Beyond - Legends By the Light of the Moons--Response to the Jaina/Zekk Holiday Challenge

Title: By the Light of the Moons
Timeframe: Post-NJO
Characters: Jaina, Zekk, Kyp, and a few others
Genre: Romance (probably AU as well)
Keywords: Jaina, Zekk, romance, holiday
Author Notes: This is so incredibly sappy it puts even my teeth on edge--you have been warned. Oh, yeah, and it's kind of long for a one-poster.

By the Light of the Moons

It was snowing outside. It had been, for quite some time. Jaina Solo admitted that it was perfect weather for the old Corellian Festival of the Moons, though the snow had been driving her crazy?when it was snowing like this, she couldn?t go outside. Which made it harder to avoid her brother, her mother, her father, Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, and Kyp. Much harder.

That difficulty had resulted in the current situation. Jaina should have known better than to think she could dodge her twin forever.

She?d just thought she could hold out a little longer. And if not for the snow?and it never snowed this much on Corellia, even in winter?she could have.

?I?m inviting him.? Jacen?s voice was steady and implacable, and Jaina suddenly missed the dreamy, easily distracted younger twin she used to be able to intimidate so easily.

?No,? she said. ?Absolutely not. Jacen??

He held the comlink high out of her reach, easily twisting himself out of the way of her reaching fingers to duck under the garland of greenery that had been draped around the room. ?Jaina,? he said in almost the exact same exasperated and slightly frustrated tone that she had used on him, ?you?ve been doing nothing but mope around for the last few days, and I?m tired of it.?

Jaina crossed her arms over her chest and glared. ?I have not been moping,? she said impatiently. ?Don?t call him, Jacen.?

?What else do you call sitting around, tinkering with your ship and anyone else?s in range, and biting the head off anyone who comes too close?? Jacen asked. ?No,? he added hurriedly as she opened her mouth to give a heated response. ?Don?t answer that.? He sighed. ?All right, why are you so set against me inviting him? He?s just an old friend, right??

?Jacen, it?s not fair to him!? Jaina burst out. ?There?s the situation with Jag, and??

?What ?situation??? Jacen muttered under his breath. ?Jag?s not even out here.?

Jaina was not to be dissuaded. ?I don?t want to make him uncomfortable,? she finished rather lamely. She took a deep breath and tried valiantly to make her excuse sound a little less fake. She couldn?t tell Jacen that the reason she didn?t want Zekk here was not because of the dark-haired young man at all?it was because of her. Because she was scared of what her reaction would be if she saw him again, afraid that they had gone too far now and things between them were broken beyond repair. ?I don?t want to put him in a situation where he?ll only be hurt??

?To be honest, Jaya,? Jacen broke in, ?I think he?ll be a lot more hurt if you don?t invite him.?

?What?? Jaina stared at her brother. ?What kind of spice??

?No kind of spice.? Jacen smiled, the lopsided Solo grin that was a gift of their father?s genes. ?Just the Force?and the fact that I?ve spent a lot more time around Zekk than you have lately. Trust me.? His smile turned rueful and sadly affectionate. ?He won?t show it and he won?t ever talk about it and he probably won?t even realize it himself, but it?s been an entire year since you broke up with Jag and practically everyone else from the Academy days is going to be here. He?ll be hurt, Jaina.? His face slid back into that set, stubborn expression. ?And I?m going to call him whether you like it or not.?

Jaina sighed and gave in. ?All right,? she said. ?Fine. Make the vapin? call.?



When the call came through, something strong and hot and hopeful surged upward in Zekk?s heart so hard it hurt. He could feel a bright, teasing light humming through the Force, the feeling he only ever associated with one person, and his fingers had depressed the ?accept? button before he even realized what he was doing, his jacket

 

This was Beautiful ST. The flow so smooth it compelled you into the world you wove. It was a world I was happy to be in.

 

Wow! It's clear you can write just as brilliantly in Beyond the Saga as you do in the Saga! lovely!

 

Lovely lovely lovely! That was one of those things that just makes your day by reading it, you know? The bit with the japor snippet was a really great touch!

 

Beautiful...oh, why can't profic be this way?

I love the imagery in this fic and the attention to detail - it paints such a vivid picture of what's going on. It was wonderful how they finally did come together, that all the waiting could culminate in a perfect moment.


Like the two moons in the sky, the two souls had finally found alignment.

