Widia opened the door to find familiar faces and she smiled. "Welcome." Stepping aside, she allowed them entry, then shut the door and moved to lead them to the living room. It was in that moment that she remembered Leia and Luke sitting on the couch, chatting. She turned to look at Alena's mother. "Would you like to see Alena first?"

"We would, Widia," the woman said as she held her husband's hand.

Widia nodded, then glanced at the other members of the party. "The room is not that big, so..."

"Mother and I will wait out here," the former senator preempted her. She turned to find Leia staring at her. "I think there is some catching up to do, don't you think, Senator Organa?"

"There is, indeed, Senator," Leia replied. "It's been a long time, Pooja."

"It has."

Widia glanced at Pooja's mother to find her staring at Leia in fascination. So she'd seen it, too... Shaking her head in consternation, Widia turned and led Alena's parents down the hallway. There'd be time enough for that later.

Thirty or so years earlier...

The world had ended a week ago. It had ended, and a new one, a scary one, had begun in its place. These were her thoughts as she sat in the darkness of her parent's kitchen, trying to come to terms with it all.

A week ago, everything had been normal. Had seemed normal, that is, until the comm came in. Standing there, listening, she'd wanted to scream, cry... anything but stand there and listen as her mother explained that her sister had died. A week ago, she had wanted to make another comm as soon as her mother had disconnected, and call her sister for their monthly chat... only to realize she couldn't. That moment, staring at the comm station, had been one of the hardest in her life...

Sighing, Sola stood up and allowed herself to wander. She ended up outside the door of Padme's bedroom. Hesitating only a moment, she twisted the knob and entered the room, closing the door carefully. The lights had automatically come on and she didn't want anyone else disturbed.

Turning, the flicker of the wall-mounted holos caught her eye, and she crossed the room to look at them closer. She had seen them many times over the years, but right now they took on another meaning. Padme was alive in here, in those repeating holos.

Watching the one from the Senate repeat and repeat back on itself, Sola wanted to reach into the holo and pull her sister out of it. To touch her. To do more than just watch her... To have her here in person, rather than as a holo on a wall. A memory of yesterday, of what had been.

Sola backed up and slowly sat down on the bed, never losing sight of her sister. She watched it for a long while...

In the morning, her parents found her asleep on the bed.

Now...

Jacen bent down and looked at the little creature as it tried to hide in a corner of the small 'fresher unit, curious as could be about it. It had wiskers, and a tail, and was the most interesting shade of brownish-red that he'd ever seen. Slowly, in order to not startle it, he put out his hand in invitation. "Come on, little guy. I won't hurt you." Slowly, as if it had never had someone do that before, it came toward him and sniffed his hand. Jacen smiled. "That's it... can I hold you?"

The little creature came closer, as if saying yes, and Jacen picked it up. He held it up carefully to get a better look, and frowned when he realized that he didn't know what this was.

~*~*~*~

Han had just finished putting the game table back together for the second time when Jacen came up to him with something in his hands. "What you got there?"

"Don't know." He showed his father, and Han blinked. "Do you know what it is, Daddy?"

Han slowly took it from him. "It's a... creature."

"But what kind?"

"I don't know, Jacen. Never seen it before."

"I want to know what it is!"

Han sighed, knowing that when his son was insistent about things like this, especially animals, it was best to find out the answers. "Let's go ask the spaceport officials, then."

Jacen smiled and followed his father as they went to go find out what the creature was. "Can I hold it again?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because I said so, Jacen." Han ducked his head into the lounge for a moment. "Chewie, Jacen and I will be right back." The wookiee waved him off and Jaina almost burst out laughing when she saw what her father was holding. Shaking his head, Han smiled to himself and led Jacen out of the ship.

~*~*~*~

Mara doubled-back to pick up the carrier when Dark Star meowed rather loudly. "All right, you're coming too." Shrugging at Luke's questioning glance, she smiled. "She will make a lot of noise, remember?"

He nodded and let them into the living room. Mara wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but Leia chatting in that political tone of voice she used during senate sessions wasn't it. Especially not with two women she recognized from holos on the datapad. Tell me that she isn't using politics to feel them out, Luke.

The younger one was a senator, Luke told her unhelpfully over their bond as she sat down in a chair, setting the carrier down next to it out of the way. Ben climbed up into her lap as Luke sat on the plush arm.

So they're both using politics. Great. Mara waved silently to her mother when she noticed her.

Ben turned his head to look up at Luke. "What's... polotics?"

Luke blinked down at him, then laughed. "When you're older, I'll explain that one."

