All children are cute.
Okay...well, most, anyway.


General Han Solo

Chapter Four: Cay


Mara was going to leave. She herself may not have realized it yet, but Luke could tell from her stance, from the detached look in her eyes, and from the subtle shift in her emotions.

He'd seen it often enough to know.

"Mara," he said, quickly, laying a hand on her upper arm. It was suddenly very important that he not allow her to leave it like this. Some part of him was sure that she wouldn't be back. "Mara, stay a little bit. You wanted to see Cay, didn't you?"

Mara turned wide eyes on him. "No." She shook her head and started backing away, stopping only when Luke's hand started pulling slightly on her arm. "No, I changed my mind. I…I've got to go."

She turned her head to the door, but didn't move toward it.

"Come on, Mara," Luke pressed. "Don't leave it like this. What about everything we talked about…"

Mara's head whipped back to face him. "You saw how she reacted, Skywalker. Do you think the rest of the Council is going to be any different?"

"Mara, you didn't even tell her about the Fire, or about finishing your training. How did you expect her to react?"

Mara shook her head again. "It wouldn't have made a difference, and you know it."

Luke opened his mouth to deny it, but stopped himself. He wasn't honestly sure how Callista would have reacted knowing the whole story. Instead, he ignored her point and switched tactics, releasing his grip on her arm.

"So, that's it? You're just going to drop everything you said about making a commitment, about finishing your training. We'll just both forget Nirauan ever happened."

He sensed her temper flare in response, but she quickly subdued it. He almost smiled with pride, in spite of himself.

"No," she said, calmly. "I meant what I said. I'll finish my training. But I'm not promising to stick around after that if things stay the same."

Luke felt as though a weight had been taken off his shoulders. If, after her experience with Callista, Mara was still willing to stay, he knew that nothing would prevent her from following through.

Luke smiled at her. "Alright. But I still think that…"

He stopped short, feeling a familiar presence enter the room. He turned around to greet her a moment before she cried out, "Daddy!"

And then she was wriggling free of Callista's arms and running toward him. He could tell that she was still half-asleep from the somewhat twisted path she took to get to him, but once she was there she managed to jump into his outstretched arms. She giggled uncontrollably as he threw her up into the air a few times—careful not to use the force as he often did—until her laughter dissolved into loud hiccups.

"Da-uh-ddy," she gasped out, finally, and cuddled firmly into his shoulder.

"Hey, Cay," he whispered, kissing her softly, but loudly, on the nose.

"Amazing," Callista said with a grin as she neared them. "She was too tired to get her hair brushed before we came out, but a few rounds with Daddy she can handle."

Luke winked at her over Cay's head and grinned back.

Cay suddenly twisted in his arms to look intensely over his shoulder.

"Daddy, who zat lady?" she asked, pointing one chubby finger out.

Luke turned to look at Mara, who was standing quietly to his right. Cay shifted positions so that she could keep her eyes on Mara as well.

Before he could answer, Callista reached out to rub Cay's back and said, "This is Aunt Mara, Cay."

Luke looked in shock at Callista. She wasn't one to give people titles loosely. In fact, the only person who Cay called "Aunt" was Leia. He supposed that it was some sort of a peace-offering from Callista. He tried to smile his appreciation, but couldn't catch Callista's eye.

"Aunt Mawa?" Cay repeated.

Luke nodded in confirmation. "Aunt Mara and I had to go very, very far away for a while, but we both wanted to come and see you as soon as we got back."

He could sense some displeasure coming from Mara, but he decided to ignore it.

"Do you know what Aunt Mara can do, Cay?" Callista asked in a stage whisper.

Cay twisted her neck to look at her mother, her eyes widening in curiosity.

"You know how Daddy plays that game with you when he talks without moving his lips?"

Cay nodded vigorously, eyes wider still.

"I bet that Aunt Mara could play that game really well."

Cay turned shyly back to Mara. "Wanna play?" she asked, hesitantly.

Luke sensed some sort of communication pass from Mara to the little girl and suddenly Cay was giggling again. She turned to look back at Callista. "Aunt Mawa is loud!"

Callista smiled encouragingly at her, but Luke could tell that the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. Callista always tried to think of different ways to help in developing Cay's powers, but it still hurt her sometimes that she couldn't have a more direct role.

"Do you want to try talking back to Aunt Mara, Cay?"

"Okay!" Cay answered, happily.

Luke had tried teaching Cay how to speak back, but at this age, there was so much chaos in her mind, that it was very to difficult to pick out anything clearer than general emotions and senses.

He sensed Mara telling Cay a few more things and a moment later Cay was squeezing her eyes shut as she attempted to "concentrate." Luke, who had long ago given up on getting Cay to concentrate on anything exclusively, for at least a few more years, wasn't surprised when he felt Cay sigh in frustration.

"Aunt Mawa hold Cay," she announced, suddenly, and promptly threw herself into Mara's arms. It was only Mara's Jedi reflexes that prevented the little girl from going crashing to the floor.

For a moment, Mara looked uncomfortable holding Cay, but her natural grace quickly kicked in and she adjusted her stance and her arms so that she was cradling Cay on one hip.

"Pretty hair," Cay said, as soon as she was situated comfortably. She reached up to tug on a lock, but Mara intercepted her hand.

"Thanks, but I prefer it to stay on my head," Mara told her, tucking the hand in between their bodies.

Cay looked at her blankly for a moment, then burst out into giggles. "You is funny, Aunt Mawa."

Mara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Uh…thanks," she said, clearly unsure of how to respond.

"No, no," Cay said, freeing her hand and swatting Mara lightly on the chest. "Whisper game."

Mara wrinkled her brow in confusion before understanding dawned. Luke sensed her "whispering" to Cay again and guessed what it was about when Cay suddenly pulled her hand back.

