The Sweetest Thing
By obi's girl
Chapter 12, Post 1
Jaina hummed to herself as she walked through the nursery, Jag had been working on for weeks. He made it his personal mission to make the nursery suitable for his sons', decorating it with (of all choices) baby Ewoks. Jaina figured he must have been talking to Wes and he suggested decorating the nursery with Ewoks since they were the most cuddly and adorable....
She tossed the stuffed toy Ewok into the wastebasket and continued walking through the room. This place looks incredibly ridiculous, Jaina cried and then thought about maybe taking her lightsaber and using it to remove the Ewok wallpaper and everything else in the room. But then it would be too obvious and Jaina would have to explain to Jag that she disliked the design and he would be hurt. She didn't want to hurt her husband but the room simply screamed for redecorating.
//After all, no need to traumatize the twins, // Jaina realized and as she left the room, she nearly fell over her husband. "Darling, what are you doing here so early?" she cried and slipped in the largest fake-grin she could manage.
Jag shrugged, "I thought I'd take you out for lunch, if that's all right" He didn't wait for her response as he strode into the room. "The nursery looks great doesn't it? Wes gave me the idea,"
//Figured. // Jaina's grin lessoned as she sat down in the rocker in the corner, "It's too busy and there are too many dark colors...Um honey, to be perfectly honest, it's hideous and I want nothing more than to remove my light saber and put those smiling Ewoks to death...."
"I agree," he said and turned back to her, "Wes must have bought me a lot of Corellian wine when he talked me into doing this...we can redecorate,"
Jaina bit her lip, looking worriedly at her husband, "You're not angry? You don't mind?"
Jag turned back to her and held out his hand to her, Jaina smiled and slipped her left into it as he pulled her close to him. He smiled, leaned down and kissed her forehead, "It really is ugly wallpaper," Jaina laughed and kissed him as he wrapped his arms around her back, "So, what do you want?"
"How do I want the nursery to look?" Jaina asked and turned slightly in his arms, studying the room again, "Angels. I don't know why but I want them to be surrounded by angels,"
"I understand and I think I know exactly what to do."
~~
"How did your visit with your mother go?" Mara asked Luke as he walked solemnly into their apartment and he dropped down onto the couch. Mara was in the kitchen, feeding Ben his dinner but the boy was more curious about his father's mood. She whispered something to Ben and then handed him his spoon as she went over to Luke and sat down next to him, "It take it the visit didn't go well?"
Luke shrugged, "The visit went very well...It just never occurred to me after my mother lost Anakin she could fall in love with someone else,"
"A lot of things can happen Luke when your life is torn apart,"
"I know, I realize that..." He turned and looked at Mara and smiled, "Let me ask you something Mara. If I suddenly died and left you alone with Ben, how long would you stay a grieving widow?"
Mara grunted, "I don't know but I do know, I am capable of taking care of Ben by myself...but the grief, the grief of loosing you, that's different Luke," she smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek, resting her head on his shoulder, "Who was it that your mother fell in love after Anakin?"
"Obi-Wan," he whispered, "It's incredible isn't it? If Ben had told me, just mentioned something.... He could have told me,"
"Maybe he didn't know how she felt when they parted," Mara suggested, "It is possible Luke, Padmé was afraid of her feelings for him at the time and didn't want to risk another heartbreak,"
Luke nodded, "I guess...But still...I don't know," Mara moved away from his shoulder as he continued, "I've always had this picture in my mind that after Anakin became Darth Vader and abandoned our mother, she'd live out the rest of her days wishing for him to wake up and come back to her,"
Mara smiled, kissing his cheek, "Life isn't perfect, Luke. It isn't a fairytale you can write, painting every detail the way you want it to be because that's the way it is in your mind," she paused again and huffed, "Luke, your mother is dying. Now isn't the time to hate her for loving someone else besides your father. She needs to know leaving this world that you love her regardless of what happened."
Tbc
Chapter 12, Post 2
Corran eyed Valin carefully as he ate his dinner quietly. For the last couple months, he had noticed a change in attitude in his son. Valin had stopped bickering with Jysella, not that it never occurred to him she still annoyed him to no end but he sensed there was definitely something different in him.
