Since learning they were expecting, the Mandalorian couple purchased a property in the suburbs of the city. It was her will. She had grown up on a farm and longed for the countryside but he had commitments to the hospital where he would cover shifts from time to time so they couldn’t live as rurally as she wanted. Still, they were happy.

It was their last night together before he had to leave tomorrow for off-world work and this time she couldn’t accompany him, given her condition, but both knew it was for the best. However, now she was worried more than ever about him being killed. It was always a concern for the pair whenever they went to battle but now there was a lot more at stake. They had been on many adventures together so it gave her comfort to know that he could look out for himself but it was his selflessness towards others that worried her the most. His dedication to preserving the lives of others had nearly cost him his own several times. It was part of the reason why she loved him but it struck fear into the very heart that did so.

Despite their fears for the future, tonight was about celebration. He served them both slow-roasted tomato, garlic and krill with a side of scalloped potatoes and minted peas with pancetta. Although not a particularly avid cook, he could follow a recipe. They shared the cooking responsibilities between them depending on who was the busiest, though more often than not it was he who was busy with work or research. She knew if she didn’t give him food then the absent-minded man would forget to eat. But tonight wasn’t a defrosted batch meal or rations on the battlefield. It was the first time they had cooked and eaten a meal together in weeks and it would be the last for some weeks to come.

Once they finished their main, followed by a white chocolate and pomegranate tort she had lovingly prepared, they moved to the couch where she curled her legs up beside her and rested her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, keeping a gentle grip of her arm and resting his head against hers. The mood had shifted from one of celebration into a sombre one. She was supposed to accompany him on the journey tomorrow but upon discovering her pregnancy earlier in the day, she had to opt out now it was far too dangerous for her to go. Neither were prepared and now they were facing weeks apart.

Both knew what the other was thinking so they sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s presence while they could. He was reminded of the silence they sat in now and how such a sound would become foreign to them in the coming years. They had been so blinded by the fear of what they could lose that they forgot about the joys of what they could gain. There was no reason to believe he was any more likely to get killed in the following nine months than he had been for the last seventeen years and the ruminating would get them nowhere.

“Have you thought of any names yet?” He asked, trying to turn their darkened moods around. She shook her head but then responded a moment after. “Well… I was considering Zaira for a girl.” She replied. “I was thinking Arlen for a boy.” He replied, prompting her to look up at him with a small smile. “After my father?” She asked and he nodded in confirmation before kissing her forehead, at which point she resumed her earlier position but wrapped an arm around his front.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Their hearts were full.
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