Chapter Text
Ages:
Bly - 17
Ponds - 17
Fox & Wolffe - 16
Cody - 15
Fives & Echo - 11
Hunter - 10
Tech - 8
Wrecker - 6
Crosshair - 20 months
Tuesday morning started off similar to Monday. Cross wandered out of the bedroom following after his brothers, sleepy and rubbing his good eye, and generally calm and malleable until he saw the backpacks by the door. His hands dropped from his face and he began whining at Hunter to pick him up or pay attention to him, like if he clung hard enough they wouldn’t leave him again.
This time, Cody made sure to scoot Cross’s chair further away from Tech, so that he couldn’t put his hands in his brother’s cereal again, but the toddler generally kicked and fussed his way through breakfast until there was a knock on the door.
“Good morning, 99!” Wrecker cheered, almost upsetting his bowl as he waved his spoon at their visitor as Cody brought him into the kitchen and handed him a cup of caf.
99 greeted each boy in turn with Cross last so that he could sit beside him and try to take his attention off Tech’s food. With 99’s attention devoted to the boys, Cody was able to get himself dressed and get all their lunches packed (leftover red gourd soup over wild rice, sliced fruit, some cheese and more of the crackers that Wrecker liked, and a small slice of leftover cake). After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his uniform for work too. His dad said that he should not neglect his other responsibilities, and that 99 would stay until one of his brothers got home.
But first they had to accomplish leaving.
“Teeth,” Hunter reminded Wrecker, spinning him back around to go brush and ignoring his whining.
Tech kept an eye on Cross and 99, watching them critically until the toddler was extracted from Hunter’s side so that they could leave. Now Cody got to be on the other side as he went out the door with the little boys, leaving Cross behind. He understood why it was so hard. Especially since, this time, as the door closed, they heard Cross begin to cry at being left behind with a less-familiar person.
It was a feat of strength to be the ori’vod and herd the little boys down the sidewalk and away from their crying brother, even though Cody wanted to run back too. It was hard, but they had to go to school. He was comforted with the knowledge that Cross was in good, safe hands, and he’d be okay.
At the bus stop, Cody turned them all around to do a quick check (even though Tech insisted again that he wouldn’t forget anything). They had their backpacks? Their lunches? Their shiny new house keys that Jango had made, each attached to a lanyard so that they’d be harder to lose… Wrecker. (Jango even showed Cody where there were two additional copies for when the little boy inevitably lost his.)
He waited with his boys until the bus pulled up. No matter that Hunter insisted that they always took the bus from their Uncle’s just fine, Cody wanted to see them get on before he headed over to the high school.
Were buses specifically created to make little kids look so small? Even at ten, Hunter looked dwarfed by the big bus doors as he climbed on board last behind the other two. Cody waved to Wrecker once he claimed an open window seat - Tech beside him and Hunter behind. The other parents at their stop had already started walking away once their kids were on the bus, but Cody waited until it started to pull away before he finally turned and ran back home to get his car and hurry to school to get there on time. Thank goodness he wasn’t crazy like Fox, who took a 0 period class in order to fit MORE classes into his day. (Fox also had an after school boxing club three days a week… sometimes it felt like his brother practically lived at the school.)
After everything that had happened over three days, going back to school almost seemed surreal. And with it all still on his mind, occupying his thoughts… memorizing the anatomy of a cell? It seemed insignificant compared to everything. Cody supposed… that could be some insight into Hunter’s grades. How was something like fractions or a comprehension test on reading The Adventures of Luke Skywalker supposed to matter when he had little brothers at home who had nothing to eat?
Still, Hunter needed to get those grades up. Tech wasn’t wrong that prolonged academic issues would draw that attention of their social worker. The same one who had deemed their Uncle’s house a ‘good’ place to put them, and had tried to facilitate Cross being given to a different family. Best to stay off of her radar as she didn’t seem to have their best intentions at heart.
Was there any way that he could help Hunter improve his grades, or did Hunter just need time and a safer environment, and they would come up naturally? Cody didn’t know - he’d never struggled with a subject enough to risk failing it. Comet had almost failed spelling in second grade, but because he was lazy and didn’t want to do it, not because he couldn’t. Wolffe had bribed him with a small piece of candy for every word he got right, and the issue had resolved itself.
Cody was still thinking about it at lunch as he multi-tasked between eating lunch and trying to get through his math homework, brainstorming anything he could do to help Hunter. When he opened his lunch bag he thought about the little boys doing the same. “Cody.” It made him smile a little to imagine Wrecker finding the cake in his lunch, and how excited he’d be. “Cody?” He’d probably eat it first, and there was more than enough food in his lunch - Hunter and Tech wouldn’t need to give him any of theirs and could eat their fill.
“CODY!”
“Huh?” Cody blinked rapidly and looked up and saw his best-non-related-friend sitting across from him, a concerned if patient look on his face and Cody realized that he must have been calling his name for awhile.
“You’re staring at your lunch like it holds the answers to the world,” Obi-Wan said, glancing pointedly at his lunch bag. “You’ve been really lost in your head today,” he added quietly. “And yesterday you missed class. Is everything okay?”
Cody looked up and thought for a moment. Obi-Wan wasn’t Mandalorian, but he was being raised by a single step-father (his older step-brother, who was also a step-son, was a mess and awful to both him and his step-father. Cody had never met Xanatos, but he’d probably punch him in the face if he ever did.) and understood about having a family that looked a little different. “We’ve got four new foundlings living with us, in my dad’s house,” Cody finally said, not wanting to get too deep into it at a lunch table. “I was taking care of the littlest while dad figured out a babysitter.”
Obi-Wan looked a bit relieved that it wasn’t something bad. “Four! My goodness!” Obi-Wan asked as he tapped his spoon thoughtfully against his mouth. “Foundlings are like orphans, right?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Cody said as he finally took a bite of his rice and soup. Clan dynamics were complex for non-Mandalorians to understand, but Obi-Wan was usually pretty good at grasping the complexities. He’d taken in Cody’s abnormal family tree with hardly a blink, unlike some other kids in their class who had harped on halves of this and halves of that and the ever frustrating ‘so he’s your half brother AND your cousin?’. “But, yeah, they needed some help.”
Obi-wan shook his head and grinned. He was used to Cody under-stating the gravity of situations and honesty had picked it up as well to a degree. But Cody was pretty sure Obi-Wan did it because he was a troll and thought it was funny. “Well, once they’re settled, let me know. I’d love to meet them.”
