Chapter 5

Jysella left the training room a few hours later. She wasn't willing to admit defeat to Ben Skywalker easily; so, after he beaten her the first time after knocking away her saber, she challenged him to a rematch. Only to be thoroughly beaten again, this time by him getting under her defenses and scoring a killing point.

His ease at which he had beaten her surprised her. She had always been the better dualist of the two Horn siblings, even though her brother was several years older than she. She had the easy grace of her mother, the strength of her father, and the cunning of her grandfather Booster, all of which made her extremely formidable with a lightsaber.

Well, so she thought, until she met up with her onetime classmate and friend. She still couldn't believe the change in Ben. She still remembered the almost shy freckled faced little boy who sat beside her in classes, being her friend by giving her encouraging words when others would tease her for her lack of telekinesis and she would support him when the teasing would turn to him.

But that little boy was no more; she had seen that the first time she saw him on Jacen's ship before the mission. However, she wasn't disappointed either, she really enjoyed Ben. He was fun and charismatic in a way she would never had imagined. He exuded confidence that nearly bordered on arrogance, but yet, he was still compassionate and caring of others. She was glad and proud to call him "friend".

She made her way back to her quarters and was instantly amazed by what she found at her door. Sitting on the floor was a vase filled with Corellian Lilies. She picked up the vase and breathed in the rich, alluring fragrance of the flower of her home planet. She loved them and even wore the scent of lilies. Whoever, had given them to her seemed to know her well.

As she punched in the code to the door, she wondered just who that someone could have been to give her such a wonderful gift. However, she didn't have to wonder for long, as her commlink began to beep. She sat down the vase on her dresser and pulled the communicator off her belt. Still gazing at the beautiful white six petaled flowers, she received the call. "Hello."

"Hello, yourself." She instantly smiled as she heard the deep, rich voice of the man who occupied her dreams last night. "Did you get my thank you gift for the wonderful night?"

She sat on the edge of the bed and grinned, "Yes, they're beautiful and perfect. But you didn't need to thank me, I should be thanking you. But I have to ask, just how did you know lilies were my favorites?"

"Well, I didn't. But I—emmm—took a chance. They seem to suite you. Don't you think?"

She thought about that and wondered what he meant, but she didn't think on it for long, she was just too thrilled by the gesture. She had never received flowers from a man before. Finally, she asked and she wasn't able to keep the hopefulness out of her voice, "We are still on for tonight?"

He left out a soft chuckle and Jysella thought she'd melt at the sound of it, "Of course, I'll pick you up at 1800 instead of 1900. If that's okay? I have a surprise for you."

She smiled, "Emm—a surprise? Can't wait, I'll see you then."

Jacen responded, "Good. Until then, I'll be thinking of you." Then the connection ended.

Jysella gasped as his final words repeated in her head. What was happening to her, she wondered, as she mindlessly laid the commlink down on the bedside table and stood. She stepped back over to the dresser and reached up to touch one of the delicate petals. "Oh, Jacen Solo, I think I'm falling in love with you."

And with that admission she felt a sudden felling of dread sneaking in on her bubbling happiness, but she pushed it away. Rejecting it as nerves, nervousness for what Jacen may be feeling for her, nervousness for what her parents would say when they found out, and finally nervousness over being in love for the very first time.

X

Jysella was humming to herself as she waited to be admitted to the office her father kept at the Temple for when he was on Coruscant, which was mainly for Council meetings like the one from yesterday. He would soon be returning to Corellia and his pet project, a small Jedi academy. Finally, the door opened to reveal Corran Horn, but Jysella was lost in her thoughts of Jacen, she didn't realize the door was open until her father chuckled. She immediately stopped humming, the melody she realized was from one of the love songs she and Jacen had danced to the night before. Her face blushed red instantly as he looked at her curiously. Jysella was never so whimsical.

With a raised brow, he said, "Well, Jys, you seem happy this morning." He moved away from the door so that she could enter.

