As light from the suns rays began to filter into the living room, Mara stirred and opened her eyes with a smile. She was leaning back into her husband with her child still sleeping on top of her, and was greeted by the sound of Luke's soft snoring and Ben mumbling in his sleep.

She would have moved to get up, but the moment was too precious to break and she wanted to enjoy it. It was better to let them sleep, anyway.

A few minutes passed before Widia came out into the living room on her way to the kitchen and noticed Mara watching her with a smile. "Good morning."

"Shh..." Mara told her humorously.

"Ah..." Widia came closer and dropped her voice to whisper. "Does he like caf?"

Mara shook her hand and replied in the same whisper. "Hot chocolate."

"Be back in a minute, then."

Mara watched her go and frowned. Her mother was going to make hot chocolate?

The next person to enter the living room was a very disheveled Jaelle, who didn't even notice her on the couch. Rather, she was still in her night clothes, her auburn hair messy, and Mara got the impression that she was running on a kind of autopilot as she made her way to the kitchen.

Widia came back from the kitchen with a cup that she set on the little table next to the couch. Then she glanced at Mara with an amused smile. "Jaelle's not a morning person."

"Ah." Mara sensed the first stirring's of consciousness from the man she was leaning up against and craned her neck to look at him, as Widia moved to sit in a chair where she'd be out of his view.

As he blinked his eyes open, Luke found himself looking straight at Mara, and he bent to kiss her. "Hi."

"Hey... Way better than sleeping in a chair, hmm?"

"Much." Looking past her, Luke saw that Ben was still cuddled up to Mara. Then he smelled something awfully familiar. "What's that smell?"

"Widia being nice to you," Mara told him with a smirk. "Right, mother?"

"Right," Widia said as Luke turned to see her sitting in a chair. "Though I wouldn't try drinking it just yet, if I were you. It's hot."

Luke was about to say something when Jaelle wandered back into the living room, a cup in her hand. "Um..."

Widia turned and shook her head in amusement. "Jaelle?"

"Hmm?" Jaelle asked as she took a sip and continued to walk back toward the hallway.

"Nevermind. I'll tell you when you've woken up completely."

"Sounds good," Jaelle murmured.

Widia turned back to Luke. "Like I said earlier to Mara, Jaelle's not a morning person. She's really, really not."

"Oh." Luke shifted slightly and picked up the cup that Widia had set there for him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Widia stood up and moved to lift a still sleeping Ben off of Mara. Then she sat back down in the chair again. "Does he always sleep this long?"

"We had a late night," Mara told her as she sat up, almost reluctantly. "I'm surprised that our talking hasn't brought him around yet, but..."

"Momma..." Ben mumbled, startling Widia. "Dark..."

Widia blinked down at him, then glanced at Mara. "Something about you and darkness?"

"Don't worry about it," Mara said with an unreadable expression. "He's fine."

Widia looked at Luke, who shook his head. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"And what about you?"

Mara looked away. "Some days are better than others."

Widia was left to wonder as Mara pushed herself off the couch and went off in search of the 'fresher.

Four months earlier...

Widia was sitting in her favorite chair by a window in the living room reading a hard copy book, when a knock sounded at the door. Frowning, she set the book down, got out of the chair, and went to answer the door.

Opening the door, she was at once startled and relieved. Her child was standing there on the doorstep, biting her lip with nervousness, head turned slightly away while she waited.

After a moment, she turned, and Widia saw the heaviness, the emotions, in her eyes. Wordlessly, Widia pulled Renna into her arms. She didn't need to know right now. Her child was home, and that was enough.

Now…

Renna opened her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and rolled over to find that he was still sleeping down there on the floor.

She watched him for a few minutes before his eyelids began to flutter open and he turned on to his back, sitting up in the process. "Hey."

Samir turned his head and found himself face to face with her. He blinked in surprise before smiling. "Hi... You're awake, I see."

"So are you... You didn't have to sleep on the floor, you know."

