Disclaimer: As if! I own none of this it all belongs to George Lucas and
other assorted folks.
Author's note: Firey- Thanks for reading and I'm glad you liked the cliff- hangar. I couldn't leave ya'll with a purely mush/fluff chapter.
Otter Moon: I know what you mean about getting found with baby name books and I'm glad you liked Elvere. It just popped into my head one day and I thought it would work.
Starwars_freak250@.....com: Sorry it took me so long to type it up. Hope you enjoyed the story so far.
Lady Leila: The guys are all out doing the manly thing and fighting the battle.
Serpena: I'll try to keep updating, but the other day it kept not uploading my document. * Bangs desk in frustration*
________________________________________________________________
Faraway voices murmured in alternately soft and urgent tones. Pain flared through her body giving her incentive not to move a muscle. Her mind was desperately trying to cut through the fog that surrounded it to figure out what had happened to her. The muted cry of a baby brought it back to her instantly.
The battle, her mother in labor, Elvere and the explosion. She jerked abruptly to a sitting position and screamed in pain, almost blacking out again, before the med droids rushed over to her and increased her pain medication. When she could see through the pain again, she saw her family and Jag gathered around her. Jag stood next to her, looking worried, while her mother sat on the other side, stroking Jaina's hair off of her forehead. Han stood behind his wife, cradling his youngest daughter, while the rest of the family including Jacen and Tenel Ka, she hazily noted were gathered in a circle around the bed.
"What happened," she asked, or at least that's what she tried to ask. It came out as a croaky garbled sound that no one could fully interpret.
Leia fortunately knew her daughter well enough to know what she had asked. "There was an bomb," Leia said shakily, tears starting to form in her eyes as she thought about how easily she could have lost her oldest daughter.
Jaina resisted the urge to comfort her mother, remembering the horrible pain, but se was glad when her father rested a comforting hand on Leia's shoulder. "S-some Peace Brigaders were trying to strike a blow, while we were distracted."
"They were captured," Mara added icily, leaving no doubt in Jaina's mind about who exactly had done the capturing.
"The Force shield you erected kept Elvere, Mara and I safe from the blast. We didn't get hurt, not even a scratch," Leia added taking Elvere from Han and showing her to Jaina.
Jaina managed a quick, painful smile. At least she had succeeded for her sister where she had failed Anakin. It would never ease her guilt over Anakin's death, but she would do anything to spare her mother, herself and the rest of her family that pain, no matter what it took.
"I don't understand how you gut hurt, though," Leia said. "We didn't even feel the concussion wave."
When Jaina didn't answer, Mara spoke up carefully. She knew exactly why her niece had done what she did. She had trained the girl and she understood her. It was simple enough. "Jaina wasn't sure she could create a strong enough, large enough, force shield to protect all four of us. So she choose to protect the three of us." Mara gestured to Leia, Elvere and herself and then continued. "She was counting on the fact that should anything else come up I could take care of it. So she sacrificed herself. That's why she's so badly injured."
Jaina shot a glare at her aunt, or at least tried to. It wasn't very effective in her current state. Sometimes her aunt simply knew her too well. Most of the time that was a blessing, other times, like now, it wasn't. Jaina focused back on her mother and then saw the stunned expression on her face.
"Oh, Jaina," Leia said tears streaming down her face, and then she was crushing Jaina in a hug. Despite the pain that she was feeling, Jaina was happy. Wrapped in her mother's arms, confident in the fact that Leia loved her, she wondered how she could ever have thought Leia didn't care about her children.
She wasn't one to let a moment get all sappy though; she had probably learned that from her father. So she struggled to get out the words that would lighten the situation. "Learned...it ...from...Jacen."
Distantly she heard her families laughter and her brother's protest, but still something nagged at the back of her mind as Leia let her go and Jag leaned over to pres a chaste kiss onto her lips. It had something to do with she and Jagged, she knew, but at the moment it no longer matter, because exhaustion had won. She fell into a troubled slumber, content in the knowledge that her family was safe, but upset about whatever she was keeping from Jag. She knew it was important.
