Chapter 7

Six hours later…

Kyp sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. The chair was extremely uncomfortable, but if he stood up he would start pacing. Jag had already threatened to stun him if he started that again, so he sat in the chair, waiting for the doctor to come out and tell him his wife would be ok.

The door to the waiting room opened and he stood as Jarik and Karissa walked in. Giving his oldest a small smile, he oomped when his son hugged him hard. Kyp returned the embrace, though not quite as hard and pulled back to ask a question.

"Zekk is with the kids." Jaina said, smiling at the surprise on Kyp's face. She had walked in shortly after the kids and was now sitting next to Jag. Kyp nodded, sending her his thanks and retook his seat, Jarik settling in the chair next to him.

They hadn't gotten to Jade as quickly as he would have liked. Not only had the occupants of the senate chamber been injured, but so had the rest of the building when the explosion had happened. The medics were charged with triaging people as they went and, considering the capacity of the building, it had taken them almost an hour to get to her. Kyp had busied himself with helping the medics any way he could, all the while keeping his fears locked away tightly where they couldn't get control of him.

Diligently, the Jedi had worked helping save as many people as possible, and when they had finally made it to their destination, the shock had hit them all. Most of the casualties were in the main chamber and even those that had been on the other side of the room had sustained some sort of injury. Seeing the destruction of the room had finally torn Kyp's control of his emotions free and he had concentrated on finding his wife. It had taken him less than two minutes to find her and he nearly wept with relief when he felt her through the force. She was weak, but alive.

After 10 minutes of sitting, Kyp stood up abruptly and started pacing again. He heard a noise and looked over to see Jag had snapped his holster open and was fingering his blaster as he gazed at his friend. Kyp started to snap off a comment when the door opened behind him.

Turning, he saw the doctor walk out and felt his chest constrict. He knew she was ok, but he had to see for himself before he would calm down.

"Master Durron?" The man asked, smiling when Kyp nodded. He felt his son next to him and knew he was as anxious as he was.

"How is she?" Jarik asked before his father could.

"She's fine. A few bruises and some cuts to go with her concussion. I want to keep her overnight just to make sure, but she'll be fine." The doctor told them, smiling when both Jarik and Kyp's shoulders visibly sagged in relief.

"Can we see her?" Kyp asked, knowing damn well that he was going to see his wife whether the doctor allowed it or not.

"That's fine. I'm assuming you would like to stay overnight with her and I've made arrangements to have another bed brought in for you." He said, chuckling at Kyp's surprise. "Just try to keep the visits down to two people at a time and not stay very long. She does need to rest."

Kyp nodded absently at the doctor as he left the room and started towards the small hallway that held his wife's room. Jarik was right behind him, but he stopped as he realized no one else was moving. Turning around he raised a questioning eyebrow at the small group.

"You coming or not?" He asked.

"The doctor said only two…" Jaina started.

"Since when do I listen to the rules." Kyp threw back, his smile finding its way back onto his face for the first time that day.

\__/

The nurse had dimmed the lights so that they were almost off before she had left the room. Jade sighed and settled back into the bed, feeling the pain medicine start to kick in. The pounding was still there, but the doctor had assured her it would go away in a few hours. Her consussion was just slight, but even the small ones hurt like hell. A smile came to her face as she felt her family's presence get closer to her room. Well, at least her husband and her son's.

She opened her eyes just as the door swooshed open and bit her lip to keep from yelling for joy. Kyp made it to her side first, and as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, she could feel his relief wash over her.

"Hey." He said quietly, brushing his hand over her cheek as if to reassure himself she was actually there.

"Hey yourself." Jade responded, cupping his hand with hers and kissing his palm. She gave him a quick look then turned to acknowledge the rest of those in the room.

"You know, there's easier ways to get a day off Storm." Jag threw at her then grunted when Jaina and Karissa both elbowed him in the ribs. Jade started to laugh but quickly shut her eyes when she realized that her head pounded harder when she did that. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and opened her eyes.

"Well, if Kyp would actually let me have a day off every once in a while, I wouldn't need to resort to such drastic measures." She said, squeezing his hand. The Fels stayed about 10 minutes, making sure she was alright then slowly everyone filtered out until just Kyp and Jarik were left. Actually, Karissa was in the waiting room, opting to stay and go back with Jarik instead of her parents. Jade was surprised Jag had let her stay, but she was safe where she was, considering this floor of the medward was on lock down with all the senators that were in the building.