"How's Cherith?" Mirax interrupted her husband's thoughts. Even though she wasn't Force sensitive, she knew her son's mood probably had something to do with a certain green-eyed girl.
Valin shrugged, "She has a lot to deal with but in the typical Fel way, she's dealing with it, I think," Jysella giggled but didn't comment. "Jysella, can you pass the potatoes?" The girl stopped giggling and frowned, passing her brother the potatoes. No insult, no bickering.
"I agree she has to deal with at her young age, her grandmother is dying, her parents are expecting twins...I talked to Luke the other day and he thinks Cherith's very close to becoming a full Jedi Knight,"
"That's good news," Valin muttered and then looked up at his father, "But I thought she had another year or two before something happened,"
"Cherith's ready, Valin," Corran said and smiled, leaning his elbows on the table, "Wouldn't you like to see your girlfriend achieve something big like this?"
Valin nonchalantly nodded and then frowned, standing up and nearly falling from his chair. Jysella's mouth dropped as she stared at him. "How.... how did you know?"
Before Corran could answer, Mirax smiled, "For one, you've never been a good liar, Valin and it's hard not to notice the slightly happier mood you've been in since Cherith's birthday,"
"Somehow I knew...you two were spending way too much time together!" Jysella cried, "And I bet big brother, you two were using that time to ---"Before Jy could say another word, Mirax slapped her hand over her mouth, rose from her chair and carried off her daughter to her room, locking the door and then calmly, walking back to the table and sitting beside Corran.
"I swear I was going tell you two," Valin muttered, "Cherith and I just want to keep it a secret for awhile longer. Anyway, now you know,"
Mirax nodded, "Valin, I don't see why you felt you had hide this from us,"
"It wasn't my idea – Cherith, she didn't want to keep things private,"
Corran and Mirax exchanged glances and then looked back to Valin, "Have you and Cherith..?"
"No, absolutely not! We both realize and understand we're too young for that," Valin stated, "I care about Cherith a lot but we're not ready for that,"
"That's good to know," Mirax said and stood up, grabbing Jysella's food and taking it to her room, leaving Corran alone with his son.
Corran huffed, "I don't know what to say to you...you should have come to me before and told me. I could have given you tips and advice. I mean you two haven't had your first date yet have you?"
Valin nodded no, "But I did sing a song to her on her birthday..."
"Does Jagged Fel know about your little romance with his daughter?"
"No, which is why Cherith didn't want to say anything about it. He thinks Cherith's too young to be dating,"
"And you are too, Valin," Corran finished, "but I trust you and I trust Cherith too. She is a Fel however, so I'm not completely sure..."
Valin grinned and laughed, "Believe me, she is a Fel but she isn't about to kidnap me to some unknown planet,"
Corran shrugged, fingering his glass as they both sat there at the table, "You still have to talk to Jag and tell him about this, Jaina too. Jaina will be easy because she likes you two together but Jag will be harder to convince. It's the only the proper thing to do Valin."
~~
Sera smiled, coiling her body against Kyp's as they relaxed in his bed. For the time being, they didn't have to worry about Wes planning their engagement part or the possibility of it being Ewok themed or the Wraith Squadron possibly singing a group song, dedicated to them.
"Is there any way you can talk to Wes and tell him we only want a private party that doesn't involve the whole base?"
Sera looked at him and smiled, "A private party? Kyp, Wes is a fellow pilot, a little crazy sometimes but it'll be fun and I'm not telling him he can't do this,"
"It's going to be a disaster, Sera. I just know it,"
She shrugged, "If it is, it'll be our disaster darling...why are you dreading this so much?"
"I'm dreading what Wes will come up with.... Not – forget it,"
Sera pulled away from him, crossing her arms, "You have doubts about your engagement?"
Kyp nodded, "I didn't say that. I know this is what I want, Sera. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you; I have never questioned that,"
"But you don't want Wes to plan our engagement party?"
"That's it! Why can't we just have a private party? Friends, family...is there any need to involve the whole base?"
Sera shrugged, "Technically, I am military personal Kyp. I signed up for this long before the Vong invaded our space,"
"I know you did and I respect that. The only thing I want is for this whole engagement to be perfect,"
"I want that too but where's the harm in allowing Wes to throw us this engagement party?"
