(A/N) So, ah...hmm. Looks like the world's done a little ending since last I posted. Literally, last time I posted a chapter was just before things started going sour. So there was all of that going on and then Kalluzeb Appreciation Week happened and took over everything for a bit. That and, well...health issues are still ongoing, but hey, that's life. But I have finally returned, so we're gonna get this show on the road. Fluff you were promised last time and fluff you shall have. Enjoy!

The Colder the Winter, the Warmer the Spring

Chapter 22: All of My Regret (Will Wash Away Somehow)

The first thing he becomes aware of is screaming.

His first instinct is to seek out danger, but there's nothing but screaming and blackness.

"Boy, if you don't keep that bitch of yours kriffing quiet-"

"You'll space us. I know. I get it. Just a little bit longer. It'll be over soon."

All of this comes through the horrific noises of some poor, tortured soul crying out in agony. When sight finally comes to the blind man, it's the dimly lit cargo hold of some rundown junker of a freighter. A rudimentary pallet has been set up amongst several crates, and on that pallet lies a heavily-pregnant Lasat, struggling to give birth.

She's young, from the look of her. Almost too young to be a mother. But by this point, she's already long past should or should not be. She is going to be a mother. The look of determination he can glimpse through the lines of pain on her face says that louder than any physical scream ever could.

At her side is a Lasat boy, just as young. He looks frightened, but just as determined as she is. He grips one of her strong, four-fingered hands in his, the claws of her other hand scrabbling at the floor, leaving marks behind with each scrape. Her head is resting in the lap of an elder Lasat, but her feet are very much engaged in the birth, both gripping tightly at holds on two of the crates. Below her, monitoring the birth, is another older Lasat.

"Come on, my girl. We're almost there now."

"It's- all right, Kaya," the boy grunts in pain as her grip tightens, claws digging in. "I'm here. I'm here."

Kaya...Arekaya!

Then Kaya screams one last time and the vision shifts. It shifts to the sight of her weeping quietly as she clutches her newborn against her chest, wrapped in a blood-soaked, thread-bare scrap of a blanket. The boy (Kazari...he recalls somewhere in the back of his mind) holds them both in his arms, weeping just as softly. The little one, still nameless, yowls pitifully between her parents. Because it is a girl. The knight knows that beyond a doubt.

"Better be able to keep that loth rat quiet til we hit Alluria."

The looks of enchantment on the new parents' faces instantly shift to expressions of anger and fear as they look up. Looking down into the cargo bay is a hulking Besalisk smuggler. Clearly they're insulted, but not in a position to protest.

"She's a baby," one of their two older companions tries to insist. "Babies cry."

The smuggler glares down at them a long moment, but ultimately just shakes his head. "Well, seeing how no one else aboard this boat's getting any sleep this night cycle, figured you might want to know what standard date the little vermin was actually born on."

He gives them the date before skulking off again, leaving the small group to bask in the newborn's presence once more. Despite how squally she is, all of them appear enchanted.

"Princess," the Lasat at Kaya's feet starts some time later, probably once he's certain they won't be overheard, "have you decided on a name?"

Kaya nods, smiling as she strokes her baby's tiny, fuzzy head.

"Her name is Arkalia...my treasure..."

"Arkalia, daughter of Selvarrio," Kazari echoes formally with tears in his eyes. "May she be strong and wise."

"Arkalia, daughter of Selvarrio, Princess. Born in the light of the Ashla, she guards the hope of her people," the elder intones.

"And as a vessel of the Blood, let it be known that this little one is under the protection of the High Honor Guard," the last of the group adds, the one who'd supported Kaya's head throughout the birth.

But Kaya herself doesn't appear to be concerned with the formalities. All she knows in this moment is her little girl, watching enraptured as the little one nuzzles her way to her breast, latching on and beginning to nurse with gusto.

"My treasure," Kaya says softly, reverently. "My treasure..."

Kanan woke from the dream with a smile on his face. He could almost ignore the fact that he was once again without sight.

The mission to Mandalore had been a success, their civil war resolved (for the moment, anyway), and Mandalorian aid now on the way to the Alliance. He, Ezra, Sabine, Chopper, and Zelina were on their way back to Yavin after nearly a month away, and he had some unlooked for good news for the other members of their growing family.

He now knew when Arkalia's birthday was.

Technically, they were a bit late for it at this point, but he didn't doubt that Zeb and Kallus would be glad to have the information just the same.

"Thank you," he mumbled, he supposed to the Force, with only half his usual snark. "This I can actually use."

"Kanan?"

The knight lifted his head in the direction Ezra's voice was coming from.

"Hmm?"

"Something up?"

"Nothing in particular. Well...a little something. We're probably gonna want to make an extra stop before we head back to Yavin."

XxX

"I'm tellin' ya, there's just somethin' she's not sayin'."

"You keep saying that as if I don't believe you. I do," Kallus said, readjusting his arms to accommodate his daughter as he and Zeb walked across the landing field. Mostly he had adjusted to the fact that Arkalia didn't need to be supported in any way as she crawled all over his body, essentially hanging from him like a tree, but there were still moments when he found it unsettling. "You're just not giving me much to go on here."

"Well, I don't have all that much to go on. All I know is there's somethin' off about her scent lately and I'm still not sure what it is," Zeb grumbled, though he did manage a smile as he reached over to scratch beneath Lia's chin.

"And when Hera needs us to know exactly what is different with her, I imagine she will tell us," he offered, stopping far enough away from the Nightbrother as it completed its landing cycle.

"Will she, though?" Zeb wondered, voice more concerned than anything else. And Alex would have conceded that such concern wasn't necessarily unfounded, but that the gauntlet's ramp was lowering, admitting a smiling crew onto Base One's dusty grounds.

Zeb had Ezra, Sabine, and Zelina all gathered up in a group hug inside of a minute. The young Jedi was protesting even through his delighted smile. Kanan gripped Zeb's shoulder warmly for a moment before reaching out to grip Kallus' hand in greeting. Arkalia almost immediately clambered over their joined hands to plop gracelessly on the knight's shoulder. Kanan gave a small laugh as her weight settled there.

"She seems like she's doing a lot better," he said quietly, leaning his head over to cuddle easily against hers.

"She is," Alex returned, his expression falling for a moment, aware that Kanan could perceive the mood, even if he couldn't see it. He almost envied the other Spectres their time away from Base One, not having to fight a rebellion and watch the little kit struggle back to the happy, smiling child they had all known. There was a tiny hesitance to her joy now, a weight that hadn't been there before, but her love was just as bright as ever it had been. Having come from abuse himself, he knew how her experiences might affect her, but a growing part of him hoped it would not be too badly. "She is doing much better."

"Top-Top!" the baby girl squealed in delight when she saw Chopper trundling up behind Kanan, not quite able to manage the 'ch' sound just yet. With no clear understanding of exactly how she'd made the move, Alex suddenly saw her flopping down on the astromech's dome.

Chopper whirred in annoyance at the nickname, but the sound was followed by a few conceding blips of fondness. The droid did nothing to dislodge the baby Lasat as he continued to roll on his way toward the temple. The rest of the group quickly fell in behind the pair.

"I'm just glad we didn't miss the party," Ezra put in in an overly casual voice, crossing his arms behind his head as they walked. Alex glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"All right, Jabba, we'll bite. What party's that?"

Kanan nodded up ahead, at the astromech and the kit. "I- had a vision during the trip back. I saw Ari's birth. Turns out that about two weeks ago, your daughter was a year old."

Both Kallus and Zeb threw amazed looks at the Jedi at this.

"You know her birthdate?" the ex-Imperial heard himself asking.

"You saw when she was born?" his husband asked at almost the same moment.

"I do and I did," he answered with a grin. "Her family somehow got passage on a smuggler's runner to Alluria. She was born on the ship. I don't know much more than that, but I'd say it's enough."

"Yes," Alex said, unable to keep the smile from his own face as he watched his little girl crawl around on the astromech. "More than enough."

"Y'know what? Hold that thought. I'll be right back," Zeb told them before hurrying off into the trees.

"Zeb!" Alex called after him, but the Lasat was already long gone.

"So where are Hera and Rex?" Ezra asked. "Can't break into the birthday sweets we got until the whole family's here."

"Well...Rex is still pouring through the data we retrieved from the Demon's Run. Looks through it every spare moment he has, really," Alex explained with a small twinge of sympathy. Sometimes he couldn't understand why the clone would punish himself like that. But other times, well...he could also understand the desire to punish oneself perfectly well. The answer he was about to give for Hera, though, was altered significantly when he heard the sound of the inbound Y-wing squadron from overhead. "And...Hera, I believe, will be on the ground in just a few moments."

It was, among other things, a nail-biting experience to watch Hera guide in the literally on fire Phoenix Squadron. Ezra seemed ready to step in somehow, despite Kanan's reassurances that Hera had the situation in hand. Chopper was the first to her once the Twi'lek pilot had been pulled from her miraculously intact fighter by the ground crew. Though she seemed irked at first, she quickly recognized her droid, kneeling to give both him and Lia proper hugs. Alex saw her briefly talking with the remaining members of the squadron before Kanan was hurrying to her, pulling her into a relieved embrace.

Despite his insistence that Hera had had the situation under control, which she had, the Jedi had plainly been worried for her. Kallus could see them whispering to each other as he and the others approached and, at first, he would've assumed it was simply two lovers who had been apart coming back together. But then he saw the way Kanan's hand surreptitiously slid down to Hera's belly, then the way hers moved down to cover it before their two hands clasped together, pressed between their bodies. And observing that, the ex-agent had a feeling he just might know what it was that his husband had been smelling about their captain.

