/IMPORTANT: READ TO UNDERSTAND/

Author's Note:

Jynxie: (laughing nervously) Haha...I'm...not dead?

Muse: (sarcastic) Hmm...well, now I don't see how people could EVER get that impression. Except for maybe, oh, I don't know, your little one year and two month absence!

Jynxie: Yeah, see...'bout that...

Muse: Dude, people prolly don't even REMEMBER you!

Jynxie: (getting irritated) 'Kay, I got that, Muse.

Muse: (ignoring Jynxie) No, I mean it, man--You can't just disappear for that long of a time and expect people to--

Jynxie: (snaps) Are you done?!

Muse: (shrugs) Yeah, I'm good.

Jynxie: Ugh...anyway...(turns to readers) Wondering what the hell happened to me? Well, meh...Long story short...I lost the first six chapters to this story due to a gay ass computer virus. Luckily, I just found that I do have chapters 7-10 and have thus decided to upload them for now. Why? You may ask. Well, I've been in a bit of a tiff lately and haven't felt up to writing much fanfiction (getting your best story deleted by then off the face of the earth entirely can do that to a person), but finding that I've had these certain chapters saved to my e-mail account for quite some time has lifted my writing spirits some.

Muse: (boredly) Woooooo...

Jynxie: (twitches) Yes, well...Anyway, even if I never get those first six chapters back (which is most likely the case), I still have a good portion of the story. (The better portion in my personal opinion.) So, for those readers who didn't get a chance to read "Her Fake Smiles" before it got deleted WAY back when or if you did and don't remember then here's a quick summary of what has happened to our favorite little elfin characters from the six deleted chapters that lead up to the ones I'm uploading:

Story Summary: Takes place right after Jak 3during the celebration of Jak's great victory in Spargus. Unfortunately, certain characters (Keira and Torn) find themselves irritated at certain turn-abouts (Jak/Ashelin action) and skip out on the party only to find themselves running into each other (or more like a drunk Torn finds Keira and won't leave her alone). This, of course, ends with Keira having to take the depressed, drunken little man back to his room where he begins to scream obsinities and eventually passes out (right outside his door no less).

Keira, cursing the entire world at this point, thinks that things can't possibly get any worse: That is, until Jak and Daxter come strolling down the hall. Not sure what she's really doing, Keira kisses the unconcious Torn which leads to a series of events including a confused and extremely hung-over Torn, a thoroughly pissed off Jak, and a cleverly/not-so-cleverly devised plot by Keira to get the couple status among their group in the right again (Jak/Keira, Ashelin/Torn), she manages to convince Torn to join in her plan (meaning for them to become a couple and make Jak and Ashelin jealous), and then the plot REALLY begins to thicken.

Certain interludes take place among the story (in which it flashes back to when Torn and Keira practice their couple-ness in the four hours before Ashelin and Torn are to return back to Haven City). This is about where this chapter begins: Ashelin and Torn have left (but not before Torn and Keira got to announce their relationship, issuing even more drama), and Jak has asked Keira for a "talk" (or otherwise thorough chew-out).

Okay, so that's about it. Confused yet? Cuz, I know I am. And I wrote the damn story. Go figure...

Chapter Summary: Keira and Jak have their little talk, Torn feels used, abused, and confused, and Ashelin's just pissed off at everyone!

Her Fake Smiles

Chapter 7

FLASHBACK:

Lesson one…'Acting is a virtue, and emotions are to be feared:'

Keira glanced at Torn nervously, her anger diminishing slightly. Maybe asking for him to practice kissing her was a little…much to ask for at the moment.

"Alright, Torn…so then how should we do this?"

He raised an irritated eyebrow at her, "Well, now how In the hell should I know? This was your idea!"

"Yeah…an idea the YOU, yourself, agreed to."

"Crap…why'd I do that again?"

She sighed, ignoring his question, "Okay, so let's just talk about what's going to have to happen, okay? Can you handle that for now?"

