"Don't…" she begged. Sobbed, though she tried to control it. "Please don't leave me yet."

"No," Walon cooed. Nuzzled her temple. Kissed the tear that escaped. "Shhh. It was just a lot. We got there fast and it was just a lot."

"Did you miss me?" she asked him in a small voice.

"You know that I did," he assured her. He chuckled, ran a hand over his face. Shab, he was tired. Could have just flopped down and slept for a few hundred years. He had to shower soon, though. He hadn't been able to choose between food and clean clothes when she'd decided his direction for him. And, really, with her in the picture could there have been any other choice? "I could have used you."

"You looked beat."

"I got what I was after."

She caressed his face. Her lips were swollen. Bruised into wine.

Marked by him.

He thrilled a little at it, at the desperation between them.

He'd wondered, if he didn't return, if she'd take up with someone else. They'd carefully outlined the roles each played in this and neither of them had spoken of fidelity or exclusivity. So he'd wondered if she filled his absence. She could have her pick of most of the Cuy'val Dar. The men here. The clones certainly.

What an eye opener that would be for one of the lads.

"It cost you some," she countered.

He rocked his head back and forth. "A little. Not as much as what I brought you."

Her face pinked and the concern shifted to surprise. Why he didn't kriffing know. He'd given her other presents. Little gifts. Something to keep up the appearances between them. Usually caped in instruction about courtship and mating practices amongst humans and humanoid species the galaxy throughout.

"You brought me a present?"

"Of course I did. I left it in your room so you'd see it right off."

She'd been sleeping on his couch when he'd gotten to his rooms. The schematics for the prototype DC-2.00 rifle and an assortment of bolt-ons for the model they were currently using were spread on the low table, his tack-cleaning kit out and obviously put to use from the evidence.

There was no end to how that had pleased him.

Getting out of their respective beskar'gam had barely hindered them. Any frustration had fed the hunger and the hurry had engorged the need to pound.

With favorable results, since she'd yanked him to her still stripping down, brought him crashing over her to fuse their mouths while she pulled his hand down to her heat, begging him.

He'd barely assured himself she was physically able to meet the demand before ramming into her. She'd been there and had clenched around him, letting her head back to crow her satisfaction at the feeling of him filling her. Her orgasm had been so intense Mird had roused and howled along with it. Walon'd been right behind the creature. A good fuck was just what the doctor ordered… and it was good between them.

"What did you pick out for me?" she asked him, mouthing the pad of his thumb as he traced the tender lips he'd abused.

"Greedy little thing. Do you want to go see?"

She shook her head. Her legs had clamped hard around his waist when he'd moved to shift so that she wasn't crushed beneath him.

"Will it keep if we stay like this just a little longer?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "Of course."

She swallowed, looked up at him with those big eyes. Nodded and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck.

"I wish we could sleep just like this."

"You wouldn't thank me after a night spent under my weight."

"You know what I mean…"

He nodded. Patted her thigh and pulled the opposite leg tighter around him, then quickly shifted, bringing her onto her side and moving to realign them so that he could lie on his side still sheathed in her.

She gasped at the feel of the slick slide, the hard hip. Of settling onto their sides face-to-face with him still impaling her.

"Oh."

He combed her hair over her shoulder and cradled her jaw. Arched against her again.

"This work okay for you?"

She nodded jerkily.

Vau caught her lip between his teeth and sucked at it.

"I'm hungry. Starving for you. I can't get enough."

His hand came down, around her curves, pushing her against his hips as he thrust again. He felt himself hardening, still inside her wet and warmth, and moaned into her mouth. Ad'ra was a natural pupil, responsive and intuitive. The new position seemed to please her and she locked her leg tighter around him, higher against his waist, as she met him and tried to fit them even more closely together. His chest hair teased her nipples, grated against them, as their bodies shimmied against one another. That particular keening noise she made came to him through the haze of lust and sound of his blood pounding. He heard Mird answer it, scrabbling at the door to the private inner chamber.