~~
Valin paced himself as he met Cherith the next morning for breakfast. She sat in their usual booth, sipping some blue milk and eating a donut. Funny, she never ate breakfast at home but this morning, she probably woke up late and couldn't afford to stick around. Jaina and Jag were probably busy and didn't have the time to cook.
She looked up between chews, smiled and waved at him. Valin waved back, holding his breakfast tray in hand and walking over to their booth. "Did someone wake up late this morning?" Cherith teased, nodding to his ungroomed hair.
"I woke up early this morning actually; I just needed time to think..."
Cherith frowned and put down her donut, "Think? Think about what? Is something bothering Valin?"
"My family knows, Cherith. They know about us. My dad, I think, has been suspicious for weeks and last night, he figured it out and your uncle Luke knows too..."
Cherith fell silent a moment, trying to piece together what he had said. She wanted their little romance to be private but now so many people knew and it was only a matter of time before word reached her dad, and he didn't like Valin. "How does my uncle Luke know?"
"I came to him asking him for advice. I wanted to do something special for you, since you've been so stressed out lately about your grandmother and the eventually arrival of your brothers,"
"So now I have to tell my dad about us? Valin, I, I really wanted to keep this private for a while. You know my dad doesn't like you and there's just so much going on right now...I wish I didn't have all this stuff to worry about,"
Valin leaned over the table and kissed her, smiling, "We don't have to tell him right away, do we? You're right. You do have a lot to deal with right now, and I don't want to add to that burden,"
Cherith smiled and kissed his cheek briefly, "Thanks, Val."
Valin nodded and took a sip of her blue milk, hoping prolonging this wouldn't come back to hurt them later.
tbc
Chapter 12, Post 3
For many years and decades, he had watched her. He'd watched her children grow and have families of their own. Ben smiled wryly, remembering the day he told her Luke and Leia had to be separated, she made him promise, some day, before dying, she would have the chance to see them. He wasn't sure at the time when exactly that "some day" would be and didn't want to promise Padmé anything but he couldn't refuse her.
She needed to hold onto that hope; he'd lost his faith in the Force for a long time and stopped listening to his old Master's words. How was he supposed to believe all the darkness and suffering was supposed to happen? Ben leaned off the wall, walking towards her bed and knelt down beside her, resting her hand in his.
Padmé opened her eyes briefly, smiled, crying. Ben smiled, leaned over her and kissed her forehead. //I have always loved you, //
She nodded, weakly whispering, "I know, Ben. I, I've always known," she smiled weakly, placing her hand on the side of his cheek, "I love you too my old friend," Padmé smiled again and then closed her eyes, her head lulling on the side of her pillow.
Obi-Wan sighed, standing up and letting her hand rest on her stomach. It was finished. Now, she would be with Anakin again, the dutiful wife beside her husband and not by his side. As he stood there, watching her body rest there, he felt soft fingers touch his and he smiled, tightly holding onto that petite hand. He smiled and turned, looking down at Padmé.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, smiling, //Take me home, Ben, //
~~
Luke and Leia rushed to the medical ward, shadowed by Han, Mara, Jag, Jaina and Cherith. Cilighal met the twins as they approached the lab and then nodded for them only to enter. Leia looked back at Han, he nodded her on and the two of them entered the lab.
"It happened awhile ago. She was alone as far as we know...and there was no pain," Cilighal said softly, "I'm sorry Master Skywalker, Leia. It would have been wonderful if she stayed a little longer to meet her great grand children,"
Leia nodded and then Luke turned, telling she could leave them alone. Cilighal smiled and on her way of the room, she nodded to Han and the others to enter. Jag held Jaina's hand as they walked to the foot of the bed, looking down at Padmé's body.
"She looks peaceful," Mara commented. Luke turned to her and smiled; Mara smiled and whispered her condolences to him through their bond.
"What do we do now?" Jag asked, breaking the silence in the room.
Luke walked to the side of his mother's bed, knelt down and kissed her forehead. "I don't know if we can take her back to Naboo; the journey will take days...we'll have the ceremony here,"
"She's with him now," Leia said, staring at her mother's face.
