Chapter 16: Change in Plans
"Prepare for landing." Echo announced as he prepped the ship's landing gear. The Imperial science vessel rumbled to a halt as it lowered to the landing pad. Getting access to land was considerably easier when flying in an Imperial ship versus when flying in the Marauder.
Echo sighed as he began powering down the ship, "Welcome to Ord Mantell." He bitterly remarked before standing up alongside Wolffe. The last time he was here they had just returned from the disastrous Eriadu mission almost a year ago. Desperate for AZI's medical aid, they made the mistake of trusting Cid who unsurprisingly betrayed them. They ended up losing two squad members on that horrible day: Tech and Omega.
"You okay?" Wolffe asked, noticing Echo's troubled expression.
"Yeah." Echo slid his helmet on, "Let's just get this over with. I'm not overly fond of this place."
Wolffe silently nodded in agreement, slipping on his own helmet as well. The two clones met up with the squad of TK troopers at the bottom of the ramp. "Alright troopers." Wolffe got them into attention, "You're going to follow the ARC trooper to a parlor in town to meet with the target. I'm going to stay back at the ship and relay a message to command. I'll rendezvous with you within the hour. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" The troopers responded in unison.
Wolffe nodded for them to get going, waiting until they were completely out of sight before heading back onto the ship. Little did the TK troopers know their commander already sent a message to Imperial Command regarding their whereabouts before they landed. Now it was time to meet the target.
"Doctor Emerie Karr?" Wolffe called out as he stepped into the cargo bay where the droid chute was located. "I work with Echo and Rex in the Clone Underground. Echo briefed me on the plan you two came up with." He stood by the entrance of the droid chute, "I know you're in there." He firmly knocked on the metal chute.
He suddenly heard the faintest sound of shuffling coming from inside the chute. A couple seconds passed before a pair of legs dangled out from the chute, followed by the rest of the body. The woman stood up straight and attempted to rub off the small oil smudges on her cheek before sternly eyeing the Imperial clone.
"Commander?"
"Doctor Karr?"
"Who else would be hiding in the droid chute?" She sarcastically remarked.
Wolffe removed his helmet in an attempt to seem less hostile, "Echo briefed me on the situation."
"So I heard." She straightened out her clothes, "We better get going then."
"You're really going to do this? Willingly give yourself up to the Empire? Ya know it's going to be nearly impossible for you to escape again."
"I've worked with the Empire before, Commander, I know how things work." She stepped around him and started making her way through the ship, "Besides, if giving myself up is the only way Echo's squad can return home and begin living out the rest of their lives in peace then it's worth it."
"But what about your life? You'll be giving up your newfound freedom."
"I could say the same about you. You could've gone AWOL just as many other clone troopers have. Working with the Clone Underground, you could've requested an extraction yet you chose to remain within the ranks of the Imperial military. What about your life?"
"I was bred to be a soldier. The military is my life. But if I can do more good for the clones by remaining within the Empire then so be it."
"Exactly." She firmly nodded, giving him a knowing look.
He smirked at her wit, "Understood."
"At least I now know I have an ally working undercover with me." She gave him a small grateful smile.
"We're few in numbers but we do our best." He nodded assuredly as they paused at the top of the ship's ramp, "Good luck, Doctor Karr."
Emerie met his stern gaze, "Thank you, Commander?"
"Wolffe. Designation CC-3636." He proudly stated, standing a bit straighter.
She extended a hand toward him, "Nice to meet you Wolffe."
He grasped her outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake, "Welcome to the Clone Underground, Emerie."
Echo wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stepped through the entrance of a familiar parlor on Ord Mantell. He had hoped he would never have to come back here after what happened last year but he knew a fake rendezvous would be more believable if it took place somewhere Omega was familiar with. He had told Tarkin that Emerie would be hiding somewhere significant enough to Omega that she would have told Emerie many stories about it during her time on Tantiss. Unfortunately, this was the place. Perhaps it was not all bad though, he would enjoy giving Cid a hard time.
As if on cue, the Trandoshan stepped out of her office and froze when she spotted Echo and the TK troopers.
