Alexis slid from the closet very early the following morning. She hadn't slept or meditated this time. In fact, she hadn't done much at all. She would have been lying if she said that a single constructive thought entered her mind after Jolee left. It was hard to remain that empty, and Alexis was actually proud of herself. Oblivion was better than the nightmares.

They probably wouldn't have come back, anyway. Jolee's simple explanation had done a lot to quell Alexis's fears. Even if the nightmare had returned, she would have been better equipped to deal with it. It was funny how Jolee could fix things so easily for her. Of course, he had to make her feel like an idiot in the process, but she could handle that. She'd felt like an idiot often enough lately that it didn't faze her.

Alexis stepped into the kitchen and turned on a pot of java juice for Carth. She knew he'd want it, and Seré might as well. Their impromptu guest was snoring softly in the living room. It would probably kill her to know that she snored. Alexis contemplated telling her, just for fun, but dismissed the idea out of hand. There wasn't any reason for her to be unduly cruel. It would have been entertaining, however.

The apartment was still quite dark, as the sun had not yet risen, and Alexis savored the way her other senses were heightened when her eyes failed her. After a quick scan of the apartment proved that they were still quite alone, Alexis took to idly pacing through the living room. The sun wouldn't be up for another two hours. She had a rather long wait for company if no one else woke up any time soon. Not that she'd relish Seré's company, but…

Alexis heard the door to Carth's bedroom open. Carth, his hair rumpled and his cheeks darkened by the shadow of a beard, made his way into the kitchen. He poured his cup of java without speaking. After the first grateful sip, his eyes slowly focused and he peered blearily at her.

Alexis gave him a small smile. He was usually a morning person. Hopefully his cold wasn't coming back. "Good morning," Alexis said, pouring herself a glass of water. She certainly didn't need java to wake up.

"Feeling better?" Carth asked her.

Alexis nodded, "Oh, I'm fine," she responded conversationally. "What about you?"

"Tired," he muttered, finishing the java in one final gulp. He grimaced as he lowered the cup to the counter.

"I hope that it wears off. I think we've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Hopefully not that much," Carth responded.

"Hhhmm. I think I'll have to dress as a bounty hunter again, but this time I'll carry my lightsaber. If Mira does the same, I should be able to just blend into Kalen's crew," Alexis told him.

"I'll put on a uniform and bring a couple of TSF officers."

"What time am I supposed to meet with the senator today?"

"She invited us for dinner," Carth said, pouring another glass of java.

"You and I?"

"She extended the invitation to Kalen as well."

"Oh. That's good," Alexis said, watching as he gulped at the new glass of java. "You're destroying your stomach with that stuff," Alexis told him, sipping her water.

He chuckled, "Two won't kill me."

"I was afraid you were shooting for three."

"Not today."

Alexis leaned up against the counter with a sigh. It was going to be a very long day. Slotted for the morning was an assassin purge and hopefully the discovery of their source, and for the evening, a meeting with the senator. Sadly, she was going to have to deal with Seré first.

"Why are we standing here in the dark?" Carth asked as if suddenly realizing where he was.

"Our company is still asleep," Alexis replied, pushing herself up onto the counter.

"How could I forget," Carth muttered, glancing towards the living room with a disdainful expression.

"I see you did something about the mess the kitchen was in," Alexis observed, glancing over at the table, now bare of candles and silverware.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

Alexis glanced over at him, feeling guilty. It was her fault he hadn't slept. Maybe she should tell him about the nightmares. It was about time she started being a little bit more open with him. "I've been having that nightmare ever since I left for the Unknown Regions," Alexis told him quietly.

Carth set his cup slowly on the counter as if afraid if he distracted her, she would stop talking. "Oh? I thought you didn't sleep when you were alone."

"I didn't. It came to me while I was meditating, more like a vision than a real dream I suppose," Alexis responded. She could do this. She was perfectly capable of talking about her nightmares with Carth. Huh. Maybe it would be easier if she didn't have to look at him.

"So, the same dream? All that time?"

Alexis nodded. "Same dream."

"Well, what's it about?"

"I-," Alexis began. She couldn't go on immediately. She blushed and glanced away.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Alexis," he said, gently resting his hand on her knee.

"You haven't heard what its about yet," Alexis said, turning back to him.

"Can't be that bad."

"It's about you," Alexis said finally.

Carth was frowning. "You're having nightmares about me?"

