Alright, I have been proved wrong. Hobbie does not die in ESB. He shall live in TNQLL, and please consider The Plan as it Stood an AU.

Okay, it's official: I love Janson and Mon Mothma together. And plus, they make for great dialogue.

So… I don't even know where this piece came from. I have no excuses. It just, I don't know, popped out of the air. Its fluff, but oh well.

Enjoy it.

On The Subject of Smiles

The Supreme Commander and Pilot Wes Janson are sitting across from each other at a standard issue Alliance table. The Supreme Commander finishes reading the transcript in front of her, and sighs.

"Janson, give me one good reason why you turned General Dodonna's hair blue?"

"Actually ma'am," Janson says, "it wasn't technically supposed to turn blue. The package said deep violet."

Mon Mothma breathes deeply through her nose and closes her eyes. She opens them to find him grinning at her.

"Fine. Why did you attempt to turn General Dodonna's hair a deep violet?"

Janson, sits up straighter in his chair and collects himself, as if to begin a story. "Well, you see, ma'am, I had a very troubled childhood-"

"Involving purple hair?" She raises an eyebrow. Janson simply stares at her. "Well?" she prompts.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought that was a rhetorical question." She buries her head in her hands, and thinks that he may actually drive her to suicide. Either suicide or homicide.

Through her fingers, she asks, "Janson, can't you ever be serious?" He pauses, and she snaps, "No, that wasn't rhetorical."

"Well, ma'am," he looks thoughtful. "I don't believe so. You see, I came out of the womb telling a joke about this women who thought she was having a baby when-"

"Never mind." She lays her head on the table. The cold durasteel doesn't quite help her growing headache. "You may go now," she says, waving an arm. He makes to go, but she hears him pause at the door.

"Ma'am, do you ever smile?"

She raises her head to look at him. She considers, for perhaps the hundredth time in knowing him, if she should check for head wounds. "What."

"Well, you asked me if I could be serious. To be fair and just, I have to ask an equally strange question of you." He is grinning.

"Really."

"Standard rule. And it was either that or asking what colour underwear you had on. But I thought you might hit me."

"How wise of you for restraining yourself."

"I thought so."

There is a brief silence, and he seems to be still waiting for an answer, so she says "Yes, I have been known to smile on occasion."

"Show me," he commands. When she hesitates, he adds "Is it 'cause you have really bad teeth?"

"Get out, Janson, before I remove a limb!"

He complies, but pauses again at the door. She groans and considers how she should plea.

He says, "You know, I could be serious. But then I'd be forced to kill you." She raises both eyebrows, watches him grin at her.

And she smiles.

Well?