Luke decides that, since Allana's training is unusual and technically outside the regular structure of the academy, that she's to be Jaina's apprentice. Jaina knows it's to give her something to do in Jag's absence, but she doesn't mind spending time with her bright, adorable niece.
She's composing a message on her datapad to Tenel Ka, Allana's mother, when the door to her office slides open and the girl herself comes in, followed by her nexu. Even if the door had been locked, Jaina's made sure that Allana has the codes to it and to her quarters. Allana technically lives with Jaina's parents, but Jaina's considered taking over and having the girl move in with her to give Han and Leia some freedom.
"Hi, sweetie," she says, setting the datapad aside as Allana hops into the chair on the other side of Jaina's desk. "What's up?"
"I was thinking," the girl begins, and her small face is serious.
"About what?"
"When Grandma and Grandpa went to help Uncle Lando, you and Uncle Jag went with. But he didn't come back." The girl's grey eyes search Jaina's face. "Uncle Jag, I mean. And you've been really sad."
Jaina sighs and stands, motioning for her niece to follow her over to the sofa. "Come here, Allana."
She realises that Allana is almost as tall now as she is. It brings to mind Kyp's remark that only the academy's five-year-old students are shorter than Jaina. And while Allana looks a lot like her mother, Jaina can see so much of Jacen in her.
The three of them-adult, child, large predatory feline-pile onto the sofa. Allana snuggles up to Jaina, and Anji makes a few growly noises, then sprawls across the two of them, her massive head mostly on Allana's lap. Jaina has to smile. Jacen would have loved this.
"You're sad," Allana states, and Anji's head lifts, all four eyes blinking at Jaina.
"Just remembering your dad. He would have loved having a pet nexu."
Allana's small hands dig into Anji's fur, and the nexu relaxes with a huff.
"Where's Uncle Jag?" the child asks. "You're not in the quarters you had with him, and his things aren't here. Did . . . he die?"
"No, sweetheart, Jag didn't die. He, um . . . You know how he was with the Empire, and he left them to live with us for a while?"
"Yeah. He was the Head of State."
Jaina nods and smooths her hand over the red-gold hair on Allana's head. "Well, he got offered a job by the Empire, and it conflicted with my being a Jedi."
"Being a Jedi is important," Allana says indignantly. "What job is more important than that?"
"Whatever they were offering," Jaina laughs softly. "We talked for a while and decided that, while we love each other, we couldn't be together. So Jag and I aren't married anymore."
It was a huge simplification of the tension, the arguments, and the last screaming match they'd had. Jaina wasn't sure how her marriage had collapsed so swiftly and suddenly, but it had been like a long, slow, unnoticed leak in a reactor core that had abruptly gone critical.
She slides her hand along Anji's side, avoiding the blunted spines on the feline's back. "He's gone back to where he's needed, and I'm here."
Allana frowns. The nexu, so attuned to her owner's emotions, looks at the girl, then cranes her broad, flat head to look at Jaina. Jaina sends Anji soothing thoughts.
"It makes you sad. Are you going to start drinking?"
Jaina's brows nearly meet her hairline. "What? Why would you think that?"
Her niece looks down at the nexu, as if she's sharing something she shouldn't. "When you and Uncle Jag . . . Is he still Uncle Jag?"
"Not technically, but I don't mind if you call him that."
"Okay. Um. When you and Uncle Jag got married, and you went on your honeymoon, Master Durron got really, really sad, and- and he was drunk a lot. I'm probably not supposed to know that, but he and Grandpa went away in the Falcon for a week, and left me and Grandma with Mom. Grandma wouldn't talk about it, but Mom said . . . that Master Durron had his heart broken."
Jaina closes her eyes, guilt washing over her. She knows part of that is her fault. She let Jag talk her into talking Kyp into heading the honour guard at the wedding. She'd thought it was a bad idea, but Jag always seemed to get his way. He had ever since that kriffing picnic on Borleias. Making Kyp participate in her wedding to someone else had been phenomenally stupid.
Knowing that Kyp got that depressed makes her stomach hurt. Her friend isn't the type to retreat and drown his sorrows, he's the confront-the-problem-and-punch-it type, with the sole exception of their very awkward, nebulous relationship.
Sensing Jaina's upset, Anji jumps down and begins stalking the office, looking for the threat. Allana immediately starts calming the nexu, while Jaina gets a stranglehold on her emotions and shoves them into a little box for the moment, until the danger of being mauled by a stressed nexu has passed. She minimises her Force-presence, and the feline finally sprawls on the floor.
She shouldn't be surprised to learn that Kyp hurt that badly. Despite his denials and pretense over the years, she knows he loves her. Having to participate when she married someone else must have been like a vibroshiv to the gut.
"He's happier now, though," Allana says, drawing Jaina out of her stomach-burbling reverie. "I guess since Uncle Jag left."
The girl frowns. "Who broke Master Durron's heart?"
Jaina sighs. "I'm afraid I did, sweetie."
Allana is a smart girl, and catches on quickly. It's been her mother's policy, and thus that of Han and Leia, to not shield Allana from anything except the ugliest things, and even then only on a direct visual. Allana is the Chume'da, the heir to the throne of the Hapes Consortium. Her childhood has never been and never will be as innocent as it should be.
So when she speaks, Jaina isn't surprised by the inquiry.
"Master Durron loves you?"
"He's my best friend," Jaina says, dodging the immediate question. "But we've never been together the way I was with Jag, or even with Zekk."
Allana pulls a face. "You dated Zekk? Does Taryn know?"
Jaina chuckles. Zekk, one of her oldest and best friends-and a sort-of former love-is married to Taryn Zel, the cousin of Allana's mother. "Not exactly, but yes, Taryn knows."
"So you've never dated Master Durron, but he loves you and got hurt when you married Uncle Jag."
That sums it up really well. "Yeah."
Allana's grey eyes are intent. "Do you love him?"
And there's the 60 million credit question.
"Well . . ." Jaina says slowly, stalling to avoid an answer. Because she knows she cares for Kyp, always has, and the thought of him hurting so much makes her want to cry, all the worse for knowing she caused it. He's been her best friend for years, the one she can always count on.
She thinks of his smiles, the way he sat with her in silence and let her cry when she left Jag, the support he gave her when she had to kill Jacen.
And she thinks, but isn't anywhere near ready to say it, that the answer to that oh-so-loaded question is "yes".
"I'm not sure," she says finally, knowing she can't avoid Allana's question entirely.
The girl makes an exasperated sound. "Either you do or you don't, Aunt Jaina!"
Jaina smiles wryly. "Wait 'til you're old enough for boys, and see how long that certainty lasts, young lady."
Allana's mouth opens to retort, but a low chime sounds, alerting for the class change. Jaina checks her wrist chrono and says, "I think it's time for your lesson with Tionne now."
Grumpily, Allana gets to her feet. "Okay. But I really think that if he's your best friend, and he loves you, you should love him back."
Her niece leaves, nexu in tow. Jaina wearily scrubs her hands over her face and sighs.
"Yeah," Jaina whispers to herself. "But I'm scared to."
