Chapter # 13

The days that followed were the most blissful that Ben could ever remember. He laughed as he watched his dad play games with his children and blinked back tears as his mom read stories to his youngest ones. The only concern that surfaced as he drifted off to sleep at night was the ever growing matter of Abby.

At first Ben thought that she was just a kittling-like bundle of mischievous adventure. With her bright smile and infectious laugh, it was hard not to credit her mishaps as just childish exuberance. But in the last six months he had begun to notice a thoughtful intensity about her that went well beyond that of a four year old.

Like that afternoon at Beggar's Canyon…

He was pretty sure that no one else saw it and at times thought he had just imagined the whole thing. But if his father suspected… Ben shuddered. No, he thought, my children will not be raised to become Jedi.

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After a riotous lunch of cheesy noodles, Luke helped a tired Rachel over to the couch while Mara entertained Caleb, Abby and Emia with their ongoing game of Stars and Comets. Tiann was happily engrossed in the scientific datapad given to him by his grandmother.

Ben and Nirice had pulled clean up duty and were in the kitchen finishing up the last of the dishes. Ben noticed that Nirice was unusually quiet and seemed contemplative. Teenagers, he chuckled to himself.

"Dad?" asked Nirice handing Ben a dry plate to put up in the cabinet.

"Yes, baby?"

"Things are going really well here, aren't they? I mean with Grandma and Grandpa," said Nirice slowly.

"Yes, I'd say that."

"Does it… bother you that they are Jedi?" she asked softly.

Ben hesitated as his heart began to beat a little faster. "No, it doesn't bother me. I just didn't want to pursue that kind of life."

Nirice looked away and removed another plate from the cleaning unit. "Then it's not that you don't like Jedi, it's just that you didn't want to be one yourself?"

"That's right. It was hard for my parents to understand that, but we've worked it out now and we both respect each other's choices," Ben said choosing his words carefully.

"That's good then. I really love them both a lot and …well, it's interesting what you just said about respecting each other's choices," she handed Ben another plate and looked up.

"What is it, Nirice? Is something bothering you?" asked Ben, concerned.

Nirice breathed deeply as if trying to find the words. "Dad, I have some choices to make, too. And I want…I'd like for you to respect the decisions that I've made."

"Oh baby," started Ben, thinking he understood what his daughter was trying to say. "I really do like Dalen. It's just that you two are so young to be dating; you both have your whole life ahead of you. Stars, did I just sound like a dad, or what?"

Nirice shook her head. "No Dad, that's not what I'm trying to tell you."

"Then what?" asked Ben still holding the plate in his hand.

"What I'm trying to tell you is…" Nirice's voice shook as she continued. "I want to be a Jedi like Grandpa and Grandma."

Ben froze as if the very air in the room had turned to ice. Closing his eyes, he felt rage begin to swell from deep inside until he thought he would explode. His hands shook with emotion as the plate fell and shattered onto the floor.

Luke immediately sensed something was wrong. He felt Ben's fury before he ever saw his son's face. Mara looked over at Luke with a look of complete confusion until Ben entered the living room.

"YOU HAVE NOT RIGHT!" screamed Ben advancing so quickly that Luke thought he meant to strike him.

"Ben, what's wrong…." started Luke, overwhelmed by the animosity he felt roiling off his son.

"Don't you dare pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, FATHER!" Ben's face contorted with anger. "I TRUSTED YOU

AND YOU'VE BETRAYED THAT TRUST!"

"Daddy?" Caleb whimpered, as he and Emia crawled into Mara's lap. Abby scurried over to Luke putting her arms around him.

"Ben, you're scaring your children," admonished Mara, comforting the two little ones in her lap.

Rachel got up slowly and crossed to her husband. "What is this all about, Ben?"

Ben took a huge calming breath. "Get the children we're going back to our room, Rachel."

"First tell me what is going on," pleaded Rachel, her hand on her abdomen.

Nirice entered the room, tears pouring down her cheeks. "It's my fault, I told Dad that I w-wanted to be a Jedi."

"Oh no," whispered Mara looking up at her son.

Tiann, who had until now remained quietly in the background, came forward and put his arm around Nirice as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You want to be a Jedi?" asked Rachel walking the short distance to her daughter.

"Yes, that's all," said Nirice miserably.

"That's what this whole thing has been about hasn't it, Father? Get my children out here so you can talk them into the life of a Jedi. Well, you won't take my children from me, do you hear?"

Ben accused.

"Son, that's not what happened at all," said Luke softly, "I didn't even know Nirice and Abby were Force sensitive until…"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Ben shouted.

"Dad, they didn't come to me, I went to them," said Nirice pleading with her father.

"Ben…" said Rachel.

"It doesn't matter, they should never have talked to you about it," explained Ben.

"Ben…" said Rachel.

"Let's just go back to our room and I'll take care—"

"No, Dad! Remember how you said they respected your choices? Well, that's all I'm asking from you," said Nirice gaining confidence with Tiann's arm around her.

"Ben…" said Rachel again.

"You're fourteen years old! You don't know what you want yet!" said Ben facing his daughter.

"BEN!" shouted Rachel.

"WHAT?" said Ben turning to face his wife.

Rachel slowly sank to her knees and gasped. "My water just broke."