He chuckled. "The chair was occupied... and did you know that your sister can intimidate people just by looking at them?"

"Of course she can. She's a nurse."

Samir paused, reviewing that answer in his head. "Um... Renna?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, are you two up?" Widia asked suddenly from the doorway. "Breakfast will be ready in half and hour if you want to eat... and Samir?"

Samir, who had been watching Renna when Widia mentioned food, turned to look at her. And then it clicked: Renna hadn't had any reaction to the mention of food like she'd been having for months. No dry heaves, not even a flinch. "Yes, Widia?"

"Can you help me with something? Now?"

"Uh... sure." He got up off the floor, out of the sleeping bag, and followed Widia out into the hallway. "What do you need help with?"

Widia sighed. "Renna doesn't really know about Mara yet. Or, rather... she knows, but she doesn't know know."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you should be careful in what you say and wait until Mara herself is there."

Samir nodded slowly. "Something is different today. I'm not sure what it is, but something is."

Widia's eyes took on that distant expression that she used where Renna was concerned, before nodding in agreement. "You're right..." She turned to go, but looked back at him with a knowing smile. "And Samir?"

"What?"

"Be gentle with her. She's probably still a bit... peaky, even if she seems better. Tread softly."

"Right..." Samir watched her go, then turned back and reentered the bedroom... to find Renna standing at her dresser, contemplating the contents of a drawer. He shook his head and went to the closet without comment to get his duffle bag.

"Mom's half right, you know," Renna said after a moment. "I do still feel... somewhat less than normal."

"You heard everything we said?"

"Not everything. Just that last bit about me being peaky..." He heard a sigh and then a drawer closing. "She worries too much."

"I think she's had plenty of reasons to worry." He turned around to set the duffle bag on the bed and looked at the woman sitting in the chair... who was now wide awake and staring at him. "Uh..." Was that expression genetic or something?

Renna chuckled. "Funniest thing. You slept right through me and Vima there talking in the wee hours of the morning. Vima, this is Samir."

"Young one need not change here."

Samir blinked. "Huh?"

"Vima, it's all right," Renna told her while she slipped on a jump suit. "We've spent a lot of time together."

"Actually, I'll be right back," Samir said as he picked up his duffle bag and left the room.

Renna watched him take his leave, then looked at Vima, who was staring in the direction that Samir had gone in with an expression of hostility. "Vima?"

Vima blinked at Renna's tone of voice and looked at her. "Yes, child?"

"Samir is a friend... he's MY friend. Understand?"

Vima stared at her. "But..."

"We'll discuss this later, Vima." Renna pulled her jumpsuit on the rest of the way, threw an annoyed expression at Vima, and went to find Samir.

~*~*~*~*~

Samir was just leaving the 'fresher when Renna caught up to him. "Hi."

"Don't take it personally."

"Why?"

"Because she's got issues that bare no relevance on the present and knows nothing about you." Renna put her arms around his shoulders. "I didn't say this earlier, but I am happy to see you."

Samir stared at her in mild shock. "Why is it that, for the first time in months, you're saying that, and you're awake and more like yourself?"

"Because of that old lady who stared at you... and I am still a bit nauseous and not totally fine, but I want to eat something for a change."

"Ah." He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the nose. "I'm glad."

"Do you mind?" Torath asked from behind Renna. "I'm still trying to labor under the impression that you two are just really good friends."

Renna giggled and turned to look at Torath. "You're the one who said he was obsessed with me. Is it so bad to find out that you're right?"

"No, but..." Torath frowned and looked into Renna's room. "Renna, you may want to talk to Vima..."

"After I talk to mom. I'm irritated with the old lady just now."

Widia came down the hallway from the direction of the living room. "What's going on? It felt like... an emotional wave?"

"Huh?" Samir asked. "What are you talking about?"

Widia saw Renna standing up and dressed, raised an eyebrow, and looked over Torath's shoulder into Renna's room. "It's Vima. But why?"

