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| Author |
Topic:
The Sweetest Thing - Last 2 Posts of Chapter 14, and yes, it's over...for now ;)
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AERYN_SUN
Registered:
Apr '01
|
Date Posted:
4/26/03 9:46am
Subject:
The Sweetest Thing - Last 2 Posts of Chapter 14, and yes, it's over...for now ;)
- Date Edited:
3/25/04 7:04am (62 edits total)
Edited By:
AERYN_SUN
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A/N: Here's the deal, since I've already started writing about Valin/Cherith, a lot, I figured this was a good place to start writing "The Sweetest Thing". I still want to write them 3 yrs, later, which I will do.
The following chapters, I took from 'I'd Miss You Still', and posted them as the first chapters to 'The Sweetest Thing'.
Summary: While dealing with her growing feelings for Valin, Cherith, the oldest daughter of Jag and Jaina, must also deal with being an older sister as well and her own Jedi training...
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 1, Post #1
by obi's girl
Valin ran a hand through his black hair as he walked into parent's apartment. His mother was preparing a late dinner. He smiled at her and then sat at the counter. "Is your father still at the memorial?" she asked.
"I guess. I don't know. Cherith and I left early. There was a matter that needed to be settled," he said.
Not too long after he said that, his little sister appeared. Jysella took the stool beside him, struggling at first to climb the stool before Valin reached over and helped her up. "I saw you and your girlfriend today..."
Valin rolled his eyes and blushed, as Mirax looked curiously at her daughter and son. "Cherith is not my girlfriend, Jy,"
"Jysella, stop teasing your bother," Mirax said, glancing at Valin again. If she had a Force power, she'd reach into her son's mind. She looked at Jysella, "Jy, why don't you clean your hands?"
The girl rolled her eyes and jumping down from the stool and smiled, "Fine, you want to get rid of me. I can take a hint,"
"Jysella," Valin warned, waving his hand in a Jedi mind trick fashion, "Leave, little sister,"
She shrugged and turned, walking to her room. Mirax looked at her son and sighed, "Cherith. That's Jaina and Jag's teenage daughter, right?"
Valin rolled his eyes, "Yes mom,"
"And Jaina returned, what, wasn't it a week ago?" He nodded, prompting her continue. "That means Cherith's only been alive a week, although, in theory, she's fourteen years old, right?"
"Yes, mother. That's what it means,"
Mirax shrugged, returning to her cooking, "A week. You've known the girl a week, and already, you have a serious crush on your best friend. You have guts, Valin," As she said that, Corran returned. He smiled at his wife and took the stool beside Valin. "Corran, did you know about Valin and Cherith?"
Corran raised an eyebrow, "That he has a crush on her? Of course, I do. He asked me for advice on that matter."
"And what did you tell him?"
Corran looked at his son and then his wife. He was afraid if he repeated what he said to his son, Mirax wouldn't agree with him. "I told him to just be her friend, and that their time hanging out together wasn't a date, or didn't qualify as one anyway,"
A second after that, Jysella darted out of her room but fell short and frowned when her father took her chair. She turned and looked at her brother, "Date? You went on a date with a girl? With one you barely even knew?"
"All right, will you guys stop it? This is no big deal. Cherith and I are just friends. We talked about it and we both decided we're just friends," Valin explained, "End of story!"
"Wait a minute. When did you hang out with Cherith?" Jysella asked.
Valin rolled his eyes again, "Three days ago. After I met her in the gym,"
"Jy, what do you know?" Corran asked.
"Wes Janson has blue hair, tips of blue paint are all over his bangs," she said and Valin giggled, and then frowned when his father glared at him. "Busted," Jy whispered.
Valin moaned, "It wasn't my fault. Cherith said she really hadn't explored the base too much so we did, and covered the entire Wraith squadron in blue paint. Splat right on top them. Janson just happened to be in the area,"
Corran smiled and looked at his wife, "Ya know, I was wandering why Wes' bangs were a little blue while I was at the memorial..."
"Enough from you three. Dinner's in five minutes," Mirax announced and turned again . As Corran went into their room, Jy smiled at her brother and made a kissy face. Valin growled at her and she ran off into her room.
~~
"Thanks Kyp for the advice," Cherith whispered as she leaned over and hugged her Master. He smiled, kissed her cheek as she backed away and he stood up. "You leaving now?"
He shrugged, "Have to. As the adult, I have to be the responsible one and make out a lesson for tomorrow. But don't worry, you can sleep in a little bit."
Cherith nodded, "Sleep. How long can I sleep in?"
"Two or three hours," he guessed.
She nodded again and then smirked, giggling, "You're not going to work on exercises? You're going to play hooky for two/three hours with Sera!"
"No, I'm not," Kyp mumbled, looking down at his feet like a boy and then rolled his eyes, "Yes, I am. You don't mind sleeping in awhile longer? I'll come and get you when I'm ready,"
"Not a problem, Kyp," she said and jumped off the bed, showing him out. As they started to leave, Cherith drew back from the door and Kyp looked at her quizzically. "My grandparents are outside, and my Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara are here too."
Kyp moaned. Mara. After all these years, Mara still didn't like him and if they tried to leave together, and Mara saw him, well, she'd kill Kyp or worse. "Your family knows I'm you're Master, right?"
"Well, sort of. My mom and my dad know, but I never got around to telling my grandparents and grand Uncle," Cherith cried, "Come on," she said and led Kyp to the main room.
But Kyp pulled her back, "Wait a minute, you're just gonna take me and waltz out there, in front of your aunt, who hates me and wants me dead?"
She shrugged, "Well, there isn't a door in here. The main room is the only way,"
"Cherith," he said, "If you need to, you can sleep in all you want tomorrow," She smiled at her Master as they both exited her room. All heads turned to her and Kyp. Mara especially, glared at Kyp.
"Hi guys," Cherith cried, "Sorry Valin and I left early but there was something we had to take care of."
Mara's green eyes narrowed to Kyp, "And Durron? What is he doing here? I mean, he's not Valin Horn," Kyp started to laugh and retort something but gulped instead as Mara's green eyes bore into him.
"Kyp just stopped by to see if I was okay," she said and then turned to her Master, "Thanks again for the advice," and added mentally through their bond, I'll see you tomorrow.
Kyp smiled and then bowed before quickly making an exit. Once he was gone, Leia cleared her throat and Cherith turned to her. "Cherith honey, we need to talk to you about something. It's about your parents...
"My parents? What about them?"
Leia looked at Han, and then at her brother and sister-in-law. "They're gone. They've been missing for awhile. Han and I just assumed Jaina moved back into Jag's apartment but Jag wasn't there, even,"
"I know," she said, "That's why Valin and I left early with Uncle Wedge and Grandpa Fel. They told me what happened to them, but don't worry, grandma. They'll be here tomorrow if not tonight."
"What do you know about this, Cherith?" Han asked, "Where did they go? What happened?"
She shrugged, "Dad kidnapped mom and took her to Naboo for one week, and if at the end of one week..."
"She didn't fall in love with again, he'd leave her alone," Han finished and snickered, "I pulled that little stunt on your grandma."
Cherith frowned and sat down on the couch next to her Uncle Luke, "Are relationships always taken care of this way, if talking fails?"
Luke laughed, "It's more of the Solo side, Cherith. Skywalker side tends to be more reasonable and your mother is definitely a Solo,"
"Ya think they'll be okay?"
"Your mother is a Jedi Knight and a kick-ass pilot, and your father is a smart pilot too, so yes, I think they'll be okay," Luke surmised.
~~
Sera Fey`lina grunted, sitting in the conference room. Not too long after Kyp dropped her off at her apartment, Gavin called and asked her to meet him as soon as possible. Now, Gavin was talking quietly with Wedge Antilles in the corner. Well, to Sera, it seemed like they were quietly arguing more than talking. She cleared her throat and gestured they both sit down. "Do you mind telling me what this is about?"
"Jaina's situation has been compromised..." Gavin started.
"But we're not completely sure about it," Wedge added.
Sera looked at both of them and her eyes narrowed. She knew what they were going to say next, but she wanted to hear it from them first. When Antilles didn't say anything, Gavin continued. "Rumors have been spreading throughout the inner core about Jaina's resurrection from the dead. The Vong haven't really been paying attention to the rumors, but now, news has reached Coruscant and the Vong are panicked."
Fey`lina frowned and looked at Wedge, "Do they know about Cherith?" she croaked.
He shrugged, "Possibly, but we're not sure. But the Vong are aware Jaina's alive, or at least open to the possibility,"
"Have you talked the Solo family about this? Han and Leia deserve to know if their daughter and granddaughter is in danger,"
"Well, they're not. Not Jaina anyway," Wedge mumbled and looked Sera in the eye, "Jaina's not on planet. She hasn't been here for a week, Jag too."
