Second Skin

by alexajaye

Ten years after the events of the movie, an unforeseen tragedy and a strange-looking girl in the forest cause Jake to revisit the most important decisions of his life, and he makes a surprising discovery. Rated M for safety and later chapters. Complete.

25. Readjustments

Yay, I'm posting a new chapter! And it's a doozy if I do say so myself, and since it's my story, I can say that. I spent a couple of days proofreading to make sure everything was just the way I wanted it, and if there's anything I missed, I sincerely apologize, but what can I do?

I'm seriously happy with the way this chapter came out, and I hope everyone else is too. I really appreciate any feedback I've gotten so far, and I hope it keeps coming.

Read on!

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Readjustments

The first thing I felt compelled to do was make sure the area around the tree was safe. The last thing I needed was for me and Ava to be ambushed while she was out in the elements half-naked. And I realized upon closer inspection of her chest piece that I'd actually destroyed it in my, um, haste to remove it. Ava wasn't embarrassed, amazingly, nor was she deterred, moving the long waves of her hair around to cover her bare chest. Thankfully, neither one of us would have to ride back to the village loincloth-less, even though I did have trouble adjusting mine to where everything fit comfortably again. The pa'li was waiting where we'd left him, and I was just about to help Ava onto his back when I heard foliage crunch under pressure.

My imagination ran away from me, and I dreadfully believed we'd been found. I was ready though, strapping my knife on and hurriedly helping Ava onto the horse.

"Stay here," I pleaded. "If I'm not back in a few minutes, get back to the village and get Hunters."

I pulled the horse's neural whip to her, allowing her to connect with him before I turned to make my way toward the sound I'd heard. I moved slow, easing over the moss of the tree and sniffing the air. Usually when a hunter was nearby, I could smell him, but for some reason, all I could smell was Ava. I suddenly remembered her as she waited for me, wanting to be closer to her to keep her safe — among other things. She was still in my sights, gently soothing the horse as he became restless. It was apparent he could sense the stranger as much as I could, maybe even more.

I moved as stealthily as I possibly could, hearing the same noise as before and drawing my knife. It was closer now, having only moved a short distance, and I closed in on it easily, even though I had no idea exactly what it was. Was I foolishly mistaking an animal for some scout from another clan come to spy on us? Had my advance been too slow and allowed him to get away? I wasn't sure anymore. Thankfully, or unthankfully for him, I smelled him the closer I got, recognizing a familiar scent and automatically driving through the brush toward him as he jumped from my attack.

"I mean no harm!" Rey'sik cried, finding himself at the end of my knife with fear in his eyes.

He panted heavily as I regarded him carefully, wondering silently if he'd been out here all night and thinking how incredibly stupid it had been for him to follow me. But he looked genuinely scared, and it was obvious he hadn't meant to get caught. I released him, sheathing my knife and then helping him to his feet. He averted his eyes to Ava's direction, bowing his head shamefully as he spoke to me softly.

"I have disrespected you," he whispered, his head hung low — so low I could barely see his eyes as he still stared at Ava.

"Look at me," I demanded, to which his head snapped up immediately. "How long have you been out here? All night?"

The color in his cheeks darkened intensely, and he began fidgeting steadily. "I become worried for safety of olo'eyktan and Ava'eylan. When neither return to village, I become afraid they — you be found by neighboring Clan. I leave village very late, but find horse trail easy — follow you here. I mean only to keep lookout if other Clan attack. But I — "

"You saw us," I finished, barely able to contain my anger.

"I mean no harm," he exclaimed. "I did not watch! I try not to listen! I only mean to keep watch for neighboring Clan."

"Yeah, well, the minute you saw we were safe, you should have left," I roared in his face. "No one would dare to attack us here, and I didn't need anyone else from the village here. Or I wouldn't have come here in the first place."

"Please," he whispered bowing his head. "I tell no one. I promise."

I looked in Ava's direction as she waited, and I realized she could probably see me and hear me. I thought about how much I'd wanted the night before to be private and I know she'd wanted the same thing. But deep down, I'd also known that as soon as we'd gotten back to the village, it would have been obvious what we'd done, especially since we had stayed out all night. I looked at Rey'sik, laying my hand over his shoulder and allowing him to look at me again. "You meant no harm, brother," I said gently, attempting desperately to calm myself even though I was still furious. "It's good that you care enough about Ava to want to keep her safe. But that's my responsibility now, understand?"

He glanced in her direction, seeming to understand that I wasn't going to hold this against him this one time. He looked at me and nodded. "I understand, olo'eyktan. I will leave you now."

He hurried away then, out of my sight before I returned to where I'd left Ava and the horse. She didn't say anything as I mounted into the saddle behind her, holding her against me possessively and allowing her to guide the horse away from the tree. I couldn't help but feel a little relieved, even though I knew it wasn't good that even one person had seen us here. I remembered the last time I'd been in a place like this, thinking of how that site had been destroyed and wondering what unexpected thing would be awaiting me back at the village.

Even though it wasn't far, it took enough time for me to talk to Ava as the horse carried us silently. I suddenly remembered that Norm and Max were taking supplies back to the base with Lisa and Alex this morning and a group of hunters would be accompanying them to help them store the supplies properly. As Clan Leader, I knew I wasn't really required to go with them, but if Thomas was as adamant in going as I figured he was, then it would probably be a good idea for me to at least make sure everything got to the base all right. If I could manage it, I thought about leaving Mo'at and Eyreal here to oversee things in the village while I took Thomas and Ava back to the base for a little while.

"How are you this morning?" I asked Ava softly, and she wrapped her arm around mine before she spoke.

"I'm perfect," she murmured leaning back into me and inhaling deeply.

"Perfect?" I repeated. "Exactly what did we do last night to make you perfect this morning?" I teased.

She smiled, looking at me and leaning closer until her lips were only centimeters from mine. I kissed her gently, lifting my hand to back of her head and holding her closer. Even though I didn't want to stop, I decided it was probably best that we didn't show up at the edge of the village kissing, so I whispered to cover it up as best as I could.

"How did you sleep?" I whispered, gently urging her to make the horse speed up a little.

"I slept good," she nodded. "I had the most pleasant dream — about us."

I squeezed her against me. "Did you now?"

She laughed softly, holding my arm around her tighter. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked me, her eyes appraising me almost as easily as Mo'at's usually did — and Neytiri's.

I was surprised the thought of their names brought strange feelings, when I knew I wanted to spend what free time I had with Ava. I hadn't thought about any of that since the night before, but as we passed the outer edge of the village under the watchful eyes of the hunters keeping our borders protected, I realized I was about to have to explain my actions to a woman who for all intents and purposes was still my mother-in-law, if not also my son's grandmother. I wasn't really prepared with what to say, even though I knew I would come up with something between here and there, and I unconsciously began to think about that a little too intensely.

I never answered Ava.

I knew a large crowd was gathered around the center of the village before the horse got us into the grove just behind the village, and there was no way for me to hide my arrival as the hunters around the interior border nodded us on with their own set of gawks and ogles. I didn't say anything to them, silently allowing Ava to guide the horse to the grove and then easily dismounting to turn and help her.

"It's okay that we did this," she said softly, and I took her hand to pull her toward where everyone else was gathering. "Isn't it?"

"Of course it's okay," I promised her. "I am kinda the boss around here."

I tried to laugh, but I knew she was worried.

"Don't joke," she pleaded, grasping onto my hand and lifting her hand to my arm. "I know Rea's already been chosen to take over for Mo'at. And I know we were supposed to talk about my potential mates. Among other things."

I stopped and turned to her, lifting my hands to her face. "I know Mo'at has already chosen Eyreal to succeed her. And I know what we were supposed to talk about last night." I paused, smiling slightly. "And you gave me your answer. This was my decision as much as it was yours, and no one forced us into it. I know it's not going to be easy to explain, but that doesn't matter. Not to me. And Eyreal understands. I told her this was possible, and she knew it. Of course, now I know how she knew, but I should've seen it before. You could've told me. It wouldn't have changed anything."

She blushed, causing the blue in her cheeks to get darker and the pink the get redder. "It wasn't really supposed to be a secret," she promised. "But I was a little girl, and then I didn't see her again until I got here. I wasn't expecting it, and it took a little while for me to remember her. She's like the sister I should've always had. Like Neytiri."

