AN: Wow... I haven't posted anything in like.. a month! *gasp* Sorry sorry sorry sorrrrryyyyyy! Don't hurt me please! I'm too young to die. However, the posting of this *ahem* 10,000+ word fic, is for just for kicks. It was a random idea that came to me one day and believe it or not, it was originally going to be a stubby little 2000 piece of writing. Then I didn't have any internet access for four days. And here we are now. Please note that I haven't forgotten about Together, as it WILL get updated ASAP. I just can't promise you an exact date, you understand. But it is close to an end; after it's done, when my life calms down a bit, I'll get a move on for my next fic!
Also, please note that the *ahem* 10,000+ fic that follows has no relationship to any of my previous works, current works, or future works unless I say so. Which I'm not. In other shit to tell you, there are probably some editing errors and what-have-you in this, and for that, I apologize... (Anyone want to beta for this poor, poor, writer? XD And NOT just for spoilers!*cough*NRSG*cough*)
Finally, I apologize for this extremely long Author's Note. Please R&R, don't flame otherwise you'll regret it, and by all means, enjoy!
He had gotten the ring, he had planned the date, and now all there was left to do was take her and ask. Not that hard, right? Just get down on one knee and say... Well.. Revan wasn't quite sure what he'd say yet. He'd been banking on his gift for usually knowing what to say at the right times. Not like it always worked, but still...
Revan Kraern and Bastila Shan were currently residing on Coruscant in their two bedroom, one bathroom apartment. She had been wanting out of there for at least half a year, now. Both out of their apartment and away from Coruscant. Revan knew; she wanted to go back to Dantooine. Now that the Enclave was rebuilt and the Exile was intent on rebuilding the Order, Bastila was eager to go back, although she tried to hide it from Revan. He could tell it was her wish to go back and live a quieter life together then they ever could on Coruscant. Little did Revan's lover know, that was already taken care of.
It was 0730 in the morning, standard Courscant. And Bastila, who usually got up around a half hour later, was still sleeping soundly. Revan made sure to wake up early this morning; he carefully made his way out of their bed without waking his lover. Being shirtless with only a spare pair of shorts on, he went over to his wardrobe. He, like most Jedi, didn't have much.
There was Darth Revan's armor but that one was out of the question; not really ideal for a date and proposal. There was Dake Skennis' commando armor and the outfit he wore as a smuggler. The former being heavy duty, high tech stuff, with the helmet and all, also with the black bodysuit; the latter being casual gray pants, with light armor for the thighs, concealed under the fabric of the clothing, a plain, white t-shirt, and a tattered red jacket to go with it, also containing light armor plates in the appropriate areas. Then, there was his simple, black Jedi tunic with the insignia of the Order on the back, along with one of his two black cloaks.
Other than that, all Revan had was the black and blood red pinstriped suit he'd once wore nine years ago when he was shot with toxic darts at a congratulations party for the events of the quest for the Star Forge, and a pair of sweat pants, along with two white t-shirts and a black one. All of his other armor was on the Ebon Hawk, which was resting peacefully on a nearby landing pad. Revan was lucky to have the team of Bao-Dur, Vynn Shkale (the Jedi Exile), and T3-M4 to make constant repairs to the old girl while he was absent.
Revan stared at his wardrobe hopelessly. If he wore something he didn't usually wear, Bastila would suspect something. If he went classy, Bastila would suspect something. If he went too casual, Bastila would suspect something. Revan mentally berated himself for not wearing a variety of clothes. He sighed in silently in frustration. The tunic and cloak would have to do. After all, it was what he usually wore.
One ice cold shower later, Revan remembered why they never did laundry the night before showering. And why he and Bastila didn't like solo showers; Revan felt the sudden urge to giggle. The damn hot water system was horrible! It was just easier, and oh so much more fun, to take a shower with someone else... But when Revan and Bastila got, ah, absorbed, the water would get too cold and they'd have to finish their business elsewhere. It hardly ever generated enough hot water for a reasonably lengthy shower. Revan sighed and proceeded to dress for the day; all the more reason to go to Dantooine.
After getting on his tunic, pulling on his cloak, and lacing up his black boots, Revan grabbed the small, velvety, black box that contained the wedding ring. An expensive one, at that. He'd come back to his bank account about two years ago almost exactly how he had left it. A few weeks before leaving, Revan had transferred some credits to Bastila's own account and made his partly available to her, as well. Revan felt compelled to open it and look, once again, at the ring he'd picked out. He moved his thumb as if to open the lid but decided against it. Looking at the ring, and the stone on it, more precisely, would only clarify even further how much the economy had suffered while he was absent. Revan shrugged and slipped the ring into the the pouch on his belt. Bastila wouldn't be able to see it there.
Revan figured it was time to get the day started; he had lolly-gagged enough already. He made his way out of the bathroom and walked down the hall, past the bedroom, where Bastila was still asleep. She wasn't due to wake for about another twenty-five minutes. He decided to get started on breakfast. They didn't always eat breakfast but when they did, Bastila usually cooked. Revan decided to keep it simple, just to keep Bastila from being suspicious. He knew how to make only the most basic things for breakfast. Eggs, nerf sausage, and toast. Bastila liked her eggs over-easy. Cooked on one side and just a few seconds on the other.. Hopefully, this time, Revan wouldn't burn the egg.
Ten minutes later, Revan's hopes were in vain. He felt the impulsive need to stick one side of the Heart of the Force through a vital organ... Revan had gone through three burnt eggs, almost forgot about the nerf sausage and had to try and cut the sausage while buttering a slice of toast. That was when we he burnt the second egg. At least he hadn't forgot to put on the caf and make some tea. Bastila always had one or the other in the mornings. She may think he didn't pay attention sometimes but that would be an utter lie in Revan's book.
