Avatar is the property of people who aren't me. This work of fiction is not authorized by those people.

As soon as he arrived at the Sky People's home, Tseyo was escorted to an enclosed area with a long, wood-constructed domicile. Norm told him it was where the dreamwalkers' Na'vi bodies used to sleep before they were destroyed. "We don't leave for Earth until tomorrow," Norm said. "You'll sleep out here tonight."

The shelter had deteriorated in the absence of the dreamwalkers' care. The roofing had caved in at places, and many of the sleeping mats had rotted. Among the decay, Tseyo managed to find a cot that was mildly comfortable, and he set his belongings beside it.

He then took a moment to survey the rest of the enclosure. "Why are all the plants growing in straight lines?"

"Farming," Norm said in his native language. "It helps us to ensure that there is always food available."

"Food is always available," Tseyo said. "Eywa provides for all creatures who respect the balance."

"This is something we had to do to survive on Earth, long before we could control it. Food wasn't always as bountiful to my ancestors as it is here."

"Why not?"

Norm shrugged. "That's just the nature of our planet."

Tseyo walked among the rows of plants, occasionally stopping to inspect the produce. As he had not had the opportunity to get breakfast – and he was loathe to ask for the kind of food Norm would offer – he picked one of the fruits and eagerly consumed it. Even though it was clear that farming was an unnatural practice, he was impressed by the quality that the Sky People had managed to achieve with it.

"A person could become a glutton, here," he said with a smile.

Norm laughed and replied, "I am going to miss the food."

At that moment, a darker skinned Sky Person exited the main home and approached them. Although he was smiling and trying to be friendly, Tseyo could not help but wince at his pronunciation of, "Kaltxì."

Still, he smiled back and said, "Kaltxì."

"Tseyo, this is Max," Norm said. "He's going to be with us on the journey to Earth." He gave a wry grin and added, "And I think that's the extent of the Na'vi he knows."

"I hope so," Tseyo replied with a short laugh. "My ears couldn't take more of that."

Norm's instinct turned out to be correct, and he spoke with Max in their common language for a short while. Norm then turned to him and said, "It's time to get your mask fitted."

Tseyo frowned. "Are you sure I need one?"

Norm nodded. "Even if you could breathe the natural air on Earth, it's been poisoned. Even we have to wear these masks when we're not in a shelter."

Tseyo was not sure how air could become poisoned, but he decided to take Norm at his word. He followed him into the main shelter, and he quickly felt out of place. Even though the room was tall enough to accommodate him, he was not used to being surrounded by walls and unnatural lights. But worse than that, it was colder than any night he could recall, which was a particular worry given the lights.

There was a metal cot in front of him, and Norm instructed him to lie down. Like the room, he found it uncomfortably cold. Although Norm tried to be reassuring throughout the rest of the process, he found it very difficult to contain the discomfort he felt once the mask was on.

"Okay," Norm said. "We're going to replace the air in this place with our own in order to make sure the mask is working properly. You'll hear a lot of noises, like strong winds, but it's normal."

"What if the mask isn't working?"

"We'll get you back outside quickly and figure out what's wrong."

Norm nodded to Max, who in turn touched a series of illuminated stones on the wall. As Norm had said, the room was soon filled by a myriad of strange noises – few of which sounded like wind – but he maintained his composure. A short time later, the noise stopped, and Norm patted him on his shoulder. "Are you able to breathe?"

Tseyo took a deep breath to be certain, and then nodded. "I think it's working."

"Good. Head back outside, and try to get comfortable wearing the mask and pack. You'll be wearing them for the rest of the journey."

They waited for Max to change the air again so he could leave; and once back in the shelter, back in the warmth of the world he was familiar with, Tseyo reclined on his cot. He had only been away from his home for less than half of a day, and already the strange things he had seen were beginning to weigh on his mind.

He untied the pouch on his belt which contained the holy seed Vezek had given to him the night before. Taking care to withdraw the seed, he cupped it in one hand and gently brushed his fingers over its tendrils with the other. Despite the occasional gust of wind that penetrated the decaying walls, the seed stayed with him – at times appearing to resist the wind in order to do so.

