Private Second, Third, Fourth Chances

[Cato Harth]

"Would you like me to offer some old Jedi proverbs?" Cato muttered, not really expecting a response given her fading consciousness, "C'mon, we're getting out of here." He contacted the local authorities, then picked up Inanna and brought her to the elevator. He unlocked it, giving them a quick descent that didn't involve scaling an immense scaffolding maze that probably violated a number of business safety regulations. Jahira was left in a heap on the ground to be collected by the police. For all Cato knew, they'd let her own tomorrow after a hefty bribe. But he couldn't deal with that right now. They had to get home…

---

“How do you feel about this whole thing with Jed?”

Cato blinked, and thought about it for a few seconds. Then, he nodded, "…I'm feeling pretty good about it. Really." He turned around on the bed to face her, "It's a hell of a coincidence, but… I am a Jedi. We don't really believe in coincidences." The Force had its ways, as arbitrary and fickle as they often seemed, "I think he's always had the heart for something better. But Nar Shaddaa was never going to give him that."

"If this were someone like Dathan Carnage, or— or Jahira— I'd be a lot more skeptical," He chuckled, then fell into studious contemplation in Inanna's eyes, "Why? How are you feeling about it?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna fell into a deep slumber, unable to be roused. Her body would heal on its own, especially with the Star’s help, but the bleeding in her lungs was a problem. Without treatment, she would drown in her own blood while she slept…

---

"If this were someone like Dathan Carnage, or— or Jahira— I'd be a lot more skeptical."

“Now that would really be something,” she said with a smirk. Jed finding redemption wasn’t extraordinary—but it did open the door to greater possibilities. “I expect nothing less from a galaxy where demons can become angels again.”

"Why? How are you feeling about it?"

“I have mixed feelings.” She slid closer, wrapping her arms around him. “It’s difficult to forgive, Cato. Especially when you’ve been hardened against the cruelty and meanness of it all. It would be easy to look at the one guy trying to change for the better and assume he was lying to get something out of you. Even if he is sincere, he’ll probably relapse. He’s a kleptomaniac, after all. He can’t help it.” As he stared into her eyes, she stared back into his. “I’m glad your heart hasn’t hardened. I hope it stays that way.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

When Inanna finally awoke, she would find herself in their bed, with decidedly less blood in her lungs. The small window near the ceiling behind her let in a pale mid-morning light. Snow gently stuck and promptly melted against the glass. Inside though, it was warm; A heater had been setup by the bed.

Then, the door creaked open, and Cato appeared with a tray of food, "Ahh, good morning," He smiled, a bit of relief on his face, "I saw you stirring, so I figured it was high time I got to work on breakfast. Nothing's better than breakfast in bed." He set the tray down over her, then plopped on his side of the bed to grab some medical supplies. Presumably there to check up on Inanna's recovery.

---

"I'm all in," Cato affirmed, "If he missteps, I'll be there to pull him back up." He embraced Inanna, and grinned, "It's one of my charms."

"Speaking of my charms; When you said we're getting to bed— Did you mean getting to bed, or getting to bed?" He raised an eyebrow teasingly.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Her waking was less than peaceful; a nightmare disturbed her rest. This wasn’t uncommon for her—and probably not for Cato either—but this one was particularly nasty, a suffocating dream provoked by her injuries. She awoke with a jolt and a sharp gasp of breath.

A minute or so later, Cato arrived with a tray of food. Inanna blinked at him groggily, then glanced down at her chest wound. “Huh,” she said. “I’m not dead.”

Eyeing the food, she then turned to her boyfriend as he fiddled with the medical supplies. “You—Did you take care of me?” she asked, admittedly a little incredulous. After all, her injuries were serious, and he wasn’t a doctor or even a particularly good Jedi Healer.

---

“This charming man,” she muttered, affectionately brushing her cheek against his stubble.

"Speaking of my charms; When you said we're getting to bed—Did you mean getting to bed, or getting to bed?"

She smiled and, in answer to his question, her clothes spontaneously vanished underneath the sheets, leaving Cato suddenly embracing naked flesh. But then she paused, her head turning away from him to glance down toward the closed door, as if expecting Serena to come pattering in or Ashur to cry out. She sensed both were peacefully asleep, but there was a faint click as she used her telekinesis on the lock, just in case.

Facing Cato again, she grinned and devoured his mouth in a ravenous kiss. Their lives had slowed down considerably as of late, with the comfortable mundanity of being a settled-down family seeping into all parts of their existence. But some things hadn’t changed much, apart from acquiring a clandestine aspect where it had been flagrantly conspicuous before. Inanna pulled Cato on top of her, her legs kicking gleefully in the air as their long-suffering bed began to squeak and groan.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Not yet," Cato remarked, none the wiser to her little panic episode a few moments before he arrived. He leaned over and checked her temperature with a scanner, which beeped approvingly, "Me? God no, I took you to a hospital," He said with a smirk, "I told them you caught a stray during a gang shootout. They tend to take that at face value around here," Criminal violence hurting a bystander was probably the most common reason for anyone to go to the hospital on Narsh.

"Probably gonna be paying that off for a while, but that's alright," Cato kissed her forehead, then held up some bacta patches, "Now eat your breakfast, while I change out your bandages."

---

Cato knew the answer the moment he saw that look in her eyes. He grinned playfully, following her glance back to the door for a few anticipatory moments. No sounds. No nothing. The kids were asleep. Cato's grin widened, and he met her halfway into an amorous kiss, indulging in her taste and scent as he did every time they made love. They had to be a bit more stealthy than they did in their early days, but his passion and excitement never diminished with her. She pulled him over top, and he laughed before once more giving in to what they both wanted…

Inanna Harth​