Their hands sought purchase on their sweat-slicked bodies and there was a short huff of laughter before the next moan of pleasure. His grunt of approval. This time when their mouths met it was more carnal than a kiss, no soft lips and whispers of seduction. Tongues mated through open maws as they shared their breath, every sound and utterance given into the other one.

"I can't get you close enough," Walon complained, jerking at her again. He thrust harder, his face desperate. Her nails ripped over his back, his shoulder, his bicep. She was whimpering into his mouth. Begging, pleading wordlessly, then the sharp, high-pitched exhalations. Each thrust brought her closer to the song he wanted her to sing to him. Then he felt the tremble when she capitulated, shrieking with it this time. Crying out and arching, then the sweet aria.
His name. Always his name. Sung as though an appeal to gods he no longer believed listened to mortal man.
He bore down and brought her even higher, rewarded with an insensate scream, an absolute shriek in a language from a time before languages were necessary.

"Oh, fek. Oh, fek," he panted, crashing into her, his whole body cradling and thrusting, his arms clenching around her so he could fuck her as hard as he could in their current position. He felt himself draw up. "Oh, fek. Ad'ra. Ad'ika. Ad'ra!"

He growled into her neck as he filled her. His own inhuman scream filled the space between them as his loins spilled into her. He wondered if it was possible to injure yourself from ejaculating that hard. Wondered if he'd maimed himself, so intense was the feeling.

He was shaking, too, and their sweat had gone clammy, when he disentangled from her.

.

"I didn't know it could be like that," she whispered to him.

He shook. "It's not. It's not like that. That was…"

She laughed when he swept his hand over his own head.

"You'll be sore tomorrow," he predicted.

She pouted at him. Ran a hand over his arm. "You, too."

He nodded and let his head fall to the pillow. His arms were trembling and his legs felt like water. No way would he be able to hold himself up to shower.

"Rav was a genius. I wish I had a tub in my 'fresher. A good soak would do us good."

He felt her brain working. Lifted his brows.

"Let's go use the one in medbay."

"Gilamar would kill us…"

"I outrank Gilamar."

She tugged at his shoulder.

He grinned. "I'm not carrying you across the compound like this. If you want a bubble bath you'll put on some clothes."

The sigh she huffed out didn't suit her rank.

"Fine. Come bathe with me, though?"

He nodded. "We have to be discreet."

She twisted her lips. "Walon? I know you said… you want rules… division… but… can I talk to you about one of the mission simulations? I have a couple concerns and a possible solution but it only works if it works and I can't stop thinking about it."

He ran his hand over the bend in her knee. "Apparently I'm not doing something right if you can still think at all."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I nearly lost two guys while you were gone. There was a miscommunication and it nearly cost me Ele and Pax. They're in bacta. I've never sent one to baar'ur shupur before and had to worry if he'd come back."

His eyes went blank and his face lost all teasing. "Ad'ra-"

"I'm dealing with it. But I want to make sure I don't lose anymore."

"Let's go soak. I'll hear you out."

The lips twisted again and she glanced over her shoulder at the door.

"Do you think we could stop by for my present first?"

He smiled at her. "I insist. It turns out it was well-thought of me to circle back when it caught my eye…"

.

He pulled on just loose sleep shorts and a black undershirt. Tossed her the same.

Laughed with her as they ran—her in her bare feet—to the quarters she was assigned on the other side of the facility. She was closer to Fett. Closer to the infirmary and mess.

They didn't make it to the soaking tub used for partial submersions in bacta.

While she opened her present and exclaimed at the set of after-shower creams he'd bought her he was busy making a snack. Swore when her kitchen knives were dull as a spoon, but shared the fruit and cheese he sliced anyway. Set out something of a skraan'ikasse as a pre-dawn picnic.

They fell asleep on her bed still dressed.

When she was called away the next day she shoved his shirt in her bag on a whim.

Kept it there.

.

"Here," she said when she sauntered into the ready room a few days later. She'd pinged him; he'd responded by sharing his location.

She'd been glad to catch him alone, updating the boards with his commando company's progress.

There was no small level of competition.

She looked at hers, nowhere near his. Of course, her guys had been toddlers still when he'd begun hardening Dalphina Company. And Delta Squad was going to be a tough act to follow. Marked success there.

