Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter fifty-four of "Gone in the Dark" and the final one. The fic has come to an end after nearly eighteen months of writing. It's been a long journey, but it was a satisfying one. I'm sad to see it end, but all things have to at some point. I want to thank everyone who reviewed. A special shoutout goes to Tasha Hill and Will the Werewolf being continuous reviewers. Your support means the world to me. Anyway, this chapter has some Jake/Neytiri. I am still undecided on a title for a potential sequel to this fic. I will let you know if I come up with one in a chapter of an in-progress fic.
XXXXX
Chapter 54: What a Happy Ending
The early afternoon sun beamed its rays on Awa'atlu in mid-January. A dorado verde flew through the sky. It spotted the roof to the Sully marui and landed in the middle of it. It pecked its right wing, followed by its left. Another dorado verde joined it. It squawked to its companion, who responded in kind. They opened their beaks and flicked their tongues.
A bit had changed in the seven months since the Metkayina/Green Spears war ended. The Metkayina who came to assist with the defense of the village decided to stay with Tonowari and Ronal's approval. They wanted to help with rebuilding and boosting their numbers. Normalcy gradually returned to the clan. They enjoyed their leisurely activities such as swimming, diving, fishing, and playing once more.
Nekx and Eli began visiting the village quite often. The former spent much of his time with the Sully family. He forged a close friendship with them, especially with the children. He became the closest to Lo'ak as he used to be a bit of an outcast amongst the Green Spears. He was rather shy and quiet. That led him to being teased quite a bit. This made him determined to become a hunter and a warrior. He managed to tame a skimwing earlier than most hunters and warriors did.
Neytiri healed fully from her injuries within three weeks. They left quite a bit of scarring, especially on her legs and her midsection. However, she was not bothered by them in the least bit. Her pregnancy was closely monitored by Ronal, Norm, and Maureen. She got annoyed when her every need was tended to during the first two months after the diagnosis. She started doing more things for herself, though she was careful with what she did. She did obey the order not to hunt.
Neytiri began having terrible pains in her stomach five months later. She feared she was going into premature labor, despite she did everything she was told. Jake called for Norm, Maureen, and Ronal. Norm diagnosed her with a case of Braxton-Hicks contractions. She and Jake were very relieved. Norm, Maureen, Ronal ordered her to rest for at least five days. Neytiri agreed, though it was rather reluctant.
Jake and Neytiri discussed baby names not long after the incident. They agreed to name the twins Nastelane and Skana if they were a boy and a girl. They decided to keep Nastelane and chose Tom if the twins were boys. They did the same with Skana and picked Molly if the twins were girls. Lo'ak, Kiri, Tuktiery, and Spider agreed with this style of naming as they thought it prevented confusion.
Suddenly, a loud scream came out of nowhere. The dorado verdes squawked in fright and flew downward. They passed the window, not noticing Neytiri pushing with all her might. Ronal was knelt before her. Mo'at, Kuai, and Maureen were next to her. Jake was on her right, as was Norm on her left. They held her hands. Empty and water-filled bowls and blankets were nearby.
"You're doing great, Neytiri. Keep pushing," Ronal yelled encouragingly.
"I'm going to kill you, Jake!" Neytiri screeched angrily and breathed deeply. "Mark my words!"
"I am anticipating it, darling," Jake said, a nervous laugh coming from him. "Let's not forget that you did help create these children."
Norm hissed annoyingly. "Shit. Her grip is really strong."
"I know," Jake agreed, tensing a bit. "Na'vi women in labor are no different from human women in the same position. Both scream threats and squeeze their spouses' hands tightly."
"It is good the kids aren't here right now. They would be going deaf from all this screaming," Maureen commented, rubbing her ear. "I feel like I am about to go deaf."
"You're not the only one, Maureen," Kuai added.
Ronal looked at her patient. "Neytiri, stop! I can see the first baby's head crowning!"
Neytiri sighed in relief and leaned against her mate and friend. She rolled her head back into the first of three pillows. She panted hard as Jake dabbed her head with a wet rag. She gazed at him. She bit her lip as she loosened her grip on his hand.
"I don't think I will have another baby again. This hurts so fucking much. Shit. Men should experience what is like to be pregnant," Neytiri hissed frustratingly.
"I'd willingly do that for you, Neytiri. The bright side you've almost got the baby out," Jake assured.
"Okay, Neytiri. Give me one last big push," Ronal instructed.
"Mm-hmm," Neytiri said, turning to her. She leaned forward in which she gave a very big push. She felt the baby slip out of her into Ronal's arms. A loud cry pierced her and Jake's ears. This caused the others to cheer loudly. She leaned back, panting hard. "Thank Eywa."
Ronal cut the umbilical cord. She gave the wiggling baby to Mo'at, who wrapped it a blanket. Mo'at laid it down and began to clean it up with Kuai and Maureen's help. Neytiri swallowed hard, her heart skipping a beat or two.
"Is that baby okay?" Neytiri asked.
"He's perfect!" Mo'at responded, peering at her in the corner of her eye.
Neytiri screamed joyfully as she turned to Jake. "We have a little boy!"
Jake choked back a sob. "Our mighty Nastelane."
The couple hugged tightly. Mo'at moved over to them with Nastelane wrapped in a blanket as they pulled apart. She gave him to Neytiri. The parents eyed him with happy smiles. Tears shined in their eyes.
"He looks exactly like you, Jake," Neytiri commented sweetly.
"He sure does," Jake agreed, touching Nastelane's hand. "Lo'ak will be thrilled to know he has a sibling with looks similar to his."
