I'm so sorry this has taken so long! But here's chapter 3! I hope you like it :) Thanks once again to my beta - TheLightIsMine!
Thank you so much for the reviews :)
Mereel looked up at Jaing as he came over, carrying two cups of caf. "I'm certain they're in there," he said.
"At least it should be easy to get in." Jaing said, sipping his caf. "There are lots of us in there."
"Already prepared, ner vod," Mereel said. "As long as we enter through there," he said, gesturing to a side entrance. "We should be fine."
Jaing nodded. "And then we need to find Rhiannon," he said, nervousness showing in his voice. He finished his caf. "Ready to go in?"
Mereel raised an eyebrow. "It's the middle of the night," he said, and Jaing shrugged.
"I'm not entirely sure I can wait any longer without running away like a coward," he said quietly, and Mereel pulled him into a brotherly hug.
"It'll be fine, ner vod," Mereel said softly. Jaing nodded and stood up to go. Mereel followed him.
They walked casually to the entrance, acting as if they visited often, and slipped in through the door with no difficulties. Once they were inside, they found themselves near a kitchen.
"Where do you suppose they sleep, then?" Mereel muttered, looking down the empty corridors.
"I don't know. Someone must be awake, we could just ask?" Jaing suggested, and Mereel shook his head.
"I think everyone knows where everyone is. To blend in we'd be expected to know." He countered.
Jaing ran his hand through his hair. "I just need to find her," he said, leaning against the wall. "I'm not sure I care about the means anymore."
Mereel sighed. "C'mon, let's look down here," he said, pushing Jaing gently down the corridor.
Jaing had been fidgety ever since they'd arrived. Mereel had eventually just hacked into their system, forgetting their cover, and located Rhiannon's room – not mentioning to Jaing that he'd also looked to see if there were any other women there. He'd need someone to spend his time with, after all.
"It's this one," Mereel said, stopping by the door.
Jaing just stared at it. "I hadn't planned this far."
"I don't think you can plan for this," Mereel said, watching his brother carefully in case he decided to walk away. He didn't want this to be a wasted journey.
Jaing didn't move. "I don't even know where to start," he sighed, and his hand slowly reached forward and rested above the door controls.
"An apology for waking her up might be a good idea," Mereel offered, trying to make his vod smile.
Jaing let go of the door handle and turned away. "I can't do it," he said. "Let's go, before she hears us."
Mereel looked at him intently. "You don't want to do that," he said. "Just go in there, she'll understand."
Jaing closed his eyes and took a breath before turning back to press the door controls. The door didn't open. "It's locked." Jaing said, his tone blank, as if a locked door was something new and impossible for him.
"Then unlock it?" Mereel suggested, and Jaing blinked, seeming to fall back into reality. He nodded, and proceeded to pick the lock. After a while working behind the panel, he made a triumphant noise and replaced the controls, before pressing the open button. A shaft of light fell across the room as the door opened and landed on the bed where Rhiannon's curled up figure lay, her hair splayed out around her as she slept peacefully. His breath caught as he stared at her. She had hardly changed. Mereel peeked around the corner of the door.
"Well, go on then," he said, pushing Jaing in gently and closing the door behind him. Jaing didn't really know what to do, but he found himself walking towards her bed. He dropped to his knees next to the bed, his face ending up close to hers. She really hadn't changed much. He reached out to touch her cheek but stopped himself. She wasn't his to touch.
"Get away from my mummy." The strong, determined voice of a child came from behind him, and Jaing spun around to see a blaster held aimed at his head in the hands of Rhiannon's son. Jaing was stunned into silence. The scene was somewhat familiar, and Jaing's vision was clouded with the memory of Ordo doing the same to protect him and his brothers from harm on Kamino all those years ago. It dazed him, seeing a young half-clone. He'd lived with Kad and Ka'ra, but for some reason seeing one who could potentially be his was too much of a shock.
"Jaing...?" Rhiannon murmured sleepily, and Jaing turned slowly to see her half sitting up and squinting into the darkness. He was surprised she could recognise him in the dimness. He looked between her son and her, not sure what to do. She looked a picture of shock for a moment, and then seemed to gain her composure once more.
"It's okay, love," Rhiannon said softly to her child. "Go back to sleep."
Her son regarded Jaing warily before sliding back into bed, the blaster not straying far from his reach. Even in the dark, Jaing could see the maturity in his eyes. It scared him.
