Private Once and Future

[Amani Serys]

Alicio Organa
​

For how transformative this stage of Amani's life had been, she found herself surprise that nine months went by as quick as they did. Then again, it was technically closer to eight months, when those telltale signs of labor thrust the Organas into panic one early morning. Twins didn't exactly have the patience (or space) to grow a little while longer.

Realizing they were going to be taking care of two kids had been something of a cruel joke to the preparation they had already done. But they took it in stride. Two babies just meant buying twice the amount of stuff, right? They were admittedly a bit overzealous in that first month. But the Organas liked to take it as a sign that they would, or at least could, be good parents.

Before dawn had even cracked, Alicio and Amani were making a mad dash for the Halls of Healing. What better medical service to put one's faith in than the one Amani literally ran? In those final weeks, she fretted over the many what-ifs that could arise, but the procedure went smoothly and without serious issue, putting her fears to rest. And now, the first-time parents could finally meet their son and daughter.

August Organa, and Liana Organa. They were a bit on the smaller side unsurprisingly, but in otherwise good health. Liana had a pale, almost pastel green pallor. The look would probably have been rather alarming, without the context of having a mirialan mother. Over her right eye, was a blotch of fair-skinned pigment. August, on the other hand, had a whole host of blotches across his skin, including one across his left eye.

They were beautiful.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had fallen in love the moment he'd laid eyes on Liana and August.

It was a kind of deep, voluminous care that he'd never felt before. Seeing two little children, their children, snuggled up in Amani's arms, had awakened something in him. It made the hectic morning more than worth it. Alicio had been in a frenzied panic as he drove their speeder to the Jedi Temple, trying to find the perfect balance between going as fast as possible and staying safe in the airways. And once they'd been admitted, he'd been ushered away, although not without protest, as his wife gave birth to their babies. He'd been so relieved to hear there were no complications, a secret fear he'd harbored in the quiet hours of nights previous.

After he'd been led in again, he hadn't left Amani's bedside. He let a finger trace up and down her arm, as he stared at the twins, mesmerized by the multi-toned faces. It took a long while for him to speak, the sparkle of unreleased tears in his grey eyes.

"They're perfect..." he finally said, continuing to write in cursive patterns along Amani's arm. "Liana. August. Mom." He let his eyes rest on Amani's, leaning in for a kiss, taking great care to not disturb the little Organas' restful slumber.

"How are you?" He twisted his lip in concern, as his vicious need to help kicked in. "Anything I can do? Do you need extra pillows, o-or a snack? More water?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

By now it was just the four of them in the room, the last of the staff and droids having left them to spend some time together. The sunrise was breaking through the window, but the babies slept soundly. Amani was, and looked, understandably drained by the procedure. But her spirits had never been higher. "Dad," She smiled, and carefully leaned over for a kiss.

She started shaking her head the moment Alicio was scrambling to assist, "I'm fine," Amani chuckled quietly, "I just need you, to stay here, with us." Her gaze returned to the little ones in her arms, and she remained silent for a few long moments. Then, a smirk crossed her lips, "Well… my arms are getting a little tired," her smirk turned into a soft smile once more, and she nodded at the baby closest to him, Liana, "…You should hold her."

"She has your eyes, you know."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Okay. Okay." Alicio tried to curtail his nerves, returning his eyes to their children, transfixed as if he were staring at a beautiful sunset.

"Well… my arms are getting a little tired… You should hold her."

Alicio's mouth straightened. "Are... you sure?" After one last confirmation, he gently, reverently, reached out, wrapping little Liana in his arms, supporting the back of her head as he leaned back in the chair he'd pulled to Amani's side.

Her eyes were closed, but Alicio could imagine what rested behind her lids- grey like stormclouds, with the subtlest of blue sky peeking through. "Hello, Liana," he whispered, holding his daughter close to him, and brushing his lips on her forehead. A bit of emotion constricted his throat as he looked back to Amani.

