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This fic was originally posted on theforce.net, where I go by the screenname of SaberBlade. If you recognize this, don't worry, it isn't plagiarized; I'm simply reposting it here also.
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General Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and the characters belong to their respective authors. Anything you don't recognize is mine; please respect my muse. I don't intend any infringement with this fic; it was created because I have an abiding love for Star Wars and a wish to share my interpretation of it with the world.
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Details:
Name: Miracle
Time Frame: Post-NJO
Pairing: Kyp Durron and Jaina Solo
Summary: A crash landing leaves Jaina lucky to be alive, but she can't remember the last ten years of her life. What will this mean for her and the man she was to marry?
Rating: PG to PG-13.
Post: Chapter 14 of ?
Story Status: Work in Progress.
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As always, reviews are appreciated.
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Dinner was close to what it had been before Jaina had been attacked. It was loud, filled with affectionate barbs and indignant protests of innocence. Conversation ranged from debate over Jedi philosophy- which Jaina listened to, looking confused- to Han's plans for the Falcon- which Jaina eagerly discussed with her father for the better part of dinner- to just who and what could be expected on Sekot- which Jaina did her best to pay attention to, but she had her sabaac-face on, so Kyp knew she was merely feigning interest as her brother went on and on about various vegetation. It was a laughing, teasing family meal. Leia, as usual, tried to keep order, and Han, also as usual, did his level best to undermine her attempts.
It made Jaina obviously happy. She was content and relaxed, enjoying the random topic changes and baiting words. Kyp saw Han glancing at her more than usual, and watched the older man relax and calm over their meal. Han put up a fierce argument whenever anyone suggested that he was going soft- he stubbornly claimed that he was just an aging smuggler who had no interest in diplomacy, soft words, or anything that would ruin his image.
To an extent, Kyp figured it was true. Han had been one of his earliest role models, sort of a cross between a father figure, an older brother, and as the years went by, a friend. He thought that he knew how Han's mind worked pretty well; he was more than half-convinced that his own mind worked basically the same way. Han had convinced himself that he was simply looking out for what was his. It was the basic smuggler's code, and it came as no surprise to Kyp that Han protected his own.
What Han didn't realize, Kyp thought, was that Han considered rather a lot to be his and therefore under his protection. He looked after his own, all right: Leia, Luke, the [i]Falcon[/i], his children, and anything that could make them happy. Which meant, as the years went by, that Han wound up protecting the Rebel Alliance, the New Republic, the Jedi Academy, Mara, Ben, Rogue Squadron, refugee camps, Tahiri, even Kyp himself- all under the pretense he was just watching out for what was his.
Han might have himself convinced he was simply following the smuggler's code. Kyp- and the rest of the galaxy- knew better. Han simply had a big heart.
And that heart was currently worried about his daughter. The dinner had relaxed her and made her happy, so Han was able to set his worries aside for a bit. Kyp's promise to look after her had no doubt also eased his mind. Han was just doing everything he could to look after Jaina before she went beyond his reach.
If Kyp hadn't been sure Han would deny setting the dinner up for the single purpose of making his daughter happy, Kyp would have thanked him. His mind worked much the same way as Han's, after all. Protect what was yours. He had just as much invested in Jaina's happiness as Han did.
As Threepio prattled on about how glad he was that the food had been well-received, Jaina glanced over at Kyp. He nodded, and stood. "We need to get going," he said to the table in general. "Jaina needs to visit Tekli and I need to get Stubborn aboard."
"All right," Leia agreed, and chairs scraped across the floor as everyone stood. She came around the table and gave her only daughter a tight hug. "Stay safe and don't go looking for trouble," she ordered Jaina as she released her.
Jaina grimaced. "Only if it doesn't look for me," she said, and reached a hand up to ruffle her brother's hair. "Take care of yourself."
"I will," Jacen said, squeezing her shoulder. "Say hi to Danni for me."
A light came into Jaina's eyes. "I will. Should I also say-"
"-No," Jacen said firmly. "Absolutely not."
"Aw, why not?" Jaina teased, all too pleased with herself, but Jacen didn't rise to the bait. He merely glared at her, and after a moment, she let her wide grin die back down. "Oh, all right, if you insist. I'll be good."
"Only within reason," her father cautioned her. Jaina grinned and fell into his embrace for a long moment. "Have fun and be safe, sweetie. Come back when it's safe."
"I will." She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Love you, Dad."
"Yeah, love you too, kid." But despite Han's gruff words, his hands curved gently around her waist, and as he stepped back, he smoothed back her hair carefully. His brown eyes flickered over his daughter's head and squarely met Kyp's. He could read the message imprinted there: Bring her back safe. Or else.