Rhiannon paused for a moment, seeming to consider something, and then moved over on the bed, freeing the space next to her. "Go and tell your brother that the room opposite is free. I'm guessing Kal didn't let you come alone, or your brothers for that matter."
Jaing gave her another surprised look but did as she said and went outside to tell Mereel.
Mereel raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"
"The room opposite is free – for you to stay in," Jaing said, oddly calm.
"You're back with her already?" Mereel asked, incredulously.
Jaing frowned, and then shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that," he said. "Her son's in there, she just said to tell you there was a free room."
"And you're going to stay…where?" Mereel asked, and Jaing shrugged.
"I don't know... just go and sleep," he said, and Mereel nodded.
"Be careful, ner vod," Mereel said, and disappeared into the room opposite.
Jaing turned back to Rhiannon's room and stepped back inside. "Um... Rhiannon?" He asked, quietly. "Where do I stay?" He shifted from foot to foot.
She patted the space next to her on the bed. "Well, you're not explaining to me what you're doing here at this ungodsly hour," she said with a faint smile.
"So we sleep... together?" Jaing said, unsurely.
Rhiannon laughed softly. "Oh, come on, Jaing," she said. "Normally you'd jump at this sort of opportunity."
Jaing nodded slowly and walked towards the bed uneasily, taking off his armour plates and remaining in his bodysuit – not thinking she'd want him in anything less, not now. He slipped into the bed next to her but made no move to pull her close. She didn't face him, only pulled the covers over them. She was facing where her son slept, Jaing facing away from them as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Mereel changed out of his armour and left his bodysuit on to sleep in. He climbed under the covers and was left to think about what Jaing and Rhiannon were talking about – or doing.
He couldn't put himself in their position. He didn't know what he would do if he found out he might have a son with a female he barely knew. He didn't think he could just fall back into a relationship with a girl he'd had a brief fling with.
He couldn't picture himself staying with a woman. Being tied to one and only one, that was - he'd never met anyone he had liked enough to do so. Maybe one day he would, but he didn't know what love so passionate and romantic would feel like. He didn't know if he'd like it.
He wouldn't until he experienced it.
A little part of him hoped he would one day.
He drifted off to sleep, a smile of his face as his dreams subconsciously filled with the types of romance that Ordo and Darman had with their loves, leaving him oddly wistful.
Jaing woke before Rhiannon, only to find they'd gravitated towards each other during the night. Her head was resting on his shoulder as her pillow and his arms had encircled her, holding her close to him. She was pressed close to his body and it was then he became conscious that she was only wearing her shirt and underwear. He could feel the heat of her skin through his bodysuit and realised he'd forgotten how much he liked having her there. Her hands were neatly folded on his chest and he smiled down at her, resisting the urge to move her hair so he could see her face. He let himself look over to where her son was sleeping.
He wasn't sleeping.
He was awake, dressed and watching Jaing with the eyes of a suspicious animal. He obviously didn't trust Jaing with his mother one bit. "I won't hurt her," he whispered to the child.
"You'd better not," said Rhiannon's voice, and Jaing jumped, looking down at her. He blushed slightly and she smiled, not making any move to leave his shielding arms. She curled up more against his side and sighed softly.
"How's Ordo?" she asked, not looking up at him anymore.
Jaing was momentarily confused, and then remembered how long it had really been since she'd known how he was. "He's fine – awake," he said.
"And his child?" She asked.
"Ka'ra?" Jaing said, forgetting she knew about Besany's pregnancy when Ordo had been under. "She's alright as well."
Rhiannon smiled. "I'm glad. They deserve to be happy."
"Are you happy?" Jaing asked, his fingers absently moving through her hair.
"I am. At least, I think so," Rhiannon said. "I can't be completely happy until the Empire is gone and I'm not scared for my son's life."
Jaing nodded. "You're a brave one, ad'ika."
She smiled. "Just doing what I think is right."
He kissed her forehead. "You're so damn wonderful," he said. "You do such incredible things and brush them off as nothing."
A deep blush filled her cheeks. "I'm not," she mumbled.
Jaing chuckled softly. "Hey, Ordo might not have been alive right now if it wasn't for you – his daughter would have been without a father and Besany without a husband."
"He'd have been all right," Rhiannon muttered.