"I... don't think I can ever let go." He smiled, a joyful chuckle bubbling it's way past his chest.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled again, "She's your daughter too, dork." With an encouraging nod, she loosened her hold so that Alicio could lift the girl up, leaving Amani free to better cradle August. She watched her husband hold his baby girl for the first time, her eyes welling up with emotion at the sight. They were parents now, it registered with her once more. After all they'd been through and done together, they were really, truly here now. The next great stage of their lives.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Amani gently grazed her fingers against the wisps of dark hair along August's scalp. She shook her head, "I never would've imagined this for myself ten years ago. Now I already can't imagine how I lived without them." It only solidified her hopes for their parentage. "Hopefully soon enough we can ta- Oh!" She whispered, interrupting herself as Liana started to shift slightly. Amani watched with gleeful anticipation, their daughter slowly opening her eyelids to see her father. Hopefully she was too tired to get fussy.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"She's your daughter too, dork."

Alicio spared his wife a jokingly-annoyed scoff, before falling back into awed wonder.

"I... I know. I feel the same." It wasn't that long ago that he was dedicating every waking moment to helping the galaxy. Building cities, running camps, not sparing a moment for things like love and personal joy. The Alicio back then couldn't even begin to imagine the overwhelming fulfillment, the inexorable happiness he was feeling now.

His happiness was shaken only slightly as he noticed Liana beginning to open her eyes. There was a moment of panic, a brief worry that she would begin to cry, and he wouldn't know what to do. But all fears of that drained away the second he stared into her eyes. Eyes that looked so much like his. "...Good morning, Lia," he breathed, hugging the infant a little more snugly to his chest. "Nice to meet you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Alicio noted August, who's meaty little fists began to flail absently in the air.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani watched with a big, unshakeable grin, until she felt a shift in the weight in her arms. August's little fist nearly smacked her across the face, and she chuckled, "Well hello to you, too," She reached down and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, "Couldn't handle not being the center of attention for two seconds?" He seemed a bit fussy, but not to the point of crying, at least not yet.

"C'mere," Amani readjusted his blanket, and cuddled him closely, "If you start crying, then your sister is gonna start crying, too." She playfully chastised in a babyish voice. August whined softly in response. She looked back up at Alicia, and spoke a little more quietly this time, "I was saying— Hopefully, we'll be able to take them home soon." They'd likely need to monitor the babies for a while longer, especially since they were premature. But Amani couldn't help but feel eager, even with how tired she was.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Thankfully, Liana didn't seem to be in a poor mood, either. Leaning over her with the most loving smile one could create, Alicio ran his thumb along her forehead. Slowly, awkwardly, Lia reached up, grasping his pinkie with a tiny hand.

Cute.

Relinquishing control of the digit to her, Alicio looked up in time to see Amani nearly get a face-full of baby fist, and stifled a snort. "It seems like I won the baby lottery today." He chuckled, leaning back in his seat a little further.

Alicio was glad they'd set up everything well in advance. Their new apartment was already well lived-in, the nursery painted with a colorful starscape, and the space was well-stocked with everything a pair of infants might need. Once they were okayed to leave the Temple, then their family would be home.

"Our lives are never going to be the same, are they?" He didn't say it with any kind of regret, or sadness. As far as he was concerned, looking across at Amani and their kids, it was a change for the better.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"For now," Amani smirked. She leaned close to August, and he blindly reached up with both hands towards the sky, laying them across her cheeks. Amani smiled broadly, "He's winning me back over."

It was a mesmerizing experience. One she was quite certain she could be content in forever. Seeing these children she had carried all those months, all the details that reflect their parents with uncanny and unmistakable familiarity. It was transformative for one's grand perspective. Amani shook her head, "I wouldn't have it any other way," She laid out her other hand for him to take, and mouthed "I love you". As true as it had ever been, if not even more so. She found herself reminiscing on all they had been through together. All that led them to this moment, "Glad you decided to stay out a bit late? That night on Tython?" There was a bit of playfulness to her question, but also a genuine sense of gratefulness.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio felt his heart swell watching Amani and August interact. "We seem to have a couple of little charmers on our hands." Alicio waggled his pinky, bobbing Liana's hand back and forth.

