Brief Awakening...

"Anakin." Tahiri Veila-Solo awoke with a start, her heart hammering, teeth chattering, and body shaking in the last vestiges of the nightmare that she'd been trapped in.

Her green eyes popped open and she let out a cry of pain as brilliant white light stabbed into her retinas, bringing tears to her eyes, and forcing her to close them quickly.

Where was she? Where was Anakin? Where was Lucca and Xanther?

She reached out through the Force for her immediate family members.

Tahiri gasped as a sharp pain sliced through her head, but she did not prevent it from keeping her from reaching out to her husband, daughter, and son.

Bristling heat washed over her, covering the essence of her husband, almost burning her with its intensity, and she could not understand what it was or how Anakin could withstand it.

*Ani?* she asked, thinking maybe she was only imagining that she was awake, and instead she was still having a bizarre dream, but something was telling her that she wasn't dreaming. That this was real and it was important for her to stay awake.

She felt a twinge in response from Anakin's essence, but that was all, and it
frightened her.

*Mama? Mama, where are you?*

Lucca, her young voice full of fear.

*I'm here, honey, I'm here.* Tahiri sent back waves of assurance and love back to her daughter, even though she didn't know exactly where 'here' was.

*I can't see you. Neither can Xanther.* Lucca's voice quavered. *We was sick. They
maken us swim.*

*Who is?* Tahiri's attention was fully focused on her children now.

Had some enemy kidnapped them all and were holding them hostage?

*Master Cighal.*

Relief flooded through Tahiri. While she did not know what had happened, and why
she felt so ill, or why Anakin was enclosed in heat as he was, knowing that the
Master Healer was with her and Anakin's children, meant that something had occurred that had felled her whole family and all of them were in good care.

*Listen to what Master Cilghal tells you.* Tahiri told both her children. *Soon we will all be well again. For now I must sleep.*