________________________________________________________________
When she woke up, the nagging feeling that had haunted her dreams had returned in full force. "Tekli," she called out seeing that none of her family was there.
The little Chandra-Fan healer had almost become Jaina's personal medic throughout the past few years. She knew about the Goddess charade and the necessary secrecy that entailed. Besides as Tekli had said, "Wherever Jaina goes, trouble and a need for healers always seem to follow, so I might as well be at the sight of the problem."
Jaina relaxed when Teklie hopped on the little stool next to her bed and loomed over her. "Yes," the small Jedi healer said tartly. She had slowly grown out of her shyness and now was completely comfortable with the position and responsibility, do her as a senior and highly effective Jedi healer.
"What's wrong with me," Jaina asked.
Tekli sighed, "Nothing," she said at last. "You're probably still a little sore, but you're a Jedi, you can handle that. I just kept you in here for observation because of your condition, especially because your family doesn't know."
Jaina didn't have to look at Tekli or really even hear what she said to know Tekli's opinion on the matter. She had given it to Jaina more than enough times for her to be familiar with it.
"I can't tell them, Tekli, not yet. I know you hate having to conceal the truth like this and I'm sorry about that."
Tekli waved off the apology. "However, I am not the one that this is happening to."
Jaina didn't disagree with that. "I know this is serious. I am well aware of that, but right now I have to put the safety of the galaxy first." Jaina winced as soon as she heard the words come out of her mouth. They were amazingly close to something her mother would have said. It was scary how much she was acting like her mother was she grew older. Maybe it was a curse.
Jaina was aware that she was purposefully not thinking about what was bothering her then, but that didn't' matter. None of that mattered; right then all that mattered was ensuring the safety of the galaxy. She just had to believe that.
________________________________________________________________
Han glanced down at his wife. She was laying on the length of the couch, with her head in his lap and their daughter in her arms. It was amazing to see her like this. It was so different from the first time they had done this. He would never admit this to Leia, but they really hadn't been the best of parents. Sure, they had tried, but really it had seemed like they cared more about the government and the rest of the galaxy than their own children.
This time, however, they were more mature and they had been parents before, for a number of years, in fact. They were determined not to make the same mistakes and they no longer took their children for granted. Despite every parent's deepest hopes, children did not always outlive their parents.
"Han," Leia said softly, startling him. His wife had been quiet all night.
"Yeah, Sweetheart," he said matching her in volume, out of a desire not to wake the sleeping infant.
"Jaina could have died," she blurted out tonelessly, but he heard the fear in her words.
He wrapped and arm around her. He hated seeing his princess like this, so weak and fragile. It wasn't that seeing her weakness disgusted him. On the contrary, it almost scared him because his wife was one of the strongest people he knew. Se had been through so much in her life, sometimes it didn't seem fair. Then again the galaxy wasn't in the game of fair.
"She did what she thought was right," he said to his wife. Yet, he almost choked on his words, he was the last person to be saying that. "We raised her to do that and as much as we hate it, we have to let her make her own decisions. We have to trust in her ability to take care of herself, or we'll go crazy."
Leia looked up at him sharply and he felt himself unconsciously holding his breath. He purposefully provoked his wife at times, but her temper was a fearsome thing, nonetheless. Jabba the Hutt could attest to that. Well it he wasn't dead, Han amended.
"When did you become the smart one and I became the overprotective one."
Han swallowed a chuckle at that statement. It wouldn't be good if Elvere had to witness her father's murder and her mother's hand. Still Leia could hardly be called a relaxed parent. Her behavior at Lando's asteroid field so many years ago was proof of that and it certainly was not an isolated incident. All he said thought was, "Well someone had to be, Sweetheart," and deftly cut off her reply with a kiss.
"I love you, Han."
"I know." He smiled smugly.
*Whap* "Han," it was more of a whine than anyone would have expected from the dignified princess.
*Chuckle* "I love you too, Sweetheart."
