Beginnings

[Troy Vortex]

"What time is it, Tiin?"

Miri and Tiin were waiting at the chapel for Kavin and Qui-Gon to arrive. Miri paced nervously, feeling like Alderaanian silkwings were in her stomach. Tiin sat calmly on a chair, watching her.

"Two minutes after the last time you asked." Tiin replied in a gentle voice.

Miri blushed. "And what time was it two minutes ago?" She giggles nervously as she rings her shaking hands.

"They'll be here, Miri. Something may have delayed them, but they will show."

Miri stopped pacing and looked at Tiin. "What if Kavin changed his mind and decided he didn't wish to marry me?"

"Then he would show up and tell you. He wouldn't just not show up. He's not like that." Tiin spoke in an assuring tone. Whatever his faults are, thoughtlessness and selfishness aren't among them.

"That's not very reassuring." Miri pouted.

Tiin stood and stepped nearer Miri, taking her hands in his. "Miri, Kavin loves you. I think he probabl loved you for quite some time... remember when we were about six or seven, and the other younglings were teasing you for being so tall and skinny? He got so angry he started wailing on them with the training saber! Yoda had to intervene, remember?"

Miri's eyes went wide as she remembered. "You think he liked me even then? But he also defended you against the same younglings when they teased you."

"But he didn't resort to violence, and he kept calm."

Miri nodded. "True..." Then she started pacing. "Where could he be?

[Troy Vortex]

Tiin spoke softly as he tried to send her a reassuring calmness, "I'm sure he's on his way."

Keera turned to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for being here, Tiin."

Tiin stiffened slightly, surprised at the sudden contact. He gingerly put his arms round her and patted her back. He closed his eyes and tried to hide the feeling that grew inside him as they embraced. I cannot love you, Miri! I cannot! He tried to bury the feeling deep inside before Miri could sense it.

Before he could say anything, the chapel doors opened and Kavin rushed inside wearing the civilian clothes he changed into on the way there. Tiin quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He said breathlessly.

"Kavin!" Miri ran into his arms.

Kavin smiled brightly as he held Miri. All his worries about their future disappeared, if only temporarily as they embraced. "I love you, Miri. Am I too late? Can we still be married?"

"No, your just in time, Kavin." Miri looked into his eyes. "They said they'd give you until 8:00 to show... what took you?"

"Let's talk about that later. Let's get married now."

Tiin quietly watched his two friends, simutaneously relieved and disappointed Kavin arrived when he did. Relieved, because once Miri was no longer hugging him, he could hide better how he felt for her. Disappointed, because part of him wanted to go on holding her.

[Troy Vortex]

Again, Tiin supressed his feelings toward Miri, and looked away from her and Kavin to see Qui-Gon looking at him with his arms folded.

Qui-Gon had entered quietly and unnoticed behind Kavin. He had seen Tiin's reaction to Kavin coming in.

Miri and Kavin moved into the sancuary of the chapel to inform the preist that they were ready to start the ceremony.

Tiin quickly followed them, not wanting to face Qui-Gon just yet, and heard the other padawan's footsteps follow him.

A half hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Horn stood outside the chapel with Qui-gon and Tiin. Miri glowed with a happiness that threatened to outshine the sun, and Kavin could not stop smiling.

Qui-gon handed Troy a box. "This is your wedding gift from me... don't open it until you're on your honeymoon though." He grinned.

Kavin looked at Qui-gon and blinked, wondering what was in the package. "Um.. ok, thanks!"

Tiin felt uncomfortable. He had not thought of getting a gift for them.

He was saved from further embarrassment when Qui-Gon stated, "Well, Tiin and I had better head back to the temple. I'm sure the two of you wish to spend a little time alone."

[Troy Vortex]

Kavin drove the landspeeder Qui-gon and him had brought to the chapel, with Miri in the passenger side. He kept glancing over at her as he drove, unable to keep his eyes off her. "You are so beautiful, Mrs. Miri Horn."

Miri giggled as she blushed. She had been watching him drive. "And you are the handsomest man alive."

Kavin blushed as well. "Now I know you must love me if I look that good to you."

Miri playfully slapped his shoulder. "Stop it. You are handsome." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, placing a hand on his thigh as she did so.

Having trouble concentrating on driving when he felt warm wherever his wife touched him, Kavin pulled over and stopped. He smiled tenderly at her as he put his arms around her and returned her kiss.

Her hand slipped up his thigh as they kissed, and Kavin gasped. "Mmm.. Miri!"

Blushing, Miri pulled her hand away. "Sorry..."

Kavin caught her hand and smiled. "Do it some more, Mrs. Horn."

Miri giggled as she complied. They kissed passionately, when all of a sudden the landspeeder suddenly took off...

[Troy Vortex]

Kavin quickly pulled away from Miri and took the controls and had to quickly swerve to the left, as there was a parked landpeeder in front of them. Their landspeeder skimmed against the parked vehicle, and suddenly they were going faster, and swerving irratically.

"Kavin! watch out!"

A tree loomed ahead of them, and Kavin tried to turn, but the controls were unresponsive. Instinctively, Kavin put up a force shield around himself and Miri right before they hit the tree head on.

Moments later, Kavin lifted himself off the floor of the landspeeder moaning. "Miri, are you alright!" He leaned over her.

"Um, I think so... what happened?"

"I think the stabilizers failed."

Miri looked at Kavin and started giggling. She covered her mouth, blushing, but kept giggling.

"What's so funny?" Kavin could not help but smile.

"The look on your face..." she giggled as she spoke, "... was so funny."

He started to laugh a little, her giggling contagious. "I'll give you something funny to laugh about.." He said as he laughed and began tickling her.