Sera smirked and crossed her arms, "I know. I was with Kyp at the memorial. He picked up from Cherith that she was worried about something...Where did you send Jag and Jaina?"
Wedge shrugged again, "Naboo, but they should be back soon. Sera, the reason we asked you here is to clarify if the Vong do know if Jaina is alive. We need you to go to Coruscant and spy around,"
"You want me to go to Yuuzhantar. It isn't Coruscant anymore, Antilles. It hasn't been Coruscant for a long time," Sera mumbled, "What you're asking me to do, it's suicide..."
"But we need the intel, Sera," Gavin pushed, "We need to know if the Vong know the truth about Jaina...and Cherith. If they do know, well, they might come back to finish the job and we can't let that happen,"
Sera stood up from the table and paced the room, "Will I go alone, or will a team cover me?" she whispered.
Wedge looked at Gavin before replying, "No. No team. Just you. You can handle it, Sera. You're a trained spy, you can do this. Once you know what you need to know, you'll be gone,"
"Or I'll be gone!" she cried, "I know I was trained for this, but I have a really bad feeling about this mission," Sera paused and huffed, "Give me 24 hours to prepare?"
"Fourteen hours," Gavin corrected, "You leave in fourteen hours, and you can't tell Kyp Durron. This mission is highly classified." Sera didn't say anything as she left the conference room.
tbc
Preqeuls
The Funeral Original
I'd Miss You Still Sequel (Prequel to "The Sweetest Thing")
Coming Soon.."The Kids Are Okay"
Chapter 1, Post #1
Chapter 1, Post #2
Chapter 1, Post #3
Chapter 2, Post #1
Chapter 2, Post #2
Chapter 2, Post #3
Chapter 2, Post #4
Chapter 3, Post #1
Chapter 3, Post #2
Chapter 3, Post #3
Chapter 4, Post #1
Chapter 4, Post #2
Chapter 4, Post #3
Chapter 5, Post #1
Chapter 5, Post #2
Chapter 5, Post #3
Chapter 5, Post #4
Chapter 6, Post #1
Chapter 6, Post #2
Chapter 6, Post #3
Chapter 6, Post #4
Chapter 7, Post #1
Chapter 7, Post #2
Chapter 7, Post #3
Chapter 7, Post #4
Chapter 8, Post #1
Chapter 8, Post #2
Chapter 8, Post #3
Chapter 9, Post #1
Chapter 9, Post #2
Chapter 9, Post #3
Chapter 10, Post #1
Chapter 10, Post #2
Chapter 10, Post #3
Chapter 11, Post #1
Chapter 11, Post #2
Chapter 12, Post #1
Chapter 12, Post #2
Chapter 12, Post #3
Chapter 13, Post #1
Chapter 13, Post #2
Chapter 14, Post #1
Chapter 14, Post #2
Chapter 14, Post #3
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AERYN_SUN
Registered:
Apr '01
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Date Posted:
4/26/03 11:26am
Subject:
RE: The Sweetest Thing (Sequel to 'I'd Miss You Still) J/J romance, Chapter 1 up!
- Date Edited:
5/2/03 6:42pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
AERYN_SUN
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The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 1, Post #2
Jaina fidgeted as she walked into Larissa's room. Jag was waiting outside with, well, she would say her luggage but she didn't really bring luggage with her. Jaina toyed with the blue ring on her finger, her wedding ring and then stopped, fingering her jappor snippet instead. This was her grandmother's necklace, she mused as she walked into the room.
She looked around for Padme, but no one was in the room. After determining no one was there, she turned to leave but stopped short when she faced Padme. Jaina wasn't sure what to say, staring at her. It was weird. Throughout the whole week, she'd been close to her grandmother but never once suspected her silent handmaiden was related to her. If she looked closely, Jaina could see her own mother in her grandmother's eyes.
Padme smiled, "You wanted to talk to me, Jaina?"
"Oh yes," she mused and laughed to herself, "Jag and I were talking, and we would love it if you would come back with us to Borealis,"
"Thank you, Jaina...I was afraid you weren't going to say anything. I'd actually been thinking about going with you, too,"
Jaina grinned, "Really? I know it's a dangerous time for my family..." After seeing the frown on her grandmother's face, Jaina stopped rambling, "They'd love to see you," she said simply.
Padme smiled and sat down on her bed, "I'd love to see them too," she mused, "When do you and Jag plan on leaving?"
She shrugged, "In awhile,"
Padme smiled and touched the jappor snippet around Jaina's neck, "I remember when he gave this to me. He was just a boy, and I was a simple handmaiden. Well, not exactly a simple handmaiden. I was Queen of Naboo at the time, but during the Trade Federation blockade, I slipped back into the role of Padme, the handmaiden." She stopped and looked at Jaina, who frowned, looking down at the floor. "Jaina, what is it?"
"I'd never realized before how much was lost about our family. I'm a part of one of the most legendary families in the galaxy, but I never knew about any of this,"
"I used to carry a big wardrobe with me whenever I'd travel, but that was when I was somebody important," Padme explained, "So, we can leave anytime." Jaina nodded, walking silently out of the room as her grandmother followed in tow.
~~
Sera fidgeted as she stood there, impatiently waiting for Kyp answer the door. She didn't really need to pack anything, just some food and some supplies. Fourteen hours and counting, this is how much time she was given to prepare for the mission to Coruscant. Finally, Kyp answered but when he did, he'd just woken up from sleep. Sera smiled a little when she saw he had no shirt but loose pants.
"Sera, what is it? It's late..."
"I know," she said, "But I needed to see you. Can I come in?"
He shrugged and moved aside as the Jedi Master went to grab a shirt from his dresser and sat down beside Sera. "What's this about? Why did you have the need to see me so late at night?"
Sera smiled, staring into his eyes, "You know I love you, right? That I'm deeply in love you, Kyp,"
"I know," he said, almost in a nonchalant way, "Is that why you came? To profess your undying love for me or is there another reason for this visit?"
She frowned and looked down at her hands, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I'm due to leave on a secret mission in another eleven hours. I'm going to Coruscant, Kyp,"
"Coruscant? Why? Are you going alone?" he demanded.
"I am going alone. The reason, well, the reason is classified. I just wanted to let you know in case you decided to stop my place and found it empty, and wandered where I was," she reasoned, leaning closer, "The other reason I stopped by is because I don't think this mission will be an 'in and out' job. I might be on Coruscant for along time, and I wanted to see you in case I..."
Kyp frowned and stopped her with a kiss, hugging her, "Don't say die, Sera. You're coming back."
She shrugged and whispered into his ear, "I don't know Kyp. I'm going in alone, no one to back me...I know I'm a Jedi Knight but I haven't been one for a long time and I don't know what will happen if they find me and I don't know how to fight them,"
He could sense the fear in her voice, in her touch but he still reassured her, "You'll be okay,"
Sera pulled away from Kyp and then leaned towards him again, kissing him passionately. Between kisses, she tugged at his shirt and Kyp threw it off, drawing her back onto the bed....
tbc
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 1, Post #3
Cherith moaned, tossing to the right side of her bed as she checked the chrono on her table for the fifth time. Midnight still, she thought, I could have sworn it was a lot later now. She her parents were safe and on their way home, but she couldn't sleep. Finally, Cherith pushed her blankets aside and hopped out of bed, dressing into a shirt and pants and grabbed her boots.
She breathed quietly as she walked out of her room and into the main room and out of the apartment. Once she as in the hallway, Cherith breathed a lot easier and head for the gym. Too worried and anxious to sleep, a little exercise she was sure would help get her mind off her parents.
Very few pilots occupied the hallway, she noticed but that was mostly because everyone was asleep. She passed Horn quarters and for a minute, contemplated asking him to join her but decided not and continued walking. Or I could just walk around the base, she thought, walking is good exercise.
Not many places were open. The lounge which usually be filled with pilots during the day would be very empty now, but it was a 34 hour lounge so it was probably still open for business. Cherith paced herself as she rounded a corner and stopped seeing Sera Fey`lina leave Kyp's quarters. Sera looked at the door for a minute, checked her watch and turned to leave. It was then Cherith stepped forward.
"Cherith?! What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Sera asked, alarmed at first to see her than not to surprised.
Cherith shrugged, "I was worried about my parents, so I decided to go for a walk to clear my head," she remembered Sera checked her watch earlier and smiled, "Where are you going?"
"Me? Just away for awhile," Sera said, "There's a small matter I have to take care of, but could do me a favor while I'm gone? You're friends with Kyp, could you watch him for me? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?"