"She had a reaction to Samir," Renna explained. "I think I understand it, but... did she have a daughter that got into trouble because of a man?"

"Yes. That was actually the last time I saw her before yesterday. Something about her daughter in trouble."

"She died."

Widia beckoned Renna to join her and they carefully entered the bedroom. Widia bent down in front of Vima while Renna sat on her bed nearby. "Vima?"

Vima slowly focused on her, eyes distant. "Died."

"I know. Come back to me now, all right? I need to understand and you need to stay here. Here. To explain it to me."

"And me," Renna added.

"Neema," Vima said slowly, as if rising from a murky depth.

"What about Neema?"

"Died because Vima didn't stop her. Because I... wasn't hard enough. Because she strayed and Vima didn't go after her."

Widia turned and shared a glance with Renna. "Did that sound off to you?"

"A little. When I talked to her last night, she never referred to herself in the first person."

"Hmm... Vima?" When Widia was certain she had Vima's attention again, she smmiled comfortingly. "It wasn't your fault. Neema made her own choices. Hers. Not yours. Hers."

"Vima could have-"

"No." Widia's voice was firm and Vima looked at her, eyes unblinking. "No. No what if's."

"But-"

Widia shook her head. "Doesn't work that way. No."

"Vima could have-"

"No." Widia stared into Vima's eyes, hoping she was getting her point across. "You didn't know."

"Like you said to me last night," Renna put in after a moment. "You couldn't have known. It goes both ways, Vima."

"Vima was too late."

"I know," Renna said gently. "I saw."

Vima broke Widia's gaze and looked away. "He was bad. She's dead because of him. Because she went off..."

"And made her own choices," Widia firmly reminded her.

"Yes." Tears began to fall as Vima slowly looked at Widia again. "Thank you."

Widia just smiled at her. "No need... Do you want to meet Samir for real?"

"Samir?"

"The man you chased out of here," Renna told her evenly.

Vima blinked at her blankly. "I..."

Widia sighed. "I'll be right back. Renna, stay with her."

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was helping Jaelle set the table when Widia entered the kitchen with tension in her eyes. "Widia?"

"Mara..." Widia looked around the kitchen, frowning. "Where's Luke?"

"Outside on the back steps talking to Ben. Why?"

"I think Vima needs to talk to him... and you, too."

Luke, having heard what Widia had said, came inside, Ben following close behind. "What's wrong with Vima?"

"How much do you know about her?"

"That she was a Jedi in the Old Republic, but not much more than that."

Widia looked down when she felt a tug on her pant leg. "What is it, Ben?"

"Want to help."

"All right," Widia said with a smile.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Jaelle?"

"She okay physically?"

"This is emotional."

"Ah, good."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, I just don't want to be a nurse right now. I want to cook. You all go and be mentally supportive, I'll finish breakfast. And send Samir and Torath out, would ya?"

Widia had to resist the urge to laugh at the expressions of disbelief that passed between Luke and Mara. "Right. You make breakfast, we'll see to Vima."

"And send Renna out when she's ready."

"Uh-huh."

~*~*~*~*~

Widia returned with two adults and a child in tow. "Torath, Jaelle wants you and Samir in the kitchen. Now."

"But what about-"

"Alena and the baby will be fine. Go."

Torath took note of her voice tone, realized that his mother was glaring at him, and grabbed Samir's arm. "Right."

Mara watched as Torath pulled a protesting Samir down the hallway and was barely able to resist a snort in laughter. "Now... what was the problem again?"

"Vima... Renna and I had to talk her through something. It was almost like a kind of catatonia, really. You remember what Renna was like yesterday, right?"

Mara shared a glance with Luke, then nodded. "Yes..."

"It was like that, only without the nightmares and the nausea."

A sigh was heard and the three of them turned to see Renna standing in the doorway of the bedroom, her face set in an expression of confoundedness. "Really, mother. I was not that bad."

"So you remember who she is?" Widia asked, motioning to Mara. "You met her yesterday."

