Ask Happy Birthday

[Clove Vanhoop]

To say the last few days had been miserable would be an understatement. The labor had finally begun after Altair ordered the repulsorsled to rush Clove to the medbay. Except for the annoyance of finding herself in a Star Guardian facility and the waves of nurses who just HAD to see their reappearing former boss, early labor seemed to go relatively well. But the pain that had followed had been excruciating, with each contraction leaving her gasping for air. Every doctor and nurse was sure it wouldn't be long. Any minute now! However, minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into days.

In retrospect, no one was surprised; the Annfyn's reproduction system was well known for its slowness. The baby was fine; her oxygen levels and heartbeat were normal; she just wasn't interested in moving. As one would expect from a species known for its dramatic flair. So it was only natural that the baby would do the same. But, just as fitting and logical as it was, Clove despised her genes more than ever. As if carrying the child for over a year wasn't enough, she had to endure prolonged labor.

The atmosphere in the room had been rather... awkward throughout. While Altair hardly ever left the room--and she wished he'd just leave for dinner so she wouldn't have to smell food again--they hardly ever had a proper conversation. Still, she couldn't deny that she was grateful he was there. Because by the fourth day, Clove had devolved into a shambles. She was anything but calm, what with the interrupted sleep, the constant contractions, and her mind still trying to catch up with what was going on. The only thing keeping her from yelling at anyone who came into her line of sight, whether it was Altair or a nurse, was her lack of energy.

Clove was shuffling small steps through the room on the fourth day, her hands gripping the side of the bed to keep herself from falling over. Her straightened hair had returned to its curly state due to the layers of sweat that coated both her hair and her body. Her gaze was drawn to Altair, who was sitting in one of the two chairs. Oh, how she despised that other empty chair. In these four days, the constant reminder of who was missing in the room and how wrong everything was was enough to fuel her desire to fling it out the window. But she managed to resist the urge for the time being and continued to concentrate on Altair. "Are you... still sitting okay?" She asked, carefully and a bit awkwardly. When she ordered the chairs in bulk, she never gave them a thorough test. If he didn't like them, she could try to use her former-influence in the Star Guardians to get some different chairs.

---

tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Altair Din]

When he pictured this day, he envisioned something entirely different. He thought about holding his wife’s hand while they both went through this together. He also imagined himself much older, established and with a home. He had a palace, an empire, but he still felt as if he was on the outside looking in. He had mourned Clove’s death and he promised himself he wouldn’t open that door again. That made all of this much harder.

His principles remained the same - he would be there for the birth of his child no matter what. Altair was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth with his tail swishing all over the place. While food was normally not allowed, Clove’s labor was especially long. She was permitted broths and other liquids, and he kept them coming. He had left a few times while Clove was asleep to tend to his many duties, only to return to check on her progress.

Altair scrunched up on the miserable chairs offered, turning his body into a pretzel to get little sleep. He rubbed sleep from his eyes when she spoke, yawing and sitting up, “I’ll manage,” He said. Altair barely got the words out when the nurse came to check on Clove. She lit up.

“You’re ready to go!”

What? Altair jumped to his feet. Everything started to move quickly, more nurses coming in along with the doctor. He stood there like a potted plant, unsure of what he was supposed to do. One of the nurses looked at him.

“Don’t just stand there! Get over here!”

He awkwardly shuffled over, completely panicking.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

He'll manage? That didn't sound promising for those chairs. She was about to open her mouth and say they'd get different chairs when the nurse walked in. She knew why the nurse was there by now, so she crawled back into the bed and let the lady do her thing. Another "no, not yet, but anytime now!" was what she was expecting. But, instead, the nurse lit up and excitedly stated they could start.

"... What?" Clove uttered with a blink. Within minutes, more nurses and a doctor arrived. Which, great, was yet another person she recognized. But her annoyance didn't last long, because the more people entered the room, the more she panicked. "No- Wait! I'm not ready yet!" She exclaimed, her ears drooping while she shifted in bed. "I can't do it—we have to wait!" The doctor gave her a puzzled look. "Wait for what? For Life Day to arrive?"

What exactly was she waiting for? For Altair to hold her hand and stroke it with his thumb, assuring her that everything would be fine? For her mother to finally walk in and apologize for being late before taking her other hand? For it to suddenly become the way she had always imagined it to be and no longer feel lonely? Panicked eyes darted to Altair, who had been planted next to her. How must he be feeling if she was already frantic and convinced that something was seriously wrong? On the sidelines, watching the woman he swore he'd stay away from giving birth to his child? He must've been going through that exact same hell. Ugh. Plus, her body couldn't take it much longer; she was shaky, drained and exhausted. She needed to be strong, if not for herself, then for Altair. "Damned Force." She hissed between her lips before placing both hands on her face and taking a deep breath.

"Okay... Fine. Ready." Clove said quietly, signaling the nurses and doctors to begin.

----
​

A high-pitched cry filled the room, filling Clove's heart with a joy she hadn't felt in over a year. The healthy little girl, with raven black hair on her head, four tiny tiny stumps above her fluted ears and a little tail, was lying on Clove's chest. She held her tenderly, seeing nothing but her child for a moment. Whatever exhaustion and pain she felt in her body was no longer relevant. "Oh... you are beautiful." Clove whispered, smiling ever so softly while tears of happiness filled her eyes. Just like that, life seemed to have some meaning again. Something to fight for again. Every breath she felt against her chest, breaths so full of life, painted the world with colors she hadn't seen in oh so long.