“You say that now,” Rex interrupted as he came up behind them and sat beside his older brother. “Look!” He thrust out his hand towards Obi-Wan. “The little one bit me!”
Obi-Wan leaned over the table to observe the bite mark and then looked between Cody and Rex. “Well,” he said at last, “He didn’t go for a second bite so either you don’t taste good enough, or Cody’s not raising a cannibal. Either way, the dramatics aren’t entirely called for. Yet.”
Cody fell to laughing as Rex tried to decide if he should be offended or impressed and pretended to not notice his little brother steal a bite of his cake in revenge.
It was also a little strange to fall back into his usual after school routine.
As Cody drove to the Y, he looked for the boys at the intersection out of habit, and made himself look away. They weren’t there. They’d never be there again.
Almost like he could read his mind, Cody’s cell phone vibrated as he parked and he opened it to find a picture sent from 99. It was all four boys, home from school and seated at the kitchen table apparently working on their homework. They didn’t necessarily look happy, but they were all there. It made Cody smile and he quickly sent back a ‘Thank you’ and a request to tell them all ‘hello’ from him.
Knowing that his little boys were home safe put a little pep in his step as he jogged up to the Y door and clocked in for his shift before hurrying into the staff locker room to get changed.
Cody was just heading out towards the big indoor soccer court where his team would be gathering when he heard nearly matching cries of excitement.
“Cody!” Fives cheered happily at seeing his cousin. He didn’t rush to hug Cody, probably because he felt too old for that, but Echo gleefully body checked him. “We didn’t know if we’d see you today. They had us run SO MANY drills yesterday instead of skirmish, it was awful!”
Echo rolled his eyes at his brother’s statement, but didn’t disagree, which meant he thought so too but was too nice to say so. “How are the vode?” Echo asked, and Cody wasn’t surprised. Echo was always the more sensitive of the twins and the Sé boys were foundlings.
“They’re good,” Cody promised, ruffling Echo’s hair. “99 is watching the ad’ike, so they’re in good hands.”
“Ahh, 99?” Echo said fondly. “I haven’t seen him since Bly completed at the Community Center’s showcase. How is he?”
“A little slower,” Cody admitted. He hadn’t been sure that 99 was going to be able to lift Cross as needed, but he should have known better than to judge a Mando by the way they looked. “But still sharp and kind as ever. He asked about you two.”
“We should make a plan to see him soon,” Echo said to Fives. He headbutt Cody in the shoulder again and hurried off to the lockers to change into his gym clothes. But Fives stayed behind and looked at Cody.
“Yes?” Cody prompted, and Fives screwed up his face. He huffed and puffed and started twice before he finally sighed and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
“Does this mean I have to be nice to them?” Fives asked.
“Oh Fives.” Cody drew his reluctant cousin against him. Fives stayed stiff in his arms and even as Cody ran his fingers through his hair. “Vod’ika, I know that they’re not your favorite people, but they need help. And we can help them. They’ve had a really hard time, so we should try to be patient. You don’t have to like them, you don’t have to play with Hunter if you don’t want to, but they deserve kindness.”
Fives bowed his head a little to Cody’s chest and leaned hard. “Do you like them more than us?”
“Rayshe’a,” Cody breathed, “Rayshe’a - me, my brothers, all of us. There is plenty of love to go around. We won’t run out. We won’t stop loving you and Eyayah just because there are new, younger children in the family. And if you start feeling like you need extra attention or one-on-one time, you can let us know. But we will never run out of love for you. Okay?” Finally, Fives relaxed into his arms. “And,” Cody said softly, “If Hunter is on your team, then it's the opposing team that’s on the receiving end of his cheating.”
Fives laughed and rubbed his forehead against Cody’s shirt before looking up, his brown eyes sparkling with familiar mischief. “That’s true, isn’t it?”
“And Wrecker,” Cody continued, “He’s going to live up to that name in a few years. The two of them with you and Echo? I’d hate to play against your team.”
“I could work with that,” Fives mused. “You think Echo would want to work on some plays that we would use with Hunter? He’s small and he looks like he’d be fast. He could be a really good winger.”
“I think he would love that,” Cody said with a smile, “Now. Go get changed before you’re late.”
Fives scampered off and Cody let out a deep breath. He hadn’t realized the kind of anxieties Fives had been holding onto. Thank goodness he’d caught it relatively quickly before it could fester into resentment. And also…. “You can stop lurking, Rex.”
“I wasn’t lurking,” Rex said easily, “I was waiting in reserve. But it seemed like you had it handled.” He came over and out his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “You handled that very well.” He looked towards the door where Fives had disappeared and then looked back at Cody, a small frown on his face. “How do you always know what to say?”
Cody shrugged a little awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I guess…” he tried to think about it, “I remember when the boot was on the other foot. When my older brothers started getting new brothers, and it didn’t involve me. It was especially rough when Boost was born. I was only about Wrecker’s age, and Wolffe and Fox were always busy with their mom and helping with the other two. I got very jealous, and when they had to cancel on visiting me because of the new baby, I got so angry. I told mom that if they didn’t want me anymore, then I didn’t want them either.” He looked at Rex. “I’m not proud of that, but I was a kid processing some big emotions.”
“Well, you’re really close with them now,” Rex pointed out. “What happened?”
“Bly,” Cody said with a small smile. “He pointed out that, once I had been the youngest, new baby. He told me that Wolffe and Fox weren’t going to run out of love just because of Boost, because he’d never run out of love for Ponds or the twins when I’d been born.”
Rex nodded and then slung an arm over Cody’s shoulders. “I’m so glad mom doesn’t have another kid and I never had to go through that. Were you upset when I was born?”
“Nope.” Cody shoved Rex off him. “I was too young when you were born. I can’t remember a time when you weren’t by my side.”
He could tell that Rex was unexpectedly touched by that confession, and covered by shoving Cody back and scratching a hand through his hair. “Yeah I guess so.”
Like a karkarodon sensing blood in the water, Cody grinned, all teeth. “Oh yeah?” He turned, boxing Rex in and poked him sharply in the side where he knew he was most ticklish. “Yeah, vod’ika?” Poke. “You guess, vod’ika?” Poke, poke.
“Cut it OUT!” Rex tried to batt his brother's hands away even as he scrunched in on himself, laughter spilling from his lips, “You’re such a SHABUIR Cody!”
