Post 14

Jared came walking out of the security office the next morning and found Kyp sitting on the floor meditating. He started to walk into the kitchen and not say anything but then changed his mind at the last minute.

"So, what the kreth happened last night?" Jared asked, plopping down on the couch in front of Kyp. He crossed his arms and waited, knowing that the master had heard him. Taking a deep breath, Kyp finally opened his eyes and looked at him. It would be stupid to deny what he knew Jared had seen. He had a feeling the young man would call him out on it anyway.

"Stress."

Jared raised an eyebrow in question and looked at Kyp like he had just grown another head. "Stress?" Shaking his head, he got up chuckling. "Dude, the only "stress" was you two fighting the inevitable." Jared told him as he walked into the kitchen.

Well, that went well. Kyp thought to himself. He was actually surprised that Jared hadn't reamed him. Guess he shouldn't complain. Kyp closed his eyes again, and lost himself in the force. It was the only way to keep his mind off her.

An hour later, Jade made her way downstairs to find Kyp in the same place Jared had earlier. He looked so peaceful, that she didn't want to disturb him. Actually, this was a perfect opportunity to watch him. He had on his sleep pants and a white tshirt and she had to say that he filled the shirt out quite nicely. Jade shook her head and chastised herself. She had to forget about that kiss.

Who was she kidding? There was no way she could forget about it! It had kept her up for most of the night and she had finally convinced herself that it was just because they had been in a stressful situation. Maybe if she kept telling herself that, she might actually believe it eventually.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"What, sit on the living room floor and sleep?" He asked with a smile.

She chuckled as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "You're not asleep."

"And you knew that how?"

"You may look like a statue, but your mind is working furiously. I could sense it from upstairs."

Kyp's eyes shot open and he regarded her for a moment. He hadn't really been shielding, so he shouldn't be surprised she picked up on his turmoil. Hopefully she hadn't been privy to his dreams last night. When he thought about it he'd been guarding her for a while, but they had never broached the subject of her force sensitivity.

"Do you really want to learn?" His gaze narrowed, wondering if she really wanted to go there. He touched her mind gently and found curiosity and an eagerness to learn. She nodded and he smiled.

"Have a seat." He told her. Jade scooted off the couch onto the floor in front of him and for the first time he wondered if this was a good idea. Her tank top and khaki pants weren't helping his issues any, but if she truly wanted to learn he wasn't about to say no. He would just have to try and keep his hormones in check.

She mirrored his pose and waited patiently for him to begin. Her knees were so close to his that they might as well be touching. It had to be his imagination that he could feel heat radiating off of her.

"Have you ever meditated before?" He asked, getting his mind back to the task.

"Yeah. But I've never used the force to do it, at least not consciously."

"Ok. First we'll working on clearing your mind and go from there." He instructed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes flicked over her face as he felt her settle into a breathing rhythm. Kyp could feel the force flowing around her, but she hadn't reached for it. Gently, he prodded a few strands her way and watched her reaction when they made contact.

Jade's breathing deepened as the first strand slithered past her upper arm, but to her credit, she didn't jump. That meant on some level she had sensed it. He had a feeling she was more in tune with the force than she thought, but that it wasn't a conscious thing. Tempting fate, he took another strand and wound it past the side of her neck, barely brushing her skin. This time she shivered and he realized he was playing with fire. Behave yourself Durron.
Deciding to stop playing, he wound another strand down her opposite shoulder, but her breathing didn't change. She was deep in a meditation, but it wasn't a force meditation.

Can you feel it around you? Kyp asked quietly in her head.

Yes. I don't know how to touch it though. I've tried and it just draws away from me.

Don't try so hard. Imagine it's a leaf on the wind and gently pull it towards you.

Her breathing changed slightly, but he could feel her trying to grasp the thread closest to her. She moved too fast though, and it slithered away. He heard her blow a breath out her nose and smiled.

Don't try so hard. Move slowly. Be patient. He offered as he felt her pull back and wait for another opportunity. A minute later he felt her reach tentatively out to the force strand and connect with it. A gasp escaped her and her eyes shot open. Kyp offered her a big grin and she returned it.

"Wow." Her hands were shaking, but she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "That was…wow."

"Pretty cool huh?" The master asked, his own enthusiasm matching hers. She nodded and he chuckled. "Ready to try again?"

"Yes Master." She snarked and took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Over the course of the next hour, Jade's ability to touch the force developed at a comfortable pace. She definitely wasn't one of the strongest force users he'd met, but she had potential. By the time they had completed the first lesson, the ambassador had managed to touch about a dozen strands and even start to manipulate them a little.

