From Scratch
Chapter 15
Jacen carefully checked out their surroundings as they were led deep into the domain of the Coruscan survivors. Their small band of five passed several places Jacen would have thought to stop for water, and though he asked, Flynn told him there were better, more pure, places to get water. Knowing the survivor had been in the under levels for some time, Jacen wasn't about to doubt him. Flynn's directions, however, weren't the foremost thoughts in his mind. Tenel Ka and her strange behavior was what consumed him.
First, being told to curb and fight his impulses, and then when a good-looking woman took an interest, he was being hailed as a fiancée! To make matters worse, he'd been so shocked, not only hearing the word from her lips, but attached to his name, he hadn't bothered to correct her! Now they were stuck playing the role. Did it bother him? Not really. He was just happy she'd finally decided to see things his way, if only for the benefit of the survivors. However, he was going to make sure that his status changed from fiancée into husband or consort as soon as possible. Who knew, maybe the survivors had a holy man. The thought made him grin. Wouldn't that just force her hand! What would she do then?
Would she revel the truth; that he'd kidnapped her and brought her here against her will? Or would she keep going with her deception, believing that any vows they spoke weren't binding until they spoke them with Jedi and Hapan witnesses? He mulled over that for a bit. Why had she claimed him as her own in front of the three witnesses, though? She'd made it abundantly clear she wanted him to resist her, yet contradicted it not five minutes later. He shook his head. He had to know, had to ask her, but with their guides hanging so close, he couldn't simply come out and say it without giving the game away.
Frustrated, he wanted to condemn Flynn to the nine hells and steal Tenel Ka away again. Just the two of them, so that they could talk. Ok, so talk wasn't exactly on his mind after that little run in with her slip, but they really did need to talk. She was sending him conflicting signals, and he had a feeling it was completely unintentional. Not really a big surprise. Tenel Ka was more experienced in war than with men. Which was a huge relief and frustration all at the same time. On one hand, he wished she'd had at least some experience beyond him, but on the other he was flattered to be her first. Her first kiss, first love and especially first experiment. At least, that's how he felt.
She touched his arm and he looked up at her, coming out of his thoughts quickly. She nodded to the right where Vola was watching them cautiously. Almost as if she wasn't sure what to make of them. Jacen, who was closest to her, beckoned her closer. Vola glanced ahead at her two companions on point and carefully stepped closer. "You don't wish to hurt me, do you Great One?" she asked, her voice was heavily accented but her basic was almost flawless.
Jacen chuckled. "Great one?"
Vola nodded solemnly. "You have set us free. Your name is known across this world."
"I'd better change it then," he joked gently. "I wouldn't hurt you, it's not my way."
"Can I be of service to you?"
The side of his mouth kicked up. "Sure, call me Jacen and not "great one". I have a couple of questions, actually, I'm wondering where it is we're headed."
"To the deep well, Great One."
He grimaced. "Please, call me Jacen?"
She shook her head. "I would not intend to disrespect."
"You won't. I only answer to Jacen."
"Or Jedi Solo," Tenel Ka added. "That is appropriate."
Vola inclined her head to Tenel Ka. "And you, she of flame?"
Tenel Ka raised an eyebrow. She of flame? She liked that. "Tenel Ka." She shot a glance at Jacen. "Nothing more."
"Are you not also a Jedi?" Vola pointed to the lightsaber on her belt. "You're a warrior with one arm? Have you too been rejected by the gods?"
Jacen laughed, "Rejected!" He snickered, grinning widely. "My apologies. Tenel Ka, would you care to explain how you lost the arm."
She shot him a quelling look that had little effect. "The Great One removed it in a lightsaber accident."
Vola blinked. "He thought it fitting you should have only one arm?"
"No, he did not. I had created a faulty weapon. The fault was my own."
Vola considered her words carefully. "I don't understand."
