New chapter up. it's a little lighter Jace/Kia interaction. Enjoy and thanks for reading.


A few days after her appointment with Dr. Ozzin, Kia sat alone in Jace's apartment, thinking. She'd been doing alot of that lately. She thought about her headaches, her relationship with Jace, what the doctor had said about war orphans and, mostly, what she wanted her future to be like. Also, what she wanted her child's future to be like. She had finally come to a decision which, with any luck, would take much of the stress out of her life. Now, she just needed the nerve to go through with it.

She looked over at her datapad, sitting beside the couch. It contained her personal messages from last week. She hadn't checked her frequency for over a week and there were many messages, but Kia just couldn't bring herself to read them. Her head just hurt too much to focus. She'd brought the pad over to the couch, thinking she'd be able to motivate herself. Unfortunately, she was tired and cranky from her headaches and all the stress in her life. The exhaustion was getting to her.

Jace walked in the door, almost startling Kia. The headaches were starting to impact her Force awareness, as well as her physical well being. Jace seemed to notice something was off. He took a seat next to her, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You look tired."

Kia smiled at him weakly. "I am tired. Tired for being pregnant. These headaches are killing me. And, of course, I'll probably have them through the entire pregnancy, if my grandmother's experience is anything to go by. Captain Dorne told me symptoms of pregnancy are genetic among zabrak, ya know. She had headaches right up until my dad was born. I know Jedi aren't supposed to mind hardship, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going like this."

Jace gave her a worried look. She could feel not only his worry, but his sympathy, as well.

"Maybe you should try the drug. The doctor said it only has a minimal risk to the baby. I just hate to watch you suffer like this, knowing there's nothing I can do to help."

It was now or never.

"Actually, there is one thing I haven't tried yet. I was reluctant to bring it up, considering how things are between us, but I think I'm ready to try." Kia said. She could tell Jace was confused. "Apparently, one thing that's worked well for other pregnant zabraks is sex."

Jace's eyes widened slightly. "Sex?"

Kia nodded. "As the doc put it, a moderately strenuous romp in the sack with a good strong orgasim at the end. Her words."

Jace was silent for a moment. "And you want to have sex with me?"

Kia nodded again. "Who else would I have sex with? I'm desperate, Jace."

Jace stood, pacing a few times, back and forth in front of the couch. "Are you sure?" He asked. He stopped pacing and looked down at her. "Not that I don't want to. Trust me, I do, but if you're agreeing to this, just to relieve your headache and not because you've decided to give us another go…" He paused, thinking. "...I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of the situation. You mean too much to me for you to…"

Kia stood, stopping Jace's train of thought.

"I've been thinking about this for several days now. Yes, I want this cursed headache to stop, but I also think I'm ready for us to be...well...us again." She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled up at him. "Now, I'm going to go to the bedroom to have sex. You can join me or you can stay out here and just listen, but either way, I'm going. I'd very much like you to participate, but it's happening with or without you. Your presence is not a requirement."

Jace seemed shocked, but after a few moments, he leaned down and kissed Kia on the lips. It was the first kiss on the lips they'd shared since everything blew up on Iokath. It was soft and gentle, at first, but when Kia stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around Jace's neck, the kiss quickly evolved into something more passionate.

Without breaking the kiss, Jace lifted Kia into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, answering Kia's question.


Kia woke up the next morning, warm and comfortable snuggled next to Jace. It was the first time since Iokath she had slept by Jace's side. They had shared the bed since he returned to Coruscant, but now they were truly sleeping together, just like they had before everything fell apart. Kia was so happy with where she was, she almost didn't realize what was happening with her head.

"It's gone." She said quietly, first laughing, then crying slightly. Her sobbing roused Jace.

Jace woke slowly, at first, but when he heard her sobbing, he woke with a start.

"Kia? Ki, what's wrong?" He said, concerned. He held her tighter, looking down at her.

She looked up at him, smiling. "It's gone. For the first time since I left Iokath, I don't have a headache. It worked."

Jace hugged her tighter. "That's wonderful news. It makes last night worth it."

Kia pulled away, so she was facing Jace. "Last night was about us being us again. The headache being gone is just a pleasant bonus."

Jace smiled at Kia and she felt what had to be a sigh of relief come from him. She turned around and rested back on his chest.

"Now, we just need to figure out how long this remedy will last. I'd love to go an entire day without my head hurting."

"Well, no matter if it lasts only a few hours or a few days, I'll be available to administer your next treatment, day or night." Jace said jokingly.

Kia actually snorted slightly at the joke, not expecting it. Jace had been walking on eggshells since he had returned to Coruscant, afraid to overstep on anything. It felt good to have the old Jace back. The one she fell in love with.


To Be Continued...