Title: Spring Training           
Author: Crysta Novelli    spacecase_7@yahoo.com   
Characters: Luke and Crysta
Category: Romance
Rated: NC-17
Archive: This goes with the Rent-a-Jedi saga, so please ask first
Feedback: Yes, please!  *puppy dog eyes*
Summary: This continues the infamous Rent-a-Jedi saga, and takes place about a month after the NFR Valentine’s Day RR.  Luke takes Crysta to Alderaan to work on her Jedi skills.
Disclaimers: I own me, Lucas owns Luke.  I write for a non-profit organization, namely, me.  

“Ah ha!  You’re mine!” Luke crowed happily as his holomonster hopped two squares and defeated my last remaining holomonster.   

“Congratulations, farmboy – you finally won a game!” I teased him good-naturedly.  It was our third game of dejarik, and I’d won the first two.

“I think she let you win that one, Skywalker,” Han interjected from where he sat at the engineering station across from us.

Luke made a face at Han, and I smiled.  I was having the time of my life, and our vacation hadn’t even really begun.  I’d been looking forward to this trip for weeks now, and it was finally Friday afternoon, the last day before Spring Break.  I’d gotten done with class a little earlier than usual for a Friday and met Luke and Han at the Falcon’s docking bay shortly after noon.  And now here I was, in the Millennium Falcon, on my way to the beautiful planet of Alderaan for a relaxing week with my lover, Luke Skywalker.  I was in heaven, and I wasn’t even to Alderaan yet. 

My reflections were interrupted slightly by the pressure of Luke’s hand on mine.  He’d scooted around the bench surrounding the holochess table so that he sat closer to me, and I looked up into his eyes as his hand drifted to my cheek.  He stroked it softly with the tips of his fingers and leaned in, and I met his lips in a gentle kiss.

Chewbacca growled something then from his seat across the lounge, to which Han responded, “I don’t know how they’re going to manage to get any training done, either, pal.  And I have a feeling Crysta’s already quite proficient in the art of the horizontal mambo.” 

I felt my cheeks burn as I broke away from Luke, and Luke glared at Han.  “Sorry,” I muttered, embarrassed. 

“Nah, it’s all right.  I was your age once,” Han replied, grinning.  “Besides, you two make a great couple.”

“Thanks, Han,” Luke replied, trying to decide whether or not that comment warranted forgiveness or not. 

I decided to change the subject, however.  “What’s that you’re fiddling with over there, Han?” I asked, gesturing to where he was working with some dials and wires.    

“I’m adjusting the controls for the countermeasures package I have the Falcon equipped with,” he replied. 

“Oh?” I asked.  “You think we’re going to need it going into Alderaan?”  Alderaan was a peaceful planet…  The fact that he was messing with a countermeasures package was interesting, to say the least. 

“No,” Luke responded, smiling.  “It’s just that he’s not happy unless he’s working on something concerning this old bucket of bolts.” 

“Hey, this old bucket of bolts has seen more action that you’ll ever see, Jedi,” Han retorted.

“Roooaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrooooolllllll!” Chewie agreed, leaping to his feet.

“Okay, okay!” Luke cried, smiling and holding up his hands in defeat.  “Easy, boy, I was only joking,” he said to the agitated wookie.   

Just then the alarm sounded, announcing that we were coming up on Alderaan.  Han stood and headed down the corridor to the cockpit, followed closely behind by Chewie.  Luke and I followed behind the furry co-pilot. 

Luke and I strapped in just as Han reached up and pulled back on the lever, dropping us back into normal space.  I looked out the forward viewport as the starlines faded away to be replaced by normal space and a large, blue planet.

Alderaan.  It was beautiful.  Even from so far out I could see the white clouds surrounding the large green plains, dotted everywhere with small blue bodies of water.

“Incoming ship, this is Aldera Air Command, please identify yourself,” a voice requested from the com on the dashboard. 

“Air Command, this is Captain Han Solo, on board the Millennium Falcon,” Han responded into the com.

“Copy that, Captain Solo.  Please state your business here.” 

“I am dropping off two passengers, then continuing on my way.” 

“I copy, Captain Solo.  You are cleared to land on platform A43.” 

“I copy, Air Command,” Han responded before flipping off the com switch. 

I leaned to my left, trying to see around the huge wookie in front of me as I gazed out the viewport.  The view was stunning.  As we came in nearer to the planet I could make out hundreds of tiny lakes and larger seas interspersing the vast plains that made up the surface of Alderaan, as well as the ice rimmed polar sea at the planet’s northern cap. 

Han took us down swiftly and smoothly, swooping down over the planet.  “Over there are the Castle Lands,” he said, pointing off into the distance towards some towering monuments.  “They’re the abandoned cities of a long extinct race called the Killiks,” he informed me.  “And over there are the petrified mounds of the Killiks,” he pointed beyond the Castle Lands.  “I thought I’d give you the scenic overview,” he added, turning to me.  “You don’t mind, do you?” 

