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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends Counting Stars (Post-FOTJ, K/J) Completed 8/19/16

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Dantana Skywalker, Jan 25, 2016.

  1. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    SQUEE mixed with LOL and frustration! Next time they'll put their commlinks on vibration so they can ignore them or turn them off altogether. :) :D
     
  2. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    Ha ha ha! Oh, they will eventually. But that's what they get for trying to make out in the hangar. XD
     
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  3. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    --Stars--

    Keeping their relationship hidden means they can't have a normal courtship... not that they ever have, anyway. It becomes their custom to wait until everyone else has retired before they meet. Jaina feels a bit like a teenager again, the teenager she never really got to be. While not being able to talk about it is a strain, the sneaking around part is actually kind of fun.

    Tonight, Kyp has found a secluded spot outside the Temple, and he's brought along a crate and a blanket. Jaina aims her glowlamp at the ground so they don't trip as they make their way through the dark.

    It's a clearing, with a gorgeous view of the night sky, where Kyp declares they'll have their picnic.

    "A picnic, huh?" she asks.

    "We've only ever had one, and it was horrible," he says. "I demand a do-over."

    Jaina laughs. "Okay. I'll agree to that. As long as the alcohol is better."

    "Of course it is."

    Kyp spreads the blanket out, pulls a bottle of wine and two glasses from the crate. The moonlight and stars are bright enough to light the clearing almost to dusk levels, plenty of light by which to crack open the bottle and see to pour.

    Jaina settles on the blanket and accepts the glass he hands her. "Since this is a do-over, I propose the following: No secrets between us. No lies. We're both on the Council, so we don't need to keep any of that away from each other. We're partners, and whatever else comes after that. No one gets between us."

    He holds his glass up. "No agendas we don't share. With the exception of lifeday surprises and the like."

    She grins. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

    "Partners," he agrees. "Together, or not at all."

    They clink glasses, and sip at the wine. Kyp puts the opened bottle back in the crate so it doesn't get knocked over, and pulls Jaina into his lap. She leans back against his chest and looks up at the sky. The Hapes Consortium exists in the Transitory Mists, so the night sky isn't black with white specks of starlight. It's dark, certainly, but the sky above them has faint blues, purples, greens, and reds: distant gases of a long-vanished nebula, not dense enough to harm the inhabitants, but enough to cloak the Consortium from the rest of the galaxy.

    "That one right there," Kyp says, pointing to a bright object just above the trees, "is Gallinore. And the reddish one over there is Hapes."

    Technically, it's their stars, not the planets themselves, but Jaina knows what he means. "You study astronomy or something?" she asks.

    "Nah. I looked it up on my datapad before we came out here."

    She snickers.

    "You can't see the core from here," he says, "the Mists are too dense for the light to make it."

    "Mm. I've been to so many planets. Sometimes I forget to appreciate the galaxy for itself. Can't see the forest for the trees, and all that."

    She turns her head a little, studying his profile against the night sky. "When I was younger..."

    "Hmm?"

    "I was convinced I was going to die. I wasn't going to make it through the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. I told myself that I couldn't get involved with you because my death would hurt you."

    He turns to look at her, her face faintly illuminated by one of Shedu Maad's three moons. Only one is up, the other two won't rise until after dawn. "Is that why?"

    "And then, when I survived, Jacen asked me what I planned to do about you now that I wasn't dead. I don't know how he knew what I'd been thinking. I never told him. I said I didn't know, and then said that I'd thought about falling for you, but it wasn't a bright idea to fall in love with your mentor. I kept telling myself, over and over, that I didn't want this. Even up to when I married Jag, I was telling myself you were just my friend."

    Kyp brings a hand up, strokes the side of her face. "I kept telling myself I'd only wanted you because I was lonely. I told myself that for thirteen years. I finally accepted it when I broke things off with Thelia, but I figured you'd never be mine."

    "Is that why you shaved your head?" she asks with a snicker.

    His grin is a flash of teeth in the moonlight. "One of them."

    Jaina twists to straddle his lap, then sits between his legs with her own around him. She threads her fingers through his hair. "Your hair has always reminded me of starlight," she says after a minute. "Bits of light in the dark."

