He had loved her. She knew he loved her, even if he had a weird way of showing it. And now, he was gone. Dead, in a better place, across the Rainbow Bridge, deceased. In short, never coming back.
Juno Eclipse sighed.
Galen…why? Why did it have to end like this?
A fresh wave of hot tears slipped almost silently down her cheeks. It was pathetic really. Here she was sitting on the cold, hard-packed dirt ground of Kashyyyk, mourning the death of Galen "Starkiller" Marek. Her golden hair thrown carelessly into a messy bun, strands not long enough to fit in her rubber band fell around her face, sticking to the cool, wet trails left behind by her crying. Her clothes were rumpled and ripped, peppered with dirt and bloodstains she was sure would never come out. Her face, however, was in worse shape. The once tanned skin was now sunken and sallow, there were purplish bruises under her eyes, her lips were chapped and Juno knew her eyes were the worst. Crystal like irises used to shine brightly and be full of life. Now, her eyes were dull grey/blue, no spark within them, she knew her eyes looked haunted and dead, and she knew it worried the others greatly.
But she couldn't help it!
She had, no, did love him more than she had loved anything (except maybe her blaster, it had saved her ass too many times to count long before she ever met Galen, and that just wasn't something you overlooked), anyone.
Juno tucked a few loose strands of her soft blonde hair behind her ear, and looked up at the night sky. The pang of unfamiliar and unimpeded sadness that went through her at the sight of its blackened depths was, a part of her suspected, not entirely made of her own emotions.
It was as if the whole universe was trying to suffocate her with the loneliness it had felt for the past millennium.
That notion did nothing for the terrible ache inside her chest. She let out a shaky breath. Watching the small puff of white air leave her mouth and dissipate, Juno felt the familiar feeling of post-breakdown calm wash over her being.
Why me?
That exact same question had been swirling around and around in her mind since the start of this whole adventure. It was supposed to have been a simple piloting job! (Never mind that Darth Vader chose the job for her.) Fly from point A to point B, back to point A. Then, after sometime, on to point C and back to point A, continue to D and back to A once more, and so on and so forth. Not ridiculous Jedi killing sprees turned formation of a rebellion. Honestly, could it have gotten any more cliché-
Snap!
Juno froze. Moving her hand slowly to her hip where her blaster was strapped, she cautiously started to stand. Once she was back on her feet, Juno turned to face the offending twig snapper…
…and nearly choked on her own spit.
No…no…it can't be…oh dear. I've finally lost it. Marvelous.
The internal conflict was making her head pound as she looked at person standing before her. He stood there: towering over her, all hard muscle, and beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He was the image of Galen right down to every last scar.
Juno took one step towards the figure (hallucination?) and then took two steps away from him and scrubbed at her eyes with her hands.
Yup. It's gone. All the sense I've ever had. Oh, look, there it goes, I can see it floating away. Damn.
"Um…"
Oh no, did I say that out loud?
"Yes…"
The figure (hallucination damn it) took a step towards Juno, running a scarred hand through short brown hair.
Well…no big deal. I can talk to myself all I want.
"Juno…what're you talking about? I'm right here."
"No Galen, you are not. I saw it. I saw that explosion. There's no way anyone, not even you, could've survived that. This is just my psyche finally cracking from all the stress."
"Juno…look at me. Look me in the eyes."
She didn't respond.
"Please?"
"Now I know I'm hallucinating."
Galen's left eye twitched.
"Damn it Juno. Just do it."
So she did. She took those three steps forward; bringing her closer to a man she knew just could not be there. She sighed and raised her gaze. Crystalline irises met warm coffee-colored ones.
Oh my…
Juno knew that, even in the midst of mind numbing grief, she could not recreate the swarm of emotions that constantly clouded these particular eyes. A chill ran down her spine.
Galen smiled crookedly at her.
"As much as I like it when you admire me, I would really rather enjoy your arms around me right no-"
He was cut off as Juno flung herself onto him, the vice like grip she had on his neck making him see fireworks dance in front of his eyes.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. He made sure she got the message: I won't let you go.
