Family Time
Author: Sarit Arania Kormit Winner
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own any known characters. Mr. Lucas does. All original characters belong to me.
The children were crying.
"Don't cry. I won't be gone long. I'll even bring you a present!" Luke Skywalker said to his precocious seven year-old son, Obi Skywalker.
"But, Daddy, I feel. . . . .bad about you going. Please, Daddy, don't go." Obi said with tears in his eyes.
Luke looked closely at his son. He knew the boy was strong in the Force. But was he strong enough to sense danger in Luke's upcoming mission?
Suddenly, Luke's wife, Mara, came in.
"Now children, no more tears. Your father will be back soon. The sooner he leaves, the sooner he can come home. Now cheer up, and kiss your papa goodbye. We'll see him off. Then we'll go see your aunt and uncle. 'Kay?" Mara says soothingly to her children. Reluctantly, they all nod their heads in agreement. Slowly, Obi, his sisters, the twins Marrie and Amiee, go up to their papa and kiss him goodbye. Luke smiles at his children. Obi was named after Luke's first teacher and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The twin girls were named after his wife, Mara, and his mother, Amidala. Luke went over to his beautiful wife. They had gone through a lot to be together. Now they had a beautiful family of their own. Mara smiled at Luke as she held their infant son, Terran. Luke leaned down, and kissed his infant son on the forehead.
"Be good for your mother, Terran." Luke whispered to his child.
Mara smiles. "I'm sure he will be. Unlike the three disasters over there." She gestures to Obi, Marrie and Amiee. They are trying to open a crate. Luke shakes his head.
"You three get away from there!" Luke turns to Mara. "You know I'll be back soon."
"I know. I'm like the children. I just wish that you didn't have to go. I'll miss you, love."
Luke leans over and takes her in his arms. He gives her a deep, passionate kiss. They can hear their children snickering behind them. Mara grins.
"You better go, before I make sure your mission is delayed for another day." She looks at him meaningfully. Luke coughs.
"Right. I'll see you all in a couple of weeks."
Luke climbs up the ramp of his ship. He turns and waves to his family. They wave back. He goes inside. The ramp retracts. And the ship rises into the sunset.
"Come, children. It's time to go inside." Mara gathers her children to her. It was lonely without Luke. But like he said when he left two weeks ago, it was only for a couple of weeks. Mara consoled herself with that thought. Now it was time to get the children to bed.
The children followed Mara into the Great Temple. As Mara noticed Tionne approaching, she smiled.
"Tionne, would you do me a favor?" Mara asked.
"Of course, Mistress Skywalker. What is it?" Tionne replied.
"Would you put Terran to bed for me? I have to see to the twins and Obi." Mara looked meaningfully at her eldest son. The boy had a worried expression on his face.
Tionne nodded. Mara gave her youngest to Tionne, and Tionne gently started to croon a lullaby to the baby as she walked away. Mara gestured to her remaining children.
"Come on. It's bedtime. Let's get you guys ready for bed." Mutely, the twins walked into their rooms. Obi stood at the door to his room, staring at it.
"He won't be back, you know." He said quietly.
Mara looked at her eldest. He was always a strange boy. Much like his cousin, Anakin Solo. Obi was generally a very quiet boy. Except with his father. Obi and Luke were generally inseparable. They were as close as a father and son could ever be. Luke did his best to do good for his son. He remembers all the times in his childhood that he had wished to know his father. Luke was determined to always be there if his son should ever need him. When it became apparent that Luke would have to personally go on this mission, he was torn. His duty obviously called him to leave. However, his heart said he must stay. Obi was at a delicate time in his life. He looked upon his father as an idol. If anything were to happen to Luke, he was afraid it would have a devastating effect on his son.
Yet, he must go on this mission. His sister, the Chief of State of the New Republic, Leia Organa Solo, needed his abilities. A new Dark Jedi had surfaced. His name was Yorth. He threatened the very fabric of the universe. Luke was the only Jedi Master (aside from his wife, Mara). If Luke couldn't stop him, then no one could. Luke didn't want to think of his children in the hands of such a monster. So he left to deal with this Darth Vader wannabe.
