See first chap for disclaimer.

No one in particular: Hey I'm honored. Actually, I remember the first star wars fic I read. I remember thinking Who in the heck is Mara Jade? Count yourself Lucky, I had to buy all of my Star Wars books.

Jedijainafel/ Lady Rogue: Hope you like this chapter as much. I see from your name that you're a Jaina/Jag fan. I hope you don't mind that I won't be putting Jag in. I think he's great in the books from what I've read about him (Remember I quit reading NJO before his character was introduced), but I think my muse will go in a little different direction. So I don't get nasty reviews, Jaina isn't staying with Kyp. I just thought I'd like to break up a couple ;)

Heidi M: Well I hope you're not mad at me. This chapter is a little late. I had too many papers to write for finals week.

Elayne Cypher: Glad you Liked it!

Fire Senshi: Yup.

Reikson: well what your review lacked in verbosity it more than made up for in quantity.

Rebel Diosa: Yeah, I know it would be cool. Maybe I'll sneak it in later.

Bakah_K: Well, you might have to suffer through missing the gang for another chapter yet, I haven't really decided. Anyway, You get to see how Leia reacts, so you get one wish granted.

ShortySC22: Does the SC stand for South Carolina? I wish I was there at the moment. I hate it when the high for the day is 10 below zero weather is nasty.

Cammy: Hyper. Hmmm can Jedi be hyper? Senators can't. You must be a smuggler.

Well fav five. I had to think a bit to compile this. I mean I have a bunch of favorites, but as you can see, Jedi always seem to worm there way into top spots. I think it's mind tricks personally. 1) Obi-Wan, 2)Qui-Gon, 3)Mara Jade, 4) Luke [After his whiney stage], 5) Siri (This was a really tough call. She barely beat out Padme, Leia, Han and Lando—Some how fifth place is always the hardest.)

Seems how this section is already long, I thought I'd add thought. For the next chapter and a half to two chapters Jacen will probably be a jerk, because I feel like it. BUT he will not stay that way, because I don't think he's a bad character. Just some of the writers wrote him so that he annoyed me.

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   Leia turned and paced through her apartment again. Han was coming home. Han was coming home with a passenger in tow. And Force help her she didn't know whether to cry or throw an angry tantrum. Forget the Sith spawned Jedi codes.

   The night before last Han had called her in the middle of the night. He had said that he was coming home five days early. Surprised, Leia had asked him if he'd had a fight with Lando. She thought something terrible had happened when he didn't answer. He seemed so tense when he had called.  She heard another voice float over the comm..

"Are you all right? Your signature is tense."

Han had merely waved whoever it was away. Leia listened and heard the other being's footsteps disappear. What was another person doing aboard the Falcon?

"Han, who was that? Are you in trouble?"

"Nah, I'm not in trouble Princess. It's just that… That was… He's…"

"Han, who is he, and what is he doing on the Falcon?"

"That was Anakin, and he's coming home."

   Shaking herself Leia garnered a concerned glance from her brother. She had hung up on Han hysterical. She refused to answer his calls. Finally, Han had called Luke over from his Coruscant apartment to calm her down.

   "Leia, calm yourself."

Usually Leia enjoyed Luke's calm Jedi Master teachings, but at the moment, she was getting the testy edge her husband got from them.

  Before she could react, Mara suggested that they go make tea in the kitchen. Leia knew it was a distraction, but the tension was so high in the room that she welcomed it.

  Jaina was staring out the window. She had been called off of her duty schedule by her mother early that morning. Truthfully, she had been annoyed that her senator mother had used her sway, just because she felt like it. That was before she heard the news. Now, she was thankful that Leia had told her in person. Fainting in front of her squadron would not have gone over well.

   A quick glance over her shoulder saw that Jacen was busy tweaking the houseplants. Her twin had been aggravated from the instant he'd heard the news. Jaina was sure that something was bothering him more than Anakin's return. Certainly, he would feel nervous, but he had been so snippy and condescending about it. She had never known her brother to be like that about anyone. Well she had when she first started going out with Kyp, but that was quickly resolved.

