Author: Jag-Fel
Genre: Romance (J/J mush... sigh)
Main characters: Jaina and Jag
Secondary characters: Han and Leia Organa Solo, Baron Soontir and Syal Fel, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, Kyp Durron, Jacen Solo, Wedge Antilles, and other mainstream characters.
Era/Setting:
Approximately one year after Unifying Force, three months
since Playing in the Rain.
Disclaimer: The situation is
mine, everything else isn't. Jaina, Jagged, and everyone else
belong to their respective copyrights.
The next installment of the Through Your Eyes vignette series.
Prelude.
It took several minutes of pacing outside the suite of Han and Leia Organa Solo before Jagged Fel made up enough nerve to enter in what he considered to be the most trying engagement of his life. When Leia opened the door, her warm smile momentarily heartened Jag to his task, but Han Solo's deep voice emerging from the commons room made him do a retake on the situation.
Leia's face was warm and bright, "Hello, Colonel Fel. Come in, won't you?"
Jag entered slowly, pacing his steps carefully as Han joined the scene from another room. "Sir, ma'am," he said evenly, even as Leia ushered him into the commons room to have a seat on the sofa across from Han's recliner. Han Solo carried himself with a slight gimp, which Jag attributed to the captain's age. Age and limp implied, Jag knew that Han Solo wouldn't think twice about having Jag sealed in carbonite if this meeting went wrong.
"Now, is there something I can get you, Colonel?" Leia asked from the doorway.
Jag shook his head, "No, thank you. I'm fine. I came here to-"he was interrupted by the sound of the door's buzz.
Leia rose, "I'll be right back and you can continue, Jagged."
Han eyed Jagged Fel squarely, raising an inquiring eyebrow at the former Imperial pilot. Despite the gaze, Han Solo refrained from saying anything until Leia returned. When she did, she wasn't alone. Leia was walking arm in arm with her daughter, and Jag's fiancé. Jaina Solo's eyes widened at the sight of Jag sitting across from her father.
"Jag," she said quietly, easing her apprehension with a Jedi breathing technique.
Part surprise, part affection, and part etiquette, Jag rose when she entered. "Jaina, what are you doing here?"
Han raised an eyebrow again, skeptic. "We're her parents. That's her right. The question is, why are you here, Colonel?"
"Daddy," Jaina began. "I think I know why he's here," she glanced down at her hand even as Jag took at step toward her. She looked at her fiancé for the encouragement she needed, to finish the task Jag had been in the process of completing. The other pilot took Jaina's left hand in both of his, purposefully stroking the engagement ring with a thumb, and turning to face Han and Leia who had moved closer together. "He's here for the same reason I was coming. We have something to tell you."
Leia's eyes light up, and she covered her mouth with both hands as Han's arm snaked around her waist. "Jagged asked me to marry him."
The roof was paradoxical, at least it was in the early morning when Jagged Fel took a few moments to reflect on his life. The announcement had gone over extremely well. So well that it surprised him that it had gone so. Han and Leia had both been excited, even Han shedding a tear. Jaina's brother took it easy, merely concerned that Jaina was ready. Jag's parents had taken it better than he had thought possible. His mother cried, as Jag had imagined, and his father offered congratulatory praises. Wedge Antilles had clasped his nephew in a backslapping hug, and Jaina's uncle and aunt had smiled warmly and praised their decision.
Now, here he was, proud fiancé to the most amazing woman in the galaxy. No, universe, Jag thought, looking down at her gently sleeping form in the bed beside him. Propping himself up on an elbow, he reached down to caress Jaina's warm cheek. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Some unmistakable tension seemed to ease when Jaina Solo slept. The sheet on their bed was loosely hanging on her body, pooling around Jag's midsection. His bare torso shuddered at the breeze coming through an open window.
Jag sat up, and tied the drawstring on a pair of black training pants around his waist before walking barefoot across the bedroom he shared with Jaina. He closed the offending window, and worked his way to the small kitchenette. A switch turned on the caf pot, and Jag drowsily poured two mugs of steaming caf. He enjoyed this morning pick-me-up as much as Jaina.
