A/N: And here's a new one for all you Pierce fans out there! Thank you so much for your support for my other stories, I hope this one lives up to them! Please read and review, it totally makes my little writer heart pitter-patter. As always, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a gremlin, and even that is questionable.

Damn Quinn for volunteering him for this piss-poor assignment on this feckin' pisshole of a planet.

And gods' damn her for liking the feckin' idea.

Pierce held back the growl that was building in the back of his throat, his fingers bruising on the stock of his shotgun. If he was being honest, it was his own bloody fault. It goes to show that if you bitch loud enough to a commander with a twisted sense of humor, she'll eventually find a way to screw your ass over. He had been less than pleased when she had taken him out of rotation and had no problem letting her know it. She had apparently heard enough.

Taris had been a speck in the dust behind him, or so he had thought. For her to return, with him, to this—this rakghoul infested piece of bantha-stomped batshit-was like a force-punch in his gut. Suppressed rage had slithered up his spine for days after she had informed him of their destination with that slight curve to her lips. He had stomped through the corridors of the ship, wrench in hand, banging against every piece of hollow metal within reach, spite trailing every step. She'd had her fill of that too, warning him with a crack of lightning, spiking his nervous system hard enough that he nearly bit his tongue clean in two. He hadn't liked it, but he respected her for it, albeit grudgingly. He'd have never admitted it to her face, but it had been the right call.

There was only one way to keep a crew in line on a Sith vessel. He had known that long before he had even made lieutenant, before the thought had even completed in his mind. It had been a dare on his part, an indirect challenge to her authority and she had made an example out of him. That was something he didn't care to acknowledge either.

And he sure as hell wasn't going to admit to the raging hard-on he'd been plagued with the following night. The taste of blood, the scent of ozone, the flexing of the muscles in her bare abdomen as she had twisted around, arm raised, and that black glint in her eyes, the one that promised things he couldn't even dream of; it all culminated in an image that was burnt into his memory, one that continued to flare to life every time he closed his eyes.

Pierce trudged behind her through thick black mud, sweat slipping down the skin of his neck beneath the leather of his armor. His dark eyes swept across the murky expanse methodically, his attention narrowed to their surroundings, but in the back of his mind—

Well, those thoughts were less than pure.

Not that he could ever be accused of being pure to begin with. His gaze brushed over her figure as she steadily moved through the swamp, wet earth caking her boots. His eyes followed the splattering of muck up her leather-clad calf, tilting his head to admire the shape. He unabashedly stared, letting his gaze travel further up, past her thighs, to the tempting curve encased in gundark hide. A sudden itching sensation struck his palms as he watched her stride through the mire as if it was even terrain. The woman was a Sith-bred temptation in the flesh, thrice blessed with a conniving mind, razor reflexes, and a figure that would make the Emperor Himself do a double-take. It was a sin, he concluded, a sin that all female Sith must be guilty of; to achieve a command of their own, they had to possess at least half the package that she did. The thought made his lips twitch; he was deliberately selling her short on that, but when had he claimed to be fair-minded?

A patch of thick trees crept into view as they plowed ahead and Pierce's eyes returned to their appointed duty. The swamp was relatively clear, although he knew from experience that fact could change in an instant. Rakghoul were notorious for springing from beneath the black water, debris and murk keeping the entrances to their tunnels well hidden.

The cold, repetitive tapping against his durasteel shoulder-guards was the first indicator that his favorite part of Taris was beginning.

"Of all the feckin' times to start, you vindictive little piss-bowl," he grumbled, glaring upwards at the roiling clouds with a sneer curling his lip.

The Sith in front of him halted abruptly, glancing over her shoulder with an indifferent expression, though her eyes had a nasty gleam.

"If water bothers you, you should have spoken up earlier, Lieutenant. I would have spared you the indignity of wading through stagnant pools. Quinn certainly would have been more than adequate to accompany me."

Pierce ground his teeth together, wisely keeping any further opinions to himself.

"Water isn't going to be a problem, mi'lord."

She nodded briefly.

"See that it isn't. I would not like to have to escort you back to the shuttle when we are already more than halfway to our objective."

