Quick Author's Note:  I've now labeled this story/series to Mature, mostly because of violence that will show up through the book(s), but there will be a few raunchy scenes (No, there will not be smut, this is not gonna be one of those stories)

P.S. this chapter has one of those raunchy scenes.

************************************************************

Anakin breathed a sigh of relief when he felt Luke and Nakari finally settle down. Anakin had of course noticed their...strong feelings, and while he didn't pry he did subtly send soothing urges to their subconscious minds when he felt things were getting too close to the point of no return.

Anakin was mildly grateful Luke hadn't yet mastered the art of concealment, because Anakin feared his son would have gone too far.

Anakin waited a good while before he resolutely climbed out of bed and trudged to the shared room of Luke and Nakari.

He sent out a gentle Force probe and sensed that Luke was still awake, but Nakari was deeply asleep.

Anakin gave a soft knock on the door, also announcing his presence in the Force.

Luke.

**********************************************************

Luke blinked in surprise at the knock and the probe through the Force, acknowledging Anakin's silent inquiry only after he'd insured that Nakari was covered. Luke didn't move from his spot on the bed, however, as Nakari was asleep on him. He gently stroked her exposed arm absentmindedly, sending his father a gentle plea to be quiet as Nakari was still asleep. He heard the door open not even seconds after his acknowledgement.

Anakin was silent as he tread a path from the door to the bed. He took in the pair in the bed in the dim lighting and sat carefully on the edge of the bed, facing Luke.

He gazed at Nakari for a moment, and then his eyes sought out Luke's.

"Luke...we need to talk."

Luke shrank at his father's tone, already well aware of where this was going to go. He couldn't help the defensive note that crept into his voice as he answered his father. "Nothing like that happened, I swear," Luke said quickly, gently resting his hand against Nakari's shoulder. "I don't plan on that kind of thing happening for a long time."

Anakin nodded. "I know. But things like that can happen before you know it."

Anakin sighed gently. "Luke, I want you to answer me honestly—this will remain just between us, I promise." He held his son's gaze. "Do you love Nakari?"

Luke swallowed. He'd been thinking about this very question since Nakari had sent her love to him in the cockpit of the Desert Jewel, and he'd straightened out a lot of his feelings out since then. And just a few minutes ago, in the heat of the moment...

Luke gazed down at Nakari in his arms, gently stroking her arm as he gazed at her peaceful face. His heart warmed, deep emotions stirring inside of him. "Yes...I do..." he said softly.

Anakin placed a firm, but gentle hand on Luke's free hand.

"Then the best way you can show her that," he paused to let Luke catch his deeper meaning, "is to wait to make love to her as your wife. I know it's hard—trust me I know—but I can promise you it is so worth the wait."

Anakin squeezed Luke's hand softly. "You are an adult, and I will respect any choice you make as such. I have just always felt that it's a disservice to the lady if you have sex before marriage. And what man that only wants the best for his chosen companion, would want to dishonor her like that?"

Anakin dropped his hand.

Luke heaved a sigh. He had not been expecting the talk tonight. "I know, that's...that's what I plan on. I want to wait," he assured Anakin. "And I'm well aware we...walked a fine line tonight. But at least now I know where our lines are so we can be better about it in the future."

Anakin nodded. "And I'm proud of your restraint."

He stood to leave, but just as he turned toward the door, he felt the need to say one more thing.

"Luke?" He turned to face his son once again. "It need not be right this second, but...you need to tell her that you love her. Nakari may have said she would wait, but a woman needs to hear her man say it out loud. In my opinion, it makes you more of one to be able to do so."

He smiled softly. "Goodnight, Son. I love you."

Luke nodded somberly at his father's statement, brushing stray curls from Nakari's face as he replied. "I love you too, Father. Goodnight."

********************************************************

That night, Anakin lay awake for another long while, thinking of Padmé, and wishing she was in his arms as Luke had Nakari.

He fell asleep to the remembered last time they had been together, with Padmé tucked against his side, her bare skin against his as her head used his chest for a pillow.

********************************************************

It was dark...completely dark. Luke could feel danger all around, and so he reached for his lightsaber, both for protection and for a source of light. No sooner had he ignited the blade did Luke's eyes land on Darth Vader, standing a meter from him. Luke felt panic rise in his chest as the red blade of the Sith Lord snapped to life and the mechanical breathing reached his ears. Luke blocked the Sith's blade on instinct, being pushed back several steps before he managed to gather his courage and he lunged at the Sith, lightsaber cutting the Sith's head right off. Embers peppered the air between them, as did scraps of metal. Somewhere in the darkness, a voice that caused chills to run down his spine began to cackle as some of the embers and scrap metal touched his skin, burning him. Luke dropped his lightsaber, which deactivated and plunged them into darkness as he hissed in pain, slapping away at the burning embers and metal. To his panic utter panic, the pain didn't decrease. Instead, it increased, starting to gradually spread.

"I can ease your pain...all you need do is pledge yourself to me...to the dark side...make yourself my servant..."

Luke spun at the voice, clutching at his arm and trying to ignore the pain while looking for the source of the voice. "Never! I'll never turn to the dark side!" he shouted back. He cried out in pain, dropping to a knee as his arm seared in a sudden, intense agony, the sensation starting to spread to his other hand as well. As if to distract him from his current pain or even to add to his suffering, the crackle of electricity suddenly sparked to life, and the torturous energy came rushing towards Luke's helpless form. He dropped to the floor with a shout of pain as the electricity picking up to an unbearable torture, starting to convulse as the voice spoke again, though now Luke could not tell where it came from.

"Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side."

Luke screamed in agony, the fire of electricity coursing through his very veins and leaving him to convulse on the floor. Still, even the agony of the flames in his bloodstream could not distract him from the true pain that had started before the electricity. His insides started to feel as if they were hardening, and he felt like someone was tearing him apart with fire while he was still alive and awake to reconstruct him in ice, his voice taking on a mechanized sound. He felt wires attach themselves to his limbs, burrowing under the flesh and taking the place of his veins and spreading to infect his tendons. He wished he could pass out to be relieved from the pain, or even die it was so overwhelming.

Wake up, he shouted in his head. This has to be a dream!

No, it isn't, something else whispered to him and the veins that had yet to be overrun by the wires iced over, even as the wires continued to successfully overrun his body. He convulsed violently on the ground, feeling the wires taking over his body, skin turning to metal.

"You're part of the machine now, my machine...you are not human anymore, you are mine."

Desperately, Luke crawled away from the voice, still convulsing and screaming as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the voice. He managed to drag himself to a shore, hearing water lap against the metal plating that was eating away his skin. His fingers—now pure metal—dug into soft sand, and he pushed himself up, trying to get to his feet as electricity sparked across his body. He happened to glance down as something clamped down across his face and tinted the world around him red. What he saw in his reflection below was more horrifying than anything else.

Madly, Luke scrambled to rip the mask of Darth Vader off of his face, panicking when the mask simply seemed to tighten and conform to his face, embedding itself into his face to take the place of skin just like the plating that was running across his body.

"Your fate is sealed; you, like Vader, will be my servant, an agent of the dark side. There is no escaping...your soul is already mine...you will burn..."

