Chapter 2

"Pregnant?" Mina asked. "But how? She belonged to Jabba a month ago and he gave her up because she was too young to be of any use to him as a slave girl."

"Someone must have gone behind Jabba's back. He wouldn't have given her up if he knew about it and if she's been a slave her entire life, she wouldn't do anything against Jabba's wishes," the doctor said. "I'll send over some prenatal vitamins and set up an appointment for a checkup for her in a few weeks."

"Does she know?"

"I thought she would take it better from someone she trusts. Let her know what's going on and that she has options."

♡♡♡

Mina waited until Lux and Nikko got home wanting to talk things over with her husband before she talked with Ahsoka. As soon as they got home, Lux went off to watch the holonet with Ahsoka leaving his parents to talk.

"So what did the doctor say?" Nikko asked.

"She's a little small for her age and her weight is a little low for her size but the doctor wasn't too concerned about it. She also a little malnourished so the doctor left some vitamin supplements and recommended we make sure she's eating healthy snakes and three healthy meals. She also found something else."

"Ahsoka's not sick, is she?"

"No. She's...pregnant."

"Does she know?"

"I haven't told her yet. I wanted to talk to you first. She's very young to be having a baby but I want her to decide what she wants to do. I can't just take this child from her without her having a say in it. She's had so many choices taken away from her already."

They went into the next room where Ahsoka and Lux were watching a show on the holonet.

"What are you guys watching?" Nikko asked.

"Agents of SHIELD," Lux said.

"So why doesn't he want her to tell this Thor person about him?" Ashoka asked.

"Because Thor thinks he's died."

Ahsoka gave Lux a confused look.

"We'll watch The Avengers some time, then it will make sense."

"Ahsoka," Mina said, "can I talk to you in private for a second."

"Okay," Ahsoka said both sounding and looking confused.

"Come on, Lux," Nikko said.

"What's going on, Dad?" Lux asked following him out of the room.

"You mother needs to talk to Ahsoka about some things. And we're due for a very important talk."

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked after Lux and his father had left the room.

"Ahsoka," Mina said, "has anyone talked to you about what happens when a girl matures into a woman?"

Ahsoka shook her head. So Mina proceeded to explain things to her. For an hour, they talked about everything that Mina believed that Ahsoka needed to know; from a female's monthly cycle to what happened between a male and a female.

"Why are we talking about this?" Ahsoka asked, a little uncomfortable.

"Because they're things that you need to know. And because the doctor found something while examining you." Mina took a deep breath. "Ahsoka, honey, you're pregnant."

"I'm going to have a baby?" Ahsoka asked in shock.

"Yes but you don't have to if you don't want to. You also don't have to keep the baby once it's born. You have choices about what you want to do. Just remember that it's your decision and, whatever you choose, Nikko, Lux, and I will support you."

♡♡♡

That night as she laid in bed, Ahsoka tried to wrap her head around what Mina had told her. She put a hand on her stomach. Was there really a baby growing inside her? Mina had asked her if she knew who the father was but she didn't. All she knew was that he was a togruta only slightly older than her (fifteen or sixteen) and his parents were bounty hunters who occasionally worked for Jabba.

**Flashback**

Music played loudly in Jabba's main audience chamber as the pirates and bounty hunters that worked for him talked amongst themselves. Ahsoka moved about with a tray of drinks in her hands. There were so many of them there and quiet a few were already drunk (several had even propositioned her to spend the night with them before being told that Jabba would feed them to the Rankor if they so much as touched her). Someone grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her roughly, causing her to spill the drinks she was serving.

"You're really pretty," said the teenaged togruta male standing in front of her, the youngest of a family of togruta bounty hunters that worked for Jabba. "How about we go somewhere and have some fun."

"I don't think my master would like that," Ahsoka said looking down at the tray in her hands. "He doesn't want me to be with anyone for another five years when I'll be legal."

"I think he would make an exception for me. I'm only a few years older than you after all."

He put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. Ahsoka struggled to get free without being too obvious. She didn't want Jabba to be mad at her. Suddenly the music stopped.