He nodded, his jaw set so hard that it cracked at his next stride. She turned back around and started forward again. His finger flexed against the trigger with a suicidal consideration. He could almost see her twisting at the subtle creak of his armor, lightsaber already ignited and gathered force power flickering in her fist. Her eyes would be murderous, dancing with excitement and anger. It would be a fight that would feel like an eternity, but only take three heartbeats. Blasts would be fired, only to be swiftly deflected and returned before she leapt at him, burying her glowing saber to the hilt, releasing it with a force-enhanced kick to his ribs.

The images flashed before his mind's eye, causing more than one muscle in his body to tighten.

The woman was absolutely maddening.

As they neared the trees, she paused just at the raised ground just at the edge of the pool, raising her fist as her head whipped left. He moved to stand just behind her, gun cocked, the butt held fast in the crook of his shoulder.

"Rakghouls, mi'lord?"

She made a low noise that sounded more like a growl as her hand flew to her hip. The sound made heat coil low in his belly as her lips pulled back in a snarl. He almost wanted to smirk. She hated rakghouls with a passion. It was going to be a good fight.

The broad muscles in his shoulders tensed as they waited and Pierce took a deep breath then held it. Rain began to pour more heavily, splashing with heavy plops in the dark water beneath their feet. The entire bog seemed as though it was waiting, not even the sound of insects reaching his ears.

"They've made a plan," she murmured and he barely caught the words. They surprised him and he looked down at her.

"The buggers have a strategy?"

She nodded and he truly did smirk then. Her eyes met his.

"Force-wielders. Nekghoul. They knew we were coming," her tone was terse.

"That's just going to make it more interesting."

Her smile was as feral as his own. When he blinked, she was gone, just as slobbering jaws burst from the water behind them. He spun and fired, the motion purely a reflex, and the nekghoul exploded, spraying him with gore. Pierce twisted again, catching sight of his commander as she barreled into a group of three of them, her lightsabers a blur of red and orange. Their reflections gleamed off the metal of her armor as she smoothly lifted off the ground, her body twisting midair to become a lethal, humming whirlwind. She came down, feet braced and bending her body forward to duck the incoming blade as she palmed the hilts of her own to thrust them back behind her.

The nekghoul shrieked in pain when she jerked them back and up, shredding the unfortunate creature's body. Her left foot twisted as she brought her right saber up to parry, then viciously dove in for the kill with her left, slicing through the nekghoul's ridged abdomen.

Pierce was fighting his own battle, firing burst after burst as hordes of ghouls swarmed from the water.

"I...hate...this...feckin'...planet!"

Each word was punctuated by blaster fire as he swiveled the barrel of the shotgun in an even spray. Spotting a split second opportunity, he grabbed a thermite grenade hanging from his belt and flicked his thumb across the button, tossing it into the mass of sickly pale, writhing bodies. The blast was deafening, but effective, as the rakghouls scrambled backwards, howling their fury to the dead bog around them. He heard a shout behind him and he spun on his heel, but he wasn't fast enough.

Pain shot through his side, hard enough to almost blind him and he staggered. A snarling jaw gnashed at his face and he pulled back just enough to avoid the dripping, venomous fangs of the nekghoul. But it had anticipated the move, snapping its arm forward and sending a wave of force energy towards him. He couldn't dodge.

The force slammed into him like a charging gundark, sending him flying back by several yards. He dug the heels of his boots into the soggy ground in an attempt to slow his momentum. Instead, his back crashed against a tree, the sickening crunch of bone echoing in his ears as he crumpled to the wet grass in a heap. The Emperor's Wrath was yelling, but he couldn't make out the words. Shaking his head roughly to clear it, he cursed as he reached for the stim in his belt. Jamming the needle into his thigh with a wince, relief flooded his veins with the kolto-infused adrenaline.

Stumbling to his feet, he looked up in time for his pulse rate to rocket upwards.

She was charging into a line of nekghouls, her mouth opening as she unleashed a roar, the force-laced sound crashed over the unprepared monsters. He could see the muscles in her thighs bunch as she sprung forward, the force flooding her muscles like the stim that was now coursing through his system. She smashed into the waiting line, dodging an awkward chop aimed at her bare midriff. Her sabers bit into the neck of the reckless ghoul before she twisted around to cleanly cut the head from another.

