(Hey! So I wrote this up while I was supposed to be studying for an exam. I know it's a little out of character and kind of weird and silly but I've had this idea for a while and just wanted to get it out. Enjoy!)
—
"Jaina has a date!"
Those words had been rolling through Leia's mind for the last few minutes as she lay in bed. She recounted the moment from four hours previous for the millionth time; Jaina and Jacen came home from school, both stumbling over each other to get to their mother's office. Jacen won the race, shoving his sister into the hallway as he yelled the four simple words that had been plaguing Leia's mind. How could Jaina, her sweet, innocent, wants-to-be-a-pilot-when-she-grows-up, little Jaina have a date? The mother felt like she'd been asleep for the last fourteen years- there was no way her daughter had grown up that quickly. She recounted all of the times when the twins were children and she was certain they'd never grow up. All the times they'd cuddled together, knowing everything was alright. All the times that were gone.
Han rolled over and sat up on his elbows. He looked at his wife who had her eyes closed, though he knew she was not sleeping. The moonlight was hitting her face in such a way that revealed her gently furrowed brow and crinkled eyelids, a telling sign that she was deep into her thoughts.
"You awake?" He asked, knowing the answer.
Leia's eyes shot open, body filling with guilt at the fact that she'd woken Han up. "I'm sorry, I kept rolling around,"
Han moved closer to Leia and wrapped his arms around her small frame. "Are you still upset about Janie?"
Shuffling further into Han, Leia grabbed the man's hands and brought them to her upper chest. "I just.. I have a bad feeling about it, you know? She's so young."
"She's fourteen, we knew she was gonna get to this bridge eventually." Han closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of hers. "I don't want her to grow up either, but thats just how it is."
Leia mentally noted the low thrum of his voice and how warm he was. It made her feel safe and at ease.
"I don't know. I just don't trust this kid."
Without opening his eyes, Han smiled. "Sweetheart, you don't know him. And besides, you didn't trust me, and look where it got us,"
Eyes beginning to close again, Leia sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Always am. Now go to sleep."
—
"You look so cute!"
"Mom, stop!"
Leia couldn't help but hush over her daughter; though she wasn't particularly happy about the date, she had to admit that she loved seeing Jaina get dressed up every now and then. Normally the teenager wore an ensemble of jeans, a plain shirt, and some sort of boot, but date night had changed all of that. Now she was donned in a simple, short-sleeved black dress that didn't hug her figure too tightly but still fit her wonderfully. On her feet were a pair of black flats, compliments of mom's closet. She wasn't wearing anything special, but in her mother's eyes, Jaina looked like a queen.
"Oh, come on, let's go show dad." Leia ushered Jaina out of her bedroom, a knowing grin on her face- she knew Jaina sought out the approval of her father.
Reluctantly, the small brunette girl stepped into the living area of the apartment where her father and two brothers sat. Han was reclined in a black plush chair typing away on his datapad, while the boys busied themselves with various comic books. Jaina didn't want them to look at her, she knew they would all make fun of how her hair looked because she actually took the time to straighten it. She feared they'd judge the fact that Leia had let her borrow some of her lipgloss or how she was wearing her mom's shoes. No matter how tough she came off, she was still a fourteen year old girl and rather insecure.
Han looked up from the datapad and tried his best to hide his growing smile. She looked positively adorable, it made his heart do a flip the same way it did when she was born.
"Very nice," he nodded in approval. He knew if he made a big deal over her appearance, Jaina would retreat and get upset with him.
"Boys?" Leia turned to her sons, who sat on the floor in front of the couch. "Don't you think Jay looks pretty?"
The gentle- and expectant- raise of Leia's eyebrows told the two that they had to say yes, even if they disagreed.
"Mmhmm," they chorused in unison.
Not long after, the buzzer rang and Jaina quickly hopped off of the bar stool where she'd been waiting. She announced that she would get it, mostly because she knew Han would probably pull his blaster on her date if he opened it. After greeting the boy quietly, Jaina invited him in and signaled for the family to come meet him.
"Mom, Dad, this is Akim Monthram. Akim, these are my parents, that's Anakin, and you know Jacen," she explained, pointing out the individual members.
"It's great to meet you, mr. and mrs. Solo," Akim smiled, taking Han's outstretched hand and shaking it.
"It's great to meet you too," Leia smiled, using her "politician voice", as the kids (and Han) liked to call it.
"Have her home by nine." Han had a tight lipped smile on his face as he leaned in a bit. "And don't forget, I'm the best shot in the galaxy."
