So sorry guys! Exams got so hectic… But hey, my study paid off – 94% in History, my highest mark! I think Grace would be a little bit disappointed in my science mark, but hey, I did reasonably well and passed it! Also, I've been busy with media at school, since I'm the new sound director. I'm movin' on up in the world. Schooling world, that is.

Well, here you go. The next chapter. I don't mind the ending part, but the bits leading up to I'm iffy on… Sorry guys. I might take it down once the whole story is finished and edit it a bit more if I'm really unhappy with it. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One | Sweetheart, I Have To Confess

Grace choked on her saliva as she understood all the clues. "You… You're leaving the clan defenseless… You're getting all the main Omaticayan heads out so you can blow up Hometree with no trouble."

"Ah, smart, smart, my Grace. I knew you'd piece it together."

It was light the next day as Tsu'tey awoke, having to blink a bit from the power of the light. He turned to look at Bree, who was still fast asleep, or unlinked, beside him. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, coiling his tail with hers again. Within a few moments, Bree's own eyes opened, and she turned around to smile at Tsu'tey. "Hey…"

Tsu'tey smiled and kissed her lips. "Morning." She rubbed her forehead against his, giving a purr. "Sleep well, beautiful?"

Bree chuckled softly as he called her that. "Yes," she purred. "But we need to get back to the clan."

Tsu'tey smirked a little as she pulled away and got up to get dressed, and he watched as she did. Bree flicked him gently in the face with her tail in reprimand for it. "Come on, you."

· · ·

Grace herself awoke late, finding Eytukan already up and sitting at the table. He was just staring at nothing in particular though. Giving a sigh, Grace pulled her Avatar's body out of bed, coming to his side. She placed a five-fingered hand on his shoulder. "Morning…"

The leader looked up into Grace's eyes, both of them looking tired and weary. His black eye seemed a bit more angry right now. "Hello Grace," he sighed, gently pulling her onto his lap. He kissed her cheek gently. "Sleep all right?"

She looked at him, tracing the tired circles under his eyes. "Better than you," she murmured softly.

Eytukan gave a sigh and shook his head, accidentally knocking off Grace's fingers in the process. "Well, can't be helped." He kissed her lips softly before letting her go so he could get up. "We best head downstairs." With barely another word, Eytukan left. Grace's ears went back with worry and she followed him, heading down the spiral stairs. She frowned when she saw the whole clan gathered. Even Eytukan found that strange. The atmosphere was tense, and Grace watched as Mo'at and Neytiri both tried to calm the situation. What was going on?

"Tsu'tey didn't come back last night!"

"Do you think he's okay?"

"We hope so… He's never out for this long."

Eytukan's ears went back with concern. That was true, what the clan was saying – Tsu'tey was always responsible and came home before the dangers of night settled in. He slowly turned to Grace, wondering if she knew anything; Grace was just as muddled as him. He was about to say something to her when Adaman came to stand dutifully by his side. "Brother, what's happening?"

Adaman shook his head. He was equally as confused. "I don't know. I just woke up to this – the clan is fretting about Tsu'tey. He's a big boy – he'll be fine." Eytukan frowned with confusion. He was about to ask Grace's opinion when he heard her murmur, "Where's Bree?" Adaman paled significantly at that; that was a damn good question. A thousand thoughts came to his mind, all of them very bad. He was about to ask If Grace knew anything, considering who Bree was to her, when he heard a, "Eytukan!"

The leader's head snapped up as he watched Tsu'tey and Bree run towards them. The clan breathed a collective sigh of relief as they saw their best warrior was still alive, and not dead as they had feared. Neytiri looked at them both, coming to meet them halfway. Where had they been all night as the clan's private terror raged on? Did they not care? Were they really so selfish? And then it dawned on her as she took in their proximity to each other, Bree's messy hair… She looked at Tsu'tey, giving him a frown. "You mated with this woman?"

Grace's eyes widened, and she gave a sigh, putting her palm to her forehead. "Oh, shit…" she muttered. Well that explained where they were. Jake shivered at the thought of those two getting it on, but he secretly rejoiced in his mind. That meant Neytiri didn't have to be Tsu'tey's mate!

At the sound of her daughter's voice, and realising what she just said, Mo'at stepped forward. Her eyes shot daggers at the young girl that had wrapped Tsu'tey around her little finger. Well, like aunt, like niece. "Is this true?" she asked, looking at the Avatar. Bree tried to remain strong under her piercing gaze.

