Beyond - Legends Christmas Reunion, a post RotJ-AU, Finally COMPLETED 1/4

Title: Christmas Reunion

Rating: G

Characters: Luke, Anakin Skywalker, Leia, Han, and a couple of surprise characters.

Time Frame: A few months after RotJ

Author's Notes: This short story is a Christmas story, but it's not for the holiday fanfic challenge going on here. Nope, I have to take the blame for this little plot bunny all on my own.

"Christmas Reunion" is part of my own Alternate Universe world where Anakin has survived RotJ and been healed and reconciled with his children. It's supposed to take place immediately after my current WIP, "Fear," but I have tried not to include any major spoilers for the end of that story. And I don't think it's necessary to have read any of my other works to understand this one, as long as you know that Anakin is alive and well and part of the family.

One last thing-I'm notorious for long introductions, it's a wonder I have any readers-I'm lazy or very busy (take your pick) and I have shamelessly borrowed lots of "earthy" customs rather than taking the time to make up an original holiday with its own Star Warsy traditions. Sorry about that.

Kristeh

Chapter 1

"Han, that?s enough,? Leia laughingly protested as her husband leaned close to give her a lingering kiss, for about the twentieth time in the last hour. ?We?re never going to finish decorating at this rate.?

Han pretended to look hurt, ?What, are you saying you don?t enjoy my kisses?? and proceeded to steal another.

Leia gave him a little shove, though she was smiling. ?Quite the contrary, nerf-herder. But there is a time and a place for everything. And right now we are trying to finish decorating the tree before the concert this evening.?

?Well, its not my fault,? Han gave her his famous roguish grin. ?You shouldn?t keep standing under the mistletoe.?


?Luke,? she said warningly. ?I don?t care how much Han is paying you. Hang that mistletoe back in the foyer where it belongs, or I?m returning your present.?

Luke grinned at her. ?Killjoy,? he remarked amiably even as he floated the mistletoe back to the foyer to attach itself to the chandelier there.

He supposed it was a silly little trick to use the Force to have mistletoe follow his sister around the apartment, but he?d been in high spirits ever since she and two of the padawans had miraculously escaped death on Naboo a couple of weeks ago. It was such a relief to have the terrorists captured and the anti-Jedi sentiments dispersed. And now that Christmas was approaching and the family had gathered together on Coruscant to spend the holidays together, he was almost giddy with happiness at times.

They all were. They knew how fortunate they were to be together. Luke glanced at the door to the kitchen where Threepio and Artoo were beeping and arguing as they prepared a spicy jug of cider and kept an eye on baking gingerbread cookies, then over at his father, who was kneeling on the floor sorting through boxes of Christmas decorations. It was Anakin?s first Christmas with them, and he was as excited as a child himself. He?d thrown himself into all the holiday preparations-shopping for presents, cooking special treats, and now decorating Leia and Han?s apartment-with zeal.

?How about these strands of golden beads?? Anakin asked, holding one up. ?Do they go on the tree, or somewhere else??

?The tree,? Luke told him, and Anakin caused the box to float over to the gigantic tree in the corner of the room where Leia, Luke, and Han were all busy hanging tinsel, Christmas balls, and other brightly-colored ornaments from its branches.

Leia shook her head in amusement. ?It?s not fair. You two get out of doing any of the heavy work. What a frivolous use of the Force,? she teased.

?You could learn to do it, too,? Luke pointed out. Leia had learned to do a few things. For one, she was very good at sensing the truth. But she wasn?t interested in becoming a full Jedi. She said, and Luke had to admit she had a point, that her job as Vice-Chancellor kept her busy enough.

Perhaps Leia?s though

 

That was a great story!

 

will Anakin recognize his stepbrother?

I'll have to read your other stories. Are the links in your bio?

 

Excellent as always, Kristeh!

Well, the "reunion" between Anakin and Owen should be very interesting, to say the least! Owen must have quite a few things to say to Anakin.

Looking forward to more.

 

I'm glad you got this plot bunny. It means I get to read 2 of your stories.

 

oh so nice... just stumbled across it and Had to read it...

you have some really good plot bunnies

 

Hi, everyone,

I wanted to reply to all of you who've been kind enough to leave feedback and post ch. 2.

GreatOne: Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the beginning, and I hope you'll like the rest, too.

