Part Two

That evening, Arcann kept a close eye on the cantina entrance throughout dinner, and the later it became with no sign of Raelyn, the more worried he became. He'd found Elara later that afternoon and she had assured him that Raelyn was going to be just fine and she was simply resting. Had she been wrong? Had she gotten worse or had something else happened?

His worries were somewhat alleviated when Elara made her way into the cantina for her own dinner, and she assured him that the commander was fine and was resting comfortably when she'd last checked on her. She promised she was keeping a constant vigil of her vitals, and that should anything else arise, she would bring them to his and the commander's other advisors as soon as possible.

The volume of the cantina's patrons was beginning to increase, indicating to Arcann the end of shifts for most of the Alliance members, and the commander still had yet to show. Had she showed up early and he'd missed her? When he'd asked the waitresses if there had been any sign of her, no one had seen her since that morning.

Resigned to dining alone and putting his plans of telling Raelyn how he felt on hold, Arcann opened his datapad with a sigh and began putting his order in.

"She always gets the veghash," a bright, bubbly voice trilled from beside him. "Though if you really want to impress her, I'd go with the vegeparsine."

He smiled, recognizing the voice belonging to one of the few people within the Alliance, aside from the commander and his mother, who had treated him as part of their group from almost the beginning. Glancing up, he found Vette had silently maneuvered herself into the seat across from him. She was grinning knowingly at him, her cheek resting lazily against the palm of her hand. "What, exactly, are you going on about?"

The twi'lek shrugged, nonchalantly taking a bite of her own meal, which seemed to consist of different types of vegetables with a fairly large portion of skewered meat. She nibbled delicately on a green bean, looking at him thoughtfully. "I'm just saying, if you wanted to impress a certain commander, I would go for the fancier dish, that's all."

Arcann blinked at her, confused. "I still don't—"

Groaning, Vette leaned forward and pried the datapad from his fingers just as he was about to put in his own order of Trimpian. Her fingers moved quickly, and a few moments later and with a satisfied smile, she tossed the datapad onto the table. "You have twenty minutes before the food is ready, you may want to use that time to come up with a proper greeting to get the commander to have dinner with you." She paused for a moment, tapping a slender finger against her chin. "But to be perfectly honest, I really don't think you'll have to do much convincing."

He stared at her for several moments, not sure whether to be angry or amused at the young twi'lek's attempt at playing matchmaker. Out of everyone in the Alliance, he wasn't surprised in the slightest that Vette had figured him out. A lot of people dismissed her as naive, but she was surprisingly perceptive. And nosy. "You're meddling."

"Of course I am. It's what I do best."

Arcann couldn't help but chuckle. At first, he had found Vette's upbeat and cheerful personality to be grating and possibly a rouse. No one person could possibly be that cheery and upbeat all the time. But the longer he was with the Alliance, the more he realized that that was just… Vette. She was friendly with everyone and went out of her way to make sure that, in her own words, "no one was walking around in their grumpy pants."

Though he had noticed that since Torian's death, there had been an air of sadness about her, and Arcann suspected she was heavily laden with guilt. She did her best to try to hide it behind her extra bubbly personality as of late, but she wasn't really fooling anyone. But that didn't exactly explain her sudden interest in his love life. "What are you up to, Vette?"

She leaned forward, conspiratorially lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Look, I've spent enough time watching people that I've become a master of reading them, too. I can spot the googly-eyed look of longing from a kilometer away."

"There are no googly-eyed looks—"

Vette rolled her eyes. "Of course there's googly-eyes. You may think you're being discreet when you're watching her, but you're about one smile away from drooling," she teased, laughing merrily at Arcann's groan as he hid his face from view with his hands. "But there is good news."

"I'm not certain I want to hear it."

"Look," the twi'lek sighed, resting her arms on the table and dropping her voice low. "The commander has been good to me. I would be dead if not for her. I can't do much to thank her for that, but I would like to see her happy…"

A serving droid approached their table before Vette could continue, and she waited until it had deposited the food before she went on. "I have it on good authority that Raelyn has feelings for you. I can see when she looks at you, the same way I can see it when you look at her." Vette pointed at the food. "Now what you're going to do, is you're going to take this food, and you're going to go impress our favorite Jedi commander, and if you're smart, you'll stay until she's putty in your hands."

He considered it for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of the idea. It wasn't a bad plan, as far as plans went. And really, it was the only plan he had. Finally, Arcann stood, smiling as he clasped Vette on the shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Thank you."

She grinned at him as she began to dive into her dinner. "I'll put it on your tab."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you will."

His mother and Vette had both done wonders to ease his nerves over his feelings towards Raelyn and had given him a confidence that he had never felt before. This could still go south, but he would deal with whatever outcome with dignity.

