"But, Daddy, Eli is a big boy now. Eli stay up late."

Thrawn fastened Eli's diaper and slipped him into his footed pajamas. "You are bigger than you used to be; however, you still need your sleep. Toddlers should get 12 hours of sleep every night, plus a daytime nap."

"Only, he's not a toddler anymore, my Love." Thara squeezed paste onto Eli's toothbrush. "He's three now. We may need to start adjusting our routines."

"Yes." Thrawn had read every text on child development he could find and was painfully aware that Eli no longer fit the definition of a toddler. He knew it, but he didn't want to admit it.

Thara lifted Eli from the changing table and carried him to the sink. "Open up for tooth brushing."

"Eli have 'nacks first?"

Snapped from his reverie, Thrawn flashed a smirk at Thara. "He's been listening to our plans. What was that about adjusting our routines?"

"I suppose a small snack wouldn't hurt. As long as we remember to brush his teeth later."

"Hello! Anybody home?" A voice called.

"Che'ri, you're supposed to ring the door comm," a female voice scolded.

"Che'ri!" Eli clapped his hands.

"Come on, I think they're giving him a bath."

Skywalker Che'ri bounced through the door, Caregiver Mitth'ali'astov and Mid Captain Ufsa'mak'ro in tow.

"Sorry, sir." Samakro shrugged helplessly. "We didn't know she was just going to barge in."

"It's quite all right." Thrawn lifted Eli down from the counter-top. "You were expected."

Eli hopped over to hug Che'ri and Thalias. "Eli is a big boy. Eli stay up late with you."

"Oh, really?" Thalias hoisted him in her arms. "Do your Mommy and Daddy know about this plan?"

Eli nodded.

Thara chuckled. "He told us about it. I'm not sure his father is on board with the idea, though."

Thrawn placed Eli's clothes in the laundry hamper. "He needs adequate sleep. However, the sleep requirements of a three-year-old are somewhat less than those of a toddler."

"So, can he stay up and play games with us?" Che'ri pleaded.

"We could allow tonight to be an experiment." Thrawn reached for Eli and the little boy jumped into his embrace. "He can stay up one hour later than usual and we will determine if still receives sufficient sleep."

"Hooray!" Che'ri held out her hand. "Let's go find a comfy chair, Baby Eli."

"Eli is a big boy." Eli squirmed out of Thrawn's grasp and followed Che'ri.

"Do you think he'll ever learn pronouns?" Samakro asked.

Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Certain sounds and words are difficult for him, due to his Human physiology."

"Samakro, be nice," Thalias scolded playfully. She offered Thrawn a half smile. "You know how he is. Always thinking."

"Yes. I do know." Thrawn frowned at his first officer. "I will not tolerate criticism of my son."

"I didn't mean to criticize, sir," Samakro dipped his head. "It's kind of cute really, the way he calls himself by name."

"Speaking of names," Thara cast a pointed glance at Thalias' middle, "when are you two going to have Thalias' name changed? People are going to start talking, you know."

Thalias patted her rounding stomach. "Let them talk. We're married and I don't care if anyone else knows."

Samakro pulled her close. "We'll have the official rematching soon. At least, before the baby is born. You didn't expect us to be normal, did you?"

"Hardly,"Thrawn agreed. "We had better go see what the children are doing."

They found Eli in a cushioned chair and Che'ri opening the door for Thrass and Lorana.

"Uncle Frass!" Eli waved. "Eli is a big boy. Eli stay up late."

"Oh?" Thrass looked at Thrawn.

"We are attempting an experiment."

"I see. This should be interesting."

"You are getting big, aren't you?" Lorana stroked Eli's hair.

"Eli big." He shoved off the chair. "Too big for pets."

"Too big to be petted?" Thrawn caught his son before he could make good his escape. "Even by Daddy and Mommy?"

"Yes. Too big," Eli asserted.

Thrawn kissed his forehead regardless.

"But you have to be my baby a little while longer," Che'ri protested, "at least until get my new one."

"I guess I'll have to get a new baby, too." Lorana looked at Thrass.

Thrawn arched a blue-black eyebrow. "Is that an announcement?"

Thrass smiled shyly, taking Lorana's hand. "I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

"Congratulations!" Thara hugged Lorana while Thrawn grasped his brother's forearm in a hearty shake.

"Will you help us with the plans?" Lorana asked.

"Of course,"Thara assured her, winking. "It's a good thing we're getting more babies around here."

"Yes." Thrawn nodded with mock seriousness. "It seems we have a big boy now."

"Eli is a big boy," he agreed. "Eli play big game."

"Do you want to be my partner, Eli?" Che'ri asked.

"Patter?" Eli climbed down from Thrawn's arms. "Make agains? Yes, pwease!"

Thrawn reached out to caress his son's hair, then stopped. He would give Eli room to grow. "Che'ri wants you to be on her team in the game," he explained.

"But we will kind of be making patterns," Che'ri added.

Thara brought out the snack trays while Thrawn set up the card playing table.

"You sit here." Samakro tucked Thalias into a conforming chair, gently rubbing her stomach. "You and the baby will be more comfortable."

Eli slowly climbed into a chair next to her. "Eli... not a baby."

