VictorAlucard, thank you for following my story.
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 TWENTY SEVEN
Jesse kept his distance, much as he had since he first came but watched as Ana and Rex, both up early, prepared breakfast for all of them; plenty of eggs, roba sausage and bacon. They worked well together, the easy intimacy they had was clear for all to see. Ana was smiling, as she watched them, as she watched his brothers eat. They still had prodigious appetites, she then cleared everything away and went to feed the Nuna's.
Over the last few days she had changed; she didn't look like the invalid of a few days ago, when he first arrived. She had suddenly put some weight on and seemed stronger; he could see what Rex had seen in her.
Jesse put that thought out of his mind; Rex was still wrong.
This was wrong.
Kix was still missing.
He left as soon as he finished his caf
"Fek it man, she's fat." Gregor had watched her leave the room, and he leaned towards Wolffe.
Wolffe glared at his brother's rudeness, he had watched her, closely and Rex, as they prepared the food and drinks for them, refusing all help. "36 by 24 by 37 and she's not fat, she's normal. It's just your fantasies are unreal."
"How did you find that out?"
Wolffe sighed and pointed at his prosthetic eye, with a thick forefinger.
"How long have you been able to do that?"
Wolfe shrugged. "Since this" and pointed at his prosthetic again.
Gregor giggled, "You're a close one, you are."
.
Jesse caught up with Rex at the Roba pen; he was leaning over the gate. He had made that from scratch and was proud of his work; he'd be damned if the sow escaped through that one.
"This is what she's made for you, Rex, the proverbial Roba Pen."
"Jess…" he said warningly, "you don't understand."
"Oh, I think I do; she's not bad looking; she feeds you up, massages your ego and other things, I suppose."
Jesse could be crass when he put his mind to it. Rex did not rise to the bait, he was always like this when a lead didn't pay off. Part of Rex was convinced that Kix was dead; after all these years there had been no contact. He thought the leads Jesse was following were probably other brothers. The initial leads, that the CIS had him, had been the most promising, the most logical, after all they had been after Tup when his chip failed, otherwise Kix would have found them. He was convinced of that; Kix was a brilliant medic and exceptional soldier.
"I told you, I love her, Jess." It was as simple as that.
"She means as much to me, as you three do." That was the best way he could put it.
And now he was torn.
Jesse looked at his commanding officer, his friend, his brother; he saw a man who had found his soulmate and that they belonged together. A small part of him was jealous, another happy. Rex had kept them safe, enabled them to survive. He backed off, a little.
"What about the ageing?"
"What about it?"
"Have you talked with her about it?"
"We've gone over this. She knows."
"Yeah but have you really talked about it, how it may affect you. We've not had the easiest of lives."
"She understands, that we may not be together as long as….she'd hoped."
Jesse leaned on the pen now.
"Do you understand?"
Rex was silent; it told his brother all he needed to know.
"You realise, it isn't fair on her. You'll start ageing more, with more problems, she'll be a nurse not a partner. You can't get away from that."
There was no answer from Rex but Jesse knew he had made his point and that was all he could do.
"I'm going tonight, to follow up on that latest lead."
"Are you sure? Can't you stay a little longer, just give her a chance. I know, she wants to get to know you all better."
"No. I have to go now before the trail gets cold; I have to try."
"I know Ner Vod, I know. We'll load you up with supplies." He placed his hand on his shoulder, they were okay. Jesse was just looking out for him.
.
Ana carried the box of food to the small craft that Jesse used; she knew he didn't particularly like her. He had barely spoken to her since that time in the garden but she wanted to make sure he knew about the plans and, it should come from her and not Rex. He was leaving soon. She knocked on the ramp.
"Jesse are you there?"
Several seconds passed and Ana was already fidgeting, adjusting her hold, as the box was heavy, before he appeared at the top of the ramp.
"I've bought some supplies for you." And held out the box for him to take. It took a few seconds before he came down and retrieved it from her reluctantly.
She stood a little while, with a awkward silence between them.
"Yes?" Jesse finally spoke.
"You're always welcome here you know that."
"Am I?"
"Look I know that you don't like me, but you're Rex's family, so as far as I am concerned you'll always have a home here. We've got plans."
With that she turned to head back to the house; it had not gone as she had hoped.
"It's not that I don't like you." he called after her. "it's just I don't think you're right for Rex. You're dangerous for him."
"I would never do anything to hurt Rex." She replied vehemently, twisting back round to face him.
"Not intentionally. But…..never mind." He shuffled his feet looking as if he wanted to say more but then he finally spoke.
"Thank you for the offer, the food and …..look after Rex." He turned quickly and strode back up the ramp closing it behind him, not giving her chance to reply.