Ignoring the numerous curious looks, Arcann left the cantina and carried the tray full of food, making his way to the commander's quarters for the second time that day, his heart pounding and his body alive with nervous energy. With every step, the confidence he had managed to conjure began to wane. How could he have let Vette talk him into this?

HK-55 was standing vigil outside of her quarters as usual, and informed him that Raelyn was resting and was not to be disturbed.

"She hasn't eaten since this morning," Arcann told the droid, trying to contain his irritation. "The commander needs to keep up her strength, especially after this morning's incident."

HK paused momentarily, considering. With a curt nod, the droid moved out of his way. "Acknowledgment: I will alert the commander at once."

A few moments later, the heavy metal door slid open, and he could hear Raelyn call out to him to enter.

Taking a deep breath, Arcann moved past the droid, who waited until he was inside before hitting the door panel so that it slid shut behind him. The light in the room was dimmed so that it cast a soft, orange glow over the makeshift bedroom. Finally, he found her seated on the couch, her bare legs tucked underneath her, volumes of wavy dark hair forced straight and unbound from her recent shower. She looked up from her holopad, brown eyes widening as they focused on him. "Arcann?"

He swallowed hard, forcing his eyes to look directly at her face. He had never seen her in such a state of undress, and it was wrecking havoc on his senses. She wasn't naked, but her choice of bedclothes, a simple thin tank top and shorts had his brain conjuring up inappropriate images to the contrary. This had been a very bad idea. "I… brought you some food."

A slow smile touched her lips as she stood, setting her holopad on the side table next to her. "You didn't have to do that, Arcann," she breathed, sounding touched at his thoughtfulness. She smoothed out her clothes, blushing as she tugged on her oversized shirt to try and cover herself up. It didn't work. Instead, she reached for the blanket on the back of the couch, draping it over her shoulders so that only her arms and legs were exposed. It made her small form appear even smaller and more fragile, and he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe.

"I apologize for disturbing you," Arcann murmured, setting the food on the table, shuffling his weight uncomfortably. "I just figured you might be hungry after this morning."

Her face softened as she approached him, reaching out and touching his arm thankfully. "You're not bothering me at all. This was really sweet of you." As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly and she laughed. "Guess I am a bit hungry." She eyed the tray, her smile turning into a full-blown grin. "Will you be joining me, then?"

Arcann felt his face warm. He'd been stupid to presume she would invite him to stay. To his relief, however, she didn't seem annoyed, but rather pleased by the idea. "If you will allow it."

Raelyn sat down, patting the seat next to her, brown eye twinkling with mirth. "I'd be honored if you'd have dinner with me, Prince Arcann."

Groaning at the title, he seated himself next to her as he placed her dinner on the table, nerves slowly dissolving thanks to her easygoing demeanor, happy that she seemed to be genuinely enjoying his company. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," she assured him. "A lingering headache, but I think I'll survive." Taking the lid off of her meal, she grinned at the contents. "Wow, you really went all out. I love vegeparsine. How did you know?"

Spearing a chunk of meat and popping it into his mouth, Arcann considered how to answer. He, of course, could lie and take all the credit for it by claiming he was so suave and intuitive that he could give Theron a run for his money. But honestly, he knew no one would buy that. So, he finally decided on the truth. "I may have had a little help from a certain nosy twi'lek."

Laughing, Raelyn brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear before picking up her utensils and delicately picking at her food. "Remind me to thank her in the morning."

They ate in comfortable silence for a time, and Arcann found himself sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking at the way she would dab delicately at her mouth every time she thought she might have even the smallest speck of food littering her face. He found it incredibly endearing, and he was enjoying learning some of her smaller and more private quirks.

Taking a final sip of her spiced tea(she had politely declined his offer of some of his own stash of the best Zakuulian wine), she sat her glass aside and smiled at him. "So," she started, pushing her tray aside. "We haven't had much of a chance to talk lately with everything going on." She waved her hands around dismissively. "Is everyone treating you okay? No more interrogations?"

He was a little taken aback by the genuine concern on her face. If it had been anyone else, he might have been annoyed by the question. He didn't need to be coddled, and was quite capable of taking care of his own affairs. But from her…

He found he liked the idea of her worrying about him. But he wasn't about to let her know that. "Nothing I haven't been able to handle on my own, Commander."

Raelyn bit her lip. "You're right. I'm sorry. I know you can take care of yourself." She smiled then, a soft blush painting her cheeks. "I just know things haven't been easy for you since you arrived, and with this business with Theron and Lana trying to track down this traitor, I worry they will lose sight of how much you've helped us."

He shrugged, unconcerned as he wiped any remnants of food from his mouth with his napkin. "It's no bother, Commander. I do not blame them; after everything I did to you and put you through…" His voice trailed off as bile tried to make its way up his throat. "I'm a former tyrant who tried to kill you. I was a monster. They're perfectly justified in their suspicions."

