Beyond - Legends Dancing Inside - Vignette Series (AU - L/M, Ben, OC) UPDATED Dec 19

That sounds like Leia to say she wants another child. I mean she seems to have what it takes to be a good mother. In the movies at least.

Ideas, I think that you covered many so I can't be sure if it hasn't been done or in another way.

 

awwwww, Han and Leia are cute. And so sad about them wishing for another baby. They didn't get to have the time with their children that they should have. The ending was toooo funny. I remember that feeling of tiredness well. Poor Lukie! hahahahahaa

As for a holiday viggy with Beru to end the series, I'd love one when she's older. When Ben has a girlfriend or wife and they can gang up on him. LOL!!! And I'd love to see what the future holds for her, too. And L/M. <3

 

Leia and Han can adopt. I am sure there are plenty of orphans in the galaxy. Is Jaina alive in your fic? Maybe her and Jag will give them some little Imperial grand babies.

 

Oh my gosh! So funny. Absolutely loved it !!

 

That last one was a riot. Good luck with the writing!

 

Jade_eyes: Thanks. I’ll try to incorporate as much of that as I can.

Hazel: Lol. That is a crackfic I might actually read. (Yes, I’m bating you to write it),

Book-Geek: LOL. I can see that too.

Lady_Misty: I think she would have been a better mother if she’d had her kids after she was finished with politics, not while.

@gincshy: HL deserved more than they got in profics. Thanks for the idea

Jedi_Lover: Both Jaina and Jacen are alive in this fic and in the diary Mara prevent him from going stupidly sithy, so HL would have gotten a herd of grandchildren.

lukemaraben: Thanks

CurtisZidaneZiraa: thanks

 

A/N: Thank you all for reading this vignette series. Hopefully this won’t be THE LAST vignette (I have a few I never got around to finishing), but if it is I hope it will be a fitting conclusion. Thanks to ginchy for the idea of a vignette farther into the future. I tried to incorporate Jade_eyes’ request as well.

Traditions: Part I
Timeframe: end of 51 ABY


With a relived sigh, Luke Skywalker finished the final report of the year and sent it to be archived. The work-year was over and now he, and much of the galaxy, had a week off before the new year started. Tomorrow was Fete Day. He struggled a bit to set his work data-pad down on his Sirrian wood desk. The recent cold spell over the entire planet of Coruscant was making his arthritis act up. He was going to have to see Master Tekli for a bacta injection into his hand when Fete week was over.

Luke picked up his personal data-pad and instantly a weather warning popped up. They were calling for snow flurries, possibly even blizzards – which surprised him. This sector of Coruscant hadn’t seen a blizzard since the Empire. But it was possible even with the weather controllers.

He secretly hoped that there would be a blizzard, one so bad that ship travel would be prohibited. Ben, along with his pregnant wife Airana, were planning on spending Fete day – and the entire week – with her family on Corellia. They were taking off late this evening. And they were going to ruin everything.

Luke selected a file on his data-pad and selected the first still-holo in the file. It was an image of him and Mara snugging on their couch. They were 31 years younger. Their faces were less wrinkled and their hair had no speck of grey or white. It was taken by Leia before they, along with the Solo’s, had gone go Lando’s grand Fete party. In the holo, Luke was in a suit and tie, and Mara had a slinky blue dress that showed off her pre-child body.

Every year since he and Mara married they had taken a family holo on Fete Day. Luke slowly flicked through the holos until he reached the one where a baby Ben joined the image – sitting in Mara’s lap. He was nearly six months old at the time and she was about to give him up for his own safety. Mara was smiling, but you could see the hurt and fear in her eyes.

The next two holos were of just Luke and Mara. They had kept up the tradition even through the darkest days of the Yuuzhan Vong war.

The next one made him laugh. The family had been just reunited after the Vong had been defeated. Ben was 2 and a half and obviously strung out on sugar from the holiday. The child had his cheeks puffed and tongue hanging out. Luke admitted that he and Mara spoiled Ben silly that year.

The one following made Luke sigh. Mara was just about 7 months pregnant with Beru. They had found out a month before that Beru had deformed lungs and no cerebellum. Both Mara’s and Luke’s smile were forced in the holo and they had their hands protectively over Mara’s stomach. They had no idea if their baby was going to live or die.

However, Luke smiled when he flicked to the next one. Ben was sitting on Luke’s lap and in Mara’s arms was their little angel.

