Class: Jedi Knight

When: Chapter III, On the way to Corellia

"Archie?"

Doc felt his cheeks warm, as they always did when she said his given name. The only time she did was in the privacy of her, well, their quarters. Never in front of the crew. In front of them he was always 'Doc.' He still couldn't quite believe he didn't mind her calling him Archie. Then again, her argument of which name he would prefer to hear when she came was quite persuasive.

He sat on the side of the bed, naked, not even using the sheet to cover himself. "Go back to sleep, beautiful," Doc said, trying to sound casual. "Ol' Doc just has a lot on his mind."

With any other woman, the line would have worked. They would have seen his mussed up hair and his five o'clock shadow and been content to let him brood while they went back to sleep. But not Collins.

"Nice try," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

He heard her shifting in bed, while his toes dug into the carpeting. Her arms wrapped around him as he felt her straddling his hips with her thighs, finally resting the smooth skin of her cheek against his upper back. Grabbing her hands, Doc closed his eyes, and let her warmth wash over him.

"You know, this is supposed to be our wedding night," Collins said softly, squeezing his hands. "Didn't expect to wake up to find you so morose."

Our wedding night.

Three words Doc never expected to hear in his lifetime. But like Collins said after their vows, he couldn't imagine things any other way. He never imagined that women like her actually existed. Maybe they didn't. Maybe she was the only one. Made special order just for Doc. "Yeah, I just…"

She placed a kiss between his shoulder blades and hugged him tighter. "Having second thoughts?" she asked. Her tone was light, but Doc heard the worry there. He hated making her doubt, even just for a moment.

"Not in a million years, gorgeous," Doc said emphatically. He felt her relax against him. If only it was as easy to erase his own doubts about things. "You're the one thing in this galaxy I'm sure about."

"Then what's wrong?" Collins asked, putting her palms on his thighs. They felt warm, warmer than hands should feel. He'd have to find out for good one of these days if she really did use Jedi tricks in bed. But part of him didn't want to know one way or the other.

"Just worried, I guess," Doc admitted. How could he tell her he was terrified on her behalf? "The Council's put so much pressure on you." He took a breath before realizing how that sounded. "Not that you can't handle it, of course."

Her fingers started trailing up his inner thighs and Doc felt himself responding. "Well," she said, nibbling the back of his neck. She always knew how to distract him. "We have a great team in place. And I have you. My secret weapon."

And there was the crux of it.

He had worked his way onto this boat thanks to his natural charisma and their initial attraction to each other. His hope was to be just a shipboard medic, he hadn't expected Collins to bring him along on missions to make sure she stayed in fighting shape. Not that he wanted to complain about that or anything. But…

Yes, he was a good doctor. Scratch that. He was a great doctor. One of the best. But good enough for Collins? To keep her alive against the Emperor himself?

"I don't want to lose you," Doc said roughly.

"I'm scared, too," Collins said. Her voice was quiet and all Doc wanted was to lose himself in the lull and safety of her words. "I keep reminding myself, 'There is no emotion. There is peace.' But the Jedi Code isn't helping in this case."

"But do you even believe that?" Doc asked, turning sideways on the bed, one leg dangling on the floor. Next to him, Collins brought her knees up to her chest. "I know for a fact you feel emotion."

"My interpretation might be a bit different than intended," Collins said with a wry smile. "Story of my life." Sliding back under the covers, Collins patted the space next to her. Doc didn't hesitate and joined her, arranging the quilt so he had a good view of her naked torso. It was their wedding night, after all.

"So how do you view it?" Doc asked curiously, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. They never really talked about this. He knew she broke the Jedi Code to be with him, but he never thought to ask why, besides the obvious, that he was simply irresistible. Well, and that she loved him.

Collins bit her lower lip ans looked thoughtful. "I look at that phrase as a reminder not to let emotion rule my life. Emotion can influence things, of course. I would have never married you otherwise. But I can't let that overpower everything else," Collins said, putting her hand on his hip. "As important as my love for you is, Archie, I won't ever let it define me. Just like I won't let the fear I feel for the upcoming fight overwhelm me. I won't let it win."

And just like that, he understood perfectly. He could feel fear about the upcoming battles on Corellia. He could and he would. But Doc would be strong like his wife. He wouldn't let his fears win and he'd damn well do everything in his power to make sure the two them make it home safe.

He reached for her then, bringing Collins in close before kissing her. A Jedi had no right to be such a great kisser. But damn if he wasn't glad for those skills.

Breaking away, Doc looked at Collins, with her tousled up hair and those freckles that would be the death of him some day. "It can't win, sweetheart," he said seriously as he pushed her onto her back, before settling between her legs. "We have a honeymoon to plan."