Last time: Cien told Kitsu and Illara she was pregnant in one of the funniest ways.
Now: Kyr and Cien talk about the pregnancy.
Chapter 18- Let Me Protect You
Kyr lay with his back against his pillow and the headboard of the bed trying to read his datapad, but he was distracted. He had been trying to read the same page for the last ten minutes or so while Cien was getting ready for bed. She was in the spa brushing out her hair. She had been so happy the last few days, he had heard the term 'glowing' before used as a description of how someone looked, but he hadn't really understood it until he had seen how elated she seemed. He had caught her snooping in the room next door earlier today, and he could easily guess why. And he had even caught her humming at one point, which had caught him completely off guard.
And ever since the subject had come up of going to Caranas earlier, he had been terrified that she would be going on that mission back there. His first trip had been a brutal man hunt to fight a private war with little support. His second trip there… he wasn't sure he would ever fully recover from that experience. He knew full well that Cien could handle herself in a fight. That she could handle herself against an entire army. Far better than he could. But he was scared for her, and for their children in a way he had never been before. The video of her disappearing into that building and the explosion kept playing through his mind. And he was scared that another miracle wouldn't be there to happen the next time.
Cien came out of the bathroom, still brushing her hair out so it lay in soft feathery sheets. She was wearing her light bathrobe over her night gown as she approached the bed. "Everything okay cyar'riduur?" She asked.
He guessed she might have sensed his troubled mood from the bathroom, one of the issues with being married to such a sensitive Force user, he was rarely able to hide anything.
"I…" He started, not quite sure what to say without hurting her. "I keep thinking about what happened last time we went to Caranas and I am worried about… us going there again." He said, trying to be vague.
"I know." She said, "that's why we're all going together, so we can watch out for eachother so something like that doesn't happen again." She said as she continued softly brushing her hair.
"Yeah." He said, still troubled.
She stopped brushing and came to sit on the side of the bed by his hip, looking at him. "What's wrong?" She asked.
He hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. "Cyar'ika, last time we were there, I had to watch you die. Over and over again. By some miracle it was a lie, but…" He paused, looking away.
Cien cut in, her tone not quite annoyed, "do you think I can't protect myself, or… them?" She asked, unthinkingly putting an arm around her stomach, and glancing down before looking back up at him.
"Cienestra," He said, looking her in the eye, "you are the toughest warrior I have ever met, and I have every confidence in you." He said, "but can you blame me if I'm a little more protective of you now?" He asked, "not only because of them," he said, nodding towards, well, them, "but because of what happened?"
She looked away while she thought on his words, sitting on the bed next to him. "I almost lost you as well." She said, softly. "I grew up without a family, you grew up without your dad before you lost your mother and sister. I don't want that for them. For your sake and their sake, I will be careful, just as I hope you will be. But I don't want anything to happen to the rest of the family if we could have been there to protect them, either. Without one of us there, I worry about them." She admitted.
"I will always be careful, especially from now on. And they can handle themselves." Kyr said, "but…" He trailed off. "It just worries me, you going into an active warzone."
"I've been in them before." Cien said, slightly indignant.
"I know, but… they haven't." He said, "I know you can handle yourself. I know that there is no one more capable in this galaxy of defending themself. That's one of the reasons I love you so very, very deeply. But no matter what I'm going to worry, especially after what happened." Kyr said, looking away.
Cien looked away as well. "Cyar'riduur," she started, then stopped. Not sure what to say.
"I don't mean to say you can't handle yourself." Kyr said, looking back at her. "I don't mean anything like that."
"I know." She said. "I -"
"And I don't think you're reckless." He continued, "I don't think you'll put yourself or them in danger. But for so many people I lost through the war, so many friends, it was just luck of the draw. All of them were cautious and skilled people, and all it took was a lucky sniper, or looking right instead of left." He said, looking away and remembering friends he still missed.
She turned back and stared at him, sensing the depth of emotion there. She reached her hand out and took hold of his. "Cyar'riduur, I would never leave you alone." She said vehemently, "and now I will never leave them alone." She said, putting her other hand over her stomach. "We're doing this for our family though, so that we can be safe. If someone put a bounty on Sasha's head, then there's a fair chance there's a bounty on my head, or all of our heads we just haven't learned about, yet." She said, "if Cordova really did betray us, and I'm more and more sure he did, then we need to go take care of him so that we will be safe and not have to hide."
That thought hadn't even gone through his mind, but it seemed obvious now. He nodded. "Okay." He said, "but I stay at your side, always." He said, looking her in the eyes.
She smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"And if things get tough, let me protect you if I have to, however I have to." He said, still looking her in the eyes. "Ever since everything happened with... Her, you've been protecting me. Stepping between me and that Arkothrax cat, going through doors in front of me to take point when we went anywhere. I can't do that anymore." He stated, "that time has passed." He finished.
She looked at him and then nodded, looking downward. She hadn't even noticed she had been doing that, but he was right. And there was still a part of her that thought how strange it was to have someone so protective of her, someone that cared so deeply about her. "Okay." She said quietly, looking back up to meet his eyes.
"Thank you." He said, swallowing and looking downward.
"And thank you." She said, looking up at him, "for having faith in me, but still being there for me anyway." She said quietly. "And them."
"Ratiin, cyar'ika." He said, looking up at her.
She adjusted herself a little closer on the bed to him, and pulled his hand she was still holding down to her stomach, clasping hers over the top. Both of them smiled as she leaned down into the crook of his arm, snuggling close to him.
"We need to start thinking of names." He said after a moment.
"If one is a boy we should definitely name him Ke'vaan." She said, teasing him.
"How about no." Kyr said a little indignantly.
"'No' is an odd name, but I suppose it could work." She said, chuckling slightly.
He brought his free palm up to his face in exasperation. "No'ika, I kind of like that sound of that."
"Oh no." Cien said, putting her own hand to her face.
"Yes, exactly." Kyr said.
She laughed.
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