Beyond - Legends ~~Paternal Instinct~~ 20 ABY, L/M, some H/L/Solo kids, OCs *DONE! EPILOGUE 12/14*

Jade_Eyes:

Lady_Misty: If he didn't, he wouldn't be Luke, would he? Dude's got confidence problems.

As stated before, I'll be starting a PM list to anyone interested!

 

~6~

Before even taking a child in on a temporary basis there was a lot one had to go through, as
Luke quickly found out. There was a residence inspection, background check, and income
verification, as well as several documents to sign. Luke, due to his nearly Spartan lifestyle and
very good reputation, was able to pass all of these things easily and, after signing some papers,
was declared to be Ami?s legal guardian for a period of no longer than four weeks, as per the
medical droids? instructions. He knew this meant he would not be able to return to the Academy
for up to a month, and he had already informed Tionne of this. She and Kam promised to keep
the students in order.

Ami had awoken at the medical facility frightened and confused and completely lost it when
she?d seen the medical droid. She had run to a corner and hidden from sight, this time
successful pulling out all the IVs. She was like this when Luke arrived to take her with him.

Luke sighed and walked up to the trembling, crying little girl. ?Ami? Hi, there. Remember me??

Ami?s head snapped up and she ran to Luke with such force she nearly knocked him over. Her
arm resumed its choking grip on his neck; the other was in a sling.

Once he had signed the release forms, Luke picked Ami up and carried her out. Ami quickly
realized they were leaving the medical facility and her head snapped up and looked at Luke with
a question in her blue eyes.

Luke attempted a smile. ?That?s right- we?re leaving. You?re going to be living with me for a little
while, okay??

Ami seemed to think this satisfactory and settled in against Luke?s shoulder. It wasn?t long
before she fell asleep.

Luke once again felt his heart twist in sympathy for the girl. She already looked better than when
he?d first found her but she was still very weak. Her emotional outburst had exhausted her.

Living within the Imperial Palace complex had an advantage in that he could just walk back to
his apartment. Unfortunately being so famous he would randomly be followed around by the
media. HoloNet News would certainly be curious about Luke Skywalker carrying a little girl
home. He took a much longer but much more private route through little-used areas and while
he got a few startled looks by maintenance staff, he was left alone.

It took Luke nearly an hour to get back to his apartment and by then his shoulders were
beginning to ache a bit from carrying the sleeping child. He?d shifted arms several times and
was able to fend off the ache with the Force, but a hot sanisteam would feel good later.

Artoo was waiting and whistled eagerly as his master walked in the door. His whistles awoke
Ami and she groggily opened her eyes and peered down at Luke. Her grip on his neck had
loosened since falling asleep but resumed its? tightness as she awoke.

Luke smiled a bit. ?Hey. Have a nice nap??

As usual Ami didn?t answer but looked around Luke?s apartment with tired but curious eyes. Her
grip on his neck once again loosened a bit as she looked around.

Luke took the opportunity to put her down so his arms could have a break. He wasn?t surprised
when Ami switched her durasteel grip to his pant leg, her head plastered to his thigh. This made
walking a bit awkward but Luke quickly adapted. He walked slowly. ?This is the place I was
talking about. This is where I live, and where you?re going to be living for a little while.? He
proceeded to give her the grand tour, taking her through living room, spare bedroom, and
kitchen. He showed her where the refresher was but purposely left out his study, where things
like training remotes and lightsabers were kept. That door would remain locked, as would the
door to his bedroom. He slept with his lightsaber on his night stand and it would not do for the
girl to accidentally find that.

After the ?tour?, the girl looked up at Luke quizzically, as if asking ?now, what??

Luke?s shoulders went limp and he crouched next to Ami. ?Good question?? He had saved the
girls? life a

 

Wow

Ami musta been through 12 kinds of trauma to not take to Leia, even a teensy bit.

Glad the fostering and political process seem to be going along smoothly.

 

Poor Ami!

An interesting chapter!


Please PM me when you update.

 

I've been trying to catch up for 2 days and finally did (don't ask).

I love this story. Your Luke is wonderful and Ami is a sweety.

I'd love to see Luke explain her to Mara, though.

Please PM me when you update.

 

Jade_Eyes: Well, think about it. The kid's been living on the street for who-knows-how-long; that in itself is enough to make her reluctant to trust anyone.

Lady_Misty: Sure thing!

Hazel: Glad you're enjoying it! And be patient- that part's coming up soon. I'll definately add you to the PM list.


PM list
Lady_Misty
Hazel

Jade_Eyes, if you want to be added, just let me know!

 

Hmm... Who could Luke remind Ami of that she trusts him completely? She's absolutely adorable. I'm interested to see what she'd say if she decided to speak.

