Title: Nexus
Author: FelsGoddess
Timeframe: Post- FotJ
Characters: Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, OCs
Genre: Family
Keywords: fire, comfort
Summary: Disaster come in a variety of forms, but all teach a lesson.
Notes: This is a short story I started a few months ago to fight writer's block. After tweaking it some, and a conversation with Jade_eyes, it's ready to post. It will be posted in three parts.
Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. The OCs are of my creation.

Thank you, Jade_eyes, for your help.

Scorched wooden beams stood haphazardly, vaguely representing a house. Timber, broken furniture, burnt possessions and ash filled the area. Investigators poked around the wreckage, seeking out a cause for the fire. A lone woman sat on a piled of scorched boards, her rich ebony robes soaking in the dirty water on the floorboards of her destroyed home. Her brown hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head. One tendril fell against the side of her face. To the left of her sat a crate filled with half-burnt odd and ends. She clutched a scorched blanket. Its original color was gone. All that was left was a tattered corner piece.

It had once been blue. It had once belonged to her baby brother. It had then passed along to her children. Her eldest child, her Lillian, had clutched the blanket during that speeder wreck. Her little Arin had draped it over a chair to make a tent. Her baby boy, Chace, still slept with it.

Directly above her had been the nursery. It had been like any other night. She had placed Chace into his bed. His father tucked his blanket around him. The little boy had fallen asleep quickly, as he usually did.

Jaina Solo Fel placed the piece of blanket in the crate. She grasped a piece of wood. It was curved, like the headboard of his bed. She hadn't paid the intricate design any mind last night when she took her baby from his bed.

It had been late. They had all been asleep when the attack came. The arsonist started on the wrong side of the house. The exact layout of the Fel estate was a closely guarded secret. Jaina was sure that the children were the target.

Jaina awoke suddenly, blankets falling off. The children were in danger. Her abrupt movement woke Jagged. The home fire alarms sounded. Jaina snatched her lightsaber from the nightstand and she and Jag raced to the door.

"Get Lillian," Jaina instructed as she ran to Chace's room. She snatched Chace up from his bed. His blanket slipped from his grasp as they race from the room. Arin had already awoken and was standing in the hallway. She took his hand and rushed down the stairs.

They had all gotten out; thank the Force. The children were terrified, but safe. The security team and fire department tried to save the house, but it was no use. Jaina and Jag had loaded the children in a speeder and transported them to secure quarters on the military base. They didn't want them to watch their home burn.
Jaina dropped the piece of wood back into the debris. The fireproof box had already been removed. It contained documents, pictures and records. She rummaged through the remains of the nursery and dining room, which had been located directly below. Her gloved hands shoved aside wreckage as she searched for any remainder of her son's room. She hoped to find something from each of the children's room to bring them comfort.

A dented metal box rested below a board. She freed it and pried the box open. It was filled with slightly singed plush ship models. She closed the box and placed it into her crate. Chace loved those ships. He had six of them. His grandfathers had given them to him; the first joint gift they could agree about. Jaina still had no idea where they were together to find the set.

Jaina moved the crate to another piled of wreckage. She knew the investigators were perplexed that she could locate the exact location of her children's former rooms, but she ignored their questions. She dug through the remains of the sitting room and Arin's bedroom. Melted plastic covered the area. She knew they were from his action figure collection. She continued to dig until she uncovered something intact. Wedge Antilles had given a Rogue Squadron pin to the boy during a trip to Corellia. Arin would award the pin to whichever of his toys "won." She placed the item in the crate.

Jaina weaved through the plumbing and kitchen remains to the remains of Lillian's room. Her little girl, her princess, had great pride in her bedroom. She and her cousin Allana had spent hours decorating the room. Allana was several years older than her cousin was, but seemed to enjoy spending time with her. Jaina suspected she was lonely when at home with Han and Leia. The girls would play for hours in the room. From the ornate Hapen wood dollhouse to the padded window seat, the room was perfect for any growing girl. Lillian loved her room. It never worked to send her to her room for punishment.

Jaina flinched as she stepped down. She moved to the side and bent down. She found a tiny metal dollhouse chair. She continued to dig. It was all that was left from her daughter's room. She would be devastated.

That was why Jaina and Jag didn't want the children to see the wreckage. They didn't want them to have bad memories of their home.

