NOTICE: the song lyrics have been removed from this chapter so ff.n doesn't delete anymore of my stories. Sorry… use your imagination.

PERFECT STRANGERS: PART VI

This part is dedicated to Chelsea, Lauren, Ben, Chris, and Tim

Thanks for the memories:)

Echo Flight rules!

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

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I hate Brock Mitchell. I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM! All boys suck! Especially Brock. I can't believe this. I can't believe I wrote that the other night. I knew it was a lie. I knew it! I hate him so much. And somehow this is all my fault...

Jaina lie on the couch in her brothers' room watching them play some target practice game on their M.I. system. She felt so awful. She was completely furious at Brock, but the worst part was, that she spent more time thinking of legitimate reasons to be angry with him than convincing herself he was a jerk.

She was angry that he wouldn't talk to her, and angry that there was nothing she could do to make him talk. But worst of all-- she missed him terribly. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

Just then, there was a knock and the door to the boy's room slid open. Tenel's face appeared from around the doorframe. Jacen paused the game and he and Anakin pulled off their goggles. "Hey babe!" Jacen grinned.

"Hi, sweetie." Tenel answered, walking over to where he was seated on the floor. The couple kissed briefly and Tenel ruffled his hair. "Go on back to your game. I've gotta talk to Jaina." Jacen stuck out his lip and tried to look hurt. Tenel only grinned at him and kissed his forehead. Then she turned around to face Jaina, who had sat up on the couch. Tenel dropped down beside her and smiled. "Thought you had fallen asleep."

Jaina shook her head. "I wish. I haven't slept for awhile."

"Well, this couch is really comfortable. It's easy to fall asleep on."

Jaina smiled slyly. "Yeah, though I doubt you're ever sleeping when you're on it."

Tenel grinned, blushing a little. "Yeah well-- shall we move this conversation elsewhere?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jaina sighed. "Because we really need to talk. Actually you need to talk and I need to listen, because I don't know what to do."

The girls stood up and walked into Jaina's room. Jaina collapsed on her bed and groaned. "Tenel, I'm such a mess. What is wrong with me? I'm never like this! I don't know what is going on with--"

"Hang on a second, Jay." Tenel said sitting down in Jaina's conformer chair. "Back up. Lay there on that bed and tell me exactly what you feel."

Jaina looked at Tenel upside down, for her head was hanging off the edge of the bed. She pulled herself back up, so that all the blood wouldn't rush to her head and closed her eyes, clearing her mind.

"I feel-- angry." she grumbled.

Tenel rolled her eyes. "I know that, Jain. Come on. Do I have to walk you through this?" Jaina nodded pitifully. Tenel shook her head with a sympathetic smile. "You feel angry because..."

Jaina closed her eyes again, plunging into her feelings. "I feel angry because-- Brock won't talk to me. He's pushing me away and he won't even let me apologize for being mean to him! I mean-- I thought he was mature! I wasn't looking to start a fight with him, but you would think we could at least fight like adults! But no, he's probably locked up in his room moping right now."

Tenel suppressed a laugh. "And what exactly would you call this?"

Jaina sat up and glared at Tenel. "I'm not moping!"

"No, you're just whining."

Jaina's mouth dropped open. "Is that what I get for asking you to listen to me? Is that all you're going to do is make fun of me in my misery, and contradict what I'm saying and make me feel--"

Tenel looked at her best friend, eyebrows raised. Jaina stopped immediately, realizing her mistake. She covered her face with her hands and collapsed on the bed again. "I'm sorry, Tenel. I'm really sorry. I'm just-- I don't--"

"Jaina, it's okay. Stop trying to explain and just vent."

Jaina sighed again. "I'll try." She swallowed hard and lay down again. "I think more than being angry-- I'm hurt."

"That's better." Tenel said. "Now, why are you hurt?"

"Because-- because I thought everything was really going well between us. I was looking forward to what was going to happen, and now-- it's ruined. I pushed him away from me and made him feel inferior, which is exactly what I didn't want to do-- but I knew it was going to happen! I really did! It was practically inevitable. He already feels inferior because of my status and I made it worse by basically calling him-- well, 'garage scum' as my dad put it."

"That's true," Tenel answered. "But why do you think this is bothering you so much? I mean if he was just 'garage scum' then you certainly wouldn't want anything to do with him, right?"

