FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Who's ready for the reunion we've all been waiting for?

Saw and Soniee hadn't been gone five standard minutes when Lux's comm rang. It couldn't be the Gerreras and everyone else who normally commed him was present which left one option.

"Evening, Dalla."

"Lux, Thank gods. I need you at the ER of Bethesda Memorial Medcenter as soon as possible. Someone's attacked Selkie."

"Attacked?" He echoed. "Is she alright?"

"She was well enough to comm me but I haven't spoken to her since the ambulance arrived. I know she was bleeding from the head."

That could either be a nosebleed or massive head trauma. Lux knew where she was going with this and bit the bullet. "Do you think this has something to do with Thrawn?"

"You'd better hope not." Dalla groaned. No doubt this was giving her one of her migraines. "I can't get over there because the museum is crawling with cops after the robbery and anyway this isn't my specialty. She's in room four."

"Dal, I'm so sorry but we have a family emergency. Soniee's on her way to the medcenter."

"Oh how the tables have turned." Dalla chuckled humorlessly. "I hope she's okay but last I checked, she has a husband who can take her to the medcenter. If you want me to so much as look at your next score, my girl is your priority today."

Lux tried to backpedal. "Could Sloan help?"

"You still have that contact list for if anything happens to Selkie, right? Because if you don't I'll be happy to write you another one."

Kriff he'd hoped she'd forgotten about that. "You're really not letting this go, are you?"

"Not on your life."

He sighed. Irked as he was about it Lux understood where she was coming from. If the roles were reversed he would ride Dalla just as hard for endangering one of his crew. That, and he did still have the list of people he would have to notify if something happened to Selkie. He didn't recognize the first name but the second was someone he knew quite well, and he was willing to do what it took to not have to tell Iden Versio that her friend was dead. That wouldn't be a fun conversation.

"Alright, but once this is taken care of we're even," he relented. "It might take a while but someone will be over. Selkie's our newest client."

"Thank you," Dalla sighed, but it was more in relief that she didn't have to pull out her trump cards than that they were helping. That had really never been in question. "I'll let her know you're coming."

Sierra came around the corner just as Lux was hanging up. "Who was that?"

"We've got a job." He explained the situation. "She's at the medcenter now so looks like I'm going to do the client introduction."

"Which medcenter? Bethesda?" Lux nodded and Sierra called down the hallway "Alex, where did Saw say he was taking Soniee?"

"Bethesda." He caught up to them, comlink in one hand and Philip's carrier in the other. "I let our friends know they were coming."

"Perfect. What if you and I swung up there, checked on Saw and Soniee, and did a client introduction for Dalla's lieutenant who's got an assassin on her back?"

"Are you sure?" Lux asked. "Usually Ahsoka and I do the client intros."

"And then you retired, remember? Trust me, Alex and I have done this before. We'll be fine."

"Besides, I have experience thwarting assassinations." Kallus passed Philip's carrier to Sierra. "We'll have the initial visit done and Selkie in protection by sundown, and most likely come home with Saw and Soniee."

They did have a point. Kallus' law enforcement background made him and Sierra the best choice for this job.

"I'll tell Dalla you're on your way. Let me know if you need any help."

...

Katooni St. James thought she'd seen it all at her last job. Working as a shill wasn't boring but it had nothing, nothing on what she saw working in the emergency room at Bethesda Memorial Medcenter. Accidents, illness, the peaks of sentient resilience and the depths of sentient stupidity. It all came through the doors and Katooni, medic, dealt with it.

So it shouldn't have come as a surprise when Uncle Saw presented to the ER with Soniee in tow. Well she wasn't exactly in tow. She was the patient.

"What does she want now?" Katooni asked, trying not to roll her eyes.

Nurse Maddie saw right through her. "Possible premature labor. Put her on the monitor, take her vitals, and I'll be right in."

"I could help with that assault patient."