Finally, three burnt eggs and four burnt slices of toast that had been discarded later, (equaling a total of fifteen minutes) Revan finally cooked something edible. And appetizing; well, appetizing enough for him to eat, anyways.. Revan's face fell as he about smacked himself. He only made enough eggs and toast for Bastila! There was plenty of the sausage but no toast or eggs left! For fuck's sake! How in the name of the Force had he forgotten to make food for himself! Wondering how soon Bastila would be showered, (he'd have to remind her about that), up, and dressed, Revan quickly started to make calculations in his head. He assumed she'd be ready within the next fifteen minutes; that meant he should have enough time to scramble some eggs for his own breakfast along with a slice of toast.. Revan hustled to grab the needed materials for his food, put a slice of bread in the toaster, and started on his eggs. Once they were under control, he unclasped the double bladed hilt of Heart of the Force from his belt.
"This blade has killed so many beings in the ten years that I've had it but not once have I thought about using it on myself," murmured Revan, intensely staring at the deactivated blade. All of the sudden, he heard the sound of a shower, followed by a loud, accented,
"Aughhh! Why the bloody hell did we do laundry last night!" Revan sighed and scooped his eggs onto a plate; he took his time. It was going to be one of those days; Bastila wasn't very fun on those mornings. Especially when those mornings start out with a cold shower.
It was a good ten minutes before Revan made his way out of the kitchen. He was busy, cleaning up, taking his time. More like taking his time to enjoy the sudden fantasy-image of Bastila getting out of their bed that popped into his mind. She always had worn very little to bed. Or nothing. The corners of Revan's mouth pulled upward. He made his way out of the kitchen, past their bedroom, and into the bathroom.
Bastila, standing in front of the mirror, already fully clothed, working her hair into its usual, plain pig tails, glanced at his reflection. She had just completed the second when Revan walked up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders, and rested his chin on her head, inhaling the sweet, seductive, scent of her hair.
"Revan," Bastila greeted him coolly. She hadn't said good morning to him in that specific tone of voice in years. Ten, to be exact. There was something different about her tone today.. She had a tone similar to the one she sported for the better part of their journey on the Ebon Hawk with all the old gang. Revan mentally waved it off.
His hands slid down from Bastila's shoulders, tracing her curves, down to her thighs. How did I land myself someone who can be so sexy at the most inconvenient times! He moved his face from her head to the right side of her neck and inhaled deeply. Revan replied, in a mock-similar, tone of voice, slightly muffled,
"Bastila." Bastila felt the rumble of his voice just as he exhaled against her throat. Normally, that would have propelled her to kiss him but, today, she ignored the sensation and tried to slip out of his embrace. He kissed her throat once and grudgingly let go of her. "I was going to remind you about the shower y'know, but I didn't hear you wake up," said Revan, casually, as Bastila checked herself in the mirror one last time, making sure her appearance was acceptable.
"Yes, well, maybe next time you'll listen more closely." Bastila didn't look at him as she turned and walked out of their bathroom and into the kitchen. She grabbed the plate with the over-easy egg, two links of nerf sausage, and one slice of toast on it, along with a fork, without a word, and sat down at the dining table in the adjacent room.
"Caf or tea?" Revan called after her.
"Caf," she said in that cool tone of voice, not even adding a 'thank you' or a 'please' like she normally would. Revan began to wonder what was wrong.
"Here we are," said Revan as he walked in to the room, balancing his plate with the Force and carrying two mugs of caf in his hands. He willed the plate down onto his place next to hers on the table and set the mugs down. "Caf, eggs, nerf sausage, and toast." Bastila ignored him and immediately started eating.
"So," Revan began conversationally, as he swallowed a bite of toast and reached for his mug of caf. Bastila arched an eyebrow in question. "We're going out today," he declared and took a swig of hot caf. The familiar burning sensation down his throat was welcomed.
"Are we? Where to?"
"You'll see," Revan smiled. Bastila did not return his smile and returned her attention to the food. She poked her egg with the fork and moved it around the plate for a moment before taking another bite. They both ate in silence for another few minutes. Bastila chewed thoughtfully before swallowing and speaking to him again.
"No more cooking for you," Bastila said, with about as much emotion as a rock. Revan's smile turned upside down.
"The way you said that, Princess, was the definition of the Jedi Code's first line," Revan said in an evenly cool tone of voice, for real now, matching hers. "If it tastes so damn horrible, then don't eat it and let's go." Revan stood up, took his half empty plate and Bastila's half full plate in his hands, balancing the empty mugs with the Force. It was amazing how levitating things was now almost a habit.
"Very well then," Bastila said, oblivious to Revan, who was standing with his back to her, moving the mugs with the Force over to the sink before walking there himself. She walked straight into his back, making him lose his focus, which, in turn, caused both of the mugs to fall to floor with a loud shattering sound.
"Goddammit! Bastila, why don't you watch where the hell you're about to walk?" he asked aggravated, before he could stop himself, and spun on his heel to face her. He set the plates back on the table, hard, with a loud clang.
"I don't know what you're talking about. You're acting absurd! Now I suggest you clean that," Bastila jerked her head towards the mess that used to be two usable mugs. Revan's eyes widened. He was acting absurd! How the hell did she come to that conclusion? Revan took a deep breath to keep himself from snarling out an angry 'fine.'
"Go. Get in the speeder; I'll be there in a couple of minutes," he said in a deathly calm voice. Revan grabbed the nearest broom and started to sweep up the shattered ceramics. He saw Bastila leave the room, rolling her eyes. Revan had a lingering suspicion that if he looked in the waste basket in their bathroom, there would bediscarded feminine products.
"Great," Revan muttered to himself as he swept up the shards, "It looks like I might have chosen to propose during that time of the month." Aftersweeping up the broken mugs, Revan jogged out of the apartment and to their parking spot. In place of the speeder he'd bought for them a decade ago (and sold a few weeks ago to have enough credits for a wedding ring) was the sleek, black, two-seater speeder that was bought by Bastila shortly before Revan returned. Bastila was leaning against the speeder with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.
"How long does it take, Revan? To sweep of some shards of a couple mugs?" Revan decided to ignore her and forced a smile.
"Let's go, shall we, Princess?"