"Yes, she is. She's with the man she loves now and they'll be together forever," Luke said. He'd never told Leia about his conversation with Padmé about her relationship with Ben, his old Master but now, seeing how much his sister was near the edge, he couldn't take away from her grief. It wouldn't be fair to her.
tbc
Chapter 12, Post 1
Jaina hummed to herself as she walked through the nursery, Jag had been working on for weeks. He made it his personal mission to make the nursery suitable for his sons', decorating it with (of all choices) baby Ewoks. Jaina figured he must have been talking to Wes and he suggested decorating the nursery with Ewoks since they were the most cuddly and adorable....
She tossed the stuffed toy Ewok into the wastebasket and continued walking through the room. This place looks incredibly ridiculous, Jaina cried and then thought about maybe taking her lightsaber and using it to remove the Ewok wallpaper and everything else in the room. But then it would be too obvious and Jaina would have to explain to Jag that she disliked the design and he would be hurt. She didn't want to hurt her husband but the room simply screamed for redecorating.
//After all, no need to traumatize the twins, // Jaina realized and as she left the room, she nearly fell over her husband. "Darling, what are you doing here so early?" she cried and slipped in the largest fake-grin she could manage.
Jag shrugged, "I thought I'd take you out for lunch, if that's all right" He didn't wait for her response as he strode into the room. "The nursery looks great doesn't it? Wes gave me the idea,"
//Figured. // Jaina's grin lessoned as she sat down in the rocker in the corner, "It's too busy and there are too many dark colors...Um honey, to be perfectly honest, it's hideous and I want nothing more than to remove my light saber and put those smiling Ewoks to death...."
"I agree," he said and turned back to her, "Wes must have bought me a lot of Corellian wine when he talked me into doing this...we can redecorate,"
Jaina bit her lip, looking worriedly at her husband, "You're not angry? You don't mind?"
Jag turned back to her and held out his hand to her, Jaina smiled and slipped her left into it as he pulled her close to him. He smiled, leaned down and kissed her forehead, "It really is ugly wallpaper," Jaina laughed and kissed him as he wrapped his arms around her back, "So, what do you want?"
"How do I want the nursery to look?" Jaina asked and turned slightly in his arms, studying the room again, "Angels. I don't know why but I want them to be surrounded by angels,"
"I understand and I think I know exactly what to do."
~~
"How did your visit with your mother go?" Mara asked Luke as he walked solemnly into their apartment and he dropped down onto the couch. Mara was in the kitchen, feeding Ben his dinner but the boy was more curious about his father's mood. She whispered something to Ben and then handed him his spoon as she went over to Luke and sat down next to him, "It take it the visit didn't go well?"
Luke shrugged, "The visit went very well...It just never occurred to me after my mother lost Anakin she could fall in love with someone else,"
"A lot of things can happen Luke when your life is torn apart,"
"I know, I realize that..." He turned and looked at Mara and smiled, "Let me ask you something Mara. If I suddenly died and left you alone with Ben, how long would you stay a grieving widow?"
Mara grunted, "I don't know but I do know, I am capable of taking care of Ben by myself...but the grief, the grief of loosing you, that's different Luke," she smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek, resting her head on his shoulder, "Who was it that your mother fell in love after Anakin?"
"Obi-Wan," he whispered, "It's incredible isn't it? If Ben had told me, just mentioned something.... He could have told me,"
"Maybe he didn't know how she felt when they parted," Mara suggested, "It is possible Luke, Padmé was afraid of her feelings for him at the time and didn't want to risk another heartbreak,"
Luke nodded, "I guess...But still...I don't know," Mara moved away from his shoulder as he continued, "I've always had this picture in my mind that after Anakin became Darth Vader and abandoned our mother, she'd live out the rest of her days wishing for him to wake up and come back to her,"
Mara smiled, kissing his cheek, "Life isn't perfect, Luke. It isn't a fairytale you can write, painting every detail the way you want it to be because that's the way it is in your mind," she paused again and huffed, "Luke, your mother is dying. Now isn't the time to hate her for loving someone else besides your father. She needs to know leaving this world that you love her regardless of what happened."
Tbc
Chapter 12, Post 2
Corran eyed Valin carefully as he ate his dinner quietly. For the last couple months, he had noticed a change in attitude in his son. Valin had stopped bickering with Jysella, not that it never occurred to him she still annoyed him to no end but he sensed there was definitely something different in him.
"How's Cherith?" Mirax interrupted her husband's thoughts. Even though she wasn't Force sensitive, she knew her son's mood probably had something to do with a certain green-eyed girl.