Widia frowned when she saw the carrier beside Mara's chair. "Mara? Did you find a pet or something?"

Mara shook her head. "That's Dark Star... Solo was fixing something and I couldn't leave her there."

"She wouldn't have let you leave her there, you mean," Luke teased her gently.

"That, too."

Widia stood up to get a closer look at the feline that was looking out her unblinkingly. She didn't feel any malevolence originating with it... "You can let her out if you want to."

"You're sure?"

"I'm your mother, of course I'm sure." That her daughter had a pet... maybe she wasn't so different. The thought had merit, anyway, as she turned her attention back to Leia and Pooja, who apparently were still catching up, and Sola who hadn't said a word since arriving. Now that she thought about it, Sola did seem to be a little stunned.

~*~*~*~

Jaelle, finally tired of sitting in the kitchen with her datapad, stood up and entered the living room. She stopped in the doorway, watching as Leia made political small talk while Mara, Luke, Ben, and her mother looked on. She could tell that Leia and Pooja were feeling each other out, and Sola appeared to be lost in thought, glancing between Luke and Leia. "Right... could the four of you come into the kitchen, please?"

Leia turned and looked at her in question. "Is something wrong?"

"Well... this isn't a Saback game to be won or lost and I have all the cards. Kitchen. The four of you. Now."

"Jaelle, I can do this," Luke said as he started to protest.

She sighed and pointed to the kitchen. "Now."

Mara suddenly had to chuckle at the pang of déjà vu. When Jaelle glanced at her, Mara shook her head. "Tell you later."

Jaelle fought the urge to smile. "All right." Turning back to the four in question, she raised an eyebrow. "Well? Day's not getting any younger."

Slowly, the four of them complied and Jaelle followed them into the kitchen. Back in the living room, she heard Ben ask a question... "What was that about, Mommy?"

Mara's answer was priceless: "The secrets of the universe, little one."

"Oh."

~*~*~*~

Pooja waited for Jaelle to join them, glancing at Leia all the while. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone here but Alena's in-laws."

Luke wanted to chuckle at that. "How right you are."

She frowned at him. "What?"

"All right, to avoid confusion, we'll do this the easy way. If you want to tell Alena's family afterward, that's all well and good," Jaelle said as she handed a bottle of Ale that she'd found in a cupboard to Sola. "You'll be wanting this."

Solo blinked down at the liquor in her hands. "I will?"

"Yes. Master Skywalker here is lucky I didn't find that earlier, or I'd still be drunk from the shock."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"That wasn't a complement," Jaelle muttered as she handed an information chip and a datapad to Pooja. "Everything you want to know is on there, Senator."

"Jaelle, you don't have to be so formal," Pooja protested... and then, as she read what was there, her eyes went wide with realization. "What in the nine hells is this?" She showed it to her mother, who suddenly understood why Jaelle had handed her a bottle of Ale.

Jaelle smiled as she motioned to Luke and Leia. "It's a boy and a girl."

Sola sat down hard in a chair and stared at them. "I'm right? Her resemblance to Padme isn't coincidental?"

"Nope, not a coincidence."

Leia looked at Jaelle. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

~*~*~*~

Samir was mounting a picture on a wall when he noticed something off: a paint brush was moving on it's own, painting a wall that Torath hadn't done yet. "Um... Torath?"

"What?"

Samir watched it for a moment or two, and when it did nothing besides paint that wall, he decided it was harmless enough. "Nothing... where did you want the changing table?"

"Over there in the corner, Samir."

He glanced at the paint brush again, shrugged, and moved the piece of furniture to where Torath had indicated. "I thought you were mostly done."

"Mostly, but not all..."

Samir froze when he heard an out of place noise: a child-like giggle. "Torath?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just giggle?" Which would have been odd... he'd never heard Torath giggle. Samir turned to find the other man looking at him funny.

Torath shook his head as he stood up straight and glanced around the room. "No..." He trailed off as he saw the paint brush painting all on it's own. Squinting, he could almost make out a shape holding it. "Um..."

"Saw it, too," Samir quickly told him. "Doesn't seem to be any harm or anything, just painting."

Torath watched as the paint brush dipped itself in the bucket for more paint and resumed painting, and cocked his head in curiosity as he started to hear something. Was that a child's voice singing a song? It sure sounded like it. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen..." Torath said as he held up a hand, indicating that he wanted quiet.

"...row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream! Merrily, merrily... something, something don't remember the rest! ...kum by yah, my Force, kum by yah! Somebodie's crying, my Force, kum by yah. Oh Force, kum by yah... I wonder why Elsie calls that a campfire song? Weird... There was a story about a little bantha... who was loooost in the wilderness..."