"You helped over a hundred clones desert – that's something to be proud of. You made the holonews." Jaing said.
Rhiannon shrugged. "They did most of the work."
He smiled down at her. "Well, I think you're amazing – you can't change that."
She blushed again and ducked her head so her hair fell over her face. "We need to get up, or there'll be no breakfast left," she said, and climbed over him and stood up. His eyes ran down her body from behind. Her crumpled shirt barely reached mid-thigh and Jaing wouldn't be a male if his eyes had remained on the back of her head. Her hair was trussed in a way that made him want to run his fingers through it and then all over her body, but he made sure his eyes were on her face as she turned around. She appeared to realise how little she was wearing and a crimson flush burned in her cheeks.
"I'm... going to get dressed," she said, hurriedly pulling some casual clothes out of her bag and disappearing into the 'fresher.
He stood up and put his armour back on quickly, finding her son watching him in curiousity. "Your armour is different," he said, and Jaing was struck once again by how young he sounded in comparison to his appearance.
"It's beskar'gam," Jaing said. "Made from Mandalorian iron," he added, and her son nodded.
"I've heard of it, but never seen it," he said as he put his blaster in a holster on his belt.
"Well, maybe I can get you some one day," Jaing said with a friendly smile.
"Maybe," her son said, a bright smile temporarily crossing his face. "What do you want with my mummy?" he then asked.
Jaing hesitated. He didn't know what to say, so he decided on the other reason they were here. "We've come to see if any of the men need somewhere to stay – and your mother."
"What about Alice?" Her son enquired and Jaing frowned.
"Who is Alice?" He asked.
"My mummy's best friend, she's very nice," the young child said. "Would she be allowed to come as well? I don't think mummy would leave her behind."
Jaing smiled. "I'm sure if Alice wanted to she could."
He nodded contentedly. "Good. Maybe your brother would like Alice, I've heard mummy and her talking about finding a boyfriend."
"And why wouldn't I be good for Alice?" Jaing asked.
"Because I think mummy would be upset to lose you, and I think you like my mummy very much." The kid said and Jaing looked surprised. The child was much more observant than he'd thought.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Jaing said, gesturing for the child to come closer. He did, and Jaing leant close to him. "You're right. I do like your mummy, a lot," he stage whispered to him. Her child simply nodded but his eyes had lit up cheerfully.
Rhiannon stood in the doorway, mainly hidden by the door as she watched the exchange between her son and Jaing. A small smile flickered onto her lips at Jaing's whispered words. She was glad; she liked him a lot too. She'd never forgotten him. She'd missed his touch. Nobody matched it.
"Shall we go?" Rhiannon asked, pretending she'd just come out the 'fresher.
"We'll need to wake Mereel," Jaing said, watching as Rhiannon walked over and took her son's hand. She nodded.
"Can you do that while I send a message to Alice?" she asked. Jaing nodded and leaned over to kiss her cheek before he left, but stopped himself halfway, a strange look crossing his face before he turned and left her room, going to wake Mereel. Rhiannon bit her lip but didn't say anything. She didn't mind him kissing her, but he didn't know that. She wasn't sure exactly how to tell him.
Rhiannon pushed it to the back of her mind and called Alice's comlink.
"Good morning." Alice's cheery voice rang down the comlink, and Rhiannon smiled.
"Hey," she said. "I have some news for you."
"Go on," Alice said.
"Jaing arrived, last night," she said after a deep breath.
"What?" Alice said, Rhiannon could almost hear the shock that would be on her face. "Why? How? Alone? Are you alright?"
Rhiannon bit her lip. "He came with his brother, Mereel. I'm alright, just a little surprised," she said, and Alice waited for her to add what she was thinking on the end as if she knew already. "We slept in the same bed. I woke up in his arms."
"Oh," Alice said. "Where is he now?"
"He's gone to get his brother... where are you?" she asked.
"I'm about to go for breakfast," Alice said. "I'll meet you there?"
"Yeah, in about ten minutes I think," she said, and Alice confirmed it before shutting off the call.
"Let's go, little one," Rhiannon said to her son as she led him out the room.
They entered the kitchen-dining area to a chorus of good mornings from the fellow residents, before they all stared curiously at Jaing and Mereel.
"Hey, everyone," Rhiannon said with a smile. "This is Jaing and Mereel Skirata. Really, it was thanks to them and their brothers that my eyes were opened to what your lives are like."
