Promises
By Tahiri Solo
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Disclaimer: All the characters, places, and such mentioned in this fic are the property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way getting paid for this story. Also, if this bears any resemblance to stories written by others, that is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
A/N: This one goes out to Maiko and Maggie (Madame Futterbly)!
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
The morning after their graduation ceremony, the first thing Zekk heard was the cheerful voice of his best friend, Jaina Solo, as the brunette girl flopped beside him on his bed. She shook his shoulder none too gently, exclaiming, "Zekk! Get up! I want to talk to you!"
His emerald eyes blinked open as he fought to hide his sleepy smile of amusement. "Jaina, do you see what time it is?" He made a half-hearted gesture towards the chrono.
"It's just after dawn," she responded.
"My point exactly." He mock-groaned.
With a giggle, Jaina stood up and jerked the light coverlet off of him. She then looked down at him with a smug smile on her face. "You're going to get up."
"No, I'm not." Abruptly, Zekk reached up and caught her around the waist, pulling her down next to him on the bed. "And neither are you."
Jaina yelped in surprise, but then instantly snuggled up against him, closing her eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder.
Zekk grinned and chuckled softly. He stroked her hair affectionately, twirling a brown lock around his finger. "You're so cute."
Brandy brown eyes peered up at him through a lock of her hair that had fallen into her face. "So are you."
He grinned again and hugged her close. Neither moved for over ten standard minutes,
simply happy to be together and afraid of breaking the moment.
Finally, Zekk said softly, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Jaina blushed. "Um, actually, mostly I just wanted to see you. I don't know what's going to happen to us when we leave Yavin 4, and I'm afraid I'll never see you again, Zekk. I want to be with you as much as possible in case that does happen." She blinked back tears.
"Whoa," Zekk said, pulling back to see her face. "Jaina, what makes you think that's going to happen?"
"I dunno. Maybe I'm being silly and worrying for no reason."
"Yes, you are being silly," Zekk said. "Jaina, as long as you want me around, I'm not going far from your side . . . okay?"
His words and gentle voice soothed Jaina, and she smiled beamingly at him. "Well, I most definitely want you around, so I suppose that means I won't have to leave you."
"Exactly," Zekk said, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Look, since I'm obviously not going to be able to go back to sleep - " his eyes sparkled " - do you want to go for a walk in the jungle?"
Jaina flashed him the famous Solo grin. "What are we waiting for?"
"For me to get some actual clothes on, that's what," Zekk retorted, sliding out of his bed.
Jaina chuckled, trying to hide her blush when she saw him. He'd slept without a shirt, and her friend happened to be very well muscled. She'd seen him with his shirt off on numerous occasions, of course, when they had been swimming together. But at least then, she had found it easier to avert her gaze.
A dark eyebrow raised above an emerald green eye as Zekk grabbed a shirt and pants lying on the back of a chair. "Jaina?" Zekk asked curiously, wondering what she was looking at.
To Jaina's credit, she managed not to blush. "Whatever kind of workout you're doing, it seems to be very effective," she commented.
Zekk laughed. "Thanks." Then he headed for the 'fresher connected to his quarters. "I'll be right out."
"Okay." Jaina stayed sitting on his bed, waiting for him. She sighed happily. She had been so worried about the possibility of having to leave Zekk. But he'd promised her that wouldn't happen, and she believed him. She smiled as she remembered how it had felt to simply lay wrapped up in his arms. She could have stayed like that forever.
At that moment, Zekk stepped out of his 'fresher, now fully dressed. Walking over to the bed, he took her hand in his and helped her to her feet. "As you would say," he said playfully, "what are we waiting for?"
Some time later, Jaina and Zekk were trudging through the undergrowth of Yavin 4's jungles, hand in hand.
"I'm definitely going to miss this place," Jaina said softly.
Zekk either sensed her sadness or heard it in her voice, because he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "It'll be okay," he reassured her. "Anyway, it's not like we'll never come back again." He hesitated. "Right now, I have something I want to give you."
Jaina smiled up at him. "Okay. I love surprises."
"It's actually a sort of graduation gift," Zekk said. "I would have given it to you last night, but . . . well, when you see it, you'll know why I didn't." He led her over to a large rock nearby, and they both sat down.
Jaina looked at Zekk curiously, wondering what it was he wanted to give her. Her eyes widened in surprise as he pulled a small, velvet covered box from his shirt pocket.