"Right. But he's not scum. He's so far from it that it's not even funny. As a matter of fact-- I'm closer to it than he is right now." Jaina sighed. "I just want him to listen to me, Tenel. I want to apologize. I miss him so much. He's become like a-- oh, I don't know. I just miss him so much. I would give anything just to talk to him-- just to look at him. But I'm so confused! I never worry this much if someone's mad at me!" she growled. "Why am I so stressed about him!"

Tenel smiled slyly where Jaina couldn't see. Was she really going to say it? "Oh, I don't know." she answered. "Maybe because-- you care about him a little more than you thought?"

Jaina stared at the ceiling numbly. "I don't know. I mean, I know I care about him, but I..."

"Let me ask you this." Tenel interjected. "Would you feel the same way if say-- I was mad at you?"

Jaina thought for a second. "Well, sort of. But not really. You're my best friend but--"

"But you're not in love with me."

"Exactly." Suddenly, Jaina's hand flew to her mouth and she sat up straight on her bed. "What! NO! I'm not in love with him either!"

But it was too late. Tenel was laughing mischievously. "Ha! You are so! I knew it!"

Jaina jumped off the bed. "Shut up, Tenel, you shut up! I am not! I-I didn't mean to say--"

Tenel grabbed Jaina's hands and looked into her eyes with a huge grin. "Come on, Jain. You can't hide from me! And why would you want to anyway? You know it's true even if you don't want to believe it." Tenel looked at the floor and laughed softly. "Jaina, I haven't seen you this stressed since your fight with Taryn. Even then, I don't think you were this-- passionate about it. It's really okay! Brock is handsome and funny and charming and wonderful! What's not to love?"

Jaina looked away. Did she? Maybe? She didn't know. She was still too angry to know for sure. "I don't know." she finally whispered. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of knowing right now either, because if you're wrong--"

Tenel couldn't hide her grin. "Okay, okay, okay. Look, please, just answer me one question?"

"What?"

"If it came down to watching your ship be melted into a pool of hot metal, or living the rest of your life without Brock... which would you choose?"

Jaina glared at her best friend for a long moment, a smile threatening the corners of her mouth. "That's not fair, Tenel Ka. You know that's not fair. You know me as well as I do. And I don't think I could live through either situation."

FRIDAY EVENING

Brock entered the living room and collapsed on the couch next to Jeremy, who was watching T.V. Jeremy looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye. It had been almost three days since his fight with Jaina, and he was a different person; unhappy, somber, and depressed.

"How's it goin' Mitch?"

Brock exhaled deeply. "Bad enough to make me feel like I could go for a drink. Just to get me to sleep."

Jeremy turned to face his best friend, surprised. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd heard Brock say that in his life. He was really out of it. Jeremy pushed himself off the couch and kicked Brock in the foot. Come on, man. We need to get outta here."

"No, Sal, I don't feel like going any--"

"Nope, come on buddy. You can't let her do this to ya. There are millions of beautiful women on this planet. In this galaxy! You can't let one girl ruin your opinion of all of them."

"I'm not, Sal. I just--"

"Mitch," Jeremy said looking his friend straight in the eye. "Quit making excuses. Put your boots on and let's go."

"Where are we gonna go?"

"Out. You're driving me crazy with your moping around this place. If you don't snap out of this I'm gonna kill you."

"Thanks, man. I love you too."

When Jeremy finally coaxed Brock out of the apartment, he led him to one of the taverns where the fighter pilots spent the majority of their free time.

Jeremy ordered drinks for he and Brock, but Brock barely touched his. He stared into space, finding very little comfort in the poison that had stained his childhood. He stared at the amber liquid in his glass around and listened to the multiple conversations surrounding him. One in particular that caught his attention was between two young members of Red Squadron, sitting down the bar from them.

A dark-haired pilot of about seventeen downed half a glass of spiced ale and then sighed.

"Aw, this is almost as good as that stuff floating around in deep space!"

"What stuff?" asked his inebriated blonde friend.

"Haven't you heard about it?" the first answered. "People are sayin' it's some kind of invisible toxic shavit that'll penetrates your ship and get in your bloodstream and it trips you out for awhile-- but when you get back down it makes you all crazy or something."

"Sweet!" came the response. "We should try that tomorrow night!"

The dark-haired pilot smacked his friend in the head. "Stupid, you can't see it!"

