***Author's Note***

Good evening, my friends! Lots and lots of stuff in this chapter. I don't really want to go into anything...Might spoil something. Enjoy, all!

***End Note***

Lilia and Matthew stood together outside the cantina, watching the stars wink slowly into existence and listening to Poe and Urijah's low voices floating through the cool night air as they caught up on twenty years' worth of living. The twins seemed particularly fascinated by Urijah and sat listening to the two men talk. Every so often, their higher, more youthful voices would join the two older men, asking questions of uttering a quick laugh. Valerie, however, remained standing, leaning against a wall and watching the two men. She had not spoken to her father, or indeed anyone else, since being introduced to Lilia.

Matthew wound his arms gently around her; she sighed and leaned into his chest, "I just don't understand her. He's her father, for pity's sake. Why won't she speak to him?"

Matthew chuckled, "Well, try to put yourself in her position. If your parents suddenly reappeared right now, after fifteen years of being raised by Poe, how would you react?"

Lilia opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it shut again, "I...I don't know. To be perfectly honest, I'd probably be struck a bit...numb, really. I wouldn't know how too feel, let alone what to say. I wouldn't even know them anymore, and they wouldn't know me. Huh. I guess I do understand. I've been a bit harsh, huh?"

Matthew smiled and nodded, "A bit, perhaps, but that's only natural." Lilia glanced up at him, confused. "You're jealous, of course. Not that I blame you, of course. She's probably terribly jealous of you, as well. You were raised by the father she's never known. I'm sure sh thinks that he never wanted her. Now that she's heard his side, though, I'm sure she's only more confused. I imagine she thought sh had all the answers, but now she's realizing that she never had any at all."

Lilia frowned and stared, "And when did you get so wise?"

Luke chuckled from the doorway where he'd been leaning, listening quietly, "He learned it being my Padawan, of course. I know what you're going to say, Matthew, and don't. I'm not sorry to be losing you, not at all. I'll find another Padawan, no worries there. It's not like we're short on talent, after all. I'm actually considering young Anakin. He has proven himself to quite inventive, not to mention powerful. I think he is an excellent replacement for my eventual successor." Luke fell silent for a moment, his head cocked to one side like he did when he was listening to something in the distance, "Yes, he will do extremely well. In fact, he'll do better than you ever would have if you'd stayed a Jedi. Eventually, you would have fallen to the Dark Side, and dragged Lilia with you. It seems that young Finn was correct: Things worked out exactly as they were meant to." Matthew smiled and nodded, perfectly content for the first time in his life.

Inside, young Finn was sitting, casting surreptitious glances at Valerie. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. Her hair shone like flame, and he found himself enchanted. Glancing away for the hundredth time, he found Padme staring at him, a knowing smirk on her face. I saw that, she thought at him.

He felt the flush cross his face and thought back, Saw what? I was just looking.

'Me shot him that infuriatingly superior look she got on her face when she knew he was lying and he knew she knew. Right. Looking. Drooling is more like it. I wonder what Poe will say when he realizes you're smitten with his birth daughter?

Finn flushed again, No, don't you dare! Alright, yes. I think she's beautiful. But that's as far as it goes. I'm sure she doesn't think anything of me at all. I'm nothing more than a puny runt to her, I'm sure.

Padme rolled her eyes at him, Oh, please. How do youknow what a woman – other than me – is thinking? Besides, you're only five years younger than her! Not to mention the fact that you are a mere step away from being a full Neutral Master. You're fifteen, and you've already got your "career," as it were, all lined up. How will you know if you don't try, Finn? I just want you to be happy, that's all.

Finn sighed, I know, 'Me. It's just...I thought I'd be like Poe, you know? Never tied down to one woman. I never really wantedanyone. I was plenty happy with our Bond, our friends, our family...I never needed anything else. Until I saw her, anyway. Finn happened to glance back at Valerie again, to find her staring at him with her head cocked to the side curiously. Finn flushed again and looked quickly away, Oh, crap. Now what do I do?