 

Hi, yes please add me if/when there's going to be a space of time between updates.

 

Book-Geek: Good question. I'll answer soon enough.

Jade_Eyes: No problem.

Part 7 coming up next!

 

(this one's kind of long, but a requested character finally appears! )


~7~
Since Luke had never had children of his own and his neice and nephews usually brought
something to play with or read, there was nothing in his apartment to keep a five year old
occupied. There were a few puzzles, but Ami showed little interest in them and made no move
to leave Luke?s side. She stuck to him like adhesive. After a while Luke gave up trying to pry her
hands off his tunic and took the time to write up a preliminary report to present to the Senate
about Mynce. He was certain to include the sharp division between the hemispheres and the
desperation of the Southerners. His work continued until time for the evening meal.

Luke was fully prepared to explain and show Ami how to use knife and fork but was pleasantly
surprised when, in the space of two minutes, she was using the spoon. She didn?t remember the
fork very well but that could wait a bit. All Luke had to do was cut up her meat. Ami once again
cleaned her plate and drained another glass of milk.

After dinner Leia commed him, promising to stop by tomorrow with the clothes for Ami. Luke
thanked her and made a mental note to try and take Ami clothes shopping once she was feeling
better.

The rest of the evening Luke looked at as an exercise in patience. Ami, since she never spoke,
never asked to go to the refresher. Disaster was only just avoided when Luke saw her doing
what the Solo kids called ?the ?fresher dance? and took appropriate action. The trouble was once
she was in the refresher, she began to cry the minute Luke shut the door. This happened three
times before the refresher actually saw any use, and even then she was in and out in less than
a minute before attaching herself to Luke once again.

Since Ami was still recovering from her injuries and having a long day besides, Luke decided it
was best to put Ami to bed fairly early, a full hour before the Solo children?s bedtime. He had
prepared the guest bedroom by adding a colorful blanket to the bed and bringing in extra
pillows. It still didn?t look like a child?s room, but Luke knew that would take time.

Putting Ami to bed was quite another matter. It began easily enough. The medics had kindly
sent home a set of pajamas with her and Ami was quick to change for bed despite her arm.
She had either never learned to brush her teeth or didn?t remember how so Luke had to help her
with that. Once she was ready for bed Luke led her into the spare bedroom. ?All right. Time for
bed,? he announced.

Ami didn?t seem to understand that the bed was for her. She looked from the bed, to Luke, back
to bed several times with the most confused expression on her face.

Luke again felt a pang of sympathy. Had this girl even HAD a bed before? He pushed back the
thought. ?This is yours, Ami.? He pointed to the bed, then to the girl.

Ami did nothing. She seemed genuinely confused.

Luke sighed. He?d just have to go back to the basics. He patted the bed. ?This is a bed. You
sleep on it.? When she still regarded him with confusion, Luke sat on the bed and pretended to
lie down, even as Ami still clung to his sleeve with an iron grip. Then he closed his eyes and
pretended to snore. ?Sleep,? he explained, opening his eyes and sitting up. He got off the bed.
?Now you try.?

Ami tried her best to climb in, but her injured arm made it all but impossible. Luke had to pick
her up and put her in. He took his time tucking her in. He adjusted pillows, shifted blankets and
finally had Ami situated cozily in her bed.

Ami was already quite drowsy and gazed tiredly at Luke before a huge yawn split her face.

?Tired?? asked Luke. ?I?ll bet. You?ve been through quite a lot. Well, you don?t have to worry any
more. You?re safe now.? He smiled gently and brushed Ami?s uneven bangs away from her
huge blue eyes. ?Good night,? he whispered, turning off the light and moving away. Something
held him back.

It was Ami, Luke?s tunic sleeve still locked in he

 

Mara in the mix! Can understand her suspicions. Ami is blond and blue eyed...

 

Is Mara jealous? *snicker*

Ami seems to be adjusting well.

 

Oh, dear, looks like Luke has some 'splaining to do!

It never hit me, but the blond hair and blue eyes might lead one to wonder exactly what Luke's been up to.....

The refresher dance brings back memories:

The 'pee pee dance,' and sometimes I think they never grow out of it, even when they hit 20 years old!!

Oh, and there was the 'no more diarrhea dance (and song),' too! That was dizzying, and they do grow out of that one.

 

Oh, Luke, what have you gotten yourself into?

Ami is just adorable and I loved her reaction to the toys.

Mara's here!


More soon, please!

 

Awww! Sweet contributions by the Solo kids. Ami's getting slowly more comfy with Leia.

Yesness! Mara shows up looking edible to Luke and now he's got explaining to do

And if Mara is jealous, all I can say is squee!