Brock couldn't help but chuckle. He'd heard the story about the mysterious substance, but he didn't believe it. It had supposedly affected a few members of Red Squadron, but they were young and inexperienced. Extended periods of intense flying were probably the source of their high. As for the going crazy part, most of the Red Squadron pilots were notorious for having too much blood in their alcohol streams.

As the fighter pilots' conversation subsided, the volume of the music increased. Brock wasn't especially listening, but as he sang along in his head with the familiar song, he came to another upsetting realization.

"Vaping Sith, I forgot about-- the singing thing at Astraglo! I signed up and everything!"

Jeremy sipped his drink. "So? It's not until tomorrow. Why can't you do it?"

"I was gonna write a song for Jaina-- now I can't even talk to her." Brock laid his head down on the counter and buried his face in his arms. "This sucks. My life is so vaping screwed up."

Jeremy shook his head. "So write a different song." he said simply.

"About what?"

"About a guy who really liked this girl and then she vaping screwed his life up. Maybe you'll feel better or something. Got nothin' to lose; nothing's worked so far."

Brock considered the idea, and for lack of anything better to do, he decided to go for it. He remained in the bar for a few more minutes. Then, after building up his own confidence, he took a last sip from his glass and got up from his seat.

"Thanks for the drink, Sal. Take it easy. I'll see ya at home."

"Yeah, have fun. Later."

Brock opened the door to the apartment and walked inside, immediately collapsing on the couch. He lay there for almost half an hour, thinking. Suddenly, he sprang up and ran to his bedroom, grabbed his guitar and started scrawling down lyrics on a datapad.

Tristan glared disgustedly at Brock's melancholy image. "Why are they still fighting!" Tristan bellowed to her crew.

"I'm not exactly sure, Admiral." Captain Mycenae said, approaching her cautiously. "But as of right now, they aren't speaking at all."

Tristan grew very quiet for a moment and then her voice came in a threatening whisper. "How long has this been going on?"

"Three days, Admiral."

Tristan suddenly turned and shoved Mycenae into the wall. "I am not a patient woman, Mycenae. And right now, I am VERY angry. Do NOT send anything to Coruscant from him to her, because interference in this situation could jeopardize our anonymity and all of our plans for the destruction of the Jedi. I'm leaving you in charge. Keep the ship under control and monitor them closely! Come and find me the minute the situation changes."

Tristan disappeared into her quarters and fell into deep Force meditation to calm her anxiety.

Mycenae suppressed a grin at the honor bestowed upon him. This didn't happen every day! "This ship is MINE!"

Hours later, the Brock vs. Jaina situation was unchanged, and Mycenae had grown very bored. Since it was after hours, he invited Taurus, Merlyn and Cerberus to the ship's recreation wing to play cards. Cerberus refused, thinking it irresponsible and childish. The other two complied quickly, bringing along with them a few of the more attractive members of the flight crew called Myranda, Nichole, and Renee.

Cerberus happened to walk by the particular bar where they were, not recognizing them until he heard unmistakably the voice of Benjamyn Taurus yelling, "Mass fold!" He stopped to listen, growing angry with his shipmates for slacking off-- and angry with himself for refusing the party invitation.

"You can't do that!" Nichole yelled.

"I just did!" Taurus answered back with a sly grin. "Anyone else want Nichole to lose?" The rest of the players threw their cards into the middle of the circle and cried, "Mass fold!"

Nichole crossed her arms and sulked. Merlyn grinned and eased his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he said playfully. "Maybe you'll be luckier later on tonight."

Nichole eyed him and then pushed him off the bed. "Don't get your hopes up, Lieutenant!" Myranda laughed and slapped hands with Nichole.

Mycenae suggested that they start a new game, because of all the cheating taking place. But a new round hardly stopped the dishonesty.

"Do you have six?" Taurus whispered to Renee.

Renee looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "A little forward, aren't we Captain?"

"I said six!"

"Sure you did." Renee grinned. "And yes, I do have six, but not for you."

Mycenae laughed and leaned over to peek at Renee's cards. "How about for your Captain?" he whispered.

Renee stared at Nicolas with a sly grin and pulled the six of diamonds from her deck. Taurus gasped. "What! I don't believe you!"

"Well, he's the Captain." Renee shot back.

