For ten minutes Jag stood in the shower not moving, enjoying every drop of hot water that pummelled his body. He never thought he'd be so happy to simply be clean. After that, he finally decided to wash up, the soap he used not pungent like the one on Drognan. It was a musky scent with a hint of spice and it was the most refreshing odour his nose had endured in days.

No, that wasn't entirely true. Even as he exited the shower and began drying off he could still smell Jaina on his skin. Sweet and florid, he never wanted that scent to be erased from his body. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the 'fresher into the small space that served as his living quarters.

There were no windows, just walls painted a lacklustre gray. The floor was covered with a carpet that at one time had been plush but now was coarse underneath his feet. A narrow bed was to his left and against the wall opposite the 'fresher were two chairs and round table. Folded neatly on the table were a pair of boxer-briefs, soft brown trousers, and a white t- shirt. A dresser sat next to the main door. Aside from that, the room was scarcely furnished or decorated. A backpack similar to the one he had on Drognan sat on the floor next to one of the chairs and inside were a few more of his personal belongings.

Jag crossed the room and stopped in front of the table. He dressed slowly, towelling his hair semi-dry before slipping on the shirt. Taking a shower and getting dressed were definitely mundane tasks but to Jag, after spending four days wearing the same clothes, he savoured the feel of every fibre of material that covered him. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, straightening it a little then walked over to the bed. He stared down at the crisp, clean sheets and the plump, firm pillows. With a contented sigh he fell forward, landing on the mattress with a bounce. His face was buried into the sheets, his feet stuck out over the end of the bed. He closed his eyes and even as he told himself he would only rest a few minutes before he went to speak with his uncle, he felt weariness take over and he started to drift asleep.

A knock on the door forced one eye to open. Jag hoped he was dreaming. He felt as if he couldn't move, he was so tired. He hadn't slept much on Drognan since most of his time was spent either taking care of Jaina or pondering the new and sudden changes in him. It was silent for a moment and he closed his eye again.

Another knock.

Groaning, Jag pushed himself up from the bed. Pausing, he rubbed his eyes then straightened his shirt. He almost tripped over his boots as he turned and walked to the door. He thumbed the keypad on the wall and the door rolled back.

Han Solo stood leaning against the doorjamb, his lips curved in a crooked smile.

Jag started, the sight of Jaina's father surprising him. He bumped into the dresser and was suddenly very much awake. He quickly regained his composure and greeted him with a slight bow of the head. "Sir."

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Solo's folded arms dropped to his sides, the smile still fixed on his face.

"No, sir. I was---"

"Good." He pushed his way past Jag, entering his quarters.

The door rolled shut and Jag turned around to face the Rebel hero. Solo glanced around the room, nodding slowly to himself. The space seemed smaller somehow and Jag suddenly wished the room had windows. *It would make having witnesses a whole lot easier...*

"I just came from the med-ward." Solo said as he walked over to the table. He turned and leaned against it, his hands resting behind his back on the surface.

Jag remained where he was. "How is your daughter doing?"

"She'll recover. The job you did on her ribs helped a lot and she'll be out of there in a few hours."

"I admit it was the first field dressing I've had to perform. I'm glad I didn't screw it up."

"Yeah, I make a terrible medic too. I'm an even worse patient, or so I'm told."

Jag nodded. The conversation was casual, too casual he thought. He was glad he was standing near the door.

There weren't too many people who could intimidate him, his father and Han Solo the only two that readily came to mind. Corellians. They must have a knack for intimidation, Jag decided. He may not have been born on Corellia but he had Corellian blood in his veins. He wondered briefly if people perceived him the same way as they did the veteran pilots.

"Jaina says that you saved her life."

"Yes, sir. The damage she had taken was critical and she had to abandon ship." Feeling brave, Jag ventured a little further into the room, walking over to stand next to the chair on Solo's right.

Solo turned slightly, his eyes focused on Jag. The expression on his face was impassive. "She says you pulled her out of a lake?"

"Yes. Her ejection seat crashed in the middle of it. I had to go in after her and it was treacherous given the fact the weather was uncooperative. Drognan was in the midst of a massive snowstorm."

"She mentioned that but didn't go into details."

Jag felt a sigh of relief rise in him. He pushed it down, not wanting Jaina's father to question him any further about their activity during the snowstorm.

There was a moment of silence then Solo turned fully toward him. "You kept your word, Fel. You took care of my daughter." He extended his hand. "Thanks."

He shook the proffered hand and nodded once. "You don't have to thank me, sir. I would have done so even if you hadn't asked me."

Solo's eyebrow raised and a look Jag could only describe as curiosity crossed his face. It quickly faded. He folded his arms across his chest, his stare never leaving Jag. "What exactly happened anyway? How did you manage to exit hyperspace into the middle of a minefield?"

Sticking with his plan to exclude Jaina from any fault should it jeopardize her importance to his uncle's mission on Borleias, Jag replied confidently, "I miscalculated our coordinates while entering them into the nav computer."

"*Miscalculated?*" A hint of skepticism laced Solo's voice and the confidence Jag had quickly subsided. Jaina's father almost looked amused by his response.

"Yes, sir." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

A muscle in Solo's cheek tightened as he spoke. "Kid, I may not know you very well but I knew your father and Soontir never miscalculated anything." He blew out a long breath, a touch of disappointment in his voice. "What did she do?"