Jag sat down on the bed, mug in each hand. Jaina rolled onto her back slowly, and looked up at her fiancé - the best thing to ever happen to her – and smiled through blurry eyes. She blinked a couple of times, and stretched languidly.
"Good morning, Jaina," he said slowly, handing her a steaming mug.
She smiled back, moving to a half-seated position against her pillow, and accepted the proffered mug. "Good morning to you, too, lover. And thanks for this," she murmured, sipping delicately at the warm confection. "How many more hours?"
Jag hesitated for a moment, quickly tallying the hours until their wedding ceremony later that day. "Only eight, love."
Eyes widening, Jaina leapt from bed. "Tahiri and Aunt Mara were supposed to pick me up an hours ago!" she exclaimed, as the door comm suddenly buzzed, as if on cue.
Mara Jade Skywalker and Tahiri Veila let themselves in hesitantly. "Jaina, I am so sorry. We got caught up at the dress boutique," Mara explained, even as Jaina threw clothes on and ran to meet them after kissing Jag lightly on the lips on her way out.
Jag grinned, nonplussed by the day's hectic schedule. He was donning a black shirt when Kyp Durron walked through the door, carrying three dark sealant bags.
He raised an eyebrow at the Jedi Master and his armful. "Are those body bags or did the suit parlor get our dress uniforms together correctly, this time?" he said, referring to the wedding dress rehearsal a few days earlier without suits for the groom's men.
Kyp set the bags on the bed beside Jag. "No, surprisingly the parlor got things together. I guess Han walked in and had a word with them about holding up his little girl's wedding."
The two men laughed, Jag lighter than Kyp, who detected an eerie unease from the former Imperial pilot. "Something the matter, Jag?"
Jag arced his shoulders, stretching the tight muscles of his upper torso. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. By all of this wedding planning."
"You aren't getting cold feet, are you?"
"No. I am assuredly ready to spend the rest of my days with Jaina Solo. I just...it's not something I am familiar with. My life was piloting. I had been trained for it. There is no training to be a good husband, to provide a young woman with care and security for a lifetime." Kyp sat down in a chair across from Jag, "I don't like talking about my feelings, Kyp."
The Jedi Master crossed his arms and winked. "Neither do I, but if you can't talk to your Best Man, who can you talk to?"
Jag offered a tiny smile, "I guess you're right. Shall we drop these off at the chapel and go pick up the ring?"
Kyp winked at the younger man. "Let's go get you married, Colonel."
A short while later, black-clad Jagged Fel and blue-on-brown-clad Kyp Durron stroll into the jewelry boutique. The aged man behind the counter instantly recognized the duo, and ran into the back. By the time both men arrived at the counter, he had returned bearing a small velvet-wrapped blue box.
Jag hefted the small box, "This is it, sir?"
The store owner beamed proudly, "Take a look, son. You saw it when you picked it out, but look at it now."
"Alright," Jag said slowly, opening the small package. Inside was a gorgeous ring, cast in Corellian white gold with a sparkling blue Corellian sapphire set in the band. When Jag had set out hunting down a ring, he had visited maybe four stores before entering this one and finding the perfect ring that he held in his hand now.
Kyp focused on the stunning band, but searched Jag's emotions with the Force quickly. The man radiated pure amazement, so unadulterated that Kyp was surprised to sense the feeling coming from Jag Fel. It's his wedding day. Things have changed since Ithor all those years ago, Kyp mussed.
Jag broke Kyp's daydream, arm extended, ring box resting in his outstretched palm. "Still with me, Durron? You're the Best Man, don't lose this on me."
Preparing at the chapel only an hour and a half before the ceremony would begin, Jaina clawed into her wedding gown. The white dressed sparkled with a similar effort to the black gown she'd worn the night Jag proposed to her. The memory sent an enjoyable shiver through her small body. Mara stood behind Jaina, taking care of her hair in an elegant style they had chosen off a HoloNet channel weeks earlier. The slim string-straps were the only obstruction on Jaina's shoulders. The gown fit Jaina snuggly, formed to fit the young woman's every curve in a graceful style that flared out around her waist in a flowing trail.