Jacen smiled. "Don't worry about it. All you need to know is that her arm was an accident, not something we meant to have happen."
"Are you less of a Jedi because of your injury?" Vola inquired curiously. "Or do Jedi commonly accept those without limbs?"
Tenel Ka's lips twitched, and Jacen couldn't help but stare at her. She thought Vola amusing. Amazing! "I am a special case," Tenel Ka admitted seriously. "I do not think of myself as less of a Jedi for my injury. Because of it, I have become a better Jedi."
"Again, I don't understand."
"You don't need to," Jacen assured her. "Tenel Ka is an able bodied fighter as any I've seen, more so, and she took down two of the warriors in the room back there."
Vola's eyes widened considerably. The respect she had for "she of flame" jumping up considerably. "I offer my apologies, she of flame."
"Accepted."
"Vola!"
The Yuuzhan Vong jumped, looking almost guiltily towards the head of the party. "Yes Flynn?"
"Are you chatting or guarding? We're almost near the well, you know how dangerous it is."
Vola inclined her head to Jacen and Tenel Ka. "Forgive me, we must continue out discussion at a later date. Thank you for your story, she of flame. And for the honor of your company, Great One." She stepped back, resuming her position before either could comment.
Jacen looked down at Tenel Ka, raising an eyebrow in silent query. She cocked her head to the side, as if considering a silent question before shaking her head once. Jacen looked back to Vola and sighed. She was right. They couldn't trust the shamed one, no matter how innocent she seemed. No one could know the truth behind their deception. It was a shame though. Vola seemed genuinely interested in them, even if it was a tad fanatical in nature. He inclined his head to show he agreed, his gaze going around them. He had to find a place to talk to her and soon. Without Vola as a distraction, his earlier questions were beginning to resurface. Had Tenel Ka made her decision? It certainly seemed like it, but what decision was it and for how long would it hold, were more important. He needed answers.
They entered the main well almost an hour later and stopped. Jacen felt as if he'd stepped into another world. The well was a grotto of tranparisteel covered with moss and lichen of all colors. Rocks littered the edge of a deep pool. The pool was a blocked up room below, a small barricade having trapped the running waters so that they swirled in and stayed for a time before leaking out through many small gaps in the walls below. The water was clean, cool, and clear through to the floor. Jacen was almost tempted to strip to his shorts and go for a swim. "Incredible."
Flynn grinned as he stepped around the pool to the far side, almost yelling to be heard. "It is, isn't it? Take your time. We'll secure the perimeter."
"Don't bother," Jacen called back, "There's no one, Yuuzhan Vong or otherwise, within two miles!"
But Flynn didn't appear to hear him as he slipped out an entrance on the far side. Vola watched their backs while Nicha took up a position far to their left. The water poured into the grotto on the west end, and Jacen made his way that way. Tenel Ka started to move the other way, but she changed her mind quickly. She and Jacen needed to talk; maybe the sound of the water would give them some privacy.
They stopped where the water came rushing in, kneeling close to each other and shedding their packs on the bank. Tenel Ka dipped her hand into the water and nodded once. "It is cool."
"A good temperature for a swim?"
She glanced at him. "I do not think our hosts would appreciate such an activity."
He grinned. "Me either. Tenel Ka, we have to talk."
"I know."
He pulled his canteen from his belt, quickly rummaging through both packs for their other water containers to give them both something to do as they spoke. "You're confusing me," he admitted, dipping his first canteen into the pool. "Before our new friends showed up, you were telling me to keep resisting you, and then, when we're interrupted, you changed your tactics completely. Not that I'm complaining, I love being thought of as your fiancée, but are you sure that's a good idea?"
She kept her gaze on the pool as she dipped one of their canteens into the water. "It was all I could think of."
"Why?"
She looked up at him for a moment, "I did not like the way Nicha was looking at you." She admitted carefully. "I spoke before I thought."
He raised an eyebrow. "And now that you've had a chance to think?"
