A/N: I put Vin in here, because I love him! It always made me sad that he died at the end of Jak II. :(


~ Four ~

Jak could have sworn he'd placed the Jet-Board in his basement – always next to his desk – but, for some reason, it wasn't there, and he couldn't remember lending it to anyone. Of course, such a thing would occur on a day he specifically needed it for a mission. After a morning talk with Torn at the Freedom League headquarters, the blonde had, in his typical, heroic style, accepted the assignment and returned home, to get the necessary equipment – he didn't carry it around everywhere with him, after all.

So, now that the device was nowhere to be found, Jak found himself stuck. He had the laborious effort of explaining to the ex-Commander why the mission could not be done, as well as the somehow more laborious trudge around Haven City, trying to find the damn Jet-Board.

At least the eighteen year old had a fairly good clue who had 'borrowed' it.


"It's sure nice of you to do this," Vin's voice echoed within the Power Station. "I, uh, don't get much company in here."

"You're welcome," Taryn responded, kneeling down and unscrewing the bolts that fixed a metal plate to one of the consoles. Once it was free, she began fiddling with the wires, disconnecting some and tugging out an old energy pack. The new one sat in a box next to her. She unpacked it and fitted it snugly inside. All the while, the disembodied geek chatted to her – mostly about components, wires and grids, but it was talk, all the same.

"It's been too long time since I saw you last," she smiled. Should have seen you sooner, she guiltily thought. After everything he had done for she, Tess and Jinx over the years, it was a disappointment that the blue-haired teen had not made a trip sooner – not since Vin's death. She was continuing to deal with the shock that he still existed in some form, and had worried for ages that it might be too strange to talk to his digital self, but, upon meeting him again, the pair was as amicable as ever.

"How are Tess and Jinx?" he enquired.

"Jinx is his same, sarcastic self. He doesn't actually say when anything's wrong, but I can tell. He's just not the type to talk about feelings. Typical male," she grinned. "And Tess is dealing with being an Ottsel really well. She's got Daxter to support her, I suppose. They're always lovey-dovey whenever I see them."

Vin looked sideways at her, which was extremely distracting. After a questioning glance from the young woman, he explained himself. "You're envious."

Her face glowed lobster pink. "I am not!"

Having known her since she was small, he had become accustomed to her behaviour and was well aware of when he had hit the nail on the head. Whenever she became very embarrassed, her cheeks turned lobster pink and she would shrink into herself. The hologram grinned at her, causing a pout to form on her lips.

"Okay, I won't tease you anymore," he said. Slowly, her countenance returned to a neutral state and she returned to her work. He watched her focusing on the wires of the console with incredible ease, and fought a smile creeping onto his face. She really is like me, he thought, yet wasn't quite brave enough to voice it.

The adolescent hurriedly changed the subject. "When I come here next, I'll bring Tess and Jinx with me," she promised.

"Thanks, Taryn," Vin said.

Her lips tugged upwards, into a smile. He was one of the few friends that actually called her by her proper name, and, for that, he earnt her undying respect…except when he embarrassed her, of course, but she always thought of ways to get her revenge. At some point, she would find some way of wreaking vengeance for his comments about her envy towards Tess and Daxter. Past threats of refusing to do maintenance work for Vin had always failed, because Taryn always felt guilty about not helping him and could never say 'no' to the man.

She was about to speak, again, when a loud, energetic tenor bounced off the walls and made the pair cringe.

"Hey, there, Gorgeous!" Daxter was charging into the room, beaming…which surely meant trouble. He had a little grey object in his hands, which Taryn recognised to be Jak's Jet-Board. Alarm bells rang in her head. Uh-oh…what does he want to do with that?

"What are you doing here?" she enquired, raising a blue eyebrow at the Ottsel. He raised the retracted device up to her, almost victoriously, as if he'd acquired it through skill or luck…almost like he'd stolen it. She had an inkling that was the case. Whatever he wanted, she had no interest in it.

