Beyond - Legends Why I Care--post DN J/TK, Ben--Updated 9/15

Title: Why I Care
Author: SakuraTsukikage
Timeframe: About a year and a half post-Dark Nest
Characters: Jacen Solo, Tenel Ka Djo, Ben Skywalker
Genre: Romance
Keywords: Jacen, Tenel Ka, Ben, sick
Summary: Jacen is sick and is having a really bad day. It gets better.
Notes: The Random Plot Bunnies strike back. This will be short--just two posts. (I'm trying not to overload my fic-load too badly.) It's my first time writing Jacen, Tenel Ka, or Ben, at least in this era. I wonder how I did?

Edit: Never mind about the two posts thing. I tried, but I failed--it'll be longer. Maybe ten to fifteen posts.

Why I Care

Jacen Solo was in agony.

It was a state he was quite familiar with, more so than almost anyone else he knew, actually. At the moment, though, his experience with the topic was not making it any easier to bear.

Jacen pressed the heels of his hands against his closed eyelids?they felt painfully hot beneath his palms?and reflected that the galaxy just wasn?t fair.

It wasn?t as if this idea was new to him; he?d come to that conclusion shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong invasion during a moment of despair over his going-nowhere relationship with Tenel Ka. A source of despair that didn?t seem to have changed much over the years, he thought helplessly, despite the fact that he now had a daughter by her. Needless to say, the lesson of the universe?s fundamental unfairness had only been hammered deeper into his skull since.

But some days the unfairness of it all was just more extreme than should be allowed, even in Jacen?s relatively forgiving opinions regarding those matters.

He felt as if he might throw up. What a lovely new development. Not only was he were being pricked all over by tiny needles of torment, not only did his joints flare into searing pain whenever he dared to move, but now his stomach decided to join in the rebellion. Jacen reached up and felt his own forehead, not bothering to open his eyes. Even to him it seemed overly warm. ?This is not funny,? he announced to the universe at large.

There was no answer. Of course there wasn?t. He hadn?t expected one. He never seemed to get answers, after all, except when he found them himself. Only more questions.

Like why did this have to happen on a day when he had to address the Jedi Council early? Why?

?And Vergere said there is no Dark Side,? Jacen said miserably to the ether. ?What she really meant must have been, ?Jacen, the whole universe is Sith. Everything I tell you is a lie.? ?

He let his head loll back against the flat pillow of his bed and laid the back of his hand against his eyes. At least his hands were cold, though that was probably a symptom of whatever terrible disease this was as well. Still, he couldn?t deny that his chilled fingers felt good against the fire that was his forehead. His head throbbed and ached, feeling as thick and heavy as if it had been stuffed full of bantha fodder while he slept.

The world swam around him as he cracked his eyes open. Pain stabbed into his head, and Jacen moaned, closed his eyes again, and seriously contemplated falling on his own lightsaber before his rebellious stomach could heave up what was left of last?s night dinner. Which hadn?t been anything to provoke much excitement in the first place.

?Master Jacen?? That nervous voice was Ben?s, and it sounded unusually timid. The boy was probably unsettled because the glowpanels were still dimmed for sleep despite the fact that it was hours after the time Jacen usually rose to face the day.

At the moment, Jacen didn?t even want to face the prospect of movement. ?Go away,? he moaned, not even sparing a thought for his Jedi Master dignity.

?Why should I?? Ben shot back. ?You told me to wake you up by at least 0900 hours.?

?I lied,? Jacen mumbled. Kriff, he had said that yesterday, hadn?t he? Mostly because the Council meeting was in barely thirty standard minutes, of course, but at the moment Jacen was wondering what insanity had possessed him.

?You exp

 

ooooh, i really like this, good job.
Tenel Ka was visiting on a diplomatic mission, and she had apparently come for several secret reasons she had not yet divulged
hmm, very interesting... she planning on telling tem who the father of her baby is????? and what's with Jacen????? i hope it isn't too serious????
can't wait for the next part, any estimation on when?
again great job

meg

 

Ah! Cruel world! (falling over in misery to mimic Jacen) Don't stop now.

 

Looks great so far.