Kyp nodded shortly, and the older man's craggy face creased into a grin. "Well then," he said, and brought his hands together. "You'd better be off."
Leia moved to his side; almost absently, Han slung an arm around her waist and pulled her close against him. Kyp wondered if, thirty years in the future, he would be so casually assured of himself around Jaina to simply reach for her and find her at his side.
She glanced up at him. "Ready?" she asked.
He waved his hand towards the door. "Goddesses first."
She rolled her eyes, shouldered her duffel bag, and toggled the door open. He followed her out into the hall and slung his own bag over his shoulder. Behind them, Leia called out, almost as an afterthought, "Jaina, remember what you told me!"
The door cycled shut; Kyp looked down at Jaina to find her blushing and horrified. He hadn't attained the rank of Jedi Master without learning something along the way, so Kyp wisely kept his mouth shut and didn't ask.
As they stepped out into the twilight, Jaina turned left. Kyp reached out with his free hand and pulled her back. "Nope, we're going this way."
"But the Medical Wing is the other way," she protested.
"I told you, I don't like the idea of you going off on your own."
She sighed, but her stride settled into a longer step to match his, and she made no real attempt to move from his side. "If you insist."
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The Nissia was a large Antollan freighter, designed for transporting damaged fighters from space to groundside repair facilities. As such, it wasn't much to look at: blackened scorch marks creased its sides, dents pockmarked its surface, and the inside was cramped, worn, and smelled of hydraulic fluid.
But it had a working 'fresher, a kitchen area, a table with a bench wound around it, beds, and room enough to stand and stretch, which no snubfighter could boast. The Nissia certainly wasn't the preferred ship for passenger comfort, but to Kyp, spending ten days aboard the Nissia was infinitely preferable to spending ten days folded into Stubborn.
The Nissia boasted a crew of two: Captain Meera'gi, who appeared nearly human but for the twitching extra eyelids and the three extra fingers on each hand, and Oshilei, the short human mechanic with nearly no hair left and a grandfatherly air about him. To Kyp's eyes, Meera'gi and Oshilei were a team as surely as Han Solo and Chewbacca had been: slight one, and both would be furious; aid one, and both would be grateful.
Jag had yet to arrive, so Kyp waved his hand at the two cabins allotted to the three passengers. "Take your pick, Goddess. Jag and I will take the one you don't want."
Jaina stuck her head into both cabins. They were side-by-side and identical: both boasted two narrow, hard-looking beds bunked together and bolted into the walls and a small, cramped closet. "Well, choices, choices," Jaina muttered, and slid her duffel down onto the floor. She turned to face him. "Um, I have a favor to ask."
Kyp's eyebrows rose, and he propped his bag against the wall. "Yeah?"
Her request came out quickly. "Can I share a room with you?" His shock at the nature of her favor must have been apparent, because Jaina glanced down at her feet.
He managed precisely one word. "Why?"
She was silent for a long moment; he could feel embarrassment radiating off of her in waves. "I can't fall asleep if I don't have something of yours," she said at last. "I used your cape the first two nights, but I only figured it out that third night when I didn't have it and couldn't sleep. And then last night I was with you and I fell asleep right away..."
Kyp hadn't seen Jaina blush this much... well, ever. He chuckled. "Sure, Goddess," he said, and her sigh of relief made him smile and step closer. He trailed his knuckles over her face. "But it might present a small problem."
Her forehead creased as she frowned. "Problem?" She sounded confused.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, erasing the frown lines, and kissed his way down to her mouth, enjoying the way her lashes fluttered against her cheek as her eyes drifted shut. Only after teasing her, feathering kisses along her jaw, nipping at the corners of her lips, did he reach out and pull her firmly against him. He nudged her mouth open with his and finally kissed her properly, ravaging her mouth and doing his level best to render her senseless.
He was, apparently, succeeding. Jaina turned soft and boneless and melted against him, her arms twining up around his neck so that her fingers could slid into his hair and hold his head against hers. The small part of his mind that was still thinking noted that and was satisfied; the rest of him was still focused on her warm mouth, her hesitant tongue, the sweet taste of her that he had nearly- so nearly- lost forever.
Kyp slid his hand from her waist up her spine and behind her hair to the soft skin at the nape of her neck; she gave a moan that was muffled by his mouth, and Kyp smiled and pulled away from her.
She blinked up at him, mouth rosy and swollen from his attention, eyes aching and confused and needy. "What-?" she began, and Kyp bent and kissed her once more, all too softly for both their tastes.
"That's the problem," he said, lifting his lips barely a centimeter from hers to speak.
