Things heat up this chapter! Posting this chapter along side the other one so no new thanks to give. Enjoy!

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Getting Closer

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The walk to the end of the corridor seemed to take forever, each second lasting an eternity as her anticipation continued to grow, setting each nerve on high alert. She'd never been this nervous around anyone. She didn't know what was about to happen, but she could feel something radiating between them, down the link Luke always talked about that was giving her a good idea of where it might end up.

Luke stopped when they reached the bunk room, shedding the black coat he always seemed to be wearing and tossing it onto his bunk. She felt her heart kick up a pace or two as she watched the toned muscles of his shoulders move under his skin and it dawned on her that she'd never seen him without that coat on before. Even that night on the ship when he'd come to check on them, he'd been in full dress. Now she was sure something was going to happen.

"We've been sitting down too long, my muscles are all stiff. Take your coat off and we'll do some stretching, see if we can't limber up a bit." He turned a smile toward her, the same smile she'd seen so many times before, but now it seemed different, laden down with meaning and heavy with promise. She tried, and failed, to repress a grin as she set about stripping down to just her under shirt. She took her time with it, ostensibly so as not to wrinkle or damage her new clothing, but they both knew she was just giving as good as she got, loving the feeling of his eyes on her as more and more skin became visible.

"I didn't think Jedi did much stretching, but then, I guess you have to what with all the jumping and fighting. Wouldn't do to get a cramp in the middle of a fight." She said, smirking as he rolled his eyes.

"You joke now..." He left his statement hanging between them, letting her decide if it was meant as a threat or a promise. She drew a calming breath as her mind took it as both and her heart sped up just a little more. This man had no idea the power he had over her, or at least, she hoped he didn't. "I'm gonna walk you through some of the simpler movements, we can move on to the more advanced stuff once you're used to it." She blushed as that deep tone returned to his voice. She didn't know why, but it shot straight to her core every time she heard it.

"I am yours to direct, Master." She said, biting the corner of her bottom lip to keep from laughing. It was a subconscious reaction she'd noticed back when she was coming into her adulthood. Whenever she was in an intimate situation that made her feel flustered or out of sorts, she would giggle. It had ruined many a good night for her and she would be damned if she was gonna let it screw this one up.

Luke's eyes strayed to her lip as it caught between her teeth, the plump red flesh a stark contrast the the white enamel, and it took all his self control not to simply drop the charade and take her right where she stood. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't do this until she was ready, until she was no longer his student, but he couldn't stand it any more.

Their journey so far had been a true test of his inner strength, seeing her body stretched out on the bunk beside him, clothed in little more than a white shift, her pale legs kicked out from under the blanket, practically glowing under the soft light that filtered in from the corridor outside, and then there were the dreams. Nearly every night for the past week, he'd been woken up by the sounds she would make. It always started the same way, a soft breathy whisper of a moan that would taper off into a whimper that set his body on fire. He wanted so desperately to look into her mind, to see what was causing such delightful noises, and he'd done a very good job of keeping to himself, until last night.

He'd been laying in the dark, using every shred of self control he had to keep from finishing himself to her gasping moans when she'd let out a truly wanton shout, his name falling from her lips like a prayer. He hadn't meant to do it, really he hadn't, but before he could even think to stop himself, he was in her mind, seeing himself holding her down by the wrists, driving into her with bruising force as she arched and bowed beneath him, her breasts bouncing in time with each thrust. And now, he was here, with her, alone in the depths of space, with nothing but time and intent.

"I have to ask, is it alright if I touch you?" He asked, stepping up beside her. He laughed as she rolled her eyes. He knew it was a little silly to ask after all the times she'd crawled into his bed or he'd comforted her after a particularly terrible vision, but he had to be sure that she wanted this as much as he did.

"That is an incredibly stupid question, but if it makes you feel better, yes, it's alright if you touch me." She said it so casually, an off hand comment that betrayed none of the spine tingling excitement she felt. She knew she shouldn't assume it meant what she hoped it meant, that he could simply be making sure it was alright to physically guide her into the proper stretch position, but it just sounded so delightfully promising.

"Okay, the first stretch is pretty easy, just lean forward at the waist until your hands touch the floor. I'll be here to spot you if you lose your balance." His hand came to rest lightly on the small of her back as he spoke, warmth and tingling sensation radiating out from it in slow circles as she allowed her top half to fold down toward the floor.

As her palms fell flat against the cool metal Luke began to push her forward, elongating the tendons in the back of her legs until it almost hurt. He had to draw a calming breath as his eyes danced down over her body, she looked so good, and was impressively flexible to boot. He wondered just how flexible she was as he let his body bend down into the same stretch.

He straightened first, wanting to be able to help her if getting up was a little harder than going down had been. He moved behind her, his hands hooking softly around her hips as he pulled her back toward him, drawing her slowly upward until she stood barely an inch from him, her hair wafting into his face, dancing her scent around them both until it was all he could smell.

