A/N: Wow, so yeah - I'm sorry this took so long to come out, but my job literally consumes my entire being. Now recently, I discovered that I'm going to be a mom so one of my goals before the squid gets here is to finish this story for GOOD. My last shot. Please enjoy, read and review if you like. I can't promise another chapter right away, but I will do my best. - Oly

Chapter contains mature content, read at your own risk.

They hadn't spoken to each other since Samos' arrival ten minutes earlier. Torn had silently led him to the girl's bedroom and stood aside to watch the Sage work. Torn never had anything to say to the older man - he was so vastly different from what the Shadow once was. Torn usually didn't like the hippie bullshit Samos now had going on, but if he could help Aiden, he was more than willing to look past Samos' still growing peculiarity and carefree attitude and let him do whatever a Green Eco Sage did best.

"This child will suffer mentally and physically. Not only from the affects of dark eco, but from something else much darker, more dangerous - I feel it, deep in my gut." Samos stood over the unconscious girl, fingers dancing with green eco as he examined her. "Her memories of today will probably be vague at best."

Torn pulled away from the wall he leaned against and stood next to the smaller man as he moved his aged, practiced hands move over the young woman's temple. The glow of the bedside lamplight and green eco reflected and created eerie shadows over her sleeping face making her appear far older than what she was. "What can we do, Samos?" Torn's raspy voice cut through the silence; he watched Samos jump subtlety from the unexpected interruption.

"Training and patience. What else has there ever been? You will need to let her remember the events of today on her own, at first. Slowly work the details of today into your conversations if she doesn't figure it out for herself." Samos stepped back and observed the Commander grimly. "Have I told you the story of the day that Jak and Daxter first came in contact with dark eco?"

Torn rolled his eyes and returned to his place against the wall. "If I haven't heard it from you, I've heard it from the bragging rat. I still can't believe he made it out of that pool of dark eco alive."

"In your lifetime, have you ever experienced another person turning into a Precursor by coming into contact with dark eco?"

Suppressed memories began flashing in Torn's mind - The cries and pleas for the pain to stop from dying men and women being injected with dark eco over and over and over again. Not once did they change into anything but dead. Torn cleared his throat, searching his mind for something else to fill Samos' question. Torn would never again speak of those experiments he was forced to be apart of, if only briefly in his youth. "I've seen one of my men fall off a cliff into a nest of metal heads fighting over a leaking barrel of dark eco. Not only did he suffer from severe dark eco burns - he got mauled in the process. . . definitely did not turn into a Precursor. Not a way to go if you ask me." Torn crossed his arms, and frowned. "What's your point anyway?"

Samos didn't bat an eye at the blunt response as he moved around the bed, tucking Aiden into bed. "In the time before Mar, there was a man and woman who were able to absorb dark eco and not die or transform in the process. Most of the effects were vastly different for the Acheron twins in comparison to Jak or Daxter, except one thing." Samos pointed to his head, "The siblings both lost their minds." He smoothed Aiden's hair away from her face and sighed. "I met Gol right when he had left home to study under the Blue Sage as a young man. He brought his sister with him to the village, to protect her from their abusive family. The siblings were eager and smart - always together with their noses stuck in a book." Samos paused. "Then one day, Gol announced his sage hood with the blessing of the Blue sage - dark Eco. Not one Sage in the early written history had ever dedicated their lives to the dangerous substance - - I warned him of the consequences; warned him of the unknown, but did he listen? Of course not. Dark eco is malleable to the mind and it will use what it can against you: your weaknesses, your doubts, and your fears. Can you guess what the eco used to burrow into their minds?"

"Violence, obviously. No one escapes a broken home unscathed."