Torn shook his head, seemingly in disbelief. "What do you mean 'have to happen'?"

"Well, you didn't just think that we were going to wing it, did you?"

So what if he did? It wasn't like either of them had experience on this kind of thing. The REVENGE thing, anyway. He was a man, that's just how he did things. Head on.

"N-no…You think I'm that clueless?"

Don't you dare answer that, he thought immediately. He was quite sure that this woman thought him lower than a dirty dog. Him being an under wing of Ashelin and everything. And it was quite obvious on what Keira thought of the governess.

"I don't think that…" she lied, going for a way to change the subject, "Now, if Ashelin cares for you…which…You're sure that she does right?"

He blinked. He'd never really thought about it. Did she? "I don't know…I guess so…"

"You have to be sure," she said, annoyed.

"Well, are you sure that Jak cares?" Turn about is fair play. And her reaction was fair enough.

"I don't care if he does or not," her voice trembled, "I just want to show him that I'm not going to be all helpless and wanting just because he wants to go after someone else." And that was that, even if Torn didn't believe her.

He dropped it either way, "So then…what if Ashelin cares…you were saying?"

"Fear a woman's wrath…Torn, if she really does care, then you might just want to be a bit careful…" She answered matter-of-factly.

"Okay…" Useless information; if Ashelin cared, then she'd be putty in his hands. Even if the Krimzon guard had hardened her, she was still a woman with high emotional issues. All women were like that, despite different reigns of lifestyles. Weren't they?

"So, how about Jak?" She questioned innocently.

"What about Jak?"

Keira scoffed, "Got any advice if he does care that I'm dating you?"

The thought that he'd be dating-but-not-really Keira still had him shaking. It wasn't that he didn't find her attractive; she was beautiful. She just…scared him, was all. Keira took emotional intensity to a whole new level.

"No, I don't have any advice."

"But-TORN!" He flinched at her tone. Ask him to act like a tough-ass any day, don't ask him to communicate with a woman on sensible terms.

"You're a guy!" She continued, "What if he talks to me? What if he ignores me? What if-What if-GAH, I DON'T KNOW! What if he gets like ten times madder than he did earlier? What if he hates me? What if he kills you? Wait…that wouldn't be so bad…BUT-I-What if-"

"KEIRA!" He hissed, resisting the urge to cover his ears and save himself from hearing her ranting, "Just act the part! God, and calm down! You can't be like that; all hysterical! You just have to play the part! Act like you don't care! That's it! It really pisses off guys when women do that! AND-AND QUIT YELLING!"

He took a deep breath, and prepared for the blow to his head that never came.

Is she actually listening to me? He thought, daring a glance at him. Her smiling face that greeted his eyes surprised him.

"See? Now was that so hard?" She giggled slightly.

"Yes…actually it was…"

This wasn't going to be fun, that much he knew.

PRESENT:

Jak sat quietly on the same bench that he had with Ashelin just a day before. Only now he had a very different type company with him. A company that, he could tell, really didn't want to talk to him right now.

Had it been any day before his defeat of Errol, he wouldn't have had anything to say, but now he had so much to that he didn't know where to start. A lot of things just seemed to have come into focus now that existence was no longer being threatened.

"Keira…I-uh…that is…" Dammit, put a sentence together, you idiot! She's going to think you're a moron!

"Jak…if this is about Torn," she began, her voice seething with irritation, "Actually, no…Why IS this about Torn?"

"Who said that this is about Torn?"

Even if it was, that didn't mean that he had to admit it.

"What else would it be about, Jak?" Keira crossed her arms across her chest, and sent him an annoyed glare. He resisted the urge to twitch at her tone.

"Can't it just be a conversation between friends?" No matter how void the 'friends' thing between us sounds?

"Friends? Since when have you been my friend, Jak?"

"Um…since we were kids?" he offered.

