At last! I have finally updated this story. I am very, very sorry for the delay. My computer got infected with a virus, but don't worry, it has recovered. And then I had five days of exams that just ended today. I haven't been online for like, almost a month, I think, and you don't know how happy I felt when I finally turned on the PC. Finally...

Okay, so this is chapter 10. Read, enjoy and review. May the Force be with you.

Disclaimer: STAR WARS belongs to George Lucas. Any characters that are not recognizable from any SW movie/book are mine, mine, mine!

CHAPTER 10
Confusion? Denial? Acceptance?

When Jeran entered the sparring room, he was not surprised to find a certain red-headed Initiate already there, most probably waiting for him to turn up. In fact, as he had made his way to the training halls, he had found himself hoping that she would be there or that she would turn up if she was not there yet for he found that he was actually looking forward to their nightly rendezvous. He could no longer deny it; he was getting fond of the girl.

Either Maia did not seem to notice him or she was ignoring his presence as he silently moved to the benches that lined one side of the room. The Initiate was engaged in what looked liked a bout of Ataro acrobatics with elements of other gymnastic movements thrown in.

There was an interesting rhythm to her movements, he noticed as he seated himself cross-legged on one of the benches, resting his chin in his hands. First she performed some Ataro backflips, turned a cartwheel and then performed a few somersaulting leaps, one movement flowing gracefully in to the next when she suddenly stopped short, cocked her head as if confused while running a hand through her short hair.

Then suddenly she leapt straight up, almost three meters into the air where she seemed to hang suspended for a while. Then she landed and almost immediately launched herself into the air again. She repeated this a few times, leaping randomly about the room like an oversized, red-haired swamp toad.

Finally, she leaped one last great leap and then landed in a crouch, before pushing herself up into a handstand. Slowly, she turned around on her hands to face him. "Hi Jeran," she chirruped, giving him an upside-down smile.

Jeran uncrossed his legs and slid down to the floor so that he was squatting in front of her and smiled back. "Hello there, upside-down, overgrown, red-haired swamp toad. You're quite far from your swamp. Couldn't sleep again?"

"Yep."

There was a long pause. Then Jeran rose from his haunches and walked to the door. "Are you planning to stay that way all night?" he asked over his shoulder.

There was a soft thud as her feet reconnected with the floor and at the next moment she was bouncing next to his elbow. "Aren't we sparring tonight? Can you teach that level seven kata leap? I saw a senior Padawan practice it today and…"

Jeran let her talk. It was somewhat comforting, having her trotting next to him and listening to the cadence of her voice instead of walking down the silent corridors alone, listening to his own footsteps. Maybe Arianne was right, maybe he should-

"So, are we sparring tonight?" the girl asked again, interrupting his thoughts and still seeming oblivious to the fact that all the while she had been talking, the sparring halls had been left far behind.

The Knight shook his head. "No, not tonight."

"Why…" The question died on her lips. "Is your head better?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I just don't feel like it today."

"Oh." She looked around, then only noticing her surroundings. "So, where are we going?" she asked, completely unperturbed.

"To the gardens. I have to think about something."

"Okay," she said and proceeded to skip ahead of him down the corridor. When she reached its end she jumped around and yelled, "Hurry up!" Her voice bounced of the smooth walls and echoed loudly in the silent corridor. "Shh!" Jeran hissed loudly as he glanced around furtively. It was alright for him to be here at night, but both of them would be in quite some trouble if Maia was caught outside her quarters after curfew.

He quickened his pace and caught up with her, grabbing hold of her shoulder before she could dash ahead again. "What is wrong with you?" he whispered fiercely as he spun her about to face him. "Are you trying to wake up the entire Temple? Keep your voice down."

"I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I can't help it; I feel so, uh…" She trailed of, searching for a word that could effectively convey her feelings.

"Hyper?" suggested Jeran quietly.

She shook her head. "No, no, not hyper. It's different." She looked up at him, meeting his eyes with her own. "Did you ever feel at night that you could run miles and miles without feeling tired? That feeling that you have to move or do something?" She grinned at him. "It's that." Then before he could respond to that she wriggled out of his grasp and sprinted away.

It is restlessness, Jeran thought as he followed her albeit in a much slower tempo.

He recalled his first conversation with Maia. "…you reminded me very much of myself. I too used to explore the Temple at night when I was an Initiate." He had been rather restless too and Master Yoda had often given him stillness exercises when he had been an Initiate but they had only made his restlessness worse, because the longer he had spent staying still and meditating, the more energy got pent up in him until he too resorted to sneaking out at night.

He smiled at the memory but his smile soon disappeared when a squeak rang out from further down the corridor. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he broke into a trot and before long, turned a corner and ran into a scene he had very much hoped to avoid.

Maia was standing on one side of the corridor, the expression on her face a mixture of nervousness and defiance. Across from her was a Nautolan Knight who looked rather surprised to find to Temple so alive at such a late hour.

Jeran took all this in in a glance and quickly stepped behind the girl, resting his hands protectively on her shoulders. "She's with me," he explained to his colleague who nodded silently, but did not move, watching the pair curiously with his large convex eyes. Jeran found his gaze rather unnerving. He nudged Maia and released her shoulders. She did nothing. He nudged her again, harder this time. Understanding at last, she bowed low. "I'm sorry, Sir," she said, her voice soft but clear. The Nautolan nodded and slowly walked away, down the direction they had come.

"Whew," sighed Maia, once she was sure that the other Knight was out of earshot. "That was close." She looked up at Jeran. "Thanks."

He nodded absently. "You're welcome." He began walking again. A moment later he heard the patter of feet and Maia tugged on his sleeve. "The gardens are that way," she said. "Where are we going?"

Jeran started. His feet seemed to have overrun his brain's decision and were moving in the opposite direction – to the hanger. A while ago he had needed someplace calm and quiet to think and maybe meditate but now…maybe he should leave the thinking for tomorrow. For some reason he suddenly felt the need to distract himself from his thoughts.

"So, where are we going?" Maia repeated.

"To the hanger. I'll show you my baby."

He has a baby? OMG!

Next chapter might be coming up soon. But I bet you all know what that baby is anyway so I'll take my time, okay? (Grins evilly.)
The Force will be with you if you review.

Xrai