I did not have that month's blood. But it meant nothing to me. I woke up every morning nauseated from what I believed were nightmares about the attack.

I skipped a second and third blood as well and continued to have the nausea, but I still believed it was from the nightmares, because as the day wore on, I felt better.

The more days that passed, Jun seemed to relax. I said nothing to him about my missed bloods, and since he now had his own apartments, he did not know about the nausea.

We would meet after breakfast to spar and then we would part ways for guard duty, lessons, and our public services. I would eat a few bites of dinner and then go to bed for it to start all over again the next day.

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I woke up the morning after my fourth missed blood should have starts, and I felt as though Vlad were nearby.

I began to panic before remembering Vlad was more than dead.

But Vlad was there.

I took the direct lift up to Jun's apartments and knocked on the door to the main living room. I didn't even bother putting on real clothes or showering first.

"Asenath?" Jun asked, shocked to see me in such a state. His hair was even messier than usually, and there was a steaming cup of caf in his hands. I suddenly had the desire to hurl my cookies at the smell, but I fought the urge back.

I pushed my way in, suddenly even more panicked.

Jun's jaw tightened as he observed me.

"I sense Vlad. Where is he? Why?" Jun asked, suddenly in protective mode.

"I don't know," I began sobbing.

Jun looked me over and he was struck with a notion, and his expression made the bile in my throat rise more.

"Jun?"

"Go back downstairs. Keep your arms over your chest and belly until you get back to your room. Then shower and dress. I'm going to tell Luke we want to go see Scars of the Clone Wars. It is a six hour event about three hours away. We need time. Okay?"

Frightened, I nodded and did as I was told.

I braided my long hair as quickly as I could after I got out of the shower.

I threw on a casual civilian outfit and noticed it was slightly pulled tighter around my breasts and tummy. I looked at my silhouette and passed it off as a sudden burst in carb consumption (as I was eating a lot of toast) and pulled on my shoes.

I grabbed a jacket and met Jun downstairs.

"I talked to Luke. He said we could go."

"Okay."

"Luke also said we could use his speeder. I think he plans on checking the kilometer reader to corroborate my story."

"We aren't going to Scars of the Clone Wars?"

"No, we aren't. But, I did the math and checked his engine. I can manipulate the km reader."

"What are we going to do?"

"You'll see."

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We drove far away to find a small-family owned- drugstore.

Jun paid a random woman to go in and buy a PNC test. (Jun said "pee and see," but I had no clue what that was, so my brain made it PNC).

The woman came back out and handed Jun a brown paper bag. He thanked her and got back in the speeder.

"Now, we are going to Nanette's"

"Okay."

WE sped back toward home, but pulled into Motorola's lot.

Nettie looked up and opened her mouth, but saw the panic etched on Jun's face and stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Jun handed her the bag and said, "We need to stay here and you and I need to help Asenath with the thing in that bag."

Nanette peeked inside the bag, gulped, and then looked intently at Jun, who noded his response to the apparently unspoken plea.

Nanette's voice became unusually soft.

"Okay, Az. Come on."

Once inside, she took me to her private bathroom.

Nanette took the box and read the instructions quickly. Then, she opened the box and handed me a little cup and stick.

"What's this?" I asked, smiling with curiosity.

Instead of giving me a straight answer, she just explained what I should do.

"Okay, Asenath, pee in this cup. Then, dip this flat end of the stick in the cup. Just for a moment will be enough. Then, empty the cup into the toilet, flush, leave the stick on top of the box, and then wash your hands. Come out here after that. I'll be right outside the door if you need help."

She shut the door behind her and set the cup and stick on the counter. I thought this was all silly in the moment, but I followed her instructions.

I picked up the box before I dipped the stick in the cup, though, and the label read clear as day: Pregnancy Test.

Still not getting it, I just did as Nanette told me and completed her instructions.

I opened the door just as Jun said, "Thanks for letting us do this here, Nettie," Jun said quietly.

Nanette looked up from the floor and bade me to come sit next to her on the couch.

"Asenath, what are you going to do if you're pregnant?" Nanette asked.

"Pregnant?" I asked.

"If she's pregnant, I'm taking care of it," Jun said.

"Jun, hush. Asenath, if you're pregnant it means if you're going to have a baby."

I clammed up. "A baby? I'm going to be a mama?"

"If the test is positive, then yes, you are," Nanette explained, her tone unusually kind.

"And that test should be ready any second now," Jun said.

"Asenath, go get that test. Jun and I will be here for you."

"I stood up and retrieved the stick. A nice, big, pink plus was in the screen.

