A/N: Yes, there is a minor Dark Nest plot point that I've borrowed for this chapter. That's what we have disclaimers for… ;-)
Future ADA- *wince* Sorry… it is under an angst heading, after all… I won't pretend that the depressing is over… but bear with me for a couple chapters and there will be some non-depressing and intrigue to add to the mix…
Part XII
Jaina sat in a chair in the far corner of her parents' apartment, staring listlessly out the viewport at the endless speeder traffic visible from their position a kilometer above the planet's surface. Around her sat her parents and her uncle; they awaited the arrivals of Jacen and Kyp, and then they would begin their war council- at least, that's what it seemed like to her.
She was apathetic at best, however. Tomorrow, Leyla would arrive with Mara and Ben, and then maybe she could focus a little more, having her daughter safe and close.
Yesterday had been the worst. After a fitful sleep, she had awoken to the disappointment that it had not all been a simple nightmare, had awoken in a strange bed- the spare room in her parents' apartment- and had emerged to find Jacen still slumbering lightly on the sofa… the decision to spend the night there as well had been a silent one, but he had sensed the need to keep the family as together as possible.
On top of the morning's disorientation had come the incredible discomfort of a stressful and heart wrenching holo-chat with Syal Antilles Fel, and later with the young Wynssa. Empty consolations had been offered by all, but Jaina well knew that the wounds were still too fresh for any of them to be tempered by the simple condolences of others.
The door to the apartment opened and she tensed reflexively, before recognizing the familiar presences of her twin and Kyp coming into the sitting room. "Jaina," she turned slightly and eyed her brother from the corner of her eye. He lifted a small canvas bag demonstratively and set it down on a table next to the door. "I gathered a few things for you; let me know if I forgot anything."
She gave him a small but sincere smile. "Thanks," she murmured, relieved and grateful; thus far, she had not been able to bring herself to return to the apartment that she had shared with Jag and Leyla for the past nine years, and Jacen was tuned strongly enough to her that he instinctively knew and simplified matters for her.
Maybe when Leyla arrived, she could face it with her.
"And there was a message waiting for you," Jacen continued quietly. "I went ahead and checked it- Ashik expresses his condolences."
She had entirely forgotten about him. "How did he look?"
"Haggard; guilty."
Sighing, she passed a hand over her face. "I'll have to try to get in touch with him later, see if he needs anything."
Jacen shook his head. "His message left the impression that he expected to go underground for a bit. Maybe…" he hesitated. "Maybe he knows something."
Jaina twitched once and then turned back to stare out the viewport.
"That's an unfortunately apt segue into what we are here to discuss this morning," Luke broke in softly. "Jaina, I know this can't be easy to think about, so soon, but… there are some things that should probably be discussed before Leyla arrives. Namely, what to do about hiding the fact that you're pregnant."
"This sounds familiar," she muttered. A movement caught the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Kyp flinch violently. "Sorry."
Luke looked between them almost nervously for a moment before continuing slowly. "The simple option here would be to have you go into hiding- maybe even on Anoth?" he suggested.
"But that only delays the inevitable," Leia pointed out softly. "Even if she stayed there through the pregnancy- which would be admittedly difficult in and of itself, given a lack of proper medical facilities there- a child can only be hidden for so long. And even if they didn't know until the child was a couple of years old, no one is fooled- why else would you have gone into hiding?"
"I can take care of myself," Jaina said monotonously, avoiding everyone's eyes once more.
"You would gamble with the life of yours and Jag's unborn child?" Kyp demanded.
"What would you have me do?" she cried, whirling to face him again, ire flashing through her eyes. "If you don't remember, I did a pretty damned good job of hiding Leyla, and I spent most of that pregnancy hiding in plain sight on the Ralroost!"
"Yeah, and once she was born, you had the benefit of the isolation and secrecy of the Chiss who, I might add, are the ones who are going to be after you this time!"
"Then I guess it won't be as easy as hiding from you!"
"Hey!" Jaina stopped and took several deep breaths, surprised to find herself on her feet, hands clenched into fists. To his credit, Kyp remained seated, though a slight redness had crept into his face and his hands clenched the armrests of his chair tightly. Han was standing now though, head whipping back and forth between his daughter and the Jedi Master who had once been something like a kid brother to him. "Whatever decade-old grievances the two of you have- and I'm sure there are many," he shot a narrow-eyed look at Kyp who flushed, "they aren't going to help solve anything here and now. Talk it over like civilized beings in your own time."
Leia regarded her husband in surprise at his display of mediation. "And," she added, turning to fix each of them with a pointed look, "the last thing you want to put Leyla through right now is the two of you at each other's throats."
They had the good grace to look abashed, and Jaina sat heavily back in her chair, pulling her feet up and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Sorry, Kyp," she murmured.
"Me too."
Luke shook his head a couple of times and then continued haltingly forward. "What I want to suggest today is a potential solution that could protect Jaina and her baby… and wouldn't necessarily force her to keep out of the public eye for the duration of her pregnancy."
Jaina stared. "What's the catch?"
He sighed. "Aside from the fact that you- obviously- could not give the child Jag's name… you would likely face a certain amount of public scrutiny and ridicule regarding the… father."
