Saga - OT Not Your Mother's Life Day: OTP Holiday Challenge (Raissa/Doran, Mara/Ezra)

Title: Not Your Mother's Life Day
Author: Raissa Baiard
Timeframe: 0BBY, shortly before the events of ANH
Characters: Doran Blayne, Raissa (Baiard) Blayne, Mara Jade Blayne, Ezra Bridger, the rest of the Ghost's crew
Summary: When the crew of the Ghost joins the Blayne family for Life Day, Raissa reflects on how her family is changing.

Thanks to Ewok Poet and Findswoman for beta-ing and suggestions


"They're heee-eere!" Annina's sing-song voice echoed down the staircase moments before the door-chime sounded.

Raissa set the last tray of Wookiee cookies on the buffet table, and pushed a stray cookie back into place. "So answer the door," she called back up, stirring the crock of Hoth chocolate to make sure it hadn't scorched.

"No!" Mara, who had been putting the last decorations on the Tree of Life, looked up in alarm. "Don't answer it! I'll get it! I'm coming!" She dropped the tinsel garland she'd been winding around its branches, straightened her tunic and bounded up the stairs two at time.

Raissa picked up the fallen garland and tucked the end around a branch. She surveyed the tree and all its shimmering ornaments and sighed; so many memories among those branches: the wroshyr leaf wreath Doran bought her when they got married; the fuzzy Wookiee cub from Mara’s first Life Day; the Brave Little Banthas ornament--Nick’s favorite holo-cartoon when he was five; all of Annina’s handmade ornaments, covered with glitter and sequins. Raissa sighed. Normally, she loved celebrating Life Day--the lights, the decorations, all the family traditions she'd brought from Bel Luar to Merkesh, and some that she and Doran had added as their family grew. But this year was different...

Somehow, Doran and Mara had tag-teamed her into inviting the entire crew of the Ghost for Life Day. And while she'd enjoyed talking to Hera and Kanan when they'd been on Merkesh--ostensibly on supply runs--and even the gruff Zeb was starting to grow on her, she still wasn't quite sure how she felt about Ezra Bridger and his continued attention to her daughter.

It seemed like only yesterday, her daredevil girl had complained that all her friends wanted to talk about were "stupid bands, stupid clothes and stupid boys." This year, Mara had refused to wear her Life Day tunic because the red “clashed with her hair.” She and Raissa had gone around about traditions and fashion and family, before they'd finally been able to compromise on a white tunic with red wroshyr leaves embroidered on the hem and sleeves with red leggings. Instead of her usual single plait, Mara had braided her hair up on the sides, and left it long in the back. She'd even tucked white flowers and sprigs of gold leaves into her braids, something Raissa was used to Annina doing, but never Mara.

She couldn't really blame Mara for not wanting Annina to greet their guests. Annina had some fairly...sentimental...ideas about her older sister's relationship with Ezra, and regularly mortified Mara by calling him her "prince" or her "true love". Raissa didn't know exactly where the romantic frilliness of her youngest daughter had come from; Doran must have read her too many fairy tales when she was little.

It turned out that Nick had beat them all to the door, which, Raissa thought, was probably for the best. Despite the fact that he shared his father's given name, he was the child who was most like Raissa, and he took things like being a good host very seriously. "General Syndulla, Master Jarrus, welcome. Please come in."

"It's just Kanan, remember?" Raised with the convention that officers were addressed by title, Nick always tried to grant him the Jedi honorific, despite Kanan's polite insistence that it was unnecessary.

“Oh, okay…” Nick paused, looking non-plussed as the next members of the Ghost’s crew appeared in the doorway. “Um...hello.” Raissa hoped that he was simply unsure what titles to use with Zeb and Sabine, and not, as she suspected, that he was tongue-tied because of the Mandalorian girl. She really didn’t need two children in the throes of teenage crushes.

“Hey, kid.” Zeb clapped an enormous purple hand on Nick’s shoulder and thrust a large packing crate decorated with stylized Tree of Life designs--no doubt Sabine’s artwork--into his arms. “Happy Life Day,” Nick staggered a bit under the weight of the package; before he could formulate a proper ‘thank you,” the Lasat jostled into him as the cranky astromech behind him tried to push his way through. “Ow! Watch it, Chop!”

The droid prodded Zeb and started lecturing him in grumpy electronic tones. “I’m not blocking the door. I was moving, you just didn’t give me a chance. No, you’re the one being rude!”

“Can you two please settle this later?” Ezra peered over Chopper into the foyer. “Right now you’re both blocking the door.” Droid and Lasat began protesting simultaneously that it was clearly the other one’s fault. “Yeah, whatever.” He rolled his eyes, skipping over the question of fault by vaulting over Chopper and nudging past Zeb. Raissa didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up when they met Mara's, or the way Mara, so outwardly possessed, seemed to glow in the Force when she saw him. They smiled at each other like they were sharing a secret joke. Raissa frowned at that; as if it weren’weren’t bad enough that her daughter could encrypt her own comlink, she could also exchange sweet nothings via mind speech. Now there was a combination she’d never expected to deal with--not like any of the parenting holo-sites discussed raising your Force-sensitive Rebel.