Cody trapped him against the wall and kept tickling him. “Pretty sure that’s not the way to get out of this!”
“B-backup!” Rex yelled. “Kih’vode, attack!”
Cody hesitated his attack for a moment, his fingers still poised threateningly, ready to dig back into Rex’s side. “What is that supposed to-”
“AHHH!”
Cody heard Fives the second before he hit him from behind, sending him crashing into Rex and flattening him against the wall.
“Get him!” Echo laughed as he butt Cody in the shoulder with his head, more affectionate than trying to fight him off Rex, but it certainly wasn’t helping Cody either. Between Fives from behind and Echo from the side, Cody found himself out numbered and off balance.
“I’m taking you with me!” He grabbed onto Rex and let himself collapse to the floor, surprising Fives and Echo and causing them to fall after him like dominos. They landed heavy and Cody realized with bittersweet admiration that they were getting bigger. They weren’t little boys anymore. They were almost twelve - preteens! It was kind of crazy to think about. Cody snuck in hugs disguised as rough-housing and then swatt them on the shoulder. “Okay you bunch of wookiees, get off me! I’ve got a job to do!”
“Echo has goalie!” Fives yelled, scrambling to his feet and rushing towards the court room, ignoring how his brother hollered that he hated being goalie and chased after him like a pair of tornadoes.
Cody sat up and looked at Rex who was still flat out on the floor, his arms spread wide as he caught his breath. “We were never that bad,” Cody insisted.
“No,” Rex agreed, rolling over to look at his brother. “Mom says we were worse.”
The daylight was fading when Cody started heading home, and he felt that familiar pull of anxiety. The energy of the soccer team had distracted him temporarily, but now that he had time to breathe and think, his thoughts immediately went back to his foundlings.
Normally, he’d stop to get something for dinner (because Fox was the one home, and no one preferred Fox’s cooking) but in his rush to return to his boys, he decided to forgo it.
Cody opened the door and dropped his backpack on the ground with a deep sigh, and then a deep sniff. The house smelled good like Bly was cooking, but he knew for a fact that he wasn’t supposed to be home. “Hello?” He tried calling. “I’m back!”
It was like rolling thunder, the sound of running feet from the living room, and then Wrecker appeared, his eyes wide for a moment before he launched himself at Cody and promptly burst into tears. A second later, Hunter appeared, and then Tech after him, slowed by carrying Cross.
Cody looked from the sobbing boy to the rest of the brothers and heaved the little guy into his arms, shushing him gently. “What happened?” He asked the older boys even as he squeezed Wrecker tighter. “It’s okay, Wrecker. It’s okay.”
“See, boys?” And there was 99, coming up behind the rest of them. “I told you he’d be back.” He came over and put his hand gently on Wrecker’s head, his face smooshed into Cody’s neck where his wet sobs had tapered off into snotty sniffling. “They were worried about you when it started getting late,” 99 explained, “But I promised them you’d be back.”
“This was identified early on as a likely outcome,” Tech added, though his tight hold on his baby brother betrayed his own anxiety.
“Uh huh,” Wrecker agreed, almost sulkily.
Cody hefted him up higher in his arms. “I thought you were going home when Fox got home,” Cody said to 99 as he moved further into the house, the little boys flowing around him like a school of fish.
99 smiled and shook his head. “Kih’pahjai,” he said easily, getting a curious look from Tech. But instead of leaving it, he turned and explained, “It’s a casual way to explain that a helpful action was no burden or incurs no debt.”
“Kih’pahjai,” Tech echoed, his accent impeccable.
99 nodded. “Very good!” He said proudly, pretending like he couldn’t hear Hunter repeat it under his breath as he shepherded them all towards the kitchen. “Did you already eat, Cody?”
Cody shook his head. “I wanted to get home,” he admitted. Maybe his concern about getting back to the boys hadn’t been as intense as Wrecker’s worry about him, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t skipped stopping for dinner in favor of getting home as soon as he could.
“Well then you’re in luck,” 99 said as he pulled a wrapped plate out of the fridge, “We saved some for you. It was Hunter’s idea, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Hunter said, almost reluctantly. Or maybe embarrassed? “I just…” he shrugged and took Cross from Tech to give his hands something to do.
“Well thank you, Hunter,” Cody said as he sat down, “That was very thoughtful.” If he had to guess, Cody would think that Hunter had extended his self-imposed duty of making sure his brothers were fed to him as well. Cody had fully embraced the idea of a sandwich for dinner or (depending on the level of chaos he walked into) a bowl of cereal, so the pan fried nuna with poppy seed chili sauce, wilted wild greens and chickpeas that 99 put in front of him was a welcome surprise.
Wrecker lingered at Cody’s side, and Cody ended up feeding him a few bites from his plate as he listened to 99 tell him about Cross’s day, his voice soothing voice calming the little boys as much as the honey-sweetened peppermint tea that he gave them (and a bottle for Cross).
“Thank you for being so brave for 99 today,” Cody told Cross, who ducked his face into Hunter’s neck. “I know it was a hard day, but it will get easier.”
Wrecker helped take Cody’s empty plate over to the sink (and Cody pretended for his own sanity that he didn’t see Wrecker lick it clean on the trip over) and then made a show of stretching his arms over his head with an exaggerated yawn. “Okay,” he declared, “Time for all boys under thirteen to take a bath, and I’ll see 99 out.”
“Again?” Wrecker protested, “But I had a bath yesterday!” Hunter seemed to be nodding in agreement. Yeah, no.
“We will not be known as the stinky boy clan,” Cody said firmly, “Baths. All of you. Even Crosshair.”
Hunter grumbled a little but got up and thanked 99 for watching their little brother, and for making dinner, sentiments quickly echoed by the others, and then shooed his brothers towards the door.
Cody moved slower, glancing at 99 and waiting until he heard the boys’ voices fade.
“Crosshair did fine today for a child with intense abandonment and attachment issues,” 99 said softly. “We actually bonded over some finger painting this afternoon.” He nodded towards a picture on the fridge that Cody had missed until now. “I was going to leave once Fox got home, but they all started getting very upset about where you were. I made the executive decision to stay. Especially since Fox was going to be cooking.”
Cody grinned a little. “He can’t cook,” he agreed, “But come to a cook out. Not even dad grills like he can.” His mood sobered again. “Thank you for staying with them.”
