Context: Vestra isn't the Outlander in my 'canon', and wasn't involved in Forged Alliances/Shadow of Revan.

By her chrono, Lana had waited at the door for over two minutes. She tapped the button again, then folded her arms, boot tapping against the polished tile of the corridor. Certainly the bell hadn't gone unheard – she could sense six individuals within the penthouse, and the butler droid should be in there as well. In fact, the droid should have answered the door by now, all prompt and eager to please.

Instead, it was Ashara who greeted her after a prolonged wait, eyeing her cautiously. "My lord."

"Ashara." Lana let the title slide. She kept a straight face when she felt Ashara reaching through the Force, probing at her, trying to read her intent.

After an awkward pause, Ashara's scrutiny fell away, and she heaved an exasperated sigh. "Oh, this is ridiculous." Ashara stepped forward to give her a tentative hug, relaxing when Lana returned the gesture. "Welcome back."

"Thank you."

With a tight smile, Ashara led her in, pausing where the butler droid stood in the entrance hall. Lana shrugged off her rain-flecked cloak, dropping it into the droid's waiting arms, and followed Ashara into the living room – where the entire crew had gathered. Andronikos and Xalek lingered near the fireplace, Khem Val towered over a potted plant by the staircase, and Talos offered her the only natural smile from the second floor's landing.

"It is good to see you well, my lord. Especially after all the…conflicting reports we've heard about you."

"A sentiment I gladly share." Lana inclined her head.

While Talos strolled down the stairs, Lana eyed the holster he wore on his hip despite his civilian outfit. She looked over the room, noting that everyone was armed. Andronikos' blaster was strapped to his thigh, and Xalek's lightsaber hilt hung from his belt; both their hands hovered close to their weapons. Ashara was armed too, having tucked a saber hilt in the back of her belt, hidden by the long sweater she wore. Only Khem Val didn't have his sword, but he hardly needed it to rip a person in half.

"Are you expecting to be attacked?" Lana asked, touching the back of Ashara's sweater, where the outline of her hilt was visible.

Ashara's laugh was tired. "Perhaps. We're all on edge after everything that's happened." Her gaze stayed on Lana, turning hard for a moment, before she relaxed with a smile. "That said…"

She gestured at the crew, who eased from their rigid postures. Andronikos tossed her a casual salute before throwing himself onto the sofa. Lana shook her head when Talos walked past, gesturing a silent invitation for a cup of tea. Ashara nodded at Lana, and they climbed the stairs towards the rooms on the upper floor.

"How long have all of you been here?"

Ashara glanced at her. "Since we fetched Vestra from the…'guest quarters' in Intelligence."

"And when was that?"

"Two weeks ago."

Lana nodded. That was when her name had been cleared, and Marr had ordered the release of his fellow Council member via holocom, while they'd left for Yavin IV. At the thought of her partner, Lana's hands clenched briefly, and it seemed Ashara shared her tension as well. When they slowed to a stop before the door to the meditation chamber, Ashara laid a hand on her arm.

"She is…not in a good state," Ashara said slowly. "We've made much progress in her healing, but she is still weak."

"I understand. Thank you."

Lana offered a smile she didn't feel, and Ashara moved away. She took a moment to steel herself, then palmed the controls on the wall. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and Lana strode in, barely making a sound.

Vestra sat on her heels in the middle of the mats that covered most of the room, facing the transparisteel window that spanned the length of the wall. There was little natural light – the rain had grown heavier, and the window's tint had been darkened for privacy. Lights above cast the room in a warm hue. Lana gave Vestra a respectable berth, padding around the woman to look upon her – and felt a knot form in the pit of her own stomach.

Vestra's black hair was loose about her shoulders, framing a face bare of its usual makeup. But where she once had a youthful tint to her natural visage, Vestra was now paler, gaunter, with shadows under her eyes. A picture of the collateral damage Lana hadn't anticipated since this Revanite issue had started.

Darth Arkous hadn't been blind to his advisor's network, and was well-aware that in this far-reaching web sat the undeniable weight of Darth Avriss. Though his few documented thoughts betrayed only superficial knowledge of their 'connection', he'd suspected – rightly so – that Lana had enough pull with Avriss to move the Dark Lord against him. So he'd laid a plan that would tear them both down when Lana made her move; Revanite agents crafted false evidence of sedition and collusion between the two, which would take weeks to be picked apart for the lies they were, ensuring Avriss remained detained long enough while the Revanites set their plan into motion with minimal obstruction.