Mara edged her way through the crowded foyer to Ezra, and Raissa thought they might have kissed, except that a girlish giggle reminded them they had an audience. Annina, dressed in the ruffliest, sparkliest, reddest tunic ever, flitted between her brother and Zeb for a better view, watching with a dreamy smile. Mara blushed a shade that really did clash with her hair and settled for a brief embrace. “Happy Life Day.”

“And you, Ace.” Ezra handed her a small package tied with a silver ribbon.

Annina giggled again, then her impish grin turned into a pout. “He’s not wearing red. Mara, didn’t you tell him he was supposed to wear red for Life Day?” In point of fact, none of their guests were wearing anything other than their usual attire, minus a few bits of armor, but the others seemed to matter less to Annina than her sister’s beau.

“Annina,” Raissa admonished before Mara could snap at her. “Life Day is about celebrating love and friendship, not about what you wear.” She heard Mara snort. *Really, Mom? That’s not what you told me--red tunics are a family tradition!*

*That’s different, young lady. Your sister needs to be more polite to our guests.*

As if on cue, Annina held out an armful of glittery, tinsely garlands studded with red flowers and leaves. “It’s a good thing I made Life Day wreaths for everyone!” She did a quick pirouette and fluttered around, distributing her handiwork to each member of the Ghost’s crew. “One for you...and you..and you...and even you!” The last wreath was for Chopper, who fended it off with his graspers, swiveling his dome in an emphatic negative. Raissa was glad she didn’t understand all of his robotic tirade, and especially glad that Annina didn’t.

“Aw, c’mon, Chopper, be a good sport. It’s Life Day.” Ezra already had his around his neck. Despite Mara’s completely chagrined expression, he seemed to be willing to humor Annina--a point in his favor, Raissa supposed.

“Yeah, even Zeb’s wearing his,” Sabine said.

“No, I’m not.” The big Lasat held the glittering wreath at arm’s length, as if it were a dead giju.

“Yes, you are.” Sabine took it from his hands and dropped it over his head. It slid sideways, catching at a rakish angle on one pointed ear. Zeb growled, but Sabine just smirked at him, hands on her hips, as if daring him to take it off.

“What are we all doing in here? I thought the party was downstairs.” Doran emerged from the door to the conversation circle. His dark maroon shirt was a nice change from his usual grayish-brown and brownish-gray attire. Raissa had managed to get him to do something about his untidy hair, but she’d never gotten him to move past his Jedi-drab taste in clothes. She eyed him suspiciously, There was a little too much felinx-in-the-convorees smugness in Doran’s presence. He and Mara had been exchanging significant glances all week; whatever they had planned was almost certainly not something she was going approve of. “Why don’t we head down there? Raissa’s been cooking all day. There’s plenty of roast bantha, mashed topatoes, Hoth chocolate and Wookiee cookies.”

“Great!” Zeb exclaimed. “I’m starved; let’s go!” Annina skipped down after him, while Chopper protested the steepness of the stairs and protested even louder when Ezra and Mara teamed up to levitate him down them--particularly when Ezra also levitated Annina’s Life Day wreath onto the droid’s head.

Raissa caught her husband’s hand before he went downstairs. “What are you up to, Doran Blayne?”

“Up to? Why would I be up to anything?” He gave her a smile that tried hard to be innocent but failed utterly.

“Because we’ve been married eighteen years and that look has never once led to anything good.”

“Relax.” He kissed her and squeezed her hand. “This is a party; let’s go have some fun.”

Raissa sighed. Doran, at least, hadn’t changed. Whatever he had up his sleeve, it was too late to do anything about it now. She put on her best Good Hostess smile and joined their guests.

 

Aw, this is so cute! As a mom myself, I know that weird, unsettling feeling when your little girl is suddenly a young woman and she's got eyes for a handsome young man. You have to let her go and make her own decisions, and acknowledge that you and Dad aren't the stars of her world anymore.

Annina is adorable. I could picture the scene of her flitting around like a little sprite, decorating everyone in glitter and tinsel. And Zeb, standing there with the glittery wreath slowly sliding down his head.. Your details bring everything to vivid life.

THings I gotta know: what shenanigans are Doran and Mara up to? Those "significant glances" they'd been exchanging are probaly going to involve Raissa in some way! And what's in the little silver box that Ezra has given to Mara? I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating - your Ezra/Mara is absolutely wonderful. They are really well matched. Young love! Ahhh...

 

Splendid story.

Great characterisations for all the characters.

It was nice and palliative to see an incarnation of Mara in a "good place", and it was around her and Annila that you excelled.

I loved that Mara glowed in the Force when her boyfriend came over, and that you were able to find a new angle for comlinks, eg. a teenager being able to encrypt her own.

Great clothing descriptions, use of colour, and, and EVERYTHING.

Fantastic effort.

 

This is not your mother's comment, even though your mother and I happen to have something in common.