Wonderful.

 

Oh, this was perfect! You really should write sap more often.

?No kind of spice.? Jacen smiled, the lopsided Solo grin that was a gift of their father?s genes. ?Just the Force?and the fact that I?ve spent a lot more time around Zekk than you have lately. Trust me.? His smile turned rueful and sadly affectionate. ?He won?t show it and he won?t ever talk about it and he probably won?t even realize it himself, but it?s been an entire year since you broke up with Jag and practically everyone else from the Academy days is going to be here. He?ll be hurt, Jaina.?

I enjoyed the interaction between Jacen and Zekk, because their friendship is something that tends to be pften overshadowed by Zekk's love for Jaina. And Jacen's read on Zekk is dead-on.

Jacen?s grin widened. ?Only that the talking mynock in my dreams answers questions just like Vergere used to."

Nice job fitting the talking mynock in!

Zekk swallowed, and it got caught up on something on his throat and burned on the way down.

Beautiful description there.

But most of Jaina?s attention was reserved for Zekk. He had changed since she?d last seen him, though the emerald contrast of his two-tone eyes was still the same and he still wore his dark hair back in a tail that reached past his shoulders. His features were more angular, having lost the last softness of youth, his pale skin warmed by a slight tan, his eyes deep and dark. He was still lean, but now his wiry build was filled out by muscle under his loose black flightsuit and he moved with a lithe, careful grace.

Equally beautiful description there, as well.

It warmed something in Jaina?s chest that had been cold for a long time to see Zekk?s fascination with the snow. It was rare that she saw the serious Jedi Knight this excited about anything, and she couldn?t help smiling as he held out his gloved hands so that the snowflakes would settle on them and watched them as they melted.

I can't fangirl enough over your characterization. Little details like Zekk's fascination with the snow and, later, the "the courteous, grateful way he still treated anyone who did anything for him" bring a beautiful, plausible depth to Zekk's character.

He, too, was dressed for the occasion, in formal Jedi tunics and a long dark cape, his silver-dusted curls held back in a tail much as Zekk?s hair was.

I think I just died of shock at the thought of Kyp dressing up.

He pulled out a simple wooden charm, carved with intricate symbols, on a silver chain. ?I was on Naboo a few weeks ago, and a woman named Pooja Naberrie?she was about your mom?s age?approached me and gave me this. She said that her aunt had had it when she was buried, and that someone who had meant a lot to her must have given it to her. She said she wanted me to have it, so I?d kept it ever since. I?I thought it fit you.? He shrugged. ?It?s a japor snippet. Apparently it?s believed they bring good fortune on Tatooine.?

Such a perfect touch.

Those they had lost looked on and smiled. Like the two moons in the sky, the two souls had finally found alignment.

Perfect. Absolutely beautiful.

 

To Neo-Paladin: Thanks , and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I liked that world, too . . . .

To VaderLVR64: Thank you. Actually, I've written in all eras, so far, though Saga is probably my favorite. And I'm so thrilled you think I write brilliantly!

To Lusa_Thul: This thing made your day? That makes me so happy! I'm glad I could return the favor, after the story I read of yours. You might convert me to that pairing yet.

To Inara: Thanks . . . though I've often wondered that myself . . . . I enjoy detail quite a bit--I think it makes the fic seem more real if you have the right amount, not too much and not too little, so I always try to do that in my stories.

To jedi_of_ennth: Wow, a long review! My favorite thing! Thanks. I actually enjoyed writing something so sappy--though I couldn't completely avoid the angst. I don't seem to be able to. I wanted to show the frienship between Jacen and Zekk, because I think people forget that they were very good friends too (and that Zekk was one of the only ones who laughed at Jacen's jokes . . . .) Thanks again. I'm glad you thought so. And I didn't know how to fit the mynock in other than that! I really thought about Zekk's character for this fic, so I'm glad you liked it. I wish this was the way profic had gone, instead of creepy joinerism. Heh heh--yeah, about Kyp, I figured either Leia or Mara had forced him in to that outfit with a blaster to his head. I'm glad you liked the japor snippet bit. I debated putting it in there, but I like now that I decided on it.

 

I just can not even begin to say how much I adore this story. If I were to quote all my favorite lines we?d be here all day but there are some that deserve to be commented on.

Blaster bolts, you?re such a tangled mess of unresolved tension I?m surprised she hasn?t noticed it by now?aren?t you two supposed to be Jedi??

