Hello again to ye faithful readers. I have reedited my stroy from beginning to end. I have taken down the chapters and posted the revised sections. It shouldn't be too horribly different from the original, but for the sake of understanding the story, I would advise everyone go through it again. Chapter 1 still remains practically the same, so you may skip that one if you wish.

Chapters One through Five have been posted for now. The next ones, including a new Chapter 8 will be coming in a few days.

Thank you all and enjoy.

Chapter 1

Life Flows On

Norm Spellman wrote on the board as the Na'vi children watched and listened intently to his lecture. Today he was teaching them mathematics. They sat on the floor, giving their answers in unison as Norm asked them a question. That was how the Na'vi functioned... together.

"And what is two times four?" he asked them.

"Eight," they replied in unison.

"And what is two times five?" he asked.

The majority answered ten, though some answered nine, some of the younger ones answered seven.

"Seven," a little girl insisted. "Five and two... seven," she said in broken English. Some of the children still had not yet mastered the Sky Peoples' language.

"No, no," said Norm. "You're thinking of addition." Some of the little ones gave questioning looks. Many of the more advanced words in English were still a challenge for them. "If you add five and two, you have seven."

He gestured with his fingers.

"But if you multiply five and two, you get ten." He went back to the board and wrote five lines in two groups. "That is what multiplication is. If you count a group of five things two times, you have ten all together."

"Ah!" the little girl exclaimed. She finally understood, as did the other children.

"Also, if you count a group of two things five times, you get ten."

The children nodded their heads in understanding. Math had been particularly difficult for them, since they never used it much in their daily life, but they were still fascinated by such knowledge.

Just then, several hunters entered the shack. Norm knew they had come for the kids. It was time to call it a day. "All right, that will be all for today." The children whined. "Hey, you have to go back and help your families. They need you."

"Tell us a story first," one of the little girls said.

"Yes, tell us a story about Earth."

Norm shook his head laughing. These children did not give up. "No. I don't have time for that. Tomorrow."

"Just a short one," the children pleaded together.

"You may tell them one story," one of the female hunters said. "We can wait."

Norm protested, but their pleas won him out. "Okay, okay, settle down."

The children became silent as they waited for Norm to recite a tale. Norm thought for a moment, he needed something good but short. There were so many to choose from he didn't know where to start. He thought he was going to keep thinking forever until one came to mind. And he began.

"A long time ago, there was a land where a clan called the British lived. The British were ruled by a king who always made his son the next king. But the land lost their king and conflict grew. Without a king, the people would be torn by war and a darkness would come over them. Then a great thing happened.

"A magic sword came down from the sky and was stuck into a rock. The people called this the Sword in the Stone. It was a sign from heaven telling the people that whoever could pull the sword out from the stone would be the new king, and the land would be at peace again. Many tried to pull the sword out, but none of them could. So for many years, the sword remained untouched and forgotten.

"But one day, the people decided to have a contest for their warriors. The warriors would fight each other to prove who was the strongest and whoever won would be the king. There was one warrior who had a small poor boy called Arthur. Arthur served the warrior. The warrior had forgotten his weapon and told Arthur to go find it. Arthur searched the village. Then he saw the Sword in the Stone. He walked over to it and, without realizing what he touched, he pulled it out. Arthur brought the sword back to his master, but when the people saw him carrying the sword, they bowed and cheered him. Arthur had become their new King.

"Arthur became a good king and ruled the people with kindness. He went on many adventures and did great things for the people. And he is remembered still."

The children cheered and clapped, as Grace once taught them.

"Is that a true story?" a little boy asked.

"It's a... it's a legend," Norm answered.

"What is a lej-end?"

"A legend is a... an old story. A story that we don't know if it's true or not."

"If a story is not true, then why tell it?"

"Well, they are very old stories," said Norm. "It is something that you still want to remember because it gives people hope and joy. They use the story to see goodness... to see."

