My Outlet for Nerdiness

Chapter 31

Been a while, hasn't it? Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, I have finally returned to this fic, hopefully to finish it within the next few weeks. Sorry for long wait, I felt guilty every time someone ran into that cliffhanger 😢

Anyway, I've done my best to get back into "The Captive" mode, including rereading the entire thing myself, but it's still been three years…so please understand if any characters seem slightly off, or any minor inconsistencies pop up.

Regardless, thank you to everyone who's read & commented over the years, and I sincerely hope you enjoy!

“…and taken every 24 hours until the bottle’s empty. After that, you should still keep an eye out for any kind of inflammation. You’ll notice that as time…”

“Spider! Spider!”

Norm startled as his explanation was interrupted by Kiri’s shouting. Before he even had time to turn around, the Na’vi girl charged past him, coming face to face with the only human in the infirmary. 

All in all, Spider didn’t actually look that much better. His skin was still a bit pale. Several monitors were attached to his chest. His shoulder was heavily bandaged, although the wraps were now much tighter and cleaner. 

But he was awake, giving Kiri a slightly stunned expression. More importantly, he still had a right arm, carefully held in place with a sling. 

Kiri’s breath slowed as she took in the sight. For a second, time froze. 

“H…hey, Kiri.” Spider managed a slightly pained smile, unsure of exactly what he should say. 

Only a moment later, he yelped as Kiri lunged forward, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

“Oh, Spider! I was so worried! I’m so so so glad you’re okay!” 

“It…uh…AH!” Spider jumped as Kiri squeezed him tighter, shifting his arm slightly. “…wasn’t so bad. Nothing Norm couldn’t fix, right?” 

“Not so bad? Really now?” Norm crossed his arms behind them, although the avatar couldn’t stop the grin on his own face. 

The canvas at the infirmary’s entrance shifted again as Jake stepped through. He wore a neutral expression, but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes met Spider’s. 

The human’s breath hitched. Instantly, memories of the…fight between Quaritch and Jake came back to his mind, right along with everything else he hadn’t been able to properly process before. Jake caught him. Jake knew. 

I’m still in deep shit, aren’t I? 

“How is he?” 

Jake’s words stopped the train of thought. 

Norm cleared his throat, taken aback by the sudden tension in the air.

“Well…as I was saying, he needs to take some meds for a couple of days, take it easy while he recovers.” 

“His arm?” Jake spoke again, his voice tight. 

“The shoulder bones were too smashed up to save,” Norm explained. “We had to swap it out with a synthetic one. Carbon fiber, silicone mesh, the works. It seems to be taking well…”

“Will he be able to use the arm?” Jake interrupted tersely, cutting to the point.  

“Well, there’s always risks with this kind of thing, and it could take a while to see how well things heal, but…” 

Norm glanced over to Spider, pursing his lips. 

“…he should regain full function in a few weeks, most likely. He’s a strong kid.” 

Wordlessly, Jake stepped forward and knelt right beside Spider. The teenager felt his heart start to race.  He began to speak, but just as he opened his mouth, Jake wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug of his own.

“Jesus Christ, kid. For a moment, I thought I was gonna lose you.” 

The avatar’s voice cracked as he spoke, the tension that had built up the entire day finally releasing somewhat.

“Y-you’re not mad?” Spider asked breathlessly, still unwilling to fully believe he wasn’t being dragged off to imprisonment. 

It took Jake a while to even realize what Spider was talking about. 

“Of course not, Spider!” Jake replied. “We’ve all been worried sick.” 

“But…I…” Spider’s words were cut off when Jake shushed him.

“What’d I tell you? I’m here for you. You’re a Sully, and Sullys stick together. Nothing is changing that.”

At these words, Spider finally allowed himself to relax, melting into Jake and Kiri’s embraces. A few silent tears rolled down his cheeks as the tension left his shoulders. Somehow, by some miracle, they still accepted him. Even after what he’d done. Even after Quaritch…

Quaritch. 

Wait…

As soon as he thought of the name, a new, sickening thought forced its way to the front of his mind. Spider’s heart began to pound again, and Kiri felt it instantly. 

“Spider, what’s wrong?” The Na’vi girl moved to kneel in front of him, concern returning to her gaze.

“How long have I been out?” Spider asked, a tinge of desperation in his voice. 

How much had it been? Days? Weeks? Had he missed the trial? Had Quaritch even survived after escaping? Was he already…

“Just a day.” Kiri quickly reassured, seeming to understand his concern. “It felt like years, but it was just a day.” 

“Is…is…” Spider struggled to get the words out, eyes darting to Jake. 

“Quaritch is…still here,” Jake answered, doing his best to reveal the information in a comforting tone. “The trial’s in two days.”

Spider breathed a sigh of relief. 

The dread that had threatened to overwhelm him retreated back into his mind. That was enough for now. Even if just for a bit, he could manage. 

“You should go see him today.” Kiri looked up, addressing her father. “Especially with the trial and…everything else.” 

Jake closed his eyes and took a tired breath. 

“I don’t have a choice, not with everything that’s happened. I’ll talk with him tonight.” 

“Jake…” Spider spoke softly, nervously. 

“What is it, Spider?” The avatar put a hand on Spider’s shoulder, doing his best to reassure the kid. “Is it about Quaritch?”

Spider took a breath.

“What happened last night…it won’t…affect the trial, will it?”

“What do you mean?” Jake raised an eyebrow. “He tried to…kidnap you, Spider.” 

Spider shook his head. He was done keeping secrets, consequences be damned. 

“I asked him to take me.” 

Jake blinked, confused. 

“What…?”

“He said no.” Spider continued looking down. “But…after you found me…he…must have been worried.” 

The human looked back up at Jake.

“But I gave him the knife. You should punish me for that, not him.” 

“Spider…you…”

Jake was ready to repeat his old words about how Spider shouldn’t beat himself up, because Quaritch was a cruel, miserable bastard who did bad things. For once, however, the words didn’t come to him. 

In truth, Jake had no idea how to respond to this now. Not after he’d knelt side-by-side with Quaritch, helping him comfort and stabilize Spider. Not after his conversation with Neytiri…

This is still Quaritch we're talking about, for god's sake!

Fuck, he couldn’t think straight about anything anymore. 

“Spider…” He started over. “…if you did that, it was…reckless. Dangerous. But…I…”

He closed his eyes. Above all else, he didn’t feel anger. He felt shame. Shame that it had come to this. Shame at what he knew was the truth. 

“…I understand why it happened, and you won’t be ‘punished’ for it.”

He hesitated, then continued.

“Neither will Quaritch. The trial will happen like normal.” 

“Th-thanks.” Spider managed the reply as Jake pulled him into another hug. At long last, he allowed himself to relax.

He still had the Sullys, and, for those two days, he had his father. It was still a crushing feeling, but a familiar one. 

(…)

Quaritch was well guarded, no doubt. The setting sun seemed to emphasize it, the orange rays casting long shadows from each of the guards surrounding the Recom. There were six in all – strong, hulking warriors, the best Tonowari could spare.  

There would be no escape this time. 

Yet there was a flaw to the system. A small error in their thought. They were so concerned that Quaritch might try to escape, perhaps get to Jake once again, that they failed to consider the opposite possibility. The chance that someone may try to get to Quaritch. 

After all, why bother? The trial was only two days away, and the Demon wasn’t going anywhere in the meantime. Who would consider, who would dare, go against Tonowari and Toruk Makto’s orders? Risk the wrath of the two most powerful Na’vi nearby, six of the Metkayinas’ best, and Eywa herself? 

No, it was ridiculous. Not something to worry about. 

Neytiri was counting on it. 

Quiet as a whisper, nimble as a Thanator, she leapt across the roots of the Metkayina hometree, edging closer and closer to the Demon’s new prison. To the few Na’vi below, she may as well have been invisible. Decades of living and fighting in the Omatikaya jungle had made Neytiri’s skills in this area practically second-to-none. Besides, the last place the aquatic Metkayina would think to look for an intruder is up. 

The guards were clueless as she approached. Gingerly, Neytiri perched herself on a larger root, perfectly balanced across her two feet. 

The Demon Quaritch was close practically right below her. Neytiri narrowed her eyes as she studied his position, tightly wrapped against a large post. Unmoving. 

The binds might be a problem, mess with the arrowhead…

Neytiri made a mental note to aim higher as she readied her bow. It was a tough shot, no doubt. But she’d made tougher ones. Still, her heart raced at the weight of what she was doing, in more ways than one. 

But she had no choice. 

Her hands trembled slightly as she drew an arrow. An arrow meant for the man who killed her father and demolished her Hometree. 

The man she’d killed, to see him return as some twisted, Na’vi revenant and run her family out of their home. 

The man who had shot down her son and put him in a coma. 

The man who, through some twisted machinations, was tearing her family apart even as he languished in captivity. Spreading his foul influence, corrupting them all. Even corrupting her. 

An image of a human boy, bleeding into the sand, passed through Neytiri’s mind. It made her stomach turn, but that was easy compared to the accompanying feelings… 

She shook them away and notched the arrow. 

Neytiri had to do this. She needed to put this demon to rest now. For her family’s sake. 

Great Mother, guide my arrow…

Neytiri drew back the bow, took aim, steadied her breath…

Then froze. On her right hand, clenched around the bow, an insect had landed, gently fluttering its large, blue wings. It emitted a faint glow in the dying light. It was so light, she hadn’t noticed its presence. 

A swok’kafi. 

Ronal had taught Neytiri about them. They were a delicate creature, making their nests only in the upper bounds of the Metkayina hometree, far away from potential predators. 

More importantly, they were sacred to the Metkayina. Messengers of Eywa, it was said. They only descended from their safety for something important.  

And one was on her hand. 

Neytiri tried to wave it off, awkwardly shaking her hand even as she held the bow fully drawn, but the swok’kafi remained put. Her breath quickened.

“Great Mother…you cannot do this…” 

Neytiri let out the words in a silent choke, almost inaudible above the gentle breeze. 

The insect shifted on her hand, turning to face Neytiri head-on. Its tiny eyes, mere pinpricks, somehow bored into her like the stares of a thousand Na’vi. 

“…you cannot…” Neytiri pleaded. “…not when the demon is…” 

She took a shuddering breath, her draw on the bow slackening. 

“My family…I am afraid…somehow, he has…twisted…”

The swok’kafi gave no reply to her broken plea, merely shifting its wings. 

Neytiri grit her teeth, redrew her bow, and aimed again. 

Fine! Quaritch was right there! Let her be damned! Let Kiri hate her! Let the Metkayina shun her! Let Eywa curse her! She couldn’t let him live. 

Neytiri thought of Neteyam, lying in the infirmary, weak and unconscious. She thought of the pure agony she’d felt when she saw him almost slip away while she knelt beside him, powerless. Nobody understood what that was like. Eywa herself could never understand. 

With the thought of the infirmary, another mental image returned. One of Spider lying close nearby in similar condition. Two boys, two children, cut down by this wretched war. 

Why did he have to do it? 

Neytiri knew why Spider had taken her arrow. He was the Demon’s son. The Demon was his father. And so, her arrow hadn’t killed Quaritch like it was supposed to. Instead, it had left the human boy half-dead in the sand. A sight too familiar, however she tried to deny it. 

She hadn’t knelt by him then, of course, though it was her duty. She was too stunned to approach. Jake had been there. He hadn’t been the first to Spider’s side, though.

That final moment returned to her eyes. The moment when the demon rushed to his son’s side. Unarmed, barely moving, fully exposed. Neytiri had readied another arrow. She could have hit him, no doubt in her mind. 

And yet, she’d found herself unable to release as she watched Quaritch cradle the boy.

Because that had been familiar as well. Far too familiar. Horrifyingly familiar. 

Just like then, Neytiri tried will her fingers apart, to let fly the arrow that would end the demon. 

Just like then, she couldn’t. 

With a final, broken cry, Neytiri lowered the bow, her arms trembling. A few tears forced their way down her cheeks. Tears of rage. Tears of sorrow. Tears of regret. 

She forced herself to look back up to the demon, still blissfully unaware of her presence as he stretched his neck. 

What are you?

Once, Neytiri would have known exactly how to answer that. But now…

She grit her teeth as she turned away, still trying to sort out the mess in her head. As she leapt onto another root, she caught a glimpse of the swok’kafi, fluttering back to its nest far above.

I have to say, it is good to be back to this fic. I hope all of you who've been waiting liked coming back too!

Whether or not Spider's arm would survive was something I went back and forth on a bit, but in the end I decided to cut him a break.

I also thought it was high time I wrote a Neytiri POV for this fic, after all she's been quite involved in the story, and I thought this could be a really pivotal moment for her. She's angry, grief-stricken, broken by war, but she isn't evil. Empathizing with Quaritch still throws her for a loop though lol.

More chapters coming soon!

Thanks for reading 💙

Thank you for the kind words!

No, the story isn't discontinued, but it is essentially on hiatus for the moment. I wrote like crazy on it for a few months this year and I got kind of burned out on it. I haven't forgotten it, though!

I am still here!

Indeed, “The Captive” has been in an unofficial hiatus for a while. To make a long story short, I’ve been busy with life lately, and just haven’t had the time & energy to work on it. As I’ve stated before, writing doesn’t come easily to me 😅

Chapter 30

It’s been a bit, sorry 😭 I was on vacation last week, and didn’t have much time to do writing. I’m back now, so I should get at least one chapter a week done!

Hope you’re ready for more family drama and feels!

Jake stood on the edge of a beach, watching the waves crashing onto shore. It was sunny, but a strong breeze was blowing through Awa’atlu, making the air a bit chillier than usual. But the avatar didn’t mind. Weather like this helped him clear his head.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds around him…

“Dad?”

Jake jumped slightly, turning to see Kiri approaching him. He grimaced slightly at her appearance. She looked just as exhausted as Jake felt. He knew she’d take everything hard.

Still, he managed to give a slight smile as his daughter walked up.

“Hey. Any news on Spider?”

Kiri shook her head.

“It’s still the same.”

After a moment, she spoke again.

“I wanted to talk with you…and mom about Spider. Now.”

“I was just about to meet with your mom myself. Why don’t you come with me?” Jake offered, and Kiri nodded.

As they began to make their way back to their Marui, Jake considered what he had to say. For years, he’d preferred not to get involved in the…complicated relationship between Spider and Neytiri. But now he no longer had a choice. Both Tonowari and Ronal were on his case, not to mention…the arrow.

Jake took a deep breath as the Marui came into sight. This wouldn’t be an easy conversation to have. For any of them.

Silently, Jake prayed that what Ronal had said to him earlier didn’t hold truth.

Neytiri was alone in the Marui, working on weaving some baskets. Compared to the obviously exhausted appearances of Jake and Kiri, she looked…normal.

“I see you.” Jake began the greeting, and Kiri followed.

“Kiri, Ma Jake, I see you.” Neytiri responded, quickly glancing up from her work.

Jake took a seat on the floor with Kiri also sitting nearby. Both of them were tense. It was Jake who spoke first.

“Neytiri…how are you feeling. After yesterday.”

“I am fine, Ma Jake.” Neytiri responded nonchalantly, her focus maintained on her work.

“I know that…things are tough.” Jake began. “I understand if…”

“I told you; I am fine.” Neytiri replied again, a bit more insistent. “I don’t see what…”

“You shot Spider.”

Kiri spoke for the first time, no longer able to hold back the words.

Neytiri stopped working. A silence fell over the Marui, and Jake drew in a breath. There was no avoiding this subject.

After a moment, Neytiri spoke.

“He shouldn’t have jumped between me and the Demon.” She said flatly, causing Kiri to bristle. At the same time, Jake’s hopes dropped.

“You knew he was there. You shouldn’t have shot the arrow with him so close!” Kiri replied, upset.

“He was with the Demon. He knew the risk.”

Kiri only grew angrier at her mother’s reply.

“Spider almost died!” Kiri exclaimed, clenching her fists. “He could lose his arm! Do you have any idea what that would do to him?!”

“He made his choice. He must bear the consequences.”

“The consequences? For what? Being with the only adult on his side when he was scared for his life?!”

“The consequences for betraying us for the Demon!” Neytiri snapped.

Everyone grew quiet. For a moment, none of them spoke or moved. It was Jake who broke the silence.

“Neytiri…he’s just a kid.”

“He is a child of the Demon! He has his father’s blood! He is loyal to his father! Last night just proves it once more!”

Jake struggled to think of something to stay, stunned by the sudden aggressiveness from his mate. He recalled Kiri’s words.

“He grew up with our children. He sees us as family…”

“No!” Neytiri interrupted. “That demon-spawn is not any family of mine!”

“Do you want to know why he was with Quaritch?!” Kiri suddenly burst out. “It’s because of this! It’s because of you, mom!”

Jake tried to calm Kiri down, but she pushed him away.

“How many times have you almost killed Spider at this point!? No wonder he’s terrified of you! He would barely even talk to me because of how scared he was! And now this?! He cares about the one adult that’s actually a parent to him, and you think he should be crippled for life?!”

By now, both Jake and Neytiri were looking at Kiri, too stunned to react. They had never seen her close to this infuriated before.

“IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!” Kiri practically screamed at her mother. “YOU WANT TO MAKE SPIDER AS MISERABLE AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF WHO HIS DAD IS?” OR DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD DIEFOR IT? WERE YOU TRYING TO HIT HIM? WOULD YOU EVEN CARE IF SPIDER WAS DEAD RIGHT NOW?!”  

Kiri stopped speaking, only drawing shuddering breaths as she clenched her fists looking at her mom. Neytiri was looking down. Aside from a slight frown on her face, she hadn’t reacted. A few seconds passed.

“Do you care at all…?” Kiri asked again. This time her voice was softer, strained. Almost pleading.

Jake looked at his mate expectantly, but with every second of silence that passed, he felt his heart sink lower.

Why wasn’t she saying anything?

“Neytiri…?” Jake asked cautiously. Before he could say more, his mate closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

“I…” She pursed her lips. “It was not my intention to harm Spider. The arrow was meant for the Demon alone.”

The answer made Kiri growl.

“Do you care that Spider was hit? Do you care that he might lose his arm?”

Neytiri sighed, her eyes still closed.