Luke screamed again from the pain, doubling over as smoke suddenly overwhelmed his sense of smell, suffocating him to add to the electricity and slow painful change of his body. He chanted the same thing over and over despite the voice that hissed that this was real, he was consumed...

"Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!"

*****************************************************

Luke jolted awake with a cry, chest heaving as he struggled to come back to reality and dispel his nightmare. His breathing was short and choppy as he felt his arms, just to make sure wires and metal plating wasn't still eating away at what made him human.

Nakari, completely unprepared for Luke to jolt upright and convulse like that, jerked up and back in sudden disorientation. She thus gave a startled yelp when her actions ended up dumping her onto the floor, where she lay for a moment trying to get her bearings.

It was Luke's labored breathing that drew her attention, however, and she climbed back to her feet, switched on a lamp and returned cautiously to his side. She didn't touch him, seeing as he seemed to be in a sort of panic.

"Luke?" she said gingerly.

Luke heard Nakari's soft voice, and it soothed him considerably. He was still shaking a little, and his breathing was a little faster than normal. Panic and fear was still coiled up in his chest, but he managed to respond in an even tone. "I'm...I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

Nakari nodded even though he couldn't see with his eyes down. She scooted closer and began to rub soothing circles on his bare back.

"You're awake now," she said gently, trying to help dispel his unease and fear. "You're safe. It was only a dream."

Luke nodded, gently clasping Nakari's free hand under his own and giving her a small smile. "Yes...it was just a dream..." he murmured. But at the same time he couldn't help but wonder...

...what if it wasn't?

Nakari hesitated, then ventured a question. "Would it help to talk about it?"

Luke winced and hesitated. "I...don't know. It was a little..." he struggled with words, unable to find a word strong enough to describe what the dream was like.

Nakari grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

Luke nodded. "Painful. Mortifying...those would be good words for it," Luke murmured. He was debating telling Nakari about it, but he didn't want to scare her, and he wasn't sure if it had been more than a dream. He'd felt his flesh turning to metal, and he still couldn't get the sensation out of his head, rubbing his arm subconsciously.

Nakari spied him rubbing his arm, and she frowned worriedly. She shifted her hand from his back to the same arm, tenderly caressing it.

"You know I will listen to whatever you have to say, but if it's too much to share, I understand."

Luke turned to look at her, bringing a hand up to gently caress her cheek. He didn't want to hide anything from her, and he could clearly see her concern for him reflected in her eyes. Letting out one slow sigh, Luke started his explanation.

"I explained the dark side to you...and the family history I guess you could say I have with Vader, about what he's done to my family members in the past." When she nodded in confirmation, Luke plunged onward in his explanation, forcing himself not to retain any of the details. By the time he was finished, his eyes were fixed in place, staring down instead of holding Nakari's gaze.

Nakari was unable to formulate words for several long minutes after Luke's explanation. What a horrid, torturous dream! There was one thing she couldn't quite understand though.

"You said you...felt it?" she finally whispered. "But...how can you feel what takes place in a dream?"

Luke bit his lip, knowing he was about to throw away the assurance he'd given her only minutes ago. "Sometimes...a Jedi can have dreams that...aren't really dreams. They're visions. My father taught me about them after I had one, after I was captured by Imperials. He told me if I could feel what was happening, really feel it, then it wasn't a dream. It was a vision..." Luke said, his voice hushed and trembling slightly.

Nakari stared. Then she took in Luke's body language and felt a fire stoke within her heart.

"So what if it was a vision?" She moved before him and tilted his chin up. "A vision doesn't change who you are. And you, Luke Skywalker, are good to your core. You won't become a monster. You are better than that, and your willpower is far stronger than any Dark Lord."

Luke met her gaze, letting her words wash over him and warm his heart. He closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. "It's not the first time I've had a vision about the dark side, though, and...I'm not going to make myself think that I'm immune, because I'm not. I don't want to convince myself I can't be affected by the dark side when I'm just as susceptible as anyone else with the Force." He shook his head. "I can't help but worry—fear, really—what if?"

Nakari thinned her lips. "I guess you'll just have to figure out what your top priority is. What or who will you place above the desire for such power? But you need to choose that now, while you can. That way when the time comes for you to be tempted, you have that to hold on to."

Luke shook his head. "I don't want that illusion of power. I'm worried about finding myself in a spot where I don't see any other option..."

Nakari grasped his hand firmly. "I'm a firm believer that there is always another choice, and I rarely let others cow me into believing otherwise."

Nakari dipped her head to try meeting his gaze when he dropped his eyes and wouldn't look at her.

"Hey."

Reluctantly Luke looked up at her, meeting her gaze hesitantly and wordlessly.

"You, my good sir," Nakari caressed his cheek, "need to have more faith in yourself. Of course temptations will come, it's inevitable. But you can, and I believe you will, pull through."

Luke closed his eyes against her touch, leaning into the caress. "I try to have more faith in myself, just...I worry. But thank you; I need to hear that," he told her honestly.

Nakari smiled softly, and almost against her will, her fingers strayed from his cheek to the Jedi brand.

"I refuse to believe that you could turn evil," Nakari murmured, so softly she wasn't sure if he heard.

"After all, look at all that's already been done to you." Her fingers trailed up to his Imperial mark. "And now you have had a plethora of opportunities to seek revenge. Yet you haven't."

Luke gave her a small smile, though there was a bitter edge to it, and a slightly sour edge to his tone. "I wasn't conscious at the time. And from what I've heard, I don't think there was anyone left to take revenge on after Anakin went through that Force-forsaken place...but at the same time, I don't have any desire for revenge. I already have enough reminders of what happened, I don't need to obsess over tracking down the people who did it to me."

Nakari tipped his chin with a winning smile, hoping to get through to him. "And that right there makes all the difference. You don't want it!"

Luke let out a long breath, leaning his forehead against hers. "I can't argue with you there. But there's still an entire unknown future. I don't plan on ever giving into the dark side...I don't want to. But there's still a chance." Noticing she was about to protest again, Luke hurried to continue again. "A chance that I will continue to deny as long as I can."

Nakari lifted a wry brow, but seeing he still hadn't really perked up, she sighed.

"What can I do to cheer you up?" Nakari asked ruefully.

Again, her eyes fell to his brands. She ached to know his story—the full account—so she, like Anakin, could know how to truly help him.

It saddened her to know that she wasn't able to do so. Even now, with this nightmare, she felt helpless when he continued to drag himself down.

Luke sensed her rue, sadness, and helplessness, and he turned to face her fully, feeling guilty as he threaded fingers lovingly through her hair. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so difficult." He sighed but held her gaze. "I've been through a lot, and I just don't know how to unload those feelings and experiences, how to talk about them. Even though Anakin knows everything I've been through, we've never actually talked about it. He was either there or...or I showed him my memories," Luke said softly, holding her gaze.

"I don't want to shut you out, and if I do I don't mean to. I'm just not entirely sure how to let you in. Especially when it's so hard to simply think about..."

Nakari placed a hand over the one he threaded through her hair and entwined their fingers.

"Luke, I understand that, I do, but I want to know...I want to be there for you." She couldn't stop a few cold tears. "I don't just want to be here for you in the good times and then be helpless or pushed aside in your times of need. I want to be there like you have been for me. Please..." she pled, squeezing his hand, "please let me in..."

