I own nothing. It is only Naughty Dog

Keira wiped the film of sweat off of her forehead and sighed with satisfaction. It had taken several days, but she'd finally figured out a way to fortify the command center's entry doors without using any extra steel.

"It's all a matter of wiring," she said proudly, standing up and wiping her hands on a rag. "If the door suffers any strong impact, it'll send out an electronic burst!" After shutting her toolbox, Keira looked around at the silent entryway. "Not that anyone cares," she muttered. Everyone, even her father, was too busy to notice her anymore.

She rode the elevator up, balancing her toolbox on her hip. Lately not even working on machinery helped to put her at peace. Not being allowed to leave the command center was really taking a toll on her. Keira had updated almost every system and gadget in the building, but she was still going stir crazy. She'd unplugged her TV set, sick of seeing all the carnage in the city - there seemed to be no end to the Metal Head and KG robot attacks. And these thoughts went took her in a direction she didn't want to go – towards Jak.

Keira tried to ignore the painful little jolt her heart made when she thought of him. He'd been gone for weeks, and although Ashelin had assured everyone he'd been rescued by "certain allies," they'd heard absolutely nothing from him. His communicator had been taken from him before his banishment, and if he had a new one, Keira didn't know the frequency. And he'd seemed so angry before he left… if he really was okay, she was starting to doubt that he would ever come back to Haven, even if he somehow got the chance.

When she finally got back to her room, Keira glumly let her toolbox clatter to the floor and sank onto her bed. She curled up with her hands under her pillow and stared at the opposite wall. No matter how hard she tried not to think of him, Jak always managed to creep back into her thoughts. Tonight was worse than usual – Keira found herself replaying every moment and conversation they'd had, even from when they were children. Walks on the beach, comparing the shells and pebbles they'd found… proudly showing him the new parts of the zoomers she invented… almost kissing him after he'd saved the world….

Keira rolled to one side and put her pillow over her face, trying not to think of more recent things that had happened between the two of them, but the images kept playing in her head. She thought of the way Jak had held her as she slept – after telling her things he'd probably never told anyone before. Keira felt her face heat up as she remembered the warmth of his arms around her, and the feeling of his chest breathing in and out under her cheek. Then they way he had come to rescue her from the Metal Heads - when she thought she was all alone, he was there to save her. Even burying her face in the cool side of her pillow couldn't get rid of the redness spreading across her cheeks and down her neck, because her mind had flitted to his lips hovering over hers in the garage….

Keira quickly raised herself into a sitting position when she heard her door sliding open with a soft mechanical hiss. She tried desperately to keep a casual expression on her face when she heard the distinctive sound of her father's wooden shoes clunking across the floor.

"What is it, Daddy?"

Samos shuffled uncomfortably, peaking Keira's curiosity. Her father was usually very direct. "Keira," he said slowly. "I'm doing this against my better judgment, but I'd like you to come with me."

"Where?" she asked, unable to understand where this was going.

"I mean, come with me into the city, dangerous as it is…" he trailed off awkwardly.

Keira got off the bed and went to stand by her father. "What for? And why are you acting so strange?"

Samos finally looked her in the eye. "I've found out that Jak is back in the city. I've sensed his energy. We need to go and meet him. He needs updated on the situation here, and I feel that it would be best if we went in person. I need to talk to him face to face to convey things properly. And… I know how hard it was for you when he left. I want to give you a chance to talk to him too."

Keira hardly heard what her father said after "Jak is back in the city." For her, everything seemed to go very quiet, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat.

She heard herself saying, "Yes, of course I'll go with you." But she didn't know where it came from. Her heartbeat was getting louder, and it was saying he's here, he's here, he's here. Suddenly she felt afraid to see him, and almost stopped walking with her father. But the elevator doors had closed and they were on their way down to the street.

Why should I feel afraid? Keira thought to herself. This is what I've wanted since he was exiled. I can tell him I'm sorry for what I said before.

They were not attacked as they walked through the streets of Haven. Things even seemed quiet that night. If not for the lack of people walking around, things could almost be normal. They came to one of the shield walls that had been activated around the city, where Samos said that they could wait. Keira didn't bother to ask how her father knew where Jak would be. She was too busy shifting from foot to foot, smoothing her hair, tugging her clothes into place… anything to stop herself from pacing or running away.

They only had to wait for a few minutes before Keira heard Daxter's voice from around a corner. She held her breath and tried to dry her sweaty hands on her pants.

And then he was there. Everything suddenly felt slow – Keira felt like she had forever to look at him. He looked different – he'd cut his long hair off, and his clothes had changed, and he had patches of sunburn and tan on his arms and face– but he was the same. She would always know him.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, the moment ended, and Samos was calling out for Jak and waving. Keira felt her arm waving too, but she was too focused on Jak running towards them to really notice what she was doing.

"Samos! Keira!" Jak said her name without any anger or resentment. He stopped in front of the energy field, and Keira couldn't help noticing that more than his looks had changed. He seemed… lighter. His eyes weren't as haunted, and he held his shoulders straighter. It reminded her of the old Jak, the one she knew in Sandover.

She realized that her father had been talking to Jak for a while, and that she'd been standing there with her hands clasped like some sappy little girl. She quickly put her hands down, and found herself hanging back when he father walked forward to talk to Jak.

What do I say? she thought frantically. He's so focused on talking to my father. They've both forgotten that I'm here. Keira heard a noise behind her, and used that as an excuse to casually walk forward and stand next to her father.

"…we're sorry for what happened," Samos was saying. "We should have stopped Veger."

This is your chance! Keira screamed in her mind. You have to apologize! But all she could do was stare at Jak as he clenched his fists and turned away.

"I'll stop him myself," he said. And then he was gone.

Keira was barely aware of the journey back to HQ. Samos stayed quiet for once, sensing that his daughter needed to be left alone. When they finally entered the building, Keira headed straight for the stairs without a word. She went into her room, closed the door, and slid down the wall into a sitting position, resting her head on her knees.

Why did I even go with him? I was like a prop. I didn't say a single damn thing. She angrily rubbed away tears that were forming in her eyes. He hardly looked at me.

The worst part had been her little hand-clasping damsel in distress moment. "Where did that even come from?" Keira asked herself out loud.

"That's it," she said, standing up decisively. "I am through pining over him when he can't even give me a look in the eye. He's making me act like an idiot and I'm getting nothing out of it." She smacked her hand against her fist. "No more thinking about him, no more flirting with him, and no more wishing to have what I can't." She opened her toolkit and started rummaging through it forcefully. "I won't take any more of this hot and cold business from him," she muttered to herself. "Whenever I see him again, he will be nothing more than a friend. A teammate." With that decision, Keira threw herself into the repair of a broken holo-projector, ignoring the slow sad beating of her heart.

~ I always hated this scene in the game. Such rich potential for a heartfelt reunion or at least interaction between Jak and Keira, and they don't say a thing to each other. So dumb. I was trying to think of a way to explain that away!