Does the Fire Still Burn

[Judah Lesan]

Aden's sternum was relieved when Mesh'la said it was time for bed. Of course he didn't dislike the time with his son, but the pain was very real. Boys would be boys though, and Aden was already looking forward to wrestling with him again. In fact, Valen was almost to the age when he would get his first wooden training beskad. If Aden had his way he'd be the best at everything. If the good genes had been passed down, Aden was certain to see Valen be one of the best snipers the Mando'ade had ever seen.

He waved goodnight to his son as Mesh'la carried him off, and while she was saying good night Aden put his armor plates in a place he thought was out of the way. It felt awkward, really awkward, and only felt even more so when Mesh'la had come back saying Valen wanted to sleep with him. He nodded with a smile, but found room to tease.

"Must take after his buir," though Mesh'la usually only tossed about in bed when both were wide awake. Aden smiled at the happy memories, but only frowned when he realized their situation again. "I'll see if I can get him to sleep and come back down. We probably still need to talk before going to bed ourselves," he said trying to be mature.

Aden went to the room and told Valen about the great Hound of Keldabe, how he had cheated death and was the hero of the galaxy. Of course he made it the two year old version, and after a time got into the bed, his kute around his waist. Valen went to sleep fairly quickly and after thirty minutes Aden was walking down the steep stair.

"This is too precious. I am not leaving this again."

[member="Mesh'la Dral"]

 

[Alleycat]

Mesh'la made a scrunchy face when [member="Aden Dral"] used her own quip on her. It was true to an extent, though it meant that the young Mando had to come to her side of the bed where the warm spot was with all the covers... well at least in the past. There was a small part of her that still wanted that with him, but the rest wouldn't let Mesh go there. She had the double stubborn gene from both her parents.

"Okay," is all the petite blonde said, giving Aden a nod and blowing their son a kiss goodnight, then Mesh'la went to finish the dishes and put some water on to boil.

She slipped into the fresher and got ready for bed herself changing out of her beskar'gam and into comfy night wear that was functional and semi-warm as it got chilly on the plains of Concord Dawn.

With a hot drink in hand, the young medic went over to the couch afterwards and planted herself on one end, staring into the fire adrift in thought as her ex-husband finally came back down stairs. A creaky floor board on the stairs brought Mesh'la out of her reverie and blue eyes caught his brown just as he spoke; the words making Mesh's heart skip a beat, though she covered the fleeting emotion with taking a sip from the steaming mug in hand. Plus it helped to remove her eyeballs from staring at his half-dressed body. Where did he ever get those guns and broad shoulders not to mention the six pack abs?

"There's makings for hot cocoa, if you want some," she tilted her golden head in the direction of the kitchen, then asked. "How did things go? I take it Val is asleep?"

 

[Judah Lesan]

Aden cam down the stairs and the first thing he noticed was Mesh'la was no longer in her armor. The sleep wear reminded him about every curve in her body, and Aden felt a protest. It simply was an unfair tactic to dress like that when she had made it clear they were not even going to share a bed, let alone use it for other things than sleeping.

He had been an idiot to leave, and Aden knew that. There wasn't anything to be done about it. He couldn't change what he'd done. All he could do was try and fix his mistake going forward. Forward was a way they both needed. Aden's heart had never changed. He still loved his wife, his son. Aden just had a rotten way of showing it.

His head nodded as he quietly made his way to make some of the hot chocolatey drink. He grabbed the biggest mug he could find, and returned to the couch with the drink in hand. There was a bit of an awkward moment between them. This would be about the time Aden would normally make a move, but tonight he was trying really hard to help Mesh'la know he was going to respect whatever she wanted.

"Yeah... he went to sleep pretty quickly after I told him a story about Stri'buir..." Aden sipped the hot liquid. "You weren't kidding about the way he sleeps though. He's already flipped I bet." There was a small chuckle which escaped his lips. A genuine smile graced his features. "I want fix things if that's possible.... I might have been an idiot, but I never stopped loving you, and there hasn't been anyone else..."

[member="Mesh'la Dral"]

 

[Alleycat]

A horrified look flashed momentarily upon the petite blonde's face and she nearly choked on her just sipped hot drink when [member="Aden Dral"] had said he'd told a story about Strider to their young son.

"Gods I hope it was G-rated for your sake, Aden'ika... " Mesh quipped, shooting a knowing look that said the sniper would be in trouble if he hadn't.

"Wait... Can one even do that with the Adventures of Stri'buir, the Hound of Keldabe?" she said, then just shook her golden head with a silent amused chuckle to herself. The young baar'ur cared for the Alor of Clan Garon as if he they were related through blood rather than just marriage, but the legendary Field Marshall's life wasn't for prime time discussion especially with an active two year old's mind as innocent as it was.