As he continue to flick through the images, watching his children grow year by year. A few stirred up more emotions than others. Like the one taken when Beru was 10 and Ben was 14. The holo was taken in a medcenter with the family in Beru’s medcenter bed after a surgery to realign her spine had to be pushed to the day before Fete Day. She had been in so much pain both before and after the surgery that it nearly broke Luke’s heart. Yet she never complained or whined.

A great pain overcame him as he flicked through the holos taken when Beru was 14 and 15. First off, during those years, Ben was ‘exploring his sexuality’ during that time and, while Luke supported his son through a confusing time and a messy break up, he often feared the Ben would never give him biological grandchildren. And then there was Beru and her depression. She had hid it from both him and Mara for months, perhaps even years. Yet they should have spotted the mood swings, her refusal to talk or communicate in any way, her lack of interest in anything, and the nights when she refused to eat. Luke had known there was something wrong from the absence of her smile and bubbly personality. But he had chalked it up to growing up.

Then, there was that one night just before she turned 16 that changed everything. Ben and Mara had left on a mission and he had left Beru at home with a care-taker droid – similar to a nanny droid – so that he could go to a late senate meeting he was called to. When he returned something just felt wrong. He had found the care-taker droid shut off, Beru in her form-foam chair and an empty bottle of pills beside her. She hadn’t been breathing.

Somehow Luke had managed to contact Cilghal and preform CPR on his baby-girl until the medics came and saved her. The next few days had been a blur of emotion and psychiatrists. Eventually they learned Beru believed she was worthless; a bag of meat that was a burden to all she knew. However with individual and family counselling sessions and with prescription medication to help control a hormone imbalance she had, by the time they took their Fete Day holo that year, which he was currently looking at, Luke and Mara had their bubbly Beru back, along with a Ben who had figured out his love life.

Luke had no idea how he survived those few years. One thing was certain, his blonde hair didn’t. He now had a full head of grey and white hair.

When he got to last year’s holo, he smiled as they had added another family member – Ben’s wife Airanna. Ben was looked like a man in love, kissing the brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty and woman of his dreams. In the holo, Luke was kissing Mara. Beru had been in the middle of the craziness giving the cam a lopsided Solo grin and a rude gesture.

“Are you having a pity party in here, Skywalker?” Luke looked up to see Mara entering with two mugs. She had her dyed red hair back in a braid. He could see her white roots beginning to show. She was wearing a blue tunic and black pants.

“No,” was Luke’s quick answer. She gave him a look of doubt as she handed him his mug of hot cocoa and sat on the edge of his desk. “I just finished my last report and looking at some old Fete Day holos.”

“So you were having a pity party because you won’t get your family Fete Day holo?” Mara didn’t wait for an answer. “Farmboy, things are changing, they have been for a while. Ben and Airanna live on Coruscant. She only gets to see her family once every few months.”

“I still can’t see why her family can’t come here.”

“Oh, stop pouting,” Mara said slapping his arm. “At least we have Beru here.”

Luke groaned and spun around in his office chair. “Some consolidation that is. She’s trying to kill her poor father.”

Mara chucked. “She’s only doing what her mother taught her to do.”

“And she has been doing a fine job of it recently. And you’re not helping matters,” he said, pointing at her. “Did you really have to invite him over to sleep in Ben’s old bed all week?”

“He does have a name you know. It’s Divad.” Divad Shineblue was a Jedi Knight, trained at the academy. Over the years he had been given the title ‘sword master’ because of his incredible skills with lightsabers and other weapons. He was Beru’s boyfriend of almost 2 years, although Luke only found out six months ago. Luke only started to hate Divad after he found Divad and Beru on the couch one night, kissing. “And I invited him because he couldn’t make it back to Soran for the holidays. Do you really want one of your kindest knights alone for Fete week… or worse, your daughter in his chambers all week?”

Luke shivered at the thought. “No.”

“Then behave. Besides their out for dinner and they plan on catching a holoshow afterwards. Do you know what that means?”

“My baby-girl is out with some boy and I’m not allowed to kill said boy?”

Mara rolled her eyes and then started towards the door. “No. I was going to say that it means that you and I can eat the delicious dinner that I made then have hot sex all over the apartment, but now you’re not getting either.” Even at 68, Mara had not lost her sick humor. Luke was entranced as he watched her bottom as she walked out.

