Disclaimer: I'm a poor student... even if you *do* sue me all you'll get is a few teddy bears, my piggy bank that has all of six cents in it, and my shoes. Do you really want that? I didn't think so.

A/N: Well, I've been saying for a while that this fic was slowly coming to its close, and that day has finally come. I've spent the better part of the last three days working on this chapter alone, and I hope it's to all of your liking. I can't express the gratitude I feel towards you for just taking the time out of your lives to read this, and some of you have been such faithful readers that I'm positively speechless. You know who you are, and you are absolutely amazing. I don't know how to thank you, other than dedicate this chapter, as well as this entire fic, to my reviewers. I'd list you all, but I'm sure you already know who you are.

I thank you.

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Chapter Six

The red blinking light sent warning signals off in Jag's mind. Normally, red lights didn't indicate anything that was good. It was one of those colors that was reserved for danger and death, both of which Jag rather avoid. The first claws of a mind-numbing fear began to slide across his soul and grip his heart. His green eyes darted to the ramp where the first set of bodyguards had begun their descent down it. There wasn't much time.

"Shawnkyr," he whispered to his current second-in-command. "Take my place. Something's amiss." Without questioning his judgment, Shwankyr stepped forward and assumed the place that Jag had vacated only moments before. Her posture was perfect and her red eyes stared forward, seeing everything and nothing at once.

The throngs of people that stood between himself and the rear of the ship where the blinking light was coming from was immense. He muttered apologies to the people he pushed by in his quest to get to the ship.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jag noticed the second set of guards moving down the ramp to take their places behind the first set. 'Only one more set before Tenel Ka and Jaina…' Jag reminded himself. Jag leaped over one of the barricades that was meant to separate the security from the higher ranking military officials. As his feet hit the ground, his arm was caught by a hand that held his in a vice grip.

"Colonel Fel," General Antilles said through clenched teeth. "What in all Seven Corellian Hells are you doing?"

Once Wedge met his nephew's eyes, he realized something was wrong. "General Antilles, I don't have the time to explain, but get the Queen Mother and her guards off that ship as soon as possible, sir." Jag said. He ripped his arm from his uncle's grip and resumed his path towards the ship. By now, a second set of blinking red lights had appeared. Jag wasn't sure what that meant, but he was positive it wasn't helping his situation any.

He increased his speed as a rush of adrenaline hit him. Jag was a mere few feet away from the last set of barricades that separated him from the bomb. Right then, time seemed to slow.

Queen Mother Tenel Ka, flanked by Jaina, was halfway down the ramp. The third light appeared and blinked in unison with its two counterparts. The taller of the two Hapan bodyguards took off running in the opposite direction.

Jag had taken two more steps towards the barricade and was getting ready to jump when his world was enveloped in an explosion that threw him across the landing pad. His world had become fuzzy before completely disappearing into the darkness that was desperate to consume him.

The last thing he saw on his face before he succumbed to the blast was Jaina's face.

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Jaina stood in the small corridor before the landing ramp. She watched it lower from behind four of the six Hapan guards that had been assigned to Tenel Ka.

Without batting an eye, Tenel Ka read Jaina as if she were an open holonovel. "My friend, you are anxious." She stated. "Clear your mind. The Force tells me that we will need to use our heads."

Jaina eyed her friend quickly. "I take it you have that bad feeling in the pit of your stomach too."

Tenel Ka's red-gold hair moved with her as she nodded her head. "Just keep your faith in the Force, and all shall be fine, my friend." Jaina nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Jaina barely noticed the two guards beginning their descent. She was too preoccupied searching the crowd for familiar faces. Instantly, she noticed the grins of not only her father, but of General Antilles. She offered them a small smile in return.

Her dark eyes continued their search for more familiar faces. Most of the people there were either politicians or common folk who had never seen the Queen Mother of Hapes. Overall, it was quite a crowd.

A feeling of disappointment began to swell in her heart. 'You were the one who told him you didn't want him anymore, so don't be surprised that he's - here!' Jaina thought as she locked her eyes on the raven-haired and green eyed man that held a piece of her heart hostage. He was moving through the crowd at a rather rapid pace, pushing through various people. She kept her face impassive, but her mind was wondering what it was that was making Jag act like a Wookiee hunting its prey.

The second set of guards began to make their way down the slope, but Jaina was only vaguely aware of them. Her eyes were trained on Jag as he leaped over the barricade and was stopped by General Antilles' grip on his arm. She watched the two exchange words before Jag continued on his quest to the back of the ship.

"Jaina," Tenel Ka whispered to get Jaina's attention. Looking to her friend, she realized that the second pair of guards was already waiting at the bottom of the incline, and already in their assigned positions. The pair began their descent down the ramp when Jaina began to realize something was wrong.

Both Jaina and Tenel Ka realized very quickly that the foremost guard on the left had a panicked look on her face. She looked around quickly before taking off in the opposite direction that Jag was running. The danger sense that both Jedi had honed during the war flared.

Both women took off wordlessly down the ramp, but it was too late. By the time their feet had hit the duracreet floor, they were being thrown through the air by the sheer force of the explosion.

Being the lighter person of the two, Jaina flew further than Tenel Ka, smacking into a tree. She felt her Jedi robes burning, but her limbs refused to cooperate in getting her clothes off. The smell of her flesh beginning to burn was the last thing Jaina remembered before entering the bliss that was unconsciousness.

