Welcome Back, Force Fans.

So, if there was a soundtrack for this initial scene, it would be Chasing Cars by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie. Which if you haven't heard that rendition, well, you're welcome.

Chapter Nineteen

The setting sun cast a fiery orange reflection on the clear blue waters. Kyra's bare feet remained mere centimeters out of reach of the rhythmic waves that approached the shore. Above her, bulabirds sang, and rode the wind coming off of the surf. Every morning and every evening for the past two weeks she came out here and gazed out across the ocean and waited.

For what?

A sign? A signal?

She had tried reaching out for him through their bond but aside from not being able to locate him in this stupid, blasted, good for nothing galaxy, the Force felt...toxic. As if it had been infected. Thus, convening with the quantum field was not high on her to-do list.

So, she sat here often, and stared off into the horizon. That and listened to Quix's and Quin's back and forth. They were returning from a supplies run—the closest village was a ten minute walk from the resort. And they seemed to like going off on their own—perhaps to get away from Kyra and her melancholy or perhaps because of something else.

"No," Quix said. "Hell no. I am not letting you fly my baby."

Kyra heard Quinlan's groan from here, "But you let blondie fly it," he said, almost whining.

"One, Kyra, yes, Kyra is her name, I actually trust. And two, she's a better pilot than I am. Which is saying a lot. Three, you're a freaking klutz with anything that moves."

Quinlan gasped in mock horror. Kyra turned around and saw one hand was on his heart. "I am not a klutz. You take that back."

"Nope. Not letting you fly her."

He looked down at the sand, "Fine, what's the next challenge then?"

They had been at this for five days now once they got past their initial awkwardness. Since then, they'd been inseparable and competing with each other nonstop—from tree climbing, to beer chugging, to some weird game called baldacci ball where they threw a small sphere a dozen meters away in the sand and then tried to hit the sphere or get as close to it as possible with painted coconuts.

The turnaround in Quin had been a miracle. She didn't quite understand it, but she had her guesses as to why. But was this the reason she was sent to save Quinlan? So, he could find this kindred soul? She didn't really care why now. He had been so close to giving up, and now he smiled often, and laughed freely.

Maybe it wasn't always about saving a galaxy. Sometimes saving one life was enough.

That notion still did not ease her despair at her entire world turning to dust. And it did nothing to the overwhelming, paralyzing, sickening fear that Aedan may not come back.

"How about arm wrestling?" Quix said as they sat at the table on their bungalow's patio.

"You don't stand a chance," Quinlan said.

"No using Force powers though?"

"Fine, but no using your feminine wiles."

There was a long pause, and Kyra had to look back behind her again at the two now sitting at their rented bungalow's outdoor table set. Quix was smirking, "You think I have feminine wiles?"

"Please, Pixie Head, you know you do."

Quix rolled her shoulders smugly, and maybe even a little suggestively, and then put her elbow on the table, hand up and open, awaiting Quinlan. However, he wasn't looking at Quix. He was staring towards the sunset.

"Incoming ship," he said.

Kyra shook her head and looked down at the sand under her feet, "Don't," she said, "It's probably just another tourist shuttle."

"It's coming in low and fast," Quin responded.

"And headed right for us," Quix added.

Kyra focused more on the ship, it was kilometers off, and coming at them from the sun, so it was difficult to see in the glare. However, as it neared, she couldn't stop her heart rate from rising.

Don't hope. Hope gets you nowhere.

The ship drew closer, the faint outlines of the craft becoming clearer against the outline of the sinking star in the background. Then the ship turned, rotated on its axis and veered slightly to the side, then dipped its saucer-like edge into the water, skimming across the surface.

Kyra was on her feet in an instant, hands covering her mouth, tears threatening release. The ship spiraled over waves, and then blasted forward, heading straight toward them.

"Is it him?" Quix asked stepping up next to her.

"It's him."

Quinlan stepped up beside her as well, "Hey Blondie, I know you're excited an all, but you're lit up like a beacon."

Kyra looked down at her hands and arms and saw that she was glowing with force energy.

"Oops," she said, and tried to calm herself down.

The ship soared directly overhead, spinning again in the air and she felt Aedan let his shields down and she basked in his bright presence in the Force.

Told you I'd make it back, Sweetheart

Kyra burst out in a half laugh, half sob.

You're late

The ship circled them once, and then slowed down and came in for a landing next to the Mistrider. Kyra was sprinting towards the ship as the boarding ramp lowered ever so slowly. Aedan was there at the top of it, and didn't wait for it to complete its descent. He leapt forward, landing in the soft white sand, and taking three big strides towards a still running Kyra who leapt into his arms.

He caught her and swung her around in the air, smiling and laughing. She crushed her lips to his, tears streaming down her face, small sobs of joy emanating from her as one hand grasped his tunic, knuckles turning white. She wasn't letting go of him. The other hand went to the back of his neck, pulling him as close as possible, but still not close enough. They stayed like that, lost in their embrace when Kyra finally felt the others from the ship around them.

She reluctantly turned away from Aedan and saw Hoppie. She wrapped him up in a big hug. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

"You don't have to thank me for that."

"Yes, I do," she said, then noticed Wil, and gave him a hug as well, expressing her gratitude.

Wil shrugged trying his best to be nonchalant, "It was nothing. We were in the neighborhood." Wil gestured toward his right, "And this is my sister, Dassa."

Dassa stepped forward, right hand extended. "It's great to finally meet the illustrious, luminous Kyra Dawnstar. Wil never shut up about you."

Kyra laughed, and grasped Dassa's metal hand. "I'm sure he exaggerated. Thank you for your help."

