Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links

Title: The Sith Lord and the Scientist section ‘D’
Author: Maia (maia@bastcastle.org)
Rating: mostly PG-13 with some NC-17 here and there.
Characters: Vader, OFC, a few other OC’s, and familiar faces.
Category: AU, Adventure, Romance, some Angst.

Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this, and he doesn’t belong to me. Darn.

Summary: As the civil war intensifies, the Sith Lord is forced to make plans and finally act when the Emperor interferes with his family one time too many.

The Executor, Outer Rim, Month 1, Year 3.

DAY 9

I hide the second of Mikal’s birthday gifts away before my son can see it. He will be two years old in a few days and I have a small party planned for him. With a touch, I close the compartment and return to the den to see what my little boy is up to. Ani’s office is now off limits to me when Admiral Ozzel is on duty and I have no desire to encounter that arrogant fool again.

Mikal is busy trying to interest Cat and Shmi in some of his brightly coloured toys. I settle myself in a chair and let my three children entertain me for a while. The twins have not developed as quickly as their brother, but soon they will be crawling about and the playpen I insisted on putting in here will be in use. Keeping track of Mikal and whatever mischief he is up to requires most of my attention these days.

A light brush in the back of my mind alerts me. Ani wants to talk privately for a few minutes.

Yes, love, I prompt him.

Ozzel is wasting my time with these endless and pointless seizures and searches, the Sith Lord complains.

He’s actually gone ahead with that? I ask.

The Admiral has spent almost every minute since we left Corulag chasing whatever rumours of rebels reach his ears, regardless of how ridiculous they are. Ani has patiently put up with this for the past three weeks, even skipping the Midwinter Fete at Imperial Center to stay with the fleet, but I know he is close to losing his temper. This morning Ozzel must have followed up on his plans and began to use the fleet to harass free-traders, assuming some of them are working for the rebels.

Yes, is his curt, slightly disgusted sounding reply, and not one of these ‘wild-goose chases’ has provided any information at all.

I smile at his choice of words. Ani has picked up some of my expressions from home, but unlike today, he doesn’t always use them in the correct context and the results can be quite funny sometimes.

I want you to start going through the most reliable intelligence reports I have received in the last two years, Ani decides. You have a talent for finding subtle patterns that others miss. Maybe you can discover something ....

His thought breaks off. Something must be happening up on the command deck. I start playing with Mikal, making him exercise his Force talents while I wait for Ani to let me know what is going on.

Another smuggler to waste my time questioning, he finally reveals.

Maybe you will find something interesting in the ship’s holds, I suggest.

Doubtful, Ani replies, whatever was in the holds was dumped once they knew they were going to be boarded.

Cyran comms her presence at the main door. Time for me to go practice in the salle while she minds the children and Thirsk acts as guard.

Ani ... , I start to tell him where I will be.

He interrupts with, Yes, I know. I can’t make it today. Go ahead without me.

Rats. Another session of forms by myself. With a resigned sigh, I retrieve my ‘saber from where I keep it locked away from Mikal’s busy hands and head off for my daily workout.

The Executor, Mechis III, Month 1, Year 3.

DAY 15

Ani’s finally back, I note, as Mikal runs to the main door to meet his father. Good. We can have our private party at last.

‘Missed me, did you, son?’ I hear him ask Mikal.

‘Daddy!’ our son happily replies.

There is a squeal of laughter as I see Ani toss his son up into the air and catch him. I smile while I watch the two of them goof about for a few minutes. Despite the pressures of his position, and, more recently, dealing with Ozzel, Ani has never once let that affect his relationship with our children.

My work is separate from my private life, little goddess, he reminds me as Mikal is carried over to me.

How did today go? I pry a little.

Odd. Something is not right there, but Administrator Hekis seems to have things under control, Ani replies. The probe droids will be ready when I need them and Ozzel will be forced to rely on facts, not rumour, for a change.

‘Ready for your party?’ I ask Mikal.

Our son nods his head against his father’s chest and releases the choke-hold he has around Ani’s neck. A few seconds later, he is in our bedroom, impatiently waiting for us to join him.

‘Hurry up,’ I hear Mikal call.

‘You can behave yourself and wait a minute or two,’ I scold him while I retrieve Ani’s glass and drink from the kitchen.

‘Mother,’ he whines in response.

I roll my eyes at that. Mikal has been bugging me about his party all day. There are times like this when I wish he wasn’t as precocious as he is. For a two-year old, he has a rather extensive vocabulary and a knack for knowing what to say to get the results he wants. It doesn’t work on me, but he has somehow managed to wrap Cyran around his little finger. Considering who his father is, my poor aide never had a chance, I admit to myself.

‘Behave,’ I scold him again as I shut the bedroom and trip the environmental controls.

I get a frown and impatient whine in answer.

‘Mikal,’ Ani warns.

That’s all he needs to hear. Our son promptly sits down in his chair and stares at the cake on the table. A finger sneaks over to steal a swipe from the icing when he thinks neither Ani or I are watching, and he starts fidgeting long before my husband has stripped his armour off for the evening.

Time for him to start working with Thirsk, Ani decides as he secures his robe at the waist.

Good. A little discipline from someone other than us is a smart idea, I agree.

‘I suppose your cake just happened to acquire fingerprints on its own?’ my husband asks our son, pointing to the large trench in the icing.

The Sith Lord settles himself at the table across from me and watches Mikal do his best to look innocent. I suppress a snicker. My brothers were notorious for doing the same thing to any cakes my mother made for them. They were more careful, though, stealing a taste from the side instead of across the top.

‘No,’ Mikal admits.

‘And?’ Ani prompts.

‘Not me,’ our son insists.

Ani folds his arms across his chest and gives our son his best Commander look. Mikal stares back at his father and squirms for a few minutes.

‘I want to hear the truth,’ Ani tells him.

Silence and more squirming.

‘Yes, me,’ Mikal eventually, quietly admits as he looks down at the floor.

Caught. Now how is Ani going to handle this?

‘Well, son? What do you have to say about it?’ Ani prods.

More silence.

‘Sorry, father,’ he finally mumbles.

I hear the twins stir and go to look after them. Poor Mikal. Ani will be quite stern with him. Our son has never been able to get away with anything when his father is present.

Don’t be too hard on him, my love, he’s only two, I remind the Sith Lord, and my brothers always did the same.

After their feedings, Cat and Shmi are wide awake so I toss a blanket on the floor and let them play with their rattles while I return to my seat. A glance at Mikal and I know he is close to tears.

Ani, I scold, you have been way too hard on him.

I won’t put up with dishonesty from him, Ani flatly states, and he had better learn that right now.

I give the Sith Lord a warning look. He has probably wrecked the birthday party for our son. Mikal will be upset for hours after Ani’s scolding.

He loves you, I tell my husband, and you have made him miserable over nothing.

No response to that.

‘What part of the cake do you want?’ I ask Mikal, ignoring Ani for the moment.

A finger points to a corner. Mikal must like the icing then. He rapidly demolishes the small piece I cut for him. Thankfully there is no repeat of the mess he made at his first birthday party.

‘Seconds?’ I offer.

The opposite corner is selected this time. I was right. He likes the icing. While Mikal works away at his second slice, I watch Ani finish his supper and nibble at my own piece. The Sith Lord has been quiet as the cake has disappeared. Maybe I was a bit too blunt earlier.

Ani? I venture.

Sometimes I think I should leave the parenting end of things to you, he quietly answers.

You are still learning, I remind him, and I have made plenty of mistakes, too.

I reach across the table and take his hand, sending him reassurance over our bond as I do so.

‘Ready to unwrap your presents?’ Ani asks once Mikal is finished with the cake.

Mikal smiles at his father and nods, his earlier distress completely forgotten in anticipation of what might be in the brightly wrapped boxes stacked on the bed.

‘Go pick one then,’ Ani tells him.

A red-headed streak flies from his chair and grabs a package from the pile. There is a thud as Mikal drops to the floor and begins ripping the paper off. He selected the drawing set, I see, one of the gifts I had bought for him. Each box of pencils and markers is carefully examined before they are set aside and the next present pulled from the bed. That’s one of Ani’s, I think. The Star Destroyer model inside is looked at just as closely as the pencils were before it joins the first gift.

Before Mikal is finished, Ani is on the floor with his son and both are having fun throwing the wrapping paper and boxes around. They did that last time, too, I remember. Well, this birthday, they can clean up the mess.

With a smile, I join my family and settle in for an hour or two of fun.

The Executor, Syvris, border of Hutt Space, Month 4.

DAY 2

I set aside the datapad with a sigh and prepare to go to bed. Ani must still be busy dealing with the latest of Ozzel’s debacles. At least the attack on the smuggler’s base was over quickly and I was able to block out most of what happened. I must be getting better at that. This is the first time I haven’t had to be drugged in order to cope.

A light touch to our bond tells me that my husband is still on the small moon. And he’s too occupied to respond. Rats. Now I don’t know if I should wait up for him or not. For a few minutes I have a debate with myself. Stay awake or not? Finally, I decide to resume my reading for a while.

An hour later, Ani is back. I look up as he takes a quick peek in at the children before starting to pull off his armor.

‘Any luck, love?’ I ask him.

‘None,’ he replies, sounding a bit irritated at the situation. ‘Nothing but smugglers. Not a single trace of rebels to be found. Yet another one of Ozzel’s misinformed wastes of time.’

I let my eyebrow climb. The Admiral’s chasing after rumours has been going on for months and I wonder how much longer the Sith Lord is going to put up with it.

Ani catches the look on my face.

