I don't own Star Wars. It belongs to George Lucas.
A salute to a character whom we lost to death, and to another whom we simply lost.
Some Things Never Change
"Is this the place, Anakin?"
"Yep. I can sense it."
"You sure no one will catch us?"
"Not if we're quiet."
Two figures crept into the Jedi Academy kitchen, late at night. One was eleven-year-old Anakin Solo, and the other was a lanky man in his early twenties, whose ebony hair was streaked with silver.
"Just like old times, eh Anakin?"
"Yep." It was indeed. Despite having been very young at the time, Anakin still remembered the time when this man had braved his Master's wrath to make sure Anakin had been taken care of. This man, whom Anakin had long looked up to as an older brother, had saved Anakin's life in many ways, and Anakin would never forget it.
The man spotted their quarry, sitting in a secluded corner of the dark kitchen. "Is that it?"
Anakin grinned impishly, marring his usually serious frown. "That's it, all right. Right where it should be."
The man, whose reach was still longer then Anakin's, despite the catching up Anakin had been doing recently, reached up and plucked their quarry from its perch and carried it over to the table.
Anakin took over now, grasping the lid and pulling it off the top of the container which contained the treasure that he and the man had waited so long to... to... commandeer. He reached his hand into the container and grasped the first of the items, items that Anakin had long ago learned to hold as sacred...
Then the kitchen light came on. As he saw the red-haired woman in the entrance, the man had a brief flashback to when his Master had caught Anakin and him in a very similar situation all those years ago. We've been caught with our hands in the cookie jar. How disgustingly poetic.
Anakin, though, seemed completely unconcerned by this unexpected turn of events. He simply pulled one of the double-fudge cookies, his favourite, from the jar and held it out to his Aunt Mara. "Don't tell Uncle Luke..." he whispered.
Her eyebrow arched. "That's extortion. It's unbecoming."
Anakin smirked. "So...?"
Mara Jade smiled conspiratorially at them and then sat down, helping herself to the cookie that Anakin was offering. "I won't tell Farmboy if you won't."
Tigris sat back, enjoying his own cookie now, and marveling at the intense, child-like glee that played itself out on Anakin's face as he finally got to eat his first coveted prize. Tigris shook his head in silent laughter. Some things never change...
Jasper