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Italics: (Na'vi language, or Metkayina sign language, and Jake's inner thoughts)

Alright! Buckle up everybody, this is the last chapter before the epilogue and it's a long one :,) hope you enjoy it! But before that, I want to say a couple things :,)

I wanted to give a DT to these beautiful people! :,) I love you all for making it this far and I know i've taken so much time to this story so thank you for being so patient 🤍 It means the world!
- bunbeebuzz AllukaYaio caitlin900 _lily_bun_22 Iyaane-sully102 -HANGESSLUTT- And everyone else that reads this! <3

Thank you all for being here, and being so supportive all the way throughout this story up until the end because it means the world to me!

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The moment that Jake and Quaritch lunged at each other, you felt terror rising in your entire body. Being with the kids now, with the responsibility of getting them out of there safely, you knew what you had to do and what you had to focus on. But it didn't stop you from trying to fight every bone in your body to and battle that demon alongside your husband. "Jake!" You yelled out from the water, watching from a distance with fear and despair, hearing metal clashing against each other as Jake and Quaritch's blades made contact over and over again.

As Quaritch and Jake continued to lunge at each other, Jake spotted a life jacket discarded in the corner of his eye as he continue to dodge the Colonel's relentless swings of his knife. As he passed by it, he quickly picked it up and smacked Quaritch right in the face, making him stumble backwards a bit, giving Jake an opening. As Quaritch regained his composure, Jake had managed to actually slice with his knife a part of the protective vest that the Colonel was wearing. Still, Quaritch didn't let it phase him as both men continued to swing at each other.

Jake was successfully able to back up Quaritch further back into the deck of the ship, leaving the Colonel to defend himself as he walked forward while Jake looked forward, being aware of the surroundings of the burning and sinking ship. They swung at each other over and over with their knifes, and were forced to briefly come to a pause on their attacks as a crate suddenly slid in between them while the ship only sank deeper. This only made your husband realize that he had less than the ideal time he had hoped for to get out of this ship and get this over with, with flashes of you and the children repeating in his mind with every swing of his knife, fueling his determination.

He promised he would get back to you, he would not allow his family to shatter like the way it almost did today by letting his mind forget his goals for even a second. He was doing this to avenge Neytiri, just like you and Jake vowed to do together and get revenge on Sky People that caused his family, the Na'vi and Pandora so much unredeemable agony. He needed to get this done, and quick. He had you and the kids waiting on his return. With each swing, Jake yelled out and exclaimed with so much deep rooted rage for Quaritch and what he caused, wanting him gone more than anything.

Their battle soon continued to leaving Jake and Quaritch in a position in which they had their forearms locked and each other's knifes pointed at one another. They both used all their strength to divert from the hold and Jake groaned and yelled out in anger as he got the upper hand flipped Quaritch's knife over and pointed the extremely serrated tip dangerously close to the Colonel's face as Jake's face was livid with fury that was alight in his eyes.

Seeing that the fight had moved to being in much closer proximity and Jake was in a compromising position where the knife could be turned to him at any moment, you felt your breathing and heart quicken and hammer against your chest. "Jake!" You yelled out again, feeling your voice start to strain as concern laced in your voice. Your next thoughts were interrupted as an explosion interrupted nearby on the same deck that Jake and Quaritch found themselves in, and fire quickly began to rage and spread across the deck.

It quickly dawned on you that if the flames caught up to the two men, Jake would have no way out, making your face drop as you came to that conclusion. You soon heard your kids gasp and scream at yet another explosion that started to surround them in the water like a ring of fire. "It's coming!" Tuk cried in fear, and even through your own thoughts you didn't hesitate to grab her hand and guide your kids quickly away from the fast growing flames approaching.

However, It was getting closer much faster than any of you thought, surrounding you and the kids entirely, and blocking any other way out so the only option was to go back to the ship. "Back! Back! Go! Get back to the ship!" Spider urged everyone, and without a second thought you all began to start swimming back to the sinking SeaDragon as fast as you could, not wanting the flames to reach any of you.

Kiri swam as fast as her limbs could take her right beside Spider. Your oldest daughter then turned to look at Tuk who was clutching onto your arm as you helped her get to the ship fast, anxiously and mentally urging her younger sister to swim fast and to keep up. She was glad you were Metkayina and could swim a bit quicker, putting Tuk as a priority so she can get there faster, being the smallest one of the kids who could easily fall behind with all of this commotion and chaos.

Meanwhile, Jake and Quaritch were continuing to fight on the deck and have already detached from one another from their arm lock and removing the knifes from each other's faces. Then in a split second, Quaritch reversed the roles and grabbed Jake's arm and pointed his own gun at the ex-marine's face as Jake used all his strength to keep it away. The boat kept tilting more and more, and out of the corner of his eye, Quaritch saw a capsule sliding down the deck and headed directly towards them. So with the intention of letting the capsule run Jake over, Quaritch kicked Jake in his chest with his foot, making your husband stumble backwards and fall back into the water. Thankfully, the capsule itself had rolled between them fast enough that it didn't hit Jake at all and was able to evade it in the nick of time.

Fortunately, you and the kids had been able to get back onto the deck while evading the spreading flames. Even if the flooding ship wasn't any better. The 4 of you all began to guide each other carefully through a safe path to get across. "Kids, stay close! Stay close to me!" You urged them desperately as you held onto Tuk's hand tightly so she wouldn't get lost. Tuk stayed on your left, treading carefully and close to your side, while Spider and Kiri were ahead but still close enough to stick as a group to get by. "Come on! Keep moving. Go! Go!" Spider said as he kept looking back between the path ahead and the three girls behind him, making sure nobody got left behind. But luck wasn't having it.

As Kiri and Spider managed to get a little farther ahead, you were still holding onto Tuk's hand as tightly as you could, keeping her close, carefully avoiding any misstep, and constantly looking back at Tuk to make sure that she was okay and not letting go for even a second, but it seemed like that wasn't enough. You had all failed to take into the account the opened hatch that was swallowing and sucking in a harsh current of water, because just as you thought had gotten through safely across, Tuk had been walking right alongside it and took one wrong step. Your youngest daughter tripped and slipped on the edge, squealing with fear as she slid into the opened hatch, still tightly holding onto your hand as she dangled over the abyss below.

"Mama! Help!" She cried out for you, and your entire body began to shake and your face could not hide the fear you felt for Tuk. You knew and told yourself in your mind like a mantra that you could hold on a bit more before pulling her up, but with how little strength she has as an 8-year-old and the strong currents competing with just you holding onto her hand, your anguish began to spike. "Tuk! Hold on!" You cried out back to her, holding onto your youngest daughter for dear life, deathly afraid that you might hesitate for a second and she'll fall. Her screams of fear elicited and sent utter panic and fear through your entire body, and even more so when you felt your youngest daughter slipping through your fingers, one by one.

"Grab her!" Spider urged as he and Kiri were quick to reel back to you and Tuk and your oldest daughter grabbed ahold of your free hand, while Spider held onto Kiri's other hand, that way all of you attempted to pull Tuk out of the hatch together. Her screams and pleas for help only made your heart clench, especially since the water was making it incredibly hard to keep holding on.

"Mom! Take my hand, hold on!" Kiri said as she grabbed onto your hand as her and Spider helped you pull Tuk up, but nothing could have prepared you for the water ripping Tuk away from your grasp. Your youngest daughter fell into the abyss as her terrifies screams filled the void of the hatch. Your heart plummeted and your body went cold, but your instincts took over not even a second later and you managed to immediately react. "TUK!" You yelled with panic as you leaped without hesitation into the hatch to go after your youngest daughter as your heart went a thousand miles a minute. You refused to let another one of your children suffer, you would not allow that to happen, or wouldn't be able to live with yourself.

Kiri, who was still with Spider and watched this unfold, felt her heart wrench in pain and distress as her eyes widened. She had just witnessed her mom and little sister go directly into an abyss with almost no guarantee of exit as the ship continued to flood. You went in after Tuk without a second thought, not caring about making it out yourself, putting yourself on the line for Tuk so that there could be a chance for her youngest sister to be the one who makes it out as long as there was an adult, especially her mother, by her side.

Kiri cried out as she stretched out her arm, despite being completely out of reach at this point. "MOM!" Kiri's cry echoed through the hatch as heat gathered behind her eyes and she felt Spider trying to hold her so she wouldn't fall in as well. It didn't help that she watched as what seemed like absurd amounts of water, and gallons and gallons of it, got sucked into the hatch rapidly. She couldn't afford to move as she stayed in place, but also attempting to get out of Spider's grasp. The boy witnessed what happened as well, and as much as he knew what situation Kiri was in, they couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long or they would sink with the ship. They needed to move fast.

Despite anything that happened before, and even if he hasn't known you for long, Spider truly believed you would be willing to sacrifice everything for your kids and they meant everything to you. With that, he also knew that you would find your way out with Tuk, and that his responsibility now was to do the same with Kiri and find a way around the sinking deck as fast as possible to get back to safety with Lo'ak, Tsireya and Neteyam. "No!" Kiri said as tears quickly began to fall from her eyes a she sobbed, even as Spider urged her to move forward.

"Kiri, we have to go. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, come on..." Spider said, riddled with guilt for having to be one to pull her away from such a horrible scene, continuing to gently tug on her arm until she family gave him and reluctantly to follow Spider, who began to guide her knowing that they had no time to lose and this boat did not have much time left. As they moved away from the hatch, and across the deck, he continued to reassure his friend that you were strong and would keep Tuk safe, and most importantly, get out alive and well from the ship.

Though, the situation for you and Tuk was much more dire than Spider and Kiri knew. The moment you jumped in, and landed in a giant pool of water inside the ship, you were relieved at first to have seen Tuk nearby and the currents thankfully had taken you straight her way without having to swim much, so when you got her, you held onto her hand a lot tighter this time so you wouldn't lose her again.

"Mama! You're here!" She called out to you, after she felt you grab her hand and she turned her head back to you, beaming with a smile and full of relief even through such a situation like this that seemed like it had no way out. You smiled gently at her even while trying to keep your head above water and small waves kept crashing in your face. Your expression never faltered. You admired how courageous, brave and resilient Tuk was even as a young girl, and you knew she would become even stronger when she's older and that these qualities will always stick with her, even when she grows up.

When you and Tuk continued to navigate through such rough currents, it started to feel harder and harder since even while being Metkayina and you grew up in this environment, the water was so strong that it began to feel like you would go deeper and deeper into the ship and farther away from a potential exit. It felt pointless, even when using every limb in your body to swim against the current. It came to the point where both of you struggled to stay afloat as the water carried you both away. "Tuk!" You exclaimed through the noise of water crashing and pouring inside the ship , worrying about her state in that moment as the two of you continued to move through the water.