“No, of course not!” I responded.  “This planet is gorgeous.  Thank you,” I replied. 

“Look!” Luke said then, pointing out the viewport.  I looked to see that Han was now flying over a large plain, only instead of being completely green like one would expect, this one had a large, multicolored blemish right in the middle of it.   

“What is it?” I asked curiously. 

“A grass painting, I suspect,” Han replied.  “Alderaan is famous for them.  They often stretch for kilometers.”  As he was talking, he pulled up higher and slowed down to give us a better view of it.   

It was beautiful, and had to have been at least a dozen kilometers square.  It was a landscape, appropriately enough – the scene depicted a herd of animals grazing on an open plain and a city in the cliffs right beside it.  There were people out amongst the animals, working alongside them.  It was a peaceful scene, one showing the Alderaani view of harmony with nature. 

“That’s probably a real place, out on Thonn,” Han commented.

“Thonn?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied.  “Thonn is a large continent on the other side of the planet.  It’s a beautiful place, home to large herds of pack animals and very few humans.” 

“Oh,” I replied, fascinated. 

“Isn’t Crevasse City around here somewhere?” Luke asked then. 

“Yeah, it’s off to the south,” Han answered, gesturing.  Chewie tilted the controls, and the Falcon changed direction, swooping over the landscape to the south.  

The plains began to thin out and I saw less and less green.  Soon the landscape below us was barren and almost desert like.  Off in the distance I could see a large ravine breaking the monotony.  As we came in closer, I saw activity around the area, and I leaned forward in my seat trying to see better. 

“There it is,” Han said, pointing, “Crevasse City.  Built entirely in the ravine.”

“Wow…” I breathed softly.  I’d never seen anything like that before.  It was incredible – the entire city was almost hidden from view, built right into the canyon.  Towers of what appeared to be stone rose out of the center of the canyon, but as we flew closer I could make out tiny windows up and down the towers.   

“It’s kind of desolate, and they don’t have a lot of technology there, but it’s a neat city,” Han added.

I nodded, still watching out the viewport as Han changed directions again and headed off to the northeast. 

“There isn’t too much else to see,” he continued.  “Most of Alderaan is plains and lakes and small towns.  We’re cleared to land in Aldera, the capital city.  Lando’s cabin is about an hour’s drive outside of the city.  He owns a couple of square kilometers of land, including his own lake, so you won’t have any neighbors,” he added with a lopsided grin. 

Luke smiled, and I did to.  It was almost too good to be true.  I still couldn’t believe I got Luke all to myself for an entire week. 

//I can’t believe I get you to myself for a week, either// he whispered in my mind as he reached across the space between our seats and grasped my hand.  I smiled back at him as I laced my fingers through his.

“You got the coordinates for the landing platform, Chewie?”

The wookie howled a response to Han’s question and he nodded, guiding the ship through the city expertly.  A few moments more, and Han set her down gracefully, and we were there.

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

“So how long has Lando had this cabin?” I asked Luke as he piloted our rented landspeeder down the road that led from Aldera to Lando’s property.

“A couple of years, I guess,” Luke replied.  “He conned somebody out of it, and according to Han, he hasn’t even been here in over a year.” 

“Which explains why you wanted to stop at that market and get every supply under the sun,” I said, smiling and referring to the back seat full of groceries we now carried. 

“Yup,” Luke nodded.  “I have absolutely no idea what this cabin is like or what it will be stocked with, and since we’re so far away from civilization, I wanted to be prepared.” 

That was my Luke – as practical as they came, and prepared for anything.

“No, not usually,” he said, looking over at me and smiling.

“Huh?” I asked.

“I’m not usually prepared for anything,” he replied.  “I usually do things on the spur of the moment and end up getting myself into trouble because of it,” he admitted.  “If I didn’t have the Force, I’d have been dead many years ago…” he trailed off, shaking his head as if to clear it of the thought. 

“Luke, I’m sorry,” I said softly, reaching over and resting my hand on his thigh. 

“No, don’t be,” he replied, taking his right hand off the controls and grasping my hand.  The spring was back in his voice and he gave me a reassuring smile.  “I’m all right.  It’s all in the past.  All that matters now, and for the next week, is you,” he finished, throwing me a winning smile. 

“You mean us, right?” I asked, smiling back.

“No, I mean you,” he argued.  “We’re here to work on your training.  I plan to teach you everything I know about the Force before the week is up.” 

“Everything you know?  In a week?”  I raised my eyebrow at him.

“You’re a fast learner, Crys,” he replied with a suggestive grin.  “I have no doubts that you’ll learn all that and then some this week.” 

