The Sweetest Thing
By obi's girl
Chapter 14, Post 1
"What was that look all about?" Cherith asked her friend once they were clear of the bay, and away from his father and her family.
Valin shrugged, scratching his head absent-mindedly, "Nothing,"
Cherith laughed and then sidestepped in front of him, stopping him, "No, something's going on. What is it? Your father wouldn't have given you that look if something wasn't going on?"
"Why would you think something is going on, Fel?"
"Because I know you Valin, and since I have met you, you've always been a really bad liar," she said and smiled, "Something is going on, I want to know what it is. I demand to know, don't make me wrestle you for the truth. You know I will if forced too,"
Valin raised his head and looked at her, "It's you, Cherith. Everyone knows about us. Your uncle Luke knows, my family knows...we can't keep hiding from people anymore,"
Cherith's smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. She hadn't told him she told Kyp, so he was one more person who knew but she made him promise not to tell anyone.
"I wanted to go to your parents before and tell them too but you were scared, but I had to talk to somebody, so I talked your uncle Luke," Valin explained, "My family and Sith, even Jysella knows,"
"Jysella's only ten years old...she can't possibly," Cherith stopped herself, "We're not all in the dark, Valin. Chances are my parents already know we're an item but even if they did, I know my mom likes you. Dad, on the other hand, thinks I'm growing up too fast,"
Valin shrugged and murmured something, turning his head away from her slightly, "Maybe he's right,"
Cherith choked and pulled away from Valin, "Are you saying my father is right? Valin, I, what's happening here?"
"Maybe we need some time apart from each other," Valin finally said, "We rushed into this and now, we're in over our heads, Cherith. I mean, do you honestly want to keep sneaking around and looking for empty rooms so we can be alone?"
"Yes, because I'm not ready to have our relationship public, Valin," Cherith retorted, "We both made mistakes here, friend. You're not the only one. I wanted things to be secret but I didn't take my own advice..."
"Wait a minute, who did you tell?" Valin interrupted.
Cherith felt like yelling but she knew that would be inappropriate. Instead, she stared into Valin's eyes, "I told Kyp about us, but that's all. I trust Kyp,"
"But you wouldn't let me tell anyone because you didn't want anyone else to know?" he shot back, "Cherith, if this thing was only supposed to be between us, it should have stayed that way. But it hasn't. My family knows, your uncle Luke knows, and Kyp Durron knows...is there anyone else who doesn't know?"
"I trust Kyp, Valin. I'm not exactly knowledgeable in the areas of dating. My dad doesn't like you but my mom does, which divides them both on the subject and Kyp was the only one I could trust to understand me,"
"And I don't understand you?" Valin cried, "I am your best friend, Cherith. I thought that was why our relationship worked so well, because we understood each other,"
Cherith moaned and muttered some Corellian curses, "Maybe we're not as good friends as we thought, maybe this was just a stupid fling and we're both realizing what a horrible mistake it was," she paused, "To make things easier for you, Valin, I'll be the first to walk away," Cherith turned away from him and started to walk down the opposite corridor.
~~
Syal Antilles rolled her eyes as Myri went on and on about her favorite ice cream, favorite toppings, favorite sauce...She looked pleadingly at her mom but she only smiled. Finally, Wedge scooped up Myri and lifted her over his shoulders and set her legs around his neck, placing her out of reach from her older sister.
"Aren't Cherith and Valin supposed to be joining us?" Syal asked her mother as they walked to the ice cream parlor.
Cherith and Valin had left the service by themselves but now Iella had this uneasy feeling something terrible had happened. She looked at Wedge, and he nodded, understanding her feelings. "You girls go on inside and pick out what you want," he said, kneeling to the ground and letting Myri down.
Myri didn't wait for Syal as she ran inside the ice cream place and Syal looked at both her parents. She knew something had happened but shrugged and followed her sister inside. Iella smiled, leaned up and kissed his cheek before walking back down the street.
~~
Boys are stupid, Cherith decided as she sat alone in her room. She thought she understood Valin but as it turned out, she didn't know him at all. Cherith didn't understand why this was happening; they didn't do or say anything wrong so why was she sitting alone in her room with a broken heart?
~~
Valin grudgingly moved into the empty booth, wanting nothing more than to be alone. He decided he was either really stupid or just made the biggest mistake of his life, or if it was possible, both. Cherith honestly cared about him and even though they were both young, they both knew the bond they shared was much more than friendship.
His parents would argue that he's too young to be in love with a girl but if Valin were honest with himself, he'd know that he'd fallen hard for his best friend a long time ago. He barely knew Cherith when he met her for the first time in the gym but they became quick friends, she was the first girl he'd kissed, the first girl he was ever serious about and he knew, as long as he lived, she would be his only girl.
So why in the seven hells of Corellia did he break her heart?
