((Thank you all so much for sticking by the story and its recent hiatus. Hopefully, this dry spell is behind me and I will be updating far more regularly now. Sorry for the wait, and once again, thank you. 3 ))

Another morning. Another breakfast. Another forlorn, futile attempt.

"Are you finished with your bacon?"

"Yes, little dove. Have it if you wish."

If it bought Lucilla a desperate few seconds before her husband left to re-join the crew of the Invictus – the new replacement of the fallen Star Destroyer: Quietus, she would take it. A measly few seconds as he scraped the bacon remnants from his plate onto hers.

The Empress, as he leaned in close, made it her business to press a lingering kiss to his lips as he intruded on her immediate vicinity and bought herself another paltry moment of the redhead's limited time before he disentangled himself from the sheets and left her for the day. Perhaps, she hoped he would taste her distress and reconsider but, in no deviation from his resistance so far, Orion remained resolute.

"I have to go." Apologetically, the Grand Marshal broke the embrace, put the plate down with a sigh and cradled his wife's cheek in his free hand instead; placatingly planting a kiss to her forehead in a bid to sustain her. "I know, my love, but you can't be like this every time I leave for a command."

"Retire. Please."

"We've been through this, my angel. I'm not retiring. I have to get up now if I'm going to make the beginning of my command in a timely fashion." So Orion did just that. Not until, however, he gifted his beloved wife, daughter, and scarcely-there bump (peeling back the covers to do so) a kiss each before departing. Despondent, Lucilla could do little else but let him go.

Having dozed for a while (without knowing exactly how long but such is the Empress' prerogative), Lucilla had since woken and entertained herself with her datapad amid the mass of sheets and pillows of the family bed.

The sliding whirr of the bedroom door only half snagged her attention, said half being insufficient in fully drawing her heed from the datapad but enough to distractedly address the assumed entrant.

"Did you forget something, my love?" She inquired without looking up, presuming her darling husband had doubled back; despite the fact he had well and truly established his command by then. The sudden and near-frantic shuffling in the blissful envelopment in the blankets at her side should have been a clue – Lilia had woken. For a very specific reason.

"No, but I think you did."

The Empress, in her jolt of fright-induced panic, scrambled up in bed in a flurry of sheets just in time to spy a vexed Kylo Ren stalking past the threshold of the royal bedchamber; the growl a dead giveaway.

"What the Hell do you think you're-?!"

"You know, it's funny: the last time we were in a room alone together, you were doing the opposite." He casually observed as she clutched a blanket to her chest in a bid to maximize coverage; incensed at the intrusion and even more so by the insinuation.

"How dare you-?!"

"I could ask you the same thing." He went on, nonchalance unchanged as he effortlessly hoisted an excited Lilia from where she had extracted herself free of the family nest.

"Out! Now!" She should have known, in giving in to her daughter with the regularity that she did (she refused to acknowledge it as spoiling her), that with Lilia so pleased to see her father, Lucilla's own demand would be secondary. Lilia, as always, came first. At least she and Ren would always be united in that.

"My children are here." The larger of the two ebonettes breezily replied (and blatantly ignoring her objection with borderline derision); the dominant portion of his focus centred on the smaller one in his arms. It seemed, as always, Lily had an effect that few could rival in sedating the brute. "So, it only makes sense for me to be here too."

The little Empress swallowed: This was about the baby. The baby that, so far, had barely even made an appearance save for a tiny, poking swelling under his or her mother's nightdress. Subtlety aside, this little one had caused enough disquiet already.

Lucilla did not need advisors or spies to inform her of Ren's reaction upon the announcement that the Empress and the Grand Marshal were set to welcome another baby. No, she had eyes in her head and ears attached to see the brutish reaction for herself; one that Orion had been too taken up in elatedly accepting congratulations to notice the overly aggressive hammering of the door panel, followed by an antagonized exit.

"It's not-"

"I know what you're gonna say." He cut in; his tone for the child he bounced in his arms, the context, and undertones of warning for her mother. "But we both know it's not true."