Zekk almost laughed at the stunned look on her face as he opened the box - she looked so adorable.
Inside was a ring, made of a gleaming white metal and adorned with a sparkling corusca gem.
"Zekk, it . . . it's beautiful," Jaina breathed. "Where did you get it?"
He smiled. "I've always been good at finding things, you know. Actually, I got it on Coruscant a couple of months ago for you. I was saving it for the right time." Now Jaina could hear the slight nervousness in his voice. "It's actually a promise ring."
"A promise ring?" Jaina echoed. "What's that? A promise of what?" She hoped - prayed - she knew, but couldn't bring herself to voice her suspicions aloud. Her heart was beating much faster than normal, and she hoped Zekk wouldn't sense or see her many overwhelming emotions.
"A promise," Zekk said softly, slipping the ring onto her finger, "that if you want it, you'll always have my heart." His hand reached out to tenderly caress her cheek. "Jaina, I know I should have told you this a long time ago, but . . . I love you. I always have, and I always will."
There was a long silence, in which Jaina did nothing more than stare at him in shock. Zekk feared that he had guessed wrong - that she didn't have any feelings for him past friendship.
But he quickly realized his fears were ungrounded as Jaina recovered from her shock, shrieked, and threw her arms around him, in the process knocking him back onto the thick jungle undergrowth. Jaina ended up lying on top of him, clutching him tightly. "Zekk, do you have any idea whatsoever of how long I've been waiting for you to say that?!" she exclaimed.
Zekk chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I hope that means you're happy," he commented.
"You nerfherder! Of course I'm happy! I've loved you forever, Zekk. I was so scared that you only saw me as a little sister."
Zekk felt her trembling, and he realized that she was crying. "Shh, Jaina, it's all right," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Please, I hate seeing you cry."
"I'm okay, Zekk," Jaina said, nuzzling her face against his chest, in the process rubbing away her tears.
In response, Zekk rolled her gently off of him, then leaned over her as they both lay in the soft brush. Jaina heart seemed to stop altogether as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Zekk moved closer and nuzzled her nose with his. Jaina's breath caught in her throat, but she managed to whisper, "I love you, Zekk."
"I love you too, Jaina," Zekk whispered back, his breath warm on her face, filling her with a thousand sensations and making her feel almost giddy. "So much."
Then his mouth was on hers, his lips caressing hers tenderly and slowly. Jaina gasped softly with pleasure and surprise - even though she had known it was coming. *I never even had any idea that it felt so good . . . * she thought, kissing him back.
Finally, and reluctantly, they broke apart. They simply stared into each other's eyes, communicating in a way much more intimate than mere words.
Jaina was the first to speak. "Zekk, why haven't we done that before?"
The dark haired young man smiled, kissing her on the tip of her nose. "I don't know. Stupidity?"
"Probably," Jaina agreed with a smile. "But there's no excuse for stupidity," she hinted, her eyes sparkling.
"No there's not." Zekk moved to kneel on the ground, then slipped his arms around her and picked her up, carrying her back over to the rock. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she made no sound of complaint. He set her down gently on the rock, then sat next to her.
With a mischievous look in her eyes, Jaina got up and sat down on his lap instead. He smiled, running his fingers through her thick dark hair. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Jaina's lips were on his, cutting off speech . . . though he certainly couldn't say he minded. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around her waist and kissed her back.
When they broke apart again, Jaina stayed sitting on his lap, snuggled against him. "You know," Zekk said softly after several minutes of comfortable silence, "if you were older, that ring would have been an engagement ring."
At his words, Jaina very nearly fell off his lap in surprise. "It would have been what?!"
Zekk stroked her hair. "I love you, Jaina, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But I'm already nineteen, and you're only sixteen. It's not that the age difference is any problem with me - it never has been - but I realize that you might change your mind someday. If you ever do . . . then you're free to leave. I'm not going to hold you back."
Jaina could sense his sadness at the thought, and his fear that that was exactly what she would end up doing. She twisted around to grab his face in her hands. "Hey," she demanded, "what makes you think if you had proposed, I wouldn't have accepted? I love you, Zekk, and I want to spend forever with you too. I don't care if I am only sixteen. I'm old enough to know that I love you."
"I don't want to push you into anything."
"Push?" Jaina echoed. "Push me into anything? Push me into what, Zekk? Into loving you? Which I've done ever since I first met you?" She shook her head. "That doesn't even make any sense." She reached out to stroke his cheek. "Just stop worrying so much, okay?"
