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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 7:20:38 GMT -5
"Miri!" Kavin gasped, his face paled. He reached out to her through the force, both trying to comfort and looking for comfort in sudden grief. However, after the brief stab of grief he sensed coming from his wife, he sensed her denial of what just happened, then nothing. He was cut off from her presence.
~~MIri! Don't shut me out, Milady!~~
Silence.
"Kavin!" Tiin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Though he had not sensed Seth's spirit passing, he had felt the grief from Miri as well as Kavin.
"Tiin..." Kavin turned to his friend with tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice cracking with emotion. "Our baby. Miri's cut herself off. I can't even sense her." He held his hand to his chest. It felt as if it would cave in.
"Have they both..." Tiin stopped, not wanting to voice the awful thought that perhaps Miri had become one with the force along with their baby.
"No, Miri lives." Kavin spoke with certainty. "She just doesn't wish to face this. She's denying it, and cutting me off because I remind her of it." Towards the end of the last sentence, he broke down crying.
Tiin was never a very demonstrative person, even for a Jedi. He always tended to shy away from physical demonstrations. Yet, he found himself reaching out to Kavin to comfort him, an arm around the weeping man's shoulder.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 12:59:20 GMT -5
Kavin forces himself to stop crying and gets up. For just a moment he has to place his hand on the bed to steady himself. Then he goes to the closet to get his clothes.
"Where do you think you're going?" Tiin asked, though he knew the answer.
"I have to get home to Miri!"
Going over to Kavin, he puts a hand on his shoulder. "The spaceport is closed, the planet is still in quarantine. How do you propose to leave?"
Kavin's shoulder slumped and he dropped his clothes to the floor. "Tiin, I'm lost."
Once again, Tiin put his arm around his friend's shoulder and guides him back to the bed. "It's going to be alright, my friend."
"How can you be so sure?"
"In your dream... didn't it show two other babies being born after this one?"
"Yes, but it didn't say who the father was." Kavin looked dejected.
"Kavin!" Tiin scolded, though part of him was slightly amused. "Look at me. Do you really think Miri would go for another man? She loves you!"
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 15:16:55 GMT -5
Kavin didn't say anything, feeling suddenly extremely drained and weary.
"Get some sleep, my friend." Tiin spoke gently as he gently pushed Kavin's shoulders so he would lie down. Then he pulled the covers over him. "Rest, and things will look better when you're stronger."
Kavin was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Two days later, the quarantine was lifted and Kavin was on his way home. Tiin stood watching the transport take off. "May the Force be with you, my friend."
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 22:42:03 GMT -5
Kavin pulled up to his home, and got out of the landspeeder. He felt weak and weary as he climbed the stairs of the porch. During the long trip home, he kept trying to force message Miri, tried to sense her, but except for brief moments where she was sleeping, it was as though his spirit came against a duracreet wall.
"Daddy!" Jakob and Caylib screamed delightedly in unison as they ran to him when he came through the front door. Caylib leaped up into his father's arms as Jakob ran to hug his legs.
Weakened, Kavin fell down from the exuberance of his sons' greeting. The three of them laughed as Kavin hugged the boys on the floor. "I missed you two so much!"
"We missed you too, daddy!" Jakob replied.
"Dad, mom..."
Kavin quickly put a hand to Caylib's lips. He mouthed the words, "I know." He smiled gently as Caylib nodded understanding. "Let me up, boys, I'm not very comfortable with the doorframe in my back."
Jakob and Caylib quickly rose, and Kavin struggled to his feet.
"Dad, are you alright?" Caylib looked worried, not used to seeing his father falter.
"I'm fine. I just need some rest." Then he looked up to see Miri watching quietly from the kitchen door. Their eyes met, yet Kavin still could not sense her.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 23:17:15 GMT -5
Qui-Gon had been watching the scene unfold as he sat on the couch. When Kavin and Miri's eyes met, he got up and went over to the boys. "Come on, you two, let's go play a game of tag outside."
"Yes! You're it!" Caylib said as both the boys ran outside.
Kavin smiled and nodded to Qui-Gon as he passed him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my friend." Qui-gon went out to play with the boys.
Kavin walked over to Miri. "Miri..." he spoke softly when he reached her. His hand rose to carress her cheek.
Ever so subtly, Miri pulled her head back away from her husband's hand. Her face held no emotion.
"Milady, please, don't shut me out." His voice shook with barely suppressed emotion. "Our baby... I felt his passing."
"You should have been here, Kavin." Her voice held no emotion save weariness.
"Miri, I couldn't!" He was hurt by the coldness and emptiness of her voice. "I..."
Kavin was interupted by Qui-Gon coming in.
