CAN THERE BE A SECOND CHANCE?

Bakura: Well this is another Jak II fic that I have decided to write. It came to me in a dream and also trying to beat Erol in one challenge in the game for about two hours. After beating it and the little scene played I wondered if there was something more to Erol's fate than what the scene showed us. So, since I have become a sort of a softy for Erol now, I have decided to write an Erol-angst fic about what I thought might of happened to him. Enjoy.

I do not own the legal rights to Jak II, but I do own the video game and what a fine game it is. Thank you Naughty Dog!!!!! (kisses their feet)

"italics" means flashbacks

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Erol breathed in short small breaths, trying to keep from passing out. His mind was clouded. All he could think about was how he had ended up where he was.

"I win, Jak!" Erol screamed before crashing into the large barrels of eco. The impact sent the Krimzon commander flying into the blue shortcut in the Class One Race track. He remained conscious for a few seconds and then darkness overtook him.

"There's another one! Kill it!" A blast shook Erol awake. He weakly opened his eyes and looked around. A dead Metal Head, not two feet away was staring at him with its cold lifeless eyes. Erol shuddered. "Well, well, well, look who we have here. We thought you died Erol." Erol looked up to see a few Krimzon guards surrounding him. "W…What happened?" he asked wearily. "The Baron is dead and that Eco freak that escaped beat the Metal Head leader. Ashelin is the new governor of the city and that traitor, Torn, is the new commander of the guard." "Oh. Can I see Ashelin? I need to talk to her." "Humph, in due time. You're coming with us for the time being."

The guards roughly grabbed Erol and shoved him in the Hellcat Cruiser and drove off to the Krimzon Guard Command Center. After stripping him of his clothes and tying his hands with a rope, the guards walked him to a little known room in the Center. They strung another rope between Erol's tied up hands and threw it over a rafter, then tied it down. One guard grabbed a whip and walked over to Erol, getting in his face. "You know, to everyone, you're dead. So it's time to make that story true. We never liked you Erol. You always sucked up to the Baron and made us look like idiots. It's time to accept your punishment for what you've done to us." With that, the guard began striking Erol's back harshly with the whip.

Unshed tears began to form in Erol's eyes. The torture had began two days ago. Since then, he had been whipped, kicked, punched, and then the guards forced the beaten man onto a bed and raped him repeatedly. He was now back in the torture room, tied up again, about to be whipped for the second time that day. He looked down at his bloodied and bruised body and the tears began flowing. Just a week before, he was at the top, and now he would most likely die in the most horrible, demeaning way anyone could be killed.

The guard walked in and began to whip the already torn and bleeding back of the former Krimzon Guard commander. Erol's vision was slowly blurring from his tears and the blood that was streaming down his face. 'This is it. I'm going to die today. I just wish that it wasn't in this way.' Erol thought. He was about to close his eyes and let the darkness of death take him when he felt the whipping stop and a sickening crunch behind him, followed by a shot and a scream. A blurry face appeared before his eyes and it was hard for him to make out the features as his savior began cutting the rope that bound his hands. Once it was cut, Erol felt like he was falling until his savior again saved him by catching him. The pain and severe blood loss began taking effect and before he fell unconscious, he looked to the face of his savior again, swearing that he saw dark blue eyes and greenish-yellow hair.

Erol's eyes shot open. He gasped a few times until his breathing became normal again. He began to try to get up. "Don't get up, Erol. You'll mess up the bandages and your wounds will open up again. If you need anything, I'll get it for you." The voice was gentle, but firm. Erol had heard the voice before, but couldn't recognize it right away. It felt like it was getting colder in the room and Erol shivered a bit. "Are you cold?" the voice asked. "Y…Yes." Erol's voice was hoarse and cracked from all the screaming he had done. He heard someone getting up and some shuffling, then footsteps walking toward him. Warmth spread to his sore and freezing body as a blanket was gently placed upon him. "T…Thank you." he whimpered, tears began forming in his eyes again as he closed them.

