Nev nearly fell over when she walked through her studio door to find him, standing against her counter with two glasses of wine.
He bowed his head toward her, "Nev."
It'd been three months - longest she'd ever gone without seeing him since they met. She'd never gotten any contact information for him; that just wasn't how the relationship worked. Passionate, uncomplicated, no obligations, but an unspoken understanding that they had a steadfast partner available whenever they needed. They had been entirely out of touch.
Her mouth hung open. "Th… Thrawn."
He sensed her hesitation, standing straight. "I hope I'm not… intruding?"
Her head spun. She had a lot to catch him up on. A little notice, a little time to prepare, might have been nice. But that wasn't the nature of their relationship. "No, no, of course you're welcome. If you weren't I would have changed the passcode." She staggered around him, leaning on the counter. "It's good to see you."
"I'm happy I was finally able to break away long enough to visit. It has been too long."
She nodded slowly, "It has. I've… I've missed you. Very much."
He slid the glass toward her, but she shook her head, "No, no, thank you."
His eyes narrowed. "Are you okay? You're behaving very strangely."
She inhaled deeply, "Yes. Yes, I'm okay, I'm just very surprised to see you and… things have changed while you were gone."
"Oh?" He glanced to the door, "You're certain I'm not intruding?"
He was afraid she'd found someone else while he was gone for such a long time. It was a foolish thought on his behalf. She was far too attached to him for such a thing.
"Yes, please, don't… just…" She let out a harsh puff of air, "I wasn't expecting you. And… something's happened."
"You look dazed, would you like to sit down?" He pulled a stool to her and she sunk into in gratefully. He got her a glass of water. "Something is wrong. What is it?"
She tried to drink the glass of water as slowly as possible, so she had time to consider her approach.
"How do you feel about… children?"
His expression didn't change. His face didn't change. He didn't even blink.
"Thrawn?"
"What?"
"Children? Your opinion?"
"You're…"
She sniffed a little. "Yes."
Another long, expressionless silence.
"You're certain it's mine?"
She huffed a laugh that sounded more panicked than she intended it. "What? Am I certain it's…" Her mind was already starting to spiral out of her control. This seemed to be happening more and more often lately. "What do you even mean by that?! Of course I'm certain it's yours! It has occurred to me over the past few months that we've never really stated this is an exclusive sort of relationship and you may very well be flitting across the galaxy with other women but…"
He put his hands up to stop her. She wasn't fond of the gesture; she wanted to swat his hands away.
"BUT," She continued loudly, feeling tears start to roll down her cheeks, "But I have never been anything other than entirely dedicated to you, which might have been stupid on my behalf…"
"Nev." He looked very worried. He'd never seen her cry before. "Please stop. I don't… I barely have time to come see you, I don't know when I'd even fit others into my schedule."
She wiped viciously at her cheeks, "I'm sorry."
He looked at her for a long moment. "When did you find out?"
"Weeks ago. I would have let you know, but…"
"But I've never given you a means to contact me." He paused. "I will need to reassess that."
"… Yes, you might want to."
"Does anyone know?"
She shook her head, "No, nobody yet."
He nodded slowly. "Good. Nobody should know."
"Thrawn, I can't exactly hide this… I'm starting to show."
"Nobody should know the child is related to me. That knowledge being public would pose a great risk to both you and the child. That can't be allowed to happen."
"Thrawn…"
He started pacing the counter. "I suppose we rarely discuss the nature of my employment. I have never made it clear to you that I do hold a position of somewhat considerable influence. I happen to be one of the highest ranking commanders of the Chiss Defense Fleet, and prior to that held a similar position within the Galactic Empire. I do hope you understand, there are a good deal of people who would do anything to get to me, even if it means hurting you or the child. It is unfortunate, but sacrifices will have to be made to keep you both secure…"
Well, that was news. The Empire… Nivo never had to suffer their presence, but their corruption was notorious enough to even be known on Nivo. Very odd, from what she heard their government was facing a considerable rebellion. And he… was with them once? And is now with the Chiss? Had he defected?
Her head spun again and she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop pacing. It wasn't making her feel any better. "Thrawn. Thank you for just finally letting me know that, but we have a somewhat immediate issue we should consider. Given the nature of Nivo... What if it's blue?"
Another painful silence.
