Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Pixelberry does.
Summary: Three years after Taylor sacrificed herself to Vaanu, Jake receives a visitor. Then figures out what to do next.
***
The last ember danced and twisted against the last slight breeze as the bonfire was gradually dying. Slowly, the group had dissipated, retiring to their rooms at the private Celestial resort.
Over a three-day period once every year, surrounding the day she had saved the world, Aleister and Grace Hall-Rourke closed the Celestial Resort on La Huerta to allow their friends to get together. To discuss their current life situations, plans for the future, and reminisce over their time together on the previously mysterious island.
There was always a feast on the second day, put together primarily by Raj and Quinn, to remind them all that “pies made peace”. Everyone had their signature drink, Fleur de Lis champagne for Michelle, rum and coke for Sean, Sezarac for Craig.
On the third night, there was a bonfire. Everyone sat lounged in the sand, either on towels or chairs, and talked about their beloved friend to whom they dedicated everything to. The friend that gave up her life to make sure they could continue theirs.
They all had the futures promised to them in those visions but not all had the pure happiness associated with them. Jake drank the last of his Celestial brand sparkling mineral water and placed the bottle amongst the few empty bottles of Heineken next to him. As he had to fly everyone back to the United States the next morning, he had cut himself off at three beers.
Just as that last flick of fire was extinguishing, he felt someone plop down next to him. With a small smile on his face, he turned his head to see Estela. In her hands was a pillow which she held out to him. “Spending the night out here again?”
Though he knew how inane the notion was, Jake held onto something, some hope that she’d return. That a shooting star would cause the sea foam to gather at the shore and she’d materialize in front of him. If that happened, he just couldn’t miss it.
“Yep. With old reliable here.” Chuckling, he jerked his thumb towards a hammock before taking the pillow out of his friend’s hands. Grace made sure the hammock was in place for their reunion. She knew he couldn’t sleep in any of the renovated suites, everything reminded him of her. Especially the dressers and flower vases.
Estela nodded, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth as she looked at the large sling. There was a blanket neatly folded on top of it and Jake’s duffel bag resting underneath. Bending her knees and wrapping her arms around them, she looked out at the relatively calm shore, a few waves lapping. The fire had gone out but everything was illuminated with the bright reflection off the full moon.
Jake reached an arm out, placing his hand on her opposite shoulder and pulled her into his side. Between sparring practice and searching for the group after the helicopter fiasco, their tolerance towards each other had blossomed into a friendship. For the first year after leaving the island, she’d made sure to check on him via phone call or text at least once per week. After the second year, he and his best friend, Mike, had gone to visit her several times as she formally completed her degree at Hartfeld. “Mike takin’ care of you, Katniss?”
Her head was resting on his shoulder and she nodded. “As well as any of you flyboys can take care of anyone.” He quietly laughed and squeezed her shoulder. They sat together for several minutes, listening to the sounds of the water crashing against the rocks, until she involuntarily yawned.
“You better get some rest. Gordon Ramsay has his hangover special breakfast planned early tomorrow.” Estela made a face and sat up straight. No one ever enjoyed eating his concoction of eggs, oysters, and ‘secret ingredients’ but it did settle their stomachs before getting into Jake’s plane.
Stifling another yawn, she stood up and brushed the sand off her legs. “Goodnight, Jake. Hope you get some sleep tonight.” Estela helped him up and gave him a small wave before walking off.
Stretching his arms, he took another look out at the beach before turning his gaze to the Celestial a quarter mile away. He contemplated joining his friends and sleeping on an actual bed, sinking into a soft mattress and covered with a warm plush blanket.
His eyes wandered back to the hammock – the only bed he’d known for his three years on the run. Though he had a small house not too far from his sister with modest amenities, he sometimes missed the simplicity of living on the beach. Bartering for food and access to a shower, catering the rich and the spoiled, gambling with overconfident young college men and flirting with their girlfriends.
That being said, he wouldn’t trade anything for finally being able to sleep through the night knowing Lundgren had been brought to justice. To be able to talk to his mom whenever he wanted and see her occasionally – she didn’t for him to visit, all she wanted was for her son to be safe and content. Not worry about money as the US military had compensated both him and Mike for their former commander’s grievous misdeeds.
Well, maybe he would. Maybe he would trade all of the new comforts of his new life to have her back again.
Letting out a deep breath, he raked a hand through his long sandy brown hair, kicked off his shoes, shrugged off his jacket, and pulled off his pants, leaving him in a black tshirt and thin, black gym shorts. He stuffed his clothes into his bag and took out a small bottle of mouthwash, rinsing out his mouth.