Yes, Mara would look good in a flimsi sack, and ahem, it would be deuced easy to get out of ... if Luke were so inclined and if she'd let him

I digress, again.



!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, I'm wondering!! The title says 20ABY..SO in this 'verse L/M are even SLLOOWWER than canon??

 

Book-Geek: Yes, poor Mara! But don't worry- I'd personally feel more sorry for Luke.

Lady_Misty: Jealous? Nah. Suspicious? VERY!

dm1: LOL for a minute I imagined Mara wagging her finger at Luke. "Lukie, you got some 'splainin' to do!"
Hee-hee, didn't we all do some kind of 'waiting-to-use-the-bathroom' dance at one point?

Hazel: 'Same as always.' 'That bad, huh?'
Yes everyone, Mara has made her appearance!
More coming soon!

Jade_Eyes: The Solo kids are little hellions, but why not show their softer side? And also it didn't hit me how weird it was for Ami to not take to Leia until you guys brought it up.
Fun is indeed coming! Mara is not jealous- who is there to be jealous of?
Now, now, Jade_Eyes. There are minors in the audience.

wbsaw: Slower? Maybe just a touch. Niraun hasn't happened in this one.

Thanks for the reveiws, everyone! The next chapter should be up soon!

 

~8~
Luke had known Mara Jade for years, but it had been anything but love at first sight. As a matter
of fact, Mara had tried to kill him! But as the years passed they developed respect for each
other, and then ended up falling in love. Still, Luke was shy, and it took him weeks after realizing
his feelings for Mara to ask her out.

They had had been dating for nearly six months and had grown close, though neither had made
a long-term commitment yet. Between Luke?s teaching at the Academy and Mara doing runs for
Talon Karrde, they had only managed to squeeze in a half-dosen dates. Tonight they were
supposed to go to the holovid theater to catch some sort of archeology/fantasy flick called
?Corellia Antilles?, but in all that had happened the past four days, Luke had of course forgotten.

?Her name is Ami,? began Luke, answering Mara?s question.

Mara nodded wryly. ?Ami, huh? How old??

?Five.?

?Five? I?m impressed, Skywalker. I didn?t think a Jedi was capable of lying for that long.?

Luke was flabbergasted. What exactly was Mara saying? ?Mara?I?m afraid I don?t understand.?

Mara eyes flashed. ?Cut the crap, Skywalker. So who?s the lucky woman??

?I?m sorry??

?The girl?s mother, laserbrain!?

?I don?t know.?

?Wow. That many possibilities, huh??

?Possibilities?? Suddenly it dawned on Luke that he and Mara were not on the same page. He
groaned. ?Mara, Ami?s an orphan from Mynce. Her mother died not long after she was born and
the whereabouts of her father are unknown. She?s not mine.?

In the nearly fifteen minutes it took Luke to explain, Mara?s expression ran the gamut from
surprise, to complete shock, to confusion, to anger, to embarrassment, to resignation.

During this time Ami watched from behind Luke, wary of this harsh-sounding woman with the
red tresses. She wondered why she was in Luke?s apartment. When the woman looked at her,
Ami flinched, but did not hide. She just stared and held the toy Wookiee close.

Mara let out a sigh and shook her head. ?Sorry for jumping to conclusions like that. But
Farmboy, has anyone ever told you about your hero complex??

Luke frowned. ?Mara,? he said in a warning tone, ?she was hurt, lonely, and frightened. What
was I supposed to do, leave her alone in the medical center for two weeks??

Mara rolled her green eyes. ?Of course not. But it doesn?t have to be your problem.?

?It wasn?t entirely my decision.?

?Like h- it wasn?t.?

Luke took a deep, calming breath and nodded. ?You?re right. I could have let someone else take
her, someone with more experience caring for children. But Mara?? he turned to look at the
child. ??she wouldn?t let me.?

Mara scoffed. ?That?s pathetic, Skywalker. Blame it on the kid. What?d she do, tie you up??

?No. I?I can?t explain it, really. The moment she saw my face she ran up to me and has hardly
let go since.? He sighed. ?I could barely even put her to bed last night because she wouldn?t let
go of my tunic.?

Mara took another look at the child and noticed for the first time how tightly the child?s small
fingers clung to Luke?s sleeve and how wide and fearful those blue eyes really were. She felt
something very unusual stirring in her heart, something she wasn?t used to?

Empathy. Memories of being torn away from her own parents at about the same age came
rushing back, and she fought against them. Not letting Luke see her soften, she nodded. ?I get
it, Farmboy.? She cracked a smile. ?You could have told me you?d gotten yourself a shadow.?

Luke blushed. ?I?m sorry, Mara. I realize how odd it must be. I completely forgot. Once she?s
back on her planet, I?ll make it up to you, I promise.? He sighed. ?Is there anything I can do in the
meantime??

