No way would he get away with it. She was absolutely positive of that. If their teacher didn't kill him first, then their parents would.
Justifiably, too.
"You know that project is due today, right?" Leia asked incredulously, as she watched Luke make himself a cup of hot cocoa in the kitchen. Some people loved coffee, she mused: Her twin brother loved his hot chocolate. With marshmallows and cinnamon. These past few weeks, their mom had just started buying it as often as she bought herself coffee supplies. Luke drank it that much-and was crabby if he didn't have it in the morning.
Some things never changed, she mused.
If Luke was concerned that their major English project was due today, he didn't show it. "Is it? Hm. I suppose I'll have to work on that." He shrugged nonchalantly, seemingly entirely unconcerned about it..
"It's due fourth period!" She reminded him, exasperated, her eyes going wide and mouth dropping open, as their mom entered the kitchen, reaching for the coffee that was brewing on the counter. Her mom glanced at Luke's hot chocolate, smiled softly, and poured herself a cup of coffee, saying nothing.
"I'm aware of when English is," Luke said, and before he came to the kitchen table. he stopped to plant a kiss on their mom's forehead. "Morning, Mom."
As it always did, Luke's attention made their mom smile, as bright as the twin suns on Tatooine. "Good morning, Luke. What's this about English?"
"Luke hasn't even started on the major class project. Due TODAY, Mom." Leia shot a look at her brother, as he sat down across from her, shrugging like it was no big deal. She knew he hated that class, but really? He'd had practically since he'd returned home over a month ago to work on it!
That gave their mother pause. "Is this true?" Her mom asked, a note of disapproval in her voice.
Which, as Leia knew, Luke hated. Something about believing their mother to be dead for years made Luke soft when it came to their mom. Something both Leia and her dad used to their advantage when they wanted him to do something. Sure enough, Luke winced, taking a long swig of hot chocolate. "I've got it under control, Mom. Honestly." He insisted.
"I don't want your grades slipping, Luke. We've talked about this. You need high marks if you're going to get into college, remember?" Her mom didn't buy it as much as Leia didn't. And, to Leia's utter delight, her dad chose that moment to walk into the kitchen, too. He was still in his sweats, since it was his day to stay home to look after the house, while her mom was dressed and ready for another day at the DA's office. In her tailored navy suit and royal blue silk blouse with matching navy pumps, she looked like a badass lawyer about to pounce on the defendant, too. Which, truthfully, she probably would once she got to the office. "I don't care how busy you are with Jedi training, young man, your schooling is just as vitally important to the rest of your life. If you want to go anywhere near getting to go in outer space, you're going to need top grades to get into the college you want."
Her dad paused at the fridge, shooting a suspicious look between Luke and Padme. "What's going on?"
Leia opened her mouth to tell her dad too, so that maybe both of her parents nagging on Luke would finally make him see that he needed to take school seriously, but Luke beat her to it with a glare thrown her way. "I know, alright? I've got everything planned. I know what I'm doing." He turned those Skywalker-blue eyes on their mom, and Leia rolled her own, knowing it was over. While she and her dad had figured out Padme was Luke's weakness, Luke had figured out that turning those baby blues on their mom was Padme's weakness. Too much like his father's, Padme had told Leia when she'd demanded to know why Luke had gotten away with sneaking out to see Mara the other night. Still, this time her mom didn't look convinced, and Luke sighed. "Look, if I don't get an A, you can….I don't know…"
"Cancel your next few flying lessons?" Her dad added, having caught on to the gist of what was going on. Luke glowered at him, and Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "Keep up with your school work, and you'll keep receiving your lessons. Let the grades slide, and goodbye lessons."
Not that Luke needed them. Shortly after their return from the Amazon two weeks before, their dad had begun teaching Luke to fly so that he could get his license. 'Teaching' wasn't really the word. It was more like Anakin just sat in the front passenger seat of the speeder as the required licensed adult while Luke did the required flying time to even take the test. Luke, from his own years of experience in another life and his innate talent genetically inherited from their father, already knew how to fly. It was as instinctual as breathing for him.