Tsu'tey stepped in for his new mate. "We are mated before Eywa." Grace cringed internally; Jake was still secretly praising Eywa in his mind; Neytiri's ears just went back. What was going to happen to the clan now? Bree couldn't lead – she didn't have any training – and yet only a mated pair could. The two of them had just thrown the whole clan off balance. Neytiri wasn't sad about losing Tsu'tey – it wasn't a loss to her. She was just fretting about what was going to happen now that he had mated with Bree.

Mo'at was the complete opposite to her daughter. With the rage from what Eytukan had done to her and now Tsu'tey to Neytiri – were all men full assholes? – she snarled at him. "Tsu'tey, if you do this, you will never be leader!"

Tsu'tey took Bree's hand, gripping it tightly, as if he was not letting her go. "I know," he told Mo'at firmly.

Mo'at snarled viciously, and the clan backed up slightly. They had never seen her like this. Let alone Eytukan – what was with the black eye he was sporting? The tsahìk turned to Bree, giving her a deathly glower. Grace frowned, jumping to her niece's defense. "Mo'at, don't you dare."

Mo'at whipped around and focused her growl on Grace, baring her canine like rows of teeth. Her eyes held something unknown, something dangerous within them. "You do not speak here!" she fumed at Grace. She turned to Eytukan then, her piercing gaze confronting his eyes. Those eyes. Mo'at was determined once this wretched day was over she'd never see them again. "Eytukan! As leader of this clan I demand you say something!"

All the clan's eyes turned to hear the leader's verdict. Adaman was even curious to see how he'd react to this. He'd been pretty quiet the whole time. Adaman wondered if that was a good or bad sign. Eytukan paused for a moment, thinking. The leader hesitated before looking at his soon-to-be ex-mate, speaking directly to her. "It's his choice." Tsu'tey smiled. Mo'at's eyes widened.

"What has gotten into you?" the tsahík frowned at her mate. She knew exactly what had gotten into him – that bitch who was standing right beside him. She could practically see her gloating, triumphant in her win of Eytukan's heart. Screw them – she could live well without them. Eytukan looked right back at Mo'at as she stared at him, but his eyes didn't acknowledge her. He didn't see her. It was as if she were dead to him. Well, so be it. Shrugging her clothing on to fit her shoulders more closely, Mo'at stalked off, right out of Hometree. The clan was confused. What had just happened? Mo'at just… left. That wasn't like her, though if they talked to Eytukan, he'd tell them otherwise. She actually was one of those people who just left, and didn't give any indication of when she'd be back.

Grace sighed, looking at Eytukan. "Come on… We best start the day." The day none of them actually wanted to greet, but they didn't have too much of a choice.

· · ·

Bree was awfully quiet as she was with Tsu'tey in his own quarters, lying on his hammock as he paced around the small space. It wasn't as big as Eytukan's quarters, but sizeable compared to how other families in the clan shared their hammocks with one another. All the elites seemed to get special treatment like this, and it did make her wonder if it was the clan that input that, or the leaders. It seemed like a trivial musing as everyone's world in the clan was rocked badly. They didn't seem to notice it – it was barely a tremor to them – but for the people involved, it was an entire earthquake.

She turned her head to see her mate pacing, and gave a sigh. "Please stop that."

Tsu'tey stopped his movements, and looked at his mate, turning his head to look at her in the hammock. "Sorry," he apologised, looking into Bree's worried eyes. He came over to her, kneeling on the floor so he could look level at her. He leant in to kiss her forehead. "We will be fine."

"Do you really believe that?" Bree questioned him.

"Well, I… I think we…" Tsu'tey could hear the hollowness in his argument before it was even verbalised. What the hell was he saying? Mo'at had gone, Eytukan was effectively mateless, Neytiri would be now… and that was his fault. Because of his rash manner, the clan was even more unstable than it should have been. Now the next generation of leaders would be just as screwed as the current ones. What had he done? He looked at Bree, and knew his answer. He had done what would make him happy, instead of the whole clan, something that he had been doing for a long time. It was a nice change, but at a terrible price. "We will be fine," Tsu'tey said confidently, earning a skeptical look from his mate. "… What am I saying? We are – as you say – 'screwed'."

Bree's ears went down slowly, and she sighed. "I'm sorry I caused trouble as well…"

"Oh, Bree." Tsu'tey sighed. "You did not do anything wrong." Seeing her saddened expression, Tsu'tey went to give her a hug, but she just stood up to get out of the hammock.

