When Kyd was adopted

"This is all of it," the young Mandalorian Protector grunted as he picked up the final crate of glitterstim spice.

"Dump it with the rest." Fett took a last look around the squalid shack, the home of four spice smugglers with the poor judgement to think they could escape notice on Concordia.

Their bodies were already bagged and laid outside. Two men, two women. They died in a matter of minutes. Fenn Shysa's new law enforcers did their job well enough, his assistance was not required. He was here at the Mand'alor's behest, something about boosting recruitment. Had he asked Fett directly, the answer would have been an immediate "no," but of course Shysa was too smart for that. He made his request through Leia.

"You'll be home in time for dinner," his wife said, and here he was. It was important that he was home for dinner, because this was the date Leia had designated several years ago as his "birthday." He tried pointing out that the name implied a biological function inapplicable to his situation, but it didn't seem to matter.

The result of this was that there would be bantha steaks for dinner, flown in, prepared and delivered by a local chef. There would be uj cake, and after everything was cleaned up and Jonah was put to bed, there would birthday sex. Birthday sex meant he could have anything he wanted ("Anything?" He'd asked, skeptical. "Anything," she insisted. "Try me."). It was an opportunity he always gave full consideration to.

"Fett." His attention snapped over to the Protector waiting at the door. "Charges are set to blow."

"Body disposal?"

"Frever and Olen will take care of it."

"And the spice?"

"I'll see it dumped in the sewer with the rest of the osik." He hesitated. "We're all off to Treetop Village after this for a pint. You interested?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." He turned and left. Fett thought his armor looked familiar. One of Skirata's men, maybe. He started to follow him out, but something stopped him.

Some noise, barely more than an inhalation. A sniffle. He shifted his rifle into the crook of his elbow and lowered his infrared sight. Had they missed someone? And if so, kriffing how?

There were no heat signatures on his display large enough to be human. In the corner was a battered case giving off glow. An animal maybe? A pet?

Carefully he moved closer, lifting his rifle up to his shoulder with one arm. His footsteps were silent on the duracrete floor. He put his fingers under the lid of the crate and flipped it up in one swift motion, sighting down the barrell at-

A child.

A human boy. Two years old, or maybe three. Jonah would be three in less than a month, but he was a solid, healthy boy. This child was obviously starved, his ribs could seen through his skin. He was wearing a crude diaper that obviously had not been changed in some time, and a fetid stench rose out of the crate.

He looked up at Fett, not the barrell of his rifle. There was no fear in his eyes, no protest. He would accept whatever came next. He knew nothing else.


Leia was on her knees in the kitchen, grimacing as she pulled another slimy strand of algae from her son's hair. "My gods," she muttered, shaking her head in disgust. Jonah imitated the gesture, sending droplets of muddy water flying from his dark curls.

"Stop that," Leia snapped. "Hold still."

She heard the front door open and close. "There you are," she called, wiping her hands on her pants. "Wait until you see what your son has gotten into this time. I swear-"

"Da!" Jonah wiggled free from her grasp and took off. "I went inna fish pond!" He skidded to a stop as Fett came around the corner, his delight becoming confusion when he saw that his father's arms were occupied.

"What-" Leia started to ask, then stopped, staring in shock at the skinny, filthy little boy wrapped in a ragged blanket. "Sit down," she said, her feet moving before she even knew what she was doing. She took a tray of gelatin cubes from the cupboard and put four on a plate. Fett sat at the table, holding the boy in his lap. Jonah hovered nearby with an expression of disapproval.

"Da. Pick me up."

"Jonah," Leia scolded. "Just wait a minute." She set the plate down in front of their visitor. The boy stared at them but didn't move. "Look," she coaxed, poking a cube with her finger and making it tremble. "Isn't that funny? It's okay, they're for you." She picked one up and bit the corner off. "Yummy. Go ahead." This time when she held it out, he took it and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Mama, I want some. I'm hungry," Jonah complained, rubbing his belly dramatically.

"No, you're not." Leia watched grimly as the boy stuffed the next cube in whole, and then gathered the last two in his fists and held them tight against his naked chest. "Where did he come from?"

"I found him in a crate at the compound."

She lowered her voice, carefully avoiding the word "mother" or "smuggler" in case the boy understood. "One of theirs…?"

"Maybe. Dead now, anyway."

"Does he talk?"

"Don't know. He hasn't said anything so far."

There was an awful sour smell that surrounded him, and an angry red rash climbing up his belly and back. Leia straightened. "There's a bath ready in the 'fresher. I'll find him some clothes."

Her steps were slow. It weighed heavily on her, the knowledge that anyone could treat a small child with such disregard. What would happen to him now?

Mandalorians had a long and honored tradition of adoption, but only within their own culture. This boy was auretti, an outsider. She supposed the medical center in Keldabe would do what they could for him before sending him back to his system of origin. Given the profession of his parents, it wasn't likely to be a nice place.

