Post 12

Jade woke the next morning with a stuffy head and a splitting headache. Groaning quietly, she turned over and buried her head in her pillow. Nothing like falling asleep crying, she thought ruefully to herself. She lay there, thinking about last night and a shiver ran down her back. If Kyp hadn't been there…she wasn't sure she wanted to think about it. Jade rolled back over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She wouldn't be going back to sleep, so she might as well get up.

She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water try to wash away her fear from last night. Jade focused instead on the other thing she hadn't been able to attend to properly last night. Too bad she had been worried about dying, or she could have enjoyed the fact that Kyp had been holding her. Extremely close at that. It hadn't been til much later that she had even realized it, but she had definitely had some interesting dreams because of it last night. Finally, she felt a little better and got out. She dressed casually, since she didn't have anything planned for the day and made her way downstairs.

The smell of food hit her close to the bottom step and she stopped in surprise. The cook was off on the weekends that Bela wasn't here. She'd never known Kyp or Jared to cook. Stepping into the kitchen, she couldn't hide her smile.

They had made enough food for a family of ten. It littered the table and the island and smelled heavenly. She hadn't been hungry, but seeing all this food and realizing they had probably made it to make her feel better, had brought her appetite back.

She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms in front of her to watch them.

"Are you two hungry, or were you planning on throwing a party?" She asked them, then laughed when they jumped. She frowned at Kyp. "I thought you couldn't sneak up on Jedi?" She asked him, crossing the room to pluck off a piece of food from the table.

Jared swatted her hand and she just grinned at him.

"Well, I wasn't really paying attention. Normally, you can't."

"I'm not sure that's reassuring." She mumbled to herself as she finished her stolen food.

"Sit." Jared instructed her as he waved her towards the table. She gave him a confused look and he rolled his eyes at her.

"You know, you roll your eyes at me too much." She told him as she took a seat.

"Well, maybe if you didn't give me so many reasons to, I wouldn't." He retorted as he and Kyp came over to the table and sat down on either side of her. Not waiting for permission, she started to fill her plate and noticed that the boys had done the same.

They all ate in silence for a few moments, before Jade finally asked.

"Why did you make all this food? Could you not decide what you wanted?" She chuckled, then laughed when they looked at each other.

"We weren't sure what you liked." Kyp told her.

Jade turned her gaze to Jared. "You've been here for two years and you don't know?"

Jared rolled his eyes. "I don't pay attention to your food." He threw at her.

"What do you pay attention to?" Kyp asked, arching an eyebrow at the man. Jared paused for a minute, then shoved some food in his mouth and smiled. Jade laughed, and they all fell into an easy banter. They sat there a good hour eating and talking, when Jared let out a huge yawn.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" Jade asked him, starting to get up and clean the table. Kyp laid a hand on her arm and she sat back down.

"We'll clean up." He looked over at Jared as he let out another yawn. "I'll clean up." He amended, as he stood and walked over to the counter. "Jared, go get some sleep." The young man didn't argue, merely smiled and walked to the security office.

Jade sat there at the table for a minute, then stood up and started to clear things again. She walked over to where Kyp was putting things in containers and didn't even have to see his face to know he was frowning at her.

"I thought I told you I would clean up."

"You did." She responded as she started to put stuff away. "But you're just going to have to deal with me helping you." They worked side by side, until everything was put away and the dishes were loaded into the washer. Kyp was drying his hands off on a towel, when he turned to find Jade staring out the window over the sink. He smiled and watched her for a few seconds.

"I never said thank you last night." She whispered to him, never taking her eyes off the window. He set the towel down and came over to stand against the counter next to her.

"You had other things on your mind." He told her quietly. She finally turned to look at him and smiled faintly. They stared at each other for a moment, then Jade leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He searched her face afterwards and found gratitude and something else he couldn't quite name in her eyes. Or maybe, it was he didn't want to dare to hope he was correct about it.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly to him, then turned to leave the room.