Tseyo brought the seed to his chest and took a deep breath. "I hope you aren't as scared as I am, sister," he said. "I think I'll need to draw on your strength many times before this is over."

Norm found Abe in his office. "Can we talk?" he asked, trying to convey in his tone that it was less of an ask and more a statement of intent.

"Sure," he said. "Welcome back, by the way. Did you have a good time?"

Norm skipped the small talk, took a seat and said, "How is Tseyo supposed to get home?"

Abe snorted and said, "It sounds like a great time." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Aren't you skipping ahead a few steps? There's a lot that's going to need to happen once we get to our home before we can start talking about getting Tseyo back here."

"You've planned this operation down to the smallest detail, and you can't at least outline how Tseyo makes it back here?"

"I'm pretty sure it involves a spaceship in some way," he said coolly.

Norm was less than amused. "You don't know."

Abe nodded slowly. "I don't know."

"Do you care?"

"Yes," he replied flatly. "But there are more important things to worry about in the near-term."

Norm leaned forward to get in Abe's face as much as possible. "He just left his entire life for this mission, and you don't think it's a priority to get him home?!"

Abe just leaned back and cocked his head. "Who's been giving him the impression that he's guaranteed to make it home?"

"Nobody's said he's guaranteed," Norm replied. "But there's nothing wrong with giving him hope."

"You've just spent a month with him," Abe said. "In all that time, did you try to inject a little bit of reality with that hope?"

"We made sure he knew it was dangerous, but I don't think we ever got around to telling him this was a suicide mission."

"Well, I'm glad for that," Abe replied. "Because it's not a suicide mission – not by design, anyway. However, I'm going to guess he understands the concept better than you appreciate. After all, they do go dragon chasing when they're kids."

"Are you trying to compare this to Iknimaya?"

"Why not?" he said with a shrug. "You remember that little girl who died here a few months ago, right?"

"Of course."

"Don't you think she thought she was going home as a dragon master, or whatever they call it?" Norm sat back in his chair and nodded. "And all those Na'vi who fought against Quaritch's army, don't you think they thought they'd go home?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Do you think any of them thought they were guaranteed to go home?"

"No."

"So then why is Tseyo special?"

"Iknimaya is a rite of passage," Norm replied, "and one where they have all accepted the chances of not going home. Warfare, though rare, is part of their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and they are well aware that going to war presents a chance of dying.

"But even though both of those things are dangerous, if a Na'vi lives through them, they get to go home. Those are familiar concepts to him. But the idea that he could live through this mission and still be kept from going home probably has not occurred to him."

Abe was quiet and idly tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. After a while, he asked, "Does he have a wife and kids waiting for him?"

"No," Norm replied. "Neytiri prohibited it."

Abe nodded. "Then he doesn't have to know he could be stranded on Earth."

"Or do you mean, 'Then I don't have to give a shit?'" Norm crossed his arms and asked, "Have you ever heard of 'informed consent?'"

"So he's a test subject, now?" Abe leaned forward and said, "He was informed that he's going to Earth on a dangerous mission to save his people from annihilation, and he consented." He sighed and said, "You and your people have gone on at length about the Na'vi's intelligence. Do you think it's possible that Tseyo, without your prompting, has already thought about this possibility?"

"If he had, I'm sure he would have told me or Jake about it," Norm replied.

"Maybe," Abe said. "Or maybe the idea scares him so much that he's afraid to bring it up, or he's being a good soldier and keeping his mouth shut. Either way, what are we going to gain by telling him at this point?"

"He has a right to know," Norm replied. "Or at the very least, you don't have the right to jerk him around like a puppet."

Abe sighed, "Listen, Norm, I have no intention of selling him off to a zoo or science lab when we're done. I will try to get him back here. In the meantime, though, he's going to have enough to worry about without thinking that he's going to become Na'vi Crusoe."