Bastila Shan couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what Revan was up to. After they left the apartment, Revan took her to the Coruscanti Museum of Ancient Artifacts. They had a section full of lightsabers and crystals that looked centuries old! And then they went to lunch at the Coreillian restaurant they'd been eating at for years. After that, Revan took them to a park and showed a picture of a beautiful, white, blue trimmed house on Dantooine to her on his datapad. He had asked what she thought of it. She had replied something like, 'It looks better than the apartment that we live in. I honestly don't understand how you can be so cheap, Revan!' before she could stop herself.
Bastila hadn't meant to say something so rude! The truth was, Revan often spent money on her, whether she liked it or not. If Bastila said that there was something she'd like to have, (which was actually very seldom) Revan would almost always make sure that she'd get it for a birthday or any other holiday.
Normally, Bastila would find those previously mentioned activities fascinating. But today, however, she'd could have cared less. She was tired from tossing and turning all last night; and grumpy. There was also something in the pit of her stomach... something she hadn't felt before. It was like there was something going on that she didn't know about. She suspected the feeling in her stomach had something to do with her lack of sleep the previous night. Bastila tried to tell herself that she was being ridiculous. Deep down, though, it made her nervous.
Bastila really had been snooty, snippy and, well... To be frank with herself, a rude, annoying, grumpy bitch all day long. It wasn't on purpose but Bastila Shan was just not in a good mood today! She had closed off their bond when she woke up to keep Revan from knowing what she thought about the feeling in her stomach; Bastila didn't want to talk about that. Although she hadn't been very good to Revan today, that was only when she actually talked; Bastila was unusually quiet throughout their day together. But still, she hadn't even meant to be such a bitch toady! She just was! And Revan, poor Revan, put up with her snooty self all day long. He had put on a forced smile every time Bastila said something mean to him, dealt with her without complaining out loud, and he even stopped himself from being snarky, sarcastic, or acting like a smart ass like he usually would. He took every bad comment from Bastila with silence and kept trying to put her in a better mood; she deflected him every step of the way, by the sheer impulse that she hadn't meant to let take control.
Every time Bastila had spoken to him, it was in the cool tone of voice she had used ten years ago on Taris. Condescending, arrogant, and disrespectful. Deep down, Bastila felt horrible; she just couldn't swallow her pride and admit to Revan what was making her act this way. Therefore, she hadn't apologized yet. She'd have to do so very soon, otherwise guilt would eat away at her. Bastila only just realized that they were cruising along in the speeder and she didn't even have a clue as to where they were headed.
"Now where are we going?" Bastila asked with the same unintended tone of voice. Revan inwardly screamed at himself to be a gentleman.
"Dinner," he said simply. Bastila had just been so difficult today! Revan still wondered what brought it on. She was never like this during that once-a-month grouchy mood that was brought on by female nature. Hell, Bastila had almost never acted this way since they were in in their twenty's. Even then, when he was still there, of course, she had only very rarely acted so arrogant and just plain bitchy.
Still, they were younger back then. Maybe Bastila's... Biological clock was, ah, ticking? Oh no, Revan thought, walling his mind so that he was completely alone in his head without Bastila hearing his thoughts. Was Bastila going through menopause? Already! She was only thirty-four, going on thirty-five! And he was already thirty-five.. Bastila wasn't due for menopause for, like, another twenty years, or something! Right! But didn't that shit mess with your mood?
Revan shot a quick glance towards Bastila, who was oblivious to his thoughts and seemingly, to Revan himself. She was busy staring out the window, zoning out. Too young, Revan, she's too young for that shit to start. Too young, too young, too young! Revan took a deep breath.
"Calm down, Rev'ika, calm down. No need to risk your shebs on a sensitive conversation topic," Revan muttered to himself, thinking about why it was that Mando'a came just as natural to him as Galactic Basic. He was fluent in many forms of communication, but Basic and Mando'a were what he used most frequently... All of the sudden, Revan brought his top front teeth down on his lower lip, trying to punish his mouth for saying what it said out loud. He waited to be bombarded with the question he knew was coming; his wait was in vain. Instead he heard,
"Hmm? Were you speaking to me?" Revan sighed in relief for two reasons. 1. Bastila hadn't heard his thoughts or what he had accidentally told himself out loud. 2. That was the most genuine sounding thing she'd said all day. Maybe her bad mood was blowing over..
"No, no, I was, uh, just talking to myself, sorry love," Revan said, sighing deeply. Suddenly, before Bastila could respond to Revan's sigh or anything else, he stopped the speeder in a crowded parking lot, turned to face her, and smiled. For real, now. "Here we are. Hungry?" he asked, politely. Bastila only nodded. She wanted badly apologize for her behavior but surely he would ask what brought it on? He deserved her honesty. Apparently, not all things changed over the course of time. Bastila despised lying to her lover. She knew that Revan had always been honest with her. The exception being the occasional memory return. Those, however were extremely rare nowadays, only because he already remembered almost everything. Bastila always knew when a memory of his returned but she didn't always see the memory. On those rare occasions, Bastila would ask what the memory was about but he, Revan, would only shake his head and focus more on whatever was occupying his attention.
"Bas? Bastila, dear, are you alright?" Revan asked, now snapping a finger in front of her face to try and get her attention. Bastila started and spluttered at him.
"What? Oh, ah, yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine. Sh—shall we?" she stuttered a little and unbuckled her seat belt. Revan grabbed her arm to stop her from getting out of the speeder. He smirked.
"I don't think so, Princess. You're waiting here while I get the food and then you get to get out. We'll be ditching the speeder for a little while."
"What? Why?" asked Bastila haughtily.
"Because," Revan struggled to keep control of himself; this had been one hell of a day. "You'll see. Now just stay here and I'll be back in a few, Princess." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Revan had only kissed her on the lips once that day and (much to Bastila's innermost dismay that she barely even felt) it had only lasted no more than five seconds. She hadn't really kissed him back because of that weird feeling that was causing her act up.