"I do not think it was spoken in error. As a betrothed couple they will not try to separate us."
"But is that all it is?" he asked her softly as he capped the canteen and set it aside. She pulled the canteen she was filling from the water and turned to look at him. Jacen pulled it from her fingers, capping it, but didn't grab either of them a new one.
"I do not know." She admitted.
"What if they ask us how we met, Tenel Ka? About when I proposed to you? Or maybe where we plan to take our honeymoon? How about the date we have in mind? Did you think of those at all?"
"We can be truthful," she told him seriously. "We met at the Jedi Academy. I proposed to you."
"But I never got the chance to say yes!" he told her grinning. "You just assumed I did."
She rolled her eyes in a rare gesture of exasperation. "Would you prefer I had asked you in front of Flynn?"
"Well no, but..." he raked a hand through his hair. "They're going to expect us to share a pallet, Tenel Ka. I've been getting surface thoughts from Nicha and Flynn. Down here, being affianced is as good as being married. You're expected to produce an heir, or rather proof of one, within six months. They'll be expecting us to camp with them tonight and to share a bedroll."
She blinked, all color draining from her face. "You are certain?"
He nodded. "I've been intentionally scanning them so that we don't make mistakes. Can you do that? Share a bed with me?"
She swallowed hard. "If we do not?"
"They'll know something is amiss."
"Can we not explain that such things wait until marriage in our societies?"
He shook his head. "No. By claiming me so blatantly, with that little finger trek down my chest, they already assume we're sleeping together. To sleep in separate bedrolls would give Nicha the opening she needs to try and take me from you. And Flynn wants you for himself. I didn't need the Force to see that one."
Tenel Ka's gaze traveled over their companions, to where Nicha was watching them from the far side of the pond, a frown on her face, yet she turned away, back to her guard duty when their gazes met. Flynn's back was the only thing visible of him. Vola was nowhere to be seen, but Jacen pointed further back then she was looking and the Yuuzhan Vong seemed to have blended with the surroundings. She turned her gaze back to him. "I am sorry."
"For what?"
"For placing you in this situation." She took a deep breath. "I did not think when I saw Nicha looking at you as she was; I acted. I have placed us in an impossible situation."
"Nothing's impossible, it's just a question of what we do. You chose and acted Tenel Ka. Only thing is, you're supposed to think before you do. You have another choice to make. If you want me for yourself, or if you're going to cut me loose. Nicha would be more than willing to take me off your hands."
"Never." Tenel Ka's eyes blazed and she glared at him. "You are mine."
He blinked. "Pardon?"
"You are mine, Jacen. Nicha cannot have you."
He reached out, gently touching her face, a smile creasing his lips. "I've been waiting a long time to hear you say that, Tenel Ka."
She leaned forward, searching his eyes. "I have made my choice." She admitted softly. "I cannot think of another woman being close to you. I cannot picture myself with another man. My choice is to take you for myself."
"For now?" he asked softly, "Or for always? This isn't a choice to be made lightly Tenel Ka. You've said the words I've been waiting to hear and I won't let you take them back."
"I do not wish to take them back."
"Even after we get out of here? Even knowing what troubles and hardships we'll face?"
She nodded and Jacen watched as her control was slowly released, a rare, beautiful smile crossing her lips. "I love you, Jacen Solo. No matter what we may face when we return to Hapes, I will not allow you to be put to death. I will not allow you to become a slave. I will have a husband, not a consort. That is my pledge to you."
Jacen slid his hand around the back of her neck, leaning closer even as he pulled her towards him. "Are you sure, Tenel Ka?"
She nodded, her gaze dropping momentarily to his lips. "I am tired of fighting what is between us, Jacen. My rash action in declaring you my fiancée made me understand one thing. I am yours. No matter how I try to deny it, I am. I do not wish to belong to any other man the way I belong to you. Politics and pressure have no business in my private life."