"Ok. I think you've had enough excitement for the day." Kyp told her as he stood and groaned when he felt and heard his back pop.

"You ok?" She asked as she looked at him with concern from her place on the floor.

The Jedi master smiled. "Yep. I'm just too old to be sitting on the floor for an hour." Kyp walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and rolled his neck to work out the kinks. Definitely too old. He heard Jade come into the kitchen behind him and turned to lean back against the counter. She walked over to get a bottle of water and Kyp unabashedly watched her tilt her head back to take a drink. He was going to need a cold shower after this.

Jade finished her drink and looked over to grace him with a smile. "What else can you teach me?"

"I've created a monster, haven't I?" He asked while rolling his eyes. Her only response was a laugh.

"So what's going on with you and the ambassador?" Jaina queried as she moved to block a strike from Kyp. He was silent as he moved through a series of blows against her. She angled her light saber up to block a move and their blades clashed noisily, their positions bringing them close together.

"That's an excellent question." Kyp finally answered as he moved back to let Jaina take the offensive. She slipped deeper into the force and managed to make Kyp take a few steps back before he leapt up and over her. Twisting her torso, she held her weapon to block his aerial attack and they began again.

"And the answer is?" She asked.

Kyp sidestepped a thrust attack from her and attacked her weak side. Performing a 180 he slashed his blade out to his right, reversing his grip on the pommel. Jaina blocked him and he was barely quick enough to avoid a kick to the back.

"No clue."

They lapsed into silence again as Jaina took position with a low guard while Kyp took the offensive again and moved to her right. She didn't take the bait, so he switched strategies again. In the middle of his series, he started talking again.

"What's going on with you and Jag?" Kyp countered.

Jaina moved to counter each of Kyp's actions as she thought about her response. She could have answered already but was stalling.

"Nothing."

Kyp thumbed his light saber off and took a moment to refresh himself.

"And whose fault is that."

She glared at him and he laughed, then reignited his weapon.

"Shall we?"

She answered him with her blade.

She sat the data pad down and rested her head on her desk. Jade was bored. Paperwork had been her constant companion today and she was finally at her wit's end. Kyp was supposed to pick her up in three hours at her office but she didn't feel like waiting.

Grabbing her comm link off her desk, she turned the light off and ventured into the outer office. Jared was sitting at her aide's desk looking as interested as she felt.

"What's wrong?" He asked, lowering his feet to the floor and reaching for his blaster.

"I'm bored and don't feel like waiting for Master Durron. Can you escort me to the temple? She asked with a slightly pleading look.

"Hmmmm. Let me think about it." He responded as he sat back in the chair and put his feet back up on the desk.

"Jared!"

The man laughed and moved from his position to open the door for Jade. They walked down the hall of the embassy out to where the speeder was parked. She climbed into the front seat next to him and he gave her a questioning look.

"What?" She asked innocently. Normally, she didn't ride in the front.

"Any particular reason you're restless today?" He said as he pulled out into traffic. Jared knew darn well why she was, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"No." She answered, then winced as she heard the defensiveness in her voice.

Jared was silent for a few moments and she found herself hoping he had dropped the subject. He hadn't.

"Master Durron seems to be doing a good job of keeping your butt out of trouble."

"Where the sith did that come from?" Jade blurted out.

"I like him." he continued, ignoring her question.

"He's not too bad." She quietly replied. When he looked over, he found a small smile on her face. Yep. She had it bad.

Before last night, he hadn't been sure there was anything going on between them, but he definitely couldn't blame her. He hadn't stayed in Bela's service this long for the Senator. He'd done it for Jade. She needed protection and a friend and he actually did like his job.

Jared had debated with himself about saying something to Jade about her husband, but he always talked himself out of it. He didn't want to cause any trouble and at first he wasn't even sure she would believe him. So he did what he could in protecting her. Edward had approved his request to be the primary guard assigned to her. In fact, the man had been happy to hand the job over to him. Jared was hoping between himself and the Jedi that she wouldn't need to be taking a bacta bath again anytime soon.

Pulling up to the entrance of the temple, Jared parked and got out to help Jade exit the speeder.

"You don't have to walk me in." She told him as he held the door, then closed it behind her.

"The last thing I want is Kyp taking my head off because I didn't make sure you got into the building." Jade chuckled at his point and they walked up the steps quickly.

There was no one at the front desk when they made their way inside. She placed her hand on his arm and smiled.

"I can find him on my own from here. Thank you Jared." She turned to walk down the hall when she felt the young man grip her shoulder. Jade looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Any time you need to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?" Jade nodded, then he smiled and turned to leave.

She watched him walk out the door, then turned to find her wayward guardian.

