Destiny: Part VI

Alexis Revan slid from the closet she had spent the night in very early the following morning. She hadn't slept or meditated this time. In fact, she hadn't done much at all. She would have been lying if she said that a single constructive thought entered her mind after Jolee left. It was hard to remain that empty, and Alexis was actually proud of herself. Oblivion was better than the nightmares.

They probably wouldn't have come back, anyway. Jolee's simple explanation had done a lot to quell Alexis's fears. Even if the nightmare had returned, she would have been better equipped to deal with it. It was funny how Jolee could fix things so easily for her. Of course, he had to make her feel like an idiot in the process, but she could handle that. She'd felt like an idiot often enough lately that it didn't faze her.

Alexis stepped into the kitchen and turned on a pot of java juice for Carth. She knew he'd want it, and Seré might as well. Their impromptu guest was snoring softly in the living room. It would probably kill her to know that she snored. Alexis contemplated telling her, just for fun, but dismissed the idea out of hand. There wasn't any reason for her to be unduly cruel. It would have been entertaining, however.

The apartment was still quite dark, as the sun had not yet risen, and Alexis savored the way her other senses were heightened when her eyes failed her. After a quick scan of the apartment proved that they were still quite alone, Alexis took to idly pacing through the living room. The sun wouldn't be up for another two hours. She had a rather long wait for company if no one else woke up any time soon. Not that she'd relish Seré's company, but...

Alexis heard the door to Carth's bedroom open. Carth, his hair rumpled and his cheeks darkened by the shadow of a beard, made his way into the kitchen. He poured his cup of java without speaking. After the first grateful sip, his eyes slowly focused and he peered blearily at her.

Alexis gave him a small smile. He was usually a morning person. Hopefully his cold wasn't coming back. 'Good morning,' Alexis said, pouring herself a glass of water. She certainly didn't need java to wake up.

'Feeling better?' Carth asked her.

Alexis nodded, 'Oh, I'm fine,' she responded conversationally. 'What about you?'

'Tired,' he muttered, finishing the java in one final gulp. He grimaced as he lowered the cup to the counter.

'I hope that it wears off. I think we've got a lot of work ahead of us.'

'Hopefully not that much,' Carth responded.

'Hhhmm. I think I'll have to dress as a bounty hunter again, but this time I'll carry my lightsaber. If Mira does the same, I should be able to just blend into Kalen's crew,' Alexis told him.

'I'll put on a uniform and bring a couple of TSF officers.'

'What time am I supposed to meet with the senator today?'

'She invited us for dinner,' Carth said, pouring another glass of java.

'You and I?'

'She extended the invitation to Kalen as well.'

'Oh. That's good,' Alexis said, watching as he gulped at the new glass of java. 'You're destroying your stomach with that stuff,' Alexis told him, sipping her water.

He chuckled, 'Two won't kill me.'

'I was afraid you were shooting for three.'

'Not today.'

Alexis leaned up against the counter with a sigh. It was going to be a very long day. Slotted for the morning was an assassin purge and hopefully the discovery of their source, and for the evening, a meeting with the senator. Sadly, she was going to have to deal with Seré first.

'Why are we standing here in the dark?' Carth asked as if suddenly realizing where he was.

'Our company is still asleep,' Alexis replied, pushing herself up onto the counter.

'How could I forget,' Carth muttered, glancing towards the living room with a disdainful expression.

'I see you did something about the mess the kitchen was in,' Alexis observed, glancing over at the table, now bare of candles and silverware.

'Yeah. I couldn't sleep.'

Alexis glanced over at him, feeling guilty. It was her fault he hadn't slept. Maybe she should tell him about the nightmares. It was about time she started being a little bit more open with him. 'I've been having that nightmare ever since I left for the Unknown Regions,' Alexis told him quietly.

Carth set his cup slowly on the counter as if afraid if he distracted her, she would stop talking. 'Oh? I thought you didn't sleep when you were alone.'

'I didn't. It came to me while I was meditating, more like a vision than a real dream I suppose,' Alexis responded. She could do this. She was perfectly capable of talking about her nightmares with Carth. Huh. Maybe it would be easier if she didn't have to look at him.

'So, the same dream? All that time?'

Alexis nodded. 'Same dream.'

'Well, what's it about?'

'I-,' Alexis began. She couldn't go on immediately. She blushed and glanced away.

'You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Alexis,' he said, gently resting his hand on her knee.

'You haven't heard what its about yet,' Alexis said, turning back to him.

'Can't be that bad.'

'It's about you,' Alexis said finally.

Carth was frowning. 'You're having nightmares about me?'

'On the Leviathan. Saul Karath's torturing you... when I won't answer his questions.'

'And you keep dreaming about it?' Carth said.

Alexis glanced up into his eyes. His expression was unreadable. 'I used to dream about it once or twice a week. Sometimes more. This was the first time I'd had it since coming back to Telos, though.'

Carth reached out and pulled her against his chest. Alexis closed her eyes and rested her head against his warm shoulder. 'He can't hurt you anymore,' he said softly.

Alexis laughed lightly in his ear. 'I'm not having nightmares about him hurting me,' she said, sliding her arms around his back.

'For a minute there, I was a little worried,' Carth said, pulling back enough to see her face. 'A man never wants to here that a pretty girl is having nightmares about him.'

Alexis gave him an impish grin, 'Well, I must admit that I have had a few nightmares about your orange jacket.'

'Hey!' Carth said in an injured tone.

'Oh, you weren't in it. It was trying to take over the galaxy or something,' Alexis told him.

'You're joking, aren't you?' Carth asked.

'Am I?'

'That's not funny.'

'Yeah it is.'

Carth's fingers suddenly started to dance along her ribs. Alexis gasped as he tickled her, trying to fight him off. She erupted into helpless gales of laughter. She tried to pull away, but he held her tightly while her giggles became louder and gradually erupted into squeals.

'You're going to wake Seré,' she gasped in a last ditch effort to save herself. Her back was all the way down on the counter and Carth held her in place with one hand while tickling her with the other. She struggled violently for a few more seconds before giving up, trying to catch her breath and squirming against his hands.

He finally relented and Alexis sat up and sagged against his shoulder, still laughing. He dropped his head onto her shoulder as well and they sat together that way for several seconds, chuckling and breathing deeply.

Alexis heard Seré step into the kitchen, but she didn't look up. Seré cleared her throat loudly and Carth turned sideways, his hands resting on Alexis's waist. 'Good morning,' he greeted. 'The java's still hot if you're interested.'

Carth's hands tightened on her waist and he lowered her to the floor. Alexis watched as Seré fought to keep her gaze off of Carth's chest. Alexis only just resisted putting possessive hands on it. That wouldn't be fair to Carth. She pulled away reluctantly. 'We need to get dressed and head over to the Hawk,' Alexis pointed out.

Carth sighed. 'Are you sure we can't go back to bed?'

Seré made her way over to the java, pouring herself a glass without taking her eyes off of the couple before her. Alexis smiled at her. 'How did you sleep?' Seré didn't respond and Carth turned to Alexis and raised his eyebrows. Alexis bit her lip to keep from giggling. 'Well... that's good,' Alexis added.

Seré raised her cup to her lips and then lowered it again, 'What is?'

'Ah- nothing. Never mind,' Alexis responded, eyeing the girl quietly. Had the drugs in her tea altered her mind? Not that it would make that big of a difference... 'Well, I'm going to go and get dressed. I'll be back shortly,' Alexis said when no one else spoke. It was going to be a weird day.

Alexis walked back to Carth's bedroom. He'd already made the bed. She stared at the pillows longingly for a moment before heading over to the closet and picking up a pair of black pants that she'd stolen off of Mira. She'd managed to get the things to shrink a bit when they were washed, so they would fit nicely. She'd actually had to create a new version of her bounty hunter costume since she was wearing it so much.

This one consisted of her black boots and Mira's black pants, a thick black belt with a single blaster holster, and a form-fitting gray shirt that was too short for her torso, baring her stomach once again, and too long for her arms, forcing her to roll the sleeves twice to free her hands. She clipped her lightsaber to one hip and slid a holdout blaster into the holster on the other.

She couldn't wear her hair down this time so she spent the better part of ten minutes attempting to subdue it into a semblance of order. It ended up pinned onto her head in a chaotic tumble of curls and clips. She'd had to use so many of the pins that Kalen loaned her that she was certain that she'd never find all of them again.

Alexis made her way back into the kitchen, where Carth was resolutely staring at the kitchen table trying to avoid Seré's gaze. She hadn't left her spot by the pot of java. When he heard her enter, Carth looked up. 'Nice outfit,' he said, staring at her middle. 'Where'd you get the scar on your stomach?'

'You don't remember? You were there,' Alexis responded, running her finger across the long, thin scar on the side of her abdomen.

'It looks new,' he told her.

She glanced down at it. That was funny. It did still look new. It was very pink against her pale skin. 'It's not. Calo Nord gave it to me on Taris when we were stealing the Ebon Hawk. I guess that Echani Fiber Armor wasn't as tough as it looked. And I wasn't expecting Calo to pull a vibroblade,' Alexis said with a grimace.

'I didn't know wounds you healed would scar,' Carth replied.

'That's just it. It was a long time before I had the chance to heal it. We were a little busy, if you'll recall. Oh well. Scar makes me look tough, right?'