Poor Jacen. I think we've all had one of those days.

 

Great job!

Poor Jacen, that really bites! I bet Tenel Ka will make him feel better!

I can't wait to see what happens next!

 

(Gary)Man thats the last thing jacen is going to want. You don't want to look weak for your woman. Thats just embarassing.

If Tenel Ka is there... Who is taking care of Allana? Or is the girl there too.

 

So far so good. Post more soon.

 

Yes... Very intresting. Keep up the good work.

 

?That?s ?cause I?m dying,? Jacen said

That's classic. Dare I say it, Jacen's kind of adorable when he's sick. Funny, too.

So Tenel Ka is going to take care of him . . . this should be interesting.

Keep up the good work.

 

To mastermeg_0228: Thanks . Interesting, you say? I'll try to get the next part up soon.

To Valie: Poor Jasa, eh? There'll be more up soon!

To Vongchild: Thanks! Yeah, I think we have, and why should Jacen be exempt? I wanted to show the not-so-invulnerable side of the guy these days.

To mavjade: Yeah, poor Jacen. He isn't having a good day. And you'll see!

To Valley_Lord: I know. Not only is Jacen having a really bad day, he gets to look all sick and weak and gross in front of his girl. I'm sure he's thrilled . . . . And Tenel Ka brought her along, but no sane woman would take a baby anywhere near a sickroom.

To SilSolo: Thanks. I shall.

To Ben_Watson: Thanks!

To Darkwriter: Thanks. I wanted it to be funny, and I thought that while sick Jacen might revert to some of his more adorable tendencies. Interesting indeed, and I will!

 

She really doesn't have to keep Allana away from Jacen. The immune system is at is most resistant when your less than ten years old. The only reason little kids get sick is because they have never come in contact with the bacteria or virus before.

 

Okay . . . thanks. I appreciate that, as it'll make my next post more interesting . Thanks--I always enjoy learning new and useful things!

 

What a way to begin the story! A nice, angsty start! Based on his symptoms (headache, nausia) I vascilated between believing he was really sick and thinking he might just have a hangover. Sick, however, is more in-character for Jacen and I like that you used that instead. You go into very nice detail describing his pain...my sadistic side loves that!

I loved that whole conversation! Very in-character, snarky, and it even makes fun of the cousin/uncle mistake that people casually make when writing a story with Ben in it! It even includes Ben picking up adult cussing and inspiring terror in the adult for fear of Mara Jade-Skywalker.

Ohhh....cliffhanger! You must continue this soon! Perhaps even make it longer than you originally intended?...

 

(Okay, this is so mean, I just wrote a really long reply, and when I tried to post it, it was eaten. Gah. Well, then, shorter version.)

Wonderful, this is really great! For some reason, I find ill men incredibly funny (of course I am only talking about non-serious stuff like colds etc.) because noone can "suffer" as well as they, can they?

Love your Jacen, he is so cute when he is sick (Do you happen to know "Get me off this rock" by jags_girl? Her Jag very much reminds me of your Jacen here ...), and Ben! *loves* Such a cutie! Yeah, Jacen should feel like he had juts kicked a baby Ewok, your Ben is at least that cute!!

I am very much looking forward to the next part. Great work! Now, have you written any more stories about Jacen and Ben - I love the dynamics you deveoped with them here. Well, I guess I have to go and check you profile for other stories. One more for my reading list.

Ys, Fia

 

Poor Jacen lol please put me on your pm list if you have one!

 

To angel_gidget: Wow, what a long review! Thanks!

I'm glad you liked the beginning. I kind of wanted to get people going with that, if you know what I mean, especially since I think reading that sentence makes people think Traitor . I figured that even though Jacen just kind of shrugs off physical pain, illness is an entirely different experience that he wouldn't know how to deal with. I know it's sort of that way for me, anyway (used to pain, since I do both karate and kendo, but illness just totally wipes me out). I liked describing it, too, so I guess that makes us both sadistic .

I'm really glad you liked that conversation! That was the first time I've ever written Ben or Jacen so I wasn't sure how in character they were. It was very fun to write, however. I especially enjoyed the Mara thing--I figure even Jacen would be afraid of Mara's reaction to that sort of situation.

