Private Serena Harth Solos the Galaxy

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna had meant to look at the adoption listings. The page was still open on her datapad, full of profiles and pictures of children with glum or nervous expressions. But the datapad had been repeatedly abandoned on the coffee table while she chased Serena around the ship.

This was the third time tonight. For some reason, Serena kept taking her clothes off. Inanna would catch her and redress her, only to find the kid dancing around half-naked again a few minutes later, her clothes in a heap on the floor.

Maybe this outfit is just uncomfortable for her? The fabric was sort of cheap. So Inanna went and found something different for the baby to wear, a cute little dress made from soft, breathable material. She slipped the dress over a whining Serena's head and pulled her little arms through the sleeves. But it seemed like the minute she turned her back, Serena yanked off the dress and went back to inexplicably dancing.

Inanna stared at her. Serena stared back, swaying from side to side, her fists clenched as though ready to break into a run at a moment's notice. Inanna did her best to maintain a serious, stern expression, but the defiant expression on the toddler's face (like an angry pout) was killing her. Her lips twitched as she fought a smile, then finally cracked up.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked, trying to stifle her wheezing.

"No," Serena said. She waved her hand insistently. "Play the song with the people with the big heads."

Thankfully Inanna knew exactly which music she was referring to, and with a gesture she turned on the holo speakers. Serena immediately began dancing around the room, switching from swaying to stomping, to something that looked like an attempt at headbanging, and finally spinning. Around and around and around she went, making circles on the carpet with her little feet.

"If you keep doing that, you're going to get dizzy," Inanna warned, grinning from ear to ear. But of course, Serena kept on spinning. Her mother returned to the couch and picked up her datapad, idly flicking through the list of orphans while she watched Serena twirl in front of her. Because they definitely needed more of this in their lives.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Ugh. Most overplayed song ever," Cato groaned as he stepped into the room, "Must've heard it a million times on Narsh alone," No cantina visit was complete without at least one song by the Modal Nodes. Despite his apparent distaste for the song, he had an easy smile on his face, paired with a more quizzical raise of an eyebrow at the amusing sight of his daughter spinning endlessly. "I see she inherited my impeccable dance skills." Serena giggled to herself, then stumbled and fell back on her butt. She pushed herself back onto her feet, wobbling like a drunk person, then went right back to dancing.

Cato stopped at the end of the couch and leaned down, planting a teasing kiss by Inanna's ear. He couldn't help but notice the images on her screen, "…What's that?" He asked casually.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"…What's that?"

"A lot of orphans," Inanna replied, sliding her hand into Cato's. She held out the datapad, with its overwhelmingly long list of adoptees, for him to see better. "This is from a refugee relief organization. You can filter the search quite a bit, but I only narrowed it down to kids with no surviving relatives or guardians."

She stopped scrolling, catching sight of the first picture she had seen of a child who didn't look pitiful. Well, the Chiss baby wasn't exactly happy, but the fact that he was wearing a dinosaur costume gave him a considerably less miserable air than his peers. "Awww, check him out. Lil dino baby.”

The song ended. "Again!" Serena demanded.

"Can you say please?" Inanna asked.

"Again please!"

Inanna complied with her daughter's demands. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Elfangor slithering across the floor. Watching Serena, the Sithspawn began "singing" along, accompanying the toddler's wild dancing with his yowling vocals.

"Good thing we don't have neighbors here," Inanna remarked.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato blinked, but said nothing. His lips twisted slightly, though he tried to hide it. Still, despite his reservations, even he couldn't help but smile at the chiss boy, "Cute." He chuckled quietly, his thoughts evidently distracted.

Serena pulled him away from it with her antics. He grinned again, and reached down to take her hands and dance with her.

"Good thing we don't have neighbors here,"

"No kidding," Cato winced at a particularly harsh yowl from Elfangor, "The ship life ain't so bad a dream," A home and a transport in one. This one was certainly a step up from his old rust bucket. "Especially if you live on one like that," He nodded vaguely towards the hull, referring to the other ship they were currently parked on. The Vonnuvi was a pleasant surprise during their last visit. Why not visit again?

Serena eventually slipped away from her father, making a beeline for Elfangor, "Remember, he's friend, not food."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Ah, that twist of his mouth. She knew what that meant. Should Cato glance her way between looking at the pictures and dancing with Serena, he’d find Inanna staring at him with her cheek resting on her hand, giving him what could only be termed puppy dog eyes.