All of this went through Mara's mind as she ushered her two daughters into their room. After she tucked them into bed and promised to come in later and read them a bedtime story, she went to Obi's room.
When Mara entered, Obi was quietly sitting in bed. Cautiously, she walked over and sat on the bed next to her son. She could feel the anguish and fear in him. Without saying a word, she reached over and took him into her arms. He closed his eyes, and started to cry. Mara just held him in her arms and soothed him with nonsensical sounds. Very slowly, he quieted. Once he was calm, Mara covered him up tightly.
"What is it Obi? What has you so upset?" Mara asked.
For a long time he didn't say anything. He finally looked up at his mother.
"It's Daddy. I. . . .I. . . .I've been having bad dreams, Mommy," he says quietly.
Surprised, Mara says, "Why didn't you tell me or your father before, Obi? We could have helped."
"I didn't want Daddy to think I was a coward."
Mara takes him into her arms again. "Oh, baby. Your Daddy would never think that of you. You need to tell us these things, sweetling. We can't help if we don't know about them. Right?"
He nods his head.
"O.K. It starts out O.K. I'm walking in the jungle. I see a castle on a hill. I walk to the castle. Nobody is inside the front. I go inside. I hear screams. I walk to them. I go into a big room. The room is filled with a lot of weird stuff. In the center, I see something that looks like a bed. But it has wheels at the foot. Daddy is laying on it. But he isn't sleeping. He's the one that's screaming. There is a man standing next to the bed. He pulls a lever and the wheels turn. Every time the wheels turn, Daddy screams. The strange man smiles at me.
"Then he starts talking to me in my head. He says 'Come to me, Obi. Your father is a weak and pathetic man. He doesn't care for you the way I will. Come to me and I will show you the true power of the Force. The power of the Dark Side. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me. . . .' The mist surrounds me and I can't see. All I can do is stand there. I hear him saying 'Come to me' over and over again. But I can hear Daddy faintly. He's telling me not to listen to Yorth. I must never listen to him. I have to tell you, Mommy. He says only you and the other Jedi Knights can help stop him. He says that Yorth is stronger than he thought. That you mustn't underestimate Yorth the way he did." Obi looks down.
"When did this dream start, Obi?" Mara asks, concerned.
"A week ago." he says quietly, still looking down.
Mara raises his face up to hers.
"You mustn't think this is your fault. I have had some bad dreams about your father too. I just thought they were loneliness. You are very smart, Obi. This 'bad dream' isn't a dream. The mission your father went on was to stop a Dark Jedi from hurting people. His name is Yorth." she said.
Fear crossed Obi's face. "You mean that man is real. And he is going to hurt Daddy?" his lips start to quiver.
"Don't cry, sweetling. I won't let him hurt your Daddy. You and I are going to go away for awhile. Were going to go help your father."
Obi smiled.
Tionne stood watching Mara get ready for her journey.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mistress Skywalker?" Tionne asked.
"Yes, Tionne. The twins and Terran will be safe here. Obi must come with me. He's the only one who can find Luke. Both of us know that Luke's in danger. If we don't stop this Yorth, he will come after me and my children. I won't let that happen. You must tell Leia what has happened. We will try to contact her, but there may be times when we can't call." Mara finished packing. Obi came in.
"I'm ready, Mommy."
"Good boy. Tionne, you and Kam are in charge while were gone. You know what to do. If we don't succeed, evacuate the academy. Take everyone to Coruscant. Try and contact Kyp and Dara. They'll help." Mara instructed Tionne.
Tionne nodded.
Mara and her son walked out.
Mara and Obi found the planet Yorth had established as his base of operations fairly easily. This disturbed Mara more than she cared to admit. It seemed as if he knew they were coming and was ready for them. Mara hated the thought of having to put her son in danger, but she knew as well as Obi did that he was her only definite link to Luke. Because of the time her husband and her eldest son have spent together, they have formed a link that has bound their souls together. The Force has enforced this link. As Obi grows older, he will become a great Jedi, Luke always said. Mara couldn't dispute this claim, yet she feared for her son. She would do anything in her power to keep him safe.