Padme bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, but she could not keep the warm chuckle from her thoughts, You talkto her, you imbecile. She's looking right at you, so obviously there's either something she wants to ask you, you've got something on your face other than, you know, your face, or she likes you. I'd wager on the last, since she blushed when you caught her staring.

Finn glared at his twin, Need I remind you it's your face, too? Alright, alright. I'll see if she'll talk to me. Finn stood and strode quietly to where Valerie was standing, "Hi," he said.

Hi? Came Padme's mocking thought, Hi!? All the words in the Common Tongue, and all you can come up with it "hi"? Oi, you really are hopeless!

Finn turned and glared at her, causing Padme to snort softly into the mug she was drinking from, earning an odd look from Poe and Urijah. Finn turned back and found himself staring down into Valerie's emerald-green eyes. His breath stole away from his lungs, and he thought he might drown in those green pools. Valerie smiled shyly, shuffling her feet, "Hi."

Oh, for goodness sake. You two are utterly ludicrous, came his sister's taunt again. Without turning, Finn growled, "Would you shut up!?" Valerie looked first affronted, then abruptly hurt. A flush spread across Finn's cheeks as he realized he had spoken out loud; Padme snorted into her mug again from behind him as he spoke quickly, "Oh, no, not you! I'm sorry, it's my twin. She won't stop talking."

At this, Valerie looked around him at Padme, "But...She hasn't moved. She's not even close enough to hear us talking. She's just...sitting there. Drinking her tea."

Finn smiled, "We're identical twin Force-Bonded Jedi...She doesn't need to be anywhere near us to know what we're talking about. Isn't that right, 'Me?" From over his shoulder, Valerie saw Padme turn and glare at her twin before rolling her eyes.

Valerie raised an eyebrow, amusement glinting in her eyes. "Ah; I see. She doesn't look too happy, does she?"

Finn's eyes unfocused for a split second before snapping back to Valerie's, "No; I can tell you she certainly is not pleased."

Valerie smiled again, but it fled from her face quickly. She fell silent again, glancing first at the table where her Father and Grandfather sat, then out the front door where Lilia, Matthew, and Luke stood, just out of view. She sighed before speaking hesitantly, "So...How...How long have you known my...father?"

Finn's eyebrows shot up for only a moment as he studied her carefully before answering, "Well, I suppose it's only natural for you to be curious. I grew up with your father as my 'Uncle'. I've known him my entire life; we have family dinners every Sunday, when Mom cooks dinner. She and Aunt Twila are great cooks. Dad, Uncle Finn, and Uncle Poe? Not so good cooks." Valerie giggled at his description. Finn grinned and continued, encouraged, "Let's see...Your father is definitely one of the craziest, bravest men that I've ever known. His courage is a different kind than my father's, though. I don't think there are many people that have my father's type of courage."

Valerie cocked her head curiously, "Why do you say that?"
Finn sighed, "Well, my father was a twin once, himself. She went bad, though; about as bad as a Jedi can go. She helped the First Order get off the ground and took command; called herself Master Ren. In the end, my father had to kill his own twin, and they were Bonded just as tightly as 'Me and I are. If I lost her...it'd be like half of myself died. We are, essentially, the same person, just living in two bodies. We have almost identical personalities. My father was never the same after that. So, like I said: I don't think many people have that kind of courage."

Valerie shuddered, "I heard rumors about what happened on Kashyyk, but...I kind of always thought that's all they were. I'm so sorry for your father."

Finn shrugged, "It had to be done. He doesn't talk about her much, though, and we don't really mention her. My twin was named after her, actually. I was, obviously, named after No-Nerves over there."

Valerie nodded, "Makes sense; I mean, he was your mother's best friend, right?"

Finn chuckled, "Her only friend, actually. She'd never known kindness before Uncle Finn. And in an odd way, if he hadn't taught it to her, I wouldn't be here; she would have killed my father like most people thought she should."

Valerie fell silent again as she watched her father, but she spoke again, so quietly that Finn had to strain to hear her next question. "Finn...What kind of courage does my father have?"

