Double Take

Tejina Antilles was at the auto parts store, getting parts for her future father Kendren's ship, the Omwati Goddess. It was really just a pile of junk, but he would never part with it. Tejina had no idea why.

"Miss, your parts are ready," the man behind the counter said. "Just follow me..."

Tejina followed him through piles of junk and dust to the back room. "This is my assistant, Gareth," he said. Tejina looked up, and her heart skipped a beat. She was not boy-crazy, but this was the best-looking boy she'd ever seen. He had long, brown hair he wore in a braid and innocent-looking brown eyes. And he also looked vaguely familiar, like she had met him before. Perhaps the future, she thought.

"Here are your parts," he said softly. She took the parts, for once at a loss of something to say.

"Th-thank you," she managed to stutter.

"Well, I gotta go - there's another customer," said the store owner. Tejina and Gareth probably didn't hear him; they were still staring at each other.

"Well, um, I have to be going now," Tejina said, reminding herself to find an excuse to come here every day. She pulled on the door, which didn't open. Why does this have to happen now? she wondered unhappily.

"Let me get that for you," Gareth said. He pulled on the door, which didn't budge for him either.

"I think we're locked in," Tejina said.

"TREIL! HEY, TREIL! LET US OUT!" Gareth cried, pounding on the door. Tejina joined him.

"I... don't think... he hears us," Tejina said breathlessly a few minutes later. She sighed and reached down into her red shoe, where there was a lock pick. She then proceeded to pick the lock and open the door.

Gareth stared. "Thanks," he said. He had to find a way to see this girl again! She was the prettiest, most exotic-looking girl that had ever wandered in to the auto parts store, with her blond bangs, black hair, and ruby-red eyes.

"Well, uh, bye," Tejina said, reluctant to leave.

As Gareth walked through the hall, he tripped on a speeder engine and went flying into Tejina. "Oops," he said. "I'm, um, a little clumsy at times..."

Tejina couldn't help but find that endearing. "It's okay." She smiled.

"Um - when can I see you again?" they both blurted out at the same time. Then they began to laugh.

"Why don't we go for a walk in the park - if you can get away from your job?" Tejina suggested.

Gareth nodded, and they walked to a lovely Coruscant park, which was conveniently nearby.

Tejina could see Tashita under a tree, on the other side of the park. She was with someone, but she couldn't tell who. She and Gareth walked up to them.

Tejina's red eyes widened when she saw who Tashita was with. Gareth! No, Gareth was standing right next to her. Then who was that?

Tashita frowned at Tejina's new boyfriend - was he Kalil - no - she did a double take. They were exactly identical!

Kalil stood up and walked over to Gareth. They looked straight into each other's eyes, not believing it any more than their girlfriends did.

"You - have my face, my hair - you're exactly like me!" Kalil exclaimed. Just then, Gareth lost his grip on the tree he was leaning on and slipped. "Well, maybe not exactly," he said.

"I can't believe it! You never told me you had a twin!" Tashita cried. Tejina looked like she wanted to say the same thing.

"I don't - I mean, I guess I do," Kalil said.

"I never knew I had a twin," Gareth said. "I thought I had no family at all."

"This is so weird," Tejina said, sitting down next to Tashita as the boys continued to stare at each other.

Back at the Jedi Temple...

"Whoa! Why are there two - of you?" Kirana asked in confusion. She had only seen Kalil. Her future daughter proudly introduced her to Gareth.

"Let's see how my mom takes it," Tashita said. They found Priire and explained how they had found a boy identical to Kalil.

Priire's green eyes narrowed as she pulled out a blaster. "It might be an evil clone," she said.

Tashita burst out laughing. Priire had never said anything like this before...

Gareth, meanwhile, was hiding behind Tejina, who was looking furious at Priire. "He's not an evil clone," said Tejina. "They're twins!"

"She just wanted an excuse to pull a blaster on your boyfriend," Ippin whispered to Tejina. "Does it to me all the time." Tejina rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys, I want you to meet someone!" Tejina said to the senshi who were watching TV. "This is -"

"Duo Maxwell! Cool!" Chouko cried.

They were both confused. "No..." Tejina said slowly. "This is Gareth. And that's Kalil," she said as he walked into the room.

"Ooh... cute twin boys..." Annika was saying.

"Nice to meet - you!" Gareth cried as he walked toward them, tripping over his own feet. Tejina helped him up.

"Um, there's something I have to tell you," Tejina said later that night. For some reason, she was confident she could trust him.

"I'm listening," Gareth said.

She sighed and pulled out her black pearl on a chain. "Chibi Omwat Power, Make UP!" she cried. Red and yellow light washed over her, and soon she was wearing a red, yellow, and black fuku.

"You're - a Sailor Jedi?" Gareth asked. Tejina nodded. "I kind of have the Force - although I'm not a Jedi and I don't think I want to be," Gareth said.

"I also have something else to show you," Tejina said after de-transforming. She pulled out a deck of cards. "Pick a card, any card!" she said. Frowning, Gareth picked a card. "Okay, now put it back," she said. He obeyed. She seemed to concentrate, and the card he had picked rose up from the deck.

"How did you do that?" Gareth asked.

Tejina smiled. "I can create illusions," she said.

That night, before falling asleep, Tejina thought of Gareth and how lucky she was to have found him.