Ten-year-old Jaina Solo sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa as she watched her family and friends. A warm fire flickered in the fireplace, the stockings hanging from the mantle filled with goodies she would love to get her hands on but she was sure her mother would throw a fit. The traditional fête week tree stood in the corner – Jaina, Jacen and Anakin had decorated it this year. The lights glittered in various colors, Anakin had hung up candy canes, fruits and a few of Jaina's favorite crystal ornaments and Jacen had had to use a stool to get the golden star onto the tip of the tree.
Jaina smiled. It looked beautiful, especially with all the presents and gifts underneath. She had helped her mother wrap up most of them and Jaina was proud of her work. She had chosen pink and green ribbons, even though Leia had wrinkled her nose at the color combination. Always the perfectionist, her mother.
A loud cackling laughter called her attention and she smiled brightly while watching her father goof around with Lando. Lando stood beside him, wearing perfect satin clothes that shimmered in the bright light of the living room. It seemed the two of them were again reminiscing about old times, their smuggler runs and near death adventures, the things of legends. Jaina could recite most of it from memory.
Uncle Luke and Kyp talked in hushed tones outside on the balcony, their faces betraying nothing of their emotions. Jaina nudged them with the Force, waving when they turned around smiling. Both held crystal tumblers in their hands, filled with the disgusting Corellian Brandy Han loved so much.
Jaina had once sniffed at the stuff and still she couldn't understand why they drank it.
"I know what you're getting, Jaina!"
She turned her head towards her little brother. Anakin's blue eyes twinkled with glee and his grin lit up his entire face. "I don't want to know."
"You'll love it! Want a hint?"
Jaina grimaced. "I don't know, Anakin…"
"It's starts with the letter A."
She rolled her eyes and pulled her legs to her chest. "That's not a hint. That's torture."
Behind her, she heard Jacen laugh. Her twin leaned against the back of the couch, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Jaina hated it when he gave her that grown-up look. He tried so hard to fit into the adult world that it looked ridiculous. When she told him so, he just laughed and waved her remarks away.
"Just wait until later tonight. You'll get to open one gift."
"I don't want to wait." Anakin shoved his lower lip outward, a perfect and typical Anakin Solo pout.
"Patience is a virtue." Jacen said.
Jaina turned her head towards him and frowned. "You don't even know what virtue means, Jacen!"
The door chime sounded. The kids watched as Leia came rushing from the kitchen, her hands still stuck in oven mitts. She pulled them off before touching the controls to open the front door. Mara Jade and Talon Karrde stepped inside the apartment, Mara smiling brightly and hugging Leia while Talon had his hands clasped behind his back and positively beamed. Jaina thought Mara actually had a spring in her step as she walked towards Luke, opening the balcony door just a little. They kissed and smiled at each other – Jaina could feel their happiness reverberating through the Force.
Talon waved at Han and Lando and after leaning down to kiss Leia on her cheek, he went to join them, immediately taking on a tumbler with ale. The laughter grew another notch as Talon joined in the fun of days passed. Uncle Luke, Mara and Kyp came in from the balcony, bringing along a cool gust of wind. The weather had changed overnight, Jaina thought. Yesterday it had only been cold but when she woke up that morning, everything had been covered in snow!
Luke and Kyp joined the male fun while Mara helped Leia in the kitchen, and the talk and laughter increased some more. So much so, that Jaina barely heard the door chime.
She scrambled to her feet and glanced over at Jacen. They grinned at each other and then ran the rest of the way – Jaina knew she would beat him to the door. She was always faster than Jacen.
When the front entrance slid upward into the wall, Jaina raised her brows. A tall woman with black hair flowing around her shoulders stared at her, her face impassive. Through the Force Jaina could feel that she didn't want to be here – she was doing someone a favor.
"Hello." Jaina said, smiling.
"Hi. I'm Shada. Is Talon around?"
Jaina nodded and stepped aside to let Shada enter. Jacen, standing behind her, giggled. "She's pretty." He whispered while he watched Shada make her way to Talon. The two of them hugged briefly but Shada still seemed uncomfortable. Her Force signature wavered a little, as if she were pondering leaving already. Han and Lando clapped her on the back and handed her a tumbler with Brandy.
Almost an hour passed while the twins and Anakin sat before the fireplace, playing games and the grown-ups talked and laughed. Jaina watched them with a content smile on her face. This was her favorite time of year because everyone got along. No one fought; no one held any grudges and the best? There would be gifts for an entire week!
Leia and Mara stepped out of the kitchen, clapping their hands for attention. When they were still ignored, Mara shouted a few obscene words, earning a slap on her arm from Leia and a pointed glance at the kids. Jaina giggled. She really did love Mara Jade and she was glad that she and Luke got along so well. Maybe they would even get married some day! That would be so astral.
"Dinner is served." Leia said with an exaggerated diplomatic tone, bowing at the hip. Almost at once Han, Lando, Talon and Kyp hurried towards the dining room, nodding their thanks towards Leia. Shada followed them albeit a little slower with a shy smile on her face.