Upon Arkous' death, the evidence was swiftly embedded within Lana's and Avriss' communications, then dragged into the light. A bounty was placed on Lana's head while Avriss was detained for 'investigation', her crew forced to run for their lives while Revanites spread their influence unchecked across the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. Since the truth came to light, Darth Marr had set to work rooting out the malcontents on Avriss' behalf, but the damage had been done – to the Sphere, and beyond.

So much had slipped beyond her control, and Lana wondered if there was anything she could've done to prevent it. To prevent this.

Her gaze rested on Vestra for the longest time, watching dark wisps weave about her body in meditative healing. That Vestra hadn't moved to acknowledge Lana was telling; she would've sensed Lana from the moment she'd stepped into the penthouse.

"Vestra."

"Lana."

Vestra's eyes remained closed, and her voice carried its usual affected nonchalance. It had never bothered Lana before, but now she understood its intended effect, how easily Avriss could place an insurmountable barrier around herself. Lana clenched her jaw, and pushed down her own vexation. She knelt before Vestra, laying a hand on her arm.

"Will you not look at me?"

"I might feel anger if I do that."

"You already do. I can feel it."

Lana didn't say more, nor did she move. She'd made it obvious that she'd dug her heels in, and wouldn't leave until they'd hashed this out.

When Vestra opened her eyes, it was not to look upon Lana. She stared at the tinted window, gaze placid as the rest of her expression.

"Not a word, Lana. Not even a single word. Am I not worth that little bit of effort?"

"I'd planned to approach you only when I had solid evidence. But I was branded traitor before then. And after…there was no chance I could reach you."

Vestra's gaze moved to her, but she stayed silent.

"I was investigating a Councilor, Ves. If things went south, I didn't want you implicated in–" Lana had to stifle a growl when Vestra tilted her head pointedly. "I know it happened anyway. But my intent always was to protect you from harm."

"Obviously you failed."

Lana's grip tightened on Vestra's arm. "And I regret it. I regret that you were hurt because of me."

Vestra frowned. "I don't care about that. They would've moved against me regardless." She stared hard at Lana. "I would've helped you. If you'd told me what you were doing, I would've done everything in my power to help you. But you chose to keep me in the dark."

"As I said–"

"You wanted to protect me? What if you'd never cleared your name? What if you'd met your end out there, and all I had to look forward to is a hunt for your body in the blasted remains of that temple?"

"Vestra–"

"I had to watch the Council place that bounty on you. I had to hear from an interrogator's mouth that you were still alive. All that, without knowing what was the truth, what had happened to you." Her detached façade had finally cracked, but a little too late. Vestra's eyes fell shut as she swayed on the spot, Lana clutching at her shoulders to steady her. She took a slow breath, and whispered, "I would've dropped everything just for you."

"I know." And that's what scares me.

Lana reached for Vestra through the Force, and was disturbed by the weak flutters in her once-steady reservoir of strength. "What did they do to you?"

Vestra chuckled, a rasp in her throat. "Everything that I'll pay back to them. Tenfold."

Cupping her chin, Lana tilted her head up. Vestra's eyes were glazed despite her effort to focus on Lana, and cold sweat had started to bead on her forehead.

"Did you know they have a manual for interrogating Force sensitives?" Vestra said, a sardonic smile twisting her lips.

Lana shook her head. "Forget about that. Let's get you back to bed."

With a firm grip on Vestra's arms, Lana helped her to her feet, only to have Vestra lean heavily on her, trembling with effort. So she changed tack, lifting Vestra into her arms instead, noting how much lighter her partner felt. She glanced at Vestra, who'd turned a shade paler, and carried her out of the meditation chamber. It was a short walk to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway, but when she set Vestra carefully on the bed, her partner refused to lie down.

"Lana," Vestra rasped. "The Council. They know about us now."

Lana nodded. "I figured as much." She set a hand on Vestra's shoulder, gently pushing her down.

"I'm sorry."

Stifling a sigh, Lana drew the covers up to her chest, and sat by Vestra. She took a clean towel from the nightstand, and patted the dampness from Vestra's face. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

When she was done, the hard edge had fallen from Vestra's gaze, allowing a familiar softness to shine through. Lana smiled, dipping down to kiss her gently.

"Will you stay?" Vestra asked.

"I have matters to attend to in the Citadel. But I'll be back."

"Dinner. Talos is cooking tonight."

"I look forward to it." Lana took her hand, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. "Rest now, love."