"Sorry," the other jedi said as he started up the stairs. "The boys decided they wanted to play catch. I'm just coming in to get a ball."
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 10, 2006 23:50:02 GMT -5
Kavin just nodded and turned back to Miri. Swallowing, he reached out to take her hand.
She pulled her hand away. "Please Kavin, I can't... I'm sorry." She backed up into the kitchen.
"Miri I love you. Please, I need you, don't back away!"
"I needed you here, Kavin! Seth needed you!"
For the first time since Seth's death, real emotion came to her voice, and for a split second, he could sense her. Anger, sorrow, hatred and pain came at him all at once. Just a brief moment, and then it was gone.
"Miri!" He pleaded. "Don't keep it inside! Release it! It can only destroy you... and us."
"There is no us, Kavin!" Miri spoke quietly, her voice cold and hard as stone. "I think you should leave."
"No! Miri, please!" Kavin felt he had been hit over the head by a battering ram.
"Just go! Please!"
Something in Kavin snapped and he grabbed Miri's wrist and shouted. "Miri, don't do this! You promised me when this day came, and I could not be here, you wouldn't hold it against me! I'm not leaving. You hear me? I couldn't be here. I lie in quarantine fighting for my life! I fought to stay alive for you! I refuse to go!"
Miri struggled to free her wrist as Kavin yelled at her, but she could not. He held all the tighter. Involuntary tears fell from her eyes as his grip hurt her.
"Kavin! Stop it now!" Qui-Gon got between the two.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 11, 2006 19:54:35 GMT -5
Kavin's face paled and he quickly let go of Miri as he realized he was hurting her. "Oh, Milady, I'm sorry!"
As soon as her wrist was released, Miri turned and ran up the stairs to their room, slamming the door behind her.
"Miri!"
He was stopped by Qui-Gon from going after her. "Let her be for now, Kavin. You can only make it worse right now!"
"I didn't mean to hurt her" Kavin's voice broke.
"I know," Qui-Gon said gently. "Rhight now it's best if you abide by her wishes. She's not ready to open up."
Kavin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is only temporary. Kavin thought to himself as he nodded to the older Jedi. He turned and went out the front door. Once outside, he ran past the landspeeder, across the wide lawn in front of the house where the boys were playing, and into the woods.
He did not hear Jakob and Caylib call out to him.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 11, 2006 23:58:30 GMT -5
"Uncle Qui-Gon!" Though it was Caylib who did the speaking, it was both the boys who came in running in after watching their father run off into the woods. "What's wrong with dad?"
Qui-Gon had been about to go upstairs to check on Miri. "What do you mean?"
"He totally ignored us and just walked off into the forest!" Little Jakob sobbed.
The jedi kneeled in front of Jakob and Caylib, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Right now, your parents are going through a rough time. But they love each other, and they love you both, deeply. Things will work out. Just be patient."
The boys nodded. "OK, uncle." They replied almost in unison.
"Now, I'm going to go upstairs and talk to your mom, then go find Kavin. I want the two of you to go play quietly in your room."
"Yes sir." Caylib says as they both comply.
Qui-Gon takes a deep breath and starts up the stairs to Kavin and Miri's bedroom.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 12, 2006 0:26:59 GMT -5
Miri stood with her back to the bedroom door, shaking. What is happening to me? I love him. I need him! Why am I pushing him away?
When she saw him standing just inside the living room door, she had wanted to run and jump into his arms as Caylib had done. When he stood before her, so weak and frail looking, she wanted to hold him. Instead, she found herself telling him to leave.
"What have I done?" She covered her face in her hands and wept.
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Post by Troy Vortex on Sept 12, 2006 17:57:01 GMT -5
After knocking on the bedroom door, Qui-Gon waited patiently for Miri to answer. "Are you alright?" He asked once she opened the door.
Miri nodded solemnly.
"Kavin didn't mean to harm you."
She closed her eyes as she spoke barely above a whisper. "I know."
"He loves you."
"I know."
"Do you still love him?"
"Yes." Her voice was a quiet whisper.
"Then why do this? Your not just hurting him, but yourself as well."
"I don't know why." She sounded tired and weary. "I just can't look at him without feeling so hurt and angry. I know it's not his fault he couldn't be here, but the feelings are just so... overwhelming... I can't face him."
"Perhaps you should face him anyway. Let it out. It can only grow worse bottled inside."
"I can't! Qui-Gon, please, I just can't right now!"
Hearing the desperation and near panic rise in Miri's voice, Qui-Gon projected calm reassurance as he reached out to hug her. "Just don't wait too long, Miri. I love both of you, and wouldn't care to see the two of you part."
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