The children all nodded in understanding. Even the hunters were impressed with Norm's explanation.

"Now it's time to go. Tomorrow we will finish math."

The children rose from their seated positions and exited the shack. The hunters also nodded their approval. Norm, who had once fought alongside them to drive out the RDA, had earned their trust, though he still had a long way to go before he could become one of the people like Jake.

"Never knew you were such the philosopher," said their chief. Jake chuckled as he leaned against the doorway. He always thought Norm could be such a nerd.

"Jake!" Norm said with joy. He ran over and clasped hands with his friend. "Good to see you."

"I see that your avatar is working well."

"Yeah. I still get some pains in the chest though. But it's almost gone," said Norm. Luck had been what saved his avatar from permanent death. Norm himself was lucky to be alive at all. Linking with your avatar also put your mortality on the line. It took many months to repair the damages before his avatar could walk again.

"So... did you recite that story from the actual legend, or did you borrow form an old Disney cartoon?" Jake asked with a wicked grin.

Norm appeared to take that personally. "Hey, I had to think of something."

Jake laughed. "I'm only joking. Grace would be very proud of you."

Norm smiled. "Thanks." It was still a painful memory losing Doctor Augustine.

It had been a whole year since their victory. After their great battle with the RDA, and evicting the unworthy from Pandora, Jake made it his first priority to relocate to a new Hometree for the Omaticaya. Jake was Olo'eyktan, their Chief, and with that came a new responsibility. The People were his family now. Eventually they found a new tree. After several months of establishing their new home, Jake, with the approval of the clan, allowed some of the avatars to interact with the Na'vi again. The avatars even offered their help and reopened Grace's old school in honor of her memory. Although Norm knew he could not match up to Grace's accomplishments, the children still loved him as much as they loved Grace.

Norm was slowly learning the ways of the People, though he still refrained from adapting to selective forms of behavior. Such as the absence of clothing. That was a big no, no! Norm, as the human he was, insisted on retaining his modesty. Jake could understand for he had been absolutely conscientious about his exposure when all he was offered to wear was a piece of underwear that almost covered nothing. Jake was used to it now. Na'vi were proud of their bodies, something that humans didn't quite fully grasp.

Jake had also questioned Norm if he would consider passing through the Eyes of Eywa, and stay in his avatar permanently. Norm was still not certain yet. Leaving behind your original body for another was a hard decision. It was like leaving behind a piece of yourself. Although Jake was a Na'vi now, he had not forgotten his humanity. It was his desire, given time and patience, to bridge the gap between the remaining humans and the Na'vi. A marine always knew that any test could be overcome. That's what it meant to truly see.

"And how's Neytiri?" Norm asked.

"Fine," Jake replied. "She is learning from her mother to be the next Ta'shik."

"Have you two decided yet?"

"Decided what?"

"You know... are you going to have a child?"

Jake's smile faded. "We're trying, but..." It was something that had been bothering him and Neytiri now for quite some time. As mates, it was an obligation for them to bear a child. Mo'at had especially been emphasizing it on them. Although they had mated many times, their bonding didn't seem to produce any fruitful results. Since avatars were artificial lifeforms mixed with DNA from both species, it was difficult to anticipate if a native and an avatar could produce viable offspring. Neytiri still loved Jake with all her heart, but the fear of never being able to have a child was taking a toll on her spirit. She had become a little less energetic as of late and Jake was starting to worry.

"Jake," Norm placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it must be tough for you right now, but remember you passed through the eyes of Eywa. You two bonded with her blessings. I can't say how things will turn out, but there's always a reason for everything. Eywa must have a plan for your future. And that future must include a child.

"Listen, I can't make any guarantees, but I'll tell you what. If you want, you and Neytiri should come back to Hell's Gate and run some tests with us. I'm sure that if we diagnose you two, we might be able to find out what the problem is. I think I have an idea what it is, but I have to examine it first before I can draw any conclusions."

