Beyond - Legends ~Lessons ~ A fic-gift for J_M_Bulldog , Luke/Mara/Ben AU

Title: Lessons
Author: MsLanna
Timeframe: NJO
Characters: Luke, Mara, teenaged Ben
Genre: AU humorous action
Keywords: driving lessons,
Summary: Ben gets his first lessons in driving a landspeeder. Things are not that easy, though.
Notes: This is a fic gift for J_M_Bulldog. The requirements were:

The three characters: Luke, Mara, and a teenaged Ben

1) The Vong never happened
2) Luke and Mara are teaching Ben to drive a speeder
3) I'll leave it up to the writer how everything goes


I never did anything like this before, but if you have half as much fun reading as I had writing, things should be fine.
Enjoy, J_M_Bulldog, and Merry Christmas.



Lessons

Luke Skywalker sincerely wished he had settled down on Yavin. It would have made many things much easier, and it would have completely thwarted this. But Naboo had seemed a logical and beautiful choice. He did not want to return to Tattoine for good, and Alderaan had been destroyed so long ago. So he and Leia had decided to settle down on their mother's home planet. They seldom regretted their choice. Mara could pretend not to worry, but he knew that she would be unbearable, should something happen to Ben. Which was quite possible, considering that Anakin Solo had had his hands the speeder just the night before.

Ben on the other hand, grinned like a Wookiee with a lockjaw. "Don't stand around like that, dad, you hedged enough for one day!"

"Your mom doesn't like this," Luke replied, looking back over his shoulder. Mara stood in the door, her face a mix of concern and frustration.

"Sure doesn't," Ben laughed. "If she wasn't pushing that Death Star along in front of her, she'd be doing this. And she might just be better at it, too." He felt tempted to stick his tongue out in a gesture of childish glee, but Mara's moods had become really unreliable lately. Her sudden eruptions strained the relationship, and Ben was sure he'd never have children, if he'd have to endure such bundle of cranky moods for his wife. Sometimes he wondered how his dad managed, but it had probably to do with love.

Nothing was further from Ben's mind than that right now. Finally, he would get taught how to fly a speeder proper. Maybe his parents had heard enough rumours by now, uncle Anakin had been teaching him for ages already, and though they had never left the premises of the Skywalker household, Ben felt confident about his abilities. Manoeuvring in such enclosed spaces just had to be easier that driving on streets.

To his disappointment, Luke steered the speeder away from the city, out into the plains. What kind of challenge could there be in the flat field? Ben wondered. I will certainly get bored.

"Here we are," Luke said stopping the speeder. There was only grass to be seen all around them. It rippled softly in the warm summer breeze, and on the horizon the last outskirts of Theed were just visible.

"Dad," Ben moaned. "There is nothing here. How am I to learn anything?"

"Ben," Luke turned to face his son, his expression serious. "Don't think, we didn't know what you and Anakin were doing behind our backs."

"Don't tell me you waited until your uncle showed you how to fly," the young red head accused. "I bet-"

"I didn't, you're right." Luke had to suppress a smile. "Still, you could just have come and asked us."

"Dad!" Ben wailed.

"But you didn't. So I assume you have never sat in the cockpit of a speeder before." He got up to change seats with his son.

Beat, Ben followed suit. He wondered how it came that most people thought of his father as a gentle and just man. He was definitely as devious as his mom, and you did not expect it from him, too. It seemed so unfair.

"So, this," Luke said pointing after they had strapped in, "is the ignition. And over there -"

"I know, I know," Ben interrupted, and took off with full throttle. Before he could race into a tight curve, though, he felt his father's foot sto

 

Well, it's not my fic-gift, but I still found it adorable. I had a smile on my face through the whole story. This is how it should have been for Ben.

"If she wasn't pushing that Death Star along in front of her, she'd be doing this. And she might just be better at it, too."



Thanks for the morning pick-me-up!

 

That was such a great way to start my day!

"No worries, the nurse interrupted him. "Now that she's here, she'll be fine." Seeing that he was not really calming down any she decided to distract him. "Do you have a licence to fly?"

"No," Ben replied irritated. What did that have to do with anything?

"If you keep flying like that, you'll never get one either." The woman smiled at him and winked. "Where's your father?"

"I'm here," a voice called from behind them before Ben could answer. Luke approached them in a quick jog, looking neither worried nor exhausted. "I came as soon as I got your message. How's Mara?"

"Snappish."

"Good, nothing to worry about then." He gave his son a wink.

 

Awww that was adorable! Teehee! A delightfully cute way to start my day! I love the interaction between Ben and Mara, and Ben and his father. It's so typical teenager, yet with a little Skywalker twist. If profic was half as good as this, it would be amazing. This adorable interaction is how it should be

The landspeeder took off with a screech, doubled back with one half of it repulsing from a wall and shot into the street.

"He's just like you, when you were young," Mara accused her husband.

