AN: Thanks to Uilleand for whipping out this beta so fast. Just a little one shot of my version of "Where the hell did you get that jacket, Onasi!?" As always I adore feedback, so leave me some!
Carth decided that traveling with infants was a major endeavor. Two bags, a huge purse, and Morgana still lamented all of the things she forgot. Dustil was cutting his first tooth and sat in his stroller howling like a demon.
"Here, hold this," Morgana shoved a bag into Carth's arms while she dug frantically through the second one in the middle of the outdoor bazaar, a Telos tradition. Carth felt a little bewildered and out of his element. He hadn't been back to Telos since his family leave ended two months after Dustil's birth. His son had been a lot quieter then. "Ah-ha!" Morgana said triumphantly as she pulled out a teether and leaned over to stick it in Dustil's mouth. The horrible noise immediately stopped and the baby gnawed happily on the object.
"Muh-muh-muh-muh-muh," Dustil said contentedly around the teether.
"Thank the Force," Carth breathed. "I thought I was going to go deaf."
Morgana snorted. "You're not going to get any sympathy from me, mister."
Carth laughed and held up his hands in a placating gesture, "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Sunny. I really tried to get leave sooner."
Morgana gave a rueful sigh as she slung the bag over one shoulder. "It's a good thing you're so good looking," she teased as she tweaked his chin. She knew how important Carth's career was to him, but when Dustil woke her screaming at two in the morning and Carth was gone it was hard to remember.
Carth replied with a sly smile and leaned forward to kiss her, enjoying the fact that they were almost the same height. He gave a playful tug at one of her sleek chin-length golden strands and said, "I still can't believe you cut it all off."
"Well, you have a baby yanking on your hair all the time and see how long before you chop it all off. Besides," she flung the locks out of her eye, "it's much easier to deal with."
"Well," Carth teased "it's a good thing you're so good looking."
Morgana laughed with a pat to Carth's rear right before a slobbery teething ring pelted Carth in the side of the head. "Ow!" Carth exclaimed.
Dustil squealed and banged his chubby palms on the front of his stroller in delight at his shot. Morgana was bent over laughing at the indignant look on Carth's face.
"Oh you think so do you?" Carth said to Dustil. Carth picked his son up out of the stroller and proceeded to blow raspberries into his stomach. Dustil shrieked and laughed with glee at the attention. "I'm going to get you for that!" Carth threatened before he blew again on Dustil's belly while Morgana smiled fondly. Carth stopped as a new odor reached his nose. "Phew, kiddo!" Pulling the baby away from his face he told Dustil sarcastically, "Thanks, son."
Dustil gave a gummy smile and drooled happily at his father.
"Somebody needs to go to Mommy for a changing," Carth held up his son and informed him in a serious tone.
"No way," Morgana shook her head emphatically. "You owe me, Carth."
Carth opened his mouth to protest but Morgana gave him the 'look.' Many a braver man than he had been quelled by it. Carth rolled his eyes but held out his hand for the bag containing the diapers. How did they do that? Carth wondered. The ability of a woman to win an argument with a simple look boggled him. Carth figured it must be a genetic attribute of the gender.
The family made their way through the Free Day crowds toward the 'freshers. It was springtime, and, while Telos was always a temperate planet, it seemed everyone in the region was taking advantage of the weather to do some shopping. Carth cradled his smelly son in one arm while the other hung on to the baby bag to keep it from swinging into others in the crowd. Morgana followed, pushing the stroller and waving to friends she saw. Carth felt a bit lonely realizing how many of the people Morgana greeted where strangers to him.
Maybe he should think about taking a civvie job. He missed his family terribly and it wasn't fair to put so much on Gana's shoulders. Carth knew his wife had to cut back her hours at the hospital after Dustil was born, something which she regretted. Morgana loved being a doctor and she was good at it too. Carth hesitated to vocalize this to his wife however; the reports of Mandalorian activity in the Outer Rim were getting worrisome. If they did end up attacking the Republic, like rumor suggested, Carth knew he wouldn't be able to sit by and he didn't want to promise his wife something if he couldn't see it through.
They came to the refreshers and entered one of the family rooms that were designed for those with small children. Carth set Dustil on the changing table and strapped him in. This restraint made the baby extremely unhappy and he started a wail that promised to become a real eardrum-bursting one. Morgana was already digging for diapers so Carth turned his attention to his son.
"Hey, hey, hey kiddo," Carth un-strapped Dustil and held his son up to his face. "Now, none of that, young man."
Dustil returned his father's look with a wide-eyed stare and Carth made a face in response. Dustil giggled and reached out to latch on to Carth's nose. "Ow!" Carth protested, which caused Dustil to laugh louder. Playing along Carth started yelling, "Ow… ow… ow… ahhh get this thing off me!" Dustil shrieked with joy and banged his arms up and down.
"That's it, kiddo," Carth gave his son a playful glare, "You're going down!" Carth began tossing Dustil into the air and catching him. Dustil squealed and laughed as he flew up and down.
Morgana paused in her retrieval of changing supplies to watch the two of them. "Uh, Carth… that's probably not a good idea, I just fed…" Morgana didn't have a chance to finish her warning before Dustil opened his mouth and threw up all over his father. Carth held his son as far away from his chest as possible as he gave Morgana a horrified look. The look turned to a scowl as Morgana threw back her head and laughed. She continued laughing until tears began to stream down her face. Every time she tried to stop she would look over at Carth's brooding expression and Dustil's blissful vomit splattered one and collapse into hysterics again.
