Had she not felt so exhausted, Aeris might have had the same reaction An had as she watched them take them back without allowing she or An into the room as they worked, forcing them to watch over the men from behind glass. Instead, she did as they instructed without a fight, although she had made it quite clear that their heads were on the line if anything happened to either of the men. She watched over Jek as his wounds were cleaned and repaired before he was given blood to replace when he had lost.<br/><br/>Once he was placed in the bacta tank, she allowed herself to relax a little more and to meditate once more so that she could stave off her exhaustion and remain by his side for a while longer. She used something akin to a healing meditation to draw on the energy of the Force to soothe her aching muscles and restore some of her vitality, as well as clearing her mind, allowing her to think more clearly. She allowed her earlier emotions to fade away, allowing calm to replace them, knowing that it was what Jek would want. She extended her senses beyond herself, allowing the calm she felt to blanket An-Lok as well. She might not be as skilled at this as her boyfriend, but in a meditative state such as this, her skills were more than adequate for the job.<br/><br/>She stayed that way as the evening faded into night and then as night began to give way to the dawn of a new day, she stood and crossed the room to where An-Lok was watching over Jax. “Come on. We should get cleaned up. There’s nothing else we can do for them now,” she told her in a gentle voice, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. “But at least this way we can make sure they don’t wake up to find us both looking bloody and haggard,” she told her, knowing that they might be worried if they awoke to find the two woman looking worse than they did.<br/><br/>Aeris left the room and headed to her quarters to wash up and change into something that was more casual and not soaked in blood and sweat. She returned just after An-Lok did, wearing a fitted green sleeveless top that matched the color of her eyes, a pair of loose black pants, and a pair of darker green boots, with her saber hanging from the black belt around her waist. Her crimson hair was still damp but tamed into a loose, sort-of-messy style. She glanced over at An-Lok as she entered, before heading back over to the tank where Jek still slept.<br/><br/>She took a seat nearby, crossing her legs and resuming a light meditation, this time focusing on the tiny threads of the bond that had been restored, hoping that she could find something to help identify who this person was, why their identity was hidden from her recollection, and why she might have attacked them this way. She allowed her consciousness to extend beyond herself once again, this time not to blanket the room in calm, but to sense the state of the others easily, so that when either of the men awoke, she would know.<br/><br/>Perhaps thanks to a combination of the healing, medical interventions, and the bacta tanks, it was still somewhat early in the morning when she began to feel the consciousness of both men returning. She opened her eyes and stood when she felt Jek’s awareness return. She felt a rush of relief when he moved to the glass and pressed his palm against the glass, taking in a sharp breath before giving him a smile when she heard his voice in her mind.<span style="font-style: italic">“Hey there, handsome,”</span>she said back to him as she called for the staff to get both men out of their tanks.<br/><br/>She stepped to the side when they came in and went to work getting them out and dry. She had to resist launching forward into his arms, knowing that it was probably not the best idea in his current state. The moment she was able to, though, she moved wrap her arms around him tightly, careful not to put a lot of pressure on his nearly healed wound.<br/><br/>Aeris had to fight to keep her emotions in check, to hold back the tears that threatened to flow freely when she felt his arms around her. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, repeating her earlier sentiment. “I should have been there sooner. I…” she trailed off, burying her face against him, and taking a slow, deep breath. “I’m just glad you’re safe,” she whispered softly. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” she admitted, unable to even fathom such a thing.<br/><br/>She shook her head, as if to shake off the thoughts before she looked up at him, gazing into those warm brown eyes she loved so much. “I love you,” she told him softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached up a hand to cup his cheek, “More than anything else in this life.” Her eyes were filled with both affection for him and resolve. “I will not lose you. I will not let anyone take you from me. Next time, I will protect you. No matter what it takes,” she vowed before leaning up to kiss him<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax was entirely unaware of how much time had passed before his consciousness slowly returned, bringing with it the awareness that he was floating in a bacta tank. As his awareness slowly extended beyond himself, he felt An-Lok’s presence flood his senses, jolting him fully awake as his memories from before he had passed out rushed back all at once, reminding him that he was going to be a father. He moved then, up to the glass where he could see An there, wearing that dusty rose shirt he had picked out for her, the one she never wore outside of their quarters.<br/><br/>He found himself filled with love for her and a desire to hold her in his arms, to tell her that he was safe, that he was okay thanks to her, and to tell her once again that he loved her. He pressed his hand against the glass, smiling from behind the mask on his face as he looked at her,<span style="font-style: italic">“Good morning, Princess,”</span>he greeted her through the Force. Moments later, he saw various individuals enter the room and knew that he would soon be free of the tank.<br/><br/>He wanted to just rush to her and wrap her arms around her the moment he was free of the tank, but he could tell that she had just gotten clean, so he dried off a bit before he did exactly that. He moved to wrap his arms around her waist, lifting her up off the ground as he kissed her for as long as he could before he set her feet gently back on the floor. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” he told her soft, brushing some of her slightly damp hair from her face before kissing her forehead and wrapping her up in a hug.<br/><br/>“I promise I’ll try to be more careful in the future,” he assured her. “I won’t leave you alone; and I will not leave<span style="font-style: italic">our child</span>without a father,” he told her softly, whispered the latter into her ear for only her to hear. He then kissed her ear and grinned down at her, unable to hide how happy he felt, or how proud he felt to be able to say those words.<br/><br/>He didn’t know what challenges were to come or even how he would learn to parent a child when he’d never really had a parent of his own, but he was confident that no matter what challenges came their way, they would overcome them together. She was going to be a great mother, and together, they would figure out this whole parenting thing. Most importantly, they would always love one another and the child they had created together. “I love you,” he told her, kissing her softly and placing a hand lightly on her still-flat abdomen, “Both of you,” he grinned before placing a kiss on top of her head and wrapping her back up in his arms, content to keep her there for at least a little longer, knowing that he would need to get changed into some fresh clothes soon enough.