Disclaimer --- George Lucas owns Star Wars, I do not. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Loss
If there was one thing that Luke could understand about the twins better then Mara could was their ability to connect with each other through the Force. And for some reason, he always was the first one to learn that the twins were up to no good. And over the past three years, he had gotten really good at doing just that.
"Now don't ever go into the forest without your mother or me!" Luke said scolding his 3-year-old twins one afternoon on Yavin 4.
"But why daddy?" Cray asked confused. "Jacen and Jaina go in there with their friends. We just wanted to go with them!"
"Yeah daddy." Caylee said, adding her opinion to the argument.
Luke stopped and knelt down in front of them. "Jacen and Jaina are older then you both are. They can protect themselves. They have been taught how through the Force."
"Well we want to learn about the Force too! We want to be like you and mommy." Caylee said protesting.
"Yeah and like Jacen and Jaina!" Cray added.
"But you both already know how to do a few things through the Force." Luke said, continuing to reason with his children.
"But not the cool stuff," Caylee and Cray said at the same time.
"Someday soon I will teach you both everything that you need to know." Luke said smiling.
"Will we get to have a light sword like yours and mommy's?" Cray asked with a huge smile on his face.
"Of course. Now go get ready for dinner."
"Ok daddy!" the twins said together. They gave their dad a hug around the neck then ran off towards their bedroom.
Luke sighed happily and stood up. That was when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. And he knew exactly who it was who had a hold of him.
"What did they do now?" Mara asked moving in front of him.
"Ran off into the forest." Luke said. Then his tone turned more serious. "Mara, I want you to take the twins back to Courscant. I'll be there soon."
"But why?"
"I just have a bad feeling about something. I feel it in the Force. I don't know what, but I think that you and the twins will be safer there. I want you to leave tomorrow and I'll be there soon," he said seriously.
"How long will you be?" she asked, as she and Luke walked into their bedroom.
"Not long. I promise. Just a few days. I want to stay here a while longer, to make sure that everything is alright." Luke said, looking his wife straight in the eyes. They embraced and shared a soft kiss.
"No! I'm not leaving daddy! And I don't want mommy and Cray to leave daddy either!" Caylee cried as she ran into the room. She had been listening from the hallway.
Luke quickly scooped up the strawberry-blonde hair, blue-eyed girl into his arms. He could feel her fear. "Caylee, I promise that you will be ok. And so will mommy and Cray. Mommy is a Jedi like me. She can protect the both of you," he said, trying to reason with her. But the little girl just kept crying.
"Caylee don't cry. I will protect you." Cray said joining the group. Luke and Mara both looked down at the red haired little boy.
Caylee sniffled as Luke set her down on the ground. She then ran over and gave her brother a hug. Luke and Mara hoped that everything would be ok.
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The next morning, Caylee wasn't going anywhere. She didn't want to leave her daddy's side. And no matter how hard Luke or Mara tried to probe her mind, they couldn't figure out why she was acting like this. She must have somehow put up a Force block without even knowing it. So they gave in. Caylee would stay with Luke on Yavin 4 and Cray would go back to Courscant with Mara.
"Caylee if you stay with daddy you are going to have to be extra good and not leave R2's side when daddy is busy working with his students." Mara said kneeling in front of her daughter. Luke was telling Cray goodbye.
R2 beeped happily along side Luke. The white and blue droid loved watching over the twins.
"I promise mommy." Caylee said hugging her mommy's neck. Mara hugged back and kissed her cheek.
"I love you Caylee. I'll see you in a few days."
"I love you too mommy." Caylee said hugging and kissing her mother again.
Mara and Luke watched Caylee run over to her brother and the twins hugged tightly.
"I promise I will be there in a few days. Han and Chewie are going to swing by here and pick us up on the way to Courscant." Luke said pulling Mara close.
"We'll see you then. I'll send you a message once we reach Courscant."
"Sounds good."