First of all, this was beautiful:

I am almost certain that these little breaches of tradition will eventually result in some huge break of tradition. Raissa might or might not be seeing Mara's reluctance to wear red - and then Ezra's, as a sign of her little daughter no longer being dedicated exclusively to her family and having somebody in her life; maybe she's even afraid of "losing" Mara to Ezra. And she is not noticing Annina, who is doing her best to actually follow the traditions and be a people-pleaser.

On the other side, it appears that Doran and Mara have something else on their minds. And it makes sense. Symbolically, by accepting her daughter's new life and the Ghost crew with two aliens aboard, as well as one disabled being, Raissa is shedding the very last shackles of the Empire. Aliens are OK. Changing traditions in accordance with time is OK. Merkesh is a melting pot and the whole Rebellion is. Rebels are bringing the Rebellion AND open minds to the Baiard-Blayne household.

And that little bit of bickering between Sabine and Zeb was PRICELESS.

 

Thanks! I couldn't resist bringing both my OTPs together for some holiday fun. (Or three of them, if you count Hera and Kanan, though their part in this story is small). And holiday fun becomes even more complicated and chaotic when there are multiple families involved.

The ornaments were Ewok Poet's idea in beta, and I really loved it because those family ornaments represent tradition and change at the same time. They're based on the kind of ornaments we have on our Christmas tree; we have a tradition of adding new ornaments every year that represent something significant to us--special events, favorite cartoons or movies--so you can follow the evolution of our family through them. I tried to do the same thing with the Blayne's Tree of Life, going from their newlyweds wreath to Annina's latest creations. Of course, right now, Raissa only sees the "tradition" part....

I'd love to have an outfit like Mara's, too. Put a nice belt and some knee-high boots with it, and it would be quite stylish.

I've definitely experienced it too; for me it's the shock of a someone who could sit and read for hours having a daughter who is in perpetual motion! She isn't quite as frilly as Annina, but the Youngling inspired Annina's propensity to flit, skip and dance everywhere she goes.

Having a Force-sensitive child must really complicate parenting, and the worst part is, there's no one for Raissa to turn to for advice. Even Jedi Doran's got to be equally clueless, being raised in the Temple. Findsmom's advice is wise, though RL Raissa hopes she does not have to deal with the issue for many more years

My Youngling is about the same age as Annina, so I haven't had to deal with that particular issue yet, but I have been going through the "OMG my child is almost as tall as me, what happened to my baby" freak out It is a strange feeling when you realize how fast they've grown!

Thank you so much! I owe a lot of Annina's personality to my daughter, who likewise loves to be the star of the show at family gatherings.

The answers will be revealed in the next post!

And thank you again

Thank you! Mara is one of my favorite characters, and now that she is Legends, I can at least take solace in giving her a happier back story in this AU. And I just thought it would be fun to give her a younger sister who's into all those girly-girl things that are so foreign to Mara. Poor Nick, sandwiched in the middle--it's a good thing he's the easy-going one

Raissa has her hands full with a daughter who's not only a lovestruck Jedi but a slicer trained by an Bothan ex-spy

Thank you so much; I'm glad you enjoyed it

I owe it to your suggestion!

You're on track about Raissa feeling that she's losing her her little girl...she's changing and going in directions that Raissa did not expect, but probably should have.

Being an outside who's experienced plenty of prejudice herself, Raissa doesn't have the anti-alien bias most Imperials do; she's even developed a close enough relationship with Bothan Dev Breil'lya that her children call him "Uncle Dev". Breaking tradition, though, that's another thing entirely! She's always been one for traditions and Life Day celebrations are the biggest of the them. If she could go with the flow, she might find that new things can be just as much fun....nah

Aw, they bicker because they care!

Thank you! There are so many little things that going into making a holiday' it was fun to use some of the existing details about Life Day and fill in some others based on my family's Christmas celebrations.

No, of course not! Because she DOESN'T DO ROMANCE. At all. Ever. Except...maybe for Ezra

Yep, a Jedi mom's life is not easy, particularly if your oldest daughter is Mara. Maybe Raiss needs to write an article for one of those holo-sites?

And thank you so much It's really gratifying that you like them! They were one of those crazy 'ships that you wonder whether anyone else will like, given that Luke and Mara are pretty much set in stone, Legends or no. But I really like Mara and Ezra together, partly because it is just nice to write about young love

Part of it is soon to be revealed

 

Part 2

The large, open room downstairs was normally used for lightsaber practice. Its plain plaster walls and tile floor were not terribly attractive, but it was the only place big enough to hold ten people, an astromech droid, an elderly roba and a pittin. Raissa had borrowed folding chairs from the garrison to create a makeshift conversation circle, and after Annina decorated the walls with tinsel garland and more sparkling wreaths, it actually looked quite festive. The plastene folding table that served as the buffet was covered with a red tablecloth and fat white pillar candles glowed among the platters of roast bantha and bowls of mashed topatoes.