I squeezed his thigh in response, causing him to yelp and jerk his leg up.  The landspeeder jerked to the left, but he quickly got it back under control.  “Hey!” 

“Yes dear?” I asked innocently. 

“You want us to get there in one piece, or not?” he asked, trying to sound angry but failing miserably. 

“Luke, you’re only the best X-Wing pilot in the galaxy…  I think you can handle a landspeeder,” I teased. 

“Yeah, but when I’m in my X-Wing, Artoo behaves himself,” he countered. 

“Uh, Luke?  Is there something you’re not telling me about you and Artoo?” I quipped. 

“Brat,” he replied.

“Ah, you know you love me!” I shot back, grinning. 

“You bet I do,” he returned, his hand leaving the controls again, this time to land on my thigh.  It didn’t just rest there, however.  His fingers and hand slowly traced their way over the bare skin that wasn’t covered by my shorts, twirling slow, teasing circles over the exposed flesh.  His hand slid momentarily down to caress my knee, then drifted higher again.  Gentle fingers trailed their way under the hem of my shorts, tickling the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. 

“Now who isn’t behaving?” I teased. 

“Turnabout is fair play, my dear,” he replied, smiling.  I was going to retort, but my eyes closed instead as his fingers worked their way all the way up to brush against the satin of my underwear.  Just a little further…  

I inhaled deeply as his fingers brushed over my mound, teasing me through the fabric.  The anticipation and sensuality of his gentle, teasing strokes made me wet with desire, and I gasped out loud as his fingers found the edge of the fabric and slipped beneath it. 

I moaned softly, severely turned on by the fact that he was feeling me up in the landspeeder, as well as by the motions his fingers were working.  I squirmed a little to give him better access and was rewarded by his hand sliding between my lips and brushing my clit.  The stimulus increased the moisture level there, providing his fingers the perfect environment to intensify the pressure growing in my center. 

I opened my eyes to look over to Luke, his concentration evenly split between the hand on the controls and the hand between my legs.  He glanced over at me and grinned, a smug expression on his face.  Had I not been enjoying his attentions so much and been capable of speech, I’d have done something to wipe the grin off his face.  Instead, I glanced down and saw the tent in his pants just as two of his fingers managed to slide inside me. 

Moaning, I spread my legs wider and leaned back against the seat, letting Luke’s fingers work their magic.  In and out, back and forth…  He stroked me for several moments, building the pressure gradually until I was ready to explode. 

“Come for me, love,” he said huskily as his thumb moved over my lips, and I did just that as he hit my clitoris, the heat in my core bursting forth in a sweet symphony of color and lights.  His fingers continued to move, prolonging my ride as my inner walls clenched around him, trying to milk seed from him that wasn’t there. 

Finally, he removed his hand, letting me down gently as I collapsed against the seat trying to catch my breath.  I breathed deeply for several moments, my eyes closed as I reveled in the afterglow of my orgasm. 

“You okay?”  Luke’s gentle voice interrupted my thoughts as his hand, surprisingly dry yet perfumed with my essence, caressed my cheek gently. 

“Yes, but no thanks to you,” I retorted softly, biting down on my lip gently to hide the smile on my face. 

“Good,” he replied with a smile in his voice, “because we’re almost there.” 

I looked up and he pointed ahead of the speeder.  “Look – there’s Lando’s lake.  The cabin should be right on the other side.” 

Adjusting my shorts to make the remainder of the ride a little more comfortable, I gazed out at the beautiful lake we’d come up on.  It was a deep blue color, framed by trees all around it.  Like Han had said, there weren’t any neighbors for miles, and I could just sense the peaceful aura of the area.  As we headed around the lake, I looked through the trees trying to get a glimpse of the cabin. 

Finally, I saw it.  It was wooden, and made of what appeared to be logs.  A porch wrapped around the east and southern sides, and there was a dock out into the lake.  A small boat rested in dry dock near the western side of the cabin.  The windows were large, allowing plenty of sunlight to reach the inside. 

Luke drew the speeder to a stop just outside the cabin, and we climbed out.  We left the groceries in the vehicle for the time being and wandered over to the steps leading onto the porch.

“This place is beautiful,” I commented as Luke punched in the access code for the front door. 

“Yes, it is,” he agreed, turning the handle and swinging the door open.  I stepped inside, and inhaled sharply. 

“Wow…”  We entered into the main room.  In it was a beautiful living room set, made of beautifully crafted dark wood.  A gorgeous Aderaanian throw rug covered the floor, and several tapestries hung from the walls.  The large windows let in lots of light, illuminating the spacious interior.  A fireplace took up the center of the northern wall of the cabin. 