"You ready for lunch yet?" Zekk called out, as he walked into Jag's now empty classroom. Jag shut the door to the equipment cabinet and looked over at his friend. Zekk had called him this morning and asked if he wanted to have lunch. That wasn't unusual, they ate together when their schedules allowed it. Jag, however, had a feeling that he was going to be drilled for some information this time.

"Yeah, let me finish putting this stuff up and I'll be ready." Zekk nodded and a few minutes later, they were headed down to the mess hall. They both had another class this afternoon so there wasn't time to go out to eat. They chatted casually while getting their food and for the first few minutes after they sat down. Then the fun questions came.

"So, how was your date last night?" Zekk asked, taking a bite of something he probably didn't want to name.

Jag looked at him, then shook his head. "How in the sith did you find out I had a date?"

Zekk grinned. "Ben told me."

Jag sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You gonna answer my question?" The Jedi asked when Jag didn't make an attempt to respond the first time.

"It was fine."

"Come on, Fel. Give me more than that." Zekk pleaded. "You gonna see her again?"

"No." Jag answered forcefully.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? She not interesting enough?"

Jag sighed. "She was fine. Extremely interesting and beautiful." He offered and when no response came he looked up and found Zekk grinning at him.

"You know, I think I'm starting to hate you guys." He mumbled as he pushed his plate away.

"You think? Hell Jag, you've been around us for long enough. I would think you, of all people, would have a more definite answer by now." He joked.

Kyp wasn't surprised when the door chime sounded in the middle of the day. The only way he would have been surprised is if it hadn't. When he answered he found an apprehensive Iella and Wedge waiting. He moved back so they could come in and smiled at Iella.

"She's in her office." The intelligence agent muttered her thanks as she practically ran up the stairs.

Both men watched her leave then Kyp turned back to Wedge.

"How is she?" The older man asked quietly.

"She's ok. I think she actually got some sleep last night, so she has been doing pretty well so far." He answered and received a nod for it. Wedge didn't say anything else, just followed the path his wife had taken earlier.

"I'm fine Ella, I promise." Wedge heard Jade telling his wife as he walked into the room. Trying to hide his smile, he walked over and pulled Jade into a hug. She held him a little tighter than normal, but he didn't complain. He was just glad he was able to do it at all.

"I'm just glad Kyp was there. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't been." Wedge heard Jade mumble. He looked over her head and shared a look with Iella. Suddenly, Jade's head popped up, barely missing Wedge's chin. She looked at Iella in horror.

"What?"

"Seena left not too long before we did last night. What if she took the lift…"

"I'll make sure she made it home last night." Iella assured her friend.

Jade nodded mutely then buried her face back in Wedge's chest. She felt the fear creeping up on her again.

Kyp felt her signature in the force spike and it took every bit of willpower he had to not run up the stairs and find out why. If it had been anyone else she was talking to, he would have. But he was loathe to mess with the tentative truce Iella had formed with him. Barging in the room, light saber at the ready would not bode well for him. So he sat on the couch and tried to stare a hole in the wall.

"Something you cook for breakfast not sitting well with you?"

He looked up to find Jared plopping down in the chair next to him, a grin on his face. He looked better than he had earlier.

"I thought you were getting some sleep?" Kyp asked him, sitting back against the cushions.

"Nah. I can sleep when I'm dead. It's gonna mess with my schedule too much if I sleep any more."

Kyp nodded and didn't say anything else.

"What makes you think it was something that I cooked that would be bothering me?" Kyp finally asked and Jared laughed.

"Because I know I can actually cook. I don't know if you can." He responded.

Whatever Kyp was going to say next was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Both men stood as the Antilles walked into the living room.

"Chaz is going to call tonight when they get on planet." Kyp nodded at Iella's statement. "I'm going to go and check on Seena right now."

Kyp swore. He'd forgotten all about her.

"Yeah, Jade just remembered too. Though I don't think anyone will blame her." Wedge told the group.

Jared looked confused and Iella filled him in. He nodded, but didn't say anything else. It hadn't crossed his mind either. He just hoped she was ok.

