Alethea was still unsure of what she was waiting for as she stood there, blue eyes gazing into warm green. She would have thought that standing there in silence would have been unbearably uncomfortable, and it might have been under different circumstances, or with a different person. Yet now, it did not feel either unbearable or uncomfortable. The opposite, in fact. It felt comfortable and warm, and in his eyes she found something she did not expect, yet could not truly identify. What was it, she wondered? Why did he look at her so? What did his eyes see when they gazed into hers?<br/><br/>For her own part, she found warmth, comfort, fondness, and something she had yet to pin down in his gaze. She felt safe, and while she still felt tired, she forgot her worries and her fears, she forgot the danger and the troubles that surrounded them. For now there was only him, tall, strong, kind, and more handsome than she remembered. Perhaps because she now felt more open, more comfortable, and more focused on him rather than everything else, she finally noticed this. Just as she noticed that the deep emerald green of his eyes was rather prettier than she remembered.<br/><br/>Unexpectedly, he smiled at her as his hand once again reached out to her, his fingers playing with her hair. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she realized how close he was, how his fingers grazed past her cheek, only barely failing to brush against the skin. She felt confused as to why she reacted this way, why her heart beat harder and faster. Had she been afraid of his touch? Or was she disappointed in its absence?<br/><br/>She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she hadn't even realized that he had placed an arm around her shoulders, nor that he was guiding her to his cabin. She only seemed to realize it once they were there, and she heard his voice, or perhaps felt him through the Force. Both, if it were possible, she thought, whispering that they must rest. He then gestured to the bed and stared at it for a moment, almost blankly as her mind caught up to all that had happened.<br/><br/>She might have felt strange, uncomfortable, or panicked, even, had she not seen and felt that he had no strange intentions. He was simply trying to give her the best of both worlds. They didn't have to part, but they could still rest, as they both must. She contemplated it for a moment before she nodded gently, deciding that it would be okay. It was also due in part to how tired she suddenly felt. She only just seemed to realize exactly how exhausted she truly was. She slowly laid down in the bed, her eyes feeling heavy.<br/><br/>She fought off the waves of sleep, however, for as long as she could. Only when he was settled and, feeling his warmth, she could no longer fight it, did she give in and allow sleep to pull her under. She couldn't even muster the strength to say good night before had drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>Wrapped in comfort and warmth, Alethea slept for some time. She didn't know how long it had been, but the ship had yet to alert them that they were nearing Tatooine, so she didn't have to rush to get up, for which she was grateful. As her eyes fluttered open and the world came into focus, she realized that she was not alone. There were arms wrapped around her, holding her gently, yet firmly. Before her she saw his chest, and as she lifted her eyes to see his face, her cheeks grew slowly redder, until she could feel that even her ears were burning. Her heart raced and thundered in her ears as she struggled to recall what had happened.<br/><br/>Slowly, the memories came back to her. He had brought her here to rest, and they had fallen asleep together. That was it. Why she suddenly felt bashful or shy, she couldn't say. But staring at his face, so close to hers, was unsettling, although not in a bad way. She forced herself to breathe, trying to ease the pounding of her heart, and erase the redness of her cheeks before he awoke and saw it. It was difficult, but she managed. It helped somewhat that he looked so peaceful, so innocent as he slept. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had fought by her side against two Sith not long ago. For now he looked sweet, almost childlike. It was cute, honestly, although she had never before felt inclined to call anyone such a thing. Finally, she relaxed again, smiling gently as her fingers brushed his hair from his face, her fingertips only barely grazing the skin of his cheeks as he did. She only hoped it didn't wake him, for she was not inclined to break him from his peace just yet.