Okay, first off I want to say I am sooooo sorry for how long this took to go up. I won't bore you with a bunch of excuses, basically my family life went to hell and my anxiety decided I didn't get to write more than three sentences a day. I have an event I'm going to this weekend so I can't promise I'll have anything up next week, but I'll definitely try and get something up the week after. Now onto the acknowledgements. Huge thanks to cuttiepiepay, tzu753, Wolfygirlxx, DewieDTT, TigressFlynn, eternaltiare, Goldmond Soulkeeper, and Danyael Prince, you guys are awesome and your follows/faves/reviews are what pushed me to get this done and continue this story so seriously, thanks! Now enough from me, on with the show!

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Release

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She huffed out a breath as the latest round of scans came up with nothing. They'd been on Saleucami for nearly a week now and there had been no sign that Suzie had ever been there. She tried to contain the fear that thought caused inside her, but nothing seemed to be able to drive her visions from her mind.

They were coming every night now, macabre picture shows of all the torment and pain Suzie was going through, all while she searched desperately through the galaxy to find her. She could hear her screams, the smell of her blood wafting around her even while she was awake, and those eyes, his eyes, following her every move. He could see her, she knew it, from wherever he was in the galaxy, he was watching her, taking perverse pleasure in her suffering.

"Ori." Luke's hand closed softly over her own, grounding her firmly in the moment, driving the darkness to the back of her mind. "You have to fight it." His voice was quiet, but heavy with meaning. They'd had a great deal of time to talk over the past week, since Wayland had turned them away, and the topic of her emotional control had come up a lot. She knew it was a danger to her, how quickly she seemed to disappear into the darker parts of her mind, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know how to control it yet, and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"I'm okay, just worried." She said, shaking her head to banish the thoughts. She'd been having them more and more often as they got closer to civilization. It was like the presence of other people amplified his presence somehow, making it so much louder than it was in deep space. She made a mental note to ask Luke about it later, but for now they both needed to get back to the ship. Suzie wasn't here and that could only mean one thing.

"Worry is natural, but you can't let it take root in your mind or he'll use it against you. I know it's difficult, but neither of us can afford to be weak right now." He said, pulling her into a tight hug. He'd been hoping against hope that they would find her here, that she would be tucked safely away in one of the many healing centers that littered the oases of the otherwise barren planet, but he'd known, deep down, that it wasn't going to be that easy.

"I can feel him, it's like he's watching me, even now. How do I make it stop?" She asked, the anxiety she'd tried so hard to push away swelling up in her chest. Her breath hitched and stuttered as her heart kicked up a beat or two. She hated how afraid she was, how much a simple pair of eyes could derail her otherwise stalwart mental defenses. She knew the cause, knew why he scared her so much, and it was silly really, but try as she might, she couldn't seem to get past it.

"You can't. But you can fight back. He thrives on your fear, twists it to his advantage, but you can use it to yours as well. Turn it back on him. Remind him what happened the last time he tried to corrupt a Jedi." He pulled back, catching her eyes and projecting a single image to her. It was simple, a black clad figure dropping down a seemingly bottomless shaft, rings of blue fire erupting a moment later. "Remember, when faced with fear, you don't run, you fight." He said, watching as the fear in her eyes began to fade, replaced with a weak sense of resolution. She wasn't ready yet, he knew, and she wasn't going to be before they reached Korriban.

"Got it. Gonna get that tattooed somewhere." She said, laughing softly, feeling her body slowly coming down from the near panic it had been in. She hated how she trembled, her body shaking like a damn leaf in a storm over literally nothing. Why was she so weak? What was she doing wrong? How the hell did Luke manage to keep his cool when he had to be feeling the same thing if not worse?

"Come on, let's get back to the ship. She isn't here." Luke said, taking her hand gently in his own, wincing internally as she tenses. She'd been doing so well on Yavin, her confidence growing, her powers steadily coming under her control, but the moment they got out into deep space, it had all fallen apart. What little control she'd managed to gain over her own thoughts had slipped away and she was back to the shaking mess of panic and fear that he'd first met. This couldn't all be from Palpatine, surely, but then what was the cause? He wished that he had someone to talk to about all this, his mind conjuring images of Obi Wan and Yoda, but he didn't. He was alone, just like her, and it was up to him to keep her from turning down the path that had claimed his father, and almost claimed him as well.

