DEAR THEODOSIA

Dear Hannah, what to say to you? Kallus finds himself pondering that question after Beck's arrest, but nothing's quite right. Perhaps he needs a little help from his past before he faces it.

Kallus watched as the police speeder peeled away with a muffled shriek from inside.

Graf Yularen stood on the sidewalk and shook hands with Swain. Kallus couldn't hear what his - friend? Brother? - was saying to her, but she'd started to smile. He didn't doubt it. Graf had inherited his father's way with words, and a Yularen speech could build you up after you'd been cut to the ground. He'd been on the receiving end of a few in his lifetime.

"Kallus."

Kallus looked over his shoulder at the sound of his name, only to come face to face with a blue flimsi book. He followed the hand holding it to Dalla.

"Beck had this in her briefcase," she explained. "Is it…?"

It couldn't be. He took the novel from her hands and reverently thumbed through the first few pages, fighting a sharp intake of breath when he saw the cover page.

"It's Hannah's." He closed the cover to keep from tainting Swain's precious gift with his presence. "I couldn't find it anywhere on Lothal; she must have had it inside her jacket when she left."

Of course she'd kept it. The book wasn't just a gift, it was a promise.

"I thought so." Dalla nodded to herself, and then produced an envelope seemingly from nowhere and thrust it toward him. "Here."

He raised an eyebrow. "I hardly know you."

"It's not from me. Col. Yularen asked me to deliver it the last time we saw each other." Her normally steely gaze softened. "He was my greatest friend. What we had wasn't anything like the bond you shared, but he kept me from making a terrible mistake. I respected him, I admired him, and I'm happy to do this one last thing for him."

She held out the letter again and Kallus took it.

"He loved you so much." Dalla swallowed hard. "You, and Graf, and Hannah. He would have done anything for you."

Dedicate thousands of thankless hours to raise a lost boy. Work with a fence to ensure the future of the galaxy. Commit high treason to save his granddaughter. Yes, Yularen would have done anything for them.

Kallus made sure Sierra was occupied before he broke the wax seal and opened the letter.

My dear boy,

He chuckled. That was Yularen, alright.

He laughed more as he read, and cried, and shook his head because he could hear his father's voice with every word.

A Yularen talk could bring you from your darkest place of self-loathing, and maybe it was just what he needed to summon the courage to do what he needed to do. With the letter in his pocket and the shadow of Yularen's presence around his shoulders he made his way to Graf and Swain.

"Alexsandr," Graf said as he came closer. "Thank you for comming me. I wouldn't have missed this for the universe."

"Happy to oblige." Kallus tried to moisten his parched mouth. "Swain, I have…"

He looked down and realized needn't go on further. Swain's eyes were fixed on the book in his hands.

"Beck had it?" She asked.

Kallus nodded and handed it over.

"She -." Swain swallowed. "She said she threw it in the incinerator."

Graf Yularen watched them stand in silence for a long while, Swain gazing at the book and Kallus at her like a holo of all his mistakes were playing before his eyes.

Clearly there was more to this than he knew about. But Graf was a detective, not a therapist, and he wasn't about to get involved in whatever "this" was.

"Sierra?" He called over his shoulder. "Would you like me to drive your family home?"

…

When they got back from the museum Swain went directly to the couch in the common room, cradled her book on her lap, and didn't move. Cogon went to speak to her, as did Sierra, and she gave them the same answer: she was okay, she just needed to sit and think a while.

Kallus watched her from the doorway to the common room for a long time. He wasn't sure what he expected - tears maybe, or hysterical relief - but it wasn't this conflicted silence.

"You know, just because you're behind me doesn't mean I don't know you're there."

He should have expected she'd know; he'd taught her to be observant. Kallus cautiously made his way to her position and gestured to the couch. "May I?"

Swain nodded and he sat, keeping a couch cushion between them. "So today was a day."

"That's one way of saying it."

"How do you feel?"

She thought about it for a second before replying. "Better than I thought I would."

