Two days later….
"How well do you know how to defend yourself?" Kyp asked her quietly, as they finished their dinner.
Jade looked at him quizzically. "You mean like self-defense techniques? Getting away from an attacker, etc."
Kyp nodded and she returned the gesture.
"We had to take basic self-defense to join the air force. It's been a while since I've practiced them though. Why?" She asked as she stood to clear the table. "You worried someone is going to make the attacks more personal?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyp leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat. "Not necessarily, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared. The attacks are confusing me and I would rather be safe than sorry right now. I would feel better if you could at least get away from someone who was attacking you." He looked over at her and found she was standing at the sink, staring out the window. Standing up, he walked over and waited patiently for her to respond.
"Ok. If that's what you think I should do." She answered quietly, turning around to face him. "Are you going to do it?"
Kyp chuckled and shook his head. "No. Not that I can't, but I have someone better in mind." He searched her eyes for a moment, before his gaze dipped down to her mouth. Jade felt her pulse speed up in anticipation and unconsciously licked her lips. Bringing one hand up to touch her cheek, he moved closer and was glad she didn't move away from him.
"Kyp, this isn't a good idea." She said breathlessly, not having the ability to move.
"No it's not." He responded, just before his lips brushed hers. Jade gripped the counter to keep from falling over. The kiss wasn't mind-blowing, but sweet and very gentle. It still had the power to make her head swim though.
"Hey, what do you guys have planned…" Kyp broke the kiss as Jared came into the kitchen and turned to give his friend an irritated glance.
"Why is it that I keep walking in on your guys?" He joked, not backing out of the kitchen like a normal person would. Oh no. He was enjoying this.
"Maybe you should stop walking in on us then." Kyp threw back.
"Maybe you two should get a room. There's plenty of them in this house."
Jade shook her head and turned to leave the room.
"Maybe you two should grow up." She called back to them as she left the room. They said nothing as they watched her leave, Kyp watching a different part leaving than Jared. The younger man looked over at him and grinned. Oh yeah. Kyp had it bad.
/____________________________________\
"Hey sis."
Jaina jumped out of her skin and was sure she screamed when the voice spoke. She had just gotten home and was thinking of taking a nice long bath when she turned to find not one, but both of her brothers across the room. Their force ghosts shimmered in the near dark bedroom and she leaned against the wall as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It had been five years since she had last seen Jacen and three times that since she had set eyes upon her youngest brother. When her brain finally started processing what she was seeing, tears came to her eyes and she slid down to the floor to wrap her arms around her knees.
"Hey." She answered them weakly. She had resigned herself to the fact she would never see them again and with them now before her, she was overwhelmed. The knowledge of being the final Solo child weighed heavily on her conscious every day. It was something she didn't like to dwell on.
"You're probably wondering why we're here." Anakin said as she nodded mutely. Actually, she hadn't been thinking period since her brain had stopped working, but it sounded like a good place to start.
"We're here to tell you to stop being so stubborn." Jacen interjected. Jaina nearly choked on her own spit.
"You're kriffing kidding me? I wait this long for you two to show up and you're here to chastise me?" She managed to eek out. They both gave her a lopsided grin and she rolled her eyes. Of course. This was so her luck.
"What am I being stubborn about?" She asked sarcastically, cocking her head in annoyance like she had always done with them.
"Well, we don't have time to go into THAT much detail…"
"Anakin!"
"We're mainly here about Jag." Jacen offered.
Jaina groaned and plopped her head down on her knees. She should have known. Of course her little brothers would show up to give her grief about Jag. She gave herself grief about him. Somewhere inside she knew that she was screwing things up but she didn't know how to fix it. She'd been riding on the edge for so long she wasn't sure she knew how to live another way. Jag offered her a haven in the storm, but she didn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain. All this she knew, but still she was horrible to him and to herself.
"Jaina, it's not too late. You have to know he still loves you." Anakin told her softly as her tears started to flow. She looked up again and gave him a small smile.
"How can he still love me after all the crap we've been through?" She whispered, more to herself than them. She knew he did, but she didn't understand it. Jaina felt she was unworthy of the love he had for her, which is why she fought it so much. Surely, after all she'd done to him and other people in her life, she didn't deserve to be happy.