Outside, the SeaDragon ship continued to tip itself on its side even more, to a 90 degree angle. which would make it almost impossible for anybody still on the deck to stand upright and there would be even less places to go to before it sank. There was still fire and explosions on every corner, and Kiri and Spider continued to make their way around the deck. "Go! Climb! Climb! Come on!" Spider said as he ran ahead of Kiri, holding onto her hand as he led and helped he make her way up the ship with him so she wouldn't fall behind. The angle of the floor was becoming so steep that it would soon be incredibly difficult to keep running, so they had to keep going until they were safe.

As the two continued to make their way up the deck, objects that were sliding down made Kiri stumble slightly on her feel but Spider was quick to grab her hand and continued to help her climb up the deck. "Come on, let's go!" Spider urged Kiri hurriedly as the deck continued to get steeper and steeper. They couldn't stop for even a second.

It wasn't getting any easier for anymore. You and Tuk were still being taken through the streams of water inside the ship and in the corner of your eye, you spotted a staircase that led to a level that hadn't been flooded yet. Since the water was making you and Tuk travel at a very fast speed in the water, you had to be quick and grab onto the handles before the currents made you miss it and the chance slipped away.

Just as you approached the railing and got close enough, you tugged Tuk to you and then quickly guided her towards the stairs first, and thankfully, she managed to get to the first step steadily as you ushered her up the steps while you walked behind her to make sure she didn't slip. This is the part that could get you a head start as you began to get up the stairs, so you looked briefly behind you and noticed the water continued to rise as you continued to go up the stairs.

"Mom!" Tuk yelled out to you, without looking back, as she tried to hang onto the railing of the staircase as best as she could, while you gave her a boost as you put a hand on her back and nudged her to go up quicker. "Go, Tuk! Climb up! Don't stop!" You urged your daughter, getting her up before you, and she did as told.

After the two of you reached the top, you quickly started to follow after Tuk through the tilted and obviously slanted hallway that would soon fill up with water if you and Tuk didn't hurry. Though the water had been slowly filling up, waves of it were quickly chasing after you and Tuk once again.

The fight between Jake and Quaritch still didn't let up. Your mate continued to swing his dagger at Quaritch over and over, but the Colonel dodged every move. Eventually, Jake swung at Quaritch and he was able to grab the ex-marine's arm, knocking the dagger he had in his hand out of his grasp. But, not wanting to be caught weaponless and let Quaritch get to him, Jake raised his foot and kicked the man in his chest just like he had done to him before. Quaritch stumbled back, right as an empty Mako sub slid down the already tilting deck.

He was narrowly able to avoid being crushed by the sub and fell in the water, but even so a big part of the vehicle still managed to land on him as the sub came down. Quaritch struggled to stand back up since the water levels were rising and the sub was still weighing down on him. This gave time Jake to retaliate, plan his next attack, and get leverage over Quaritch as he was distracted trying to get out.

It wasn't getting any easier for you and Tuk. The two of you ran through the tilted hallways of the ship, as fast as you could and giving Tuk boosts so she could stay in front of you no matter what. Though, it was very difficult for her to be as fast as she wanted to given the situation and any misstep that could make you fall behind would make things a lot worse in such a compromising situation.

You turned your head back briefly every couple of seconds to see how far the water was and how fast it was rising. "Mama!" Tuk yelled out for you, quickly turning back to check on you and to see if you were still right behind her. "I'm right here! Keep going!" You reassured her, nudging her forwards a bit.

Though, as you feared, she got distracted and stopped paying attention to where she was going so she slipped on her feet a bit. Tuk fell sideways and fell to the far wall of the hallway, letting out a terrified and gut-wrenching scream out of fear that she'd get caught up in the water again and slowed the two of you down, feeling water reach her feet and her legs.

Out of instinct, you ran up to check on her and help her get up quickly, but as you had predicted, even more water that you two had been avidly trying to escape suddenly rushed in and caught up. "Don't worry you're okay! We're okay! Go! Go! Go!" You urged your daughter and the two of you continued to move forward, guiding her away from the currents as much as you could, still keeping her in front of you.

Just as Quaritch was struggling to get out of the water as the submarine stayed on him, almost crushing him, Jake took advantage of this. Your mate got down on his knees and unclipped his military vest, slipped it off his body just as Quaritch had managed to get out of the water and started to make his way over to Jake to continue their fight.

Quaritch didn't waist any time in letting out an even more angered sneer and lunged at Jake with his knife, but your husband was prepared and wrapped his vest around Quaritch's hand that had the knife and used all his strength to bring down the Colonel down to the ground with a loud thud.

With barely any time to get his bearings back to fight back, and trying to get Jake off of him, your mate quickly wrapped the vest around Quaritch's neck. At the choking feeling and closing of his airways, he gritted his teeth and brought his elbow back, effectively hitting Jake square in the jaw harshly, enough for him to lose his composure for a few seconds. But Jake still did not falter and held his grip on Quaritch.

Still having a good hold down on Quaritch, Jake used his grip he had on him with his vest and lifted the Colonel's upper body off the ground, and forcibly bringing him back down on the deck, smacking Quaritch's head hard on the metal deck in the process.

Kiri and Spider were still making their way up, to what seemed like an eternal ship deck that never ended, because it felt like they'd been running for ages. The deck itself was also losing its ability to be walked on, so they hurried and ran as far as their limbs could take them.

"Kiri, keep climbing! Stay close! Go!" Spider yelled out to kiri as he continued to keep her in front of him. The deck had only caught even more on fire, and it was still turning more and more on its side, which made their stress levels spike even more with every second that passed. It was harder to feel like they were ever going to get to the to before it turned upside down and their chances would be gone.

And soon enough, the ship was at a 90 degree angle, directly on its side while Kiri and Spider seemed to have been climbing forever. And by this time, they thankfully were able to find the edge of the ship that led to the underside of the boat. Since Spider had a disadvantage in heigh compared to Kiri, your daughter grabbed his hand and helped him climb up first. "I got you! Go on!" Kiri yelled over the ruckus of the ship tilting, and she breathed out in relief when he got to the top.

As soon as he was up, Spider didn't waste another second to extend his hand down to her. "Give me your hand! Come on!" Spider said as he helped Kiri up to where he was, and soon, they were both climbing up the underside of the ship which would soon be the top of it the more it tilts, never losing sight of one another.

The situation also seemed like it was endless for Jake and Quaritch, considering that they would also have to adapt their fight to the structure that the ship was turning to as the tilted surface became more challenging. Not like this let them stop their brawl. Somehow, Quaritch had gotten out of Jake's grip and angrily raise his knife and then brought it down in hopes of striking Jake, but your husband was quick and moved out of the way just in time. Many objects were falling in between them from above the deck, making it a lot harder to fight.

Due to the ship turning over so much, the deck they had been fighting on was useless to them, so they moved to fight on a platform that served a sturdy temporary surface for them to continue. Jake was in the higher beam while Quaritch stayed lower, swinging his dagger at him consistently. Jake looked down at Quaritch's attempted knife swings, but then looked to the side and saw chains that were hanging loosely beside him and it gave him an idea since he lost his dagger.

Jake grabbed onto the chains and slid down to the platform to stand in front of Quaritch once again. Before letting him attack first, Jake began using the chains as a whip of some sort, smacking Quaritch in the face his head, his body, with the strength he had left and fend him off. Colonel lets out yelps of pains, taking many steps back at Jake continued to fend him off with the very painful chains.

You and Tuk were now running and escaping the water on what used to be the wall of the hallway, solely because the ship was completely on its side now. As you have done the entire time, you kept Tuk in front of you while you ran behind her and the water levels was at your shins. Your breathing was heavy, to the point of nearly hyperventilating, as you desperately looked around every corner for a way out.

You tried to seem sure of yourself to give Tuk hope but there would be a point where you could not even fake it in front of her anymore and felt like it was taking that turn. But even if you couldn't control your breathing, you could control your facial expressions to show Tuk that both of you would make it out, so that she could believe, even if you were starting not to. Your heartbeat was hammering against your chest, and you could hear it in your head, your ears.

But it seemed that Eywa was listening to your prayers because you and Tuk reached a door, and you let out a sigh in relief as you smiled, trying not to panic as the space was filling up with water but this was an opportunity for you and Tuk, and there was no other option around.

"Open it! Quick!" Tuk urged as you and her pulled at the handle at the same time, as she hoped she could help in any way she could. You barely had any strength left, but use what you had left into getting this door open, but after many tugs, your hope began to deplete again.

The only thing that had you pulling that handle was the last few shrivels of hope that you had left in your body and the adrenaline that was coursing through your body. Just when it seemed like the door was finally budging, the water was already at yours and Tuk's shoulders and the water reached your youngest daughter chin.

The door finally burst open, and the water that was surrounding you and your daughter poured into the next room and the currents brought both of you into it as well, with Tuk going in first through the opening. while you got in shortly after. The two of you had to hurry before even more water got into the room.

"Tuk! Go!" You cried out to your daughter in absolute panic. As Tuk got in through the door and she fell into the pool of water that had formed and cascaded like a waterfall, Tuk yelled out at the speed of the currents that she had been dragged down to the water and you fell in right after.

You made sure to bring your head above the surface and were quick to notice how Tuk was struggling to stay afloat, so you moved to hold her hand to keep her close. The same issue of the room filling up so quickly was arising, just like before, and neither of you could keep your head above the water for long.

After beating up Quaritch with chains, the Colonel now had a bleeding nose and lip caused by Jake. Now, the man angrily sneered at your mate and began to swing his dagger at Jake once again, but he was able to catch it with the chains and force Quaritch to stick the knife into one of the open slots in the wall. With a string jerk and tug of the chains, Jake made Quaritch drop his knife far away, leaving him weaponless. But that was not going to stop Colonel.

Now that he no longer had his knife, Quaritch resorted to use his physical assets instead and rely on his strength to win this. Quaritch punched Jake straight in the jaw and then grabbed the back of his head, to then proceed to kneed him in the stomach and almost knocking out the air out of him as his back hit a pole. Jake shouldn't expect that Quaritch wouldn't fight back without his knife, which is why that hit didn't let him falter in the fight and hit back harder.

You and Tuk were still escaping the water that was quickly rising, and it was less about finding an exit not but more like running for your lives in hoping a miracle happened. You two were running on luck. The water was rushing at an abnormal rate at this point, even faster than before which didn't even seem possible to you.

