Magdalane never had trouble sleeping. It was one of the things that had served her well in her Jedi training and even when she'd been sent out on missions, this ability to sleep pretty much anywhere. So when something woke her, it was usually someone's anxiety or restlessness that penetrated her subconscious enough to make her aware. When she opened her eyes, she saw Felix sleeping beside her, so she slipped on her robe and walked silently out of their quarters, in search of the restless soul. She found it, or rather her, easily. Nadia sat near the hatch on the steps, crying. It had been exactly one year since her father had been killed, and Mags could feel the sadness coming from the young padawan. She sat down beside her charge on the steps, slipping an arm around her shoulder but not attempting to calm her with her force abilities. Nadia turned her tear stained face to her master.
"I'm so sorry I woke you, master," the young girl mumbled. "I know he's one with the force, I just miss him here." Nadia wiped her eyes with her sleeve. After a short while, the tears stopped and they sat silently. Mags finally told her, "Call on the force, Nadia. It's not only there to provide power for fighting, it's there to comfort as well. Let it cloak you with peace, and just maybe you'll hear your father's voice. I've heard my father's voice before."
"Forgive me, master, I'd forgotten you'd lost your father too."
"I miss him, just as you miss yours, but I know that he's with me. Your father is with you as well, padawan, you just have to find him in the force." Mags smiled at her, then stood and made her way back to her quarters. When she stretched out in bed, Felix pulled her to his chest, mumbling in a sleepy voice, "What's going on?"
"All is well, love, go back to sleep," she smiled at him in the dark.
He ran his hand up her side. "Don't you know what the penalty is for waking a soldier?" he asked her, and she could feel his grin in the dark. She kissed his neck and said, "Why don't you show me?" in her low, throaty voice, the one he heard in his dreams when he wasn't beside her. Her aura flared and he was lost in his need for her, all other thoughts gone.
It was only at breakfast the next morning he thought again about waking up and reaching for her, but she wasn't there. When he saw Nadia join the crew at the table, he thought he knew why. The young woman looked exhausted. Mags noticed as well and told her, "Use the force, Nadia, for energy and focus." She nodded, but didn't stay to eat.
"What's got Nadia in a funk?" he asked Mags later.
"Just missing her father," she told him, "and not relying on the force, as she should be." She knew her padawan was struggling with force control since she'd started training as a young adult, but other than continuing to guide her, there wasn't much Mags could do. Unless…
Magdalane rose from the table and sought Nadia, leading her to the training area they'd fashioned in the hold. She instructed her padawan to assume a meditation position, then took both the young woman's hands in hers, sitting facing each other.
"Now, Nadia, I want you to focus on what your father's voice sounded like, maybe when would read to you when you were younger. I'm going to direct force to you, and I want to see if you can feel him."
Nadia nodded, and closed her eyes. The combined light of their auras was brilliant, and when Felix saw it he rushed to the hold, unable to look directly at the two women. Mag's aura was always blinding when she was in a trance, as she was now. After a few minutes, he heard Nadia gasp and cry out, and then their connection was broken. Magdalane slumped down onto the mat she was sitting on, and Felix rushed to tend to her. Mags sat up slowly, blinking, seeing from the change in her padawan that she'd indeed heard her father's voice.
"Master, you did it! I heard him!" Nadia was shaking, her eyes huge and full of wonder. "And I've never felt that much force power before, how do you do that?"
"Patience, padawan, you'll get there too," Magdalane smiled at her, and Nadia launched herself to Mags in a hug. Mags patted her back, "Now I have to rest for a bit, that was a lot of force!" She laughed, then stood with Felix helping her. She swayed as she stood there, and Felix led her to the galley for some tea and sat her down in one of the soft chairs.
He handed put her tea on the table in front of her, then sat beside her, searching her face. "That was a very nice thing you did, and while that's not unusual for you, to do nice things for those you care about, that one was costly, wasn't it?" he asked her.
"Just in time and energy," she responded. She leaned back in the comfy chair and closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep almost immediately. Felix carried the cup of tea back to the galley sink, as Nadia quietly entered. Felix motioned for her to follow, and led the young woman out of the lounge area.
"Lieutenant, is she alright? Can I do something to thank her? I'm so grateful but I see how much effort.."
Felix put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her mid-sentence. "She wanted to help, she did help, and the only thing she needs is a little rest." He smiled at her, as he saw Tharan walk toward them.
"Shall I run a quick scan?" he asked Felix. "Just to make sure there's nothing else going on?"
"No, she says she's just tired. Didn't sleep a whole lot last night," he replied, looking away quickly, trying to hide the sudden grin. Tharan stood there with a confused look on his face that changed to one of amusement, nodded, and went back to his lab, whistling.
Nadia and Felix watched him go, then returned to Magdalane's side. Felix lifted her up and carried her to their quarters, and he stayed with her until she woke a couple of hours later.
"Why are you sitting over there?" she teased him.
"So you could rest, and we didn't repeat last night, which is why you're so tired today," he grinned at her. He rose and helped her up, and Mags had to smile when she realized Nadia was hard at work, doing control exercises. Maybe that's just what she needed, Mags thought, to work harder on gaining a handle on her force sensitivity.
Felix held her in a tight hug, wanting her all to himself for another few minutes. She didn't mind, not at all, he always seemed to sustain her, give her strength. He closed his eyes and just tried to pour out his love for her, radiate it like he'd seen her do with her aura. She looked at him wide-eyed, she felt surrounded by love as she stood there in his arms, feeling everything he was putting forth. She drank it in, savoring. When he loosened his arms, she looked up at him with shining eyes. "I love you, too," she told him.