JAINA'S FIRST DATE
It was another typical day at the House of Solo, meaning noise and insanity at varying levels.
Leia was cooking breakfast for her husband and four children. She was currently on leave from her job of Chief of State; she had become utterly burned out, and she had spent some of her time with Han learning how to cook. She had become proficient at a number of things to where the family no longer feared for their lives when she went into the kitchen.
She smiled as her family raced about trying to get ready for school, Some things never changed. Anakin was thirteen and enduring the horror that was middle school. Jarik was in his first level and was a charming, friendly child who was the class clown and enjoyed such things as building them and then destroying them and building them again. Jaina was trying to figure out what to wear and Jacen was grumbling.
"Mom, you doing anything later today?" Jaina asked as she swigged a large cup of kaf.
"Nothing pressing," Leia said to her. "Do you need something?"
"Yeah. I need something nice to wear."
Leia did her best to conceal her surprise. Jaina had never expressed any desire to go shopping, and especially not shopping for clothes.
"Is there an event at school?" Leia asked her.
"No, not that. I have a date tomorrow night."
Han, who had heretofore been silently nursing a mug of kaf, jumped as if he'd been hit by an electric shock.
"A date?" He said to his daughter. "What is this 'date' of which you speak? There are no 'dates' for my daughter!"
"Lighten up, Daddy. It's Jag from the Praexium. We're going to the prom at his day school."
"I don't care if he's the king of seven galaxies! You're not going with him!"
"Oh, Han, knock it off," Leia said, rolling her eyes. "She's going with a boy from the Praexium to a school sponsored event."
"I don't care what the occasion is!"
"Don't listen to him," Leia admonished her daughter. "I'll deal with him. We'll go shopping after you finish at the Praexium."
"I caught her kissing Jag!" Jacen teased.
"Shut up," Jaina warned him. "At least I'm not grounded for a month."
"Jaina's got a boyfriend!" Anakin taunted.
"No, she does not! There are no boyfriends in this house!" Han steamed. He gave his daughter a hard look. "No dates, no proms, and no boyfriends! And especially no kissing!"
Jaina groaned. "C'mon, Jacen, we're gonna be late!"
"We'll head for the shopping promenade later," Leia promised her. "Anakin, Jarik! Let's go!" She'd deal with Han later.
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Han was doing classroom lecture, the one aspect of his job that he didn't especially care for. He always received good evals from his students, but that didn't necessarily endear him to the task of teaching in the abstract. He preferred to get up off the ground and watch them run, but it was the opinion of the military leaders that some theory would enhance their practical knowledge.
Today was a lecture on solid fuel motors. While at the Academy, he had done well in chemistry but he far preferred mathematics and physics. Fortunately, there was plenty of mathematics in every aspect of flight.
He was on his way to his office when he was spotted by Wedge Antilles. Wedge's portion of lecturing was interstellar biology, a class that Han was grateful to not have to teach. Han had hated the subject. Wedge was also Leia's second cousin, and the two men normally got on well.
"Whoa, Solo, take it easy there!" Wedge said jovially. He could see that Han was on the warpath. Han was usually funny and friendly, but he could be very moody and impatient at times. This was definitely one of those times.
"It's not everyday you find out your daughter has a..."
"A what?" Wedge tried not to laugh.
"A date! She thinks she's going on a date! With a boy!"
Wedge couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "That happens with teenagers."
"You don't have any daughters, you wouldn't know." Wedge had two young sons who were far younger than teenagers.
"And that would be because?" Wedge kept laughing.
"I was a teenaged boy once! I know what they're like!"
I can only imagine, Wedge said to himself, trying to tamp down his laughter. He shared the general opinion that Han had been a typical teenaged boy-on steroids.
"I think Jaina can take care of herself," Wedge assured his cousin by marriage.
"You're just like Leia! She's buying into the whole thing! She's taking her shopping this afternoon!"
"Hang in there," Wedge said, not wanting to be drawn into this any further, and moved on.
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Han's mood had not improved by the time class ended. He had half an hour before test flight practice. Today was about emergency crash landing. How appropriate, he thought acerbically.
