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driftinginninesFandom: Star Wars: Expanded Universe, Legacy of the Force era
Characters: Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus, Tenel Ka
Word Count: 2080
Date Finished: September 29, 2006
Author's Notes: There are two main "events" going on in this story - one is during The Joiner King (this counts as ANOTHER story of mine about that night, heheh) and the other is late Legacy of the Force. This was also before Caedus was officially named Caedus, but I'm tagging it in this story cause he's pretty much Caedus in part of this.
Breathless
There was something in his eyes. She could usually identify and read everything about him. His expressions, his movements, his thoughts. That something in his eyes though, she didn't know what it meant. But she didn't let it get to her. What mattered was that he was here. Padding out of the refresher and drying her hair from the quick shower she had taken, she stopped when she saw him. He was standing with his back to her, staring out the tall picture windows that stretched across her quarters, his eyes following the moons and stars above Hapes. He had on a pair of nondescript black pants that only hung to below his knees and his hands were clasped behind his back, which was bare. She could see his shoulder blades shifting slightly as he sensed her and began to turn to face her.
"Jacen."
She came in the room to face him, sliding around the corner and stopping mid-step. Her hair hung in sweaty strands that brushed against her cheeks, while the fingers of her right hand wrapped around the rough handle of her lightsaber. He was perched atop a table that ran along the conference rooms massive transparisteel window, down on his haunches, his eyes following the passing lanes of Coruscant traffic. She saw his head tilt to the side slightly -- she knew he sensed her. And as he shifted to face her, she spoke out, only able to say his name.
"Jacen..."
As he turned, his face -- even in the dim light of the chamber -- visibly brightened at the sight of her. It was a pleasant shift of his features, his eyes softening and a hint of that lopsided grin sneaking across his lips. "Hey." He moved across the room towards the refresher, where she stood by the door, but stopped as he reached the bed, wondering if he was moving in too soon. He couldn't help it -- all he wanted to do since he had arrived was hold her in his arms. His abrupt stop caused him to relax against one of the over-sized posts at the corner of the bed, his arms crossing in front of his chest, toes digging in the carpet. An attempt to look nonchalant.
Twisting his neck to peer over his shoulder at her, he followed that up by sliding off of the table and slinking over to her, boots clicking across the cold floor. He could feel himself shaking slightly, most likely because of what he could feel himself needing to do. He opened his mouth to say something, some sort of greeting maybe, but nothing came out. He tried to look confident, he tried to stand tall. He crossed his arms over his puffed out chest to keep himself from quivering.
She could see him shivering slightly against the bedpost -- or maybe that was just her own body, her mind telling her it was his instead. But stepping forward and dropping the towel from her hair to the floor, she stood in front of Jacen, placing her hand against his chest. He responded with a slight upturn of the lips again and brought his hands to her hips, the soft silk of her nightgown grabbing his attention. His palms had been sweaty and threatened to slide from the fabric, but he gently pressed his fingers against her to keep his grasp, sighing only one thing. "Tenel Ka..."
Tenel Ka stepped towards him, releasing her grasp on her saber and shifting her hand to his chest, where layers of black fabric covered that body she knew so well. A shaky exhale emitted from his lips, his hot breath sliding across her cheekbones. The gloved hands went to her hips, where they sat, the leather over his hands protesting loudly over the leather armor she wore. Jacen dug his fingers into her to keep his grip. His voice was almost a plea. "Tenel Ka..."
Her response was a warm kiss. One which Jacen was pleasantly surprised by, his hands suddenly shifting up her sides and around her back, pulling her body closer to his. They moved a tad clumsily back around the post to the foot of the bed where Jacen, as gracefully as he could manage, pulled them both onto the bed, Tenel Ka falling under him. He caught himself and hovered over her, his lopsided grin shifting into an actual smile, which she surprisingly mirrored before shifting out from under him and moving back to the head of the bed. He followed on his knees and instantly took her in his arms again, their lips locking once more.
She moved in, and Jacen was almost taken back by the touch of her lips against his, the taste of her. He pushed her backwards, tearing her lips away from his. "No, don't remind me... please..." There was that look in his eyes again, the one she could never read. That secret that would throw itself into the bottoms of those brandy pools and stay there, festering until Jacen felt it was time for it to come out and play. Tenel Ka was slouching slightly now, breathing hard, nostrils flaring. This was going to end here. She had a feeling she knew how, but she still had to get him to realize the error of his ways. "No, I don't think so..." He spoke sternly, picking up on her current goal and flinched, trying to hide it as he grabbed her and slammed her down on the conference room table. He pinned her there, on her back, and hovered over her for a moment before sliding her backwards and crawling up on the table with her -- on her.