"Let her go, boy," Jabba said in Huttese.

The young togruta released Ahsoka. She stumbled away, afraid she had caused a scene.

"Come here, girl," Jabba said.

Ahsoka walked up to her master, scared to death that he was going to punish her in front of everyone.

"I'm sorry, Master," she said in a shaky voice trying to hold off tears.

"Sit by my side."

Ahsoka did as she was told. Jabba addressed the entire room, his prodical droid translating for him.

"Understand this, everyone. The girl is a child, under aged. If anyone touches or treats her in the same manner that the other slave girls are touched or treated, I will personally throw them in the Sarlak pit."

Later that night...

Ahsoka opened the door to her tiny room. After a long day of work, all she wanted was to get some sleep. She could hear all kinds of suggestive noises coming from the other rooms as she made her way to hers but, fortunately, her room was at the end of the hall with two refreshers and a droid charging station so most of the noise would be drowned out. She had just entered her room and shut the door (barely having time to turn on the light) when someone grabbed her and slammed her against the closed door. A hand reached out and locked the door as a voiced whispered in her ear.

"No one says no to me."

She knew that voice. It was the teenaged togurta that grabbed her earlier. Fear gripped her. She was trapped in a room with him and she couldn't risk fighting back or she could be severely punished. It would, after all, be the word of a slave against him. He threw her on the bed. She looked back at him, scared to death about what he was going to do to her.

"Now let's have some fun," he said as he approached her.

The next morning...

Ahsoka felt numb. Her cloths were torn, blood and burses covered her thighs, and she was sore all over. She pulled the thin blanket closer finally letting the tears she had been holding back fall.

"Tell anyone about this," her attacker said as he got dressed, "and you'll regret it. After all, who's going to believe the word of a slave?"

**End of Flashback**

The memories of what happened still hurt. If she had known what would result from it (or rather what did result from it), she would have said something. Not to Jabba, she was still afraid of what he would have done had he known; but there were others that she trusted. Among them where a twi'lek named Twyla and her husband Amier.

They were servants at Jabba's palace and had been kind to her, treating her like she was their daughter. They had saved up enough credits from their meager wages to leave Tatooine for their home planet of Ryloth shortly after she had arrived and had probably left after she did (she knew she was the only reason they had stayed). They probably would have adopted her and taken her with them but she knew it would have taken them at least five years to save up the money to buy her from Jabba.

Unable to sleep, Ahsoka got out of bed and began walking around her room. She tried to be as quiet as she could; just because she couldn't sleep was no reason to wake everyone else up. Suddenly there was a knock at her door.

"Ahsoka, are you awake?" Lux asked from the other side.

Ahsoka opened the door allowing Lux to come into her room.

"I guess you know," Ahsoka said laying a hand on her stomach.

"Dad told me. We also had 'The Talk'."

"I had that with your mom."

The two teen sat down on one of the couches in Ahsoka's room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lux asked. "If you don't, it's okay. But I heard that sometimes it helps."

"The truth is there's not much to talk about. I was a slave and he was a bounty hunter about fifteen or sixteen who forced me to sleep with him and I got pregnant," Ahsoka said. "I can't do anything about it because I don't know his name and the Hutts won't punish a bounty hunter for sleeping with a slave girl. All I'm really worried about is figuring out what I'm going to do."

Lux put his arm around his friend and pulled her close.

"You're going to make the decision that's best for you and, whatever it is, my parents and I are going to support you," he said.

The two friends sat in the dark in complete silence for a while, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Ahsoka broke the silence.

"I think...I think I want to keep the baby," she said.

"Are you sure?" Lux asked.

Ahsoka nodded. She sat up and looked at her friend.

"Even if I didn't know about it until today, this baby is the first thing I ever had that's mine," she said putting both hands on her stomach. "I don't want to give it up."

Two months later...

