Last time: The Bloodstorm exploded. Viran and Oppie successfully got away with Sasha. But sadly, Kyr did not make it.

Now: The Trio returns home, heartbroken.

Chapter 10- Safe

Viran sat on the stool beside the bunk that Sasha was resting in aboard the Shadow Runner. After the Bloodstorm exploded, they were all left in shock and prayed in the Force that Kyr had made it out safely. But when Tac had informed them that Kyr's signal ceased, their hearts shattered at the thought of their copper plated Mando being dead. While Viran and Oppie were just left stunned and broken in their seats, Sasha had fainted in the hatchway leading back into the ship. Viran and Oppie had both panicked when it happened as they feared the worst for her health, and immediately helped her back into the bunk room. Once they got her settled, they used a scanner to check on her and the child to see if they both were alright. Thankfully, the scanner had given them positive results that the two of them were okay. It did, however, inform them of Sasha's external injuries, but also the fact that she was in fact running on limited energy due to the lack of food she has had in the last couple days. So Viran helped Oppie set her up on an IV so she could get nutrients that she was lacking at the moment and then put some medication into her system to help with the pain. Once they were done with that, Oppie had returned to the cockpit to make sure they were set on course for Artemis and would return to finish tending to her injuries soon.

Viran, though, hadn't left her side since. He just sat beside her, holding her uninjured hand in his, and gently brushing her soft skin with his thumb. While he did that he stared at her with worried eyes as she looked like she had been through hell and back. Her skin was so pale and cool to the touch. Her cheeks looked sunken and she looked almost starved. And according to the scanner, she almost was. That's why Oppie did the IV. Plus there was blood dried on her tunic from the burn on her shoulder and potentially another unseen injury too. It broke his heart to see her like this. So broken and beaten. She actually looked fragile like this and that was a word he never would have associated with her ever. Sasha was the strongest woman he knew and he knew that the pain she had gone through recently wasn't likely to break her. However, what that witch Ikari had put his wife through made her look like this. He felt anger towards Ikari for what she did and he wished they could go after her to make her pay for hurting his wife. However, Viran was tired and all he wanted was Sasha back by side like she was now. So for now, Ikari wasn't his problem. Let her run and hide or take over the galaxy. Whatever it is she wants to do. Right now she was no longer his problem. Sasha's wellbeing right now was his number one priority. Her and the child she carried.

His eyes drifted down to her stomach where he could see her swollen belly as it appeared subtly from under the blanket that was lying on top of her. Viran couldn't believe it as he stared at it. She really was pregnant. Even though everyone had told him that she was, it wasn't that he didn't believe them, he just needed to see it with his own eyes. To see the baby bump growing on his wife to know it was real. And now as he sat there staring at his pregnant wife, it felt real. Sasha was pregnant and he was going to be a father. Something he never imagined he would be a couple months ago, but now he couldn't wait to be one.

As he continued to stare at her bump, Sasha stirred from the bunk. Pulling him out of his daze, Viran leaned in closer and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. She leaned into his touch as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Hey, hun," he said gently as he smiled down at her.

"Vir... what happened?" She asked in a daze as she came to.

"You fainted," Viran explained. "Probably due to your injuries and exhaustion from everything you've been through. But you're okay. You're safe now." He avoided mentioning anything about Kyr's death during the Bloodstorm's destruction as he was worried it might aggravate her condition.

"Oh," Sasha said as she looked around, still trying to get her bearings. She then suddenly looked panicked as she took her hand from his and placed it on her belly. "Is the baby okay?" she asked worriedly.

Viran nodded. "Yeah, they're fine," he said as he comforted her. "We made sure to check with a scanner once you were settled."

Sasha sighed in relief as she relaxed against the bunk, her hand still resting on the bump.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Sasha apologized after a moment.

Viran smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. Kyr explained everything. Or well I guess Tac did at first, but that's beside the point. You don't need to apologize to me. I'm just glad you are both okay."

"I guessed that Kyr might have told you, given the circumstances. But I still wish I could have told you myself." She paused for a moment. "You're not upset?" Sasha asked.