"Problem? What problem is there- oh!" And her breath came out on a moan as he quickly kissed her again and spun her back to arm's length.
He couldn't keep himself from smiling. "You're going to have to be quiet," he told her with a smirk. "Another little noise like that last one, and who knows what Jag's going to think."
He watched her eyes go round and clear with understanding. That spark of anger kindled in their brown depths, and before she could give voice to her embarrassment, Kyp picked up his duffel and randomly picked a room to stow it in. Jaina mimicked his moves behind him, arms stiff with shock or fury.
Yes, this was going to be fun. It had been years since he had been able to tease her like this. He knew she was embarrassed and currently angry, but she always reacted with a bit of anger when he teased her, verbally or physically. It was to be expected; this was Jaina, after all.
This was going to be fun.
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That stuck-up, smug little... little... Jaina sought for an appropriate insult for the infuriating man beside her as she knelt and secured her duffle bag for the journey. He did that on purpose. And it worked, damn him.
She wasn't angry that he had kissed her; far from it. She was angry that she had played into his hands. That's right, Durron, hint at this problem so you can show it to me... damn pilot's ego. He could probably use his ego instead of shields and still fly through a supernova without a scratch. Problem. Ha. I'll show him a problem. Then, because the idea appealed to her, she gathered her courage in her hands and stood to face him.
"It won't be a problem," she said calmly.
That insufferable smirk was back. "Are you sure?"
She put her hands on her hips; the door was behind her, and she had him trapped within the small room. "You don't need to worry about me," she said, steeling herself.
Kyp looked amused. "Really."
"Oh yes," she told him, and she reached up with her right hand and skimmed her fingertips across his cheek, was gratified to see his eyes sharpen and lock on hers. "I'll be perfectly fine."
His hand came up to trap hers; she skillfully dodged it and lifted her other hand up to brush back silver-streaked hair. "But you're right, we might have a problem."
"And what would this new problem be?" Kyp asked, successfully catching her left hand in his.
She let her smile stretch across her lips, and to her surprise, the courage she'd been sure she would need proved unnecessary. It was all too easy and natural to rock up against him and press her mouth against his, all too familiar for her to coax him into kissing her back, all too pleasant to simply lean against him let their tongues gently war and their breath mingle. He tried to control the kiss, but somehow Jaina was able to tease him away from it; she nipped at his bottom lip, and he groaned her name.
She pulled away quickly, even though most of her protested the distance she put between them, and her laughter was low and triumphant. "You're going to have to be quiet," she mocked him. "Jag might hear you say that and what would he think?"
She turned away from him, and wasn't displeased at all when his hands caught her by the elbows and kept her from leaving the room. His voice was lower, somehow raspier. "Are you playing with me, Goddess?"
She looked back over her shoulder at him, found that his green eyes were deep and intense and boring into her. "Playing?" She pretended to consider the question. "I don't know. You started it."
"Careful, Goddess," Kyp warned, though he was smiling and his face was very close to hers. "You might not remember all the rules to this game."
"Rules?" She considered that too, then rejected it. "What fun are rules?"
That brought a bark of laughter from him, and his grip on her loosened. "You might not remember much, but you're still Jaina," Kyp informed her, releasing his grip and letting her leave the room ahead of him. As they walked through the ship's hall, past the small living area, and down the access ramp, his arm came to rest over her shoulders in a gesture she was beginning to think was automatic.
Then, in her head, came a gentle touch. Still my Goddess. Always arguing with me.
So she had been right about it all- this teasing, this bantering tension, this had been part of their relationship. So she shot right back, Still the rogue Jedi, convinced he's the only one who knows the right answer. Their Force bond no longer seemed strange and foreign, but rather a part of her; she turned her steps toward the Medical Wing with a light heart.
His grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment, then relaxed once more. "I'm glad you're still here," he said softly aloud.
Jaina slid her arm around his waist so that her hand curled against his far side. Despite everything, he still made her happy. He made her laugh and feel wanted- needed, even. He made things feel right again, even if it was through some strange bantering game of kisses.
"Me too," she agreed on a sigh, grateful for his presence beside her, for the support he constantly provided, for the love he unconsciously gave her.
"You realize you haven't won yet," he told her as they finally reached the Council's Complex.
"Won?"
His lips twitched. "The game."
"Oh yes, the game." She grinned. "I don't see any problems."
He glanced down at her; she pretended not to see. Just as she pretended not to notice the speculation light in his eyes, the sidelong glances he would shoot her way as they made their way into the Medical Wing. But as they approached the correct building, he finally spoke again. "I wonder who will win."
She merely shrugged. She had the feeling that whoever won, she'd enjoy the victory- or the defeat- as much as she enjoyed the game.