Chapter 14, Post 2
Jaina Solo-Fel nearly collapsed, sensing her daughter's sad and confused emotions. She knew Padmé's death had affected Cherith but she felt there was something else that happened to make her feel this way. She turned to Jag, whom was talking her uncle Luke and the both of them stared back at her. "Something's happened, Cherith's sad,"
"She did leave early but I think that was just to get away from the funeral, she was really close to Padme," Jag explained and nodded, "She left with Valin, he hurt her?"
"Jag, calm down before you start looking for him," Jaina cried, "Stay here! I'll talk to Cherith..."
Luke shrugged, glancing at Jag. Clearly, he wanted to be the one to talk to his daughter but Jaina had taken charge of the situation. "Jag, I know you want to talk to Cherith but I don't think she'd want to hear you bashing Valin in front of her when she's hurt like this," she said.
"No one hurts my daughter, Jaina and he hurt her...but you're right, you should go,"
~~
Jaina walked calmly down the hall, rehearsing what she should say to Cherith once she came to the apartment, she slammed into Kyp Durron and fell backwards onto the floor. Kyp laughed, and then knelt down, helping her up from the floor. "Sorry Goddess," he mumbled, "Where you going in a hurry? Where's Jag?"
"Still at the service," she said, "There's a family emergency I need to attend too,"
"Other than your own grandmother's funeral?" Kyp questioned. Jaina only rolled her eyes; annoyed he'd question her. "I'm sorry Goddess...I was just curious,"
Jaina uncrossed her arms and pulled him to the side of the hall, "I'm going to see Cherith. I felt she was really sad about something, or someone probably. I think she and Valin had an argument about something,"
Could it be they'd had their first fight as a couple and Jaina felt the after affects? Kyp frowned and looked at Jaina seriously, "I don't think you should go to her,"
"What?" Jaina cried, repulsed he would say such a thing, "She's my daughter and she's in pain, I have to go to her. Cherith needs me, Kyp!"
"Jaina, you don't understand...Cherith, she's grieving, she ---"he huffed, "For the last couple weeks, Cherith and Valin have been more than friends. They've been sneaking around together and kissing in empty closets,"
Jaina moaned and backed away, "And Valin broke it off before anything got serious, is that it?"
Kyp nodded, "I don't know what happened or what was said, but the only explanation I can give is that the pain you felt from Cherith was the after affects of her break up with Valin,"
"How is it you know more about this than I do when Cherith is my daughter?"
Kyp slapped his own face, not surprised Jaina would ask him that question. Lately, he had become everyone's confidant. "She told me,"
Jaina's eyebrows furrowed and Kyp could tell she was more than angry, "You're only her Master, her teacher! I'm her mother, Kyp! She knows she can talk to me, why is it she felt she couldn't talk to me when it was okay for her to go to you and tell you about this?"
"I don't know, Jaina. Maybe she felt she didn't want to burden you with this. I mean Jaina, you have enough to worry about with the twins coming..."
"That's no excuse. Yes, I have a stomach the size of a bantha but that doesn't stop me from being a mother to my own daughter, Kyp! And you, the minute she told you, you should have told me!" Jaina yelled but Kyp only stood there, nodding his head as Jaina's hormones continued to fire. "This is insane! I'm her mother, we were both dead, that's a bonding thing, isn't it? She should have come to me and told me about this. I like Valin, I really do and he's a good kid. Jag doesn't like him so it makes sense she wouldn't tell him but me, I'm her mother! Obviously, we weren't dead a long time for us to bond as mother and daughter...." Jaina drowned on some more and Kyp suddenly found himself sleepy.
"Jaina...? Jaina...?"
Jaina finally broke out of her reverie in time to see Kyp fall onto the ground, "Oh Kyp, I'm sorry!" she cried, throwing her arms around him, "I know this wasn't your fault! The fact is, I'm a horrible mother and forced Cherith to run to you when I should have been there for her!"
Kyp reluctantly patted her back and smiled, "You're forgiven, Jaina. Now, I believe Cherith is waiting for you. You should go and see her,"
"I don't know if I can face her. I mean, what do I say to her? You know more about this situation than I do...you should go and talk to her,"
"Me?" Kyp choked, "You're her mother, Jaina. This is the time for you to bond with her again, you should go. I wouldn't know what to say to the kid,"
Jaina fidgeted, her sniffles subsiding, "Okay, I'll go," she said and started down the walk and then turned back to him, "Will you come too? In case, I start to lose it, you can finish for me?"
Kyp only nodded; Jaina smiled happily, throwing her arms around them and then continued down the hallway. Kyp looked up at the ceiling, nodding his head, "Why? Why do these things happen to me? Why do I have to be everyone's confidant?"
Chapter 14, Post 3
Iella walked quietly into the Fel quarters, passing the main room and followed the cries to Cherith's room. As soon as she reached the door, Iella knew she was in terrible pain and for a moment, considered if it was really her place to talk to her. Cherith was her niece, but only her niece.
Iella bit her lip, fidgeted and as she turned to leave, she heard Cherith call to her. "Please don't go," she cried and Iella entered the room, sitting on the bed beside her.
