Closer
The
next day, Anakin was working under the hood of yet another badly
damaged speeder when Dax, dressed unusually nice for being in a
garage, sauntered up to him.
"I just back from my accountant. He
told me that this new casino will double my income over the next
year." He proclaimed.
"You just keep finding more and more
ways to make money, Dax." he replied, slightly preoccupied with his
repair work.
"I hear Jordana wants to come and work at my new
casino instead of here."
"Unfortunately, yes."
"And
this is a bad thing?"
"I worry about her with a bunch of drunk
brutes who're probably going to be losing most of their money."
"Oh
I see." He paused for a moment, "So what's going on between you
two? You both looked mighty cozy next to that railing."
Anakin
slammed the hood down and in one sweep of his forearm, wiped the
sweat from his face, "You mean other than the fact that I've
fallen in love with my best friend?"
"Ah ha! I knew it! Who
was right?"
"You were, Dax." he groaned.
"Damn right!"
he cheered, "So did you tell her?"
"No."
"Why the
fuck not?"
"Because," he started. Because he was feeling the
same apprehension he felt when he told Padme he loved her, only now
the stakes were higher. Padme's initial rejection had hurt, but he
knew that if she still didn't return his feelings for her by the
end of the mission, he would lick his wounds and hope and pray that
he could forget the kiss he shared with her. He could crawl back to
the Jedi, back to Jordana, pick up the pieces and every thing would
be fine again. But if he was rejected by Jordana, he risked
destroying his friendship with her. He couldn't let that happen.
But he couldn't deny his deepening feelings for her, either.
"How
about this: If you don't tell her in the next few days, I will
personally kick your ass." he joked.
"You really want to see
us together, don't you?"
"Anakin, you two are closest thing
I have to family right now. You love her, and I can tell by the look
in her eyes that she feels more for you than platonic friendship. I
want you and Jordana to get married, fuck, and make little Jedi
babies."
Anakin couldn't help but laugh at Dax's blunt
statement.
"I'm serious. You two need to start fucking."
"It's
more than just her looks, Dax. She's been the only person I can
fully trust. She's loyal, trustworthy, loving. It's only now that
I've discovered how stunningly beautiful she is."
"Oh I
know. I could see that from day one. You still coming
tonight?"
"Yeah, we'll be there."
Back at the apartment, Jordana was sprawled out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Memories from the previous night raced through her mind as she tried to make sense of them all. Was Anakin simply on a rebound from Padme, or did he truly care for her? She hoped for the latter. The feeling of being held in Anakin's arms was an illusory, and yet at the same time real and comfortable, one, something she'd only experienced in her dreams but was a thousand times sweeter in real life. Until now, her emotions had been dormant, buried deep inside her heart, only surfacing in the solitude of night. But now they had awakened with full force, aching to be released, to break through her mental restraints and pour themselves before him. But she had held them secret for so long, she feared letting them go.
Suddenly,
her pager started vibrating on the night stand with another number to
call Tahira at. She pulled her personal comlink out of her pocket and
dialed the number.
"Master, you really need to stick to one
location."
'I can't, you know that.'
"Yeah, yeah I
know. Are you and Obi-Wan any closer to leaving yet?"
'We
still haven't found Count Dooku, and it's rumored that several of
the Separatist Council members are still at large.'
"Fuck."
'Patience
Jordana. It's only been five months, when it's been five years,
then you can yell at me. Besides, I want to know if anything's
happened between you and Anakin.'
"Nothing,
yet."
'Yet?'
"Yeah. I mean there's, like, a little
bit of flirting here and there but neither one of us has made a
really serious move. He definitely seems to be over his ex-wife,
though."
'Not much to get over. She did dump him in the worst
way possible.'
"Yeah. So how are things between you and
Obi-Wan? Have you two...you know?"
'...Maybe.'
"Tahira
Vereek, you tease! You did, didn't you?"
'Ok, fine we
did.'
"Ah ha! I knew it! Details!"
'When you and Anakin
start doing it, I'll tell you.'
"Well fine. I that's how
you want to be."
'I can't give out details right now. And
unfortunately I have to go now. I'll try to contact you again in a
few weeks.'
"Alright Master. May the Force be with you."
'And
may the Force be with you too, Jordana.'
Tahira shut off the
comlink and gently rubbed the tiny bump that was concealed underneath
her robs.
"Oh, Obi-Wan," she whispered, "What are we going
to do now?"
That night, Anakin and Jordana resumed their
usual positions in Dax's V.I.P section. Much to his dismay, she had
been seriously considering taking the job in the casino.
"Jordie,"
he pleaded, "stay at the garage with me."
"Why are you so
against me taking this job?"
"Because I don't want anything
happening to you."
"Anakin, it's a casino, not a whorehouse.