Her eyes became sad, and I knew what she was thinking about, pulling her closer to me and lifting my eyes to look around the grove. I saw Eyreal and Thomas in the distance, and even though I didn't want to move, I leaned back to look at Ava. "Everything's gonna to be okay," I swore to her. "We didn't do anything wrong."

She lifted her hands to my arms, inhaling deeply and then nodding slowly. I took her hand in mine again, pulling her toward the crowd even though I had no desire to have the confrontation I knew was coming.

Eyreal and Thomas met us first as they both stood away from everyone else, and she spoke as soon as we were close enough.

"You were not meant to be away from the village through the night," she exclaimed softly. "What if hunters from another clan had found you? Her? You know she is not safe away from the village."

"We were safe," I assured her. "No one would have attacked us where we were, and we even had a guard, even if I didn't know he was there until this morning."

She looked at Ava, appearing to see something in her eyes as she stepped forward and lifted her hands to Ava's shoulders. "Tsmuke," she said softly. She looked at me, and I nodded automatically, silently answering her questioning eyes. Then she looked at Ava. "I am happy for you."

The breath Ava had been holding left her lips softly, and she moved forward, easing her arms around Eyreal as the elder did the same. Thomas moved to my side, lifting his eyes to mine and speaking as candidly as he could under the circumstances.

"Will you still come with Norm to help carry supplies?" he asked.

I laid my hand over his shoulder. "Of course I will," I assured him, leaning over a little to be level-eyed with him. "And I was even thinkin' we could stay a little while. Give you a chance to beat me a few times."

He appeared to like that idea, and he nodded silently, lifting his hand to mine and looking at Ava as she and Eyreal stepped away from each other. He didn't say anything to me or Ava, moving closer to her and taking her in his arms as a way of accepting her the way he probably had that first day. I watched him, feeling prouder of him than I ever had before — even when he'd started practicing with his bow and did better than anyone else his age.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tu'San and Mo'at approaching us, and even in the distance, I could see Rey'sik and Taw'biht talking quietly. The look on Taw'biht's face told me everything I needed to know, and I realized why everyone was gathered when Mo'at's appraising eyes settled on me as I stepped away from Ava and Thomas. I didn't say anything to her, but she apparently didn't need me to say anything, looking up at Tu'San and prompting him to speak.

"Is it true?" he asked softly. "You and Ava have mated before Eywa."

I tried not to look embarrassed as the rest of the crowd there appeared to give us their undivided attention, but it was hard to keep my face from heating up, and I had to confirm what he said. "Yes," I said, plainly. Then I lowered my voice so only he would hear me. "And you were wrong about the Dream Hunt. I told her it was her choice, and she shouldn't do it because of anyone but herself."

He didn't respond, glancing at Mo'at and then turning away from me. I wasn't sure what kind of signal he gave, but before Mo'at could speak to me directly, Taw'biht shouted from where he was standing with Rey'sik.

"First, you take Neytiri from Tsu'tey," he yelled, moving toward me despite his friend's attempts to keep him back. "Then you take respect from olo'eyktan. Then you claim lives of Na'vi because of fight with Sky people. I respect you because you are brave," he screamed, rage and indignation flickering in his eyes as he grasped onto his knife. "And now you throw respect back in my face!"

He lunged at me with his knife, and I barely missed getting gutted as I stumbled out of his aim. I went for my own knife, facing him as he continued to advance on me, and I tried to reason with him, since it was obvious he had cared for and loved Ava as much as I had. I'd seen it the night before, but I hadn't realized it was this serious.

"Listen to me," I pleaded, shouting as he moved closer. "I didn't do anything to you. This was Ava's choice! She told you that you're only her friend."

"She only say those things because of you," he roared, lunging again and nicking my arm before Ava arrived at where we'd both ended up in the middle of the grounds of the village. "And now you disrespect me!"

"Toby, stop it," Ava yelled, reaching his side and pulling on his arm as he still held his knife on me. The fact that she called him something other than his first name told me they'd been more than just friends, but I was so shocked by his attack that I couldn't process it fast enough.

"I challenge you!" Taw'biht exclaimed. "I will prove you unworthy of her!"

"No," Ava shouted, still trying to stop him. "Don't do this. I don't want you to do this."

"If he is not afraid, he will fight," Taw'biht shouted back.

"He's taller and stronger than you," Ava countered. "He could kill you! Please. It's done."

"No," I said, still holding my knife and glancing around. "He wants to fight me. We'll fight. I don't back down from guys who can't take 'no' for an answer."

Ava looked torn between keeping him alive and keeping me safe, and she hurried to me side. "Jake, please," she begged. "He's seventeen years old. He's barely grown, and you could hurt him. Please. Don't do this."

"I can't back down now, Ava," I told her. "And I won't hurt him. Much. I had to fight to get the People to accept you, and if I don't do this now, then it's like none of that mattered. I didn't force you to mate with me, and I didn't coax you into our bond. Let me fight for you. Please."

She looked at Taw'biht, pleading with her eyes for him to stop, but he still held his knife, and he growled softly, apparently trying to bait me. Eyreal moved up behind her, taking her arms and whispering softly.

"Come," she pleaded. "This is the only way it can be done."

She didn't give Ava a choice, pulling her away from me and then looking up at me with the same appraising eyes Mo'at always gave me. I didn't want to hurt Taw'biht, and I hoped it was obvious, but Ava was my mate now. He had no right to claim her as anything but a friend, and he was pushing it at that.

By now, Norm, Lisa, Max and Alex had all emerged from their alcove, and even though I didn't say anything, I could tell by Norm's expression that he already knew what was going on. Apparently, it was written all over my face. He looked . . . disappointed in me.

I turned back to Taw'biht, my knife still in one hand and my other hand clenched into a fist. He snarled, lunging forward again and aiming for my gut again as I side-stepped him and elbowed his ribs. He grunted painfully, but he remained undeterred, changing his hold on his knife and swiping it at me backward. I blocked his aim, but I only got halfway out of his blow, getting another slice up the inside of my own ribs. The sensation of the blade ripping through my skin caused me to hiss loudly, and I grabbed the cut instinctively.

He tried to take me by surprise, twisting his knife around and going for the other side of my torso. I caught his arm, knocking his knife out of his hand and clenching my fist less than a second before it connected with his jaw. He grunted painfully, stumbling himself and backing away from me now that he knew I wasn't going to be ginger about this. He waited a good five seconds, balling his own hands into fists to take me head on, but I got another swipe at his face, hitting his nose and feeling the crack beneath the blow my knuckles made against his nose.

He grabbed his face, yelling out and moving away again with even more anger in his eyes. But this time, I could see surprise there. It was obvious he hadn't really expected me to fight him. But I wasn't going to have him thinking he could challenge me and not have to pay for trying to make me back down from the way he'd spoken to me. And I realized then that he'd been trying to insult me. That had been his first and last mistake.

"Enough!"

Mo'at commanding voice erupted through the village, and even though I didn't want to take my eyes off him, I glanced behind me as she came closer until she was in between the two of us.

"That is enough!" she ordered, lifting her accusing eyes at me and then glaring at Taw'biht as he now held his own ribs where I'd jabbed them. Blood was pouring down his face, but he was trying to look tough. "I will not allow this. It is done! There will be no fighting for it! You," she said to him. "You should be ashamed."

He bowed his head, and Rey'sik moved to his side. He didn't say anything to Mo'at, but he looked at me, bowing his head and then pulling Taw'biht from the crowd. Once they were gone, everyone else's attention turned directly on me as I stood there bleeding from two knife cuts. Eyreal and Ava stepped down to where I was standing, and Mo'at moved in closer.

"You allowed this to happen," she said, but she wasn't talking to me.

I lifted my eyes to her, discovering her gaze to be on Eyreal as she stood beside Ava silently.

"What?" I asked.

Mo'at looked at me. "I left this up to the two of you," she said, her voice and her eyes disappointed for the first time since I'd known her. "But I never thought something like this would happen."

"She didn't allow anything to happen," I argued. "I talked to Ava about her Dream Hunt. But I told you I wasn't going to force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She made her choice. You said you would support her no matter what she decided. This had nothing to do with Eyreal."

I looked at Eyreal again, but she didn't say anything, her head bowed the way it should have been were she actually guilty of anything.