"Well look who it is…" Her bitterly sarcastic voice filled the empty parlor, "If it isn't one of my old contract employees. What brings you back here, Killjoy?"
Echo slowly sauntered towards her, "We're looking for a M.I.A Imperial scientist. Goes by the name Doctor Emerie Karr-"
"Oh no. I'm not getting involved with any more clone business." She firmly shook her head and turned away to head back into her office, "You're on your own."
"This isn't clone business." Echo signaled the squad of troopers to surround Cid, "This matter concerns the Empire."
Cid suspiciously glared at the troopers around her, "Since when did you work with the Empire?"
"Since when did you care about what I do?" He retorted with his arms crossed.
"I don't. But when you bring in more of your clone friends to my parlor then I do care."
"These soldiers aren't clones. They're Imperial troopers." He firmly nodded at the TK troopers, "Get her out of here."
"Woah, woah, woah!" She forcefully pushed away from the encroaching stormtroopers, "What do you think you're doing?! This is my parlor!"
"Not for the next hour."
"Under who's authority? You don't work for the Empire."
"I do." Everyone turned toward the stern voice by the entrance, recognizing the familiar markings on his helmet, "This parlor is to be used for a highly classified Imperial operation and is thereby under control of the Galactic Empire. You may return when we're done." Wolffe glanced around the empty parlor, "It doesn't seem like you're gonna lose any customers anyway. This place is dead." He nodded at his troops, "Escort the trandoshan out and if she resists, detain her."
Cid griped and spewed as the troopers escorted her out of the parlor, bringing a small smirk to Echo's lips. He was grateful he was still wearing his helmet to hide his amusement. After checking the perimeter, Echo and Wolffe sat at the bar and removed their helmets, taking in their surroundings.
"Did you meet her on the ship?" Echo quietly asked.
"Mhm." Wolffe sternly nodded, eyes still scanning the empty parlor.
"How was she?"
"Resolute."
"You promise to take care of her?"
"Of course."
After a few minutes of silence, a soft whisper sounded from Cid's office, "Echo?"
"Emerie…" Echo stood up as she approached the duo at the bar, "Seems like you found the hidden underground entrance-"
"We don't have much time." She peered over at the front entrance, "The TK troopers will be back any second now."
Echo followed her gaze, "You sure you wanna do this?"
"I'm sure." She regarded Echo warmly, "I hope you find your squad and when you do, please take good care of Omega. I know you and your squad will but still…" Emerie sadly sighed, "she deserves a real childhood. All the children deserve a real childhood with their families." Her heart ached a bit when she thought about the other Force-sensitive children still hidden on Pabu.
"I'll make sure the children get home." Echo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "And this isn't goodbye. Rex and I will get you out of Imperial custody."
"No." Emerie firmly shook her head, "I believe I can do more good from within the Empire. Just like Wolffe." She smiled over at the clone commander who was dividing his attention between their conversation and keeping an eye on the front door.
"If things get too hot, you contact us. We'll get you out." Echo turned toward Wolffe with a look of determination, "Both of you."
"Understood." Wolffe stood up and approached the duo.
The clone commander pulled out a pair of binders and handcuffed Emerie's hands together just as the squad of TK troopers entered the parlor. The commander pushed the "fugitive" through the group and escorted her outside, the squad of troops following close behind. Once outside, Echo hung back to let Cid know they were done using her parlor.
"It's about time. You're welcome." Cid sarcastically remarked.
"I'm not thanking you." Echo pushed past her, helmet tucked in the crook of his arm.
"You should." She retorted.
Echo froze momentarily before sharply turning to her, his voice a low growl, "For what? Leaving my squad stranded on Ipsidon or betraying us by selling us out to the Empire? Considering what you did to us, you should be the one thanking me for not reporting your illegal side business to the authorities."
Cid angrily crossed her arms, "Is that a threat?"
"Let's just call it even and promise to never cross paths again." He promptly put his helmet on, "Deal?"
"Deal." She sneered as she watched him walk away to catch up to the Imperial troops, "See ya, Killjoy."