"Ren, it's-"

"Because, really, if it was true… And he was capable of it… You fucked your own precious marriage for nothing." For the first time since the toddler entered the secure enclosure of her real father's arms, he fractured the focus he had donated singularly to her and shared it with her mother; smug, condescending. He had thought about this, taken the time to tease it apart; hence, most likely, his absence until now. "I think you're smarter than that. And I think you're counting on him not being."

He had her. She knew it. He knew it. Hell, had Lilia known what was going on, she would have known it too. Helpless by the logic, Lucilla shrunk deeper into the mass of pillows that constituted a luxurious resting place for a royal. And, incidentally, a sanctuary.

"This isn't fair-"

"No, you wanna know what's not fair?!"

Immediate and instantaneous, the resulting overhaul happened with little warning; the touched nerve reacting within the splittest of a split second, causing the little dove to jump at the sudden increase in volume. Like a trap snapping closed on its prey, Ren's simper disintegrated into something altogether less benevolent and poisoning the atmosphere accordingly. The dangerous glint that seemed a constant behind his eyes had flinted and exploded into full-on fury. Simmering calm forgotten, Lilia squirmed in his arms but so offended by the occupant of the bed (stunned into petrified silence), Kylo Ren seemed not to notice.

"You knew EXACTLY what you were doing!" He snarled, fuelled by the palpable rabbit-like hammering in her chest; he could always feel her. "And you didn't give a FUCK about what it would do to anyone else as long as YOU got what YOU wanted!" Half true, half not. That night and its result had been a lot less calculated than Ren accused. In fact, the result was incidental. Accidental. A second thought. A hindsight realization. Lucilla hadn't set out that night to become pregnant. Not by Kylo bloody Ren. Whether he chose to believe so or not, it remained less than ideal and for this very reason.

Surely, if anything, her determination and persistence in repeatedly bedding Orion in the most specific of positions while knowing the chances of conception were slim proved otherwise? That she loved her husband to such a degree that she would rather keep trying with him than take the easy way out with someone else? Even at that, Ren would not have been her first choice.

Yes, emotions had run high that night and she wasn't entirely to blame for that either. Orion had admitted so.

Pain.

Humiliation.

Degradation.

Fury.

Despondency.

Poor judgement abound.

All colliding at once into a messy combination of spending a few minutes with someone (the opposite of her husband) that could blow up into severe consequences. Could being the operative word. The consequences (the baby itself aside) of infidelity in normal circumstances usually resulted (rightly) in separation. However, with two such high profile parties as the Empress and the Grand Marshal, simple separation may not be so simple. Scandal aside, Lucilla's greatest fear harkened back to the night of Lilia's birth; to the night the Jedi Killer claimed her paternity as his own.

Would he leave me?

Finally, Lily's discomfort became too severe for her mother to ignore any longer. Flinging back the protective layer of blankets in a fit of temper, the expectant Empress tore from the sanctuary of the bed and before Ren could admire the speed or ferocity, she was upon him.

With her daughter wrenched out of his arms (as gentle as possible but with enough force to make a point) and secured in her own, Ren glowered in response to the bright blue that bored into his brown.

"OUT!"

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" He barked in immediate retaliation, care of volume disregarded in the heat of the moment on both sides. "I WANT TO BE WITH MY KIDS!"

"THEY'RE NOT YOUR CHILDREN!" Lucilla hurled back, discretion abandoned as she and Ren continued to get into each other's faces. "THIS BABY IS ORION'S!" Maker, she hoped there was enough conviction behind that to make it convincing. "LILIA HAS NEVER CALLED YOU "PAPA", NOR WILL SHE!"

"Your Grace!" Two raven heads whipped to a third voice, interrupting, from the door sliding closed; so embroiled in their discussion, they did not hear it open.

Evelyn Tesk.

Before either could object to either the advisor's presence or his sweeping intrusion on their "private" "conversation". Or… maddeningly for Ren, Tesk's over-familiarity with his infant daughter and the passiveness Lucilla allowed him to take her from her with. That said, the toddler put up no resistance; rather she embraced Tesk as she always did. The familiarity the Supreme Leader had taken offence to was mutual with well-established trust and affection at its root.