"I came by to ask you what flavor ice cream you liked, Wedge and I were going to stop by later and give you a take home cone," she said and smiled.
Cherith shrugged and sniffled, "I don't have a favorite ice cream,"
"Oh," she mused, "Syal loves chocolate, would you like to bring a chocolate flavored cone?"
"Whatever," Cherith replied and looked at her, "You didn't come here to ask me what flavor ice cream is my favorite; you came to check on me, didn't you?"
Iella smiled, shifting her weight on the bed, leaning instead on one hand, "I didn't want to intrude but as your aunt, I know something is bothering you. Cherith, what is it?"
"Honestly, I don't know. The only thing I know is that boys are stupid,"
Iella relaxed on the bed, leaning back on her palms, "I guess I can be happy then I never had a son," she laughed, "You and Valin had a fight?"
Cherith nodded and jumped up from the bed, pacing the room instead. "I don't know why it happened. He said we needed time apart from each other...I'd spent the last hour trying to figure out if there was something I did wrong and or maybe if there was something he did wrong, or something we both did wrong. But I really don't know,"
"Valin's just confused, Cherith," she soothed, "What else did you talk about?"
Cherith paced some more and then stopped, "I lied to him – I told him I didn't want anyone else to know about us but I told Kyp and Uncle Luke figured out there was something between us and now everything is really messed up,"
"Believe me darling, adults are not blind when it comes to love. With or without Jedi powers, we still know these things,"
"So everyone knows then?" Cherith questioned, "Great! It's worse than I thought!"
Iella shrugged, "I wouldn't go that far and say the entire base knows, Cherith but I would say your family knows. Some of them may feel a little left, but I think they'll get over it,"
Cherith was silent for a long time, stopped pacing and sat back down on the bed, crossing her legs, "Then I guess if I confessed to you that I love Valin Horn, you would be happy for me?" Before Iella could reply, Cherith rambled on, "I think I love him. I realize I'm too young for an extreme revelation like this but I do. I love our sparring matches and how sometimes he lets himself lose so I can win. I love how he wrote me a song for on my birthday and sang it to me in the lounge. He gave me my first kiss and even though I reacted badly, he understood why I was afraid and wanted to wait until I was older. He stayed with me until I fell asleep after eating Mirax's alcohol ryschate cake because he wanted to make sure I slept ok. He understands how stressed I am and when he kisses me, everything I feel before that moment, goes away,"
"I love Valin Horn, my best friend and I know deep down, he loves me too,"
Iella felt her eyes tear and she smiled, "The one thing I've forgotten about you Cherith is that you're incredibly intelligent and sophisticated and not the typical 15-year-old girl,"
Cherith shrugged, "I'm not your typical 15-year-old?"
"You've had to bear a lot of responsibility early in life, Cherith. You were forced to grow up quickly and adapt to situations," she paused and smiled, "I think Valin understands this and that's why he's backed away,"
"There was still no reason why he had to break things off with me. If he had told me there was something wrong, I would have listened to him," Cherith huffed, "I wouldn't even know where to look for him,"
Iella shrugged and smiled, "Why do you need to look? If you listen to you heart, you'll know where he is. Close your eyes and think about him. Forget about what's going on now and think about only him,"
Cherith closed her eyes, extending her mind and eyes to her surroundings. She walked first to the gym – of course, he wouldn't be there. The gym was more of her hangouts than hers.... or theirs?
"The lounge," she whispered, "He's in the lounge," Cherith opened her eyes, smiled thanks to Iella and then scurried from the room, nearly falling over Kyp and her mother as they entered the apartment. "Sorry mom, Kyp but I have to go," she said hurriedly, smiled and then ran from the apartment.
~~
"Valin, you made it!" Myri cried as he walked into the diner, Wedge looked up from his place sitting beside Syal and frowned. Cherith wasn't with him, Syal noticed too but didn't say anything, enjoying her chocolate sundae. He smiled forcefully, walking to the table and sitting beside Myri. "What do you want, Valin?" she asked, putting the menu in front of him, "No specials today but pretty much everything is good,"
Valin smiled, "I'm really not that hungry, actually,"
Wedge called over a waitress and a pretty girl came over with a pen and paper, ready to take orders. She smiled at the girls, especially ay Myri who had strawberry sauce all over her lips, an obvious sign she was enjoying her sundae. "What would you like kid?"
"Uh, blue milk, if you have some, please," he said. The girl jotted down the name, and for a minute, she looked confused. Apparently, she'd never heard of blue milk before. "If you don't have any, jawa juice is fine," The confused look on her face vanished and she walked back to the counter.
"You left in a hurry with Cherith...Did she have an appointment to attend to? Kyp attended the funeral, so I know all plans for training were probably cancelled," Wedge said.
Valin shrugged, playing with an opened straw covering, "Cherith felt uncomfortable being there. It was really morbid for her,"
Wedge nodded, "That's understandable...So, you dropped her off at the apartment?"
