They approached the home to find the sounds of an argument, and Aeris could feel their obvious tension and frustration, but beneath that she could feel fear and at the root of it all, love.  She looked to Jek and gave him look that told him that this would be interesting, but she nodded to confirm that she was sure. Of course, they didn’t make it easy to stick to that decision when her knock was met with yelling from one while the other ignore the command and opened the door.<br/><br/>She breathed slowly, keeping herself calm and centered for the moment. Thankfully, Jek took the reins, stepping forward to let them know that they had only come to talk to the moment before displaying his reflexes for the pair as he caught the pot that was chunked at the man by his wife. The man seemed pleased with the display and Jek used that to try to make a case for the pair to come along. Aeris could feel the man’s interest, but his wife did not share the same feelings.<br/><br/>She winced at the woman’s strong opposition and the argument that came next. She wanted to scream at them and tell them at they were being stupid, that none of it mattered, because the only thing that really mattered was each other. If they were together, it shouldn’t matter where they were. Life isn’t about where you are, it’s about who you are with. Even if you are exactly where you are supposed to be, if you stand there alone, without the one you love, it is all meaningless. These feelings of hers could probably be felt in the Force, but she never got a chance to say any of them.<br/><br/>She took in a slow, unsteady breath, as she could feel the emotions of the other man bubbling, and she knew that he was the one to convince them, not her. She had felt that both of their new recruits had a part to play, and this was his part. Of course, knowing what was coming didn’t help when the husband told his wife that he would leave without her, which was like a catalyst for their first recruit’s anger, causing it to explode outward. Thankfully, Jek had also anticipated the reaction and he had stepped to the side with her, holding her hand and standing like a shield between her and the other four.<br/><br/>She was trying to keep her breaths slow and even, to try to maintain her calm, but the strong emotions of the man were overflowing to her as they had before, filling her with all of his pain, anger, and that loss so profound that all the others, even untrained, could feel the void he carried. What they felt, though, was merely an echo compared to the raw and unbridled emotions she felt. She let out an unsteady breath and held tightly to Jek’s hand, not caring whether anyone saw or not, although somewhere inside she knew that he was standing so that they could not.<br/><br/>She tried to drown everything out, to focus on him, on his presence, using it to anchor her to herself, to ground her, lest she get swept away by the feelings of the other man and lose herself. It was hard to separate what emotions were her own and what emotions were his, so Jek’s presence helped; his hand gave her physical proof that he was there, helping her to focus on him, on their bond, rather than anything else. She leaned into him, clinging to the love and happiness she felt in knowing that he was willing to shield her, these feelings that were distinctly her own.<br/><br/>His body might not be able to shield her from the emotional onslaught, but his actions still helped her and protected her, something she wasn’t used to nowadays. She was used to handling everything on her own now, protecting herself instead of relying on anyone else to protect or save her, and yet, she couldn’t help the feelings that rose in her, seeing him standing before her. If he hadn’t been there, she probably would have been swept up and swallowed by that profound loss, overwhelming pain, and that deep emptiness. With nothing to hold on to, she might have lost herself.<br/><br/>She’d felt something similar to this once before, a few years ago, just after the war had ended. She was reeling after what had happened at Malachor V, all the pain and death she’d felt in the Force all at once. The shock had nearly killed her, and when she’d finally awoken, she carried those feelings with her; that sudden emptiness, the pain, the echo of death in the Force, it weighed heavily on her. That coupled with the lingering pain of her own loss, the continued absence of the one she’d fallen in love with so many years ago, and the fading of the anger that had kept her going all those years, it all left her feeling so empty and alone.<br/><br/>When she’d come face to face with someone who felt something similar, an emptiness in the Force, a scar, pain, loss, and loneliness after losing her own love during the war, it had resonated with her. It was not as fresh as the loss this man felt, but feeling those strong emotions blending with her own, it had become almost impossible to distinguish where her own feelings ended and those of the other began. She had almost lost herself in the feelings, but she’d reached out in the Force, to find Jek, to feel his presence and remind herself that he was still alive, that there was still hope that they could find each other again someday. It had been only a moment and across a great distance, but it had been enough for her to cling to. She guessed that in that way, even when they’d been apart, he’d still protected her.<br/><br/>Now, she had him right there, holding her hand, rubbing her knuckles, trying to protect her. When she felt him take her into his arms, it gave her the strength to block the others out, to focus only on him. She focused on his arms around her as she clung to him as she had before, the words of reassurance he whispered to her, and his feelings towards her. Everything else faded as she leaned into him, taking slow, deep breaths, feeling only his presence and his emotions washing over her.<br/><br/>She felt his love for her, and his desire to protect her at any cost. The truth of his earlier words was evident when dark thoughts invaded his mind, tempting him to end the cause of her suffering. She forced herself to calm down, to remove his reason for such thoughts. She couldn’t quite place the feelings that rose in her—some sort of satisfaction, happiness, affection, or some combination, perhaps—knowing that he felt so strongly for her. Even so, she didn’t want him to have to feel that way, nor did she wish to see him follow through with those thoughts. She was the one tainted with darkness, the one who entertained such dark thoughts. She didn’t want to be the one to taint him. She didn’t want to be the reason he did something he would later regret or became someone he wasn’t.<br/><br/>The other woman they had recruited seemed to catch on to what was going on and when the couple had come to an agreement to go with them, she had led the other man away from the house, back towards the speeder, trying to help him calm down. Meanwhile, the couple set about gathering the rest of the things they would need to take with them. That left Aeris and Jek alone in front of the house, giving them at least a couple of minutes to themselves.