"But you do Jaya. You deserve it so much more than you know." Jacen's voice came from next to her. She looked up and found him kneeling at her side.
"I miss you." She whispered, then looked over at Anakin. "Both of you."
"We know, but you have to move on sis. Jag needs you and you need him. Stop fighting it." Anakin said as he walked over to his siblings.
"How?" She breathed the word.
"Stop being afraid." Anakin told her, kneeling on her other side. "You trust Jag, don't you?"
"Yes. He's not the problem." She responded.
Jacen laughed. "Duh." Jaina shot him a glare then smiled herself. What she wouldn't give to hug them one last time, but they were right. It was time to move on.
"I love you." She told them both quietly, a fresh batch of tears coming to her.
"We love you too dork. Now fix this so we can all be happy." Anakin joked, then they were gone and Jaina was left with her tears and a small spark of hope igniting in her heart.
/____________________________________\
They slipped into the back of the room since class had already started. Jag was just finishing up his roll call as they sat down on the bleachers. He didn't look up to acknowledge their entrance, but Kyp knew he had heard them enter the room. Getting comfortable, Kyp stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back against the wall. Next to him, Jade crossed her legs under her and leaned her elbows on her knees, ready to soak up any knowledge she could. Not for the first time, Kyp was impressed by her ability to learn anything that would improve her situation or just give her knowledge. Her ability to adapt was unique among her peers and he suspected that was why she was so good at what she did. Among other things.
This was one of Jag's new Ronto classes. The 8 – 10 year olds had been taught the basics of the Force but weren't yet ready to be an apprentice. It was actually a spot in the young initiates training that Luke had been trying to fill for quite a while. Jag's offer of help had been just the thing, so he offered the position to him.
Jag was extremely good at this not only because of his Chiss training and military experience, but because you didn't need to be force sensitive to learn or teach this aspect of defense. Luke had been impressed with the results of the young man's training, but wasn't surprised.
His casual demeanor at the front of the room was meant to lull the students into a false sense of security. Leaning against a cabinet he slowly looked over his class and waited for them to quiet down. Kyp knew he would start off harsh and many of the students would not like him for a few weeks. He pushed hard and wasn't here to make friends. Though by the end of the first term most of the students would think he was the greatest thing since a lightsaber.
"Now I know that some of you have come in here today thinking I'm going to teach you some new move you've seen on the holonet and that you're going to be able to look cool in front of your friends. If that's what you think, then you're going to be sorely disappointed. You are not here to learn how to kill someone, or to enhance your egos. You're here to learn things that will be a supplement to your future lightsaber training." Jag paused and allowed what he had said to sink in. He scanned the children in the room and satisfied they were now listening to him, he continued.
"By the end of this course you will be able to observe your opponent and know instinctively which defense or offense to perform. Having the Force will help you with this, but your basic gut reactions are what will drive you to know what to do. A combination of awareness in one's surroundings and an understanding of one's own physical body come into play with any combat you find yourself in. Utilizing balance, focusing force and knowing how to take advantage of an attacker's own momentum and weight will be invaluable skills that you will learn."
Jag paused again and tried to hide the smile that threatened. He had their attention now.
"The first rule of most hand to hand combat tactics is self awareness and keeping a cool head during a fight. This is incredibly important because sometimes we let our adrenaline rushes cloud our judgement and that allows our emotions to come into play when we don't want them to. So, learning proper focus and breathing techniques at the beginning of any hand to hand combat lesson is vital to your success. That is the first thing we are going to cover today. I want everyone to break up into groups of three and start practicing. If you need help let me know."
Kyp watched as the students broke into groups and started with their lesson. Some of them were very good, others had a ways to go. At the end of the course they would all be proficient in what Jag taught them. He believed that anyone could be taught defense and made sure every one of his students was ready before they were allowed to move on. Jag walked over to where he and Jade were sitting and climbed to sit on the row of benches in front of them.
"I love how you open your classes." Kyp told him as the trio watched the kids for a few moments. "Sometimes I think you thrive on disappointing them."
