referencing Top Gun again
The door swished open. He had his hand raised to press the doorbell, and for a moment he was on high alert scanning around the apartment for danger. Then he saw Soniee sitting calmly on the couch with a datapad in her hands. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned on the doorjam, and said, "Hi honey, I'm home."
She couldn't help but smile. "You got that off of some corny old holo."
"Yeah." Fox stepped inside and the door swished shut behind him. He took off his helmet and grinned at her and then looked more serious. "Not that I mind getting you alone but I'm not sure about the lack of security."
"Padme hasn't made it back from the trial yet." She rose and set down the datapad, but picked up her helmet that had been sitting next to her and cradled it in her arms. "I could sense it was you coming and I didn't want you to have to face the wrath of the droids. I wouldn't have opened the door for anyone else."
His smile returned along with a hungry look in his eyes. He began to remove gloves and gauntlets and set them aside on an end table.
Soniee went to the kitchen area to put the counter-height island between them. She set down her helmet on the counter, got out a glass, some fruit juice, and carbonated water just to have something to do.
"So, you were right. Commander Tano was innocent of all of it."
She nodded. "Though, I'm still in shock about Barris."
Fox walked across the room and sat on a stool opposite her. "You knew Commander Offee?"
"Met her when I first arrived. She..." Soniee bit her lip. "She knew it was going to happen. She told me not to go back to the hanger, probably saved my life."
"But she killed a lot of other people," Fox snarled.
"Yes, I know. It's - it's inexcusable." She concentrated on pouring her drink for a moment and then looked up at him. "What will happen to her?"
"I think Palps has her locked up in a secure location for now. Not sure what he's planning to do with her." It was clear that he thought Bariss deserved the full repercussion of her crimes but maybe he just didn't want to disturb Soniee with the vengeful description. Then the steel went out of his expression, he smiled, and he reached over to brush his knuckles over Soniee's cheek. He didn't seem to notice her flinch. "If she spared your life though, I'll be eternally grateful."
"Would you like me to make you a drink also?" she asked, her voice pitched a little higher than normal.
"Not alcoholic, I hope." He smirked. "I think you had enough of that last night."
She couldn't quite look him in the eye and focused on getting out another glass and filling it with juice and sparkling water. "I got the impression that you rather liked me haryc b'aalyc."
"Well," He reached out and took both of her hands away from what they were doing and held them. "Now I want you clear headed so you can think about what I said this morning."
"Fox, I - we need to talk."
"We are talking." He smiled.
"About last night." She took a shaky breath, waited a moment to see if he would interrupt but he didn't so she struggled to continue. "D-did you come into my bed?"
He squeezed her hands a little tighter and she wasn't sure if she sensed guilt from him or just the desire to repeat the event. "You were cold," he said quietly, "shivering, and you said, 'hold me'."
Soniee gave a brief nod, pressed her eyes shut and then confessed, "I didn't realize it was you. I thought I was dreaming about..."
"Korkie." he finished for her. His voice was flat but the emotions inside him were roiling.
She chanced a look into his eyes. "You spoke to him, didn't you? You answered his comm."
"I did." He looked down at their joined hands and brushed his thumb over her knuckles.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"He," Fox took a deep breath. "He said he wanted to talk to you. I told him you were asleep, had a hard night, needed your rest. Well he, he wasn't happy about that, asked if I was Bonteri. I told him who I was and that I would take care of you."
She slipped her hands out of his, laced her own fingers together and pressed them to her lips. Soniee was following what Korkie's train of thought would have been. It wasn't hard, she knew him so well. He would assume if she was sleeping and Fox had been with her...
"I'm sorry, Soniee," said Fox sincerely. "I've hurt you."
"No, it's my fault. I should have been honest with you from the beginning. But..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I've been so afraid. I'm still afraid. If they knew that he and I... They know what I can do. If they captured him... If they tortured him... I would do anything to protect him. I killed three men to protect him, almost a fourth, and I would have finished that one off too if Bo hadn't done it first..." She was shaking, her hands now curled into fists. She remembered the fear and the anger and the power...
Fox jumped down from his stool, rounded the island, and wrapped his arms around her. "K'uur Son'ika, it's not your fault."
She clung to him. "Aren't you afraid that I'll hurt you again? And-and why are you still here? You should go. I can't promise you anything. I can't repeat those words you said to me. It's - it's cruel for me to keep you here."
He held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "I'm certainly not going to leave you like this. You were never really mine to lose, right? Just give me some occupation, Soniee, or I'll run mad."
Soniee swallowed and looked up at him through her tears. "I- I do have an opening for an ori'vod. I had a friend who was like a big brother to me and he - he died. I know no one could ever replace him, but..."