He held up his hands before Norm could respond and said, "I'm going to leave it to you. If you think his 'right to know' is more important than what we need him to do, tell him."

Norm sat there for a moment to contemplate that, and then he snorted and shook his head. "You're a fucking coward, you know that?"

Abe furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You want me to tell him because you can't tell him yourself. For all your plotting and scheming, you're too big of a coward to actually face the consequences of your actions. That's why you always put people between you and your decisions, so that you don't have to worry if shit goes wrong and someone has to pay for it."

For a moment, Norm thought he saw in Abe's eyes a flash of pure anger. Rather than explode, however, Abe took a deep breath and said with an unnerving calmness, "To the contrary, Norm. You should tell him because if he's under the impression that he's got a guaranteed ticket home, then that's your fault for not adequately preparing him. I never made any promises, and I'm not going to go out of my way to make them."

"You're shameless," Norm replied. "I mean, excuse us for inferring that when you put out a call for volunteers, they should have a reasonable expectation to be taken care of."

"Well, Norm, once again: If you think he has a right to know, by all means, go tell him. Give him the chance to back out at the last second, and to return to his people with his tail tucked between his legs. I'm sure that will be an attractive trait for any prospective mates."

Norm shook his head. "All right, so what are you going to do when we accomplish our mission, and Tseyo asks you when he gets to go home?"

"I'll tell him, honestly, that I don't know."

"And when he figures out that, 'I don't know,' really means, 'Thank you for your help, but you're screwed,' I'm sure you'll take solace in your honesty when he snaps your neck in half." Norm stood. "I know I will."

Abe and Luke spent the next morning shuttling supplies to the Cybele while the team made their own, final preparations. Their first meeting with Tseyo was a fairly cool one, with few of the team's members warmly receiving him; and Tseyo did not appear to be too hurt by their lukewarm greetings. If anything, he was reciprocal.

Mid-morning, the Cybele shuttle broke through the clouds and, after circling the facility to bleed off speed, landed on the tarmac. Abe emerged and said, "The Johannes Kepler is in orbit. The crew is already out of cryo, and the passengers won't be far behind. We don't have a lot of time."

While the others made their way to the shuttle, Abe walked up to Norm, looked at Tseyo and asked, "Last chance – is he ready?"

Norm nodded. "He is."

"What is he bringing with him?"

"Some hunting gear, food, and good luck gifts from the clan."

Abe raised an eyebrow and asked, "What does he think he's going to do with all that? This isn't a safari."

"He and I disagree."

"Fair enough," Abe replied with a sigh. "How does he expect to eat the food he's bringing?"

"I've offered to turn it into a paste for him when we get to Earth," Norm replied, "It won't be great, but it will at least be familiar to him."

Abe just shook his head and said, "Tell him we're happy to have all the good luck charms we can." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked back towards the craft.

Tseyo looked at Norm and said, "I thought I might like him more by now, but I don't."

Norm laughed and replied, "I know how you feel, and this is only the beginning." He paused and said, "Well, let's get on with it."

The two boarded the shuttle, at which point Tseyo was confronted with the issue of his height. Norm and the others tried to shuffle themselves to accommodate him, and to avoid getting thwacked by his tail, but ultimately there was no other choice for him than to lie on the floor.

"Make sure your seat is in the full, upright position," Max quipped to Tseyo. Norm was confident that even if Max had said it in Na'vi, he would have gotten the same confused expression in response.

The engines roared to life soon after, and following a quick ascent off the tarmac, the shuttle accelerated forward. Tseyo almost slid across the floor to the back of the shuttle, but he strategically grabbed onto Norm's leg; which, in turn, forced Norm to grab onto an overhead bar and bet that he was going to experience the worst charley horse in his life.

Once the shuttle exited Pandora's atmosphere, Abe addressed the team through the intercom, "Everyone except Luke, Jose and Kim will disembark at the Cybele. You will secure yourselves in the cryobay, after which Norm and I will re-embark and shuttle over to the Johannes Kepler. Brace yourselves for zero gravity in thirty seconds."