Maddie shook her head. "I still have to work up her head. Go put Soniee on the monitor."

Well, she tried. Katooni sighed and trudged over to put Soniee on the monitor.

Luckily Uncle Saw was too wrapped up in her to notice Katooni. "Are you feeling anything different?"

Soniee shook her head. "It hasn't changed since we left the restaurant."

"Okay," he exhaled. "Just remember to stay still, okay? Lux said he would divert that possible job to Alex and Sierra so there's nothing to worry about. They'll be here soon."

Possible job? That piqued Katooni's interest. As soon as she left the room she fired off a text to her sister: what possible job was Uncle Lux going to give Uncle Saw's mistress?

How do you know about this? Molly replied. Aren't you at work?

Katooni didn't answer. Instead she waited for Aunt Sierra and Uncle Alex to show up. They wouldn't ask weird questions.

Saw had mentioned Alex and Sierra would soon be here and the only patient who could be a possible job was the assault case whose head Maddie was working up. Now that Soniee was on the monitor, there was nothing stopping Katooni from heading back there.

"- can't believe this happened." The patient's husband fussed. "You said there were two of them? They jumped you on the way home?"

The patient nodded and Maddie grabbed her head to hold it still while she applied a dressing. "It's not as bad as it looks. You should see the other guys."

No kidding. Katooni had seen the other guys.

"I'd like to have five minutes with them," the husband said.

"Brent," the patient rolled her eyes, smiling. "How does it look, Maddie?"

"We still need the X-ray but I think it's done bleeding," Maddie stuck the last wound closure strip in place. "I'll be back to check on you. Katooni, how's our other patient?"

"She's on the monitor." She'd been too busy dodging Molly's texts to look at the monitor readout and tell the nurse what it said.

"I'll go in to take a look. Can you do her vitals again?" Maddie said and stripped off her gloves. "Also, Brent, will you fill out the insurance information at the nurses' desk?"

"Sure thing." Brent looked to his wife. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

"Of course. Do you need to see someone else?" she asked Katooni. "I don't want to get in the way."

"That patient's fine. You need much more attention than they do." No matter what Soniee says. "How's your pain?"

She was about to answer when Brent burst back into the room, eyes wide with shock. "He's here."

Katooni watched all the blood drain from the patient's face.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Brent nodded. "I double-checked. Hannah, it's him."

Hannah's head swiveled to Katooni. "This has been a real nice hospital," she said. "But I've got to go."

Now that had Katooni's attention. "Is it one of the guys who attacked you?"

"No it's someone else but he can't know I'm here." She was already halfway off the bed, grabbing for her personal belongings and wincing at the headache. "I'm sorry but -."

"Your head isn't fully worked up yet. You could have a major concussion or worse and just not know." Katooni reached around the privacy curtain to flag down a nurse or Dr. Kreps without exposing Hannah to whoever he was.

"Just wait for Dalla's friends," Brent begged. "She said they were on their way fifteen minutes ago so they should be here any time now."

"You can just stay behind the curtain and no one will see you," Katooni looked into the hallway to see if anyone got her message. No nurse or Dr. Kreps, but Kallus was making his way toward her with Philip's carrier. Thank the stars. "And the wait's over. Help is here."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "How do you -?"

"Mollymauk's wingspan wraps around half the galaxy. And she has even more friends." she whispered. "You're in good hands."

Both Hannah and Brent relaxed. "Thank you," he sighed. "You don't know how much this means to us."

"No problem." She stepped aside as Kallus reached the doorway.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, struggling to fit the carrier through the door. "It's amazing how a baby who exclusively drinks milk can spit up every color of the rainbow. I swear I changed his shirt three -."

He finally turned to face the client and his jaw dropped. Brent blinked like he wasn't sure if he was really seeing any of this and Hannah looked like someone had just played the galaxy's cruelest joke on her.

"Alexsandr Kallus," she said, deadpan. "Terrific."