"Fine. Deal." Luke huffed and turned an expectant look to their mom, trying to see if that would calm her and get her to trust him.
Her mom only shook her head. "As reckless as your father." She grumbled.
"It's a gift." Her dad replied with a smirk, as he finally opened the fridge to get the orange juice.
"Or a curse." Padme muttered under her breath, as she sat down at the table. For a moment, there was silence between the Skywalkers as their dad finished getting out breakfast supplies. Leia glanced at them. Yep. Sure enough-bacon was included. Of course. Had someone told her in her previous life that Darth Vader would love bacon - almost to the point of obsession, she would have laughed in their face.
Finally, once he had the frying pan heating up and the first slices of bacon beginning to sizzle, her dad spoke. "Your mother and I are going to a Gala downtown tomorrow."
Leia frowned, trying to remember. Every year, her parents and NASA hosted a charity Gala event. It wasn't so much of a party than it was just a fancy formal way to raise money for a good charity and give updates on the the year's achievements at NASA and the future of the world organization. Usually it was the last Friday of October, and her parents would usually just spend the night at the hotel next to the conference center they held it in.
"Are you asking us to take Hayden trick-or-treating?" Luke asked dryly, raising an eyebrow. With a start, Leia remembered that the next day was Halloween.
"Nope. He and Rachel are going to go with some school friends, accompanied by Uncle Ben and Aunt Satine." Their mom replied with a smile. Leia didn't need to hear it to know her mom was thinking about the little crush Hayden had on Obi-Wan's younger daughter. Perhaps, if things went right, a Kenobi would become legally part of the Skywalker family, since Luke was clearly not going to date Ella. If that happened, Rachel would likely be the only significant other of his kids their dad would immediately like.
"So, you and dad won't be home, then." Leia said it as a statement, not a question. She already knew the answer from experience.
"No." Her father confirmed, but then he paused, looking nervously at Luke. "Unless you want us to stay?"
Again, the unspoken issue. While they had left Leia home, usually with a few Jedi to watch the house, occasionally for events like this, this would be the first time they'd leave Luke alone since he returned home. And, though his head issues were a little more manageable, and he'd started to ease back into 'normal' life, she could understand why her parents were nervous.
But, Luke either didn't pick up on it, or he just didn't care. He waved a hand dismissively, "Nah...We'll be fine. Go have fun. You two need to get out more anyway." He took another sip of his hot chocolate. "I assume there will be Jedi guarding the premises?"
"Of course." Anakin replied firmly, his eyebrows arching. No, he wouldn't ever make the mistake of leaving his family alone and unguarded again. Not that Luke or Leia, for that matter, would wind up in the same tragic situation as before.
But, Luke nodded without complaint, pursing his lips, his look one of innocence. "Is it okay if we invite a couple friends over to hang out then?"
Amused, Padme raised an elegant eyebrow. "You don't want to go trick or treating?"
Both Luke and Leia made a face at this. At least this was something they could both agree on. "We're a bit old for that, Mom." Leia reminded her. "Besides, if we want candy, we can easily go get our own." Though, now that she said that, it did sort of take away the childhood magic of the holiday.
"I know, it's just…" Padme trailed off, looking at Luke longingly, and Leia's heart sank. She had a feeling her mom was remembering helping Luke dress up for Halloween, and all of the missed Halloween's since. But, she didn't finish the sentence and instead replied, "If you finish your project on time, then I don't see why not."
Luke grinned, pleased, and Leia realized with a start it was the first time he'd actually asked to bring someone over. She assumed Mara and Han would come for sure (she tried not to think about the blush rising to her face at the mention of Han), but who else would he invite? She'd ask him later. "So, what did you do for your project, Leia?" Luke asked.
Momentarily forgetting Han, Leia lifted her chin with pride. "I did a painting of a heart covered in blood and darkness. My paper goes into all of the symbolism of the colors and such, if you want to read it."
Luke nodded politely. "It's a bit dramatic, but cool. I'll pass on reading the paper, thanks." Leia rolled her eyes at this. Of course he thought he could do it himself. Such a typical male.
Love him though she did, part of her couldn't help but hope he flunked this project. It would serve him right missing a few flying lessons.