Norm looked down at Tseyo and said, "Hold on to your bag. You and it are going to rise off the floor, soon. Don't worry, it's natural."

"That doesn't sound natural," he responded. Then he grinned and said, "You just want me to let go of your leg."

"That would help, too."

Seconds later, the shuttle decelerated enough that the natural forces of gravity took over. As Norm had promised, Tseyo and his belongings began to rise off the floor. Norm grabbed for his bag while others did their best to hold Tseyo in place. Despite his warning, though, Tseyo was startled by the experience, and he struggled against them.

Norm unhooked his harness and let himself be at the mercy of weightlessness. "Let go of him, guys," he said, and reluctantly they did. He instructed Tseyo on how to orient his body to keep from knocking into the others – at least as best as possible – and then led him towards a window. "Look out here," he instructed. "There's your home."

The view appeared to calm him down, and Norm could not also help but find some peace in Pandora's beauty. He watched Tseyo's eyes dart about, he assumed in an attempt to discern specific landmarks. The shuttle rolled, and Polyphemus came into view, causing Tseyo to gasp. Norm recalled the first time he saw Polyphemus from Pandora's surface – a new experience for him, as he had become more than accustomed to seeing planets in their space-borne habitat – and he figured Tseyo was experiencing the same sense of awe.

"Two minutes until we dock," Luke said over the intercom, "and then we'll have artificial gravity again."

"I'm going back to my seat," Norm said to Tseyo. "Just stay here until you feel yourself getting heavy again." Tseyo was apparently so fixated on the view that he did not acknowledge him.

Amy, seated across from Norm, looked at Tseyo and said, "I wonder if you would see the same expression if you did a side-by-side of him and John Glenn."

"Probably," Norm replied. "It's hard to imagine back when space flight was exciting."

"Keep in mind that he's probably going to be both the first and last Na'vi in space," Max offered. "He'll be the only one to ever see this."

"I don't know if that makes it more special or saddening," Norm said.

Minutes later, the shuttle docked with the Cybele, artificial gravity took over, and the shuttle was pressurized for an Earth atmosphere. Although the others took off their exopack masks, Norm indicated for Tseyo to keep his on just in case he got the urge to follow suit.

Abe emerged from the cockpit and said, "We're going to get Tseyo situated first. The rest of you wait a few minutes before disembarking." He looked at Max and said, "Except for you, Doctor. Come with us."

Norm opened the hatch connecting the shuttle to the cargo bay, and he had a brief flashback to the last time he was in this position. He half expected to see Parker again, and he took no small amount of pleasure in knowing that was not going to be the case.

The Cybele's cargo bay had enough headroom to accommodate Tseyo's height, and Abe led them to one of the storage containers. "This one's refrigerated," he said. "His food should keep in here," he gave a wry grin and added, "but you might want to let him know that there's no guarantee of that."

Norm glared in response before he did his best to explain to Tseyo the basics of refrigeration. It was a concept which was only barely explainable in words Tseyo could understand; however, his explanation was good enough to get Tseyo to agree to have his food and trinkets stored.

They proceeded to the cryobay, and Tseyo had to crouch in order to navigate the corridor. "His bay is the last one on the bottom row," Abe said. He looked at Max and asked, "Can you handle getting him squared away, or should I get Doctor Cook up here?"

"I can take care of it," Max replied.

The mask was uncomfortable. Having to crouch was uncomfortable. He felt heavier. The narrow pathway was illuminated by the strange lights that gave no heat. The cold was piercing.

He took deep breaths to remain calm.

Norm and Max led him into the back of an alcove that, along one wall, had several rows of what looked like the storage container in which he had left his belongings. At the back of the alcove, Norm knelt and opened one of the containers, from which he pulled a narrow, padded mat that had an assortment of belts, clasps, and needled strings attached to it. "This is where you'll sleep for the journey," Norm said.

Tseyo crouched down further and looked inside the tube. It was darker and more confined than he was hoping for. "Can't I use my hammock?" he asked calmly, although he was just as inclined to beg.

