Then he met Kendra. Not only did she prefer to be away from him but she excelled at it. The last three years (nearly four) had seen Kendra strive in his almost constant absence. If only Brendol knew what he was walking away from. If only he knew what she (and every staff member in the house) was keeping from him. He would probably would have jogged down that ramp, clung to her legs and refuse to let go. Or at least that's what her cruel, sadistic imagination conjured up.

Finalizer may not have looked the same but it felt the same. The same orderly, regimental hub of dedication it had always been. They needed to stay under the radar until such time as the Stormtroopers could be rebuilt and the former glory of the First Order could rise again. Thankfully; scouts had come across some older, voluntary recruits willing to pledge themselves while younger Troopers were being raised, trained and indoctrinated. Captain Phasma had stayed a few days after their initial arrival at the villa to recuperate from the trauma of the trash compactor then went on her way to try and find traces of the First Order while her General spent his nights inside his wife; playing with the fire that was Kendra Varnett.

She didn't like her. From the moment the Captain had seen her, she knew she was trouble and knew Hux could see it but chose to ignore it. The disrespect alone was enough to make Phasma's blood boil and it was clear the younger female had very dark intentions. And yet, he flirted with the danger. If the murmurs of the staff were anything to go by on the night of their arrival, Phasma had to hope that her General would be sensible enough to correct his judgement. It was not to be.

"Welcome back, Sir." Phasma regarded her General with the utmost respect, unlike the bitch he had left back on Arkanis.

"Thank you, Captain." He sounded strained; the bump in the sleeve of his coat concerned her even more.

"Sir….Are you alright?" The question may have been a bit too bold. That was her reaction when he halted his stride and turned on his heel to double back to her. It was probably one of the only times she saw him on board without his hands clasped behind his back, the discomfort of the stretch was too much for him.

He had crawled from the dining room with a cotton napkin securing the jagged, pumping fang marks on his arm and hoped he could bandage it himself without passing out. The wound was still angry and on his way back to Finalizer, he had scrutinized every database on Vornskr bites. While nasty and deep (even from an immature one like Nero), there was no poison or any other substances he had to worry about. Simply keeping it clean and covered would heal it but it would scar; a constant reminder from Nero that Kendra was not his to command.

"Vornskr bite." He gestured to his arm with the opposite hand, knowing and trusting Phasma well enough to have confidence that she would be discreet.

"A Vornskr?" The chrome Trooper repeated, knowing of the animal in question.

"But where….?"

"My wife has one. Vile beast. When I return to the villa, it will be removed. I don't care if I have to kill it or stun it and send it away; this is the last straw. I refuse to share my home with it."

"But…. Why a Vornskr?"

"She knows I'm allergic to anything canine." One of the perks to being back on the Finalizer was not having to rely on that infernal medication any more. "That and Ren didn't exactly behave with the most eloquence when he woke up."

"Sir?"

"I caught him trying to force his way into her mind and do Gods knows what to her. She got it to protect herself in case he ever made a reappearance. Not that she would admit it." Phasma said nothing. So Kylo Ren had an interest in her too? "Thank you for your concern, Captain."

The days turned into weeks and before Brendol knew it, he had been gone nearly two months. He had heard nothing on his own personal com from Kendra, not that he expected messages claiming to miss him or anything of the like. He assumed if there had been a development that he would have heard it by now. It seemed that wasn't the case. The General stood on the bridge immersed in his own thoughts.

All was quiet; for now. It was their anniversary soon. Four years of broken, vicious, cruel marriage. And the poor bastard pined for her. He wanted her. He wanted her like the night he had brought her back from Aargau after the merciless onslaught of her brother and father. He'd woken up to disappointment when he found himself alone and kept from her all over again. He felt it was a time he should have been with her.

It was progress, immeasurable progress. Kissing her, (what he assumed was) making love to her, watching the peace in her face as she succumbed to slumber cuddled up to him, falling asleep with her in his arms…. His hand crept to the breast pocket of his tunic, it was kept there; his wedding ring. He didn't wear it since it hindered his gloves and it had been left at the villa when he returned to Starkiller, prior to the explosion. However, he felt the need to bring it with him now and touch it from time to time, like a small comfort. One of the new bridge staff spoke up, snatching Hux from his musings.

"General? We have a pending transmission, should I accept?" Hux turned, somewhat stunned which quickly turned to anger; assuming that incompetence had reared its head so early. Everything was supposed to have been completely re-routed!

