How are we going to afford this? Kenna looked around the restaurant and tried not think about it. He's got to have a good reason for bringing you here. What's he thinking? What going on? "Carth?"

"Yes?" He squeezed her hand.

She didn't want to sound like she was doubting him, but curiosity was eating her alive. "How are we going to afford this?" She wanted to know just how guilty she should feel that her uncooperative stomach had her merely picking at her food. "It just seems a bit pricey for a captain's salary, that's all."

He smiled in a way that made her think he knew something she didn't. "It is."

"So what did I miss?" Kenna raised one eyebrow in confusion.

His smile widened. "I'm getting promoted."

She had to smile at the way he sounded almost sheepish about that. "Honey, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you. Is that why Admiral Dodonna's been needing to see you so much over the past couple months?"

"Yeah. That's also what she had wanted to talk to me about on Rakata Prime."

"I almost forgot about that. So, why was it such a big secret? Everybody had to know it was coming."

"Because Admiral Dodonna wanted them to skip Vice-Admiral and just promote me to Admiral. That's never been done before, so they were keeping it quiet while they 'deliberated'."

"Did she get her way?" Kenna demanded, leaning forward against the table. She could ignore the touch of nausea swirling in her stomach for this.

"No. They decided that, despite my record, one rank is enough for now." Carth shrugged. "I really don't mind. In my opinion, it is enough."

"I think I'm with Admiral Dodonna on this one. How many people have earned a Cross of Glory?"

"Besides you, Mission, Canderous, Jolee, Bastila--"

"Alright, alright. How many members of the Republic Military have earned a Cross of Glory?" Kenna asked.

"I'm not sure. Few dozen."

"How many of them did it before they turned forty?"

"Three or four. But they didn't get to skip ranks their next promotion. I appreciate your indignation on my behalf, love, but I'm really alright with Vice-Admiral. Besides, Admirals deal with twice as much paperwork. You know how much I despise paperwork." Kenna giggled as he said the word as if it was a horrible disease. "What?"

"You. You're so funny. And I love you to death."

"Don't do that. You love me to death, you won't have me anymore," Carth pointed out with a laugh.

"True. Well then, I love you will have to do by itself."

"Works for me, beautiful. I love you, too." He leaned across the table to kiss her on the forehead. Kenna tipped her head up to catch it on the lips instead, grinning at him.

"So, when is this actually happening?" She played with her food as she asked, trying to work up enthusiasm to eat more of it.

Carth shrugged."About a month, I think. I don't know why there's so much of a wait, though I suspect it has something to do with--"

"Paperwork," Kenna finished for him. "How big a deal is it going to be?"

"Not huge. I swore not to show up if it turned into some huge, elaborate ceremony. But at the same time, there are certain people they have to make sure are there."

"What am I going to do with you?" Kenna sighed in mock exasperation.

"What?"

"You and this whole aversion to the spotlight. It's absolutely adorable, don't get me wrong--"

"Hey!"

Kenna laughed at his protest of her choice of adjective before finishing her sentence. "--but if you earned it--which you more than have--there's nothing wrong with being the center of attention. Didn't we go through this already?"

"Old habits die hard?" Carth tried. He chuckled at Kenna's expression. "Not buyin' it, huh?"

"Not for a second," she whispered, leaning forward.

"I'll work on it," he promised.

"Gee, I didn't even have to pull out the 'for me' card this time. You're learning," Kenna teased. Carth rolled his eyes, probably the best response, as it made her laugh.

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Kenna pushed off the table and stood. "I'll be right back."

"You alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine." She headed for the refresher, making sure not to bolt in that direction as everything in her wanted to do. Despite the little bit she'd eaten, something in there had found some way to completely disagree with her stomach, and now it wanted back out. Kenna mentally cursed whatever had made her nauseous as one hand pushed back her hair and the other pressed against her roiling stomach. Force, what's wrong with me? She leaned against the wall for a minute before cleaning up and returning to the table.

"You sure you're alright, beautiful?"

"Stop worrying." She punched his shoulder gently. "I'm fine. Promise."

"If you say so..." Carth's eyes said he didn't quite believe her, but he let it slide. Neither of them said another word about it the rest of the meal.

Kenna almost breathed a sigh of relief when they got back to their house. She wanted to get out of this dress. She never had cared much for anything involving a skirt, that much of her past she could remember. Consequently, she had unfastened the dress and was halfway out of it almost before setting foot in the bedroom. She tossed it haphazardly into the closet as she pulled on a nightshirt. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this tired. Despite telling Carth multiple times that she was fine, she knew she wasn't. She'd felt nauseous almost every day for a couple months, occasionally dizzy even. One more month. If I'm still feeling less then normal in a month, I'll go see a doctor or something, she decided as she flopped across the bed without even bothering to pull back the blankets. Half asleep, she heard Carth chuckle upon entering the room.

"Tired, Ken?"

"Mmph," she grunted, not even opening her eyes.

"You know, you're on my side of the bed too, beautiful," he pointed out. She could hear a grin in his voice without even seeing it. She wordlessly shifted so she was only on her side of the bed, letting a sleepy smile tug on her lips. Carth nudged her over another inch or two so he could get under the blanket. "G'night, love."

"Night." She reflexively pursed her lips when he leaned over to kiss her, already essentially dead to the world.

"Carth, can you help me with this zipper? How the hell I let Mish talk me into this dress I'll never know," Kenna grumbled, finally admitting defeat in her battle with the zipper discreetly hidden halfway between side and back of the brilliant red halter top dress.

"If I remember correctly, beautiful, I'm the one who talked you into it," Carth reminded her as he gently tugged the zipper up. "And I think 'talked you into it' is the wrong way to describe it." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck.