Finally ready to unwind and reflect on the lives of his friends over the past year, he hopped into the hammock. With an arm behind his head, he looked up at the moon, slightly disappointed that he couldn’t make out the stars very well, overshadowing the Andromeda constellation.
Reaching into his pocket, he took out the pink handfasting ribbon. Pouting, he ran the fabric through his fingers. Jake would have liked to forget that it was his second ‘year and a day’ but the group had celebrated the anniversary with Diego before the bonfire. The reminder was bittersweet – he was genuinely happy for his friend but at the same time, he was reminded that she was gone. Reminded that a mere 24 hours after their honeymoon, she’d made a decision to give her life to a spirit named Vaanu. To restore the world, let her friends follow their dream but also to leave him behind, broken and alone.
God, he missed her. He missed her every fucking day. The phone message he left him was listened to every morning after his jog, while he was brushing his teeth. Jake, who used to enjoy the solo company of others, was now unable to even look in the direction of another woman. Rejecting any advance made by anyone that crossed his path. Aleister had a childhood friend who lived close to Jake and who Grace thought would be perfect for him. Just one cup of coffee. He’d turned down that blind date more times than he could count.
Closing his eyes, he twirled the ribbon around his index and middle fingers and started drifting off to sleep.
“Jake?” Furrowing his eyebrows, he kept his eyes closed. That voice was familiar but so distant. “Jake?” He must have been dreaming, he hadn’t heard that soft voice in so long. He grunted and tried to drift back to sleep. “Jacob?”
When he opened his eyes, he saw a blurry form in front of him. Rubbing his forehead, he blinked several times. Only three bottles of beer consumed with no hard liquor. He couldn’t be that drunk. Maybe buzzed? What was that in front of him?
After his vision focused, he noticed here there, standing on the shore. The moonlight provided a magnificent backdrop. Her blond, silky hair was still fully and bouncy, half of it cascading down her back while the other half rested on her shoulders. Big, blue eyes had a sparkle that could rival any star in the sky. Red, full lips giving him an open mouth smile. Mouth slightly agape and scrambling to sit up, his attention turned to her dress. It seemed to be made of the sheer material as her hand-fasting dress. Though the dress hung straight down without definition, he could made out the outline of her round breasts, curve of her hips, and knobiness of her knees. Her feet were wet from standing in the shallow water.
It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen and wasn’t sure if it was real. Surely, he was hallucinating.
“Princess?” He could barely hear his voice which he was certain creaked. Their gaze met and held as she slowly, hesitantly walked towards him. Almost as though she’d forgotten how to do the action. He attempted to get up and run to her but she put her hands up, signaling him to sit back down.
“Still with the nicknames, Top Gun?” A giggle escaped her lips. That same giggle that was etched in his memory, it rang in the back of his mind whenever anyone said something funny.
“Prin — Taylor?” Feeling paralyzed, he was unable to move a muscle as he watched her cup his face in her hands. His eyes closed and she leaned in, slightly brushing her lips against his.
“Hi.” Moving back slightly, she looked into his eyes which were starting to shimmer. Regaining some function in his arms, his hands moved behind her head, clutching her hair. Narrowing his eyes, slightly skeptical, he studied her. This face, her face, hell everything about her was the same. Swiftly, he pulled her towards him, crashing his lips against his. He wanted to kiss her so passionately, so intensely to make up for the past three years.
Taylor stumbled into the hammock and moved to lay on top of him as their kiss continued. Their mouths opened, allowing their tongues to mingle. He felt insatiable, needing to touch his wife, to feel her and savor her.
The feeling was seemingly mutual as her hands trailed down his face, neck, and chest before grasping the bottom of his shirt, breaking their kiss to tug it over his head. “Wow, Jake, it’s really you.” Smirking at her, he watched his fingers graze her neck, collarbone, and then her shoulders before hooking them under her thin straps of her dress. Taking the cue, Taylor sat up and pulled down the top of her dress, exposing her bare breasts under the brilliance of the moonlight.
“You’re just like I remember, Princess.” Wrapping an arm around her and holding tight, he rolled her over so he laid on top of her, jostling the hammock. She bent her knees and he pushed the skirt of her dress up to her mid-thigh. Without a word, he ran his thumb across her cheek and they were still, drinking each other in. Usually without a loss for words, Jake was unable to speak. This was her, right? His Princess?
The woman beneath him certainly looked like Taylor. She spoke with that same voice. That smile she gave him simultaneously gave him chills and warmed his heart. He’d had many women give him dazzling smiles in his lifetime but there was no smile quite like hers. The only other person who kissed him like that was his wife back on La Huerta. Barely above a whisper, his voice hoarse, he asked, “Is it you, Princess?” She nodded. “It’s really you. Here with me. You and me?”