"Yes, the twins' insanity peaked right when Jak and Daxter were fifteen and rebellious. Had Daxter not fallen into that dark eco to reappear as a Precursor, history may have been very different today." Samos looked through Torn with unseeing eyes as he searched the past. "We were too late to save Gol and Maia, but we made it to Jak in time before the dark eco consumed his mind, and now we can continue to help Aiden." He focused his attention back on Torn. "I've watched Aiden grow and change from afar. I can see she is nearly done with that damnable stage of teenage stupidity and defiance, but with the troubling news that she's absorbing dark eco, I fear she will severely regress. Not only frustrating, but very dangerous." Samos hopped off the edge of the bed where he had sat temporarily. "The dark eco will nest if it hasn't already. I believe the only course of action that we must take is to develop her dark eco powers, not to let it fester like an infection."

Torn laughed shortly. "I highly doubt that is what Jak or Aiden will want." He moved around Aiden's bed to switch off the bedside lamp - darkness consumed Torn's vision. He listened to the gentle breathing and sighs of the sleeping girl for a moment before walking carefully toward the bedroom entrance, following Samos out.

"They both know there is no room for arguing." Samos paused in the hall as Torn closed the door softly behind him. "I will discuss it with Jak in the morning."

"You do know that he's currently leading a murder investigation, right? And I'm taking Aiden to Spargus tomorrow morning."

Samos stopped abruptly and turned to face Torn, concern set deep in his face. "She shouldn't leave the city. She is highly volatile - we cannot see it now, but anything, small or large in nature can set off her powers."

"Like you said, Samos, you'll need to talk to Jak. Until then, I'm doing my job, and that's getting the girl to Spargus in one piece and making sure she takes her studies seriously." The taller man brushed passed Samos to return to the ground floor. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some shut eye before our departure in the morning."

"Don't be a fool, Torn. Cancel the trip." Samos hurried down the stairs to follow Torn into the kitchen. "When have I ever steered you down the wrong path?"

Torn turned around to study the older man. Deep creases had finally settled into the corner of his eyes and around his mouth. Torn didn't know Samos' age and he would never ask, but he knew Samos had passed the average lifespan of most elves. There was far more wisdom in this man's head than he would ever be able to accumulate in his lifetime. So why did he not want to listen? Where was his excuse? Samos leaned against his walking stick, huffing and puffing from the exertion of hurrying down the stairs, but still he waited, listening for the younger man's answer.

His insufferable logic and desire for keeping perfect schedules proceeded over his gut instinct. "Not that I don't agree with you, Samos, but we have to go. This has been planned for the past six months and I highly doubt Ashelin will be very pleased with us to cancel. I had already spoken to Jak about the situation, and he agrees that we need to keep Aiden's life as normal as possible. She won't even be gone very long. Jak and Daxter are but a few hours away if anything were to rise from her. . . condition."

"Does her mother know the situation?"

"I'm not aware if she knows. I don't think Jak would be stupid enough to keep this a secret from Ashelin."

Samos scoffed and turned to the leave the kitchen. Torn could almost feel the waves of anger follow him out. "You don't know Jak very well then, do you boy?" The echo of his platformed shoes grated at Torn's eardrum, the onset of a headache grew worse with each step. "Good night. I dare hope you and Jak know what you are doing or what you could be getting yourself into. Take care of that girl." Samos slammed the front door behind him and silence once again fell over the room.

Torn sighed and leaned down to lay his hands over his head, pressing his forehead against the cool counter top. "What am I getting myself into?" He lifted his head suddenly remembering the girl upstairs was tuck into bed with wet clothes. Aiden's clothes were still soaked from the storm which meant he needed to get her into something dry before she added a cold or worse on top of the growing pile of misfortune. With a groan of acceptance, Torn stood and moved to return upstairs - he opened the guest bedroom door and ventured into the room, flicking the light on to reveal a tiny ottsel curled up on a pillow at the head of the bed. Torn walked up to the bed and kicked the post, jarring Delilah awake. "I need you to help me change Aiden's clothes."

"I'm sorry, what?" Delilah groggily responded, stretching out across the pillow, yawning.

"You heard me. I'm not changing her clothes or scrounging through her dresser without you in there, awake. Now get up."