And it's Dax's casino, no less. Of all the casinos on this damn
planet, don't you think this would be the safest one?"
He
placed his hands on her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes,
giving her 'the face': widening his eyes and curling his lower
lip into a small pout.
"That face won't work on me this
time."
"It did last time."
"Well, I'm not seventeen
years old any more."
"No, no you're not." he agreed.
"And
just what is that supposed to mean?"
"You've changed so much
since then. You've matured into a beautiful, strong, loving young
woman." he explained, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her
cheeks flushed and he cupped her face in his human hand. Her jade
eyes sparkled and reflected the love he felt for her. Every instinct
demanded that he kiss her, to tell her how he felt, but he resisted.
He wanted it to be special, he wanted to tell her someplace where it
was just the two of them.
"Come on, let's order some food. I'm
starving." he quickly changed the mood and began leading her to the
bar.
"You order something for me. I have to run to the
restroom."
Jordana's heart was beating so wildly in her
chest she could have sworn that if there had been another soul in the
bathroom, they would have heard it. Hunched over the sink, her ragged
breathing echoed against the marble walls. She wiped a cool, wet
cloth over her forehead and cheeks, abating the heat the flooded
them. Her and Anakin had come to close to kissing she could
practically taste his lips on hers. And just like that it had ended.
She raised her hand to the cheek that Anakin had held, her skin still
alive with the electricity his touch sent through her.
Once she
got over the surprise of Anakin calling her beautiful, she decided to
head back to him. As she walked the distance from the restroom back
to the V.I.P., she felt like she was being watched. She tensed and
moments later, someone grabbed her and shoved her into a wall. She
looked up to face her attacker, a large, very drunk man.
"Well,
look what we have here. A pretty young thing, all alone." he
hissed.
His breath reeked of alcohol and she turned her head in
disgust.
"Listen to me you worthless maggot," she snarled,
"I'll give you once chance to let me go before I make you sorry
you ever laid eyes on me."
But he was too drunk to pay her any
mind and used one hand to pin her hands above her head while his
other hand went to work roaming over her body. Her brain filled with
memories of Ventress' torture, and rage flashed across her
eyes.
"You asked for it." she growled and used the Force to
tighten his airway. His hands flew to his throat and she elbowed him
across the face.
"You wench! You'll pay for that!"
He
swung a large, cumbersome fist towards her but she simply held up her
hand and caught it, though her hand could barely fit around his
knuckles. With one sharp twist, she snapped his arm half way between
his wrist and elbow. Bones and blood erupted through the torn flesh
and he fell to his knees in agony. She glared at the pitiful creature
lying at her feet. It was lucky she no longer had her lightsaber,
because she'd have decapitated it right there. The crowd parted a
little for her as she made her way back towards Anakin and Dax, but
they paid little mind to the man lying on the floor.
She
found them sitting at a table, playing a card game, a plate of food
beside them.
"Hey Jordana! We thought you got lost somewhere and
were about to send a search party after you." Dax joked.
"No,
but if you find any blood stains on the floor, I'll pay to have
them cleaned."
"Blood stains?" Anakin asked, panic filling
his chest.
"I broke a guy's arm after he tried to rape
me."
"What!" Anakin and Dax both jumped up, Anakin
embracing her.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
"No,
I'm fine."
Rage boiled deep in Anakin's soul. How dare that
monster even think about touching her! He pulled her tightly into
him.
"Anakin," she whispered, "everything will be ok. I'm
not hurt, and that bastard will probably never have proper use of his
arm again."
He wanted to kill him, to rip his vocal cords out,
or crush his heart within his chest. But Dax had already left to
evaluate the situation, so there was little he could do now.
Back
at their apartment, Jordana was trying to calm Anakin down, with
little success. He couldn't comprehend how she could act so
unaffected by the whole situation.
"I'm not unaffected Anakin,
just confident in how I handled it."
"But what if
he'd-"
"Anakin-"
"I don't want to lose you! I don't
want to see you hurt! I can't-"
'I can't live without
you.' his mind shouted what his mouth couldn't.
She sat next
to him on the sofa and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
"I
know, Anakin. And I'd probably feel the same way if I was in your
position right now. But you don't have to worry about me Anakin.
You'll never lose me. One, I'm not completely defenseless. Two,
after all we've been through together, it's going to take more
than some drunken low life to take me from you."
He smiled
warmly and embraced her, nuzzling his face in the crook of her
neck.
"What would I do without you?" he whispered.
"I
guess you'll never know the answer to that question 'cause you'll
never be in that position." She rubbed his back gently. "Come on,
we need sleep. We need sleep, and to just forget about this in the
morning."
That night, the two friends dreamt of each other, wrapped in the other's arms. The sun bathed them in warmth, while the blades of grass danced in the breeze. The only sound that could be heard was their joyous laughter.
