Star Wars does not belong to me. Just Sky & Co.

A humongous thanks to emjalen for beta reading! Your help has greatly improved my writing. :)

Big thanks to my amazing reviewers: Delta808th, Vadersfist501, Kelana-ti, emjalen, and a guest!

And I'm really sorry for taking so long guys.


Thanks to much pressuring on Tessa's part, Kenna found herself actually allowing Wreck into her apartment- the very same apartment they had shared before she'd divorced him. She hadn't changed much of it since she'd chased him out and he noticed.

Wreck just stood there in the doorway, taking it all in. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but then he shut it, wisely keeping quiet.

"Dada! Dada!" little Griff cried, interrupting the awkward moment as he crawled as fast as he could out of the den with Tessa right behind him.

The clone beamed as he scooped the little boy up, "Hey there, ad'ika. Dada really missed you," he added, kissing the baby's forehead.

Kenna just stood there, watching them so intently that she jumped when Tessa cleared her throat right behind her. She turned and her aunt gave her a pointed look. "Don't just stand there, sweetheart," Tessa whispered, before turning and disappearing in the direction of the kitchen.

"Wreck?"

"Yeah, Kenny?"

She winced at the nickname, "Um, would you like to come sit? You must be tired. I mean," she cleared her throat, not meeting his eyes, "You did just get back."

"Uh, okay. You sure I'm not intruding, Kenna?" the commando asked, his brown eyes searching her face sadly.

Yes and no. Griff needs you, but I'm still not sure that I'm ready to have you here. You really hurt me, you know that?

"I-it's fine. R-really."

His eyes told her that he saw right through her. However, being the tactful Wreck that she'd first met, he again elected not to say anything.

Griff, not aware of the tension between his parents, was babbling a hundred kilometers a second at his father. Wreck shifted the baby in his arms as he followed Kenna into the den.

"Kenna, what's that?" Wreck asked, inclining his head towards the nebulizer sitting beside the sofa, his hands busy holding their son in his lap.

"Griff's breathing treatment."

He froze in the middle of making faces at the baby, his head snapping up to meet her gaze, "Treatment? What do you mean 'breathing treatment'? Kenna, what-?" he froze when little Griff, who'd over-excited himself, started wheezing. "Kenna!"

With the ease of much practice, Kenna pulled the nebulizer out and plugged it into the nearest power source. As she tried to ignore the terror-inducing sound of her son's wheezes, the Kiffar woman quickly poured Griff's medicine into the machine, turning it on and placing the breath-mask over the baby's face. She breathed a sigh of relief as Griff's breathing slowly returned to normal. Thank the Force. We caught it just in time.

Wreck, however, still looked tense, his face scared, "Kenny, what was that?"

She closed her eyes. "Griff has asthma, Wreck. And he's physically delayed. His medic told me that it's because-"

"Because he was born too early," the commando finished, horrified at himself. He clutched their son closer to his chest, "This is all my fault."

And Kenna couldn't bear to see him like that. Seeing his concern for their son made her realize how wrong she'd been to kick him out of her life so quickly.

If only I'd given him a few more days he might have come to see me and Griff. I knew that he had no real family experience, yet I expected him to... Fierfek, what have I done?

"Wreck, I... Wreck, it was me who started that fight, not you." I was wrong to hate him. Yes, he said those things. Yes, he scared me. But I was the one who was looking for a fight. "I should've talked with you. I... I was wrong to yell at you like that. You didn't... didn't know what you were doing anymore than I did. I-"

One arm still securely wrapped around Griff, Wreck reached forward and brushed her tears away. "That may be, Kenny. But that doesn't change the fact that I almost hit you." He sniffed, his own eyes watering, "I can't change what I did but... I'm so sorry, cyar'ika."

Kenna reached up and traced her fingers over his cheek, "Me too. I'm sorry I t-treated you like that. I should h-have realized you were hurting t-too. It was w-wrong of m-me to kick you out." I was only holding a grudge because I didn't want to admit to myself that I was in the wrong too. Force, what have I done?

"Kenna Trivolo. Don't you dare apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about."

It has to be now, whether I feel ready or not. With this stupid war going on, I may never get the chance to talk with him again.

She took a deep, steadying breath. "Cin vhetin."

Wreck's eyes widened at the Mando'a words as she gazed at him uncertainly. She cleared her throat yet again, "Clean slate, right? Isn't that what your sister likes to say?"

There was no doubting the incredulity in his voice as he spoke, "After all I put you through, are you saying that you want to start again?"

"Yes," she sniffed. "But not back to where we were. There's a l-lot of things-"

"That we need to work on. Okay, Cin vhetin it is. It's nice to meet you and Griff, Miss Kenna."

Despite the tears still running down her cheeks, Kenna chuckled softly as she took his offered hand. This will never be like it used to be, and it will take quite a while for me to trust him as much as I used to. But, at least things are starting to look up.

I only hope that I'm not making the wrong choice...


Zephyr sat on the edge of Kot's bed, one hand resting on the bulge of her stomach as she watched Beta pack their kit. Hew, Top, and Doz had all of their armor plates on and their helmets clipped to their belts while Kot's upper body plates and bucket were still waiting on his bed next to her. From the waist up Kot's bodysuit showed his clearly defined musculature, but that wasn't why the Wroonian girl's focus was on the commando.

