Carth opened the door to his apartment, glad to finally be home. He wouldn't be there for long since Alexis wanted to take a trip to the planet's surface, but he hoped to at least see her once before they rejoined her friends. He wasn't disappointed; she was sitting on his couch, brushing her long hair.

Carth shut the door behind him and walked over to her side. "Where's Dustil?" Carth asked idly. He thought he knew the answer. The boy was probably wherever the bounty hunter was.

"He's on the Ebon Hawk with everyone else, waiting for you to tell us where our transport it," Alexis replied, tossing her brush aside and starting to tie up her hair.

Carth watched her eyes flit across his body before she turned away. So, he was having an effect on her after all. Good. He'd certainly meant to. He'd lain in bed for ten extra minutes this morning trying to decide how to upset her imperturbable Jedi façade. He'd chosen the simplest solution: wear something that she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes off of.

It was too bad that while it had impressed Alexis, it had also impressed Seré and several other women he ran into during the day. He'd never had to turn down so many dinner invitations in one day.

Carth rubbed his hand idly across his stomach. The pants were uncomfortable. How did women manage to wear pants that were that tight every day? Carth shook his head. At least Alexis was interested, even if she didn't seem to want to admit it to herself.

"Well, I'm ready whenever you are," he replied. So much for alone time. She was distracted and he wasn't sure what to do or say to change that.

Alexis stood, shoving the last strand of hair into place. "Do you want me to just tell them where to meet us, or do you want to walk over and get them?"

Carth glanced at the clock. "Let's just meet them there. The transport is in a shuttle bay only a few doors down from where the Ebon Hawk is docked."

"So, who's flying?"

"I am. Atton offered, but I turned him down. I know where we're going and he doesn't."

"We're not going to the same spot as last time, are we?"

"No. It's on the other side of the planet."

Alexis shrugged. "Okay. Take us where you will."

Carth smiled faintly and offered her his hand. She stared at him for a few seconds before taking it, as if afraid he would bite her. Carth used his free hand to flip up her hood. "Can't be too careful," he said in response to her questioning glance as he led her from the apartment.

The subsequent walk and flight took place in relative silence. It seemed that everyone was anxious to reach the planet's surface. When they arrived, everyone crawled off of the ship and looked about in wonder.

Carth had chosen a place that was at the foot of the largest mountain range that Telos had. The area had taken very little damage, but it had only recently been added to the shield network. The landscape was rugged and green and the air was warm, but not hot. A small lake was nestled just at the base of one of the nearby mountains. To their left was a vast forest. Though it was still relatively healthy, most of the animals that had originally inhabited the area were dead and the slight shimmer of the shield was visible just overhead. It wasn't ideal, but it was one of the most beautiful places on Telos.

Carth glanced at the startled faces around him. It didn't look like any of them known this was here. Even Dustil looked a little surprised. "I didn't remember home looking like this," he said softly, his eyes wide.

Carth grinned. "What do you guys think?"

Alexis made her way to his side and took his hand. He was surprised, once again, that she had touched him of her own accord. "It's beautiful," she whispered. He was surprised to see tears glistening on her cheeks. Kalen was wiping at her eyes as well.

Carth had never seen Alexis cry. He hadn't known that she knew how. He stood there, staring at her, unsure of what to do. Why was she upset? Was there something wrong? Carth glanced around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. Alexis looked just as mystified as he was. "I'm crying?" she said, staring at the moisture on her fingertips.

Carth had just decided that the best course of action was to take her in his arms when Kalen caught her in a gentle hug. "Oh, Lexi…" she said quietly. Why were they crying?

"What's going on?" Carth asked finally.

"We've been here before," Kalen responded, staring at the mountains over Alexis's shoulder.

"Kavar brought us here when we were children. I had no idea that it was on Telos," Alexis added. She pulled away from Kalen to stare at the landscape. Carth was still a little perplexed. They were crying because they'd been here before?

Kalen was slowly turning, taking in all of the faces around her. Finally, she must have seen that they still didn't understand, because she began to explain. "Kavar and several other masters were teaching all of the padawans in our age group about the living Force. They each picked three apprentices and took them to a planet they would not recognize to stay in the wilderness for two days to feel the Force around us. Kavar brought Alexis, Malak, and I here. None of us had any idea that we had been on Telos all along."

"That still doesn't explain why you're crying," Atton pointed out, staring at Kalen in much the same way Carth assumed he'd been staring at Alexis: concerned fear.

"It's the same. Everything here feels the same," Alexis whispered, kneeling down to press her palms gently to the ground. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Even Carth could feel the deep serenity radiating from her.

"What do you mean, the same?" Mira asked, looking around as if the very grass might spring to life and bite her.

"How can nothing have changed?" Mical asked. "Malak practically destroyed Telos. Nothing is as it was before."