He pulled her closer. "I know. I feel the same way." Her eyes slowly fluttered closed as his lips settled over hers. She angled her head, returning his chaste, yet powerful kiss. This was a promise. A promise of pleasures to come, of devotion, protection and, most of all, a promise of forever. His hand slid off her neck, releasing her, and she carefully pulled away, her breathing hitching in her throat.
She felt naked, bare before him with the revelation. She'd only managed to admit to herself in the last hour how she truly felt, how she'd feel, if he was completely out of her life. If she didn't have Jacen to fight with, play with; argue with. If she didn't have him to balance out her serious nature and controlled emotions. If she didn't have him to challenge her, push her beyond what she knew she could do. She'd have felt empty, as she had when she thought him dead. She would have been half a person again, and no matter what political reasons she had for pushing him away, they didn't matter. This fire between them, this sense of rightness, was what mattered. The same fire Jacen's parents still had, the kind her own parents had shared. The kind they both deserved.
"Thank you," he whispered softly, lifting his hand to gently brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
"I am being selfish," she admitted. "You do not have to thank me."
"But I do," he insisted. "You've made me to happiest man in the galaxy. I've done the impossible, Tenel Ka. I've made you admit you need someone else to make you complete and that gift is more... precious than any gem in your empire."
"I see."
He chuckled. "So what do we do about our survivor friends?"
She reached for the next canteen, beginning to fill it as she thought over the question. She was silent as they worked, mulling it over in her mind. It was a good question too. What could they do? Share a bedroll? The very thought of sharing the same sleeping space as Jacen sent fire through her system. To have him hold her, touch her, all night? She'd never get any sleep! And forget about resisting him. He would be able to do anything and she wouldn't fight it. Yet, she didn't think they'd reach the surface before nightfall. And she wasn't about to do anything that would give Nicha a chance to doubt her claim on him. She shook her head, filling the last of the canteens and placing it back on the ground.
"Tenel Ka?"
She looked up at him, her lips thinning. "We do not give them any reason to doubt our story," she said at last. "But I refuse to sleep without clothing."
He laughed. "That makes two of us. Think you can handle it for one night?"
She nodded solemnly. "I will because we have no choice. "
Jacen began repacking their bags before holding hers up. It wasn't exactly the kind of response he'd been hoping to get, but that in itself showed how edgy she was about sleeping in his arms. Considering the effect they had on each other, he wasn't surprised. She slipped into her pack, carefully readjusting the straps as he pulled his on. "Alright then, let's get back to our guides shall we?"
She nodded, waiting until he'd left the area. Bending down, careful not to let the weight of her pack over balance her, she took a long drink from the pool. Cool, clean and delicious. Just what she needed for her parched throat. She pushed herself to her knees and watched as Jacen made his way towards Vola. He didn't seem to notice she was gone yet. She pulled a datapad from the back of her belt and rummaged around for the datarod she'd found earlier. Flipping it on, she raised an eyebrow. Page 2? With a mental shrug, she looked at the middle paragraph and began to read silently.
"After you have his attention, the next step involves a belt. His in particular. How you undo it is your choice. Hands are good, feet are better, and teeth will really drive him crazy. With his belt gone, getting under his robes shouldn't be a problem. At least, not unless he's really well trained. You may have to as him to remove your belt in a similar manner. Most will oblige, feeling the need to return the favor."
Her eyes widened. What the heck was this? She scrolled up to the first page with the table of contents. "Dayo's Guide To Fooling Jedi. Chapter 1 - Seduction." She almost laughed. Using your teeth to remove a belt? Why would that drive anyone crazy? She shook her head, thinking of the way Jacen's body had reacted earlier with her knee pressed gently to his groin, below his belt, and wondered if it was true. She stood, turning off the datapad and slipping the rod back into her belt pouch. She was almost tempted to find out. Almost.