Carth set Dustil down on the changing table and held a hand on his son to keep him steady while the other dug out a baby wipe. Finally taking pity on her husband Morgana picked up Dustil while still giggling so that Carth could attempt to clean his clothes. Carth continued to shoot his wife dirty looks while he wiped the spit up off of his shirt.
"Dammit, it's ruined," Carth indicated his shirt.
Morgana strapped Dustil into the changer and dug out a second set of clothes for Dustil while her lips twitched periodically. "That's why I dress in layers," her voice got quiet. "Do you know how many shirts I've lost?" Carth knew that the tone was a very bad sign.
He stopped in mid-wipe and held both hands out in entreaty, "I'm sorry 'Gana. I really, really am."
Morgana paused and then frowned at the wall. She tucked her hair behind her ear in a familiar nervous gesture. "Taking care of a newborn baby isn't easy you know."
"I know…"
Morgana threw the clean jumper at Carth. "No you don't know!" she screeched. "You don't know what it's like going to work after only getting three hours sleep for a week straight! You don't know what it's like when he gets a fever and you take him to the doctor and you're so worried and there's no one there!" Morgana stopped and took a deep breath. She promised herself she wouldn't do this. She got to see Carth so rarely as it was… Morgana felt her eyes well, "I'm sorry maybe it's hormones or something… dammit!" she lifted her right hand to cover her eyes.
Carth had scooped up the one piece and moved over to Morgana; sensing it might be safe to brave the front. "It's not hormones," he reached his arms around her and she collapsed into his arms sobbing. "It's the fact that your husband is a jerk who would rather go gallivanting around the galaxy than be at home to help you out."
"What you do is important," Morgana whispered, "but you're still a jerk."
She let out a chuckle. "I knew what I was getting into when I married you."
Carth stroked her hair, "Knowing it and having to go through it are two very different things, Sunny."
"I just miss you," Morgana whispered as she laid her head on Carth's shoulder.
"I'm lonely. Oh sure I have friends and work and remodeling the house and Dustil," she sighed. "But that doesn't make the bed less lonely at night."
At the mention of their son both of them turned their heads to Dustil who was being uncharacteristically quiet on the changer. He stared at his parents with wide brown eyes while he gummed his left fist.
"I can't believe he's not screaming his head off by now," Carth observed.
"He's a very intuitive kid," Morgana answered.
"He's a baby!" Carth protested.
"So?" Morgana looked up at Carth. "He's still intuitive… unlike his father." Despite her words there was a teasing glint in her eye.
Carth snorted, "I suppose I deserve that."
Morgana backed away after a quick peck on Carth's lips, "Probably," she gave a smile. "Tell you what; you change the poop machine and I'll go find you something to wear."
"Deal," Carth smoothed the hair from his wife's forehead and gave her a gentle kiss on the brow. Morgana took off her sweater which was now also the recipient of Dustil's lunch and headed out the 'fresher in a t-shirt. Carth turned on his son, "Okay, Mister Intuitive; lets get you cleaned up." Carth held a finger out to his child, "And no hosing your dad, son."
Dustil smiled and grabbed at his father's shaking finger.
Not having the experience of his wife, it took Carth almost the full ten minutes she was gone to get Dustil changed and clean. When Morgana re-entered the room with a shopping bag in hand Carth was currently stealing Dustil's nose.
"You know, Sunny, I think we should get a rhonto to lug all of Dustil's stuff around," Carth remarked as she closed the door. He unstrapped his son and held him up for Morgana's inspection. "Well, Mom, how do I look?"
"Very handsome," she replied, "That guy holding you ain't too bad either." Carth laughed at the comment.
"Here," Morgana held out the bag and traded it with her husband for Dustil.
Carth opened the back and pulled out the jacket. He looked up at Morgana with the jacket held between two fingers and wide eyes, "You're still mad at me aren't you?" he asked. The jacket was of supple nerf leather and well made. The problem was it was also a very bight orange.
"No!" Morgana protested. "It was the only color they had!" She smiled at the horrified expression on Carth's face.
Carth returned the look with a glare and sarcasm, "Right. In all two kilometers of the bazaar there was only ugly, orange jackets."
"I was in a hurry," Morgana laughed. "Besides you look good in orange."
"I look good in brown," Carth countered.
"Orange is a brown."
"No," Carth frowned at the jacket. "Orange is an orange."
"Well wander around covered in throw-up then," Morgana raised both her eyebrows.
Carth rolled his eyes but stripped off his shirt and put the jacket on.
The orange jacket became a running joke for them after that. Morgana would ask Carth if he was going to wear her present. Carth would oblige just to embarrass her in public, he told her. After he left Telos for his next tour he found the jacket packed in his luggage and laughed. The other jackets he had packet "mysteriously" vanished from his military issue duffel bag. Occasionally crewmates would rib him about the color and Carth would only remark with a smile, "It was a present from my wife." Other married men in the Fleet would nod their heads knowingly at the comment.
Whenever Carth went on leave he would only wear the Orange Jacket; it had acquired an official name. It became worn and comfortable and Carth found that he preferred it over any other. Fortunately, after a few years the bright color faded into something a bit less retina searing. Morgana and Dustil always seemed to spot him before any other families at the space port and Dustil would come streaking up to his father at a yell. Carth Onasi was always recognizable by his jacket.