The dress was as much tradition as it reflected Jaina's character. The lithe torso reflected her inner and out beauty, and the flared dress reflected her spirited individuality. Mara came over and adjusted the dress's sit on Jaina's chest, letting the form-fitted gown fit Jaina as it had been fitted.
Mara looked her niece up and down, "Smile, Jaina. I want to see how beautiful you are." Jaina smiled warmly at Mara, and whirled around to display the dress in dimension. When tears began to well in Jaina's eyes, Mara crossed the space to her one-time apprentice and embraced the woman she'd become. Holding her, "Jaina, dear, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Aunt Mara, I'm just so happy. We're finally getting married!" Jaina sniffed, wiping a rogue tear from her cheek.
Mara's eyes welled up now, and she sniffled. "Oh, Jaina. You're so beautiful. Jag's a lucky man to have a woman like you."
Jag held Mara tightly, "And I'm lucky to have him. I just wished I noticed how much he meant to me sooner."
"Oh, there's nothing you could have done about that. The war hindered it, the Force brought it back."
Leia and Tahiri then entered the small bridal alcove of the chapel where Jaina was with Mara. "The groom and groom's men have arrived. Jag looks incredibly, Jaina," Tahiri said excitedly. She then blushed, "Thank you for letting me be your Maid of Honor."
Jaina ignored the small amount of embarrassment glowing off Tahiri, and smiled for the younger Jedi. "The honor is mine," Jaina looked at her mother, aunt, Maid of Honor, and other bride's maids who were just arriving. "I think it's time for me to get married, everyone."
Dressed in a dark uniform that had been gathering dust in some cabinet, Luke Skywalker – Jedi Master, rebuilder of the Jedi Order, Hero of the Alliance, and uncle – presided over the large marriage ceremony. The chapel was filled to capacity, packed tight with family, friends, and well-wishers that neither Jagged Fel nor Jaina Solo knew existed. Most present weren't familiar even to Luke himself.
It was nearing time for the bridge to make her entrance, Luke turned his head to take in the man who would be joining his family in a few short minutes. Short, dark hair spiked, green eyes alert, Jagged Fel squared his shoulders while looking over the audience. Luke raked his eyes across the young pilot's sturdy frame, admiring Jaina's choice in husband material. The Chiss pilot-turned-diplomat had been as good as family since the debacle on Hapes several years ago.
"Are you ready, Jagged?" Luke whispered at the anxious looking man.
Glancing back, "Yes, sir. Who are all these people?" Jag replied.
"Guests; family, friends, well-wishers... even I don't know them all."
Jag smiled through thin-lips, and squared his shoulders again. Luke was beginning to recognize the signs Jag showed when he was nervous. The young pilot was dressed immaculately, his dark dress uniform crisp and trim.
Soontir Fel sat beside his loving wife in the front row of the chapel assembly. He watched with a glimmer of satisfaction and beaming pride at the figure of his son standing beside Jedi Luke Skywalker. Fel reached an arm around Syal. Seeing tears already welling up in her sweet eyes, Soontir could feel the same emotions stirring in him that could only be stalled by his mental and emotional conditioning that had come from decades of Imperial and Chiss training.
Watching his Son with pride, the father winked at his son, who nodded in respect...
Dressed in elegant pale blue bride's maids gowns, Danni and Tenel Ka began to follow the music down the aisle where Luke Skywalker and Jaina's future husband. The two women were beautiful, the temporary stars of the moment, until Jaina appeared. The bride was gorgeous, arm locked with that of her father. Jagged realized his breathing and pulse were racing, and took a deep breath to calm himself down and steel his nerves. His bride was slowly walking down the aisle, his bride. Jaina smiled at Jag warmly, breaking his barriers against his own tears when her eyes began to sparkle. He tried with all his might to fight the torrent he feared would come.
Stopping briefly just a meter away, Han Solo kissed his daughter, and watched her finish the way to the alter. She looked up at her future husband with the deepest love in her heart and most liquid eyes she had ever possessed. Jagged returned the gaze longingly, and mouthed a silent I love you.
Luke laced his arms together through the sleeves of his robes, and watched Jaina and Jagged grasp each other's hand. "Family, friends, honored guests; we are gathered here today in the presence of the Force to witness and appreciate the union between Colonel Jagged Fel and Colonel Jaina Solo."