"I did say I would support her," Mo'at said to me. "But I also told you she had to find her own path, not have it laid before her by you. I advised that the two of you would determine if she was ready for Uniltaron, not take a mate. For her, those two things are not connected anymore. You have responsibilities," she reminded me.

"And I can still do them now," I argued. "I know what I'm supposed to do. This doesn't change that."

The expression on Mo'at's face didn't say whether she believed me or not, but she stepped closer to me, looking in my eyes and then speaking pointedly. "We must administer the antidote," she informed me. "And we must speak of your dream. Now is not the time for this. With time, we will accept this as it is. Come."

Even though I was confused by her complete turnaround in behavior, I didn't argue with her, allowing her to guide me from the crowd. Eyreal and Ava followed, and while Mo'at retrieved the antidote for the arachnoid venom, she situated me inside on of the smaller alcoves. Eyreal saw to the wounds on my arm and my ribs, and Ava watched anxiously even though I didn't really want her near me when I talked to Mo'at. Hearing that I hadn't really dreamed about her or our future would sound odd to her, even if it wasn't really my fault. It obviously hadn't been predicted that I would go off and mate with her when Mo'at had performed her ritual. I didn't think it meant anything bad. I didn't feel any different from how I'd felt the morning after mating with Neytiri, and it was clear Ava didn't feel like anything was wrong. But it still wouldn't sound good that not only had I not dreamed of her, but I'd also dreamed about her mother and Grace. That was freaking me out enough as it was.

"You should probably go sit with Lisa while we do this," I told Ava even as Norm stepped into the alcove. "You need to eat breakfast."

"So do you," she insisted.

I took her hand, leaning closer as Eyreal smoothed a salve over the cut on my ribs. It stung a little, and I hissed softly, lifting my eyes to Ava's. "I'll be fine," I said quietly. "And I don't know how long this is going to take. It's okay. I'll be in good hands, and when this is over, I'll get something myself. Go on."

I nudged her on, and she looked at Eyreal for a few seconds before standing slowly to leave the alcove. I watched her go, my eyes finding Norm's as he moved to my side and folded his arms over his chest. I shouldn't have needed to explain myself, but he was looking down at me like he'd expected more from me. And when Eyreal pressed the fiber cloth to the cut on my ribs, I hissed again, looking at her.

"You're bein' kind of rough there, don't you think?" I accused.

"You were being like a child," she snapped. "You are a grown man! You had no business fighting a child over your mate! Neytiri was right about you when she said you were stupid. It seems even growth has not allowed you to mature." She sighed softly, lifting another cloth to my arm and gently pressing. "I am not upset with you over this. I am only telling you the truth."

"Well, I'm not going to give him anymore encouragement," Norm interjected, and I looked at him. "Even if I can't say I'm surprised, I was hoping against hope that you would've allowed things to play out a little differently."

I exhaled as the salve being spread over my arm caused me to grimace when it stung. "I'm not gonna fight with you over this, Norm," I told him. "It's been done, and it can't be undone. I wouldn't want to undo it, even if it could be done. I did what everyone said. I talked to Ava about her Dream Hunt. It was her choice. And she chose me. I actually thought she had already chosen Taw'biht, but she said he was just her friend. I guess I should've expected him to fight it. But I wasn't expecting him to do this. How could I have?"

"She's 17, Jake! You've been a grown-up for a long time now. Does she really understand what she's done?"

"How could she not understand?" Eyreal asked him, wrapping the cloth to my arm and facing Norm as she knelt in front of me. "I explain everything to her. She knew what to expect."

He shook his head. "That's not what I mean," he hedged. "You can explain what it is to her all you want, but in the end, what it comes down to is that she wasn't raised here, and I saw the look in her eyes while you were fighting him," he said to me. "She might as well have been ripped down the middle as scared as she was for both of you. Didn't you hear her?"

Before I could speak, Mo'at returned carrying a small jar and a wooden spoon. Norm sighed heavily, backing away as the elder woman also knelt in front of me beside Eyreal. Without really saying anything to anyone, she nodded to Eyreal and they oriented themselves around me silently. The most pungent odor filled the alcove as Mo'at removed the lid to the jar which apparently held the antidote for the arachnoid venom, and Eyreal lifted her hand to the back of my head, prompting me to tilt my head back slowly.

"It is all right," she said softly. "The taste is not pleasant, but neither is the sickness that you will experience if this is not given in time."

She nodded, and I watched Mo'at scoop the spoon in the jar, stirring its contents slowly and releasing even more of the odor into the air. It smelled mostly of rotten eggs and mold, but there was a strange sweetness to it I couldn't identify. The last time I'd gone through something like this, I'd actually vomited most of the psychoactive agents back up without the need for an antidote. But that sensation had been immediate and forceful. It wasn't nearly as bad this time as I'd thought it would be, but I heeded Eyreal's warning, allowing Mo'at to pull on my chin as she scooped up a spoonful of the substance in the jar. She lifted it to my lips, allowing the somewhat viscous fluid to flow into my mouth, and I realized why Eyreal had made me tilt my head back.

Almost immediately, I felt like throwing up again, and I tried to pitch forward in an effort to expel the rancid-tasting concoction. But Eyreal held my head in place, grasping onto my hair until all the antidote was in my mouth and down my throat. Mo'at closed my mouth, forcing me to take it in and holding onto my face while I unwillingly allowed the feeling of being sick dissipate slowly. As the unsettling, vile feeling made itself apparent, I reached back for Eyreal's arm, moving her hand from my hair and coughing unconsciously even though I knew I wasn't going to get rid of the substance now spreading through the rest of my body. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling lightheaded and almost tipping over when I pressed my hand to the ground.

Norm hurried forward, leaning in front of me as Mo'at let go of me. "Jake," he said softly.

"I'm okay," I hacked, covering my mouth and then sitting up straight to see him looking at me with a worried look over his face. "It's okay," I promised. "God, that tasted disgusting! What the hell was it?"

"Herbs meant to counter effects of Kali'weya mixed with teylu and other vegetables to help the body digest," Mo'at informed. "We did not need to administer antidote on your Uniltaron, and I could not risk you regurgitating. Though I see you needed further encouragement," she nodded to Eyreal.

Norm moved out of the way, and Mo'at lifted her hands to my shoulders, gazing into my eyes expectantly as she spoke.

"Now. We will discuss your dream. And perhaps at a later time, we will discover if it has affected your mating."

Even if I didn't like the sound of that, I glanced at Norm and then Eyreal, feeling embarrassed to have more of an audience than I'd expected even though I knew it wouldn't bother Mo'at at all. So without further arguing, I told her what I'd dreamed the night before.

Thinking about it as I told Mo'at what I'd dreamed, I realized it hadn't been either good or bad. It had been a message, and even if I wasn't sure what that message was just yet, something else was becoming distinctively obvious to me. Eywa truly was trying to tell me something important. It was obviously something She felt I was connected to, and even if it felt like I was frustrating Her by having it take me this long to figure it out, I still didn't feel like it was over. Which meant more dreams would come, and I was likely to get even more confused by them than I already was now.

"It seems we have underestimated your connection to the Great Mother," Mo'at said after I finished. "We believed She only commanded in times of great need. But this appears to be more tied to your past than we previously understood."

"You really saw Grace?" Norm asked, his mouth hung open in an obvious, disbelieving awe.

I nodded. "She is with Eywa," I reminded him. "And I didn't really understand exactly what that meant until now. I didn't really know how much either. I always knew I could feel Amelia out there somewhere, but surely, she can't really mean it literally, can she?"

Norm's face kind of paled, and he stood up straight, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Of course not. That's impossible. I mean, Max and me looked at all the security footage. Amelia was shot in the courtyard."

I felt like he wasn't being honest with me, but I realized how long it had been, and I decided there were other important things to tend to. "It's getting late in the morning," I told him. "We should get everything together to get you to the base."

He bowed his head, glancing at Mo'at and then Eyreal before he turned to leave slowly. Once he was gone, I looked at them too.

"I'm not gonna try to avoid this, because I know it's not what was expected, but we can beat it into the ground later. If Thomas is going to go with Norm to the base, I need to go with him, and it should only be for a few days. So I was gonna ask the two of you hold things down while I was gone."

