AN;) HEY EVERYONE. SO LET ME GET SOME STUFF OUT OF THE WAY. THIS IS AN 'AU' (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE) FANFIC, SO I'M PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE FOLLOWING THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE TO THE LETTER. THE KEY POINTS WILL BE THERE BUT I'M TAKING A BIT OF CREATIVE LICENSING ON THIS. HOPE THAT'S OK WITH EVERYONE. DON'T GET MAD AT ME FOR SAYING JAKE WA IN THE IRAQ WAR. IF I MISSSPELL SOMETHING LET ME KNOW. AS ALWAYS REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. I KNOW SOME OF THESE PARTS MAY SOUND LIKE BITS FROM OTHER FANFICS BUT THEY'RE NOT, COPPIED. I DON'T COPY PEOPLE. OK ON WTH THE STORY.

CHAPTER 1

IRAQ; NEAR A SMALL NAMELESS VILLAGE

Death rained all around him. Gunshots ripped through the air, grenades and explosions flashed around him. a scene straight from hell, and all Jake sully could do was kill anything that looked at him for too long. Wheeling to his left Jake jerked back on the trigger of his gun sending 2 rounds into a man's chest. He had done this before. All of it. He had been here, before, he had shot this man before, and he had lost his ability to walk here. Taking cover behind a turned over car Jake felt his blood run cold as he saw a familiar sight. A boy maybe 15 or 16 years old trying his best to sink into the ground to avoid the gunfire from all around him. grabbing his radio Jake shouted at his squad mates. "James give me cover, I'm going to run out and grab that kid! On the count of 3. 1….2….3!" Jake threw himself out from behind his cover, his blood was pumping and his body moved like a well oiled machine. He easily crossed the distance between him and the boy in a few seconds grabbed the boy and threw himself and the boy behind a small stone wall. Letting go of his gun he shook the boy and shouted at him. "Kid you ok?!"

The kid shouted something at him in a foreign language. Jake rolled his eyes. "look kid if you want me to understand you; you need to speak English." The boy nodded and spoke in disjointed English that Jake was bairly able to hear over the gunfire, around him. "I……. ok." Jake nodded. 'well that's one break today.' "ok listen. On the count of 3 you and I are going to run to the overturned car I just came from ok?" the boy nodded. "Jake grabbed his radio again. "You hear that guys?" 3 shouts of "YES!" echoed through his radio. Jake nodded to the kid. "1……2………….3" Jake and the kid tore the dirt around them as they ran as fast as they could back to the car. as they neared it a plane shot passed the buildings around them, and dropped a bomb onto a nearby building causing the ground to shake. Jake lost his balance and hit the ground hard. The kid kept going and was now safely behind the car. as Jake pulled himself off the ground he felt something hard and fast slam into his helmet, blurring his vision and disorientating him.

Jake shook his head doing his best to clear his vision. He could hear his squad mates yelling at him, shouting to him o get back to the car. he never got the chance. His vision may have been blurred but he could see well enough to notice the pulse grenade that landed right at his feet. He got maybe 2 steps away before the grenade exploded lifting him off his feet and sending him sailing through the air like a rag doll. As he hit the ground his body exploded with pain and he could easily understand why. The explosion had skewered him like a shish kabob on a bit of broken and jagged metal. He hung there like a dog staked through the waist, blood dripping from the finger sized piece of metal that stuck out from his hips. His vision continued to blur and all around him sounds were becoming distorted. He could hear people shouting, "the Lieutenant is down, repeat Lieutenant is down." But a moment later his vision went black and he lost consciousness.

2 YEARS, 7 MONTHS, 19 DAY LATER

AVATAR FORM

Jakesully woke with a start started to find, Neytiri straddling his hips and shaking him a frightened look on her face. As his eyes became more focused he could see other na'vi looking at him some with worried looks on their faces others, looked simply annoyed at having been woken up. But Neytiri was speaking now. "Jakesully are you ok?" Jake nodded and felt the pressure of Neytiri weight slide off of him as she moved back to her own hammock. As she did so Jake shifted so his feet dangled down towards the ground. His whole body shook and even as he put his head in his hands he could feel his pulse pounding as though he had just actually been fighting as though he had truly been back in Iraq. For a long while he sat there in his hammock trembling. But it was Neytiri voice that brought him back to reality. "What is wrong Jakesully? Are you injured?"