Her body was like a viper, snaking and striking with speed that simply could not be matched by the nekghouls. One near the rear of the pack garbled something in their nearly unintelligible language and the others hastily retreated back into the water. She went in after them, sheathing her red saber to pull at the air in front of her. With a snarl, she kept pulling her hand back as their enemies fled and Pierce watched with fierce pride as the water was tugged back with her motion, building into a monstrous wave. Within seconds, she shoved her hand forward and the black murk surged at her command, swallowing its hapless victims and sending them tumbling beneath its mired surface.

She stood for a moment, panting as rain pelted her body, sending blood to run in rivulets down her skin. Water sloshed around her calves as she turned, heaving herself onto the raised ground. When she looked up, her eyes met his and he watched as she dug her hands through the now dripping strands of her hair, pushing the clinging tendrils away from her face. His gaze traveled down her rain slickened armor, the hum of the stim and the heat that slithered up his spine making him more openly appreciative of her lithe form than he would normally have shown.

She came to stand in front of him, gloved hands moving to where he clutched at his side. She moved his hand away, prodding the wound with a clinical touch. He breathed in and caught a waft of her scent, a heady mixture of blood and sharp spice. The broad leaves above them afforded some small shelter from the downpour, a fact Pierce was silently grateful for as cold droplets continued to slide beneath his armor to coldly caress his skin.

"How badly does it hurt, Lieutenant?"

"Hardly at all, mi'lord. Stim's taking care of the damage," he grinned down at her as she probed the gash and he felt warmth begin to spread across his rain chilled skin,"I'd told you it was going to be fun."

"Indeed," she replied coolly, her eyes darting up to inspect his face as she finished healing, the slash across his flesh, leaving a newly formed scar in her wake.

Her hands were suddenly cupping his face, her gloves cold and damp, as she pulled him down to eye level, her gaze searching his quietly.

"You'll be feeling the effects for a while yet," she noted, taking in his dilated pupils and rapid breathing as he watched her lips form words he was barely paying attention to, his hands baling into fists at his sides, "I imagine there is still some pain, but I would rather not have you die of your own stupidity just because you were moved before you were ready."

He nodded, a little disappointed when she released him and he straightened. Her gaze was calculating, but something lurked beneath the mercurial depths that he couldn't identify.

"The best course is to leave me here to recuperate, then."

She shook her head.

"As much as you deserve it, you've proven valuable enough to warrant a certain amount of care on my part. Call it evening the score, if you like."

He looked down at her suspiciously, but finally nodded.

"As you wish, mi'lord."

She looked around with a mild expression before pointing towards the deeper trees, their dark foliage seemingly the closest thing to any kind of nearby structure.

"Follow me," she ordered.

Their trek through the underbrush was made easier by her skilled use of her lightsabers as machetes, burning through creeping vines and snagging branches like paper. It took nearly an hour before she found a relatively dry patch of ground deep within the copse of trees. Hooking her energy blades back into their holsters at her hips, she instructed him to rest beneath a nearby tree while she gathered the driest twigs she could find. Her skill impressed him as she swiftly built the necessary materials into a satisfactory pile, lighting the mound with a flick of her hand. She turned to him then.

"Now, let me see," she moved to stand in front of him once more, shedding her gloves as she checked his vitals with a detached precision, "The stim seems to be wearing off. Any pain? Discomfort?"

"None worth mentioning, mi'lord."

She let out a hmmm beneath her breath and Pierce was very aware of how close her warm body was to his. Would she be as soft as she looked right then, he wondered silently. He very much wanted to find out, arousal stirring in his blood as she leaned closer to study his eyes again before she shifted a hair back to inspect the fresh scar at his side.

Without thinking, his large hands settled on the curve of waist and her gaze flew back up to his with a questioning glance. There was no threat, no immediate reaction other than mild curiosity. Then her lips dipped into a small smile, her eyebrow quirking in a unique expression that was entirely her own.