"Fine." Delilah replied, high disgruntled as she climbed off the guest bed following Torn out of the room and into Aiden's. "Pick out some night clothes, I'll start getting her clothes off her... some how." Dee jumped on the bed and crawled under the covers, throwing Aiden's boots off the bed at Torn.

"Hey!"

"You wanted my help pretty boy, now take it." Ignoring his death glare, Delilah began the struggle of getting Aiden's black socks off. "Why does she have to wear socks?" Dee growled, finally pulling the left sock off. She curled her nose at the distinct smell of boot feet. "Yuck. Glad I don't wear shoes." She paused at the delicate pink nail polish gracing Aiden's toes. "Ohhhhhhh - she's never going to hear the end of this. Pink nail polish?"

Torn straightened up and peeked over at Aiden's foot. "It's almost like Aiden's a woman." He smirked and returned to the task at hand, finally pulling a silk long sleeved night shirt out of the bottom dresser. "Let's get her shirt off first, put the night gown on and then get the pants off. We're not fiddling with her undergarments - that'll stay on."

"Someone's being prudish." Delilah teased, pulling the other sock off and tossing it at Torn.

Torn narrowed his eyes at the Ottsel. "You know the man a lot of people in this city consider a monster is her father? Do you know what he has done to people who've pissed him off? Do you think I want to be on the receiving end of his gun or a claw? You call it prudish, I call it being smart. Now help me. I'll hold her up, you pull the shirt over her head."

Delilah giggled, walking up to Aiden's leg as Torn pulled the unconscious girl toward him to pull the back of her shirt up to her shoulder blades. "Oh man to see Jak kick your ass would be a highlight of my life, but I guess I'll be nice and help out." She stuck her tongue out and climbed up his shoulder to pull the shirt over Aiden's head. The two worked together in silence, minutes later finally tucking Aiden back into bed with dry clothes.

"Man, I can't believe she didn't wake up once." Delilah spoke up. "Did Samos say anything about her condition?"

Not knowing the extent of Delilah's knowledge regarding the dark eco, Torn nodded, speaking vaguely. "Yeah, she'll be fine. Just going to have some memory problems for the next day or so."

Delilah nodded in approval before jumping off the bed. "Well, you're welcome for the help. I'm going back to bed. Later prude."

"Good night." Torn didn't have the energy to return the snarky comment. He sat on the edge of the bed as the Ottsel left the room, elbows on his knees, studying the floor as he contemplated the words Samos had spoken earlier. He could feel the heat of the young woman's body pressed into his lower back, her breathing soft - her dreams hopefully quiet. It was not often that he doubted his plans, but the fear and apprehension laced through Samos' word really ate at him. Was he really making a sound decision leaving the city with the girl? He turned his head to study the sleeping girl; what really could go wrong in such a short time? The levels of all eco in Spargus were at an all time low - he doubted whatever was occurring in Haven would follow them out the door. He eyed the clothes Delilah had strewn across the room, and he stood without thinking to pick each piece up, systematically folding and laying the clothing on the chair sitting next to Aiden's dresser. He tucked her boots underneath the chair - the cleaning hardly appeased his trouble thoughts. He turned the lights out once again and quickly left the room in hopes to sleep his niggling doubts away instead.

In a dark room, a young woman awoke in a panic.

Aiden sat up gasping for breath, clutching the bed sheet to her chest; vivid nightmares still played across her mind as she stared fiercely into the darkness, eyes searching for the images still burned into her skull. Soaked in perspiration, a shiver racked her body as the air from the ceiling fan hit her bared skin. She slowly came to reality, realizing that it was nothing but a nightmare. "Thank the precursors" She whispered and laid her hand over her heart, feeling its wild palpitations beginning to slow to a dull throb.

There had not been a single night in almost three weeks where she could sleep soundly without experiencing these violent images playing with her mind. She was afraid to sleep any longer; the monster was stirring and it was making sure she knew damn well about it. Only when she closed her eyes were Aiden's defenses down and she was at her most vulnerable. The monster whispered sweetly of excruciating torture and death; taking control of her mind piece by piece. Sleep was but a luxury that could not be afforded any longer.