“He set Quaritch free. It must have been him. He set the Demon free.” She paused for a moment, thinking, then continued. “I did not intentionally hurt him, but…I cannot say I did not…wish for harm to come to him.”

Kiri hissed at the admission, but Jake barely noticed. It was like a stab in the gut to hear the words. His head felt like it was spinning.

“Neytiri…” He managed to choke out the name, but nothing more. His mate did not miss either of their reactions. She hung her head slightly.

“As a follower of Eywa, as a Tsahik, I…should not have wished harm upon any child. But it’s just…how can I forgive what he has done?’

Jake tried to say something, but he felt frozen in place. He felt paralyzed as Neytiri’s words replayed over and over in his mind. Kiri, too, seemed suddenly at a loss for words.

Neytiri stared back at them, then looked down, closing her eyes. She was the first to speak.

“I…I must think.” She spoke quickly, her voice slightly pained.

She stood to leave. Before she stepped out of the Marui, Jake finally sprung into action, reaching out and grabbed her hand.

“Neytiri, just…wait…”

Before Jake could say more, Neytiri pulled away and left her mate and daughter behind. Once again, Kiri and Jake were alone.

An painful silence filled the Marui. Jake racked his brain to think of what he could say to his daughter. He could barely even think at all…

“Kiri…your mother…she may think Spider is to blame, but I promise it’s not true.” Jake began, thinking he could at least assuage any concerns Kiri may have in that regard. “Spider was with me when Quaritch broke out.”

Kiri said nothing, but she frowned slightly at Jake’s reassurance.

“Kiri, is there…something you want to talk about?” Jake asked hesitantly. He could tell that his daughter didwant to say something, but she wasn’t.

For a moment, Kiri said, and did nothing. Jake prepared to leave, but then his daughter spoke quietly.

“I know you found Spider with Quaritch.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. That was a detail he hadn’t shared with anyone. How could Kiri know?

“It’s…” Kiri continued, looking down as she did. “Just…try to understand, dad. Please don’t hate Spider.”

“Kiri.” Jake put an arm on her shoulder. “I would never hate Spider. No matter what. I promised him, and I promised you I would be there for him, and I will stand by that. But what should I…understand?”

Even as he was asking the question, he had a feeling he already knew what Kiri was referring to. He couldn’tunderstand what exactly was happening with Spider and Quaritch. But he needed to. For Spider’s sake…

Before Kiri had the chance to answer, Jake already added.

“Help me understand. You know Spider. Tell me what…”

But Kiri just shook her head.

“I can’t. I’m not the one who should.”

Jake was disappointed but decided not to press her further on the matter. Slowly, he stood up to leave himself. Just as he did, though, a Metkayina warrior appeared at the entrance, causing both Jake and Kiri to jump.

“Toruk Makto?”

“Yes?”

“I was sent by our Tsahik to tell you…your sky-people friends say their work is done.”

Both Jake and Kiri’s eyes widened at the news. Without saying anything, they set off for the infirmary.

(…)

The constant hiss of the gas container finally grew silent as Norm shut the valve. Quickly, he disconnected the medical mask on Spider’s face, replacing it with a normal respirator.

Behind him, the sounds of various cases of medical equipment being shut signaled that Max had finished packing whatever they could reuse. Norm quickly turned his attention to the various pieces of medical waste scattered around their work area, collecting them in a large trash bag.

Soon, however, they were out of things to pack, and turned their attention pack to their patient.

They had done the best they could with Spider’s injury. Norm had probably never been so concentrated on a single task before. It might have been his best work. Definitely his best medical work.

And yet, for the moment, they were in limbo. All they could do was wait and see how Spider reacted when he woke.

As the minutes passed, Norm raced over what could happen next in his mind. There was no getting around it. The wound had been serious. While they had tried their best…

The scientists both jumped when a weak groan came from the boy laid on a bed in front of them. Quickly, they stood up and approached, keeping an eye on the vitals they were still reading.

After a moment of hesitation, Max spoke.

“Spider…buddy…?”

Slowly, and with a pained groan, Spider opened his eyes to look up at his caretakers.

Spider’s awake. But his arm...?

I know I haven’t really given Neytiri a proper scene in this fic and figured it was about time. I hope you liked my take on her in this AU. 

Thanks for reading! 💙

Chapter 29

30 Chapters!

Apologies for how long this one took, I've been really busy these past few weeks, so it’s harder for me to find the time to write. I hope the wait was worth it though, I loved writing this chapter!

For what was probably the tenth time that day, Kiri once again made her way to the infirmary to see if there was any news on Spider. By now, it was already midday, and it had been hours since Norm and Max had begun the operation. It felt like every minute that passed, the tightness in her stomach only grew.

Why was this taking so long?

It couldn’t be good that there was no news, right?

What happens if they can’t save the arm…?

The questions had been on repeat in Kiri’s mind for hours. Maybe this time she’d get answers.

She spotted Ronal outside the infirmary, tending to the moderate wounds several warriors had received during Quaritch’s escape attempt. With most of the infirmary cordoned off, the work had to be done outdoors for the time being.

“Ronal, I see you.”

The Tsahik spent a few seconds finishing some stitches on a cut, muttered something to the warrior, then finally stood back up and turned to Kiri.

“Kiri, I see you.”

As soon as the greeting was over, Kiri asked the same question as usual.

“Any news about Spider? What’s happening?”

Silently, she desperately hoped that there was finally something new, but the look on Ronal’s face answered her question before the Tsahik even spoke.

“I am sorry, there is still nothing.”

Kiri sighed, closing her eyes as the brief moment of hope once again faded, giving way to the now-familiar worry. She felt tears gather in her eyes…

“You need to find something to do, it will help ease the burden on your mind.”

Kiri jumped slightly as Ronal lay a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, looking downwards. If she could do anything to help Spider, she would. But for the moment, it felt like she was completely powerless. She had some basic healing experience from her mom, but she knew nothing about the kind of procedure the scientists were doing.

Suddenly, a thought formed in her head.

“What happened to Quar…er…the Demon?”

Kiri had been so worried about Spider, she hadn’t thought about the fate of the Recom.

Ronal hummed, and for a moment, Kiri felt her worry grow. If Quaritch was dead, then Spider…

Before she could finish the thought, Ronal answered.

“The Demon gave up his fight when Spider was injured. We have bound him completely, and he will remain bound until his trial.”

Kiri didn’t miss a strange, thoughtful look on Ronal’s face, but she didn’t stop to consider the meaning.

“He can’t eat, right? His hands are tied up?”

Ronal nodded in confirmation, raising an eyebrow at the line of questioning.

“I…I can bring him food.” Kiri proposed. She prepared herself to argue her case, convince Ronal it would be fine. But surprisingly, Ronal just nodded again.

“Very well. You may bring him the usual stew. Be careful, even though he is tied up.”

Kiri stared in confusion for a moment. She couldn’t help but be shocked at Ronal agreeing so quickly. The Tsahik seemed to sense the same thing.

“I think it would be best if you were to do this.”

Kiri felt slightly uneasy as Ronal gave her a seemingly knowing look.

Kiri knew Ronal had talked with her father. What had he said to her? Did Ronal know something about Quaritch? What was this about…?

Kiri shook off the surprise and nodded back to Ronal.

“I’ll go do it now.”

The Tsahik smiled.

“I will send someone to find you if I hear anything on Spider’s condition.”

“Thank you.”

Kiri nodded again, then turned to leave, still wondering about Ronal’s reaction.

(…)

Quaritch groaned as his eyes shot open. He’d somehow managed to nod off.

For a brief moment, he instinctively tried to move, straining against the binds that held him still. Then, he remembered his situation, and slumped. He let out a small sigh as he closed his eyes again.

He was exhausted, sore, and miserable. He was covered in sweat from the midday sun beating down on him. The various gashes and bruises he’d received last night stung and throbbed, the pain flaring up from his brief struggle against the ropes. His stomach ached with hunger pangs.

At this rate, maybe he’d die right here before his so-called trial even arrived. It would save him from that last humiliation at least. Rob Sully of the chance to kill him. But there was still Spider to think about…

Quaritch desperately wanted to see his son, even if from a distance. At the very least, he would know that the kid had survived, something which had been uncertain the last time they’d been together…

The Recom put the thought out of his mind and tried to sleep again. All he could do for now was pass the time. His position was supremely uncomfortable, but at this point he was so tired he may just power through it anyways. He turned his face away from the hot sun as best he could and tried to steady his breath. He focused on the sound of the nearby ocean…

Just as he felt himself start to doze off, he heard footsteps approaching him. He tried to act like he was unconscious, hoping to make the chief, or Sully, or whoever it was give him peace. But the footsteps kept coming and stopped right in front of him. A hand lightly tapped his shoulder.

Quaritch cursed under his breath and opened his eyes. They grew slightly wide when they realized who was standing in front of him.

It was the Sully girl…Kiri.

He stared at the teenage Na’vi, unsure of what to do. For a moment, she returned the look. Then, she offered a slight smile.

“So…how are you?”

Quaritch couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

“I’m just great, kid.”

Kiri looked the beat-up Recom up and down.

“You don’t seem great.”

Quaritch groaned.

“Just tell me what you want, kid. I’m not exactly in a talking mood.”

Kiri gestured to a bowl set down next to her.

“Are you hungry?”

Quaritch smiled slightly. He was hungry, but his current situation meant he couldn’t eat.

“I appreciate the gesture…Kiri. But I ain’t exactly able to eat like this.”

Kiri picked up the bowl, and a small spoon.

“I’ll feed you.”

Anger flared in Quaritch. Was this some new plan to humiliate him further? Feeding him? He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the pain in the one that’d been punched.

“Not a chance, kid. Get lost.”

“You can’t just stand here and starve!” Kiri protested. She looked down for a moment, then, smiling slightly, said something else.

“Do it for Spider.”

Quaritch’s heart jumped. How could he have forgotten? Kiri was the only other person that knew the extent of his relationship with his son. And even more importantly, she knew what state his son was in.

He glanced around, making sure Sully wasn’t hiding somewhere, then hissed back.

“What’s Spider’s condition. Tell me!”

Kiri looked at him indignantly.

“Eat this stew, and I’ll tell you.”

Quaritch growled. He hated the idea, but what choice did he have?

“Goddamn it…fine! Just not the spoon, I’ll drink it from the bowl.”

Kiri nodded, then lifted the bowl, straining slightly to reach the much taller Recom’s mouth. Quaritch grumbled, then steeled himself and started gulping down the stew as fast as he could. It was still a bit too hot to eat comfortably, but he didn’t care.

Once he was done, he looked back to Kiri.

“Alright. Now, tell me. Is Spider alright?”

Kiri set the bowl down, then sat beside it, suddenly looking more somber.

“I…I don’t know.”

Quaritch growled again, but fear filled his mind.

“You don’t know? What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t know if he’s dead or alive?”

“No, no, he’s alive.” Kiri responded quickly, looking down. “It’s just…that…”

Quaritch stared down at her as she grew silent.

“What? What happened? Tell me, damnit!”

“He might lose his arm.” Kiri choked out.

“What…?” Quaritch tried to search for a way to ask for more details, but Kiri answered before he could finish.

“Norm and Max came, they said…the arrow shattered his bones. They’re doing a surgery now, to see if they can fix it.”

Norm and Max?

Science guys, from back at Hell’s Gate, Quaritch recalled. They’d also been on his list of people to find, but he wasn’t worried about that now. He looked at Kiri, waiting for more information. When she stayed silent, he spoke.

“Well?”

The girl looked up.

“What’s happening? Is it working?” Quaritch didn’t bothering masking the desperation in his voice.

Kiri closed her eyes, wiping a tear away.

“I told you; I don’t know. We haven’t heard anything since they started.”

She let out a shuddering sigh of her own and fell silent again. Quaritch followed suit, slumping in his restraints. His head spun with the new information. Spider was alive, at least. But the thought of his son being left an amputee at 16 was a gut punch.

They both remained quiet for what seemed like forever, just taking in the day’s events.

“What…happened last night, exactly?” Kiri asked quietly.

Quaritch raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at her.

“You don’t know already?”

“Well, I kind of do, but…” She seemed to stop herself for a moment. “I want to hear another perspective.”

Quaritch thought for a moment.

“Well, I was trying to save Spider from Sully. The locals showed up while I was fighting your old man and they had us surrounded. That’s when the arrow hit.”

“Save Spider? What do you mean?”

The Recom pursed his lips.

“Well…um…Spider was…visiting me last night, and Sully found him out. I had to try to save him after that.”

Kiri drew her breath in sharply at the new information, making Quaritch more intrigued, though he didn’t show it.

The girl was silent for another few moments, deep in thought. Then, she asked one more question.

“What did Spider say to you?”

Now, it was Quaritch’s turn to consider his next words carefully.

Should he tell the truth?

Should he say anything at all?

Kiri didn’t miss the long pause, looking up at the Recom with concern in her face. Finally, Quaritch made up his mind. He took a deep breath…

“Spider wanted me to break out and leave with him. We’d escape together.”

“He…wanted to leave…” Kiri spoke slowly.

Quaritch couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness when he saw Kiri’s reaction. The Na’vi girl’s ears drooped, and her eyes were clearly glistening with tears. But she nodded slowly.

“I…I understand.”

“I tried to tell him to stay away.” Quaritch continued, feeling the need to say more. “I told him it was risky, but he wouldn’t listen. And now…this.”

After a short pause, he continued.

“He’d never have stayed away though. He had too much heart for that. He couldn’t bare leaving me there, waiting for me to die.

Kiri smiled.

“That’s Spider.”

“How could I just stand by after all that?” Asked the recom rhetorically. “He was in danger. He was counting on me. It’s…”

He paused, searching for the words.

“A lot has changed in the past two weeks.”

Kiri looked at him seriously.

“You should say all this in your trial. Tell the people what you told me. Make them understand…all this.”

Quaritch smirked slightly.

“You’re naïve, kid. Me and Sully’s fight goes way back. There’s no ‘understanding’ to be done. It just ain’t possible.”

“It was for me. I still understood.” Kiri said, thoughtful, but serious.

“This ain’t the same.” Quaritch shook his head. “You haven’t lost people the way me and Sully have.”

Kiri raised an eyebrow slightly, giving the Recom a knowing look.

“You…don’t know who my mom was, do you?”

Quaritch narrowed his eyes, confused.

“I thought you were Sully’s kid.”

“I was adopted.” Kiri explained. “My mom was Grace Augustine.”

Quaritch’s eyes widened.

Grace Augustine’s had a kid?

A Na’vi kid?

She hadn’t been pregnant. Ever. How…

But as Quaritch looked at Kiri with the new information, he couldn’t deny the resemblance. Hell, he felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. The girl practically looked like a carbon copy of Augustine in her younger days.

“Holy Jesus.” He muttered quietly, too shocked to respond properly.

Kiri stood up to leave.

“I have to talk with my parents. About Spider.” After a moment, she added: “Please consider what I said. Don’t hide the truth.”

As she left, Quaritch could only stare, dumbfounded.

IIRC, Quaritch never learned that Kiri was Grace’s daughter. 

Thanks for reading. I know a lot of people were looking forward to another meeting between these two, so I hope I didn’t disappoint. 

Lots of drama still to come!

Chapter 28. Chapter 30

Enjoy 💙

Sand whipped around Jake as he flagged down the Samson carrying Max and Norm. By now, the Metkayina were familiar with the sight, but some still gathered behind him, staring in curiosity at the machine.

As soon as the wheels had planted themselves into the sand, Norm flew out of the side, already carrying as many supplies as his arms could hold.

“Where is he?” The scientist spoke quickly, skipping the usual pleasantries.

“Infirmary.” Jake responded just as fast, moving to grab some more supplies himself. By now, Norm was familiar with the place the Metkayina kept the wounded.

“Take these cases here, and the surgical drapes.” Max gestured to the medical supplies as he hopped out of the Samson. Jake nodded in acknowledgement, then filled his own arms with the items.

The small crowd of Metkayina parted to let them through as they ran towards the infirmary.

“What’s Spider’s condition?” Norm called out to Jake.

“He’s still unconscious. Weak but stable.” Jake managed to huff out as he carried the heavy cases of materials.

“His arm?”

“Bad.” Jake repeated his description from earlier.

As they entered, Ronal and Kiri turned to face them, both still crouched next to Spider.

“Norm!”

Kiri’s eyes were still wet with tears as she ran and hugged Norm.

“Hi, Kiri.”

Kiri looked back at Spider.

“Can you…”

“It’s gonna be alright.” Norm tried to be reassuring. “Spider will be alright.”

“But his arm…”

“Kiri, let’s let them get to work.” Jake piped in, and Kiri nodded. She turned back to Norm.

“Thank you. Just…I…be careful. Please.”

Norm nodded in response, then crossed the remaining distance to Spider, briefly greeting Ronal as he did.  

“Ronal. I see you.” Norm rushed through the greeting; his attention already fixed on the pale figure behind her.

The Tsahik still eyed the scientists with some suspicion, but she was no longer openly hostile. She was well aware that Neteyam wouldn’t be alive without their intervention.

Norm turned on a handheld scanner and got to work examing the wound.

“Set everything up.” he ordered without looking up. Jake quickly complied and began to unpack the various supplies with Max. Surgical tools, IV bags, blood bags, and sterilized sheets soon surrounded the small bedroll spider was lying on. With the unpacking done, Jake couldn’t wait any longer to ask Norm.

“Norm? How’s it look?”

Norm looked up and grimaced.

“There’s heavy damage to his clavicle and scapula. The joint with the humerus…”

He paused when he saw the confused look on Jake’s face.

“Essentially…all the bones in his shoulder have been shattered. Thankfully, the arrow only nicked the artery.” He glanced back at the boy. “

Spider’s lucky to be alive.”

“Are you going to…amputate…?” Kiri spoke from behind Jake.

As Norm began to don a set of Na’vi-sized scrubs, he pursed his lips.

“We’re going to try to put his shoulder back together. We can’t tell exactly how bad the damage is with just a scanner. It might be salvageable, but we just can’t say at the moment.”

Kiri closed her eyes but nodded. To the side, Max, now similarly dressed in scrubs, turned to Ronal.

“Can you help?”

