-.-Hidden-.-

"No sign of him!" Norm called from his end of the craft. Everyone was leaning out, eyes trained on the forests below, searching the best they could for any sign of Jake. Trudy flew as low as she could.

"Nothing from my end either," Nix updated.

"God damn it! I don't want to lose another Avatar," Grace cursed. The others looked at her pointedly. "Or the Marine," she relented.

"Doc, it's getting late!" Trudy called from the cockpit.

"Yeah, it's almost eclipse." Grace sighed. "Let's head back."

"Copy that."

"We should really go out and search for him," Nix protested.

"You volunteering?"

"Yes!"

Grace sighed once more and shook her head. "I don't want to risk losing anyone else. It's night - that means no matter where he is, hopefully he'll try and get some sleep, and we can try waking him up from our end."

"He might try making his way back here."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Jake! Jake!"

A few hours later, with no sign or message from the missing Marine, they attempted to wake him up.

They ended the link and tried to get him back slowly, as to not shock his system.

"Jake! You with us?" Grace leaned over his unresponsive body, shining a light back and forth in his glazed-over eyes. Finally, he started to move, started to come back.

"There you are. That's it, nice and easy." Nix, Norm and Max all helped get him into a gradual seated position, placing his wheelchair at the edge of the bed ready for him.

"Is the Avatar safe?" Grace demanded.

"I'm good, thanks for asking. " He rubbed a hand over his face then grinned, and widely. "Yeah Doc, and you're not gonna believe where I am."

"The last thing we see is this Marine's ass disappearing into the brush with this angry thanator coming after him," Grace recounted to the others in the dining hall.

Jake just shrugged, nothing stopping him from shoveling food into his mouth. This adventure out in the forest had clearly made him very hungry.

"You know, for reasons I cannot fathom, the Omaticaya have chosen you." Grace shook her head in disbelief. "God help us all."

"I'll drink to that." Nix raised her glass. "And I think you mean Eywa help us all." She held out her fist for Jake to bump his against. "Congrats, Mate. You have to introduce us."

"Who is it?"

"Zdinarsk, Sir."

The sound of the door clicking open. "Z-Dog, what is it?"

"Selfridge wants to speak with you."

"Again?"

"Yes, apparently it's urgent."

"Of course it is." He sighed. "Fine, tell him I'm on my way."

"Sir."

The door clicked shut again.

Nix waited until the soldier was gone, and then a little longer, before stepping out from where she had been hiding. She knew the drill: as soon as they'd heard someone come knocking, she got up and dashed into a corner, taking to the shadows. Miles's quarters were one of the nicer ones on base, still basic, but definitely bigger than hers. Therefore, lots of corners to tuck her small frame into if necessary. "Another meeting with the boss?"

"Apparently. He's so needy."

"I should get going anyway, I've got a hot date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, a hot one." She paused for a moment longer just to grin at his perplexed expression. "With the wilderness of Pandora." She gestured broadly. She was going to add a snarky comment about "a date that doesn't want me to hide," but decided against it. Maybe later. He already knew her stance on hiding. Keeping things on the down-low and to themselves was fine, she didn't mind that at all, and it was one thing, but her having to duck into dark corners and hide from everyone so they weren't seen together was another, and it was wearing on her.

She picked a stray long red hair off his uniform - that would probably be a dead giveaway. "But don't worry, Darling, I should still have time for you." She kissed his cheek, then his scars, something she made a habit of doing.

Any ill feelings she had were dispelled as soon as she linked back with her Avatar. Corporal Jones had been assigned to accompany her out on the journey.

As she was retrieving her kit she looked at the gun Miles had given her - then left it where it was. I don't need it. She hadn't needed it any other time thus far.

Besides, like Grace said, one idiot with a gun was enough. Not that she thought of herself as an idiot, so more like one person with a gun is enough. A soldier who was more than happy to use said gun at any opportunity.

Just as before, she talked and talked, naming everything and anything they saw. Jones wasn't as receptive as Grace and Norm were, but she wasn't about to stop on his account, and continued for herself.

She was so into her observance of everything, she didn't notice the rustling in the bushes to their left until a head peeked out.

She stopped and stared, a smile stretching across her face. "Viperwolf."

The creature held them with its dark eyes, and bared its fangs.

She heard the telltale click of a gun beside her and Jones stepped forward.

"No, don't it's okay, it's okay. It's just observing us."

As if in response, the creature gave a low growl.

"That's more than observing-" The soldier stepped forward, finger ready on the trigger.

"Wait, stop! Don't shoot!" She jumped ahead - right as the creature sprang forward. There was a slash of pain along her side. She cried out and dropped to the ground.

Well shit, that wasn't good.

"I'm gonna need a moment with our civilian specialist," Miles ordered the medical team, striding into the room.

With my girlfriend. She really would like to hear that. Was that so much to ask?

"Yes Sir." The medics exited the site.

As soon as they were gone, he started ranting. "That Corporal is gonna get an ass-whooping followed by a demotion."

"Easy there, no need to be dramatic. I'm fine - AH!" She winced heavily as she tried to move. The medics had wrapped her whole middle in bandages, so tightly it felt like her stomach was being squeezed.

"It was his fault."

"Yeah, about that - look I know we said you'd do your job and I'd do mine, but I have a suggestion: not everything out there is trying to kill you-"

He pointed to his scars in response.

"Okay, yes, I know, but I think maybe you could go with a different approach. Like wait to shoot. These creatures are usually quite peaceful, they're only on the defensive cause you lot shoot first. I think if you tell your team to be alert out there, but not automatically think they're in danger, it would really help."

He was silent for a moment, maybe considering. "You rest up, relax. Heal. I'll let the Doc know that you'll be out for a while."

"Not that long! I feel fine, I'm just a little sore. How am I supposed to sit here while there's all that happening out there." Again, she gestured wildly.

"It'll still be there waiting for you when you're better."

"If you lot don't shoot it all down first," she muttered bitterly. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she called. Miles stepped away and moved across the room. That stung, almost as much as her side. Maybe even a little more.

It was Grace, with Norm, Jake and Max behind her. "Hey kid, we heard what happened. You okay?"

"Totally good. This is just a minor setback, nothing more."

"Where the hell were you, Director of the Program?" Miles shot to her.

"I could ask the same about you, Mr. Big and Scary Head of Security," Grace shot back.

Nix tried - and failed - to repress a snort of laughter at that. "It's fine. I was going for a more peaceful approach but, as usual, the soldiers weren't having any of it."

"You're supposed to be looking after my civilian," Grace told Miles.

"Your civilian? What the hell were you doing letting her go out on her own?"

"Wasn't one of your trigger-happy morons with her? Wasn't that how she got into this mess in the first place?" Grace returned.

God, she loved that woman. "Hey, everyone's civilian is good," she assured them - again. "I'll be back to it in no time."

"Well you'd better rest and recover. You see anything good out there this time?"

"You know it, Doc. Viperwolf."

"Damn. Get well soon, kiddo. Maybe we'll send you balloons and a card."

"You're too kind."

The scientists left, leaving just her and Miles again.

"Ugh, sitting here doing nothing but resting is going to be torture," she grumbled.

"Rest," he told her again. "The sooner you do, the sooner you'll be healed and you can get back to work. I'll come by to check up on you later." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left her alone.

That chapter turned out longer than expected but it just kept flowing!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)