Taking the left hallway, Jade reached out to see if she was on the right track and nearly jumped when she came across his bright presence. He was very intense, but she didn't think he was angry. Of course he could be going Sith and she probably wouldn't know the difference. Touching a handful of strands this morning didn't automatically make her a jedi.

Two hallways were passed before she stopped at a set of double doors. Carefully, she opened one enough to slip quietly inside and closed it with minimum noise. Sounds of a struggle reached her ears and when she turned the corner she stopped in awe.

Jade had seen plenty of light saber duels on the holonet before and had thought it very impressive. Apparently it was nothing like seeing one in person. She stood there transfixed by the exquisite dance that was happening in the middle of the room. How long she stood there was anyone's guess, but she found herself unable to turn away.

A ripple of amusement drifted from her right and when she turned to find its source she could just make out a figure seated in the very top of the bleachers. He was drenched in shadows, but she could feel the barest hint of him in the force. Squinting her eyes she realized who it was.

Slowly and quietly, she made her way over to where he sat and continued to watch the display. Neither spoke for a long time as the dance continued.

"I'm going to assume he's not expecting you." Fel asked quietly.

"You know what they say about assuming." She offered and he chuckled.

"You're brave, Ambassador."

"Or stupid."

Jag looked at her and gave the barest of smiles. "No, Kyp would have throttled you already."

"Not sure that's comforting." She mumbled.

They lapsed into silence again. The activity on the floor intensified and Jade started to feel some residual effects in the force from the efforts coming off of the two Jedi. They were putting everything they had into the fight and probably weren't even aware of what was emanating from them.

"How long have they been at this?" She asked breaking the silence.

"An hour." He whispered. "They should be about done. I'm exhausted just watching them."

Jaina completed a final flurry of moves when Kyp finally called it.

"I'm done Goddess." He told her breathlessly as he turned his blade off. Kneeling down on the mat, he rested his hands on his thighs and fought to catch his breath. He hadn't delved that deeply into the force in a long time, but it had felt good.

Looking over at Jaina, he found a huge grin on her face and found himself mirroring it.

"Not too bad, old man."

"Old?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not dead yet, my dear."

A noise from their left spurred both of them into action, despite their fatigue. Over the hum of their now activated weapons, Kyp identified the sound as applause and lowered his weapon when he saw Jag coming down to the bottom of the bleachers. It was the person who was right behind him that made his eyes go wide.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded as he stalked over towards them. Jag rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket to pull out some credits. Handing them to Jade he heard Jaina chuckle in front of them.

"What was that for?" Jaina asked the former pilot when she came to stand next to Kyp.

"The ambassador bet me that Kyp would say something like that before he greeted us."

"How did you get here?" Kyp asked, ignoring his friends as he grilled the woman he was supposed to be guarding.

Raising an elegant eyebrow, Jade crossed her arms and gave him a smirk.

"Nice to see you too, Kyp. I'm just fine, thanks. How are you?"

"Please tell me you didn't come over here by yourself, because I will have to personally hurt Jared if you did." He told her, not amused by her antics.

Jaina and Jag shared a smile as they watched the drama unfold. Jag reclaimed a seat and was joined a second later by Jaina.

"For your information, I've been working all day and I was bored out of my mind. Jared was nice enough to put me out of my misery and escort me over here. I'm sorry if that bothers you so much." She threw back as she moved to the floor and headed towards the door.

Kyp resisted the urge to rage as he turned from watching Jade walk out of the room to find his two best friends smiling at him.

"Shut up." He spat at them as he followed his charge.

They waited until he was gone from the room to speak.

"Well." Jaina started. "That was interesting."

"Very." Jag offered.

She turned to look at him and frowned. "Is that all you have to offer?"

"Did you want me to sing a song and do a reenactment? I think you'll be waiting a little while if you do." he snarked.

Jaina sighed and leaned forward so her elbows rested on her knees.

"I know. I was just hoping you might know what was going on."

Jag shook his head. "Nope."

Kyp followed Jade wordlessly, as she stalked out of the temple. When she stopped at the bottom of the steps, he pulled up to stand beside her and chanced a glance at her. He had so not handled that well. Now he had to fix it. Sighing, he looked straight ahead and tried to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry." He told her quietly. Well that was eloquent Durron. His consciousness told him. Jade didn't say anything as the speeder pulled up to the curb. Reaching for the door, he opened it and she slipped in, still mute. After a few seconds hesitation he joined her and shut the door. Kyp'd gaze met Jared's and when the young man raised an eyebrow at him, he just shook his head slightly.

