(A/N: Before anyone can say it…yeah. I know Bo-Katan isn't Sabine's Mom. This is a fun little two-shot that I wrote that is tied to my story, Flaming Rebellion. When I started writing that story after S1 (when we didn't know anything about Sabine's heritage) I guessed that she was Bo's daughter. For the purposes of that story, and this two-shot, I'm going with it. So please don't be that person reminding me about Countess Ursa Wren. I know. All rights belong to Disney, LucasFilm and Dave Filoni's brain. Enjoy!)
"I don't know Lux." I confess, unease still bubbling in my stomach. "I'm not even going to be here for that long. I'm in, then out."
Lux barely turns to face me, smiling. "Have some faith in yourself Carid. Please. I know you can do this. And yeah, I know you're still studying on Alderaan."
"It's a time thing, not that I don't want to help. I just don't think I'll be capable of doing this until maybe a year from now. Maybe two." I reiterate to him.
"BANG!" A loud explosion travels thru my closed window, causing me to jump and for Lux to look over.
It's still getting worse.
"It's honestly kind of a miracle that I could even come home Lux now that the Duchess Satine died. Mandalore is considered a failing state."
"Onderon is the same thing." Lux counters. "But they know my name, and people know yours. You're the prodigious ship architect and builder hailing from the Academy here in Sundari. You'll be fine. I wouldn't come to you if I didn't believe in you."
But I don't have any friendly contacts with the Kuat Drive Yards, or any other shipyards. I know Lux's Onderonian resistance needs air superiority, that's a fundamental fact of war: Who controls the skies controls the battles. And if I could find a way to do that, I would want to help here too.
No Carid.
She's fine. And don't think about her anyway.
My apartment floor shakes from the aftershocks of the blast as I turn away from Lux, take a few steps and refill my water glass before returning to the holo. "And why are you here again? Aren't you supposed to be on Onderon?"
"No, Saw has things under control there. I'm more of a support figure than a frontline fighter." Lux says simply.
"You're not telling me the whole truth." I call him out. "You can trust me Lux. What's really going on?"
I know you too well. I can tell there's a lot more to it.
Lux lets loose a heavy sigh, then turns away from the holo to look at me directly. "I know what's coming."
"How?" I blurt out in disbelief.
"Remember the Jedi girl I told you about?" he smirks at me.
"Yeah…? But she's a Jedi."
This is Mandalorian business.
Lux brings up his hand to silence me. "There's going to be a Republic Invasion. The groundwork is being laid right now. They already have an operative here."
The Togruta. The one that I thought I recognized. She got on my transport on Alderaan and came here.
"Togruta. I saw her get on my transport on Alderaan." I breathe, putting the pieces together.
Lux smiles, looking quite pleased. "Her name is Ahsoka."
"That's why you're here."
"She contacted me, and asked me to join her here." Lux nods. "She asked me for my help, looking for recruits, volunteers for a dangerous mission to go take down the monster that killed the Duchess."
Volunteers for that?
"I don't know if you're going to find any. That's a big ask, Lux. That's almost a suicide mission, a death wish." I tell him as his face drops.
"I know." He answers, sounding resigned. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone would you?"
No. Not really.
"No." I reply. "You know I don't really know a lot of people on the battlefield. But back up, this invasion."
Lux straightens up, refocusing. "Yes, I don't know numbers. But Ahsoka is here scouting, getting a feel for things. She's been sent by the Jedi Order, apparently being quite well compensated for it."
"So the Jedi are involved."
Lux smiles. "Maybe you could see them in action this time. It's unbelievable."
"Will I get to meet her this time?" I tease Lux, who immediately starts going red.
"She's…different. Usually you have to pamper and dote on girls. Not Ahsoka. She'll put you on your back without blinking." Lux cracks a smile. "She's a fighter."
"But will I get to meet her? Or will that be at the wedding?" I keep giving Lux a hard time.
Lux jokingly shoves my shoulder. "I hate you."
"Wham Wham Wham!"
Uh oh.
Lux's hand automatically flies to his blaster clipped on his belt. "Hang on…I got it."
"I'll hang back." Lux says, suddenly as tense as a taut wire. I shoot him a reassuring smile before walking to my front door and peeking out the fishhole in the door.
Uhh…oh no.
"We're okay." I call out to Lux. "It's a friend."
"Well let me shut off the kriffing holo first…" I hear him say, sounding irritated just before I open the door.
I smile warmly. "Hey."
Bo returns my smile, looking anxious. "Sorry to just show up with no notice. Can I come in?"
"Yeah, c'mon. I told you that you don't have to give notice. Just come over." I say as she slips inside and starts taking her boots off at the door.
