Xander rolled her on the soft grass and stopped on top of Clarisse.

"Was this a test?" she asked him.

"Your last test, and you have passed it. If that didn't turn you, I doubt there is anything or anyone that will ever do so," came his answer.

"You could have killed us both…"

"Technically, you would have, but I knew you would not. I had faith in you."

Clarisse freed herself from his arms and got up on her feet. "You are good…I believed you. I really thought…" she said, while Xander got up.

"Clara, I am Sith. I can be very convincing, it's what I do," he interrupted her and wrapped his arms around her again. "At least now we can concentrate on the technique…"

"I should have known…I should have not doubted you…I am sorry, Xander!" she whispered with her head down.

Xander lifted her head and looked into her eyes. "When I told you that I love you, it was true, when I told you that I will never betray your trust, it was true. Never forget that! You will always have my love and my loyalty."

His words made Clarisse smile, but she was disappointed in herself. They started walking towards the house together, in silence. The sun was setting and the light blue sky was now turning into shades of pink and orange, it was absolutely magnificent. Clarisse stopped and turned around to admire the view. Xander just looked at her, surprised, it wasn't the first sunset she was seeing there. A few more seconds of silence stood between them, until Xander decided to break it.

"The shield you put over us…That was new. I have never seen that before."

"Me neither. I don't even know how I did that…" admitted Clarisse and looked at him. "Must be the result of the power that I have been drawing from my emotions," she added, and then fell into deep thought.

Xander kept quiet, but he noticed right away that she was thinking on something.

"Is it possible that my abilities get altered when I am using the power obtained that way?" she asked him suddenly.

"I am not sure. I guess you will have to learn your new power, your new abilities…That shield could be an extremely powerful weapon," he answered, without even looking at her.

Clarisse nodded and went back to her thoughts, trying to figure out how to deal with her new abilities, how to learn them and train them properly, and admiring the stunning sunset.

When they finally got to the house, she stopped Xander, she needed to talk to him. "Xander, no matter how much I train, I don't think that I will ever be able to stand in front of the Council and tell them the truth…Why Revan was after me and why he isn't anymore…"

"Do you want me to do it? I have no problem…" he offered, right away understanding her hesitation.

Clarisse shook her head. "No. I would like to talk to Master Shan in private. She will understand and tell them."

Xander looked at Clarisse, surprised by her request. "Are you sure you can face her? She will most probably notice…" he tried to make her change her mind.

"I have a good reason to be troubled. I also think that the sooner everyone knows the truth, the better. Maybe they have overlooked something, maybe…"

"Clara, if you think you can face Master Shan, go ahead!" he interrupted her. "Just one thing…She will probably ask you to return to the temple. Please don't go! Stay with me a little longer!" Xander added while he took her shoulders in his hands.

Clarisse smiled at him and she lifted her hand touching his face.

"You know that sooner or later I will have to…" she tried to explain to him.

"No. You still need to train my technique, you are not ready to go out there! If I do have to choose from sooner or later, I will definitely go with later. To be honest, I don't ever want you to go…" he added, and his kiss took her breath away. Suddenly he stopped kissing her and took her head into his hands, holding her still and looking straight into her honey eyes. She put her hands on top of his and smiled.

"Marry me!" came his request, sounding like an order mixed with a plea.

"Xander, that is impossible…You already know…" Clarisse answered quickly while sadness overtook her.

"It is not impossible! We can get married right here, it will be our secret. Nobody will ever know, if that is what you wish…" Xander insisted and letting go of her head, he knelt in front of her. He took out from one of his pockets the ring that was burning a hole there since morning, when he had planned the day. "Please, Clara, be my wife!" he added, holding the ring in front of her.

Clarisse was surprised, she had no idea what to say. She wanted to be his wife for the rest of her life, but she was a Jedi, and he was a Sith. She wished she could say yes to him. At the same time, she knew that refusing him would break his heart. He would think that she did not love him enough to say yes. She was having a hard time breathing and she felt tears threatening. She looked at the ring, it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen, then she looked at his eyes, they were so blue, so clear and so full of love. For a second, she opened her mouth to say something, but realized she still could not say anything.

"Clara, I love you more than anything in this world! This is just between us…You and me, together, forever…"

"Yes…" she whispered the second when her tears started to roll down her face, surprising herself.

Xander smiled and put the ring on her finger; it fit perfectly. Then he got up on his feet and took her in his arms, into a kiss that opened a totally new world for both of them.

Later that evening, they were both in bed and for the first time Clarisse looked at the ring, noticing that it was entirely carved into the stone. "I have never seen anything like this…When did you get it?" she asked him, looking into his eyes.