"Yes, I did," Bree said as she went towards the corner of the room, like a child who had been scolded for something they didn't mean to happen. "And you know it, too."

Tsu'tey looked at her, and then down at the floor, wondering how he could cheer her up. "It's not only your fault… I was the one who proposed, remember?" He was about to add something else when he heard a sickening thud. "Bree? Bree!" Tsu'tey looked up to find Bree, on the floor, not moving. Her eyes were closed, her body in an awkward position on the side. Tsu'tey rushed over to her, putting his ear to her chest. "You are breathing… thank Eywa." Tsu'tey's ears shot back as he tried to shake Bree awake gently. "Bree…? Bree?"

"Jake, leave me alone." Neytiri marched through the forest, ignoring the branches and trees that tried to scrape across her face as she walked. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what she was doing. All she did know is that if she spent another minute in Hometree, she would feel like she was suffocating. She couldn't spend another moment looking at her father or Grace, or even Tsu'tey and Bree, though she didn't care about those two, really. Well, she did – only the fact they went behind her back, really. She had made it perfectly clear she wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, Jake could sometimes be dense, and right now he was as he followed her.

Jake knew he was making a racket as he trekked through the forest, nothing compared to Neytiri's lithe footsteps. "Neytiri, just… hey! Stop!" Jake exclaimed, trying to get ahead of her fast walk. "Just listen to me!"

"Why should I?" Neytiri snarled, turning around to face him. "You should have told me this from the start!"

"So you wanted me to just waltz up to you one day and say, 'Hey, guess who your father is sticking it to?'"

The nine foot princess started towards Jake, who smartly backed off a bit, as she laid blow upon verbal blow on him. Her eyes condemned him deeply. "Thanks to my father and Grace, I am now losing my mother. You know? The woman who raised me?"

"Who raised you?" Jake scoffed, giving Neytiri a deep frown. "Hey, that's crazy and self-absorbed. That's a twofer! Way to go! Grace raised you too and don't you deny it! You even called her mother when you were little!" Taking a steadying breath, Jake continued at a calmer tone, "All right. They made a mistake. But Eytukan is your father. And I know you're hurting right now, but at least take some joy in the fact if you must, that he is back at Hometree hating himself for what he did to you. And no matter how much of a grudge you will try to hold, he is going to be the person you're going to turn to for years ahead, so you might as well just deal with him as best as you damn well can!"

Never had Neytiri heard such hostility from Jake. She was usually the one who got mad, not him. What had changed here? All arguments failed her, and she just blinked spastically, trying to process what happened, as well as come up with some snappy retort. None came to mind, and she just turned around, starting to walk off again. Finally, the comeback came to her, and she turned back to him. "Fine, then the next time you want to… Jake?" She found herself looking at the ferns, and she cast her eyes down to find Jake flat on the floor. Neytiri gave a gasp of shock, kneeling down to shake Jake. "Jake… Jake! Wake up! Please!"

Grace sighed as she sat with Eytukan in his room. Mo'at didn't seem to belong, let alone fit in that title anymore. She did wonder if she would come back, and if she did, would Eytukan take her back…? Would she take him back? And what then would become of Grace and him? She remembered he had asked her to stay with him, and she promised she would, but would it hold? Grace felt selfish, thinking only of herself right now, but she wondered if Eytukan was doing the same thing too. "What are you thinking of?"

For once, he wasn't looking at scriptures. Eytukan suddenly felt quite weary, and just gazed absentmindedly out the window. Grace's voice was like a buzz in his ears, which finally made sense as he focused. "Hmm? Sorry?"

Grace's ears went back. "Never mind…"

Eytukan dragged his eyes away from the window, and sighed as he looked at Grace, looking so dejected. "Gracie, this isn't your fault."

"Sure feels like it."

The leader moved from where he had been standing, coming over to his love and kissing her forehead. "This isn't your fault… the inevitable was never your fault." He wrapped his arms around her warm body, resting his head on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort to her.

Grace snuggled in to him, closing her eyes. "Still… I played a part. I'm the other woman. I'm so sorry… I never meant for all this to happen…"

Eytukan felt Grace relax in his arms, and he smiled. "Don't you remember who started this whole thing? I do. I remember taking you to that other clan for a few days, so you could get acquainted with Na'vi different to us in their politics." Eytukan paused as he fondly remembered, gently scratching Grace's ears as he continued. "To be honest, I did have an ulterior motive with that, and you caught on. But the point is, I initiated it all with that kiss… Remember?" Grace was silent. "Gracie?" Eytukan frowned and pulled back to look at her, his eyes widening as she slumped off of him as he let her go. "Grace!" He was down beside her in moments, making sure she was breathing. He knew Avatars did this sometimes, but it was always terrifying. Because it meant someone else shut them off.