"You'll let us know what you find out?" Kyp asked.

"Of course." Iella responded. She and Wedge turned to leave then, but she stopped and looked at Kyp.

"Thank you Kyp." The master just nodded at her and they left. Jared looked over at him, giving him a lopsided grin.

"She doesn't like you very much, does she?"

Kyp sat back down on the couch and ran his hand over his face. "What makes you think that?" He asked dryly.

"She was a little uncomfortable giving you that last comment."

"Yeah. Neither one of them has ever liked me. I've made some big mistakes. I'm kind of used to it by now"

Jared snorted. "Like you're the only one. Granted, most people haven't destroyed planets, but still."

Kyp raised an eyebrow at him. "You know about my past?"

"I did my homework. When Jade told me you had been assigned I made sure to find out everything I could about you. And yes, I don't have a problem being your friend. We all make mistakes Kyp. You've obviously learned from yours or I doubt you'd be a master now." Kyp didn't say anything, but he must have looked shocked because Jared continued. "Not everyone is so judgemental. Jade doesn't have an issue with it."

"She knows?" He whispered.

The guard chuckled. "There's not much Jade doesn't know. She's the one who had me get the info on you. Being uninformed is not an option for her."

Jared stood and stretched before he spoke again.

"Plus, from what I know about Iella, she wouldn't have let you near Jade if she didn't trust you to take care of her."

It was around 2400 when Kyp finally heard from Chaz. He was sitting in the security office watching the monitors when his comm went off.

"Durron."

"Master Durron. He's on his way home. Should be there in about 20 minutes."

"Thanks Chaz." The agent signed off and Kyp took a final look at the monitors before he stood up and left the room. He knew she was still awake. Iella had called about an hour ago to say that Seena was fine. She had taken the stairs that night because the lift had been taking too long. Kyp wondered if the person who had tampered with the lift had stuck around to see the fruits of their labor.

He knocked on Jade's bedroom door lightly, but didn't wait for her to answer. She had the blinds pulled closed, so the room was pitch dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust until he could make out her form on the bed. She rolled over to face him and he gave her a small smile, not knowing if she could see him or not.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly. Kyp hadn't moved from just inside the door, but she could make out his outline.

"He's on his way home. I just thought you might like to know." He told her, moving over to the side of the bed. Probably not one of his better decisions, but he found he couldn't help himself. Jade didn't say anything for a minute, just lay there digesting the information.

"How long?"

"About 20 minutes. Chaz just called."

Jade nodded, sure he could feel her response even if he couldn't see her. She rolled back over on her side and took a deep breath.

"Do you want me to help you fall asleep?" He asked quietly.

"No. I'll be ok." She whispered. Kyp watched her for a few more seconds, then left the room.

He was waiting in the living room when the Senator finally made it home with his contingent of guards. Kyp still couldn't get over how Bela only left one guard here to be with Jade, but took the rest with him. That didn't really speak of a man who was worried about his wife. He and Jade had discussed about whether or not to tell him about the lift incident, but Jade had been adamant about not saying anything. She was convinced he knew already, thinking he had been behind it. Kyp still had his doubts, but with nothing to back it up he had gone along with her decision.

He stood when the Senator entered and the man nodded in his direction.

"Tiro, just put my bag in my office." He told one of his guards then turned back to find a questioning look coming from Kyp.

"I don't want to disturb Jade this late at night. I have to leave again in the morning anyway, probably before she wakes up." He told him. Kyp felt like the man was trying to justify his actions, but at the moment the master could care less. He was just glad that he wouldn't be in the same bed as her tonight.

Kyp nodded as the senator gave him one last look before disappearing up the steps. His trips home had become less and less frequent, but they hadn't caught him doing anything other than his day job. Jared had guessed he was using a middle man now, but there was no reason he should be. They were confident he didn't know he was being followed, but one never knew in the business of intelligence. Kyp decided he had done enough thinking for the day and made his way to his room.

