Debris showered over Clarke's head as she staggered out of the vast structure, grateful for the crew's presence as they destroyed any beasts that got too close to them as they escaped the horrific scene.

The area surrounding the blonde was filled with blaster fire and echoing screams, but her focus remained on the unconscious woman in her arms, sensing the force ebbing and flowing from her very core. She had never been so terrified in her life, not for herself or anybody else.

Furious bursts of power erupted from the holocron jammed inside her bag, sending shivers up her spine as she felt the tendrils of evil reach out, hungry to grasp onto her and claim yet another victim.

Clarke jerked awake with a gasp, jolting upright and staring blindly into the darkness of her cabin, her mind still reeling from the recent memories. No one was present to witness her unsettled awakening and she was thankful that the rest of the crew had gone to organise repairs for the ship. 

It had not been easy escaping the harsh planet, but it was a relief to return to Coruscant safely and pass over the deadly holocron to Master Eadon for destruction. Its existence was no longer her concern and she had more pressing issues to attend to.

The blonde woman dragged herself out of bed and quickly dressed, making sure she was acceptable for whoever was waiting to greet her at the temple. She wasn't a regular visitor to the Jedi site, and she was hoping for an update on Lexa's status.

The Jedi had been carried away to the medical facilities without delay after arriving on Coruscant three days earlier. Clarke had heard nothing in recent days, but it had been arranged for her to visit this morning after some rigorous discussions with several mediators.

There was a lot of interest in the presence of both Jedi and holocron at the temple, and powerful figures wanted to make sure that the case was kept close at hand. It was disturbing enough to learn of a Jedi's transformation from such a powerful dark side holocron, and the council were eager to keep knowledge of the artefact on Coruscant as limited as possible.

Her journey to the temple was a blur as she settled into contemplation of what would await her at the facility. There was no telling what effects might still be evident in the Jedi and she wished for nothing but a full recovery, as unlikely as it would seem. Reports from Master Eadon had gently reminded the woman of both physical and emotional repercussions that were expected after such a traumatic experience and the thought left Clarke with a heavy heart. 

Ignoring the crowds that ebbed through the court, Clarke forged a path towards the looming site of Jedi headquarters and tried to tame the erratic rhythm of her heart as anticipation grew. The building was like a fortress, stretching a kilometre over the surrounding rooftops and largely closed to public access. 

Thankfully her presence was expected and after a brief interaction with security, accompanied by a confirmatory scan, she was waved up the entrance stairs. Passing by the large bronze statues of those who had once founded the temple, she delved further inside and was fortunate to meet Eadon travelling in the opposite direction, flanked by two younger females dressed in identical robes. Clarke disregarded the visitors and moved directly into the Master's path, politely nodding as he approached.

"Clarke...I wasn't expecting you so soon," Eadon said, letting his momentum fade as he motioned the two women forward. "Are you looking for Lexa?"

The blonde nodded, a lump in her throat preventing her from answering as she noticed the frown on his brow. 

"I assumed you knew," he said softly, "She left here not an hour ago without a word. I assumed she had already contacted you."

Clarke bit her lower lip, shook her head momentarily, and forced a polite smile into existence. "Thank you, Master; and what about the holocron?"

"It has been extensively analysed and is designated for disposal. It won't be causing us any more trouble."

There was nothing else to say and no time to waste on idle chatter. Eadon could only sympathise as the young woman politely excused herself and rushed from the temple, barely limiting her pace to a rapid stride as she resisted the impulse to sprint back to the ship.

With her thoughts racing and heart pounding in her chest, the blonde took no chances and used the taxi link to return to the docking port. She could only pray that the Jedi was planning to return to the ship and crew at the earliest opportunity. 

Clarke ran breathlessly towards the landing area upon her arrival, feeling her heart drop as she saw the perplexed crew gathering around crates of inventory beyond the ship walls.

"What's going on?" she inquired, scanning the immediate area to assess the situation as the crew welcomed her return. 

Toril shrugged despondently and extended his palm towards the spacecraft. "The Commander beat us here by no more than ten minutes and sealed herself inside. I had no idea she was even conscious."

Clarke dismissed the irritability in his voice in favour of the more important issue of the Jedi's status aboard the ship.

"Did you get the supplies?" she inquired, her gaze locked on the security camera that she knew was observing every second of their conversation.

"The necessities that we could find," Cal acknowledged, crossing his massive arms across his chest and inclining his head towards the storage crates. "Everything we require is ready to be loaded on board."

"Then take a break and go somewhere to eat, drink, do whatever you want. I'll speak with the personnel and see if I can get everything sorted out here."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Cal grumbled, stretching his aching limbs. "But what about the Commander?"