"Yeah,"
Myri broke into the conversation, "That's too bad. These sundaes are really good, she's missing a lot,"
Valin stopped fiddling with the straw covering and smiled, "Yeah, she is missing a lot," Wedge smiled, feeling his smile and concern for her was sincerely genuine. "You know Cherith, she likes to be in the gym to clear her mind when she doesn't want to think; she's always like that,"
"That's the Solo side," Wedge added and smiled, "The Fel side keep their emotions inside where they're safe and won't be hurt,"
"I guess she has the best of both," Valin agreed, "Honestly though, so much has been going on lately in her life, she needs to breathe,"
Wedge shrugged, "That's true but at the same time, you can't force anything else on her. She needs to breathe Valin, not be secluded from the ones she loves,"
Valin leaned back in the booth and frowned, sensing the tone and meaning in his voice, "She's not alone, she still has her parents and her family,"
"They'll always be there for her but the one she loves, the person she really cares about --- if he really cared about her, he wouldn't leave her during a time she really needs him the most," Wedge said and then glanced at Myri and Syal. They'd just finished eating their sundaes and were wiping their hands. He moved out of the booth, as Myri jumped down and Syal followed her. Syal took her sister's hand, escorting her to the bathroom. Wedge watched them together for a moment and then slid back into the booth. "I'm sorry Valin, I don't mean to be this way but Cherith is my niece. And I know, the two of you have had this really strong bond since you first met and you really care about her but I don't understand ---"
"Why I would leave her?" Valin finished, "Because we're too young, because we can't admit how we feel about each other. If I tell Cherith I love her, and she tells me the same thing, it'll be too much for both of us. I'm only 17 years old, she's 15 -- we're both too young for this,"
"You don't believe love can exist this early in life?"
Valin nodded, "I do, absolutely I believe it does. But my dad and Cherith's father would say otherwise, I think,"
Wedge shrugged, "I don't know about that. Jag met Jaina when she was only 16 years old, and he knew he liked her. And today, they're happily married with a beautiful daughter and two sons on the way. That was love, wasn't it?"
"But we're too young,"
"Listen to me, Valin. Love happens, it doesn't matter when or how old you are, it finds you," he said and leaned back, "If Jag says otherwise, I'll just have to remind him for years since he had been separated from Jaina, she was the only girl he ever dreamed about,"
Valin nodded, "We're both too young for this. It was okay when we both realized we liked each other and that there was a connection but now, it's different,"
"Different isn't always bad, Valin,"
"Maybe but things are happening too fast and it's just better we slow down a bit before..."
"..Before you admit those three wonderful words you're both not ready to admit?" Wedge finished, "Let me put it this way, Valin. Which is better, never telling Cherith how you feel or keep her at a distance? Both are bad options to me. You have to talk to her,"
Valin nodded again, "I can't. She's probably really angry with me right now,"
"You don't know that,"
"I know she was upset after the fight," Valin snapped, "I didn't want to hurt her but I'm scared of these feelings,"
Wedge shrugged, "Chances are, she probably is too," Valin gestured to the bathroom and he turned as Myri and Syal returned. "I hope when you see Cherith, tell her we'll send a chocolate ice cream sundae her way as a special treat for missing this one," Valin nodded thanks and moved out from the booth, leaving before the waitress came back with his jawa juice.
~~
Cherith wandered down the hallway, wrapping her arms around her waist. During the first couple minutes after leaving the apartment, Cherith was sure this was the right thing to do. She wanted to tell Valin how she felt; now almost near the lounge itself (standing out of it actually) she was terrified. What if this was a really bad idea? What if he wasn't ready for this big step? What if she wasn't? So many questions hit her at once but deep down, Cherith knew she had to do this. She breathed slowly and entered the lounge, holding her head high and then sunk once she saw Valin wasn't at their booth.
He wasn't there. She thought he would be there, but he wasn't. The booth was empty; there wasn't a glass of blue milk to indicate that he had been there. Cherith turned around and walked back outside of the lounge.
She was certain he would be there; she felt it in her heart he was there in the lounge but he wasn't. //Maybe it isn't meant to be, // she realized. //He'll always be my best friend, that will never change but it simply isn't meant to be, // Cherith nodded to herself and walked back down the hallway to the apartment.
On the opposite side of the hallway, Valin Horn strode into the lounge and walked up to the bar, ordering two steaks and two glasses of blue milk. He smiled at the bartender and the moved to the side, waiting for the order. He held the tray and walked slowly to the booth, and set the extra plate and blue milk on the other side. Valin turned and looked around the lounge.
It wasn't very busy, a few pilots at the bar and more people at smaller tables. He glanced at the chrono and then at the door. Maybe he was pushing his luck. If Cherith wanted to see him, she would have but it was very late already. Valin frowned and then took the tray from the table and returned to the bar. "Can you put these to go, please?" he asked the waitress and she took the tray from him and started to put the food in boxes.
