Author's Notes: I hit a small wall with my other Jak and Daxter fic, so this just a small fluff that I thought up as a break from the other. I think this helped with the writer's block, so here's hoping. This is also a oneshot and a long one at that. But, I just couldn't help it. Its all JakxKeira here, so if you dislike the pairing, turn around now. If you like it, then I hope you enjoy it. As always, I don't own the characters. They belong to Naughtydog and whatnot.

Every Time
By Lady Ava

"Keira!" Jak called as he hopped off his bike outside of the racing arena. Haven City had become a much less tense city after the fall of Kor. Metalheads had managed to be held back to the outskirts of the city, near the edge of the wasteland. The citizens were able to once again walk the streets without fear of the Krimzon Guards trying to arrest them on false charges. And it was all because of a young blond haired man and his loudmouth Ottsel companion.

Locking his bike into hover mode, the young man started into the arena. Without the Baron to run the competition circuit, the whole area had become almost abandoned. Of course it was never completely empty. Once in a while, the sounds of zoomers could be heard from within the track area of the competitors keeping up with their training.

Tess and Keira had moved to set up shop even more so than before. Tess turned one of the locker rooms into her own personal weapon shop and development lab. No one questioned her methods or the loud explosions that would occasionally echo out from her area. But when the blond got an idea in her head, there was no stopping her until there was a final product to be tested.

Keira on the other hand, just made her workshop a bit bigger than it was before. Expanding from the first floor up into the storage area, she managed to create an entirely new, more high-tech workspace for herself. She started working on fixing up some of the old combat racers for the resistance to use for runs out to the pumping station and whatnot. Her theory about the massive cars was that she could keep the same speed output, but manage to strengthen up the armor so it could be combat ready. Also, it would lower the chance of the vehicles exploding after too much impact. Ever since she had stated that, the young blue/green haired mechanic barely left her shop, in hopes of striking it big with figuring out her own formulas.

Walking down the long hallway towards the girl's shop, the blond removed the jetboard from its resting place on his back. Looking down at it with a disgruntled look on his face, he shook his head a bit. There was a slight dread in the back of his thoughts, thinking of what the young woman would say to the fact that one of her favorite inventions was in need of desperate repair. "Keira! You here?!" he called again, trying to get an answer out of her.

Before he could try to call her again, the man's ears suddenly perked. A loud pulsating beat echoed throughout the large hallways, causing him to halt in his steps for a moment. It was a fast, dance type of music, almost like what he would listen to in his car while racing or at Daxter's club on a Saturday night. A deep bass beat bounced off the large cement walls as it continued on in a repetitive tone. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he started down the hallway at a light jog. With each step he took, the music became louder and louder, making his question grow even more.

Stopping at the edge of the doorway, Jak peered around the corner with a slight bit of caution. The last time he had caught Keira off guard, Daxter headed up getting a wrench to the head as she threw it in surprise. Granted, the little Ottsel probably deserved it in one way or another. But it would make any passer by a bit nervous. Letting his blue eyes finally catch a glimpse of the shop, Jak raised an eyebrow once more as confusion and surprise overcame his features.

Keira sat kneeling on the hood of a larger combat racer. Her wielding mask was over her face as the bright sparks from the flames on metal bounced about wildly. Off in the far corner of the room, a stereo sat blaring the techno music he had heard from down the hallway. It was one of the more popular songs in Haven at the moment, but mostly with the club scene.

As the bright light suddenly fade, the young woman sat herself up straight. Looking at her work, Jak was surprised to see the girl's foot tapping on the hood. Her head moved up and down with the beat of the song as she flipped up her mask. As the lyrics to the song kicked back in, Keira began to sing along with the song. There were streaks of grease on her cheeks while a stunning smile graced her lips. Sliding off the hood of the car almost as if timed up with the song, she removed her mask and gloves. Keeping with the beat, the heavy equipment was placed to the table and then a wrench was put into her hands in exchange. Flipping it into her hands, she briefly used it as a microphone as she headed back to the car. Climbing up on to the car's cage, she continued to sing as she tested the area for some loose nuts and bolts, tightening them as she went.

