Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. It's a little redundant, but I have to say it. As always, I invite you into my own little AU sandbox to play.
AN: Here's part 2! Thanks for all the great reviews! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette
Part 2/?
"Hey Mara…are you okay?" Luke asked, as they sat in the rec room, while their parents were all out in the living room.
"Of course she's not okay, laser brain. She just found out her real father is a scoundrel," Leia blurted out.
"Leia…that was mean," Luke scolded.
"I mean…I didn't mean that Mara. I'm sorry," Leia apologized.
"It's okay. I wouldn't expect any of you to understand. Your real father is Anakin Skywalker," Mara replied bitterly.
"And yours is Mace Windu," Luke said.
"Not biologically. You heard that man. He's my real father!" Mara yelled, as she turned away.
"No…Master Windu, one of the Order's greatest Jedi is your father," Luke tried to reason with her.
"Luke is right. That man that showed up at Dex's threw away his chance to be your Dad, so don't feel that you have to give him the same consideration that he denied your Mom when she was pregnant with you, even if he somehow has changed," Leia said.
"It's like I said before, none of you understand, because you're real father raised you and he's not going to just show up like mine just did," Mara ranted. Luke rolled his eyes. He understood that she was upset, but she could be very unreasonable when she was.
"Well, maybe they don't understand…but I do. I don't know who either of my real parents are," Natalie said. Mara looked at her.
"So if one of them showed up one day…what would you do?" the red head asked.
"I don't know. I would probably want to know why they abandoned me in an alleyway to die first. But I do like to think that I wouldn't shun the people around me that loved me, just because I was angry. My parents might not be mine by blood, but they love me so much that they've given me everything as if I were. Your father, Master Windu, loves you like his own," Natalie said.
"Natalie is right. It doesn't matter what kind of beginnings you have, but only that you have people around you that love you, whether they're related by blood or not," Jayden replied, as he smiled at Natalie, who smiled back.
"Ugh…could you two get any more nauseating?" Mara asked, as she walked toward the door.
"Oh just wait, I'm sure they'll only get worse," Jenna said.
"You're just jealous, because no boy in the Temple will go near you. They're afraid you'll bite," Jayden retorted. Jenna gasped.
"You take that back, you Shaak butt!" Jenna yelled.
"Make me!" Jayden called.
"Maybe I will," Jenna threatened.
"If you two get into another fight, Mom is going to ground you again," Leia warned.
"Where are you going?" Luke asked Mara.
"I'm going to see my Mom and…Dad," she replied, as she left, making both Luke and Leia smile.
"I'm glad I got through to her," Leia mentioned.
"You? I was the one she listened to," Luke replied.
"Um…I think it was what Natalie said that got through to her," Jayden added.
"Whatever. I'm going to comm Jake," Leia announced, making them all groan.
"Great…she's going to tie up the channels for hours again," Kimberly complained.
"Like you have anyone to talk to," Leia sniped back. Kimberly, the most sensitive one of them, lowered her head.
"That was mean Leia. Kimberly has lots of friends, because she's nice, unlike you," Luke replied.
"I'll have you know that, because I'm dating Jake, I'm one of the most popular girls on campus," Leia said indignantly.
"None of those people are real friends. Jake likes you, but they just hang around with you, because of Jake. I can sense it," Kimberly argued.
"Keep out of it Kim. I don't need advice from my lame little sister," Leia spat. Kimberly looked truly hurt, for Leia had never spoken to her like that before and she quietly slunk out of the room.
"You are unbelievable! I can't believe you would talk to her like that! She's always so sweet and she looks up to! But ever since you started hanging out with Jake's crowd, you've started to change and no one likes the new Leia," Luke spat. Leia glared at him.
"Whatever Luke. I'm going to talk to Jake now, so the rest of you can just leave me alone," Leia spat back.
"Should we go see if Kimberly is okay?" Natalie asked.
"We could, but Dad will probably pick up on Kimberly's distress right away. We can let him deal with Leia," Luke said, with a smirk.
"Yeah, if there's one person who can supersede Leia's pull over Dad, it's his little Kimmie," Jayden replied.
"Yeah, now we get to sit back and watch the fireworks. Twenty credits says Leia is grounded by the end of the night," Luke said.
"I don't know. I mean, Mom might ground her, but you think Dad actually will? He's never grounded Leia. He always makes Mom do it," Jenna reasoned.
"Kimberly's probably giving him the sad eyes right now," Jayden reminded her, causing Jenna to smirk.
"Let's go to the kitchen for some of Mom's cake so we can watch the show," Jenna said. Natalie shook her head.
"You guys…" she chided.
"Oh come on Nat, you can't tell me that Leia doesn't deserve to get grounded after the attitude she's had lately. She's so into herself and that's not how Mom and Dad raised us to be," Jayden reminded.
"I guess you're right. She has been a pain ever since she's been dating that smooth talking nerf brain," Natalie replied.