Tomorrow, he'd talk to Cherith tomorrow.
tbc
Chapter 14, Post 1
"What was that look all about?" Cherith asked her friend once they were clear of the bay, and away from his father and her family.
Valin shrugged, scratching his head absent-mindedly, "Nothing,"
Cherith laughed and then sidestepped in front of him, stopping him, "No, something's going on. What is it? Your father wouldn't have given you that look if something wasn't going on?"
"Why would you think something is going on, Fel?"
"Because I know you Valin, and since I have met you, you've always been a really bad liar," she said and smiled, "Something is going on, I want to know what it is. I demand to know, don't make me wrestle you for the truth. You know I will if forced too,"
Valin raised his head and looked at her, "It's you, Cherith. Everyone knows about us. Your uncle Luke knows, my family knows...we can't keep hiding from people anymore,"
Cherith's smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. She hadn't told him she told Kyp, so he was one more person who knew but she made him promise not to tell anyone.
"I wanted to go to your parents before and tell them too but you were scared, but I had to talk to somebody, so I talked your uncle Luke," Valin explained, "My family and Sith, even Jysella knows,"
"Jysella's only ten years old...she can't possibly," Cherith stopped herself, "We're not all in the dark, Valin. Chances are my parents already know we're an item but even if they did, I know my mom likes you. Dad, on the other hand, thinks I'm growing up too fast,"
Valin shrugged and murmured something, turning his head away from her slightly, "Maybe he's right,"
Cherith choked and pulled away from Valin, "Are you saying my father is right? Valin, I, what's happening here?"
"Maybe we need some time apart from each other," Valin finally said, "We rushed into this and now, we're in over our heads, Cherith. I mean, do you honestly want to keep sneaking around and looking for empty rooms so we can be alone?"
"Yes, because I'm not ready to have our relationship public, Valin," Cherith retorted, "We both made mistakes here, friend. You're not the only one. I wanted things to be secret but I didn't take my own advice..."
"Wait a minute, who did you tell?" Valin interrupted.
Cherith felt like yelling but she knew that would be inappropriate. Instead, she stared into Valin's eyes, "I told Kyp about us, but that's all. I trust Kyp,"
"But you wouldn't let me tell anyone because you didn't want anyone else to know?" he shot back, "Cherith, if this thing was only supposed to be between us, it should have stayed that way. But it hasn't. My family knows, your uncle Luke knows, and Kyp Durron knows...is there anyone else who doesn't know?"
"I trust Kyp, Valin. I'm not exactly knowledgeable in the areas of dating. My dad doesn't like you but my mom does, which divides them both on the subject and Kyp was the only one I could trust to understand me,"
"And I don't understand you?" Valin cried, "I am your best friend, Cherith. I thought that was why our relationship worked so well, because we understood each other,"
Cherith moaned and muttered some Corellian curses, "Maybe we're not as good friends as we thought, maybe this was just a stupid fling and we're both realizing what a horrible mistake it was," she paused, "To make things easier for you, Valin, I'll be the first to walk away," Cherith turned away from him and started to walk down the opposite corridor.
~~
Syal Antilles rolled her eyes as Myri went on and on about her favorite ice cream, favorite toppings, favorite sauce...She looked pleadingly at her mom but she only smiled. Finally, Wedge scooped up Myri and lifted her over his shoulders and set her legs around his neck, placing her out of reach from her older sister.
"Aren't Cherith and Valin supposed to be joining us?" Syal asked her mother as they walked to the ice cream parlor.
Cherith and Valin had left the service by themselves but now Iella had this uneasy feeling something terrible had happened. She looked at Wedge, and he nodded, understanding her feelings. "You girls go on inside and pick out what you want," he said, kneeling to the ground and letting Myri down.
Myri didn't wait for Syal as she ran inside the ice cream place and Syal looked at both her parents. She knew something had happened but shrugged and followed her sister inside. Iella smiled, leaned up and kissed his cheek before walking back down the street.
~~
Boys are stupid, Cherith decided as she sat alone in her room. She thought she understood Valin but as it turned out, she didn't know him at all. Cherith didn't understand why this was happening; they didn't do or say anything wrong so why was she sitting alone in her room with a broken heart?
~~
Valin grudgingly moved into the empty booth, wanting nothing more than to be alone. He decided he was either really stupid or just made the biggest mistake of his life, or if it was possible, both. Cherith honestly cared about him and even though they were both young, they both knew the bond they shared was much more than friendship.
His parents would argue that he's too young to be in love with a girl but if Valin were honest with himself, he'd know that he'd fallen hard for his best friend a long time ago. He barely knew Cherith when he met her for the first time in the gym but they became quick friends, she was the first girl he'd kissed, the first girl he was ever serious about and he knew, as long as he lived, she would be his only girl.
So why in the seven hells of Corellia did he break her heart?
