Ninety One
Gem arches her back like a lioness stretching, extending her body it's full length.
It's powerful and erotic, and Niner can not help but be aroused further.
He nuzzles her belly and continued to move slowly down her body, noticing her grasp at the sheets as the passion continues to build.
He notices everything about her.
Since Mij explained the horrible truth of his condition, the one mistake he will always pay for on Abafar, Niner and Gem had kept predominately to themselves.
Gem closes her eyes and rotates her pelvis slightly.
Their relationship had moved to one of undeniable love.
Niner remained silent, allowing for once, the reality of his past to give way to his immediate future
With her and the family they had built with Tomas.
The others noticed it, and stayed away. The men didn't want to flaunt their 'normalcy' in front of them. But it was obvious at meal times. Niner still was was the only one who required the large amounts of calories.
Niner parts her legs and Gem holds her breath in anticipation. She raises herself up to him and falls into the natural rhythm against his tongue.
Here, in the sanctuary of their quarters, Niner could be just like everyone else.
Not the infirmed young man now with fully grey hair.
It might have been obvious to every other person at Kyrimorut, but to her, and their son, nothing about Niner had changed.
He was still the gentle giant, the trained silent killer who had saved her when she thought there was nothing worth saving.
Gem closes her eyes and felt the wave gather, just before he moved, slowly up and inside her, there she gritted her teeth as she quelled the desire to let go, to give in to him fully.
Momentarily he stopped, he wavered and alarm bells instantly sounded.
They hadn't made love in months, his heart too precarious to warrant any unnecessary exertion.
Right there, right then, Niners condition had briefly reared its ugly head once again.
Gem bit her lip and watched him briefly under lidded eyes.
She wanted to say, "are you ok," but this, this one act wasn't something she could deny him.
He didn't need reminding.
No one else may have admitted it, but he did, every morning when he looked in the mirror.
Within a minute, Niner resumed his ministrations.
Gem couldn't get enough of him. Her heart was aching, along with her body, and she didn't care.
All she wanted was him.
Inside her, in front of her, on top of her.
In every inch of her being.
She opened her eyes and looked at Niner as he moved, his voice breaking their lovemaking silence, "what are you doing?"
"I'm watching you," she said playfully.
"Watching me, watching you," he returned somewhat distantly.
She wanted everything to be normal, to be back to when they didn't know about Rex and Piia being alive, back before they knew about his heart condition worsening, and before she knew he would never enjoy a full life away from the army.
It wasn't fair.
An explosion of passion. Entwined bodies and two raw hearts, one grateful, the other broken forever.
Holding her tightly, Niner breathed hard into her shoulder until he realised she was bearing his whole weight.
She would gladly carry that burden for the rest of her life.
.
"Are you just not going to say anything?"
He was watching her pack, watching her prepare to leave him, Piia and Oriis.
For good.
"Ahsoka, you and I have discussed this ad nauseam. You know I fully support you in heading to Hoth. There really is nothing left to say."
But in reality, there was .
With every inch of his being, Rex wanted to scream, "don't go, stay here with us!"
With me!
Watching the team that had congregated prepare to leave for the last time was heartbreaking all over again, but he pretended that he didn't care.
But Stoyan and Ahsoka knew better.
Rex put on a front to the men, but to the Jedi, one being his wife, he wasn't about to get away with it.
Ahsoka closed her pod and turned to him slowly.
With her head down, she solemnly said, "I release you."
"Pardon," confusion written all over his face.
"Don't make me say it again, you know what I mean Rex. I want you to know you can move on, with another."
This was it the final blow, the reality of his life without a wife.
His wife.
Stunned, Rex remained riveted to the spot. Unable to reply he knew heartache had met up with him again, and it hit hard into his chest like a stun shot against his armour, winding him momentarily.
He knew with that pain he had truly lost Ahsoka to the cause, the new battle that would take her away from him.
Forever.
.
"Commander," Vader strode through the corridor with purpose.
"Sir," Appo replied as he met his stride.
"Get me a unit and meet me in the hanger bay in fifteen."
"Yes sir," he replied, "we have new orders sir?"
Vader stopped dead in his tracks. With his shoulders hunched, he took a moment for regret.
Regret his life had turned so drastically in one foolish action, regret he had in fact killed the one man, the only man, he wished was standing behind him instead of the sycophant who replaced him.
CT-7567
If it had of been his old captain standing behind him, he might have slapped his shoulders and had a laugh over a previous mission, or bet on who would reach the rendezvous in one piece.
But no, Rex wasn't standing behind him.
And he had only himself to blame.
Appo held his breath. He knew he had overstepped an invisible line in raising a question, daring to ask where they were being shipped off to.
