Disclaimer: I am not making any money off of this story, and no characters or situations are mine unless they are an original idea which is not familiar to the readers.

This post takes place between Rebirth and Star by Star. Please review, constructive criticism is always welcome!

Prologue, Part 2

Four months later.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," sang Tahiri Veila to Anakin Solo as the two sat in his room together on the Errant Venture. It was Anakin's seventeenth birthday, and as far as Tahiri was concerned, the most important day of the year.

"So what do you hope your present is?"

"You," he replied mischievously as he pulled her down into his lap to give her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Well that is a given, but I did get you something special for your special day."

"And what would that be?"

"Close your eyes and you just might find out," Tahiri cried. "And no peaking!"

"I won't," answered Anakin as he glanced through the slits of his eyes.

"I can feel you," chided Tahiri, "and if you won't be a good little boy, then you might not get your surprise."

"But I like surprises," laughed Anakin.

"Ok, open your eyes."

Anakin opened his eyes to reveal a large, beautifully decorated book lying before him. On the front cover was a holo of him and Tahiri gazing into each others eyes, a picture he recognized as having been taken a few days ago by his older sister, Jaina.

"It's a picture book," explained Tahiri, now slightly nervous. "I thought that since all of your family belongings and memories have been destroyed during the war that we could start a collection of new memories."

"I love it," Anakin said, with a slight tear in his eye. He opened up the book and began to glance at the pages. It was filled with little pictures and mementos of him, his family, and Tahiri from over the last few months. By each picture was a sweet message and description written in Tahiri's beautiful handwriting. Some of the pictures were funny, while others were heart warming. On one page was a snapshot of him and Tahiri in the middle of a food fight they started amongst the Jedi trainees, a small, yet happy moment in the eyes of everyone involved in the gruesome, never ending war.

After looking through the entire book together, the two laid back and relaxed, simply enjoying each others presence and the happy moment that both knew would not last forever.

"Luke!"

"Wh-what," called Luke Skywalker groggily after being suddenly jerked out of a deep sleep by his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, bellowing from the next room.

"I think your son wants you to come change him," she yelled back from the small area the two had set up as Ben's nursery. "It's a bad one two."

"Why is it that whenever he is dirty or causing trouble, he's my son, but whenever everyone is oing and ahing over how adorable and well behaved he is, he's your son," questioned Luke as he got dressed and walked into his son's nursery.

"Because that's the way it works, farmboy. He gets all of his cute and charming qualities from me, and all of the troublesome ones from you. Besides I do recall it being your fault that I ended up pregnant in the first place."

"Mara Jade- cute and charming. Haven't heard that one before," he joked.

"Then maybe you just haven't been talking to the right people," she replied mischievously.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she kidded as she leaned in to kiss him over her son's head.

"I love you," Luke proclaimed when her lips left his.

"Good, now change the baby."

"I hate you," screamed Jaina Solo at the image of Kyp Durron on her comm screen. "Why are you calling me?"

"Look Jaina, I'm just trying to apologize. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Besides, hate is of the dark side."

"What, and being a lying, manipulative jerk isn't? I told you before I left, I never want to see or speak to you again, and I meant it."

"Jaina I'm sorry, I really am. And I'm sorry you feel that way. I sincerely hope that one day you will change your mind about me."

"Doubt it," she replied coolly before switching her comm system off.

The sad part was, deep down she really did want to forgive him. They had started being friends before this whole ordeal started, and she had even been developing a small crush on him and thought he felt the same way. That was, before he stabbed her in the heart while her back was turned. Now she just couldn't bear to forgive him for what he had done.

"Oh well," she murmured to herself, "life goes on."