Ania worked beside her friend Lison for most of the day. Neither wanted to be alone. Their other friend Manda had been taken away early that morning. They did not know if she was sold, or killed, or given away. They were all too used to these things. Neither really wanted to talk about it.

As the two girls worked at picking the long strands, being careful not to break them, they talked a little. The heat made them tired, so they didn't talk all that much, but they were pretty used to the weather.

"You've been thinking about your father again, haven't you?" Lison stated more than asked, "I can tell."

"Maybe you have some force abilities after all." Ania replied.

"That was a clever way of changing the subject. Have you been having the dreams again?" Ania nodded. "Maybe someday you could see him." Lison suggested.

"Even if that were possible, I wouldn't"

"Ania, he wouldn't blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself either."

"I should've thought of another way, moved a little quicker. Something. Anything. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll never see my father. Hey, looks like rain tonight."

"OK, now that was a really lame attempt at changing the subject, Ania. First of all, weather is the oldest trick in the book. Second of all, of course it looks like rain, this is a rain forest. I expect much more from you than these lame attempts at changing the subject" Lison mocked her friend. Years of friendship had desensitized Ania to her friends undue harshness. Ania knew Lison's ways enough to know that her friend was concerned, not angry.

"Did it work?" Ania looked at her friend pleadingly. This day was hard enough already. Lison shrugged, and Ania knew the conversation was over, for now.

After Jaina left his room, Jacen left the temple to look for more food for his pets. He began to search the forest for leaves, twigs and the other foods his pets would need while he was away. His uncle had promised to take care of his animals while he was away. Jacen knew the Jedi Master was quite capable of finding food for his animals, but it never hurt to have a little extra on hand.

Jacen began looking for a specific type of dead leaf. His face was near the ground as a familiar pair of boots came into view. Wonderful, he thought, I was hoping to see Tenel Ka this morning. As he looked up, the site actually knocked him to the forest ground with shock. Tenel Ka. With two arms.

Tenel Ka could see that Jacen was shocked immediately, so she began to explain, "We must pose as slaves on Tindor. A slave with only one arm would not survive. Master Luke suggested that I have this arm... installed." Jacen thought those arms took weeks to make. He was still too shocked to speak, but Tenel Ka sensed the question. "Ah, my grandmother is...stubborn. She had this arm made and sent to the academy's infirmary in case I changed my mind."

Jacen could bearly nod. It was the first time that Tenel Ka had ever seen Jacen speechless. She could tell that he as taking this very emotionally. After all, he still held himself responsible for the loss of her arm. She could think of nothing to say, so she simply put her arms (arms, not arm) around him and held him close. By the force, she had never thought anything could feel this good, as good as holding Jacen with two arms.

Jacen put his arms around her waist. He couldn't believe that his best friend had both her arms around him. He breathed in deeply, and tears stained his face. Why he was unsure, but Tenel Ka was crying too. He felt it.

Tenel Ka pulled back a little, "I'm sorry, Jacen, my friend. I should have told you, but I could not think of the words." Jacen cradled her face in his hands.

They were both crying uncontrollably now. "No, don't apologize." He pulled her close to him again. They held each other for a while, feeding off one another's strength. Why, they weren't really sure. Jacen's hand brushed where Tenel Ka's red hair met her face. Jacen pulled back from the embrace, but only a tiny bit. He kissed her on the temple, closing his eyes, and then rested his forehead against hers. Slowly, impossibly, they moved closer.

Their lips brushed gently, and they both pulled apart a fraction of an inch. They stared at each other for a moment. They were both surprised, and yet, somehow it seemed not surprising at all. They moved close again. This time, as their lips met, the kiss turned passionate, and emotional. Tears flowed silently from both. Tears of joy? Of relief? Or tears shed simply from all the emotions they were feeling. Desire, hope, perhaps a little fear. And love? All either of them knew in that moment was the force flowing around and through them. And a need, an incredible need to be closer to each other.

Tenel Ka heard a branch snap and Jacen and her pulled out of the embrace. Jaina, Zekk and Lowie became visible from behind them. Jacen could tell immediately that his twin had not seen anything.

"Hey you guys, it's time to go," Jaina said. She looked over the pair, and her jaw dropped. Tenel Ka was immediately engulfed by Jaina, Zekk and Lowie, asking her all sorts of questions about her arm, and talking frantically. As she was pulled away, Tenel Ka glanced over her shoulder at Jacen, still in an incredible amount of shock. To anyone else, Tenel Ka looked somber, but Jacen could see the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and he knew she had meant for him to see the tiny smile.