Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The characters are owned by George and the song is Twenty-Four by Switchfoot. I am also not making any money off of this, I am only playing in George's universe.
Twenty-Four
The ocean breeze cut through Jaina's hair. The waves crashed against the rocks she was sitting on and spray flew into her face. The spray washed the dirt and the Vong blood that still laid there, dirt and blood that she had forgotten lay on her skin.
They had arrived on Hapes today, the Hapian home world, mere hours before. She had seen her parents. Her mother had hugged her, but she hadn't returned the gesture. Jaina had turned her back, and walked out the hanger bay doors. She had just walked, not really caring where she would wind up.
Now she sat on a rock, looking out over the waves. She half way prayed to see a ship light the sky. She knew she wouldn't though; both Jacen and Anakin were dead. She knew they were she had felt them both die. For some reason the Force had kept her alive, but she wished that she were dead too.
Twenty four oceans
Twenty four skies
Twenty four failures
Twenty four tries
Jaina sighed while the Goddess façade appeared to b working it wasn't keeping her pilots alive. By the end of the battle Twin Suns was down to only four fighters.
Jaina growled, when would the vaping "Senate" learn that the Vong were out to annihilate everything good in this galaxy. When would they realize that hiding behind closed doors wouldn't block out reality. When would they learn? For that matter when would the Jedi learn? Jacen and scores of others had been pacifist in their fighting tactics and they had all died. Kyp was right; something needed to be done now.
Twenty four finds me
In twenty-fourth place
Twenty four drop outs
At the end of the day
Jaina dived out of the way just as two coral skippers collided with each other. Pulling up Jaina leveled out from the dive and immediately spun left to avoid a plasma ball from smashing directly into her canopy. Bringing the X-Wing around Jaina shot around of stutter fire into a coral skipper, as soon as the dovan basal was distracted Jaina fired a torpedo. The skipper exploded brilliantly. Jaina smiled at the death of not only the ship but the Vong inside. The whole species deserved death after what they had done to her family, and Jaina supposed that she'd be the one to bring them to that end.
Life is not what I thought it was
Twenty four hours ago
"Mara she needs to be stopped before she kills herself or gets killed." Luke said in exasperation.
"I know but why are you sending him to save her? Why not Jag or Corran?"
"Because in her state if I sent Jag my next assignment would be to tell Wedge that his nephew is dead. I could have sent Corran, but he doesn't have the link with Jaina necessary to save her."
"And he does?"
"Yes my love, he does."
Still I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And I'm not who I thought I was twenty four hours ago
Still I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
Why was Master Skywalker sending him? Of all people why him? Jaina hated his guts and rightfully so. He had tricked her into destroying a Vong worldship. Why would she listen to him, Kyp Durron, destroyer of Cardia and killer of millions? Why would she listen to the feared Rouge Jedi? She'd stopped listening to him long ago. Why did Luke think that he could bring her back?
Kyp sighed and threw his small duffle into the cargo compartment of his X-Wing. He doubted he'd be back; Jaina was going to kill him.
Twenty four reasons to admit that I'm wrong
With all my excuses still twenty four strong
Dark lightning flew from Jaina's finger tips striking Kyp in the shoulder.
"Jaina, listen to me, this isn't you, you're better than this." Kyp panted dodging a second bolt of force lightning.
"How do you know that Kyp? I wasn't good enough to die with my brothers. I've never been good enough for my mother. Maybe this is my calling Kyp. The whole reason the Force kept me alive. To use my anger to destroy the Vong. The species that not event he Force can control. You said it yourself Kyp the Jedi need to take action, guess what I just did. I'm taking action Kyp, the Vong are going to be sorry they ever came here." Jaina turned so fast that the cloak she wore snapped.
The second Jaina's back was fully turned Kyp lunged at her sending both of them crashing to the ground. "Jaina you're not going anywhere. You think you're not good enough Jaya, but you are. You're good enough to let me help you to come back to the light. You're good enough to not repeat the same mistake your grandfather made, the mistake your Uncle mad, the mistake I made."
Jaina twisted under Kyp to face him. The first thing Kyp noticed was the once warm brandy brown eyes were now as dark and cold as night on Hoth. Blue energy crackled around Jaina's body. "Kyp I'm dead inside, my brothers are gone, my squadron is gone and sooner or later Jag will leave me. Tell me what do I have to return to?"
"Jaina, snap out of it!" Kyp yelled at her. "I killed my brother, I've lost my squadron six times over, and I've been shot at, stabbed, condemned by the galaxy, fallen to the dark side and come back to the light. Don't you give up Jaina, if you continue what you're doing you're going to end up dead."
Jaina's face was one of shock and anger. Sparks flew from her skin, but Kyp still wouldn't let her go. "You think you know my pain Durron? You have no idea what my pain is." Jaina launched Kyp off of her as easily as if she had just thrown a rag doll.
Kyp slammed into the wall and fell forwards onto his hands and knees. "Jaina do you really think that Captain Cardboard is going to understand you? He has a better chance of understanding the Vong than you. He's never fallen before; he's never felt the force flow through his veins. Jaina I understand you more than you understand yourself and I'm not giving up on you." Kyp looked up determination glowing from his dark green eyes. "I'm not going to let you loose yourself."