Their ship landed in a large clearing. When they exited the ship, Obi pulled her sleeve. Mara looked at him. He was pointing to a hill.
"It's the castle in my dream, Mommy." he said.
"Then that is were we will go. Scared?"
"A little. But you and Daddy won't let anything happen to me. Let's go rescue Daddy."
Mara smiled. Obi definitely was Luke's son.
"O.K. Let's go."
Just like Obi's dream, the inner courtyard was deserted. Suddenly, Mara heard a scream. Luke. Mara reminded herself to be calm. Anxiety and fear would only fuel the dark side. Mara took Obi's hand and slowly walked into the castle.
The front foyer was empty as well as all the rooms. They climbed stairs and found every room deserted. Yet they could still hear screams. And laughter. Hideous laughter. As they came to the main tower, they found a long stairway leading up. The screams were very clear here. Both knew whatever they would find it would be in the tower. Holding Obi's hand tightly, Mara took out her lightsaber. Both then started to ascend the stairs.
The climb was long. The tower was very high. Being only seven years old, Obi tired quickly. Mara put her lightsaber in her right hand and lifted Obi into her arms. He was a bit heavy, but with the power of the Force, she was able to continue without slowing down. Soon, they came to the top of the stairs. A door stood closed. Suddenly, Mara heard her name.
"Mara!"
Her heart soared. It was Luke!
"Mara, go away! It's too dangerous. . . .Ahhhhh!!!!"
"Come on, Mommy! It's Daddy! He needs us!!!" Obi cries.
Mara kneels next to her son.
"Obi, listen to me. We must be careful. Yorth will be in there. He will be waiting for us to do something rash. We must not, however. That leads to the dark side. Remember what your father has said. We must never give in to hate, fear or anxiety. We can defeat him. We must remain calm and passive. Even though someone we love is being hurt. Do you understand?"
Obi looked at his mother.
"I understand, Mommy. We must be at peace. Only then can we stop him from hurting Daddy." Obi said.
Mara nodded. She had prepared her son the best she could. She reached for the door and opened it.
The only illumination in the room were hundreds of candles all over. Just like Obi's dream, there was a "bed" in the center of the room. Only Mara knew what it really was. A rack. A torture device used in the ancient days. A person laid down with their arms and legs chained. The chains are attached to wheels at the foot. A lever enables the wheels to move, thereby pulling the unfortunate victims arms and legs. The procedure is extremely painful. If a torturer wasn't careful, he could pull his victims arms and legs out of their sockets.
Luke was attached to this monstrosity. Mara bit her lip. He looked half dead. Blood coursed down his bare chest from whip marks. His arms and legs were pulled from his sockets. It was obvious he would be unable to move. He had bruises and lacerations all over his body. As if someone had used him as a punching bag. Mara almost cried out in anguish at seeing her husband in such a state. Obi moaned, "Daddy!!!"
Luke slowly turned his head. Mara saw all the anguish and pain in his eyes. And the pleading. He wanted them to leave. Leave now!
No, Luke. I will never leave you. You are coming home. With us. Even if I have to kill that monster!
Mara tells him.He'll kill you! Leave Mara. Take Obi with you. Don't let him corrupt our son!
"No, Daddy. I won't go." Obi says out loud.
The monster, Yorth, looks up.
"Ah! You've arrived! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Mara and Obi step into the room. The door closes like the crack of doom. Obi looks back, worried. He looks at his mother. She smiles down at him. His fear leaves him. If anyone can rescue his father, it was his mom. Mara extends her lightsaber. Obi lets go of her hand, and walks to a wall to get out of the way. Mara steps forward, igniting her lightsaber.
Yorth smiles.
"You know, your husband tried that already. I'm afraid he was. . . .less than successful." he gestures to the crumpled form on the rack.
"I'm not Luke. I'm afraid you will find me a bit difficult to deal with. I've never believed in the easy way out. I'll give you a choice. Give up the dark side. Join us."
"And if I refuse?" Yorth asks contemptuously.