When Aden took a seat on the other end of the couch, there was like this pregnant pause between them before he spoke again. Her crystal blue orbs dipped down to the floor as Mesh'la held the mug in both hands, then they slowly came back up to gaze over to the young nerd's waiting chocolate brown. "You know you've told me that twice now - the part where you still love me and there was no one else... and I'm aware that we need to fix things because let's face it Valen deserves to grow up in a loving family, and it starts first with the parents, but I just need time to figure things out, 'kay? It's been two years of surviving without your love so I've learned to deal with that, not that I wanted to, but rather because I had to keep my sanity and stay strong for our son. My feelings can't just be flipped on and off like a light switch. So if I invest in this relationship again, I gotta know you won't break my heart again."

 

[Judah Lesan]

"I didn't talk about his many adventures with women or alcohol. No need to worry," Aden stuck his tongue out teasing his wife. "It takes practice, but I think I have it down to PG at least." He shrugged with a fun smirk on his face. This seemed right. Aden just had to open his mouth again and bring up all the junk one more time. It was just how he was wired. The poor man couldn't help but have to know she knew. That would be his down fall if anything. Aden wasn't going to leave.

He listened to her. No her feelings were not a light switch, and it hurt to hear her say that she learned to survive without his love. Okay, that may have been the reality of things, but it wasn't any easier. Aden had not learned to survive without her love. Had Strider not gone to meet with the Aka'liit would Aden have been back though? The reality of all of it hit him hard, and it was a few more moments of staring into his hot chocolate and nodding before he could answer.

When he finally looked up, Aden looked into Mesh'la's blue eyes.

"I know your feelings wont flip over like a switch. I could hope, but I know better. You know me though... I just have to know that you know I'm telling you the truth, and I get me leaving doesn't show that exactly."

Aden's eyes dipped away again.

"But you at least know... right?"

Aden reached for Mesh'la's face with his hand. He didn't know whether she would pull away or not, but he wanted to touch her, to draw her forehead to his.

"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde." Aden paused. "You don't have to answer... only when you're ready, but I am not leaving, and if Strider wants me to that will only happen if I take my family with me."

[member="Mesh'la Dral"]

 

[Alleycat]

For a second with [member="Aden Dral"] sticking his tongue out at her, it felt like old times when the two were just teenage kids sitting down on the bank of the Kelita River that wound around Keldabe in their spot fishing and dishing each other up some playful banter like besties do...

Mesh'la missed those innocent days, before she and Aden took it too far going from best of friends to first time lovers. Not that it probably wouldn't have happened at some point anyway because they had talked about possibly making a riduurok down the road as it seemed a natural thing for the inseparable duo. But conceiving a child first, then getting married had not been the plan; rushing things and putting enormous pressure on the young couple... the kind neither were ready for. Hence when the going got tough, they split without really having a conversation about it. Now the damage was done. Picking up the pieces of their shattered little family would be a hard thing, but one eventually would need to be done for their sons sake. Though for now, baby steps as they say.

"Elek, I know." the petite blonde answered in a soft voice.

When Aden started to reach for her face, Mesh'la knew exactly what he was going to do. The young medic tensed as he touched her cheek, but then she let him draw her close enough so they could put their foreheads together. While the young sniper spoke uttered the phrase that Manda'ode do when confessing their love and devotion with intension of making a binding union with another, Mesh's eyes closed and an almost pained look appeared on her fair features. Those were the same words he had already exchanged with her under the big veshok tree in Enceri nearly three years ago when they had made their riduurok. Could she, would she say the vows back again at this early point in her ex-husband's return?

Crystal blue orbs opened, then the golden blonde pulled back to gaze into the dark chocolate browns that wanted, no pleaded for her give their owner some sign of hope. "Perhaps someday I will repeat those words to you as I did once before, Aden'ika, but I cannot this day... I need time, and you need to show me you're really here to stay. I don't want my heart broken again nor Valen's as now he is old enough to understand if don't hold true to your commitment."

After a moment, Mesh'la pushed up off the couch and walked into the kitchen, placing her mug in the sink, then turned her golden head to face him. "I'm going to bed now. Please put another log on the fire before you do as well. I'll see you in the morning unless Val'ika needs something before," she said with the faintest of smiles before making her way up the steep stairs to their son's bedroom and closing the door behind her.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Aden never expected her to repeat the vow when he said it. He just wanted Mesh'la to know that his heart had never strayed and never would. Ultimately he wanted her to know that he was not going to leave and was invested in repairing their damaged marriage. Of course, it was too much for the two, as usual. Aden and Mesh'la always had pushed things when it came to the next steps in their relationship. Most of that always seemed to surround the decisions Aden made in regards to his father.

The two had intended to join their lives together, but when Strider had appeared to be dead the two had taken their relationship past what they had intended for that time. Still, Valen wasn't a mistake, he was a beautiful expression of what they both felt for each other. He was indeed the best of them.

Aden nodded when Mesh'la mentioned she was going to bed. "I'll get the lights then I guess," he said leaving their conversation where it was. Once she had made it up the steep stair, Aden took care of the lights, tossed a log on the fire, and headed to bed. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep, but at least he was home.

[member="Mesh'la Dral"]