Finn gathered his courage and laid a hand gently on her cheek, pulling her face around to look at him again. "Your father has the courage to fight beside Jedi, though he has no trace of Force-Ability, himself. He has followed Uncle Finn into the most impossible, dangerous situations imaginable, and walked out alive. He fought beside Togorians, and if you've never seen one, they're frightening at first. Your father is fearless, or at least he was before Lilia. He had the courage to take a little girl who'd lost her family and give her a new one, even though it was just him." Valerie's eyes welled with bitter tears, but Finn wiped those tears away, "Valerie...Your father never remarried. He never forgot you or your mother...Never. Lilia helped him heal, but the hole you and your mother left never filled until he saw you today. He's just as lost in this as you are. He loves you, though. That's another, quieter type of courage he has. He's been through so much pain, but still his heart has so much room for love in it. He's a teacher, you know. He teaches History of the Force at both the Jedi and Neutral Academies. He's as well-respected as Thamian over there, thought the difference in size frequently makes me laugh. You should give him a chance; Lilia, too, for that matter."

At the mention of her new-found sister, Valerie glanced out the door, "What's she like? I suppose you've known her your whole life, too?"

Finn smiled, "Yeah, I have She's pretty incredible, too, you know. She's the weaponsmaster for the Neutral Order. She's also an expert in the two-handed style; she teaches that class at the Neutral Academy, actually. The light-sabers she carries belonged to her birth parents. The man she's outside with, Matthew? He was all set to be Uncle Luke's successor, but he's been in love with Lil since they were kids. We've all just been waiting for them to realize it. I'm glad he did before he was a normal Jedi for too long; it could have turned them both to the Dark Side. Lilia is brave like her father, but she's also reckless like him. She's got a lot of her parents in her, though. She's...complicated, I guess is the best way to describe her. She's always been like a sister to me, ever though I've already got four siblings. I feel like she, T'arla, and Jar'lek are all my siblings. You just have to get to know her. I think you'll really like her if you give her a chance."

Valerie watched Finn closely before responding, "Why did he take her in? You'd think if he could take in a total stranger's child, he could have raised his own flesh-and-blood child..." Valerie's throat closed around the lump that had formed there, and she huffed out a watery sigh.

Finn hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Padme. She had abandoned all pretense of inattention and turned towards them to watch with her own eyes, rather than through her brother's. Her eyes were serious and her mouth set in a grim line; she could sense Valerie's anger, hurt, betrayal, and near-hatred towards her father. Looking directly into Finn's eyes, she gave a single small nod. Finn set his jaw and nodded in return before turning back to Valerie, "I know you don't know him, but I do. If he'd had any suspicion, any thought at all that you were alive, he'd have torn the galaxy apart to find you. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for you. All this mistrust and anger is doing, though the feelings are justified, is depriving you of the father who loved you since before you were born. If you won't do it for him, do it for yourself. If you don't, all these emotions will fester and rot in your heart. I should know; my family kind of has a long history with stubborn pride, fear, and anger turning them to the Dark Side." He started ticking names off on his fingers, "Darth Vader, also known as my Great-Gradnfather Anakin, Uncle Luke strayed to the dark Side for a short – albeit very short – time, my father, who was once known by the name Kylo Ren, my Aunt...see what I mean? It took us four generations, but we finally learned from our past mistakes." Finn rubbed Valerie's shoulders gently, "Take it from me; don't do that do yourself. It'll only cause you pain in the long run."

Valerie's mouth had opened in a small, surprised "o", and stayed that way while Finn had been speaking, "Finn...How old are you?"

Finn flushed as he stared down into her eyes. Her diminutive stature suddenly struck him, then; she barely cleared his rib cage! Absurdly, the observation made his chest tighten and his breath catch. He had to clear his throat before he answered, "I'm fifteen; I'll be sixteen in a couple of months, though."

