A/N: sorry for not updating in a long time. I've had a tough time getting on the computer and this fan fiction is cool to write, but I've had so much Writer's Block for it lately. I'll try to give you another long chapter, but I'm not too sure how much I can type in this little bit of time. Sorry about not answering reviews. I'll try to do it next chapter. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 8

By the time Roxie and Daxter got done with their precursor hunting, night had fallen over Haven City. The sun was just beginning to fall and people started to head home after a long day of work. It was close to five. That was the time Roxie was dreading. A Krimson Guard would know who she was and who knows what would happen.

Roxie and Daxter walked down the wooden planks of the Water Slums on their ways to Roxie's house that was set deep in the Slums of Haven City. Roxie kept looking to her watch every so seconds to see how much time she had before she chanced into her little form.

The two were wet and cold. They were both worn out from the attacks of Metal Heads and Daxter's head was spinning to nowhere. How come he never knew what a Metal Head was? The thing mostly going around in his head "was where was he". The question was not getting answered so soon. He wanted Jak back. He wanted his home back. He wanted his boring life back. A deep sadness fell in his heart, but he did not show it at all.

For some reason Roxie felt his vibe even though he was not showing and said, "Do you think we can make it back before five?"

"If we ran," Daxter said with a teasing smile. They were both so worn out they could barely walk down the wooden bridges above the green water.

"Pass," she said while looking ahead again. Almost no one was on the wooden walkway. A few elves were scattered here and there and almost no Krimson Guards were around. Most of them avoided the place because of its smell.

"What did they do to this water?" Daxter asked while holding his nose from the smell. Roxie was used to it so it seemed like she did not smell a thing.

She shrugged and answered, "This is like the sewer of the town. I think they throw their trash in here too. But the sewers are underground the city and smell worse than this. Just don't fall into this stuff and you will smell clean."

"It smells like they peed in it too," Daxter muttered under his breath but for some reason Roxie could hear him and gave a chuckle. She had been to the sewers once before with her dad. It stunk ten times worse than this place.

"We are not going to make it back in time," Roxie said with a sigh. "What are we going to do?"

"It is not like a Krimson Guard is going to come after you," Daxter answered while looking up at Roxie. "And if he comes near you I'll bite him." That got a smile on her worried face and she just shook her head.

"I would like to see your tiny teeth get through all that red armor," Roxie said while quickening her pace after a quick look at her watch. She had around two minutes left.

"Are you calling me a wimp?" Daxter asked with a pretend horror.

Roxie opened her mouth to say something, but did not say anything because a Krimson Guard came up to them. The hair on the back of Roxie's neck started to rise and she glanced down to Daxter. His ears perked up to show that he was aware of the situation.

"Excuse me, miss," the guard said politely to Roxie while stopping in front of her. Instead of a gun in his hands he held a scroll of parchment paper. The gun was slung behind his back and not ready to be pulled out anytime soon. "Have you seen this little girl walking around?" he asked Roxie.

He held out the parchment paper to her and she had to hold in her gasp that leapt to her throat. Daxter could not see it because of how small he was, but already knew what it was before seeing it. The paper had a picture of Roxie in her small version. Now she was wanted big time.

"Well," Roxie said while scratching behind her neck with nervousness. "Not really."

The Krimson Guard cocked his head to the side with confusion and asked, "What do you mean 'not really'?"

Roxie shrugged her shoulders while cursing herself inside her head. "I think maybe I've seen her around, but I don't know her."

The Krimson Guard looked at her for a long time without saying anything as if he really wanted to say something else. "Sorry to bother your time then," he said while looking down to the ground. "And tell one of us when you see her at anytime," he added while Roxie tried to walk past him.

"Okay," Roxie said in a rush while quickly side stepping around him. He let her go with a little bit of hesitation. "I'll make sure to do that," she said while quickly walking away.

"Wait!" the guard yelled and Roxie stopped dead in her tracks. Daxter bumped into her leg at the sudden stop and glared up at her. The guard came running up to her and took out a collar and leash. "Pets must be under a leash anywhere in the city now because a pet bit Erol this morning. I thought it was quite funny, really." He gave a little chuckle and under his mask he smiled.

Roxie smiled a little and kept down a burst of laughter. Daxter snorted from where he was at her leg. The guard looked down at him with surprise and Daxter quickly acted like a pet.

"Well, here is the leash," the guard said and noticed a bead of sweat dripping down Roxie's forehead. He handed her the leash and she took it quickly. She bent down and slipped it around Daxter's neck. He gave Roxie a dirty look but she just gave him a teasing smile.