Luke and Mara softly kissed and said their goodbyes for a few days. Luke and Caylee stood off to the side, with R2, and watched Mara's ship, the Jade's Shadow take off and fly away.
"Daddy?" Caylee asked tugging on Luke's robes.
"Yeah sweetie?" Luke said picking her up as they headed back into the Pyramid.
"I have a bad feeling about something." Caylee said softly as she laid her head on her dad's shoulder.
"How do you know it's a bad feeling? You could just have a stomach ache."
"I feel it deep inside of me." Caylee said, unsure of herself.
When she told him that, he began to worry. Caylee had never acted like this, nor had she ever told him anything like that. Her sensitivity to the Force must be very high, if she could feel things at a young age like this.
And for the rest of the day, Caylee didn't leave her father's side.
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That night Caylee dreamt of weird things. Things that she had never seen before. Two people with light swords were fighting. One was a girl and another was a boy. The girl had a blue light sword and the boy had a red one. Then she heard an evil laugh in the background.
She woke up really scared. She had never had a dream like that before. She got up out of bed and headed for her parent's room.
When she got to the big doors that led into her parent's room, she softly knocked on the door then went in. Her daddy was sleeping in the bed. She went over to him and shook him softly.
"Daddy? Daddy I had a bad dream." Caylee whispered to him.
Luke stirred and then opened his eyes. He had known that Caylee had come into his room, but didn't want to let her know that. "What happened in your dream?" Luke asked yawning a little.
"A girl and a boy were fighting with light swords like yours and mommy's. Then I heard an evil laugh in the background. It scared me daddy." Caylee said almost crying.
"Aww its ok sweetie. Come on and climb into bed with me." Luke said making room for her. Caylee climbed up on the bed and wiped away a tear that was rolling down her cheek as she lay down against the pillow.
"Are you still scared?" Luke asked calmly.
Caylee nodded yes in the dark. Luke could tell that her body was shaking.
"Will you show me the dream?"
"What do you mean daddy?"
"Just close your eyes and relax. You'll hear my voice inside of your head in a second. That's just the Force. So don't block it, just let me read your thoughts."
"Ok daddy."
Caylee closed her eyes and relaxed as Luke used the Force to enter her mind.
Caylee, show me what you saw in your bad dream…
She did exactly what her dad's voice said to do. She relived her dream. Luke saw through his daughter's mind's eye, the nightmare that she had had. A lot of it reminded him about the time where him and his own father fought in front of the Emperor on the Death Star. But that was so long ago. And this was a girl and a boy fighting. Not two men.
Now, Caylee, everything will be fine. Don't worry. Just go to sleep.
Caylee could feel her body relaxing even more as a warm feeling of love surrounded her.
I love you daddy.
That shocked Luke. His daughter just spoke to him through the Force. She had never done that before. "I love you too," he whispered and softly kissed her cheek. He waited and got out of bed once she was asleep.
Luke just sat in a chair by the bed and watched over Caylee for most of the night. Her dream had really gotten to him. He didn't know whether to think if this was a dream or a vision of the future. But what he did know was that the Force could be foggy at times. And hopefully this was a time that it was.
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The next few days, Caylee was a perfect angel. She had done everything that her mother told her to do. While her father was busy with his students, she hung out with R2. Usually she was nearby to where Luke was, usually picking flowers that she was going to give her mommy when they got back to their other home.
"Uncle Han!!!" Caylee said running towards her uncle's ship. Han scooped her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. R2D2 was in hot pursuit behind her, beeping the entire way.
"Where's your dad?" he asked.
"He's working with Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin and their light swords. I was picking flowers with R2. Here's on for you," she said handing him a pink flower from a group that she had in her hand.
"Why thank you my dear." Han said in a funny voice as he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Caylee laughed a little. Then as soon as she had been in Han's arms, she was gone.
He looked behind him to see her tickling Chewie as the Wookie carried her to the temple to find Luke. And Chewie was laughing, a deep Wookie laugh.
