Title: Return
Author: CodeNameTargeter
Timeframe: Three years post-KOTOR2
Characters: Revan, Carth, Exile, Atton, and mentions of HK and T3
Genre: Romance
Keywords: KOTOR, Revan's return
Summary: It's been seven years since Revan left him and now that the Exile's brought her back, Carth Onasi is one jittery mess.
Notes: Written for the Quotations Roulette – The non-SW Movie Version on tf.n

"Hello, gorgeous." FUNNY GIRL (1968)

Carth Onasi was a jittery mess. It had been seven years since he had seen Revan and three since the Exile had left for the Unknown Regions in search of her. Once every few months, he'd get a message via either the holocomm or through one of the Exile's companions. The last one had been delivered by Mira, a bounty hunter turned Jedi. She had told him that Revan and the Exile were returning to known space soon and they had promised to go directly to Taris. When he had pressed the red-head for details, she had refused to say anything more except that the two Jedi had one final battle to fight and to win.

Citadel Station had been on alert and under orders to inform him the moment the Ebon Hawk made contact or was seen in the skies above Telos. Call it paranoia, but Carth was unwilling to let Revan slip by and out of his life again.

So here he was, waiting anxiously on a landing platform usually reserved for high-level diplomats, and back in his comfortable old jacket instead of that uncomfortable Admiral's uniform that the Republic had forced him into. But Revan had told him that the Republic would need him and remembering that, he had accepted the promotion.

The docking bay doors opened, slow as they always were, as the Ebon Hawk flew slowly in. It couldn't be Revan flying the ship. Although she could fight with an extraordinary grace, her flying skills left a bit to be desired especially where the Hawk was concerned.

He stood with his hands clasped loosely behind his back trying not to let his anxiety show even if he couldn't control his sweaty plans. The Ebon Hawk's boarding ramp slowly descended and he stepped forward but not close enough to actually see into the ship.

The Exile was the first to emerge, or at least from a certain point of view. She was carried in the arms of Atton Rand. "Hey there, Admiral," she said with a half grin. "I kept my promise and brought her back safe and sound."

"The safe and sound had applied to you as well, Exile," Carth said returning the smile. "What happened to you?"

"She went after the Apprentice who was worse then sleeps-with-vibroblades and the old witch combined," Atton replied for her, cutting the woman off before she could do more then open her mouth.

She slapped the pilot on the chest. "Hey, give me some credit here. I didn't collapse until after Rev and I started fighting the Master and that was from exhaustion!" The Exile glanced at Carth again and apparently noted his anxiety. "Come on flyboy. Let's go find Mical so you can stop being my pack bantha."

Carth smiled faintly as he watched the pair leave. They reminded him so much of himself and Revan. There were no difficulties in imagining their situations reversed; at least as far as Revan and he went. Atton as an Admiral was a bit of a stretch.

And then he saw her, just as beautiful as he remembered. Her long black hair had been left unbound and although the tales of new battles and horrors were readily evident in her eyes, the weight of the galaxy no longer seemed to rest upon her slender shoulders. She was clad simply in the light tan Qel-Droma robes with the hood pushed back from her face and her twin lightsabers clipped on her belt.

The two stood there, seemingly frozen in time, both trying to absorb every detail of the scene; to notice every change; to hope all this wasn't a dream.

"Hello, gorgeous," Carth said, consciously willing his voice not to crack with emotion.

Those two words were all that were needed to break the spell. Revan ran down the boarding ramp, straight into his open arms and captured his mouth in a kiss. He pulled her closer, unwilling to ever let her go again as he returned the kiss passionately. Distantly, Carth could hear HK-47 commenting to what could only be T3 with disgust about human mating rituals.

"That was some hello, flyboy," Revan remarked with a smirk when they broke apart at last. "And I thought I was 'beautiful,' "

"It's been awhile," he replied softly, still holding her tightly in his arms.

Her expression sobered and she refused to meet his eyes and instead stared at his chest, one hand toying with his jacket. "Seven years, three months, and twelve days."

He didn't say anything for a few moments as he attempted to figure out how to phrase his next comment. The last thing Carth wanted to do was start an argument with her. "Why, Revan? I would have gone to the end of the galaxy for you. All I got was a note on your pillow."

"Everything I've ever loved gets hurt in some way and I didn't want to same thing to happen to you," Revan replied slowly, still avoiding his gaze. "As I got more of my memory back, I remembered more and more things that had gone wrong. I came to the Academy because my parents were dead and a Master found me. My homeworld was the first to be destroyed by the Mandalorians. I led scores of friends to their deaths in a war. A close friend lost her connection to the Force. I cut off the jaw of an even closer one. I didn't want to- I couldn't risk the same thing happening to you. I love you too much for that."

Gently, he raised her chin with one hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Revan. I just wish you had let me go with you. Every day seemed like a year. Sometimes, I wasn't sure you were going to make it back."

"Well, I'm back now," Revan replied with a weak smile. "And I don't plan on leaving ever again."

"Until the galaxy needs saving again."

"Until the galaxy needs saving again. But you'll be coming with me this time."

Grinning like an idiot, he leaned down and kissed her again. "Come on, beautiful; let's get off this landing pad. I'm sure the Hawk's former crew will all want to see you. Plus," he said as the two began walking into Citadel Station, the Jedi still held loosely in an one arm embrace. "There are some things that I've been waiting to do to you such as-" he whispered the rest in her ear.

Revan's cheeks turned bright red. "Carth Onasi!"

"Yes, love?" he replied with a straight face even though he was laughing inwardly.

"You're a very bad man."

"I know. Did you want to go find Bastila and the others?"

She shook her head, a smirk on her face. "No, I think I definitely want to take a shower first."

Laughing as he picked her up to cover the remaining short distance more quickly, he said, "You've got a very dirty mind for a Jedi, beautiful."

"Carth! Put me down!" she said, trying to squirm out of his arms. "And you've got quite a dirty mind yourself, Admiral."

As he gently set her down and opened the door to his quarters, Carth didn't even bother to try and hide his broad smile. Revan, his beautiful Revan, was back.

Things could start to get better again.