When footsteps sounded in the hall, accompanied by the whirring of a hover-chair, Revan and Carth released each other. Thaymina appeared in the doorway, maneuvering a hover-chair in front of her.

"Here you are. It's worse than most civilian models, but better than nothing."

"Trust the Jedi to use a cheap contractor," Revan quipped, satisfied when the corner of Carth's mouth twitched. Not that angry, then. Thaymina shook her head.

"Trust indeed. I want you to use this for a least a week and stay in the brace for at least two."

"I'll see what I can do," Carth said with a wince as they helped him into the chair. His lack of resistance was surprising, and Revan chalked it up to pain and stiffness. Jolee had made her wear a sling for nearly a month after the Star Forge (though after a week she only wore it within sight of him), after all.

"I assume you'll be staying here for the time being?" Thaymina asked. Revan nodded. "I have an apartment I'm willing to lend you."

"You have an apartment?"

"It's in my name, at least. It's used by my sister, Gav, a few of our Jedi friends, one of their smuggler friends, Gav's sister and her unit… anyone who needs a place to stay. Since your last 'apartment—'" She arched air quotations around the word — "just got blown up by the Empire, I thought you could use it too."

"Thanks," Carth replied, settling into the chair with a wince. "I'm sure our old apartment got rented out by now."

"I'm sure they held it for 300 years," Revan said. "Give Carth the details. I have to meet with Rans."

"Rans?" Carth shook his head. "Not without me."

"Why?" It was a little too defensive, and she sighed. "Sorry, flyboy, I—"

"Just so he doesn't set you off. You're already angry about it, and that makes it a minefield." He reached over with a wince and squeezed her arm. "I don't trust him to keep his mouth shut."

"You can just say you don't trust me to not push him out a window."

Carth chuckled. "That, too."

Thaymina, I'm the process of shaking her head, took her datapad back from T3. "I gave T3 the information. It's probably safer with him than anyone else."

"Not untrue," Revan said. "All right. Rans."

As they left, she grasped Thaymina's arm.

"Thank you," she breathed, perhaps more sincerely than ever before. Thaymina simply nodded.

#

Rans' aid stopped Carth and the droids at the door, leaving Revan to still enter the office alone. The Supreme Commander was at his desk, a pair of glasses perched precariously on his nose as he watched recent news from the front.

"Empire's taking this story on a joy ride," he mumbled as Revan sat down uninvited.

"The Foundry?" He nodded and tilted the screen toward her. "A parade on Dromund Kaas in my honor? I'm touched by the blatant showing of propaganda."

Perhaps despite himself, Rans chuckled. "How is Onasi?"

"Sitting outside in a hover-chair, wondering how long it'll take me to throw you out a window."

Rans paused. "Are you planning on—"

"You don't have to hit the alarm under your desk, I think the lashing I gave you in the meeting did enough."

"Yes, well, most of High Command did not have the details of our conversation until today."

She stared at him for a moment. "So not even an apology?"

"You've had this job. Would you apologize?"

"I wouldn't be in this situation."

"Of course not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rans promptly changed the subject. "I want to make an offer. Onasi will be on medical leave for some time and I assume your current status as 'deceased' will have you lying low."

"Mm."

"As I said, you've had this job before. I'll be damned how you did it at twenty-three, but you did. The Republic could use that."

"If this is your definition of lying low—"

"I'm not resigning for you, if that's what you're insinuating, I'm offering you a spot in strategic command."

"I didn't know we were friends."

"Godsdamn it, Revan, can you listen for a moment?" She fell silent. "As I'm sure you know, the Republic is fucked."

Revan nodded. While the Republic would always be an improvement over the Empire, its reliance on Senate oversight and the bleeding-heart morals of its populace — including herself — did not lend itself well to fighting an enemy for whom morals were a tertiary concern, if they were one at all.

"I can think of another war where the Republic was fucked, and there is one very fortunate common denominator for us."

The Mandalorian Wars, no doubt. "Me."

"Yes."

"You do know that the Court, three hundred years ago, wrote up a 1,433-page document outlining my commission of 743 separate war crimes?"

He paused. "Not that many but… generally, yes."

"And that's the type of person you want in Strategic Command?"

"Right now, someone who understands the Empire's commanders and how they think is what we need in Strategic Command, regardless of anything else. The Moffs are at the beck and call of the Sith. None of us understand them. You do and, more importantly, you understand their master."

"The Emperor."

"Yes."

She sighed. "It isn't like I can get a job in the civilian sector."

"You'd make a good CEO."

"Don't insult me, Rans."

He shook his head with a wan smirk. "Was that a yes?"

"It wasn't a no. Am I getting paid, or am I a 'Jedi contractor' again?"