"Why would I be upset?" He asked her incredulously. "My wife is pregnant with my child. And they are both safe. I have no reason to be upset. I'm overjoyed if I'm being honest." He caressed her cheek when he said that as his hand still lingered there.

Sasha nodded and held her hand out to him. "Give me your hand. I know you don't have the Force back yet, but… I want you to meet our child."

Viran did as she asked and placed his hand in hers. She then guided his hand over and placed it palm down on the bump before placing her hand on top of his. A smile broke from Viran's face as he caressed the bump with his hand. This was the first time he had touched the baby bump. There were a few instances when she was unconscious when he wanted to, but he held off as he wasn't sure what to expect. But feeling it made his heart soar and truly made it real to him that inside her was their child. Even though the Force hadn't fully come back yet, he could feel the slight presence in the Force that was growing inside of her. Tears came to his eyes as he left his hand there while using his free hand to wipe the tears away.

"Did you ever think we would be having kids so soon?" She asked him as she looked at him.

"No. I thought we would at least discuss the idea a bit more, but I am so happy that we are," Viran said. "I can't wait to meet this little one. To be a parent with you. To raise a family. It all sounds so perfect to me." He leaned in and placed a kiss first on Sasha's lips, then her forehead, and then leaned down and placed a kiss on her bump. He smiled at her as he pulled away and returned to his seat on the stool, still keeping his hand on her bump.

Sasha smiled at him with tear filled eyes. "I agree," she said then the smile faded and the tears fell. "Vir, I was so afraid that I would never see you again. That our child would be taken away from me. From us. Even though Cien was kind and actually made sure I was okay, it still haunted me that I may never get to see you or the baby again. And then Ikari… Oh Viran I was so terrified." She placed her hand to her mouth to silence the sobs as they broke from her.

Viran moved from the stool and carefully gathered her into his arms, holding her close as she cried. He was being cautious of her burned shoulder as it still hadn't been treated to yet. In fact none of her injuries had. They were in such a hurry to get off the ship that they hadn't gotten the chance to properly take care of her injuries. And after she fainted, they only gave her some medication for the pain and the IV. That was it. Viran wasn't perfect when it came to first aid like Oppie or Sasha were. And with Oppie in the cockpit at the moment, Viran just wanted to be by her side and make sure she was okay until she would awake. He wanted to be the first face she saw when she would open her eyes so she could know she was safe and sound with her family again. He also knew that Oppie would see to her injuries here soon. So for now, he just held her and soothed her as she cried.

"It's okay," he said gently as he stroked her hair. "You're safe now. No one can hurt you. I'm here. Oppie's here. You're okay now."

Sasha nodded against his chest as she slowly calmed down. As soon as she was calm, Viran didn't let go of her. He still held her close to him as he missed the feeling of her in his arms. He did, however, move to sit on the edge of the bunk and laid her against him. As they sat in that position in silence for a while, Viran gently rubbed circles in Sasha's arms helping her calm down.

"Do you remember when we took our knight exams?' Viran asked after a while.

"Yeah, that's the reason why we're pregnant," Sasha stated kind of bluntly.

Viran turned red at that. "Are you serious? From the night when we got back?" Sasha nodded. That caused him to chuckle slightly. "Well, what do ya know. Anyway," he said, turning the topic back around. "Remember how I mentioned that I saw the other Viran at the end and he gave me advice about cherishing what I have?"

"Yeah..." Sasha said, confused.

"Well I have been thinking about that for the last month now and I think I finally understand what he was saying," Viran explained. "He said to enjoy what is to come, because he never got the chance to." Viran then placed a hand on her bump. "I think he was referring to this. I think he knew what the future held for us and he wanted me to cherish it and experience it as he never got that chance with his Sasha."

"Really?" Sasha asked before chuckling slightly. She then went silent for a moment before continuing. "I think Master Redika said something too that referred to our child."

"Wait what? Seriously?" Viran asked, shocked. "How?"

