Disclaimer: Yep, I am hereby disclaiming everything in this story except my original characters.

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Chapter 1: A Gathering

Hammer left with Torn, motioning for Steff to follow. She did so promptly, striding after them with no more than a glance at the others. Sandra and McCaw locked eyes, then took up positions on opposite sides of the room, lounging in a way that clearly meant they were doing anything but.

Daxter eyed Steff brazenly as she passed, his little rodent tail twitching, apparently oblivious to the air of warning crackling in the den. He furtively shot a glance at Tess, then leant in to whisper conspiratorially to a watchful Jak. "I'd love to give her a going-over... what shall we call it, a personal examination." He raised his eyebrows gleefully, then yelped as he was suddenly picked up and slammed hard against the wall. Jak leapt up, yelling, then froze as Sandra used her other hand to press her knife between his eyes. He glared at her and opened his mouth, about to whack the blade away, but quietened when she gave a reassuring smile – he wasn't sure what right in hell she had to go calming him down with a smile, but it bloody well worked – and switched her eyes to the wildly struggling ottsel. Behind her, McCaw watched impassively, his presence somehow calming the other elves as effortlessly as she did Jak. Sandra leaned in close to Daxter's face, her voice light but sincere. "If you ever, ever say anything so disrespectful about Steff again, I swear I will use your entrails as a belt." Daxter blinked at her, then remarkably did nothing but kiss her hand, voice chipper as ever. "My lady, it would be an honour." She half-smiled at the ottsel's resilience, then set him down and went out, using the same door as Hammer and Torn. Tess met her eyes as she left, then moved over to Daxter and gave him a squeeze. He grinned widely. "Hey, toots." "Oh, my wittle Daxi, you are a bad boy, talking about Steff like that. What were you thinking?" Daxter knocked a fist drunkenly against his head. "Actually, I'm not sure I was."

Jak, at his side, smiled broadly. "What a surprise."

Torn and Hammer walked back into the room a short while later, Steff and Sandra on their heels. Steff broke off when she saw Daxter and Jak, and, smiling a greeting to Keira and Tess, walked over to them She slyly avoided Ashelin, who was glowering at Torn and looked on the verge of stalking over to confront the two 'leaders'. Steff cast an interested glance at the ottsel on Jak's shoulder, then held out her hand to the renegade, looking him straight in the eyes. "Hey. I'm Steff." He took it, not squeezing too hard, but refusing to drop his gaze. "Jak." Steff nodded to him, her eyes not shifting at all. Daxter threw himself backwards to hang by his feet off Jak's right shoulder, looking across the room at Tess and making soft popping noises. "Torn's a good guy, and he trusts you... Jak," she said, smiling as if trying out the sound. Suddenly she wished she hadn't turned her gaze into a challenge. Through Jak's blue eyes she could sense someone watching her, and it wasn't the ever-alert skim of Sandra, or McCaw's intense, observant stare. She almost blushed, but her eyes never wavered. Neither did his. The moment stretched out, getting harder on her every second, and Daxter got louder, absently moving his hand in time with the pops. Steff realised that Jak still held her hand in his, and once she had, immediately regretted it. His skin was warm to the touch – tough, but warm. She considered, then pulled her hand away, changing her stance so that she stood just out of reach, and covertly scanned the room. Ashelin was rising, apparently sick of waiting for Torn to include her... Tess was making faces at Daxter, Sandra and McCaw were talking quietly... Keira. She sat still, turned away from the pair, but her hair was just re-settling itself on her shoulders. Steff felt a pang of guilt, and turned back to Jak with a small smile. He looked on, unreadable. She would have bitten her lip, but that was too easily interpreted. Instead, she glanced at the ottsel again, than at a spot between Jak's eyes. He wouldn't be able to tell she wasn't meeting his gaze, and she couldn't appear to be avoiding it.

"Anyway, tell Daxter that I'll try and get Sandra to scale down a bit." Jak nodded, in no apparent discomfort. "That would help – we've got enough of the threatening types as it is," he replied. "I suppose it's a stupid question, but what the hell did Sandra do to me? I was ready to attack her." Steff twisted her lip. Okay, so he obviously didn't feel anything. Therefore, you do not have a problem. Relax, Steff. She managed a fair approximation of her normal voice. "It's an ability her and McCaw and a few others have, something called 'the cloud'. It makes their actions seem normal, or at least understandable, to anyone watching; kind of puts other people in their shoes. I don't know how they do it, but McCaw says it's a trick of belief, whatever the hell that means." Her eyes unfocused as she tried desperately to concentrate on something other than this outrageously good-looking, sexy, damn annoying, already taken guy standing right in front of her. Jak, unaware of the mild chaos he had caused, studied her intently. So intently, in fact, that he almost lost control of his thoughts as well. Her eyes, locked with his for so long... They were a warm hazel that reminded him of nights in log cabins in Sandover, and with her, those nights would be— No! He growled mentally, part of him shocked that he could think that. I've been with Daxter too long. He forced himself to look for Keira, and his eyes found her sitting on a bench on the other side of the room, leaning over to talk to Tess. That's better. Now he could almost believe that Steff didn't exist.