"Very well." Revan only winked in response while he unbuckled himself. It would be nice to have a couple of minutes alone, with only himself to think with. He got out of the speeder, cloak billowing behind him as he walked in a summer day's slight breeze on Coruscant. Should he have rescheduled the date when he saw what kind of mood she was in? Would Bastila say no because of this strange behavior? He unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair. His flattened hair. Not spiked; Bastila liked the way he flattened his hair and then lifted the bangs. Well, Revan combed his hair that way just for her this morning and she didn't even notice! Bastila didn't notice how he cooked for her this morning, or even how he took her to a museum, of all places! Museums didn't hold a high interest with Revan. Then, he even showed her the house that was built for them on Dantooine but she just waved it off and commented on how cheap he was being!
The house on Dantooine was the sole reason that Revan wasn't able to move Bastila and himself out of their apartment earlier. It was expensive to have a house built for you, along with getting it fully furnished and ready to move in. Revan wanted to pull out his hair in frustration. Today had tested his self control more than he every would have imagined possible. He was about ready to throw that 700 credit ring off of the highest skyscraper on Coruscant.
Revan, who was now approaching the front doors of the restaurant, pulled the hood of his tunic's matching black cloak over his eyes. Revan, being Revan, decided it was best to try and keep a low profile, especially in a busy, fancy restaurant like this one.
Revan had made sure to make it clear that his food was to go, and put it under the name of Dake Skennis. Revan chuckled at how handy that name still was. Revan negotiated with this restaurant's manager so that he could get two meals to go. Two Talravin meals, to go. This place had an immense variety of foods from an extrem variety of worlds. Revan doubted that Bastila had had food that originated on Talravin in.. Well, she would be thirty-five in four months and she was taken by the Jedi Order at age five so... thirty years! She hadn't been to her home world in thirty years! Instantly, Revan knew where their honeymoon, if not their wedding, would be... If, of course, Bastila said yes.
He walked up to the twi'lek who was, apparently, the manager he had spoken to over the comlink yesterday while Bastila was out recruiting rogue Jedi, who had been taking refuge at the unoccupied Jedi Temple. She'd convince them of who she was and send them to the Enclave on Dantooine, to meet the Exile. When the Enclave was full and they had enough Jedi to at least partly occupy the temple on Coruscant, some Jedi would be sent over there to stay. Over the last two years, the Jedi Enclave was now moderately inhabited, and it looked like they would be a Jedi Order again, soon.
Revan approached the green, straight-backed, female twi'lek. He greeted her politely in the alien's native language. "Good evening, ma'am. I talked to you those to go meals via comlink." Revan converted to Galactic Basic, now. "Under the name 'Dake Skennis.'" Revan hunched over a little, turned away from the massive array of customers eating and small-talking at their tables, and lowered his hood enough to where she could see his whole face. "But you may know me better as 'Revan.'" The manager gave a small gasp and stuttered her next words.
"I—oh, sir—er, uh, Master Jedi, I apologize for my behavior on the phone, I didn't know it was someone of your, ah, stature." the twi'lek said in very fluent Basic. Revan nodded politely.
"No problem, but I trust that you'll keep my presence here to yourself and only yourself, do I make myself plain?" Revan asked sternly, one finger pointing at her, the other hand tapping on his secondary blue double-bladed lightsaber. The twi'lek nodded vigorously.
"Oh, yes, sir, of course."
"Good," Revan said, straightening his posture, "Now I trust my food has been prepared and is ready? I'm proposing, you see."
"That's very sweet, Master Jedi, very sweet. To Master Shan, I presume?" the twi'lek manager asked almost knowingly and arched what would pass for her eyebrow. Though Bastila was still a Knight, technically (as was he), it was expected that she be referred to as 'Master Shan.' Most non-Jedi called Jedi, 'Master Jedi.'
"Hopefully. But how would you know, anyways?" Revan had to admit he was actually surprised that she asked so casually. And she asked as though she already knew the answer.
"It was all the gossip around a decade ago. I only just started working here but all of the diners would talk about you two," she said as she motioned to a human waiter who was passing by. "Go get that double order of the Talravin dish for me. To go. Now." the waiter nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." the waiter turned back around to the kitchens and made his way at brisk pace.
"Anyway, your food will be here as soon as possible, sir."
"Yes, thank you. So Ba—Master Shan and I were, ah, common knowledge? Hm, interesting. I mean we went in public together but I never knew that most everyone suspected .." Revan trailed off, but he wasn't really talking to the manager anymore; it was to himself. He jerked his head to the left, then the right, and back forward, to snap himself out of his thoughts.
"Anyways, thank you very much for being cooperative. A hundred credits should do it, correct?" he asked, glancing at the manager while looking in the pouch on his belt for the appropriate credit chips.
"I—yes, Master Jedi. Only if you'd like change of ten credits?"
"Sure, sure, that's fine." Revan touched the Force bond very, very gently, to see how impatient Bastila was becoming. Apparently, she was actually meditating in their speeder with the top covered. He 'spoke' to her quickly.
'Be there in two.'
Revan felt her jolt out of meditation but put his mental barriers back up swiftly. As the manager led him over to the nearest cash register, he saw the waiter return with a plastic case of sorts. Revan assumed it to be their food, along with, probably, some kind of wine. The waiter handed the case to Revan and he took it, graciously.
"Thank you, sir." the waiter nodded stoically, and Revan turned his attention back to the lady manager, who was just handing him his change.
"Hero's discount, Master Revan," the twi'lek smiled for the first time. Enjoy your night; I'm sure she'll say yes." Revan wanted to roll his eyes.
"Oh you have no idea," he chuckled. The twi'lek smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Revan walked out of the restaurant and recognized his and Bastila's sleek, black speeder. That was something he'd bought for them the first year of his return; their other speeder was a bit outdated but it still came in handy.
"Sorry about the wait, Bas," Revan said, pulling his hood off. "But I think this next part might make up for your, ah... Chipper mood today. Trust me." Revan said, getting into the speeder to wake her from her meditative state; he didn't bother buckling in. Bastila nodded and said,
"We'll see."