Vestra gazed at Lana quietly, before her eyes fell shut with a hint of reluctance. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, but Lana stayed just a little longer, cradling Vestra's hand in her own.

There was much to do in her new appointment that necessitated a longer stay on Dromund Kaas, but it worked out well. She spent long days in the Intelligence office in the Citadel, razing through the Empire's ranks to cleanse them of Revanite influence before they could flee. In comparison, her nights were often short and left precious little time to rest, but she had the benefit of returning to a home kept warm by a trusted crew. Whenever she could, Lana would spend time with Vestra in meditation, healing the wounds her partner had suffered in captivity.

The longer they spent together, the quicker Vestra healed; given freer rein than ever before, Lana became intimately familiar with Vestra through the Force, delving deep to soothe over the wounds left upon her spirit. She relished this new freedom – Vestra had never been quite this open before. She'd always been incredibly guarded, and even in love, Lana could sense there was much she couldn't bring herself to share. Lana had found it endearing, in a way; that she who would take whatever she wanted, speak the sharpest barbs without reserve, would be so restrained with Lana. It might be mistaken as shyness – and it was, in the way Vestra would avert her eyes when caught staring – but Lana stumbled across the core of the truth through pure, damned accident.

It was just another night, with rain pattering on the windows heavier than usual, when they were deep in meditation together. Lana's consciousness was entwined with Vestra's, and she'd reached just a little deeper; there was no resistance at first, then she felt something coil within Vestra, with a pressure close to bursting. Before she could react, a sudden, crushing wave engulfed her through the connection, taking her breath away. But it didn't inspire fear, no; there was a familiar touch to this sensation that grounded her thoughts. While she drowned, she became aware of a stir deep in the depths of her heart – a desire to want, take, keep – that ended when a sharp twist away that severed their connection. Its breaking set off an ache in her being, panging in her chest as Lana opened her eyes, and met Vestra's – which were wide, horrified.

A wisp of fear whispered past her mind, in a voice not of her own, and Lana understood. They were bonded.

Vestra wrenched her eyes away, staring at the floor as she composed herself, wiping all trace of emotion from her face.

"Vestra," Lana said when Vestra tried to rise, and stopped her with a grip on her arm. Vestra still refused to look at her, head bowed, eyes screwed shut. Shame.

You knew.

Questions warred for a place in her throat, until she decided on, "Why? You already have me. Why do you fear it?"

"I do not fear having you," came the reply – quiet, rough.

Lana kept her silence, sifting through memory. This fear – Vestra's fear – was not wholly unfamiliar, she realised. "There was one night, on Rishi – I woke so suddenly, and I couldn't breathe. I thought I was dying. It felt as if the galaxy had collapsed on itself, on me." She squeezed Vestra's arm gently. "That was you."

Vestra swallowed, brows furrowing deeper. Lana took a chance, probing through their connection; where there had been an unyielding wall before, she found cracks across its surface. She rested gently against it, and the barrier slowly dissolved under her touch.

Lana drifted deeper, Vestra's consciousness enveloping hers; but she could feel her partner's uncertainty, a restrained instinct to flee stretched close to breaking, and Lana decided not to linger too long. She let a question buoy to the surface of her mind, and Vestra answered; yes, it was her. It was her despair that had torn Lana from slumber.

"They told me you were dead," Vestra whispered, and Lana opened her eyes which had fallen shut. "I was weakened, confused. I could barely feel my own connection to the Force. I couldn't feel you at all. I knew they were trying to break me, but I couldn't tell if they were lying, or…"

"Ves," Lana sighed. She cupped her partner's chin, lifting her head. Vestra's eyes met her own, shining bright.

"I cannot lose you," Vestra uttered, breaths marred, tears cutting down her cheeks. "I cannot bear it."

Her voice – soft, trembling – cut Lana like a knife. Wiping away the tears with her fingers, Lana closed the distance between them, locking Vestra tight in her arms. Her partner all but crumbled into her embrace, face pressed in her shoulder, fingers digging into the back of her tunic. The sobs were quiet, contained; even in pieces, Vestra's pride denied her the luxury of weakness.

Lana sighed, combing her fingers through black hair. Focusing on their bond once more, she twined her own consciousness with Vestra's, and paused when she felt a note of tension forming under her ministration.

Vestra rasped, "Lana–"

"Hush. I've got you." Lana waited, feeling Vestra unwind beneath her, and smiled when Vestra's warmth reached for her through the bond as well – fragile, yet so fierce in its softness.