________________________________________________________________
Please review. You'll make my day!
Author's note: Firey- Thanks for reading and I'm glad you liked the cliff- hangar. I couldn't leave ya'll with a purely mush/fluff chapter.
Otter Moon: I know what you mean about getting found with baby name books and I'm glad you liked Elvere. It just popped into my head one day and I thought it would work.
Starwars_freak250@.....com: Sorry it took me so long to type it up. Hope you enjoyed the story so far.
Lady Leila: The guys are all out doing the manly thing and fighting the battle.
Serpena: I'll try to keep updating, but the other day it kept not uploading my document. * Bangs desk in frustration*
________________________________________________________________
Faraway voices murmured in alternately soft and urgent tones. Pain flared through her body giving her incentive not to move a muscle. Her mind was desperately trying to cut through the fog that surrounded it to figure out what had happened to her. The muted cry of a baby brought it back to her instantly.
The battle, her mother in labor, Elvere and the explosion. She jerked abruptly to a sitting position and screamed in pain, almost blacking out again, before the med droids rushed over to her and increased her pain medication. When she could see through the pain again, she saw her family and Jag gathered around her. Jag stood next to her, looking worried, while her mother sat on the other side, stroking Jaina's hair off of her forehead. Han stood behind his wife, cradling his youngest daughter, while the rest of the family including Jacen and Tenel Ka, she hazily noted were gathered in a circle around the bed.
"What happened," she asked, or at least that's what she tried to ask. It came out as a croaky garbled sound that no one could fully interpret.
Leia fortunately knew her daughter well enough to know what she had asked. "There was an bomb," Leia said shakily, tears starting to form in her eyes as she thought about how easily she could have lost her oldest daughter.
Jaina resisted the urge to comfort her mother, remembering the horrible pain, but se was glad when her father rested a comforting hand on Leia's shoulder. "S-some Peace Brigaders were trying to strike a blow, while we were distracted."
"They were captured," Mara added icily, leaving no doubt in Jaina's mind about who exactly had done the capturing.
"The Force shield you erected kept Elvere, Mara and I safe from the blast. We didn't get hurt, not even a scratch," Leia added taking Elvere from Han and showing her to Jaina.
Jaina managed a quick, painful smile. At least she had succeeded for her sister where she had failed Anakin. It would never ease her guilt over Anakin's death, but she would do anything to spare her mother, herself and the rest of her family that pain, no matter what it took.
"I don't understand how you gut hurt, though," Leia said. "We didn't even feel the concussion wave."
When Jaina didn't answer, Mara spoke up carefully. She knew exactly why her niece had done what she did. She had trained the girl and she understood her. It was simple enough. "Jaina wasn't sure she could create a strong enough, large enough, force shield to protect all four of us. So she choose to protect the three of us." Mara gestured to Leia, Elvere and herself and then continued. "She was counting on the fact that should anything else come up I could take care of it. So she sacrificed herself. That's why she's so badly injured."
Jaina shot a glare at her aunt, or at least tried to. It wasn't very effective in her current state. Sometimes her aunt simply knew her too well. Most of the time that was a blessing, other times, like now, it wasn't. Jaina focused back on her mother and then saw the stunned expression on her face.
"Oh, Jaina," Leia said tears streaming down her face, and then she was crushing Jaina in a hug. Despite the pain that she was feeling, Jaina was happy. Wrapped in her mother's arms, confident in the fact that Leia loved her, she wondered how she could ever have thought Leia didn't care about her children.
She wasn't one to let a moment get all sappy though; she had probably learned that from her father. So she struggled to get out the words that would lighten the situation. "Learned...it ...from...Jacen."
Distantly she heard her families laughter and her brother's protest, but still something nagged at the back of her mind as Leia let her go and Jag leaned over to pres a chaste kiss onto her lips. It had something to do with she and Jagged, she knew, but at the moment it no longer matter, because exhaustion had won. She fell into a troubled slumber, content in the knowledge that her family was safe, but upset about whatever she was keeping from Jag. She knew it was important.