‘The probe droids will be ready within the next month,’ he reveals, ‘and I will make sure Ozzel has to rely on intelligence from them instead.’

At that I try unsuccessfully to hide a smile. That won’t work for very long. The Admiral will find some other way to do as he wants to.

‘And you would suggest?’ Ani prods me.

‘Give him enough rope, and he will shoot himself in the foot,’ I offer in a mixed metaphor. ‘Or he could take a walk out an airlock some time.’

‘That’s far too obvious,’ Ani scolds.

‘How about accidentally leaving him behind somewhere?’ I volunteer.

‘Maia...’

‘...where there is no way for him to call for help...’ I keep going.

‘...wife...’ Ani growls.

‘... preferably on the other side of the galaxy...’ I manage to get out between giggles.

Ani is trying to keep a grin off his face and failing miserably.

‘Stop that,’ he orders.

‘Or you could feed him to your pet dragons on Vjun,’ I offer up another solution, ‘but he would probably give them indigestion. All that hot air, you know.’

At that I am tackled, pinned to the bed and Ozzel is the very last thing on my mind.

The Executor, Ord Mantell, Mid Rim.

DAY 5

It’s early when Ani leaves my side. He has to go planetside to pick up some components and to meet with someone. I surreptitiously watch my husband get dressed. I know he is busy plotting something again. Why else was he so insistent about getting to Ord Mantell? Determined enough, even, to over rule Ozzel’s latest plans?

‘Go back to sleep,’ he scolds once he sees me watching him.

‘Be careful today, dear,’ I tease him back.

He doesn’t return until the middle of the afternoon and promptly closes the den door. The Sith Lord must intend to contact his master. I give my head a shake. Obviously there is something going on that I am being kept ignorant of.

A few minutes later, Ani joins me, and I can sense he is rather pleased with how things are going. I guess his plotting is proceeding as planned, for once.

His amused chuckle is his answer to that thought of mine.

‘Whatever I am up to, you are to stay out of it,’ he warns, waving a scolding finger at me.

I respond by rolling my eyes. Experience has taught me to not pry into his business. He doesn’t need to remind me of that.

‘Behave, wife,’ Ani scolds me, ‘or I won’t give you your present.’

My ears perk up. So he was up to more than whatever he is busy plotting.

‘I’ll be good,’ I offer, closing my eyes and holding my hands out in anticipation.

A small parcel is promptly placed in my hands. I open an eye a crack and look at it. Carefully moving it about yields no clues. Puzzled, I hold it to my ear and give it a shake. Still no hints and I know Ani is watching me with a hidden smirk. Alright, I’ll cheat then. Closing my eyes again, I touch the Force and try to have a look inside. I yank my senses back with a start. What was that? Whatever is in the package reacted instantly when I touched it. Wary, now, I begin pulling the wrapping paper off, revealing an ornately carved wooden box.

‘What’s inside is alive, isn’t it?’ I ask the Sith Lord.

‘In one sense, yes,’ he answers.

I very carefully open the box, expecting something to jump out at me. When there is no movement, I lift the lid clear. Nestled inside are two small, matched, glowing blue opalescent stones.

‘Living stones?’ I question.

‘Rainbow gems from Gallinore, one of the Hapan worlds,’ Ani reveals. ‘They are actually silicon based life forms. This pair is several thousand years old. I thought you might like them and since they were available...’

‘Thank you, Anakin,’ I tell him before he can go into too much detail about how he found them.

The sound of the main door opening and Mikal’s feet running to join us distracts me for a moment. His lesson with Thirsk must have finished a few minutes early.

‘Daddy, watch!’ Mikal orders before he launches into a somersault, ending with him sprawled at his father’s feet.

‘I think you need to practice that, son,’ Ani tells him.

Don’t encourage him, I warn too late.

Ten minutes later, Mikal is dizzy from demonstrating what he learned today and collapsed on our bed.

‘Feel sick,’ my son moans at me.

‘Then don’t spin about so much,’ I scold him.

‘Time for your lesson,’ Ani calls from the other room.

Mikal bounds off the bed and is off like a shot to join his father. So much for him being sick. I give my shoulder a rub. Reena gave Mikal, the twins and I our boosters this morning and my arm still hurts a bit from the hypospray. Obviously it has had no effect on my son. With a smile, I follow after him and watch father and son settle themselves on the floor of Ani’s office. My husband started Mikal’s formal Force training several weeks ago, and they are working on meditation and shielding. I quietly make my retreat. The girls will need my attention soon.

The Executor, Shalyvane, Expansion Region.

DAY 10.

‘This is Major Shira Brie,’ Ani says as he introduces me to the red haired woman standing in his office.

I give her a measuring look. She can’t see my face from the angle I am at to her, so I take my time evaluating her. This must be one of the Sith Lord’s agents, but I have no idea why he wants me to meet her.

‘My Lady,’ Shira acknowledges in a cool, confident voice.

I continue to stare at her. There is something familiar about this woman. The sensation of knowing her is there, just as I had that odd premonition when I first met Admiral Ozzel.

Ani? I wonder at my husband.

‘Tell the Major what you know about Luke Skywalker, personality-wise,’ the Sith Lord tells me.

Now I turn and stare at him.

Why? I try next.

Just do it, he orders.

‘He’s an idealist,’ I start out, ‘a bit naive, easily led on if the circumstances are right ...’

I stop dead. Even though Luke is a rebel, why does divulging this to her feel like I am betraying a friend?

And... Ani prompts. Obviously he will insist I tell all.

With a great deal of reluctance, I let him drag out of me what I know of Luke from the few brief days I spent in his company. When I finally fall silent, the Sith Lord dismisses me with a wave of his hand, so I retreat to our bedroom to think.

***

I watch Maia leave my office. She did not want to reveal what she knew about my eldest son and I was forced to drag every sentence from her. In anyone else, such devotion to a friend would be commendable, but I warned her long ago I would not tolerate a rival for her affections or loyalty. A lesson, then, needs to be taught here.

Major Brie is waiting for her instructions. I know Maia sensed her jealousy. Her desire for me is all too evident. Perhaps I can use that to serve two purposes, but her orders come first.

‘You will join the rebels as a pilot, Major. Once they have accepted you, seek out Skywalker and see to it that you are assigned to his squadron. Use whatever means you deem fit to destroy his reputation. I want him expelled from the Alliance and cut off from his friends,’ I outline what I require from her.

She simply smiles in response and steps closer.

‘Major, I trust you will be able to finish this assignment to my satisfaction?’ I prompt.

‘It seems to be a simple enough task, my Lord,’ she finally replies.

‘One with its own rewards ...,’ I lead her on, closing off my bond with Maia as I do so.

‘Such as?’ Shira asks, curious, no doubt, as to what I intend.

I deliberately draw closer to her, tip her face up with my hand to look right into my mask. The Major is a Force sensitive so I let her feel the lust I have allowed to build in the last few minutes.

I can sense Maia’s response to my actions. Perfect. Now to stage a little scene for my wife to discover. A quick embrace from the Major should be sufficient to show my wife that she too could face a rival for my attentions. And then I will take her into our bedroom and prove to her why her loyalty should always rest with me...

***

He’s up to something again and it has to do with Luke. And this Major Brie.

I consider the Major’s response to what I told her. Not much there other than professional interest. How she reacted to me, though, now that was much more intriguing. That slightly resentful look I received when I first stepped into Ani’s office tells a tale or two, and the flash of jealousy accompanying it was no contrived act - that was genuine.

Unable to stop myself, I start laughing. Good grief. Shira’s another one of those female officers with an eye on the Sith Lord. Teasing my husband about this ought to be great fun.

Ani, I prod at him.

No reply so I give a light touch to our bond. No response to that overture, either, and he’s closed himself off to me. And what little I can sense, I don’t like at all.

Wrapping the Force around myself to conceal my presence, I sneak back towards Ani’s office, using his meditation pod for cover. I intend to find out exactly what it is that my husband is up to. Just as I poke my head around to peer out from my hiding spot, Mikal arrives from his lesson with Thirsk.

***

Shira slides her hands down my chest, drops to her knees in front of me. She has assumed what I wanted her to, but her position goes farther than what I need. Or want. I will have to improvise a little then.

I tip my head to look down at her.

‘My Lord?’ she questions, waiting for my approval.

‘Do you intend to swear yourself to me, Major?’ I tease her, trying to cover for her action.

I can sense Maia drawing closer, still thinking she can hide her presence from me. Just a bit farther, wife. I want you to see this.

‘I will do whatever you ask of me,’ the Major offers.

‘Daddy!’ I hear my son call.

Damn. Right on time from his lesson.

And I can’t let my son see this.

***

‘Daddy!’ I hear my son yell as he flies towards his father and the Major kneeling in front of him.

Ani promptly shuts the door in his son’s face, much to Mikal’s surprise and mine.

‘Daddy?’ I hear him ask the closed door.

What is going on between those two that Ani felt it necessary to do that to our son?

Mikal sets his head against the door for a moment, and I hear him call for his father again, this time trying to use the Force to contact him. While I debate what to do next, I feel Ani shove his son away with the Force and hear Mikal’s cry of pain in reaction.

That’s it, I decide. No one does that to my child. Not even his father.

‘Mommy’s here, Mikal,’ I tell him as I step out to where he can see me.

‘Mommy!’ Mikal howls as he runs towards me.

Somehow I stay on my feet as my sobbing son piles into me and wraps his arms around my legs. It takes a minute or so of soothing to get him to release his grip enough that I can pick him up and carry him into his room. Five more minutes and Mikal is in bed, asleep, thanks to the judicious use of my Jedi abilities. A careful application of the same to the already sleeping twins assures me that I won’t be interrupted.

