Rex meets the Ex.
DISCLAIMER:I only own my OC's every other character is owned by Disney, Lucas and everyone else who has ever written anything for Star Wars. This is for entertainment only. My own and anyone who cares to read it.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Cantina was full, with a good humoured clientele, but then a crowd, or it felt like it, entered and pushed their way to the bar. Tula nudged Essie, pointing to the newcomers at the bar; Essie grimaced. It was the first time Lonlea had celebrated Empire Day, but the Empire was making its presence felt and questions had been asked in the capital, why the town didn't celebrate that particular day.
They sat minding their own business.
"By the Force." A deep male voice cried out, Essie rose but Tula put a hand on her forearm and she sat back down. Rex watched Ana; she was pale, her smile disappeared and she was still as a statue. Listening to the voice but not looking at the man. Rex thought she was going to faint. "Ana, you Ok?" He asked, there was no reply.
"Ana? Is that you?"
The voice came towards the table and it's origin stood next to Ana, she moved slightly to look up at the newcomer. "You look well, Raif."
A tall good looking man, with a dark trimmed beard sprinkled with grey, and pale blue eyes pulled up a chair, "May I?" He asked the whole table, Rex looked around, no one was saying anything. "I'd rather you didn't." This was Essie, the man paused then looked at Ana. She nodded, he sat down; Essie got up in disgust, "I came to enjoy myself, that's putting me off. Thought she knew better." And moved to the bar, followed closely by Tula.
Rex sat at the table and watched.
"You look good Ana, you've dropped a few pounds. I told you it would make all the difference." Raif continued, ignoring Rex, who thought she would look good anyway, a few pounds or not. An uncomfortable feeling sat in his gut, it was pushing him to do something against his better judgement; he wanted to punch the man.
Ana saw his right fist opening and closing with the tension. "Nik?" he didn't hear her. "Nik?" He suddenly realised she was talking to him.
"The old man's deaf, darling." He jibed.
Putting her hand around Rex's fist "Could you get me a drink, love." He nodded and rose, if he didn't leave now, he would be across the table, with his fist down the man's throat. He walked to the bar and stood next to Essie, mirroring her stance leaning up against the bar.
"Who the Fek is that?" He asked Essie.
"That, is her bastard of an ex-husband."
The feeling in his gut grew to a massive gnawing urge.
He ordered Ana's drink and made to retrieve it to take it over to her, but not before the Basilisk bartender had put one of his four hands over his.
"Nik. Is it? I don't want any trouble."
Rex raised his eyes but not his head; he still had difficulty dealing with that species. "You won't have a problem with me." and took the glass of brandy with some fruit juice added over to her.
"Thanks Nik. This is Raif. My ….." Raif interjected "husband." Ana gave him an odd look but did not contradict him. Rex wondered why, perhaps she didn't want to cause a scene. As it was Rex could barely contain his temper, he hated the way this man looked at her, the way he talked, his whole attitude of ownership. He really, really, wanted to smack him one.
"So what do you do, old man."
Fuck your ex-wife. He wanted to say crassly but instead "A bit of this, a bit of that." He replied evasively. Raif looked at him not quite believing him.
"Well, Nik, this is a private conversation, so scoot."
Rex arched an eyebrow and looked at Ana, she nodded, he put his hand on her shoulder, to say, if you need me, she nodded again, so he left to go to the bar.
Standing at the bar with Essie and Tula, he could see what was happening through the mirror behind the bar; it was the perfect place to stand to observe, unnoticed. They were joined by the man he recognised as Jed.
"Before you say anything, Essie. I can't arrest any of them, they haven't done anything ….yet."
"Fine Inspector you are." Snorted Tula.
Rex watched. Raif was leaning next to her, his arm around her shoulder, touching her; he was even twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. She didn't stop him.
Did she still have feelings for him? He was a good looking, younger man.
"Good to see you again…Nik." He realised the man called Jed, had spoke to him and he had been correct in his assumption; he was the local law enforcement. Part of a three man band and part time helpers.
Raif monopolised Ana for hours, or so it seemed to Rex, in reality minutes passed by and he wasn't close enough to lip read or hear.
Oh for my bucket today.
Ana's body language didn't say happy, she was tense, controlled; Raif was on edge. Then the Basilisk bar owner banged his fists on the bar and the whole room quietened.
"In honour of Empire Day, we are going to have a demonstration of the dancing that happened when this planet was first settled." There was a chorus of shouting and banging of tankards. "and was free." He muttered as an afterthought and waved at the band.
.
"I'm back in mine engineering, Ana, making good money, you wouldn't have to worry about finances."
"I'm glad for you. You were always a good worker. I never said you wasn't."
"I've got my own place in the capital, only rented but I'm saving to buy."
"That's good."
His hand covered hers; she moved it away quickly, it unnerved her. He was being the Raif that she fell in love with and that unnerved her.
"I've even been promoted and some of my crew are with me today, the ones that don't have any family. I wanted them to see a good Empire Day celebration."
