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The cold damp air clung to Alee's clothes, soaking through to her skin. A shiver rippled across her shoulder blades. The small prison cell was carved out of rock, black as night, and glistening with rivulets of moisture. No window. One very thick door. Black like the walls. It was little better than a cave. Alee shuddered.
She'd lost track of how many levels below the palace they had descended. Her cell was near the cliff. She guessed the outer wall was around two meters thick. An arm-sized ventilation shaft bored through the rock and let in a teasing circle of light, which was more than the flickering fixture in the door did.
Alee sat cross-legged on her cot, in the near dark, staring at the door. She'd already probed it with the Force. Her half-hearted attempts at lock-picking had brought a foursome of soldiers bursting into the cell. The surroundings may be crude, but the security was hi-tech. Nothing to do but wait.
And think. The anguish and gut-wrenching grief had receded. In its place was an emptiness that was suffocating in its intensity. It was like Dagobah all over again. The most awful moment of her life. When she'd first learned Qui-Gon was dead. She was surprised she'd had enough presence of mind to save Druce. Maybe it wasn't so surprising. He was her one link with the present. The only person she'd let draw near in the last four years. When she'd been led away - away from Dru - the thread connecting them had stretched, thinned, then finally snapped. He seemed like a mostly pleasant dream. Here. This moment.
The only reality was her impending trial. She wondered if they'd let her choose the method of execution. Maybe they'll let me die in the same spot Qui-Gon died. Thoughts of escape flitted through her mind. She rejected them. It's better this way. It's the only way I can truly return to the past. Where I belong.
Alee curled up and slept.
'Alee.'
Alee turned and smiled at Qui-Gon. He opened his arms and she took refuge in them. It felt so good. It had been so long.
'I knew you'd come. It won't be long now. We can be together always,' Alee murmured into his broad chest.
Qui-Gon cupped his hands over her ears and tilted her head up. Alee looked into those amazing, fathomless, blue eyes and smiled. She reached up and brushed his brow, ran a finger down his nose with its regal bump, traced his lips. Both hands buried themselves in his long hair and pulled his head down.
Their kiss was long and deep.
Qui-Gon stepped back and Alee swayed toward him. He steadied her by grasping her shoulders.
'I love you, Alee. You are my heart.'
'And you are my soul.'
Qui-Gon dropped his hands and took hold of both of hers.
'I await our reunion,' he whispered.
'Soon, my dearest Jedi Master,' Alee replied.
'No, Alee.'
Alee frowned. 'No? I don't understand.'
'It's not time. Not yet.'
She searched his face. 'But it must be. I want it to be.'
'No, Alee. Search your heart. You must follow the Living Force.'
'But the Force brought me to Naboo. To be with you.'
Qui-Gon reached up and cupped her jaw in his hand.
'The Force brought you here to say farewell, my heart.'
'Farewell? I don't want to say good-bye. I want to say hello.'
'You must. But only for a little while. Now, this moment, it's time to move on.'
Tears slipped down her cheeks. 'Move on to where? I'm the past. I don't belong.'
Qui-Gon gathered Alee into his arms. 'Yes, you do. Follow the Living Force, Alee. It's leading you to someone who is already waiting.'
'But, he won't be you.' She pressed harder against his chest.
'No. He's his own man.' Qui-Gon smiled. 'Remember our last day together, when I told you that, without me, you'd find someone closer to your own age and fall in love?'
'Yes. It was the day you promised to return and become my lifemate.'
'Death is the only way a Jedi can break his promise, Alee. But I did find you a lifemate. Be good to him. Cherish him. As he cherishes you.'
'I'm afraid, Qui-Gon.'
'Fear leads to anger. Don't go that path, Alee. Remember: There is no emotion, there is peace. You were always so brave, so bold. Be brave, my love. You have a future waiting for you.'
Qui-Gon moved to leave. Alee grabbed his hand. He extracted it from her grip and their gazes locked. He leaned forward and their lips - just their lips - met in one last, bittersweet and tender kiss.
'Master. It's time to leave.' The voice was older, but it was still Obi-Wan.
Alee resisted the temptation to look over the Jedi Master's shoulder. She smiled into Qui-Gon's face. 'Your Padawan's timing is perfect, as usual.'
'Yes. I'm sure he used to interrupt us quite intentionally.'
She arched one brow. 'Of that I have no doubt.' Her face became solemn. 'This really is farewell, isn't it? You won't be back, will you? I won't see you, or hear your voice, or feel your touch, until I become one with the Force, will I?'