“Wait! Mara! I can behave!”

* * *

After cleaning up dinner, Luke and Mara found themselves snuggling on the couch, under a blanket, watching the snow fall. “Wow. It’s really coming down,” she commented, watching the large, fluffy flakes.

“It is,” Luke agreed. “Did Beru take her coat and mitts when she left?”

With a smile, Mara nodded. “Yes, Farmboy. I saw Divad grab them, along with a blanket for her legs when they left. It’s Ben I’m worried about. I really hope he doesn’t try to take off in this.”

“Now who’s the one wanting him home?”

Mara was opening her mouth when the door opened and in hovered a shivering Beru bundled up tight being pushed by Divad. Beru had grown into a delicate young woman. She had her mother’s eyes and fair skin, but a face similar to her cousin Jaina’s and aunt Leia’s. She had her father’s blonde hair, but no one knew where her curls came from. Beru never grew much when she hit puberty; she some curves, but she was very thin and frail. She had never been able to gain much weight since her constant tremors burned a lot of calories. As for her height, Mara and Luke had decided it was best for her and her caretakers if they stunted her growth. However, the procedure was never needed since she only grew to 150 centimeters.

Divad, three years older than Beru, was her exact opposite. His skin was a bit darker than Lando’s, and his eyes matched his skin tone, and his black hair was cropped short. Weighing in at just about 200 pounds of pure muscle and almost 200 centimeters tall, to say that he was an intimidating figure was an understatement. Add in the fact that he was a Jedi and a weapon master from the Shanni war tribe of Southern Soran, and it was easily understandable why so many beings feared him. But to Beru, he was the biggest stuffie with a heart to rival her father’s. He treated her like a goddess.

“I thought you two were going to a show,” Mara asked.

Divad quickly took off his coat, and then got to work undoing Beru’s belts on her hoverchair so that he could take off her coat.

“We were,” Beru answered using the Force. “But when it started to snow hard, we decided to come back before visibility got too bad.”

Divad then crouched down to take off her boots and put her slippers on her tiny feet. “Do you want to stay in your hoverchair or do you want to sit with me in the lounger?” His voice was deep, yet soft.

“I want to sit in the lounger with you.”

He nodded and pushed her into her bedroom. They came out a few moments later, Beru carrying a blanket and Divad carrying her. He sat down, positioned Beru so she could sit comfortably on top of him, and spread the blanket over top of their bodies.

Mara smiled. Luke frowned.

“What were you guys planning in doing this evening? Don’t stop on account of us being here.”

Mara stifled a laugh. Luke gave his wife a dirty look. “We really didn’t have much planned. Do you guys want to play cards or watch a movie?”

“Why don’t we play plonel?” Mara suggested. “The tradition won’t be as fun without Ben, but we can make do.”

“Alright. Set up the board. Div, can you help me to the refresher?”

“Of course, Ber,” Divad said affectionately kissing her cheek.

“I can help you baby-girl,” Luke said, getting up.

“Dad, its fine. Divad has helped me go plenty of times before.”

“What?!” Luke didn’t try to hide his surprise and outrage.

“Yeah Dad,” she told him bluntly. “Come on Div. I have to go.”

Divad got out from under her and helped her stand up by letting her put her arms around him. Beru could walk short distances if she had a lot of help. Divad walked slowly backward, holding her arms as she took slow, unsteady steps with her feet severely turned in.

Luke was fuming by the time the ‘fresher door closed.

Mara put her hand on Luke’s arm to calm him down, when the door chimed and then opened. “Hello guys,” Ben said, entering with a suitcase and a bag of presents. Behind him entered his five month pregnant wife, Airana, carrying nothing. He was in standard brown Jedi robes and she was wearing a simple blue dress that allowed her stomach to grow. She was beginning to show, but it wasn’t noticeable unless a person was looking for it.

“You guys don’t mind another two guests, do you?” Airana asked while Ben put the bag of presents with the rest of the presents by the traditional Fete candle and put their suitcase in his old bedroom. “Coruscant Air Control is canceling all take-offs and their considering stopping speeder traffic the visibility is so bad. So we figured we might as well spend Fete with you guys.”

Mara smiled. “We don’t mind it all,” she said, not mentioning she wanted this to happen. “It can be a true family Fete for us. We can play our game of plonel and tomorrow morning we can take our traditional family holo to make your dad happy.”