Mo'at gazed at me expectantly, but she didn't say anything, rising silently and leaving as Eyreal moved to cover the jar that had held the antidote. She glanced at me in her movement, but she stayed quiet. I'm not sure what possessed me to do so, but I stopped her and made her look at me.

"Are you really okay with this?" I asked softly. "Because you knew this was possible. Don't tell me it bothers you."

She tried to move away, grasping onto my arms to make me release her. "I told you I trusted you to do what was best," she insisted. "If she is happy, then I am happy for her."

"But you're not happy for me?" I pressed.

"Your happiness is of no concern to me," she informed me, still trying to get away. "You are not my mate. You knew what you were doing when you bonded with her."

"So did she," I shouted, to which she finally looked at me. "But you knew that already, didn't you? I know how you've been listening to her, Eyreal, even if I should've seen it with my own eyes before I bonded with her. And I know how much you care about her. But you're not her mate. I am. Her happiness is my concern. And you need to understand this. Please. I didn't do this to defy all the rules. I did it because I wanted to. And she did too."

"Then why does it matter if I am happy for you?" she demanded. "If she is so important to you. If you wish for me to 'hold things down while you are gone,' then why does it matter that I understand why you have done this?"

I let go of her, dropping my hands as she stared at me confused. "I don't know," I said honestly. "I thought we were friends, and I guess I wanted to make sure we were okay. I know you don't understand. But you're like a sister to Ava, and I want things to be okay between us."

She rose slowly, holding the jar in her hands and watching me as I followed. I was about to say something else, even if I wasn't sure what more I could say, when Lisa stepped into the alcove by herself.

"Jake, you need to eat before we leave," she announced, stuttering on her last word as she saw me standing close to Eyreal.

I turned to her, speaking quickly. "I'll be there in a minute," I told her, turning back to Eyreal only to discover her gone.

Lisa moved into the alcove slowly, craning her neck to look at me as I stood there clenching my fists. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

I lowered my eyes to hers, wondering why I cared what Eyreal thought or believed, but I didn't have an answer, shaking my head at Lisa. "No," I answered. "Let's just go."

I led the way out of the alcove then, and she followed me to where everyone else was getting breakfast around the firepit. I discovered I wasn't really hungry, but I ate something for good measure before I went to find Norm since I knew he was helping Max and Alex pack everything up to carry it to the Samson. Thomas was helping them, and he smiled when he saw me, immediately going back to helping tie meat and vegetables to a rack that a group of hunters would be carrying with them. Norm noticed me, but he didn't say anything, and I didn't either. I knew he wasn't happy with me, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. There wasn't anything I wanted to do about it — whether he was happy with me or not.

We'd been able to gather enough food, water, medicine for the avatars and building supplies to last everyone on the base for the next several months just in case, and once all of it was ready to be transported, I picked a few hunters I could trust to carry it to the Samson which was about five kilometers from the village. I made sure the hunters knew to keep Norm, Lisa, Max and Alex safe on the way like they were our own, and I was grateful none of the hunters had a problem with that. I also made sure Thomas knew to mind Norm if anything happened, especially since I was gonna be flying there with Ava.

I saw the group off to the edge of the village, turning to get up to the ikran nest in the topmost branches of Hometree and instantly faced with Rey'sik and Taw'biht. I wasn't really interested in another confrontation, since I'd had my fill already, but Rey'sik spoke before I could.

"Your opinion of me was not so good when we first met," he said slowly, calmly as he stood beside Taw'biht. "But Ava save my life. My way toward her improve. Your opinion of me change. I talk to Taw'biht about his way toward you and Ava. He say she call him friend. She never call him mate. But he is willful. Have hope she would change mind. I . . . tell him what I hear. He is . . . ashamed of his way. Wish to tsap'alute si."

I looked at Taw'biht, seeing his eyes downcast as he stood there silently. I wasn't sure what Rey'sik had said to him or exactly how they were friends now, but if he really wanted to apologize about his behavior, I wasn't gonna stand in his way. I stepped in front of him, and his cheeks darkened quickly as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'll accept an apology from him," I agreed, "if he'll give it to me himself. Because I'm not really the one he has to apologize to."

He lifted his eyes to mine, their topaz hue pleading as he stood in front of me. I folded my own arms over my chest, and he clenched his teeth, dropping his arms and balling his hands into fists. "I am sorry for fighting with you," he exhaled grudgingly. "I was — I did not — I am sorry. I am young. Sa'nok said I will grow out of it. I have not grown fast enough for her."

He looked at Rey'sik, who nodded, and he looked at me. "I do not wish to . . . lose Ava as a friend. I know it is all she will be to me now. You will not stop her from hunting or flying with me, please?"

I scoffed, grinning slightly. "That's not up to me," I told him. "Ava chooses her own friends, so if she still wants you around, I won't tell her she can't do it. But like I said, I'm not the one you need to apologize to, am I?"

He bowed his head again. "No."

I looked at Rey'sik. "I should be back in a few days," I said, to which he nodded. "Maybe that'll really give him some time to cool off."

"Yes, olo'eyktan."

I left them there without another word, making my way up into the tree to where I was sure Ava was waiting. I hadn't had a chance to talk to her since all of this had started, and I hoped she hadn't been completely discouraged by the way everything had happened. I hoped she knew none of it was her fault, and I didn't want her to feel sorry for how any of it had gone down. I also thought about how I hadn't told Mo'at and Eyreal one of the other reasons why I wanted to go to the base with Thomas was so Ava and I would have a little time to ourselves before I knew I would have to get back to my responsibilities. I knew it wasn't the most ideal place for us to really bond, but without most of the clan watching us, I hoped it would be good enough.

Ava was waiting for me near the nest, silently feeding Hawnuyu as she already wore her goggles and her riding pants, and when I joined her, I noticed a little hesitation in her reaction to me. I turned her to face me, taking her hands in mine even though I didn't really say anything. She smiled slowly, leaning into me and then whispering.

"I bet you I can beat you there," she challenged.

She didn't give me time to respond, quickly stepping back to her ikran and mounting him easily before she took off into the open air. I hurried, calling to Zawng and climbing onto him before a good twenty seconds could pass, but even as I flew out to follow her, I could already see her a hundred feet away. Damn, she was good.

I urged my own ride a little harder than I normally would have, pushing him to catch up with her as she flew further away from Hometree, and I could see her glancing back to keep an eye on me. I couldn't resist the challenge of beating her to the base, and it was obvious she knew that, especially when I could hear her laughing as soon as I got closer to her.

"You cheated!" I shouted, laughing myself as we came in side by side.

"I never said I wouldn't play dirty!" she shot back, grinning wider and turning her attention ahead of her to keep an eye on the sky.

Since we both knew it would take the moving caravan a little while to make it back to the Samson, we took as much of the scenic route as we could since it had actually been a little while since we'd been out by ourselves. Even though we'd both been hunting yesterday morning, we'd had company, and we'd both been admittedly focused on things other than the view. Now that we didn't have to worry about any immediate herds to follow or formation flying to practice, we found ourselves in need of a little downtime.

I spotted the caravan just as they were reaching the chopper, and while the hunters helped get the supplies into the open hull and strapped down, Thomas and Lisa took the time to wave at us from the ground. I'd already told Thomas the night before that if he was going to ride on the Samson he was going to mind the people around him and do what they said so he wouldn't get hurt. I was still worried about him being a little too enthusiastic about the whole thing, and I didn't want a repeat of what had happened with his mother. I did not want to have to search the forest for my son's body because of something preventable.

Once all the supplies were loaded onto the chopper and the hunters ducked out of the way, I stayed close by to make sure nothing happened while Norm was taking off. I knew it was just me being paranoid, but it was safer for me to be paranoid than cavalier, and I didn't trust any neighboring Clans still untrusting of the people on the base to stay out of my own Clan's dealings with them. Even though ten years had passed, the scar the Sky People had left on the land was still fresh on a lot of the People's minds, and they didn't seem to forgive so easily. I'd resigned myself to only trading and dealing with the Clans who understood that the people on the base weren't all bad. In fact, a lot of the people on the base were people I could now consider family, just like Thomas and Mo'at, and like Neytiri.

