Title: Peace
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel
Timeline: Sometime during the New Jedi Orderseries. Most likely between the Force Heretic trilogy and TFP.
Word Count: 1,120
Rating: light R

Disclaimer: Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, and the rest of the SW galaxy do not belong to me. They belong to Lucas, Del Rey, respected authors, etc.

Summary: Sometimes she can find peace.

Right now, she's more alive than she has been in days. Weeks, even. Every touch, every sensation elicits a response; like a moon moth hovering towards a glowlamp, she craves the heat these feelings provide. It's the safety and security she lacks in the day to day struggle of war. It's the love she yearns for, and the love she doesn't think she warrants.

But it's there anyway. There for her taking and for her use as she runs her fingers down the contour of his scar, hairline to eyebrow, watching him watch her. It's a gift she's learning to treasure. And a gift she can't refuse.

Moments pass, and now she echoes her previous actions with her lips, leaving a trail of kisses until he reaches a hand away from the small of her back and cups her face, bringing her mouth directly on top of his.

Their mouths collide and tongues duel in a battle that she surrenders herself to completely. Her hands dig into his scalp, past the short bristles of his dark hair, as his hands start to roam, exploring every inch of skin they can find, small shutters rippling down her spine at his touch. Legs entangle themselves together, bodies striving to be as close to each other as they can get.

When they finally break apart for air, she looks down into his eyes, staring into the lust fogged pale green orbs. She grins softly down at him, reflecting the enamored smile they both share. Gently, she brushes his lips with her right hand while the other is relied on for balance above him. His smile grows for a second, awkward and genuine, and hers follows in suit, a chuckle or two escaping her lips.

The serenity of the moment, the calm in the eye of a gas giant's storm, passes all too quickly when he moves his hand down from her face to abdomen. He draws small circles on her bare skin before turning them both over so he lays on top, then tickling the side of her waist.

She giggles and squirms, fighting to be free, but not fighting as hard as she should. As hard as she knows she can. She likes this, likes being held captive by him. It's the one trap she doesn't want to escape from. Ever.

She tilts her head up again, encircling his neck with a free arm and kissing him forcefully to put an end to the tickle bombardment, tongue seeking entrance back inside his mouth. He complies, and she sinks into the rigid cot, sighing mutely as they continue to kiss.
Vows are murmured in the dark lit cabin as bodies continue their quest for completion. It's at this moment that she reaches out not just with her body, but with her soul. The Force acts as her guide as she pushes her way past his mental barriers, mixing his soul with hers. She knows that somewhere, somehow, he can feel it, he knows she's there. He's not a Force sensitive like her, not a Jedi, but yet he senses her inside him like that, and accepts it. It shocks and amazes her every time.

She continues her voyage into his mind, flying by memories as she maintains her search. Elsewhere, in a place that now seems far away despite the closeness, she hears a voice that sounds a lot like hers moan as his hands continue an quest of their own, a low voice whispering something in her ear. It's hard to make out the words, but she doesn't have to, their intent repeated inside his soul at the same time.

And then, just like that, she's there. There in that corner she had been seeking, that corner of his mind, his soul, that is purely him. His loyalties, his trust, his strength and pride, his faults and perfections, hopes and desires and fears. Everything, i everything /i there is him, the core of the man he loves, the reasons for his actions, his demeanor, his everything. She's a witness to all of this, and just like the first time, she's still astonished. And humbled.

Cause most of all, out of everything in there, past the grimness and the restraint long gone in this very moment, past the few doubts and many assurances, there's love. It's an overwhelming sensation of love that wraps her in a thick blanket, touching her soul with thousands of light kisses. What always surprises her most is that this love is directed solely to her.

Someday, she promises herself, she'll return the favor and figure out a way to show him her. But today's not that day. Now's not that moment.

But no matter what, she doesn't want to leave, desiring only to curl up into a ball and spend eternity with him, as a part of him. This corner, this part of his soul, is the love and shelter and everything she lacks in reality. It's hard to give up. Yet, as the passion of their love making heightens, she feels herself lose control, and rapidly crashes back to the reality of the room. Of the bed.

Of him.

Their bodies join together and become whole, kissing and touching and teasing their way through till exhaustion.
When he holds her late in night, both contently sated from their earlier activities, she loses all pretense of who she is. It's a freedom she doesn't deserve, but it is one she craves.

His arms warp tightly around her waist, hugging her close to him while the feel of flesh against flesh provides a warmth she knows can't come from any blanket or thermostat unit. Her hair acts as a feathery pillow for her head against the hardness of her chest, the steady beat of his heart, almost in synch with hers, slowly lulling her to sleep. One of her arms sprawls across the width of his body and the other remains tucked neatly between their sides, their legs still entwined together like the trilithium crystals in a hyperdrive motivator.

It's right now that she doesn't have to be a Jedi. She doesn't have to be a pilot, and she doesn't have to fight anymore. No brave face, no bitterness towards the rest of the galaxy. No hateful destiny to taunt her. No symbols or heroes or reputations.

It's these moments, late in the dark of night as the i Ralroost /i floats among a sea of stars, that she can just be herself. Be Jaina.

She's not another warrior in an unstoppable war, but simply a woman lying next to the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

It's at these moments when she finally finds peace.