A/N: Well, even though in my opinion, the last chapter stunk worse than my brother's feet (which is really bad, by the way) I have to thank everyone who read or read/reviewed. But be warned, I can't promise this one will the same. I'm at a bad point in my life as where writing is concerned. My muse is kinda lost and I've set up posters all over the place so if you find 'em, lemme know, 'coz that would be just wonderful. But I don't want to drag anyone down with me, so if the chapter isn't cut up to be all you were expecting, you have my permission to spear me, just don't say I didn't warn you. But I have a long time to make things happen, 'coz this is only part ONE of a loverly trilogy so...ya But seriously, I'm going to try my best to make this one worth your reading time. I mean, I still have a lot to cover! What's Snake up to? What was that paper? Will Daxter ever tell Jak how he feels? Will Jak ever find out? What about Keira...does Jak have feelings for her? What about the colorful doors mentioned way back in one of the earlier chapters? (That's still a little ways away so don't get TOO curious just yet) And most importantly, why am I asking you all of this?

Anyway, thank you to the following reviewers:

CassieCats: Well, I think up to this point, almost everybody wants to know. It shall come when it comes -enter evil cackling here-

goggle head girl: Thanks! I'll try not to rush, but at the same time, I would like to get the next chapter up before TOO much times passes. I guess only time will tell, ne?

Shark: We'll find out sooner or later. Keep on the reading, and mebbe...

Demyrie: Ah, Da Demz and her trademark long reviews. As usual, thanks a bunch for the long rant on how much you get into whats happening, lol. And oh! I know what you mean about the protective thing. It gives ME the goose bumps! E-mail me, girly!

Yami Kani: Heh, it's always cool to come to and find a story has been update more than once. And don't worry, not making any sense means you're perfectly normal!

Midnyte Wolf: -huggles back- Thanks hun! Updates can be a very wonderful thing, can't they? It's just one of those small things that make us happy. I'll try my best not to make you wait too long for the next chapter.

Yakow: Yeah, I dunno WHY I did that evil little description of the body, but it turned out pretty well, I think.



I tried to look on the bright side by thinking about how it'll all be worth it in the end. Keira will be at the garage and they'll make up for whatever, and then I can have my alone time with Jak. Another plus would be being able to hear Jak tell Keira the news that me and him were going to be living in the den for a while. Oh, and Jak's little depression thing will finally go away. Yeah, so I figured that maybe this little detour wouldn't have to be a bad thing.

Something inside of me slapped my senses hard enough into reality that as soon as I saw us entering the garage and I felt sick again. She had better be here.

When I didn't see her tinkering on any of her new toys out in the open, I immediately thought about the green curtain she's always hiding behind. I think she does it on purpose. Working back there, I mean. She must know that her silhouette can be seen from the other side, and she uses that to her advantage. You can have the ugliest face in the world and the most horrible appearance, but a silhouette can make just about anybody seem sexy. I hate it when Jak falls for it too. Every time she talks from back there, she makes sure to use exaggerated movements and flirtatious gestures without making it seem too obvious, and Jak always gawks at the shadowed outline like it was the most amazing thing on the planet.

It made it feel like that instead of a detour, he was taking the scenic route...

Sometimes I get a little warm thinking about Jak being back there instead, making his OWN little gestures, such as cocking his gun, or stretching. Or breathing. Or some other stuff that I think about on a daily basis that I shouldn't say. Now THAT'D be a show I'd pay to see everyday. I do have a good amount of time to stare at Jak, but I ALWAYS have time to fantasize about him! 'Course you have to be careful when you pick your staring time. Jak's pretty good at sensing he's being watched. It's a natural human instinct. Its weird how we all seem to just KNOW when we're being watched or followed, we can almost feel it, and it puts us on edge.

