Da'mik is the first to break the uncomfortable silence - stepping closer to the creek even as Kiri faintly keeps her fingers on his shoulders.
"Spider... What is he talking about?"
Lia looks out to her father, and they each share a moment - confused and lost.
Spider can only spare Da'mik a one-off look, cherishing what moments he felt he had left with his fellow human counterpart.
Because once he told them, this would all be over.
He would never be forgiven, or accepted anywhere else again.
Lo'ak insists that Norm can trust to let him go, and it takes him a while before he finally sets him free.
Lo'ak focuses mostly on calming his heart rate, and catching his breath as he settles.
Watching.
Waiting for spider to finally say something, anything.
"Stop stalling." Lo'ak calls out as he wipes the back of his hand against his mouth, and shakes off the blood gathered from biting his tongue before.
"They deserve to know."
Which intrigues Da'mik even further, and he takes a couple more steps - albeit closer to lo'ak's side of this as he stares down Spider in concern.
"Spider." Jake sounds in, only tightening his grip as he watches the rest of the kids surround the area.
Tsireya is too heart broken to speak, and Aonung is trying his best to keep her together as she cries.
Lo'ak was right.
Spider didn't have any dignity left, so he may as well give up whatever else remains to go with it.
"Quaritch is alive because of me." Spider says with a weakens, broken, and strained voice. "I found him on accident when searching for you, I just .. couldn't let him die."
—-
"Are you good here?"
"Yes, we will be fine. Everyone is accounted for and safe, aside from my team." Neytiri answers. "They are on their way to Jake, to pick up the children."
The forest was bright again, bits and pieces of rubble thrown about and broken weaponry scattered all over the area.
It was just luck they escaped with no serious casualties.
Lo'ak's Ikran had taken the worst of it, but she would be okay with time.
Arohk helped bring her back to High Camp, where the rest of you await further orders from Jake.
He hadn't said anything more after giving his coordinates, and you were due to go out there by yourself if he didn't follow up.
You thought they'd meet you here, or at the very least be here by now.
Although Tuk couldn't sleep, she still decided to rush to you the moment you landed. Back in her usual spot as she cradled right up on your torso, her safe place no matter which family member it was.
"Norm?" You radio out for him, seeing as Jake's comm seems to be shut off, or maybe the battery died at some point.
"When will you be home? What's taking so long? Where's Jake? The kids?"
"Norm?"
Your heart sinks with a sense of worry and panic.
What the hell was going on?
"Sorry." His voice finally rings through just as you were about to put Tuk down and head out. "Having a talk with the kids. We will be there soon."
A talk?
Shouldn't the main priority be getting them back here?
That doesn't make any sense.
You decide to go for it anyway - and set Tuk off with Evelyn before you have to part.
Max has been calling in, but there's no time to answer him at the moment — you didn't want to tell them about having the kids until they were here.
"Neytiri, keep your radios open. I'm going after them."
She doesn't even protest, knowing better than to even consider it as you take off.
——-
Jake hasn't let his grip up at all, and if anything — he refuses to let Spider even try to part with the rest.
Taking it in.
He felt a wave of shock and disbelief wash over him as Spider revealed what he had done.
He had always known that he had moments of being brave and selfless, but he never could have imagined that Spider would risk his own life to save the man who had tried, and succeeded, in killing his own family.
For a moment...
Jake was speechless, unable to process what he had just heard. He stared at Spider, trying to make sense of the situation, but his mind was a jumbled mess of conflicting emotions.
He was angry and confused.
He felt betrayed by someone was basically his own son.
Despite his conflicting emotions, Jake wanted to find a way to make sense of what happened.
He took a deep breath and turned Spider so he would look him in the eye, trying to find the words to express his feelings.
"Spider," he says, his voice shaking with emotion. "Why would you do that?"
Spider looked back at him, his expression serious and determined.
"I did what I had to do." He sincerely answers, even as he holds back the feeling burning in his throat.
"— I know it's hard to understand, but I couldn't let him die. It's not who I am."
Jake nodded, still struggling to come to terms with this.
He knew that he would need time to process his emotions and figure out how to move forward, and what exactly to do with him.