While Clove gently caressed the skin on the child's back and congratulations and celebrations rang out throughout the room—with the doctor patting Altair on the shoulder to congratulate him—one of the nurses approached Altair with a pair of scissors. "Well, new dad! Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" They extended the scissors toward him, and the clamp was placed once the pulsing in the cord stopped. Clove took her gaze away from their child for a moment, returning it to Altair with the same gentle smile.

---

tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Altair Din]

He only gazed upon the tiny little baby for a moment, and he knew he loved her beyond anything he could imagine. He saw that little tail, saw the stumps of four horns - he was the only one in his family that had them - and those tiny curled fingers. He didn’t even realize he had tears streaming down his face, his expression one of awe and adoration. He had eyes only for that baby, the baby he knew without a single shred of doubt was his.

Altair looked at Clove, managing a smile. He had released her hand at some point, but he extended his own again, shakily grasping hers. It didn’t matter what they had been through or what was over or done between them, nothing could steal this moment. His gaze remained locked with hers until the nurse spoke. He glanced over to spot the scissors and he scoffed, “Get those scissors outta here,” He blurted out.

He had already prepared for this when it was go time. Within moments, the point of his tail swished around and cut through the cord as was tradition in his family. He sterilized it beforehand, but no scissors were going to do this.

Altair looked back at Clove, and if she was comfortable with it, he gently took the baby into his arms. The stunned look on his face was photoworthy as he met his daughter. He gently stroked her skin, gasping as her little tail curled around his finger, “Clove, look!” He whispered, his tired eyes wide. His own tail was practically wagging like that of an excited puppy.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

While Altair's grasp on her hand surprised her, it felt natural at the time. She, like him, ignored what had happened in the past because it didn't matter. Not now, when they were both admiring a new tiny little life. She gently held his hand in hers and smiled a smile at him, which could only be described as radiant.

That grin only grew wider, and when Altair used his tail to cut the cord rather than taking the scissors, it even broke into a small, albeit worn-out giggle. She had no idea it was a tradition, but she wasn't complaining. Because the move felt oddly poetic.

Clove carefully lifted the child off her chest and handed her over to the Tiefling the moment she noticed him reaching out. Because, as much as she wanted to keep the baby on her chest and hold her for the rest of her life, she also wanted him to meet their baby. Especially since she had read somewhere that it was critical for the father to bond with the child right after birth. And boy did it not disappoint. The father and his newly born child were a sight to behold. Clove couldn't help but stare, her heart melting at the sight of the little girl's tail curling around Altair's finger. "You two look adorable." The half-Annfyn responded with a voice so sweet that sugar paled in comparison. "She has your eye color." Clove had already noticed the large violet eyes, but now that she was so close to the Tiefling, they were even more obvious. The girl looked exactly like both of her parents.

And in that moment, she knew that even if everything was wrong, they'd do everything they could to make it as right as possible.

"Wait, wait, wait." Clove shifted in her bed, her shaky arm reaching out to grab her datapad from the tray next to the bed. She turned on the camera and quickly snapped several photos of Altair and the baby. She couldn't stop time, but she could capture a fragment of it. She lowered the datapad again, satisfied that she had at least one good picture in the bunch, and returned her gaze to the two.

"How do you think we should name her?" Clove asked, her tone gentle and her head tilted to the right. Throughout it all, she hadn't stopped to think of a name. She knew it was a girl, but she wasn't ready to think about names. Until now, that is.

---

tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Altair Din]

Altair didn’t even notice her taking the pictures. He couldn’t take his eyes off the baby. He had a tender smile on his face, his tail swishing back and forth eagerly. He leaned in and nuzzled his face against the baby, tilting his head to softly bump dull sides of his horns against the tiny little buds on the baby’s head. He was filled with warmth and love in a way he had never felt before. He forgot all about the galaxy right then - all about the Empire, what he lost, and everything in between. No one mattered as much as this tiny little girl.

It took him almost a full minute to realize that Clove had asked a question. He stared at her like a bantha in the speeder light, his eyes wide. He gently set their baby down in the bassinet, watching her as she cooed for a moment and then fell asleep, “Uhh…” He awkwardly shifted where he stood, his tail swishing.

“I like the name Zara,” Altair said after a moment, “It’s a name passed down in my family for generations,” He smiled at Clove, “But I wasn’t….I wasn’t a part of any of this,” He said as he looked away, “I don’t have any right to naming her. We can name her whatever you want.”

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

Clove laughed a little when she noticed Altair's look of.... shock? Surprise? Whatever it was, it was endearing. For a brief moment, she followed his gaze into the bassinet, her heart fluttering at the sight of the baby. Her ash black tail was curled up in a way that reminded her of Altair when they were lying in bed together. Altair's tail had always been adorable, but the tiny girl's? Heart-melting, that was.

Her gaze returned to Altair as he resumed speaking. No, right? She was his child as much as it was hers. Clove's head tipped to the right for a split second before the guilt crept to the forefront of her mind. Even though she never did any of this to keep the child from him, sugar, for the first half of it she wasn't even mentally aware of it all, it was the end result of it all. But, while she was certain they had to talk about it at some point--even if it wouldn't make much of a difference, clearing the air and apologizing couldn't hurt--this wasn't the right time. Instead, her lips curled into a warm smile. "No. Let's make sure that the name will continue to get passed down through the generations. I like Zara. It's perfect for her."

"And... on the subject of the importance of family." Clove's gaze returned to the bassinet. "If I remember well from our conversations, your mother's name is Farah, isn't it? And mine's Kaalina." She paused for a moment to take a deeper breath before continuing. "How about we honor both of them by giving Zara a middle name? Falina." Her warm smile shrank into something more insecure, but her chocolate brown eyes returned to Altair's violets. "Are you okay with that?"

---

tag @Sreeya ​