Tiffani Amber Thiessen as Jedi Knight Tifa Lockheart, yes I know that's the same name as the FF7 character, but I'm as bad at coming up names as description.

Jessica Alba as Jedi Padiwan Max Porter, Max being her name from Dark Angel and Porter, well that's just a last name I always use.

Dark Lords

Chapter 10: Three Months Later

It has been three months since Buffy, Xander and Spike left Coruscant and came to Dantoonie. Some things have gone smoothly and some not. The day after they first got here, Buffy and Xander learn about the different Jedi's and which they were. Basically, there are three different types of Jedi; Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, and Jedi Sentinel.

A Jedi Guardian battles against the forces of evil and the dark side. They focus on combat training and masterful use of the lightsaber. The Guardian is usually the first line of defense against a rampaging enemy. The Jedi Consular seeks to bring balance to the universe. They focus less on physical combat and more on mental disciplines in order to augment their mastery of the force. The Jedi Sentinel ferrets out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light. They strike a balance between the physical and mental disciplines of the Jedi Order.

Buffy and Xander didn't get to choose their type, apparently they had some sort of inner markings that indicated their class. Buffy, to no surprise, was a Jedi Guardian; Xander, to his surprise, was a Jedi Sentinel.

After learning what class they each were under, they were assigned personal teachers. Buffy was assigned to Mace Windu, which she thought was pretty cool. Even if he wasn't Samuel L Jackson, it was still kind of like hanging with the famous actor.

Xander's teacher also looked like someone from back home. Her name was Tifa Lockheart and she looks like Tiffani Amber Thiessen.

This didn't sit to well with Buffy because she knew that Xander had a childhood crush on Tiffani Thiessen and along with her good looks, Jedi Lockheart had a sparkling personality too. However, Buffy trusts Xander and knew that all those feelings were just typical jealously. Truth was, things between her and Xander were wonderful. Even though they had to keep their relationship on the down low.

In the category of celebrity look alike, it didn't just ended with their teachers. Xander and Buffy had met and befriended another Jedi student which also had a famous face. Jedi Padiwan Max Porter looks exactly like Jessica Alba. One of Xander's favor shows, Dark Angel, he pointed out that she had the same first name as Alba's character on the show.

As far as the academy on Dantoonie, it was a secret academy and it wasn't. This was a little confusing to the gang at first, but it was explained to them. It wasn't a secret because everybody knew it was there, but what everybody didn't know was that it was an academy for Padiwan with exceptional powers and talents, that is were the secret came in. Everyone on the outside thought it was just another Jedi academy like the one on Coruscant.

This prompted a question from Buffy; she asked why Anakin wasn't here because from what she heard he was supposed to be some soon to be all powerful Jedi. The answer she got back for Windu was some muttering about how not everyone trust or believes in Anakin. Buffy decided not to push further.

Dantoonie was a beautiful planet as was the academy. It was a great place for finding your center, but for Spike that wasn't the case, for him it was too quite. With all the excitement slowing down, he couldn't fight the pain all to well. The pain that came with having your soul restored and remembering all your past sins.

It was about one week after they arrived that Spike really stared to have a break down. But then the same Republic Commandos that saved Spike back on Geonisis stopped by as they were passing threw on a mission. They remembered Spike and how he put on one hell of a fight against the Sith lady. They mentioned that he would make a great commando and if he would take some quick training, there was a spot on their squad for him.

Due to the fact that the peace and quite was getting to him, Spike jumped on the opportunity. However, Buffy didn't like the idea of Spike leaving. She believed that they all needed to stay together in case a way home was found; plus she didn't like the fact he was going to war and could get hurt. Not the he needed her permission; Spike decided he needed to convince her it was okay. After a long discussion with her about how he needed to do something other then stand around and watch her and Xander train; and how he needs to do something to make him feel like he was making up for all the bad he did in the past, Buffy reluctantly agreed. Two days, later, Spike was gone.