"...And so, as you can see, this painting really represents multiple themes in the book. Slavery, the absurdity of evil, the river, and the separation of humanity and civilization," Luke finished with a flourish, holding the painting up proudly for the entire class to see. If one could call it a painting. He had literally gone into Hayden's room, found his black paint and a small piece of unused canvas, and painted a squiggly black line across the white space. Then, in third period, he'd used the extra time they'd had in class to write up a paper explaining the symbolism of his artwork. Total BS. All of it. But, now, the whole class stared at him like they couldn't believe the bullshit he was trying to pull. Leia looked between him and Mrs. Temple like she was wondering if he was going to turn around and mind trick her into giving him an A. He'd considered it, yeah, but Mrs. Temple was a wiry, bird-like lady who probably was too uppity to let her mind get tricked. He wasn't going to risk it, not with flying lessons hanging in the balance now.
But, as he'd hoped, he didn't need to.
When he turned to look at his teacher sitting open-mouthed on her stool to the side of the class, there were actual tears in her eyes. "Oh, Luke," She whispered, a hand going to her chest, "That...that is the most poignant piece of art I've received in all my years of teaching this book!"
Immediately, Leia's Force presence colored with shock and complete annoyance. Her jaw also dropped, too. He resisted the urge to smirk, but instead opened up his shield for both her and his father, as Mrs. Temple went on and on about how she wanted more projects like Luke's, and how he'd improved so dramatically in such a short amount of time. See, I told you I had it handled.
His father, tuning in for the first time (Luke had finally mastered how to block him out most of the time), practically snorted through their bond. I have done my fair share of improvisation over the years, and even I'm not sure how you managed to not only pull it off, but….Force, is she actually asking to keep it as an example?! Kriff!
Sure enough, she was. Luke hadn't been listening (like he usually did in that class anyway), and smiled politely and nodded, handing her the painting and his paper. I don't understand. I will never understand! This is SO not fair, dammit! Leia snarled, earning a chuckle from their father.
Oh, Leia, when will you ever learn? You just bullshit with style, and things tend to work out, Sis. Han taught me that. Luke threw her a smirk, as he went back to his desk.
Well, Han is wrong! Leia sent him a glare back.
I'm going to have to agree with Leia on this one. That's a risk, Luke. It may not work next time. Treat all of your work, not just your Jedi training, seriously. Still, his father sounded impressed, which...if Luke was honest with himself, filled him with a sense of pride. He'd known his father would appreciate the stunt at least a little more than his mom ever would have. Especially since she was always reminding him how much like his father he truly was.
Yeah, yeah. Luke replied back, and before he closed the shield again, he reminded his dad, Remember, the moment you get back from your little party, we're going flying.
Wouldn't miss it. And, as Luke closed the bond, he genuinely smiled to himself.
This is still not kriffing fair, Leia sang out into the Force, as they both heard their father laughing just before the bond closed fully.
As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Ezra was at Luke's side. "Dude, I seriously thought she was going to call you out for that stunt!" He whispered incredulously, "How long did it take you to make that bullshit up? Five minutes?"
"Please." Luke said, as they left the classroom, Leia trailing behind them, "It took me all of a minute. I finished the paper last period."
Ezra whistled appreciatively, nodding his head. "That just proves how stupid high school English classes are. You literally just painted a black squiggly line on a white canvas and made up some symbolic crap, and you probably got the best grade in the class!"
Luke grinned, shooting a look at Leia who still looked like she was debating on Force-choking him. "I did enjoy your painting, Sister. I'm sure you got an A, too."
"Shut up." Leia growled tersely, and both Luke and Ezra laughed.
"So," Luke said, giving Ezra a look. "My parents are going to be gone tomorrow night. Do you want to come over and hang out with us?"
For some reason, whatever Luke said made Ezra stop in his tracks, staring at him with wide eyes. Both Luke and Leia stopped, turning to look at their friend, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. They glanced at one another. What's his problem? Luke sent to his sister.
