SIMMED BY MIDDOUR AS TYCHO AND ALISON AS WINTER

*

It was 2200hrs when they returned to Coruscant, Tycho went straight to his office. He saw the plethora of messages waiting for him, and told Emtry to handle it. Then he headed home.

Colonel Tycho Celchu ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he keyed in his entry code to the apartment. The door slid open silently, and he stepped in. After tossing his duffle-bag onto the lounger, he looked around.

Everything was the way he'd left it... almost. He walked to the balcony window and pulled back the shades, looking out the window to the speeder traffic of Coruscant... and the lights of a hundred buildings looked like a swirling starfield in the dark. Looking up at the organized chaos, he sighed.

*

Winter bade General Cracken goodnight, after her debriefing, and headed back to her apartment. After a short while, she reached her apartment complex. She keyed herself into her apartment, and instantly knew she was not alone. She saw Tycho standing on the balcony and dropped her bag to the floor in shock.

He turned at the sound, "Winter?!" He eased his hand from his blaster.

She stepped further inside and let the door slide shut behind her. She crossed her arms before herself. "Celchu."

Confusion set in as his emotions tumbled through his being. "I uhm... I just got home."

"Long field trip," she frowned.

He crossed the room to her, and looked deeply in her eyes. Then he lowered his head and looked away. "I.... I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him softly.

His gaze did not return to her, he was unable to look at her.

She sighed and crossed the few steps to him, conscern showing foremost in her eyes. "You had me so worried, Tycho."

He moved to the lounger and sat, hanging his head low. A thousand words ran through his mind, but none took hold, none were quite the ones he wanted. "I'm so sorry, My Love..." he whispered. "So sorry...."

She sat down beside him and grabbed one of his hands. "Why didn't you tell me? I had to find out, eventually, from Wedge.... But I would rather have heard it from you."

"You deserved better... better than me. I didn't want to burden you."

"Don't say that, Celchu," Winter lowered her head. "You know I love you... you're a part of me."

He looked at her, unshed tears in his eyes. "I know you do... but, had I told you, you would have left your job to be by my side... to wait on me hand and foot.... To be with me 'til the very end. I could not deal with that. I'm not worth it."

"If you weren't worth it, Love, I never would have married you. But knowing that you were dying, and not being able to be with you.... That hurt more than anything."

"You have so much of your life left to you. Your responsibility to the Princess, to the NRI. You had important work to do, and still do... I could not be the reason for you abandoning your life." He turned away again, not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes.

She shook her head and gently pulled him to her in a warm embrace. "Tycho, you are my life. The NRI, Leia, they are responsibilities. Responsibilities would understand when I put my life before them."

He sighed. "I knew I was going to be an emotional wreck. I'm supposed to be strong for you... and I couldn't be. I could not allow you to see my failure, to know that I failed you... would not be right."

"Tycho, what happened to you was not your fault. That was the fault of a madman, you never failed me."

He held her close to himself and broke down. Weeks of emotion took over and he wept openly, barely able to speak. "I love you Winter.... I always will."

She let him cling to her. She wrapped her arms around him, becoming a stable point for him to hold on to. "And I have always, and will always love you, Tycho. Never forget that."

They sat together, holding eachother for hours. Tycho did not want to let go.

Outside the balcony window, a new day dawned on Coruscant, just as a new day was dawning on Tycho's life. A new beginning for him and Winter, a fresh slate from which to start anew.

-------END-------