Lydia: lol, Onyx is in a huge state of denial, there :P Thanks for reading!

GundamWingFanatic90: Thanks for reading! I'll look forward to hearing your response when you catch up ;)

Krippet: Megan…you are priceless. /laughs/ And /hugs/ for being such a great sister :D

Sorry for the huge gap between updates, guys! Vacation took me by surprise :P Another post will be following shortly.

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Chapter Nine: Sanar's Lesson in Friendship

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She watched Gantik as he brandished…a basket?

"A picnic?" she realized incredulously. "Gantik, Breeshta is going to kill me – and I don't even want to think what Hora…he'll do to me! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get this time off? You said this was important!"

He looked hurt. "It is. You worry too much, Sanar. I promised I'd help you relax, and I intend to keep that promise. Didn't you ever have picnics when you were a kid?"

The girl groaned. "Relaxation isn't worth a – another beating," she finished lamely, just barely hiding my slip. "I need to go."

She turned to go, but he caught her hand. His blue eyes pouted, and she wavered. "Please?" he wheedled. "It's all your favourites – I even managed to scavenge some real meat, so you can – "

Her eyes widened. "Larifx, Gantik! Your father will notice that!" She pushed against his chest, making him take a few steps back. "Get going! He doesn't need another reason to hate either of us."

Gantik dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "The old bas – "

She glared. "What did I say about cussing? It's a bad habit."

"The hapless idiot wouldn't care," he finished with bite. "I'm out of the way, aren't I? Besides, he'll probably think I was using it to bribe some girl into my bed."

A spark set in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. "In which case he'd be disappointed, 'cause you didn't force the issue," she mocked.

He surprised her by suddenly spinning her right into his arms and tipping her back. She reflexively flailed; she could barely move. Larifx, she thought, terrified. Was I wrong? Strings, was I wrong? Is he –

"Then I'd just tell him I was using my head," Gantik said, mock-seriously. She laughed in relief when he gently released her. She fell to the grass and rolled a little away.

"Wait." Gantik's face was suddenly over hers, and the young woman stilled. "Did I just hear a laugh escape your frozen lips?"

She rolled her eyes, but was very aware of how close he was. "Quit it."

He beamed, not catching her seriousness. Her blood slowed as his arms relaxed, leaving him awkwardly half-off, half-on her. "I told you I'd get you to laugh. See? Life's not so horrible."

"I said quit it, Gantik."

Didn't he hear her? Why didn't he listen? Did he think this was a game? Stars, Gantik, just stop it! I don't…I don't want this. I need you as a friend. You can't… Please don't.

Gantik appeared wounded, but he shifted so he barely touched her. The girl remained rigid. "You need to make up your mind," he muttered.

"About what? I told you I only want friendship," she hissed. Her body was finally responding to her commands, and she sat up, using her heels to back peddle away from him. "That's not up for debate."

"It's only because of Horaire, isn't it?"

If he'd meant to strike out at her, he succeeded. "Don't bring that – that – him into this," she stammered, her face deathly white. "You have no idea what's going on. You're guessing."

"I know he hurts you." Gantik's eyes were hard. "And I know you let him." He got to his knees and shuffled over to her. His height was suddenly intimidating. "Why?"

She looked away. "I – I can't," she whispered. "He'd find out. He'd kill me and…and do worse."

Gantik's eyes softened immediately and he took her hand. She swayed a little, adjusting to the sudden lack of two supporting arms. "I can help you," he told her earnestly. "I'd do anything for you. Just let me in."

It happened too quickly – even for her. The Force barely flared in warning –

----

Jaina's anguish and fear bled through the Force, stealing Zekk's attention immediately. He turned to see her thrashing on the pull-out couch. A brief scan told him it was not a fit – it was, instead, another nightmare.

Even before he could take a step toward her, he focused on comforting her. /Jaina, wake up/ Her reaction was only to shudder. /You are Jaina Solo/ he reminded her. /It's alright; I'm right here. Me – Zekk/

/GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE/

He'd expected that but still couldn't stop his flinch. Crouching next to the bed, he grabbed her hands and held them firmly. /Jaina, I need you to wake up. You're having another nightmare/

There was silence through their bond. Through the Force, he searched for any conscious presences. Finding none, he whispered, "Jay, it's okay. It's not real."

That was a lie, of course. The nightmare was almost certainly real, judging by the way she had reacted to him. It was only too real, for Sanar. But it wasn't Jaina's memory; that was all that mattered right now.

Jaina was too caught up in the painful web of the nightmare to heed his words. If it had been any other person's nightmare – Jaina's or his own – he would have tried to hold her, which seemed to comfort her.

But he'd learned within the first week on Bob that holding Jaina when she went through Sanar's life was a very, very bad idea.

Jaina's elbow nearly caught him in the face, and he released her wrists as he dodged the blow. Realizing he was getting no where, and she was reaching the point where she'd end up hurting herself, Zekk called upon the Force. She stiffened then relaxed into the warm blast he'd sent through their bond. Zekk watched her carefully, withdrawing from the Force as quickly as possible. Helping Jaina was one of the very few – if not only – reasons he touched the Force at all these days. He had seen how destructive it could be in the wrong hands, and he was in no hurry to relearn the idea.

Jaina whacked the back of the sofa one more time before she woke up. Her eyes scrunched in mental pain before snapping open. Almost instinctively, his name escaped her lips. The isolation of "Bob" had left her well-aware of who would be there to comfort her, even if the reassurance had yet to pass into her unconscious mind.

The former Darkest Knight glanced up, hoping Jaina's parents had not heard. Jaina's nightmares were difficult to help her through and that was with their bond. He had little doubt that her parents would throw him out before he could help, should they walk in now.

Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, he helped her sit. "It's alright," he soothed.

The dam behind her eyes broke, and Jaina buried her head in his shoulder. He was fairly sure that she was trying to recount the nightmare, but her words were incoherent. Zekk didn't try to stop her. After several moments, he was able to make out a few words, but it didn't matter. What he needed to know, he could see through their bond.

Silently, he nursed anger; why couldn't Jaina escape these memories? How could someone do that to Sanar? Why did Jaina have to live it? How could Gantik have claimed to love Sanar – and then try to push her beyond their relationship? Why, why, why. How, how, how.

When she finally pulled back, her eyes were red-rimmed and her hair went in every direction. There was a level of wretchedness in the way she sniffled and lifted her hand to brush away her tears, only to let it drop before it reached her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice squeaky here and raspy there from the tears. "I didn't want to wake you up again."

If he hadn't known she would ignore his words, Zekk would have told her that he wanted to comfort her, help her through it. The problem with loving Jaina, he had found, was that she was too independent to admit she needed help – even to Zekk, even after her death.

Which, he told himself, was why it was just as well that he leave soon; it wasn't only for him, for his atonement. Jaina needed time to heal, too, time without him.

Of course, the truth didn't make the idea of their impending separation any easier. Especially since Zekk didn't necessarily plan to let Jaina know ahead of time.

Concentrate on right now, he reminded himself. It's the only way to survive; the past will make you want to die, and the future is too uncertain.

So he lay down on the pull-out couch next to Jaina and pulled her into his arms, hoping she would find comfort. Judging by the slow release of her tension, it worked. An hour after she slipped into sleep, unaware of their decreasing time, Zekk finally surrendered to the Sandman's call.

His last thoughts were of her.

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Okay, I know there are people reading this—the chapters have an average of 30 hits each. Please R&R? Even a "good job" is great.

.Tjz