Chapter 52

AN: First Chap of 2004! WOOHOO! Hope everyone enjoys! Also, it was questioned about Cal's. His name is Cal Alder. Please R&R guys! Also, big thanks to my friend Em for her help with this chap.

It was this sight that greeted one Rebel as he looked up from the mass of other Rebels, looking for the young Tatooine farm girl.

His gaze traveled the hanger and quickly came to rest on the figures just a few dozen yards away. They were kissing…wait! That was Ari! Luke felt himself go cold and hot at the same time at this realization. Some Rebel was kissing Ari! His Ari!

With a wave of his hand he motioned for the others to go to the cafeteria, which they did, not seeing the blaze in Luke's eyes.

Without a second glance back, Luke hurried over to the couple. He was not going to let this man hurt Ari.

Just as the couple was finally pulling away slightly to breathe, faces still only centimeters apart, Luke launched himself at Cal, destroying the moment.

Ari stumbled back as Cal fell to the ground hard with a groan as he threw up his arms to stop his unknown attacker. He couldn't see who it was, but could tell whoever it was, was not lessening this attack.

Seeing whom it was, Ari's mouth dropped open. "Luke?" she asked in shock. How could Luke be the one doing this? "Luke," she tried to call to him again. Meanwhile, Cal, who did not want to fight, threw up his arms a bit more, to try and push Luke back, not wanting to hurt him. However, he was the one that was taking a hard beating.

Blind rage flooded Luke as he continued pounding on the young man underneath him, ignoring the shouts from behind him.

"Luke!" Ari tried to grab his shoulder and pull him off

He barely heard her, and he just continued pounding Cal, his frustrated emotions going wildly out of control. It was only he heard Han behind him and felt Han grab him in a secure hold and begin to drag him off of Cal that Luke realized fully what he was doing

"Luke, stop!" Han ordered harshly, pulling him back.

Luke fought, rage still burning in his eyes, "Get off me, Han!" He cried, lurching forward for Cal again.

"Not until you calm down!" Han barked.

Ari sighed at Luke and then reached her hand down to help Cal to his feet.

Luke caught her action out of the corner of his eye, and struggled again against Han's hold. "Don't help him!" he cried, as Han turned him around away from Cal and Ari.

"Luke, get a hold of yourself," Han told him sharply

Angrily, Luke shook him off. He took a deep breath, trying to settle down and began to storm away down the hallway. He hadn't gone more than two feet, when the image of Cal and Ari filled his vision again. He turned around to charge back over to separate the two of them, only to be stopped by Han again.

"Luke, if you don't snap out of this, I will throw you out into that snow to cool you off, alright? What is your problem?"

"He is my problem!" Luke answered, pointing back down the hallway then turned around, shaking Han off again, anger in his gestures.

"Why can you just be happy for her?" Han asked, following him

"Happy about what?" Luke snapped, "That a cocky flyboy is about to break my best friend's heart."

"Luke, you don't even know him!" Han exclaimed. "I've been looking out for her and he's a nice kid. Besides, if you are so worried about her maybe you should be the one trying to date her."

Luke whipped around, frowning. "She's my best friend!" he exclaimed defensively, ignoring the dating comment, then whirled away again, trying to get a handle on his emotions.

"Then do everyone a favor and stop acting like you are the one in love with her," Han continued, following him, glancing over his shoulder to see a last glimpse of Ari helping Cal down the hall to the med bay.

"I am just trying to protect her," Luke shot a look at Han and then followed his gaze, jealousy instead of anger suddenly burning inside him.

"From what? Cal is a good guy...he is the one she has been setting the perimeter with."

Luke grumbled something under his breath, "I'm going get that changed," he complained.

"And then she will be set up with someone else...like Wedge or Dak or any of those guys..." Han pointed out

Luke scowled even deeper. "Not much better. But at least it wouldn't be him."

"And what if he didn't like her?" Han asked. "If he didn't like her would you still have tried to kill him?"

"What are you getting at, Han?" Luke asked, finally starting to gain some control of his anger

"Luke, Ari is grown up...you have to realize that. She is old enough to handle herself. I take it you heard about our little mission while you were gone. A guy isn't that dangerous."

Luke's eyes narrowed at Han, "That little mission shouldn't have happened, Han. She could have gotten killed." At this turned on his heel then and began to walk down the hallway, back towards his room.

"You are missing the point!" Han shouted after him

"What point?" Luke called back over his shoulder, "She's my best friend and I don't want anything to happen to her!"