[Troy Vortex]

Meanwhile, Tiin drives back to the temple with Qui-Gon. He can see from the corner of his eyes Qui-Gon studying him. "OK, out with it already." He says, rather testily.

Qui-Gon looked away from him, and sighed. "I was just wondering how you were going to handle it when they invite you to their home."

Tiin paled. He had not thought of that eventuality. "I'll find some excuse not to go." There's no help for it. I can't see them together, and I can't keep hiding my feelings when I'm around her.

The other padawan only nodded, knowing the reasoning behind his friend's response. They drove on in silence, soon arriving back at the temple.

[Troy Vortex]

A shadow appears above Miri and Kavin. Kavin looks up into the stern face of a police officer. They had been laughing and tickling each other, so they had not heard the officer's approach.

"Officer, hello!" He starts to pull away from Miri, but his sleeve is caught on a back clasp of her dress. He blushed slightly in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly up at the officer.

For her part, Miri's eyes went wide as she looked up at the officer.

The officer clears his throat. He had seen the accident and came to see if they were alright. Their behavior when he arrived rather annoyed him. "I trust the two of you must be delirious from taking bumps to your heads?"

Kavin finally gets his sleeve loose. "No, sir, we are unharmed." He swallows nervously, knowing how their behavior must look.

"Step out of the vehicle, please. Both of you."

Kavin complies and helps Miri out as well.

"Which of you were driving."

"I was, officer." Kavin responded.

"Have you been drinking?"

"No, officer."

"Then explain to me how you lost control of the landspeeder."

Kavin looked briefly at Miri then back at the officer. "I'm not sure, officer, it seemed as though the stabilizers just suddenly went out." He was not about to tell the truth and say that he had forgotten to lock the parking brake before he and his newlywed wife initiated hanky-panky.

[Troy Vortex]

"That would explain what I observed." The officer looks at the wreckage then at Miri and Kavin. "You are both fortunate to be alive, let alone unharmed."

Miri quietly nodded as Kavin responded. "Yes, officer, we are. I guess the relief made my wife and I a bit giddy..." he ran his fingers through his hair.

The officer nodded thoughtfully. "May I please see your Id's?"

"Yes sir." Miri and Kavin said in unison as they got out their identification and handed them to the officer, hoping that he did not notice that the address listed was that of the Jedi Temple.

"Kavin Horn and Miri Springer?" He looked at them. "You said you're married."

"Yes, officer, just this morning. We haven't had a chance to change our Id's yet."

The officer's face softened. "Congratulations. I'm afraid I will have to make a report about this since you did hit a parked car. And I'll have to give you a ticket. but I'll put a note here about the stabilizers failing. They do that on these older models with no warning sometimes." The officer writes the ticket, has Kavin sign it, then lets them go.

"Thank you officer." Kavin says respectfully before moving on with his arm around Miri.

[Troy Vortex]

About forty minutes later, Kavin carries Miri into a motel room. He gently puts her down and closes the door behind them, and then turns to look deeply into her eyes. He tenderly brushes a stray strand of hair back from her eyes, and caresses her cheek, leaning in to kiss her.

Miri closed her eyes as she returns his kiss with interest. Then she pulls away and looks at him with a shy smile. She whispers. "Hold that thought. I have to go to the refresher."

Kavin smiles. "OK, but don't take too long." He watches her as she goes into the refresher, looking over her shoulder at him and winking as she closed the door behind her.

While Miri's in the refresher, Kavin undoes his tie and tosses it on the dresser. He also takes off the tuxedo jacket, hangs it in the closet, and unbuttons the top to buttons of his shirt. He paces nervously as he waits for Miri to come back out. OK, Kavin, calm down. She loves you and you love her. Why are you so nervous? He mutters to himself, "Because I've never done this before, what if I do it wrong? What if I hurt her? What if she hurts me?"

He shakes his head as he nervously runs his shaking fingers through his hair. "Stupid, Kavin. It's going to be alright. What can go wrong?"

Miri comes out of the refresher wearing a white silky negligee and a chiffon robe that was so thin that it was see-through. "Kavin?" She spoke softly as she stood there in what she hoped was a seductive pose.

Kavin turned and his mouth dropped open as he stood where he was, dumbstruck.

Miri blushed bright red. She stood still, feeling awkward and nervous and looked down at the floor in front of her.

"You are so beautiful!" Kavin spoke softly. He came over to her and took her hands in his, trying not to stare at her voluptuous curves. He forces himself to look in her eyes as he licks his lips. "I love you, Miri."

[Troy Vortex]

"I love you, too." Miri whispered. She smiled and blushed as she saw the reaction her outfit had on Kavin. Why am I blushing? It's the reaction I wanted, isn't it?

Kavin brought a hand up to caress her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. As she returned the kiss, it became more passionate. His heart beat fast as he slowly slid his hand down to touch her ample curves. His other hand went around her waist and rested on her lower back.

Miri brought her hands up and ran her fingers through his hair as they continued to kiss. She moaned with pleasure as he gently caressed her curves. She slid her lips across his cheek and whispered in his ear. "Oh, Kavin!"

"Yes, milady?" He whispered back. He couldn't help it, but his hands shook as he fondled her. Yet, as she responded to him, he gained confidence, and he brought his hand up from her lower back to undo the clasps.

"That feels good!" She gasped then as he slowly pulled her negligee off. She shivered, feeling slightly cold.

Kavin looked into her eyes. "Is it OK?" He swallowed nervously.

Miri nodded, both a little scared and excited at the same time.

Kavin's eyes wandered down to look at her naked figure as he continued to fondle her curves. He looked back up into her eyes, and smiled almost shyly. He put his arms around her as he saw her tender smile in return, and pulled her to him in a firm embrace.