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This chapter will definitely show Jacen anything but a good light...

Chapter 13

The Jedi arrived at the designated landing pad in the mid afternoon and were met by the Skywalkers and the Solos and an Imperial who had been assigned as their guide while they were on Bastion. They all knew that the major's real duty was to watch them, but no one made issue of it.

They were lead by Major Krugget to a high rise hotel where they would be staying for their duration on the Imperial capital. After entering her room and tossing her small travel bag onto the bed, she quickly made a scan of the room for security devices. She found two, a cam trained on the door, which was actually part of the general hotel security system, and a general listening device which she knew wasn't part of the closed circuit holocam security system. She knew that to destroy the recording device now would only lead to putting the Jedi under suspicion, so she decided not to completely taking it out. In the meantime she'd make sure it had a great deal of technical difficulty especially if she had any visitors.

She opened the deep red Imperial styled drapes that covered the window and looked out over the Imperial City. Evening was settling over the city and her window faced the darker east. She was actually quite fascinated by the capitol of the Remnant. It really wasn't much different from any other heavily industrialized planet she had visited. The scars left from the Yuuzhan Vong attack were all but gone and tall buildings and streams of air traffic painted the cityscape in color, form and textures.

As she watched the traffic speed by, she let her mind drift to Jacen. She had kept her distance on the trip to Bastion and she hoped he didn't draw conclusions from her withdrawal and Ben's outright irritation. She wanted time to put into perspective the kiss she shared with Ben and she had. It had been spontaneous and it had been passionate, but it didn't mean the same to her as it had to Ben. Ben nearly swept her off her feet last night, and if she hadn't been so completely in love with Jacen, he would have succeeded. He had truly shown her a side of Ben Skywalker she hadn't known was there. However, she knew she felt nothing but friendship for the younger man.

After several moments of thinking about the man she loved, she decided to be honest with him. She wanted to build a future with him and to do that she couldn't let this weigh on her. She turned away from the window and glanced at the bag on her bed. S miling, she opened it, pulled a fresh set of robes and other needed items, and headed for the shower to get cleaned up for dinner. However, before meeting the Skywalkers and Solos for the evening meal, she had something more important to do first.

XXX

Jacen stared at his refection in the fresher mirror and again wondered what he was going to do. His mother had already sensed his anxiousness after their meeting at the spaceport. He was heavily shielding himself but knew that he couldn't completely shut himself off of the Force. Knowing that Tenel Ka was on the planet made him cautious, but if anyone else knew the former Jedi was here they hadn't said anything. No one suspected them to be lovers, so even if they had met by chance it wouldn't be like they would have been expected to act affectionately toward each other.

Tenel Ka alone wasn't the problem. It was Jysella. Ben knew of their relationship. However, that wasn't even the problem; it was the simple fact that Jysella had no reason not to act affectionately toward him. Theirs wasn't the relationship that had to be kept secret from the public, which could create a huge mess if Tenel Ka were to meet with any of them. The family all knew that he and the queen were still good friends, which would make them far too inclined to make the happy announcement of Jacen's first love interest since Danni Quee.

Sighing, Jacen finished drying his hair and tossed the towel into the corner of the small refresher and moved out into the small room. He glanced at the chrono by the bed and moved toward the bag he had opened on the large bed. He had an hour before he was to meet the other Jedi and his father for dinner in the hotel tapcafe. Something he really wasn't looking forward to, but he couldn't find a reason to get out of it. There was really only one person he wanted to spend his evening with and he didn't know if she wanted to spend it with him. Although, he was concerned about the threat Tenel Ka presented, he really hoped he and Jysella could have a chance to figure out where they were going in their relationship.

He had made a few comm calls and discovered that Tenel Ka was staying at the Hapan embassy. She hadn't made any effort to contact him even via the Force and he hadn't reached out for her. In fact, he kept himself as closed off as he could without bringing suspicion from those with him or, regarding Jysella, misunderstanding. The more he thought about the situation the more he decided it really wasn't all that tenuous. Tenel Ka was a queen here on a diplomatic mission during a national crisis. The Imperials along with Tenel's personal guard would do everything possible to keep her as far from the bombing possible, while Jacen and the others were here to investigate that very crime.

He finally let a small s mile touch his lips. There was no reason he couldn't pursue Jysella. He loved her and she loved him and if Tenel Ka discovered he was on the planet, he could possibly sneak away and see her. He only had to make sure Tenel Ka never seen him and Jysella together or meet up with any of his family, which again was nearly an impossibility. Satisfied that he had come up with some reassuring ideas, he began to pull out clothing from his travel bag when there was a knock on the door.

He reached out with the Force and grinned when he felt her bright presence. He turned away from the bed and reached down to tighten the tuck of the white towel corner that rode low on his right hip.

Still s miling, he opened the door allowing the heavy old fashioned dark wood swing door to open inward. Then he leaned against the edge and relished Jysella's obvious embarrassment of finding Jacen only dressed in a skimpy towel.

X

Jys swallowed hard as Jacen ushered her into his hotel room. She tried not to stare at the mostly nude man who moved into the room to stand before her but found it nearly impossible. Instead, she looked around the room. It was the same gaudy heavy old Imperial style as her own—decorated in deep reds, golds and royal blues. Finally, she met his eyes and stammered, "I—I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about something that happened last night."

If he had any inkling of what his state of undress was doing to her, he ignored it and simply responded as he ran his hand through his long dark hair, "I figured something had happened."

She tried to keep her eyes locked on his but it was increasingly hard to. Almost instinctively she let them travel down his sculpted shoulders and chest. His supple skin was tanned and although he sported several old scars, the most pronounced being over his sternum, they only added to his well defined physique and gave him an air of mysteriousness. Then she let her eyes drop further, following the sprinkling of dark curls which become more numerous just above the edge of the towel below his navel. Suddenly, realizing that Jacen was watching her as she admired him provoked immediate heat to rise on her face.