Zekk smiled. "When you're in love with someone who gets into trouble as much as you do, it's hard not to worry," he teased.
"Oh, hush," Jaina mock-scolded. "At least my getting into trouble gave us an excuse to see each other."
"True. And don't think I didn't enjoy every minute of being able to see you. I missed you so much."
"Then why didn't you ever come to see me, or at least send me messages?" A hint of bitterness had crept into Jaina's voice.
Zekk hugged her gently. "Because I was too ashamed of myself to see you. I couldn't look at you without remembering what I had done and almost done to you . . . I couldn't bear that." She heard what he left unsaid - and sometimes I still can't.
Again, Jaina grabbed his face in her hands. "Zekk," she said softly. "That doesn't matter anymore. It never did. We're together now, and now is all that matters." Her eyes were gentle, yet sad. "You have to stop doubting yourself so much."
"I can't help it," Zekk said. "Jaina, you're my life. Everything I am and ever will be I owe to you. How can I forget everything that's happened . . . that I did?"
Before he could react, Jaina's mouth was on his, kissing him soundly. "Does that help?" she asked coyly when she pulled away.
"Actually, yeah," Zekk said, smiling. He tucked a strand of her straight brown hair behind her ear. "I never knew you were so good at that."
Jaina snorted. "You would have if you'd bothered to find out."
"Well, we have plenty of time to make up for it," he teased, then softly caught her lips with his. Jaina's heart fluttered as his hands ran through her hair and gently caressed her face.
When he pulled away, he was stunned to find Jaina's eyes filled with tears. "Jaina?" he asked softly, concern evident in his voice and eyes. "What's wrong?"
She buried her face in his shoulder. "If this is a dream, then please don't ever let me wake up," she murmured.
In an instant, he knew what wrong - she'd been so afraid this could never possibly happen, and now that it was she feared it couldn't possibly be real. He knew exactly how she felt, because he felt the same way. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "I know how you feel. But this is most definitely not a dream." He rubbed her back, and sensed her smile. She nestled in closer against him, and Zekk was content to simply hold her.
That is, until they heard the sounds of people moving very close to where they were sitting.
"I'd get up," Jaina whispered to Zekk with a giggle, "but I really don't feel like it."
Zekk laughed and hugged her.
A few moments later, Jacen and Tenel Ka appeared in the clearing, hand in hand. Jacen's eyebrows rose when he saw the other young couple. "Hi, sis," he said innocently. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, no," Jaina said, just as innocently. "Are we in your way?"
Jacen blushed, and Jaina couldn't help laughing. "Well, it's about time, you two," she said playfully.
Jacen grinned and wrapped an arm around Tenel Ka, who, surprisingly, leaned her head against his shoulder.
Zekk gently slid Jaina off his lap and stood up, hugging her from behind and kissing her on the cheek. "We'll get out of your way, then." He grinned. "Have fun, you guys."
A little while later, Jaina and Zekk were back at the Great Temple. "What do you want to do now?" Zekk asked softly near her ear, his breath tickling her skin.
"Umm, Zekk, if you want me to be able to think properly, you're going to have to stop doing that," she murmured, giggling.
"What, this?" he whispered again by her ear, then softly kissed her on the temple.
"Uh, yeah," Jaina said.
Zekk laughed, straightening. "Okay. What do you want to do?"
"Work on the Lightning Rod," she said after a moment. "For old time's sake - and privacy's sake." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Zekk grinned and took her hand, and they headed off to the landing field.
Late that night, Jaina lay in bed, wide awake and simply staring at the ceiling. She didn't see the ceiling, however - instead she saw Zekk's gorgeous emerald eyes. She couldn't believe everything that had happened today - he loved her! He actually did love her!
Jaina couldn't remember ever being this happy. She hadn't even known it was possible for someone to be this happy.
She sighed in contentment. She was no longer worried about what the future would bring. She had no doubts that they would be together - they would not be separated.
With a smile, she gazed at the ring Zekk had given her - it told her that much. It was a promise they would always be together, a promise of his love for her.
And someday, Jaina hoped, she would wear another ring from him . . . an engagement ring. She chuckled softly to herself as she thought of her parents' reactions when that did happen. There were no ifs. She had no doubts. Not anymore.
With a contented smile on her face, Jaina rolled over on her side and drifted into darkness.
