Please be aware that some content of this chapter may be deemed M rated
Thirty Two
Cody didn't head back to the GAR barracks with Rex that night.
He excused himself early, sighting paper work that needed attending, and left the Captain together with a couple of 212th troopers at the bar on level thirteen.
He had been thinking about what Rex had said about being part of something other than the Commander and Chief of the biggest army in the Republic. He had however, watched his friend struggle when the illicit relationship with the young Padawan dissolved in a watershed of tears, almost costing his friend his life and vowed he would never follow any woman down that unfortunate route.
Too many lives depended on his.
However, he had noticed how Rex had changed recently.
He was envious of his friend in having someone to share his down time with. Fek, Cody had plenty of senior officers he could talk to about the battlefield, but having someone to 'really talk to' Rex had said, made all the difference.
He knew how the death of the ARC had affected Torrent Company. Even Cody sat in quiet contemplation upon returning to the barracks after the mission to The Citadel.
It had been close, too close.
Cody stepped out of the bar and spotted two Troopers sporting red on their armour, resting on their speeders. They immediately recognised the higher ranking officer and stood to attention.
There was an unspoken rule the clone soldiers lived by.
They always had each other's backs.
"Gentlemen," Cody said and began talking in a language unique to them all.
He was transported to a small apartment block on the poorer side of town.
The part where the workers not the rich Coruscanti lived.
He smiled at the site of the cream coloured durocrete exterior and pressed the buzzer to her apartment, wincing slightly at the hour, and waited.
"Cody," she said, "is that you?"
"Yes, Niki. It's me," he replied almost shyly.
The large security door let out a loud sound and he pushed it open and headed up the stairs to her front door.
#
She stood there waiting, clutching her night gown to her chest and smiled.
"Hello," she whispered.
"Is he asleep?" Cody said kissing her gently on the cheek and moving past her.
"Yes, we've had a big day."
She closed the door quietly and turned to be enveloped in his enormous frame.
"This is a lovely surprise. How long do you have this leave?"
"Not sure, just got in," he lied, moving back to look at her.
"I'll put the kettle on. Caf?"
"Thank you," he said looking around and picking a toy up off the floor.
"How is he?"
She stopped what she was doing and seemed to crumple a little.
"Not great. Oh Cody," she said rubbing her hand across her forehead, "the doctor's they - . I'm not sure I - ." She faltered and Cody moved forward quickly, holding her back to his chest as she quietly began to cry.
The moment was interrupted by a voice from behind them.
Cody turned, and saw the small boy standing in his pajamas clutching something soft and blue under his arm.
"Piers! Hello little buddy," he said with genuine affection.
He also noticed how frail he looked, his skin almost luminescent in the subdued lighting.
Squeezing her shoulder in acknowledgement, he left the woman to collect herself and bent down and picked up the child of around four.
"You kill many clanker's today?" he asked excitedly.
"Hundred's! A spider droid as well."
"Cool," he drawled before the coughing started.
Niki quickly reached for the small bottle of medicine and measured the appropriate dose, she had done it often enough. Handing over the syringe filled with liquid he placed it in his mouth and swallowed, and handed it back over the man's shoulders to his mother before burying his head into Cody's neck.
This is the feeling that Rex was describing to him earlier in the bar.
That moment when you think your heart is about to explode out of your chest.
Being something other than just a brother.
Cody held him tightly and headed towards his room, placing him down into the bed and sitting on the edge.
"Can you tell me about the battle of Dorboda again Cody?"
"I can and I will, in the morning. Deal?"
"Deal," he said, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes blissfully happy.
He slowly pulled himself up off the bed, tiredness had suddenly crept in. He turned and noticed the woman standing in the door frame, her head angled against the architrave.
She moved to allow him to pass and followed him out into the kitchen.
"Where exactly is Dorboda?" she asked as she brought his caf over to where he sat.
"Beats me," he said and smiled, blowing the steaming liquid before testing it with his mouth.
"Cody!" Niki was never happier than when he was back on Coruscant.
#
They had met the year before, by chance while she was working on new galactic maps for the Army. Sitting in the office briefing room, he was immediately struck by her. Nothing extraordinary, other than she was by far the most interesting person in the room that day, being the only woman helped. His General had ordered that Cody spend time with the contractors to get the charts correct, down the smallest minutia, something she excelled at.
Her name was Niki Malone.
She was twenty seven and came up to his shoulder. She had the same colour hair as the soldiers, but where they differed were her brilliant blue eyes. Cody had never seen anything quite like them and was mesmerised on how they sparkled, talking another language altogether when she smiled up at him.
"Commander?" Niki tilted her head in question, "Commander, these are the true co-ordinates for the Dagobah system, yes?"
He shook his head slightly to break the trance.
He was gone, lost in the wonderful sea of blue.
They had spent hours together, going over the complexities of the systems, and she relished in the new information the Army had allowed her to be privy to.
She had never been married, but had a long term relationship with a wealthy businessman, who, upon learning of the pregnancy left her to 'deal with this unfortunate mess,' alone.
She took on the task of raising a child on her own. Pulling double shifts during the pregnancy to save as many credits as she could to support them both.