Cherith wasn't sure how to respond as she was reading Sera's emotions at the same time. She was worried, fearful about something but she blocking as most Jedi do. "Sure, I can do that," she finally said and Sera relaxed.
"Thank you so much," Sera cried and checked her watch again, "I have to go now. Cherith, don't worry so much about your parents. They'll be home before you know it," she smiled and as she turned, Cherith caught her checking her watch again before she started to jog off. Once Sera was gone, Cherith continued on her trek.
She wasn't exactly sure how large the base was and it probably wasn't a good idea to wander too far from the apartment so she settled for the lounge, which was still open. The bartender was barely awake as she sat down on one the counter stool. "Kid, if you're gonna stay here awhile, I'm about ready to close," he said. He looked more closely at the girl and frowned, "Shouldn't you be in bed? It's late."
"Bartenders are good for talking," she said, "Can I ask you something?"
He shrugged, wiping the counter, "Go ahead but please make it short, I want to sleep,"
"There's this boy I met a week ago, and I'm best friends with him but things have changed between us. I asked my Master about what I should do ---,"
"Master? You're a Jedi?"
Cherith nodded, "I asked him what I should do but I'm still confused. We're still good friends but now I have these weird feelings for him, not the kind of feelings a friend should have for a friend,"
He nodded, "How old are you, kid?"
"Fourteen. My friend's sixteen,"
"Then I think you should take your Master's advice and don't worry about it. Your time will come princess when you can worry about boyfriends. You're too young for that now. Now, that I've dispensed my advice I was supposed to give, I need to lock up and you need to go, well, whenever it is you need to go," he said and turned around, shutting off the kitchen lights.
~~
Once she was kicked out of the lounge, Cherith opted to go the gym and just relax there...maybe still morning. She found a nice spot on the mats and laid down, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't as comfy as her own bed, but there was a lot of equipment around so if she ever got bored, she could just grab something to do.
"My time will come," she mused, staring at the ceiling, "Damn you, Valin Horn, you've really screwed up my life!" Cherith cursed and sat up, not really looking for anything in particular and jumped when she saw Qui-Gon's ghostly form.
He smiled, Couldn't sleep?
She shrugged, "You were a Jedi Knight at one point... Can you give me advice about relationships?"
Qui-Gon laughed and paced around before settling down next to Cherith, They're never easy. I know I've been very quiet these last couple days, but I have been watching you and I do know about your dilemma,
"Good! You can help me then,"
In the Old Order, love was forbidden for a Jedi for obvious reasons. But the Old Order has been nonexistent for a long time now...
Cherith waved her hand, "No lecture please. Just solid advice is all I'm looking for,"
Don't rush in and to quote the bartender, your time will come princess, Qui-Gon said, Now, about your parents...There is something I must warn you about,
"Don't say they're dead. I would have known if something happened to them,"
They're dead, and I would have known too but it's something else. You've already met your other grandfather, Soontir Fel but your... Before he could finish, Cherith heard her grandmother Leia call her through the Force to get to the apartment and go to sleep.
"Sorry, grams wants me in bed," she cried and jumped up, "Actually, I am feeling more tired now...What was it you were going to say?"
He nodded, Don't worry about it. You need your sleep.
~~
Sera Fey`lina snuck into the bay, hoping Darklighter or Antilles wasn't around. She was a half and hour late for departure, but Sera didn't really care. She needed to see Kyp before leaving...Sera stopped dead in her tracks, thinking about him.
When she saw him and left so suddenly, it felt she was saying goodbye for real and that she wouldn't be coming back. But Sera knew she would. Despite what she told him, she knew she'd come back. She always did.
"Sera?"
She twirled around, facing Gavin, "Wedge couldn't make it, so I'm the only one that will be giving you a debriefing."
"I'm sorry if I'm late, Colonel but I had to see Kyp before leaving..."
"Don't worry about it, Sera. I'm late too, but I'm just glad you didn't back down at the last minute. We need to know if the Vong know for certain if Jaina and Cherith are alive," he said and pulled out a small chip from his pocket, "There's an underground movement on Coruscant already..."
Sera took the chip in her hand and looked up at Gavin, "Underground movement? What does that mean?"
"Resistance, Sera. They'll be the ones that will be providing safety for you. You'll meet with their leader, code name, 'The Dark One.' He'll tell you what you need to know. They have a small network of spies, but they get the job done,"
"So, I won't actually encounter Vong on this trip, will I? I'll just be sneaking around this under ground?" Sera asked and smiled, "That makes me feel a lot better. For a moment, I thought I'd actually have to dig some information from a Vong warrior. My language is a little bit rusty,"
He shrugged, "Hopefully, you won't run into any Vong and just be in the underground. But since you're rusty on your language, you should work on some phrases -- just to be cautious,"
Sera grunted and smirked, "I'm always careful, Darklighter. In and out, I got it," she said before jumping onto her ladder and climbing up to her cockpit and starting up all systems.
"And Sera, may the Force be with you," Gavin said and smiled hopefully. She smiled back at him before prepping her controls. Gavin stood back as the x-wing, 'Wild Cat' rose from the ground and shot out from the bay.
Watching her leave, Gavin frowned and whispered, "Good luck Fey`lina."
tbc
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 2, Post #1
Kyp Durron stared at the empty space beside him as he laid in bed. He'd known Sera had left awhile ago, about two previous hours before -- he'd been awake. He felt empty without her. Before Sera, Kyp never really had a serious relationship with anyone. He just hoped...
Don't think like that, Durron, he scolded himself, you said it yourself. She'll be okay, she'll come home.
But what if she doesn't?
While they were at the academy together, he'd always known Sera to be reckless. He was the same way, same character and whit. The first time he met her, she was talking to Tahiri in Tuskan and Kyp asked if she was raised by Tuskans, and Sera laughed in his face. Tahiri explained that Sera wasn't raised by tuskans, but Tahiri was and familiar with the language and was shocked how well Sera could pick up that language and every other alien language in the galaxy. He joked that she should have become a linguist instead of a Jedi, but Sera quipped it was more fun to be a Jedi because there was never be a dull moment.
Kyp smiled, remembering that first encounter and then suddenly frowned. What if what just happened a few hours ago was the last time he'd ever see Sera again?
I need to stop thinking like that, he thought, raking a hand through his dark black hair and got up, grabbing his clothes and got dressed. On his way to the fresher, he checked the chrono. 0700. Morning. Kyp perked up and grunted.
"Jaina and Jag should be back now," he mused aloud, "If they didn't get back sometime last night. Computer, can you locate Jaina Solo -- Jaina Fel and Jagged Fel?"
"Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel are in their parents quarters,"
Kyp rolled his eyes as he put on a different shirt, "Could you send the Solo's a message and tell them I'll be there in 30 minutes?"
"Affirmative."
~~
Jaina smiled, snuggling closer to Jag as they both slept in. They'd gotten back late this morning, sneaking into the apartment and into the guestroom. It was still early and her parents and Cherith were still asleep, so there was no point in waking up just yet.
"But we will eventually have to leave the bed, Jaina," Jag added, smirking, "We both need to eat breakfast,"
She shrugged, "Why eat? I'd rather to stay here..."
He laughed, "With twins on the way, you need to eat!"
Jaina looked at him curiously and smiled, "You want me to get all fat? Jag, I've been pregnant once and even though Cherith is 14 years old, it's amazing I was able to get my figure back...I'm still not sure how they managed to pull that one off,"
"I don't know either...Are you sure Cherith is our daughter?" he joked.
Jaina punched his elbow and looked at the chrono, "Oh, I guess we better get up now. Besides breakfast, I have to check on Twin Suns and with Colonel Darklighter if there was anything I missed while I was gone for a week,"
"Unbelievable. I was able to get to relax for one week and now, you're back in full Goddess/work mode,"
"The war isn't over, Jag and until it is, there's no rest for us," Jaina said, "But seriously, I need to get up now and get ready," As she turned to grab some clothes, Jag slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "Delaying is not helping, ya know?"
"You realize we never really had a honeymoon after we got married?"
She shrugged and kissed his cheek, "Another time, honey. Promise," and Jaina kissed him one last time before slipping out of bed and started to get dressed.
~~
Cherith walked quietly into the main room, grabbing herself some breakfast, not really noticing the small woman resting on the couch. She pulled out some juice and fruit and sat down at the counter. Everyone else was still asleep, she knew, but it was way too quiet for the 14 year old. Cherith hopped off her stool and turned on some light music. As she reached for the radio, she heard a moan coming from the couch. Cherith hmm¡¯d and turned on the radio anyway.
Another moan.
