Beyond - Legends Not Enough Time (NJO AU)

Disclaimer: All recognizable places, people, things, etc., belong to George Lucas. Everything else belongs to me. Please ask before borrowing.

TISSUE WARNING: This one is very sad. Make sure you have tissues before starting to read it!

The quote about being a Sword of the Jedi is from page 310, Destiny?s Way by Walter Jon Williams.

This could be considered a sequel of sorts to One Single Wish, but by no means do you have to read one to understand the other...

*~*~*
Lopsided grins beamed out of the hologram at the woman as she gently brushed a finger down the flat surface. The refracted light shimmered gently as the ions realigned themselves, and the woman?s heart broke. Were they always that young, that innocent? she wondered as she sat down on the couch, well-worn after years of use.

She ran her fingers over their glowing faces, shining brightly with the innocence of youth. ?Leia?? she looked up, startled, as the solitude she had found was broken.

Han saw the picture his wife held in her hands, and recognized it as one of the few that they had been all together as a family. Anakin grinning from a top his shoulders, Leia was held in his arms, and Jaina and Jacen stood in the forefront, their arms around each other?s shoulders.

?Was I wrong to put so much importance on the New Republic?? Leia asked, bitterly. ?Now that all that?s left of my dream is ashes? Now that my babies are gone??

Han gently removed the holo from Leia?s tightly clenched hands. ?You did what you thought was best for them, Leia. You were trying to build them a future.?

?What future? They have no future. Not now, Han!? his wife?s voice rose with each syllable, hurting his ears even as he pulled her up, against him, and wrapped his arms around her.

?You had a dream, Leia. A dream for a galaxy that was free. And you managed to infect a selfish smuggler with the same dream. You didn?t know that one day-? Thoughts of his children bombarded his mind, forcing him to stop and clear his throat. ?That one day, Anakin, and Jacen, and Jaina would be gone from our lives.?

?You?re not supposed to outlive your children,? Leia replied, tears running down her cheeks as she pulled away from her husband and moved to look out of the wide window down across the bustling base below.

Han closed his eyes for a moment, reliving the pain that the deaths of each of his children had opened up inside him. ?Do you remember what Luke said when he knighted Jaina?? he finally asked.

??I name you the Sword of the Jedi. You are like tempered steel, purposeful and razor-keen. Always you shall be in the front rank, a burning brand to your enemies, a brilliant fire to your friends. Yours is a restless life, and never shall you know peace, though you shall be blessed for the peace that you bring to others. Take comfort in the fact that, though you stand tall and alone, others take shelter in the shadow you cast?,? Leia quoted dully. ?How I hated him for that when Jaina died.?

Han sighed. ?Sometime after that knighting ceremony, I asked Luke why he had declared Jaina ?the Sword of the Jedi?, ?never to know peace?. He told me that at that time it was like somebody had taken over his body and spoken the words, instead of him. The words had to be said, and it wouldn?t have mattered whether Luke had said them. Whoever gave him those words would have found somebody to say them.?

?Why couldn?t he allow her peace in the last years before her death?? Leia asked bitterly.

Han turned Leia to face him. ?Just like you didn?t know that you would have such a short time with Jaina, and the kids, just like I didn?t know, Luke didn?t know either. You can?t blame him for this.?

?Why not? He took my children from me with his teachings, with his damned missions! Why shouldn?t I blame him?? Leia demanded, her eyes hot with the passion of rage.

Han gently shook his wife.

 

Oh this is sad.. but it was excelent!

 

What a sad story

Jaina is dead Poor Han and Leia ( Jacen of course is dead too... )

 

I think you depict their grief perfectly. But... They're all dead!!! *sniff* I'm so glad the NJO didn't only killed off one of their kids ... even if it was Anakin.

 

Aw. that was so sad and I'll take a tissue over here.

It was nice that they finally got to mourn there children together. Beautifully written.

 

LaYa_- Oh this is sad..
Very sad- I cried while writing it

but it was excelent!
Thank you!

Chimpo_who_is_not_a_Sith- What a sad story
Yes, it was very sad...

Jaina is dead Poor Han and Leia


( Jacen of course is dead too... )
Why do I get the impression that you don't find that upsetting?

Jaina_and_Jag- I think you depict their grief perfectly.
Thank you!

But... They're all dead!!!
Yes, that is the sad side effect...

*sniff* I'm so glad the NJO didn't only killed off one of their kids ... even if it was Anakin.
Same here...

_Jedi_of_Destiny_- Aw. that was so sad and I'll take a tissue over here.
*hands over a tissue*

It was nice that they finally got to mourn there children together.
I always felt that Han never completely got past his guilt over Anakin's death to grieve properly, so...this was the result...

Beautifully written.
Thank you!

~LtJS

 

You're welcome

 

?You?re not supposed to outlive your children,? *sniff*

Very sensitively done. I cried with Han and Leia.

Great job once again, CaD.

 

red- Very sensitively done. I cried with Han and Leia.
Thank you! Enjoy the tissues!

Great job once again, CaD.
Thank you! *hugs*

~LtJS

 

Just unlocking and upping in prep for the move...

~LtJS