He shrugged. "What, I can't just come and say hello?"

"Suspicious, much?" she remarked. "What do you want?"

"You got some free time, right?"

"I'll be done in ten minutes. Why?"

"How about we get down to the Jet-Board course and have a little play around?"

"You still sound suspicious…" she commented. "Did Jak let you borrow it?"

"Yeah. He said it'd be fine!" Daxter insisted.

"Really?" Her green optics squinted, not entirely convinced.

"Suuuuure. I asked."

Against better judgement – it was definite that there was something wrong with Daxter's plan – Taryn was enticed by the idea of racing around on the Jet-Board. Precursors knew why, but she nodded, her mischievous side kicking in. "Alright."


As expected, Tess was at the bar of The Naughty Ottsel, exuberantly relaying local gossip and her love's latest adventures. The blue-eyed hero entered, unsure how to respond to such tales, but decided it was better to just not input anything. He approached the bar, prepared for the stupid things Daxter was probably getting up to. With Jak's Jet-Board. The female Ottsel was always the best person to ask for Orange Lightning's whereabouts, and now was no different.

"Oh, he went to the Power Room about an hour ago. To see Taryn," she elucidated.

Taryn? Why does he want to see Taryn? Jak wondered. "Was Dax carrying anything?"

"Not that I saw…but we both know what he's like."

Tell me about it, the blonde grumbled to himself.

As if to answer his next question, before he'd even asked, Tess added, "Tarry's fiddling with the consoles, to improve Vin's programming. She's been there practically all morning, so should finish soon."

"Thanks." He headed out the door, practically at a run.

Now there was a very good idea of what had occurred. Daxter had taken the Jet-Board and tried to convince Taryn to go on it; perhaps succeeded. So, it was to the Power Station, where Vin would hopefully not talk Jak's ear off too much, and reveal wherever Daxter and Taryn had taken the Jet-Board. If all went well, maybe Torn's assignment could be completed, after all.


Unfortunately, Jak did manage to get an earful of the holographic geek's techno-babble, and it far outdid War & Peace. Fortunately, the eighteen year old had managed to build up a resilience to it over the years, so he no longer fell asleep.

"Where did they go? It's important," he interrupted, unable to stand any more.

"The Jet-Board course in the Stadium," Vin said simply. "They should still be there."

"Good." The blonde rushed for the exit, but the older male's voice caused the former to come to a stop.

"Hey, uh, Jak?"

"What is it?"

"When you find them…don't give Taryn too much of a hard time, okay?"

"Don't worry; she's not the one in trouble." It's the little orange thing I'm going to kill. Jak wisely did not voice that, proceeding out of the Power Station pronto.


Traversing the Stadium and quickly making his way down to the Jet-Board course, the young male reached the enormous room, with its half-pipes, rails and hoops. Cerulean optics immediately narrowed. There the pair was, riding along on Jak's Jet-Board, as if without a care in the world.

"Found you."

Hearing such a recognisable voice, the duo circled round. Daxter knew his time was up. Taryn's eyes widened, as she saw the expression on Jak's face, and felt unsure if he was going to kill her, but was not partial to finding out. The Ottsel shrank behind her leg, in a futile effort to hide, his fur giving his position away. After manoeuvring herself, she came to a stop before the blonde male.

Daxter's first instinct was to flee. Unfortunately, trying to outrun a man capable of channelling Light Eco, therefore slowing down time, did not favour the Ottsel. Jak's hand reached out, and Orange Lightning panicked.

"Not the tail! Not the taiiiiiiil!" the latter cried out in horror. Sadly, that was precisely how he was caught.

"Whoa there, Dax! You're going nowhere." The blonde dangled his best friend by the tail, several feet from the ground. Not one to admit defeat, the Ottsel attempted to run away, albeit upside-down, which was, as expected, an utter failure. Ignoring that, Jak turned to Taryn, the frown still on his face.