It was different from their usual intimate family dinner, with music and multiple streams of conversation enlivening the atmosphere. To her right, Doran and Kanan reminisced about Life Days at the Jedi Temple, getting sweets and trinkets from their clan-masters. Across the circle Nick, who had taken over this year’s fireworks and tinsel bombs, was conversing animatedly with Sabine about explosives. Raissa wasn’t sure whether this was preferable to his previous awkward silence around her or not. To her left, Mara was laughing at a story Zeb and Ezra were telling about their encounter with a meter-long multi-pede on Yavin Base. Frugly had stationed himself between Mara and Ezra’s chair; Raissa would have liked to think her faithful pygmy roba was playing chaperone for her, but he seemed to have an inexplicable fondness for Ezra, even before the young man started slipping him scraps of roast.

Meanwhile, Annina, bored with all the grown-up chatter and impatient as only a child waiting for Life Day gifts could be, had taken it upon herself to play hostess and flitted around refilling mugs of Hoth chocolate and seconds and thirds of dinner while her pittin, Princess, bounced along behind. “More roast, Master Orrelios?” she asked sweetly.

Zeb leaned back heavily in his chair and groaned. “Couldn't eat another bite, but,” he added, perking up enough to hand his mug to Annina, “I will have some more Hoth chocolate. That stuff’s almost as good as a good cup of caf.”

“So nothing like your caf, then,” Ezra said, slipping another bit of roast to Frugly. The roba snapped it up and sighed, laying his jowly muzzle on Ezra’s knee with the pleading look that meant “rub my ears now, please.”

“Ha,” Zeb grumbled. “I make great caf...or I could if our caf maker wasn’t older than Chopper.” The droid blatted an indignant response in his own defense or possibly the caf maker’s.

“I know what you mean,” Mara replied leaning over to rub Frugly’s ears. “I think Sparky should have been retired years ago. I spend as much time fixing it as I do making caf.”

Annina returned with Zeb’s mug, then skipped over to hang on the back of Raissa’s chair. “Mom,” she wheedled in a voice sweeter than a Zelosian zherry bomb. “Now that all our guests have finished, isn’t it time for us to open presents?” Princess mewed and patted Raissa’s ankle with a paw for emphasis.

Raissa smiled. “What do think, Doran? Is it time for presents?’

He pretended to consider it, a mischievous spark lighting his eyes. “I don’t know, I think we should let our stomachs rest for a while, maybe take a nap…”

“Daaaad!”

“Kidding. All right, would you like to do the honors of handing out the gifts, Nina?”

Annina’s face lit up; of course the princess of all things sparkly wanted to distribute all the pretty packages. She and Princess darted back and forth from the pile underneath the Tree of Life, around the circle, giving each present to its recipient, except for the large crate decorated with the Tree of Life, which she pushed, pulled and dragged to the center of the circle. “This one says it’s for the whole family. Can I open my present now?” She clutched the shiny gold-wrapped box to her chest. “Can I, please? Please?”

“It’s polite to let our guests go first,” Raissa reminded her.

“Let her go ahead,” Kanan said with a smile. “None of us want to come between a youngling and her gift.”

“Speak for yourself.” Zeb muttered, shaking his present, a large rectangular box that rattled enticingly. Hera shot him a quelling glance. “Oh, all right…”

Annina flashed the Lasat a brilliantly sparkly smile as she tore into the the wrapping flimsi. “Ultimate Braids Bastila!” she squealed, her voice rising to a pitch that made Frugly whimper. She hugged the box rapturously. “I’ve wanted her forever. Look at all her hair accessories; they’re so sparkly! And her lightsaber! I’m going to make mine just like hers!”

“I remember that one from when I was a girl!” Hera’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Of course the Mission Vao action figure was always my favorite; I always made her pilot my toy ships. I thought they stopped making them almost 20 years ago.”

“They did,” Raissa answered. “You have no idea what Doran went through to find it.” The Empire had impounded and destroyed most of them at the end of the Clone Wars, as part of their effort to wipe every trace of the Jedi from the Galaxy. Most of the remaining dolls perished in a fiery explosion, part of a conflict between rival Hutts. Doran and Dev Breil’lya had worked all their smuggler contacts to track down the elusive doll, and Doran had commented that it would have been easier to buy a kiloton of spice than Ultimate Braids Bastila.

Doran shrugged, looking a little sheepish. He would never admit it, but both of his daughters could wrap him around their little fingers. “Couldn’t let my little Jedi play with those Imperial Girl dolls...though it would have been cheaper.” He coughed diffidently, with the air of someone trying to change the subject. “So, who’s next? Kanan, why don’t you open yours?”

They’d skipped the decorative ribbons and wrapping flimsi for Kanan’s present, using a simple hinged wooden box instead. He opened it and ran his fingers over the the bronzium disk inside, tracing the design that was embossed into it--the winged star burst insignia of the Jedi Order on one side, a hand grasping a lightsaber and the skyline of Coronet On the other. “A Jedcred? I thought these were only given to Corellians!”

“Not just Corellians,” Doran said. “Our Jedi masters used to give them as a mark of friendship and respect, too. Not that I’m a Master by any means, but I can’t think of anyone who deserves this one more.”

“I’m honored.” Kanan inclined his head and held a hand out to Doran, who clasped it firmly.