"Catching up," he told her, noting what had taken her attention. He chuckled. "What is this?"

She grinned up at him, popping the seal on her helmet and tucking it under her arm.

"I brought you a present. Now you're my concubine, too," she bragged.

He considered the small piece of armory in his hand. She'd wrapped it in a well-worn piece of something velvety and soft. Such a tiny thing, but something she'd told him over and over he needed. Just a clip, for when he wore bandoliers at his hips, to keep his belts where he wanted them, so that nothing slid or shifted. It was long, longer than he expected, and had a series of teeth on both inner facings. The outer shell reminded him of a palm print with the thumb and pinky extended. It was near-black grey. Dark and shiny—shinier than his usual choice. Emblazoned on it—in exactly the shade of char to match his beskar'gam—was the mythosaur skull. The kyr'bes was set with two gleaming red stones for eyes.

"Do you like it or do you love it?"

"I love it."

"What do we do when someone gives us something nice?" she teased.

He weighed it in his hand. Pretended to think about it.

"Are you courting me now?"

"Whatever it takes to get my hands on you," was her boast.

"You're delectable and I adore you," he told her honestly.

She tapped her lips and he popped the seal on his buy'ce. Lowered his lips to hers. Just grazed them before freezing.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

He continued to regard her.

"I haven't even touched you and you're trembling."

"I can't help it. I love this part."

His lifted brows encouraged her to continue.

"This part?"

"Just this—when this is all that we can have for the moment. Just you, knowing what it'll feel like when you touch me, and wanting it. But I love this part, too. The knowing, just before…"

His eyes warmed and he took his time bending toward her again. Took it slow, took it easy. Took her upper lip between both of his and nudged it open with the firmness of his own. Lapped at her with his bottom lip. Tasted the trembling exhalation this time. Tilted his head and opened his mouth to her. Wanted more than her low hum of satisfaction.

"Worth the wait?" he asked her on a breath.

She nodded. "When you kiss me it's absolutely worth getting the hell beat out of me on occasion."

"I still can't take a deep breath without it hurting, Ad'ra," he reminded her. She'd gotten her licks in, too.

"That's what we like to hear."

She turned and he called her back.

"Truly… thank you. It's beautiful."

"You needed it. Sometimes you carry a lot of kit."

"I've never seen one like it before."

Hers was simple bars that slid out to make an X if desired.

"No. It's custom."

"Even more precious then."

"Jango took me to a metallurgist. He's working on the next generation of Katarn. It's going to be a really good product. Damn near as tough as real beskar. I'll feel a lot better about your guys wearing it out there on real missions. I think, when they get legit production going, that we're going to have Boba fitted in some."

He considered the clip against his palm as she spoke. Something was there and it was going to drive him nuts until he figured it out.

"I have to go say hello to my guys," she told him when he didn't release her hand.

He expression was stricken when he looked up.

"Ad'ra."

She smiled broadly at him.

"I messaged you that when I got back I was never taking my hands off you again. Going back to sleeping alone sucks."

His kiss was less gentle when he lowered his mouth to hers again.

.

By the time they made it to a horizontal surface that night it was the next morning. Sex, doze, sex. Shower. His 'fresher was larger, they knew that now. The space in hers had them cramped up against each other and he took advantage. They laughed like children at his teasing. Loved again.

He was shuddering when he recognized that her comm was going off with a steady pinging.

"Fek." He hissed. "That'll be Fett. He won't like that you're here."

"He'll like it more that I'm here than if I was in your quarters."

"Still… Oh, shab, we are so late…"

She glanced at the chrono that had caught his attention as he promptly moved away from her.

He tossed her a towel and hurriedly dried off. Was already tossing his aside before she even got to her hair.

"Fek. Fek. Fierfek."

"Gorgeous." He drew her lip through his. "This sweet tongue and that gorgeous, ladylike language."

"What are you doing?" she asked him when he rummaged through the closet, pulling out his utilities instead of the kute he'd had in his hand.

"I can get these on faster—get there before it's obvious we're late together."