“You, me, and this hammock.” Winking at him made him chuckle and kiss her again. His fingers picked up the fabric of her dress again and bunched it together, making it so her waist was the only area of her body covered. As their kiss deepened, that hand explored her chest, landing on a breast which he gently kneaded. Gently tugging and rolling the perked nipple with his index finger and thumb made her gently moan in his mouth.
While he enjoyed the attention he was giving her, she mumbled, breaking away briefly, about needing to feel him as well. Their lips locked again in another desperate kiss, her hands roaming down his body, gently caressing his torso until reaching the waistband of his shorts. Not breaking away from her, he assisted in removing them. Over his boxers, she ran the back of her hand over his hard member before slipping in and using her thumb to run circles over the head, spreading the forming precum around the tip, causing him to groan.
Taylor took his bottom lip in between her own and sucked on it, briefly, before pulling away. His mouth attached to her neck, peppering it with kisses until he met her ear. “Fuck, Princess, I wanna taste you.” He moved her hand away from his erection to be able to concentrate on her.
Running her hands through his hair, she grabbed and tugged at the long strands as he took one of her breasts into his mouth. His tongue slowly licked the sensitive skin and his teeth gently tugged at her nipple. Simultaneously, he snuck his hand to run down her leg, slowly dragging his fingertips along her inner thigh as she parted her legs. His hand found her wet heat which he stroked gently until he found her bundle of nerves and applied circular pressure. Her moans and whispering of his name encouraged him to continue before finding her opening. One finger slipped in before gently coaxing in another. Rhythmically, he pumped his fingers until he knew she was close to edge.
Right before she completely unraveled, he removed his fingers and placed them in his mouth, licking them clean. “I miss the way you taste.” His voice was thick and low in her ear, making her eyes flutter shut and a blush creep up her face.
Her hands brushed away the hair that fallen in his eyes and she sat up. Silently, she pushed him to lay flat on the hammock and removed his boxers. A nod from him motioned for her to straddle her husband’s waist and slowly lower herself onto him. Biting her bottom lip, she waited to adjust to him before starting to rock her hips back and forth.
One of his hands kept a firm grip on her hip while the other toyed with her clit as she alternated the direction of her movements. Watching her, blond hair bobbing on her shoulders, her firm breasts lightly bouncing, the look of ecstasy on her face with her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, he was in awe. Taylor was still so god damn beautiful that it hurt.
It didn’t take much longer before she came undone, declaring his name into the void of the beach, and he followed shortly after. Wanting to relish the moment as long as possible, Taylor couldn’t get herself to move off of him. Beaming, they relished each other as they waited until their shallow breaths to even out. Letting out a deep breath, she adjusted her dress back on and used her hands to search for his boxers.
Eventually, she eased off of him and helped him back into his clothes. Taylor collapsed against Jake’s torso, wrapping her arms around him. Smoothing her hair down, they lay still in the hammock until he finally broke the silence. There were questions he didn’t want to but had to ask. “How are you here, Princess?” Sighing, she nuzzled her face into his chest. “How … long do I have you?”
Her voice was quiet and muffled. “I’m here because you’re not happy, Jake.”
Taylor wasn’t incorrect. He looked up towards the sky and let out an unconvincing laugh. “Whaddya mean? I’m plenty happy.”
Lifting her head, she rested her chin on his chest and shook her head. “By giving up my life, I was promised you’d have Mike back. You’d be cleared. That all happened?” Glancing up briefly, she saw him nod, a small grin on his face. “Do you see your Mom? Rebecca?”
“I do. It’s been good to reconnect with them.” He continued to stroke her hair, twirling the ends around his fingers. “My life’s pretty okay, Princess. Don’t have too much to complain about.”
Propping her elbows on his chest, her blue eyes started to fill with tears as she looked at him again. “You and I are connected, Jake. You’re not content like the others are.” A few tears streamed down her face. “I’m only here until sunrise.” The look of disappointment on Jake’s face coupled with frown broke her composure. Her breath hitched as the tears flowed faster. “And. Oh my God. Jake. I miss you so damn much.”
Trying to steady his shaky breath, he tried to be strong. Not break down in front of her like he did almost every day for the first six months after she promised to return to Vaanu. “Hey now, I’m a nobody, not important. Not worth crying over.” His half hearted attempt at self depreciation seemed to make matter worse.
