Title: An Unexpected Song Series: #1 Shades of Gray
Author: Felicia Zezili
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Andra has always viewed the world around her in black and white, good or bad. But she begins to see shades of gray when she notices changes in the man that she trusts most and begins to trust a man who nearly destroyed everything she loved.
Category: EU/MAJOR AU Drama/Angst A/D and A/X romance
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (as if you didn't know) or any of the characters from Star Wars (again a big surprise)
Time Frame: a few months after JA #8
Author's notes: I was originally going to start this out with Xanatos surviving the acid pool but after some thought I figured he'd only come out looking all burnt and unpleasant and as vain as that sound, I couldn't have that. So instead of jumping into the acid pool at the end of JA#8 he was captured and taken to Thani to be put on trial. With that said, enjoy and most of all be open-minded!
Prologue – Unhappy Anniversary
Andra walked along the path beside the memorial wall in the city of Thani on the planet Telos. The white marble and the gold plated plaques glistened in the mid-afternoon sun. She passed mourners as they paid their respects to loved ones and maybe placed a flower or other small trinket in the slot that was carved out under each name plate. To anyone else who looked at her they would probably think her out of step in this place of mourning. The young woman seemed serene but they didn't know that it was all a façade. She had learned to hide her emotions well. But being here she could feel her resolve slowly slipping away.
As she drew closer to her destination it felt like time was slowing. She had only been here once after his death but she remembered too well where his nameplate was located. She suddenly realized that she had stopped walking. Andra's mind willed her legs to move forward but they would not obey. There was a sudden moment in her abdomen. She looked down and her hand drifted over the bulge that protruded her stomach. "I wish I was as eager about this as you are." She muttered.
A strong but gentle hand came to her shoulder as a familiar male voice said, "Are you all right?"
"Well, I'm still standing aren't I? That's something going my way." Her voice cracked as she spoke.
"You don't have to be here."
Andra took a wobbly breath and turned slightly looking into the man's eyes. She lifted her chin getting back her resolve. "Yes I do, Xanatos." She turned back and began walking again finding her legs not longer paralyzed. It had been three years since she left her home world of Telos and now the very thing that had forced her to leave was calling her back.
Chapter 1 – The Reason
(Three year earlier)
The sound of laughter and quick chatter filled the Caribou Café. Seated at a table that stood in the upstairs portion of the small restaurant, was a group of women eating, drinking and obviously celebrating some special occasion. Most of the noise in the establishment was coming from them.
One of the women stood up from her chair and held up her drink. She swayed slightly and there was a false glow in her cheeks. She cleared her throat as to signal for the others at the table to be silent. When the group had quieted, the woman pushed a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair behind her shoulder and said, "I would just like to say a few words about our benevolent leader." The woman looked at Andra with playful gray eyes. "Andra, you stood up against big business even when you were standing alone. You saved us all from our own stupidity and even found a little romance in the situation…we all mourn for you on that matter, Andra" a few chuckles bubbled around the table. Kia silenced them then turned back to her friend. "But most of all you forgave us all when we turned our backs on you." The other woman at the table held up their glasses in tribute.
"Thank you for that…encouraging speech, Kia." Andra said taking a sip of her drink. Kia sat back down at her seat and put her arm around Andra.
"Anything for a good friend." She lifted her glass to a passing waitress and called out, "Can we get another round of Cassandra Sunrises over here!"
"No, I'm going to calling it a night. I have work to get back to." Andra said lifting Kia's arm off her shoulder and standing. Kia immediately grabbed Andra's arm and pulled her back down in her seat.
"No, no, no. The night is still young! Your work will be there for you in the morning. Have a little fun! You don't want to get old and then look back at it all and go, 'Was that my life?' Besides after all that has happened we deserver a night to unwind and what's wrong with celebrating a little early on Xanatos' conviction?"
Andra looked from Kia to the others gathered at the table. She was surrounded. "All right." She said with a sigh of defeat. "But only for another hour!" The waitress came by and placed another round of Cassandra Sunrises in front of the group. Andra took up her glass and took a sip, the potent beverage sliding down her throat. "So Kia," Andra began, "What's your problem with Den?"
Kia shrugged lazily, "It's not really him I have problem with. He's a nice a guy when you get past his complete lack of morals" She laughed. "But then again who am I to talk about morals." She sobered somewhat as Andra rolled her eyes. "You have an image to uphold and with his spotty background as a con and a thief I doubt he's the best choice."
Andra regarded her friend for a moment. "It's about more then 'image'." Kia shrugged again and then took another sip of her drink, mumbling something inaudible but Andra caught bits of it and thought it sounded something like "I call 'em as I see 'em". Andra felt her temper rise slightly. "You're right. Who are you to judge? You and Abdon have been together for years and I don't see any gold band on your finger."
"Andra, there is an old saying: If it's not broke, don't mess with it." Kia stated then she stood up again not only addressing her friends but also the rest of the patrons in the restaurant. " Abdon and I will be together forever and always and love each other forever and do you know why?" She paused for a moment, not so much to get a reply to her question but for dramatic effect. "Because we're NOT married that's why!"
The manager of the Café walked up to them with a scowl on his face. Kia smiled widely and sat back down. She looked at Andra and for once all her ridiculousness drained away and was replaced with seriousness. "It's also a safety measure. It's so I can get out fast if the need ever came. Sometimes we don't know the people we think we do, Andra. You're like a sister to me and I don't want you getting hurt."