Exhaustion washed over her body and she immediately felt like she had been hit by a bag filled with bricks. Skull throbbing fiercely, the blonde plopped back onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling; light danced beyond its white panels and onto the walls from passing vehicles outside the window. She knew she would not be going back to sleep now.

Aiden moved the sheet and swung her legs to the side of the bed. Her foot caught in the tangles of the sheet and she fell out, waking a little more from shock of the cold wooden floor hitting her thighs and calves. Needle like sensations jabbed into the palms of her hands, itching against the sudden harsh contact. She felt weak, feverish, and confused. She pulled herself up on the cast iron bed frame and unsteadily padded across the room to the lone window. Leaning her forehead against the cold pane Aiden observed the faintly lit road. She was in her own house, in her bedroom, and dawn was approaching soon - the tendrils of pink rays barely crawled over the sky line.

It felt like she had misplaced something important. This ignorance was the most unwelcome feeling Aiden had ever felt in her life, and she knew that the blank pages would start becoming a bigger part of her existence soon. If her memory served her correctly, it was of her last night in Haven City for the next month.

The recollection sat her with Torn in a corner booth around six in the evening . . . Pecker had delivered Onin's divination right after the rain had stopped - leaving the port so humid and steaming, sweat rolled down her face and neck as she struggled to return the bar, sicker than a dog. She remembered Torn's eyes burning with concern over her state of health - his crude words masking his worry. Aiden winced as a vehicle's headlights flickered past her window and briefly into her eyes. Her head throbbed painfully from the light sensitivity, and from the prophecy that was gnawing at the edge of her mind. The bubble of anxiousness that had settled in the pit of her stomach seemed to flourish on her discomfort and uncertainty.

She pushed the burdening thoughts aside, and began making her way to the door of her room. As of now, the prophecy was not much concern; what was most important was finding out why she couldn't remember so many hours of her life. Why she couldn't remember what occurred after her return to the bar, or how she wound up in her bed. At the door she paused and glanced at the chair sitting by her dresser. The clothes she wore last night; her shirt laid on the back of the chair, drying, and her pants and socks were folded and neatly stacked on the seat. She closed in and noticed that her boots were together and tucked underneath the chair, toes pointed toward her.

Torn.

His control freak tendencies slapped her in the face. She'd seen this before: at his apartment, in his office, the council's meeting chambers, Keira's garage, and of course, her own house. . . the list could probably go on forever. He was meticulous about everything being straight and proper; from the documents on his desk, the clothing in his closet, even to how he set up his gun cleaning kit. He had an eye for details that many people would never notice if he weren't moving about a room straightening objects, or yelling at people who couldn't keep a proper schedule; Aiden had been subjected to his lectures and many push ups due to her poor time management skills on more than one occasion. Although fastidious, he some how still had a knack for losing his zoomer keys. . . and his pens.

Blushing at the idea that Torn may have seen her without clothes on, Aiden tugged down on the hem of her shirt and took two steps to the right, yanking on the handle of her dresser in search of shorts to slip on underneath her nightshirt. Her tank top and bra were still on which meant he was at least a gentleman about the situation when he had put her to bed the night before; she was more than certain it was Torn. Her mother hated the idea of folding clothes and hung everything that wasn't undergarments, and her father tossed his clothes where he pleased. She didn't know of anyone else who would go as far as fold smelly damp clothes. Such an odd character, that man. Grabbing the folded clothes she dumped them into the laundry hamper in her closet, shaking her head in disbelief as she did so.

Opening the door to her room, the blonde glanced down the dark hallway to her parent's room. The door was closed and there was calm. Hoping to not wake them, she tip toed to the stairs and slowly descended the steps, barefoot and as silent as she could manage; still unsteady on her feet. It was almost 5:30 in the morning as Aiden glanced at the glowing neon green clock in the hallway. The clocked ticked gently as she passed through the narrow corridor.

