Jaina stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror, admiring the beautiful gown she was wearing. A dark blue shimmersilk dress, a perfect fit for her body. The skirt pooled around her feet, threads of silver woven throughout the elegant fabric. Small beads had been hand sewn onto the strapless bodice, a wondrous pattern that reminded her of far away stars.
Her dark hair – now streaked with grey – was elaborately piled at the back of her head, golden pins decorated with twinkling blue corusca gems holding the tresses where they were supposed to be.
She smiled at her reflection, slowly moving her fingers along the seams of the bodice. During the years she'd gotten used to dressing up, showing the public eye that she was the beautiful wife of the Emperor. Once she had fought against the unspoken dress code but to no avail. In the end it had always come down to elegant gowns and jewelry it seemed no mere mortal could afford.
She reached up to her throat, gently massaging the golden collier around her neck. There was a single blue gem, matching those in her hair, reflecting the lamp light from above.
Dropping her hands to her sides, she gave her mirror image a curt nod and took a deep breath, "I guess I'm ready."
She was lying to herself, of course. No parent would ever be ready for the biggest day in their child's life, especially if it was their daughter.
Turning away from the mirror she blew out a breath and walked towards the single, very large white sofa in her dressing room. She sat down gracefully, making sure not to wrinkle the skirt of her dress. Leaning back, she closed her eyes for a long moment, her heart pounding away beneath her ribs.
It felt like yesterday when she'd carried her baby girl in her arms, comforting the little thing until she'd fallen asleep. And now she was getting married.
Jaina rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. She was happy for her daughter, there was no doubt, but it felt like Jaina was losing her.
"Are you alright?"
Startled, she lifted her dark eyes and smiled. Jag stood in the entrance of her dressing room, fully clothed in the Imperial dress uniform he always wore with pride. Badges he'd earned during his time as a pilot and the insignia of the Imperial rule were neatly polished, seemingly reflecting the entire room.
His hair was cut short, military style, the white strand above a scar on his forehead still visible throughout all the silver that seemed to show his true age.
And Jaina still loved him with all her heart. She woke up next to him and her heart jumped with joy at seeing him every day; his smile sent shivers throughout her body and his laugh still had the power to bring her to her knees.
"I'm fine." She answered quietly as he made his way to take a seat beside her. He grasped her hand and squeezed reassuringly.
"There's no sense in lying to me."
Jaina chuckled and briefly closed her eyes, "Is it possible to be more nervous than the bride?" she asked in a low voice, her thumb massaging over his knuckles.
"Most certainly." Jag answered eyeing his wife with deep felt adoration, "She is our oldest child and we're forced to give her away to another man." He sighed melodramatically and narrowed his green eyes, "I should have killed him when I had the chance."
Jaina laughed and laid her head onto his shoulder, "Hush, you."
They fell silent for a long while, listening to a gathering crowd beneath the windows of the dressing room. Two thousand people were attending the wedding – the first ceremony out of three. How many guests would complete the entire wedding, Jaina didn't really know. There was the family, of course, friends and mere acquaintances, political partners and military personnel – and the Jedi.
"How much longer until we have to show ourselves?" Jaina asked while splaying her hands on his chest.
"One hour, fifty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds."
Jaina arched a dark brow and lifted her head to give him a quizzical look, "You're counting rather accurately, aren't you?"
There was a long sigh then and Jag let his shoulders sag just a little, "Our daughter will be carrying a different name. Of course I'm counting."
"Do you remember the day I told you I was pregnant?" Jaina asked, changing the subject with a little laugh, "I'd never seen you so… confused before."
"I wasn't confused."
"You could have fooled me."
25 years ago
His kisses seemed to penetrate her very soul. Her hands tangled through his hair, gripping the short strands just enough to break off the kiss.
"I'm late, Jag. They're waiting for me." Her voice was a mere husky whisper as she trailed a finger down his cleanly shaven cheek.
"Let them wait." He captured her swollen lips with his, his hands finding their way underneath her shirt, gently stroking along her warm, creamy skin. He did wondrous things with his tongue and a dark moan escaped her throat.