He felt strong, but soft hands caress his cheeks, wiping the tears away. Erol slowly opened his eyes again to look at his savior. The same dark blue eyes and greenish-yellow hair that he saw earlier was coming in clearer now, as was the face. Erol then realized why the voice sounded familiar. "J…Jak? You…you saved me?" "I wasn't going to let anyone be stripped of their pride while I could do something about it. I'm just sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. You could have not suffered as much if I had just been a little faster." "B…But why? After what I've done to you, how I treated you, how I nearly KILLED you?!"

Jak began brushing some stray locks of hair out of Erol's face. "I don't hate you for any of that Erol. It was actually my destiny I guess, once I think about it. And about Keira, she's just a friend but she's been that ever since she was born and she's like a sister to me, so I have to watch out for her, and the races, well, you have to be competitive in races or it's just boring." Erol's tears came rushing out. "Why Jak? Why are you being so nice to me?" "No one deserves to get beaten and raped, not even you. You were just doing your job. Those guards had no justice or honor in what they did. I can assure you Torn and I took care of them." "Torn knows about this too?" "Well, he IS the commander of the Guard. Because of his training in the Underground, he becomes a little bit too picky about the habits of the men that work for him. When he noticed a few weren't doing their normal routine, he began to investigate. He called me to get the jump on them since if he walked in, they would try to cover up any wrongdoings they were doing. I took out the other ones and then took out the one that had you and brought you back to my house and dressed your wounds."

Jak began to play with Erol's short orangey-red hair. "I reported to Torn about what happened and he said that once you're healed up, you can rejoin the Guard if you want to. You can be the co-commander. Torn actually admitted that he needs help commanding the Guards and you have experience." "What about you? What are you going to do?" "Try not to stay bored. With Kor and the Baron dead and nearly all the Metal Heads gone, there's nothing to fight anymore. And I can't piss off the Guards anymore because we're on the same side now and Torn would yell at me not to do it." Erol chuckled, then winced as pain shot down his rib cage. "I think I found a broken rib. Ow."

After a few minutes of silence, Erol looked up into Jak's eyes. "Jak, why did you save me? Anyone could have gone down there to check, so why did you?" "Jak sighed and took one of Erol's bandaged hands into his own. "I love you. I did it because I love you, Erol. Ever since that day you captured me, I felt a love for you that has never died. You're my world, Erol, and it pained me every time you threatened me and when we raced, thinking that my love would probably never be returned."

Erol smiled at Jak. "You were wrong. I love you too, Jak. You saved me from my own destruction. I'm indebted to you with my life and my love. Those guards made me feel like I was worthless, I was just excess baggage that needed to be disposed of, but you risked your life to save someone you love, even though you didn't think they could love you back. I commend you on that."

The two looked into each others eyes and didn't realize how close they were getting to one another until their lips met. The kiss they shared was a light one but nevertheless there were still fireworks in each of the two men's bodies. They broke the kiss and Erol watched as Jak began walking out of the room. "I think you've had a lot of excitement. Try and get some more sleep, and I'll be back later to change the bandages." Jak said. "Okay. Hey, Jak?" "Yeah?" "Eco Freak." The two smiled at each other before Jak turned off the light. As Erol closed his eyes, he thought about the one feeling that he thought he would never experience again and also what others wouldn't either, but now he had it. He loved someone that loved him back. And he also realized that he also loved winners too.

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Bakura: Well, what did you think?

Jak: I think you need to stop playing the game. You are messing up our personal lives too much.

Daxter: Yeah and are playing it too long. How long are you now?

Bakura: 31 hours and 14 minutes. But I've beaten the game and I'm just trying to find the Precursor Orbs now.

Jak: So you're just going to keep playing and write sappy, fluffy romances about us?

Bakura: Yep. You should see the one I'm typing up about Torn. And the ones I will start using the tapes.

Jak: What tapes?

Bakura: The ones of you guys all in the Naughty Ottsel singing karaoke and the ones in the shower and the ones where you guys all went to the hot springs together and the road trip in the bus getting there and…

Jak: Enough! And before Bakura says anything else, review please.