As they made their way to the temple, various soon-to-be Jedi Knights were snickering at them. Han turned to look at Chewie and Caylee to see if they knew what was up, when he saw it. Caylee had put almost all the flowers that she had been carrying into Wookie's fur. Han couldn't help but laugh at it when he saw it.
"You look good Chewie. Pink really brings out your fur," Han said continuing to laugh. Chewie baked a response at him in a laughing matter. That was when Luke found them.
"What's so funny?" the Jedi asked.
"Just what Caylee did to Chewie." Han said pointing to the Wookie still holding onto the little girl.
"I think Chewie looks good!" Caylee said, defending her work to her father. Chewie agreed with her.
There was one more round of laughter before Luke and Han began talking about Jacen and Jaina's training and how much they have learned, along with how fast Anakin was picking things up. While they were talking, Chewie was giving Caylee a ride on his shoulders. Caylee was squealing with delight.
"Chewie you help Luke and Caylee with their things, while I go visit with the twins and Anakin for a while. I'll meet you back at the Falcon."
Chewie barked in agreement with Han and added something else.
"Don't worry, I'll let them know that you said hello." Han said walking away.
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About an hour later, Han was back at the Falcon and everyone was already on board and ready to go. And much to his surprise, Caylee didn't come tearing down the loading ramp at him, like she did many times in the past. Instead he found Luke and Caylee sitting in the Galley, looking at a holobook of some kind. And much to Han's surprise, Caylee was reading some of the words to Luke. She would slowly sound them out and stutter along. And if she needed help, Luke would help her.
Han stood there and watched for a second or two. He had to admit one thing - Luke made a good father. He was calm and cool with both Caylee and Cray. But Caylee had to be his little princess, Han figured. She never wanted to leave her father's side. And Luke didn't seem to mind one bit at all. Maybe it was for the fact that Luke never really had a true father figure when he was growing up. And he was just trying to make up for that with his own kids.
"Are ya'll ready to leave?" Han asked.
"Yup! I wanna see mommy and Cray. I picked lots of flowers for her." Caylee said smiling.
"Come on let's go up front and buckle up then." Luke said, picking up Caylee and carrying her to the cockpit.
Han sat down at the controls and Chewie sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Luke buckled up Caylee behind Chewie then sat down behind Han. A few seconds later the Falcon was lifting up and flying away.
Caylee loved flying. She couldn't wait until she and Cray were older and they could get their own starship together. They loved to play that they were pilots in the New Republic. That, along with being Jedi Knights, like their parents. Cray wanted a green 'light sword' and Caylee wanted a blue one. They couldn't wait to grow up.
Uncle Han had told Cray and Caylee all sorts of stories about their parents. Anywhere from the story about their dad and him almost freezing to death on Hoth to the time their mother had been sent to kill their father. Luke and Mara weren't too thrilled with Han for telling them that story, because it led to all sorts of questions. But even after they had heard that story, they still wanted to be just like their parents.
There was just one thing that Luke and Mara had never told their children. They never told them about their grandfather. They knew that someday the twins would find out. But they didn't want to burden them with that information when they were so young.
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"Mommy when will Daddy and Caylee be here?" Cray asked as he and Mara were out shopping in Courscant.
"Later tonight. It takes almost two days to get from Yavin to here. And they left yesterday. Also with the way that Uncle Han flies, they should be right on time."
Cray giggled a little.
Suddenly Mara stopped and began to look around her. There was a major disturbance in the Force. But she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, until….
Mara quickly grabbed Cray and fell to the ground, as a series of explosions rocked the area. Panic began to spread. People were running all over the place. This was the first time in a long time that there had been an attack of any kind on Courscant.
Mara didn't know if she should go and try to find out who had done this or protect Cray and get him to safety. Motherly instincts overtook Jedi ones -- protect Cray. She picked up her son and tried to run. But it was to no avail. She tripped and fell back down. Cray had landed not far from her. But suddenly she felt his Force presence move from where she had seen him land. She couldn't see him anywhere, but she could still feel him. Panic, for her, set in.
