It has been three years, and Neytiri still hadn't conceived a child. She almost felt helpless and inadequate as she walked down to the sacred pond, her favorite place to be alone, as these thoughts were mulling in her head. Thinking about still being childless was too much for her now and she had to escape everyone around her. She needed to escape the clan, her sisters, her mother-And Him.

How could she ever begin to tell him of how desperate and idiotic she felt? She could barely talk about her feelings to her own blood at times. And now as the months go by, the expectation of her to produce an Heir made Neytiri feel the crushing responsibility pulling her down.

After all, wasn't it her fault? Was it not the new wife, and cheiftess's, responsibility? He must despise me by now…..they all do. She couldn't bare the pity laden looks.

Of course they have tried, many times over again, some would say a little TOO much. They would always sneak away to their favorite place, the place where they first became one, at the Tree of Souls. For the first year, it seemed that nothing but them mattered. As time went by, however, that all changed when both of them became busy with ruling and guiding their people.

She loved him, and he loved her, neither of them ever knew a passion like the one they shared together. But just as she thought she was with child it seemed like the tall tell signs would mysteriously disappear and with each new rising of the moons, her belly would never grow.

"I knew I would find you here." A voice from afar suddenly startled Neytiri and she swung around.

"Jake! You frightened me." She answered apologetically, as if it was also her fault that she was scared by her own Mate.

Jake Sully-her lover, mate, and friend-was wearing the chieftain beads and head dress of the omaticaya. She never liked it when he wore them; she always pictured him as she first saw him, running amuck in his tan human leggings and chest cloth; completely stupid and yet innocent.

"Why is it that you seek more refuge here these days, instead of in my arms?" Jake's eyes implored, as he rested his strange five fingered hand against Neytiri's cheek. It had been some weeks since they last had an intimate moment such as this. Busy indeed, she thought.

"I…I don't know, ma Jake." Neytiri tried to wave it off, skirting around the issue. Her tailed flicked uncomfortably and Jake noticed the swishing motion. His eyes lingered on her tail, and then switched back to her own golden globes, and frowned very human-like.

"I know what has been getting you agitated lately. Neytiri, you can't lie," He looked at her, unwavering in his stare, "I see you."

The tender looks from Jake almost made Neytiri want to break down and cry, but she was Tsahik now and needed to be strong-perhaps even stronger.

Neytiri could feel that he looked troubled as well, as if he had something to tell her.

"Why have you come to find me?" She tried to change the current conversation around to coax the words from her love.

Jake dropped his hand from her face and picked up a rock. He then chucked the rock into the small shimmering pond near their feet, making it skip forever and ever. Some of the rocks here tended to float like that, Jake noted to himself with a smirk.

"I went to visit an old friend today."

"Who?"

"Norm"

"Oh? Is he and his band of rogue scientist doing well out there on their own?" She giggled quietly. She remembered Norm very well for his many interesting queries about her people almost to the point of annoyance. But she liked him none the less.

"Yes, for the most part. It's been a while since I've visited with them. It was kinda weird being back in 'Human' world again." He chuckled, "They've kept up the old compound and have found a very interesting new way to recycle their oxygen mixture but all in all, they are happy those nerds." Jake then smiled with a shake of his head.

What was a 'nerds'? Neytiri inquired in her head but didn't want to ask at the moment as she listened.

Then Jake frowned again, making the terrible lines in his face that Neytiri hated. Her heart sunk, feeling the darkness of her thoughts creeping up again as Jake paused before speaking.

"I know now why we haven't been able to…you know…" Jake started to say, but Neytiri vision became smaller as she tried to focus on her love's enigmatic expression.

"To have a child." She finished with a solemn lining to her voice. She now understood why he had come to her.

"Neytiri," Jake grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in close even though she tried to struggle free, "there are limitations to this body and being a hybrid…I cannot physically give you what I know you've desired for a long time." Jake scrunched his eye lids closed and heaved a heavy sigh. "What we both have been wanting for a long time."

"Norm has told you this?" Neytiri's sorrow was masked temporarily by her curiosity.

"Yes. I had wanted to ask him for a long time but, well, I have been busy here." As Jake explained this to her as he looked at their surrounding in the sacred grove.

But Neytiri felt a sudden fever to interrupt and wasn't quite paying attention anymore as she violently shook her head. She didn't trust in the beliefs of humans, even if she was fond of one or two of them.

"But I have felt it, Jake. I have felt it before, growing within me, so I know it must be possible. It must!" Neytiri exclaimed as she grabbed Jake's arm excitedly and thrust her chin up defiantly. "Your friend is wrong."

"Neytiri, sweet-

Jake tried to calm her down, but now she was on a roll.

"It's me Jake. I know it must be me. I'm not meant to carry your baby." Neytiri finally broke, and the tears started to seep from her sunlit eyes. She curled up into a ball before Jake's feet and latched one long arm around his strong leg and rested her head on his thigh.

The touch sent a sudden shiver through Jake's body.

"Don't do this to me, Neytiri. Don't ever blame yourself for this." The startled Jake stammered as he tried to comfort his wailing lover. He reached down to clasp his large alien hand on her head as she continued to sob.

"Jake, Eywa has forbidden it." Neytiri added between coughs of grief.

"What are you talking about?" Jake implored as he held still to wait for her answer.

"I fear she thinks it's an abomination-not natural- to mix with any kind of human blood. After all, humans were the ones who nearly destroyed her…"

Jake was frustrated by the way she was talking and removed his leg from her grasp as he walked away from her. How could she not understand it was just basic biological science, and not because of Eywa? Sure, Eywa helped in destroying the Sec-Ops, but she certainly didn't have a hand in Neytiri and his own union did she?

Could it be true? He pondered as his eyes pierced the surface of the pond to look at the strange glowing alien fish that slithered beneath. If it was slightly true, then how was he to ever give Neytiri what she desperately wanted above all else in Pandora right now? What would the human in him do in this situation?

"I have to leave." Jake suddenly said over his shoulder at Neytiri, who was still sitting on the grass looking quite disheveled. She wiped the tears from her sapphire colored face and gazed up at him with startled hurt.

"You…are leaving…me?"

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