I must have stood in silence in that bathroom for longer than they would have liked, because Jun called after me, "Asenath?"

With shaking legs, I made my way back to the sitting area.

"I'm going to be a mommy," I smiled weakly and my eyes welled up with tears.

Jun punched the wall (leaving a hole that Jun paid to repair, re-paint her bedroom, gave her money for clubbing to make up for it), and Nanette began to cry, too.

She managed to calm herself after a time and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Not like she has much choice, Nettie. Get me a coat hanger," Jun barked angrily.

"Jun, this is NOT your choice," Nanette growled protectively.

"What are my options?" I asked.

"Well, you can put the child up for adoption or keep it," Nanette suggested. She was sparing me from the third one.

"Or she can abort it," Jun added snidely.

"Jun, what is that?" I asked.

"Stop its heart and remove its body from you," Jun said coldly.

"I won't murder a baby!" I wailed.

"Shhhh….Asenath, calm down," Nanette tried to calm me.

After a few minutes, I was at least taking deep, controlled breaths.

"Honey, how many blood cycles have you missed since the attack?" Nanette asked me.

"Four."

Both Nanette and Jun blanched.

"Asenath, what do you want?"

"I want to keep my baby."

"Az, you know a child isn't all happy times? They are really, really hard to care for."

"I know, Nettie. I've worked with Irru for five years, almost six. But I can't murder a being that didn't ask to be made. I don't know if I could survive giving the child away. I'm seventeen. When I turn eighteen I will be given my own apartments, my wages will increase, and I will be able to support both the child and myself comfortably. The Jedi will be flexible with those needs. Most of the Jedi needs are local. Not much travelling, and I'll have plenty of help."

Nanette nodded. "You're going to have to tell Luke."

"We can't tell Luke yet. If we did, he would have to report it to the High Council. If he reports it to the High Council, she could be charged with Dereliction of Duty. If she is convicted, she could be sentenced to death."

"Well, you can't just not tell him. Asenath's belly can't be hidden for much longer, not to mention her gazongas have gotten even bigger. If her nipples aren't dark yet, they will be soon, and I know you both get birthday physicals."

"You're both right," I admitted. "Things will be worse if I get caught. If I turn myself in, they will be more lenient, maybe, but there will be a trial. And it can't be hidden."

"The system is harsh," Nanette observed.

"Jedi are held to the highest standard," I replied.

"Punishment for being raped?"

"It's not the fact she was raped. It's what people will assume. Even so, people will assume it's mine," Jun said. "Everyone assumes we are a couple. Luke warned me of this."

Both Nanette looked at him.

"About three years ago, Luke explained to me that Asenath and I needed to make it clear in public that we had a sibling relationship and not a romantic one. Two reasons for that, were to make sure that we were above reproach and innocent, and secondly, because if…he was afraid that if something like this would happen, I would be blamed as the baby daddy. Asenath and I are close and Luke was afraid we'd get too close. I told him he didn't have anything to worry about, but…it's Luke."

Nanette seemed to understand a deeper meaning, but I was hurt. My harbored hopes were shattered, and my heart hurt.

"Even more of a reason to go to Luke. So the truth can be told. No way are you two together," she said, nearly laughing at the absurdity.

That hurt even more.

"Luke will know we hid this," I mumbled.

"Nettie, she conceived on the trip. If they don't believe the truth, they will pin her condition on me. We were alone for a few days, enough time for something irresponsible to happen."

"Tell Luke. You didn't do anything wrong. Asenath was raped. END OF STORY."

"Asenath?"

I sat in silence as they watched me think.

"We'll tell Luke in a few days, when we've got a 'script.' That way, it's not just a jumble and confusing. It needs to be rehearsed, but it can't sound rehearsed," I answered.

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We stayed at Nanette's for several more hours while Jun and Nanette both manipulated the KM counter. I slept.

When we got home, Luke was waiting for us. He was suspicious.

"How was it?"

"Boring for me, but Az sure loved it," Jun said jovially. I'll never know how he managed it.

Luke looked at me, and his eyes seemed to be trying their darnedest to be reading my mind and unlock my deepest secret at the moment."

"Very educational. Worth the trip and some new perspective," I forced a smile that came out just wobbling on the edge of genuine and saccharine fake.

We walked past him and Luke's eyes followed.

Once out of earshot, I breathed a sigh of relief

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As luck would have it, the homeless lady who bought the test was a plant, a spy for Fey'lya doing unrelated work to us. But she knew us and radioed ahead in the direction we left in to tip them off that Jedi apprentices had just purchased a pregnancy test.

Fey'lya now knew all, and trouble was on the horizon.