"Off to the hell planet we go." She said, slipping her hand from his and walking determinedly back toward the ship. She felt her stomach clench in abject terror. She would never claim to be an expert in the Force, but going to a planet that was literally dedicated to the dark side, with her control as weak as it was, couldn't mean good things for her. What if she slipped up? What if he was there?

"No Ori, we're not going to Korriban." Luke said, pulling her around to face him, her grimace of imagined pain only serving to confirm his suspicions. "Not yet. You aren't ready." He watched as emotions warred on her face. She knew he was right, he could tell that much from the slope of her shoulders, falling forward in defeat, but it didn't mean he was going to get out of this without an argument.

"But you said..." He cut her off with a finger, placing it gently over her lips to forestall any further argument.

"I know what you're going to say, and I know what I said. I know you think I don't understand how you feel, that I'm being callous or overly cautious, but I'm not. I've been where you are, my friends out there in the galaxy, under the thumb of a mad man and in literal life threatening danger, and I ran off after them before I was ready. I paid the price for that." He held up his right hand, flexing his mechanical fingers so she could hear the servos moving under his synthetic skin. "We will go to Korriban, but only when I feel that you're ready." He moved his finger away from her lips, a small part of him cheering as her body swayed forward to follow it before catching herself.

"This is different." She said, the images from her latest vision flashing through her mind. "He doesn't want anything from her, he isn't trying to get information or codes or gain any advantage over anyone. He's torturing her, to get to me. If I go, she can be saved. I know this probably all sounds very heroic and self sacrificing to you, but you don't understand. Suzie is my family." She looked up at him, hoping to see some crack in his resolve.

"Han and Leia are mine, have been since I met them. I know this is hard for you to grasp because none of this was real for you until now, but what you feel, is what I felt when I left master Yoda on Dagobah." He rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to offer what little comfort he could. "I need you to trust me Ori, please." He caught her eyes and held them, keeping her rooted in the moment until he felt her emotions beginning to ebb.

"Okay, we wait." She said, her Force print turning a worrying shade of violet. He'd come to associate that particular color with sadness, depression she called it. He hated being the cause of her pain, but he knew he was right. If they rushed off to Korriban now, she would fall, and he would never be able to forgive himself.

"You go rest, I'll let Leia know we're on our way back." Luke said, pushing her gently toward the bunks at the back of the ship the moment they made it into the ship. He felt her tense under his hand and caught the look of near panic that flashed across her face before she seemed to swallow it down. "What is it?" He asked, turning his full attention to her. He'd been sensing her rising fear each night they'd been on the planet, but had just chalked it up to her worry over her friend, but now he was beginning to understand that it might be something else entirely.

"It's nothing, I'm okay." She said, turning a weak smile his direction before heading back toward the bunks. It hurt him to think she was keeping something from him, that she was holding back after all they'd shared. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but he wasn't going to let her suffer alone, so instead of heading up to the cockpit, he let his heart guide his feet after her.

"Ori. I know something is bothering you. Tell me what's wrong." He said, his body blocking the doorway to the room, effectively trapping her in with him. His eyes searched her face as she seemed to think over her response. Part of him wanted to demand the complete truth, but he knew that would only get him pushed further away from her, and with what they were facing, he couldn't afford it.

"It's the dreams, the ones I've been having about Suzie. I know he's just using them to manipulate me, make me afraid and anxious, but that doesn't stop it from working. Sleep is kind of terrifying for me right now." She sighed, dropping down onto her bunk. She hated feeling like this, to be so scared of something so simple, it felt ridiculous to her, but then, this wasn't the first time it had happened.

Luke could tell there was more to the issue than what she was saying, some deeper fear or old wound that was feeding into the problem, but he couldn't think of a way to ask without sounding hostile, so he simply sighed, settling himself down on the bunk beside her and wrapping an arm around her, pulling her in close.

He wanted to say something profound and supportive, something that would set her racing mind at ease and allow her to sleep, but nothing he could think of seemed to fit. She wasn't scared of her dreams, at least not exactly, she was afraid of closing her eyes. How the hell was he supposed to make her feel better about that? Then a thought struck him that had him fighting back a grin.

