-- Chapter 4: When love draws a line, friends die --

The energy field did not disappear when Researcher Ll'awa exited the temple, carrying a woman in his arms. Revan's skin was terribly pale and she seemed dead as her head lolled loosely in the rakatan's arms.

Her wounds were terrible and many, of them were bleeding at that moment. Carth gestured savagely to the hovering medical sled by his side.

As soon as Revan was safely on the sled, Carth leaped at the rakatan's, murder in his eyes.

"What have you done to her?" He yelled, choking the rakatan in his rage.

"No… Nothing, that she was like, before she left you… she was already wounded…" L'lawa gasped and eyed Carth with a sly look; "if you wish for our agreement to die, then…"

The rage pounding in his ears and the roaring rushes of voices screamed at Carth to strangle the alien researcher.

Carth listened as one of the more clearer voices called out to him, startling his grasp, making Carth grip the rubbery throat all the more tighter.

"Carth… kill him, murder them for me…"

"Morganna…? Is… is that you?" Carth's voice shook as red blood poured from her wounded body and she cried out to him, fine blood spraying over him.

"No… Carth, where…?" Revan moaned in her state of semi-consciousness and turned half opened eyes towards the shadows falling across her face.

"Revan!" Carth let go of L'lawa throat and rushed to her side, picking her hand up gently and resting it in his large hands. "I thought you'd never wake up!"

Revan smiled wanly, barely consciousness as she twisted her head to look at him better. "I'm fine, love… just fine." She closed her eyes and fell back asleep, still holding Carth's hand in hers.

Carth smiled and the red haze lifted from his eyes, though they stayed the dull bronze of flames still.

He turned and left without another word, the hover sled carrying Revan to the small shuttle he had secured from Admiral Dodonna before everyone had left, expect for him and the Ebon Hawk's crew. Carth engaged the shuttle's engines and they were off into space.

Researcher L'lawa watched with satisfaction written all over his face, everything was going as planned. Perfectly in fact and this was good, L'lawa mused as he turned to regard the two murdered guards thoughtfully.

Revan was slow to come to and Carth was glad that she was. He had secretly given her more sedatives as she slept, so he could finish his plans. Carth smiled, when she woke up, he would present them to her and they could start ruling and destroy anything in their path to true love.

"Sleep well love," he said caressing her head softly, "we'll be what we always wanted to be when you wake, love…"

Revan frowned in her sleep and shifted slightly away from him as he turned back to his plans. She muttered and tossed briefly, before settling back to sleep, deeper into her dream.

"Here we are, Revan… home where no one can disturb us." Carth grinned at her as he carried her into the room, struggling futilely.

"Carth, no I don't want to live like this. Let me go!" Revan said deseraptely and he carried her to the bed and laid her down in it.

"But love, you can't walk, where would you go?" Carht shook his head, and grinning sickly again, "besides love, I love you... don't you enjoy the power I can use for you now?"

"You're one of them!" Revan screamed; her eyes hateful and hurt, "you've turned into what we swore to fight Carth! You're a Sith now!"

"Ah, but love," Carth tried to placate his wife, "what's gain without sacrifice? I did this all for you and Chayna."

"Chayna's dead you fool, she's not coming back!" Revan said bitterly as she looked away, the neural suppressor cutting into her neck as she looked out the window down into the valley as the slaves trudged along working.

"I differ with you, Revan." Carth smiled, "Chayna is alive and powerful!" He licked her cheek in the pretense of a kiss, moving in, knowing she could not resist him.

"No, Carth, no…" Revan shook her head, "don't do this to me, don't make me kill you, I don't want to do it."

"Then don't," Carth told her as he pulled out his whip. "You've been a very naughty girl, Revan, trying to kill me at night." He smiled as he raised the whip and brought it down and down as she screamed and cried, blood pooling on the floor.

"Now… you will obey me, love…"

Revan screamed and arched her back as Jolee and Juhani burst through the door, Bastila following closely.

"What's wrong with her?" Jolee asked sharply as he turned to Bastila who was beside Revan's failing body already.

Bastila shook her head, "shush… I'm trying to figure out the problem."

"Jolee, where did Carth go?" Juhani asked suddenly, her hair standing on its end; "I must speak to him."

Jolee jerked his head up and nodded, "we had better both go and visit him." Jolee' eyes glared death bolts into the empty air, "I've got some complaints, I want to talk to him about…"

Revan's eyes snapped open and Bastila fell back with a startled gasp before she pulled Revan's trembling hand into her own. "revan, we where so worried about—" Bastila suddenly stopped talking and switched tracks as she looked her friend, deeply concerned.

"What's wrong, Revan?" She asked gently and Revan turned to look at her.

"Carth's dead. He's dead, Bastila..."