Last time: Cien and Kyr relaxed on a beach together.

Now: Cien's future is decided.

Chapter 19- Welcome to the Family

"So you guys came back right after taking out the star destroyer?" Oppie asked, as they finished their tale.

"Uhh..." Kyr said, glancing at Cien who was sitting next to him on the couch, "pretty much, yeah." Kyr replied.

"That's a nice tan for being on a star destroyer." Kitsu observed.

Kyr and Cien both blushed, and Kyr glared daggers at his cousin who smiled sweetly at him. Sasha chuckled as she looked at the two of them blushing. It was a strange sight to behold, but she thought it was kind of adorable. Viran, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the reaction as he leaned forward on the other couch where he sat with Sasha.

"Hey Cien, that was a pretty brutal way to take out Ikari," Viran complimented. "Kind of wished I could have seen it. Hell, it would have just been awesome to see you take on a Star Destroyer and Ikari." He was geeking out at their epic adventure.

"Yeah." Cien agreed. "She deserved it." She said, looking away.

"So what happened to your heart piece?" Kitsu asked, looking at Kyr's heart which had a more silverish gleam to it compared to the rest of his copper, and notably matched Cien's heart piece that had a definite copper hue compared to the rest of her silverish gold armor.

Kyr shot her a glare. Then he looked over to the rest of the room. "So what did you guys do?" He asked. "The house looks nice and cleaned up."

At that Cien recoiled within herself a little bit, remembering what she had been responsible for last time she was here four months ago.

"We pretty much fixed up the house and updated the security system," Sasha explained. "Well actually they all did that," she gestured to Viran, Oppie, Tac, Kitsu, and Illara. "No one really let me lift as much as a finger during all of that." She pouted slightly at that.

"You were still recovering hun, if we are being honest here," Viran added in.

"Anyway, we really didn't do a whole lot," Sasha finished. "We stayed here in case… In case Ikari ever came for me." Her hand absentmindedly rested on her belly. "For us."

"But instead you two showed up from the dead," Viran added his last comment.

"Sounds kinda spooky when you say it that way." Kyr commented.

"Says the guy dating a Sith…" Kitsu said so quietly that only Illara could hear, and who snorted in laughter.

Kyr and Cien both looked over at them, glaring.

"So I am curious about something," Sasha said as she changed the subject. "Cien, now that your Empire is gone and all, what do you plan to do next? Where do you plan to go? Or are you going to stay here with us?"

"I…" Cien started, and glanced at Kyr. "I was thinking I would stay here."

"Wait really?" Viran asked, surprised.

"You are the only friends I've ever known." She said, glancing away. "I want to stay, if that's okay."

Sasha nodded as she smiled with Cien. "Ah Cien. I would love it if you did stay, but I can't speak for everyone."

Tac whistled, piping up. Everyone except Sasha and Cien glanced over at the droid.

"Well thanks beskar'ad." Kyr said in a weird tone.

Oppie nodded, "That would be great." He said with a warm smile.

Kitsu looked over at Illara. "Well we'll just leave that up to Kyr." Kitsu said with a knowing grin.

Viran shrugged as he smiled. "I've got no problem with it. It will be cool to have you around. Plus I want to take you on in another spar again," he added with a smirk.

Cien glanced at Kyr, the last voice.

"Weeeelllllll…." Kyr said, drawing the word out and bringing a hand up to his chin, considering, as if deep in thought.

Cien just elbowed him.

"Fine by me. I guess." Kyr admitted, rubbing the spot she had assaulted.

"It's settled then," Sasha said with a warm smile. "Welcome home, Cien. You're a part of the family now."

Kyr reached over and took hold of her hand, and Cien adopted a small smile and looked away, not knowing how to process this moment.

"Speaking of family," Viran commented as he glanced at the chrono. "Reya is going to be here soon. We should get down to the medbay," he said as he looked over to Sasha.

"Right," Sasha agreed as she moved to stand from the couch, Viran helping her.

"Medbay?" Kyr asked, a little worriedly.

Sasha smiled at him. "Yeah, we are going to be finding out the gender today. We promise to tell you all what it is when we are done."

"Well I'd hope so." Oppie said, giving her a weird look.

Sasha returned with a weirder look before turning for the exit. "We will be back in a bit," she said as she started walking out with Viran beside her.

Everyone else stood up, Kyr with Cien moving over to grab their bags where they had left them. They wandered down the hallway that Cien's room had been down last time.

"Do I have the same room?" Cien asked idly, remembering the only other time she had walked down this hallway, after Kyr had treated her wounds when she had arrived from escaping from Dracul. She had only spent about fifteen minutes or so in the room before she had wandered out to someplace that felt less at the time like an assigned cell and with a better view, the dining room.