"Yeah, but still—Oh! Kriff, sorry. Hi." Bo stumbles over her words as Lux appears in the small hallway.
I hate how small this apartment is.
Lux smiles warmly, slipping a datadisk into his pocket. "Hi. I'm Lux. You a friend of Carid's?"
"Yeah, who are you?" Bo replies, keeping her guard completely up.
"Lux Bonteri. I'm from Onderon. Met Carid here years ago when he was on my home planet studying some of our shipbuilders."
Bo immediately turns and gently shoves me. "Nerd."
"It's true." I say defensively.
"You're the son of the Late Senator, Mira." Bo states like fact.
"Mina, but yes."
Bo immediately changes her tone. "I'm very sorry for your loss. And for the turmoil your homeworld is in. You must be very worried."
"No need to be worried if you could potentially have some solutions. I'll leave you two be."
No!
I quickly jump between Bo and Lux. "No, you can stay, you're fine."
"No, I'll be around. I'm still planet side for the next few days." Lux smiles. "I'll comm you, but if things change I need to see you before you leave for Alderaan again Carid."
"Absolutely." I incline my head in response.
Lux politely smiles in Bo's direction as he slides around us and opens the door. "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise." Bo says, tone stronger than steel.
Wall is still up.
Lux shuts the door gently behind him, and I can almost literally see Bo relax, lowering her wall. "Sit, rest. How are you?" I say quickly, causing us both to leap into action.
"That would be nice, thank you. I'm alright, I guess." Bo says, starting towards the living room and couch. "You're back."
I smile. "Yeah. My mother asked me to come back."
"How is she?"
Mom and Dad are worried sick about me, even though they're the ones in actual danger just by staying here.
I shake my head forcibly, cutting the image out of my mind before smiling for Bo. "They're both fine. Worried about me. I wish they'd go to some small planet until all this madness calms down."
"Where are they?" Bo asks, concealing her interest.
No. I'm not adding to your list of people you're protecting.
"Up in the Tulvaree Mountains."
Bo's eyebrows snap down as she heavily sits in the couch. "And you're here in Sundari?"
"BANG!" More screams along with another explosion penetrate the walls and closed window, causing Bo to go pale.
"Yeah…are you alright?" I ask.
She looks…small. Meek. Diminutive.
Bo nods. "Yeah, just been a long couple of days. We have no idea where Maul is, only finding hives of men loyal to him. We're losing men in bulk."
"Are you hungry?" I ask self-consciously.
It'll give me something to do with her here.
"If you have something, yeah. That'd be great." She says in an unassuming way that sets off alarm bells in my head.
"When's the last time you ate?" I quickly ask. Immediately, her eyes find the threadbare carpet. "Bo." I pepper her.
"I've been sick." She says very quietly.
"Answer the question." I ask her, very firmly.
I'm cooking regardless, it just depends if it's a snack or a full blown meal.
She hesitates, then whispers. "Two days." Before I swing open my cabinet.
Okay, she's sick. Soup, some rice maybe, toast maybe. A multivitamin, take her temperature if she'll let me…
"Carid…you don't have to do this. That isn't why I came." I hear Bo say, almost pleading with me.
"I don't care." I reply. "I don't have much, didn't get to go down to the market today so I don't have everything—"
Bo cuts me off. "You wouldn't have wanted to be down there today. It…wasn't great."
Oh no.
I pause for a brief second, then grab the soup I do have and grab a pan. "Is vegetable soup alright?"
"Yeah." Bo says after pausing. "That sounds great."
"Rice? Toast?" I add on.
Bo shakes her head. "Just soup is fine. Thank you." I stop what I'm doing and lock her down in a staring contest.
"Fine, rice. Not too much though, unless you want some."
Lux and I ate sandwiches before she came, I'm fine.
I answer "I've already eaten." causing her face to fall. "Do you need anything? Laundry?"
I know she's been out fighting. Might want a shower or something.
Bo opens her mouth, then stops herself. "I don't want to be a burden. You're almost never here Carid."
"You're not bothering me. What is it?" I stand my ground and immediately see her resistance fold.
"I do need to do laundry. Catch a shower maybe. All my stuff is in the hall."
I smile. "You know where my machine is. If you want to wash what you've got on I've got some stuff in my room you can wear if you want."
"I…" Bo immediately looks overwhelmed, lowering her head. "Yeah, I'll do that and be right back."
"Make yourself comfortable!" I tell her as she retreats back toward my room.
I know she's going for those sweats and a large shirt. She always does.
She did last time.