Jedi_Liz: Thank you! Well, Anakin probably wouldn't have recognized Owen just from seeing him at the Refugee Center. It has been over 20 years since they've seen each other, and Owen and Beru have changed a lot. But he knows that they were Luke's guardians, and now that Luke has told everyone who they are, he and the Lars know each other.

>>>I'll have to read your other stories. Are the links in your bio?

Thanks, I hope you'll enjoy them. It's always wonderful to have a new reader! And yes, the links and brief summaries are in my bio.

Gina: Thanks! Yes, things could get tense between both of the Lars and Anakin. Like I said, I've been wanting to bring Owen and Beru back for a while now.

When I was writing the Tatooine sequence in "The Lost Ones" I started thinking how interesting it would be to see how the Lars would feel about Luke being a Jedi, and Anakin's redemption. And how Anakin would feel about Luke's other "parents" being part of his life again. It seemed like the story had lots of potential and I couldn't resist. Now I just hope I can do it justice.

RebelMom: Wow, thank you! Your kind words are so encouraging.

Cala: Thank you! You're good with plot bunnies yourself, you know.

Thank you all! It's really great to know people are enjoying this story. I know I won't get this finished by Christmas itself, but I'll do my best to get it completed by New Year's. Since it's a Christmas story, it does seem a little silly to drag it out past then, huh? Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.

Kristeh

Christmas Reunion Chapter 2

A stunned silence greeted Luke?s announcement.

?I thought they were dead,? Han finally said.

?So did I,? Luke turned to his aunt and uncle, hardly daring to believe that they were alive and standing beside him. ?Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen, what happened??

?Some Imperial stormtroopers showed up early that morning, demanding to know where those two droids were,? Owen told him. ?We said we didn?t know what they were talking about. I knew they were up to no good, stormtroopers never are. But they didn?t believe us. Wanted to take us in for questioning. A fight broke out. They shot at us, we shot at them. Next thing we know the farm?s going up in flames, and we?re both under arrest and headed to prison camp on some desolate world that makes Tatooine look civilized.?

?I saw skeletons,? Luke whispered. ?I thought-?

?Must have been some of those troopers,? Owen grunted.

?Oh, honey, I wish we could have let you know,? Beru squeezed his hand. ?We were so worried about you, not knowing if they?d found you, or what had happened to you. We nearly went crazy.? Her eyes filled with tears. ?I can?t believe you?re here, and we?re together again. I thought we?d lost you forever.?

?I know,? Luke hugged them both again. His aunt and uncle were alive! He could hardly believe it himself. It was just too good to be true. But they were here. He had to smile, just hearing their voices again was so wonderful. Their voices were raspy and thin, but still unmistakably theirs.

As he stepped back, he realized that he hadn?t introduced Owen and Beru to the other members of his family, and all of a sudden it occurred to him that it could be rather awkward. They knew about his father?s fall, but not about his redemption, and he wasn?t sure if they had known about Leia?s existence at all.

?Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru,? he began a little nervously. ?This is my sister, Leia, and her husband, Han Solo.?

Owen and Beru both looked stunned. Leia stepped close and said softly, ?I?m so glad I have the chance to meet you. Luke?s such a wonderful person. I?m looking forward to getting to know you better.?

?It?s nice to meet you,? Han shook hands with them, the Lars responding automatically, but still too surprise

 

It's going to take a lot of time for Owen to see Anakin as anything but a threat. Luke will be caught in the middle again. You sure like to put him through the emotional wringer.

 

oh my, Owen has a grudge against Anakin and he still wanted Luke to have nothing to do with his father....I'll try to read your other stories tomorrow and tuesday.

 

Why were they so shocked about Leia? They knew he had a twin, right?

Hmmm, more soon! Please! Great job!


A. Windsor

 

ooooo this is getting interesting.. very interesting indeed...

I wonder what Owen will do. I just can't believe that he'd just so easily accept that his "brother" might actually just be what he said he is...

 

Hmmm. You know, this could turn into quite an awkward situation.

Naturally, there's Owen and Beru's distrust of Anakin, but also think of it from Anakin's point of view. He just got his son back, and now, Luke's "parents" are back in his life.

He may fear that he will become less involved with Luke's life now, although I doubt that Luke would let that happen. But, Anakin's bound to have a few worries in that area.

The skeletons were stormtroopers. *smacks herself on the forehead (a la should've had a V8 style)*. Brilliant, Kristeh!

 

Hi, everyone,

I'm responding to your wonderful feedback, and posting the next couple of chapters. I will probably post again on Friday. Thank you all!