Walking into the living room, she focused on a sleeping form stretched out on the couch, his chest rising and falling slowly. What the hell is he doing here? Furrowing her brow at the sight of her sleeping Commander, she stepped closer to study him closer. His black socked feet were crossed and propped up on the arm of the couch, left arm lie behind his head, right hand splayed on his stomach. She really didn't want to wake him up. He looked peaceful; his face was relaxed and he looked years younger than forty-six. You would think after years of war and suffering he would look so much older; He didn't even look a day over thirty-five when awake.

A grunt from the sleeping man actually scared her and she jumped slightly at the sound, her heart could be felt pounding in her ears. She really was getting too jumpy for her own good. Torn stirred and opened his bleary eyes to stare at the woman standing over him.

"Good morning." Torn whispered, giving her a lethargic smirk. His voice sounded gruffer than ever as he came from the arms of sleep. He cleared his throat and leaned up on his elbows. "I thought I heard you coming down the stairs." He pushed himself into a sitting position; yawning and groaning. He swiped at his face in a self-proclaimed misery."It's too damn early to be awake." He grumbled and yawned for the second time.

He paused in his whining to examine the woman standing brazenly close to him with an over sized pajama top covering her mid thigh. By the Precursors - those legs. Torn's eyes trailed down her legs with unwitting approval. Her legs were impressively muscular - curvy in all the right places from her thighs to her feet. He leaned back and swallowed heavily as he pictured himself caressing his hand slowly over her inner thighs, relishing in the smooth flesh as he parted her legs to reach his prize. Instantly growing hard at the imagery, his face felt flush from embarrassment and lust, and he sighed heavily, thankful that it was still dark enough in the room to hide his desire for the woman in front of him.

It was oddly thrilling she could stand there in front of him, sleep deprived and half naked, and not know that he was eye fucking her. He looked up at her face and noticed a distant look in her veiled eyes, obviously not seeing the shameful gaze he had set on her. She was weary, unsure as to what the hell he was doing sleeping on her couch and probably filled with many questions. He sank back into the comfort of the couch, obscurely adjusting himself, and cleared his throat before speaking. "I hope you don't mind. I put you in night clothes last night. Didn't want you to wake up sick and feeling like a prune. Don't worry, Dee was there to help."

Aiden looked down at her pajamas and rolled her eyes, remembering her clothes lying in the hamper upstairs. The shorts underneath her shirt gave her a welcomed sense of modesty. She shivered against the thin material and folded her arms across her chest. "Thanks, I really hate being in wet clothes." She nodded appreciatively. "But, you didn't have to fold the dirty clothes. They were going in the hamper anyway."

Torn chuckled. "Sorry, force of habit. When I was a kid, I didn't have much. I had to take care of my stuff, or be without." He noticed the slight tremor as he spoke, he turned at the waist and picked up something. He tossed a heavy wool blanket he had used for a pillow at the unsuspecting girl. She caught it in surprise, the weight of the blanket made her lose her balance and begin to fall backwards towards the coffee table. "Whoa there." Quickly, Torn leaned forward and gently grabbed her at the waist, pivoting her around to sit next to him on the couch. He pulled the covers over her bare legs patting her on the thigh once she was settled. He apologized, realizing just how much damage the dark eco really did to his cadet in such a short time.

"I'm okay." Aiden smirked, humor lacing her words. "When I saw my clothes folded up, I kind of put two and two together. You're the only person I know who would do that." She laid her head against his shoulder and rubbed her temple. "Sooo- what the hell happened to me? Why do I feel like someone put a hammer and chisel to my head?"

Torn stared straight ahead at the wall. She could see his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed nervously. He opened his mouth, searching for his words; he licked his cracked lips. "Do you remember anything that occurred last night?"