"I guess I better get back before the boys wreck the house." Jarik joked, standing to say goodbye. He leaned over to give his mom a kiss, but she pulled him into her arms and he squeezed his eyes shut. Not for the first time, Jade thought about how similar these two men were. Jarik was just as worried as his father but was just better at hiding it. But she always knew when he needed extra reassurance. She kissed his cheek and when he pulled away she smiled beautifully at him.

"Make sure you go home and get some rest honey. I know you're tired." She told him, and he chuckled as he felt her brush him in response.

"Yes ma'am." Jarik glanced over at his father and laughed outright when Kyp rolled his eyes at him. "Love you mom." He whispered. Jarik squeezed her hand and nodded to his father, then left the room.

\__/

Kyp watched his son leave the room, knowing that Jarik was holding onto his emotions by a thread. Hopefully he would talk to Karissa about it on the way home. He hated that his son had inherited his stubborn resistance to rely on others from him, but knew that tempered with his mother's gifts he would be fine.

Turning to look at Jade, he gave her a stern look and she giggled.

"As for you, young lady, don't you ever do that again." He told her forcefully, knowing it wasn't her fault but needing to say the words anyway.

"I promise to try and not get blown up in the near future dear." Jade told him, reaching up to drag him down for a kiss.

\__/

The door to the waiting room opened and Karissa jumped up as Jarik walked in. She could feel some of the tension had left him, but he was still wound up. Of course, she would probably be worse if it was her mom. Jarik was always so freaking composed, and it drove her nuts.

"Ready?" He asked, and she smiled and fell into step beside him as they left the room. Karissa kept her thoughts to herself as they walked to Jarik's speeder. She knew that her parents were probably talking right now, trying to figure out what had happened today and, true to her heritage, she was doing the same.

Jarik bumped her with his elbow as they approached the speeder, bringing her out of her thoughts. He stopped next to the passenger's door and looked down at her.

"Do I want to know what's going on in there?" He asked, poking a finger to her forehead.

"Just thinking." She replied, climbing into the speeder. Jarik stood there for a minute then walked around to his door.

"Well, that's a gimmie. You're always thinking." He joked and didn't have to look at her to know she was glaring at him.

"Smartass."

"Better to be a smartass than a dumbass." He countered, smiling when she laughed.

"I was just wondering why the explosion happened." She said quietly, not surprised when he remained mute. "I know there's been plenty of threats over the years about blowing the senate building up, but I can't believe someone actually went through with it."

"I know." Jarik said, not elaborating on her comment. Karissa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and thought that maybe she shouldn't have said anything. They rode the rest of the way home in silence and when Jarik finally parked the speeder she jumped out, expecting him to be doing the same.

"Jarik?" She said, a little scared when she felt him close off his feelings completely. Clearing her throat, Karissa plopped back down in her seat and shut the door behind her. When she turned to say something to him, his head was on the steering wheel and his shoulders shook slightly.

Reaching over, Karissa pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He let go of his shields a little bit then, and she felt the heat of his emotions sweep over her. Jarik rarely let go like this and it scared her a little that he was doing it now. She couldn't count the number of times she had told him to stop holding things in, and now that he was finally doing it she found herself unprepared for the tidal wave.

She rested her cheek on the top of his head and felt her own tears escape her eyes to travel her cheeks. His arms wound around her waist and she squeezed him a little tighter in response. They stayed that way for a while, neither in a hurry to move. Finally, Jarik sighed deeply and moved to sit up. Sniffing, he wiped his eyes on his sleeve and cleared his throat, not meeting her gaze.

"Thanks." He whispered, closing his eyes as he took a few calming breaths. Karissa reached over to grab one of his hands and he turned to look at her, smiling slightly.

"Anytime." She responded.

\__/

Ajani paused outside the door to the Senator's room. He and the team had already interviewed all the other members of the senate and he was left with Senator Durron. Even though his team was busy with the serial killer case right now, it still fell to his jurisdiction to cover the explosion today. Actually, it was a welcome change of venue for him. Ajani snorted. How sad was it that an explosion that had killed roughly 10 of the Senate was a welcome change to him. The big man sighed, then palmed the door open. The nurse had come to tell him that Senator Durron was awake about 15 minutes ago, but he had needed a little break so he hadn't come right away. He had met the senator a few times during his career and had always felt at ease around her. No one liked politicians, but she wasn't your typical one either. Of course she was Myri's sister-in-law too, which he thought said something for her. Myri was fiercely loyal to Jade and that spoke volumes to him.

Not surprisingly, she looked up and greeted him with a smile that he actually saw in her eyes. He nodded to her and then turned to find her husband standing next to the bed. He'd never met Kyp Durron, but he of course knew his history. Ajani was not one to form an impression without facts, so he honestly didn't know what to think of the man.