XANDER'S FEELINGS

Xander's morning began with a workout with his master that included a long run around the lake. He then bathed, and was now going to join Buffy and Max for lunch in the arboretum.

Life was good right now for him despite being lost in space. The girl he's loved from the first day he laid eyes on her loves him back, and they were doing great despite having to keep their relationship on the down low. Plus he was learning about powers he never knew he had.

The only thing in his life that was so so, and could be better was his relationship with his sister. Xander hadn't seen his sister since coming to Dantoonie, there was only back and forth communications and text communications at that. Padme would tell him how things are going on Naboo, what she's been up to, how she misses him and will come and visit the first chance she gets. Xander's responses were basically the same. He would tell her about Dantoonie, his training and how he hopes to see her soon. Xander couldn't tell if she was still upset about his decision to come here because she never writes about it and of course, he never brings it up. However he knew they would have to deal with it in time because she had been upset when he told her his decision three months ago.

But besides that, things were good and Xander was reminded of that as he walks into the arboretum and sees the woman who owns his heart, Buffy. She was sitting at a bistro across from their friend Max. They both had bowels filled with fruit salads, but had an extra one Buffy had gotten for Xander and was saving it for him.

Buffy had a smile on her face as she was taking with Max, but her smile grew bigger when she saw Xander and waves him over. Not to keep a woman waiting, especially the woman of his dreams, Xander hurries on over.

BUFFY'S CONFUSION

Buffy hadn't had a nightmare since coming to Dantoonie three months ago. She was learning to focus a great power inside of her. She was in a loving relationship with a wonderful man. Plus she and Xander had become close friends with another student, Jedi Padwan Porter. So why did she have this uneasy feeling, a feeling like things were going to turn out bad.

Buffy had pondered this question and come up with several reasons, all which could be mixing together. First, her bogyman was still out there, waiting for her. How long will it be before she has to go face him or he comes looking for her?

Second, she was worried about Spike, he had decided to go off and play war, a decision she didn't like. She understood he had problems, but it just seems to her that he was running from them and not facing them. Running in a way that could get him hurt. Buffy was afraid that one day she was going to get the news that Spike was killed in battle…or unkilled or whatever. Basically one day she would get a delivery of his ashes.

Third, and probably the least, because in a way, Buffy knew this was just jealousy, there was Xander's teacher, Jedi Knight Tifa Lockheart. Student's usually call the Knights that are assigned to them Master, but Xander and Buffy weren't' going for that, so they called them teacher, even if Windu was a master; Lockheart and Windu were okay with it. But back to the current topic, Lockheart. She was beautiful, young, and had a cheerful personality to match. To add to it, she looked like the TV star in which Xander had a childhood crush on. Of course, Buffy knew this was a simple case of jealously due to the fact that Xander was spending so much time with her. And she knew Xander wouldn't cheat on her, he had her trust; also Lockheart seems like a nice and honorable person. Like Max, she knew about her relationship with Xander and was okay with it and keeping it secret. So this was a case of simple jealousy, it just didn't help that it added a little weigh to her other feeling.

Despite all of this, Buffy couldn't understand why she couldn't deal with all of this and get her center. The training she was receiving was making her more powerful, so the next time she faced her bogyman; she would or should be able to match up to him. She was in a secret location, so he couldn't find her and if he did, there was an army of Jedi her with her to fight him, plus all the other security. As for Spike, he was a grown man and could take care of himself. If anything, he could teach those commandos a thing or two. And Xander, well like before, she trusts him and him and had a growing trust for Lockheart.

So there were many ways that showed her uneasiness was nothing, but still she couldn't shake it.

As Buffy was sitting in the arboretum talking to Max, she saw Xander. Instantly, the smile on her face grew larger. If there was one person that made her feel better despite all the confusion, it was the man that she loved.

She waves him over, and after he took a seat next to her, she passes him the extra bowl of fruit salad she picked up for him.

