Alexis stood beside Kalen, trying her hardest not to laugh. She was trying to show Atton a new lightsaber form. He'd fallen on his butt no less than forty times in the last ten minutes. Every time one of them showed him how, he'd attempt to copy it in exactly the same manner. Needless to say, he failed every time.
"Is this some kind of test? Like how many times I fall on my ass before I call it quits? Checking for determination or something?" Atton asked. Kalen giggled and Atton gave her a cocky grin. "Come back over here and show me again, sweetheart. I think my hips are in the wrong spot."
"They are," Alexis volunteered, "otherwise you'd be able to land on your feet."
Kalen nodded. "I think Alexis is right. Besides, you know where your hips are supposed to go, don't you?"
"Yeah? When are you going to let me prove it to you?" Atton asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Soon, I think," Kalen replied, resting her hands on her hips. Atton's eyes widened. Clearly he hadn't expected a response to his invitation.
"Try again, lover boy," Alexis said with a sigh. Atton made another attempt. This time, not only did he fall on his butt, his back and head hit the ground as well. He remained motionless on the ground for a second, moaning. "I vote we just leave him there," Alexis said, staring at him. It would serve him right. She knew for a fact that he could do it if he'd just stop watching Kalen's butt instead of her entire body when she showed him how to move properly.
Kalen shrugged. "Okay. If he hasn't moved when we're ready to leave, we'll get someone to toss him onto the ship. I still have uses for him."
Alexis laughed. "I'm sure you do."
They made their way back towards the spot where everyone else was sitting in a circle. Most were playing cards. Canderous was dealing from a rather large deck to Mira, Dustil, Bao-Dur, and Carth. Mical and Visas were both meditating nearby.
"It seems like cheating to meditate here," Kalen said as she sat down beside Canderous. "It's too easy."
"Is meditating supposed to be hard, General?" Bao-Dur asked, looking up from his cards. Alexis was surprised to see him join the rest of the group at cards. He seemed like a bit of a loner to her.
"Well, you should at least have to work for it," Kalen grumbled.
"I get what you're saying," Dustil said with a laugh. "Inner peace should come from within."
"Exactly!" Kalen exclaimed.
"Is anyone else bored with cards?" Mira asked, tossing her cards to the ground and stretching against Dustil.
He glanced over and grinned at her. "You're just tired of losing."
"So what if I am?" Mira asked crossly.
Alexis laughed. "Then by all means, lets do something else."
"I have a pazaak deck," Atton replied, stepping up beside her.
"That's still cards," Mira muttered.
"No. No pazaak for you tonight, remember? We're drying out your liver and draining all of the little numbers from your head," Alexis said, leaping from the ground and stealing the pazaak deck he was grasping loosely in his right hand.
"Those are mine!" he said resentfully.
"Not tonight," Alexis replied. Everyone was laughing at the wounded expression on Atton's face.
"Make her give them back," he whined to Kalen.
Kalen shrugged. "Do you really think I can make Alexis do anything?"
Atton turned his eyes to Carth. "Make her give my cards back," he said pleadingly.
Carth shook his head and held up his hands. "No way. Do you think I'm crazy?"
"Scared, Onasi?" Alexis asked with a wicked smile.
"You bet," Carth replied. Alexis laughed.
"I'm not," Canderous said, setting the other deck of cards on the ground.
"What are you going to do about it?" Alexis asked, standing up and tucking the cards into a pocket inside of her tunic and buttoning it shut.
"I tell you what. We'll fight for them. Hand to hand combat. What do you say?" he asked.
Alexis grinned. How could she turn him down? "You sure that's what you want? You really think you can take me?"
"Without your lightsaber? Onasi could take you," Canderous replied.
Alexis couldn't help it. She laughed again. "Hey!" Carth said indignantly.
Alexis turned and looked at Carth appraisingly. "Did he hurt your man feelings?"
Carth laughed. "Thanks."
"I knew you'd like that," Alexis replied. "So, where is this epic battle going to take place?"
Canderous looked around. "Over there. There's a patch of flat ground."
"Can I referee?" Kalen asked. "I'd like to make sure that Alexis doesn't hurt Canderous too badly."
"Yeah," Alexis replied. They set up rather quickly. Everyone but Mical and Visas came and stood around Alexis and Canderous in a pattern reminiscent of a Mandalorian battle circle.
Alexis and Canderous shook hands. "The day when I can't beat one skinny kid is the day I retire," Canderous said confidently.
"I take it I'm not allowed to use the Force?" Alexis asked.
"That wouldn't be fair now, would it?"
"You are at least twice my weight. Who's to say what's fair?"