"Well hello again." Galen's voice was warm and held a playful tone, the look in his eyes, however, said that he was so, so relieved to be with her again.
The blonde pilot smiled a little sheepishly.
"So, ah…we can just forget that little moment, yes? I swear that I have a firm grip on my sanity." She said, rubbing the back of her neck and averting her eyes.
Another chuckle rumbled through the former Sith. Galen took a moment to let his eyes roam the face of the woman in his arms; he was a little disconcerted by the purplish coloring under her eyes and the paleness in her face. The narrowing of Galen's eyes may have escaped Juno's notice, but the tightening of his arms most certainly did not.
Damn, this man has a fantastic body.
Juno pushed that particular thought into the back of her mind; already knowing the direction her thoughts would go. Although, maybe some special celebration was in order, considering the circumstances-
"You look terrible."
Icy blues snapped back up from where they had been staring absently at his chest to meet the offender's (muddy, she had decided in that moment) brown-eyed gaze. The nerve…
Juno gave him a hard stare for a minute. In that minute, Galen realized what had troubled him the most about her appearance; her eyes, usually so vibrant and full of life, were dull and flat.
"Beg pardon? I'm not sure I heard you right." There was an edge to her voice that warned Galen to tread carefully.
"Ah…" He gulped quietly and cleared his throat. "I was just saying you look like you haven't slept for at least a week." Galen had to fight to keep the questioning lilt out of his voice.
"Oh. Well. That's probably because I haven't slept for at least a week, maybe a week and a half. You know, dealing with your alliance and all, since somebody decided to take their sweet time coming back." The sarcasm dripped thickly from her lips, and his felt his face heat up slightly.
Looking in every direction except straight in front of him, he said "Ah…yes…sorry about that." He chanced a look at her eyes and found them glistening with unshed tears. His gaze softened as he brushed the wet pieces of hair off of her face and pressed her into his chest, kissing her hair.
The sobs coming from Juno very nearly broke his heart, and that on top of knowing it was his fault…
Reigning in the rest of her sobs, Juno hiccupped quietly, and then spoke in a whispered voice. "I thought I had lost you…for good this time. Kota was so sure of it…and of course I believed him…and I couldn't go back to even say goodbye." She shuddered, though not from the chill of the nighttime wind, and Galen held her closer to him, if that were possible.
"I'm so sorry…I…" He trailed off, not knowing what else to say to make her feel better.
Juno was beginning to accept that he wasn't going to say more than that, when a soft, gravely murmur reached her ears.
"But I'm back now, right? You didn't lose me. And I promise that I won't leave you again, unless absolutely necessary, and even then only after I've put up one hell of a fight, alright?" Juno looked up to see him smiling slightly down at her. Her answering smile, while a bit watery, was still bright and warm. Galen soaked in the image, letting it coiling around in his mind until he was sure he wouldn't forget it.
"Juno-"
Once again he was cut off, but this time in a much more pleasant way. Juno had pressed her warm, slightly wind-chapped lips to his in a gentle kiss. She pulled back a little and smiled at him again. Galen's own smile widened when he noticed how it reached her eyes, brightening them up and bringing them back to life, bringing back the comforting familiarity he had come to associate with her since the moment he first laid eyes on her.
Galen found himself at a loss, seeing as how he had never had this sort of relationship (or really any sort of relationship for that matter) before. After a few seconds he let his instincts take control, and just went with the flow.
He brought one hand up to cup her face tenderly, and Juno blinked as Galen inclined his head and captured her lips once more. This time though, it wasn't brief or gentle. No sir. Juno found herself pressed flush against his body, one of his hands grasping her hip, the other cradling her face. The kiss was hard, and a little clumsy on Galen's part, but the passion and the message were crystal clear.
They stayed that way for what seemed to be hours, Galen's surprising soft lips moving against hers in a way that sent tingles down her spine.
Juno was beginning to feel light headed, and the burn in her lungs told her they required air. Right now. Galen must have had a similar thought because in the next second he slid his lips off hers, both of them panting heavily. The need for oxygen had been too great, and honestly, what would it look like if he had survived Darth Vader's lightsaber through his chest and a huge fiery explosion, just to meet his end by lack of oxygen from a kiss. A completely mind-blowing, wonderfully delicious kiss. But still.
