Andronikos watched Pella move around his room making notes. He had to admit it wasn't the nicest room, but he kept it mostly clean. Except for all the spilled alcohol.

He didn't understand what was wrong with his sheets. Liri'd never complained.

"I'll call her as soon as we're done here."

"Alright."

Pella picked up the force-resistant restraints from beside the bed, "Do you need these anymore?"

"Just leave them."

Pella cocked an eyebrow at him, "Your Sith wife lets you put force-resistant restraints on her?"

"I said leave them."

"If you ever question that she loves you again, I'll give you scars." She moved onto the rest of the room, murmuring something uncomplimentary under her breath.

Andronikos looked around the room.

"What else should we change?"

"Maybe some more storage," Pella said. "And you'll need a room for her to train Ashara and Xalek."

"I'm hoping she'll help train the crew too."

"She already said she would," Pella said absent-mindedly.

"When did you talk to her about it?"

"She was here for two weeks. She and I talked about a number of things." Pella stared at him, "She was pretty worried about you. Wanted to know what the past year had been like."

"What did you tell her?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

She nodded, "I didn't go into detail, but yeah." She shrugged, "Can't exactly lie to her, she'd know immediately."

"Even about that time when we went back to Nar Shaddaa..." he swallowed.

"Oh fuck no, I figured you should have to tell her about that one. I more spoke about what you were like."

"How'd she take it?"

Pella shifted uncomfortably, "Well, she cried."

Andronikos sat down on his bed. "She cried?"

"Yeah, she felt super guilty." Pella looked thoughtful. "I think that was the moment I decided she and I should be friends."

"Because she cried?"

"Because she'd hurt you and she'd done what was necessary, but it hadn't left her unmarked. I guess. She's that powerful of a Sith and she cried in front of someone she'd just met. I already respected you and then I got why you pined for her."

Andronikos nodded, hiding what he was feeling. "I never figured you on being sentimental."

Pella scowled at him, "That's not... She was real, not some evil creature with nothing more to her than wanting everything dead or bleeding."

"I know what you mean." He missed her so much at that moment. She hadn't even been gone that long.

Pella moved around the room again. "Does she have a lot of belongings?"

"I tend to get her a lot of stuff, but no, she doesn't like to travel with a lot."

"We still have some stuff we haven't sold off or used from the raids in storage."

"I always took a few pieces for her with my cut anyway."

Pella eyed him, "Where do you keep that?"

"I have a special section of storage."

"Oh, I know about that one, but you've kept that for the past year."

He looked at her confused, "Yeah, so?"

Pella faced him squarely, "Andronikos, what was the original deal with Darth Decimus?"

"I run highly profitable raids on Republic planets and independent planets for him, give him a cut, take out specific targets, my crew gets well paid and I get my wife back, kidnapped, whatever he had to do."

Pella stared at him, open-mouthed.

"She was my wife, dammit!" He got up and paced, "I needed her back. Now I know she needed me back too."

"Why are you mad?"

Andronikos paused, "I thought you were judging me."

Pella's mouth twitched, "It's a pretty smart idea. What was the plan once you got her here? Chain her to the wall and make her love you again?"

"It would have worked. At least she'd just be here. With me."

Pella grinned, "You are such a softie."

"Shut up."

"Alright, well I have everything I need. I'll start making arrangements tomorrow." She stretched, "Wanna go spar?"

"Sure. Not going to be able to concentrate on anything else anyway."

Several days later, there was Twi'lek in his room, although not the one he wanted to see.

"How'd you get in here?"

Vel stood up from the holoterminal and moved towards him.

"What are you doing?" He tried to palm the light on.

"You're alone tonight." She said from near him.

"Obviously. Why are the lights out?"

"Pretend I'm her."

"What?" He stood frozen for a minute, as she unfastened his pants. Then her body was sliding down his as she put his hands on her lekku and he could almost believe it was Liri in the dark on her knees between his legs. He gasped without thinking, squeezing her lekku until he realized what was going on.

"She'll kill you," he choked out.

Her head drew back a moment. "Who do you think told me to do this?"

"I'll kill her."

"Pretend I'm her, Andronikos. Or consider me a gift, whichever you prefer." Then her head bent to him again.

"No," he snarled, trying to push her away. "I told her I didn't want this!" A sharp pain hit him in the leg and he gasped in horror.