Now to go and deal with my husband.

***

Go away, I tell my son with a firm nudge from the Force, I don’t want you here.

There is a jolt of surprise and I feel Mikal’s pain as I push him away. Maia’s fury at me for that echoes across our bond.

Sithspit.

This is not going as I had planned at all.

‘My Lord?’ the Major questions again.

What can she be thinking? I had better do something to save the situation before it becomes a complete disaster.

‘Your oath,’ I suggest while I debate what to do next.

The Major promptly recites the standard military oath, substituting my name for the Emperor’s. How unoriginal and trite, but it has bought me enough time to plan my next move.

‘Shall I demonstrate my loyalty to you, my Lord?’ she offers.

I cast a glance towards the door. Maia is drawing near again and she will be after blood. Ever since our first was born, my wife has had the temper of a sabercat guarding her cubs when it comes to our children. And I thoughtlessly hurt one of them.

Fortunately the door is locked. I will have as much time as I like to decide how to deal with my wife.

‘What?’ I blurt out, having missed the Major’s last words.

‘This,’ she calmly states.

Her hands reach for my belt, pull it loose, toss it aside, and start to remove my codpiece. As I set my hands on her shoulders, she slides me into her mouth. Stiffening instantly, I lean back against my desk, intending to enjoy every second of it.

Then I hear the door slide open.

***

I hesitate once I am at the office door. This is going to get me into plenty of trouble. Brushing my doubts aside, I key in Ani’s override code. It works on the comm system so I hope it works on the door as well.

It does.

The sound of the door sliding open causes Ani to whip his head around and Shira to pull back and glance up at me with a triumphant smirk on her face. It is a scene which dredges up long buried memories I had hoped to never think of again.

I just stand there, staring at both of them, too shocked to do anything else.

***

Kreth and damnation.

Maia must have somehow learned my general override code.

We three stare at one another in a frozen tableau.

A hundred explanations fly through my mind, but in the end I remain silent. After seeing the hurt and shocked look on my wife’s face, anything I say to her at this moment will only make the situation worse.

Fragments from Maia’s memories slam into my mind across our bond. In a strange juxtaposition I am her, at my feet in our bedroom, cowering, waiting for my next blow to land as I force her to comply with my wishes. Then that vision shatters

I see her hand fall away from the control panel and the door slide closed in response.

Maia, wait, I call to her, but there is no reply.

***

Finally, I let my hand fall away from the control panel, allowing the door to shut again. I need to leave, I decide, put as much distance between Ani and myself as possible, so I can think undisturbed.

As I reach the main door, I hear Ani’s telepathic appeal to wait. I ignore it. Wait? Wait for what? Some lame explanation? Some attempt to make amends? Or does he intend to confess to me that the Major is his lover?

I quickly hurry through the Executor’s corridors, expecting to be stopped at any moment. Eventually I reach my destination, the observation room. It only takes a moment to fuse the turbolift controls with my ‘saber. Safe at last, I settle myself on the floor beside one of the windows.

I refuse to cry about this. I have shed enough tears over the hurts my husband has inflicted on me already. Instead I start brooding.

Ani is going to be angry with me, but I don’t care what he does to me for disobeying his orders. The Sith Lord can go straight to the bottom of the nine hells as far as I am concerned.

How could he do that to me? To us?

Was it only for the thrill of experiencing the one thing I refuse to do for him or does it go deeper than that?

***

She’s still up in the observation room, hiding and brooding.

I suppose I should be grateful for that. Her reaction could have been much, much worse.

With a touch I shut off the monitor. There is no point in watching her any longer. Maia is not going anywhere any time soon. I will speak to her later.

Right now, I have a rebellious planet to deal with.

***

For hours I sit by the window, staring out at the planet we are orbiting, trying to rationalize Ani’s actions, plotting out what I might do, and wondering why he hasn’t bothered to track me down.

‘He’s busy on Shalyvane,’ Michael reveals.

I look up at my brother and watch him sit down beside me. He’s dressed as a Jedi today.

‘He can stay there permanently as far as I am concerned,’ I tell him.

‘But he won’t, Maia, and running away won’t solve anything,’ he scolds.

Damn. He picked up on my plans to take the children and use my TIE to escape.

You know that’s a dangerous proposition, and he would only hunt you down, my brother warns.

Then what am I supposed to do? Forgive and forget, yet again? I am sick of doing that, sick of being hurt, sick of having my heart broken...

If you love him, then yes, you will have to forgive him.

The tears finally start to escape on me.

I let Michael pull me over and into his arms.

‘No one ever said being married to a Sith Lord would be easy,’ he quietly comforts me, ‘and you will have still more to endure before...’

My brother falls silent. He’s thinking about secrets he won’t discuss with me.

‘Just promise me you won’t do anything foolish or rash,’ Michael asks.

I nod my head against his chest. There’s not much I can do about the situation anyway. If Ani wants Major Brie as a lover or even as a concubine, I can’t stop him. By Sith tradition and law, I have no say in the matter. All I can do is swallow my hurt pride and live with it.

And making an issue of the Major will only drive him into formalizing their relationship, I quickly realize. He would do it just to prove a point - to make sure I know exactly where I stand - and to ensure I never again share my loyalty to him with another.

‘It’s not fair,’ I complain. ‘Why is it always me who has to give in to him?’

Michael has no answer for me. He just smiles sadly and holds me until my face is dry again before fading away, leaving me to continue my brooding alone.

With a resigned sigh, I decide to go back. My breasts are aching and the girls will be hungry. Since I am not ready or willing to encounter my husband yet, I try to get a fix on his location. Ani’s not on the ship, but still on Shalyvane, dealing with the restless population, no doubt. Good. It should be easy to make my way to our quarters once I get the turbolift doors open.

An hour later, I am frustrated and fed up. Fusing the control panel was a bad idea. Conceding defeat, I contact Thirsk on the comm and ask him to send someone to rescue me.

As I return to my quarters, I must admit that the Lieutenant was prompt at least, and knew better than to make any comment. But I am sure he was wondering why Lady Vader trapped herself in the observation room.

I quickly dismiss the Noghri and send Cyran and Daini away. Mikal and his sisters are still in their beds, asleep, when I look in at them. Ani must have made sure they wouldn’t wake while he was gone. The twins need to be fed, though, so I rouse each one in turn and see to her. When Mikal finally stirs, I prepare his evening meal, but I am still too upset to eat anything myself.

‘Mommy, story,’ my son demands as soon as he has finished eating.

I give in to him. It is growing late now and there is no indication that my husband will return anytime soon.

‘Go choose a book, then,’ I tell him.

He quickly pulls one from the shelf and crawls into bed. I decide to join him, for a change, and Mikal is soon curled up in my arms.

‘The Lost Bantha Cub?’ I ask him. Not that again.

He nods and opens the book. I let out a sigh. I know this story by rote and do not need to look at the pages.

‘One day...’ I start reciting.

Mikal is still wide awake when I finish.

‘Mommy?’ he asks.

‘Yes, sweety?’ I answer.

‘Another story, please,’ he requests.

I randomly call another one of the storybooks to my hand and open it.

‘Not that one,’ Mikal protests.

‘Choose a different one, then,’ I offer, humouring him as I return the book to the shelf.

‘Tell me how you met daddy again,’ he decides.

I start to choke a bit. At the moment this is just about the last thing I want to think about.

‘Mommy?’ I hear Mikal ask. My sensitive little son knows I am upset.

‘It’s alright,’ I reassure him as I brush the hair from his face with a light touch. ‘Mommy’s just a bit sad tonight.’

He instinctively snuggles in close in response to my distress. I let myself take some comfort in that. There is nothing so innocent as the love of a child.

‘Once upon a time mommy lived on a planet far, far away and daddy had to land his fighter on it ...’ I tell him his favourite story yet again.

By the time I have reached the bit about Ani teaching me to dance, Mikal is sound asleep in my arms. Remembering those long ago happy days prompts a few silent tears despite my attempts to hold them in. I keep quiet and shift about a bit, taking care not to disturb my son. His red hair tickles my nose as I settle myself next to him. A glance across the room assures me that the girls are sleeping, too, and I can sense that Ani has returned to the ship. I will stay here tonight, I decide. My husband can spend the night alone - I have no desire to share a bed or even be in the same room with him.

Sleep evades me though and it is very late before exhaustion finally takes its toll.

***

I set my midnight meal and datapad on the table, and strip off my armour while I wait for Maia to appear. She’s in with the children so Mikal must have had another nightmare.

When my wife is still absent after a reasonable length of time, I decide to see what the problem is.

The door to the children’s room opens at my touch. My first observation is that Maia is in bed, sound asleep, with our son. The second is that her face is still wet with tears. The third is that Michael is sitting beside the sleeping twins, watching over her.

He gives me a rather disgusted look.

‘Anakin,’ he tells me, as he gets to his feet, ‘you are a first class idiot.’

‘I don’t need you to tell me that,’ I snap at him.

The last thing I need at the moment is a lecture from my brother-in-law the pest. I retreat from the room and shut the door. Maia can sleep where she is tonight. We will talk in the morning.

Michael follows, walking straight through the door and settling himself in the chair across from me. Obviously he intends to stick around for a while.

‘What do you want?’ I growl at him.

He simply crosses his arms over his chest and stares at me. I deliberately ignore him and fill my first glass.

‘Sometimes I wonder what she sees in you,’ Michael flatly states.

I don’t reply.

‘And I can’t understand how on Earth she puts up with you,’ he adds after a few minutes. ‘She would have throttled anyone else long before now.’