Luke's heart ached to see her cry, knowing he was the cause of it. He reached to brush the tears away, his own throat closing as he took care not to let a single one make it all the way down her face.

"Please don't cry..." he murmured, pained to see her in such a hurt state. He pulled her close to him, willing his comfort to envelop her and help dispel her hurt. He took a steadying breath, knowing this wasn't something he could postpone for another time, as much as he wanted to. He wasn't too eager at the thought of sharing the memories he kept locked away with her either, as those memories would make her feel the pain Luke had felt, something he did not want to put her through. Despite his reluctance, he still gave her the choice, and he would respect whichever one she chose. "How do you want me to let you in? Do you want me to tell you or...or show you?" he asked softly.

Nakari's breath caught, and she clung to him. "I want to fully understand, Luke. I want you to show me, please."

Luke felt a sharp pang in his heart, but he nodded. "You should understand...before I do this...that it was too much for me then, and that it will be mercilessly detailed and you will feel every bit of what I felt. It was nearly too much for Anakin to witness," Luke told her seriously.

Nakari took his words to heart, but her determination flared and she sat back to take his face into her hands.

"I accept that." She swallowed. "But I also don't want you to bear this burden all alone anymore. It's killing a tiny part of me every time I see you relapse or fight off the memories...and to be powerless to help through my own ignorance. I want to help you shoulder the burden, make it more bearable for you."

Luke closed his eyes and took a moment to gather himself, knowing what he was about to put Nakari through. He reopened them once he'd found his center, gently pulling her hands from his face and instead bringing them to hook around his neck. He didn't want her to accidentally claw at his face during this, and he figured he could handle her possibly constricting on the back of his neck. Gently, he moved her into his lap so that she was straddling him, facing him completely and encouraging her to lay her head against his shoulder. He planned on her being able to muffle her cries in his shoulder, as he had no doubt that she would at least cry out a few times, and he wouldn't mind if she even bit down on his shoulder in an effort not to make a sound. He didn't encircle her as he normally would, however, as he didn't want to accidentally hurt her when he clenched up during the memories. Instead he placed his hands on his knees on either sides of her waist.

"If it's too much, please, tell me and I will stop immediately," Luke told her, waiting until he saw her confirming nod to rest his chin atop the back of her head. He took several steadying, preparing breaths and closed his eyes, finding the memories inside of him and then experimentally stretching out to Nakari's presence. "Open yourself up to me..." he murmured softly, carefully easing into her conscious whenever she complied to his request. He searched for the right starting point, choosing when he'd parted ways with Anakin to search the cantinas as where he would start the memories. He waited patiently yet anxiously for Nakari to get used to feeling Luke inside of her head before he even thought about moving forward.

Nakari remembered when Anakin had entered her mind the afternoon before, and so she was more prepared this time. She relaxed, trusting Luke completely, and still she gasped lightly when she felt him, really felt him.

He was so beautiful! Inside and out! His presence was warm and soothing, yet bright and shining at the same time. She could get lost in him forever...

But she firmly reminded herself not to get distracted, and so she relaxed again and gave him a mental nod.

I'm ready...

Taking a slow, shaky breath, Luke took a firm and gentle hold on Nakari...and jumped into the storm of memories, plunging them right into the moment where Anakin and Luke had parted ways, that strange worry hanging over both of them as they went to cantinas several streets apart.

Nakari kept her attention focused on Luke's memories as they played like an interactive holofilm. The current scene was a man walking up to Luke in some cantina.

****************************************************

"I noticed ya was sittin alone an thought ya might lie a drinkin buddy; care to share a drink wi'me?" the man slurred.

"Oh no, I was just...

"Nonsense!" the man practically boomed. "Have a drink wi'me, I insist!" He slapped Luke on the back right on the shoulder blade...

****************************************************

Nakari flinched when, just as Luke had that day, her shoulder pricked. He hadn't been mincing words apparently when he'd warned her she would feel it.

****************************************************

"What did you...do to me?"

*****************************************************

The world spun and Nakari struggled to keep pace as she observed Luke. He struggled to get away as the man and his goons ganged up on him. There was a brief fight as Luke made a brave but weak attempt to protect himself, but then he passed out.

Luke remained relaxed as the memories passed by, knowing that the worst hadn't come yet. As soon as the first memory passed, he eased into the next, which was his continuous torture starting with his awakening via electrical shock. He tried to send Nakari a feeling of warning before they both got lost in the constant memories that was coming. He needed to keep a constant sense of her anyway in case it was too much for her and he needed to pull them both out.

Nakari felt the warning, but still jumped in shock at the violent way in which Luke had been woken up. She managed not to cry out, but her grasp on Like tightened. She forced her mind to focus as she relived the memories as though she were Luke.

***********************************************

He could feel manacles around his wrists, hoisting him up with his arms stretched over his head. The chill of the room Luke guessed he was in—though couldn't remember how he'd gotten there—kissed his mysteriously bare torso, and Luke repressed a shiver.

"Your time for rest is over," a sharp, female voice colder than the room he was in suddenly said. "Now you will answer every one of my questions, or suffer the consequences."

************************************************

Nakari shivered as the temperature in their hotel room seemed to drop to mimic the voice of that Imperial woman. The officer spoke to Luke of what would happen if he didn't cooperate and of the pain Darth Vader would also inflict if it came to that when he arrived.

************************************************

Luke felt ice cold fear rush through him, but he did not speak a word. He did, however, tremble slightly, a sight that made the woman smile.

"I thought that would get a reaction out of you," she purred, stepping closer. Luke stiffened in anticipation as she leaned in. "Now for my first question; what is your name?"

*************************************************

When Luke remained silent, Nakari praised his courage. But then the woman brought forth a syringe...

*************************************************

He struggled, but the woman didn't even need to try and restrain him, easily sliding the needle into his arm. It burned going in, and he could practically feel it eating its way through his system. The woman smiled sweetly at him.

"This will enhance everything you feel. I'm sure your bonds already feel colder, like millions of little knives digging into your wrists. The pain will only increase the longer you're in those bonds. So if just sitting there hurts so much..."

She trailed off, straightening up as Luke tried to ignore the increasing pain in his wrists. "I will ask you one more time: what is your name?"

**********************************************

Nakari saw the slap coming, and yet, she was unprepared for the way it stung, and she gasped heavily as her cheek felt like it had been shattered. But that was nothing compared to what came after.

**********************************************

"Now imagine how much this will hurt," she said, waving a vibroblade in Luke's face before she pressed the blade against his bare chest. Instantly his nerves flared, sending more pain signals to his brain even though the blade hadn't even broken skin yet. "Let's try a new question; what is your relationship with Princess Leia?"

Luke grit his teeth and tried to even out his breathing, though when he didn't respond the woman dug the blade into his chest and sliced deeply across the width of his chest.

***********************************************

Nakari felt a line of searing pain zing across her collarbone, and she cried out, her hands grabbing at each other. Her fingers connected and she held tightly, trying to keep herself in the moment with Luke.

Luke's grip was tightening on the...it had been the bed he was holding to, right? Or had it been his knees? He could feel Nakari tighten her grasp around his neck and muffle her cry in his shoulder, and he hated knowing that she was feeling this pain now too. Still, she hadn't told him to stop, and he could feel that she didn't want to stop watching.