     She walked away from the window when she hear Artoo roll in with the refreshment tray. Mara and Leia followed behind with assorted snacks. Jaina smiled. It was sort of like a mini party.

   The doorbell chimed. For a second, everyone froze. Even Threepio stopped his endless chatter.

It chimed again. Jaina glanced at her mother. She didn't look like she could move from her spot.

"I'll get it." Luke's voice rolled through the quiet room. Jaina frowned as she watched her Uncle move towards the door. Her Dad had the key. Why didn't he just open the door?

Jacen's brown eyes bored into hers. "He wanted to warn us."

Outside the door, Han, Anakin, and Chewie waited. Lando had returned to his space station to try to confirm the things Anakin had told them.

Han shifted his weight outside the door. What was taking so long? He looked over at Anakin. Calm, calm, calm. If the kid wasn't a Jedi, Han had never met one.

Anakin forced himself to be calm. Inside, his thoughts were in turmoil. Now would be about the time Obi-Wan would give him an extra hour of meditation. A pang hit him. He would rather his Master was here to support him; he didn't feel ready.

  The door hissed open. Luke looked up slightly expecting to see Han's smug features. Instead, his eyes were met with a pair of blue eyes identical to his own.

"Master Luke." The young man bowed slightly at the waist his eyes diverted slightly to his right in a gesture of respect.

Luke forced a smile. He knew that Anakin would have to have grown. But, he had somehow expected the exuberant youngster who would chortle 'Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke!' when he came to visit. He had expected the spirit if not the size to be the same.

"Why don't you come in."

Han muttered under his breath, "I can find my way in by myself."

Chewie simply growled at Han to behave.

Anakin walked in, automatically walking half a step behind Luke. Nothing had really changed. The carpet had been redone, the walls repainted, but the room was basically the same. Walking farther in, Anakin saw his mother and siblings for the first time in ten years.

Leia stared at Anakin. He was so hansome. So tall.

"Ani?"

Anakin had to fight the reflex to glance behind him, half expecting his grandfather to be there. Instinctively, he knew that this would be harder than his dad. The rest of the family had never accepted him as gone. How could they accept him as returned?

"Hi, Mom." Anakin took a step towards her knowing that she did not have the will power to move on her own. She still believed that he would disappear the instant she touched him.

Leia watched as he drew near. Aggressively, she threw her arms around him holding on as if her will power alone would hold him there.

"Leia, he's not going to stay in one piece for much longer if you keep doing that." Han voiced.

Leia let go. "Anakin I think maybe I should re-introduce you to the people here."

"There's really no need M'lady. I think I know everyone. That's Jacen. Jaina. Luke. Artoo. Threepio. And that would be Mara Jade. Not that we've formally met, but we even get news in Hutt space."

Anakin felt the room grow uncomfortable. Was it the mention of Hutt space? No, they had to know he'd been somewhere. He frowned. "M'Lady," oh Sith! Now there was a wonderful way to address your own mother.

Jacen was the first to speak. "I find it fascinating that a man who claims to be from Hutt space speaks with such a pronounced Empire accent, and grammatical structure."

"Watch it Jacen. We're here to meet your brother, not make it harder on your mother." Han quickly returned.

"Brother? He's not my brother. He's some kid that was taken from us, not one of us. How do we know he's not just some pawn in yet another enemy's scheme?"

"Jacen!" His twin's voice was surprised. She knew he was irate about something, but she didn't think he'd lose all his sense.

"What? I'm just saying that…"

"He is just saying what every news crew will say. Suspicion is still rampant in on Coruscant is it not?" Anakin's voice was amazingly smooth and controlled a credit to his mentors.

Jacen, angry that his target had agreed with him, kept silent. Anakin saw his father go to support his mother. Chewie just gave stony look at his brother. Now was not the time to bring the subject up.

Mara grinned. She liked the kid. He had spunk underneath his placid exterior.