Stepping through the door, she looked everywhere but into her father's amused green eyes as she sat down in the chair before the desk. She countered with, "And why shouldn't I be happy? I just completed a very successful mission."

Corran moved to sit behind the cluttered metal and wood desk. Leaning back in his chair he apprised his daughter and Jysella could easily feel the weight of that scrutiny. Finally, he moved forward and leaned over his arms on the desk, grinning he asked, "So, who has your head so far in the clouds that you are humming love songs and won't look me in the eye?"

Jysella suddenly felt her heart stopped and she could feel the heat instantly on her cheeks. She looked up and into her father's amused eyes and swallowed. How did I ever expect to keep anything from him? She and Corran were close, as close as a father and daughter could be. He had been her Master and was her best friend. She usually told him everything or he always seemed to figure it out, just as he was doing so now. He always understood her when no one else did. He would standup for her when she was right or gently guide her into seeing her errors when she was wrong, especially when it came to her mother, whom she fought with often. However, she wasn't sure she was willing to confess having feelings for Jacen Solo to her father, not yet, anyway. Jacen was a Master, a Master her father often disagreed with; however, he was also at least fourteen years older than she, something else she knew he would not necessarily like. He was always putting Kyp Durron's pursuit of Jaina Solo down, saying that the Jedi Master should know better to chase a woman almost young enough to be his daughter.

"Well?" Corran grinned wider, "Who am I going to have to have the little 'I'm-her-father-and-don't-you-forget-it chat' to?"

"Daddy!" She chided trying desperately to cover her sudden discomfort. However, as she couldn't hold his intense gaze any longer she sighed. She was a fool to think she could keep this from him. She finally, met his eyes again and swallowed, softly she said, "Jacen Solo and I began seeing each other."

"What?" She watched as his amusement turned into something more dangerous, like a rancor protecting its young, she thought. He sat up straight and went on, "Jysella, you can't be serious. He's so much older than you. I'll admit I was actually expecting you to say Ben Skywalker."

Swallowing her nerves and replacing them with anger, she glared at him and countered, "You expected or were you hoping, Dad? Let's face it that would be a very convenient pairing for you—to be related to the Skywalkers, if any relationship I have goes that far. Especially, since things between you and the Skywalkers haven't been the same since the Swarm War."

"Jysella! That will be enough." Corran then took a deep breath and sat back. "I won't disagree with your assessment, but that isn't why I think I like the idea of you and Ben. He would be good for you, that's all. Of course, right now he is a little young." He narrowed his eyes and added, "And so are you, young lady."

She stood and moved from the chair, she had enough and she wasn't willing to discuss this any further with him. She smiled trying to calm herself, "Yes, I am young but I'm also an adult. That's why I am finding this conversation pointless. Jacen and I are just friends right now. However, I will admit that I am hoping that it will progress into something more in the future, but for right now I don't think you need to have that 'chat' with him quite yet."

With that she promptly turned and walked out the door leaving Corran Horn staring at her fleeting back wondering when his little girl had grown up.

X

"I'm coming," Jacen heard her sweet voice as he stood waiting outside Jysella's door, hands shoved into the pockets of his black slacks, eyes gazing at the floor, mind racing. He had to tell her that he had to leave tomorrow. He had been thinking of her all day and how he was going to tell her about his sudden departure. He knew he couldn't use the excuse of a secret mission, because her father would be aware of such things and would be able to tell Jysella different. He knew about the closeness the father and daughter shared.

Suddenly the door slid open and he had his breath taken away as he looked up at her. She was dressed in a very short turquoise dress that was low cut and sleeveless. Her black hair was down and fell over her shoulders and the rich color of the dress brought out the blue flecks in her green eyes, making them appear as turquoise as the dress.

Finally, finding his voice he swallowed and smiled, "Hello, Jys, you look absolutely beautiful."

She smiled shyly and looked away from him as a blush colored her cheeks a deep alluring pink, "Ahh—thanks." Then she looked back up at him and added with a note of irritation in her voice, "I found this little number today after my meeting with my father. I needed to do something to calm me down after talking with him, he made me mad and nothing makes a girl happy like shopping." She grinned and allowed him to enter her small room, after the door closed, she said, "You look rather—good yourself."