Xander smiled and kissed her hand, over the ring. "I got that ring the day I turned twenty…" he answered her, and started to laugh when he saw her surprised reaction.

"Are you serious?" she insisted.

"Yes. For my twentieth birthday my parents took me shopping for my own ring. My parents both came from very respectable, noble families. My father was from Alderaan, and my mother from here. In both their families, they had something called crests, is like a symbol for that family, each noble family has one. Since I was a cross between two different nobles, we had to come up with a new design that will incorporate both their crests, so we went to this famous jeweler. While we worked together in making the ring, I saw this ring in one of his displays. He told me that it is a one of a kind ring, unique and very special. The stone it is made from, it is called Life Stone, and it is the rarest stone in the galaxy. Most people never heard of it; is a stone that can save your life. After you wear it for a full twenty four standard hours, it will bind to you. From that moment, it will absorb from you a little energy every day, storing it. That will make it even more brilliant and apparently it could light up your way in the dark. If your life were in danger, if you were dying, the stone would release all that stored energy back to you, giving you at least a chance to survive. I was fascinated by it, and I decided to buy it for my future wife. Of course, my parents laughed at me and their main objection was the size. I remember my father saying that only a child could have such a tiny hand…Obviously he was wrong. I was just so determined, that against their reasoning I bought it. I figured that if it is my destiny, it will happen; I will find that one woman that would fit the ring."

"I have never heard anyone thinking like that…Usually the ring gets made to fit the girl, not the other way around!" said Clarisse laughing.

"It was just something about this ring that attracted me to it…I still cannot explain why…I did however research all the story behind the Life Stone and it turned out that it is true. That jeweler did not lie to me."

"Too bad I won't be able to wear it…" whispered Clarisse with sadness in her voice, looking at the ring.

"I am sure that we can figure something out." assured her Xander, kissing her hand again and this time holding it into his own.

Clarisse looked at him and smiled. Next she looked at his ring, she had seen it before, but never really paid any attention to it. She thought it was a Sith ring, she knew that they all get rings after they pass their final trials. "Is this the ring?" she asked him.

"Yes." Came Xander's answer, glancing himself over his own ring.

"I thought it would be your Sith ring…" said Clarisse next.

"No, that one I took off when we got here. I don't wear it at home, unless I have to," he explained her. "You didn't notice that I have two rings on when I call the Council?"

"No...I didn't. To be honest, I never looked," admitted Clarisse.

The next day they started to plan their small, secret ceremony and Clarisse was surprised when a seamstress came and started to work on her dress. Xander asked her to wait one more day before calling Master Shan, and they spent most of that day training. Clarisse was making fast progress, and Xander was surprised how strong her mind really was, how much discipline she had, and how motivated she was.

When the time finally came for her to make the call to Master Shan, Xander assured her one more time that he would be in the next room in case she needed him. She took the ring off and stepped to the holoterminal, dialing her Master's frequency. "Clarisse, is everything all right?" was Master's Shan first question.

"Yes, everything is all right, but I need to talk to you. I know why Revan is been after me…"

In the next few minutes, she told Master Shan everything. It felt good to come clean. Clarisse knew that the other secrets she had, she would probably have to carry them for the rest of her life, but if that was a life with Xander, it was worth it. When she had finished, she waited for a reaction from her Master, and she didn't have to wait for long.

"I cannot even start to tell you how much appreciated your personal sacrifice is. My concern is about you…You are obviously troubled, and I can surely understand why."

"I will be fine, Master. I will meditate…"

"Are you coming back to the temple then?" Master Shan asked next.

"No. I still don't know where I am, but this place is so peaceful…Meditating here is been good for me. I need my solitude; I have to rediscover myself…I have to learn how to deal with the new me."

"You can get help here," insisted Master Shan.

"I just need some more time for myself."

"I will let the Council know what is going on later today. Please try and contact us tomorrow, we should have updates from the field."

"I will."

"Is Darth Hellix with you?" came the next question.

"No. Do you need to speak to him? I can call him…"

"If you don't mind…But before you do that…I do know that what you have done might lead to certain feelings, you might develop attachments…"

"Master, Darth Hellix is Sith…What we did…It was just…Just to take the target off me…" Clarisse tried to explain, hiding the truth.

"I see…Please call him if you don't mind." Came Master Shan's request.

Clarisse went outside the room and called Xander. He took a few extra seconds, creating the illusion that he was a bit farther then just steps away. As soon as he walked into the room, he saluted the Grand Master and she returned the salute politely.

"When I asked you to take care of Clarisse I did not expected this…" she started.