Roxie stood back up and was nose to nose with the guard. She took a step back from the surprise that he had not left yet. He studied her for a few seconds then asked, "Are you sure you're alright? You and your pet are soaked."

"My home is real close," Roxie said with a fake smile to the guard. How come he is not leaving she thought? "My mom can take care of me, and my pet will be fine."

"Good night then," the guard said and Roxie nodded. The guard was surprisingly polite to her. Most of the guards swore all the time and were extremely stupid. He walked away and Roxie started for the other direction as quickly as she could.

Then a white light started to spark out from her palms. "Oh, not now!" she muttered to herself. Daxter looked behind them to the guard. He did not seem to notice them anymore. He looked back up to Roxie and saw that she was using all her might to fight the transformation.

"Fight it, Roxie!" he whispered to her while yanking off the collar and leash. They now began to run. She finally stopped and let the transformation happen, and in a bright light exploding from her body, she turned back into the little form of cuteness.

They both looked behind them and saw the guard staring right at them stunned to do anything. He then came back into reality and shook his head in disbelief. He saw Roxie and Daxter take off and knew it was not just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Someone stop her!" he shouted while dropping the parchment paper in the green water. He yanked his gun off his shoulder and ran after Roxie in a sprint to catch up with her. "I can't believe this!" he yelled to himself while keeping his eyes locked on the girl ahead of him.

"Run faster!" Daxter yelled to Roxie. The guard was gaining speed fast and it would be sooner than later when he caught up with them.

"I am!" came a voice in his head and Daxter stole a look to his friend. She was looking straight ahead. Daxter just shook the idea out of his head. He thought maybe he was just imagining that Roxie had spoken to him without putting her hand on his head.

Roxie looked behind her to see the guard coming up to them quickly. He took long strides in his sprint toward them. He would soon get them both. Now she was really hoping Daxter could bite him.

The guard saw it before Roxie did. It was a step down on the wooden bridge. If she was not careful she could fall right into the water. The guard wanted to capture her but not make her drown. Erol would kill him if that happened.

"Watch out!" he yelled as loud as he could to the girl and she looked ahead just in time to see the step. With a short scream Roxie fell over it and rolled over the edge.

"Roxie!" Daxter yelled while diving toward her. He caught her outstretched hand and was almost yanked into the green water himself by the pull of weight. With both paws Daxter pulled on Roxie with all his might. In his head the words kept repeating saying, "I can't swim in this form!" But they were not his words. Something was going on here.

"Hang on!" the guard yelled and Daxter panicked. The guard had a voice going through his head saying that she could not swim. It was very strange to him, but he shook it off. He jumped down the step and grabbed onto Daxter's tail.

"Don't touch me!" Daxter snapped out while kicking the guard in the chin with a foot. The guard got hit hard and winced as the pain went through his nose that got hit by the foot. Daxter shot a warning glare to the guard and pulled Roxie all the way up.

The guard then got hard and grabbed Daxter and Roxie by the back of their necks. Daxter yelled out of surprise and Roxie tried to kick him. The cuteness was a ball of fire in his hands. Daxter wiggled in the guard's hands as he tried to get free.

"Let us go, you creep!" Daxter yelled at the top of his lungs.

"How did you change?" the guard asked Roxie while ignoring Daxter. Roxie looked at the guard and spit into his face to show her answer. The guard gave a heavy sigh of frustration and said, "If you will not talk now I know how the Barron will make you."

"Why do you want us?" Daxter asked while still trying to get free from the grip on the back of his neck. "We have done nothing."

"Look, fur ball," the guard said while shaking Daxter in a wild way. Daxter's teeth chattered as he was roughly shaken around. "I have no idea why they want you, but my uncle is putting up a ton of money for your capture."

"Capture?!" Daxter yelled in surprise.

"Shut it!" the guard snapped out at him. "I'm taking you to the palace right away."

Daxter looked up at him with a dirty look. Daxter opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into the guard's hand that was holding him. The guard yelled out of pain that was shooting through his hand. He dropped Daxter by mistake and the animal dropped to the floor with a thump.

"Get back here, rat!" the guard yelled as he tried to grab Daxter with one hand. The guard jerked around Roxie as he tried to catch Daxter who was going around his feet.

"Heads up!" came a voice from ahead of them. The guard looked up to see a guy on a zoomer flying right for him. The guard had no time to react and the guy grabbed Roxie out of the guard's hand in one swift movement.

Roxie looked into the eyes of her dad and she saw worry in them. He placed her in front of him and she hung onto the handlebars with her dad on the zoomer. "Don't ever make me worry like that again," Vox said to her as he turned the zoomer around.