Off to our right was a door to the kitchen and dining room.  The kitchen had all the modern conveniences, yet was made to match the rustic atmosphere of the rest of the place.  The dining room table was made of the same dark wood as the living room furniture and was exquisite.  A door off to the side opened onto the porch, and there was a skylight in the ceiling. 

The other end of the cabin housed two bedrooms.  Each had the same dark wood furniture, but one was obviously the guest bedroom while the other was the master bedroom.  The smaller room had a double bed and a separate bathroom.  The master suite, however, had a beautiful queen-sized bed with carved headboard, walk-in closet, and bathroom, complete with a sunken whirlpool bathtub.  

“Wow,” I repeated.  “Remind me to thank Lando when we get back.” 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Luke replied.  “This place is amazing.”

“We should probably get the groceries in,” I said after we’d stared in awe at the cabin for some time, and he nodded. 

A few trips later we had all the cartons inside, as well as our luggage.  It didn’t take long to put the perishable items in the refrigeration unit and the rest in the cabinets, and we headed back out to the porch to admire the view of the lake. 

I leaned on the railing and stared out at the calm water.  Luke pressed up against my back and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“What do you want to do first?” he asked softly, his breath warm against my ear. 

“Mmm…” I murmured, “absolutely nothing.”

“Me either,” he agreed, rubbing his cheek against mine and kissing my chin.  He continued to rain slow kisses over the side of my face and my neck until I twisted around in his arms and met his lips with my own.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, feeling his love for me and losing myself in it.  We did nothing but kiss for several minutes, until Luke suddenly let go and dipped, catching me behind my knees and scooping me up in his arms.  I rested my forehead on his as he carried me into the cabin and laid me across the bed.  He crawled up beside me and covered me with his body, once again claiming my lips in a searing kiss. 

Slowly, his hands drifted down over my body, trailing over my breasts and down to my waist where he slid them under my shirt.  His soft caresses trailed back up over my stomach, pulling my shirt with them as they moved.  He shifted his body down then, pressing his lips to the exposed skin of my stomach.  As his hands and my shirt reached higher, his lips followed behind.  Finally, his hands reached as high as they could go and he let go to move my arms up above my head.  He once again grasped my shirt and pulled it off over my head.  He caught my eyes, then lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the center of my chest, just below my bra.  His next kiss landed in the space between my breasts, just above my bra, while his hands found my breasts and closed over them. 

I closed my eyes as his fingers twirled over them, teasing me through the fabric, and he continued to kiss me, higher and higher, until he once again reached my lips.  His hands left my breasts to travel around behind me, finding the clasp and undoing it.  Sliding them back around to the front, his hands slipped the garment off of my shoulders and down my arms. 

His hands once again found my breasts, and his tongue dueled with mine as his thumbs teased my nipples.  I ran my hands down his back to his waistband then, gripping his shirt and tugging it from his pants.  I slid it up, baring his back and stomach to my touch.  It got stuck at his shoulders, but he released my breasts and raised his hands above our heads, allowing me to pull it off over his head. 

His eyes caught mine again, and he kissed my lips, then my chin, then the hollow at the base of my throat, then moved down and rained kisses over my shoulder blade before latching on to my breast.  I arched my back as he sucked lightly on one nipple, pressing my hands into the soft flesh of his back. 

He continued to tease me with his talented tongue and lips, making me moan lightly and roll my head back into the pillow.  “Luke,” I moaned softly as he switched his attentions to my other breast.  He paused and looked up, catching my eyes once more and smiling. 

Without answering me vocally, he began kissing his way down my stomach, where he paused at the waistband to my shorts.  He sat up then and ran his fingers over my stomach before reaching for the button and working it loose.  He held my eyes with his as he lowered the zipper and then worked the shorts down off my legs, pausing to remove my boots so he could pull them all the way off.  He reached back up to grasp my underwear, pulling it swiftly down and off my body, leaving me naked before him.  His pants followed close behind, his boots and boxers right behind those. 

And with one sure, practiced movement, Luke climbed back up the bed and between my thighs, capturing my lips with his own and sliding within my ready depths.  He then proceeded to make slow, passionate love to me. 

The Force flowed within us, around us, and through us, guiding our movements and making the whole experience breathtaking and perfect.  A short while later, he collapsed on top of me, completely spent, and together we drifted off into a peaceful sleep, wrapped securely in each other’s arms.

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

I awoke to moonlight filtering though the large window in the room.  Glancing over at the chrono on the table beside the bed, I saw that it was just after 9 in the evening.  Luke lie next to me, breathing lightly, his mouth slightly agape.  He looked so adorable and innocent, the 8 years of strife he’d suffered since meeting Obi-Wan on Tatooine fading away completely in his sleep. 