+++
AN: Hidden joke about the author of the book... *grin*
Chapter 15
Jacen carefully checked out their surroundings as they were led deep into the domain of the Coruscan survivors. Their small band of five passed several places Jacen would have thought to stop for water, and though he asked, Flynn told him there were better, more pure, places to get water. Knowing the survivor had been in the under levels for some time, Jacen wasn't about to doubt him. Flynn's directions, however, weren't the foremost thoughts in his mind. Tenel Ka and her strange behavior was what consumed him.
First, being told to curb and fight his impulses, and then when a good-looking woman took an interest, he was being hailed as a fiancée! To make matters worse, he'd been so shocked, not only hearing the word from her lips, but attached to his name, he hadn't bothered to correct her! Now they were stuck playing the role. Did it bother him? Not really. He was just happy she'd finally decided to see things his way, if only for the benefit of the survivors. However, he was going to make sure that his status changed from fiancée into husband or consort as soon as possible. Who knew, maybe the survivors had a holy man. The thought made him grin. Wouldn't that just force her hand! What would she do then?
Would she revel the truth; that he'd kidnapped her and brought her here against her will? Or would she keep going with her deception, believing that any vows they spoke weren't binding until they spoke them with Jedi and Hapan witnesses? He mulled over that for a bit. Why had she claimed him as her own in front of the three witnesses, though? She'd made it abundantly clear she wanted him to resist her, yet contradicted it not five minutes later. He shook his head. He had to know, had to ask her, but with their guides hanging so close, he couldn't simply come out and say it without giving the game away.
Frustrated, he wanted to condemn Flynn to the nine hells and steal Tenel Ka away again. Just the two of them, so that they could talk. Ok, so talk wasn't exactly on his mind after that little run in with her slip, but they really did need to talk. She was sending him conflicting signals, and he had a feeling it was completely unintentional. Not really a big surprise. Tenel Ka was more experienced in war than with men. Which was a huge relief and frustration all at the same time. On one hand, he wished she'd had at least some experience beyond him, but on the other he was flattered to be her first. Her first kiss, first love and especially first experiment. At least, that's how he felt.
She touched his arm and he looked up at her, coming out of his thoughts quickly. She nodded to the right where Vola was watching them cautiously. Almost as if she wasn't sure what to make of them. Jacen, who was closest to her, beckoned her closer. Vola glanced ahead at her two companions on point and carefully stepped closer. "You don't wish to hurt me, do you Great One?" she asked, her voice was heavily accented but her basic was almost flawless.
Jacen chuckled. "Great one?"
Vola nodded solemnly. "You have set us free. Your name is known across this world."
"I'd better change it then," he joked gently. "I wouldn't hurt you, it's not my way."
"Can I be of service to you?"
The side of his mouth kicked up. "Sure, call me Jacen and not "great one". I have a couple of questions, actually, I'm wondering where it is we're headed."
"To the deep well, Great One."
He grimaced. "Please, call me Jacen?"
She shook her head. "I would not intend to disrespect."
"You won't. I only answer to Jacen."
"Or Jedi Solo," Tenel Ka added. "That is appropriate."
Vola inclined her head to Tenel Ka. "And you, she of flame?"
Tenel Ka raised an eyebrow. She of flame? She liked that. "Tenel Ka." She shot a glance at Jacen. "Nothing more."
"Are you not also a Jedi?" Vola pointed to the lightsaber on her belt. "You're a warrior with one arm? Have you too been rejected by the gods?"
Jacen laughed, "Rejected!" He snickered, grinning widely. "My apologies. Tenel Ka, would you care to explain how you lost the arm."
She shot him a quelling look that had little effect. "The Great One removed it in a lightsaber accident."
Vola blinked. "He thought it fitting you should have only one arm?"
"No, he did not. I had created a faulty weapon. The fault was my own."
Vola considered her words carefully. "I don't understand."
Jacen smiled. "Don't worry about it. All you need to know is that her arm was an accident, not something we meant to have happen."