"He mentioned that I will be a good master if or when I get my own apprentice," Sasha told him. "At first I thought that maybe he was referring to a potential Force sensitive kid we might run across on our adventures or something and I would take them under my wing. But now I think he was referring to our child. I think he somehow knew too."

"Wow… that's kind of creepy and weird," Viran commented as he chuckled.

"A bit, yeah," Sasha agreed. "But I'm sure that was just our knight trials in a nutshell."

He nodded at that before frowning as another thought crossed his mind. "There was something else. Something from my trial that I kept thinking about while we searched for you. Something I haven't told you or Oppie."

Sasha looked up at him, worriedly. "What is it?"

"I saw three beings appear before me during my final test," he started. "Each one of them was a different version of me, darker versions. But the one I thought about the most was the one that was consumed by the dark side. That is the version of me that I almost let out when searching for you, because I was so worried and afraid that I may never see you again. And because I was so angry and frustrated with Cien for taking you, I wasn't thinking clearly. In fact I wanted to kill Cien when she arrived to help us because I let my anger take control over me. If it wasn't for Oppie and Kyr, I probably would have hurt her." He frowned at that and looked away from Sasha. She blinked in shock at the fact he wanted to kill Cien, but she held her tongue. "Op told me that if you saw that version of me you wouldn't recognize me anymore and that scared me more than anything. It scared me to think that if I let my anger get the better of me, I could lose you. And I knew I couldn't let that happen. I had to keep my promise to the other Viran. To enjoy my life with you and our child, and keep my anger in check. So I thought about nothing but the positives like what gender they might be, what stupid nickname Kyr will give them, what their actual name will be, and so much more. I thought about all of that every second of every day until we found you. And now, I want to live that life with you and cherish what is to come." He caressed her bump again at that and looked down at her.

"You were that scared?" Sasha asked softly.

"Yeah, I was," Viran admitted pulling her in closer. He then looked away again. "And now I can't thank Cien."

"For what?" Sasha asked curiously as she frowned at the thought of her late friend.

"For keeping her promise. For bringing you back to me safe. For not lying to us and leading us into a trap. She kept her word and now…" He actually choked up a little at the thought of it. "Now I will never be able to apologize for my reckless behavior towards her or thank her properly for all she has done for us."

Sasha placed her good hand on top of his on her belly and leaned into him. "I'm sure she knows," she said, her voice breaking as he could hear tears starting to fall. "I never got to thank her either, but I'm sure she knows how grateful we are to her." She sniffed. "I'm going to miss her so much. And Kyr…" She then broke down sobbing against him. "Kriff…"

Viran wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him as he gently rocked her. "Don't blame yourself for their deaths, okay? None of this is your fault. They did what they had to do to protect you both. Okay? So please, don't blame yourself." He said as he, too, cried thinking about Kyr's death. While Oppie was his older brother, Kyr became his best friend and it broke him to think he was never going to see him again.

Sasha, however, didn't respond. She just laid against him crying for a while. He held her as she cried. As she mourned the loss of their friends. She cried for a long time until she fell asleep against him. Once she was sound asleep, Viran carefully lowered her back down onto the bunk so she could rest comfortably and returned to his seat next to her on the stool. He then put his head in his hands as he continued to weep for Kyr. As he sat there, he slowly realized something he hadn't before. Even though he had hated and distrusted Cien for so long, in the end, she truly was a friend to his wife. Cien was such a good friend that she sacrificed herself for Sasha. Something he didn't expect would happen. And thanks to her sacrifice, Sasha was alive and returned to him safely. A feat he wished he could thank her for. But he realized something else. Another thing he never thought would happen. If she had survived, Viran would actually be willing to start to call her a friend as she had earned not only his trust and his forgiveness, but also his friendship. However, now, he would never get that chance to tell her that. So he wept alone.

Oppie quietly stepped into the bunk room where Sasha was still asleep, she had been asleep all night and late into this morning, after their escape and she had talked to Viran. It was time to change her fluids and nutrient drip, and Oppie had wanted to check on her anyway. He moved to the side of her bunk. She had been so exhausted she had barely awoken when he and Viran had wrapped her wrist and put a bacta pack over the top of her shoulder, where the lightsaber wound was. He stood over her, quietly trying to swap out the IV bottles without disturbing her. He leaned down and checked the site on her arm, making sure that her IV was still secure on her arm.

