Last time: Viren, Op and Kyr worry about Sasha's late night workouts and Cien's weird behavior.
Now: Cien learns something surprising.
Chapter 16- Oh... Berries
Reggie was sitting on the sofa next to her, as she had become accustomed to. The little bits of leftover chicken she had bribed the cat with over the last several months had apparently worked. She was stretching and pawing at Cien's hand as she absently played with the soft cat. Mostly soft, since her tiny claws were quite sharp. Kyr, Viran and Op were out playing in the woods. Sasha was in the training room, most likely. Tac and QT were in the hangar arguing, and trying to figure out some way to get their nearly thirty year old firmware updated so that they would be compatible with more advanced X-Wings, or something like that.
The nervous energy she felt from the constant, looming presence that always seemed just over her shoulder nagged at the back of her mind as she tried to concentrate on reading her datapad. Nausea had been building over the last few days as well from the nervousness that presence imparted. The discussion on her pad was of one of the archeological sites they were excavating. The site where she had accidentally revealed the library to the team was now being extensively worked out, and it was interesting to read about their 'findings' of a site she herself had visited when she had traveled to a handful of temples in her youth to research anything possibly related to the mindspace.
She swallowed, trying to settle her stomach. After another few moments, her nausea became too much, and she got up and quickly walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Trying to keep herself settled. But she started retching after a moment.
After a time it subsided and she settled back a bit, feeling only a little better, trying to catch her breath. She got up and rinsed her mouth out, hating this feeling. Being absolutely miserable. She hadn't felt this sick or thrown up like this since she had that reaction to the berries. Even Kyr's chili that he had made for her on their private night together for their second anniversary hadn't made her sick, even if she had heard the horror stories from the others. She stood in front of the sink, trying to think what she might be having a reaction to. She washed her face with cold water. She smiled slightly, remembering what had happened with the berries, when she had been so terrified that -
She froze.
It couldn't be that.
Then it hit her why the presence felt familiar, even though she hadn't been able to place it. The looming presence that had been with her the last four weeks or so. It was the same feeling she had felt when she had first sensed Lana. Like an odd presence that had been part of Sasha's own presence then. She slowly looked downward as the realization set in, and her hand came to her mouth. Tentatively she reached out with the Force, through the ever present barriers she had built to blot out the noise in the house from the others so it wasn't unbearable. And she felt something. She started shaking as she felt herself go a little limp, and her eyes widened. She felt two somethings. Small presences, tiny sparks of presences, one of them a little fainter than the other in the Force. But they were there. Both of them.
There was another presence, to, but outside the door. Sasha. She looked up and opened the door quickly, grabbing her arm as she strolled by the door. "Come here!" Cien said hurriedly as she pulled on Sasha's arm and dragged her into the privacy of the bathroom.
Sasha let out a small yelp as she was abruptly pulled into the room. "The hell?" She questioned for a moment before looking at Cien. "Why am I in the bathroom?" She asked her, not immediately noticing Cien's expression.
"Sasha, I think, I'm, I think I might, I…" Cien tried to say in a jumble, now unable to form words. As she swallowed, starting to hyperventilate from a sense of panic and a flurry of different emotions.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Sasha said, soothingly as she put her hands on Cien's shoulders. "It's okay. Take deep breaths. What's going on?" She asked, worriedly.
Cien's mouth moved as she tried to form words but they didn't come. "Berries!" She squeaked after a moment.
"Berries?" Sasha asked, puzzled.
"Yes!" Cien said, looking at her, "I mean no!" She said in annoyed panic.
"Okay, you've lost me," Sasha said rather confused. "Just take a deep breath and try to tell me very slowly what you are trying to say. It's okay. It's just us here."
She tried to take a deep breath as Sasha said, and then gestured at her arm. "I think I scanner." She said.
"You need a scanner?" Sasha asked for clarification. She then noticed the faint whiff of vomit. Her eyes widened as suddenly everything came together in her head. "Oh…. berries…" She breathed out, almost like a slur.