"On the Leviathan. Saul Karath's torturing you… when I won't answer his questions."

"And you keep dreaming about it?" Carth said.

Alexis glanced up into his eyes. His expression was unreadable. "I used to dream about it once or twice a week. Sometimes more. This was the first time I'd had it since coming back to Telos, though."

Carth reached out and pulled her against his chest. Alexis closed her eyes and rested her head against his warm shoulder. "He can't hurt you anymore," he said softly.

Alexis laughed lightly in his ear. "I'm not having nightmares about him hurting me," she said, sliding her arms around his back.

"For a minute there, I was a little worried," Carth said, pulling back enough to see her face. "A man never wants to here that a pretty girl is having nightmares about him."

Alexis gave him an impish grin, "Well, I must admit that I have had a few nightmares about your orange jacket."

"Hey!" Carth said in an injured tone.

"Oh, you weren't in it. It was trying to take over the galaxy or something," Alexis told him.

"You're joking, aren't you?" Carth asked.

"Am I?"

"That's not funny."

"Yeah it is."

Carth's fingers suddenly started to dance along her ribs. Alexis gasped as he tickled her, trying to fight him off. She erupted into helpless gales of laughter. She tried to pull away, but he held her tightly while her giggles became louder and gradually erupted into squeals.

"You're going to wake Seré," she gasped in a last ditch effort to save herself. Her back was all the way down on the counter and Carth held her in place with one hand while tickling her with the other. She struggled violently for a few more seconds before giving up, trying to catch her breath and squirming against his hands.

He finally relented and Alexis sat up and sagged against his shoulder, still laughing. He dropped his head onto her shoulder as well and they sat together that way for several seconds, chuckling and breathing deeply.

Alexis heard Seré step into the kitchen, but she didn't look up. Seré cleared her throat loudly and Carth turned sideways, his hands resting on Alexis's waist. "Good morning," he greeted. "The java's still hot if you're interested."

Carth's hands tightened on her waist and he lowered her to the floor. Alexis watched as Seré fought to keep her gaze off of Carth's chest. Alexis only just resisted putting possessive hands on it. That wouldn't be fair to Carth. She pulled away reluctantly. "We need to get dressed and head over to the Hawk," Alexis pointed out.

Carth sighed. "Are you sure we can't go back to bed?"

Seré made her way over to the java, pouring herself a glass without taking her eyes off of the couple before her. Alexis smiled at her. "How did you sleep?" Seré didn't respond and Carth turned to Alexis and raised his eyebrows. Alexis bit her lip to keep from giggling. "Well… that's good," Alexis added.

Seré raised her cup to her lips and then lowered it again, "What is?"

"Ah- nothing. Never mind," Alexis responded, eyeing the girl quietly. Had the drugs in her tea altered her mind? Not that it would make that big of a difference… "Well, I'm going to go and get dressed. I'll be back shortly," Alexis said when no one else spoke. It was going to be a weird day.

Alexis walked back to Carth's bedroom. He'd already made the bed. She stared at the pillows longingly for a moment before heading over to the closet and picking up a pair of black pants that she'd stolen off of Mira. She'd managed to get the things to shrink a bit when they were washed, so they would fit nicely. She'd actually had to create a new version of her bounty hunter costume since she was wearing it so much.

This one consisted of her black boots and Mira's black pants, a thick black belt with a single blaster holster, and a form-fitting gray shirt that was too short for her torso, baring her stomach once again, and too long for her arms, forcing her to roll the sleeves twice to free her hands. She clipped her lightsaber to one hip and slid a holdout blaster into the holster on the other.

She couldn't wear her hair down this time so she spent the better part of ten minutes attempting to subdue it into a semblance of order. It ended up pinned onto her head in a chaotic tumble of curls and clips. She'd had to use so many of the pins that Kalen loaned her that she was certain that she'd never find all of them again.

Alexis made her way back into the kitchen, where Carth was resolutely staring at the kitchen table trying to avoid Seré's gaze. She hadn't left her spot by the pot of java. When he heard her enter, Carth looked up. "Nice outfit," he said, staring at her middle. "Where'd you get the scar on your stomach?"

"You don't remember? You were there," Alexis responded, running her finger across the long, thin scar on the side of her abdomen.

"It looks new," he told her.

