Corso reached for his wife but felt nothing but air. He opened one eye, and then quickly the other, but Miriah was not there. Corso checked the 'fresher, then the kitchen, but he was the only occupant. Quickly he dressed, brushing his teeth as he pulled on his boots, and flew out the door. He jogged across the war room and into the executive wing, almost bowling Aric over. "Where's Miriah?" he asked, catching his breath.
Aric looked at the chrono on the wall. "I would imagine she's in the mess hall. She's been eating breakfast there ever sin… for a few months now," Aric replied, feeling the tips of his ears warm. It wasn't often he got flustered anymore, but he really wanted to not be the cause of any distress between his best friend and Miriah.
Corso straightened and sighed. "Okay, that's good. That's she's eating, that is. I'll go find her there." Aric nodded as his friend headed for the elevator. I'm afraid he's going to see all the little changes in Miriah since she's been on Odessen without him, Aric thought. But all we can do is go with it. He went into his own office and sent out the reminder of the section meeting in a few hours, figuring he'd go get some caf when Maura arrived.
Devin stopped his dad just outside the secure area. "Hey, we're going to host dinner tonight," he said, and Corso nodded. Devin thought his dad looked stressed but didn't know why.
"We'll be there," Corso replied, and started to walk on. Devin watched as Corso crossed the courtyard and pulled the large door to the mess hall open. Of course, Devin thought. Caf. He shook his head slightly and continued on to his desk, a smile still on his face. The kids had been so excited to see him last night, Devin thought. Merida was already wanting to help Mia, and Devin knew that would be a huge distraction for them both. Caly had messaged that she had the cooking under control, so he knew things were well in hand, and that Declan was over at a neighbor's house, playing with a classmate. He sighed, and pulled the first item up on his computer screen, hoping the day would fly past.
Corso fast walked over to where Miriah sat, and was greeted by her broad smile. "Hey, sugar, good morning," she said, her fork in her hand. "I was hoping you could rest." Corso bent his head to kiss her and she grinned when he straightened. "Go, get some breakfast. I just started," she explained, and wordlessly, he went to the line. They were late for the shift change, but a little early for the rest of the base, and there weren't many in the hall. In minutes, Corso sat across from his wife.
"I was surprised that you were gone already when I woke up," Corso admitted. He studied Miriah's face but saw only her happiness.
"I've been eating here most of the time. Saves Caly just cooking for me, and when I'm not wanting to do much, Mags or Maura has had me over. I didn't think ahead well enough to stock the kitchen," Miriah explained, taking a bite of her eggs. "I got a message about dinner from Caly, and she doesn't want us to bring anything."
Corso was still just staring. Miriah looked rested, her eyes clear and sparkling, her hair glistening under the lights as it tumbled down her shoulders. He wondered if the holo had put her in a bad light, since she didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from his absence. He shook himself out of his thoughts and took a sip of caf to steady him. "What's on the agenda today? I sorta thought we'd have a day to ourselves," he said, and Miriah reached across the table to put her hand over his.
"We will after this morning meeting," Miriah replied. "I figured we might be able to have lunch at home and just stay in until dinner." She took another large bite, and looked around the area, waving at Aric and Maura. Corso felt out of sync with the world, he realized, and wondered if he needed more rest, as Miriah had suggested. He took a few bites of his own breakfast and sighed with pleasure.
"New chef?" he asked, and saw Miriah nod. Well, that explained a bit of it then, he thought. They continued to eat until Aric and Maura joined them, and Aric settled next to Miriah. "Now, see, I figured you two would be off today as well," Corso said.
Aric smiled. "We thought about it, but we both just felt too good, what with getting Coleen settled and having you home," he said, and Corso chuckled.
"It's good to be here," he replied, and suddenly felt it all shift into place. The mess hall was getting busier and more people came to welcome him home, and he knew then that he had been missed, and that whatever was going on between him and Miriah was trivial. They all rose and the men took the dishes to be deposited, and on the way back, Aric picked up three bags labeled, 'Comm', 'V Comm' and 'Col'. Corso sent a questioning look to his friend, and Aric nodded.