Kristeh

RebelMom: Thank you!

>>>It's going to take a lot of time for Owen to see Anakin as anything but a threat. Luke will be caught in the middle again.

Yes, Owen spent years trying to protect Luke and keep any knowledge of his father from him, and now Luke shows up with him right in tow. Owen's bound to be distrustful for a while. And though Beru is usually the more levelheaded one, in this case she's going to have conflicting emotions as well.

She'll be grateful to Anakin for saving Luke's life, but she will also have a hard time accepting that he also hurt Luke badly. Luke is her "baby", after all.

In fact, they won't completely resolve the tension in this story because, like you said, it's going to take time for them to be comfortable around each other, and I want to show that resolution in the story that will take place after this one. But they will get to the point that they're willing to give him a chance and they can all have a merry Christmas. It must have a happy ending, after all.

Jedi_Liz: Thank you! Yes, there will be some tension between the Lars and Anakin. About the other stories, I hope you'll enjoy them, but take your time. I know it's a lot to read.

That's one of the problems with writing a series. I think sometimes new readers can be discouraged at trying to catch up, but I'm having so much fun making up my own alternate universe series. It's what inspires me to write.

A-Windsor: Hello again, and thanks! About Leia, yes, Owen and Beru knew she existed, but they didn't know anything else about her. They were mainly surprised that out of all the people in the galaxy, Luke had somehow met up with her.

Cala: Thank you! You're right. Owen is pretty suspicious. I think he's that way by nature and just from growing up on Tatooine and all the events that have happened to him-losing his own mother, losing his stepmother, Shmi, in such a terrible way, and all. And then, everything he's heard about Anakin just makes it even harder for him to accept him.

Gina: Thank you!

>>>...also think of it from Anakin's point of view. He just got his son back, and now, Luke's "parents" are back in his life.

>>>He may fear that he will become less involved in Luke's life now...

Exactly! That's another side that I want to show in this story and the next-that Anakin will have his doubts and worries, too. Although he can see that Luke will be hurt if he and the Lars try to make him take sides, and Anakin loves Luke enough to try to hide his concerns and accomodate the Lars.

In fact, he'll do a better job of this than Owen and Beru will. But inside he does have reservations of his own.

>>>The skeletons were stormtroopers. Brilliant, Kristeh! But really, if Owen and Beru were alive, I just couldn't see any other way to explain the skeletons.

Okay, here's chapters 3 and 4. Thank you again for reading.

Merry Christmas!!! Christmas Reunion

Chapter 3

Anakin was standing by the window, looking up at the night sky when Luke came back to the living room.

?Leia and Han sent some clothes over,? he remarked, without turning around.

Luke glanced at the stack of neatly folded clothes lying on the sofa and then went over to stand beside Anakin. ?What?s wrong, Father??

Anakin looked at his son?s face, noticing that some of the joy had been replaced with concern. He decided right then and there that whatever reservations he and the Lars might have about one another, he would keep quiet about them and not ruin this reunion for Luke. His son deserved to be happy.

?Not a thing,? he smiled warmly at Luke and patted his shoulder. ?I was just looking at the stars. I always liked to look at them when I was a boy on Tatooine. I guess seeing Owen and Beru again made me think about that.?

?I can?t believe they?re alive.? Under other circumstances, Luke probably would have realiz

 

Luke is certainly the type to think that a little explanation will make everything okay.

 

Another great story kristeh

I am looking forward to see where this goes.

 

ever the idealist. I hope Leia can help. They more than deserve some happiness.

 

I think Luke is expecting too much too soon. There is so much history, pain and anger there. But, I know Luke won't give up on trying to heal the rift between his aunt and uncle and Anakin. That's what we love about him. He sees the good in people, even when no one else can.

Have a great Christmas, Kristeh!

 

Great Posts! And I think if anyone can convince Owen and Beru to forgive Anakin, Han and Leia can!

Looking forward to the rest of the story!

 

Hi, everyone,

I hope y'all had a great Christmas! I'm sorry I don't have time to reply individually now, I will tomorrow. Thank you, though, for the wonderful feedback!

Here's chapter 5. Hope you enjoy it.

Kristeh

Christmas Reunion Chapter 5

After Anakin, Leia, and Han had returned to the apartment next door, Luke went to check on his guardians. They were in one of the bedrooms (his own, actually), and his aunt was drying her eyes while his uncle stood nearby with his arm around her.

Luke paused in the doorway, ?Can I come in??