She glanced down at it. That was funny. It did still look new. It was very pink against her pale skin. "It's not. Calo Nord gave it to me on Taris when we were stealing the Ebon Hawk. I guess that Echani Fiber Armor wasn't as tough as it looked. And I wasn't expecting Calo to pull a vibroblade," Alexis said with a grimace.

"I didn't know wounds you healed would scar," Carth replied.

"That's just it. It was a long time before I had the chance to heal it. We were a little busy, if you'll recall. Oh well. Scar makes me look tough, right?"

Carth chuckled, "If you say so."

Alexis stuck out her tongue at him. "Go put some clothes on, Admiral. We've got things to do and all of them require that you wear a shirt."

Carth stood. "Everybody loves a man in uniform," he muttered, flexing his bicep with a grin.

Alexis watched with feigned disinterest. "Once you have it on, I'll let you know," she replied, plopping into the seat he'd vacated. He shook his head and disappeared down the hall.

Seré turned to Alexis the moment Carth was gone. "I thought that you two were not lovers," she said quietly. Her expression was pained.

Alexis gave her an odd look. "We aren't lovers. I'm not quite as skinny and beat-up looking as I was when we first met, Seré, but that doesn't immediately mean that Carth and I have jumped into bed together," Alexis said. "Well, at least not in that sense," she amended quickly. They did sleep in the same bed, after all. How odd that must seem to someone like Seré.

Seré glanced away for a moment. "I-," she began, but shook her head and stared purposefully at the counter.

"Go ahead, Seré. Speak your mind. I promise I won't do a thing about it. You really don't have to be afraid of me," Alexis said easily.

Seré looked at Alexis. She met her eyes for a brief moment before looking back down. She couldn't hold her gaze. "You intimidate me," she said finally, her words almost inaudible.

So? She intimidated a lot of people, once they knew who she was. "Why? Because I'm Revan?"

Seré shook her head. "No. It's got nothing to do with that whole Revan thing. It's… your confidence …" she said, trailing off.

Alexis was taken aback. Honesty and even an admission of a sort of admiration from Seré? And she wasn't intimidated by the fact that Alexis had been a Sith Lord for several years? Hmm. "I don't mean to," Alexis responded. She didn't mean to intimidate anyone, at least not anymore.

Seré snorted. "I know you don't. I don't even think you knew about it, did you?" Alexis shook her head in lieu of reply. Seré waited for a few seconds before speaking again. "I'm sorry about the assassins," she said grudgingly.

Now an apology? Things were getting more and more bizarre. "You didn't bring them here on purpose."

"Of course not," Seré snapped. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this way, you know. It's something about you. It brings out the worst in me."

Bemused, Alexis shrugged. "Nothing you can do about that," she said, lounging back in the chair. And that something about her that set Seré off? It was probably whatever attracted Carth to her, or the fact that Carth was attracted to her in the first place. Alexis had to fight off a smirk. What an interesting morning.

Seré was silent for a few more seconds. Obviously this was very difficult for her. Alexis never would have expected her to do anything like it. "I've had my eye on Carth for two years," Seré said, looking at the ground.

"That's a long time," Alexis said lamely. Was she supposed to be happy for her? Sorry that Carth didn't return the feeling?

"Before you showed up, I thought for certain that everything would work out between us eventually," she said. Her mouth twisted unpleasantly. "Obviously I was wrong."

"Carth knew me before he met you. Maybe under different circumstances-," Alexis began, hoping that her words didn't sound as hollow as they felt.

Seré laughed bitterly. "It wouldn't have changed a thing. He wouldn't have ever gotten over his wife."

Alexis shrugged. That was something that they would never know. "Maybe…"

"In any case, it's clear I don't stand a chance. I'm tired of looking stupid, competing for his attention. It's obvious that you have some sort of hold over him. While you're here, I won't be," Seré said harshly.

"That's all I can ask," Alexis said quietly. A hold over him? Did Seré actually think that the only reason that Carth had chosen her was because she was controlling him somehow?

"Just know that if you leave again, all bets are off."

Alexis smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way." Oh, she wasn't going anywhere. Not this time. She rose quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go rouse the rest of the party." Alexis turned and walked into the living room, leaving Seré to her anger and her java.

It was interesting that Seré had changed her mind so suddenly about pursuing Carth. Alexis wondered just what had brought about this sudden change of heart. And why had she suddenly assumed that they were lovers once again? She'd caught them in a similar situation the first time, but she'd accepted then that they were not intimate. What was different? Alexis gave herself a mental shake. Regardless of the reason, she was glad that Seré was giving up the fight. It had gotten very old.