"I don't know. That doesn't make much sense, does it?" Kalen asked, turning to Alexis.

Alexis opened her eyes. "I don't know either."

Dustil was smiling. "I've never been here before, but I know what you're feeling. Everything here exudes a sort of warm peace. You can't stretch out very far, or it fades away, but right here, in this spot, it feels as if everything is okay."

Everyone grew quiet and still. He knew they were all reaching out to feel what the others were describing. Carth felt an acute sense of loss. He would never know what they meant.

He turned away from them, but Alexis caught his hand once again. He turned to look at her and she tenderly placed her hands on either side of his head. He stared at her blankly for a second. "Trust me?" she whispered.

Carth nodded mutely. She shut her eyes. "Close your eyes," she whispered, and Carth did as she asked. For a moment, nothing happened, and then he felt her. It was as if Alexis was inside of him, a part of him.

He tried to shut her out, for a moment, he was so afraid, but he heard her make a soft, soothing noise in the back of her throat and he gave in. The sensation was amazing. He felt as if he were floating. Everything was calm and peaceful, warm, but not unpleasantly so. He could feel the way it was all connected, how everything meshed together.

He could feel the damage to the planet, hovering at the edges of his awareness, but Alexis pulled him away from it, back towards the things around them. He could feel his son, strong and proud, and Kalen, gentle and loving. He could feel Mira's fire and Atton's intelligence, Bao-Dur's devotion and the Disciple's tranquility. Most of all, he could feel Alexis, every inch of her.

Alexis pulled back slowly and Carth had to force himself to release her. He opened his eyes and had to blink back the tears that blurred his vision. "How…" he began, barely able to speak.

"I couldn't have done it if you weren't force-sensitive yourself," she said softly, lowering her hands.

"Is that what it's like? Every time?" Carth asked.

Atton responded from a few feet away. "Every time." Carth watched as Atton gathered Kalen to his side. She didn't resist, and he draped his arm around her shoulder. She slid her arm around his waist, a shy smile lighting her face.

Carth glanced down at Alexis again. She was grinning in a self-satisfied sort of way. "Now you know," she said. Carth sat down rather abruptly. It was too much to take in all at once.

Alexis glanced over at Carth, who was still sitting on the ground. Most of the others had taken seats as well, soaking up the aura of this place while they could. Kalen was still resting in Atton's arms, all awkwardness forgotten. Mira and Dustil were holding hands, whispering back and forth to one another about the wonder of it all. Carth still looked shell-shocked.

Alexis had been worried at first that once she had connected with Carth, she would be unable to pull away. It had been hard to draw back, but she realized now that she'd never be able to fully extract herself from him again. Carth was too much a part of her for her to let go.

She wondered if he knew. It scared her, a little bit, to be connected so deeply to another. It was shocking to find that there was a sense of incompleteness that could feel so right. He was still watching the ground. Had she shown him too much at once? No. He was all right. He'd just never seen the Force before.

Alexis turned and walked a few feet away from the group. So this was what they had meant all along. Jolee must have thought her a complete fool. Telos was home as much as any other planet could be home. She had no special connection to it, though she did have fond memories of this place.

Carth was home. Wherever Carth was, Alexis would feel safe and protected. Home is where the heart is. Why did clichés always ring true in the end? Alexis smiled at herself. And they called Atton the fool. It had been staring her in the face the whole time. Or rather, Carth had.

He loved her and Force help her, she loved him, more than she loved breathing. It was no use pretending any longer that the feelings did not exist. It didn't matter whom she admitted it to. It never had. She'd loved him from the moment she laid eyes on him and would until her dying day. Even if she'd never told him how she felt, the feelings would have been there.

What had she been hiding from? It didn't matter if he knew. Love that she did not admit existed would lead just as quickly to the dark side as love that she had accepted for what it was. But neither one had to. She had a choice. Love wasn't dangerous or evil. It was beautiful.

Her denial had only been causing Carth pain. She had felt the soul-searing ache of it the moment she'd slipped into his mind. She was killing him slowly, ignoring what there was between them. And she intended to stop as soon as she was able.

Alexis sighed softly and fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt. The only problem was that she was still afraid. Alexis felt Carth's arms go around her from behind. She relaxed against him for a moment, and he carefully tightened his grip. Alexis smiled. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

"No, thank you," she said in return, meaning it. If Carth hadn't brought her here, she might never have had this experience, this awakening.

"Did the Force bring us here?" Carth asked.

"There are no coincidences," she replied. She turned in his arms slowly and wrapped her arms around his chest. He was surprised, she could tell, but also pleased. Neither of them spoke. She held on for a moment before stepping out of his embrace. This wasn't the place. Not with so many people around. Disappointment registered on his features. She resisted the urge to leap at him again. Later, she promised herself.