Torath turned back to share a confused look with Samir. "Someone's singing... badly."

"Hey!" a little voice yelled suddenly. "I am not bad at singing!"

At Samir's sudden shocked expression, Torath slowly turned to find a translucent little girl holding the paint brush and glaring at him. "Woah..."

"I just don't remember all the words!" Neesta watched them slowly back away and leave the room, and realized as she heard them fleeing down the hallway that she was in trouble. "Oops."

~*~*~*~

Mara was just letting Dark Star out of her carrier when Neesta appeared in the living room, looking very sheepish. Mara glanced at Ben, who was being entertained by Widia for the moment, looked at Neesta again, and then sighed and beckoned her to follow. "Is Renna in her room?"

Widia nodded. "I think so." Seeing Neesta, she immediately made sure Ben stayed focused on her. "And this is how you see the picture within the picture... squint, Ben. What do you see?"

Ben squinted. "A... poofy animal? Big. Round."

Mara smiled and, with Dark Star in hand, led Neesta to Renna's room. "All right, what happened?"

Renna looked up to find Mara staring intently at that translucent child again, but her attention was taken by the feline that hopped out of Mara's arms and bounded up onto the bed to look at her.

"I... scared Uncle Torath," Neesta said hesitantly. "And that other man."

"Scared?"

"He said I was bad at singing! I was helping! And painting was fun!"

Mara blinked at that explanation. "You were what?"

"Painting, Momma."

"And you went visible, didn't you?"

"Well... yes."

Mara sighed. "All right. Stay here, and I'll go see if they're here yet. You don't mind if she stays here, do you Renna?"

Renna smiled. "Not at all... is this cat yours?"

"Her name is Dark Star." Mara smiled at the way Dark Star was looking at Renna. "She must like you."

Renna watched as Mara left the room, then looked at Dark Star again. She scratched her behind the ears, and Dark Star leaned into it. "You're a nice one, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Neesta said as she sat down on the bed, careful not to go through it.

"Did you really scare my brother?"

"Didn't mean to."

~*~*~*~

By the time Mara got back to the living room, Torath and Samir were already there, appearing about as spooked as she'd expected. Shaking her head with a repressed laugh, she motioned for Widia to join her. "Neesta went visible while trying to help with the baby's room."

Widia glanced back at her son and Samir, nodding in understanding. "No wonder they seem so shocked."

"Can you handle it?"

"I can."

Mara nodded, and turned to go back to Renna's room.

~*~*~*~

"Huh... Neesta, you just made my day."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. Don't scare anyone else, okay?"

"But I was trying to help them!"

"Did they know about you before?"

"No."

"Then trying to help wasn't a good thing."

"Oh... sorry, momma..."

~*~*~*~

Mara glanced up from the little discussion she'd been having with Neesta to find Luke standing in the doorway, watching them. She smiled and beckoned him closer. "Come on in. We were chatting a little."

Luke shook his head. "That's all right, Mara. I... don't want to intrude."

Renna glanced from Mara, to Neesta, to Luke, and back again. "Can you see her?"

"Daddy has never seen me," Neesta told her gently. "Not as I am."

Renna stood up and went to stand in front of Luke, studying him, then glanced back at Neesta. "You can't see her? She's standing right there."

Luke shook his head. "No..." He tried to leave, but Renna grabbed his hand, effectively stopping him. "Renna, I..."

"You feel guilty," Renna said, curiosity in her voice and shrewdness in her eyes. "That's why you can't see her."

Luke glanced at Mara, then at the floor. "Does it matter now? Let go of me, Renna."

Mara frowned and moved to take his other hand. She hadn't thought of it that way before. They had talked so much about the kidnapping and everything surrounding it, but by the time Neesta had become visible to her, she hadn't thought about why he wasn't ever able to see her as well. They had a bond, so by all rights he should have been able to see her. Even now, five years later... he couldn't. "You could have told me."

"There wasn't ever time," Luke muttered, wanting desperately to leave even as they led him to the bed, and Mara got him to sit down.

"Well, there's time now," Mara told him. She glanced at Renna. "Thank you for picking up on that. Go see the baby now, all right? I've got him." Renna looked at Neesta, then nodded and left the room. "Neesta? Go visible like you did for Widia."

"I am," Neesta told her.

"Good." Mara turned her attention back to Luke, who now wouldn't meet her eyes. "Look at me, Farmboy."

