Miriah pushed herserlf up from the chair and stretched. "I need a drink," she said, turning to see Corso approaching.

"I can go for that. We've got some..."

"No, I want to go to the cantina." Miriah turned pleading eyes to his, and he lowered his head to kiss her.

"Okay then, let's go." They went to the door and told the detail captain of their plans, and Corso saw his face pale. Miriah dismissed them, assuring them that Corso was all the protection she needed, and with a reluctant nod, they filed back toward the barracks. They'd no doubt see them all soon enough in their civilian clothes, still vigilant when it came to Miriah's safety, even if they did it from the many barstools around the cantina. They made their way to the smuggler's cantina, and Miriah sat heavily. She had already told Corso that Devin and Mags had made contact with Aric, and now she just felt drained. They took a booth in a corner, and when the waitress approached, she handed them menus.

"No, I only want to drink," Miriah said, handing hers back. "A bottle of Hutt tequila, right here," she pointed at the center of the table.

"Darlin', you know you need to..." Corso trailed off at the look on her face, and cleared his throat. "I'll have the dinner special and a side of fried mushrooms. And some bread." He thought if he ordered enough, Miriah would at least nibble something. He'd ordered a beer as well, knowing that it was all he really wanted anyway. The fact that Mir is drinking tequila is a sure tell that she's tired and stressed, he thought. I'll need to stay alert. He watched her down three shots quickly and sit back, rolling her shoulders. This could be a long night, he thought, and hoped the food would arrive quickly.

Aric saw Mags out of the corner of his eye, but his main focus was on his father. As before, he watched his father pace as he vented his fury at Aric. Mags drew closer to where he sat, and knelt beside him. This is a dream, Aric. You know that. Even if you strike at him here, your father is dead and he can't belittle you anymore. Arc felt his shoulders relax. That's right, old man, he thought. No matter what you think here, you are not right. I don't have to listen to this. When that thought passed his mind, the dream stopped, and he was sleeping, his body finally relaxed.

Magdalane sat heavily, and Devin immediately went to her. "He's sleeping now, and really getting some rest. Let's leave it as is," she said, and he helped her to her own pallet. When his aunt was resting, he sent force to her, knowing she needed to recharge. He sighed. At least everyone here is at peace, and felt Mia's struggle to get Merida down. He reached out in the force to his daughter and she quieted. Good, he thought, and lay down as well. He had a special bond with his daughter, and with her teeth erupting and missing him, she was extra fretful tonight. He felt Mia's thanks, and sent her his love before closing his eyes, seeing his little family in his mind and feeling their connection.

Caly and Torian had gone for a walk, stopping outside for a bit. They were walking back to the apartment, Caly's lips kiss swollen and her eyes dreamy, when she heard her mother's laugh. They stopped and finally spotted Miriah in the booth, surrounded by Admiral Aygo, Nico Okarr, and Lana. Caly saw the trademark bottle on the table, and the waitress bringing another. Uhoh, she thought. They made their way over, and when they arrived at the table, Miriah held up a shot glass full of the clear liquid. "Here's to my beautiful daughter and new son in law," she declared, and slammed the shot. Caly smiled but shifted a nervous glance to her father, who she saw was a little glassy eyed himself. What in the world is going on, she wondered, but when Corso moved closer to Miriah, she took the offered seat.

"Are we celebrating?" she asked, and Miriah laughed again.

"Just needed a little stress relief," she answered, and Caly noted that her speech wasn't slurred. If she hadn't seen the empty bottle being taken away, she would have no idea that her mom had drank anything more than the shot she just saw. "Have you two eaten?"

"We're good," Torian answered. "Caly cooked for us, and made a tutorial video."

Miirah looked at her daughter again with a raised eyebrow. "That's an amazing idea, Caly. I never would have thought of it."

Caly blushed. "I just miss cooking more than I thought I would. It probably won't lead to anything, but it was fun to make."

"You never know," Corso said, and Caly noted that he did indeed have a more pronounced drawl than usual. "It might just fill a need for people."

Miriah was engaged in conversation with Nico and Caly leaned in toward her father. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"We're just fine, sweetie," he told her, a bit louder than he'd intended. "Mom just had a rough day."

"Maybe she needs to go home soon, get some sleep," she suggested, and Corso laughed heartily.

"You know as well as I do she'll make that decision," he finally said, gasping and wiping his eyes. Caly took a deep breath. I suppose they'll be fine, she reasoned, and stood.

"I'll see you both tomorrow, I'm back at work here early," she said and kissed her father's cheek before taking Torian's hand. They walked in silence to the elevator, and when they were inside, Torian hugged her.

"Your dad says all is well?" he asked, and felt her nod against him. "Remind me to never drink with your mother."

Caly laughed at that, and agreed. "Yeah, not a good idea, ever." They made it inside their home before resuming their passionate kisses, clothes trailing over the family room and into the bedroom.

Mags tried but couldn't sleep, thinking about what Aric had told her and then his dream. His childhood was not ideal, she thought, and then he was in the military. That's where he learned to be honorable and steadfast. I wonder if he's ever considered that. She made a mental note to discuss it with him, and figured they'd need at least one more session to resolve the nightmare, maybe more. But, she reasoned, we could do that back at the base instead of here. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard ground, and wished she was with Felix, enjoying his gentle attentions and how connected they were. She reached out to Aric, and knew he was okay. She closed her eyes, hoping she could be at home soon.