Jake looked up and shook his head. "No. just………. Just had a nightmare. That's all. I'll be ok." Neytiri tilted her head to one side, looking at his questioningly. "Nig-ht-mare? What is that?" Jake looked at her. "You don't know what a nightmare is?" Neytiri shook her head. Jake rolled his eyes and lay back down in his hammock. Next to him Neytiri spoke again. "this night-mare….. it has caused you pain?" Jake smiled and turned so he was looking at Neytiri. "well…… kind of. A nightmare is what sky people call it when you have a dream that scares or frightens you. As for the dream I had…….." Jake's voice trailed off. How could he tell Neytiri? How could he say that in his human form he couldn't walk or run? How could he tell her that and not expect her to look upon him with conceit, or worse pity? Jake shook his head and flashed his trademark foolish smile. "it's nothing. I'll be ok." Neytiri nodded but did not looked convinced; in fact as Jake closed his eyes he could feel her eyes still upon him, watching him.

For half an hour Jake tried to go back to sleep. But his mind was frantic. When he had first been told he would never be able to walk he had been in a panic. He knew what that meant. He would be asked to leave the marines, he would need physical therapy, and worst of all. It would mean he would see that disappointed look in his parent's eyes. Finally after half an hour Neytiri broke him from his thoughts. "Jakesully perhaps, a run, or a light swim would help to calm your mind?" Jake smiled and nodded. "Yes. I think it might." Smiling again Jake twisted out of his hammock and plummeted 30 feet downward until he landed on the forest floor with a soft thud. A moment later Neytiri touched down next to him. Deciding to go for a swim Jake and Neytiri slowly made their way away from the hometree and towards a large lake nearby. As they walk Neytiri laughs and plays, running up the trees and leaping from the branches to the ground. Jake smiles at her every now and then but does not join in. his mind was to full of other thoughts.

Jake lets out a low moan as the warm waters of the lake pass over his body, until they rest just at the beginning of his neck. Next to him Neytiri mimics him. After a moment Jake speaks. "Neytiri…… thank you." Neytiri looks at him oddly. "For what?" Jake smiles. "For this." Jake gestures to the forest around them. "For giving me a chance to be one of you. For teaching me. For not shooting me with that arrow the first time you saw me." Neytiri smiled at him, and Jake felt his heart pump harder, in response. She has such a lovely smile. "You're welcome Jakesully. Perhaps it was the will of Eywa that we were to meet in such a way." Jake nods. "perhaps." For a moment their eyes connect and Jake felt the very strong urge to kiss Neytiri. But after a moment Neytiri looked away and the moment vanished into the night. Closing her eyes and leaning a bit deeper into the water, Neytiri spoke. "So Jakesully you're learning more about my culture, but I still know very little about you." Jake raised an eyebrow. "What would you like to know?" Neytiri shrugged her eyes still closed. "You say you are a warrior of the sky people. How did you become one?"

Jake made himself more comfortable and began to retell the story of his training. "I went through hell and back. In training we were worked to the bone every day. We, ate, breathed, and slept training. When, I graduated……. It was the happiest day of my life. My instructors told me I would go far. And I did. It took my only 3 years to reach the rank of Lieutenant." Upon seeing Neytiri confused face Jake amended. "A lieutenant would probably be like a hunter party leader in your culture. They command others but still fight." Neytiri nodded in understanding. "ok. Continue." Jake shrugged. "not much else to tell, I was in the military for another 4 years before……" Jake broke off. They had come back to his injury. But his abrupt silence did not go unnoticed by Neytiri who opened her eyes and looked at him. "Before what, Jakesully?" Jake sighed. "I……. had………… an accident." Neytiri looked at him. "an accident?" Jake nodded. "what kind of accident?" Jake bit his lip. He really didn't want to tell her he had lost his ability to walk. After a moment of deliberation he spoke. "The kind of accident you can't walk away from."