"S-Swain?!" Kallus sputtered. "How did you - what are you…?"

Katooni blinked. "...You two know each other?"

"Oh we know each other." Swain gestured for someone to cover Philip's ears. "Tell me, has he arrested this one yet?"

Arrest? Katooni raised an eyebrow in Kallus' direction.

He didn't move. He just … stood there with his mouth hanging open, frozen with shock.

"You...your head..." he cleared his throat. "Are you alright?"

Swain's face flushed red as her hair and Katooni had seen enough patients flip to know she needed to get help, STAT. And there was only one person who had a prayer of resolving this peacefully.

She pulled back the curtain. "Sierra, please tell me you're out there!"

…

Sierra leaned against the wall of Soniee's room, watching the monitor readout over Dr. Kreps' shoulder.

"Do you see anything?" she asked. She wasn't sure about this trip to the ER for a little twinge. She'd had plenty of little twinges throughout her pregnancy with Philip and, after many panicked comms to Angelica, was assured it was nothing more than cramps or her son's foot jammed into some organ or another. Surely nothing that required a monitor and a medical team.

Saw and Soniee looked into the doctor's eyes asking the same question.

"I'm seeing a few abnormalities," Dr. Kreps admitted. "The OB-GYN will take a look to get a better idea, but to me this looks like preterm labor."

Soniee squeaked and Saw's grip on his wife's hand tightened. "How do we fix it?"

"We'll admit you to the OB unit for monitoring and to stop the labor. Maddie, give her twelve of betamethasone and alert the NICU in case they can't shut her down."

Maddie almost ran smack into Sierra on her way out. Kriffing Dxun. How had this come out of a twinge?

Soniee took a deep breath and placed her hands on her belly as if she could physically hold her child in. "How long will it be before we know for sure?"

"Not until you get started on the drugs. I'm going to call the OB so she'll be waiting for you when you get upstairs."

Once the doctor left Saw's trance broke and he looked down to Soniee. "It'll be okay. We just have to let them do their jobs."

She shook her head and began to ramble. "Oh Saw I'm so sorry. I know this is what you wanted and… and I should have known it would be just like the last time. I … I didn't want to get our hopes up… and… and now. We'll have to find someone to take Mel and Pasc while I'm here or… or maybe it won't take long and I'll be able to go home to them."

Sierra had no idea what her panicked friend meant by 'the last time' but she did know that she could offer their assistance. "Don't worry about Mel and Pasc. The whole family will pitch in to watch them for as long as you need us to."

"That's right." Saw tried to calm his wife but he looked close to losing it himself. "The kids are in good hands and you and our baby are going to be just fine."

Maddie moved around the room efficiently making the bed and equipment ready to be rolled down the hall to the elevator. "Listen to your husband," she said with an empathetic smile. "We'll get you started on those meds and remind that little one that he or she needs to stay put for another couple of months."

Soniee nodded. "Right, thank you. You've all been so helpful."

"Just doing our jobs. Now if I can find my medic I'll have her take you up to OB." On the word medic Maddie's jaw clenched. Something must have happened earlier, because Maddie looked ready to string up Katooni.

"Sierra!" Just then Katooni made her location known. "Please tell me you're out there!"

"I'll send her in," Sierra promised and ducked out of Soniee's room to let the professionals work, mind swirling.

She saw in a moment where Katooni's shout had come from. She and Kallus were standing in a doorway by the monitor display. Katooni swept the hallway for help with her eyes while Kallus seemed totally absorbed by something in the room, Philip's carrier dangling from his slackened arm.

"I'm out here," she said as she walked. "They're sending Soniee upstairs. Katooni, Maddie needs your help to get her to the OB unit."

Katooni's head snapped to the monitor, then to Kallus. "Osik!" she whispered and hustled away, leaving Kallus and Philip in the doorway.