And being anyone else, at any other time, as a commander, he had the right to ask.
The sickening sound of the laboured breath under the helmet seemed to fill the corridor.
"Mandalore," Vader said as he mentally switched down again, heading towards his quarters.
..
It had caused issues in the beginning.
In depth discussions.
Followed by heated in depth discussions.
Who was going to go…
Who was saying behind.
Chopper seemed outwardly the one most affected. He wanted nothing more than to be all together, but he was in a quandary – he loved his job and, well … Piia. The two had bonded since the time he arrived, an unlikely duo. Marking time, wandering into the forest on expeditions made up in her head, a folly he would entertain, all the time keeping her safe. It was just like Piia, so like her mother, she had taken a shine to the hardened trooper with the soft heart.
Rex remained silent, although he was drawn into discussions
"Cap really? You really don't want to join us?"
"I've told you already, my life, my mission, is to raise my daughter." His voice never wavered.
"But you could - ."
"Away from any war zones," he stressed. They knew then they were fighting a losing battle.
It had been twelve weeks of planning and readying to leave. Reed and Wolf had undergone the treatment and during that time, Jesse had filled Reed in on the ensuing saga after he and Gem had disappeared from the doctors surgery the night they had been airlifted to Corellia.
The night all of their lives had changed forever.
"I just don't understand why you left Jesse? I told you I would find a safe place for you in the morning. I should never had let the both of you out of my sight." Reed was exasperated.
'You know Gem," Jess replied, "once her mind was set, there was no changing it."
"I let her down," and with that Reed, the consummate pilot, the one who had been so in control as long as Jesse had known him, broke down.
"No, no Reed," Jesse moved in beside him, "that's not true. If it wasn't for you and Fox that night, we wouldn't be here." Then Jesse spoke the words he knew to be true but never thought he would say, "she's happy, really happy on Mandalore Reed."
"But everything - "
"We never knew what was going to happen Reed, we all thought Rex was dead that night and for all intents and purposes, up until recently to her he was. Look at us all here! None of us knew we would end up off Corrie starting a new, long life. We did it, thanks to her and you and Rex, fek to all of us. We did it against the odds. All Gem wants now is for us to live the life we want."
"And yet, you're going back into it?"
The truth was that Jesse hadn't made his final decision. He wanted to leave, to be with Echo and Fives, but something was holding him on Oriis. It was like he had changed. The past was the past, another time, in vastly different circumstances. The team was broken too. The perfect mix of personalities and friends was no longer. Hardcase, Kix, gone and Rex, for all intents and purposes had gone as well. The world, his world have irrevocably changed. Jesse knew the halcyon days with the 501st were over and now he had to make the right decision for himself. Then there was Chopper. Jesse could see that his leaving would cause him more pain. Reed was going to join the men on Hoth and Wolffe, well, no one was game to inquire as to the commanders thought's on joining a Rebellion.
It was a weird time, some were packing, some were openly talking about the plans, the ship was being modified for hold more people.
"We will relocate in stages," Echo stated, sounding every inch in charge of this mission. "Initially we'll cover the group from the Cantina over with their transport and follow up with military personal second, then the families in the final wave. We should have accommodation ready for them by then."
Freya looked over to Stoyan. Her leaving along with Tash would be last, giving her precious time on Oriis to ready the children for the new life on the ice planet.
"I'll go in the first wave," Ahsoka stated.
An awkward silence ensued. But Echo didn't have time to placate everyone. He had a mission to see through, the personalities and logistics would just have to sort themselves out. They were either in, or out in the ARC's book.
No questions asked.
.
"Is everyone heading into the market place?" Fi was more excited about the ride in on the back of Parja's speeder than the festival that was the highlight of the Keldabe spring.
"Yes, we are all going," Niner was excited to be leaving the compound and taking his family with him.
"Gem, has Tomas got his bracelets on?"
Gem didn't smart at the comment, "we both do," she replied, lifting both her and her son's chubby hand high to let him see the dark bands that defined them.
As what, she was unsure of.
Jedi, no. She never started the training.
Cursed, possibly. But as long as those bands were on, she knew they were safe.
"Righto, Darman said as he lumbered into the kitchen, dragging Kad with one arm and carrying a bag of gear with the other.
Atin smiled at the sight. "Look at you two." Niner and Darman both looked up.
"What?"
"Fathers. In charge of little people other than yourselves. Who would have thought?"
"Yeah" Darman said as he looked to Niner, "who would have thought we'd end up like this?"
Niner smiled, the lines noticeably etched around the corners of his eyes, "not sure about you, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hukaat'kama, ner vod."
"Aways brother, always," Darman slapped Niner's shoulder and opened the door.
It would be a day to remember, for very different reasons.
...