"Oooh," Myranda teased. "You got ponkt! P-O-N-K-T!"

Renee grinned. "On second thought, it's a lovely offer, but your Admiral might get jealous. And personally, I don't want to be on her bad side." Renee put the six back in her deck and the rest of the players hid sneers and laughter behind their cards.

Mycenae's eyes narrowed. "I don't know where you heard that," he shot back crisply. "But it's a lie. Admiral Lockhart trusts me and appreciates my leadership. That is all."

"You're so convincing, Captain." Myranda quipped. "By the way, I win."

Everyone tossed their cards into the middle and Renee glanced at Mycenae. He was obviously upset. Oops. Time to bail. "Um, girls--" Renee began, standing from the bed. "Don't we have some stuff to set up for tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah!" Myranda answered, taking the hint. "We should probably get outta here. It's late. Nicki?"

"It's been fun, boys." Nichole answered, standing to leave as well. "Maybe we'll see ya around."

Merlyn got up to let the girls out and Renee put a hand on Nicolas' shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you, Captain. I was just--"

"It's fine, Renee." he cut her off. "Forget it."

Renee shrugged at Merlyn and started out the door. Merlyn sighed glancing at Nichole. "You guys don't HAVE to leave. He'll get over it. He just--"

Nichole smiled sympathetically. "Nice try, Cris. Buh bye."

Merlyn shut the door behind them and groaned. "Geez, Nick. How often do we get company like that? Thanks a lot."

"As if you had a chance to begin with."

Taurus laughed and Merlyn shot him an evil eye. "Yeah, well if you just had to go and get all insulted. Renee was just messin around! And I don't know about you, but I'd mess around with her over Lockhart any day."

"Watch your mouth, Merlyn." Mycenae warned. "I'm still your superior."

"Yeah, you're so superior. Why don't you do something about your vaping Admiral!"

Nicolas' blood boiled. He sprang up off the bed and punched Merlyn squarely in the eye. Merlyn reeled back and Taurus jumped up to separate them.

"Hey!" Ben grabbed Cris to keep him from retaliating. "Captain, with all due respect, get out of here. Your status won't ever be the same if you screw up tonight."

Nicolas realized that Benjamyn was right, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Five o'clock Saturday morning, Brock's work was finished. He dropped his guitar pic and leaned up against the wall, closing his eyes. He almost drifted off right then, but he kept his eyes open long enough to put his guitar on the floor and take off his shirt. After sending a quick handwritten note via his computer, Brock collapsed on his bed and fell asleep.

4763253-4587

These have been the most miserable three days of my life. I never want to see Brock again. This is all his fault. I should have known better. I shouldn't have fallen under his spell. He's just the same as all the other guys. And I was stupid to think he'd be different...

Jaina awoke at 9:30. As she rose from her bed and pulled her hair out of her face, she noticed the green message indicator flashing in the corner of her computer screen. She typed in her password to check the message. Scrawled in familiar handwriting were the words:

Sparks

Tonight. 20:30. Astraglo.

Last chance.

Mitchell

SATURDAY MORNING

The next morning, there was still no sign of the Admiral. Mycenae issued out the tasks for that day and did his best to be civil toward Merlyn. Ever since Renee's comment, he couldn't keep his mind off of Tristan, and now it had been two days since he had seen her. She really was not kidding about staying put until Brock and Jaina were reconciled, and Mycenae found it somewhat humorous. He wondered if she was in a Force meditation, strengthening her already immense powers. Or perhaps she was simply in her quarters, watching some form of cheap entertainment, eating chips and sulking. Or maybe she had even become so angry that she had drunken herself into a stupor at the bar and was now fighting a vicious hangover. The latter two made him laugh, but other thoughts prodded his mind that were not so amusing. He wondered if she would blame him for the couple's prolonged argument, or for blackening the eye of one of her crew members. But Tristan had never cared much for Merlyn anyway. However, she had never truly cared for him either, at least no more than as a friend. And that was what bothered him the most. He put the thoughts of her out of his mind, so not to hinder his progress and focused on his own day's work.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Brock was beginning to become bit worried. He was sitting at a table inside of Astraglo surrounded by Lucy, Jeremy and Zane. He hadn't heard a word from Jaina all day and it was 20:00 already. He had already tuned his guitar and made sure that he had two extra pics; one for his pocket, and one to chew on. He was in the process of shredding a napkin into tiny pieces when Lucy grabbed it out of his hand. She smiled sympathetically. "Calm down, Mitchie. She'll be here."