"Then we settle this once and for all. Either way, you will never hurt anyone ever again. I do not tolerate anyone who hurts my family. You have tried to kill my husband. You have terrorized my son. You will repent, or you will die take your pick." Mara states flatly.
Yorth laughs. It is an eerie, frightening sound. Obi covers his ears. It's such a horrible sound!
Yorth takes out his own lightsaber. The color of the ignited blade is an eerie onyx color. It is an intense contrast to Mara's blue colored blade.
Suddenly, Yorth attacks. Mara barely has time to block his thrust. She responds by attacking just as viciously. Mara delivers an upper cut which passes Yorth's guard. She is able to nick his shoulder. He bellows in pain. Suddenly, she is hit by an intense dark side bolt of energy. Mara is barely able to deflect the bolt. It puts her momentarily off guard. With a deadly opponent such as Yorth, this can prove fatal. However, both have forgotten about Obi Skywalker.
Obi sees his mother in danger. Obi is only seven years old, yet he can feel the Force most keenly. He remembers his father's instruction. Peace is the essence of the Jedi. Obi closes his eyes and feels peace. He is able to see the Force as if it is something tangible he can touch. He reaches out and takes control of the Force bolt of energy that Yorth directs at his mother. He calmly is able to convert it to light side power. He then redirects it into Yorth's face.
The scream that Yorth cries is far worse than anything Luke had uttered previously. As he staggers from Mara, he raises his face up and howls. His face is a melted mass of flesh. Mara is stunned. She knew Obi was strong in the Force, but never that strong. In a fury of pain, Yorth attacks Obi. Mara steps into his path, igniting her lightsaber. Unheeded, Yorth walks right into the path of her blade. Mara tries to step aside at the last minute, but Yorth seems intent on killing her. His blade comes up and Mara parries his blow. It is obvious his pain and hatred are impairing his ability to deflect and attack effectively.
In a last ditch effort to kill Obi, Yorth rushes forward. Mara meets him and their blades come together violently. Even though Yorth is bigger and stronger than Mara, he has been hurt and demoralized. Mara thrusts, and her lightsaber cuts through his blade into his chest. He is surprised. Then he laughs. He suddenly stops laughing, and crumples to the floor. Dead.
Mara collapses to her knees. Obi rushes to his mother.
"Mommy, are you O.K.?" he asks.
Mara nods. "Go check your father."
Obi runs over to the rack. Luke is unconscious. But alive.
"He's hurt bad, Mommy. I think he's sleeping."
Mara doesn't tell Obi that Luke is unconscious.
"Come on, Obi. Let's get these things off your Daddy."
It was bad.
Luke had multiple lacerations all over his body. His legs and arms were dislocated and broken. He had fractured ribs. In other words, Luke was in very bad shape. In fact, it was amazing he was still alive. Mara and Obi, working together, were able to use the Force to lift Luke and carry him to their ship. They didn't have a very good med lab on the ship, so Mara made Luke as comfortable as possible, and set their course for Coruscant.
Obi stayed by his father's side the whole time they were in hyperspace. Mara looked in on them before they came out of hyperspace. Obi was sleeping next to his father. Luke looked at peace. The marks of pain seemed to have faded. Mara walked over and kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you, Luke Skywalker," she whispers. He opens his eyes and looks at her with such love in his eyes, that her breath catches in her throat. She smiles at him. He smiles back. Luke looks down (Mara can tell it was very painful for him to move) and looks at their son. Obi was cuddled next to Luke, asleep.
"He loves you, too," Mara whispers. Luke nods wearily. She can tell it was an effort for him to remain awake. Mara bends down and kisses him on the lips.
"Sleep now. We'll be home soon." She soothes Luke to sleep. He closes his eyes and nods. Soon he is fast asleep.
Mara walks out to prepare their exit from hyperspace.
The comm unit was sounding an urgent call. Mara reached over and activated it.
"This is the Shadow Chaser approaching Coruscant Control. Please inform the Chief of State that we have arrived. We have wounded. We will be needing the services of a full emergency med team. Over." Mara replied to the hail.