The Tsahik sighed and shook her head.

“I have been awake all-night caring for him. I fear I am too tired for such a delicate matter. Besides, I must speak with Toruk Makto.”

Max nodded and turned back to Jake.

“Alright, we need this area to be as sterile as possible. You’ll have to wait outside the surgical drapes.”

He noticed the concerned looks on Jake and Kiri’s faces and added: “We’ll radio you if anything happens. You’ll be the first to know.”

The scientists began to unfurl the sterile fabric, and soon, Spider, Norm, and Max were obscured behind a wall of light-blue material.

Jake and Kiri watched for a moment, taking everything in. Only Max and Norm’s muffled discussion, and the distant sound of the ocean were audible. Jake tried to break the silence.  

“Kiri…I know that this is hard. You have to understand that…”

“Dad…I need to be alone right now.” Kiri interrupted before he could finish, not meeting his eyes. Before Jake could respond, she left the infirmary, and he was left standing alone.

Jake sighed and looked down, the weight of everything starting to truly sink in now that he wasn’t rushing to get something done. He stared at the now-dried blood on his hands.

Why couldn’t he do things right?

This never should have happened. He shouldn’t have let it happen. Only a day ago, he’d made a promise to protect Spider, and already he’d failed. He felt tears return to his eyes…

“Toruk Makto?”

Jake didn’t look up as he heard Ronal approach him. He silently hoped she would walk away. He was too exhausted, too ashamed to face her in the moment.

But she continued standing next to him. When Jake didn’t respond, the Tsahik spoke again.

“I need to speak with you. Now.”

The way she said the last word told Jake that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Jake tried to suck in his emotions and recompose himself. After a moment, he looked up and nodded.

Ronal gestured to the exit.

“Come with me.”

Silently, the pair exited the infirmary. Jake followed apprehensively as Ronal lead him through Awa’atlu. As they walked, Jake tried to prepare himself for whatever Ronal could ask. How much would he have to explain? How could he explain? His kids, Spider, Neytiri, Quaritch…it was all so much to think about.

Eventually, they reached a more secluded beach, deserted even at midday.

“I thought it would be best if we were alone.” Ronal spoke seriously, taking a seat on a small boulder sticking out of the sand. Jake followed suit, not speaking. A moment of silence passed.

“Your daughter has a deep connection with the boy.” Ronal spoke slowly. “She is very hurt by what has happened.”

“They’ve always been close.” Jake replied. Ronal nodded in acknowledgment. After a moment, she spoke again.

“She was very upset with you.”

Jake sighed.

“Yeah.”

“You are not surprised?” Ronal squinted slightly in confusion, and Jake grimaced. It wasn’t easy for him to talk about matters like this with others.

“She’s been…angry with me for a while. Me and Neytiri.”

“Is it to do with Spider?”

Jake nodded.

“I haven’t always…understood Spider very well. But I do now, and things are better.”

Ronal glanced down, thinking for a moment, before speaking again.

“Who is Spider, to your family?”

Jake felt his stomach tighten yet more.

“He’s sort of… like a brother to my kids. In a way.”

“But who is he to you? Is he your adopted child?”

Jake hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. He’s…” He considered what he should say next. In truth, he didn’t know how he should see Spider. “…it’s hard to explain, with Spider. He’s not…my son. But he is very close to us. I care about him a lot. I try to be there for him.”

He could sense Ronal’s confusion at his answer.

“But you and your mate are not his parents?”

Jake nodded again.

“Then who is?”

Jake paused again. He’d never thought about it too much, but it was a hard question. Sensing that he was struggling to answer, Ronal decided to skip to the point.

“The Demon is Spider’s father?”

Jake’s pursed his lips. He’d never gotten around to telling the Metkayina about Spider’s origin. As far as Jake was concerned, it wasn’t important. The Recom wasn’t a part of Spider in any way. Spider only happened to share a part of his DNA with the long-dead human Quaritch.

“Well…kind of? The dead Quaritch, the one we killed 16 years ago, he had a son…”

Before Jake could explain the complex situation, Ronal interrupted again.

“No, no. I meant…is he Spider’s father now? As in a parent that cares for him?”

“No.” Jake blurted out the answer, slightly taking Ronal aback. “The Demon is not a father to Spider. He hates everything Spider cares about and fights for. Whatever he thinks of the kid, it’s not that.”

“Things did not seem that way when Spider was hit.” Ronal responded pointedly; her expression unreadable. Anger flared in Jake at the suggestion.

“No!” He growled as he repeated his answer. “You don’t know him like I do. He’d do anything to get revenge on me.”

“And yet he didn’t when he had the chance. He was next to you besides Spider.” Ronal reminded him calmly. “You said you now understand Spider better. Perhaps Quaritch…”

“That’s not how Quaritch works! He doesn’t care about understanding.” Jake spat, unable to contain his rage. What Ronal had just said about the previous night was true, but that had been…different. This was Quaritchthey were talking about.  

“Every moment that man was free, everyone here was in danger. Me, you, our families, everyone!”

“And yet…” Ronal responded. “He was not the one who shot Spider.”

Jake’s breath hitched at the words. This was exactly what he had been dreading. Ronal had removed the arrow. She knew as much as Jake did that Neytiri had nearly killed Spider.

“That was…a mistake.”  Jake tried to think of more to say, but Ronal spoke first, giving him a hard look.

“You said your daughter has been angry with you and your mate for some time, because of Spider. This is not the first time Neytiri has hurt Spider, is it?”

“What do you mean?” Jake’s voice suddenly lost it’s edge.

“Tonowari told me about…the ship. Your mate had Spider under her knife.”

“That was…necessary. Quaritch surrendered…”

“What parent wouldn’t when their child faced death? You know this well; the Demon threatened your children for the same purpose.”

“That wasn’t the same! Neytiri would never kill Spider!” Jake insisted, perhaps trying to convince himself as much as Ronal.

“Clearly, the Demon thought so.” Ronal rebuked. “Why else would he surrender?”

“Well…I…” Jake had asked himself the same thing, but he’d come up blank.

“It’s not because of what you think…” Jake struggled to answer.

“The Demon surrendered to protect his son from your mate. He escaped to protect his son once more, something which was clearly necessary, seeing as…”

“Enough!” Jake yelled over Ronal, quickly getting up to leave. “We’re done here.”

While he got up, Ronal stared at him with a knowing look.

“I see now why your daughter is angry with you.”

Jake didn’t answer. As he left, Ronal called out after him.

“You fail your family by refusing to see the truth, Toruk Makto. You fail Spider.”

Jake stood still for a moment, before continuing to walk away silently. Ronal’s words gnawed at him. How could she even suggest things like this? Quaritch couldn’t be a father to Spider. It was just…impossible. Whatever had happened last night…that didn’t mean Quaritch was any different. He was the Demon, and Spider was at best just another obstacle to his revenge to him. And the closer Spider was to Jake, the more of a danger Quaritch was to the boy.

And Neytiri, a killer? Jake knew that his mate had never been on good terms with Spider, but things weren’t that bad. Spider getting shot was just an accident. And on the ship…

Jake started towards his Marui. He hadn’t seen Neytiri once since the fight with Quaritch. He’d clarify things, and then they would talk to Ronal together and explain the situation.

After all, none of it could actually be true.  

Quaritch? A better parent than me? That’s ridiculous!

Apologies in advance for any possible medical inaccuracy. I’m by no means an expert on this kind of thing. 😅

Writing Ronal calling out Jake & Neytiri was fun!

Thanks for reading! 💙

Chapter 27     Chapter 29

Finally done! I’ve been Uber-busy with various personal stuff the last week, but I managed to get this writing done when I had time. Thanks to everyone being patient in advance!

Enjoy 💙

Kiri knew something was wrong the moment she woke up. The world seemed peaceful, with a warm breeze blowing across the skin she hadn’t covered with a blanket. The ocean lapped at the tree’s roots quietly. Everything seemed fine, but something was missing.

Spider wasn’t next to her.

Kiri opened her eyes the moment she realized it, any sleepiness quickly leaving her as she sat up, instinctively looking through the early light around for the boy.

Could she have somehow missed him completely? Had Spider arrived after she’d fallen asleep, and then woken up before her? She turned to the blankets she’d brought him, but to her dismay, they were in the same place she’d put them. A thin layer of dew on the top confirmed they hadn’t been touched.

Kiri felt a pit forming in her stomach.

Had Spider seen her sleeping next to where he would be, and walked away? Was he still uncomfortable around her?

Spider had seemed…better after she’d talked to him yesterday with her father. Had she missed something…?

Quickly, she jumped down from the sleeping spot, already trying to think of how she could apologize to Spider.

But first, she had to find him.

As Alpha Centauri slowly crept higher, she began to walk through the Metkayina village. Although her mind was fixed on finding her brother, she couldn’t help but notice the way the Metkayina were behaving. Usually, at such an early hour few of them would had stirred, but the village already seemed wide awake. Many of the adults were speaking quietly in groups, serious expressions on their faces.

Something to ask about later…

Kiri kept her eyes peeled, looking for any sign of Spider. As she neared the edge of the village, she did spot a familiar figure in the distance, seated on the edge of a pad. But it wasn’t Spider. It was her dad.

Kiri smiled a little in relief. He could help her find Spider. Maybe he’d even seen the boy if he was already awake.

She approached her father from the side, still trying to think of where Spider could be. Finally, when she was close enough not to need to yell, she called out to him.

“Hey, dad! Have…you…”

Kiri lost her voice as Jake turned to face her, and she got a look at him up close. He was covered in blood, especially around his hands. Multiple deep cuts crossed her dad’s arms, and chest, with one even going up the side of his face. She was silent for a moment, shocked by the sight before her.

Jake looked back at her with eyes red from exhaustion, but his expression looked almost…fearful.

“Dad…what…?” Kiri finally managed to muster the word, unsure of what else to even say.

“There was a…fight.” Jake spoke quietly, mumbling the words like he was embarrassed to say then. “A fight with Quaritch.”

Kiri was stunned.

“But how…?”

Jake predicted the question, and answered before Kiri could finish.

“He got out. Somehow, he got out.” When he saw Kiri’s shocked expression, Jake added “Don’t worry, he’s back in captivity. We’re safe.”

Kiri was quiet again, trying to process the new information.

Quaritch escaped.

And, judging from the serious wounds her dad had sustained, he had been armed.

But he had been recaptured. He had failed.

So why did her dad look so sullen?

Thinking about the possibilities, Kiri recalled her own secret conversation with Quaritch. It felt like ages ago, but she still remembered it clearly.

He means the world to me.

Quaritch had made it clear he would do anything to protect Spider, much to Kiri’s shock. He’d even tried to take the blame for Spider visiting him, knowing it could cause his death if it got out.

Anything…

“Dad?” Kiri spoke shakily, the sinking feeling she’d felt all morning growing deeper. “Where’s Spider?”

Her father closed his eyes when she asked the question and held his head in his hands.

Kiri’s heart sank yet lower. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, but she repeated the question.

“Where…where is he? Is he okay?”

Jake took a deep breath, then finally answered, almost choking out the words.

“He’s … hurt.”

Kiri’s heart began to beat faster.

“Hurt? What do you mean? How?”

“He’s in the infirmary.” Jake replied, looking down.

Without waiting to see if her dad said anything more, Kiri raced for the large Marui that housed those with the most serious injuries.

Please let it be okay.

Please let it be okay.

Eywa please…

She finally crossed the threshold into the building, and quickly spotted Ronal hunched over a patient. A sky-person arm with blue stripes hung off the side of the table…

“Spider!” Kiri couldn’t help but call out loud, but she saw no movement, and heard no response, she quickly covered the distance to Spider’s side. Ronal turned to her, attempting to stop her.

“Be careful, this is not…”

Kiri ignored whatever the Tsahik had said, her panic suddenly overwhelming her. Finally, she pushed past Ronal, and saw Spider. She gasped at the sight.

Spider’s once-tan skin was pale. He was unconscious, lying limply on the bedroll. And, worst of all, his right shoulder was covered with thick bandages all around. But, even though the dark, fibrous covering, she could see the way his right arm was laying, no…hanging…wrong. And his shoulder. The shape…

Kiri let out a cry of horror.  

How could…

What…

Seeing Spider’s condition, Kiri couldn’t hold the tears back, and they came out in a stream. She started letting out sobs as she fell to her knees next to the boy’s unconscious figure. Her entire world seemed to fade into darkness, consumed by the sudden grief. She had felt the same way with Neteyam, but the pain was still unimaginable.

She should have been there. Whatever happened, she should have stopped it. She knew she could have talked to Spider, talked to her father, even talked to Quaritch. Maybe if she had, then…

“S…Spider…” Kiri croaked . “I’m…so…s-s-sorry…”

She pressed her face into the bedroll, muffling her sobs.

Kiri couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but eventually she heard someone approaching across the infirmary. A hand was laid on her shoulder.

“Kiri…I’m sorry.”

Kiri tried to stifle her crying for a bit, lifting her now tear-stained face to look up at her father.

“What…happened…?”

“He lost a lot of blood.” Jake explained, trying to sound as gentle as possible despite the subject. “and his shoulder’s…hurt. It’s hurt bad. Shattered.”

“Can it be fixed?” Kiri dared to ask the question, and the look on her dad’s face told her the answer.

“It…it doesn’t look like we can. We’re probably going to have to amputate…”

“What about Norm?” Kiri asked quickly.

“Already called him.” Jake explained. “He said he’ll take a look at it, but…it’s bad.”

“You can’t take Spider’s arm. You can’t.” Kiri pleaded. “How would he climb…shoot a bow…swim…”

“We’ll do everything we can, I promise.” Jake cupped Kiri’s face with a hand as he spoke, gently wiping away some tears. “Whatever is best for Spider, that’s what we will do. Sometimes, that choice might be tough, but we have to do the right thing.”

Kiri nodded slowly, although tears still rolled down her cheeks. She turned to look at Spider again, laying a hand on his chest. Father and daughter stood in silence for a moment, the sounds of their breaths the only audible noise.

“How?”

The sudden bluntness of Kiri’s question took Jake aback. When he didn’t respond, Kiri spoke again.

“What happened? How could he get hurt like this?”

Jake stared at his feet when the question was asked, taking a shaky breath.

“Dad?”

“It’s like I said...Quaritch…there was a fight…”

Another shaky breath.

“Spider was there…and…” Jake hesitated, but after a few seconds, he let the truth out.

“He got hit by an arrow.”

Kiri looked back to her father.

An arrow?

How could it be an arrow? The Metkayina didn’t use arrows, and her father had clearly been fighting hand to hand, judging from the cuts. That would mean…

Kiri’s eyes narrowed.

“Who’s arrow?”

No answer.

“Who’s arrow was it dad?”

Her father didn’t look up at her, failing to meet her eyes as he remained silent, his ears lowered in clear shame. It was all Kiri needed to know.

“It was mom, wasn’t it?”

Jake again didn’t answer, only making the sudden rage Kiri was feeling flare even more.

“How...how could she?” She started to raise her voice.

“It was a mistake.” Jake responded quietly, the pain in his own voice evident. But the excuse only made Kiri grow angrier.

“A mistake?” She repeated it sarcastically. “She tried to kill Spider by mistake?”

“Kiri…it wasn’t like that. Your mom would never…”

“She just did! Stop defending her!” Kiri interrupted. “She tried to kill him on the ship, and now here!”

“She was trying to kill Quaritch!” Jake tried to explain, raising his voice.

“And she didn’t care if she hit Spider!”

“We had to stop Quaritch, he was trying to kidnap Spider. We needed to…”

“THEN I WISH HE SUCCEEDED!”

Jake grew silent at the words Kiri yelled. He faced his daughter, half shocked, half devastated. Kiri stared back at him, tears running down her face. But her eyes were hard. After a moment of silence, she continued.

“I wish Quaritch could have taken Spider far away from here! Far away from the people who want to MURDER him! ” The words were half yelled, half choked. It was painful to say, but she couldn’t hide her true thoughts.

“Kiri, it’s not…I…” Jake stumbled over his words, still too shocked to properly respond.

“Stop…just…sto…” Kiri’s sentence was interrupted by another sob as everything started to sink in. The sense of betrayal, and devastation were overwhelming. She fell to her knees next to Spider again, this time making no effort to stifle the loud, body-shaking sobs. She was too hurt to care.

Behind her, Jake watched in silence, his own eyes moist. He wanted to say something, but he knew nothing could make things better this time.

(…)

Quaritch tried to adjust the position he was in, growling quietly as every injury on his body seemed to flare up in pain with the effort. But the binds were strong, and he was kept in the same upright position against the post, hands and legs tied together so tight they almost cut off circulation.

Finally, he gave up, taking a few deep breathes as the razor-sharp pain he was feeling slowly faded into a constant, painful throbbing.

It hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the other pain he was feeling. The one that had started the moment an arrow 7 feet long hit his son right in front of him. The sight had hurt him so much, he might as well have been hit by the arrow himself, directly in his heart.

When it happened, he’d been angry. He’d been shocked. But, more than anything else, Quaritch had been afraid.

It was a new feeling for him. Quaritch had dealt with injuries before. He’d been injured himself countless times during his years of being a soldier, and he couldn’t even imagine the number of people he’d seen take all manner of hits. But nothing compared to the way he felt when he saw Spider hit. The sight of his son’s bloodcovering his hands had made Quaritch feel sick. In a way nothing else ever had.

For that moment, nothing else had mattered. The moment he was sure Sully was trying to help Spider, Quaritch hadn’t hesitated to turn his full attention to his son. He had completely let his guard down. Any notion of trying to fight, or of trying to hide how much he cared had gone out the window.  

It hadn’t been until he’d handed Spider off to the natives’ healer that the events of the night had actually started to sink in.

Sully knew.

Not only had Sully caught him with Spider, but his enemy had seen the way he reacted when Spider was hurt.

And, for some reason, he was still alive.

Once Spider was out of his hands, and he’d been dragged off, surrounded by warriors, Quaritch had started making peace with the fact that he was about to die. But Sully had kept him alive. Was the man really that committed to going through with his so-called “trial”?

Quaritch scoffed quietly, and started to take in his surroundings, clearer now that it was morning. He was out in the open now, tied tightly to a post. There was no chance of escape this time. He couldn’t even move his hands.