Jag laughed and turned to face them. "Sometimes I think so too. What brings you two here? You're not here just because you're bored." He winked at Jade.
"No, definitely not. I was wondering if you had time for some one on one instruction. I forgot to ask you what your class load was like."
"Seeing as how you're never home anymore I'm not surprised." The younger man taunted.
"Honey, we've been over this before." Jade stifled a giggle beside him. "I have work to do. It doesn't mean I don't love you."
The former Chiss colonel raised an eyebrow in question and turned to look at Jade. "I assume it's for you and not him. Since he already knows how to get his ass kicked." Jade laughed outright as Kyp tried to push his friend off the bench and was unsuccessful. She nodded and he looked thoughtful again.
"I could probably do it tomorrow night. Is that too soon?" He asked as he and Kyp awaited her answer.
"No, that would work perfectly. I don't have anything planned." Jag nodded and turned to Kyp.
"You'll be accompanying her?" Kyp smiled and Jag didn't say anything. "Then meet me here at 1900 hours. My last class is over then."
Jag climbed down the bleachers and rejoined his class as the two slipped out quietly. No words were exchanged as they made their way back outside to the speeder.
"So you and Fel huh." Jade asked and then snorted as Kyp missed a step when she asked her question.
"It's just a joke." He hastily told her as they climbed into the speeder. The door shut and Jared immediately took off.
"Uh huh."
"Seriously. Jag and I might be roommates but…" He stopped when her hand rested on his arm. A mischievous smile jumped to her face.
"I'm just joking Kyp. Don't get your cape all in a bundle." She told him as she turned back towards the front of the speeder. He mirrored her move and felt the corner of his mouth turn up.
"So is Fel as good as I've heard?"
Kyp let a full-blown smile come to his face then. "Nope. He's better."
/____________________________________\
He had just finished going over his lesson plan for the afternoon when he heard a soft knock. Looking up, Jag saw Jaina standing in the doorway to his office. She was leaning against the doorframe, a small smile on her face. He braced himself for the storm that was possible.
"Hi." She said quietly.
"Hi yourself."
"You free for lunch?" Jaina asked and Jag was sure he stopped breathing for a minute. He raised an eyebrow at her out of habit. Jaina just laughed and walked over to lean over his desk, her face close to his. "I'm not going to yell at you. I promise I'll be totally civil."
He stared at her for a moment longer, then put down the datapad and smiled.
"I might be able to be persuaded to have lunch." He threw back at her, wondering where this was going. Jag actually wanted to make a snide comment about who she was and what she had done with the real Jaina, but he refrained. She was obviously in a good mood and he wanted to keep it that way.
Before he could form another coherant thought, Jaina leaned forward and kissed him. His eyes widened in shock and he froze for a moment before his brain kicked in. Reaching up he palmed the back of her head and took an active role in the kiss. Jaina didn't resist, letting him set the pace. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but finally they broke apart. She was practically on top of his desk now, her eyes heavy lidded and a smile on her face. He hesitated for a moment, before he reached up and pulled her over onto his lap. Jaina squealed in shock, but didn't fight him as he wrapped his arms around her. Laying her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and sighed. She had missed this. She had missed this and it had been her own damn fault and it had taken her two dead brothers to bring her to her senses.
Jaina lifted her head and softly kissed his neck, feeling his heartbeat beneath her lips. His grip on her tightened and he sucked a shaky breath in, but she just smiled. She placed a few more before he finally spoke.
"Jaina?"
"Hmmm?"
"What are you doing?" He asked, voice shaky with emotion. Jaina smiled wider realizing she had broken through his defenses.
"I'm seducing you Jagged. Now be quiet and let me finish." She admonished him softly as she flicked her tongue over his pulse. Jagged sucked in a breath again and squeezed his eyes shut.
"As you command, my Goddess."
/____________________________________\
"Kyp says that you've had basic self-defense training skills." Jag asked the ambassador as he watched the last of his students leave the room.
"Yeah, but it's been years ago. I'm not even sure if I would remember half of it." She said jokingly. He gave her a small smile and walked out to the middle of the floor. Silently she followed.