"I don't know."
That was the last thing she wanted to hear him say.
He shook his head quickly, "I will see to it that you are both safe. You have my word."
"What do half Human, half Chiss people usually look like?"
"I don't know. To be honest, I didn't know this even could happen." He rubbed his face. "This brings up a whole set of new issues… How long is a typical human pregnancy?"
"Nine months, why?"
He hummed, frowning.
"Is something wrong?" She was frightened by his reaction.
"With Chiss it is closer to seven months. This may be problematic." He started pacing again.
"Thrawn…"
"Have you seen a doctor yet?"
"Yes."
"What did they say?"
"That I was pregnant." She said flatly. She was getting sick of his barrage of questions.
He frowned at her sarcasm. "I need to take you to a good doctor."
"My doctor is perfectly…"
"No." He was already stepping around her, going to the room. "Your doctor knows nothing of Chiss. I know someone who can help us. I trust him."
She could hear him digging through his travel bag. She went into the room just as he pulled his communicator device from his bag. She snatched it from his hand.
"Nev. There is no time for this; you need to see a doctor soon. You may be giving birth in a few months and…"
She tossed it back in the bag. "Thrawn… can you please stop for a moment? I just want to speak with you."
He looked down at her blankly.
"I'm not trying to delay anything important, but I have been completely alone in this for three months now and I would really, really like to ask you a few questions before you find me a doctor."
He looked at her for a moment. "Yes. Yes, of course."
"Thank you." She took off her coat. She hadn't even had time to remove it from her shoulders since she walked through the door. "I guess I would like to begin with my first question. How do you feel about children?"
He blinked. "I haven't thought of them much, to be honest. It never occurred to me as something that would happen… Or in our case, even that could happen."
She tossed her jacket onto the middle of the bed and seated herself on the corner. "I have always felt the same way, I suppose. I guess that leads to my second question: How do you feel about us having a child?"
"Admittedly, I am somewhat relieved."
She raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"If this were to mistakenly happen with anyone, I'm quite relieved is with you."
"What do you mean?"
He tilted his head, "You will make a good mother."
"You think I'm motherly?"
"No, that is not the right way to say it. You are strong. And quite self-reliant." He nodded, like he was entirely sure those were the two essential ingredients. "You will be a good mother."
She was flattered – she wasn't nearly as confident in herself in regard to the matter. "That leads to my third question. Will it have a father?"
He looked at her.
"Listen, as you said I am very self-reliant. If you do not have the time or the interest in being a part of its life, I can manage very well on my own."
He was quiet for some time. "In these matters, I think it would be wrong of me to not defer to you. I would like to know the child, if you find that suitable. However, I have duties as well. The nature of my visits to you…" He paused, suddenly sounding terribly sad, "they cannot change. Given your consent, I am - of course - interested in supporting you and the child in my absence."
She looked at him closely for a moment. "Can you quit calling it that?"
"What?"
"The child… it's not the child, it's our child."
Another silence. "Is that your approval?"
"Well, I would like our child to know its father, of course. Even if you can't be here much. I think it would be a good thing."
He leaned forward and took her chin in his hand, kissing her.
It was the first time he'd ever done that.
"Thank you."
She returned the kiss, "Thrawn, I'm sorry, but I'm terribly frightened, I don't know what to expect of this."
"I will take care of this. Everything will be fine."
It was a complete lie, and she knew it, but it was comforting that he said it so confidently.
His fingertips pressed against the side of her waist. "Can I…"
She she nodded.
She felt his breath catch as his hand graced over her slightly bulging stomach.
Just two days later, Thrawn disappeared from her studio, telling her the doctor he had for her was finally there. He went to greet him and bring him back to her studio.
She wasn't even sure how Thrawn himself managed to get through Nivo's tight borders every time he came to visit, much less how he managed to get his friend through. When they returned, she was surprised to find that his friend, an alien care specialist, was in fact a human. He appeared to be in his 40's with neatly groomed graying hair and a sort of regal, long nose.
He looked at her, blinking. Or more accurately, he didn't really look at her – she wore a flowing tunic that didn't hide her stomach well. He looked at her stomach.
"Enos, this is Nev Sebai. Nev, Enos Worth, the specialist I've told you about."
