Inspired by Vector's line "It is enough, and we are glad," in one of his letters.
As always, I don't own SWTOR or Star Wars or anything affiliated.
Hekatte honestly wasn't sure why she was pulling up these unnecessarily painful memories for the sake of one man. Possibly because you, I don't know, love him? her mind treacherously whispered to her. She gave an inward sigh; it was true. The most unlikely of romances seemed to pop up for her, and she now had on her hands a Kilik Joiner that she was crazy for. "They were right," Hekatte muttered to herself. "I really am mad."
It was because of this madness and because of a message from her new lover that she was now walking towards him, looking and feeling more nervous than she could remember having felt in a long time. Vector looked up when he noticed her approaching him. His soft smile faded into a slight frown of concern however, when he took note of her stature. "Agent? What's wrong?" he asked in his quiet voice, reaching out to take her hands concernedly.
She took his hands for a moment, squeezing them reassuringly before taking a breath and moving away. Her normally unique and wonderful scent was clouded with insecurity and anxiety in a way that he rarely felt from her. He had sensed her occasional worries before- when an enemy was proving too strong, when a task was set before that was more difficult than she anticipated, and (this one was ridiculous) when they were about to make love for the first time and she later admitted that she was afraid she'd disappoint him (impossible, inconceivable, but wonderfully sweet).
The agent took a deep breath. "Vector," she began.
"Agent," he replied, waiting.
"I just got your message about not knowing anything about me. And you're right, and I'm sorry, but I avoided it because my record is…" she hesitated and her aura became shaky, losing the self-assurance that Vector knew and loved so much. "My record is less than stellar," she finished.
The frown on Vector's face became more pronounced. "Agent, if we have ever given any indication that we-"
She held up a hand to stop him. "Wait, let me finish." He hesitated, wanting to reassure her that he didn't care what had happened to her in the past, but he allowed her to continue, promising to himself that at the end he would apologize for whatever demons he had dug up for her. Hekatte stared up at the ceiling, took another breath, and then began. "My parents died when I was very young. I don't remember it, but we were on a transport ship while trying to move off world. We were attacked by pirates, and my parents were killed. I would like to say I remember them… but that would be a lie." She was quiet for a moment, her mind lost to the recesses of old thoughts and dreams. Vector had to stifle the urge to comfort her, knowing she would want to continue without interruptions. Finally, Hekatte looked up and rearranged her thoughts.
"Anyway, I was put into an orphanage, which, as you can guess, didn't really help form any truly positive connections to childhood. I suppose I grew up quickly, mentally, that is, and when I finally was old enough to leave, I went to join a sort of government military group. That's where I learned most of my fighting skills." She looked to make sure Vector was still paying attention. He was.
"I was pretty stealthy; I'd flank the enemy and hit them when they didn't notice, or snipe them from afar. Impressed a few people, including a recruiter for the Secret Service of that planet. They recruited me and made me what I am, taught me my skills, and after a while, I became the agent you see today."
Finally, she looked up into Vector's eyes, a solemn air about her that he had never seen before. "Vector, I've had to kill a lot of people who didn't deserve it, who didn't even do anything wrong, but were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Civilians. I've used my body to get what I want, and I've lied more often than I've told the truth. And the truth is, Vector…" she hesitated briefly and then looked into his eyes, sorrow on her face. "The truth is that if you could see my past, you'd find more sadness and unhappiness than joy. I honestly don't remember having any birthdays. I know how old I am through official records. I never bothered looking at the weather except to notice how uncomfortable it is at different times. My dreams were to just survive, and my fears were… well, they were about ending up dead. My first intimate moment was… less than pleasant. Anyway, my point is, Vector," she said starting to walk towards him, "is that I'm glad you can't really know my past in detail, because it's been mostly pretty bad. And to be honest," she timidly reached up to touch her fingertips lightly against his cheek, "you're the first good thing that's happened to me in a while."
"So… so if you… well, that is to say, I…" Frustrated at her sudden lack of words, Hekatte threw her hands in the air and said angrily, "Screw it, if you're disgusted by any of this, then I can't say I blame you, but if you walk out on me, I'll be pissed and likely to shoot you, Kiliks or not."
Vector watched her. "Have you finished saying everything you wished to?"
Hekatte thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Good." And within two strides, he had her face between his hands and he was kissing her gently but passionately, his thumbs running over the skin of her cheeks and pressing himself against her. Hekatte stood rigidly for a moment in surprise, but then melted into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him back with equal fervor. They pulled away from each other after a moment, but Vector kept her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. "Agent," he began, "you assumed that our query into your personal history was a backwards reproach to you not speaking to us of it. This could not be further from the truth. We acknowledge that you have not been able to enjoy the life that most others have, but your strength and determination have come from your hardships." He brushed strands of hair out of her face and softly kissed her forehead. "Agent, we love you for everything that you have been, that you are now, and that you will be. The cruelties in your life have given you gentleness and a love that you yourself do not recognize." He pulled back and gazed into her wide blue eyes, his face expressing a love that she still didn't fully comprehend. "You do not believe what we say. You do not believe yourself to be as wonderful as we know you to be. So we will show you, if it takes the rest of our life. We will love you, and stand by you, no matter what has happened. And it will be enough."
I adore Vector. And Andronikus. And Doc. And Corso. And pretty much every male romanceable character out there, except for possibly Iresso. I preferred the crazy scientist guy to him. As always, reviews are appreciated, as is constructive critisicm.