"Mara, this is Han. We copy. An EMC is waiting at pad 12 for your arrival. Is everything alright? Were you able to find Luke?"
Mara was surprised. Although she shouldn't be, she thought. Han and Luke were the best of friends. Of course Han would be worried about Luke.
"It's good to hear your voice, Han. Yes, we were able to rescue Luke. He's badly hurt. Multiple lacerations, cracked ribs, and I think his arms and legs have been dislocated. He's not in good shape. I hope that med team is one of your best. Luke's going to need it." Mara says sadly.
Silence from the other end. Mara can well imagine the shock this would cause.
"We copy. The med team is the finest in all Coruscant. Don't worry Mara. We're going to take good care of him. What about…" Han started to say.
Mara cut him off. "Yorth is no longer with us. He chose to attack a Jedi Master and it backfired on him. He should have known never to tangle with a woman. You know?"
Han laughed.
"We're coming in. See you on the ground Solo." Mara remarked.
"See you. We'll all be waiting," the comm went off. Mara sighed. She hoped that medical team was as good as Han said it was. Luke was going to need it.
The entire Solo family, Jacen and Jaina's friends Zekk and Tenel Ka, along with Kyp and Dara Durron, Tionne, Kam Solusar, Streen, and the Skywalker children were waiting at the landing pad. Mara was happy to see her family there. They all meant a great deal to her. Her own protégé, the newly wedded Dara Durron was always a welcome sight to her teacher.
Leia hurried forward.
"How is he?" she asked.
Mara shook her head as her twin daughters ran to her for a hug. She complied and held them in her arms. As the medical team brought Luke out of the hold of the ship, Leia gasped. Luke looked dead. He was barely breathing and his injuries were extensive.
"Oh, Master Skywalker!" Kyp cried, rushing forward. Dara held him back, shaking her head. Kyp was about to protest, but stopped as Dara spoke to him quietly. None heard her words, since she lost her vocal cords in an attack by the Empire. They had felt her parents were sympathizers with the Alliance, and in punishment, they had surgically removed her ability to speak. She found another way to communicate. She learned to speak through the Force. While no one else could hear her, whatever she said stayed Kyp's hand and he watched, anguish written all over his face, as his teacher and mentor was taken to a med facility for treatment.
"What happened to him Aunt Mara?" Jacen asked quietly.
Everyone wondered the same thing.
"I'll tell you everything in due time. Let's go inside. I want to make sure they're taking care of Luke." Mara repied.
Leia leads the way, and everyone follows.
The story Mara relates to everyone is horrifying. To think that someone could inflict that kind of suffering on another human being was terrifying. The Skywalker children were firmly put to bed before the tale began. Obi was disappointed. He wanted everyone to see how he was able to help save his father. But Mara insisted he go to bed, and she promised to tell them how he was able to help her save his father. Obi was satisfied and went to sleep, no longer dreaming of Yorth, but of how his father would take him fishing when he got better.
After a couple of weeks of bacta therapy, Luke's physical injuries vanished. However, he was still scared inside. Yorth hurt Luke mentally as well as physically. The threats and coercion he used against Luke was extensive. When someone threatens your family the way he did, you tend to become insecure and frightened. Normally, this would be no problem to handle. But Luke was a Jedi Master. His grip on the Force was what kept many enemies at bay. If they found out that Luke was emotionally unstable, they might feel this would be the perfect time for a confrontation. Mara knew that in Luke's present state of mind, such a confrontation would kill him.
Mara was determined for Luke to get well. She arranged a long vacation with Leia. The entire Solo family would take the Skywalker family on an extended vacation to Wayland. There, Mara and Leia both hoped that Luke cold receive the rest and mental stability needed to restore him to health. Tionne, Streen, and Kam Solusar would return to the Academy. Kyp, Dara, Zekk and Tenel Ka would go with the Solo's and the Skywalker's. While Jacen and Jaina were no longer children, they still needed the company of friends. Besides, Mara thought, it would be a perfect place for Jacen and Zekk to come to terms with their feelings for Tenel Ka and Jaina, respectively.