Kalen stepped up to them. "Alright. I want a clean fight. No biting, pinching, or… umm… hitting Canderous below the belt. Well, below the belt or above the knee. But not precisely the knee, more like…"
"I get it Kalen, thanks," Alexis said lightly.
"Bow to your opponent and begin!" Kalen said loudly, jumping back.
Alexis lowered her head. Canderous did as well. Both of them dropped into their favorite combat stance. They circled one another for several seconds. Alexis landed the first blow. While Canderous was stepping sideways, Alexis leapt forward, tapped him on the cheek with her palm, and leapt back.
Canderous tried to catch her, but he failed. They danced around one another again. Canderous came at her and Alexis sidestepped him. She was too light and quick for his much bulkier frame. She tapped him on the back of the head as she passed.
"Come back here," he growled.
"You don't have to be afraid you'll hurt me," Alexis taunted, grinning at him. She was flat on her back before she knew what had hit her. Canderous had tripped her. Alexis rolled over and got back to her feet before he managed to catch her again.
"I'm not," Canderous said.
"Get him, Alexis!" Kalen shouted.
"Isn't the ref supposed to be unbiased?" Atton asked from somewhere behind her.
"Oh, shut up!" Kalen answered.
Alexis laughed and launched herself at Canderous's chest. He barely caught her he was so surprised. That was all the time she needed. She hooked her leg around his, yanking as hard as she could until he toppled to the grass with her seated triumphantly on his chest. "Gotcha," Alexis said with a smile.
Canderous threw her off of him. She landed on her back beside him with his hand just below her throat. "Do you now?"
"Draw!" Kalen chimed. Alexis lunged from beneath Canderous's hand and tackled her. They wrestled on the ground for a moment, laughing, with Atton cheering. Kalen finally pinned Alexis down and started to tickle her. Things went downhill from there. Alexis couldn't think or breathe. She was very ticklish.
Kalen released Alexis and looked over at Carth. "She's ticklish. I trust you'll remember?" She asked slyly.
Carth grinned at her. "How could I forget?"
"So who gets my pazaak deck?" Atton asked finally.
"I do," Kalen said.
"What do I have to do to get them back?"
"I'll think of something," Kalen replied.
Atton smiled. "I can't wait."
An hour later, the sun was starting to disappear below the horizon. Alexis was seated cross –legged behind Kalen, braiding the other girl's hair. Atton's head was in Kalen's lap. He was asleep.
"I see that things are going well between the two of you," Alexis whispered in Kalen's ear.
Kalen laughed. "He's such a sweetheart. It's too bad that he likes to pretend that he isn't."
"Kalen, honey, he probably isn't with anyone else."
"He is with you."
"He's just scared of me, that's all."
"No, he really likes you."
"What, did he tell you that he liked me?" Alexis asked with a laugh.
"No. But I can tell. You two are good friends, aren't you?"
Alexis sighed. Clearly she wasn't going to wriggle her way out of this. "We're a lot alike, Atton and I."
"You mean your past."
"Yes. We relate to one another very well."
"I'm glad he has you, then."
"Where is this going?"
"I always feel like he's hiding things from me, even when he's trying to be as open as he can. I just want to know that he tells someone his secrets, if he can't tell me."
"He'll tell you in time. Right now, he just doesn't want to scare you away."
"I don't think that he could," Kalen said softly. She was stroking the hair on Atton's forehead absently.
"You're petting him, you know."
Kalen glanced down and ceased the motions of her hand. "You're right."
"I think you need a baby. You've always struck me as the motherly type," Alexis told her. Kalen was a nurturer, there was no doubt.
"I don't think that I'll ever have the time," Kalen answered.
"You're still young."
"Lexi, you always talk like you're so much older than me. Two years is not that long."
Alexis patted the last strand of Kalen's waist-length hair into the massive braid and started to wind it up onto her head. "I'll be thirty my next birthday," Alexis responded.
"Women have children in their late forties and early fifties now, Alexis."
"Are you suggesting that I should have children?" Alexis asked with surprise.
"If I should, you should. I think you'd make a wonderful mother."
Alexis was carefully clipping Kalen's braid into place as she spoke. "It's not possible anyway."
"And why not?"
"From what I've heard about the dark side, it twists one not only mentally, but physically as well. Do you know that there are no records of a Sith ever having children after their fall? It's believed that the corrupting nature of the dark side sterilizes men and women alike."
"You have no proof of that."
"Oh Kalen, it doesn't matter. I wouldn't wish me on any child."
"Alexis…"
"I'm sorry I brought this up," Alexis said, shifting onto her knees to clip the final piece of Kalen's braid into place. "You know, it was silly of me to braid this. You're just going to take it down later to sleep."
"Don't change the subject."
"What're we talking about?" Atton muttered sleepily from Kalen's lap.
