To Our Future? [Katja]

[Colère Nystrom]

"Have faith," was her only advice to Nikole as the ramp lowered.

She'd given her hand one final desperate squeeze, then separated from her as they came down Ronan's boarding ramp and into the waiting arms of their mates. Colère offered Aurelia a simple nod to indicate the job was done, and then turned all of her attention to Katja.

The bond to Nikole was strong, but nothing compared to the way her heart tugged and pulled her to Katja. She didn't even remember closing the distance between them as she flung her arms around the young blonde, moaning softly as she pressed their lips together in a much-needed kiss...

[Katja Nystrom]

Katja was, literally, hopping up and down on the soles of her feet as the boarding ramp was lowering.

"They're home!" She elbowed Aurelia in the side, almost speaking in a daze because it was surreal having them home! "They're really home!"

She was oblivious to everything that had happened during the weeks they were separated. All that mattered was Colère in her arms. This was the present and it was glorious as they kissed. Aurelia was loved dearly by the Morellian but this was Colère. Her mate. When they finally broke the passionate kiss, Katja picked up Colère by the waist and spun her around repeatedly with a huge smile. "Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful! Beautiful's home!"

There were times that Katja could spout rather crude wisdom and act as if she were a hundred year old Morellian. Or there were times like these when she acted like her chronological age and behaved as if her favorite toy that was lost, was now found again.

[Colère Nystrom]

As their souls were reunited, Colère was oblivious to everything and everyone around them. She smiled brilliantly at her mate as Katja spun them around, rediscovering her joyful laugh that the blonde provoked from her.

"I'm really home, sweet one," she whispered.

Colère was glad that her constitution was strong and Katja didn't give her vertigo from the spinning. As feet touched the ground again, though, she leaned into a bone-crushing hug, pulling Katja tightly to her.

Echoing the words she'd said to Nikole as they'd prepped to leave Nar Shaddaa, Colère said, "Let's go home...?"

[Katja Nystrom]

She crushed Colère right back as they embraced, inhaling the scent that was distinctly her mate. "You're really home..." Her words trailed off as Katja buried her face into long, dark hair. She was home again.

"Funny you should say that, beautiful." She pulled back with a twinkle in her eye. "I was thinking that I was home right now."

After she said that, her eyes drifted to Nikole and Aurelia and contemplated that if home was a word to describe her life with Colère, or with everyone present. It was something to think on later because there was one thing that was surely need, and that was alone time for both couples! There was so much to catch up on ...

"But, home we go!" Offers an arm to escort her mate to the speeder. Aurelia and her had brought their own since there was no argument that they'd be snatching up their mates and doing some new bonding time with them as soon as they got home.

[Colère Nystrom]

It was tricky to get into the 'speeder because that meant she had to let go of some part of Katja's body to get in! After the weeks of separation, she didn't want to let go even that short of time! Colère literally pushed Katja in through the passenger side so that she could stay that close as she followed her into the vehicle.

"Gods, I missed you so much, sweetie," Colère whispered.

Fingers toyed with Katja's hair, stroking down onto her closest shoulder. She didn't see any of Ravelin as she had eyes only for her mate, staring at her as she drove.

[Katja Nystrom]

Katja had several memories of being tossed into the passenger side in this manner, while drunk! Just it was far trickier to maneuver the controls and dash without hitting something with an elbow, leg or backside because Colère really wanted to keep the closeness between them. And honestly? Katja didn't mind at all. She needed the physical proximity just as much as her mate did.

Once strapped in, she gave Colère a hard look, a glimpse of the desperation that their separation had caused. "Missed you too. So frakking much, Beautiful."

Arm around her mate, she pulled the speeder out of the space port and were well on their way back home, knowing that violet eyes were fixed upon her. "I missed that," she said, referring to the gentle touch against her hair. Aurelia had done similar in their time together, but it still wasn't the same as how Colère did it.

[Colère Nystrom]

"Me too," Colère replied.

It was so hard not to demand that Katja just pull over here and they mate right then and there in the speeder. Of course, it wasn't beyond either of them, such behavior! But, Colère really needed the comfort of their home too.

"Hurry," she urged. "I need my mate."

[Katja Nystrom]

"Well, dren!" Green eyes narrow at the lanes before her and accelerate. "Don't need to tell me twice!"

She half expected Colère to demand that she pull over and sate the need that had been building since their separation, but there was a surprising amount of restraint on both their parts. Was it because of her time with Aurelia? Katja didn't believe so. Her soul was crying out to mate with Colère and rekindle the bond that unable to be connected. Physical intimacy was needed desperately. Thus it was with a durasteel foot that Katja made it to the Nystrom's building in record time, parked the speeder and chased Colère into the lift ...

[Colère Nystrom]

They were only barely into the apartment when Colère could no longer wait. She pressed her mate up against the wall beside their door and kissed her roughly, hands wandering everywhere as she relearned her Katja at last... It was glorious!

Afterward, Colère looked up and laughed breathlessly. The door to their place was still wide open and had been the entire time! She went to flick it closed and quickly remembered that she couldn't. Not anymore. It could wait then. Her limbs were pleasantly tangled with Katja's and there was no desire to move from that state.

"Mmm. Gods, being away was so difficult. But, the deed is done," she said softly, stroking Katja's hair. "How did you fare, sweetie? Everything go alright?"