Arcann had heard of Miriah's plans and had hurried home to change clothes. By the time he'd made it back to the base, Miriah had been well into her first bottle, so he took a stool at the bar, one where he had the best view of the surrounding area. He'd watched as people from all over had approached her, and she'd been gracious with them all. He'd seen Caly and Torian and followed them with his eyes as they'd left, happy for them. Then, as he'd refreshed his caf, he saw her. The flame red hair was a give away, and even before he could see all of her, he felt his heart rate increase and his mouth grew dry. He could only stare as her lithe body came into view, gracefully crossing the floor and joining the impromptu party. He stood and made his way to the booth, where Miriah greeted him with a smile.

"Here, I'll move closer to this big guy here," she grinned at Corso as she moved into his side, her hand trailing up his thigh. Arcann slid into the seat beside Shae, and he couldn't draw a breath. He'd not been this close to her before and he was now close enough to smell the scent of her hair. Miriah and Shae were toasting, and he barely heard their words. Shae turned to him and smiled, and his vision clicked into place.

"I've heard that you run a very large farm," Shae said, and Arcann nodded.

"We provide fresh produce to the base and Haven," he confirmed. "We're in the beginning stages of producing ronto and bantha, but those herds take time to develop."

"Where did you ever learn about this stuff?" she asked, intrigued.

"I loved to read as a boy, and some of my favorite books were about farming. Corso has a very large ranch with ronto and bantha, and he and Logan have helped us greatly in our herds." He took a sip of his caf and saw that Shae had shifted to face him.

"You're very different than I'd imagined," she finally said, and he laughed.

"I'm quite sure," he replied, and was a little disappointed when she rejoined the conversation of the group. But, I'm sitting next to her, and she smells like flowers. I'll take it. He relaxed and continued his scans of the area, but his attention was consumed with the radiant female beside him.

Maura had eaten and showered, then made her way to bed. She'd done better than she'd expected with the half day of duty, and it felt good to be out of the apartment. She had missed the sense of camaraderie she had with the other security troopers and had also checked in with the training squadrons. The one she missed the most was still gone, but she felt a little better knowing that her sister and nephew were with him. She had gotten a message that Miriah had dismissed the detail, and knew that they were still all around her, albeit not in armor. If she's drinking she probably won't even notice them, she figured. She'd messaged Coleen, but her daughter was tired after her day teaching, and wanted only to sleep, so Maura had told her she loved her and let her rest. She propped up in bed, thinking she'd read, but after reading the same paragraph over and over, she put the datapad aside and picked up another, one with family photos and memories. She saw an image of herself and Aric, at her mother's birthday party so many years ago. They wore dress blues, and she could see the beginnings of her baby bump, the twins just starting to show. It was at that party that Miriah had introduced Corso to the family, and Mags had been working on her wedding. So many years had passed, she thought. So many memories. Until now, she'd refused to think that Aric might not come back to her, but the idea intruded into her good intentions, and now she wondered. What if Mags couldn't help him, or Devin couldn't persuade him to come back to the base? What then? She got up and went into the kitchen, taking a bottle of water from the fridge. I want him home so much, she thought. If they don't bring him home in the next couple of days, I'm moving to be with him. That idea solidified in her mind, and somehow it settled her fear. Going back to bed, she fell asleep easily, knowing she had a solution.

Miriah's entourage finally all begged off, and Corso slid his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, sugar," she said, her voice a seductive whisper, her hand wandering closer to where his pants had tightened and her eyes full of promise.

"Let's go home," he said softly, and watched her drink another shot.

"Why?" she asked, turning to look into his eyes.

He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Because it's not right for the whole cantina to see me rip your clothes off." Miriah grinned at him and stood, swaying only a bit. Corso had more difficulty, but once on his feet, he righted them both. They had gone down the steps when he threw her over his shoulder and strode rapidly down the hallway, anxious to get to their p lace. Once inside, he continued with her to the bed, and gently put her down. "Now, that's better," he told her, and quickly did away with her command tunic and leggings, shedding his own clothing as well. Miriah purred under his hands and when they came together, she was more vocal than usual, which had his own desire racing. We should do this more often, he thought as they lay together after, just before his brain shut down.

Arcann wanted to walk Shae home, but his sense of duty had him staying to make sure the Commander would be okay. He'd watched as she had walked away, and longed for her, letting his mind linger on her beauty and spirit. He'd called on the force to focus, and saw Corso put Miriah over his shoulder as they made their way home. That's what I want, he thought. That kind of relationship, where you're content just being with each other. He sighed to himself, and made his way out to the courtyard and onto the speeder. Maybe, one day, he mused, and made his way home, anxious for the next day and the possibility it would bring.

Aric woke refreshed. It had been so long since he'd felt it, he was elated. He saw that Devin and Mags were still sleeping, and quietly started the caf pot. He'd only brought a few ration bars when he left, but Devin had produced eggs from his pack, along with bantha bacon. He started to cook, the aroma of the bacon waking Devin. They worked together, and soon Mags joined them yawning widely. They ate heartily, and when they were done, Mags sat with Aric.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" she asked, and he slowly nodded.

"I think I do. You reminded me that it was my dream and I had control," he said, and Mags smiled.

"It's time, Aric. The Alliance needs you, Miriah needs you, and most of all, your family needs you. Even if you sleep in another room, Maura needs you with her. Now that you've broken through the fear, you're on the path to being able to leave this behind you."

Aric sipped his caf, deep in thought. "I wish it were all different. That Coleen had a dependable partner to love this little child. That I had let it go rather than cause so much chaos by searching Saresh out. Most of all, that I'd never, ever harmed Maura." He sighed deeply. "I can't change that, I can only go forward. Miriah says that all the time and I know she's right." He stood and started to pack away his kit. Magdalane crossed to him and touched his arm. He turned to her with a broad smile.

"Let's go home."