A brief silence fell before many smiled and waved at the two Nulls, a few even stood up to shake their hand.
"You're Kal's men?" Storm asked – the demolitions expert from Zeta squad.
"Some of them," Mereel said, shaking Storm's hand.
"It's nice to meet you," he replied, and Mereel nodded.
"So, what are you doing here?" Ace enquired. He was Zeta squad's leader, and Rhiannon's unofficial second in command.
Jaing looked unsurely at Rhiannon for a moment. "We decided to see if any of you wanted to join us on Mandalore. It's a safe refuge for any deserter." That was partially true.
All the men looked to Rhiannon. "Hey, it's not up to me. It's your decision."
"Think about it," Mereel said. "You don't have to decide right now."
They all nodded and then loud chatter erupted among the men at the thought of a safe refuge. Rhiannon headed over to where Alice was sat. Jaing followed her and sat down next to her; Mereel stayed behind to talk to some of the other men.
"Alice, this is Jaing, Jaing, this is Alice," Rhiannon said.
"So this is Jaing?" Alice asked, her eyes sliding over him momentarily. "I can see why he caught your eye, Rhiannon." She winked at her friend.
Jaing raised an eyebrow. "Good to know," he commented, helping himself to some food.
Mereel joined them, sliding in next to Jaing, and his eyes found Alice quickly. For a moment all his well-practised pick-up lines and smooth words disappeared from his mind as she shot him a dazzling smile.
"So you must be Mereel. Yes, Rhiannon's mentioned your womanizing ways," she said, taking a sip of her water.
Mereel's head kicked back into action and he smirked. "Really? Then I suppose you know of my talents."
Alice laughed. "Mmm, I may have briefly heard of them," she said. "Rhiannon wasn't up for much talking about you. Why would she, when she had a man like Jaing to keep her company?"
Mereel gave an over-dramatic sigh. "I'm hurt," he said, smiling. He felt oddly comfortable talking to her already; like she was someone he'd known his whole life.
Alice gave another laugh and handed him a plate of food. "I'm sure you're fatally wounded. I can take you to the medical bay if you'd like? We have plenty of nice, friendly needles."
After Rhiannon had left her son in the safe hands of Zeta Squad, she'd moved on to show Jaing around the hideout.
"This is the central control unit," she said, stopping on the balcony.
"This is quite an impressive set-up." Jaing commented, looking at all the systems that were beeping and flashing as they worked.
"Yes, we need them. The IA are after us," she said, quietly. "I don't know much longer we can hide from them."
"Do you have a plan?" Jaing asked.
Rhiannon sighed in frustration. "No. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore." She leaned forward against the railings, watching the men she'd help rescue as they set about their work.
Jaing felt the urge to wrap his arms around her. "We'll help," he promised instead.
She nodded and sighed again, her eyes drifting over to where Storm was teaching her son how to use demolitions effectively. A faint smile twitched at her lips but it was tinged with sadness.
"I didn't want this to happen to him," she whispered. "He was meant to have a real childhood, yet he's stuck here learning about weaponry."
He looked at her son, watching as his deft hands examined the demolitions equipment laid out in front of him. He worked efficiently with barely any guidance.
"Has he done that before?" Jaing asked.
"No, it just comes naturally," Rhiannon said.
Jaing nodded, then realised he didn't know something very important about her son – his son, maybe. "What's his name?" He asked.
"Orion," she said. "Orion Skirata."
"So, you're telling me that not one man here attracts your attention?" Mereel asked Alice as they walked through the corridors.
Alice rolled her eyes at him. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Because I'm now here," he pointed out.
"And what makes you so special?" Alice teased, looking at him as they stopped, reaching the end of the corridor.
Mereel smirked. "I think you already know that, sweetheart," he said, stepping closer to her. She grinned, her eyes sparkling with laughter, and she shook her head.
"No, not a clue," she replied, letting him back her against the wall.
"Hmm... maybe I should show you?" He suggested.
"Hmm... maybe you shouldn't, I am quite busy after all," she replied, leaning back against the cool wall and watching him. She couldn't deny that there was something different about him. None of the others had so openly flirted with her for a start. She quite liked the attention.
"Busy doing what, sunshine?" He asked.
"Working, like you're going to have to," she said, and pushed him away with a wink before walking off down the corridor. Yes, if he wanted her, he would have to work for it.
