Even with years of separation between you and your time on your home planet, it was hard to avoid resentment. It bubbled up in you when you thought of how your mother kept your father a secret from you, or your father whisking you away to Coruscant without asking. It shot through you as you thought of that same father denying and rejecting you before the Jedi Council the minute that the Council rejected you. It sprang up when you thought of the years you spent alone, barely eking out an existence in an unfamiliar, metropolis.

Worst of all, resentment came to you when you thought of Maul.

It was unfair to him, you knew. After all, he couldn't possibly know what had happened. He couldn't know how you had wished beyond hope that he would find you somehow. For all you knew, he had forgotten you by then... Why had he forgotten you? You never did know the answer. You hadn't questioned it at the time.

"Hey, I'm back," Jaste called the moment he stepped through the door. "You ready to hit the road?"

You turned away from the window to offer him a smile. "I will be in a little bit," you promised and turned back to the potted plants on your windowsill and clipped away the last few dead pieces. It was impossible to keep plants alive in big cities with all of their smog. Not even the Force could change that.

Within a few minutes, Jaste came up behind you and grabbed your hand. "Babe, we gotta go. We're wasting time."

With a nod, the two of you headed out.

Jaste wasted no time in setting up his act, drawing crowds toward him with his call. "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Humans, and non! Have you always been curious about the Force? The Jedi? Even the ancient Sith? Well, wonder no longer! Step right up and witness with your own eyes, a Jedi using full power." With a theatrical flourish, Jaste swept back his long trench coat to reveal Jedi robes. Where he had gotten them, he never told you.

Quiet as a mouse, you slunk through the masses, reaching for pockets or open bags - anything with something valuable in it. All the while, Jaste kept the people distracted with an intricate routine that displayed the "Force." It was all smoke and mirrors. Nothing real about it. Still, his charade was how you had come to meet him as a young abandoned girl desperate for a friend.

As you darted back and forth, you were always careful with your step. Drawing attention to yourself would be a detrimental mistake. Yet, all the care in the world didn't stop you from bumping into a tall, hooded figure.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry," you mumbled.

At this, the figure turned to face you, and your breath caught in your throat. The first thing you noticed was his fiery eyes that you thought so often you saw in dreams. His face was as you remembered it, though a little more drawn in. But there was no mistaking who it was. Even after the long years, you has not forgotten Maul.

But he had forgotten you, and that was clear when he turned away from you with a grunt and walked away, leaving you to stare after him open-mouthed.

You almost took a step after him. The longing to see him and just hold him was nearly strong enough to push you forward. But Jaste, who had finished his act, grabbed your arm and said, "The troopers are moving in. We've got to leave." And there was nothing you feared more than the police catching up to you. So you ran.

When you had finally shaken the troopers, you slowed to catch your breath.

"What's the payoff for today?" Jaste questioned after a moment.

"Sparse," you sighed, producing the few credits you were able to acquire.

Jaste took the credits out of your hand and pocketed them. "It'll get the gang through the week," he said. "I'll swing by tomorrow, okay?" With that, he pressed a kiss to your mouth and dashed off without looking back.

With all the excitement done, you stood a moment, just trying to wrap your head around a new reality. Maul was on Coruscant, alive and well. Nearby even. Questions pulsed in and out of your mind. Why hadn't you been able to sense him? What was he doing here? And most importantly, would it make a difference if you were never to see him again?

A sigh escaped you as you turned to go home.

A walk through the lower levels of Coruscant was dark and dangerous if you weren't properly protected. Luckily for you, Jaste's gang owned your neighborhood, and kept a careful watch over your street. You nodded at where you knew the hidden sentries were perched in strategic spots, watching you even if you couldn't see them.

Halfway home, a sentry jumped onto the street behind you, followed by three others. You spun around to see them overcome a cloaked figure that you hadn't noticed was following you. And you knew immediately who it was.