'It is time to move on.' Qui-Gon's eyes darkened with unspoken love. 'The Force be with you.'
'And with you, Qui-Gon. Always.'
'I'm proud of you, Alee-Nedra cy Nerac.'
Alee sat up. ... proud of you... Her heart was beating fast. She felt warm, despite the chill. That was no dream. Qui-Gon was here. In my mind. Saying good-bye.
Drawing her knees against her chest, Alee hugged her legs tightly. The Force quivered around her, keeping the emptiness at bay. She relaxed into the flow and felt peace, real peace, filling the nooks and crannies of her mind. Thank you for the gift of your visit, Qui-Gon. The only way I can return the gift is to do as you ask. I will look to the Living Force. This moment. Each moment.
Alee centered on the task of waiting. The light from the ventilation shaft faded. A food tray was slid under a slot in the bottom of the door. Alee ate and returned to waiting. She drew on the Force and probed the lock without attempting to manipulate anything. If she could just find the trigger ...
The circuits came alive. Alee withdrew and stood to face her captors. The door slid open. The hallway was empty. Alee blinked. She poked her head out the door and looked both ways. Nothing. She stepped out of her cell. No soldiers came bearing down on her. All was silent, except for a quiet drip, dripping near her feet.
Alee glanced back at the black hole that was her cell. She frowned. Computer malfunction? Of course. Druce. A smile tugged at her mouth. She didn't want to keep him waiting.
The hallway was standard Imperial grey durasteel. A stark contrast to the elegant architecture of street-level Naboo. No doubt, the prison levels were added after the Emperor's puppet was placed in power.
Alee trod carefully, so her boots wouldn't ring out her whereabouts. Each door she came to, she listened, but the doors were thick enough to mute most sounds. Only at one did Alee hear anything at all - muffled grunting. She grimaced, not wanting to know what was making that guttural noise, and continued on.
It was like she'd never passed this way before - she'd been in such a fog when they'd delivered her to her cell. A left turn, and the hallway was suddenly stark white. Alee dropped to a squat in the steel grey corner and scanned ahead as she tapped her teeth. Both sides of the hall had thin grey stripes bordering the ceiling and floor, with a third stripe a meter up. The whole ceiling was one long bank of lights. Not a shadow, not a single crevasse to hide in. Seven meters of complete exposure that led to her escape route - a turbolift at the end of the hall. It also led past a set of open double doors just before the lift, from which the sounds of men talking drifted into the corridor. A guardroom.
Alee drew on the Force and counted. Five. She glanced at the indicator lights on the lift - it was stopped ten levels up. She couldn't afford to raise the alarm. But could she put five guards down fast enough? Did she have a choice? She couldn't very well saunter past and calmly wait, in full view, for the turbolift to descend.
Gliding down the hall, Alee stopped short of the doors and drew several deep breaths, inhaling the Force. Her fingertips tingled.
She burst through the entrance and took a flying leap towards the table in the middle of the room. Her feet connected with the side of a guard's head and he tumbled out of his chair. She rolled across the table, sending glasses and dice flying, and kicked a second man unconscious. Another jumped up, drawing his blaster. Alee shot her hand out and used the Force to snatch it from his hands. She dropped to the floor and swept his feet out from under him. He cracked his head on the table and crumpled.
A laser bolt whizzed past her ear and Alee dove to the side. She popped into a crouch and fired. The blaster flew out of the guard's fingers and he dropped to the floor, clutching his hand. Searing heat lanced Alee's upper left arm. She spun and fired. The last guard flew backwards, smacking the wall, then sliding slowly to the floor, leaving a red swath behind him.
Alee swung the blaster back toward the guard with the injured hand. Alarm crossed his features. She clenched her teeth as pain spiked down her arm. She motioned for him to get up and he scrambled to his feet.
"Bind them." Alee motioned to the three unconscious men around the table. "Hands and feet."
While the guard hurried to comply, Alee examined his features. His smooth brown skin was a shade or two darker than his uniform. And he was young. Very young. His hands shook as he clicked the binders closed on the third man. He stood and looked her square in the eyes, his nostrils flaring. Alee smiled. He's very brave to face what he fears so boldly.
"What about Skolda?" the young guard asked, glancing at the slumped figure behind Alee.
Alee closed her eyes for a micron. "He's dead."
"Are you going to kill me, too?"
The Jedi shook her head. "Needless death is just that. Sit down."