Mara?s disappointment had already begun to fade, and Luke statement made a mischievous
grin appear on her face as she sank down on the couch next to Luke. She ran her finger along
his jawline and leaned in close enough for a kiss. ?I?m sure we can think of something,? she
purred, touching her lips

 

Aw, Ami likes Mara!

 

The Mara/Luke exchange was just perfect. So very IC.

Ami latching on to Mara's leg - priceless. Loved it!


Wonderful update! I'm hoping for more soon.

 

I loved this!!!! Liked Ami's taking to Mara and -- your characterizations of L/M with each other and Ami are excellent.

 

Mara and Luke have been dating?? Like normal people?? Yea!!--Good!
Actually, better than good..Much as I liked VOTF the way the came together was....odd

Does Leia know?

 

Ami is so sweet adn she likes Mara!

 

Book-Geek: Yup!

Hazel: Thank you! I haven't really gotten much practice writing L/M stuff, but between reading lots of L/M fanfics and being a HUGE fan of Tim Zhan, I guess it helped. And yes, there's more coming very soon!

Jade_Eyes: Thank you!

wbsaw: I know, I loved VOTF myself but IMO they took WAAYYYY too long to get together.
And yes, Leia knows.

Lady_Misty:

More coming soon!

 

~9~ (first half)

Over the next three days Luke was beginning to get some kind of routine going. Every morning
he would awaken early, do the best calisthenics routine he could in the limited space, check in
on his students at the Academy, and then wait for Ami to awaken, which usually wasn?t long.
Every morning she shuffled out her door, dragging one or more stuffed animals with her.
Breakfast was next, followed by helping Ami dress. After that he would be dragged all over the
apartment at least four times before Ami tired of it and spend the rest of the morning just sitting
with Luke. Luke took those opportunities to meditate and condition his mind.

During this time flashes of memories would seep out from Ami?s mind. None of them were very
pleasant. Being bullied?eating garbage?running from stray Nek battle dogs?going to sleep
hungry?being too hot or too cold?Luke shuddered and gently brushed these memories aside.
In their place he provided hopeful pictures of a loving home and family, trying to get across the
message that Ami was no longer alone. She would have a home again, and she would be
loved.

Sometime later it would be time for the midday meal, which was usually just sandwiches. Even
after being shown how to eat them Ami still preferred taking hers apart. The inside came first
and the bread was always last. This grew messy when Luke fed her a sandwich with nut butter
and fruit preserves. Her appetite was healthy, but a disturbing habit was taking shape. The
second day, Luke caught Ami smuggling fruit into her bedroom and hiding it under the bed. She
cried when she was caught and recoiled, as if expecting to be struck. Luke calmly sat her down
and explained she didn?t need to steal any more, and if she was hungry to just ask. Ami seemed
to understand but was constantly bringing various pieces of fruit to him, asking with her eyes if
she could have some. She never seemed to get enough of it. Luke resolved to start working out
snack times.

Ami usually napped not long after lunch and often didn?t awaken for at least two hours. While
she slept Luke went out onto his balcony and practiced with his lightsaber and several training
remotes. He didn?t really need the practice, but wanted to keep his senses and body as sharp
as possible for when he returned to teach at the Temple.

The last orders of the day were always dinner, and an hour later, bed. Throughout the day Ami
continued not to get Luke?s attention when she had to use the refresher and wouldn?t let go of
his hand once she got there. Twice she had accidents and cried inconsolably, but Luke never
scolded. He was beginning to get rather frustrated with her, but never showed it.

At the end of the week he invited the Solo family over for a couple of hours, hoping some
socialization with other children would help get Ami out of her shell. He?d cautioned his niece
and nephews that Ami was shy and sensitive and was optimistic that they understood.

So far the only other person Ami had seen -besides Leia- was Mara. She had come over by
invitation the day before the end of the week and spent time talking with both Luke and Ami.
Ami seemed quite comfortable around Mara. She didn?t hide, and surprised them both by falling
asleep in Mara?s arms. Mara once again made Luke swear not to say anything, but he couldn?t
keep from smiling.

In the meantime, Luke had finally submitted his report on Mynce to the Senate via electronic
correspondence. Unfortunately the matter was just one of a series of issues piling up and it
could be weeks before it was looked at. This was frustrating, but short of using a Jedi mind trick
there was nothing Luke could do about it. All he could do was sit tight and care for Ami.

Later that evening, Luke received a short but sad message from Mynce: ?Ami J?Caan?s father
found. Deceased six months ago. No living relatives,? the voice recording said.

Luke sighed heavily at the message and shook his head. So Ami was truly an orphan. She had
no one to tur