"Stop it!" you cried. "Stop, leave him alone!" You ran to try to pry the sentries off of him, but they pushed you back immediately.

Through their beatings, you caught the figure's gold eyes, widened in pain, staring at you. And that sight was enough to summon power in you. It had been a long time since you had channeled the Force, but now you used it with all the strength you could muster. Rather than pushing the sentries, you pulled them off of Maul, sending them flying back away from him. He remained on his stomach, lying motionless on the ground.

"I said to leave him alone!" you screamed at them as you ran to assess his condition.

One of the sentries you recognized by the name of Neema spoke up. He was young, barely more than a boy. "Y/N," he said, breathlessly. "Jaste said that if anyone came into this neighborhood-"

"I'll deal with Jaste," you insisted. "But don't forget that you take orders from me, as well. I say leave this man alone."

When Neema fell silent, you rushed to Maul's side and knelt by him. He looked up at you, barely conscious, blood trickling from his brow bone.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," you muttered to him.

He groaned and fell unconscious.

Without help from any of the sentries, you dragged Maul back to your apartment. As soon as you were inside, you carefully lifted him onto your bed. A brief assessment of his condition told you that he would be fine, and previous experience told you that whatever damage there was would heal quickly.

You wiped away some blood that had come through a cut on his bottom lip with your thumb. He must've bitten it... But his lips were still as soft as you remembered, and you felt an old feeling swelling up in you. It had never really gone away. Your hand lingered a little longer than necessary before you pulled it away abruptly and walked out.

Your emotions were all tangled up with each other. That old, undeniable pull you felt to him was layered on top of the resentment you had felt in his absence. But those old feelings were springing up into new life.

And what was worse was that he still wouldn't remember you when he woke up. So, what would it matter what you felt? He wouldn't feel anything towards you anyway. Once again, your life had been wrapped up in uncertainty and chaos and confusion. But what's new? you thought to yourself with some irony.

With a troubled spirit and a headache beyond belief, you settled on the couch and tried restlessly to sleep. But sleep came to you in little pieces and bits, and eventually you gave up the effort entirely.

The sun was beginning to rise when you felt Maul wake up. This time, he didn't roar, didn't fuss. He just woke as slowly as the dawn.

As calmly as you could, you rose and walked to stand in the doorway of the bedroom. He was sitting up, his back turned to you. Yet, he could sense you. His head turned ever so slightly in his version of acknowledgement.

"What is this place?" he asked quietly, though not softly.

Your heart pounded, but you let nothing betray you. "My home," you explained evenly. "I brought you here after you were injured."

"Yes, injured..." He reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Your thugs, I presume?"

You hesitated a moment and shrugged. "In a way. I'm truly sorry, but they wouldn't have touched you if you hadn't been following me."

At that, he stood and turned to face you fully. Once more, you saw those golden eyes, and they were staring straight at you without a hint of recognition. He brushed past you into the living room without another word.

You turned to follow him. "Well, why were you following me?" you pressed.

"How do you know me?" Maul returned.

Your breath caught in your throat. How were you meant to answer that? "I don't," you choked out.

"Don't lie to me," Maul scolded. "You recognized me in the street. I saw it in your eyes. "

He was more perceptive than you gave him credit for. Of course, he always was. But the moment you opened your mouth, there was a knock on the door and Jaste's voice saying, "Hey, why's the door locked? Let me in."

Your gaze snapped from Maul to the door and back to Maul again. If Jaste saw him, he would lose his mind. "You have to go."

Maul's head tilted to the side. "Because of that buffoon I saw in the street yesterday pretending to be a Jedi?"

You nodded. "Yes, that one. Please, just hide somewhere."

Maul scoffed. "As you wish," he said with a mock bow and retreated back into the bedroom.

The moment you unlocked the door for Jaste, he sauntered in with an over-confident smile. "I've got good news," he announced.