"As long as we are talking about connections to the Empire, why don't you come over here so you can appropriately meet your Aunt?"

Anakin complied. It was not the first time he had met his Aunt, but he had never really had prolonged exposure to her before.

Mara's eyes swept appraisingly over him. Tall and good looking—not exactly hard observations. The braid had a funny color on the end. He stood straight, but she could see the hidden strain in his shoulders.

She shook her head. "It seems that the Skywalker clan has a tendency to let their children be raised by others."

Anakin hid a smirk. She had no idea.

Jacen now stood sulking in the corner. He got his Aunt's jabs. He was being discriminating, but he really didn't care.

Luke walked over. "Hutt space?"

Anakin swept his gaze over at his father.

"I didn't really have time to fill them in on the details kid."

Anakin took an offered seat and began his story. Just as he was about to reveal his kidnapper, the comm. rang. Jacen popped up quickly to answer it. Silence reigned in the room until he returned.

"That was Callista, she wants to know if Mom, Luke, and Mara are still on for dinner tonight."

Callista? Anakin fought down the immediate feeling of betrayal. Pain flashed through his eyes.

Luke noticed immediately. "We made arrangements before we knew. Don't worry. Callista will understand when we cancel. This is more important than dinner."

"NO, I mean, I wouldn't want to cause any trouble. Why don't you go without me?" Anakin forced himself to calm. There was no way that they would believe him over Callista. He would just leave as soon as they were gone. He would wait until they discovered her evil and then he would offer his help.

Mara knew better than to trust the kid. He lied well, but she had seen better. He reacted to the name, not the reason. "Don't be silly, Anakin. I don't particularly like her. I'd rather spend time with you." It sounded like a bad pickup line, but Mara could see that he'd caught her meaning.

"But, Callista is in charge of the relief effort of Tychlynn VI. They need the support immediately." Jacen said.

Jaina sighed, time to be the Jedi she was supposed to be. "Why doesn't Mara just go? Uncle Luke can fill her in about what happened and Mom can stay here. Mara can handle the decision process with a couple of calls back here."

Anakin released his pent breath. If Callista wasn't that important, he still had a chance. He'd just have to word things carefully until he had their trust.

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  Jaina stood out on the balcony of the apartment. She really should be asleep like the rest of her family, but she couldn't stop thinking. The story seemed to fit, but he had been leery of giving details. He didn't trust them. Which she supposed was fair. Jacen had scoffed at him being a Jedi. Truthfully, Jacen had scoffed at him period. Jaina didn't like being at odds with her twin, and Jacen had some good points. The story did seem fantastic. Still, it did fit the general perceptions she got from Anakin.

"You are twins Jaina, not a mini-army; you do not have to put on a united front." Anakin's voice floated through the air. Jaina kicked herself. She hadn't even felt his approach.

"You read minds in your spare time?"

"I'm very perceptive."

"You know, that sounds very egotistical."

"I never claimed that I don't have an ego. There is a reason I cannot take the trials yet."

Jaina shook her head. At Anakin's age she had already been knighted. What could he possibly have in him that prevented him from becoming a knight? She looked at his hands.

"That's you're old stuffed Reek that mom bought for you."

Anakin nodded. "I asked for it. I needed something from both my families." With a smile he produced the one that Obi-Wan had given him. Holding them together, one could easily see which was worth more money.

"That's pretty expensive. Where'd you get it?"

"My Master gave it to me. It is a part of me, as he is a part of me. But, so is my old one."

Jaina chuckled. "That sounds like a fancy way of saying that we are both equally important."

"Ah, but Jaina you are not. I will not make the mistake of breaking your hearts. You are dear to me, but my oath is to the Order and so to my Master. Painful though it might be, a Jedi's life is one of sacrifice. Sacrifice to attain peace for those who cannot sacrifice. If I must choose, know I will choose my Order."

"I think I must go now." Anakin turned and left. Leaving Jaina to ponder his words and wonder if they had truly lost him, or if he could truly be returned.