Chapter Title: The Twins

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (55), Dashen (61), River (31)

POV: Dashen

Chapter Summary: The first children are born into the family.


And just like that, there was a newborn child added our family. A month premature and struggling for breath, but there she was; the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Not sure what exactly this made Tanner and me. Uncles, I guess? Sure, why not.

What I did know with absolute certainty, was that this child would be loved like no other.

Her parents. River Salvus, her dad. Our little adopted brother. Not so young anymore. Recently thirty-one, starting a true family. Corym Gazer, her mom. Wicked with a vibro-knife. To hell with her given name, I just called her Blade.

What a pair they made. Blade, with her outward strength and confidence, she balanced River perfectly. River remained the more quiet type, not all that unlike Tanner. On the surface, he gave off an air of uncertainty, but under that facade, there lived an unseen power surrounded by an intense goodness. About a hundred years ago (it seemed), the first time River brought Corym to meet us… yeah,Tanner and me? We knew. If there was ever any pairing in the galaxy more right than that one, we'd never bear witness to it. Together, they were something special. Soulmates from the start.

And now… they'd just added a bundle of joy to that perfect pairing.

This child… she defied odds from the start. Hours after her early birth, Corym bestowed her with the name Tugev. The name meant strength and it demonstrated exactly who and what this tiny wonder would be.

Me? I just called her Tug. Once she got healthy and grew, the first things she reached for were those pesky Jedi braids that my brothers had. Tanner hadn't been a Jedi in forever. River (though Force sensitive), never was. Didn't stop them from sharing something that bonded them in the Force. Those damn braids. And Tugev, she would latch onto those things like they were designed for her petite wrinkled hands.

Tug. Yup. Nickname earned.

But, Tug, she'd been early to the party. As I said, premature by a month. Leaving her twin brother relaxing in the womb by himself. The healers said he was healthy and saw no reason he wouldn't just take his time and pop out when he was supposed to. No time for impatient sisters who always had to be first at everything.

He came into the world exactly twenty-nine days after his sister. No rush. Just easy does it. And he was a cool kid from the start. Not much screaming, eyes open to all around him, he had this contentment about him… for an infant. Took a few days, but both Corym and River finally agreed on a name.

Zen.

Yup. Never had a three letter word described a child better than that one did. I'd bet money that he'd follow after Tanner and River in the I like to find my inner peace as I contemplate the galaxy one star at a time department.

Zen, he never got an official nickname from me. Honestly, I couldn't do much better than his actual name. But I'd be certain to harass him about it (and a million other things) as he grew up.

—-

Zen took after his mom in looks. The steel-gray eyes. The dark, almost black hair. Lean and fit.

Tug, on the other hand, she was a bit like her dad in that they shared the same hair and eye color, in the rich browns and blues. And she'd be shorter than her brother. River (like Tanner) was somewhat vertically challenged. Tugev would get that from dad. She was thicker too. Probably would carry more natural muscle than her lankier twin.

They'd both live up to their names.

River was thirty-one by now. Corym was two years older. I had just hit sixty-one, Tanner was six years behind me. I was glad the happy couple hadn't waited until Tanner and me were old, decrepit men before making these kids happen. He and I, we still had enough spryness in us to be legit uncles and not just lumps on a bed waiting to die.

As of yet, we didn't know if either of the kids had any of that crazy Force magic their dad possessed and that had been finely tuned with Tanner's training. And honestly, I wasn't sure what I wanted in that aspect, not that it mattered. I did hope that it was either both or none. If both twins had some type of ability, it would give them another layer to their bond. But I'd rather have them both with the power or neither of them with it. No chances on anything ever coming between them.

Like me and Tanner. Like River and the both of us. Like River and Corym. More than anything I wanted Tug and Zen to be the closest of family and the best of friends. Maybe not obsessively attached at the hip like Tanner and I were… well… are. But just be that one person that the other can always count on.

That… would come later. For the moment, they were these months-old tiny things, not yet aware of the world or their important place in it.

—-

"Zen has your build but my attitude." Tanner said to me one day while we watched the kids sleep.

"Mouse, he's not even four months old, come on. I'm a lean, mean, fit machine. He's a tub of baby blubber."

From his reclining chair nearby, Tanner gave me that look. One I knew like the back of my own hand. I was an idiot. Yup. I smiled.

He chuckled out, "A tub of baby blubber. Really, Dash?"

"Well, he is. Tug's not much better. More blubbery than Zen. It's not my fault babies are like that. How the healers know he's gonna be long and lanky just by waving green glowy medical wands around his head…"

"Fen is a healer, Dash. It's what she does - for a living. Kids have always been her specialty. She and Quin patched us up a million times when we were in our teenage years. I bet she'll be spot on with her predictions. And glowy is not a word."

"Whatever. You're still an annoying little brother, you know that?" I chided him."

"I know. It's what I do. No one else volunteered to be a pain your butt these last forty-whatever years. Forty… wow, we're getting old."

I rubbed at my cranky elbow and sore knee, feeling the years on them both. "I feel it every day. But we've gotta keep up with these kids once they start walking. So, we've got what… about seven or eight months to get ourselves in shape?"

"It'll be here before we know it."

No argument there.

" are beautiful, little brother, aren't they? You ever think we'd be uncles? Or whatever the hell we are?"

"Uncle Tanner. Has a nice ring to it."

"Too bad Colton's not around to meet them. No doubt, that big softie would've been their favorite."

That death still hurt. Two years ago, almost. Colton had passed. Old age. He'd had one hell of a life. One that included the taking in and partial raising of two boys who desperately needed someone to guide them. Never had we felt so protected as we did under his guard. Criminal or not, Virgil Colton had been a good and decent man. He was also part of what made us who we were.