    "So you don't mind the grey?"

    "Please. My ex has white in his. Why would I mind? It's hair."

    "Good to hear, because it's only going to get worse."

    "Wanna hear a secret?"

    "What?"

    "I've got a few of my own. They appeared after . . . after Jacen. I just pull them out when I find them."

    He snickers. "Really? That means you started going grey at thirty-three, too!"

    "It's only two, and they're on my left temple."

    Jaina rubs his cheek with the pad of her thumb, wanting to memorise his face by feel, since she knows the look of him by heart. She wants to say the words, but she isn't quite ready yet. This isn't the right time.

    "Oh, look!"

    Kyp points up, and Jaina cranes her neck to watch a meteor shower blaze overhead.

    "I know it's debris burning up in the atmosphere," she says, "but it's so pretty."

    "You're supposed to wish on those," he tells her.

    "What would I wish for? I have everything I want."

    He pulls her close, and his mouth finds hers in the dark. As he kisses her, she amends, Almost everything. But soon.
     
  4. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    :) [face_sigh] So many quote-worthy thingies.

    The Hapes Consortium exists in the Transitory Mists, so the night sky isn't black with white specks of starlight. It's dark, certainly, but the sky above them has faint blues, purples, greens, and reds: distant gases of a long-vanished nebula, not dense enough to harm the inhabitants, but enough to cloak the Consortium from the rest of the galaxy.

    That's just lovely.

    I enjoyed the toast. A wonderful agreement between two who will work closely together and who have a committed relationship. :D Their exchange about denying what they could and did mean to one another--honest and goes way back, doesn't it? @};-

    LOL about turning gray.
    "Please. My ex has white in his. Why would I mind? It's hair." I can relate as one who grayed in young adulthood. [face_mischief]

    And this is just yum!
    Jaina rubs his cheek with the pad of her thumb, wanting to memorise his face by feel, since she knows the look of him by heart.

    Touched by the fact that she's not quite ready to say the actual words yet, but we can tell the feelings are there. [face_love]

    He pulls her close, and his mouth finds hers in the dark. As he kisses her, she amends, Almost everything. But soon.
    I miss these ficlets muchly until there's an update again LOL
    [:D] !!
     
  5. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    Much of my attention has either been taken by later prompts within this story (I have, like, eight left to write!) or with the series I can't post here.
     
  6. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    --Love--

    He's up late again, going over the squadron rosters, when Jaina lets herself into his office. She watches him compare lists on two separate datapads, so engrossed in the task that he doesn't look up. He's undoubtedly noticed her, he's Kyp Durron and he's really difficult to sneak up on, but he's busy.

    Jaina lets the door slide shut behind her, and just studies him. He's got the desk lamp on this time, illuminating the silver in his dark hair. It's pulled back, out of his way, leaving the lines of his face exposed.

    She wonders, as she crosses to the desk, when it was she fell in love with him. Was it when she was nineteen, and his feelings for her terrified her so much she ran into Jag's arms? Was it after that? She doesn't know, can't pinpoint a moment. He's just always been there, always been her best friend.

    Taking a seat in the chair opposite him, she drops her head to rest on her hands, folded on his desk. Even knowing him as well as she does, it's still a little surprising how serious and dedicated he is in his work. He's got a sharp mind behind those dark, green-brown eyes, though most discount it because of his outward attitude and reputation.

    She loves him. She can admit it without hesitation now, quietly watching him work. He's been friend, antagonist, and teacher to her at different times, but now he's more than that. He's her partner, and someday, her lover.

    The thought makes her smile.

    "What?" he asks, finally looking at her.

    "Just thinking. It's nothing. Remembering something. So. I know we should probably head two different squadrons, spread our expertise out, but . . . I'd prefer to be co-leads."

    Kyp nods and makes a final notation. "I think Octa can lead the other squadron," he says. "She's experienced and has a good head on her shoulders."

    "She flew with your Dozen, didn't she?"

    "And abandoned it after Coruscant," he confirms. "Had some really harsh words for me, but that's in the past."

    Jaina studies his face. "You two weren't ever . . .?"