"Sorry I took so long." Sierra scooped Philip out of the carrier and snuggled him close. She couldn't help but think of Saw and Soniee's baby as his familiar weight settled in her arms. Would they be able to hold him or her if the medical team couldn't shut down the labor? Kriff, did a baby born that early even have a chance of surviving? "Is this our new client?"

"Um…' He didn't even take his eyes off whatever had shocked him so and someone gasped and made a choking sound.

"No way," someone else said. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but Sierra couldn't immediately place it. "It's her? You had a baby with Bankole?!"

Bankole? Sierra's gaze lifted from Philip to look at the clients for the first time.

A young woman about twenty-five years old stared back at her, reddish hair blending with the dried blood on her forehead. Even if it weren't for the two distinctive beauty marks on her right cheek Sierra would have recognized that face anywhere.

"Oh my gods." She took a step back. "Swain!"

"How are you Ms. Bankole?" Swain smiled thinly. "I'm having a great day."

"You - you're alive," she turned to her slackjawed husband, who was still struggling to form a sentence. "We thought you were dead."

"It's a common misconception."

"About that." Kallus found words. "Swain, this is Sierra, my wife."

"Sierra?" The man standing behind Swain - Cogon, his name was Cogon - repeated. "As in Sierra Bonteri, the grifter for the Onderon Con Men? But if Dalla sent the con men, how is he here?" He glared at Kallus. "And why does he think he can waltz in here and interrogate my wife?"

"Your ... what?" Now it was Kallus' turn for incredulity. "Swain, you married him?!"

Swain leaned forward on the bed but before she or Kallus could say anything Sierra jumped between them.

"Everyone sit down," she ordered. "We need to talk."

If that wasn't the understatement of the year then the Death Star was a marble.

…

Fifteen minutes and a long and most likely unbelievable explanation later, Swain and Cogon were staring back at them in silence.

"Swain?" Sierra asked. "You okay?"

Swain didn't respond.

"I know it's a lot to take in and you might need some time to process," Kallus said.

"No, I'm processing," Swain said. "I just can't believe it. You arrest me, and then five years later you join up with con men and rack up a rap sheet as long as my arm?! You chirn head!"

Kallus sputtered. "Excuse me?"

Sierra snorted. "I didn't think you were going to get that one until Philip was at least three."

"That's not why she snorted, Kallus. She wants to call you something much worse than chirn head," Swain asserted. "And for the record so do I, but I can't because there's a baby here."

"I understand we parted on bad terms," Kallus said carefully. "But I've turned my entire life around and now my crew and I -."

"'Parted on bad terms?'" Cogon repeated. "I think that's a little light considering you handed us over to the Empire's torturers."

A stab of incredible pain flashed behind Kallus' eyes and he swallowed hard. "I am so sorry you had to endure that. I can't even imagine -."

"You don't know." Swain realized. "You didn't even bother to read the reports to find out what happened to us?"

Kallus didn't answer for a long time and Sierra looked at her watch. Lux could get here any time now…

"I can't believe you. I didn't think it was possible to be more disappointed in you than I already was, but here we are." She spat and whipped out her comm unit. "I'm texting Dalla. Surely she can send someone else to take care of this."

"Speaking of Dalla, she said someone tried to kill you," Sierra said. "Can you explain?"

Swain deliberated for a moment but must have decided to go with it. After all, you couldn't do much better than Sierra Bonteri in terms of someone to help you. "I was walking home from work when two men with vibroblades jumped me. One of them got a good shot at my forehead, but I fought them off and called Dalla as soon as I got somewhere safe. She sent an ambulance and the paramedics brought me here."

"And you're sure it's the two men who've been admitted to the medcenter in police custody?"

She nodded. "For all the good that does us. They're local hired guns and they say they took the bounty off an anonymous puck. They're not leading us back to their employer anytime soon."

Kallus fought back his million questions and forced himself to act professionally. "In that case we should start with anyone who might want you dead."

"Besides you?"