Jania's face darkened and she grabbed an obviously afraid Akim by the arm, pulling him to the door. "Alright guys, goodbye. Love you, see you later,"
Han grinned, clearly proud of himself for intimidating the young boy. Leia tried to give him a stern look, but her husband saw right through it and knew she thought it was funny as well.
"What? I wasn't lying," He shrugged.
"Keep telling yourself that dad!" Jacen called, already back in the living room.
—
The family spent the Friday evening at home, all feeling slightly weird without Jaina around. It was rare that there were only two kids in the house, so Leia ordered some takeout and sent Han for it.
"It's gonna be around 30 credits, I think, and-" Leia's explanation was cut off by the house comm ringing.
Han sat against the edge of the kitchen counter, patiently waiting for her return. He stood up when Leia returned, an uneasy look on her face. His mind immediately raced- he ran through any friends or family who could've died, or perhaps one of them was losing their job? He took in a breath and calmed himself.
"What is it?"
"That was Jaina. She wants one of us to come pick her up. She sounded upset... oh gods, Han," She pressed her palm to her forehead and closed her eyes tightly.
Han's body filled with an intense fire. His blood felt so hot inside of him- he'd been through a lot of things, been in a lot of fights, but nothing made him feel as angry as the thought of someone hurting one of his children. His thoughts raced as he grabbed his coat and stormed out the door, not hearing a single word Leia was saying. All he could focus on was getting to Jaina.
The ride to the theatre was a quick one, and Han would admit that he was probably going just a little too fast. But he wished he could've gone faster when he saw his daughter sitting on the steps outside of the large building.
"Jaina!" He beckoned, moving quickly.
Jaina looked small, knees curled to her chest and head rested atop of them. She'd never felt worse in her life; being taken out on a date by someone she really liked purely as a prank made her feel so used and embarrassed. She couldn't believe that she'd fell for it, boys at school didn't like her. She was a tomboy who liked working on ships and speeders- boys saw her as one of them, not someone to date. Her head raised as she saw her father practically running towards her.
"Jaina," Han reached the girl and grabbed her hand, pulling her off of the step and into his embrace.
She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could, wishing she could just absorb into him and forget any of this ever happened.
"What happened? We knew something was off about that kid, we've been worried sick all week about it. Where is he? I'm gonna kill him." Han spewed.
Jaina stepped back and looked at him. "Dad, Dad, calm down. He already left. He... it was all a joke." She mumbled, staring at the ground.
Han sat them both down on the steps. "What do you mean, it was all a joke?"
Shame and embarrassment washed over Jania as she recounted the events from an hour previous. Saying it out loud made it all sound so fake and if she hadn't experienced it firsthand, she wouldn't believe it if someone told her about it. Akim had gone to the effort of picking her up, driving them all the way to the theatre, buying her snacks, only to dump them on her lap and tell her she was kidding herself. Never had she felt like such a fool until that moment.
Han's arm wrapped around Jaina's small body and pulled her to his chest. "Gods, Janie... I don't even have words." His voice was uncharacteristically soft.
"It's okay. Let's just go home, okay?" Jaina tried to keep a normal tone as she moved to stand.
"Jay, don't close yourself off to me."
She didn't know if it was the fact that he was using her special nicknames, the fact that he was being so tender, or the fact that she was just genuinely upset, but something took over the girl and she slumped back down, tears welling in her eyes.
"I just feel dumb." Her voice quivered, breaking her father's heart.
Han rubbed his hand up and down Jaina's arm, at a loss for words. He was never good at comforting people.
A minute that felt like an eternity passed before either of them moved.
"Uh, Jay, I know you're upset, but.. a man just walked by with the ugliest baby I've ever seen."
Jaina snorted and broke into laughter, finally opening her eyes and pulling away from Han. "Dad, that's so mean."
"You laughed," he pointed a finger at her and gave her a tilted smile.
The pair stood and dusted their legs off. They started towards the Falcon, Han's arm draped around his daughter's shoulder. She was grateful to have such an understanding and loving father; that was the only boy she needed in her life. Once they were in the air, Jaina noticed they weren't on the normal main route to their house.
"Where are we going?" She asked, leaning forward to view her surroundings.
"Well first of all, we have to get dinner. Mom and the boys are probably starved half to death at this point. But before we do that, we're going to the grocery store." Han explained, a devious look in his eye.
The girl shrugged, assuming it was just a normal grocery run. When they arrived, Han led her to the egg section and grabbed two cartons. Still unaware of what was going on, Jaina followed suit. As they were in the checkout line, Han turned to her.
"Do you have the address of that boy?"
Jaina tilted her head in confusion. "Uh.. I can get it, why?"
Han turned to face her, a delighted expression on his face.
"Well duh, we're gonna egg that son of a bitch's house."