At least I have fresh air. He thought bitterly.

As he scanned his surroundings, his mind went back to Spider. The last time he’d seen his son, he’d still been unconscious. Pale and weak. Quaritch was by no means an expert in treating injuries, but he knew his son had come very close to death.

Was he still unconscious? Was he okay?

Was Spider calling for him right now? The way he had when Sully had dragged him away?

The thought renewed the tight feeling in Quaritch’s chest. Now more than ever, he wanted to be by his son’s side. But he couldn’t.

He’d probably never see Spider again.

For now, all he could do was hope Spider could pull through, and that Sully wouldn’t react to badly to everything.

The recom tried to relax in his binds, letting his exhaustion overcome him. As he fell asleep, he thought of Spider. He tried to think of their time together, before the battle, but the image of Spider being carried away, pale and unconscious was frozen in his mind.

If only he could talk to Spider and know he’s alright. See him alive and well. Just one more time.  

Will Jake ever truly come to his senses?

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 26     Chapter 28

Not too much in this chapter, but still some angst!

Enjoy💙

“Norm? This is Jake. Do you copy?”

Jake held his breath as he stared down at the radio in his hand. It was late in the night, but he had to get Norm and Max to them as soon as possible. Spider needed human medicine if he was going to heal properly.

After a few seconds, he pressed the talk button on the radio again.

“Norm? Come in. Are you there?”

This time, after a few seconds, a voice crackled from the other end.

“Jake? Is that you? What’s going on? Did something happen with Neteyam?”

“Norm. It’s Spider…”

Jake’s worlds failed him for a moment. He felt so guilty with what had happened. And now, he had to tell Norm everything. The thought somehow made everything feel more real, more…

“Jake? What happened? Is Spider okay?”

The voice shook Jake out of his thoughts.

“Spider…he…he got shot.” Jake finally got the words out, his ears drooping despite knowing the human on the other end couldn’t see him.

“What?! Where’d the bullet hit him? What’s his condition?” The panic was evident in Norm’s voice, even over the radio’s poor quality. Jake grimaced.

“He’s…stable for now…but he needs treatment. Human treatment. He got hit in the right shoulder really bad.”

Jake paused for a moment before adding a key detail.

“And it wasn’t a bullet…it was an arrow.”

A loaded silence passed after the revelation. Thankfully, when Norm spoke again, he didn’t press Jake on it.

“What got hit? Any arteries?”

“The Tsahik says no…” Jake explained. “But it went through his shoulder, bone and all. He needs medicine, he needs blood, probably some surgery, and…”

He didn’t want to bring up the possibility of what else might be needed.

“Just bring everything you can think of, okay?”

“Copy that. You said it was the right shoulder, correct?”

“Right shoulder, arrowhead right through the joint. Entry and exit.” Jake confirmed the details almost robotically.

“Alright, Jake. We’ll be airborne as soon as we can. See you soon.”

When the radio went quiet again, Jake let out a long sigh. He knew Norm and Max were glad to help, but it still felt painful having to bring them in again. Less than two weeks ago, he’d made an eerily similar call for Neteyam. Yet another child he was supposed to protect.

All he could do now was try to mend his mistakes.

After taking a moment to calm himself, Jake started making his way back to the infirmary. It was a quiet, peaceful night, aside from the faintly audible commotion from his destination. It almost felt inappropriate, given what had just happened.

As he walked through the night, he caught sight of Kiri. She was in Spider’s usual sleeping spot, slumped over and peacefully sleeping, clutching a blanket.

She’d nodded off waiting for Spider, and apparently her distance from the beach meant she hadn’t woken from the fight.

Jake stood still, watching for a moment. Should he wake her? She’d take the news hard…

He decided against it. She’d be better off with a full night of sleep.

He took another glance, before continuing his walk to the infirmary, taking deep breathes to steel himself.

Finally, he reached the large Marui and stepped inside.

Ronal was knelt over Spider’s pale figure, carefully inspecting the affected area, the same as she’d been when Jake had left. He slowly, almost hesitantly walked up next to the Tsahik.

“I called my sky-person friends. They’re on the way with medicine for him.” He explained quickly. Ronal hummed in acknowledgment, but remained fixated on Spider, gently feeling his right shoulder, making sure to avoid the bandaged areas. The way the bones were moving…

Jake felt slightly sick.

“How…is he?”

Ronal kept feeling the bones for a moment, then finally leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable.

“The impact has shattered his shoulder.”

“How bad is it?”

For the first time since she’d started treating Spider, Ronal let an emotion besides pure focus creep onto her face.

“For a Na’vi, perhaps there would be a way. But he is a sky-person. His arms are small, and…fragile.”

She hesitated for a moment.

“I…cannot save the arm. The damage is too great.”

Jake felt his heart drop all over again.

No.

That couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t…

He turned back to Ronal.

“There has to be some way.”

The Tsahik looked back at him, her eyes filled with regret.

“I am sorry, Toruk Makto. It…would be best if we amputated before…”

“No!” Jake blurt out. He wouldn’t accept this.

“Norm and Max…they’ll find a way!” He was trying to convince himself as much as Ronal. “They can figure something out. They’ll know what to do…”

Ronal looked down, clearly conflicted.

“The more we wait, the risks will grow…”

“Just…give it a chance. Please.” Jake pleaded.

In truth, he had no idea if the scientists could do what Ronal couldn’t, but the thought of amputating Spider’s arm, and having to tell him when he woke…

“Let them see him at least. Maybe they could figure something out. If not…then…we’ll do what has to be done.”

Ronal pursed her lips. She looked down for a moment, then nodded.

“You have much faith in your sky-person friends.”

“If anyone could figure this out, Norm could.” Jake spoke quietly.

Ronal considered the possibility.

“I do not understand the sky-people’s medicines. But I hope you are right, for the child’s sake.”

Jake nodded back. Slowly, he made his way to Spider’s side.

The boy was still completely unconscious, his breathing slowed. But he was pale, and the various bandages, ointments, and splint on his arm and shoulder spoke for themselves.

Jake gingerly placed a hand on his chest, feeling the human’s heart beating. He looked up to Neteyam, also unconscious a few yards away.

Two people Jake was supposed to protect.

The avatar closed his eyes. He thought a silent prayer.

Forgive me, Eywa. I have failed…twice to protect those I should. Please, do not make either of them pay the price I owe.

Jake thought for a moment.

I know I can be better. Help me see. Help me help them.

He took in a shaky breath.

Help me help my family. I don’t know what to do.

It hurt to admit, even to himself, but he didn’t. He didn’t know how he’d ever explain what just happened to Lo’ak, to Tuk, especially to Kiri. He didn’t know what he’d tell Spider when he woke up.

And everything with Quaritch…

And Neytiri…

It was all so much to process. So much to deal with. Jake was surprised his head didn’t just explode right there…

As he kept his hand on Spider, he heard movement by the entrance.

“Toruk Makto.”

Jake opened his eyes, turning to face a Metkayina warrior.

“What is it?”

“The Olo’eyktan wishes to speak with you. We are with the Demon.”

Jake nodded.

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

He turned and gave Spider and Neteyam one more look as he braced himself.

Eywa, help me.

He took a deep breath, then walked back out of the infirmary, slower than before. Exhaustion was starting to get to him. Only a few steps away, on a patch of sand, knelt Quaritch.

When they had moved Spider off the beach, the Colonel had still been behaving strangely, insisting that he should come with. Jake had balked at the idea, but, strangely, Ronal accepted. She wasn’t naïve, though, and a strong escort of warriors had ensured that Quaritch couldn’t try anything. The same escort now surrounded him, with a spearpoint levied at the Recom from eight different directions. Several other warriors were alert nearby, as if Quaritch could somehow still break free from his current situation.

Tonowari stood among the warriors, taller than all of them. He greeted Jake as he approached.

“Toruk Makto, I see you.”

“I see you, Olo’eyktan.” Jake responded back, almost sighing the words in a mix of exhaustion and stress.

“Before anything, I would like to offer my sincerest apology.” Tonowari began. “However the Demon escaped; it should not have been possible. The  guards that were on-duty have been reprimanded, but I shall take ultimate responsibility.”

Jake thought about how to reply. He didn’t know how Quaritch had escaped. He’d been too…in the moment to think up possibilities. For now, he settled on nodding in acknowledgment.

Now, it was time for the big question.

“What do we do with him?” Jake asked, gesturing to the defeated Colonel.

“You have captured him twice now. Under my watch, he escaped. I have no right to say. The choice is yours, Toruk Makto.”

Jake paused.

The choice.

What choices did he have?

Jake took a few steps closer to Quaritch and knelt down to look at the man’s face. The Recom was a wreck. He’d already come out of the prison looking unkempt and haggard. Now, his blue skin was a tapestry of light and deep cuts, bruises, bloodstains, dirt, and sand. Dried blood was pooled under his nose, and around a quite deep cut in his lip. One eye was practically swollen shut, compliments of a hit from the butt of a Metkayina spear.

More than one of the warriors had tried to goad the Colonel into attacking during their march to the infirmary, but the man had been unresponsive to the attempts. Walking at an even pace as various insults, then attacks, were thrown at him. A look of quiet contempt, the same one he was wearing now, had been his only reaction. He had remained silent since they’d left the beach.

His one good eye stared back at Jake, the look in it unreadable. Maybe from the various wounds.

“What do I do with you…?” Jake repeated the question out loud in English.

He could end this all right now. By escaping, and attacking Jake, Quaritch had effectively renounced his protection under the laws of Eywa. Jake had the full right to execute the Colonel on the spot. He squeezed his knife in it’s sheath…

A day ago, Jake would have jumped at the opportunity. He’d practically dreamed of a moment like this.

So why was he hesitating now?

The events of the night replayed in his mind.

Finding Spider with the Colonel.

The way the kid had talked about Quaritch after Jake had saved him.

The fact that Quaritch had come after Spider, trying to convince Jake to hand the boy over.

The way Quaritch had behaved after Spider had been shot.

Jake could remember it clearly. The worry, the care, it had seemed genuine, despite the man it was apparently coming from. It almost seemed like an illusion. But it had happened.

Jake looked a little closer at Quaritch, trying to see if there was something else beneath the expression of hatred. But, aside from the typical signs of exhaustion, there was nothing. Whatever had overcome the Colonel had apparently subsided. But Jake couldn’t forget.

Who was Spider to Quaritch, really?

Who was Quaritch to Spider?

Jake frowned.

Somehow, in some way, it didn’t feel right to kill the Recom right now. Not while these questions lingered. Not while Jake was still trying to process the events of the night. Not while…something. There was something else Jake couldn’t quite name, but it was there.

Whatever the case, Jake had made up his mind. Whether he was making the right choice, time would tell.

“He will not die tonight.” He finally announced to Tonowari and the gathered warriors. “The Demon will still have his trial.”

Tonowari nodded sternly.

“You are strong to be able show such mercy, even to a being like him. Your wish will be respected. No further harm will come to him until the trial.”

“Where should he…go?” Jake asked. He presumed the previous arrangement was a no-go. Tonowari had the same sense.

“He will not escape again. In the five days until his trial, he will be kept tied in a Marui in the center of the village, in the open, under constant guard, and, under all our watchful gazes.”

Jake nodded.

Tonowari nodded to the warriors, and they quickly moved to relocate the Colonel, standing him up and prodding him forward. Yet again, he offered no resistance, but Jake didn’t miss the quick glance he gave the infirmary before he was marched off.

There had been something more in that gaze.

As Jake watched the group depart, he heard Tonowari approach him.

“Toruk Makto, I had hoped to speak with you alone. Now is a good time, if you are willing.”

“What is it?”

Tonowari looked away for a moment, before explaining.

“I spoke with the warriors about the events on the beach. I trust you are aware of the arrow that struck the boy Spider.”

Jake nodded, closing his eyes. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“And you are aware of who shot it?”

Jake nodded again, unable to meet Tonowari’s gaze.

“You understand the implications? You told me this child was in your family’s care.”

Jake sighed.

“I’ll…I’ll handle this.” He finally managed to muster a reply.

“See that you do. Otherwise I will have to...step in.” Tonowari spoke sternly, before softening his tone. “If you need help during this…troubling time, do not hesitate to ask.”

“I’ll take care of it but thank you.” Jake left out that he did need help, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Tonowari he felt like he was running blind with his own family. He couldn’t bring himself to unload all his family’s…baggage on the man.

Tonowari gave him a nod back, and left. However, he turned back around after a few steps.

“If you do not mind me asking…what is the Demon’s relation to Spider? My mate told me he claimed the child as his son and was…soft with him.”

Jake pursed his lips, almost smirking slightly.

“It’s…complicated. I’m asking myself the same question.”

Tonowari looked at Jake curiously, but said nothing more, finally leaving.

Jake sighed as he sat on the woven bridge, finally alone. He turned to face the ocean, watching with bleary eyes as the horizon slowly began to brighten with Alpha Centauri’s rise. He was utterly exhausted by the last few hours. Broken, even. But the brightening sky was a reminder that this hard day had only just begun.

Poor Kiri doesn’t even know yet...

Hope you liked the chapter! Like I said, there isn’t too much going on in this one, mostly just setting up what’s coming next. Hope I sill managed to deliver on angst though (with some small bits of hope sprinkled in...)

As always, TYSM for reading 💙 

Chapter 25

Chapter 27<</p>

Apologies for the long wait after that big cliffhanger! I was busier than I expected this week. This also took a bit to write.

As always, enjoy! 💙

The entire world fell silent in shock.

Jake held his breath as he stared at Spider’s crumpled form, almost unable to comprehend what had just occurred. For a moment, the only things he could hear were the waves hitting the beach, and his own breathing.

The choked cry that came from Quaritch snapped him back to reality. The recom quickly turned and dropped to his knees next to the fallen boy, apparently forgetting about Jake and the Metkayina.

He gently moved Spider onto his back, holding up the kid’s upper body with one of his arms. He let out another gut-wrenching cry as the extent of Spider’s injury became clear. The arrow had gone through Spider’s shoulder, with nearly half of it protruding from the boy’s back. Spider was limp in Quaritch’s arms…

Jake became fully aware of his heart racing. A Na’vi arrow could kill other members of the species easily. For a human…

He needed to move quickly. Jake started to move towards the pair.

Quaritch saw him coming. The man quickly grabbed the knife he’d dropped in his free hand and raised it toward Jake.

“S…stay back! Don’t touch him!” The recom growled. Quaritch’s face was hostile, but also clearly panicked. His voice was as shaky as the trembling hand holding the knife.

Jake heard some of the warriors behind him start to step forward, but he signaled to them to stay back. He briefly turned his head.

“Get the Tsahik. Now!” Jake hissed at the Metkayina, before turning back to Quaritch.

“The kid needs help, colonel! Drop the knife!”

“I ain’t gonna let you hurt him!” Quaritch sounded defeated, desperate even.

“Let us help him.” Jake responded, making no effort to hide the growing panic in his voice. Without any help, Spider would bleed out. He saw Quaritch glance to the knife in his hand. Without hesitating, Jake threw it aside.

“Trust me. I want to help.” Jake raised his now empty hands. Quaritch looked conflicted but didn’t speak. Jake took a shaky breath before speaking again, feeling more desperate than ever.

“Miles, please. It’s his only chance.”

Quaritch looked down at Spider, then back up at Jake. The man closed his eyes, then tossed his own knife aside.

Jake quickly covered the rest of the distance to the pair, and crouched on his knees opposite Quaritch. He felt Spider’s chest. A heart still rapidly beat against his palm.

Thank Eywa.

Jake’s stomach turned as he studied the injury. The arrow had smashed through Spider’s shoulder, muscle and bone giving way before it. Blood was oozing from both ends. Spider couldn’t make it much longer like this. Jake would have to do his best until Ronal arrived.

He wracked his brain, trying to remember what Mo’at had taught him about treating arrow wounds…

“Tourniquet.” Jake suddenly said, causing Quaritch to open his eyes. Quaritch stared at him, almost confused. His eyes almost seemed moist. But Jake didn’t have time for that.

“I need a goddamn tourniquet!” Jake yelled. It seemed to snap the recom out of his stunned silence. He nodded.

“M…my shirt.”

Without hesitating, Jake grabbed one of the shoulders of Quaritch’s undershirt and pulled with all his strength, ripping the strip of fabric free.

Spider gasped back to consciousness as Jake started to tie the tourniquet.

“Spider!” Quaritch spoke first. “Kid, can you hear me?”

“What…I…aaah!” Spider shouted as Jake started to tighten the fabric. He tried to turn his head to look at the arrow, but Quaritch put his free hand on the kid’s cheek, keeping him still.

“Look at me, kid.” Quaritch tried to hide the panic in his voice as he spoke to his son. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

There were tears in Spider’s eyes as he moved a trembling hand to hold Quaritch’s.

“Is it…ah!...is it bad…?” He managed to choke out the question between gasps of pain. Quaritch squeezed his hand tighter.

“It’s fine kid. It’s all gonna be alright.” Quaritch tried to smile, but he couldn’t stop a tear from rolling down his face. He’d seen hundreds of combat injuries during his service. He’d seen men get shot, lose limbs, blow up, and a whole list of other horrific injuries. But nothing had ever made him feel the way he did seeing his son on the verge of death in front of him.

“AH!” Spider shouted again as Jake finally tied the knot on the tourniquet. He briefly put his own hand on Spider’s chest.

“You’re doing great, kid.”

Spider sobbed slightly hearing Jake’s voice.

“Jake…I’m…I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, Spider. You have nothing to apologize for.”

For a short moment, both Quaritch and Jake held Spider’s shaking, gasping form as best they could; Quaritch holding his hand, Jake with a hand on his shoulder.

For once, they had the same goal.

“I have to break the shaft.” Jake finally spoke again. “It’s gonna hurt, okay?”

Spider let out a whimper and closed his eyes, squeezing Quaritch’s hand tighter.

Jake had snapped arrow shafts before. It was necessary to move the wounded/ With the whole weight of the arrow still present, motion would only cause more damage. He positioned his hands gently around the arrow, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that he recognized it…

He had to focus.

Spider gasped with each slight touch on the arrow.