The next morning found the three of them sitting in the living room. Kyp was watching the holonews, Jared was taking a nap, or at least looked like he was and Jade was working on something on her data pad. Bela had been true to his word and had been gone by the time she had woken up this morning. She found herself wondering if it was wrong of her to feel relief. The guilt just wouldn't go away and she knew it was crazy because she wasn't the one who had done anything wrong. If anyone should feel guilty it was Bela, but she knew he didn't. She was realizing how naïve she had been when it came to him. Hell, she
had been naïve about a lot of things, him being the biggest. Her mother had always told her that it was just her nature to be trusting. It wasn't a bad thing, you just had to be careful and not let yourself get hurt. Jade snorted to herself. It was a little late for that.

Every time she thought she knew exactly what she felt for Bela now, she started to doubt herself. She was sure some small part of her loved him, but that was it. To be honest, he could walk away and she would be fine with that. Her life would go on, and she would have no regrets. She knew it wasn't going to be that easy though. It never was.

"Hey." She looked up startled at Jared's voice. He opened one eye and looked at her. "I can hear you brooding from over there. Stop it."

She smiled and threw a pillow at him. "Since when did you become force sensitive?" she joked.

"I'm not, but I've been around you long enough to know what you're doing."

"But you don't know what she likes to eat?" Kyp popped himself into the conversation.

"Nobody asked you Kyp. Go back to the news." Jared said as he closed his eyes again. They fell back into silence again for a few minutes.

"Is Bela force sensitive?"

Jade looked up from her work and Jared's eyes opened to give him a weird look.

"What?" She asked, wanting to make sure she had heard him correctly.

"Is Bela force sensitive?" He repeated.

"No. Not that I'm aware of." She answered. Jared said nothing, just sat there wondering why the question had come up at all.

"I was just curious. When I first met him, he seemed very closed off. I couldn't get a sense of his emotions."

"He's always been like that. I think that's what makes him so good at being a senator." She said quietly as she went back to her work. "You know." She began, both men thinking she was going to continue on the same issue. "The ball is in a few weeks."

Jared groaned and it was Kyp's turn to be confused.

"Ball?" He asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Yep. The Ambassador's Ball."

"Have fun at that." Jared told her and Kyp chuckled.

"Bela probably won't be here and I'm required to make an appearance. That means one or both of you will have to go with me."

"That wasn't in my job description." Kyp retorted.

"One of the perks." She threw back. Jared sat there and grinned at the two of them. They were so kriffing blind to the attraction between them. Or at least they acted like they were. He just loved watching their verbal banter. It was a sight to behold.

"Perks? How is that a perk? You have to dress up in scratchy, uncomfortable clothes and act like you want to talk to people you really can't stand." Kyp said, as he turned back to the news.

"I could order you to go."

"I could quit." He responded.

"I'll sic Iella on you."

Kyp sighed. She knew his weak spot. Damn it. He hated dressing up. Though, it might be worth it just to see her dressed up. He looked up to see her smiling sweetly at him. Jared laughed and Kyp knew he was in trouble.

"If I go, Jared has to go too."

"Hey!" The young man yelled. "Whose side are you on?"

Four days later…

Kyp walked into Jag's classroom and found his friend in the middle of the floor doing pushups.

"Must not have a class right now." He joked as he leaned against the bleacher railing. Jag didn't say anything as he finished his reps then sat back on his haunches and gave Kyp a disgusted look.

"And your pleasant today to boot . Fabulous." He remarked dryly as he walked over and sat down on the bottom row of seats.

Jag got his towel and flung it over his bare shoulders as he took a couple gulps of water.

"Is there a particular reason you're here annoying me?" Jag asked.

"Actually, there is. Jaina is having everyone over for dinner tonight."

Jag looked at him and waited. "And?" He finally asked.

"You're going." Kyp received a snort in response.

"Yeah, cause that's the one place I'm wanted right now." He spat as he came over and sat down next to the master. Kyp went to elbow him in the side, but Jag moved out of the way in time to avoid the full blow.

"Don't be crabby. I hate it when you're crabby."

"Maybe we need a divorce." Jag said.