Valin shrugged, "She has a lot to deal with but in the typical Fel way, she's dealing with it, I think," Jysella giggled but didn't comment. "Jysella, can you pass the potatoes?" The girl stopped giggling and frowned, passing her brother the potatoes. No insult, no bickering.
"I agree she has to deal with at her young age, her grandmother is dying, her parents are expecting twins...I talked to Luke the other day and he thinks Cherith's very close to becoming a full Jedi Knight,"
"That's good news," Valin muttered and then looked up at his father, "But I thought she had another year or two before something happened,"
"Cherith's ready, Valin," Corran said and smiled, leaning his elbows on the table, "Wouldn't you like to see your girlfriend achieve something big like this?"
Valin nonchalantly nodded and then frowned, standing up and nearly falling from his chair. Jysella's mouth dropped as she stared at him. "How.... how did you know?"
Before Corran could answer, Mirax smiled, "For one, you've never been a good liar, Valin and it's hard not to notice the slightly happier mood you've been in since Cherith's birthday,"
"Somehow I knew...you two were spending way too much time together!" Jysella cried, "And I bet big brother, you two were using that time to ---"Before Jy could say another word, Mirax slapped her hand over her mouth, rose from her chair and carried off her daughter to her room, locking the door and then calmly, walking back to the table and sitting beside Corran.
"I swear I was going tell you two," Valin muttered, "Cherith and I just want to keep it a secret for awhile longer. Anyway, now you know,"
Mirax nodded, "Valin, I don't see why you felt you had hide this from us,"
"It wasn't my idea – Cherith, she didn't want to keep things private,"
Corran and Mirax exchanged glances and then looked back to Valin, "Have you and Cherith..?"
"No, absolutely not! We both realize and understand we're too young for that," Valin stated, "I care about Cherith a lot but we're not ready for that,"
"That's good to know," Mirax said and stood up, grabbing Jysella's food and taking it to her room, leaving Corran alone with his son.
Corran huffed, "I don't know what to say to you...you should have come to me before and told me. I could have given you tips and advice. I mean you two haven't had your first date yet have you?"
Valin nodded no, "But I did sing a song to her on her birthday..."
"Does Jagged Fel know about your little romance with his daughter?"
"No, which is why Cherith didn't want to say anything about it. He thinks Cherith's too young to be dating,"
"And you are too, Valin," Corran finished, "but I trust you and I trust Cherith too. She is a Fel however, so I'm not completely sure..."
Valin grinned and laughed, "Believe me, she is a Fel but she isn't about to kidnap me to some unknown planet,"
Corran shrugged, fingering his glass as they both sat there at the table, "You still have to talk to Jag and tell him about this, Jaina too. Jaina will be easy because she likes you two together but Jag will be harder to convince. It's the only the proper thing to do Valin."
~~
Sera smiled, coiling her body against Kyp's as they relaxed in his bed. For the time being, they didn't have to worry about Wes planning their engagement part or the possibility of it being Ewok themed or the Wraith Squadron possibly singing a group song, dedicated to them.
"Is there any way you can talk to Wes and tell him we only want a private party that doesn't involve the whole base?"
Sera looked at him and smiled, "A private party? Kyp, Wes is a fellow pilot, a little crazy sometimes but it'll be fun and I'm not telling him he can't do this,"
"It's going to be a disaster, Sera. I just know it,"
She shrugged, "If it is, it'll be our disaster darling...why are you dreading this so much?"
"I'm dreading what Wes will come up with.... Not – forget it,"
Sera pulled away from him, crossing her arms, "You have doubts about your engagement?"
Kyp nodded, "I didn't say that. I know this is what I want, Sera. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you; I have never questioned that,"
"But you don't want Wes to plan our engagement party?"
"That's it! Why can't we just have a private party? Friends, family...is there any need to involve the whole base?"
Sera shrugged, "Technically, I am military personal Kyp. I signed up for this long before the Vong invaded our space,"
"I know you did and I respect that. The only thing I want is for this whole engagement to be perfect,"
"I want that too but where's the harm in allowing Wes to throw us this engagement party?"