“They’re good kids,” 99 said easily as he gathered his jacket and shoes. “A little love and attention, and they’ll turn out alright.” He pat Cody on the shoulder. “Sleep well, Cody. I’ll be back in the morning.”
Right. It was only Tuesday. They had to do it all again tomorrow.
Cody heard splashing as he walked past the bathroom door and was very glad that the water heater was accustomed to a household of boys. He took his backpack into the kitchen and set some water to boil on the stove while he took the rest of his homework out to work on while the little boys bathed and (more likely) played in the water.
When the kettle began to whistle, Cody got up to make himself a cup of tea with extra honey, because he deserved it, and then took his assigned reading into the living room where he made himself comfortable on the couch.
He was most of the way through his cup of tea and just the extra sweet last inch or so was left at the bottom of the cup when Wrecker, his short hair still slightly damp, came wandering out to the living room. “Hey buddy,” Cody said with a smile and brought his book down. “You want to come up?”
Wrecker grinned so hard his eyes nearly squinted closed and Cody reached down to help haul him up onto the couch. Wrecker immediately made himself comfortable on Cody’s chest, snuggling in close. “Wrecker,” Cody prompted softly, “I’m sorry that I made you worry today.”
Wrecker nodded a little. “It’s okay. Tech says, I let my past experience deh-tate my actions.”
“Dictate your actions,” Cody translated absently, “What happened that made you feel like that? Hmm? Can you tell me?”
Wrecker squirmed a little and then huffed softly. “Mama went to work one day, and never came back. We waited for days and days. Hunter kept saying she’d be back from work ‘soon.’ But she never did.”
“Ooh,” Cody hugged the little boy tighter, “I’m sorry Wrecker. That sounds awful.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” Wrecker objected a little, “When the lights went out and didn’t come back on, Hunter and Tech had us go camping in the living room, and told stories by flashlight. That was fun!”
Cody hugged him again so that Wrecker couldn’t see the horror in his expression. “That’s good,” he murmured - glad that he didn’t realize that the power had been shut off and that he and his brothers had been abandoned. For Wrecker, it was just camping in the living room. Clearly, Cody had only scratched the surface of their mistreatment when he took them from their uncle. But that wasn’t something he wanted Wrecker to focus on at the moment. He was such a happy, optimistic kid, and he didn’t need the cloud of the past lurking over him right now. “Did you help 99 make dinner today, like you helped dad?”
“Uh huh,” Wrecker nodded, almost bonking his forehead on Cody’s chin, “I helped with stirring so that nothing burned. I did a good job!”
Cody let Wrecker ramble on about food, and how MUCH he liked the cake in his lunch, when Tech came out with Cross in his arms, looking a little concerned when he saw Wrecker. Cody smiled at him and made sure to keep his hand on Wrecker’s back so that Tech could see he wasn’t annoyed with Wrecker invading his space. “Hey Tech,” he said the moment Wrecker took a breath, “Do you need something?”
Tech nodded a bit reluctantly. “Can you watch Cross for me for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be quick.”
“Of course,” Cody said, “Take all the time you need.” He could see Tech didn’t agree with that, but placed the toddler at Cody’s side where he’d be bracketed in by the couch and Cody and couldn’t roll off. Cross tucked his face against Cody’s shoulder and put his thumb in his mouth, blinking slowly.
“Ahh,” Cody teased quietly, putting his fingers through his damp curls, “Sleepy ik’aad.” He nudged Wrecker lightly and opened his phone. “Let’s take a picture to send to Rex, okay?”
“Yeah!” Wrecker agreed loudly, making Cross open his eyes a little to see what the noise was about and then closing them again when it didn’t appear important. “I like Rex. He’s funny.” He leaned his head back. “Cody, can we watch cartoons while we wait for Tech and Hunter?”
“Sure, Buddy.” Cody reached for the remote on the side table and turned on Wrecker’s favorite, The Littlest Tooka. “What do you think, Crosshair?” The baby didn’t bother opening his eyes this time and just made a kind of grumbly sound when Cody pulled his thumb out of his mouth. “I know, but it’s not good for your teeth.”
With Wrecker entertained and Cross asleep, Cody made himself comfortable and continued his reading homework. At one point he went to drink the last sweet sip of tea and Wrecker realized it and begged for a taste. With a tolerant smile, Cody just let him have it and picked up his phone to check in on his brothers.
He was making plans with Rex and Wolffe for the soccer tournament trip (he had to be working as their coach, but it might be fun for the little boys to come and see the game. But he was going to need some extra hands for that. And hadn’t Fives and Echo mentioned that their friend Jesse was looking to make some extra money?) when Tech wandered back in.
Cody gave him a smile but didn’t press him, allowing the boy to take in the scene and make a decision unprompted. Finally, Cody felt the couch dip near his feet and then Tech settled against his hip. He could just reach the boy’s hair with Cross sleeping on his arm, and he gently put his fingers through it a few times before letting his hand rest gently on Tech’s shoulder. He felt the boy heave a deep breath and let it out slowly, his little body relaxing.
“Good talk with Hunter?” Cody asked. Tech nodded and buried himself closer to Cody like a boring beetle. The big glasses just sold the bug analogy further as he glanced at Cody and then away.
“On school days, we’re going to keep our backpacks in the closet until we leave. The hypothesis is, if Cross does not see them, it will delay his stress reaction.”
“That’s a good idea,” Cody agreed as he leaned his head back to check on the toddler, finding him snoring softly with his mouth open. “He really can fall asleep anywhere, can’t he?”
“Hunter says it’s because our Uncle keeps the TV always so loud, or is yelling at it, that Cross has gotten used to sleeping through anything,” Wrecker put in. Well, Cody didn’t love that, but it was in the past now.
“Well, how about we turn off the tv anyway so that he can sleep easier,” Cody said, “AND,” he added quickly, anticipating Wrecker’s protest, “I’ll read to you from this book.” It couldn’t hurt to get ahead on the next few chapters with how busy his life was right now.
“What’s it about?” Wrecker asked suspiciously even as he let Cody turn off the tv.
“It’s called, Hemlock.” Cody turned the book around so that Wrecker could see the front cover picture of a tall, thin man in a white coat outlined in lightning. “It’s about a scientist who tries to create the perfect man, and creates a ‘monster’ instead. Only at the end, we see that he was the monster, not the thing he created.”
“Oooh, spooky!” Wrecked nestled in closer. “Yeah, okay.”