Enos held a hand out to her, "It's good to meet you. Thrawn tells me you're…"
"You're not a very good doctor if you can't tell." She folded her arms.
He looked at her stomach again. "Yes, well… If you needed official confirmation, yes, I do think she is in fact pregnant, Thrawn." He looked back to his friend. "Congratulations."
She finally shook his hand. "It's good to meet you. I've already been looked at; I'm not sure what Thrawn expects of your visit here."
He nodded, inhaling deeply. "Let's all sit down."
She and Enos took to stools from the counter area. Thrawn didn't sit; he remained standing beside her. Enos must have been familiar with his quirks – he didn't even react to Thrawn's bazaar behavior.
"So, Thrawn reached out to me a few days ago and asked me to come to your planet here. He did not, for security reasons, state the purpose of my trip during that conversation. If I can be blunt with you, I only found out the nature of this issue moments ago when he met me at my ship. As Thrawn has likely mentioned to you, I specialize in non-human care, and by in part I have dealt with my fair share of hybrid pregnancies. I can assure you that my knowledge of both human and Chiss care in these situations is thorough, however, if I can be honest, I've never actually seen or heard of a human/Chiss hybrid."
She folded her arms again. "Isn't your job to make me feel better?"
"My job is to make sure that you are aware of the realities of what you're facing, and to ensure that you and the child are in good health. Making you feel better is unfortunately not high on my priority list, though I will do my best." He paused. "Do understand, I'm not trying to upset you, I'm trying to convey the reality of your situation clearly."
She could see why Thrawn referred to this man as his friend. "So how do you intend on helping us?"
"With your permission, of course, I would like to do an exam, and run a few tests. I want to confirm your overall wellbeing, and get an assessment of the child's development." He paused again, splaying his fingers out on the countertop, "I don't want to speak too soon, but I think I will be safe to give you both some reassurance off the bat here. First, as I'm sure you know, humans and Chiss are relatively similar from a biological standpoint. There are a few notable differences, but purely from a physical standpoint we are talking about two mammalian species with very similar physiques. We have that working in our favor. We don't need to worry about anything like gills or horns."
"What?"
"Yes…" He paused, "Oh, you don't get off this planet much, do you?"
She tilted her head, hoping the look she gave him burned his skin.
"Okay, well, as I said that does work in our favor. There are a few differences we will need to address, the first being gestation periods. Chiss females generally carry around seven months while humans carry closer to nine. Since the mother, in this case," he motioned to Nev, like they may have needed clarification on that point, "is human, we should expect your body to try to carry the child for a full nine-month period. However, Chiss tend to mature faster so there is a chance that your body may try to hang onto the child for an extra few months when it is ready to be birthed. This is something I will be able to assess with regular exams. I think it's safe to say I should be here for exams every two weeks moving forward."
"And if it is the case that the child is ready to be born but my body isn't ready to have it?"
"We're lucky enough that is a simple issue to resolve. I can induce birth at that point. Another point that might be worth bringing up is that Chiss tend to have very fast metabolisms – don't be surprised if you find yourself very hungry in the coming months, if you haven't already noticed the effect. Remember, you're eating for two and that one," he pointed to her stomach, "Is going to want a lot."
Next to her, Thrawn nodded, "I take it, then, that you will agree to return here for regular exams?"
Enos nodded. "Well, yes. Only because it's you, Thrawn."
"Do either of you intend on giving me any say in the matter?"
They both looked at her like they'd forgotten she was in the room.
She nodded to Enos, "You will return if I would like you. Understood?"
He glanced to Thrawn like he was about to start laughing. She already didn't want him returning. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a woman involved with Thrawn."
"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean." She snapped at him.
Thrawn left the two of them for the exam, which she hated even more.
Enos was quiet for awhile, shuffling through his bag of supplies.
"What's he like?"
"Thrawn? Haven't you known him for some time?"
" I mean… I've known the man for over a decade now. He's just very professional. Even around me, despite having been friends with him for all that time."
She blinked. "Well… I can't imagine he's that much different. He's always been very well mannered, reserved, well spoken…"
"How long has he been coming here?"
"A few years."
Enos whistled. "Years? How has he managed to hide you from all us for years?"
From his reaction, she assumed this must be a great feat. She shrugged, "He's careful."
"To say the least…" He started scanning her with little beeping devices. "I've never seen him like this."