She frowned heavily. "I don't understand."
"I've been discussing this discreetly with Cilghal," Luke prefaced his explanation. "And it's largely hypothetical, but I think it can work. Cilghal has uncovered some vague medical archives regarding a practice of… slowing the growth of a fetus, extending the gestation period… using the Force."
"That sounds dangerous," Jacen scowled.
"Which would obviously be a concern to be addressed with Cilghal," Luke allowed. "But based on her findings, Cilghal was confident that, done properly, you could safely add a few months to your pregnancy. And since you're only a month along…" he shrugged apologetically.
Jaina closed her eyes and sighed. "So I give birth in ten or eleven months instead of eight, there's no way that Jag is the father…"
"Enter some unpleasant comments from media rabble-rousers," Han growled, but Jaina held up a hand to ward off his annoyance.
"That, I can handle," Jaina murmured softly. "And if it means keeping the baby safe…" she trailed away and looked down, thoughtful. "I don't want to commit to anything yet," she said slowly. "I'd like to speak with Cilghal first."
Luke nodded. "Of course. I'll speak with her tonight and arrange a time when we can meet quietly with her, maybe after Leyla, Mara, and Ben have had a chance to settle…"
"Thanks, Uncle Luke," Jaina replied softly.
He met her gaze evenly. "This is also probably the time when you and Kyp want to decide just how much to tell Leyla. Remember, she might well realize you're pregnant before an… altered timeline… would make it plausible."
Jaina met Kyp's eyes and bit her lip. "I think," she said quietly, "that we're going to have a lot to discuss with Leyla in the coming weeks."
X-X-X-X
Leyla and Ben came down the ramp of the shuttle first, with Mara following close behind. Luke embraced his son quickly while Leyla slowly and stiffly approached Jaina, who folded her into a tight hug and held her for a long time, simply relieved to have her back after a month away. A lot of emotions were still roiling under the surface of the young girl's mind, but she kept then impressively suppressed. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" Jaina murmured as she pulled away, eyes damp.
"Alright," Leyla muttered, looking down at her feet. Jaina squeezed her hand tightly and took a step back, turning to offer a light smile to her aunt as Leyla shuffled over to Kyp and let him hug her too.
"I did get your message," Jaina murmured to Mara as the red-haired woman pulled herself from Luke's embrace. "It was just… quickly forgotten."
Mara leaned in close to her ear as she hugged her niece. "Don't worry about it now," she said softly. "We'll talk tonight."
Jaina eyed her quizzically. "Is this about whatever Leyla contacted Jag about?" Mara's start of surprise was confirmation enough. "He left me a message too," Jaina said quietly. "I got it right before I heard…" she trailed away and her aunt patted her shoulder comfortingly and sent reassuring vibes through the Force.
"We're going to go over to Han and Leia's for lunch," Luke informed the newcomers. "Mara and Ben, if you want to drop your bags off before we go up to the speeder pad…?"
"Here," Kyp reached for Leyla's small satchel, but she pulled her around her body and didn't hand it over.
"I've got it," she muttered.
He attempted an easy smile. "Hey, you've gotta let me be chivalrous once in a while…"
"I said I've got it, Kyp!"
Everyone froze for a few seconds, staring between the two of them. "Leyla…" Jaina's tone was half-questioning, half-warning. "We're all upset…"
"Why should Kyp be upset?" she asked under her breath, and he recoiled away from her in shock at her tone.
"Leyla!" Mara snapped. "You told me that you could keep your emotions under control-"
"Why didn't you save him?" the girl whirled on Kyp, voice breaking as tears pooled in her eyes. "You could have saved him like you saved me!"
The look in Kyp's eyes nearly broke Jaina's heart again. "I didn't know he was in trouble, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have done something…"
"You let him die!"
"Leyla," Jaina pleaded, "please… you aren't helping anything…"
"You were jealous of dad, weren't you?" Leyla demanded, beating her small fists against Kyp's chest. He just stood there in shock, barely seeming to register the repeated impacts. "You still love mom, don't you?"
Ben hurried around and seized Leyla's arms. She continued to struggle, blinking through tears which were now streaming down her face, until she recognized the grip of her cousin and relaxed, sagging visibly in her grief. With one last distraught look directed at her stunned father, she turned heel and took off, away from the hangar, into the lower levels of the temple, Ben close behind.
"Leyla! Ben!" Mara called, but Jaina held up a hand.
"Let them go," she murmured, head in her hand. "He'll watch after her until he can work her back around to your apartment." As she spoke though, Kyp could feel her own distress boiling over, and he sensed her trying to suppress it, attempting to block out the anger and frustration pouring off of her daughter… sensed her trying to shield a small, undeveloped mind from the pain of her emotions…
And then her presence in the Force drew in around itself, and Kyp blinked, half-expecting to find her gone, or unconscious at least. But she was still standing there, staring blankly towards the door where Leyla had disappeared; he could barely feel her anymore though. "Jaina?" he asked shakily.
She waved him off. "Leave it. Come on, we should go. Oh, and Aunt Mara?" she twisted around to look at her wary aunt and uncle who were also trying to comprehend what had just happened. "You want to tell me what exactly Jag and Leyla talked about four days ago?"