He listened to her gentle breathing, a calming effect on the Commander's nerves. "I remember you challenging me to poker," Aiden finally replied, and she fell silent again, still searching her mind for the past twelve hours while staring at the coffee table at her feet.

The veteran studied the woman's profile as he sat patiently by her side, hoping she'd have some recollection of the events. Samos' words still played through his mind as he listened to the silence in the room and the faint ticking of a clock. Was time racing against them? Was he making the right choice - letting this play through and whatever happens happens? It was almost too risque for a man set on rules, regulations and safety. Especially the safety of his friend. What was he doing?

His hand had stayed firmly grasped on her blanketed thigh; Aiden took no notice as she tossed the memories of the night before around in her head. The muscle tightened and relaxed subtlety underneath the weight of his hand and Torn delighted in the feeling. With the pull of her legs to her chest, he moved his hand away, face incredibly hot once again at the visions he was beginning to conjure up with her right next to him, he shook his head subtly, cursing at himself in shame and embarrassment.

Laying her head down on her knees Aiden examined Torn curiously, the light of the day was growing stronger, but her memories weren't. She could now see the light blue tattoos etched onto his face and arms. Aiden had always loved the marks of the Guard, and considered getting them etched on to her own skin - no longer was the brand mandatory to wear upon graduation. Torn had once shown her a picture of himself before he had received his tattoos. He was baby faced and bright eyes, wearing a winning smile as he stood next to an unsmiling man he called Errol.

But we don't talk about him, Kid." She remembered the grim look Torn had on his face as he examined the photo along with her. Years later, she found out in a Precursor History class exactly who Errol was and immediately grilled Torn about him. That particular night, they skimped over her combat training and he told her about Errol from the moment he had met the man and what he done to the city, to the world, and to her father along with Baron Praxis. Needless to say, she was definitely glad Errol was out of the picture for good.

Torn realized that Aiden was staring intently at him. His jaw tensed under her rather ardent scrutiny. Silence stretched out for a moment longer before an exasperated sigh filled the dark room. "What happened last night, Torn. Why can't I remember anything after that? It's almost like someone wiped my memory completely clean."

Torn scratched at his head and ruffled his hair suddenly desiring a cup of black coffee. He looked back over at the questioning woman, who was practically sitting on his lap if she moved the right way. She was being incredibly patient so early in the morning and rather. . . unaware. Most days they couldn't pass each other in the halls of the academy without exchanging a murderous look, clearly defining that, yes, it was morning and yes, they both hated it

"People were killed last night. They were. . . strung out on the cable leading from the water tower to the Naughty Ottsel." He paused, briefly remembering the burning smell of blood mixed with eco. The screams, the sobbing people who had walked onto the gruesome scene, "We heard the screaming and the gunfire, and you walked outside with me to see what happened. The bodies had dark eco in their blood. You absorbed it too fast and passed out."

Aiden let the information sink in before sitting up straight. "Those poor people." Her heart ached for the victims more than it did for herself - they didn't deserve the fate that was bestowed on them. Whatever monster that found it's way into the city needed to be dealt with and quickly. She could see the connection quite plainly, "Do you think whatever killed them also killed the guards?"

Torn grunted in reply and nodded grimacing as he did. He moved his stiffening legs out from the floor and stretched them onto the coffee table, glad that Ashelin was not home to curse his lack of manners. He was beginning to realize what being a statue felt like. "Everyone has been out searching for the suspects all night. I haven't heard back from anyone which means the bastards hasn't been caught yet." Scratching at the stubble on his face, he caught the time on his watch. He needed to be in his office in a forty-five minutes. "I brought you and Delilah home so you could rest. You'll need to get ready soon for the hearing. You'll have to go with me."

Torn's words were met with unexpected silence and finally a world weary voice spoke almost too softly for Torn to hear, "It's happening isn't it? You can see the changes."

Torn searched for the right words to convey to his younger comrade, all seemed utterly useless in the upset he knew was to follow. "Your powers are getting stronger and yes, I noticed. Jak was even getting sick - he luckily didn't see what happened to you."