Renna focused on Mara, and had to stare as she was struck again by a sense of familiarity. The dream. This was the woman from her dream that had confused her. "If I say not really, would that be a bad thing?"

Widia rolled her eyes and looked into the bedroom to find Vima looking in her direction with clear, but really sad, eyes. "Vima?"

"Need not worry."

"Always need to worry, Vima. Always." Widia entered the room, Luke and Ben close behind her. "I brought..." She had to stop talking when Ben pushed his way past her and went up to Vima with wide eyes.

"Not be sad," Ben said simply.

Vima smiled wanly at him. "Always sad, little Jedi."

He cocked his head for a moment, looking at her. "See shadows dancing?"

"Yes."

"Never alone. Shadows dance for you... to remind."

Widia turned to look at Luke. "Does he do things like that with everybody?"

"I thought it was normal."

"Hmm..." Widia bent down and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He's right, you know."

"Was alone a long time," Vima said softly. "Was safe."

"Well, you're safe now," Luke told her as he bent down on her other side. "And you are not alone, Vima-Da-Boda."

Vima looked at him with a penetrating gaze, as if she was searching for something. There was something there she hadn't seen before. Something strange and at once familiar. "Nor are you, Jedi Skywalker. Vima can see that you found it, Master."

"I'm sorry? I don't understand."

"You found it. Passed trials." Vima could see that he didn't understand, so she looked pleadingly at Widia. "Tell him. Trials."

Widia, who had pulled Ben into her arms and sat down on the bed, nodded slowly. "Right. Luke, I think she means that you remind her of the Jedi of old when they became Masters. She's trying to tell you that she thinks you are a Master now."

"Oh." Luke looked at Vima with an unreadable expression before nodding. "I understand... Thank you, Vima."

~*~*~*~*~

Renna looked at the woman who was giving her a sense of déjà vu. "Uh... hi?"

Mara rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Mara Jade Skywalker, also known as Marani Jaden. Your sister."

Renna slowly took the proffered hand and shook it. "Right. I'm sorry. We've met before, right?"

"Yesterday."

Renna shook her head. "No. I mean somewhere else."

Mara, realizing that the vacant, glassyness to Renna's eyes was probably not a good thing, gently squeezed the hand she was still holding to draw Renna's attention back to her. "We'll talk about that later, all right? Now is not the time."

"But..."

"No. Besides, it's time for breakfast."

At the mention of food, Renna's eyes got very wide, and she walked away very fast. Mara blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Widia ducked out into the hall way just then. "Where's Renna?" She was greeted by faint noises from the direction of the 'fresher. "Oh. Did you mention food?"

"Yes... She was confused about why I seem familiar, and... well, yes. I did. Sorry." Mara shrugged as Renna, paler than she'd been, rejoined them in the hallway. "Sorry about that, Renna."

"There is nothing worse than dry heaves," Renna told her frankly.

"Sure there is. There's Jello."

"What is that supposed mean?"

Mara just smiled at her.

~*~*~*~*~

As the eight of them sat down at the kitchen table, Renna tried to ignore the glances directed at her from her family. Then Jaelle set a bowl in front of her, and she couldn't help but stare at the contents.

"What is this?" Renna asked, passing the bowl back to Jaelle, only to have Jaelle return it with a firm gesture. "It's green. Breakfast shouldn't be green, Jaelle." She tried to hand it back, but Jaelle wasn't having it.

Mara glanced over as Jaelle again returned the dish to Renna, and had to resist snorting in laughter. She could understand that reaction. "Jaelle!"

"What? She hasn't eaten that much lately. And Renna? It's breakfast. Eat up."

Mara leaned over to Luke. "Do you think all nurses prescribe Jello after months of not eating a lot?"

Jaelle paused and looked at Mara speculatively. "I'm sorry, Mara. Would you like some, too?"

"No," Mara told her flatly, eyes narrow.

Jaelle shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so."

"Probably," Luke told her as Renna began to warily eat the Jello. "There was a reason for that, you know."

