Calm Before The Storm, Jake Sully

052, Alone.

♯┆calm before the storm  .ᐟ
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"He cannot come back..." The truth. Frightening. Painful. Alone— that was all she could feel. The amount of anger that harvested within her heart, devouring her mind and soul. Eating her alive. However, Denahi still felt alone within this. Denahi's children had founded their pain into someone else, and her mate had founded his pain into keeping busy. Having something to do would distract him from the grief and pain of losing his eldest son. But, she still had Malhua. The little one who laid in her lap as she begged from her brother.

Tears whelmed within her amber eyes. Irises once filled with overflowing happiness, softness. Innocent. Now ruined. "I just want Neteyam!" Malhua continued to speak. Denahi's ears fell down her cheeks as she attempted to keep strong for her daughter.

Neteyam is not lost. He will never be forgotten. He rested within Eywa now, there she protected him. "Come on, Mal, Momma needs to rest," Jake spoke as he walked within the marui, head hung low and his arms holding multiple ruined guns. Malhua looked up at Jake, cheeks red and eyes swelling up. "Go find Kiri," He told her. His tone low and voice deep.

Malhua stood and escaped from the marui, searching around to find her sibling. Denahi looked up at Jake before hissing at the RDA weapons buried within his hands.

"You cannot keep those here..." Denahi warned him. Jake nodded once before putting them into a woven basket. Was she talking to herself? "You cannot keep them here!" She exclaimed. Jake sat back from his keeling stance and looked at her.

Her chest grew quicker in pace as she scanned the woven basket. Full of weapons that had murdered her family— metal that poisoned them. Jake's head tilted before he crawled towards her, palms reaching to land onto her shoulders, "Breathe, baby— baby, breathe." But, she couldn't breathe.

The room began to grow smaller. An overwhelming sense of dread began to wash over Denahi like a wave. Her hand landed against her heart as she attempted to stop herself from hyperventilating, "I cannot..."

"Name five things you can see," Jake reminded her. Denahi looked around the room, her vision blurred. "Fish. Fruit. Shells. Clothes... Hammocks," He nodded his head, palm falling to her fast-beating heart. Denahi's chest hurt, a raising sense of nausea growing within her stomach.

He had never seen her like this before. It heart yearned to make her feel better once again— to take her pain, "Name four things you can feel." Denahi's fingertips tightened around the mat beneath her, "The mat. Hmm..." She couldn't focus. Jake pulled her into his chest, soothing her until she had began to calm down. Coming back to this painful reality with no break.

When she finally laid to rest, Jake stood and shouted Ronal. She came to them immediately, knowing the stress Denahi was putting their child through. "What has happened?" Ronal questioned him as she peered down at Denahi's resting figure. Her hand holding onto her arm.

"Can you check on the baby?" He asked without any explanation to his sudden rush of concern. Ronal pressed her ear against Denahi's stomach, listening for the whispering. "He is fine. Heartbeat is fast. But, he is fine nonetheless," She explained.

Jake sighed in relief— Denahi had been in too much stress. "I have warned you JakeSully, she must be kept under little pressure as much as possible. Denahi is close to giving birth. We cannot risk much," Ronal began to explain as she held onto her own stomach, stroking her thumb.

How could that be possible? Denahi had the pressure of losing her eldest son. Pretending to be strong for her grieving children. Worrying that the RDA would come back. She hadn't had time to rest, to care for herself without thinking about everyone else.

Ronal knew how far along she was because Denahi was a little in front in the pregnancy than she had been when the Sully's first arrived. "You think we haven't tried?" Jake asked her, not meaning to be rude.

Ronal shook her head before standing, "You do not understand. You never have." Without another word, she left the marui.

Jake looked down at Denahi and sighed. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't consume the pain she felt, he wanted to take it all. Knowing he could handle it.

The children soon returned home. Spider and Kiri's laughter filled the pod as the two entered, but Jake soon hushed them knowing Denahi had finally fell into slumber. "Go. Take the hammock on the left," Further from Denahi so she could continue to sleep.

She needed rest. Her body needed rest. Denahi needed to recover. Spider looked back at Denahi before taking the hammock. Lo'ak soon entered, holding Malhua within his arms and Tuk toddling behind.

"Give her to me..." Jake whispered to Lo'ak. Malhua's unconscious state fell into Jake's arms as he held her close. The little daughter snuggled closer into his chest.

This was it. This was their family now. One full with grief and sadness in this moment, but would recover from it. Come back stronger than before. Fight together because Sully's never quit. Sully's stick together.