The cogs had already turned in her head and it confirmed that she had been roped into mischief. She slapped both hands to her head and moaned. "I saw it coming. Why didn't I listen?"

"Taryn?" the human male asked. She looked up, a sheepish expression on her face, and swallowed.

"Look, I was working and Daxter suggested I take a break. He showed me the Jet-Board and said you said it was okay for me to have a go," she elucidated, still nervous, but the blonde didn't really seem angry.

"What made you trust Daxter? He pulls this stuff all the time," he said, almost laughing, shaking said Ottsel and earning a "hey" in response.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "It's my fault."

"Yes, it is," Daxter determinedly agreed. "She's the one who should be punished here."

Jak rolled his eyes. "You can use the Jet-Board any time you like. Just…let me know when, okay? 'Cause I don't wanna end up needing it and find out it's not there." He scowled at his best friend. "The way I did today."

"Oh. Okay," she smiled, relieved.

"Can I use it, too?" Orange Lightning asked.

"No."

"WHAT? That's not fair! And yer not gonna punish her? After what she did? Jaaaaak! You need to punish her!" Overcome with impish intent, Daxter leant as close as possible in his current position, and, in a low voice, spoke words that he knew would embarrass the one holding him by the tail. "Give her a good spank."

Said result was achieved. The blonde's face coloured and he glared, sure they were destined to be enemies in their next lives. "Shut up," Jak said, through gritted teeth. He was afraid Taryn would hear the bigmouth. Then how would things be explained? Jak poked Daxter in the chest. "Don't mess things up, got it?"

The Ottsel squinted and folded his arms, prepared for a challenge. "Or what?"

Realisation struck the hero's face; he had a problem on his hands. "Okay, okay…what's the cost to keep your mouth shut?"

"Hmm…" Teasing, Daxter stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'll keep quiet if you move this snail-pace relationship with Taryn into a higher gear."

The blonde scowled, but what was the alternative? "Deal." He begrudgingly dropped Daxter on the floor. The latter landed in a heap.

The blue-haired teen had watched the two males whispering to one another, but she merely shrugged, instead focusing on the mechanics of the Jet-Board. Pausing for a moment, she shook her head and raised her voice. "I still don't understand how I'm not in trouble."

"Don't knock it! Jak's not usually that generous," Daxter beamed, aware of getting his friend into yet more hot water. She raised an eyebrow and handed the device back to the blue-eyed human, then began heading towards the exit. As if a form of apology, the Ottsel hopped onto Jak's shoulder and the pair tailed the female, giving her a little space, so the boys could talk.

"I'm warning you," the blonde muttered, in a menacing tone.

"I'm not meddling," Daxter whispered his insistence. "I'm helping."

"Well, help me by not helping me."

"You want me to…what? That doesn't make sense!"

Jak wanted to tear his hair out. Feeling Dark Eco bubbling in his veins, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "What I'm saying is that I need to do it myself."

"So do it. She's right in front of us. What better timing? I can run ahead, if it'll help," Orange Lightning retorted, but his friend's expression was a tad apprehensive. The former sighed.

Taryn turned on her heel, facing the two, and gave a wave. "Look, I've got some stuff to do. I'll, uh, catch you later." She moved quickly, and Jak's hesitation meant that it was too late for him to chase after her. So he simply watching her retreating back.

"See? You blew it," Daxter remarked. "What the heck are ya waitin' for, anyway?"

The blonde gave no reply. He honestly didn't know.


The Gun Course was always an appealing place to hang out. There weren't actually many people that tried out for it – the odd mercenary, civilian and a few regular Freedom League soldiers, who all brazenly flirted with whatever woman was there at the time – so it meant the green-eyed girl could generally work in peace.

Now, however, it was a little more stressful than usual. Working on the complexities of a new gun she and Tess had collaborated on was beginning to hurt the former's head.