    Kyp snorts. "Me and Octa? Not in the slightest. I made it a policy not to get involved with my pilots. And I didn't date anyone seriously until Thelia. Plus, Octa was Miko's. She's never gotten over him."

    "Hmm." She straightens, splays her hands on the smooth wooden surface of the desk. "I just had Jag, pretty much. Well. Zekk. But that was . . . I think he and I had a thing going when we were bug people, but my memories are kind of hazy."

    He shakes his head. "I had the hardest time talking the Council into going after you guys, even though you were AWOL."

    "You're the one that got us out?" she asks, surprised.

    "You vanished," he says. "Of course I was worried. I wanted to go looking, but Luke wouldn't let me. Maybe he was afraid I'd start a war if I couldn't find you."

    She smiles wryly. "He should have. You have a history of dragging me back when I stray too far."

    "And I've been doing it since you were almost three, and we went skiing on Coruscant and you nearly wandered off a cliff," he reminds her, turning his attention to storing the datapads in his desk drawer. "Which some might find creepy, but I've never been your brother, or even your uncle."

    "Yeah, being in love with a relation is all kinds of wrong."

    Kyp closes his fingers in the drawer and swears. Then he looks up, expression hesitant.

    "You heard me correctly," she assures him. "I wouldn't joke about that. I love you."

    He smiles. "Not how I was expecting to hear it." Hoping to hear it is what goes unspoken.

    "I know."

    She stands, moving around the desk. As she does, she remembers all the times she used to sit in Jag's lap. But she can't let her ex taint everything, can't avoid everything she did with him because then she'd have nothing left. Better to make new memories.

    Kyp draws her into his arms, into his lap, and she loops her arms around his neck. "I love you," he tells her softly. "Force, I've waited so long to say that."

    "I'm sorry I made you wait," she whispers.

    "I'd wait forever for you."

    Jaina kisses his chin, then his mouth. "You shouldn't have had to. Why is it that I was able to kill my own twin, but I couldn't make myself admit that I love you?"

    "Because you grew up learning how to walk into the fire for someone else, but you never learned to save yourself."

    She arches both brows. "That's very profound, Master Durron."

    "I do occasionally manage to justify my title," he says wryly.

    "Mm. Occasionally." She shifts and rests her head on his shoulder, her face against his neck. "It's nice to say it. I love you."

    "You can say it as often as you'd like. I certainly won't object."

    Her commlink chirps. Jaina fishes it out. "Master Solo."

    "Jaina?" It's Allana, and her niece sounds very young. "Can you come? I had a nightmare."

    "I'll be right there, sweetheart." Jaina closes the call and puts the commlink away. "Duty calls. I'll be glad when my parents get back from wherever they've gone. I don't have enough experience with kids."

    Kyp runs his hand down her arm. "Speaking of . . ."

    She flushes. "That is a conversation that will need to wait."

    His laugh, soft and deep, follows her out into the hallway.
     
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  7. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_dancing] [face_dancing] Loved Jaina's musings on love - being best friends, mentor, antagonist, now partners and eventually lovers. That can and does explain Luke's relationship with Mara very well indeed. :D Loved the way she told him - very natural and easy breezy. :) :) The teasing tone between them is just right. [face_thinking] Nothing awkward at all. And as an aside, that whole bug thing was just way too weird :p :eek:
     
  8. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    So, so much of the post NJO stuff was weird. But even Abeloth wasn't as weird as Waru the Magic Dimension-Portal Slug.
     
  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_rofl] That is so. True! :rolleyes: :p
     
  10. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    Nyota's Heart, here's an update for ya! I think you may be the only reader left...

    -------------------------------

    --Mistake--

    Allana has a history of having visions, so the family--and the Jedi in general, knowing her identity as the future queen of not only Hapes but of the Order--takes her dreams seriously. This one, fortunately, is just a simple bad dream, a recall to a camping trip Jaina had taken with Tenel Ka and Allana the year before and some poachers had injured Anji.

    Still, she brings Allana to her quarters and tucks her into bed so that she has family close to comfort her. Jaina remembers all too well the time separated from her mother as a child, half-raised by Winter Celchu because of constant kidnapping attempts or death threats. She knows what it's like for Allana to be away from her mother, though Jaina's separation from Leia was never this long, and she had her brothers at the time.

