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By Root 2340 0

fashion, as one might reach a hand out to a timid animal. There was ugliness there; there would have to be, given her history. But there was nothing ugly and dark that was new. Instead, to his surprise, Luke found a small, timid gleam of hope and a desire for and fear of joy. He sent reassurance to her, and that small spot suddenly expanded, and did not contract to its former weak strength. He focused on what it meant to be a Jedi: to protect those who were victimized and could not defend themselves. To trust, to love, to be willing to give of oneself. To fight and risk one’s life for those ideals.

And the little place in Vestara’s Force aura drank it all in. As gently as he had approached her, he disconnected.

“Well?” Ben asked impatiently.

“When we return, I will undertake your training myself, if you wish,” Luke said. At the expression of delight on both young faces he cautioned, “But you’ve got a long way to go.”

“You’re nervous,” Ben said. He and Vestara sat together on the edge of her bed. Ben had his arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder. Her hair was soft against his cheek, and he breathed in the scent of it with closed eyes. He was glad Vestara couldn’t see him right now, as he knew he had the most idiotic smile on his face. He was okay with that.

“No, I’m not,” Vestara said, far too quickly.

He squeezed her arm. “Yeah, you are. I would be, too. You’re about to meet a whole bunch of people who not long ago were your sworn enemies and say, Hi there, I used to be Sith but not anymore. It’s okay because I’m dating the most amazing, best-looking, smartest Jedi in the—ow!”

She’d used the Force to smack his head. The blow was clearly playful, but it stung, and Ben used his free hand to rub his ear.

“Don’t get cocky,” Vestara said. Her voice was teasing, warm with affection, and Ben was discovering he loved to hear that tone. “All right. I am nervous. Who wouldn’t be? No one is going to believe I’ve really had a change of heart. And I don’t blame them.”

“The Jedi believe in second chances,” Ben told her, growing serious. She needed to trust in that, or else she would be in danger of backsliding. “I know it’s hard for you to be open, but you’ve got nothing to hide anymore. Let everyone see what I see, and they’ll believe you.”

“I hope so,” Vestara said. A slight quaver had entered her voice. “Master Luke … seems to.”

Luke’s response had heartened both Ben and Vestara, but Ben knew that facing so many Jedi, who had very recently been attacking Sith ships, had to be an unsettling concept for a Sith born and raised.

“It’ll be all right,” he reassured her. “You might sense a little doubt and some hostility. Okay, maybe a lot. But you’ll win them over.”

Vestara pulled away from him slightly, her brown eyes shining with mischief. “Will I?” she said in a mock-sultry tone.

“Yeah, but you don’t kiss anyone but me, okay?”

Her teasing smirk melted into a smile—full, genuine, warm. “Okay,” she said.

“How did your parents handle it?” Luke asked Jaina. She was serving as his copilot during the last few hours before they arrived at Coruscant.

“Handle what?” Jaina asked. “They’ve handled a lot of things. Especially me.”

“That’s what I’m referring to,” Luke said. “And Jacen, and Anakin. How did they feel when you … well … when you noticed boys as more than people to spar with?”

She chuckled. “Mom and Dad were pretty okay with the boys. Dad was a bit overprotective of me, as you can imagine. I think honestly any problems they might have had with me and Jag … and Zekk … stemmed from the fact that they weren’t around to share a lot of our younger years. We seemed to grow up too fast for them. They weren’t ready for me to be an adult, to be forced to think about me having a relationship. I think they realized how much they missed, and that’s why now they’re focusing on spending so much time with Amelia.”

There was no bitterness in her voice, just a statement of fact. Luke thought, Even if a parent is able to be around for all the special moments—it still goes by too fast.

“I was thinking about what you said a