I stay silent and concentrate on finishing my drink. Maybe he will go away if I keep ignoring him.

‘You do realize that sooner or later, she will finally decide she’s had enough grief from you and leave,’ he tries next.

Now he’s trying to goad me into a response. I pour my second glass and pick up the datapad, planning to get some work done. He reaches over and yanks the datapad from my hand, then tosses it onto the bed. I glare at him, furious.

‘She came very close to leaving this time, Anakin,’ he warns. ‘The next time, I won’t stop her.’

‘Stop meddling, Jedi,’ I snarl at him.

‘Someone has to do it,’ he snaps back, ‘since you seem so intent on screwing things up all the time.’

I lift the glass and tighten my grip on it, intending to throw it at him. Then I stop myself, remembering the eventual outcome of our last argument. For a moment I stare at him before slowly setting the glass back on the table. My two-year old son behaves better than I am.

‘Ready to act like an adult at last?’ Michael prods.

‘Yes,’ I warily, grudgingly admit.

He watches me closely for a few minutes while I stare back at him.

‘Well?’ I finally prompt.

‘Why?’ he asks.

‘Why what?’ I challenge back. I am not falling for that open ended question.

‘Why do you keep hurting her?’

I let out a hiss. What happens between his sister and I is none of his business. And I am not answering that. I refuse to answer that.

Michael sits quietly, patiently, waiting for some response from me. The silence in the room stretches until it becomes uncomfortable.

‘For crying out loud, Anakin, you are her soul-bonded mate. You can feel what you are doing to her,’ he reminds me, sounding frustrated by my silence.

I shut my eyes. True. All too true. Maia’s pain has cried out to me each and every time I have hurt her. Except when I was too wrapped up in my own anger to notice. Or care. And then I only realized too late what I had done to her and what it was going to cost me.

I choke a bit at that memory. I have come very close to losing everything. Again.

Michael hears my breathing break. Damn. He knows now that statement scored a direct hit.

‘She needs you, Anakin,’ he quietly tells me, then adds, ‘and you need her too, even though you are far too stubborn and thick-headed to admit it.’

That’s an accurate assessment, so a second point to him, I decide. Now, what will he take aim at next? I finish off my drink and wait. My silence prompts another annoyed reaction.

‘Are you just going to sit there and say nothing?’ the pest finally asks.

‘Perhaps,’ I taunt him. ‘I will answer when I see a need to.’

I watch him considering what to try next. This could be rather entertaining. Or infuriating. I eye my empty glass. Should I pour my third or not?

‘You had better tell her the truth about you and the Major ... ,’ he starts.

I stare at him in surprise and narrow my eyes.

‘... or I will,’ he completes his threat.

He must have been spying on me. I allow a hiss of rage to escape. How dare he.

‘Jedi,’ I snarl, furious at him, ‘You had better leave before I do something I regret.’

My chair makes a satisfying crash as I launch myself from it and call my ‘saber to my hand. The pest simply looks amused. I glance at the red blade as my temper drains away. I can’t harm him with that and anything that would truly damage him will hurt my wife as well.

‘So you were up to no good with the Major,’ Michael shrewdly observes. ‘I wasn’t entirely sure of that.’

Tricked into revealing something I never intended to have come out. How clever. I shut off the ‘saber and set it on the table. He was quite adept in his manipulations. I pull the chair upright and resume my place.

‘Are you ready to discuss it?’ he asks, ‘or are you going to have another temper tantrum?’

This is definitely none of his business.

‘And what do you want to hear?’ I snap at him. ‘That I have made mistakes I regret? That I wish I could start the day over again? Don’t waste my time by trying to make me feel guilty, pest. I am quite capable of doing that on my own.’

To my satisfaction he looks rather taken aback at my words. Good. I have just about had enough of him for one day. Now I know why his sister gets so annoyed and frustrated with him.

It’s time to get rid of him for the rest of the night.

‘You are a pest and a menace. Go away and leave me alone,’ I order, shaking a warning finger at him.

Michael gets the hint and promptly vanishes.

I fill my glass for a third time and drink slowly while I consider what happened today. If Maia hadn’t interrupted, I am sure I would have spent an enjoyable hour or two with the Major. Shira is always more than willing to do what my wife refuses to. If only Maia would co-operate in this one thing.

I look towards where she is sleeping. She doesn’t remember how I tricked her into doing as I wanted the first time, but the second time ...

The empty glass shatters as I squeeze my hand tight around it.

She will no doubt remember the beating I gave her that day for the rest of her life. I have been more lenient on prisoners during interrogations than I was on her. I think of each blow I inflicted on her. Every refusal, I struck her again. And again. Until she no longer had the strength to resist me. Until she was battered and bleeding. Until she finally gave in.

Was it worth it? I ask myself. Were a few brief minutes of pleasure worth the pain it cost her? Was it worth hurting her for? Was it worth almost destroying my marriage for?

Is it worth destroying my marriage for?

I drop the broken bits of glass on the table and stare at them. Shattered. Crushed by my hand. Like she once was. Like I have risked her being again.

What a complete fool I have been.

I owe someone several apologies.

I can only hope she will accept them ...

***

DAY 11

It’s late morning when I open my eyes for the second time today. Mikal is gone from my arms and the girls are also absent from their crib. I frown to myself. My son probably got up when he wanted breakfast, but Ani must have been in to fetch the girls. They will be needing their second meal of the day soon. Time for me to get up.

I drag myself out of Mikal’s bed and consider what to do first. There is that embarrassing scene from yesterday to deal with and I am afraid to confront Ani about it. I may hear something I don’t want to if I do. Maybe I should just pretend it never happened. If I do that, he might play along with me and leave it be.

The door into our bedroom is shut, so I take a deep, steadying breath and open it. I know Ani is on the other side, waiting for me to make an appearance. When I step through, he looks up from where he is kneeling on the floor. He must have been meditating.

This requires privacy, he tells me.

With a wave of his hand he closes the door into the kitchen, cutting off Mikal and Cyran’s voices. My aide must be looking after the children. A second gesture indicates I am to seat myself on the floor in front of him. When I hesitate, he repeats it, and more insistently this time. I obey him and wait.

‘I owe you an apology and an explanation,’ he calmly begins, ‘but I will expect a few honest answers to my questions from you as well.’

I stare at him. Fine. I will listen and tell him what he wants to know.

I nod my head in agreement.

‘Major Brie was one of my personal selections from COMPNOR’s training facility at Imperial Center about two and a half years ago. I have been training her to use the Force between missions,’ he tells me.

Ani pauses. He’s not at all comfortable with what he plans to say next, so I stay silent and wait.

‘A few weeks after you returned to Vjun we became lovers,’ the Sith Lord quietly confesses.

It’s the worst of all the scenarios I had imagined yesterday afternoon. I shut my eyes and take a deep breath. Now does he want to keep her or not? And what will my status be if he does? Wait it out, I scold myself, let him finish what he has to say about it before you respond.

‘I never planned for it to happen - it just did. I was lonely and I missed you and she was here and willing, so ...’ his voice trails off into silence before he adds, ‘It lasted only a few weeks, and you were never supposed to find out about it. I didn’t want to hurt you and after ... afterwards I was afraid I might lose you again if you knew.’

I don’t reply, just take another deep, calming breath. He must have been feeling quite guilty about it at the time. No wonder he didn’t use our bond and hid behind his recorded messages. Ani was afraid I might learn what was going on. And that day I felt him break down ...

‘I told her after she came back from her last mission that it was permanently over, but it didn’t matter to her. She still wanted me. Yesterday I was jealous of your friendship with Luke and wanted to hurt you,’ Ani admits, cutting into my thoughts. ‘You weren’t supposed to see what you did. I didn’t plan on that happening, but I should have known better. I do know better. What I did was a mistake. A stupid, idiotic mistake.’

Jealous? I think for a few minutes while Ani gathers his thoughts again. He was jealous of my brief friendship with Luke? That’s ridiculous.

‘You were jealous of Luke?’ I blurt out. ‘Luke is a child, Ani. He’s young enough to be your son. And I have no feelings for him other than friendship. There is nothing for you to be jealous of.’

That prompts an instant, unexpected reaction. The Sith Lord freezes, and I know that behind his mask he is giving me one of his wary, measuring looks.

Good grief. He really thinks there was something going on between us.

‘Here,’ I offer, taking his left hand in mine, ‘have a look since you are so convinced there was more to it than that.’

With that I drop my defences and wait for Ani to touch my mind. When he doesn’t, I start to wonder what he is playing at. Something I said obviously pushed a few buttons. But if it wasn’t admitting my friendship with Luke, then what was it?

He pulls his hand away.

‘I have given you my explanation,’ he finally says, ‘and I want to apologize for what I did yesterday. It won’t happen again.’

Ani is silent while I quietly consider what to do. The Sith Lord has been open and honest in everything he has told me. Not once did he block his emotions from our bond, and because of that I would have sensed it if he had lied. Now what does he expect? My forgiveness? My understanding?

My eyes wander down to the wedding band on my left hand and stare at it. He broke the vows we swore to one another on Naboo. Threw away every sacred pact he made with me. For a few brief minutes of physical pleasure. Even when he has done his worst to me, I have never once thought of breaking my oaths to him.

I close the fingers of my left hand and continue to look at my plain gold ring while I contemplate what to do. Ani’s helmet tips down as his eyes track what I am staring at. He’s quite conflicted - full of regret over what he did and not sure if admitting to his transgression was the right decision or not.

He’s afraid he might lose me over his infidelity.