"Well, he may be a nerf brain, but you have to admit that he's a gorgeous nerf brain. Leia does have taste," Jenna mentioned, as they filed out.
"Ugh…please," Jayden protested in disgust.
"He's not nearly as gorgeous as you, Jay," she told him sweetly, making him blush. It was Jenna's turn to groan.
"Please…I'm trying to keep my dinner down," Jenna said, looking green.
~*~
"Mara…sweetie, are you okay?" Zia asked.
"Yeah…" she said, as she approached Mace.
"Can we go home…Dad?" she asked. Mace allowed himself a small smile and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Of course young one," he replied. Anakin and Padme bid the small family goodnight, as they left for their own home.
"Well, never a dull evening," Obi-Wan said, as they spotted Kimberly sulking up the stairs.
"Kimberly…what's wrong?" Anakin asked.
"N…nothing. I'm okay," she said unconvincingly, as she ran up to her room.
"Uh oh, looks like someone got their feelings hurt," Sola said.
"What do you four know about this?" Padme asked Luke and the others, as they headed toward the kitchen.
"Leia yelled and said some mean things to Kimberly. Then she went to talk to Jake on the comm," Luke reported. Anakin sighed.
"Her attitude as of late has been unacceptable," Padme said.
"Let's go talk to Kimberly and then we'll talk to Leia," Anakin replied, as they joined hands and went upstairs.
"You four think there's going to be show, don't you?" Sola asked. They looked guilty.
"Let's all go to the kitchen and have our cake, while your parents deal with your sisters," Sola ordered, as she and Obi-Wan ushered them into the kitchen.
~*~
"Kimberly…can we come in?" Anakin called through the door.
"Sure…I guess," Kimberly answered dejectedly.
"Sweetheart…what's wrong?" Padme asked, as she sat down on her daughter's bed.
"It's nothing. I poked my nose in Leia's business and I shouldn't have," Kimberly replied.
"Luke said that she said mean things to you and there's no call for that. Want to tell us what happened?" Anakin asked.
"I…sort of told her that the people Jake hangs out with aren't her real friends. I sensed that they don't really like her and they only pretend to be friends with her, because of Jake. She got mad and said she wasn't going to take advice from her lame little sister," Kimberly explained.
"Well, that was uncalled for and Daddy and I are going to talk to her," Padme said. Kimberly sighed, feeling silly now.
"She'll just think I'm a baby now, because I tattled on her," Kimberly said.
"You're not a baby anymore, as much as I wish that you were, tiny angel," Anakin said, as he sat down beside her.
"Things just affect you a little more than others sometimes, but I don't want you to ever ignore the feelings that the Force conveys to you. Your empathy is a gift and not a curse. If Leia was acting like herself right now, then she would listen to you," Anakin told her.
"Your father is right. Now why don't you come downstairs and your Aunt Sola will get you some cake," Padme told her. Kimberly smiled.
"Is it chocolate with Shuura frosting?" she asked. Padme smiled.
"Of course," Padme replied, as they followed her downstairs.
"Save a piece for me, tiny angel," Anakin called.
"Daddy, do you have to call me that? I'm fourteen," Kimberly reminded him.
"Sorry, but you'll always be my tiny angel," he replied, as she went into the kitchen.
"Leia Skywalker…you come out here right now," Padme called into the rec room.
"In a minute, Mom," Leia called back.
"No Leia…now…" Anakin called seriously. But Anakin and Padme waited several minutes, while their oldest daughter ignored them.
"I don't believe her. She's never acted like this. What are we going to do?" Padme asked.
"I blame Jake," Anakin replied, as he walked over to the main comm screen in their home.
"Leia is responsible for her actions too. We can't just blame Jake," Padme told him.
"I know and we won't. I'm just going to get her attention and then we're going to get this boy out of her system," Anakin said, as he opened the control panel and dug his fingers into the wires.
"What are you doing?" she asked. He smirked.
"Taking control of the comm system in the rec room and re-routing the signal," he replied, as suddenly, Jake and Leia both appeared on the screen. Leia looked mortified.
"Dad…what are you doing?" she cried.
"Getting your attention," Anakin replied, as he turned his attention to Jake.
"Leia has to go. Don't call her, because she's grounded," Anakin told him. Jake gulped nervously.
"Yes Sir. Bye Leia," he said, as his end of the signal went dark.
"Daddy…I can't believe you did that!" Leia cried.
"Get out here and we'll discuss this now," he told her. Leia yelled in frustration, as she stormed out into the living area.
"Sit down and check you attitude," Anakin ordered. Leia huffed and plopped down on the sofa.
"How could you embarrass me like that?" Leia yelled to her father.
"When did you feel that it was okay to treat your little sister like dirt?" Anakin countered.
"She is such a little baby," Leia yelled.