"Are you less of a Jedi because of your injury?" Vola inquired curiously. "Or do Jedi commonly accept those without limbs?"
Tenel Ka's lips twitched, and Jacen couldn't help but stare at her. She thought Vola amusing. Amazing! "I am a special case," Tenel Ka admitted seriously. "I do not think of myself as less of a Jedi for my injury. Because of it, I have become a better Jedi."
"Again, I don't understand."
"You don't need to," Jacen assured her. "Tenel Ka is an able bodied fighter as any I've seen, more so, and she took down two of the warriors in the room back there."
Vola's eyes widened considerably. The respect she had for "she of flame" jumping up considerably. "I offer my apologies, she of flame."
"Accepted."
"Vola!"
The Yuuzhan Vong jumped, looking almost guiltily towards the head of the party. "Yes Flynn?"
"Are you chatting or guarding? We're almost near the well, you know how dangerous it is."
Vola inclined her head to Jacen and Tenel Ka. "Forgive me, we must continue out discussion at a later date. Thank you for your story, she of flame. And for the honor of your company, Great One." She stepped back, resuming her position before either could comment.
Jacen looked down at Tenel Ka, raising an eyebrow in silent query. She cocked her head to the side, as if considering a silent question before shaking her head once. Jacen looked back to Vola and sighed. She was right. They couldn't trust the shamed one, no matter how innocent she seemed. No one could know the truth behind their deception. It was a shame though. Vola seemed genuinely interested in them, even if it was a tad fanatical in nature. He inclined his head to show he agreed, his gaze going around them. He had to find a place to talk to her and soon. Without Vola as a distraction, his earlier questions were beginning to resurface. Had Tenel Ka made her decision? It certainly seemed like it, but what decision was it and for how long would it hold, were more important. He needed answers.
They entered the main well almost an hour later and stopped. Jacen felt as if he'd stepped into another world. The well was a grotto of tranparisteel covered with moss and lichen of all colors. Rocks littered the edge of a deep pool. The pool was a blocked up room below, a small barricade having trapped the running waters so that they swirled in and stayed for a time before leaking out through many small gaps in the walls below. The water was clean, cool, and clear through to the floor. Jacen was almost tempted to strip to his shorts and go for a swim. "Incredible."
Flynn grinned as he stepped around the pool to the far side, almost yelling to be heard. "It is, isn't it? Take your time. We'll secure the perimeter."
"Don't bother," Jacen called back, "There's no one, Yuuzhan Vong or otherwise, within two miles!"
But Flynn didn't appear to hear him as he slipped out an entrance on the far side. Vola watched their backs while Nicha took up a position far to their left. The water poured into the grotto on the west end, and Jacen made his way that way. Tenel Ka started to move the other way, but she changed her mind quickly. She and Jacen needed to talk; maybe the sound of the water would give them some privacy.
They stopped where the water came rushing in, kneeling close to each other and shedding their packs on the bank. Tenel Ka dipped her hand into the water and nodded once. "It is cool."
"A good temperature for a swim?"
She glanced at him. "I do not think our hosts would appreciate such an activity."
He grinned. "Me either. Tenel Ka, we have to talk."
"I know."
He pulled his canteen from his belt, quickly rummaging through both packs for their other water containers to give them both something to do as they spoke. "You're confusing me," he admitted, dipping his first canteen into the pool. "Before our new friends showed up, you were telling me to keep resisting you, and then, when we're interrupted, you changed your tactics completely. Not that I'm complaining, I love being thought of as your fiancée, but are you sure that's a good idea?"
She kept her gaze on the pool as she dipped one of their canteens into the water. "It was all I could think of."
"Why?"
She looked up at him for a moment, "I did not like the way Nicha was looking at you." She admitted carefully. "I spoke before I thought."
He raised an eyebrow. "And now that you've had a chance to think?"
