Dandelow shivered on the overstuffed chair that the Grrls had set before the fireplace for her. Her delicate hand reached out from the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders to grasp the cup of hot tea that Jael offered to her.
"Thank you," Dandelow answered in a soft, grateful voice.
"I know you," the General said, pulling up a chair in front of her as the Grrls scattered about, sitting and standing around the General and their new guest. "Your name…I remember it well. You were a serving wench of my former Master."
"Yes," Dandelow answered with a sob.
"Shhhh, it's alright," Emmy said patting Dandelow on the shoulder, taking her tea, and handing her a box of tissues.
"But what brings you here?" the General asked. "Why were out in this storm all alone."
"Well," Dandelow said, her waterproof makeup holding nicely to her stunning features. "I am being….hunted."
"Hunted? By whom?" The General leaned forward with concern.
A moment later, all heads turned toward the sound of shattering glass and then turned again at the loud thunk of a shining, long dagger lodging into the wall above Dandelow's head. Dandelow shrieked in terror as all the Grrls hit the floor to avoid being skewered.
"Space Dog! Wait!" Jael yelled as the super canine jumped through the broken window in pursuit of the intruder.
"I knew it was a Sith!" Diebin yelled.
"Yes," Emmy said, standing up and walking over to pull the knife out of the wall. "Your attacker," she said to Dandelow, "a woman, no?"
"Yes, yes," Dandelow said. "A woman…with long red hair the color of…of…of red hair…with this laugh…. A laugh that has tormented me for days…it echoes in my head….its diabolical intent haunting my dreams…."
"Ah-ha," Diebin said. "This can only mean one thing."
"Which is…." Banaoire said, trying to lead the answer out of Diebin.
"Well…." Diebin gestured to the broken window. "We have a hole in the window and a knife in the wall and some mean harpy hunting her down…. It's gotta mean something!"
The General sighed. "I was hoping to avoid this, but I suppose it was only a matter of time."
"Well, maybe you could avoid it a little longer and get back upstairs," Darry said.
A moment later, Space Dog sailed back through the window. She trotted over to the General to show off the prize in her mouth. The General reached down to take what looked like a swatch of cloth from Space Dog's mouth, but Space Dog only growled at the General. The General tugged a little harder on the cloth, and Space Dog leaned back on her haunches and growled louder.
"Jael," the General said. "Would you mind."
"Sorry, General," Jael said, reaching forward and attempting to pry Space Dog's mouth open. But Space Dog was familiar with this tactic.
She quickly flung her head to the side and promptly swallowed the evidence.
"Well, that's helpful," Shana said.
The General stood up and walked over to Emmy, taking the knife from her hand. He examined the handle carefully. "Just as I suspected. This looks like the work of Darth Ginsu."
The Grrls gasped in shock at the sound of that infamous name.
"Yes," Dandelow sniffled. "She's been hunting me down ever since…. I have been running for days and days," she sobbed.
"Wow, your dress looks great, though," Caeryn said.
"Really?" Dandelow asked, perking up a bit and unwrapping herself from the blanket.
"You said she's been hunting you since…. Since what?" The General sat back down across from Dandelow.
"Yes," Dandelow whispered. "Since….since…." Her great sorrow overtook her as she sobbed into her tissue.
"You are safe here," the General said. "Please tell us what happened. You were very important to my Master. I will help you any way that I can."
"Thank you," Dandelow said through her tears. "Darth Ginsu and her minions have been after me ever since…. Qui-Gon was my world, my light, my love, my hope, my dreams." Dandelow's lungs hitched fiercely as she tried to speak. "I miss him so."
"So do I," the General said softly.
"I don't," Emmy mumbled to Diebin, who nodded in agreement.
Dandelow wiped the tears from her rosy cheeks and said, "Darth Ginsu found out about the baby."
::Enter dramatic music all of a sudden::
"Baby?" the General asked.
"Yes." Dandelow nodded. "I am carrying Qui-Gon's child."
