Unintentional
Summary: Jaina cannot even remember having offered this insanity. Still, Jag and Zekk are taking it up on her. OneShot.
Warning: Attempted humor, as well as little and not-so-little hints at JainaJagZekk.
Set: Post Legacy of the Force, Invincible. In the light of Fate of the Jedi terribly AU but incredibly fun to write!
Disclaimer: Standards apply.
"We think you've had enough time to hide from your life."
Jaina looks up right in time to see the door of the room open with a quiet hiss. The voice drifts through the quickly expanding rift which reveals two men walking towards her. The feeling of surprise welling up inside her surprises her even more than their sight: hasn't she heard them knocking? Hasn't she felt them in the Force?
The simple answer is: no, she hasn't.
They have snuck up on her, Jaina Solo, the Sword of the Jedi, without even triggering her slightest suspicions. And the reason is clear.
Jag and Zekk. Cool and collected, dark and adventurous. Jag and his short, military-style cut hair and his neatly trimmed beard, Zekk and his dark mane of black and his eyes deep like an ocean. Her own, personal knights in their not-so-shining armor.
They look good, which is the first hint at how much time must have passed since the day she died. They don't look exhausted and wounded and hollow and strained. They don't look like they're on the run, ready to jump into the next fighter to go out and fight. They don't look like the world is at the verge of falling apart and this means the war is over. This means a new, formerly imperial, admiral has taken over the position as the Head of State of the Galactic Alliance. That means Jag is now Head of the Imperial Remnant and that, too, explains the fact why he isn't wearing a plain, simple pilot overall any longer. This means Zekk has recovered sufficiently from the wounds he received in the final battle against the Anakin Solo and the way he moves indicates that he is completely healed again.
She has been hiding, she's the first to admit it. She hasn't fallen into depressions or turned mad. She simply hides from a world in which her purpose is fulfilled, from a peaceful life in which the Sword of the Jedi has no part in. She isn't on the verge of falling apart, of descending into darkness. She isn't scared, isn't desperate or sad or scared. She just doesn't feel like going out any more. And somehow, the quiet sanctuary of this tiny, crowded room has given her the peace of mind she needed sorely. But it seems to have dulled her awareness of the Force because she hasn't sensed them coming, neither Jag nor Zekk. So this, at least, explains why they were able to surprise her.
It doesn't explain why Jag is here, though, if he has so many important things to do (including running a state), and why Zekk is standing in her tiny, cramped room when he should be out there, helping Luke and the Masters build up the trust in the Jedi again. It doesn't explain why they both are wearing simple civilian's clothes, or why both are staring at her with a mixture of worry and humor.
Her first answer isn't overly intelligent.
"Huh?"
"Oh, wow." Zekk walks straight to the window, presses a button and watches the blinds slide up. Now there is light falling into the shoe box she has spent her time in during the last – weeks? Months? What she sees wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that they are standing in the middle of it.
"Fierfek."
"Swearing won't help", Zekk chides and scrutinized the mess at her feet with a practiced eye. "You know, I think that thing over there is alive."
"It's a bra", Jag adds emotionless and doesn't even have the decency to blush. At least not from what she can see. "But you're right, this place is a mess."
"What are you doing here?"
Scrambling up to collect the single piece of underwear (it is the only one of its kind, actually) Jaina throws it onto her bunk and faces them squarely. The fact that she doesn't entirely reach their height doesn't make her less imposing and she knows it. She sees a smile flash across Zekk's face and tries to sound angry. It's not so hard although she might be out of practice just a tiny little bit.
"You don't come barging into a woman's room like that!"
"Sorry we wanted to know whether you were alive", he retorts and his eyes start to take her in. Suddenly, Jaina is aware of the fact that she only is wearing an old T-Shirt and shorts. Amusement enfolds her, flooding through the Force she had cut herself off for the past days. If they had intended to distract her, they have succeeded. But then, she never really had to be distracted. They were worrying too much, as always.
"I'm alive. I'm not thinking of turning Dark, I'm not considering suicide. I just need a time-out from my life."
"You think hiding in your room will make you feel better?" Jag asks, pulling up a brow. In his face she reads nothing else than clinical interest.
"I really didn't have a great time facing Jacen", she tells both of them alike because it is something both want to hear. The sadness at the thought that she has killed her twin floods her with the same breathtaking force it always does. Along come guilt – I should have noticed him falling earlier – and hate – he killed Mara – and the crushing knowledge that he had to be stopped, had to be killed. And that it had to be her.
Sword of the Jedi.
And, after five and a half weeks of meditating, she knows she will be fine.
"Do you know how long it has been since… the war ended?" Zekk asks, phrasing it carefully. Touched by their worry and trying to make them understand, she shakes her head.
"I just needed some time to think, okay? I'm fine, I really am."
"Yeah, and you've had that time. You've had one and a half months. We think that's enough."
They won't understand but that's fine. The only people that really do understand are her family, her parents, Uncle Luke and Ben. And that's what matters, because they know, too. But there's something else, something that has been irritating her since the two stepped into her room. Suddenly, she realizes what they have said.
"We?" Jaina echoes, not believing her ears.
What's with this sudden unity?
Zekk nods. "We. Jag and I. You've hidden from your life long enough, Jaina. You're coming with us, today. We'll take you up on your offer."
"What offer?"