    "Did I wake you?" Allana asks, as Jaina slips under the covers. Anji sprawls across the foot of the bed, four eyes blinking sleepily, a rumble Jaina assumes is a purr emerging from the massive animal.

    "When?"

    "When I commed you."

    Jaina shakes her head. "Nope."

    "But it's the middle of the night."

    "I was talking to Kyp."

    Allana's grey eyes narrow in a way Jaina remembers Jacen doing, and for once, her niece's resemblance to her father doesn't cause a pang of grief. "In the middle of the night? Are you guys dating?"

    Jaina grins. "Remember how we couldn't tell anyone who you were, and you were Amelia? Well, this needs to be the same kind of secret for a while, because . . . Jag and I didn't have a good break-up, and he doesn't like Kyp much."

    "You guys got divorced, though. Why would he be mad if you start dating? You're not married anymore."

    "Because Jag isn't rational when it comes to Kyp. Yes, Kyp and I are seeing each other. I guess he's my boyfriend." That seems really silly to say now. When she was nineteen and he was thirty-three, sure, but she's thirty-six and he's fifty. "You know that Jag is Emperor Fel now, right?"

    Allana nods.

    "Well, as Emperor Fel, if Jag thinks that I broke up with him so I could be with Kyp, he might get mad enough to . . . make a mistake like come after the Jedi."

    A mistake would be an understatement. Colossal blunder is more accurate.

    "Why would he do that?"

    "Because Jag already asked Chief of State Daala once to extradite Kyp to the Empire because of something Kyp did when he was a little younger than Ben."

    The girl nods. "Master Durron said that he did some bad things when he was young and people don't like him for it."

    "When did he tell you that?"

    She shrugs. "Last month? I talked to him and he said he did bad things and Grandpa helped him. And he said he loves you."

    Jaina smiles. She can't help it. These days, when she thinks of Kyp, it's with a broad grin and a flutter in her stomach. "I love him."

    "Finally! Are you gonna get married?"

    She laughs. "Maybe. We haven't talked about it. We've only been together a few weeks."

    "Did I help?"

    Jaina ruffles her niece's hair. "You sure did, kiddo. Now go to sleep. You have classes tomorrow. You may be the future queen, but you also have a quiz in Tionne's class."

    Anji shifts to settle her big head on Allana's feet with a whump and a contented growl. Jaina rolls to turn the lamp off. As she does, she sees a message on her datapad from Kyp.

    Love you, Goddess. K.

    She goes to sleep with a smile on her face.
     
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  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    Sweet conversation with Allana. And wonderful little message from Kyp there. :D He truly is the one she should've been with all along. :p And she's probably realizing that every day, with just such little gestures. [face_laugh]
     
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  12. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    I really think Kyp's an attentive boyfriend, or would be, anyway. If he were, y'know, real. He's not the sneak-in-a-girl's-quarters-and-attack-her type, he's the show-up-with-roses type. Even if they're actually bedraggled, hand-picked wildflowers.
     
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  13. mulberry

    mulberry Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2009
    I am still here! Nice update!!

    I love the comment about her eyes resembling Jacen.
     
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  14. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    Hey, nice to see you!

    That's actually canon, Leia thinks about it the first time she sees Allana.
     
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  15. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    --Wish--

    She finds Tahiri doing stretches in the workout room. Tahiri had a growth spurt around eighteen and now towers over Jaina, or so it seems. The younger woman is lithe, muscled, and Jaina is hard-pressed to see the little blonde sprite her brother fell in love with.

    Tahiri's got her gold curls tied back as she sits on the floor, reaching for her toes. She looks up when Jaina enters, light green eyes welcoming. Jaina wonders briefly if green eyes are a genetic thing that goes with being a Jedi, or if her family just sort of attracts them. Mara, Tahiri, Jag, Zekk, Kyp. Okay, Jag isn't a Jedi, but he was family for a while.

    "Want a sparring partner?" Jaina asks.

    "Sure." Tahiri seems to bounce to her feet, and in her grin, too long absent, is the girl Anakin adored. "Though I'm a bit outmatched against the Sword of the Jedi."