Doing your best to appear casual, you idled over to your plants on the window sill and toyed with their leaves. "What might that be?" you questioned.

"I got rid of that nerfherder Braxton last night."

"What?" you nearly exclaimed. "What do you mean 'got rid of'?"

Jaste held up his hands defensively. "Hey, you don't ask questions about my business and I don't ask questions about wherever the hell you came from, remember?"

Reminded of your agreement, you sighed. "What exactly did he do, Jaste?"

With a shrug, Jaste answered, "He mishandled one too many jobs. Besides, I didn't like the way he looked at you."

You stared at Jaste open-mouthed in utter disbelief. "You have got to be joking. I had nothing to do with this."

He waved your words away. "The point is he's off my hands now. I don't have to deal with him anymore. Like I said: good news."

You turned back to your plants, unwilling to look at Jaste.

"Those plants are never going to grow," Jaste decided to remind you.

You examined the dying leaf of one. "Yes, they will," you insisted quietly.

Jaste walked up next to you and bumped your shoulder with his. "Hey," he said. "I didn't realize that that would upset you, okay? I'm sorry."

Looking up at Jaste, you felt a little bad for him. He did care about you a lot, and at least he was making some kind of effort to recognize your feelings. So, you offered him a small smile that you knew he would take as an "everything is alright now" smile.

He grinned, kissed your lips, and grabbed your hand. "Okay, time to hit the road."

You pulled your hand away. "I can't go today," you said a little too quickly.

Jaste furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?"

Fumbling for an excuse, the best you could come up with on the spot was "I don't feel well."

"You look fine. C'mon, let's go."

"No, Jaste," you insisted. "Honestly, I can't go. Not today, alright?"

After a moment's hesitation, he sighed. "Alright. Alright! I'll ask one of the other's to pick the pockets. But only because you were so upset by the Braxton thing, got it?"

"Fine by me," you answered.

Jaste started to the door, but turned back last second. "Hey, by the way, one of the sentries mentioned something about you bringing a stranger into the neighbourhood last night."

Your heart skipped a beat. "Oh, yes," you began slowly. "I found a man lying injured in the street. I just brought him in to give him some ice and sent him on his way."

Jaste nodded. "And that's just like you to do, isn't it? But, you see, some of the guys were a little nervous about the whole thing. In fact, it made me feel a little nervous, too."

You hesitated, but nodded. "I'm sorry," you said.

"Just be careful who you give ice to, sweetheart." With another kiss, he was out the door, and you breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your taste in men is quite interesting," Maul's voice from the doorway of the bedroom made you jump.

"You have no idea," you sighed. You found yourself staring at him, and it felt like he had been there right beside you for every one of the years you had been apart. It was strange that, in an apartment that you had lived in for ages, Maul was the only thing that felt familiar in the whole place. "So, what do you intend to do now that you're conscious?"

Maul shook his head and sighed. "I must move on. I'm looking for someone."

You swallowed past a lump in your throat. "Oh?" you asked. "Who? Maybe I could help."

He gave you an unfathomable look, but you could sense his reluctance to reveal too much. You could only hope that he had some residual memory of you that told him you were trustworthy.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Her name is Y/N."

You stopped breathing for a full ten seconds. "I see..." you finally choked out. "What does she look like?"

He shook his head, turned from you, and muttered, "I'll know her when I see her."

You sighed and rolled your eyes. "Right. Of course, you will," you whispered more to yourself than him.

Maul pushed himself away from the doorframe and looked once more around your apartment. "I believe I've overstayed my welcome. I must be off."

Your heart seemed to reach out for him and cling to him. "I won't make you leave," you said, trying to hide the desperation in your voice. "I'm not forcing you out."

He offered you a brief, quiet laugh. "I've no idea how you know me, but I am no longer the person you know. My mind is not what it was. No, I must go."