“I’m…hngh…scared….ah!”

“I’m right here, kid.” Quaritch spoke softly. “I’m right here with you.”

“…I need…GAAAAHHHH!”

Spider screamed as Jake snapped the shaft of the arrow with one swift motion, leaving a stump only about two inches long protruding from the front of his shoulder.

“Goddamn it…” Quaritch growled out the words at the sound, a pained expression on his face. He couldn’t bear seeing his son go through this kind of pain.

Jake let out a sigh before leaning slightly back.

It had to do.

“Sully? What now?” Quaritch looked up at him, ready to follow any more instructions to save Spider. But for the moment, there was nothing more that could be done.

“I called for help.” Jake explained. “We have to wait.”

He shifted his position so he could be in Spider’s view. As he did, the boy caught a glimpse of his now blood-soaked hands. He whimpered again.

“I’m…I’m going…to die…”

Jake was quick to also take Spider’s left hand, awkwardly sharing it with Quaritch. He couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous at his enemy’s presence so close, but both he and the other man were focused on Spider for the moment.

“The worst is over, kid. You’ll be alright.” Jake tried to sound confident, but inside he was still panicking. With a wound that serious, the tourniquet would only be a stopgap. He needed proper care. But until Ronal reached them, all they could do was wait.

“Jake…?” Spider spoke again, weakly.

“What is it, kid?” Jake responded kindly.

“I’m…I’m sorry…for loving …my dad…” Spider spoke in Na’vi instead of English.

The statement confused Jake. His dad? Who was…

It took him a moment to realize that Spider was referring to Quaritch.

Jake thought again about what he’d seen in the prison hut. He thought about what Spider had told him.

I care about him.

He considered the fact that Quaritch came after Spider. He could have escaped. He was free, and nobody else was aware of it. He could have disappeared.

But he hadn’t. He had come to get Spider

Could it really be…?

Jake turned to the man now next to him. The recom looked...crushed. Broken at the sight before him. Jake recognized the look. He’d seen it several times before during his time as Olo’eyktan. He’d seen it on Neytiri. He’d felt it himself. A parent, watching their child suffer…

He tensed as he felt Spider’s hand grow weaker. Quaritch felt it too.

“Kid? Kid!” He put his hand on Spider’s face.

“I’m…tired…” Spider mumbled.

Both Quaritch and Jake’s faces bore a renewed look of horror. Just as Jake was prepared to start carrying Spider to the infirmary, ignoring the risk, he heard movement in the small crowd.

“Move aside!”

Ronal emerged from between the gathered warriors, her arms full of various supplies. She froze when she saw Quaritch. Her head turned to Jake.

“Help him! Please!” Jake pleaded.

Ronal stared at Quaritch again.

“He must leave!”

Quaritch couldn’t understand her words, especially with the differing Metkayina accent, but he got the meaning. He took a breath, then did his best to speak using the Na’vi Spider had taught him in their time together.

“Child is mine. No leave!” His Na’vi was poor, but his tone helped get the point across.

Ronal looked at him, distrusting, but he held her gaze.

“You help please. I no leave. Please.” Quaritch spoke, trying to convey the meaning.

The Tsahik frowned, but she cautiously approached and knelt beside them, with Jake moving back to give her space. Immediately, she started applying various herbs to the wound, simultaneously speaking with Jake.

“How much blood has he lost?”

“A lot.” Jake replied breathily. “Can you…”

“Save him?” Ronal replied, working quickly with her hands. “Maybe. This wound is grave, and I have never healed a sky-person.”

“It’s…it’s the same…mostly…” Jake tried to think of something to say to help. “Just…careful with any medicines. They need less.”

“Yes, they are small, like children…” Ronal nodded as she prepared a bandage for the back side of the wound.

“Tell the demon he must be turned over.”

Jake relayed the information, and Quaritch gently turned Spider. Ronal studied the wound again, with the exit now visible.

“The arrow has cut through the bone, but not the blood-line. I will make a splint after I have removed it.”

“She’s going to take out the arrow, keep him still.” Jake explained to Quaritch who nodded, holding Spider tighter, firmer.

Ronal probed the shaft, then gripped it firmly, drawing a pained groan from Spider. The Tsahik quickly whispered a silent prayer, then began to pull the remainder of the shaft from the wound. Quaritch felt Spider’s grip around his hand grow tighter again, and he squeezed back.

“Stay strong, kid. You’re doing great.”

With one final tug, Ronal finally wrenched the last of the arrow free, quickly tossing it aside and applying a sticky mixture to the area, sealing the wound. Expertly, she did the same on the other side of Spider’s shoulder, and then wrapped a long bandage around the whole area.

“This will stop the bleeding for now. I will treat the wound again once he regains some strength.” Explained the Tsahik as she finally removed the makeshift tourniquet from the arm.  

Once she had made sure the bandages were secure, she leaned back briefly, taking a moment to inspect the removed arrow. The arrowhead was still attached, stained with blood.

“Who did this? Was it him?” She gestured to Quaritch.

Jake shook his head. If only it was that simple. But it wasn’t, and he had a feeling he knew who had shot the arrow…

“No. I’ll…explain later.”

Ronal gave him a concerned look, before returning to her work. She lifted a small flask.

“Wait, wait. What’s that?” Quaritch turned to Sully, who translated the question for Ronal.

“It is hahaw-lepay. Sleep water.”

“Painkiller.” Jake replied to Quaritch. The recom nodded, then gestured to Ronal to give him the bottle. Again, the Tsahik turned to Jake, and he nodded. Cautiously, she handed the bottle to Quaritch, who began talking to Spider.

“Hey, kid. You hearing me?”

Spider whimpered weakly.

“I’ve got some medicine for you. You able to drink some?”

Spider said nothing but opened his mouth, nodding slightly.

Ronal watched curiously as The Demon carefully lifted Spider’s mask, and gently gave the boy a sip of the strong-smelling liquid in the flask, helping him swallow after he lowered the mask back onto his face.

“Good?” He asked Ronal in Na’vi, and she nodded, eyeing Quaritch a strange expression. He handed the flask back, and used his now free arm to hold Spider closer as the drug took hold, lulling him to sleep. Ronal began fashioning the splint for Spider’s now-crippled arm, occasionally holding the materials up to the boy for reference. Both Quaritch and Jake sat in silence as she worked. Finally, Jake dared to ask the question on both their minds.

“How…is he? Will he make it?”

Ronal nodded.

“The wound is serious. He has been greatly weakened. But he will live. He is a strong child.”

Jake let out a deep sigh of relief, Quaritch understanding what that meant and doing the same.

The imminent threat taken care of, Jake sat back, watching Spider’s breathing slow as he slept in Quaritch’s arms. With his adrenaline and panic decreasing, he finally started to process everything that had just happened.

They’d been right next to each other.

Jake had been kneeling right next to his mortal enemy, and had someohe emerged unscathed. He knew Quaritch could have jumped on him and throttled him at any moment, but he didn’t. Jake knew he could have tried to kill Quaritch, but he hadn’t. He had spent so long hoping for an opportunity to finish Quaritch off, and when he’d had the opportunity, he hadn’t taken it.

Jake smiled slightly as he looked at Spider.

The things people do for those they love.

Love.

Could Quaritch really love Spider like a son?

When Spider had “confessed” to Jake, he’d dismissed the idea as some kind of plot from Quaritch. To him, the idea seemed impossible. Completely unfitting of Colonel Miles Quaritch. But then again, most of Quaritch’s behavior during this ordeal had been unfitting. It was bizarre in retrospect.

He looked at the exhausted recom, cradling Spider’s sleeping figure.

How was this the same man who had held a gun to his children’s heads? The man whose orders put Neteyam in a coma? The same man who had ordered the felling of Hometree all those years ago?

Jake didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know what to think. Everything was just so…complicated now. With Neteyam. With Kiri. With Spider. Now even with Quaritch of all people. It was overwhelming.

As Ronal began to fit the splint, Jake picked up the discarded arrow, his heart sinking again. It was Omatikaya, no doubt.

Yes…complicated…

Whew...that was a lot to write lol

I hope nobody was too OOC this chapter, I was really excited to write Quaritch & Jake not at each other’s throats for once (and Quaritch being a softie for Spider in the open) 🥺. The possibility of Spider dying is just so great he doesn’t care what Jake & the others think for the moment. 

P.S. I preemptively apologize for the medical inaccuracy(s) I almost certainly committed!😅

Thanks for reading! 💙

Chapter 24. Chapter 26

It’s here! I loved writing this chapter, hope you enjoy! 💙

Quaritch was used to thinking under pressure. Whether it was explosions, or bullets, or arrows, he could keep cool and keep up his fight. Keeping his head while in danger was practically part of his job description.

But when Sully came through the door, he still froze like a deer in headlights, every muscle in his body tensing. He couldn’t tell whether his heart was beating out of his chest, or if it had stopped completely. His eyes were fixed on Sully, but he felt Spider similarly tense up, still in his arms. His son let out a small gasp, but otherwise said nothing.

The few moments of silence felt like an eternity, all three in the room seemingly frozen by the shock.

Then things exploded.

“Get your hands off him!” Sully shouted as he lunged forward towards them.

Quaritch couldn’t react before his enemy was upon them.

“No, I aah….” Spider spoke quickly but let out a yelp as Sully pulled him quickly out of Quaritch’s loose grip.

Following his first instinct, Quaritch lunged forward himself, trying to grab Spider back, but Jake quickly swung the knife, landing a deep cut across his forearm. The recom growled, but pulled back, eyeing the weapon.

He couldn’t win that fight.

The two men stared at each other for another moment, both pairs of eyes filled with hatred, and panic. Then Jake, using one hand, roughly threw Spider onto his shoulder.

“No! Stop! Let me go!” The kid struggled fiercely against Jake’s grip, but it was useless against the adult Na’vi’s rage.

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Quaritch hissed, but Sully ignored him, standing from his crouch and turning to leave. With Sully’s back to him, Quaritch could see Spider’s face again. It bore a look of sheer panic. Terror

“Dad!” Spider half-yelled, half-sobbed, desperately reaching a hand towards Quaritch, but he was too far.

Quaritch watched Jake carry his son away, powerless to stop it. Spider was still struggling, weakly punching and pushing against Jake’s shoulder, while letting out raw sobs. Jake crouched to leave the hut, a little lower than usual with Spider on his shoulder.

“SULLY! I’LL KILL YOU” The recom struggled against the bars with all his might, but they held firm as always.

The flap dropped back down, leaving him alone in the hut. He heard Jake yell something to the guards. He heard Spider’s sobbing fade into the distance. Then it was silent.

“Sully!” He shouted again, but he knew the man couldn’t even hear him.

Quaritch started throwing himself against the bars, trying to see if anything could give way. But, as usual, they held firm.

He turned to his binds, snarling as he tried first to break them with his hands. Then, he bent over and tried to bite through them with his teeth. But, despite his efforts, it left little more than an imprint on the tough fiber.

Quaritch fell onto his back, roaring in anger and grief as he squeezed his fists.

The last look Spider gave him as Sully had carried him away was seared into his mind.

Panicked. Desperate. Terrified.

And he could do nothing.

Quaritch once again felt that feeling of helplessness overcome him. Only so much worse than before. He felt sick to his stomach, thinking about what Spider could already be going through.

He let out another shout, or more like a cry. A guttural scream of pain and horror.

I’m in Hell.

He turned his head to the side, utterly defeated, but something caught his eye.

The knife.

The knife Spider had brought to break him out, the one he had stuck into the dirt. It was still there, apparently unnoticed by Sully.

His eyes widened, and a new feeling replaced the dread. Conviction filled him like never before.

As quickly as he could, he shifted to where the knife was, and, carefully, as if it would disappear if he was too rough, he pulled it from the ground.

It clearly wasn’t meant to be a fighting knife like the one Sully had been holding, but it would be plenty enoughfor him. He gently brushed the blade with his finger.

Still sharp.

Working quickly, he pressed the knife against the thick binds on his lower half and began slicing, working methodically to slice the tightly wrapped vine-like material. Every cut slowly loosened them, until, finally, he pulled the last few apart with his own strength.

He took a moment to stretch. His legs ached, both from the sudden release of the binds, and the sudden movement after so much time held in one position. But Quaritch ignored it. After a moment of stretching, he jumped to his feet and moved to the canvas on the other side of the hut, farthest from the guards, and began cutting at the fabric.

His heart raced as the dense material fell apart under the blade. It was tougher than his binds, but Quaritch worked quickly. Finally, he broke through, and, for the first time since his captivity began, fresh, cool air hit his skin.

Once the hole was big enough, he pushed himself through it, squeezing out of the prison in much the same way Spider had after his visits.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, knife in hand. Every breath was a low growl as he assessed the environment around him. It was dark, but his eyes were already used to it from the hut. He could find his way.

Sully couldn’t have gotten far…

(…)

Jake’s heart raced as he walked with Spider on his shoulder.

What just happened?

What did he just see?

He had acted on pure instinct when he pulled Spider away from Quaritch, adrenaline overwhelming any deeper thoughts. But as he carried the boy, the image of Quaritch holding him was burned into Jake’s mind.

How had Spider gotten in there? Why was Spider even in the prison hut at all?

What the hell was Quaritch doing?

Spider had struggled when Jake had carried him out of the hut, but now he hung limply on his shoulder, letting out quiet sobs.

Jake reached a small beach, with the Marui in view. Quickly, he lifted Spider off his shoulder and set him down in a seated position. The kid stared at the ground, tears still rollind down his cheeks.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Jake began yelling, adrenaline and anger dominating his mind. “What on earth were you doing, getting that close to Quaritch?!”

Spider didn’t answer. He kept looking down.

Jake put his hands on Spider’s shoulders.

“Spider. What were you doing in there? What was happening?”

“I…I’m sorry…” Spider barely managed to choke out the words before sobbing again.

Jake gave Spider a shake.

“What did Quaritch do?!” Jake asked sternly. “Did he hurt you? Did he…”

“No!” Spider blurted out, making Jake stop. After a moment, he continued more quietly.

“He…didn’t hurt me.”

“What were you doing there?” Jake asked again.

Spider was silent again. He was trembling slightly, his arms wrapped around himself.

“Answer me, kid!” Jake leaned closer to Spider. He needed to know what Quaritch was up to.

“I…” Spider took a shaky breath. “I was…visiting him. I wanted to see him.”

The words were followed by more sobs. Jake furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean, visit? Why would you want to see the Demon?! Why did you risk getting so close to him?!”          

“Because…” Spider gulped. “Because he’s my dad.”

Jake was once again dumbfounded.

“What…?”

“I know it’s wrong.” Spider choked out. “I know I shouldn’t. I know all of that, but I can’t. He…saved me. He’s nice to me. I…I care about him.”

Jake stared in a mix of confusion and horror as Spider broke down again.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” Spider repeated the words, his eyes closed.

“Spider.” Jake spoke harshly. “This man is our enemy. He hates us. He hates you. He took you prisoner, for god’s sake! Did he…tell you to say this? What did he do to you?”

Spider just shook his head, unable to speak.

“Spider! Tell me! We need to…”

“Let him go Sully!” A familiar voice growled behind him, making Jake jump slightly. Quickly, he drew his knife and turned around. About 30 feet away, Miles Quaritch stood facing him.

Jake could see his enemy better in the outside light. He was disheveled, filthy after the time spent in the prison. Blood oozed from the cut he’d inflicted earlier. The look in his face revealed pure rage and hatred. Like this, Quaritch really did look like a demon.

Jake clutched his knife tighter. Whatever way Quaritch had gotten out, he’d deal with that later. Now, he had to deal with the man himself.

“Quaritch.” Jake hissed. “Whatever you did to Spider, you’re going to pay. Now.”

“Give me the kid, and maybe I’ll let you live.” Quaritch answered. “It’s him I want, not you.”

“You know I won’t do that.” Jake spat. “You’ll never get your hands on him again.”

“Suit yourself.” Quaritch growled, creeping closer, knife in hand.

Jake hissed, before raising his own knife.

(…)

Spider watched in horror as Quaritch lunged at Jake, his tears replaced by pure fear. Jake dodged the attack, but Quaritch’s blade still scored a cut across Jake’s shoulder, making the man hiss in pain. Jake swung with his own knife, and Quaritch jerked back, the blade missing his face by mere inches. When he tried to stab again, Jake grabbed his arm and went for his gut. However, Quaritch’s own left arm quickly grabbed Jake’s right.

Spider stood, panicked. Watching the fight made him sick to his stomach, but he could only watch helplessly as the warriors grappled, each trying to score the kill, while holding the other’s weapon at bay.

However, some Metkayina began stepping out of their Marui, awoken by the sounds of the yelling, and ensuing fight. A few spotted the two Avatars battling, and immediately shook off their sleepiness.

“It’s the demon! Spears, quickly!”

As alarm rapidly spread through the Marui, Spider continued watching the fight, gasping with each slash or stab. Each attack seemed like it would be the one to end the fight, before the other managed to twist around it, or deflect it with their own blade. Still, the cuts occasionally landed, and both men were covered in a mix of sweat, and blood from several cuts.

Jake fought expertly, but Quaritch fought like a Thanator, each swing of his knife matched with a roar of anger. He was fighting aggressively, almost recklessly, not even reacting to many of the cuts Jake was landing. If anything, it seemed to make him more enraged.

Jake was on the back foot, struggling to defend himself against the storm of slashes, and punches. Finally, he managed to catch Quaritch’s blade on his own, and delivered a strong strike to Quaritch’s neck with his other hand, causing him to stumble backwards.

Both men stared at each other across the short distance, growling. Each crouched, getting ready to lunge once more…

“There!”

Spider turned to see Metkayina warriors emerging from the water behind Jake, having swum from their Marui. All had spears in-hand.

Quaritch and Jake saw them too.

A pair of faster warriors already reached them, spears leveled. Quaritch growled but began to step backwards towards Spider.

More warriors reached the scene. The Recom glanced around, growling as the Metkayina closed in. He looked at Jake, then at Spider. The boy could tell what he was thinking. He had the same thing on his mind.

He was trapped.

They were trapped.

But Quaritch wouldn’t give up just yet. He wouldn’t let them touch his son. Not while he was still breathing.

