A booming lightsaber, a sustained hum of energy in a solid beam, the sound was unmistakable. Red illuminated the room. The color symbolized death and destruction, brazen desire and passion - pure, unbending strength. Lexa stopped dead in her tracks. She stared straight ahead and swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on her own lightsaber across the room, half-constructed on the workbench, right where she had left it in the middle of an upgrade. It was a relief, to be honest, to have her weapon so far away and so useless, for Lexa would not have to strike her enemy down and would not have the opportunity to agonize over the decision to do so. Lexa felt the good in her, felt it now, even as the figure stood menacingly behind her, ready to end her life. A deep ache flooded her chest as she remembered what it was like to be touched by such kindness and compassion, by such virtuous power. She wished she could turn her enemy back, create a path to the light side for her, but she was not exactly the model Jedi. Lexa had to be rescued from the dark side herself.

Nar Shaddaa, it was a moon in the planet system of Nal Hutta. High crime, smugglers, and economic distress, and it was heavily populated with plenty of opportunity to blend in and disappear forever. Lexa landed there for one important reason; she was on the hunt for a Jedi Knight. Her target was an eighteen-year-old girl who was naturally strong in the Force, so naturally strong that it was prophesized that she would be the key to bringing peace throughout the galaxy. The girl had been reportedly hiding out on Nar Shaddaa, and she had to be stopped permanently. Lexa had been sent there to kill her, and she happily obeyed her master. She wanted to turn the Jedi to the dark side before utterly destroying her, just to taste her fear, anger, and desperation as she begged and screamed for mercy. She thought of this fantasy often, usually with her hand under her robe and in her pants to satisfy her tremendous arousal.

Lexa stumbled upon a private cantina on a late and crowded night. She entered the establishment with little trouble from the Aqualish bouncers and maneuvered her way through a sea of undesirable patrons to find a seat at the bar. An Ithorian bartender soon approached her and asked what she wanted to drink. She ordered a cocktail and scanned the room while she waited. A small group of Bith stood on stage enthusiastically playing their instruments as a Wookiee and a Twi'lek drunkenly danced together to the music. At a table to her side, she noticed an intense card game of pazaak going on between a Rodian and a handsome smuggler and wondered who would shoot first by the time it was over. Lexa turned her attention to the drink in front of her and took a long sip. When she looked up, cold, dark eyes met blues ones that sparkled with life and energy. They silently stared at each other from across the bar, knowing exactly who the other was, waiting for something to happen. The cantina and every person and creature in it would surely be decimated in mere moments if they went at it right then and there. Not that Lexa had any qualms about mindless violence. But she had searched her feelings and found hesitation in her bones, felt the tenseness in her back and shoulders, and it terrified her, shook her confidence in a way that was foreign. She swallowed the lump in her throat when the girl stood up from her stool and made her way over. She slid a hand down to her lightsaber, hidden beneath her oversized, black robe, and readied herself for battle.

"You won't be needing that." The girl reached Lexa and made room for herself between the Sith Lord and a helmeted bounty hunter. She bravely leaned against the bar, leaving herself completely vulnerable to an attack. "Come with me."

Lexa was in a daze; she wondered if she was under the spell of some mind trick - or maybe it was the close proximity. She could feel the good in the Jedi, brilliant and intoxicating, and she hungered for more. A gentle hand rested on her toned forearm, and her chest tightened with hope. They both knew Lexa was no match for this awesome power. "Why should I follow you anywhere?"

The girl smiled, took Lexa by the hand, and led her to a back entranceway. The heavy door shut loudly behind them as they came out to a quiet, empty alley, surrounded by gray brick and metal, a lone barrel burning nearby, abandoned warmth and comfort. The Jedi pulled away and adjusted her chestnut-colored robe to the side of her hip to reveal her lightsaber. Lexa glanced at the weapon and then looked at her with a dare in her eyes, and she started to feel glorious rage flicker and ignite inside once again. This was the end. The Jedi Knight was going to kill her. She had failed miserably and would never get to turn her to the dark side, would never get to feed on her pain and unfulfilled wishes. Lexa solemnly dropped to her knees and anticipated the heat of a fatal blow. Moment after moment of nothing. The Sith Lord soon felt a soothing caress at her cheek as the girl thumbed away a falling tear. She hadn't even realized she had been crying.