I am planning on continuing soon. And, actually, I have ideas that could make it longer . . . hmmm. Maybe I should . . . .

To Fiana_Novarr: Don't you just hate it when that happens! That's okay, though, any review is fine with me . Thanks a lot! I know, men who are just sick enough to be unhappy are really sort of funny; they have the "suffering" down. I'm glad you liked Jacen; I wanted him to be cute. I have read "Get Me Off This Rock"--it's brilliant! I hadn't really made the connection, but you're right; they are somewhat similar. Poor Jag has it a lot worse, though. I'm really glad you liked Ben, too; I really enjoyed writing him. I just love that kid. . And lol--I'm glad you think Ben's as cute as a baby Ewok!

Unfortunately, I haven't written any more with Jacen and Ben--most of my Beyond stuff is Jaina/Zekk--but I'll work on it, okay?

To Alishu06: I know; "poor Jacen--LOL" kind of sums up my feelings about this story at the moment, as well. Will do!

 

I really like the start of this story. Great job so far. I don't think we would mind if you expanded it.

 

I don't usually read J/TK, but I love this so far! Your characterizations are very nice, and I like the situation Jacen is in. Seeing a Jedi Master suffer from a common illness makes him seem more human.

 

It's off to a very good start.


Of course, being me, I have to wonder just how Jacen got sick, and just what Tenel Ka's 'secret' for coming really is....

 

I this. Probably because Jacen is adorable here, which you managed to accomplish despite Dark Nest. I love Dark!Horny!Jacen, but sometimes Helpless!Miserable!InNeedOfComfort!Jacen is even better.

Adored Ben trying to take care of him, and then TK's offer to see to him. I can't wait to find out what she has to tell him.


Looking forward to more!

 

To Black_Hole: Thanks very much! I'll keep that in mind.

To jedi_of_ennth: Wow, thanks! I know, it's a bit of a stretch for me, too. Jacen/Tenel Ka is not my usual pairing (as you well know . . . .) but I wanted to give it a shot. I agree, seeing Jacen beset with something he can't do anything about was kind of my idea--it makes him seem more human, I agree. More vulnerable.

To Kidan: Why, thank you! Yes, all those little plot points . . . .

To Inara: Coming from the author of the Jacen Fic of Doom, that means a lot. I wanted to write a Jacen that seemed to me like Jacen, but who took all of canon into account. I love that way of describing it--Helpless!Miserable!InNeedOfComfort!Jacen . And yeah . . . that should be interesting .



Well, I'm going to try to get more written today, and up maybe today or tomorrow, so we'll see how that works out.

 

So, it didn't quite work out, but here's the next part. And I have decided to continue and expand this, so it'll be a bit longer than I thought it would be, meaning that there will be more after this.

Part Two

Tenel Ka Djo shook her head as she surveyed the scene before her.

It was a rather sad sight, and one that she was absolutely positive Jacen would not want her to see, as it put a serious dent in the all-powerful Jedi Master image he?d been projecting lately.

That was the reason that at the same time her heart ached for Jacen?s obvious misery she felt a tiny thrill of satisfaction that she would be here to take care of him at a time when he could not take care of himself, a time when he was at the most vulnerable he would probably ever let himself be these days. Tenel Ka doubted that even Jacen knew what he was doing to himself, where his high-handed behavior was leading him.

That only made her more determined. Challenges always had.

Jacen was curled into a loose, limp ball on the floor of the refresher, one arm flung wide, bent fingers slack and drooping, the other arm clenched tightly across his abdomen as if it pained him. Tousled brown hair flopped forward into his face, clinging to his forehead and cheeks and the back of his neck with the heat of his fever. He was dressed only in sleep pants and a loose undershirt that was far too large and practically transparent, leaving the defined muscles of his shoulders and back readily visible. Tenel Ka reflected that she hadn?t seen him so helpless and vulnerable since the beginning of the Vong War and considered sending a thank-you holo to whomever it was that had provided him with that overly large, worn-to-nearly-nothing sleep shirt. Jacen?s lack of his usual Jedi robes was going to make this a rather enjoyable experience, for her, at least. She doubted anything could make this enjoyable for poor Jacen, even her own presence.