They were both shivering a bit now, but neither of them pointed that out to the other as they rolled around on top of the fluffy comforter and pawed at each other. Jacen sat up and pulled Tenel Ka into his lap, staring up at her. He wanted to make sure this was what they both wanted. Pausing for a moment, she casually rested her legs on either side of his body and looked down at him, a slight sparkle breaking through the clouds in her eyes. He hesitantly reached a hand out, fingers brushing across her skin. They danced down her neck and to her shoulder, where he deliberately pushed the strap of her nightgown off, leaning upwards and forward and kissing the skin there before she could react. His lips trailed over her collarbone and he followed that simply by pulling her down on top of him.
He could see her stomach moving up and down with every heavy breath she drew and he watched it momentarily as he sat back on her legs, one of his own stretched out with the heel of his boot holding her right wrist down. His eyes jumped to her arm, then to her neck, then to her face, where her stormy orbs were locked on his -- they were red and moist, but she didn't blink, not once. "I apologize in advance for this, I really do. But you understand, don't you? This is for the galaxy, if I do this, I can help anyone." She didn't respond. "You know how I feel about you, how I've always felt. You know how I feel about our daughter. But this has to be done." Nothing. He finally shifted off of her, and any pain she was feeling, she definitely didn't show it. Mentally or physically. Or emotionally.
Sliding off of the disheveled sheets, Tenel Ka's nightgown landed in a hunter green heap at the side of the bed atop the carpet, beside Jacen's discarded pants. He had complained of a cold backside, which garnered a slight laugh from her and a smile from him, and led them both under the layers of expensive sheets that adorned the bed of the royal quarters. She bristled at his touch and every time her skin met his he could feel his own fingers tense against her body. Their sweat seemed to mingle as Jacen slid over top of her and leaned down, planting kisses up her stomach. Her right hand tightened against the back of his head as it ran through his hair, gently tugging him up to where her lips could meet his and once they did, she ran that hand back down to his side, where she pulled him even closer to her, wrapping her legs loosely around his body. Every time one of their muscles tensed, no matter where, the other caught it, their breaths halting in their throats. He pulled his lips away from hers and dropped his head slightly. He could feel her breath in his ear and on his neck; every time it lulled for a beat or two it just pushed him harder. Whatever washed over him at that point brought his lips back up to hers, and when they joined it was a new feeling that neither of them wanted to let go.
She ripped her lightsaber from her belt, as did he, and the two ignited them with an almost simultaneous snap-hiss. Tenel Ka charged at him first, which he easily blocked and the two seemed to get lost in a heated battle, like animals, feral and untamed. He shoved her backwards, not even bothering to do so with the Force and she responded with a sharp twist and a snap of the wrist, almost catching his hand with her turquoise blade. Tenel Ka shifted around the conference room table, Jacen slowly circling it after her. She hesitated a few moments before jumping over it, propelling herself with the Force and slamming herself down in front of Jacen, bringing her lightsaber down over her head. They met with a clash, Jacen's viridian blade catching hers and both fell into a flurry of attacks and blocks. The dim chamber was illuminated only by the glow of the lightsabers and the harsh light filtering in from the city outside. Minutes seemed to pass, energy vanished and finally Jacen led her back to the head of the table, where he blocked a rushed thrust and drove his lightsaber straight into her chest.
Collapsing beside her, Jacen Solo quickly gathered her in his arms and shifted around until their heads were the only things sticking out from under the sheets. He had his arms around her midsection, her back pressed to his front, and he could feel how hard she was breathing. Their legs were tangled with each other's and her hand rested on his which were clasped against her stomach. Breathing in the scent of her, his face tickled by red-gold strands of hair, he felt Tenel Ka nuzzle further into into arms. As she shifted, Jacen watched her shut her eyes, her lips pursed -- she was still panting slightly. He watched the covers move with every breath she took. With all the energy he could muster, he whispered in her ear.
Tenel Ka fell back onto the table, the same space she occupied before, the wound seeping smoke. This time she had more bruises though, there was more blood where his fingers had caught her. The one noise Jacen could make out at that point was the humming of the lightsabers, which he tuned out -- the other noise that made itself present after that, the one that was hiding behind the weapons... there was no way he would ever be able to tune that out. There was no way he would ever forget it. It was a vicious sort of wheezing, in and out. It sounded wet, lined with blood and mucus. It also sounded a bit robotic, the same every time, in, out, in, out. He finally brought himself to look at her. And as vehicles passed the window outside, light from them bleeding in for moments at a time, he could make out her form, sprawled out on the table, her chest heaving slowly under her leather armor. Dropping his lightsaber to the floor, he moved to her, absently crawling onto the hard surface beside her, hands seeking out her skin. All he could do was fall beside her, weakly pulling her into his arms. He watched her armor with every pained breath she managed to take before it finally stopped. But before it did, he found himself and he found the strength to murmur in her ear.
"I love you."
"I... I love you."
He left her breathless.
Breathless.
