Chapter 3-Birthdays
"Ralya, will you let me in?" Kyp asked angrily, pounding on her locked door.
"Go away!" came a muffled sob from inside the room. "I don't wanna talk to you!"
Kyp sighed. He would have to try a different approach. Ralya, I know you're used to being an only child, and I know this news came as a shock to you, he said silently.
Ralya didn't catch all the words, but she understood the meaning. "Get out of my head!" she screamed. "You weren't too thrilled, either!"
That hurt him more than his daughter realized. Had Jaina gotten that impression, too? "It's not that I'm unhappy," he explained. "It's just that...Well, this was totally unexpected." Pause. "Look, Ralya, you'll just have to face the facts. Your mother and I aren't as young as we used to be, and we'll need a lot of your help, whether you like it or not. When the baby comes, we won't stop loving you."
No words answered this, only quiet crying. Just as Kyp was about to go, Ralya asked, "Does Mom know about my dream?"
"No," he answered. "Why? Is that what's bothering you?"
The door opened, and Ralya stepped out, her eyes red from crying and her face still wet. "When I see all the faces, there's one I don't recognize. He's worse than all the others. I think he's the baby."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jaina was wondering why this all had to happen on her birthday when she heard a buzz indicating an incoming call. Not really in the mood to talk, she took her time going over to answer it.
It was Han and Leia, who were currently visiting Jacen, Tenel Ka, and their daughter Aruna Ni on Hapes. "Just wanted to wish you happy birthday, Princess," said Han.
"Thanks, Dad," Jaina replied.
"Is everything okay?" asked Leia.
"Fine, Mom," she replied, trying to sound convincing.
Leia gave her a look that said she didn't believe her, but changed the subject anyway. After talking for a while, Jaina asked, "Can I talk to Jacen?"
Her parents' images disappeared, replaced by an image of her twin brother. "Happy birthday, Jaca," she said.
"Happy birthday, Jaya," he replied. "What's new?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Liar. There's something different."
Ralya and Kyp appeared at that moment, and Jaina, grateful for the distraction, said, "Come say happy birthday to Jacen!"
Kyp stepped over. "So, how does it feel to be forty?"
Jaina elbowed him in the ribs. "Hello, Kyp," said Jacen. Even after sixteen years, he had never quite gotten used to the idea of Jaina and Kyp being married.
Tenel Ka's face appeared next to her husband's. "Happy birthday, Jaina. Look, I hope you don't mind, but Aruna Ni wants to speak to Ralya privately."
"Goodbye, then," said Jaina.
"Anytime you want to tell me what's going on, call," said Jacen.
Jaina smiled. "I'll do that." She and Kyp left the room, leaving Ralya alone with a hologram of Aruna Ni.
"I need to tell you about something," Aruna Ni said.
"Gee, I wondered why you asked to talk to me," Ralya replied sarcastically.
"Stop it! This is serious! Have you been having weird dreams lately?"
Ralya stared at her cousin in shock. "Yes."
"With two lightsabers fighting, red and-"
"Silver," Ralya finished. She hadn't made the connection before, but both she and Aruna Ni had silver lightsabers.
"And there's faces," continued Aruna Ni.
"Yes," said Ralya. "Only, one of them I don't recognize. But I think I know who it is."
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"What do you think that was all about?" Kyp asked Jaina after they left the room.
Jaina shrugged. "I dunno. Girl stuff, I guess." Pause. "About the baby, Kyp-"
He stopped her mid-sentence. "I'm sorry. It just came as a shock, that's all. It wasn't what I was expecting you to say."
"Is Ralya okay with it?"
Kyp hesitated. Should he tell her about the dream? Not yet, he decided. "She's fine. She's just a little worried. And a little jealous. She has been an only child for fourteen years, now, you know."
"Mom!" Ralya called. "Uncle Jacen wants to talk to you again."
"I'll be there in a minute!" Jaina shouted back. She turned to her husband. "Kyp, do you think we're too old?"
"Why, do you?"
Jaina brushed a strand of hair out of his face, hair that had once been black but was now mostly grey. She looked into his beautiful green eyes, the part of him that hadn't changed even when the rest of his body was aging. "I guess we're both young at heart."
She pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss, then went to talk to her brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ralya, will you let me in?" Kyp asked angrily, pounding on her locked door.
"Go away!" came a muffled sob from inside the room. "I don't wanna talk to you!"
Kyp sighed. He would have to try a different approach. Ralya, I know you're used to being an only child, and I know this news came as a shock to you, he said silently.
Ralya didn't catch all the words, but she understood the meaning. "Get out of my head!" she screamed. "You weren't too thrilled, either!"
That hurt him more than his daughter realized. Had Jaina gotten that impression, too? "It's not that I'm unhappy," he explained. "It's just that...Well, this was totally unexpected." Pause. "Look, Ralya, you'll just have to face the facts. Your mother and I aren't as young as we used to be, and we'll need a lot of your help, whether you like it or not. When the baby comes, we won't stop loving you."
No words answered this, only quiet crying. Just as Kyp was about to go, Ralya asked, "Does Mom know about my dream?"
"No," he answered. "Why? Is that what's bothering you?"
The door opened, and Ralya stepped out, her eyes red from crying and her face still wet. "When I see all the faces, there's one I don't recognize. He's worse than all the others. I think he's the baby."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jaina was wondering why this all had to happen on her birthday when she heard a buzz indicating an incoming call. Not really in the mood to talk, she took her time going over to answer it.
It was Han and Leia, who were currently visiting Jacen, Tenel Ka, and their daughter Aruna Ni on Hapes. "Just wanted to wish you happy birthday, Princess," said Han.
"Thanks, Dad," Jaina replied.
"Is everything okay?" asked Leia.
"Fine, Mom," she replied, trying to sound convincing.
Leia gave her a look that said she didn't believe her, but changed the subject anyway. After talking for a while, Jaina asked, "Can I talk to Jacen?"
Her parents' images disappeared, replaced by an image of her twin brother. "Happy birthday, Jaca," she said.
"Happy birthday, Jaya," he replied. "What's new?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Liar. There's something different."
Ralya and Kyp appeared at that moment, and Jaina, grateful for the distraction, said, "Come say happy birthday to Jacen!"
Kyp stepped over. "So, how does it feel to be forty?"
Jaina elbowed him in the ribs. "Hello, Kyp," said Jacen. Even after sixteen years, he had never quite gotten used to the idea of Jaina and Kyp being married.
Tenel Ka's face appeared next to her husband's. "Happy birthday, Jaina. Look, I hope you don't mind, but Aruna Ni wants to speak to Ralya privately."
"Goodbye, then," said Jaina.
"Anytime you want to tell me what's going on, call," said Jacen.
Jaina smiled. "I'll do that." She and Kyp left the room, leaving Ralya alone with a hologram of Aruna Ni.
"I need to tell you about something," Aruna Ni said.
"Gee, I wondered why you asked to talk to me," Ralya replied sarcastically.
"Stop it! This is serious! Have you been having weird dreams lately?"
Ralya stared at her cousin in shock. "Yes."
"With two lightsabers fighting, red and-"
"Silver," Ralya finished. She hadn't made the connection before, but both she and Aruna Ni had silver lightsabers.
"And there's faces," continued Aruna Ni.
"Yes," said Ralya. "Only, one of them I don't recognize. But I think I know who it is."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you think that was all about?" Kyp asked Jaina after they left the room.
Jaina shrugged. "I dunno. Girl stuff, I guess." Pause. "About the baby, Kyp-"
He stopped her mid-sentence. "I'm sorry. It just came as a shock, that's all. It wasn't what I was expecting you to say."
"Is Ralya okay with it?"
Kyp hesitated. Should he tell her about the dream? Not yet, he decided. "She's fine. She's just a little worried. And a little jealous. She has been an only child for fourteen years, now, you know."
"Mom!" Ralya called. "Uncle Jacen wants to talk to you again."
"I'll be there in a minute!" Jaina shouted back. She turned to her husband. "Kyp, do you think we're too old?"
"Why, do you?"
Jaina brushed a strand of hair out of his face, hair that had once been black but was now mostly grey. She looked into his beautiful green eyes, the part of him that hadn't changed even when the rest of his body was aging. "I guess we're both young at heart."
She pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss, then went to talk to her brother.
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