No idea. Maybe he really doesn't want to hang out with you and catch your bad influence. Leia mockingly replied back, her voice not as clear in his head as his father's was. Their bond was getting stronger the longer they were near one another. Being twins definitely helped with that, but...Luke knew it had been stronger than that of his father's bond, once. "Ezra?" Leia asked after a moment of silence.
"Your parents. Are going to be gone." Ezra clarified.
The twins shared another concerned look. "Yeah...is that a problem?" Luke asked slowly, "If your parents want an adult there, Han is technically an adult."
"He's in his late twenties." Leia reminded him.
"Yeah, well, he doesn't act like it." Luke shrugged.
"True."
"No, no, guys…" Ezra shook his head, his voice rushing out in an excited whisper,. "Do you know what this means?"
"Um." Luke replied slowly, "My parents...are out...of the house…?"
"No, dude! PARTAY!" Ezra all but shouted, earning him looks from passing students. When the twins just blinked at him, Ezra rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe you haven't noticed, but your house-your property-is like MAJOR party material!"
"I mean, you're not wrong, I guess," Luke slowly agreed, frowning as he thought over the logistics. His parents would murder them if they ever found out, but when the party finished, he could always pull an all nighter to clean up before they got home Saturday morning. Whenever Hayden got back from trick-or-treating, they'd just have to somehow keep the kid quiet about it. He'd leave that to Leia. She was closer to their little brother than he was still.
"And, it's on Halloween!" Ezra added, becoming more and more enthused about the idea. "That means COSTUME PARTY! Which is even better than a normal party! Talk about AWESOME!"
"Absolutely not," Leia said, as Luke continued to mull over the idea, "Our parents would kill us if they found out! Besides, what if…" she glanced around, leaning forward to whisper, "What if they got into the Jedi academy, hmm?"
Ezra rolled his eyes. "The doors are all locked at night. Only Jedi, Padawans, and people who live in the building have a cardkey, and even then, the most important rooms are locked by even tighter security. The only people who might try to get in there are drunk couples, and the locked, bulletproof, enhanced doors will be enough to deter them. Everyone else won't bother going where there is clearly no party. Haven't you been to a party before, Leia? Obviously, Luke hasn't." Ezra said, earning him a glare from Leia. He threw his hands up in surrender, "What? Just sayin…"
"Not this kind of party, no." Luke replied coolly, too wrapped up in the idea to even think about the last nine years of his life. "But, speaking of Inquisitors…" he thought through the plan again, looking for any loopholes. "Having patrolling Jedi is one thing. But, having a house crammed full of drunk gyrating people busting it to some super loud music...that might be enough to deter any unwanted visitors."
"Unless Palpatine doesn't care about innocent bystanders." Leia reminded him.
"Yes, but bystanders-especially a lot of very social-media connected bystanders-is going to be something Palpatine is going to avoid until he's sure that his super weapon is ready enough to be unstoppable should he get found out." At least, he was pretty confident about that potentiality. "Besides, I highly doubt he'd expect me to be down with throwing a really big, massive party if he is planning on sending assassins...which he probably is, if mom and dad's Gala plans are public enough."
"They are…" Leia confirmed quietly.
"See? So his assassins likely won't be prepared for a random party."
"But, that means Dad is going to leave his top Jedi to guard the complex. Like Galen and Aunt Soka," Leia reminded him with a pointed look. "And, they're not going to just see a random bunch of people arriving and not tell Dad and Uncle Ben about it."
"Unless," Ezra interrupted, tapping his chin with one finger and grinning at her, "You tell them it's all part of the plan. They may not believe Luke after the speeder chase he pulled, but you? Anakin Skywalker's dutiful, never gets into trouble, head on straight daughter? Anakin probably discussed the plan with you and sent you to tell the rest of the Jedi guards."
"And, why would I do that exactly?" Leia demanded, arching her eyebrows.
"Because, my dear sister," Luke crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow, "You're not as by the book as you pretend to be. You're still that Rebel Princess at heart." At this, Ezra frowned, but Luke's look was pointed and his words hit Leia hard enough for her to hesitate. "Besides. It'll be fun. What's the worst that could happen?"
"I can think of a lot of things," Leia growled, but he could see that he'd won the battle. She sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But...if we get caught, this is all your fault." She reminded Luke, who grinned.
