Chapter 9: What the?

The blinding flash and pain accompanying the memory of the explosion broke the hold whatever it was had over him, and Logan jerked away from Jaina. She looked shaken and startled but not confused, and he decided she must have some idea of what just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Logan demanded, his voice a low growl.

"Something unexpected," Jaina answered before shaking herself. She nodded toward the table, standing empty and deserted except for various glasses and Logan's mostly full bottle of whiskey marking it as taken. "I'll explain, but not here." She paused, and Logan watched her consider the rest of their little group still out on the dance floor enjoying the music as they worked off their dinners. "And to no one else."

Logan wasn't sure he liked leaving the others in the dark, but he wanted answers. He could always just tell them later if whatever she had to say turned out to be a potential threat. So, he nodded his consent to her terms, and too exhausted and rattled from whatever it was to continue dancing, they made their way to the table.

Once seated, Logan's hand made its way to the whiskey bottle almost of its own accord, and he poured himself another shot. He noticed Jaina's nostrils flair slightly as he returned the bottle to the table. Logan expected her to scorn his drinking and make some wisecrack about the smell, so he was caught off guard when she pulled the bottle in front of herself and began to pour another shot.

"Just what do ya think yer doin'?" he hissed, trying to take the booze away from her and not draw attention to them at the same time.

"Excuse me if I could use something with a little kick at the moment," she answered, scooting the bottle back toward Logan at the same time she leaned back, effectively moving her glass out of his easy reach.

"Yer under age."

He was already annoyed by what happened, and Jaina's decision to join him for a drink pushed him toward anger. But then she had to go and cock an eyebrow at him while smirking, and it pushed his blood pressure up another notch or two until he could feel his face growing slightly warm.

"Really?" she asked. "The laws are different where I come from." Logan fought back a growl at her apparent nonchalance as he watched her calmly contemplate the whiskey she was absently swirling in the small glass. She finally looked up at him again, cocking her head to the side as she considered something. "You think I can't handle alcohol?" Logan didn't answer, too busy grinding his teeth to keep from overacting enough to draw the chuk's attention. "When you're the child of a smuggler being trained by a former spy, you tend to spend a lot of time in dives and cantinas trying to blend in. I know my limits," and having said her piece, Jaina downed the shot and replaced the glass on the table before Logan recovered enough from his shock to argue.

"You tryin' to get me arrested?"

"Don't worry," she replied, shifting somewhat uneasily in her chair. "I don't plan on getting any more. My senses are on overload, and I just needed something to force them back down."

"Don't tell me that's what just happened," he demanded, leaning forward and keeping his voice as low as possible. Not an easy task considering he felt like ripping something apart at the moment. "Yer senses runnin' away with ya."

"Not exactly." She squirmed just a bit, and Wolverine couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching. Good, nervous people tended to talk.

"Then what exactly?"

"A mind merger?" Jaina whispered in a barely auditable squeak. Logan doubted he'd have been able to hear it if it weren't for his increased sense of hearing.

"You went pokin' around in my head?" Logan pushed. He was really starting to see red and didn't bother to keep the anger out of his voice. It would have been obvious how he felt with the snarl he was sporting anyway.

"It's not like I meant to," she shot back, "and you got inside my head too, you know."

"And just how did that happen? I know I didn't do it."

"It takes two to make that kind of connection," Jaina answered, leaning forward herself as the sheepish embarrassment seemed to drain away from her. "You can't blame me completely."

"And why not, darlin'?" Logan asked. "I certainly don't have those type of powers."

"How do you know? You all have a connection to the Force: you just haven't been trained how to tap into it."

Logan chuckled darkly, finally easing back into his chair and forcing himself to relax. "Why should I believe you?" he asked. "The only proof we have this Force thing even exists is your word, and the fact your powers can't be explained genetically."

"I can't supply you with any more proof," Jaina sighed. "We don't have proof it exists other than what our senses supply. Just know this, there has never been a recorded case of an event like this occurring between anyone but two force sensitives, and even then, it's a rare state that's difficult to attain."

Logan poured himself another and used the glass to hide a self-satisfied grin. He lowered the glass to the table before fixing Jaina with a hard stare as he asked, "Then how did you just happen to get inside my head by accident?"

"It's not without president for something like this to happen," she answered quietly. "The connection can form when intensely emotional situations send both parties into a Force induced trance." She paused, shifting position as her entire demeanor screamed unease. "Especially when physical contact is involved."

"Why's that?" Logan asked, one eyebrow creeping toward his hairline.

Jaina swallowed. "Close proximity seems to amplify innate ability for both parties."

"You sound like yer speakin' from personal experience."

"Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara rediscovered the phenomenon by accident," Jaina answered. "They were stuck on a hostile world by themselves, trapped back to back in the middle of a fight for their lives, when they both suddenly felt like they were sharing the same mind. It gave them what they needed to make it out of there alive." A haunted look ghosted across her features as she paused momentarily before continuing.

"My brothers and I were nearby when the Vong first entered our galaxy. We were all involved in the first full-scale battle of the war. Things weren't going well, and Jacen, Ani, and I decided to draw as many of the single fighters as we could into a nearby asteroid belt, hoping to pick 'em off one by one. Jedi are trained to use the Force to help guide them in battle, and we wound up falling into it so deeply that our minds connected. We fought perfectly in tandem, each feeding off the strengths of the others, and it allowed us to stay inside the asteroid field unharmed while the Vong fighters crashed one at a time until there were just none left."

"Now, I can see somethin' like that happnin' durin' a fight," Logan answered, leaning back in his chair and watching Jaina for any sign she wasn't telling him everything. "But we weren't exactly fightin.'"

"I don't think it matters what causes the connection," she returned. "Just that both people give themselves over to the Force."

Logan sighed, one hand rubbing at the rough stubble along his jaw as he thought about what to say next. "Okay," he began finally, "let's just say you got all connected to this Force, wouldn't you still have needed me ta do the same for this thing to work?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"I don't have a connection to yer Force," he reiterated. "So, how'd it happen unless you initiated it?"

"Look," Jaina snapped, springing forward in her seat and poking the table for emphasis. "I didn't even realize I'd slipped into a trance until the link was made." Her breath heaved in a sigh, and she dropped her head into her hands. "I identified with something in the music. It came to dominate my thoughts, and before I knew it, I was entranced." Logan swallowed when Jaina's gaze slowly rose to meet his. "Could the same have happened to you?"


Author's Note / Disclaimer: I neither encourage nor condone underage drinking. In fact, I'm not big on the whole booze issue. It's by and large very bad for your health. However, the laws governing both worlds cannot be assumed to be the same, and it seemed to fit with the character and scene.