Clarke gave a reassuring nod and guided the crew away from the ship with a sweep of her arm.

"Leave it to me; I'll get back to you as soon as I have an update."

Finally, with a little encouragement, the crew abandoned their newly obtained goods in search of a bar. Sharr consoled the group as they traipsed towards the elevator, trying to offer some optimism as morale drifted. After the stressful events of recent weeks it was no wonder they were beginning to lack enthusiasm. 

Clarke sighed and returned her attention to the ship, bowing her head and allowing her blonde hair to fall like a veil to avoid any curious eyes as she aimed her next remarks towards the unmoving ship.

"I know you're watching, so let me in."

Clarke shifted her weight impatiently as her eyes pierced straight into the camera in the silence that followed.

"Believe me, if you don't open the door, I'll find a way in. It will be more convenient for both of us if you save me the trouble."

After a long moment of consideration, the departure ramp plummeted to the ground with some caution, much to Clarke's relief. The blonde was grateful for the good judgement of the Jedi and hurried aboard before she could decide otherwise.

As soon as she stepped foot on the lower deck, NOVA's relentless questioning greeted her, but Clarke promptly ignored him as she pulled herself up the staircase, waving away his complaints. Her intuition was already leading her to the Jedi, through the empty corridors and into the dim control room.

Lexa was seated at the console, her hands flying over the control panel with expert precision. Every fibre of Clarke's being ached to tear across the room and grasp the Jedi in her arms, but something held her back, and as she went farther into the room, the air was tinted with apprehension.

The sight sparked an unwanted memory in the blonde and she recalled the dark stare that had once turned to pierce her, filled with agonising anger and vengeance. A shudder ran down the blonde's spine as she tried to repress the memory.

"What are you doing?" she finally spoke when her presence was met with nothing but silence, hovering behind the chair as she watched the various instructions flashing across the display. 

"Getting the ship ready for take off," the Jedi replied smoothly, focused entirely on the task at hand as if she hadn't just survived a near death experience. It was unnerving to say the least and Clarke moved closer to the console in a deliberate movement. 

"You know what I meant. What are you doing here? You should be recovering at the Jedi Temple."

"I regained my strength at the Jedi temple, and now it's time to leave."

Clarke couldn't comprehend how to feel about this. She was of course relieved to see the woman returned to sanity, but her cautious joy was tainted with the uncertainty of what this all meant. 

"Where were you intending to go without the rest of the crew? Without me?"

The question didn't appear to bother the Jedi and she casually inputted further commands without even glancing up. 

"I had a feeling you'd show up. I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

Her voice was soft but the words were like ice to the blonde and she felt a chill at the disregard for everything they had just been through. Clarke's couldn't ignore her growing irritation any longer and lunged across the console, suspending the sequence and demanding the woman's whole attention. 

The flickering lights dimmed instantly and the Jedi halted her movements, a slow head turn finally bringing her gaze to the blonde. 

"Goodbye?" Clarke echoed, resting her weight against the console, the disbelief in her tone unmistakeable. "You were just going to vanish and leave us behind?"

Lexa retained her calm composure as she met the fiery blue stare, seemingly unfazed by the mounting tension and responded evenly. "The Republic military have proposed that I return to my duties, they want me to resume my previous position within their ranks."

Clarke couldn't keep the incredulity from her expression. She vividly remembered their frequent discussions about how awful the Jedi's experience in the Republic military had been. She didn't know what to address first, so focused on the more pressing concern that the Jedi was about to abandon everything she knew in the sake of misguided atonement.

"So you're going to re-enlist as a faithful soldier of the Republic and become everything you've been fighting against? What about the rest of the crew? What about me?"

Lexa rose calmly from the command chair as the accusations were thrown and diverted her attention to the controls on her right, bringing the ship schematics into view.

"I have not come to a decision yet, but it's something to consider," she admitted, her back to the blonde as she resumed her adjustments of the parameters. 

Clarke was growing more frustrated by the second. The Jedi had only recently been released from the devastating effects of the dark holocron, but there was no acknowledgment of the past few months, as if it had never happened. 

They had fought darkness, death and evil itself to get to where they were. Sacrifices and difficult decisions had to have meant something, not to be cast aside as if it had been a fleeting nightmare. 

Clarke inhaled sharply and internalised her irritation, letting the emotion flow into her speech as she recalled the destructive events that had led them here. 

"Are you forgetting what happened to you, what we all went through? Do you not care?"

For the first time since their conversation began, a flicker of tension could be sensed from the Jedi, a hint of response that had previously been suppressed. There was a brief pause to her motion, eyes fixated on the console as the words unearthed everything that she was attempting to bury deep inside. 

"I do care, Clarke."

