Corso watched her enjoy her crew and her surprise party with a smile on his face. One year, he thought, it's been exactly one year since she'd admitted to them both what he meant to her, making him the happiest he'd ever been in his whole life. He thought back on that day. He'd tried to find her, searching first the ship then every cantina he could find on Coruscant. He'd finally located her in a secluded corner of the upper level of a dive they'd done some work for when they'd been there months ago. She was looking out a dirty window, a glass in her hand and tears on her face. He'd pushed her the night before, too hard, he'd thought, to tell him what he felt he knew, but she wouldn't say it. When he saw her there, he knew that even if she'd rejected him, he'd never leave her crew unless she made him, just so he could see her every day.
"Captain, there you are. We were all worried," he'd told her, sitting across from her on the narrow bench. She'd turned away, to try to hide the tears that were already there. He'd seen her in so many tough situations, so many no-win scenarios, that this was totally unexpected. He'd never seen her upset before- even when her precious ship had been stolen she was angry but not upset.
"I'm sorry, Corso, didn't mean to worry anyone," she'd said with a sigh. More tears streamed out of her lovely eyes, but she did nothing to hide them now. She fell silent, and it broke his heart that she was in so much pain.
"Talk to me, Miriah," he'd told her, in his soft, deep voice, calling her by her given name for the first time. "I will always be here for you, no matter what you have to say."
"I want to," she'd said, swallowing hard, "I just can't, it's not fair…"
"Nothing about life is fair, you and I know that better than most," he'd told her.
She'd looked at the dirt and dust on the window again, and wiped at her face. "I….I want….," then she'd broken, and all he could do was hold her. He could feel her shaking, deep sobs coming from her, and it felt like her soul was aching. He'd felt his own soul ache for her, and would have done anything to fix whatever she was upset about, but all he could do was try to comfort her, letting her cry until she was only shuddering against him instead of sobbing. He'd lifted her head, searched her eyes until she turned away.
"What is it, Miriah?" Oh, how he loved to say her name! "Please, talk to me," he begged her.
She'd taken a deep, shaky breath, tears still leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "I want to be with you, have you in my life the way you want, but it's just not fair to ask that of you. You see what this life is like, the bounties and the killing, always waiting for the next threat. You are a very good man, whose heart is as big as the sky, and I just can't ask you to put yourself in this danger. As much as I think I'm in love with you…"
Those were the only words I'd wanted to hear, he thought, all the rest was just filler. He'd moved to sit beside her, pulling her close. "As long as we're together, and you're mine, nothing else matters to me," he'd told her. They'd spent the afternoon sitting in that dingy place, among the grime and dust motes, talking softly about themselves and each other. He'd learned that day of her sisters and her mother, her life growing up, and she'd learned of the last days of his parent's lives and how much he still missed them. They'd spent the last year reconciling parts of their lives and forgetting others, making their own memories and plans. Yeah, he thought, best day of my life so far at that point, but every day since had been better.
He was pulled from his musings by her arms around his neck, her eyes laughing into his, and he kissed her there, in front of the crew, to all their cheers and laughter.
"I love you, Corso, and I do remember this day last year," she told him softly, "I always will, as long as I live."