Keira scoffed, and turned away from him, saying mockingly, "That's not what I meant...but...Okay…nice weather for a deadly, unimaginably hot desert, isn't it?"

Jak gritted his teeth, "Lifetime friends, Keira, not acquaintances who are just trying to pass the time."

"Fine…your life going well?" Her voice suddenly took a new tone of complete ignorance and sarcasm, "Oh, wait, I forgot…a heroes life is ALWAYS going well, I mean, especially when you've just ensured peace to the world AGAIN, and you've got unlimited amounts of friends and fans, and have gotten yourself a NEW, nice and steady woman to come home to, right? A perfect life…great for you…Now go live happily ever after, why don't you?"

Jak bit back a snarl, and chose instead to glare at the woman next to him, "Look, I've gone through a lot more of a hell than you think, and-"

Keira let out an un-amused 'ha', "Oh, right I'm the oblivious one. Don't know or understand anything about YOUR life, but somehow I still get stuck in the picture," she said under her breath, "The fuzzy picture where everyone's eyes are red, and you can't tell who's face is who's…but I live with it, right? That's just my part…"

Jak blinked, suddenly confused. What picture? Why is she rambling on like that?

"Keira, no one leaves you out of anything. I mean, if it hadn't of been for you I'd of been dead on tons of occasions! I've never thought you useless!"

"Bull...You have made me feel more useless than you'll ever know, Jak," she hissed at him, giving him a look that clearly said 'drop it'.

He sighed, giving up, issuing an uncomfortable silence between them.

Keira was the one to quickly break it, "Why did you want to talk to me?" Her voice was much softer than before, and it almost made Jak lose his courage.

"I really don't know," Jak answered honestly, unconsciously running his hand through hair.

He really didn't know what he had hoped to gain out of this conversation. All he knew was that the only reason he had started it was to get some information on her relationship with Torn; though, he really didn't seem to be getting himself anywhere with that.

"I just...want you to be happy, Keira," he said quietly, but really felt his statement to be unnaturally empty. She gave him a startled look; as if that was the last thing that she had expected to come out of his mouth, but she was quick to get her composure back.

"Really? And you don't think that Torn can make me happy?" It was an innocent question, Jak would give her that much.

"I just don't think that he's your type," Jak mumbled, nervously scratching at his leg. God, ask me to save the world against all odds and I can do it...ask me to talk to a member of the opposite sex and I'm screwed.

"Neither were you, but that didn't stop us from dating..." she said so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

"Yeah...but...well, we had been friends for years...and it just...seemed...I don't know...natural--" he rambled.

"Oh, stop it, Jak! Just be quiet!" Keira said irritably, scooting away from him. Obviously he had struck a nerve.

"I didn't mean any offense," Jak defended, feeling slightly confused as to what he had said wrong.

"Torn's a nice guy...but if things don't work out, then at least we can say that we tried," she huffed. "But whatever we do, it's none of your business."

Jak opened his mouth to reply only to quickly shut it; he really couldn't say much to defend himself when she had made a pretty descent point.

"Alright, but just answer me this..." he broke, not being able to find anymore ways around what he really wanted to say. "Why Torn?"

Keira sighed, folding her hands in her lap, not even looking at him, "Because I have a feeling that he won't give up on us…"

She stood and left before Jak could think of an answer to that. In truth, he didn't even think that he would have ever thought of one. All he knew was that he wasn't through talking to Keira about Torn. Even if she became the queen of avoidance throughout their final days in Spargus.

One Week Later…Haven City…

Haven City might have been the damn dirtiest place on the face of the planet. What with the toxic waste splashed here and there, it's trash and crumbling buildings, and even the stray Metal Heads roaming the darkest corners…Hey, while on the subject some might even mention the many corpses and chemically induced air. But, in honest truth, Torn never felt more at home.

The desert wasn't for him. (Even if Spargus had EDIBLE food and water.) No, he was a city dweller, born and raised. And after spending an almost pleasant-to-him week in Haven, he was quite convinced that the burning sun and hot sand could all go to hell.