"Oh yeah," Daxter yelled sarcastically up at them as he saw the zoomer fly away from him and the guard. "I'll be fine alone!"

The guard looked down at him for a few seconds while Daxter looked up at him in silence. Daxter got ready for the guard to come after him, but the guard just stood there watching the zoomer turn around and head back toward them.

"Underground," the guard muttered with a heavy sigh. "I wish..." he never got to finish his sentence because the zoomer was coming right towards him. The guard let out a surprised cry and jumped to the side of the wooden platform and into the water below.

Vox grabbed Daxter up and let him cling onto his shoulder as they drove off. "We are not out of trouble yet," he said to Daxter and Roxie. "You hang onto my shoulder, Daxter. Roxie, you hang onto me at all times till we get home." Daxter and Roxie nodded. Vox felt Daxter's paws squeeze harder onto his shoulder.

"Halt!" a Krimson Guard yelled to them, and when he saw the zoomer make no move to stop he yelled, "Get them!" Guards started to pore out of nowhere and started to shoot at the zoomer. Daxter had to duck to not get hit by a laser flying by his head.

After a few minutes Vox lost the guards and headed for their home. He jumped off and Roxie clung onto his stomach for dear life. She dug her little head into his chest and held back tears of fear. Daxter relaxed on Vox's shoulder and let out a relieved sigh.

Vox went through the door and Meg came rushing up to them and hugged Roxie tight. Daxter jumped off Vox's shoulder and landed on the ground. He watched as the small family hugged each other.

"I'm so glad you're not hurt, dear," Meg said to Roxie as she kissed her on the cheek. Vox put Roxie back down on the floor beside Daxter and gave the creature a nod. Daxter just crossed his arms in front of him and gave Vox a proud smile.

"Let's all sit down for dinner," Vox said while giving Roxie a warm smile. "And we got a surprise for our little girl." Roxie's face broke into a wide smile and she skipped to her seat with happiness. They all sat down at the table and Meg served them all yak cow soup.

"So what is this big surprise?" Daxter asked right before he dug into his long awaited soup. The steam lingered around the bowl and the meat was nice and juicy.

"Okay, Roxie, we know you have been down for a long time ever since that one day at school two years ago," Meg said slowly and Roxie nodded while sharing eye contact with Daxter. He shrugged his shoulders and started to slurp on his soup.

"So we are sending you to school again," Vox said in a rush of words. Daxter choked on his soup and started to cough. Vox looked over to him annoyed while Meg looked a bit concerned about her daughter's friend. Roxie gave him a look to quit coughing and he drunk some of his water.

"Sorry about that," Daxter said while clearing his throat. "I thought you said you were going to send her back to school."

"That is what I said," Vox said sternly. Daxter looked back and forth from Roxie to Vox.

"Let me explain, sweetie," Meg started while sitting down in her seat. "You will go to the school from five in the morning till around eleven in the morning. It is a very strict school that is very good with someone...like you."

"What?!" a voice yelled loudly in Daxter's head. What was so strange was that it was not his. Daxter winced from the loud yell in his head as his ears started to ring. He looked up to see that no one had noticed him. He started to sip on his soup as he listened carefully to what Meg had to say.

"But what about the Krimson Guards after her just a few minutes ago?" Daxter asked as Meg went on about how everything would go in the school Roxie was going to. "They said they wanted Roxie for some reason. What if they find out where she is?"

Vox and Meg shared worried looks and Roxie mouthed a "thank you" to Daxter. He could tell she did not want to go to school. "Don't worry about the guards," Vox said. "The school is private and I don't think they give out information about the students to the Barron. He will not know you are going to this school."

Daxter frowned and looked down into his bowl that was almost empty by now. He really had been hungry. He lifted his eyes up and saw that Roxie was not eating at all. She had this dread on her tiny face as she mixed her soup around with a spoon. She did not want to go to school again for some reason.

"Don't worry, Roxie," Vox said while giving her a warm smile. "You will meet new friends and I'm sure you will learn how to talk. You will be like the other kids again."

Roxie nodded silently and Daxter saw a few fuzzy images in his head. He shook his head and a confused expression swept over his face. He looked up to Roxie again and she shared the same confused expression. Something strange was going on in both their heads.

A/N: So we have four situations going around here. One is that Roxie is going back to school but for some reason she does not want to again. Two, Daxter keeps having these words go around in his head and images. Three, they still need some precursors for a map to rescue Jak. And four, Krimson Guards are now looking for Roxie and she is wanted. Some things will be solved in the next chapter. Some will not get solved till later on. Please give a review!