AND WE'RE LIVE!

Well, not really, but oh well. For the on-coming readers, welcome to the second book of Vacation or War, also known as VoW. If you haven't read the first book, I suggest you do so... it's a big freakin' story so it shouldn't be tough to find. Or just click on my username and find it there.

For those who did just come from book one, pissed off with the ending that leaves us with our lady Loor looking like she's going to royally fuck some shit up for the sake of her own lively hood, and a veiled threat that someone might have to beat her head in before she figures anything out, let's get started on book two!

Unlike the last time around, I won't be posting clean up notes at the beginning. Just my general disclaimers, and the author's corner at the end. As always you can find me on Deviant Art as LoorTheDarkElf, and see some artwork to go with the stories.

Notes for veteran readers (if you're not a vet, feel free to skip down to the chapter heading.)

As you might've noticed by the changed name of the book, a lot of shit has gotten done fucked up between point A and point B. This book of VoW is nearly a completely different story than what it used to be. There's a lot of reasons for this, but I feel the story will be improved by the changes I put in. Just like last time, if there's a scene you really wanted me to keep, or at least attempt to replicate, PM me about it and I will see what I can do. Other than that, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Another note: A small change was put into the beginning of the previous book to do with Fury. Basically, we never got a particularly good look at her with her arms uncovered. Why? Because of something I'm changing in this book. MEOW.

Disclaimer: I do not own Jak, Daxter, or any other trademarks. I'm not making any money with this work of fanfiction; it is for entertainment purposes only.

Are we ready?

Are we set?

HEEEEEREEE WEEEE GOOOOOOO!

Vacation Or War- Return
Chapter One- Changes

Chelsea was relaxing on the lounge chair in front of the window, looking outside with the phone in her hand. She was waiting for Lauren to show up. Usually she wasn't so impatient, but today was special.

Lauren had a device she'd been working on for a long time that was finally done, and they were going to do a test of it. For that, Chelsea was excited. She felt like she was going to be part of something big. She didn't always understand Lauren when she talked about her inventions, but she could follow enough to know that this device, if it worked, would revolutionize the way the world thought about energy.

That and she was finally going to see the second Jak game; that was something else Lauren was supposed to be bringing over. They were going to play it together, just like the first one. Games and technology made for a fun-sounding day, and she couldn't wait to get started.

So there she lay on the white lounge seat, looking out the window at the drive-way, expecting to see the red truck Lauren's mother drove at any minute. She kept the phone in her hand because Lauren would call if she was going to be late; she always did. It could be admitted that she was something of a control freak, and seemed to have the idea that the whole world might come crumbling down if she didn't keep tabs on it, so she was hyper-active about details and exact times of when things were happening. It got annoying, but it was good to know that if anything went wrong Lauren would always call first.

As she relaxed against the back of the seat, Chelsea suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her body arrested in a singular moment of discomfort. It wasn't really pain... just the feeling in her head, and the rest of her person, that something was very... wrong. It frightened her, making her worry that a panic attack was coming on. She tried to focus on it, fighting to breathe deeply and calmly and try to ride it out. She'd had panic attacks before, usually after nightmares, or in paranoid fits right before going to sleep. This felt similar, but not the same.

It got even freakier when, the moment she completely focused on it, it went away. Suddenly her breathing came easily, like a great weight had been lifted off of her. She sat there a moment, taking deep breaths and wondering what the hell was going on.

She got the distinct feeling that however she expected this day to go... it wasn't going that way anymore.

The phone in her hand rang. She picked it up quickly, waiting just long enough for the caller ID to tell her it was Lauren.

"Hey." She said as she picked up. "You on your way soon?"

"Yeah, mom's just about ready to go. Listen, Chelsea... I'm not bringing the device."

"What?" She balked into the phone. "But... Lauren... you promised! I know you think it isn't ready but you gotta test it!"

"Not ready...?" Chelsea had noticed it when she picked up, but it got worse as her friend spoke. Lauren sounded... different. Tired, but the girl was always tired since she never went to bed on time. No... there was something that had changed about her friend, but Chelsea wasn't quite sure what it was. "Oh no, it's as ready as it's ever going to get. That's why I'm going to try and talk your mom into letting you come home with me tomorrow. I want to get everyone together for a demonstration."