Though, if Ashelin didn't start staying the hell away from him then he was about to let her join them. You see, she was the flaw in his whole being around civilization giddiness. (Which, honestly, was the only pleasant thing about being back in Haven; sweet civilization.) The governess still wasn't treating him like the long time friends they were, she was treating him like he was a damn slave. And her jobs for him were utterly annoying, totally below him, and completely exhausting. Almost to the point that he was about to call it quits.

Quits to the extent of giving Ashelin the finger when she wasn't looking, anyway. Honestly, though, what had he ever done to deserve the woman's wrath? Wasn't HE the one who was supposed to be pissed off at HER? Wasn't SHE the one that kept the whole Jak relationship behind HIS back?

Evil little turd of a man that he is, anyway. Unknowingly siccing his ex on me. Honestly! Who do these people think they are!

But, in truth, it wasn't Ashelin's horrid jobs and attitude that was getting to him. It was her damn evil based hovering! Oh, yes, the woman was HOVERING! Over his every move; every move that SHE, herself, assigned him to! It was annoying the hell out of him! What did he ever do? Why was it always him? Where did he go wrong in life? Why in the hell was Ashelin HOVERING!

Of course, Keira had mentioned something about this.

"Torn, if she really does care…then you might just want to be a bit careful…" She had said.

Thinking it foolish gibberish, he hadn't taken her seriously. But now…he was just completely convinced that women were demon-spawn; damn evil and confusing creatures! What kind of person shows that they care by putting the other through ultimate HELL? A female that's who! And to make it even worse, a governmental female!

I knew politics were horrible, but goddamn!

He was beginning to turn jittery and becoming fearful of everything. He even went as far as checking his temporary room at the Naughty Ottsel for hidden cameras and booby traps. Torn was dead set on the idea that Ashelin was out to get him.

But why can't people just leave me alone?

Many questions were plaguing him, but with the evil little red-headed woman barking orders at him like he was a stupid animal, he barely had time to think of logical answers for them. Now, of course one would wonder why he was becoming so paranoid. And to give a small insight on what Asheiln was actually putting our dear Torn through, mentioning a recent mission might be enough. In fact, why not his mission for the moment. Which was still haunting him, by the way. And he hadn't even started it yet!

"Torn, I need you to investigate a water back-up over at the Pumping Station."

Oh, sure it sounded easy enough, but that was until…

"Okay, sure…What route is it?"

She looked up at him, her eyes piercing, "Sewage."

Sewage…

As if it was the simplest word in her whole damn vocabulary. She actually wanted him to crawl up some damn pipe that was full of Mar knows what, that led straight to the damn Sewers! And did he forget to mention that he would have to blast out whatever was clogging the damn thing too? Or better yet, she wouldn't even let him bring his troops to help in the dirty work. She said it was a one-man job…

And by one-man job, she was basically just saying, "Jak could and WOULD do it if HE was here."

Like hell he would! That damn-uh-damn…stupid…p-pretty boy! Yeah that's all that little jerk is! A damn p-pretty…boy…ahem…

As if that little blond would blast out a shit-filled pipe, in which the contents would blast all over him as well. It was just disgusting!

But with the look she had on her face, he just couldn't find the courage to argue with her. It was like she was silently threatening him to say something, daring him to. He would almost admit to the fact that Ashelin was terrifying him. The woman that HE was supposed to be pissed at and exacting revenge from, was scaring the living crap out of him (or in a more disgusting sense, out of the pipes it now dwelled in.)

Hell, the only good thing about the whole mess was that she wouldn't be joining him for once. She WOULDN'T get to watch his every move! Though, he couldn't blame her. Clearing feces wasn't exactly a thing that would attract tourists.

But Torn was a forgiving person. He had obviously upset Ashelin in some way or another, and instead of talking to him about it like a normal person would, she was going to make him suffer. Really suffer.