"Good morning, Your Grace." Evelyn greeted the Princess warmly in a hushed tone as he secured her to his chest and shoulder; surprisingly adept in the correct way to hold a child despite having none of his own. "How are you, Sweetheart? Lots of shouting, eh? I know, my darling, it's awful. Let me fix it."

"There are prying ears in the hallway." He advised pointedly, heightening his eyes to the two exceptionally powerful adults fearlessly and unflinchingly; whatever about the Empress, he should not have been so assured of safety for impertinence with the Supreme Leader. But… Kylo Ren did not concern him. The Empress and the Princess did.

Evelyn, with the future Empress still in tow, traversed the short space between the standoff and the bed; resettling Princess Lilia in the warm den before pulling back the corner where Lucilla slept just enough to drop the hint.

"Your Grace." He prompted, firm but respectful, from beside the bed with an incline of his head to reiterate reverence. "Princess Lilia is getting lonely and it's still quite nippy." Grateful for the rescue, Lucilla shot one last look of vexation at her daughter's father, then did as she was bid and returned to bed.

"Supreme Leader." With similar regard and measured resolve, Evelyn internally steeled himself but let nothing of that bleed to the surface. Externally, he remained calm and cool while looking potential death in the face as he retraced his steps and occupied the same spot Lucilla had. "The ladies need their rest. Particularly the Empress in her condition. We can, of course, organize for you to visit later once they have rested sufficiently? You may even wish to join them for lunch?"

To Hell with lunch! Ren spat within the confines of his own mind; incensement bubbling that this mere advisor tried to shoo him away from his own children and their mother. Opening his mouth to snarl something similar at Tesk, it seemed the advisor had been waiting and sideswiped it accordingly.

"I understand your concern." Evelyn went on diplomatically, clasping his hands before him with a sympathetic nod while he watched Ren's face change. "It's admirable, no doubt about it. But… I know if it was the mother of my children, I would want her well-rested, wouldn't you?" He took a breath and heightened his chin to seek the Supreme Leader's eyes with his own to drive home the point that would hit very much close to home; something Lucilla would applaud him on later. "Particularly so early in the pregnancy. When things remain so delicate, and so much can still go wrong. It's worrying, of course, and it's only natural for you to want to be close but… rest is paramount at the moment to balance the extraordinary responsibility the Empress already bears. Doctor's orders."

Evelyn stood stark and strong, nonchalant almost, while Ren decided if he wanted to cut him down or not. Thankfully, he chose the latter. With little more than a temperamental huff, the Supreme Leader cast one last look to the bed, one more seething glower to Tesk then turned on the heel of his boot to grudgingly obey the logic that had not occurred to him. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Far be it from me to expect explanation or excuse, Your Grace." Evelyn began evenly, only waiting until the door had well and truly slid closed before uttering a single word. Only then did he amusedly turn his heed to the two dark-haired females in the vast expanse of a royal bed. "But… What in the name of Palpatine were you thinking with that overgrown child?"

"As soon as I figure it out myself, Evelyn, you will be the first to know." Lucilla replied with similar humour, getting comfortable again as Lilia tucked in close to her mother; relishing the warmth. "As it stands, I'm as stumped as you are. Though I suspect claiming I wasn't thinking clearly would be a horrendous understatement."

"If you ever figure it out." He retorted, his eyebrows giving a knowing jump; enough to tickle the Queen of the Known Universe. "But all that aside, Your Majesty, I was sent up here for an exceptionally important and utterly critical purpose and it's imperative that I deliver an answer immediately."

"Oh?!" Like a blaster bolt to a balloon, Lucilla sat forward once more; her mood taking a harsh plummet at the very idea of something perilous unfolding while she lounged in bed. "What is it, Evelyn?! Hold on, let me get my-"

Before she could lunge for her robe at the bottom of the bed, Evelyn cleared the short space between him and the bed and pinned the older ebonette's shoulder to the headboard with a single hand. Just as her eyes found him and she opened her mouth for a different inquiry, she found that the amusement had, once more, returned.

"I was sent to ask you, Your Grace-" He clarified, a chuckle massaging his words as he released her shoulder. "If you wanted more tea."