Coruscant
She had a nightmare and some consoling is needed. Light side female Revan/Carth
Rated PG13
Disclaimer: No.
Coruscant
Clouds rumbled softly over the stretching skyscrapers of Coruscant, proposing a storm that would not dare break the gentle, sleepy silence that coated the place in a protective shield. Not a single raindrop fell, but amidst the tender quiet was the looming, dreadful feeling that rain was to come.
These were the perfect conditions for a nightmare.
Through the drizzling, snoozing fog could be seen a tall, silver apartment complex, in which was housed the crew of the famous smuggling ship, the Ebon Hawk. The Ebon Hawk, presently, was being repaired, by a rather sleepy-looking Rodian and his Duros companion, who would certainly overcharge for the bashed engine and scuffed wing, though it would not be a problem, for Mission had pickpocketed – and the rest had earned – so many credits a five-thousand dent would mean little. But while the ship was under repairs, the crew had no place to stay, for they had not planned to stay in Coruscant long… only long enough for fuel and supplies.
This brings us back to the apartment complex. Currently, this is where the crew stayed, sleeping all on the same floor, down the same hall, with a friend only one door away. On the fourth floor, in room 211, in the bed on the far side of the darkened room, which was shadowed from the mist outside the window, lay a woman tangled desperately in the sheets, her hair wild, her fingers twined in the sheets so tightly she was confined to the mattress. Her face shone wet with tears, which had dampened the hair around her temples. Though her face was pale and her features were pained, she was beautiful as a pale sliver of moonlight lit up her figure. She breathed through her parted lips, letting out faint whimpering cries of anguish.
Like always during a nightmare, she woke up with a chest-burning gasp. Her eyes flew open and she stared at the ceiling, her back arching upwards to the sky before she calmed down and realized that it was but a dream. Her abdomen and thighs seemed to glow white in the dark room now, for her face was hidden behind her messy mane. Her eyes were wide, shining in the faint moonlight. Her full breasts rose and fell heavily as she caught her breath, accepting the reality slowly but surely. She reached out in the dark, searching for something of comfort, anything…
"Carth," she whispered, but there was no answer. He was in the room down the hall, of course, but her mind was slightly addled after her nightmare. She continued to reach for him, but she found him to be missing, obviously. Her shaking breath could be heard across the room in the silence of the nighttime. Slowly she got to her feet, making not a single sound even as she walked to the window, for the carpet absorbed any sound she might have made.
She stared outside into the misty streets, up to the black sky, where she could count nineteen stars exactly, one of which she guessed was Poiyo, which was a sad radioactive planet with deformed gizka-like natives. Only nineteen. The storm was closing in on the beauty of it… the freedom and vastness of the night sky. The thought made her feel panicked inside – what if she could never escape again? What if her portal was closing? What if her dream was real?
She ran soundlessly out the door and turned through the hallway. Her feet moved smoothly, stretching forward in long, silent bounds, her arms swinging firmly and evenly at her sides. She reached the end of the hallway and gazed out the window again, pressing her fingers against the cool glass, her breath fogging up a small cloud on the pane, and still the nineteen stars twinkled. Turning, she pushed open the door beside her, silently, for she had the key, and allowed the door to close behind her and shut out the light.
The room was dark and humid, cast in friendly shadows and comforting quiet. Barely visible across the room was a bed, with the figure of a warm, sleeping man upon it, his chest rising and falling as he breathed. She could hear him all the way across the room as he inhaled and exhaled… the noise was comforting.
Without coherent reason, she crept across the room, leaving everything but her ankles cast in shadow, for a strip of starlight snuck through his half-open window, and her faint breathing matched his own in an eerie harmony. She was sure that inside herself her heart was turning itself to beat in unison with his. His presence was relaxing and she found herself curling up against his sleeping form, resting her head against his naked chest and closing her eyes, listening to his heartbeat and breathing… reassuring herself with the idea that he was still alive, which he was, and that was all she needed.
A pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around her tightly, pressing her against his body, and the sheer magnitude of it made her feel light-headed. She felt his hot breath in her ear as he breathed in and out in his peaceful slumber, complete unaware of her existence and yet so comforting. She found herself tangling her fingers in his hair as he slept on, her eyes fixed on the crease where the wall met the ceiling, allowing herself to soak into him.
"What's the matter, beautiful?"
The words came so suddenly and out of nowhere, she gasped, going rigid, realizing that she was confined to his arms. She had made herself vulnerable and now she was caught… caught in his embrace… caught and held in his control.
But the shock passed and she realized that this was Carth. He would never harm her. She sighed with relief, burying her face in his chest. She could feel his fingers stroking her body gently, letting her take her time in things.
"I had a nightmare," she murmured at last, lifting her lashes to look at him, and he stared back with his warm brown eyes, smiling ever so slightly.