Jaina trudged to the final room: she and Jag's bedroom. They had shared the room since six months after their wedding. Arin had been born in the room. It was the room where they had loved each other.

The entire house had been their sanctuary. Their bedroom had been their haven, the one place their jobs couldn't penetrate. There wasn't even a comm in there. Jaina could remember many times with all three children would pile on the bed and listen to Jag tell them a story. Chace would curl on her lap while Arin would burrow himself under the blankets. Lillian would lean against her father.

Jaina wiped the tear forming in the corner of her right eye away. She had to finish this. She searched, not expecting to find anything. There wasn't anything she could think of that she wanted to find.

She continued to dig; casting aside burnt clothing and blankets. She pushed over a large board, probably from the bed. A metal glint caught her eye. A datapad was fastened to the bottom. She pried it from its spot. It had been tucked somewhat beneath a crossing board. It had protected it when it fell through the floor.
Jaina opened the datapad. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding when it turned on. She recognized Jag's handwriting on the screen.

My dear Jaina,

I pray that it will be decades before you read this. Know that when I hate leaving you, but I know you will endure. You are so much stronger than any other being in this galaxy. You will have our children, and Allana.

You are sleeping next to me now. Our third child, little Arin was born mere hours ago. He is fast asleep in the bassinet a few meters away from us. Lillian and Chace are downstairs with my parents. I can hear their laughter. You have blessed me with three beautiful, perfect children. Lillian looks so much like you. She and Chace have that gleam in their eye you get when you are plotting something. I'm sure Arin will have it too.

I will never forget that day on the Tafanda Bay when I saw your smile. Until that moment, I had never seen anything so beautiful. I was so nervous the day of our wedding. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I couldn't believe that I was worthy to be your husband. I promised in my vows and am still trying to be worthy of you.

I am writing this because I want to leave a piece of me behind, a piece just for you alone. Should you stumble upon this before that time comes, humor me and reread it later.

I love you, my darling. We will be together once again. Be happy, my love.

Jagged

Jaina wiped tears from her cheeks after closing the datapad. She tucked it into her pocket. Her heart swelled with emotion. She wanted, no needed, to see Jag now. She needed to touch him, hold him, know he was real. She picked up the crate. As she turned to leave, a silver glint caught her eyes. She bent down and pulled a necklace from the remains. It was a small locket. It was her birthday present from the children. She dropped the crate and put on the necklace. She picked the crate back up and rushed to the speeder. She gave the ruined house one last look, and drove away.

-*****************

Lillian frowned from the deck of the Millennium Falcon. Her grandparents and cousin had come as soon as they found out about the fire. Her parents were meeting with the investigators today. Leia had taken her and Allana to the city to pick up clothes for Lillian and her brothers earlier that morning.

The fire had completely destroyed the house. Lillian and her brothers weren't allowed to see it. Her parents had already gone through the wreckage. Not much had made it through. Lillian clutched the tiny metal chair from her dollhouse. She loved that house. She had seen it on Hapes. Her father had gone to meet with Tenel Ka while her mother had taken her out to the city. Arin was a baby. They had seen the dollhouse through a window. Lillian had fallen in love with it instantly. She had begged her mother for it, but Jaina had said no. Months later, on her lifeday, the dollhouse arrived with her cousin and grandparents. It was Lillian's favorite toy. She spent hours arranging it.

Arin toddled down the hallway, Chace on his heels. Lillian rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her brothers were so loud! Her grandparents had taken them to the Falcon to get them out of the hotel and away from prying eyes. Her dad's guards weren't happy about it, but her grandfather had stated the Falcon was deemed completely secure. At least, that's all Lillian heard. She was sure that there had been some type of argument that ended with Leia calming everyone down.

Lillian plucked at the buttons on her shirt. Her parents had reassured her that they would find someplace to live, but Lillian was skeptical. Houses couldn't be built in a couple of days. She had overheard her parents talking with Han and Leia last night about Jaina taking the children to Hapes or Corellia for a couple weeks. Lillian didn't want to leave. She liked seeing Tenel Ka and Hapes, and she enjoyed visiting Great Uncle Wedge and his family. Sometimes her other grandparents would meet them there, but she didn't want to leave her father. He worked a lot. Jag always made it home each night to see the three children.

If Lillian was honest with herself, she knew she was scared. She always felt better when both of her parents were around. The night of the fire had been the scariest of her short life. She'd been in a speeder wreck when she was two, but she didn't remember that. She didn't understand why someone would burn down their house.