No…no. She was a mess last time, and who could blame her. Fighting for 96 straight hours then essentially collapsing into my living room and straight into an emotional mess, having seen far, far too much of Mandalore being torn to shreds while she failed to save her.
Shaking my head to refocus and get the mental pictures of how beaten down and battered Bo was last time out of my head, I start the rice and soup while the sounds of my door closing, opening again and the clanging of my washer floats to me before Bo traipses back in.
"Thank you. Really." Bo says, almost looking like a completely different person out of her armor and in my dark grey sweats and my Cronau Academy t-shirt.
I smile back, then pry my eyes away from her. "No problem. You can always do stuff here if you need to. I gave you my spare key right?"
"Yeah, but…I don't want to have somebody track me here."
Oh yeah. Well, I see her point.
"How's that going by the way?" I try to ask gently.
Bo sighs, then moves to sit at my tiny table. "No assassination attempts this week. So far, so that's good." She barely laughs, causing me to smile. "Just a lot of brutal fighting getting all of us nowhere."
"I'm sorry." I say, not knowing what else to say. Bo smiles, but says no more as I see her start building her wall again.
Damn. Think Carid.
"Food's almost ready. Go sit on the couch, I'll bring it to you." I volunteer, which causes her to look at me wearing a guilty face before she complies and walks over to the couch and flicks on the holo aimlessly.
All she's known is fighting. War, conflict. This is way out of her comfort zone, to be with somebody in an apartment just trying to be normal. I know she's trying to be normal.
I quickly fill a bowl with soup, another with rice, put a multivitamin and a few painkillers and a allergy medicine on a tray and take it to her. "Eat every bite. What do you want to drink."
She takes the tray, and I see her eyes start welling up again. "Uhm…I'll have some of that energy drink you always keep lying around."
X-Lite Pro.
I nod once, then grab a grape bottle for her out of my conservator and bring it to her, then pull up a kitchen cahir to keep her company.
"Now Bo…" I start, not knowing how to say what I want to say before I stop myself.
Bad idea.
She stops midbite as she's ravenously already downed half of the soup. "Yeah? Sorry…just hungry."
"I can make more if you want." I volunteer.
"That'd be great. Now what is it?" She questions me.
I shake my head while getting up to put more soup and rice on the stove.
"Carid. Please."
"No Bo. I shouldn't have said anything. I apoligize." I say humbly.
I saw her eyes, and how much she's hurting right now and just took a step too far.
"Tell me, please." She reiterates as I start the rest of that container of soup. I pause, then keep my eyes on the floor as I walk back to my seat.
"I…I know you put up a wall to protect yourself. But you know I can see thru that wall. You're upset, I can see it." I say, then glance up to see Bo avoid my eyes. "I know…last time happened. But I'm still going to be here as a friend for you. Because I care a lot about you, and you need somebody in this war Bo. If you want me to be…I'll be right here."
Let me be there, please.
A choked off sob causes me to look up and see Bo moving to crawl into my lap. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay." I say, taken aback as Bo crawls right onto my lap. "What's wrong?"
Bo sniffles, then lays her head on my shoulder and looks at me. "I'm sorry I interrupted your meeting. What did Lux want you to do?"
I can trust her.
"Lux asked me if I can do something for his resistance movement. They're short on ships, and have no contacts."
"That's a big ask of you." She says into my shirt, holding onto me tight. "Do you know anyone that could help?"
"A couple of my instructors may know someone. But I don't personally." I confess, then frown.
Bo peels herself off my shirt, then smiles. "I believe in you. I'm sure you'll come up with some solution. It doesn't have to be a large company I'm sure."
"Yeah. Maybe. But if I find someone, I want to see if I can help you that way." I say, then watch as Bo's face goes from intent concentration to shock.
"But…you don't have to do that. It would help, but you…"
I smile, knowing where she's going with this. "I know. I'm never here."
The last time I was here Mom and Dad said Death Watch was in the city. I came home to fight if I had to, even though I'm a very average soldier. Next thing I know, the Duchess is dead, then Pre Vizla is dead, some monster named Maul is in charge and Bo limped to my door.
"It's really good to see you, by the way." I confess, then pull her close for another hug. "I missed talking to you."
Bo laughs in my arms, but collapses into them nevertheless. "I missed you too. Is the Academy going okay?"
"Yeah, I love it. But it's completely shut off from the war. Going from there to here is…jarring isn't doing it any justice."
"Is Alderaan as pretty as they say it is?" She asks with a sniffle.
I nod, then smile. "There's more though. I got some inside information."
"At the Academy?" Bo's eyebrows snap down bak into severe concentration.
Shaking my head, I frown. "No, Lux. The invasion you asked for is coming." Instantly, Bo freezes up, then collapses off me.