It was close to 3 in the morning as Andra took the turbo lift to the floor her apartment was located on. She hadn't meant to stay out this long but Kia and the others were very persistent. And it felt good to throw all her responsibilities to the wind and have a little fun. She knew she would be paying for her sins in the morning with a monster of hangover.
The doors to the lift soundlessly slide open and Andra walked out into the hall, fishing in her pockets for her key card. She had vacated the water tower soon after the whole ordeal with Offworld had passed. With the passing of the need to keep the POWER party's action secret, the search for better accommodations for the party's headquarters and her own personal comfort didn't seem out of the question. She would return to the old hideout every so often when the stresses of her life started to pull her down till she felt that she would suffocate under all the pressure. She would go there to think. To once again tell herself all the reasons why she did this work.
The chief of all and in truth the only one that really mattered to her was because of her father. She had so many happy memories of her and her father hiking through the parks and swimming in the steam pools. His death had cut deep into her heart and returning to the places of her memories was the only thing that brought her comfort. She couldn't begin to describe the rage she felt when she learned about the parks being excavated by Offworld. Merely thinking about it now made the rage blossom in her again, quick and sharp like a prick from a throne. She didn't try and push the feeling away. It was fuel for her to keep fighting. "I do it all for you, Papa." She said to the air.
She slide the key card through the slot, then pushed the number code into the panel, unlocking her door. She walked into the darkened apartment, already knowing the layout of the place by heart. Tossing her coat over to an armchair, she was bewildered when she heard the rustle of fabric hit the ground. "Lights on." She called out.
The lights illuminated the room to reveal Den asleep in the armchair where she had thrown her coat. It had apparently hit him and then slide to the carpeted floor. She put her hand over her mouth to suppress the laughter that threatened to come up. She stood there watching him sleep for a few moments. Had he been waiting up for her? That's sweet…in an overprotective sort of way. She thought to herself as she walked over his side and brushed a hand over his shaggy hair.
Months ago, if someone had told her that she would fall for a con like Den she would have pointed the person in the direction of the nearest hospital for a mental examination but here they were. This relationship that had began was new ground for both of them. They were just treading water right now. Testing the limits. He would push her and she would push right back but they always seemed to find each other in the end.
Den began to stir in his sleep as she shifted her fingers through his untamed mane. He took a deep breath, unconsciously reaching up and grabbing her hand. His eyes blinked open and he looked up at her. "Hey." He said, his voice still heave with sleep. "What time is it?"
Andra let her hand slip away from his and looked at her chrono. "A little after three in the morning."
"What?" Den asked sitting up straighter in the armchair. "Where have you been all this time?"
Andra rolled her eyes. Yep. He's definitely being overprotective. She thought to herself. "I was out with the girls and lost track of time. It's nothing you've never done before. Den, I'm a big girl. I can strap on my own boots and everything." She turned away to and began to walk towards the kitchenette portion of the apartment. "What are you doing here in the waiting in the dark anyway—"
Before she got too far away from him, Den reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her onto his lap. Andra now lay on her back across Den's lap, wide eyed and stunned silent by the sudden action. He looked down at her, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. "I wanted to give you a good night kiss."
"Oh." Andra said breathlessly as Den leaned down and settled his mouth against hers. Andra's eyes fluttered closed as her arms snaked around his neck. She let nothing but the sensation of his kiss penetrate her consciousness. It shocked her at how easily she could lose herself with him. Being in his arms felt so natural. With her job she had to keep up appearance as a strong leader but she couldn't put up that front all the time. In reality she was no one's savior. Den made her feel secure during those down times when the job was too much.
The Job. That thought seeped into her mind, penetrating the sweet numbness that Den's kiss had created. She had to get up early tomorrow. She had to meet with more of the newly elected government officials. She had stacks and stacks of documents and forms to go over. As much as she didn't want this moment to end, it had to.
Den pulled back from the kiss, feeling her enthusiasm cool. "Wow. You really know how to hurt a guy."
"I'm sorry but I have obligations to attend to tomorrow. So I really can't stay up and play."
"Take a sick day." Den said leaning down again and sweetly kisses her lips. "I'm sure they can handle one day without your presence."
Andra pushed him away. Not roughly but with enough force to tell him that she meant what she said. "I can't do that, Den. We're at a very sensitive stage in repairing all the damage that Offworld caused. With the inauguration of the new government officials and the investigation into the payoffs, it would be foolish—" She was stopped as placed two fingers over her mouth.
"All right. I get it, Captain Integrity." He said and then gave a snort. "You worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough." Andra shot back as she began to push herself off his lap. She wavered a bit as she got to her feet, the effects of all the alcohol she has consumed earlier still present. Den stood up and went to her side, deep concern etched on his face. She waved him off and motioned towards the door. "I believe your home is on the other side of town."
"I'd rather stay here." Den said placing his hands on her hips. "Your place is so much nicer then mine."
"Goodbye, Den." Andra said dismissively.
"Fine. I know when I'm no longer wanted." He walked over to the door, grabbing his coat on the way. "But you're gonna miss me when I'm gone." Andra walked up behind him as the door slide open. Den turned around to her. "No kiss?" He asked innocently opening his arms. Andra unceremoniously brought her hand up to his face and pushed him out into the hall, the door sliding shut in his face.
Andra let out a sigh as she turned and leaned against the closed door. She looked at her chrono. It was close to four in the morning now. A few hours of sleep was better then none she supposed as she walked off towards her bed room saying, "lights off." Just before walking out of the common room.