"Very good, you're further along than I thought. Let's try something a little harder now." He knew he should move, that speaking so softly, with her so close, was pushing the limits even for him, but he just couldn't help himself. With his hands still on her hips, he stepped back. "Keep your feet planted but follow me." He barely had the breath to whisper the instructions as he pulled her body backward, bowing her back until she was in an almost perfect arch

Her breasts were in the perfect position, pressed forward and together by the bend of her body and he felt himself beginning to stiffen. She truly was beautiful. He took a moment to curse his sister as he took in the way her pants seemed to cling to her skin, the undershirt hugging every curve as he helped her to twist and move through the back bend. It almost ended him to watch her curl her body back upright.

"Ya know, I don't think you can do that one by yourself." She said, turning to face him, a challenge clear on her face. He swallowed down the growl that began to rise in his chest. It wouldn't do to give the game away too soon, he wanted this to last. Instead he simply smirked and bent smoothly backward until his hands touched the floor, his body in a near perfect arch. He used his hands to guide himself from side to side, loving the pure wanton desire he could feel radiating toward him through their link. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her, but he couldn't give in just yet. "Okay," her voice was breathy and light, "I stand corrected." She pulled at the low cut collar of her undershirt, feeling her whole body beginning to flush with how badly she needed him.

"Now this next one really does take two people, I'll do you first then you can do me." He said, his grin positively wolfish as he watched her pupils nearly swallow the vibrant green he'd come to know so well. How much longer could they last like this, he wondered. How long before one of them broke and acted on the draw they felt toward each other. He reached onto his bunk and grabbed his blanket, spreading it out on the ground beside them. "Go ahead and lay down." He gestured to the blanket, his posture relaxed, a lazy smile on his face.

She wanted to respond, wanted to tell him just how much he was effecting her, but all she could do was nod and move, laying down on her back on the soft cover. She breathed in deep, letting it out slowly, trying to ignore the messages leaping from one nerve to the other. She nearly jumped out of her skin as Luke began to remove her boots and socks, tossing them over under her bunk before taking up position by her feet.

"Alright, now spread your legs just a bit, I need to get in between them." He had to fight to keep his face passive, watching the way her breath hitched in her chest at his words sending liquid fire through his veins. He'd never had a woman be so responsive with so little real contact, it was intoxicating.

"Ya know, you really have to work on your phrasing, a girl could get the wrong idea about this whole stretching business." Ori said, shooting a playful grin down her body at him, her heart skipping a beat or two as she saw the hunger directed back at her. She kept his eyes locked to her as she slowly started to open her legs, letting him guide them until he rested between her calves.

She expected some kind of quippy reply, some sarcastic one off that would relieve the tension that was about to suffocate her common sense, but instead all she got were fingers tracing slowly up her leg, hooking under her knee and drawing it up onto his shoulder. She pulled in a shaky breath as he leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her hips, pressing her leg toward her torso until it almost met her chest. Gods he looked positively primal in that moment, the blue of his eyes nearly completely dominated by dark pupils.

Luke could hardly restrain himself. She was so close, her breasts straining against her shirt with each breath. It took everything in him to keep still, letting the tension build and hang in the air between them as he watched her eyes slide closed. He took the opportunity to let his gaze pass over her, focusing on the way a little more of her chest escaped the confines of her shirt with each breath. He was gonna have to buy Leia something really special for their birthday this year.

He leaned back onto his knees, letting her leg relax out of the stretch, guiding it gently back to the floor, allowing his fingers a moment to play across the fabric of the pants she wore before moving to the other leg. He swallowed down a groan as she let a tiny gasp slip out between those perfect lips. Almost there, he thought, watching the growing mound of soft flesh heave. He wanted to take her right there on the floor, pull her flush against him so she could feel exactly what she'd done to him, but he'd learned that finding the right moment can make it feel a thousand times better.

She drew in a breath as he leaned away from her, relaxing her leg out of the stretch and laying it off to the side. Her skin jumped and tingled as his fingers played over her fabric covered calf, the heat spreading up to pool at her core. She wanted him so badly now she could hardly think straight. What was he waiting for? Every nerve in her body was drawn so tight she thought she might fly apart, and still he did nothing. She would give him a few more minutes, and then if he still didn't act, she was going to take matters into her own hands.

"Okay, go ahead and stand up, there's just one more stretch I wanna show you." He said, rising slowly to his feet, holding a hand out to help her up as well. But she didn't take it. At first he thought he'd upset her, remembering how grasping his hand had made her tense up, but then she began to move, her body sliding sinuously from one position to another until she was standing in front of him. She stretched her body upward, her hands reaching toward the ceiling and he found his eyes drawn once again to those perfect breasts, now nearly free from the confines of the black fabric that encased them.

"Is this one a two person activity as well?" She asked, her voice dropping down into a tone he'd never heard before. It was thick and low, almost purring from her chest as her darkened eyes caught his own. Just a few moments more and she would be ready, he just had to hold out through this last stretch and then he would have her.

