizable hunk of vehicle parts, Keira slung the crowbar in a holder she'd attached to her back and pulled a pocketknife she'd kept for safety reasons out of its concealed holster. Flicking it open, she plunged the blade into the seat of the zoomer, biting the tip of her tongue in concentration as she scratched letters into the material.
As soon as she was finished, she replaced the knife where it belonged and studied her handiwork.
Etched into the leather of the seat were the words Traitor. Love Keira.
Giving the twisted lump of metal a quick once-over, Keira realized regretfully that there wasn't much more she could do to torture it. Pulling a screwdriver out of the tool belt she always kept handy just in case, she scratched up the blue paint job a bit, just for good measure.
Replacing the tool, Keira turned her back on the dented remains of Jak's zoomer, feeling a slight twinge of guilt as she did so. It was not the fact that she'd just destroyed the vehicle of the man she loved that made her feel guilty, however. It was the idea that she had made that zoomer with her own two hands, and she'd brutally mutilated it as a sacrifice for payback.
Oh, well, she thought to herself, maneuvering through the shadows around to the front of the 'Ottsel. If it had known the reason, I'm sure it would have understood.
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.
Keira clung to the edge of the night when she was within an arm's length from the open doors of the Naughty Ottsel. The men who had called out to her had either left or gone back inside, although the party within was still in full swing. She could hear Daxter speaking somewhere nearby, but the volume of the music made it impossible to tell what he was saying.
Right now,
She's probably sayin' "I'm drunk"
And he's thinkin' that he's gonna get lucky
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the light provided by the ridiculously huge bar sign and entered the building. She glanced around nervously, unsure what exactly to expect. Her mind had conjured up images of Jak and Ashelin dancing together, — something that Keira had never done herself — or perhaps "taking advantage" of the curtains Daxter had recently installed on each booth to offer his customers a little privacy.
Therefore, it would be an understatement to say she was quite surprised by what she did see.
Jak and Ashelin were on complete opposite ends of the bar, the former seated on a bar stool near the back while the latter was leaning against the wall in the corner to Keira's right, her expression brooding. Neither seemed to even want to glance at the other, both appearing to be lost in thought. It took Keira a moment to realize that Ashelin's somber gaze was fixed on a figure sitting alone in a booth, surrounded by shot glasses and currently working on another one. She blinked in surprise when she recognized the man as Torn.
Her attention returned to Jak, taking in his hunched-over position and the dead look on his handsome face. He was tracing the rim of a bottle with his littlest finger, his head resting in his other hand and his eyes seeing nothing.
She didn't know what compelled her to do it, but suddenly Keira's feet were carrying her across the bar, and she sat down on the stool to Jak's left. He gave no indication that he'd even noticed her arrival, and she assumed it was because he couldn't recognize her with her hood concealing her face.
Keira stared at his empty expression for what felt like hours, trying to understand why he'd be so lifeless. She'd never seen him look so defeated before, and not knowing what had caused it was bothering her to no end.
The patter of tiny feet — heard even over the ear-splitting music — broke Keira out of her musings. She glanced in the direction of the sound, and was unsurprised to see a female ottsel with blonde hair standing on the counter, smiling at her.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Tess asked politely. Her smile abruptly faltered, and she approached the edge of the bar, peering under Keira's hood as if trying to recognize the young mechanic.
Which, apparently, she did.
"Keira?" the blonde ottsel gasped, a little too loudly. "What are you doing —"
Keira clamped her hand over Tess' furry mouth, effectively shutting her up. She jerked her head in the direction of the unresponsive elf next to her, and the confusion in Tess' eyes instantly shifted to understanding.
Throwing Jak a quick glance out of the corner of her eye, Keira groaned internally when she realized he'd taken notice of Tess' words, probably alerted by the sound of her name. However, his expression confused her. Instead of looking surprised or angry or something along those lines as she'd expected, his face conveyed what could only be unimaginable misery, and his cerulean eyes burned with regret.
"Keira…" he muttered under his breath, his gaze on Tess rather than the teal-haired she-elf. He must not have realized Tess had actually been talking to Keira, or that the latter was sitting right next to him. "How could I be so stupid…?"
He returned to studying his drink, and Keira couldn't help but feel a reluctant stab of pity for him at the completely heartbroken expression on his face. However, she was mostly baffled, and she turned to Tess, her eyes begging for answers.