She quickly turned away from him and swallowed against the sudden dryness in her mouth. She tried desperately to squash the blaze of desire that consumed her. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry I can't do this now."

She turned to go but he reached out and gently caught her arm. She looked up at him again and could see his desire burning in his deep sienna eyes. She didn't fight him as he pulled her into his arms. Gazing deeply into each other's eyes, he reached up and gently feathered the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Then he whispered, "I don't care what happened between you and Ben last night, Jys. I only care about what you feel for me right now."

She ran her hands up his bare chest and was pleased at the sharp intake of air by him as she did so. "Jacen, I love you and only you."

He grinned and just before he covered her lips with his, he hoarsely whispered, "I know."

The kiss was explosive. She threaded her hands through his still damp hair and clung to him. He pulled her against him and ravaged her senses as much as he did her lips and mouth. Between the nipping kisses that continued after he broke for air, he huskily said, "I…love…you." He then ran a trail of openmouthed kisses down the column of her neck causing her to moan loudly when he sucked on her pulse point. "Stay with me," he whispered in her ear and then pulled away to see her reaction.

She didn't hesitate. She s miled seductively and stepped away. Desire raged inside her and even though a small voice inside her was telling that there was something was wrong with this, she ignored it. First, she dropped the outer robe and relished the enthralled expression that settled on Jacen's handsome features. Then she pulled the tunic over her head.

He watched as she stripped down to her matching bra and panties before moving forward. She let out a gasp as he swept her off her feet, kissing her senseless. He used the Force to levitate the travel bag and the clothing off the bed and laid her down in the middle. He crawled up to lay beside her and suddenly she realized he didn't have the towel any longer. A trill ran though her as she felt his body pressed against hers as he hovered over her he soothed her hair. He gazed deeply into her eyes and quietly declared, "You are so beautiful and you're all mine. I love you so much, Jysella Horn. And I always will."

Jys never had a chance to puzzle over his words; he swept her up into a whirlwind of passion as he captured her lips, possessing her mouth while his hands caressed her body. His lovemaking was gentle but yet burned to her soul with its intensity.

Jysella was wrapped up in Jacen's arms as she laid her head on his shoulder and listened as his breathing. She had never felt this comfortable before with a lover, however, she still felt the tingling sensation that something was not quite right. After several moments she pulled away from him a bit and met his dark molten eyes.

"Something is bothering you?" he thickly asked as he gently touched her shoulder, making small circling motions with his fingers.

"Jacen, I know you said that what happened last night didn't matter but I have to get it out in the open."

He stopped the caress of her shoulder and moved the hand up to thread through her long black hair, eliciting a shudder from her. He smiled and said as he raised a dark brow, "Let me guess, he kissed you and you kissed him back?"

She felt sudden relief, but there was something about the way he said the question, it was almost like it was an accusation, and that somewhat bothered her. However, she decided it was only his natural jealousy. She remembered sensing the emotion the day before after he had returned and she had told him about her and Ben's "date". Simply nodding she admitted, "Jacen, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me, really. As I said yesterday morning, Ben is still too young for me. Sure his age and mine are closer than yours and mine but he isn't even technically an adult yet. I was totally caught up in how different he is away from the Jedi, I guess. But he is nothing more than my friend."

Jacen swallowed and sadly smiled, "That doesn't surprise me, my love. You don't have anything to be sorry for, really. My Apprentice is quite strong in the Force," Jacen turned away from her as he spoke and his words confused her.

"I know he's strong. Someday I'm sure he will rival his father," she responded evenly.

Jacen nodded and glanced back at her for a moment before pulling her against him. Looking over the crown of her head he went on, "However, Ben has developed some disappointing habits."

She pulled back and met his eyes, "What do you mean 'habits'?"

He stroked her cheek and as he did so he said, "Did he take you to a Twi'lek restaurant in the Mid-Level?" She responded with an affirmative and he shook his head, "Ben had tricked the young girl whose father owns the establishment into thinking that he saved her life."

"What? I don't believe Ben would do that." She stared at him incredulously.

Jacen eyes became filled with sorrow as he went on, "I'm afraid so."

"But why?"

Jacen shrugged and looked down at his hand in his lap. "He used a mind trick to make her think she was being attacked and that he rescued her. Afterward he took her back to her father who wanted to reward Ben with money, but that wasn't what Ben wanted." He finally looked her in the eye and quietly said, "He wanted her."

She was stunned. Surely, Jacen was misinformed. Ben would never do something that despicable. But then she let her mind drift back to the beautiful young Twi'lek. She had had a definite attraction to Ben that Jysella had sensed a klick away. Then he eventually admitted that he and she had had a relationship before and by the way he had put it she knew it was sexual. Is it possible that he tricked her? Surely, Ben Skywalker was nobler than that.

"My guess is that Ben began to kiss you and when you didn't respond immediately he gave you a suggestion to do so. Which you did with fervor, however, because you are a Jedi and I might add quite accomplished in mind manipulation yourself, the suggestion didn't hold and you realized what your were doing. You are not to blame, my love, nor do I hold you accountable."

She was appalled. But it did make sense. She knew that she would never have willingly kissed Ben. He must to have tricked her. There really was no other explanation.

She snuggled up against his warm chest and hugged him tightly around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I can't believe he'd do that to me," she whispered astonished. "I thought he was my friend."

She never saw the small smile that pulled at Jacen's lips as he buried his face into her hair and breathed in the sweet sent of Corellian lilies. She was his, and only his now. She would never trust Ben again.

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