"I do not think it was spoken in error. As a betrothed couple they will not try to separate us."
"But is that all it is?" he asked her softly as he capped the canteen and set it aside. She pulled the canteen she was filling from the water and turned to look at him. Jacen pulled it from her fingers, capping it, but didn't grab either of them a new one.
"I do not know." She admitted.
"What if they ask us how we met, Tenel Ka? About when I proposed to you? Or maybe where we plan to take our honeymoon? How about the date we have in mind? Did you think of those at all?"
"We can be truthful," she told him seriously. "We met at the Jedi Academy. I proposed to you."
"But I never got the chance to say yes!" he told her grinning. "You just assumed I did."
She rolled her eyes in a rare gesture of exasperation. "Would you prefer I had asked you in front of Flynn?"
"Well no, but..." he raked a hand through his hair. "They're going to expect us to share a pallet, Tenel Ka. I've been getting surface thoughts from Nicha and Flynn. Down here, being affianced is as good as being married. You're expected to produce an heir, or rather proof of one, within six months. They'll be expecting us to camp with them tonight and to share a bedroll."
She blinked, all color draining from her face. "You are certain?"
He nodded. "I've been intentionally scanning them so that we don't make mistakes. Can you do that? Share a bed with me?"
She swallowed hard. "If we do not?"
"They'll know something is amiss."
"Can we not explain that such things wait until marriage in our societies?"
He shook his head. "No. By claiming me so blatantly, with that little finger trek down my chest, they already assume we're sleeping together. To sleep in separate bedrolls would give Nicha the opening she needs to try and take me from you. And Flynn wants you for himself. I didn't need the Force to see that one."
Tenel Ka's gaze traveled over their companions, to where Nicha was watching them from the far side of the pond, a frown on her face, yet she turned away, back to her guard duty when their gazes met. Flynn's back was the only thing visible of him. Vola was nowhere to be seen, but Jacen pointed further back then she was looking and the Yuuzhan Vong seemed to have blended with the surroundings. She turned her gaze back to him. "I am sorry."
"For what?"
"For placing you in this situation." She took a deep breath. "I did not think when I saw Nicha looking at you as she was; I acted. I have placed us in an impossible situation."
"Nothing's impossible, it's just a question of what we do. You chose and acted Tenel Ka. Only thing is, you're supposed to think before you do. You have another choice to make. If you want me for yourself, or if you're going to cut me loose. Nicha would be more than willing to take me off your hands."
"Never." Tenel Ka's eyes blazed and she glared at him. "You are mine."
He blinked. "Pardon?"
"You are mine, Jacen. Nicha cannot have you."
He reached out, gently touching her face, a smile creasing his lips. "I've been waiting a long time to hear you say that, Tenel Ka."
She leaned forward, searching his eyes. "I have made my choice." She admitted softly. "I cannot think of another woman being close to you. I cannot picture myself with another man. My choice is to take you for myself."
"For now?" he asked softly, "Or for always? This isn't a choice to be made lightly Tenel Ka. You've said the words I've been waiting to hear and I won't let you take them back."
"I do not wish to take them back."
"Even after we get out of here? Even knowing what troubles and hardships we'll face?"
She nodded and Jacen watched as her control was slowly released, a rare, beautiful smile crossing her lips. "I love you, Jacen Solo. No matter what we may face when we return to Hapes, I will not allow you to be put to death. I will not allow you to become a slave. I will have a husband, not a consort. That is my pledge to you."
Jacen slid his hand around the back of her neck, leaning closer even as he pulled her towards him. "Are you sure, Tenel Ka?"
She nodded, her gaze dropping momentarily to his lips. "I am tired of fighting what is between us, Jacen. My rash action in declaring you my fiancée made me understand one thing. I am yours. No matter how I try to deny it, I am. I do not wish to belong to any other man the way I belong to you. Politics and pressure have no business in my private life."