"I might be able to help. I think its time we stepped up your training." He pitched his voice low as he spoke, remembering the way her body had reacted the last time. "Get into something more comfortable. I'll be right back." He was careful as he extricated himself from her bunk, his hand running slowly along her back as he rose to his feet. He felt the beginnings of the shudder he knew would race through her body as he pulled away.

He let the grin slide across his face in full as he heard the soft half sigh that escaped her lips as he slipped out the door. He would have to play this carefully if he wanted it to work. She was still fragile emotionally, and too much pushing too soon could very well send her back into that darkness that had so nearly swallowed her the first time. But if he did it right, well, it would certainly help her sleep.

Ori, for her part, was a strange mixture of relieved and confused. She thought she was in for at least a little bit of an argument, but he'd just walked away, and what had he meant by stepping up her training? That's all they'd been doing for the past seven days, meditating and visualizing, levitating and sensing, it never stopped. How did one step up from that?

She shook her head, trying to ground her thoughts in the moment as she stood up and began to shuck out of her travel clothes, grabbing the massive sleep shirt she'd been wearing that morning and slipping it on over a pair of what she could only call leggings. If this didn't count as comfortable, she didn't know what did. She felt her heart kick up a beat as she heard Luke give his usual goodbye to his sister. Why the hell was she so nervous? She sighed, chalking it up to her lack of sleep and settled herself down on her cushion, waiting for Luke to come back through the door.

His body language was off as he came back into the room, his movements reminding her more of a caged animal than the calm Jedi knight she'd come to know. This only served to heighten her own awareness of the room around her and the nerves coiling up inside her, a problem that was made all the worse as he began to slowly undress, tossing his clothing over onto his bunk as he stripped it away. He didn't stop until he was down to just his undershirt and pants, the image sparking memories of their little "stretching" session that had been so rudely interrupted.

She drew a calming breath as he settled onto his own cushion, it wouldn't do to dwell on that day, he'd done nothing since then, retreating back to the comfortable banter and occasional touches that had been their normal since they'd met, and she wasn't about to torture herself with images of something he clearly wasn't interested in, especially if he was going to be poking around in her brain, which she figured was what came next.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his eyes catching her gaze as it wandered over his face. He really was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen, and those eyes, she would happily get lost in them for the rest of her life. She felt a bit silly, still nursing the same attraction she'd formed when she was a child, but she couldn't help it, especially given how he was looking at her now.

"I guess." She said, trying to suppress both her anxiety and the ever present desire she felt for him. It was difficult, she didn't have the best mental control at the best of times, but she managed to get her mind as close to clear as it ever got, and drew in a deep breath, relaxing into the meditation she'd finally learned to access. It still felt strange to her, like falling in a dream. She knew she wasn't moving, knew that the world around her was still, and yet she felt the rush of air past her face, the tingling of the air around her whipping past her skin, and the strange rushing sound that she'd always just assumed was her own blood in her veins.

"You're getting good at that." Luke's voice sounded so far away to her now, muffled and dull, like it was coming through the glass of a fish tank. "Now find me." He said, his presence seeming to vanish from in front of her. The lack of him sent her mind reeling for a moment, fear clouding in on the serenity she always seemed to fight. Her logical brain kicked in and reminded her that he wasn't really gone, not physically, he'd just closed her off from the link they had yet to fully figure out. She wasn't alone, not really, she just had to find his Force print.

Feeling herself steady in the swirl of her own emotions, she reached out with her mind, searching through the web work of colors that seemed to stretch on into eternity in every direction. This place had terrified her when she first discovered it, images of the void stretching out, dark and cold, in every direction, blocking the web of colors from her until Luke was forced to pull her from the meditation. But now she'd learned to read this place, see it for the map it was, and navigate it accordingly.

A flash of something soft and red caught her eye, drawing her down along a straight path to a new nest of colors. This one seemed almost orderly in comparison to her own, with the exception of a single corner, it seemed to roll and pulse with a soft red glow. It felt warmer than the rest of the threads around her, radiating a subtle heat that made her want to reach out for it. She'd learned early on that touching anything in this nexus of energy could have some unforeseen consequences, but it just looked so inviting.