    Jaina rolls her eyes. "Says the Imperial Hand."

    As she removes her shoes and steps onto the practise mat, Jaina reflects that there is something she'd wish for on a shooting star: that Tahiri find happiness and love, like Jaina has with Kyp. She misses her brother, too, but Anakin has been gone nearly twenty years.

    They spar for several minutes. Though Tahiri's got a height advantage, Jaina trained in hand-to-hand with Mara Jade and with Mandalorians. Her friend's assessment is right: even as the Imperial Hand, Tahiri isn't up to Jaina's level.

    Tahiri doesn't move like the other Jedi. She's half Yuuzhan Vong, after her imprisonment and shaping, and fights in a hybrid style that reminds Jaina uncomfortably of Jacen. That, too, is a mostly-healed wound. Jacen hurt them both when he fell, and sometimes she thinks Tahiri got the worse treatment.

    "Can I ask you something?" Jaina inquires, as they end the spar session.

    The blonde nods, lowering to sit on the mat. Jaina copies her after a moment.

    "I watched some of the trial," Jaina says, referring to Tahiri's murder trial for the death of Gilad Pellaeon while she was the apprentice of Darth Caedus. "I couldn't always. And I wanted to be there."

    "That's okay. I know you were really busy trying to keep Abeloth from killing us all."

    That and distracted by her love life, but Jaina won't admit that.

    "They asked if you'd, uh . . ."

    "Did I sleep with Jacen?" Tahiri asks quietly. "That's what you want to know, isn't it?"

    "I just . . . know he manipulated you into things. I wondered if that . . . was one of them."

    Tahiri sighs. "I went willingly," she says at last. "He was manipulating me about saving Anakin, but not about . . . that. And it wasn't until after he and Tenel Ka broke up, after he kidnapped Allana. I wouldn't never have . . ."

    "I'm not judging. I know Jacen was a monster, but I'm glad that it didn't extend to that."

    "I'd have killed him in his sleep if he'd done that to me," Tahiri tells her bluntly.

    Jaina calls water bottles over for both of them, and cracks hers open. "I'd have held him down if he had."

    After a moment, Tahiri snorts softly. "We're a mess. Here I am, I've been involved with both of your brothers, who are now dead . . . You went dark after Anakin died. Why didn't you after you killed Jacen?"

    Looking down at her hand, the one Jacen smashed, Jaina says, "Because I did after Anakin. Because I knew how not to the second time. Because people cared more the second time than they did the first."

    "You had Jag, after Jacen. You weren't in a relationship after Anakin's death. He was good for you."

    "That's part of it. Being older helped. But also . . ." She hesitates, knowing that she can't tell Tahiri everything. Her friend still thinks Jag hung the moon, and Jaina doesn't. "Because . . . Anakin's death was a sudden shock, and Jacen's death I planned."

    They're both quiet for a long time. Then Jaina says, "If I could make a wish, and have that one thing come true? The Yuuzhan Vong would never have come to our galaxy. No one would have died. Jacen wouldn't have fallen. Raynar wouldn't have become what he did."

    She likely would have never met Jag because they wouldn't have emerged from Chiss space to fight the Vong. And Kyp . . . She probably would have ended up with Kyp ten years sooner, at least, because there had been something there all along, since she was sixteen and had run into him at the academy. She just hadn't seen it until now. Had he?

    "Yeah, that's a good wish. Too bad we can't change the past, huh?" Tahiri gets to her feet, more gracefully than Jaina might have at that moment, and stretches her arms behind her head. "I'm gonna hit the showers. I'll see you later."

    Jaina nods, watches her go towards the locker rooms. She wants to tell her about Kyp, but now isn't the time.

    She wonders if Tahiri will ever understand.
     
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  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    Oh how I love this girl-talk! =D= =D= And those wishes - yeah I have them too. :D All of them. Wish they could undo or rewrite the past. @};- [face_thinking]
     
  17. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    Yeah. So many things NJO-on that I wish they hadn't done.
     
  18. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    --Embrace--

    When Han and Leia return from visiting Lando Calrissian and his family, Jaina invites them to have dinner with her and Kyp in her quarters. It's a simple thing, the two couples and little Allana, who isn't quite as little as Han's used to.