"Like hell!" she objected, reaching for her own kute. She barely dried her hair and twisted it up instead of braiding it. She could take it down to fix it comfortably in a bit. "I have to dress out today! That's not fair!"

He chuckled, tucking in his undershirt and buttoning his pants, the blouse still open. He grabbed his boots, jerked at the laces.

"I hate you," she ground out.

His laughter did not improve her frustration.

He reached out, though, and helped her with one set of plates, then the other, working together.

When all she had left was her kit and boots he smacked her on the ass, buzzed her cheek with his lips, and took off, whipping on his tunic as he jogged out the door. He could button and run at the same time.

He wasn't surprised to hear her come careening out behind him when he hit the long stretch of corridor. Slowed enough to give her a chance to catch up.

When she put on a burst of speed his response was to match it.

Picked up the pace at the steps. He was tall enough to take them three at a time, which killed her to her very soul. She managed to sprint up to him on the next breezeway, though. Damn near passed him. He did what any sane man in love with a younger woman would do.

He reached out and pushed her.

.

.o0o.

.

Ad'ra was working in Fett's office when the first of them arrived for the scheduled ge'kaan din'kartay that evening.

Well, she was supposed to be working.

When Fett, Jaig, Kal Skirata, and Walon Vau rounded the corner into the antechamber she shot bolt upright from where she'd been lying sideways on the bench that lined one wall of his office. The aiwha-bait found it more comfortable than the chairs that pulled up to the conference table.

"You all right?" Jaig asked, concern in his voice.

She nodded, quickly snapped her plackart plates back into place.

"I'm fine."

Jango reached out to cup her cheek. "You sick?"

She'd had tea for lunch and had pushed her dinner around on her plate.

She shook her head. Made a face and touched her lower abdomen.

"Girl tummy?" he guessed, ducking a kiss to her forehead.

She felt the heat of a blush rising to encompass her burning face.

"Poor little mite," Jaig cooed. "Can I get you anything?"

"My wife used to find some comfort in a cloth heating packet," Kal suggested, patting her on the head.

Patted her on the fekking head.

She just sat there, cheeks burning, and wished the floor would swallow her whole.

Ad'ra held aloft the pad she'd been holding against her womb. No young woman ever blushed so becomingly.

Vau winked at her.

He kriffing winked at her.

"Let me know if there's anything you need to make you more comfortable, Ad'ra," Fett reiterated. "Human women are a pain in the ass when it comes to reproduction. But there are things… products…"

"I'm fine. I've got the sheets worked up for-"

Fett could have lived without Walon Vau draping his arm around the back of the chair Ad'ra took. It was casual. Unpracticed, and something he wouldn't have ever noticed the man do before. He was just leaned back in his own seat, his ankle crossed over his knee like he was kicking back for a bolo-ball match. Of course, they'd all seen him exhibit that kind of indomitable cool when he knew he was the subject of critical scrutiny.

It wasn't like he leaned into Ad'ra or even touched her.

Jaig did, squeezing her hands where she'd laced them on the table.

"Ohmigods," she begged. "Please stop. I bleed. It'll stop in a few days. And next month I'll do it again."

"I just hate it pains you so the first day or two," the old man said. "Doesn't seem quite fair, especially as young as you are."

Kal smiled indulgently at her. He was rarely indulgent of her. Rarely approved of her at all.

"It's a mystery and a puzzlement to us, is all. The inner workings of women we can only take a backseat to, you know? And you so rarely show weakness."

"I am not weak."

"Indeed you're not," the deep voice of the man beside her agreed. "Take it like this instead… men mistrust any creature who bleeds for a quarter of their life and still goes about their day as if nothing untoward is happening. It's the one true unifying fear that all human males face—proof that we might not be the stronger sex. Mando'a are the only peoples in the world who don't coddle their women, so we have even more to fear."

She looked over at Fett.

"You can keep every penny of my salary if you can change the topic to anything else."

He laughed. "Let's look at Ad'ra's numbers first…"

The look she shot him would have cowed lesser men.

It promised retribution.

"Fine. Let's look at Ad'ra's numbers," she agreed. "Alongside my current standings you'll see both my highest scorers and lowest logged results for spread. And I included the Alpha numbers based on their same time uncanted."