"How do you...? Did you test it without me?" She knew there was a slight whine in her voice, but she expected Lauren to keep her posted on things.

"No... not exactly... Good fucking Christ. Chelsea, I know this is going to sound a little weird, but please tell me what day it is."

"What day...?"

"Yeah. What's today's date?"

Chelsea shook her head. It was summer vacation; remembering what the date was somethin she did while she was in school, not kicking it on her days off. Still, she pulled out the clunky cellphone in her pocket which would have the date displayed along with the time when she flipped it open. "Eight- fourteen- oh-four."

"August fourteenth... holy shit..."

"What's the big deal?" Chelsea was getting very creeped out. "Trying to remember how long it is till your birthday?"

"My...? No, I don't really care about that right now. I'm... I'll see you soon, okay?"

"You're still bringing the game, right?" She had to ask. She didn't want to totally lose all the things she was excited for that day.

"Of course. See you soon, Imoto-chan."

Chelsea hung up several seconds after she heard Loor's line click off. She was sure of it now; something was very wrong with her friend. Or something big had happened. If anything she sounded... older. More commanding than usual, but not in a bossy way. No, she just sounded like she had more authority. And even then, she had sounded horribly shaken, particularly by what day it was.

And sadly, since Lauren didn't really have that much going on in her shut-in life, Chelsea couldn't imagine what might've happened.

Again she looked out into the driveway, waiting for her friend. This time, it was with more worry than excitement. With such tension, fifteen minutes felt a lot longer than it usually did before the truck came around the corner from the street and turned to her house. At once she got up, seeing Lauren get out of the passenger door, a black messenger bag on her shoulder and a bundle of blankets under her other arm.

Chelsea unlocked and opened the front door, calling out to greet her friend. "Loor! Hey!"

Lauren looked up when her nickname was used, flashing an odd smile. She said one last goodbye to her mother before managing the truck door shut behind her and coming up the front walk to enter the house. Chelsea shut the door once she was inside, in the process of locking up when...

"HEY!" She yelped as Lauren had turned to hug her around the middle, squeezing her so hard she was sure something would break. "Jeez, what's gotten into you?" She didn't get an answer as her friend tucked her head down against the back of her shoulder, still hanging on tightly.

It took her a moment to realize her friend was on the vurge of tears.

"Fury... God you have no idea how good it is to see you..."

"Did someone die?" She couldn't help but ask, looking back at the person she often called 'onee-san' meaning 'big sister.'

"Died... is going to die... but didn't." It was on this note that Loor pulled herself back together, untying her boots and picking her things up once more. "Your room?" She quested as to where they were going to hang out for the moment. The gaming stuff was upstairs in Chelsea's proper bedroom, but the girls always slept downstairs where the big TV was, along with several very cushy couches.

"Uh... yeah." Chelsea offered to take Loor's blanket pile, but the girl wouldn't have it, leading the way upstairs and dumping her things on the floor.

Chelsea's bedroom was bright pink, something Loor would usually grouse about every time she entered. Now she didn't seem bothered, simply looking around and smiling softly at her surroundings. She had left her bag on the bed that Chelsea almost never used, spreading her blankets in front of the small TV that was hooked up to Chelsea's PS2.

"Fury..." She spoke as she set herself up. "Have you felt... strange at all since this morning?"

"Yeah." Chelsea nodded, blinking at the use of her nick-name. Loor didn't call her by it that often, and now she'd said it twice. "Just before you called me... I was worried the ghost in the house was acting up again... wait, did you feel it too?"

"I..." Loor sat back on the pillow that had been in the middle of her blankets, staring at the TV which was currently off. She then looked up at Fury, eyes wide and plaintive. Returning her gaze, Chelsea saw many differences in her friend that were beyond how she actually looked. Loor had a particular aura to her; when she walked into a room it was with the strength and presence of a bull. Her hard headed and stubborn nature showed in everything she did, as did her natural desire to lead. Rare was the expression of fear, or for her to be unsure.