"This isn't you." The Jedi kneeled down and let her curious gaze linger on her enemy's mouth, soft and inviting, and Lexa longed for her to kiss the evil right out of her. "There, search your feelings. I feel the good in you. You know it to be true too."

Lexa closed her eyes and found nothing but memories of death. She could no longer remember a time when she had peace in her heart. Her path to the dark side had been quite a journey, and there was no turning back now. "You can't change me, pathetic Jedi! Strike me down or die!" Lexa quickly pulled out her lightsaber, powered it up, and lunged at her. The red beam of light made scathing contact with her left shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound, and the girl let out a groan of pain and horror as the smell of her own burning flesh reached her nose. Streaks of crimson seeped through the visible beige garment under her robe, and she winced each time her chest rose and fell with deep, heavy breaths. "You'll find I'm full of surprises." Lexa watched as the Jedi narrowed her eyes, clearly hurt and confused, like she was trying to pinpoint the exact moment when she realized she had been completely wrong about the Sith Lord. There was no good to be found, at least that's what Lexa believed - even if she was feeling great remorse, even if she was deactivating her lightsaber and dropping it on the ground, even if she was approaching her with shaky legs and secret apologies. "What's your name, Jedi?"

"I'm Clarke Griffin. I'm here to rescue you."

"'There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force.'" Lexa whispered the Jedi Code over and over. A strange black mask suddenly hit the floor in front of her with a crash. She had seen that mask before. Before. Warm puffs of breath hit the back of her neck. Lexa closed her eyes and tried not to think about the first time she kissed her or the first time her skilled fingers explored every inch of her body, but of course, those are the memories that infiltrate her mind and electrify her senses. Her knees started to buckle, not out of fear but from sheer desire, as a tempting mouth grazed her ear and whispered, "Come. Come to the dark side. We can rule the galaxy together."

Lexa tossed and turned for an hour before deciding to get out of bed. She was not a sound sleeper, never had been, but her insomnia had gotten worse ever since she arrived at the Jedi enclave on Dantooine. She threw on her robe, exited her room, and peered down the long hallway. A cracked door created a single line of light on the floor about halfway up from where she stood. Clarke. Sweet, determined Clarke. They had become attached at the hip as Clarke worked with her day in and day out, teaching her the Jedi Code, helping her to learn new powers designed to heal and defend herself, and forgetting old ones that were rooted in hate and annihilation. Lexa was apparently too old to be a Padawan, at least that's what the masters kept telling her, and she kept proving them wrong as she caught on fast to this new way of life. Her eyes, no longer tinted with disturbing flecks of red and gold, had returned to their striking green shade, and her pale skin was a golden tan again. She was tainted by the dark side no more.

Lexa quietly walked to the cracked door and peered in. Clarke sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed in deep concentration, meditating. Lexa sighed and declared once again to herself that she had never seen Clarke look more beautiful. Green eyes focused on her unwavering face and traveled down her athletic frame before climbing back up to notice the pink-white scar that covered her left shoulder. She had never seen the ramifications of her actions in that alleyway on Nar Shaddaa over 6 months ago. She still remembered the way the wet blood on her robe appeared to shine in the night as she supported the Jedi Knight to the closest medical center. Lexa wanted to enjoy the sight of Clarke in a worn tank top, but she decided to look away instead, accepting the pang of guilt and deciding to return to her room.

Clarke remained still but furrowed her eyebrows. "Lexa." She slowly opened her eyes and was not surprised to see the Padawan at her door. She could sense her restlessness; maybe it was why she was feeling so restless herself. A bond had formed between them somewhere between Nar Shaddaa and Dantooine, a back and forth that cemented their connection. "Emotion leads to the dark side. You cannot allow your feelings to rule you."