"No, I'm not ready for that yet." He leaned back onto the next row of bleachers and put his hands behind his head. "Alanna is on the planet."

"I know." Jag said quietly.

"So, you're coming to dinner."

"No."

"Damn it! Stop arguing with me. I get enough of that from Jade."

Jag turned to look at him and cocked his scarred brow, his lips lifting into a smile. Kyp rolled his eyes and went to swat him again, but was unsuccessful again.

"I'm picking you up at 2100 Jag. You better have taken a shower and look nice."

Surprisingly enough, Kyp didn't have to hassle Jag to get ready when he got to the apartment.

"So, how did your date go?" Kyp asked casually. He hadn't had an opportunity to ask lately. Jade had been busy all week and by the time he had found the time, he had spent it convincing Jag to come tonight and getting ready himself.

"It was enlightening." The younger man offered.

Kyp raised an eyebrow at his comment, but they had arrived at Jaina's door, so he didn't push further. Kyp didn't even knock. He just put the code in and they found the party already going on when they stepped into the living room.

"Jag!" He had just enough time to brace himself before the taller than average eight year old Hapan princess tried to mow him over. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Jag found a smile coming to his face. He and Alanna had gotten close while Jaina had gone off to defeat her brother. She had stayed on Ossus at the academy and had somehow inserted herself into his life. While he hadn't seen her a lot in the last five years, he made it a point to see her at least once a year on Hapes and take her a life day present. He called her frequently too.

"I was afraid you weren't coming." She told him as he lowered her back to the ground.

"Now why would I miss a chance to see my favorite princess." He responded, ruffling her hair. She laughed and when he raised his eyes, he found Jaina and Han watching him, both with very different reactions.

Han had a smirk on his face, but Jag wasn't sure if it was because Alanna was happy or something else he really didn't want to delve into right now. Jaina however, she was a whole other matter. Something akin to regret shone from her eyes and he felt the need to gift her with a smile. She gave him one back and moved into the kitchen.

Dinner was an event, as always. The Solos were there, of course, as was Kyp, Ben and Jag. Even Zekk had shone up. Alanna had talked to Jag most of the dinner and no one had said anything. She probably wouldn't get to see him much while she was here, so he was glad to be able to spend this little bit of time with her.

Eventually, they filtered back out into the living room. A few hours later, Jaina took her niece down the hallway to help her get her things put away. She was staying with Jaina for a few days, before she went to Han and Leia's.

Jag waited about 30 minutes and when neither one of them showed back up into the living room, he finally conceded that he was going to have to go to them. It was time for him to leave, but Alanna would never forgive him if he didn't tell her good night. Quietly, he made his way down the hall and when he got to the guest bedroom he stopped, a chuckle escaping from him.

Jaina and Alanna were standing at the end of the bed, holding a toothbrush and a hairbrush like microphones and singing animatedly into them. He actually had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. The music was turned up loud so he knew they wouldn't hear him, but he didn't want to take a chance. The little girl had apparently done her aunt's hair, since it was twisted in some weird ways and stood out about a couple centimeters from her head.

They were oblivious to his presence until a point in the song where they jumped in place, turning to face the door and pointing in his direction. Both of them had their eyes closed so it took them a minute to realize he was there. When Jaina finally opened her eyes, Jag was surprised she didn't scream. He did laugh then, at the look on her face. Alanna's eyes flew open and she giggled when she looked at Jaina too.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your concert ladies, but I have to leave and didn't want to do so without saying good night." He told her as he tried to contain his mirth. The last thing he wanted was Jaina to be mad at him right now. Alanna ran over to give him a hug and he promised to see her again before she left. She ran past him into the living room, leaving Jaina still unable to form a word.

"Thank you for letting me be here tonight." He told her quietly. She actually gave him a smile and moved over in his direction.

"Well, we're still friends right?" She responded, echoing his earlier comments. He nodded and she smirked then. "Besides, if you tell anyone about what you just saw, I'll run you through with my light saber." She added as she walked down the hall, his laughter following her the whole way.