"It can be." He said, stepping up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's certainly more effective with two people." He grinned as she gasped, her eyes going wide as he pressed slowly downward. Her feet, now bare and resting on the blanket, began to slide slowly apart, her body sinking into a split. She got over her shock quickly enough, her own grin spreading slowly across her face as she let her hands drag slowly down his chest. If he was going to tease her like this, she was going to return the favor.

Luke's eyes slid closed as her fingers pressed into the muscles of his chest, drawing lines of tingling sensation as she slid down. He had to swallow down a moan as her hands came to rest on his hips, gripping him tightly as she held the position he'd put her in. This woman would be the end of him, he just knew it, but if it meant he got to have her in the mean time, he would gladly accept whatever end was coming.

Her hands continued to move, sliding around to his back, down his thighs, everywhere except for where he truly wanted them to be, but then, that would spoil the game. They'd dropped any pretense of what this was really about, but neither was ready to end the facade just yet, enjoying the string tight tension that was vibrating between them.

Luke pulled her slowly back up out of the split and grinned as she placed her hands on his shoulders instead. She didn't need to push him down, he'd trained for years to be able to do this, and he allowed himself to slip slowly down until he was at hip height. He grinned up at her, his hands trailing the same paths hers had taken, watching as her eyes slid shut and her teeth caught her bottom lip, a muffled moan falling from them none the less. The sound shot through him like a bolt, setting his body to shaking with the effort it took not to simply pull her down after him.

He looked up at her, catching her eyes in a heated gaze, that same lazy smirk still in place as he watched her lips fall open, a whisper of breath gusting out of her as his fingers began to play around the waist of her pants. A squealing beep jolted them both from their heated contest of wills and drew their attention back to the distant control console.

"That was fast." Luke said, the mood evaporating around them like mist under morning sun. Something wasn't right. They'd barely been waiting an hour, no way they'd had time to search for Suzie yet. He straightened up, motioning for Ori to stay where she was before moving quickly back up the ship to the cockpit, tapping the flashing button, the crystalline face of a Myneyrshi coming quickly into focus.

"Your search request has been rejected, please leave Wayland air space immediately." The screen went black, a transmission coming through a moment later with a more detailed message regarding why the search wouldn't be happening. Luke pulled the ship out of orbit, heading out past the planet's territory and parking the ship. None of this seemed right to him.

"Luke? Can I come out now?" Ori asked, her voice heavy with apprehension. He looked down the corridor and nodded, motioning for her to join him in the cockpit. She all but ran toward him, her eyes glued on the data pad he held. "What's going on?" She asked, seating herself in the pilot's seat.

"They won't do the search. I'm not sure why yet, they just sent up an explanation." His eyes flew over the data pad, his expression darkening with each passing word. The document was in near incomprehensible legal jargon, but he got the point well enough. Their all mighty leader had deemed it too dangerous to get involved in the affairs of a Jedi. "It's C'baoth, he won't do the search because I'm the one asking." He sighed, tossing the data pad onto the console, his eyes closing as anger and disappointment warred inside him.

"Rat bastard. Well it still tells us something. If he thought she was there, he wouldn't have said no, dictators are paranoid above all else. So, where to next? Are we staying in the outer rim?" She stuffed her fear and anger down into the back of her mind. Getting angry at a Force powered despot wasn't going to help her find her friend and if he wanted to be a dick, let him, she had bigger problems to deal with at the moment.

"Well we were in hyperspace when you appeared on the ship, so there are several places she could've come through at. You said she fell before you got through the portal right? So she would've come out first." Luke leaned forward over the console, plotting out the other most likely candidates on the navi computer. Only two planets coincided with her arrival time and their route through hyperspace.

"Well that's good news, not a lot to search." Ori said, though her smile died the moment she saw his face. He looked almost afraid, though what had caused the fear was a mystery to her. "What's wrong? They aren't dead planets are they?" She asked, moving her chair so that the screen was in view. The names were foreign to her, having never featured in any of the movies.

"Korriban is on the list. We just have to hope she didn't land there." He said, punching in the coordinates for a place called Saleucami. She read through the description the computer supplied, it seemed nice enough. But what was this Korriban place all about?

"Is that bad?" She asked, looking up at him from the screen. "You look like someone just walked over your grave." She said, pushing out a soft laugh in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

"Ori, Korriban is one of only two planets in the entire galaxy that was ruled by the Sith. It is a beacon of dark power. If she landed there..." He caught her eye, the message coming through loud and clear. She hated how much sense it made. If Suzie came through there, then Palpatine had her, and everything she'd seen was true. But then again, Anakin had created his own self fulfilling prophecy by listening to his visions too much and allowing his own personal fears to rule his destiny. For all she knew, these visions were just bad dreams, brought on by her own fear and need to see her friend again. Only time would be able to tell which was true.

Okay, go ahead and blast me for the teasing, but I had to do it, the opportunity was just too good. I promise there will be more of that very soon, just wanna wet your whistle a little first. Thanks in advance for any follows/faves/reviews, I really do appreciate them and I will see you guys in the next one!