He was shivering, she noticed, tiny tremors shaking his whole body and clattering his teeth together. His cheeks were flushed bright, though the rest of his skin was as pale as a snowy day on Hoth.

Tenel Ka sighed. What a mess. Jacen seemed to truly have a gift for getting himself into them.

She turned back away from the ?fresher to unclasp the long cloak she wore around her shoulders and remove the small tiara that nestled into her braided hair?the trappings of state that she couldn?t get rid of even when visiting the Jedi without a major diplomatic incident following shortly thereafter. Or at least in the minds of her Hapan advisors. She settled them on the nearby side table, and then stepped back toward the ?fresher.

As the door swooshed open again Jacen stirred, his head lolling against the floor. He rolled back and looked up at her, screwing up his face as if he were peering into a bright light. ?T?nel Ka?? he mumbled, then he shook his head slightly and let his eyes slipped closed again. ?Nah,? he murmured breathily. ?Can?t be. Hallucinations ?re bad, Jasa.?

A slight smile curved Tenel Ka?s lips at that, and she knelt carefully by his side, reaching out to slide her hand under his neck and his cheek where it pressed against the cool tile of the floor. His hair clung to her fingers, twining silkily around her hand, and he nestled his face into her palm, a slight smile curving his lips, though his skin felt dry and so hot it seemed nearly radioactive beneath her fingers. He was obviously more ill than she had assumed, Tenel Ka thought in alarm as she lifted his head to settle it in her lap as gently as she could.

Jacen groaned, his brow creasing as she moved him, and then his eyelids fluttered slowly upward. It took his brandy-brown eyes what felt like ages to focus on her face, and when they did a frown creased his features. ?Ten?na?? he mumbled. ?S?at you??

?This is a fact,? Tenel Ka said, her fingers roaming over his features as she brushed the tangled strands out of his eyes and back behind his ears with careful patience. His lips were chapped and rough, she noted, c

 

Tenel Ka poisoned him with like... arsenic... so she could take him back to Hapes?

Those could be the symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning BTW.

Acute poisoning:
The symptoms of acute intoxication usually occur within 30 minutes of exposure. Initially the patient experiences a metallic taste in the mouth and slight garlicky odour to the breath along with xerostomia (dry mouth) and dysphagia. This is followed abruptly by severe nausea and vomiting, colicky abdominal pain and profuse diarrhoea (bloody in some cases) with rice water stools, due to vasodilation with transudation of fluid into the bowel lumen in addition to mucosal vesicle formation and sloughing leading to increased peristalsis. Generalised vasodilation caused by capillary damage results in transudation of plasma and severe hypovolaemia. If the dose of arsenic ingested is large, cyanosis, cold clammy extremeties, hypoxic encephalopathy, convulsions and acute tubular necrosis may occur following shock. Hyperpyrexia and acute haemolysis may also occur. If the ingested dose is smaller, the patient will have severe headache, vertigo, periorbital oedema, skeletal muscle cramping and evidence of renal damage manifested as oliguria, proteinuria, and haematuria. If death does not occur in the first few hours from shock, the patient may die a few days later from acute hepatic or renal failure. Cardiac manifestations include acute cardiomyopathy, subendocardial haemorrhages, and ECG changes (prolonged QT interval and non-specific ST-T changes). The cardiac symptoms are due to decreased cardiac output due to hypovolaemia and direct toxic effect on the cardiac muscle.

Arsenic was the poison of choice for centuries... until a French scientist figured out how to detect it in body tissue.
_________________________________

However, Jacen is bad-ass... he can take immediately lethal Yuuzhan Vong poisons to the face and shrug it off like water; there shouldn't be any poisons that can affect him, or at least ones that he won't notice entering his body.

 

Don't think so, but Shes probably going to take him with her to Hapes from the sounds of it.
(Glenn)

 

I think she was coming ther to force him to be Allana's father. Don't think she would let Jacen neglect his duties to her duaghter.
(Gordon)