“Tech?” Cody checked. “Sounds good?”
“I’ve heard about this story, but have not read it myself yet,” Tech said. “Yes, I’m agreeable to this.”
Cody began reading aloud to them, answering all Wrecker’s questions in the first chapter or so to help catch him up on the story, until he settled and just let himself enjoy it. Tech was harder to soothe, but eventually Cody managed to slip his glasses off his face and put them on the side table for safety, and gently rubbed his thumb from the bridge of his nose to his forehead until Tech began to blink at him like a sleepy tooka.
At the end of the second chapter Cody waited to see if either little boy would prompt him for what happened next, but only silence followed, both of them asleep. Cody smiled to himself and gently closed the book and leaned his head back contently.
He felt more than saw Hunter watching them, and opened his eyes to see the boy eyeing their unprompted cuddle pile. He met Cody’s eyes with a weary kind of hunger, and Cody jerked his head. Come on. He carefully shifted Wrecker to the side, making space for Hunter to join them.
Hunter moved quickly, but carefully, checking the location of each limb so that he didn’t hurt anyone as he climbed up onto the couch. Like Cody was a sleeping nexu, Hunter tried to settle down, almost like he was reluctant to put any weight on him. Cody just kept his breathing easy while he let Hunter figure it out.
Finally, Hunter lay down and rest his head on Cody’s stomach. “Is this really okay?” The little boy whispered, keeping his voice down with all his brothers sleeping around him. “Us being here?”
“Answer is still yes,” Cody replied, keeping his voice light as he wrapped his free arm around Hunter’s back. “But if you still feel like you need to ask, that’s okay too. The answer isn’t going to change. Not even if you ask…. A million times!”
Hunter laughed a little, only to be caught in the middle by a big yawn. “Sleep,” Cody urged him, “You all have school tomorrow.”
“Can it be the weekend already?” Hunter mumbled, rubbing his cheek against Cody’s shirt.
“Just a few more days,” Cody promised. “You boys want to come see a soccer tournament this weekend? Fives and Echo are playing.”
“Mmm,” Hunter agreed.
”Okay,” Cody chuckled at that VERY enthusiastic agreement. He decided that he’d give Hunter a few more minutes, and then he’d get them all up and to their room. Cody yawned deep and ran his hand gently over Hunter’s wet hair. Just a few minutes.
Cody woke up too warm and with Hunter's bony knee far too close to his bladder. The little boy was kind of snoring, his nose pressed against Cody’s chest and his mouth open. At some point during the night, someone had come by (likely, Fox. Big softy) and had tossed two blankets over them. One had ended up completely with Tech, who had cocooned himself up in it, and the other was still mostly draped over Hunter, Cody, and Wrecker who burned like a little furnace against Cody’s side. He was concerned for Cross for a moment, but bushing his cheek against the baby, the little guy felt warm so the body heat from Cody and all his brothers must have been sufficient.
Now, to extract himself from the pile of little boys.
Which was a feat in itself. One arm was stuck under Tech and once he got it free his fingers stung with pins and needles, but it was enough to try and start pushing himself up while gently moving the little boys out of the way. It felt like every time he got a few limbs moved, another flopped back across him. But finally, Cody was able to slip backwards off the arm of the couch, over the coffee table, and flopped onto the ground while he tried to mentally will feeling back into his numb limbs.
“Dramatic,” Fox tisked as he passed by Cody on the floor on his way towards the door, his school bag already slung over his shoulder. “Caf is made,” Fox said dryly. “I’m heading to school. Are you going to be alright on your own until 99 gets here?”
“Uh huh,” Cody groaned, splaying his arms wide. “Everything is sore.”
“Serves you right for cramming five people on the couch and falling asleep,” Fox said unsympathetically.
“One of them is so little, it’s basically only like 4,” Cody protested. Fox just shook his head and sighed. Cody grinned in response. “Have a good day at school.”
“You too,” Fox said.
Cody finally rolled to his feet and zombied down the hall to the bathroom. A quick shower woke him up better and he was just getting dressed when his alarm finally went off to get up. Which meant, it was time to wake the kids.
When he returned to the couch, he noticed that Hunter had moved to hold Wrecker against him like a security blanket. Tech was tucked against his back, with Crosshair’s feet in his hair. With a smile, Cody leaned down and gently brushed Hunter’s hair out of his face. “Hunter,” he whispered softly, “Hunter, it’s time to get up for school.”
“No,” Hunter whined, holding his brother tighter like he was a stuffed toy.
“Yes,” Cody insisted, tugging gently on Wrecker, who was harder to move than a sack of wet concrete. Okay. New plan. As Cody leaned over the boys and began picking up Cross, the baby let out a long whine, his thumb slipping from his mouth, and Hunter sat up like a sleepwalker to reach for him. Tech also woke at the sound of the distressed toddler and tried to roll over to find him, which only resulted in him becoming more tangled in his blanket. “Time to get up,” Cody repeated as Cross tried to fall back to sleep on his shoulder. “Come get breakfast once you’re dressed.”
“What,” Wrecker’s eyes were open but he was not getting off the couch, “What’s it?”
“You have to get up and come see,” Cody teased him, and hurried off to get it started. Cereal was easiest, but after everything he’d learned about them the previous evening, he was inspired to do something a little more filling - but still quick. Some leftover rice went into a hot pan to start to crisp while he doctored his caf to his liking, gently swaying back and forth while he let Cross sleep a little longer. Then he poured eggs and green onions over the rice and covered to steam.
At some point while Cody was packing their lunches with one hand, Tech came in and reclaimed his little brother to go change him and hopefully get him dressed.
Then Hunter wandered into the kitchen and Cody almost choked on his tongue has he tried not to laugh. Hunter’s hair was going in every direction like he’d just stepped in a wind tunnel. “Well don’t you look like a scruffy little nerf herder,” he teased, stopping himself from putting his fingers through Hunter’s hair. He didn’t think he’d quite earned that level of trust yet. The baby was already a biter, he didn’t need to see if the oldest was too.
Hunter wrinkled his nose and tried to flatten down his hair. “It’s cause I slept on it wet.”
Cod nodded in curly hair sympathy. “Let me see if I can find anything to help. Can you watch breakfast for a moment so that it doesn’t burn?” Hunter nodded seriously and Cody left him in charge to go into his old room to dig around for a moment before coming back to the kitchen with a length of red fabric in his hand and gestured to Hunter’s head. “May I?”