Deep down, you knew that was true. He was unpredictable. There was no way of knowing who or what he had become in roughly a decade. For all you knew, he was dangerous now. Yet, you found you could not care. For there he was, in the flesh, living and breathing. He was more than your old teacher or a friend from the past. He was a reminder of the hope you had once held inside you, and you could not let him go.

"I keep telling you, I've never met you in my life," you answered him. "Stay because you're my guest."

Maul shook his head. "You are kind, but I must continue my search."

Everything inside you was screaming at you to tell him the truth. And you wanted to. How badly you wished that you could reveal yourself, and return everything to the way it had been before. But your fear stopped you. Maul may be a different person than you had known, but you were different too. The long years had turned you into a thief, a liar, and a coward. Your fear choked what you wanted to scream: that you were the Y/N he was looking for. There was no telling if he would love the person you had become, and the fear of the last thing in the universe you truly cared for rejecting you was too strong to overcome.

"Yes, of course," you allowed. "I'll need to escort you out. The sentries are instructed to attack anyone they don't recognize."

He allowed it, and almost before you could blink, you were on the border of the neighborhood.

"This is where we say goodbye," you said, looking around the nearly empty street.

But Maul wasn't looking around. He was only looking at you, and standing close enough for you to feel his warmth. The scene was almost familiar. Maul was leaving, and you were staying behind.

"Thank you," he said, his voice soft as you remembered it. You looked up at him with inquisitive eyes, wondering if he wasn't grasping the familiarity of the scene, just as you were.

"If you ever need to come back," you said. "My home is open to you. I've instructed the sentries on the east side gate to do you no harm."

Maul nodded. "I thank you. Until our paths cross." And without another word, he walked away from you and didn't look back.

You returned to your apartment, kicking yourself for letting him go again, and feeling more alone than you ever had.

It was a week later, and Jaste was knocking on your door again, begging you to come out. You'd barely left the house since Maul left, and had taken to tending to your plants nearly nonstop. You hadn't worked much, and that was the real reason Jaste was upset. He accused you of shutting yourself away, abandoning the gang, etc. You couldn't find the ability to care.

The only thing that bothered you was Jaste stopping by every day and pounding on your door for an hour. Even now, it was a consistent thud, nailing a headache into your forehead. Your only relief came when the hour was up and the pounding stopped.

Then, nearly thirty minutes later, it started again. And though it was softer this time, you'd had all you could take.

"Cut it out, Jaste!" you said as you threw open the door. But to your surprise, it wasn't Jaste standing there. It was Maul. "Oh... You came back."

Maul removed the hood of his black cloak and looked down on you with such intensity you felt like shrinking. "I did."

You moved to the side. "Please, come in," you said, and Maul obeyed. "What brings you here?"

"I will not be lied to," Maul said, his back turned to you. "You know me. I can feel that you know me."

Instead of denying, you remained quiet.

"The Force is clouded around you," Maul continued, still refusing to look at you. "I feel as though I'm wandering blind through this place. When I look at you, I cannot see you as the Force allows me to see others. Your eyes become clear in moments, but it is like you do not exist within the Force." At last, he turned to look you in the eyes. "Why can't I see you?"

"I-" you began. "I don't know." For once, that was the truth. He was clear as day to you.

"One thing is clear," he said as he took a step toward you. "The Force brought me to you. Perhaps you are the key to discovering my past..."

You walked away from him abruptly, fidgeting with your plants. The dying things had become a shield for you, you realized. "I don't know how to help you," you told him. "I can shelter you if that's what you want. But I can't help you with your past. I'm sorry."

The room was silent for a long while until Maul finally spoke. "Very well. If you will not help me, I will discover the truth for myself. May the Force be with you."

You heard the door open, and the pain that shot through your heart was unbearable. "No, don't go!" you said, squeezing your eyes shut. "Please, don't leave again."

The door closed, and for a sickening moment you thought he had left for good, despite your pleading. But his voice came to you softly. "I will do as you say."

You turned to him. "You will?"