Raelyn's face hardened and her deep brown eyes narrowed. "You are so much more than the monster your father tried to turn you into, Arcann," she said, her voice soft, but so full of conviction and determination that it left little doubt in his mind that she firmly believed everything she was saying. "I know the scars you bear don't compare to the ones beneath the surface."

Arcann gaped at her, and he could feel his mouth moving in an attempt to find something worthy of that response, but was coming up empty.

"I could sense the good in you from the moment we met," she continued. "But there was so much anger and jealousy. Sorrow and regret. But the most overwhelming of all was the hatred..." Her voice trailed off, and he could hear the emotion in her words. "A lot of it was for your father, but most of it was toward yourself. I can still feel that lingering in you." Not pity, just genuine sadness for everything he had experienced. "You're a good man, Arcann. Yes, you've made mistakes. We all have, but you're striving to make yourself better." She smiled then, and Arcann could feel his heart hammering in his chest. "I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you."

He stared at her, dumbstruck as she took his hands in hers, not flinching at the cold metal of his cybernetic limb. He could feel the calluses from her lightsaber along her palm, but it was still so incredibly soft. "I—thank you, Commander. It… hasn't been easy, but it means a lot to have your support."

Biting her lip, Raelyn stood and began pacing back and forth, creating a bit of distance between them, and he immediately felt the loss of her warmth. "I know it's not easy," she paused, looking him over with a small nod, as if coming to a decision about something she was struggling with internally. "I've been where you were before. I know how much dedication it takes to walk a new path, or a forgotten one."

Arcann waited patiently for her to continue. He watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if suddenly cold. "You know that our encounter on Zakuul wasn't the first I'd had with your father. Though I knew him by a different name, and a different title. Vitiate, Emperor of the Sith."

Nodding, Arcann leaned forward on the couch, resting his forearms on his knees and clasping his hands together. "I do seem to recall that, yes."

"I haven't told many people this… Only the members of the Jedi Council and my crew know this."

He remained silent, allowing her the time to gather her thoughts. He refused to push her; whatever it was that she was about to admit was obviously very troubling and upsetting for her. He watched her closely as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her before continuing. "About a year or so after I finished my padawan training, I was asked to accompany a group of Masters to Dromund Kaas in an attempt to capture Vitiate alive and redeem him," she said finally, her voice flat and eyes distant and emotionless, off in another part of her life that she really didn't care to revisit. He was tempted to tell her that she didn't have to go on, but he knew she needed to get this off her chest.

Raelyn continued to pace. "We weren't successful." The way she said it, with a bitter laugh that held no humor behind it, made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world, that they had been destined to fail. Arcann was actually fairly surprised to hear that coming from her. She had always seemed so confident going into missions that seemed impossible. In reality, he knew even the strongest warriors faltered. It didn't diminish the strength he knew was inside her, though. Not to him.

"He captured us. Twisted me and the other Jedi Masters to the darkside, and used me to torture my friends." She finally looked at him then, and he could see the tears forming and threatening to spill over, and from where he sat, he could see her visibly shaking beneath the thick blanket. "I was under his control for so long, and I don't remember everything I did, but I do remember that I did horrible things to the people I love most in this galaxy. I was a monster."

Standing, Arcann marched toward her and gripped her arms gently, but firmly, tilting his head to get her to look at him. "But you broke free of his control. I used to inspire fear in millions, but I never frightened you. You are the strongest person I know, Raelyn. I can only hope to walk a fraction of the path you've followed, but with you as a guide, I would gladly strive to follow you anywhere."

Her bottom lip trembled as she smiled softly at him, causing the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes to finally spill over. Arcann gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. Without so much as a word, Raelyn wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. You do scare me," she admitted, sinking her teeth into the corner of her lip. "Just… not in the way I expected."

Shocked, he stood there rigid for a moment, unsure of what to do or say. Had she just admitted to having feelings for him? After a moment, he could feel her starting to pull away, and he could feel the moment beginning to slip away.

It all happened too quickly for his brain to have time to process the possible repercussions of what his actions could entail. She had been too close, and he could feel the warmth of her body through the blanket, could smell the intoxicating floral scent of her soap. It happened as if on instinct, as if it was the most natural thing in the galaxy to tilt his head just enough to capture those soft, pillowy lips between his own. It was almost as if he was outside of his own body, watching as the disaster played out before him. The blanket slid from her shoulders and pooled at their feet, the startled sound she made the only thing keeping him grounded to the present. The absolute innocence of her kiss was sending a shock of desire straight to his core.

Raelyn's nails dug into his shoulders, and Arcann feared for a moment that she would push him away, that his attention was unwanted. Instead, her small hands clutched at him as she pressed closer to him, and he couldn't stop the groan from escaping his lips when her hips brushed against his growing arousal. A glowing warmth spread through his chest, unfamiliar, but not unwelcome at the realization that she wasn't going to reject him.