"Yes!" Cien squeaked. "Two!"
"Two?" Sasha gasped. Her eyes slowly went down to Cien's stomach. She looked back up at her in shock. "As in… twins?"
Cien just stared at her in shock, hearing that word associated with… them. She just looked down at her stomach where she had an arm protectively wrapped around it without even realizing.
A grin spread across Sasha's face. "Was this the presence we've been feeling for the last few weeks? Was it them?" She asked, almost not believing what was happening, but beyond thrilled for her sister.
"I think so." Cien said quickly. "Scanner?" She asked again, still hyperventilating a little.
"Yes! Let's go double check to be sure," Sasha said with a hurried nod as she wrapped an arm around Cien. She ushered her out of the bathroom and down to the medbay.
Cien followed numbly, in a haze. She found herself hopping up onto the biobed without even realizing it as she kept an arm around her stomach. Sasha immediately went over and grabbed two scanners from the cabinet like last time. She hurried over to Cien and took the blood samples for both scanners before Cien could say anything. She set both scanners for the test and then… they waited.
"Are you okay?" Sasha asked, as she set the two scanners aside.
Cien sat numbly looking forward, shaking, and she took a moment to respond. "I'm scared." She said softly, looking downward.
"Hey, it'll be alright," Sasha said, placing a hand on her knee. "Just try to relax, okay?"
Cien sat numbly looking at her hands clasped in her lap, shaking as she waited a veritable eternity for the results to come back for what she already knew.
The scanners beeped, one after another, a few moments later. Sasha picked up both and looked over the results. It was unanimous. A smile spread across her face.
"You ready to know for sure?" She asked, gently.
"What am I doing here?" Cien said, in almost a panic, the words coming out quickly. "I'm not supposed to be doing this, I'm supposed to be a Sith Lord and an empress not doing this! This is where it all started when he treated me on this bed for those injuries and... I'm not supposed to be here! I'm not supposed to be pre… pr… Like this!" She said, looking around as she started melting down.
"Whoa, Cien," Sasha said, worriedly as she set the datapads aside. "Where is this coming fro -"
Cien looked at her, angry. "This isn't me, I'm not supposed to be here in this state, I can't be… I'm not supposed to be a…" She started to say, starting to hyperventilate anew, her face somewhere between panic, rage and bursting into tears. "This is your fault!" She snarled, "I wasn't supposed to come here and be part of any of this… This... Jedi!" She snarled the words out as she looked at Sasha like she was a mortal enemy again.
Sasha stood her ground and put her hands out before her in a peaceful manner. But that comment did sting a little. "Cien, you need to calm down -"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" She shouted as she put her hands to her face. Then she threw them down into her lap again, not sure what to do with her hands. "I need to go, I need to get away, I…" She said in a panic, looking at the door, and moving to hop off the bed.
Sasha immediately put herself between Cien and the door. "If you go out there right now, you are going to hurt yourself. And the -"
Cien interrupted her again. "Get out of my way!" Cien said hopping to her feet, grabbing the closest thing near her as a weapon, "I'm… I'm…" She said as she brought up the scanner as if to bludgeon her way past the Jedi. And the positive results were displayed on the screen. She froze for a second seeing them. "I'm going to be a mom." She said, faltering backwards towards the bed again as that finally sunk in, and she collapsed into a sitting position on the mattress.
Sasha sighed as she relaxed. She was fully ready to take whatever beating Cien was going to throw at her if it meant stopping Cien from hurting herself. She nodded gently at Cien. "Yes, that is what I was trying to tell you. That much anger and anxiety isn't healthy for the babies. Or their mother," she explained softly as a small smile played on her lips. "Congratulations by the way."
Cien rushed forward and wrapped Sasha in a hug as she started crying. The scanner was still in her hand as she held her tight. "I'm sorry." She said.
"It's okay," Sasha said, chuckling lightly as she held Cien close. "You don't need to apologize. I'm alright." She held her quietly for a moment. "Though I think we have just figured out your mood swings are… extreme," she said as thought of an appropriate word for it.