This being the second time hearing a moan from the couch, she reached for her own lightsaber as she stalked quietly towards the couch. A small quilted blanket rested on a small woman. She was old, Cherith could tell but still looked young too. As Cherith stalked closer, she stepped on a crack and the woman awoke, staring back at Cherith before screaming. Cherith screamed too and Han and Leia rushed out of their room as Jag and Jaina darted out from the guestroom.
Finally, Cherith closed her mouth and put her lightsaber away as Padme sat there, trembling and muttering Nubian curses.
Jaina moaned and looked at Jag, "Maybe we should have at least have given them a warning,"
"A warning?" Jag echoed, "I think that would have helped a lot. She almost killed Padme,"
Cherith shrugged, "I'm sorry. I just didn't know anyone was in here,"
"I didn't know either," Leia said and looked up at her daughter and Jag, "And someone neglected to tell their parents they'd arrived late and with a visitor,"
Jaina moaned again, "Sorry," she cried, "This wasn't the way I wanted things to go. First meetings usually include, 'hello, my name,' but not this! Jag and I got in late this morning, we were tired and I offered Padme the couch,"
Han rolled his eyes, "That's very nice, princess but you don't just bring strangers into our home,"
"I'm not a stranger!" Padme cried, "I belong here. I always have, I just never made the trip because I was scared," she looked at Leia and smiled. For a moment, as the woman stared at her, Leia felt this really familiar connection to Padme but didn't know why. "For more formal introduction, I'm Padme Naberrie...your mother."
tbc
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 2, Post #2
"Mother?" Leia questioned and then started to laugh to herself. "Sorry miss, but you are not my mother..." Jaina rushed to her mom's side, in case she started to lose it. "My mother died a long time on Alderaan. I don't know who you are, but you're not her."
Padme nodded, "I never died on Alderaan, but I understand how you might think I did."
Jaina turned, looked at Padme and frowned, "Padme explained to me while we were on the shuttle that it was her handmaiden that took her place as your mother," she said to her mother.
"...Leia, the white shawl you have, I gave it to you. You always told people it was supposed to remind them you were a refugee from Alderaan but that shawl wasn't made there, sweetheart. My mother gave it to me, so I gave it to you," Padme noted.
"This is crazy..." Leia started again, "Jaina, call your Uncle Luke and aunt Mara and tell them we'd like to have a family breakfast," she turned to Padme and Jaina, "We have a lot to talk about,"
Padme was silent as she and Jaina exchanged pained glances. For many years, Padme wanted this little reunion with her daughter to be a happy one of tears, but the pain, Padme felt was one of sadness and regret.
As the current Solo clan gathered around the table, Jaina jumped upon hearing the
door comlink buzz. She rolled her eyes and started for the door...she knew it couldn't have her Uncle Luke and aunt Mara, since she really didn't get to com'ing them yet. Everyone she knew that needed to be there, was already there so that only left...
"Kyp!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck, "It's good to see you. We were just about to have breakfast. Wanna join us?"
"I'd love to, Jaina...Listen, I have to talk to you later about Cherith and Sera."
She shrugged, "Cherith's been behaving herself, hasn't she?"
"She's too much of a Solo, that's the problem," he smiled as the Goddess led him into the main room. Cherith smiled at him too as he sat down beside her, but Jaina didn't sit down so quickly and com'd Luke and Mara.
"Good to see you, kid," Han greeted from across the table. Kyp noticed Padme sitting next to Leia but didn't say anything, as he knew her appearance would be soon explained. A minute later, Jaina sat down next to Jag and smiled at him. As a friend and a good observer, Kyp noticed things were different between then two of them. Jaina, especially, there was something different about her...
Jaina stood up again, but this time to announce something. "Everyone, I have really big news. As you may or may have noticed, Jag and I have been missing for the past week," she glanced and Jag and smiled, "We spent a week together, and well, on our last day there, we got married! And, I'm pregnant with twins!"
Cherith gaped, "Twins, mom? So soon?"
Jag shrugged, "I caught me off guard too, Cherith."
"Twins," she repeated and mumbled, "And I almost killed my grandmother,"
Kyp looked again to the woman sitting next to Leia. He panned back and forth between the two woman. Of course, he thought. Why didn't I see it before. They look so much alike. Next, he turned his gaze to Jaina and Jag. He felt something was different about Jaina, but twins, was the last thing he suspected.
"Mrs. Skywalker..." Kyp asked, the question directed to the older woman, "You're Luke and Leia's mother?"
Padme smiled, "I'm not a ghost, Mr..."
"Durron. Kyp Durron, Jedi Master,"
"Master Durron. Kyp Durron. You used to be a slave on Kessel right? You were the one, with the Sun Crusher?" Padme asked, unaware the room had become deftly silent.
He shrugged, "Yes ma'm, but I'm one of the good guys now. Well, by most people's standards anyway. Some people still don't like me, but that's to be expected,"
The table was silent for a moment before Luke, Mara and little Ben arrived. Ben wiggled in Mara's arms, and she let him down as he walked over to Jaina and hugged his cousin. "Hello Leia," Mara greeted as she and Luke grabbed two extra chairs. "What's to eat?"
Luke noticed Jag and Jaina at the table too. He hadn't heard from either of them during the whole week, but whatever their differences, it looked like they'd already worked them out. He turned to Leia and smiled, "What's the occasion for this breakfast?"
Leia glanced at Padme beside her and sighed, "Jaina's pregnant with twins," she said.
He nodded and smiled at his niece, oblivious to the small cry from Padme, his mother.
~~
Sera Fey`lina lowered her brown hood, more so it covered her face as she was led to the resistance's hideout. She didn't land her x-wing anywhere, but kept it hidden above the planet. If the Vong ever discovered her x-wing and stole it, she'd be stuck on Coruscant for a long time. The guard stopped walking and gestured for Sera to walk on by herself. She turned suspiciously to her navigator, "Ladies first? Is that the idea?"
He didn't reply, Sera only rolled her eyes, entering the alcove anyway. She was awestruck, staring at the many young men and women, working on counter tactics to weaken the Vong regime. She smiled to herself. Sera hadn't been involved with the Rebel Alliance when it first started, but she imagined, what she was seeing right in front was, was a lot like what they went through.
"Fey`lina," a voice asked, and she turned around to the voice. A young man wearing a full dark suit, about her height with green eyes and jet black hair greeted her.
Sera held out her hand to him and smiled, "Dark One, I presume?"
The man smiled, "Welcome Knight Fey`lina. We were told not too long ago you were coming. I hope we can provide you with the information you need,"
Sera's smile lessoned and drew her hand back, "I hope so too. You've heard the rumors, is there anything you can tell me?"
He shrugged, "The Vong didn't think the rumors were credible, at first. But then, more and more slaves started to talk and the Vong began to question themselves," he looked at Sera, "You're friends with Jaina Solo? You've seen her?"
"I have," Sera whispered, "I've also met her daughter...she's the other I'm here. I also need to know if the Vong know about the existence of Cherith Solo-Fel,"
"Did the Vong know she was pregnant before they ganged up and shot down her x-wing? I don't think so. As the Trickster Goddess, it was the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of her. They didn't know about Cherith. If they did, that attack would have come a lot sooner and would have been more like a capture,"
Sera raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms beneath her cloak, "Capture? Why capture?"
"The same reason they captured Tahiri Veila and twisted her memories to make her believe she was a Vong. A Jedi on their side would give them more of an upper hand on things, and the fact that Jaina is the daughter of Leia Solo and niece of Luke Skywalker, makes her one..."
"Of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, and her daughter, even more powerful," Sera finished, "Do you have anything to show me, Dark One?"
He smiled and led her to a holo projection of a jail, "This is one of the make shift jails, the Vong use for their slaves. We plan to hit it next week and free the slaves inside,"
She grunted and laughed, "Is that all you do around here? Hit jail cells to annoy the Vong? 'Cause, I gotta say, that's not much. You're a resistance. I mean, I know you want your presence known but something as small of an operation like this, it's pathetic!"
"The prisoners in this jail know about Vong technology and that's something we need...We don't have the resources your resistance have,"
"So, you have something bigger to work with? Can you show me?" Sera asked.
~~
Sera stared in awe at the half-built Vong ship. She was even more shocked to find the workers were human, Twi'lek's and various engineers. Sera turned to the Dark One, "You're building a Vong ship from scratch?! Where did you get the parts?"
The Dark One shrugged, "Stolen. Every time there's a skirmish and a Vong skip gets shot down, the Vong themselves rarely retrieve the skip because they knew they can always grow more. So, we steal them and use the parts to make the beauty that is our leviathan,"
"I take it you have someone on your team that understands Vong technology, otherwise your leviathan wouldn't be possible,"
"Of course," he paused and smiled again, "Do you have to return to Borealis right away, or can you stay for a refreshment?"