"With all due respect, Grand Master, I do not need you approval. We both decided that it was the only thing we could do the stop Revan from sacrificing her. We are two adults, and even if I know that you have been her Master, it was our decision. It is done!" Xander interrupted Master Shan with a tone that made even Clarisse think that he only performed a duty and nothing more.

"Yes, it is done…I am only worried about consequences," she said next.

"If there are any, we will have to deal with them when the time comes. Until then, we should concentrate our efforts on finding Revan. He needs to be stopped."

Xander and the Grand Master started at each other for a few seconds, and then she continued.

"Tomorrow we will have a conference, and Governor Saresh will be joining us. I trust you will as well."

"Of course. I am hoping that that there will be some progress, so we can move forward."

"I hope so too. Like I said before, we have our best people working on it, and it seems that Capitan D'arc has a lead," said Master Shan.

"I thought Capitan D'arc retired last year," spoke Clarisse, this time surprised.

Something in her tone made Xander look at her, but he hid well the strange feeling that someone had just ripped his heart out. It cannot be! She sounded surprised and excited…Am I jealous?

"Obviously retirement didn't work. We will talk tomorrow…May the force be with you!" Master Shan concluded.

"And with you, Master!" answered Clarisse and hit the holocommunicator's button.

The silence filled the room for a few seconds, until Clarisse turned to Xander.

"That went relatively well…"

"You seemed to know this Capitan…" Xander said, looking at her and making sure he was not missing anything.

"I do! You could say that Capitan D'arc is my best friend…"

"How good?" interrupted her Xander alarmed.

Clarisse noticed right away that something was going on with him and looked in his eyes. The next second she understood, and smiled to him.

"That is so sweet! You are jealous…" she said, and wrapped her arms around Xander's waist.

"Clara…"

"Capitan Cleopathra D'arc and I have been friends for years," she interrupted him quickly, and at the full name of the Capitan, she felt his relief.

"I am sorry…I didn't know…I…" Xander tried to explain and apologize.

"She supposed to be retired…I don't understand why she is back. She and Corso were supposed to be married and retire to a farm…I guess she figured that farming is not for her; or Corso… I am sure she has a good reason."

"If you want to call her…" offered Xander.

"No, I know better than to interrupt her when she is on a mission." refused Clarisse, laughing.

"Marr is also on Rishi…I wonder…Maybe if they would work together, they would…" Xander started to think out loud.

"I don't think so!" Clarisse interrupted him. "Cleo does her best work alone. She does not play nice with others…I have been on a few missions with her, and she can be rather difficult to work with. I was only healing her, and even that was a challenge. She is so fast, and unpredictable, that it was hard to keep her in sight so I can heal her, shield her…Only her crew was on same page with her and they knew her next move…" explained Clarisse.

"Well, I am calling Marr. We are supposed to work together, if she has a problem with Sith she will have to deal with it," said Xander and dialed his friend's frequency.

In only seconds, the blue image of Darth Marr appeared and Clarisse felt a chill at his sight.

"Marr." saluted Xander, short and unofficial.

"Xander, what can I do for you?" answered Marr, just as casual.

"Tell me you have some news for me."

"I did have a couple of leads, but someone just blew away one of the munitions deposits…I am left with little hope. However, the remaining lead could be just as valuable," explained Marr, the few words explaining what he was confronted with.

"I might help you…Master Shan said that there is a Capitan Cleopathra D'arc there, and that she is making progress. Clarisse knows her, they are friends…Maybe you two could work together?"

"I have never heard of her." answered Marr.

"You should consider yourself lucky that you haven't crossed paths before the peace…" Clarisse finally spoke.

"Why is that?"

"I have told Xander…She is rather difficult to work with…She doesn't like taking orders…"

"Too bad, I am accustomed with giving them!" Marr interrupted her.

Clarisse smiled, seeing the resemblance between him Xander. No wonder they are friends, she thought.

"And she might not be overly happy to work with Sith…She is accustomed with killing them…" added Clarisse, putting her head down.

"She killed the weak ones. Do you know where I can find her?" came Darth Marr's question.

"No…But she is on Rishi…" said Xander.

"Just follow the bodies and the smoke trail…" said Clarisse, and she smiled, imagining her friend on Rishi wreaking havoc.

"I will do that then. Thank you for the tip!"

"May the force serve you well, my friend!" Xander concluded their conversation.

"You too, Xander! Marr out."

Xander turned to Clarisse after the transmission ended. She was just getting her ring back on and smiled in his direction when she saw his look.

"You really don't think that they could work together?" he asked lifting her in his arms and starting to walk towards their bedroom.

