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ts is pre-zeyria
***
“I hate the insanity in their minds,” Neytiri snarls, tail whipping and tears falling.
Her eyes looked wild and her hands were shaking.
Jake can do nothing more than stare.
His hand is clasped over the swell of his stomach; his hands are shaking.
The baby isn’t moving, also seemingly enraptured in this moment.
He’s at a loss for words.
Quaritch is the one who finally speaks. “We were human once.”
Neytiri turns to look at him.
Quaritch presses her. “Do you hate the human in us too? Hate how we use guns? Hate how we have an extra finger?”
Neytiri doesn’t say anything, but her eyes say the truth.
Quaritch looks at her in disbelief. “Holy fucking shit. Twenty years, Neytiri, twenty fucking years! And that didn’t mean shit to you? We lived in these damn blue bodies, we had kids, and you still think we’re some aliens?”
Neytiri was breathing erratically now.
Jake finally finds his voice.
“Do you hate your kid’s human side?” Jake asks, voice wavering. “Every time they make a mistake, every time they do something to irritate you; is all you see that they’re human? That they’re aliens?”
Neytiri’s hands are shaking.
Her voice is quiet when she responds, but firm. “Yes.”
Quaritch laughs, absolutely astounded. “I can’t even fucking fathom how touched in the head you are Neytiri.”
Jake feels a headache forming.
Neytiri looks enraged. “I am touched in the head, Miles? You came here with the intention to kill me!”
“And I fucking changed! Jake changed, we all fucking changed, Neytiri! We’re mated, we have children for fucks sake!”
“These people are destroying my home! My people! Do you want me to just sit here and accept that?”
“No, but you sure should love your family!”
“SHUT UP!” Jake finally yells, when he spots movement at the door of the Marui. “Both of you, shut up.”
Jake runs to the doorway just in time to see his kids running. “Lo’ak! Kiri! Spider! Tuk! Get back here!”
Jake starts after them, but Neytiri grabs him as Quaritch sprints past him after the kids.
“You cannot run right now,” Neytiri snarls.
Jake shoves her off of him. “Get the fuck off of me. I’m going after my kids even if you hate them.”
Neytiri looks hurt but grabs him again. “Jake—”
“You were only upset when Neteyam got shot because he had your fucking hands!” Jake screams.
Neytiri rips her hand off him like he burned her.
Jake feels his eyes fill with tears as a sob builds in his chest.
He knew what he said was beyond reprehensible.
An evil had left his mouth and he couldn’t take it back and he hated the quiet pleasure he feels knowing he hurt her like she had hurt them
Neytiri looks at him with so much pain and Jake feels a knot in his chest tighten.
“Mama!” comes a gasp from behind him.
Jake turns around and sees Kiri standing behind him, shocked.
She looks at him and sees the tears gathering in his eyes and runs to him.
Tuk is crying in Quaritch’s arms, little body shaking with sobs.
Even Quaritch, who was angrier at Neytir than Jake had been, looks surprised at the words that had left Jake’s mouth.
But still, he doesn’t say a thing, just fixes his furious gaze on the ground.
And of course, it’s Lo’ak, the child who seemed to be born of Jake’s rib, that speaks first.
“You think I’m a freak, mom?” Lo’ak asks, voice flat.
Neytiri tries reaching out to him, but he steps back.
“Careful, don’t want to touch the alien,” Spider snarls.
He had come with Kiri to Jake’s side and had a hand on Jake’s shoulder.
The omega had never heard Spider this angry.
Quaritch’s jaw tightens.
Despite his anger, he doesn’t let disrespect slide. “Don’t talk to your mother like that.”
The words don’t sound convincing, but he’s trying.
“She hates us!” Kiri snaps. “Just because we have an extra finger!”
Jake grabs her hand and squeezes because she sounds like she’s about to cry.
“I’ve never hated you,” Neytiri insists, voice breaking.
Jake’s head was starting to hurt even worse.
Lo’ak notices first; he always notices first.
He grabs Jake’s arm. “C’mon, mama, let’s get back inside.”
Spider is supporting his other side.
Jake gently brushed them both off.
Jake was tired.
Tired of letting the RDA run his family.
Tired of watching Neteyam survive off of machines when he should’ve been running around having fun.
“Tiri,” Jake says, exhaustion seeping into his voice. “You’re angry. I understand.”
“Mama, what—” Spider starts, but Quaritch shoots him a look that shuts him up.
“You have every right to hate these people who have taken everything from you,” Jake continues. “I understand; truly, I do. But this is your family. We’re here for you. We love you, we know you love us. You cannot keep living like this: in hate. It’ll kill you, baby.”
Neytiri’s shoulders were shaking.
She sinks to her knees, covering her face. “I’ve lost everything; my home, my sister, my father. I’ve lost them to their incessant greed. And my poor baby, Neteyam…”
The kids rush to her first.
“You have us,” Kiri whispers, leaning her head on Neytiri’s shoulder.
“We’ll kick their ass, mom,” Spider says, completely serious, holding her hand with his.
Lo’ak hugs her tight. “Don’t worry, mom. Neteyam is gonna be fine and we’ll get rid of every bad human on Pandora.”
Quaritch makes his way over slowly.
He offers Neytiri his open hand that isn’t holding Tuk. “C’mon, Tiri. Let’s go to bed. We’ll figure out how to deal with the assholes tomorrow.”