"What are my chances of a kiss? A real kiss, perhaps?" asked Revan, nervously. He didn't want to ruin his chances of Bastila saying 'yes' but he had to have at least some sort of... Inspiration. Bastila, on the other hand, was secretly very pleased. Now she thought she knew how Revan felt, battling with the darker Revan inside of himself. Back when he first learned his true identity. Then, it was Dake Skennis vs. Revan. In the later months after he learned the horrible secret of who he was, the battle became Revan vs. Revan. Now, here she was, Bastila vs. Bastila... More like Bastila vs. Bitch Bastila, she thought bitterly. And 'Bitch Bastila' was winning.
"Alright," she said (Revan didn't expect any other tone) coolly. Revan could barely contain his grin as he leaned over the speeder's middle console. Bastila reflexively leaned closer towards him. She suddenly heard 'Bitch Bastila' in her mind saying, 'No, no what are you doing! You're giving into him! You are supposed to be pissed off, not kissing 'him.' Another voice came next as she put her lips onto his; 'Bastila.'
'Oh, don't listen to her. There 'is' a reason you named her 'Bitch Bastila,' after all. Now go and enjoy your kiss!'
Bastila almost sighed in content. Her walls were falling; he was breaking in! She wasn't ready to tell him what her suspicions were about being left out of the loop! Force, that would make her sound like Carth Onasi! Carth, of all people! One of her closest friends was probably the most untrusting person she knew. Of course, Carth had mellowed over the yea—oh, why the hell was she thinking of Onasi right now? She was kissing Revan right now. There first real kiss all day actually.
Meanwhile, while Revan was trying to deepen the kiss, he felt that whatever barriers Bastila Shan had put up this morning, were starting to fall. She almost wrapped her arms around his neck but 'Bitch Bastila' stepped in. Instead of Bastila wrapping herself around Revan, literally, she put the hands that she had already lifted and placed them firmly on his shoulders. He froze and pulled away quickly. He looked into her eyes, silently pleading to tell him whatever the matter was. Her eyes almost seemed... apologetic?
"Thank you," Bastila said quietly, her eyes falling to the middle console beneath them. For kissing me. I needed that, more than you may know, she finished in her head. It was weird being all alone in her head. Even when Revan had left for seven years, he had kept just the tiniest fragment of his side of the bond open to her, just so she would know he was alive. Bastila couldn't even remember what it felt like to be truly alone with her thoughts. It had been a decade, no, wait, longer because the events on Darth Revan's flagship happened a year before the Star Forge quest started. Bastila and Revan had become...romanticallyinvolved months after the journey started. So it had been eleven years since the bond was forged, ten since their journey together started, and about nine-and-a-half since they had been together as a couple, when the bond had deepened even more. Therefore, not Bastila Shan, nor Revan Kraern had been completely alone in their minds in eleven years. And neither of them probably ever would again.
"No, thank you, Princess. That made me feel much better," said Revan sincerely, looking into the eyes she had barely raised. "Now come on, we've gotta have dinner before the next part of the night. And after that part, we could go back to the apartment. If you'd like of course," he said, smirking knowingly to himself. Revan and Bastila still engaged in nighttime activities on a regular basis but tonight would be one hell of a night. Hopefully.
"Now where are we going, Revan?" Bastila hadn't referred to him by anything other than 'Revan' today. No 'my love' or 'dear' or anything affectionate. That sort of hurt but Revan doubted Bastila had noticed; she had been extremely unobservant today, when it came to Revan's doings. They had exited the speeder and were now standing in an alleyway.
"See that building right there?" Revan pointed to a tall, but not quite skyscraper sized, building with a flat top, probably fifteen yards away, as he walked over to the side of the speeder in which Bastila got out.
"Yes, I see it," said Bastila, hands folded behind her back.
"That's where we're eating." Bastila looked over at the man next to her; he was smiling. She, herself, didn't understand what the significance of such a building was. It looked as though it was empty. Before she could voice her question, however, Revan answered it. "We're eating on the roof."Bastila hadn't seen that coming.
"A—and how, exactly, are we getting to the roof?" Revan looked at her as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"We climb, of course." Bastila was slightly shocked. "Well," said Revan, looking at his chrono, "it's 1630. Let's go eat, shall we?" he started toward the building, Bastila on his right. They walked the approximate fifteen yards in silence. Until Revan walked around to the back of the building. There were several platforms aligned on seemingly random parts of the buildings; along with an out-of-commission staircase, with a stairwell.
"Now, that staircase is off-limits. Not like it's very useable anyways, but still, you can't use it. That, my love, would be cheating. I'll go first." Revan handed the case with their dinner in it to Bastila. "Don't open that case," he said sternly. "When I get to the top, send it up there with the Force. I hope you've kept up on your Force Jump technique over the years... Though, you are only a Jedi Sentinel," Revan said mockingly. He discarded his cloak. "Hold this, too, please."
Revan, although he was thirty-five, was still in excellent shape. Both he and Bastila hadn't seemed to age much over the years. Of course, they both had more lines under their eyes, but neither of them looked as though they were in their mid-thirties. Revan still had a toned chest, abs, biceps, and every ounce of strength he had ten years ago. Being alone on a ship with, only droids for company, had helped that. Countless push ups, sit ups, and numerous forms of combat training were what he had occupied the endless time with he felt he had on his hands. Revan probably wasn't quite as fast he as he was ten years ago, but he was certainly still a deadly and formidable opponent.
Revan launched himself, with the aid of the Force, up to the second platform, did a neat front flip, and landed square in the middle of it. Each of the seven platforms were about four-by-four feet and the building was six stories high.
"The rules," began Revan, who hadn't broken nearly a sweat with his first jump. "Are simple; you can't land onto more than four platforms. You can, however," Revan stopped in mid-sentence. He closed his eyes, lifted his hands, and called on the Force to rip out the staircase from the rail it was attached to. The rail-less staircase fell to the ground.
"Grab onto that rail that I, conveniently, left attached to the wall, however many times you'd like." Bastila was now obviously shocked.