And he knows just how much he has hurt me with his actions. With his cheating and dishonesty. I don’t need to say a single word to him about it, since he can feel all of it over our bond.

I open my left hand again and start playing with my ring, spinning it around my finger.

While I might get some childish satisfaction from making him miserable for a few days, staying angry with him won’t help. And he’s already willingly, freely confessed and apologized to me.

I let out a sigh. I am, once again, the one who must yield and give in. It’s not fair - but life isn’t fair, and it seems to be doubly unfair when one is married to a Sith Lord.

‘You have my forgiveness, Ani,’ I finally tell him, ‘but you need to apologize to someone else, too.’

I can tell he is puzzled by that last bit.

‘Mikal,’ I remind him.

‘Already done,’ he informs me.

‘Good,’ I reply.

‘Now, I owe you a second apology,’ he quietly states.

I blink at him. What?

‘Ani, I don’t understand,’ I admit.

He says nothing in answer, so I try to think of what he might want to apologize to me for. Then I choke a bit when understanding dawns. Ani knows which memory yesterday’s events triggered and he wants to talk about that.

‘We need to deal with this, Maia,’ he prompts. ‘I’ve let it go far too long without telling you I regret what I did.’

I am not discussing this with him. Not a chance. Not in a million years. Those memories are still too painful to look at.

‘Maia,’ he softly calls my name when I look away and refuse to meet his gaze.

‘Please,’ I whisper to him, pleading a little, ‘can’t we just leave it be?’

‘Very well’ he concedes, ‘not now, then. Later, little goddess, when you are ready, I will always be here to listen.’

A gloved finger brushes down my cheek and I know he will give me the space I need, the time I need.

I catch his hand and squeeze it in my own.

The Executor, Corellia, Corellian System, Month 4.

DAY 20

When Ani comes back to the bedroom, I look up from the stack of intelligence reports I have been working my way through. He has been handing me these things for months, but I am no closer to figuring out where the rebels relocated to now than I was then.

‘Off to visit Admiral Thrawn?’ I ask my husband.

I know the Admonitor is nearby.

‘Your curiosity,...’ he starts to warn me.

‘...will be the death of me,’ I finish with a laugh.

‘Stubborn,’ he starts teasing.

‘Cranky Sith Lord,’ I offer back, short-circuiting our usual banter.

We already spent this morning, before the ship exited hyperspace, fooling around and even though it is Ani’s birthday, he still needs to get some work done today.

‘Mikal will be back soon and he will be disappointed if I am not here,’ Ani tries another tactic.

Our son likes to show off whatever new skill Thirsk has taught him as soon as he gets back from his lesson. I glance at the chrono’. Ten minutes until Mikal is supposed to return.

‘You have ten minutes then,’ I decide, ‘so you had better be quick about it.’

Ani is, but Mikal arrives five minutes early. The sound of the bedroom door opening stops my husband mid-thrust. Both our heads turn to look at our son who is staring at us and obviously not sure what to make of the situation.

Kreth, is Ani’s first thought in reaction. I forgot to lock it.

‘Go wait for me in the den, sweety,’ I tell Mikal.

‘Don’t make a fuss about this,’ I warn Ani once our son is gone. ‘That will make it seem like he did something wrong.’

‘Tell him we were wrestling,’ he suggests.

I roll my eyes at him while he shoves himself off of me and replaces his codpiece.

‘He’s far too smart to fall for that one,’ I scold, pushing myself upright to sit on the bed.

‘I guess you will need to give him “the talk” then,’ Ani offers.

‘Me?’ I reply in disbelief. ‘Why me? You’re his father. Isn’t that supposed to be your job?’

‘I have a meeting to be at,’ he conveniently reminds me, heading for the door.

Someone is trying to escape so I follow for a few steps.

‘Not so fast, Sith Lord,’ I growl, stopping him with a tug on his cloak. ‘If you are dumping this duty on me there’s a price to pay.’

I can tell he is debating which is worse - having to give Mikal the sex talk or whatever I might have planned.

‘Very well,’ Ani concedes as he turns to face me, ‘name your price.’

He’s willing to risk the unknown? Bad move, husband. I start to smile. Perfect. Now I have you where I want you, Sith Lord!

‘Eight days from now. Dinner, dancing, location of my choice wherever we happen to be ... and no complaining or trying to get out of it like you did the last time, either,’ I decide.

There is a break in his breathing. Does he remember what that day is or not?

‘Our third anniversary,’ he notes. ‘I should have known you would have something planned for that.’

‘And?’ I prompt, poking him in the ribs.

‘Agreed. Whatever you want to do that day I will do without argument,’ Ani gives in.

‘Thank you, dear,’ I tease, giving his mask a quick peck on its cheek.

‘Behave, wife,’ he growls in return.

I follow him out to the den after that, and cheekily blow him a kiss when he looks back at me before heading down the corridor and to the main hangar.

With a sigh, I turn around. Now I have the chore of explaining a few things to Mikal who is happily playing with his toy speeder, the earlier incident apparently forgotten.

Just you wait, Ani, I think to myself, I am going to get you for this one.

***

Thrawn’s masterful elimination of Black Sun’s operations on Corellia has earned him my thanks and access to and use of my Noghri. Colonel Veers may be of use to me as well. I will have him transferred elsewhere, see how he performs, then add him to my staff if he exceeds my expectations.

The Admiral dismisses Captain Niriz.

It’s time to discuss another private ‘project’ Thrawn has been working on for me.

‘I was unable to have you designated my second,’ I confess.

Thrawn merely looks amused.

‘I expected no other result,’ he admits. ‘High command are too rigid in their thinking, and too steeped in what they see as military tradition.’

‘I will be rid of Ozzel, sooner or later...,’ I start an offer.

‘... and will have no choice but to promote his successor from beneath him,’ Thrawn finishes. ‘They will not accept a non-human in that role unless the Emperor himself dictates it.’

‘And nothing changes quickly, it seems,’ I wryly state.

‘Standard procedure,’ he agrees.

Silence falls.

I cannot deliver on my promise to him and he knows it. The Admiral has no reason to tell me anything of his insights on the ‘Mia affair.’ He steeples his hands and looks contemplatively at me, considering his next move with all the care of a master holochess player.

Finally, after a few minutes, he retrieves a datachip from a code-locked drawer and pushes it across his desk at me.

‘In return for future considerations, my Lord,’ he decides when I pick it up.

‘Why?’ I ask, puzzled.

‘It has been an interesting case to solve,’ he tells me, ‘one with as many dead-ends and false trails as in the best detective stories.’

I watch him get to his feet, clasp his hands behind his back, and examine one of the Drallan paintings on the wall.

‘The Falleen chemist was the key,’ he states. ‘There was an incident on his homeworld ten years ago. A virus which escaped from a lab you were in charge of, I believe.’

My breathing breaks in shock. So there was a personal vendetta at work here. My agents should have discovered this fact long ago.

‘I did not know he held a personal grudge against me,’ I admit.

‘It was only by chance that I found the connection - an easily overlooked entry in one of his colleague’s diaries which I have placed on the datachip,’ Thrawn reveals, turning to face me once again. ‘Whoever employed him knew that his family was killed during the bombardment which followed and used that to motivate him. Find who had that knowledge and you will be another step closer to the one you seek.’

For a moment I stare at him, thinking.

Falleen.

It all goes back to that cursed planet.

Will that disaster continue to haunt me all my life?

And...

I tip my head, thinking. With this small piece of information, odd coincidences make much more sense. The speed and ease with which the stolen sound slugs were copied and distributed on the black market, the layers of intermediaries between the composer and the source of the recordings he was given, the chemist who was killed and his lab destroyed by Black Sun ... All for other reasons it had seemed previously, but now ...

‘Xizor,’ I hiss, furious.

Will that Falleen do nothing but make my life difficult?

‘I suspected as much,’ Thrawn confirms, ‘but I could find nothing substantial to prove it.’

I clench my right hand into a fist and shake it.

‘I will find the proof,’ I swear. ‘I will find it and make him pay.’

Oh, yes, I will make him pay. Pay for every second I stood at Maia’s side while she lay dying in front of my eyes. Pay for endangering my son. Pay for hurting both of them.

‘My offer of aid is still open, my Lord,’ he repeats his earlier words to me.

‘No, Admiral,’ I hiss in response, repeating my own. ‘Xizor is mine.’

***

Ani doesn’t return to the Executor until after the children are in bed. I know he’s in his office, working, but I am too busy with my own task to find out what he is up to. When he finally comes back to our bedroom to strip his armour off, I get up to help him.

‘That must have been one long meeting,’ I comment as I hang up his cloak and tunic.

‘Thrawn was six hours late,’ Ani growls.

‘Bringing chaos in his wake, no doubt,’ I tease.

Thrawn and Ani have an innate tendency to plot and get into mischief whenever they are together. Today was probably no exception.

‘Your curiosity...’ he starts scolding, so I shut him up with a kiss.

... keeps you entertained, I finish for him.

***

Her light-hearted teasing amuses me, so I play along, seize her around the waist and toss her onto the bed. As she lands in the middle, she starts giggling like a teenager before letting peals of laughter escape.

She’s in a mood where I can do whatever I please to her, where she will do anything I want her to ... well, almost anything I want.

I drop myself onto the bed next to her, only to be instantly pounced on. Maia’s hands wrap around my neck as she stretches herself on top of me, covering my body with her own. It’s like having a warm living blanket draped over myself.

Then she starts kissing me, deliberately targeting my ticklish spots. I turn my face to the side to protect my left ear, only to have her shift her attention to the right one. It’s all I can do to control myself and not react.