"Now, we play?" the girl asked, hopefully.

Mara nodded and Luke picked up a snatch of conversation—as long as it stays that way—before the two moved off together.

Callista moved to lean against him as they listened to Cay's one-sided conversation. It mostly involved Cay's various attempts to escape her crib, he noted with amusement. He had built Cay a special crib a few months ago because she managed to escape so easily from the previous one.  The builders of the old crib hadn't had a force-sensitive child in mind when building, apparently.  From the direction the conversation was going, Luke could tell that Mara was trying to find something that Cay was so interested in that she might be able to focus on.

"I'm sorry about before with Mara," Callista whispered.

He caught her hand in his own and squeezed. "It's alright. I understood where you were coming from."

"But…"

He chuckled; she knew him so well. "But I think that we need to continue the conversation. There are a few things that Mara neglected to mention."

Callista sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

Luke shrugged, but didn't answer as he fought down a suddenly defensive reflex.

"She could be so great," Callista said, suddenly, wistfully. She motioned with her hand to Mara who was trying to deposit Cay on the couch next to her. Cay would have none of it and immediately climbed up into her lap. "Look at her with Cay. Wouldn't it be so wonderful if she could be there to help train her?"

Luke nodded, thoughtfully. There were certainly more than enough qualified teachers—and there would be even more by the time Cay was old enough to train—but Callista had noticed Cay's aptitude for empathy and possibly telepathy. Most children Cay's age—even Jacen and Jaina—weren't yet able to pick up structured thoughts from others. Mara would be ideally suited to train someone with that type of inborn ability. It was the same ability that had made her attractive to the Emperor in the first place, he supposed.

"Maybe she will be able to do it," Luke insisted, careful to keep his voice down.

Callista shook her head. "No, I don't think so. She's too obsessed with her own sense of independence. However false it is."

"I think you're wrong," Luke said, before he could stop himself. Callista looked at him with shock; he rarely spoke so bluntly. He squeezed her hand again and smiled apologetically. "Some things that happened on Nirauan changed my mind." He turned to look at Mara. "I think she's ready this time, Callie. I think she'll do it. We just have to give her the support she needs."

Callista sighed and pulled his arm around her waist. "You're more optimistic than I am, Luke. But I hope you're right. I really do hope so."

Luke tightened his grip around her waist, noticing for the first time since arriving that her outfit was more fitted than what she would usually wear around the house.  He wondered for a moment what his homecoming would have been like if Mara hadn't come along, but quickly pushed the thought from his mind, remembering the incident in the hallway, when his gaze settled, uncertainly, on Mara again.  He believed and trusted her when she said that she would commit to the Jedi, but he had been disappointed by her so many times before that it was hard to have no doubts of her sincerity.

But you didn't have any doubts on Nirauan, he told himself, none at all.

Still, that was on Nirauan. Things had seemed so clear-cut there, but, now that he was back he was starting to remember "real life." Mara might start to do the same. And "real life" for Mara meant being independent.

He shrugged off those thoughts as he watched Mara carry Cay down the hallway to her bedroom. As long as Mara was still willing, he would give her his support, he promised himself.

"Mara, is everything all right?" Callista called out, stepping away from him.

"Yeah," Mara said. "Cay's just going to show me her crib."

"Oh," Callista said in a confused tone of voice.

Luke held back his chuckle till Mara and Cay were out of sight.

"What's so funny?" Callista demanded.

"Mara," he answered.

Callista's expression told him that she still didn't get the joke.

"With the crib…and Cay…"

Callista looked at him blankly.

"Don't you get what she's trying to do?"

"Would you care to explain?" she asked sternly, but her eyes twinkled with humor.

"She's going to…" he began, but stopped, clutching his head, when a single—and extremely loud—word suddenly rang in his head.

OUT!

It took him a few moments before he stopped laughing long enough to explain his strange behavior to Callista, who was looking at him worriedly.

"I think," he gasped out. "I think that Mara put Cay back in bed and kept her there till she could tell her through the force to take her out."

"And it worked?" Callista asked, incredulously.

"Mommy!"

Mara and Cay had emerged from the bedroom with smiles on their faces. Cay's smile was significantly wider than Mara's, but they were both still smiling.

"Mommy, I did it! I whispered like Daddy!"

"'Whisper' is not quite the word I would use," Mara quipped, as she lowered Cay to the ground so she could run toward Callista.

Luke released Callista who pulled Cay into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Cay giggled with pride. "Aunt Mawa said I was es…estummy good."

"Extremely good," Mara explained.

"Aunt Mara would know," Callista told her. "If it's alright with her, maybe Aunt Mara will come by another time to play with you."

Mara shrugged noncommittally, but Luke could tell that she was willing.

"But, Aunt Mawa?" Cay asked, seriously

"Yeah?"

"We not gonna play in the crib again, okay?"

Mara smiled—probably the biggest smile Luke had ever seen on her—and answered, "No, we don't have to play in the crib."


A/N: Altorogue: Tying up loose ends is exactly what I was going for.  I didn't feel that Luke ever got real closure with Callista.  Hambly basically made sure that there was no real closure.  But I agree—I'm glad it didn't happen this way!

CJ Jade: I don't think that Callista was characterized very well in the novels, so I'm attempting to give her some depth here.  We'll see if it works!

Achica: Hmmm.  It'll become fairly obvious in another couple of posts (if it hasn't already) if you think you can hold out till then.

Ambassador Cara Jade: I'm not sure what this says about my ego, but I assumed that you weren't talking about the story J  As for catfights: have no fear.  This won't even really be about Luke choosing between them, as much as it will be about Luke choosing between…well, you'll see J