Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Tw: Mentions of death.
"So, as it turns out, they had more than one child," Rex shouted from a different room.
"Yeah, duh," Kara shot back. "They had me."
"No, I meant another kid." Rex came around the corner, a toddler propped on his hip. "And Coda killed the parents."
Kara scrambled away. "No!"
"Yes. I don't think they were the greatest parents since he was loose in the room with no supervision. There were some sharp objects, too." Rex put the child down, watching Kara's face with amusement. "Wow, you don't like kids, do you?"
"I like them just fine." Kara warily watched as the kid wobbled in place. "From a distance."
"We should find some relatives or something." Rex plopped the kid down on the couch next to her. "I'll go check some public records, give me a minute."
"What do I do with it?" Kara hesitantly poked the child's cheek. "Does it have a name?"
"His name is Alex. Or at least that's what the nursery's sign said. And relax, you'll be fine." Rex kissed her forehead before exiting the room.
Kara stared at Alex. "Do I need to take you for a walk? Do you need to go do your business?"
Alex grabbed her face with his chubby hands, babbling softly.
"Yeah, I don't really want you touching me." Kara peeled him off, wrinkling her nose.
Alex's lip trembled.
"No!" Kara's eyes widened and she desperately reached out. "Don't cry!"
But it was too late. Alex's face screwed up as he sobbed, snot dripping from his nose and tears rolling down his face.
"Is there a gag around here?" Kara muttered, looking around. She spotted a napkin that had been brought in with the wine and grabbed it. She brought it to Alex's mouth and was about to shove it in when Rex returned.
"What are you doing?"
Kara froze, dropping the napkin. "It's not what it looks like."
"It looks like you're trying to gag a child." Rex crossed his arms and raised a singular eyebrow. "Is that not what you're doing?"
"Okay fine, maybe it is what it looks like," Kara confessed. "But it won't shut up!"
Rex rolled his eyes and picked Alex up, gently bouncing him up and down. "Don't gag a child! I can't believe I have to say that!"
Kara watched in disbelief as Alex stopped crying, gigging instead. "How are you doing that?"
"There's a lot of kids on Kamino," Rex explained. He smiled at Alex and spun him around. "They kinda latch onto me for some reason."
"Good. It can stay away from me and stay with you." Kara stared at Alex in fear. "Why is it looking at me?"
Rex shrugged. "Maybe he likes you."
"Well keep it away," Kara insisted, watching the small child for any sudden movements. "I don't trust it. Its eyes are following me."
"Wait." Rex frowned. "Because you're his only remaining family member, he's now in your care, right?"
"Absolutely not." Kara violently shook her head, recoiling from him. "No. Just no."
"I checked the database, and you're his only living relative." Rex put Alex down again, watching as he shakily walked to Kara.
"Hungry," Alex whined, tugging on Kara's pants.
"Go find some food then," Kara told him, removing his sticky hands from her pants. "Go kill a bird or something."
"Come on, buddy, let's find you something to eat." Rex picked up Alex and brought him to the kitchen.
Kara leaned back against the couch, wondering how she got into this mess.
"How'd it go?" Anakin questioned Rex. "Where's Kara?"
Rex pursed his lips. "There were some... complications."
"Oh?" Anakin's eyebrows went up.
"Coda killed her family," Rex said with a sigh, lowering his gaze. "Remember him?"
Anakin's eyes darkened. "He killed Tup, right?"
Rex nodded in confirmation. "He did."
Anakin's hands clenched into fists and he tucked them into the folds of his robe. "Did you capture him? Is that why Kara isn't here yet? She's dragging him in?"
"No, but she did punch him." Rex turned as he heard footsteps. "There she is."
Anakin stared for a moment in horror. "Whose child is that? Did you two kidnap a kid?"
"We didn't kidnap him!" Rex assured him before pausing and tilting his head as he considered the situation. "I think." He turned to Kara. "Does this technically count as kidnapping?"
Anakin took a deep breath. "Rex, please tell me you didn't steal a child."
"Don't worry, this is my brother, Alex." Kara put Alex on his feet, wiping her hands on her shirt when he was out of her grasp. "I'm now his caregiver."
Anakin had a brief look of panic before it cooled into a calm expression. "Oh, really? This child's life is now in your capable hands?"
"Yeah." Kara hid behind Rex as Alex reached out for someone. "I'm very enthusiastic about it."
Alex wandered forward, muttering to himself in words no one else could understand. Anakin sighed and crouched down to be level with him.
"Hey," Anakin awkwardly said, "I'm Anakin."
Alex gripped his face with his hands and babbled something. Anakin blinked in surprise and fell back onto his elbows.
"He's Force sensitive," Anakin said in amazement.
"So... I can drop him off at the temple?" Kara excitedly asked. "I'm not ready to have someone depend on me. I feel like I might accidentally cook it or something."
Anakin nodded. "The temple will take him and train him to be a Jedi, if that is what you wish."
"Yes that's what I want!" Kara exclaimed. She looked down at Alex and her smile faded. "Can I visit him? It's just... he's the only family I have left."
"Yes, but the council might frown on visits too often. They aren't too fond of attachments." Anakin smiled understandingly.
"Then that's what I'll do," Kara decided. "I'll take him to the temple and visit occasionally to make sure he's alright."
Kara smiled down at Alex, promising herself to visit the only family she had left.
Alex looked up at Kara with wide eyes; eyes that would see terrible things. Eyes that would see the deaths of innocents and the slaughtering of children. Eyes that would see the fall of the Republic.