Jacen chuckled softly at her shy complement and accompanying blush, "Emmm—thank you." He looked around the small room, "So. You didn't have a good time with your dad today."

He met her gaze again as she busied her hands putting things in her small handbag. "No. I was supposed to have lunch with him and I didn't even get that."

"Oh." Jysella had told him how close that she was to her father and he could tell something was upsetting her. "What happened?"

She swallowed and as she snapped the bag closed she said, "He knows that I'm seeing you."

Jacen couldn't keep the surprise off his features or out of his voice, he knew just how much his fellow Jedi Master disliked him, "You told him?"

"I didn't have to. He can read me like an open datapad and I knew that I might as well provide him with a name—the correct name, or he'd be relentless until he got it."

They moved out of the room and she keyed the lock behind them, "What do you mean correct name?" Jacen suddenly wanted to know.

She looked back up at him and smiled amusingly, "He thought it was Ben."

"Ben?" Jacen was taken aback but not for the reason Jysella would think, Jacen was beginning to think that Ben had feelings for Jysella which didn't sit well with him at all.

She laughed and patted him on the arm before taking his hand into hers, "Yes, Ben. But don't worry, he and I are only friends and I assured Dad that I was perfectly okay with you." Suddenly she stopped walking and turned to face him, she pressed herself close and Jacen could smell the intoxicating scent of lilies. "Jacen, I'm hoping that we can be more than just friends." She moved her arms around his neck and smiled in such a way that Jacen thought he'd lose himself.

He swallowed and couldn't fight the temptation any longer. He bent down and captured her lips as his arms moved to encircle her narrow waist, pulling her closer. He kissed her with passion and desire and with love. For, in that second Jacen Solo gave into the love he felt for her. After breaking the kiss, he huskily said, "Me too."

Jacen took her to a intimate restaurant and afterward to the theater to watch a Mon Calamari water ballet, an old tragically romantic story about a prince in love with two enchanted maidens both of whom scorn him and eventually curse him to a life of misery. The irony was anything but lost on Jacen.

As they were leaving the theater and heading to the garage where his speeder was parked, Jysella looked up from her position at his side. They were holding each other, she had her arm around his waist and he had his around her shoulders. "Jacen, is something the matter? You seem—I don't know—distracted?"

He shook his head and forced a smile, his heart was tied in knots. He never expected the ballet to affect him this much when he bought the tickets. Nor did he expect to be both dreading and looking forward to his trip to Hapes so much. Eventually he said as he gazed into her green eyes, "That's because I'll miss you. I have to go away tomorrow and will be gone for several days."

She glanced away and Jacen wondered if she felt his tension, "Oh, where are you going?"

He swallowed and raised a brow, and decided to try redirecting the subject with a bit of levity, "Possessive already?"

She stopped and allowed him to open the door of his speeder, giving him a sly smile she came back with, "Maybe." She got in and waited for him to enter the other side. As he started the vehicle's engine, she said, "I'm waiting."

He glanced over at her and chuckled, "Okay, you win. I'm going to visit an old friend that I haven't seen in a while."

She raised a brow and smirked, "Now, was that so hard? I hope they are okay." Then she completely surprised him by leaning over and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. As she pulled away she looked into his eyes, hers so full of trust that it caused his heart to constrict, but it was her words that tilted his world, "Just come back to me soon, Jacen Solo, because I think I'm falling in love with you."

Then she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He pulled her to him and immediately deepened the kiss; all thoughts of Tenel Ka left him as he trailed her jaw line to her ear with kisses. He then whispered into her ear causing her to shudder, but what amazed him more was the fact that he meant every word of it, "I love you, Jysella, I think I fell in love with you that very first day you walked onto my ship." I just can't be faithful to only you, he added silently as he kissed her lips again. He deepened the kiss when she left out a soft moan, letting his love and desire take over his passion.

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