He looked her up and down."You've got your dress on."
"Yes, Essie's idea."
"I remember when you danced…" She interjected. "That was a long time ago." and rose from the table.
.
Ana joined the other women, in the centre of the Cantina, where tables and chairs had been moved clearing the centre of the room and the local band stood in the corner tuning up their traditional musical instruments. The women gathered, all ages, shapes and sizes and all wearing the traditional laced dress with lots of white frilled underskirts, and a shawl plus the black heeled shoes that clip clopped on the wooden floor of the Cantina.
Rex had never seen her wear anything like that before; she had disappeared with Essie for a good hour before they came out. There were some raised voices then but he wasn't sure what about.
The lilting strains of the traditional tune started, prompting the dancers to move into position. Splitting into two groups to walk around opposing circles, they wove between each other, gradually building up speed, periodically they would stop and there was rhythmic stamping of the feet so rapidly, that the noise they made was deafening. The locals called out and stamped their feet themselves when this happened. Then each woman, completed a solo version for a couple of minutes, lifting their skirts and flicking them around their knees, while they stamped their feet, black shoes a blur.
Rex leaned back against the bar, balanced on his elbows, watching with a small smile that broke out as the dancing started. He had never realised what fine legs Ana had until now, as she always wore trousers. He stood, mesmerised by how fast the women moved; he watched Ana on her solo and realised she was watching him all the time, even as she completed her turns. His eyes met hers and never moved from her; next she was in front of him, putting her blue and cream shawl around his neck, she tied it and whirled away from him, back into the group of women, all finishing on a crescendo of stamping. The music stopped and they all bowed; the locals in the bar broke out into loud applause. Rex had to admit it was impressive; he had never seen anything like that before.
The women dispersed and Ana came to stand next to him, looking flushed and fanning herself, with a half circular fan she unfolded. "Phew, I haven't done that in a few years." She commented, "I'd forgotten how energetic it was."
Rex tried to give her the shawl; she pushed it back in his hands. "It's yours now."
The Basilisk bartender laughed and leaned over to give him a push in the back; "you've been 'chosen' now." He laughed again.
Rex didn't know exactly what it meant but he could see Raif glaring at him from the table; he gave him a lazy salute and at that Raif stormed out of the Cantina, chair flying over in his wake.
The atmosphere lightened after that and even Jed bought him a drink, slapping him on the back. The drink flowed abundantly and as it edged towards midnight some of the locals were the worse for drink but in a good natured way; happy drunks. They finally left the Cantina soon after midnight and Raif was nowhere to be seen. Rex checked periodically looking around as they left; he just didn't trust him.
It was a relief to walk back to the shop from the Cantina, the chilly air cooling them down from the alcoholic flush they were all experiencing; Ana linked her arm through Rex's as he walked and he felt content.
.
The table in the rear room was laid out with food, prepared before they left and on their return they simply removed the covers and tucked in; Essie, Tula and Ana had laid on supper for them all. Rex felt Ana leaning into him, thigh to thigh; he was enjoying the bread, cold meat, cheese and pickles provided to soak up the alcohol, when he felt her hand, resting on his thigh right to his groin. He looked at her, she was eating but her hand kept moving, slowly up and down the inside of his thigh, he'd have trouble walking soon and he was still hungry.
What is it with these women they're all such damn good cooks; they can make anything taste delicious, as he tried to distract himself by thinking of food.
It didn't work.
.
They excused themselves, after finishing the supper and when they closed the bedroom door, he pulled her to him, the kiss passionate. She responded, pushed him onto the bed and started to remove his pants, desperately undoing his belt and fly, then his underclothes. He was aroused already.
"You're going to be the death of me." He joked. She didn't answer but knelt on him and trailed her hands up his legs, eyes closed, loving the scratchy feel of them.
He watched her.
Pulling his top off, he lay slowly back and enjoying everything that she was doing to him.
Eventually he searched for her free hand, found it and grasped it, tight.
She stopped to look at him. Pulling her up until she stood, he delved in the layers of the dress to pull her underwear down. She stepped out of it and as he felt her, she gave a little hum.
Lifting her so that she straddled him and as she knelt, he finally undid her dress, pulling the laces apart and taking one breast in his mouth, he teased her, moving between the two. She ground down on him, with hums of pleasure and then guided him in her. Totally engrossed in obtaining her own release, Rex supported her, while she rode through it. Finally she kissed him, still shaking. He turned her over gently, smoothing her hair from her face and took control, slowly; Ana was moving with him, as one, until he groaned in her ear and shuddered.
They lay, wrapped in each other, as he pulled the bedding over them, it had turned chilly. He pulled her back to him and she snuggled close, as always but now, once his breath had returned, he had a question.
"So the dance, what was all that about and the scarf."
She gave a little breathless snort, "It's called 'The Choosing' and it goes back to a time when there were more men than women, just after the first settlers came, so the women did the choosing, by dancing and giving the men a scarf they had made."