Well...not yet. This was only the beginning. There was so much more to come.

*************************************************

"Where are the rebels?" he heard her ask, and when he didn't answer she plunged the knife into his leg injury, reopening the wound. She might as well have set him on fire from the sound that ripped up his throat.

**************************************************

Nakari trembled with each successive use of the knife, and her leg protested a pain she hadn't technically been administered. The woman talked some more after time passed, and Nakari wanted to take a swing at her.

She was silently cheering Luke's stamina and will as the woman warned that things would only get worse.

*********************************************

Swallowing with great difficulty, Luke shook his head and spoke for the first time. "I won't give you...anything..."

The officer sighed, making a show of shaking her head. "That's really too bad." Gesturing to the man behind the youth, she gave an order. "Proceed with the next phase."

She gave Luke a thin smile. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

At her summons, an AT-AT of a man came around so the young man could see. "I'd like you to meet a man we like to call Scourge."

He nodded to him and he lashed out a meaty fist at the Luke's gut.

***********************************************

Nakari felt the air leave her when Luke was punched in the middle by a meaty fist with enough force to have stopped a charging reek. Then, just like Luke, she wasn't able to fully take in air before Scourge continued his 'job'.

***********************************************

The next blow came, just as powerful and devastating. They might as well have been punching a hole through Luke dropping a ship on him...

While the blows continued to come, the lacerations he'd already sustained opened further or intensified in the pain they'd already been inflicting on him. Blood splattered to the floor, and after a few blows to the chest and sides, Luke swore he felt something crack—which felt like they'd ripped every one of his ribs out over and over—before he was suddenly racked with a painful bought of wheezing coughs, blood splattering the floor below him as the first sign of serious damage showed itself, blood painting his lips as a metallic taste filled Luke's mouth.

**********************************************

Nakari didn't realize she was repeatedly gasping for air until she began to see spots, and she had to reassert her hold on Luke to ground herself.

Luke felt Nakari's instinctive panic at not being able to breathe, feeling her grasp tighten enough for her nails to dig into his skin. He ignored the small pain, curling closer to her and gently whispering in her ear, though his voice was pained as he was going through this again as well.

"I'm still here..." he told her even as the vision continued mercilessly onwards. The worst had yet to come, and he had concern over how shed react to the waterboarding and the branding, his concern for her overshadowing the feelings that would normally mean a relapse. His breathing was heavy and uneven, but he held fast to Nakari's presence and kept the vision going despite his pain.

Luke's voice drew Nakari back to a level head, and she slackened her grasp on him so that she wasn't clawing him anymore.

The woman in the memory called a halt and dismissed Scourge, then asked Luke if he was ready to cooperate.

********************************************

Blood was still filling his mouth, though not at an alarming rate...yet. He spat what was in his mouth onto the floor right at her feet, his chest feeling like some sort of acid was eating away at his lungs, his body a living conduit of agony. His face was scrunched up in pain, and he dreaded what was next, but he couldn't...he couldn't...as much as he wanted to...

********************************************

Nakari tensed when the officer picked up a bludgeon, and Nakari didn't care what she said because then she was once again feeling Luke's agony.

********************************************

The bludgeon was swung up and back for momentum, and then brought it down on Luke's right forearm with as much force as the officer could muster.

*********************************************

Nakari had managed not to scream up until this point, but though she knew it wasn't happening in reality, her arm sang out with shoots of anguish that forced the sound from her lungs.

She dug her face into Luke's shoulder and began to weep heavily as the Luke in the memory cried out in desperation for his father.

Luke almost pulled Nakari out of his memories when she screamed and started to cry, starting to doubt if she could handle what had yet to come. His own pain was brutally clear, but he pushed all of it aside in concern for Nakari. He gave in, wrapping his arms around Nakari to comfort her now at risk of hurting her later when the unbearable agony came and he clenched up. At the same time, he sent his inquiry about continuing, knowing now that it might just be too much for her.

No! Don't stop! Nakari cried in response to his question. She curled her body closer to his when his arms encircled her.

She focused on the memory again as the Imperial asked her next question, and Luke responded.

*******************************************

"Just kill me already," he gasped out. "You won't get...anything from me."

The officer leaned forward, a superior smirk on her lips. "Oh no, my young Jedi...If I have my way, and then Lord Vader does as well, you won't die for a very long time."

*******************************************

Nakari watched in growing dismay as the woman prepared to waterboarding Luke. She had seen this done before on others and she knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

Even so, she wasn't prepared for just how vile a tactic it really was.

*******************************************

A sharp command was given, and the water was poured methodically over the young man's rag-covered face.

Immediately he gagged, a dangerous thing considering the cloth smothering his face and the blood clogged in his airway. Luke violently jerked against his restraints as he realized they were drowning him slowly and painfully. Full blown panic rose in his chest and Luke screamed unsuccessfully, the sound muffled by the blood and cloth and water, coming out gurgled. He continued to gag and choke as if he was actually under water, his brain pounding from the lack of air as the water was repeatedly poured over his mouth and nose. Luke thrashed against the restraints again in a frenzy to break free, realizing the hard way that holding his breath only made it worse by making him feel like he was being smothered as the cloth tightened. His lungs wanted to burst, his body screaming in agony as his brain shouted at him that he was drowning and he was going to die.

Stop, stop! His mind screamed, though he didn't speak it, bucking against his restraints. To his horror, he felt vomit rise in his throat and he began to choke, unable to breathe from the combination of everything blocking his airway. He could feel his body starting to shut down, feeling his thrashing take on the movements of a man who knew he was about to die, a sickening crack and a new wave of agony from a different source informing him that he'd just broken a wrist trying to break free.

I can't breathe! I need to breathe! Stop! his mind screamed. Please, just kill me already, just let it end!

************************************************

Nakari was once again gasping, and she too had bile rising, but she forced it down, though she realized she was starting to feel nauseous. But she was determined to see this through to its ugly conclusion.

She brought herself back to attention just in time to realize what was next.

Nakari stiffened in fearful anticipation when the officer ordered Luke to be held, and she presented the young man with the first of his two brands. The woman held the tool aloof as though it was a rare artifact.

Nakari knew what was coming, and she trembled in concert with Luke's shaking form.

"Luke..." she whispered tremulously. In her head she begged him not to stop.

***********************************************

"You're a filthy Jedi, and you will be branded like the animal you are," the Imperial snarled, giving Luke no time to retort as she placed the metal to the right side of his chest, just below where the curve of his neck met shoulder.

***********************************************

Nakari jerked in Luke's arms, screaming loudly into his shoulder, pressing her mouth to his skin to muffle the sound.

Her chest heaved in phantom physical pain brought on by the wretched memory. Flashes of blinding light exploded before her eyes.

But before Luke could ask to pull back as she sensed he would, Nakari gasped out a sentence.

"All of it, Luke! All...of...it!"

Luke had tears not only burning his eyes but tracking down his cheeks. The memories alone were painful enough, but the added agony of hearing and feeling Nakari in pain as well...it made the experience as unbearable as when it happened. Still, he obeyed her command, arms constricting around her as he buried his face in her curls, continuing forward with the memory, despite how much his heart broke at Nakari's pain alone. He trembled and took ragged breaths, somehow maintaining enough self-control to keep them both immersed in the memory.