One warrior lunged forward, but Quaritch dodged the spear, and drove the butt of his knife into the Na’vi’s neck. The warrior fell backwards, clutching his throat, but before Quaritch could finish it, two more spears forced him back towards Spider again.

As the Na’vi approached the pair slowly, the Recom crouched and pushed Spider behind his back, snarling at the Metkayina like a cornered viperwolf.

“Back! Stay back!” He swung his knife rapidly, just enough to keep the spearpoints at bay. But he couldn't hold long...

Behind him, Spider’s heart was racing. He could barely hear anything over the yelling of the warriors, and the rushing of blood in his head.

This was it.

Quaritch was going to die right here. He’d probably be killed with him.

“Stop!” Spider tried to yell above the din, but his voice was drowned out. “Please!”

He scanned his surroundings, trying to see if he could spot anything that could help them. Maybe Kiri could…

He suddenly froze. Among the gathered warriors, he spotted a distinct pair of yellow eyes. Not Kiri’s. Not Jake’s. He saw the figure raise a spear, no, draw a bow.

Spider’s heart dropped. Without thinking, he jumped forward, raising his arms.

“No…!”

Spider heard a whistle for a brief moment.

Then, the arrow meant for Quaritch’s heart struck him, the immense force throwing him back onto the sand.

oops...

Hope you liked the chapter! I’ve never written a fight before, so hopefully this one wasn't too bad. I’ve been excited to write this scene since I first started the fic. I hope it hit as hard as I wanted 😈

Chapter 23     Chapter 25

Holy moly! I know I said I’d be back to the more regular schedule, but this chapter took a LONG time to plan out. I’ve essentially charted out the fic until the end over the past few days, and I wanted to take a while to make sure everything was as perfect as I could get it. I’ve only got one shot and I want to try to do this right!

Anyways, I hope the wait was worth it, enjoy!

As usual, Jake sat quietly near the entrance of his Marui as the rest of his family slept. This was his time to think, and he had a lot to think about.

His conversations with Kiri and Spider had been…heavy. The implications of what he’d learned still weighed on him.

How could he have been so blind?

How could he not see that Spider was depending on him?

Jake couldn’t even begin to remember all the different times he could have hurt Spider. It was…unthinkable. Whatever the damage was, it would take time to repair. Both his relationship with Kiri, and especially his with Spider. Their talk today, with all 3 of them together, had been a good starting point.

Afterwards, he’d promised himself he’d talk to Neytiri while they were out hunting during the day. Jake was aware that his mate could be…touchy when it came to the kid, and he didn’t want to have that discussion with anyone else present. Especially not his family. But he had hope that he could help her see.

Things seemed to be hopeful, looking up.

And yet…

Jake couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was bothering Spider. Even with everything he’d said, he felt like something was missing, going unsaid. He remembered when he tried to ask Spider about his captivity, and again was essentially shut down. Kiri had practically warned him not to prod.

But Jake needed to know. He refused to ever be blind to Spider’s pain again. He wanted desperately to help the kid with whatever had happened, but their conversation had made it clear Spider wasn’t ready to talk.

Quaritch, though…

Despite his denials, the Demon was almost certainly behind whatever happened to Spider when he was with the RDA. After all, he had been with Quaritch on the ship.

‘I don’t know him’ my ass.

Who knew what horrors Spider had been subjected to under his enemy’s orders? Jake’s heart began to beat faster as a new sense of determination filled him.

He needed to do this. For Spider.

He got up from his spot, took another look at his family, still sound asleep, and headed into the night. Jake hadn’t pressed Quaritch enough. Tonight, Jake would find out exactly why Spider was so afraid to talk about his captivity, whatever it took. If Quaritch thought he could take it to the grave, he was dead wrong.

(…)

The night was almost silent. There was no breeze, no sounds of distant animals, and even the sound of the waves on the beach was only a gentle lapping. It was unusually quiet, like the whole of Pandora was holding its breath in anticipation.

Spider could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest as he crept along the beach, knife clutched in his hand. The weight of what he was about to do sunk in more and more as he slunk through the silent night. It twisted his stomach into knots. He was practically confirming the worst things people said about him.

He is the Demon’s son. He cannot be trusted. He is dangerous.

Spider couldn’t deny that he had thought about freeing his father before. The thought had crossed his mind every time he went to visit the man, ever more intrusively as the time left until the trial had grown shorter and shorter.

But every time, he had quickly suppressed the thought, burying the plan with the wave of guilt that swept through him each time he considered it. This man was supposed to be his enemy. Quaritch hated everythingelse that Spider held dear. How dare Spider even think of releasing him? It was practically a crime against Eywa, with all Quaritch had done.

But Spider kept coming back to the idea regardless. It had to work somehow. It had to be better than…whatever lay in his future otherwise. Surely Eywa could understand?

If things went well, he’d leave with Quaritch, and they’d be long gone before anyone realized they were missing. The Sullys, and the rest of the Na’vi would piece together what had happened, of course. Maybe that’s what hurt Spider the most. The thought of the people he’d once called family learning about his betrayal.

But this was for the Sullys’ sakes as much as his. Spider knew that he had to stop hurting them. If leaving was the only way left, so be it.

Spider finally reached the hut and crept alongside it. In the silence, even a small noise so close could alert the guards. He’d had to be careful. Even with the thick material of the hut, his conversation with Quaritch would have to be quiet, no matter how important it was today.

Spider found his usual entrance and paused for a moment. The sinking feeling in his gut reminded him of the first time he’d ever visited his father.

He had crossed a point of no return that night. That had been the day when, after all the time they’d had together, he’d finally accepted that Quaritch was his dad, and he did care about the man.

Maybe, since that first visit, this moment had been inevitable…

But it still felt like a final choice. A choice between Quaritch, and the life he had now. Spider could still walk away. He could throw away the knife, and his plan would never be revealed, known only to Eywa herself. Quaritch would be executed, and Spider would live…whatever life he could among the Na’vi.

But in his mind, Spider had already chosen.

He took a deep breath, and muttered, almost silently.

“May Eywa forgive me for what I am about to do.”

Still clutching the knife, he slid under the canvas and into the hut for the final time.

Inside the prison, the silence was almost complete. The canvas walls muffled what little sound there was outside. Spider was distinctly aware of the sound of his own breathing.

And that of another.

“Spider?” Quaritch’s voice was a whisper.

“Dad.” Spider crept up to the bars. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he started to make out his dad’s face, it’s various spots softly glowing in the dark. Quaritch wore a pained expression, and he looked…tired. Worn down. Spider felt almost like he was looking at a mirror of his own emotions.

“Spider, I’m…sorry about yesterday. Having to shoo you away like that. I…”

“It…It’s okay, dad.” Spider rushed out, his heart somehow beating even faster.

“No, I…” Quaritch stopped when Spider lifted his arm, noticing the knife it held for the first time.

“What’s that?” Quaritch asked, confused, and concerned.

“Dad…” Spider took a deep breath.

“I’m here to break you out.”

The concern on Quaritch’s face morphed into a look of slight shock. His mouth was slightly open as he tried to process the words Spider had just said.

“Kid…what…?

“This knife can cut through your ties, and through the wall” Spider quickly explained, moving his hand lightly onto the blade, and offering the knife to Quaritch.

His father took the knife, but just looked at it in his hand, making no movements to cut his binds.

“Dad?” Spider’s mind raced as he watched Quaritch’s seemingly nonexistent reaction. Every second felt like an eternity.

Finally, Quaritch let out a sigh.

“No way, kid.”

Spider’s heart dropped. Had Quaritch just…refused?

“W-what?” Spider managed to stammer out.

Quaritch smiled sadly.

“There ain’t a chance in hell they don’t figure out it was you who cut me loose. I’m in here because I wanted to protect you. There’s no way I’m putting that kind of heat on you to get out.”

Spider didn’t flinch, but his heart was pounding.

“I’m coming with you, dad.”

Quaritch raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Spider sensed it and quickly elaborated.

“I…can’t stay here anymore, dad. When I said … there isn’t anything left for me, I meant it. All I want now is to be with you. I have to leave”

Quaritch shook his head.

“It can’t work, kid. What, do you think we’ll swim away? With every tribal on our tail?”

“We…we can take an ilu.” Spider spoke, trying to keep his hope up in the face of reality. “The Metkayina ride on them to travel. We’ll be gone by morning. But we have to go now!”

“They’ll know where we’re going, Spider.” Quaritch emphasized, his voice was laden with emotion, but still stern. “Bridgehead’s in one direction, and I guarantee they’ll catch way before we cover that distance.”

“Then we won’t go to Bridgehead.” Spider answered, the desperation in his voice becoming clearer. “We’ll just go somewhere, anywhere else. Anywhere with nature. I can show you how to live out here…” Spider had made the same proposal to Quaritch before, while they were on the Sea Dragon. At the time, it had been met with yelling and hostility. But now, the same words made Quaritch’s ears droop.

“We can survive, I know we can. We…”

Spider stopped as Quaritch thrust the knife deep into the dirt between them. He put his hands on Spider’s shoulders, looked his son in the eyes, and, after a moment spoke one word.

“No.”

Spider stared back at his dad, his eyes now glistening with tears.

“But…we can…we could…”

“No, Spider.” Quaritch looked sorrowful, almost pained as he spoke. “It’s too dangerous. Too reckless. I will not take the risk of losing you. You’re everything to me, Spider.”

“Dad…I…I can’t lose you.” Spider choked out quietly. “I can’t…imagine being without you. I need you. I don’t want you to die…”

Quaritch made no attempt to mask the pain he was feeling, but he still shook his head.

“My time’s up, Spider. I… don’t like it any more than you do, but I will not let you throw your own life away too.”

Spider sobbed quietly.

“Dad…please…”

It was a desperate plea, but Spider knew Quaritch. He’d made up his mind, and there was no changing that.

It’s over.

As the last of the adrenaline left Spider, he started to lose his balance, overcome by a mounting tiredness. Before he could fall, though, Quaritch pulled him into a hug, as close as he could against the bars.

“I’m sorry.” Spider whimpered against his dad’s shoulder between muffled sobs. “It’s all my fault.”

Quaritch frowned.

“Don’t blame any of this on yourself, Spider.” Spider looked up, his eyes red. Quaritch continued.

“No, it’s my fault. I should’ve seen long ago how much you matter to me. I should have made you priority from day one. Maybe I should have even taken you up on your offer to run away. But I was stupid, and I was blind. I was busy hunting Sully, and I kept looking you over, until it was…too late. And now, I’m paying the price.”

Quaritch took a moment to gently adjust the mask on Spider’s face, shifted from the hug, then finished.

“But you won’t pay that price with me. You’ll get through this.”

Spider looked down in silence. He sighed, then spoke.

“I…I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I don’t know what I’ll do…when you…”

“Look at me kid.”

Quaritch lifted Spider’s chin to look him in the eyes again.

“I’m not asking you to be strong and power through everything.” He put a sad smile on his face. “That’s what I do, kid, and look where it got me. You’ve got kindness. You’re not a killer. You ain’t some trickster or cheat. You’re not hell-bent on fighting and revenge. You’re a good kid, Spider. You’re nice. You’ve got compassion. You’ve got heart. That’s how I know you’ll make it to the other side.”

“You’re not me.”

Spider didn’t speak at first. When he replied, his voice was quiet.

“I’m a traitor. The fact that I’m here proves it.”

Quaritch shook his head again.

“Nah, you ain’t here because you hate the Na’vi. This isn’t your revenge, some plan against them. You wanted to save me, kid. Same way you saved those Na’vi in that burning village from me.” Quaritch said, alluding to the raids he’d dragged Spider along on.

“It’s your way, kid. You don’t want to see people get hurt. Even a mean old freak of nature like me.”

Spider remained quiet for a long time after this. He looked down again, deep in thought. Finally the boy cracked a small smile, even with the tears still in his eyes.

“Old? You’re not old. You’re like…25?”

Quaritch smirked back.

“Body’s new, but my mind’s got the mileage, kid.”

“What’s that?”

Quaritch pulled Spider back into a hug, though looser than before.

“Forget about it. Just remember what I said, okay?”

“Okay dad.”

Spider closed his eyes as his father held him. This night hadn’t gone at all like he’d imagined. But somehow…he felt better.

Was his dad right?

Was there hope? Even after the trial?

“I…I’ll miss you, dad.” Spider whispered.

These moments reminded him of what he’d lose the most. Knowing what a hard man Quaritch was, and how cold and emotionless he could be, these moments between them were all the more special. He would remember every one of them.

Spider kept his eyes closed. If only it could last forever.

He felt himself start to drift off to sleep…

The sound of muffled voices outside made them both suddenly tense. Spider’s eyes shot open.

“Dad…?”

“Quiet, kid.” Quaritch whispered sternly, barely audibly. Neither of them dared move, with the once-sleepy guards now obviously wide awake. The talking continued for a moment; the words indiscernible. Then, finally, it became quiet again.

Spider breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back into Quaritch’s hug.

Then, the flap to the hut flew up, and Jake ducked inside, holding a long knife in his hand.

The moment he looked up, he froze, staring at the image of Quaritch holding Spider in his arms.

Jake’s wish is granted...😨

Hope you liked the chapter! Apologies if you were hoping to see an epic Quaritch & Spider getaway, but I felt like that big of a risk to Spider wouldn’t fly with Quaritch. Maybe I’ll write it as a little bonus content once the fic ends...

Spider’s plan still comes into play, though...

Chapter 22. Chapter 24

After almost a week, it’s finally done! I wrote this chapter in a few spurts, rather than one or two long sessions like I usually write, so apologies if it seems a bit more...disjointed lol. 

Enjoy! 💙

Kiri watched her dad as he stared at the ground between them, clearly deep in thought. Even though she had tears in her eyes, she was fuming from their conversation. Not only had her dad hurt Spider, but now he was acting like he was doing the right thing when he did.

Family has to come first.

The words repeated over and over in her head as she watched her dad. It had taken all her self-control not to snap at him when he’d spoken them, as if Spider was just some stranger he could throw away.

Her father finally looked back up, and Kiri was taken aback when she saw that his own eyes were glistening.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Kiri. I didn’t know it was…like that.”

He sounded defeated, guilty, in a way he didn’t before. Something that she had said had apparently gotten through to him. But his response still upset her.

“How could you not know? How could you not know we cared about Spider?” Kiri pressed, referring to herself and the rest of her siblings.

Jake grimaced.

“No…I mean…I knew, but…” He swallowed. “I didn’t know you saw him as family. I didn’t know he saw us as family.”

Jake put a heavy emphasis on the “us”. After another moment of silence, he spoke again, more quietly.

“Spider…he… looked up to me, didn’t he?”

Kiri nodded, a shred of hope rising in her. Could her dad finally understand?

“You were his hero.” She spoke softly, and the words again caused Jake to close his eyes and look down.

“I thought so.” He replied, resigned. After a moment, he sighed again, his head in his hands.

“I…messed up, Kiri. I’m sorry.”

Kiri recalled what she’d said at the start of the conversation.

“I’m not who you should be saying that to.” Kiri stated with finality.

Jake nodded in acknowledgement.

“I’ll make this right, Kiri. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll do. I promise.”

Her dad sounded truthful, but Kiri struggled to believe him. How many times had he promised to help Spider? What did that word even mean anymore, coming from him?

“You promised before…” She said, making no effort to hide the irritation in her voice.

“I know….” Jake looked guilty. “I did. And I failed. But I know what I did wrong, and this time it will be different. I swear, I want to make this up to you.”

Jake caught himself, and added:

“I want to make this up to Spider.”

Kiri looked down for a moment. He sounded sincere, almost pleading. She wanted to trust him, but she’d been burned before. Yet, something in the way he talked made her think what he was saying was true. That he truly did see Spider in a way he couldn’t before.

Kiri looked back at her father.

“You want to make this right?”

Jake nodded.

Kiri took a breath before continuing.

“Will you apologize to Spider? For everything?”

Jake pursed his lips but nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

Kiri paused for a moment before what she said next. It was difficult, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. Not after what happened.

“Will you tell mom to stop hurting him? Will you stop her if she tries to do anything to hurt him again?”

Jake closed his eyes at this.

“Kiri…”

“Dad, I mean it. Will you protect Spider? Will you keep him safe?” Kiri’s voice was stern.

Jake stood in silence. For a moment, Kiri actually thought he might refuse…

“I…I’ll try.” He finally spoke. “I’ll talk to your mom.”

Kiri looked at her dad. It hurt to admit, but she wasn’t sure if she could believe any of it after everything…

She had to try. She needed hope that things could be better for her brother.

“Where’s Spider?” Jake asked quietly.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since…yesterday.” It was true. Kiri had spent all night looking for him, with no success.

“Let’s find him. Together.” Jake proposed. “I’ll talk to him right now.”

Kiri hesitated for a moment, before finally nodding.

(…)

Spider watched, almost motionless, as the waves crashed into the beach in front of him. He hadn’t done anything else for much of today. After he’d left his dad, he had returned to the same place he had tried to sleep the night before.

But everything was different.

If the events of yesterday had shown Spider anything, it was that there was nothing left for him here. He could never mend his relationship with the Sullys. He’d been foolish to even think it could happen.

All he had left was his dad. All he wanted was to be with his father.

Spider looked down the beach towards the hut Quaritch was being kept in, barely visible in the fading light. Today, the sight filled him with a new sense of nervousness. The thought of what he was planning to do filled him with dread.

Only a few more hours…

While he was scanning the beach, Spider spotted two figures in the distance. His heart sank when he realized who they were. Jake and Kiri were on the beach, clearly looking for something.

They were looking for him.

Spider considered running off and hiding. The shame and fear were just too great, especially considering what he was planning to do.

But something told him not to. If everything went according to plan, this was the last time he’d see the people he’d grown up around.

If anything, he had to talk to Kiri, just one more time.

Instead of running, he sat in the same place, waiting for them to inevitably spot him.

“Spider!”

He heard Kiri call out and start running to him. Quietly, he braced himself.

Kiri stopped a few feet away from him, careful not to get closer, as if she would scare him away like an animal.

“Spider?”

“Hey Kiri.” Spider answered quietly.