"It would take a miracle!" answered Clarisse, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Rishi was like a new home for Cleo; pirates, contraband, and guns everywhere you turned. The small town by the water offered plenty of distractions, but that afternoon, Cleo was furious. Her cover was blown and now she had to do it the hard way. She was hoping that, for once, just once, her negotiations would not turn as usual. But before she knew it, her blasters were doing the talking and almost a dozen pirates were dead. Her only option was to blow up the munitions depot, to avoid any complications. The phony weapons would be discovered sooner or later, and she could not afford that much of a setback. She was well away from the depot when she heard the explosion behind her. She didn't even look, just accelerated her small speeder back into town.

After a well-deserved and needed shower, she tossed away the pirate clothes that she has been using for her cover and took out her favorite clothes- the white leather suit. Once she was dressed, she looked in the mirror and smiled. Good to be back, she thought, and after checking her blasters one more time she walked out. She needed a drink…And a new plan…And maybe a second drink. The cantina was quiet, just a few pirates, some dancers in a corner and the pretty girl behind the bar. Cleo sat on one of the chairs and ordered her drink, looking around. First thing she noticed were the two exits, it was in her nature to look for exits as soon as she walked in anywhere. She smiled, remembering that she had done the same thing when she and Corso walked into the ranch they bought. The memory of Corso brought a shadow over her face and she took a sip from the drink that was placed in front of her. He is a good man…Too bad it didn't work out. I really wanted to retire and have a happy, quiet life. It just wasn't to be with him…That wasn't love, just desire, and when that was consumed, there was nothing left…We are always going to be friends, but that is all. Funny, I have never been friends with a man I slept with… a small chuckle escaped her and the pretty bartender looked over her shoulder in her direction. Cleo got herself together right away and took another look around, a new group of pirates made noise coming in through the door. She had been on her ship for couple of months, when Theron Shan from SIS contacted her. As soon as he mentioned Clarisse's name, he got her attention. Nobody messes with her friends and gets away with it, especially with Risse. She was the nicest, kindest person she knew. The world needed people like her, now even more than before the peace. Peace…I thought that I would be out of jobs when I heard the peace declaration. Turns out someone is still making waves…And threatening my friend! Cleopathra's brows changed shape and she grinned at the thought that her friend is in danger. One of the pirates came close to her and touched her shoulder, trying to grab her. In a fraction of a second, she twisted his arm behind him, making it turn into a position he didn't even know was possible.

"Touch me again, and your buddies will scrape your brains off the floor!" she growled in his ear. After another tight move that pulled his arm even more backwards and made him cry with pain, she pushed him away. The man rubbed his arm and walked to his group, swearing between thin lips and grinding his teeth.

"The woman is crazy! She almost broke my arm…" she heard him say to the rest of them, and she felt all of them looking at her back.

Cleo took another sip from her drink. At least my back looks good! They can see but not touch…" she thought and smiled into her glass. Now, back to my plan…Maybe I should just go with my initial plan; kill anyone in my way. That usually works well for me! But they are so many…And I don't have my crew anymore. I am all by myself…I have to come up with something…" Cleo called the bartender and ordered a caff; she needed her head clear and her hand steady. The music changed and some slow song was on now. Cleo looked over to the dancers and saw their sexy, luscious moves. Heh…Risha and I could teach those girls a few things. Risha, her majesty Queen Risha… Cleo smiled again and paid for her drink and the caff that was now in front of her. She was sitting at the end of the bar, and she looked again around the room. Hm…With all pirates around I was expecting it to be more busy. Kind of feels like my ship…Empty. Guss, Bow and Treek are all gone to their homes too. All I have left is that useless C2 unit. Cleo smile was hidden as she remembered how, for the time being, he was disabled after the confrontation they had before she landed on Rishi. That morning, she had been greeted by the droid as soon as she walked out of her cabin.

"Good morning, master Cleopa…"

"C2, shut up! I am not in the mood," she growled at the droid.

"Master, the cushions of your seats…"

"If I hear one more time that you fluffed up my cushions, I swear I am going to reverse engineer you!" she threatened the droid, coming close to him.

"Master, I am doing everything for you comfort and your…"

Cleo was already on the edge, and the threat that was over her dear friend Risse, had kept her tense and worried. She was in no mood to listen to the stupid droid.

"I told you to shut up, you worthless piece of scrap!" she yelled at him, and reaching behind the droid, she turned off the switch at the base of his head. "There! Now it's nice and quiet…And my stupid pillows are all fluffed!" she said and walked away to sit in her Capitan's chair.