Norm shook his head. "It's a different kind of sleep," he said. "It has to be in here." Norm reached in and pulled out the strings for him to examine. "Max is going to stick these in your arms. They are what will make you go to sleep."

"How?"

"They let a special kind of water flow into your body," he replied. "That water puts you to sleep."

Tseyo was certain it was more intricate than that. Norm had been a good teacher, but at times he was not sure if Norm insisted on explaining things to him as though he were a child because he did not have the right words to speak to him as an adult, or if because Norm somehow thought that not knowing would somehow protect him.

Whatever the reason was, it was beginning to annoy him – or was it his nerves making him more irritable? – and in this instance, Tseyo had a simpler explanation.

"You mean it will be like drunkenness."

Norm chuckled and said, "It will feel that way when you wake up, yes."

They were interrupted when T'ngyute shouted something at them from the other end of the corridor which, although Tseyo could not understand the exact words, he could tell from the tone of voice that it was a call for them to hurry up. Norm and Max angrily shouted back at him.

Norm shook his head, and then turned his attention back to Tseyo. "You need to keep wearing the mask, but we're going to have to move your pack around a little bit." He indicated a depression in the tube, and said, "Take off your pack and put it in here, then lie down on the mat."

Tseyo did as instructed, having to make several tries before the pack fit correctly. Although the tube was dark and uninviting, he was surprised to find that the mat itself was very well cushioned. He felt as though he were resting on layers of well-woven fronds, or packed moss. Before he got comfortable – or as comfortable as the circumstances would allow – Norm and Max secured thick belts around his chest and waist. Then they grabbed his arms, Norm on his left, Max on his right, and tightened clamps to his forearms.

After that, and as Norm had warned, Max took the strings and stuck them through holes in the clasps on his forearms. It felt like a series of particularly vicious insect bites, but it was not unbearable.

"Take a deep breath and hold it," Norm instructed. Tseyo complied, at which point Norm disconnected the vine which linked the mask to the pack and then connected it to another place inside the tube. "You can breathe again," Norm said.

Tseyo tried to guess what the point of that was, but could not come up with anything plausible.

"We're going to close this, now. It will be dark, but briefly. You'll hear a sound like wind blowing, and then the liquid will begin to flow into your arms. It will feel like it's burning you, like you feel in your throat when you drink tìngasunilzyu, but you will be asleep before you're even really aware of it."

Tseyo took another deep breath and nodded. Norm pushed the mat forward, and a moment later, Tseyo was shrouded in a darkness that he had never known before. Soon after, however, the same odd lights which were throughout the corridor lit up, casting him in a blue light that felt just barely more familiar.

Whereas he had left all his other possessions in the cold container farther back in the tree, he had kept the atokirina' in its pouch on his belt. He could not raise his head far enough to ensure he was untying the pouch properly, but he was reassured when he felt the sacred seed fall into his hand.

There was just enough room in the tube, and enough give in the clasps on his arms, to allow him to bring the seed up to his chest. Its light was more brilliant than the blue ones the Sky People had affixed to the tube, and it gave him a measure of comfort.

Soon thereafter, he heard a series of clicks, and then the sound of wind rushing past him. The air in his mask took on a more pungent odor, and then he felt the burning sensation in his arms that Norm had described, but it lasted much longer than he had been told. He was not even slightly tired, much less asleep, when the burning spread from his forearms to his entire body.

He tried to suppress the pain. He tried to recall the warmth of Naw'ngié's body from the night she spent in his arms. As much as he tried to resist the pain, however, he could only bear it for so long.

Tseyo wanted to scream and kick at the base of the tube, to cry out and beg for a release. But adding to his torment, he found that he could neither move nor scream. He was not sure if he was even breathing. As his panic turned into a frenzied desire to crawl out of his frozen and burning body, the Sky People's lights went out. He was left illuminated only by the glow from the atokirina'; but unlike before, its light was little comfort compared to the excruciating pain and terror that consumed him.