"Ouch," Walon noted, accepting the flimsi he was passed. "Damnation, Ad'ra. That's quite the spread."

"Yeah. Some of my guys are showing marked nonconformity in different aspects of the result tabulations."

"It's because you've allowed them to specialize." Fett sounded disapproving.

"You utilize that specialization as often as it pleases you," she countered.

Fett nodded. It was true enough.

"I have four that need to be promoted to officer corps when we do yours," she said—not for the first time. "So does Way- Sergeant Vau. I imagine there are more, but I want these on-par with the ARCs. Sgt. Skirata wants SO promotions for all six of his ade and I think it's a worthwhile recommendation. I don't have as much one-on-one with some of the other groups. Rav and H.G. and Asirel will have their recommendations as well. We need to consider adding an approximation of OCS."

"You know how I feel about that."

"Fleet officers go to the school on Corellia," Vau suggested. "I imagine accommodations could be made for a regiment of our guys to go through. They would be able to handle an abbreviated course. It's not like they'd need to teach them to make their beds or march in sync. They just need the actual coursework. And there wouldn't be a need for weeks and weeks of training. Just a flash version."

Fett nodded. "Jaig?"

"No argument from me. I think they'd benefit from learning how the Republic Navy functions. There are command skills there that would aid them in future, and no way to replicate them here."

He saw Ad'ra's face curl.

"Cramp or disagreement?"

"Disagreement. I think we could just requisition the syllabus."

"I never went to OCS and people think I'm a tactical genius," Jango reminded them.

"You are. I just want the opportunity for mine to succeed and surpass."

"I'll look into it." He flipped the page. "Next… Jaig. Your numbers look like shit compared to Ad'ra's."

"They're neck and neck with yours and Vau's now," Jaig threw out there. "Good, solid lads. Mine will never top individual leader boards, but there's a hell of a lot less spread in my results, too. And less time-loss bacta-tank-recoveries."

"Ouch."

It was apparently going to be Walon's word of the day.

"What does that mean?" Skirata demanded. "Do you have more in bacta?!"

"It's just sitting there," the black-armored man suggested with an idle voice. "Might as well make sure it's getting used regularly. Gives Mij something to do."

He just drummed his fingers on the side of Ad'ra's chair throughout Skirata's tirade about breaking spirits and poor morale. Like he was bored. She knew him well enough to know he was seething inside.

"Let's move to your numbers, shall we?" Vau finally asked, leaning forward slightly to spin his sheath of papers at the other man. "Morale a little low in T'ad Company?"

"Shhh," Ad'ra murmured.

Fett caught it. So did Walon, but he didn't heed it.

"Let's see. How many of your men are left lying around now, oh… well… isn't that embarrassing? It seems you've misplaced a few of yours, Kal'ika."

"Fek off, Vau," the other man snarled. "At least mine aren't animals. How many of yours have you had to save from reconditioning?"

"Actually fewer than you personally killed yourself."

Ad'ra dropped her face into her hands and groaned. "Could we please not turn this into the next episode of the Vau-versus-Skirata show? We know it by heart. You're cruel and deviant. He's a drunk and idiotically sentimental. And yet he managed to survive multiple postings and came with recommendations. You trained armies professionally since you were twenty. We get it. Blah, blah, let's move on."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"This is how you do alliances?" he asked her.

She gulped. "I…"

He shook his head, straightening and leaning toward the table of his peers. "Overlooking the neophyte's ignorant disruption-"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. You have zero experience you didn't get here. Sit there and look cute for a minute while the adults talk."

Ad'ra's jaw dropped.

He probably should have expected the incredible pain of her reaching out and pinning his hand to the table with her kal when he moved to reach past her for a new sheaf of the rankings.

His whole face tightened. He had to lean in front of her to jerk it out, giving her ample time to appreciate his grimace of rage and agony. His eyes promised retribution.

Fett laughed, fekking sadist.

Jaig chuckled as well. Reached for the knife.

"I think I'm going to start insisting that we leave weapons at the door for these little tête-à-têtes."