Smiling at seeing a side of him no one else got to see, I reached out and tugged the covers up over him, then rolled over and slipped silently out of the bed.  After a brief visit to the ‘fresher, I rummaged in my suitcase and pulled out two items.  The first was a sleep shift, which I pulled on over my head, and the second was a blue velvet pouch I’d had buried in the bottom of my bag. 

I took the pouch and padded silently out to the main room of the cabin, being careful not to wake Luke.  I set the bag down on the coffee table, then went over to the fireplace.  The evening had brought a slight chill to the cabin, so I twisted the knob beside the hearth, lighting the gas flame and spreading a warm glow throughout the room.  Moonlight also poured into the room from the skylight in the ceiling, filling the area around the couches and coffee table with enough light to see clearly. 

And with that, I settled down on the couch in front of my package and untied the ribbon holding it closed.  Gently, I reached in and withdrew its contents, piece by piece, setting them gently on top of the table.  It had been a few days since I’d worked on this, and now that Luke was asleep, I could work some more, and possibly even finish it. 

Grasping a tool in one hand and a component part in the other, I set to work, letting the Force guide my actions and show me how to position the parts with respect to one another.  I had no instructions to go by, just the diagrams I had in my head from the research I’d done in the library and my own technical knowledge.  So far, I was very happy with what I had, and I couldn’t wait to finally hold the finished product in my hand. 

“I don’t like waking up alone,” a familiar voice suddenly called softly from the doorway to the master suite.  

I looked up, surprised to see him standing there.  I’d been concentrating so hard I hadn’t even noticed that he’d woken up. 

“How long have you been out here?” he asked curiously. 

“I’m not sure,” I replied, wondering how long it would take him to notice my project.  “What time is it?” 

“Just after 10,” he responded, moving across the room towards me. 

“About two hours then,” I answered. 

“What are you working on?” he asked then, finally noticing the things spread out on the table. 

I smiled at him as he drew nearer and his eyes widened. 

“You’re building a lightsabre?!?” 

“Mmm hmm,” I murmured.  “I’d intended to surprise you with it this week, but I got too busy and didn’t quite get it done.” 

“How long have you been working on it?” he asked, sitting down beside me on the couch. 

“I started it about a week and a half ago, but didn’t get to work on it nearly as much as I’d hoped I would,” I told him. 

“Can I see it?” he asked. 

I nodded, and picked up the main part of it.  It was made from spare parts I’d found in the machine shops at school, but I was very proud of the handle.  The pieces may have been found in a scrap box, but with a few hours work one evening last week, I’d created a beautiful handle that was similar to Luke’s in some aspects, yet sculpted to fit my hand and long fingers. 

“This looks a lot like mine,” he commented, “but it’s more complex,” he noticed, looking at the components I’ll already installed.  “You have an extra dial here,” he said, fingering it lightly. 

I nodded again, smiling slightly.  “I’m impressed, Crys,” he praised.  “You look like you’re almost done with it, too,” he said, turning it over again, seemingly fascinated by it. 

“Thanks, Luke,” I said, warmed by his praise.  “And I am almost done…  I just have to fine tune the neonic control switch and align the lenses.  I finally got the directional coil lateral installed correctly…  I was having trouble getting it to fit with the sub-horizontal and the crystal-rubionic nodules,” I told him, gesturing to the parts I was talking about.

“You’ve done an incredible job,” he said, a huge smile on his face as he handed it back to me.  “I’m really proud of you.  How did you figure out how to do it?” 

“Well…  I started by disassembling the practice sabre the council let me borrow,” I admitted. 

“You dismantled the practice sabre?” he asked, an amused grin on his face.

I nodded, blushing slightly.  

“That’s my little engineer for you,” he said, shaking his head, but smiling.  “I see you got it back together, considering you were working with it on Thursday…”

I grinned at him and nodded again.  “I also did a little research at the temple library, which is how I found out about the different things I could do.  And I’ve never been one to back down from a technical challenge, so of course I went for the higher difficulty level,” I said, gesturing to the extra dial he’d pointed out. 

“It’s going to be harder to learn how to use it too, you know,” he pointed out. 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“So where did you find the crystals?” he asked.  “What color will the blade be?” 

“Uh…” I hesitated.  “I don’t have any yet,” I said sadly.  “Which means that even if I finish it, I can’t use it right away…” I trailed off.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” he said sadly.  “We’ll have to find you some soon, because I’d love to see that sabre in action.”

“You and me both,” I replied, smiling. 

“Well, I’ll let you work, hon,” he said, leaning over to kiss my cheek.  “I’m going to go use the ‘fresher.” 

“Luke?” I called to him as he walked across the room towards the bedroom, “do me a favor before you come back out, and put some shorts on, would you?  You make it very hard to concentrate when you’re sitting beside me with nothing between my eyes and your handsome body.” 