[Katja Nystrom]

The door was open and clothes were everywhere! Glorious indeed! This was precisely the reunion that she wanted with her mate, who she was now had her head snuggled tightly against Colère's shoulder while they were still on the floor.

"It was hard. That first night with you away. Auri too ..." She figured it was a good lead into everything that happened while Colère and Nikole were away.

"I drunk myself silly of course!" she laughed as fingers played with one of Colère's locks of hair. "Auri was having a rough go at things too. Like we all thought. It was good not being alone, ya know?"

She licked her lips and decided to just get it out because Colère would easily sense that she was hiding something. Though not necessarily hiding because Katja was going to tell her today of course, but doing it after mating with one another and snuggling on the floor seemed the wrong time to do it.

But Katja was always blunt and decided to rip the bandaid off, going for it. "And ... well ... ugh! Auri and I slept together! Repeatedly! We were drawn together and totally didn't mean for it all to happen, but we figured we always were kinda bonded since we met. Cuz you were in her head. And you're mine. I was yours. But that always made me hers, cuz what if you never separated and my only chance to be with you was her! So maybe there's this crazy residual link between us and I tried and she tried to fight it. But the pull to you was so strong! And when it wasn't there ... you know you weren't there, I was drawn to Auri and ... and ... Argh!"

She buried her face into Colère's chest, exasperated. "We just couldn't help it!"

It was a lame admission after that long winded explanation. She just hoped that Colère understood and perhaps the same thing happened with her mate and Nikole.

[Colère Nystrom]

Colère let Katja say what needed to be said, going back to stroking her hair when she dropped back onto her chest.

"It's alright, sweetie. The... well, the same happened with Nikole and I." She cleared her throat, staring up at the ceiling. "The missing was so intense. And then the feelings between she and I... ahem. There's just one considerable complication."

Colère gently shifted into a seated position, bringing Katja up with her. Naked, she went to the door and closed it before going back to her mate's side. Colère took her hands and met her gaze steadily.

"The shared violence of ending Trent's life, the love we both felt for Aurelia and for each other... Katja, we bonded."

For the moment, she left it at that, letting Katja's reaction determine what else she needed to say.

[Katja Nystrom]

Oh thank the gods that it did! She thought, completely relieved that her and Aurelia were correct in the assumption that the longing and need that they felt, their mates would have acted upon their feelings too!

She poked her head up and watched Colère speak up towards the ceiling. "How can there be complications? It's cool! I know you love Nik. Cuz I love Auri. This weird layer between the four of us makes sense."

It was something she believed and hoped would lessen the anxiety that her mate was feeling as she walked back from closing the door. She sat patiently as Colère took her hands but that dissolved into utter disbelief when the bomb was dropped onto her.

"You bonded?" She blinked. "Bonded bonded?" Of course the truth of Colère's words were right there in those violet hues. "You and my sister are ... are mates?"

[Colère Nystrom]

Colère nodded. Then, she quietly walked Katja through the entire situation when they'd arrived on Smuggler's Moon. She shared about Tuk, Rodrik, and Rhys and her relationship to them. How she'd fainted and what it had felt like, interacting with them. Colère hadn't even dealt with any of that yet!

She went on, in a narrative voice, to explain about entrapping Trent. Colère kept it light on the details of how he'd been tortured and killed, but explained how she and Nikole had played off each other, how the need to hurt him and the violence of it had escalated their feelings. Quietly, she shared what it had felt like, and the panic that had ensued afterward.

"We didn't mean for it to happen. It was accidental. And, afterward, I tried to insist to Nikole that we simply dissolve the bond. That we let things go back to how it had been... even if it was sacrilegious. But, Nikole felt we needed to honor it and... now, here we are, hoping that what happened hasn't frakked up all our lives..."

[Katja Nystrom]

Even sensing how Colère felt insecure and uncertain about meeting her descendents, Katja was thrilled that her fiancee had found them! She thought it was brilliant that Colère was one hot grandma that was like ten times removed! There were so few people with longevity to witness such blessings, to see your line prosper and endure the years. But here she was 4000 years later and saw three of her direct descendents from her daughter Molly. It was the sort of legacy that her own mother wanted for the Nystroms.

Then things shifted to what happened with Trent. She could tell that Colère glossed over the details of what Nikole did to Trent. If the bond was triggered in a blood rage? Well, the primal act of mating was intense enough. Killing Trent to sate that need had to be brutal and sadistic ...

She listened quietly, letting her mate get everything she needed to. "A'right. Time for my assessment. One - glad that we're cool. Understanding that the need was so hard without each others mates that we needed to find comfort and love with the ones we were with. It's cool that the love was always there.

Two - I'm so happy Nikole knocked sense into you!" she swats the back of Colère's arm. "Denying the bond is sacrilege! I woulda kicked your hezmana up and down the halls here to know if you did!"

[Colère Nystrom]

Colère had been hopeful that she could anticipate Katja's reaction. She breathed an audible sigh of relief when her mate was as wise and compassionate as she'd prayed she would be.

She laughed and rubbed her arm where Katja had swatted her. "I know! I know! But, we were both fearful of disrespecting you - both you and Aurelia - with this development. How many Morellians have had a double-bond to know what to do about it?!"

Colère pulled Katja into a hug, kissing her neck and bare shoulder. Love and relief poured off her in waves, so thankful to be home, to have the job done, and to have Katja understand.

"Thank you, sweetie. You are so brilliant and wise." She grinned, drawing back. "How'd I get so lucky that my mysterious blonde would be such a smart cookie?"