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Jag woke up in a sterile white room under a thin blanket on an unfamiliar bed. He'd been in this situation only twice before. Once when he split his head open at the Academy, and once more when his clawcraft crashed during the fateful skirmish that took his brother. 'Two times was more than enough.' Jag thought wearily as he tried to push himself up to a sitting position. He immediately ceased his attempt once a stinging pain shot up his arm to his shoulder. He cried out softly in pain.

"Jag! You shouldn't be moving," Iella said admonishingly. "It's bad enough that you just got out of surgery, you don't want to have to go back into it, do you?" Jag didn't answer but struggled to form a smile on his face for his aunt. He had assumed that she had felt she needed to take the place of his mother since Syal was a few systems away in the Unknown Regions still. Jag didn't mind it much; although he'd never admit to that.

"Jaina." He managed to croak out. His voice sounded strange, it was too dry and rough to be his own. His sore throat didn't do much to help his situation, either.

Iella grabbed the clear cup of water that had been set beside Jag's bed for whenever he woke up. She raised the glass to his mouth and let him drink. "What was that, Jag?" Iella asked while gently pushing him back down and pulling the thin white sheet over him.

"Where's Jaina?" He asked, lying down only to please his aunt.

A worried look flashed through his aunt's eyes. "She's in Intensive Care right now, Jag. She's scheduled to go into surgery later today."

Jag felt his heart drop to his feet. "What happened to her?"

"They found her quite a few yards away from the shuttle. She wasn't dead, but she was pretty close to it. Her legs are burned, but so far the doctors and he Jedi healers have said that can be fixed. They're more worried about her head. She smacked into a tree pretty hard, and hasn't woken up since." Iella explained.

Jag, remembering his injury on his left side, swiped his right hand over his face. "When can I see her?"

Iella smiled warmly at him. "Once she's out of surgery, I'll make sure you get to see her. But for now, just go back to sleep." Apparently, Jag took Iella's word as good enough and went back to sleep.

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Jaina woke up several hours after she had been taken out of surgery. A strange numbness consumed her limbs and her head ached like it never had before. Her sight was rather blurry, but the warmth on her side and the depression in the mattress served as testimony that there was a person resting on her bed.

She reached her hands up to rub her eyes, but her right hand was stuck on a wire. Using her left hand to feel what it was, she realized that it was an IV wire, and that pulling it out wouldn't be such a good idea.

Once she cleared her eyes and adjusted to her new surroundings, she looked toward her visitor. The black hair and white streak practically screamed the guest's name, but it didn't help Jaina's shock any.

The still sleeping Jag sat in a wheelchair, with comfortable clothes on. 'Pajamas,' Jaina assumed. A sling held his left arm in an "L" position against his chest, and various bacta patches adorned his arms and face. Jaina smiled softly and reached her hand out to brush a few stray locks of hair that had fallen over his forehead and into his face. His green eyes opened wearily at the gentle touch.

"Jaina," he whispered.

She smiled softly. "Who else would you expect, a holostar? No such luck this time, buddy."

Her remark made Jag smirk. "Even in a hospital room you can't lose your sharp tongue."

"Would you really want me to?" She bit back.

"No."

A moment without words passed between the two with only the soft beeping of the heart monitor Jaina was attached to breaking the tranquility of the room. She realized that the warmth she had felt was his hand holding hers. His hands were exactly how she remembered it; calloused and rough, yet gentle. 'At least some things don't change.'

Jag, apparently not realizing that he was still caressing her hand with his thumb as he had been while she was asleep, cleared his throat.

"So how have you been?" He asked. She nodded her head.

"Not bad, and yourself?"

"Same." He replied, but his eyes spoke volumes on the contrary.

"You're lying."

"So are you."

"Tell me the truth."

"I love you."

The words tumbled out of Jag's mouth before he realized what he was saying. His pale eyes widened as he watched the expression on Jaina's face turn from worried to shock.

"You lie again." She ventured.

"No, I'm not." Jag said. "You know, since you left I've spent nearly all my free time thinking about you, about me - about how I screwed up." Her brown eyes were desperately seeking his, but he denied them both the comfort.

"Jag, I-"

"Let me finish," he pleaded. "I'm sorry about what I said to make you leave. I didn't mean it, but the words were out of my mouth before I realized the impact they'd have on you. I never meant that I didn't love you, but that I was afraid to be with you."

"But why, Jag?"

"I was afraid of hurting you." He answered honestly. "I didn't want to tell you the truth that day, but I couldn't help it."

"So you figured it'd be easier to lie to me, and let me think that our relationship meant nothing to you?" She argued.

"No! It had nothing to do with our relationship not meaning anything. I was afraid Jaina, so I said the only thing I knew I could hide behind-my career." He said remorsefully. "But I know now that although I've worked so hard for my career, I'd give it all up just to be with you again."

Jaina didn't know what to say. She wasn't about to cry, it just wasn't her style; but she did squeeze his hand. With his free arm, he stood up and put it around her best he could, trying to avoid the tubes and wires that were jammed into her body. Resting his head next to her shoulder, he whispered to her. "I love you."

He could feel her smile against his shoulder. "I love you too, Jag."

The pair remained in their embrace for a while, the exact time neither could remember. Even though all was not all right in the world, and there would be a half ton of paperwork due on the incident, all was right in that small hospital room that had brought them together once again.

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A/N: And with that ladies and gentlemen, my "fluff-fest" comes to a close. I wish you all a good Easter/Spring Break, and for the last time for this fic, I ask that you Review. Thank you!