A/N: A tribute to one of the most unsung hero(in)es of Star Wars.
Mother
"You know, Mom always makes me soup when I'm sick."
"Hmmm? Well, Mom's not here. So I guess you'll just have to put up with whatever little I can rustle up."
Ben had been out of sorts for days suffering from sniffles that simply wouldn't subside.
Luke hated to see his son's spirits so low although he had to admit it was a relief from being constantly kept on his toes by his endless mischief.
Ben sniffed noisily from his perch atop the kitchen counter and rubbed his already ruddy nose. His father, meanwhile, continued to rummage in the cabinets, trying to find something that would rekindle his son's usually ravenous appetite.
"What did your mom do when you were sick, Dad?"
Luke turned to explain once again that he had never known his mother, but stopped short. Images began to flash through his head, triggered by his son's innocuous query.
Images of a warm smile and faded skirts whose smell had been the most comforting thing in the world, of wrinkled blue eyes and soft careworn hands, of a threadbare but comfortable bed and the whispered tune of an old lullaby, of hot bread and a homely broth...
Suddenly, Luke Skywalker knew what he had to do.
Mara Jade Skywalker hated urgent work trips when her heart lay at home. She tended to fret, and that was most unlike her. She knew there was no undue cause for worry, most likely Ben was enjoying some rare quality time with his father. Luke could surely take care of their runny-nosed four-year-old...
It was no use. She sighed. Her little boy was sick. She needed to be by his side, not running an errand for the Jedi Council. The farmboy loved him, of course he did, but at times like these, Ben needed his mother.
She entered home to a surprising sight. Her husband had their son sitting snugly on the couch, wrapped up in an old blanket, sipping on a large mug of hot chocolate and squealing with laughter at the HoloNet cartoons. She joined them and Ben immediately snuggled into her lap. She hugged him and kissed his sweet-smelling hair. Luke had apparently managed the tiny miracle of getting him to take a bath as well!
Mara met her husband's twinkling eyes over the little red-gold head with a tender smile of her own and mouthed a silent Thank you.
He's my son too , you know, he sent over their Force- bond.
How did you pull it off? she replied, The poor thing was miserable when I left.
Oh, just a couple of tips I picked up, growing up on Tatooine. From my mother.
Your mother ? Mara couldn't hide her surprise in the Force.
Luke smiled.
The only one I ever knew.