By Tahiri Solo
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Disclaimer: All the characters, places, and such mentioned in this fic are the property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way getting paid for this story. Also, if this bears any resemblance to stories written by others, that is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
A/N: This one goes out to Maiko and Maggie (Madame Futterbly)!
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
The morning after their graduation ceremony, the first thing Zekk heard was the cheerful voice of his best friend, Jaina Solo, as the brunette girl flopped beside him on his bed. She shook his shoulder none too gently, exclaiming, "Zekk! Get up! I want to talk to you!"
His emerald eyes blinked open as he fought to hide his sleepy smile of amusement. "Jaina, do you see what time it is?" He made a half-hearted gesture towards the chrono.
"It's just after dawn," she responded.
"My point exactly." He mock-groaned.
With a giggle, Jaina stood up and jerked the light coverlet off of him. She then looked down at him with a smug smile on her face. "You're going to get up."
"No, I'm not." Abruptly, Zekk reached up and caught her around the waist, pulling her down next to him on the bed. "And neither are you."
Jaina yelped in surprise, but then instantly snuggled up against him, closing her eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder.
Zekk grinned and chuckled softly. He stroked her hair affectionately, twirling a brown lock around his finger. "You're so cute."
Brandy brown eyes peered up at him through a lock of her hair that had fallen into her face. "So are you."
He grinned again and hugged her close. Neither moved for over ten standard minutes,
simply happy to be together and afraid of breaking the moment.
Finally, Zekk said softly, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Jaina blushed. "Um, actually, mostly I just wanted to see you. I don't know what's going to happen to us when we leave Yavin 4, and I'm afraid I'll never see you again, Zekk. I want to be with you as much as possible in case that does happen." She blinked back tears.
"Whoa," Zekk said, pulling back to see her face. "Jaina, what makes you think that's going to happen?"
"I dunno. Maybe I'm being silly and worrying for no reason."
"Yes, you are being silly," Zekk said. "Jaina, as long as you want me around, I'm not going far from your side . . . okay?"
His words and gentle voice soothed Jaina, and she smiled beamingly at him. "Well, I most definitely want you around, so I suppose that means I won't have to leave you."
"Exactly," Zekk said, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Look, since I'm obviously not going to be able to go back to sleep - " his eyes sparkled " - do you want to go for a walk in the jungle?"
Jaina flashed him the famous Solo grin. "What are we waiting for?"
"For me to get some actual clothes on, that's what," Zekk retorted, sliding out of his bed.
Jaina chuckled, trying to hide her blush when she saw him. He'd slept without a shirt, and her friend happened to be very well muscled. She'd seen him with his shirt off on numerous occasions, of course, when they had been swimming together. But at least then, she had found it easier to avert her gaze.
A dark eyebrow raised above an emerald green eye as Zekk grabbed a shirt and pants lying on the back of a chair. "Jaina?" Zekk asked curiously, wondering what she was looking at.
To Jaina's credit, she managed not to blush. "Whatever kind of workout you're doing, it seems to be very effective," she commented.
Zekk laughed. "Thanks." Then he headed for the 'fresher connected to his quarters. "I'll be right out."
"Okay." Jaina stayed sitting on his bed, waiting for him. She sighed happily. She had been so worried about the possibility of having to leave Zekk. But he'd promised her that wouldn't happen, and she believed him. She smiled as she remembered how it had felt to simply lay wrapped up in his arms. She could have stayed like that forever.
At that moment, Zekk stepped out of his 'fresher, now fully dressed. Walking over to the bed, he took her hand in his and helped her to her feet. "As you would say," he said playfully, "what are we waiting for?"
Some time later, Jaina and Zekk were trudging through the undergrowth of Yavin 4's jungles, hand in hand.
"I'm definitely going to miss this place," Jaina said softly.
Zekk either sensed her sadness or heard it in her voice, because he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "It'll be okay," he reassured her. "Anyway, it's not like we'll never come back again." He hesitated. "Right now, I have something I want to give you."
Jaina smiled up at him. "Okay. I love surprises."
"It's actually a sort of graduation gift," Zekk said. "I would have given it to you last night, but . . . well, when you see it, you'll know why I didn't." He led her over to a large rock nearby, and they both sat down.
Jaina looked at Zekk curiously, wondering what it was he wanted to give her. Her eyes widened in surprise as he pulled a small, velvet covered box from his shirt pocket.