Zeb rolled his eyes and rattled his package again. “All right, before things get too mushy here, I’m opening this.” He shredded the gold wrapping almost as quickly as Annina had. “What’s this?” he asked pulling the black lacquer and chrome trimmed appliance from its flimsi board box. He turned it around, poking at its buttons and fiddling with its shiny spigot. “Some kind of caf maker?”

“Oh, that’s one of those fancy new Evoluo caf distillers!” Sabine leaned forward for a better look. “All you have to do is put in one of those capsules and add water. Even you can’t mess that up!”

The Lasat frowned as he inspected the enclosed sample package of Evoluo Premium caf capsules. “Javarican espressso? Alderaanian chocolate mock-a? Kamino salted caramel mashy-atto? This is caf?”

“Trust me,” Mara assured Zeb, patting him on a burly arm. “If you like Hoth chocolate, you’ll love them.”

The Ghost’s crew exchanged significant glances and smiles around the circle. “Maybe you should open your present from all of us now,” Kanan suggested.

“I’ll do it!” Annina sang. She pulled at the top of the crate, struggling and grunting in a most un-princessly manner, until Nick finally came forward, flipped the catches on each side and lifted off the brightly decorated lid. Beneath it was a boxy metallic contraption, with multiple spouts and a control panel more complicated than some starship’s. It didn’t look terribly exciting, but Mara instantly sprang to her feet.

“This is a top-of-line commercial Nnub-o-matic!” she exclaimed. She’d been dropping hints about getting one of the Sullustan caf makers since she’d started working at the Cafe Alderaan, though Doran insisted there was nothing wrong with Old Sparky, the caf machine he’d inherited when he bought the Café. “Where did you get this?

“There’s a platoon of Stormtroopers on Lothal that’s missing their morning caf,” Ezra told her, grinning.

“You stole our Life Day present from the Empire?” Raissa stifled a laugh. She knew she ought to have been appalled, given her profession, but it seemed fitting somehow...even traditional. She’d celebrated her first Life Day with Doran by giving him a stolen Adegan crystal from her late predecessor’s cache of illicit goods.

“Nah,” Zeb waved away her question. “It fell off a transport.” He smiled, showing off an impressive array of pointy teeth. “Might've had a little help falling off, though.”

“Look, there’s another package here!” Annina, who had been unimpressed by the caf maker, held up a small red cloth bag tied with a silver ribbon. She immediately undid the ribbon and poured it out. Five pieces of colorful plasti, four rectangles and one circle, clacked into her hands. “Life Day ornaments! Pretty! And look, they’re our call signs! Here’s mine!” She held up an ornament with an eight-pointed compass star in vibrant bursts of magenta and purple, “...Nick’s…” a set of golden scales surrounded by serene, swirling blues, “…Dad’s…” a man in brown and green holding up a flask as if toasting someone, “…Mom’s”… a woman in silver-blue robe and gray cloak holding a wooden staff, “…and,oh, I guess this one is yours, Mara.” She handed her sister the lone circle. The design was not a sabacc card but a stylized avian in orange and green...the star bird that the Ghost’s crew used as their symbol.

“So I don’t get the Ace of Sabers?” Mara looked at Ezra quizzically.

He smiled, picking up the small package with the silver ribbon from her chair. “Open mine next,” he said, handing it to her.

She untied the ribbon and undid the wrapping flimsi so carefully that, if she’d been a different type of girl Raissa might have suspected they would wind up pressed inside a keepsake book. Mara gasped as she opened the box.

“Let’s see! Let’s see!” Annina demanded, clapping her hands.

Mara’s expression was astonished as she held the small painting, about the size of a standard piece of flimsi, and Raissa could see why. It depicted a red haired Ace of Sabers holding a green-bladed lightsaber. She recognized her daughter, and yet….it wasn’t her Mara at all. This Ace of Sabers was a fierce and beautiful young woman, the Mara that Ezra saw when he looked at her. Mara seemed to recognize this, too; her eyes were shining when she turned to him. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

Ezra ducked his head, running a hand through his hair, apparently discomfited by the fact that the entire room was watching this moment, most of them with expressions in shades of aw-isn’t-that-sweet. “Sabine made it...obviously, I mean, I can’t…”

“But it was completely Ezra’s idea,” Sabine cut into his awkward stammering with the not-quite-teasing smile of an older sister.

“I love it. Thank you...both of you.” Despite Annina’s giggles, Mara leaned over to hug him; the gleam in her eyes hinted that if they’d been alone, there would have been kisses as well. Raissa stifled a sigh. Further proof, as if she needed any, that whoever Mara was becoming, she wasn’t the little girl who viewed boys as just unworthy smashball opponents any more, the one who turned up her nose at “kissing stuff” in stories.

Mara handed Ezra the gold wrapped package that Frugly had been nosing. “Here, your turn.”

Ezra laughed when he opened the box, and pulled out an odd-looking hat, a truncated cone of red bantha wool--that gem of Merkeshian local fashion known as the fez. He grinned at Mara as he twirled the gaudy gold tassel attached to its top. “You still think I’d look good in this?”

She smiled back as if at a joke only the two of them understood. “Definitely. But first, look inside.”

Now it was his turn to give her a curious look, but he turned the fez over. Tucked into the inside rim was a sabacc card. “Six of sabers?”

