Star Wars does not belong to me. Just Skylar & Co.

Big thanks to laloga and ComradeGoonie for reviewing!


Fives meant what he'd told Skylar. If she just wanted to be friends, he really was okay with it. At least, he'd have to be. As long as I get to be around her... I still can't believe she kissed my cheek.

But, he couldn't afford to dwell on that. Briika squirmed a little in his arms and he turned his attention back to the baby. He couldn't believe how small she was. He'd seen babies in their glass tanks on Kamino, but he'd never been this close to one before. It was hard to believe that any of them had ever been that small. And Fives couldn't help but see how much Briika looked like Gabe. How much she looks like me.

Cordav took the baby from him and expertly changed the little one before cradling the kid against her shoulder.

"How did you learn to handle a baby, Sky?"

"I helped Deena out the first night. After waking up every two hours to feed and change diapers, you pick it up pretty fast."

There was a soft knock and Gabe steered his chair through the door into the nursery. It's still hard to believe that he'll never walk again. Fives remembered that Gabe had been upset about his condition. But, as soon as the older clone laid eyes on his baby, the ARC couldn't see any of that on his brother's face.

"D'you mind letting me hold my kid, sis?" Gabe asked, smiling as the baby cooed at the sound of his voice.

Cordav handed her niece to her brother, "Well, she knows who her daddy is, that's for sure."

"She looks like you, Gabe." Fives spoke up.

"She should," the former sergeant said with a hint of amusement on his face. "Briika looks like her mama too. Her eyes are the same color."

Said woman stuck her head through the door, brilliant ice blue eyes smiling at them, "Dinner's getting cold." Fives couldn't help but openly stare. He hadn't noticed before, but Gabe's wife clearly was not human. Or, at most, only half. She looked human enough, but her skin was gold-toned. Her hair was two-toned, golden blonde and deep red. And when she smiled at him, he couldn't help but notice that her teeth were pointed.

"You must be Fives," she said softly. "Sky forgot to tell you about me being half Firrerreo, huh?"

"Firrerreo? I didn't even know that there were any on Coruscant-" He stopped when she winced.

"Long story," she said, still speaking softly. Gabe reached up with a free hand to grasp hers comfortingly. She smiled at him and Fives couldn't help but feel a little envious at the display.

Doz stuck his head through the door, "Are you guys coming or what? I'm starving and we're not going to wait for you if you guys decide to have a pow-wow."

Deena giggled melodiously before steering her husband's chair out of the room. Doz grinned evilly at Fives and Skylar, but the woman's frosty glare was enough to make him back up as the two of them passed the jokester.

Sky turned back to look at him, "Waiting on you, Doz."

Fives couldn't help but smirk as he followed her to the dining room.

A few minutes later and all of them were seated at the large table, Gabe at the head with Deena, who was holding the baby while she ate, to his right. Teanna was seated between Fives and Skylar and all of them were laughing as Sky recounted one of the shenanigans that she and another of her squads, Aran, had gotten in too. The woman was very animated as she described the rigged dets exploding all over the training ground like fireworks. She didn't mention Fett's reaction to that, though.

Fives couldn't think of any time that he'd ever felt this relaxed. Not even back on Kamino with the rest of Domino Squad. He sobered, remembering his lost brothers which now also included Hardcase. Skylar gave him the same comforting look that she'd given when they'd been traveling to Zygerria.

He smiled slightly at her, looking away quickly as Doz pushed a bowl of something steaming hot towards him, "Fives, you need to try this."

"What is it?"

"Can't tell you, you've got to try it first," Hew spoke up and Fives eyed him warily. He put some of the food on his plate, but didn't take a bite until he saw Top and Skylar eating... whatever it was. As soon as he took a bite, he instantly regretted it.

It was so hot, so spicy, that he was sure that it burned his mouth. He coughed and immediately downed his juice.

All of them were laughing, Sky especially. She was laughing so hard that Fives could have sworn that she was beginning to turn blue. Tea was giggling so hard that she would have fallen out of her chair if Fives hadn't caught her.

"What was that?"

Hew, who'd caught his breath first, smirked at him, "Good old Mando cooking. Tingilaar."

Skylar cut a piece of cake and placed it on his plate, still laughing so hard that she almost made him wear it. Fives enjoyed the sound of her laughter, but this was not funny.

He looked at the dark cake before glaring up at her, "There is no way I'm touching that."

"It's not spicy, Fives," Deena spoke up soothingly. "Uj'alayi is very sweet. Counteracts the hetikles, spices, in most Mando food."

"Spices?"

"Not the illegal stuff. The good stuff," Doz said, still chuckling even though everyone else had already calmed down. Fives gave him a glare that made it clear that the jokester had better learn to sleep with his eyes open. And soon. Doz only smirked back.

Fives picked up a tiny bite with his fork, eying it carefully before he popped it in his mouth. It was sticky and very sweet. Sweeter than he'd thought it could be. Ignoring the chuckles from the other clones, the women, and little Tea, he dug in, finishing it in seconds.

"Do you forgive us now, F'ika?"

He nodded, mouth still full of cake as he reached for another slice.


Tea had never seen anything funnier than Fives' face when he ate that spicy food. She'd already tried some while Aunt Deena had been cooking earlier, so she knew better than to touch it. It had been very hard for her not to warn Fives about the food, but she was glad that she hadn't.

"Buir?"

"Yeah, T'ika?"

"Why can't we tell anyone about Briika?" Her dark-striped lekku, two different shades of deep blue-gray, twitched slightly.

It got very quiet. The only sound was the baby cooing. Uncle Gabe cleared his throat, "Because there are some bad people in the government, Teanna. If they hear about your cousin, they'll take her from us and won't let us see her or your Aunt Deena again." He looked pointedly at the little Togruta, "And you can't talk about those people either. It's not safe."

"But why? Why do people have to be so mean? Why do they have to hurt other people like that?"

Tea's mother stroked her montrals, "Those kind of people hurt others because they only care about themselves."

"They're selfish?"

"Very," Fives spoke up after swallowing another bite of sweet cake. "I believe your mother called them hut'uune." He arched his brows at her buir and the woman nodded.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that they're cowards," Buir explained. "A coward isn't just someone who's too afraid to do the right thing. A coward is someone who puts other people last. Like the Zygerrians do."

"I'm never going to be like that. I don't want to be like them. They're evil." I hate those cat-people. They took Mommy and Daddy away.

Buir kissed Tea's forehead and stroked her pale cream face, tracing the little girl's diamond shaped white facial mark with her finger, "You're already better than them, ad'ika. You'll be a great warrior when you're all grown up. Probably better than me."

"I can't be. You're the best, Mama."


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