Jake considered it for a moment. "I don't know," he said with uncertainty. "I can't say how well Neytiri can manage being in a lab with little humans jabbing her with probes and needles. And Mo'at wouldn't be much thrilled either."

"Come on, Jake. Just for a few days. Look, out of all the Na'vi, she's the most understanding of humans. It'll be fine."

Jake pondered the thought for a while. Although she accepted the human side of Jake without reserve, he could not predict her response to other humans. "Well... maybe. But I'll have to run it by Neytiri first."

"Excellent," he said happily. "I promise you won't regret it."

Jake smiled. Present circumstances were stressful, but Norm's optimism as a scientist, and friend, gave Jake reason to keep trying. "Thanks, Norm."

"No problem," Norm laughed.

Ever since their new roles, Jake and Norm had been supporting each other every step of the way.

A beep from Norm's wristwatch interrupted them. "Ah, shucks. It's time to wake up."

"I'll need an update on how things are going at Hell's Gate. I know you guys can manage the place without me, but I still want to know that everything is running okay."

"I'll have it for you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams, Norm."

"Still a little early for that." The two laughed.

Jake turned to rejoin his hunters. Norm ran off toward the Hometree to rest his avatar.

The day came and went for the Omaticaya. The people walked to their hammocks as they prepared for sleep. Jake climbed the Hometree to his and Neytiri's hammock. Each night he was anxious to see her. Just the sight of her filled him with indescribable passion and joy.

Neytiri sat on the huge branch, her legs dangling over the edge leading to their hammock bellow. Jake approached and she gazed at her mate affectionately. Those golden eyes, so common among the Na'vi, were entrancing and majestic. Her feline attributes made her irresistible.

"Neytiri," said Jake.

Her gaze faltered. She was distressed.

Jake knelt next to her. "What's wrong?"

"I am troubled, Jake," she answered sadly. "Since the Sky People left, we have found a new home. Our land is restored. You, Grace, Norm, the others... you have given everything back to us. But..."

Jake enfolded her in his arms, caressing his fingers along her back. "We will have a child," he said with absolute confidence. "It's going to happen."

Neytiri grabbed his shoulder, resting her head into his chest. "I am sorry, Jake. I should be happy."

That last sentence struck a cord in Jake's chest. "You're not happy?"

Neytiri looked into his eyes, feeling she chose the wrong words. "No, no. I am. I mean-"

Jake put a finger to her lips. "Don't be afraid," he said. Taking her face into his hand, he kissed her. Being touched by Jake relieved her of her anxieties. "I spoke to Norm today. He wants to help us. He said that he might have be able to help us have our child."

Neytiri's eyes widened with hope. "Truly?"

"Yes, but we have to go to Hell's Gate." Neytiri's expression went from hopeful to hesitant. "Trust me. It'll be okay."

Neytiri considered this for a moment. Jake had helped her to see the good side of the Sky People, to see past the bad that the majority of them produced. She was, however, still slow to trust them after all that had happened, from the closing of Grace's school, to the fall of their first Kelutral.

She made her decision. "I will speak to mother. Ask for her guidance. If she approves, I will go."

Jake smiled. "My sweet." He embraced her.

"My beloved shkauwng," she purred.

"Shkauwng?" Jake pulled away as if hurt. "All this time has passed, and I'm still shkauwng?"

"Only to me," she chuckled mischievously.

A wry grin formed on Jake's face. Oh, she was going to regret that last comment. A little growl resonated in Jake's throat as he plunged his teeth into Neytiri's neck, nibbling and biting softly. Neytiri giggled as she tried to fend off her predator of a husband. She pushed him back as she slipped into their hammock bellow. Jake slid in behind her. Jake continued to growl and nibble her as she writhed and squirmed from his teasing assaults. Their laughter emanated throughout the Hometree. Many people nearby looked up curiously in the direction of Toruk Makto's hammock, wondering what could possibly be stirring such questionable behavior.