A/N: Okay so I MAYYYYY have written the first chapter just to see to get it off of my brain! This story will be a backseater to Broken Glass (whose next chapter is in the final stages of being done I promise) and yeah, PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I will love you forever and be your best friend k bye. XD
0300 Hapes local time:
Tenel Ka sat straight up in her bed, her red hair cascading over her shoulders. Something was wrong, very wrong. Immediately, she checked the security feed to the nursery. Allana was sleeping safe and sound, her face looked like she was having a pleasant dream, nothing appeared out of place. Tenel Ka gave a deep sigh of relief, but something still felt not quite right... She stretched out with the Force, trying to locate the cause of her distress... only to find she couldn't. There was no Force to touch. Instantly her heart leapt into her throat, as she remembered the days of the Yuzhann Vong and the terror a Jedi felt when there was no Force to connect to.
A man's voice instantly caused her to leap out of bed, lightsaber in hand. "Hello, my love."
"Jacen!" She hissed angrily as he appeared in view, coming out of the shadowy corner. She did not deactivate her turquoise blade, in fact she did the opposite. She shifted into attack position, ready to strike if he so much as twitched in the direction of the nursery.
"You won't be needing that," he said, nodding at her. Without even raising a hand, the lightsaber flew from her grasp and she swore.
"Leave now, Jacen. You're wasting your time. Hapan security will be here in seconds." She said, shaking her head and glaring at him.
"No... they won't," Jacen said, giving her an insincere apologetic look.
Tenel Ka still blocked the door to the nursery, placing herself between her daughter and her ex-lover.
"What do you want?" She demanded.
"I want what's best for Allana," he said simply. She took note of how he neglected to mention her and Allana, now.
"Well it's certainly not with you," she said.
"Oh, and I suppose being under constant threat of assassination by Hapan nobles and Confederate forces who want to pressure Hapes into war against the GA is?" He asked snidely. Tenel Ka shifted uncomfortably, he had a minute point there she granted, Allana was always in danger, which is why Jacen's paternity had been kept a secret for years.
"I won't just let you take her again!" Tenel Ka spat at him. After he'd all but kidnapped Allana from her, she vowed to never let anything like that happen in the future.
"I may have made a mistake the last time," he conceded, inclining his head towards her. "I should have had the both of you come with me, but I wasn't feeling all that inclined for your company after you stabbed me in the back." He paused as he moved towards her, "I'm not expecting you to just hand her over, I mean, what kind of mother would you be? No, no... This time you're both coming and I'll be able to watch over Allana, and prevent you from running off to Luke and remaining a permanent thorn in my side."
"I can't let you do that," Tenel Ka said firmly. "I have a system to govern and a daughter to protect, even if it means protecting her from her own Father."
"Ahh yes, Hapes... Well ruling won't be too much of an issue for you after my Hapan insider takes over. As for protecting Allana from me? I would never, ever hurt her and you know that," he seethed, outraged and stepping so close to her now, she could smell the hyperdrive coolant on his black GAG fatigues.
"You threatened to murder her if I didn't do as you asked!" Tenel Ka fumed angrily.
"That was a bluff and you fell for it, which, by the way, hurt me deeply. I can't believe you think I would ever be capable of hurting her. She's my whole world, Tenel Ka!" He said. She could tell he was getting angrier by his tone and body language.
"Jacen I-"
"Caedus." He interrupted.
"What?" She asked in bewilderment.
"My name is Caedus. Jacen Solo is gone, and he's not coming back. I don't want to be called that anymore," He said in an eerily quiet tone.
Tenel Ka stood there with her mouth hanging open before collecting her nerves and steeling herself for Jacen's anger. "How lovely," She said coolly. "However, I don't really give a bork what you want," she hissed. "I'm not calling you that, Jacen."
She could see the muscles twitching in his face as he was clearly trying to restrain himself from lashing out at her for being so insolent towards him. Power had made him accustomed to getting his way and she would not be on that ship.
After a moment he took a deep breath and ignored her comment. "Move out of the way Tenel Ka. We need to wake Allana up and get her things. Yours too," he said, extra solicitously.
As he made to step around her she threw herself in front of him and placed a hand on his chest.
"No. We aren't going with you. You can leave now." She said, throwing a little Queenly command into her voice.
"Tenel Ka I don't want to hurt you, but you can either do what I say and come quietly, or you can fight me and lose." He said fixing her with a steely gaze.
"As you wish," she said sweetly, moving out of his way slightly. As he went to go past her, she threw a sidekick to his ribcage, sending him crashing into a Hapan vase on an ornate pedestal.
He didn't even make a sound, but before she had time to move again he was up, leaping through the air, wrapping an arm around her neck, and squeezing. "I told you not to make this hard, Sweetheart." She heard him whisper. He was much stronger than she remembered him being, as she clawed at his face behind her and sending futile elbows into his ribcage, where she felt heavy armor underneath his black clothing.
When that failed, she stuck her left foot in between his legs and threw herself forward, causing him to flip over her and slam to the ground.
Breathing heavily, she panted, "Fact, Jacen: You couldn't take me in a physical fight at the Academy and you can't take me now." She said with a triumphant grin as she watched him crawl up off the ground.
He sighed as if resigned, before a Force wave hit her out of nowhere and sent her crashing into the wall, slamming her spine painfully against the painted durasteel. She'd had no warning, because she still couldn't touch the Force. As she slid slowly down the wall in pain, she gasped, "How- Why can't I feel it?" She whispered, the wind being knocked completely out of her. "Did... you... bring... Ysalamiri?" She panted.