"If you wish me to."

You furrowed your brows. "But, why?"

Maul shook his head. "I believe, beyond my training and everything I've ever known, that I can trust you. Beyond my own comprehension, my soul has opened itself to you."

"You don't even know my name."

"I would like to learn it."

With a brief laugh, you shook your head. "No, I don't think so. Not today."

A smile tugged at the corner's of Maul's mouth. "Very well. I will wait, if that is what you wish."

"You may have to wait a while."

"I'll wait," he insisted, and that was the end of the discussion.

Maul was asleep on your sofa when you got up in the middle of the night to take a walk. How clouded your mind was. All of your senses seemed choked out by the weight of recent events, and you needed to clear your thoughts.

The night was cold and full of mist, and you took one deep, chilling breath through the nose before going to the end of the neighborhood. There, a figure dropped in front of you, landing with the expertise of an assassin. When he rose to full height, you could see that it was Neema.

"Neema, you startled me," you told him.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "But I've been meaning to talk to you."

You folded your arms over your chest. "Oh? Just what about?"

He looked around and stepped a little closer as though he was sharing a secret. "I told Jaste about the creature. I had to, but I wanted to let you know, just in case you need to come up with some kind of story for it."

You were on the verge of rolling your eyes, but didn't. "Oh, I see. Well, thank you so much for telling me."

Neema didn't leave, and he was staring at you like he was expecting you to say something more. "Well?" he finally questioned.

"Well, what?" you returned.

"What's the deal with it?"

Now, you did roll your eyes. "He's an old friend, that's all."

Neema looked disappointed. "Oh... Nothing, I don't know, special about him?"

You inched closer to Neema, eyes squinted. "Why do you want to know?"

In a sudden panic, he held up his hands defensively. "Hey, it's none of my business, I get it. I just... Well, just be careful okay? Me and the guys are kind of worried you're stepping into dangerous territory."

"Dangerous how?" you questioned, a slight twinge of anxiety passing through you. "Because of Jaste?"

Neema shrugged. "I wasn't gonna say nothin', but... I'm sorry, you're right. It's not my business. I don't get it at all, but it's not my business."

With a shake of your head, you placed a hand on Neema's shoulder. "No, you're fine. Thank you. I appreciate your concern." At this, Neema nodded and turned to leave, but you stopped him. "Neema."

He spun around. "Yeah, boss?"

"Have you ever loved anyone so much that you'd risk anything just to be with them?"

He paused at the question. "Not really, I guess?"

"Well," you started. "When you do, then you'll get it. Have a good night." Without another word, you walked away.

As much as you hated to admit it, Neema had a point. It was unfair to Jaste to not let him know what was going on, and it was unfair to allow a relationship to continue when your heart wasn't in it. You were fairly sure that Jaste knew you had never been able to completely give your heart to him, anyway. On the way back home, you mentally began composing the message that would end it.

Maul was awake and seated on the sofa meditating when you returned. "I thought you that you had left."

"I did," you answered, hanging up your coat. "And now I'm back."

He didn't say anything after, so you took a seat on the plush chair opposite to him and pulled out your messenger. You began the lengthy message you had planned, explaining that it was over. The last lines read: It seems my past has caught up with me, and I find that I don't mind it at all. I only hope we can still be friends. With a deep breath, you sent the message and put away the messenger.

A frustrated yell came from Maul, and you looked up to see him open his eyes. "I still cannot see," he said. "I cannot see what I must see."

You curled into fetal position and rested your head on your knees, keeping eye contact with Maul. "What must you see?" you asked.

"I must see you," he explained. "When I see you, I'll know the next step on my path."

You furrowed your brows. "You really believe that you'll be able to see my past when the Force is clear around me?"

Maul gave you a look.

"Well, there's no need to be so frustrated," you sighed. "I'll tell you my past, if that's what you want to know."

"But you won't tell me all of it," he said. "You won't tell me who you are or how I know you."