"We should be not be able to receive transmissions! There should only be on-board communications only! Get that technician; that fool, Matt! Where is the transmission coming from?!"

"Aargau, sir." It could only be Romhain.

"I'll take it in my office."

"General!" Hux rolled his eyes; typical of the older male to greet him like an old friend when he had scrutinized both him and his wife ruthlessly only a few months previously. He'd admit it was the best night of his life though.

"Romhain." Brendol replied with less enthusiasm. "What can I do for you?"

"I hear congratulations are in order?!"

"Thank you, it was difficult but we got there eventually."

"Indeed! We were starting to get worried but better late than never, isn't that right?"

"Quite right. Drafting Stormtroopers is taking a little longer than I'd like but it's a process we can't rush." Silence on the other end that was broken by raucous laughter. One was Romhain, the other Brendol recognized as Cole. The call was obviously being projected on loudspeaker as his was.

"Pardon us, Brendol. We're a tad merry; we've just closed a big deal. But no, pleased and all as I am about the First Order gathering itself; I was referring to Kendra." The General paused, confused.

"What about her?" He could hear Cole snickering in the background and Romhain certainly sounded smug.

"My, General. You really should keep in contact with your wife! Nearly four years and she's finally pregnant!" Brendol froze, his thought process seeming to slow to nothing at the news. Pregnant? "Brendol? Brendol, are you there?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here…." But he was only half listening. Maybe she didn't know when he left; she would have told him, wouldn't she? He felt a prick of anger; why did he have to hear it from Romhain who assumed he already knew? Why had he been so ignorant of his own child? When had it been conceived? "How far along?"

"What was it, Cole? About four and a half months, I believe. Are you telling me you didn't know about this, General?"

"No…. I didn't….."

"So you didn't know she's expecting twins?" Hux's breath caught in his throat. Twins?! This was too much, too overwhelming; all of it. He'd tried for months, striven and toiled and now it was finally a reality. He'd have the line he wanted.

"I…. I can't believe this…."

"My recommendation would be to take some personal time as soon as you can. Despite the unfortunate incident with that brute she keeps with her. It'll be nice to have some reputable grandchildren in the family and not the half breed mongrels Cole is constantly fighting off paternity suits for. Congratulations, General."

Being four and a half months pregnant was far more tiring than Kendra thought it would be; particularly with twins. A nap then maybe a bath followed by (a bigger than usual) lunch was the usual for the afternoon, maybe followed by another nap depending on how she felt. One hand rested on the now noticeable bump; there was no kicking just yet but she would not miss it, not when her hand didn't seem to move.

If she was truthful, she was enjoying it so far. Yes, the morning sickness was a hindrance but she would take the good with the bad. Nero was just as protective and gentle as always, fawning over the bump at every opportunity. She could barely wait for him to experience a kick. Her usual day dress of silvery shimmersilk hugged the babies just tight enough to be comfortable. She had dreaded the thought of maternity wear but found it to be far more comfortable than she would have previously believed. Along with the blossoming bump, her chest had also grown significantly to prepare for feeding her children herself. Halfway through her tea and basking in the fire's glow; she was interrupted by Nana.

"We have a problem." The older woman told her bluntly and didn't wait to receive an answer before turning and striding from the room. Kendra looked at Nero who looked back at her before hauling herself to her feet and following her out of the room. She chased Nana to the staircase leading down into the entrance hall with utter confusion.

"Nana?! What's going on?! What's the…. Oh hell…."

Down at the bottom of the stairs, he was waiting for her. Naturally, the first thing his eyes took in was the bump. Initially, it had crossed his mind that Cole and Romhain were teasing him; they had been drinking after all. One glance was enough to confirm everything his father in law had said.

"Happy Anniversary." He greeted her scathingly, nostrils flared and hands tucked behind his back. It seemed his arm was fully healed. Kendra looked to Nana.

"Was that today?"

"Mmmhmm." Was the older woman's reply though Kendra didn't seem too bothered.

"When were you going to tell me, Kendra?!" His wife's eyes flickered slightly to the side as her brows lifted; she was going to be truthful.

"Well, Brendol; I wasn't. If you found out, so be it. And clearly you have so….. Well done, you."

"Why did I have to hear it from your father?!" The female's eyes narrowed down at her husband, something didn't add up.