And through the whole time, Jak stayed quiet. He couldn't help but just observe and chuckle at some of the girl's moments. She was always so energized when she got to work on her cars and be her grease monkey self. Even when they were back in Sandover, the blue haired girl was never one to wear dresses and play with dolls. While her girl friends were playing house and having tea parties, Keira was always the one with Jak and Daxter, playing with small car parts and beating up on the two of them. She was different and that's what made her so amazing in Jak's eyes.

As the song began to slow to a slower pause on the stereo, she stood on top of the car, finishing out the song with some energy. Listening to the lyrics as Keira sang, Jak smiled a bit. It was about how a girl was so in love with this guy, that every moment with him was as if it were a perfect dream. Even through the good and bad times, he was always there to lift her up once more. It was kinda truthful in their friendship, although both of them still unable to do anything about it, mostly because Daxter was around twenty-four/seven. Jak had always liked Keira and he knew she was dropping hints left and right. But neither of them had found that moment just yet.

'Might as well go in,' he thought to himself, letting a sigh escape him.

Turning around the corner, Jak took a step into the room. The jetboard was still clutched in his grasp as he took a few small steps, unsure if the girl was aware of his presence or not. "Um," he began, causing the girl to freeze in her position on top of the car. As she slowly turned herself around, Keira's green eyes locked with Jak's blue. "Hey Keira." He finished off, trying to act like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Turning to face him completely, the mechanic had a look of surprise on her face. "Jak!" She exclaimed, a smile on her face. "What's up? When did you get here?"

Smiling in his rare sly fashion, Jak walked into the shop without hesitation. "Oh, somewhere around the second chorus of the song, just as you flipped the wrench and used it as a microphone." He told, giving the girl a dashing grin.

Keira nearly dropped the wrench in her hand at the sound of his words. Her entire face felt as if it were growing warmer and warmer with each passing moment, letting the unstoppable blush come to the surface. Out of all the people she didn't want to see her do such a silly thing, Jak was definitely it. The level of embarrassment was too great to calculate. All she knew was she was humiliated.

Chuckling at her reddened face, Jak held up the jetboard. "Something is off with the accelerator on the board. I was wondering if you could look at it for me?" he asked, returning to his calm disposition as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Uh. Sure." She told him flatly, trying to cover up her reddening face with her hand. "Just…give it here. I'll look at it before I head out tonight."

Outstretching her hand to him, Keira looked away from his glance. The bolts along the top part of the cage seemed much more interesting at the moment then finding a way to pay attention to what she should have been doing. So wrapped up in trying to avert her eyes, she did not notice her foot moving out from under her.

It happened in one swift motion. Keira slipped from her spot atop the car, sending herself flying down the cage. She let a small squeak leave her, as she closed her eyes. She had fallen off cars multiple times and it always did involve a very painful landing on the cement floor. All she could do was brace for it. But what she thought was going to be a rough landing, became a strong embrace, holding her tightly. There was a loud clatter on the floor as she felt the hold on her grew tighter in a secure fashion.

"Are you okay?" were the first words be spoken, causing the girl to fluster slightly.

Cracking open on eye, the mechanic looked up slowly to see Jak clutching her close to him. He was looking down at her with his deep blue eyes, concern written on his face. She sat in his arms as if he were about to carry her over the threshold, her legs kicked up slightly in surprise. There was no strain in his arm muscles to hold her up as he stood there, waiting for some kind of answer from her.

"I...um. I'm…." she stuttered slightly, looking at him in confusion. There was no longer a smug grin on his face or a sly glimmer in his eyes. Instead, there was only worry for her, making sure that she was alright. The look in his eyes was one that she had never really seen before from him: concern.

Smiling a bit at her stuttering, Jak placed her feet onto the floor carefully. He gave her a moment to find her balance, taking hold of her tiny waist in his hands. Looking down at her, he kept his grin as he tried to get her to look him square in the eye.