Leia was unaware of Jacen and Jaina's love interests, so this would also be a good time to enlighten her. At the moment, however, all she cold think of was Luke's welfare. The twins, Marrie and Amiee, were being unusually well behaved. Mara assumed this was from seeing their father so badly hurt. She was determined to talk to them about it. They must know that there father, though hurt and vulnerable right now, was still their father, and would get well soon. Like all mothers, Mara was overjoyed to see her infant son Terran again. Just being able to hold him gave her a sense of peace.
Their arrival on Wayland was uneventful. The Noghri were concerned over Luke's apparent disability, but were confident that "Lady Vader," "Han clan Solo," and the "Consort to the Son of Vader" would be able to help him. These titles confused Zekk, Tenel Ka, Kyp and Dara. They wondered who they could be talking about. After Jacen and Jaina explained it however, they realized the significance of it.
Callista even came to see how Luke was. Mara had always felt that Callista was still secretly in love with Luke. Mara felt that Callista never felt she was worthy of Luke's love. She did leave him after all. If things had gone differently, Callista may very well have become "Mistress Skywalker" and not Mara. Nevertheless, Mara always looked upon Callista as a friend. She valued her presence as much as she did Leia's. Both women helped Mara in this difficult time.
The children were an integral part of Mara's rehabilitation of her husband. Luke's ordeal scared him. Far more than his time in the dark side with the Emperor Reborn did. Yorth touched a side of Luke that he didn't much care for. Yorth was able to drive Luke to attacking first with a threat of hurting his children. Luke gave in to this threat, and consequently was beaten. If it hadn't been for the love and courage of his wife and eldest son, he would be dead now. He knew this, and he hated himself for his weakness. Neither Mara, nor Obi, should have been put in that kind of danger. If he had been able to control his feelings, they would never have had to come and rescue him.
Mara could feel these feelings from Luke. Yet, she didn't know how to combat them. She knew Luke's self-hatred would only tear him apart, but she couldn't think of a way to make him see the error of this thinking. Dara then suggested that instead of Mara trying to change his mind, why not let the children do it? Luke obviously thinks that Mara is only saying these things because she loves him. But children are more open. They say what they think. If they don't think Luke's a coward and a failure, then he would come to realize that he really isn't.
Mara agreed. She explained the situation to Obi, Marrie and Amiee. All three were upset. How could their daddy think like that? He wasn't bad. He was wonderful. He was the one that read them stories at night. He was always their when one of them fell and hurt themselves. All three knew that their daddy was the best man in the whole universe. Mara agreed.
"But you have to tell him that. Right now, your daddy is hurting a lot. Not physically hurting. He's hurting inside. In his heart. We have to do everything we can to cure him of that. Right?"
All three nodded vigorously.
And so the campaign to bring back Luke Skywalker's heart began. The enemy was fear, self-loathing, and failure. The allies were friendship, caring and love. All three children attacked their father's fears as if they were generals in an army. Luke didn't stand a chance. Obi used the tactic of friendship. He talked about all the times they would go out into the jungle on Yavin 4 and explore. He talked about the training Luke was already giving him in the Force. Slowly, Luke's fear started to die.
Marrie attacked her daddy's self-loathing. Marrie spoke of all the wonderful stories he would tell. About dragons, and castles and fair maidens in distress. Marrie repeated every story Luke ever told her. She even began to add to them. When Luke saw this, he realized how much he meant to her. Not only him, but the stories he would spin for her. And like his fear, his self-loathing vanished.
Last of all, Amiee attacked Luke's sense of failure. Amiee was the serious one, and so she proceeded to use reverse psychology on her father. Even though she probably couldn't even spell the word, that is what she did. She would pretend to fail at any task. Then she would start to cry. Luke was never able to bear the sound of one of his children crying. He would ask what was wrong. Amiee would cry that she couldn't do anything right. She always failed at everything she did. She wasn't worthy of the name Skywalker. Why did anybody put up with such a failure? And of course, like the loving father that he is, Luke would tell Amiee that, no, she wasn't a failure. No one was ever really a failure. There was always something that they could do right. Failure was all in the mind. If you set your mind to completing something, you could do it without failing. And finally, Luke realized what he was saying. The truth of the words hit im. He wasn't a failure. He had four wonderful children. A beautiful, loving wife. A wonderful sister, brother-in-law, two nephews and a niece. A lasting dream of bringing the Jedi Knights back to the galaxy. He was the one who established a Jedi Academy that was bringing more and more Jedi into the galaxy every year.