Alicio already knew that Amani felt the same way he did about their kids, their new lives. But hearing her say it crystalized the moment in his mind. He added it to his library of moments he would never forget, along with the first time he saw the twins, the wedding, getting drunk together for the first time...

"Glad you decided to stay out a bit late? That night on Tython?"

A quick laugh bobbed his chest, causing Lia to squirm. After gently coaxing her into stillness again, he responded, a loving smile on his lips. "Every day of my life, Amani." Then, with an equal amount of playfulness, "Aren't you glad I stayed, even after telling me you didn't need help?"

He looked back down to Liana, tracing her face with his grasped hand.

"Where do you think you'd be now? If we'd never met?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani's heart could hardly take the sight of Liana's hand wrapped around Alicio's finger, "They take after their parents," She grinned, touching her cheek to August's head. After all this time, Alicio's words could still make her blush. She nodded, "I guess it's worked out pretty well for me."

"Where do you think you'd be now? If we'd never met?"

Amani stifled a chuckle, "Jeez," It was almost something she didn't even want to think about. She looked down at August, who had stopped his wriggling, seemingly falling back asleep. She looked back at Alicio, "Y'know, I can't even find a way to tease you about it. Cause wherever I'd be, I can't envision somewhere any better than this." Looking at it now, it felt as if her whole life led to this particular moment. And yet there was still so much of life left to live and cherish. It made her giddy.

"I'd probably be buried in my work, living at the temple, not bothering myself with notions of love and parenthood," Amani finally answered after some thought. Her lips were caught between a self-deprecating smirk, and a frown at the thought of what now seemed an empty life. She valued her work, and admittedly still buried herself in it. But there was so much more for her to value now. To make time for. "How about you?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Them? Charmers? Alicio raised an eyebrow at that assertion, but didn't comment.

"Y'know, I can't even find a way to tease you about it. Cause wherever I'd be, I can't envision somewhere any better than this."

Alicio nodded knowingly, smiling as Liana's riverstone eyes began to close once more. "If it's any consolation, neither can I."

Amani's alternate life seemed an eerily familiar one to his own thoughts on that matter. He tried not to think of an overworked, overstressed Amani, instead focusing on this moment. This perfect moment the four of them had together.

"You mean if I hadn't died on Empress Teta?" It was Amani that came to his rescue there, after all. "I think... the stress of everything would have gotten to me, by now. There have been... so many times, that I've lost my faith in the Alliance, in the future. But... thinking about you, our future, has kept me grounded. Ever since we met, you've always given me hope."

Alicio looked down at Liana, who had fallen asleep as well, then across at August, resting peacefully in Amani's arms. "And now, they give me hope, too."

He chuckled quietly, looking up at Amani with sparkling humor in his eyes. "And now, I hope they stay asleep. For at least a few hours."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"You mean if I hadn't died on Empress Teta?"

Amani's expression fully dropped for a moment at the reminder, but she said nothing. There was nothing enjoyable about dwelling on that particular what-if. Even the alternative Alicio expounded upon revealed his continuous struggles with his position. That, she couldn't help but ask about, "Do you... still find yourself feeling that way? About the Senate? The Alliance?"

Amani found hope in Alicio as well. Hope that kept her grounded, and stronger than she ever could be on her own. But she sincerely hoped the love of his family wasn't the only thing keeping Alicio from crumbling under his admittedly unenviable duties. Was the system truly so broken? She looked down at August, who had fallen back asleep, then Liana, then Alicio again. Were they bringing their children into an unjust, maybe even unfixable world?