‘Wife,’ I playfully growl, ‘you had better behave yourself.’

‘Or what?’ she cheekily replies.

‘Or this,’ I tell her as I flip her over onto her back, reversing our positions and putting her into the same predicament I just escaped from.

I trace the inside of her ear with my tongue and feel her squirm beneath me. Her control is not as absolute as mine can be, and my considerable mass means she can’t get away.

‘Ani, no,’ she pleads with me as I target her other ear.

I give it a light kiss and roll off, freeing her temporarily.

Her hands quickly slide under my robe, pushing it away from my chest. I catch them in mine and bring one, then the other to my lips before releasing them.

It’s my birthday today and I know if I ask it of her, she will do whatever I desire. But I won’t ask. I won’t hurt her by requesting that of her - by expecting that of her. Instead I will go as slow with her as I once did and lead her into accepting me completely.

I reach up and pull her head down to meet mine. Her lips are soft, her kiss sweet tasting from the cake she ate earlier. Tonight I will be passive and see if I can break through some of her remaining shyness.

***

‘Little goddess,’ he teases me, ‘your sweet kisses are enough to tempt me into anything.’

I giggle a little and kiss him again. Ani can’t eat any of his birthday cake, but he obviously can taste it on my lips from the piece I ate a few minutes ago.

His hands begin to creep up my body, rumpling my nightgown as he hikes it up around my waist.

‘You’re overdressed,’ he notes as my mothsilk covering slides up and over my head.

He casually tosses it aside.

‘So are you,’ I reply in kind.

He still has his robe on but he’s on his back, so I can’t pull it off like he did with my nightgown.

‘Hmmm,’ the Sith Lord hums, pretending to consider the situation.

I tug at one of his sleeves in an attempt to prompt him to move. He’s being stubborn to pay me back for tickling him, I decide, when he refuses to budge.

‘Ani,’ I growl a warning.

‘I’m a present for you to unwrap,’ he proclaims, ‘like you were for me this morning.’

So he expects me to undress him. This ought to be fun. He’s too heavy for me to shift easily and he will be difficult on purpose, I am sure.

Fine, I’ll play along for a little while. I reach for the belt at his waist and loosen it, removing it with a few jerks before dropping it on the floor. His robe falls open a little as I try to pull him upright, but I can’t get him to sit up so I can get his arms free.

He expects me to pull the robe downwards to get it off.

For a moment I hesitate.

Rolling the fabric down his back, past his waist, will require a bit closer scrutiny of him by me than I am used to or comfortable with. And I have always avoided looking at one particular part of him. Even after almost three years of marriage, I just can’t bring myself to willingly examine him that closely. My shyness and reluctance to touch him there has prevented it

Don’t be silly, I finally scold myself. You can fold the fabric down his front so you won’t see anymore than is necessary.

The first sleeve comes free with a few strategic yanks, but the second requires more manoeuvring. My husband doesn’t complain when I drape the fabric over his middle. Working the robe underneath him, down his back, takes considerably more effort. I pull on one side of it, then the other, gradually inching it lower.

My concentration is focussed on getting his robe past his waist, so when I realize he is completely exposed in front, it is a bit of a shock. All of my stubborn tugging on his robe has uncovered a rather large, swollen part of the Sith Lord’s anatomy.

‘Oh,’ is all can say as I feel my cheeks take on a crimson hue.

‘Don’t,’ he quietly tells me, catching my wrist when I start to bolt away.

I shake my head and pull at my arm in an attempt to get him to let me go.

‘Having you look at it doesn’t bother me at all,’ he reminds me, ‘so go ahead and inspect me to your heart’s content.’

My mouth drops open, then snaps shut. I sit back down on the bed with a thump. He’s not upset by my silliness - hasn’t made a sarcastic remark or teased me about my shyness. My husband seems to genuinely want me to check him out. I stare at his face for a few minutes, but there is nothing to be read there in his calm, neutral expression.

Alright, I decide, I’ll have a peek, just to satisfy my curiosity. But looking is all I ever intend to do.

***

Maia turns around to do as I have instructed, so I release my grip on her arm.

My wife needs to deal with this fear of hers, this almost virgin unwillingness to look at me, to touch me, her husband. This is the only way I know how to help her - gradually introduce her to my body then let her own natural curiosity take over.

Anything after that will happen at her pace, when she is ready for it; I won’t rush or pressure her in this.

For a few minutes she is silent, staring at my stomach, still reluctant to let her eyes drift lower. Then her curiosity wins out at last and I see her head tip a little.

My wife freezes as I hear her slow inhalation.

***

The few times I have touched him, stroked him with my hand, and the two incidents when I was forced to set my mouth on him haven’t really prepared me for this sight. I breathe in slowly at what I see. He’s huge, is the first thought which enters my slightly hysterical mind. It’s one thing to know that by feel, by how my body stretches around him, but completely different to really see it.

‘I’m proportional to my height and frame, actually,’ he quietly admits.

I nod, silently accepting his words as truth.

‘And your body has adjusted to me and been stretched a bit,’ he continues. ‘My size isn’t a problem for you anymore.’

I nod again. It hasn’t been uncomfortable since before Mikal was born. Childbirth pulled me apart inside so there is more room for him now.

His hands settle on my shoulders, then soothingly caress my back. I shut my eyes and lean into his touch. ‘Inspecting’ him, as he put it, wasn’t all that bad and I know what he looks like now.

‘Turn around,’ my husband suggests, ‘I want you on top.’

He’s going to let me control our love making tonight.

‘Up you go,’ he teases as I am lifted, then lowered onto his body.

Somehow he slides himself in with the same motion he uses to position me. He fits snugly and fills me completely. Seeing how big he is and feeling it are two different things, I decide. I will never make love to him again without remembering how my estimates were nowhere near the truth.

I set my hands to either side of his chest panel and start moving myself slowly up and down.

No, my perspective on him has changed, I admit to myself as he thrusts upwards in time to my body’s downward movement.

There’s nothing to be afraid of when looking at him.

***

Maia increases the speed of her movements, so I urge her on a little, steady her with my hands at her waist. Tonight both our orgasms come quickly, overwhelming our bond, binding us together.

I catch her as she falls forward, hold her close to my chest and gently stroke her hair. She didn’t panic, didn’t react as negatively to looking at me as I expected her to. The next time I will encourage her to do the same. Eventually she will touch me with her hand, then the rest will follow. It is merely a matter of waiting.

I give her forehead a kiss as she nestles in closer and settles her head under my chin.

Patience, I remind myself again, is a Sith’s greatest asset and ally.

***

The Executor, Endor, Ibleam System, Month 4.

DAY 28

I discover that Ani escaped early today when I reach over to his side of the bed. Running away won’t help, Sith Lord, I think smugly to myself. Today you are mine.

Curious to see where we are, I reach out with the Force for a look around. My plans for tonight depend on what I can easily arrange on short notice.

What?

No inhabited planet nearby?

He didn’t.

With a growl, I activate the comm.

‘Cyran?’ I ask my aide.

‘Yes, my Lady,’ she promptly answers.

‘Where are we?’ I question. Please let me be wrong, I pray.

Silence.

‘You can’t tell me, I guess,’ I reply with a sigh.

‘No, my Lady,’ Cyran affirms.

Damn. Now I am in a bit of a bind. Very well, Ani. Plan B, then.

‘Thank you, Cyran. I will need your help later today, so come by after lunch,’ I tell her before signing off.

So, you thought you could get out of it again, did you? Sorry, husband. Not this time.

The morning and afternoon go quickly, and my aide proves to be just as capable and sneaky as she has been in the past. It only takes an hour of plotting with her to sort out a workable plan, and less than that for her to have everything ready.

Now I just have to wait for Ani to get back.

For once, he arrives right on time for dinner.

‘Where is Mikal?’ he calls to me from his office.

‘With Thirsk,’ I reply as I rapidly retreat from the den back to our bedroom.

He hasn’t seen me yet and I intend to delay that for a minute or two.

‘And the twins?’ Ani adds.

He must have picked up on their absence, too.

‘With Cyran and Daini,’ I answer.

Silence.

Ani has just realized something is up. Our girls have never been out of our private quarters unless I was with them. Time to get into place before he comes in here. I quickly settle myself at the table, brushing the fabric of my dress into place as I do, and with a quick glance make sure everything is in order. Perfect. Now if I know my husband...

‘What are you up ... to?’ he asks, his voice dropping and words slowing as he steps into the room and sees me.

‘Dinner,’ I promptly answer in my most sweet and innocent tone.

I know he is taking in the scene of me in his favourite gown, that low-cut thing he had me wear to the opera, sitting at the table which is set for a formal dinner. Cyran had swiped the place settings from the Senior Officer’s Lounge earlier, and I had started my meal in the autochef the instant I felt Ani return to the Executor from wherever he was. Somehow I managed to time things just right. Tonight my food will be hot and without the children to worry about, we should have a nice, leisurely meal

‘Care to join me, my Lord?’ I offer while inviting him to take his spot with a gesture.

There is no hesitation on his part. I hear the door shut, lock, feel the change in the air pressure on my skin, and smell the medications as they are added to it.

‘Of course, my Lady,’ Ani replies, taking his chair across from me.

 ‘And what would you like to drink tonight?’ I ask once his helmet is off.

I watch the Sith Lord survey his options. There are four different flavours of his supplement drink on the table, and Cyran found a bottle of fifty-year old Corellian whiskey somewhere. She wouldn’t tell me who had it, either. Ani raises an eyebrow while he examines the label on his last potential choice.

‘Where did you find this?’ he questions. ‘Alcohol is strictly forbidden aboard ship.’