Cien laughed around her sobs and sniffed. "Yeah." She agreed. A feeling of elation coming over her.
"Are you okay?" Sasha asked as she pulled away slightly to look at her sister.
"Yes, I'm sorry." She said again through tears. "I'm sorry." She repeated.
"Please don't apologize. It's okay," Sasha said, soothingly. "When I found out I was pregnant with Lana, I thought the same thing. I was afraid and thought that this wasn't where my life was supposed to go. But you know what? I can't imagine my life any differently now. It'll be the same for you too. I promise."
Cien extracted herself and settled back heavily on the bed, seated and smiling as her crying subsided. The scanner was still in her hand and she stared at the display. Then her face fell again. "What do I tell Kyr?" She asked in a building panic again.
Sasha immediately moved forward, noticing the shift again, and grabbed Cien by the shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze as well as using the Force to help calm her down. "You tell him the truth. If you'd like, I can go with you so you're not alone. Unless you want to be alone to tell him, which I also understand," she suggested.
Cien's panic didn't boil over this time, "no I should tell him." She said, still staring at the scanner.
Sasha smiled softly. "Okay."
"But could you be there?" Cien asked in a sudden panic.
"Of course," Sasha replied with a nod.
"No, wait I can…" She said, trailing off numbly.
Sasha raised a brow at her. "Cien, do you want me there or not? It's your call. Either way, I'm here for you," she said assuredly.
"I don't know." She said bringing a hand to cover her face. "I'm sorry." She said again as she still looked at the scanner from between her fingers.
"It's okay. Just take a minute. I'm not going anywhere," Sasha said as she dropped her hands and moved to sit next to Cien on the bed.
"Thank you." Cien said softly as she sat there numbly.
Sasha wrapped an arm around her sister and stared down at the scanner in her hands, smiling softly at the results. She sat there quietly and patiently for Cien to calm down.
"The other one said the same?" Cien asked suddenly but quietly.
"Yes," Sasha said as she grabbed the other one and held it out to Cien.
Cien took it with her other hand and numbly looked between the two scanners. "I'm going to be a mom." She said softly, as that settled in.
"Yes, you are. And you are going to be a great one at that," Sasha said proudly.
Cien had no response as the tiniest of smiles grew on her face as she sat there, looking between the results on the two scanners.
"While these tests don't confirm that you're having twins, the Force certainly does," Sasha pointed out after a moment.
Cien gave a small nod, and put the scanners aside, wrapping her arms around her stomach and leaning forward a little. "I wish my mom was here." She said so softly it could barely be heard.
But Sasha did hear her, and she frowned at that. She squeezed Cien gently as her arm was still around her shoulders. "I know. I thought the same thing. I'm sure they both would know what to do with all of this." She looked down at Cien. "But you're not alone. I'm here. Kyr is here. So are Viran, Oppie, Kitsu, and Illara. And Lana."
"Thank you." She said. "I need to make sure I can be there for them too." She said quietly.
"I get it. And you will be," Sasha said then held out her free hand to Cien. "Here. Let me show you something."
Cien looked up and over to Sasha's outstretched hand, and took a gentle hold of it.
"Alright, close your eyes and focus on the twins in the Force," Sasha guided. "Can you feel them?" She asked as she did the same to help Cien.
"Yes." Cien said softly.
"For the next several months, they will be there. And when I was pregnant with Lana, it was reassuring to have her so close. To feel her presence always with me," Sasha said quietly. "Just reach out to them whenever you need reassurance or to calm down or just simply smile. It helps to build that bond now. Plus with how strong I'm sensing them now, I think you were as far along as I was when I found out." She added.
Cien nodded, basking in the glow of their presence, now that she understood what it meant. "Thank you." Cien said quietly through a smile.
"Of course," Sasha said as she opened her eyes and smiled back at her. "You ready to go tell Kyr?" She asked after a moment. "Because he should know sooner rather than later."
"Can we sit for a little while?" Cien asked quietly.