He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at me before his cute butt disappeared through the doorway.  I shook my head and rolled my eyes, then went back to my project.

******************* 

A short while later, Luke reappeared bearing a tray of fruit and two mugs of tea.  I noticed that this time he’d also pulled on a pair of boxers.  “I thought you might be hungry,” he said, setting the tray down on the table beside the couch and handing me a mug. 

“Thanks, Luke,” I said, accepting the mug gratefully and taking a sip of the warm liquid.

He sat down beside me, and I leaned back against him as he handed me a plate of fruit.  We ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the warmth of each other’s bodies and the heat of the fire.  As I finished my fruit, I set the plate down and picked up my mug of tea. 

“How’s it coming?” he asked, setting his own mug down on the table. 

“I think I’m just about done,” I replied.  “I just need the crystals now, so I can finish aligning the lenses with them.” 

“I have something for you,” he said then, holding out his hand.  I glanced down and saw a small green pouch resting in his open palm.

“What’s this?” I asked, looking from it to him.

“Just something I’ve been saving for you for a couple of months,” he said lightly. 

I raised my eyebrow, then set my mug down and reached out and picked up the pouch.  It had a drawstring on it, so I used my fingers to pull the fabric apart.  Tipping it slightly, I let the contents fall out into my open palm. 

“Luke!” I gasped.  “They’re perfect!  Thank you so much!” I gushed, clasping my hand so my prize wouldn’t fall out and throwing my arms around him.  I kissed him happily, then drew back and opened my hand, admiring the contents of the pouch. 

“You’re welcome, Crys,” he responded, smiling.  “I wasn’t sure what color you’d want, but I know those are your favorites, so…” 

“They’re perfect, Luke,” I repeated, fingering the 4 beautiful Adegan crystals I held in my hand.  One ruby red, one sapphire blue, one emerald green, and one clear, like a diamond, all of which were perfectly flawless and exquisitely precious.  

My tea forgotten, I picked up my sabre off the table, and using my tools, carefully inserted the blue, green, and clear crystals into the waiting settings.  Reaching out to the Force, I let it guide my hands as I adjusted the alignment of the crystals and lenses, and tightened the switches and dials that would control the blade. 

Luke sat patiently by my side as I worked, letting me use my own judgment, and not offering advice like most of my peers would have.  A little while later, I was finally satisfied with my tweaks and fine tunings.  Reaching down to the table, I grabbed the other half of the casing and fitted it over the sabre.  A few twists of the screwdriver, and it was secured in place. 

“Ready?” I asked, turning to him finally and smiling.

“You bet I am!” he replied, almost as excited as I was that I was finished.

I held it away from us, and holding my breath, flicked the switch to ignite it.  It hummed instantly to life, a brilliant turquoise blade stabbing out into the air.  It was beautiful, and absolutely breathtaking. 

“Somehow I knew you’d go for a turquoise blade,” Luke said, smiling at the exquisite weapon I held in my hand.

“It’s my favorite color,” I replied, twisting my wrist and watching the blade cut through the air.  It was perfect – the weight, the color of the blade, the sound it made as it extended… 

“I know,” he returned, and I could hear the pride and joy in his voice. 

“Ready to try the next setting?” I asked, looking at him again. 

“You bet,” he answered earnestly.

And with a flick of my thumb on that extra dial he’d noticed, the extra parts in the handle of my lightsabre rotated, replacing the emerald with the diamond.  The result was the blade changing to a deep, sapphire blue color and elongating to almost twice its original length.

“Ha!  It works!” I crowed happily, more excited that I’d ever been before in my life.  I had a lightsabre now.  My own sabre, one I’d built myself.  And it worked perfectly. 

Luke leaned over and kissed me in congratulations, and I kissed him back enthusiastically.  I then looked back at the magnificent weapon I held in my hands, and rotating the dial again, changed the blade back to normal length and the brilliant turquoise color.  Flicking the power switch with my thumb then, I extinguished the blade.  The light in the room faded again, and the humming ceased.  I rotated the sabre in my hand a few more times, just enjoying the way it felt in my hand, then held it out to Luke.

He accepted it from me, and then examined it closely.  He also held it out and rotated it a few times, getting a feel for the grip and the weight of it.  

“Very, very nice, Crys,” he praised again, sincerely meaning it. 

“Thank you, Luke,” I replied, knowing my face was about as lit up as he’d ever seen it.

He handed the lightsabre back to me, then leaned in and kissed me again.  

“Now come to bed, love,” he said softly.  “I’m taking you running in the morning, and you need some rest.”

“Running?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.  “Since when do I run?” 

“Since tomorrow morning,” he replied matter-of-factly.  

My eyebrow rose a little higher.  “Oh really…” 

“Yes, really,” he replied.  “And then afterwards, we can work with your new toy,” he said, grinning. 