‘Cyran,’ I own up, ‘and I don’t know who had it before her, if that’s what you are wondering.’

‘Thirsk,’ Ani concludes. ‘He always keeps a bottle around. For strictly medicinal purposes, of course.’

‘Of course,’ I agree.

‘For later, perhaps,’ he decides, setting the whiskey back on the table. ‘The neema-fruit, then, to start.’

With a smile, I pour his selection into an empty glass and pick up my own. Ani stops me with a shake of his head when I go to take a drink.

‘To my beloved Lady,’ he toasts me, touching his glass to mine, ‘who has given me four precious gifts - her heart and our children.’

‘To my Lord, my love,’ I offer in return, teasing him a little, ‘who intends to give me three more!’

At his low chuckle, I catch his free hand in mine and hold it while we both wait for the other to do something.

Finally Ani breaks the moment by letting my hand go.

‘Drink up and eat,’ he orders, ‘since I assume you have other plans for the rest of the evening.’

I give him one of my ‘just you wait looks’ which only produces more laughter. No way am I giving him any hints.

‘Sneaky little wife,’ he teases.

‘Who, me?’ I reply, trying to look innocent. ‘Never.’

With that, I dig into my nerf steak. While I eat, I can sense the Sith Lord trying to figure out exactly what I am up to. Give it up, husband, I think. There won’t be any clues in my mind. Only my aide knows what is coming next.

Eventually, I finish my meal and push what’s left of my dessert away. That was definitely worth the effort. Not having Mikal to manage made for a nice, peaceful dinner.

Now I need to find out what we are doing next, so I pull the slip of paper from under my plate to see what Cyran had written on it.

Oh. Somehow she did manage to arrange what we had discussed. This should be good.

‘So, what do you have planned now?’ Ani asks.

I just smile at him.

‘Some fun in here, perhaps,...’ he stops speaking when I let my smile get bigger.

‘No,’ I admit.

‘... in my pod...,’ he tries next.

‘Nope,’ I answer.

‘... in my office...’

I shake my head.

Silence.

‘Surely not elsewhere on the ship?’ he ventures, sounding rather uncertain about the situation..

I nod at that.

‘Do you remember a particular suggestion you made?’ I hint.

For a few minutes I can almost hear the wheels spinning. Then he figures it out, and the shocked look on his face is truly priceless. Time to bug him a bit.

‘Cyran has arranged things for us. No one is around, so let’s get going,’ I tell him.

‘You can’t be serious,’ Ani starts to protest. ‘Maia, we can’t.’

‘Oh, yes we can, so put your helmet on and stop complaining,’ I scold.

When he just sits there staring at me, I get up, grab his vocoder and snap it in place for him.

‘You promised me,’ I remind him as I set his mask in place, ‘no complaining today,’ then seal his helmet, ‘and that you would do whatever I want. So get up, Anakin, and get a move on.’

He makes a strangled, choking sound in response, but finally gets out of the chair when I tug on his hand. It is a rather reluctant, subdued Sith Lord who escorts me through the corridors. Good grief. I want to spend a nice evening with him and he is doing his best to annoy me.

‘Stop that,’ I chastize him once we are alone in a turbolift, ‘you are acting like you are being led to your execution.’

‘If this becomes public knowledge, it could be,’ he warns.

I roll my eyes in answer. Talk about being overly melodramatic. The ‘lift door opens on the command deck when I punch in his code, but Ani stays in it, refusing to follow me out.

‘There’s no one here,’ I reassure him, ‘and the monitoring system had a fatal system failure this afternoon. Ozzel and the crew are down on the auxiliary bridge until it is repaired tomorrow.’

He still refuses to budge.

‘Fine, then,’ I growl at him, ‘stay there. I am going to go have some fun on my own.’

I turn around and head towards the bridge. Stubborn, obstinate, Sith Lord, I fume to myself. Once, just once, it would be nice if you would co-operate with me when I want to celebrate something.

As I reach my goal, I hear Ani’s slow steps following behind me. He did decide to come along after all. Or maybe he intends to keep me out of mischief. I quickly drop the memory chip I had stuffed in my slipper into one of the comm units, and move to the head of the bridge to wait for him.

‘What sort of trouble are you planning now?’ the Sith Lord asks, stopping a few feet from where I am standing.

I smile at him and try looking innocent again.

‘Maia,’ he warns.

‘Dancing,’ I tell him as I activate the comm-unit.

The sound of a Strauss waltz instantly fills the air. Got you, husband!

Ani freezes, then starts laughing as he realizes he has been had.

‘What did you think I was up to?’ I tease, stepping into his arms.

‘I’ll demonstrate later,’ he promises as I am whirled about in time to the music.

***

The music draws to its conclusion, so I spin her along the walkway between the crew pits. Maia laughs every time I let her to get close to the edge, but she knows I will never allow her to fall into them. We stop in front of the transparisteel windows at the head of the bridge as the final note fades away into silence.

Motionless now, I simply hold her close.

Has it really been three years since I met her? Since I first held her? Since I first made love to her?

The time has passed so quickly...

Three years.

Three children.

Three more sons yet to come.

***

He’s musing again, I decide as I nestle my head into his shoulder.

‘My Lord?’ I ask after a few minutes.

‘My Lady,’ he replies.

‘I could start another waltz,’ I offer.

‘I have a different dance in mind,’ he teases.

Oh, I think, completely surprised as I am lifted up in his arms.

His cloak unhooks itself, slips from his shoulders and falls to the floor. I feel him continuing to use the Force to manipulate it as the fabric spreads itself across the deck. Then he lowers himself to his knees and gently lays me down on top of it.

‘I thought you said...,’ I start to remind him of his earlier words, but he shuts me up by resting one a fingertip on my lips and shaking his head.

Well. If he is willing, I won’t complain.

His hand moves from my face, down to my knees, then my ankles which he slides away from himself and apart. I hear his codpiece being removed and set aside on the floor next to him. Gloved fingers brush underneath the skirt of my dress, following my legs as he moves the mothsilk up, past my waist and out of his way.

I know that his hidden eyes haven’t left my face.

The Sith Lord doesn’t bother with any preliminaries. They aren’t needed tonight since I was ready for him from the minute we started dancing. He simply positions himself and slowly pushes into me.

Anakin, I call to him.

He rests his hands to either side of my face and leans over me.

Don’t speak, he tells me, just feel.

I close my eyes and let my body arch up from the durasteel deck to meet him.

Gods, does this ever feel good, I admit to myself as he slowly thrusts into me again. He continues to move at a steady, unhurried pace, drawing the experience out as long as he possibly can. Each movement in and out nudges me closer, ever closer to what I need from him. But he refuses to let me have what I want that easily. This is torture, I decide when he stops and waits for the tension to leave my body for a second time.

‘I want you, right now,’ I demand, annoyed at his unfair tactics.

‘How much do you want me?’ he teases, punctuating each word with a much quicker thrust than the ones he had been using.

A low moan escapes from me, but I still have enough control over myself to grab the front of his tunic and tug at him, pulling his mask down to within a few inches of my face.

‘More than life,’ I admit, closing my eyes, barely able to speak through the sensations that are building in me, ‘more than anything, more than....’

My words are choked off by our shared cries of ecstasy as he finally grants my wish.

‘You enjoyed that more than I expected you would,’ he teases when I open my eyes again and look up at him. ‘The location seems to have unlocked hidden passions in you.’

He’s leaning on an elbow, lounging across my body, his free hand tracing circles on my stomach.

It finally occurs to me that he knew exactly what I had planned and perhaps even helped a bit with the logistics of it on the sly. Cyran warned me that it would be difficult to arrange an empty bridge, so of course she must have had some secret help to so easily do it. He must have enjoyed playing the reluctant mate, too, I decide, and had a bit of fun stringing me along pretending to be ignorant of what I was up to.

‘Sneaky Sith Lord,’ I call him.

Ani lets out his low rumbling laugh.

‘Little hedonist,’ he teases, ‘you should know by now that you can’t keep a secret from me for very long.’

I make a face and stick my tongue out at him.

‘Just you wait,’ I threaten a little.

‘For what?’ he asks, sounding a bit curious.

‘Sex in your shuttle,’ I suggest just to see what he will say.

‘We could go there right now, if you like,’ he quickly proposes in return.

I blink. Is he joking or serious?

‘But I would rather stay here,’ he admits, moving meaningfully within me.

‘Ready for round two, are you, Sith Lord?’ I tease.

Instead of answering, he pushes himself up onto both of his arms and looks down at me.

‘Whatever my Lady wishes, tonight it is hers,’ he offers.

‘Make love to me, then,’ I decide, resting my hands on his chest, one to each side of the control panel upon it. ‘I want to make love with you in as many different ways as we can manage.’

His response to that is to repeat what he had done earlier - slowly thrust in and out of me. I shift my arms after a minute or so of this, secure them around his back and stop his movements. It’s time to try something different. Wrapping my legs tightly around his waist, I bend myself upwards at him, hoping he gets the hint.

Ani does. He moves his hands to the center of my back, supporting me, pulling me upright so that I straddle him as he remains kneeling.

The sensations are very different in this position, but with my ankles hooked behind his back, I can’t do anything except sit there on his lap and rock my body back and forth a little.

Hang on, he offers, and I’ll help you.

I hold tight to his tunic while he adjusts my position, moving first my left, then right leg, from where they are behind him, to the side, so that I am truly kneeling astride of him. It is much easier to push myself up and down on him now.

Better, I decide, much better.