"Revan! You cannot go about ripping staircases off of a public building for Force's sake! Someone is bound to notice it sitting, detached, in the middle of an alleyway." Bastila was now standing with her hands on her hips, (having put down the case of food and Revan's robe for the moment) supporting most of her weight on her right foot. Revan rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please, Bas, haven't you noticed how run-down and deserted this building is? And also, considering the condition this staircase was in when we got here, if someone were to come across it, they'd think that it finally broke off from the rail, which is ingrained in the building." Revan made a good point; Bastila couldn't argue.
"Fine, but hurry up!"
"Gladly," he said, leaping upwards again, to grab at the railing. His fingers curled around it. Revan, who was now at the second story of the building, used his strength to try and lift himself up to stand on the rail.
"Just another workout. You can do this, you did pull ups almost every day for seven years," Revan muttered to himself. He had to face it; he wasn't as young as he was ten years ago. Revan, who had never let any physical barriers block him, was not about to start now. "Pull ups," he told himself, "just pull ups." Slowly, Revan started to pull his body up. Then push down again. And then pull up once again. Once more, he pushed down. Finally, with a sudden burst of momentum, Revan pulled his entire upper body all the way up, to where his arms were completely extended. He got his right foot to balance on the rail. Now, with his hands pressed against the wall for balance, Revan stood up on his right foot, immediately putting his left on the rail as soon as his leg extended enough to balance his weight carefully between both feet.
Meanwhile, on the pavement, Bastila watched Revan's 'pull up' performance, thinking about how amazing it was that he still possessed superb physical strength.
'Mm, he should have taken his shirt off,' 'Bastila' said in her mind. 'Bitch Bastila' let up for a few moments and Bastila was able to giggle. True, Bastila still found herself attracted to Revan physically, even after a decade. He still worked out on a regular basis; Bastila figured it became habit, from doing it daily for several years. Revan was still...hot, as the younger generation put , and certainly without, a shirt on.
Revan had now jumped from the rail, onto another platform on the fourth story. And now that he thought about it, he wasn't even worn out. Perhaps the excuse, 'I'm getting too old for this,' wouldn't work for some other amount of future years. He chuckled; that was a good thing. Come to think of it, Revan felt just as in shape as he did ten years ago. This wasn't what he had expected to feel like at thirty-five.
Revan used two platforms by now. Could he jump all the way up to the top of the building? He almost didn't want to find out. Almost. So, calling on every ounce of the Force he could muster, using all of his momentum, calling on his training as a Jedi Guardian, he jumped upwards towards the top of the building.
Revan felt as though he was soaring freely through the air, tucked his legs in, and front flipped onto the ledge at the top of the building. He made it! Revan knew that he would have been able to jump two stories without a doubt back in the day, but now, a decade later, he was actually proud of himself. Yeah, he thought, the 'I'm getting too old for this' excuse, definitely wasn't valid yet.
"Alright, Princess, send me the case and my robe, will ya?" Revan asked, opening their bond just enough to where he could hear her and vice versa, but no one's thoughts could be read.
"Will do." A matter of three seconds later, Revan looked down for the first time since he had started his ascent to see his cloak draped over the case, which were both floating in the air, with Bastila on the ground below them, arms outstretched with her palms facing outward. Revan caught the items a few seconds after. He put his arms through the arm slots and felt the familiar warmth that cloak always held. It wasn't a stifling warmth, nor was it getting cold yet, but it felt... Comfortable.
Bastila started her way up the building. Normally, if 'Bitch Bastila' hadn't been present, she would have tried to outdo Revan's performance. His incredible show of physical strength would have been matched by how graceful she could have been if she chose. Instead, Bastila decided to keep it simple. Though Bastila wasn't as strong as Revan was, nor was she as efficient in Force Jump, she could still beat him at his own game if need be. But now wasn't the time for that.
Bastila used her first platform opportunity; she jumped to the one in between the first and second story. Now, if she jumped to the third story platform from there, she'll have used two platforms, and then the one in between the fourth and fifth story, she'll have used three, and finally, jump to the ledge where Revan had stepped off of. Bastila smiled, satisfied with her choice.
About a minute later, Bastila had successfully carried out her simple plan and was standing on the ledge. Revan offered his hand to Bastila, which, surprising to Revan, she actually took and helped her down off of the ledge. He glanced over at his chrono; sunset was in about a half hour. That was when he'd do it.
"Alright, Bastila, let's eat, shall we?" he turned her around and walked her over to the ledge on the southern side of the building top; it was identical to the northern side but there would be a clear view of the sunset. They sat down and Revan put the case between them. He scooted over to make room for the case to sit between them.
"I got something for us to eat that I think you'll like, Princess," Revan said, opening the case to reveal two plates, filled with the same food, and wrapped in food wrap, two wine glasses, and an type of wine. He had never seen this sort of food before; it looked delicious, though, he had to admit. He looked at Bastila, who was scrutinizing the food carefully.
Bastila had seen this food before, somewhere. She just couldn't put her finger on it! She grabbed the plate nearest to her and set it on her lap, grabbing a fork too, while Revan poured them both a glass of wine. Perhaps is she tasted it, it would come back to her.
Revan, however, was becoming apprehensive. He kept glancing at Bastila involuntarily. She had started eating already. The look on her face looked was hard to read. It seemed as though she was thinking about something far, far away. Revan handed her the wine glass and started to dig into his own meal.
'There's something familiar about this,' 'Bastila' told her.
'Ignore it. Just eat, get home, and go to bed!' 'Bitch Bastila' screamed at her, a little to quickly.
'Shut up, you t—wait, do you know something about this? About what I don't know about?' Bastila asked 'Bitch Bastila' and 'Bastila' in her head as she chewed yet another bite, thoughtfully. Just as 'Bastila' and 'Bitch Bastila' were about to answer, Revan jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Bastila, will you please say something already? You've been sitting there, eating, with the same look on your face for twenty minutes!" 'Bitch Bastila' and 'Bastila' suddenly disappeared. The real Bastila, however, was now annoyed with her lover for his timing.