It was more than enough provocation as he growled low in his throat and slid one of his hands to the back of her neck, slanting his lips over hers in a kiss full of need and desire that had been denied for far too long. Her hands drifted up the damp leather of his armor to grip his shoulders as his arm wrapped around the curve of her bare waist. He growled again as her lips melded against his, her tongue stroking against his bottom lip in an invitation. He accepted, plunging his tongue into the honeyed cavern of her mouth as he twisted her around, slamming her back into the trunk of the tree.

"Damned fool," she muttered as his mouth blazed a hot trail across her jaw to plant bone melting, open mouthed kisses to the sensitive skin just beneath her ear.

"Witch," he murmured into the delicate shell, removing his gloves so that his bare palms could trace the smooth skin of her shoulders that her armor left uncovered, "bringing me back to this hellhole only to tease me mercilessly."

She chuckled, a low sound that caused his trousers to feel painfully tight.

"Still complaining, Lieutenant? I could just leave you here again."

"Like hell," he snarled back, swooping down to capture her lips again in a fiercely possessive kiss, nipping at the delicious flesh in warning before pulling back again.

His heated gaze raking over her body and the hunger in his face made her shiver. She shuddered again as his mouth moved down the column of her neck, tongue following the meandering path of a stray droplet of water as her fingernails raked against his scalp. His lips found hers again, the intensity sending a bolt of fire straight to his groin. She moved her hands up to stroke through his short hair, pulling away from his mouth to pepper his jaw with feather light kisses. She glided her lips along his throat, biting lightly at his Adam's apple, a hum of approval vibrating against his skin when he made a rumbling sound at her boldness. With a sure touch she pulled at the zipper on the front of his uniform, the sodden leather flopping down to hang around his lower back.

She leaned forward as his hands roamed the soft skin of her arms, back, shoulders, sides, almost everywhere and rose on her toes to reach his ear.

"You're hardly the one to be giving commands, Lieutenant," she chuckled huskily and was obviously pleased at the slight shiver she felt race through his body at her words and at her fingertips slipping down to his belt.

Nimble fingers pried apart the slick metal from the thick leather band. She placed her lips against the water slickened physique of his chest that was now exposed to her hungered questing, clearly enjoying the juxtaposition of smooth skin and hard muscle. His hands had strayed back to her waist as hers worked at tugging his belt from the loops, but the slippery metal was suddenly proving difficult. With a chuckle, he pulled her back up to his lips, one hand tangling in the damp strands of her hair as the other easily pulled the stubborn strap free, tossing it aside.

Pierce felt like he was burning as his large hand ghosted over the outline of her breasts straining against her armor. Slowly, deliberately, he dragged the cold metal down, the teeth of the zipper digging into the ample flesh as it was revealed to his ravenous gaze. She rolled her shoulders back against the trunk of the tree, shedding the thick material and a low sound of appreciation rumbled in his chest before he met her greedy mouth again.

She let out a moan then, her tongue dancing against his as he rolled the peaked, candy pink tips between his fingers, before breaking away from her lips, one hand leaving its play to slip around her waist to bend her back. His mouth blazed across her collarbone down the slope of one breast to swirl his tongue around the pebbled skin before taking it into his mouth. Pierce suckled the coral bud and she gasped, her hips slightly bucking against his erection as it pressed against the soft flesh of her belly, making him draw a hiss of breath between his teeth. His hand at her back caressed the skin it found there as his tongue lapped first at one sweet, soft globe, then the other.

Her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders before dragging down the exposed skin of his upper back, then up again to fist in his short hair. His tongue flicked over the pert tip, making her back arch. He intended to make her as crazy as she did him, the throbbing ache between his legs becoming almost too much. As he straightened to find her lips again, his desire for her brushed insistently once again against the skin of her stomach and she seemingly couldn't resist rubbing her body against hips surged against her instinctively and he felt her smirk against his mouth.

"You're playing dangerously, mi'lord," he ground out in warning, but she ignored him, her hands sliding down from his shoulders to dance teasingly along the waistline of his trousers.

"Is there any other way to play?"