Tseyo had no way to gauge time, but eventually his vision began to blur. The light from the holy seed became dim. Mercifully, he finally entered a dreamless sleep.

"Doctor Patel, can you check on his vitals?" Abe asked. "I don't know if these spikes are normal for a Na'vi or not."

Max walked over and took over the monitor. He zoomed in on the screen that was tracking Tseyo's vitals. "They look normal for a Na'vi," he said after a moment of study. "Their E-E-G readings are usually this high, given their advanced neural network."

"All right," Abe said. "Get the others in here, and work with Doctor Cook to get them in cryo." He pointed at Norm and said, "You and I have one more thing to do."

Norm followed Abe back to the shuttle as the others stowed their gear and headed for the cryobay. Jose and Kim remained harnessed in their seats. "We need to get control of the Kepler's crew first," Abe said to them. "Then you'll go into cryo."

"Let us know when you're done," Kim said. "Again, we're just along for the ride."

Abe frowned, but nodded. Norm secured the hatch, and Abe entered the cockpit. He took the co-pilot seat. "Are you ready?"

"The hatch is secure," Luke replied, "and we're breaking away in five, four, three, two, one." He flipped a switch, and the shuttle lurched away from the Cybele. "The radio is patched in to their frequency if you want to try and hail them."

Abe activated the communications panel and said, "ISV Johannes Kepler, this is Cybele One, do you read?"

"You're five by five, Cybele One," a voice called back. "We've been trying to raise the colony, but haven't been successful. Is there a problem on the surface?"

"A magnetic storm knocked out surface communications," Abe replied. "We're looking forward to getting some of your folks on the problem."

"Well, Merry Christmas, Cybele One. We've got some wise men in cryo who can check it out."

"I always figured the Star of Bethlehem was a plasma wake," Abe replied with a chuckle. "But hold on opening the stable doors for now, Kepler. We have had a few setbacks getting our support facilities up and running, so we can't put one-hundred fifty more people on the ground just yet. I've got some specs here, and am asking to come aboard to brief."

"Uh, negative, Cybele One. We are carrying two Valkyries and have no additional docking ports."

"You have emergency ports at the crew stations, don't you?"

"Yes. They're for emergencies."

"Kepler, nobody's going to cite you for improper use of an emergency hatch up here," Abe said. "We're going to dock on your station. You can either send us vectors, or we can pilot there on our own – we have your beacon locked."

There was a pause, and then the Johannes Kepler captain replied, "All right, fine, Chief. We're sending vectors to you. You'll dock at emergency port A."

"See you in a few," Abe replied. He muted the channel and said to Luke, "I'm heading back to the cabin. Give us a minute's warning before you dock."

"Will do."

Abe went to the back of the cabin and opened a gun locker. He handed Norm a pistol and said, "In case they need persuading."

"You mean you don't think we can just ask them nicely?" he asked with a wry grin.

"I'm sure we could," he replied as he holstered his own weapon. "But that doesn't mean they'd play nice."

As with the Event Horizon, the crew of the Johannes Kepler was both surprised and less than happy with the forced boarding. After a quick explanation of the situation, however, they acquiesced to Abe's demands for them to turn back to Earth. Jose and Kim were taken to available cryo chambers, and offered little in the way of goodbyes.

On their way back to the shuttle, Abe raided the cargo bay for additional supplies: explosives. Norm stopped him and said, "Don't tell me all of your meticulous planning was just a ruse to blow the hell out of the place."

Abe chuckled and said, "No, but would you be sorry if it were?"

"Actually, yeah, just a little bit."

"Well, don't worry, then. These have a far less nefarious purpose."

Norm did not ask for clarification as they returned to the Cybele, and they monitored their scanners until they had confirmation that the Johannes Kepler had engaged on its long voyage back to Earth.

"There's nothing left to do," Abe said to Norm. He looked out the windows of the command center and added, "But if you want to take a couple of minutes to say goodbye to Pandora, I don't think that will throw us terribly off schedule."