Ouch. Sierra winced and Philip, catching sight of his mother's expression, gave up his latest venture to pull her hair and went for her nose instead.

"Not now sweetie." She turned him in her arms so he was facing outward and her plan backfired almost instantly when the baby caught sight of Swain and Cogon and his little face lit up. Philip squealed and leaned toward them, arms outstretched and hands opening and closing while he beamed his most flirtatious grin.

For just a second Swain smiled back before her expression suddenly went stricken and Kallus was back in her crosshairs.

"Alex," Sierra said before the battle of wills could continue. "Someone should check on Saw and Soniee. Why don't I finish up here and you take Philip upstairs?"

"Please do," Swain said icily.

Kallus didn't respond. Instead he was almost twitching from the effort it took not to burst out in emotion and for a moment Sierra thought he would burst when help finally arrived.

"The client ordered a fresh face?" Lux walked into the bay the picture of the smooth, professional mastermind and Sierra could have hugged him if she wasn't in such a rush to get Kallus away before he made everything worse.

"They did. Swain, Cogon, this is my brother Lux. Lux, Swain and Cogon. They work for Dalla." Sierra hurried to strap Philip into his carrier, then grabbed him in one arm and Kallus in the other and herded them toward the lift.

The second the door closed Kallus' trance broke. "I tried to read the reports. I pulled them while I was in the process of becoming Fulcrum and I couldn't open them. Just looking at them made me ill. If I forced myself to read them, if I played the holos, I knew I would do something irrational and the rebellion couldn't afford that."

"You don't have to explain anything to me."

"Swain doesn't seem to think that way." He raked a hand through his hair. "Nor would I expect her to. You didn't see her face when she realized it was me. She was so hurt."

"Of course she is." She tried to lay a hand on his arm but he shied away. "She's been to hell and back and you were a factor in it. You know that won't go away overnight."

"No but I expect her to talk!" He insisted. "She's never had a problem talking things through."

Sierra decided not to remind him of the day Swain gave him the silent treatment. Instead she just stood by while the dam broke.

"I don't even know how she got away from the Empire or how she fell in with Dalla, of all people. Never in a million years would I picture her being involved with a fence," said the man who became a thief after he fell in love with a grifter. "Or marrying Brent Cogon!"

Aaand there it is, Sierra thought.

"If she talked to me I could find out who tried to kill her. We worked on similar cases together. Rationally, she has to know that it would be in her best interest to open up but she won't." The lift doors opened with a ding! so the entire OB unit could hear him bellow: "I don't understand what she's thinking!"

At the nurses' station Saw stared at him. "What the heck was—?"

"Do yourself a favor Saw, and don't have a daughter!" He stormed away.

"He's not serious," Sierra said to Saw and the staff looking at them with wide eyes. "He doesn't mean that. Alex!" She ran after him.

Saw looked over his shoulder into Soniee's room and met his wife's eyes.

"I take it now isn't a good time to tell them what we're having."

…

Kallus kept going all the way through the OB unit, out the door, and down the hall with Sierra struggling to keep up with him with Philip in her arms.

"What am I even supposed to do with this information?" He ranted. "I can't talk to her, I can't ignore her, it's as if I'm just supposed to disappear."

"She doesn't want you to disappear," Sierra insisted. "She just needs time."

"She won't have time if whoever tried to kill her gets a lucky shot. Which she should also know, considering I -." His mouth snapped closed as he recalled what his lucky stun blast had led to.

Sierra finally caught up to him, trying not to huff and puff. Philip was heavier than he looked, especially when one was trying to run with him while wearing heels.

"I've been in Swain's place. Having a blast from the past suddenly come at you like that … isn't easy. I still remember when I saw Tor's name in your office; I can't imagine running into someone who was actually involved. When she saw your face she was right back in that torture chair and pumped full of adrenaline." She waited for it to sink in before she went on: "She needs a neutral party to be with her now and give her some time to process. And after that, she needs you."