"What are you talking about?! My father doesn't know!"

"So why did he contact me on Finalizer and tell me you were having twins?!" Well, there goes that surprise.

"You're a liar!" Kendra spat with venom, aggression already rushing to the forefront. "My father doesn't know! No one outside this godsforsaken house knows!" Brendol didn't know much about pregnancy. He certainly didn't know about hormones and what they could do to a woman. And what a woman could do once influenced by them.

"I think you may have a mole, Kendra!" Hux snarled, still at the bottom of the staircase. Outraged and all as he was, he still wanted to touch her. She was about to bristle a retort when movement caught her far peripheral vision; Nana shifting uncomfortably.

The youngest of the three present adults turned to face her trusted employee with disbelieving disgust.

"You told him, didn't you?" Brendol watched from below, this was bad. When she didn't get an answer, she pried again with her lip curled up into a snarl. "You told him, didn't you?!"

"I told him…." Nana admitted quietly, shamefully and the man at the bottom of the stairs knew that was the wrong thing to do. "He said it was imperative he knew when you were pregnant." That was it. That was what opened the floodgates of her hormones. Before Brendol could stop her and what Nana knew what was happening, Kendra's hands met Nana's back and shoved as hard as she could. Hux watched with horror as the older woman tumbled down the ornate staircase, every stone step hitting her worn body on the way down.

She rolled at his feet in a crumpled mess of blood and groaning before he looked up to his wife at the top. He expected remorse, as if it had been a momentary loss in judgement. He would be disappointed. Instead, she stood with her chest heaving, her beautiful pale face contorted with a fury he'd never really seen and one raven curl dangling down into her face.

"TRAAAAITOOOR!" She screamed, deranged at the barely moving lump at the bottom of the stairs.

Before she could do any more damage, Kendra turned and strode back to her room, still snarling like an animal. Her father knew and had told her husband. The two things she was trying to prevent until she could no longer prevent them. As usual, her hand guarded the bump along with the devoted Vornskr. She had eased herself down into the armchair beside the fireplace in her bedroom and simply let her mind drift into nothingness. Did she regret what she'd done? It was simply a blur but no. Kendra only had a few minutes before she realized she was no longer alone.

"There was no need for that."

"You're not supposed to be in here." Was her distasteful reply as if nothing had happened.

"You could have killed her!" Kendra looked up and locked her burning gaze with her husband's.

"She. Deserved. Every. Step."

"He was going to find out eventually!" Brendol countered, frustrated once he'd recovered from his wife's unnerving response. "I'm not fond of your father either but this is ridiculous!" His efforts were undone when a wicked, bitter laugh tumbled from her lips.

"You have no idea!" The spiteful laughter continued. "The things that bastard has put me through over the years! From the time I was fifteen to the time I married you, I was bait! Bait for perverted old men at various gala balls and gatherings, the likes of where he met you!" It subsided and complete callousness had taken over.

"All in the name of business! That's all I ever was! A business accessory! A tool! And then YOU!" He shifted like Nana had when she looked at him again, that inhumane glower. "When he met YOU! When YOU took a liking, he realized I was far more valuable than flirting at a gala! It didn't matter if it cost him his only daughter! No, I was offered to the General! Just so my vile excuse of a father could get his claws into the biggest business deal of his life: THE NEW EMPIRE!"

Hux was quiet. He knew what had happened; he'd just never heard it from her. It was surreal how a decision that had not involved her could have affected her so massively. Her head tilted and rested against the back of the chair with her eyes closed; one hand embedded in her obsidian curls, the other resting on the bump.

"I only ever wanted to be left alone." He finally cleared his throat.

"If… If it had been different. If he hadn't been involved and I pursued you myself…. Would you feel differently about me? Than you do now?"

"No." Was the blunt answer that pricked him a little. "You were First Order scum then, you're First Order scum now. Nothing would be different."

"You're carrying my children, Kendra."

"Don't remind me."

"We made a deal." A light sigh was her only response until she felt a light pressure against the bump, just below her hand. With her eyes open, her gaze was met with her husband on his knees in front of her with his forehead pressed gently against where his children were growing.

"I don't want to go back….." Her eyes shut again and her head reclaimed the position against the back of the chair, an action fuelled by helplessness and weakness.

"I don't care if you do or don't, Brendol. I just don't care anymore."

"Stay with me tonight. I want to be near them before I return."

"Fine."