Ava circled back as soon as the chopper was in the air, and she settled in on the other side so we could follow it into the area around the base. Whatever hopes I'd had of her at least being fair about getting there together faded the minute she pushed Hawnuyu further ahead of the chopper. The knowing smile she gave me told me she had no plans of letting me beat her to the courtyard on the Southern Lawn, and I only nodded in Norm's direction, urging Zawng to follow her easily. There was no way I was gonna let her beat me, even if she did have a head start.

The area around the base hadn't changed since we'd been there, and except for the small welcoming party that looked like it included Helen, the kids and Lori, the back Lawn was empty. The race Ava had precipitated ended the minute we both touched down, and even though she tried to contend that she had touched down first, the smile on her face was all I needed to know that everything was okay. It didn't matter what Norm said or what Eyreal said. I knew Ava was happy about the way things had turned out, and I had to admit I was adjusting to them pretty good.

Keira was the first to approach me and Ava, her wild, curly auburn hair flying behind her as she ran into my arms like it hadn't been more than ten months since she'd seen me. "Uncle Jake!" she cried, slamming into me with about as much force as Thomas was capable of and nearly knocking me over.

"Easy there, tiger," I soothed, holding her securely as Helen and her two other rugrats closed the distance between us. Lori followed slowly, eyeing Ava carefully and then looking at me.

The rotors of the Samson filled the air a minute later, and we all turned to watch as Norm landed the chopper about fifty meters away from where Ava and I had landed. The two ikran bellowed their annoyance at the disruption, but neither of them flew away. As strange as it seemed, they were used to it by now, and it looked like they always would be.

I turned back to Helen, moving Keira onto my hip and extending my arm to her. "Good to see you again," I said softly, embracing her gently. After so long, it was easy to modify my grasp whenever I was handling the kids and people here. She moved both her arms around my neck, squeezing gently.

"Good to see you too," she whispered. She leaned back, nodding toward the chopper where Norm, Lisa, Max and Alex were already unloading the supplies. "We've been waiting for you to get here. I didn't think you'd come though. Don't you have council meetings or babies to help deliver? I can't believe Mo'at let you leave."

I must have blushed, because she touched my face. "You're turning dark blue on me, Jake," she told me. "Is everything okay?"

I bowed my head, laying my eyes on her two youngest kids. Joseph was three now and looked like he was ready to start running things around the base, and Fiona had just turned one if my counting was right. She'd been an infant that last I saw, but she looked beautiful now as she grasped onto Lori's leg while standing on both her feet unsteadily. They both looked so tiny compared to the Na'vi children their age back in the village. I always had to remind myself to be extra careful with them when I was here — even though it had been a little while.

"Jake," Helen said again.

I looked at her, trying to smile. "Everything's good. You and Max look about ready to start trying for another one. I'm sorry I haven't been around more. But maybe that'll change soon."

She sighed softly, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest as she turned to the chopper where Max was currently making his way to where we were. "Well, now that we know the shuttle's on its way, I guess I can't say I'm surprised. About you being here, not about the baby thing."

I chuckled, still holding Keira. "You don't want another one?"

"I want the children I have now to be safe, Jake," she said seriously, and I could understand her reasoning. "Now's not the time for me to be thinking about putting another child in danger. If it happens, it happens. You know, one could have said the same things to you five years ago."

I couldn't do anything to hide how uncomfortable that made me feel, but before I could say anything back, Max spoke up, now within shouting distance of where we were.

"Hey, you made it outside," he said, moving to Helen's side first and embracing her before he moved to pick Fiona up. "I was wondering if you would."

"Well, we heard Norm say Jake was coming," Helen informed him, "and I knew she wouldn't want to miss this." She nodded to Keira.

"Let's get inside," Max suggested. "I'll send David and Mitch out here to help with the unloading. I think Alex and I need a little fresh air away from these packs."

Helen glanced at me, and I set Keira down on the grass gently. She reluctantly joined her parents, and while they all turned to go back inside, I pulled Ava from Hawnuyu so we could help Norm and Lisa with the unpacking. There wasn't much to it, and I figured we'd have it unpacked and stored inside before lunch.

"You wanted to have more children," Ava said as we walked. "I can tell by the look on your face. Why is Thomas the only child you have?"

Normally, I wouldn't have felt compelled to answer a question like that. Quite a few people, including Mo'at had asked me and Neytiri why we hadn't ever had anymore children, and thinking about it now, it did seem strange for us to only have had one child. Most couples in the village had at least two, and it wasn't that Neytiri and I hadn't tried. We had.

I'm not sure what look I had on my face, but Ava spoke before I could, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's not my place to question something in your past. I was only curious. It was one of my failings as a child."

I sighed heavily, stopping and taking both her hands in mine. "It's okay," I whispered. "You have every right to know, and I want you to know. It's just that Neytiri and I did try to have more children. And you would think we would have been one of the many couples in the village to be blessed with as many children as we wanted. But it just wasn't meant to be. I always tell everyone that Thomas was enough for us, and it's true for the most part. But I would've been crazy to not want a whole village of kids with her. I loved her with every fiber of who I was, and if I could've done it for her, I would have."

Ava bowed her head, obviously overwhelmed by my honesty, but the minute I saw guilt fill her eyes, I made her look at me, speaking as sternly but gently as I could. "That had nothing to do with you," I swore to her. "I know it wasn't that long ago, really, but it was another part of my life. I want to have a new life with you. And I don't want anything from my past to get in the way of that. I promise this is all gonna be okay. I wouldn't have done this with you if I thought for a single second that it could go bad. I had faith in you the minute I laid eyes on you eight months ago. I'll always have faith in you. 'Kay?"

It took her less than half a minute to understand what I was saying, and she smiled slowly, squeezing my hands in hers and then nodding silently.

Relief flooded my face, and I leaned my face into hers, holding her close to me. "And I don't ever want you to lose your curiosity," I pleaded. "It's one of the things I love about you most."

She blushed, opening her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by Thomas as he ran toward us from the chopper.

"Ma sempul, Norm said I could run through the obstacle course now if I want! Will you come with me?"

I couldn't help but laugh, leaning back from Ava and turning just in time for Thomas to barrel into me with a lot more force than I was prepared for. We both went crashing, and he had me pinned before I could even argue with him.

"While I would love to have you beat me, Thomas," I huffed, recovering slowly and rising to my feet as dignified as I possibly could even though I could see Ava covering her mouth with her hand, "I should probably help with the supplies. You go on, but be careful. I'll be over there before too long."

Even though he looked a little disappointed that I couldn't oblige him immediately, he ran off without another word, making his way to the opposite side of the compound where the majority of the exercise equipment was set up along with the obstacle course. I glanced at Ava, nodding toward the chopper and reaching for her hand to make our way over there together where Norm, Lisa and the two new guys were currently unpacking the supplies.

The food was easier to unpack, since it was already stored in wraps to keep it fresh, and the two new guys there, David and Mitch carried that pallet away from the Samson while Ava and I helped Norm and Lisa with the pallets holding the medicine for the avatars and water and building supplies for the base. Even though I'd just met Lisa for the first time the day before, so much had happened since then, but it didn't look like she was overwhelmed or even shocked by anything that had happened so far. Norm was quiet while we all worked, only looking at me or speaking to me when we were moving the pallets. I was the tallest one there, so it made sense for me to handle the bigger packages, and it was simple enough to see that Ava was the only one who could help me carry the pallets from the hull of the Samson. The being said, Norm was adamant about putting himself between me and Ava, even going so far as to suggest carrying the pallet above his head so the supplies wouldn't become dislodged from their holdings.

"You're being stupid," I told him, setting the pallet on the ground and turning to help get the last batch from the hull. "Don't you think this is too little too late?"

He actually glared at me, climbing up into the hull with Lisa and unhooking the straps from their grips. "Don't you think you could have, oh, I don't know, waited to do something so completely unnecessary?" he demanded.

"Guys," Lisa shouted. "Quit arguing about this. It's been done. And I don't hear Ava complaining. She did break her arm yesterday."

Norn sighing heavily, climbing down from the hull and walking away without saying anything else. Lisa began to follow him, but I stopped her.

"No, I'll go," I told her, nudging her back gently. "I'm the one he's pissed at. I'll talk to him. Just help Ava with the rest of the supplies and carry what you can inside. We'll be in after a little while."