His empire had transferred into solid hands. Sydenious Greyer was still around. Old, but kicking. His daughter, Kishel, ran the business mostly now. From there, she was training her kids to eventually take control. All of them had sworn allegiance to Colton long ago and would never ever think of letting him down.

Colton's partner in life, Nyssa Kor had passed a year after Colton. Friends from birth practically, they finally found a shared life when Tanner and me moved out of his estate. Together, they had great years together. Seeing Colton so content, it was one of the best things ever to happen to me. To Tanner too.

Our friends having their best life. Who couldn't find joy in that?

"Lots of time for us to share his stories with the kids, big brother. Colton will never be gone. He was larger than life, you know that."

Tanner was right. I could only nod in response, blinking away my tears.

Damn Jedi and his damn truthful words. Ugh!

—-

Tug was a cryer. Probably because she was just ready to get up and go. Once she was out of danger after that first premature month, she grew in size and attitude. Ahead of her twin brother in just about everything. Yup, nothing was gonna hold this girl back.

To her left, Zen, still the most laze baby I'd ever seen. Not that I'd seen many, but stories were there. Nothing rattled him. His cries only came when he was hungry and even then, he ate slow and sure. Tug pounded down her food while Zen seemed to enjoy every inch of taste. What months-old baby even did that?

These two were a pair. Opposites in every way. And that sounded familiar. Tanner and I had absolutely nothing in common except past trauma and love for family. Tug and Zen were barely into this world and maybe… just maybe they were the same.

Tanner and me, we'd been a pair too. Still were. We were here now to love and influence and be part of these kids lives as long as possible. We'd be making the best of it. Every last second.

I walked over the Tug's cradle and gently lifted her into my arms. Yeah, this one, she had that stubbornness in her. Knock her down, she'll get right back up. Again and again. I had experience with that over my years.

Next to me, Tanner pulled Zen into his arms. So quiet you'd never know

he and the baby were there if I didn't see them standing right next to me. One day into the future, I could see those two camped out on a terrace overlooking the hills, stories passing between them. Calm. Cool. Zen would take to Tanner's deep breath exercises like a swamp rat to mud. The two of them getting lost in their own minds. Huh. I can picture it now.

Tug and I would be busy annoying the rest of the family with our eating habits or our inability to keep our minds occupied. Endlessly teased by our younger siblings.

That would be a good day. I looked forward to it. In our arms, this pair of small beings, so much potential, so much love, so much to accomplish.

I nudged Tanner with an elbow. "We should probably get back to the family. Let these guys get some sleep. You're making dinner for the host of us, remember?"

"I am and yes, we should." We set the kids down. Miraculously, they fell asleep before we left the room.

I tossed an arm around Tanner. "Come on, little brother."

—-

Probably the emotions of the moment, but Tanner and I returned to the main living area with stupidly happy smiles on our faces. I walked right over to River and pulled him into the most giant of hugs. Barely taller than Tanner and lightly built, as a small kid, he always had sorta melded into my arms. He still did as an adult. I held him a way after a moment, then kissed his forehead. "Love you, Pup."

I did the same with Corym. "Love you, Blade."

They smiled, if a little confused, but I think they got it.

"It's a really good day today." I said.

Tanner hugged them both after that, before I dragged all four of us into one huge embrace.

"Yeah. A really good day." I repeated the words, because well, they were words worth repeating.

"Dash, you've always been the catalyst that keeps us together. The one that takes the brunt of everything." Tanner said stepping back from the group as we broke apart. "Protecting us and looking after us."

River grabbed the statement from there, I could almost see his and Tanner's Force bond connecting and mobilizing toward me, their big brother.

"And now," River said, "I get to take all I learned from you and make it part of my own self in the raising these twins with Corym. But…" there was a purposeful pause and a slight crack to my youngest brother's voice. "I can't… we can't do it without you, Dash. Not to start anyway. I think we'll have many more really good days as long as you're around. You and Tanner are everything to me. Well, along with Corym and the kids of course." He smiled genuine affection as his wife, then back to me. "Like you promised me when I was that lost and confused six-year-old, our kids, they're going to have the best life. A life that every kid deserves. It's what you gave me. You and Tanner, when you found me as this half starved, half naked slave boy on Horsh that was scared out of his mind. You gave me the best life. Now we're into next generation and a life of everything awaits. I know how to do that for someone, to help them live a life deserved. After all," he grinned big, "I learned from the best big brother that's ever been in any galaxy anywhere."

I blinked slow. Of course, he'd ended with Kossi's words. Knowing full well it would hit that spot in my heart that for the longest time had been saved for only one person. That spot that had grown since Kossi's death to include room for Tanner and then River.

Probably it would grow again.

I couldn't really speak after that. I think my youngest of little brothers knew it too. More than likely, he was in cahoots with Tanner to keep me speechless for a while. They had tended to team up on their big brother over the years.

Licking my lips and puffing out an emotional breath, I hugged my siblings again who then both proceeded to whap me on the back of the head. In tandem. Damn it! I should've seen that coming. Annoying little brothers.

Blade shook her head and laughed at us. She did that a lot. She was the most prefect fit for this family. Accepting us all, keeping us in line, kicking our butts when we needed it (and we did). In addition to that, despite the laughs, she didn't deride us for our closeness as brothers. It's who we were and what we were. Nothing would ever change that. It didn't bother her.

No doubt in my mind that River could not have fallen for a better person than Corym Gazer. I hugged her next.

I grinned as we headed for the kitchen to help Tanner prep for dinner and I stole a contented glance back towards the room that the twins shared.

Yup, with two amazing parents, and two uncles who would love them more than anything in the galaxy, these kids… Tug and Zen… they had no idea what their future held, but they truly were about to have the best life ever.


END