"That's right. Talking was probably the last thing on your mind when I modeled it for you, if the look in your eyes was any indication. I think I bought it just to get you to look at me like that," Kenna teased, turning to kiss him back.

"A man's not allowed to think his wife's beautiful?" Carth protested mildly. "Though I think 'gorgeous' and 'pretty damn sexy' would be closer to what I was thinking." He laughed when Kenna blushed. "You are my wife. I'm allowed to think that way about you." He flicked back the strands of hair covering her face. "But for the record, that dress looks amazing on you."

"You're just biased."

"Extremely," he admitted cheerfully. "But you really are gorgeous, Kenna."

"Thanks. I hope everybody else feels that way too." She slipped a thin sliver bracelet on her wrist and slapped his shoulder playfully, sending her skirt flaring as she spun around. "C'mon, flyboy, can't have the guest of honor arriving late. Let's go."

Carth groaned. "Do we have to?" He was only half joking.

"Yes. Now go." Kenna shoved him in the direction of the door. "Am I going to have to make sure you don't attempt to escape all night?"

"No. I said I'd go--and stay--and I will," he promised.

Kenna paused as nausea swirled her stomach around again, committing herself to go see a doctor in the morning. Her month was up. She would have gone today, but there had been so much to do to get ready for tonight it hadn't fit in anywhere. It wasn't a big deal. Or at least that's what she told herself as she walked down the hallway behind Carth.

Rather then pass as it usually did, however, the nausea built into an overwhelming wave of dizziness. The world tilted crazily. "Carth..." she mumbled as her vision spun into a relentless sable vortex and sucked her in.

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He barely managed to catch her. Later Carth would wonder how he spun around fast enough, but at the moment he didn't exactly care. "Mission!"

"Yeah?" The Twi'lek stuck her head out of her room, expression quickly changing from bored to alarmed. "What's wrong with Kenna?"

"I don't know." That scared him, more than he would ever admit. But looking at Mission, he got the feeling he didn't need to admit it.

"I'll go get a doctor." Mission disappeared toward the door at a dead run before Carth even had time to grunt an acknowledgement as he scooped Kenna up.

With this first chance in a while to really look closely at her--they were both so busy during the day, and tired at night--he saw the dark circles under her eyes, the lines she was still too young--in his opinion--to have showing. Sith's blood, woman, what have you been hiding from me? He carried her into the bedroom. The dark blanket on their bed only made her look even more pale than usual. Worried as he was, there was nothing he could do at the moment, except wait. Again.

When the doctor arrived, the only time Carth could remember being happier to see another human being was when Kenna walked out of the Star Forge after fighting Malak. Mission all but dragged the auburn-haired woman into the bedroom. "Here ya go, Carth."

"Thanks, Mish." He turned to the doctor. "Thank you for coming, Doctor..."

"Quin'neth. Valentina Quin'neth. Everyone calls me either Leni or Quin. What's wrong, Captain?"

"Honestly? I don't know." He hated not knowing more. "She just fainted."

"Mmm. Has she been eating well? Feeling alright?"

He sighed, dragged both hands through his hair, and admitted, "I don't know on both counts. About the only thing I've noticed recently is she's been a lot more tired. Other then that," he shrugged, "I'm gone so much, if she was hiding something it wouldn't be all that hard." One more thing he planned to change after his promotion.

"Mmm. Well, go wait in the hall," Leni ordered, voice kind but tone firm. There would be no arguing. So Carth joined Mission in the hall.

"So, what's up?" the teenager begged when he emerged.

"I don't know," he replied, exasperation due more to the fact he was repeating the phrase for the third time in as many minutes than her curiosity.

Kenna couldn't help but moan as she came to. She felt awful.

"Easy." The voice was unfamiliar, yet soothing. That was a first. Normally, being awakened by anything unfamiliar had all her senses on full alert.

"What..." She groaned. "What happened?"

"You passed out." Upon prying open her eyes, Kenna saw the speaker was a short woman with dark green eyes.

"Who...who're you?"

"Call me Leni. I'm a doctor." The woman perched on the edge of the bed, tucking one leg under the other. "Maybe you can be more help. Have you been feeling well lately? Don't lie."

"Admonition not necessary," Kenna informed her with a wry chuckle. "No, I haven't been. Haven't been eating much either, before you ask."

"Feeling nauseous?" Leni pulled out a datapad and started to take notes. "How long?" she pressed when Kenna nodded.

"Um...three months? Three and a half? Something like that. It's only gotten really bad in the last couple weeks."

"Have you passed out before now?"

"Twice in the past three weeks," Kenna confessed. "But don't tell Carth."

"Dizzy spells?" Leni asked. She pulled out a needle and took a small blood sample.

"Occasionally." Kenna winced.

"Hungry?"

"I told you I wasn't eating much," Kenna reminded her.

"That's not what I asked." Leni looked up from her analysis of the blood sample.

"Ravenous. But nothing stays down, so I stopped trying."

"I see."

"What?" Kenna demanded. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing." Leni smiled knowingly. "How long have you been married?"

"Just barely over four months. Why? What's that have to do with anything?"

"Before I tell you, let me get your husband in here so I only have to say it once." She pushed off the bed and made for the door.

"You can let Mission hear, too. She's like family."

When Leni slid the door open and beckoned them inside the room, Carth and Mission didn't hesitate.

"Alright, I let you two in here so I only have to say this once. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. "

"Well?" Carth sat on the edge of the bed and grasped Kenna's hand.

"Captain Onasi, your wife is pregnant."

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A/N: Aaaand now I make you wait another week for reactions! Evil, yes, but I have lots to do, and some things hafta take precedence over my fanfics. Sorry!