Lillian stood up and walked over to one of the revolving chairs in the hold. She flopped down and turned it to face the wall. She clutched the tiny metal chair tightly. She knew she shouldn't be so upset. They all made it out unharmed. Her grandmother had lost her entire planet. Lillian could still go to the places she loved. It just wasn't home.

Tears blurred her vision. She wiped them away furiously. She could hear her brothers enter the hold, still making too much noise. She cocked her head as she felt her parents board the ship, but she didn't turn around. She tried to dry her eyes quickly before her brothers could see as she heard her brothers greet their parents.

"Lillian," her mother's voice called softly. Lillian slowly opened her eyes. Jaina was standing next to the chair. She rested a hand on Lillian's shoulder and said, "Come walk with me."

Lillian followed Jaina out the hold and down the hallway to one of the cabins. As they walked, Lillian saw Chace and Arin crawling all over Jag. They didn't seem to care about anything.

Jaina sat down on one of the bunks and gestured for Lillian to join her. She climbed next to her mother. Jaina took her hand and gently pried the metal chair from her hand. She turned it over a couple times in her hands before placing it on the bunk. Lillian shifted uneasily. She was afraid they were going to have to leave.

"I don't want to leave Dad," she blurted out. "Can we stay here, please? I'll share a room with the boys."

"We're not leaving," Jaina reassured her. "Your father and I found us a place to stay for now."

"Are you going to build another house?" she asked, more hopeful than she had been. At least they were staying together.

"We haven't decided yet," Jaina responded. "Lillian, it's going to be okay."

"But we can't go home! We don't have one anymore," Lillian cried. Her eyes started to fill with tears again, but she didn't try to wipe them away this time.

Jaina pulled Lillian onto her lap. She gently wiped the tears off her cheeks as she said, "Honey, we're going to find another place to live. I promised that you will have somewhere safe to sleep every night."

Lillian rested her head against Jaina's shoulder. After a couple minutes, she said, "Mom, I don't have to share a room with the boys, do I?"

Jaina chuckled, "No, sweetie. You don't."

Lillian smiled slightly. Jaina asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Uh huh," she said and slipped off the bunk. "What are we going to do the rest of the day?"

"Well," Jaina began as she stood up. "Your brothers are hungry and you know how Grandpa Han gets if he misses a meal."

Lillian giggled, "Grandma says he acts like a crazy wampa."

Jaina smirked, "That's one way to put it."

Lillian took her mother's hand as they walked out the door to the rest of the ship. Lillian was still upset about the loss of the house, but she felt comforted to know that it would work out in the end.
-**************************

Jaina folded a blanket and placed it on the edge of the bed. They rented out an empty house twenty minutes from where they used to live. The plans on the new house had been finalized that afternoon. It would take awhile for it to be built, though.

In the six weeks since the fire, the arsonists had been arrested. An independent group looking for planet independence hired them. Jaina had been correct with her guess that the children were the target. The four beings were currently awaiting trial. There was little doubt of their guilt.

She turned to face Jag as he entered their bedroom. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and took her hand. Jaina sat next to him. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"The kids are asleep, finally," Jag said.

Jaina nodded as she reached into her pocket. She had never had an opportunity to give Jag his datapad she had found. She wanted to do it in private, something that had been a rare commodity since the fire. Between dealing with the fire, their regular day-to-day activities and helping the children, alone time had suffered greatly. She said as she handed him the datapad, "I found this."

Jag recognized it and took it from her. He ran his fingers over the edges, eyes lost in thought. He finally asked somewhat hesitantly, "Did you read it?"

She nodded slowly as she turned towards him. She placed her hand at the back of his head and kissed him. His hands went to her hips as she shifted onto him. Jaina's other hand gripped the front of his shirt. She pulled away from his lips and began placing small, soft kisses along his jaw line. She pulled back slightly and said somewhat breathlessly, "What prompted you to write it?"

Jag ran his fingers up and down her spine as he spoke, "I'm not sure."

"I'm glad it survived," she commented as she closed her eyes. Shivers ran up and down her back, following where his fingers touched.

"I'd forgotten I had put it there," he said as he paused near the center of her back. He began working a knot out of her muscles.

Jaina groaned as her muscles relaxed. "It was a good spot for it."

