Disclaimer:  Same old one, none of these characters belong to me.  I am making no money off of this.  If you have any questions, or want to see the complete disclaimer and list of characters, see the Prologue

A Complicated Friendship:

The Story of Jag Fel and Jaina Solo

Chapter 5: The Falling Out

A Few Days Later:

"Ok," Jag began, "What's been bothering you, Sticks?"

"What are you talking about Jag?"

"Something's wrong with you.  That's what I am talking about."

"Well if you must know, it's those wonderful politicians we both know and love so well." She said thickly laced with sarcasm.  "I found out, that just before we left that they grounded the Rogues, indefinitely, until good ol' Borskie decides to let us fly again."

"Is he completely stupid?"  Jag asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I think so.  But enough talk of that, you wanna go for a swim?"

"Sure that would be great."  As he says that he stands and begins to remove his shirt.  Soon he is just in his swimming trunks and climbing in the water.  'Man, that boy looks good.' She thought to herself.

She soon follows him into the water.  Using the Force to shield herself, she sneaks up on him and dunks him.

As he comes up sputtering water out, he yells, "Sticks, you're gonna pay for that!"

"Really, I'd just love to see you try!"  She yelled back as she took off across the lake.  Soon Jag caught up to her, lifted her out of the water and dropped her back in.  "Jag, you're gonna pay for that!"

Off in the distance, Kam and Tionne were watching the spectacle as they took their daily walk.  They just looked at each other and laughed, know that the two had bonded even though they probably didn't yet themselves. 

Back to Jaina and Jag:

"So Jag, why were you hesitant when we first came here?"

"Well after all of the stories I've heard of the Jedi over the years, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I knew you and your family and friends had accepted me, but I wasn't sure what the rest of the order would think of me."

"Well do you feel better being around Jedi now?"

"There is no where else I'd rather be."  He said with a smile.

Back to Kam and Tionne:

Soon Kam's Comlink beeped.  "Master Solusar, we have Master Skywalker here, he says it is urgent, we'll put him through to you're comlink."

"Ok, thank you," he replied.

"Kam, it's Luke.  Can you get Jaina and Jag and send them back as soon as possible.  Another one of the major worlds has been hit.  We need them back at the Errant Venture as soon as possible.  Both of their squads have been stationed here for the time being."

"Sure Master Luke, I'll go get them right now.  By the way, which world was hit, I'm sure they will both want to know."

"Hapes.  Make sure that Jay knows Tenel is ok before she leaves."

"Sure, no problem."

Down at the Lake:

Right as Jaina was gonna ask him about that comment; they were interrupted by Kam and Tionne.

"Jaina, Colonel, Master Skywalker needs you to return to the Errant Venture immediately."  Kam said with a grave voice.

Jaina felt as if ice had shot through her veins.  "What happened Master Solusar?"  Kam just looked away.  "WHAT HAPPENED?" she screamed.

"Come on Sticks, just calm down, yelling isn't going to help anything," Jag said trying to calm her.

 "The Vong have attacked…" Tionne said hesitantly, "Hapes."

Just then, Jaina lost all feeling and collapsed.  She would've fallen to the ground had Jag not been there to catch her.  As he slowly lowered her down, he gathered her into his embrace as she started crying.

"Sticks, what's wrong?" he asked with a very confused look on his face.

"Tenel…" she whispered.  "Tenel Ka was on Hapes."  Tears started to form in her eyes.  'My best friend besides Jag and my brothers and cousins'

Tionne began to explain to Jag since he was still thoroughly confused.  "Tenel Ka is one of Jaina's best friends, the two of them along with her brothers and cousins grew up here."

"Is she the one that Jacen is interested in?"

"Yeah, how do you know… wait never mind, Jay told you."

Jag didn't say anything else, he just held onto Jaina and thought to himself.  'We've got to get back out there, even if Fey'yla doesn't let me take my squad, I'll find some other way to go fight.  I can't let anything else like this happen to her, I've never seen her act like this before.  All this grief, it's so unlike her.  I can't stand to see her like this, she means too much to me.'  Jag was taken aback by the last thought that flew through his head.  He sat and thought about it while Jaina held on to him.  'It's just because she's become my best friend, I worry about her.'