Kalen gave him an exasperated sigh. "Couldn't you have stayed asleep for five more minutes?"
"Gee, I'm sorry that I'm such an inconvenience to you," he said, starting to sit up.
"Well, you're my hero," Alexis told him.
He turned to look at her. "Nice to know someone appreciates me," he replied, giving Kalen a sulky expression. After a moment, he started to get up.
"Where are you going?" Kalen asked.
"Miss me already?" Atton asked, standing and stretching his back.
"No. Alexis and I have something to talk about while your gone, don't we?" Kalen asked, eyeing Alexis.
Alexis sighed and gave Atton a pleading look. "Please stay."
"Where's Carth?" Atton asked her.
Carth and Atton talked? "Over by the lake," Alexis said, waving her hand towards the lone black-clad figure standing at the edge of the water.
Atton nodded. "I'll be back."
Kalen rounded an Alexis. "Not again," Alexis moaned, collapsing back into the grass.
Carth watched as Atton approached him, stopping only a few feet away. They were quiet for some time. Finally, Atton spoke. "So, uh- Carth. How's it going?"
Carth hid a smile. He knew he made the kid uncomfortable. "Better now that no one's crying," Carth responded.
"Huh. Definitely," Atton said.
Carth glanced over at Atton. He wasn't sure why he was here. They'd never really talked before. "You need something?" Carth asked him.
Atton was staring at the ground. Carth turned to look back at the lake. Maybe Atton would find him easier to talk to if he didn't look at him. "Ah- well. Yes. I wanted to talk to you."
Carth nodded. "I'm listening."
Atton seemed to be struggling to find the words. "They're tough, aren't they? I mean, for women."
Carth chuckled. "They're tough no matter who you compare them to. Tougher than all the rest of us put together."
"They aren't Jedi, though. At least, not the way Jedi should be."
"They're the only Jedi that are left," Carth said, looking back at Atton.
Atton frowned. "They're too soft to be Jedi," he said after a few seconds' pause.
Carth thought about that. "You're a Jedi," he pointed out.
"Not really. I can swing a lightsaber, but that doesn't make me a Jedi."
"So what makes them Jedi?"
Atton shook his head. "I don't know. They're Jedi, all right, but I can't figure out why."
"Do you mean why they're still Jedi, or why they were in the first place?"
"Why they were in the first place."
"They were force sensitive."
"But that doesn't make a Jedi."
Carth took a deep breath. "I think that they survived because they weren't like other Jedi."
"Both of them fought in the Mandalorian Wars," Atton said slowly.
"Because they couldn't stand back and watch millions die and the Republic be torn apart."
"Well then they aren't Jedi. Jedi have to obey their Code and their Council. They just threw the rule book out the window."
"And Alexis fell to the dark side for it," Carth replied.
"But they were right, weren't they?"
"They saved the Republic."
"And they're trying to do it again," Atton said, scratching at his head with one hand.
"I think I've missed your point," Carth answered, shifting positions.
"I'm not sure I had one."
"You sounded like you had a purpose in coming over here."
"I guess I did," Atton began. "It's Kalen. She needs me. Or at least, I think she does. Jedi shouldn't need anyone else."
Carth sighed. Alexis didn't need him. Or if she did, she was very good at hiding it. "She's still human." Carth said.
"They were talking about children back there, a second ago, when they thought I was asleep. They want kids. Is that normal Jedi behavior?"
"You sound like you think that's crazy."
"It is for a Jedi, isn't it?"
"Didn't you say that they weren't Jedi?" Carth asked, smiling. Atton's mind was sharp, but it was random. He jumped from one idea to another without any connecting factors.
Atton sighed. "It's just- I've never thought about kids and these Jedi, they're talking about kids like they can have them. Like they've thought about it."
"There's no Council. They can essentially do whatever they want."
"But they're going to rebuild the Order, aren't they? Aren't things going to go back to the way they were before?"
Carth finally understood. Atton was worried that Kalen would leave him for the Jedi. "Kalen isn't a Jedi anymore. Ask her and she'll tell you the same."
"What does that mean? They've been living by that damned Code all of their lives," Atton responded.
"Why don't you talk to Alexis about this? I think she'll be able to explain it to you better than I ever could," Carth said. He was having a hard time. How could he help Atton when he was still so confused?
"She's got the same problem."
"How so?"
"She's got to pick, doesn't she? Just like Kalen does. They've either got to be Jedi, or they've got to be themselves."
"They still are Jedi, at least at heart."
"That's why this is so confusing. They've been trained all of their lives to be Jedi. Who's to say that once they're back in a temple surrounded by little kids with lightsabers they won't forget about us? That she won't forget about me..." He was staring off into the distance again, his shoulders slumped.