While Echo was chatting, more specifically arguing, with Cid. Wolffe was having a chat of his own with his Imperial superior on the ship.
"We have Doctor Karr in custody."
"Excellent work, Commander. Return to Pabu and rendezvous with the rest of the fleet."
"Yes, sir. Upon my return to Pabu, I'll gather the troops and begin preparations to withdraw from the island."
"Excellent, however, there's been a slight change in plans."
Wolffe's brow furrowed deeper in confusion, "What do you mean? The ARC trooper stayed true to his end of the deal."
"We will uphold the agreement between Admiral Tarkin and the ARC trooper. Now that Doctor Karr is in Imperial custody, we will call off the siege."
"So what's the slight change in plans?"
"New orders from Admiral Tarkin: We will continue monitoring Pabu's transmissions after the fleet leaves. But as for you, you are to disable the ARC trooper. Leave him behind on Ord Mantell. We have a squad of troopers standing by to take him into custody."
"Understood but, sir, what is the purpose of this? I thought-"
"The agreement was to end the siege on Pabu and we will honor that. Admiral Tarkin never agreed to let the ARC trooper go free."
"Is this an attempt to use the ARC trooper as bait to capture the rest of his squad?" Wolffe wanted to extract as much information as possible about this new plan so he could pass on the news to Rex later.
"That ARC trooper has many traitorous allies who we perceive as threats to the Empire. Capturing anyone who dares to rescue him would be advantageous."
When Wolffe hesitated to respond, the Imperial officer continued, "You've done well capturing Doctor Karr, Commander. I hope you continue this success with your next assignment. Don't let your past connections to your clone brethren impede your judgement."
Wolffe firmly shook his head, "It won't, sir. I'll complete the mission."
"If you succeed, you will have proven yourself to the Empire and you will be greatly rewarded for such loyalty. Now you have your orders. Execute them."
"Yes, sir." Wolffe heavily sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose once the transmission ended, "Good soldiers follow orders." He reluctantly muttered.
Echo casually shuffled through the crowded streets of Ord Mantell, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia as he passed the infamous Mantell Mix stand. His mind drifted to the time following the end of the war, when he and his squad were living on the run from the Empire and working for Cid to make any sort of credits for food and supplies. Although it was a stressful time trying to adjust from being Republic soldiers to Imperial fugitives, he did make some good memories with his squad. If he learned anything during his time as a soldier, it was how difficult circumstances tended to bring people together. Tech would call it "bonding over shared trauma" but he liked to think of it as a bond of brotherhood. And in the case of the clones, it truly was a bond of brotherhood.
Echo broke away from the busy streets and entered the ship depot. He approached the science vessel just as Wolffe finished briefing his squad about the change in plans. Not knowing what was about to happen, Echo boarded the ship and headed into cockpit. Just as he sat and began warming up the engines, he heard the cockpit door swish open and someone step inside. Echo glanced over his shoulder to see Wolffe standing by the now closed door.
"Ready to go?" He casually asked as he continued preparing the ship for takeoff.
"I'm sorry Echo."
"Sorry about what-?" Echo turned around and froze when he came face-to face with a blaster.
"I've been given new orders." Wolffe clicked his blaster to stun, "I'll let Rex know of your whereabouts."
Before Echo had a chance to demand an explanation or fight back, Wolffe pulled the trigger and stunned him. The clone commander shook his head with a sigh while he stared at his friend's limp body lying on the floor. Wolffe always prided himself on being a good soldier, an honorable soldier. But there was nothing honorable about serving the Empire. He was grateful he was able to reconnect with Rex and find a new purpose in life. A purpose that utilized his prestige and skillset as a clone commander. A purpose that made it a bit easier to look at himself in the mirror every day.
Wolffe bent down to place Echo's helmet over his head before he left the cockpit and reconvened with his squad who were waiting right outside. He ordered them to remove Echo from the cockpit and hand him over to the squad of TK troopers waiting outside of the ship. Wolffe sent a message to his superiors regarding their progress before joining his squad outside. He supervised the "prisoner" transfer and briefly chatted with the captain in charge of taking Echo into Imperial custody. He wanted to get more information about where they were taking Echo without seeming suspicious.