Carth chuckled, 'If you say so.'

Alexis stuck out her tongue at him. 'Go put some clothes on, Admiral. We've got things to do and all of them require that you wear a shirt.'

Carth stood. 'Everybody loves a man in uniform,' he muttered, flexing his bicep with a grin.

Alexis watched with feigned disinterest. 'Once you have it on, I'll let you know,' she replied, plopping into the seat he'd vacated. He shook his head and disappeared down the hall.

Seré turned to Alexis the moment Carth was gone. 'I thought that you two were not lovers,' she said quietly. Her expression was pained.

Alexis gave her an odd look. 'We aren't lovers. I'm not quite as skinny and beat-up looking as I was when we first met, Seré, but that doesn't immediately mean that Carth and I have jumped into bed together,' Alexis said. 'Well, at least not in that sense,' she amended quickly. They did sleep in the same bed, after all. How odd that must seem to someone like Seré.

Seré glanced away for a moment. 'I-,' she began, but shook her head and stared purposefully at the counter.

'Go ahead, Seré. Speak your mind. I promise I won't do a thing about it. You really don't have to be afraid of me,' Alexis said easily.

Seré looked at Alexis. She met her eyes for a brief moment before looking back down. She couldn't hold her gaze. 'You intimidate me,' she said finally, her words almost inaudible.

So? She intimidated a lot of people, once they knew who she was. 'Why? Because I'm Revan?'

Seré shook her head. 'No. It's got nothing to do with that whole Revan thing. It's... your confidence ...' she said, trailing off.

Alexis was taken aback. Honesty and even an admission of a sort of admiration from Seré? And she wasn't intimidated by the fact that Alexis had been a Sith Lord for several years? Hmm. 'I don't mean to,' Alexis responded. She didn't mean to intimidate anyone, at least not anymore.

Seré snorted. 'I know you don't. I don't even think you knew about it, did you?' Alexis shook her head in lieu of reply. Seré waited for a few seconds before speaking again. 'I'm sorry about the assassins,' she said grudgingly.

Now an apology? Things were getting more and more bizarre. 'You didn't bring them here on purpose.'

'Of course not,' Seré snapped. She took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry. I'm not usually this way, you know. It's something about you. It brings out the worst in me.'

Bemused, Alexis shrugged. 'Nothing you can do about that,' she said, lounging back in the chair. And that something about her that set Seré off? It was probably whatever attracted Carth to her, or the fact that Carth was attracted to her in the first place. Alexis had to fight off a smirk. What an interesting morning.

Seré was silent for a few more seconds. Obviously this was very difficult for her. Alexis never would have expected her to do anything like it. 'I've had my eye on Carth for two years,' Seré said, looking at the ground.

'That's a long time,' Alexis said lamely. Was she supposed to be happy for her? Sorry that Carth didn't return the feeling?

'Before you showed up, I thought for certain that everything would work out between us eventually,' she said. Her mouth twisted unpleasantly. 'Obviously I was wrong.'

'Carth knew me before he met you. Maybe under different circumstances-,' Alexis began, hoping that her words didn't sound as hollow as they felt.

Seré laughed bitterly. 'It wouldn't have changed a thing. He wouldn't have ever gotten over his wife.'

Alexis shrugged. That was something that they would never know. 'Maybe...'

'In any case, it's clear I don't stand a chance. I'm tired of looking stupid, competing for his attention. It's obvious that you have some sort of hold over him. While you're here, I won't be,' Seré said harshly.

'That's all I can ask,' Alexis said quietly. A hold over him? Did Seré actually think that the only reason that Carth had chosen her was because she was controlling him somehow?

'Just know that if you leave again, all bets are off.'

Alexis smiled, 'I wouldn't have it any other way.' Oh, she wasn't going anywhere. Not this time. She rose quickly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go rouse the rest of the party.' Alexis turned and walked into the living room, leaving Seré to her anger and her java.

It was interesting that Seré had changed her mind so suddenly about pursuing Carth. Alexis wondered just what had brought about this sudden change of heart. And why had she suddenly assumed that they were lovers once again? She'd caught them in a similar situation the first time, but she'd accepted then that they were not intimate. What was different? Alexis gave herself a mental shake. Regardless of the reason, she was glad that Seré was giving up the fight. It had gotten very old.

Finally alone, Alexis sat down on the sofa and shut her eyes. She'd try to contact Kalen first. Most likely, she was already awake.

:: Kalen? :: Alexis sent out gently, just in case the girl actually was still asleep.

:: Alexis? :: she responded. She sounded surprised, but alert.

:: How would you like to go hunting this morning? ::

:: She wouldn't. She wants to stay in bed, :: a familiar voice echoed inside Kalen's mind. Alexis was taken aback. Atton? But that meant...

Blushing, Alexis started to pull away. :: Sorry, :: she said quickly.

Kalen's laughter was as clear as if Alexis were in the room with her. :: It's a bit crowded in here, isn't it? It's okay, Lexi. What do you need help with? ::

Still thoroughly disgruntled, Alexis had to pull herself back together before replying. :: We've had more assassin troubles. I was hoping that you and the crew would help us take care of the problem. We think we know where they're coming from. ::

:: We'll be there. When do you want us? :: Kalen said.

:: Spoilsport, :: Atton muttered in the background.

:: I think that I can be there in about half an hour, but it will take Carth a little longer to round up a few TSF officers, so...let's say an hour? ::

:: TSF officers? :: Atton said.

:: To make it look official, :: Alexis replied.

:: So you'll be here in half an hour? :: Kalen asked.

:: If that's okay, :: Alexis responded dubiously.

:: We'll be ready, :: Kalen said.

:: Damn It! :: Atton said as Alexis fled. She certainly didn't want to hang around in Kalen's mind any longer. Who knew what she would mistakenly overhear... or even see...

---

Precisely half an hour later, Alexis arrived outside of the Ebon Hawk. Kalen and Atton were sitting on the end of the entrance ramp, their shoulders touching casually. Atton was wearing a satisfied smile and Kalen's eyes were shimmering. They were so cute that Alexis nearly giggled aloud. Instead, she contented herself with a small smile.

Kalen waved cheerily. Atton glanced over at her and then up at Alexis. He gave her a huge smile and buffed his nails against the front of his jacket. Alexis winced when Kalen smacked him. 'What?' he asked, smiling innocently at Kalen.

'You know what, you dirty scoundrel,' Kalen said, trying to look angry but failing miserably.

'Well... hello there,' Alexis said after several seconds of silence. 'You two are awfully happy for people who are about to go out looking for Sith.'

'Heh. Lots to be happy about,' Atton said, wagging his eyebrows. 'Lots.' He repeated, eyeing Kalen. She smacked him again. 'Hey! I bruise easily,' he muttered, rubbing his arm where she hit him and looking injured.

Alexis sighed. 'Are you two going to be like this all day?'

'Probably,' Kalen responded lightly.

'Only if she promises not to hit me again,' Atton added.

Alexis couldn't help herself. 'Maybe she thinks you like it that way.'

'Kalen the dominatrix? I can see it now,' Atton said.

'If you don't want me to hit you, you'd better stop while you're ahead,' Kalen threatened.

'Ooh. Hurt me, baby,' Atton practically cooed, leering at her.

Alexis burst out laughing and Kalen looked up and sighed in desperation. 'Why me?'

'You knew what you were getting into,' Alexis told her.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Atton asked.

'Nothing Atton dear. Nothing at all,' Alexis responded, drawing out the last word and smiling at him.

Canderous chose that moment to emerge from the ship. He was already holding his rifle as if prepared for battle. 'Disgusting, isn't it?' he asked Alexis, frowning over at Kalen and Atton. 'The Onasi boy and the bounty hunter are behaving the same way.' He turned and glowered at her. 'I hope that you have better sense.'

'Assassins spoiled her fun,' Kalen pointed out.

'You poor girl,' Atton said theatrically.

'You guys are so immature,' Alexis said haughtily.

'Like you have room to talk,' Kalen said.

Alexis couldn't dispute that. She had brought up the whole sadomasochism thing. She shrugged. 'I never said that I wasn't.'

Atton folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head so that his nose was in the air. 'You guys are soooo immature,' he mimicked in a high-pitched tone. Kalen promptly poked him in the ribs, causing him to gasp. 'That'll definitely bruise,' he muttered, rubbing the spot.

Kalen raised her eyebrows. 'Shall I kiss it?'

'Later,' he promised with a sly smile.

'It's going to be a long day,' Alexis told Canderous.

'At least we get to shoot something,' Canderous replied.

'There's always that,' Alexis returned, grinning at him and patting her blaster.

It didn't take long for Carth to show up after Alexis did. He brought along five youthful TSF officers, each carrying a blaster rifle and a simple vibroblade. Alexis was glad that Doran was not among them. Things might have become complicated.

Carth's arrival brought the rest of the crew from the ship. Mira and Dustil looked almost as happy as Kalen and Atton, although they were a bit more prone to fighting and picking on one another. Visas was her usual imperturbable self, standing next to Bao-Dur and gripping the shaft of her lightsaber. Bao-Dur looked bored, while Mical just looked ill.