Just as the manager/emcee for the evening took the stage to introduce the first act, Brock heard the front door open. He turned around discreetly, and there she was, looking as beautiful as ever. He turned back quickly and let out a breath he'd been holding for three days.

Jaina seated herself quietly near the back of her favorite restaurant to watch the performers. She wasn't completely sure why she'd been invited here, for Brock was nowhere to be seen. But she was hoping to find him and at least talk to him for a moment. She was leaving for Yavin the next day, and she couldn't bear to go without some kind of closure.

The first three acts were good, but they didn't hold Jaina's attention. Her eyes wandered around the restaurant, looking for Brock, but only minutes later, the emcee's voice snapped her out of her boredom.

"Next up, ladies and gentlemen, is one of our newcomers. He's only played here twice, but he's pretty decent, so we decided to let him come back. Give it up for Brock Mitchell."

Jaina froze. This was the last thing she'd expected.

With soft applause agitating the butterflies in his stomach, Brock stepped onto the small stage with a dismal feeling that this was to be his last performance.

"Uh, thanks everyone. Tonight I'm gonna play a little song I started writing last night, and finished at 5:00 this morning." Soft laughed rippled through the spectators. "Sorry it's not a real happy song—" he continued. "But sometimes, you just gotta—say goodbye."

Jaina's eyes met Brock's in a slightly confused stare. It was the first time that the two had made significant eye contact in three days. Without another word, Brock dropped her gaze and began strumming a soft repetitive melody, and soon he began to sing a sad Green Day song that ff.n won't let me post.

Jaina sat still, unable to take her eyes from the stage. She tried to hear and remember every word he sang, but her mind was so busy processing what was happening that it was threatening to shut down. Though a part of Jaina wanted to disappear from Astraglo, another stronger part wouldn't allow her to move. Thoughts screamed through her head like TIE Fighters.

"I don't understand! The end? Am I never going to see or talk to him ever again? How can this be the end? How can this be right!"

Brock couldn't tell what going through Jaina's mind. Of course, he was more focused on singing, but he still longed to know. The chorus he sang aloud collided in his head with his inspiration for writing it.

I never even dreamed I'd meet somebody like you. But it's better this way. We're from different worlds. I don't regret any time I spent with you, but I'm going to miss you like crazy.

When the song was over, the entire place applauded wildly. Jaina stood up and stared at the stage until she made eye contact with Brock. She held his gaze for a minute and then turned and walked out the door.

Brock's face fell. He hadn't planned on having to chase her down tonight. He left the stage and walked back to the table where his proud friends were seated. After accepting their numerous compliments, he handed his guitar to Lucy. "Hey, just make sure that gets home. I hate to run, but I have something to take care of." Jeremy and Zane exchanged a look and Lucy smiled.

"Thanks for comin', guys. Don't wait up, Sal." With that, he grabbed his jacket and raced out of the coffee shop after Jaina.

Brock didn't stop jogging until he reached the elevator. He stepped inside and pressed the button to the top floor. He felt like he'd been chasing a shadow, for Jaina was nowhere to be found. He wasn't sure why he was in such a rush to catch her; he had no idea what he was going to say when he did. Brock sighed and leaned against the wall of the elevator. The moment the door opened, he was out and bolting up the stairs to the roof. He ran through the greenhouse and out the back door to come face to face with the city. He looked out at the evening lights and the stars. There was no sign of Jaina anywhere. Disappointed, he walked to the edge and rested his elbows there with a sigh. He didn't even hear the door open behind him seconds later.

"Who ya lookin' for?"

"Geez!" Brock yelped, spinning around. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Jaina, standing in the doorway behind Brock, let the door close behind her and walked to the edge as well. "Sorry," She said standing a fair distance away from him, also looking over the edge. "You ran right past me. Didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me, you startled me." He answered dryly. He moved toward her and she remained silent, not amused.

After a long moment, Jaina broke the uneasy silence. "What happened to us, Brock?" she asked quietly, without making eye contact.

Brock snorted. "You decided you were too good for me, that's what happened."