"Zel!" Wedge shouted in excitement when he noticed her with the rest of the Spectres. Unlike the older pair, the two young lovers rushed excitedly into one another's arms, practically crashing together in their haste. The fighter pilot barely gave Zelina time to remove his helmet before their lips were pressing together in a sloppy kiss.

"Wow, come on, you two. Get a room," Ezra teased.

"That can keep til after Wedge has made his reports, I hope," Hera interrupted subtly as she took a step back from her own lover.

"Well, that didn't take long," Alex suddenly heard Zeb's voice come up beside him. He looked toward the Lasat with a smirk.

"It most certainly did not. So where did you go off to in such a hurry, ni ashkerra?"

"Wanted to find one a' these," his husband said, holding up a single flower. The bloom had a plentiful head of lavender petals while its pistil and stamen glowed a faint blue color in the fading daylight. Alex had seen them growing along some of the trails, but they seemed to only bloom in the few hours before sunset. "Wouldn't be long before they all closed up for the night."

"Well, I suppose that's true, but why did you need one?"

"It was- a bit of a birthday tradition on Lasan," Zeb answered, looking a little sheepish. "You give the person a flower you think fits 'em. This one blooms with its nice little glow just before it gets dark, so...it's a bit like the hope you carry with you into the night."

"Astyr revat falna bogtyl," Alex said softly, reaching out to touch one of the delicate petals. But then he looked up uncertainly at Zeb. "And you're- certain it won't be poisonous if she happens to eat it?"

"It's fine. The smell's all right. Though I may have said somethin' to Kar, so...word's probably gonna spread pretty quick through the Demon's Run folk," he admitted before carrying his small offering to their girl, kneeling down in front of Chopper and allowing her to sniff it, gaining her approval.

Garazeb Orrelios wasn't much of a hand with braids, but Ezra quickly stepped in before he could make too much a fool of himself, creating a side braid to hold the flower from the little hair the tiny princess had managed to regrow in the last month.

"There we go. That's the perfect crown for our princess," Ezra pronounced as he pulled back.

The petals blended beautifully with Arkalia's fur, and even though the glow at the blossom's heart was already starting to fade away after being plucked, the dim blue light still cast a lovely pattern against her large green eyes.

"Aza!" she cooed insistently, holding her hands out to be picked up before he could get too far away, which he was obviously only too happy to oblige her. "Sa-da. Sa-da!"

"What- what is that?" Ezra asked, giggling with her as she began to climb all over him.

"Think she's tryin' to say 'sadan'," Zeb told him.

"It means 'brother'," Alex finished.

For a moment, the young Jedi's lower lip actually started to tremble. But then he swiped an arm across his face and muttered, "I'm not crying. You're crying."

"We don't deny it," Kanan said with a small laugh.

XxX

As Zeb had guessed, they'd wound up with nearly a crate-full of flowers once word got around Base One that their little kit's first birthday had rolled by without them knowing. That and just what the Lasat birthday tradition entailed. The nice thing about Yavin IV was that there was no shortage of plant life to choose from, so the variety of flowers Ari received was beautiful.

Sabine and Ezra managed to weave her a proper flower crown, which delighted the baby girl to no end. She had also received a steady stream of rough, but lovingly made gifts, little toys crafted from whatever might be scrounged up from the base or the jungle, nearly every single soldier in the cell eager for nothing more than a smile from the little one.

From among the sweets Kanan and the others had managed to trade for, Ari also had her first taste of Christophsian sugar and Felucian swirlfudge, leaving her hyper as an overcharged MSE droid while the other rebels enjoyed the impromptu celebration of her birth.

It was later in the evening than any of them wanted to admit by the time the party properly wound down. Zeb was left watching Alex cuddle a fussy Arkalia while everyone else insisted on cleaning up the Ghost. The kit was obviously exhausted, but plainly of a mind that she was not going to sleep yet.

"Ah, Lia...ni Lia," his mate soothed the kit as he paced the common room with her in his arms. "I don't know what you want from me, dear heart. I've given you every song I know."

"Hey, how about we give this a try," Zeb suggested with a snap, remembering something in the pile of presents on the table. Digging briefly, he came up with a little holoprojector.

"That was...the one from Mon Mothma?" Alex tried to remember, coming to sit beside him.

"Yeah," Zeb said as he set the small device up on the table, remembering the older woman's distant smile as she'd passed the little thing into his hands.

"It's been in my family for a long time. An old holobook. I knew from a fairly young age there would be no next generation for me to pass it on to, but it has given me comfort in these dark days. I believe it is time for it to bring joy to another child, so I'm giving it to your little girl," the chancellor explained, her expression solemn, but warm.

"This thing's old, so she said we'd have to do the readin' ourselves, but I don't mind that," he continued, smiling at his grumpy daughter as he leaned over to tickle her foot.

"Nor do I," Alex agreed as the first image flickered to life above the projector – a view of a beautifully illustrated night sky bursting with stars, as if viewed while lying down on the grass and peering up through trees. As the words to accompany the image shimmered into being within it, he read them aloud. "I've loved you since forever."

Once he'd read the words, the image shifted. The new holo was of a rainbow in a fresh blue sky, with a light dove and her baby winging through the air, the shine of their underplumage catching the light.

"Before light doves flew over rainbows," Alex read as the words appeared, and Zeb saw the kit steal a glance at the holo, almost in spite of herself.

With Alex's words, the holo began its next transformation. This time into a forest with a group of Kowakian monkey-lizards hanging in the branches. And at the center of the group was featured yet another parent and child.

"And monkey-lizards swung on trees," Alex continued to read, pointing at the holo, drawing an indignant trill from the baby.

When the image transformed again, it was into something much like the first – a holo of the night sky. Only this time two very bright stars stood out from all the rest.

"There was you, and there was me," his mate read, kissing one of Kali's twitching ears. The kit batted at him before pointing back at the shifting image.

The new holo was of a family of loth cats cuddled up together in an underground den. Arkalia cooed curiously when she saw it, though her eyes were starting to blink sleepily.

"Before the suns rose in the skies," Alex narrated over the next change, a holo of several yellow and grey hreran bees buzzing their way over a field of flowers. The tiny princess reached out a paw to try and batt at the image, only a little confused when her fingers simply passed through it. "And honey came from hreran bees."

The latest line led to yet another holo of the night sky. Only this time, the two stars had shifted a little closer.

"There was you, and there was me," Alex almost seemed to sing, cuddling the baby even closer against him. Kali gave a wide yawn and a tired smile. The holo was soon swirling into its next set, an image of a convor and her chick tucked up safe in a nest.

"I've loved you since forever, before the moons lit up the night."

The image this latest line drew in was a holo of a herd of bantha roaming across a desert. At the edge of the holo was a tiny baby bantha following along after its mother.

"And banthas wandered free."

Once again, the image of the night sky swirled into being, the two stars much closer than before.

"There was you, and there was me," Alex whispered in Kali's ear. Struggling to stay awake, she nearly missed the new image.

This one was a holo of a loth wolf and its pup dashing across the grasslands of Lothal. When Zeb heard a quiet gasp of recognition, he glanced over to see Sabine and Ezra off in one of the connecting corridors.

"Before loth wolves ran together," Alex continued to read, narrating another beautiful transformation into a nightscape. Only this was a night sky overlooking a gently lapping ocean as a shower of falling stars fell from overhead.

"And stardust reached the sea."

One more time, the holo shifted into the initial view of the night sky. Only now the two stars were right beside each other.

"There was you, and there was me, waiting for the day our stars would cross...and you and I turned into we."

Alex's voice trembled mildly at the last when he pressed a kiss to the top of Kali's head, but she wasn't aware of any of it. The little kit had finally fallen fast asleep.

When his mate looked up at him, his lovely amber eyes were bright with a sheen of unshed tears.

"I love you," he said softly, amazed. "I love you both...so dearly."

"Gal L'ashkerrir an," Zeb returned, feeling the emotion he saw mirrored in those human eyes well up in his own heart. He didn't know if Alex was entirely aware that they weren't as alone as all that, but he couldn't bring himself to care all that much one way or the other. In this moment, he had his family. He was surrounded by the family who had accepted him after the loss of his world, and he had the man he loved more than life itself in his arms, with their daughter cradled perfectly between them. Whatever happened, he didn't think he could be any happier than he was in this moment.

So he drew Alex to him and kissed him soundly, breathing in the contented sigh from his lips as he held him, both of them careful of the kit between them. But despite being so lost in the moment and in each other, they were both well aware when Kanan and Hera re-entered the room.

"You know what? Why don't Kanan and I take Lia for tonight. You two haven't had any time to yourselves since the others have been gone," she said, a knowing look in her eyes as she easily lifted the slumbering kit from Alex's arms.

"But- Kanan's only just got back," Alex tried to argue, though he didn't fight too hard to keep ahold of Arkalia.

"We'll have time. But you two haven't even had your wedding night yet. You should take the time to enjoy each other. Trust me, Kanan and I have enjoyed each other plenty," she assured them as she gently laid the baby against her breast.

Zeb shared a look with his mate at this. The human smiled helplessly for a moment before shrugging.

"Well...I suppose we haven't truly been together since I was quit of the Empire."

"It's true," he returned, pulling the man in for another kiss.

"Though we assume that's going to be happening in your bunk," Sabine called out rather pointedly.

"Mm," Alex agreed when he pulled back from him, a vaguely dazzled smile now on his face. "Suppose we can't be scarring the children."

"Eh, kids can take more than you think," Kanan teased as he came up behind Hera.

"Kanan," the Twi'lek scolded him mildly, accompanied by noises of disgust from the younger two Spectres.