Hunter nodded a little suspiciously and turned around. Cody first put his hands on the little boy’s shoulders, letting him get accustomed to the feel of his hands, and then reached for the mess of hair, gently smoothing it back from his forehead, coaxing everything into mostly going in the same direction, and then secured it all place with the bandana. “There you go!” Cody declared. “And it’ll stay out of your face during recess. Remember,” he boldly reached out and tapped Hunter on the nose, “When in a fight, don’t let your opponent get ahold of your hair, or earrings.”
Hunter looked surprised. “Do you have earrings, Cody?”
Cody nodded and leaned down so that Hunter could inspect the holes in his ears. “Most of the Fett clan do. We’re traditionally a far traveled nomadic clan, and long ago my clan would sometimes end up in areas that didn’t take the same currency as the last one. So,” Cody tweaked Hunte’s ear playfully, “They’d wear earrings made of precious metals and stones that they could use as trade.”
Hunter nodded a little and was quiet, so Cody waited. Finally, Hunter turned his big brown eyes up at him and asked, “What’s our clan like?”
Cody didn’t have the heart to tell him what Jango had said about clan Sé, even just in passing. “Well,” Cody said, smoothing his hands over Hunter’s hair again, “All Mandalorians started out as a nomadic, warrior people. It was only a few hundred years ago that clan Kryze started settling down and creating settled pockets of our people. And then, as industrialism and intercontinental commerce increased and we lost both our niche jobs and hunting grounds, our people began making more permanent homes and creating the system that would become the linked community centers. For what clan Sé becomes known for, well,” he looked up for a moment as he heard a crash from the hallway and Wrecker started whining about something not being his fault, “I’ve got four right here. So I guess we’ll find out together.”
Hunter’s face broke out into a slightly feral grin and Cody couldn’t stop himself this time from reaching out and grabbing the little boy into a hug. “Come on,” he said finally with a sigh, “Let’s go find out what Wrecker knocked over and give Tech a hand.”
“I’ve got it,” Hunter insisted, “You stay and make sure breakfast doesn’t burn.”
“Yes, sir!” Cody saluted Hunter with the spatula. “Tell them it's about three minutes until done and it’s best served hot.”
Hunter came back into the kitchen with all his brothers (Cross was even dressed this time) just as Cody was plating up their breakfast. “I scrambled an egg for Crosshair,” Cody let them know as they all climbed onto their chairs and he set their plates down in front of them. “Just incase the rice is a little too crunchy for him.”
The boys were just about finished with breakfast when the doorbell rang. Unlike the previous times when someone at the door caused a ripple of anxiety through the boys, this time they only looked curious. Cross outright turned around in the chair, and then looked at Cody and pointed towards the hall. “Uh!”
“Yeah, you’re right, Crosshair. 99 is here.” Cody got up to let him in, making a mental note to give him one the spare keys incase he ever wanted to take Cross out on a walk or something.
He was almost to the door, when he realized that the little boy had climbed down from his chair and had followed him, bumping against Cody’s leg as he pushed past him and tried to open the door himself even though it was too heavy for him. “Let’s do it together, Crosshair.”
“Good morning, Boys,” 99 greeted cheerfully, “And Crosshair coming to meet me, what a surprise!” He lifted the toddler into his arms (favoring the left, Cody noticed) and asked, “Where are your brothers?”
Cross babbled a little and then pointed towards the kitchen. Honestly, Cody was impressed. He’d never heard Cross put so many sounds together at one time. “Breakfast, huh?” 99 said, receiving a firm nod from the toddler. “Well let’s go see them. Do you think Wrecker will share a bite with me?”
Cross looked VERY serious and shook his head. “No.”
99 and Cody both started laughing. “At least he’s honest,” Cody said, leading them both back to the kitchen where the other boys were waiting.
Hunter saw them first, probably waiting on the return of his baby brother, and smiled as they entered. “Hi, 99.”
“Good morning,” Tech echoed.
“99!” Wrecker cheered. “Cody made crispy rice an’ eggs! Do you want some?” From his empty plate, he clearly wasn’t offering his OWN to share. It was probably only because Cross’s breakfast was on Tech’s plate that he hadn’t tried to help himself to the baby’s portion when he’d followed Cody out.
“Just some caf, thank you,” 99 said as he took Cross’s seat with the little boy on his lap. “I had breakfast at home.”
“Oooh,” Wrecker nodded in understanding, “What did you have?”
“Little boys who are done with breakfast should go brush their teeth,” Cody cut in while he went to go finish packing their lunches. “Wrecker, you can come back to talk to 99 when that’s done.”
“Boooo,” Wrecker complained as he climbed off his chair. “99, promise you’ll tell me when I come back?”
”I promise,” the old man said easily, an amused sparkle in his eye. Cross actually resumed eating a little of his eggs, which was good. Cody just hoped his calm mood would last when he saw the backpacks come out of the closet.
Tech came over to Cody’s side while he packed the lunches, not saying anything, though Cody could tell he wanted to when he saw Cody pull out some fresh cheese and start cutting it into slices. “And no cheese for Tech,” he said aloud, and the boy relaxed. “What would you like instead? I did double crackers for you yesterday, but that’s not really the same, is it?”
“May I have peanut butter instead?” Tech asked, “It is still a protein source that way.”
“Sure, I can do that.” Cody grabbed the jar from the high cupboard (he’d caught Wrecker licking the lid and had decided to move it out of temptation range) and began adding a healthy scoop to Tech’s lunch. “How’d you like the chickpeas from last night?” He waited for an affirmation from the little boy and added a scoop to each lunch to finish them all off and then handed them to Tech to put their names on them.
“And Cross gets fed?” Tech turned to look at 99 who still had the baby on his lap.
“He does,” 99 promised, “Thank you for the list you wrote for me, it’s been very helpful knowing what he prefers. It’s like you’re still here with him, watching over him and making sure he’s okay.”
Tech just stared for a moment, and then gave a little wriggle and left the kitchen.
“Oh,” 99 chuckled, “I think I embarrassed him.”
Cody gathered up the lunch bags and then checked on Cross again. He’d eaten around some of the rice, probably a little too sharp for the roof of his mouth, but he’d eaten more of the eggs than the previous school days - probably because he was in a better mood. He didn’t know if the older boys realized how sensitive to THEIR moods and feelings Cross was. They were all in a calmer mood, and so he was too.