"I really don't know how this is going to work…" Taryn grumbled, slumping in her seat and setting various pieces down.

"That's because you're thinking of the entire workings of the gun," the smaller female retorted. "Focus on just your bit. That's what I'm doing." It evidently worked for her, since she was steaming ahead with the frame. A small smirk spread across her lips, as if she already knew the answer to the question she was about to ask. "You never told me who this is for."

"Me."

"Nuh-uh. I know you. You wouldn't be interested in this kind of gun. So…?"

"None of your business, Tess."

"Ooh, I think I can guess!"

Taryn let out a cry of exasperation. "Can we please not do this? The guessing game? It's painful."

"Jinx isn't here, so it won't be painful this time," Tess corrected. "So, let me see if I can work it out…who could possibly want a heavy-duty, Light Eco-absorbing grenade launcher?"

"You're as bad as Daxter," the blue-haired teen scowled, trying to work again…without success. She didn't want to play this silly game. The last one had resulted in her going into a raging fury and threatening Jinx and Tess within an inch of their lives. Taryn's cheeks flushed pink, as she realised the impending doom of the Ottsel successfully guessing the gun's intended recipient.

"You are so easy to read!" Tess chortled. "I didn't know you were close enough to give each other presents."

Damn it. "Alright, you got me. It's for Jak."

"That's so sweet of you."

"I feel guilty about not paying rent. That's all. Can we move on, now?"

"Seems a lot of effort-"

Taryn's eyes actually flashed with anger. "Stop it, okay? And don't tell anyone. Not even your furball lover boy."

Tess raised her palms in surrender. "Sure, sure. I promise." Her eyes lit up, and she stretched out a paw, nudging Taryn. "Talk of the Devil."

The latter's mind distracted, the Ottsel's words didn't initially sink in.

"Hey, Taryn. Tess," Jak smiled. Said female froze, then turned around and faced the blonde. Her optics widened and a grin slowly crept along her face. Approaching her side, he leant down and stared at the materials in her hand. "What are you making?"

"I'm helping Tess with a gun," she responded.

"Does she really need help with that?" he cheekily enquired.

"I'm sitting right here, you two." The Ottsel mock-pouted, but it soon fizzled into a grin. "So, what brings you down here?"

"I finished my mission, so Torn's happy, and now I'm free for the day."

"Can't get enough of me, huh?" the green-eyed teen teased. He rolled his eyes at her, then took a seat where she was working, and silently watched. It was a tad distracting to begin with, but she soon became used to his inquisitive presence. "I saw Vin earlier. I was upgrading some of the equipment for him. He seems like he's doing better, since things have become peaceful."

"I didn't know you were so close," he remarked.

"Vin looked after me a lot when I was younger. He used to keep an eye on me in the Power Room. I soon started picking up on electronics and eventually helped him maintain the place…not that he really needed it. I think he must have just liked my company."

"So…there was nobody else?"

"Not really. I'm an orphan," she replied, somewhat sombrely. "It's surprising the amount of adults who don't like looking after a lost little girl."

"Well, you found Jinx and me in the streets and dragged us along to see Vin, too," Tess piped in. "Vin found it impossible to say 'no' to your big green eyes and blue pigtails."

"Blue pigtails?" Jak smirked. Taryn looked embarrassed, for a third time that day.

"Yes…laugh it off, Blondie," she sighed.

"Me and Jinx used to tease her all the time when she was younger," the Ottsel giggled.

"Don't remind me," Taryn groaned, slapping a palm to her face. "The stuff we used to get up to back then…"

"You know, I still have that picture of us that Vin took," Tess grinned. The blue-haired teen's face fell.

"I'd like to see that," Jak remarked.

"No, you wouldn't," Taryn cut in. He simply smiled at her continued mortification.

"I have given you a place to stay, so you owe me," he said.

She squinted at his mischievous way of winning the argument, and fought to keep herself from sulking, instead deciding to glare. "Low blow. Alright, you can see it sometime."

