...Ah, dammit, there I go again! I need to quit the mopin'... Jak's done so much for me, and I keep asking for the impossible. I should be fine with what I've got, 'cause I don't deserve one bit of it! An ungrateful, selfish wretch is what I am. Oi!
After all, he's the only one to stick by me through thick and thin, young and old, Erol and the Dark Eco Super Siblings... He may not remember anything before Sandover, but I remember a time before Jak. Not much, of course - after all, I'm younger than him, and the Kid was around four when we tossed him and the Shadow through that Precursor gate. Y'know, now that I think of it, we could'a saved our younger selves a LOT of grief if we'd kept the young Samos in Haven City... heh heh heh. Neither Jak nor I had parents, and when he and the geezer arrived in Sandover, Samos kinda took charge of both of us. Not in a nice, fatherly way, but in a freakin' DRILL-SARGENT kinda way! Occasionally Jak'd get a grin out of him, but the old man's always hated me. Yeesh. I mean, what's not to love?!
Aaaaand I'm rambling! Blame Jak for that, too. Havin' a self-imposed mute as your best friend gets a guy used to the sound of his own voice. I blame everything on Jak! It's just easier that way. He knows it's all in good fun, though, or else he wouldn'tve done such a selfless thing for me...
I love having Jak back. I'm not afraid to rhyme about it, either! Though, ah... nah, I wouldn't really ADMIT that to anyone. The rhyming thing, I mean. I've got my suave reputation to uphold, and cheap rhymes ain't gonna bring in the babes! Heh heh... any person hearing me yap on and on about Jak would think my catcalls and pick-up lines towards the fairer sex were all show, eh? Well, they ain't! How can anyone resist Tess' gorgeous, voluptuous.. ah, lips?
Yeah, yeah, I'm a perv, I know. Ain't life grand?
I'm not saying that I don't... like Jak, though. It's just... different. Jak's the person I just NEED to be around, y'know? Those two years between his imprisonment and his rescue... I don't even wanna think about 'em. The first year, especially...
...Back to the slightly-more-pleasant present.
We've finally reached the Precursor ruins, and luckily enough the warp gate is still runnin'. The ruins themselves were strangely devoid of any Metal Heads, and while that put me on edge Jak didn't even notice. He's practically humming to himself as he looks over the city walls. I hang back again, and this time he notices.
"Dax? Aren't you coming?"
"I, uh..." Rather than address my main concern - namely, that I'll hafta share Jak again - I voice some of my other thoughts. "I'm, ah, kinda nervous." I scratch my head bashfully. "I mean, it's been a long time... I bet the guy'sve been swarmin' all over Tess, and... " My hand drops. "What with that last spy fly transmission... Jak, they must think we're dead. Y'know, not that anyone'd care much on my part - in fact, the party the night after they spread the news was probably quite swanky - but what about YOU? You really up to dealing with that tonight?"
I hate to take that smile off his face, but it was all true. We'd been walking for weeks on end, sunrise to sunset, ready to collapse every time the sun went down. I mean, dangit, we're in great shape, but a guy's got his limits! And one could only imagine the wild, night-long party they'd cook up if Jak appeared - I bet it'd only be matched by the insanity of the ol' 'Dax is Dead' bash. Heh heh. Wish I could've crashed THAT one.
Jak looks at me, kinda confused, kinda disappointed. "Point... we can camp here for the night, if you want."
"I asked YOU, big guy! YOU'RE the one I'm wonderin' about - eghh, nevermind. Let's just go. If yer still awake enough to ask MY opinion, we can go." Damn.
He gives me a quick glance - "You sure?" in Mute!Jakspeak - and jumps through the warp gate. Predictably, I follow.
We're spat out of the paired gate just in front of the city walls. The door whirrs open to the decontamination-or-whatever-chamber, juuuust like the bad ol' times. We walk up to the inner lock, waiting for it to whirr too... Only problem is, it doesn't.