"Duly noted." He turned again for the cafeteria. "Let's go tell the entire senior class we're having a party!"
The Next Night…
Too much? Nah...Just about right, I'd say.
Since she was breaking every rule in her parents' entire book, she figured she might as well go all the way with her Halloween costume. Leia turned slowly to look at herself in the full length mirror in her room, analyzing, seeing imperfections where there may have been none. Still, she had to admit, she looked hot. Smokin' hot, actually. It would definitely catch a certain smuggler's attention.
She smirked.
She had decided to go to the Halloween party as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. She'd watched Han and Chewie play the game when she'd gone over with Luke to their rooms at the Academy, and had been content to just chill with them on the couch as they took turns playing. It was nice, to be sitting with them and not have to worry about who was trying to kill them at the moment.
But this version of Lara Croft...Shit! If her dad saw her in this, he'd explode.
Knee high black boots that looked killer, while still being comfortable, just in case something were to happen. Short shorts so short, she might as well have been dressing to go swimming. A military style belt with fake grenades strapped around her waist, almost hiding the lightsaber she'd strapped there as well. Hey, most of these people wouldn't know what it was anyway. Anytime she'd worn it in public and got asked, she always found either a passable excuse, or if worst come to worst, she'd mind tricked the one asking. It wouldn't be any different now. She also wore a gray tank top that hugged her curves, exposing just a smidge of her midriff….not too much, but not too little either. More straps fit over her shoulders with two fake guns attached to it-the shoulder holster she'd borrowed from Luke's stash. She'd braided her hair down the side of her shoulder as well.
It was certainly not an outfit she'd normally wear. Usually, she chose a more conservative choice of dress, like her mother. But, the thought of Han being there...she would have been lying if she said she didn't want to shock him and grab his attention the whole night. Han was interested in more than a skimpy outfit, she knew that, but...he was a guy after all, she smirked. And, she didn't mind teasing him every once in a while.
Nope. Not at all.
The door to her room suddenly banged open, and she whirled, her hand going to her lightsaber, but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Hey, did you tell the Jedi….?" Luke stopped short, staring at his sister with wide, horrified eyes. "What the hell are you wearing?!"
Leia rolled her eyes, her hands on her rounded hips. "Chill. Who are you, Dad?"
Luke's eyes darkened at that, but at least he didn't outright flinch away or worse, get angry with her. They'd grown so much closer since he'd returned home, but Luke still had to fight instinct, it seemed. It just made her angry all over again to think of what Palpatine had done to him, what he was still doing to her family. "No, but I am your older twin brother, and I'm not stupid. I know why you're wearing that." He gestured toward her with on outstretched index finger.
"Because, Brother Dear, I want to look sexy," Leia replied smoothly, turning again before the mirror to admire her back view.
"Did you wear that when you went to tell the Jedi that a wild party was part of the protection plan?" Luke asked sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest and arching his eyebrows.
"Of course not, Dummy. I'm not that stupid," Leia replied. "And, it went well, by the way. Oh, and you're welcome," she looked her brother up and down. "What are you supposed to be anyway?"
"Biker gang guy." Leia nodded. It made sense. He was wearing ripped jeans, a white shirt with a ripped, sleeveless denim jacket, a red bandana, and some fake tattoos that from where she stood looked somewhat real. She might have been fooled, had she not seen him an hour ago without them. "I didn't have time to think of anything better." He added a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture so similar to their father's it was scary.
"No, it looks good. I'm sure Mara will think you're hot, Bro." Luke snorted, and Leia couldn't help but grin. "Oh come on, I've seen the way you look at her. Don't act so tough with me."
Luke's expression softened. "You're right." He admitted, to her surprise. "Mara is amazing. And, drop dead gorgeous..." He paused, his eyes narrowing a little. "Did you know she was my wife? From...before?"
Leia sobered. She and Luke had yet to fully address...well, any of their previous life. They'd made comments, but this was the first time Luke had openly asked her anything about it. She'd hoped he would after her dad explained what had happened between him and Luke, and how she could help if Luke had an episode, but Luke had largely kept most of it to himself. "Yes. I knew." she hesitated, looking for any signed of an episode as she said, "You loved each other very much."