Che'ri squeezed into Thalias' chair. "Let me show you how this game works, Baby E-, I mean, Eli."

Eli looked down at his pajama-clad feet. Thrawn hid a smile.

"All right, everyone, shall we begin?" He held up a deck of cards.

With the decks appropriately distributed, Che'ri showed Eli their cards.

"We're trying to match all our cards up in patterns. We can stack on our cards, or somebody else's. You hold these cards and I'll take the big stack."

Eli took the cards. "Free, nine, five!"

Che'ri giggled. "Good job! Can you tell me the color and the picture?"

"Bwue fower, red house, puhple moon."

"Put the mountain here and the house here. We'll have to wait for the flower." Che'ri expertly shuffled through her cards, handing two more to Eli.

"You need to turn over more cards, my Love," Thara prompted.

Thrawn pulled his attention away from his son and focused on the stack of cards. He placed five cards on the table, then looked back at Eli.

Still clutching his cards, the little boy watched Thalias helping herself from a tray of sticky candy balls.

" 'Nacks!" he chirped.

"Not those," Thrawn cautioned. "Candy balls are not safe for you."

Che'ri offered him one of her yapel triangles. Thrawn nodded his approval. "You may have the triangles, Eli."

Eli took the the triangle, his lower lip sliding out. "Eli is a big boy. Eli eat big 'nacks."

In spite of his grumbling, he dutifully munched his snack. Thrawn smiled and began shuffling through his cards again. Eli yawned.

"We need a purple ship," said Thara.

"And an orange growser," Thrawn noted.

"Too late!" Thalias lifted her hands in triumph. "We're all out!"

"Looks like we won, sir." Samakro smirked.

"Indeed. Well done." Thrawn inspected the cards stacked on the table.

"Another round?" Thrass asked.

"Can we play Ideas in Pictures?" Che'ri gathered her cards into a pile.

Thara laughed. "Are you going to try to beat Thrawn again?"

"Thrawn and I will be a team together." Che'ri stacked her gathered cards.

Lorana shook her head. "In that case, I think we'd all better forfeit right now."

"You might learn something." Che'ri gave her cards to Thrawn.

"Now you even sound like him," Thalias complained, reaching for the candy tray.

Thrawn frowned. "Thalias, how many candies have you eaten?"

"She's pregnant." Samakro wrapped a protective arm around his wife's belly. "She can eat as many as she wants."

"I doubt her physician would agree, but that is not my primary concern at the moment." Thrawn turned his gaze to Eli's chair just in time to see a little brown head disappear under the table.

"Eli!" Thrawn dropped to the floor.

Eli crouched under the table, his eyes wide. One tiny hand clutched at his throat, the other reached for his father. Thrawn grabbed him, lifting him and flipping him over.

Once as an infant, Eli had swallowed a bead, despite his parents best efforts at babyproofing. Thrawn had used infant first aid- five blows to the back, five chest compressions, in a repeating pattern- to great effect. Now Eli was three. Was he too big for infant first aid? Was he too small for general first aid?

There no time to deliberate.

Thrawn pressed a closed fist covered with an open hand into Eli's soft abdomen. One, two, three. On the third thrust, a sticky wad flew out of Eli's mouth.

"Eli!" Thara knelt beside them, tears trembling in her eyes.

Thrawn turned Eli to face him, clutching him to his chest.

Thara embraced both of them. "My baby!"

"Eli sowwy," he sobbed. "Daddy save Eli. Fanks, Daddy."

"It's all right," Thrawn soothed, holding him closer. "Now you understand why I told you 'no'".

"It's my fault." Thara kissed Eli's cheek. "I shouldn't have put out the candy balls until after you went to bed."

"Eli not getting big enough for candy balls. Eli not a big boy. Eli a baby for Daddy-Mommy. "

A small smile touched Thrawn's lips. "You'll always be our baby."

"One day you'll be big enough to eat sticky candy balls." Thara rubbed Eli's back.

"Is Baby Eli okay?" Che'ri popped her head under the table.

"Baby Eli is okay," Eli assured her. "Eli is a baby again." Eli took Thrawn's hand and placed it on his head. "Eli want pets, pwease."

Thrawn smiled. Petting Eli's hair, he nestled the little boy into the crook of his neck and kissed him. Rising, he and Thara reclaimed their seats. His guests watched anxiously.

"He's all right." Thrawn looked down at Eli, already falling asleep on his chest. "He's a big boy, after all. Now, what about a game of Ideas in Pictures?"

Author's Note: I suspect Thrawn is the only being in the Galaxy Far Away who knows any first aid beyond using bacta. Maybe he should teach a first aid course for his crew on the Springhawk or the Chimera. (That would be a fun one-shot!)

I just think it's cute for Eli to use names instead of pronouns. He is making progress in his speech development, though! In Outbound Flight, Thrawn says humans cannot learn to speak Cheuhn very well because of physiological differences, although Eli doesn't seem to be having too much trouble in Thrawn: Treason!

One final note- I wanted to point out the little tribute to Timothy Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy in each of these little stories. You may have noticed. A Chiss arches a blue-black eyebrow once per story. I just think it's funny!

Thanks for reading and God bless you!