At least, until Serena suddenly took off after Elfangor, who narrowly evaded her. Inanna watched the toddler chase the Sithspawn around the room, first out of concern for Serena’s safety, then because it was like an impromptu comedy show. She couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.

"Remember, he's friend, not food."

“Oh, come on!” Inanna giggled. “He’s too fast for her to catch him.”

Elfangor darted underneath the couch. Serena peeked underneath the furniture, waved her little hand at him, then plopped down on the floor. Elfangor slithered back out, sniffing her. “Fluffy!” she exclaimed, petting the Sithspawn’s soft white fur.

Inanna was ready to yank them apart at a moment’s notice, but Elfangor was being exceedingly gentle and patient with Serena. His tail undulated in contentment, happy to be receiving attention, and his tongue stuck out. But then Serena attempted to pick him up as if he were one of her stuffed animals, only to topple backwards under his weight.

Right into the corner of a table.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato definitely saw the eyes out of his peripheral, but did his best to pretend like he didn't. Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Serena and Elfangor. Their little game of chase got a laugh from both parents, but what really sold it was the interaction after, "Gentle…" Cato reminded her softly, but it wasn't all that needed. Eventually Serena dared to lift the pet up, only to find it was a bit too much weight for her small stature.

Cato's eyes widened, and he lunged forward, "Oh no no-" Too late. His dad reflexes had betrayed him, and Serena bonked her head against the edge of the table. There was a second's pause where even she seemed unsure of how to react, then fully burst out wailing. Elfangor slithered away, concerned but unhurt, while Cato snatched up Serena, "Ohhh, it's okay," He rubbed the back of her head, while she cried into his shoulder, "I'm sorry, honey."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

How quickly a cute little moment could turn dangerous. Cato had dad reflexes; Inanna had maternal instincts. It was a miracle they both didn't crash into each other in the rush to reach Serena as fast as possible. Cato made it there first, enveloping Serena in his arms, and Inanna did the same, sandwiching their baby between them as both sought to comfort her.

"Is she bleeding? How bad is it?" Inanna asked, her attention shifting to assessing the damage. Head injuries were nothing to sneeze at, especially for a toddler not yet two years old. The bones of her skull weren't even fully fused yet at that age. Wasn't the back of the head the softest, least protected part of the humanoid skull regardless?...

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

... and off Inanna went. She returned a couple minutes later with a portable medisensor, wanting to make absolutely certain that Serena did not have a concussion, brain bleed, or any other severe injuries as a result of the fall. Most likely she was just being overly cautious, but better that than making assumptions and regretting it later. "Okay, hold still..." She turned the device on and held it up to Serena.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato looked at his hand, and shook his head, "No bleeding," A sigh of relief, before he examined the spot closer, "Just some bruising." Not that it was anything to scoff at, either. Without making sure, it could still be a problem. Serena's wailed slowly began to die down into muffled whines and sniffles. Inanna got a medsensor and gave her a quick scan, finding that thankfully there was nothing worse going on. "You feel okay now, honey?"

"N-no…" Serena burbled, then dragged her snotty nose across Cato's shoulder. He grimaced, and patted her back, "You want to get down?" She shook her head, rubbing her nose against his shirt even more. "Mkay," Resigned to his fate, Cato plopped down on the couch, and let Serena stay there. "We shoulda baby-proofed this place already."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Medisensor showed nothing abnormal. Inanna breathed a sigh of relief, then bent to kiss Serena's temple. "You're okay, baby. Just a little bump on the head."

Serena refused to be put down, instead snuggling closer to her father. Cato seemed to like it—well, not being a snot rag for a toddler, but he certainly didn't mind holding and comforting her. Not caring about the mess on his shirt, Inanna laid her head against Cato's chest and wrapped her arm around Serena.

"We shoulda baby-proofed this place already."

"I did," Inanna replied, looking over at the corner of the table. It was curved rather than sharp, but still a hard, jutting surface. "Or I thought I did..." She had covered most of the bases, but with how much they had been moving around lately, she had evidently forgotten about corner guards. "Aw, Serena, I'm sorry. I'll cover them up tonight."

Serena whined faintly. After a few minutes she reached up, pressing her tiny hands to Cato's cheeks and leaning forward to give him a kiss. "Ouch," she said, feeling his stubble. Then she twisted in his grip, looking around the room. "Why the music stopped?"

