Beyond - Legends Found You (Luke, Mara, Ben, post-NJO, family fluff, vignette)

Title: Found You
Author: ViariSkywalker
Timeframe: 31 ABY
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker
Genre: fluff, family, general, canon-compliant (gasp!), vignette

Summary: In which Luke tries to be an adult, and Mara does not.

Notes: This tiny little vig is a fic-gift for @Gabri_Jade, as a thank you for putting up with my angsty tendencies, and because she asked me to write some Mara-Ben fluff. And surprise, it’s canon-compliant! Well, Legends-compliant anyway, and technically it could slot right into my Enter!verse, too, so that’s cool.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars, and I was actually very nice to the characters this time around.

~~

Found You


Paperwork, Luke Skywalker decided, was the worst.

Alone in his home office, the founder of the reborn Jedi Order leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face, frowning at the screen of the datapad he still held in his other hand. It had been his own idea to set up a grant that would aid potential Jedi students and their families in relocating to Ossus – the sort of aid that was sorely needed with the galaxy still recovering and rebuilding in the wake of the Yuuzhan Vong War – but as he looked over the seemingly endless list of forms required to establish those funds, he thought he was starting to go slightly cross-eyed.

As he contemplated whether or not it would be fair to rope Kam or Tionne into handling this particular task, he felt a minuscule ripple in the Force. Luke glanced up at the doorway of his office, expecting to see someone there, but it was as empty as it had been all morning. He was about to return to the grant forms when his eyes caught on a flash of red-gold.

Sitting on the floor opposite his desk, tucked between the sofa and a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit, was Mara. Her back was against the shelving unit, her head cocked enough to look over her shoulder toward the still-open doorway. Luke glanced around the room and, finding nothing else out of place, raised a questioning eyebrow as he turned his attention once more to his wife.

“Mar—”

Her eyes snapped toward his, and she waved her hand in front of her neck several times in quick succession – a clear signal to shut his mouth. Her bright green eyes were wide and expectant and focused, and Luke pressed his lips together and twiddled his thumbs against the datapad in his hands for a moment, waiting. The bond between them was curiously muted, as though Mara was deliberately trying to hide her presence from him—

A faint shuffling sound met his ears, echoing in the hallway outside his office, and Luke grinned as understanding began to dawn. He looked to Mara again; her expression had taken on even greater focus than before. She darted out from her hiding spot, crawling quickly and silently across the floor toward his desk. Luke watched her without a word, and as she passed him, she glanced up at him and frowned. He couldn’t help grinning wider at that.

About five seconds after Mara took up her new hiding place behind his desk, the shuffling in the hallway came to an end, and Luke smiled up at his newest visitor.

“Is Mommy in here?”

Over the years, Luke had mastered the poise and serenity expected of him as a Jedi and had learned to school his expression to match that perception – and yet, as he fixed his gaze on his son’s tiny form and took in the serious and familiar expression on his adorable little face, he had to fight very, very hard not to look directly at Mara and bust out laughing.

“No,” he answered quickly – too quickly – hands still gripping the datapad.

Ben’s eyes narrowed as he stared back in silence, completely unaware that his expression was a perfect mirror of the one his mother was currently directing at his father from behind the desk. Not that Luke could actually see Mara’s expression; he was, after all, still doing his best not to look at her. But he knew her well enough to know exactly what face she was making right now. He could practically feel it.

“I looked everywhere else,” Ben said after the longest seven seconds of Luke’s life.

“Did you try the bedroom?”

Ben dropped his chin and stared even harder, his frown deepening in a way that would almost certainly have been intimidating on an older child. On a four-year-old, however, it was precious beyond words.

“Yes,” Ben replied in a huff, “I already looked there. I looked everywhere, Daddy.”

“Well, Mommy is very good at hiding.”

This insight did not impress Ben in the least. His son took a step into the room, blue eyes darting around to analyze every nook and cranny. They finally settled on Luke and his desk, and Ben crossed his arms over his chest and said in a deadly serious voice: “Very funny, Daddy.”

Before Luke could think of a proper response, Ben strode toward the desk, anticipation lighting in his eyes as he rounded the corner…

In a motion so quick it left Luke a little in awe, Mara swung around from behind the desk, moving clockwise to evade their son’s search. As Ben stepped to Luke’s side and looked around for his quarry, Mara crawled in front of the desk, her movements completely silent. Next to Luke, Ben’s face wrinkled up in frustration, his mouth curving into a pout.