"Look what I did to you." Lexa entered the room and kneeled down on the floor next to her. She placed a tentative hand on scarred, bumpy skin. Her fingers gently traced over grotesque indentations. When Clarke didn't stop her, she continued her caressing, following the curve from her shoulder up to her neck. "You could've struck me down on Nar Shaddaa."

"Eliminating you was never my mission."

Lexa glanced up and found Clarke intently staring back and biting her bottom lip. Each warm touch caused her pulse to quicken. Lexa bravely leaned in closer and brushed tender lips against her damaged shoulder blade and then did it again before meeting her blue gaze set aflame. There was something vaguely familiar yet unrecognizable behind her expression. It was desire. It was temptation. It was 'Yes.' Lexa cupped her face, and fervent lips repeatedly collided in a soft explosion of repressed want and need. When they pulled away and caught their breath, Lexa no longer saw the desire or the temptation or the 'Yes.' She could still feel it though, like a smoldering fire. "I'm sorry, Clarke. I don't know what got into me."

"'There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no passion; there is serenity.' We cannot let that happen again." Clarke shook her head and got up from the floor. She grabbed a loose-fitting shirt and slipped it on. When she turned around, she saw a smirk and a cocked eyebrow, as if Lexa could see right through her feeble announcement, and she purposely held back her smile to prove her point. "Jedi do not fall in love. Love leads to emotion; emotion leads to passion; and passion leads to the dark side."

"No love. No emotion. No passion." Lexa crawled to her bed and hopped on top of it. She noticed flushed skin and bee-stung lips and wondered if she looked as turned on as Clarke did. "I know I'm your student, but you have to agree that it's insulting that the Jedi Council doesn't trust their own people to control their emotions."

Clarke joined Lexa on the bed. Her expression grew cold and serious. "Even the strongest Jedi can fall." She sighed and decided not to dig into her past. Too many feelings. Too many memories. "I've started my Jedi Master training. I'm told I will be the youngest member on the Council if I successfully complete each task. This will be the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Lexa nodded her head and offered her an unconvincing, congratulatory smile. Jedi Masters were always off on dangerous adventures, not spending time with a Padawan who once slaughtered an entire planet of innocents. "You know I can feel that by now, don't you? There's not much you can hide from me."

"I can't help that I'll miss you, Clarke."

"Lexa." Clarke swallowed and continued. "I have a specific mission, and if I don't do it, if I fail, the entire galaxy will suffer." She glanced over at Lexa and took her hand in her own. "If I can't completely turn you to the light side, it will be the end of peace as we know it. You see, I'm only the key because I'm supposed to save you, so you can save the rest of us."

The power of the dark side was seductive. Lexa had been away for so long, she had forgotten just how unrelenting it could be. Every desire became magnified. Every touch was torturous and stirred her arousal to the point of wanting to beg for release. Darth Wanheda left a trail of hot kisses at her neck while her slender fingers teased at her cloth belt. Lexa tried to hold out for as long she as she could, even asked the Force for guidance, but she finally had to succumb and surrender. She turned around like lightning and crashed her lips into hers, quickly finding a ferocious rhythm that drew blood and breathy moans from both of them. Lexa kissed Darth Wanheda with every saved up, unsaid "I love you." She pulled at the neck of her black robe and snaked a hand over to her bare shoulder, feeling that rough, familiar scar she was responsible for the first night they had met. Lexa was ready to be swallowed whole by the dark side once again. With her hand and mouth, she touched the last remnants of the light side in Darth Wanheda. Warmth and goodness radiated somewhere deep inside of the Sith Lord, and for the first time, Lexa realized that she had the strength and ability to bring her back. Green eyes flashed open, and she panted, "I sense the conflict in you."