He pulled her closer. "I know. I feel the same way." Her eyes slowly fluttered closed as his lips settled over hers. She angled her head, returning his chaste, yet powerful kiss. This was a promise. A promise of pleasures to come, of devotion, protection and, most of all, a promise of forever. His hand slid off her neck, releasing her, and she carefully pulled away, her breathing hitching in her throat.
She felt naked, bare before him with the revelation. She'd only managed to admit to herself in the last hour how she truly felt, how she'd feel, if he was completely out of her life. If she didn't have Jacen to fight with, play with; argue with. If she didn't have him to balance out her serious nature and controlled emotions. If she didn't have him to challenge her, push her beyond what she knew she could do. She'd have felt empty, as she had when she thought him dead. She would have been half a person again, and no matter what political reasons she had for pushing him away, they didn't matter. This fire between them, this sense of rightness, was what mattered. The same fire Jacen's parents still had, the kind her own parents had shared. The kind they both deserved.
"Thank you," he whispered softly, lifting his hand to gently brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
"I am being selfish," she admitted. "You do not have to thank me."
"But I do," he insisted. "You've made me to happiest man in the galaxy. I've done the impossible, Tenel Ka. I've made you admit you need someone else to make you complete and that gift is more... precious than any gem in your empire."
"I see."
He chuckled. "So what do we do about our survivor friends?"
She reached for the next canteen, beginning to fill it as she thought over the question. She was silent as they worked, mulling it over in her mind. It was a good question too. What could they do? Share a bedroll? The very thought of sharing the same sleeping space as Jacen sent fire through her system. To have him hold her, touch her, all night? She'd never get any sleep! And forget about resisting him. He would be able to do anything and she wouldn't fight it. Yet, she didn't think they'd reach the surface before nightfall. And she wasn't about to do anything that would give Nicha a chance to doubt her claim on him. She shook her head, filling the last of the canteens and placing it back on the ground.
"Tenel Ka?"
She looked up at him, her lips thinning. "We do not give them any reason to doubt our story," she said at last. "But I refuse to sleep without clothing."
He laughed. "That makes two of us. Think you can handle it for one night?"
She nodded solemnly. "I will because we have no choice. "
Jacen began repacking their bags before holding hers up. It wasn't exactly the kind of response he'd been hoping to get, but that in itself showed how edgy she was about sleeping in his arms. Considering the effect they had on each other, he wasn't surprised. She slipped into her pack, carefully readjusting the straps as he pulled his on. "Alright then, let's get back to our guides shall we?"
She nodded, waiting until he'd left the area. Bending down, careful not to let the weight of her pack over balance her, she took a long drink from the pool. Cool, clean and delicious. Just what she needed for her parched throat. She pushed herself to her knees and watched as Jacen made his way towards Vola. He didn't seem to notice she was gone yet. She pulled a datapad from the back of her belt and rummaged around for the datarod she'd found earlier. Flipping it on, she raised an eyebrow. Page 2? With a mental shrug, she looked at the middle paragraph and began to read silently.
"After you have his attention, the next step involves a belt. His in particular. How you undo it is your choice. Hands are good, feet are better, and teeth will really drive him crazy. With his belt gone, getting under his robes shouldn't be a problem. At least, not unless he's really well trained. You may have to as him to remove your belt in a similar manner. Most will oblige, feeling the need to return the favor."
Her eyes widened. What the heck was this? She scrolled up to the first page with the table of contents. "Dayo's Guide To Fooling Jedi. Chapter 1 - Seduction." She almost laughed. Using your teeth to remove a belt? Why would that drive anyone crazy? She shook her head, thinking of the way Jacen's body had reacted earlier with her knee pressed gently to his groin, below his belt, and wondered if it was true. She stood, turning off the datapad and slipping the rod back into her belt pouch. She was almost tempted to find out. Almost.
+++
AN: Hidden joke about the author of the book... *grin*