It took Raissa a moment to realize the significance of that small piece of flimsi board. Her hand clenched around around her empty Hoth chocolate mug.

Hera seemed to get the meaning at the same time. “Are you trying to steal my crew members, Doran Blayne?”

He smirked in the way that only a Corellian who thought he was clever could. “It’s more of an honorary membership…at least for the moment.”

The mug slipped out of Raissa’s hand and shattered on the tile floor. She stared down at the jumble of broken crockery, feeling as if everyone was staring at her. “Sorry,” she said, sweeping the bits up into her napkin, not looking at anyone, especially Doran, because if she did, she might have to break something else. “I’ll just take this upstairs...no, I can handle it,” she snapped as Doran half-rose to help her. She went upstairs to the kitchen as fast as she could without marching like an Imperial, flung the entire sticky mess into the trash receptacle and slammed the lid with a crash.

Spoiler: Notes

Zeb and caf: This started out as a joke between me, Findswoman and Ewok Poet, that big,burly Zeb was secretly into frou-frou coffee drinks like espresso, or specifically Nespresso. So the Nespresso Evoluo has crossed into the GFFA, and our favorite Lasat can now make himself some proper espressos, or possibly ZEBSPRESSOS

Ultimate Braids Bastila was created by Findswoman. The tragic story of their fiery demise can be found in her story Early Morning Thoughts of a Hutt's Gardener

Imperial Girls dolls are my fanon creation based on the American Girls line.

Nnub-o-matic caf makers are a pun on Bunn-o-matic, a company that is based near me in Illinois.

The story of Raissa and Doran’s first Life Day together, and her gift of the stolen Adegan crystal is from Not Exactly an Old-Fashioned Life Day

Mara giving Ezra a fez is indeed an in joke from their first meeting in Star Crossed: OTP Challenge

 

A nice story.
I liked how you combined both the old and the new canon with Mara and Ezra. Also intersting to see Mara having a family. I really enjoyed the characters and the world building in it. With the empire replacing Jedi dolls with their own. A nice idea.
I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.

 

Sorry for being unforgivably late on this one - the Dare Challenge and this one resulted in some great stuff sprouting all of the sudden.

First of all, this chapter went over your usual limit, but it's for the best. Descriptions are vivid and just plain gorgeous - they help create the atmosphere of a wonderful, warm occasion and every single detail - from food on the table to those ornaments is well thought-out. Love it.

It's nice to see Raissa embrace the changes in what she held dear to her heart. In a way, changes are what makes all these folks survive and thrive. They were all removed from their realities, apart from Mara and her siblings and that includes Raissa herself. She leads a double life, and should know that it's all about adapting to the circumstances and adopting the circumstances. And now, her own daughter is being somebody's girlfriend, in addition to somebody's daughter and sister; and the link between the two Rebel cells. To a certain extent, the conflicted emotions are understandable, too!

And heeere is a proof of that.

...she is blending things in so many ways, so there is no reason others should not be doing it.

Love it how Annina is overfeeding anybody and Ezra is slipping bits of roast to Frugly. That was priceless, but not as priceless as Nick and Sabine discussing the POW POW BOOM type of stuff.

HA. A reference to Star-Crossed.

The idea of Doran and Dev Breil’lya having had to go through a lot in order to get that Ultimate Braids Bastila is adding a frightening note to the chapter and reminding us that, regardless of the mush here, this is still the Imperial era and both the Specters and the Idiot's Array will go back to their tasks. This is, in a way, escapism. And, there's that creepiness in the contrast of Imperial dolls and the fact that they *actually exist*.

Of course, Hera having had a Mission Vao doll is awesome - because I love, love, love Mission Vao. One has to wonder if she is particular to her because she was Twi'lek, awesome or both.

The Doran & Kanan moment was sweet and true to the leitmotif of this whole story - they both come from a world that has been erased and they were forced to flee and hide, but they do embrace mixing their traditions and doing things in their own way in general, being truly and actually progressive, in the real meaning of that word.

AND THEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE STORY - ZEB GETS A CAF MAKER. AND HE WILL BE CONVERTED FROM A SIMPLE DRINK GUY TO SOMEBODY SOPHISTICATED.

 

I'm so glad you enjoyed the gift exchange, and I have to say a big thank you to you and Ewok Poet for helping me figure out the perfect gift for each member of these Space!Families. And another thank you for letting me borrow Ultimate Braids Bastila, because every sparkly princess needs a beautiful, sparkly doll whose hair she can style. I will have to give some thought to those Imperial Girls dolls; but I have plenty of inspiration because the Youngling is as much into the American Girls as Annina is Ultimate Braids Bastila.

That's one Life Day tradition Raissa didn't expect to repeat! For all her insistence on tradition, she forgets that her first Life Day with Doran was very non-traditional, drinking spiked hot chocolate and handing out stolen goods as presents

After all the jokes about ZEBSPRESSOS, I had to work it in somehow. Nice to know Zeb won't have to drink caf that's thick enough to crawl out of the mug on its own anymore. Instead, he can kick back with a nice Kamino sea-salt caramel macchiato

Sabine is indeed the artist behind the call sign ornaments, as well as the Ace of Sabers portrait. There's a lot of great minds thinking alike between these two cells: Mara's ornament marks her as part of the Spectres, while Ezra's gift brings him into the Idiot's Array. And once again, I owe you thanks for the idea of giving Ezra a call sign in the Array.