Sera smiled, "Thank you, Dark One, but someone special is waiting for me back there..."
He shrugged, "I'm not surprised. Whoever he is, he's a very lucky man. Colonel Darklighter neglected to tell me you were a very beautiful woman."
Sera smiled and blushed, "Dark One, I..."
"Taken," he said, "I know. Just a refreshment, Knight Fey`lina. I'm not asking for dinner,"
"I'd like to hear about what else you have up your sleeve, besides your leviathan...We can talk about that over some refreshments." Sera said, and gestured for him to lead the way.
tbc
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 2, Post #3
"I'm sorry about Sera," Jaina started, "Do you know when she'll be back?" Kyp shrugged and tried not to seem worried. She always came back, she said. Jaina could feel he was worried about her and continued, "She didn't tell you the reason for this mission?"
He shrugged, "Classified. She wasn't even supposed to tell me, but she did,"
"And she went alone? No one to back her up?" Jaina cried.
Kyp waved his hand and huffed, "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Talking makes me want to grab an x-wing and go after her myself,"
She smirked, "I'm sure she knows to be careful,"
He smiled, eyeing Fel as he talked to his daughter about the past week's events. Kyp was sure he'd been mentioned somewhere in there, but he didn't want to pry. "What was the wedding like?"
"Beautiful, Kyp. We stayed at this Lake Retreat, Padme was there, er, Larissa was. That was her handmaiden name. She pampered me the whole week, but I never once suspected she was my grandmother. It was weird, having her there at the wedding. She was my maid of honor, can you believe it?"
"You were married at a Lake Retreat?" Kyp asked.
She shrugged, "It was on the balcony, overlooking the lake. It was really beautiful and romantic," she grinned, her eyes fluttering.
Kyp laughed, "Romantic? I never knew you had a feminine side, Jaina."
"Cute, Durron," she mumbled, "What's my daughter been up while I've been gone?"
"Just feelings. She has a crush on Valin Horn, Corran's son. And he has a crush on her, visa versa, and now Cherith doesn't know how to act around him," Kyp replied.
Jaina shrugged, "At least they know how they feel...I remember, when Jag and I were reunited on Hapes, we fought so much, always evading our feelings,"
Kyp grunted, "I think they both know how they feel. That's the problem...Anyway, you can ask Cherith for more details."
"She's your apprentice now, Kyp. You're her friend....Don't tell me, you don't know anything else about this because I know you must know something,"
"I do, but she's your daughter, Jaina. I'm only the teacher," he mused and suddenly became quiet again.
Jaina frowned, "You're really worried about her, aren't you?"
He shrugged, "How can I not be? Coruscant isn't Coruscant anymore..."
"Kyp, relax. She's been in the spy business for a long time. Sera will be fine," she said, "And she's a Jedi Knight, if anything happens, she'll take care of it. She's a tough woman,"
~~
"Padme?" a voice asked. It was a strong voice, she knew, but she didn't need to turn to know it was her son. But he didn't know that either. She turned and smiled at him.
"Master Skywalker, sorry for the intrusion..." Padme started but he smiled. His smile was like his father's, Padme noted. "I'm Padme Naberrie."
He smiled and shook her hand, "Odd, my niece felt the urge to bring home her own handmaiden. I thought she was spoiled enough as a Goddess,"
Padme laughed, "Jaina's not a spoiled girl. Every time, I'd try and get into a new dress, she'd leave the room and high heels, she hates them,"
"That's not too surprising. Jaina's never been very lady-like," Luke joked and looked at Padme. He'd arrived late for breakfast, so he didn't really know what was said earlier on about Padme. But he felt this very strong connection to her through the Force. "Are you staying here long?"
Padme shrugged, "I'd like to get an apartment nearby, if it's possible...I, I have family here. They'd hadn't seen me in a long time, especially my son. I had to give up when he was only a baby. He doesn't really remember me at all,"
Luke frowned, "I know what you mean. I never met my mother, never had the chance to get to know who she was. My sister, on the other hand, she was raised by her,"
Padme smiled slightly, "What does she remember of her?"
He shrugged and huffed, "Not much. Just feelings, sadness...She was very young when she died,"
Padme looked away and cried. She heard Ben's voice in her mind, telling her she had to tell him who she was. But if Leia didn't even accept her, how would Luke? Because, you're his mother, Padme, Ben replied. Luke heard his son's cries in the next room and searched for Mara, but she'd already left.
Luke stood up and smiled at Padme, "Sorry Padme, but my son needs me. If you'll excuse me,"
"Luke wait!" she cried, "Can I help? I know a Nubian lullaby if you can't get him to sleep?"
He smiled and they left the room together and went into the guestroom.
~~
Jaina glanced at the chrono and frowned, "Sithspit, I'm late. Colonel Darklighter's already in his office now...I need to check in with him and see if there was anything I missed while I was away. Can you take Cherith today and keep her occupied for a long time?"
"Back to work so quickly? Shouldn't you be taking it easy. You're expecting twins, Jaina..."
She rolled her eyes, "I know I am," she said, "but just because I am, that doesn't mean the universe stops for me," Jaina hopped down from her stool and grabbed her jacket, "Mom, I'm going to see Colonel Darklighter!"
"All right, honey," Leia replied from the bedroom.
~~
"Leia, you need to get over this," Han started, but Leia show him a glare again, "I...I really don't see what the problem is,"
Leia rolled her eyes and laughed, "The problem is, for my whole adult life, I believed the woman that took care of me was my mother. Luke maybe accepting of her, but Han, I..."
"You what?" he questioned.
"I feel cheated," Leia whispered, "I knew I was adopted since my teens. I knew the woman that raised me wasn't my mother, I knew that, but to have my real mother show up after all these years, a decade even...I'm not really sure how I feel about her,"
Han nodded and sat down beside Leia on the bed and patted her hand, "Jaina didn't know for a whole week the woman was related to her,"
Leia laughed again, but this time it was more light-hearted and less sarcastic. "I guess it caught us all off guard, a little bit,"
tbc
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AERYN_SUN
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Date Posted:
4/26/03 11:27am
Subject:
RE: The Sweetest Thing (Sequel to 'I'd Miss You Still) J/J romance, Chapter 1 up!
- Date Edited:
6/26/03 12:41pm (2 edits total)
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The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 2, Post #4
Padme smiled, watching her grandson sleep peacefully on the bed. She looked up at Luke and smiled...he had so much of his father in him. Padme remembered Anakin, her Ani months before he became Darth Vader. She'd always believed there was good in him, despite the fact he turned his back on the light and betrayed the Jedi. He was still human, still little Ani.
"That was a beautiful lullaby you sang," Luke commented, "I didn't understand any of the words but it was very beautiful,"
Padme shrugged, "My mother used to sing it to me and my sister when we were little. We always delayed going to sleep, wanting to stay up hours playing around...That lullaby was the only song that actually got us to sleep," she glanced at Ben and smiled, "It got him to sleep, too,"
"Yes, it did," Luke smiled and he glanced at Padme again, "Do you have any children, Padme?"
She jumped slightly and looked at him. "I used to. A long time ago, but I wasn't able to keep them, unfortunately...My son, he had the sweetest blue eyes like his father,"
Luke shrugged, oblivious to the comparison, "My sister had to part with her children when they were younger...."
"Yes, Jaina told me about that. She said she resented her mother for it," Padme blurted out and then sudennly wished she hadn't said anything to interrupt him, "She said since her mother wasn't able to be with her on her wedding day, if I would give her away,"
"You were there...What was it like? Their wedding, what was it?"
"Very beautiful. Thankfully, Jaina didn't trip on her heels. It was on the balcony of the retreat, overlooking the lake and mountains. After, they just stood there, holding each other,"
Luke smiled, "I wish I could have been there to perform the ceremony in the Jedi fashion. Mara and I went through it when we were married, Leia's wedding was more traditional and now, Jag and Jaina are expecting twins."
"Yes, Cherith was just gettting used to being an only child, now she has to worry about two more little ones," Padme glanced at the chrono and then at little Ben. She smirked at the boy, her son named his son after his teacher. The real Ben, the Ben she was knew, was a very good friend to her and a big comfort after she lost Anakin. "We'd better leave before he wakes up again. Let him sleep," Luke nodded and they both left the room together.
On the opposite side of the room, Han and Leia left their room. Leia stared at her mother and brother; she knew Luke had no idea the woman he was standing next to was his mother. Han cleared his throat and he kissed her forehead, "I'll be on the Falcon," he muttered and left the apartment.
"Padme..." Leia started, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about before,"
She smiled, sitting down on the couch, "I'm sorry too..."