“I looked all over for you last night! Are you…okay?”

The concern in Kiri’s made Spider’s heart sink further. In spite of everything, Kiri couldn’t help trying to help him.

“I’m fine Kiri.” Spider spoke softly again, his voice calm. However, his heart started to race as Jake also approached.

“Hey Kid.” Jake knelt next to Spider, trying to crack a smile.

Spider looked away, unable to meet the man’s eyes. Half of him wanted to just get up and run, escape from the overwhelming guilt that was filling him as he sat next to Kiri and Jake.

Kiri gave Jake a knowing look, and the man shifted to sit in front of him. Spider looked down again.

“Spider…” Jake began, but he stopped and let out a sigh. He pursed his lips, searching for the right words.  

“I…I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. It wasn’t right.”

Jake’s apology filled Spider with more pangs of guilt.

“No, it’s okay. I get it.” Spider replied weakly, trying to assuage Jake’s concern.

But Jake only sighed again, the pained look on his face matching Kiri’s.

“No, kid. It’s not okay. I mean it. I…” Jake paused again. After a moment of hesitation, he put his hand on Spider’s shoulder, making the boy flinch.

“I shouldn’t have let Neytiri treat you like that. Not now, not ever.”

The words were a gut punch to Spider. How much more did he have to hurt the Sullys because of hismistakes?

“You don’t…have to do this.” Spider responded, the words becoming more difficult. “Like I said, I get it.”

Jake grimaced at the reply.

“Oh, Spider. I’m so, so sorry…”

Spider didn’t reply, so Jake continued.

“I should have had this talk with you sooner.  I know I haven’t exactly…helped you. The way I should have.”

Spider kept silent, afraid of what would happen if he tried to speak with the emotions swirling in his head. He needed to keep his composure…

But he couldn’t suppress everything he was feeling. He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel. Should he be guilty? Ashamed? Repentant? Hopeful? All those emotions and more were like a storm inside him as he sat, still looking down as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

“Spider…”

He didn’t resist when Jake pulled him into a hug. He just hung limply in the man’s arms, letting out an involuntary sob.

Why did this have to happen now?

Why did Eywa have to lead him to this moment, just as he had made up his mind?

Jake pulled away and looked at him, meeting Spider’s eyes for the first time in what seemed like ages.

“Leaving you to Quaritch, in the jungle, was the biggest mistake I ever made. You were family, and I abandoned you.”

Spider had to look down again at the words, afraid Jake would somehow see the truth in his face.  

“I…didn’t try to save you, on the ship.” Jake continued. “And I didn’t help you after. I couldn’t see the pain you were in. I’m not going to make any of those mistakes again. I promise.”

Jake used a hand to tilt Spider’s head back up, meeting his eyes again.

“You are family to me Spider. You’re a brother to my children. And…”

Jake hesitated.

“You are… like a son to me. I was too…stupid, too blind to see it, but you’ve always been my family.”

Spider sobbed again, looking away. Until recently, it had been his dream to hear these words, but now, they filled him with guilt, tearing him apart. Jake was not his father. He never could be. Spider had learned that truth the hard way. His dad was imprisoned and waiting for his death.

Jake sensed the conflict in Spider, though he didn’t know the true reason.

“I know what I’ve said now…can’t make up for what I’ve done. But from now, things will be different. Between us. Between you and the rest of my family.” Jake spoke sincerely, but the words were like arrows hitting Spider’s heart.

“I want you to know that I’m here for you. Whatever I can do to make this right, whatever you need, I’ll be there.”

Spider didn’t know how to respond. He wondered if he should just tell Jake the truth outright. He briefly imagined it.

You aren’t my dad, Quaritch is.

Quaritch saved me after you abandoned me in the jungle.

Quaritch saved me from Neytiri on the Sea Dragon while you stood and watched.

Quaritch showed me what it was like to have a parent that cared.

But he couldn’t. Not now.

Besides, Jake would figure it out himself soon enough.

“I…thank you.” Spider replied flatly, but Jake could tell that he was holding something back.

“Spider, if there’s anything you need to talk about…I’m here. You were Quaritch’s prisoner for a long time. I know he’s not …a kind man. Did he…”

Thankfully, Kiri stepped in.

“I don’t think we should talk about this now, dad.” She spoke softly, almost a whisper.

Jake nodded, and Spider breathed a silent sigh of relief.

For some time, all three of them sat in silence.

“Do you…want to eat dinner with me, Spider?” Kiri offered. “It can just be the two of us if you want.”

Spider forced himself to smile.

“I’m fine today, but thank you.”

Another moment of silence.

“Where will you sleep?” Jake chimed in.

“I’ll…” Spider stumbled. He wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight. He didn’t know how to respond.

“I’ll be… in the nook, in the roots. Where I usually sleep, I guess.”

Jake cringed slightly.

“Spider…do you…want to sleep with us? In the Marui?”

Spider practically held his breath. He was truly tempted to accept, but he couldn’t.

He had made his choice already.

“Maybe…maybe some other time.” He managed to blurt out.

Jake nodded, he got up to leave, but looked at Spider again.

“Hey, um…do you have anything to do tomorrow?”

“Not really, I’ll just…be here.” Spider lied through his teeth.

“Want to join me when I head out in the morning?” Jake offered. “I’ll teach you how the Metkayina hunt.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Spider offered a fake smile again.

Jake smiled back and nodded.

“Good night, Spider. Kiri, you coming?”

“I’ll stay with Spider a bit more.” Replied Kiri. Jake nodded again, and left for dinner.

Once Jake was out of earshot, Kiri turned to face Spider again. He took a deep breath.

This was it.

“Spider, are you sure you don’t want to eat with us?” Kiri asked gently.

“It’s okay, Kiri.” Spider replied, trying to match her tone. “I just…need to be alone a bit.”

Kiri nodded, sad, but understanding.

“If you want to eat with me, or you want me to be with you when you sleep, just find me. I’ll be there for you. Okay?” She smiled.

“Okay.”

She got up herself and started to leave.

“Kiri?” Spider called after her. She turned her head to face him again. Spider thought about telling her his plan. He knew it would break her heart the most. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted their last conversation to end on a happy note.

“Thank you so much, Kiri. For… everything.”

Kiri turned and crouched in front of him.

“Don’t worry about it, monkey boy. You’re my brother, I’d do it all again.”

Spider smiled sadly, and Kiri smiled back. She turned to leave again, and this time Spider didn’t stop her.

But he did whisper a goodbye under his breath.

Once Kiri was out of sight, he went back to his old shelter and grabbed the knife he’d kept from his chores yesterday. He studied the blade as the last rays from Alpha Centauri faded. It was a small knife, for work, rather than fighting. Luckily, it was perfect for cutting through the thick plants the Metkayina harvested from the reef.

Or the binds and canvas made from them…

What is Spider planning???

Jake is finally stepping in and being what he should have ages ago, but at this point it’s kind of “too little, too late”. Spider already has a father that loves him now...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Again, apologies if it was kind of disorganized. Luckily, I’m done with the College semester after Monday, so it’ll be back to regular updates until this fic concludes (which isn’t too far away). 

But there’s still a lot that’s going to happen, hope you’re all excited...

Chapter 21. Chapter 23

Another longer one, Jake POV this time.

Just a note, I’m a college student and I have finals coming up this week, so my update schedule may be a bit more sparse. I’ll try to get at least one chapter out, though. Thanks for bearing with me!

Enjoy 💙

Jake watched, bleary-eyed, as Alpha Centauri slowly crept over the horizon. He hadn’t slept a moment last night. After Kiri hadn’t returned, he had forced himself to stay awake in case she came back during the night. He hadn’t gone after her when she stormed off, fuming, but he needed to talk to her.

After he had recovered from the shock of the argument in the infirmary, he had been filled with a growing sense of guilt.

He had tried so hard to keep his everything together, and he’d watched as it fell apart in front of him. His family was in shambles.

He thought about Kiri’s rage after the…incident with Spider. Jake had worried that something like this could happen, but he couldn’t just forbid Kiri from seeing Spider. He knew it would break her heart.

So now, he had to deal with this…

He sighed with resignation as he realized Kiri wasn’t going to come back. It was already morning. He’d have to find her himself.

He just had one thing to do first…

Jake cringed when he looked to the pair of bowls sitting aside from the others. The last place on Pandora he wanted to be right now was Quaritch’s prison, but he still had a duty to uphold.

Quietly, he crept across his Marui and grabbed the bowls, careful not to wake the rest of his family. They needed the sleep.

Finally, bowls in hand, he stepped into the early light.

He made his way to the cooking fires slowly, trying to clear his head in the cool morning air. Things felt so overwhelming now. He was reminded of the way he felt during a battle. But, unlike a battle, there was no clear path to victory here…

He’d just have to hope Kiri would hear him out, whatever he tried to say…

Once Jake had the usual portions of stew and water in hand, he began to make the short walk to the prison. For the moment, he tried to put the thoughts out of his head and mentally prepare himself. He couldn’t show any sign of what he was going through to Quaritch. He knew his enemy wouldn’t hesitate to exploit any sign of weakness, and Jake did not have the energy to deal with that right now.

Once he reached the hut, he nodded to the guards to let him through, as usual, but one of them stopped him.

“Be careful, Toruk Makto. The Demon sounded…angered this morning.”

Jake grimaced, preparing himself for whatever deranged thing Quaritch would try today. He took a deep breath, then ducked into the hut.

He was expecting to find Quaritch leering at him, leaning against the bars, but he wasn’t. The man was lying on the floor, a frustrated, yet tired look on his face as he stared straight up at the ceiling. Jake scanned the man, stopping when he saw his fists.

Quaritch’s hands were a bloody mess, like he’d scraped them over concrete. Was Quaritch finally losing it?

The thought gave Jake a little comfort, but he still approached cautiously. He knew that Quaritch might try to lunge at him the moment he thought he could reach.

But Quaritch barely reacted. He perked his ears as Jake approached, and his face grew slightly more furrowed, but otherwise he seemed uninterested.

Jake kept his eyes on the Demon as he stooped to swap out the bowls. Quaritch’s turned to face him.

They both stared into each other’s eyes, trying to break the other in some way. Jake could see the usual hatred in Quaritch’s face, but it was mixed with something else he couldn’t quite place…

Jake stared for a moment longer, trying to discern whatever Quaritch was feeling.

Finally, he broke eye contact and stood to leave. He had more important things to worry about.

“Sully?” Quaritch spoke for the first time as he turned toward the exit.

Jake ignored it. Whatever insult Quaritch wanted to spit out, he wasn’t going to listen. Before the Demon could say anything else, Jake ducked out from the hut.

Once he was outside, he let out a sigh. That had been the easy part of today. Now, he had to find Kiri…

It was almost midday by the time he spotted her. He had searched almost the entirety of the village before he finally found Kiri sitting alone on one of the more distant beaches.

Jake cautiously approached, nervousness rising in his chest. What could he even say? Every time he tried to talk with Kiri about things, he just seemed to make the problem worse. For a moment, he considered just leaving her be. But he couldn’t. He had to try to make things up to her.

He took a breath, then called out her name.

“Kiri?”

His daughter’s ears perked up, and she turned. But the moment she saw who had called her name, her expression darkened.

“I thought we should talk.” he tried to sound comforting, but Kiri was having none of it.

Jake’s began to panic slightly as she got up to leave. She clearly didn’t want to talk to him, but he couldn’t let her walk away. He’d made that mistake too many times already.

“Kiri, just hear me out.” He called out. “Please, Kiri.”

His daughter stopped in her tracks. For a moment she stood still, then, finally, she turned and slowly made his way back to him. Her eyes were hostile, full of distrust.

Jake took a seat on the beach.

“Sit down with me, just for a moment.”

Kiri, still saying nothing, took a seat across from him, making a point to keep a distance between herself and her father.

Jake thought of what to say next. He’d managed to stop Kiri from leaving, but what could he do now?

“I…I wanted to apologize. For yesterday.”

Kiri growled at the words.

“You should be apologizing to Spider, not me.”

Jake grimaced. He knew that’s who this was ultimately about. He knew everything with Spider must be…hard on Kiri. He thought for a moment before speaking.

“I was hoping…you could help with that.” He offered to Kiri, trying to sound optimistic. She gave him an angry look in return.

“We’ll go talk to him together, we…”

“Dad, just…stop.” Kiri interrupted. “Stop pretending like you care about him.”

The words took Jake aback. Did Kiri really think that’s what he was doing?

“Kiri, I don’t understand…I do care…”

“No, you don’t.” Kiri interrupted him again, her tone growing harsher. “You proved it yesterday. You just stood there when mom threatened him.”

Jake frowned at the memory. He had been too shocked by his wife’s sudden aggression to respond. It had all happened so fast…

“That was…” He tried to explain, but Kiri interrupted him again.

“And the time on the ship? Mom was going to kill him, and you did nothing again. Did you even apologize to him for that?”

The battle replayed in Jake’s mind. That hadn’t been…perfect, but things had been desperate…

“I…”

Kiri didn’t let him get a word in. “And in the jungle, you didn’t even try to think of a way to save him when the sky people took him!”

Jake cringed slightly. It was true, but things had been…tough then. Just because he hadn’t tried to save him, it didn’t mean he didn’t care…

He tried to speak, but Kiri wasn’t done. There were tears in her eyes now, but she was getting angrier.

“And all the times mom kicked him out, or called him a demon, or treated him like a monster! All the times the other Omatikaya did the same! You were Olo’eyktan! Did you ever do anything to stop it?”

Guilt started mounting in Jake. It was true, he hadn’t done much to try to change Neytiri and the tribe’s attitudes toward Spider. It was too sensitive of a subject…

But the kid had been fine, hadn’t he? Jake had still helped when needed…

“I…I always tried to help…”

“That’s a lie!” Kiri yelled. “You know that’s a lie! You always ‘helped’ by ignoring him. Pretending he doesn’t exist!”

Jake reflected on the words.

It couldn’t be true, could it. He had always helped Spider. He didn’t…do that…

“I…didn’t ignore him, Kiri. I wanted to give him space, time to process. I wanted to respect…”

“You’re doing it now!” Kiri hissed. “That’s your help? Ignoring the problem and hoping it fixes itself? Do you even know how much Spider is struggling?!”

Jake didn’t reply.

“Do you know what he’s going through? The things he’s dealing with? How you made it worse!? Have you seen where he sleeps because you rejected him from our home? Do you know what he thinks about us? Do you know anything about what his life is like now?!”

The words stung Jake. As painful as it was to admit, he didn’t know. He remained silent, lacking anything to say.

The lack of a reply told Kiri the answer to all her questions.

“You don’t.” Kiri stated harshly, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. “You don’t know anything about what Spider is going through. You never try to help him. So do not tell me you care about him.”

Jake looked down. He tried to think of anything he could say to defend himself. He did care about Spider. So why couldn’t he think of anything to say to counter Kiri’s points? A growing feeling of dread rose inside of him.

“I..I thought that I could keep a balance. Spider and our family…”

The words seemed to hurt Kiri more than anything else.

“Dad. Spider is family. He’s always been family to me. And to Lo’ak, and Neteyam, and Tuk. All of us see him as our brother.” There were tears in Kiri’s eyes now.

The words filled Jake with a new sense of guilt. He had never seen Spider as part of the Sully family. To Jake, Spider had been like a stray cat, one of his kids’ friends, and nothing more. He knew his children were close to the boy, but family? Did his kids see him as mistreating their brother?

Suddenly a growing sense of dread started rising in him. Did Spider see his kids as family, the way they did? Did Spider see him as family? That would mean…

“But Spider, he…had a family, didn’t he? He had foster parents.” Jake felt like he already knew the answer to the question, but his mind was trying to avoid the creeping realization…

“No.” Kiri replied, tears running down her cheeks. “His ‘parents’ hated him. He would…beg us to let him stay. He couldn’t bear the thought of going back to them each night.”

Kiri sniffled, before adding.

“We were all he had, dad.”

The words confirmed Jake’s worst fear. He thought about all the times Spider asked him to teach him something. All the time Spider had come to him for comfort. All the times he’d turned to Jake, tears in his eyes, when Neytiri told him to leave.

This entire time…

Had he been Spider’s father figure?

Did Spider think of him as his dad?

Things he’d never considered before now popped into his head. The way Spider always hung around when he was training his sons. The way he tried to emulate Neteyam and Lo’ak whenever Jake was around.

The way he wore his hair. In dreads, not the tight braids most Omatikaya wore. Dreads, just like…

The truth hit Jake harder than a Hammerhead. He had been the closest thing Spider ever had to a parent. Spider had been desperate, practically begging for his love and approval. This entire time, he’d never even considered the possibility. Jake had always treated Spider…distantly. He’d never taken too much interest in the kid. He tried to show some care because he knew his children were close. But if Spider had truly been depending on him for parental support…

Jake felt tears gather in his eyes as he reflected on his past actions, filled with shame. How many times had he brushed Spider off? How many times had Spider been counting on him, and he’d let the boy down? How many times had he made Spider feel like he didn’t give a shit? That he was unwanted by the only people he had?

How had Spider felt when he’d learned that Jake had packed up his family and fled the jungle, leaving him to the RDA? Jake had practically written the kid off…

How had he felt when Jake had all but told him outright that he wasn’t welcome in their Marui? How had he felt when Jake hadn’t even tried to address the battle…

Jake held his head in his hands, guilt overwhelming him. His mind was providing an endless stream of times he’d hurt Spider.

The kid had loved him, and he’d neglected him. He’d hurt him. He’d failed him.

What have I done?

Thought it was about time Jake realizes how much he’s fucked up. The question is, what will he do now. He doesn’t even know about Spider and Quaritch.  Yet...😈

Whew, this chapter was a bit tough to write. Especially Jake’s realization. The whole “well meaning, but so clueless he ends up being an asshole” is hard for me to convey, I probably went through about 3 different versions of his talk with Kiri before I settled on this one. I hope I didn’t make the moment Jake realizes everything too bad lol.

The end of this fic is slowly coming into sight! There’s not much time left until the trial...

As always, thanks for reading 💙

Chapter 20. Chapter 22

Sorry this took a bit longer to come out than usual. It would initially have gone up yesterday, but I wasn’t happy with it, so I basically rewrote 90% of it. Anyway, it’s here now, and I hope you like it!

