#parentalinstinct

Hello. It is time to try out fanfiction writing on Tumblr. This fanfic is a fair way in the future, has Omega involved, but takes place in the era of Rebels. Has Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, and Fluff. Also has little bits from future Bad Batch Season 2 fanfic content. Hope you enjoy.

Story Timeframe: 0 BBY

Story Location: Dantooine

Character Ages:

Omega (Now Known as Arla): 31

Alejandro: 32 

Notes: Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, family themes, fluff.

When she had nightmares, which was at least twice a week, Omega was usually comforted by Hunter, or, if her nightmares were related to Nala Se abusing her, Echo would comfort her.

Sometimes it would take the entire Batch to calm her down after an intense nightmare. For the longest time, Omega never fully understood where this parental instinct came from. Clone Force 99 were Soldiers, not dads. Where did this paternal instinct come from?

The question of where that parental instinct came from wasn't answered, until Omega, now named Arla, became a parent herself.

It is currently early morning in the house, and Arla is caught in a terrible night terror. She hasn't had one in a while, but Alejandro quickly works to calm her. After she screams, she wakes herself, breathing heavily and in a serious panic.

"Easy sweetie, easy. You're OK" Alejandro, her Togruta husband, stated as he worked to calm her down. Having learned everything about calming her from Hunter, Alejandro was able to calm her enough to allow Arla to compose herself.

"Are you OK sweetie?" Alejandro asked and, after a few moments, Arla nodded, and replied "Thanks honey, I'm OK". Both of them then heard crying, Arla's scream had awoken their kids.

"I'll go handle Zaak, you take care of yourself, alright?" Alejandro asked, kissing Arla on the cheek before he headed to the nearby room to check on their 18-month-old son.

"Mommy? Are you OK?" came a fearful voice from the door. Rolling over onto her side, Arla saw her 4-year-old daughter, Kara, framed in the doorway.

"Hey, sweetie. Sorry about that, mommy's OK. It was just a bad dream" Arla replied as she climbed to the edge of her bed, smiling gently at Kara, who nervously replied "You screamed"

"Again, it was just a bad dream. Mommy screams occasionally when she has bad dreams" Arla reassured, offering her daughter a hug. Kara nervously approached her mom and snuggled against her. Arla returned the hug, feeling herself immediately calm at her daughter's touch. She smiled at her daughter, who's tightly holding Lula, the tooka doll that Arla passed down to her recently.

It was then that Arla noticed her daughter looked distraught. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair and pajamas were drenched in sweat, and she was shaking slightly.

"Hey sweetie, are you OK?" Arla asked, and after a few moments, Kara replied "I was having a bad dream when you screamed and woke me"

Immediately, Arla's heart hurt and she felt a massive surge of empathy for her poor daughter. Immediately she started gently rocking Kara, and said “It was a bad dream, but now you’re awake and everything is OK”“

I’m scared” Kara replied, fresh tears streaming down her face. Arla looked at her daughter, then said “It’s OK to be scared sweetie, but you’re here, and you’re safe. Dreams, no matter how scary, they can’t physically hurt you” Arla replied, tracing circles into her back, gently rocking her, doing everything she’d learned when being calmed after a night terror, to calm her distraught daughter.

“They can’t?” Kara wondered, to which Arla replied “Well, how about I help show you. Close your eyes, and imagine with all your might that your hands are blue”

“OK” Kara replied, and closed her eyes and did so. Arla smiled, then replied “Now open them” and when she did, she saw that her hands weren’t blue.

“Wow. So, thoughts can’t physically change the colour of my hands?” Kara wondered, astonished. Arla smiled, and replied “See? Your bad dreams can’t change your colour”

“Wow. Thanks, mommy” Kara replied as she wiped the tears out of her eyes and kissed her mom. Arla was glad she’d been able to distract her daughter from the nightmare. She also noticed that this was distracting her from her nightmare.

Alejandro returned, and Arla said “Hey sweetie, could you please change Kara’s bedclothes and get a change of pajamas for her? She’s drenched in sweat”, to which he replied “Sure. Should I do the same for you?”

“Why not, sure” Arla replied, smiling, which he returned. As he left, Arla returned to Kara, and said “Can you please follow me into the refresher? You can get changed and have a quick shower to get the sweat off your body and out of your hair”

“OK mommy” Kara replied, and she slowly walked to the refresher, with Arla close behind. Once they were in the refresher, Arla set up the shower for Kara, while Kara got undressed and threw her pajamas in the wash. Just as she was about to step in, Arla saw that she was going to take Lula with her.

“Hey sweetie, Lula doesn’t like showers, remember?” Arla mentioned as she kneeled to Kara’s level. Kara giggled and replied “Whoops, I forgot about that” before giving Lula to her mom and stepping inside. Strangely, despite the years of abuse she had endured on Kamino, where it almost always rained, the sound of the shower didn’t trigger any anxiety in her. She found it oddly soothing.

Alejandro stepped in and said “I’ve changed her bedclothes, and I’ve got her a change of pajamas. You best go and clean yourself up sweetie, I’ll take care of Kara from here, alright?”

“Alright, sweetie” Arla replied, kissing Alejandro on the cheek before heading to the bedside ensuite. Five minutes later, Kara stepped out of the shower and straight into a big, fluffy towel that covered her from head to toe.

“Eeek! Dad” Kara said, giggling madly, to which Alejandro replied “Mom’s gone off to wash, honey, so dry yourself off and we can get you into some fresh pajamas. How does that sound?”

“Alright daddy” Kara replied, and soon, she was dry and dressed. A minute later, Arla re-entered in a new nightgown/leotard cross.

“Ready for bed?” Arla asked, to which Kara replied, nervously, “Can I please stay with you tonight?”

“Sure” Arla replied, feeling that warm empathy surge through her again as she returned to the main bedroom, with Alejandro and Kara behind, Kara once again tightly holding Lula.

“You changed my bedsheets too, thanks Al” Omega replied, giving Alejandro another kiss, which he returned. Getting into bed, Arla patted a spot for Kara to lie in and snuggle against her, which she did, snuggling closely against her mom.

“Good Night mommy, good night daddy,” Kara said, to which Arla and Alejandro both replied “Good Night Kara” before Arla closely embraced her daughter, and they all slowly drifted off to sleep.