"You aren't talking sense! You are a part of the Rebellion! What do you expect? There is danger, and the least amount is from other Rebels!" Han exclaimed, ignoring a few strange looks he received

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Han," Luke stared at him a moment and then turned away again.

"And just what wouldn't I understand?" Han remarked, starting to follow after a moment of hesitation.

"My friendship with Ari," Luke answered, rounding the corner.

Han caught up and laughed, grabbing his shoulder. "You don't think I know how it is? I have had friendships...not like you and Ari," he teased. Then a thought came to him. To find out how Luke really felt. "Besides, I have gotten pretty fond of her myself." He paused, waiting, testing him.

Luke pushed his friend's hand off his shoulder, eyes flashing, "You leave her alone, Han."

"You are just proving my point. She just spent time with me and a few of the other pilots while you and Her Worshipfulness were gone. You were gone a long time and you can't expect her to be a hermit."

"You don't get it, Han," Luke muttered, shaking his head. However, he wasn't sure if he could explain it to himself, let alone Han.

"Then enlighten me," Han shot back

"She's just-she's Ari." he finally stammered. "She's all I have left of my life on Tatooine, and I'm not about to let anything happen to her."

"Luke, then why don't you tell her that? Instead of trying to kill every guy on base."

"See?" Luke cried in exasperation, "I don't even know why I tried to explain this. You don't get it, Han!"

"What is there to get?" Han asked with a shake of his head.

Luke paused, not able to think of a way to word things. Leia could explain things. However, if it Leia was in his place, this wouldn't be a problem. Sighing in defeat, Luke continued his walk through hallway.

"Luke," Ari called from down the hallway, marching up to him briskly. She was fuming. How could he do that? How could he beat up Cal like that? He had never lost it like that before. He got mad, yes, but not often like that. He hadn't been in a fight, that she knew of, since they were kids on Tatooine.

Luke brought his head up at her voice, slightly startled to see her coming so soon. "Hey Ari..." he called back, noting from the briskness of her approach that she might not exactly be happy.

Ari marched up to him, eyes blazing. "What do you think you are doing?" she demanded lowly.

Luke stared at her in surprise. "Protecting you," he answered defensively. "What did you think I was doing?"

"Trying to kill one of my friends!" she shot back

"Your friend? You think he is your friend?" Luke asked in amazement. "What are you thinking, Ari?"

"I am allowed to have other friends Luke!" she exclaimed

"Guys who want only one thing aren't exactly what I'd call friends -" Luke started to retort, heatedly.

Ari looked at him in shock and slapped him on the face. "You have no right! None at all!"

Luke blinked in surprised, hand flashing out to catch her wrist, cheek stinging, tears burning in the back of his eyes from the blow. He was hurt. Not just from the physical feeling, but mostly from having Ari actually do that. "I wasn't questioning your motives, Ari, just his..." his eyes murmured

"You don't trust me! Luke, I could say some things about you and the Princess but I won't!" she snapped, tears coming to her own eyes. She was also surprised herself that she had lashed out at Luke. However, she was too upset to say anything about it, let alone apologize.

Luke paused in confusion, hating to see her with tears in her eyes. "What do you mean things about me and the Princess?"

"You were gone for weeks! The imagination can do things!" she snapped, trying to pull her hand back

Luke kept her hand firmly in his grasp, letting Ari's words sink in. "Me and the Princess?"

"I see how you look at her!" Ari shouted, voice getting hoarse. "I see it. So does everyone else! So don't you dare go accusing me of doing anything like that with my friends. You hear me, Luke Skywalker? They have been there for me while you haven't!"

Luke just stared at her, uncertain of how to answer this, stung. He didn't know what to say or even think. "Ari, I-" he started.

Harshly, Ari pulled her arm back. "Just forget it," she grumbled, wiping away tears, turning to hurry back down the hall.

"Ari, wait!" Luke called after her.

"What?" she asked, not turning, but stopping for a moment, hands clenched at her sides. What was not fitting here? Why was it so confusing?

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Ari," Luke answered, coming to a stop, still a few feet away from her. "I didn't mean to insult you, or insinuate..." he paused briefly, "I just wanted to protect you."

"Well, you failed then," she muttered.

"Failed how?" Luke asked, "I didn't mean it the way you thought it sounded," he tried to explain himself.

"Then what did you mean? And you failed because you wanted to protect me, right? Well, you might have as well just shot me with a blaster, instead of saying those comments."

Luke's throat went completely dry, and his stomach twisted at her words. "I'm sorry, Ari." he apologized. He felt he should say more, but couldn't find the right words. "I really didn't mean to hurt you..."

"Well, you did..." she told him coldly, pulling back from him, making her way back to her room.