Chapter 14, Post 2
Jaina Solo-Fel nearly collapsed, sensing her daughter's sad and confused emotions. She knew Padmé's death had affected Cherith but she felt there was something else that happened to make her feel this way. She turned to Jag, whom was talking her uncle Luke and the both of them stared back at her. "Something's happened, Cherith's sad,"
"She did leave early but I think that was just to get away from the funeral, she was really close to Padme," Jag explained and nodded, "She left with Valin, he hurt her?"
"Jag, calm down before you start looking for him," Jaina cried, "Stay here! I'll talk to Cherith..."
Luke shrugged, glancing at Jag. Clearly, he wanted to be the one to talk to his daughter but Jaina had taken charge of the situation. "Jag, I know you want to talk to Cherith but I don't think she'd want to hear you bashing Valin in front of her when she's hurt like this," she said.
"No one hurts my daughter, Jaina and he hurt her...but you're right, you should go,"
~~
Jaina walked calmly down the hall, rehearsing what she should say to Cherith once she came to the apartment, she slammed into Kyp Durron and fell backwards onto the floor. Kyp laughed, and then knelt down, helping her up from the floor. "Sorry Goddess," he mumbled, "Where you going in a hurry? Where's Jag?"
"Still at the service," she said, "There's a family emergency I need to attend too,"
"Other than your own grandmother's funeral?" Kyp questioned. Jaina only rolled her eyes; annoyed he'd question her. "I'm sorry Goddess...I was just curious,"
Jaina uncrossed her arms and pulled him to the side of the hall, "I'm going to see Cherith. I felt she was really sad about something, or someone probably. I think she and Valin had an argument about something,"
Could it be they'd had their first fight as a couple and Jaina felt the after affects? Kyp frowned and looked at Jaina seriously, "I don't think you should go to her,"
"What?" Jaina cried, repulsed he would say such a thing, "She's my daughter and she's in pain, I have to go to her. Cherith needs me, Kyp!"
"Jaina, you don't understand...Cherith, she's grieving, she ---"he huffed, "For the last couple weeks, Cherith and Valin have been more than friends. They've been sneaking around together and kissing in empty closets,"
Jaina moaned and backed away, "And Valin broke it off before anything got serious, is that it?"
Kyp nodded, "I don't know what happened or what was said, but the only explanation I can give is that the pain you felt from Cherith was the after affects of her break up with Valin,"
"How is it you know more about this than I do when Cherith is my daughter?"
Kyp slapped his own face, not surprised Jaina would ask him that question. Lately, he had become everyone's confidant. "She told me,"
Jaina's eyebrows furrowed and Kyp could tell she was more than angry, "You're only her Master, her teacher! I'm her mother, Kyp! She knows she can talk to me, why is it she felt she couldn't talk to me when it was okay for her to go to you and tell you about this?"
"I don't know, Jaina. Maybe she felt she didn't want to burden you with this. I mean Jaina, you have enough to worry about with the twins coming..."
"That's no excuse. Yes, I have a stomach the size of a bantha but that doesn't stop me from being a mother to my own daughter, Kyp! And you, the minute she told you, you should have told me!" Jaina yelled but Kyp only stood there, nodding his head as Jaina's hormones continued to fire. "This is insane! I'm her mother, we were both dead, that's a bonding thing, isn't it? She should have come to me and told me about this. I like Valin, I really do and he's a good kid. Jag doesn't like him so it makes sense she wouldn't tell him but me, I'm her mother! Obviously, we weren't dead a long time for us to bond as mother and daughter...." Jaina drowned on some more and Kyp suddenly found himself sleepy.
"Jaina...? Jaina...?"
Jaina finally broke out of her reverie in time to see Kyp fall onto the ground, "Oh Kyp, I'm sorry!" she cried, throwing her arms around him, "I know this wasn't your fault! The fact is, I'm a horrible mother and forced Cherith to run to you when I should have been there for her!"
Kyp reluctantly patted her back and smiled, "You're forgiven, Jaina. Now, I believe Cherith is waiting for you. You should go and see her,"
"I don't know if I can face her. I mean, what do I say to her? You know more about this situation than I do...you should go and talk to her,"
"Me?" Kyp choked, "You're her mother, Jaina. This is the time for you to bond with her again, you should go. I wouldn't know what to say to the kid,"
Jaina fidgeted, her sniffles subsiding, "Okay, I'll go," she said and started down the walk and then turned back to him, "Will you come too? In case, I start to lose it, you can finish for me?"
Kyp only nodded; Jaina smiled happily, throwing her arms around them and then continued down the hallway. Kyp looked up at the ceiling, nodding his head, "Why? Why do these things happen to me? Why do I have to be everyone's confidant?"
Chapter 14, Post 3
Iella walked quietly into the Fel quarters, passing the main room and followed the cries to Cherith's room. As soon as she reached the door, Iella knew she was in terrible pain and for a moment, considered if it was really her place to talk to her. Cherith was her niece, but only her niece.
Iella bit her lip, fidgeted and as she turned to leave, she heard Cherith call to her. "Please don't go," she cried and Iella entered the room, sitting on the bed beside her.