Carth looked at the ground. "Just- give her a chance. That's all I can tell you. And talk to Alexis. She's better at this sort of thing than I am, even when it concerns her."
Atton nodded. "I guess I will." He turned back to Carth with a sideways smile on his face. "She wants kids, you know," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "My kids. Who would have thought?" He turned to walk away, looking worried but still wearing that stupid grin.
"Yeah," Carth murmured to his retreating back, "who would have thought?"
Alexis looked up as Dustil approached. "You two are acting like little girls at a sleepover," he observed, staring at she and Kalen. Kalen had a pen and was doodling on Alexis's arm. There was a half-finished ring of elegant flowers circling her bicep. Kalen was only inches from Alexis's arm, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth and her pen moving at an impossible speed.
Alexis laughed. "We didn't get to act like kids when we were young. We're reliving our childhood. I braided her hair, she's writing on me. Next we're going to talk about boys and clothes while we play with our dolls."
"There are dolls?" Kalen asked brightly, glancing up from her work.
"It's okay, Kalen," he soothed, "just go back to your coloring."
Kalen stuck her tongue out at him before furiously resuming her attentions to the tattoo. "Ouch!" Alexis said suddenly, jerking sideways when the pen hit a tender spot.
"Look what you did!" Kalen raged. She licked her thumb and started to rub away the stray ink mark.
"You're drooling on me! Stop it! Stop it!" Alexis whined plaintively, trying not to laugh. She hadn't had this much fun in a while. Not since the other morning with Carth, and Seré had spoiled that.
"Are you two on spice?" Mira asked, walking up beside Dustil and sliding her hand into his.
Alexis grinned at her. "Nope."
"Forgive me if I choose not to believe that," Dustil said.
Kalen pulled back and shouted triumphantly. "It's done!"
Alexis glanced over at the life-like flowers on her arm. "You're really quite good," she said. In fact, it was some of the best art she'd seen.
Atton ambled up to them, swinging his lightsaber. "Hey! That is pretty good. You wouldn't like to give me one, would you? I want a naked picture of you on my ass."
Kalen glared at him for a second. "You'd never see it there," she said haughtily.
"Why would I need
to when I've got the real thing right here?"
"Don't be so
sure," Kalen muttered darkly.
Alexis tried to smother her laughter with her hand but failed miserably. Kalen turned her glare to Alexis. Alexis gave her a disarming smile.
"I've seen that look before. What have you done?" Carth asked, stepping up behind her.
Alexis folded her arms over her chest. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"I see. So, are you guys ready to head back? It's late and I have to go to work tomorrow," Carth said.
Kalen sighed. "I don't want to go."
"I'm ready," Atton said. "All of this calm is starting to annoy me. Let's head back to the real world."
Everyone but Alexis rose collectively and stood in a small group. She remained resolutely on the ground in the center, trying to absorb as much of the peaceful feelings of the area as she could before she left.
"Are you just going to stay here?" Dustil asked her.
"I wouldn't miss her," Canderous said, grinning at her.
Before Alexis could respond, Carth tossed her over his shoulder. She kicked her legs in the empty air. "Well then," She said, turning sideways under his arm to try and catch a glimpse of his face.
"Is everyone ready now?" Carth asked.
"I guess I am," Alexis said. She turned back to rest against Carth's back. Those pants really were a wonder. "Nice pants," she managed, hiding her blush by looking down. Carth laughed.
They made their way back to the ship and took off. Once again, the ride was fairly silent. It seemed that this time, every one was reflecting on a day that they'd enjoyed immensely.
When they arrived back at the Citadel, the two groups went their separate ways. Dustil was suspiciously absent as Alexis and Carth walked back to the apartment. "I guess he's found somewhere else to stay," Alexis said slyly.
"Looks like it," Carth said, cautiously taking her hand.
Alexis smiled and looked up into his eyes. "I'm glad," she whispered.
Carth's eyes widened and a smile spread slowly across his face. "Are you?"
Alexis's heart was racing. This was it. She was finally going to tell him tonight. And she was scared half to death. She bit her lip and kept glancing at him from beneath her eyelashes. Easy. It's just Carth. He's not going to hurt you. The walk felt like the longest she'd ever been on. She was acutely aware of her hand in his and was absolutely certain that he could feel her pulse pounding out of time beneath his hand. He probably thought that she was nuts.
Just outside of his door, Alexis bumped against Carth's chest. They stood, pressed together for a few moments, looking into one another's eyes. "Inside," Alexis managed, reaching for the keypad. Carth beat her to it. He punched in the numbers rapidly and slid into the open door.
Alexis was surprised that the light was already on. She scanned the apartment quickly. Someone was sitting with their back to them on the couch…
"Seré? What are you doing here?" Carth asked.