Space!Moms unite...they both get it on a level that the men don't immediately (more on that in the next part) All of the cross-recruitment, and "you're part of our team" has implications beyond what they might think.

Thank you so much There are a few more gifts that still remain to be given, and I hope that they will be as good.

They are such a great ensemble, so I glad that my story can capture some of that.

I love all the Rebels, but Zeb...Zeb is just the perfect comic relief, with his gruff demeanor and sarcastic wit. He's the antidote to all this happy holiday mushiness. (But, shh...don't tell anyone that he's really enjoying it!)

Of course! Because none of these fine upstanding citizens would ever steal from the Empire!

Thank you again! I've enjoyed taking a look at their relationship from outside, so to speak, and getting into Raissa's head as she considers it…and what it means for her daughter and her family.

Thanks! It's definitely been fun mashing up all the continuities plus my OCs. There are so many fascinating bits of Legends lord that are too good to lose. The dolls are another way the Empire is controlling what it's citizens think and forcing its propaganda even onto its youngest citizens, which is, as Ewok Poet notes, pretty creepy.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you

Yep, life is all about change and dealing with change, but it's hard on a mom when she sees her little girl growing and changing in ways she hadn't expected. Mara's becoming a young woman and developing her identity beyond her family. And as in RL, holidays get exponentially more complex when you get more than one family involved...no matter how much you may like the second family!

But...tradition! But…her little girl…with a boy!

Annina's the quite hostess; it's like a giant sparkly tea party for her Animal friendship is one of Ezra's Force talents; he's connected with everything from Loth-cats to space-whales, so it's no wonder Frugly's taken a liking to him. (Which means he and Raissa have something in common...see, Mom, he's not so bad!) And serious, tongue-tied Nick finds he has something in common with the pretty Mandalorian....BLOWING STUFF UP.

.....and you know how sweet that is

The dolls and the lengths Doran goes to to find them is partly me bringing my mom experiences into play. Thanks to the Internet, the Youngling can find all sorts of toys that are obscure and discontinued, and, yes, Mr. B and I have gone to ridiculous lengths to procure just the right toy for her. Another part of it is the idea that it's important for little girls to have dolls that represent them, so Doran seeks out the doll that not only has sparkly hair accessories, she's a Jedi, just like Annina, rather than letting her play with the creepy propaganda dolls.

Both, definitely both! Mission is just the kind of awesome, strong girl that I could see young Hera aspiring to be when she grew up...and indeed, has become

Thank you Kanan and Doran, more than any of the others, have had to deal with huge changes in their lives. They may not be the traditional type of Jedi, embracing attachments and not living a cloistered lifestyle, but they are still strong in the Force, strong enough to set the next generation of Jedi on the right path.

Yes, sophisticated Zeb....soon he will be drinking his ZEBSPRESSOS with his pinky daintily pointed out.

 

Part 3
Raissa leaned forward, her hands braced against the kitchen counter, breathing deeply and trying to center herself. There is no emotion, there is peace…, So that what Doran and Mara had been cooking up behind her back. She had known she wasn’t going to like it. She hadn’t thought she would hate it.

She sensed Doran enter the kitchen behind her. “So he’s part of the Array now?” she asked without turning around.

“Like I said, it’s more in the way of an honorary membership….”

Now she rounded on him. There was definitely not peace; there was emotion. Right now she didn’t feel like a Jedi. She felt like she wanted to throttle her husband for approving of this hoojib-brained little scheme. “The two of you didn’t think to consult me on this?”

“We thought about it.” Doran did not quite meet her eyes as he crossed the kitchen. He reached out to put his arms around her.

Raissa stepped back. “But it’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission, is that it?”

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” He frowned, leaning against the counter next to her. “It’s a nice gesture and it means a lot to Mara. Ezra means a lot to her…”

How could he not understand? The Array wasn’t just some social club to invite anyone into. It wasn’t even just another Rebel cell. It was their family--even the members who weren’t related by blood: Sascha and Yvon, Dev, Keffria and Tris. They’d stood up with Sascha and Yvon at their wedding. She and Doran were little Tris’s hold-parents; Keffria and Dev were Mara’s. Membership wasn’t something to be given out as a gesture. Giving Ezra his own call-sign, no matter how honorary, was like saying… She shied away from finishing that thought. “I just don’t think that it’s a good idea to encourage this. Ezra’s out there fighting in the Rebellion. What happens to Mara when something happens to him?”

“Raissa.” Doran’s voice was soft. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “We can’t keep Mara from getting hurt; she’s not a little girl anymore.”

She laid her head on Doran’s shoulder and sighed. “I know...it’s just...I’m not ready to lose her yet.”