"We aren't in the habit of paying Jedi—"

"Which is, frankly, terrible but that aside, I'm not one. I use the weapon and wear the clothes, and that's where the similarities lie. You want my expertise, which has nothing to do with the Jedi. I've looked up the price of housing these days, it's ridiculous. Carth's medical leave pay will have us living in the Hawk." Not that she'd be opposed. "And let's talk about docking fees while we're there, because that's at least half an apartment itself. I—"

"You made your point. I'll work in a salary agreement."

"I appreciate the sacrifice."

He shook his head and continued. "You'll largely be on call for when we run into trouble or have a complex situation progressing. I'm sure there will be other times, but is that acceptable for now?"

"As long as you understand that Carth is my priority, at least until he's mobile again."

"Unless there is a problem."

"Fine. One more caveat." Rans motioned. "Carth comes with me. No deploying, no shoving him out in the way of a Sith fleet. We stay together. He's got a brain for ship combat and an old reputation from my day to match. I think it's safe to say we're a package deal now."

Rans studied her for a moment before sighing. "Very well. Is there anything else?"

"I can't think of anything. Don't piss me off again, maybe. I already looked into vapor farming on Tatooine."

He paused, almost as determining whether she was serious. "Ah, right. I have nothing else."

"Where's this contract, then?"

"DR-74 will have it in a second."

About two minutes of silence passed as Revan studied the view out of Rans' windows and Rans' attention returned to the vidscreen. Finally a protocol droid hurried through and handed the Supreme Commander a datapad. After a quick read, he passed it across the desk.

"There you are."

Revan read through it. Satisfied that he wasn't screwing her over, she signed it at the bottom and passed it back. "I'll get a copy of that?"

"I'm sending it now." He held his hand over the desk, and she shook it. "Welcome back, General."

"Well, that's a mistake," she replied.

#

"What'd he want?" Carth asked as the door to Rans' office suite closed behind her. Revan shrugged.

"Offered me a job. You want to head to the apartment?"

"I could use it, yeah." They started down the hallway, Revan leaning on his chair. "What are we doing for dinner?"

"What shore food do you want first?"

"Anything that doesn't come from a synthesizer."

Revan chuckled. "I'm not sure what Coruscant has in the way of food offerings anymore, but we'll find out."

They were quiet the rest of the walk through the Senate tower, except while exchanging pleasantries with Khemmaa as they picked up Mora, and then while a taxi flew them to Thaymina's apartment. Revan was sure he was preparing another lecture, and she didn't want the driver to report her apparent "living" status to anyone that might take offense. Eventually they reached a large apartment not far from the ruins of the Jedi Temple and far nicer than Revan, at least, expected.

"I guess the Republic pays her," Carth said quietly.

Revan snorted. "They're paying me now too, at least."

"Think we can afford one of these places?"

"You do our finances." Carth chuckled, and the taxi pulled into the apartment's private shuttle pad.

"That'll be 20 credits," the droid up front said. Revan motioned to the door and dropped Mora onto Carth's lap.

"I'll take care of it. Can you get out all right?"

He was already halfway out of the taxi, navigating the hover-chair through the narrow doors with a surprising ease, and looked back.

"I'm a pilot."

She huffed, grumbling let your wife worry occasionally as she transferred the credits to the taxi and motioned the droids out. When she stepped onto the entry platform, Carth was waiting for her with Mora on his lap and a confused expression on his face.

"What?" Revan looked down at her tunic. "Is something on my shirt?"

"What did you say?"

"What?"

"Right then."

Revan started past him into the apartment proper. "I said you needed to let me worry occasionally."

"Not that." Carth's superior mobility let him catch up to her almost immediately. "What you called yourself."

"Specifically I said, 'let your wife worry occasionally.' Why?"

"Are we married?"

"In some jurisdictions, three hundred years probably falls under 'common law.'"

Carth grumbled under his breath. "The last time I asked, you said no."

"I said no because I was afraid of the Council. I also gave a damn what they thought."

"So what if I asked you now?"

"Before or after you're not mad anymore, and before or after a nice dinner?" It was difficult right now, what with her suspicions about Carth's continued irritation about the Foundry, but she hoped he knew she was joking.

"Either, and either," he replied as they crossed the threshold. "I don't not love you just because you're an awful person."

She pressed a hand to her chest in mock horror. "What a thing to say — and on my birthday."

"It's not your birthday, gorgeous."

"That aside." Carth stopped his chair, and Revan took a few steps before turning back. "What?"

"Damn it." He glanced down at the spare tunic he'd been given at the Enclave. "I just realized all our things got blown up with the Foundry."

Revan shrugged. "We can get more. And I don't think anyone else is here, so no one's going to care if we're naked." Carth motioned pointedly to the apartment's large windows. She shrugged again. "Then we'll order some things off the Holonet and have them sent over, or I'll send HK out for them."

"We'll have them delivered."

"There you go. What do you want for dinner?"

"Surprise me. I'll work on the clothing situation."

She grinned and raised her brows. "Buy me something nice."

Carth turned his chair toward the guest room Thaymina had indicated, barely hiding a responding grin. "I plan on it."