"True." Mara noticed Widia looking at her with an inquisitive frown as she ate her oamelet, and shook her head to ward off the questions. "Not now."

"All right."

"Can I have some?" Ben suddenly asked as he watched Renna eat the green, jiggly substance.

Jaelle paused and looked at Mara, who was studiously avoiding that question. "Can he have some? There's more, because I've been making it once a week ever since Renna became ill."

"I wasn't that bad," Renna mumbled between bites.

"Yes, you were so. Or you wouldn't be eating Jello for breakfast."

"It's better than pudding," Luke muttered as Mara turned to stare at him blankly. "What? ...and yes, Jaelle. He can have some Jello if he wants it."

"Pudding for breakfast?" Mara asked, almost incredulous.

"You were the one demanding that I wear Flowered Jedi Robes, you tell me." Luke smirked as Samir looked at him with wide eyes and Torath snorted in an attempt to hide his laughter. Shaking his head, Luke continued to eat his breakfast.

"Mara, you're going to have to explain that to us later," Jaelle said after giving Ben a smaller bowl of Jello, and had sat down to join them at the table.

Mara blinked as Torath snorted again. "I... don't really remember it, but... yeah. You can stop now, Torath."

Torath looked at her, and sobered. "Sorry. It's just... the idea... of him... in..." Another snort.

"It's funny?" Mara asked in a neutral tone, eyes glinting with that steely expression that would make a Wampa think twice about attacking her.

"Yes."

Mara ate in silence for a moment or two before pushing her plate aside and regarding him seriously. "So you find someone one acting other than normal for no reason... funny?"

Torath frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You didn't answer the question, Torath."

Luke cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "Without the details it is funny, Mara."

"And with them?"

"Not so much." He put a hand on hers to comfort her, and met Torath's eyes. "She had me worried for a day or so. First the flowers in the living room, then the singing, then flowered clothing, then something she never would have made for breakfast otherwise... though it does make sense now... It sure didn't at the time."

"Oh... sorry about that, Mara."

"Don't be." Mara felt a slight prodding through the force and glanced at Widia, to find her mother looking at her with compassion etched in her features. "I was figuring out I had a family, Widia."

"And it wasn't easy, from the sound of it." Widia didn't miss Luke giving Mara's hand a squeeze or the tightening in his jaw.

"No, it wasn't," Mara answered calmly. Then she turned her attention to Luke. "Do you think that you three men could take Ben out to p-l-a-y for a little while after breakfast?"

Luke glanced at Torath, who shook his head, and Samir, who nodded, and smiled. "I think we could do that, yes."

"Good."

~*~*~*~*~

Renna was seated on the couch, watching while Mara stood at the back door to the kitchen, watching the men and her son in the back yard.

Mara shook her head, smiling at their antics, then turned and reentered the living room to see that Widia was sitting in a chair by the window and Jaelle was standing in the hall entryway. "Now, then… Renna, you were wondering about where you know me from, right?"

Renna nodded. "Yes."

"You had a dream earlier this week," Widia told her. "That's one reason. And then you spoiled me on the fact that Mara's pregnant."

"I did?" Renna shook her head slowly. "I don't remember that, but…"

"It doesn't matter," Mara said, throwing a mild glare at Widia. "The part that does matter is that I know where your nightmares came from. Some of them, at least."

"Vima told me they weren't dreams."

"Well, she's right. They're not. They're force-visions, and you see them in your sleep because that's when your defenses are down."

"That doesn't explain why you give me déjà vu."

Mara looked at her for a moment before crossing the room to dim the light from the window by closing the drapes. Once it was as dark as it would get in the room, she turned, went to the middle of the room, and sat down. She rested her chin on her knees and pretended to look vacantly at nothing.

Widia frowned, confused as to what that had to do with the question Renna had asked. Then, hearing a sharp intake of air, she glanced at Renna. She was staring at Mara in shock. "Renna?"