Zekk almost laughed at the stunned look on her face as he opened the box - she looked so adorable.
Inside was a ring, made of a gleaming white metal and adorned with a sparkling corusca gem.
"Zekk, it . . . it's beautiful," Jaina breathed. "Where did you get it?"
He smiled. "I've always been good at finding things, you know. Actually, I got it on Coruscant a couple of months ago for you. I was saving it for the right time." Now Jaina could hear the slight nervousness in his voice. "It's actually a promise ring."
"A promise ring?" Jaina echoed. "What's that? A promise of what?" She hoped - prayed - she knew, but couldn't bring herself to voice her suspicions aloud. Her heart was beating much faster than normal, and she hoped Zekk wouldn't sense or see her many overwhelming emotions.
"A promise," Zekk said softly, slipping the ring onto her finger, "that if you want it, you'll always have my heart." His hand reached out to tenderly caress her cheek. "Jaina, I know I should have told you this a long time ago, but . . . I love you. I always have, and I always will."
There was a long silence, in which Jaina did nothing more than stare at him in shock. Zekk feared that he had guessed wrong - that she didn't have any feelings for him past friendship.
But he quickly realized his fears were ungrounded as Jaina recovered from her shock, shrieked, and threw her arms around him, in the process knocking him back onto the thick jungle undergrowth. Jaina ended up lying on top of him, clutching him tightly. "Zekk, do you have any idea whatsoever of how long I've been waiting for you to say that?!" she exclaimed.
Zekk chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I hope that means you're happy," he commented.
"You nerfherder! Of course I'm happy! I've loved you forever, Zekk. I was so scared that you only saw me as a little sister."
Zekk felt her trembling, and he realized that she was crying. "Shh, Jaina, it's all right," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Please, I hate seeing you cry."
"I'm okay, Zekk," Jaina said, nuzzling her face against his chest, in the process rubbing away her tears.
In response, Zekk rolled her gently off of him, then leaned over her as they both lay in the soft brush. Jaina heart seemed to stop altogether as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Zekk moved closer and nuzzled her nose with his. Jaina's breath caught in her throat, but she managed to whisper, "I love you, Zekk."
"I love you too, Jaina," Zekk whispered back, his breath warm on her face, filling her with a thousand sensations and making her feel almost giddy. "So much."
Then his mouth was on hers, his lips caressing hers tenderly and slowly. Jaina gasped softly with pleasure and surprise - even though she had known it was coming. *I never even had any idea that it felt so good . . . * she thought, kissing him back.
Finally, and reluctantly, they broke apart. They simply stared into each other's eyes, communicating in a way much more intimate than mere words.
Jaina was the first to speak. "Zekk, why haven't we done that before?"
The dark haired young man smiled, kissing her on the tip of her nose. "I don't know. Stupidity?"
"Probably," Jaina agreed with a smile. "But there's no excuse for stupidity," she hinted, her eyes sparkling.
"No there's not." Zekk moved to kneel on the ground, then slipped his arms around her and picked her up, carrying her back over to the rock. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she made no sound of complaint. He set her down gently on the rock, then sat next to her.
With a mischievous look in her eyes, Jaina got up and sat down on his lap instead. He smiled, running his fingers through her thick dark hair. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Jaina's lips were on his, cutting off speech . . . though he certainly couldn't say he minded. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around her waist and kissed her back.
When they broke apart again, Jaina stayed sitting on his lap, snuggled against him. "You know," Zekk said softly after several minutes of comfortable silence, "if you were older, that ring would have been an engagement ring."
At his words, Jaina very nearly fell off his lap in surprise. "It would have been what?!"
Zekk stroked her hair. "I love you, Jaina, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But I'm already nineteen, and you're only sixteen. It's not that the age difference is any problem with me - it never has been - but I realize that you might change your mind someday. If you ever do . . . then you're free to leave. I'm not going to hold you back."
Jaina could sense his sadness at the thought, and his fear that that was exactly what she would end up doing. She twisted around to grab his face in her hands. "Hey," she demanded, "what makes you think if you had proposed, I wouldn't have accepted? I love you, Zekk, and I want to spend forever with you too. I don't care if I am only sixteen. I'm old enough to know that I love you."
"I don't want to push you into anything."
"Push?" Jaina echoed. "Push me into anything? Push me into what, Zekk? Into loving you? Which I've done ever since I first met you?" She shook her head. "That doesn't even make any sense." She reached out to stroke his cheek. "Just stop worrying so much, okay?"
