...
Turns was growing more and more doubtful that this had been a good idea the further they walked.
The buildings were growing increasingly decrepit, neglected and narrow and dark. The widows were slatted strips of light shining faintly on the street below which was grimy and scattered with refuse. It was also deserted for the most part. He could hear the far off cry of a man calling something into the night, although what he was yelling was indecipherable, distant and tangled in the wind.
The boy in his arms shivered a little in and Turns pulled him closer, uncertain if he had a chill or if it was an involuntary reaction to the surroundings. Turns could feel the heat of the kid's cheek pressed against his own and hear the soft, stuffy breaths slipping from the small nose.
"Are you sure this is the right way?"
The boy nodded and pulled apart from him briefly to point the way again before tucking his face back into the trooper's shoulder.
Turns eyed the path that lay before them suspiciously but continued. It wasn't much more than a ribbon of shadows tucked between two rundown living complexes. He didn't fancy the thought of calling either of the structures home, and found himself not being too keen on the idea of anyone, let alone a child for that matter, living there either.
But when he stepped into the small courtyard that lay nestled between them and the next row of housing, he found that feeling tempered somewhat.
Here, it seemed, someone had put some effort and care into the surroundings, and it looked and felt very much like an enchanted garden, small and misplaced and strange, but lovely.
There was a patch of grass that began at his feet, carefully tended and dotted with potted plants and a string of stepping stones which looped a small fountain. A long wooden table and benches lay to one side, covered with a plain cloth and a jar of flowers. Some stained flimsi- lanterns glowed softly from several posts, illuminating the walkway to the door of a building sandwiched between the others. The walls had been painted in a cheery fashion with stars and trees and a line of colorful linens and clothing fluttered softly beside.
There was also a young woman standing there, her hands cupped to her mouth and her back turned to them. Turns could see the outline of her shoulders shaking in obvious distress.
When she heard their approaching footsteps she spun around and froze, blinking at Turns in confusion for a second before her eyes registered the child in his arms.
Her hands dropped and she ran to meet them.
"Soru!"
The boy stretched out his arms to her and she took him from Turns, pulling him to her chest and wrapping her arms around him tightly.
They clung to eachother for a while before the woman broke the embrace to stare up at the man watching the reunion intently, and gave him a grateful smile.
She had wavy red hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, and wore a simple grey dress that fell to her knees, her feet bare in the grass. She mouthed the words 'thank you' over the shoulder of the child in her arms.
Turns shook his head in slight embarassment. He hadn't done much , really. He was just glad to see the kid back home, safe and sound. He gave the woman a small, forced smile and turned to go, but she placed a hand on his arm and shook her head.
"Please come in. Just for a hot drink."
Turns hesitated. He really should've been heading back. Lex and the others were probably losing their collective gear by now. He felt an immense pang of guilt and then surprise at himself that such a strong emotion could've risen up within him.
But he had the strangest feeling that perhaps he had been led here for reason. He wasn't much of a believer in fate or destiny, but for some reason he felt drawn to go inside with this woman. Just as he had felt that spark to pursue the child.
The small boy was looking up at him, eyes dark and shining and pleading. He reached a little hand out to tug on Turn's sleeve.
The woman was still staring up at him hopefully and he gave her another small smile, genuine, and inclined his head.
She smiled brightly back at him. And then he was being pulled by the sleeve up the narrow path through the breeze-lit sheets and into the building with the fairy path before it and skies on its walls.
...
Lex was torn between action and inaction, seeking out answers to the unrelenting questions simmering in his mind, or letting things be, as the turn things had taken were undoubtedly positive.
It had been nearly two weeks since the night Turns had disappeared and then reappeared so changed, and not one of them had the heart to question too deeply what exactly had had such a profound effect on the private.
Lex found himself hesitant to seek answers. Although he had no knowledge of the what or why or how behind the change in Turns, he was hard-pressed to not be happy about it.
Now the private was speaking (albeit sparingly) and joining in the activities of his squad more frequently. The trooper no longer avoided others or made it a point to sit or stand apart, disappearing the moment his duties were completed. Now he lingered, quiet but calm and attentive. He'd even chuckled at an off colored joke tossed between brothers at the mess a few days ago. And he no longer cringed when his squadmates toussled him between them affectionately amid their usual banter and games.
Although this kind of play was often riddled with frustration on his part as their sergeant in charge of keeping them all in line, he was also grateful for the closeness which fueled their antics.
And he felt a silent relief in him that Turns finally seemed to be falling into that fold, however slowly and ackwardly.
Fox had picked up on the change and questioned him, but he had no answers to give the commander aside from a growing gladness. Fox seemed satisfied with that and didn't press further, although he smiled about it when he was told. Lex had caught him watching the trooper with his squadmates thoughtfully from time to time, a mixture of curiosity but also relief and a sense of satisfaction that ran deeper than the trooper himself, it seemed. That was the farther Lex spoke of it with him.
