Chapter 36

*Two Days Later*

As Damiel peered around the edge of the doorway and into the knight's room, he saw that Alex was propped up against his pillows; dark lashes resting lightly on pale cheeks. The chair by the bed was vacated.

A light smile stole across Damiel's face and he slipped quietly into the room. He could tell, just from the way that the Jedi was holding himself that he wasn't asleep, but he was still weak enough that he rested quite often.

As Damiel lowered himself into the unoccupied chair, the knight's ice blue eyes opened slowly and a faint smile greeted him in welcome.

It had taken a full day for the Jedi's fever to come down, and for him to waken. As soon as he was strong enough to hold any sort of conversation for any length, Damiel had told Alex his story as he had told Meri.

Alex had also been plaguing his apprentice with questions about her own health and Damiel figured that was probably where she was at this moment. Resting. Meri hadn't left Alex's bedside for most of the past two days, but it was still obvious she was exhausted.

"How're you doing?" he greeted the knight warmly.

"Better, thank you," Alex replied amiably.

Damiel grinned widely. "Did you finally send that apprentice of yours off to bed?"

A fond smile crossed the Jedi's face. "Yes, she needed it."

"I noticed," Damiel agreed. "She looks exhausted."

A frown puckered Alex's brow and his eyes flickered with concern. "We need to get back to the Temple. She needs rest and lots of it."

"You speak of yourself," Damiel countered.

"I know," the knight said simply. "But she's been acting rather…strange lately. I don't know what to make of it except that maybe this is all becoming too much for her."

"Strange?" he asked. "How so?"

Damiel watched closely as the knight tried to form the proper words.

"She seems, well, distant, I suppose."

Damiel thought that was putting it mildly, but then he supposed that was a Jedi thing. From what he'd seen, Meri was being more than distant, but he guessed that was one way to put it.

She hesitated to meet her Master's gaze and what Damiel found more amusing still, she wouldn't touch Alex. If her hand accidentally brushed across his, she would pull it back as though it had been burnt.

"Considering how we found you two, I understand why," he said, withholding the grin that wanted to spring to his face at the mere thought. He'd seen how Meri had acted when he had probed her on her feelings, now what about her Master?

"Found us?" Alex asked sounding more than a bit confused.

"Yes, well, it was quite…quite surprising for the rescue party to find you in such a position."

Damiel was disappointed that the famed Jedi mask was still firmly in place on Alex's face. Other than a slight look of questioning on his face, the Jedi remained impassive.

Determined to get some reaction, Damiel explained in detail what they had found.

And how it had looked.

Besides the color that flooded into his pale face, Alex's eyes and face remained emotionless. "I assure you, it was not what it seemed."

"Oh, I understand that now, but at the time," he hinted.

A stern look crossed the knight's face. "Such a thing would never happen between a master and apprentice. It is against the Jedi code," he said firmly.

The words and the manner in which they were said surprised Damiel. "Love is against the code?"

A shadow dimmed the bright blue eyes. "Between a master and apprentice, yes," he said quietly.

"Has it never happened?" Damiel pushed.

A heavy sigh escaped the knight. "It is not allowed."

"Well, that's not what I asked, but if you say so."

Damiel watched the Jedi closely.

"I do," he murmured.

A thick silence ensued.

"Well," Damiel finally broke the quiet. "I imagine you're constantly having to chase off the boys, she's a pretty thing."

Alex grinned wryly. "Yes I am and yes she is."

"Ah, so you admit it," Damiel jumped on the words.

"Admit it?" Alex asked, confused.

"That she is pretty," he said in a playful manner, one eyebrow wiggling suggestively.

The Jedi stared at him steadily, his gaze intense.

"Never mind," Damiel said quickly. He was quickly finding you couldn't rattle a Jedi, but he had no idea, just how much he really had. He changed the subject.

"So, do you think you'll feel up to attending all the celebrations next week?"

"Oh, we won't be here," Alex said firmly. "I intend to return to the Temple within the next few days."

Damiel's eyebrows shot upward. "Pardon me for saying so, but aren't you a little too weak for space travel?"

"I'll manage."

***

A nasty sounding cough interrupted the heavy silence that had been building for some time between the two waiting Jedi.

Meri barely refrained from making a comment, but her features expressed clear disapproval. Despite her objections not to mention the healer's, Alex was still stubbornly set on leaving and no amount of talking had persuaded him otherwise.

Meri slanted her gaze sideways as she folded her arms across her chest. Her brown eyes narrowed a bit and she let out loud sigh.

At the noise, Alex glanced up at his apprentice, his expression blank. His face was still much too pale and according to the healers he was running a light fever from the infection his body was fighting.

Elisia held her own opinion in the matter, one that Meri had the pleasure of hearing earlier that day.

A faint smile crossed the apprentice's face at the thought of the lecture her Master had received. It quickly faded as she remembered what the healer had said.

Her Master wasn't totally in the clear as far as his health was concerned. He could still take a turn for the worse and that was just what she was afraid of.

At that moment Elisia arrived with a hover-chair, Damiel following behind her.

"I am not in need of that," Alex stated as he moved to stand.

Elisia planted her hands on her hips, her green eyes sparkling. "Either you sit in this chair or you stay here another week like I told you!"

Meri grinned.

Damiel smiled broadly. "Master Jedi, if I were you I'd sit in that chair."

Elisia continued to glare until Alex moved slowly to sit in the chair.

"Men and their egos," she huffed testily.

Meri held back a smirk, instead falling behind to walk in the wake of the healer and her Master. Damiel fell in step beside her as they headed for the entrance in compatible silence.

As Elisia and another healer insisted on helping Alex into the speeder that would take them to their ship, Damiel stopped by Meri.

"Take care of yourself kid," he commented with a smile.

Meri nodded slightly, holding back from the small bow she would have otherwise used. Her back was still tender and very sore. Something she was keeping from everyone. "I will. Thank you Damiel," she paused, glanced towards the speeder and then back again.

Her brown eyes fastened on his face and she studied him quietly for a moment before speaking softly, "May the Force be with you."

The words that at times were thrown about carelessly by others in the universe came out sounding sincere and almost like a blessing to Damiel.

"And with you," he returned.

Meri smile faintly and then picked her way carefully to the speeder, Damiel following close behind.

With a few more parting to words to all around, the Jedi departed. Heading at long last, back toward Coruscant.