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato couldn't help but scrunch his face slightly, as the messy faced Serena moved in to give his a kiss. Not that he pulled away from her, preferring to live with the momentary sacrifice if it made her feel better. He chuckled at her reaction to his prickly stubble, "How about we get you a tissue, huh?" He grabbed one off the table and cleaned up her nose, though not without some wriggling from Serena. She was a bit more settled down now, even asking about the music.

Cato raised an eyebrow, "You want the music back on? You sure you're ready to dance again?" He smirked slightly.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"You want the music back on? You sure you're ready to dance again?"

"Let me fix all the corners first," Inanna said, getting up to do just that.

But of course, by the time she was finished, Serena had lost interest in dancing. Instead she ran off to grab one of her picture books, then climbed back up into Cato's lap. "Read this," she commanded, holding up the book.

Cato Harth

 

[Cato Harth]

Serena, like any child her age, was quick to lose interest. In the time it took Inanna to baby-proof the remaining edges, she may as well have forgotten about the issue. She grabbed a book, and returned to her father with demands to share the story. "What, you can't read it?" He joked, before taking a look at the cover, "Three Little Porgs. Aaalright," He flipped it open, regaling to Serena a tale of porg houses with varying degrees of architectural stability. Although she found those parts rather boring, her maniacal giggles only reaching a pitch when the Kath hound blew the houses down (helped in part by Cato's sound effect reenactments).

By the time the porgs were victorious, she seemed to grow tired, her eyelids drooping in slow blinks, struggling to stay awake.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Her work completed, Inanna gave the living room a once-over before she settled back down on the couch beside them. Serena seemed to have forgotten all about her fall, giggling at her father’s rendition of Three Little Porgs. Her laughter was contagious.

At the sight of Serena fighting to stay awake, Inanna reached out to touch her dark hair. A few strokes was all it took before Serena laid her head against her father’s shoulder, her eyelids drifting shut and her rosebud mouth going slack. Inanna turned to Cato and tapped a finger to her lips. She took the book from him, then pointed down the hall toward the baby’s room.

Serena woke up along the way, lifting her head and looking around. Inanna froze in place, watching and waiting. The toddler blinked in the dim light of the hallway, before gradually slumping against Cato’s shoulder once more. She didn’t awaken again, even when they laid her in her crib and crept backwards out of her room.

“You know, you’re a pretty good daddy,” Inanna whispered after the door had closed. It was not an observation she was just now making; she had known it for some time, and wanted to make sure Cato knew it too. With a grin she tapped his chest. “Now give me your shirt so I can throw it in the wash.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato had to be quite gentle with his movements, lest he disturb the sleeping Serena. But over time, he had become quite good at putting her to bed. With a bit of assistance from Inanna, he carefully stood up and began to carry her off. There was a moment of pause in which she briefly reawakened, only to slump back into slumber just as quick. He stealthily laid her down, and shut the door to the room. Then, sighed in relief at another successful mission.

“You know, you’re a pretty good daddy,”

Cato smiled pridefully, standing a little taller, "IIIIII might be getting a hang of this shtick," He chuckled, and reached for his collar, "As you wish." He wasn't going to complain about taking off the snot rag of a shirt. He handed it over, and stretched, "Y'know, she's probably getting to the point where she can start transitioning out of a crib."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna stifled a giggle at the look on his face. He was dang cute when he was proud of himself. Taking his shirt, she gave his bare chest a bit of a lingering look before tossing it in the washer, muttering under her breath, "You're a hot daddy, too..."

"Y'know, she's probably getting to the point where she can start transitioning out of a crib."

"Sounds like we need to get her a big girl bed." It was hard to pin down her exact date of birth, but Serena was probably about two years old now, or very close to it. Two to three was the age range where children went from cribs to toddler-sized beds.

Inanna closed the lid and hopped up on top of the washing machine. "Does this mean we'll be getting rid of her crib?" she asked, swinging her dangling legs a little. "Or should we save it for the next baby?"

Cato Harth

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato waggled his eyebrows, then chuckled. He had no qualms about serving as a bit of eye candy.

"We'll shop around then. Maybe they've got something here even," The Vonnuvi was a whole city, right? Surely there was someone around selling furniture. Serena would probably be excited. All things considered, she was precocious for her (presumed) age.

Cato stopped in front of Inanna, raising an eyebrow amusedly at the not so subtle mention of the 'next baby'. He hummed in thought, and stepped forward, leaning his hands on the machine on either side of her, "Well, can't hurt to keep it stored away for a while, I suppose. See what happens."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Gave up the vigilante life, kept the vigilante physique, I see.”