All Spider ever hoped out for was to have his mother back, holding onto every bit of hope he could muster as he clung to her picture every night.
Wanting her to be a better person if he had ever been given the chance to see her again, even in the afterlife.
And now given the chance to try to unfold Quaritch as he was so stupidly brainwashed into believing his father was someone worth saving, worth redeeming, worth trying to change.
And by some insane reasoning — Jake understood that relationship with Quaritch. That man was capable of more than enough when human, so who's to say he wasn't worse in Navi form.
Playing spider in the same way he did him all those years ago.
Norm escorts the other children out of the creek, and lines them all up as he gets notice that you're now following along with Neytiris group.
"Copy." He answers back, and turns to face Jake.
He's not any less hurt or effected by this, but he needed to get the kids together and ready for the ride back home.
He's checking them over one by one with one of his hand helds, making sure there are no internal injuries or severe dehydrations or anything.
Mostly just high heart rates, or-
"I can't believe you." Da'mik suddenly parts from them as he heads back down, headed straight for Spider now as he holds himself with that same shoulder-heavy walk that Jake does.
Both of his fists are balled, and he doesn't even care if his intentions knock off Spiders mask as he too goes straight for pushing against his chest.
Jake had been a bit too gone at that point, losing his inner battle as he couldn't stay on-world for more than a few seconds at a time.
That same sense of numbness he always succumbed to.
It's not until Da'mik gets close enough, that his sons words no longer register as some awful muffled sound in a far off sense.
He reaches out with his hand, and catches Da'miks fist with his palm as he holds him back.
"Stand. Down." He orders him, not even having the mental energy left to further scold him for trying this to begin with.
"I'll figure out what to do with this one."
Da'mik winces as his fathers strength is a bit too much at first, twisting his arm ever so slightly before dropping it and letting him stand upright again.
They both exchange a look, communicating with only their eyes as he tries to further argue his anger.
Jake shakes his head, and points for Norm as he wants him to retreat.
Lia, Jake, and Norm's ikrans are all lined up and waiting for them to return.
"Okay, you're good to go." Norm excuses Aonung before he returns to Tsireya.
"Da'mik."
And he seems too distracted, staring down Spider as he's talking with his father.
Lo'ak had gotten his knee-jerk reaction out, but Da'mik was still looking for a fight.
Kiri was the only one who would offer him any sort of chance to understand him, and it shows by the way she holds herself — still tearing up at the whole thing, worried for what's going to come of him.
Lia just happens to lean down at the right time to check her ikrans harness to adjust it — and a dart seems to whisk by as it impales the tree next to her.
Right where her head would have been.
"Dad?" She calls out, terrified as she flees from her Ikran and races to him.
"Dad, someone's here."
He looks down at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about? Who? What happened?"
If only she were given the chance to answer.
"Going somewhere?" A daunting voice calls out from further into the wooded areas, his smile showing first as he flashes his fangs and holds up a dagger in his hands.
Jake's quick on his feet to grab Spider, and hides him behind his body as he pulls his gun out and aims it for him.
The others rush to get behind Norm and the ikrans, crouching down out of view as Lo'ak tugs on Da'mik to bring him in.
Quaritch is bloody and bruised, having pulled himself recently out of another fight with one his 'allies'.
"You weren't really planning on leaving, were you, Jake?" He taunts further as he smiles so widely. "I told you what would happen the next time we met."
He raises his empty hand up, and makes a snapping notion as if calling for someone or something - until more of these painted Na'vi step out, and they circle around the Sully-Spellman family suddenly.
How long had they been there? Watching?
Quaritch must have expected something like this, and refused to give them the upper hand.
"Lower your weapon, and hand over the kid first."
Spider shares a look between both of them, and despite it - Jake only shields Spider more with his body.
Quaritch signals for Lyle to step up, and he aims his sights at Norm.
Calling for him to put his hands up, and step out to show that he's unarmed as well.
Fear coating poor Lias heart as she tries to hold on to her fathers vest for as long as she can before he is out of reach. Watching as he's only steps away from Jake as they stand back in the creek.
"Don't make me do this the hard way, Sully.
You're not in charge here. You obey my orders, or I'll have my men kill you here and now."