Renna blinked at the sound of her mother's voice, but her eyes were fixed on Mara. She was suddenly pale, as if she'd seen something shocking and were just now remembering it. "Oh… oh… It was real…" she said slowly, her voice low and tentative, shock almost ringing through the words.

Mara raised her head to look back at Renna with a firm gaze. "Yes."

"Oh…" Renna blinked again, then shook herself. "What was it, then?"

Mara got up off the floor and joined her on the couch. Looking her in the eyes, Mara almost didn't want to tell her, but it was time for truth, no matter how painful. "I… was held captive for six months, and then Luke rescued me. You know the rest." Widia opened her mouth to say something, but Mara waved her off. "I wasn't fine for a long time afterward, Renna… and I still don't much care for certain foods because of it."

"I'm sorry?" Jaelle asked, thinking she'd heard wrong.

"Hospital food. They gave me jello for three and a half days before letting me have anything more solid than that…"

"So why did you being held captive give her nightmares?" Widia asked, giving Mara a firm stare.

Mara returned her mother's gaze with a sigh. "Because… they didn't just hold me captive."

Renna stood up and went to reopen the drapes. "That… yeah." The dimness of the light had been creeping her out. "I… oh…"

"Renna?" Jaelle asked as she led her younger sister away from the window.

"I'm fine," Renna mumbled.

"Sure you are," Jaelle said as she led Renna back to the couch and helped her to sit down. "And I'm queen of Naboo." She kneeled in front of her. "Look at me."

Renna slowly focused on Jaelle, and had to blink away tears. "It's so much."

Mara put an arm around Renna while Widia joined them and pulled Renna, Mara, and Jaelle into a firm embrace. "Yes, it is."

"I never understood those," Renna told them, her voice choked with tears. "I couldn't even talk about it with Samir, and he tried."

"And it hurt because you didn't understand," Widia said gently.

"Yes."

"Well it's over now," Mara told her with a nudge to the arm. "Long as you live, don't ever forget that. It's over and done. Can't change it, but… It doesn't do to dwell on it, because that just causes more pain."

Jaelle turned her head slightly to see the open expression in Mara's eyes and couldn't help but agree. Over and done, no matter how painful it may have been.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, after Renna had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Jaelle turned to Mara and frowned at her. "So how did you get better?"

Mara smiled ruefully. "A lot of patience and love on Luke's part, a cat that wouldn't let me out of her sight for more than four months, and a trading run that turned into a bit of a disaster… A good disaster, but still a disaster."

Jaelle shared a glance with Widia. "How do you have a good disaster?"

Mara chuckled. "When you run smack dab into an invasion, get your ship crippled, and end up not dying because a group of strange people show up in the nick of time and rescue you."

There was a long pause as Jaelle and Widia processed that information. Finally, they shared a laugh due to the sheer incredibleness of it.

"I don't remember hearing anything about an invasion, Mara," Widia said after a moment.

"That's because the only planet that got the brunt of it was Lamarred. It was... quelled before they did anything else."

Jaelle would have asked what she meant by that, but from the look in Mara's eyes, she got the impression that it was better to leave it be. "Right... So, have you thought of a name yet?"

Mara blinked at her before glancing at Renna with a smile. "I think so..."

"Good to hear."

Mara would have said more, but Ben came running in from the kitchen with a big smile. "Ben?"

Ben stopped in front of Mara and pulled on her hand. "Come play, Momma!"

Mara stared at him for a moment before nodding and letting him pull her up off the couch. "All right, Ben. Play, it is."

Ben noticed Renna asleep on the couch and frowned. "Why is she asleep?"

"Renna's had a big day, little one," Jaelle told him with a smile.

"Oh." Ben shrugged and pulled on Mara's hand again, and she followed him outside.

Jaelle glanced at Widia. "Think we should join them?"

Widia looked pensive for a moment before smiling. "Go if you want to. I... want to stay a while for Renna."

Jaelle nodded and stood up. "Alright, then."

"Have fun."

Jaelle laughed as she walked to the back door and looked out. With a three year old? Always.