.
Repairs to the tank and speeder took longer than Rex anticipated, and Wolffe and Gregor had ended up spending weeks, at the house, while they sorted them out; it appeared they were also stocking up the tank on the fruit cake and loaves that Ana baked. Both Wolffe and Gregor paid attention to her; Wolffe the perfect gentleman, precise and mannered, interested in what she said. Rex had noticed that he spent a lot of time talking to her. Wolffe had a way with him when it came to women; they liked him and Ana obviously enjoyed talking to him. Gregor overly familiar, invading her personal space, watching her, laughing at her and making her laugh too. She got on well with both of them; he appreciated that. Jesse had kept himself aloof; he'd had one or two conversations with her, before he left. This he knew from odd comments Ana had said.
"You know I don't care about this ageing thing; I wish it wasn't there but it is, so we deal with it." She had said one night, when they were getting ready for bed. "We're both lucky to be here." She had said variations of the last comment several times since her illness.
As he watched her laughing and joking with his brothers, both of whom looked far older than she; Rex realised how he and Ana, must look to other people, not that he cared what other people thought but it highlighted what Jesse had said. It had never seemed to be a problem but this was making him think and consider his position, as Jesse had asked him to.
He had a point.
After lunch, most days Wolffe helped her clear away the plates, wash and put them away. She talked easily to him telling him about how Rex had rushed her to her aunts when she was ill and saved her life.
"He's repaired all the fences for me as well."
"You saved his life."
"Yeah, but he also helped with repairs on the Nuna cages,"
"You let him live here and fed him etc."
"He boosted the signal so you could find him. He was so worried about you three."
"Harrumph."
"He was, he told me all about you. You, Gregor and Jesse. Does your eye hurt?"
Wolffe touched his eye,"No it doesn't."
"Good." She paused. "When did it happen?"
Wolffe became motionless.
"I'm sorry it's none of my business." Ana turned to go.
"No it's Ok, it's just that not many people ask any more. It was at the Battle of Khorm and it was a Force user called Assajh Ventress; she used a lightsaber."
Ana's mouth formed into an 'o'. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that Wolffe, sorry that all of you, had to do what you did."
"It's what we were bred for." Replied Wolffe straightening up.
She rested her hand gently on his forearm and reiterated softly. "I'm still sorry." She paused again before continuing. "Could I look at it?"
Wolffe took a short step back before replying gruffly "Huh, Huh." And waited.
"You'll need to sit down, I'm a bit of a short arse." She pointed to the dining chair, which Wolffe gently sat in. She moved closer to him and looked all around his eye and the scar tissue. "You, Gregor and Jesse are welcome to stay here anytime, you know that. Make this your base."
He looked at her with one eyebrow raised.
"We could make more bedrooms and extend, so there were other wouldn't have to move around in that old tank, all the time, catching those big worms. There's plenty of room around here."
Wolffe didn't reply.
"I'm sorry, didn't Rex say anything. I discussed it with him, we've been looking into it. I…sorry. I'm butting in. It's your business you need to talk about it." She turned looking Wolffe straight in the eye and touching his forearm. "I mean it, I'm not just saying it, you're all welcome to stay. To make this your home, if you want. You only have to say. It's your choice." With that she flashed him a smile and went outside to do some work in the garden. He stood for a while in the kitchen, considering what she had said; nobody had ever actually offered him a home before. Not without conditions, like you fight for people you don't know, don't care about and treat you as disposable.
He was speechless.
.
Rex leant on the door jam drinking his caf and watching them all talk; she had been feeding his brothers up and they were both basking in her attention. He knew and understood that feeling. She made him feel like the only man on Seelos, when she lavished care and attention on him and he enjoyed it. But he had to face facts, he was too old for her; he had met her too late. She didn't deserve to be lumbered with an old man or three or four and it didn't matter what she said, seeing them together just confirmed it for him.
His mind was made up; he knew what he had to do.
.
Wolffe and Gregor turned away when Rex was taking his leave of Ana; she obviously didn't want him to leave, them to leave and Rex was trying to comfort her. Wolffe didn't like it; he didn't like to see her upset even though he had only known her for a short time but...
They had loaded up the Tank and set off Gregor was bouncing, possibly had too much Caf and sugar, he never knew when to stop, but was also looking forward to finally getting 'Big Bongo', "Di'kut." He muttered and turned to Rex. Wolffe studied his friend hard and then turned to look at the small figure of a woman watching them from a distance; he magnified the image with his cybernetic eye.
Her hand was held to her mouth and he could see now wet trails running down her cheeks, she had held back before; the prosthetic was a blessing and a curse. He didn't like seeing her cry because he liked her, and she didn't deserve to be hurt.