"Dad." Kiri softly cries out, watching as this all unfolds. Protesting that he give up Spider, as well as himself in this. There had to be another way.
Spider takes it upon himself to step out, despite Jake trying to push him back behind him.
"No." Spider places a hand on Jake's arm.
He sees what he offers for him, but he won't let him. He knows Jake is just doing what's right, despite what he's done here.
And he steps directly in the line of sight between Lyle and Norm, raising his own hands now. Testing his father.
"Don't hurt them — I'll come."
He spares them one last look before he saunters over.
If only they knew having Neytiris group show was going to make it worse.
Ka'ani lands first, with the others following just behind. They were unaware of what had become here, and tried their best to follow what Jake was doing.
It's too bad Quaritch takes it as an intentional threat the second he takes Spider in his grasp, and throws him down on the floor before he sets off a couple of rounds.
Only the trees and larger plants around offering any sort of coverage as the kids are forced to flee, to hide anywhere they could.
Lo'ak didn't have his gun, and he knew it was too risky to go back to the creek and get it. Despite how much he hated himself for leaving it behind.
Lyle follows with a few smoke grenades — mostly relying on their scanners and heat sensors to fight blindly.
A trick they learned from the first time you encountered them, with tech your side didn't have.
————
The field is empty of any Navi by the time you arrive ... which worries you beyond anything as you approach your families ikrans.
All three of them.
Abandoned.
Your worst fears have come to be as you fall to your knees and undeniably succumb to the need to let out a painful cry.
It was an easy explanation.
Too much time had passed.
You arrived too late to help.
"Bert." You call in, rubbing your palm along Bobs nose as he pushes it against your hand.
"They're not here, I don't.. I don't know what happened. They left their ikrans."
You expect to be alone in this, so when a twig suddenly snaps a few feet away — it's understandable when you grab for the smaller WASP on your hip and aim it in the direction of the sound.
Your eyes meet the first one they see, especially as he slouches forward a bit and glares down at you.
Ka'ani.
He's injured, but not alone.
Saeyla, Maru, and the rest make their way over.
Maru bird-calls out, and here come the children as they run out of the woods, thankfully — but that's all they have to show.
Everyone is covered in bruises, scratches.. various injuries.
Something happened here, and it only makes you sick to even try to think of what.
"Where is Jake?" You ask them at first, and neither one of them can raise their saddened faces for long.
Kiri is first to rush up to you, and Lia follows suit as they both fall into a small hug with you.
Both with tears down their cheeks, and matching solemn expressions.
Ka'ani has to be the one to step forward, and his heart sinks as he speaks.
"Quaritch came." He breathes, steadying himself as Maru helps hold him up.
He's limping awful bad on one leg.
"He took them.... Jake, Norm.. and Spider."
Lo'ak has an arm around Da'mik, and Aonung has one wrapped around his baby sister as they all walk toward you.
The children fall to their knees one by one as they close in, and join with you as they fall into the group hug.
"They are gone. I assume ... bridgehead."
Saeyla follows up with.
"We tried, but could not risk leaving the children alone. I am.. so sorry."
You sit there, holding the group of kids with every bit of love you can spare — despite how heavy your heart is with grief and sorrow.
Your eyes blink a few times, unable to process both a great victory of having them back — but also the magnitude of this loss you're all facing.
You're as numb and frozen as one can be, and it feels as if the whole world has stopped.
Unable to even remotely comprehend how something so terrible could keep happening to all of you.
——————————————————-
Author notes: Doing p3 here and also uploading on ao3
——> Welp it was supposed to be p1/p2 and end but I've written so much I can't contain it in a p1/p2 apparently lol
I blame James, his stories are addicting, and I see why av2 could become 9 hours like goodness gracious child
So anyway p3 it is 🥲😅 coming soon
—> A lot of what I've written is based on spoilers we've gotten, but the way they're written is "out of order" from what I think will come in canon, and just trying to take my own spin on it since p1 was a very minor rewrite of av1/2
So, expect spoilers in p3 as shown in this p2, but I'll try to be vague on which ones are actual canon ones we know so far 😅
Except for Jake being a spider defender, I'm outing that spoiler since it's something I'll have to very heavily write into. I absolutely get why he is though