"What happened earlier?" Luke interrupted. Padme and Leia looked at Luke at the same time, and it was only then, Luke finally saw the close resemblance betweem them and knew. "Mother?" he whispered and Padme nodded yes. "What you said about your baby boy with blue eyes, you were talking about me?"
"...I know you have many questions but please, let me explain first...." Padme started.
"Which one of us is older?" Luke asked, not waiting for an explaination, "It's a question we've been debating for a long time,"
Padme smiled and laughed, "Which one of you is the older sibling? Luke..."
"Ha, I knew it!" he cried and Leia glared at him.
"Let her finish, Luke. Just because she said your name first doesn't mean you're the only sibling. Besides, I was the first to have children and traditionally, the elder one is the first to be married," Leia retorted.
Padme bit her lip, calling to Ben through the Force. Ben, what am I supposed to tell them? I don't know which was is older. You never told me!
You never told her, Obi-Wan? Qui-Gon broke in, I can't believe you never told her. You were responsible for the children, for her children and you never told her which one was older?
Luke's the older one. Tell him that. I helped you deliver them, remember?
Thank you, Master Jinn, she thought and smiled at her children, who were still debating which one was older. "Actually Leia, your brother was right. He is the older twin," Padme clarified.
~~
Sera Fey`lina smiled, sitting across from the Dark One over a glass of Corellian wine and some refreshments as he had promised. She'd been able to get out more information about the resistance, some stuff about the home-made world ship they were working on. "So, you're not the first leader of this resistance?"
He shrugged, "There have been about a total of three...The first one was a woman, she was quite good, resourceful and cunning. She was called the Dark Lady,"
"Excuse me, but what's with the title?"
"The title is a code name, Fey`lina. If the Vong knew who we were, we wouldn't be here. For safety reasons, leaders are randomly chosen through a lottery or a vote. Of course, there are nominations before hand,"
Sera smiled, "You're not going to tell me your real name are you, Dark One?"
He shrugged again and smirked, "No. If I did, I'd be severely punished and a new leader would be chosen...I made a sacrifice a long time ago to never reveal my identity to anyone. Not even my closest advisors, know my name,"
"That's a very tight grip, Dark One," Sera commented as she drank more wine, "Tell me more about what you know about Jaina and Cherith Fel,"
"News spreads very slowly at first, but over time, it spreads faster and faster. To answer your question, the Vong know about Jaina Solo's resurrection, however, they have no knowledge of her daughter, Cherith Fel,"
Sera frowned and sighed, standing up abruptly from the table, "Thank you, Dark One. You have been very gracious,"
The Dark One frowned and stood up, "Leaving so soon? Wouldn't you rather know more details about our operation, incase your government wishes to donate weapons or funds?"
"I'll tell them about what you're doing here, but there's nothing else I need to know about it. I know all I need to know," Sera said and bowed again, sweeping his mind using the Force.
The world ship will be ready to attack in less than a week, m'lord, he thought.
Sera flinched as she raised her head and smiled again at the Dark One, "Thank you again, Dark One. I'll call,"
~~
"Colonel Darklighter?" Jaina asked, knocking his door and peeking her head inside the office. Gavin raised his head and looked at Jaina, smiling and gesturing she come in. "I just wanted to stop by and see if there was anything I missed while I was gone...You did know I was missing for a week, right?"
"I went to Tyria's funeral, so yes, I realized you were gone because you didn't show up to give the eulogy,"
She shrugged and walked in, "Sorry about that. Jag and I, we've been having problems and he kidnapped me and...well, it's a really long story. But it has a happy ending. We got married and I'm pregnant with twins. Cherith is just thrilled she'd going to be an older sister,"
He laughed, "Thrilled? You're being sarcastic, right? Jag stopped by and told me she was terrified,"
Jaina moaned, "Or terrified. Truth is, I'm a little scared too. With the war still going on, I'm not sure if I'm ready to have more children. I remember when Ben was born. Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara barely got to see him during the first couple months, and now I'm going to have twins. What if the situation becomes really dangerous and I end up hiding my babies for years and I never get to see them?"
"Jaina, we all have fears about their children in this war. You're not the only one. I worry too about my girls and so does every other pilot on this base that's married with kids," he paused and looked away, "You have every reason to be worried, Jaina, especially when..."
"When what?" Jaina questioned, "What happened while I was gone?"
Gavin looked at her and sighed, "Especially when it's very possible the Vong might know you're alive and also might know about Cherith too,"
Jaina's eyes widened and she stumbled away, "What?! How's that possible? I only came back from the dead a week ago? How could they know so quickly I'm alive? No, there has to be a mistake in intelligence..."
He nodded, "I wish there were, Jaina, but rumors have been spreading on Coruscant that you're alive. The Vong didn't really pay attention too much to the rumors, but now, they're taking the rumors more seriously,"
"And Cherith? Do they know about her too?"
"They might, or they might not...Sera, she..." he said.
"You sent her to Coruscant," Jaina finished, "That's why she left. Sith, when is she due back?"
Gavin huffed, "We don't know when she's due back. Could be a week or more...Coruscant's a long way from Borealis,"
Jaina nodded and shook her head, "Does Kyp know why she's gone?"
"He knows she went to Coruscant, she told him, but he doesn't know why and you can't tell him." Jaina glared at him as he continued, "If Durron knew and took an x-wing to Coruscant, he'd risk Sera's cover and they'd both be killed,"
"Or she might die on Coruscant, or be dead already," Jaina snapped, "He loves her, Colonel. This mission is suicide..."
"It's not, dangerous yes, but not suicide," Gavin snapped, "If Sera runs into trouble, a team will be dispatched to pick her up,"
Jaina snorted and laughed sarcastically, "That's wishful thinking, sir, counting on the fact she won't be dead by the time you get there."
"Sera will be all right. She's been on missions like this before, espionage is not new to her. She knows what she's doing," he said coolly and Jaina huffed, "She'll be all right,"
"I hope she will be sir, but if she dies, I'm not going to be the one to tell Kyp the woman he loves is dead. That'll be your job," she retorted and left the office.
tbc
Chapter 3, Post #1
The world ship will be ready to attack in less than a week, m'lord, The Dark One's words echoed in Sera's head as she made her way away from the rebel's hideout. She had to admit, the first time she saw the mother ship in the lair, she was taken aback. As a Jedi, she'd never heard of a resistance leader that would go as far as the Dark One to beat the Vong. Then there was what he thought before she left, that left her baffled.
She knew the Dark One was the leader of the resistance, Colonel Darklighter told her that much before she left but who was the 'm'lord' he was thinking of. Sera dreaded the answer the more she thought about it. What if the resistance wasn't entirely forthcoming about their goals? What if the current Dark One was a spy for the Vong...
No, I need to stop thinking that way, unless he was a decoy for the real Dark One. Sera stopped in her tracks. Decoy. She wouldn't be that surprised. After all, Jaina herself had a decoy. Sera smirked and dipped her hood lower over her face as she turned and walked back to the lair.
~~
Cherith frowned, twirling her light purple lightsabre around. It was really a borrowed lightsabre, from a spare pile. She hoped to have made one of her own by now but she knew she wasn't ready for that yet. But that wasn't the reason for her frown.
She could feel Kyp's pain and worry about Sera. In fact, normally, Kyp would block Cherith's every blow very easily but today, he was careless and unfocused. Finally, Cherith shut off her lightsabre and grabbed a towel, smiling at her Master. "Why don't we take a break?" she suggested.
Kyp shrugged, "I was that horrible, huh? I'm sorry, Cherith. I'm just really worried about Sera. I want her to come back safely, from Coruscant or Yuuzhan'tar."
"You have every reason to be worried, Master," she said and sat down on the bench next to him, "You love her."
"I asked her to fly with me one time. There was an empty spot in the Dozen and I asked her if she wanted it. Besides being a wonderful linguist and a Jedi, she's an incredible pilot," Kyp smiled, "For a while, I thought she was going to accept the offer but then she changed her mind at the last minute. I believe, she had every intention in taking that spot but she chose not to. Maybe it was because of me." Cherith looked at him incredulously, "What? You don't think her feelings for me ran back that far and that deep?"
Cherith smiled, "I believe they do...Maybe she had a prior engagement,"
He nodded, "She did. Wurth Skidder. They'd just broken up. She never told me why she didn't accept the spot, but now I suspect it was because of my bad timing. I asked her to become a part of my squadron, while she was struggling with her feelings for Wurth and me."
"You think you're more focused now so you can block my blows, or do you want to call it quits for today?" Cherith asked. Kyp shrugged, ready to grab his lightsabre again but Cherith felt he was too distracted and stopped him. "We'll pick it up tomorrow,"
Kyp smiled, "Thanks, Cherith," he mused and stood up, grabbing his black cape and left the training room. Once he was gone, Cherith left her stuff on the bench and walked over to Valin.