Beru smiled a little shakily. ?Of course, honey.?

He came over to hug her. ?Don?t cry, Aunt Beru. I didn?t mean to upset you, or Uncle Owen. I want us all to be happy.?

?I know,? she nodded. ?It?s just that it?s hard to for us to realize that you?ve suffered so much, and that we couldn?t protect you.?

?But everything?s all right now. That?s what I wanted you to know,? Luke tried to reassure them. ?And the last few years haven?t been all bad. I met Leia and Han and Chewie, and we?ve always been there for each other. I can?t wait for you guys to get to know them better. You?ll see how wonderful they are.?

Beru simply nodded again, and for a moment they were quiet. Then Luke added, a little hesitantly. ?I think I owe you both an apology.?

They looked startled.

?For what?? Owen asked.

?For expecting you to accept Father right away.? Luke noticed how his uncle?s face seemed to tighten at the mention of Anakin, and how Beru?s eyes filled with tears again, but he took a deep breath and went on.

?I guess it must be hard to understand how I could forgive him and love him, after the way things started out between us. And I know that the reason you?re upset and angry with him is because you love me.? Luke reached out to take their hands before continuing.

?I may not say this well, I don?t know if I can find the right words, but I want you both to know how much you mean to me. Even though I hope you?ll change your minds about Father, some day, I do appreciate that you care about me so much. I appreciate everything you did for me. And I love you, too, both of you, with all my heart.?

Beru pulled him close, and then all three of them were holding each other again. Beru and Luke wept again, briefly, and when they stepped apart, Luke thought he saw the glimmer of tears in his uncle?s eyes as well.

?Luke, we made some mistakes when you were growing up. Well, I should say I made some mistakes,? Owen glanced over at his wife and smiled. ?Your aunt was better with you than I was. But I?m proud of you. You made good choices, even when it was dangerous and could have cost you your life.?

He shook his head slightly. ?I?m not happy about-your father-being here. I don?t think I ever will be. But I am proud of you.?

Beru spoke softly, ?That goes for me, too, Luke. And this evening has been a miracle. Just knowing that you?re alive, and being with you again, it?s what I?ve prayed for every day since we were parted.?

Luke squeezed their hands in wordless reply. He wanted to tell them again how much he loved them, that being reunited with them was more than he?d ever hoped for, but he couldn?t speak past the lump in his throat.

They smiled at him, and then Owen couldn?t suppress a huge yawn. And then Beru was covering her mouth to yawn as well.

?Why don?t I take you to the guest room and you can get some sleep?? Luke offered. ?We?ll talk more in the morning.?

?Good idea,? his uncle admitted. ?I haven?t been so tired since that last harvest, when the big sandstorm was coming and we had to work day and night for a week to get finished before it hit.?

?Don?t remind me,? Luke groaned. ?I think that was harder than anything I did in the Rebellion.?

He led them down the hall to the spacious guest bedroom and bid them good night before heading back to his own room. He was feeling drained by this point himself. Drained, but happy. His earlier disappointment had faded, and his natural optimism was reasser

 

Good post! Nice to see they are finally coming around.

 

Owen will be the harder nut to crack, I think. Nice girls time out - I love doing stuff like that.

 

Great post kristeh

I am glad Leia got to spend some time with Beru. At least she seems to be coming around. I do have a feeling that if Han got to talk to Owen, he wasn't as sucessful. I have a feeling Owen'll be one tough nut to crack.

 

I loved this chapter.

Beru deserved an afternoon of pampering, but also, it was probably nice for Leia. Poor thing is surrounded by men all the time. If the Lars family and Anakin work out their differences, both women will be able to fill a missing void. Beru said she always wanted a daughter. Well, a niece is the next best thing.


I used to pick him up from school in the afternoons and he always had a gift to give me when I came. Just little things, of course. A shiny pebble, or a drawing he did at school.

Awwww. That's so sweet.

 

Kristeh, I love this story! You have the most amazing ability to delve into character's feelings and emotions and bring them across to the reader so well. I actually like coming across a story a little ways into it, then I get to read multiple chapters at once!

I said that it was a wild animal and it was made to be free. The next afternoon Owen told Luke to go clean his room, and Luke was playing and didn?t want to quit so he looked up and said, ?Uncle Owen, I was made to be free.? The look on Owen?s face was just priceless.?

That was so hilarious! Sounds like something my little boy would say!

Can't wait for more of this wonderful story!

 

nice post!