Later, when Vestra had washed all evidence of vulnerability from her face, and they'd curled up comfortably beneath the thick covers of Vestra's bed, Lana asked the burning question she'd withheld.

"Our bond. It's not recent, is it?"

Vestra's eyes, lit by moonlight, gazed at her quietly before looking away. "No."

"How long, then?"

"Since our campaign in the Outer Rim, when you saved my life."

Lana thought back. "When your ribs were crushed, I remember. There was so much blood spilling from your mouth. Even while I healed you, I was afraid I'd already lost you."

Vestra smiled, wan. "And there I was, content to die as long as you were the last thing I saw."

"Don't say that." Lana sent a whip through their bond, and received a lazy rejoinder – Vestra playing it off as a joke, though not quite successfully. There was a kernel of truth hidden within, and Lana couldn't tell if it was fear or affection that twisted her own heart.

She reached out, brushing Vestra's hair from her face. "That was over a year ago. Why did you hide it from me?"

"I…panicked," Vestra admitted sheepishly. "I'd never wanted to let anyone know me like this. I never planned to. When I felt you for the first time, I...was afraid. So I blocked you out the best I could, and walled myself away. I started studying it so I could do it indefinitely."

"So if you had your way, I would never know."

Vestra winced. "Yes. But it's not because I don't want to share this with you. It's just that I…"

"It's fine." Lana brushed her fingers over Vestra's cheek, when guilt swelled in their connection. She sensed there was more Vestra had to say, but let her rest for now.

And you were mad that I kept you in the dark.

Lana's lips curved, wry, with a touch of exasperation. "I'm just glad it's out in the open."

Vestra's smile was half-hearted, but Lana took comfort in it nonetheless. She watched as Vestra clasped her hand, bringing it to her own chest.

"I love you, Lana. Despite what I've done, please trust in that."

"I know," Lana murmured. She shifted close, placing a gentle kiss on Vestra's lips. "I could feel it even without our bond."

It was two more weeks before Vestra recovered well enough to return to her office in the Citadel. When she did, every corner of the fortress felt the shock wave of Darth Avriss' fury unleashed – and Lana's Intelligence office was caught within the epicentre. With anger nurtured during her time spent out of commission, Avriss tore through the Empire's rank and file, ripping Revanites from their roosts and tearing apart collaborators complicit in her interrogation. Lana fed her a steady stream of information cautiously – in quantities that would sate the Councilor's bloodthirst, but not enough to drive her into a frenzy. Just as the list of Revanites was exhausted, pushing misguided Imperials to the top of the line, Darth Marr stepped in to rein Avriss back. Lana was there to watch her fume at Darth Marr's mask, before acceding reluctantly to the one Councilor for whom Avriss held any significant respect.

Avriss swept out of the Intelligence office without a backward glance, and Lana watched her go – before realising Darth Marr's line of sight had turned to herself. She met the Dark Lord's eyes – however well one could do so – and kept her hands clasped behind her back under the scrutiny. Marr's silence had edged close to inflicting discomfort, before he gave a curt nod and marched out of the room as well.

Only when the door had slid shut behind him, did Lana release her tension in a quiet breath. Since she'd resumed duty within the Empire, she couldn't tell if the Council's attention was actual interest in the newly-appointed Minister, or just her own paranoia about…other matters. It was an unfamiliar sensation, and made her second-guess her own actions, wondering if they would upset her position and, by extension, Vestra's. It was distracting, and deeply irritating; she'd become acutely aware of the power structure she worked within, of the intricate weave of tightropes that she and the rest walked upon. A natural reaction to her new role, Lana would counsel herself. But at times, she wondered if her own frustration wasn't subtly fed by Vestra's temper spilling over into their bond, despite her partner's best efforts to keep herself contained.

Lana was being pulled in different directions, not of her own will, and it was unacceptable.

It was a rare day without rain in Kaas City. A luxury, even if the sky was still heavy with clouds; and Lana found Vestra enjoying this luxury in the balcony of her penthouse, lounging in a recliner with eyes shut, hands clasped over her stomach.

"Is the security system active?" Lana asked.

A low, throaty whine reached her ears as Vestra roused from her shallow nap – she never slept deeply enough to be dead to her surroundings. Vestra pushed herself farther up in the seat, and pointed a finger at the sky. A tiny spark shot up from her fingertip, flying unimpeded until it dissipated with a crackle against the invisible barrier that enclosed the balcony.

"I forget just one time."