"Senator, Master Durron." He greeted them, as he walked to the end of the bed.

"Good evening detective. I assume you're here to ask me some questions." Jade said, her husband glancing down at her then back at the detective. His look told Ajani not to expect to stay long. He nodded slightly at the Jedi master and smiled at the senator.

"Yes ma'am. I won't take up much of your time." He responded, moving to sit in a chair that was on the side of the bed opposite Kyp. "Maybe it would be best for you to start with the events that led up to your arrival in the senate chambers."

Jade nodded and bit her lip before she spoke.

"We had a meeting scheduled for 1100 hours. I left my office about 15 minutes before I needed to be there. The only thing that sticks out in my mind as unusual was that the lift was out and I had to take the stairs. That probably saved my life." She whispered, her gaze now trained in the direction of her feet. Ajani didn't feel that she was hiding anything by not meeting his eyes, just that she was trying to remember anything she might have missed at the time. "So I took the stairs, which of course takes a little longer." She looked up to see a quizzical expression on the detective's face.

"I tend to multitask when I'm walking somewhere."

"Ah." He responded, the corner of his mouth curling up.

"It's rather difficult to walk down six flights of stairs and try to read a datapad at the same time."

"I can imagine." He said, chuckling.

"I really wasn't paying any attention to anything around me. I vaguely remember greeting a few people in response to their greetings, but I don't think I ever looked up. At least not for any considerable length of time." She paused and bit her lip again and he swore he saw a ripple of pain swim across her face. Master Durron confirmed it when he reached up and touched her shoulder and she sighed in relief. The detective remained quiet, knowing that it was best to let someone run through their story before asking questions.

"I got to the bowl about five minutes before 1100."

"Bowl?" He asked, unable to contain himself.

Jade chuckled. "That's what we call the senate chamber. Sorry, inside joke." He smiled and she continued. "I stepped inside and was stopped by one of the senators for a second, and then the room lit up. The next part is a bit of a blur. I think some debris must have hit me because I blacked out. I'm not sure for how long, but the dust was still settling when my brain started up again."

"So you don't remember anyone who may not have belonged?"

"No." She said quietly, as she shook her head. "I wasn't in the room long enough to see who was there. I didn't feel anything through the force, but that's not much for you to go on." She added.

"Alright. That's all I need for now." He said, standing. "Please let me know if you happen to remember anything else." Jade nodded and graced him with a small smile. Ajani met the master's eyes, then he left the room.

\__/

Rika shifted slightly on the couch and Karissa ran her hand over the girl's hair, smiling when she sighed. When her parents had gotten home, she had asked if she could come back over to the Durrons and her mother had simply smiled and nodded. For some reason she thought that she should be bothered by that, but she was too tired to think about it right now. Jarik had fixed them all dinner, but it had been a somber affair. Rika had gone into her shell and Galven had, for once, stared at his plate and pushed his food around.

"Is my cooking that bad?" Jarik had asked him, actually getting a weak smile from his little brother. They had settled in the living room afterwards and Rika had fallen asleep, her head resting on Karissa's lap. Eventually, Galven had quietly announced he was tired and went to his room. Jarik stared after him, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. Something had been bothering his brother lately, but he hadn't attempted to find out what. He knew that Galven sometimes got in a mood and just needed to be left alone to come out of it in his own time. This felt different though. Jarik glanced over at Karissa, who was absently stroking his sister's hair and watching the movie without really watching it. He smiled and thanked the force for giving him such a good friend.

Karissa must have felt his eyes on her, because she looked over and smiled at him. They sat there for a little while longer, when Jarik couldn't take it any more. He stood and walked out of the room down to Galven's door.

The muffled sound of music came from behind the teenager's door and he smiled. Galven always used music to make him feel better, just like their mother. He knocked lightly, knowing that he would hear him over the din. The music was turned down and when the door opened, his brother looked at him, his face devoid of emotion.

"What?" He said, a small bit of anger in his voice.

Shaking his head, he lightly shoved Galven back so he could enter the room and waited until the door was shut until he spoke.

"You know, I understand that you're worried about mom but you need to cut it out with the anger crap Galv. For one thing, you're scaring Rika." He threw out, knowing that if his brother held everything in he was going to explode later. Better to let it out now and be directed at him, than everyone else.

"Whatever." Galven said, walking past Jarik to lay down on his bed. He plopped down on his stomach and rested his head on his arms, essentially ignoring his brother. As much as Galven was like their mother, he had unfortunately inherited their father's agression too.