"You haven't been in the offices yet," he said. "To prevent such frequent trips, we outfitted the offices with small refrigeration units. These are juices and drinks, along with some snacks, that we refill a few times a week."
Corso thought about it and agreed. "Makes sense," he said to Aric, as they walked behind Maura and Miriah. Because I wasn't here to make sure Mir always had something, he berated himself. Sighing, he followed the group into the executive office wing and into Miriah's office, stopping short when he saw the changes. The walls were now a soft peachy color, and the furniture had been replaced with similar colors, accented in gray. Miriah's desk was unchanged, but his work station had been upgraded. The women continued to chat about work while Aric returned to Corso's side.
"We had to at least try to cheer her up," Aric said softly. "One of the scientists suggested color and once we got started, it snowballed."
Corso felt very petty just then. He had known it was very hard for Miriah, but he hadn't calculated the cost the ones on Odessen would pay on his behalf until now. "It's actually very pretty," he admitted, "and it suits her." They walked into Maura's office, which was now a very light green and Aric filled the refrigerator. They continued on to Lana's offce, which was a deep rose pink, and again left the snacks. "Wow," Corso said when Aric turned to him. "I just don't really know what to say."
Aric slapped Corso's back heartily. "It's all just progress, think of it like that." They went back to Miriah's office where she and Lana were working on the morning report, just as usual. At least that's not changed, Corso thought. He sat at his workstation and looked at all the upgraded computers and weapons manuals that were neatly stacked in a book holder on the top shelf. Miriah stood as Lana departed and he also stood and went to her side.
"Do you like the workstation? Is it set up the right way?" Miriah asked, mistaking the furrowed brow of her beloved for unhappiness.
"Oh, no, it's perfectly fine," he said. "Mir, I don't know how to..." He was interrupted by a tone on her datapad.
"It's the meeting, and then we'll be done for the day. Let's go to the conference room," Miriah said, and Corso followed, frustrated already at how little time he'd had to talk to his wife. Once in the meeting room, he took his usual seat and looked to see that Miriah had all the things she might need during the meeting. He saw a bottle of water at her seat, along with her datapad, and several cookies in a container. Her sweater was draped on the back of the chair, and with that, he didn't know what else to do but sit.
Caly had everything cooked and was in the process of taking it to Mia's house when Torian ran to help her. "Hey there," he said. "You know I'm not supposed to let you out of the secured area without a bodyguard, right?"
Caly laughed and kissed his cheek. "I forget sometimes, since I rarely go anywhere without you," she answered him, and he took the controls of the sled she was following. "I'm so looking forward to this," she admitted. "I want to talk about the vow renewal."
"Caly, I'd hold up on that. Aric says there's definitely tension between them still. Maybe give them a week to get things aired out." He strolled on, not seeing immediately that Caly had stopped dead still.
"What do you mean? They were fine last night," she said, her cheeks bright pink.
"They were at a family function," Torian said, walking back to where she stood, her arms folded over her chest. "I'm sure it's just an adjustment period, hon. They're still your parents, and love each other more than anyone I've seen. But you have to admit, your mom has to still be a little steamed over it all."
Caly started walking again. "Maybe, I guess. Okay, I'll wait and see what happens tonight." She knew she was pouting a little but was unable to stop.
Miriah had heard from the section leaders, and now Shae had asked to speak. "Commander, I've had a request for your presence at a Mandalorian clan meeting," she said, and Miriah turned to Lana.
"When do I have an available time?" she asked, and Lana put the schedule on the big view screen. Everyone could see that the schedule was pretty booked, and again Corso wondered how Miriah could function even with no distractions. They chose a time and Shae nodded. Then Miriah pointed at Mags. "What's going on with the search for Satele's ship?" Miriah asked. Corso had no idea what she was talking about.