"Like what?"
"Worried. Thrawn is always… Always in control of any situation he's in. I think this is the first time he's ever been caught completely off guard in a situation he probably knows literally nothing about but cares for a great deal." He glanced to the door and lowered his voice, "Do you know what he said to me when I got off my ship?"
"Hm?"
"When he first reached out to me he just said that he had an urgent matter he needed assistance with, and that it was to be kept entirely private. He was very explicit in stressing how urgent it was. I thought he was injured or something. I get off the ship here and he looks like… honestly it's the only time I've ever seen him look afraid. He stuttered. Thrawn actually stuttered for a moment when he was explaining to me that he'd gotten some human woman pregnant. And the whole way here, he just kept going on and on, like his mind wouldn't stop working. About genetic variants between humans and Chiss and how that might affect the child and could anything like that possibly have an adverse affect on you?" He laughed. "You should be very flattered. He cares deeply for you. And for your child."
She was starting to warm up to him a little. He clearly meant well, and while he was a bit chatty she could see why Thrawn trusted him with something this important.
"You know, I thought you would be like him." She said.
"What? Military?"
"No, that's not what I meant…"
"Oh… You thought I would be a Chiss?"
"Yes, or at least… not human."
He laughed a little. "No, no I'm very human. As far as Chiss go, they're so incredibly rare to run across it shouldn't surprise you that I'm not one. I specialize in non-human care, but Thrawn is the first Chiss I ever met. His species was actually entirely unknown to us when we first met. The second one I met about three years ago, but other than that… you just don't see them unless you get close to their area of space."
"How did you meet him?"
"The Imperial Navy hired me as a consultant shortly after the Clone Wars, to help them assess their non-human related needs. I was working for them off and on when I got news of a Chiss officer who had just joined the ranks. They wanted me to take care of his physical exam before he was processed. We've been friends sense."
"How often have you had to deal with this sort of situation?"
"You mean a cross-species birth?"
"Pregnancies in general."
"Ah, well, I've performed about 15 or 16 deliveries over the years. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I can assure you I'm well acquainted enough with the situation to understand what I need to do. And, if I can be frank, I don't think you have too much to worry about."
"Oh?" This was hugely reassuring to her.
"Listen, the last hybrid delivery I did was a Twi'lek woman having the child of a Togruta, which… you don't know what those are, do you?"
"I'm afraid not."
He pulled a datapad out of his bag and clicked around, pulling up an image of a being that looked essentially like a human with an ornate patterned headdress and facial markings. "So that's a Togruta. The thing on its head - the pointy parts are horns, and then the pieces that hang down are called lekku. They're empty; the species uses them for echolocation. Essentially, they're ears."
"Oh…" She studied the image closely, "It's beautiful. They look very… proud. I love the markings."
He nodded and took the datapad back, flipping to another image of a purple-skinned female alien. She was stunningly beautiful, and had two long tail-like things coming from her head instead of hair.
"That is what a Twi'lek looks like. So, you can imagine, I was a little concerned about a non-horned species giving birth to a child that scans showed was going to have horns at the time of birth."
"Oh. Oh my. What did you do?"
"She wasn't able to have a natural birth. The child had to be removed surgically. But we had an even bigger problem than that to address. Like I mentioned, the Togruta has hollowed out lekku for aural purposes. The Twi'lek also has lekku, but they're not hollow, they contain the individual's brain. So now I had to be very seriously concerned: Was the child going to be born without a brain? If it had a brain, would it be deaf?" He sighed, shaking his head, "It could have gone horribly wrong, but given the situation I think it turned out the best it could. The child was born with two lekku out the back, like a Twi'lek would have, which contained its brain, and then the two front lekku and horns were hollow. I imagine she will possibly have some hearing issues as she ages, however given the situation it could have been much, much worse."
"I suppose that does make me feel better."
"As it should." He smiled at her. "This may be complicated due to who the father is, but I'm fairly confident you don't have to worry about what he is."
Enos' tests came back clear of anything that might cause concern, which eased both their minds a little. He assured her that he would be back in two weeks and would meet her at her studio. He gave her his contact information in the event that anything should come up.
Thrawn stayed for about a week, and seemed very sad to have to leave. She assured him that she would be fine; she'd taken care of herself just fine the past three months and didn't need him to watch over her.
