p class="MsoNormal"Flashback: 11 years' prior/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Emelia had turned into a fine young lady, according to her her mother, father, and anyone else that had been around long enough to watch her grow up. No longer was she a rosy, chubby-cheeked little girl, who loved to tag along wherever her brother went. She was now about 5'6" tall, with a mane of dark, curly locks, like Ben's. Her legs were toned from running every morning, something that she enjoyed immensely. Her chest was now something that she blushed at the sight of, making sure it was fully covered at all times. Her skin was lightly tanned from the time that she spent outside every day, and her face sported freckles from cheek to cheek. She had transformed into a fine young lady indeed./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She had just celebrated her fifteenth birthday, complete with a lovely dinner of stew and a homemade cake that was only enjoyed on special occasions. It was one of the best days her family had had, as they all sat around the table, laughing and eating together. Her father was home, something that she had not expected, and he and Ben had engaged in pleasant conversation about the state of the Galaxy. Even Chewbacca was enjoying the warm atmosphere, as he gulped down his third bowl of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"When a knock sounded at the door, Emelia rose from her seat, smiling as she glanced back at her family before heading to get the door. She opened it without checking to see who it was, hearing laughter erupt from the other room. She desperately wanted to know what was so funny!/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Oh, Poe! We weren't expecting you," she stammered, blushing slightly at the handsome, dark-haired teenager standing in the doorway. She had no idea why her cheeks were so flushed, but she moved aside quickly to let him pass./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""I'm not interrupting am I? I just thought I would stop by because I know that it's your birthday, and Ben said that I was allowed," Poe smirked, knowing that his gaze was making her blush an even deeper red as they both entered the kitchen, that doubled as the dining area./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It seemed that Poe knew he was making her squirm, and he took pleasure in it, something that was NOT okay with Emelia. She willed her cheeks to stop flushing as she brought her arms across her chest, making sure that she was fully covered. Poe had quite the reputation of ogling at certain assets. She wanted to make certain that he was not getting any view of hers. It was as if the fact that he was one of the most pleasant looking men on base directed his actions, which were flirting with women and acting mightier-than-thou. Lately it seemed as though he didn't even have a brain inside his thick skull./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Poe, what a lovely surprise!" Leia cooed, grinning up at the young man, as he plopped down in the seat next to her./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Ben said that I could stop by to wish Em a happy birthday, and I do enjoy spending time with the most interesting family on the planet," he grinned, making each member of the Solo family raise their eyebrows. They were most definitely not the most interesting family on the planet./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Okay, maybe that was kind of true. Bounty hunter father, princess-turned-general mother, and two rambunctious teenagers, one of whom had an incredible way with The Force./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Emelia preferred the term dysfunctional, but she was not about to comment when she saw the ear-to-ear smile that her mother was sporting. She wanted to vomit as Poe soaked in all the attention, wishing that she could kick him under the table without being noticed. Apparently the scowl on her face had brought the attention upon her for a moment, as Han looked on, concerned./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""What's the matter, sweetheart?" He enquired, placing a hand on her shoulder. She screwed her face up into a grimace before responding./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""Just a stomachache. I think I am going to have a lie down." She mumbled her response, but it seemed that her father had already turned his attention back to the others./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She excused herself from the table, but it seemed as though they barely noticed. Her mother was deep in conversation with Poe about something to do with TIE fighters and X wings, while Ben and Han were locked in a heated debate about Ben leaving for Uncle Luke's. Chewbacca was the only one that watched her leave, but he, too, turned his attention back to the conversation as soon as she pushed in her chair./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Flopping down on her bed, face first, she let out a scream, muffled by her pillow. This was HER day, and that stupid Dameron boy had to ruin it. Why did he have to show up today? He was here every other day of the year! He always commanded all of the attention in the room, which only inflated his already-humongous ego. It was infuriating! He was infuriating! She hated him./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"But did she?/emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"He did have wonderful, flowy hair that always seemed in place. His smile, albeit smug, was brilliant, with his perfectly white and straight teeth. He had a wicked sharp wit, and his sense of humor was sarcastic and dry. He was toned, tan, and all of the ladies loved him. Ugh. He was perfect. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She hated him./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"A knock on the door startled her, causing her to lose her train of Poe-hating thoughts. She refused to leave her bed, grumbling that whoever was at the door could go away. She didn't feel like speaking or seeing anyone./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Another knock, this one more powerful. Now she was agitated. Didn't she make it clear the first time? Shouting a little louder this time, she told the person at the door that she wasn't coming out./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Knock-knock-knock-knock./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She was fuming now, flying off of her bed. Her face was contorted into a glare as she flung the door open, sure that she was going to find Ben or her father on the other side. She was truly surprised when she saw Poe, leaning up against the door frame. It only served to fuel her anger, though./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""What? You couldn't get enough attention from my family, so you had to come and demand it from me, too? You felt the need to come and bother me, on MY birthday, to fuel your over-inflated ego. Just. Leave. Me. Alone!" Emelia seethed, trying to make her face and voice as menacing as possible./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""I was just coming to