I left her there before she could argue, following Norm as he stalked across the lawn toward the long-house where Thomas was already making his way through the obstacle course. He waved when he saw me, and I tried to look like nothing was wrong, smiling and waving back. I had a feeling I was gonna have to talk to Norm on his level now, and with him being such a smart ass, there was no telling what he was gonna come up with for an argument. But I decided to at least let him get it off his chest. The sooner he did that, the sooner he would accept this since it really couldn't be reversed now.

Norm planted himself on the front steps of the long-house, huffing loudly as soon as he saw me and folding his arms over his chest stubbornly. I didn't know exactly what I was gonna have to say to convince him that he didn't really have a good reason to be upset with me, but I knew I was gonna try just about everything I could think of, starting with the fact that Ava had met me halfway the whole time and if she hadn't it would've been obvious to him and everyone else as soon as we'd gotten back to the village.

"I know what you're going to say," he announced once I was close. I paused for a few seconds, and he exhaled sharply. "I mean, I know this wouldn't be happening if Ava hadn't wanted to do it. You're not the kind of guy to force this kind of thing. I just don't want anything to happen to her."

"Nothing's gonna happen to her," I assured him.

"So her arm getting broken because the hunting party she was in got ambushed, that was just a one-time thing?" he pressed.

I exhaled heavily, moving to sit on the steps with him so that we were eye-to-eye. "No," I admitted.

He leaned closer. "Excuse me?"

I bowed my head, glancing around to see Thomas making his way back to the front of the obstacle course and then seeing Ava and Lisa carrying a pallet of supplies to the basketball court where the other two guys were sorting through everything. I lifted my eyes to Norm's. "It wasn't the first time we've been ambushed," I confessed sheepishly. "The last time, she was still training, and I was with her. We were alone, but we were on our way back to the village when they found us."

Norm sat up straight. "Did she get hurt?" he pleaded, his eyes turning worried.

"No." I shook my head. "I kept her safe. And Tu'San and Eyreal showed up with hunters to even the odds before anything happened. She hasn't been out alone since then. I know it's not the best situation, but we're doing the best we can under the circumstances. Mo'at even agreed to the extra protection."

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't have happened if she was on the base," he griped despite the sour look I gave him. "None of this would be happening if she was on the base. She'd be safe here, and you know it. And the fact that it's the same Clan ambushing you should be sending up the red flags enough as it is. And there isn't anything you can do to change my mind."

"Even the fact that you can't change it?" I demanded. "Because if it hadn't been a blessed mating, you would have known it as soon as you saw us this morning. I did what you said to do. I talked to her about her Dream Hunt. And I thought she'd already chosen someone else. But she chose me. How does that make me the bad guy here? Why aren't you lecturing her about this? And don't say it's because I'm the guy."

Norm pressed his lips together, clenching his teeth and exhaling through his nose. I was right, and he knew it, and it was pissing him off that he couldn't do a damn thing about it. So he was just gonna have to deal with it, even if he didn't want to.

"Look," I pleaded softly, "I made sure she understood what it meant for us to be together like this," I promised. "Not just the ins and outs of it, but what it really meant. And it was her choice. And I made sure not to hurt her. But you're mad for all the wrong reasons. And you're mad at the wrong person. And if you're askin' me, you really don't have a good reason to be mad at all. Just accept it. I know Ava would want you to do that, for her sake more than mine."

He closed his eyes tight, visibly turning redder as he turned away and then turned his sights back on Ava. "And what are you going to do if she gets hurt again?" he asked. "And what are you going to do if you're the one who hurts her? Because you can't say it won't happen. You're two feet taller than her."

"She's not a weakling, Norm," I hissed. "She can actually take care of herself, you know. And she's gotten me out of plenty of scrapes for me to believe it. She survived out there for ten years, all by herself. What does being with me got to do with any of this?"

"Because you didn't know she was out there," he argued. "And she probably knew to avoid coming into contact with any of the Na'vi. But you can't avoid the other Clans. And exposing her to them is just going to put her into more danger. And then — then what are you going to do if she gets pregnant?" he pleaded, his ears turning a deep shade of pink as he clenched his teeth again.

I scoffed softly, blushing myself and thinking of the night before when I hadn't even been worried about anything like that happening. "I don't think we should start worrying about that just yet," I told him. "She'll let me know when her body's ready for that. Just like Neytiri did. Like any of others' mates would."

"Because they're Na'vi?" he asked incredulously, scoffing himself.

His tone actually sounded disgusted, and I felt wounded for a split second even as I spoke. "Of course."

"Yeah, well, Ava's not just Na'vi," he informed me. "She's Human too. And you don't even know how that part of her works. How do you know it won't just happen?"

At that, I had no argument, and when I didn't answer him, he spoke again.

"You don't know it won't just happen," he accused, and I had to look away to keep from glaring at him. "For all you know, she could be pregnant now! How could you not think about that?"

I inhaled a steadying breath, squeezing my hands into fists and speaking softly. "That's not really your problem anymore. You're not the one who found her. You're not her family. I am. And no matter what happens, I'll be the one taking care of her. Not you."

"Then why do you care what I think?" he pressed, the same way Eyreal had before I'd left the village. "If you're not at least going to hear me out, why does it matter why I care what happens to her? Because you've obviously decided to take matters into your own hands."

I looked at him, opening my mouth to speak when Lisa suddenly shouted from the basketball court.

"Jake! Something's wrong!"

I was on my feet before I was even aware of leaving the steps, running through the obstacle course and seeing Lisa as she knelt over the concrete with Ava doubled over in her arms. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but it didn't matter. As soon as I was close enough, Lisa spoke again.

"We were unwrapping the food when she started cramping," she told me, looking over my shoulder at Norm as he ran toward us with Thomas. "I think it might be something she ate. We might want to make sure nothing else happened yesterday when the hunting party was ambushed," she said in Norm's direction.

"We should get her out of the heat," he said, and I moved forward instantly, lifting Ava in my arms and following Norm to the airlock that led to the ambient room. Lisa followed with Thomas, and as soon as we were inside, Norm pulled the scanning equipment out of the corner.

"Lay her over here," he gestured to a nearby gurney, and I obliged easily, watching Ava's face contort painfully. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew she was hurting, and I was immediately thinking back to the day before when they'd been ambushed by another Clan.

I tried to remember everything Tu'San and Taw'biht had said, knowing only that the other Clan had to have been following them closely and might have actually tried to take Ava after she'd hurt herself. It would have been so simple then. And I'd been so worried about her injury and the looks I'd seen between her and Taw'biht that I hadn't even thought to ask Tu'San about more of the details of the ambush. Had any of the hunters from the other Clan gotten their hands on her? Was it possible they'd tried to poison her if they couldn't kill her out in the open?

"Ava, honey, I'm really going to need you to lay on your back," Norm pleaded, getting the scanner ready and easing the machine toward her as she continued to cradle her stomach. "Jake, let go of her for a minute."

"I'm not leaving her," I shouted.

"I didn't say leave," he shouted back. "Just let go of her for a minute. Just for a minute, okay?"

I looked at Ava, holding onto her tighter and silently pleading with her to let Norm help her. If there was something wrong with her, I wanted to know about it, and if Norm could find that out, it didn't matter if he was still angry with me. Ava was the only thing that mattered right now.

Very gently, I helped Ava lay on her back, still holding her hand and watching Norm take the wand unit to lay it over her stomach. She flinched, and he spoke softly.

"It's okay." He waited a minute, looking at me and then looking at the scanner. While we waited for him, Max and Helen appeared behind the glass.

"What happened?" Max asked, and Norm glanced at him.

"Ava started cramping," Lisa answered, moving around to be beside me so she could be near Ava. "We should probably test her to make sure there aren't any toxins in her blood. I'll get the equipment ready."

"I can't make anything out on the scanner," Norm reported. "Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." He put the scanner away, wheeling it into the corner and then moving closer to Ava. "I need you to tell me where it hurts most," he requested, touching her gently.

She looked at me for a second, and then she looked at him, laying her hand over the left side of her lower abdomen.

He laid his hand over hers, pressing gently. She didn't double over immediately, but she grimaced softly, squeezing my hand. I watched him carefully, and he moved his hand across her abdomen, pressing into her muscles lightly and then reaching the right side of her body. He barely touched her, and she yelped, grabbing my arm with her other hand.

"Watch it," I yelled at him, and he jumped, glancing up at me as Lisa got to his side with a tray of sterile syringes and viles so they could take samples of Ava's blood.