The planet system of Korriban reeked of evil and death. Lexa exited the freighter and took in her surroundings - vast emptiness, oppressive heat, and dilapidated rock sculptures lined the barren area. Massive mountains housed caves that led to unknown challenges. If she got through this final training, she would no longer be a Padawan but a Jedi Knight. Lexa noticed Clarke had wandered over to the large and impressive tomb of Naga Sadow, a great and powerful Dark Lord, and she got a chill when she realized just how deafening the silence was. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Lexa and Clarke exchanged a 'May the Force be with you' before she left her at the landing site. She understood Clarke was trying to maintain boundaries between them and wasn't expecting a big show of emotion and affection, but the idea of never seeing her again - she tried to push the thought out of her head. Her first task was fairly rudimentary, to cleanse the desolate planet of creatures touched by the dark side. She explored caves and tombs, defeating tuk'ata and shyracks, monstrous hounds and gigantic winged beasts. She found that her second task was to defeat herself, her past self, to forgive the pain and guilt she clung to. It had been a hallucination, but it had felt so real, so therapeutic yet devastating, when Lexa smashed her blue lightsaber into the Sith Lord version of herself again and again. In the shadows, Clarke suddenly appeared. Lexa narrowed her eyes - was this real or part of her training? The girl smiled but then her mouth twisted in slow-motion as a red beam of light entered through her back and burst through her stomach before vanishing. Lexa blinked and swallowed hard as she two-handed her lightsaber; she finally understood how a Padawan could lose his or her way on Korriban and never make it out. Lexa grew more confused when a masked figure entered the cave. She could sense the power of the Force in him or her, sinister and profound, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She had felt that unyielding power before. Lexa stepped closer and reached out to touch the Sith Lord, but the dark figure disappeared before she could make contact. She sank down to the ground, hugged her knees to her chest, and prayed for morning.

Lexa returned to the freighter the next day. She was thankful her isolation was over, but the masked Sith Lord continued to haunt her thoughts. She had seen a vision of the future in that cave, and that future was frightening. Clarke was putting her lightsaber back together at the workbench when Lexa climbed on board with an instant smile. "I'm back." The Jedi whipped around, and Lexa noticed that she looked like she hadn't slept since they had arrived on Korriban.

Tired, blue eyes quickly grew bright with relief and then teared up. Tears made their way down her face, surprising both of them. Clarke shook her head, embarrassment in her laugh. "Look at me. I'm not supposed to be like this." Lexa silently approached her and pushed strands of blonde hair away from her face. "'There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no death; there is the Force.'" Clarke repeated this to herself several more times, but her mantra was useless, especially with the way the Padawan was unabashedly staring at her. Her mouth unexpectedly pressed against Lexa's, gracing her with slow kisses and decisive tastes of her tongue. She pulled away and sighed with contentment. "You should hit the shower. You smell like Wookiee."

Hours after the attack, Lexa finally regained consciousness. She lay on her stomach on the cold, metal floor of the freighter and felt searing pain with every movement she attempted to make. Her hands touched something wet as she steadied herself to a crawl, and she realized there was blood everywhere. With the help of a chair, a desk, whatever she could grab onto, Lexa gradually climbed to her feet, waved a trembling hand over her body to heal herself, and instantly felt some relief. It was short-lived, however, as she thought of Clarke, and she could not help the sob and the tears that escaped her. She knew exactly what kind of sick and twisted horrors the Jedi Knight was being put through at this very moment; she knew because she used to fantasize about corrupting the girl herself. Lexa took a deep breath and then another until she calmed down. She repeated a single line to herself, "Clarke is still alive. Clarke is still alive. Clarke is still alive." She could feel it through the Force, and it brought a small amount of comfort to her.

Lexa and Clarke never heard or saw them coming - mostly because they had been coming themselves. Naked body against naked body, soft and sticky friction as hips rose and fell at just the right pace. Their mouths only separated to take a breath and to communicate appreciation for rapturous pleasure. They had spent most of the day in this bed, fully and freely giving into their feelings and ignoring the Jedi Code. A group of Dark Jedi and assassin droids stormed the room and interrupted their intimacy. They both had tried to put up a fight in their vulnerable states, but the bombardment of Force drain and lightning was too much for the Jedi to contend with. Clarke was their prize, and Lexa had been left to die.