He hesitated, unsure what course of action would be best. They hadn't discussed the possibility that their semi-ruse would be exposed, especially within hours of their return. The truth was the only answer. Even as he thought about what he was going to say, he had to give it one last try.

"*She* miscalculated?" he offered and Jag cursed himself silently. He sounded like an idiot. *That was the stupidest thing you've ever said.*

Solo blinked at him then, to Jag's surprise, he laughed. His arms fell to his sides, one hand slapped Jag on the shoulder. The action jarred him and Jag staggered forward a bit. "Fel, that's the most creative answer you could have given me to hide the fact that she disobeyed your orders." The laughter died and Solo grinned. "She doesn't listen to me most of the time. I knew she wasn't going to listen to you."

Jag stared at him, stunned. "Well, ah, it really wasn't that bad. She would have been fine if the minefield wasn't cloaked." *She would have been fine...? I stand corrected. THAT was the stupidest thing I've ever said.*

Solo's eyes sparkled with humour and it was clear he was trying not to laugh again. Jag felt a blush hit his cheeks. "Well, I would have preferred it if the minefield *wasn't there* at all, but hey, if she'd known about it she could have manoeuvred through it better. She's an excellent pilot."

"I'm aware of that, sir."

Solo's expression became serious again. He titled his head slightly, studying Jag once again with an intensity that unnerved him. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, I kissed your daughter a few times."

Jag's eyes widened in shock as he heard the words slip from his lips. What was happening to him? He felt as if he could no longer control what was going on inside him. He was too tired and it didn't help that he felt as if were being interrogated. He didn't think he could stand any further humiliation and it frustrated him that he couldn't put two thoughts together in front of Jaina's father.

A spasm broke out on Solo's face and his eyes narrowed. He wanted to look anywhere but at the face of the man in front of him. He forced himself to match Solo's stare. *Well, it was a good life...*

When Solo spoke, his voice was low. "You did?"

"Yes." He raised his chin a little, a small show of defiance. The image of a fist hitting it crossed his mind. He gulped.

A moment of silence. "And?"

"And?" His cheeks grew hotter. *And we slept in each other's arms wearing nothing but our undergarments. Oh, and while I fixed up her broken ribs, my hand touched her stomach a few times. Did I mention that I'm falling in love with your daughter? And those kisses? They weren't simple pecks on the cheek either. They were pretty intense. Man, she's a damn good kisser...*

Jag flinched. What to say? The truth? That would surely land him in the med- ward for a year or two. A lie? Solo would see right through it and he could then tack on another year to his hospital stay.

"Look, Fel. I'm not going to beat around the bush with you and I expect you to be honest with me." Solo took a step toward him, closing the space between them. Jag didn't think there was malice on his face or anger in his voice, but Solo certainly didn't seem calm about this revelation. "What are your intentions regarding my daughter?"

Jag straightened, looking Solo squarely in the eye. He began to regain control of his senses and he felt himself relax a little. Solo may intimidate him on some level but he also commanded the same respect that his own father did. He deserved to know the truth and Jag would tell him even if it meant risking his ire. He had blundered badly since the moment Solo walked into his quarters. This was the chance for him to at least begin redeeming himself in the Rebel's eyes.

"My intentions with your daughter are just as honourable as yours were with Senator Organa Solo." A smirk crossed the other man's face and Jag flinched again. *Maybe that was a poor choice of words.* Undaunted, he continued. "All we did was kiss, sir. Nothing more. I respect your daughter and I care about her. She's healing yet she's still very vulnerable right now. I wouldn't take advantage of that, sir."

"I'm sure you wouldn't." Solo said, his voice still low. "You're a good kid, Fel, so I'm going to give you a word of warning, one that I don't give often. Most people already know it. You don't know me well, so here goes." Solo paused, leaning closer to whisper to him. "Treat Jaina right and you and I will get along just fine. Hurt her in any way and you'll have to answer to me. When it comes to my family I can be more vicious than all the Yuuzhan Vong put together. Got that?"

"Yes, sir."

He held Solo's stare, tried to ignore the almost feral look in the older man's eyes. He reached out and patted his shoulder twice. "I'm glad we understand each other." Solo crossed the room and stopped near the door. Jag followed and hit the panel on the wall, opening the door.

Solo took a step into the hallway then stopped. He glanced over his shoulder, his expression not quite as stern as it was moments ago. "Thanks again."

"For saving Jaina's life? I would have done so---"

"Not that." Solo interrupted. "While talking with Jaina in the med-ward she smiled. A lot. I haven't seen her do that in weeks."

"We talked a lot on Drognan, sir. Not so much about the war, but about ourselves. I think it helped her a little."

"Well, whatever you're doing, don't stop." The infamous Solo smile returned. "Except for the kissing stuff. You can forget that for a while."

Despite himself, Jag grinned. "Yes, sir."

Solo waved over his shoulder as he started down the hallway. "Take care, Fel. And stop calling me 'sir'. It makes me sound old."

He watched the older man disappear around a corner then closed the door. Leaning heavily against the wall, Jag blew out a breath he thought he'd been holding since Solo arrived. *Well, that went better than I thought it would. I'm still alive. For now.* Crossing the room, Jag dropped back onto the bed and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take him back to a place where only he and Jaina existed. A place where they danced in a dimly lit room, smiling and laughing, celebrating their love.