(Star Wars) ~ Alice

IV

The two had fallen asleep later that evening with Dak at one end of the bed, not wanting to scare her and Alice at the other end; curled in a ball with Fluff clutched in her arms, she seemed peaceful. (At least when his eyes closed for the night that's how she looked.) However, as night clawed its way across the desert skies, a nightmare of its own scratched its way into her dreams. At first, it was just subtle things; a small twitch of her leg, a tiny whimper or shift of her head... However, the demons she feared wrapped their way around her mind and dragged her down; pain, punishment, abuse, it all came at once. A sob broke through her throat and she began to thrash, searching for a way out.

Dak slowly stirred, feeling a soft kick against his abs. "Alice?" He sat up, sleep still heavy in his limbs. Once his eyes adjusted, he could see her thrashing haphazardly; Fluff had fallen to the floor beside her. Her face was contorted in fear though he couldn't really see her face due to the lack of light in their bedroom. "Alice... Wake up... Come on, Little One; come back to me." He gently shook her shoulders, keeping her from thrashing around even more. At his touch her eyes flew open and screaming, as she started to cry. Dak grabbed Fluff from the floor and handed it to her; once she took it from him, he brought Alice into his chest in a tight embrace. "Shhhh... It's alright now, I've got you. My poor little Bunny..." He rocked her back and forth against the headboard.

She was shaking now but she was attempting to stifle her sobs. Her head pressed against his chest while her fingers were anxiously rubbing Fluff's ears. "That's it... Just breathe." He stopped rocking only to lay back against the pillows, running one of his hands up and down her back. "I-I-I'm sorry." She stuttered, her voice still coming in gasps. She wasn't shaking as violently now as her body was reacting to his soothing touches. "Don't be. You did absolutely nothing wrong." He pressed his lips against her temple, feeling her slowly relax. Finally she quieted down, simply laying in his arms holding her animal.

Both were still and silent, the pair mentally processing what had just happened.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"It was just a dream." She answered softly. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was staring blankly at the wall. "Well if you change your mind, I'm here." He turned over on his side, keeping Alice pressed against him. He tugged the blankets up around them, snuggling against her back.

"Goodnight Bunny."

She shifted so she was even closer against him. "Goodnight Dak."

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The following morning, Dak slipped out of bed and got ready for the morning. Slipping on some workout clothes, he decided he'd hit the gym before breakfast. He scribbled down a note and propped it up on the nightstand so Alice would see it when she woke up. With a single kiss on her temple, he tucked her back in before leaving their room. When he got to the gym, he saw there was already an occupant doing chin ups on a bar; a closer look revealed Anakin already doing his morning routine.

"Morning Bro." He greeted, passing the blonde by as he went straight for the boxing tape. "Wanna go a few rounds?" Anakin asked by way of greeting, letting himself fall to the ground gracefully after one last pull up. "Sure, why not?" Dak pulled back on the ropes and catapulted himself over the fence with a somersault. "That's the best way to enter the boxing ring, there's just no arguing it." Anakin chuckled at him. "Shut up, showoff." He said, entering the more traditional way by going through the ropes.

Dak stretched out his arms and legs then arching his back until it cracked. "Much better... Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"Whatever Baldy... By the way, Padme heard screaming coming from your room last night; everything okay?" Anakin asked as he casually taped his hands up and took a fighting stance. Ignoring his brother's question for a moment, Dak threw a few alternating jabs at him. "Alice had a nightmare."

"Is she okay?" He asked, dodging the blows.

"I don't know, she didn't wanna talk about."

"She's a good one, Dak; you're lucky." Anakin told him, swinging with his right fist. "What are blabbering on about now?" Dak rolled his eyes, easily deflecting the punch and swinging for his abs. Anakin let himself fall so that the swipe went over his head before jumping back up. "I'm talking about Alice; she's a rare girl." Dak swung one of his legs out, taking the opportunity to knock Anakin off his feet. "So's Padme; keep that in mind, blondie." Anakin groaned and got back up. "Exactly, which is exactly how I know what I'm talking about... You've got a keeper. Dak."

The bald man went over to the ropes, taking an unofficial breather. "I don't even think she really likes me all that much. She flinches when I touch her and talks to Mama Jae more than me; Bunny's not exactly giving me the green light if you know what I'm saying..."

"Neither did Padme... It took a lot of time and a Nexu cub to get her to react positively to me... She trusts you enough to protect her; start with that." Anakin advised. Dak started chuckling, shaking his head. "So I've got to get her a Nexu; well shit, man, you wanna pay for it?" Anakin laughed at this. "Hey, I said that worked for my girl, not saying it's gonna for yours. Alice looks like she's basically a little girl, even though she's grown up... You'll figure it out."

"You've got that right." Dak started laughing again, thinking back to a conversation with Rex. "Before Soldier Boy went on his honeymoon, I remember him telling me that he was convinced that Padme is a little girl stuck in a midget's body. With Bunny, I'm pretty sure that's the case." Anakin chuckled again, this time thinking of their absent friend.
"I wonder how Rex is handling the whole married life." He wondered aloud. Dak went through the ropes, hoping out of the ring. "I just hope he treats Ahsoka right. I've never worried or seen anything weird; I just hope he keeps that up." Anakin nodded his head, "I'm sure he won't let us down." Dak nodded, going over to the punching bag area. He started to swing at it, mixing jabs with uppercuts and hooks from all sides.

"You just watch Dak; you may think its all upside down now but just wait until she sneaks her way into that icy heart of yours..." Anakin called over his shoulder before heading off to get his own family up and ready for the day ahead.