And he WAS glad.
But there came a night when Lex decided that it was both cautionary and appropriate to know just where one of his men was sneaking off to whenever he had the occasion. It wasn't that he didn't trust Turns or that he wasn't grateful , but he felt that as sergeant it was his job to be in the know of something so vital to the well-being of one of his men.
That was his reasoning anyway.
After following Turns at a discreet distance for some time, and taking in the appearance of his surroundings as he did so, Lex found himself questioning that validity.
Did he really need to know?
He glanced around warily, feeling his stomach drop a bit with each step. A tiny but real fear began to well up within him and his mind was leading him to imagine the worst.
Thoughts of illegal substances and dangerous and inappropriate relationships began racing through his mind and overtaking his thoughts. He let a breath of frustration pass his lips as he watched Turns take the walkway between two very unwelcoming and unkempt buildings.
If what he thought was going on was taking place, he'd have no choice but to put a stop to it. He cursed himself and the situation.
Would it have been better if he'd simply let things be?
A small chorus of excitement rose up ahead and Lex ducked behind some rubbish on the walkway immediately. He sat there listening raptly.
His helmet picked up the ringing of laughter, light and lilting up ahead and it piqued Lex's curiosity immensely. It was unmistakably the sound of children.
Lex found himself thoroughly confused now, his mind drawing a blank. He sat there for a long while listening to the jubilant chatter, picking out Turns' voice within the raucus, and a woman's.
After a bit the voices died down and there was the sound of a door sliding open and then closed, before silence.
Lex rose to his feet slowly, looking around before making his way to the opening of the passage and then peering beyond. What he saw was nothing like he had imagined, and he stood there, speechless, taking it all in.
He had no idea how long he stood there, but was brought back to reality by a hand coming down lightly on his shoulder from behind. He spun around quickly, one arm raised instinctively in defense and the other gripping the handle of his blaster.
The man who had clasped his shoulder took a quick step back and looked at him in surprise. After blinking in confusion at him for a few moments he caught sight of the small insignia on the side of the sergeant's helmet and then smiled apologetically.
"Ah, sorry!I thought you were Turns. Are you looking for him?"
Lex scrutinized the man from behind his visor before answering. He was about his height and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had short red hair and a friendly look about him Not someone Lex could honestly picture dealing or participating in illicit activities.
A tiny bit of relief began to work its way into his chest and he let it blossom into the stirrings of hope there. Maybe the situation wasn't as dire as he originally thought. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Uh, yes. Is he here?"
"Should be. He usually comes about now." The man motioned with his head for Lex to follow. "I'm Navin, by the way."He keyed in the code for the door and moved to the side when it opened for Lex to step in.
Inside the door there was a small area with benches and hooks for clothing. On one side there were shelves that housed row after row of small shoes. Navin paused to slip off his boots and step into some house shoes before moving on through the doorway into the next room and gesturing for Lex to follow.
Past the foyer, they stepped into a large open room furnished sparcely but which had a warm and welcoming feel to it. The walls were a mellow orange and pale sheets draped across the ceiling and walls softened the look of the overhead lighting units. There was a long table with many chairs nestled in a small kitchen area to one side and many soft seating areas. Shelves and baskets with various books, paints, toys and cloths and blocks lay against the far walls. An alcove with with folded sleeping mats and linens and a rocking chair were off to their left.
A red-haired woman sat upon it, bouncing a baby on her lap, but she rose upon seeing them.
"I'll start some tea," she smiled warmly at them both and carried the little one in her arms to the kitchen with her.
Lex scanned the room in complete surprise, taking in the many children of various ages scattered about. Some were playing with the toys or each other, a few were huddled at the feet of an older child who sat on a chair telling a story.
In the far corner there was a group of children making a tower of large blocks between them. And, to Lex's surprise, also Turns, who had his back to him. There came a sudden cry of warning, and then dismay, and the tower toppled over. A round of laughter arose.
Turns chuckled and turned to leave the children to their play, seeing if Rhea or any of the other children might need help when he caught sight of Lex standing in the doorway.
They both froze, and Turns wasn't sure who looked more like they had been caught in the act of doing something inappropriate. He felt his mouth opening and closing but couldn't seem to get any words to come out. He couldn't imagine how ridiculous he looked to Navin, who looked between the two troopers curiously. Lex recovered a little quicker and raised a hand to give a small, embarrassed wave.
It was such an odd gesture to see his sergeant making that Turns finally broke the barrier of silence between them and laughed.
His laughter rang out loud and clear within the room and every little head in it turned to see what he was laughing about. The children followed his gaze and caught sight of the armored man standing in the doorway and they all quickly made a break for him. Turns chuckled harder as the children swarmed the sergeant who took a small step back and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Er. Hey...there." Lex seemed completely unsure of how to handle the situation and he kept his hands raised, his helmet jerking from side to side as he watched the little hands that touched and pulled and ran curious paths along his armor.