There had been a few times I had to catch myself before he did. It's like my animal instincts against his survival ones. There were many times when I let something slip or I've stared for too long or managed to slip out a 'baby' or two in my sentences... thank God he's too dense to think twice about it. Sometimes he would suspect danger around us, 'coz he has that 'feeling' I was talking about when really it was just me staring at his profile from his shoulder with a sideways glace. He never caught me though, which I was more than thankful for. Hey sometimes I even get that irking sensation that someone has their eyes on me and I always snap my head over to Jak in hopes that he was maybe it was HIM. Then I droop into a five minute depression when I discover it wasn't.

Think about it. Even if he had just the SLIGHTEST attraction towards me, can you picture a handsome, strong guy like him cuddling a small, furry and obnoxious animal such as myself in the name of love? I didn't think so.

When I glanced over, I had to stifle back a groan of disappointment when I saw her predictable silhouette being casted from behind a green layer of fabric that was hanging from the ceiling. Her position was feminine and her legs were crossed while she sat and bent over to screw something with a wrench. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as Jak took careful steps up to the curtain.

Hmm... I wonder if she can see OUR shadows.

To my surprise, Jak grabbed the curtain and whipped it open instead of the gentle slide I was expecting. Whether Keira knew we were there or not before, she jumped about a mile high in surprise when he did that. Her hand clutched at her chest, right above where her little black heart would generally be, her eyes wide. Her face softened, however, and she sighed in relief to find that it was only Jak.

"The hell were you thinking?" He wasn't yelling, but he wasn't calmly stating either. If at all possible, it was in the middle of the two. I sat myself onto a nearby workbench, leaving Jak's shoulder bare and watched. The two were stuck in their place, Jak waiting for an answer of some sort, and Keira staring blankly back at him, rattling her thick little brain for some kind of response. If she argued, she would fail horribly. At least I'm pretty sure she would. Jak had this way of dealing with people, and always ended up winning little deals such as this one. Even with me! No matter how witty I can get, he always...

Ends up on top.

A-and by that, I m-meant he wins the argument... heh...

Ahem.

Keira's hand reached out for the curtain as if to support her crumbling weight, and she clung to it for dear life. Her eyes temporarily went to me, Jak, me and then Jak again. Giving a quick sigh she lowered her head slightly, keeping her eyes pinned on the man in front of her.

"W-what do you mean?"

Jak crossed his arms at this point and Keira lifted her free hand up to opposite shoulder and let it rest there, her head leaning to the side.

"You know what I mean." Irritated. Impatient. "You storm off into the city without any indication where you were going, and you act like you don't know what you did wrong?"

Heh, I wish I had a bag of popcorn with me.

"Wrong? Sorry, I didn't know it was wrong to take a walk." Sarcastic. Cold.

"Keira, it's dangerous out there, and you know it," His finger pointed to the outside, and his brows lowered. "You could've..."

If I DID have a nice little bag of popcorn with me I probably would have dropped the bag by now. I was hurt, and I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. The feeling was always uncomfortable to me. At that time, my mind went off into its own little world.

I'll just recap all of this for myself. Let's see, I walked off, came back looking like a washed up rag, and Jak didn't seem to be even in the least bit concerned. Uh, yeah, then Keira runs off in a similar but not exact fashion, and then returns to the garage in the same - if not better - condition she was in when she had left. Needless to say, nobody dragged her sorry ass in and laid her on any bed. And what's wrong with this picture? I think it's painfully obvious but in case you missed it as it flew smack dab into your face, Jak was giving his attention to the WRONG person. Err, animal.. er...you know what I mean.

Talk about having your priorities a little out of place.

And yeah, it hurt. Just a little.

Being temporarily sucked into my own little world for about a minute or two must have made me miss a whole mess of a lot because when my attention was back to Jak and Keira, Jak had his arms around her, even if his face was still a little peeved. Her hands were cupping over her face, and for a millisecond that seemed like an eternity, I was back in Sandover, pinned beneath a zoomer and helplessly watching them as they saw each others faces for the first time.

Not only did I miss a crap load of information that I have recently been dying to know, but I was also discouraged that I was... really just right back to where I started. So I was just as clueless and uninformed as I always was. All because I occasionally get stuck inside my head and have a hard time getting back out of it.

