DISCLAIMER: *jumps Qui-Gon and takes the Ring* Ha! My One Ring of Unlimited Copyright- *Obi-Wan tackles me and runs off* ACK!

I don't own Star Wars. *sigh*

As promised, here is the collection of one-shots, epilogues, alternate endings, etc from "Missing"! These will be in no particular order, so I apologize in advance for the randomness of this. If you haven't read "Missing", these will make no sense. So go read that story first. (And leave a review, while you're at it.)

I'm also thinking about a multi-chapter fic about Zara being reacquainted with the rest of her family, but that might just turn into another one-shot from here. Let me know what you think of that!

This particular one-shot takes place a couple of months after the rescue. Cin-Zara centric.

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"NO!"

Cin Drallig's eyes flew open as the screams resonated throughout the apartment, fear spiking in his veins. Moving on instinct, he had grabbed his lightsabre and was running into his Padawan's bedroom before his brain had quite caught on to what his body was doing.

"No, don't take me! Master, help me!" The screams had intensified in the moments since he'd woken up. Not bothering to turn on the lights in Zara's room, Cin ran to the side of her bed. She was tangled in her blankets, thrashing in the throes of a nightmare. She was still screaming, her Force presence radiating panic. "MASTER! NO!"

Dropping his lightsabre beside the bed, Cin took her shoulders and shook her. "Zara, wake up! I'm right here!"

The girl's eyes flew open as she sat up, breathing hard. As soon as she recognized the man leaning over her, she flung herself forward, burying her face in Cin's sleep tunic. Sobs shook her shoulders as she cried out her fear.

"Shh, you're all right. It was just a dream, they can't hurt you." Cin wrapped his arms around Zara, pulling her close to his chest. "I've got you, I'm not going to let anything touch you. You're safe, Zara. Shh..." Shifting slightly on the bed, he pulled his tiny Padawan onto his lap and rocked her back and forth, all the while murmuring words of comforting nonsense to her.

Her shields had collapsed, exposing her terror to him. Cin could see fragments of the nightmare through their bond as the images raced through her mind again, leaving a redoubled fear in their wake. He didn't want to admit how much the nightmare had scared him as well as Zara. This had been one of the worst nightmares she'd had since being rescued from Nar Shaddaa. Normally she wasn't this scared after one.

Eventually, she'd calmed down enough to quit sobbing, although she was still trembling with fear. She kept her arms around Cin, scared to let go of him. "M-Master?"

"Shh." Cin cuddled her close. "I'm right here, I'm not leaving you." He knew Zara just needed him to be close after a dream like that. The fact that she promptly pressed her face as tightly as she could against his chest reinforced that fact. "That sounded like a bad one," he said quietly as he continued to gently rock her back and forth. He leaned back against the wall, knowing he'd be here for a while. He didn't complain though- he'd stay as long as he needed until he was sure Zara could be left alone.

Zara nodded shakily. "They... they were hurting me, and then... they... they killed you, Master, and then they were hurting me again and they were gonna-"

Cin didn't need the Force to tell him that she was on the verge of hysteria. "Shh. They didn't kill me, and we got you out before they could do anything else to you. Everything's fine now. It was just a dream. They can't come back to hurt you again." He brushed a hand through her red hair, kissing the top of her head. "It was just a dream, Padawan. Shh..."

Burying her face even more into his tunic and knotting her hands in the fabric, Zara huddled closer to him. Cin sent a wave of love and comfort to his Padawan, feeling her slowly calm down. An idea came to him. "Do you want me to make some hot cocoa for you?"

Her face still in his chest, Zara shakily nodded. Cin sighed when he realized she hadn't loosened her grip on his tunic at all. Carefully shifting her weight in his arms, he picked her up, grateful that she was still so small and could be easily carried.

In the living area, he gently set her on the couch, turning on every light he could reach as he did. "I'll just be in the kitchen, Padawan, right where you can see me. I'm not far away."

Nodding, Zara finally released her death-grip on him. Lightly patting her knee, Cin stood up and moved to the kitchen, turning on a few more lights as he did. It didn't take him long to make two steaming mugs of hot cocoa, normally his Padawan's favourite drink, and return to the couch where he had left Zara, but by the time he returned to her she was holding a cushion to her chest, tears silently streaming down her face.

Setting the mugs on the table in front of the couch, Cin sat beside her, wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulders. "You all right?" He could have kicked himself immediately after asking that- of course she wasn't all right. Any fool could see that!

Zara shrugged, leaning against him. "Why am I still having nightmares? Why'm I so scared of people who died weeks ago? Jedi aren't supposed to be like this, they're supposed to be stronger than this!"

Cin wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her back into his lap. "No Jedi could come through a situation like what you experienced and not be traumatized by it. I expect that even a Master on the Council would be mentally wounded after something like this. I know even Master Windu was shocked by how badly you and Obi-Wan were hurt, and he's seen a lot of bad things happen. There is no reason to be ashamed of what happened to you."

Zara seemed to think about that for a bit longer, before nodding and cuddling close to him, trying to be as close as she physically could be. Giving her a squeeze around the shoulders, Cin reached out his hand. He couldn't quite reach the table, so he used his impressive control of the Force to bring a mug of still-warm cocoa to his Padawan. "It's still warm. It might help you sleep better."

Zara sipped the warm liquid. "It's good, Master. Thank you... for everything." She leaned her back against his chest, drink in hand.

Cin called his own drink to him with the Force as he rested against the back of the couch. "Anytime, Padawan." He gave her another light squeeze, dropping another kiss in her hair. "I'll always be here for you if you need me."

"Mmm." Zara rolled over and sleepily snuggled close to him, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck. She was emotionally drained, and it was exhausting her body. Her mug appeared dangerously close to falling out of her hand, so Cin quickly rescued it, setting it on the floor beside him. As an afterthought, he set his own mug down as well. "So tired, Master..."

"I know, little one. Go to sleep, all right?" Cin drapped his arms over her slender body.

"Mmm, 'kay." Zara's eyes closed, seemingly of their own accord. One hand moved up to rest on Cin's chest. "Love you, Master."

"I love you too, Padawan." Cin kissed her cheek, reaching up and taking her hand in his. "Sleep."

With a soft, contented sigh, Zara slipped back into the world of dreams. Cin remained awake for a while longer though, gazing at her. He hadn't realized how much she meant to him until he nearly lost her on Ylesia, and he vowed he would never come so close to losing her again. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to her.

Letting his eyes drift closed, he eventually joined his Padawan in the realm of slumber.

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Whatcha think? Please review! Thanks for reading!

Xaja