Mara held her back by placing a hand on her upper arm. "Are you alright, Shada?"
The other woman shrugged. "I just don't like fête week. I've never enjoyed it and frankly, I find it's a waste of time."
Leia frowned. "Why did you come then?"
"Talon asked me to. I still owe him a few favors." Shada passed by the women and sat down at the dinner table.
Leia beckoned the kids to follow. Jaina's eyes widened in wonder as she took in the dinner table. Mara and Leia had definitely outdone themselves! The dining room smelled fantastic. A huge nerf roast lay on a platter in the middle of the table, surrounded by various vegetables and an enormous bowl full of mashed protatoes. Jaina hurried to sit down next to Kyp and that's when she glimpsed the fruitcake right in front of her. Her mouth watered – she would have loved to skip dinner and eat that fruitcake instead!
"Looking forward to your gift tonight, kid?"
Jaina grinned up towards Kyp and nodded vigorously. "I got you something, too."
"You did?" Kyp asked with raised brows, a little smile on his face. "Well then, I can hardly wait."
"Patience is a virtue." Jaina echoed Jacen's words, and then burst out laughing at Kyp's expression. "Jacen said that. I don't know what it means."
Jaina had always liked Kyp. He played stupid silly games with her and her brothers. The last time he had babysat, Jaina had convinced him he would look prettier with braided hair and lipstick. In all honesty, he'd looked really, really stupid but it had been fun all the same. Jacen had taken holopics and Jaina had uploaded them onto her data pad.
Dinner went by too fast for Jaina's taste. She liked listening to the grown-ups talk. Sometimes she snatched up a word or two she had never heard before and she laughed when Leia hissed in Han's direction when Han said a word the kids weren't supposed to know about yet.
Lando almost choked when Uncle Luke told a joke Jaina didn't understand. Even Han and Kyp threw their heads back and laughed at Luke, something they rarely did together. Mara chimed in as well and then Jaina could barely hear her own thoughts.
After Dinner – and feeling stuffed like a big thick womp rat – Jaina and her brothers hurried to sit by the fireplace. Leia laughed at their impatience but joined them on the floor while the rest of the family and guests took seats all around the room.
Except Shada and Talon. They were talking in hushed tones. Talon smiled here and there but Shada merely nodded or shook her head, her stance making it obvious that she didn't want to be here. Jaina thought it was sad that she didn't like fête week. Why would anyone not like receiving gifts for seven days in a row?
Jaina's brown eyes lit up as she noticed that Shada and Talon were standing under the mistletoe. She grinned. Leia said it was a tradition on Alderaan to hang up mistletoe and any two people who stood beneath it would have to kiss. It was tradition and she'd been taught never to break tradition.
"You have to kiss!" Jaina blurted across the living room. Everyone grew quiet and stared at her. Jaina pointed to Shada and Talon. "You have to kiss. You're standing under the mistletoe."
Talon and Shada both looked up at the same time. Talon chuckled and grinned mischievously while Shada merely rolled her eyes. "It's a stupid thing to do." She complained.
"No. It's not!" Jaina got to her feet and balled her little hands into fists. "It belongs to fête week. If you don't like it you shouldn't have come!"
"Jaina, sweetheart –" Leia grabbed her around the wrist but Jaina shrugged her off.
"You have to kiss. It's the rules!"
Talon glanced from Jaina to Shada and back again. His grin seemed to be a permanent marker on his face. "Well, Shada. Jaina has spoken. I see no other way out of this little predicament but by kissing you."
Shada frowned but Jaina saw the slightest blush rise into her cheeks. "This is silly, Talon."
"Humor me!" Jaina called, even though she didn't really know what it meant. She heard Leia say it often.
Han and Lando chuckled behind her and even Shada had to smile. She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. "Fine. What could it hurt?"
Shada had been expecting a tiny kiss on the lips. But Talon surprised her by enveloping her in his arms completely. Instinctively she raised her hands and placed them on his chest and she yelped just a little as he bowed forward, deepening their already fervid kiss.
Jaina clapped while Lando whistled. Anakin made a disgusted face by sticking out his tongue while Jacen stared blankly. Jaina wondered if he really did like Shada because through the Force she could feel he was almost jealous.
"Jacen!" Jaina snapped, sitting down by Leia. Jacen turned away from the still kissing Shada and Talon.
"Do we get to open our gifts now?" He asked Leia. She nodded and handed him a small package, wrapped in dark blue paper.
Jaina squealed and clapped her hands as she grabbed a small pink wrapped box with a green ribbon and handed it to Kyp. "This one's for you. I picked it out myself!"
Kyp smiled and thanked Jaina with a little kiss on her cheek. She blushed a bright red and couldn't stop her smile from growing bigger.
"Jaina!" Jacen hissed as he felt her elation through the Force.
Feeling happy and content, Jaina sat back on the floor and watched her friends and family unwrap their gifts.