"Hey, do you need someone to spar with?" Cherith asked him.
"Not really. I'm about ready to leave. Where did your Master go?"
Cherith swayed her head, "I was beating him badly over there," she started, "The lightsabre practice...He was distracted,"
Valin smiled, "You are getting good with that...Wanna go one round?"
"I'd love too," Cherith smiled and removed her lightsabre, igniting its purple blade.
~~
Jaina Solo clenched her teeth as she stormed into hers and Jag's apartment. She felt like screaming and crying...She'd missed Tyria's memorial and blamed herself for her death and now, Sera, a woman she looked up to as an older sister was sacrificing her life for Jaina and her daughter. How much more blood could Jaina take? How many more people had to die because of her?
Finally, Jaina let out that scream and fell onto the bed, crying into a pillow. As she laid there crying, she felt Jag reach out to her through their bond and comfort her. But it didn't help.
Jaina, what is it? Why are you so upset, love? he asked.
Jaina nodded and sobbed, Because...so many people are sacrificing everything they love for me...Jag, I don't want people to die. Sera, she doesn't deserve...
Jag was quiet for a minute and then he whispered back, I'll be right there...
No, stay where you are. I just want to be alone right now, but thanks for the offer, love,
Jaina, I'm your husband. We made a promise to each other on Naboo to always be there for each other...I'm coming over and you can't say anything to stop me, Jag concluded.
She smiled partially and then sobbed some more, hugging the pillow tighter against her chest. First Tyria and now Sera...It wasn't right.
tbc
Chapter 3, Post #2
Kyp Durron sighed, walking into his dark apartment and falling onto his bed, face-first into his pillow. He then turned over, staring at the wall. This is what's it's like to be deeply in love and worry about that person, he thought, I think I was better off before becoming romantically involved.
He reached out with the Force...Sera was too far too reach so he opted to spy on his apprentice instead. He saw Cherith smile, sweat across her brow, firmly holding her purple lightsaber. She was sparring? Who was she sparring with?
As he panned the room, he caught a glimpse of Valin Horn, the same sweat and smile pursing his lips. Kyp rolled his eyes and closed off the connection. He'd told Cherith time and again to take things slowly with him, but obviously, she hadn't listened to a word he'd said.
"Typical Solo," he grunted, "At least she doesn't have to worry about him leaving anytime soon on a potentially dangerous mission,"
Kyp stood up from the bed. It was too early to turn in, he figured, maybe the bar is still open. The Jedi Master smirked and promptly left the apartment.
~~~
Valin huffed as he slammed back against the blue mat and rolled his eyes when he saw the triumphant grin on Cherith's face. He waved his hand and jumped up, regaining his balance. "Now, that wasn't fair..You tripped me?"
"Me trip you? Are you sure? Because I think you fell on your own, or maybe you misjudged my moves..." Cherith ranted and then squirmed when Valin came at her and pinned her onto the mat. "Okay, now that was very unfair...I wasn't prepared,"
He shrugged and smirked, "You were rambling. I had to do something to get you shut-up,"
Cherith's eyes narrowed and she burst out laughing, "You could have just said so,"
"Could have but I caught you off guard and it was the perfect way to get you back for tripping me,"
Again, Cherith was shocked she was being accused of tripping him but it was only playful banter. Cherith noticed how close their bodies were and cleared her throat. Valin mumbled an apology and stood up. Cherith bit her lip and hooked her lightsaber back onto her belt. "Um, it's getting late. Maybe we should call it quits?"
Valin smiled again, "Cherith Fel quitting? What's the matter, are you scared I might beat you?"
Cherith rolled her eyes and nodded, "Ya see, there's that stubborn Horn ego. No male ego. I can beat you. Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean I can't. I'm a Solo and hello, look at who my grand uncle is..."
"Fine Fel, bring it on," Valin challenged and ignited his lightsaber again.
"Just bring it on, Horn," Cherith countered and ignited her lightsaber. "You wanna make a bet?"
He shrugged, "You're not going to win, Cherith..."
"Loser has to buy the winner's dinner, well, that is if I win," she grinned.
"If I win, you buy me dinner and..." Valin's grin widened, "A date. A dinner would be considered as a date, wouldn't it?"
Cherith's smile disappeared as she lowered her arm and disengaged her lightsaber. "A date? Are you serious? Valin, I was..." Before she could say anything else, Valin kissed her.
Half of the Jedi in the room saw the display and whistled. Cherith and Valin moaned and backed away from each other, forgetting they weren't the only ones in the gym room. Cherith looked at Valin again and smiled, "How about just dinner that's not a date?"
"Not a date? Fine, but I'm still going to beat you..."
Cherith was fired up now and re-ignited her lightsaber, "Enough small talk. Let's get this over with so I can crush your male ego,"
~~~
Sera lowered her hood as she returned to the rebel's lair. A guard wasn't there to escort her in, so she bypassed security walked straight into the lair. As usual, they were all rushing about, working on plans or something. Sera gazed around the interior and then smiled once she saw the Dark One talking to a young woman, a lieutenant. She waved him over. The woman saw her and she left the Dark One's side and met Sera.
"Yes? How may I help you?"
Sera looked down at the small woman and then at the Dark One, "I want to ask the Dark One some more questions. I was here before, I'm Sera Fey`lina," The woman glanced back at the Dark One and he shrugged and joined them, smiling at Sera again and was bound to say hello too but Sera cut him off. "I have more questions. There was just this thing you said about choosing leaders by lottery. As I left, I read your mind..."
The Dark One's eyes shot up and he looked worriedly at the small woman beside him. Sera caught the exchange but didn't comment about it. "You referred to someone else, a higher power...which was strange considering you're the leader of this group. Why would you need to answer to another power?"
He cleared his throat and gestured they leave the main area and walked into a small corridor. Once he was sure, no one else was listening, he turned and looked at Sera, "I'm not the Dark One," he whispered.
"Not?" Sera echoed, "But you said before...Your guard directed me to you...How could you not be?"
"I am," the woman beside him replied and smiled, "I'm the Dark One. Sorry for the deception, Sera Fey`lina but it was necessary. We don't allow very many visitors down here, and well, there's the Vong to worry about. Their spies are everywhere,"
Sera looked at the petite woman and then at the man she presumed was the Dark One. "You? Who are you then?"
"Maintenance. Head team leader for the world ship team," he said, "La -- The Dark One asked me to chauffeur you around and answer all questions you had,"
"Leave us now, Derek," the real Dark One said and waved her hand, dismissing him, "Again, I'm sorry for the deception, Sera. I probably should have figured it would be pointless to lie to a Jedi Knight,"
Sera smiled, "Yes, well, to be honest, I haven't been a Jedi Knight in a long time. My job is to gather information and deliver it to the proper people,"
The Dark One laughed as they moved along the corridor, "About your friends, Jaina Solo and Cherith Fel, the Vong do have some suspicion Jaina is alive but they do not know about Cherith,"
"I was afraid of that answer," Sera murmured, "I've been friends with Jaina for a long time..."
"We've all made sacrifices in this war, Sera," the Dark One interrupted, "Sorry, I can't stay long. I have a lot of work to get back to,"
Sera smiled, "Thank you again, Dark One for the Intel," The Dark One returned her smile and then walked back to the group, hanging around Derek again as his assistant. Clever girl, she thought. No one knew who the Dark One was, except for Derek and the real Dark One. "Very clever girl," she commented.
~~
Cherith couldn't stop grinning as she pulled Valin towards the bar. She won the duel and now her best friend had no choice but to buy her dinner...Hmm, that definitely sounded like a date, Cherith mused, but it's not. We're just too friends who hang out, nothing more. Nothing more. Valin shrugged her hand off his as they finally met the bartender.
"What would ya like, son?" he asked.
Valin looked at his grinning friend as she leaned over the counter, "Two steaks please, medium rare and mashed potatoes...Corellian style dressing please, and two drinks,"
The man raised his eyebrow and smiled, "You're both underage? Blue milk be fine?"
"Blue milk is fine," Cherith mused and then walked over to a booth.
Valin rolled his eyes and lowered his voice, "How much will that be?"
"20 credits," the bartender replied as Valin counted out 20 and gave them to him. The man smiled and winked at him, "Enjoy your date, son,"
"Um, it's not a date. I lost a bet," Valin murmured before sulking over to the booth where Cherith was at. Cherith's grin lessoned, but Valin could feel she was still very proud of herself that she kicked his butt at sparring. "Next time princess, next time you'll buy me dinner,"
"Is that a challenge, Valin Horn?"