Alexis watched him from the corner of her eye for a moment. His face had a grayish cast and there were bags under his eyes. His robes were a bit wrinkled, which was most unusual for the Disciple. Normally he was impeccably groomed. Even his hair was slightly mussed. Alexis was determined, however, that she would not pity him. She walked over to his side and casually slapped him on the back. 'Work with me today?' she asked.

Mical glanced down at her. 'We've never fought together before. Is that entirely wise?'

Did the guy ever loosen up? 'Well, we'll never get good at it if we don't try, now will we?'

'If that is your wish,' he replied.

Alexis frowned and leaned in close to him. 'Mical, are you all right?' she asked softly. 'You don't look well.'

He straightened his shoulders immediately. 'I'm fine. Why do you ask?'

'You're very pale...' Alexis told him.

'I'm fine,' he repeated, looking away. Clearly the conversation was over.

Alexis turned and looked around. The urge to step forward and start giving instructions nearly overwhelmed her. Sadly, it wasn't her place. She was supposed to be a bounty hunter, just another member of Kalen's crew. Kalen and Carth were calling the shots today.

'Good morning Admiral,' Kalen said, walking over to Carth. They shook hands briefly.

'Kalen,' he responded.

'So, what's the plan of action?' she asked.

'We're going to split into five groups of three and do a sweep of the docking module. We have permission to search every hangar, although we can't arrest anyone or seize anything not directly related to our mission,' Carth replied.

'Which is?' Canderous asked.

'Sith assassins. There have been several attacks in my own apartment and sightings in this area. We've been led to believe that this module may be their source,' Carth said.

'Makes sense. They had to get here somehow,' Dustil stated.

Carth's TSF soldiers hung on his every word. The admiration in their young eyes was almost indecent to look at. Not only was Carth an Admiral in the Republic fleet, he was also a crack pilot and he was very young for someone with such a high rank. He was attractive, too, although hopefully they hadn't noticed. He was wearing his Republic armor, rather than an official uniform, but he looked good, nonetheless. Nothing could outdo the tight black pants, but Alexis wouldn't complain. At least he'd lost the orange jacket. He was a figure to be looked up to, by men and women alike.

'I'll take Atton and Bao-Dur, then,' Alexis heard Kalen say. She had missed part of the conversation while she'd been busy watching Carth.

Canderous appeared at Alexis's side. 'I'll go with,' he glanced down at her for a moment, 'Lexi and Mical,' he said finally. It sounded so strange to hear him call her Lexi. He didn't appear to like it, either.

Dustil turned to his father. 'Mira and I will take one of your soldiers with us.'

Carth nodded. 'Walhrik,' he said shortly. A short, stocky redhead trotted immediately to Dustil's side, blaster in hand. His hair was almost exactly the same color as Mira's. Dustil, taller and darker than both of them, looked odd standing between his two fiery-haired companions.

'Visas, do you mind taking two TSF officers with you?' Kalen asked the Miraluka.

'I do not mind at all, Master,' she answered. Alexis didn't know how many times she'd heard Kalen ask the other woman not to call her master, but it seemed that old habits died hard.

'Pierce, Finelli,' Carth said, motioning towards Visas. Two dark haired men, one tall and one short, stepped forward. They moved more reluctantly than Walhrik had. They were eyeing the blind woman with undisguised suspicion. She smiled faintly at them, and Alexis wanted to laugh. She wondered what they would do if they knew that the Miraluka knew exactly what they were thinking.

Alexis turned to Canderous. 'I think that they might mind,' she whispered softly.

Canderous chuckled. 'He should've given them to me.'

'That's too cruel,' Alexis responded.

'Let's get this show on the road,' Atton said, pulling his blaster.

Carth nodded. 'Each group needs to take a comlink and head to the far end of the module. We'll start with the hangars on the end and make our way back this way.'

Alexis and Kalen both took comlinks from Carth. Alexis winked at him as she stepped back to Canderous's side. As she took her lightsaber off of her belt, she noticed that one of the soldiers beside Carth, a very slight blond boy with big blue eyes, was staring at her with a wary expression. She gave him a roguish grin and his eyes widened.

Canderous snorted. 'Bunch of cowards,' he muttered, making a face at the kid. He looked away quickly and Canderous chuckled darkly.

'You shouldn't treat them that way, Canderous,' Mical said stiffly.

Canderous turned back to look at him. 'What about you, kid? If I curled my lip at you, you'd do the same.'

'Stop that,' Alexis said, grabbing Canderous's arm. 'Let's go. They can catch up.' She let him go and jogged off, grinning.

She heard Canderous muttering darkly as he trotted after her. 'She has to run everywhere, doesn't she?'

Carth stood inside the final hangar with the other four groups, his blasters still gripped loosely in his hands. Three hours and around fifteen assassins later and they still didn't know where the Sith were coming from. They hadn't even all been in one hangar. There were generally one or two hiding in the backs of empty hangars, but no large group and certainly no transport. Carth was stymied.

Where were the bastards coming from? Had they gotten them all, or were there some to be found inside the residential module next door? Carth didn't know.

'Admiral, who's that girl?' Brant, the small blonde TSF officer, asked from Carth's left.

Carth glanced up. Alexis was standing over the body of an assassin. She was pointing something out to Canderous, who was watching over her shoulder. Carth noticed that there was a slice across her arm that was bleeding fairly profusely. 'Which one?' he asked, pretending not to know exactly who the boy was talking about.

'The black-haired one, really small, over there by that giant with the rifle?' Brant replied.

'They call her Lexi,' he said shortly. He hoped it sounded final, as if there was nothing else interesting about her.

'I didn't see her with them the last time they were here,' he observed. He was fairly intelligent, as Carth well knew.

'No. They picked her up sometime in between,' Carth told him. He wished Brant would just drop it.

'Is she a bounty hunter?' he asked.

Alexis was standing up once again and Canderous was looking at her arm. When she smiled up at him, Carth felt a flash of jealousy. 'Yeah. Something like that,' he responded.

'She's quite the leader. She's the only one I've seen that Mandalorian listen to,' Brant said.

'How did you know that he was a Mandalorian?' Carth asked.

'He was wearing Mandalorian armor the last time he was here,' the boy responded, giving Carth a strange look.

'Oh yeah,' Carth muttered. Damned kid and his observations. He was a bit too bright for his own good.

Brant was silent for a moment, watching Alexis. Carth followed suit. She was holding her palm over the injury on her other arm. A soft, green light slowly enveloped her entire forearm. When she pulled back, the cut was gone, but the tear in her shirt and the blood remained. 'Do you know how long she's been a Jedi?' Brant asked.

'No clue. Not long, I'd wager. The exile's been training her crew,' Carth said. He glanced over at the kid. 'Why are you so curious about her?'

'Mostly because she's gorgeous,' the kid conceded, 'but also because she has such a hold over the other two she's with.' He motioned towards her. Carth turned back. Mical was standing beside her now, too. She was standing on her tiptoes in front of Canderous, peering at a wound on his cheek. She dropped back to the ground and held her finger in front of it, emitting the same soft green light. Canderous was glaring at her, but not in a threatening way. It was more... tolerant. The cut disappeared. 'I think he'd kill anyone else who did the same,' Brant said with certainty.

Carth knew that Brant was right. Canderous's loyalty to Alexis was so unwavering that he might just abandon the Mandalorians to remain at her side, if she asked it. 'Probably,' Carth responded.

'She's wicked with that lightsaber,' Brant said.

'I've seen her slice someone in half,' Carth replied without thinking.

'Wow,' Brant muttered, his eyes filled with respect.

'Look, I've got to go and talk to the exile. You and Oren round up the others and wait for me by the shuttle. We'll deliver a report to Lieutenant Grenn and then you guys may take the rest of the day off,' Carth said.

'Yes, sir,' Brant said, forgetting about Alexis.

Carth watched the young man leave to find his friends. After a short pause, Carth ambled over to Kalen. She was fiddling with one of Atton's blasters. Atton himself was nowhere to be seen. 'Let's call everyone over here,' Carth said without hesitation.

Kalen nodded. 'Hey! Everybody, here!' Kalen shouted.

They arrived quickly, surrounding Kalen. Atton walked up behind her and put his arms around her. Carth was surprised she didn't protest. In fact, she looked rather pleased. She turned back and smiled at him. Alexis caught his eye as she approached and glanced over at them and raised her eyebrows, grinning. Carth shrugged.

'Not much of a fight,' Canderous said, gesturing with his gun.

'Is that all you ever think about?' Alexis asked him.

'Yes,' Canderous responded.

Kalen shook her head. 'So... we still don't know where your assassins are coming from.'

'There could be more that we have not found, Master,' Visas said. She rarely spoke when not spoken to directly, and Carth was surprised to hear her speak up now.

'I know. Carth's secretary said she'd been followed from her apartment, according to Alexis,' Kalen said.

'What we do know is that they didn't come here by any ship in this module,' Dustil said.

'At least not one that's here now,' Mira amended.

'So... does the search go on?' Atton asked over Kalen's head.

Alexis had listened to all of this in silence. Finally, she spoke. 'Something's not right about all of this, but we don't have the time to stick around and find out what. We're leaving tomorrow. I hate to leave Telos with assassins still on planet, but I don't see what choice we have. Besides, I think that I'm the reason that they're here in the first place. Hopefully once I'm gone, they'll leave too.' She looked downcast for a moment, but that disappeared as quickly as it had come.