A far away look crossed over his face, a look he used to get back in their old galaxy when he was unconsciously searching his feelings through the Force without even realizing he was doing it. She used to love that look. She still did. It was so...Luke. "I know." He said softly, "I don't remember it. But, somehow, I just know." The look disappeared, and he was studying her again. "You...remember your marriage with Han, don't you?"
Her nose scrunched up. What a great topic to have with your brother, she thought drly. But he didn't seem to be asking without reason. Perhaps he was trying to understand if he was missing anything by not remembering, or perhaps he just wanted to know more about his sister. "I do." Leia replied slowly. "Up until he died."
Luke's expression tightened. "I'm...sorry." He said, and he sounded like he meant it. No, she could feel he did.
"It's in the past." Leia waved it off, though she could tell he could feel her true emotions through that twin bond they had, a bond that went beyond the Force and could never be destroyed by even the likes of Palpatine. "What's important is that we move forward."
Luke nodded slowly, a peculiar look crossing his expression. "But...he's so much older than you!" He finally sighed, though his lips had begun to turn up into a grin.
"He was just as much older than me when we were married before. Age is just a number, Brother." Leia replied, crossing the room to give her brother a playful punch on the arm.
Luke laughed, rubbing the spot she'd hit. "Touchy, touchy, Sister." He replied, but then his expression sobered again. "I do hope that you're not waiting on your relationship with him because of me or our dad and his weird ideas about our dating life."
Leia opened her mouth to object, but it wasn't fully true. From Luke's raised eyebrow, he knew it too. "I'm not really worried about Dad," she admitted, "Mom can handle him, no problem. But with everything going on with you and our family...I just...there hasn't been…"
"Leia." Luke interrupted, firmly, taking her by the shoulders. His touch, as it always did, sent soothing waves through her very soul. Luke was always her calm center...even now. "I am...I'm actually confident enough now that I can say I'm fine. Not better, so much, but...fine. Don't put your life on hold because of my problems. Besides, I know if I really need you, you'll be there, Han or no." He cocked his head, studying her closely. "But, that's not the only reason."
She used to wonder how he could always see right through her. She'd once thought it was just his Force abilities, but now she knew it went beyond that. "I don't want to date him without him knowing the truth." She said softly. "It wouldn't be fair to him."
"And, you don't think he'll believe you."
"Oh,come on, Luke! You know Han. Even in this world, he's skeptical of anything related to the Force. You really think he's going to believe that we both used to exist in another galaxy? That we already shared a life together? Han is...I mean Han doesn't even do commitment well to normal people, much less people who sound completely crazy!"
Luke was silent as he contemplated her words. "If it wasn't for the images in my head, I wouldn't have ever believed you all about my past." Luke finally said, looking down at her earnestly. "But, at least Mom and Dad gave me that chance. You're right: Han deserves to know. I think...I think he may surprise you, though, Leia. He has a way of doing that, y'know."
Leia pursed her lips. "I know." Her voice quivered.
"You'll never know until you try." Luke shrugged. "Don't waste your second chance at life wondering and guessing and worrying. Just...do." He reached up and flicked her nose, causing a noise of protest to escape her. "You're so good at doing. Do it when it matters most."
Though she rubbed her nose irritably and considered getting retribution somehow for her stinging nose, Luke wasn't wrong. When it came to this sort of thing, he never was. Sometimes he was reckless and thought with the Force rather than with his head, but in moments like these...he was her guiding light. She took a deep breath…
"So." The twins tensed, whirling at the sound of the voice at her doorway. When they saw who it was, both of them paled. Ahsoka stood there, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, running skeptical eyes over them. "SkyGuy planned a wild Halloween party, huh?"
Oh, Shit.
Yay I finally updated! I actually got a bit stuck. I know where I'm going ultimately, but I needed like...a transition chapter. This is a fluffy transition chapter haha. Hope I still have readers...
Anyhow, review! The song for this chapter is Luke and Leia.
Love,
Sarah