“She has to be here—”

“Found you!”

Mara sprang to her feet behind Ben, snatching him up in both arms and swinging him around in the air. Ben let out a cry of absolute delight, giggling as Mara slowly came to a halt.

“Mommy, I’m supposed to find you!” he laughed.

Mara leveled her eyes with Ben’s and gave him a puzzled look. “Is that how this game works? I can never remember…”

“Mommy…”

“Do you want to hide this time, or look for me?”

Ben leaned back in Mara’s arms and crossed his little arms over his chest, and Luke nearly laughed again at the sight of his son so perfectly replicating one of Mara’s expressions. “No, I’m too tired.” His eyes lit up as a thought occurred to him. “Can I have a snack?”

Mara glanced sidelong at Luke, her lips curving up in a wry, affectionate smile. “Why don’t we all go get a snack?”

Luke glanced down at his datapad. “I did say I would have these forms done…” He trailed off as Mara and Ben shared a knowing and conspiratorial look.

“What do you think?” Mara asked their son in mock seriousness. “Hot chocolate?”

Ben nodded, his expression equally grave. “Hot chocolate,” he agreed.

Luke set the datapad down on the desk and stood up to join his family. “My one weakness,” he said, feigning resignation. “Your mommy knows I can’t resist hot chocolate.”

Mara nodded and tilted her head toward Ben. “He’s very predictable that way.”

Ben smiled wider. “Can I help make it?”

“Sure you can,” Luke said cheerfully, ruffling his son’s copper-red hair. “And when you’re done with that, you can help me fill out these forms—”

“Daddy…”

“Okay, fine, you can clean my office instead…”

Ben groaned, loudly and dramatically, and Mara raised an eyebrow in Luke’s direction. “You know he gets that from your side.”

“Guilty.” Luke wrapped one arm around Mara’s waist and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Ben’s expression shifted from indignation to bashful delight at that, and he hid a quiet giggle behind both hands. Mara shifted their son in her arms, hugging him closer, her sense in the Force steady and warm and unfathomably content.

Luke smiled to himself as the three of them left the office and headed for the kitchen. Yes, paperwork was still the worst, but it did make these little interruptions all the sweeter by comparison. As if he would ever pass up the chance for some hot chocolate.


Fin


~~

 

MIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNE

 

SQUEE! 4-year-old Ben in all his moods is too precious! And Mommy!Mara is just. Too. ... I am like Luke in the chocolate department and anything to quit the migraine-inducing paperwork.

I consider this a gift for me, as well. I've been craving L/M big time recently.

 

MMMM sweet and delightful. Love to see Ben, Mara and Luke happy. For me this is canon

 

This could get to be a habit...

I can see it All the focus of the Emperor's Hand directed to a game of hide and seek with a four-year-old And Luke simply accepting that Mara is, for some reason, sitting on the floor of his office and signaling for him to shut up. I love these two so much

The image that started it all

The stakes are high, and he's slipped already

I love - love - that Luke knows her well enough to know exactly what her expression will be at any given moment, and it is my headcanon that Ben looks more like Luke but has Mara's expressions and body language

Considering Luke's life, that's really saying something

lololol, I love it so much. SO. MUCH.

Ben's deadpan manner is the best

I still laugh at this every time. All they've been through, as long as they've known each other, and Luke is still in awe of Mara's many talents. Including playing a deadly serious game of hide and seek

I will never get over the headcanon of Mara getting to finally have a childhood, playing with Ben. It is the best thing ever. I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING

Mara and Ben are 100% going to be partners in crime forever and Luke will give in every time

lolol, he does

...except in certain AUs where his mother's side can also be dramatic

Give me more happy Skywalker family fluff, I neeeeeeeed it

~ ahem ~

Thank you for my gift, Vi, I love it

 

Omg this is the fluffiest, and I love it. Also, hi Vi! *waves frantically*

Ben’s eyes narrowed as he stared back in silence, completely unaware that his expression was a perfect mirror of the one his mother was currently directing at his father from behind the desk. Not that Luke could actually see Mara’s expression; he was, after all, still doing his best not to look at her. But he knew her well enough to know exactly what face she was making right now. He could practically feel it.
​

Perfection.

 

Ellllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiii

 

ELLI!!!! *tackles*

OMG HOW ARE YOU?!