Ben set down along with Airana on the love seat. “Is that why Dad looks like he’s about kill someone? He wasn’t going to get his Fete holo?” Ben asked.

“I look like I am about to kill someone because I’m going to kill Divad,” Luke ground out.

Ben was instantly on edge, ready to pounce. “What did he do to Beru?” he asked in an instant.

Mara rolled her eyes. “He’s just helping her in the refresher. You do it all the time.”

“That’s different,” Ben snapped. “I’m her brother.”

All eyes were down the hall when the fresher door opened. Ben joined Luke in glaring at the back of Divad’s head as he helped Beru walk.

 

Traditions: Part II

* * *

“Ben! Airana! You’re here for Fete!” Beru exclaimed as Divad basically picked her up and put her in the lounger. He did not sit down with her. They had heard the conversation going on in the living room from the refresher.

“Yes, we are,” Airana confirmed.

“Divad, are you okay with sleeping on an air mattress tonight?” Mara asked.

“Actually Master Jade Skywalker –.”

“My name is Mara,” she corrected Divad.

“—I don’t want to impede on a family Fete. Thank you for inviting me, but Ben is here now so I’m sure you guys would like to do some of your family traditions.” He bowed to Mara and Luke before kneeling at Beru’s feet. “I’ll see you sometime later this week, okay?”

Beru started to communicate to Divad privately. “Okay, but I told you in the ‘fresher my brother and father are just being morons. You are more than welcome to stay.”

“No,” he replied. “I don’t want to cause grief on Fete. We’ll meet to exchange gifts. Have a happy Fete.” He leaned into kiss her. It was short, yet full of passion. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied quickly. She watched in dignified silence as he got his overnight bag and left. She turned to her mother. “Can you help me to my room?” She held in her emotions well.

Both Ben and Luke started to stand to help Beru, but were stopped by their wives. Mara and Airanna cast their husbands cold stares before helping Beru into her room.

* * *

Ben and Luke sat in guilty silence for a few minutes before an obviously angry Mara came back. Her voice was low, calm and cut like a blade. “You two are idiots. Beru is in there crying her eyes out because she thinks you two scared off the man she loves. Now, go. Apologize to Divad and get him back here.” Mara spun on her heel, not allowing any argument.

Father and son shared a regretful glance before heading out of the apartment and across the Jedi temple to the knights’ chambers. The dorm-like wing of the temple was all but deserted this week. They found Divad’s chambers and knocked.

The knight answered, bowing low. “Master Skywalker. Ben,” he greeted them.

“Please, call me Luke. Can we come in? We need to apologize.”

Divad stepped to the side and let both Skywalkers into his tidy chambers. He sat on the bed while Luke and Ben sat on the edge of the desk. After a moment of awkward silence, Luke started, “Divad, I am sorry for not welcoming you into our family. It is clear my daughter loves you and you love my daughter. I honestly didn’t think Beru would ever find romantic love, so I am really unprepared for this. To me, she will always be the six-year-old who needs her daddy, so it honestly frightens me to see her cared for by another man. I don’t want to ever see her get hurt. I’ve seen her suffer too much in her short life.”

Divad nodded. “I know. It hurts me too to see her suffer and I never intend to hurt her. I love her. And I’m sorry. We did not get off on the right foot. Beru and I should have told you two and Mara when it started to get serious instead of sneaking around for so long. She feared how you would react.”

“And that is partly my fault,” Luke said. “I did not react well. But you make her happy and I should have realized that sooner.”

Ben then cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry too. I have been just as bad as my dad. My parents have been preparing me for the day that they are no longer able to care for Beru because of their age. Seeing another man stepping in on my territory has hurt me a bit. I just want to protect her.”

Divad nodded. “I understand. I am an older brother as well. I have made sure all my sisters’ boyfriends know I’m a Jedi. I’m known to be shining my lightsaber hilt whenever their boyfriends come around when I’m home.”

The three men shared a laugh.

“I’m glad we understand each-other now. Would you please come back to our chambers?” Luke asked “It would make Beru’s Fete.”

“Of course. But first…” Divad stood up and went to his nightstand, picking up a small black box. Luke instantly recognized it as a ring box. “I would like permission to ask Beru to marry me.” Divad gulped as he handed Luke the box waited for an answer.