"How was your workout?" Buffy asked

"It was tiring and aching" Xander answered

"Well, I have to admit, your starting to get some nicely toned muscles" Buffy said with a sexy smile

Xander response with a sexy smile "Well, remind me to flex for them for you later"

MAX"S FEAR

Unlike most of the Padiwans here, Max was brought to this academy at an even younger age then usual.

The academy on Dantoonie was for force wielders that stuck out above others, but most they still start out on Coruscant first. However Max was different, she barely spent any time at Coruscant. In fact she only spent a few days there before being brought to the academy on Dantoonie. The reason being was that she stuck out above those who stuck out above others.

First, the force came natural to her and she learned quickly. Second, and this was the most important, she had the rare force ability of Battle Meditation. Very few Jedi's have that ability and none of them are students. Plus the few that do have it, it didn't come to them as natural and at such young age as Max. As for what Battle Meditation was, it was the force ability to increase the confidence and courage of the troops on your side during a battle and also put doubt and destroy the confidence of the enemy troops. The range of this ability varies from those who can use it. Now this might not seem like much, but who has the more confidence can greatly turn the tide of battle in your favor. There was also the fact that a majority of CIS troops were droids, but there was some organics, so this ability was still helpful in this war.

Her special ability aside, Max excelled at all other areas of becoming a Jedi; she was the top of her class. Now to say that Jedi's don't get jealous, well they must not mean the students, because in a school of over achievers, there was a lot of jealous towards Max's natural talents with the force. This lead to her being singled out, and shunned by the other students, the only friend she had was her master. This didn't stop her from giving it her best in training, but it did leave her with feeling alone.

The day, three months ago, when Buffy and Xander arrived, at first she saw them as two Padiwans that will shun her too, so she didn't even bother greeting them, because that's how it always goes, new students arrive, the other students tell them about her, and just more people that don't want to be around her. So when she saw the other students talking to Buffy and Xander and even point her way while talking to them, she just expected more of the same. However, it didn't happen that way, and she was completely surprised when the two of them asked to sit with her during lunch. She didn't know what to say, she just nodded her head, and they sat down and introduced themselves. At first, for a moment, she thought that this was going to be some sort of cruel joke being played on her, and at any moment the punch line at her expense was going to come, but it never came, and at the end of the day, she suddenly realized that she had possible friends. And that's what they became, because the next day, they spent time with her and also the next day and the next and so on.

She didn't know too much about them, just that according to Mace and Tifa, they were lost Jedi's and were from Naboo, something she would learn later was a cover story for who they really are. A cover story, that Mace and Tifa made up for them.

Being her friend did come at a cost for Buffy and Xander, the other students weren't happy that they choose her over them, so they ended up being shunned just like her. This was not lost to Max, and she wondered why they choose her over everyone else. Two weeks after they arrive, one morning Buffy and Max were walking to a training session together, Max saw one of the students give Buffy an angry stare as they walked by and at that point Max decided to ask Buffy why she was her friend. At first, Buffy gave Max a confused look and asked "What kind of question is that?"

Max had to know and simple responded by saying "I'm the outcast here, don't tell me you didn't know"

Buffy smiled warmly back and said "You're not an outcast, you're the coolest person here; in fact you're the only cool person here. As far as the rest of the padiwans, their all a bunch of jerks, you shouldn't worry about what they think"

Max didn't completely know what 'coolest person' meant but she did know it meant something good so after hearing Buffy's answer, she realized that she really did have what she's always wanted, a friend, in fact she had two friends, Xander also. Max had never been happier.

Max found out about Buffy and Xander's little secret about a month and a half ago. She accidentally caught them kissing at Lake Emerson. They were both a little worried when she saw them, but Max was quick to tell them that they had nothing to worry about, she wasn't going to tell for two reasons. First she didn't think the council had a right to tell a Jedi who they can date, and second she thought it was great that they were together because it seem so right.

Buffy and Xander were really happy that they could trust Max with their secret, so the next day, they decided to tell her everything, from where they are from and to why and how they ended up here. Max was touch that they trusted her enough to tell her and she promised not to tell anyone else.