“Best get a move on, Cody,” 99 said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Or you’ll start running late.”
Cody glanced over at the clock over the stove and nodded, chugging the last of his caf and then hurried to go brush his teeth.
He met up with the boys by the door, where Cross was beginning to realize he’d been hoodwinked as the backpacks started to come out of the closet. “We’ll all be home after school,” Hunter promised the toddler, catching his flailing hand and giving it a squeeze. “You’ll behave for 99, won’t you?” Cross huffed at him, but it wasn’t a loud and resounding ‘no’ so Cody counted it as a win.
“I don’t have work today,” Cody told 99 as he shouldered his bag, “So I should be home shortly after the boys, if not before depending on when the bus gets here.”
99 nodded and pat Cross’s back soothingly. “We’ll be here. Have a good day, boys.”
Cody walked the three older boys to the bus stop again, inspite of the fact that Hunter insisted again that they could do it themselves. Cody asked them to humor him for at least a few more days.
The boys were still a little somber, and Hunter kept looking back towards the house like Cross would appear suddenly, running down the sidewalk towards them, but they luckily got on the bus without any issues again. Tech even exchanged a few words with one of the other kids waiting with them. Cody waved them off when the bus finally came for them, mostly content that this would be the routine for them.
School was uneventful, thankfully. Cody was half ready to be called to the office with news that something had happened at the elementary school and he needed to go get the kids. What was it going to feel like, when everything normalized? When he was able to stop looking over his shoulder for threats to the kids.
The moment the school bell rang, Cody packed up his bag and hurried out to his car, trying to get ahead of the long traffic line out of the parking lot.
Like the day before, when Cody came home the little boys ran to meet him, but this time there were thankfully no tears. Hunter even still had his hair tied back in the bandana from the morning. “Hey Wrecker buddy,” he said as he hefted him into his arms, “Did you have a good day, today?”
“Uh huh,” Wrecker said, nodding so hard he almost crashed his forehead against Cody’s nose. “We’re making piggy banks in class! We covered a balloon with newspaper and this glue stuff, and right now it’s drying. Teacher says we’ll paint it next week!”
“It is not just an art project,” Tech insisted to Cody, like he needed to prove the educational content in Wrecker’s day, “It is a lesson in counting and an introduction to multiplication.”
“Don’t RUIN it for me, Tech!”
Cody laughed and walked with the boys back to the kitchen where their homework was laid out, and Cody was really happy that 99 had gotten them to start it.
“I started some potatoes and turnips,” 99 said from the stove. “They’ll be done in time for dinner, and I defrosted some nerf steaks.”
“Will you stay for dinner?” Cody asked as he deposited Wrecker on his chair and got a drink out of the fridge.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” 99 said kindly, but Cody shook his head. He knew that 99 didn’t have any family at home, and with all he was doing for the kids, he hated the idea of him going home to an empty house to eat alone.
“You don’t impose, 99,” he insisted, “You’re welcome here.” 99 smiled and agreed with a small nod, and then put a plate in front of Cody with a snack for him while he worked on his homework with the boys. That was really sweet - no one but his mom ever made him after school snacks, and even then she hadn’t done it in awhile, allowing him to get his own snacks when home with her.
But… “I have to start dinner.” Cody tried to get up from the table, but 99’s gentle hands on his shoulders guided him back to his seat.
“I’ve got dinner,” 99 said easily. “You just focus on your homework, alright? Let an old man feel useful.”
Cody had half a mind to protest, but…. well… he still had a lot of homework to do. Reluctantly he nodded and relaxed back into his seat. “Thank you.”
He hadn’t realized how worried he was about being the alor in the house. Jango’s presence was usually so sporadic, Cody had anticipated becoming something like the boys’ primary parental figure. Having an adult around who could wield authority with a kind firmness was an unexpected boon. Cody was able to focus on his homework while 99 taught Tech some new Mando’a vocabulary, even switching entirely so that Tech could work on his conversational Mando’a and sautéed some spinach and garlic that he informed Wrecker firmly, yes, he had to at least try it.
Wrecker still resisted once dinner was served and all textbooks were put aside, until Hunter told him it would make him grow big and strong, and Wrecker finally ate it even though he complained that it tasted ‘too green’.
Jango actually did make an appearance after dinner was finished and 99 had said his good nights. Cody was instructing the boys on how to load the dishwasher when he heard the front door open and his father’s voice calling his name.
“Kitchen!” Cody called back and handed Tech another plate to put in the lower rack.
“You missed dinner,” Wrecker informed Jango with some distress, like missing dinner was one of the worst things that could happen. Which, for him, it probably was. “99 made it.”
“Don’t worry, Wrecker. Dad has more kids,” Cody explained to the little boy. “The youngest is Boba. He’s just about Tech’s age. So dad usually eats dinner with him. When he’s been here to visit, he still goes home to him.” It was a rare and special occasion when Jango stayed over the house with his older boys.
“MORE brothers?” Tech asked, leaning his head back to stare at Cody in curiosity. “How many do you have?” he asked bluntly.
“More than you,” Cody teased and closed the dishwasher and set it to start. “I’m sure you’ll meet them all eventually.”
“Speaking of your brothers,” Jango cut in, “Is Fox home?”
Cody nodded and jerked his head towards the hall. ”He even ate with us instead of being anti-social.”
”Well isn’t that a miracle,” Jango chuckled. “I need to talk to him, but I’ll be back.”
“Yes, buir.” Cody dried off his hands and turned around to startle backwards to find Wrecker waiting for him with a look of expectation.
“Cartoons now?” Wrecker asked excitedly. “I did all my homework, and ate all my vegetables. Even the gross ones!”
Cody held back a wince. He really didn’t want to stick the kids in front of the television for the next couple HOURS before bed. It felt vaguely irresponsible. Plus it was Wednesday, and on Wednesday Fox liked to claim the tv to watch one of those creative fashion shows with Ponds over the holonet. Ponds loved them and no one was supposed to know that Fox enjoyed them too. He preferred to say it was his way to stay connected with their brother who lived so far from the rest of them. “Why don’t you go play outside?” Cody suggested instead. “The back yard is great.”
“Is that the tree you mentioned falling out of?” Tech asked as they approached the glass sliding back door.