You and Tuk made your way of what seemed to be tables and chairs of what used to be the ship's cafeteria. You and Tuk used them as ways to climb up as the water rose higher below the two of you. "Up! Come on! Be careful" You said, watching as Tuk started to climb up the tables and you stayed behind her just in case so she didn't fall into the water below if she slipped. When you had helped her get at a better distance from the water, you started to climb up to catch up to her and making your way up the chairs and the tables side by side.

"Climb! Go! Go up! Don't look down" You exclaimed, watching your daughter's steps to make sure that she didn't slip, especially because you're essentially climbing up what is now a wall and not only was there ravaging water below but the height was getting higher and higher. You helped Tuk dodge objects that fell from above down to the water, and guided your daughter up, who refused to look below and kept her gaze up at all times. She knew very well that the moment she did, fear would take over her and Tuk wanted to stay strong.

The battle between Quaritch and Jake was running on fumes and it was beginning to feel like it would last forever, that is until one of them was defeated. The limited space and the tilted ship was making it incredibly hard to fight. Quaritch kicked Jake directly in his chest, making your mate fall directly to a sinking platform nearby. And before Jake could even attempted to get up, Quaritch made his move and lunged a couple of punches at Jake, which he was able to dodge quickly.

Kiri and Spider, before moving onto the underside of the ship, had briefly stopped and were sitting on the edge of the ship, watching as it tipped more and more, waiting for the perfect moment to move, which would be very soon. Eventually that moment came and Spider turned to Kiri with urgency and panic, getting ready to move. "We're rolling over! Go, go, go!" He yelled through the noise, Kiri nodded assertively, and started to climb again to get to the other side that would soon be the top of the ship with Spider close behind.

The ship was on the verge of completely turning around, so it became useless to climb up the chairs and the tables as a wall, which made you and Tuk briefly climb them, up until the wall flipped around became the cieling, the two of you turned around to start climbing up what used to be the ceiling. The water's speed picked up, prompting you and Tuk to grab onto whatever was near to get ahead and use as impulse.

"Mama! Help!" Tuk called for you with desperation as she felt the wate reaching her feet very quickly, and as a response without hesitation, you put your hand on her back and gave her a boost. It shattered your heart, amongst the many other emotions you were feeling, how desperate she was to get out of here. The fact that she was calling out to you like that makes you even more desperate to find a way out.

As for Quaritch and Jake, the ship eventually completely turned over, was completely upside down and crashed into the water as it began to sink straight down to the ocean floor. Just as it crashed Jake and  Quaritch had been in the middle of a hand-to-hand brawl fight where Jake had the Colonel in a headlock, but they were both submerged as soon as they ship had completely turned over. But, they continued fighting as if nothing happened, even underwater, and they didn't dare to stop and let their guard down.

Kiri and Spider had managed to move to the underside of the ship at the perfect moment right as the ship turned over completely. Both of them were running on the bottom surface of the ship, being careful not to slip on the dented surfaces that cause the ship to sink in the first place. "Kiri! Keep going! Be careful!" Spider said to Kiri, keeping an eye on her so they didn't separate and they could stick together.

As the two of them travelled across the underside of the ship, Kiri had been running a little too fast and she slipped a bit, almost falling to the dented hold that had water spewing crashing out of it. It was probably the hole that caused the sinking in the first place. "Woah! She cried out as she was able to stop herself from falling in just in time using her hands at her sides and placed her feet on the dents to keep her stable so she didn't end up falling into the ship.

She let out a breath of relief and exhaled. She looked around briefly and realized that there was a ring of fire forming around the ship that was close to closing in on them. "This way! This way!" Spider called out, bringing Kiri back to her senses and followed right after the boy, trusting her friend's instincts. He had a better handle on this after all.

Once again, you and Tuk reached another door. A bigger one that looked like it would be much harder to open than the last one. Just like before, you and Tuk had gotten ahead of the water flowing in, but you two would need to hurry and open it before the currents rushed in again and would prevent you from continuing to escape. By this point, instead of the water being at your necks, the water was rising rapdily to the point that it was at yours and Tuk's knees this time.

You didn't waste any time in grabbing the handles of the door and groaning as you used all of your strength to begin to attempt to pull it open, all the while Tuk remained behind you. You wanted to create a big enough space for her to get in first.

Nothing happened for a few seconds of pulling and you let out a strained yell into the space as the water building up in front of the door was beginning to make it impossible to pull it open. After all of those efforts, the door only managed to open slightly and you wanted to sigh in relief, but it was short lived when water rapidly rushed in through the small opening you managed to get open and the door slammed shut.

You wanted cry, truly. The water was already at Tuk's neck, she could barely keep her head above the water and it had reached your waist. "Open it! Open it, Mom!" Tuk cried out, watching as you struggled to pull it the more the water rose. You still didn't stop trying. The only thing helping you see the door and your surroundings, were the lights that still hadn't dimmed which was helpful, at least. But common sense told you that it wouldn't last as the ship sank more.

You breathed heavily as you tried to pull on the door again, even if your arms were beginning to become sore and hurting. You wouldn't give up, not until every bone in your body told you that you just couldn't anymore. Your voice was strained but you couldn't help but scream again from pulling so hard, using any shrivel of energy you had left.

You tried pulling it open again like before even if the water's pressure made it a lot harder than before. It frustrated you how you wished you could've gotten open when the water was lower, but you kept going nonetheless. Just as you knew would happen in the back of your head, the door slammed shut again. Not only that put the impact of pulling as hard as you were and the door closing as harshly as it did, made you fall back into the water. By this point, you knew what you had to do.

You moved away from the door and grabbed Tuk's hand as you began to bring her over the over way to see if by some miracle, there were other exits or doors somewhere else that would be easier to open. "Mom!" Tuk yelled out with desperation and terror as you tried to keep a level head in this situation, as difficult as it was. But that hope that you had before became almost nonexistent when you looked around and realized that you and Tuk had reached a dead end. There was nowhere else for either of you to go. The water continue to rise and ravage, but even if you began to accept reality, you didn't want Tuk to be the same as you. You continued to reassure her. "It's okay, Tuk" You said with a gentle smile, breathing heavily and began to pant from the exhaustion of going through this whole ordeal.

Neither of you could go back to where you had come from because those areas were flooded by now and if you didn't have a lot energy to hold your breath to try and swim underwater for that long as the adult here, you didn't know if Tuk did. It just wasn't an option, and that very realization made a lump form in your throat as heat gathered behind your eyes. You didn't let Tuk see that, though. The currents were too strong to go anywhere else, and you wouldn't risk letting Tuk drown for some feeble attempt of finding another way out when you didn't even know if there was one. Though there was little to no hope left in your mind, the only hope left was the one you held onto to give it to Tuk.

As for Spider and Kiri, they had continued to make their way through the underside of the ship and making sure neither of them accidentally slipped again. They were running all alongside of the motors and propellers, using them as something to hold on to as they ran and move a lot quicker. "Come on!" Spider yelled out to Kiri as they continued to make their way across, still making sure she didn't fall behind and they stuck together. It was the only way to make it out.

Eventually the surface was beginning to be more and more leveled, compared to how slanted it was before, so they took this as their chance to take a moment to stop for a moment and crouch down. They both crouched down and looked around their surroundings, trying to figure out what to do next, because neither of them knew. It was chaos.

The only time Jake and Quaritch had to stop fighting was to come up for air after being underwater for several minutes. They also had to recover from the shock of the water disrupting the fight in the first place and it took a lot out of them, but it also took away a lot of the heat from the fight even if it was just for a couple of seconds.

They both came up to the surface at the same time, breathing heavily. They held onto the poles next to them to take a moment as they breathed in as much as they could. They were in a small space that had a small pocket of air that would not last very long. Though, the moment that they looked at each other, the rage returned tenfold, and in that moment, they realized they were running out of time before the fight would be decided for them and neither of them would make it. They had to settle their fight right then and there.

The situation seemed like it was only getting worse for you and Tuk. You and your youngest daughter continued to swim through the cramped and narrow hallways that was filling up a lot faster than you could process it. You swam behind while still holding onto her hand.

You worried because the water was up to her chin and neither of you could touch the floor anymore from how much the water has elevated the two of you from he ground. "Go, Tuk!" You said, pushing your daughter in front of you as you looked around as you gasped anxiously, and it felt like the room was closing in on you more and more. 

As you looked around, you suddenly snapped your head upon hearing Tuk's words. "There's no way out!" Tuk pointed out, turning around to face you, pointing at the dead end that you hoped wasn't there like you thought. Your eyes widened in panic and your breathing was even heavier than before, but refusing to give up for Tuk's sake.

Out of pure hopes that your eyes were deceiving you, began to frantically search around the area with the little light that was left. Most of them stopped working by now and were dimming out. Was this it? You didn't want to give up, but how was this the way things were turning out? You begged in your head to the Great Mother, but it seems that nobody had been hearing your prayers.

Kiri and Tuk had stayed in the same spot, crouched down in front of one another as the underside of the ship became surrounded by water the more it sank. They were being cornered from every direction by fire and water. Seeming as they appeared to have the same idea and they would be in open water soon, they reached out and linked their arms together, holding on as tightly as they could.

"Don't let go. We stay together, okay? Stay together," Spider said, reassuring Kiri and she nodded as she looked at him anxiously. After that, just before they were submerged, they both took a deep breath and within a second later, they were both beneath the surface. Once the ship was completely submerged, it creaked loudly as it sank slowly down to the ocean floor. Lights were flickering everywhere in all areas of the ship and soon, it would be pitch black and they would all stop working.

As they went down below the water, Kiri and Spider continued to hold hands tightly despite the currents and bubbles the sinking ship was creating, which almost pried them apart. They tried their best to keep their composure, and thankfully, they were still able to see each other, but keeping eye contact was a lot harder. Unfortunately, Spider looked awy for a second and suddenly no longer felt Kiri's hand in his. He had lost sight of her. With panic, he came up to the surface and noticed she hadn't come up either. He looked around frantically but still nothing.

As Jake and Quaritch continued to stay above the surface in the pocket of air available to them, the Colonel was grinning from ear to ear maliciously at Jake with blood still streaming down his face. To Jake, it looked very unsightly. This seemed to be the time that Quaritch was already imagining the outcome of this battle, where not only did the Colonel went down with the ship but Jake did too. If he wasn't able to take him out, Quaritch would also be okay with dying her as long as Jake did as well.

And at this point, as the ship sank further, what Quaritch wanted was to either take out Jake here and now or they both did. But your mate would fight until the end. He had you and the kids waiting for him, and if he let himself get defeated, all of those reasons and people that he was fighting for would never get the revenge and the peace that they deserved, that they suffered so much to get back. He would end things here, he would make things right. Not only that, but he was fighting for past mistakes, for people in his past that he wronged because of his choices.