    He tells stories throughout dinner, and they laugh at exploits new and old. All the while, he watches his daughter with Kyp. Not even two years ago, he sat with Kyp while the younger man cried over Jaina's marriage to someone else, and tonight, the two are all smiles.

    Han hasn't seen Jaina this happy since . . . Well, since her wedding day, really. He had never really approved of the Fel kid, had wanted to pound the snot's face in on more than one occasion. There had been a few times where he'd been tempted to take a swing at Kyp, too, but Kyp learned from his mistakes. Jag hadn't seemed to.

    Now, as Kyp refills Jaina's glass with Hapan wine, the younger man is the polar opposite of that broken one Han had sat drinking with. The affection that he's always known Kyp's felt for Jaina is on full display, and she seems to return it completely. It's almost enough to make him uncomfortable, because there's a clear tension there of a nature that should make any protective father bristle.

    When they clear the table, Kyp follows Jaina to the small kitchen area. Han purposely puts his back to them, talking to Allana about her studies. He understands little of it, since he's not Force-sensitive, but his granddaughter is enthusiastic.

    Leia catches his gaze and jerks her head slightly. Han looks over his shoulder to see Kyp with his arms around Jaina. Jaina's leaning into him, and she looks more at peace than Han has ever seen. Any tiny, lingering doubts Han may have vanish.

    He looks to his wife, and Leia nods slightly. He knows Leia's never really liked Kyp. But if he can bring their daughter peace, she's apparently willing to accept him.

    Han wants Jaina happy. More than anything, he wants that for his only remaining child. He was willing to accept Jag as a son-in-law if it was what made Jaina happy, but as he'd feared, it hadn't worked out. Though, he reflects, it ended less violently than he'd expected.

    He also wants Kyp to be happy. He saw firsthand the hell Kyp grew up in, saw the kid at his worst. If the two of them have found it in each other, so much the better.

    Leia leans over, rests her chin on his shoulder, speaking low so only he can hear. "I think we're going to have another wedding before the year is out."

    "You think?" Han glances Jaina's way again, sees how she beams at Kyp. "Yeah. I think you're right."
     
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  19. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    Perfect choice to have this from Han's point of view. :cool: Totally what he would think and want as a dad and friend. @};- I like how Leia, also, wants only Jaina to be happy, so she's willing to welcome Kyp into the family ;) -- because there really is no doubt left that Jaina's happier than ... ages. [face_dancing]
     
  20. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Had to have at least one from Han's POV, after "Breakeven".
     
  21. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 7, 2002
    --Kiss--

    They've been together for a few weeks, but Kyp still has moments where he has difficulty believing it. Part of him thinks he just isn't this lucky, so he must be hallucinating. Maybe he's had a head injury and is in a coma, dreaming it all.

    They're in the hangar, looking over the ships, noting repairs that need to be made and parts that need to be ordered from Incom. He's competent at repairs, in a pinch, but he's never been as mechanically inclined as Jaina. It's fun to watch her work, as he takes notes on a datapad. It's been a long time since he's seen her this enthusiastic about ship repairs. For a while, several years, in fact, she pretty much stopped working on ships entirely. Became someone else.

    He feels like the old Jaina is back, at long last.

    She looks over at him, sees him watching her. "What?" she asks. "Do I have grease on my face?"

    "Nope." Kyp grins. "Just thinking about how much I love you."

    She blushes prettily. "I'm grimy from digging around in ship guts, and you're getting all moon-eyed. You're really weird, Durron."

    He laughs. "You're happy. That makes me happy."

    Jaina hops down from the ladder and pulls him behind the nearest stack of supply containers. She drags his head down and stretches up, kissing him. He revels in the feel of her in his arms, her mouth against his. Kissing her is a privilege he definitely doesn't take for granted. Each one is cherished.

    When she pulls back, bouncing a little with a sly grin, he says, "As much as I love kissing you... I am interested in going beyond that."

    She wrinkles her nose. "Yeah. I... I'm not saying I'm not, because I am. I'm just not ready yet."

    He presses his lips to her forehead. "I want to make love with you. But I'll wait as long as you need."