“The very one,” Cody said seriously, “And it’s only gotten taller.” He wasn’t going to tell them not to climb it - that seemed like it would be somehow unfair. He might have fallen out of the tree, but he was sure climbing it again two days later, much to Bly’s exasperation. “You have full run of the backyard,” Cody said, letting go of Wrecker’s hand, “But don’t leave it.”
“Yes, Cody,” the boys chimed together, even Cross tried though it was mostly vague sounds in the mimicked tones.
Cody went back into the house and detoured through the living room, picking up a few things before making his way back to the kitchen. There, he quickly portioned out the leftovers into lunches for the next day.
He looked up as his father came into the kitchen and he gestured towards the kettle. “Water’s hot, da.”
Jango made a face. “I’m not drinking kriffing tea,” he grumbled, opening the fridge to look through it.
“There’s no alcohol,” Cody reminded him a little more firmly than necessary. But his dad hadn’t seen the state of that kitchen.
“I know,” Jango said and pulled out a soda instead. “Good move, sending them outside. Should burn off some of that energy and gives Fox a break. He’s still adjusting to all the extra people in the house, but we talked and he just doesn’t want them in his room. If they can maintain that boundary, it should be fine.”
“I spoke to Fives today too,” Cody admitted. “It’ll be good for Fives and Echo to take up an ori’vode role. They’ve been part of the youngest batch for awhile, this will challenge them in new ways.” Cody opened the back door and stepped outside onto the patio. The sun still had a good hour before it would begin to set, and the air was cool with just a hint of the cold that would be coming the next few months.
The little boys in question were gathered on the grass, standing in a small circle. “Okay.” Hunter clapped his hands together. “I get to be Jango.”
“No, I want to be Jango,” Wrecker whined and jumped up and down a little in protest.
“I will be Cody,” Tech said calmly.
“I get to be Jango, because I’m oldest,” Hunter insisted, not done bickering with Wrecker. “And I called it first.”
Wrecker’s lower lip stuck out in a pout as he tried to accept that and come up with an alternative. Cody had to hand it to Hunter for staying strong - he’d given into Rex way too much when they were little. “But… Tech already took Cody.”
“Because I knew that you two would fight over Jango and so I took advantage of the opportunity presented by your debate,” Tech said unremorsefully. “That I benefited from your quarrel is not my fault.”
Wrecker grumbled but then his face lit up. “Then I will be 99, like from his stories.”
“Cross,” Tech turned to their youngest brother. “Who do you want to be?”
The toddler took his thumb out of his mouth, leaned his head to the side for a moment and then smiled and pointed. “Hun!”
”Well then, you’ll need this.” Hunter took off the bandana and tied it around Crosshair’s head, smoothing his curls down and making sure it was secure before turning back to the others. “Okay,” Hunter clapped his hands together and then folded his arms across his chest. “My brave Mandalorians! We are going krayt dragon hunting. I want you all to arm yourselves well, this will be a hunt for the books!”
Cody watched, leaning against the back door, as the boys began scrambling around the yard for sticks and “NO ROCKS!” Hunter called out a warning. Well then, just sticks then. Tech ended up with a stick for each hand while Crosshair kept running to his brothers with sticks he helped find, tucking them into the belt loops of their pants and into their pockets before Hunter reminded him that he needed to arm himself too.
“Look at them.”
“Mmm?” Cody turned to see his father standing beside him, and then looked back at the boys. “Yes, I’m watching.”
“Not watch,” Jango said softly, “Look at them. Really look at them.”
The boys were now obediently following Hunter around, crawling through the tall bushes and peeking around trees while they hunted their dragon. At one point, Hunter stopped and pointed out ‘tracks’ and insisted they were getting closer.
“You know, when I was a younger man, the community told us that the children were our future. I didn’t understand it, not really. I thought they meant literally, the count and number of children with Mandalorian blood was what they wanted. A bunch of you little scamps, running around, bruising your knees, and carrying our clan name. I’d help bring you into the world to increase our presence, and that would be enough. But this, what you’ve done, Kote, this is what they really meant.”
He nodded towards the little troop of boys, and how Cross was now on Hunter’s back while Wrecker cheered loudly about something called, “Plan Jetpack!” as Hunter took the toddler around the yard, saying they were getting aerial surveillance to see if they could spot more signs of the dragon. Tech trotted alongside them, listing what their read-out showed while Wrecker pretended to be the other animals that Hunter said Cross could see from above.
Wrecker was very, VERY excited to be a mudhorn and Cody was really glad it hadn’t rained earlier.
“There appear to be krayt dragon tracks,” Tech announced, “Deep scratches and grooves in the ground likely made by the tail.”
“Going down!” Hunter announced, and brought Cross down to the ground, letting the little boy roll off his back onto the grass, give himself a little shake, and fixed the bandana around his head where it had started to slip.
“We’ve got the scent, boys,” Hunter said, “We must approach slowly and cautiously, and catch it unaware.”
The little boys flattened themselves onto the ground and began crawling from bush to bush, trying to ‘hide’ from being detected by their dragon. “This is it,” Hunter whispered, “Do you see the dragon? He’s sleeping in his lair.”
“Oooh,” Crosshair said, trying to peek around Hunter’s elbow.
“Get ready….. Go!”
“Stay in it’s blind spots!” Tech yelled, his sticks held in front of him like a pair of swords. Wrecker leaned his head back and howled, which was definitely something Wolffe had taught him, and the other three joined in, even Crosshair, and then the four of them charged the side of the house where the recycle bins and trash cans were kept. Cody could hear sounds of sticks hitting the plastic bins and their exclamations.
Cody ducked his head to keep from letting them see him laughing and saw his dad still looking at him. Cody schooled his face appropriately. “What?”
“You, Kote.” Jango nodded towards the little boys. “Them. The nurturing of the community, and passing on knowledge to the little ones. That is what they meant, in children being the future. You, and your little brothers, will keep what it means to be Mandalorian alive.”
Cody thought back to the first time he’d seen them, gathered together on the sidewalk, lean and hungry and full of mistrust. But still prideful and their spirits unbroken. And Hunter’s question that morning, about what clan Sé would be known for, their futures and all possibilities open before them.
“They are foundlings,” Cody said finally. “They will refine themselves through trial and adversity, and I keep them safe as they grow stronger. It is the greatest honor to guide them.”
Jango smiled. “This is the way.”
~End~
Thank you everyone that has been reading along. I appreciate every one! I will probably do a few more shorts and interludes before I tackle bringing in Omega, but that is definitely on my list to get to! Thank you again!