Their dispute had to end now, and each of them had different outcomes in their minds, but the limited time made them harder to achieve. Jake furrowed his eyebrows as he inhaled deeply, and Quaritch did too. Then, they both submerged themselves again below the water to resume their fight. They had gotten back enough air and energy to continue and neither of them would stop this time until the other one finally surrendered. 

Jake was quick to make the first move and sent a kick right into Quaritch's stomach, and the Colonel then let out a muffled groan underwater at the impact. But he was quick to retaliate and sent another punch at Jake, but your mate dodged it. They couldn't breathe like needed to, and this fight was becoming more limited than before, but it didn't stop either of them.

Quaritch was quick to then twist Jake around, and before your husband knew it, the Colonel wrapper his legs around Jake's neck, wanting to strangle him. Jake gritted his teeth and groaned, putting his hands on Quaritch's calves, trying to pry them off, but they were wrapped tightly around him. His eyes flashed for a moment and he suddenly remembered and saw you, the kids, the Metkayina, Neytiri, how destroyed you were when you saw Eylti, among many other sights all at once. Jake groaned and used his strength to continue fighting and get out of Quaritch's hold. He didn't let his body give up for him, he could still keep going.

He thought about the future he wanted to have with you, how much he loved you, how he began to believe in love the moment he met you, how he wanted to grow old by your side for as long as Eywa allowed it. You brought hope wherever you went; To him, the children, your people. There's still so much he hasn't told you. He didn't want to fight anymore and live in peace by your side.

If he wasn't careful and let himself get distracted, he wouldn't make it come true. And he needed it. It was all he wanted. He wanted to come back to you so badly, to bring you into his arms, never let go, and never leave your side again. It's where he knew he was meant to be. He doesn't want the last time he said 'I love you' to be the last time. That is why he would keep going until the bitter end. He started this, and he would put an end to it.

The moment he ended this the sooner he could go back to being by your side and your kids all together in one place without worrying if it will be the last time. You and the kids were his whole world, and he would not be the reason they went through more anguish. Quaritch's hold was strong, very strong, and the Colonel even attempted to hold Jake's arms down so he couldn't try to pry off his legs.

In response, Jake let out a muffled grunt as he slowly started to feel the effects of being strangled were settling in. He didn't let it affect him. He began to thrash his entire body to get out of Quaritch's hold, remembering everything you taught him when it came to breathing exercises when he first arrived in the village. He never forgot what you taught him, and now, it would save his life and help him win.

The only thing you resorted to as Tuk stayed close to you in the water, was begging and pleading to Eywa for help. Your daughter lookeda round anxiously as little whimpers left her mouth, knowing how this might end, in that darkened hallway filled with water. There was only a pocket of water above the water that you and Tuk were using to breathe but it would soon get harder to even do that. To breathe. That sounded too terrifying for you to even think about. The lights were dimming, and one by one they were all going out, leaving you and Tuk in the dark, and the water felt like it was trying to swallow both of you whole.

Even more fear was creeping in, and even if knowing you were scared of this outcome, you couldn't even imagine what Tuk was feeling. Accepting at such a young age that this might be the end. But she deserved to live a long life, with accomplishments, growth, until she grew old. She didn't deserve to have thoughts like that, thinking that this is what life had to offer. Because it didn't.

You desperately hoped that if you continued to move across the ship, even with water chasing after you, that there would be an escape. Sure having continued running was infinitely better than being caught by the water before without a chance of getting through. At least you had the luxury of being able to breathe even for a little while. You didn't regret going after Tuk for a second and being in this position with her. You couldn't imagine how it would've been if you didn't make it down the hatch quick enough and you would've lost her to the tides. She was with someone she trusted, that she could talk to, and not feel alone. You had each other, and you would find any way to get out of this together.

Even if your hope diminished and you both reached a dead end, you knew for a fact what you wanted. You wanted Tuk and you to make it out, you wanted to see Jake, see his face, be in his arms, kiss him, and do all the things you took for granted before, not knowing all of you would be in this situation.

You wanted to know if he was okay. Did he defeat Quaritch? Was he safe? You wanted to see Lo'ak, Neteyam, and Kiri again. You wanted to see Tonowari, Ronal, Tsireya, and Ao'nung. Everyone you cared about. You were exhausted but you had so much to go back to. But what could you possibly do now?

You never wanted to do anything that put what you had with them at risk. You wanted peace most of all, and knowing that with every day, you wouldn't be afraid of once again lose the people you love and having to adapt to the grief. That's why, with one final effort, you yelled out with a strained voice out into the hallway filled with water; "Oh, Great Mother, help us! Please!"You pleaded with desperation as your voice broke and a lump formed in your throat as you did.

At your words, Tuk sniffled and swam closer to you until she wrapped her legs around your hips, her arms around your shoulders and tucked her head in the crook of your neck. She closed her eyes and sniffled. Hearing this, you closed your eyes shut and leaned your head against hers, wrapping both of your arms around her, keeping her safe in what might be your final moments, unless a miracle came your way.

The two of them knew it, Jake and Quaritch, that the battle would be over soon but they also had different perspectives in that moment. Quaritch gritted his teeth and he had a sinister smile on his teeth, seemingly enjoying his victory a bit prematurely. Jake's face had cuts, bruises and open wounds all over as he continued to fight against the Colonel's hold on him.

And just as expected, Quaritch celebrated a bit too early and got too confident, overplaying his hand. The moment that the ship finally landed on the ocean floor of Three Brother's Rocks, the impact of the landing loosened the Colonel's hold on Jake, giving your mate a chance to liberate himself. Not wasting another chance, Jake swung punch after punch at Quaritch, who got his bearings and attempted to swing back.

Jake wanted to end this now, since he finally got free from the hold that almost left him unconscious. They were fighting underwater for too long and it was a ticking time bomb. In a quick maneuver, Jake held down Quaritch's arms, wrapped his own arm around the Colonel's neck, strangling him just like he had done to him, if not even harder and tighter.

Quaritch began to choke as he began to squirm like Jake did when he was being held like that. Slowly, he began to feel his airways close and his throat getting harder and harder to circulate air from. He clawed at Jake's arms as he desperately tried to pry off the ex-marine's arms from around his neck. This is the last thing that Jake could to do end Quaritch right in this moment and to win this fight, so he did one last move that he hoped ensured that. He tightened his grip that he had around the Colonel's neck, and after what seemed like ages, he could feel Quaritch start to lose consciousness.

Jake could finally feel victory coursing through him, but he needed to make sure he was out completely before he celebrated and let go too early so he tightened his grip on Quaritch's neck, letting out a muffled grunt of effort, up until the moment he felt that the man was no longer fighting his hold, that his eyes closed and that his entire body had gone limp. A million thoughts ran through Jake's mind in that moment. Was it over? is he really dead? He needs to find a way out, fast. He needed to find you and the kids.

After giving it a few seconds, making sure that he was dead, or at least on the verge of it to the point he couldn't wake back up by himself if he let go, Jake finally did and unwrapped his arms from him, pushed Quaritch off to let him descend to the bottom of the ocean floor. As Jake began to swim up to find a pocket of air to collect himself, he looked down and watched as the Colonel's body went down with the ship into the abyss of the sea.

His expression was empty but calculating, truly trying to convince himself that it was really over? He didn't want to let his guard down, so If he was truly gone now, would his family and the Na'vi still get the peace that they so desperately wanted? It felt anticlimactic, but he didn't want to spend one more second here than he needed to, and his lungs were begging for air.

At least, the biggest worry and threat to his family had been taken care of, and now all he wanted was to go look for you and the kids. There were still enemies out there, Sky People, and he would be prepared for that when the time comes but at least the one avidly hunting him and his family was no longer in he picture. He had other things to worry about.

Spider still had his head above the surface as he searched for any sign of Kiri, even as he ducked his head back in the water, he still couldn't see her because of the bubbles of the sinking ship below and it blocked his view of anything in front of him. Spider lifted his head out of water again as he began to grow worry and frustration deep inside from somehow having lost sight of his friend. But, moments later, he was filled with relief when Kiri suddenly popped up above the water behind the human boy. Spider turned around and sighed with relief. "Kiri!" He said, watching as she looked around frantically for another direction to go to now.

As soon as Jake left Quaritch behind, your mate was now swimming between every nook and cranny, cramped spaces and places in the ship that he could fit himself into that haven't been flooded yet. He thought he could find some kind of pocket of air that hasn't been filled up all the way.

He could at least get some air back into his lungs and continue on his way to look for a way out. After swimming for a bit, Jake saw a metal grate, grabbed onto it and began banging on it to see if it would come off. After a few seconds, nothing happened so he moved on and continued searching

Jake soon began to feel his lungs burn as his need for air intensified, so he continued swimming again through any cramped area he could find to see if he had any luck anywhere else. He couldn't give up now, he didn't fight this much just for his lungs to be the reason he couldn't get back to his family. He couldn't take his time anymore, and the search for temporary air, or better yet, an exit, was becoming harder as Jake fought through the feeling of his lungs calling for him to do exactly that.

The more he searched, the more he realized that even if he found a pocket of air, he was most likely getting farther away from an exit. It dawned on him that there wasn't any place that he could go to that he was probably too far down and that the area was completely flooded already. He needed to get higher up to get air, but exhaustion was also catching up to him.

Now that they had found each other again, Kiri and Spider dipped their heads in the water to see if they could spot anyone else that had managed to get out. Their eyes searched the entire area but still nothing. They knew that Jake must still be down there, as well as you and Tuk, so they began to worry about how they'd get out. Spider pulled out his flashlight that was in his vest to get a better look since it was pretty dark down there.

When he aimed his flashlight down to the ship and didn't see anything, he groaned and lifted his head out of the water again, and right as he did, he heard familiar yips and calls coming from behind him. Spider turned around and the boy was filled with relief when he saw Lo'ak come from around the corner, riding his ilu.

"Bro!" Spider called out with relief as Kiri heard commotion and lifted her head from the water and turned around to face her brother. She looked at him with distress and worry, which Lo'ak was quickly able to notice. "What's going on?" He asked with concern, not knowing the full situation or understanding fully why Kiri and Spider were the only ones out here by themselves and no one else had appeared.

"Mom and dad are down there, in the ship. Tuk's there too, " Kiri pointed out, and Lo'ak's eyes widened as he immediately reacted and gestured for Kiri and Spider to grab onto the saddle of the ilu so they could all go down to the shipwreck at the same time and find their family.