'After we're gone, the TSF can take care of any Sith that are left. They haven't attacked anyone but you, and I don't think that they're likely to,' Carth told her.

Alexis nodded. 'I'm going to take a walk around the Citadel to see if there are any other assassins visible at the moment. I'd like to take one or two people with me, if someone would like to go.'

'I can't,' Carth said regretfully. He hoped that Canderous didn't go with her.

'I'll go,' Kalen volunteered.

'Me too,' Dustil added.

'If Kalen's going, I'm going,' Atton said.

'No thanks, Atton. Two's enough. Besides, you'd just distract her,' Alexis said.

'It won't take long, Atton,' Kalen said with a smile.

'I'll just go and play pazaak,' he replied. 'Anyone want a game?'

'I'll play with you,' Mira replied.

Carth watched the groups start to form: those going with Alexis, those going back to the Ebon Hawk, and him. Alexis turned to him suddenly, a speculative look in her eye. She walked over and stood on her tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. 'See you later, Admiral,' she said, trailing her hand down his arm.

Carth gave her a lopsided grin. 'I knew you couldn't resist the uniform.'

---

Alexis turned to Dustil and Kalen once the others were gone. 'Shall we?'

'You nearly stopped his heart, you know. You can't spontaneously kiss old men like that,' Dustil said.

'How old is he?' Alexis asked.

'You don't know?' Dustil responded.

Alexis shook her head. 'It's never come up. It doesn't really matter to me, anyway.'

'He's forty-three,' Dustil said.

'Fourteen years. It could be worse,' Kalen said.

'I wouldn't care if it were,' Alexis told them seriously.

'Okay, I think we're venturing into the 'more than I wanted to know' category,' Dustil said.

Alexis grinned at him. 'Come on. We haven't got all day.'

'Why not? What else have you got planned for today?' Kalen asked as they started out of the hangar.

'Oh. Hey... you want to go to dinner with Carth and I tonight? We're-'

'I thought I mentioned that 'more than I wanted to know' category...' Dustil interrupted.

'Ha, ha. No, we're having dinner with the Senator. She invited Kalen as well,' Alexis said, glaring at Dustil.

'No Atton?' Kalen asked.

'Well, she didn't specifically invite him, but I don't see why he couldn't come,' Alexis told her.

'I do. She'll probably kick you all out,' Dustil said.

'That's not very nice,' Alexis said.

'But probably true,' Kalen admitted ruefully.

'Oh, he knows how to control himself when he has to,' Alexis replied.

They made their way to the shuttle in silence. Inside the next module, Kalen turned to Alexis. 'I think I'll leave him on the Hawk. I'll come, but he probably wouldn't enjoy it.'

'Are you sure?' Alexis asked.

'Yes. He'll be much happier back on the ship with his pazaak deck,' Kalen responded.

'She wouldn't deal well with Atton,' Dustil said. 'She can barely deal with my dad. She's my third cousin,' he told Kalen.

'She's nice enough,' Alexis defended.

Kalen pointed to an apartment complex a few doors down. 'Isn't that the letter that they told us that Seré lives in?'

Alexis nodded. 'That's it. Let's take a look.' Alexis pulled her lightsaber and slipped into the main chamber. The doors to the apartments were in a semicircle around them.

'It's too light in here,' Kalen said, glancing around with her lightsaber in her hand.

'You're right,' Alexis said, clipping her lightsaber back to her belt. 'They have to be waiting for her somewhere. She said she thought they were following her from here, though.'

'She doesn't seem very bright to me,' Kalen muttered.

'Why is everything about these guys so mysterious? Don't they know that that gets old?' Alexis asked with a sigh.

Dustil laughed. 'You were a Sith. Wasn't the mask part of the mystery? I think that that was one of the most important lessons at the academy. Always remember: you must make your enemies go, 'Oh, how did he do that?'. It's all about style,' he said, putting his finger on his chin and posing.

'And being a Jedi isn't?' Kalen said. 'Have you seen our lightsaber forms? Some of them look more like elaborate dances and work about as well.'

'Speaking of style, when do we get to cut off all of Dustil's hair? He needs to look like a padawan, doesn't he?' Alexis asked.

'Do I get to call you Master?' Dustil asked, leering at her.

Alexis laughed. 'Be mindful of your thoughts, young padawan. They betray you,' she said sagely, folding her arms over her chest.

'Weren't we doing something here?' Kalen said.

'Making fun of ourselves,' Alexis responded.

'Do you really think we're going to find anything else?' Kalen asked.

'No, but we may as well finish our sweep of the Citadel,' Alexis answered with a sigh.

'This could take hours,' Dustil muttered, following the pair of them out of the apartment complex.

Alexis was collapsed in Carth's apartment several hours later, trying to force herself to get up and shower. She hadn't showered since the morning before and she felt a bit dirty. She even still had Kalen's tattoo on her arm. She had to be at the senator's apartment for dinner in two hours, and Carth would be home in one, but she just couldn't make herself get up.

Alexis glanced at the bloody tear in the sleeve of her shirt. She was probably just going to have to throw it away. That was okay with her. Shirts weren't hard to come by, it was the pants that were the problem. Sadly she was going to have to stop stealing Mira's clothes. Maybe Coruscant would have more options? Of course, once she got to Coruscant, she wouldn't need new clothes. She'd have Jedi robes.

How she hated Coruscant. It was just one huge city: no trees, no native animals, and no natural sounds to speak of. It stank of fuel and unwashed bodies and was full of horrible people. Alexis had always wondered how the Jedi Temple had ended up the there. Why would people seeking peace choose a planet of chaos?

She didn't want to go back. She'd lived there for nine years, and that was enough. She even hated visiting. Coruscant was worse than any world in the Unknown Regions. To her, Coruscant was worse than Malachor. And... she didn't know why she hated it so much. Many people found it distasteful, an entire world composed of one massive city... But her hatred bordered on obsessive.

Alexis sighed and rolled around in her position on the ground, lifting her hips and removing her belt and holster. She tossed them away. Why did the Senate have to be on Coruscant? Of course, if it weren't, Coruscant probably would have remained a normal world. Not only was the Senate often corrupt, but it corrupted everything around it. Perhaps that was why the Jedi had fallen so far. No. There was no one else to blame. The Jedi brought their doom upon themselves, her included.

Alexis sat up slowly and tugged off her boots and socks. She threw them near her belt and started on her hair. The pins and clips were everywhere, and her hair was now tangled in them. It took ages for her to find them. After twenty minutes, double the time it had taken her to make her hair look this way, she finally had removed all of the baubles that had held it in place. Her head hurt from the pins and her arms hurt from the effort. Would taking down her hair have been a frivolous use of the Force?

She stood and gathered her clothes and the hair pieces and took them back to Carth's room. She'd sort them out later. For now, she had to shower.

When Alexis emerged from the shower, still toweling her hair and dressed in a green tunic and brown tights, Carth was standing in the living room. She smiled faintly at him and sat down on the couch. 'Long time no see. How did it go at the TSF headquarters?'

'I hate paperwork,' he replied obliquely.

'That bad, huh?'

'Worse. When I finally got to leave, Seré followed me back to the office. I had some things I had to finish up before I left. She begged to stay here again tonight, where I could keep her safe.'

So Seré had been lying when she said she'd leave Carth alone. That figured. 'Is she going to Coruscant with us?'

'Actually, I've managed to convince her to stay. I have a feeling we won't see Telos for a long time after we visit Coruscant and I don't want Seré trailing after us,' he responded. 'You could be my secretary, if I had to have one.'

'Fat chance of that,' Alexis responded.

'I have to go hit the shower. When do we leave?'

Alexis glanced at the clock. 'You've got twenty minutes before we need to head over to pick up Kalen.'

Carth nodded. 'I'll be quick, then.'

Alexis watched him disappear into the bathroom. She rose and headed back to his room to get her boots and her belt. She was going to do it tonight. After their meeting with Senator Seraph, she was finally going to tell him that she loved him... And if anything else came up, she was going to go mad.

Alexis sat in Senator Seraph's living room, sipping a hot glass of tea. Kalen was, predictably, playing with the baby, and Carth and the senator were discussing the Sojourn and her husband and all sorts of things to do with being in the Republic's Navy. In short, Alexis was bored out of her mind.

Not once had they talked strategy for the upcoming meeting with the Senate or even mentioned the fact that they were leaving tomorrow. They talked about ships, they talked about the baby, and they talked about how lovely dinner had been. It was getting late, and Alexis was nervous, and her tea had enough caffeine in it to raise the dead. Not that she didn't like it that way, just that she was about to start twitching violently and possibly frothing at the mouth. Maybe they'd think she was ill and put her out of her misery.

Alexis shifted slightly. She was sitting on the sofa with her legs curled under her and she hadn't moved in more than twenty minutes. Things were starting to cramp. Badly. Or maybe she was going stir crazy. Alexis stood up quickly, only just managing not to slosh tea all down her front. She wasn't prone to hyperactivity, but things were getting out of hand. How was everyone else so calm?

Carth and Roshana Seraph stopped talking long enough to look up at her. Radek, startled by her sudden movement, began to cry, and Alexis could feel Kalen gently using the Force to quiet him. Alexis casually saluted the pair that was still staring at her. 'Ah- Sorry about that. Leg cramp.'