Nakari was now fighting a growing sense of nausea, but she fiercely clamped her stomach into submission.

The woman in Luke's memory put brand away.

************************************************

"You should feel honored, I suppose, because the mark is the symbol of the Jedi." She shrugged, taking up a second branding iron from the cadet, fresh off of the fire. "However, what would people think if you also had an Imperial insignia...right above the Jedi symbol to mark the Empire's superiority?"

************************************************

Nakari hadn't realized that Luke had received the brands one after the other, and she shifted on Luke's embrace in sudden terror at feeling the second one.

That fear only morphed into something more when the Luke in the vision finally snapped, broken in spirit and will. The next scene broke Nakari's heart into little fragments, and she began to sob into his shoulder.

************************************************

"Please..." Luke whispered, his flickering voice barely audible. "Don't..."

The woman paused and leaned forward pointedly. "Where are the Rebels?"

*************************************************

Nakari watched as the woman taunted and warned Luke, who was obviously still at war with himself. Finally, the Imperial grew tired of waiting.

*************************************************

The woman glared. "You wasted my time, you piece of Jedi filth!"

She motioned Scourge to hold Luke, and then touched the brand slowly and deliberately to the young man's skin.

An inhuman scream echoed around the room.

"You Jedi are so weak!" The officer taunted amidst her victim's wails. "Where is your precious Force now, huh?"

*************************************************

Nakari convulsed a staccato burst in Luke's embrace and hollered...

*************************************************

He started to seizure in his captor's grasp, vision fading completely as his eyes rolled into the back of his head once more, heart stopping and restarting as he was consumed. This...this was too much.

"Father!" he screamed, wishing someone would help him as overwhelming despair settled in, followed by crushing hopelessness. He was going to die. "Ben! Anakin! Father!" he screamed, the sound cutting off when the hands on his throat and jaw tightened, pulling his head painfully to the side and exposing more of his neck while the one holding his throat tightened his grip until Luke couldn't breathe. As they did so, the Imperial woman pressed the iron even harder into his neck.

***************************************************

Nakari was barely aware, as was the Luke in the vision, of when Anakin burst into the scene in a furious rage.

She gasped wetly when the Imperial woman stabbed Luke in the side and then she blacked out from it all just as Luke was thrown like a doll into the wall.

Nakari went helplessly limp in Luke's embrace.

***************************************************

Luke violently tore himself free of the memories, supporting Nakari on instinct as he trembled uncontrollably and scrambled for his self-control once more. The pain was still prominent, slowly fading into the background as he focused all of his attention on Nakari in his embrace. His shaking arms trembled as he tightened his grasp on her, supporting her limp form completely and pulling her close towards him as he fought back the tears in his eyes. He wiped the sweat soaked hair from her face, guilt and pain snaking through him for putting through this pain, whether she wanted it or not.

Pushing aside his own issues, Luke rushed to cater to Nakari's, laying her back against the bed and stumbling towards the kitchenette to get a glass of water. He returned just as quickly as he'd left, gathering Nakari into his arms once more as he tried to gently bring her back around, one hand resting against her cheek as he probed at her presence through the Force, trying to bring her back. "Nakari...Nakari," he called, pulling her close to his chest. He was suppressing all of his own issues and giving all of his attention to Nakari.

She was floating in a blessed oblivion...yet for some reason she wasn't at peace. She trembled with the after-effects of a phantom physical pain that at the same time had been horrifyingly real.

Something pierced the darkness...

A voice. She instinctively turned toward it, her head moving.

Luke let out a small sigh of relief when he sensed her responding to his attempts to bring her back around. Luke gently ran his fingers through her sweaty hair, stroking any exposed skin his other hand came in contact with, making soothing sounds and speaking in a calm and even tone. His own issues faded into the background as he spoke to her, hoping to rouse her back to consciousness. "Nakari, I'm here, I'm here...You're all right. Nakari, please, wake up," Luke plead softly. He placed her back against the bed, ready to reach for the cup of water with every intent of flicking water in her face if she still didn't wake up.

She knew that voice...

Nakari...I'm here, I'm here...You're all right...

Who's here? She wondered. Then the name attached to that voice registered, and she tried to speak his name.

Luke...

Nakari, please...wake up...

She trembled, wanting to obey...and then, joyously, light filtered into her eyes in narrow slits.

Luke saw her eyes crack open and he relaxed considerably, retracting his hand from the cup for now as he focused once more on Nakari.

"That's it...C'mon Nakari...wake up. You're safe, I'm here, it's over now..." he assured her, stroking his thumb gently along her cheek and gently rubbing her shoulder at the same time, eyes studying her every move intently. His hand trembled just slightly, and he worked to keep his hands steady as he continued to coax her back to reality.

"Luke..." she tried to speak but all that came from her parched throat was a garbled sound.

She winced at the way her throat scratched, and she instead focused on trying to see his face. She ruthlessly commanded her eyelids to become lighter so she could see, and then there he was.

It took a moment for her eyesight to focus, but once it did, she tried for a smile.

"Luke..." She attempted his name again.

Luke managed a weak smile when Nakari managed to force out his name. Her movements obviously took great effort, and Luke placed a quick, tender kiss to her forehead, brushing the hair from her face again as his concern shined clearly in his eyes. He brushed feather light fingers against her lips to silence her, shaking his head. "Don't speak, it's all right," he told her. "As soon as you have your strength back, I already have some water for you. Just rest for now."

As he spoke, he kept careful track of her through the Force, keeping himself ready for any unpleasant developments and doing his best to keep her comfortable.

Nakari made to nod, but something in her started to burn like acid and she felt a warning sensation in her throat that could only mean one thing.

Suddenly Nakari was wide awake, adrenaline giving her the emergency strength to fling herself from the bed and make a stumbling bee-line for the refresher.

The nausea she had kept under control would no longer be held at bay. Nakari's feet touched the tiled floor of the refresher and she skidded to her knees before the toilet and was violently sick.

Her arms quivered so much that she feared she would fall into the bowl after her stomach's contents.

Luke had been right on Nakari's heels in the mad dash, and now he stayed right behind her, pulling her hair out of her face for her and—when her hair was held securely in one hand—rubbing her back in gentle, soothing motions. He hated himself right now for putting her through this, thinking of how he should have pulled out before the brandings—probably before the waterboarding even—despite her protests and insistence.

He kept up his soothing motions, crouching down beside her and ready to support her should her strength fail her. The glass of water he'd offered her would have to wait now, and he might have to get a second glass, perhaps even a third.

Nakari hovered over the bowl until she was completely certain she was done, and then she tried to lift one heavy, shaky arm to both flush and pull back, but she couldn't.

She took a shaky breath and tried again, at last managing to send the mess to the sewers. But then she sagged, shivering: her strength was gone with the adrenaline.

Luke saw her sag, and he captured her in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. He reached for the closest thing he could find to wipe her mouth with, settling for a square of toilet paper as he couldn't reach the towels from his spot on the floor with Nakari in his arms. He carefully wiped away the remainder of her stomach's contents from her mouth, throwing the used square away as soon as he was done. He didn't stand from his spot on the floor, as he knew that although he was currently rather operational, his issues were bottled up and he currently lacked the strength to pick her up and carry her back to the bed. Still, he was content with settling for holding her in his arms, his bare back resting against the cold wall as he did his best to keep her warm.