"Oh, Jak," She whimpered. I saw her hands uncover her eyes, which were sparkling with tears that threatened to fall, and wrapped them around Jak's body, latching her hands together at the small of his back. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Then she lifted her head and gazed at Jak, a single tear trickling down her pale cheek. A small smile crept into her features. A sad smile, one that said she was having one hell of a time holding her hip against Jak's. And for a moment my world stopped and my heart leapt out of my body when it looked as though she was going to lean in for a kiss...

I almost crumpled to the floor in utter relief when instead she rested her head on his chest and whispered two words.

"I promise."



It wasn't intentional, I swear, but in a small way, I sort of gave Jak the cold shoulder on the way back to the Underground den. I didn't talk the whole way, and neither did Jak. But unless the person you are pushing away doesn't notice that you're doing so, is it really considered ignoring? I thought about it a few times here and there but never came up with a decent answer.

I was ticked, of course. It was like Keira was getting the words and concern that was SUPPOSED to be meant for me. It resurrected that horrible possibility that... maybe Jak liked Keira. And if that was the case, I was already tossed clear out of the picture. I was already hopeless.

After Keira nearly made me jump out of my fur by holding herself that close to Jak, we had left the place. Or more like... I couldn't stand watching them and not being able to do or say anything about it so I left on my own and Jak followed me only after he noticed that I was gone. Knowing for a fact now that little miss perfect angel was safe and sound, my ears could hear him give a quick goodbye and he caught up with me. He never said a word as I climbed up to my usual spot, and he never even looked at me as I gave a shaky outward breath.

Earlier when we were at Snake's place and Jak was giving me that look at the top of the stairs, the one where I thought that maybe he...

I had a small hope that things could be okay. Maybe, he DID understand what I've been through but just couldn't find the right words to say to me. But as soon as he opened that curtain to reveal a startled Keira fluttering her lashes in surprise, all of that hope was shattered. The way he was treating that girl... and the way they interacted just rattled my bones. Because, it was what I wanted.

More than anything.

Any attention is good attention. Right now, I'll go for anything, even if it's anger.

I wanted it. I needed it.

Ok, so it wasn't a plan or anything like that. When I walked into the streets, I had no intention of making Jak worry about me. I never intended to have him look for me or shower me with love and concern, but after seeing him give it to Keira, something wretched swallowed me. I felt that I deserved it. Badly.

"Hey Dax," Jak somewhat muttered. We had reached our destination about a good ten minutes ago and I was sitting on the bed, watching Jak pace. When I turned my head to see what he wanted, I met with a lovely towel being thrown at me. With a five second struggle I managed to get it off my head and into my cramped hands. When I swallowed, the lump that got stuck in my throat was almost enough to kill me as Jak tossed his goggles on the bed next to me. Next, his tunic started to slide down his back, and next thing I know, the blue cloth was next to the goggles on the bed.

I... couldn't stop staring.

Somehow, seeing his bare back facing me made my anger dissolve into nothing but mere dust in the wind. Amazingly, after all we've been through, Jak's bare back was... smooth. Flawless. Shaking my head, I told myself it was no big deal. I've seen him in little clothing before, so this was no big deal. (It's hard to avoid when you live with the guy.) But as soon as ALL of his clothes were off? And he had a towel wrapped loosely around his waist? I was caught off-guard by the next thing out of his mouth.

"Let's shower," nodding his head toward the bathroom, I had to use every once of willpower inside of me to not think of it in... THAT way. Come on!! He was naked under a towel and he just nodded to a small and secluded room, inviting ME to go WITH HIM. How could I control my evil mind pattern!? I won't lie to you. I'm feeling very horny right now.

"We're filthy."

Yeah we are.

Is it me, or am I misconstruing the words that Jak says to me? It's not intentional, really.

No, really.

But like a zombie, I headed to the bathroom, gradually picking up speed and eventually going into a full sprint and beat him there, ripping my goggles and gloves off my head and hands and leaping into the tub. When Jak walked in after me, I noticed how dirty we really were. In fact Jak was so dirty, I thought he was changing races on me or something. Dirt was all over his face, under his nails, in his hair... I didn't wanna look at myself, probably covered in only God knows what.