Enjoy💙

Quaritch was outwardly calm as he felt Spider’s breathing slow in his arms, but anger was still burning inside him like a wildfire.

Seeing Spider in such a state, broken and scared out of his mind, endlessly pissed him off. It had taken him a good chunk of his willpower not to immediately demand that Spider tell him what had happened, then somehow break out and kick the nearest native’s ass.

Luckily, even as infuriated as he was, he’d known better. He’d figured out quiet a while ago that any attempt at a breakout would result in immediate death. If the guards were vigilant, they would probably cut him down before he even left the hut. Quaritch wasn’t about to get himself killed in a fit of rage. His time would be up in a few days anyway, so he wasn’t going to waste the time he had left.

He made an effort to calm himself down. He knew had to keep his head on his shoulders, at least while his son was here with him. Spider needed him to be here, calm, and present. Going berserk in front of the kid probably wouldn’t be very helpful. Quaritch tried to shift his mind onto something else to calm himself, but he couldn’t help gritting his teeth as the time passed.

The hut slowly began to illuminate as morning approached. Quaritch’s spirit sank a little when he realized he had to wake Spider already. His son couldn’t have been with him much more than an hour since he’d arrived so late in the night.

He was almost tempted to let Spider keep sleeping. Let Sully find them together, a big fuck you to the man. But he had to put his pride aside. Spider was already hurting now, and Quaritch didn’t want to imagine what would happen to his boy if everything came out. He frowned as he looked down at Spider, sleeping peacefully in his arms. It still hurt like hell to wake him…

For one more moment, he closed his eyes and held Spider as close to him as he could, savoring the final moments of contact. He tried to imagine that Spider truly didn’t have to leave, that everything was okay.

But it wasn’t.

He sighed, braced himself, and shook Spider awake.

“Hmm…?”

“It’s time to go, kid.”

“Already…?” Spider’s voice was tired, broken.

“You got here late last night, kid. You’ve gotta go now, it’s already getting bright outside.”

But Spider didn’t move. He remained in the same position, half holding, half leaning onto Quaritch’s arm.

“Kid?” Spider didn’t answer. Quaritch assumed he must have fallen asleep again. He gave his son a firmer shake.

“Kid.”

But Spider hadn’t been asleep. He turned his head to look up at his dad, tears in his eyes.

“I…I don’t want to go.” Spider’s voice was weak, pleading. It made pangs of guilt shoot through Quaritch.

“I don’t want you to go either, kid. But you’ve gotta. It’s morning.”

Spider shook his head.

“No…you don’t understand. I…I can’t go back. I don’t belong with them.”

The words took Quaritch by surprise. The one thing Spider had always insisted upon his time as Quaritch’s captive was that he belonged with the natives. All of Quaritch’s efforts to convince Spider that he should be among other humans had failed miserably. It had been like talking to a brick wall. It had even, somehow, made Quaritch feel a little proud, seeing that his son had inherited his own sense of loyalty.

What the hell had happened?

Hearing the words from Spider filled him with equal parts sadness and anger.

“Kid…”

Quaritch tried to think of something encouraging to say.

“Those are your people out there. You always told me yourself…”

But Spider shook his head again, the words just upset him more.

“No. They aren’t my people. I was stupid to think they ever were.” Spider croaked out the words.

Quaritch was at a loss. Sully could come through the door at any moment, but he had to try to comfort his son.

“Well…there’s still Sully’s family. I may not like ‘em, but…” Quaritch was desperate even mentioning them like this, but he hoped at least they could inspire some comfort in Spider. But at the mention of the Sullys, Spider let out a sob. He didn’t say anything, but the pained look on his face told Quaritch all he needed to know.  

Rage started to rise in him like a wave, surpassing any anger he’d been feeling before.

Sully.

Of course it was Sully behind this.

Quaritch let out a low growl. His son had stayed loyal to Sully the entire time they were together. As far as Quaritch could tell, Spider practically idolized the man. And in exchange, Sully kicks Spider to the curb? Was this some sick revenge? Making Spider suffer to get at him?

The cry of some animal outside snapped him back to reality.

Shit. Spider was still here. As much as it pained him, Spider had to leave now. It was already well into sunrise, and the villagers would be up and about any moment. Spider’s chance to get out unseen was rapidly fading.

Quaritch’s instincts were screaming at him not to, but he forced himself to push Spider out of his arms.

“Kid. You need to go. Now!” Some of the mounting rage he was feeling had slipped into his words. Spider jumped at the sudden aggressiveness.

“Dad…” Spider choked out, tears rolling down his face.

“If you get caught here, we’re both in for a world of pain! Go!”

Spider looked broken. Desperate. The sight tore Quaritch apart.

“Please, dad. I…can’t…”

“Spider.” Quaritch again had to force himself to do what he needed to do. “Go. Now. That is an order!”

He hadn’t used the phrase with Spider in months, but he needed to get the point across.

Spider, stood still for a moment, his bottom lip trembling. His eyes were closed as tears poured down his cheeks. It took all of Quaritch’s willpower not to hug the boy and never let go. Finally, Spider gave a slow nod.

Hesitantly, he made his way to the opening. He took a shaky breath, then, carefully, he crawled back through.

Quaritch let out a small sigh of relief, then, immediately turned and drove his fist into the tree behind him with all his strength. For a moment, he held the pose, shaking. His mind was on fire, overwhelmed by a mixture of fury and anguish.

He took a shaky breath of his, own then swung at the tree again with all his might, again and again. The rage pouring out of him as he sent splinters of bark flying. Some also lodged into his rapidly bloodying hands, but he didn’t care. He only let out a roar of anger.

He fucking hated this.

He hated everything about his situation. He hated that Spider was out there suffering. He hated that his son had to take enormous risks to even visit him. He hated that Sully was making things worse of Spider. Most of all he hated how he couldn’t do shit about it.

His son was going through hell out there, and he just had to sit in this shithole and take it. Quaritch was tempted to try to gnaw through his binds with his bare teeth. He would rip through them like a rapid dog, then he’d tear at the canvas of the hut until he got through or his arms fell off. Anything to get out there, take Spider far away from every blue-skinned bastard around, then put Sully in his fucking place. If he ever got his hands on that motherfucker…

They wouldn’t even have anything left to bury.

He grabbed the thick material binding his legs and pulled at it with all his strength, struggling against it like a wild animal. But, just as always, the ties didn’t budge.

Quaritch let out one more frustrated roar, then let himself fall onto his side.

It was useless.

His anger slowly subsided, replaced by a deep anguish.

Quaritch groaned. It was a pained, tortured sound, a reflection of everything he was feeling. He raised his bloodied hands to his face, holding his head as he lay on the dirt.

What did he even think he could do? He couldn’t even comfort Spider, for god’s sake. He’d had to look his son in the face as he practically begged for comfort, then all but throw him out of the hut. Having to do that had hurt Quaritch more than anything else he could ever remember.

He’d gotten Spider to go, but did it even make things any better? He was more painfully aware than ever of how much Spider was struggling outside.

I can’t go back.

Spider’s words replayed in his head over and over again. He’d saved Spider from getting caught, but he’d sent him back to what seemed to be Hell for the kid.

He let out another anguished groan. He felt so…powerless. Forced to choose between two ways of hurting his own son. It was torture. Everything about his situation was torture.

Having to order Spider away.

The knowledge that things were awful for the kid.

The upcoming trial.

Even the dump he had to stay in.

The fact that he couldn’t do anything about it.

It was all so…painful. Even for him, it was overwhelming.

As he lay on the floor, he felt a single tear roll down the side of his head, mixing with the blood that had dripped from his fists.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d shed a tear. In this new body, it was most likely never. But then again, he’d never been through anything quite like this. Today’s events had finally broken something in him.

He silently cursed Sully while a few more tears left his eyes, as if it could somehow improve things. But he knew that the man had won. There was no other course of events. In six days, Sully would kill him for good, and Spider would be left alone to his own fate. And judging from the way Sully was treating Spider, it wouldn’t be anything good.

Quaritch tried to think of something, anything, to give him hope. He needed something to hold onto. But his mind came up blank.

He let out one last, quiet groan as he lay on the floor, slowly trying to recompose himself. He refused to give Sully the pleasure of seeing him in this condition when he brought the food. But inside, he was shattered.

Sully had won, indeed.

Writing Quaritch telling Spider to leave was painful...

Hope you liked the way I wrote Quaritch finally cracking under the pressure, writing emotional!Quaritch is one of my favorite parts of this fic!

I felt like being forced to tell Spider to leave while he’s literally at his lowest would be enough to make a tough guy like Quaritch reach his breaking point, but idk. I couldn’t resist writing him shedding a tear. 

If all the angst is too much, don’t worry. These past chapters were basically rock bottom for most of the characters, so things will start looking up somewhat. 

Thanks for reading 💙

Chapter 19. Chapter 21

20 Chapters! Never thought I’d see the day I write 20 chapters of anything! 

Anyway, there’s a lot happening in this chapter, hope y’all are prepared.

Enjoy! 💙

“Spider, wait! Please!”

Kiri called after the boy, watching helplessly as he ran out of the infirmary. She considered running after him, but she was in too much shock to do so. She just stood watching as he faded from view.

Once Spider was gone, a deafening silence filled the infirmary. Jake, Neytiri, Lo’ak and Kiri were all quiet. There seemed to be no noise at all, save for the occasional clicking of the machine managing Neteyam’s I.V.

Kiri felt a new feeling welling inside her. Her hands began to shake as she felt her entire body tense up. Her breathing grew faster, heavier. Slowly, she bared her teeth.

Breathe. Just breathe…

Kiri tried to take a deep breath, but her dad spoke first.

“Kiri…”

She let out a subtle growl.

“It’s okay…”

At the words, she exploded.

“SHUT UP DAD!”

Everyone jumped when she spoke, turning to face her. They’d never heard Kiri this upset. Ever

“How dare you! How fucking dare you say it’s ‘okay’?”

Her breaths practically growls, Kiri turned to face her mother.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

The rage in her voice threw even Neytiri off-balance.

“Haven’t you hurt Spider enough!? Can’t you tell he’s terrified of you?!”

Neytiri didn’t respond, but Kiri was far too enraged to judge how her mother was reacting. She was practically seeing red.

“He finally visits Neteyam, and you threaten him like that!?”

Kiri had no chance of stopping herself now.

“You almost killed him on the ship! Now you do this?! Why are you so monstrous?!”

“Kiri, stop!”

Jake tried to intervene, using a harsh tone, but it did nothing to phase Kiri at this point. It only engaged her further. She just turned to face her dad.

“And you dad! You just stood there doing nothing! Did you see Spider?! He looked like he was about to DIE OF FEAR! And you did nothing!”

Jake grimaced at the words, but Kiri continued.

“You never do anything! You never try to stop mom from treating Spider like garbage! You let mom almost kill him on the ship! And now you just stand there! Again!! You always just stand there and say ‘it’s okay’? HOW CAN IT BE OKAY?!”

Kiri paused, still shaking from rage. Everyone around her stood in stunned silence, which only made her angrier. She whipped her head between her parents.

“SAY SOMETHING!” Tears came to her eyes as she screamed, but both Jake and Neytiri remained silent.

Finally, she let out a roar of frustration, and stormed toward the entrance as well.

Jake tried to take her into his arms, but she pushed him away.

“Stop it!”

As Kiri yelled, she heard her mother approaching her. Blind with rage, she turned and, without thinking, swung her fist.

She hadn’t been aiming for anything in particular, but the blow connected with Neytiri’s stomach. It wasn’t too hard, but her mom still stumbled backwards.

“I hate you! I both of you!” Kiri hissed at her parents through the tears now forming in her eyes. With one final growl, she left the infirmary.

A small group of Metkayina had gathered outside, drawn by the yelling. She roughly pushed past them, ignoring their stares.

Grief and guilt started overtaking her rage as she walked through the village. The image of Spider looking up at her mom, unimaginable terror in his eyes, was burned into her mind.

Why were her parents like this? Why couldn’t they see Spider like she did? Why were they so eager to hurt him? Was there really nothing that could make them change?

Fresh tears came to her eyes as she walked.

Kiri had always believed in compassion, love, understanding. She had helped Spider with it. She had even managed to get Quaritch talking by empathizing with him. But she had just watched it all fail. Seeing her own parents refuse to show even a shred of care for Spider had crushed even her unmatched spirit.

All this time she’d been hoping she could repair Spider’s relationship with her family. The idea that he was rightto be afraid of them was heavy in her mind. Kiri hated thinking of her parents as cruel, but what she’d just seen seemed to confirm her worst nightmare.

Not knowing where else to go, she walked to Spider’s sleeping spot. Her spirit sank yet lower when she saw that it was empty, but she still climbed up and sat where they’d been the prior night. She was reminded of the last time she’d found it empty. When she’d seen Spider sneak off.

Kiri’s thoughts turned to the man imprisoned at the edge of the village. At least there was someone who cared for Spider. For now.

For the first time, Kiri questioned whether it would have been better if Spider hadn’t returned to them. She still found it difficult to trust Quaritch, but when they’d spoken about Spider, he’d seemed genuine. In a way her own dad never did talking about the boy. Her family didn’t deserve to have Spider with them, the way they were treating him.

Her own parents, caring less for Spider than the Demon…

She almost laughed at the sick irony. During her rant, she’d been tempted to drop that truth on her parents, regardless of her previous promises. But even in her blind rage, she had known it would only make things worse for Spider. Her parents already hated him enough as is…

She held her head in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks.

As the time passed, Spider still didn’t return. Kiri debated in her head whether she should go out and try to find him. Just the thought of facing him after this made her stomach twist, the shame almost unbearable.

But the thought of Spider being alone after what just happened was even worse. She had promised she’d always be there for him, no matter what.

The least she could do was make sure he wasn’t cold.

She grabbed a blanket and climbed down from the tree. She had no idea where the boy could be, but she would spend all night trying to find him if she had to.

(…)

Spider panted as he ran through the dark. His lungs were screaming at him to stop, but he knew he couldn’t He desperately crawled under a vine as he heard her behind him.

The noise of his pursuer was nearly silent, but he knew she was right on his tail. A cracked branch, a rustling of leaves, every noise filled him with dread as he stumbled through the jungle.

He had been in this forest countless times, but it felt…different. The darkness was oppressive, the various plants around him seemed to bunch together, closing in as if the jungle itself was trying to swallow him whole. Every bit of vegetation seemed to cling to him as he forced his way through the thick brush.

Spider cried out as his foot was snared in some web-vine. He desperately tried to free himself, but only became more entangled in the long, sticky strands.

He was stuck.

A deeper panic began to fill him.

“Help me! Help! Please!” He called out desperately, around him. But he knew only one person could hear him.

He froze as he watched Neytiri emerge from the fauna, her eyes holding nothing but hatred as she stared him down.

Spider tried again to desperately struggle against the vines holding him, but it was no use.

Neytiri raised her knife.

“This is your end, demon.” She hissed.

“Please…” Spider whimpered in fear, but she only growled back.

“Die!”

The knife plunged downwards…

“Aaaagh!”

Spider screamed as he awoke, sweating despite the cool air.

For a moment, he clutched his chest, convinced he’d see a knife the length of his forearm impaling him. But he only saw his old scar. Spider looked around, his heart still racing from the nightmare.

He wasn’t in the jungle, he was on a beach, under a rock.

Spider finally started breathing again when he realized it had been a dream, but his heart still raced. He glanced at the darkness around him, almost sure he’d somehow see yellow eyes staring back.

Spider jumped when he heard a quiet splash. He couldn’t make out what had caused it through the dark. He looked down at his hands and realized was trembling again.

He couldn’t stay here.

Without thinking any longer, he got out of his makeshift sleeping spot and started walking back along the beach.

In the past, Spider had never been afraid of the dark. Night was just a natural part of life, and it could be as beautiful as the day. He’d taken walks in the dark several times to clear his head. But, in his current state, the darkness seemed to close in around him, just like it had in his nightmare.

When his destination came into view, he started moving a little faster, as if he was running from something. His heart continued to race.

He didn’t even bother checking on the guards this time. He didn’t even really care if he got caught later. He just had to be with Quaritch right now. He quickly found his usual entrance and crawled into the hut.

For a moment, he lay on the dirt floor, breathing heavily.

“Kid? That you again?”

The voice that emerged from the dark once filled Spider with dread. But now, it was a respite from that very feeling.

“Spider?” Quaritch’s face was exhausted. He’d clearly been woken up. “Didn’t think you’d come this late, kid.”

Spider didn’t answer yet. He took a moment to catch his breath as he knelt, his heart still racing.

He heard his dad sigh.

“Look, I know that I messed…”

Quaritch stopped talking as Spider finally stood up fully. The boy was still shaking.

“Jesus…” Quaritch’s face became far more pained.

Spider didn’t know how he looked, but he assumed it wasn’t good.

“What…what happened kid?”

“I…” Spider choked out as the confrontation at the infirmary, and his nightmare, replayed in his mind.

He didn’t know how to answer. The idea of recounting what had happened the past day twisted his stomach into a knot. Especially to a man who already hated the Sullys.

“Can I just…stay here? For a bit?” His voice was quiet, the pain and fear he was still feeling obvious.

Quaritch pursed his lips at the lack of explanation. There was a hint of anger in his face, but he nodded.

Spider sat down next to the bars, trembling as he held his knees to his chest. Quaritch put his arms around him and pulled him closer to the bars.

“You’re alright, kid.” He whispered as he lay Spider’s head against his chest. “You’re safe.”

Spider could feel his father’s heart racing as he slowly closed his eyes.

“Thanks, dad.” Spider whispered back, half-awake. His trembling finally started to subside.

He felt Quaritch’s heart slow slightly before sleep finally overcame him.

Quaritch is doing his best not to break out, go directly to Jake, and beat him up...

Hope you liked the chapter! It felt good to finally write Jake and Neytiri getting called out, even if it does cause more pain for everyone. I initially wanted to make Spider visiting Quaritch be in the next chapter, but I decided to split it between the two. I couldn’t write all this without throwing in a little bit of comfort 🥺

Thanks for reading!