Max couldn't have asked for better friends, Buffy was always nice and full of confidences and Xander was always going out of his way to make her laugh, especial if she felt down. Also, she felt some sort of connection to Buffy; that she couldn't fully explain, it was almost like a bond forming with her, of course she never had friends before so it was probably just some sort of bond formed between close friends. So when her master gave her a bit of info this morning, she was starting to become filled with fear. Her master told her that she would soon be made a full Jedi Knight. This means she would leave the academy and have to leave her friends. Her master didn't give her an exact date, he just said soon.

All Max ever really wanted was friends and now that she has two really great friends, she didn't want to give them up.

She told Buffy about her become a Knight soon and Buffy was really happy for her and said that she was going to be the 'most ass kicking Jedi out there'. Again, Max wasn't completely sure what she meant but knew it was compliment.

With Buffy so happy for her, she didn't tell her about her fear. Shortly after telling her, Xander joined them and they carelessly began to flirt, forgetting that this wasn't the best place to do it.

Xander responses to Buffy with a sexy smile "Well, remind me to flex them for you later"

Max loved seeing Buffy and Xander together, but sometimes they got a little careless and she would have to remind to be careful "Uh, this isn't a safe place to be doing that"

Xander and Buffy realize what she is talking about and both get a little embarrassed.

Buffy says to Max "Oh, sorry Max" Buffy then remembers news that Max just told her "Hey, should you tell him the good news or should I"

Max gives a faint smile and says "You can tell him"

Xander starts to get curious "Tell me what?"

"Guess who will be graduating to Jedi Knight soon" Buffy said

Xander looks at Max and smiles "Max"

Max nods back

Xander was ecstatic "That's great, and it's about time, you were long overdue"

First Buffy and now Xander was happy for her, how could she tell them about her fears. However she didn't have to, Buffy senses that she isn't as happy about it as they were.

Buffy had a worried expression as she says "You're afraid"

Max wanted to deny it but couldn't "Your Jedi senses serve you well"

"Not so much Jedi senses, more like woman's intuition" Buffy responses "So tell me, what's wrong"

Max wanted to answer, but there was something inside her holding her back, so Xander asks "Is it the fear of going to war, because what I've heard, every mission you've gone on with your teacher was a big success, so you'll be okay…hell, you'll be great and kicking machine ass"

"No it's not that" Max said "Well, maybe a little bit of that, but mainly…I can't acknowledge this, you know what they teach us about fear"

"What, that fear leads to the dark side" Buffy says "Look, let me tell you something, the Jedi think they have it all right, but they don't. Now, yes, you shouldn't let fear control you, but you shouldn't pretend it's not there or it will just end up controlling you anyways. Our fears are apart of who we are and if you don't acknowledge them, you'll end up doing something stupid, so talk girl; tell us what's bothering you"

"It's kind of…humiliating"

"We're you friends, you can tell us anything"

Max loves the way Buffy thinks, it wasn't quite Jedi like, but it wasn't Sith like either, it was somewhere in between. Which is probably why she was, untrained in the ways of the force as she was, able to defeat a Count Dooku, a Sith Lord. Well that and the fact she's a slayer. Of course, in order to hide her from a certain Sith, no one else here, besides Mace and Tifa, knew she was the one who beat Dooku. "I'm afraid…of losing you and Xander"

Buffy was confused "Losing us…how so?"