It was a start at least. Before he could lose his nerve Kallus thrust out a scrap of flimsi. "I wanted to give you this."

Swain read it. "Dr. DaVinci?"

"She's an OB-GYN based on Chandrila; the very best according to Angelica. If anything can be done to reverse the damage, if anyone can help you, she can. She's already agreed to see you, so when you're ready all you need to do is call and schedule an appointment." He held his breath hoping he hadn't overstepped. He'd only wanted to help remedy the destruction he'd been complicit in.

The way Swain folded the scrap and tucked it between the pages of her book assured him he hadn't. "Thank you. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"I wanted to." Helping her get the help she needed was the only thing that made him feel even remotely good about himself. "I've always wanted the best for you, even when I had a wildly incorrect notion of what that was. And if the best thing for you is that I keep my distance, then so be it."

"Kallus -."

He knew he should let her talk but if he didn't get this out now he never would. "When I first met you I knew you were going far, but you've surpassed all my wildest dreams. You're happily married, you've made Detective Sergeant, you're a lieutenant to an intergalactic fence."

He couldn't help but beam with pride. "And this time I spent with you, the chance to see all you've accomplished and know you were around to do it, has been such an honor. You're going to go so much farther Hannah, and I'm going to love watching you do it. The last thing I want is to hold you back for a selfish reason." His joy wavered. "I hope one day you can forgive me for my mistakes, but I wouldn't blame you if you never want to see me again and I understand if it's too painful to see Philip."

"Philip?" Swain's brow furrowed. "I love Philip."

"Of course, he's adorable. I just didn't want to upset you -."

"He's my baby brother. Of course I want to see him."

Kallus' speech disappeared into thin air and he looked at her in wonder.

"Kallus, you're the only father I've ever had. Nobody else cared if I needed help, or went on a date, or graduated from anything." She swallowed hard. "You didn't have to care but you did. After what happened I didn't think you loved me anymore -."

"I never stopped loving you."

"I know that now. I heard you and Sierra talking in your room." Swain cleared her throat. "I'm angry with you, sure, but you're still my dad."

Her image blurred and Kallus swiped at his eyes. Sierra must have been cutting onions in the galley because Swain was similarly affected. "You know I don't think I've ever hugged you."

"Well we'd better fix that."

Swain laughed, closing the distance between them, and that was the moment Kallus learned the only thing as amazing as holding your baby was holding your daughter who was all grown up and married now.

No wonder the Empire discouraged close personal contact. If he'd known what this was like, if he'd allowed himself to admit how much he loved her … well, that extraction on Thrad would have gone very differently. Bo-rifle-in-Darth-Vader's-helmet differently.

Swain buried her head in his shoulder. "I missed you so much."

Gods above if that didn't almost renew his tears. "I did too. And I'll miss you when you go back to the precinct."

She pulled back, wiping her eyes. "Actually, I might have more flexibility than previously thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Detective Yularen told me NRBI is setting up a field office in Iziz." She smiled shyly. "He offered me a job."

"Of course he did. He'd have to be crazy not to."

"I would be doing a lot of what I already do, but the pay's better and there's a wider scope. And on the Selkie end, it's a chance to get inside NRBI."

"Part time or full time?"

"Part. The network is always my first priority."

"Of course." Kallus hugged her again. "Oh Hannah, I'm so proud of you."

"You have no idea how much that means to —." Her comlink rang and she gave it a glance. "It's Iden."

"You'd better answer her before she breaks down our door."

"Sierra would not be happy." Swain put the unit on speaker and turned on the connection. "Hello?"

"Hannah! I just hit comm reception and got your messages." Iden Versio sounded downright frazzled. "What do you mean Kallus is back? And how did - nevermind. We're on our way right now, just tell me who I have to kill."

"Hey Iden." Hannah kicked back in her seat. "I'm actually okay but I was worried about you for a while. What were you doing that you didn't have comm reception?"

"Del and I went and got married," Iden said it like she and Del had gone to the grocery store. "How are you fine? You're stuck on a ship with Kallus, unless you already took him out."

