(A/N: A lot of this dialogue is going to be taken from the actual episode! I hope you enjoy! And happy Valentine's Day my loves!)
The screams made Kai's blood run cold and she got up and ran to the door with everyone else.
She saw the kids stumble up the steps, running too fast for their little legs to balance them. They were yelling words she couldn't understand, as the yelling covered most of it up. They fell into their parent's arms, gasping for breath, their little eyes wide with fright.
The son, Jek dove into his mother's arms and Cut quickly scooped up his daughter, Shaeeah.
"The monsters!" Shaeeah cried out. "They're chasing us!" She gasped for breath as she held onto his arms.
"What? Monsters? Honey, where?" Suu asked, her voice thick with worry as she backed up into the doorway.
She saw Cut stare out at the field and she recognized the posture. He was ready for a fight. She had seen it so many times on Ozan, and she knew it wasn't the time, but she couldn't help but admire the man more.
She knew he was a lot like her father, and she really ought to tell him so. He cared so much about the safety of those he loved, and she knew the children would perhaps never realize how lucky they were. Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw several shapes moving out in the crop field, but they were too far away for her to see what they were.
"They hatched from the big egg in the field!" Shaeeah explained quickly, her voice shrill with adrenaline.
Cut immediately grabbed a pair of benoculars from the doorway and scanned the field with them. "Ah…" he muttered out. "This is not good. I count twenty."
Suu's voice was low but urgent as she addressed her husband. "Cut, what's out there?"
His voice was equally as urgent as he continued to survey out front. "Commando droids." She knew about those. They were much more agile than the other droids they usually fought, and seemed to have a higher level of intelligence, if that was even possible.
Rex stepped up beside him and looked out at the field as well. "What are they doing?"
Cut ingorned him and turned around to talk to his wife. His posture meant business and he looked at his wife with urgency. "Suu, get the kids upstairs."
She didn't argue and simply grabbed her children. "Come chilcren. Come now." She took Shaeeah's small hand in hers and began to head to the stairs.
Cut locked and barred the door, making it so at least they couldn't just simply walk in the door.
Rex turned to his fellow clone and his eyes glinted with the serioius tone of the room. "What weapons do you have?" he asked, and Cut led him to a panel on the side of the wall, opening it and revelaing weapons.
Kai walked over to her back and pulled out her pistol, and her rifle, making sure both had adequate ammunition.
Rex, so like him, immediately began thinking. "We can catch them in a crossfire. You take that corner and-"
Cut stopped him with a turn of his head, as he handed him a pistol. "No captain. With repsect, you are not in charge here." Kai had to agree that much was true, but she didn't know what Cut was planning. She figured she would stay silent and near the stairs, and simply momintor the situation.
Rex walked to the front of him, his voice the closest to pleading she'd ever heard. "I can be useful."
Cut seemed to argue. "Sir, you're injured. You have only one good arm."
Kai held in a comment that that kind of logic wasn't going to work with Rex, that he was far too stubborn and had too good of a heart to do nothing, injuries or not.
Cut looked back. "So can i." He then paused and took a deep breath, seeming to decide something. "Rex, I need you to be the last line of defense for my family." He looked at Kai then, and nodded up the stairs. "You as well. I want you, Kai to stay with my children and wife." He then turned back to Rex.
She saw a million thoughts flicker across Rex's face as he stared at the clone in front of them, and finally he took a deep breath and nodded, before walking around Cut.
"I"ll take care of them." She saw on his face, how serious he was. He meant every word he said. Cut smiled a tiny bit as he saw Rex commit to protecting the ones he loved. "Thank you."
As the conversation came to a close Kai walked up the stairs and found Suu and the children in the back hallway.
She saw how afraid Jek was and she crouched and showed him her pistol. "Your dad, Rex and I are going to keep you safe, alright? And your mom. You all are going to be fine." She looked up at Suu, and images of her village all those years ago came to her mind. Her gaze hardened and she stared at the brave woman in front of them. "I promise."
Suu nodded back as she saw determination in the eyes of the bounty hunter in front of them. This was no ordinary hunter. She had been forged by much hotter, much crueler fires to gain that sort of look in her eye, and she knew she meant what she was saying.
She saw the lights turn off downstairs, which meant Cut was reducing visibility for the droids as much as possible. He had to take every advantage he could in this situation, because it was not looking good. There were so many entrances that the droids could take advantage of. With the large amount of numbers it was easy for the entire house to be surrounded.
All of the sudden the familiar sound of blaster fire echoed through the downstairs. Holy kriff, they had barely mananged to get ready in time before the droids were on top of them. She heard answering fire and knew it was Cut. She knew Rex was nearby but coldnt hear shots from his direction.
Jek trembled next to her and she wrapped an arm around him, her chin resting on his head. "It's alright. You'll be just fine. Be brave for me, I know you can do it."
Blaster fire shot in close to where they were and she saw Rex move a little closer to where they were, and Suu clutched onto Shaeeah desperately. Kai gritted her teeth and guided Jek to hold onto his mother's leg and she took a standing position, guarding the three of them with her own body. There was no way these children, or their mother were going to die today. She'd seen the horrors of war, whether galaxy wide or planetary and what it could do to families and that was not going to happen here.