"So I'm yours?" He asked.
"Yes. All mine." She replied, with a smile.
He leant back, his right hand behind his head; he liked the idea of that, that she'd chosen him and done it publicly.
.
A couple of streets away from Essie's, five men stood in an Alley facing each other; one of them entering information on his datapad, another pacing up and down. "It won't take me long now Raif, I can't believe you've managed to get this state of the art stuff." Admiring the hardware he was using, he entered some more algorithms, "It's attached to the window now and should be transmitting in a few seconds."
He paused looking at the screen and his eyes went wide. "Stang!" He muttered under his breath.
"Come on Lok, is she there yet? I need to know exactly where she is, I don't want to disturb the old witches. I just need to know, so I can go pay a visit, just like old times."
Lok tapped frantically at the datapad, as another of the men looked over his shoulder.
"Kriff, Raif, she's there but not exactly alone."
Raif grabbed the datapad, and as the others looked at another device held between them, he focused on the images in front of him. He saw his ex wife and she was going down on the old man.
Raif Larsson felt sick and it wasn't the withdrawal sickness from the spice causing it. He gathered his thoughts. What to do next? He went straight to what he did best. So if she acted as a whore, he would treat her as one.
.
Rex and Ana were up early next morning; Ana reminded him there were animals to feed. He was sure they would be able to last another day, as the town and the Cantina had grown on him.
Essie and Tula couldn't wait to drop hints about what had happened last night, which turned Ana a fetching shade of crimson. He seemed to have won the Aunts over. As they prepared to leave, Rex checked over the outstanding parts, he would have to visit again in a few days to pick them up; he would then be able to extend the range of the transmitter and hopefully contact his brothers. Although the longer he was with Ana the more complicated it became.
"Nerra has just had her baby, a lovely little boy, spitting image of his Dad." Rex looked at Ana when she didn't reply, her face was blank.
"Shall we go and see him?" Tula continued.
"Another time." Replied Ana, sharply and went out to load the speeder.
Tula and Essie just shrugged their shoulders at her response, as if to say, we tried. "She went to school with Nerra and they were inseparable for a time... I … thought they may renew the friendship but…."
So she had friends but why did she live as almost a recluse? "Why did they fall out?"
"The divorce."
"Oh." He didn't really understand what had happened but the Aunts obviously thought he did.
"Nerra thought she should have stuck it out longer, her husband had been a big friend of Raif's."
"Ah, I see, perhaps in time."
"Nerra's already apologised several times but Ana can be stubborn."
"Hmm." He was running out of platitudes.
"Come on Essie, let him make his own mind up."
Rex went into the shop and continued to pack his purchases, he heard someone enter and turned to find Tula, standing at the door with her hands on her hips. "I may have been wrong about you, Essie thinks so and I respect her decision about you. So, I'm ok with you and Ana, so far but I'm with Essie on this, if you hurt her….."
"Understood." Replied Rex, he would have to evaluate his position.
"She means the world to Essie and by proxy to me. I haven't been here as long but when Essie came back with me, Ana was one of the first to accept me and Essie as a couple. And I appreciated that. I've grown to love her as much as Essie."
"She means a lot to me too." Rex heard himself saying, he hadn't meant to but it just came out.
Tula stared at him in silence for several seconds before turning and leaving the shop, while Rex continued to pack his purchases, or rather Ana's as he had very little credits left on him and couldn't pay for what he had ordered. Once the last one was added, he went out to the speeder, turning the corner he came to an abrupt halt; Ana was talking to Raif.
.
Ana had put the last of her boxes on the speeder and as she turned he was there in her face; she hadn't heard him approach but she recognised the look on his face and braced herself. He immediately grabbed her arm, and she had no defence against that, nowhere to move; she was still out of practice. She resisted the urge to squirm because she knew what would happen after that.
"I want you back, you understand, with me."
Ana could feel her heart pounding in her chest; she'd had years of this and thought she would be able to cope now but he still scared her. It was ingrained in her. Images came flooding back and the fear was a reflex. She fought it now and jutted her chin out in defiance.
"Not gonna happen." She replied, pulling away and trying to prize his fingers from her arm, as it was beginning to really hurt. He stood head and shoulders above her using his height and build to intimidate her, just as before.
"Yes it is. I'll make it happen. I'm going to get you back. And you can get rid of the old man."
"Just let me go. I don't want you back and I don't want you. We've been through all this….." He twisted her arm up her back making her yelp with pain
"I don't think you should do that old boy." Rex's voice was low and had a hint of menace in it that Ana had never heard before.
"And who's going to stop me?" Came the reply, as he released his grip on her arm. She moved quickly away.
"You had to ask, didn't you?" Replied Rex smiling, as he looked back at the Cantina, before his head turned and in a synchronised action his closed fist hit Raif straight in the nose with a satisfying crunch. It was equally satisfying to see him stagger backwards and land on his backside.
Ana grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him along, to their speeder, leaving Raif on the floor. Rex was just as willing to finish him off.