REVENGE OF THE SITH
Interlude #4
Morning had always been a good time for her, usually. She was a ‘morning person’, if you will; working within the Republic Fleet made you one. In years past, her morning routine was simple — she woke up, fixed herself breakfast, and got on with her day. With some of those years, she woke up to a husband and made him breakfast or sometimes, she woke up alone.
On this morning, however, Lynsel Belyn woke up next to a man she had slowly fallen in love with. She hadn’t expected it — who ever expects to fall in love? — but when it happened, she had all those return feelings of being in love and most importantly, of being loved.
She was only slightly shocked at waking up in the arms of one Carth Onasi, but when the night before was recalled to her, she could only smile and blush. She had been so worried for him, for what he had gone through. She had known something horrible had happened on the dark planet of Thule.
His son, Dustil, had been taken immediately to the medical facility aboard his command ship of the Sojourn; but it wasn’t just that alone that seemed to make the admiral close within himself.
He had told her last night, after inviting her in to his quarters, that these True Sith had somehow made an illusion of his late wife and that illusion had nearly cost him his son. But it was the words he had said within this statement — of his mistakes, of his own shattered soul — that had lead to her being in his bed.
He loved her; had told her that she was the reason he could let go of his past and make a future, a future with her. Lynsel had never felt the way she had when he had said these things. She understood his feelings — she had felt used, unloved, unlovable when she realized Robert had been having affairs throughout their marriage.
She had sworn off love, men, and everything that went with it. And she had been pretty good.
Until she met Carth.
Not only did he make her feel again, but he brought up feelings that she had never with Robert and she could admit now, she was a little afraid of these feelings.
But when she looked at Carth — the way he slept now was just adorable — Lynsel knew she wanted to be with him or at the very least, see if this could work between them. Moving slowly out of the bed, she gathered the t-shirt Carth had been wearing the night before and put it on.
She turned and watched him sleep for a moment more before heading out to order some breakfast. She wasn’t exactly sure what Carth liked in the mornings, so she settled on ordering something simple. She was slightly nervous about ordering from his quarters, especially when it announced that she was in the admiral’s quarters well before the rest of the crew would be up.
She just hoped the droids in the kitchen weren’t into gossip or spreading rumors.
She glanced around his front office, noticing the room across the way where Bastila had stayed. She couldn’t help the curiosity nor the panic that swept her over whether or not the Jedi and her husband had occupied the room during the night and what they may have heard. She tried to shake it off, but it lingered in the back of her mind while she waited for breakfast to be delivered.
When Carth stirred from his sleep, his arm made a grab for the person next him. Sometimes, when he dreamed of Morgana, he woke up trying to pull her closer to his body. Only when he fully pulled himself from sleep, did he remember that she was no longer there to be held.
But this morning, his arm wasn’t seeking the form of his departed wife, but for the form of another — a new woman in his life, one that he hoped would become a permanent fixture once this Sith business was over with. That is, if they of course survived. But even then, even if they lost, he wanted to make sure he didn’t waste any time — time that he could never get back.
If Lynsel was to only be in his life for a short period of time, he wanted her to know that she had made a new man out of him.
That’s what he tried to convey to her last evening, with his words and his body. It had been some time for the both of them, but he didn’t want to rush anything nor did he want her to think that was just a one night stand for him. He told her as much —
“I want to make sure you know this…this isn’t a one night stand for me,” he whispered. “I’m a little too old for that.”
“You’re not old,” she giggled. “Not at all.”
“I just…” he placed his forehead against hers. “I don’t want this to be a one time thing. I want to show you how much I want you and need you. Show you that I love you.”
And he did show her, as best as he could. When they tired, he held her in his arms, whispering words of love to her and that he wanted to build a life with her, if she’d let him. He knew she was scared – that husband of hers had really worked her over – and he was happy to wait; he’d wait for her if she thought he was rushing things. He’d step back if she wanted him to, but he needed to have her know that he loved her and she had saved him in a way.
For now, as his mind and body began to wake fully to the day, Carth wondered where she could be. A slight tremor of fear hit him; did she leave, to never return? Did she feel they had rushed into this? He shook his head clear.
Fear never solved anything, where he was concerned. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he turned to sit up and instantly smiled at the sight before him. Lynsel stood in the doorway, clad only in his t-shirt and with a small cart beside her. She returned his smile, though he could see a blush quickly covering her face.
“Morning,” she whispered. “I went ahead and got breakfast, though I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so…I mean…I hope that…well…”
Force, she’s beautiful, he thought, smiling widely as she continued to ramble. He sensed she was nervous — maybe she did regret last night? — so he beckoned her towards him. “C’mere, gorgeous.”