Neytiri grabs his outstretched hand. “I’m sorry.”
Tuk reaches for her and Neytiri grabs her; Tuk buries her face into Neytiri’s shoulder.
“Don’t be,” Quaritch says, voice gruff, but eyes soft. “It ain’t your fault.”
“But it isn’t yours either,” Neytiri says, shaking her head. “And I’m sorry for taking so long to see.”
“Hate has a way of messing with you,” Jake says softly.
Neytiri looks at him.
“I’m sorry too,” Jake says quietly. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
Neytiri shakes her head. “It was what I needed to hear. I’m sorry too.”
“We have to stay strong right now,” Quaritch says. “We can’t afford to be fighting each other and the RDA.”
Tuk finally speaks up. “Sullys stick together!”
Jake bursts into laughter. “Yes, baby, Sullys stick together.”
He sometimes forgot he told his kids that saying that he and Tommy had when they were kids.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Quaritch mutters, guiding Jake with his hand on his lower back.
“I think it’s time we all went to bed,” Kiri agrees.
They all pile into the Marui slowly and silently.
It’s not the same suffocating silence that had been engulfing their home for the past week.
It was blissfully peaceful and carried no weight of accusation or hatred anymore.
Jake is leaning his head on Quaritch’s shoulder.
Jake stays awake as everyone gradually falls asleep; he knows Quaritch is awake too.
“I gotta deal with the RDA,” Quaritch whispers, rubbing his fingers through Kiri’s hair. “I’m not letting another one of my kids get shot.”
“We,” Jake emphasizes. “Will deal with the RDA.”
Quaritch doesn’t acknowledge him.
Jake twists around and bites down on Quaritch’s shoulder hard enough to draw blood.
“Son of a—what the hell is wrong with you?” Quaritch hisses.
Jake doesn’t back down. “Don’t do anything stupid, Miles. Promise me.”
Jake can see the vein twitching in his alphas forehead.
“Miles.”
“Fucking—fine, yes, I promise. You didn’t have to bite me like a damn dog.”
Jake presses an apology kiss on the bite.
Quaritch doesn’t say anything else, but his hand finds its way to Jake’s lap.
Jake allows his eyes to close and lets sleep take him.
***
“Mama! Mama, wake up!”
Jake rubs his eyes. “What is going on?”
It felt like he had just barely fallen asleep and now he was being woken up again.
He comes face-to-face with Spider, the boy’s eyes filled with fear. “Dad is gone.”
Jake is up in an instant. “What—”
“Mom is gone too,” Kiri says, voice breaking. “I don’t know where they went.”
Jake swears. “Motherfucker! I told him not to fucking pull this shit!”
Tuk looks caught off guard; Jake had always been careful not to swear around her.
“Get my ikran, now—” Jake starts, but Lo’ak cuts him off.
“Mama, you’re pregnant. There’s absolutely no shot you’re going right now,” Lo’ak says firmly.
Jake ignores him, his hand shaking as he tries to grab all straps of his saddle. “I’ll be damned if I’m grounded by my own son, Lo’ak, I’m getting my ikran.”
“Then we’re coming too,” Kiri insists.
“And where exactly is everyone going?” comes an amused voice from the doorway.
Jake whips around to see Neytiri and Quaritch at the entrance, fishing gear and a basket of fish in their hands.
“You son of a bitch, you can’t just fucking leave without telling anyone after last night!” Jake snarls.
Quaritch’s eyes widened; he wasn’t expecting Jake to be this angry. “Neytiri and I just wanted to talk, princess, we’re good.”
Neytiri grabs his shaking hands. “Ma’Jake, we would never make plans to fight without you.”
“We’re pissed, for sure, but we ain’t suicidal enough to go flying at the RDA base,” Quaritch agrees.
Jake takes a deep breath.
Lo’ak thinks quickly to soothe over the tension in the room.
“The Wind Traders are coming in a month,” Lo’ak pipes up. “The baby should be here by then and we can all go visit the forest again.”
Neytiri beams at him. “That is a great idea, baby. A little trip home.”
Quartich nods. “Seems like we can use the break.”
Jake groans. “I just want this damn baby out.”
Spider grins. “Don’t worry, mama, I’ll babysit whenever you need it.”
Jake presses a kiss to his temple. “You’re adorable, but absolutely not.”
“Yeah, I would babysit,” Kiri argues.
“Why you? You can’t even take care of me!” Tuk protests.
“Tuk!” Kirk gasps.
Lo’ak nods. “Yeah, I say leave the babysitting to me.”
There’s a resounding “Hell no” in response.
As the kids bicker about the new baby, Quartich comes over to Jake’s side.
“Hey, we’d never leave or make a decision like that without you,” the alpha says softly.
Jake sighs. “I know. It’s just been a rough week between last night and Neteyam not waking up.”
Neytiri smiles at him. “He will wake soon, Ronal says. He is recovering well.”
Jake just yawns, still tired.
“You wanna go back to bed?” Quartich asks, amused.
Jake smacks his arm. “It’s your fault I had to wake up this early in the first place.”
Neytiri kisses his temple. “Go to bed. We’ll be here when you wake up..
Jake hums. “You better be.”
Quartich’s hand squeezes the omega’s in a silent agreement.