“This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight, and not a t-OY!” I screeched as he suddenly scooped me up in his arms, nearly making me drop my lightsabre.  “You are such a brat!” I exclaimed, laughing as he used the Force to switch off the fireplace and then carried me into the bedroom and deposited me on the bed.  He crawled in beside me and pulled the covers up over us, then rolled over and snuggled up close to me, wrapping me in his arms.

“Good night, love,” he whispered against my hair.

“Good night, Luke,” I replied softly, my breathing already slowing as I drifted of into a deep sleep, visions of working lightsabres floating through my dreams.

Liz tightened the grip on her lightsabre and glared at me.

"Damn you, Crysta!  How many times to I have to tell you??  Stay away from Kun!" she growled before lunging at me, tilting the hilt of the lightsabre in her hands to bring one end of  her double bladed sabre down over my head.

I quickly raised my own sabre in a defensive block, causing sparks to fly as her red blade connected with my turquoise one.  Sensing the swipe of the other end of her sabre milliseconds before it swept through where my legs were, I dodged to the side, quickly lowering my blade in a parry.

"I didn't sleep with him!" I cried, for what had to have been the hundredth time.  Why couldn't she understand that?

"I know what I saw!" she hissed, bringing her blade around again.  I parried a series of blows, then suddenly found myself thudding hard into the floor as she landed a side kick to my gut, knocking the wind out of me.  Before I could gather my strength, the tip of her glowing red blade was poised at the base of my throat, effectively pinning me to the ground.

"Go back to your Jedi-boy," she snarled in a low voice, her face mere inches from mine, "and leave my men alone."  There was no compassion in her eyes, and I felt my heart skip a beat as I waited for her to take my life.  I closed my eyes and reached out to the Force, waiting for the final blow to come.

It came, but not in the form I'd expected.  My lips were suddenly assaulted by another pair of soft lips.  They moved gently against mine at first, then picked up in intensity until I began to respond. 

The confusion washed over me, centered around the fact that Liz was kissing me.  Finally my eyes snapped open, meeting blue ones framed lightly by blonde hair, causing even further confusion.  Liz didn’t have blonde hair...

"Good morning, sunshine," Luke murmured, his lips moving gently over mine.

I closed my eyes again and sighed in relief, then looked back up at Luke, who gazed down at me curiously.  "Are you all right?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes.  "I was dreaming," I explained.  "I was dueling Liz, and she knocked me down.  When you kissed me, I thought it was Liz."

Luke laughed.  I responded by pushing him off of me.  "It's not funny," I muttered.  "What time is it, anyways?" I asked, looking out the window.  The sun was barely even up.

"I'm sorry, Crys," he replied, though he was still smiling.  "Why were you dueling Liz?" he asked as he rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow.

For some reason, I blushed.  "She'd thought I slept with Kun.  She was pissed at me, but no matter how many times I told her I didn't, she wouldn't believe me."

Luke narrowed his eyes.  "Have you been having nightmares about Kun?" he asked.

I shook my head.  "No.  Kun wasn't in this dream.  It was just Liz.  The odd thing," I said thoughtfully, "was that she had Maul's lightsabre.  And it wasn't really a nightmare, because I wasn't really scared...  I guess I was when she pinned me and held the sabre at my throat, but I hadn't been until then.  I was more frustrated that she wouldn't believe me, than anything else..."

"Hmm..." he mused.  "We'll have to keep an eye on that.  It may mean something.  Will you tell me if you have any more dreams like that?" he asked, raising his hand to my face and brushing the hair out of it that had landed there on my last head shake.

I nodded.

"Good," he said, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.  I kissed him back this time, now fully awake and aware of who was actually kissing me.

He smiled against my lips as we parted.  "Now, up and at 'em, sleepyhead," he commanded, rolling over and sitting up.  He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and turned his head to look at me.  "Time for our morning run..." he said, a smug grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Grrrrrrrrr..." I muttered.  "You're gonna pay for this, Skywalker," I griped as I sat up and pulled the covers back.  Throwing my legs over the side, I slid out of bed and padded over to the refresher.  I pulled my hair back in a ponytail before I left the room, then headed over to pull out some clothes suitable for running in.  Luke had donned a pair of running shorts and fitted muscle shirt and was just finishing tying his running shoes.  As I dressed in a pair of exercise shorts, sports bra and t-shirt, Luke headed to the refresher.  I grabbed my tennis shoes next and was just finished lacing them when he reentered the room.

"Ready to go?" he asked in a cheerful mood.

"Unfortunately," I muttered good-naturedly, then smiled at him as he led the way to the front door.  On the way out I glanced at the clock to confirm that it was indeed too early to be up.  It was amazing I was actually coherent this early in the morning. 