It made him anxious that you, his dad, and his little sister were all down there with no way out. He had a million thoughts running through his head and thousand other possibilities that he suddenly began to run through his head, regarding you and how you might be taken this, how scared Tuk must be, and his dad fighting Quaritch on his own and still not having made his way out. "Grab on! Quick!" Lo'ak said to his older sister and his best friend, not wasting another second after they were hanging on to set out underneath the surface and head straight towards the ship.

-

As for Jake, he wasn't having as much luck as he wanted. He hasn't found a way out or any place that he could take a breath from. He felt like had been swimming forever and in circles, getting right back to where he started and his mind was spinning. He hoped it didn't have to come to it but Jake soon started to feel dizzy as his lungs begged for air and burned painfully, so much that he started choking and small air bubbles leaving his mouth.

His will was stronger and started to struggle to stay awake and keep searching. 'No...No, it can't end like this, I need to find them...y/n...' Jake thought as he began to blink in and out of consciousness every couple of seconds. His will had so much strength but it has been a while since he's breathed in air, and that very will was overpowered but his body's need to stay alive. He didn't want to give up but it was decided for him.

'Y/n...I'm sorry' Jake repeated in his mind as his body and mind finally gave in, his eyes closed, and he fell unconscious with you and the kids being the last thought on his mind. He wasn't at the point where he ended up like Quaritch, and his body could still be salvaged if someone found him soon, but he was unresponsive as he started to slowly sink down.

-

As Jake passed out, Kiri, Spider, and Lo'ak were approaching the sunken ship on the ilu. When approaching the opening on a nearby deck, Kiri split off on her own as she let go from the ilu and she seemed to become very entranced with a school of Gill Mantles traveling as a group.

This was obviously their home and they were simply gliding peacefully through the water. She stayed with the creatures a she watched Lo'ak and Spider go inside the ship on the ilu to find everyone else. But as she looked at the Gill Mantles and other small glowing fish, Kiri came up with an idea.

As she watched as the two boys continued to make their way inside the ship, Kiri swam closer to one of the Gill Mantles that were gliding right past her. As if in a trance, Kiri pulled around her braid and connected her queue to the nearest Gill Mantle that passed by. When her braids' tendrils made contact with the animal, the creature began to glow softly in the water, and then she placed it on her back, so now she could breathe underwater. Kiri now hoped that if she used this, she could get to you and Tuk easily and give this Gill Mantle to Tuk since she had less expertise in controlling her breathing underwater than you and needed it more.

Spider and Lo'ak had made their way inside the ship already and began their search for Jake further down the ship. Once they entered the opening they found, the ilu screeched and wailed as Lo'ak commanded it through the bond to stop briefly. Your son turned to look at Spider and gestured for him the fact that his human friend had to get off now and start looking in that section of the ship without the help of the creature because the Lo'ak had to take the ilu. And Spider had scuba and a mask, and Lo'ak needed the efficiency and speed of the ilu to make this quicker. It was slowly starting to get darker and darker inside the ship and time was running out to find Jake. Lo'ak wanted this to be as quick as possible.

Lo'ak signed that message to Spider and the boy understood as he nodded in understanding. "Okay, " Spider replied assertively and got off the ilu to start swimming through the ruins of the ship by himself while Lo'ak set off on the creature to go look in another section. The human boy held his flashlight high up in case the lights were to completely go out, so he would have nothing to worry about and he could continue without a problem.

As Lo'ak continued to go on his way across the ship, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of his dad, or even you and Tuk. But, as he expected, he reached a point where his ilu couldn't pass through anymore, so he disconnected his queue, he dismounted the creature and went in himself to search deeper inside. Thankfully, this section still had a lot of functional lights, so that was lucky. He didn't have a flashlight like Spider. But he knew better than to think that it would last forever so he began to hurry.

Kiri had gotten a little sidetracked and distracted as she followed through her idea to save you and Tuk. She was supposed to go in and search for her mom and her little sister, and when she finds them to hopefully give them the Gill Mantle she had on her back. The teenage girl's eyes were trained on the school of glowing fish she had seen before that had approacher her.

All of the freckles and dots all over her face and her body started to glow dimly, on and off continuously and repeatedly. Suddenly, Kiri came up with another idea and at the reminder that the lights would all soon go out, these small fish would be the perfect guide to find you and Tuk. She just had to gather enough of them to help her get to where they are.

On Spider's side of the search, he was swimming through the ship's ruins as he pointed his flashlight at every corner and at any sort of life that indicated Jake's presence. Spider encountered many dead bodies that were either killed or they drowned that were splayed all across the ship, and it was like an unusual number of them.

He couldn't remember this many employees and soldiers having still been on the ship but then again, it may just be the people who didn't make it out in time. Spider passed through the ship to the point where it seemed endless, and as he flashed his light in the faces of those humans, he began to feel pity for them deep down but he couldn't stop and get distracted.

As much as it left a pit in his heart to see so many dead people and passing by them, Spider continued to swim and turn in the direction that he needed to go towards. Eventually after a couple of minutes, when turning his flashlight forward again, he spotted what looked like an blue arm with stripes poking out of the corner, like forest Na'vi did, so his eyes widened as he realize he must have finally found Jake.

To the boy, he didn't think that it could be anyone else and no one else crossed his mind. It could just be another Avatar recom. Since he could only see the arm, he had no way to know for sure if it was Jake so he began to quickly swim over, thinking it's actually who he's looking for.

"Jake!" Spider exclaimed, really hoping it'd be him. He continued to come closer, quickly turning a corner, putting up his flashlight at the Na'vi he thought was Jake but Spider's blood ran cold and his heart dropped to his stomach when the boy saw that it wasn't Jake. It was Quaritch.

He gaped at the sight and noticed how the Colonel's body was twitching, with clearly still a little bit of life in him but it looks like he won't last if he stayed down here any longer. It would only take a couple more minutes for his body to finally give out and die.

Unlike Spider, Lo'ak's search had been successful and after swimming for a long time, he finally spotted his dad and wasted no time in getting to him. Jake's body was splayed over a pole, still unconscious, twitching as he let out a few bubbles, which like Quaritch, meant that he still had life in him.

Lo'ak rushed to his dad and grabbed his arm, slowly pulling him up further to a place that he knew had pockets of air that hadn't been filled all the way yet. Lo'ak put the pieces together and figured his dad passed out while trying to get a breather but never got to. He had to hurry, he could still save his dad. He wondered how Kiri was doing on her end but he focused on his dad completely.

He almost lost his brother today, and he wouldn't let his dad be the one casualty that their family suffered. You were waiting for him, his sisters were waiting for him, and Neteyam would want to see him again when he woke up. They've had clashes in their relationships but he was going to do his part and make things right as badly as he had been wanting to.

As much as he hated it, Spider swam closer to Quaritch to inspect his body to check and make sure if he was still alive. He kept in mind the hell Jake must've endured to finally have gotten Quaritch in this state. He wasn't going to throw that away for anything. Though, Spider's suspicions were proven correct when he suddenly felt a pulse on the man he thought was the dad he was missing. But the more he spent time around Quaritch, the more he realized that the man in front of him had no space for love in his heart, even for his own son, the quicker he'd be able to make a decision.

When he weighed it out, it was clear that this man would do anything to kill the family that had been there for him when Quaritch wasn't. Thanks to the Sully's he made friends for a lifetime, the siblings he never had in fact, and you, you've been nothing but accepting of him even if you've known him for less than a day. And Jake, he sympathized. He used to be human and knew more than anybody how it felt to have human roots in Pandora, and he accepted Spider as if he was one of his own.

Sure, you lost your way before he knew you never wanted to hurt him but he understood quickly that it's because the Sky People have taken so much from you, and you could've alienated him, but you risked your life with Neteyam and Lo'ak to save him before when you didn't know him, being aware of how much he meant to your sons. And the truth is, he would not betray those who have taken care of him as a son and as a friend.

As hard as his morals in the back of his head were screaming at him groaned with frustration and turned around to leave and turn the other way, and he didn't turn back. This man wasn't his father, he didn't think he was before, and he wasn't his dad now He could easily admit that he was not his kid. It would be hard to watch him die considering the moments that he had before with him as what someone would constitute as a father and Spider appreciated it, but that was completely erased in the moment he threatened to persecute the Sully's until he killed them all. He couldn't forgive that and undo everything that Jake did today. He wasn't going to regret this and he knew this was the right thing to do.

So, taking a deep breath, Spider turned around and swam away quickly before his mind convinced him otherwise. The boy's mask hissed with every breath he took as he got away from the scene as fast as possible and rushed to find an exit and meet up with Lo'ak again. The voices in his kept burdening him but he ignored them and pushed them to the back of his mind. He was not turning around and hopefully Lo'ak found Jake by now.

Thankfully, Lo'ak found a part of the ship that hadn't flooded yet and was using all of his strength to bring his dad over to that very place. Soon, they arrived at a pocket of water that Lo'ak found and brought his dad above the surface. The moment Jake's face was above the surface, he gasped for air and his eyes snapped open as he struggled to stay afloat, but thankfully Lo'ak was having him hold onto to him for support.

"Dad?" Lo'ak started as he checked on his dad's state, relieved his dad was still alive and breathing again, even if it was just puffs of air. As Lo'ak expected would happen, Jake started coughing as he weakly reached out to hold onto a pole, with almost no strength left, but he still held on. "Dad, just breathe, okay? I'll get you of here, but just keep breathing" Lo'ak said as he held onto his dad's hand tightly and with reassurance he gripped it lightly, to keep him from sinking, and to give him hope knowing well that his dad probably had little to no energy left, and to get out, he'd need it

As for Jake, he was not in his right mind. He was just using one hand to hold onto the pole and his other arm kept him afloat. He could hear a voice but couldn't quite register that was being said to him. And it felt like he was truly hallucinating because he couldn't tell which one of his sons it was. He barely had any oxygen in his lungs and in his brain that he felt like mind was seeing things. He had let himself go before, let himself give up so easily that it surprised himself too. The thoughts that he had stored in the back of his head resurfaced, truly believing it was reality for a second.

That's why his mind forced him to blurt out; "Neteyam?" Jake choked out, not completely sure if he himself was dead, that his worst fear that he had pushed out to the back of his head had come true, and his firstborn was dead and this was some fucked up image that his mind and reality that his brain was planting in his head to punish him for some cruel reason. The incident affected him more than he thought it did. There were voices in his head telling him that Neteyam was alive, unconscious, but alive. He needed to focus, his mind was playing tricks on him.