Feeling foolish, she took her glass of tea and made her way into the senator's kitchen. Her apartment was huge; at least four times the size of Carth's, and she had way too many things... everywhere. Alexis felt claustrophobic just looking around.

Alexis downed her tea in one gulp and almost scorched her throat. She washed the glass out in the sink and searched around for a moment, trying to decide just where it went. Eventually she was forced to give up and leave it on the counter.

Alexis tried to calm down but the caffeine had an iron grip on her system. She needed to meditate or something. Possibly drag Carth out in the hall, tell him that she loved him, and run away. No, not run away. Walk away. Calmly. Running away was too reminiscent of what she actually did do when she was worried about responsibility. Was walking away calmly the same thing?

Alexis sat down at the table and pressed her fingers to her forehead. Stark-raving mad, that's what she was. Nothing had ruined her evening yet and she was already crazy. Alexis pulled her hand away from her face and watched it tremble. Was that the tea, or fear? She didn't know anymore, and emotional cripple that she was, she probably never would.

Alexis sighed and put her hand back on her forehead. At least while it was there, she couldn't see it shaking. Never again would she drink anything caffeinated. Just in case. You couldn't be too careful.

Was reciting the Jedi code to calm your nerves before confessing your feelings for someone a faux-paus? Possibly an oxymoron? Phfft. The only type of moron around was her type: the nervous, twitchy, lovesick sort.

Kalen slid into the kitchen and Alexis sat up straight and dropped her hands to her knees. There wasn't a need for anyone else to know that she was losing it. She hoped her eyes didn't betray her by developing a violent tick or something terrible like that.

'Alexis...' Kalen began, grinning at her openly.

'What?' Alexis said crossly, flattening her feet on the floor so that they would stop bouncing.

'Are you okay?'

'No,' Alexis responded shortly. There went her wish to act like nothing was the matter.

'You've let this build up for too long. The anticipation is going to kill you,' Kalen said, leaning back in her chair.

'Thanks. Death would be preferable at the moment.'

'Oh, Lexi, chill out. You already know what's going to happen when you tell him. I don't know what you're worried about.'

'I do not know! Any number of things could happen... He rejects me utterly, I faint, he tells me that he feels the same way, I faint, I start to tell him, realize what I'm doing and- I faint-,' Alexis raved.

'I get the picture,' Kalen said. 'Now shut up.'

Alexis's eyes widened and she stared at Kalen for a moment as if she had grown two heads. 'It's going to work out just fine. He's been in love with you for more than four years. You'll be lucky if he doesn't suffocate you by jumping on you after you tell him.'

'He suffocates me, I faint,' Alexis added softly.

'It's more likely that you'll hyperventilate right now,' Kalen said with a laugh. 'Darth Revan, known to everyone as one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time, faints because she's telling her first boy that she loves him.'

'Don't- That's not funny.'

'Recite the Jedi Code or something. Doesn't that help you?'

'Isn't that sort of... wrong? Reciting the Jedi Code to calm down enough to admit to someone that you'll die if you're apart?'

'That's a good line. I need to write that down.'

'You're not helping,' Alexis said, taking a deep breath.

'Hey! That's it! Keep breathing. It won't do for him to think you're on spice,' Kalen told her, leaning across the table to pat her cheek.

'Don't touch me. Lunatics are vicious, you know,' Alexis told her, baring her teeth.

'Oh, you're cracking jokes! You're starting to return to normal. Thank the Force! For a moment there, I thought I'd lost you.'

Alexis took another deep breath. 'Were you like this, or am I just pathetic?' she asked.

'Actually, Atton beat me to it. He threw me on a bed, pinned me down, and told me he loved me. I didn't really get the chance to respond for some time and-,' Kalen began.

'I don't want to know,' Alexis said, holding up her still-shaking hands as if to ward her off.

Kalen grinned. 'I'll be glad when we get to leave. I'm looking forward to getting back to the Hawk.'

'Good for you,' Alexis muttered, resting her palms on the table.

'How about some tea?' Kalen offered, glancing around the kitchen.

'Are you kidding? That's part of why I'm this way in the first place!'

'They make decaf, you know.'

'I don't want anything. But thank you. And thank you for talking to me. My sanity is slowly returning. I think it was all that time being alone with my thoughts. I worked myself into a frenzy.'

'More like worried yourself into a frenzy,' Kalen replied.

'I wish we hadn't been interrupted the first time. I was ready then,' Alexis said softly, drawing a final deep, cleansing breath.

'You'll be fine,' Kalen reassured her again.

'Do you think we'll get to leave soon?'

'I sure hope so. I have plans.'

Alexis rolled her eyes. 'I'll bet Atton does, too.'

'Oh, he does. He's hovering around the edges of my mind, you know, the mental equivalent of whispering sweet nothings in my ear. He's been doing it all night. I almost started laughing during dinner.'

'Is that when you choked on your water?' Alexis asked with a grin.

'Yep. Want to know what he said?'

'I'll pass, thanks.'

'It was very sweet...'

'I'm sure.'

'You're no fun,' Kalen accused.

'That's me.'

'Feel better?'

'Mostly.'

'Do you want to head back into the living room?'

'He's out there,' Alexis said seriously.

'Yes, he'll be there later when you admit that you're madly in love with him, too.'

'It's tragic, really. Can't he just read between the lines?'

'You're really something, you know that?'

'So they tell me.'

---

Carth looked up as Alexis and Kalen slid back into the room. Alexis was certainly behaving strangely. The senator was still talking about her husband, so he could listen with only half an ear while she talked. He knew almost everything she was telling him. It was clear that the poor woman missed her husband, the way she was talking about him. He'd been gone for almost two months now, and with a new baby, that was probably very hard. Still, it was very difficult for him to concentrate on her when all he could think about was Alexis.

They were finally going to have their evening alone, at least, as long as he could get the good senator to shut her mouth soon. Perhaps that was what was making Alexis act so oddly. What was she nervous about? Afraid he was going to jump her or something? He'd had plenty of opportunities if that were his goal...

Alexis glanced over at him, caught his eyes, and looked away, blushing. That was not her usual behavior. Kalen shrugged back at him, smiling. Carth nodded at the senator when she paused. That seemed to be the right answer because she started talking again. Carth never would have guessed that she could carry on a conversation with herself for this long.

Alexis was watching him. He could feel her piercing gaze, almost like she was willing him to get them out of there, fast. Maybe she was, at that. Carth glanced back over at the senator. Still going strong. Damn.

He refocused on her words. '... and of course, we said yes. Radek and I would love to visit him on the Sojourn as soon as the Senate is out of session.'

'It's great that you two are so close,' Carth said, smiling sincerely. He meant that, even if he hadn't been listening to her.

Apparently, she wasn't expecting him to say anything. She smiled back. 'It's hard to stay that way when he has to be gone so much.'

Out of the corner of his eye, Carth spotted Alexis yawning widely. He knew she wasn't tired. Kalen was watching over a sleeping Radek, her eyes half-closed herself. Carth glanced over at the clock. 'Especially with a toddler,' Carth said, trying to act as if the time meant nothing to him.

'Look at how late it is!' Roshana exclaimed, following his gaze. 'I'm sure you all have other places to be.'

Carth shrugged. 'We can stay, if you'd like.'

'Oh, no, I need to get Radek to bed. You don't mind, do you?' she asked, giving him a worried smile.

'Not at all. Alexis looks tired,' he said, glancing over at her. She yawned again on cue.

'Only a little,' she conceded.

'I'm so sorry to have kept you so late,' the senator said, standing.

Carth followed suit. 'That's okay. We don't mind.'

'Your son is absolutely adorable,' Kalen said, arriving beside the senator and offering her her hand. She shook it firmly.

'I'm sorry we didn't get to know one another better, Kalen. It was very nice to meet you,' Roshana said.

'Oh, we'll have plenty of time to talk on the transport,' Kalen responded.

'I had a lovely time,' Alexis said, offering the senator her hand. They shook as well.

'It was nice to see you again,' the senator replied.

'You too,' Alexis said.

'It's always a pleasure, Roshana,' Carth said, offering her his hand last. They shook as well. He was always amazed by how firm her handshake was for a woman.

'The same to you, Carth. I'll see you tomorrow?' she said, releasing him and leading them towards the door.

'Of course,' Carth replied.

'Have a nice night!' the senator called. They all slid out the door.

'You too!' Alexis said. The senator watched as they walked quickly towards the shuttle.

Once in the bordering module, Kalen let out a relieved sigh. 'Force I hate long goodbyes. She seems nice enough, but I thought we weren't ever going to get out of there.'

'She's lonely,' Alexis said.

'Well I'm not,' Kalen responded, grinning. Carth chuckled. Clearly Kalen was deliriously happy.

'Yeah, you and Atton won't ever have that particular problem. Now that he's got you, he isn't going to let you out of his sight,' Alexis replied.

'Possessive, isn't he?' Kalen asked.

Alexis shrugged. 'Whatever works for you, dear.'

As the far end of the module, Kalen pointed towards the shuttle beside the one that they need to take. 'That's my ride. You all have a nice night,' she said, winking at Alexis. Alexis smiled at her.

Carth looked back and forth between them for a moment, trying to figure out just what was going on. They must have talked about something fascinating while they were in his cousin's kitchen. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know what, exactly. Especially not if it involved Atton.

