Better safe than close. A phrase Alleria repeated to herself so many times over their lost years that it has become some strange combination of vow and hymn.

None of this makes any sense, really. Jim's barely laid a hand on her, if he doesn't count the occasional hand-up over difficult terrain, or accidental (mostly accidental) groping when an explosion throws his bridge crew around, and Jim doesn't count that, because if he counted that he'd be at third base with Keenser by now.

Commanding that a thing be done is a damn sight different from witnessing it in person. Sometimes one needs to be reminded of this.

The love of Sander's life still manages to surprise him.

Finn, a war hero and a Senator for the stormtroopers settled on Kef Bir, experiences an assassination attempt. The Senate, furious at Finn for insisting on stormtroopers' right to self-determination, assigns him a convict who's had his ability to access the Force stolen from him: Kylo Ren.

Then shit really starts getting weird.

The fever breaks that morning, spurring Tang Fan from the bridge between death and dreaming.

Tang Fan finds a grey hair.

He sleeps beside you, spare hand curled around the chain, six feet of arrogant beauty and ruthless intelligence softened and hidden.

His secrets were collateral. They were a contract, a promise that he would not go back on his word. Her flesh, his soul: when she knew things that not even the King knew, things that could ruin him, they became equal.

Beauty and the Beast - sort of. Thanks to stealstheashes on LJ for the beta.