“It’s because I’m gone, isn’t it? Avoiding eye contact, he shrugged. “Be honest with me, Top Gun. I know it is because my soul feels it.”
“You’re gonna think I’m a fucking mess.” He cleared his throat and darted his eyes to look at hers which were pleading with him. “Fine. I listen to your message every single day. Our handfasting ribbon is always in my pocket.” Finding the ribbon, he wrapped it around one of her hands. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes. “I’ve tried. I can’t quit you, Princess.” With her unwrapped hand, she wiped his eyes.
Quietly, she stated, “This is the only time I get to come back.”
“Damnit.” Jake ran a hand over his face. “If Slimer brought you back because I’m unhappy, why do I only get you tonight? Why can’t you stay?”
Scowling, she closed her eyes and felt another tear roll down her stained cheeks. “I begged him to let me see you. I need to give you closure. To tell you to find the perfect person and start a family. To move on.” Opening eyes, she wiped them with the back of her hand. “But … I can’t. I can’t ask you to do that. Because I know you won’t and I don’t want you to.” Biting her bottom lip, she continued. “I know that sounds selfish but our hearts belong together, Jake.”
Reaching over, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Now that I have you, Princess. I ain’t letting you go. You have to stay with me.” They both knew he sounded overconfident and overly hopeful.
Taking a ragged breath, she shook her head. “If I don’t go back … I can’t risk an event like Raan’losti from happening again. I can’t guarantee that you and all the others would be safe this time. I’m not ready to lose you that way yet.”
“So … what? Wait a few hours for the sun to rise and then I go get that cup of coffee with that girl that Grace has been hounding me about?” Taylor nodded, her eyes full of defeat. He chuckled in disbelief. “I’ll have a little family, it’ll be freaking perfect.” Brushing some hair from her wet face, he let out a deep breath. “Won’t matter who I move on with. I’ll think about you all the time.” He paused for a beat, a grin slowly forming on his face. “Man, fuck Vaanu.”
“Fuck Vaanu, indeed.” Taylor winced, hoping the spirit didn’t actually hear them. They were silent for a few minutes, neither of them knowing how to continue. “So what do you want to do now? We have several more hours before sunrise.”
Taking advantage of the time afforded to them, Taylor and Jake stayed in the hammock, exploring each other’s bodies until they were physically unable to continue. As her eyelids became heavy and she was drifting to sleep, he nudged her. “What’s it like? With Vaanu?”
“Huh?” Blinking her eyes a few times, she forced them open. “I can’t explain, really. I’m just … there. With Vaanu. We’re in between all these celestial planes, I guess? No concept of time. Peaceful for the most part.” She paused for a moment. “Except for when you’re in pain.” He let out a low grunt before leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
As Taylor slept in his arms, Jake was wide awake, lost in an idea. Stealthily, trying not to walk her, he got out of the hammock and found his phone to make a call.
***
Peering out from behind a nearby palm tree, Estela looked at the sleeping form wrapped in both a blanket and Jake’s jacket. Narrowing her eyes, she turned back to him. “That’s really her? Not just someone who looks like Taylor?”
He spoke in a low, hushed voice. “Believe me, Katniss.” Though she couldn’t seem him well in the moon lit sky, Jake gave Estela his signature smirk. “There are just things, even after three years, that you know about your wife.”
“I sort of regret asking you that.” Turning back around, she rested her back against the tree trunk. “What’s going on, then? Is she here to stay?”
Shoving one hand in his pocket and using the other to push his hair back, he turned to his friend, working up the nerve to confess his plan. “Estela.” She raised an eyebrow, he had only used her first name a handful of times and usually when he had something serious to say. “She’s leaving soon. Back with Vaanu. I want to go with her.”
Estela walked over to him and gripped his shoulders. “Go where, exactly?” She interrupted him right as he was about to respond. “Jake. I want you to really think about this.”
With his shoulders slumped, he got out of her grasp and moved to sit next to the base of the tree and extended his hand. Taking it, Estela was pulled down next to him. “I’m in some sort of limbo. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that mine and Mike’s names have been cleared. Mom and Rebecca don’t see me as a treasonous villain — we’re just as close as we were back in Pearl River.” He sighed, leaning back to gaze back at the stars again.
“You got everything you wanted but you still feel empty.”
“Yup. Now Princess is here and I’m wondering … was it meant to be? Are we still meant to be?” Sneaking an arm behind his back, Estela lightly rubbed comforting circles on his back. “You know what my Mom would say?”
“What would she say?”