He comm'd Leia. "You're not really going to let her go out with some boy, are you?"
"And hello to you, Flyboy," Leia said calmly.
"Jaina's not going out with him! She's not going out with anybody! She's too young!"
"Han, I was already involved in politics at 15."
"But you weren't asking to go on dates!"
"No, I missed that part of being young. And I think we owe it to our kids to let them be young and have those sorts of experiences. They may be Force sensitive, but they're still kids."
"Exactly! So you concede she's a kid!"
"She's a lovely young lady, just in case you hadn't noticed."
Han had noticed it all too well.
"She is never going on dates!"
"We know the Fels. They're a very nice family." Soontir Fel was an undersecretary in the Ministry of Defense. Han remembered meeting him at a few official functions, and always at the bar. His mother was a fourth cousin of Leia's. Then again, much of the Republic hierarchy was related to Leia, although distantly. Han was frequently grateful that his relatives were few and far between. "He's 17, Han. How much trouble could they really get into?"
"You have no idea," Han grumbled. "She doesn't need a boyfriend. She's only 15!"
"She may not need one, but apparently, she has one," Leia remarked dryly. "I personally consider it healthy that she has an interest in a young man."
"It's dangerous!"
"She's going to the prom with Jag," Leia told him stubbornly. "Get over it." She ended the comm call.
Han buried his hands in his face. His Jaina, his baby girl, taking an interest in boys. This couldn't be happening to him. It shouldn't be happening to him. And if possible, it wouldn't happen.
Unfortunately, Leia was on board with it, which made him an automatic loser in the battle of wills.
Shoot me now, he muttered to himself and headed for the hangar bays.
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Leia was completely enjoying the time with Jaina. Jaina had complained the least while she was working to establish and maintain the government, but she'd been honest with Leia after Leia announced that she was taking a year off. Jaina was resentful of the time her mother devoted to the job, and she'd told her so when Leia announced she was taking time off.
Bit by bit, they were building a new relationship, one where they enjoyed each other's company. Jaina had always been Han's favorite. Now mother and daughter began to cement a new relationship to one another.
They'd gone to every dress store that would potentially have a dress Jaina would be happy with. Jaina had tried on many, but when she saw the forest green silk charmeuse, that was The Dress. It brought out the green in Jaina's hazel eyes beautifully, and showed that Jaina had inherited her mother's curves. Leia thought she looked beautiful in it and told her so. They paid for the dress and sat down for a kaf before they moved on to shoes, handbags and cosmetics.
"This is great fun for me," Leia told her daughter.
"You never went to prom," Jaina said.
"I never even had the chance," Leia admitted. "I know that you're strong in the Force, honey, but I'm glad you're enjoying other things, too."
"That had to kinda suck, you know, having to work all the time instead of hanging out and stuff," Jaina agreed. "You know, sometimes I wish I hadn't been born a Jedi."
"I can understand that." Leia definitely did.
"Uncle Luke thinks you're cheating me out of my potential."
Leia rolled her eyes. "I love your uncle dearly, but we are not always in agreement."
"He does get carried away sometimes," Jaina agreed. "I wish Jacen were still at Praexium."
"It's just not for him, honey." There was a set of complex reasons behind that, but Leia didn't want to go into it today. This was her time with her daughter, who was growing up very, very fast.
"You ready for shoes?" Leia asked her.
"You know it. I want heels."
"Then heels you shall have."
The two finished their kaf creations and headed back into the world of pretty clothes and prom preparations.
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"You're not seriously going to let her wear that?" Han gasped at seeing Jaina's dress.
"It's beautiful on her," Leia informed him.
"You spent 350 credits and there's barely any fabric there!"
"Well, we did have to buy shoes and a handbag and some cosmetics, so it was a little more than that."
"I don't think I want to know," Han grumbled.
"Now if you'll excuse me, we have mani pedis and hair scheduled."
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"All right, Han," Leia said to him, giving him the She Who Must Be Obeyed expression. "Jag will be here soon, and you're going to be nice to him. That's not a question, nor is it an option."
"Why should I be nice to him?" Han scowled.
"Because I'm sure he's very nice and Jaina is so excited."