Rather than looking at him like a child, as Finn had expected, she seemed impressed, "Wow. Well, the, you've a very old soul. Thanks, Finn." She knew sh shouldn't do it, but she placed her hands on Finn's shoulder so she could reach up and kiss him on the cheek. She flushed the exact shade of her hair and hurried to the table where Poe and Urijah sat talking. They fell silent at her appearance and waited patiently while she shifted apprehensively from foot to foot, "Hi." She said lamely. Poe smiled and stood so he could pull a chair out for her.

Just then, Luke said quietly to Finn, "Well done, Finn," as he walked past.

As Valerie sat, Finn heard Padme's derisive, "Hi" again!? Really!? What isit with you two and starting off important conversations with hugely important people with "hi"? Ugh. You two really were made for each other.

Finn glared at his twin, Oh, shut up. What the hell would yousay, miss oh-so-eloquent-that-she-never-speaks-and-just-lets-me-do-the-talking?

Padme stood and walked over to him, snickering, I don't know, but it sure as hell wouldn't be "hi."

Finn cocked his head to the side as something she'd said struck him, And what do you mean, we were "made for each other"?

Padme rolled her eyes, Ugh. Really? Come on, Finn. Seriously? You didn't feel that? Oh, you are so full of it. You know full well that you were flirtingwith her! And she was flirting back!

Finn sighed, Oh, come off it, 'Me. She was just curious about her father, that's all. Beside; I'm six years younger than her; there's no way she'd be interested in me.

Padme stepped in front of her brother, aggravation written in her every line, So what? Grandfather Anakin was only eight when he met Grandmother Padme! She was tenyears older than him! You and I know all too well what a Force-Bond feels like, and thatwas it! One just formed between you two, and if you keep denying it, it'll tear you to shreds. Both of you.

Across the room at the table, Urijah, Poe, and Valerie sat watching the silent but intense exchange between the twins. "Are they...alright?" Whispered Urijah, "They seem...off."

Poe smiled, "Yeah; they're just fighting." At the astounded stares from the other two, he chuckled softly, "Oh, don't worry about it. They may be identical twins with a Force Bond so strong that the same bond drove their Aunt to madness and so gifted with the Force that they are sure to be the youngest Masters the Jedi have ever known, but at their center, they're still siblings. They're definitely old for their age, but they're still siblings. I've never known two people who can cause so much trouble, fight so heartily, but love each other so much at the end of the day. They'll argue it out silently, like they are now, and then it'll be done. Like it never happened. No worries." Valerie didn't look convinced, but she turned back to face her grandfather, and the three continued their conversation.

Meanwhile, Finn was staring at his twin, unsure what to say, But...

Padme was having none of it. "But" nothing. You know it, I know it. You and I were the first ones, except maybe Uncle Luke, to know about Lilia and Matthew, and that was when we were littles. Why won't you see it now, in yourself? I get that you're scared, and it came out of nowhere, but this is it, Finn! I know you never wanted anyone. I know you were happy just being us, like we have been: No outside interference in our relationship, and nobody knowing you as well as I do. That's not an option now. You've seen Poe and Uncle Finn; they know each others' every thought, even though Poe's not Gifted. He knows Twila's every thought, too; it passes through Uncle Finn, and into Poe. They adapted, and so will we. It won't change anything between us, brother. If anything, it'll bring us closer; make us better. Trust me, Finn. I won't let anything come between us, not even your soul mate. I love you and your stupid face too much, you idiot.

The emotions that passed over their bond with her words brought tears into Finn's eyes. He threw his arms around his twin, Thanks, 'Me. I love you, too. But need I remind you againthat we share a face? Finn and Padme laughed out loud, threw an arm around each other, and headed for the door to walk in peace under the stars.

"See?" Said Poe, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "I told you they'd be fine. Don't worry about anything. I've seen so many of those silent arguments that I can't even begin to count them. The first few times, it's a bit startling. Both of them get all blotchy and their eyes get unfocused; they always look like they're about to have some sort of fit. Their Bond is so tight that they literally know every single thought that the other has, though the thoughts come and go so quickly that they learned to mostly just tune each other out, unless they have something really important they need the other to see, or if they're fighting. Then, the 'barriers', as it were, come down, and they pretty much share a mind. Ben and his twin were the same way, from what I've heard."