Finally alone, Alexis sat down on the sofa and shut her eyes. She'd try to contact Kalen first. Most likely, she was already awake.

'Kalen?' Alexis sent out gently, just in case the girl actually was still asleep.

'Alexis?' she responded. She sounded surprised, but alert.

'How would you like to go hunting this morning?'

'She wouldn't. She wants to stay in bed,' a familiar voice echoed inside Kalen's mind. Alexis was taken aback. Atton? But that meant…

Blushing, Alexis started to pull away. 'Sorry,' she said quickly.

Kalen's laughter was as clear as if Alexis were in the room with her. 'It's a bit crowded in here, isn't it? It's okay, Lexi. What do you need help with?'

Still thoroughly disgruntled, Alexis had to pull herself back together before replying. 'We've had more assassin troubles. I was hoping that you and the crew would help us take care of the problem. We think we know where they're coming from.'

'We'll be there. When do you want us?' Kalen said.

'Spoilsport,' Atton muttered in the background.

'I think that I can be there in about half an hour, but it will take Carth a little longer to round up a few TSF officers, so…let's say an hour?'

'TSF officers?' Atton said.

'To make it look official,' Alexis replied.

'So you'll be here in half an hour?' Kalen asked.

'If that's okay,' Alexis responded dubiously.

'We'll be ready,' Kalen said.

'Damn It!' Atton said as Alexis fled. She certainly didn't want to hang around in Kalen's mind any longer. Who knew what she would mistakenly overhear… or even see.

Precisely half an hour later, Alexis arrived outside of the Ebon Hawk. Kalen and Atton were sitting on the end of the entrance ramp, their shoulders touching casually. Atton was wearing a satisfied smile and Kalen's eyes were shimmering. They were so cute that Alexis nearly giggled aloud. Instead, she contented herself with a small smile.

Kalen waved cheerily. Atton glanced over at her and then up at Alexis. He gave her a huge smile and buffed his nails against the front of his jacket. Alexis winced when Kalen smacked him. "What?" he asked, smiling innocently at Kalen.

"You know what, you dirty scoundrel," Kalen said, trying to look angry but failing miserably.

"Well… hello there," Alexis said after several seconds of silence. "You two are awfully happy for people who are about to go out looking for Sith."

"Heh. Lots to be happy about," Atton said, wagging his eyebrows. "Lots." He repeated, eyeing Kalen. She smacked him again. "Hey! I bruise easily," he muttered, rubbing his arm where she hit him and looking injured.

Alexis sighed. "Are you two going to be like this all day?"

"Probably," Kalen responded lightly.

"Only if she promises not to hit me again," Atton added.

Alexis couldn't help herself. "Maybe she thinks you like it that way."

"Kalen the dominatrix? I can see it now," Atton said.

"If you don't want me to hit you, you'd better stop while you're ahead," Kalen threatened.

"Ooh. Hurt me, baby," Atton practically cooed, leering at her.

Alexis burst out laughing and Kalen looked up and sighed in desperation. "Why me?"

"You knew what you were getting into," Alexis told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Atton asked.

"Nothing Atton dear. Nothing at all," Alexis responded, drawing out the last word and smiling at him.

Canderous chose that moment to emerge from the ship. He was already holding his rifle as if prepared for battle. "Disgusting, isn't it?" he asked Alexis, frowning over at Kalen and Atton. "The Onasi boy and the bounty hunter are behaving the same way." He turned and glowered at her. "I hope that you have better sense."

"Assassins spoiled her fun," Kalen pointed out.

"You poor girl," Atton said theatrically.

"You guys are so immature," Alexis said haughtily.

"Like you have room to talk," Kalen said.

Alexis couldn't dispute that. She had brought up the whole sadomasochism thing. She shrugged. "I never said that I wasn't."

Atton folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head so that his nose was in the air. "You guys are soooo immature," he mimicked in a high-pitched tone. Kalen promptly poked him in the ribs, causing him to gasp. "That'll definitely bruise," he muttered, rubbing the spot.

Kalen raised her eyebrows. "Shall I kiss it?"

"Later," he promised with a sly smile.

"It's going to be a long day," Alexis told Canderous.

"At least we get to shoot something," Canderous replied.

"There's always that," Alexis returned, grinning at him and patting her blaster.