Thanks: This chapter is my thanks to everyone who reviewed over the several months I spent writing And It Calls. You've been thanked every chapter, I'm not listing you all again.

This is dedicated to Ashfall, who has given the most beautiful reviews ever.

Thanks to all who have provided fanart and graphics for this story. Just because the story is over, don't feel that I won't still squeal and love any and all fanart.

Note: This is an optional epilogue for And It Calls. You don't have to read it if you liked the end chapter nineteen "Never Without You".

Something in Haven City had changed that day.

Amongst the barren and sterile landscape of the metal plated city, life had begun to awaken from its buried tomb. Grasses long thought gone began to sprout between the bricks and paving stones of the roads and walkways. The filthy waters of the drowned slums began to clear as aquatic plants burst to the surface and spread their green leaves over the scummy waters.

Haven Gardens began to spread into the surrounding areas. Small flowers could be seen to grow in small garden beds that had not seen life for over ten years. Tiny shrubs and seedling trees peeked through the low lying plants and began to stretch to the sky once more.

A panorama of trees, grown from the eco of the world's last eco sage, began to flower and fruit like a throne of fertility. Children clambered through the branches, their fingers finding safe purchase in the gouges carved by blackened claws.

To the east, teams worked hard, reactivating shields that had failed four years ago, upgrading pumping systems that helped the sudden growth of flora to purify deadly waste water.

Ruins were stripped and stabilised. Dead Town was slowly reconverted back into the Temple District of Haven City. At the centre, an old hut was replanted with hidden and dormant seeds. Its new resident, an ancient statue with the wisdom of the ages buried deep it metal housing, sat resplendent amongst the new life, dispensing advice on the construction of precursor buildings.

All over Haven City, people learnt to smile at one another again.

Inside the palace, guards taught the citizens to protect themselves from the dangers that lurked outside the nurturing safety of the city barriers. Workers reconstructed the ancient walls and refurnished abandoned rooms. People left homeless for years found new training and work as technicians, builders, cooks, engineers.

It was going to be a long and difficult process for everyone, not least of all the three men who sat at the top of the palace, co-ordinating the efforts of the city.

In the months that had passed since the city's rebirth, three men had had to start the process of healing themselves as well.

Jak yawned and rolled over, coming face to face with the still sleeping Daxter. He smiled, eyes tracing over the black that still marked Daxter's face, long daggers traced in spidery thin lines over his eyes.

"Mornin'."

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Yeah." Daxter finally opened his eyes, grinning cheekily. "I dreamt Torn and Ashelin were doing the butt wiggle dance."

Jak sniggered, then flopped onto his back again. Daxter was there in an instant, crawling over Jak to lay on him. "What about you?" He poked Jak's nose. "Did you dream?"

"Mm." He closed his eyes again. "Your dream was better."

An instant later he felt Daxter nuzzle his scarred cheek, tracing the spiralling design. "S'okay now."

"You don't believe that."

"Course I do." A wet tongue licked his face, he pulled a face as he heard Dax laughing. "I'm here with you, in a palace, in a king sized bed. I'm going to get up, have a good breakfast of not dead raw things and antagonise the tattooed wonder while I eat it. I will probably tease him about his girlfriend not being as good looking as mine and –"

Jak tackled Daxter back onto the bed, tickling him mercilessly until he was laughing too hard to breathe or speak.

"I am not your girlfriend."

"Mm, you ain't, are you?" Daxter giggled and wrapped his arms around Jak's neck. "Y'd make a bloody ugly woman."

Jak wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not.

"And, as I were sayin' b'fore y' cut me off, I will then spend several hours listening to ol' green rant about eco and fight with him about what needs doin' down in the Temple District and we will both be overruled by Ashelin anyway."

Jak hummed and squeezed Dax gently. "Keep talking."

"And, the best thing about it is I get to spend nearly all day with you, and even when you aren't there, I know everyone else knows who that butt belongs to because you got my mark all over your face." Jak felt warm lips gently press against his. "And I have pants."

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. They were still there five minutes later when Ashelin banged on their door. "Time's wasting, gentlemen, get up."

Daxter sighed and watched Jak roll out of bed and gather up some clothing. "Do we gotta?"

"Yes, Dax, we gotta." He stripped out of his sleep wear and pulled on his clothes. "Get dressed or I'll drag you out there as you are."

"Fine, fine, but only because I'm too sexy to be gawked at by everyone."

The blonde looked up at the sharp note that hit the end of that sentence. Daxter stared at him for a moment and sighed, his lip trembling.

Jak hugged him, held him for long moments until he stopped trembling again.

Things were better, but it would be a long time before they were 'right'.

"You okay to go out today?"

"Yeah. 'M fine." He buried closer to Jak for a moment anyway before he pulled back to go get dressed. "I'll be there in a moment."

Jak gave Daxter his privacy, and didn't comment that it had taken Daxter ten minutes to get into a shirt and a pair of pants. They walked to breakfast, not speaking, just being comfortable in their silence.

It was because of that silence that they heard Samos and Torn talking to someone in the throne room before they entered.

"I can't even begin to express how glad I am to see you again. I was so worried when I felt the reactions, I came straight back."

"It took you five months to get straight back?"

"Mm, well, you know, it was a long walk, and I found the most fascinating thing, must have been triggered by the reactivation of the latent green that Samos triggered..."

They opened the door and looked in.

Torn glanced at them first. His eyes were blue once more, now only ringed by the soft gold. His tattoos no longer glowed and pulsed with light, the colour simply touched the edges of the grey markings.

He had had to learn to deal with what was done to him as well.

Samos smiled broadly at them and waved them forwards, turning back to the small person in front of him. "Jak, Daxter, I'd like you to meet Larsh. He has some very exciting news for you two."

As Jak leant in to shake the man's hand, all he could notice was the scent of sunlight on grass that clung to the other man's clothes.

It was the scent of hope.