Luke realized he wasn't afraid anymore either. His fear seemed to have vanished as thoroughly as his self-loathing had. And that's when he realized what they did. His children had healed him. When no one else could, they had. He was filled with a love so strong, it hurt worse than any torture Yorth could have devised. Yet, he enjoyed this pain. This was the pain of realizing one has been very stupid. He was loved. Not only by his children, who love unselfishly, but by his wife, who sacrificed everything to be with him. Their love healed and nourished him.
Once all this was realized, Leia threw a party. Kyp and Dara announced that they were expecting a baby. Han was beside himself with pride for this friend. Everyone was happy. Luke was himself again, another generation of Jedi would be born, and Jacen and Jaina both announced that they had found their loves and with everyone's blessing, they would marry them. Of course Leia ad Han were surprised when these "loves" turned out to be Tenel Ka and Zekk. Luke and Mara just nodded as if they had expected nothing less. Leia was less than thrilled that her little girl had decided to marry a "trash collector" as Zekk had been know to be. But all four young people were Jedi Knights now. They could all take care of themselves.
Soon everyone was ready to leave. The Solo's, Tenel Ka and zekk would all be leaving for Coruscant. Leia maintained that if her twin children were going to both get married, she had to make sure their weddings were perfect. The Skywalker's and Durron's were to leave for Yavin 4. Luke and Mara wanted to get back to training the future Jedi of the universe, and Kyp and Dara wanted to help train while Dara was pregnant. Neither wanted to jeopardize her condition on any mission. So family and friends departed each other. Not permanently, for nothing permanent could ever separate such a close tied family, but temporarily. They would all meet again. Not to far off if Jaina and Tenel Ka could get Zekk and Jacen to name a date for their weddings.
Kyp and Dara were overjoyed when Luke and Mara asked them to stay on Yavin 4 as permanent instructors. Luke and Mara both knew that it would be hard to separate them. Much as it was difficult to separate Luke and Mara. Once their child was born, they would be very busy indeed. They needed more instructors anyway. Kam and Tionne couldn't handle it all by themselves.
So the Academy now has six instructors. Luke Skywalker, founder and beginning teacher. Mara Jade Skywalker, advanced Force techniques teacher. Kam Solusar, lightsaber instructor. Tionne, teacher of Jedi Lore and Legends. And Kyp and Dara Durron, intermediate teachers of Force techniques.
* * * * *
Dara Curran Durron kept watching Mistress Skywalker's children. Dara couldn't wait until her baby was born. Dara thought of how she meet her husband, Kyp. Kyp Durron was a brave and courageous young man. He went through hell and back when he was only eighteen years old. He was taken over by a Dark Side Adept named Exar Kun. After Kun was destroyed, Kyp was able to continue his Jedi training without interference from outside sources. Kyp learned a lot from his ordeal.
When Callista Ming returned from her odyssey of finding her Jedi powers, Dara was one of the new trainees that Callista brought with her. Kyp was ecstatic that Callista had finally returned. Kyp knew that Luke had missed Callista very much. With her return, one of Luke's most cherished friendships could begin again. Kyp only hoped that this would not put a wedge between Luke and Mara.
All this went through his mind as her ship landed on Yavin 4. As she disembarked from the ship, she looked exactly the way she did when she left. A bit older perhaps but then they all looked older. Kyp noticed something profoundly different, however. He could sense her through the Force. Her mind was open, and filled with love and longing for the people she left behind. Then Master Skywalker came out. The looks on their faces when they saw each other was kind of funny. If one didn't know them. But Kyp did. He remembered when Callista first came to the Academy. The same look they had on their faces
Tbc….
As soon as I find the rest of this fic, I'll post it! Review please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!