Alee retrieved two more sets of binders and bound his wrists behind his back. She took a second to scan his hand. Burns. Nothing more. He'd be fine. As she struggled to fit the other binders over his ankles and around a table leg, the throbbing in her arm increased. She could feel the blood soaking her tunic.
Alee straightened up and felt his gaze on her wound. She looked down. Her tan tunic was reddish brown from the shoulder to the elbow.
"Where's a medkit?" she asked.
The boy gulped. "Refresher."
"Don't worry. I've had worse."
Alee found the kit and quickly bound strips of clean cloth over the injury and the tunic to stem the bleeding. As she headed for the turbolift, the boy's voice stopped her.
"We were taught that Jedi were monsters. Ruthless parasites."
Sadness washed over her. Without turning, Alee replied, "For a thousand generations we were the guardians of truth and justice. A single generation destroyed us and made us appear to be the very thing we fought. Sometimes darkness masquerades as light. But the truth will always stand up under testing."
Alee slipped into the hall and pressed her forehead against the lift doors. Weariness draped heavy across her shoulders, leaving her feeling emotionally and physically drained. A light flickered in the corner of her eye. She turned her head. The turbolift was on the move.
Eyes closed, Alee used the Force to open the doors. A maintenance ladder crawled up a recess in the back of the shaft. She jumped and grabbed a rung with her right hand. She directed the Force to close the lift doors and began to climb jerkily, relying as little as possible on her left hand.
The turbolift had stopped, but was descending again. Alee had climbed two levels when she pressed herself against the rungs as the lift whooshed past. She watched it drop. Relief hissed between her teeth when it stopped a level below her cell's. She resumed climbing. Faster.
Gathering the Force around her, she scrambled up the ladder, ignoring the aching injury. Six levels. Seven. Sweat ran into her eyes, blurring the rungs flashing past. Eight. Perspiration greased her palms and she slipped. As she stopped to wipe them on her tunic, Alee glanced down to see the turbolift hurtling upwards. It shot past, making her tunic slap her hips. It returned to its original roost, two levels above where Alee hung.
With a burst of speed, Alee scurried up and in behind the lift. She crawled onto the top of the lift and stretched out, her head by its ceiling hatch. This level felt like a bad choice. She could sense a lot of movement, bodies, a fight she'd rather avoid. As she lay, considering her options, the turbolift doors opened and voices reached her ears.
"... not responding."
"I'll check on them, sir. The comm console is probably suffering moisture damage again."
Alee sprang to a crouch and looked up. The next level's doors were three meters up. She grabbed hold of the Force and jumped as the lift dropped away. When her fingers brushed the ledge, she dug in. Hanging like a slab of slaughterhouse nerf, she concentrated on breathing as the agony radiating from her arm broke along her nerves and finally dissipated into the Force.
When she had nudged the doors apart a good meter, Alee used the Force to spring through the opening. She landed in a crouch, and yanked the blaster from her belt. Nothing. She dropped to her knees and the weapon clattered across the floor. Alee sat back on her heels and centered herself. The Force flowed through her, making the pain and weariness retreat.
The hall she'd sprang into was warm, lined with creamy marble walls decorated by evenly-spaced, fluted half-columns. The tiled floor spread out from her knees in a subtle diamond pattern. The turbolift was the focal point of a T-intersection. The corridors ahead and to her left were dotted with tall narrow windows that looked onto an inner courtyard. To the right ... Alee smiled. She recognized those arching, intricately carved doors. They led to the hanger.
Alee sprinted down the hall, stretching out her arm to call on the Force and open the doors as she ran. She charged through the entrance and slid to a halt, momentarily blinded by the beauty of the royal starship. Could I? Should I? Alee glided forward, running her fingers along the underside of the chrome wing.
"No need."
Alee swung around at the sound of the voice and reached for the blaster. It was a black speck far down the corridor. She splayed her fingers and sighed.
General Panaka stepped from behind a square pillar. He walked slowly toward Alee, his hands clasped behind his back.
"No need for what, General?" Alee asked.
"To steal the ship, of course. Your ride will be here shortly."
"My ride?"
"The fellow you were with. You know..." Panaka stopped in front of Alee and raised one white eyebrow. "... the one that isn't your partner. Isn't your, ah, anything."
"Why would you think he's coming back? Alee asked.
"Well, I knew something was up when the security on the level below yours failed completely and every door there sprang open," Panaka explained. "So, rather than hunt you down, I chose to wait for you to come to me."
"So now you call two or three squads down on my head. Or do you wait for Druce so you can arrest him, too?"