Her hand barely had a chance to reach the little bundle of color before a whirl of images assaulted her. She saw herself, laying in her bunk, her body shifting under the blanket, plenty of flesh on display as all manner of sinful noises echoed around her. She felt a spike of pleasure shoot through her, though she knew it wasn't her own. The realization of what she was seeing sent a strange mixture of desire and embarrassment racing through her in equal measure and she was about to let go when the vision shifted.

She watched as Luke delved into her mind, seeing the images that made up the dream that had been her constant frustrating companion since they'd started this little journey. She could sense the shock and deep pleasure that raced through him as he watched her body writhe and her own desire rose to meet it, heating her physical boy to an almost uncomfortable degree.

The scene faded, quickly replaced by another that she'd never seen before. Her body was pinned to the edge of the bunk, her skin bare to the chilly current that never seemed to leave the tiny ship. She was flushed with need, her pupils blown so wide their color was almost gone and hands were slowly sliding her leggings away, the same leggings she was wearing now.

She was pulled from her meditation by a gentle yet inescapable force, sliding her slowly from the cushion and back against the edge of the bunk. Her hands began to float back toward the mattress, seemingly out of her control, only stopping once they'd been pinned back. Her eyes sought those of her companion, her mind struggling to fully comprehend what was happening, only to have her breath leave in a shocked whimper at the look of pure hunger she saw on his face.

"Now you know what's at stake. Your lesson for today is to break free. For every failed attempt, you're going to lose something." His voice was low and deep in his chest, his breath whispering through the silent room as he waited for her to catch up to what was going on. "If you lose everything and still can't break free, you're mine for the night. Sound fair?" He asked, that smirk streaking quickly across his face. Did he mean what she thought he meant? She felt her whole body quiver at the thought, part of her resolving to simply give up right at the start, but as the first of her socks slid slowly from her foot, she knew that he wasn't going to let her get away without really trying.

Her eyes slid closed as she tried to focus on what he'd taught her so far. He was holding her pinned with the Force, which meant that if she could just concentrate, she should be able to disrupt it and get free. The problem with that plan was the extremely attractive and infinitely more experienced Jedi that was doing his best to keep her distracted, sliding the other sock away from her skin just as slowly, sending a faint tickle up her leg and making her squirm.

"That is very distracting ya know." She whispered, trying in vain to get her brain to focus as it danced delicious images through her mind.

"You've been a constant distraction for me since we met. If I can focus through all your dreaming and moaning, surely you can focus through this." His voice was downright evil in that moment, and she could feel just how much he was enjoying himself, how badly he wanted her. It did nothing to help her situation. "The shirt goes next." He whispered, the whisper of fabric over metal letting her know he was slowly growing closer.

She let out a soft whimper, her body pulling against the invisible bonds that held her in place, though for what purpose was slowly becoming clouded. Her body, already warm from the images she'd seen in his mind, began to tremble as desire flooded through her.

"Well that isn't going to help anything." His breath whispered across her neck as her body bowed out in a futile struggle to get free. The shock of it had her gasping and turning her head in a vain attempt at some contact. The only response she got was a deep chuckle and the continued sliding of the shirt. It stopped just below the curve of her breasts and she felt her heart beat kick into overdrive. Why had she decided to leave her bra off? Of all the days to go without it, why today?

"Focus Oria." The husky whisper shot desire straight to her core and she felt her hips begin to roll and move. Another band of Force restraint circled her hips, pulling them down to the floor, stilling her movements. She let out a frantic whimper as the shirt began to inch up over the bottom swell of her breasts, the chilly air sending goosebumps racing over the newly exposed skin.

A low growl sounded just in front of her as the cloth slipped up toward her collarbone. It was primal, and hungry, and so very masculine that she felt what little control she had over her mind slip away. She knew there was no way she was winning this, a big part of her didn't want to, but her natural competitiveness wouldn't let her give up.

"You're running out of time Ori." His lips brushed her ear, earning another gasp that was followed quickly by a needy whimper as cloth whispered through the air between them, her arms dropping quickly back to their position on the bed. Another shirt fell to the floor and a fresh wave of desire coursed through her. She wanted to open her eyes, see just what he looked like without a shirt, see those toned muscles she'd felt bunch and roll as he moved. But a part of her wasn't ready to give up yet.