"Then why are you you running away?" the blonde demanded, pushing the woman to express how she truly felt, her voice rising in power with every word. "You're better than this, stronger than this. Look at me!"

The blonde reached out reflexively and grasped the woman's arm in a desperate attempt to provoke a reaction, pulling her around so they could speak face to face. She wasn't prepared for the torrent of emotion that blossomed in the Jedi's eyes as her fortress crumbled from the unrelenting assault.

Chaotic memories refused to leave the Jedi in peace, recollections of death and destruction searing into her brain like a parasite. She would never be free from their control. 

Clarke reprimanded herself for being so blind, too preoccupied with her own dismay to notice the Jedi's carefully crafted façade disintegrating before her eyes. The confident composure that the woman had been projecting clashed with the frantic energy that was rippling through the force.

The Jedi was far from fine but she had hoped to save herself and the blonde from the painful revelation, her eyes bright from the agony of her memories.  

"Do you think it's easy for me to recall everything that I've done? The individuals I've killed, the lives I've destroyed, the way I've treated those closest to me?" she hissed sharply, her body tense as the controlled exterior gave way to the reality of her fragile state. "If you were me, you'd run as well."

Clarke stared back in shocked silence as she realised just how far from the truth she had been. She should have known better, but her emotions had gotten the better of her. Anger faded into solemn understanding as she felt emotions radiating from the Jedi in waves.  

"You don't have to do this alone," she assured. "We've been through hell and I want to help you, please let me."

It was unsurprising that Lexa's first instinct had been to deal with her pain alone, but she would need help and support if she were going to find her way through this uncertainty. She was undeniably strong, but not even she could face the darkness of the past alone.  

"I don't know what to do," the Jedi acknowledged, breaths scattered unevenly as she closed her eyes against the flood of memories and feelings that assaulted her. She simply wanted it to be over. Her discontent was clear to see and the blonde knew that there would be no easy solution, it was going to be a long road ahead of them. 

"You want to know why I'm still here, after everything?" Clarke continued softly, reaching forwards to comfortingly grasp the Jedi's arm. "Lexa, I need you and I think you need me too. We can get through anything together and I'm not going anywhere."

Lexa's eyes drifted down at the unexpected contact but she didn't pull away, appearing more vulnerable than Clarke had ever seen her before, but after a long moment, she nodded, if only for a second, yet it was enough.

"The crew, I can't-"

Clarke brushed aside the concern. "Leave me to handle them, if you prepare the ship for departure I'll have the supplies brought on board."

She was ready to put the plan into action, to escape this planet before the Jedi could change her mind, yet she found herself hesitating, releasing Lexa's arm in favour of a consoling squeeze of her hand. In that split second, all she could think of was how beautiful it was to see the woman freed from the terrible darkness of the holocron, the relief of seeing the clear clarity in the green depths of her eyes, unobscured by hatred and detachment.

They had come this far together, against all odds, and they wouldn't fall now. Clarke wouldn't let anything come between them again. 

"It'll be okay. Trust me."

Lexa tried to let the words console her, and nodded resolutely as she pulled her previous confidence back into existence. It was not in her nature to be weak and with a deep breath she had the fear in her heart restrained and hidden from the world once again. Perhaps not invisible to Clarke, but that was never the intention. 

The moment passed within a second and they returned to their respective tasks, the momentary relief evident. This was what they both needed, without even knowing it. 

As she rushed back down the stairs to organise the newly acquired supplies, Clarke felt optimistically hopeful. This would be a fresh start for both them, a chance to heal from the horrors of the previous months.

It took her no time at all to organise the relocation of supplies onto the ship thanks to the friendly crew of attendants on the platform and she soon re-joined the Jedi in the control room, hardly a trace of the earlier emotional outburst apparent as she settled into one of the co-pilot seats in silence. The two women expertly managed the ship's flight settings until they were finally ready to depart, not looking back as they made peace with their decision.

Clarke glanced across at the Jedi as an afterthought, their eyes locking together as they silently acknowledged the words that didn't need to be said aloud, the connection between them unlike anything else they'd ever known.

The engines roared to life as the last commands were inputted, and the two women settled into their seats, gazes fixed on the glass panels ahead as they navigated the spacecraft to their next destination, wherever that might be.

It didn't matter where they were heading at the time; all that mattered was that they were together. The scars from the recent months would take time to heal, but they had all the time and expanse of the galaxy to find their way back to the light. 

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Thank you for reading this chapter!

Apologies if its not up to my usual standard, I haven't written for a while but I have enjoyed continuing this story upon request! 

I am currently considering whether this will be the last chapter of this book to be continued as a second story, or whether I will merely continue it here instead as additional chapters. Let me know what you think or if you would rather I write something entirely different instead!

Thanks for your support, I appreciate all of your comments :)