The general shook his head. "No squads." He paused and frowned. "How did you get off your level?"
"I dropped in on the guards and said hello, then climbed up the turbo shaft."
Panaka clenched and unclenched his jaw. "You're bleeding. Any casualties?"
Alee narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine. One guard is dead." She paused and watched the general flinch slightly, then added, "But your son is fine. Blaster burns to one hand. Brave kid. He looks remarkably like you, by the way."
"You are most perceptive."
"I was trained to be," Alee said. "If you aren't here to capture me, then what?"
A smile touched his black eyes. "Wanted to see you off, I guess. And apologize."
"For ...?"
He shrugged. "Arresting you."
"You were following orders," Alee replied. "But if you are so sure the law is wrong, why not work to right it?"
"It's not so simple. Life is full of compromises. Some you can live with. Some you always regret." Panaka stared past Alee to the starship.
"Do you really believe she is coming back?"
Panaka scowled. "The Queen? No. I think assigning a regent was a move to prevent elections for a new monarch."
"And a chance to establish a dictatorship," added Alee.
"That was loyal to the Emperor," Panaka said.
"And most unfriendly to enemies of the Empire."
"Like the Jedi."
"Yes," whispered Alee.
The general's comlink sounded. He turned away and switched it on. "Yes. ... Keep searching. No one has emerged ground level. ... Very good, major. Keep me posted." The comlink disappeared into his utility belt and he returned to face Alee.
The VG-23 appeared, hovered in front of the hanger bay, then eased in sideways and settled onto the ferrocrete in front of the starship.
The general held out his hand. Alee clasped it and looked into his eyes. "Thank you, General."
"It was my pleasure. Feels like repaying an old favor."
Qui-Gon came to mind. Alee started to say something, then stopped.
"May I ask you something?" the general asked.
She nodded.
"What were you looking for in the power station?"
"An old friend."
Surprise crossed his dark features. "Was he there?"
"Yes, actually" replied Alee. She touched her head. "And in here."
Panaka smiled. "I thought all the Jedi were destroyed. I'm glad I was wrong."
"Let's keep it our little secret, shall we."
"Why? Shouldn't you be helping the New Republic?"
"I do. But I prefer to be unobtrusive."
Panaka's face lit up. "Intel?"
"You are very perceptive, General."
"I was trained to be."
Footsteps sounded behind the Jedi.
Alee chuckled. "Don't tell my slicer friend. He's nervous enough as it is."
The general's dark eyes flashed. He smiled and nodded.
"This isn't exactly the time or place for a reunion, Alee," Dru spoke from behind her shoulder. "Can we leave? This mausoleum is making me nervous."
Alee snapped to attention and saluted the general. He proudly returned the gesture.
As she walked away, she heard him quietly say, "May the Force be with you, Alee."
With the safety of hyperspace wrapping around the ship, Dru fussed over Alee's injury. He had inwardly cringed at sight of the blood-soaked tunic and bandages. She had refused to let him simply rip off the tunic sleeve, preferring to struggle out it. It was getting old and worn, but she treated it like an old friend. Now she sat, unflinching, in her undershirt, and stared over his shoulder as he examined the wound. It had bled clean. He moved to apply bacta strips and she grabbed his hand.
"I'm allergic, Dru. There's no infection, anyway. Just put on a clean bandage, please."
"How do you know there's no infection?" He paused. "Never mind. Stupid question."
"How did you know to come to the palace hanger?" Alee asked.
"The good general traced my computer signal and told me to via comlink," Dru replied.
"I guess that doesn't surprise me. How did he trace a slicer's tracks?"
"I didn't have time to do anything other than a few satellite bounces. Simple stuff."
"Why did you come back?" Alee asked.
Dru's head bobbed up. He looked her in the eyes. "It's what a friend would do."
"You're still willing to be my friend?"
"You mean, despite the fact you lied to me?" he asked.
Alee scowled. "I never lied to you."
"Sorry. Withheld major truths about yourself. Is that better? Or maybe you consider the fact that you're a Jedi to be insignificant." He paused. "What else haven't you told me, Alee?"
She was silent.
Dru expelled his frustration in a sigh. "That's what I thought. I want you to trust me, Alee." Maybe even love me. "But I can't force it." And I can't compete with a dead guy.
Her refusal to answer felt like a slap in the face. Druce wrapped her arm without another word. Then he retrieved her cloak and draped it over her shoulders. He sat down and picked up her lightsaber, turning it over in his hands.