"He was mean to me," Ad'ra bent forward as though tattling in confidence.

"You probably severed tendons in his hand, Ad'ra. And he's not that long past you breaking most of those bones. Gil doesn't even want to treat him anymore."

"Then he might want to choose his words more carefully," she suggested.

"I have plenty of words left," Vau claimed.

"Save them. All of you," Fett declared. "Ad'ra. Spread the love. He's right-handed. And, while part of me is fekking DELIGHTED that you maimed him, the part that hired him to do a job asks you to consider rendering his non-dominant hand useless next time. You, too, Kal. Get your boys to fry his gett'se for all I care, but I want the man able to shoot and type. You're all dismissed. Get your osik sorted."

"Nice," Jaig swore. "I can't wait to do this again."

Fett ignored him.

"Ad'ra. On me."

He pushed away from the table and stalked off.

She rose, limped behind him.

.

.o0o.

.

Fett pointed, indicating the bench in his private office.

"Look, just sit there and look cute, right?" he ordered.

She started to slump into the seat he indicated. Turned briefly to glare at him.

He was chuckling silently inside his bucket as he rummaged for his first aid kit.

"Oh, you're fekking hilarious, aren't you, Jango?" she snapped.

Glared at him when he lowered in front of her.

"Let me see it."

She snapped off the plates, slid out of the underboot.

Tried to control the grunt of pain.

He peeled off the lower section of her body glove. Whistled.

"Aw, shab," she whimpered, glancing down. "It looks even worse now than it did this morning."

"He did this to you?"

"Inadvertently," she told him.

He glanced up at her. Sighed.

"Jesu, Ad'ra. Do you know what most men would do to a teenaged girl's boyfriend for this kind of treatment?"

"Yeah," she hissed as he swabbed on the cleansing agent she was sure he picked because it burned the most. Her voice was tiny. "You're paying mine to beat the hell out of me. Plus you just pissed off the closest thing to a grandpa we've got."

He smiled up at her. "Your grandparents would have adored you."

That brought hers out brighter than ever. "That's what Da said. I remember him talking about them all the time."

"They were good people. Your real grandfather? He'd have Walon's head mounted to a wall, job or no job."

"He'll tell you it's my fault I tripped."

"And you were racing up the steps?"

She nodded. "Have you seen him?"

"We were just at the same table, Ad'ra."

"Run up the stairs," she clarified.

Jango's brow creased behind the helmet's visor. "Not so I noticed."

She leaned her head back against the wall. "He takes them three at a time. It's so sexy and-"

The man eyeballed her like she was a strange specimen of some suspect motives when he lifted his buy'ce.

"I hate when he does it if we're racing," the besotted girl continued. "I can beat him on long and flat…"

"He's got what? A foot on you?"

"Maybe. Maybe less. I might not be done growing."

"You've probably long-broken every growth plate in your body. There's no telling how tall you were supposed to be."

She smiled at him. "Was Da taller than you?"

"We were pretty even."

She wondered what made his ears pink like he was embarrassed about that.

"He might have had a couple inches or so on me. Not much. And he was thinner. I was the bulky one."

"Who won in foot races?"

"We weren't competitive."

"I don't believe that. Even as boys?"

Fett finished bandaging her and rocked back on his haunches. Looked up at her as he considered.

"Ad'ra… I just don't remember us competing with each other that way. From the time Jaster took me in, it was always him and me against whoever thought they could take us."

"Could anybody?"

He pursed his lips. Shook his head slowly, almost as if in a trance—locked away in some far-distant memory.

"Not that I remember. Couple close ones. Your dad used to laugh even when he got slugged. It was like the idea of being able to go all-out on somebody outweighed the pain. He'd get the hell beat out of him and I'd be limping or trying to breathe real easy or whatever… Liam would just laugh it off, keep on trucking. I think his brain misfired and he didn't feel pain the way regular men did."

"That would have been handy to inherit."

He gestured for her to give him her foot so he could re-wrap her knee in the compression binding and kissed it when he was done.

"All better now?"

The woman-child's smile could have changed the climate on Kamino.

"All better," she beamed at him.

.

.o0o.

