Take What You Want (part 1):

As Alrich exited the Jai'galaar, he saw that there was a feast / celebration in full swing and growing by the minute as more and more ships landed. He wasn't surprised that the word had spread like wildfire that THE place to party was the new Mand'alor's camp. Many would come just to get a glimpse of her in person.

He was quite impressed with the mix of people he saw as well. It had to be the biggest peaceful gathering of clans in the memory of even the oldest amongst those gathered (and he was pretty close to that from what he could see). As he strode towards the eating area, all around him warriors mingled with the more 'enlightened' citizens of what was left of the New Mandalorians Satine had worked so hard to create. Their spirits were high and everyone seemed to be getting along just fine, also for the first time in decades.

And much of it is thanks to Bo and my daughter.

Alrich found his cousin and Fenn Rau sitting all but on top of each other as they ate, their heads close together as they talked quietly. He bypassed them for a moment to pick up a plate of food and a mug of mead from the ever expanding buffet (as more people added to it with their arrival) and then joined them across the table, just listening to their conversation

As he was sitting down, putting his food on the rough plank table and his daughter's colourful helmet on the bench beside him, Fenn was saying, "You know, I never thought I'd see this day," with a somewhat disbelieving shake of his ginger head. "You have performed what most would call a miracle."

Bo-Katan blushed slightly at the praise, glancing down at her half empty plate. "I can't take all the credit. If it weren't for Sabine and her determination to stir up chaos over the last few months, I doubt the rest of us would have been inspired to act as we have."

Fenn tilted his head in acknowledgement, chucking once. "As one who has taken part in most of her 'chaos', I have to admit you have a point. But I can guarantee it was you and not her who these people are here to celebrate with." Alrich smiled to himself since he'd just had a similar thought.

Fenn's gaze was full of fierce sincerity as he added, "You are the leader everyone wanted. We've just been waiting for you to realize it. I'm almost positive that everyone here would call you their Mand'alor even if you didn't have the Darksabre. It is only a symbol. YOU are the reality."

She met his glacier blue eyes as a hint of pink crossed her high cheekbones. "Thank you, Fenn. Your confirmation of something that I'd only hoped for means much to me."

They're just as bad Sabine and her Jedi, I swear. Not that that's a bad thing; Bo deserves some happiness after everything she's endured.

He was once again smirking like a tooka who'd just spotted an oblivious mouse when they finally took notice of their company.

The couple across from him reluctantly tore their eyes from each other and looked over at Alrich in curiosity. "What is so amusing?" the man who Alrich had taken an instant liking to last night asked. He was sure they were going to be good friends, and he owed him as well, for looking out for his family when he couldn't. (Not that Alrich was all that great at the warrior arts, but he wasn't completely helpless.)

Not wanting to offend them with the whole truth, Alrich nodded in the vague direction of the Jai'galaar. "The kids. They're so infatuated with each other you'd have to be dead to miss it."

"Ah." Fenn and Bo nodded in understanding. "I have observed this myself," Fenn said with a small twitch of his mouth upwards. "Long before Sabine knew it, actually. Ezra, on the other hand, has always known what he wanted."

"Much like yourself?" Alrich said in a teasing tone with a flick of his eyes towards the new Mand'alor.

His smirk returned as Fenn blushed nearly as badly as the kids had.

"Perhaps," Fenn muttered, embarrassed as he glanced at Bo and then looked down at the table helplessly.

Bo raised a flame coloured eyebrow, her jade green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Only perhaps?"

Fenn glanced up at the female warrior again, his whole face turning rather red now. Alrich was very amused. "It can be more if you want it to be."

Bo tilted her head slightly, contemplating the poor, flustered male beside her. "I've always thought that I would want a mate who knew his own mind and wasn't afraid to fight for what he wanted. I have not changed my mind on the subject."

Fenn's eyes widened and then narrowed with determination at her not so subtle warning. "In that case…" he growled nearly under his breath before he grabbed the new Mand'alor around her waist and tossed her over his blue armoured shoulder before effortlessly rising to his feet with his arm holding her steady behind her thighs, making her squeak in surprise and Alrich's eyebrows shoot up nearly to his hairline.

Most of the people around them turned at the sudden movement, nowhere near drunk enough yet to lose their highly tuned reflexes.

"What are you doing?" Bo demanded from her upside down position as Fenn started striding towards the tents.

More than a few blasters were drawn as people prepared to come to the defence of their new leader.

Fenn patted her upraised rear end firmly as he said, "Taking what I want."

She wrapped her arms around Fenn's torso in a clear sign of approval. "Oh. In that case, you have my permission to proceed."

The assembled warriors relaxed their defensive stances and laughed heartily, someone even daring to yell, "You show her what a real warrior is, Rau!" inspiring even more laughter.

His cousin's eyes met Alrich's as he turned on his bench to follow their progress around the tables. She looked very satisfied with herself, no question. Good for you, Bo, he thought with a wide grin, amused by how she'd manipulated Fenn into making a move. Bo grinned back and then snuggled her cheek against Fenn's back armour. Fenn hadn't taken his hand off her arse yet, either.

Alrich laughed softly to himself as he turned back around to his food. Spotting the lovebirds' abandoned helmets, he reached across the table and put them down beside Sabine's for safekeeping and then dug into his late lunch.