Lexa climbed into the cockpit and studied the star map on the wall. Focused, green eyes flickered over the galaxy. Clarke could be anywhere, and she had no idea where to even start. She traveled from moon to moon and planet to planet searching for her love, but it was one disappointment after another. A day came some time after when Lexa felt a disturbance in the Force. She had been walking around Mos Eisley on Tatooine, talking to every unsavory character she encountered and offering credits for information on the whereabouts of the Jedi Knight, when an overwhelming emptiness crushed her heart. Up until then, Lexa had been able to sense Clarke through the Force, but after that day, there was nothing. Festering rage consumed her, and she basked in her unruly anger. The dark side was like an addiction, and her sobriety was wavering. Lexa eventually returned to Dantooine and sought help and guidance from her Jedi Masters. She informed them that Clarke was dead. The Jedi Masters undoubtedly felt her death through the Force and confirmed her worst fears. She heard the words, "Clarke no longer exists..." Lexa swallowed and bowed her head but then the words continued, "Because she is Darth Wanheda now."

"I sense the conflict in you."

"You sense wrong."

Darth Wanheda pulled away from Lexa. She refused to play these stupid Jedi games. She turned around and admired the view out of the large windows of the flagship. There was a war going on - the Sith against the Republic; good vs. evil; and love vs. hate. Moons and planets burned, and red and green lasers continuously peppered the night sky. War was a beautiful sight to behold. Darth Wanheda returned her attention to the enemy several feet away. She and the Jedi Knight stood there, saying nothing and doing nothing. The moment was reminiscent of Nar Shaddaa and the first time their eyes locked across the bar in that seedy cantina.

"Clarke. Search your feelings. Clarke..." Lexa watched as the Sith Lord gritted her teeth and raised a single hand. There was no time to brace herself for the sudden attack. Her feet were off the floor, and her body flew across the room and slammed into the metal wall above the workbench. She watched as Darth Wanheda powered up her lightsaber. Bright red. Lexa slowly got up and held her bruised side.

"'There is no 'Clarke,' Jedi." Darth Wanheda approached the Jedi Knight and smiled. "Do you want to know how long it took her to give into the dark side?" Lexa averted her gaze from the Sith Lord. Darth Wanheda continued to shorten the gap between them. "Do you want to know exactly how she died?"

Lexa felt the heat of the lightsaber and instinctively took a step back. "You are wrong. Clarke is very much alive. I could feel the good in you when you entered the room. I could feel it when we kissed. I can feel it right now." Her throat muscles began to tighten as if two imaginary hands were strangling her, and she started to choke from the pressure.

"Do you still feel the good in me?" The Sith Lord laughed and relented her power for the time being. Lexa dropped to the floor and gasped for air. She clutched her neck as she caught her breath again. "You have two choices - join me or die."

"You will not kill me."

"Is that a threat, Jedi?"

"No, it's an observation."

"Bow to me or face the consequences!"

"Please come back to me, Clarke. I love you."

Darth Wanheda held her lightsaber in both hands now and stood above the Jedi Knight. 'I love you.' It was infuriating, the confidence and calmness of her enemy. She raised her weapon to strike her down but then noticed the tears streaking down her face. 'I love you.' A gentle hand reached out and wiped away a falling tear, much like she had done on Nar Shaddaa a long time ago. Darth Wanheda switched off her lightsaber. The room went dim and quiet. "I love you too."

Lexa stumbled as she climbed to her feet. She approached the Sith Lord, held her face in her hands, and searched wild eyes. She found familiar light and energy under dense layers of evil and hate. Lexa turned away and noticed the view now - infinite black sky, sparkling stars, and not a trace of red or green lasers. Moons and planets still burned in the distance, but there would be relief and rebuilding in time. There would be peace. The Jedi Knight looked over at Darth Wanheda, reached her hand out, and waited for her to take it...