Jaina drove them out beyond the city limits in the nondescript well-armored speeder. Jag leaned back in the passenger seat, enjoying the thrill of the fast moving vehicle. Jaina handled the speeder as if she were piloting her X-wing. The grace and skill, combined with the look of sheer excitement that came to her face at the terrifying speeds and dizzying maneuvers was something that Jag could never tire of watching.

As much as he was doing his best to sit back and relax, he knew that he couldn't do that until he assured his assistant that he was indeed alright and check on any messages that he might have. Jag pulled his comlink out, entered the code for his office, and waited for it to connect.

"Oh no you don't flyboy." Jaina reached over and grabbed the comlink from Jag's hands and slipped it into her back pocket. "There will be none of that."

Jag glanced down at his empty hands before looking over at Jaina. "I was simply going to-"

"I know what you were 'simply going to do,' and it's not allowed."

"Not allowed?" his right eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Wayward strands of hair flew off her face as she blew out a sigh. "Yes. Not allowed. As in against the rules."

She took her eyes off of the busy lanes of traffic to look at him. "Haven't you ever kidnapped anyone before?"

Jag simply looked at her incredulously.

"Sorry, forgot who I was dealing with for a moment," Jaina smirked, swerving the speeder just in time to avoid a collision with a light freighter loaded with cargo.

Jag simply rolled his eyes as he shifted in the seat, tucking one leg underneath himself as he turned to face Jaina. "Am I to assume you have?"

"Me? No." Jaina shook her head. "Not personally. First time actually," she said flashing him a huge grin.

"I'm honored, then," Jag said, his lip curling in amusement. "I know that I will regret asking this, but where do these so called 'rules' come from?"

Jaina took her eyes off of the traffic, her trademark grin on her face. "Solo Family Handbook, chapter 3, The Ins and Outs of a Successful Relationship."

"Of course." Jag laughed. "I should have known that not only would your family have a manual, but a separate step by step chapter dedicated to nefarious and illicit acts."

"Hey!" Jaina cried, her right arm shooting out to punch him in the shoulder.

Jag held his hands up in mock surrender. "It was meant lovingly, sweetheart. I promise."

Jaina shifted her eyes towards him, her expression softening. As much as he was doing his best to appear relaxed, she could see the concern in his eyes and knew he was still thinking through the problems he had left behind.

"Everybody will survive a few hours without you, Jagged. I assure you that I took care of everything. I even left a trail of notes for Ashik telling him everything," she paused a moment before continuing, "Though I doubt that he was able to work his way through everything yet to find them."

"Jaina, what exactly did you get your hands on?"

"It's nothing really. Just a couple of small things that will keep him busy," she said nonchalantly. The flicker of a smile didn't go unnoticed by Jag.

"Jaina."

She glanced over at him, "You're no fun, you know."

"Jaina."

"Oh, all right. It's just a few small dust mice he has to get rid of, and then, um, maybe some thumbers." Keeping her head front, Jaina glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"And," Jag prompted.

"Maybeacrystalsnakeortwo," she said quickly.

"What was that?" He couldn't have possibly have heard her correctly.

"You heard me."

Jag didn't know whether to be amused, concerned or angry. "What, the rodents weren't enough, you had to go and add some crystals snakes as well?"

"It's just as a precaution," her tone of voice indicating that it should be obvious. "I couldn't very well risk having any escaped dust mice running around now could I?" She held up her hand to forestall his next question. "No, it's not the entire Embassy, just the security floors."

"Why do you insist on tormenting Ashik like this?" Even as he asked the question, he had to chuckle at the mental image of his Head of Security running around chasing rodents.

"He's way too uptight Jag, he needs to learn to lighten up a bit."

"He's Chiss, Jaina." Jag stated matter of factly.

"That's why it's so much fun."

Jag sat back and relaxed in his seat, laughing quietly once again at what was going on back at the Embassy. He knew that his security team would no doubt be putting a plan in place to exact revenge. He knew better than to get involved.

The noise and the tall, congested buildings of the city slowly dwindled to reveal the fresh air of the countryside. Small yellow and red flowers dotted the open fields, and Jag could hear the distant twitter of birds coming from the passing trees.

She turned suddenly down a barely visible winding dirt road, eventually pulling the speeder to a stop by a grove of trees. The view in front of him was magnificent. Beyond the trees sat a secluded stretch of white sand that met up with the crystal blue waters of a small lake, protected on three sides by high cliffs.

Jag walked around the front of the speeder, enveloping Jaina in his arms and pulling her close. "You've been busy," he whispered against her ear and he felt her smile against his neck. His lips moved along her jaw line in a feathery light touch to capture her lips in a passionate kiss.

Jaina broke the kiss slowly, looking up at him and smiling. "You have no idea. Come on."

She handed Jag a picnic basket and blanket to carry while she reached back into the speeder and grabbed a small black bag.

