A COMPLETE work of fiction, not based on any of the EU books (I'm not allowed to borrow them :/) About the xxxs: It's the only way I can think of to make break tags. If you have a better, less infuriating way to do it, please send me a note!
"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Jacen grumbled. He was standing outside a room full of children, each one no more than six or seven years old. Most of them were sucking their thumbs, huddled on the floor like sitting ducks. Small. Vulnerable.
Luke frowned at his nephew. "I'm a bit short on hands today, so I'll need you to teach the little kids. Today they're just having lectures, so it'll be easy. Just repeat some words about the force and such. It's not as bad as teaching them how to wield a lightsaber."
Jacen rolled his eyes. His uncle was always short on hands. Seeing as Obi-Wan and Yoda had been killed a long ways before he could ask any questions, Luke had been left all alone to figure out how to train more Jedi. He had picked up Mara Jade after a while, and she had helped him quite a bit, but there were still too many children to handle. It was basically a one-man show, though Luke would never admit that.
Luke gave him a slight shove. "It'll be over in an hour," he urged. "Just do it this once, okay?"
"Jaina wouldn't be doing the same thing, at any chance?" Jacen had a competitive relationship with his twin sister. Neither could be forced to do a chore without the other doing one as well. Nor could one receive a gift without her twin's consent.
"Actually, she's down the hall, fixing some lightsabers."
"And Anakin?"
"Anakin…" Luke trailed off, his forehead creasing slightly. "I'm not sure. Perhaps he's still in Mara's class with the others. He's still young, you know. Give him a break."
Jacen felt his face twist into a slight scowl. He was only sixteen; he should have been apprenticed by now, or at least allowed to continue his training. Apparently, his uncle needed a half-trained assistant more than a full fledged Jedi. Couldn't he see that it would be better if Jacen were allowed to graduate, to become as great as he possibly could?
Luke sensed his discomfort and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Try not to worry about it, Jacen." He took a deep breath.
"I know it's been hard on you, and that you've had to do things meant for a person older and more experienced than yourself. But I promise that as soon as things fall into more of a regular pattern, I'll apprentice you and then you can continue on the way of being a Jedi."
Jacen peered in through the class window. The kids were growing restless. You could tell by the way they squirmed in their plastic chairs. He would have to do it, after all. There was no way out.
"Sure," he replied. But, in the deepest corners of his mind, he rebelled.
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Luke hurried down to his wife's classroom. He was late for the next class by more than fifteen minutes. If only he hadn't stopped so long to convince Jacen to help out! The boy should have done it willingly and quickly, without any questions asked. His own training at Uncle Owen's moisture farm had done him well, teaching him to be obedient and hardworking. Jacen was, for some reason, biased towards such training, and was instead grasping for a more formal education. Well, he wouldn't get it unless he learned to accept what he had.
Had Jacen ever accepted anything in his life, letting it take its course instead of grasping and changing it with his own hands? Luke wasn't sure.
Well, that was what you got from the offspring of a retired smuggler.
As if on cue, Han Solo rounded the hall, running to catch up with Luke. Since when had he started making rounds near the academy? "What's the rush?" he called. "Do you need a bathroom break or something? Cause if so, I think the flusher's down that way," He said, jerking his thumb to his right.
"As a matter of fact," Luke replied tartly, "I'm late for my own class. It's the second time this week, and Mara is going to kill me. You'd do well in letting me alone."
"Aw, come on, Luke!" The Corellian made a face. He was not, unfortunately, the kind of person to let off easily. "All your Jedi-ish heroism, running around worrying about classes, never stopping to get a drink or two…I don't know how you can stand it."
"I manage."
"Not too well, from what I'm seeing."
Luke gritted his teeth and ran harder. He was almost there…
Han stopped him at the door, gripping his shoulder. This time, his face was serious.
"Don't harm yourself, kid. You're only young once, you know." They were some of the first thoughtful words Luke had ever heard coming from the mouth of the smuggler. He was almost touched.
Well, almost.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he replied, slamming the door in his best friend's face.
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Luke burst into the room just as the students were getting restless. Muffled groans sounded from all around. He blushed slightly.
"Luke!" Mara hissed. "Where have you been?" Her green eyes glinted dangerously, and she looked as though she were on the verge of yelling. The Jedi Kids obviously weren't being very good today…
"Well…" He trailed off. When his wife's eyes glinted dangerously, as they did now, you knew better than to argue. He opted for an excuse. "I…I was busy."
Mara barely even glanced at him. She gathered up her lightsaber and her books, pushing past him as she made her way back to her room to take a short break. Luke sighed. Everything was so hectic…so unorganized. He barely even had time to spend with his wife anymore.
He turned to face his students, doing a quick head count. Two students were missing…was one of them Kharr? No. The desks that Anakin and Ben usually occupied were vacant. He jerked his head out of the door. "Mara!"
She turned. "Yes?"
"Where are Anakin and Ben? They're not here; did you let them go?"
She appeared to be confused. "Ben came to me before the lessons started. He said that you had sent him together with Anakin to help Jaina finish up the lightsabers." Now the bewilderment was apparent in both of their eyes.
Luke glanced back into the room. He certainly hadn't sent the boys anywhere, and he knew that if they had really been helping Jaina, then they would have come back to class.
If they weren't in class, and they weren't helping out anywhere, then where in the name of the Sith were they?
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A/N: THIS. IS. MY. FIRST. FANFICTION. WORK. ON. STAR. WARS. If you have any tips on the Expanded Universe, or if anything is inaccurate in my story, drop me a quick review and I'll change it immediately. I'd appreciate it.