Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been really busy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Since it's been so long since the last post, I decided to give you two, so make sure you check out the next chapter also. Enjoy.

Chapter 10

Jaina had not expected that her wedding would take place so soon. After the engagement she was informed that her and Isolder would be married within the month, and despite her pleas for a longer engagement so that she could actually get to know her future husband, the former Queen Mother Ta'a Chume sternly refused, saying that Hapes needed a new queen as soon as possible.

Things were becoming much too hectic and chaotic for Jaina. Beginning the day after the wedding announcement, she had been constantly hassled about different wedding preparations. Jaina had not even had a chance yet to comm her family and give them the bad news. Truthfully, though, she was a little afraid to, but it turned out that calling them was unnecessary when her parents, Luke, Mara, Ben, and Tahiri suddenly all showed back up on Hapes only a few days after the initial announcement.

To Jaina's surprise, the family had learned of her engagement through the holo news reports and decided they needed to come back to Hapes and nock some sense into her. After an all day long scream fest induced by her father, Jaina decided that she needed to find someone else to talk to about her problems.

Two days after her family's arrival on Hapes, Jaina went up to her aunt and uncle's room in the palace and knocked on the door.

It was answered by her aunt Mara who was holding little baby Ben in her arms. "Jaina, it's you. Come on in."

"Thanks Aunt Mara. I just wanted to talk to you about this whole wedding thing."

Leading her into the suite's large living area, Mara motioned for Jaina to sit down before settling herself onto the luxurious couch and placing her son on the floor before her to play. "How do you feel about getting married to Isolder?"

"I don't know. I mean, I don't love him or anything and he's old enough to be my father, but he is a really sweet man. Plus, if I break off the engagement, Ta'a Chume will turn all of the refugees stationed here over to the Vong. I don't know what to do."

"Jaina sweetie, if you ask me I think you need to follow your heart. You're the one who has to marry this man. If you feel like it is the right thing to do and you can handle being married to a fourty-something year old as well as being the step-mother of one of your best friends, then I say go for it. But I know you and I know that you are someone who is looking for love, even if you don't want to admit it. I don't think you will be happy being a queen and having to wear big poofy dresses and sit on a throne all day. But the decision is up to you. And about the refugee thing, they are probably just bluffing."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Still, I feel that maybe this is what I'm meant to do; how I'm meant to make a difference. And I don't want to risk millions of lives just because I'm not content with the man I'm marrying," she said. With a silly smile on her face she continued, "Besides, look at this ring. How can a woman say no to this?"

Mara leaned over to get a glance at the rock on Jaina's left hand. "Wow, that thing is huge. I think I'm ready to marry the man."

"Yeah I know. I wasn't expecting Isolder to give me a ring considering he is giving me sixty-three worlds, but I guess it doesn't hurt. Makes him kind of hard to resist."

Mara began to rise. "Jaina I think only you can decide what is best. So make a decision and run with it, and your family and friends will be behind you all the way."

"Thanks Aunt Mara. I think I know what I need to do. By the way, is Tahiri around anywhere?"

"I think she is in her room down the hall."

"Thanks." Jaina walked towards the door that Mara had motioned towards.

Tahiri had heard Jaina enter the Skywalker apartment in the palace and had listened to her and Mara talk for a little while. It must be nice to have people to talk to who understand your problems she thought, to have someone to marry who will take care of you and anyone else who might happen to come along.

Walking over to her desk, Tahiri picked up her lightsaber and began topress it against her skin once more. The burning and the cutting had become her only ways of expressing herself; letting her emotions out. She couldn't tell Mara what was bothering her; she would throw her out on the streets to be alone for the rest of her life. But even though she was now living with people, Tahiri was still alone. Well, almost alone.

As she heard a knock sounding on her door, Tahiri quickly put her lightsaber down and unrolled her long sleeve shirt. "Come in." she called.

Jaina entered her room with a small smile on her face, "Hey Tahiri. How are you doing?"

"Ok I guess. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to ask if you would like to be a bridesmaid in my wedding. There is a dress fitting today, so if you would like to be one, then maybe you should go to it with me."

Tahiri considered the offer for a minute. "Yeah, I guess so. Let me grab a few things and then I can go with you."

"Great."

The two girls left to go meet Tenel Ka and her grandmother at the most prestigious wedding dress shop in all of Hapes. Once there they took part in the custom designing of Jaina's wedding dress, which the designer had decided, would have to be the dress of the century. He was going to go all out on the dress for the future queen, but the more sketches and pictures that Jaina saw of her fabulous dress, the more nervous and unhappy she became.

She had always envisioned herself in a simple, flowing gown that was beautiful but did not distract from the love of the two people joining their lives. She also wanted a nice and simple wedding with just the closest friends and family, not a large "wedding of the century" with thousands of people she had never even met from all over the galaxy.

"So how does it look?" asked the flamboyant dress maker.

"It's great," Jaina said quietly, trying to fake enthusiasm.

"Now what did you have in mind for your bridesmaid's dresses?" the dress maker spoke again.

"I don't know. Something simple maybe. Possibly black or cream."

"I like black. Now, lets see what we have here," the dress maker began pulling out different styles of black dresses. "And how many bridesmaids are you planning on having?"

"Well, I was thinking just Tenel Ka and Tahiri, but-"

"Oh no dear, we have several members of the Hapan royal family and high court that will need to be on the wedding party. Don't worry, I'll introduce you to them eventually," spoke up Ta'a Chume.

"Well then," spoke the dress maker, trying to break some of the tension in the room, "how about you two beautiful young ladies go try on these dresses for me." He handed Tenel Ka and Tahiri each a couple of black dresses.

When the two girls came out of the dressing room wearing the first dress, a strapless chiffon gown, Jaina gasped. "Tahiri, what happened to your arms?" she asked franticly noticing the large burn and cut marks running up and down the length of her arms.

"Oh, that, nothing. I just burned myself cooking. You know how it is," she made up on the spot.

"Tahiri, you don't cook. And besides those aren't grease burns. And what about these cuts, there deep."

"It's nothing," she yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "Leave me alone." With that she went running from the dress shop.

"Tahiri," called Jaina as she went running after the young girl. Finding her sitting curled into a ball against the wall outside of the shop, Jaina stopped. "What's wrong? Why are you doing that to yourself?"

Tahiri looked up at her and in her eyes Jaina saw more pain and loneliness than she thought was possible to be in a fifteen year old girl. "Jaina…I'm pregnant," she confessed finally. "With Anakin's baby, and now I'm all alone. I can't raise a baby all by myself. I mean, look at me, I can't even take care of myself, let alone a little baby. I feel so alone. I can't tell Luke and Mara or your parents because they would just be ashamed of me and throw me out on the streets like some street whore. Jaina… I'm scared."

Sitting down next to the teenager, Jaina put her arm around her. "Tahiri, you're not alone. You have me, and my parents, and Luke and Mara, and now this baby. You're not a whore and they won't throw you out on the streets, I promise. Maybe you made a mistake, but this is still your child and by hurting yourself you're hurting the wonderful little being that you and Anakin created. You need to tell them; they can help you and the baby, and if they don't I will. That's a promise."

Wiping her eyes on the backs of her hands, Tahiri began to smile slightly, "Ok, I'll tell them, if you will be there with me when I do."

"Yeah, now come on. We have some dress shopping to do."

Hope you liked!