Cleo's attention was immediately attracted by the new man that arrived into the cantina. He was a Sith, one she had knew to be one of the most dangerous of his kind, Darth Marr.

Darth Marr had started to look in every cantina since his earlier conversation with Xander. If there was someone on that planet that could provide valuable information or service, he had to find her. Since his arrival on Rishi, Darth Marr has been attracting attention everywhere, but he didn't care. He had to find Revan and stop his crazy plan. The locals were looking at him with curiosity and fear. Good! Their fear is my fuel" thought Marr from the second he felt it all around him. As soon as he walked in that place he noticed the white, platinum blonde hair pulled up into two pig tails. Next he noticed the girl's green, cat like eyes glancing over at him. She is definitely not a local…She looks more like a young girl, not a capable Capitan. I wander if this is a useless chase?" he thought, and walked to the bar. On his way he noticed her bright white leather suit fitting her tiny body like a glove and felt something shifting inside him. For one second, everyone in the room stopped talking, and looked at him with the same fear he was accustomed to, even the dancers stopped and then they continued their activities. The pretty bartender greeted him right away, and after a few words exchanged in a low whisper she nodded towards Capitan Cleopathra. Marr glanced at her again, then back to the bartender, and after ordering a room for the night, he start walking towards Cleo.

"Are you Capitan Cleopathra D'arc?" came his question, and Cleo was surprised by his voice.

"Go away, old man!" she tried to dismiss him. He sure could teach a thing or two about how to wear your armor right she thought for herself and Theron's image came into her mind. The man has been trying to charm her for almost two years, when they first met. He was so not her type. Way too skinny and sleek, she remembered thinking for herself. The Sith in front of her was his opposite.

"What makes you think I am old?" he asked her.

"Your voice. And you are probably ugly too, since you hide your face," continued Cleo, having fun with pushing people's buttons in general.

"You have insulted me twice in one breath…"

"You care to go for a third?" she interrupted him provocatively.

"If we weren't in a truce, you would be dead, little girl," he growled at her on a tone that was supposed to be frightening.

Cleo looked up at him with squinting eyes. For a second she regretted that she could not see his face. His mask, with all those horizontal strips of durasteel and one that seemed to be some tinted glass where his eyes would have been, completely covered him.

"If there wasn't peace, you would not be standing here!" Cleo answered, and instinctively she touched one of her two blasters.

Marr caught her gesture right away. "Don't even think about it!" he said. "Master Clarisse told me that you are here. Starting now, you work with me!"

He got her attention when he mentioned her friend's name, but his tone rubbed her the wrong way and she didn't shy away from letting him know. "Listen, old man…Unless I am naked in your bed, I am not taking orders from you! I do not take any orders from anyone! You got that?" she asked him on a lowered tone, leaning towards him, like she had just told him the biggest secret in the world.

Marr lifted a brow behind his mask and involuntarily imagined her in his bed. Behind the safety of his mask, he smiled for the first time in a very long time. Now this is getting interesting…This little beast needs some taming!, he decided in his mind and shook his head.

"And don't even dream about getting me in your bed, I don't do ugly, old or cowards!" added Cleo, noticing his surprise and deciding to put him in his place.

"Did you just call me a coward?" he growled this time at her, and his saber hummed to life in his right hand.

"Hey! You two kill each other outside!" intervened the bartender, holding a rifle towards Marr.

He looked at her and then at the Capitan. When he noticed the grin on Cleo's face, he followed her eyes only to see the red tiny dot on his chest, right over his heart. Next he saw the blaster in her hand. Any conversation and movement in the cantina came to a dead stop, even the music. For a few seconds all that Cleo could hear were her own heartbeats. He was not the first Sith she would kill…And most probably not the last one either…she surprised herself thinking. Marr was the first to control himself and put his saber away. The bartender lowered her rifle, the music start playing and everyone got back to what they were doing before.

"Risse is a good friend, and is only because of her, that I am willing to work with you…Not for you!" Cleo was the first one to talk while she put her blaster away.

"Not because there is peace?" Marr's sarcasm flew in the air towards Cleo.

"Do I look to you like I give a womp rat's ass about it?" she asked him on the same tone.

For a few more seconds they just looked at each other. Cleo really wished she could have seen his face, his eyes…Darn it! This is not going to be good…I need to see people's faces to know what they think…I am at disadvantage here. I need to be careful she thought, mentally weighting the man in front of her.

She is definitely different from anyone I know…She didn't even blink when I pulled my saber. Hm…Maybe I really should tame her. She would look good in my bed, he thought and then turned to Cleo.

"So, what will have, Captain?"