.

Ad'ra was shocked as shit when Vau entered her chambers that evening.

She automatically stood, put the table and chairs between them. Not that she thought it would stop him, but her hands tightened around the top slat of the one she'd been seated upon when he came in.

"I'm not going to kill you," he promised. Sank down onto the couch and tugged his glove off. The fekking bandage was leaking again and blood gushed out. "You owe me."

"I can't sleep with you. You heard-"

"Get me some fekking gauze, Ad'ra," he demanded.

"I can't believe it's still bleeding like that. What did Dr. Gilamar say?"

"That nothing's severed and nothing's broken and that it might be an excellent source of practice for my squad medics. Who I'm pretty sure gave me an anticoagulant."

She pursed her lips. Chunked a towel at him and stayed out of arm's reach.

He sighed like the sorely wronged and wrapped it. Stood up and threw his bloody glove into the sink in the kitchenette.

Leaned against the counter, applying pressure.

"You have no idea how much I hate you right now."

"It'll stop bleeding. Eventually."

"Which you thought through thoroughly before carefully stabbing me in the least-damaging manner possible after careful consideration and precision blade alignment."

"You called me ignorant, Vau. And childish."

"You rolled your eyes. In a fekking business meeting."

"You told me to sit there and look cute."

"You're cute. That shouldn't count against me. And you're lucky that's what came out of my mouth. Because what I wanted to say was shut your kriffing mouth before I shut it for you."

She didn't have a response to that.

Gaped at him.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?"

She lunged away from him as he reached for her. Found herself tangled under his bulk. His mouth found hers and sank in, despite her struggles. He'd have felt bad about knocking her around after she'd lost her purchase and rolled over a landing on a fire escape… except she responded to him instantly.

It was like being doused by fire. Seared his brain cells.

He jerked himself to the side and sat up.

"Do you have a med kit in here?"

She shook her head. "I don't usually need one. I use Jango's or go see Mij Gilamar."

He blew air from his expanded cheeks. Just stared balefully at her.

"I could comm Rog and get him to bring down ours."

"I would be oh, so grateful," he intoned.

"This is why people want to stab you," she replied. "A simple thank you would suffice."

"You want me to say thank you when you're the one who stabbed me."

"I just can't believe it's still bleeding like that. Maybe your medic really is trying to kill you."

"How's your head?"

He reached out with his left hand to touch the bruise.

"Pretty good considering you shoved me over a railing. I wouldn't sleep with you even if I wasn't leaking from my lady bits."

"For the record, it's part of life. I don't get icked out by it like some guys. I understand if you don't feel like fucking around while you're menstruating—although shower sex is supposedly insanely supreme during that time of the month. Regardless, I'd still like to sleep with you. Just hold you while we sleep. There's no need for this-" He gestured between the two of them. "There's no need for this to go on hiatus for a week every month until you hit menopause."

She laughed at him. "I asked the doc how old you have to be to have a hysterectomy. He's going to look at something that kind of lessens it. It basically cauterizes part of the inner lining so there's less produced, less to shed at the end of the cycle."

"If you change contraceptives it sometimes makes a difference. There's a variety of hormones at play and different ones affect different women in different ways. Finding the right one might help. Makes it more controlled if you bleed a lot. And that's a lot less permanent. We can look at your diet, too, as that can sometimes be used to bring a halt to certain symptoms and for damn sure if you're a bit anemic during or after... Why are you looking at me like that?"

Her mouth had formed a perfect O.

She shook her head. "I'm… I'm… I'm not… I didn't do anything when we started…"

It was his turn to let his jaw drop and look at her with incredulity.

"You're fekking kidding me. Okay. Life lesson number one: I use prophylactics, you're on contraceptives."

"I wasn't thinking…"

"No osik. Probably time to start thinking, Ad'ra!"

She nodded.

"I'm not just talking about this. You have the worst tendency to react instead of being proactive. To respond when you'd be better served shutting the hell up and-"

"We decided not to talk about work in here."

He let his head fall back against the cabinet. Just sat there in silence.

She answered the knock on her door and admitted a clone.