"He's been saying that for the past three hours," Tess informed her in a whisper, her eyes flickering to Jak and then back to Keira. "I don't know what's wrong. I tried talking to him, but he just ignored me."
"Try again," Keira replied under her breath, her gaze locked on Jak's slumped form. As ashamed as she was to admit it, she hated seeing Jak look so upset, and she needed to know why.
Tess nodded as if she understood, and then she strolled over to Jak, pretending to examine his drink.
"Another beer, Jak?" she inquired cheerfully, smiling up at the elf.
Jak simply nodded, staring at the countertop with blank, unreadable eyes.
The female ottsel hopped off the bar, taking Jak's empty bottle with her, and then returned a moment later with a full one. Jak mumbled his thanks and popped the cap off on the edge of the counter, taking a long swig.
Tess watched him quietly for a moment, and then she folded her tiny arms over her chest, her mouth set in a firm line.
"Alright, spill, dark boy," she commanded, narrowing her eyes at Jak. "You've been sitting here moping ever since you walked through the door. What's bothering you?"
Jak stared blankly at her for a long moment, as if not really seeing the petite ottsel standing in front of him.
After what felt like hours of silence to Keira, the blonde elf finally spoke.
"I made a mistake, Tess," he mumbled, his voice filled with so much sorrow that Keira's heart ached, despite her current attitude towards him.
"What kind of mistake?" Tess prodded gently, only pushing him for Keira's benefit.
"The worst mistake I've ever made," Jak sighed, closing his eyes sadly. "I'm sure you heard about it from Daxter."
"Ah." Tess nodded once; realizing what Jak was talking about in the same instant as Keira. "You kissed Ashelin."
"She kissed me," Jak growled, a spark of anger flashing through his ocean-blue eyes for a heartbeat. "It was just a spur of the moment thing, and it didn't mean anything to either of us."
Abruptly, he deflated again, staring dejectedly at the wall. "But that doesn't make it right."
His voice dropped to barely more than a breath, and Keira leaned toward him unconsciously to catch what he was saying.
"Keira has every right to be furious with me. I can't believe I was such an asshole."
Tess nodded again, and Jak fixed his miserable eyes on her. "I… I broke the heart of the woman I love…"
Keira's heart fluttered in her chest, and her jaw dropped of its own accord. She'd been waiting for so long to hear Jak say that, and now that he had, all her previous anger and hurt vanished like fog in the sunshine. An almost giddy sense of happiness swelled inside her, and she could feel unshed tears beginning to burn in the corners of her eyes.
Tess had opened her mouth to speak, but before she had the chance, Keira reached up and flung her hood back, revealing her blue/green hair and the elated smile that was currently dominating her features.
"Keira!" Jak gasped just as the young mechanic threw her arms around him. He pulled her into a gentle embrace automatically, his eyes widening as she buried her face in his chest, the tears leaking down her pale cheeks. "What are you doing here?"
Keira didn't respond verbally. Instead, she reached up and knotted her fingers in Jak's green/blonde hair, dragging his face down to the level of hers and kissing him full on the mouth.
Jak froze, his entire body rigid with shock. But he eventually melted as Keira's hands released his hair, trailing down the back of his neck so she could drape her arms around his shoulders. He kissed her back vigorously, holding her to his chest as if the world would end should he let go.
Only when they were both feeling lightheaded from lack of oxygen did they break apart. Keira's cheeks glistened in the multicolored lights strung around the bar, and Jak wiped the tears away with his thumb, his cerulean eyes softer than she'd ever seen them.
"What was that for?" he asked, sounding completely baffled. Keira couldn't help but laugh at his puzzled expression.
"I love you, too," she replied simply, beaming as Jak wound his arms around her again in a tight embrace.
"Does this mean you've forgiven me for being an idiotic jackass?" he murmured hopefully, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"There's nothing to forgive," Keira whispered, stretching upwards to claim his lips with her own once more.
As her eyes slid closed and Jak's fingers trailed lightly up and down her back, the image of a brutally destroyed zoomer crept into Keira's mind.
I'll build him a new one later, she promised herself, her hands tracing Jak's muscular chest as the two of them were completely submerged in their passionate moment.
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.
JKA: Well, what'd ya think? I hadn't originally planned for it to end with them getting together, but I just couldn't resist. Jak without Keira is like Daxter without sarcasm or Sig without his Peace Maker!
Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed that little bit of tough love and zoomer death, and please review! Thanks!