She felt her pants begin to slip away, the Force pulling her hips slowly from the floor. Her pulse kicked up another few beats, her mind struggling to focus on the wispy bands of glowing blue she could see encircling her. But try as she might, she couldn't break them. She tried to push her own Force energy through them, hoping to disrupt them, but it only seemed to make them stronger, more solid.

"Not bad. But that isn't going to help you, not now." The leggings slid down her legs, whipping themselves clear across the room and leaving her in nothing but the pale blue underwear she'd chosen that morning. She heard a throaty groan echo around them as hands began to dance over her skin. "Open your eyes." His breath ghosted over her skin as he spoke, liquid heat pooling at her core as she clenched around empty air. "Give up and let me have you." He whispered, his lips tracing slowly down the vein she could feel pulsing in her neck. It set her skin on fire and pulled a hitching gasp from her that sounded almost afraid.

"Not yet." She whispered, redoubling her efforts to break the Force bonds. She felt them slowly beginning to bend under her influence, loosening a millimeter at a time, but whatever focus she had was dashed as her underwear slipped swiftly down her legs, leaving her bare. She'd lost.

She felt the bonds leave her just as Luke's body pressed up against her, his lips searing against her own as he claimed her mouth. Her body moved on its own, fingers burying themselves in his soft sandy hair as her back arched into the heat of his bare chest. It felt so good, almost too good, her mind swimming in an intoxicating mixture of happiness and pure, unbridled need.

His hands danced over her skin, gliding over every bit of her except the places she needed him most. She felt herself moving before she could even register she'd done it, pushing up against him until he fell back. She settled her knees on either side of his hips, grinding down against him as her tongue danced against his own.

Strong hands gripped her hips tight, holding her to him as he heaved his body up, flipping them and pinning her in place. She gasped as the cold metal met her back, arching up to get away from it, only to have her body slam back down against the floor as the Force coiled tightly around her.

"That wasn't very nice." He growled, his hands resuming their slow traces. "I said you were mine, all night." His eyes danced with mischief as his lips spread in a lazy grin. She whimpered, trying in vain to break out of the latest round of Force binding, but a gentle flick to one pert nipple sent her thoughts scattering to the edges of her mind.

"Luke...please." She whimpered, moaning low in her chest as he slowly began to kneed first one breast and then the other.

"I've wanted you since the day I met you. The way that suit hugged you, I could see every curve." His lips picked up where his fingers left off, tracing burning trails over her neck and collarbone while his hands gently rolled and pulled at her nipples, sending wave after wave of pleasure racing through her. "I could feel how much you wanted me, saw memories of what you would do to yourself at night when you thought no one would see." He nipped at her pulse point, sucking a bruise into the tender flesh. "I know you need me, I can feel the fire in your blood, but not yet, I'm gonna make this last." His body pulled away from her completely, leaving her chilled and panting on the floor as he stood and made quick work of the pants and underwear that were making him ache.

She drew in a sharp breath as she took in the size of him, her mouth watering at the idea of what he would taste like. A soft gasp pulled her attention up to his face where his eyes were wide with shock, and something much darker. She let the image pass through her mind again, watching as his whole body seemed to lurch forward, drawn to the silent promise she was making. She watched as he walked slowly over to her bunk, the Force slowly sliding from her body, releasing her, but she didn't move.

"Come here." He held out a hand, pulling her slowly up onto her knees, his eyes burning with heat and desire. "Show me again." He whispered, his eyes going wide as she let the scene play out a third time in her mind. The groan that fell from his lips was enough to have her dripping as her hands slowly slid up his thighs, fingers wrapping around his hard shaft as she held his gaze. His eyes slid closed as her hand began to pump slowly over him, taking time to learn just what motions would make his toes curl. "Do it." He groaned, one hand slowly threading through her curls as she dropped her head down.

The moan that echoed around the tiny bunk space was like lightning down her spine as she wrapped her lips around him, taking in as much of his length as she could without choking. The hand in her hair clenched tight as she swallowed his down, a strange tingling beginning in her belly as she started to bob her head up and down.

