(A/N) Please R and R, let me know what you think :)
She was awake, but her eyes were still closed, something keeping her in that state of almost awake, when the night still exits simply because the morning has not been allowed to arrive. She conscious of what she could feel; a whole cocoon of warmth wrapped around her in the blankets of her bed, the soft fabric of sheets under her body, the rising and falling of the bed (which she had determined was not the bed at all), a strong arm around her waist.
She blinked slowly, the room still dark. Everyday, she rose just as dawn was coming over the great city, it was a habit she had formed all of her life in the temple, but now, instead of the compulsion to move and begin getting ready for the day, she stayed still. She had no desire to shift from this spot, and even more so, she had no desire to wake the man who was still asleep beside her.
Her head rested on Dooku's chest, which moved up and down slowly in time with the deep breaths he was taking. She leaned back, shifting back to lay her head on her pillow, leaving her leg entwined with his. He was peaceful in sleep, a lot to say for how the past few months had treated him. She trailed soft fingers over a thick white scar that seemed to cut all the way across the plane of his chest, some old injury that it pained her to thick of the origins of. He had other scars as well, smaller, some of them new from his last missions, others almost disappeared with age from his time as a young Padawan.
His serious face was at last fully relaxed, and she smiled at the memory of his smiles at her the night before as his hands traced over her skin and held her in tight embraces. She smiled at the thought of the gentle words he had almost whispered to her as they were falling asleep, at the sentiments as he pressed another kiss to her cheek before falling asleep with an arm wrapped around her.
She closed her eyes again, letting thin, watery light seep in under the curtains, lighting the room naturally. She wasn't sure of his sleep cycle, not wanting to wake him too early, especially when he had had so little time to rest. Instead, she pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, deciding that if she was going to be late to the archives, today would be the day for it.
She had just settled, her eyes closed again, a hand pressed against his chest, when she felt him move. He turned, her eyes watching him with a small smile, to face her, his chest pressing against hers, his arm sliding further around her waist. He blinks at her, and she takes in his face now that he is awake. His hair, and she remembers running her fingers through it, twisting the ends of it in her hands, feeling it pressed against her cheek as he kissed her neck, is ruffled from its usual stagnant place. His eyes, still dark, are warm with life. With what she thinks might be affection. Wither perhaps something even stronger. She knows it in fact, he said it to her the night before while they were in the throes of passion, but now that it is morning, she thinks it might have been a product of the moment and her Jedi mentality had come back to her in full force.
"Good morning," She said softly, as if that might break the spell they seem to be under. She trials gentle fingers against the corner of his eye, and he closes his eyes, pressing a soft kiss to her wrist.
"Indeed." He finally says, and suddenly flips them to where he face is hovering over his, her hair tickling at the edge of his face. He grins up at her, actually grins, sliding hands over her sides and back before curling long fingers on her hips. She shudders slightly, turning it into a slight brush against him, every memory of the night before coursing through her. "It was a good night as well."
She was suddenly very conscious of the fact that neither of them had clothes on, that she was a burning to do this again, her body was yearning for him again; but she had obligations for the day. But first, she leaned down to kiss him, a hand running through her hair as he pulled her close.
She pulled back, holding herself above him and moved to get out of the bed. He held her wrist for a moment, letting the blanket fall off of them as he sat up, watching her as she stood. "Do you have to leave?"
"The Order awaits." She said, and his grip on her loosened, but she felt his eyes follow her as she went to the Refresher. She wouldn't have time for a shower, but a slight freshening up would have to be enough. When she was finished, she could hear him shuffling around in her room, quietly, and she stepped out in her robe to find him clothed everywhere below the waist, including his boots. She took a moment to look over his body again, seeing all of the scars from years of combat that were covered by his thin layer of black hair.
"Are you alright, Jocasta?" How many times had he said her name last night? How many whispers, groans had it blended with? She smiled at thought, but she could feel genuine concern coming from him, not her intention on this morning at all. She stepped to him, relieved to see him match her step for step, his tunic forgotten for a moment on the bed. She laced her fingers with his, letting them dangle together at the side of where they were pressed together.
"I am more than alright." She said, lifting a hand to stroke his back as he looped an arm around her waist. "Why don't we have dinner tonight, Dooku?" She ran three fingers along his spine as she spoke, enjoying the small shudder that ran through her and the thrill that shot through her at the gesture.
"I have promised Qui-Gon we might eat tonight." His eyes trailed from hers to her neck, then down to the dip of her robe before he met hers again with a small blush. "Why don't you join us?"
"I expect you to cook something excellent." And she stepped back from him, going to the wardrobe to choose her outfit for the day, a plain ensemble reminiscent of every other member of the order. He had smiled at her teasing. She heard him shuffling around again, collecting his discarded belt and tying his tunic. When she glanced back, now the light of dawn giving the whole of the room a faint glow, he seemed almost an ethereal picture of what he had been last night; and she wondered how much they were really changed from this. Closer perhaps.
He smiled at her, before turning to leave and allow her to get herself ready for the day. "Dooku," She called after him, and he turned, eyebrows raised, his expression already going back to its normal, intense state. "You might want to consider fixing your hair."
He flashed her a smile, running a hand through it to push his hair off of his forehead as he stepped out in the hallway, the door shutting softly behind his back.