Mereel watched her go, his eyes filled with curiousity and desire. He wondered why she was so resilient to his charms; she was possibly the first woman that he hadn't been able to coax into a bedroom in ten minutes. He followed her; he had quite liked that sparkle in her eyes. He also couldn't get past the feeling that he'd met her somewhere before. She felt familiar, like someone he hadn't seen in a while. He knew she was interested; he would just have to try harder to make her act on her desires.
Alice had made her way to the med-bay. She wasn't exactly a paramedic, but she had plenty of first aid training to help with minor injuries. Thankfully, no clones were currently injured, so she decided to clean the area up a bit. It felt a bit cluttered to her, and if she had nothing better to do with her time, she might as well do a spot of tidying up.
Mereel watched from the doorway as Alice busied herself with putting bandages away in drawers and first aid kits in boxes. She hadn't noticed him as she'd wiped down surfaces, making sure they were clean in case of an emergency.
"So, what work do you have for me?" Mereel asked her.
She jumped, causing him to chuckle, and she threw the cloth in her hand at him. He caught it, much to her annoyance. She then chucked him the anti-bacterial cleaning spray. "Clean," she ordered, and he gave her a mock salute before doing as he was told.
"He is mine, then," Jaing said quietly, watching Orion.
Rhiannon nodded, looking at him. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you," she said. "I couldn't get a hold of you, and I didn't even know what your reaction would be! I tried, but the comlink wasn't working."
Jaing touched her arm comfortingly. "It's not your fault; we weren't supposed to be contactable."
She sighed. "He's your son though... you deserved to know of his existence."
"When did you find out?" He questioned, gently.
"A few days after you left, I had morning sickness and Alice realised I was pregnant," she said. "Guess we were too caught up to think about protection, huh? I'm not complaining, though. I would never have done things differently."
Jaing hesitantly wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him, inhaling his familiar scent. "I've missed you," he whispered.
She tensed for a moment, then relaxed and looked up at him. "I've missed you, too," she murmured, and lay her head on his chest.
"Will you tell him? That I'm his father?" Jaing asked.
"He knows. He always knew the name of his... buir, is that what you call it?" She said.
"Yes. So he's been raised so far as a Mando?" He asked.
Rhiannon shrugged. "I suppose he has, I never gave it much thought." She said. "I couldn't afford to buy him toys, then I got caught up with all this and all the men thought the world of him. Suddenly he knew weapons and fighting. Part of it scared me to death."
Jaing stroked her hair. "I can imagine. You didn't grow up with this, and I wouldn't have wanted our son to have the same childhood as me. This, I have to admit, is better."
Rhiannon looked up at him. "Was it that bad for you? We never really talked..."
"We should, especially if we're going to be parents together now," he said with a smile.
"You want to be?" She said, surprised.
"Yes. I do." Jaing said.
Mereel was diligently scrubbing the work surfaces like Alice had asked. The room was now filled with the scent of anti-bacterial, and Alice smirked at his back from where she was sitting on the bed, reading a gossip column on her datapad.
"Finished!" Mereel proclaimed, turning to see her. "What now..." he trailed off, seeing her sitting there.
"Hmm... the bandages need folding," she said without looking up.
Mereel walked over to her. "Then get to it," he told her, standing in front her.
"I thought you wanted to work," she pointed out.
"Not this sort of work... I was thinking something more... enjoyable, for us both."
"Oh really?" Alice asked, glancing up at him with a slightly flirtatious smile. "I suppose you deserve it. I hate using that spray; makes my fingers feel raw."
Mereel laughed. "I'm glad to have saved you from that pain." He took the datapad out of her hands and put it aside. "So what about my reward?"
Alice blushed faintly as he came closer, her gaze dropping to his mouth as he leant down with his face close to hers. She fell back onto the bed, closely followed by Mereel. He hovered over her, a grin on his lips as they got closer to hers. She closed her eyes expectantly and felt him come ever closer, her blood warming with anticipation. Then alarm bells began to ring in her head, why was she doing this? She didn't know him! What would make her want him so badly? But she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd met him before.
"Alice," Mereel said. "I'm guessing those sirens and flashing lights don't mean the batch of Dantooine flapjack is done."
They weren't in her head. Kriff.
So... what do you think of it? And yeah, cliffhanger :) Sorry about that!