Aiden stood and walked around the coffee table and pleaded to Torn, "Can I still wait to tell my dad? I want to wait until after we come home."

"What's stopping you from telling him now?" He leaned his elbows onto his knees and studied Aiden - shivering in the dawn lit room; he had never seen the girl act like this before. This bullheaded, courageous girl trembling like a leaf in front of him. It was almost unreal to observe.

"I-" Aiden paused. She saw how people treated Jak. Hero or not, he was still a monster in their eyes. They feared Jak. Abandoned him, allowing him to nearly die in the wastelands as if he were an animal. It made Jak hate everything about Haven City; somehow no matter how cold he had become towards the city and the world, he held fast against the hate and fear, still to this very day helping the thankless people.

He could have easily let the world go to hell in a hand basket by walking away, but he didn't, and that was what Aiden admired most about her father. He was willing to give up everything to take care of the people who stood against him. Some days she still could not comprehend why her father was such a. . . hero. He would cringe if he were to hear that word ever come out of her mouth. It left such a bitter taste.

Now that same damn voice that toys with Jak was toying with her too. That voice was in her dreams and was beginning to creep into her mind, poisoning her and slowly driving her mad. She was scared, but being such a proud Mar she did not want to inflict this information on her father just yet. There were expectations from those around her, and they needed to meet them with her head held high. Mar be damned, life was going to be hell for the girl but she won't allow anyone to see the affect it had on her. Except, of course, the man sitting behind her staring firmly at her back. How could she act this way in front of him? The man that knocked discipline and respect into her? Was it really pride that was holding her back or fear?

"Aiden. . . "

"I don't want to be called a freak." Aiden finally found the words she was looking for, turning away in shame. "I don't want to be left alone and hated for what I am. Not like what happened to dad. It's bad enough what I deal with now - heaven forbid people find out I might be able to turn into a monster."

Torn stood, walking towards her in two long strides, gripping her shoulder before she could back away, not letting her out of his hold. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, her face cradled into his chest, he stroked her hair and placing a kiss into her hairline.

He finally pulled away to look her in the face, wiping away some tears that escaped her eyes with the pad of his callused thumb. " You really shouldn't worry. You have me, and most importantly your father, and mother and Mar forbid, the rodents." He looked down on her with a sarcastic smirk, rolling his eyes at the thought of their little family of Ottsels. She laughed briefly and wiped away the rest of the tears staining her face. Torn pushed a piece of hair falling in her face behind her ear. "I'm here to protect you, though you should know that you've been doing a damn fine job of taking care of yourself. . . minus a high number of well placed incidents that I'll hold back on reminding you about." He winked as Aiden rolled her eyes. "I don't know anyone as courageous as you and your father."

"You've really have been there for me, Torn. I'm really sorry for my behavior while growing up. I know nothing can change what I was or what I had done in the past." She paused, and looked him right in the eyes. "Thank you for everything."

He inhaled sharply at her words, unsure as to how to respond. Of all of the things she could have said to him, this was by far the most unexpected. Her words of appreciation was enough for Torn to feel accomplished in everything he had done for the girl over the years. He nodded at her, trying to convey his understanding without words, a smile slowly etching its way across his face.

"Anything for you, Runt." He smiled tightly and cuffed her softly on the chin. "How about this, you can tell Jak when we return as you wanted. You need training and this type you can only get from your father. Out of all the people Praxis experimented on, your father was the only one to live to tell the tale. He's the only one you have to learn from - Samos can't even help you. Being a dark warrior was rough for Jak in the beginning. When I first met him, he was like a monster. Anger and revenge were what drove him." A chuckled filled the room. "But honestly, I don't think you'll be as bad as Jak was when he had began turning. He has the full brunt of the dark eco powers . . . it probably mellowed out in you."