Jaina simply turned and left.
See I'm not copping out not copping out not copping out
When You're raising the dead in me
Jaina walked out of the now empty debriefing room. She should have seen it coming, it shouldn't have surprised her. Everything else in her life was gone why wouldn't he leave her also. So what if he was heading back to the Unknown Regions tomorrow. So what if he thought that she had changed. So what if her heart was shattering all over again. So what if she had nothing left? She had the fight left, the fight to destroy the Vong for taking everything away from her, for taking everyone away from her.
Jaina snickered at that last thought. No the war hadn't taken everyone. Kyp was still shadowing her, showing up every few months to try to convince her to come back to the light. Their meetings always ended the same, Kyp smoking from the force lightning she had inflicted on him and her walking out the door. Why did he keep trying? Didn't he realize that she was too far gone to bring back? That she wanted to be where she was? Apparently not otherwise he probably would have given up a long time ago.
Jaina turned the corner and standing there, right by her door, one foot up against the wall stood Kyp. Jaina sighed, "What do you want Durron?"
"To save you Jaina, but I'll leave that for another time. Right now I just want to be your friend. I heard that Captain Cardboard was leaving, thought you might want to talk." Kyp dropped his foot from the wall and turned to face Jaina.
"And why would I want to talk to you?"
"Because there's no one else to talk too?"
Jaina glared at Kyp, opened her door and walked into the small apartment.
"If you're coming in get in here, if not then just leave." Jaina muttered just inside the door.
Kyp quickly entered the apartment. "Nice place," Kyp remarked.
Jaina's shoulders sagged, "Yeah well, it works well enough."
"Jaina why won't you talk to anyone? Why won't you talk to me?"
"Because if I begin to talk, I might never stop, wounds would reopen and I'd be forced to do something I don't have time to do." Jaina admitted her head hanging slightly with exhaustion.
Kyp chanced a step closer to Jaina, when nothing happen he raised Jaina's head so that her eyes met his. "And what would that be?"
"Grieve."
Shock sprang to Kyp's eyes as Jaina's answer struck him. "Oh."
Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Jaina sat down on one of the chairs that surrounded a small table. Kyp moved beside her and simply listened as she began to talk. She told him about the mission to Myrrkr, she told him about loosing Anakin before her eyes, about feeling Jacen's bond to her instantly shut off. She told him about how angry she had been when she had first seen her mom when they had arrived home. How angry she had been that her mother suddenly tried to comfort her daughter, but had never done so before. How abandoned she had felt in that moment, how lost. She told him about the beach, about how she had decided to seek revenge against the Vong. Long into the night Jaina talked, reliving every moment of the past year to Kyp. And all the while Kyp silently sat there amazed at how much Jaina had dealt with that no one had realized. Many times that night Kyp let Jaina cry on his shoulder, many times he held her while sobs raked her body and never once did he say a word. Kyp knew as he sat watching Jaina, that her shields had finally come down, the dark energy was leaving her body, the anger was draining from her body, and she was beginning to heal.
And You're raising these twenty four voices
With twenty four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty four parts
The sun slowly came above the horizon, spilling into the window of the small apartment. Kyp's eyes opened slowly while his mind registered where he was. He smiled as he looked down at the brunette that rested against his chest. They had moved to the sofa last night when Jaina had begun to fall asleep, but she had wanted to continue talking. She looked so peaceful when she slept, no one would guess what haunted her in her waking hours. Jaina's eyelids suddenly moved and opened.
"Good morning Goddess, are you feeling any better now that you've let some of your pent up emotions out?"
"I don't know, weird I guess, light somehow, like a heavy weight decided to move off of me. I haven't felt like this in so long, I've forgotten what I'm feeling."
"Perhaps its peace Jaina, or the beginnings of it. You made peace with your brothers last night, and you may have even begun to make peace with your mother."
"I don't know Kyp," Jaina shook her head, "I've hurt so many people. Not just the Vong, but my parents, Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, Tahiri, Jag, you…" Jaina paused as it finally hit her; she had nearly killed Kyp several times.
"Don't Jaina; I don't blame you for anything you did to me."
Jaina twisted in Kyp's lab so that she looked straight into his eyes, "How can't you? I nearly killed you." her eyes were red from crying, but just as intense as ever.
"Because I knew what you were going through, heck, I did the same type of thing to your Uncle when I was possessed and for some crazy reason he forgave me. You forgave me for what I did when I was dark; the least I could do was forgive you and help you through it."
But I want to be one today
Centered and true
Jaina smiled up at Kyp, her first real smile in months, since her brothers died. "Thanks for not giving up on me Kyp, I owe…" Kyp silenced her by putting his finger to her lips.
"Shh, you don't owe me a thing Goddess, we're even." Kyp said.