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"It's hard not to feel that way, sometimes," Alicio relented, tucking a now-snoozing Liana close to him. "The Brotherhood of the Maw has just been defeated, and already, there are more Sith to the south. Denon has yet to stabilize, and I watch as ambitious senators use underhanded tactics to get what they desire, and I feel powerless to stop it." His face fell, even as he gently caressed his daughter's cheek.

"It's... easy, to lose hope. To say that... nothing will ever be fixed, so why even try? That everything will always be dark, and cold, and lonely, no matter how hard I struggle." Alicio looked up to Amani, his frown finally relenting. "But I know that isn't true. Because I was once... dark, and cold, and lonely, but I found you. And we found them." He gestured to their kids with a nod of his head. "The galaxy will never be a perfect place. But we are proof that good things can, will, happen. There's... so much to keep fighting for. Families like ours, across the galaxy, little pockets of good that make every struggle worth the pain."

Alicio smiled softly. His family was his source of strength now, his inspiration. He didn't think that was such a bad thing.

"There's so much to look forward to."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Alicio admitted to his continued frustrations with not only the Alliance, but the galaxy at large. And in many ways Amani felt the same way. No matter what they did, there was always some evil going unchecked, or a new evil that would inevitably rise to fills the vacuum of an old one. Not just in their lifetimes, but throughout history this cosmic balance refused to be disrupted for too long. It would be naive to think a utopia was truly possible in a galaxy like this.

But giving up was no better. They still had to push, to strive for that ideal. Someone had to. The alternative would be to resign to something worse. Alicio said as much as he continued, finding value in the smaller differences they could make. It was a mindset Amani had come to appreciate quite a lot herself.

"During my time traveling the Outer Rim, I felt pretty useless early on. I just… couldn't fathom how I was supposed to serve the people of the galaxy without the support of some grand order behind me?" She stared blankly, as if reliving those days in her thoughts, "But then when I finally pushed myself to give it a go… I answered this request from this tiny little planet— Would have completely flown under the radar of something as big as the Concord— First thing I did was cure this little kid of a disease their people thought was incurable. It wasn't anything spectacular to me, modern galactic society has had a vaccine for it for centuries, but the look on their faces… That was worth more than anything I'd achieved in my padawan years."

She smiled, and looked up at Alicio now, "I was able to help people in a way I never could have before. That no one would have, before. To them, it was everything. That was something to fight for. To look forward to." Her work now was undeniably important. But without those formative years, she may not have redeveloped the resolution she really needed to push on. It was nice to be reminded of it. Of why she even returned to her Jedi station after all that time. "We have all the more reason to, now. For them."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

There would still be hard days.

Even knowing that there would always be something to fight for, that there would always be a tomorrow worth protecting, Alicio would always be fighting that dread, the seeming pointlessness of it all. It wouldn't leave him, as it likely wouldn't leave Amani, either. They cared too much to be unaffected by the horrors of the galaxy, to ever be content with how much they could do to stop them.

But Alicio was sure he would keep fighting. Because even if the perfect future was impossible, he would strive to create the best future he could. "For them. For everyone's children."

Amani's walkabout years had taught her so much about the galaxy, as solitary as they had been. He'd often wondered what it would be like to do the same; what would he learn about the universe, about himself, if he forwent of his name and wealth, and led a vagabond's lifestyle at the edges of civilization. "You know, if this whole 'Jedi, Senator' thing doesn't work out... We could always take a ship to the Outer Rim. Start a 'mom-and-pop' traveling clinic." He chuckled, taking care not to jostle Liana this time. He wasn't actually considering it, but it was fun to daydream. "I wouldn't mind being a nomadic medic with you."

"But not for a while. I'd like to get our money's worth on the new apartment."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani laughed, stifling herself halfway so as to not wake August, who started stirring again. "Well, maybe one day we'll be able to give it a shot," Again, unlikely, but cute to think about, "Maybe when we're old and wrinkly."