"And I will never let you live it down." Lana sat on the edge of the recliner and pinched her chin, earning a reproachful look. "Only because I care."

"Thanks, Mother."

Lana smiled, running her fingers through Vestra's mussed hair, which still bore curls from its usual updo. Vestra was in a crimson tunic and black belt, both trimmed with gold – typical attire she'd wear to the Citadel. She must've crashed in the balcony right after reaching home. Though Vestra had recovered from her time in captivity, she had much to tend to after her prolonged absence, often driving herself back into a state of fatigue.

"Did you come back early just to ogle at me?" Vestra smiled, crooked, when Lana was shaken visibly from her distant stare. "I understand. After all, I am the best view that Dromund Kaas has to offer."

Lana rolled her eyes, unsure if she was exasperated at her partner's ego, or at her own inclination to agree. Shaking her head, she uttered, "Shut up."

"And deprive you of my lovely, sultry voice? Perish the thought," Vestra crooned, cupping Lana's face in both hands.

Lana followed gladly when she was pulled close, their lips meeting in a slow, familiar kiss. She lost herself in tenderness reserved only for her, and as she leaned into further the kiss, her chest already ached at its loss.

And it seemed Vestra felt it as well. She broke away, gazing at Lana in concern. "Are you alright? You feel…tense."

Vestra reached for her through the bond, and Lana couldn't help but smile, strained though it was. "I've been thinking."

"That's not news. You should tell me when you don't think."

A sigh, and another roll of the eyes. The smile that rose to Vestra's lips nearly dissuaded her. Lana guided Vestra's hands down, clasping them on her lap. "A lot has changed, and even more has happened since I've returned to Dromund Kaas. My feet have barely hit the ground, and I'm already being stretched in ten different directions at once."

"If you need help–"

Lana squeezed her hands, and Vestra fell silent. "I need time to set my life back in order." Vestra's fingers twitched around hers, and she took a steadying breath. "Time alone. Away from you."

She looked back into Vestra's eyes, and wished her partner had never perfected the impassive mask that had fallen across her features. Lana needed a reaction – indignation, anger, rebuke, anything that didn't feel like she was trying to read a statue. Even when Vestra spoke, it was calm, almost conversational; Lana found herself hating it.

"And, between us? Nothing at all?"

"Nothing. I will contact you when I'm ready."

Lana counted ten heartbeats, before Vestra smiled. It didn't quite reach her eyes. Then Lana felt it – at the other end of their bond, Vestra had drawn herself shut, depriving Lana of her warmth. It was unsettling, to feel something that had been as natural as the breeze on her skin, the rain on her face, disappear. It was like losing one of her senses, and she reeled from its loss.

"Ves, you don't have to–"

"It'll help. Trust me."

"I…"

Vestra smiled – this time, her eyes softened. "Was your head clearer before, or after you discovered our bond?"

Before. The reply rose quickly to her throat, and lodged there uncomfortably.

"The silence is your answer."

Lana shook her head. "No matter our intent, you are a part of my life now, as I am yours."

"I know. Troublesome, isn't it?"

"I don't mean it that way, and you know it."

Vestra's frown, coupled with that careful, gentle gaze… Lana refused to see it as pity.

Vestra sat up straight, fingers curling tight over Lana's. She gazed longer into Lana's eyes, before letting her own fall shut. A moment's curiosity, then Lana felt the bond between them opening again, and a tug through the Force. Her heart leapt as she followed Vestra's lead, delving into the untrodden depths of her partner – past her fresh fear and doubt, the betrayal and anger from healing yet still caustic wounds, to the rough, hardened scars that lay beneath. Lana reached for them, but a crushing pressure of grief, terror, rage drove all breath from her lungs, before a sudden pull jerked her backwards. She gasped as she came to herself, a sensation not unlike breaking through the surface of the sea after a dive.

She found Vestra's eyes watching her, and cupped her partner's cheek. "That's…a lot."

Vestra smiled, lopsided. "You're telling me."

"I–, you can trust me."

"I do trust you." Vestra's eyes flickered away. "Just…not myself." She shot Lana a weak smirk, looking hesitant for a brief second. "It's better for us both to let this be, for now. Perhaps when you return, we can..."

"Ves–" Her throat tightened when Vestra clasped her nape, drawing her close. Lana's eyes fell shut, as Vestra pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Take however long you need, Lana," Vestra murmured. "I am yours until every star in the galaxy dies."

A/N: One more chapter for closure :)

and I swear I'm still working on my Kira fic, it's just in rewrite hell rn