"Jay," Kam began, "Tenel is alright.  Your uncle told us that she had just arrived on the 'Errant Venture' to spend time with your brother.  Right after she got there, that's when they found out.  She's ok."

"Yeah but just imagine what could have happened if she had of been there.  She'd be a slave or worse."  She cried out.

"Jaina listen to yourself, she's ok, you should be happy about that."  Jag said.

They both went silent after realizing what had just happened, he had called her by her name instead of Sticks.  He's never, ever done that before.  At that point in time Kam and Tionne decided to leave the two alone to work things out.

"That's just it Jag, I'm not happy.  Her home was probably destroyed and taken over.  My cousins and brothers are out there everyday fighting and scouting.  The same things could happen to them."  She said fiercely.

"Well, maybe it's about time then that we get out there and do something about it."  He said, already wishing he could take it back.  Judging by the look on her face she had apparently taken it the wrong way.

"What you think that I just want to sit around and do nothing," she yelled.  "Well get one thing straight flyboy, don't you ever think that about me.  At least I wasn't out in the Unknown Regions hiding out for years."  She threw viciously at him.

"Fine, go to the ship, I'll take you back to the 'Errant Venture', then go back to the Unknown Regions and bury my head in the sand again!" he yelled back at her.

On Jag's ship:

The whole way back not a word was spoken between the two 'friends'.  Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Jag wondered why he said those hurtful things to Jaina.  Of course, he knew why she wasn't fighting, it was the same reason he wasn't, their squads had been grounded.  Then why had he said he'd just drop her and leave?  Why did things have to be so difficult with her?  'Because you love her you idiot and you don't know how to show her.' A little voice told him.  'No, that's impossible, of course I love her, she's is…was my best friend.  But that's it, I don't care for her anymore than that…right?'

Across the ship, Jaina was also contemplating different things.  'Why did what he said hurt me so much?  Things like that have never bothered me before.  Why do things have to be so complicated?  I can't believe he had the nerve to say that we've just been hiding out, that we need to "get out there and fight".  He just infuriates me so.'

A day later on the 'Errant Venture':

As the two departed from the ship, neither spoke a word.  People who had come to greet them felt the tension between the two and decided against saying anything.  As they went their separate ways Jaina was greeted by Jacen, Tenel Ka, Anakin, and his girlfriend Tahiri.  Jag went the other way, greeted his Uncle Wedge and told him he needed to speak with him before departing later in the evening.

As everyone left just Mara, Luke, and Wedge were left trying to figure out what happened to the two laughing friends they had seen just a few weeks before. 

"Well," Wedge started, "it looks like those two are gonna be just as bad as you guys were." 

"Sure is gonna be an interesting 10 years coming up."  Luke said, they all grinned at that.

"Man!  Now I've got to let Corran know he won the bet." Mara exclaimed.

"What bet?" both Luke and Wedge asked, looking concerned.

"The one about if they were gonna fight and deny their feelings or not, and for once in my life, I actually lost.  I can't believe it!"

"What was the wager?  How much is it gonna cost me?" Luke asked jokingly.

"Don't worry Farmboy, it's not gonna cost you a thing.  Just injure my pride.  I have to admit that Corran is the superior twin between the two of us."

"I don't which is better, the good side-effect, or the bad."  Wedge said.

"Antilles, what are you talking about?"  Mara asked with a  grimace. 

"your ego being deflated a little by have to admit it would be good.  But Corran's ego becoming bigger, if that's at all possible, would be pretty bad."  He was barely able to finish before he and Luke both fell to the floor laughing.

"Well if you are quite finished General Antilles, I am going to see if there is anything I can do to help my niece, before you get the two of you into more trouble." She said with a smile as she walked away.

Wedge just looked at look and said, "You're right my friend, this is gonna be a long 10 years."