"Keira?" Jak asked, placing one of his hands to her cheek. Without much resistance, he managed to move the young woman's stare to lock with his own. She was still slightly flustered as her eyes met his, her face like stone. "You're okay?"

Nodding slightly, she finally let a small smile cross her lips. "Yeah. I'm okay," Casting her eyes to the ground, Keira caught sight of the jetboard. It had been discarded from his hands haphazardly, explaining the clatter she had heard. Normally, she would have been angry to see her work tossed aside in such a manner. But she couldn't find the rage in her body. All she could find was the racing beat of her heart trying to climb into her throat.

Nodding, Jak released her. As he moved backwards slowly, he bent down to retrieve the jetboard that he had cast aside. Lifting the equipment into his hands, he looked at it for a moment, looking over it to make sure it wasn't dented. The last thing the board needed was to be damaged even more so. It was as he glanced up to look at the girl, did he realize that she was looking at him, her face still flustered.

It was the first time in a while that Jak had found himself speechless. He could feel his heart rate suddenly increase as he felt Keira's stare settle on him. There was a small hint of a smile on her face as she watched him stand there, holding the board in hand. It was only the two of them in the garage and Daxter was on the other side of the city. There was no one to meddle or intervene from the one thing Jak wanted to do since the first time he realized what he actually felt for her.

Taking a small step forward towards the girl, Jak could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He didn't want to show the nerves to Keira as he kept his composer and his face to a slight tint of pink. He let the hand with the board drop to his side, almost as if the reason he had come was forgotten. "Um, Keira?" He muttered quietly.

Keira quickly shook her head out, as if she had just snapped back into reality. "Yeah?" She replied, question hidden in her tone.

There were only two other times Jak had come this close to her. The thought of those times made her heart race even more so. They were all alone and no one was there to intervene with them. He could hear the sound of her CD starting up once more on a very different paced song. It started off quietly, fitting to the tension that was building about the two.

Placing his hand to her arm, Jak pulled her into him. Keira's natural reaction to him came as she put her hands to his chest as he moved to hold her waist. There were no words that could be spoken as the song filled the room. No expression crossed Jak's face as he leaded into her, his nose gracing the tip of hers. The nerves that had tired to keep him back were no longer as he leaned into the girl, seeing her eyes slowly close.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

He froze in his spot, his lips not even an inch from Keira's. The rapid beeping came from his waist, making his shoulders slouch a bit. 'No…not now…' he thought angrily. It was one of those rare moments that he wished he had destroyed the communicator or at least had accidentally shot it in the middle of a fight.

"Jak! Where the hell are you!?" Torn's voice echoed loudly throughout the room.

Opening her eyes at the sound, Keira frowned to see Jak pull away from her. Hanging his head in slight annoyance, a heavy sigh escaped him. He released her waist, taking hold of his communicator at his side.

With another sigh, a soft beep came to the girl's ears as Jak hit the respond button. "Whadda want Torn?" he growled, returning the attitude he had received.

"You were supposed to meet Sig and the rat at the pumping station an hour ago!" the older man screamed, making Jak finch slightly.

Straightening up, the young man formed his free hand into a fist. "I said I needed to get my jetboard to—"

"Just get your sorry ass to the pumping station!" Torn's voice roared, ending the transmission with a loud burst of static.

The music continued to play as Jak glared angrily at the communicator in his hand. He wasn't angry because of the fact that he had to get to the pumping station for some metalhead killing. It was just the bad timing that always seemed to hit him and Keira. No matter what, it always seemed as if something was trying to keep them apart.

Looking to the girl, he sighed with a smirk, "Guess I don't have a choice in the matter, huh?" he said, trying to kill the silence with some small amount of humor. Holding up the jetboard, the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Here ya go." He muttered, knowing that any amount of wit would probably not make either of them feel better.