"Your training harpy stabbed her kal clear through my palm and I'm fairly certain my medic is incompetent," he explained without opening his eyes.

"That's a lot of blood, Sergeant. You may want to be seen in medbay."

"I was released after a couple of imaging studies."

"What did they show?"

"Missed everything important."

"Poor show, ma'am. From now on, flip that around and try to sever a few-"

"Ah-hem."

The kid just lifted his brows and opened his kit. Packed the wound with some kind of powdered stuff. The relief was damn near instantaneously.

"I could kiss you on the mouth. Daily."

"I think I'll pass, if it's all the same, Sergeant."

Vau glanced over at Ad'ra. "Are all your lads smartasses?"

Both of them nodded.

"It's a coping mechanism, sir," the trooper told him. He packed gauze around the wound, examined the severed flesh at the back of his hand. "You might need to sharpen your knife. Look. A lot of this is tear damage. Harder to heal and hurts more."

"What's the incentive to change if I can do more damage with what I'm using?"

He just lifted his brows. They liked their gear ship-shape.

"I'll sharpen them for her," Vau promised. "You should have seen her kitchen knives. I don't think she'd ever used them. Some of her kit still had the wrappers on."

"Shameful, having that nice knife and not taking care of it, ma'am."

"I didn't stab him with the one he bought me. Not this time."

"Pity."

"I like you. What's your name?"

"I don't have one. I was brought forth like heat from a volcano and I exist only to end other men's lives," the kid responded.

Ad'ra beamed with pride.

"You are so fekking messed up," Vau accused.

"You still feeling under the weather?" the kid asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm fine."

He nodded. "Cin's doing some research. There's some data about menstruation cramping being more severe than a heart attack. So women ignore warning signs and other aches and pains because it's minor compared to what they're used to. On top of the knocks you took from going overboard…"

"It'll just be a couple of days. I promise not to croak on you."

He nodded. Patted her hair.

Vau watched, curious.

She was overly familiar with the young commandos she claimed as vode. This one seemed confident enough to express his genitive concern about her-more than was seemly.

"Both of you could probably do with an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory sharp. You'll rest better."

"I'll see what I can dig up."

He rummaged. Dropped several sets onto the work surface.

"Just replace mine. Or authorize us to. I don't have line items for treating cadre or I'd requisition my own."

"I'll deal with it," Ad'ra promised. "Thank you."

"Always, Marshal. Good night. 'Night, Sgt. Vau."

"Night, kid."

"Maybe next time you should try to zig instead of zag."

"I'll bear that in mind."

"What did he leave us?" he asked when the door buzzed closed.

She read the labels.

"I'll take the muscle relaxer. I can't take the inhibitor."

"Why?"

"It knocks me on my ass. It'll be the day after tomorrow before I come out from under the fog of it."

She considered. Stabbed him. He blinked up at her while she depressed the plunger.

"You have the most gorgeous eyes. Have I ever told you that?"

She shook her head, a pleased smile on her face. "I know they're too dark. I don't need the extra, Vau. The pretty words and false complements."

"Gorgeous," he corrected. Felt the sting of another sharp. "Damn it, Ad'ra."

"I'm going to take mine, too," she promised. "I feel like absolute hell."

He nodded. Threw his arms up and gained his feet. Toed off his boots and slid out of his shirt, his pants. Draped them over the back of her kitchenette chair. She watched him wince when he reached automatically to close his hand. Ouch. Word for the day.

"Can you brush your teeth with your left hand?"

"I perfected the art last time," he promised.

She joined him, squeezing the miniscule amount of foam he preferred onto his brush.

His arm came around her when she sank onto the bed. His form felt so good and warm and solid against her back. His hand splayed over her middle, snug and soothing.

"This is so osik'la," he complained, his voice already thick and heavy.

She turned slightly.

He sighed across her face. "Go to sleep, Ad'ra. I'll kill you tomorrow for doping me when I told you not to."

That made her giggle. She felt his face crease into a smile against her temple.

I love you.

It was right there. How hard would it be to say? What was the worst that could happen?

I love you.

He thought it as his lips nuzzled her cheekbone and his body relaxed around her.