Thanks a million to all my reviewers, especially jedidanny. I really appreciate it. I've decided to challenge myself, and see if I can carry a whole story without the two main characters actually talking to each other. Tell me if you think that it's a stupid idea, or if you like it. I just really, really wanted to do something different.
Sorry I haven't updated, I was in Cork for the midterm. Anyway, on with the story
I don't own Star Wars.
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Luke and Han had maintained a close personal relationship throughout the rebellion and the formation of the New Republic. At first, their had been speculation from the rouges and some of their romance starved colleagues about a fight brewing between them for Leia's affection, but now, after almost 8 years, most of it had ceased. However, not even the imminent wedding quelled the imagination of some, a source of great amusement to Han and Luke.
Once, a very drunk Wedge had told Luke that a betting pool on the topic existed between the rouges and that he himself had a 250 credit bet on Leia running off with Luke to start a zoo on Hoth. He was apparently being given excellent odds by Wes Janson who believed that a threesome existed.
When, a few days later Luke told Wedge about his true relationship with Leia, his friend had blushed a deeper red than he had been drunk.
Their brotherly bond had been tried and tested many times, so it didn't really bother Luke that his sister would be married to Han in a matter of days. He dealt with it in his own way, and Han had been good about not straining their friendship. Han, on the other hand, was in a whole different mindset.
They stood, for the first time in their black and white tuxes that Luke had assured his sister had been bought weeks ago. Chewie sat to one side silently laughing as his friends gazed at themselves in a full-length mirror while trying not to look like they were looking at themselves in the mirror. Lando and Wedge joined them.
"Huh."
"Huh what, Han?"
"Just huh in general. You know, apart from Luke looking about 18 in that suit, we kind of look all right. Reckon Leia will be proud?
Lando gave a deep laugh at this.
"We'll show her up, don't you worry."
Luke smiled at this. He had seenLeia's gown, and he knew that there wasn't a chance that they would show her up. Subconsciously, he tugged at his collar. He would be wearing his jedi robes that were a million times comfier, only they clashed horribly with Leia's dress. Not that he minded. Everything was going to be prefect for the big day.
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Leia entered the dimly lit tap café early for the meeting as usual. Meetings with the others on the council usually took place in a hotel but whenever it was left up to Mark to plan, the council found itself experiencing the more dodgy side of Courscant cuisine. This particular café was of the sort that tried it's best to seem chic and trendy, but failed miserably.
When she entered the bar it took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the poor lighting. She recognised Mark at the bar and slid into the seat beside him.
"Mr. Eladas"
"Madam Organa. Or soon-to-be-Solo if you prefer."
Leia gave him a quick hug and glanced at the floor to try and hide the blush that was spreading across her cheeks. She was doing that a lot recently.
"All set for next week? Sorry, stupid question. How on Corellia could the most organised Senior Councillor possibly not be ready" he said, with a grin creeping across his face, wiping away the serious look that he had conjured not three seconds earlier. "At least you have jedi boy all prepared to do the honours for ya" He spoke lightly, the teasing tone in his voice goading Leia into retaliating.
His tone turned serious again. " Earlier, Leia…. I was in the office and Louis and Garm were talking about you…. They seemed worried and I was just wondering if you were alright?"
Leia stiffened. "Fine! Never better! Sure amn't I getting married?" she tried to brush off the question
He looked into her eyes and continued. "They were talking about your dad."
Leia looked away and tried to come up with a suitable excuse. And Garvimnson knew too? She sighed and met her friend's gaze again.
"Yeah… Louis broke the news to me last night…my dad asked him to tell me when I was old enough that I'm adopted."
Mark looked at her with alarm. "That's rough, Leia" Leia gulped as she saw the sincere sympathy in his eyes. She hurried to brush away the sudden vulnerability that she felt.
"Nope. My brother told me about 8 years ago"
"Your Brother? You...you don't have a brother."
Leia gulped, realising that she had said too much, and in that moment, a strong sense of guilt hit her. Why was she forcing herself to lie to her friend, just because of her father?
"Mark, get me another drink. Buy yourself two. I need to tell you something." With that she walked over to a booth on the wall that looked quiet and sat down.
Her companion joined her after a minute and cut short a teasing comment on how she must be spending too much time with Han if she thought that drink solved everything when he saw the serious look on her face.
"Yes. I have a brother. Yes, you know him, and yes, I have a reason for not telling you" she said in a rush.
Mark considered this.
" Someone in the rebellion?"
"Yes."
"That I know?"
"Yes, I said that."
"Older than you?"
"My twin."
"Did he grow up on Alderaan?"
"No. And when did this turn into a guessing game? You'll never figure it out." As soon as she said it Leia realised that she had made a mistake. If Mark had one childish trait, it was that he loved proving people wrong.
"Oh, yes I can."
"Mark, I'm really not in the mood for getting into that."
"Sorry. So he didn't grow up on Alderaan, it's not Tycho. Is he a Corellian?"
"No."
"Not Wedge then, or Corran, or Fel." He shuddered at the thought of Leia being related to an Imperial like Fel.
"As unwilling as I am to get into this, you're getting warm."
"A pilot then. A Rouge, maybe." A thought struck him. "Not...not Janson?"
Leia laughed. "No."
"Klivian?"
Leia paused to take gulp of her drink and seeing her pause, Mark suddenly jumped to conclusions.
"It is him! Wow, the princess and the grimmest fighter on the base are twins? Wow! Did anyone ever tell you that you look alike? It's your eyes-"
"Whoa, hold up. Hobbie is not my brother."
"Oh. Ok. Calrissian?
"No."
"Spain?
"T'alc'an?"
"T'alc'an is a bothan."
"Oh yeah."
"Mark, Luke is my brother."
Comprehension dawned on his face almost immediately.
"Luke- of course! So that's why Solo isn't jealous that the two of you are so close! It all makes sense now! The rouges who have bets on the two of you hooking up are going to be heartbroken! The princess and the jed- Oh"
His eyes widened further as he made another connection. Not long after the Emperor died Luke's heritage had come under scrutiny by the media. There had been widespread denunciation of him and people from all over the galaxy had called on him to resign. It had been a tough time for the foundling republic and even some of his friends had turned against him. But Luke was not really in an influential position, and the tabloids did not last long with the story. He simply ignored the stories untill they went away.
But Mark could easily imagine the uproar if Leia was ever connected to the Dark Lord of the Sith.
"We were hidden from our father as infants." Leia bowed her head, dreading his reaction.
To her surprise, he stood up, came over to her side of the table and gave her a warm hug.
"Poor Leia, what a burden for you to carry all these years. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Leia looked at him in surprise. "I thought that you'd want nothing to do with me anymore" she said, as if it was obvious.
He looked at her as if she had just claimed to have taken on a football team of fully grown Wampa's in a fight.
"Never, Leia. You know that I would go through the Nine Corellian Hells and back again before I hurt you on purpose, and so would most of the people we know."
Leia looked into his eyes and saw the truth in them. She reached over and fell into his arms, glad that she had told Mark what she had. Luke would be proud of her too. She felt closer to accepting her heritage that ever before.
Mark wrapped Leia in a warm wookie hug. Up to that point he had never fully realised how vulnerable and self-doubting his friend was. She was an amazing diplomat and a top-class councillor, but she was about to become a bride, something altogether different. And it hit him how amazingly frightening that must be.
Neither of them heard the quiet but menacing noise of the holorecorders behing them, or the shuffle as two bothan journalists left the cafe with some haste.