#

As an apology, dinner that night came from a Telosian place that got lost trying to deliver. Carth was settled into a chair in an upstairs sitting room near their suite, watching despairing news coverage of Revan's death, when she finally brought the food up.

"They're really going for it, aren't they?" he asked. She shrugged and set a tray in front of him.

"Too bad they didn't last time." Revan settled down on the sofa next to his chair. "Not like it's taken either time."

"Which is good. Is this Telosian?"

"Mm. New place, though that doesn't mean much."

"This looks like…" He took a bite. "Not as good as my mother's though."

"Sorry." Revan tried some. For someone used to Jedi food, everything that wasn't both tasted the same and tasted different, and she was never sure how she felt about it.

He shook his head. "Doubt anything ever will be."

They ate in silence, watching as the news finally broke away from the Foundry and to other parts of the war, which was going badly. Revan tuned it out until Carth changed the channel to some random holovid of questionable quality.

"Thanks."

"The amount of fear-mongering is getting out of hand. Are you sure you don't want—"

"Yes." She said it with a finality that silenced him immediately. "They can live without Revan, and be happy they don't need her."

"If you're sure."

"Positive."

They watched the vid for a few moments in silence.

"Are you still angry?" Revan asked quietly. Carth glanced at her.

"A little. But…" He speared something in his takeout container. "I talked to Thaymina about it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She said your writings before you disappeared were edging toward a theory of — I — I don't remember. But it means you can do things like that, using—"

"Powers traditionally associated with the Dark Side?"

"Yeah, those. Without the same problems. And I don't understand it, I told you that… but that doesn't change that I'm afraid of it."

"I'm not unafraid of it, if that's what you want to hear. The Force is a hell of a thing, Carth. It's smart to approach it with a healthy dose of fear."

"If you're careful, I — I'll trust you. If you're careful."

"I'm always careful."

"No, you aren't."

"Fair. I'm careful about this."

Carth nodded. "Then I'm not mad."

Revan slid closer to the chair. "I didn't want you to be mad at me."

"I know."

They finished eating and Revan dumped their empty takeout containers into the trash chute nearby, then squeezed her way onto the chair with Carth and nestled against his chest. He curled one arm around her waist, letting his other rest still on the arm of the chair. The show on the vidscreen changed to something even worse, but neither of them really noticed or cared.

"You know, when we got here, you—"

"Called myself your wife, I know. I was there."

"Yeah. And remember the last time I asked?"

"I broke a plate and started crying."

"Yeah."

"I was also like, five months pregnant, and hormones are—"

"No, I just… it's still on the table."

"What, getting married?"

"Yeah."

Revan lifted her head. "You're not afraid I'll run off again?"

He stared at her. "Are you planning on it?"

"No."

"Then no, I'm not."

She nodded. "I mean, it isn't like we need it."

"Does that matter? It's not about needing it, it's about wanting it. It's about commitment."

"I'm—" Revan sighed. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't really get it. It's important to you?"

"Yeah. It is."

"All right. If it's important to you, I'll do it."

"You—" He closed his mouth, almost like he'd been ready for her to argue with him. "Wait—"

"I said yes. When?"

Carth studied her rather seriously for a moment, and she pouted at him. "Damn it, woman."

"What?"

"Do you want to, or—"

"What I want," she murmured, leaning in and kissing him, "is to make your grumpy ass happy."

"My grumpy ass?"

"No, see, I have a reputation to maintain. If anyone saw me like this," Revan motioned to herself where she sat on his lap, back against one arm of the chair and her legs over the other, "I'd never live it down. You're just grumpy." Carth grumbled under his breath.

"I just want to make sure you're not—"

"I don't feel obliged, no. And, please understand how much what I'm about to say terrifies me." She ran her fingers through his hair. "I am absolutely committed to you. If this shows that, then I'm willing to do it. I — this isn't legal in the Jedi so I never thought about it, and the concept has always been weird. It isn't you, or having any type of legal tie to you. It's just a strange holdover from my… well, my life."

"So you aren't just—"

"No. I promise, Carth."

He tilted his head and she met his lips, making sure he didn't move his back too much.

"When, then?" she asked as they drew apart.

"Whenever we want." He shifted in the chair with a wince. "Preferably not before I can walk more than five feet again."

"If you insist," she replied, with false insincerity.

"Speaking of walking." He leaned around her and turned off the vidscreen. "I was sedated for our entire trip back to Coruscant, but I'm exhausted."

Revan nodded. "Can I get you anything beforehand? Something to drink? Anything else?" She arched a brow. Carth sighed, though a grin belied it, and kissed her temple.

"Again, maybe when I can walk more than five feet."

"I'll do all the work."

Another sigh. "Tomorrow."

A/N: If you're enjoying this, remember that you can give me a small tip! See my profile for details. And if not, reviews, favorites, and all that are always appreciated! I'm a very simple woman, after all.