There was further conversation amongst the family, but Zeb didn't really catch any of it, as his focus had narrowed to Alex – to the feel of his hand in his as they moved through the Ghost together, the sound of his footsteps behind him, much gentler than the clack of Imperial boot-clad feet, the scent that was filling the air between them, heady and musky, thick with longing, even the suddenly shy smile on his face when he would occasionally glance back at him. When they reached their quarters, the Lasat took a long moment to just pin his husband up against the wall, both kissing and nuzzling him, tasting the sweat on his skin and mingling their scents together.

Alex groaned rather loudly when Zeb brushed a single fang against the delicate skin of his neck. The former guardsman smiled at the way his chest heaved every time they touched. With a little whimper, Alex reached out a hand to key open the door, allowing them to half fall inside.

With the two of them now a mated pair, Ezra had opted to move fully into Kanan's old quarters once the knight had officially moved in with Hera. Though it was nice to have the privacy, they hadn't had cause to test just how soundproof the old freighter was. Because either the ship was very well soundproofed or Kanan and Hera were just the kriffing poster children for discretion. Zeb took little more than a second to seal the door behind them. When he turned to face Alex, it was almost like the night of their wedding all over again...with the human standing before him, smiling with warm longing.

"So is there some protocol I ought to be observing?" the ex-Imperial asked as he held out a hand to him. Zeb laughed as he took the offered hand, drawing them together at the center of the room.

"Listen to you, talkin' about protocol on a night like tonight," he said, twirling the other man briefly before cradling him firmly against his side, nuzzling pleasantly against his cheek. Then he whispered to him, "Tonight...I welcome you into my house. Zai an tef mellir falna gal na sillir sillerir an kerra zera."

Alex shuddered against him, sighing in pleasure at the inviting words. Then he began to speak in Lasana...the words of their wedding vow.

"Val Ashla...val lira arbani sav La rever areh, La san an s'ahn gal an san nivsahn...sa syv inkan djasun ni kishin."

"Gal kol syv ithran, La garrer ni ashkerra," Zeb finished, pulling his mate into a new kiss. Alex half-melted against him when he growled into the kiss, and he felt a distinct downward rush in blood at the human's response.

He wasn't sure if it was him or Alex who first started to slip his jacket from his shoulders, but it was gone by the time they broke off the kiss. His mate didn't look away from him as Zeb eased him back onto the bed, a combination of the two bunks they'd disassembled and placed back together.

"Let me see you," the human pleaded softly. "I didn't- get to see you last time."

Zeb lifted an eyebrow at him as he began to remove his armor. "I dunno. Seems to me you saw quite a bit last time."

"No, I mean...I want- to see you get hard," Alex admitted, a light blush staining his pale face as he looked up at him. "Before, you'd- already come once by the time we got properly undressed. I want to watch that cock go stiff. I want to see how you want me," he said, eyes fierce with desire as he grew bolder with each word.

"Oh. Well, then. I'd say that can be arranged," he said, setting aside the last of the armor and standing upright before his mate once more. Then, with very deliberate movements, he began to work off his battlesuit, sliding the sturdy fabric down over his fur. All the while, he kept his attention on his love's hungry gaze. When he'd gotten so far as to have the suit down around his hips, he stopped, taking in the small hitch in the human's breath and the widening of his eyes with excitement. While he was distracted, Zeb took the opportunity to lean in and steal a kiss.

Alex half-laughed and half-moaned into the contact, shuddering beneath the Lasat before pulling back from him.

"You're very distracting, ni ashkerra. Am I to unwrap my wedding present myself then?" he asked, leaning forward, mouth impossibly close to the fabric bunched at Zeb's hips.

"Nah, but if you keep goin' that route, you're gonna miss the show," he warned, fingers gripping at the suit again. "I showed you mine. Now you show me yours."

Alex smirked up at him before pulling his shirt off, slowly lying back as he spread himself out on the bed. "Like what you see?"

Without his permission, a purr started up deep in Zeb's throat. If it was possible, Alex's eyes seemed to go even wider at the little sound. Fur fluffing out in mild embarrassment, Zeb shook his head as his ears flattened. "That's just not fair," he said before finally pushing the suit down past his hips, revealing himself to his mate.

He could feel how he was beginning to stiffen already, the slender sheath that kept him concealed sliding slowly back to reveal the thickening head of his prick. He relished the way Alex's mouth fell open just a little, eyes going glassy at the sight as Zeb reached a hand down to palm himself.

"Now I know you're likin' what you're seein'," he teased, shuddering pleasantly with the sensation as he gripped himself a little tighter. "Na aribir ka an vuuser, sanstyr okorre."

Alex groaned loud and long at this, his head falling back against the bed. Zeb had the pleasure of watching the bulge in his pants grow steadily larger. When he looked back up at the Lasat, it was with a fiery glint in his eyes – the look of a man used to being obeyed.

"I want you to touch yourself," he said. "La vuuser hashat an kir'a...tef kith sav."

"Nel ni okorre kalliri," he returned, taking himself properly in hand once he was fully hard. He gave several shuddered breaths as he rubbed his fingers along the heated purple flesh, being careful of the little sheath that concealed his barb. Play too rough with that and it would be over much too quickly.

"How does it feel?" Alex asked in a breathless whisper, hand hovering just above the bulge in his pants.

"Ashyn," he grunted, fingers tightening just a bit as he rubbed. "Ungh...z'ashyn."

Alex's hand shifted to linger over his belt, fingers stroking the clasp, clearly wanting to remove it but resisting the urge. "La orror alhasha zor ashkerryl talima nel an s'ahn."

"Ashkerryl?" Zeb panted out, stroking faster. "You sure- that's the word you were lookin' for?"

"Quite sure," Alex breathed, belt coming undone with a clean snap. "Just like everything else about you. Hard muscle, velvet fur, gleaming fangs, thick purple cock," he described with a heady gleam in his eyes. "Noble spirit...gentle heart...so wonderful. There isn't a thing about you that's not ashkerryl...ni Tinsana."

To hear himself described in such loving detail brought Zeb to the edge with frightening speed. With a little cry and a frantic jerk of his hips, he was spilling all over his large fist, barb shooting free with an exhilarating rush. He listened to his mate's gasp of joy with an open-mouthed smile, his post-coital purring starting up properly in his chest.

"As I said...ashkerryl," Alex said with a dazed grin.

"Pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you, sanstyr okorre," he teased as the last of his seed spurted between his fingers and dripped to the floor. He shuddered pleasantly when he felt his barb retract, not having latched to anything.

"Perhaps a little," he returned, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Well, let's see just how functional that big brain a' yours is when I'm done with you," he said as he dropped slowly to his knees before his lover, maintaining eye contact with him as he removed his boots. When he went to shift his pants a little ways down, Alex assisted him by lifting his hips up off the bed.

Zeb didn't immediately move his undershorts either. He began by mouthing at the human through the black fabric, running his lips and tongue over him through the thin layer.

Alex moaned helplessly in response, head falling back on the bed as he offered himself up to the heat of Zeb's mouth. Once he'd gotten a bit of an arch out of his mate's back, the Lasat finally laid him bare, his cock upright, flushed red, and leaking just a little bit.

Zeb groaned just once before falling on that cock, his mouth closing easily over the full length. Alex gave a stuttered cry as he began to go at the hard flesh with his tongue, licking and sucking by turns, all while being careful of his fangs. When Zeb crooned around him, the vibration of the noise pulled what was nearly a sob from his throat.

"Ah...hngh...stars...Zeb...my Zeb..." he panted out, nearly breathless, legs twitching beneath his husband's grip. When Zeb's gaze flicked up to him, it was to see that he'd thrown an arm over his face, although what he was trying to hide, Zeb couldn't guess.

"Come on," he breathed against the saliva-slicked flesh when he pulled back. "Let me hear you. I want to hear you," he hissed before delivering a single long, hard lave with his tongue up the underside of his mate's prick.

The human gave a proper cry as Zeb engulfed him once more, his cock throbbing as he spilled down the Lasat's throat. Zeb hummed appreciatively as he sucked him dry. He could feel a small trickle of his lover's fluid dribbling from the corner of his mouth as he grinned up at him.

"Good?" he asked, burying his nose in the thatch of curls at the base of the human's spent cock.

"Perhaps- a little too good," Alex replied, still breathing in shuddered gasps as his thighs trembled beneath Zeb. "Certainly hope you found it pleasurable. It will be a little while before I can get it up again."

"Nothin' sayin' we can't enjoy ourselves in the meantime," he said, beginning to slip the last of the human's clothing the rest of the way off. "I can open you up nice and slow."

Once he'd discarded the pants and undershorts, he moved to crawl on top of his husband, hands tracing over his well-muscled thighs once more. Then he parted the human's legs to have a look at the tight entrance between them, leaning in close to breathe in the scent of him, earthy and intoxicating. Rubbing his cheek against Alex's thigh, reveling in the scent coming off him, he flicked his gaze upward once again.

"Would...would you...can I...would you let me...vener an?" he finally made himself ask, unable to give voice to it in Basic.

"Mark?" Alex repeated, probably making sure he'd heard him properly.

"Yeah. Remember- I told you...biting gets the scent in deeper," he explained, rubbing a little more insistently against the soft skin of his thigh. Stars, he could just feel the beat of his blood beneath that pale skin, the rhythm of his life. Oh, how he longed to weave those scents and those beats into one.

Once again, a flush spread high on the ex-Imperial's cheeks, his amber eyes glazing over with want at the sight he must be beholding. Beginning to nod, slow at first, but then with more vigor, he smiled down at him.

"If it's what you want...what you would do...then yes."

Groaning heavily, Zeb pressed his mouth into the meat of his husband's thigh, sucking gently for a moment before putting more fang into it, being careful to break the skin only the tiniest bit.