"Then ori'vod I'll be." Fox had tears in his eyes too and he just kept holding her tight. "I did speak to the quarter master. Did I tell you?"
"You said that you meant to." She relaxed her head against his chest plate. The fear and anger were ebbing away. She felt safe in his arms. She could sense that he still would have liked for them to be more than just vode, but he was trying for her sake.
"It still might take them a while but I'll keep at them. And I doubt it will be a fighter. How would you like a little freighter? You could modify it however you like and then you could fly anywhere you want to go. You could go back to Mandalore or see what Onderon is like, or..."
"Fox, thank you."
"Hey, uh..." He put his hands on her shoulders, held her out at arms length, and attempted a smile. "How 'bout we watch a holo or something until the Senator gets back?"
She nodded. "Okay." She tucked her helmet under her arm and then she picked up the two glasses of juice and headed toward the couch. "What do you want to watch?" She asked, calming down and warming to the idea of just hanging out.
Fox began to remove a few of his armored plates and set them in a neat pile by the side of the couch. "How about that one you mentioned before? Something about... 'take me to bed or lose me forever'?" He gave her a sheepish grin.
She blushed but she gave a shrug, "Alright, it's about military pilots so you'll probably like it."
They started out just sitting next to each other laughing. Soniee had forgotten how ridiculous the actual military and piloting parts of the story were handled in the script. Then she laid her head on his shoulder and finally snuggled closer to him when he put his arm around her. It was so comfortable that she began to doze off. She wasn't so far gone though that she didn't feel him stroking her hair or hear him singing softly along with the leading man on the holo.
"You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips, and there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips. You're trying hard not to show it, but baby, baby you know it..."
Soniee pretended to be asleep, letting him mourn something he could never have.
Half an hour later Padme arrived home and found them both sound asleep cuddled up on the couch with the holo still running. She didn't want to disturb them. She was too tired to answer questions or ask them, tonight. But her foot caught on one of Fox's armor plates as she walked across the dark room and the clatter woke them both.
Fox woke with part of the song he had been singing still in his mind, "Baby, baby, I'll get down on my knees for you."
Soniee tumbled off the couch giggling and blushed when she saw Padme. She stood quickly and shut off the holo. "Padme you're back. Are you alright? I saw the trial. Is Ahsoka okay?"
Fox stood up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
Padme looked curiously at the two of them before she answered. "I'm tired. It's been a long day. Ahsoka is fine or so I'm told."
"Did they ask her back to re-join the Order?" Soniee asked.
Padme, sad and exhausted, answered, "They did, but... she refused." Then softer she added, "Anakin is devastated."
"She refused?" Soniee patted Fox's hand on her shoulder for him to release her and then went to Padme. "Do you want us to leave so you..." she meant, the two of you. They hadn't discussed the kiss that Soniee had witnessed but she was sure the Senator would want to comfort the Jedi. "...can be alone?"
"No," Padme studied the younger girl while she answered as if she understood what was being offered. "Maybe some other time. Now I'd really just like to get some sleep."
"I'll just get out of your way then, Ladies." Fox gathered up the armor plates that had scattered over the floor from their neat stack. He gave the Senator a polite nod and then obviously wishing that he could give Soniee a different, more private, kind of good-bye or no good-bye at all, he said simply. "I'll let you know about the ship as soon as I hear something."
"Thanks, Fox."
He smiled, "Anything for you, Vod'ika." And made his exit.
Padme couldn't help but ask. "Do you mind if I ask what's been happening in my apartment while I was away?"
"Well," Soniee considered her response. "Nothing happened last night, something almost happened this morning, and I think we have an understanding now."
Padme raised an eyebrow.
"He's seeing about getting me a ship to replace the one that blew up in the Temple hanger, so I can get home to Korkie."
"Even though he obviously has feelings for you?"
"Y-yes." Soniee looked down at her hands and noticing that they were empty hurried to find her helmet again, picked it up, and hugged it like a child's favorite toy.
"Are you sure, you're alright?" Padme asked.
Soniee nodded. "I spoke to Lagos today. She knows where Korkie is. She said she would have him send me a comm." She held up the helmet.
"Ah." Padme nodded, understanding. "Well I don't envy the position you're in with your admirers but if you want to talk about it... tomorrow. I am simply too tired tonight."
"Alright. Thank you, Padme. Goodnight."
1. Haryc b'aalyc - "tired and emotional", euphemism for "drunk"
2. Fox has a lot better voice than Tom Cruse, and
3. the line "give me some occupation or I shall run mad" is a variation on my favorite Colonel Brandon line from Sense and Sensibility. Love you, Always, Alan Rickman!