Jacen brushed himself off before approaching her again, "No. I took the Force away from you. It comes in handy when dealing with Jedi, or so I was taught." He said icily, clearly irritated with her. "I don't think you'll be getting it back any time soon, if your attitude persists."
Tenel Ka's mind was racing at this new revelation, he could actually take away the Force from her? That seemed impossible... The Force was everywhere, how...? She let the question go, as she struggled to get up before he reached her. He crouched down in front of her and she felt a stinging sensation envelope her one hand. Restraining bubbles. Stun cuffs would be pointless since she only had one arm, due to the lightsaber incident in her youth.
"Now, can you sit still until I get back?" Jacen asked too sweetly, like he was talking to a child.
She spat in his face and swung a foot out in front of her to kick him once again. This time she was not as fast and he was apparently done playing games. He caught her foot, and with one swift motion snapped her ankle with a sickening crunch.
Tenel Ka did not give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream, and instead bit down on her bottom lip until she drew blood.
Jacen gently set her now broken ankle down gently, and put a gentle hand on her face. "I'm sorry Tenel Ka, I really am, but I can't keep fighting you all night. I'm tired, I'm busy, and most importantly, I'm out of patience. You left me no choice."
She said nothing and watched as he deactivated the security override on Allana's door and walked in with ease.
She heard Allana squeal as he turned on her light and gently woke her up. "Dadddddyy! I knew I'd see you again!" Tenel Ka felt sick to her stomach, she knew Allana didn't understand what Jacen had done when he'd kidnapped her, and she knew Jacen had treated Allana well, or as well as any insane Father could, and Allana still adored him.
"Hi sweetie, I missed you!" He said as they embraced.
"You're not taking me away from Mommy again are you?" Allana asked, pulling back and giving him a serious look. "She got realllllllllly mad last time. She said you wouldn't be able to see me anymore, but I knew I would." Allana said proudly.
"No baby, I'm not taking you away from Mommy. Mommy's gonna come with us, and you guys are going to come stay with me on the Anakin Solo." Jacen said gently, rocking Allana in his arms.
Tenel Ka heaved herself onto one foot, her ankle throbbing painfully. She hobbled over to her bed and sat, as Jacen helped Allana pack a bag full of her favorite outfits and favorite toys, promising her that she would get lots and lots of new things, once they got settled in.
Allana came bounding out of the nursery, "Mommy! Mommy! Didja hear Daddy said we're going to come stay with him!" She said excitedly, bouncing on Tenel Ka's knees.
Jacen followed her out and shut the nursery door, giving Tenel Ka a glare that said she'd better play ball or else.
Tenel Ka forced a smile for Allana's sake, "Yes I heard, are you okay with going back there?" She asked her daughter. Not that Jacen, or "Caedus" was giving them much of a choice, but maybe if Allana didn't want to go, it would sour whatever his plans were. Tenel Ka was swiftly disappointed however, as Allana squealed again, "Yes! Yes! It's going to be more fun now that you're coming! We can be like a real family!"
Tenel Ka's heart shattered into a thousand pieces, despite all the evil, despite the fact that her parents weren't on the best terms, Allana simply wanted what every normal child wanted: a normal family... and that was something Tenel Ka had never been able to give her in her entire life.
"Mommy, what happened to your leg?" Allana asked as Tenel Ka attempted to stand, and hobble over to her closet.
"Oh... Mommy- Mommy tripped, sweetheart," she lied, glaring over Allana's head at Jacen, motioning with her encased hand, for him to deactivate the energy bubble so she could pack.
Without even lifting a finger, Jacen deactivated the bubble, satisfied that she was not going to fight him... for now.
Once she'd thrown a bag full of clothes together, Jacen took the bag from her to carry and attempted to wrap an arm around her waist to help her walk. Her first instinct screamed at her to shrug him off, which she did.
As Jacen handed the bags to some of his goons waiting outside her suite, Allana turned to frown up at him as they walked hand in hand while Tenel Ka limped along on her own.
"Daaaaad," Allana said exasperatedly. "Why aren't you helping Mommy? She's hurt!"
Jacen gave Allana a smile before turning to look at Tenel Ka with a raised eyebrow.
"Mommy won't let me help because she's stubborn, obstinate, and totally immune to reason, thats why, Honey." This caused Allana to giggle before insisting Tenel Ka stop being like that and allow Jacen to help her to the hangar.
As they left the Royal Suites, she looked up and down each hall and corridor they passed, not a single guard, servant, or aid was present, but in their place was a GAG member dressed head to toe in black, probably 967 Commandos, she thought, Jacen's personal squad.
Allana trailed beside Jacen yammering enthusiastically about all the stuff he'd missed while he'd been gone.
"My LifeDay is next week!" She bubbled happily. "Mommy said we could have a big big party. Can we still have one on the Anakin?" She asked Jacen with a wide eyed stare.
Tenel Ka looked at Jacen, who didn't hesitate for a second before saying, "Of course you can still have a party Sweetie." He said, giving her a warm and sincere smile, that Tenel Ka saw actually reach his eyes. It gave her a very, very dim, glimmer of hope that despite his actions he wasn't the total megalomaniac he appeared to be. He clearly thought the world of Allana still. That part of him hadn't been destroyed... yet. She prayed that day never came, for the day he stopped loving Allana, she knew would be the point of no return...
TBC!