A/N: I do not own Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic 1 or 2, or any of the characters within. Nadira Obsidian is my OC version of the Exile.

Chapter 37: Premonitions

Laughter was drowned out by screams, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and blood. Bodies lay at his feet—the bodies of their friends—and he and Nadira stood back-to-back. The two of them crouched defensively, poised for battle, as they were beset by shadowy figures.

They moved to engage their enemies, dodging blaster fire and lightsaber swings. Just as Atton seemed to gain the upper hand, he realized their assailants had managed to separate them. A surge of alarm shot through him and he worked quickly to neutralize the men around him. Just as his last attacker fell, a sharp cry made him spin. Nadira had frozen where she stood, a scarlet blade protruding from her chest. Her knees buckled as the blade retracted, depositing the Exile on the floor, gasping in vain for breath, and her attacker retreated back into the shadows.

Atton screamed her name, rushing forward, but Sion stepped between them, smiling at Atton in cruel triumph.

"You cannot save her," the Sith taunted him.

Struggling to get past him, he saw Nadira on the floor. She lay shuddering on the ground, her ragged breaths growing increasingly shallow. The familiar figures of Kreia and Revan loomed over her prone form.

"Get away from her!" he shouted. "Leave her alone!" They either didn't hear him or paid him no heed, reaching out to seize the fallen Jedi. "Dira!"

"Atton," she gasped weakly as Sion's saber flew down at Rand.

Trying to get to Nadira, he deflected the first assault. But as he raced for the Exile, Sion's lightning penetrated his defenses, sending him sprawling to the floor. Fighting back the pain desperately, he looked up to see Nadira's body go limp, unseeing eyes staring back lifelessly at him.

"Nadira!"

He bolted upright, gasping for breath as sweat poured off his face. It took him a moment to realize he was in med bay aboard the Ebon Hawk.

"Atton!"

He started, turning about to find Nadira still locked in sleep, in as much distress as he was in. Sitting up had been pure agony. But despite the further pain it caused his injured body, he leaned over and drew her into his embrace, clutching her to his chest protectively. "Dira! Dira, wake up!"

Her eyes shot open, filled with dread and loss. After she took a second to gain her bearings, she clung to him, weeping. "They attacked us…" she sobbed brokenly between gasps for breath. "Sion…he had you again…I tried to get to you but—"

"You were attacked from behind…."

Her wide eyes rose in shock. "How did—"

"That was my nightmare too," he answered gravely.

As Nadira examined Atton, she froze, realizing then that his body was drenched in sweat. "It was our bond… it had to be for us to have shared the same nightmare." She turned away looking haunted.

Unwilling to let her go just yet, he pulled her back. "No, don't…I can't…" he pled, shaking his head, fear still clutching him, "please…. I just can't…."

She nodded and leaned into his arms, taking as much comfort from his embrace as he did from hers. Slowly, he felt the tension leave her body. "It felt so real," he muttered at length. "I knew it couldn't be, but…" He shuddered as he held her tighter.

She raised her hands to stroke his arms, but still trembled slightly. He felt her fear as intensely as his own.

"That dream—it wasn't just a dream, was it?" he asked. When she didn't answer immediately, he held her back, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Dira?"

"It may not have been," she whispered, apprehensive.

His eyes went wide. "But Kreia and Sion are dead…"

"That was just an echo of the past," she answered thinking it through. "But they are linked to my future."

He froze. "You mean 'our future' right?" Again he was met with silence. His heart seared with more pain than he thought possible. "Dira, I know I'm not the most dependable guy in the galaxy—"

"No!" she blurted, eyes shooting up to his. "I love you! Nothing can or ever will change that!"

"And I love you." He held her face in his hands. "Do you know what it would do to me if anything happened to you? Especially if I weren't around to protect you?!"

"But you might—"

"I don't wanna hear about my safety!" he burst. "You said it yourself: love means taking risks! You didn't give up on me, and I'll die before I give up on you!"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Nadira spoke in a horrified whisper.

"How can you ask me to do something that you never could?!"

She couldn't speak for a moment, uncertainty in her eyes as she warred within herself.

Seeing his opening, he took it. "I want you to promise me something," he said, hands gripping her shoulders desperately. "You have to swear you will never leave me behind. Especially because it's too dangerous! Because you can't afford to lose me anymore than I can afford to lose you."

"Atton, I—"

"Promise me!" he demanded.

She looked into his eyes, finding fear and hurt there, the grief of the nightmare still filling their depths.

"I don't know what will happen…" she breathed.

"Please," he begged in a whisper. "If you die… if I'm not around to protect you…" Atton's voice trailed off. He closed his eyes to ward off the sting of tears he couldn't let her see. Exactly the same pain he could sense resting in the depths of her heart.

"I promise, Atton," she answered, kissing one eyelid softly then the other. He was right: she needed him just as much as he needed her.

A flicker of relief crossed his face at her answer. He drew her tight against his chest. After a few minutes, he slumped as exhaustion and pain claimed him again. "My beautiful Exile," he murmured faintly. Then he raised a hand to clasp her neck, drawing her into a tender kiss. His lips worshiped hers, drinking in her presence, never wanting that moment to end.

She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around him as though she'd never let him go. "My love."

Inseparable now, they laid back, falling asleep in each other's arms, at peace for the first time in their lives.