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
You're raising the dead in me
It had been one year since the Vong had been defeated, four years since Anakin and Jacen had died, six years since the war had begun. Jaina sat on the rock on Hapes once again, staring out at the ocean. "We've won," She said into the wind, the waves lapped at the rock tickling her dangling foot, the spray hiding her tears.
"Jaina? What are you doing all the way out here?" Jaina spun to look down the shore line and smiled. Kyp walked over to the rock and gave Jaina a quick kiss on the forehead, before capturing her lips in a light, playful kiss. Jaina smiled up at Kyp when they pulled apart.
"Just thinking," Jaina said as Kyp sat down behind her. Jaina leaned back into Kyp. "This is where I came after Myrrkr, its peaceful here," Jaina relaxed as she looked back out at the sea.
"What are you thinking about Jaina?" Kyp asked amusement playing softly in his voice.
"Us, how we managed to ignore what was in front of us for so long." Jaina sighed she must have been blind to not have seen this.
"Well, with the war, you going to the dark side, me betraying your trust it's not very hard to see why we might have missed it." Jaina pushed Kyp off the rock and into the wet sand jokingly. Kyp reached up and pulled Jaina off the rock and into the sand beside him. "If I'm going down then you're going down with me Goddess."
Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now
And You're raising the dead in me
Jaina and Kyp sat once again on the rock, now covered in sand after a long tickle fight. The sun was slowly setting over the horizon sending brilliant shades of pink and orange across the sky, small white clouds danced in the colors casting small shadows down into the sea and onto the ocean. Jaina laid her head back against Kyp's shoulder, as Kyp pulled Jaina closer to him. This was one of those rare moments when everything seemed to stop and everything was perfect. Jaina smiled as she lay in Kyp's arms, reveling in a feeling she hadn't felt since the war had begun.
"So this is what happiness feels like. I had forgotten what it felt like to be completely happy and content. After what I did I didn't think I'd ever find happiness. From what my Uncle said I'm not supposed to. I'm the Sword of the Jedi and I shall never know peace." Jaina sighed; her Uncle didn't know what he had done when he named her that.
Kyp looked down at Jaina and tightened his grip on her. "I know what you mean; it's been along time for both of us. We're the kind of people that others look too for strength and guidance. We are protectors of the Galactic Alliance, and because of that none of us will ever know peace for long periods of time. But perhaps through the knowledge that we help make it safe for families to rebuild, for children to grow up and have kids of their own, perhaps through that we may find peace. And through each other we'll find peace and the strength to keep fighting the evil that seems to thrive in this galaxy. We're partners Jay, whatever that means, and it means a heck of a lot."
Jaina looked up at Kyp, tears glistened in her eyes. He was right and she knew it. They did protect the beings for the Alliance so that those beings could live their daily lives. They did find peace in each other. Jaina inclined her head slightly and kissed Kyp, they might have to fight for peaceful moments like these but, and she'd fight for them for the rest of her life.
I want to see miracles, see the world change
Wrestled the angel, for more than a name
For more than a feeling
For more than a cause
Jaina sat looking out at the sea watching the sun sink completely below the horizon. This had become their hideaway from the world, a little spot of peace where everything was perfect as long as they were together.
"Hey Jedi boy," Jaina called as she felt Kyp's approach.
"Hello Goddess," Kyp answered in greeting. Jaina's nose crinkled she didn't like the nickname the war had dubbed her with, but her mother had assured her that Kyp would stop calling her Goddess the day Han stopped calling Leia Princess. Kyp kissed Jaina lightly as he stood beside her watching the waves crash onto the beach, and stars begin to dot the sky. "Jay, I love you, I just want you to know that." Kyp whispered in her ear.
"I love you too Kyp." Jaina whispered back, a little confused as to why they were whispering.
Kyp stepped back a little and turned Jaina so that she was looking at him. "Jaina, I need to ask you something. We've been through everything together, my going dark and coming back, the war, you going dark and coming back, the death of your brothers everything and through it all we've been partners. We never really understood what it meant when we were called partners, but I think I've figured it out. I love you Jaina Solo, with all my heart. You fill the missing void inside of me and I could never be the same since knowing you. Ever since your dad brought me back from Kessel we've had a special connection. Tonight, Jaina I'm asking you to allow that connection to deepen." Kyp got down on one knee and produced a deep blue velvet box. "Goddess, will you marry me?" Kyp opened the box and inside was a simple white gold band with a diamond in the center with two Dathamorian rubies on either side.
Jaina looked up at Kyp speechless.
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And You're raising the dead in me
Twenty four voices
With twenty four hearts
Kyp looked at Jaina praying for an answer.
Jaina cleared her throat and kissed Kyp passionately and quickly released him. "Yes Kyp I'll marry you," tears streamed down her face as she smiled up at Kyp. Kyp, smiling, bounced back up and spun Jaina around; bringing her back down into the sand he kissed her passionately.
With all of my symphonies
In twenty four parts.
"I love you Kyp."
"I love you too Jaina."
"You may now…go on kissing the bride?" Luke was shocked to see that Kyp and Jaina had not even waited for him to say the line to kiss each other. Then again he and Mara had done the same thing.
I'm not copping out. Not copping out. Not copping out.