Serena probably would enjoy getting a new bed, especially if she got to pick one for herself. Inanna could picture it—and just as vividly, it hit her that Serena wasn’t a baby anymore. The fact that she was even still alive after everything that had been thrown at her during her first few years of life suddenly seemed rather incredible, too. Unplanned, abandoned by her birth mother, breathing the poisoned air of Nar Shaddaa, she had nonetheless survived and thrived.

“We did it!” she whispered with a grin, silently applauding their efforts. “Serena made it past infancy!”

It sounded a bit more ridiculous once she said it out loud, but it felt like a milestone had been reached, and she couldn’t let it go unacknowledged. She was quick to hug him when he moved closer to her, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Well, can't hurt to keep it stored away for a while, I suppose. See what happens."

“Well, it’s not going to happen on its own—” She stopped herself, not wanting to be pushy… but then she shook her head. Better to rip the bandage off now than later. “I’m a little confused, Cato. You seemed more open to the idea when we talked about it in the park, but now you’re… not. Am I just going too fast for you, or is it something else?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato couldn't help but chuckle at Inanna's declaration, like they were living under some dark age infant mortality rate. But it was worth celebrating. Given all the circumstances surrounding her upbringing, she had not only survived but thrived. Serena was strong. And it made him proud. He wrapped his arms around Inanna's waist as she hugged him.

But her tone changed abruptly when they came around to the topic of another kid. He relinquished his grip slightly, and sighed, "It's not that I'm opposed to another kid. I'm not. In fact I'd be happy to have another. But… Serena's what, two? I'm a first time dad, raising a kid I technically never meant to have. And-" He groaned, feeling like he had to clarify everything he said, "She's amazing. She's perfect, even. Better than I ever could have imagined coming from me. But I don't feel like I'm… ready for another kid already. I get you've seen this all before, but for me, it's brand new. It's wonderful, and exciting, and scary. And I just want to enjoy it a day at a time, you know? And I want to know I can be a good father for two, before I even consider taking on another…" He sighed again, and shook his head.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Hey," she protested, unwilling to tolerate his self-deprecation. "Of course Serena is all that. You're amazing and wonderful too. And don't you forget it."

Otherwise she did not interrupt him or try to refute what he said. She just hugged him tighter. "Okay," she said afterwards. "I'm sorry. I've got, uh. The... baby fever?" There was a term in Shi'idese for it, but Cato wouldn't have had a clue what she was talking about, so she went for the closest translation possible. "But I won't push it anymore. You're more of a 'come to me when you're ready' type of guy anyway."

For a little while she was quiet and thoughtful, laying her head against his shoulder. "We can get Serena a new bed tomorrow. Bring her along, let her pick it out..."

---

"Excuse me."

The store cashier, a teenaged Ithorian, looked up from her magazine. Seeing no one there initially, she swiveled her head back and forth in confusion before finally leaning over the edge of the desk.

Serena tipped her hat back and peered up at her through hot pink sunglasses. "Where's the big girl beds?" she asked.

The Ithorian glanced up at the little girl's parents, then pointed. "You want me to show you?"

"No."

Serena started to walk away, then at Inanna's gentle prodding she stopped and turned around.

"Thank you."

She resumed walking.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato smiled softly, appreciatively, "I guess I am pretty cool," A equally soft chuckle, which heightened hearing Inanna's explanation, "'Baby fever', huh?" Whatever that meant. He got the idea, though. "We'll get around to it. When we're ready."

Cato gave her waist a gentle squeeze, and nuzzled back as she laid her head against his shoulder, "Sounds like a plan. She'll love it," Then, he smirked, and his hands traveled down to her hips, "But y'know… In the meantime she's asleep. And I don't know about you, but I'm not too tired just yet," He picked Inanna up off the washing machine and into his arms, Pressing a kiss against her lips.

---

Serena was not only excited to come along to buy her own bed, she was practically taking charge of the excursion. Doing the best a two-year old could to navigate a shopping scenario, based what little she had seen and remembered of trips past. Cato stifled a growing smirk, and just shook his head before following his daughter, "Thank you. We'll be alright."

Serena needed a bit of nudging in the right direction, seeing as she couldn't read the signs all that well, until they found a wide space with a variety of beds for kids laid about, "Okay kid. See anything ya like?" The toddler tapped her chin with a finger, mimicking something she had seen an adult do at least once before.

Inanna Harth​