Once he was content with the information he received, he gathered his squad and boarded the science vessel. Purposely ordering all of his men to watch Emerie, Wolffe sat alone in the cockpit. He used this as an opportunity to send Rex another encrypted message shortly after taking off. Wolffe warned Rex about the Empire's plot to bait him and his squad with Echo's capture but he also hoped someone would be able to rescue Echo sooner than later. If anything should happen to Echo or Rex, he was going to feel responsible for it.
"You sure you don't want my help?" Wrecker called over his shoulder from his spot on the sofa.
"NO!" Hunter, Omega, and Crosshair simultaneously responded.
Melany giggled at the siblings' reaction. Their boisterous clone brother had eagerly tried to help clean up after dinner but his enthusiasm accidentally ended up breaking a couple plates and a handful of glasses. Although the broken dishes were not a big deal to Melany, the rest of his squad felt embarrassed by the mishap.
"Thank you for offering, Wrecker, but I think we've got it covered." Melany kindly responded, trying to keep the peace among the siblings.
Crosshair scoffed from his spot in the armchair, "We need some unbroken dishes to eat and drink with for breakfast tomorrow."
"Hey, I don't see you helping." Wrecker retorted.
Crosshair lifted up his right arm, silently reminding his brother of his missing hand.
"Oh. Right. Never mind." Wrecker awkwardly lowered his eyes, desperately searching for the remote to the HoloTV. After quickly locating the remote, he switched on the HoloTV and continued watching the show he and Omega had been binging on all day.
"Hey! I thought you said we were going to watch it together!" Omega scolded from her spot in the kitchen where she was helping Melany and Hunter clean up.
"You can see the HoloTV from the kitchen, right? Just multitask." Wrecker teased with a chuckle.
"Ya know what, I think we're just about done here." Melany lied for Omega's benefit, "So if you want to go watch the show with Wrecker, go right ahead."
"You sure?" Omega tentatively looked back and forth between Melany, Hunter, and the HoloTV.
Hunter chuckled, "Go on. We'll join you in a bit."
"Save a spot on the couch for us." Melany chimed in with a smile.
"Copy that!" Omega playfully saluted before handing her towel to Hunter and running off to join Wrecker on the sofa.
"She's such a sweet kid." Melany mused aloud.
Hunter smiled as he watched Omega hop on the couch beside Wrecker, the two siblings excitedly chatting about the next episode together.
"We're lucky to have her. I can't imagine what my life would be like without her."
"Sooooo…" Melany turned to face Hunter, her voice just above a whisper, "how did Clone Force 99 end up adopting a kid?"
Hunter smirked, "It's a long story."
"We've got time." Melany gestured to the pile of dishes in the sink and pots on the counter.
"We're not 'just about done here' after all, are we?" He asked with an incredulously raised eyebrow.
"Well, it depends if we want the kitchen to be clean or if we want it to be Melany clean.
"Careful, you're starting to sound like that twi'lek on Wrecker and Omega's show." He teased with a small smile, handing her the towel.
"Beautiful, talented, smart, and funny." She handed him the sponge with a cheeky smile, "I should be so lucky."
Hunter chuckled at her antics and the two continued working side by side as they cleaned up the kitchen together while he shared the story of how they met Omega and how she became a part of the Bad Batch. Melany listened intently as Hunter briefly touched upon Crosshair's decision to stay with the Empire, no doubt trying to limit the amount of information he shared about Crosshair's past. Many times her curiosity was piqued when he talked about his squad's adventures; working sketchy jobs from a Trandoshan named Cid, traveling to Bracca with Rex to remove their inhibitor chips, bounty hunters kidnapping Omega, the rescue on Ryloth, and the dangerous mission of rescuing Gregor from an Imperial facility. She was intrigued to learn about how Crosshair killed off his entire Imperial Special Ops team in order to give the rest of Clone Force 99 a second chance. By the time Hunter got to the part where they were trying to escape Kamino during the Empire's bombardment, she was completely captivated by his story.