"Let's see how much you remember." Jag's arm shot to her throat as if to grab her neck and she instinctively moved to counter him. Wrapping the fingers of her left hand around his wrist she added her right hand for leverage and twisted his arm until he let go. Without speaking he jumped into the next move, trying to keep her off guard. For the next few minutes Jag was a flurry of activity as he evaluated what exactly he had to work with. Jade blocked about half of his attempts but when she didn't, he just kept going and surprisingly she was able to keep up.
After his final attempt he sat back on the mat and regarded her critically. She wasn't totally helpless but he could see a lot of room for improvement. Her breathing was a little hard but she really hadn't had time to prepare for his attacks so he could excuse that.
"So, what's the verdict?" She asked breathlessly.
"Not bad ambassador. You have a lot to learn, but it's doable." He couldn't help but smile back as she grinned like one of his students.
/____________________________________\
Jade was sitting on the couch, reading a book when the door chime sounded. She hesitated a moment, before she got up to answer it. Jared was in the security office watching the monitors and he would have told her if she shouldn't answer the door. She looked down the hall anyway and smiled when she saw him standing there giving her a thumbs up.
She laughed and opened the door to find Iella standing there. Her friend stepped into the house and she enveloped her in a hug before the door even shut.
"I'm so sorry I haven't been over to visit lately." Iella told her as Jade pulled back from their hug.
"You've been a little busy I would imagine." Jade reassured her friend as she motioned her into the living room and they made themselves comfortable on the couch. "Is everything ok?" Jade asked, suddenly concerned. She felt a presence brush her mind and figured it was probably Kyp. Ever since he had started training her she had started to notice things she had never paid attention to before. She apparently had been accessing the force unconsciously, so it had been easy for him to teach her things. Right now he was patroling the grounds. Something he had taken to doing a few times a day. She was a little worried at this gesture, but also touched. It meant that he cared.
"No, everything is fine." Iella said, bringing Jade back to the present. "I just wanted to check in on you and make sure everything was ok on this front."
Jade smiled. "Everything is fine. No attacks this week." Jade grinned.
"Well, I'm glad you're taking it seriously." Iella told her dryly.
"The boys are taking care of everything."
"Speaking of which…"
"Jared is in the security office watching the monitors and Kyp is walking the grounds. I'll be fine Ella. In fact," Jade started. "I actually need to go shopping and maybe you can help me with that. If you have time?"
"Shopping? For what?" Iella asked, not sure what her friend was up to. "Can't you just ask Kyp or Jared?"
"I need a new dress for the ball and I can already hear them whining about having to take me clothes shopping." She joked.
"Do we have to take the boy wonders with us?" Iella asked and Jade burst out laughing when Jared and Kyp nearly choked at her comment. They had taken that precise moment to walk into the room and she wished she could have taken a holo of their expressions.
Iella turned to smirk at both of them and Kyp just frowned while Jared laughed. "I'm assuming you need someone to go with you?" Kyp asked.
"That would be nice. Jared, let's go." Jade said, standing up to run upstairs. She didn't notice Kyp's look of shock. Jared clapped the man on the shoulder and mumbled something about 'some guys have all the luck' as he walked away.
Shaking his head, he turned to find Iella watching him. She had a peculiar look on her face and before Kyp could place it, her mask changed to where he couldn't read it.
"I won't keep her gone long." She informed the master. He simply nodded and left the room, leaving her to watch his retreating form.
/____________________________________\
He sat in his chair, feet up on his desk as he turned the small data disk over in his hand. He had grown tired of Bela's complacency lately. Maybe it was time to get rid of him. Yeah, it would hurt his bottom line for a while, but he would recover. There was always someone more profitable and more ruthless out there. Bela could be great, but he was letting his conscious get in the way.
He looked up as the other man walked in the door and smiled. Flicking his wrist, he tossed the disk to the man and crossed his arms in front of him.
"Make sure that gets into the correct hands." He instructed. The man nodded and then left the room. Now it was time to sit back and watch the fireworks.
/____________________________________\