“Lose her? To Ezra?” She sensed his puzzlement. “They’re both still young; a lot could happen…”

“No, not to him. Well, partly,” Raissa admitted, “but more than that, she’s going to leave Merkesh, isn’t she? To join the Rebellion.” She didn’t know if it was the Force’s prompting or just a mother’s intuition, but she could feel it coming. The distance between Mara and her friends had been widening as of late. They were content to read fashion magazines while Mara’s holo-feeds were full of current events, usually read with a look of grim determination. The other girls giggled over which of the young Imperial cadets were cutest while Mara spent hours on the comlink with Ezra, talking about the Rebellion, the Force, and every other conceivable topic in the Galaxy. He might not have been the cause of Mara’s restlessness, but it had been growing since she met him.

Doran’s arms tightened around her, and his lips brushed against Raissa’s hair as he spoke. “We’ve always known she’s not the kind who’s going to be happy going to the University on Coruscant or settling down to run the Café Alderaan. But if she does join the Rebellion, we won’t be losing her, she’ll be going because you taught her to do what’s right, to stand up for justice.”

“In a way, we’re lucky she found Ezra,” he continued. “Can you imagine her with one of the local boys? This way she has someone who understands her, someone she doesn’t have to hide her true self from. And I know you aren’t sure about him, but from what I’ve seen and what Kanan has told me, he’s got a good heart underneath the attitude.”

“Ah.” Raissa’s mouth tugged into a smile. “So that’s why you like him so much...who else do I know that matches that description?”

“Me? I don’t have attitude!”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’re nothing but attitude, Master Blayne,” she said, tapping him on the chest with one finger. Still, she loved him, Corellian stubborn and all, and…she was lucky to have him. They’d realized back when she was still just his padawan that if either of them ever fell in love, it would mean choosing between love and the Force. But the Force had brought the two of them together, and being with Doran meant that choosing love and choosing the Force were one and the same. Raissa hadn’t really considered that aspect of Mara’s future--her little girl was much too young!--but perhaps Doran had a point. At least with Ezra, Mara didn’t have to face that choice. And, well, he did seem to have a kind heart; he tolerated Annina’s sparkly antics better than Mara did sometimes, and even Frugly liked him. Raissa sighed. “AlI right, I suppose Ezra can be an unofficial part of the Array, but couldn’t you at least have made him the Idiot?”

Doran grinned. “But then the entire Array would belong to him. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?”

A startled laugh burst from her. “Oh, good skies, no!” She might be willing to accept Ezra into the Array, but that was going a bit too far!

Doran hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “Ready to go back downstairs now? There are still presents to open and Annina’s probably getting anxious for fireworks since she already opened hers.”

Raissa hugged him back. She really was lucky to have him--to bring her back to herself, to make her laugh, to love. She hoped that Mara--and Nick and Annina--would be as fortunate. “Ready.”

 

Nice chapter.
I liked the dialogue between Raissa and Doran. Her worries about her daughter getting involved more and more into the rebellion. Its nice to see how much her parents care for her and her siblings.
Ezra would defenetly understand Mara better than a an average boy.

 

Raissa, Raissa, Raissa (the character, not you)...you finally got it. And who's the one to show you that rules are there to be broken? Your husband, the one you broke all possible rules, lyk evarr, with.

And she realises that there is no peace, in a way much different than her namesake in Sith-I-5 's story. Fun nod!

That was priceless. But not as priceless as...

Touché, Mistress Blayne. TOUCHE'.

And of course, loved it how Frugly's opinion of Ezra mattered.

 

Hi Raissa,

I'm having a lazy Saturday so was able to read right through. You got me, well done! I enjoyed the Xmas comparisons, the little romances, the pets, the food and drink, all with a little smile thinking this was great fun but really wasn't going to add up to much... and then BOOM the big surprise drops and real drama unfolds. I like surprises.

It is very authentic. I'm a father to two young daughters and while they are far from Mara's age yet, I sense great truth in the emotions you conveyed.

Weird aside: I thought Ezra was hot for Sabine, but I'm not up to date on my Rebels animation DVDs lol.

Anyway; excellently written, and well executed plot. Thanks for sharing.

K.

 

@Raissa Baiard

I adored this first post!!!!

Raissa is thinking, oh my, I never thought Mara of all people would be crushing on a boy. (They do grow up fast.) And then she thinks Annina is too enthusiastic.

Then Ezra has to dash in and be all gooey-eyed with Mara and to top things off, put the wreath on Chopper

Doran's innocent act didn't fool his wife for one single second!
Of course.

~~~

Part 2

Annina is so adorably happy with the Ultimate Braids Bastila.

Oooh, they gave Zeb a Kurig machine Those things rock.

Ezra and Mara's gifts to each other are too adorbs!

Raissa's reaction to it all -- she needs a !!!!

~~~~!

Part 3
Ezra and Doran both have good hearts beneath the attitude.
This whole thing was just SWEET. Doran and Raissa are just too wonderfully and terrifically open and empathic with one another.
They can share feelings and concerns. He has a way of grounding her and making her laugh and feel more settled emotionally.

I really wanted this read and thank you for sharing.

Your fanon is my heart-canon and that is a fact.