"Brock, that was not true. That was me being angry and irrational. Everything I said that night was a lie. I can't even believe I said it. I'm sorry!" she paused and took a breath. "I just got defensive when you started accusing me of keeping things from you! I'm sorry I snapped at you, but you didn't even give me a chance to apologize!"

Brock remained deathly calm. "Why should you apologize for telling the truth?"

Jaina held his gaze helplessly. Sorry was too little too late. She'd shattered his confidence. She had thrown a trump card in their first argument ever and there was permanent damage to show for it. She paused for a moment, ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"Brock, I do not want to fly off this planet tomorrow with our 'relationship' the way it is now. I know this is all my fault-- but I want you to let me fix it. And right now, you're--"

"You're a hell of a mech, Sparks." He interrupted, "But you can't just fix everything. As much as I'd love to forget what you said, I can't just pretend you didn't say it. You cut me deep, Sparks. And I know you're sorry now—but how can I know for sure that you don't really feel that way? I mean, what's to stop you from throwing your rank and your family name in my face every time you get pissed off at me! Who needs an inferiority complex hanging over their head? I sure as hell don't."

Brock gripped the iron ledge and turned his attention back to the city skyline. Jaina's hair was flying in her face and she forced an onslaught of angry tears from her eyes.

"Brock, what do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice rising with emotion. "What do you want me to say? I know I hurt you, but you never even gave me the chance to admit I was wrong! You slammed your door in my face and didn't talk to me for three days! Now, you still won't accept my apology because you think I'm lying, and in the meantime you sing me this song, which obviously states that you're through with me. Somehow, I don't see how in the end this is right!"

Brock jammed his hands in his pockets. "I don't like this anymore than you do, Jaina— in fact, I hate it-- but who are we kidding. We're from totally different worlds. This was bound to come up at some point. Maybe it's good that we caught it early. Cause if it hurts like this now, I'd hate to feel it six months from now."

Jaina's eyes narrowed and her hands flew to her hips. "So now you're wishing we'd never met?"

"No, it's too late for that. We can't go backwards."

"Even if you could, would you really want to?" she pleaded. "After everything we've done together, everything we've confided in each other about, everything we've felt? Now you wish none of it had ever happened?"

Brock remained silent.

Jaina shook her head incredulously. "You know, you should be a Jedi, the way you hide your emotions. Three days ago, you couldn't get enough of me—now you won't even look me in the eye."

"Do you ever think about anyone's feelings but yours, Jaina?" Brock shot back, slamming his hand down on the ledge. "What, you think I'm made of carbonite? You think everything I feel for you, all my desires, all the happiness you gave me—you think that all just vanished without a trace when I hung up the comm! It didn't, Jaina—it vaping didn't. In fact, it probably never will."

Jaina remained silent and Brock heaved a huge sigh and pushed his fingers through his hair.

"All my life, Jaina." He continued in a low voice. "All my life I've dreamed about living the life I was living three days ago. And just when I think that I've made it, when it looks like everything really might be okay, everything blows up in my face and I'm back to nothing. Nobody. But you don't know what that's like, do you?"

Brock stared at her for a second, then threw up his hands and walked past her to the corner of the roof, where he leaned with his elbows on the ledge. Jaina stood unmoving. She didn't realize how deeply her words had gone. For a few more minutes, she gathered her thoughts and let him cool off. Then she started slowly toward the corner where he stood staring silently at the city. She approached him from behind and stopped about three feet away from him.

"Maybe I haven't experienced the depth of loneliness that you have," she began. "But I do know what it's like to be alone." She took a deep breath and continued steadily.

"Look, you've been right from the beginning. We definitely have a communication problem. So I think it's about time I started telling you the truth. So-- here goes. I've had feelings for you since the first day I met you. I just never had the courage to make a move because I wasn't sure of those feelings. I figured if you really liked me, you would let me know. I know you had your doubts about a relationship with me after you found out my rank, and when you met my father. But I was hoping you'd be different, and disregard all that stuff-- and just take me at face value."

Brock slowly turned to face her, his hands in the pockets of his brown leather jacket. He looked into her eyes, his countenance calm, unreadable. Jaina stopped two feet away from him.

"I know you're upset with me, and you have every right to be. Maybe you no longer want anything to do with me, but-- I still have feelings for you. And they're strong enough that I know I'm not going to be able to watch a single sunset on Yavin without wishing you were beside me." Jaina drew another deep breath. "I'm not sure what's going to happen between us, or if things will even work out between us long term-- but I do know that I'm leaving within the next twelve hours-- and I'm going to miss you like crazy."