The blonde male thought for a minute, then spoke in a gentle, but slightly uncertain, manner. "So…being an orphan…do you…remember anything about your parents?"

"Nothing about my mother. All I remember about my father is that he had blue hair. I doubt he's still alive, but it would be nice to find him again someday."

"If you ever begin a search, let me know. I can help you look."

"Oh, um, thanks, Jak," she replied a little awkwardly. The topic was becoming too much to discuss, so she placed him in the hot seat. "Now it's your turn."

"My turn?" he asked, wearing a blank expression.

"Don't play dumb. I barely know anything about you," she retorted.

Jak, for the briefest of moments, was stumped. He thought back through his eighteen years, choosing to explain briefly about how he'd met Daxter, when they (as well as Samos and Keira) had saved the world from Gol and Maia, then how the Rift Rider had brought the quartet through time and they'd landed in Haven City; he described the fight against the Baron and Kor, and how good people had been lost to the rebel's cause. Jak said very little on his adventures in the Wasteland and Spargus; Taryn had little understanding of the reason, and he was reluctant to tell her about his connection to Damas.

Jak turned his commentary towards the Old World, describing the pale sands of Sentinel Beach – how he would dash pebbles across the waters with Daxter, where they would challenge one another. The red-head always insisted on winning, but Jak would triumph every time. The Ottsel would also insist he knew best about how to throw pebbles across the water and refused to listen to his friend's suggestions. One day, Jak caught Daxter copying the blonde's technique, and the latter's cheeks turned the colour of his hair.

Tess silently listened, whilst fixing weapon parts together, occasionally smiling – particularly whenever her love was mentioned.

When Jak stopped talking, Taryn noticed that most of the things he had said hadn't really described his past at all, and that she had actually learnt very little about him. But she thought better than to pry; when anyone asked too much about his past or feelings, he tended to turn quiet and thoughtful.

Deciding she had heard plenty about the Old World, she mentioned the Kid and his pet Crocadog.

"Then he left, and I never saw him again," she explained. "That Crocadog was always placid with me. We came to some kind of agreement that I'd feed him, but only if he never growled or tried to bite me."

The blonde chuckled. "You sound fond of him."

"Well, I do love Crocadogs." She shrugged. "The Kid was adorable, too. I'd look after him, sometimes, when the Shadow had a lot on his plate."

His optics lit up in surprise. "You did? I didn't know that."

"Yeah. I'd chase him around the Hideout or Power Station – he had the funniest little laugh. We'd play tricks occasionally, until Vin scowled at us and called us a nuisance. One day, the Crocadog started chewing on some electrical cables, and got one heck of a shock! Smoke even started coming off him. Vin was so angry…he had to reboot the system." She started laughing uncontrollably at the recollection.

Tess giggled and nodded. "I remember that day. You brought the Crocadog over for us to see. He was all black and everything."

"He looked bewildered, for the most part…until he realised Jinx was taking the piss. Bit into his leg," the green-eyed female snickered.

It was an amusing situation to observe. Jak had never witnessed Taryn laughing in such a carefree way, and she'd certainly never talked about herself that much to anybody but close friends. Such fondness made him smirk, but it was the comment about the Kid that really had him amused…and comforted. That little boy had taken a liking to Taryn and she clearly still cared for him a great deal. Perhaps it was the connection of one orphan to another. If only she knew exactly who the Kid was…

Maybe Jak would tell her, one day.


A/N: There are comments and interaction in this chapter regarding friendship between Taryn and Vin, and some history, which is obviously all AU. I wanted to mention an idea I had, but wasn't sure if it would work out in this story. It regards Taryn not knowing who her parents are, but that she just remembers the hair colour of her father. I thought it would be interesting if Vin turned out to be Taryn's father (or at least a relative), which would explain why he's close to her. He obviously has never told her, for fear of the Baron using her as leverage. Does it sound interesting?