Aedan walked over to Quix and gave her a hug, and shook hands with Quinlan, thanking them both. "Hey, it was all blondie," Quin said, who then took a punch to the gut from Quix. He cleared his throat. "I mean Kyra. It was all Kyra. And this one of course, flying in to save the day," jerking his thumb towards Quix. "Pixie Quixie."

This time Quix tackled him down to the ground and they began wrestling again. Kyra couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

Then Kyra saw someone else walk down the boarding ramp, someone she did not expect to see ever again. She moved to stand in front of him, taking in all his injuries and wounds, as well as his brand-new metal arm that was similar to Dassa's. "I saw you fall."

Master Windu nodded slowly. "Guess you didn't see me land, huh?"

She shook her head, and then threw her arms around him. She didn't care what he thought about such sentiments. But to her surprise, he reciprocated the gesture and embraced her. Once she let go, she raised one eyebrow in question.

He shrugged, "When everything you know is destroyed, and part of it is your fault, only thing to do is start over and do things differently."

Kyra laid her hand on his forearm, "Master none of this was your fault."

He tilted his head to the side, "We all know that's not true." He gestured toward Aedan. "He warned me. In fact, he's been warning us for years. Him. Qui Gon. Fay. Ahsoka. They could all see the problems of the order, and could all see the approaching storm. But we didn't listen. We never listened." He dropped his head, and his shoulders slumped. "If only we had."

"Come on let's get you inside," she said. "I'm sure you all could use some rest and this is definitely the place for that. I'll have dinner brought to us shortly."

Later that night, Kyra and Aedan sat on the beach together, the night was dark as no moon hung in the sky. But the stars burned brightly, like little specks of hope in an obscure night sky.

"It was all for nothing," he said, picking up a handful of sand and letting the tiny particles slip from his fingers and fall back down to the beach. "All of it. Everything we've worked for is gone. The Order is gone. The Jedi, the council, our friends and companions, are all gone. It was all a waste."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Really? Is that really what you think?" she asked, her voice growing stern. "We just saved over a thousand people on Colla, and a number of them were about to be eaten alive. You killed Sa'kard, finally ending his reign of terror. And You erased a list of thousands of force sensitive younglings, giving them a chance at living."

"Yes, and now they're living in a tyrannical empire with the Dark Lord of the Sith controlling it. What kind of life is that?"

Kyra shook her head. "It gives them a chance at life. A chance to live. And maybe someday, someone will end Palpatine's rule."

Aedan scoffed, "That's never going to happen. He still has the grand army. He has the senate in the palm of his hand. He has ultimate control. The people won't realize who he is until it's too late. And now there are no jedi to stop him. They won. We lost. The fight is over. And now there's nothing left."

"Nothing?" Kyra asked, "That's not what you taught me. How many times have you spoken of the Force as if it were a revered friend or father. Is it not with us?"

"It sure doesn't feel like it. And how can it be? How could the Force let something like this happen?"

"I don't think that's how it works. And I don't think you do either. The Force may be a part of everything, but it doesn't control everything. Then it would cease to be life, and we'd be imprisoned."

Aedan turned to look at his former Padawan. "How did you get so smart?"

"I had a really good looking teacher, so I was forced to pay attention," she said, and then continued, "But whether you think so or not, the Force is still with us."

"Okay, so maybe we have the Force. And that's it."

"Only the Force?" Kyra asked, grabbing his hand, and lacing her fingers with his. "Is that all we have?"

Aedan smiled despite himself. No, he did indeed have more than that. More than he had ever dreamed of. He inclined his head towards Kyra's, so their foreheads were now touching. "You're right. We have this," he said, lifting up their interlaced hands between them. "We have each other."

And that was enough. Even when his galaxy had burned down around him, it was more than enough.

Kyra's other hand reached up and caressed his cheek, and then pulled him in for a deep kiss. They lost themselves in the intimacy of the moment, the thrill of being in love, and the feel of each other's lips. The rest of the galaxy slipped away. The horrific future they now faced was forgotten. They lost themselves in their love, and for a moment, all was right with the world.

When they finally came up for air, and sat there for a few moments, catching their breath, Kyra asked, "What do we do now?"

"Well, Dex got us all fake identities. I'm Jaston Logan again and you're Amara Dawn. So, I think we'll lay low here for a week or two, and then eventually make our way to Chandrila. I suppose I could begin dabbling in the winemaking business, and you could become a sommelier."

Kyra grinned, "And maybe apply for positions with the Dawnstar Winery? I hear they have a quality establishment and a fantastic product. I'm sure they'd love to hire two hard working individuals, regardless of work experience."

"That's the plan...Sweetheart."

Kyra laughed, "Right. About that. We're using pet names now?"

Aedan nodded, his palms starting to sweat, and his stomach started fluttering. "Yea, couldn't exactly decide which one though. Darling, Honey, Princess, Babe. There's so many to choose from."

Kyra was smiling, and opened her mouth to respond, but he continued. "But there is one that I settled on. One that encompasses and outshines all the rest."

"And what's that?" she asked.

He turned his body, squaring his shoulders to hers, and grabbed both her hands. "Wife," he said.

Kyra gasped and brought one hand to her mouth.

"I don't know what the future holds for us. I don't know where we'll go from here, but I do know I don't want to spend another day without you by my side. I want you, and only you, forever. I know I still have so much to learn about this," he said, moving his hand back and forth between them. "But I promise I will do everything in my power to make you happy. I just want-"

"Stop," she said quickly.

He flinched, "What?"

"Stop," she said, shaking her head and tears spilling from her eyes. "Wife was all I needed to hear."

"Oh," he said with a laugh.

"You already have all of me, Aedan. You always will. And I love you more than anything," Kyra said, her voice breaking on the last words.

Aedan kissed her once deeply. "Will you marry me, Kyra?"

"Yes," she said grinning through tears. "Of course, I will."