The rain pounded on the roof of the Bonteri Estate and caused the puddles on the patio to splatter against the picture window and sliding glass door but inside was nice and cozy. Mina and Nikko were away on Alderaan attending a conference leaving Lux and Ahsoka under the watchful eye of the servants. Lux's parents had been gone for three days and were due to be gone for at least another four plus a week. That left plenty of time to get in a Marvel Movie Marathon.

Lux and Ahsoka snuggled together on the couch. They had already watched Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor. Now they were watching Captain Coruscant: The First Avenger. Lux had insisted that they watch them in release order.

"Agent Carter is so pretty," Ahsoka said watching the blue twi'lek on the screen.

Ahsoka had loved the Avenger movies from the very first Iron Man movie where the self-absorbed human had a life altering tragedy that turned him into the hero Iron Man. She had also loved how the tiny little dug transformed into a huge rancor whenever his heart rate got too high in The Incredible Hulk. And the togurta who was the god of thunder in Shili mythology in Thor made her want to learn more about her own people and culture. Now they were watching the movie about the skinny little nautolan who was transformed by a serum in to a powerful soldier. It was a nice distraction from going out which, after the last time, Ahsoka wasn't too keen on.

She and Lux had attend a ball at the royal palace with Lux's parents just a few days before Mina and Nikko had to leave for the conference. It had been nice at first but then one of the guests had begun insulting Ahsoka. It was clear by this point that Ahsoka was pregnant since she was starting to show and word had gotten out that she had grown up as a slave. The girl and her friends had humiliated Ahsoka causing she flee the ballroom in tears. Lux and his parents had gone after her and taken her home but it still hurt.

"Which movie are we going to watch after this?" Ahsoka asked.

"It would be Avengers but we have a dinner to go to," Lux said.

Ahsoka looked at him.

"I don't want to go out," she said. "Not after what happened last time."

"It's a dinner with adults," Lux said. "Sheri won't be there. Every year, the king invites his high ranking officials to a small banquet. Normally my parents go but they're on Alderaan so we have to go in their place."

"Okay," Ahsoka said. "But, if anything happens, I'm going to want to come home."

♡♡♡

The speeder came to a stop in front of the royal palace and Ahsoka and Lux got out. Lux was wearing one of his best suits while Ahsoka was wearing a long, black skirt, a sparkly, white top with a black sash tied in a bow in the front, and a pair of black dress flats; she was hoping that the white and black would hide her stomach.

"Com me when you're ready to head home," the driver said.

"We will," Lux said.

He and Ahsoka walked up the steps to the place as the speeder drove away. Once inside, a footman lead them to dinning room.

"Lux, welcome," the king said.

"Hello," Lux said. "My parents send their apologies for not being able to attend but their away at a conference. So we came in their place. You remember my friend Ahsoka from the ball?"

"Of course I remember your friend," the king said. "Welcome back, my dear. I know the last time you were here didn't end well but I won't allow it to happen again in my palace."

Ahsoka smiled. She had a good feeling that tonight was going to be completely different from the night of the ball.

Four months later...

Ahsoka looked around the small sitting room attached to her bedroom. It was being converted into a nursery for her baby and was nearly finished. While the walls in her room were painted a pail lilac, the ones in the nursery were painted a pail yellow. Mina and Nikko had the baby furniture that they bought when Mina was pregnant with Lux taken out of storage and cleaned up and Mina had taken Ahsoka shopping for all the toys, cloths, and supplies that the baby was going to need (as well as maternity cloths).

As of her last doctor appointment, Ahsoka knew that her baby was healthy and developing well. However, Ahsoka had chosen not to know her baby's gender until it was born since she wanted to be a surprise. The baby was also starting to move and would kick her from time to time. The first time it had happened, it had taken Ahsoka by surprise until she had figured out what it was.

"It looks good," Lux said coming into the nursery. "Your baby's going to love it."

Ahsoka smiled at her friend. Her hands were resting on her big stomach.

"Thank you," she said. "Do you want to feel something?"

She took his hand and laid it on her stomach. As if on cue, something moved.

"Your baby's moving," he said. "Is that a kick?"

"Someone's getting restless. Lux, I want to thank you and your parents for everything you've done for me and my baby in the past six months."