He pulled back her sleeve a little, checking the bacta bandage over her shoulder. It was a little discolored after being on her shoulder for a day and a half. He gingerly peeled it off, and unwrapped the new one, and then reapplied it. As he carefully placed it on her shoulder, Sasha winced as she slowly started to stir awake. Then a moment later, her eyes fluttered open.

"Oppie?" She said as turned her head to look at him.

"Hey Sasha, I didn't mean to wake you." Oppie said stepping back a little so he wasn't looming over her.

"It's okay," Sasha said, still waking up. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been a day or so since you talked to Viran." He replied, "we're just on our way back home, and we didn't want to disturb you. You seemed a little tired." He said with a small grin.

"Oh," she said as she then turned her gaze to look down at herself. She noticed her wrapped wrist and the fresh bacta patch on her shoulder. "Thanks."

"No problem, just returning the favor." He said, referring to when she had treated his own injuries in the past. "This is novel, usually it's you taking care of me."

"Yeah true," she chuckled slightly before clearing her throat. "Is my leg okay?" She asked as she adjusted slightly on the bunk and wincing at the movement.

"Your leg?" Oppie asks quizzically. He looked down at it under the blankets. She had been running through the halls of the Bloodstorm to get away, Viran and he hadn't even considered that they were injured. He reached for the scanner still at the side of her bed.

"Yeah, when I was prisoner to Ikari, she umm… she kicked at my leg and kind of dislocated my knee," Sasha explained.

Oppie ran the scanner over her legs. "Kind of?" He said. "Kriff." He mumbled under his breath, and turned to dig through the supplies, looking for a leg brace. He was glad that Sasha had stocked the ship so thoroughly in expectation of what the… shenanigans Kyr would get into.

"Well, it wasn't easy, but I was able to relocate it," she said then raised her right hand slightly. "While in binders and with this."

He paused for a second and looked back at her. "Want me to just hand you the brace?" He asked with a little grin.

Sasha chuckled at that as a smile came to her face. "As much as I would like to think I can handle that right now, I could use your help for this," she said as she gestured to her leg.

"Ah, good I am useful." Oppie said he stepped forward and folded the blanket away. "Be back in a second." He said, leaving the room. He went to the first aid supplies she had so carefully prepared and found a full knee brace, which he was a little surprised, alongside various other braces they might need, and then walked back to the room. He opened up the clamshell design and carefully placed it around her knee to lock it down and immobilize it.

"Thanks," Sasha said.

"No problem." Oppie said, stepping back and settling into the bunk across from her now that his ministrations were complete. A silence descended between them as the weight of recent events settled in the air, and neither was sure what to say.

"So Viran and I talked about it, but you should probably have a little input too. Thought of any names?" He said, gesturing to the kid with a nod of his head, and grinning a little.

Sasha was taken aback by that at first before chuckling at that. "Oh man, now I'm afraid to think of what you two came up with." She said, jokingly.

"Oh, you should be." Oppie nodded solemnly.

Sasha laughed at that for a moment. "Do I want to know what you two came up with?" She asked carefully, still smiling.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's Viran and me." He said. "More than likely not." He said quietly.

"Fair enough," Sasha said, still smiling. She then turned her gaze to her growing bump. A soft and gentle smile on her face. "Yeah, I did think of a few, but I haven't decided on any yet. Especially since I don't know what this little one will be." She then frowned. "Plus… I was afraid of choosing a name, in case they were taken from me." Her voice broke a little at that.

Oppie looked at her, "you don't have to worry about that anymore." He said quietly.

She nodded. "I know," she said then looked at him. "Thank you all for coming for me. I…" her voice broke again. "I didn't know if I'd see you guys again." Tears brimmed in her eyes, but hadn't escaped yet.

Oppie got up and moved across the room to sit on the edge of her bunk next to her. "No matter what we would have found you and gotten you both back. It's kind of our thing." He said.