His eyes flickered to the shower beside them, thinking of the soothing hot jets it could provide. But that would be an idea for if they ended up needing those soothing jets.

Nakari burrowed herself into Luke's embrace as much as she was able, but though he was a welcome warmth, she still shivered.

"I don't suppose..." she asked shakily, "you could manage to levitate a towel...within reach to act as a blanket? Could you?"

Luke grimaced. "I can scoot a noodle across a table, I think levitating a towel is something completely different," he told her, pulling her flush against his chest as he reached to open the door to the shower. "We are within scooting distance of a shower though...if you don't mind getting wet..." he told her softly, ready to transport them into the square shower if she agreed.

Nakari hesitated, but then her shivering made up her mind for her.

She needed to get warmed up, and he was offering a way to do that. Besides, neither one of them had the energy for anything right now.

"Yes, please," Nakari managed through now-chattering teeth. She knew her quivering was brought on both from the cold and the experience she'd just shared with Luke.

Carefully, Luke scooted them into the shower, shutting the door behind them and turning on the water. He jumped a little when the water first hit them, and it took a few moments for him to find an ideal temperature before the glass shower walls started to fog up and he propped them both under the water, tucking Nakari's head into the crook where his neck met shoulder and leaning his own head atop hers. His fingers traced lines along her now-wet skin in an increasingly subconscious gesture, holding her lovingly to his form and gently kissing the crown of her head. His own trembling was starting to show now as his concern over Nakari faded with Nakari's increasingly improving condition; he was no longer as distracted from his own feelings, though they weren't as potent as they would have been had he not been distracted by Nakari's condition either. He held her close to him, allowing the hot jets of water to help his condition as well while he placed tender kisses along the top of her head, allowing the combined elements to sooth him. He monitored Nakari closely, wanted to be sure that she was all right. Though her now wet body pressed against his, clothed or not, was extremely alluring, even in his weakened state.

Though he had nowhere near enough energy to do anything other than trace his fingers along her exposed, bare, wet skin, willing her to feel better and warm up.

Nakari breathed him in, his scent somehow accented when wet, and as she breathed him in she allowed her eyes to shut and she simply let him hold her. She drank in each of his other little motions, from his kisses to his fingers running along her skin.

Nakari had to fight against her baser self for a few seconds, but firmly held herself in check, although she did grant herself permission to rest a palm against his chest next to her face. She felt oddly more comforted that way, as though the touch of her hand somehow cemented the fact that he was actually there, holding her.

She tucked herself into his body a little more, and became aware of his trembling. Worried, she tilted her head a fraction so she could speak.

"Are you all right?" Her voice was still somewhat hoarse, and her throat raw, but she managed to be clear in her words.

Luke closed his eyes and leaned back a little so she could meet his gaze. "Nothing unexpected," he told her gently. "Just...shaken from...that. I'll be all right though, with some time to calm down. I'm already better than I normally am at this point," he murmured, hand running through her wet hair. He put a hand over the hand on his chest, enjoying the touch. He kissed her forehead. "I'm more worried about you right now."

She smiled softly, bending her head enough to kiss the side of his hand where it sat over hers. "I'll admit I wasn't entirely prepared for...all of it, but I'm not sorry about this at all. Please don't beat yourself up, Luke."

Luke sighed and glanced down. "I might feel a little better if I would have simply told you. I hated seeing—well, feeling and hearing—you in that pain," he muttered. He shook his head. "There's not much I can do about it now...I...I'm glad you know now though," Luke told her, tipping her head back enough to kiss her lips. The water running over the pair caused the kiss to be slippery, but that much more enjoyable in Luke's opinion.

He pulled her closer to his body, glad that she was no longer trembling from the cold.

Nakari accepted his kiss, and then pulled back, lifting her outside hand up to touch his cheek. "Luke? Thank you for trusting me with this."

Luke smiled slightly at her. "I've been thinking about telling you for a while now but...it never felt like the right time to say it, or I never quite felt ready," he explained, nuzzling into her hand.

Nakari closed her eyes to enjoy his nuzzling. "You can tell me anything, any time," she murmured.

Luke moved from nuzzling her hand to gently kissing her palm, pulling away to tilt her head up at a better angle for him to kiss her, brushing wet strands of hair out of her face as he did so. "I will," he responded in kind, gently pressing his lips against hers for a rather wet kiss, stroking her side at the same time.

Nakari leaned up and into the kiss, wanting to share an intimate, one-on-one moment with him after their shared experience before. She brought fingers up to play with the wet strands of his hair, not quite tucking them behind his ear, just toying with them.

Luke smiled when she played with his hair, working his lips against her own in a constant caress, leaning her against him. He felt like he'd gotten used to the temperature of the water a little too much, so he lessened the cold water a little with his free hand, returning that hand to stroking along her side from the shoulder blade of her back, down the side of her ribs and to her waist...down her thigh, where her clothes now clung against the skin...

A little zing of pleasure ran up his arm at the touch, and he brought his hand back upward, his kiss slowing down as he moved to open mouthed kisses, fingers threading through Nakari's hair and stroking her throat and the back of her neck. That touch had made him acutely aware of the fact their remaining clothing was clinging to them to the point there might as well have been no clothes between them, and Luke took a moment to admire her curves and lines, well-toned and lean under his touch...

Nakari shuddered with a new kind of pleasure when Luke touched her wet skin as he had when it was dry. This was an enticingly new experience, and she found herself hungrily craving more. Her breath hitched and she shifted in his embrace, moving more upright and finding his hand as it trailed along her skin. She placed hers over his and went along with him for a moment, and then returned her hand to his chest. There she began to trace patterns along is well-toned pectorals. And when he opened his mouth to her she returned the gesture, delving eagerly deeper.

Luke groaned when Nakari not only delved deep into his open-mouthed kisses but started to actively stroke the sensitive skin of his chest, his breathing coming out labored once more. In an effort to even out the playing field, Luke also delved into her kiss, initiating a sensual war between their tongues.

At the same time, in an instinctual motion he hadn't been planning, he arched against her, wet skin slipping against hers and lightly brushing against her clothed upper chest as one hand moved to coax her to not stop her ministrations to his chest, the other tilting her head at a better angle before running sensually down her spine.

Nakari shivered at his finger trailing a little line of tingles down her spine, and with him pressing himself to her chest...Nakari drew herself closer in response, shifting to try sitting up fully.

Luke pulled away, silencing the protesting whimper with a kiss to her jaw as he helped her sit up, hands running down the length of her sides as she arched like a feline against him, intensifying his pleasure to the point his labored breathing became a little choppy. He knew they were both still rather weak, so he supported her and lent her his strength with every ministration she gave him. He showered her in turn with his own tender touches as he caressed the spots that made her shiver in repetitive strokes, either lightening the touch or changing the speed at which he brushed against her wet skin each time.

The water continued to fall over them, hot and relaxing, invigorating them with more energy. The steam seemed to cling to their skin, but Luke didn't mind—it just made the experience all the better.