"I came by to ask you what flavor ice cream you liked, Wedge and I were going to stop by later and give you a take home cone," she said and smiled.
Cherith shrugged and sniffled, "I don't have a favorite ice cream,"
"Oh," she mused, "Syal loves chocolate, would you like to bring a chocolate flavored cone?"
"Whatever," Cherith replied and looked at her, "You didn't come here to ask me what flavor ice cream is my favorite; you came to check on me, didn't you?"
Iella smiled, shifting her weight on the bed, leaning instead on one hand, "I didn't want to intrude but as your aunt, I know something is bothering you. Cherith, what is it?"
"Honestly, I don't know. The only thing I know is that boys are stupid,"
Iella relaxed on the bed, leaning back on her palms, "I guess I can be happy then I never had a son," she laughed, "You and Valin had a fight?"
Cherith nodded and jumped up from the bed, pacing the room instead. "I don't know why it happened. He said we needed time apart from each other...I'd spent the last hour trying to figure out if there was something I did wrong and or maybe if there was something he did wrong, or something we both did wrong. But I really don't know,"
"Valin's just confused, Cherith," she soothed, "What else did you talk about?"
Cherith paced some more and then stopped, "I lied to him – I told him I didn't want anyone else to know about us but I told Kyp and Uncle Luke figured out there was something between us and now everything is really messed up,"
"Believe me darling, adults are not blind when it comes to love. With or without Jedi powers, we still know these things,"
"So everyone knows then?" Cherith questioned, "Great! It's worse than I thought!"
Iella shrugged, "I wouldn't go that far and say the entire base knows, Cherith but I would say your family knows. Some of them may feel a little left, but I think they'll get over it,"
Cherith was silent for a long time, stopped pacing and sat back down on the bed, crossing her legs, "Then I guess if I confessed to you that I love Valin Horn, you would be happy for me?" Before Iella could reply, Cherith rambled on, "I think I love him. I realize I'm too young for an extreme revelation like this but I do. I love our sparring matches and how sometimes he lets himself lose so I can win. I love how he wrote me a song for on my birthday and sang it to me in the lounge. He gave me my first kiss and even though I reacted badly, he understood why I was afraid and wanted to wait until I was older. He stayed with me until I fell asleep after eating Mirax's alcohol ryschate cake because he wanted to make sure I slept ok. He understands how stressed I am and when he kisses me, everything I feel before that moment, goes away,"
"I love Valin Horn, my best friend and I know deep down, he loves me too,"
Iella felt her eyes tear and she smiled, "The one thing I've forgotten about you Cherith is that you're incredibly intelligent and sophisticated and not the typical 15-year-old girl,"
Cherith shrugged, "I'm not your typical 15-year-old?"
"You've had to bear a lot of responsibility early in life, Cherith. You were forced to grow up quickly and adapt to situations," she paused and smiled, "I think Valin understands this and that's why he's backed away,"
"There was still no reason why he had to break things off with me. If he had told me there was something wrong, I would have listened to him," Cherith huffed, "I wouldn't even know where to look for him,"
Iella shrugged and smiled, "Why do you need to look? If you listen to you heart, you'll know where he is. Close your eyes and think about him. Forget about what's going on now and think about only him,"
Cherith closed her eyes, extending her mind and eyes to her surroundings. She walked first to the gym – of course, he wouldn't be there. The gym was more of her hangouts than hers.... or theirs?
"The lounge," she whispered, "He's in the lounge," Cherith opened her eyes, smiled thanks to Iella and then scurried from the room, nearly falling over Kyp and her mother as they entered the apartment. "Sorry mom, Kyp but I have to go," she said hurriedly, smiled and then ran from the apartment.
~~
"Valin, you made it!" Myri cried as he walked into the diner, Wedge looked up from his place sitting beside Syal and frowned. Cherith wasn't with him, Syal noticed too but didn't say anything, enjoying her chocolate sundae. He smiled forcefully, walking to the table and sitting beside Myri. "What do you want, Valin?" she asked, putting the menu in front of him, "No specials today but pretty much everything is good,"
Valin smiled, "I'm really not that hungry, actually,"
Wedge called over a waitress and a pretty girl came over with a pen and paper, ready to take orders. She smiled at the girls, especially ay Myri who had strawberry sauce all over her lips, an obvious sign she was enjoying her sundae. "What would you like kid?"
"Uh, blue milk, if you have some, please," he said. The girl jotted down the name, and for a minute, she looked confused. Apparently, she'd never heard of blue milk before. "If you don't have any, jawa juice is fine," The confused look on her face vanished and she walked back to the counter.
"You left in a hurry with Cherith...Did she have an appointment to attend to? Kyp attended the funeral, so I know all plans for training were probably cancelled," Wedge said.
Valin shrugged, playing with an opened straw covering, "Cherith felt uncomfortable being there. It was really morbid for her,"
Wedge nodded, "That's understandable...So, you dropped her off at the apartment?"