Though, it wasn't any easier for the younger son that had heard his son's words. Lo'ak's eyes softened with sadness upon hearing this, and his only comfort was that his dad was not seeing things clearly and he didn't mean it. "No, Dad. It's Lo'ak, your son" The boy said as he kept his voice leveled, pretending like he didn't feel like his heart wasn't crumbling.

His brother's accident affected him way too much and he knew that this was something his dad pushed back to be able to go off into battle, but he couldn't help but wonder if their relationship was ever going to get better. Mended together. Moments like this wished him and his dad had patched things up, not knowing how things were going to turn out.

After hearing his son's words and his voice, Jake's eyes widened a fraction as it hit him. It all rushed back and became clearer, and everything came back to him he realized he was alive. Neteyam was alive. His family was complete. Lo'ak had saved him. And speaking of, Lo'ak wanted to let out everything that went wrong, taking responsibility for putting his family through what happened, truly feeling like the guilt was eating him alive every moment he didn't express it to his dad.

But he didn't know that his dad only care about having Lo'ak right in front of him, alive and okay. Nothing else mattered or needed to be said. "Oh, Lo'ak..." Jake muttered softly as he looked at his son, barely able to keep his head above the water. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm so sorry about Neteyam, it's all my fault that he got hurt," Lo'ak said with remorse in his voice, feeling like it was the only thing he could get out and say in that moment.

He had been wanting to say this before as well, but he wanted to say it now before he lost his chance. But hearing this, Jake shook his head softly as he spoke; "Just focus. Focus on now," Jake said, his voice raspy and hoarse. As much as he had all the motivation before. A big part of him had lost hope and another believed that now that Lo'ak was here, they could get out. He was struggling to think clearly and couldn't decide what he wanted anymore. Although deep down, his motivations were still buried and he just needed to be reminded of them.

Lo'ak moved past the moment and began to focus on the matte at hand. The young Sully boy began looking around their surroundings, seeing what around them could possibly indicate an exit and what part of the ship they were at. He turned around and saw many lights beginning to flicker on and off and that wasn't a good sign. They didn't have much time and they needed the remaining lights to get out.

The situation was becoming more and more dire, and Lo'ak noticed their pocket of air was getting smaller and smaller the more the water rose. He thought back to how he came here in the first place and started to think about different scenarios. But it had to be quick and he couldn't take too long. His dad relied on him.

"Okay, Dad. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but we're losing air pockets. Come on. we gotta start moving. Come on, Dad" Lo'ak explained, knowing how hard it must be for his dad to hear that he had to go back down when he just now started to get air in his lungs. Lo'ak got even more worried when even more lights started to flicker and to power off.

He turned to look at his dad and saw how his breathing was heavy and his eyes were closed shut, trying to stay afloat as best as he could. He was not in any condition to go back underwater, even more so when Lo'ak noticed that he had blood running down his temple and down his face, along with cuts and bruises that made a frown appear in Lo'ak's face.

He knew his dad was barely hanging on as it is, holding onto the pole beside him and feeling like his fate had already been decided by the state he was in. Truth is, he was scared to go back down and end up the same way as he did before. Or worse, both him and and Lo'ak did. He didn't want to risk it but from what his son said, Jake inferred that his son knew how to get out of the ship. The question is Jake questioning if he could do it. He was just too weak and frail right now to even hold his breath again. He was panting laboriously, breathing heavily, and not feeling capable.

"You know your way out?" Jake choked out as tried to get more air in his body, making the boy nod at what his dad was implying. But he would only know his way out if the lights are still working by then. "Yes, I think so. But, Dad, it's gonna be long breath-hold," Lo'ak pointed out to his dad, trying to give hm the reassurance that he needed to make it out of there with him if he was by his side. Jake was leaning his head with his eyes closed on the arm that he had on the side of the pole he was grabbing onto.

Completely exhausted. He hated what he was about to say. After everything and everyone that he fought for, after the efforts he put in, and all that he hoped for after this battle. It seemed to go up in smoke because he was about to give out. "I can't make it, I'm sorry, Lo'ak" He breathed out with defeat, but then continued. "But you can. You can. You gotta go right now," Jake shook his head, not believing he could hold for that long when he couldn't even have the strength to hold his head above water.

As much as he feared to be left here deep down, he really didn't want to, but what if he slowed Lo'ak down because of how weak he was? He wouldn't make it out. In his mind, he thought of nothing else but wanting Lo'ak to save himself if he really did know the way out.

But Lo'ak refused. He would never leave him here, not even if he yelled, if he begged him to leave before it was too late. They were both getting out of here alive and Lo'ak would make sure of it. "No, no. I can't lose you too, Dad. Please!" Lo'ak pleaded with everything in him because it shattered him to know his dad wanted him to leave by himself and leave him, even if he knew that's not what he really wanted. And then Lo'ak realized something very important.

" Dad, remember mom...she's waiting for you" And Jake's eyes widened a fraction, still keeping his head leaned against his arm. But then you came into his mind, he remembered your face, how much strength you gave him. The very strength that he needed in that very moment. God, he wanted to see you again. He needed you. He wanted to be with you again.

"We're all waiting for you" Lo'ak's voice broke as he begged and pleaded for his dad to at least try to escape together. And something clicked in Jake's brain. Was it really possible for the two of them to escape? Lo'ak seemed so sure that it was contagious, and maybe putting his trust in his son is exactly what he needed. Maybe, it really was possible.

The situation for you was similar for you and Tuk. The two of you were also in a pool of water that had a pocket of air the two of you were using to breathe as the water rose more and more. All the lights were powered off by now for the two of you, there was metal rumbling from a afar which scared Tuk as she clung to you tighter every time she heard it, reminding her of how hopeless the situation became every minute.

You held her tighter and ran your hand through her braids as she trembled against you and tucked her head further into your neck. The only thing providing lights in the pitch black dark room were your Na'vi freckles all over your faces and bodies. You pressed your lips against her head and then the side of your head against hers to keep her close.

You often covered her ears whenever those rumblings and creaking of metal and the ship boomed throughout the area. You began to think of when the Sully's first arrived in the village, when Tuk was the first one to open her arms out to you, when she invited you to dinner, how happy he was when you had officially become her mother and you and Jake got together and was so quick to be so inviting and always keep you in mind no matter what. This is the girl in your arms right now. Your daughter. You will not let anything happen to her, you will always put her first before anything and if she makes it out, then that's all that mattered to you.

You suddenly felt her head move up from your neck and look up at you with a look hope wanting to so desperately be reassured. "Mama, I'm really scared," Tuk whimpered as tears gathered in her eyes, sniffling while trying not to cry, but her expressions betrayed her. Her ears were tipped back and her eyes were blurry with tears as they softened with terror and fear.

You hated to know deep down, you knew what she was thinking. She had lost hope and was asking for comfort as the situation got worse and with no good outcomes. You raised a hand to her cheek and cradled it, rubbing away her rogue tears with your thumb as your eyes softened and smiled gently. "It's alright. Stick with me, okay? Don't let go, we'll be okay. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." You cooed in a soft and uplifting tone, earning a small but noticeable nod from her as she brought her face back to your neck and rests her cheek on your shoulder, and you continued to run your hands through her braids.

As the two of you remained there in the dark, a few moments later. You suddenly remembered something that might not only cheer her up but also take her mind off of this whole situation and bring her joy. Even if its just for a few moments so you spoke up again. "Tuk, you want to know something?" You whispered with innocent mischief in your voice, trying to make her smile, and you hoped she could pick up on the energy and tone of your question and it seemed to work because she replied back; "Yeah!" She beamed and you could practically hear the smile in her response.

"Okay, but keep it a secret for me, okay?" You said and Tuk gave you a hum as she raised her pinky, and you smiled as you joined it with hers. Her giggle made you smile because it looked like your distraction was working. "I haven't told your dad, I've only hinted at it...but, if all goes well, you'll have a little brother or sister soon " You revealed, and it followed by a gasp as Tuk's head shot up and she looked at you with a smile, even with stray tears from before in her eyes.

"Really?" She asked with a bright and beaming attitude, and you couldn't help but mirror her expression as you nodded. After you confirmed it, Tuk immediately embraced you even tighter than before and held onto you.

You reciprocated and wrapped your arms around her too, with one hand in the back of her head and another around her back. You were on the verge of tears, happy that you were able to raise her spirits even in a situation like this, giving her hope that she had something to look forward to and to have hope towards. Her happy spirits came back and it made you happy. She still had so much to live for, so much to look forward to. Her rite of passage when she's older, become the warrior you were certain she'd grow up to be and even witnessing the growth of her family with the new addition that she and her siblings would be meeting in a couple months.

After that, she still remained clung to you, feeling the most safe in your hold. You began to rock her back and forth, having her breathing in and out along with you and take her focus out of the rising water. You had been praying to Eywa nonstop the entire time, hoping for a miracle. But your focus now was Tuk above anything else. "Stay close to mama, okay? We will make it out, don't worry," You said, combing through your daughters short braids. "It's okay," You breathed out gently, and you heard her hum in agreement. She held onto your words as the last bit of hope she had left.

Little did they know that their savior was coming. Kiri had gathered enough of that school of glowing fish, and she decided it was finally time to send those fish straight to you and Tuk. Kiri's eyes turned into a brighter yellow as the glowing in the freckles in her body intensified, changing dimming patterns every couple second. She didn't waste any time in sending those fish directly towards the inside of the ship to help Kiri be guided to you and Tuk. She really hoped it worked.

As Kiri commanded, the fish separated into different trails that dispersed into all areas of the ship and to give enough light to find her family. Kiri was still using the Gill Mantle attached to her, and this would make it easier to spend more time underwater and find anyone that was still inside.

After she sent the arrays of different trails of the glowing fish, Kiri started to follow and swim through the path that she sensed her mom and her little sister would lead to. Hopefully the fish would lead her directly to the people she was hoping to find until they were all together again.

Lo'ak figured that his dad was just very scared to back into the water because of the lack of oxygen in his body so the boy began to walk his dad through some breathing exercises from Tsireya that really came in handy in this situation. "You just have to slow your heart down, okay? Be real calm, Dad" Lo'ak explained while Jake looked at his son weakly and with confusion, not feeling like he had enough courage to do that yet.

He recognized some of exercises Lo'ak was doing that he learned from you, and he was trying to have your voice run through his head to help him remember. "Breath from here, okay?" Lo'ak said, moving his hand to place it on his dad's chest, right below where his heart is. Lo'ak could see that it was hard for his dad to follow along, so he continued going through it with him until he was ready. Lo'ak began to inhale deeply, watching closely to see if his dad followed along. It was only after a few seconds that the ex-marine started to follow his son's instructions. Slowly building up the courage he lost before, listening to the part of him that still believed they had a shot, even if it was a small part of him at this point. It was still there.

