A/N: I do not own Jak and Daxter or any of their incarnations but will forever be grateful for their existence!

Daxter was not impressed. He had spent the last six hours stuck in a cell hosted by the ever hospitable, Krimson Guard. He also had no idea if his best friend was alive or not because the last time he had seen him he had ducked under that damn door deciding to take on Mar's stupid trials all by his stupid self. He also had been told shortly after arriving that the Baron wanted to interrogate him and the other Underground rebels personally and that he would be there within the hour. The Baron was now five hours late to his appointment and Daxter was beginning to feel as though Praxis didn't take Daxter's role in the rebellion seriously.

Although, since the Shadow's cell was beside his he was able to keep tabs on Old Green Stuff and Daxter was pleased to report that no one had come to interrogate him either. So clearly Samos was either not as important as Daxter or Daxter was just as important as Samos. Honestly, neither situation sounded half-bad to the redhead.

What did sound bad; however, was the piercing screams and earthshattering roars that were gradually getting louder and louder. Daxter had no idea what could make that kind of sound, but he knew he was not eager to see it in person. From his cot, Daxter saw a door – the one he was pretty sure had been the entrance to their cell block – go flying across the room. Then an ominous thumping of footsteps that were clearly heavy enough to vibrate the floor gradually came closer. When they came to a stop just outside his door, Daxter frowned at the shadow blocking his view. Great. He was about to die, and he would never even get to see his murderer.

He almost fell off the bed when a noise approaching levels of pain that only could be replicated by nails on a chalkboard came from his cell door. Sparks flew from either side of the frame and then the door was yanked clean out of the way. Daxter barely had time to process that before a pair of inky black eyes looked through his doorway. He knew those eyes!

Instantly, the redhead was up and bolting across the room. When he emerged from his cell, he was met by the best friend he had been expecting, but not looking like this. Jak currently towered over him and had to be approaching fifty feet – and that was with him on all fours. Never mind his best friend now looked like the king of nightmares with his skin now taking on a distinct purple hue. Various very pointy and very large black spikes emerged from his shoulders, his neck, his back, and to a lesser extent his arms. Then there was the fact that he had a freaking tail and what looked like two wings folded neatly over his back.

Obviously thrilled to see his best friend, as soon as Daxter was close enough, Jak was scooping him up and nuzzling him for all he was worth. Then came the licking and the redhead had to put a stop to the shenanigans. "Jak! I'm happy to see you too bud, but what the hell is going on? Why do you look like Dark on steroids?"

Jak paused for all of five seconds, tilted his head thoughtfully, and then promptly went back to licking Daxter from tip to toe. "What and now you've decided to go mute again?"

Once more Jak pulled back but this time, he seemed a lot more serious and confused. Daxter placed a hand on his friend's face, "It's ok, pal. You can talk to me."

Seeing the expression on Jak's face reminded him far more of a pre-Haven Jak than Daxter thought he'd ever see in what was clearly a very much Haven-altered Jak. Something was definitely off, "Come on, Big Guy, you've been talking for the last nine months. Why the sudden change of heart? Do all your extra sharp teeth make it more difficult or something?"

Now Jak was starting to look more than a little panicked. He continued to look at Daxter then at his hands then the rest of his body before looking at Daxter again before repeating the process. Black eyes seemed to widen as though a horrible realization had come over him. Then, before Daxter's eyes, Jak's whole body began to glow and his friend grew a few more feet in height right in front of him, "Ok… That's new."

In response, his buddy just released a ragged whine before lowering the redhead back to the ground. He then essentially placed his chin on the metal floor in front of Daxter's feet and gently pushing his head, complete with mane of white hair and horns into the ginger's body. Daxter produced a soft, "Oof," as despite how gently Jak was trying to be, he still inadvertently shoved the freckled elf a few feet backwards.

Trying to be comforting, Daxter began rubbing his hands in Jak's wild white locks, "Hey it's ok, pal. You don't have to talk if you don't wanna. I don't mind. If anyone knows how to speak Jak it's me, right?"

Jak's ears just sunk lower as he turned his head sideways to blink giant black doe eyes at his friend. Another pitiful whimper soon followed. Daxter still was more than a little confused about what the hell was going on, but if there was one thing he did know, it was that his friend was clearly upset. Thankfully, Daxter was the best person equipped to deal with a sad Jak, "There, there, Big Guy. Everything is gonna be ok. Ya got me out of this cell, didn't you?"

The monstrous being gave a tiny nod in response, "Damn right you did! Now we just gotta get Tess and Old Green Stuff outta their cells and then we can get the hell outta here. You can help me with that too, right?"

This time, his giant friend's nod was a little more confident. Daxter grinned as Jak pulled himself up into a sitting position that would have made the best-trained crocodog jealous, "That's the spirit! Now, I know for a fact Log Head is being kept in the cell next ta mine. I'm not positive about Tess though…"

"Daxxie!" Jak's ears immediately swivelling towards the call from the aforementioned elf, "I'm over here!"

Not even waiting for Daxter's direction, Jak was up and trotting over to Tess's cell. With another ear-piercing slashing of metal, heavily muscled arms easily were tossing the door aside within the minute. The blonde woman stepped out and gazed up wide-eyed at her rescuer, "Holy smokes, Jakkie! You've been working out!"

In response, Jak wagged his huge tail and chirped at the bartender. Reaching up on her tiptoes, Tess began to scratch his goatee. A second later, Jak lowered his face to give her a good sniff, "Oh my gosh, you are just adorable! Who's the sweetest Dark Jakkie? You are!"

Jak promptly flopped over on his side, making the floor shake somewhat ominously with his girth. With his chest and belly exposed to Tess, she couldn't help but rub and scratch him all over. She continued to coo, "Do you hear that, Daxxie? He's purring!"

Daxter pinched his brow as he shook his head in exasperation, "Jak, this is totally ruining the whole bad boy image you were going for."

Said best friend didn't seem to care in the slightest though as he rolled around on his side and back under the lavish attention Tess was doling out to him. However, his apparent ecstasy immediately halted when a voice cried from the cell beside Daxter's, "I don't know what you two morons are doing out there, but if you wouldn't mind," The voice then yelled, "GET US OUT OF HERE!"

Jak instantly rolled back onto his feet. All signs of his previous relaxed state were gone. Delighted purrs were replaced with low growls while happily perked ears were now angrily pinned back.

Daxter rolled his eyes while he muttered, "Whoopee, how I missed getting ordered around while being insulted."

Jak studied his friend briefly before striding forward and tearing the cell door off. As two short green men exited, the redhead yelped and jumped behind Jak's massive forearm, "AHH Jak, they're multiplying!"

The Shadow nodded, "Yes, it appears I have a time twin."

The older Samos however, only had eyes for the monster in front of him, "Great yakow horns, Jak! What happened to you?!"