Jag smiled down at his lover, the woman who would be his forever in a matter of minutes. He watched as a pair of tears broke free from Jaina's eye and trailed down her graceful face. The barriers were crumbling, and Jag knew that his tears would follow soon.
Luke continued, "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful," he paused for a moment to smile at the couple.
She was so beautiful, her perfect brandy eyes glowing and sparkling at the same time, tiny tear trails meandering down her perfect cheeks. Jag would have closed his eyes, but he didn't want to miss a moment. Luke's words were hitting something deep in him that he had only come to notice in his time with Jaina. He knew there was nothing he could do when his own tears began to fall.
"Jaina and Jagged met several years ago, and we all knew that there was an instant connection in that amphitheatre on the Tafanda Bay above Ithor," Luke spoke, his voice amplified through the Force instead of electronics. "Since then, they grew into great friends and into dear lovers. Neither knew the affection they would share in a lonely conference room on Borleias," he winked at the couple whose faces shot to his in shock.
Somehow Luke found out about their little kiss on Borleias only a short pair of years ago. Jaina's shock was soon forgotten when she noted Jag's tears. His deep green eyes were liquid, pale tears flowing down his face. Jag's show of emotion threatened to tear her apart, nagging herself on until she could embrace him as her husband and share their first kiss in union.
"Since then, the war tried to drive them apart, but the Force would not allow it. Their love grew without stop until their engagement only a few months ago." Luke stopped for a moment, letting the words sink in.
Luke reached out to the room, a gesture encouraging openness. "If anyone has a will why these two should not be joined in love, please speak now, or forever hold your peace."
Jag and Jaina's united gaze raked the room, seeing no signs of disapproval, only tears of joy. Luke nodded, and the couple turned back to the uncle officiating. "I believe you have both prepared your own vows?" Luke intoned, raising an eyebrow.
Both nodded, but Jag began. "Jaina Solo, I have cared for you since the moment I saw you. Each moment since then I've fascinated over you, grieved when you've grieved, and loved when you've loved. You've become everything to me, and represent everything I've come to hold most dear. Never in my life could I hope to find a partner who could love me as much as I love you. I promise to share your pains and promise to cherish you beyond the days of our lives. You're my best friend, my inspiration, the reason for my living. No one could ever take the place I've given you here in my heart."
Luke smiled, and glanced at Jaina before concentrating on Jag. "Place the ring on her finger, Jagged."
Long-hair tied behind his head at odds with the discipline of his stance, Kyp Durron took a step forward and presented Jag with the small box carrying the ring. Kyp smirked at Jaina as Jag withdrew the small white-gold band and slid the gleaming blue sapphire onto her finger.
"And now you, Jaina. Speak your vows," Luke said, facing his niece.
"Jagged Fel, you have been a very intimate part of myself for several years. When I thought I couldn't love you anymore, when the well of my affection was thought drained, you showed up, and I loved you even more than the moment before. You were with me through thick and thin, through darkness and light, enduring sickness and health always beside me..." she trailed off, choking on sobs as the started to cry unhindered. "You made the hardest parts of my life survivable. You held my arm when even I was ready to give up," she hesitated to forestall further tears, but Jag reached over, his own tears threatening to overtake him. His thumb stroked her cheek, wiping away the trails. "No one in my life could make the difference or mean as much to me as you did, and I promise to love you till the day I die, and after."
"Place the ring on his finger, Jaina," Luke encouraged. He held their hands together with his, "May you two find peace in your union. May you live faithfully together, carrying out the vows you have made here in the presence of those who you love and love you back, and may the Force be with you both in everything you do for all the days of your lives." Luke held both hands in his still, and glanced from Jaina to Jagged.
"Through the Force, and in the presence of these witnesses, your families and friends, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He paused. "You may kiss the bride."
The couple looked at each other, than Jaina stood to kiss her new husband, but Jag pulled her up to him, meeting her mouth with his own. He kissed her passionately confirming his every vow, saying more with his mouth than his words could ever speak. Breaking away, they linked arms and Jagged and Jaina Solo-Fel walked down the aisle as loving wife and cherished husband.