-Adoration-
Jaina feels pretty in the borrowed dress and jewels, her hair done elaborately and her feet in shoes that kill her feet. But the look on Kyp's face when he sees her is worth every bit of it.
It hits her, as he offers his arm, that she's going to marry him. They're friends and lovers, but someday, he's going to be her husband. It brings a smile to her face.
When her marriage to Jag collapsed, she thought that maybe Luke had been right, that she'd be alone and lonely forever. But she'd been wrong. She has Kyp, and Force willing, she will always have him.
They enter the ballroom as part of the Queen Mother's entourage. Her old friend Zekk is there, too, with his wife, Taryn. She's glad to see him happy. He'd been hung up on her for far too long.
She glances over as Taryn sidles up. "Hi."
"I see you have a new bauble," the queen's cousin says.
Jaina grins, holding up the ring for inspection. "Kyp gave it to me earlier."
Zekk frowns a little, but in bemusement rather than anger. "I'm still boggled at you two."
"Why?" Taryn asks. "It's clear they adore each other."
"It's a long story," Jaina says before Zekk can comment. She studies the younger woman. Taryn's cheeks are practically glowing. "Do you two have any news, by chance?"
Taryn grins. "I'm sure you know. You're a Jedi."
"And you're practically luminous," Jaina says. She beams at her old friend. "How far are you?"
"Three months," Zekk tells her, and looks at his wife with such love, Jaina feels mushy for a moment.
She looks for Kyp, his Force presence off to her left, somewhere near the refreshments. "Excuse me, I'm going to go track down my fiancé."
He's just finished loading a plate with tiny, fussy finger foods when she locates him. She plucks a little pastry off the plate and pops it into her mouth.
"Oh, these are good," she says after she swallows. "Hey, you remember those nasty things they served at the reception after the knighting ceremony Cal Omas made us have?"
Kyp grimaces. "Those were nearly the worst things I've ever eaten."
"What could possibly be worse?" she asks, but he doesn't answer. His face has gone slack with surprise, looking at something behind her.
She turns as a tall blonde woman, probably five or ten years older than her, comes through the crowd, her stunning face alight with a brilliant smile. She's curvy in a way Jaina probably will never be, with deep blue eyes. She's trailed by a handsome man with brown hair, his temples touched with silver, his eyes a pale blue.
"Kyp!" the woman exclaims. Her accent is Hapan, which explains both presence and beauty. "Fancy seeing you here! How are you?"
Jaina suddenly finds herself holding the plate, as Kyp says, "Thelia, this is a surprise."
She blinks at the taller woman, who is, even now, bussing a kiss to Kyp's cheek. This is Thelia Brandt, the woman Kyp might have married? She's suddenly got a cold lump in her stomach. Jaina isn't given to insecurity, but Thelia is gorgeous. And definitely the type to own a yellow speeder. Her dress is practically poured on, the frothy material clinging in all the right places, the layers shaded from nearly white to a deep red-orange, with tones of yellow in between. She looks like a pillar of fire.
Jaina looks down at her dark blue dress, the only fancy part of it being the velvet material and the gathering on the bodice. She's short, her dress is plain, and she feels suddenly like maybe she should have worn the red dress, even if it was out of style.
Thelia reaches for her companion, pulling him forward. "This is Jaster Tenaj, my husband," she says. "Our son is with the nanny droid tonight. Jaster's company is invested in the Hapan shipyard, with my father, so we came for an inspection."
"Nice to meet you," Tenaj says, offering a polite smile. It isn't warm. He clearly knows who Kyp is to Thelia and is about as thrilled as Jaina.
Kyp's arm slides around Jaina, and he curves his hand around her elbow, fingers tracing little circles over her arm. His touch is reassuring, as is the love he projects through their Force bond. Jaina forces herself to relax, but she's baffled. He chose her over this woman?!
"Thee," he says, "this is Jedi Master Jaina Solo. Jaina is my fiancée. Jay, this is Thelia Brandt, an old friend."
"Oh, that's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you!" Thelia offers her hand with a big smile. Jaina is surprised, when she takes it, that the other woman's sincere.
Jaster murmurs something to his wife, and moves off into the crush of people. Thelia glances after him, then turns back to Jaina.
"Really, I'm glad to hear you two are together," she continues. "Kyp's always been crazy about you. It drove me barvy, but it sounds like things have worked out for the best all around. When are you getting married?"
Kyp replied, "We haven't set a date yet. We just got engaged a few days ago."
"Well, congratulations! Be sure to send me an invitation! I'll get out of your hair now. Kyp, it was good to see you. If you'll be on-planet for a bit, you should stop by, both of you. We've got rooms at the Den'tarak Lodge. I'd love for you to meet Miko."
Then she's gone, and Jaina feels like she's just emerged from a really hairy dogfight.
"Uh. Wow."
"She takes getting used to," Kyp says.
"So let me get this straight. You could have married her, and you broke up with her for me."
Kyp takes the plate of foodstuffs and sets it on the table. Then he takes her hands and pulls her close. His green eyes are full of nothing but adoration. "Like she said, I'm crazy about you. I dated her because she wasn't you."
"She's pretty. Am I not pretty?"
He smiles. "She's pretty," he concedes. "But Goddess, do you know just how beautiful you are to me? You don't need a bunch of jewels or a fancy dress. You're already the most gorgeous woman in this room."
Her answering smile is wry. "I'm hardly that. There you go again, piling the flattery on. I'm already marrying you, you know."
"I'm not flattering you, and you know it. Ta'a Chume wanted you to be Queen Mother, remember? Regardless of her other motivations, you're beautiful enough to rule the most narcissistic society in the galaxy."
Jaina laughs then. "Okay, okay. I just feel weird knowing I was competition for her."
"Please. You could wipe the floor with her with one arm tied behind your back."
They finish off the plate of foodstuffs, and then he draws her out to the dance floor. Jaina's never really liked balls, but spending time with Kyp like this, when so much of their lives have been horrific, is wonderful. It's nice to laugh and joke and dance with him, even if he isn't the most skilled in that area.
The best is slow dancing to a ballad, her head resting against Kyp's chest. She could stay like this forever, she thinks, just the two of them. If only the rest of their lives could be as peaceful as this moment. It's just wishful thinking, she knows, but she doesn't want to surrender a second of this.
"Let's get out of here," he says softly.
She looks up, into his eyes full of love and wanting, and says, "Okay."