Splaying her hands on his chest, she backed away a step and smiled at him, "We don't keep people waiting. It's rude."
The corners of Jag's mouth lifted into a sly smile, "I don't care right now." He grabbed her hips in a firm grasp, pulling her small form flat against his chest. His mouth descended on hers yet again, his arms encircling her waist. She reached up and played with strands of his disheveled hair, leaning into
the kiss as his hands trailed down her backside, picking her up from the floor in one fluent movement.
She swung her legs around his midsection, locking her ankles in place – he had her pinned against the wall in seconds. He trailed soft, warm kisses down the line of her jaw, nibbling on the skin right above her pulse. Gently, he grazed her earlobe with his teeth, "Are you sure you want to leave?" he whispered and a shiver ran down her spine as his hot breath touched her skin.
Jaina swallowed once – twice – and nodded, "I promised."
Reluctantly he dropped her to her feet, cupping her face in his hands. His green eyes, alight with fire, stared back at her, "Then you should go. But don't be too long." He dipped his head and she caught a smile on his face, "I'm not nearly finished with you."
Blushing bright red, she cleared her throat and took a step back. She'd already been on the way out when Jag had caught up with her to give her single good-bye kiss.
"I'll be back in a little while." She said, leaning in to give him a small peck on the cheek. She turned around and headed towards the exit of their living area, a bright smile on her face.
Jag watched her leave while absent-mindedly stroking a finger across his chin. He let a long sigh escape his throat before deciding to make a quick com call. Although he'd promised his wife over and over again that he wouldn't send anyone to spy on her, he did feel the overwhelming need to send someone to watch her.
In his book there was a great difference between the two.
He switched on the com unit while taking a seat, his fingers moving along the keys and tapping in the frequency of one of the first of his Force sensitive guards. He was hoping to someday create an Imperial guard consisting mostly of Jedi. Who better to protect, than someone who could hide their presence while delivering a killing blow when necessary?
Jag wasn't kidding himself – his line of work was as dangerous as it got. But he wasn't worried about himself; it was Jaina his thoughts revolved around. If something were to happen to her, he'd never forgive himself.
So making sure she got to wherever it was she was going in one peace and returning home in the same manner was his top priority at that very moment.
"Yes, Fel, what is it?"
Jag was ripped from his thoughts as a small hologram of Kyp Durron hovered in mid air, a deep frown on the older man's face, "Am I interrupting something?"
"Of course not." But his voice held a tinge of annoyance – Jag smiled.
"I need you to keep an eye on Jaina this afternoon. She's already left so you'd best hurry."
Kyp raised his dark brows, "And you tell me now?"
"I wasn't able to place the call any earlier."
Kyp snorted and ran a hand through his hair, "I wonder why." He sighed then and nodded once, "I'm on my way. If I come back in tiny little pieces, you'll know Jaina found out I was watching her. And then you'll be next."
The older man cut the connection but Jag was certain he saw a small smile on his face. Satisfied that Kyp would do his best to ensure Jaina's protection, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He had a few more minutes to relax until he needed to get back to work.
Outside in the hall, Jaina steadied herself against the wall with an outstretched hand. The smile had turned into a flat out grin and she stifled a giggle. They'd been married for a little over a year and it seemed to her, the love she felt for him was growing with every passing day.
Catching her breath, she straightened up and tried her best to regain composure. She used the Force to calm her overactive, aroused nerves; to calm her heart that threatened to jump out of her chest by the sheer thought of the man who was only a door away.
She dug her com link from one of her pockets and took a deep breath before thumbing it on. She'd saved the frequency to reach her mother the day before and now waited patiently for the older woman to pick up.
"You're late." She heard Leia mutter and Jaina laughed.
"Sorry. I got caught up."
"I can imagine."
Jaina felt another blush surface on her cheeks and she cleared her throat, "So you're ready to go then?"
"I've been ready to go for almost half an hour."
