Disclaimer: Neither FES or I own Jak and Daxter. Everyone and everything related to the series - apart from Aleighna, Chris, and another OC to crop up in part 2 - belong to Naughty Dog.
JKA: I'd meant to have this up and posted a long time ago, and have only now actually followed through with it. ^^; For those of you who've been following mine and FES' series of sorts, this is one of those installments that you've probably been looking forward to for a while. Just sayin'.
This first part here is FES', and the second half will be mine. So without further ado, read, review (please?), and enjoy~
Part 1
A warm summer breeze whistled through the hallways of Mar High School, home of the Warriors. May was a widely-loved month among Haveners, a feeling that became more and more evident with each passing day — especially among teenagers. School was finishing up quickly, and it was almost time for them to lounge around and do nothing until August.
In Ancient Precursorian History class, Mr. Henry was giving a lecture on the story of Mar, founder and savior of Haven City. Aleighna sat diligently in the front of the class, one of the closest to Mr. Henry's desk. She listened quietly and with rapt attention, only shifting her focus when a note fell on her desk. The Seal of Mar was sketched on the front of the parchment, and she immediately knew who it was from.
Unfolding the paper, she quickly scanned the scrawled message.
C: How are you going to spend your summer? Pass it on to Lizzy, Jay and Aleighna.
Aleighna pulled out her purple lead pencil and hastily scribbled a reply.
A: Reading a few books. You guys?
When finished, she twisted around in her seat to face Lizzy, who was in the middle of taking notes. Aleighna plopped the scrap of paper discreetly on her friend's desk. She then returned her gaze to the teacher, smiling in an "I'm a teacher's pet" manner.
After a few minutes, the note came back and she skimmed it swiftly.
L: I think I'll hit the beach.
J: I'm going to sit and rot my brain in front of video games.
C: Boy, that's the life. Remind me to come over and bring War in War.
Aleighna was about to doodle a scowl at her twin sister as a nonverbal scolding for planning to just sit in front of Jay's T.V. with a soda all summer, but she was interrupted by the final bell. All four members of the group lifted their heads, grinning to themselves. The teacher glanced at the clock situated above him, flicking it to make sure no pranksters had messed with it. When he deemed it correct, he opened the classroom door with a pass card.
"See you guys next year. Enjoy your summer," Mr. Henry dismissed as the students exited the class. The group gathered their stuff and headed for the entrance, pausing in their tracks when Aleighna held Chris back by the shoulder.
"I just realized something. Do you remember when the baby is due?"
Chris shrugged, as was her typical response to a question that required remembering an important date. They both readjusted their backpacks on their shoulders and stepped out into the hallway after their friends.
"If I remember correctly..." — Aleighna smiled, relieved and slightly surprised that Chris actually remembered something — "Keira's pregnant, right?"
Aleighna slapped her palm to her forehead at her twin's failure. Honestly, Jak must've dropped Chris one day when he'd tried to hold them in his younger and less coordinated days.
Sighing, Aleighna yanked Chris jokingly by her loose ponytail, a gesture that Chris was far too familiar with. She beamed cheekily at her sister in response.
The pair stood waiting on the curb of the campus parking lot, arms crossed and identical scowls dominating their faces. All the other students had already gone home, and half of the administration had taken off as well, clearing the school at record-breaking speeds.
"Humph, looks like Jak forgot about us… again," Aleighna grumbled, flopping down on a nearby brick retaining wall and letting her backpack fall to the ground. Groaning, Chris claimed a seat on the floor beside her opposite, resting her back against the stone partition.
Before Chris had the chance to speak, the screeching sound of helpless brakes rang through the lot, making both turn their heads to see their older brother squealing to a stop in his cruiser. A sheepish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, betraying the silent "Is 'I was busy' an excuse?" both his siblings knew was there.
Chris and Aleighna hopped into the cruiser, stumbling as Jak floored it before they'd even had the chance to sit down. Keira twisted around in the passenger seat, smiling at her two almost-sister-in-laws.
"How was your last day of school?" she asked politely, as was her customary afternoon greeting.
"Today, I learned that if you swim next to the rocks at the beach, there is a fifty percent chance you'll get hurt," Aleighna recited, beaming. The brunette girl's brain was like a sponge; no matter what someone told her, she'd have it memorized by their next word.
"I learned that I.L.I.A.H. stands for 'I left it at home'," Chris muttered under her breath, absentmindedly toying with a sea shell she'd acquired from Precursors knew where.
Keira cast a sidelong glance at Jak, her eyes glittering with worry. After a moment, Jak answered whatever soundless question she'd asked with a nod, earning the couple two baffled stares from the back seat.
Returning her attention to the twins, Keira sucked in a handful of air, exhaling in an anxious sigh.
