Eliziya gripped a steaming cup of hot chocolate while she stared at the computer screen. For the past hour she'd been going through seemingly endless files on the Jedi and the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. It seemed like Master Skywalker was looking to build a new Order, similar to the one that existed years ago. She tried keeping to general and historical files, thinking it best to read through articles without the journalists' personal opinion. Eliziya knew first-hand what it was like to deal with biased people.
All in all, the Jedi seemed to be an interesting group. There wasn't anything evil or dangerous about them – unless you counted those who went rogue, dark or Sith. But that only happened, what? Once every fifty years or so?
Eliziya set her cup aside and took a deep breath. So far she was pretty satisfied with the information on the Jedi and she could put her mind at ease. They certainly didn't seem like the good-for-nothing beings her mother had always made them out to be. According to the files, the Jedi would risk their lives to save another. They would die for a cause they believed in. They had died for causes they believed in. It was rather impressive, really. Selfless and compassionate yet lethal if the need arose.
Sitting back, Eliziya rubbed her chin. Was Kyp like this as well? Would he risk his life to save others, to help them in need?
She knew the answer already. She felt it humming through her skin.
Yes. He would.
Her fingers hovered above the keyboard as she blankly stared at the screen. All she had to do was type in his name. If she was lucky she might actually get a few hits but…was it really the right thing to do?
It felt wrong to check up on him like this. General info on the Jedi was absolutely fine but literally spying on a person over the net?
Yet something told her that there was much more to him than met the eye. The right thing to do was to let him tell her what he wanted to tell her. But damn her curiosity, she wanted to know. How long had he been a Jedi? When did he find out that he could use the Force? Had he seen battles? Had he had to kill?
Endless questions bombarded her mind. Eliziya rubbed her brows, pushed away from her desk.
Kyp had said that there was more she needed to know. If that was the case, then she would let Kyp tell her. It felt horribly wrong going behind his back like this and if she wanted to make this work with him – which she did – she was going to have to trust him.
Anyway, whatever he had to tell couldn't be all that bad.
Eliziya stood, headed to her bedroom. She changed into more comfortable clothes, loose fitting pants and a simple top and hurriedly bound her hair together at the back of her head. She stood in front of the mirror for a long while. What did Kyp see in her? Just a woman to spend some time with while on planet or something more? Was she just a distraction for him?
Frowning, Eliziya pushed the thoughts to the farthest regions of her mind and took a deep breath, trying on a smile. Definitely better than the frown that made her look five years older.
Watch out for those wrinkles, dear…
Slowly her fingers wandered to the hem of her shirt. She pulled it up, turned to the side and looked at the scar marring her skin. So many years had passed since Sevastian had died and yet it still hurt to be reminded. She hadn't talked about the scar or her brother in a long time and whenever the topic came up, she would avoid it at all costs.
But maybe it was time finally open up about it. Maybe it was time to finally tell the whole truth.
Because eventually her secret would eat her up alive.
Turning away from the mirror with a sigh on her lips, Eliziya went to the kitchen and started opening cabinets in search of something decent to eat. Her eyes caught onto the half empty pack of cookies and before she knew it, a bright smile split her face.
Kyp liked cookies. Well…from now on she'd make sure to always have cookies in the house.
One night…just one more night until it was time to leave for who knew how long. Standing on the platform of a lift tube, Kyp touched the back of his head to the wall and listened to the quiet humming as the lift ascended. The knot in his stomach had turned into one big heavy stone. He felt sick just thinking about having to leave when he wanted to stay with Eliziya.
When he was with her, he felt free. Finally, he felt like he could be himself without having to hide. And he loved the feeling.
One more night.
When the lift stopped and the doors parted, Kyp stepped out into a darkened corridor. Six doors down to his left and he reached his destination. Eliziya was at home, he could feel her. How strange…her Force presence was strong as ever and he could read her emotional state like an open book, even this far away.