"Alright, alright!" Navin laughed and clapped his hands, "That's enough you guys." He ushered them back to their play as Turns approached. He saluted but Lex was still watching the children. He observed them in their play for a bit before turning to Turns.
"This is where you've been disappearing to?" There was unconcealed wonder and incredulity in his voice. Turns gave him a small serene smile and looked out over the room. Lex followed the private's gaze and then returned his attention to the man standing beside him and studied him closely.
He opened his mouth to say something but Rhea was there, tapping them both on the shoulders and ushering them to the table. She placed a cup of tea before each of them before taking seat herself. The baby gurgled from her lap and Rhea wrapped an arm around her middle in support and gave her a small piece of fruit. She looked over at Lex.
"So, you're a friend of Turns?"
He had just taken off his helmet and was staring at the baby in her lap, but he looked up at her to answer. If she was she was in any way bothered at the similarity of their appearance she gave no show of it.
"Yes Ma'am."
"He's my sergeant." Turns offered helpfully, taking a sip of his tea. He wiggled the fingers of his other hand at the baby, who gave a little laugh.
"I'm Rhea. Nice to meet you." The young woman held a a hand out to Lex in greeting and he returned the gesture with a timid smile. "We're in Turns debt for bringing back Soru that night."
"It was nothing," Turns stared into the liquid in his cup, embarrassed. Lex glanced at him. So that's what happened?
"And he's been so helpful with the children. It's hard sometimes, but he's been great. We love having him."
"This is...a school?" Lex asked, eyeing his surroundings.
"Ah, no. We just take care of these little ones until they're old enough to attend and move to the group home there."
Rhea opened her mouth to say more but the timer on the baking unit beeped and she rose. "The rolls are done. Are you hungry? Here, take her for just a minute and I'll pull them out." She held out the baby for Lex to take, but he just looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head.
"Ma'am, I'm definitely not ...qualified for that." Rhea blinked at him in surprise before dissolving in a fit of giggles.
Turns stood and took the baby from her then, and she walked over to the oven, still giggling. The private cradled the baby in his arms with an ease that left his sergeant astounded. He looked at Turns incredulously.
"You know how to hold one of those?"
Turns laughed.
...
The rest of their squad was already in their dorm when Lex and Turns returned.
Trust and Hatch were playing a game of sabacc on an overturned crate and Surge was lounging on his bunk, tapping and swiping a holopad. Ravi was tucking his armor in the drawer beneath his bunk and he looked up at them, grinning.
"Hey! You two missed all the fun. Sarge, there was this guy on C level who..." A funny look crossed his face and then he eyed them suspiciously. "You smell like food. Not from the mess. Where were you guys?"
Lex just shook his head and they both began removing their armor. The others watched them for a few minutes before returning to what they were doing, except Ravi who leaned against the bunk and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You can tell us. We wont tell."
Lex sighed. "There's nothing to tell, Ravi."
"How about where you keep sneaking off to?" He raised an eyebrow and looked between them conspiratorially. "Come on, we don't care..."
Lex made to walk past him in the direction of the refreshers, ignoring him. Turns remained silent, staring resolutely at his boots as he undid the clasps.
"...that you're secret lovers."
Trust and Hatch both snorted in amusement and Surge rolled his eyes. Lex turned around to fix Ravi with an exasperated expression and Turns looked up at him from his boots.
Ravi shook his head and closed his eyes, waving his hands in front of himself in a placating manner.
"I'm not saying I care-"
"Are you jealous, Ravi?" Turns looked up at him with an innocent expression and Ravi gaped at him for a minute, blinking in shock. Lex chuckled.
Finally, the astounded private put his hands on his hips and grinned down at Turns.
"Hey! I knew it! You were a secret smart-shebs all along."
Turns shrugged and tucked the last bit of his armor in the drawer beneath. He made to stand but Ravi's arms wrapped around him and he was pulled against him and into a bone-crushing hug on the floor.
"Now Sarge is going to have to be jealous because I'm keeping you!"
Lex shook his head and stepped over them to head into the refresher.
"It'll be nice to hang out with someone else for a change. Don't tell anyone, but I think Surge gets tired of me sometimes."
"Never." Surge replied sweetly, his eyes not leaving the holopad in his hands. Ravi glared up at him and Turns started laughing. The others looked at him for a moment in surprise, and even Ravi stared down at him in puzzlement, before they all returned to what they were doing. Lex came back from the refreshers and sat down beside Trust and Hatch to take up a hand of his own. After another minute Ravi released Turns and gave him an amiable swat on the shoulder before standing and heading over to join in the sabacc game with the others.
Turns climbed into his bed and lay down on his back, hands folded behind his head. He listened to the sounds of his brothers talking and joking and shuffling around him, and found himself smiling softly and enjoying the moment. And letting himself.