-Dark Eyes-

He loves her eyes. It would be easy for anyone who doesn't look to just dismiss them as brown, or "dark". But Jaina's eyes are so much more than that. They're a golden brown, irises rimmed in chocolate, the colour of a good Corellian whiskey. They're shot through with flecks of copper and stria of the same brown that outlines them.

They seem to glow when she laughs, and they go a deep, sultry russet in moments of passion. He could spend forever staring into them, trying to count all the colours he sees. No, they're not just brown.

"What?" she asks, as they lie facing each other, on a blanket in their meadow as Allana climbs a nearby tree and Anji chases birds. "You're staring."

"Just enjoying the view," he murmurs. "I love your eyes."

"I love yours," she says softly. "They remind me of . . . Looking up at the sun through leaves when you're deep in the forest. They're not brown. Someone said once that they are. I don't know where they got that idea, because your eyes are definitely green. Dark green, though. With a little brown in them. They change a lot, too. Like when you wear certain colours, they're brilliant green. But when you're upset, they go really dark."

"I was just thinking about your eyes doing the same. I like them best when you're feeling . . . friendly." He knows there are young ears nearby, and isn't going to get more specific than that. Allana will need "the talk" at some point, but it's definitely not going to come from him.

Jaina chuckles softly. "I like yours best then, too."

"You do, huh?"

"Yeah."

He weaves his hand into her hair, the silky strands sliding through his fingers. She wore it just below shoulder length when he first fell in love with her. It now falls to her waist, a braid across the crown of her head keeping it back from her face.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers.

She blushes, which never fails to enchant him. She's one of the most confident women he knows, and yet, when told she's beautiful, she never seems to believe it. "I remember when I was eighteen, and you called me one of your more attractive friends."

He grins. "I couldn't help myself. From the moment I realised you were a woman, rather than the girl who used to tag along and use your dad's friendship with me as an excuse to hang out, I've been hopelessly lost."

Jaina's eyes search his face. "Part of me wishes you'd been more direct back then. But I don't know how it would have gone if you had."

"I'm good with how things are now," he tells her. "We can't change what was, so I'm just going to enjoy how it's turned out."

Allana, bored with tree climbing, suddenly plops down beside them. "You're getting mushy again," she observes. Her grey eyes flick over Kyp. "When do I start calling you Uncle Kyp?"

He laughs at her directness, noting Jaina's obvious fluster. "Uh . . ."

They haven't discussed marriage. He wants to, very much. He wants a life and a family with her. But they've only been together a few months, and he doesn't want to push so soon after her divorce.

"I'm okay with you doing that," he finally tells the girl, "but I'm not your uncle."

"Yet," she points out, and hops to her feet to go play with Anji.

Jaina shakes with silent laughter. "Sometimes, she's so much like Tenel Ka," she wheezes.

Kyp shakes his head. "She's only going to get worse."

"I know."