"Sierra we've been over this; she won't talk to me. I'll just make everything worse."

"Then don't talk. Listen," she said. "Of course she doesn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it at first. What she needs is to know that when she's ready, you'll hear her. Can you do that?"

He nodded. "It's the very least I can do."

Good man. "Are you ready to go back to the ER?"

"Not particularly. But I'd better go anyway."

She took his hand on the way back and pretended not to notice how tightly he was squeezing.

On the upside Swain and Cogon were much calmer when they returned, actually sitting relaxed on gurney and chair respectively, talking to Lux and a holographic Dalla.

"Don't talk, listen." Kallus repeated it under his breath like a mantra.

"Why don't you wait outside and I'll go check on them?" Sierra suggested. "That'll give Swain -" And you "- a little more time to process."

"Good idea." He took Philip from her arms and stopped a good three bays from the door. Hey, it was a start.

She made her way to the bay and tuned into the conversation.

" - wish I could be there," a holographic Dalla said. "But you know it's been a wild day."

"We understand," Cogon said. "Thanks for leaving us in good hands. Lux is great and so's Sierra even if we don't care for her plus one."

"Good to hear," Sierra stepped in. "Sorry about the chaos earlier. I understand it was quite the shock."

"That's not the half of it," Swain shook her head. "I'm sorry if I came off abrasive with you. You didn't have anything to do with what happened on Thrad."

"No apologies necessary. As a side note I'm glad to see the matchmaking paid off." She gestured to the carved brylk bone rings on the couple's hands. "How long have you been married?"

Swain looked starry-eyed at Cogon. "Three years."

"Best three years of my life." Cogon kissed his bride's cheek and she burst into smiles.

"Congratulations." Sierra couldn't help but smile. "Lux, do you want me to make the arrangements for police protection so we can get the happy couple home?"

"About that," Lux said. "I don't think it's gonna pan out."

"What? Why not?"

"Hannah, tell her what you officially do for a living."

"I'm a detective," Swain said slowly. "Iziz PD. I'm the Mollymauk circuit's contact on the force."

Well, kriff.

Lux turned to Sierra. "Quick and dirty hit like this, whoever wants her gone wants her gone quick. She knows something and considering what she does we could be dealing with dirty cops."

Please don't go where I think this is going. "Okay, so we'll have to get them some other protection."

"We are their protection," Lux said. "They're going home with you."

The happy honeymoon bubble popped like so much soap and Sierra's heart bounced off her shoes.

"Don't you and Ahsoka have a spare room?"

"If you don't we can sleep on the couch," Swain squeaked. "Or even the floor. We're very flexible."

Lux didn't answer her. "Mel and Pasc are staying in it and Mom's also staying with us so she can be closer to Saw and Soniee. Obviously Saw and Soniee have their hands full already, Steela and Rex don't have space, and Tandin's is crawling with cops. You guys are the only option."

They couldn't be the only option! Not when Kallus wouldn't come within twenty feet of Swain! "Lux," she said very slowly, making sure each word sunk in. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. It might be awkward but awkward's better than dead."

Says the person who isn't living with their spouse's betrayed student.

Swain frantically scanned the room for help and settled on her employer. "Dalla, please. I'm begging you."

"I'm sorry Hannah," Dalla said. "But with the new client and the museum robbery-."

"This can't be happening," Cogon squeezed his eyes shut. "It's all a bad dream and I'd like to wake up now."

"It's happening, Brent." Poor Swain looked ready to cry from frustration. This may not have been the worst day of her life but it was definitely in the top ten.

Sierra turned her eyes heavenward and took a second to curse her rotten luck. Just when she was making steps. "We do have a spare room…"

"See? Perfect." Lux stood up and handed Swain a pad and stylus. "Write down anything you need and my wife will pick it up from your place. I'll go tell Alex."

Swain took the stylus. "Salt gods, give me strength," she muttered.

Amen, Hannah, Sierra thought. Amen.