Alexis turned and looked at him. 'Erm- Let's head on over to the apartment...'

Something was definitely up. He couldn't decide whether or not things were looking good for him. The hint of fear in her eyes suggested that they weren't, but he couldn't be certain. Her smile had faded and she looked altogether a bit too anxious for his liking. 'Everything okay?' he asked, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

She watched their hands for a moment as they stepped off of the shuttle. 'I think it will be soon,' she said quietly, and Carth glanced over into her eyes. She smiled softly and his heart leapt. Maybe it would after all.

Inside the apartment, Alexis sat down and tugged off her boots and socks while Carth stood nearby, watching her every move. It was a bit disconcerting, to be looked at like that. She wasn't sure what to make of him.

Her fear had ebbed and she was now remarkably calm. She was going to tell him that she loved him, and everything was going to be all right. The real problem was how she would lead into it. Did she just blurt it out, while he was standing there looking at her? That probably wasn't very romantic. She owed him at least that, since it had taken her four years to finally spit it out. Oh, she'd said it the first time, and meant it, but she'd been feeling rather fatalistic at the time. She had been on her way to meet Malak, after all. It had sounded as if she were just agreeing with him because she was about to die. People did strange things when confronted with their own mortality.

Alexis unhooked her belt and slipped it into one of her boots before neatly folding her legs beneath her. Carth was still watching her quietly and Alexis felt some of her nervous energy return to her. What if she just walked over and kissed him? Would that properly convey her feelings? No, that wasn't a good idea. She wasn't very experienced at it. She was probably a bad kisser.

Oh good, something else to worry about. She'd only been kissed five times in her life: twice by Malak when she was young, once by a spacer in a cantina on the Outer Rim, and twice by Carth. Being able to count all of the kisses you'd had in your lifetime on one hand was rather pathetic, wasn't it?

Malak had kissed her once before they had parted during the Wars and once on the Star Forge. The first time had been for good luck and the second was in desperation. It was funny that she could remember those when so many other details about her life escaped her.

The spacer had been a strange encounter. She'd been depressed and was heading for the Unknown Regions where, once again, she thought she was going to die. She had still been thinking of Carth and hadn't resisted when the drunken young man had kissed her. She'd immediately felt guilty and fled the planet. Hhmm: another instance of running away from her feelings.

The kisses she'd shared with Carth had been soul searing. The first time had been right after she'd killed Malak. He'd been so surprised to see her alive that he had caught her up in his arms and kissed her for all that he was worth and she'd been so surprised to be alive that she'd let him. The second time had been when she'd told him that she was leaving for the Unknown Regions. That time he had kissed her and she hadn't responded. She'd pulled back and left immediately. In fact, she wasn't sure that she'd even said goodbye.

So how was she going to do this? How could she right all of the wrongs she'd dealt this wonderful man in all the time that they had known one another? Alexis glanced over at him. He raised his eyebrows and waited. He obviously wasn't going to make this easy for her. Not that she deserved it. Not after the way she had treated him.

'We're alone,' Alexis said finally, glancing around the apartment.

Carth nodded. 'We've been alone before,' he said. He still clearly didn't believe that she was ready to do it.

'Not lately,' Alexis muttered darkly, thinking of Seré. She drifted back into silence. This shouldn't be so difficult. Alexis thought for a moment. 'Do you remember the Duel Ring on Taris?'

Carth furrowed his eyebrows. 'Yeah, what about it?'

Alexis smiled slightly. 'I was just a pathetic little scoundrel with two vibroblades and an attitude problem.'

'I remember the attitude,' Carth replied.

'Thanks,' Alexis replied dryly. 'Do you remember any of the fights?'

'Only faintly. I remember they called you the 'Mysterious Stranger',' he said, using the proper inflection on the name so that he sounded just like the announcer had.

'Those first two fights were so easy-,' Alexis began.

'Yeah. You thought you could walk on water, never mind the fact that they called one of them 'Dead-Eye' and the other one had blown off half of his hand,' Carth said with a chuckle.

'How was I to know that they were pushovers?' Alexis exclaimed.

'It was obvious to me,' Carth replied, smiling at her.

'Oh, come on! I was only a cute little rogue. I thought that I had smuggled illegal goods for a living. What was I supposed to do? I didn't know anything about the Force.'

'Well, you did, the Jedi Council had just conveniently helped you to forget,' Carth responded seriously.

'I didn't bring it up to talk about the Jedi Council again,' Alexis said, shaking her head. 'I wanted to talk about that third fight. Do you remember that one?'

'Not really,' Carth replied, walking over and sitting in the chair opposite her. He wouldn't even sit by her, hmm? He was going to be very difficult indeed.

'Her name was Ice.'

'Oh yeah. She kicked your ass.'

'She did not! I won that fight.'

'Yeah, and I carried you out of the arena more than half dead.'

Alexis smiled at him. 'I know. Do you know how many times you've had to take care of me after I nearly killed myself in a fight?'

Carth's eyes narrowed. 'What's your point?'

'There was that time on Korriban. I'd just killed Uthar and Yuthura and I sort of staggered back to the Hawk. I remember you had to drag me back to my bunk.'

'You'd just saved my son.'

'When I woke up, you were right there. I can still see you face, if I think back. That was right before the Leviathan captured us,' Alexis said softly. 'You did it after I fought Malak, too. I collapsed right after I got back to you guys. I didn't wake up for a few days.' She wondered if he could see where she was going with this.

'He almost beat you,' Carth said quietly.

'Jolee told me you hovered over me the entire time, trying to make sure I stayed alive, even after they had healed me.'

'I still don't see where you're going with this,' Carth replied. He was the one who looked anxious now. Alexis was heartened. This was becoming easier and easier.

'You're always there when I need you, Onasi.'

Carth cleared his throat. 'That's what friends are for.'

'You're not my friend,' Alexis said calmly, unfolding her legs and leaning towards him, but staying in her seat. She propped her chin in her hand and waited for his answer.

'I'm not?'

'No.'

'May I ask why not?'

'Because I don't love my friends the way that I love you.'

'Could you- repeat that...?' Carth said in a strangled tone.

'Yeah. I love you, Carth Onasi, and I have since I woke up on Taris and saw those suspicious brown eyes glaring down at me for that first time.'

'That's not a very nice way to put it,' Carth said, remaining in his seat.

Alexis was startled. He wasn't even going to come over to her? Why hadn't he said it back? 'You're the reason I came back,' Alexis said uncertainly, meeting his eyes. They were just as nervous as they had been before. What was the problem here? Alexis rose and stood beside the chair, fighting the overwhelming urge to run away. He was just... looking at her. 'I love you,' she whispered, biting her lip.

She watched in slow motion as he stood up and stepped to her side. He didn't touch her, although he did raise his hand as if to press it to her cheek and lower it almost immediately. Alexis felt the sting of tears. Had she been wrong, all of this time? Did he not love her after all?

'Force, Lexi, don't cry,' he whispered, finally folding her in his arms. She was trembling again. 'I love you, too, beautiful,' he said against her hair.

Alexis leaned back to look up at him again. He still looked worried. She reached up and gently touched his face. 'Carth?' Alexis said tentatively. Why didn't he kiss her?

'I- I don't want to scare you,' he admitted, putting his hand over hers.

Alexis smiled faintly. He was afraid of frightening her. Force... she'd thought for a moment that he didn't want her. 'I'm not afraid,' Alexis replied.

Carth leaned down and hesitantly brushed his lips against hers. The pressure was so light that Alexis thought for a moment that she was imagining it. They stayed that way, for a moment, their lips pressed together and their bodies apart. Unable to resist, Alexis carefully slid her body against his. Carth pulled back, startled, and Alexis slid her fingers into his hair and gently tugged his lips back to her own.

He was reluctant, at first, but after a moment of indecision, he deepened the kiss. Alexis responded with all the passion she dared, holding herself in check for fear of embarrassing herself. Carth's gentle ministrations tore down her inhibitions, however, and he prolonged the kiss until she was breathless. When they broke apart, the joy and love in his eyes nearly overwhelmed her.

Alexis attempted to catch her breath, her face only inches from his. His lips descended upon her neck, raining small bites and kisses down on her tender flesh. Excited and a little bit afraid, Alexis gasped and tilted her head aside to allow him easier access. She could feel his warm fingers massaging her waist and she slid her arms around to trail down his back.

It seemed to take all of his self-control to tear himself away. He looked into her eyes and started to set her away from him. 'We shouldn't... I can't...' he began.

Alexis leaned forward and pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him. 'I have been waiting twenty-nine years for you, Carth. That's long enough.'

He shook his head. 'It's been so long... What if I hurt you?'

'You're not going to hurt me,' Alexis whispered back, sliding back into his arms. He didn't resist when she kissed him again. His hands caressed her body haltingly. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She slid her hands beneath his shirt and rubbed her fingers over his taut muscles. She could hardly think.

Carth responded by stepping away from her long enough to toss the shirt away. She looked up into his eyes for a moment, smiling slightly, and hesitantly pressed her lips to his chest. He moaned softly and lifted her chin to kiss her again.

Alexis pulled away quite suddenly. Carth looked at her, wide-eyed, and Alexis pointed towards the door. 'You won't believe this. Someone's at the door.'