While Hunter was telling his tales, Melany occasionally glanced over at the rest of his squad sitting in the adjacent living room. Omega and Wrecker were enjoying the space sitcom and Crosshair was chewing on a toothpick while continuing to read a novel on the data pad. It was such a strange contrast to hear about these life-threatening encounters while watching the same group of clones relaxing in her home. It brought back a flood of memories of her time serving in the GAR during the war. One day she would be fighting off the Separatist droid army alongside her troops, the next day she was enjoying some much needed camaraderie with her men. Those moments were a stark reminder that life was short and everyday should be enjoyed to the fullest.
By the time Hunter concluded his story about how they miraculously survived the bombardment on Kamino, they had just finished cleaning and putting everything away in the kitchen. Melany could not help but be intrigued when he mentioned Crosshair saving Omega from drowning during their escape. She remembered how protective Crosshair was of Omega when he first woke up after they crashed on Alderaan. She also recalled how quickly Crosshair's demeanor softened when he spoke to Omega for the first time since their crash.
"May I ask a question?" Melany asked as she handed the towel to him. She watched Hunter silently nod in agreement as he dried off his hands, his caramel eyes locked onto her.
"Has Crosshair always had a soft spot for Omega?"
"No." He returned the towel to her before continuing, "But he has a soft spot for those who are loyal to him and Omega's compassion towards him has made a big impact on him. He's extremely protective of her now, almost as much as I am."
"Omega told me the same thing on the first night after Crosshair woke up." Melany glanced over Hunter's shoulder and her gaze fell upon the sniper reading in the armchair, "She told me he was loyal to a fault, fiercely protective, and quite the gentleman if he allows himself to show his softer side."
"I don't know about him being a gentleman, he's usually sarcastic and snarky with us." He shrugged, "But his loyalty and protective nature is almost unrivaled. What he doesn't express in words, he makes up for with his actions."
Hunter followed her gaze and noticed she was still staring at his youngest brother in intrigue, "Why so many questions about Crosshair? You taking a liking to him or something?"
Melany's eyes snapped upward to meet Hunter's and she could feel her cheeks warming at the insinuation, "What? Why would you assume that?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "I'm just trying to get a better read on him considering his Imperial past. If my past should be revealed, I want a good idea on how he may react."
"If you're concerned about where his allegiance lies, I can assure you he's no longer loyal to the Empire." He subtly tossed a glance over his shoulder at his youngest brother, "If you don't believe me, you should ask him how he ended up in Tantiss. That'll ease your concerns."
Melany's round eyes widened, "Why? What happened?"
Hunter shook his head, "Not my story to tell." He nodded toward the living room, "Ready to join the others?"
"Yes, I'm exhausted." She lightheartedly giggled, "Thank you for all of your help, Hunter, I appreciate it."
"Thank you for providing that feast of a dinner. And for taking care of us in general." Hunter sincerely smiled, "We appreciate it."
Melany and Hunter sauntered into the adjacent living room to join the rest of the group who were relaxing in their seats and enjoying the roaring fire that warmed the entire room. Hunter sat on the far left side of the sofa and Omega quickly scooted over to be closer to him as well as make room on the couch for Melany to comfortably squeeze in between her and Wrecker. Crosshair briefly glanced up to observe the four of them huddled together on the mid-sized sofa. Part of him was relieved he had the armchair to himself because he did not care to be crowded by people, he enjoyed his personal space, but another part of him was annoyed at seeing how chummy Wrecker and Melany looked on the couch. In order to make extra space on the sofa, Wrecker had lifted his left arm and comfortably placed it along the backside of the couch. This unintentionally made him lean a little bit in toward Melany and she seemed to be leaning into him ever so slightly as well. Crosshair desperately tried to return to reading the novel in his hand, but he could not help the small fits of jealously that sparked inside of him whenever Wrecker and Melany drew closer together as the show went on.