As he ate, old friends and cousins from various clans came to sit around him with warm smiles, murmurs of condolences at his loss, and jokes about Bo and Fenn, Alrich realized that he was all right with his new world. Not content, it might be a long time before he felt that emotion again without Ursa and Tristan, but all right. He still had Sabine and her Jedi mate, his brother, and an extended network of family and friends that spanned many clans.

Alrich still had much to live for.

Including keeping an eye on the randy kids, he thought as he glanced in the direction of the ship, and making sure they get something to eat, not to mention come out of there to talk strategy before we run out of time.

If they're not out by the time I'm done my lunch, I may just have to go throw some ice water on them to get them apart.

The prospect sounded like fun.

Bo had hoped to inspire Fenn to kiss her or something with her taunting words, but this unexpected caveman-esque reaction was perhaps even better. While not fond of being carried over his shoulder like a sack of tubers, she did appreciate his easy show of strength and the sheer balls it took to pick up one's Mand'alor in the midst of so many of her clan's warriors who would automatically take offence on her behalf.

In fact, she was getting more than a little turned on with every step he took towards her tent that he unerringly made for.

The fact that he was now blatantly caressing her rear in a very appreciative fashion as he walked was also a factor.

They passed another couple who looked oblivious to the world as they made out up against the tent at the end of the row. She recognized the rare (in this camp, anyway) white bodysuit leggings on the male immediately and laughed softly at the same time Fenn did, his strong chest moving under her grasp.

"What's funny?" they asked each other a moment later, making them both laugh again at their perfect synchronicity just before Fenn ducked into her tent, which was just large enough to stand up in and fit a small cot in comfortably with space beside to dress in. (Even as the Countess of her clan, she'd never felt the need to be ostentatious.)

She squirmed to get down, so he obligingly let her slide down his front. But he kept his arms around her back loosely; holding but not forcing her to stay. Bo wrapped her arms around his neck and stayed pressed up against him, their armoured chests as close as they could get. "You first."

Fenn's arms tightened approvingly as he jerked his head in the direction they'd just come from. "That girl, the kissing one with the shaved and tattooed head, that's Sabine's friend, Ketsu Onyo."

She started running her fingers enticingly over the back of his head, her impatient hormones not caring if they were talking or not. "Onyo. I've heard of her. Met her once, too, I think, when Sabine was still in the Academy. Still dar'manda and worthless, if her father is to be believed."

Fenn snorted. "I wouldn't call her worthless. Very capable fighter and pilot. Better than good, in fact. But she's a bit of a firecracker and is always up for a good time, as far as I could tell. Even shot me an inviting look once or twice. I'm not surprised she found a male to have fun with already."

Bo's fingers tightened on his neck as a brief rush of jealousy surged through her bloodstream. "I hope you didn't take her up on her offer." Not that I could honestly blame him if he had. He is a prime male with needs, after all,

Fenn shook his head, grinning, pulling his gloves off behind her back and tossing them aside. "Nah. Not my type. I like a female with hair. Especially beautiful, fire infused hair." He paused to demonstrate this by burying his now bare hands in her chin length locks, eyes briefly fluttering with appreciation at the feel of cool silk on skin. "And too young, anyway. She's only a year older than Sabine, I believe, and I'm older than Alrich."

"Good." She copied him by pulling off her gloves and then resumed running her hands over the soft, shaved fuzz at the back of his neck and up into the somewhat longer strands on top of his head as her eyes roamed over his ruggedly handsome features, lingering more than once on his nicely shaped lips.

"So what made you laugh?" Fenn asked a bit huskily after a prolonged silence that neither noticed, as one hand moved to cup her cheek and his head started to lower a fraction at a time.

Knowing she didn't have long before words would no longer be possible, Bo simply said, "Hark. Onyo was making out with our turncoat Commando."

"Ah," he breathed against her mouth, his beautiful pale blue eyes looking like they contained flames of ice. "Maybe they deserve each other, then."

"Maybe," she breathed back. And then his mouth was touching hers with just the right amount of exploratory pressure, electricity arching through her body at the contact.

Bo hummed lightly and returned the kiss, increasingly the intensity as a feeling of rightness settled in her very soul like she'd never felt with any other male. (Which is why she was still unmarried at the age of forty-seven.)

The advantage to being a Mandalorian was that she didn't have to worry about silly courting games even if she was technically royalty, unlike nearly every other royal culture in the galaxy. No one would have a fit if she married this man only a day after meeting him. And she was seriously considering doing so.

But first, let's see if our compatibility continues through the rest of the important bits.

She pulled back after a few minutes, her lips throbbing from his heated kisses. "Shab, Fenn."

"If my lady wishes," he said, his eyes crinkling with humour.

That wasn't what she meant, but what the hell. She jumped up into his wonderfully strong arms that automatically caught her. "Let's see if you can back up your caveman move with a few more."

He laughed and dumped them on the cot, straddling her legs on his knees as he started pulling off her armour pieces with efficient speed. He shot her an impish look just before saying in a deep tone, "Fenn make pretty red lady naked. Then Fenn make red lady scream in record time."

Bo giggled, feeling like a teenager all of a sudden. "Ooooo. Bo like Fenn's ideas," she said in a matching deep voice as she sat up and starting on his armour too. "Bo help."

They looked at each other and had to stop undressing for a minute as laughter overtook them, just hanging on to each other as tears leaked from their eyes.

"Stars," she gasped after a short while, trying for a proper lungful of air as she smiled at him.

It didn't work, because he stole her breath again by sealing their mouths together with a suddenly groaned out, "Bo."