She pulled out a few items of clothing out of Jonah's closet, her eyes falling on the stuffed Ewok toy that had been a gift from her good friend Winter the last time she had Jonah in Coruscant with her. "I think I had a stuffed baby Ewok when I was young," Leia had mused.

"So did I," Fett offered. "Only it was an actual stuffed one." Thankfully Winter had laughed.

She often worried about her son, who spent most of his time bouncing back and forth between Keldabe and Coruscant. How would he ever make friends or have any sort of normal life? It reminded her of how lonely her own childhood was, before Winter became part of the Organa family. They didn't see each other often as adults, but they would always have that bond.

Leia looked down at the clothes in her hands. Of course they couldn't. She was crazy for even considering it.

She started to retrace her steps to the 'fresher, stopping to get a clean towel out of the hall closet. Through the open door she could see the tattered blanket on the floor, and Fett kneeling beside the tub as he lowered the boy into the water. Jonah pressed against his arm, pulling at his shoulder guard. "Pick me up, Da." Fett put his arm around him and lifted their son onto his knee. Jonah cast a suspicious look toward their guest. "My Da," he said sternly.

"Your Da," Fett agreed. He pointed to the boy in the tub. "Your brother. Gar vod."

Leia fumbled the towel and almost dropped it, sure she must have heard wrong.

"Gar-vod," Jonah tried, his anger becoming fascination. "My brother." He slid off of Fett's knee and picked up a bath sponge, leaning over the edge of the tub with a determined expression. "Wash him. Wash my brother." The boy edged back warily, his arms wrapped around his bony knees. Fett sat back into a crouch and removed his helmet, setting it on the floor beside him.

Leia moved slowly to the doorway, mindful of their audience but unable to keep the tension completely out of her voice. "You don't think you should have asked me first?"

There was a split second of hesitation before he looked up at her. "It wouldn't have changed anything."

She didn't want to fight in front of Jonah, so she held up her hand and crooked her index finger, her voice artificially pleasant. "Could I speak to you in the hallway, please?"

He stood and followed her slowly out of the 'fresher, leaving the door open. "You're angry."

"Oh, do you think?" She replied bitingly.

"You were adopted," he said. "You've spoken favorably about it in the past. And since it's unlikely that we'll have more biological offspring-"

"That's not why I'm angry." He was silent, concentrating hard on her face as if there was a puzzle there he could unlock. "I want to know why, Boba."

"His people died by my order. It's the right thing to do."

"I'm sure you've made orphans before," she said grimly, her fingers knotting together. "I'm glad you rescued him, I really am. But you made up your mind to do this without even asking me what I think, and that makes me wonder…" It hit her then, with such devastating force that she sagged back against the wall. "Oh no."

"Leia?"

"You found yourself another son. One that could never grow up to be a Jedi."

Fett moved closer, finding and holding her gaze. "Jonah is my son. I would never try to replace him."

She wanted to believe him. She really, really did.

"I'm sorry," he said abruptly, and for the second time she found herself staring dumbly at him in shock.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry." If he was aware that he'd never said those words to her before, his face didn't show it. "I should have asked you. He needs a family, and I want to adopt him. Will you consider it?"

There was a splash that made them both jump and hurry back to the 'fresher. Jonah was sitting in the tub now, clothes and all. He laughed and smacked his hands down on the water. "Bath time," he said, thrusting the sponge out towards the boy. Leia quickly intercepted it.

"Back off," she told her son. The boy hadn't moved an inch, but he stared up at her with wide green eyes. She thought his hair might be red under the mats and tangles. "Hey there," she said gently. "Can you tell us your name?"

He stared at her blankly, so she tried the question again in Mando'a. Still no response. She brushed the sponge gently over the back of his hand. "Does that feel soft? Would you like to hold it?" Slowly his hand uncurled and wrapped around the sponge. He tried to put it in his mouth. "No, no," Leia chided, smiling in spite of herself. "That's not food. Silly boy."

He looked up at her, and a very small smile pushed up at the corners of his mouth. "Poodoo."

Leia exchanged a quick look with Fett. "Your Huttese is better than mine." Her husband complied.

The boy's eyes lit up, this time he understood the question. "Kid," he said proudly.

Oh, godsdamnit. She looked up at her husband, who had the good sense not to openly celebrate his victory. "Chowbasa, Kid," she said to the boy. "I'm not sure if we're doing you any favors by bringing you into our family, but you're welcome just the same." She turned back to Jonah and started wrestling him out of his wet clothes. "Luke could send Threepio out to help."

Fett stiffened behind her. "I told you before, I don't want a machine looking after my son."

"That's too bad," Leia returned shortly. "Because suddenly we have twins, and I can barely keep up with Jonah. We'll need the help." She turned her head and gave him a level stare. "This is not negotiable."

"My opinion doesn't matter?" There was an edge of anger in his voice.

"Of course it matters."Leia was unable to resist injecting a little saccharine edge into her voice. "It just doesn't change anything. Here, take Jonah's clothes to the laundry bin and then put that old blanket in the disposal. Dinner will be here any minute." She arched her eyebrows, daring him to argue. "And happy birthday."