"No, you're the only one acting like a baby right now. I think you've been hanging around with Jake's friends a little too much, because they seem to be quite the poor influence on you," Padme told her sternly.
"Well, I guess I'm not perfect like you," Leia sniped back.
"Don't talk to your mother like that," Anakin snapped, as sternly as Leia had ever heard him speak.
"You're grounded," Anakin announced. Leia looked outraged.
"For how long?" she asked.
"Until you can learn to respect your Mother and me, and your siblings," he responded.
"But I was supposed to go to a party with Jake this weekend!" Leia exclaimed.
"What party?" Padme asked.
"He and his friends are going to Club Nova this weekend to celebrate his life day. I have to go," Leia insisted.
"Exactly when did you plan to ask permission or better yet, what made you think that we'd let you go to a place like Club Nova in the first place?" Anakin questioned.
"Dad…everyone at school hangs out at Club Nova. What's the big deal?" Leia asked.
"The big deal is that I bust kids there all the time for drinking and doing spices. A lot of bad people, some of the galaxy's worst scum, frequent the clubs, even the teen clubs. There's no way in seven Sith hells you're going to those places," Anakin told her.
"This is so unfair!" Leia cried, as she stormed up to her room.
"What has gotten into her?" Anakin wondered.
"She's trying really hard to fit in right now and so she's acting out, because this is how all of Jake's friends treat their parents," Padme said.
"Yeah, well I'd like my little girl back right now," he replied. Padme smiled and slid her arms around his waist.
"She's still our little girl and she'll realize that those kids aren't really her friends and then she'll be back to normal once she realizes she's becoming a person that she doesn't like very much," Padme said. He sighed.
"I hope so," he replied, as he kissed her forehead.
"Come on, let's round up the rest of the kids and send them to bed," she suggested. He nodded and they walked to the kitchen where the kids were eating dessert with their Aunt and Uncle.
~*~
Zia watched glumly, as Mara went to her room upon their return home to their apartment, which was located near the Temple.
"Oh Mace…how could I let this happen?" Zia fretted. Her husband took her in his arms and fixated his dark chocolate gaze on her.
"Zia, you've done nothing wrong. Neither of us could have predicted that Chase would show up, supposedly wanting to know Mara now," Mace said.
"Then you don't trust him either," she stated.
"You know that there are very few people I trust around the two most important women in my life," Mace replied.
"But I can tell she's curious about him. I don't want her going anywhere near him though. He's trouble and I don't care if he claims that he's changed. I think he's lying and if he thinks there is some way he can use Mara, then he will," Zia fretted.
"Then ease her curiosity and go have a talk with her. Tell her about your time with him. She is a teenager and she is going to be curious. But perhaps if you tell her how greed for money slowly changed him into a person with little conscience, then she can begin to understand and deal with it," Mace reasoned.
"You're right. I need to talk to her," Zia replied. Mace pressed a tender kiss to her lips.
"I love you," she said. He gave her a soft smile.
"I love you too. I wish sometimes that I was a little better at showing you how much," Mace replied. Zia placed another kiss on his lips.
"You are everything I need and everything our daughter needs. Don't change a thing, my love," she told him, as he watched her walk into the hallway and toward Mara's room.
~*~
"Mara…can I come in?" Zia called.
"Sure," the fifteen-year-old called.
"Hi honey…I thought you might want to talk a little," Zia suggested.
"Is he really my biological father?" she asked.
"Yes, he is, but I want you to understand that no amount of blood relation can make him more your father than Mace is. He abandoned me and then I met Mace. He was there with me when you were born and he was the first to hold you. From that day on, you were his little girl," Zia said.
"Mom…I'm not going to turn on Daddy if that's what you think. I love him and I don't want this other man to be my father. I'm just curious about him, I guess. What did you ever see in him if he's such a bad man?" Mara asked.
"He wasn't always bad. In fact, when we met as teenagers, he was a very kind person, who wanted to help people," Zia replied.
"What happened to change him?" Mara asked.
"Money mostly. We were hired by a very wealthy client as private investigators when were first starting out in the business and he gave us a taste of wealthy life. For Chase, there was no going back after that. What money we had was never enough and he always had to have more. And with that kind of lifestyle came the excessive drinking and spices. When I look back at the whole situation, I actually find myself relieved that he wanted nothing to do with me after I got pregnant with you. That kind of life would have been not been good for either of us. Things happened just as they should have, because I met your father and found true love like I'd never known. Chase showing up out of the blue just doesn't make sense. I don't trust him and neither should you, sweetie," Zia told her. Mara nodded.
"I already have a Dad and his name is Mace Windu. That other man threw away his chance to know me," Mara told her mother. Zia smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I love you sweetie," Zia said.
"I love you too Mom," Mara replied, as they shared a hug.
In the next chapter, Chase waits for an opportunity to target Mara alone. Meanwhile, Leia plots to sneak out in order to attend Jake's party at the club and it's a recipe for trouble…