"We've made little progress, even with Devin's help," Mags said. "Apparently the ship is hard to detect, and since all of it's occupants are in stasis, there's no force to feel. We are now doing a grid search, so hopefully we'll have some more information soon."
Miriah stood. "That's excellent, Mags. I'm so glad you're on top of this." She took a sip from her water and said, "Well, that's all for this week. See you all back here next week." Everyone stood and stopped by to welcome Corso home, but he only had eyes for Miriah. Now, looking closely, he could see the pervasive fatigue, and was ready for them to have the afternoon off. Miriah took his arm and threaded hers through it, and they made their way to the detail.
Once in the apartment, Miriah headed for the family room, and Corso followed. "I'm ready for a little quiet," she said, and he didn't have the heart to voice his feelings. Instead, he sat beside her on the sofa and she leaned into his shoulder. "I got a message that our kitchen was stocked again, so I can make lunch."
"No, I'm fine, unless you want something?" Miriah shook her head.
"I'm glad to have you home," she said softly, and since her eyes were closed, she didn't see the expression on his face, but she heard the harshness in his voice when he spoke.
"Are you really? Because I can see that I don't really have any true function here anymore." Corso stood abruptly and Miriah felt her temper ratchet up.
"The Alliance didn't stop because you were on Odessen," she replied, and her voice quivered with the attempt at calm. "I still had demands on me to meet, and yes, we adapted."
"So what was the point? You're still overworked and with all the changes, I might as well have stayed on Dantooine!" He was aware he sounded petulant and childish but truth be told, he was hurt.
"What did you expect?" Miriah asked, her eyes snapping fire. "It was your decision. I didn't have a choice, I still had to function. I still had to show my face even with the media wondering what you were up to. I had to calm angry children who missed their father and grandfather." Miriah was pacing now, and Corso's temper was waning, seeing her side of things for the first time. "I worked all day, and came home alone to cry until I was too exhausted to stay awake. Even after you'd decided to come home, I had no break. Four months, and now you want to be upset because I found ways to go on?" She whirled on him then, and he felt his heart break at the sight of her tears. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you wanted us to do here." She stomped out then, and he didn't follow. Couldn't believe he'd been so selfish. He heard the water running in her tub. At least she didn't leave, he thought.
Aric sat on the sofa in his apartment, and wondered what he could do to help. Corso seems so upset, when he should be happy, he thought. He knew they did things a little differently now, but at least he's here, with Mir. That alone should have made him happy, but the man he was with this morning was far from happy. Maybe he just needs a little time to adjust to it all, he thought. Maura sat with him, but she was sleeping. I worry about her, he thought, but the wedding is done, and I'll see that she's getting what she needs. I just hope Mir and Corso can work out their differences. He almost messaged his friend about getting a beer, but hesitated, and then put his datapad down. Enough time for that, now that he's home. Sighing, he turned the holo sports channel on and turned the sound down, letting his thoughts wander.
Corso waited until he knew Miriah would be relaxed and brought a glass of wine to her. She was lying in the tub, her head on a rolled towel and her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Mir. I should have thought things through," he said softly. He thought she was asleep until she sighed. Sitting up, she took the glass of wine from him and took a long sip. "Can you forgive me?"
"That's what I've been trying to show you, that with all the things we had to do differently, we were glad to do it if it meant you'd come home," Miriah said, and took another sip of wine. "We have two ships that need weapons ordered. The babies need you to hug them and play with them." She finally turned to him, and he could see that she'd been crying, even here. "Most of all, I need you here. I'm not ashamed to admit that. You are always the first person I turn to, the only one I know has my back. At least I hope that's still true." She stood and he handed her the warm towel. "Now, I'm going to get dressed and try to take a nap before we go to dinner tonight." Corso watched her dress and lie down on their bed, and kicked off his boots to join her.
"It's absolutely true, darlin'. I'll never leave you again," he whispered as he took her in his arms. Miriah sighed softly and relaxed against him. I promise, he thought.