Neytiri cocked her head to the side again. "Jakesully. You are not telling me something. What is it you're not telling me? Do you not trust me enough?" "Jake shook his head frantically and spoke. "no no no. it's not that. It's just…………………. It was a very personal accident and….. well……… I'm just not ready to talk about it. Ask me another time." Neytiri eyes narrowed. "A warrior who fails to talk about his wrong doings, often becomes a danger to himself and to others." Jake nodded and spoke. "don't worry Neytiri. It won't put you or me in danger. It's fine." Neytiri nodded but spoke in a slightly harsher tone, than before. "Alright Jakesully I will leave you alone…… for now." Jake noted the 'for now' and nodded. "I'll tell you someday……… just not today." Silence lapsed between them, as neither of them spoke to the other. Jakes thoughts moved slowly through his mind as though they were being slowed by the water. had he offended her by refusing to tell her what had happened? But how would she react if she knew? How would she react if she knew the reason he always seemed so happy was because he could walk again?

For a long time they stayed silent until Jake spoke. "anything else you would like to know?" Neytiri thought for a moment and then remembered something she had been meaning to ask Jake for a long time. "you said you had a brother. Where is he now?" Jake felt sorrow well up in his chest and did his best to prevent the tears in his eyes from falling into the water. "he's………… in heaven." Neytiri looked at him again. "Heaven?" "Jake nodded and whipped a few small tears from his eyes making it look as though he was scratching his forehead. "It's a sky people idea. It's the place where we go when we die." "What does it look like?" Jake shrugged. "don't know. For different people it's different things." Neytiri waited for a moment before voicing her next question. "will you go to heaven when you die?" Jake looked at her for a long while before shaking his head. "Probably not. If you want to go to heaven you're not allowed to fight or kill anyone. I was a warrior, fighting and killing was what I was trained to do." A sad looked covered Neytiri face. "Then why did you become a warrior?" Jake sighed again. "Because, if me not getting into heaven means I can stop bad people from doing bad things right now, I think it's worth it. My eternal peace isn't in doubt. I believe that by helping people I can have my peace here and now. Rather than when I'm dead."

After a long pause Neytiri spoke, in a voice that Jake almost couldn't hear. "where will you go if you don't go to heaven?" Jake shook his head. "I don't know." After moment Neytiri stood straight up, water showered down from her form and Jake felt a red flush cover his face. "Your beliefs are flawed Jakesully! Everyone going to their idea of paradise when they die, no matter what they have done in their lifetime." Jake looked up at Neytiri and spoke. "Look. I'm not saying I'm not going to heaven I really don't know. None of the sky people knows what happens when we die. It's just something we're not supposed to know. I'm sorry if I've upset you." That last part came out very quite. Neytiri shook her head and settled back down in the water. "I'm sorry Jakesully, but……….. I do not agree with your beliefs." Jake shrugged. "Well that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion." For several minutes silence crept between Jake and Neytiri, then Jake spoke. "Neytiri it's getting late. I think we should head back now." Neytiri nodded. "Yes perhaps you are right." As Jake climbed out of the lake he noticed with a start that Neytiri had several tears on her face. With a hesitant voice Jake spoke. "Neytiri……. Don't think too long on heaven. It's not important right now." Neytiri sighed. "I will try Jakesully. But I do not agree with your beliefs." Jake nodded. "ok, that's fine. Come on."

A little while later Jake climbed into his hammock, next to him Neytiri climbed into hers. As Jake closed his eyes a familiar prickling on the back of his neck told him he was about to be pulled back into his human body. "goodnight Neytiri." He never heard if she said goodnight back or not. He felt his mind tunnel and then when he opened his eyes he found himself laying in the psionic chamber back at the main base.

AN) well folks here is my first avatar fanfic. What do you think? Should I continue it?

Reviews are needed.