"I…knew it'd go this way. It's going to hurt so bad…" She says, sounding distressed.
"But we'll be free." I counter. "Right?"
"It'd…It'd all depend on the elections." She sighs heavily. "Do you have any details?"
I nod. "There's supposed to be a Jedi here, but I don't know anything about who."
"A Jedi? Old? Have a beard?" She asks.
"Lux didn't say anything but a Togruta." Bo suddenly freezes up, then lays back down, legs still around my waist.
"Ahsoka Tano."
"Huh?" I ask.
"I…I had a fight or two with her while I still served Vizla and Dooku." She says, then sighs. "I'm going to have to find her and plead that I'm on her side now."
I smile, trying to reassure her. "She'll believe you. I know she will."
"WHAM!"
Suddenly I'm slammed into the couch by Bo hugging me like her life depends on it. "Hey…you sure you're alright? I…don't know how to say it."
"Try." She says stuffily.
"You seem all found up and sensitive. Which isn't really you." I stumble around my words. "Well, not normally. I know you can be sensitive and kind but—"
"I'm pregnant."
Involuntarily, my entire body seizes up as my mind goes blank from shock.
Pregnant? Like…a baby?
She's going to have a child?
"You're the father. You're the only person I've been with in months." She whispers, tears coming down her cheeks.
…
By the gods.
I…
Taking a shaky breath as Bo clambers off me my mind begins to race.
I…I need to finish school as quickly as possible. Okay. My dream of getting a Doctoral degree in Hyperspace studies and applications is dead.
Mom and Dad are going to kill me. But they'll love Bo. I love Bo. I…
I can't believe this.
I need to get back here as soon as possible so I can do my duty as this baby's father. And Bo needs to know that I'm here for her no matter what.
"Carid…" Bo sobs.
A Masters in Hyperspace Engineering is enough to get me a good job here on Mandalore at MandalMotors, but that's in Keldabe. My family is here, Bo…doesn't really—
"Carid!" Bo snaps me out of my train of thoughts, bawling. "Say something!"
"Oh. I…I'm just thinking over here what I need to do. You…you're sure. Right?"
Bo nods, still crying uncontrollably. "Three tests. All positive."
"I…" I trail off.
I have to say it. I have to take that leap of faith with Bo. I've known her for two years, we've always been very close…
"Carid?" Bo squaks, then wipes her eyes. "What are you thinking? Please talk to me."
I nod, then swallow the lump in my throat. "Okay…okay. Here goes."
"Here goes wha—" She starts before I cut her off.
"I love you. Bo…I do." I say, then swallow nervously again. "I have for awhile, but you didn't give me any sort of a sign until the last time we saw each other, and then…yeah and now you're pregnant. I want to be there. I want to be the father. Don't push me away." I beg her. "Please."
The love of my life simply stays frozen on my lap, tears dripping down her face.
"Bo…I'm sorry if I'm coming on strong. But I did this. And I love you, to the bottom of my heart. I want to be there for you, no matter what. I'll finish school as soon as I can, move back here, get a job and—" I ramble until I'm shut up by Bo kissing me on the lips and pushing us both down onto my old couch.
…
"Yes." She breathes, then kisses me again.
Yes?!
YES! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
"Seriously?" I gasp out once we separate again. Immediately she nods.
"Yes. I didn't know you loved me…" She whispers, crying harder than ever.
I nod blankly. "Yeah. For awhile."
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks, sounding heartbroken. "Carid…I love you too. I would have given it a shot!"
It wouldn't have had to come to this.
"It's never just that easy. I didn't want to lose you. I…I can't believe it." I say, then laugh.
Bo laughs as well, cracking a huge, ecstatic smile. "Yeah…me neither."
"Pregnant." I say, one more time.
She nods. "Pregnant."
I'm gonna be a Daddy.
I'm gonna be a Dad!
I laugh, then grab Bo and kiss her senselessly. She reciprocates the action enthusiastically, causing us to fall back onto the couch before we kiss for I don't know how long.
"SIZZZZ…SIZZZZ…"
OH DAMN. THE SOUP.
"Oh I've burned the ever living hell out of that…" I scramble up, dropping Bo on my couch as she just starts laughing.
"It's an omen!"
"No it's not!" I reply as the vegetable soup has boiled over, making an enormous mess. "I think I should make you something else."
Bo laughs once again before flashing a thrilling smile. "I can think of one thing."
Oh come on.
"You need to eat."
"Fine, yeah. I'm still starving. What do you have?" She asks, hopping off the couch and wiping her tears before joining me in this kitchen.
This tiny kitchen. In my tiny apartment.
Me.
I can't believe it.