"Calm down, Jake," he pleaded. "Ava has to stay still, and I don't want to have to make you leave. I think I know what's wrong with her, but we need to take some blood to make sure it's nothing viral."

I exhaled softly. "Sorry. I guess I just forgot what this feels like."

"Well, you'll adjust," he quipped, wrapping the tourniquet around Ava's arm and laying the syringe in the bend of her arm. "I guess we all will."

I lifted my eyes to his, and after a few seconds, he nodded, taking a vile of Ava's blood and then stepping up into the lab so he could get it tested. Lisa actually bumped her elbow against mine, and I looked at her, seeing a small grin on her face. I grinned too, looking at Ava and focusing my attention on her as she turned to her side to face me again.

"It's gonna be okay," I whispered to her. "I'm right here.'

A few minutes passed, and Norm's voice filtered into the room. "Lisa, did Ava eat or drink anything for breakfast this morning?" he asked, his scientist-like voice now firmly locked in place as he searched for what could be wrong with Ava.

I looked at Lisa, and she seemed to think about it maybe a minute before she answered.

"No, she didn't," she told him, and I looked at Ava. "As a matter of fact, I don't think she ate much last night either."

"Does she have a fever?" he continued.

Lisa laid her hand over Ava's forehead, rubbing her temple and then her cheek. "She's burning up," she reported to Norm, gently rubbing Ava's bare arm as she laid perfectly still.

"Her white blood cell count is elevated," he relayed over the intercom, and the creases on Lisa's forehead deepened slowly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, still holding Ava's hand and now stroking the back of her neck to keep her still.

Lisa looked at me, hesitating for a few seconds before she spoke softly. "Did you ever have your appendix out?" she asked me.

"When I was seventeen," I said, the list of Ava's symptoms finally making sense to me, and I looked at Norm as he still stood on the other side of the glass with Max and Helen. "What do we do?" I asked him. "Does she need surgery?"

Norm looked at Max, and the older man nodded. Together, they moved to the airlock nearest to the ambient room. Only a few minutes later, they both emerged with Max wearing an exopack.

"We can't do it in here," Norm said. "We'll have to put her under anesthetic, but it's a routine procedure. She'll barely even have a scar. And she'll only need a day or two to recover."

"But I can't stay with her," I concluded, since it was obvious they were going to need sterile equipment so Ava wouldn't get an infection.

"Not unless you want to suffocate and die," Max said seriously.

I looked at Ava, seeing tears in her eyes as she grasped onto my hand and arm with all ten of her fingers and even centimeter of her palms. Then I looked at Norm and Max. "Then do it," I told them.

---

It only took Norm and Max half an hour to get Ava ready, and I waited in the ambient room with Lisa while they wheeled Ava into one of the surgical rooms nearby. Norm set up one of the monitors in the ambient room so I could watch, and for about two hours, I sat and watched them safely remove Ava's appendix and then close her tiny incision with stitches Norm said would dissolve over the next twenty-four hours. When they brought her back, she was wearing a surgical gown and was resting under a blanket. Max took her vitals while I settled next to her, and while he and Norm talked, I whispered to Ava even though I knew she was still under anesthetic.

I knew she would need a few hours to wake up, and that I wouldn't be able to move her until then, but I told her everything was gonna to be okay. I actually felt a little stupid thinking Tu'San or Taw'biht would've let anything happen to her while they'd been out the morning before, but my imagination was starting to get away from me. I didn't have any control over thinking something was gonna happen to her, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking it was gonna to be my fault.

"She'll be recovering for another two or three hours," Norm said moving to my side slowly as I watched Ava sleep. "Everything went perfect. You won't even be able to see the incision."

I glanced over Ava's body, knowing he was wrong since I knew exactly where it was and wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. "I know," I said to him instead. "Thanks."

He was quiet a minute before speaking softly. "I didn't mean to blow up at you," he apologized. "I know you're doing your best, and it's not my place to question that anymore. You know I trust you, don't you Jake?"

I grinned. "Yeah. I know. But that doesn't mean you didn't have a right to blow up at me. I do kinda have a thick head, and at least you care enough to make sure I do my best." I looked at him as he stood next to me. "I know nobody was expecting this. I wasn't expecting it. But that doesn't mean I didn't want it. Because I did. More than I was willing to admit. And Ava wanted it too. So part of the, uh, blame should be put on her too."

Norm looked me in the eyes, his attitude completely different now from how he'd been when we'd arrived. "Neither of you did anything wrong. It just surprised me is all. I thought for sure we'd have to wait at least another year for this. But it's okay. I get it, Jake. I really do. I guess I should've seen by now how much you love Ava."

I laughed, looking at Ava again and then looking at Lisa. "And here I was thinking nothing surprised you," I joked.

He laughed nervously. "I never said nothing surprised me," he argued.

"Heart rate and blood pressure look good," Max reported from the other side of the room. "In a few hours, we can move her outside so she can rest in the long-house."

I glanced in his direction, nodding solemnly. "Okay," I agreed.

---

A few hours later, when Ava woke up from her anesthetic and Max said it was okay for her to be moved, I carried her out of the ambient room where they'd brought her after surgery. By then, Helen had carried Keira, Joseph and Fiona back outside where Thomas and Lisa were keeping them entertained. I noticed the little ones were all wearing sized exopacks, but it didn't seem to bother them that Lisa wasn't wearing one. They played with her just the same.

The moment I stepped outside with Ava, Thomas hurried to my side, looking over Ava and then speaking as we walked to the long-house slowly.

"She is all right now?" he asked, his eyes scanning over her torso where she'd been hurting before I'd taken her inside.

"She's gonna to be just fine," I promised him. "But she needs her rest. And she probably needs something to eat if you want to find her something."

His ears perked up quickly. "There are many kinds of fruit in the garden," he said happily. "I will make nikt'chey like ma sa'nok and Grandmother always show me."

I glanced at him sidelong, realizing he'd called Mo'at his grandmother for the first time since Neytiri's death. I thought maybe he'd begun to accept Eyreal as the new tsahik, and now his grandmother was just that all over again. I could see he liked calling her that. He ran off quickly to where the water and building supplies were still setting on the basketball court, looking through everything we'd brought for what he wanted. In the few hours I'd been inside, the medicine and food had all been put away for safety in the lab or the mess hall, and I wondered what was going to get done with the building supplies we'd brought. The water bladders usually kept their contents cool, so I knew he'd be back with something good for Ava to eat.

I found a cot for Ava to lay on, sitting at her side and holding her hand as she settled slowly. She was still groggy from the anesthetic, but she smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I laid my fingers over her forehead gently, noticing her color coming back even though she was sweating. "Are you okay?" I asked softly. "Norm said you'd be disoriented for a little while."

"I'm okay with you here," she whispered.

I leaned closer until my face was above hers, touching the tip of her nose with mine and gently rubbing her skin with mine. "I'm always gonna be here," I swore. "No matter what happens. I'm always gonna be with you, Ava. I promise."

She lifted her other hand to my face, caressing my cheek lightly and then easing her fingers over my neck to my shoulder. She found the nerve endings of my queue, and I tried to stay in control of the situation even as I shook with chills, taking her hands in both mine and leaning back to look at her.

"You gotta be a little more fair than that," I pleaded. "You're tired, and you're gonna be weak for at least another day. I'm not goin' anywhere, and neither are you. I told Mo'at I was gonna be here for a little while, since I figured it'd be the only time we got to ourselves. I do still have responsibilities, and I'll have a lot to do when we get back. So you just rest, okay?"

I squeezed her hands, leaning closer to kiss her and then laying my forehead over hers. "Thomas is gonna find you something to eat and drink, and I'm gonna let you sleep. All right?"

She inhaled deeply, grasping onto my hands and kissing me again. "Will you sleep here with me?" she whispered.

Thomas came back just then, hurrying to where I'd laid Ava with a wide smile on his face as he carried an assorted variety of fruit and vegetable wraps from the garden along with a bladder of water. "Lisa knows how to make nikt'chey," he exclaimed. "She helped me make everything. She said these would be best after sur-jury."

Even though Thomas had been speaking English since he'd started talking, that last word was a little difficult for him to get out. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I helped Ava sit up so she could eat.

"Stay here with Ava, all right, Thomas?" I requested. "I'll be right outside."