Nakari's breathing was growing increasingly labored and she loved how he was making her feel, and his name slipped from her lips in a breathy moan. Her own arching against him had been an instinctive motion as well, and yet, now that they were so pressed together she only ached for more contact.

She shifted her stance to move towards his lap with her hips, but paused, unsure if he would be okay with that. Luke, after hearing her moan his name and feeling her press against him, was thoroughly aroused, trailing open mouthed kisses along any exposed skin he could find. He felt her shift, excitement and pleasure shooting through his body as he pressed against her once more, whispering a ragged, "Yes," into her ear so that she would know that he was perfectly fine with what she wanted, that he wanted it too.

He nibbled at her ear in a seductive manner, arching in the hopes that she would touch him as she had earlier and caress his skin with her lips. The water ran down the length of his body and her own, which he took a moment to admire with his eyes. Her dark skin glistened alluringly from the water, her soaked clothes clinging to her curves, and she was coming closer, hips lowering to straddle him. He groaned, eyes closing when her thighs tightened around his waist, and suddenly he wanted more of her—much more. His hands, resting on her hips, tightened to secure her in place, supporting her as he traced soft circles along her thighs with his thumbs.

He arched again, aching to feel her ministrations to his chest as her name slid from his lips in a gasp.

She felt him arch, his desire clear even as he pulled her hips closer. When he spoke her name, it was said in just such a way that she couldn't deny him. She moved herself a little so she could bend her head to his chest, where instead if her fingers exploring his chest, she used her lips.

Luke almost couldn't breathe by now, pleasure senses flooding through his entire being and creating a haze over his mind when her lips moved across his chest and over sensitive skin.

He pulled her as close to him as possible without disturbing her ministrations to his chest. "Don't stop...please," he managed to say between his ragged breaths, referring to her lips working her magic across his chest as he began to kiss the skin of her shoulders, gently sucking the water droplets from her skin along the way as his fingers continued their ministrations to her thighs.

With Luke now kissing her shoulders, the sensual sucking of his mouth causing her breathing to hitch. However, Nakari managed a smile against his skin at his plea, and she upped the ante by flicking her tongue every now and then. Luke felt Nakari's tongue flick across the sensitive skin of his chest, and he shuddered at the feeling, a mixture of a gasp and a moan bursting past his lips.

His lips glided along Nakari's skin, and in the middle of his kisses the straps of her tank-top started to slip downwards. For a moment, he thought about situating it back in place before he decided instead to take advantage of the new territory, gently running his lips sensually along the newly exposed skin on her shoulder and chest, first on one side and then the other when the other strap fell as well.

Nakari had to stop her ministrations to Luke's chest when her bra straps slipped, and he began to toy with the skin there with his lips. She threw her head back and slightly aside to enjoy his new actions even more.

Luke's senses were screaming with desire as he continued to explore this beauty in his arms, and he couldn't take the buildup any longer. He pulled her as close as he could, panting heavily as his vigorously pressed his lips to whatever skin he could find, his hands lowering to their soaked trousers with every intent on removing the clothing between them, his desire too much to contain any longer. Nakari felt Luke's hands lower...lower...and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Luke..." she breathed shakily, her entire being flush with desire as she broke from his lips upon her bare shoulders. She quivered, breathing heavily as she felt his fingers slide, and she laid her head on his shoulder just so. Nodding, and caught up in the passion of the moment, she whispered an acceptance his intention.

Luke felt warmth spread in him at her response. He grasped her trousers in a needful grip, pulling them downwards and running his thumb along the skin he was gradually revealing. He opened his eyes to gaze at Nakari's trembling form against his chest, his thumb finally hitting not skin, but the fabric of her underwear.

That was when the reality of what he was about to do hit him. As desire filled and pleasure driven as he'd been moments ago, Luke suddenly felt cold despite the hot water raining down on them from above, going absolutely still.

In the next moment he was moving, pulling Nakari's trousers firmly but gently back into place and pulling away from her, putting a respectable distance between them to avoid temptation.

"No," he said suddenly and firmly, more to himself than anything as his father's words mere hours ago rushed back to mind. His body tingled and he felt strange from the sudden absence of Nakari's body against his, but his resolve was waxing firm again.

"I'm sorry, but no. Not that, not...not now. I want to...I want to wait for that," he said quietly, keeping the distance between them as he struggled to calm his vigorously aroused body. He felt bad for the suddenness of his movements, knowing he'd probably set Nakari off-balance and possibly reeling emotionally.

Nakari struggled to gain some semblance of reality after Luke's abrupt shift. She was still breathing rapidly, her nerves on fire, especially where he had last touched her. She shakily looked for a way to brace herself, as she was now off-balance without him there to support her.

But though she wished they'd gone on, at least in the heat of the moment, Nakari now realized also where they'd almost ventured. She blushed deeply, ashamed of herself, feeling shaky now, and not just from physical weariness.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Luke!" Nakari breathed, unable to meet his gaze and wishing she could just disappear. "I'm so sorry!"

Luke shook his head, feeling her growing shame and guilt. "No, it's fine, don't apologize...we're both at fault here," he said softly, reaching up and turning off the water. He carefully got to his feet, opening the door to the shower to reach out and grab one of the towels that had been out of reach earlier. He shut the door again to keep the steam and remaining warmth within their small space, crouching down beside her and wrapping the towel around her shoulders. He adjusted her bra straps into place, being careful about where he touched and his own still-tingling senses. "We're both at fault, but there's nothing we can do about it except not do it again," Luke told her quietly, gingerly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Nakari closed her eyes against a flood of tears she couldn't stop, unable to just let it go as her gut gnawed with shame.

"I know better than this," she whispered, shaking her head. "My father taught me from an early age not to...Well, that it was imperative to wait."

Luke felt a pang in his heart at her pain, though her words brought back his own crushing shame. He wrapped the towel more securely around her, taking care to wipe away every tear as he'd done earlier before he'd showed her his memories. "Well...I was given the same lesson from my Aunt and Uncle when I was young...but my father gave it to me again a few hours ago; at least you don't have that hanging over your head," he said with a weak smile.

Nakari laughed softly at the remark, recognizing he was trying to make her feel better. She lifted her gaze to his and thinned her lips.

"I think, from now on, we stay clothed around each other, like at least undershirts. And no more straddling, cause I don't think I will be able to stop myself if there is a next time." She gave him an imploring look. "But I hope this doesn't mean we can't still snuggle together...like we did on the couch and in the Jewel."

Luke nodded, his lips twitching a little. "Agreed; no straddling, always clothes, but more snuggling. Definitely more snuggling," he said with a grin, pushing aside all of the worries in favor of lifting Nakari's spirits. He gently kissed the top of her head, pulling her into his arms and close to his chest as he lifted her off of the ground, relying heavily on the Force to give him the stamina to do so. "Come on..."

Nakari rested her head in the crook of his shoulder as he carried her. She allowed herself to breathe in his scent, careful to allow only that.

She shivered in the cooler temperature of the common room, pulling the towel tighter to her. But it was wet from her still-wet body and so the towel helped very little.