We stand there expectantly, look at each other, then look back at the door. "Uhhh... Think this one's broken?" I give it an experimental (but intelligently weak) kick.
"Name, rank and KGID/WID, please," the smooth-talkin' lady-computer drones. I've always wondered who they got to record those things... Bet she's a knockout!
"Huh? Listen, lady, we've been gone for a friggin' YEAR! It's Jak and Daxter! Let us in!" I plead, waving my arms around for emphasis.
"Please speak more clearly. Name, rank and KGID/WID."
"Awww, c'mon, babe, we ain't got no kid-wid or whatever!"
"Well, well, if it isn't the wonder twins," The abrupt voice change snapps both Jak and I to attention. "Guess Samos was right. He's the only one who said we shouldn't hold a funeral yet." To anyone else, Torn would've seemed bored, even annoyed, but to us he was obviously pleased.
"HAH! Yeah, right! What're you doin' up at this hour anyway, Captain Bronchitis?! Don't tell me you've been neglecting your manly duties and leaving Ashelin all-"
Jak gives me a well-deserved elbow and looks around. "Doubting me'll never get you anywhere, Torn. You should know that by now. Hey, is there a camera in here?"
"Heck, no. The Krimzon Guard doesn't have that lavish of a budget. Don't tell me you actually managed to change that rat bastard back..."
"I'M STILL HERE, TORN!!"
He half-chuckles at my fury. "Give me a second and I'll open the gate. And you still haven't answered me..."
Jak smirks. "Wasn't planning on it."
---
For some bizarre reason, Torn's disembodied voice insisted that we head straight for the ol' Underground hideout to get some shuteye. Even when ya know the guy, he's still darn hard to read. For all I know, he could be callin' everyone up and throwing a surprise party with us as the main attraction... or, as the nasty little voice in the back of my head suggested, he might be working up the courage to tell us someone kicked the proverbial bucket.
Jak fell asleep before I did, of course. The familiar stench of Haven City flooded my mind with memories, and they weren't exactly the kind that put you at ease. I woke halfway before morning to find Jak sitting on the edge of his bed... sobbing?
"Jak?! What's wrong?!" I bolted upright, nearly braining myself on the bunk above.
He jumped, half turned-away, then looked back at me with tears in his eyes. "Keira... she... she just left."
"What? Torn must've told her we were back... Why'd be leave? What'd she do?!"
He stood up and began to pace between our beds. "She..." Jak took a breath to steady his voice. "She said... it's over. We're through. She found someone... else."
I raised an eyebrow as he sat down beside me, so close that I could feel his warmth. He turned to look at me almost guiltily. "Dax, I'm sorry, but.." He took another breath. "She's seeing... Tess."
Uuhhh... "Tess?"
"Yeah... Tess. I guess that makes us both very, very single, doesn't it?" He managed a half-smile before his voice broke again. "Dax..."
"Jak?"
"I've got.. something to tell you. Something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time." He scooted closer, and I was quite suddenly blushing. "And now... now that the girls are out of the way... there's nothing to stop me from letting you know. Dax..."
"Yeah, Jak?"
"I've always told myself that I'm crazy, but since I got you changed back I just can't deny myself anymore... I think you're HOT." With that he grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me fiercely, with the frustration of the past years exploding into such passion that I found my breath taken away. Glad to break in my new, human body in the most enjoyable way possible I returned the kiss, deepening it as the chocolate-covered pair of Keira and Tess cheered in the background -
Goddammit, why are my dreams always so freaking unbelievable?! Well, except for the ones that include Ashelin, because even in my dreams she kicks my ass... Meh. As if Jak would ever feel that way. For my best friend, he's amazingly dense about the ONE THING that matters...
I sigh and roll over, awake and very much a grouch. The hideout's still empty but for me an' the snoring blonde lunkhead, so it must not be dawn yet...
The sound of grinding concrete catches my attention and I turn to see Samos, Torn and Sig walk in. Samos is glaring at me.
It's gonna be a loooong day...