He nodded happily, taking my place as I rose and made my way outside where everyone else was making use of the midday sun. Max had made his way outside, and he was sitting on a picnic blanket with Helen while they watched Lisa and Norm played with the kids. I tried to remember how many other children were on the base, and I silently wondered where they were, but I knew the base had a greenhouse and a solarium, so they were probably all there for the time being. I think Max was really the only one who actually liked to be outside like this.

Keira saw me before anyone else, running from her game with her siblings and making her way to me the way she had earlier. "Uncle Jake!" she exclaimed exuberantly.

I caught her the same way I had before, holding her against my chest since my hunting gear was all in the long-house and moving closer to the main group slowly. "Are you guys playing chase or somethin'?" I asked softly. "It looks like Norm was winning."

"He's so tall!" she cried, smiling as she held onto my neck with both her arms. "I mean, he's not as tall as you, but he's a lot taller than me! I can never get away from him. He's like Lightning McQueen!"

I patted her back gently, shaking my head as I laughed. "I take it you've been watching old movies again," I concluded. "Are we back to Disney now?"

"And Transformers and Harry Potter!" she cried.

I remembered Max breaking down and downloading movie files from the satellite when Keira had been three, and she'd been going through phases ever since. I was actually wondering when she was going to go through a phase I could identify with — like the Godfather or Two-Lane Blacktop. I was a guy, for Ewya's sake.

"Max," I said, finally reaching the small group and kneeling to the ground with Keira still in my arms. "When are we going to start watching movies I can remember?" I asked him, pleaded actually. "Disney? Honestly?"

He smiled and laughed, clutching Joseph to his chest as his son barreled into him while trying to get away from Norm. "She's five, Jake," he reminded me. "Maybe you should look through the database for a movie yourself. I'm sure we could set something up in the long-house for you. What's your favorite movie?"

I thought silently, honestly unable to remember the last time I'd watched a movie. I knew they did things like that on the base for the kids, but I was usually only there to check on things in the lab and the Ops Center. But as I sat there, watching Norm and Lisa join us, I could actually remember a movie I'd seen that had been a classic in my youth, since it was from another century. And apparently, Norm was thinking up the same thing, because he spoke at the same time I did.

"Weird Science," we both said, and I looked at him to see him smiling.

Max laughed. "Are you serious?" he chuckled.

"What's wrong with that movie?" Norm asked, allowing Fiona to crawl into his lap.

"It was ridiculous," he exclaimed, still laughing. "And impossible. Honestly, a couple of guys building a woman and making her come to life like Frankenstein? It's not even sound science!"

Norm laughed, and I did too. I hadn't really laughed since the day before, and it felt good. For the first time in several weeks, I felt like everything was going to turn out okay. And I figured I'd worry about my dreams whenever they came to me — if they came to me ever again.

"It's ironic we're talking about this," Helen said, "since we were planning a movie night for the younger kids tonight. I think Joseph and Marie wanted to watch Finding Nemo."

"Nemo!" Joseph cried, giggling as Norm tickled him relentlessly.

"What movie is that?" I asked obliviously.

"It's the one with the fish," Keira reminded me.

I nodded. "Ah. So where's the party?" I asked Helen.

"It's out here," she pointed around the courtyard. "Max has the projector ready, and we're going to pop some popcorn for the little kids. But I think Josh and Elizabeth are going to help us keep the kids corralled for the evening."

"Can Thomas come?" Keira pleaded, and I smiled at her.

"I'm sure he would love to sit out here and watch a movie with you," I promised her. "But let's let him finish with Ava, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

---

Norm and Lisa followed me to the long-house to check on Ava and Thomas while Max and Helen wrangled their kids to get them inside, and when I told Thomas about the movie, he literally jumped with more excitement than I'd seen him show in over a year. Even though Neytiri and I had wanted him to know English and most of the Human customs of the people on the base, we'd both decided not to expose him to too much Human culture, but every now and then, we hadn't seen the harm. And what could be more harmless than an animated movie about anthropomorphic fish?

After Thomas calmed down from his excitement, he stepped away from Ava's side to go back outside, and he promised her he would be back before the movie to see if she was hungry again. I was glad he'd taken to her so quickly after the mess that had happened that morning, and I hoped that no matter what happened, he would always feel the way he felt now, especially after we got back to Hometree. While Thomas left the long-house and made his way back to other end of the courtyard, Norm sat on the bed at Ava's side and took a reading on her vitals with his scanner.

"Temp's a little high, but we're giving her antibiotics for her fever," he reported, pushing a small button before he continued. "Heart rate's coming back down to normal, and her blood pressure's leveling out." He put the scanner away and reached for Ava's forehead. "Are you dizzy?" he asked her softly. "Do you need something to take the edge off? I know you have to be hurting."

"I can't hold my head up for very long," she stated matter of factly, and I knelt at her other side to take her hand in mine. "But I don't feel sick. The food helped."

"Are you thirsty?" I asked, reaching for the water and rising to lower the lip to her mouth. She nodded, and I gave her a little, but she still coughed. Norm gently pushed the water away.

"Don't give her too much," he warned. "We don't want to jostle her too much. She should sleep, and she'll probably feel better in the morning." He caressed her cheek, smiling as she smiled. "I'll check on you later," he promised. He looked at me, kind of nodding and motioning for me to follow him outside.

I nodded back, looking at Ava and whispering. "Get some sleep," I pleaded, leaning closer and kissing her forehead. "I'll be right back."

I stood up then, letting go of her hand and following Norm out of the long-house to find him a few paces from the front steps. As soon as he saw me, he spoke.

"I wanted to apologize about arguing with you this morning about Ava," he began, and when I tried to stop him, he held up his hand. "About her getting pregnant," he went on as he blushed slightly.

"Don't worry about it," I insisted.

"No, I need to say this," he pleaded. "I wanted you to know. While she was in surgery, I did some scans, and I don't think it's possible for her to get pregnant." He paused when he looked at me, probably because I could feel my entire face heat up, either from embarrassment or anger I wasn't sure. Then he went on. "I mean, it's possible. It's always possible. But because she's a hybrid, she has an extra pair of chromosomes that will make reproduction difficult for her. I just don't want you to worry about her, especially if you aren't able to have any children with her."

I tried to understand what he was telling me, since he was stumbling between scientific jargon and baby talk. I honestly hadn't thought of anything like this happening, but I wasn't worried about having children with Ava just yet. She was only seventeen, and we had just mated. We were still getting used to each other, and I wanted to focus on her. Before I could say anything, Norm continued his speech.

"Probably if there were more Na'vi genes in her, it'd be easier, but right now, I just want you to know in case you have any questions," he concluded.

I let almost everything he told me go over my head, nodding in acknowledgment. "Okay. If I have any questions, you'll be the first guy I go to."

He kind of smiled. "Good. I'll come check on her before we eat, and then we'll see if she's up for the movie."

"I think she'd like that," I agreed.

He laughed softly, stepping back and then turning to get back inside. I watched him walk back inside, turning back to the long-house and seeing Lisa there with a sympathetic expression on her face. I didn't say anything to her, moving back inside where Ava was now sleeping. I didn't have to guess that she'd probably heard everything Norm had said, but I held on to one thing Norm had said.

It was possible.

---

Whew! Another LONG chapter put to bed, and now onto the next one! I hope we are enjoyed this little chapter, and I hope you're all looking forward to the new ones coming up. I wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed and faved my story, and also everyone who's put it on their alerts. I really appreciate it!

And now onto the Defintions:

pa'li - Big horses the size of elephants

olo'eyktan - This is what we like to call Jake on his good days

Ava'eylan - This is how Rey'sik addresses Ava, since she is his friend (It should literally mean Ava'friend)

tsmuke - sister

Uniltaron - Dream Hunt

Kali'weya - The arachnoid. It's usually given during the Dream Hunt to induce a hallucination-like state

tsap'alute si - apologise (apologize)

Sa'nok - Mother

ikran - Big flying birds the size of prehistoric pterodactyls

Ma sempul - Father

nikt'chey - Food wraps made with a variety of ingredients including but not limited to fruit, vegetables and meat

tsahik - Interpreter for Eywa (In this case, Eyreal)

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So that's all for this time, folks. Stay good!

Until next time, Keep Calm and Carry on!