Kallus cleared his throat but it was drowned out by Swain's "You and Del did what?!"

"It's not a big deal."

"No it's a big, huge, giant deal. Congratulations!" She squealed with excitement. "Tell me everything."

Iden, though perplexed, must have known Swain wouldn't back down until she got her answer. "We were looking at rings when we realized we could use the credits to rent a shack on the beach. So we went to the courthouse and just did it. Now what is going on with Kallus?"

"It's kind of a long story, but the short version is that we were stuck on a ship together for four days and now…" Swain looked at Kallus and nodded. "We're working things out. It'll be a process and we're going to need tons of therapy, but I'm sitting next to him right now."

They both heard Iden's breath catch and after a second of shocked silence, she ordered "Turn on the visual."

"Iden?"

"Turn. On. The. Visual," Iden repeated. "I'll believe there's not a blaster to your head when I see it."

"Fair enough." Swain turned on the visual and Iden's hologram popped up with a rather un-Iden expression. They could hardly blame her - Iden's last impression of their relationship had been Swain's increasingly erratic voicemails, and now here they were sitting shoulder to shoulder with big smiles and puffy eyes.

"Hello Commander Versio." Kallus held his hands where she could see them. "Congratulations on your marriage."

Iden picked her jaw up from the floor. "...Thank you, Captain Kallus. I can't say I was expecting you."

"To be honest, no one was."

"Well…" she took in the scene and nodded. "I get the sense I interrupted something. I'll let you go."

Swain shook her head. "Not until you tell us all about you and Del."

Something outside the holofield caught Iden's attention and her eyes lit up. "That'll have to wait for a bit. Meet at the usual place?"

"I'll bring the booze." She waited for Iden to reach for the visual controls and when she did, cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted "Hi, Del!"

"Hann-!" Iden's eyes went wide as the hologram fizzled out.

She laughed and put the device away. "Well that's got to be the best excuse for not answering a comm I've ever heard."

"Did I just hear Del's name?" Cogon moseyed into the room. "What was that about?"

Swain told him and he lit up. "Finally! I was wondering what took them so long." He looked from his wife to Kallus and the smile broadened. "But you guys took way less time than I thought."

"I take it you've been eavesdropping outside?" Swain beckoned him to sit on her other side and he obligingly plopped down.

"Not alone," he smirked.

"I should have guessed" Kallus cleared his throat. "You may as well join the party, dear."

Sierra rounded the corner with a huff. "Well that's one less dramatic entrance I get to make. Though I'll admit it's difficult to do so with this guy stealing the show."

"Ah-na!" Philip squealed and made grabby hands at his favorite person.

"That's right Philip, say your sister's name." Sierra deposited the baby on Swain's lap while she wrapped an arm around Alex.

"That is my name!" Swain scooped Philip up and cuddled him. "Ooh, I love you little guy."

Sierra playfully raised an eyebrow at Kallus but he hardly noticed as his heart exploded. He'd given up on his dream of having a family decades ago and yet here it was, right in front of his eyes! He had a wife who loved him, a bouncing baby boy, and the daughter he thought he'd lost forever all within arms' reach.

It wasn't enough just to be on the couch with them. A choked sob escaped his throat as he threw his arms around everyone, pulled them close and blindly kissed someone's head.

He was aiming for Swain's cheek or Philip's forehead or any part of Sierra, but he didn't immediately recognize whoever he'd kissed. The hair was too short to be either of the women but the head was too big to be Philip, which meant...

"Aw shucks Kallus," Cogon said. "Is it safe to say you like me now?"

They all laughed and Swain offered her forehead for the intended kiss.

"I'm not dreaming?" He asked, sure he would wake up any second now. "This is really happening?"

Sierra pulled him closer. "It is."

…

Three months later

"Did we pack her spare outfit?" Saw checked the diaper bag for the sixth time. Diapers, check. Pacifier, check. Toys - Saw got distracted looking into his sleeping daughter's angelic face. Maybe he should have thought twice before they brought her to Blackhold. Korrina would certainly steal the show.