    She sighs, as if releasing a held breath. "Thanks. Is it stupid of me?"

    "Nope."

    There's a clang from near the door, and Jaina hops backwards, out of his arms. He gives it a moment, then comes back with the hydrospanner she left on a box when she grabbed him.

    "Found it," he says aloud, seeing that it's Octa come to check on her fighter. "Stop throwing tools at my head, Solo."

    Jaina snatches the hydrospanner and narrows her eyes at him. He grins.

    As Octa passes them, she smirks and winks. Jaina doesn't notice, but he does.

    He wonders how many others they're not fooling, and how fast this is going to get out.
     
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  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_laugh] SQUEEE! Probably everyone is not fooled. ;) I like seeing them both happy too. :)
     
  23. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2002
    They're probably fooling very few people, to be honest.
     
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  24. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2002
    --Nocturnal--

    Jaina has a late meeting with her uncle about Allana's progress and the royal tutor from Hapes wanting more of Allana's time and less Jedi training. Jaina wants to punch the woman, knows she can't.

    She already running late to meet Kyp when she rounds a corner and runs head-on into Tahiri, who's going the other direction. "Oh, sorry. I really need to watch where I'm going."

    Tahiri arches a gold brow. "You're up late. Becoming a habit, huh?"

    "Meeting with Master Skywalker," Jaina sighs. "Allana's tutor doesn't see the benefit of Jedi training if Allana is going to be Queen Mother someday. Tenel Ka, after all, left the Order, so the tutor assumes Allana will never join it."

    The younger woman shakes her head, blonde curls bouncing. "What does Tenel Ka say about all this?"

    "I haven't talked to her about it yet. The tutor submitted her petition to withdraw Allana and take her back to Hapes just this afternoon. If she really thinks she's going to do this, she doesn't realise who she's dealing with."

    Tahiri grins. "I think you should go talk to Tenel Ka in person. Take the kid with you. Hey, I could go with and we could make a girls' trip out of it!"

    In the back of her mind, Jaina feels Kyp probe for her attention, wondering where she is. She nudges him back, then senses him deciding to come find her.

    "That sounds great," Jaina admits. "I'm not one for getting pampered, but it'd be nice to get my hair trimmed, maybe shop for some new boots."

    "Excellent." Tahiri nods. "You'll contact Tenel Ka and set things up?"

    "Of course."

    Kyp appears around the corner, dressed more casually than in his robes. He sees Tahiri and the flicker of irritation on his face subsides. "Master Solo, Jedi Veila," he says.

    Jaina snorts. "No need for formality, Kyp. Besides, when do you ever go for it, anyway?"

    He smirks, nods at Tahiri. "I try occasionally," he says. "You ladies are up late. Conspiring something?"

    "Girls' trip," Tahiri says. She looks between them speculatively, green eyes narrowed a little. "Well, I'm feeling ravenous enough to eat a whole eopie, so I'm off to the cafeteria. Try not to murder Allana's tutor before you talk to Tenel Ka."

    "I'll try to exercise restraint," Jaina says dryly.

    Tahiri waves and heads off down the corridor. Jaina waits until she's out of earshot, then whispers, "I think she suspects."

    "Yeah? Octa knows. I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to keep this under wraps."

    Jaina sighs. "I don't want to be hiding in the first place. And how long do we have to, anyway? Weeks? Months? Years?"

    "I dunno, Goddess. But the novelty of being secretive is starting to wear off."

    "It's gotta be soon. We can't let Jag dictate our lives. He did that already on Borleias." Her jaw clenches. "He's had enough control over me. I'll give it a few more weeks, then tell him."

    Kyp nods. They fall into step as they head towards his quarters. "So what is this about murdering Allana's tutor?"

    Jaina explains the situation. "So I'm going to have to talk to Tenel Ka about it. It falls to me as both her aunt and her master."

    "Talk to the tutor first."

    "I tried. She's scared of me."

    Kyp snickers. Jaina jabs him in the stomach.

    "What's so funny?" she demands.

    "Dangerous things come in small packages."

    "Oh, shut up."
     
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  25. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    LOL Everyone knows all right. And they weren't even indiscreet. Just transparent. [face_love] Love the banter. ;)