"When I become a Knight, I'll be leaving Dantoonie, and you two are the only friend I have…I ever had"

"Oh Max" Buffy says as she gets up and moves her seat next to Max. She hugs Max and says "Just because you're leaving Dantoonie, doesn't mean you'll lose us as friends, we'll always be friends"

"Yeah, we'll always be your friends" Xander said "Plus, just because all the students here are jerks, doesn't mean everyone else in the galaxy is too. I'm sure you've notice that on all the missions you've gone on"

"They were all official missions, not exactly the opportunity to get to know people" Max responded "But I guess you're right"

"Of course I'm right, there're plenty of cool people out there like us, my sister Padme for example. I'll introduce you to her the first chance I get"

"Besides, you haven't gotten a date yet" Buffy said "Your teacher said soon, but it could still be weeks"

Max smiles at the two of them "You're right…you're both right"

"Of course we're right" Xander said with a cocky smirk "Now we need to celebrate you becoming a Jedi Knight…I mean soon to be Jedi Knight, now I'm thinking we all go see the GWF show tomorrow"

"GWF? What's that" Buffy asked

"It's the Galactic Wrestling Federation" Xander answered "I'm thinking it's like the WWE back home but more on a galaxy level. Their coming to Dantoonie to do a few shows and the first one is tomorrow in Khoonda"

"I heard its all fake" Max said

"Then it's a lot like the WWE" Xander replied

"Well, I'm not much for wrestling, but I'm game" Buffy said

"Well…I guess I'm…game too" Max said

"Cool" Xander says "Now, all we need is some credits to buy tickets"

AND WHAT ABOUT SPIKE

There are many on the Republic Council that thought with the death of Dooku, the fight would be taken out of the Separatist, but they were quickly proven wrong. They quickly got a new leader and struck back hard. Luckily, with the clone troopers deployed, the Republic was able to hold out against the many offensive attack, but it did prove that this was going to be a long war and now just a quick one.

Spike had never plan to get involved in it, but he never planned to get his soul back. Things never seem to work out as plan and usually he would loves that, but this time was different, he was a different person.

Spike hide below the swampy water in his storm trooper commando armor as the battle droid unknowingly and slowly advances position.

He was currently a member of a special elite commando squad and this was his first mission, they we're on the planet Gradius, a planet with no special military advantage but, it did contain tons of valuable resources. That's why the two sides were currently fighting for it. His squad's mission was to sneak behind enemy lines and take out a senor array, giving the Republic troops the advantage of surprise. The mission started out uneventful until they came across a rather large patrol, they were going to try and separate the patrol up and take them out, but unfortunately the squad got separated in the process.

As the battle droid entered the water, the water only came up to its waist, if you could call it a waist, however it still wasn't close enough for Spike to strike. As it came closer to Spike, looking for him, Spike wondered why these things didn't come equip with some sort of life sensor device but if it did, would he even show up on one. The droid finally got close to Spike and he made his move. Spike pop out his wrist blade and sprung out from the water and hit the battle droid with an upward strike. The blade hooked up under the droid's chest plate and Spike ends up picking the droid off its feet and into the air. Spike pulls his blade out and the droid falls on its back. Spike was quickly on it and plunges his blade into the battle droid's head.

Spike pulls his blade out of the droid's head. The blade retracts into the armor and Spike takes off his helmet. He watches the dead droid sink into the water and wonders if it could be counted as dead because was it ever alive. Sure he's seen droids with personalities, like R2 and C-3PO, and he's heard that some owns even get their droids memory wiped from time to time to keep personalities from forming because it can usually cause problems, but does that mean their alive.

"That was amazing" Fixer, one of his squad members, says as he walks into view "But you know, you could have just shot him, but then you wouldn't be call 'Blade'"

Blade was his nickname because he preferred using his wrist blades and was extremely skillful with them. Spike also had a vibrosword strap to his back. Fixer wasn't the other ones nickname, he was clone just like the other clone troops and that was the name given to him, a name that matches his skill.

"The Commander wants us to rally at point in this direction" Fixer point behind him

"Just lead the way" Spike said as he puts his helmet back on. Spike's armor was the same commando style white trooper armor like the rest of his squad, but his helmet had a yellow stripe on it, just like Fixer had a green one. Yellow wasn't Spike first choice, but red was already taken.

As Spike was following Fixer, he asks "Do you think any of those tin cans got a distress call off?"