He pulled back momentarily, gazing down at her, searching her face for any signs that she didn't want this, but she smiled, reaching up and cupping his face to draw him into her. He kissed her, and she was soft and pliant beneath him, unsure and unskilled at first, but he showed her with lips and gentle flicks of the tongue, and Izax take him, she was a quick study.

The world fell away as he stepped closer, inadvertently walking her backwards until her back was pressed up against the wall of her quarters. His brain was suddenly bombarded with an onslaught of images—ones of dark, slender legs wrapped tightly, possessively, around his pale waist, those neatly groomed fingernails scratching down his back, leaving raised and reddened lines of desire in their wake.

A part of him, a more primal and a much more familiar part, wanted nothing more than to spin her around, press her hard against the wall, and take her from behind in a desperate attempt to satisfy the growing hunger within him, as he had with many of his past sexual partners. Even now, he felt his body respond with eagerness as the image came to the forefront of his mind.

But this encounter was nothing like his previous trysts. He'd had a few eager and willing would-be suitors before the accident on Korriban—before his scars—and even a few after, while his family had been in control of the Eternal Throne. Eager prospects had flocked in droves to the Spire in an attempt to woo him and dig greedy and power hungry fingers into his family's fortune. Not one of them had actually been interested in him, the person that he was. They all wanted the power and what accompanied it. In return, he would take what they offered, caring only to seek his own pleasure for one night, and send them on their way afterward.

This time was different. Sex was nothing new to him. But this desire? This tenderness? This… this affection? All of that was completely new to Arcann, and something only this woman had managed to awaken within him. The affect she had on him wasn't just on his body, though that was significant, but it was a soul-deep connection that changed everything. It was then that he realized with a start, that he didn't want just a single night, or even just a handful of them. He wanted more. So much more.

She could offer him forever and he would not think it enough.

He heard his name spill from her lips on a broken sigh, sending a wave of heat coursing through his veins. He groaned against her mouth as he deepened the kiss, pressing her back against the wall while at the same time pulling her hips against his so she could feel the extend of his desire for her.

He'd never wanted someone as much as he wanted her and the fact that that thought alone didn't terrify him was enough to make him pull back from the kiss, even though it took everything within him to do so, and gaze down at the woman in his arms. He chuckled softly at her whimpered protest at the loss of connection, as her own lips followed his, seeking their warmth.

Her lovely brown eyes were still half lidded with desire, mouth still slightly formed to the shape of his, lips still red and kiss-swollen from his assault. Arcann couldn't stop himself from reaching his hand up and brushing his thumb along her bottom lip and trailing it down the long line of her neck. "That wasn't too scary, was it?" he teased.

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Only scary in the way that all new experiences are scary," she whispered, confirming his suspicions. He'd studied up on the Jedi Order when he'd first encountered her, learning about their Code and their fear of attachment and how they would often forsake love for duty. As he'd suspected, she had remained true to their teachings. "The Jedi frown upon this kind of thing…"

Arcann shushed her by placing a finger against her lips. "I won't force you to do something that you're not comfortable with, Raelyn. As much as I want to pursue this, I won't do that to you."

Smiling, she shook her head. "I think the two of us are strong enough to keep each other in line. We both have scars that need healing."

"I can agree to those terms." He grinned, leaning down and kissing her again, chuckling as she melted against him. He pulled back slowly, pressing his forehead against hers. "I should probably go. Let you rest."

He needed to leave now, or he wouldn't be able to force himself to if he stayed much longer.

"You don't have to," she whispered breathily, face still flushed as she pressed into him. "You could stay and we could keep doing this." She grinned at him, pushing up on the tips of her toes to trail delicate kisses along his jaw that made him shiver.

"As much as I would love to," Arcann smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "that probably wouldn't be the best idea. I've always rushed things, and I want to do this the right way." He kissed her again, softly this time, as he carded his fingers through her hair, the locks now completely dry and just as soft as he'd imagined. "If there's one thing I want to get right in this galaxy, it's this."

She nodded, smiling softly as she slid her hand down his arm to intertwine her fingers with his, and began leading him towards the door. "I'll save you a seat at breakfast, then?"

"I'm looking forward to it," he agreed, kissing her once more before stepping outside. "Sleep well, Commander."

She rolled her eyes at him, laughing softly as she bid him a goodnight and closed the door in his face.

After staring at the closed door for several moments, Arcann finally made his way towards the barracks, feeling more at ease than he could ever remember being. It was a strange feeling, but one he was loathed to let go of.

He would have to think of a way to express his gratitude to his mother and Vette later, because for the first time in his life, he was truly happy.

Now, he just had to worry about her brother.