Alex cried out as he sucked at the bite mark, the high sound of pleasure spurring Zeb on, eager to work his scent even deeper into his lover. Once he was satisfied with his work, he pulled back to have a look at the beautifully mottled mark on Alex's thigh. The colors of the bruise were not very distinct yet, but once they had truly set in, it would be a sight to behold.

"Nivsahn," he said reverently before nuzzling into the mark, breathing in their mingled scent. "Lira nivsahn."

"Eri," Alex gasped out, shuddering beneath him. "Eri...lira an s'ahn..."

Smiling at the sound of his birth tongue on his beloved's human lips, speaking such intimate words, Zeb couldn't help but plunge deep into him, thrusting his tongue into the tight heat of him.

Alex cried out once again in surprised pleasure at the feel of his tongue inside him. The cry gradually tapered off into whimpers and moans of exquisite bliss as he continued to slowly tongue kriff the man.

"Ungh...a bold creature, you are," Alex managed after a time, still obviously enjoying the ecstasy of Zeb's attentions as he helped the Lasat lift his shaking legs up onto his shoulders. "How did you even know I'd be clean?"

For a moment, Zeb just groaned, indulging in several more slow, thorough thrusts before withdrawing his tongue and laving it very deliberately around the tight ring of muscle. "Smell you," he said, taking another pointed inhalation of his mate's entrance. "Besides, even if I couldn't smell you, I know how well you clean up in the 'fresher."

"Randy thing," Alex teased as he grinned down at him, but Zeb was soon wiping that smirk away when he plunged back into him, thrusting his large tongue as deep into the human's ass as he could go. He continued with the meticulous ass-eating until he had his mate helpless, moaning and crying out, limbs shaking with the sensation of it. Zeb gave a rather pointed slurping sound when he finally withdrew his tongue, grinning up at his husband with an obscene trail of saliva beginning to dribble from his mouth.

"And that's just the start," he told him, fumbling behind him to get at his lube. "Let's get you opened up proper."

"W-wait," Alex protested, still trembling beautifully as he sat up. "Why bother with lubricant when we have a perfectly ready supply right here?" he suggested, reaching a still-gloved hand out for the blatantly hard cock between Zeb's legs. The Lasat gave a low, breathy laugh as he wrapped his fingers around the deep purple length of flesh.

"Sure you want to keep those on?" he teased as the human's grip tightened, drawing a small hiss from him. "Wouldn't want you to be sorry you have to put 'em in the wash in the morning."

"Quite sure," Alex returned, smirking as he turned his attention down to the cock he held in hand. "After all, I believe you like these gloves."

"Got that right," Zeb answered, groaning a little at the combined feel of the smooth leather and his mate's warm skin.

As he was wont to do, Alex experimented, testing out several different grips and speeds on Zeb's prick. Zeb loved all of them, growling and moaning at the feel of his mate's hands on him. With every pull and every rub, his hips jerked a little more insistently up into the human's touch. Then Alex began to pay more attention to the thin sheath of skin on the underside of his cock, where his barb was concealed, the delicate muscles coiled tight, nearly ready to spring.

"Sultir an alnirin?" Alex asked as he leaned in close to him, whispering in his uncontrollably twitching ear. "Sultir ni nali unir ashyn zalv talima'an?"

"Unh...eri...eri," he moaned helplessly as his hips rocked all the faster into Alex's grip, that thumb going unmercifully against his sheath. Any second now. "Uniri z'ashyn...Alex...ni ashkerrana...ni Alex...ah...shan Ashla..."

"Ka san La?" Alex demanded in a heated rush as he gave one final squeeze of his cock with both hands.

"TINSANA!" Zeb cried out, head falling back as his second orgasm seized him. With almost his entire body going slack, he could barely manage to turn his gaze enough to watch as his barb shot free, his seed gushing and spilling from his cock all over Alex's hands. As the purr started up once again in earnest, he drew shaking hands up to the human's, covering those sure, strong, slick fingers with his own as he continued to spill. Then he started to whisper, only half coherent, "Ashkerra gal djerana, ashvahn ni malmanahn, La evir ko'oran gal hashami'an. La evir sashanan k'ashkerriri nivsahn...gal garrir sav L'ashkerrir li'orra sim anshehr se lira morrahn."

"Oh, Zeb," Alex whispered against him before drawing him into a deep, lingering kiss, lips and tongues clashing together for several intense moments before the need to relearn breath overtook them both.

Resting his forehead against Zeb's, Alex looked down at their intwined fingers, mingling together in his spend. "I...I'm not sure I got all that, but it sounded lovely."

"Yeah, heheh, sorry. Got a bit old school poetical on you there. What I said...guess it translates somethin' like this in Basic. 'Beloved and mate, moon of my sky, I praise your soul and eyes. I praise...your heart which loves mine...and swear that I love none but thee for all of time," he explained, fur fluffing violently outward as his skin grew hot. But Alex didn't seem as embarrassed by his declaration as he was. In fact, he seemed enchanted.

"N'amser, ashkerra," he insisted as he lay back on their bed, parting his legs for him. "La vuuser an na kerra. La vuuser an na kerra mal."

"Nel ni ashkerra kalliri," he returned, making certain he had a finger thoroughly coated in his own spill before positioning it against Alex's entrance.

Unlike a human, the hardest part for his mate to take was the bulbous tip of his finger, so Zeb was careful to press it inside slowly, making certain to mind his claw and that Alex was still enjoying himself with every move he made. He continued to maintain his slow pace even after the initial penetration had been made, slowly working Alex open on his large finger. And as he worked, he was pleased to see his lover's cock gradually stiffening again, regaining interest.

"Think you're ready?" Zeb asked after a time, delivering a somewhat harder thrust with the inserted finger and drawing a lovely moan from the human's mouth.

"More than ready...nngh...Zeb," Alex pleaded with him, wriggling just a little on the digit impaling him.

"All right. But another mark first, I'm thinkin'," the Lasat growled softly.

"Another- oh!" the human yelped in mild surprise when Zeb swiftly withdrew his finger and rolled him onto his side. Then he nuzzled up against the bare stretch of skin at the back of Alex's hip. Such a mark would show just above the waistline of his pants if his shirt ever happened to lift. And Zeb intended to make sure that it did. Often.

"Right here," he whispered, licking a thick stripe across the pale flesh before blowing on it, sending a shiver through his mate's body. Alex moaned loudly, hips jerking roughly back against him.

"Ungh...yes...Zeb...anywhere you want...eri...vuuser an," he trailed off in Lasana, as if afraid to give voice to his weakness.

So Zeb began the process again, sucking carefully into the place he wanted to mark, mouthing at it properly before breaking the skin. Then he sucked at the mark, drawing the blood to the surface of the skin, joining their scents into one yet again. He laved his tongue lovingly over every inch of it before pulling back.

"The first mark's just for me," he breathed against the new one, reaching up a hand to trace the shapely bruise. "No one else ever gets to see it. But this...anyone who sees this one'll know who gave it to you. They'll know you're mine."

"Ha...yes...only yours. Stars, Zeb, just take me!"

Zeb wasted no more words. Grabbing his mate yet again, he flipped them so their positions were reversed, with Alex sitting on top of him, straddling his hips. Reaching up to caress his surprised, flushed face, he smiled at his partner.

"I wanna see your face this time," he said, running a thumb lovingly over the human's heated cheek. "The first time...I didn't get to see the look on your face. I wanna watch you ride me...and I wanna see the way you come undone when you finish."

For a moment, Alex's eyes looked misty. Then they were outright watery as he turned his head to the side and kissed Zeb's palm, his longer hair concealing his eyes from view.

"I will never deserve this," he whispered against the now-damp skin, voice at once broken and exultant with love, "the way you love me. Sim La ashkerrir an, gal La san hashat sirin sav an alka an vuuser."

"Alex'ika," he whispered, but before he could say more, his husband had begun to move, slowly lowering himself down on his cock. And as his face came properly back into view, Zeb could see his smile, could see the tears of joy streaming silently down his cheeks, and when he was fully seated on him, the Lasat was able to witness the way those familiar features transformed with pleasure.

They moved easily together on the bed, Alex setting a luxuriating pace, lifting himself up and down Zeb's prick with the Lasat rolling his hips only occasionally to meet him. With the feeling of his last orgasm coiling tightly in his belly, he couldn't do much more than moan, giving himself over to the pace his mate was setting. And as he looked up at the beloved face above his, absolutely wrecked with pleasure and adoration, he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Alex clenched around him and he was spilling deep inside of him.

"Alex!"

Zeb more saw than felt the moment his barb shot free, locking him inside his mate, because he saw the way Alex's head fell back as he was latched, his mouth falling open in a strangled cry. Then Alex was coming with him, his body stiffening into an arch above Zeb's as his cock lifted just that little bit, seed pulsing from it in a messy gush.

When the orgasm had finished with both of them, Alex half collapsed above him, still seated on top of him, but with his body slumped, unable to maintain his typical ramrod straight posture. It honestly could've been minutes or hours they held like that, smiling weakly at each other as they relearned how to breathe. The human was the one to finally break the moment, slowly leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. The purring in his chest grew just a little louder at the tender contact.

"One more," he whispered against his husband's lips.

"What?"

"One more mark. Three's the proper number," he said with a soft growl.

Alex gave a little laugh at that, but nodded, shifting to lie properly against his chest. "Not as if I'll be going anywhere for a while yet."

"Good," Zeb said, nuzzling down into the crook of his mate's neck, beginning to mouth at the desired spot. "This all right?"

"Mmm...yes," Alex agreed sleepily, cuddling even closer into the embrace.

Zeb sucked eagerly at the spot for several moments, preparing it for his fangs, and when he did break the skin, it was only with the lightest of brushes. Alex groaned in pleasure at the sensation.