The happiest day of her life was when his little body was placed in her exhausted, sweat soaked arms.
Then eight months ago, Piers got sick.
At first it was thought to be nothing more than a virus that 'would take time to run its course.'
Then the endless doctor appointments, scans, blood tests and specialists until they found the source of his illness.
Finally, the treatment.
To this day, with all this technology, it still astounded Cody that they couldn't come up with something other than the poison they would inject intravenously.
That is when he noticed her losing weight looking more gaunt, the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and then the redness from the crying.
She always remained optimistic.
"I put my faith in the doctors," he remembered she would say.
"Where there is life, there is hope," another day, another saying.
He would listen, not being able to offer anything other than an ear and a shoulder until one night, she needed more than comforting words.
He looked at her now, pottering around the kitchen, fussing embarrassingly around his presence.
Cody put the caf down and stood up, pulling her into him.
"Come here," he ordered.
She rested her head against the crimson fatigues he was wearing.
Piers preferred the clone armour, it was more exciting and personally Cody felt more comfortable in it as well.
After a while she nudged her face slowly up towards his, scratching her cheekbone against the black stubble beginning to creep through.
Cody didn't know why he said those things about her to Rex.
Niki wasn't like anything he had described.
Her lips traced up against his chiseled jaw line until they tentatively made their way up to join with his.
"I need you Code's," she said honestly.
"I need you too," he replied.
The Commander kissed her with such earnest it took both their breath away.
She pulled back and he smiled.
"I need to get vertical before we do anything more," he said with a quick wink.
They undressed before lying naked next to one another in the large bed. Cody lay on his side, his head supported by one arm and began stroking the length of her body. Niki closed her eyes and relished in the simple act of being touched. He had been the only man in her life after Piers' father had left, and she was still felt nervous every time the Commander would stop by.
"Relax," he said as he moved forward and began kissing her face, moving gently around until he could hold back no more and began an onslaught on her mouth. His tongue possessing her entirely.
Niki responded quietly.
She too pushed and circled his tongue with her own. Her need to forget the day overwhelming.
Cody was happy to oblige.
"Slow down babe, we have all night," he said breaking the heated kiss, nuzzling her ear.
Niki pushed him back and straddled his taunt body. She wanted the passion his tongue had promised, and would not be told to wait. Cody was more than ready to for her and let out a quiet moan as her warmth enveloped him. She too could feel the stretching of her body in acceptance. Then she began an intense rhythm before his large hands grabbed her hips and slowed her to a stop.
"I just need a minute Nik," he was struggling to keep it together. It was how he lived his life; methodical, calculating, in control.
He looked up into her eyes, moving his hands up to hold her face when he saw the trembling lip, the water welled high in her eyes. It was too late, he shouldn't have stopped her.
Her head dipped and with both hands enmeshed in the hair on his chest she began to cry.
'Fek,' Cody thought to himself.
She moved off him and rolled on to her side.
"I'm going to lose him Cody, I'm going to lose him." She was desperate.
Cody held her tight as she continued to silently let out the inner pain that was her inevitable future.
Quietly, always quietly.
Niki fell asleep on his shoulder. He lay awake stroking her head for a long time, thinking, strategising, it's what he would do on the field.
Why, why couldn't he come up with an answer to this?
At oh four hundred, a gentle rumbling from his comm called him back to duty.
#
Cody walked back into the barracks, dodging men as they stood to attention at his presence.
He didn't see any of them, he was focussed, really focussed.
Changing into his armour he knew he was racing against the clock. He didn't have much time, he had to grab his field pack and head to the Hanger Bay to await new orders.
#
"Come along Commander," General Kenobi said as he walked fast to the awaiting transports.
"Sir, could I have a word?" They strode together in unison.
"We can talk in flight Cody, we have a rendezvous to make."
"Sir if I may," he pleaded, but the General continued, slapping Skywalker on the back as he continued forward.
"SIR, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT!"
They all turned around at the outburst.
It was unlike the Commander.
Cody stood still, his hands clenched in fists.
Rex quickly commed into the Commander's bucket.
"Cody, everything alright ner vod?"
Cody removed his helmet roughly, sending a clear message to his friend.
General Kenobi looked at the face staring at him.
He felt the desperation before he saw it.
"I won't be a moment Anakin. "Obi-Wan knew Cody, and the outburst was out of character. "Well Commander, you have precisely three minutes starting now."
Cody inhaled, "I'm sorry Sir."
Rex saw Cody hand a piece of flimsi over to the General before stepping onto the larty.
"Ready to head off Sir," the pilot asked.
"No, we'll wait for General Kenobi," Anakin replied, watching his old Master in deep discussion with the clone Commander.
Obi-Wan stood examining the information, stroking his beard in deep contemplation.
"I'm sorry too Cody. Force healing is not one of my stronger points. I believe the person you need to see would be the young Padawan Offee. She is from all accounts, a wonderful healer. Get your friend to the Temple and I'll contact General Luminara." He turned to head off before he added, "and I'll expect to see you on board Resolute in twelve hours. Good luck my friend."
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