They made their way through the trees and down a small set of steps carved out of the surrounding rocks by the elements. Large black-winged birds could be seen in the distance swooping down into the calm water to catch fish. A warm breeze blew off the lake, keeping them cool in the afternoon sun.

They set the blanket down on the sand and settled themselves against one of the cliff walls so they could look out at the water. Jaina reached down and pulled her sandals off. She snuggled up against Jag, stretching her legs out and burying her toes in the warm sand.

Jag wrapped his arm around Jaina's shoulder pulling her close, and placed a kiss on her temple. She looked up at him, a gentle smile on her face, the sun making her brandy brown eyes sparkle. He reached over and gently brushed away the hair that had blown across her face. He slid his hand down, cupping her cheek as he leaned his face close to hers. His breath felt cool against her sun-warmed skin.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered against her ear.

Jag saw the blush rise in her cheeks as she lowered head and giggled. An extremely un-Jaina like and girly thing to do, but Jag adored it.

Jaina lifted her head slowly to look at him. Her cheeks were still pink and a tiny smile tugged at her mouth as she struggled to regain control. Jaina's fingers caressed his cheek, she feathered her lips across his mouth, whisper light, in the barest of kisses.

Then abruptly she pulled away, her patented smirk playing on her lips as she patted his cheek affectionately.

"I'm starving. How about we eat?"

Jag leaned back and tapped his head lightly on the boulders behind him as he watched Jaina reaching for the basket. His eyes trailed the curves of her body, down to the tan shorts she wore that contoured her backside perfectly.

Jag grinned. She certainly was going to make him pay for his transgressions this week.

Jaina crawled across the blanket and pulled the picnic basket closer to them. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes. I haven't eaten anything since…" He paused a moment to think, and then looked over at Jaina. She met his gaze and laughed at the sheepish expression he wore. Here he was, one of the most powerful men in the galaxy, and he sitting there looking like he was waiting for the scolding that he knew he deserved.

This was exactly what she was talking about, and he knew it.

"You haven't stopped to eat anything since your luncheon yesterday, have you?" Jaina shook her head, pinning him with a look. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sure we can think of something," he responded suggestively.

"Here," Jaina smiled tantalizingly, as she handed him a bottle of Blossom Wine. "Open this."

Jag took the bottle and then rummaged around in the basket, pulling out two wine glasses while looking for the corkscrew. "My staff and I did extensive research on this planet before we left. How did this place manage to stay hidden?"

"That's because it isn't listed anywhere. It's private property." Jaina answered, pulling out the dustcrepes and forrolow berries and putting them on plates.

"Jaina."

Jaina looked over at him, instantly recognizing the Sweetheart, what scheme have you put into play this time tone to his voice.

"Jeez, you bend the rules a few times and all of a sudden people become suspicious every time you do something."

Jag didn't even bother to comment on that statement, knowing to do so would be inviting trouble. He simply raised an expectant eyebrow at her, waiting for what would inevitably be an interesting explanation.

"I assure you that it's all perfectly fine. Kyp handled this part."

"Oh, now that just makes me feel so much better," he said dramatically, "the two of you conspiring together. That never works out well for me."

He motioned around at the cliffs and trees with his hand, "Any minute now we'll be surrounded by troops trying to shoot us for trespassing."

"We weren't conspiring." Jaina said, laughing at Jag's theatrics. "I assure you, it's all perfectly legal. He simply handled talking to the owners this morning while I was busy with other things."

Less than a handful of people ever saw this side of him, even she had see very little of it lately. The stress and pressures of being Head of State had built so that even around her there were times when he really 'wasn't with her.'

It had been far to long since she had seen him this relaxed and having a bit of fun.

He finished pouring the wine and handed Jaina a glass. "It wasn't enough for him to be your manservant during the Vong War, now you have him handling your travel arrangements."

Jaina smirked. "Isn't it great. I knew there was a reason that I kept him around all this time."

Jag shook his head, even after all these years, he still didn't understand the relationship that those two had. Whatever it was, he was eternally grateful for it. Kyp had been there for Jaina during some of her darkest times, for that Jag would never be able to pay him back.

Placing the wine bottle back in the basket, Jag balanced his own wine glass on a flat rock beside him and leaned back against the cliffside and started to eat.

"It was actually Liz that told me about this place. When it was obvious that I would have to force you to relax," Jaina grinned at him slightly, "I commed Kyp and told him where we were, and asked him how to get in touch with the owners. He volunteered to do it for me."

Jaina popped a couple of berries into her mouth before continuing. "I guess quite a few years ago Liz and Kyp helped a woman and her children out of a tough situation. Her parents are the ones who own the lake and the surrounding fifty acres, all of which are off limits to the public."

"Except to our esteemed Grand Master and his wife" Jag grinned. "Exactly. Kinda like a thank-you I guess."

Jag picked up his wine and took another sip, "We'll have to do something to thank all of them. This place is truly magnificent."

They finished the rest of their meal in companionable silence. Taking pleasure in the simple act just being together, letting the peace and tranquility of the picturesque surroundings wash over them.