Carth snarled a rather foul curse and grabbed his shirt off of the ground. He tugged it on quickly and thrust open the door. Dustil Onasi stood just outside, looking as if he were about to knock.

'Ah... Mira kicked me out,' Dustil said, glancing apprehensively at his father's frustrated expression.

'Can't you keep a girlfriend for more than a week?' Carth growled as Dustil slid into the apartment. In the background, Alexis collapsed into helpless laughter.

---

Alexis looked on as Dustil dealt their third hand of pazaak. 'Where did Dad go?' he asked, glancing towards the kitchen's door.

'I'm not sure. He seemed fairly upset,' Alexis said, following his gaze. 'He'll calm down eventually, though.'

'I hope so,' Dustil responded. 'It won't do for my only source of credits to disown me. From what I hear, the Jedi don't make many.'

'A few here and there, but you won't be making any for very long time. You're not even technically a padawan yet.'

'I gather that I interrupted something,' Dustil said with a grin.

'Not exactly... Mostly we were just talking,' Alexis said sheepishly.

'Right... I'm not sure I believe that, but go ahead and stick to your story. I don't mind, so long as you keep him happy. It was getting hard to stand him, he was so- miserable.'

'I hope I've fixed that.'

'Not yet, if I haven't misunderstood the situation.'

Alexis immediately blushed. 'Ah... so- why did Mira kick you out?'

'It's actually really stupid.'

'Go ahead and tell me. I could use a good laugh.'

'She wouldn't tell me about Hanharr.'

'Who's Hanharr?' Alexis asked, perplexed.

'I don't know. I just know that he was a wookiee and he owed her a life-debt. She just won't talk about it.'

'So she kicked you out because you asked about a wookiee named Hanharr?'

Dustil turned over another card in silence. It took him a moment to respond. 'I didn't exactly ask nicely. And I kept pushing her. I hate having things hidden from me.'

'Like father, like son,' Alexis muttered.

'What?'

'Nothing. Continue.'

'She finally started shouting about me minding my own business and-,' Dustil began.

Alexis cut him off. 'Don't tell me you mentioned the red hair.'

'Is that so wrong? Redheads are naturally angry...'

'Oh, Dustil. I can't believe you said anything! That is the worst possible thing you can mention to an angry redheaded woman, especially one with a lightsaber. You're lucky she didn't do worse than kicking you out.'

'I just don't see why she's being so secretive. I've told her about some of the things I did on Korriban. I've even told her about my mother.'

'From what Kalen's told me, she was an orphaned slave when she was a girl: a Mandalorian slave. I'm fairly sure that the touchy-feely sort of emotions were not encouraged. She's probably not used to having anyone to talk to, either. She is a bounty hunter, after all.'

'Yeah, well, I was an orphan too,' Dustil said quietly, glancing up to meet her eyes.

'That's not fair. It wasn't his fault,' Alexis defended quickly.

'Wasn't it?'

Alexis shook her head violently. 'If he'd known you were alive, he would have moved planets to find you.'

'It doesn't matter anymore. I've forgiven him.'

Alexis smiled sadly. 'I don't think he's forgiven himself.'

'I know.'

Alexis looked away. 'You know, a wookiee named Zaalbar pledged a life-debt to me once on Taris. It's a great honor. I can't really understand why she wouldn't be willing to talk about it. It's no secret or anything.'

'Dad's told me about that. That's part of why I'm so confused.'

Alexis glanced down at the cards, forgotten on the table. 'I haven't seen him in ages. I think that he is the chieftan now on Kashyyyk.'

'You always end up with powerful friends that owe you something,' Dustil said with a laugh.

'Listen, I think that you should just give Mira some time to cool off. She'll come back around. If that's what you want, at least.'

'What do you mean, if that's what I want? Of course it's what I want,' Dustil said quickly.

'I wasn't sure how you felt about her,' Alexis replied.

Dustil gave her a rueful smile. 'I'm not either. I want to get to know her better, but she's a hard girl to get close to.'

'I was under the impression that the two of you were very close.'

'You know that's not what I meant.'

'I'm sorry,' Alexis said quietly.

Dustil scooped the cards back up, shuffled, and dealt. 'Let's try this again. It will give us something to do until dear old Dad comes back.'

Alexis nodded. 'Republic Senate Rules?'

'Yeah. Didn't I mention that I was broke?'

Carth paced back and forth across his bedroom: four steps forward, turn, and four steps back. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He was going to have to stay back here for a good while if he didn't want to strangle his only offspring. He had to be careful. At this rate, he wasn't even going to have the opportunity to have any more.

He had been absolutely astonished when Alexis had told him that she loved him. At first, he'd thought he was dreaming or even hallucinating. She'd actually said that she needed him. And she loved him. He grinned foolishly for a moment before realizing he was doing it and carefully wiping the smile away. A few steps later, he remembered that he was alone, and the smile bloomed anew. No one was going to see him looking like an idiot. He could do what he liked.

Things still had not gone perfectly. He hadn't been willing to touch her immediately. He had been terrified that his towering need for her, built up over the last four years of loneliness, would frighten her away. He'd been able to control himself before, when he hadn't been certain of her feelings. Once he knew... it had been very hard to keep his impulses in check. And she was just so damned innocent.

He could tell that she hadn't been kissed very many times. He'd already guessed that, of course, from the few times that they had kissed before, but it was still refreshing to meet someone for whom the experience was so new. It made him feel like a kid again, and he loved her and wanted her all the more for it. Her pure, unsullied passion turned him on more than he could say.

Not to mention that she was devastatingly beautiful and didn't really know it. Those big green eyes and all of that silky black hair... This wasn't helping, Carth thought as he walked. Their chances for time together away from the others were dwindling. Soon, they'd be on that transport ship, on their way to Coruscant.

Was there ever going to be time for just them? Probably not. They'd just have to steal moments where they could get them. Why had Dustil chosen tonight to piss his girlfriend off? Couldn't he have waited just one more day? Couldn't she have kicked him out tomorrow?

Carth stopped in the middle of the room and glanced down to check his appearance. He didn't look too much like he'd been pacing. His clothes were only a bit rumpled. That was partially Alexis's fault anyway. His hair was probably a mess from running his hands through it, but that didn't matter. Lexi had helped with that as well.

He stalked from the room and made his way to the kitchen where the sounds of laughter greeted him. Alexis smiled warmly at him the moment he entered and Dustil grinned sort of sheepishly. 'How's it going, you two?' Carth said after a moment. Dustil relaxed and Carth took a seat beside Alexis.

'I'm getting beaten at pazaak. Fairly badly, actually. You'd think after all of the times I have played, I'd have gotten better or learned how to cheat, but I haven't. I still always lose,' Alexis said lightly.

'She is pretty bad,' Dustil added.

Carth nodded. 'I know. What brings you here?'

'I told you, Mira asked me to leave,' Dustil responded.

'He might've mentioned something about anger and red hair,' Alexis added. Carth turned to look at her again and he saw that her eyes were dancing merrily. Despite their interruption, she was a happy girl.

'Not too bright,' Carth told his son, making a face.

Dustil shrugged. 'I won't make the same mistake twice.'

Carth casually slipped his hand over to Alexis's knee and squeezed gently. She jerked violently and blushed when Dustil raised his eyebrows. She turned to look at Carth and stuck her tongue out. He squeezed again and she hastily brushed his hand away.

'Are we just going to sit out here all night and play cards?' Alexis asked, looking at both of them.

He didn't see why not. If they ended up in the same bed for the night, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions. With Dustil there, that could prove a little awkward. 'May as well. All we have to do tomorrow is hop on a ship.'

'Well, I do have to swing by and pick up those Jedi robes I had made. What time does the transport leave, anyway?' Alexis asked.

Carth had forgotten about the Jedi robes. He certainly hadn't missed seeing her in them. They were far too dull and baggy. 'Mid-morning,' he responded.

Dustil was glaring at his cards. 'I may have actually lost this hand.'

'It's good for you,' Alexis said. 'We wouldn't want you to get cocky.'

Carth yawned and pulled Alexis's chair closer to his. She smiled at him shyly and he felt a heady rush of pleasure. Force, she made him melt. He leaned down and kissed her forehead and she responded with a quick peck on his lips before turning back to the card game.

'Would you two get a room?' Dustil said in exasperation.

Alexis turned her sharp gaze on him and smiled sweetly. 'We had one, if you'll recall.'

'Yeah,' Carth added. 'Until someone turned up and spoiled our fun.' Dustil and Alexis flushed and Carth laughed at them both. After a moment, Alexis turned to Carth and took his hand. Carth smiled at her. Everything was right in his world. Well, almost everything.

Morning came quickly. Alexis stood in the corner of Carth's bedroom while he finished packing. She'd tossed some of her things into the bottom of his bag not long before. They were both light travelers.

Dustil was in the living room napping on the couch. It appeared that he wasn't quite as good at going without sleep as Alexis was. Even Carth was showing a little strain, but that was okay. They would have plenty of time to sleep later aboard the ship.

Alexis watched as he zipped up the bag. 'Do you think that the tailor is open yet?' Carth asked her.

Alexis shook her head. 'Not yet. She will be shortly, though. Do you want to start to walk over there? We can just pick up Kalen's things ourselves. They're probably still in bed.'