And I guess Gabri was right to push me toward writing some classic Skywalker family fluff. Perfection is the highest compliment I could ask for!

 

The den mother is always right

 

I'm doing great! My 7yo got really into The Clone Wars, so I had to jump back into fandom to stay cool.

 

@Gabri_Jade

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

I did really enjoy writing some happiness for the Skywalker family, especially after everything canon did to them (and everything I've done to them, too, let's be real. )




@earlybird-obi-wan

What a lovely compliment! Thank you so much for reading!




@Gabri_Jade

I was going to make some snarky remark about my angsty nature, but yeah, it’s nice to write happy things sometimes.

…Sometimes.

Mara Jade Skywalker, queen of life hacks and children’s games. And I just loved the image of Luke sitting there all:

Aw yeah. I love that the more serious and determined Mara gets, the more it makes Luke smile.

Luke, on the inside:

Spoiler

Well you already know that that’s a headcanon I share 100%.

No joke, kids have a way of making the most mundane things feel like an intensely high-pressure situation.

Heee, Ben is his mother’s son, all right.

I LOVE IT SO MUCH, GABRI.

They’re the best.

*hands you tissues* Hey, at least these are happy tears...

This, absolutely.

Lolollll

Yay!!! I’m so happy you loved it, and I will do my best to provide more Skywalker family fluff from here on out.

She iiiissss




@vader_incarnate

My kids got me watching TCW too, after many years of me resisting it, although I still haven’t made it through every episode. But they love it and The Bad Batch and basically all the new shows. And my 7yo in particular has been on a serious PT kick lately, so that coincided nicely with watching the Obi-Wan show.

 

@Mira_Jade

Oh my gosh, I meant to reply to this forever ago.

I still crack up at the thought that I wrote something suitably mushy enough to be a chaser for the angst bomb.

I agree completely.

Right? It just fits with what we know of Luke.

And then, I love that you thought of the Starskip family, because I'll admit that they were part of what inspired this particular detail. I don't remember getting a ton of information about what life was like on Ossus or how Kam and Tionne ran things, so I've kinda filled in some of those blanks myself in writing the Enter!verse. I'd like to think that some version of this grant existed in canon and in the Enter!verse. The reasons for why Dorian and Veeran's father didn't or couldn't stay with them on Ossus are a bit nebulous in my head, but maybe it's something along the lines of, "there are limited funds and not everyone who applies for a grant is going to receive it" and "his job back home gave him something to distract him from his grief" and "his kids need something he can't give them and he thinks they might be better off without him".

(Look at that, I found a way to bring the angst. Apparently I can't help myself. )

lolol, they are.

I do enjoy getting this reaction.

Right?! Look at this adorable little family! My headcanon is that Ben looks like Luke but shares more of Mara's mannerisms. I've always liked drawing those parallels in EtF, but it was fun to do it differently here, with a much younger Ben. (And baby!Ben, MY HEART. I so enjoyed writing him here. )

I can't remember how exactly the hide-and-seek scenario came about - maybe from a discussion of how Mara would throw herself into motherhood with every fiber of her being - but you can thank Gabri for urging me to write it.

Heck yeah, putting all those shadow agent skills to a much fluffier use.

We all know it.

Gotta love that Skywalker drama. At least Luke is self-aware.

And nothing bad ever happened to them ever again.


(Except in the Enter!verse and all its AUs )

It's true, the angst calls to me, I can't fight it. But I was glad to write this happy little piece of fluff, especially knowing how much my friends would enjoy it.

 

Excellent story. I read these wonderful family stories and just have to sigh knowing Disney has not brought Mara back into canon. And then I think it is probably for the best because they would probably screw up the character. Thankfully there is fanfiction.

I love this little glimpse into the Skywalker family.

 

Aw, thank you! I'm very happy that you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing a purely happy family moment for these three.

I'm definitely of two minds when it comes to bringing Mara back. On the one hand, she's a great character with loads of potential in the Disney canon, especially with so many stories currently being told in the Imperial era. On the other hand, not very many authors/creators really get her character right, not even some of the ones who tried to get her right, and I suspect that trend would continue in the Disney canon, with mixed and often frustrating results. So I guess I'd be curious and interested to see her brought into the new stuff, and also wary of what they would do with her. But like you said, thankfully there's always fanfic!

Thank you so much for reading my little fluff piece and for your lovely review!