Jaina hurried her steps towards the nearest turbo lift, slapping the controls with her free hand, "I'm on my way." She cut the link and took another deep breath. Her nervousness was growing and not even Jedi relaxation techniques seemed to be helping.
The doors to the lift swished aside silently and she stepped onto the platform with a quivering breath. As she touched the controls to go down, her thoughts whirled around Jagged – as they usually did when she was alone and there was no new evil terrorizing the galaxy.
She touched a finger to her lips, wondering what he still had planned to do to her. He was as relentless as he was stubborn but she liked these traits when it came to the two of them being together.
With a long sigh she realized she missed him already.
The lift halted on a private shuttle hangar and she felt her mother's agitation through the Force. Leia Organa Solo did not like to wait.
The older woman shifted her dark gaze towards her daughter as she came closer with hurried steps, "Is it safe to leave?" Leia asked.
Jaina nodded, "Yeah. I told him I was meeting a few friends for lunch. There won't be anyone following us."
"Your husband is a bit overprotective, for my taste." Leia rounded a small, inconspicuous grey speeder and opened the drivers' door with a touch of her palm.
Jaina got in beside her and gave her mother an amused look, "He's just worried. That's all."
Leia said nothing more as she palmed on the speeder and put it into reverse. Seconds passed by until they were out of the hangar, rising to meet with other air speeders high above the spires of Bastion.
"Thank you for coming." Jaina said in a low voice, "How's Dad?"
Leia shrugged noncommittally, "He's doing alright. I suppose Allana's keeping him young in his old age."
Jaina kept quiet for the rest of the short journey. Her hands were clammy as she folded them in her lap and the nervousness seemed to seep into the marrow of her bones. Plainly put, she was a wreck.
When Leia reached their destination, she parked the speeder in yet another private hangar – there were no prying eyes here and definitely no media. It wouldn't do anyone any good if the media caught Jaina and her mother on their way to a doctor's appointment.
"You'll be alright, Jaina." Leia touched her shoulder in a reassuring gesture, "I can feel you're about to explode with anxiety."
Jaina shifted her gaze to her feet, "I'm not scared, Mom. I just feel overwhelmed, that's all." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes while drawing on the Force.
"Let's get this over with." Leia said and Jaina nodded while following her mother into the medical complex.
Jaina sat on the exam table, kicking her legs back and forth as she tried to seem patient. The doctor had left minutes ago, excusing herself to check over Jaina's test results. The imperial doctor was sworn to secrecy; Jaina was sure she wouldn't tell anyone that Jagged Fel's wife had come to see her without him knowing about it.
This was something Jaina wanted to finish on her own – it was her right as an individual and she wouldn't let anyone get into the way.
Leia was waiting outside the door, pacing back and forth no doubt. Jaina was overly grateful for Leia to have come all the way to Bastion for this one day. Even though their relationship had been strained throughout the years, Jaina wasn't sure she could get through the examination without knowing her mother was there to catch her should she fall.
The doctor walked in at that moment, a little unreadable smile on her face. Jaina had to wonder if all medical personnel were trained in that tiny infamous smile that made you feel like you were either going to die a most terrible death or live until you were a hundred and fifty.
The short, dark skinned human woman sat down on her small stool, reaching towards a counter to retrieve her data chart, "How've you been feeling, Mrs. Fel?"
Jaina cleared her throat, "Alright, I suppose."
The doctor took another look at her chart before replacing it on the counter, "Congratulations. You'll be having a baby soon."
Jaina had already figured as much but it was a whole different thing having her innermost feelings verified by a doctor. She was speechless as she sat there, still kicking her legs back and forth as she stared at the woman sitting in front of her.
The door to the exam room opened and both women turned their heads as Leia entered. The expression on her face was one of anticipation and hope – yes, Leia would be happy to have another grand child. Another child to pamper and spoil.
Tears suddenly stung at Jaina's eyes and she swallowed a lump forming in her throat. She didn't know what to say – she nodded towards her mother and that was all Leia needed to break a beautiful, wide smile and hurry to hug her little girl.