Sasha looked up at him and nodded. "I know you would have, and you did." She said as her right hand moved and rested against the bump. "I just kept thinking about everything that could have happened and it scared me to do so. I was scared that my child would be taken away from me. That I would never see you guys again. All of it scared me. I tried to keep a brave face, but…" She took a breath. "The thought of not being able to raise my child with my family or seeing either ever again terrified me in more ways than anything else ever has."

"We were scared too, Sash." Oppie said quietly. "But you're safe now, both of you are, and that's all that matters. And we won't let anyone take your child away from you." He said, remembering that Cien's acolyte, Ikari, had gotten away. He hid a grimace, remembering that they would probably need to deal with her.

"Thank you, Oppie," Sasha said as she placed her left hand onto his knee.

Oppie said nothing and just put his hand over hers as they sat quietly for a moment.

"And honestly." Oppie said, continuing, "I need someone to make cookies for, I'm looking forward to spoiling your kid rotten." Oppie said with a smile. "And here are the two strangest words you've probably ever heard; Uncle Oppie."

Sasha smiled at that. "Uncle Oppie? Yeah, no, that is the strangest thing I have ever heard," she said giggling a little at that. "But I am grateful that they will have such a loving uncle like you."

"We'll see how you feel after I load them up with sugar." He replied with a grin. "It's your turn to deal with a hyperactive kid on a sugar rush, now." He said with an evil smirk.

She gaped at him. "I wasn't that bad, okay."

"No, but you and Viran, horrifying." He chuckled. "Uncle Oppie will have his revenge, don't you worry."

Sasha chuckled at that. "Oh dear," she said as her chuckling died down. She then went quiet for a moment as she turned her gaze to the side. "I just wish they could have had both of their uncles." She said that with a low and sad tone.

Oppie looked away at that and swallowed, "I'm sure he's still with us."

She nodded as tears returned to her eyes. "Do you know why he stayed behind?"

Oppie looked away, "he wanted to stay, I think." He looked back at Sasha, "you remember what I said, how I knew you and Viran were together before you told me?"

"Yeah, I remember," Sasha said with a nod. "It was because you caught us holding hands a couple of times."

Oppie looked away, not sure if he should say this. "As we were coming to the Bloodstorm to rescue you, I went back to the hold in the shuttle, and they were sitting together." He said quietly, "and they were holding hands when I walked in, and they looked," he paused. "Happy. Kyr didn't have that hint of sadness he always had, and Cien… I never expected to see her happy like that." He halted. "I understand why he wanted to stay." He finished quietly.

Sasha's eyebrows rose at that. "I knew how he felt about her. He told me when we were on our mission before… all of this. And I told Cien when I was being held captive by her, but I didn't realize she felt the same way," she said as the pieces came together. She frowned at that. "At least they were together in the end."

"When she was laying there, she held his hand, and they froze, it looked like the state you enter when you go into mindspace? Like when you tried to reach out to her after we came back?" He asked, hoping Sasha might know what had happened.

"Really? I… I didn't notice," Sasha said a little distantly. "I wonder if that's how she told him of a way off the ship."

"Maybe." Oppie said, remembering that Kyr's reaction had changed so much after that moment, and that he had called her cyar'ika.

"Op…" Sasha started to ask after a moment. "Are you doing okay?"

Oppie considered the question for a moment before answering. "Yeah."

"Okay, I just wanted to be sure," Sasha said quietly. "I know you two are twins and all. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'll miss him." Oppie said quietly, "but you were closer to him than I ever was. Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her.

"Um… I don't know," she admitted. "I'll miss him too, but…" She blinked away the tears that were trying to fall. She then went quiet as she couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. She brought a hand to her face as she slowly came to realize that she wasn't okay. Slamming her eyes closed, Sasha felt the tears break loose as she cried for Kyr.

Oppie shifted to sit closer to her, and held her in a hug as she cried. He fought back his own tears for his own brother as well as they sat there together. The same way he had when she had been a child and her nightmares had haunted her.

*wipes tears* I'm not crying. You're crying. REVIEW!