Jag moved his hands to the back of her head. He began massaging the area. Jaina tilted her head forward to rest on his shoulder. He then moved one hand back to her waist and the other to her cheek. He placed a kiss on her forehead, nose both cheeks and then her lips. She opened her eyes to stare at his. She studied his face. A few grey hairs had appeared along the side of his head over the past couple years. Fine lines had started to form around his eyes. To Jaina, he looked perfect. She ran her fingers through his hair. It was longer than it had been in years. He hadn't had time to cut it. She liked it longer than the shorter cuts he used to wear. It suited his face better.

"Sometimes I wonder how we got so lucky," Jag murmured. He ran his fingers through her hair, studying the ends.

"Lucky?" Jaina asked curiously, unsure exactly what he was referring too.

"That we're sitting here. That the kids are safely sleeping down the hall," he said seriously. He then gave her a mischievous smirk, "That the most beautiful woman in the galaxy is straddling me."

Jaina let out a sharp laugh as she playfully pushed him backwards. He snatched her arm and tugged her down with him. He slipped his fingers through the front of her robe to tickle her sides. She tried twisting away from him, but he rolled on top of her. She shot him a challenging look as she ran her finger down his chest. "What are you going to do about it?"

A deft tug on the sash of her robe answered her challenge.

Twinkling white lights lined either side of the walkway cutting through one of the memorial parks. The path led to a large fountain in the square. Around the fountain was a low wall cover in plaques dedicated to various military engagements and platoons.

Lillian ran forward, bundled in a pearl pink button down coat, a knitted hat and gloves. She hopped onto the edge of the fountain. She held her arms out to help keep her balance. Arin followed her, his gloved hands outstretched to reach hers. She pulled him up on the low wall. Before Jag could warn them to be careful, they sat down.

Chace clutched his father's hand as he toddled down the path. He was in a hurry to see what his siblings were doing, but Jag wouldn't let him walk alone. The path had a few ice spots on it.

Jaina walked next to Jag at a leisurely pace. The children had been stuck inside for days. It had been far too cold for them to go outside for an extended period of time. The temperature had finally risen to a tolerable level. The park was located near the government center.
Jag sat Chace down on the wall. The fountain had been turned off months ago. Snow filled the inside. Jaina could recall when it was warm out. Lillian had manipulated the water with the Force. Now she was leaning over and scooping up the snow. She tried to pack it into a firm ball.
Jag reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, "Here, let me show you how to pack it."

Lillian and Arin watched carefully as he rounded out the snowball. He handed it to Arin, who then threw it to the ground. Lillian pulled more snow from the fountain and formed a ball. She glanced over at Arin, and then hopped off the ledge. Jaina hid a grin as she realized what Lillian was about to do. As Jag turned to Chace, Lillian threw the snowball at his back. It smacked him in the arm. Jag turned, giving Lillian a look. Arin took advantage of their distraction to the snowball Jaina had hastily put together for him. Arin smashed it into Jag's back.

Lillian and Arin shrieked as Jag threw loose snow at them as he stood up from the ledge. Chace, eager to get out of the way, scooted closer to Jaina. She pulled him onto her lap. She gathered a small pile of snow and made a ball. She handed it to him, "Keep this in case they come over here."

Chace nodded seriously. Jaina looked up. Arin was standing in front of her, looking far too innocent. Jaina move to help Chace throw his weapon-

When a pile of wet snow landed on her head. She shrieked as it melted into her hair and slid down her neck. She set Chace down, who had started laughing. He toddled over to Arin. Jaina turned and glared at Jag, who was standing behind her with Lillian. Both were glancing around innocently.

"They got Mama," Chace giggled.

"Yes we did," Jag responded as he walked over. He picked up Chace. "Come on, you three. It's time to go home."

Lillian grabbed Arin's hand as they walked in front of Jaina and Jag. The two children felt important that they were leading.

Jag shifted Chace to his other hip and took Jaina's hand. He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently as they walked to their new home.

In the distance, the tips of a scorched tree could be seen. A house used to sit next to it. All that remained were ashes. The spot held countless memories, but it was just land. Buildings and objects didn't bind people. Intangible bonds like love and family weaved together to create a tight, invisible rope to hold people together.

A light snow began to fall as the small family left the park, bringing an almost picturesque appearance to the scene. The security detail went virtually unnoticed as they exited the park and climbed into a speeder to drive home.