"I packed them." Mel rolled her eyes. Uncle Grigori and Aunt Lagos would never let them live it down if Saw and Soniee had forgotten the outfits they bought for the new arrival.

Soniee finished putting in her earrings. "What about you? Are you ready?"

He nodded. "Mel, Pasc, get your coats."

The redheaded terror slid off the bed of their inn room and scooped her coat from where she'd dropped it on the floor. "Can we see the ships?"

"Maybe later." Soniee scooped up Korrina's carrier and adjusted the blanket to make sure the baby was covered before she grabbed Pascal with her free hand and made her way to the door. "Right now we need to get to the ceremony before we're late."

"I thought Hannah and Brent were already married." Melaana filed out with the rest of them. "Why are we going to their wedding again?"

"It's a vow renewal," Saw explained. "Their families weren't there when they got married, so they're doing it again so everyone can watch."

Mel shrugged, not totally satisfied with the explanation but distracted enough with the surroundings to set the topic aside. Blackhold castle rose mightily above the waves with all the pride and strength the north embodied.

On the steps leading into the castle entrance were Sierra and Kallus, the latter of whom was bundled head to toe.

"How do people live up here?" He muttered, voice muffled by a scarf. "I swear this place is colder than Bahryn."

"It's spring." Sierra pulled the scarf away. "And you're not showing up to our daughter's vow renewal looking like a Tusken."

"Would you like me to show up as an icicle instead?"

"Dad?" Swain popped out of the door, wedding dress on and veil in hand. "Have you seen my holocomm?"

"What are you doing out here?" Kallus gave up trying to keep his layers on. "The ceremony starts in five minutes. You're about to go down the aisle!"

"I've got plenty of time; it's not like I'm going anywhere without you anyway."

Sierra shooed them inside. "Alex, take that off, Hannah, put your veil on, and both of you get ready to go. I'll take care of the stragglers."

"Better get inside before she sees us." Saw steered his family into a side door and somehow, miraculously, managed to settle a baby and two small children before Kallus and Swain went down the aisle.

It was a beautiful ceremony as Swain and Cogon reaffirmed their love in front of family and friends, but everyone's enjoyment tripled when the ceremony came to an end and the couple led the way to the reception hall.

The reception, as expected, was an absolute rager.

Sloan Murphy ditched his officiant persona the second he hit the door, when he proceeded to shotgun an ale and bellow "Let's kriffing party!" before leading the charge onto the dance floor.

Directly after Sloan's stunt Iden made her way to the bar and got a drink. The maid of honor hung by the head table sipping it for a while, but it wasn't long until Hannah retrieved her with an "Iden, they're playing our song!" The second Iden's feet hit the dance floor she was swept away with her friends and her husband.

Kallus was on cloud nine. He spun around the dance floor sometimes with just Sierra, sometimes with Philip held between them. On the off occasions they didn't have the baby he was with either Dalla or the Yularens, seated in places of honor.

Saw and Soniee watched the celebrations from their seats, alternately entertained by the young people's antics on the dance floor.

"Have you seen Mel and Pasc?" Soniee asked and looked over her shoulder to make sure Korri was still with Shara Blackwell, though she needn't have worried. Shara and Estelle Yularen were sitting along the wall holding Korri and Philip respectively.

"They're with some of the other kids." Saw said. "I'd worry, but there's not much they can get into all the way up here."

"Good." Soniee relaxed and went back to the music. The last dance tune had faded away and the deejay had started up, of all things, a jazz ballad. Something about trees of green, red roses too.

Saw smiled. "Hey, they're playing our music. Why don't we hit the dance floor?"

"Not this one." Saw and Soniee turned around to see Sierra watching the dance floor. "It's their song."

They redirected their attention to the dance floor, cleared of all people save two. Kallus and Swain swayed to the music, both misty-eyed and clutching each other's hands like they couldn't believe this was real.

"Father-daughter dances." Sierra wiped a tear from her eye. "They get me every time."