"He's taking my daughter out. He'll be lucky if I don't undo the safety on my blaster."
"Han, you're being ridiculous!"
"Am I? What if he tries to kiss her?"
"You know quite well he already has."
"And kissing leads to...to...well, all sorts of horrible things that he'll do to my little girl!"
"Han Solo, I believe that that's the first time I've ever heard you refer to amorous behavior as 'horrible.'" Leia was trying not to crack up laughing.
"He'd better keep his hands off her and his eyes focused above her neck!"
"And this from one of the legendary Romeos of our time." Leia finally couldn't take it anymore and burst into a gale of laughter.
"It's not funny!" Han called after his wife as she departed the living room.
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The smashball game was on, but Han wasn't paying much attention to it. He was on the sofa, anticipating the arrival of Jaina's date with the same pleasure he reserved for the bounty hunters who used to be all over his ass.
His blaster was fully charged, and he wasn't afraid to use it.
The eight bell chime sounded, and Jacen, who was grounded, answered it.
"She's getting ready," Jacen told him sullenly.
Jag, who was a tall, handsome young man, said, a bit nervously, "Good evening, Captain Solo."
Han did not answer him. His response was to stare at the young man, his hand stroking his blaster.
"Uh...how are you, sir?"
Han glared at him. "Let me just say this: I've got a blaster and a ship that can do point eight past lightspeed, and I doubt anyone would miss you."
Jag looked very intimidated, but continued to try to make polite conversation.
"Uh...Jaina's told me about the Millennium Falcon."
Han remained silent and glowering, continuing to stroke the blaster attached to his thigh holster.
"Jaina says you're in a band."
"What time are you going to bring her home?" Han demanded, never deviating from staring down the young man, who by now was sweating bullets.
Good, thought Han.
"Uh, well, uh...prom ends at 2300 and then there's the post prom at 2400, and then we'll go to breakfast at Awe-ful Waffles, and then we'll probably go home."
"Not. Acceptable." Han shouted, "Leia!" as loudly as he could.
Leia appeared. "Yes?"
"Are you aware that our daughter has no plans to return home till tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, I am. I gave her permission." Leia's voice didn't waver. She was, however, trying not to laugh at her husband.
"And you didn't bother to discuss this with me?" Han raised his voice.
"Of course I didn't. I knew how well that would work." She vanished into Jaina's bedroom again.
Jag had the good sense to keep his mouth shut until Jaina emerged from her room, her mother near her.
Jag's mouth fell open. The three brothers looked at what they regarded as an unknown phenomenon. And Han was rendered speechless.
"You look great!" Jag said to Jaina. He opened the package he had been carrying. It was a wristlet made of pure white flowers, and he put it on her.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Leia said quietly to Han.
"Uh...she's...all grown up."
"So Daddy, what do you think?" Jaina asked her father.
"You look...gorgeous." Even Han couldn't deny that.
"I want some holos," Leia said, grabbing her cam and snapping away with Jaina and Jag holding hands, smiling. "Okay, Jag. I want one with Jaina and her father." She handed the young man her holocam.
"Don't be so tense, Daddy," she urges Han, who draped his arm over her shoulder and was anything but smiling.
"I'll determine when I can be tense."
"C'mon, Daddy. Trust me a little," Jaina said, but she was smiling when she said it. "Besides, I'm pretty good with a lightsabre." She finally got Han to smile, which was brighter than the gems that covered her four inch high heels and lit up her hair.
Jaina gave Han a big hug, and he clung to her. "If he makes you cry, I'll kill him," Han told her as he reluctantly let her go.
"Night, Daddy," she said, smiling.
Leia wanted to scold her husband for his rude behavior towards Jag, but as he watched his only daughter step out into the evening air, there was something in his expression that told her to say nothing. There was no anger in his face. Instead, it was something akin to grief.
"I've lost her," Han said at last.
"No, Han, you have not lost her," Leia responded. "You know you'll always be the first man in her life, because you're her father."
Leia stepped away quietly, letting Han be alone with his thoughts.
This is going to take him a while, she realized. I just hope he doesn't end up killing any of them.