The millisecond that towel hit the floor I was in a trance.

I had to stop staring. But... but....

Oh God, I've been staring for too long now, I know it.

Dammit, get your eyes on something else.

FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

LOOK AWAY!!!

I blinked furiously and was blissfully thankful to whatever God could hear me that Jak wasn't looking in my direction. He didn't make any eye contact with me until he was in the tub and turned on the water.

I was so thankful to be wet from the hot shower 'coz it would have been so embarrassing if Jak saw me sweating as much as I was. His body was...

Perfect.

There should be a law against something that perfect. His skin was absolutely taunting me like mad with his body all toned and shadowed so beautifully. I found myself staring again, like so many times before, until he turned in my direction, when I had to avert my eyes to something else. I would die if he ever caught me looking....there...

Oh. Oh wow. What kind of witty remark can you say to get yourself safely out of THAT one?

Sorry, it's different in an Ottsel point of veiw. It seems...bigger??!

Oh man oh man...

But regardless of my attempts, when he was busy looking at which shampoo he wanted to use on his hair, I snuck a glance or five. My head would be facing the shampoo bottles with him, pretending to be conflicted between Fruit Passion and Strawberry Silk Whisp, when all the while my eyes would go to the side and stare. And stare... And stare... And when he shifted his body and grabbed Fruit Passion, I nodded in approval as if that was the one I would have picked.

Whew... Slippery when wet, yar!!!

Jak's body was shimmering like no tomorrow from the water, and I had to take a couple more deep breaths. That toned stomach, the buff arms, the tight skin, the friggen EVERYTHING was sending me into a heart attack. After he squeezed some liquid onto his blonde hair, he held it over my head and let some of it drip onto me. The cold sensation made me shiver before I raised my hands to rub it all over my body. And that was when I hatched an evil idea.

Reaching behind my back, I did my best to play helpless and left a part of my back un-shampooed.

"Uh, Jak?" A little embarrassed, yes. But I wanted it so bad. Jak had just finished smothering the shampoo into his hair and it was now fuzzed up into a puffy cloud of bubbles when he looked down at me.

"Could you, uh..." I turned my back to him and looked over my shoulder. "I can't reach. You mind?"

Jak chuckled lightly and squatted down to my level. Is it hot in here or what? My eye twitched in pleasure and my pupils rolled into the back of my skull and my whole form slouched forward as Jak's fingers rubbed my back. Holy mother and a half, nothing and I mean NOTHING can describe the feeling of his skin rubbing against me like that. It was Heaven but as soon as the shampoo was spread evenly enough he stopped and continued with his own hair.

I let a shudder pass through my body before walking under the water and standing there as I let my body drip off all the suds. Looking down, the water was a light brown as the dirt that was once on us flowed and spiraled until it went down the drain with a gurgle.

The shower seemed to last forever, or so it appeared to because all I could think about was looking at Jak's nudity! Soon when the shower WAS over, I was starting to hope that he would decide he was still too dirty and needed another shower. Sadly, he didn't, and he dried himself off and wrapped that wretched towel around his waste as I jumped out of the tub and started scrubbing myself as well.

My mind still set on Jak's fingers massaging my upper back, my lips formed a small smile.

When I had left the bathroom, I found Jak already in boxers, on the bed with his hands behind his head and his eyes shut. I took no hesitation in hopping up next to him and cuddling in a spot only after I circled it a few times. (Eh, a little habit I can't seem to break ever since I became an Ottsel...)

And I know that this is one of those times you have to hold close to you because it's not going to happen or at least not very often. I know that... there's no way this good feeling can last. Things just don't work like that. So I didn't want to close my eyes and go to sleep. 'Coz when I woke up, it'll be gone. Things work like that sometimes, you know? I mean, something can happen one night, big or small, but the next morning it all always seems to far away.

And I want to stay close to it for as long as I can. But Jak's finger found my ear and he started to rub. Before he rested his head on the pillow to rest and looked at me.

"Night Dax."