She quickly got up on her feet and ran in the direction that she could feel him in. And it was into a bad part of Courscant.
As she ran several things went through her mind. What if Cray was taken by the Sith? What if it was Imperial Sympathizers, who still want the Empire to be reborn? She tried to force back her tears, but she couldn't.
Out of nowhere a red lightsaber took a slash at her as she rounded a corner. She quickly did a backwards flip and ignited her lightsaber.
A tall young man emerged from the shadows. "You must be Mara Jade Skywalker."
"Where's my son!" she demanded, keeping her battle stance.
"In a safe place. Don't worry; we'll take care of him. And his sister will be joining him soon," the young man had said confidently.
"Over my dead body!" Mara said glaring evilly at this young man. "Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Namon Trekk," he said as he swung his lightsaber towards Mara. But she quickly blocked his shot with hers. And that was when it began.
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Leia Organa-Solo quickly ran into the docking bay. The Falcon was just about to land and she had to tell Luke and Han what had happened. The explosion in the shopping district. But most of all she knew that Mara and Cray were shopping there today. The area had been evacuated and they should have made it back to their apartment by then, but they weren't. And she was feeling several things in the Force. Her talents weren't as developed as Luke's, but she knew when something was wrong.
As she turned and ran into the docking bay, the Falcon was landing and everyone was coming off the ship.
"Luke! Han! There's been an explosion!!!!" Leia said running up to them.
"Where?" Luke asked worried.
"The shopping district." Leia said out of breath. "Mara and Cray were going shopping there today. It's been almost an hour and they aren't home."
Luke's heart was suddenly in his throat. Maybe Caylee's feeling a few days ago had been true. She was scared because she knew something was going to happen. He should have listened to her.
"Watch Caylee and don't tell her anything." Luke said leaving.
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Mara and Namon had been sparring for what seemed like a lifetime. She knew that he wasn't going to give up that easily.
I'm coming Mara.
She would have responded back to Luke through their mind link, but that would cause her to loose some of her concentration on this battle. And this was far more important to her at this moment.
"You were the one that caused the explosion weren't you?" Mara demanded during their fight.
"Of course." Namon responded in a cocky fashion as he tried to strike an upper swipe towards Mara. She quickly blocked it. And the fight continued…
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Luke rounded the corner and he knew that he was close to the fight. The ripples in the Force were strong here. In the distance he could hear the soft hum of lightsabers dueling each other.
He took ahold of his lightsaber, ignited it, and continued to run towards his wife.
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Namon charged Mara. She blocked his blow, but tripped backwards and land on the ground. Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and landed a few feet away. She quickly got back up and used the Force to reach out for her lightsaber, but it was too late…
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Just as Luke came upon the scene of the duel, when a surge of grief hit him through the Force. He wasn't sure what it was from until her saw her. Mara was lying on the ground motionless as dark figure was running the other way.
He quickly ran over to his wife's side and knelt beside her. She was barely breathing. He knew that he had to act fast. Luke gently picked Mara up and made his way out of the alley, quickly.
Leia, Mara's hurt, bad. Meet us at the medical building…
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"When will mommy and daddy and Cray be home?" Caylee asked as Leia handed her something to drink.
"Soon sweetie."
Caylee smiled happily as she drank the water that Leia had given her.
Suddenly Leia felt like she was going to pass out. Next to her, Caylee had begun to cry a little. That was when it hit her. Something serious must had happened because it was a wave of grief that they had both felt. Then Luke's call through the Force had entered Leia's mind.
Leia, Mara's hurt, bad. Meet us at the medical building…
"Han! We gotta go now!" Leia practically screamed at her husband, who was in the refresher unit at the moment. Caylee was just lying on the couch, crying for now reason at all.
Han had come running when he heard Leia yell. "What is it?"
"Something's happened to Mara!"