<br/><br/>When the tension dissipated and the sources of her earlier turmoil were no longer right there with her, Aeris was able to finally get herself back under control. She didn’t move at first, though, just stayed in his arms a little longer. When she did finally move, it was only enough that she could look up into his eyes. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, brushing her thumbs across them gently as she just stared into his eyes for a few long moments. “Thank you,” she finally told him before leaning in to kiss him softly, sweetly, pouring as much of her feelings for him into the kiss as she could in their current situation.<br/><br/>She didn’t release him quickly as she had before, enjoying the kiss for perhaps longer than she should have, before she finally parted with him. She didn’t immediately pull away, though, instead lingering close to him. “I love you, Jek,” she told him softly, her eyes lingering on his for a little longer. She didn’t want to be apart from him again. She wanted to be close to him, to have nothing separating them, to kiss him, hold him, to feel his touch until all of these feelings faded away and they were all that remained.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, that was not in the cards just yet, as they still had a mission. For now, she leaned up and kissed him one more time, offering him a genuine smile, her green eyes filled with affection and a promise for later. “We should go. We still need to get you to a terminal before we go back to the shuttle,” she suggested in a soft voice just before the couple emerged from their home, bags in hand. She reluctantly moved to lead them to the speeder. “You can put your bags in the trunk and then hop in the backseat. It’ll be a tight fit, but we’ll make it work,” she instructed them.<br/><br/>The two bickered a little about why she had to bring this or he had to bring that, what bags should go in the trunk first, how they should put them in, and how they would sit to fit in the backseat with the others. It was nothing like their fighting before, but it would be grating after a while. “Let me make this simple for you. You either quit bickering or you’ll be riding in the trunk instead of your luggage,” she told them with a dangerous smile before heading to the driver’s seat and hopping in while they worked out their seating arrangements.<br/><br/>“Hey,” she heard the voice of their second recruit, causing her to look back over her shoulder. “Are you two a couple?” she asked with a grin, obviously excited. Aeris blinked, having not really expected the question, but she didn’t hesitate in her answer. “Yes,” she responded honestly, although she had no intention of going into any further detail. The young woman squeaked excitedly, “So cute!” she squealed and Aeris looked at Jek, then turned her gaze in front of her as a small smile tugged at her lips.<br/><br/>“Alright. Let’s get going,” she said once everyone had gotten settled in their seats. She took off back towards the city at a moderate pace this time, knowing that they needed to get back before the storm hit, but also not wanting to push the vehicle with this many people in it, or scare their new recruits. They should have plenty of time to do what they needed to do going at this pace, so there was no need to go much faster.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax felt An watching him as he prepared their meal, and he could feel her love for him that she didn’t even try to hide. He smiled each time he caught her looking at him; unlike during their speeder ride, he didn’t look away or pretend not to notice. Soon, she came over and sat in his lap, straddling him and wrapping the blanket around him. He felt his heart race and his feelings for her soar beyond his control as she tangled her fingers in his hair and kissed him deeply, passionately. His arms wrapped around her, pressing her further into him as he returned her kiss.<br/><br/>He swallowed hard when she told him that she wanted him for dessert, and he had to resist the desires that sparked in him, threatening to take over. When she moved to slide out of his lap, he grabbed her and kissed her one more time before releasing her to allow her to sit next to him. He wouldn’t starve either of them to pursue their passions, but he wanted her to know that he felt the same way she did, that he would gladly give her what she desired.<br/><br/>He reached over the stir the food and make sure it wasn’t burning as she leaned into his side, glancing up when she excused herself. She went back to looking through the crates and he briefly wondered what she was looking for, until she gave him a shy grin as she pulled the bedding out and taking it into the tent. So that was what she'd been looking for. He took a deep breath and swallowed back his feelings for the moment, focusing on finishing up the food.<br/><br/>A smile reappeared on his face when she returned just as he was putting their food into dishes, kissing his cheek and putting her head on his shoulders. “Here,” he said as he handed her the dish and some utensils. Before digging in, he leaned over, kissing her head that rested on his shoulder. “You have to eat your dinner before you get dessert,” he teased, grinning at her before he started eating his food. He leaned his head against hers gently as he ate, happy to have this quiet moment with her.<br/><br/>Even knowing they had a mission to do tomorrow, it was a nice break from reality, and he found himself hoping, or perhaps wishing for more moments like this in their future. He’d loved being a Jedi, but more than that, he loved her, and any future with her was far better than even the brightest future he may have had with the Jedi. The future he wanted now was her, and he got the feeling that this was a desire that they both shared. They both still had things they needed to do before they could leave these lives behind, but he was confident that whatever difficulties lie ahead, they would make it through, and when it was all said and done, they would find a new life together on the other side.<br/><br/>Jax took his time eating, since the food was hot, and as much as he wanted to enjoy her after they were finished, he also wanted to enjoy this moment, savor the quiet stillness while it lasted. Once they’d both finished, though, he took their dishes and put them off to the side. He then placed a finger under her chin, guiding her gaze up to meet his, to let her see the love in his eyes before he leaned in and kissed her, sweet and gentle, filled with love.<br/><br/>His hand moved to caress her cheek while the other arm guided her back into his lap as he continued to kiss her. He was happy to enjoy this for a little while, just holding her in his arms and kissing her. He was completely aware that they wouldn’t stop here, that they would both want more. It was just the nature of their relationship, they were too intense, too passionate to settle for anything less than everything. Besides that, she had been quite clear about what she wanted, and it was a desire he shared. Still, he was in no hurry. They had plenty of time for everything they wanted, so there was no need to rush.