His hands settle on my waist, guiding my movements. Every time I take all of him in me, I feel them twitch as he enjoys the snugness of my body around him. The Sith Lord is coming very close to the edge. I decide to jump off of it with him.

I shut my eyes and concentrate on the muscles inside me, clenching and releasing them in rhythm to the rise and fall of my body. It is an eminently successful tactic. Ani lets out a low moan, and I can feel him trying to hold himself back. Then his hands clamp closed, as he shoves me down hard against his body, and I feel his orgasm physically within me, and psychically in my soul, across our bond.

‘Anakin,’ I moan aloud, unable to silence myself, ‘Anakin. Anakin. Anakin!’

The last repetition of his name erupts from me in a scream as my own climax pulses around him.

Then he eases me backwards so that we are once again sprawled across the deck between the crew pits.

‘That felt good,’ I admit to him, running a finger down his chest. ‘We should use that one again sometime.’

‘Then we shall,’ he decides, ‘but not now. I want to go somewhere else, now.’

Ani rolls off of me and stands up. I take his hand when he offers it, letting him pull me to my feet, brushing my dress back into place once I am steady beside him.

His cloak is still on the floor, I note, and now marked with two rather distinctive damp spots.

‘Oops,’ I say, embarrassed by the evidence our fooling around has left.

Ani only laughs a little as he retrieves his codpiece, gathers his cloak up and folds it over his arm. He grabs my hand with his free one and leads me away from the bridge, down past the turbolift and holonet pad, towards the command deck’s nearby briefing room. Its doors snap shut behind us.

With a wave of his hand, he sends the nearby chairs careening away from the table. I watch him toss the cloak over the polished surface and start to wonder what he is up to now. When he motions me over, I don’t hesitate. The Sith Lord promised me more fun, so whatever he is up to must be another position for us to try.

I step near to him and wait.

His hands grab my waist as he lifts me up and sets me down on top of his cloak, at the edge of the table.

‘Lean back,’ he orders. ‘And wrap your legs around my waist so you don’t get pushed away from me.’

I quickly obey, anticipating what he will do next, but he holds off for a moment, making sure that my gown is well out of the way, first, before he gives a hard, deep thrust into me. The impact of his hips against my body is enough to send me sliding a few inches across the table. Only my securely anchored legs stop me from going any farther.

I am better prepared for his second hard thrust.

His rhythm is faster, his thrusts harder, deeper than they were before. It’s almost as if he can’t get enough of himself in me tonight, I decide as he wildly plunges into me again. But my body won’t be able to take this type of rough treatment for much longer.

‘Anakin,’ I whisper to him.

The Sith Lord freezes in place.

‘You will make me too sore to continue if you keep on like that,’ I quietly remind him.

One of his hands leaves its place on my hip and gently brushes the hair from my cheek in apology. He knows that he will hurt me if he is not careful. It happened only once before, when he lost control of himself after he returned from Reytha. I was in pain for several days because of it, and quite worried that he might have done something to harm our then unborn son. The Sith Lord has been on guard ever since, mindful that he did not repeat that.

His next moves are slow, gentle ones.

It doesn’t take long for both of us to be swamped by the sensations the other is feeling, but Ani has something else in mind before letting himself go for a third time tonight. He stops, beckons me upwards, and helps me get a secure hold on his shoulders. Then I am lifted away from the table and carried, my legs about his waist, him still buried completely within me, and backed up against the nearby bulkhead.

We have never done this before.

I hang on for dear life as he thrusts into me, and gasp at the sensations he is producing as new places within me are stroked.

‘Don’t stop,’ I order him as my muscles finally react, ‘don’t, don’t, don’t...’

Then everything comes to a head all at once.

Ani arches his back as he allows his own orgasm to flood over our bond, and in that instant we both forget where we are and what we are doing. Our balance is precarious, at best, and my attempts to correct for it result in Ani swaying a little drunkenly. My grip on his tunic grows tighter. This is not good, I decide, not good at all.

Then he overcompensates for my movements and falls backwards on the floor, pulling me over on top of him. His helmet makes quite a loud crash when it impacts, but Ani doesn’t seem to care. We just lie on the floor in a knot of arms, legs, and clothing until we have both caught our breath again.

‘I will have to remember not to lose my balance the next time we do that,’ he dryly teases me while we try to extricate ourselves from the tangle we are in.

I decide to be a brat and not co-operate. With a grin, I hook my ankles around his legs, pinning him to the floor beneath me.

‘I want some more fun,’ I playfully demand, running a finger down the cheek of his mask. ‘Lots more fun. Enough fun to last a month.’

‘If you let me up, then you shall have it,’ he promises.

‘Oh?’ I question, amused.

‘I swear,’ he affirms, ‘that you, my stubborn little goddess, will have enough fun to last you for a month.’

With that, I untangle our legs and push off of him so he can get to his feet as well.

‘Let’s go to my shuttle, next,’ he decides, taking his codpiece from the table and replacing it. His cloak, now with a third wet spot from our exercise on the table, goes back over his arm.

I don’t object, take his hand, and let him lead me along.

***

She’s smiling and doing an abysmal job at trying to hide it, I note as I guide her off the command deck and into the turbolift. For a moment I consider hitting the emergency brakes, stopping the lift and taking her again in here. But I quickly dismiss that idea. A repair crew will respond immediately and I want to avoid any potentially embarrassing explanations.

My shuttle will be private enough for what I plan to do next.

The lift stops.

Maia stays at my side as we go down the corridor to the hangar’s door. She had forgotten the third location she teased me about so long ago.

‘After you, my Lady,’ I offer, giving her a playful nudge up my shuttle’s ramp.

She turns a little and smiles at me, feeling no need to conceal that any longer.

I follow her on board, ensuring the ramp closes and locks quickly behind us.

Time for step two - give her an opportunity to do more than just look at me.

***

I watch Ani lock the ramp in place and wait, unsure of what he intends to do in here. In the cockpit there are seats for the pilot and co-pilot, and in the passenger compartment, there’s his command chair and console, my spot, the smaller seats designed to keep our three children secure, and places in the back for Cyran, Daini, Thirsk and my two Noghri bodyguards. There’s no bed, no real room to fool around in, so what is he up to?

He tosses his cloak to the side, spins his command chair around and settles himself into it. I raise a questioning eyebrow, but he ignores me and starts to remove his codpiece instead.

‘Stuck,’ he growls after a few minutes of tugging is unsuccessful.

His helmet tips up as he looks at me.

Oh. No fun in here after all.

‘We could go back to our quarters,’ I start to suggest.

Ani says nothing.

Realization dawns. He really wants to fool around in his shuttle - the sneak has decided to make love to me in all of the locations I had teased him about.

‘Or I could try to get it off of you instead,’ I hesitantly offer.

I know how to remove it since I have had to do that for him in the past.

***

‘Go ahead and try,’ I suggest, shifting my robes out of her way.

Her touch is firm and controlled when she tries to get the fastenings to release. As I intended, they refuse to budge for her at first.

Maia yanks harder, pulling me a bit forward on the chair.

I hear her growl a few Sith curses under her breath.

Her fingers manage to slide under left side, separating codpiece from body armour. I suppress a gasp as she works them farther beneath, not wanting to discourage her. The lightest unplanned, inadvertent touch of her hand has me completely aroused already.

‘It’s well and truly stuck,’ she grumbles.

‘Try doing the same to the right side,’ I suggest, ‘since it worked so well on the left.’

***

I take his advice and work my fingers along the seam where body armor joins codpiece. When the codpiece starts to come free, my hand slips, as his armor falls away, and I find my hand resting overtop of his large, ready member.

I freeze in place, too embarrassed to do anything else.

Ani reaches down and sets one of his hands over my own.

‘You’ve touched me before,’ he quietly reminds me.

True, I think, and that was intentional on my part, not an accident, like this is. I feel a throb, a subtle twitch beneath my fingers. Someone is ready for some fun. More than ready for some more fun. And my tugging on his codpiece probably encouraged that, too.

I can’t stop the giggle which escapes from me at that thought. Ani’s low chuckle joins mine as he lifts his hand to brush my cheek.

‘Do you want me to...?’ I start an offer to him.

It’s our anniversary. For today I will do anything he wishes, even if it is something I am uncomfortable with, even if I don’t want to do it.

‘Only if you want to, and then only what you want to do,’ he replies in return.

My choice, then.

I pull my hand away.

Not yet.

I can’t do that yet.

Ani doesn’t make any comment on my reticence or silent refusal, but instead orders, ‘Turn around and let’s get that dress out of the way.’

Puzzled, I comply, to find myself being pulled backwards by his hands on my hips. I quickly end up sitting on his lap, facing away from him. It’s a position neither of us can really move in since all I can do is rock back and forth on him.

'I think we will scrap this one,’ he finally concedes after a few unsuccessful attempts at thrusting into me.

‘Not working, is it?’ I observe.

‘Back to our quarters then,’ he decides. ‘I want to get this armor off and enjoy myself in other ways.’

***

Maia doesn’t complain when I help her to her feet. I know she has the odd fantasy about making love with me in my armor, but my wife prefers the comfort of our bedroom and the feel of my bare skin against hers to that of black leather and hard durasteel.

And I prefer that as well.

I replace my codpiece, this time leaving the seals partially open. Making it airtight was a useful ploy, but I won’t get away with it a second time. Maia is too smart to fall for that trick again.

As we walk through the corridors, I cast a glance down at her. She touched me but couldn’t follow through with any more than that briefest of contacts. Still, it is a beginning, and she didn’t bolt or try to flee once she realized what her hand was resting on. Her shyness is gradually losing the battle.

***

Part 2

Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links