"You are…. What?" The General's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "But…my master has been gone for many years. How could you be preg-"
"Yes," Dandelow sobbed. "But our love goes on forever with this baby." Dandelow slid off her chair and dropped to the floor on her knees. "Please, General. I beg you. Save me from Darth Ginsu and her knife-wielding harpies!" She reached forward and grabbed his hands. "If nothing else, save this child that grows inside me."
The General cordially patted her hands. "But…I still don't understand how it's possible that-"
"Can it," Darry said, glaring at the General and kneeling down next to Dandelow. "You see how upset she is? She's been running for days and days. All this stress is not good for the baby."
"Please," Dandelow sobbed. "Tell me there is a place in the galaxy where I am safe, where my harse can roam free, and my child can grow in love without fear of knives or bad hair days."
"Harse?" Shana asked, walking over to the window to look outside. "I don't see a harse."
"Can you grant me asylum from this terrible nightmare? Please, I beg you. I beg you." Dandelow leaned into Darry and continued her mournful sobbing.
Emmy nudged the General, giving him a nod.
"Can I do that?" the General asked.
"Sure you can," Emmy said. "Under Section five-eight-four point three-seven of the Ho Code."
"There's a section in the Ho Code about granting asylum to persecuted Master Chicks?" Caeryn asked.
"I'm sure there is," Emmy said. "You know, something about huddled masses and the downtrodden."
The General looked up at Emmy. "But you said specifically it was Section five-"
"Hey, I'm President, I can make up this shit as I go if I want," Emmy said.
"Oh, here we go with this high and mighty presidential bit," Diebin said. "Don't forget to polish your crown while you're at it."
Emmy adjusted the tiara on her head and glared at Diebin.
"But what about the laws of the local government?" The General asked. "Won't I be usurping their authority by granting asylum to this woman without consulting with them?"
"You're a Jedi," Emmy said. "And a General. Who the hell is gonna give you hard time?"
"But I don't know if-" The General stopped talked as Dandelow's heartbreaking cry echoed through the room.
"How can I go on?" she wailed, flinging her hand to her forehead. "This tragedy has become to much to bear. My love is gone! And now I am to bear his child…alone…and hunted!"
The General turned to Emmy and whispered, "I still don't understand about this child."
"Would you just do it?" Emmy replied through clenched teeth.
Suddenly Dandelow rose to her feet. "But I will go on. Somehow, I will survive…I will…." She sighed wistfully as she fainted from the overwhelming trauma.
The General lunged forward and grabbed her before she hit the floor. Dandelow's eyelashes fluttered as the General held her upright. "You will stay here with us," he said. "For as long as you like. No one shall harm you here." The General helped the delirious waif to the sofa.
Dandelow finally opened her eyes, the firelight causing them to sparkle like tiny emeralds mostly buried on an Alderaanian sandy shore. "Oh, thank you," she whispered. "I don't deserve such kindness."
"Of course you do," Banaoire said. "You are among friends here."
"You needn't worry about that wretched Ginsu," the General said. "She wouldn't dare try to harm you here."
"But she has so many malicious minions," Dandelow said. "How can I know that I am safe?"
"The General is on watch now," Caeryn said. "She can't touch you."
"Darth Ginsu may have her many malicious minions," the General said. "But I have my Grrls."
Suddenly all the Grrls disappeared from the room, except for Darry who wasn't going to let the General out of her site until she got some. A moment later the Grrls returned, dressed in black leather catsuits, very stylish boots, and menacing blasters strapped provocatively to their thighs.
The General grinned as he admired his Ho's….until Darry jabbed him in the ribs. "You see," the General said. "You are perfectly safe here."
"Yeah, they're very competent…mostly," Darry said, grabbing the General's arm and leading him toward the stairway.
The General happily followed Darry up the stairs. "If she returns," he said to Dandelow, "you just press that button on the wall there."
"Thank you," Dandelow said. "I will."
"Don't even think about it, sister," Darry said. "You let them take care of it," she ordered, pointing to the leather-clad Grrls. "And only after every single one of them is dead - including Space Dog - then you can press that button."