"What was your nightmare about?" he asked soothingly, touching her in a way that made her shudder and relax, melting into him.
"You…" she mumbled. "You left me. You left all of us."
"Why?"
"I don't know why." She came back to her senses and made a feeble attempt to push him away, but he remained firm and engulfed her again. Through her delirium she mumbled, "Why are you holding me?"
He may not have meant it, she could feel his lips brush her ear as he whispered to her, "Would you rather I didn't?"
She couldn't say anything through the burning, reeling feeling in her head. She could only let out a shaking gasp, feeling the heat of his body against hers. She had never allowed herself to be so intimate with him before, and now to have so much at one time… she could almost hear her mind open the window and fly away.
But then his enveloping warmth pulled away, and only his fingers played at her temple, teasing her hair. She turned her eyes to his and her mind snapped into focus at the expression on his face. He realized with a start that she was looking at him and hurriedly turned his head away; he stared at the ceiling, chewing on his lip. Slowly, she rose to her hands and knees and peered over at him.
"Now, what's the matter with you?" she breathed, and he shivered as her breath caressed his lips.
"I'll be honest," he said, sitting up and gazing at her with some sort of foreboding honesty. "I had a nightmare, too."
She remained stony and still, her hands folded in her lap as she waited for an explanation.
He sighed, pushing his bangs from his eyes, searching her face for some sign. She nodded once, giving him a welcoming smile. He shifted for a moment and gathered the blankets around his legs. "It… you… your dream was a lot like mine, actually." He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You left us."
She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully.
"And it wasn't just you," he said, his voice growing in volume as he recalled his dream. "It was Bastila, too. And… a-and Morgana. You all left."
She sat up straight. "Bastila?" she murmured, frowning. "Why her?"
He groaned. "That's just it. I don't get it either."
Her heart ached as if someone had wrenched it with a knife and pitched it over the edge of the tallest skyscraper in Coruscant. She pressed her hands to her breast, fixing her eyes on the sheet, and to her utter surprise she felt herself battling back tears. He pressed his large, warm paw on her shoulder and drew her against him, but she gathered no heat from him this time.
"Hey," he said quietly, trying to coax her from her tears, but she looked away from him. He tried to regain her attention, pressing a finger to her chin and tilting her jaw in his direction. She firmly stared at her fingers, which played with a string in the sheets. He sighed. "What did I do now?" he moaned, pressing his lips to her hairline. He spread his fingers over her neck and cheek, and repeated the action, until it turned into a kiss. In some sort of impulsive frenzy, he showered her entire face in kisses, mumbling to her. She determinedly shut him out, closing her eyes, even as he kissed her eyelids.
"No," she managed to murmur, and he captured her mouth in his own. She squirmed once, and he pulled back unhappily.
"What?" he asked; his voice was breathy and soft, like his kisses.
She drew her knees up. "Why…?"
"I think… I think, to an extent, she reminds me of you," he said, searching her face, though she remained impassive; or at least she tried to, because clearly her expression betrayed her longing as he smiled. "She's… not you, though. I think my dream told me that somewhere… but I was so wrenched…"
"I cannot let this continue while you're so lost," she told him, and tried to pull herself away. He gripped her shoulders, his eyes flickering over hers with his desperation.
"No. Please. I-I… I need you."
It pained her to see him like this… so exposed… so raw. She wanted more than anything to let him take her, but she couldn't. She pressed her palm to his hand and dislodged him gently, but the action wounded like a whip.
He recoiled, eyes wide and shining with tears. "But… why?" he mewled pitifully; he realized this was the wrong question and corrected himself. "When… when will you come back?"
She stared firmly into his eyes. "When will you be ready?"
He didn't know what to say. He stared at her, struggling with himself. He wanted to embrace her and work away her disappointment and pain; he wanted her never to look away again. But he knew as she gazed at him sorrowfully that it wasn't possible. Not now. He bowed his head, trembling.
She cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed him, tenderly, sealing a promise. Despite himself, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him firmly, demanding her. He tangled his fingers in her hair, locking her to him, and her attempts to push him away faltered and fell away into nothing as she gave in with a stimulating moan.
He buried his face in her neck and kissed her there, working up, to her flushed face. She was atremble at his fingertips, reveling in his touch, her lashes half-lowered to vaguely veil her eyes. He kissed her ear and whispered to her. "Just tonight," he pleaded. "Just tonight."
She traced his face with her fingers; her body shook with her longing. "Just tonight," she whispered. "Just tonight."
He nodded gratefully, and slowly she rose and turned away from him to lower the window blinds. She gazed out the window for a moment, pressing her fingers to the smooth, cool glass, and counted still nineteen stars in the sky.
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Author's Notes: Ooooh. Ooooh, yes, I love this one. I think I did a good job on it. Let me know if I'm just crazy.