"Yeah,"
Myri broke into the conversation, "That's too bad. These sundaes are really good, she's missing a lot,"
Valin stopped fiddling with the straw covering and smiled, "Yeah, she is missing a lot," Wedge smiled, feeling his smile and concern for her was sincerely genuine. "You know Cherith, she likes to be in the gym to clear her mind when she doesn't want to think; she's always like that,"
"That's the Solo side," Wedge added and smiled, "The Fel side keep their emotions inside where they're safe and won't be hurt,"
"I guess she has the best of both," Valin agreed, "Honestly though, so much has been going on lately in her life, she needs to breathe,"
Wedge shrugged, "That's true but at the same time, you can't force anything else on her. She needs to breathe Valin, not be secluded from the ones she loves,"
Valin leaned back in the booth and frowned, sensing the tone and meaning in his voice, "She's not alone, she still has her parents and her family,"
"They'll always be there for her but the one she loves, the person she really cares about --- if he really cared about her, he wouldn't leave her during a time she really needs him the most," Wedge said and then glanced at Myri and Syal. They'd just finished eating their sundaes and were wiping their hands. He moved out of the booth, as Myri jumped down and Syal followed her. Syal took her sister's hand, escorting her to the bathroom. Wedge watched them together for a moment and then slid back into the booth. "I'm sorry Valin, I don't mean to be this way but Cherith is my niece. And I know, the two of you have had this really strong bond since you first met and you really care about her but I don't understand ---"
"Why I would leave her?" Valin finished, "Because we're too young, because we can't admit how we feel about each other. If I tell Cherith I love her, and she tells me the same thing, it'll be too much for both of us. I'm only 17 years old, she's 15 -- we're both too young for this,"
"You don't believe love can exist this early in life?"
Valin nodded, "I do, absolutely I believe it does. But my dad and Cherith's father would say otherwise, I think,"
Wedge shrugged, "I don't know about that. Jag met Jaina when she was only 16 years old, and he knew he liked her. And today, they're happily married with a beautiful daughter and two sons on the way. That was love, wasn't it?"
"But we're too young,"
"Listen to me, Valin. Love happens, it doesn't matter when or how old you are, it finds you," he said and leaned back, "If Jag says otherwise, I'll just have to remind him for years since he had been separated from Jaina, she was the only girl he ever dreamed about,"
Valin nodded, "We're both too young for this. It was okay when we both realized we liked each other and that there was a connection but now, it's different,"
"Different isn't always bad, Valin,"
"Maybe but things are happening too fast and it's just better we slow down a bit before..."
"..Before you admit those three wonderful words you're both not ready to admit?" Wedge finished, "Let me put it this way, Valin. Which is better, never telling Cherith how you feel or keep her at a distance? Both are bad options to me. You have to talk to her,"
Valin nodded again, "I can't. She's probably really angry with me right now,"
"You don't know that,"
"I know she was upset after the fight," Valin snapped, "I didn't want to hurt her but I'm scared of these feelings,"
Wedge shrugged, "Chances are, she probably is too," Valin gestured to the bathroom and he turned as Myri and Syal returned. "I hope when you see Cherith, tell her we'll send a chocolate ice cream sundae her way as a special treat for missing this one," Valin nodded thanks and moved out from the booth, leaving before the waitress came back with his jawa juice.
~~
Cherith wandered down the hallway, wrapping her arms around her waist. During the first couple minutes after leaving the apartment, Cherith was sure this was the right thing to do. She wanted to tell Valin how she felt; now almost near the lounge itself (standing out of it actually) she was terrified. What if this was a really bad idea? What if he wasn't ready for this big step? What if she wasn't? So many questions hit her at once but deep down, Cherith knew she had to do this. She breathed slowly and entered the lounge, holding her head high and then sunk once she saw Valin wasn't at their booth.
He wasn't there. She thought he would be there, but he wasn't. The booth was empty; there wasn't a glass of blue milk to indicate that he had been there. Cherith turned around and walked back outside of the lounge.
She was certain he would be there; she felt it in her heart he was there in the lounge but he wasn't. //Maybe it isn't meant to be, // she realized. //He'll always be my best friend, that will never change but it simply isn't meant to be, // Cherith nodded to herself and walked back down the hallway to the apartment.
On the opposite side of the hallway, Valin Horn strode into the lounge and walked up to the bar, ordering two steaks and two glasses of blue milk. He smiled at the bartender and the moved to the side, waiting for the order. He held the tray and walked slowly to the booth, and set the extra plate and blue milk on the other side. Valin turned and looked around the lounge.
It wasn't very busy, a few pilots at the bar and more people at smaller tables. He glanced at the chrono and then at the door. Maybe he was pushing his luck. If Cherith wanted to see him, she would have but it was very late already. Valin frowned and then took the tray from the table and returned to the bar. "Can you put these to go, please?" he asked the waitress and she took the tray from him and started to put the food in boxes.
Tomorrow, he'd talk to Cherith tomorrow.
tbc