Lynsel walked slowly towards the bed, unsure of why she was so shy all of a sudden. It was only when Carth pulled her into an embrace that she felt more at ease. She could feel him through the thin sheet, but he didn’t press the advantage.
Instead, he kissed her lightly on the lips and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she sighed, smiling lightly at him. “I just…I wasn’t sure what to expect this morning.”
“You don’t regret anything, do you?”
“No!” she insisted. “No, I don’t. I don’t regret anything. I love you.” She ducked her head, shyly.
“Hey,” Carth said, lifting her head up by the chin. “You don’t need to be embarrassed with me. I love everything about you, especially when you blush all over like that.”
He nibbled her neck, causing her laugh and pull back from him. She caressed his cheek before saying, “Let me go get breakfast.”
“I’d rather have you for breakfast,” he retorted, waggling his eyebrows at her retreating form.
She smiled seductively at him, the tray of food from the cart in her hands. “Maybe later,” came her reply. She walked to the bed, placing the tray on his lap.
Carth looked down, already in the mood of a different kind of meal, when he noticed something odd. The meal itself looked delicious — eggs, bacon, sausage, and caffa — but the problem wasn’t the food; it was the fact that there seemed to be only one serving of it.
Looking up at her, he asked, “You didn’t want to have anything? Or did you have something already?”
The question caught her a little off guard. When she had brought breakfast in bed to her former husband, he never really offered to share it with her. “Oh…well…” she stammered. “I’ve never…I’ve never been offered before.”
Carth only shook his head, in stunned disbelief. Of course that egomaniac would treat his wife as a personal slave. “Well,” he said, patting the space next to him. “You’ve been officially asked. Besides, what’s the point of breakfast in bed if I don’t have you to share it with?”
His words hit their mark, if the blush was any indication. Lynsel climbed in next to him, being pulled closer by Carth’s arm around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead before handing her a piece of bacon.
“New tradition, yeah?” he asked.
“Breakfast in bed?” she asked, to which he nodded. “I think I’d like that.”
“Me too.”
They lay together, sharing breakfast, and cuddling. “I can’t believe you’ve never had breakfast in bed before,” he murmured, scooping a forkful of eggs.
Lynsel shrugged against him. “I spent many a morning serving breakfast in bed,” she replied. She chuckled. “I’m surprised I actually had time to even eat breakfast, never mind make it.”
Lynsel was quite for a time before she asked, “Did you and Morgana do this a lot?”
“Every once and a while,” answered the admiral. “It was usually for special occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries…I cooked more when she was pregnant with Dustil.” Carth chuckled.
“She was a hungry woman when she was pregnant,” he said. “I think I spent more time going out and buying food than I really spent making it.”
“You miss her.”
He nodded, slowly. “Yeah, I do,” he whispered, turning his head to look at her. “But…I have to believe that I did everything I could to try and save her. And I made sure to try and make up for lost times with Dustil.”
He brushed her bangs aside before placing his lips on her forehead. “I spent so much time being angry or guilty or both…” he sighed. “It took some time, but…I was able to let go of all that and I have two people to thank for that — Revan…and you.”
Lynsel snuggled closer to him. She had never been responsible for a life changing event in anyone’s life, at least not that she knew of, and to hear Carth describe how just her being on this mission – one that had started with her being on for the sake of proving his best friend a Sith Lord – had helped him overcome years of…well, a self imposed depression…she didn’t know what to say. ‘Your welcome’ didn’t seem like enough. She shook her head.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” she whispered.
He tilted her head towards him. “Don’t say anything,” he whispered, just before his mouth covered hers.
Dustil Onasi didn’t think he’d ever had the best night’s sleep in…well in years. He literally woke up with a smile on his face. His dreams had been filled with his mother’s smiling face and that of a cute little blue Twi’lek.
He still felt sore from the previous dealings with the Sith on Thule; however his happiness almost dwarfed his pain. Stretching his arms, he was startled to hear movement next to his bed. Turning, he could see the back of a shadow that was sitting on his bed. When the shadow turned, he smiled.
“Where you going, Little Blue?” he asked, amidst a yawn.
Mission Vao looked up and had to suppress a blush. She had been trying to gather her things without waking him, but it was obvious it hadn’t worked well. While she had nothing to be embarrassed about — nothing had happened aside from a few kisses — the young Twi’lek hadn’t meant to wake up in the arms of the handsome Jedi.