You sat up straight. "Well, do you want to hear it or not?"

After a moment, Maul sighed. "Tell me," he instructed.

"Where to begin..." you wondered aloud. "Well, for starts, my parents were both Jedi. They obviously broke the code, and I was born because of that. My mother left the Order to raise me in a small village on a planet far beyond of the Outer Rim, but my father wouldn't leave. He, um... He was very dedicated to the Order."

"Did I kill them?" Maul asked, and you almost heard a twinge of humor in his voice.

You rolled your eyes. "No, but my mother didn't care for you a bit. Anyway, I met my father for the first time many years ago, and he took me away from my village. He wanted to make me a Jedi, you see. I was very strong with the Force then. But he didn't ask. He only said that I should be made a Jedi, and mother agreed. So, I went without ever having agreed to it. But the Jedi wouldn't take me. I was far too old to be made a padawan, and when my father discovered that, he discarded me."

"That is the way of the Jedi," Maul said. "They take what they choose and cast off what they see as undesirable."

"I learned that the hard way," you agreed. "But I was all alone and friendless in the world. I just wanted to find someone who could understand me. I met Jaste when he was doing the Jedi act in the street. He introduced me to his gang, and... That's where I've been."

"It doesn't sound like an easy life," Maul remarked.

You let a brief laugh escape you. "It isn't, and it gets more complicated all the time." Not a word passed between you for a while, and you only looked at each other. Maybe close to breaching an understanding between the two of you. Maybe not. Either way, you took a deep breath and let it out on a hiss. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned, clearly puzzled.

"Why are you looking for - for Y/N?" you asked. "What do you remember of her?"

Maul shook his head and tore his eyes away from your gaze. "Hardly anything," he muttered. His eyes had gone soft. "She was... kind. She would watch anything grow: plants, children... There was a boy she loved. She almost died, I don't remember why... And she was stubborn. I remember thinking that about her. Stubborn and foolish and lovely."

Your heart broke as you listened to him speak of the person you had been so long ago. He never said he loved her, not in so many words. But you would have given him the universe if he would only speak of you as softly as he did of who you had been.

"Well," you said and cleared your throat. "I hope you find her someday."

Again, Maul had nothing more to say to you. He only made a grunt of acknowledgement and returned to meditation.

You got the hint and made your way to bed, and fell asleep as silent tears streamed down your face.

The next morning, you woke to the sound of blaster fire and the sight of a fresh, steaming blaster hole in your bedroom wall.

"What the kriff?" you shouted and ran into the living room just as Maul drew his laser sword. In the red light, you saw Jaste standing in an offensive position: blaster raised and still smoking with a look of pure rage on his face. He almost looked demonic.

"Hey, baby, I got your message!" he screamed at you. "After everything I've done for you, I had to come over to see what nerfherder was gonna have to die for this. After all, I'm the one who's got the only other key to that door, or did you forget?"

As you took a step forward, Maul took a step backwards so that he was practically shielding you with his body. "Are you insane?" you shouted back. "No one's going to die."

"Someone's gotta, and I figure it's gonna be this red bastard right here. And if you're smart, that will remind you of how much you owe to me.'

Some rage of your own boiled in you. "I don't owe you anything!" you told him. "You got everything you wanted out of me, and now you're done."

"Y/N, you can't just-!"

Maul stepped forward, still holding onto your arm. "She said to get out," he snarled.

Jaste may have been psychotic, but he wasn't stupid. You could see him weighing his odds: blaster against lightsaber. After a moment's pause, Jaste backed out the door, shouting. "This isn't over, do you hear me? This is not over!" And like that, he was gone.

Maul disengaged his lightsaber and stood still for several moments, his back turned to you.

"We can't stay here," you said eventually. "He'll be back with his thugs, and you won't be able to take all of them. We have to leave."

"Y/N," Maul said, so quietly you could barely hear him.