We paused on the front porch of the cabin to stretch our legs, then headed off to the west along a path that seemed to circle the lake.

"Reach out with the Force, Crysta," Luke instructed shortly after we'd started out.  "This run shouldn't just exercise your body, but your mind as well."

As he spoke, I realized that I hadn't been reaching out, so I concentrated, expanding my sphere slowly outward.  First I felt him, there beside me as we jogged along the path.  As I concentrated on him through the Force, I picked up his rhythm and fell into it naturally.  Our legs were almost the same length, so keeping in stride with him was rather easy.  Our pace was easy, since I wasn't used to running, and I noticed that as long as I was in contact with the Force my breathing was lighter than it normally would have been and my muscles seemed to take less impact than I thought they should have.

“That’s it,” Luke praised me, and I glanced over at him and returned the smile he gave me.  “Now expand your sphere farther – what else can you feel?”

“Well,” I responded, not finding it nearly as difficult to speak as I normally would have when running since the Force somehow enhanced the oxygen flow through my body, “I feel nature…  I feel the trees…” I paused, closing my eyes briefly to help my concentration.  Once I had confirmed what else I felt, I continued.  “I feel animals.  Birds, I would assume, and small critters in the underbrush and high in the trees.  And a few larger animals, off in the distance.  I feel peace,” I finished, relaxing totally into the familiar comfort of the Force.  It was amazing, but somehow I felt as if I were one with every living thing within a kilometer radius, including the man running alongside me.  I inhaled deeply as I felt how deep Luke’s connection to the Force reached.  His quiet power never ceased to amaze me.  He had his sphere focused in a tight, controlled circle that included the two of us and the several meters of forest surrounding us as we ran.  The power I felt radiating through both him and the Force made the rest of the run seem absolutely effortless, despite the fine sheen of sweat I was developed. 

By the time we’d circled the lake the sun had risen to a respectable position in the sky, bathing the area in the beautiful glow of early morning light.  We’d covered over 3 kilometers, which wasn’t far for Luke, but for someone who wasn’t really a runner it was almost an impossible distance.  I knew that without the Force I’d never have made it more than one kilometer. 

I stopped then, in the clearing in front of the cabin, grateful it was over.  Breathing heavily, I bent over at the waist and placed my hands on my knees to try and calm my racing heart.  I definitely wasn’t overweight, but I wasn’t in the best of shape, either. 

“Breathe, Crysta,” Luke instructed, stopping beside me.

“I’m trying to,” I retorted, still trying to catch my breath.

“Stand up,” he suggested.  “It will help the airflow if you’re not bent in two.” <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I rolled my eyes at the playful sarcasm in his voice, but straightened up.

“And don’t let go of the Force.  Just because the battle is over, doesn’t mean it can’t still help you,” he said.

I looked at him, and heard the lesson in his words.  I hadn’t realized I’d closed myself off, but as soon as I opened myself my airways seemed to expand as well, and my breathing slowly returned to normal.

“There you go,” he praised.  “Remember, the Force is your ally.  Even when you don’t think you need it, it can help you, as long as you are open to its presence.”   

I nodded, and began stretching my arms and legs so they didn’t cramp up.  “Now what?” I inquired.

“Well,” he replied smiling, “I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower.  Then maybe we can work with your new toy?”

“It’s not a toy!” I retorted, then smiled.  “But I’d love to work with it.  Race you to the shower!” I called, taking off at a sudden sprint for the cabin.

“Oh no you don’t!” he returned, racing after me. 

I dashed up the steps of the cabin, taking them two at a time despite my fatigue, burst through the front door, and made it to the bedroom before Luke leapt at me and knocked me to the bed in a flying tackle.  Laughing, I tried to roll over onto my back, but he had me effectively pinned down.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you can’t beat a Jedi Master?” he asked playfully, his breath hot against my ear.

“Hmm, I must have been absent that day,” I returned thoughtfully, grinning, still struggling to roll over. 

“You must have,” he agreed, raising up off of me finally to let me.

I flipped onto my back and met his gaze, his blue eyes darkening as he leaned in to kiss me.  Opening myself to the Force, I relaxed into the bed, returning the kiss without argument. 

Suddenly my eyes opened as I felt a warning flicker in the Force, but before I could figure out what it meant, Luke’s lips had abandoned mine and he rose from the bed and bounded for the refresher. 

“I told you it wasn’t possible to beat a Master!” he crowed just before the door to the ‘fresher closed.

“Cheater!!” I yelled after him, and I heard the unmistakable click of the door lock.

I heard him laughing as I sunk back against the bed and closed my eyes, shaking my head.  This was going to be a long week.  But it would be worth it.  It would definitely be worth it, I thought, smiling.

~ tbc ~

Updated 4/22/01