Jarik started to say something else when he looked over and saw the slight tremble of Galven's shoulders. Squeezing his eyes shut, he centered himself then walked over to sit on the side of the bed. He didn't trust his voice, so he chose to simply put his hand on Galven's back and wait until the storm passed. Jarik totally understood where his brother was coming from. It was hard being a teenager as it was. Throw in a parent who was a Jedi Master and one who was a Senator and it messed up the dynamics more than usual. It had taken him time to find a balance and he knew Galven would find one eventually.

Finally, the teenager rolled over onto his back and swiped at his eyes. Jarik waited for him to drive the conversation.

"How come you never lose it?" Galven asked quietly. Jarik snorted and barked out a laugh.

"Dude, I lose it plenty. You just never see it." He offered as Galven sat up and scooted up the bed to lean against the headboard. "In fact, I lost it on the way back from the medcenter today."

"Seriously?" His brother asked, shock written on his face.

"Yeah. It sucks being the oldest. Dad depends on me to be the man when he's not around and honestly, I don't want to be."

"Why the sith not?"

"Because it sucks being an adult. I have to be the strong one for you, Rika and Mom when dad can't and it's not easy." Jarik told him quietly.

"I never thought about that." Galven whispered.

"Yeah, I never did either until it happened. Look," He started, changing his position to mirror Galven's, "you have quite a while before you have to worry about it. Just let me deal with things for now. There will be plenty of time for you to practice being an adult later. Deal?" He asked, holding his hand out to shake.

Galven looked at him and nodded, but didn't take his hand. Instead, he leaned into him and Jarik smiled as he wrapped an arm around his little brother.

\__/

"Here mom, let me help you." Micah said quickly, reaching over to help his mom out of the lift.

"Good grief Micah, I'm fine. I can do it on my own." She snapped then cringed when he dropped his hands away and stepped back from her. Aiden stood behind her, his gaze darting to his older brother's. Micah smiled a little then turned to walk down the hall to their door. He waited until the other two had walked through the door, then shut and locked it behind him. Jared was parking the speeder and he knew his dad would take a few minutes to compose himself before he came home.

Micah started down the hall towards his room, when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." She told him, her eyes begging him to forgive her.

"It's ok mom."

"No, it's not." She said, determination showing in her face. "I shouldn't take my frustration out on you. That's what your father's for." Micah chuckled and nodded. "I'm just worried about Jade." She whispered.

"I know. But aunt Jade is tough. She'll be ok." He offered, jumping a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to find his father standing there, a grin on his face.

"Don't forget that either." He said, squeezing his son's shoulder and moving to pull Seena to his side. "Jade's made of freaking durasteel. She'd have to be since she married Durron." He snarked, winking at Micah as he led his wife down the hall to their room.

He watched them for a minute, then turned to plop down on the couch. Micah leaned his head back and rubbed his face with his hands.

"You ok?" A voice asked him, and his head shot up to see Aiden standing at the end of the hall, worry painted on his face.

Micah nodded as his brother made his way over to sit next to him. "How bout yourself?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just…I don't know. I guess the shock has worn off." Aiden confessed, knowing that this was one of those times Micah wouldn't rib him.

"Yeah. Sucks don't it?" He joked dryly, letting his head fall back to the couch.

"Yeah." Aiden responded, lapsing into silence. Micah looked over and gave his brother a questioning gaze. "Is it always like this when you love someone?" He asked and Micah knew he couldn't hide the shock on his face. Since when did his little brother become interested in love?

"You mean the acting crazy and adrenaline rushes? Yelling at those closest to you and generally losing your mind?"

Aiden simply nodded and Micah smiled. An image of blonde hair and violet eyes formed in his head and he chuckled. "Yep. Every time."

\__/

"What are you doing?" He seethed, throwing the older man up against the wall of the apartment. "You're going to ruin everything!"

"Calm down, Cutter." He said, trying to soothe him. "I just rocked the speeder a little. I didn't do any damage to your little game." He responded, reaching down to pull the man's hands from his shirt. Which really wasn't easy, since he was considerably stronger. Finally he managed to pull the fabric from the man's fingers and threw him a glare as he walked across the room.

"You could have killed her in that blast!" Cutter ground out.

"I made sure she wouldn't be in there. So calm down and let's discuss the next step." He said, filling his voice with as much authority as he could. He was amazed the young man still listened to him. When he had set out to corrupt him, he had never imagined Cutter would exceed his expectations and become a liability. He would let the young man play his game a little longer then he would have to put a stop to it.