She sighed contently, and stared blankly toward the ceiling in a few moments of contemplation. Then, she grinned again, "Nah. Hopefully we'd be retired by then." Who knows. They didn't seem the type to just call it quits when they hit their senior years. But a lot could change in all that time. Not knowing everything was part of the adventure.

"I think I need some more sleep," Amani announced. She blinked slowly, "I was pretty rudely awakened this morning," She set her sights on Liana and August, "That's okay. I still love you. And I love you too," She turned to Alicio now, "We'll all be home in no time." And once everything was set right, she took a good long nap.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Retired? Us?" Alicio let loose a sharp smile. "Hard to imagine."

Amani seemed ready to doze off. Alicio didn't blame her- she'd been through quite the ordeal today. Alicio stood, both to gather both twins in his arms, and to place a kiss on her forehead, before returning to his seat. "Rest well, love. We'll be right here." He smiled reassuringly at her, before looking down at the bundles resting in the crooks of his arms.

He stood vigil over his resting family.

Another little moment to treasure forever.

"Home sweet home," Alicio said, turning back to look at Amani, the half-smile on his face threatening to widen.

The two of them had lived in the new apartment for a few months now, but there was a new energy to the place, now that Liana and August were there. Much of the furniture hadn't changed, and there was still a healthy selection of plants, but everything had since been baby-proofed. Hard corners were covered, sharp objects were safely stored away, and edibles that should not be eaten were out of reach from grabby hands.

Archie squawked once from his multi-level birdcage, either to welcome the Organas back, or to ask for food. Alicio had been home a few times in the two days the Temple had kept the babies to take care of the phoenix, but that hardly mattered to Archibald.

The Count did one last pass of the area, as if to make sure everything was just right, before turning back to Amani. "Shall we show them their new room?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani stepped in behind Alicio, Liana's carrier in hand. They'd been living in the new apartment for some time now, but returning with the children almost made it feel like a brand new sight. It was far and away a worthwhile upgrade for an addition to the family. Especially two additions to the family. When they first learned they would be getting twins, Amani was silently thankful they had decided to move, and silently chastised herself for rushing into things without even having considered the possibility of multiple kids beforehand. But it all worked out in the end.

"Hey Archie," Amani chuckled, "Did ya miss me?" Once the door was shut, she opened the cage to let him fly around the space freely. The bird hopped on her shoulder and pecked gently at her cheek, before turning his attention to the babies. Whatever he was thinking, he was quite fascinated by the new stimuli. His crest of feathers raised up, and he made a melodic whistle. "Let's." Amani concurred, looking back to Alicio.

The room had a tranquil, space-like aesthetic. Deep blues dotted by a host of stars. Amani took Liana out of her carrier, and cradled her, "Welcome home, honey." The baby looked around with a vague sense of wonder. Which really, was how kids their age tended to look at anything new. Archie cooed, then flew around and landed on top of the crib, as if to get a better view of the newcomers. He was a rather intelligent bird, and seemed to be developing some understanding already.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio retrieved August from his own carrier as Amani went for Liana's, holding the baby comfortably- he'd gotten much better at it in the two days since welcoming the twins into the world. With a small nod, he followed his wife into the nursery, making sure August had a good view of all their hard work.

It seemed to be paying off for both infants, as August also seemed enraptured by the scene around them, baby blue eyes bulging wide. Alicio laughed at the sight, walking over to the crib, and laying August down within it, making sure there was enough room for Liana beside him. Pressing a hand against the star-laden mobile, Alicio put a finger on the device, and let it spin. August stared up at it, tiny hands outstretched towards the stars, as if he could somehow get his little sausage fingers around them.

Alicio spared a glance at Archibald, his proud smile evident, before looking at Amani. "I'd say 'now we can relax', but I don't think we'll be relaxing for a while."

- Amani Serys -