~~
Valin paced himself as he met Cherith the next morning for breakfast. She sat in their usual booth, sipping some blue milk and eating a donut. Funny, she never ate breakfast at home but this morning, she probably woke up late and couldn't afford to stick around. Jaina and Jag were probably busy and didn't have the time to cook.
She looked up between chews, smiled and waved at him. Valin waved back, holding his breakfast tray in hand and walking over to their booth. "Did someone wake up late this morning?" Cherith teased, nodding to his ungroomed hair.
"I woke up early this morning actually; I just needed time to think..."
Cherith frowned and put down her donut, "Think? Think about what? Is something bothering Valin?"
"My family knows, Cherith. They know about us. My dad, I think, has been suspicious for weeks and last night, he figured it out and your uncle Luke knows too..."
Cherith fell silent a moment, trying to piece together what he had said. She wanted their little romance to be private but now so many people knew and it was only a matter of time before word reached her dad, and he didn't like Valin. "How does my uncle Luke know?"
"I came to him asking him for advice. I wanted to do something special for you, since you've been so stressed out lately about your grandmother and the eventually arrival of your brothers,"
"So now I have to tell my dad about us? Valin, I, I really wanted to keep this private for a while. You know my dad doesn't like you and there's just so much going on right now...I wish I didn't have all this stuff to worry about,"
Valin leaned over the table and kissed her, smiling, "We don't have to tell him right away, do we? You're right. You do have a lot to deal with right now, and I don't want to add to that burden,"
Cherith smiled and kissed his cheek briefly, "Thanks, Val."
Valin nodded and took a sip of her blue milk, hoping prolonging this wouldn't come back to hurt them later.
tbc
Chapter 12, Post 3
For many years and decades, he had watched her. He'd watched her children grow and have families of their own. Ben smiled wryly, remembering the day he told her Luke and Leia had to be separated, she made him promise, some day, before dying, she would have the chance to see them. He wasn't sure at the time when exactly that "some day" would be and didn't want to promise Padmé anything but he couldn't refuse her.
She needed to hold onto that hope; he'd lost his faith in the Force for a long time and stopped listening to his old Master's words. How was he supposed to believe all the darkness and suffering was supposed to happen? Ben leaned off the wall, walking towards her bed and knelt down beside her, resting her hand in his.
Padmé opened her eyes briefly, smiled, crying. Ben smiled, leaned over her and kissed her forehead. //I have always loved you, //
She nodded, weakly whispering, "I know, Ben. I, I've always known," she smiled weakly, placing her hand on the side of his cheek, "I love you too my old friend," Padmé smiled again and then closed her eyes, her head lulling on the side of her pillow.
Obi-Wan sighed, standing up and letting her hand rest on her stomach. It was finished. Now, she would be with Anakin again, the dutiful wife beside her husband and not by his side. As he stood there, watching her body rest there, he felt soft fingers touch his and he smiled, tightly holding onto that petite hand. He smiled and turned, looking down at Padmé.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, smiling, //Take me home, Ben, //
~~
Luke and Leia rushed to the medical ward, shadowed by Han, Mara, Jag, Jaina and Cherith. Cilighal met the twins as they approached the lab and then nodded for them only to enter. Leia looked back at Han, he nodded her on and the two of them entered the lab.
"It happened awhile ago. She was alone as far as we know...and there was no pain," Cilighal said softly, "I'm sorry Master Skywalker, Leia. It would have been wonderful if she stayed a little longer to meet her great grand children,"
Leia nodded and then Luke turned, telling she could leave them alone. Cilighal smiled and on her way of the room, she nodded to Han and the others to enter. Jag held Jaina's hand as they walked to the foot of the bed, looking down at Padmé's body.
"She looks peaceful," Mara commented. Luke turned to her and smiled; Mara smiled and whispered her condolences to him through their bond.
"What do we do now?" Jag asked, breaking the silence in the room.
Luke walked to the side of his mother's bed, knelt down and kissed her forehead. "I don't know if we can take her back to Naboo; the journey will take days...we'll have the ceremony here,"
"She's with him now," Leia said, staring at her mother's face.
"Yes, she is. She's with the man she loves now and they'll be together forever," Luke said. He'd never told Leia about his conversation with Padmé about her relationship with Ben, his old Master but now, seeing how much his sister was near the edge, he couldn't take away from her grief. It wouldn't be fair to her.
tbc