Something more adds to the amusement in their aura. Suddenly, even Jag seemed to be grinning, a thing a Head of State never would do. A thing Jagged Fel never would do because he is Jagged Fel. But he is grinning subtly, which means the corners of his lips are twitching, and Zekk doesn't bother to hide his grin. And suddenly, Jaina feels cornered.
She is fine, but they won't understand. So how can she make it clear to them that they don't have to worry, that there is no need to cheer her up?
"You were right", Zekk now says and turns to Jag. "She's scared. I never thought Jaina Solo would hide from anything."
Jag shrugs. "She's just a woman, after all. Can't expect them to go through what she has gone through and not be scared."
"Yeah. I guess it's still too early. Better let her find her center and then come back."
Both turn on their heels.
"Bye, Jaina. We'll stay in touch."
"Wait!"
She has said the word before she has time to check on herself. Of course, that has been what they have expected her to do. She's genuinely curious now and she still has to correct their impression of her state of mind. She starts with the simpler choice.
"Why did you come here?"
"Well…" Jag and Zekk exchange glances. "Should we tell her?"
"I don't know. Maybe she's still too fragile, and…"
"I'll give you fragile, annoying idiots! Just shut up and tell me!" It's so easy, especially with them. It's so easy to let them think they have baited her, to fall back into the role of old Jaina. Jaina who was easily annoyed, who never would have stood down on being called fragile and weak. She feels something stir deep within her heart: Life is continuing. She doesn't need to pretend she can't go on because she can. She can live for Anakin and Mara and Jacen, yes, for Jacen, her twin. She can live for him, too.
"We merely wanted to take you up on your offer", Zekk says and finally turns to her. "You know, the one you made when we extracted you from Nickel One?"
Jaina furrows her brow.
"What offer?"
"You made it", Jag reminds her, his face straight. "You offered to take quarters together, the three of us."
Silence. Then:
"What?"
Absolute disbelief colors her words and she practically feels herself blushing furiously red. "I never – I didn't! You're making fun of me!"
"Are we?" Jag asks, aggravatingly calm as ever. "Because I'd know if we were."
"I'm hurt!" Zekk folds his arms over his chest and looks at her, a grin playing around the corner of his lips. "First you offer and then you pretend to not remember? And now that Jag and I finally agreed to share you!"
Jaina stares at them, her eyes wide, searching for a sign in their faces and their emotions that would tell her they were playing her.
She felt amusement and certain reluctance. But nothing that hinted at a joke.
"Did I really offer this?" She finally asks when she still can't detect any trace of untruthfulness. Her voice is faint because she remembers something. Both men nod slightly.
"Shit." Scrubbing her hand over her face, she breathes in deeply. "I thought Mum and Dad were messing with me."
Zekk chuckles.
"Yeah, we thought you were messing with us, too. But then I realized it might as well work out, and Mr. I'm-too-cool-to-say-a-word agrees. So – get your stuff. You're moving in with us."
He deposited a scrap of flimsi plast on her desk.
"That's the cancellation of this pothole. Get into the sanistream, find some decent clothes and get yourself outside, Solo. The galaxy has been missing you."
"I guess the galaxy would be happy to dance on my grave."
But then she gathers the meaning of his entire sentence and Jaina gasps. "You have cancelled my room?"
Two pair of eyes look at her levelly and not the slightest bit of regret can be found in them. "Would you come if we hadn't?"
She tries the last time but her heart isn't really in it.
"This is a joke. Jag, tell me it's a joke."
His gaze is cool as ever.
"Since when do I joke?"
With that, he leaves her room. She can feel him take up his position in front of her door. Cursing and pleading, she turns back to Zekk.
"You can't mean this. You mean – I was barely conscious at that time, I didn't even know I was telling you to…" She blushes and curses again.
Zekk shrugs nonchalantly. "An unintentional offer is an offer nevertheless, Solo. You offered and we're taking up on it – you've got no choice."
"But Mum and Dad and…"
"We talked to them."
"You didn't!"
"We did. They think it's a good idea."
She's going to kill them the same instant she feels the Falcon landing next week.
"But…"
"Cut it, Jaina. You're coming with us. If it helps – Jag won't be there most of the time. He has enough to do as Head of State."
She has fought in two wars. She has killed and seen people get killed. She is past twenty already and she still blushes like a friggin' teenager when they make fun of her. In the meantime, she has gone over to cursing herself and Jag and Zekk alike because she doesn't resist quite as hard as she knows she could and because they are leaving her no choice. Of course, she could bunk in Uncle Luke's quarters for some time, or even get a new apartment. But there still was something she didn't fully understand...
"But we're not… We're not…"
"Involved?"
Jaina blushes harder. Zekk snorts. "Come on, Jaina."
Which means either they already are, soon will be or she shouldn't even try to think about.
"Do I have my own room?"
"We can sleep in the living quarters."
"Sure as hell you'll do", she mumbles and turns around. "I can't believe you're forcing me into this."
"Forcing? Please, Jaina. You know nobody on earth could force you to do something."
He s right and he knows he is, she can see it in his smirk. She curses again and grabs some clean clothes from the bunk.
"You'll better not make me regret this."
"Hurry up!" Is his only reply.
"Get used to the fact that women need some time in the bathroom", she answers sweetly and stomps towards the sani stream. Zekk chuckles again.
"Just imagine what the people will think seeing Mr. Stone-Face in front of your door, Solo."
Jaina curses again and speeds up.