He nodded, "I should have won that sparring match easily...Besides, I let you win,"
"No, I won," Cherith mused and smiled as the bartender brought over a large tray with their food.
He smiled and winked at Valin, "Enjoy your food...and your date," he said. Once the food was set, he took the tray away and grinned again, leaving the two of them alone.
tbc
Chapter 3, Post #3
Jaina Solo willed herself not to cry another tear, but her will wasn't that strong as Jag finally arrived. She didn't turn to him as he settled on the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. Jaina turned to him and smiled and then cried some more. "I hope I didn't take you away from anything important,"
He nodded and smiled, "I was just talking to Uncle Wedge, nothing important...What I'm worried about is you. The last time I saw you, were happy and now, you're in tears,"
"It's just too much death, Jag. I know people die in wars all the time, but I can't take it anymore. I mean, is this the type of universe you want to bring our twins into?"
Jag shrugged, "No. I would have liked to have waited until the war was over, actually,"
"Exactly my point, Jag," Jaina cried, "Tyria and now, Sera..what will happen if one of us dies? I know I'm less likely to die since I've already been dead, but it's still risky,"
Jag nodded and grasped her hands, "Life is risky, Jaina. Life is dangerous, but that can't stop you from living and wanting to grow," he smiled and rested his hand on Jaina's stomach, "I am more than happy I get to be a father again and this time, get the chance to see watch both of them grow up and hold their little hands,"
Jaina smiled and touched Jag's left cheek with her hand, rubbing it, "I know you'll be a great father. I love you, Jagged Fel,"
"I know," he smiled and blushed, "I love you, Mrs. Fel,"
"Mrs. Fel, Mrs. Jaina Solo Fel," Jaina mused and hugged Jag, "If you're not too busy right now, could you stay with me for awhile?"
"As long as you wish, my love," he whispered.
~~
Kyp Durron walked idly into the lounge and grabbed himself a place at the bar, ordering a glass of Corellian ale. As he turned around to survey the room of pilots, he frowned when he saw Cherith and Valin alone in a booth. His mouth nearly dropped as he stared at them. They weren't kissing but Valin had left his place and sat next to her and they were talking, well, Cherith was talking more than Valin.
The Jedi Master debated whether he should walk over and say something or not say anything at all. Was it really his right as her Master to say something, or did those rights belong to her parents? Kyp grunted, stood up, straightened his cloak and started to walk towards the booth and then stopped.
No, keep walking, Durron, he commanded himself. They're both too young to be in a relationship.
Yes, another voice said, but they have a special bond and they're young. Let them live their lives.
Where did you come from? The first voice demanded, Continue your walk, Durron and give them a lecture,
Not to be the third voice, but I think the second echo is right, Kyp interrupted himself. They are just friends. Cherith told me as much and I believed her.
What do you know, Durron? The first voice retorted.
I trust both Valin and Cherith, he replied, So, I'm just going to walk over and say hello. No lectures, period. End of discussion!
He heard the second voice laugh at the first voice but Kyp didn't bother to say anything else to his self and simply walked over the booth. Cherith saw him and began to breathe faster. Valin on the other hand simply grinned and said hi. "Hey Cherith, I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to say thanks for cutting our sparring session short today,"
Cherith looked at Valin and smiled, "No problem, Master Durron...Um, was there something else you wanted?"
Kyp shrugged, "Nothing else. You two enjoy your dinner," he grinned and left the two teens alone. Cherith looked at him curiously as he left and sat down again at the bar, thanking the bartender.
"Okay, that was weird," she mused, "I almost got the impression he came over to lecture us,"
"Don't worry about it, Cherith," Valin smiled and from under the table, grasped her hand in his.
~~
Jag backed away a little as Jaina's sobs subsided and she smiled through her tears. He'd seen her cry once before their first kiss. She was so vulnerable, so innocent and her eyes...To see her brown eyes turn cold like that with fear and to see it again, stung his heart. Jag brushed away some of her tears with his hand and kissed her forehead.
"Are you feeling any better?" he whispered, hugging her tightly.
Jaina nodded, "A little, thanks for staying with me, Jag,"
"I'll always be here for you, Jaina. Always. We made a promise to each other, remember?" He grinned and kissed her cheek, this time brushing away her bangs.
Jaina smiled and snuggled closer to her husband as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her. She realized people die in wars, but for her, the death was hitting too close to home. Before the war started, she was young and so innocent, only 16 years old. She was with her brothers then, Anakin and Jacen. Jaina never really needed to be protected then because she took care of herself, but then Jacen and Anakin died, she was alone and forced to deal with her pain. To live life without them by her side. "I miss them," she whispered, "I miss my brothers...I'm pregnant with twins, their nieces or nephews and they'll never get the chance to know them or Cherith,"
Jag rubbed her cheek lovingly, smiled and then frowned, "I know the feeling. I wish Davin and Cherith were here too to meet their niece."
"The pain, it never goes away, does it? It's always there?" Jaina questioned, not really expecting an answer from him.
"I wish it did, but it never does," Jag replied as he stroked her brown hair and kissed her temple. "This may sound corny, but they're always watching you. How else would they know to come to you when you were dying? They knew and they wanted to ease your pain, because they didn't want to see you in pain,"
Jaina nodded and smiled a little, "I guess they were watching me those last days,"
Jag smiled and kissed her cheek, "Of course, they were watching you," he whispered and kissed her temple again. Jaina turned to him and smiled again. For the first time, she noticed how loving he was...Well, yes she knew he loved her but the feeling, sensing the warmth and love within, made her blush and her breath quicken as Jag kissed her. For one moment, she forgot all her sadness and only felt the love of her husband.
tbc
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AERYN_SUN
Registered:
Apr '01
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Date Posted:
4/26/03 11:28am
Subject:
RE: The Sweetest Thing (Sequel to 'I'd Miss You Still) J/J romance, Chapter 1 up!
- Date Edited:
6/26/03 12:45pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
AERYN_SUN
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The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 4, Post #1
Padme Skywalker hummed to herself as she sat at her dressor, brushing her hair. Both Luke and Leia had offered her a place at their apartments and although she would have loved to stay with them, she chose to have a place of her own. They would have preferred it if she decided to stay with one of them but they didn't voice their objections, but she knew.
The room was wonderful, so Padme didn't mind when her children would visit her during the week and talk. Padme did less talking as Luke or Leia would talk about their children. Whenever Luke visited, he'd always bring little Ben with her. She knew already about Anakin, Leia's youngest son who died on a mission and also about Jacen, who vanished, returned and then died.
It pained Padme to know Leia had lost both her sons and now all she had left was Jaina and her family. Padme hummed less as she put down the brush and smiled.
He was there. She could feel it. "Hello, Ben," she whispered.
Obi-Wan smiled and sat down on the bed, //Hello. I just came to see how things were going,//
She shrugged and turned to him finally, the smile still lingering, "I thought you were watching. Isn't that what guardian angels do?"
//Most of the time,// he whispered, //But seriously, I want to hear it from you. You have your own place-- didn't Luke and Leia beg you to stay with them?//
Padme laughed, "They begged and begged, probably even used a Jedi mind trick on me, but I still refused. It's allright though because they visit me whenever they can,"
Ben frowned and crossed his arms, //Padme, why are you distancing yourself from your children? You've been apart from them for almost two decades,//
"I know," she said, "Don't think I'm not grateful to be here. I am but I don't know...I just feel..."
//That you don't belong here?// Ben finished and smiled, //Padme, you do belong here. You always have. You shouldn't be still blaming yourself for what happened. What happened to Anakin was not your fault, //
She nodded and sighed, "But I was a part of the reason why we lost him,"
Ben shrugged, //There were a lot of reasons why we lost him but Padme, but it was never your fault,//
"After we lost him, what would have happened if we had just controlled our feelings and also what would have happened if we never met and I fell in love with you, instead."
Obi-Wan stared hard at Padme. Many years after they parted, they never once talked about thier feelings but there was always a special bond, there was always a special connection.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." Padme started.
//No,// Ben said, //I've always known there was something special between us,//
Padme shrugged, "I've felt it too. Ben, Obi-wan, I love you. I've always loved you,"
He smiled, //I know. I've always loved you too,//
They were both silent for a long time, neither of them sure what else to say.
tbc
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JainaJediQueen
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Aug '02
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Date Posted:
4/26/03 12:40pm
Subject:
RE: The Sweetest Thing (Sequel to 'I'd Miss You Still) J/J romance, Chapter 1 up!
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You had to let your Obidalaness show throught didn't you?! j/k great post can't wait for more
~*~The Queen~*~
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Jaina *something* Queen-that's ME!
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Eowyn_Jade
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Jan '03
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Date Posted:
4/26/03 1:14pm
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