"It's not a problem. You and the baby are part of the family now. You'll never be alone again and I promise to be like a father to your child."

"I know and it means a lot to me; to both of us."

"Master Lux. Lady Ahsoka," a servant said entering the nursery. "You have two visitors."

The friends entered the living room to find their friends Saw and Steela Garara. The two girls hugged each other which wasn't an easy thing with Ahsoka's big stomach.

"Look at you," Steela said. "You've got, what, about three stander months left?"

"About," Ahsoka said.

Lux and Saw were best friends and Steela and Ahsoka had become best friends after the siblings had visited the estate not long after Ahsoka had come to live there. Steela was one of the few girls that didn't make fun of Ahsoka for being pregnant or a former slave. In fact, she had stood up for Ahsoka when Sheri and her friends were picking on her.

"We brought Wonder Woman," Saw said. "Who's up for a movie?"

While Lux had seen Wonder Woman with his parents when it was in theaters, Ahsoka hadn't and Lux was sure that she would like it since the main character was a female togurta. The four friends settled down on the couch to watch their movie. Despite being friends with the siblings, Ahsoka took the opposite side of the couch from them. Six months of freedom wasn't enough to erase ten years of conditioning. The siblings didn't mind. Ahsoka did trust them just not as much as she trusted Lux or his parents.

"What about the name "Diana" if your baby is a girl?" Steela said half way through the movie.

"It's a pretty name," Ahsoka said. "I haven't really decided on names yet but I'll add it to the list."

Three months later...

Ahsoka hadn't felt good all day. Her stomach hurt and she felt off. Noticing that Ahsoka was acting off, Mina went to the girl's room to check on her.

"Ahsoka, are you alright?"

"My stomach hurts."

"How long have you felt this way?"

"I've been feeling off all day but my stomach has only been hurting for the past hour. It feels like something's cutting into me."

Mina's eyes got wide.

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked.

"I think you're in labor," Mina said.

♡♡♡

The living room of the Bonteri Estate was beautifully decorated for Christmas with poinsettias, holly, and wreaths. A beautiful Christmas tree stood off in the corner decorated with family ornaments and surrounded by presents. But Lux didn't notice any of it. He had other things on his mind. His friend was in labor and he was very worried about her and her baby. The doctor had arrived an hour ago but Lux could still hear Ahsoka screaming in pain from her room.

"Is it supposed to take this long?" he asked his father.

"Your mother was in labor for almost six hours when we had you," Nikko answered.

He sat down on the couch next to his son.

"As nervous as you are, anyone who didn't know better would think you're the father," he teased.

"I'm the closest thing Ahsoka's baby will have to one," Lux said. "I just want them both to be okay. Ahsoka's my friend and she had a hard life before we met her."

Lux and Nikko waited in the living room. Mina was with Ahsoka and Nikko knew that he and Lux would just be in the way. Soon Mina came into the room.

"Someone wants to meet you," Mina said to her son.

As if in a trance, Lux followed his mother down the hall to Ahsoka's room. The young togurta was in her bed with a small bundle in her arms. She looked up and smiled at Lux.

"It's okay," she said. "She won't bite."

Lux came into the room and sat down on the bed next to Ahsoka unable to take his eyes off of the baby togurta in his friend's arms. Her skin was the same color as her mother's and she had white markings on her face in the exact same places that Ahsoka did. Two tiny montrels were on top of her head and two tiny lekku framed her face. She was sleeping so Lux couldn't see her eyes but he was willing to bet they were the same blue as her mother's.

"I decided to name her Noel, in honor of the season," Ahsoka said.

"Hi, little Noel," Lux said to the baby being careful not to wake her. "Looks like we have a little more Christmas shopping to do. Good thing we still have eleven days left."

"Do you want to hold her?"

Carefully, Ahsoka transferred Noel into Lux's arms. From the doorway, Mina and Nikko watched not wanting to interrupt the scene. Things were going to be different now that there was a baby in the house but they were going to make sure she had the best life possible just like her mother now had a chance at.