Unification

Part Seven

Almost three years later…


The intervening weeks and months had passed as they normally do, some going quicker than others. Liza and Joss’ weekly visits settled into a routine. Sometimes, Acaciah accompanied her to the Teahouse, and when Master Kenobi had other duties for her, Anakin arranged for a speeder to pick her up or she went with Galaxa. While she had come to like the healer, Liza still only felt really comfortable with either Anakin or Acaciah.

Several months into her twentieth year, Master Nehiri died suddenly, keeling over in the library from a heart attack. Liza accepted this change in her life as she had most changes since her love’s banishment, with stoic silence. When the Council called her before them, she answered their questions and was awarded with her coveted Knighthood. With this change in status came a greater freedom of movement and time. No longer did she have to clear every action with a suspicious old woman who watched her constantly for some sign that she was slipping to the Dark Side. She began to spend her days in the Archives, digging up answers to the odd questions that Anakin constantly posed.

Every year on the anniversary of her rescue, a large box had been delivered to her rooms. It was filled with the most exquisite gifts imaginable. The first year of Joss’ banishment, the box had contained a dress made of rare silk from the Shugarra Moons. Midnight blue, it had a scooped bodice held up by thin straps. It clung to her curves before sliding down in a sleek column to her ankles. Viewed at the right angle, the fabric became sheer, revealing tantalizing hints of her firm young body. It quickly became her favorite outfit to wear to her weekly visits with Joss.

The second year’s present was no less impressive, though much more personal. This time the box contained a verse book of love poetry from the Galaagians, an ancient race that had lived and died a thousand lifetimes before the Republic was even born. Liza poured over the book nightly, the ancient language dancing in the dreams that she shared with Joss.

Liza’s anniversary date was two days h and and she was eagerly waiting to see what this year would bring from Joss. He had touched her in ways that she had never imagined and she loved him more now than she had when he had left.

***

Liza arrived at the Teahouse early, as was her custom. She swept into the back entrance, the staff long accustomed to her comings and goings. Pulling her hood down around her shoulders, she nodded politely to the ones she knew before slipping up the stairs to what she had come to think of as their room.

Opening the door, she called for Groot. She had come to like the odd little creature. He was very helpful and oh so eager to please. She had begun bringing him small treats from the outside world since he was forbidden to leave the Teahouse. Today, she had brought him a small bud from Naboo, the delicate pink flower barely open, its tender petals still dewy. The smell was intoxicating, a heavenly mix of gardenia and jasmine.

Groot appeared from the shadows at her right, bowing low. He took her cape, his eyes gleaming as he took in her midnight blue dress. It was a favorite of his as well. As he straightened, she noticed that his eyes had a new color swirling in them, red. Curious, she crouched down, holding out the small bud for him to take. “Your eyes, Groot. They have a new color.”

“Yes Madame. They get like this when I am the most happy, as I am today. Thank you very much for my gift, it is most beautiful. Might I also present you with a small token?” Groot asked her politely, his basic perfectly pronounced.

“Thank you, yes.” Liza said, surprised and pleased. Standing back up, she looked at him expectantly.

Groot bowed to her again, before sweeping his hand towards the far wall. Today, the curtain that had been there on each subsequent visit had been removed and a small doorway was visible, set into the wall. Liza looked down at him and he nodded, gesturing for her to enter.

She walked over to the door and pushed it open gently. She gasped, for the beauty of the room astonished her, making the wonderful room she had just left look like a gutter in comparison. A large bed dominated the pale green room. Massive wooden columns supported it and a small ladder stood off the side, for the bed was easily eight feet high. Sheer netting gathered at the ceiling draping softly in a canopy over the bed and down the four corners, before puddling to the floor.

Velvet bed coverings of the darkest green lay beneath scattered pillows in a jumble of fabrics, each one a complimentary shade of green. The lush garden that could be just glimpsed from the other room surrounded this one, completely screening in the room from prying eyes; the windows wide open to let thedy sdy scents of the exotic blooms swirl inside.

A small table was over in the corner, gleaming with gold place settings. It was set for two. Liza turned to ask Groot what was going on when she felt him push her softly into the room, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft, “Enjoy, Madame.”

Shaking her head slightly, she walked further into the room, her mouth agape as she drank in the beauty.

“So you like it?” A warm, rich baritone asked her from the corner. She spun and watched a form detach itself from the shadows.

“Joss” she breathed, her legs suddenly feeling like they couldn’t support her weight anymore.

He walked quickly into the light, letting her see him fully for the first time in almost three years. He was bigger than when he left, even more muscles rippling along under his bronzed skin. His hair, longer now, was clubbed back behind his head in a neat ponytail. He radiated a dangerous air, an intangible quality that hadn’t been there when he left. He opened his arms and she flew into them, her mouth and hands trying to be everywhere at once.

He kissed her hungrily, his tongue swirling into her mouth, taking possession, and marking his territory again. It was like their dreams, only so much more intense now that he was finally here and really holding her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with all of the longing and wanting that she had felt during their imposed separation.

Joss growled low in his throat as his hands roamed her body. He moved his fingers over her aching breasts, thumbs teasing the nipples erect. She moaned in response, her sex moistening, pushing herself closer to him. She could feel his immense erection pushing insistently against her.

Pulling her gently away from him, he whispered raggedly, ”Slowly love, we have all afternoon to get reacquainted. I want to look at you.”

She whimpered at the separation, her body straining back towards him. He chuckled, the affectionate tones rolling over her and warming her clear to her soul. Setting her slightly away from him, he perused her slowly from head to toe, her skin peeking out at him in tantalizing glimpses through the unique material of her dress. Preening under his loving eye, she spun in a small circle. He laughed again and pulled her back for a quick, passionate kiss.

“You’re even more beautiful love, than when I left you” Joss said appreciatively. It was true; the intervening years had only enhanced her ethereal beauty. Her face had lost its girlish fullness and her generous curves had filled out, breasts high and firm, hips lush and inviting more than fulfilling her earlier promise of budding beauty. Her hair fell in soft honeyed waves to her hips, held in place with a small gold circlet around her brow. Her eyes a deeper indigo color than he remembered, framed by inky black lashes.

“So are you,” she whispered, suddenly shy. He looked like a god, all rippling muscles and bronzed skin. The desert world had burnished it to a warm copper color, making his hair look even darker and his eyes that much more dangerous. He smiled at her, watching the blush start to steal up her cheeks as she appraised him frankly. Her eyes strayed down his body, stopping at his considerable bulge, still straining against his woven pants. Her blush deepened as she become conscious that she was staring.

She realized suddenly that he wasn’t dressed in his Jedi clothing. Her eyes widened, darting back up to his and he grinned at her again, using the words that she had given him at their first meeting here, so long ago. “I didn’t want to come to you in Jedi garb.”

She smiled then, a wicked smile, full of promise and leapt into his arms again. He caught her slight weight easily and went over to sit in a plush chair in the corner, holding her gently on his lap, stroking her honey blond waves. They sat there, holding each other tightly, thankful beyond belief to be together again.