Urijah shuddered, "I can't even imagine being that close to someone. If what you say is true, how did Ben survive?"

Ben and Rey had just come into the room from the back, where they'd been enjoying a moment of peaceful solitude, so Ben answered for himself, "It wasn't easy, my friend. If it wasn't for my Light, here, then I would have been lost. I nearly was when I killed my Padme, but when she told me about our twins, I knew I'd have to make my peace with it. I will see her again, though, so it's really as if she went on a very long trip. They're much stronger than my twin and I were, though. They're remarkable young people."

Urijah nodded, "Yes, I know. I was here when the fight broke out. I stayed well out of the way and watched. At the time, I couldn't understand how two people could move together so...seamlessly. I'd seen people fight together that had trained together for the majority of their lives, but this wasn't that. It was...different, somehow. It was more than a little disconcerting. Now, I understand that it's due to the 'mind sharing' that you described, son." Urijah shook his head, "No; I can't imagine it. It'd be difficult enough in a normal line of work, but how do they manage being Jedi? They must be constantly terrified of losing each other."

Ben shrugged, "No, not exactly. We never think like that, exactly. We all know it's a possibility that we'll die in the line of duty, but we've all made our peace with that by the time we become Masters. The breaking of a Bond is difficult, yes, but it can be survived. You don't want to, at times, but you can. Those two most likely made their bargains and deals in case one of them dies years ago. Knowing them, it was probably when they first entered the Academy. I think now, though, it's actually sunk in. Since this whole mess started, they've matured so much that I can't believe they're the same people."

Just then, there was a feminine squeal and a cry of, "Damn you two!" Shortly thereafter, Finn and Padme came sprinting back inside, cackling madly, followed by a now-soaking-wet Lilia, brandishing her fist and yelling, "If I ever get my hands on you two, I swear I'll choke you to death!"

Finn turned so that he was running backwards (losing no speed or momentum) so that he could taunt her, "How will you manage that? What, will you use one hand for each of us? Hmm. Doesn't seem very well-thought-out. What do you think, 'Me?" Padme glanced back at Lilia and shook her head, grinning like a loon.

With a roar of rage, Lilia slid over a few tables, but the twins were already far ahead of her and leaped over a couple of tables, staying just out of her reach. Chuckling, Poe called out, "What did you two do this time?"

Finn laughed as he answered, "We pushed her and Matthew into a fountain while they were kissing!"

Ben groaned, Rey hid a smile, and the others openly laughed; Thamian's booming roar of a laugh echoed across the room from where he was leaning against a wall. "Well, so much for how much they've matured," Ben groaned.

Chuckling, Poe responded, "Oh, come on; you can't expect them to be serious all the time. They're still a couple of hellions; they're pranksters. It's just who they are, Ben. There was no harm in what they did...unlike what they did on top of the mountain that day...Remember? Dang near killed Finn. I thought my heart was going to stop when I felt him go over." Poe shuddered, "No, they've definitely matured, Ben. They just enjoy a good laugh, that's all. Not everybody can be as serious as Luke all the time."

Luke, who had joined Poe, Urijah, and Valerie at their table, snorted in a most-undignified manner, "Hey; I've got a sense of humor, too."

Thamian, it seemed, had decided to join the main group, and made his way over to them, dodging the twins and Lilia at every turn. The spectacle only added to the amusement gained from the sheer bedlam. He laughed along with the fun as he worked his way to the table. As Thamian joined the rest, Valerie smiled. For the first time, she felt that she was a part of something larger than just herself and the cantina she had been raised in. For the first time, she felt she had a real family.

***Author's Note***

Ahhhh. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I really like Finn Solo with Poe's daughter; didn't see that one coming, though, and it's my story! hahaha. Well, anyway. Can't wait for the next chapter. Next story is definitely going to be a Thor/Sherlock crossover. Hope y'all will like that one, too. Thanks for reading!