"It doesn't matter, Mara."

"Yes it does." She waited, and glared at him lovingly when he finally did. "None of it was your fault, remember? Not one part of it."

"I could have found you sooner."

She glanced at Neesta, wondering if the child needed to hear all this, and got her answer when Neesta smiled at her supportively. Of course she needed to hear it. She needed to hear it as much as Luke did. Nodding in silent agreement, Mara returned her attention to Luke. "I know, but it wouldn't have been soon enough, and punishing yourself for something you can not change..."

"What do you mean not soon enough?"

"What do you think I mean?" She looked away from him in thought, then leaned closer so Neesta wouldn't hear. "It's fuzzy, but... I wasn't there that long. At least… I don't think I was."

Luke stared at her, shocked at that revelation. "So..."

"You are not at fault and you have nothing to be guilty of. Do you understand?"

He gazed at her for several long moments before leaning in to kiss her soundly, saying that he understood not in words but through their bond. She offered reassurance and he accepted it gladly and bolstered her with his love. When the kiss ended, he couldn't help but stare at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Mara beckoned Neesta closer and smiled at her. "You ready to try patty cake with me again?"

"It's still hard, Momma," Neesta said wryly, not taking her eyes off her father as his head swung around to stare at her.

Luke knew he should have been used to seeing Force ghosts, but this... "Wow."

Mara smiled. "Of course, you could teach him if you want. How did that rhyme go again? Something about a bakers man?"

Neesta smiled and held up her translucent hands. "Hold up your hands, Daddy." Luke hesitantly obliged her. "Elsie taught me how to touch with this. You wanna try?"

"Yes," Luke managed to say.

"Repeat after me, then. Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man..." At the contact, Neesta glanced at her mother, who nodded with a knowing grin, and Neesta smiled back. And then she got up and danced around the room. "I did it! I did it! Momma, I did it!"

Luke blinked at the suddenness of that, and glanced at Mara who was still grinning openly. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. She did that the first time we touched," Mara told him. "Neesta, you can stop dancing now."

Neesta returned to them and smiled at her father. "I did it and you can see me, and I'm a sister again! And a cousin!"

Mara frowned. "You will not appear in front of Alena again unless I say so, Neesta."

"Of course I won't... Daddy, will you wear the Flowered Robe again?"

Luke shook his head. "No."

"Please?" She poured on the charm and looked at him with doe-like eyes. "Pretty please?"

~*~*~*~*~

Leia wasn't sure what to make of it when she found Luke sitting in the kitchen wearing a flowered robe later that evening. She wasn't even certain she wanted to know what had led to that...

When he noticed her, Luke just smiled. "She begged me to."

"What?"

"The robe. She begged me to."

Without really knowing the details, Leia could only join him at the table and shrug. "Well... it sets off your eyes?"

Luke snorted in laughter. "Thanks, Leia."

~*~*~*~*~

Luke wasn't certain what to think as they stood together in front of the memorial in Theed City. This... was so much to take in all at once. As much as he'd wanted to find out what the answers were, to know the story... why did the answers always seem to breed more questions? Looking at the statue, he felt a deep desire to ask who she'd been. He knew she'd given birth to him, to Leia, but it wasn't the same as knowing the person in life. When Leia took hold of his hand, he glanced at her. At once, he knew he wasn't alone in his wondering. "Thanks."

Leia smiled and looked at the statue again. She'd grown up hearing stories, knowing and believing that Bail Organa was her father and Breha was her mother... in name and heart if not in blood. This... was another piece put in place. A puzzle becoming clearer all the while.

A hand gently took hold of Luke's other hand, and he glanced to find Mara with Ben at her side, smiling at him encouragingly. He smiled back at her, then returned his gaze to the memorial. They'd come here to find her family, and found more than either had expected. There was so much to take in, yes, but now, with Mara at his side, it didn't seem so big...

Eight or nine months later...

Renna stood at the window holding the baby and watched the sky traffic over Imperial City. She'd been here for three months and the sight of the ordered chaos always gave her a sense of calm, as if the constant lines of vehicles were soothing in and of themselves. Glancing back toward the bed, she found Mara smiling at her sleepily and nodded to her. Life had been... odd in these new surroundings since Mara had found her way to their mothers house on Naboo. All the training, the holo-comm calls to Naboo because Samir had stayed to help with more retrofitting, and... just learning to live all over again.

Smiling down at the infant, she began to hum a tune that she'd heard the day before. "Oh there's a story, about a little bantha..."

Life had been odd, yes, but... she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Here ends Obsessed With Flowers...