You froze. Coming from his lips, your name sounded like music. He knew who you were; and though the shame of your cowardice and deception took up a corner of your thoughts, the relief you felt was overwhelming. Your eyes stung as hot tears poured down your cheeks instantaneously.

"Y/N," he said again. "You never told me your name, and now I know why. Yet, I don't know why at all. Why did you not tell me?"

A thousand excuses rushed your mind, but you could only tell him the truth. "I was scared," you sobbed.

For the first time, he turned to face you. His eyes were tinged with red and watering. "Of me?"

"No, never of you," you promised. "Never."

He squeezed his eyes shut and re-opened. "No, you never were. I remember. The first time I saw your face, there was no fear in your eyes." He moved his hand to the side of your face, but didn't touch you. His hand hovered there like he was afraid he would be burned. "It was these eyes. This face. But I couldn't see you. I can't see you."

"I don't know how to help you," you said, feeling more helpless than you ever had.

Maul seized your cold hands in his warm ones and said, "Give me my memories. Use the force, and give them to me."

Had you been less overwhelmed by pure emotion, you might have stopped a moment to ask how such a thing was possible. But you were not in the mood for wasting time, so you trusted in the force to show you the way.

You thought of everything: how you had saved his life and how he had saved yours. You thought of your garden and the moments you had shared by it. It all built up. Your mother. Dara. The sickness. The visions. The kiss you and Maul had shared - light and feathery as both of you were too scared to go any deeper. And soon, the dam broke, and it all flowed like water from you to him. The force of it brought you both to your knees, and his hands were trembling so.

When it was over, you were both gasping for breath, and Maul's eyes were still closed as though he was still drinking in what you had given him. Then at last, he opened his eyes, and you could see that he knew you.

"Y/N..." he breathed. You had never seen him cry before, but there were tears falling down his cheeks now. "Oh, my love."

Without another word, he took you gently by the arms and pulled you into the sweetest kiss you had ever had. He poured everything into it: the years of separation, the pain of not remembering, the longing he felt for you even now. You felt all of it, and gave it back ten-fold. Your hands were on either side of his face, brushing back the tears from his cheeks with your thumbs. He wrapped his arms fully around you, and pulled you close to his chest. For the first time in too long, you felt connected to him through more than mere emotion. You were one soul.

And yet... "We have to leave," you reminded him, pulling away just enough to get words out. Your lips were still brushing together.

He only pulled you closer in response, his nails scratching lightly at your sides. "Just give me another moment," he muttered, and kissed you again. "All these years I'v looked for you, never knowing who you were but needing you all the same."

You smiled, wrapped your arms around his neck, and indulged him in the moment that he asked for, but a moment was all you had. Too soon, you pulled away. "Hey, there will be time for this, all right? We're together now, and we have so much more time. But Jaste won't waste time."

Maul nodded, and reluctantly stood. "I'll bring my ship to the edge of the neighborhood. Gather what you need and meet me there. I won't be long."

You nodded as Maul helped you to your feet. As much as you knew there were things to do, your hands could not seem to part. After an eternity, Maul placed one last kiss to your palm and repeated, "I won't be long." Then he left.

Immediately you busied yourself with packing what you needed. There wasn't much you had grown attached to there, so it took you very little time. Only some clothes and holofiles made the cut, as well as the blaster you kept in your bedroom closet for emergencies.

Though, as you were headed out the door for the last time, you caught sight of your plants on the window sill. Your faithful shields were growing, thriving, and green as an emerald. It's time to go, they seemed to tell you. Go care for something else. You smiled and blew them a kiss as you left.

The street seemed dead. No sign of life was in the windows or the doorway. Then Jaste turned the street corner in an armored vest with over a dozen of his best men behind him, and your heart leapt into your throat. "Hey, just the lady we were hoping to see!" he shouted at you. "Why the suitcases? Going somewhere?"