She took a calming breath and leveled her gun at the entrance were Rex was, determined to mow any droids down, if they got past Rex. Her finger hovered over the trigger, ready to fire.
She heard a crash wich sounded like a piece of wall or celieing faling and she wondered if Cut was alright.
"Rex!" Cut called out, his voice laced with pain and fervor. "They're coming for you!" He must have otten trapped, that's all she could think of.
Rex moved where she could see him more and he had the pistol tucked tightly to his chest. She continued to cover him as he took out a couple of droids before having to move position. She scooted closer to the family, still in front.
Despite the wound in his chest, he tucked into a roll and kept firing at the incoming droids. Because of the heavy fire however, the floor gave out beneath him and he plummeted down and she held down the panic and stood her ground as she heard remaining blaster fire bleow.
Rex could handle himself, and of course cut could as well. They'd be fine, she told herself. She had to stay with this family, upstairs. She had to protect them.
Jek moved once it was quitter, and she realized the blaster fire had stopped. "Dad? Daddy?" His sister voiced her concerna s well.
Kai stepped forward and peered down through the hole in the floor and Cut looked up at his children, a smiel on his face. "I'm okay. It's over." He told them, soothing their worries.
It was over now. Everything was alright.
After the excitement of the vening wore down, the children were exhausted and fell asleep quickly and the rest of the house followed suit.
Kai had insisted on checking Rex over once they were alone and she ginterly touched the bruises on his neck. "Do they hurt very bad?" She asked, her fingertips lightly brushing his skin.
He shook his head, a fond sparkle in them. "No, they're alright. I promise I'm fine."
She laughed and laid down on the couch and he sat on the one opposite of her. "Why are you so worried? I promise I'm fine."
She rolled her eyes as she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. "Oh, pardon me for seeing if your'e alright, you just fell through the floor, already injured and then grappled a commando droid. But that's nothing, right? You're fine."
He laughed at her teasing and laid down as well. "That's exactly right. Now try to get some sleep. We'll have to head out fairly early."
She scoffed and closed her eyes, pretending to tease him, but she actually was quite tired. The stress of worrying for him, finding him and the the fight tonight did leave her quite drained and she felt herself drift into sleep quite quickly. She didn't see him look at her for some time afterwords, his eyes full of thought.
The sun shone through the window the next morning as they all finished a light breakfast, the children already doing chores, and laughing.
When she and Rex were ready to leave, with an aminal to walk them back since they had no speeder, Suu stepped forward her face somber. "Captain Rex? Are you going to turn in my husband?" She asked, and Kai looked over at Rex as she waite for an answer.
She knew duty was of the utmost importance to him, and that he tried to do everything right, sometimes to a fault. But she hoped he wouldn't.
"Sorry Suu," He said and she held in a gasp and her gaze sharpened on him. NO, he couldn't. They were so happy here. These children deserved to have a father, and someone in their life. He wouldn't. "It's my duty. But in my condition, I probably wont remember any of this." He joked, and she flet her chest loosen, and the smile that came to Suu's face was so bright and happy.
She clasped her hands and leaned into her husbands chest. "Thank you!"
Rex leveled his gazew on the other clone. "You're still a deserter, Cut. But you're certainly not a coward." The sound of a comm came through and Rex looked down at it, before pressing the button.
Obi Wan's voice was heard. "Captain Rex. Are you stil with us?" He asked, and Kai came close and placed a hand on his lower back as he answered.
"Yes, General Kenobi. I'm still with you, and thankfully on the mend." He reassured him, and Kenobi joked.
"That is good news. We certainly missed you at the party."
Rex stared up at the family in front fo him, and he gave a small smile, a thoughtful one. "I'm sorry General, I had to attend one of my own."
Kenobi was probably smiling at this point. "Can't wait to hear about it. We're standing by."
Cut looked at his borther with a sincere look. "You're welcome to stay Rex."
For a moment kai wondered what it would be like to live here, with Rex, what that kind of life would entail. But she knew that wasn't the life either of them were ready for, not yet.
"This is your home, Cut. My family is elsewhere." Rex explained and she knew that was the truth. He needed his brothers, his family, and that wouldn't be found here.
As he got up on the mount, she came over and crouched down to look at the children, and she handed them both some stones she'd picked from other planets. They gasped and clutched them and she looked at them both. "I want you to love your parents, arlgiht? Listen to them, and take care of them like they care for you."
Jek gave a nod and a huge smile. "Thank you, we will!"
She stood and furrowed her brow for a moment and then looked at Cut. "Your children are lucky to have you. You remind me a lot of my father. You're a good man. And your children, are lucky to have you." She felt a flicker of sadness flow through her and she didn't know that both Suu and Cut saw that sadness for a moment. "Thank you again."
She turned and got up onto the mount behind Rex, and she wrapped her arms around him and they waved as they walked away.
Now, it was back to the warfront and whatever it would throw at them.