He pulled from her feelings she hadn’t felt before and it was a little frightening. She gave him a smile, saying, “I’m getting my little blue butt out of here before your dad finds out I spent the night.”
“You don’t have to go.”
She leaned over him and cupped his cheek. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered.
“Then don’t,” was all he said before pulling her head down towards his. He wasn’t sure how long they were like that, but the clearing of a throat is what broke them apart.
Looking towards the doorway, he could see his father grinning at them both. Mission was nearly bright red as she bade Carth good morning before quickly running out of the room, Dustil watching her exit with a smile.
“Eyes above the waist, son.”
“I’ll remember you said that,” the younger Onasi smirked, as his father sat down at his side. The two looked at each other, both wearing smiles on their faces. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Carth nodded, sadly. “I know and I’m sorry,” he said. “I had a lot in my head when we came back.”
“Yeah.” The two were silent. “I’m sorry I thought…well…that she was Mom,” Dustil whispered, turning to look away.
“Hey,” his father responded. “Don’t blame yourself for that. They had me fooled too. I just…it was so…”
“Weird,” the younger man finished. “It was…surreal kinda…seeing her again. I…I couldn’t believe it.”
“I know how you felt.”
Father and son once again lapsed into silence, each thinking over what they had seen. “I see her, you know,” Dustil said, turning to look at his father. “In my dreams.”
“I know,” Carth said, with a smile. “She told me.”
“You see her too?” His father nodded.
“In case you didn’t know, Dustil,” Carth began. “We’re proud of you; I’m proud of you. I’m glad you’re my son.”
Dustil ducked his head in embarrassment, but couldn’t hide that he was pleased with the praise from his father. It made him feel like a little boy again.
“Thanks Dad,” he whispered. “I’m glad you’re my father. And…” he began, looking up with a smile. “I’m glad you can be happy again. You…you are happy, right? With Lt. Belyn?”
Carth chuckled. He didn’t think his son would be bringing up that particular subject, but he was prepared for it. “Yes, Dustil,” he said, looking at his son. “She does make him happy. In fact…I need to know something, son. You…you do like her, don’t you?”
Dustil thought of the question. Truth was, he did think the lieutenant was a good match for his father and they did seem to get along well, but he didn’t really know her. He nodded, slowly.
“I think she’s good for you,” he started. “But I can’t really say I know her. I mean, I guess she’s okay, but…”
“I really want you to get to know her.”
The younger man raised an eyebrow at his father. “You’re pretty serious about her, huh?” he asked, though he wasn’t surprised at his father’s answer.
“Yeah, Dusty,” he whispered. “I really think I am.”
Dustil nodded, grinning. “I think I feel that way about Mission, too.”
“She’s a good kid.”
“Believe me, Dad,” the younger man laughed. “She’s not a kid anymore.”
This time, it was Carth who raised an eyebrow. “Just remember what I said on the Hawk,” he said, sternly.
“I remember,” Dustil said, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t a fling.” He looked at his father and Carth was stunned to realize that his son truly was a man now. “I don’t want this to be a fling, Dad. I’m falling in love with her.”
Carth gave his son a small smile, before patting him on his arm. “I’m happy for you, son,” he said. “And I know your mother is too.”
“She is.”
Revan had been the first to arrive, with Bastila arriving shortly after he did. Together, they went about gathering more chairs and then began making a few cups of caffa within the replicator. Carth was the next to arrive, looking happier and chipper than they had both seen him since leaving the planet of Thule. ‘Good morning,’ he smiled, going over and taking a cup from Bastila.
“Good morning, Carth,” she replied. “You seem especially chipper this morning.”
The admiral sipped his drink, the smile never leaving his face. “Had a good night’s rest,” he shrugged.
“Hmmm…” Bastila murmured, taking a small sip of the hot drink. “That could be. Although, it seems to me as though you have the look of a man who’s had a good ole fashion shag.”
Carth chuckled into his cup. “Or it could be that,” he mumbled. “Revan, are you all right?”
Revan wasn’t sure what he was more shocked at — the fact that his wife had used the word ‘shag’ or the fact that Carth had actually done it. The moment itself was cause for him to nearly choke on his own caffa.
“Really Revan,” Bastila admonished. “Do be careful to not to drink the cup in one foul gulp.”
Carth shook his head at the two, knowing that this meeting would hopefully shed some light on what would await them. He knew this would probably be the last moments of happiness he and his friends would have before the inevitable battle they would have with the species of True Sith, but the respected admiral would be ready for them and he looked forward to his life without them.