The ride to the house was quiet. Kyp was trying to think of something to fix his faux pau and Jade was trying to keep her anger in check. Jared was just enjoying the show unabashedly. They made it home and Jade walked up to her office. Kyp stood at the bottom of the steps for a minute trying to decide if he wanted to have this confrontation right now.

A few minutes later he found himself in her office, staring at her back. He felt the anger rippling off her and tried to distract himself. His gaze fell a little lower than her back and he suddenly looked away. That was definitely not a good idea. The last thing he needed was his hormones coming into the picture.

"You're mad at me." He said quietly. Kyp was not prepared for the speed with which she rounded on him or the anger in her eyes. He knew she was angry, but this was unexpected.

"Mad at you? Now why would I be mad at you Captain Obvious? You only embarrassed me in front of two people I'd never met before who also happen to be good friends of yours. No, I'm not mad. How could I be." She spat out at him. Kyp had the decency to not say anything. He didn't think a glib remark would be doing him any good right now.

"While I appreciate that you've saved my ass more than once, I don't appreciate being treated like an idiot."

"Why didn't you call me? I would have come and got you." He told her quietly, not having moved from his place by the door.

Jade closed her eyes, and he could feel her trying to calm down. He wasn't sure how they had gotten to this point, but he knew he didn't like it. Kyp swore it was like arguing with Jaina.

"Look, I said I was sorry. I don't know how else to let you know that. I panicked when I saw you there and a million different scenarios of you getting attacked ran through my head." He told her, keeping his voice down when he certainly didn't feel it.

"I need to lie down." She said, as she walked past him, never making eye contact. Kyp brought a hand up to rub his eyes. He needed a drink. But he would settle for a talk right now.

"Are you alone?"

"Should I not be?"

"Jagged. I'm being serious." Kyp said as he glared at his friend over the comm.

"So am I." He retorted. When Kyp gave him his best 'Jedi master' look, Jag chuckled. "Jaina left a few minutes after you two ended your show."

"How have you not killed her yet?"

"Who, Jaina?" Kyp nodded and Jag shrugged. "I've thought about it over the years, but besides the face she can kick my ass with the force, it's not really an option. When you love somebody, you deal with their…issues."

Kyp looked confused. "What the hell have you been doing for the last five years then? Cataloging them so you have a better understanding?"

"Do you want to talk about your issue or berate me?" Jag shot back.

Kyp clenched his jaw shut and sighed. "Go on." He told Jag dismissedly.

"Something happen between the two of you?"

"Yeah."

Jag waited for him to say more. "You gonna tell me?"

"We kissed."

"Like a peck on the cheek kiss? Or a raging hormones kiss?" Jag asked.

"Like a, she almost got killed again, we happened to be in the same room, what the hell kiss."

Jag raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Is that what you're telling yourself?" He laughed outright then. "Man, you got it bad."

"What?"

"Come on, Kyp. You like the ambassador. Just admit it to yourself and move on"

Kyp said nothing, just dropped his head into his hands. Jag was right, but he had no clue what to do about it.

"What in the worlds am I supposed to do?" He asked himself, more than Jag.

Jag just snorted. "You're asking me? I'm not sure my track record is the best my friend. Look, I don't know what's going on with this whole 'protector' thing you're doing and I understand you can't tell me. Let's just say that I have a feeling that she's not going to be attached at the end of the year." Jag paused to allow Kyp to say something. When the master didn't, he continued. "The only advice I can offer you, is just go with the flow. She's got to
be majorly confused right now between the attacks and that kiss. Just be patient and give her time."

"We may not have time." Kyp whispered to himself.

Suna walked down the hall quietly. It was the middle of the day and almost everyone was gone, but the help. Conveniently, she just happened to fit the bill of the latter. She and Chaz had followed Bela to his latest conference and for once, the Senator had rewarded them with a side trip. Their search had landed them on a mid-rim, temperate planet a day ago. Bela had landed and made his way to a sprawling house a little ways out of town and Chaz had finally come up with the idea of her posing as a maid. She would just have to hope that the turnover rate was high enough that no one would notice she didn't belong.

Half of the house had been searched so far and she had come across nothing. Chaz was looking into who owned the property and anything else he could find out. Looking up and down the hall, she tried another door and was rewarded with it being unlocked. It was a child's room, decorated in Bantha cubs and Ewoks. Suna shook her head. Poor kid.

She turned to leave the room when a holo caught her eye. Walking over to the dresser she picked it up and felt like she had been sucker punched. It was a picture of a family. A mother, a son and a father. At least she assumed he was the father. Looking around on the dresser she found a small comb that was probably used on the boy. She pulled out an evidence bag and slipped a few hairs into it. Suna started to leave the room, but turned back to look at the holo one more time. She shook her head and continued her search of the remaining rooms.