'Where we should've been,' Carth replied, grinning.

Alexis smiled back, a delicate blush coloring her cheeks. It was too bad that they hadn't had the chance. She wasn't sure how they were going to be quartered on their new ride, but she didn't think it would be very convenient where things of that nature were concerned. She might be surprised, however. 'Come on. We can walk slowly. Maybe we can even stop and watch the sun rise.'

Carth smiled and held out his hand. She took it without hesitation and he squeezed hers gently. They walked in companionable silence to one of the outer modules of the Citadel. There, clearly visible, was the rising sun. They stood together to watch it come up.

---

Alexis glanced over at Carth from beneath her hood and he smiled at her. 'Do you miss her?' Alexis asked without thinking. The moment the words were out, she wished she could take them back, but there was nothing that she could do. Who in their right mind mentioned someone's dead wife in a situation like this?

He looked back out of the massive glass window before them, staring at the sky. 'Morgana was... a wonderful woman,' he began slowly. 'I miss her very much.'

She could clearly see the pain in his eyes and knew it was reflected in her own. It had been very stupid of her to even bring it up. Alexis bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to the window to watch the sun. She knew he'd never forget Morgana, but she hadn't known that the hurt was still so fresh.

After several more seconds of complete silence, this time a bit more uncomfortable, Carth gently slid his hands onto her shoulders. Alexis tensed for a moment and then, ashamed, she forced herself to relax.

'Alexis... I loved Morgana very much, but I know that she's gone. I'm always going to miss her, but I've gotten over the worst of it. I've killed Saul Karath and I've gotten my son back,' he said, pausing for a moment and rubbing her shoulders. 'Now I have you. Before I met you, I lived for revenge on the man that destroyed my family. Now, I have something new to live for. It's you. Someone has to take care of you. You'll drive yourself to exhaustion if someone isn't there to stop you. I have to hang around to pick you back up when you fall down,' he said the last with a hint on humor.

'I'm not trying to take your wife's place,' Alexis said quickly, glancing up at him. The hood made talking difficult. Alexis wished that she could take it off. Oh well. Everyone would know who she was again soon enough.

'And you won't, because you don't have to. You've got my whole heart, beautiful. I'm yours,' Carth said, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her cheek.

Alexis turned her face and met his lips for a quick kiss. 'You always know what to say, Admiral. I'll bet you were a real ladies' man when you were a kid.'

'I was married at eighteen. When did I have the chance?' He asked with a laugh.

One side of Alexis's mouth quirked up into a smirk. 'Did you have an earring?'

'Why, do you like them?' he asked instead of answering.

'I just thought you'd probably look good with one.'

'Fine. I did. I had an earring. Are you happy?'

'No. Why did you get rid of it?'

'I'm a little old for one now, don't you think?'

Alexis huffed. 'Whatever you say.' So he had had an earring. He'd probably looked very good in it, too. 'Hey! Do you have a holo of that?'

He made a face. 'Probably, but you don't really want to see that, do you?'

'Only if you're wearing those black pants.'

'You really like those pants, huh?'

'I love them if you promise never to wear them in public again. I might have to follow you around with my lightsaber to fight off the throngs of adoring women.'

'Somehow, I doubt that.'

'You underestimate the power of the pants, my dear. That is a mistake,' Alexis said gravely.

'I did have lots of offers for dinner that day.'

'Who was it? I'll carve out their heart,' Alexis teased.

'Seré, for one,' Carth said, chuckling.

'Oh good, I owe her. I've got a few things I'd like to pay that girl back for.'

'Jedi aren't allowed revenge,' Carth said from behind her.

'Which is hardly fair. I'd say that we have more reason for revenge than most, after being mostly wiped out and all.'

'What about the Mandalorians?'

'There are more of them. As far as we know, there are fewer than ten Jedi. Besides, the Jedi didn't nearly conquer the galaxy.'

'No, but the Sith did.'

'Damn. I'd forgotten that.'

'That means that all of their hearts have to remain in their chests,' Carth told her, grinning.

Alexis snorted. 'Seré probably doesn't have a heart in the first place.'

'Then you shouldn't have to worry.'

'Come on, let's head over to the tailor's. She's probably open by now.'

Carth shrugged. 'Okay.' He took her hand again and they walked the rest of the way to the tailor's shop in the center of the Citadel. Several people greeted Carth. Alexis attempted to pull her hand back, worried about what people would think, but Carth wouldn't let her go. 'It doesn't matter,' he kept telling her. Finally, Alexis gave in. It wasn't like anyone would recognize her under the hood anyway.

When they arrived, Nicola Baien was waiting right inside the door. She ushered them in without a word and locked the door behind them. 'Revan,' she greeted as Alexis dropped her hood. Carth raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. 'And Admiral Onasi. I'm surprised to see the two of you here together,' Nicola said.

Alexis smiled at her. 'It isn't that shocking, is it?'

'I've always thought of the Admiral as a bit of a... Well. I didn't expect to find him in the presence of a former Sith Lord. That's all. No offense, sir,' Nicola added as an afterthought.

Alexis glanced over at him to see what his reaction was. Carth frowned at her for a moment. 'None taken,' he said, a bit dubiously, Alexis thought.

'Is my order ready?' Alexis asked.

'Yes. Will you be taking your friend's as well?'

Alexis nodded. 'Yep. I brought Carth along to play pack animal.'

'Thanks,' Carth muttered, smirking.

Alexis watched as Nicola hustled off to retrieve their things. She came back with the dress robes and Alexis's gloves first. Alexis promptly slid on the gloves. They fit perfectly. Slender, black, and lightweight, they were the most wonderful garments Alexis had ever owned. She sighed curled her fingers against them, then spread them wide and turned her hands over to look at them.

'Those look lovely on you!' Nicola exclaimed as she bustled back into the room, tossing the last of the robes down, along with a set of brown boots Alexis had ordered.

'Are there enough of these things?' Carth asked, lifting up Kalen's pink tunic from the top of the pile and holding it in the air. 'Pink?' he added, frowning at it.

'That one's Kalen's,' Alexis responded. 'Do you have two bags that we can put these in?'

Nicola gave them the bags and Carth loaded them quickly. Alexis paid the tailor and slung the lighter of the two loads over her shoulder. 'Thank you, Nicola. It's been nice to see you again,' Alexis said, offering the woman her hand.

Nicola gave her a quick hug instead. 'It's been nice to see you too, Revan.' She turned to Carth. 'Take good care of her, Admiral. She's a good girl.'

Alexis smiled and Carth nodded gravely. 'I will,' he replied, holding out his hand. She hugged him, too.

'If you ever need anything else, I'll be here,' Nicola said as they started to leave.

'I'll remember,' Alexis said. She and Carth started back towards the apartment. 'Hey Carth, do you think we could go ahead and take these to the transport? It seems like it would be silly to carry them all the way to the apartment just to have to turn around take them back out to the ship.'

Carth nodded. 'Sure. We can head over there. I'll show you our rooms.'

The walk took about ten minutes. The ship was parked outside of a rather large hangar bay. The thing was enormous. The Wayfarer, it read in enormous Basis letters on the side. 'How I hate transports,' Alexis said, shifting the bag on her shoulder.

'It won't be so bad. There aren't going to be too many people onboard. I know that we all managed to get our own rooms,' Carth responded.

'Really? Ten of them? And to think that we probably won't need all of them, anyway.'

Alexis followed Carth onto the ship. A soldier watching the entrance ramp didn't even stop them. He recognized Carth, saluted once, and ignored them completely. Alexis was glad. She didn't want to be bothered. Carth appeared to already know exactly where they were going, because he made his way directly back to the rooms that they had been assigned. They had one large common room with a living area and kitchen and twelve bedrooms.

'Is the senator staying back here as well?' Alexis asked, taking in their temporary accommodations. They weren't bad, as ships went. In fact, they were quite nice.

'I'm afraid so. If she spouts one more line about her husband, you may have to restrain me.'

'She misses him,' Alexis said, tossing her bag onto a nearby sofa.

'Clearly,' Carth muttered, doing the same.

'So, which room is mine?'

'Whichever you'd like, I assume,' Carth responded. 'They're probably all the same.'

Alexis glanced into two of the rooms. They were fairly standard. A restroom equipped with a shower, a single bed, a dresser, and a table with a clock on it. And Carth had been right. They were identical.

'Where are they going to keep the Ebon Hawk?' Alexis asked, sliding into of the chairs in the common room. Carth stood beside her, still eyeing his surroundings.

'There's a little hangar at the back,' he replied.

'Who's going to fly it over, you or Atton?'

'Actually, Atton should be bringing it up here shortly. We need to run back to the apartment and get our other things,' Carth said.

'I'll go. You stay here and do whatever it is that you need to do.'

'How did you know I have things to do here?' Carth asked.

'Please. I can read you like a book. I'll be back with Dustil in about half an hour. See you then,' Alexis said, turning to leave. Carth caught her arm and hauled her against him. He leaned down and kissed her once, never taking his eyes off of hers.

After a moment, Alexis pulled away, grinning. 'Things to do, Admiral. No time for that now.'

Carth sighed. 'I know. See you later.' Alexis gave him another quick kiss and ran off before he could catch her again and really kiss her. If they got started, it would be very hard for them to stop.