My thoughts exactly. Plus, you get extra points because you used the number one YJK cheesy catchphrase

Whatever was left of . . . that . . . is dead now

I refuse to believe that, even in canon.

part of her wanted to just stand there and listen to his voice, not even the words she couldn?t quite make out, but the slight lilt to it and the way he rounded and sharpened his vowels and the roughness of his consonants.

She had missed hearing that voice over the years of the war.

I loved the description of Zekk?s accent.

?I told her that all she had to do was remember me, and that would be enough.?

Here?s where my heart is divided. I?m almost as big of a Kyp fan as I am a Zekk fan and I don?t like to see either of them get hurt (like they always do).

Kyp Durron watched as Zekk approached Jaina after the conclusion of the ceremony. The party had begun and would most likely last through the night, but he didn?t feel much like celebrating. Actually he felt vaguely ill and strangely like crying, but he couldn?t tear his eyes away from Jaina, however much it deepened the wound he?d already carved into his own heart.

Argh! How can you make me smile over the Zekk/Jaina mush while being brokenhearted over the Kyp angst at the same time? You are a fiend of the worst kind SakuraTsukikage!

Those they had lost looked on and smiled. Like the two moons in the sky, the two souls had finally found alignment.

You got to love that ending.

 

Awwwwww.....that was so sweet



I just loved the fight in the snow, Kyp bowing out gracefully, the kiss...

Bravo Padawan!

 

*deep contented sigh* Awwww.... that was perfect... the awkwardness, Jacen needing to invite Zekk, and knowing he'd be hurt for not being included (I loved this since Jacen and Zekk were always good friends too )...

I loved the snowball fight, and the aftermath where Zekk almost kissed Jaina and then thought better of it, that was perfect for the two of there where their relationship was at that moment.

And the inclusion of the Japor snippet was perfect. I hadn't thought of that, but including Pooja was great, even in passing reference.

And I adored Kyp's bow-out! Very graceful, very in cahracter for Kyp


And the ending was perfect. A little sap goes a long, long way, awesome challenge entry!

 

Wow. I'm really amazed. That was brilliant. The imagery was beautiful.

I absolutely love the symbolism at the end. It pulls the story to a close so beautifully. Wow.

Wonderful piece, very well-written. I loved the light-hearted fun between Jaina and Zekk; it was perfect.

Keep writing!

 

Beautiful! This was such a lovely touching story, it was a great pleasure to read.

 

To Healer_Leona: Awww, thank you. That's the feeling I was going for, but I was little afraid it would be too much. Romance and mush isn't what I'm really used to writing.

To emeraldshadow: Wow, another great long review! Thanks so so much! Those are my thoughts as well, so I just had Jacen say them. And I get extra points? Yay! I refuse to believe it as well. Actually, I don't think it is. From what I'm seeing at the moment in canon, Jaina/Zekk has a better chance than any other pairing for either of them. Which isn't saying much, but ah well. I'm glad you liked the accent, I thought about how I wanted to describe it and what I wanted it to be for a long time. I know how you feel, and I'm sorry about the Kyp-angst--I really am! I just like Kyp so much that I couldn't simply overlook him. I like Kyp and Zekk about the same, I think. Sorry about the fiendishness. I'm glad you liked it.

To Kelia: Thanks so much! Sweet was what I was going for.

To Jade_Max: I'm glad you liked it! I wanted to have interaction between Zekk and Jacen because too many people forget about their friendship, and since Jacen is a bit distanced from the situation he can probably see it better than either of them. The japor snippet just occurred to me randomly, and, since Zekk is so good at finding things, I thought I'd work it in. I worked hard on the Kyp part, it was hard to get him in character and I still wasn't sure if I'd managed it, so I'm glad you liked it. And thanks again!

To DathomiranAuthor: Wow, thanks. I liked the symbolism, I'm glad you did too. And they needed to have fun together, I thought. And I always will!

To angeladear: Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

oh, wow.

Great job!

"No kind of spice"

Overall, it was soo great!




candybar *~*~

 

Amazing: The Jappor Snippet was incredible in it's symbolism. Nice that such an heirloom could remain in the family.

 

To Kit_Kat: Glad you liked it. I liked that line too.

To ZebulaNebula: Thanks so much! Of course, they don't even know it's a family heirloom.