He closed his eyes and imagined her presence like a rainbow colored sphere. Everyone else in his vicinity seemed pale compared to her; there were blues and greens, reds and whites but nothing near as beautiful and bright as Eliziya's presence.
His lips lifted into a smile as he touched the door chime. It opened a moment later and he found he couldn't breathe as his eyes settled on the most beautiful woman to ever walk into his life. She smiled at him as she stepped aside to let him in but for a moment that felt like an eternity, he couldn't move. Time stood still. The world, the universe – it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not the mission, not the past, not the Jedi…absolutely nothing mattered.
Kyp reached out and took her hand into his. His fingers trembled as he raised her hand to his lips. He breathed in her scent as he kissed her knuckles. Stars, he was nervous all of a sudden. And he didn't know why. All this while it had been so easy, so simple to be around her but now he found he could barely think straight.
He looked at her but never let go of her hand. Eliziya pulled him into her home, her smile so warm that it made his skin tingle in the most peculiar way.
What the hell was wrong with him?
"You okay?" She asked. "You look sick."
Kyp laughed, shaking his head. Strands of hair fell into his face, tickling his nose. When the door swished closed behind him, Kyp pulled her close. She was flush against his chest and it seemed like such a perfect, seamless match. His arms went around her waist and he dipped his head forward, kissing the side of her neck. Force, she smelled so wonderful. He slid his lips upward behind her ear, nibbled at her lobe while his fingers found their way underneath the shirt she wore.
A soft moan escaped her throat; she tilted her head to the side. Kyp kissed his way down her shoulder, gently sliding the straps of her top down her arm. He closed his eyes, squeezing her hip. Now was the time to think clearly, to keep his head on straight even though it seemed like an impossible thing to do. He wanted to kiss every inch of her body, he wanted to feel her warm skin on his…he wanted to pleasure her…
Kyp took a step back.
He'd never had these sorts of thoughts about a woman before. The need to be as close to her as he possibly could was almost overwhelming.
Eliziya smiled at him and it made his stomach flutter. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked with raised brows. "You seem a little…off."
"I am a little off. And it's your fault."
She pushed her lower lip forward into a pout. Wasn't that just the cutest thing he'd ever seen? "My fault?"
"Mhm." He pulled her close again and slowly nipped at her lips. "It's so damned hard to resist you, sweetheart."
"I never said you had to resist me." She raised a suggestive eyebrow. Kyp laughed against her lips before he decided that a kiss was in order.
When she pulled free of his arms, Eliziya cleared her throat and tried hiding the blush in her cheeks by turning her face away. So it wasn't just Kyp who seemed a little distracted by the obvious heavy sparks sizzling between them.
"Um…can I get you anything?" Eliziya asked, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. She avoided looking at him, instead she dropped her gaze to her folded hands. "Caf? Water? Tea?" She gestured to the kitchen with a little nod. "Are you hungry?"
It was all Kyp could do not to start laughing. How adorable was this? The words just seemed to tumble out of her mouth and the moment she noticed how quickly she spoke, she completely shut up. In fact, her lips were drawn into a thin line, as if she were biting the inside of her cheek.
Plus, she was waiting for an answer. She started to fidget, tugging at her shirt, tucking yet more strands of hair behind her ear, clearing her throat but still she refused to lift her eyes.
Smiling to himself, Kyp stepped forward. He was still nervous, excited even, but he held himself under enough control that he could tilt her head upward with his thumb. He sighed when their eyes finally met. For a long moment, he wondered what would happen if Eliziya stayed at his side. Would she want to be part of his life? Could she face what would come their way?
Could she even imagine being with him?
Because he sure as hell could imagine quite a lot and so far Eliziya fit in perfectly. He had a feeling that she wasn't the kind of person to run and hide when things got rough.
So how come it's so difficult to tell her about your past?
He nearly grimaced. Yeah, there was that.
"You're staring."