As he packed his kit, Kot kept glancing at her with worry in his eyes. He was clearly expecting her to burst into tears at any moment which wasn't too far off the mark as she could feel her eyes beginning to water. She'd only known him for about a month, but he was the only person in whom she could completely trust. Even if she still occasionally flinched at his touch. I never thought I'd trust anyone again after Mom died, but Kot proved me wrong. Now, after a month of him being her constant companion, he was leaving her. She choked back a sob at the thought and Kot's eyes immediately met hers. Zephyr tried to smile to let him know that she was okay, but she didn't fool him. He hesitantly squeezed her shoulder as he turned his gaze to his brothers, "Since you guys are already finished, could you give us a minute?"

Doz looked like he was about to tease them, but Hew and Top both gave their long-haired jokester of a brother stern looks. "No problem," soft-spoken Hew responded, herding the other two out and closing the door behind them.

As soon as the door hissed shut, Kot crouched in front of Zephyr and took both of her hands in his much larger ones. His bright brown eyes looked up at her, "It'll be okay, Zeph. It's not even that long of a mission, we'll be back soon."

Zephyr was so close to tears that she couldn't answer him right away. Trying to keep her composure, she focused on the feeling of his hands holding hers. It amazed her how normal his prosthetic almost felt, but the robotic arm was still strange to her. I guess it will always be that way. Whenever she thought about the man in front of her, her mental image of him was always missing his left forearm. That was how he'd looked when he'd saved her.

"Zephyr?"

She finally looked up from their clasped hands and into Kot's warm brown irises. His gaze held only concern for her and no fear for himself. Just like always. I can't believe I doubted him back at Gaon's dump of a bar. A shiver went up her spine as she thought of that place.

"Zeph, please. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Don't leave me." The Wroonian had intended for her voice to be strong, but the plea came out as a strangled whisper. He squeezed her shaking hands as gently as he could, the grip of his left hand still a little too tight as Kot wasn't yet used to the strength of the new limb.

"I'm not, cyar'ika." Somewhere in the back of her mind, Zephyr was well aware that Kot had just called her the Mando word for 'sweetheart'. But she was too caught up in trying to figure out how she could make him stay to fully realize that the moment was becoming too intimate. All she could think about was how much she needed him. He'd become her foundation in the past month, a foundation that was about to be pulled right out from under her feet in a matter of minutes.

The thought brought the tears, and they flowed freely down her cheeks, "Y-yes, you a-are."

"I promise, I'll call whenever I get the chance-"

"It's not the same!" she blurted out, almost to the point of yelling. Why couldn't he see how much she needed him with her?

He rocked back slightly, stunned for a moment at her outburst and she realized that she'd never been that loud around him. "K-Kot, I-"

The commando pressed the index finger of his organic hand gently to her lips. "Shhh, it's alright," he murmured gently. "I understand, Zeph. Trust me, I know what it's like to be alone. But you're not alone here, you know that. Sky will still be here. And Deena and Gabe. And-"

"I kn-know," she sniffed as he awkwardly began wiping her tears away. "B-but-"

"I'll miss you too, Zephyr. More than you know."

The door hissed open and Hew stuck his head in, looking apologetic, "I really hate to interrupt, but it's time to go, Kot."


Skylar sat at her desk, filing reports as she tried to get her mind off of Beta's departure. Saying her goodbyes to her boys was always difficult for her, but this particular goodbye had been closer to heart-wrenching than normal. It had taken her a good twenty minutes to convince Zephyr to release her steel-iron death-grip of Kot's left elbow. The scene had reminded her of the first night she and Hew had met the girl, who'd been holding on to Kot's elbow for dear life that time too.

As soon as Beta had left the apartment, Zephyr had fled up the stairs and into the spare room that all of Skylar's boys used when they were on leave. Skylar had followed her, finding the teenager curled up on Kot's bed, his pillow clutched to her chest. She'd tried to consult the hysterical girl without much luck and had ended up deciding to just let Zephyr cry herself out.

Those boys better make it back alive. For my sake just as much Zephyr's.

"Sergeant," a clone's voice spoke, pulling her out of her thoughts. Skylar had been so out of it that it took her a moment to realize that the voice was emanating from her desk comlink. By the time she'd figured that out, Maze was already getting irritated, "Sergeant Cordav, I know you're in your office. I would appreciate it if you would at least consider answering me." The surly captain hadn't even bothered to identify himself. As soon as she'd entered the Tsad Droten's employ about two years ago, the clones that weren't her brothers had learned real quick that she wasn't like a civvie. How many civilians could tell clones apart just by listening to them talk?

Skylar rolled her eyes at his threatening tone, "Hold your eopies, Captain. Is there something I can help you with, sir?" She didn't bother to even try to tell him to call her by her nickname. The last time she'd suggested he do so, he'd stubbornly refused to. And he's the only clone who continually insists on calling me by my shabla title. It was starting to get annoying.

Which was why she couldn't resist adding, "Keep in mind that I can't do much, seeing as I'm on maternity leave, sir." Even though the statement wasn't necessary, the young woman thoroughly enjoyed how easily it threw most clones for a loop. Maze had been the first soldier outside of her family to learn of her condition, but the words 'maternity' and 'pregnant' still made him pause even now.

Skylar chuckled to herself as the old iceberg on legs took his time to answer her. "I'm well aware of that, Sergeant. You have a visitor."

"Really, who?"

Maze wasn't one to beat around the bush, and he certainly didn't show any signs of starting to do so now. "A lieutenant by the name of Lyle."


cyar'ika = sweetheart

Cin vhetin = Fresh field of virgin snow. (Mando version of 'clean slate'.)

Mando'a = Mandalorian language

Tsad Droten = Republic

Please R&R.