"Ah, ni ashkerra," Alex sighed as Zeb continued to suck at the mark. "If I hadn't just been kriffed senseless..."

"Give it a few hours," Zeb returned when he finally let up, licking gently at the new-given mark. "We can do it all over again. For now, I'm likin' the idea of fallin' asleep with my cock in you."

"You'll get no argument from me, my love," Alex said with a yawn. "Was it a proper Lasat wedding night then?"

"Proper and then some," Zeb said, breathing in the beautifully mingled scent once again. "La velka orebir se orrab ashynè zei ni astyr, ashkerryl boosan."

Once again, Alex sighed into his chest. "How did that phrase go again? Garrir sav L'ashkerrir li'orra sim an se lira morrahn?"

Zeb gave a gentle chuckle at the small misstep, offering up a little correction. "Garrir sav L'ashkerrir li'orra sim anshehr se lira morrahn...I love none but thee...for all of time."

"I am yours...and you are mine," Alex mumbled as he nodded off. Zeb pressed a kiss to the top of his head before allowing himself to drift off as well.

"From this breath...until my last."

XxX

"Y'know, suddenly I find myself grateful I don't speak Lasana."

Kanan smiled when he heard Hera laughing beside him. He had Arkalia curled up asleep on his shoulder while he held his captain against his side, her now bare head resting against his other shoulder.

"Not that you would need to speak the language to understand what any of that means."

"Gotta say, I am kinda starting to miss it," he teased, nuzzling playfully into the top of her head. "Us getting to...make babies...anytime we can."

"Mm, and you're gonna be missing it for awhile," she told him. "We're not taking any chances with this. But yeah...I'm gonna miss it, too," she said, her voice softening.

"Still waiting until the end of the trimester to tell the others?" he asked her, his hand shifting to trace lightly over the tiny naked swell of her belly. Even if their little one wasn't moving just yet, he could still feel the beginnings of his presence within the Force – the same way he had vaguely sensed Ezra months before they had met.

"Kanan Jarrus, I'm almost surprised you even know that word," she said lightly, leaning a little further into him.

"Hey, don't sell me short," he said with a chuckle. "I've been doing my research. Since we- can't really know what to expect."

"Exactly, and yes. That still- seems best to me. Now is the time when- chance of miscarriage is the highest," she said, and even though there wasn't truly a change in her tone, Kanan could still feel the flicker of worry in her Force signature. And who could blame her? Strong as she always tried to be, the thought of losing a child...was unbearable. "I wouldn't- want to tell Ezra and Sabine they might have a new sibling...only to lose the pregnancy."

"You won't," he said firmly, holding her a little tighter. "Nothing will happen to this child. I'll promise you that right now."

"Then I'll believe you," she said, her voice some odd mix of teasing and comforted as she tangled her hand with his on top of her belly. Then again, softer. "I'll believe you."

"Pretty sure Kallus knows," he said. "I noticed some wheels turning in that spy brain when he saw us today."

"Not all that surprising. Alex is smart, plus he's kept himself alive by noticing things. Either way, it won't be long before the rest of the family hears it. Heh, it's almost too bad they can't have one of their own."

"If they could do that, I'm pretty sure one of them would be pregnant already," Kanan said with another small laugh. "Besides, this little princess is going to be enough of a handful as it is when she really gets going."

"And her fathers won't miss a second of it," Hera said, and he could feel the smile on her face as she reached over to lift the baby from his shoulder, laying her down gently across their laps. He heard Ari yawn and felt her roll over in her sleep. "So...can you- feel them...through the Force?" she asked him.

"Yes," he told her. "There's not much to sense yet, but someone's waking up in there."

"Do you think Zeb and Alex would mind...if we used Arkalia's cradle for this one?"

Again, Kanan's thoughts ventured back to the vision he'd had on Alluvium...to the sight of Kallus picking little Jacen up from that very same cradle. "I can't imagine they would. After all, Ari's too big for it now. May as well keep it in the family."

"Right. Though...I still can't think what to tell Mothma or any of them," Hera said with a sigh.

"Guess it's going to have to be the truth. I mean...we're all essentially fugitives. War or no war, it's not like they can send any of you somewhere else. Though I don't suppose I asked, any change in your little circle of motherhood since we've been gone?"

"Did I tell you Meara decided not to continue back during the first month?"

"Don't think you mentioned that one, no. So that leaves it at...eight?"

"Seven, actually. Neera lost hers."

"So...what? Orianne's actively hiding the fact that the Rebel Alliance currently has seven pregnant women in its ranks?"

Hera shrugged. "Not so much...actively hiding it as just...hasn't brought it up yet. Whatever happens, I suppose we'll be taking our cues from her."

"Eh, you'll convince them. You and her both. It's gonna be fine."

Whatever Hera might've been planning to say in response was interrupted by a tiny yawn from Arkalia. Then Kanan felt the little girl shift and this was almost immediately followed by an uncharacteristically adoring gasp from Hera.

"Aw."

"What? What did she do?"

"She put her hand on my stomach. I mean- I can't imagine she did it on purpose or anything, but...it's just so adorable. I...she...oh..."

The feeling he got from Hera this time was something like quiet shock, and there was a flicker of something he couldn't quite place from the developing baby.

"Hera?"

"I...I think that was...movement...I felt just now," she whispered in amazement. "When Lia touched me. Just- just a little bit, but..."

"Haha, I guess he knows who his playmate is."

"He? Wait. Is that something you know, or just something you think?" she asked him, the sound of her voice telling him she was looking up at him.

"Ah, well...it's something I might know? I'm not sure; it's hard to say. But hey, maybe you'd better take a byte out of Ari's holobook and get some sleep," he said in a decidedly poor effort to shift the conversation.

"Kanan."

"What? I know you're not gonna lie and tell me you've been good about that with both Chop and me offworld. I know you."

"Okay, fine," she conceded with a yawn of her own. "But we are talking about this more later."

"Whatever you want, love," he said, unable to keep himself from smiling as they got settled on their bunk, Arkalia nestled safely between them – a dress rehearsal for what would one day be.

Hera fell asleep quickly, but Kanan was slower to drift off, holding all three close to him. And as his own conscious thoughts were finally slipping away from him, his hand drifted across Hera's belly and, for a moment, only a moment...he thought he felt a flicker of movement beneath that hand.

Jacen...

XxX

"So is it bad I always feel like I'm in trouble whenever the higher ups wanna see me?"

Alex glanced over at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps, but at the same time, I'm not particularly surprised. In my experience, the Spectres are rebels among rebels."

"Heheh, yeah, and you're one of 'em now. So what does that make you?" Zeb teased his mate.

"A fool who got taken in by a pair of pretty green eyes is what it makes me," the ex-Imperial responded with a small laugh.

"That really the only thing about me that caught you?" the Lasat asked, mirroring the eyebrow lift. Alex's smirk turned devious at the question.

"You? My dear Captain Orrelios, whoever said I was talking about you?" he teased, directing his gaze over to their daughter, who was currently keeping Ezra busy climbing all over his head and shoulders like a miniature climbing frame. Alex's look quickly grew tender at the sight and Zeb felt his own shifting to match that adoration.

"Well, you got me there. Guess we're both the Fools in this situation. Which, for once, means you aren't the Warrior," he couldn't help gloating, but all he got from his husband in response was a confused look.

"Beg pardon?" the human asked.

"Ah...long story," he ultimately muttered, shifting their attention back to the two kids. "Besides, Organa wasn't wantin' to see us anyway. Just her."

Arkalia wasn't typically brought into the temple. More usually, she stayed on the Ghost or among the refugees from the Demon's Run, whosoever's privilege it happened to be to mind her on any given day. But today Bail Organa happened to be passing through on a tour of Base One, consulting with Mothma and reviewing supplies and munitions to get a better idea of what was still needed. Zeb had known all of this, but what he hadn't been expecting was a comm from Hera in the middle of things with a request from the Alderaanian viceroy for an audience with his one-year-old daughter.

Zeb wasn't about to question it, though, as Organa was the one who had provided a great deal of the backing for the mission to rescue Arkalia in the first place. If the man wanted to see the result of his investment, Zeb certainly couldn't blame him. Arkalia was the most precious thing on this or any world, after all.

"You don't...suppose Organa would prefer Lia were brought up elsewhere...do you?" Alex asked quietly, throwing a nervous glance at the baby and the young Jedi, speaking so Ezra wouldn't hear.

Zeb grumbled low in his throat as he let his gaze follow his mate's across the makeshift conference space, though he smiled inwardly when Ezra managed to get ahold of the little kit and blow a raspberry against her tummy. "Well, doesn't really matter if he'd prefer it or not. It's not his call. She's ours."

"But...he's-"

"Doesn't matter who he is. Arkalia's the last princess of Lasan. She has no other family. By the law of our people...hers and mine...as the captain of the High Honor Guard, her care is in my hands. She's stayin' with me," he ground out.

"Well...I hope it's that simple then," Alex said, looking up just in time to see more people entering the space. Hera and Orianne were at the head of the group, followed by Mothma and Organa, then Zelina, Chopper, and AP-5.

The inventory droid was going on about something munitions related, but Organa managed to silence him with a raised hand. Then he turned his attention to Zeb and Alex.

"Captain Orrelios. Captain Kallus," he greeted them. "Or are you both Captain Orrelios now?" he asked, glancing between them with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

"Senator Organa," Alex greeted in kind. "Legally, we are both Orrelios, but mostly everyone finds it easier to call me Kallus."

"An honor to meet you, then, Captain Orrelios," Organa said pointedly to the ex-Imperial. "I thank you for what you have risked and sacrificed for this alliance."

"It- truly is the least I could do," Alex said, briefly lowering his gaze, but his attention was quickly drawn once more when the senator began to speak again.

