Chapter Thirteen
"Wait," Jaina stated, grabbing Ganner's shoulder and turning him back around to face her. "What is this?"
Ganner looked at Jaina and scrunched up his face. "What is what?"
"This," Jaina said, motioning between the two of them. "This--stuff that's happening."
"I don't understand," he said, not making eye contact with Jaina, but instead looking off into the distance, beyond the cliff they had recently climbed.
"That's the thing--I don't either," she stated, carefully crossing her arms over her chest so as not to hurt her hands. "What is going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ganner looked at her then, and Jaina could sense the conflict growing within him. It was getting stronger and he was having trouble shielding his feelings from her.
"Yes you do," she said softly, and she noticed his eyes starting to soften. "You've come this close to kissing me more than once this week," she said, holding up her fingers. "Do you want that?"
Ganner's feelings now flooded out--he couldn't hide them any longer. The conflict within him hit Jaina hard. He wanted her--that was certain. But the fact that it was her--Jaina Solo, daughter of Leia Organa and Han Solo and niece to Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker--that was holding him back. "I didn't want to because..."
"I get that a lot," Jaina said, suddenly feeling a little hurt. "Just because my family--"
But she was cut off. Ganner quickly leaned forward and pressed his soft lips to hers. Jaina let out a little sigh and melted into his chest. He pulled her closer, feeling as though he never wanted to let her go.
The kiss ended after several moments, but Jaina wanted it to go on forever. The sparks, the feelings that had just been shared, were none like she had ever felt before.
"Screw your family," he whispered, and took her mouth in his again.
* * * * *
They continued on, Ganner cautiously but sweetly holding Jaina's hand, walking over the barren red hills of the moon until they approached another lush forest. They decided to settle along the edge of it for the night. The two Jedi built a fire and fell asleep comfortably in each other's arms.
Ganner woke in the middle of the night, and looked at the young woman sleeping with her head on his shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and smiled. Although they had done nothing that night but talk, he already felt like she was his. Kissing her cheek, he laid back down, thinking to himself, 'A guy could get used to this.'
Before he could fall back to sleep, he heard a rustling from the woods behind them. It sounded like many somethings trampling the underbrush. Remembering their encounter the afternoon before, he shook Jaina and whispered, "Jaina, something's here."
"Hmm?" she asked, blinking her eyes open.
Ganner leaned towards her and whispered, "Something's in the bushes."
She looked over his shoulder; her eyes grew wide and her body froze. 'Don't move,' she thought to him. He didn't turn around.
'What is it?' he thought back.
Behind him, at least a dozen humanoid forms stood, daggers and blasters pointed directly at the Jedi.