Brock remained silent, eyes averted to the ground. He finally met her gaze, and with hands still in his pockets, he replied,

"I'm definitely going to miss you more."

Jaina paused for a moment, then closed her eyes as her heart flooded with relief. The moment Brock's fingers cleared the edge of his pockets, Jaina grabbed him in a huge embrace. His arms surrounded her quickly and she felt his lips brush her windblown hair. Brock closed his eyes briefly and savored the feeling of having her against him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." he whispered.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." She answered, her voice muffled in his jacket. "I'm sorry for everything. Please don't be mad at me anymore."

Brock smoothed her hair with his fingers and kissed the top of her head. "You're forgiven." Jaina smiled, and closed her eyes again, wanting to remain in his warm embrace forever.

But Brock pulled away. "Wait just a second," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it in front of her revealing the lyrics to the song he had sung only an hour ago. Then he refolded the paper and ripped it in half several times, and sent it flying into the atmosphere. Jaina grinned as Brock pulled her close with his right arm and cradled her face with his left. He brushed the edge of her lips with his thumb—

--just as the door behind them flew open.

Admiral Lockhart made her way quickly to the bridge spurred by a message from Mycenae. She found him staring into one of the monitors in the control room on the bridge. He stood as she entered the room, obviously delighted by her presence, but there was something forced about his sly smile. Something was not right. But there was no time to worry about him right now. There on the roof of some building stood the newly reconciled couple. Tristan laughed, despite her disgust. Then for the first time in a long time, she smiled at Mycenae and put a hand on his shoulder. "It has begun, Captain. Our operation begins tomorrow immediately after the departure of the Jedi Knights. Good night." And she departed from the room as quickly as she had come.

Mycenae slammed his fist onto the table in the empty room, furious at his own emotions for being so strong, and furious at hers for being indifferent.

"I mean really, who decided that midnight would be the best time to empty the trash bins in the rooftop gardens. Who?"

Jaina shook her head and leaned into Brock's shoulder. "Please find out while I'm away and tell my mother to have him fired."

Brock chuckled and rubbed her thumb with his. "Well, here we are once again."

Jaina had grown to despise the sight of her front door. She sighed and slipped her arms around Brock's waist, not wanting the evening to be over. She buried her face against his jacket and savored everything from the warmth of his arms and the feel of his heartbeat to the smell of his cologne mixed with the old leather. Brock held her silently for several minutes, wishing she didn't have to leave. His heart pounded, because he knew that in five minutes, he would be alone in his own apartment, and whether something happened between now and then was up to him.

Jaina finally pulled back a little and smiled at him. His eyes sparkled like fire, even in the dark hallway, and he looked hot in that jacket. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For not giving up on me, and for accepting my apology."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled back. "You're welcome. Thank you for giving me a second chance."

"Of course."

Jaina reached up to hug him again, tickling his jawline with her lips on the way. Brock closed his eyes briefly. He was going to need a cold shower tonight. He gently swung her around so that her back was facing the door and eased her against the wall. There was no way to mess this up. Taking her face with his left hand, he lowered his lips to hers—

--and the air was filled with the sound of the Solo's Windsor chimes.

Brock and Jaina's eyes flew open and Jaina instantly felt the doorbell against her back.

"Vaping Sithspit!" Jaina cursed in a sharp whisper. Her father would open it any second. He had probably been sitting in the den waiting for the bell to ring. "How could this happen! Everything was going so--"

Brock interrupted Jaina with his lips, which touched hers in a soft, sweet kiss that lasted only a moment. Unable to speak, Jaina looked back into his eyes-- desperately wanting more.

"To be continued." he whispered. "Hurry back, I miss you already."

Brock could hardly bring himself to release her as the door opened. As Jaina had predicted, there was her father. He looked surprised and a little angry to see the two of them together.

Brock cleared his throat. "Good evening, Captain." Brock nodded. Then he turned back to Jaina, his fear of Captain Solo gone for the time being. He squeezed her fingers softly. "Have a good trip tomorrow. I'll see you soon."

Jaina was already counting the minutes until their next meeting-- until their next kiss. She slowly, reluctantly released his fingers.

"Goodbye, Brock."

END PART SIX