Although, he mused silently, that would be right up there in my How I'd Want To Die list.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought both Galen and Juno out of their thoughts.
Looking over Juno's head, Galen saw one General Kota staring past them with sightless eyes. His expression was somewhere between amusement and impatience.
"So boy, you seem to have survived the impossible. Again. Just how long were you going to keep this little detail from the rest of us?"
Juno's cheeks heated up, and she swore the almost imperceptible crinkling around the older man's eyes was because he knew exactly what color her face was.
"Ah…we were going to tell you…now..?" Juno cursed in her head when it came out in the form of a question.
One side of Kota's mouth quirked up into a small smirk.
"Mm. Were you now? Well then, follow me."
He waited until they were walking past him, hands firmly clasped together. When Galen was right next to him, he lifted his hand and, with surprising accuracy for a blind man, let it fall on Galen's shoulder.
"It's good to have you back boy."
Galen could swear he heard a slight catch in the older Jedi's breath, but shrugged it off. He turned to Kota and smiled.
"It's good to be back old man."
An annoyed scowl found its way to Kota's lips. He swept past Galen and Juno with a muttered "Hmph" and what sounded like "Old man my ass. Ha. I'll show him an old man. Ungrateful brat."
Galen laughed aloud at the man's mutterings, and Kota stopped about a foot away from the small hut he had emerged from. Galen reached out with the force and sensed the other members of their Alliance hidden by its walls.
"I change my mind. You can go ahead and be one with the Force again." And with one last indignant sniff, he disappeared into the hut.
But Galen had seen the small smile that had been on Kota's face.
He heard a soft snicker from beside him and turned to face the source.
"You haven't been back an hour and you're already being obnoxious."
Galen grinned and scooped the shorter blonde woman into his arms, bridal style. She squeaked in surprised and wrapped her arms around his neck, more for comfort than fear of him dropping her. She knew that would never happen, that no matter what happened. Juno tilted her head up to look at the returned Jedi, a soft smile on her face. Sensing her stare, Galen looked down to meet her eyes. Chocolate brown melting into ice blue. Just like it should it be.
"What?" He asked, starting to walk towards the hut, adjusting her in his arms slightly to keep a tight hold on her. Juno shook her head and snuggled closer to his chest. "I'm just so happy you're back…"
A few feet from the entrance of the hut, a strange sense of déjà vu wound itself around him, making Galen stop abruptly. Juno lifted her head to see why they had stopped. "Galen? Is everything alright?" The look in the brunette man's eyes was distant, as if he was trying to recall a memory long forgotten.
After a minute or so, Galen's eyes slowly lost the far away look, and he turned to fix his gaze on Juno. She saw confusion and frustration, tinged with sadness, when she returned his stare.
"Juno…this place…" Galen's voice was quiet, as if he was afraid that if he spoke any louder, whatever it was inside his head would disappear.
Juno furrowed her brow in confusion, "Yes? What about it?"
"I know this place…from somewhere. It feels familiar, like it's been waiting for me, for too long of a time. Sort of like, I imagine, what it would feel like to be welcomed into the open arms of a very old friend." Juno gripped him tighter at the small, almost childlike tremble in his voice at the mention of an old friend. She was reminded for the first time in a while that Galen, poor sweet Galen, would only know that source of constant companionship from a machine who's soul purpose in life had once been to kill him. She promised herself, and him, silently that she would change that. Galen needed friends and a family.
"That's because it has been waiting for you, since Vader took you away all those years ago." Juno noted the way his breath hitched and the wave of recognition that crash over him, softening his eyes in a way she had never seen.
She slipped out of Galen's arms and reached for his hand, entwining their fingers and gently pulling him towards the small hut. He squeezed her hand, and followed, and together they into warm smiles, open arms, and the rest of their lives.
I lay no claim whatsoever to any characters, settings, or references used within. The only thing about this that is mine is the way in which I've configured the words due to the plot idea being decidedly persistent in its presence in my head. Reviews, by the way, would be greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed.