Please see first chapter for disclaimer and other infor
A/N: Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I just figured, I've kept you all waiting for a long time with this story (it was first started nearly TWO YEARS AGO!) so I'll post it as soon as it's hot off the press. This is also in celebration of only having one assignment left until I can complete my Bachelor of Arts degree! Enjoy :)
Chapter Fourteen: Unpredictablely Predictable
There had to be a simple explanation for this. Perhaps Leia had a sore leg and Han was simply making her life easier for her? No, that didn't sound like the Han Solo he knew. In the brief few seconds before Han and Leia had noticed their presence, he could feel a wonderful sense of calm around them. It had reminded him of the calm he had felt the day he married Padmé. And with that sickening realization, he realized that not even Anakin Skywalker, Jedi, Father and Lover extraordinaire would be able to overturn the decision they had just made.
Several thoughts assaulted Anakin's mind at once:
Leia's White Dress (Why was it that women could shop quicker than he could change his underpants?)
Han's black tuxedo (Had Han been saving that in the Millennium Falcon for the day he would kidnap his daughter and marry her?)
The ridiculously large ring on Leia's hand (How could Han afford it? More like who did he steal it from?)
Luke finally took mercy on his father and broke the silence. "Leia?"
Finally the sickening "cutesy" giggling came to a halt. Both guilty parties froze momentarily and Han wordlessly let Leia slide to the ground, where she stumbled on her dainty little wedding shoes. Anakin didn't feel the need to say anything. He was almost positive the look on his face would have sufficiently indicated his distaste at their current predicament.
"Daddy…"
Leia hadn't called him Daddy since she was twelve and had a nightmare that a Rancoor had eaten Luke. While it melted his heart to finally hear that name again, he remained stoic. Turning towards his son, Anakin said forcefully, "Luke you will take our ship back to Alderaan. I think the newlyweds here would actually enjoy a reality check on their glorious trip back to 'face the music'." Luke knew better than to argue with his father.
Good luck, he silently sent through the Force and made his way back to the spaceport. Anakin turned around and glared one last time at both Han and Leia, who at least had the decency to look both embarrassed and ashamed. It was going to be an interesting trip back to Alderaan.
"You," he said pointing to Leia and then " And YOU!" he exclaimed pointing to Han. "We have a lot to discuss. You will go and find the Millennium Falcon. You will set it to autopilot. There will be no talking, no thinking, no mentioning, no discussing, no suggesting, no murmuring, no ANYTHING until we have sufficiently entered into Hyperspace." So no-one can hear you both screaming…
--
Thankfully both Han and Leia had been too scared to disobey his orders. They had all silently boarded the Millennium Falcon and Han had obligingly set it to autopilot. Anakin had given them time to go and change out of their wedding clothes and now it was time to face the proverbial music and face the Solos.
Anakin paced furiously as he waited for them. Oh how he wished Padmé were here with him now! She would use those handy maternal instincts and stop him from saying something unbelievably foolish as he was most certain to. Why, oh WHY had the Force blessed him with such a rebellious daughter? Why could she not just do the job she was supposed to do, dress the way he wanted her to dress and marry the stupid blonde prince he wanted her to marry? Well the prince the galaxy wanted her marry at least. Anakin was quite content for Leia to join a nunnery, although she had not made that possible now that she had permanently attached herself to a rogue space pirate. Anakin briefly wondered if an annulment was possible on Alderaan. If not, a divorce could happen on Coruscant.
Anakin's internal rant was interrupted as Han and Leia, now changed into more acceptable non-Wedding like apparel, entered the room holding hands. Both walked in maintaining eye contact with Anakin the whole time. It was then Anakin realised they were not coming in here to face the wrath of the unwilling 'father of the bride'. They were here to tell him in no uncertain terms to take his yelling and screaming and place it strategically in a place where no twin suns of Tatooine would ever see sunshine. As irritating as having to travel half way across the galaxy to 'rescue' his one and only daughter who was clearly in no need of rescuing was, Anakin, for the first time in his life, was going to admit defeat.
His daughter loved the scoundrel. Leia was now officially all grown up and Anakin was the father of the bride.
The Force have mercy on us all.
"Dad, Han and I are now married," Leia said evenly, the fire in her eyes not betraying her calm and steady Senator demeanour.
"Yeah Paps, and if you don't particularly like that idea, no amount of ranting, raving, threatening, or leaving booby traps all over my ship is going to change it. Leia made her choice. It's not that Prince Isoldope. It's me." Han said, a touch of smugness in his voice.
Anakin stared at them for a moment longer. He knew they were expecting him to blow up like a volcano, ala Mustafar. In those previous few moments before their arrival, Anakin knew he had made his peace. But what a better way to show his daughter and her new husband that Anakin Skywalker, Jedi and Father extraordinaire was nothing if not always unpredictable.
Breaking into a smile, he brought both very shocked newlyweds into a bear hug.
"Congratulations!"
The look on their faces was prize enough to keep Anakin entertained long enough until they reached Alderaan. Han quickly recovered and shook his father-in-law's hand. "Knew you'd come around Paps. Hanging out with Prince Pompous was obviously enough to swing you my way!"
Anakin simply raised his eyebrow in response. "As happy as I am for you both, and really, nothing pleases me more than seeing my little girl elope after being kidnapped, your problems are just beginning. In case you needed reminding, there's a whole planet panicking about Leia's whereabouts and it will be up to the two of you to face Prince Isolder, not to mention the Vice-Chancellor herself and explain with a smile on your faces that you are now in fact, Han and Leia Skywalker-Organa-Solo."
And as amusing as Han's face was the moment he gave his blessing to their marriage, the look on his face realising the crowd of people that would be out for his blood on Alderaan was much more enjoyable. Though Anakin wasn't sure who he feared more- the Prince who certainly would launch the Hapan Fleet upon his arrival, or his mother-in-law who had missed her only daughter's wedding.
All that Anakin knew was he was going to enjoy this. Immensely.
Taking joy in another's humiliation, embarrassment and utter fear was not part of the Jedi Code. That had never stopped Anakin from taking Han's money in Sabacc and betting Obi-Wan to parade around in Padmé's shoes before and it certainly would not stop him today.