"Goddammit, Revan, can't you just leave me alone?" Bastila slammed her fork down on her plate and glared at him. Revan's eyes widened as he stood up and hopped off the ledge. Bastila got down with him and maintained her glare.
"'Leave you alone, huh? You want me to leave you alone, right? You want me to fucking leave you alone!" he said, voice raised, eyes now narrowed into angry slits. Bastila made no response.
"Then I guess you didn't want me to cook breakfast for you, which I will never do again, if it was so terrible, and then take you to that museum that you would have loved, showed you the house that I made sure was built just for us on Dantooine, huh?" Bastila was stunned. Her mouth opened slightly. "Did you?" he yelled. Bastila couldn't find words.
"You didn't want me to treat you to lunch at the Corellian restaurant that we've both loved for years, and then take you to a park to relax and rest a little at?" the sun was about to set but Revan paid no attention to it; he was vaguely aware of it, however. He was too busy yelling at Bastila.
"And then get you dinner, a dish, in fact, that is made only on Talravin, yourhomeworld, where you haven't been in three decades!" Bastila's jaw dropped. Talravin! That's what was so familiar about this food! She hadn't had food like that in decades! Three to be exact, just as Revan said. Oh no. Revan...
"And now, the sun is going to set any minute, and here I was, sitting there," he pointed to the ledge with one hand, and pulled out the little black, velvet box out of the pocket he had. Bastila gasped and her jaw dropped even lower if possible. "Hoping your mood would improve so I could give you this," he popped open the box to reveal a diamond ring. A diamond engagement ring. The band of it had several tiny, sparkly, diamond fragments carefully set in it, all the way around the top, stopping exactly where the side of her finger would turn into the bottom of it. Square in the middle of the band, was the diamond, the climax of the ring itself! Bastila had never seen anything more beautiful in her entire thirty-four -and-a-half years.
Something in Bastila's mind clicked. Revan was proposing! That was what she didn't know about! That was what made her feel left out of the loop. Of course, Revan wouldn't have given her a heads up but had she have paid any attention to him at all today, she would have maybe been herself and had a good time today. How could she be so stupid?
"And then, I would have gotten down on one knee," he did just that, "and said, 'Bastila Shan, my love, my bondmate, my life, I love you so much, and would be overjoyed if you would do the great honor of marrying a man, who doesn't deserve the woman standing in front of him, who loves him as much as he loves her. Will you marry me?' But because you've been nothing but an ungrateful bitch to me today, I don't know what to say!" Revan started panting; he got up and took a small step forward.
"Oh my goodness!" a tear threatened to fall from Bastila's eyes. "Revan, I—I—don't, I mean, I—I j—just-" Revan's eyes returned from being slits to being their normal shape; his face wasn't angry anymore.
"Come here, babe, come here," he said, taking her in his arms. Revan was glad that Bastila seldom cried, and when she did, it didn't last long. He hugged her close. She felt herself again, like Bastila again. Bastila had acted like a stranger today, but this, this, was his Bastila. Revan knew it; he felt it. Both of their mental barriers that had been put up several hours ago fell down.
"Ugh, Revan, I've been so h-horrible to you today. H-how could you ever f-forgive me? I acted so terrible today b-because I thought I w-was being l-left out of the l-loop, but here we are a-and the big 'secret' was so sweet and romantic a-a-and-" Bastila couldn't help sobbing into Revan's shoulder, holding on to him as tight as she could.
"So that was why you acted the way you did today? Because you thought I was keeping something from you? Oh, Bastila, you should have known how much I hate the concept, and action, of lying to you, or to anyone I care about. Only because I've been lied too before! And it wasn't just a little, stupid lie, it was something huge! It about who I was? My entire life as I knew it was a lie! I hate lying you because I can relate to the feeling of being on the receiving end of a lie. That's how you know, I would never, ever, lie to you about something so important," Revan was genuinely shocked as he soothed her and stroked her hair, lovingly. No one hated lies more than he did; Bastila knew this. So why would she get so worked up? Revan hadn't the slightest clue. He never would understand women...
"Revan?" Bastila started in a small voice, taking her face out of his shoulder to look at him. Her eyes were starting to become slightly puffy and red.
"Yeah?" he asked, putting his hand on her face, wiping the last stray tear from her eyes.
"No matter how bitchy I've been today, I still love you, with all my heart. And more."
"And we really don't want to get into a who loved who more argument do we?" Bastila chuckled with him. "I love you too, Princess. With all my heart and more." He pressed a very soft kiss to her forehead. She put her arms around his neck, nuzzled into it, and kissed his throat equally soft.
"I know I don't deserve it but.. Can you say the bit about you asking me to marry you again? If you still want to, of course," she added seriously, with a small smile to give her away. Revan grabbed her arms, put them back to her sides, and as the sun was starting to fall, got back down onto his knee, picking up the forgotten, little black box he had dropped while comforting her.
"Bastila Shan, my love, my bondmate, my life,I love you so much, and would be overjoyed if you would do the great honor of marrying a man, who doesn't deserve the woman standing in front of him, who loves him as much as he loves her. Will you marry me?" he repeated, word for word, looking up into her eyes, which were no longer clouded by puffiness, redness, and tears.
"You know the answer to that, Revan Kraern, you fool. Now stand up and kiss me!" Revan grinned and did as he was told. She smiled against his lips.
"Yes," she whispered, lovingly, "Yes, I'll marry you. I would have married you about a decade ago. I'd have married you a decade from now, if need be. I'd have said yes, no matter how and where you proposed. But the important thing is, our souls have already wed," Bastila leaned in for another kiss. Revan grabbed her by the waist and twirled Bastila around once, kissing her, tongue dancing with her, all the while, before setting her back down on her feet. She claimed her tongue back a minute later to ask him a question.
"Hold on a second, Revan," she said, running out of breath as he kissed her down her throat. She felt his lips and tongue stop at her collarbone, begging permission to keep going.
"I can't hold on much longer," Revan said huskily against her collarbone, "I want you. I need you, Bastila! Soon, and I mean, fucking soon!" Bastila had the sudden urge to pull him down to the ground by the collar and let him continue, but her curiosity was actually starting to overwhelm her need for sex.