"And this is the little one that has caused such a fuss?" Organa asked as he moved over to Ezra.

"Yup," the young Jedi said with a grin. "She just turned one."

"Ah. Then a happy belated birthday to you, young highness," Organa said, holding out a hand to her.

Both Zeb and Alex watched with apprehension, but were somewhat relieved when he didn't presume to just take her from Ezra's arms. He allowed her to sniff his hand, then gnaw curiously at his fingers. Then she trilled in excitement, holding out her hands to be picked up.

"Mle mle mle mle!" she babbled with a smile, which the human returned as he took her in his arms.

"Mle?" he asked as he looked her in the eye, pressing his forehead against hers. "Mle."

Arkalia giggled in response, reaching up to pat his cheeks. And that was about as still as she held for him.

Within moments, she was climbing him just as readily as she did any of her other caregivers. The politician stiffened for a moment, but it didn't take him long to adjust to the little girl. "Certainly the most mobile one-year-old I've ever met. Is she walking already?"

"Nah. Lasat kits don't really start goin' biped until about two years," Zeb explained. "For now, it's just the climbin'."

"Really?" Alex asked in interest, glancing over at him. "One would almost think that would make her easier to keep track of but, thinking about it now, I suppose that's grotesquely optimistic."

"It usually is. Is she underfoot often?" the senator asked.

"Not dreadfully often," Hera fielded the next question. "There's no shortage of people willing to watch her."

"And you don't think a military base might be a less than ideal place to raise a child?" he asked, looking around at all of them.

Zeb was just about to open his mouth to argue but, before he could make a fool of himself in getting overprotective, Hera stepped in yet again.

"With all due respect, Senator, I grew up in a war camp. Sometimes there aren't any other options for those who can't bear the thought of being separated from their children."

"Well, we have been giving the option for those who wish it to have their little ones brought to Alderaan," Organa pointed out.

"And I'm sure Alderaan would be a wonderful place for any child to grow up, but then Arkalia wouldn't be with her family," Hera pointed out. "Her family...really couldn't bear to part with her."

"Is that what you were planning on doing with the children of the other women on Base One?" Zel asked, quickly drawing confused looks from not only Zeb, but Ezra and Mothma and Organa, as well.

"I...Zelina, what do you mean by that?" Mothma pressed.

Looking confused herself, Zelina looked to Orianne and Hera, whose faces had both gone pale. A hand slowly drawing up to her mouth in shock, the young medic began to ramble. "They...because they didn't know. That's why they- Orianne, Hera, I am so sorry."

Orianne sighed, shaking her head as she closed her eyes. "It's you, Zel. I should've known you would notice. I should've talked to you about it. But- just because I'm curious, how did you know?"

"It's...the- the way you walk's different," the young Mandalorian began to explain awkwardly. "I noticed it with the Lasat women...back on Atollon, so I did some research on my own. The ligaments in the hips loosen after the first trimester to allow the uterus to expand to accommodate growth and labor and it- it changes the way you walk. I first noticed it with Hera when we got back from Mandalore...then you...and...I just assumed everybody knew at this point and I'd missed the news while offworld."

Hera managed a small laugh at this. "And already this girl knows more about my body than I do."

"Hold up," Zeb started, looking between the two women. "You're- pregnant? That's what I've been smelling?"

"You and Kanan are...gonna have a kid?" Ezra echoed, just as shocked.

Looking between the two of them, Hera shrugged and smiled helplessly. "Surprise?"

Moving almost in sync, the two of them went to hug her.

"Why didn't you tell us-"

"Does Kanan know? What do-"

"Boys, boys!" Hera struggled to rein them in. "I appreciate that you're excited, but now might not be the best time," she told them, nodding out to the rest of the room.

"So you are- both expecting children?" Mothma asked, looking between the two of them with a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes.

"Yes," Orianne said, her gaze durasteel. "I wasn't- so much keeping it from you as I was still trying to figure out how to broach the subject."

"Jun?" the former senator asked with pitying surety.

"That's right. So you can see why...not continuing the pregnancy isn't really an option. For me or Kiri or Teslime."

"Kiri and Teslime as well?" Mothma asked, her eyes going wide. "How many other women from Phoenix Cell are expecting?"

"Evie, Meryt, and Vi'shal," the chief medic declared, almost daring her superiors to find fault with her actions with her tone alone.

"Seven?" Organa confirmed with barely concealed amazement. "Seven of you?"

"In fairness, most of these women didn't expect that a human partner could impregnate them, so they'd been less than careful with their contraceptive avenues. I personally think the first lesson that ought to be taught in any health class is that a human can breed with virtually anything if given enough opportunity."

"And yourself, Doctor? If, as you say, you were aware of this fact?" Mothma asked her.

"Underestimated my own body, I suppose," the Zabrak admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I thought I was getting too old for it. My cycle's come less and less...but I should've known that 'less' isn't 'never'. That and it was just- a very passionate night for everyone. We all knew we were on the edge of something, so we didn't give much thought to the leap we took. I had the conversation with everyone at the onset of all this and those who wanted not to continue did so. The rest of us...very much want our children."

"You mean to say there were more initially?" Organa asked, the surprise in his gaze beginning to shift to a look of amusement.

"Yes, three more. The first two chose not to continue and one has since lost her pregnancy. We're all very much aware of the risk...that even to choose to continue, we still might not ever meet these little ones."

"And yourself, Captain Syndulla?" Mothma asked the Twi'lek. "If anyone here might be the voice of reason, I would expect it to be you."

Hera sighed, seeming to consider her words a long moment before speaking.

"I would've been...once," she started slowly, looking to Arkalia still crawling around on Organa's shoulders. "But...well...then I met a kit and things changed. In my experience, these things never come out quite how we expect them to. The timing's never right, and how could we expect it to be? This is something Kanan and I want, and if we don't do this now, who's to say if we'll ever get another chance? So yes, I did choose to continue. None of us expect any kind of special treatment; I know these women. We'll work until we literally can't."

"That I don't doubt," the former senator said, her expression becoming something of a resigned smile as she looked between Hera and Bail. "After all, I suppose some of the most dedicated champions we know would have been mothers."

Senator Organa's expression grew saddened and distant at this. He smiled at Arkalia when she flopped down into his arms, but the look was still sorrowful. "Indeed they would have been. And I know something about the need to safeguard the next generation. Yes, but I do know about that," he said quietly, almost more to himself than any of them. Then he brightened his smile for the kit in his arms, pressing his forehead to hers one more time before moving to hand her to Alex, and Zeb didn't miss how his mate held their little girl just that little bit tighter. Almost immediately, the senator was speaking again.

"I saw what my own wife went through in her efforts to conceive. I could never ask a woman to end a desired pregnancy. So you will all have the full support of this Alliance and, of course, the option for your children to be brought up in safety on Alderaan, if that is your desire."

"Thank you, Senator. We'll make sure the others know about your offer," Orianne said, inclining her head just a little in respect.

"And Zelina," Bail continued, shifting his focus to the young Mandalorian, "that was some very astute attention to detail on your part."

Zel blushed lightly, plainly embarrassed by the attention, but she didn't look away. "Well...you have to be sharp if you want to keep people alive out here."

"I also understand that you were the agent to enter deep cover aboard the Demon's Run, and that you were of great assistance to our forces in the fight against the Imperial puppet regime on Mandalore."

"It's...what my father would've wanted, I think," she offered in explanation. "He wasn't always welcome on Mandalore, but- he always thought of it as home."

"Your father was...Sariel Arsane?" the senator asked slowly, some old memory sparking to life in his eyes.

"Yes."

"Of course. I had the honor of knowing the man, back during the wars. Although I could never support him officially, your father never gave me cause to doubt that he worked for the highest good of this galaxy and its people. He was a good man. I was greatly aggrieved to learn of his death."

"Thank you...Senator," she said, her gaze dropping to the floor for the first time.

"From what I see, you are very much like him. I understand you've become a medic yourself."

"I do what I can. What I know, I learned from him, and from Orianne," she said, offering her mentor a smile when she looked back up at her. "But I still feel like...there's more I could be doing, that there's so much I don't know."

"As I have little doubt anyone who truly possesses the healing touch also feels," Bail said, inclining his head down just a little ways to properly look her in the eye. "Doctor Rihima's been telling me she believes you would benefit from some formal schooling. What do you think?"

Zelina's eyes widened at this, and she blinked in shock for several moments, glancing between the senator and the chief medic.

"I...if such a thing were possible, I'd- my- deepest wish...is to become the very best doctor I can," she said.

"Then if you believe you are up to the challenge, I would be only too happy to make the arrangements for you to complete a formal course of graduate study on Alderaan."

Zeb didn't think he'd ever seen the young woman look so shocked and so thrilled all in one expression. For a moment, all she could seem to do was stare at the politician in wonder.

"I...is that even...can you spare a medic that long?" she finally asked her mentor. "We need every hand."

"Be that as it may, I believe your education is a wise investment for us," Orianne told her seriously, though her expression quickly shifted to something wry at her next words. "Besides, you'll already know more than a lot of those core world upstarts from day one. I'll bet you could learn what you needed to know and be back with us inside of a year," she finished with a proud smile.

"I- I don't know what to say..."

"Say yes, you idiot. You know it's what you want," Ezra egged her on.

Ultimately, Zelina managed a stilted nod, her eyes growing bright as she ran to Orianne, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Then she moved on to Bail, a little more subdued, but still hugging the much taller man.

"Thank you! Thank you for this chance. I swear I won't let you down. Any of you."

"Oh, I know better than to underestimate a seventeen-year-old with drive and vision," the senator responded with a fond smile.