She dipped her fingers beneath the band and touched him softly for the first time, running gentle fingers against the velvety tip and he hissed out another breath. She swept her tongue against his bottom lip, timing it with a sure stroke of her hand against his hardened length, making him groan.

"Enough, witch," he muttered hoarsely, tugging her hands away from his body and trapping them above her head.

She smiled wickedly as he made swift work of her leggings, his towering height allowing him to easily shuck the remainder of her clothes and toss them over his shoulder. Then she moaned when his calloused fingertips slid against the slick folds of her femininity, a torturous retaliation. It was his turn to smirk, his thumb circling the engorged bud of nerves just above her opening as he eased two fingers into her core, crooking them upwards in a manner that spoke of experience. She moaned again, her hips moving against his hand as he found a hard, punishing rhythm that had her panting his name.

"Pierce," she breathed as his lips found hers.

"Say it again," he commanded as his thumb quickened its pace and she obeyed, his name tumbling past her lips in a breathy moan.

He growled against her mouth as the motions of his hand drove her to the precipice and over, her hips bucking helplessly. He withdrew from her and immediately shed his trousers, pressing his erection into the softness of her abdomen as his mouth devoured hers, her hands roaming the hard plains of his body, leaving trails of fire.

He braced his hands on either side of her shoulders then as she leaned against the tree trunk. Their lips moved in a slow, aching melding, but the flames were too hot, too high, and the kiss became frantic as she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted one leg to twine about his waist. Agilely, she wedged herself against the tree and the other slender limb joined its mate, the tip of his hot length nudging the damp curls of her womanhood, making Pierce give out a strained noise as his hands rested on her hips.

She thrust her hips forward, rubbing against him, slickening him with her body and his larger frame shuddered at the contact.

"Now, Pierce," she murmured, her lips feathering against his throat as his hands' grip on her hips tightened.

He buried his face in her neck as he growled his response, entering her with one quick upward thrust, both of them groaning at the sensation. He grunted at the tight heat that engulfed him, forcing himself to remain still if only for a minute more. After several tense seconds, she wiggled her hips and his hands on her hips squeezed almost bruisingly, warning her to keep immobile. He pulled back slowly, sliding inch by torturous inch until he had nearly completely left the sheath of her body. Then he moved forward again, filling her to the hilt with a groan.

She stroked hands through his damp hair, the coolness of the raindrops that splattered through the foliage nothing compared to the heated friction of their bodies. As he moved, she met him, together finding a tempo that slowly built in speed, a rhythm to a dance that was as old as time itself. He could feel the tingling heat at the base of his spine flare as her hands roamed the broad expanse of his shoulders, lips finding his blindly as she tightened around his length. Suddenly, he shifted her higher and the thrusts came deeper, faster, nearly throwing her over the edge as light burst behind his closed eyelids, wave after wave ripping through her body, gripping him with slick, pulsing muscles as she called out his name.

Her climax triggered his, as he thrust erratically a few more times before pulling out completely, releasing his seed against the flesh of her stomach, her name passing his lips in a grunt. Panting heavily, he leaned his forehead against hers, both of them trying to find their breath. He pressed his lips to hers for a brief moment, a gesture that held more meaning perhaps then either would ever admit.

Then he extracted himself from her, scrubbing a hand across his face as he searched for his clothes. As he tugged on his trousers, he heard a soft laugh from behind him. Pierce half-turned to regard her over his shoulder questioningly. Her eyes were alight with a vindictive gleam, one that instantly had his hackles up.

"I was just thinking that I should bring you back to Taris with some degree of frequency. You seem to have a hidden fondness for it."

He growled under his breath as he fully turned around, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and dipping her back slightly to kiss her fiercely, deeply. He was pleased to see the slightly clouded look replace that evil glitter in her eyes when he pulled back. He leaned down to rumble in her ear, enjoying the shiver of her naked body against him.

"You of all people should know that there is only one reason I would come back here."

Pierce felt her fingertips begin to trace delicate patterns across the broad expanse of his chest.

"Should I now? I can't seem to think of anything at the moment."

For once, he didn't mind that knowing smirk of hers, his eyes smouldering as he gazed down at her.

"Allow me to remind you...mi'lord."