Luke opened the box and looked at the gorgeous ring and let Ben see it as well. Luke let out a sigh. “You know what you are getting into right?”

“I know a life with Beru would mean spending plenty of time caring for her, and plenty of time in the med-center each year due to her various ailments. I know it will not be a normal life, or an easy one. I know she may never be physically able to have children and we may decide never to ever have them because of her disability. But I love her and I want to spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Okay,” Luke said with a lump in his throat. His little girl was no longer going to be his little girl.

Ben took care of the threat. “But if you do anything to harm her, you will rue the day you were born.”

* * *

Beru tried to stop crying as her mother and sister-in-law tried to placate her as they all sat on her bed. Many people thought her mother was the most stubborn one in the family, but in reality, it was her father. When he made up his mind about someone, there was no changing it.

Her father showed up at the doorway. “Beru? May I come in? I owe you an apology.”

She looked away, neither allowing him in, nor telling him she wanted him gone.

“I’m sorry for treating you like a child. To me you will always be my baby, but I need to treat you like the young woman you are. Divad and I talked. We understand each-other now.”

“Thank you Dad.” She still couldn’t look at him.

Luke sighed. “I really am sorry. I invited Divad back.”

Beru look to the door to see Divad enter. Mara, Airanna and Luke left as Divad approached Beru’s bedside.

“Hey pretty lady. Why are you crying?” he asked her as he sat on the edge of her bed and brought her into his lap. “You’re not allowed to be sad on Fete.” He held her for a while before asking, “No, seriously, why are you crying?”

Beru sobbed a few more times. “I’m just worried that my dad might have scared you off.”

He kissed her forehead. “No. Never. You know I’d walk around Mustafar barefoot for you. I’d face off against your father, mother, brother, uncle, aunt, Jacen, Danni, Jaina, Jag and all of your second cousins for you.”

Beru allowed herself a small laugh. “Wow. You must be desperate for a girlfriend.”

“No,” he corrected her. “Just in love with the one I have.”

* * *

That night was filled with laughs and family games. In the morning they slowly woke up and got dressed, meeting in the living room in the late morning with cups of hot cocoa and caff in hand. By lunch hour there was only one present left to open.

Ben was the one to take it off the table, fully knowing what it was. “It says ‘To Beru, Love Divad.’” Ben hand the small black box topped with a silver bow to Divad who got up, took the box and kneeled in front of his love.

She looked radiant this morning. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and she wore white and light green Jedi robes. After seeing the small box and Divad’s actions, she started frantically looking from Divad, her father, mother, brother, then back to Divad.

Divad got her focus on him by opening the box, slipping the ring onto her finger and holding her hand. She trembled and started to cry. “Beru, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life at your side as your husband. Please do me the honour of becoming my wife.”

Lost for words, Beru simply nodded.

The family Fete holo that year had Luke with his arm around Mara as they stood, Ben and Airanna sitting in a lounger – their hands on her stomach, and Divad sitting on the floor with Beru in his lap.


Happy Holidays everyone!

 

That was a wonderful family holo and also a beautiful story.
Happy holidays, Bri!

 

Aww! So beautiful!

Beru's getting married!

It is realistic for Luke and Ben to be protective.of Beru. And good for Mara for telling Luke and Ben off.

Divad letting his sisters' boyfriends know that he has a lightsaber reminds me of m oldest brother which I will call Harley joked about bringing one of his guns when my sister 'RED" brought her than fiancee home this time last year. 'Raquel', our sister and whom he was living with at the time, told him if he did that he would be sleeping in the snowbank. Needless to say the gun didn't show up.

 

What a nice holiday chapter. Great story!

 

Awesome story! So sweet.

 

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is without a doubt THE best Christmas viggie I have ever read! I can't pick a favorite part, I love it so much!

 

So Ben took a walk on the wild side, eh? I'm glad he was happy and in love there at the end and still a protective big bro!!

Speaking of happy, this is so sweet for Beru!! Seems like she found a wonderful man.

And Luke and Mara are enjoying happy golden years after the stress of the past. They deserve it! Enjoyed the peek into the future!

 

Squee! Very sweet to have such warm family moments and Beru to have a darling for a soulmate.

 

So beautiful! I'm in love.

 

These were all so wonderful. I especially liked the ones with Beru older and having the love of Divad -- we all need to be that lucky in love.