Luke laid her down on the bed right next to the nightstand that had the glass of water he'd fetched earlier, that way it was within arm's reach. He moved across the room, grabbing Nakari's bag that held her things and hefting it towards the bed as well so that she could have access to her clothes. He paused to bend down and give her a gentle kiss on the top of her head before he retreated. "I'll get you another towel and get changed," he told her quietly, grabbing a complete set of clothes out of his own sack before he ducked into the bathroom again and tossed two dry towels from within towards Nakari.

Nakari didn't want Luke to come out and see anything that would make him uncomfortable, so she dried off and changed swiftly into loose-fitting sweat pants and a sleep shirt. She still shivered and out on a pair of socks, then she dried her hair and began to brush it absentmindedly as she reflected on the past day.

She was determined to not have a repeat of their near-disastrous make-out session. She set the brush down halfway through brushing her hair as she recalled why they had ended up in the shower in the first place.

She hiccupped a sob before she could catch herself, the overwhelming memories returning to her full-force.

Nakari wrapped her arms about herself, asking the cosmos how any mortal being could willingly put another through what they did to Luke.

She recalled his screams, his desperate, broken pleas for his father and...whoever Ben was.

The brush lay forgotten on the mattress as Nakari sank to the floor, burying her face into her folded arms atop drawn-up knees.

There she sobbed out her sorrow for Luke's agony, short and long-term. She also felt the lingering guilt from the shower, but she resolved to move on from that.

But what they had done to Luke...to her sweet, gentle, loving Luke...Nakari couldn't understand how he wasn't bitter after that.

He had every right to be, yet he chose to move on.

And while that meant they had met, she couldn't stem the flow of hit tears.

Oh Luke...

***************************************************

Luke, once the door was securely shut behind him, leaned against the door with his eyes closed.

Force, Luke, what were you thinking? You almost...

Luke shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut to dispel the thoughts. He had almost...but he hadn't, and he wasn't going to. If he told Nakari they needed to move forward despite what had happened, then he needed to do the same thing. He stayed where he was, however, as he still had to recover from showing Nakari his memories.

Luke no longer felt that he was under threat of relapsing, so he didn't need to worry about that. He was, however, haunted by Nakari's cries and screams as she'd seen and felt what he'd felt, tormented by the pain he'd sensed she was in even as she begged him not to stop so she could fully understand...

He stumbled over to the sink, bracing himself against the granite sink top and watching the droplets of water from his hair fall into the sink. He squeezed his eyes shut again as if that would get rid of the image of her limp in his arms, overwhelmed by the phantom pain of what he'd been through.

She didn't want him beating himself up about it, but he could have made it so much easier for her, less painful, if he would have just told her about it instead of even suggesting showing it to her...

Remembering that he actually had a reason for being in the refresher, Luke moved from his spot at the sink, peeling out of his soaking wet clothes and thoroughly drying off before he pulled on a new under tunic and trousers. He was just starting to ruffle his damp hair in an effort to air dry it a little when a wave of sorrow from Nakari reached him through the Force, and his attention shifted to rest solely on the woman in the other room.

Concern lacing its way through his chest, Luke left his pile of clothes and towel in the refresher, opening the door and quickly spotting a fully clothed Nakari on the floor by the bed, knees drawn to herself as she sobbed into the arms folded atop her knees. Luke crossed the room in a few short strides, sinking down to sit beside her and gently placing a hand on her back.

"Nakari?"

Nakari stiffened subconsciously at the touch, half-expecting it to be the woman from that horrible vision. But then she relaxed when Luke's voice followed.

She lifted her head, looking to him and trying to formulate a coherent sentence, but all she could manage was the two-word thought that had been running on a loop about her head.

"Oh Luke..." She again buried her face, her breathing uneven as she struggled for control.

Luke didn't fight her turning into his embrace, but he was thoroughly confused as to what was happening. He didn't sense the shame that had been lingering from the shower incident, just so much sorrow and sympathy.

Sympathy.

Oh.

Luke's arms encircled Nakari and he rubbed her back soothingly. "It's all right, Nakari—it's over. I'm fine, you're fine...it's all right..." he murmured, momentarily missing the irony that usually someone else was soothing him over this, and it was the first time he'd been comforting someone else about his...experience.

Nakari allowed his words to soothe her, as out if place as they seemed. She finally got a handle on her sorrow and simply sat in his embrace, sniffling the last vestiges if her tears away.

Only when she was confident about speaking coherently did she do so.

"I know this is going to sound inadequate and inane, but..." Nakari paused for a shuddering breath. "I am so sorry you had to go through that."

She fell quiet for a moment, then added, "and I am glad you let me...understand. Thank you."

Luke was silent for a few moments, holding Nakari close to his heart and letting her dry her tears on his shirt. "There's nothing anyone can do about it now, and I'm just glad to still be alive." He paused before he addressed her last comment, choosing not to mention his lingering guilt. "I'm glad you know about it now as well..."

She smiled, taking his gift as an honor. She sat up again and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"I am immensely glad that you chose not to stay angry and hard afterwards," she admitted. "You stayed kind and caring, gentle. That marks the true measure of your character."

She remembered that she was supposed to be combing out her hair, and so she reached for the brush, pulled a lock of her hair over her shoulder and slowly commenced her chore, allowing the lingering moisture on her eyelashes to air-dry.

Luke allowed her to leave his embrace, rising to his feet as well and taking her comment to heart as he gestured towards the water. "In case you still need it," he told her, before he added a soft, "and thank you."

Nakari nodded. "Thank you for the drink. And you don't need to thank me, but you're welcome."

Luke nodded, eyeing the way that her hand was still shaking as she moved the brush through her hair. With a soft sigh, Luke approached her and took her hand into his own, wiggling the brush out of her grasp. "Here, let me," Luke told her quietly, guiding her back to the bed and letting her sit beside him. It felt a little awkward to him, but he started to gently run the brush through her hair, allowing her to cuddle closer to him for warmth.

Nakari was surprised by his gesture, but she closed her eyes with a small smile. She sighed softly, and decided to share one of her favorite childhood memory with Luke.

"My mother used to brush my hair from behind like this, it was our mom-and-daughter time," Nakari told him quietly. "I always looked forward to it, and we would talk about our days and just be together."

She fell silent for short time. "You have no idea how much of a pleasant experience it is to have someone brush your hair for you. It's one of life's most simple, but greatest joys."

Luke smiled slightly, a hand resting on her forearm as he continued to run the brush through her hair. "I'll take your word for it," he replied, gently stroking Nakari's forearm with his thumb. A thought swirled in his mind, and he was toying with the notion of saying something building up inside of him. "Nakari..."

She opened her eyes and turned her head slightly. "Yes?"

The words were ready to fall from his mouth, he could feel their weight against his lips—but he didn't say it. He backtracked, settling for something else entirely, something much safer. "I wanted to say thank you for everything that you have done for me. You've been more than good for me," Luke said instead. He decided that, after everything that had already happened tonight, he should wait. Besides, it would feel wrong to admit those deep feelings for her after they almost did something they would both regret and felt it would take away from such words. Another time.

Nakari smiled softly, placing a hand over the one he had on her forearm. "I would do anything for you, Luke," she said softly.

Luke felt his heart warm, and he held Nakari's gaze, enjoying the pure emotion that rushed through him when he looked in her eyes. "As would I," he told her honestly.

She smiled and left it at that, content beyond words in his embrace.