"I don't want trouble, Jaste," you told him.

"Hey, I agree," he said, holding up his hands. "Tell you what, this doesn't have to get messy. You just stay right here, and I won't even think twice about leaving that red freak alone."

You released an exasperated sigh, "Jaste, don't you see that this would never work out?"

You had barely finished your sentence when Jaste turned nonchalantly to his men. "Kay, guys, Go get her." And like that, they were after you.

You ran. Charged ahead as fast as you could, weighed down by your bags. You almost made it to the edge of the neighborhood before one of them seized you but your arms and pinned them against you.

"Let me go!" you shrieked.

But the thug didn't answer you; he only made a strangled sound. You stopped struggling for a moment to look up at him. Sure enough, he was choking, choking to the point that he dropped you to claw at his throat. The minute you were free however, the thug flew across the street and slammed into a brick wall. He fell, unconscious to the ground.

You turned to see Maul walking towards you, staring down the other men that had chased you. For a moment, he only stood by your side until one of the thugs began to charge, and the rest joined in. He put one protective arm around you and held you close as he reached out his hand and threw each of the thugs aside one by one until they were all incapacitated.

Only Jaste was left. He stood, visibly afraid but unmoving as a fool would be. "Oh, you. I've had enough of you."

Maul released you. "There you are," he laughed and ignited his lightsaber. "I was hoping for the chance to kill you myself."

"Then come on, ya bastard!" Jaste hollered violently and pulled his blaster.

At the invitation, Maul charged him. It was a short fight. Jaste fired a few shots which Maul deflected easily, but once Maul was close enough, he cut off the arm that held the blaster. Jaste fell to his knees screaming in pain.

Maul raised his saber for the finishing blow.

"Maul, don't!" you said. "Look at him. He's so pathetic. He's not worth it. He's just not worth it."

Maul hesitated, but disengaged his lightsaber and leaned down to be on eye-level with Jaste. "You will never lay a finger on her again." Without another word, he turned, walked back to you, and grabbed your hand. Together you made your way to the edge of the neighborhood, just a few steps in front of you.

Then, the sound of blaster fire, and Maul fell to the ground with a shot through his stomach. Without a moment's hesitation or thought, you pulled your blaster and fired into Jaste's head. He collapsed with a smug, dead smile on his face.

In a panic, you fell to the ground next to Maul and pulled him into your lap. "No, no, no, no, no, no," you repaeated, your voice trembling. "Don't die. I just found you again."

"I found you," Maul corrected, weakly with a smile. "I saw you again. That's all that matters."

"No, don't talk like that," you said, trying to hoist him up. "I'll heal you again. I just need to get us to your ship"

Neema jumped to the ground. "Y/N, what's going on?" he demanded. "You just killed Jaste!"

"Neema," you started. "Let us go. Please, just let us go."

He considered you a moment, glancing from you to Maul to the wound in Maul's stomach. "I'll do more than that," he decided, and he took support of Maul's other side. "If Jaste is gone, I got nowhere else to go. Where's your ship?"

"At the edge of the neighborhood," you said. "We have to hurry."

Soon, you were in Maul's ship, prepping for takeoff. Neema had volunteered to fly, so you took Maul to his bed and bound his wound. Your hands were shaking as you wrapped the bandage around his core.

"You seem scared," Maul sneezed, still smiling weakly.

"Terrified, hush," you instructed.

"I've survived worse than this," he said. He brought his hand to the side of your face, no longer afraid to touch you. His thumb wiped a stray tear from your cheek while the rest of his fingers combed through your hair. "My love..."

The softness of his voice made you look at him.

He smiled wider. "My Y/N..."

"You need to rest--"

"Tell me you love me."

"You know I do."

"Tell me."

At this you smiled, and placed your hand over his and laced your fingers together. "Maul, you need to rest."

"Ah, that says everything," he sighed, seemingly content.

And without another word, his hand fell from your face, and he rested.