Back when Melany and Hunter were in the kitchen cleaning up, Crosshair could faintly hear his name being spoken amongst their whispering. He also felt them staring at him every once in awhile. Being a sniper, knowing when you are being watched is a necessary skillset to possess and his sniper paranoia was definitely kicking in. And then there were the unmistakable questions he heard Hunter ask, "Why so many questions about Crosshair? You taking a liking to him or something?"
Crosshair could not hear Melany's response but he was not sure he wanted to know the answers to those questions anyway. There was no way her heart fluttered the same way his did when he looked at her.
After getting knocked out during their escape from Tantiss, the first thing Crosshair remembered when he finally came to was the soothing sensation of gentle hands applying bacta to his injured back. His head throbbed and his mind was spinning; he did not know where he was, how he ended up here, nor who was attending to him. But once he was laid down on his back and caught a glimpse of the young woman tending to him, his headache and brain fog suddenly cleared up. He vividly remembered how she jumped when she was startled by him being awake, the memory of it still brought a smirk to his face. But he also remembered how his breath hitched ever so slightly when those hypnotic blue eyes met his caramel ones. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he would know, he and his squad had been all over the galaxy during the war.
But aside from her alluring beauty, her compassion, wit, and gentleness tugged at his heartstrings in a way no one else had. He felt the strangest, unexplainable connection to this beautiful stranger. However it was not until Melany shared why she risked her life to help Imperial clone deserters, despite what happened to the previous owners, with him and Hunter that he truly began to admire her. Loyalty was one of, if not the, most important quality Crosshair valued and her loyalty to clones was surprising. It was one thing for clones to be loyal to other clones, but for a natborn stranger to risk her life to honor and protect the troopers was mind boggling to him.
However the same depreciating thought repeated over and over again in his mind; there was no way her heart fluttered the same way his did whenever she got close to him or whenever they locked eyes with each other. There was no way he could compete with other men like her charming vendor friend or even his older brothers. There was no way someone like her would ever have feelings for someone like him.
As Melany continued watching the space sitcom, she felt a small wave of anxious insecurity wash over her through the Force. She immediately knew where, or more specifically who, it was coming from but she decided to ignore it. She did not want to embarrass Crosshair by making awkward eye contact. It was not until she felt the faintest tickle of something else coming off of him that caused her to glance his way.
Their eyes briefly locked and she gave him a subtle, yet warm, smile. Much to her surprise, he held the eye contact for a couple more seconds before he dropped his eyes to the data pad in his lap and went back to reading his novel. Melany mindlessly began playing with her mother's necklace as she returned her eyes to the HoloTV. She had not felt a sensation like that in years. It both intrigued and worried her.
An hour or so later, Hunter and Wrecker were still watching the space sitcom, Crosshair was still reading, but Omega and Melany had fallen asleep. As the current episode drew to a close, Wrecker wanted to continue watching the last two episodes of the season but he knew Omega would be angry with him if he did. She was going to be mad anyway when she realized they watched another episode after she fell asleep. With the fire in the fireplace beginning to dwindle, Hunter decided it was time to take Omega back to her room. He effortlessly scooped her up into his arms without waking her and smiled down at her peaceful face. After everything they had been through, sometimes he still could not believe she was truly here. A brief wave of worry washed over Hunter as he started climbing the stairs. He remembered what Rex and Gregor had told him and Melany earlier that day. Tarkin was looking for her. The Empire was still looking for her. He thought the destruction of Tantiss would be enough to end the Empire's pursuit of Omega, but the possibility of tying up loose ends never crossed his mind. As Hunter tucked her into bed, he withheld a heavy sigh that filled his chest. He would do anything to keep Omega safe. He would do anything to give her a chance at a normal childhood. And he knew his brothers felt the same.