Aiden stepped back relatively calm and collected again, reassured by Torn's soothing words. "I hope you're right, Torn." The room was now completely lit with the morning sun, the rays warmed her skin. She glanced toward the window, and noticed dark rain clouds to the west of the horizon. Crestfallen to see more rain would fill her day, she still felt better than when she had woken. Her head cleared, the pain and exhaustion dulled to a minor throb in the back of her head.

"Well, I am always right." The blonde rolled her eyes, not even slightly surprised at his statement. She slapped Torn's arm playfully and turned to leave the room. "Hold up." Aiden paused at the entrance way, watching Torn pick up his weapons and communicator from the table, eyes focused on his watch as he holstered his weapon. "We've got about forty minutes. I'll make us some coffee, you run upstairs and wake up the Rodent - get ready." He walked toward the kitchen and turned back around to look at her. "Make sure Dee is up and ready to roll. She's in the spare bedroom." With that final note he disappeared into the other room.

Torn leaned against the refrigerator, going over the entire conversation with Aiden. He didn't regret revealing everything to Aiden. She took it well as he had expected she would, but what he did regret was the shameful state of his mind when around the girl. He gritted his teeth and pounded a fist against his thigh. This was killing him. He truly was at a loss about this situation he had found himself in. With an exaggerated sigh, Torn pushed himself away from the refrigerator, and stewed in his thoughts as he searched the cabinets for coffee. A grown man pining after a woman barely out of her adolescence was a matter that put said man in prison. And let's not forget she's the daughter of his best friend. That just made the matter all the more complicated. And Torn being a simple man, did not like complicated.

With the coffee finally percolating, Torn leaned against the counter, zoning out in thought. There were several solutions to this matter and none offered a more satisfying answer than getting out of the office more. He reasoned with himself that he was developing feelings for Aiden because they were around each other all the time. That had to be the case. If he attempted to have a social life, he could turn his burdening attention to something less dangerous to his mind and career.

The last of the water ran noisily through the percolator, pulling Torn from his mind. He stood up straight and absently pulled coffee mugs from the dish strainer, setting them on the counter. Thank the precursors for coffee. Torn thought as he lifted his mug to his lips. He jumped slightly, almost spilling the hot liquid down his shirt as the door slammed open and Daxter's loud bitching filtered from hall. Jak snapped at Daxter quietly, telling him to shut the hell up and threatened bodily harm. Ashelin whispered heatedly to the pair of men to grow up as she closed the door softly. Torn watched Jak and Ashelin walk upstairs while Daxter and Tess moved to the living room.

Torn grunted in annoyance at the sudden unsuspecting noise that had grated at his calm before picking up his coffee to return to the living room to wait for Aiden. Tess was slouched against the couch looking weary; Daxter laid face down on the floor, snoring in the entrance way.

"Morning." Tess said to Torn softly.

Torn nodded at her greeting as he stepped over Daxter. "Nothing?"

"Not a single shred of direction." Tess replied. "I'm thinking the boys are going to turn this into a citywide manhunt before the day is over."

"It's too bad I can't stay to help." Torn grumbled in annoyance. He moved around the coffee table and stared outside the sliding glass window at the darkening sky. "You'd think that Jak and Ashelin would cancel Aiden's trip. . . or at least find someone to take my place."

"I don't think they trust anyone else to take your place, Torn." Tess looked towards the hall before leaning in, "We think whatever is in Haven City won't make its way to Spargus, but they want to keep Aiden out of harms way."

Torn scoffed at that idea. "Coddling kids like that gets them killed. She's an adult now, and on her way to joining the Freedom League. I'm sure she'd be able to handle this matter just as well as her parents."

"You'd understand more if you had children, Torn."

Torn wrinkled his nose at that idea of children. "Possibly, but it looks like that'll never be the case." He winked at Tess, chuckling. At the rate I'm going, I'll die alone, in my office - an old crabby, bastard."

"Pessimist."

"You know me too well, Tess." Torn quipped, and the room finally fell silent again. He watched rain clouds consume the last of the early morning's sun rays. Another day in paradise.



R&Rs appreciated.