"How does it work?" he asked.
"Basically, electromagnetic pulses directed through specially crafted and very rare crystals," Alee replied. "Turn it on, if you want."
Dru shot her a glance, then flicked the switch. It hissed as the blade extended, then quietly hummed. He stared at the shimmering blade - light blue at the center, very dark along the edge - and swished it around, listening to the variances in sound as it cut through the air. Shutting it down, he handed it to Alee.
"Are they all blue?" he asked.
"No. The color depends on the crystal. You have a rainbow of choices. Even the same hue can vary from one blade to the next. Mine is the deepest sapphire. Others could be sky blue."
"You made it yourself?"
Alee nodded. "It's part of our training."
"So you choose the color."
"It often reflects the owner's personality."
"Blue for steadfastness and loyalty," mused Dru.
Alee didn't answer.
Dru smiled. "What color was Qui-Gon's?"
"Green." Alee stopped and stared hard at Dru. "I didn't tell you Qui-Gon was a Jedi."
Dru gave her what he thought was his best innocent look. "You didn't? Do you want to now?"
Alee narrowed her eyes.
Irritation fringed his thoughts. Dru continued, "How about telling me anything, Alee? About your life as a Jedi? Your training? Where this mysterious academy is?"
Alee crossed her arms.
"No?" Dru said. "How about your Qui-Gon? No? Luke Skywalker, then?"
Alee's hazel eyes turned stony.
"Let's start simple, shall we, Alee?" Dru rested his arms on the table and stared at her shuttered features, wishing he could just shut up, knowing he wouldn't. "Why don't you just tell me what upset you so much in the power station? What did you find? What did you see?"
Silence was his only answer. He jerked to his feet.
"Sometimes, Alee, you can clam up tighter than most starship vacuum seals. But, you know, I need you to give a little. I trusted you in that power station. Why? Because you nodded at me and your eyes asked me to. I jumped to what should have been my death - because of trust. I didn't know you could save us. I just did it. One of these days you're going to have to take a leap of faith, Alee." He looked down at her with sadness burning his eyes. "I hope I'm still around to be the one you take it with."
Druce retreated to the cockpit. He slumped in the co-pilot seat and closed his eyes. Despair crowded in around him. He wanted to get closer to Alee, yet every time he opened his mouth he pushed her away. He couldn't seem to find his equilibrium with Alee - either he was feeling great, or he was mad as a raging Wookiee. Now this. She wasn't talking to him and probably never would. Way to go circuit boy. Blast. Her Qui-Gon was a Jedi, just like the one who died in the power station. It must be a coincidence. There has to be a logical explanation. Doesn't there?
Why can't he leave well enough alone? I am not a puzzle for him to solve. My past is mine to share with whom I please. But I was a little, well, stubborn just now. What makes it worse is that he's right. I do need to give a little. Just saying you trust someone isn't always enough. Oh, Qui-Gon. Couldn't you have stayed a little longer? Shown me the path to this one who is waiting? How am I supposed to know who it is?
Tucking her legs underneath her, Alee buried herself in her cloak and shunted aside the growing sense of loneliness. She was truly alone now - Qui-Gon had said his final good-bye - but never completely alone, so long as the Force was her companion. She sighed. The Force was an integral part of her life, but there were some corners of the heart even it couldn't fill. Druce's face came to mind. I owe Dru an apology. He's trying to be a friend, even if he is an incurable snoop. And I desperately need a friend right now.
Alee slipped her arms into the sleeves of the cloak and headed to the cockpit. She halted at the doorway and watched Dru for a moment. He stared morosely out the windscreen at the spiraling patterns of hyperspace, looking like a lost street urchin. Her heart flipped, knowing she had put that look on his face. Alee glided forward and slid into the seat beside him.
"It's very beautiful, isn't it?" Alee asked quietly. "Sometimes I try to see the path, anticipate the twists and turns the ship will have to take. Of course, I never succeed - everything is happening too fast."
Dru glanced sideways. "You mean, there's something a Jedi cannot do?"
I deserve that. Alee smiled sadly. "Many things, actually. Especially this Jedi . I can fight a room full of guards, but I cannot befriend a single slicer." Dru shifted in his chair and studied Alee as she continued, "And the funny thing is, this slicer is making every attempt. But I'm not too sure how to proceed."
Alee caught Dru's gaze and held it. "Four years ago I was thrust into a situation where I couldn't trust a soul. And when I joined the Rebellion, it seemed natural that I use my ... ah ... new-found paranoid tendencies to help the cause. Well, that, and I didn't want to be in the heat of things."