"Girls, today's my due date." she announced, smiling nervously at the thought of the painful-yet-cheerful process of birth. Chris looked at her sister shock, but Aleighna just smirked, amused by her opposite's surprise; whether Chris was taken aback by the fact that Keira could go into labor at any second, or that their elder friend had a small child growing inside her was irrelevant.
"I'm so happy for you, Keir!" Aleighna exclaimed, clasping one of Keira's hands in her own eagerly. "I heard that child birth is the most beautiful thing in the world."
"Or it can hurt like hell," Chris remarked casually, causing Keira to cast an uneasy glance in Jak's direction. Sighing, Aleighna opened her backpack and pulled out her math book, shifting her focus to Chris.
"Hey Chris, do you mind holding —" Aleighna cut herself off when she purposely dropped the math book on her sister's foot. "Oops," she plainly said.
The rest of the ride home was silent, and Keira had practically chewed her nail to the quick by the time they'd reached their destination. Their building was hardly in sight before she was hurrying out of the vehicle, not even giving Jak a chance to stop the zoomer.
Once the four companions got inside their apartment, Keira set to work practicing exercises with Jak in the event of an at-home birth, while the younger duo busied themselves in the kitchen. As Aleighna boiled the water for pasta, Chris leaned nonchalantly over the counter.
"Have you noticed that Jak looks more nervous than Keira?" she commented, grinning at the thought of Jak passing out while Keira was giving birth. She picked up an Oreo from a package that Aleighna had brought out, chanting "Jak has mental issues" while she licked at its cream center.
Aleighna passed by Chris and flicked the blonde good-naturedly as she reached for a box of dry pasta on the shelf behind her. Something that seemed out-of-place with the rest of the items on the ledge caught her eye, and upon closer inspection, she realized it was a book of baby names.
"Oh! Keira, Jak!" she called into the other room. "You guys haven't chosen a name for the baby yet!"
A moment later Jak appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, hand entwined with Keira's, his expression clearly stating that he'd completely forgotten about the matter of a name until that instant. Together he and Keira flipped through the pages of the book, discussing its contents quietly with one another while Aleighna continued her work on lunch and Chris munched her Oreos.
Quite suddenly, Keira let out a startled gasp, her hands flying to cradle her swollen stomach.
"Oh my god! I think my water just broke!" she yelled frantically as the three Mars around her all took a step backward, away from the puddle accumulating at her feet that confirmed her statement. Aleighna immediately turned off the stove and rushed out the door, dragging Chris along behind her. Jak and Keira rushed downstairs after them, the group clambering into the zoomer they had only just left.
"My fiancée is having a baby, so if you value your lives, hang on tight!" Jak yelled as the cruiser roared to a start. Within seconds, he was speeding off in the direction of the hospital across town.
When they got to the hospital, Keira was instantly placed in a wheelchair and taken to the delivery room, Jak hovering protectively behind her. Aleighna and Chris followed at a slower pace, calling up everyone they knew to pass on the news.
"Okay," Chris said, tucking a strand of her behind her pointed ear, "Torn, Sig, and Auntie and Uncle are coming, and they'll pick up Samos from downstairs when they get here."
Aleighna nodded affirmatively. "Daxter and Tess were busy, but they said they can make it time."
"Wait, we forgot Ashelin."
"Your point?"
Chris frowned and stared levelly at her sister. "She has to come, or you know Jak's gonna kill us."
As Chris dialed Ashelin's number, Aleighna shook her head in disbelief. "Now you decide to have a brain?"
This did not look good to Keira. She was about to give birth while Aleighna was holding a camera in her face — as if things weren't uncomfortable enough as they were.
After the nurses prepared the cot for the baby, everyone rushed in like a stampede of yakows. Ashelin hovered by the door with Torn and Sig, the trio feeling like outsiders as the rest of their comrades gathered around Keira and Jak. Daxter was chatting up a storm as usual, — his comments granting him several steely glares from Keira — while Tess bounced excitedly beside him, her natural enthusiasm peaked by all the commotion. Samos was in the midst of a serious-looking discussion with Jak, the latter of which seemed to be paying far more attention to Keira than her father — a detail that would no doubt earn him a whack over the head with Samos' staff later.
After twenty minutes, the doctor asked everyone leave the room. It took all the men — with the most help coming from Sig — to push Jak out of the room and away from Keira.
The group all settled down in the waiting room of the maternity ward, exchanging snippets of conversation here and there but otherwise relatively silent.
"Well, this is going to be a long day," Aleighna sighed as she sat down, flipping open a magazine idly.
JKA: I'm honestly not sure when I'll have the next part up for you all, but hopefully it'll be soon, if FES doesn't kill me for taking so long before I get the chance to write it. ^^;