He promised her he would be in contact with her in less than a month. He was hesitant, explaining to her that he needed a little time to devise a secure form of communication. She would be on her own until he was able to return.
She asked when he would be back. He looked terribly sad.
"I'm sorry… this wasn't something I anticipated. I should be able to return in six to eight weeks." He kissed her cheekbone, "I will do everything I can to return sooner."
She shook her head. "Thrawn, I can take care of myself."
"You're not just taking care of yourself."
"You know what I mean. I can take care of both of us. You do what you need to do, and come see us when you're able to. I understand. If I didn't like the nature of this, I would not be involved with you. I would have disappeared and not told you about the child."
He didn't seem reassured.
She was leaving the museum late one evening when she saw a transport vehicle waiting at the bottom of the steps. An attendant stood outside, well dressed with sharp posture. It was the sort of transport one would get for an event – something luxurious.
The man spoke to her, "Are you Miss Sebai?"
"I am?"
He bowed his head to her, motioning to the car, "It's lovely to meet you ma'am, my name is Tag. I'm here at the request of a man by the name of Blu."
She was about to tell him she didn't know anyone by that name when she realized, quite stupidly, that it must have been Thrawn. Blue.
"Thank you… I'm afraid this is something of a surprise. Where are you taking me?"
"He was very clear that I not tell you where I'm taking you. It isn't far though."
She hesitated, and then nodded. He helped her into the back seat.
Tag was polite, chatting with her as they drove through the city. He took her to the edge of the city, then past the reaches of the city. She watched the lights disappear behind them.
"You really can't tell me where we're going?"
"No, but we are almost there."
Five minutes later, he pulled to a stop in front of a large cabin. It was beautiful, built in a tall, angular fashion, and faced out over a frozen lake. Mountains sat on the other side of the lake, surrounded by a white-blanketed forest. The lights were on inside.
He opened the door for her and helped her out, then handed her a key. "I was told to give you instructions to go inside."
Cautiously, she did. It was all very strange.
The home was even more beautiful inside. The side overlooking the lake and mountain was almost solid window, with a tall, vaulted ceiling that echoed shape of the mountain.
It was quiet, empty.
An envelope with her name was on the table. She opened it.
For you. – T
She met Thrawn at the home when he was able to return. Evidently he'd kept a key for himself; he was already inside when she arrived.
He ran his thumb over her cheekbone and kissed her forehead, "Is it acceptable to you?"
"The home? Thrawn… I would have to be very particular to not find this acceptable. It's beautiful."
"I don't expect you to live here, unless you want to, but given the nature of my work and the necessity to be as private as possible… I thought it might be a good location for us to meet moving forward."
"You bought this home for us to meet at?"
"It is your home, for you to use as you please. I strongly suggest that we use it to meet moving forward." He paused, "The less the people of that city see me, particularly around you, the safer you both are."
"How did you even manage to acquire this property? Nivo has a strict policy against allowing outsiders to purchase land."
"As I said, this is your home."
So he'd used her identity to purchase the home for her. Not all that legal, but creative.
"Thrawn, this home is lovely, don't misunderstand me, but you didn't need to purchase this for me. I have a sizable inheritance; money is not an issue for me."
He ignored the comment. "How are you feeling?"
"Heavy."
"Enos tells me everything is going well for both you and the child?"
She nodded, "Yes, as far as I can tell, everything is fantastic. Enos has been a great help."
"He says we should expect the delivery in three or four months?"
She laughed a little. Thrawn was trying to handle this like an official matter. "Yes, at least, it feels like it will. I'm more than half way there. I think I'm ready."
"Really?" The way he said it had this vague, nearly undetectable undertone – he wasn't ready.
"Well yes. Keep in mind that I've been packing this thing around for months now."
"True. True." He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I wanted to give you something."
"This home isn't enough?"
He pulled a small device from his pocket - a comlink with an odd design on the back, like three spears - and handed it to her. "I will be here when it is expected, but in the event that something should happen… in the event that it arrives early… please use this to message me. Any communication is a risk, but this is the best I can do to make it nearly untraceable. Don't use your name or mine, but just… let me know if you need me here. Ever. Please."
She only used the device one time, to send one sentence: I have a surprise for you.