Reaching up to take hold of the jetboard from the young man, Keira let her fingertips graze over Jak's, almost as if thinking of taking his hand instead of the invention. She paused for a moment as she looked up to meet Jak's stare, taking a firm hold on the board between them. It was almost as if time had stopped around the two, making that very moment the most important. If they wanted to listen hard enough, the only sound that would be heard was both of their frantic heartbeats at the awkward situation.

"I'll make sure to get this back to you as quickly as possible." Keira's voice spoke up. The mechanic's composure seemed to have returned just as Jak was starting to loose his. She snatched the board from his hands and turned abruptly on her heels. Looking it over, she raised an eyebrow, "I'll see what I can do just as soon as I finish the tune-up on the car."

Seeing her turn away, Jak knew that whatever moment would have been there was more than dead. Sighing as he watched the girl place the board onto the hood of the car and pick up her wrench to head back to work, he crossed his arms over his chest. Just by the icy way she took the device from him, he knew that there was no point in trying to even apologize for having his communicator with him. Turning away from the girl, he let his long blond hair be tossed slightly as he made his way for the door and out into the massive hallway once more.

As he headed towards where he had parked his bike, he couldn't help but think that he had really messed up a perfect moment. But maybe it was just the fate that he would never get to kiss her. Besides, he didn't know how exactly the others, especially Daxter and Samos, would react to the two of them together. And yet, Jak didn't even think that mattered anymore. All he wanted was to be with Keira. After everything he had gone through during his time back in Haven, he knew that the girl was the one thing that made everything seem to make sense.

It wasn't until he heard footsteps that came from behind him, that he brought himself back from his own thoughts. They were a quick pace, though very light in their steps. "Jak!" Keira's voice called, sounding somewhat annoyed. He halted in his spot, turning to glance over his shoulder.

Before he knew which way was up or down, the young woman grabbed hold of his shirt roughly, pulling him into her. The only thing that came to mind was that he was going to get hit for some reason. His lips were suddenly surprised with a touch that made his knees want to give out from under him and his head feel light and dizzy. She slowly released his shirt, her hands sliding up his chest until her arms wrapped about his neck. Jak's arms slowly took hold of her tiny frame. Neither fought back nor tried to lessen the hold on each other. All of the sounds of the cars and bustle of the outside world didn't seem to matter. The only thing that was there at that very moment was just the two of them.

Pulling back slowly from the girl, Jak let his eyes open. Keira's were filled a starry look as her face seemed to be glowing in the dim light. A smile that made his heart race was directed right at him, filled with a content and sly look.

"I got tired of waiting," were her first words, though not even above a whisper.

Jak could only chuckle in reply, "Glad you did." He muttered back.

The sounds of the city were returning to their ears, bringing the sense of reality back. For a moment, the two stayed close together. The occasional small peck on the end of the nose made the two smile even more. It had taken forever for a moment to come, and it couldn't have been better.

"You should go before Torn calls again," Keira told at last, after what seemed an eternity.

Nodding a bit, Jak pulled Keira into a tight embrace. "Meet me at Dax's place later for some drinks?" he questioned, squeezing her tightly.

Smirking at his words, the girl nodded slightly, "I'll come over once I finish the jetboard." She told, placing a light kiss onto his check.

Moving back from the girl, Jak grinned as he held onto her hand for a brief moment. Then, in one swift motion, the young hero turned on his heels and hurried off down the hallway, a slight bounce in his step as he went. Keira waved with a chuckle at his movement, watching as he disappeared around the corner and was off into the depths of the city.

As she walked back to her workshop, Keira let her ears perk to the sounds of the loud techno music she had been listening to earlier. She could feel the base beat in her heels and chest, almost as the music began to take her. There was no denying the fact that she had just gotten the one thing she had been waiting for since she had first met Jak. And she didn't care if anyone heard or saw her. For the rest of that day, she sang as loudly as she wanted in her workshop, knowing she would get to have another moment with the young man later that night.

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed it. I hope my spelling and whatnot was okay. I tired to catch as much as I could before posting. Oh wells! Don't forget to Read and Review!