"I don't know that I have anything to say," Norm replied. "I didn't figure I'd be leaving it like this, though."

Abe snorted. "You're not the only one leaving here under unexpected circumstances."

"It'll have been twenty-four years since I left Earth once we get back," Norm said. "I'll have almost spent more time away from it than I did living there." He chuckled and said, "But you know what? I'm kind of eager to see what's happened to it."

"Here's hoping for the best," Abe replied with a short laugh. "Are you ready to get on with it?"

Norm took one more look out the windows of Cybele's command center and nodded. "Yeah. Let's get on with it."

In the fading evening light, and from the uppermost of Hometree's branches, Jake was able to make out the twin plasma wakes – one significantly larger than the other – of what he hoped would be the last interstellar vehicles to ever orbit Pandora. In that moment, Jake thought of the hundreds of things he should have said to his friend, but had now forever lost the opportunity.

He looked around to make sure nobody saw him wipe away his tears.

Jake made his way to his hammock, where he found Neytiri already sleeping. Before crawling in beside her, he took a moment to ponder the life she was carrying. An immeasurable number of sacrifices had been made to not only give their child life, but also to ensure its protection. Its future hinged squarely on whether or not his friend would be able to turn back the armada that was heading their way.

He lay beside Neytiri and thought about the long chain of events that had brought him to this moment. It went back further than Tom's murder. It was his decision to join the Marine Corps. It was the discovery of Pandora. It was the desperate search for ways to save the dying Earth. It was the collective failure of leadership to prevent catastrophe from befalling humanity in the first place.

With each of those landmarks, Jake wondered how things might have turned out with just the slightest changes in decision making. Tom, Grace, and Trudy might all still be alive, if they were born at all. Jake and Norm might have crossed paths some other way and become friends on a lush and vibrant Earth. Neytiri would be the mother of Tsu'tey's children.

For all the troubles that humanity occupied itself with, not one of them mattered at all to the Na'vi. Life here was determined to go on uninterrupted, regardless of the human incursions. The Na'vi as a whole were not better off for humanity's presence; but if Neytiri held any doubts about how her life would have ended up, as Jake was wondering now, she kept them well hidden.

Neytiri opened her eyes and turned to look at him. She smiled and brushed her hand over his cheek. "They are gone?"

He nodded. "They're gone."

Whether it was his tone of voice or her uncanny ability to see into him, or maybe lingering remnants of his tears, she understood what he really wanted to say. "I'm sorry he had to leave. He was a good friend of the people."

"Yeah," Jake replied. "He was."

Neytiri moved closer to Jake and embraced him, and he eagerly wrapped his arms around her. They did not need to say anything to each other. The years of intimate bonding they had shared had allowed them to know each other's thoughts by the subtle changes in their bodies – the color of the lights on their bodies and how brilliantly they glowed, the quickness of their heartbeats, and the pace of their breathing.

"You still have many friends here," Neytiri said to him.

He smiled, held her tighter, and replied, "I have a great one right here."

They stayed in each other's arms for a while longer. Eventually, Jake got past the traps of his thoughts and emotions and released her, albeit reluctantly. He brushed her cheek and asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "Soon, though, I will need to move to the floor. I won't be able to safely walk down the branches much longer."

"Are you getting enough to eat?"

Neytiri laughed and said, "You worry like my mother."

He grinned and replied, "It's my child, too. I want to make sure its mother is healthy."

She poked him in the stomach and replied, "I can take care of my health and the baby's without your worrying."

"I won't stop," he said, holding his grin, and then he took the opportunity to kiss her.

In between kisses, she said, "It's okay for you to worry about our first baby. But for the next one, I expect you to be strong."

"It's a deal," he said. "But I get to worry over the one after that."

She responded with a laugh, and then kissed him again. By the time they fell asleep together, Jake had not entirely put the thoughts of his friend out of his mind, but he was more secure in the path that he had chosen for himself. Jake's last thought before falling asleep was to hope Norm would ensure that his children would have the same security.