"Of course we can," Sasha said. "Take all the time you need."
"Thank you." Cien said again. "You're a good sister." She said quietly.
"Thanks," Sasha said, smiling. "And so are you as well as Aunt. And you'll even be a great mother too."
Cien smiled openly this time and sniffed sharply. "I hope so." She said, looking down at her stomach.
They sat there together for a long while, a host of emotions flying through her as this new reality sunk in. But Cien was happy, elated for this. Upstairs they heard the porch door open and slam as the boys came in from their game, and they were laughing and talking about something. After a while she finally spoke. "I think I'll go find Kyr." She said quietly, moving to hop off the bed.
"Alright," Sasha said as she moved off the bed to clean up the scanners. "You wanna take one to show him?" She offered one up to Cien as she gathered the other.
"Good idea." Cien said, swallowing, taking the proffered scanner. Cien stepped forward and wrapped Sasha in another hug. "Thank you." She said again.
"You're more than welcome," Sasha said, hugging her back.
Cien let go of Sasha and stepped towards the door. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, and stood there looking at the door even more nervous than she was before she had done so. Sasha put the other scanner away and then moved towards the open door, waiting at the open hatchway.
"After you," Sasha said kindly.
Cien nervously walked out, checking behind her to make sure that Sasha was close by. They walked up the stairs, and Cien clutched the scanner in her hands.
"Hey guys." Oppie said, stepping from the kitchen, he was carrying a glass around and he looked a little ratty from running around in the woods.
"Hey Op," Sasha greeted him. "How's the game going?"
"Good." Oppie said, "Viran's winning." He said, annoyed. "Caught us in an ambush while Kyr and I were trying to kill each other. We just came in for a break."
"Sounds about right," Sasha chuckled. "Well done."
"Thank you," Viran beamed at her from where he sat, taking a breather in the main living area.
Kyr came walking out of the kitchen with some kind of teal colored beverage. "Hey cyar'ika, I was looking for you. Want to join the game? I could use a little backup." He said, casting an annoyed glance at Viran.
"Can I talk to you cyar'riduur?" Cien asked very nervously.
Kyr looked at her worriedly. "Yeah, what's wrong?"
"Privately?" She asked, glancing at the others. She nodded towards the porch, the closest space they had separate from everyone.
"Sure." Kyr said, confused.
She led him out the door, clutching the scanner so tightly she may have left fingerprints in the casing.
Viran straightened up and watched them go before looking back to Sasha. "Is everything okay?" He asked once they were outside.
"Yeah, you'll understand soon," Sasha said, vaguely as she folded her arms across her chest as a smile grew on her face.
Viran exchanged a confused shrug with Oppie. Oppie looked between them, also confused, but didn't say anything. He frowned as he watched what was happening on the porch.
From their view, Cien and Kyr had moved a little further away so they were watching from a distance through the tall windows, Cien facing them, Kyr with his back to them. Cien looked like she was nervously trying to form words, and then closed her eyes in annoyance as Kyr looked on worriedly. Then she just took the device in her hands, a medical scanner, and held it out to him, while she kept her eyes closed and downcast. Kyr took the scanner tentatively, like he was afraid to look. And then he froze after a second of reading the display. Then he looked back up at her, then down at the display, while she stood there with her eyes still closed. He pulled her into a tight hug, almost lifting her off her feet, and she hugged him back. They could see a smile on her face.
Sasha beamed at the sight as she became super giddy. Viran looked on with even more confusion.
"Okay, what's going on?" He asked his wife.
"Not my news to tell," she said, grinning at the happy couple.
Oppie already put it together and smiled with a chuckle towards Sasha. Sasha just smiled back at him. Viran looked at them then out at Kyr and Cien then at the scanner, trying to put it together. After a moment, he realized what Cien told Kyr and his eyes widened in shock while his jaw dropped to the floor. Sasha came over to him and wrapped an arm around him. As she did that, he smiled as they all realized their little family was about to get bigger.
YEAH! TWINS! REVIEW!