Taking his phone out of his pocket, he quickly scrolled through his pictures until he found his favorite picture of his mother. He tilted the phone towards his friend and let out a small chuckle. “She’d get me a glass of sweet tea, first. Then put her hand on mine and say, ‘If and when you find this girl, you go be with her. Don’t worry about me, I already got my son back.’” He let out a huff as his eyes moistened again.
Scooting closer to him, Estela moved her arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “What does your heart say, Jake? You should listen to it.”
“It’s tellin’ me that I need to take this risk, Katniss. I can’t go through life, full of regret, wondering what would have happened if I went with her.”
He was absentmindedly tossing his phone. “You were always a risk taker.” Estela caught his phone mid air and handed it to him. “You need to call your Mom and Rebecca, then. I’ll take care of everything else, okay? Mike will get us off his island.”
After they both stood up, Jake pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed her forehead. Under the night sky, he could make out her brown eyes showing the slightest bit of emotion. “I was always fond of ya, Katniss. You keep Mike in line, ya hear?”
“I”m going to miss you more than you know it …” She grinned as she pulled away from him. “…cabron.”
Waiting until she disappeared out of his view, Jake took a deep breath and called his mother and waited to leave a voicemail. “Hey, Ma. I found her.” He stopped for a second to keep his voice from cracking. “I love you and Beck. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around.”
***
An orange hue emerged on the horizon and with the white and gray colors of the clouds, the sky was colored a light purple. Taylor’s eyes fluttered open and she cuddled into Jake whose arms were wrapped tightly around her. “Jake …” She whispered. “Jake, the sun’s starting to rise.”
Opening an eye, he noticed the sun’s rays and pulled her in tighter. “This night went by too fast, Princess.”
“It did.” Loosening her arms, she tilted her head up and met his lips for a kiss. Behind them, on the shore, there was a colorful ripple in the air and slowly, a green-blue-pink-purple light swelled and burst, opening a time rift. It was similar to the rift the two of them had gone through years before, being transported to Jake’s hometown. Out of the opening, a glittering, transparent arm emerged.
Looking behind her, Taylor frowned and turned back to Jake, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him again. “I have to go.”
“Hold your horses there, Beetlejuice.” Jake called out to Vaanu. He hopped out of the hammock and pulled her out, standing her up. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he waiting for her eyes to meet his. “Princess, I told you that night that I would cross every mile of space to get you back.” Nodding, she blinked away fresh tears in her eyes. “I fully intend to keep that promise.”
Taylor gave him a quizzical look and turned back to Vaanu who had stepped out of the rift, keeping his arm outstretched. “How, Jake? He’s here.”
“Listen.” Jake glanced over to the incoming spirit. “What if I …what if I came with you?”
Her eyes shot open. “Jake! What about your family? Your friends?” Crossing her arms, she didn’t know if she was incredulous or excited. “You have your life here.”
“It ain’t a life without you in it, Princess.” His hands traveled down to her shoulders, grasping them. “I’ve already said my goodbyes.” Her mouth twisted as she tried to register just what he was saying. “But it’s up to you. You make this call.”
Taking his hands into hers, she gave her husband a long, pensive look before turning her focus to Vaanu. “Is that okay? Can my soulmate come with me? Can we be complete?” Gesturing with both hands towards the dimensional break, he indicated a ‘yes’. Taylor’s grip on Jake’s hand was tight as they started walking towards the crack in the time-space continuum. Right before they could step into the entrance, she stopped them. “I don’t know what will happen to you. To us.”
“I have a feelin’ we’ll be dancing among the stars.” There was a big, lopsided grin on his face. “Doesn’t matter, though, as long as I’m with you.” He darted his eyes towards the rift and then back at her. “I love you, Taylor.”
Her grip was loosening on his hand as her anxiety melted away to relief. “I love you, Jacob.”
After a final kiss on Earth, they followed Vaanu through the time rift.
***
A dazzling gold surrounded her as she twirled in his direction, making sure to keep her grip on his outstretched hand. She could barely hear his words of his encouragement as she finally reached him, letting go of his hand as he dipped her. “See?” He positioned her back up to standing. “Ain’t that hard.”
Smoothing down her pale purple dress, she admired the glittered light emanating off the fabric of the full skirt. He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and swaying them to match his slow, rhythmic movements. “Jake McKenzie.” Reaching out behind her, she ran her fingers through his hair and held onto the back of his head. “I didn’t know you were so good on your feet.”
“I’m full of surprises, Princess. You’ll see.”
She let go of him, putting her arms down and turned around to face him. “I can’t wait.” Stepping back a few paces, gave him a bright smile. “Can you teach me that ‘Dirty Dancing’ move now?”