"If you want." Kyr said. "This place was built as a huge family retreat, there are a lot of rooms." He looked back at her. "Sasha and Viran are still down the other wing, unless they moved the last couple of months." He said wistfully. "If you want to be closer to Sasha there's that option to."

The last few months they had been living aboard her tiny fighter or their alcove in the tunnels of Nevarro, sharing the tiny living spaces. It would actually be strange to be alone, again. "Is your room in the other wing? You said last time that you gave me this room to give me some space from everyone."

Kyr looked at her sheepishly.

She smiled, "what?"

"I kind of liked having my space from everyone too," he replied. "My room is in this wing, just down five doors."

"We've been so close for these last three months, Kyr." She said, "can I have the room next to yours, at least?" She asked directly, with a smile.

"Yeah." He smiled back. Kyr looked up and saw Kitsu coming down the hall and he suddenly took a more guarded air.

"So which room do you have?" Kitsu asked with an innocent smile.

"One down this hall." Cien said guardedly.

"Ah, that should be nice and private for you two." Kitsu commented innocently.

Cien nodded. "I'm going to go change out of my armor." She said, taking the opportunity to escape, leaving Kyr behind. He shot a glance her way, wishing he could escape to.

"So what the hell Kyr?" Kitsu asked bluntly. "She shows up in some gold version of your armor, you guys are holding hands and blushing, you have matching hearts," she reached up to him and brushed a little bit of white sand off of a crevice in between his trauma plates. "You didn't exchange vows did you?" She asked pointedly.

Kyr took a step back, "No, we, I… I, no." He said, flabbergasted.

"Well whatever it is, I'm happy for you, both of you." Kitsu said, stepping forward and giving him a hug. Kyr was a little surprised, but embraced his cousin back.

"Thanks." He said.

Everyone was in the kitchen, Oppie was finishing up dinner, and Cien was looming in a corner, watching the preparation of food as though it was an arcane ritual. Kyr was quietly talking with Kitsu and Illara, mostly about their escapade on the Star Destroyer. Tac was there, he was trying to make friends with the Caf machine, and lamenting its lack of conversation. And weapons. Though he supposed that against most organics the jet of hot water it emitted might be considered a weapon.

Oppie looked over at Cien. "You ever done any cooking?" He asked.

"What?" She asked, "Oh, no." She said, trying to determine what he was waiting for as he stood at the bank of ovens.

"Something you're interested in?" He asked, leaning against the counter, waiting for the internal temperature of the roast to be correct. "You seem to be watching closely."

"No, I…" She said, trying to figure out what to say. "I've never cooked, I've never even been in a kitchen." She admitted.

"Ah." Oppie said. "Pretty easy when you get the hang of it, I find it relaxing."

At that moment, Sasha and Viran appeared, a smile painted on both of their faces.

"Hey, that smells amazing," Sasha commented as they entered the kitchen.

"Yes, thanks. What's the news?" Oppie said, anxious to be past the preamble.

Sasha and Viran exchanged a nod as Viran grabbed her hand. Her other went to be her stomach.

"According to the medical droid and Reya, we will be having," Sasha paused for a moment as the excitement was getting to her. "A girl."

"That's great!" Kyr said, happy.

Oppie looked over at Viran, "so what about all those nicknames we came up with?" He said, putting on a show of being crestfallen.

"Sorry, Op," Viran said with a laugh. "We will just have to figure out something else."

"What about an actual name?" Kitsu asked.

"Well we had been considering a couple of names for a while now," Viran started. "But now that we know the gender, we think we have settled on the perfect name."

"Her name will be Lana," Sasha said sweetly.

"Lan'ika." Kyr said, rolling the name off his tongue. "I like it."

Oppie looked over at Viran and had to stifle a laugh. Viran chuckled at that, his smile growing on his face.

"Everything will be ready in a few minutes, anyone want to set the table?" Oppie asked as he started pulling out the utensils.

Kyr glanced at Cien. "Sure, I can."

"I'll help." Cien agreed.

They gathered the implements and the plates and went into the dining room. For Kyr it was the thousandth time he had done so. For Cien, it was only the second time. Technically the third, since she had projected it into their minds all those months ago, when she had pulled Kyr into the mind space. As she entered the room she slowed, looking around this space that had meant so much to her in her memories and left such an indelible mark upon her. Without thinking of it she went to her chair. Kyr was already standing at his. She looked up at him, and Kyr looked down at her.

Last time he had noted how uncomfortable she had been with anyone being so close, stepping within her two meter bubble, so he had left a chair between them as a neutral space, so she would feel comfortable talking to him.

That wouldn't do now, though.

He pulled out the chair that had been between them, replaced it with his chair by scooting it over so it was now next to hers, and then moved the neutral chair back in where his had been. No one else would notice the difference, the chairs were all identical. But they'd know. He looked down at her, and she smiled at him.

Oppie came in and was carrying some napkins, and looked around confused. "Who messed with the chairs?"

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