While Hunter was upstairs tucking Omega into bed, Wrecker had not moved a single muscle since his oldest brother left. Sometime while watching the show, Melany had brought her legs up and tucked them to her chest before falling asleep. But now her curled up form was unintentionally, yet comfortably, nestled into the side of Wrecker's massive abdomen and the large clone did not want to wake her up. However there was another reason why he refused to move. Despite his childlike demeanor, he was not oblivious when it came to the feelings of his brothers. If anything, he was the most emotionally mature member of the squad until Omega joined. Although Wrecker had only been awake for a couple rotations, it was enough time for him to notice Crosshair's unusual attraction to their gracious hostess. Omega had also told him about the interactions she observed between Melany and Crosshair while he was unconscious in the medbay and this only intrigued him more. He had known Crosshair his entire life and he had never seen his younger brother entranced by a woman until now. This was an exciting development for him and he wanted nothing more than to see his brother explore this possible opportunity at newfound happiness.
"Psst!" Wrecker whispered at his brother who was still reading in the armchair.
"What?" Crosshair whispered back, not looking up from the datapad.
"What do I do?"
Crosshair slowly looked up from his novel, staring at the two of them nestled together on the couch. The sight alone irritated him but he did not show it, "Wake her up." He bluntly stated as if it were obvious.
"I don't wanna. She looks deep in sleep."
"Then take her upstairs. Like what Hunter did with Omega."
"I-I can't."
"Sure you can. You're the strongest one here." Crosshair dismissed as he returned to reading his novel, signaling the end of the conversation.
"It's not that." Wrecker hesitated, trying to think of a valid excuse, "I'm too loud. The stairs creak when I walk on 'em. I'll wake her up."
"Then wait until Hunter comes back down. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to carry her up." He responded curtly, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Wrecker easily picked up on his brother's tone, "Why you say that?"
"Are you blind?" Crosshair looked back up at him with a glare, "He helps her the first chance he gets. He helps her with the dishes, helps her clean up the kitchen, helps her check the vineyard-"
"That's just Hunter being Hunter. Helping those who help his squad is his way of showing gratitude." Wrecker shrugged ever so slightly as to not wake up Melany.
Crosshair rolled his eyes, "Hmph."
After a minute of silence, Wrecker softly spoke up again, "Why don't you take her upstairs?"
Crosshair lifted his right arm, "I can't."
"Don't play dumb, Crosshair. I know you can. You did it before. Omega told me you picked her up and carried her to a medical bed after she revived me."
Crosshair fell silent. As much as he wanted to argue, he hated to admit his brother made a good point. "Fine." He muttered while he put the datapad aside.
He stood with a soft groan and stalked over to the couch, staring down at Melany's sleeping form. Wrecker tried not to smile when he noticed his brother's typical aloof expression softening just by looking at her. It was a rarity to see Crosshair look at anyone, besides Omega, with such gentleness.
Crosshair did not seem to notice Wrecker's small smirk as he reached out and gently scooped Melany up into his arms. His heart skipped a beat when her head instinctively nestled against his sturdy chest. He steadily walked out of the living room and headed up the stairs, careful not to make too much noise or accidentally bump her against anything. Once he reached the second story, he headed for her room and stepped inside as the automatic door slid open.
Crosshair briefly glanced around the room, taking in the minimalistic clean decor and noticing the lack of any personal items which seemed odd to him. He made his way toward the large bed where he gently placed her down as if she was a delicate artifact or something of great value. Perhaps because in his mind, she was. He noticed a couple of blankets folded neatly at the foot of the bed and, after a brief struggle with having only one hand, he eventually laid them over her sleeping form. A small ping of regret washed over him as he stared down at his missing hand. Melany had asked him earlier if he wanted to get fitted for a cybernetic hand and he did not have an answer for her. He said he needed to think about it. But as he watched her peacefully rest, he thought about all the things he could have helped her with if he had his dominant hand. The funny thing is, not only could he help her, he wanted to help her.
Before leaving the room, he leaned forward and brushed away a few stray strands of hair out of her sleeping face. This gesture brought back the memory of when he brushed off the excess flour from her cheek a couple mornings ago. He remembered how soft her skin was compared to his rough hands, but he also remembered the way she ever so slightly leaned into his touch. He thought he had imagined it back then but now, as he gently brushed more hair off her cheek, he noticed a small smile crack her peaceful expression followed by a breathy sigh. He matched her small smile with one of his own, before whispering goodnight to her and exiting the room.