"I- but I..." Zelina started, suddenly sounding nervous as she backed away. "Could I possibly be allowed to delay my start until Hera and Orianne have their babies? I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience or anything; it's just- they've both been so kind to me. No one else knows obstetrics as well as I do by now. I want to be here for them when they need me."

"I don't see why not," Bail Organa agreed.

The specifics began to be discussed as the group headed out of the room, and Ezra went with them, beginning to bug Hera with baby questions. This left Zeb and Alex alone with Arkalia, who was beginning to kneed her claws expectantly into Alex's jacket.

"You don't seem all that shocked," Zeb noted as he watched them. "Did you know about this?"

"About Hera being pregnant? I...suspected," he conceded. "There were certain things I noticed about her and Kanan's behavior toward each other since he returned from Mandalore. But it wasn't exactly my place to be speculating. And I certainly didn't know about any of the others being pregnant."

"Not all that surprised, really. There was- a lot goin' on the night before the battle. I just didn't notice much 'cuz I was hung up havin' to say goodbye to this one," he said, reaching over to scratch behind Arkalia's ears. The kit gave a pleased trill at this, smiling as she began to purr.

"And thankfully we never have to concern ourselves with that ever again," Alex said, smiling at him over the top of the baby girl's head.

"Sure don't. So what do you think, little squeak? Lunch before your Dan-Dans head back to work?"

"Ba! Eh gi gah!" the little girl sang, waving all of her awkward limbs in the air, insistent that Alex let her climb again, and he finally did as they headed out of the room. Zeb knew they were both always reluctant to let her go, maybe more so than even other parents would be, but...well...he supposed it was part of being a parent – learning to let the little ones stand on their own.

Or climb on their own, as the case may be.

XxX

"Well, you do have to admit, it could've gone much worse."

A few weeks following Zelina's accidental reveal of Phoenix Cell's unlooked for next generation and things around Base One had settled as much as they ever did. Hera's baby bump was properly starting to show and things were made much easier now that she didn't have to be so secretive about her checkups with Orianne. Having just finished up with the latest one, the pilot was getting her coveralls re-situated as she slipped off the doctor's exam table.

"Certainly it could have," the Zabrak said as she got her tools back in order, ready for Zelina when the young Mandalorian came to conduct her checkup. "Still not exactly the way I would've liked for that to play out."

Before Hera could say anything in response, the door to the medical ward slid open, revealing a wild-eyed Mart Mattin.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to have a kid?" he demanded.

On the subject of things going worse...

"That was rude, Mart," Orianne scolded him, not quite looking at the boy. "You shouldn't have just barged in here before my session was finished."

"Sorry," Mart hastily fired off to Hera. "But I wouldn't have gotten ahold of you any other way. I come back from a month of recruiting runs and I have to hear from Sabine and Ezra that-"

"I didn't- get the chance to," the medic interrupted before he could say more. Finally looking up at him, Hera saw a look of reticent sorrow in her eyes as she continued. "We weren't telling anybody during the first few months...because that's when the chance of losing the baby is the highest. I could've hardly survived...if I'd lost it. You'd just lost your uncle. If things had- gone badly...how could I tell you you'd lost your cousin, too?"

Hera could tell that Mart had been ready to be angry; he always was. But when Orianne offered him that bit of compassion, the anger drained from his face, leaving him looking lost and unsure. The Zabrak sighed heavily as the pair stood across from each other, neither really certain what to do.

"I know it's...difficult...to try to define what we are to each other. After all, officially, I wasn't anything to Jun Sato apart from his chief medic. I just...loved him," she said quietly, and it was the first time Hera had ever heard her say it out loud. "And I hope I can love his child just as well."

For a long while, Mart just stood staring at his would-be aunt. Ultimately, all he could seem to make himself say was, "Do you know...if it's a boy or a girl?"

Orianne shook her head. "I don't know yet. But this next round of tests should tell us. Think you're ready to be a cousin?"

Offering up a small smile, Mart nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

They didn't hug or anything of that sort. Neither was quite ready for that. But it was still nice to see them smiling at each other, trying to be a family. But as Hera watched them, she could still see the lingering grief in Orianne's eyes, and found herself thinking that she simply couldn't imagine what that must be like – to lose the one you love, only to find out later that you were going to have their child. If Kanan hadn't survived Atollon...hadn't known he was going to be a father...

It was too horrible to even contemplate.

XxX

By dint of being outlaws, the Cloud-Riders were not easy to find.

But after clandestinely pulling in a few tips from Hondo and a few other war era contacts, Ahsoka managed to find herself on the Outer Rim world of Zeshareem, being led into the temporary camp of the notorious marauders.

While the Cloud-Riders had been one of the first groups to enter into open rebellion against Imperial rule, they had never properly joined up with the nascent Alliance. They had always preferred a certain level of ability to act within their own ways, which the not-Jedi completely understood, but it had often made communications between the two groups difficult.

But now...now that very thing would make the marauders her perfect allies in her quest to prevent her stubborn, thick-headed captain from getting himself killed for no reason.

Mira had been anxious ever since they'd touched down on Zeshareem and Ahsoka could hear her whimpering in her sling, her tiny hands reaching out to grip at her lekku. Ahsoka sent a wave of calm to her daughter through the Force, soothing her as best she could as they were led through the camp, past Cloud-Riders of varying races working on speeders, honing weapons, or preparing the evening meal.

Rather than being led to some sort of audience space as one might expect for being taken to meet a leader, the former Jedi was brought to one of the swoop stations, where two people were working on the vehicle docked there. A young woman with coppery red hair and a boy who couldn't have been much older than ten. While he had the same freckles and the coppery tint to his darker hair as the woman, he also bore features Ahsoka knew well – the golden eyes, the proud nose, the firm, thin line of a mouth, and the sharp, angular contours of his face. A face born by millions of men, but inherited from one. At the genetic level, she supposed, this boy was Mira's brother.

"Not too tight, Sora," the woman warned him, her demeanor mostly solemn, but still with a small air of amusement. "If that coil overheats, the whole rig will blow up in your face. You won't be much good to anyone if you're dead."

The boy's face scrunched up tighter as he continued to work on the bike's engine. Ahsoka had to hold back a small laugh when his tongue peeked between his lips in concentration.

"What're you worried for?" he finally demanded, clearly growing impatient, though he didn't lift his attention from his work. "I bet Dad could fly it like this."

"Perhaps he could, but this is a little different than going out for a joyride with Dad. What makes for a thrill out in the canyons becomes a liability when you have blaster bolts flying by your engine. If you aren't careful about-"

"Nag, nag, nag," the boy, Sora, grouched, though he did manage a small smile for the woman when he glanced up at her. "You'd think I'd never been on a bike before."

"Well, somebody's got to nag you, little jumper," she teased him, briefly squeezing his shoulder, and even though she didn't look up when she spoke again, her next words clearly weren't for him. "I understand you've been looking for me."

"I have," Ahsoka responded seamlessly.

"And what use could I be to someone claiming to be a Jedi?" Enfys Nest asked as she finally looked up at her, her expression unreadable.

"I am no Jedi," the former Padawan said firmly, "and I had not been for some time, even before the fall of the Republic. But I do know the Force."

"So you say," Nest said as she stepped away from the station, coming out to face her and accepting her lightsabers from one of her escorts. "But anyone can lay claim to such power."

"What is it that you want?" Ahsoka asked, vaguely tracking the woman as she moved around her, examining her weapons. "A demonstration?"

"Perhaps."

"Then would your brother mind holding my daughter?" she asked.

"Sora?"

"Sure," the boy said, carefully setting down his tools before stepping away from the station himself, coming to take Mira from her when she lifted the baby girl from her sling. She took only a moment to make certain Mira was all right with the switch before turning back to Enfys Nest, catching her sabers as the Cloud-Rider tossed them into the air.

The blades ignited the moment she gripped them, white energy blazing to life with a familiar hum and shriek. She heard Mira giggle in excitement somewhere behind her while Sora let out a small noise of amazement. Nest, meanwhile, had reached for an electrostaff, igniting it as she moved out into the central space of the work area. Ahsoka followed after her, her weapons held in her typical reverse grip.

Already having taken the measure of the space on the way through, she now took the measure of her opponent. The younger woman was a touch less implacable now, having seen her call her lightsabers to hand. No doubt she had heard stories of the Jedi from Sora's father. Nest was trying to take the measure of her now, beyond whether or not she was trying to deceive her. Ahsoka's own measure was that the young leader approved of what she saw, but still needed to ere on the side of caution. She was responsible for her people, after all.

Offering up an encouraging smile, the Togruta moved to engage the Cloud-Rider. Nest met her strike with a simple block from her staff, testing the strength she put into the blow. Ahsoka disengaged quickly, moving in for a lower strike, which her opponent flipped her staff to intercept.

Ahsoka then moved into a series of lightning strikes, whirling about the human woman in search of an opening. But Nest never left herself unguarded. Against what was surely an unfamiliar weapon, she kept her defense tightly woven, blocking each strike. Only rarely did she venture strikes of her own, which Ahsoka blocked easily with crossed blades.

In raw strength, it was plain the younger woman outstripped her. Continuing to simply allow her to defend would work in Nest's favor, ultimately causing Ahsoka to expend her energy and make a mistake. Disengaging from her opponent, the Togruta flipped up onto one of the empty swoop stations, balancing upon the tangled network of piping.

Nest looked up at her for a moment, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth before she attempted the jump herself. But where Enfys Nest had no connection to the Force, the repulsorlift boosters in her armor carried her the final distance into the rigging.

Sora cheered for his sister from below while Mira joined him with loud babbles and laughs of her own, little knowing or caring what was actually happening.

