“I cannot speak to that. As I said, I am no Jedi. But I would ask you to consider this: what if the proper application of singular love can allow you two to become far greater Jedi than you ever would have otherwise?”
“I had not considered that. I’ve always said that Serra is a good influence on me, and I try to be for her as well. We balance each other out,” Malik realized.
Watching Serra continue to play with the baby, Malik walked back over to where she and Breha sat. Serra beamed as he sat next to her on the bench and took the child in his arms, watching Leia sleep peacefully the entire time. In those moments, Serra felt the same things for Malik that he had felt moments before. She saw the kind of man he was deep within his soul. This was a man she knew she wanted to share her life with.
With a bit of reluctance, he handed the child back to her mother, and Breha left them for a moment to chat with her husband. Alone with Serra once more, Malik took her hand and kissed it sweetly. She felt a clear flutter in her heart as he did so; everything he did seemed to set her ablaze. They stared at each other for the longest time, never once breaking eye contact. Malik could hold the words in no longer.
“I love you, Serra.”
Giving Malik a mischievous smirk, she replied, “I know.”
The pair erupted into a giggle-fit at her response; they were almost unable to breathe, they were laughing so hard. Playfully slapping her shoulder, Malik finally managed to talk.
“You suck! Here I am, trying to be all sweet and romantic and you-”
Serra silenced him with a long kiss on his lips, cradling his face in her hands.
“I love you too, Malik,” she said as they parted.
“Told you so,” Breha taunted to her husband as they walked up.
“What? You two are spying on us?!” Malik asked, incredulous.
“Oh, this hardly classifies as spy work, my friends,” Bail replied with a grin. “But make no mistake, we are quite happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Serra smiled.
“Senator, is there somewhere that we could get some food to bring back to our rooms?” Malik asked. “It’s getting late, and I’m afraid we may pass out from exhaustion any moment now.”
Laughing, he replied, “Subtle, Malik. Subtle indeed. In truth, I sent word to my servants to deliver some food to your rooms as soon as I saw you walking out here. It should be there by the time you return.”
“Thank you. I think we’ll be turning in for the evening, then.”
“Of course. Rest well, my friends. We shall come to wake you at 0900 standard time tomorrow morning. Good evening.”
The Jedi arrived back in Serra’s room a short time later, finding a basket of fruit waiting for them. They each grabbed a couple of pieces before hurrying to the bedroom, which was no less extravagant than the rest of their quarters. The enormous, circular bed dominated the room, covered with silky, light green sheets. While Malik stood taking it all in, Serra leapt directly onto the bed in a graceful swan dive, landing face-first in the center.
“Isn’t that a little juvenile? Using the Force for such stunts?” Malik asked, adding a few tsks for good measure.
“Oh, you think I had to use the Force to do that, eh? Unwise of you to doubt my athleticism,” Serra fired back.
“And I am a Jedi Healer, master of all things related to the human body. Unwise of you to doubt my assessment of what’s possible without the use of the Force,” he replied with a smirk.
“I’ll show you what’s possible, mister…”
*****
Malik awoke hours later, refreshed and renewed after his passionate night with Serra. As light poured in from the window, she began to stir next to him, rolling over to lay her head on his bare chest. He smiled at the sight of the gorgeous, naked woman embracing him, her raven hair shimmering in the morning light. A light kiss to Serra’s forehead was all it took to wake her.
“Hmm… morning, lover…” she murmured.
“Morning, Serra,” Malik whispered with a smile. “Sleep well?”
“Uh huh… thanks to you.”
“Well… I could say the same to you.” Kissing her lips sweetly, a thought occurred to Malik. “Serra, it’s possible that we could be making a little playmate for Leia. I just now realized that.”
“Wow… I guess you’re right. Would that… be a problem?”
Malik smiled. “The way you played with her yesterday? No way. You would be a fantastic mother.”
Serra ran her fingers along his cheek. “And you’d be an incredible father. I probably wouldn’t have given myself to you otherwise. When and if that happens, we’ll face it together.”
Though Malik was tempted to have his way with her right then and there, he saw that it was nearly 0900, and decided to dress for the day. Almost the instant he had finished tying his robes back around his waist, a knock came at the door. Malik went out to greet their visitor, closing the door to give Serra her privacy as she rolled out of bed. Opening the door to the hallway, finding Senator Bail Organa on the other side.
“Good morning, Malik.”
“Good morning. Please come in.”
Taking a seat at the table in the small eating area, Malik offered Bail some of their fruit, which he politely declined. A few moments later, Serra emerged from the bedroom dressed in a white bathrobe.
“Whatcha boys talking about?” Serra asked, sitting at the table with them.
“Good morning, Serra. Yes, I was just here to discuss a few things I had thought of that may be useful for a pair of Jedi on the run from the Empire,” Bail said.
“Cool. What’d you have in mind?” Serra replied.
“Primarily, I had thought that the two of you might want to make some alterations to your appearance. After all, your current attire just screams ‘Jedi’, doesn’t it?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Malik said. “I mean I know Serra is thought to be dead, but looking a bit more inconspicuous never hurt.”
“Besides, the Emperor won’t be fool enough to assume us to be taken care of after his attack on the Order. He’ll send Skywalker out to hunt down any stragglers, especially once he discovers Obi-Wan’s message in the Jedi Temple beacon,” Serra agreed. “Anything we can do to remain hidden.”
“Excellent. As I had anticipated you’d agree with my sentiments, I have sent for my tailor. She should be here in a few minutes and will take good care of you both,” Bail said, standing to leave. “Oh, I also thought that you might want to change your appearances in ways other than just clothing. Possibly different hairstyles or something to that effect, but it’s certainly not necessary. Just an idea I had.”
“Not a bad thought, we’ll see what we can come up with,” Malik replied.
“Wonderful. I shall leave you for now, but if you need anything at all, ask any of the guards. They’ll be more than happy to assist you.”
As he departed, Malik turned to Serra. “It’s funny that he would mention changing our physical appearance. I’ve been considering shaving my beard since we first escaped Coruscant. My short hair doesn’t necessarily expose me as a Jedi, but this just might,” Malik mused, running his fingers through his stubble.
Just then, there came a knock at the door. “Good morning. This is the tailor,” said a female voice at the door.
“I’ll get it.”
Opening the door, Serra was greeted by a beautiful young woman with blonde hair, appearing to be perhaps a year younger than her.
————-
Leave a Reply