As he watched, Keira turned and smiled at him, then motioned for him to get the horny little creature hanging off his shoulder. Jak glanced at Daxter and poked him gently, but the ottsel only swatted distantly at his hand. "Leave me alone, Jak. I'm dreaming sweet, sweet dreams." Yeah, right, like that'll stop me. Jak poked him again, hard this time. Daxter yelped like he'd been stung, and flung himself on Jak's face, eyes wide. "Why did you do that to me??? My dreams, my poor sugared dreams! No, don't tell me – I know. You were jealous. Well, I don't need to deal with you." He flounced over to Tess, throwing himself on her lap. Steff, startled out of her thoughts, laughed, earning a self-important glare from Daxter and Jak's undeniably approving grin.

Torn nodded at Hammer in agreement, scanning the roomful of elves. "This could work." McCaw, Hammer's tall, dark, and relatively handsome right-hand man, seemed to have set aside his hawk-like silence and was discussing gun upgrades with Sandra. Tess, beside her, was staring moon-eyed at Daxter. Keira was unusually quiet, probably missing Jak. Jak... Torn frowned. Jak and Steff had their hands clasped and looked as if they were having something very like a staring contest. Well, if they were, Jak won, and Torn shifted his attention to something far more interesting, something he was particularly fond of – Ashelin. He smiled. Hammer gave him an appraising look out of the corner of his eye, then rose to meet Ashelin as she approached. "Governor." She softened her glare for the man, clasping both his big hands in hers, and gave him a warm smile. "Good to see you alive, Hammer." She didn't say anything of the perils he'd faced to stay that way – it was something they all lived with. "Now, what's this new threat?" Hammer reported the trouble with a grave face: Ashelin's grew steadily paler as he talked, and when he stopped Torn slammed his knife point-first into the table, snarling. "She betrayed us? Why?"

"The invaders had her son," Hammer replied, "At their camp out in the Wastelands. The leader threatened to kill him if she didn't talk."

"Did they have proof?"

He nodded. "Sent through the viewscreen. It was definitely Jared, but we didn't get any clues to the camp's location." Torn narrowed his eyes. "I'll get my agents on it – they can get the job done." Ashelin's face was shadowed. "I told Aliceyn to take him away," she said quietly. Torn paused, looking at her uncertainly, but before he could make a move she gathered herself and looked at Hammer with hard eyes. "What's the damage?"

"The Arys riders know our numbers, and the location of some outlying dens. They know we have dealings with the Wastelanders – I have already sent word to them," he said quickly, in response to the duo of mounting glares. "They are well aware of the danger." Ashelin's face cleared and she nodded gratefully, half-consciously moving so she stood beside Torn. He shifted as if to give her space, then reconsidered and stayed where he was, his side pressed up against hers. Ashelin scanned the room, seeming not to notice. Torn let himself be aware of her for a few seconds, savouring the closeness, then followed her gaze. The groups had changed while they spoke: Keira, Jak, Daxter and Tess were laughing madly at something that Torn didn't want to understand, and Sandra and Steff were talking playfully over a game of King's Ransom. McCaw sat a respectful way off from the two, casting interested glances at both players as he half-consciously checked his knife in its sheath. The small room, a couple of streets away from Headquarters, looked bare save for three tables and two fold-down beds, but it held cupboards full of maps, guns and ammunition, and no less than three hidden exits. The one window was blacked out and barred, but wouldn't at this time let in anything more menacing then moonlight. Torn consciously amended the thought – it was what it would let out that was the problem. And we don't need any more problems. He looked at Hammer for a second. "Are these agents of yours up for this? The Arys aren't people we've faced before." The big raised his eyebrows in amazement. "You doubt it? I wouldn't have them on my team if they couldn't handle themselves." He motioned to Steff, who was grinning at a stone-faced Sandra. Apparently she was good at cards. McCaw glanced over at them, then back to the game. "Steff there was dumped on the streets when she was 10. I met her a few years later when she tried to join the Krimzon Guard." Torn's features tightened in surprise. "Lucky her." They both knew that the Baron did not approve of women in his army. "Yep," Hammer agreed simply. "But she's quick, Torn, and smart. Understands people easy – one of the best damn seconds we've got, and like a demon with a gun. Now, Sandra, she's ruthless. Doesn't flinch at anything – not threats of death, not torture, not anything. She's tight, can think on her own, can lead when it comes down to it. She could go through Hell smirking." The woman they were discussing scowled as her turn came, tossing a card straight on the discard pile. Suddenly her head flicked up, and she turned and looked straight at Hammer. They couldn't possibly have heard, but she frowned at him before turning her back again. Hammer smiled. "And she's loyal."

There was another roar of laughter from the other table, and Daxter mimed... well, actually, Torn had no idea what in hell he was doing. He shook his head, laughing quietly. Ashelin, on his other side, had looked too, but quickly leaned around the Underground leader to speak to Hammer. Torn didn't say anything, not trusting his voice at that moment. He tried not to look at the curve of her back and hips, but she was almost...

"What about him?" Ashelin asked quietly, gesturing to McCaw. Hammer eyed the man rising to double-check his gear, face still except for a small smile. "McCaw? He's my right-hand man, the best spy the Underground has – stealthy, fast, and intelligent enough to know what he's seeing. A bit edgy, of course, but I'd trust him with my life." Ashelin straightened, satisfied, then frowned when she caught Torn's eyes on her. There was no time for that. She scowled. "We're in this deep."