CHAPTER THREE

Alone in the small transport, Mara gazed through transparisteel at the riot of construction that was Coruscant. The jumble of noise and traffic felt somehow appropriate, as it mirrored the turmoil in her head.

The revelation that Darth Vader was alive had hit her like a sucker-punch to the stomach. Although he probably went by 'Anakin Skywalker' now, the memory of his reaction when she had addressed him by that name left room for doubt.

She had spent over a decade of her life trying to forget, to bury the painful memories associated with him and her youth. And now, as the initial shock wore off, the scab that had grown over that wound was suddenly loose, leaving a tumult of emotions churning in its wake.

It was in this state that she arrived at the Solo household. Mara was not accustomed to such discombobulated feelings, or any lack of control for that matter, and found that she was actually looking forward to the mind-numbing discussion of wedding plans.

The front door slid open and Leia appeared. "Mara," she smiled. "Come in. Glad you could stop by." She led the way into the dining area, "As you can see, every designer on Coruscant wants to be involved in the Skywalker wedding."

Mara surveyed the dining table, or rather, where the table used to be. Wedding paraphernalia of every style imaginable covered the surface and spilled over onto the chairs and floor. "Wow."

"Yeah," Leia agreed, shaking her head. "We've got to make some choices here."

Han Solo appeared in the entry, "I still say you should elope. There's a nice little resort on Chandra-Kai. I could pull a few strings for you."

"No thanks," Mara winced. "I'm not interested in your cash-only connection."

Han feigned a hurt look, "What? This is legit-" He was interrupted by a crash against the door leading into the courtyard. Rolling his eyes, he palmed the door open and called outside, "Everyone okay out there?"

"Yes!" came the chorused reply.

Han turned back to Leia, "Tell me again why those bikes couldn't stay at your father's house?"

Leia sighed, "The children begged and you know how he is with them."

The courtyard door burst open and Jaina ran into the room, "Mom! Have you seen my – Oh, hi, Aunt Mara! Can I call you Aunt Mara yet?"

Mara smiled, "It's fine with me."

"Do you want to come see the bikes my grandfather-" Jaina clamped her hand over her mouth and looked up at Leia wide-eyed.

"It's all right, Jaina," Leia reassured. "Mara knows about your grandfather."

Relieved, Jaina continued enthusiastically, "Do you want to see the bikes he made us?"

Mara smiled, tighter this time, "Sure."

"I'm going to show him how fast I can go now when he comes for the wedding. He is coming, isn't he, Mom?"

"We'll see, sweetheart. Now go back outside," Leia shooed her out the door.

Mara lowered herself into one of the over-sized dining chairs and threw a dubious look at Leia, "So that's what this is about. I knew you didn't need my help planning a wedding."

Leia shook her head and sat in the chair opposite Mara, "No, that's not why I asked you to come over. But I do want you to know that we understand."

Han emerged from the food prep area and plunked a decanter of Corellian brandy on the table in front of Mara. "Welcome to the family," he flashed his best lopsided grin.

Leia shot him a sideways smile as he left. "It was hard for all of us in the beginning, especially me. You know Luke, he accepted our father unconditionally. He told me that the events on the Death Star were very cathartic for him. I guess he and Father were able to work out their differences by trying to kill each other," she said with a shrug. Mara just stared at her, not exactly sure how to react to such a statement.

"I'm only kidding about that last part," Leia chuckled as she laid her hand on Mara's arm. "I do think that Luke being able to face him and get all that out of his system really helped the both of them and, unlike the rest of us, he was able to talk with him all along. He felt – he believed - that father had some good still in him, and given Luke's nature...well, you know how he is, probably better than I," she said with a smile.

Mara snorted and looked away, "I know. Luke can be quite the idealist."

"It took me a long time, Mara," she said gently. "I'd known my father almost all my life but...not in a way that I cared to remember. I didn't have anything to do with him for a long time after I found out he was alive. The past was just too painful."

"What changed?" Mara asked quietly.

Leia looked thoughtful, "It was when I had the twins. Luke asked if he could bring Father to see them and I agreed, reluctantly. But then when he held them, it really... affected him." Her eyes softened at the memory. "That's when we found out that he never got to hold us, or even see us as babies. He thought we were dead." Leia looked at her hands in her lap, her face taking on an air of sadness Mara had never seen in her future sister-in-law. "I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child."

They sat in silence for a moment. Leia looked up and finally continued, "I started to realize that he wasn't what he used to be. He wasn't a monster, just a man - a man who had made mistakes. I got the feeling that day that he would have gladly torn himself apart if it could change the past...but it couldn't. I started to think about how I would feel if one of my children rejected me and how much I wanted Jaina and Jacen to have what Han and I never had – a complete family."

Mara nodded. Luke would want the same thing. She couldn't blame him - she had never known her family, either. Her gaze drifted to a holocube sitting on a shelf beside her. She'd never noticed it before. It was a holo of a fit and attractive, but battle-hardened older man in dark clothing and polished black boots surrounded by Jacen, Jaina and Anakin. The children were laughing at something in the distance, and the man looked at the holorecorder with an amused expression, as he if he were about to wink. Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the mirth in the startlingly blue eyes. Blue eyes... She had seen them before.

"Is that him?" she asked, astounded.

Leia smiled, "Yes, about a year ago. You should see him with the children. He dotes on them and they adore him."

I'm sure they do, Mara thought. Even as a black-clad Sith lord, he had been a father figure to her. She had seen through the black prison in which he had encased himself - probably the only person at that time who had, she thought ruefully. Past that black exterior and the hardness that had frightened Imperial bureaucrats and Grand Moffs into submission, there was a feeling - that if you got this man's protection, you would never be unsafe again.

She reached for the brandy decanter and did a double-take at the handle and decorative bands. "Is that...carbonite?"

"Yes," Leia grimaced. "It's a long-running practical joke between my father and husband," she called into the living area where Han was watching the HoloNet, "to exchange gifts that are encased in or somehow relate to carbonite."

"Just wait till you see what I him got for his sixtieth Life Day," Han called from the other room.

"It was funny for the first five years or so," Leia commented dryly. Turning around, she grinned at Mara's incredulous expression. "You either laugh or cry, Mara." She squeezed her future sister's hand, "And crying doesn't help."

to be continued...