"Second Chances"

By KiraJenLove

Chapter 1 - Death

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Dark Crystal nor any of its characters. No profit is being made by their use. This story is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The beginning of this fanfic was taken directly from one of my own stories, "The Kiss", but goes in a different direction. 2ND NOTE - despite what one reviewer says, "Nia" is NOT a "Mary Sue"! This is neither self-insertion nor wish-fulfillment. This is a case of Jen's search for others like himself. Of course there will be OC's, and one or more may even be romantically interested in him, but whether that goes anywhere remains to be seen...it's a good story, so just enjoy! :)

SUMMARY: What if the UrSkeks DIDN'T resurrect Kira?

"Hold her to you. She is part of you, as we all are part of each other."

Jen was holding Kira's lifeless body in his arms as he stood before the UrSkek, who had given the command. Jen gladly obliged as he closed his eyes and drew her closer to him, hugging her and giving her his last goodbyes.

His grieving heart was breaking. Tears ran freely down his cheeks. Here was the only other one of his kind that he knew of, a female, and she had sacrificed her own life to save their world. With her death, so would the Gelfling race finally become extinct. In that sense, the Skekses had won. They had successfully decimated his people. There was nothing left for him to do but to bury his beloved Kira, and then wait to die himself. His success at reuniting the UrSkeks could not lift his heart.

"We are so very sorry for your loss," the UrSkek before him said gently. "We made terrible decisions that resulted in the loss of your people, your parents, and your mate. However, we regret that we cannot undo this damage."

Jen slowly looked up at him through tear-soaked lids, reddened by grief, which turned to anger - anger that had been bottled up for years, ever since he had learned that the Skekses had killed his parents. "I LOVED her!" he shouted at them, crying. "Look at what you have done to her! You have taken away the only thing that ever meant anything to me!"

After his tirade, he collapsed to the ground, still clutching Kira, as he broke down into great sobs, burying his face in her stomach.

The UrSkek regarded him silently for a moment. "There is hope for you," he finally spoke. Your race need not come to an end. There are more like you."

Jen looked back up at him. "M…more Gelfling? Where?"

"Follow the Rose Sun for 5 days, and you will find them. Now, go home and bury your love."

Jen looked back down at Kira's pale, partially desiccated face and disheveled hair, and began to cry anew into her shoulder. He didn't know how he was going to deal with this.

"Now we leave you the Crystal of Truth. Make your world in its light."

It almost seemed like a cruel taunt to Jen. Just how exactly was he supposed to do that?

The UrSkeks then whirled together in a wisp of light, and were sucked up through the triangular window in the ceiling, until the final tail of light disappeared, and Jen was all alone, forlornly holding the body of his beloved Kira.

The Podling ex-slaves, who were all whole and healthy now, quietly crept over to where Jen was sitting on the floor. They had wanted to see what had become of their dear Kira - a familiar, welcome face that had been raised among their own kind for years. Jen saw them approaching, so he turned to face them, and gently laid Kira out on the hard castle floor, folding her delicate hands over her chest, allowing the Podlings to come have a closer look. Instantly, wailing erupted in the chamber, as each Podling came to the realization that they would never interact with their Kira again. Many of them, including Ydra, Kira's adoptive mother, approached the body and collapsed with grief onto her chest, babbling in their native Podling, begging her to come back to them, but Kira remained cold and silent. Jen bowed his head, placing an empathetic hand on their shoulders, moaning, "She's gone, oh, she's gone…" They all gathered around her body and mourned for her a long time.

After a few hours, some Podlings ventured outside to get some wood to fashion a litter for carrying her body, and another Podling went into one of the new bedrooms to find a good sheet in which to wrap her for the trip home, where proper funeral arrangements could be made. They set the litter down next to her, then they and Jen carefully and lovingly wrapped her in the linen, then, with the help of the Podlings, just as carefully transferred her to the litter. Jen took the front end of the litter, and one of the larger, stronger Podlings took the back end, and they started to head out of the castle, followed by the rest of the ex-slaves.