give you this, but I can see that my presence is unwanted. Here," Poe retorted, angrily, as he shoved a crudely wrapped parcel into her hands before stomping back down the hallway./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""What a baby," she muttered, before slamming her door shut./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"The first thing she did was tear open the parcel, wondering what Poe could have possibly gotten her. It was light, square, and resembled a sheet of paper. It was probably his autograph./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She gasped at what it actually was. It was a picture that he had drawn of her favorite place on base. It was clearing among the trees, one full of brightly colored flowers, littered with large boulders that she often sat on and read. The drawing captured the sunlight, as it lit up the clearing, highlighting the yellows, oranges, and reds of the field. She had almost dropped the paper, as if it was hot to the touch./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"She groaned, realizing how much of a jerk she had just been to him. Sure, he was generally a big-headed git that liked to flirt with women, but he was still one of her friends. She would have to apologize to him, later of course. For now, she was trying to decide the perfect place to hang her drawing./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Emelia's gaze lingered for a moment on the drawing that hung on her son's bedroom, the drawing that had meant so much to her, before she snapped out of her trance. Her heart was beating a mile-a-minute as she hastily shoved some random articles of clothing into a bag, praying that she had more time than she actually did. Jax sat on his bed, fidgeting uncontrollably as his gaze followed his mother's every move./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Jax, sweetheart, you have to listen to me. You're going to run to Moura's house, okay? Do not talk to anyone on the way. Once you get there, Moura is going to take you into her basement. You are not to make a sound; do you hear me?" She checked his face for understanding, and found that it was etched with fear. It broke her heart, as she pulled him into a hug./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You'll be safe there. Promise me that you'll do as I say?" She questioned, pulling back slightly to just make out a solemn nod./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fastening the bag on his back, Emelia pulled Jax into another tight hug before planting a kiss atop his head. He looked up at her, his eyes full of fright and confusion. She fought back a sob before shooing him out the door, watching as he sprinted full-speed down the path and into the forest, headed straight for Moura's shack. She prayed that he would make it their safely./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She took a deep breath before leaving the house herself, headed for hangar. Her mother was already there, preparing for the arrival of the First Order. She felt sick to her stomach, thinking about what she was going to see. What was going to happen to them? Would the First Order demand their execution? Would they simply shoot them on arrival? All of these thoughts raced through her mind as she bounded forward, willing her feet to move faster than they would./p
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p class="MsoNormal"The presence of the First Order was noted immediately. Even before the Stormtroopers had the chance to disembark the ship Resistance soldiers had their blasters fixed and ready to fire. General Organa was in the middle of the group of soldiers, a few other high-ranking officials flanking her. She seemed eerily calm, as she anticipated the arrival of Kylo Ren. Emelia took her spot next to her mother, smoothing out her dress over her growing stomach./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a familiar hiss as the door of the ship opened, allowing Stormtroopers to flood out. Emelia counted twenty, along with their commander, who wore a rather dark uniform that resembled those of the Stormtroopers. Next came two men that were dressed in First Order uniforms, whose solemn glares told her they were not there by choice. They all waited with baited breath for the one person that mattered the most./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Kylo Ren made his appearance a few seconds later, stomping down the ramp as he pushed through the throng of his cronies. His strides were quite long, and it took him no time at all to reach Emelia and Leia, stopping about ten feet short of them. His mask distorted his breathing, which creeped Emelia out. It was so unnatural./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello, General Organa. How nice to see you again," he snarled, obviously implying that their meeting was anything but pleasant./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello, Ben. It's been a long time," Leia responded, her face and voice unwavering./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ben Solo has long gone. He was weak, replaced by someone much stronger," he said, cocking his head slightly to side. His facial expressions were clouded by the mask that he wore. Emelia had to bite her tongue to stop herself from spewing out obscenities and rude comments./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Slowly, Kylo Ren turned to face his sister. She was paralyzed by anger as she stared at the metal mask, glinting in the light. Her jaw was set, but she willed herself to keep her expression neutral. She did not want Kylo Ren to know that he had gotten to her. That he had broken her by taking the person that she loved. She would be strong for her son and her husband./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Dear sister, I believe you have something that I desire." His voice was distorted by the machine, but she could just tell that he was grinning evilly behind his mask. She clenched her fists at her side, her stare unwavering./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I do not know what you are talking about," she retorted, her voice even like her mother's. It was not easy feat when she was screaming at him in her mind./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, but you do. Where is my nephew?" His question caused her to tremble involuntarily, partly from anger, partly from fear for her son. She would not give in./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""WHERE IS HE?" Kylo bellowed, as he whipped out his lightsaber. Emelia had to work extra hard to maintain her gaze, challenging him. She would not give in./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Very well. Search the base." He commanded, as his Stormtroopers and the other generals nodded in assent./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Dear, sweet, Emelia," he clucked, bringing his hand up to Emelia's face, tilting her chin up slightly. He leant in closer, moving his masked face to her ear. His voice was barely audible, making sure that only she could hear what he was going to say next. /p
p class="MsoNormal""I will find him, and then I will kill you and that pilot scum." /p