"He won't feel so alone now," Neytiri commented.
"No, he won't," Jake agreed. "No, he won't."
Jake and Neytiri shared two kisses. Suddenly, she felt a contraction coming on. She handed Nastelane to her mother and grabbed Jake and Norm's hands. She leaned forward and started pushing once more. Ronal laid her hand on her knee.
"That's it, Neytiri," Ronal instructed. "Keep pushing."
"Shit!" Norm groaned painfully. "Her grip is even worse than it was just a few minutes ago!"
Jake laughed nervously. "You think?"
Kuai snickered. "Women and their grips."
Neytiri continued pushing with all her might. She emitted a loud scream, her grip tightening on Jake and Norm's hands. She clenched her teeth as she looked down.
"Neytiri, the head is crowning! Stop now!" Ronal ordered sternly.
Neytiri let out another relieved sigh before leaning against Jake and Norm. Jake wiped her forehead with the rag once more. She panted heavily while looking up at the ceiling.
"Carrying one baby is hard. Carrying two babies is downright difficult," Neytiri murmured.
"Who could blame you for feeling that way?" Norm asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Okay, Neytiri," Ronal said and blinked twice. "Give me one big last push."
Neytiri leaned forward, giving the biggest push. She gasped at feeling the baby slip out of her into Ronal's arms. It let out a piercing cry as it wiggled a bit. Ronal cut the umbilical before handing it to Kuai. Kuai wrapped it in a blanket. She laid it down and began cleaning it. Maureen assisted her.
"Is that baby all right too?" Neytiri wondered.
"She's perfect!" Kuai said, looking toward her.
Neytiri let go of Norm and put her hand over her mouth. "We have a little girl, Jake!"
Jake kissed her forehead and laid his cheek against it with a sniffle. "Our sweet Skana."
Kuai went to the couple with Skana wrapped in a blanket. She gave her to Neytiri, who kissed her forehead. Jake tried to hold back a laugh, but he couldn't help himself.
"She looks just like me too," Jake whispered amazingly and touched Skana's hand.
"Talk about a coincidence," Norm responded, his ears perking up and going back.
"I recall Zeus and Roxanne looking just like me when they were born," Neytiri commented. "Even if they did not make it, they were still beautiful."
Just then, Neytiri felt a contraction coming on. She handed Skana to Kuai and took hold of Jake and Norm's hands. Ronal grabbed two empty bowls. She kept the first bowl while setting the second one down. Neytiri learned forward and pushed hard. The first placenta was expelled and landed in the bowl. She groaned in a loud manner and leaned back.
Jake kissed his mate's forehead and mouthed encouraging words to her. Ronal set the first bowl aside and grabbed the second one. Neytiri breathed deeply and gave a hard push. The second placenta fell into the bowl. She sighed in relief before leaning back against Jake and Norm. Her breathing came out in hard and fast pants.
"The labor is over," Ronal announced and looked at the twins' mother. "You did incredible, Neytiri."
"Thank Eywa," Neytiri said, emitting a sharp exhale. She lowered her top to expose both breasts. Mo'at and Kuai gave her the twins Nastelane and Skana latched on and began to nurse. "This is unbelievable."
"Let's give the parents time alone with their newborns," Ronal commented seriously.
Kuai frowned. "I wish we could watch them."
Ronal blinked twice. "I know. Come on."
Ronal rose to her feet while clasping her hands together. Mo'at, Maureen, Norm, and Kuai followed suit. They headed out of the marui. Jake and Neytiri glanced at each other, big smiles forming on their faces.
"I can't believe we are the parents of twins," Jake whispered, a tear falling from his eye.
"Me neither. The names we chose were perfect. Nastelane is strong like the Haida warrior. Skana is sweet like the orca," Neytiri responded.
"If only Neteyam could be here to experience caring for twins. He wasn't exactly thrilled when we announced we were expecting Zeus and Roxanne," Jake pointed out with a laugh.
"I know. He mumbled 'Talk about double trouble.' You told him you heard that," Neytiri commented, trying to stifle a snicker.
"Neteyam may have been a good boy most of the time, but he got himself in big trouble without Lo'ak involved a few times," Jake said, giving a shrug. "Even the best kids will misbehave."
"No child is perfect. That's for sure," Neytiri admitted.
"I never understood the human obsession with perfection," Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief. "The Na'vi embraced the whole person, including imperfections."
"Expecting nothing than perfection instills a fear of failure in children. They become very upset when they make mistakes. They try harder to avoid them, but they end up making more. Then they have full breakdowns from all the stress," Neytiri explained.
"My inability to walk was my main imperfection. I wasn't ashamed of it, but I hated it when people treated me like I was less than they were," Jake muttered with a shake of his head.
"Look at you now. You walk amongst the People," Neytiri said and sniffled in a quiet manner.
"That I do," Jake agreed, plating a kiss to her forehead. "It has been crazy over the last nineteen years, but it has been well worth it. We have nine children. Six are alive and well."
"It is very rare for a Na'vi couple to have more than three children in their lifetime. We must cherish every child we have. We never know what will happen in the future, especially with humanity trying to turn Pandora into Earth," Neytiri said, blinking twice.
"So true," Jake murmured with a nod. "I love you,"
"I love you too," Neytiri said, a tear falling from her eye. "Now and forever."
Jake and Neytiri kissed before glancing down at Nastelane and Skana. They knew the fight against humanity would be a hard one, but they wouldn't fail as long as they stuck together. The power of love would see them through all obstacles, no matter how high they got.
THE END