So, with her current expression, her face looked broken. Her brow was knitted, eyes unbelieving of the world around her, lips a tight and straight line across her face that didn't know whether to express joy or horror. In a word, she was confused.

It was at that moment that Chelsea zeroed in on her friend's eyes. Something was off about them, and it didn't take long to come clear. They were the wrong color. Loor had blue eyes that turned green when she sat in the dark for a long time, but these were not the eyes that Chelsea remembered.

No. They were dark green around the pupil, rimmed in a rich violet.

"What the heck happened to you?" Chelsea asked, coming down to sit by her friend, staring. "Did you get contacts or something...? Your eyes..."

At mention, Loor shut them. "I can't explain that yet." She said quickly, frowning. "I... I was so worried mom would notice... You have a set of blue color contacts, right? Can I borrow them...? I... If my family sees this... I can't explain this to them. Not ever. You, Alex, Damian... you guys might understand... but they never will."

Chelsea glanced to her door. Her mother was currently napping her room, just across the hall. At that moment, she saw fit to shut the door despite how ungodly warm it would get in her room as long as sunlight was streaming in the window. "Sure. Yeah. Do you got contact solution?"

"Alex forgot some at my house, I can use that." Lauren was shaking her head, putting her hands up to her skull. "I... I need to think. You want to put the game in? It's in the top of my pack... you can play."

That was one oddity too far for Chelsea. Loor was a huggy person with her friends, so she could live with an out-of-place squish fest, or even a sudden and strange eye-color, but Loor letting someone else hold the controller in her presence was too out of character to ignore.

"Lauren... what's wrong? What happened?" She came to sit next to her friend, who was beginning to rock on the spot. "Please, you can tell me."

"You won't believe me..." She shook her head furiously. "No-one will. I shouldn't have come over so quickly, I should have stalled a day... gotten my head in order... but I knew you had contacts. I need them..."

Now it looked like Loor was going to have the panic attack, hyperventilating and hugging herself on the floor. As strange as she was acting, Chelsea wasn't put off. Instead, she returned the hug she'd gotten at the door, holding her adoptive sister around the shoulders. "Onee-san... Calm down. You don't act like this..."

"I... I suppose I don't." She conceded. "Never had reason to."

"What..." Chelsea hesitated on the question. "What can I do? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Huh?" A hand came loose from Loor's self-hug to clear blond strands of hair out of her face, blinking at Fury. "I... Just let me be until I've gotten my brain straightened out. I'll wanna use your computer later. Go ahead, play the game. I'll... I think I might take a nap."

"It's only ten in the morning." Fury pointed out, putting a hand to her friend's forehead. "You're not sick, are you?"

"I wouldn't come here sick; you'd be sure to get it with your weak immune system..." Loor grumbled, shaking her head and stretching out on the back edge of her blanket, furthest away from the TV. Chelsea could easily sit and play as she took some quiet time to herself. "And it's already been quite a day for me..."

Slowly, unsure, Chelsea backed off and did as Loor suggested. Carefully stepping over her friend she went digging in her pack, finding the game they'd been planning on playing together that day. Jak II: Renegade. Oddly enough, Chelsea didn't get as much pleasure from opening the case and popping the disk into her PS2 as she thought she would've.

She wasn't much of a gamer when it came to platforming; Loor was usually at the handlebars for these types of games. Fury was a JRPG and button-mashing fighting game chick. Plus Jak and Daxter was Lauren's most favorite game of all time; she was quite obsessed.

And now, when she'd usually be squealing with excitement about playing the game with her best friend, she had her head on a pillow, eyes closed and her fingers playing amongst themselves as she puzzled out things unknown.

Chelsea turned on the TV and decided there wasn't much else she could do about it. As strange as her friend was acting, it was clear she wouldn't get any answers until Lauren was ready to give them.

Starting a new game, Chelsea noticed as Loor rolled over in reponse to Samos's voice coming through the speakers, putting the pillow over her head as if the words disturbed her.

The Author's Corner

Hello everyone! We've had a productive day, haven't we? And I haven't eaten a single thing all fucking day... I think I'm going to go have a bagel. With strawberry cream cheese. Or just go out to MacDonalds for a mocha frappe... I love those things.

MEOW!

-Loor