________________________________________________________________
When she woke up, the nagging feeling that had haunted her dreams had returned in full force. "Tekli," she called out seeing that none of her family was there.
The little Chandra-Fan healer had almost become Jaina's personal medic throughout the past few years. She knew about the Goddess charade and the necessary secrecy that entailed. Besides as Tekli had said, "Wherever Jaina goes, trouble and a need for healers always seem to follow, so I might as well be at the sight of the problem."
Jaina relaxed when Teklie hopped on the little stool next to her bed and loomed over her. "Yes," the small Jedi healer said tartly. She had slowly grown out of her shyness and now was completely comfortable with the position and responsibility, do her as a senior and highly effective Jedi healer.
"What's wrong with me," Jaina asked.
Tekli sighed, "Nothing," she said at last. "You're probably still a little sore, but you're a Jedi, you can handle that. I just kept you in here for observation because of your condition, especially because your family doesn't know."
Jaina didn't have to look at Tekli or really even hear what she said to know Tekli's opinion on the matter. She had given it to Jaina more than enough times for her to be familiar with it.
"I can't tell them, Tekli, not yet. I know you hate having to conceal the truth like this and I'm sorry about that."
Tekli waved off the apology. "However, I am not the one that this is happening to."
Jaina didn't disagree with that. "I know this is serious. I am well aware of that, but right now I have to put the safety of the galaxy first." Jaina winced as soon as she heard the words come out of her mouth. They were amazingly close to something her mother would have said. It was scary how much she was acting like her mother was she grew older. Maybe it was a curse.
Jaina was aware that she was purposefully not thinking about what was bothering her then, but that didn't' matter. None of that mattered; right then all that mattered was ensuring the safety of the galaxy. She just had to believe that.
________________________________________________________________
Han glanced down at his wife. She was laying on the length of the couch, with her head in his lap and their daughter in her arms. It was amazing to see her like this. It was so different from the first time they had done this. He would never admit this to Leia, but they really hadn't been the best of parents. Sure, they had tried, but really it had seemed like they cared more about the government and the rest of the galaxy than their own children.
This time, however, they were more mature and they had been parents before, for a number of years, in fact. They were determined not to make the same mistakes and they no longer took their children for granted. Despite every parent's deepest hopes, children did not always outlive their parents.
"Han," Leia said softly, startling him. His wife had been quiet all night.
"Yeah, Sweetheart," he said matching her in volume, out of a desire not to wake the sleeping infant.
"Jaina could have died," she blurted out tonelessly, but he heard the fear in her words.
He wrapped and arm around her. He hated seeing his princess like this, so weak and fragile. It wasn't that seeing her weakness disgusted him. On the contrary, it almost scared him because his wife was one of the strongest people he knew. Se had been through so much in her life, sometimes it didn't seem fair. Then again the galaxy wasn't in the game of fair.
"She did what she thought was right," he said to his wife. Yet, he almost choked on his words, he was the last person to be saying that. "We raised her to do that and as much as we hate it, we have to let her make her own decisions. We have to trust in her ability to take care of herself, or we'll go crazy."
Leia looked up at him sharply and he felt himself unconsciously holding his breath. He purposefully provoked his wife at times, but her temper was a fearsome thing, nonetheless. Jabba the Hutt could attest to that. Well it he wasn't dead, Han amended.
"When did you become the smart one and I became the overprotective one."
Han swallowed a chuckle at that statement. It wouldn't be good if Elvere had to witness her father's murder and her mother's hand. Still Leia could hardly be called a relaxed parent. Her behavior at Lando's asteroid field so many years ago was proof of that and it certainly was not an isolated incident. All he said thought was, "Well someone had to be, Sweetheart," and deftly cut off her reply with a kiss.
"I love you, Han."
"I know." He smiled smugly.
*Whap* "Han," it was more of a whine than anyone would have expected from the dignified princess.
*Chuckle* "I love you too, Sweetheart."
________________________________________________________________
Please review. You'll make my day!