"Oh. I see," Dandelow said softly.
"Don't mind her," Shana whispered. "She's just suffering a little coitus interruptus."
Dandelow nodded, her bottom lip still slightly pouty.
The Grrls watched as the General hurried Darry up the stairs, keeping their eyes obediently focused on his ass. Then he stalked out of site. At the sound of the door latching shut and Darry's evil cackle, all Grrls simultaneously exhaled loudly, all letting their stomachs pooch back out again.
"I gotta get out of this ridiculous outfit," Banaoire said.
"No foolin'," Emmy said. "No more Nutella for me if I have to keep putting this thing on."
"Does he know that we don't know the first thing about firing blasters?" Caeryn asked as she jumped down the hall trying to unzip the leather suit.
"I doubt it," Emmy said, toppling over as she tried to pull her boot off.
Moments later, the Grrls resumed their lounging in the….uh….lounge, now rid of the tight, confining leather….all except for Diebin, of course.
Space Dog wandered to the sofa to sniff at Dandelow's arm.
"Sorry," Jael said, lunging in to shoosh Space Dog away before she made a snack of their new resident.
"Oh, that's alright," Dandelow said, her hair now dry and cascading down her shoulders to frame her exquisite features.
"Popcorn?" Diebin offered, handing her the bowl.
"Thank you," Dandelow said. "I am very hungry. I have been running for days and days." Dandelow smiled at Diebin's quick nod and then shoveled a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Mmm, it's good," she said with a full mouth. "Jiffy Pop?"
"Newman's," Shana said. "Light butter."
"Mmm," Dandelow said again nodding.
"Nutella treat?" Caeryn offered.
Dandelow swallowed the popcorn. "Oh, thank you," she said taking two Rice Krispie treats and a piece of pie since Emmy had eaten all the brownies. As Dandelow munched on the chocolatey-hazelnut treats she sighed and leaned back into the couch. Although her melancholy heart could never, ever, ever, ever feel light and happy again….she thought, perhaps, that she had found her sanctuary. Without her master, her life was bleak, dark, hopeless, not worth living, and really, really sexless. But perhaps he had somehow led her to this place, knowing she and their child would be safe here with his former padawan and his wenches…well, they couldn't be wenches since they didn't thud at Obi-Wan's feet…and, really, they gave him such a freakin' hard time. So, no, they couldn't be wenches….but they were something….
"Bite me, Space Dog," Emmy said as she involuntarily played tug of war with the super canine over the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
"Don't encourage her," Banaoire said slightly disinterested as she read through the General's lingerie preferences in the Tattler.
"So," Shana said, settling down on the sofa next to Dandelow, "when are you due?"
"Pardon?" Dandelow said, fluttering her long, luscious eyelashes.
"The baby," Shana said. "When are you due?"
"Ooohh, anytime now…anytime," she sighed wistfully as she patted her mostly flat stomach.
Shana raised her eyebrows at Dandelow and then gave a sideways glance to Caeryn whose own face was scrunched in confusion.
"If Darth Ginsu doesn't get to me first," Dandelow said, her lip quivering and tears forming in her eyes again.
"Shhhh, don't cry," Shana said.
"We won't let anything happen to you," Caeryn said.
"Jael!" Emmy cried as Space Dog chewed a hole through her sleeve.
"Sorry," Jael said, scampering over and shooing Space Dog away.
Diebin, still in her leather catsuit and cool boots, stalked over to the window, sliding her sexy sunglasses on and peering out the window into the night. "Bring it on, Ginsu," she said, patting her blaster and then crossing her arms in front of her.
Dandelow stared at Diebin for a moment, happy that she wasn't on Diebin's bad side.
"Don't be too impressed by her," Emmy said to Dandelow as she picked up a slobbery dog toy named Bear and hucked it at Diebin, smacking her squarely on the back of the head.
"Hey!" Diebin yelled, stumbling out of her tough stance and tripping over the spike heel of her boot as Space Dog bounded on top of her. "Jael!"
"Sorry!"