"Just without the sand," Luke agreed, unable to hide a proud grin.

LOL, I loved the whole story!

EDIT: Would you mind sending this fic in to the Mara Jade Index?

 

Awww!!! That was wonderful, Lanna!!! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
I'm glad you included Anakin in there! I think him dying was one of the worst things that happened in NJO!

I loved every bit of it!

I bet Ben really learned his lesson this time!!

"No," she snapped, "do I look alright?" Mara was doubled over her belly as far as she could, holding it tightly with both arms. "And, incidentally, that is my amniotic fluid you're standing in."
That really cracked me up! I would bet that he would never live that down! LOL!

This was an awesome way to start the day!

 

Adorable. Mara is so blunt and to the point. Loved Ben freaking about the amniotic fluid.

 

"No," she snapped, "do I look alright?" Mara was doubled over her belly as far as she could, holding it tightly with both arms. "And, incidentally, that is my amniotic fluid you're standing in."

Automatically, Ben tried to jump backwards with a disgusted 'ew', but the sink was in his way. His back connected to it's lip painfully, before he realized that Mara had exaggerated. Though there was some liquid pooling next to her feet, it was far from reaching him

"Dad!" Ben sputtered forth. "Little Padmé is coming, mom's having contractions and there that yukky fluidity thing all over the kitchen floor." He gulped for air. "We need to go to the hospital, just come!"



"I'm here," a voice called from behind them before Ben could answer. Luke approached them in a quick jog, looking neither worried nor exhausted. "I came as soon as I got your message. How's Mara?"

"Snappish."

"Good, nothing to worry about then." He gave his son a wink.


Luke and Mara are just so perfect!
I loved this, Lanna!

Too funny.

 

That was so cute!



I'm glad Luke made it to the hospital in time.

I can't help but wonder if this will improve Ben's chances of being able to actually drive...

Great job on this

 

Oh, and they're gonna name her Padme!!! How wonderful!!! This was precious!!
SQUGGLES!

 

That was positively precsious! Absolutely spentabular, MsLannna, You're amazing!!!! I loved loved loved it!!!!!



I've gotta go study for finals, otherwise i would write and write and write more but that was spectacular!!!!

Irish

 

What a lovely present, MsLanna and we all got to enjoy it, too!

 

Oh, this was perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you, MsLanna. I hadn't even thought of Ben having to drive him mom to the hospital when I asked for this. Oh, I loved this.

Perfect gift, my friend. I really needed a laugh today. Merry Christmas!

 

"I'm here," a voice called from behind them before Ben could answer. Luke approached them in a quick jog, looking neither worried nor exhausted. "I came as soon as I got your message. How's Mara?"

"Snappish."

"Good, nothing to worry about then." He gave his son a wink.


I know it's been quoted 2 times already, but it was just so funny. If Mara wasn't snappish then something would really be wrong.
And I go along with Myriad's sentiments - this is how it should be. Who the kriff wants to read profic again after reading fun stuff like this?

 

Her sudden eruptions strained the relationship, and Ben was sure he'd never have children, if he'd have to endure such bundle of cranky moods for his wife. Sometimes he wondered how his dad managed, but it had probably to do with love.

Awwww....Of course it's love.

This was wonderful! You have all three of them down pat. What a great little story! Loved the idea of Mara pregnant with her second while being a mom to a teenager. Lucky girl.

Terrific!

 

So I had almost forgotten about this.

ginchy - Glad you liked it. It was an all time first for me and I was rather worried.

Vadey - Thanks for the help. I hope the rest of your day was good, too.

Myriad_Daydreams - Glad to hear you like the interaction. I never did adolescents before, not to mention Luke or Mara. But this is not as it should be. It's too short....

mavjade - Anakin. I put him in because, at first, I intended to write something completely different. Then I forgot about him. But you're right, he should still be there.

RebelMom - Thanks for reading. Honestly, I cannot imagine Mara any other way.

Ceillean - Seems I am good at nailing down characters I normally don't write. Glad you liked it.

KELIA - Who knows? Ben had so many 'teachers' for driving, maybe he'll never learn it.

Jade_eyes - Thanks for the squggles, they're my first. *frames squggles and hangs them on her wall*

Irish_Jedi_Jade - Strange words. Good to hear the story turned out so well.

Jade_Pilot - I think that was intentionally. That way, each of us got way more gifts.

J_M_Bulldog - It takes a load of my heart that you like it. Would have been the horror to find the recipients doesn't like his gift. I didn't intend the hospitla drive, either, the story just ran away with me. Well, drove. So glad you liked it.

madman007 And it felt like such a commonplace when I wrote it. And don't compare me with profic like that, you'll only give me a big head.

divapilot - I am a bit surprised at how well my Luke/Mara get across. I never wrote them before, so I felt uncertain about everything. Maybe writing canon charcters is not as difficult as I always thought.