· · ·

Grace's eyes flickered open, finding herself looking at a gray ceiling. She frowned and looked down at her body. It was her human form. The ground she touched was cold metal, not the soft forest floor, or the softer wood of Eytukan's quarters. She looked around closely, and found herself on the kitchen floor of the shack. "What the hell is going on?" Grace snarled to no one in particular. She heard muffled cries come in reply, and she turned towards the source. What she saw made her heart rate speed up. Bree and Jake were on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs, gags in their mouths. "Jake! Bree!" Her own voice gave her a headache, and as she came more to, she felt this dull pounding sensation in her head, making her instinctively try to grab her hair. Her hands didn't move. She was tied just like her niece and her friend.

"So you finally came to, I see." A rough chuckle made Grace stiffen, her back hunching as she tried to subconsciously get as far away from that voice as possible. She heard the sound of metal drawing against the table as Miles came over, a thin, sadistic smile on his face. He held a knife in his hands, that looked like it was used to behead people in wars. He gestured to her head, where blood was starting to trickle down her cheek. "Sorry about that. But I figured you'd put up more of a fight than these two."

"Damn straight I will!" Grace snarled, trying to pull out of the plastic flexi-cuffs. It was no use – it was like trying to pull apart metal ones. "Boy, I'm going to murder you… I would just love to feel the force of my foot smashing your skull into your brain."

A shove came to Grace's shoulder after she spoke, the hard hand feeling like a brick had been slapped against her. She turned to see that marine Miles liked so much, Wainfleet. Jackass. "You want me to gag her?" he asked Miles.

"No," came the reply. His voice was silky and low, and Grace winced as she remembered he used to talk to her like that often when they were dating, or when he wanted something. "I'd like to hear what she has to say. Continue, Grace."

Grace swallowed, realising whatever she said would no good.

"No? Nothing to add, then? Well. Feel free if you change your mind. You're in a better state to do so than those two." He gestured to Bree and Jake, who were trying to bite away their gags. It was useless.

She felt a hatred rising up like bile did as she looked at Miles. "Let them go… What did they ever do to you?" she growled.

Miles arched an eyebrow and came over to Grace, wielding that terrifying knife. She stiffened as he brought the knife close to her face. "Ah, baby… Don't you see? Try and think of what purpose those two would serve me and RDA. And you."

Grace tried to piece this homicidal puzzle together, but after a few moments, she shook her head.

He appeared disappointed she didn't want to play his game. He turned to the two tied up, pointing to Jake first as if he were selecting which animal to slaughter. "Jake here has connections to Neytiri, who is the princess of the clan, correct?" Grace said nothing, but the confirmation on her face was obvious. "And Bree… Ah, Bree, thank you so much for making it so much easier to find Tsu'tey, the head warrior." Bree gave a ferocious, animalistic snarl at her ex-uncle.

Miles slowly turned his head to Grace, smiling a little. "I'm sure you now know what I'm using you for…" Grace swallowed as he stood up, looking down at her. "I never really liked the idea of you going with other people, but I must say, you being with the leader has really made my career that much easier. So, Grace, thank you."

Grace choked on her saliva as she understood all the clues. "You… You're leaving the clan defenseless… You're getting all the main Omaticayan heads out so you can blow up Hometree with no trouble."

"Ah, smart, smart, my Grace. I knew you'd piece it together." Miles patted her head gently, making it throb more before leaving. "Thanks for making my job easier, you lot. Especially you, Jake. You gave me pretty usable intel."

"W-what?" Grace asked, looking at Jake in shock. He hung his head, turning to look away from Grace. He knew what her face was like, and Bree's. Disappointed, distraught…

Miles was about to head out of the shack, leaving the trio under the watchful eye of Wainfleet, before Grace called out in a final plea, "You can't do this! Miles, please… You're murdering children, there are families in there. You're going to destroy everything!"

"Well," Miles shrugged, "You brought this on yourself. I gave you time – you chose to use it with… other methods." Wainfleet sniggered; Grace felt sick. "Enjoy your last few hours of life, 'Gracie'."