"Don't worry, Revan, you can have all of me as soon as we get back to the apartment. You can do whatever you want. The sooner you answer my question, the sooner you get to continue," Bastila said, seductively as Revan pressed one last kiss to her neck and stood back up to his full height.
"Hurry, my love. My super sexy, love who I just can't stop thinking about," Revan said, looking her in the eye.
"Stop it, I know what you're trying to do; you have to wait like a good boy."
"But you've been a very bad girl all day!" Revan said, playfully.
"And you can spank me for it later. Now, my question; you really had a house built for us on Dantooine?" Revan rolled his eyes at her question. That couldn't have waited!Instead of voicing his opinion, he nodded.
"Yep; fully furnished and everything. We can move in whenever we want. Then, I can sell the apartment, make a little dough, and we're alright! Hell, we could move in tomorrow if we wanted!" Bastila's eyes lit up.
"Tomorrow! Really?"
"Yeah, but I'm thinking that tomorrow'll be one of those, ah, stay at home days, if you know what I mean, my beautiful fiancee." Revan smirked.
"You're right. How about the day after?" Bastila suggested eagerly. Revan chuckled.
"Sounds like a plan to me, love. But a deal is a deal you know. Let's go home; we're only two minutes away from our bed... And other places in our apartment, you know," he finished wickedly.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let go of me so we can go!" Bastila scolded, removing her arms from Revan's neck. Revan traded Bastila's hips for her left hand, quickly fumbled with the little black box to remove the ring, and carefully, but hastily, slid it onto her ring finger.
"I've never seen a ring more beautiful, Revan! You shouldn't have spent so many credits. I mean, this thing couldn't have been less than 500 credits!" Bastila said, as they started at a brisk pace to the side of the building with the platforms.
"Try 700, Princess," he said, walking faster now. Bastila gasped.
"700 credits! Revan, you bastard, how dare you spend so much money on me?"
"Oh, I dare," Revan said, stepping up on the ledge. "Now, on three, jump to the third story platform. One. Two," he glanced at Bastila to make sure she was ready. "Three!" Revan held Bastila's hand tighter as they fell together.
"Call on the Force when we land. It'll help the impact." Revan thought it quicker to tell her through the bond.
"Got it."
As they approached the third story platform, Bastila followed Revan's advice and called on the Force to her aid her landing. It certainly helped. She didn't feel the impact in her ankles, but absorbed it evenly.
"Nice job, Bas," Revan said, smiling proudly. "Same thing this time, only now we're jumping to the ground. On three. One. Two. Three!" Revan exclaimed, again. Bastila gripped his hand tightly as they fell through the air. Before Revan and Bastila knew it, they were safely standing on the alley pavement.
"Burst of Speed?" asked Revan, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"How about Master Speed?"
"Even better," Revan chuckled.
A mere matter of seconds later, Revan was sitting in the driver's side and Bastila in her normal spot of the passenger's side.
a
"I knew picking out a building so close to home was a good idea," Revan said to himself.
"I could have said no, you know. Then I doubt we'd be feeling so...aroused," Bastila teased.
"There are two things wrong with that, Princess," said Revan, speeding through the back alleys of several buildings. "The first; you've been waiting for me to propose to you for years now. There was no way you would have said no. And the second," a mischievous smile reached Revan's lips. "Well, you're always aroused around me," Bastila opened her mouth to protest but Revan didn't let her speak. "But that's alright because I'm aroused around you, too."
"You are so vile sometimes! God, I can't believe you'd s-" Bastila stopped herself in mid-sentence. "Well, that's not true; I can believe you said that."
"Because I'm right, right?" Revan's grin became lopsided. Bastila's eyes rolled as she reached over and pressed a button to switch the mode of their convertible speeder. The top uncovered to reveal a cool summer breeze. Or maybe it was just the way Revan was driving the speeder to make it feel like there was a breeze; Bastila supposed both were possible. All of the sudden, however, the speeder came to an abrupt halt. Bastila recognized their surroundings to be Revan's parking spot.
"You've been a very naughty gal today, Mrs. Soon-to-be Kraern. Are you ready for your punishment?" Revan winked.
"Hm, I think I'll hyphenate. Shan-Kraern appeals to me.. But anyways, yes, I definitely am awaiting punishment," Bastila added with a wink of her own. Before she could open her door, Revan was standing at her side, scooping her out of the speeder and into his arms, bridal style.
"The Master Speed hasn't worn off yet, I assume," she whispered, locking her arms around his neck for support.
"Nope. But the quicker we get inside, the better, right?"
"Right." At that, Revan jogged off, but with the aid of Master Speed, it was more like sprinting. Seconds later, they were in their bedroom.
"Come now, Revan, I'm a big girl. Let me go." Revan did so but held onto her shoulders as she regained her balance.
"Now, before we get started, Mrs. Soon-to-be Shan-Kraern, I want you to promise me that you'll never say the phrase, 'left out of the loop' again. You have no idea how Carth Onasi-ish that sounded," he said, advancing towards her, moving his hands from her shoulders down to remove her clothes. Bastila took Revan's cloak off of him and threw it onto the floor. She hit him in the chest while doing so.
"Not funny, Mr. Kraern," Bastila said, as she clutched the front of Revan's tunic and threw him onto their bed. He landed, giggling, as the springs of the bed sprung. Bastila crawled on top of him. She claimed his mouth with her own.
"Mmm, you're so sexy when you get feisty," Revan whispered into her mouth, just before his lips were too busy to talk.
"Stop talking already, will you?" Revan heard in his mind. He did as he was told and proceeded to disrobe.
Tonight would be a very busy night,indeed.
AN: (For those who don't know it from my other fic, the Heart of the Force is the Mantle of the Force+Heart of the Guardian combined as a double-bladed lightsaber. The color changes based on Revan's mood, alignment, and other similar factors, courtesy of a personal crystal similar to the one your Exile finds on Dantooine in K2.)
Now, did you like? Tell me, please please please please! In other words, drop me a review :)