"Am I?" He touched her lower lip with the pad of his thumb and thoroughly enjoyed the sound of her sharp intake of breath. Never in a million years had he dreamed it possible a woman like Eliziya could react to him in this way. She liked him. The blush in her cheeks told him that she liked him a lot.
And the feeling was mutual.
"Yes. You're still staring."
"Because you're amazing, Eliziya." Kyp said, his voice low. He cupped the side of her face in his hand and smiled when she leaned into his touch. "I've never met anyone quite like you before."
He reached forward with tendrils of warm Force energy, gently poking at her mind. She was a bundle of emotions. He felt her surprise and her excitement but there were also threads of caution and unease. Did she feel on edge because of him?
Kyp dropped his hand to his side and forced a smile. "Water."
Eliziya blinked. "Huh?"
"A cup of water would be nice."
"Oh! Um…yeah. Sure. Just…uh…make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." She hurried to the kitchen, hugging herself.
Kyp undid the cloak around his shoulders and laid it over the back of the sofa. He glanced down to his hip where he usually kept his lightsaber clipped to his belt. The past few days he hadn't minded leaving without his trusted weapon but now that Eliziya knew about him being a Jedi, he felt oddly naked without it.
He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves. There was so much he wanted to tell Eliziya, starting with the fact that he believed she was a Force sensitive. How would she react to the news, he wondered. Would she let herself be tested? The possibility still remained that he was reading far too much into the situation, a sort of wishful thinking. Because if she truly was Force sensitive…the prospect of a life with Eliziya close by wasn't too farfetched.
Kyp turned around when he heard Eliziya approach from the kitchen. She held a small glass halfway filled with water in one hand. "Anything else I can get you?"
Kyp took a sip and tried not to chuckle. "Sure."
He let the word hang between them for a long moment. Eliziya raised her brows in question, waiting for him to go on. Of course, Kyp took his time. It was harmless fun teasing her like this. He raised the glass to his lips again, arching an eyebrow and smirking suggestively.
"You're being awfully…difficult." She said a few seconds later, crossing her arms over her chest. Kyp laughed at her assessment.
"I'm known for being difficult, sweetheart." He took a step towards the caf table and set the glass down. "But to answer your question about what else you could get me, since you're being such a cordial host –"
"I always am." She almost sounded offended.
"—I was sort of hoping for some quality time before I leave tomorrow morning."
Eliziya blinked a few times but said nothing. Seconds passed by in utter silence while he watched her. The Force told him that she was surprised and disappointed and even though he felt like an ass, he liked that she was disappointed. Meant she didn't want him to leave.
"Tomorrow? Didn't you say two days?"
Kyp nodded. "Yeah. Something's changed. I leave tomorrow."
"Oh."
Was that sadness he detected? Coupled with worry for him?
Kyp reached for her hand and pulled her close. He dipped his head, captured warm soft lips with his. His fingers slipped between hers and he squeezed her hands as he deepened the kiss. Her moan ran through his skin; the hairs on his arms stood on end, his blood ran faster and hotter and before he knew it, his arms completely encircled her. He had no idea how long they stood in one another's embrace but eventually he had to let her go – breathing was essential, after all.
Still, he laughed when Liz held on to his arms to steady herself. "Knees buckling?" Kyp asked mischievously.
Eliziya cleared her throat, stood up straight and smoothed down the front of her shirt as if nothing had happened. "Of course not."
"Sure about that? You're a little pale and I could have sworn I felt you sway."
She narrowed her eyes on him.
"Wow." Kyp said with a smirk. "I hadn't realized I was that good of a kisser."
Playfully Eliziya slapped his upper arm. Kyp jumped back with a yelp, rubbing the spot where her hand had caught him.
"I hope you're hungry." She said, dark eyes glistening. "I'm going to go make us some dinner."
"Do I get something special because my kiss almost made you faint?"
"How about a slap upside the head?" Eliziya called over her shoulder, walking into the kitchen.