"No, I jammed their signal" Fixer answers "But their HQ will be wonder what happen to their patrol, so we're going to have to move quicker"

LATER THAT NIGHT, UNDER A BLUE MOON

About once a week, and sometimes two, which was one more then they should considering they need to keep quite about their relationship, Buffy and Xander would seek out to Lake Emerson to spend the night there under the stars. Laying on a blanket with nothing but a lantern and sometime a little something to eat and drink, the two of them would spend the night talking and staring up at the nighttime sky.

Xander loved doing this, because there was nothing better then waking up in the morning with the woman he loves cuddled up next to him and they couldn't do it back at the academy because they couldn't risk being discovered by the others. However there was a part of him, a very small part, that was slow driven nuts by this, because he was always this close without being close, that right, they hadn't done the deed yet. Xander wasn't the type of guy to bug her about it, but he did asked her when they were going to a few weeks back in a sensitive way or at least as sensitive as he could be. Buffy simply smile back and explain to him that she wanted to take things slowly and she would let him know when she was ready and since then he hasn't brought it up.

Tonight as they lay together, they were doing something they do almost every night they were out here, trying to guess which star was home. Of course they couldn't know which star was the right one, for all they knew, it was none of them.

"Maybe it's that one" Xander said as he points to a star

"No I bet it's that one" Buffy points to another

"How much?" Xander jokily asked

"10 dollars"

"Don't you mean credits, they use credits here"

"Oh right" Buffy was quite for a second before bring up something that's been on her mind since lunch "You know, I'm a little worried about Max"

"I know what you mean"

"You do?"

"Yeah, you're worried about how she never had any friends until she meant us and now she's about to become a knight and she worried about losing us, so we tell her we'll still be friends no matter what, but we're not sure what's going to happen when we find our way home"

"That about sums it up"

"Well, all Max needs is to meant other people outside the school, which reminds me, I got letter from Padme earlier this afternoon, and she said she's coming to visit in two days, I'll introduce her to Max"

Buffy smiles "That's great" and then adds "But you didn't think to bring that up until now"

"It seemed like the right moment" Xander said

"Why don't you sound happy about her coming?" Buffy asked

"Padme and I still haven't talked about what happen between us on Coruscant" Xander answered

"Oh" Buffy said "Do you think she's bring it up"

"I don't know, I guess I'll find out when she gets here"

"Would you like to change the subject?" Buffy asked

"Yeah, I would" Xander answered

Buffy thinks of something else and says "You think Willow has rebuild the robot me to take care of the slaying action yet"

"No, I think they've busted Faith out"

Buffy was surprise to hear that "You can't be serious"

"No, I am, if fact I was for that when you were dead…I didn't like the whole Buffybot idea"

"Because she reminded you of me"

"Not ready, I just found it disrespectful to you and all you'd done" Xander pauses for a moment "But I can see where she was necessary…plus I was out voted"

"You call it she"

"What?"

"You call the Buffybot, she"

"Well, I guess it's because I've been hanging around all these droids"

Buffy smiles "No, I think it's because you're changing"

Xander rolls his eyes "What makes you think I've changed"

Buffy rest her chin on Xander's chest and look up at him "Well, a few days ago, I said 'I hope Spike's okay' and then you said 'I hope he's okay too'"

"If you're talking about how I didn't like Spike before, it's different now, he has a soul"

"Hey, hold on, a soul didn't seem to matter when it came to Angel"

"Well, huh, I guess…it does matter now, maybe I've changed after all" Xander said "And there is something else"

"What's that?" Buffy asked

"I have you" Xander said and then realizes how it sounds because he and Angel kind of fought over her "I mean having you has made me a better person and all"

Buffy raises herself up and position her face right above his, her lips only inches from his. With a serious and loving look, she says "Yes, you do have me" she then locks lips with him, giving him a long and tender kiss.

TBC

Next Chapter: I decided to due something cool with Spike's dead force powers, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out what. Also, if you're a John Cena fan, there are certain parts of the next chapter you're not going to like, sorry, I'm an anti-Cena.