chapter 2
I wake to a sound of movement in my quarters so I open my eyes and jump with a start to see Jaina walking around in my bedroom. I peer beside my bed and see a make shift bed there so I turn as she enters with a mug of an interesting smelling liquid.
"Here Kyp, drink this." She gives the mug to me and I take it and take a drink.
"What is it?"
"It's called hot cocoa. Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara got me hooked on it."
"I can see why."
"Kyp?"
"Yes jay?"
"I need to know if what my family says true. Do you really love me?"
"Yes Jay, I do."
She studies my face and looks into my eyes and then sees her answer in them.
"Oh, My God," She looks at me astonished.
"Are you OK Jay? You look a little nervous."
"Yeah, I'm OK…it's just a little weird having my old babysitter and best friend being in love with me."
"Tell me about it. Just the thought scares me."
"Really Kyp?"
I start to chuckle. "A little. Doesn't it scare you?"
"OK I'm going to turn in I'll see you in the morning," Jaina tells me so she puts the mug down on the bedside table and crawls under the covers of her make-shift bed so I lean down and kiss her on the cheek.
"Good night Jay."
"G'night, Kyp." She sits up and kisses my left cheek, then sleepily lays down and closes her eyes.
The next morning we woke to Siren blaring that signaled that the Skips and Peace Brigade were attacking.
We got dressed, pulling our flightsuits on over the clothes we wore last night.
"Hey, Jay, you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, Kyp."
"There's that confidence I've heard so much about."
"Kyp!" she exclaims, a blush running up her neck and into her cheeks.
"Let's go!" I yell from the living area.
We met in the living room and ran out the door. On the way to the hanger bay, our squads gathered behind us. When we arrived, both squads shook hands and wished each other luck.
We ran to our individual starfighters. Jaina and I were the last to get to our X-wings. We hugged and wished each other luck as well.
"May the force be with you," we said simultaneously as I hopped into my fighter.
Zero-One greeted me with the usual philosophical comment, but this one caught me off guard. This one was about Jaina and I so I said to him to start pre-flight and to do a systems check.
I switched to squad channel and asked for a roll call over the com link. It came back with every one green and ready. I contacted Control and they give a go to launch the Dozen. I heard Jaina call in Twins Suns' readiness, so we launched.
I clicked into our private comm frequency as we left the hanger. "Hey, Jay? Good luck to you and the rest and don't be afraid to ask for assistance if you need it. OK?"
"Don't worry, Kyp. I will. And good luck to you and the Dozen as well."
Four standard hours later as we land I ask Jaina over our private comm: "Would you like to get some caf after we land?"
"Sure Kyp. Why not?"
As I land, I pop the canopy and tell Zero-One to take over; land, run the diagnostics, and shut down the fighter back to standby. I jogged over to Jaina's fighter.
"What café should we go to?"
"I have an idea," she prompts through our Force bond.
"What's your idea Jay?"
"Let's go to that little café around the corner from the Twins barracks. You interested?"
"Yeah sure. I'll see you in about two minutes OK?"
"Alight."
So I walked up to her fighter on the opposite side as she jumped down from the cockpit. When she hit the ground I stealthily walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She jumped about a foot off the ground.
"KYP! You startled me!" she exclaimed, breathing hard. "Are you ready to go?"
"Not yet, Jay. We're waiting for your brother and a friend of mine. You met her already."
"Oh you mean Jacen and Fen are going to join us?"
"Yep," I said to her.
"Cool," she exclaimed. "I want to know everything about you so I'm going to grill Fen for all the info she can spill."
"Oh boy!" I complained. "This sounds like trouble."
"Oh, it will be if you are lying."
"I'm not lying to you Jay. And I never will again. I promise you."
"Alright, Kyp. Now let's go; we were supposed to meet them at the café three minutes ago. Now move!"
"OK Jay, I'm going, I'm going."
We moved quickly out of the hanger and made a dash for the café. When we got there, we saw Jacen and Fen talking, so we walked over.
"HEY what took you so long?" Jacen yelled to us.
"A little to much flirting I guess," I yell back, chuckling.
"So, what is it we are doing here?"
"We thought we could talk and have some lunch together with my girlfriend her brother and an old friend of mine."
"That sounds good to me," they said in unison.
"OK, what do you guys want to eat?"
"How about some nerf steak and some lomine ale?"
"That sounds great!" Jaina exclaimed.
So we all sat down. The waiter droid came over and took our order, then left to fill it. We sat and drank the ale. I myself got a little tipsy so I stopped drinking for the rest of the time. The food came and we ate and went back to the barracks and the pilots lounge. Then we sat around talking until a late hour.
"I'll see you three later. I'm going to hit the sack."
"Later Kyp. We'll see you tomorrow."
"OK, bye." I said good night to them and headed to my room.
When I got there, I input my security code to unlock my door. After I unlocked my door, I went over to my bed and fell asleep.
About an hour later I hear my door open and foot steps coming over to my bedside. Then a kiss on the cheek and a sigh from Jaina who flopped down on her make-shift bed and falls asleep.
The next day I woke at around sunrise for some weird reason. So I made myself some hot cocoa and went up to the barracks roof to watch the sun rise.
I heard the roof door hiss open so I turned and was surprised to see Han, Leia, Luke, Mara, Jacen, and Jaina walk onto the roof.
The twins came over and sat down by me. Jaina laid her head on my shoulder so I turned my head and asked: "Why are you guys up here?"
"We could ask the same, kid. Why are you up here?" Han asked me.
"I like the sunrise, that's all," I said with a chuckle.
"We all do kid. We all do!" he chuckled
Well myself, Mara and jacen are going to go for a swim if any one wants to join us. Hey me and jaina will if you guys don't mind, of course not kyp Luke says give us five minutes come on Jay lets go get changed. Alright I'll meet you at uncle Luke and aunt Mara's apartment. She says after we jog through the roof door, OK Jay I'll see you in three minutes. See you then Kyp so three minutes later we meet in the hall and ran over to Luke and Mara's apartment when Luke opened the door we walk in and sit on the couch and then we see a blur of red-gold hair streak towards us yelling Jaya! kyppi! I turn my head to jaina and ask why did he just call me kyppi? Cause kyp he's heard that me and jacen used to call you that when we were that young.
Oh I forgot? I tell her at the same moment Ben leaps into our laps and hugs Jaina so she hugs him to. Then I have an urge to hug them both so I hug Jaina just as Luke, Mara, and Jacen walk in on us and I hear Jacen whisper "aww what a cute couple", at this the four of us start laughing loudly. Speaking of cute couples where's jacen's crush? who's that kyp? jaina asks grinning wickedly. Oh its Fen. I see their jaws hit the floor including jacen. So your old friend has a crush on me? Oh yeah she even told me after you came to see me jacen and after jaina left for the night.