Dru's forehead creased in concentration. "Are you telling me you're a spy?"
"Actually I just relayed messages from the spies."
"You work for New Republic Intel?"
Alee nodded. "If you want me to get off at Umgul, I understand."
"No. Why should I?" Dru paused. "You think my contracts are all with criminals?"
"I have no idea who your contracts are with, so I had no idea how you'd react to transporting New Republic personnel - especially a ... spy. But that's beside the point, Dru. I need you to understand that I don't know how to open up with people any more. I want to be your friend. I need a friend and, unfortunately for you, you're the only one who has applied for the position."
"I don't think its unfortunate," Dru said softly.
"Thank you. But I'm asking you to give me some time. When people push me, I get, um, ..."
"Stubborn?" Dru suggested.
"I was going to say reluctant, but you're choice of words is probably more accurate."
"And it goes so well with pushy."
Alee frowned. "Am I pushy?"
"No. I am. And I'll try to back off, Alee, though you may have noticed that it doesn't come naturally."
They exchanged smiles and both turned to watch the hyperspace light show.
Without thinking, Alee broke the silence. "Why did you kiss me? Not the first time - I know that was some sort of angry reaction - but the second time."
"You didn't enjoy it?" Alee heard the teasing note in Dru's voice.
"No ... yes ... I mean, well, you ... it confused me," Alee stammered, feeling suddenly foolish.
Dru smiled. "I can honestly say I don't know why I did it - it just felt like the right thing to do, at the time. Don't ask me to apologize,either. I'm not the least sorry."
Alee felt heat oozing up her neck. She muttered, "Let's change the subject, please."
"But you brought it up," Dru complained with a grin.
Alee narrowed her eyes. "And I'm changing the subject."
Dru held up his hands in mock surrender.
Alee returned her attention to the viewscreen and began tapping her teeth. Why did I bring it up in the first place? I'd rather just forget that silly kiss altogether. It meant nothing to him. It has nothing to do with our friendship. It was just a ... moment apart from reality. A very nice moment.
Dru captured her hand and pulled it away from her mouth, giving it a squeeze. Alee stared at her hand cradled in his. Her vision blurred and for a second she couldn't tell where her hand ended and his began. She snatched her hand back and tuck it under her opposing elbow.
The quiet that filled the cabin was peaceful, comfortable. Alee felt herself relaxing, as if a hydrospanner was loosening the knot of tension inside. Maybe I don't need another Jedi to fill this lonely void. Maybe I just need someone who is willing to accept me ... as is.
"You'll probably tell me to back off again," Dru said. "But, did your, ah, ... did Qui-Gon die four years ago? Was that the thing that changed your life so much?"
"You're right. I'll probably tell you to back off," Alee replied, then sighed. "But I have lived four standard years without Qui-Gon, though it seems like four lifetimes." Realization hit Alee. "Oh, Dru. That's as long as I knew him. He's been gone for as long as he was in my life."
With eyes squeezed shut, Alee felt several pats on her shoulder. Dru's awkward attempt at comfort chased away the sadness lurking on the edges of her mind.
Keeping her eyes closed, Alee began to speak very softly. "You might think I'm crazy, but while I was in that prison cell, Qui-Gon came to me - in a dream. But he was real, Dru. Call it a Jedi thing if you want, but he was in my mind and as real as you are, sitting here beside me."
She heard Dru whisper, "What did he want?"
Alee sighed. "He came to say good-bye. He urged me to move on. Said I have a future. Said I have someone waiting for me - someone he approved of."
"Did he say who it was?"
Another sigh. "No. All I know is that somewhere, sometime I have a life waiting for me that will be filled with love. I don't even know how to begin looking. I suppose the Force will lead me." Alee opened her eyes to find Dru staring at her. "Until I discover that life, I'm glad I can count at least one friend to help stem the loneliness."
Dru looked away and squinted. "I'm glad to be that friend, Alee. I'll be around as long as you need me."
Alee felt her humor surge. "At least," she teased, "until some beautiful woman catches your eye."
"Not much chance of that," Dru said with a shrug. "My eye is caught."
Alee smiled. "She's a lucky woman."
"Is she?" Dru sounded pleased. "Hopefully, someday, she'll realize it."
"If she doesn't, she's a fool."
A pang of regret resonated deep inside Alee. Don't be foolish,
girl. I have his friendship. She only has his eye.