Almost immediately, the two women were engaged in their battle once more. Though Nest was still surefooted, used to combat on unsteady terrain, she was at a distinct disadvantage against an opponent like Ahsoka up here, so she had to abandon her tight defense, going for quick and fierce with her strikes, likely hoping for a swift victory.

Ahsoka entered something of a moving meditation as they battled back and forth across the chains and the piping, allowing the Force to guide her movements, wearing Nest down and forcing her to expend herself further and further, until the former Jedi's awareness drew her to an upcoming opening in the Cloud-Rider's movements. Grabbing a free-swinging chain, Ahsoka swung herself backward into the open air, forcing the younger woman to overstep in her efforts to land her latest blow.

Ahsoka swung back in quickly with a kick that both prevented Nest from falling from the rigging and forced her onto her back on the piping, allowing the Togruta to lay one of her blades across the Cloud-Rider's neck. Nest grinned up at her as she laughed.

"Somehow I get the feeling you're holding back on me. I think I would very much enjoy the opportunity to face you properly in the air...Ahsoka Tano."

The former Fulcrum agent returned the smile as she deactivated her lightsabers, holding a hand out to the Cloud-Rider leader. Enfys took the offered hand, but only pulled herself up so far as to be sitting on the piping. Ahsoka easily dropped down to sit beside her and when the other Cloud-Riders saw that all seemed to be well, they went back to whatever it was they had previously been doing. Sora stared uncertainly up at them for a moment, but when Enfys looked down at him with a reassuring smile, he opted to turn his attention to the baby girl in his arms.

"So you are no liar, at least, but I still don't quite understand," the human said as she looked at her. "What I had heard from Dodonna and Gerrera was that Ahsoka Tano was dead. Saw does not grieve for much and he was grieved to learn that."

"And it pains me to be a source of grief, but I am none other than," she began. "Why Ahsoka Tano isn't dead, though, is a story more complicated and dangerous than any of us presently has time for."

"So why did you come to me and not to the Alliance?" Enfys asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I understand you had a clone in your ranks," she said, not certain how to approach the situation other than head on.

"Skye," Enfys corrected her in a tone that Ahsoka immediately approved of. "His name is Skye, and I wouldn't yet go so far as to refer to him in the past tense."

"Well, that's some good news, at least. How long ago was he captured?"

"It's been five days," Enfys answered, a note of frustration and worry entering her voice. "I don't often see my riders taken captive. Out here, we are killed on sight. But for reasons I cannot fathom, the Empire wanted my father alive."

"Your father?" Ahsoka asked, raising an eyebrow in kind.

Enfys nodded. "Skye has been more father to me than whatever man seeded my mother's womb twenty-six years ago. And while she was alive, my mother loved him. So in all but blood, he is my father."

"And Sora is his son?" Ahsoka pressed, looking down on the two children. Sora had taken to dangling a small length of braided leather for Mira, and the tiny half-Togruta couldn't have been more delighted, squealing with joy as she tried to reach for the new toy.

"Yes. My little brother," Enfys returned with a fond smile. "The stars of my sky."

"How old is Sora?"

"Eleven. Why do you ask?"

Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief at her answer. That was, at least, one less thing she had to worry about.

"Mira...my little girl...is also a clone's child. I had been- concerned I might have to deal with accelerated aging. But if Sora's come up fine so far, I think she'll probably be all right."

Enfys nodded her understanding, her attention also on the pair of unknowing siblings. "It was something Skye worried over constantly...when my mother was pregnant with Sora...but she wanted so badly to have his child, and she was a strong-willed one, my mother."

"You have to be...to love one of the vode," Ahsoka said, her smile both fond and sad as she looked down on the scene below them. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to go to Rex herself. He was in so much pain, his heart crying out to her across distances. But to risk that would be to risk even greater harm to all of them. This was the only thing she could do for her love.

"Is that all you needed of me, then? To learn about my brother?" Enfys' voice was suddenly entering her thoughts once more.

"No. I believe I might be of some help in getting your father back. It's just...word of my presence cannot get back to the Alliance. Not yet."

"Then it will not. Not through me or mine, at least. What did you have in mind?"

"There's a clone currently with Spectre Cell in the Alliance...Mira's father. He'll be able to help. Infiltration is a somewhat stronger suit for the Spectres. You'll just need to get someone in touch with them."

"I believe I have just the Rider for the job, then. Failyn!" she called out before jumping down from the rigging. Ahsoka quickly followed her, but before she could see who the other woman had called over, she felt a smaller hand patting at her arm. Looking down, she saw Sora standing beside her.

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" he asked her, more than a little wide-eyed.

"Yes."

"Did you ever fight with my dad?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "I never fought with Skye that I'm aware of, but I fought beside many of his brothers, and they were- brave men," she said, a flash of old pain flickering in her heart at the memory of the graveyard she and Rex had dug after...the Order...Jesse... "They...deserved so much better than what we gave them. It makes me happy to know that even one of them managed to find a life for himself after...everything. I'm sure your father loves you more than he could possibly say," she finished, resting a hand on Sora's shoulder. The smile the boy offered her was both happy and a little worried. He had grown up in hardship, just like so many other children she'd known. He wasn't naive. He knew there was a very real chance he was never going to see his father again, but he still wanted to hope.

Their little moment was interrupted when Mira, apparently having decided she wasn't getting enough attention, began to tug on some bangle that was sewn into Sora's cloak.

"Hey, there. Careful with that," he scolded her with a laugh. "This is mine. You don't get to wear one of these until you have enough experience."

In my book, experience outranks everything.

Ahsoka felt her throat tighten at the flash of memory, quickly swallowing down the pang of love and sorrow. Sora Nest really was a vod's child.

"She seems to like you," the one-time Jedi said as she dropped to one knee beside the two children. "It usually takes her time to adjust to new people. But I suppose you're not really a stranger to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Mira's dad is also a clone. So, in a way, the two of you are family," she told him.

Something in her heart warmed at the smile that spread across the boy's face.

"You mean- it's not just me? I'm not the only one?"

"Nope. And there could be even more than the two of you out there somewhere."

"Enfys! Enfys, did you hear?!" Sora called to his sister, fairly beaming with excitement.

"I did, little jumper," his sister responded with a grin. "You're a big brother now. Not just a little one. Think you can handle the responsibility?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the boy said, straightening up as he took on a more solemn air, although there was an undeniable note of adoration on his face as he looked back down at Mira.

"Ahsoka?" Enfys called over to her, summoning her away from the precious sight. She moved to stand beside the Cloud-Rider leader, finding a Cathar girl standing with her. "This is Failyn. I believe she will be best-suited for the mission you have in mind. She has experience dealing with other cells."

She was young, was the first thing Ahsoka would've said about her. At a guess, she would've placed her around Sabine and Ezra's age. What of her body that was not concealed by her heavy clothing was covered in light brown fur. Her face was framed by hair a much darker shade of brown and her catlike eyes shone green beneath the lights.

She was exactly as Ahsoka had seen her in her vision.

"So," she began, taking the measure of the young Cloud-Rider with a pleased nod, "think you're ready to handle a few knuckleheads?"

"I'm ready for anything," she answered with a nod of her own, still held somewhat in sway by the blind confidence of youth, but also with a touch of the jaded experience Ahsoka had feared would be lacking.

"Good. That's what I like to hear."

XxX

(A/N) All righty, and we are back in the saddle. Ready to launch into the final arc? Cuz it's gonna be one helluva ride. I'm hoping not to take too long on this last handful of chapters but, well, it all rather depends on how the world turns, how my own body turns, and how hours at the bookstore turn or don't turn, along with whether or not my takes off. In the meantime, have some Lasana,

Astyr revat falna bogtyl - The strength to hold back the darkness

Gal L'ashkerrir an - And I love you

Zai an tef mellir falna gal na sillir sillerir an kerra zera - So you just lie back and let me bring you in right

Val Ashla...val lira arbani sav La rever areh, La san an s'ahn gal an san nivsahn...sa syv inkan djasun ni kishin - By the Ashla...by all things that I hold sacred, I am yours and you are mine...from this breath until my last

Gal kol syv ithran, La garrer ni ashkerra - And with this kiss, I pledge my love

Na aribir ka an vuuser, sanstyr okorre - Tell me what you want, pretty captain

La vuuser hashat an kir'a...tef kith sav - I want to see you come...just like that

Nel ni okorre kalliri - As my captain commands

Ashyn. Z'ashyn - Good. So good

La orror alhasha zor ashkerryl talima nel an s'ahn - I have never seen such a lovely cock as yours

Ashkerryl - Lovely

Nivsahn. Lira nivsahn - Mine. All mine

Eri. Eri...lira an s'ahn...- Yes. Yes...all yours...

Sultir an alnirin? Sultir ni nali unir ashyn zalv talima'an? - Do you like it? Do my hands feel good on your cock?

...eri...eri...Uniri z'ashyn...Alex...ni ashkerrana...ni Alex...ah...shan Ashla...- ...yes...yes...Feels so good...Alex...my lover...my Alex...ah...sweet Ashla...

Ka san La? - What am I?

N'amser, ashkerra. La vuuser an na kerra. La vuuser an na kerra mal - Open me, beloved. I want you inside me. I want you inside me now

Nel ni ashkerra kalliri - As my love commands

eri...vuuser an - yes...want you

Sim La ashkerrir an, gal La san hashat sirin sav an alka an vuuser - But I love you, and I am to see to it that you have what you want

Alex'ika - Dear Alex

La velka orebir se orrab ashynè zei ni astyr, ashkerryl boosan - I could ask for nothing better than my strong, lovely warrior

One other note I have. The book Zeb and Kal were reading to Ari? 'I've Loved You Since Forever' is in fact a real picture book. It's just so adorable, so I had to create a Star Wars version for them to read.