Her core was pulsing almost painfully, slick with desire and clenching in a vain attempt at friction. One hand slid slowly away from his lap, burying itself into her own wet folds. But no sooner had she begun to circle herself than her hand was being pulled away, along with her lips, her head pulled up to meet stormy blue eyes.

"I didn't tell you to do that." He growled, looking at the glistening moisture on her fingers as it was a smoking gun. "Naughty." He released her hair, grinning at the whimper of defeat that left her lips. "That's mine for tonight, and I don't like to share." He whispered, pushing her back to the floor, which had somehow magically spawned a blanket. She opened her mouth to speak, only to swallow whatever words she'd been preparing in a strangle gasp as he descended on her. His mouth closed over the hypersensitive bundle of nerves at her core and all she saw was white.

Her world seemed to narrow down to that one point of pure pleasure as his tongue flicked and circled, sucking gently every few strokes until her body was bowed nearly double. Her mind went blank as two fingers slowly slid into her, pressing and rubbing until they found that one spot that made her go rigid. Her hands grasped at air as her body trembled, feeling the rush that she knew would lead her over the edge.

"Gods! Oh fuck...Luke...please..." She didn't even know what she asking for, all she knew was that she didn't want it to stop. She felt a third finger slide into her, scissoring back and forth with the others and the coil of pleasure that had been gathering in her belly snapped loose. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as pleasure raced through her, her back bent nearly double with only Luke's hand on her belly to keep her from flying apart.

"Now it's my turn." He whispered, crawling slowly upward until he was resting just outside her sopping channel. He peppered her neck with kisses, stroking one hand slowly down her torso as she floated back down to herself, his thick member sliding slowly into her until he was buried inside her completely.

"No." She panted, a lazy grin spreading across her lips. "Now it's my turn." She purred, heaving up with her hips and twisting, pinning him beneath her on the blanket. "You've had enough fun." She forestalled any argument with one decisive snap of her hips, sending Luke's eyes to rolling as she set a steady pace.

"Ori, you're breaking the rules." He groaned, his hands closing in a vice like grip around her hips.

"You can spank me later." She said, grinning at the answering hiss before a stinging swat landed on her naked ass. She yelped, her body bowing forward so that she was pressed fully against him, another swat landing a moment later.

"I never really liked waiting." He whispered, his hips grinding up into her. She wanted to respond, to win at least one contest, but as the stars swam in her vision, she knew it was a lost cause. "No more talk." He growled, pushing up against her, carrying her body forward until she was perched on his bent legs, all her weight resting on her center.

She couldn't help the gasping moans that rained from her lips, her eyes sliding closed as her body slowly began to fold, curling in toward Luke as he slammed into her. She'd never felt so full, the pressure of his thrusts sending little shocks through her belly, all she could do was grip onto his shoulders and let the sensation was over her.

"Come on, let go, let me see it." His voice was low and heavy, pounding into her so hard it almost hurt. "Give in Ori." He growled, catching her eyes just as the spring in her belly snapped, her vision going white as her body bowed against him, but he didn't stop. Her body hit the floor as he pressed into her, his hips pistoning in and out in a staccato rhythm that had her seeing stars until he stilled, spilling himself inside her with a hoarse shout.

She felt his body drop beside her, the smell of sweat and sex filling the tiny space as their panting breaths slowly began to return to normal. She could feel the exhaustion slowly creeping up on her, too many nights of not enough sleep weren't exactly conducive to rough sex, but she couldn't keep the smile from her face. That had been better than anything she could imagine.

A pair of strong arms encircled her shoulders and hips, lifting her from the floor and placing her against the soft warmth of her bunk, those same arms wrapping around her a moment later. She sighed as she felt Luke pull her back against his chest, the blanket moving from the floor to drape over them both as the lights dimmed.

"Thank you." She murmured, her mind already well on its way to dream land. The last thing she remembered before darkness stole over her was a soft laugh and a gentle kiss pressed to her temple.

Phew! That was a bitch and a half to write, let me tell you. I hope you guys enjoyed it, I won't make you wait another ten chapters for the next one lol, and as always, follow/fave/review, I really do appreciate it and it helps me keep motivated on the days (months, sorry again) when writing is near impossible. Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next one!