Damn, how do I manage to do these things to myself without even knowing it? What in the hell ever happened to FREE WILL?

The rotting, decaying smell and, what he hoped to be, mud filled water, didn't help to answer him.

…Nor did the crap wall he now faced…

Ashelin…pissed off over the Keira thing, or simply just showing that you care…It still won't stop the fact that I'm beginning to hate you…

Ashelin hated being angry with people. But people tended to due nothing to stop the anger from happening. They just kept pushing and pushing and pushing…barely even giving her a chance to breathe. And she knew, really knew, that now wasn't the time to worry about it, but images from earlier events kept pounding their way back into her head.

Honestly…it was fogging up her judgment, and it irritated her that she didn't know why…

…Why she felt as if she'd been stabbed in the back.

Though, looking at the present time…her, along with Torn, had been back in Haven for a week, desperately trying to clear the city from its remaining Metal Heads and the few of Errol's robots still activated. And not one to usually act on emotional outlooks, Ashelin did her best to keep herself busy…in order to keep Torn away from uncontrollable harm.

Mostly because it would have been her who inflicted it, but ahem, moving on…

Of course, there was the many missions she had sent him on lately. Even if missions wasn't exactly the perfect name for them. But she had to do something! Not that she knew why, mind you. Lately, she had gone along the reasoning that she just felt that he needed to know his place.

Even if that place was second command to herself. It was still below her, dammit!

She nodded at that thought and stretched her aching form, studying the map layouts in front of her. She was currently at Headquarters with the assignment of finding the best routes in Haven for the Freedom League troops to enter the places where Metal Heads were still active. She figured it was better than surveying Torn in his latest mission.

Even though Jinx offered to do it…ahem…

But honestly, she was just doing her job…organizing troops…and finding people capable of doing things that needed done…and Torn was more than capable to do the missions assigned to him. And…and…

Ashelin sighed, giving in. Looking at these maps, while her mind wandered was just giving her a headache.

She knew this whole thing was about that day in Spargus, really she did.

…She just wasn't exactly ready to admit it to herself…

Of course, Ashelin didn't know why she was so angry. It wasn't actually any of her business or concern that Torn and that little mechanic woman were…something that she didn't want to come to terms with at the moment.

It was just so sudden and unexpected. There just weren't even any warning signs! No heated glances between the two, physical contact; hell, she couldn't even remember a time when she'd seen the two exchange more than two words, and now suddenly there a couple?

How did it happen without her knowing?

Why did it happen without me knowing?

Ashelin shook her head at that emotional thought. Torn and herself were never really official when it came to the commitment part of their relationship. If you want to call what they had relationship material. As for Jak and Keira…it had just been a lost cause, hadn't it? They just grew apart; nobody could help that…right?

So, really, there was no reason to get upset over the sudden turn of events, right? She would be with Jak…and Torn would just be with…with…

Ashelin growled, slamming her fist onto the desk before her causing some of the papers to flutter to the floor.

Dammit, Torn…

He was definitely going on clean up duty in the western unit of city tomorrow. No matter how much he claimed to hate the, as he called them, 'damn tree hugging hippies' on that squad…

Author's Note:

Jynxie: Confused? Meh, don't worry, I'm working on re-writing the first six chapters and I plan on uploading them here soon. I just wanted to give you guys SOMETHING since I've been gone for so frickin' long.

Muse: Dude, I telling you--People here prolly don't even remember you! You don't have to do them any favors, ya dumbass!

Jynxie: (dejected) But I wanna...

Muse: Eh...(grumbling) Damn teenagers and their damn wants...

Jynxie: (annoyed) READ & REVIEW, PLEASE! (whispers) Prove the jackass Muse wrong!

Muse: Hey! Don't think I'm above biting, woman! I'll go beasty on your ass!

Jynxie: (narrows eyes) Bring it on, ya squirrel from Hell!