In the end, Jake believed his son wholeheartedly and knew Lo'ak was confident in what he wanted to do and how he was willing to help. And after a few seconds of following each other's breathing, Jake was finally in sync with Lo'ak, following every movement, breathing in and out at the same time as him. It was working, and Jake was starting to feel a bit stronger with every puff of air he inhaled an exhaled.

"The way of water has no beginning and no end," Lo'ak began while Jake looked at his son with a weak expression, that strengthened slowly but surely. He listened to every single word he said, taking it all in with a grain of salt, as best as he could.

"The sea is around you and in you," Lo'ak said as he continued, saying those same words that Tsireya told him when he was teaching all about learning the ways of the Metkayina. He took another deep breath before continuing, not letting the rhythm of the breathing exercises be disrupted. Lo'ak was relieve his dad was still following along. "The sea is your home before your birth and after your death," He said, and Jake let out a relaxed exhale after that. His son's words were soothing him.

It really was working after all. He just needed a reality check before giving up so soon. He was really grateful that Lo'ak got to him and took him to the pocket of air he had been desperately searching for, that he was risking his own safety by helping him here up until the last second, and that he never gave up on him. It's what Jake should've done from the beginning.

"The sea gives and the sea takes. Water connects all things" Lo'ak continued, feeling their small space begin to fill up more with every word. They would need to leave soon if they wanted to make it out, but Lo'ak's words had calmed down his dad right on time.

The path that Kiri chose that she sensed lead to you and Tuk was thankfully was the right one. She was now headed straight for her mom and her little sister. The fish were Kiri's guide and she truly knew she was heading the right when she passed through opened hatches and doors, so there was no mistaking it anymore. Kiri passed through many bodies of humans, like Spider did, but payed no mind to them as she was focused on one goal only. She needed to get there quickly before it was too late.

Jake and Lo'ak were preparing to head back down, now that the water was at their chins, but they didn't let that scared them. In fact, it only motivated Jake and Lo'ak to take the next step. The two of them continued inhale and exhale together, routinely, over and over, until he could do it alone.

They never broke eye contact either, because what kept Jake with hope was following his son's exercises and his lead. If that stopped, all of those fears that Jake had would come back and they needed to be stronger than ever to get out."Life to death, darkness to light," Lo'ak said as Jake closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply one more time.

A few minutes passed, and the miracle that you had been desperately praying for since you and Tuk were escaping from the flood up until you reached a dead end seemed to have finally been answered. You had been praying to Eywa, for one last chance to be saved and for her family, her children and her husband, to make it out alive in one piece.

You and Tuk closed your eyes as you continued to rock your daughter back and forth in reassurance and comfort. A suddenly you felt Tuk move her head from your neck and gasp. You opened your eyes too and you felt warmth and relief fill your heart. You wanted to cry, but not like before. That was an urge to cry when there was no hope, but now, it was the complete opposite. Happy tears gathered in your eyes as you used a hand to cover your mouth. You couldn't believe it.

There was a light from familiar glowing fish coming from around the corner, bringing light back into the room and both you and Tuk felt a weight be lifted from your soldiers. You and Tuk would be saved. Both of you looked down at the water in amazement as smiles came upon your faces. Kiri was right underneath the surface, right in tow amongst the fish, and the two of you didn't even know it, that this was her doing.

The creatures started to surround you and Tuk, and the two of you couldn't help but gape at how many of these fish were summoned to your rescue. That faith and the hope that dimished before to almost being non-existent was stronger than ever now. This was a sign of the light that you and Tuk needed, and had been slowly extinguished off before.

It was going to happen, you were all going to make it out. Kiri had been coming from around the corner, using he tables and chairs as impulse to bring herself closer. Tuk inhaled and submerged her head in the water , and her smile grew even more when she saw her sister approaching with a soft and comforting smile on her face. She was there to save them.

Having finally found the two people she had been searching for, Kiri swam over to you and Tuk, grabbing yours and her little sister's hands as she came out of the water. The moment you saw Kiri lift her head from the water, the tears you had been trying to hold back started to follow down your cheeks as you smiled at your oldest daughter.

You had been forced to separate before and it warmed your heart with relief to see her again. "Hi," Kiri breathed out with relief at seeing her mother and sister alive and well. She really dreaded reaching them and her mom and her sister hadn't made it, but they did. She had gotten to them at the perfect time. "Kiri!" Tuk and you said at the same time, beaming with a bright smile at your daughter. "You're here" You said softly, still in disbelief but incredibly happy to see her again as well.

Kiri smiled at your words, knowing deep down that she never would've stood by and done nothing to come to your rescue. It had hurt her deeply before to have see two of the people she care about the most be forced to go back into the ship with seemingly no escape. She was glad that she was the one who would be the one that got them out.

"Everything is going to be alright, we'll get out of here" Kiri smiled at Tuk and you, grabbing yours and her sister's hand underwater. Before Kiri did anything else, you noticed she was about to remove the Gill Mantle she had on her back. "Wait. Make sure to give it to Tuk. I can hold my breath for long enough" You reassured, and Kiri stopped in her movements to take off the creature off her back, and nodded in agreement.

Tuk needed this more than you did, and it seemed like Kiri had a good handle on controlling her breathing underwater too. You and Kiri both agreed that Tuk was the priority. Kiri continued to detach the Gill Mantle, removing her own queue from the creature and passing it to Tuk.

"I'm going to give this to you, Tuk. It will help you. You know how to put it on, right?" Kiri asked her little sister, and Tuk hummed and nodded, sure of herself. Though, Kiri would still assist her. Your youngest daughter turned around without hesitation, as her older sister helped in putting it on correctly, gently and with the most care possibly.

Tuk turned back around, with the Gill Mantle attached to her back and her braid queue connected to the creature as well. Kiri and Tuk looked at each other with smiles, and then they both looked at you, silently asking if you were ready. You inhaled and nodded, preparing your breathing like you've always done. You were all giving each other the courage you needed.

"Trust me, Mom" Kiri said softly, smiling at you. You wouldn't do anything less than that. Kiri could have imagined how much turmoil had been in your head during this, and a little comfort went a long way. YYou would trust Kiri with your life, and you never doubted her. And it was the same for Kiri. She always trusted your judgement, you always put those you loved first and now it was time for you to put your faith in her.

"Yeah," Tuk said with a smile but a bit tiredly, nonetheless. The pocket of air was getting smaller and you all needed to prepare to leave this place as soon as possible, or it would be too late. You nodded again with a weak smile, as you remembered your breathing techniques, taking steady breaths before going below the surface. It was ironic you were about to go back down into the very water you and Tuk were trying to escape.

Given that Kiri was the more level headed right now amongst the three of you, she had taken it upon herself to guide you and Tuk and prepare. "Calm your heart. Deep breaths, in and out" Kiri said calmly and completely collected, as you and Tuk followed her breathing, relieving all tension. The moment you went underwater again before getting air again would be the hardest until all three of you got up to the surface again.

And then, after feeling like your breathing had finally stabilized, it was finally time to go. "Follow me," Kiri softly, giving you and Tuk one last look of reassurance before all three of you inhaled deeply and then submerged at the same time, not thinking about it twice. Once you three were underwater again and began to follow Kiri's lead, the fish were leading the way back by the same trail and path that Kiri had used to find them.

You and your daughters weren't the only ones already preparing to head out. Lo'ak and Jake continued to breathe in together in and out, and even if their pocket of air was getting smaller and smaller, Lo'ak would wait for his dad to be ready until the very last second if it was necessary.

Rushing was the last thing he needed. The water was so high up that they had to keep their chins tilted up to keep breathing, since the space was filling up with more and more water. They would have go down sooner or later, but preferably soon. "Dad, you can do this. I know you can" Lo'ak said, giving his dad the last few words he needed to make it out of here, and hopefully those words could help give Jake that last push he needed to make that leap and go for it.

They had a minute at most before this place would be filled up, so these needed to be their last few inhales. "Last breath, okay?" Lo'ak said, earning a silent nod from Jake, who had gotten some of his courage back as Lo'ak had walked him through it. He was ready. He was ready to see his kids. He was ready to see you. And not wanting to think about it for a second, Jake and Lo'ak took that leap and they both finally inhaled deeply at the same time, submerging into the water, beginning to make their way back to where Lo'ak had come from. Jake followed his son's lead in every corner they turned, without question, trusting him and believing in him.

The entire Sully was making their way out of the ship at the very same time. While Lo'ak and Jake were moving through one section, you, Kiri, and Tuk were doing the same. The fact that Kiri had brought that Gill Mantle ended up being very helpful for Tuk, as the little girl was able to move through the water swiftly without any problems, but you and Kiri were also on either side of Tuk, holding onto her and making sure she didn't accidentally get lost. The three of you were still following the trail of glowing fish, and you were glad you'd done breathing exercises before because you feel your underwater breathing technique had gotten to how it used to be, at least for the most part. It would be enough to get out.

As for Lo'ak and Jake's side, the young Sully boy guided his dad through ever corner, remembering exactly where he came from. It also helped that those fish that Kiri used and had dispersed to go through all directions around the ship were also helping Jake and Lo'ak finally spot the exit to the surface and out of the ship.

When they were about to turn the last corner out of the SeaDragon, Lo'ak turned his had back to see his dad approaching and he extended his hand out for him to take it and give his dad a boost. Jake saw the gesture and immediately grabbed onto his son's hand as the two of them finally started to swim up to the surface together, with the glowing fish accompanying and swimming out of the ship with them.

Meanwhile, you and your daughters were still making your way out of the ship and heading up to the surface as well, while Lo'ak and Jake had practically already made their way out. Being the two oldest figures there, you and Kiri were paying extra attention to Tuk. It warmed your heart every once in a while when Tuk looked you and Kiri with a big smile, full of faith and happiness. You didn't hesitate to smile back, feeling just as excited as her to finally be leaving this ship behind.

As you three approached a door that would get you and the girls to the outside of the ship, you and Kiri thought the same thing and gave Tuk a gentle push as a last impulse to let her go through first. You and Kiri then looked at each other and nodded at each other, taking turns going through the door and then not taking much time to catch up to Tuk again.

The more that the school of glowing fish began to pour in and out of the ship, the easier it was for Jake and Lo'ak to finally start to swim further up to the surface, as long as the breathing techniques they'd used allowed their lungs to make it that far. But as expected, Jake began to run out of oxygen in his body and that familiar subtle burning of his lungs began to resurface. Lo'ak noticed this and wrapped his hands under his dad's arms to help pull his Jake up with him. Seeing the surface approaching so far, Jake kicked at himself mentally the moment he began to let out a couple muffle grunts as he tried his best to continue to swim.