Zekk smiled. "When you're in love with someone who gets into trouble as much as you do, it's hard not to worry," he teased.
"Oh, hush," Jaina mock-scolded. "At least my getting into trouble gave us an excuse to see each other."
"True. And don't think I didn't enjoy every minute of being able to see you. I missed you so much."
"Then why didn't you ever come to see me, or at least send me messages?" A hint of bitterness had crept into Jaina's voice.
Zekk hugged her gently. "Because I was too ashamed of myself to see you. I couldn't look at you without remembering what I had done and almost done to you . . . I couldn't bear that." She heard what he left unsaid - and sometimes I still can't.
Again, Jaina grabbed his face in her hands. "Zekk," she said softly. "That doesn't matter anymore. It never did. We're together now, and now is all that matters." Her eyes were gentle, yet sad. "You have to stop doubting yourself so much."
"I can't help it," Zekk said. "Jaina, you're my life. Everything I am and ever will be I owe to you. How can I forget everything that's happened . . . that I did?"
Before he could react, Jaina's mouth was on his, kissing him soundly. "Does that help?" she asked coyly when she pulled away.
"Actually, yeah," Zekk said, smiling. He tucked a strand of her straight brown hair behind her ear. "I never knew you were so good at that."
Jaina snorted. "You would have if you'd bothered to find out."
"Well, we have plenty of time to make up for it," he teased, then softly caught her lips with his. Jaina's heart fluttered as his hands ran through her hair and gently caressed her face.
When he pulled away, he was stunned to find Jaina's eyes filled with tears. "Jaina?" he asked softly, concern evident in his voice and eyes. "What's wrong?"
She buried her face in his shoulder. "If this is a dream, then please don't ever let me wake up," she murmured.
In an instant, he knew what wrong - she'd been so afraid this could never possibly happen, and now that it was she feared it couldn't possibly be real. He knew exactly how she felt, because he felt the same way. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "I know how you feel. But this is most definitely not a dream." He rubbed her back, and sensed her smile. She nestled in closer against him, and Zekk was content to simply hold her.
That is, until they heard the sounds of people moving very close to where they were sitting.
"I'd get up," Jaina whispered to Zekk with a giggle, "but I really don't feel like it."
Zekk laughed and hugged her.
A few moments later, Jacen and Tenel Ka appeared in the clearing, hand in hand. Jacen's eyebrows rose when he saw the other young couple. "Hi, sis," he said innocently. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, no," Jaina said, just as innocently. "Are we in your way?"
Jacen blushed, and Jaina couldn't help laughing. "Well, it's about time, you two," she said playfully.
Jacen grinned and wrapped an arm around Tenel Ka, who, surprisingly, leaned her head against his shoulder.
Zekk gently slid Jaina off his lap and stood up, hugging her from behind and kissing her on the cheek. "We'll get out of your way, then." He grinned. "Have fun, you guys."
A little while later, Jaina and Zekk were back at the Great Temple. "What do you want to do now?" Zekk asked softly near her ear, his breath tickling her skin.
"Umm, Zekk, if you want me to be able to think properly, you're going to have to stop doing that," she murmured, giggling.
"What, this?" he whispered again by her ear, then softly kissed her on the temple.
"Uh, yeah," Jaina said.
Zekk laughed, straightening. "Okay. What do you want to do?"
"Work on the Lightning Rod," she said after a moment. "For old time's sake - and privacy's sake." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Zekk grinned and took her hand, and they headed off to the landing field.
Late that night, Jaina lay in bed, wide awake and simply staring at the ceiling. She didn't see the ceiling, however - instead she saw Zekk's gorgeous emerald eyes. She couldn't believe everything that had happened today - he loved her! He actually did love her!
Jaina couldn't remember ever being this happy. She hadn't even known it was possible for someone to be this happy.
She sighed in contentment. She was no longer worried about what the future would bring. She had no doubts that they would be together - they would not be separated.
With a smile, she gazed at the ring Zekk had given her - it told her that much. It was a promise they would always be together, a promise of his love for her.
And someday, Jaina hoped, she would wear another ring from him . . . an engagement ring. She chuckled softly to herself as she thought of her parents' reactions when that did happen. There were no ifs. She had no doubts. Not anymore.
With a contented smile on her face, Jaina rolled over on her side and drifted into darkness.