Reborn - Pandora's Box (Book 2)

-.-Close Calls-.-

Suddenly, she was falling. The only sensation she recognized was the wind rustling against her skin and through her hair...

She screamed and was suddenly gone, swallowed by the plunge, disappearing into the thick fog. 

A moment of shocked silence followed before-

"MOM!"

"NIX!"

Even Augustine let out a shocked squawk. 

Springing into action, Quaritch reconnected with his Ikran and ordered her to dive and suddenly they too were plunging headfirst off the side of the cliff.  Come on, where was she?

He caught sight of a flash of orange through the fog - her hair, surely! He urged the beast onward, downward, closer, closer.

Her body slammed into his outstretched arms, which immediately tightened around her.  "I got you!" He wasn't sure if she could hear him, but he said it anyways. He wanted her to know. I've got you... 

He squeezed her to him, pressing her against him as he now urged his beast back upwards, back to the cliff's edge. He would be damned if he was letting her go - again. 

Back on the cliffside, the whole squad and Spider had swarmed the edge. They backed up to make room for Quaritch, the beast and Nix. 

Moments later, they were back on solid ground. "It's okay, Sweetheart, you can let go now. You're safe. You're in good hands." But she didn't move. Her trembling form still clung to him, even tighter now. 

"MOM!" Spider burst forth and grabbed her in his own embrace. 

This snapped her into some movement. She cupped his face in trembling hands. "What were you doing?!"

"Me?! You're the one who actually fell off the cliff!"

"I know!" It was all still very fresh.

She stumbled, fell to her knees, and promptly puked up her guts. Spider knelt by her side, rubbing her back.

"We're done here," Quaritch announced.  "For today. Let's get down off this godforsaken rock and make camp. Kid, help me with your mama." He climbed back onto his Ikran and Spider helped lift Nix up onto the back. "Up front, Kid," Quaritch ordered, and Spider scampered up to the front. As for the others, those who had already bonded with their beasts could carry those who hadn't yet. 

While they flew, Quaritch held Nix tucked against his chest. "That's twice I've nearly lost you today, within the span of a couple of hours."

A moment's silence, then, "Don't tell me you were worried."

"I was."

She snorted, though it was weak-sounding, considering all she had endured in the last several minutes. "Would make your life a lot easier."

"Don't joke like that, please." 

They were silent for the rest of the trip.

It took them a long time, but finally they found what the Colonel deemed a suitable camp spot for the night. 

While Nix was recovering off to the side, away from the squad - but still in view, of course - Spider came and sat down beside her.  After a moment's silence, he spoke.  "You guys knew each other before, didn't you? I know you worked together, but it's more than that. I wondered what was up - you guys keep looking at each other, and something about him seems to soften when he looks at you."

He was observant, more so than she'd given him credit for. But then again, there wasn't much else for them to do here except just that: observe. 

She sighed and gave in. "I lied to you: We didn't just work together, we were involved - romantically."

His shock, if he was shocked, wasn't evident, so maybe he'd already figured that part out too. "Okay. So all this 'coming back from the dead' must have really messed with you."

"Yeah, it has.  It feels like a ghost has been haunting me all these years and now it's not a ghost, but something else entirely, something far more frightening. But he's not him - now he's someone else, something else, and I don't know what to do or how to feel about it."

She proceeded to tell him about her stolen video logs, how it had given Miles and the others all the information they needed to attack the Na'vi.

"It's not your fault," Spider was quick to tell her. 

"Then why does it hurt so much?"

"Because you care so much."

She cracked a small smile.  "You're wise, kid."

"I know. Wise beyond my years."

She chuckled, then, "Besides, I fell in love."

"It's Uncle Norm isn't it?"

She let out a bark of laughter. "Leave your Uncle Norm alone. He's my brother. No, I fell in love with all this..." She gestured broadly.

He wrinkled his nose. "That's super cheesy."

"It's true! If I can find a love greater than this, well..." She shrugged and trailed off. Enough said there.

"Is that how you feel about Tu'Same?"

She was thrown by the question. "Oh, Tu..." Her kind of boyfriend, her potential mate. She'd barely even thought of him since the abduction. "I-I'm not sure..."

"That's okay, you don't have to know right now." A pause, then.  "So, what about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"When did I come along in your story?"

She only told him because he asked, about Miles cheating with Paz while she was on her way to Pandora. 

"Son of a bitch," he cursed.  "I'm sorr-"

"No, don't. It's not your fault. Besides, I wouldn't give you up for anything. You and your sister."

"He's Gracie's dad too, isn't he."

She dropped her head. "I'm so ashamed-"

"No, don't be-"

"But things were going well until they weren't. Everything changed so suddenly. Or so it seemed."

"Don't be. I'm sure it's easy to blame yourself with hindsight."

Again, the wise kid and his words. 

"What can I say? I was young and stupid and I made some questionable decisions, which turned out to be bad ones. I was young and in love - or at least I thought I was."

"You loved him?"

"Young and in love? The young part, yes, but the in love part? Debatable. I thought I was but now that I'm older and wiser, I don't know. I just see it was a string of bad choices that blew up tremendously in my face. But I also ended up with you and Gracie, and that is so much more than I could have ever asked for."

Spider nodded. "This really puts a new spin on having something come back later to bite you in the ass."

She snorted. "It sure does, kid." Then she turned serious again.  "After the shock wore off of seeing him again, and realizing he's not the same man,  part of me thought - hoped - that he would change. But that's just wishful thinking. He won't - he'll never change."

(Whew, and there we are! This chapter just wasn't coming together, and then I was preparing, and now recovering, from dental surgery - at least I have some time to write now!

Hope this chapter was worth the wait! I am currently planning a new Paz and Quaritch story, so stay tuned! 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))