The swim up to the surface seemed eternal, making it harder for Jake to hang on. But what came next wasn't something they expected but it was exactly what they needed. Lo'ak perked up when he heard familiar clicks and wails coming from nearby that he knew belonged to a Tulkun, and he turned his head to see his spirit brother, Payakan, approaching.

Payakan proceeded to extend his fin to Lo'ak and Jake, offering his help to bring them up above the water much quicker than their limbs could. Gladly accepting the help of the sentient creature, Lo'ak was quick to grab onto Payakan, and after Jake registered what was in front of him and held on tight as well, letting the Tulkun bring them up.

Payakan swam as quickly as he could and took them up to the surface, and he let out a happy wail and smiled with his eyes when he saw the father and son on his fin as his sentient body glowed with bright lights of bioluminescence in contrast with the darkness of the ocean.

Jake felt a wave of relief, after feeling like he's been underwater for far too long, the moment that he and Lo'ak were brought above the surface. They both gasped for air, feeling it was infinitely better to breathe now than in that small space and pocket of air. Jake was exhausted, and being able to breathe properly now gave him a feeling that he couldn't describe, but he was relieved that he finally could after yearning for it after all of that.

The dizziness of getting a proper amount of air into their lungs was still there, but they still hung onto Payakan's fin tightly and Lo'ak was quick to check on his dad and the state he was in. "Hold on! Just breathe, just keep breathing...are you okay, dad?" Lo'ak said to his dad, watching as his dad continued to gasp for breath and got air in his lungs again, putting a hand on his back, watching over his body language carefully.

Feeling immense and undeniable gratitude to his spirit brother for what he did today, Lo'ak turned around to face Payakan in the eye. From leaping on top of the ship earlier that day, to saving them just now, Lo'ak would also be indebted to the Tulkun. The Sully boy placed his hand above Payakan's eye and rubbed the area above it gently with his thumb. "Thank you," Lo'ak breathed out genuinely and wholeheartedly, and Payakan responded with a low guttural wail as he smiled with his eyes with appreciation for the boy.

He didn't understand it before, he really didn't, but he did try to understand. Especially before with the issue from before with Lo'ak bonding with Payakan, the impact he had on you and how you visited the Tulkun too while he didn't know how much of the story was missing and he tried to piece things together with what he knew and what he was told. Everything you had told him before rushed back, every detail, every word. Since then, it had become easier to see things in a different way.

But as Jake watched this happen, how connected his son was to the Tulkun and this was not just any bond. They were brothers and best friends, far beyond he could ever comprehend. This is what made things just click in Jake's head and he could see how deeper their relationship was than he could ever know. And from now on, he would do anything to mend that had weakened in their relationship over the years and start to understand him.

With an understanding and soft smile, Jake lifted one of his hands that he had on Payakan's fin and caught Lo'ak off-guard when he placed it on his head, just above the nape of his neck. Upon contact, Lo'ak turned his head back to face his dad with shock on his face. "I see you, son..." Jake panted, rubbing the top of his son's head with his thumb with affection.

He hated that it had taken him this long to say those words and should've said it sooner, so that his son knew how much he truly cared for him. More than he ever knew. Lo'ak's eyes widened further at his dad's words, but after a few seconds, he nodded wordlessly and kept those words close to his heart, taking them with a grain of salt.

After everything that's happened up until now, he didn't think he would ever hear those words, but Lo'ak had no idea how capable Jake thought him to be and that he wanted him to give himself more credit for everything he's endured. But he would let him know every day from this day forward.

While Lo'ak and Jake recuperated up in the surface, you, Kiri, and Tuk weren't much far behind. Just like your mate and your son had done, the three of you had followed the trail of glowing fish that guided you until you were finally exiting the ship and starting to swim up to the surface.

Wanting to make sure that they got up there, putting them as a priority, you had nudged Kiri and Tuk a little so that they were ahead and swimming above you while you stayed behind you. Far ahead, you could see that they were heading up to what seemed like Payakan with two figures on his fin. Your heart leaped when you realized that was Jake and Lo'ak, so you began to pick up the pace as you continued to swim upwards. You were so close.

Though, keeping Tuk and Kiri in your eyeline as you continued to look upwards made you completely neglect your other surroundings. You didn't know how or when, but as you continued to swim up, getting closer and closer to the surface, you suddenly felt yourself being tackled.

It knocked the air out of you and disoriented you for a couple seconds. It was definitely an Avatar, and not a human, but it was so sudden and you couldn't tell who it was, but they kept bringing you down lower and lower to the ocean floor. And your heart plummeted when Kiri and Tuk continued to get farther and farther away as they continued to swim upwards, still having no clue of what just happened to you.

After you got your bearings and realized the death grip on you, you looked down at the arms that were wrapped around you and saw that what was holding onto you were blue stripped arms, like a forest Na'vi.

You panicked and turned your head back to see that it was Quaritch's second in command. Lyle. The recom you punched when you were being tied to the railing. Out of pure survival instincts, you began to thrash and fight against his grip but he only kept bringing you down lower to the bottom of of the reef of Three Brother's Rocks.

Lyle noticed that you had come back to your senses and held you even tighter, not letting you escape. He knew for a fact that Quaritch was dead and Jake managed to escape, so he would finish the mission and hurt Jake in the worst way possible. By taking you out of the picture.

Sure, when Jake knocked him out and threw him overboard, it left him unconscious but now he was here to get the job done. A muffled whine escaped you when Lyle maneuvered his arms around you so quick that you could barely process it, and he was now placing them around your neck, attempting to strangle you like Jake had done to Quaritch before.

You began to panic and started to claw at the recom's arms. He was trying to kill you, end you right here and now if he couldn't get to Jake. No, no, no...you were so close. Your children, your husband, and everyone you loved was up there. You had been through too much to die here. You didn't even want to have death cross your mind, but it did.

But that was what was happening, isn't it? You lose your weapons, you were going to die. But you didn't want to. You didn't want to die. It feels like that was her outcome from the way Lyle began to tighten his arms around her neck and her vision began to tunnel. You should at least fight back but your arms felt numb. You couldn't think about anything else, nothing but the way your lungs and your throat began to hurt in a way you've never felt.

As you and Lyle continued to thrash in the depths of the reef below, suddenly you felt your hand brush against something on Lyle's weapons belt, and even by just feeling it once and brushing past your hand past it you knew exactly what it is. A dagger. He still had a hidden dagger. Was he going to use it on you if strangling didn't work? You couldn't let him.

You couldn't give up. And then, an idea popped up in your head and you needed to let him believe he had successfully killed you, or at least close to killing you. You didn't know which one you would have more time for before your body gave out. You needed to do this quick before resisting this long will only work for so long and he'll kill you before you get a chance to try.

It caught you off guard when he tightened his grip further around your neck and you groaned underwater as you half-pretended to be helpless and being closer to death like he wanted, but the truth is that you were barely hanging on and slowly choking. You were slowly inching your hands to his belt and closing your fingers around his dagger. As you discreetly secured your grip on it, your heart was hammering against your chest as you prepared for what you were about to do.

Lyle still hadn't go because he could still feel movement in your body, but he hadn't caught on yet. You closed your eyes shut and used your free arm to give futile attempts at clawing at his arms, but as he seemed to enjoy watching you struggle in the hold he had on you, he made the mistake of taking his eyes off for a second of the weapon you were adjusting in your other hand. And taking a leap of faith, you went for it.

Even with how weak your arm was, you still used all your strength to jam the knife right in a place in his abdomen that wasn't covered by his military vest. At the stab impact, he loosened his grip on you slightly but still didn't let go of you. But he was definitely thrown off and didn't have time to react.

You didn't stop there. Until he let go of you, you continued to stab him over and over, watching as blood stained the water around you, he choked on water, going in on that same spot until you started to feel that he was letting go and relieving his grip.

And when he finally did, feeling his limp body against you, you shoved him off of you and turned around to watch him sink down by himself to the bottom of the reef. The place he was hoping to see you perish.

It didn't help how throughout this whole ordeal, from escaping the water inside the ship, from spending so much time in water from the sea at this time of year that was unusually cold. That didn't help at all. You felt yourself start to shut down slowly but surely, as much as you fought against it.

But what he did set you behind. The breathing and oxygen you had from before was all torn to shreds the moment he began to choke you. You were left with nothing and before you could get another thought in, your body began to sink as well without any ounce of strength left within you to move your limbs. Your legs and your arms burned, your hands opened and the dagger you had in your palms slipped and began to sink as well.

The exhaustion and the harm your body went through did not allow you to endure that last fight and get back up, and how the injuries, internally and external, have built up, it became even more futile to even attempt to go back up to the surface. Your body ached too much. You didn't know why you thought that you could continue swimming up to the surface after that, and this took too much out of her.

Suddenly, your mind went blank, your eyes closed involuntarily and your lungs began to fight against the water as you drowned and the last thing on your mind before you black out was Jake and your children wanting to see them again one last time. Jake, you so desperately wanted to see him. You were so glad he made it out, he's alive. You wanted to live. So badly. That was the last thought you had before you went unconscious and continued to sink down, further, and further down.

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Hello! I have been planning this finale for months and it will unfold in the epilogue the next chapter so I can't wait to write it! It felt so surreal to have actually written that out at last, after thinking about how it would play out for so long. So I hope it didn't scare you guys too much shsj :,) What I also cannot believe is how this book, that ive been writing for a whole year, is coming to an end in the next chapter. It feels so weird to realize that.

But what makes me even more excited is knowing that I have two books Im planning to start after this one is over. Ive already brainstormed a ton for those and thinking about the details and the plot. I have a section on my notes app on my phone that is filled with ideas and I can't wait to write them out. I started 'Call of Silence' around January, but Im so excited to pick up where I left off! And Im also excited to start writing for my Levi Ackerman fic, a character Ive loved so much since I started AOT but never got around to writing about fic about him, so I can't wait to start <3

There was also one thing I mentioned in my past author's note. I've been really thinking and considering to start having a more consistent writing schedule by trying to do weekly updates for the first time that I plan ahead. Also, this will probably have a lot of spelling mistakes so I'll go back to it later lol I want to go through my other books too and go over them too.

I realized itd be good for me to try out pre-writes so I can release chapters weekly like ive wanted to try and start off my next books right. And I was thinking that when uni starts back up, ill adjust my schedule, do more prewrites and keep that going. Let me know if you guys would prefer that more!

Anyway, did you guys like this chapter? I really hope you did! Let me know your thoughts and opinions on it! I love reading your comments! I look forward to it!
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