A/N: Future ADA- sadly, I can take no credit for the idea about extending the pregnancy, that's what I borrowed from the Dark Nest trilogy… but as for the 'father'… *wink*

Part XIII

He gave Leyla a day to cool off. She looked slightly cowed when she had arrived at Han and Leia's place with Luke and Ben- Mara had gone with Kyp and Jaina to have a fast but somber discussion about what she knew about the conversation between Jag and Leyla. And she had been nice enough, albeit rather quiet, throughout the day, though the overall mood was obviously grave. Still, Han and Leia were happy to see their only grandchild, and Jacen even got her to laugh once or twice with stupid jokes.

When Kyp left though, she had gone slightly pink upon bidding him farewell, and the rest of the day she was ill-at-ease, though she did curl up on the sofa with Jaina eventually. No words passed between the two of them, but Jaina stroked her daughter's hair back from her face and pulled her to lean against her while Leyla sniffled for a few minutes, before calming herself once more and eventually slipping into a restless sleep.

She asked no questions when Leia fixed up the sofa for her to sleep on that night- Jaina wondered if she had the same reservations, even on a subconscious level, about returning to their apartment.

Upon waking the following morning, the apartment was quiet. Leyla sat groggily upright and listened for the noise of any activity in any of the adjacent rooms, but heard nothing. Frowning, she crept towards the guest bedroom where her mother had retired for the night, opened the door- and found it empty, the bed remade and looking like it had never been slept in at all. Increasingly concerned, she went to the next door and tapped lightly before opening it- but her grandparents weren't there either.

Retreating back to the sitting room, she went down the narrow corridor that connected to the entry way, and turned left to the kitchen. As she approached, she began to recognize the smell of caf, though it was still quiet, and she let out a soft breath in relief and stuck her head in the kitchen…

And found herself eye-to-eye with Kyp.

His brow was quirked in an inquisitive expression as he raised the mug to his lips and his feet were propped up on another chair. "Good morning," he said evenly.

"Oh- hi," she frowned lightly. "Where…?" her gaze drifted around the room. "What did you do to Threepio?"

A grin crossed his features and some of the tension left the room. Sitting more upright, he removed his booted feet and kicked the chair out from the table slightly, a silent invitation for her to join him. Hesitating briefly, she did so, perching on the edge and swinging her legs absently as she avoided her father's eyes.

"He didn't seem to take me seriously when I asked for caf and silence," he replied nonchalantly. "So once I got the caf, I just deactivated him. Don't tell on me, 'kay?"

She snorted. "Grandpa does that all the time." Smiling easily, he studied her for a moment, until she tentatively raised her eyes back to him. "Where is everybody?"

"Your grandparents took your mother to the med center at the Jedi temple."

Her stomach fluttered in sudden anxiety. "Is she sick?"

"No," he tilted his head and spoke softly. "She's fine."

"Then why…?"

He held up a hand. "Hold on, Leyla. I think you and I have some things to talk about, hm?" She flushed and looked down again. "Mara told us that you had a tough talk with your dad," he prodded gently, and she nodded miserably. "That a couple of the older students said some things that bothered you about me… and about your mom?"

"Yes," she whispered. "They saw you when you dropped me off, but they… didn't know who I was."

"Why did you comm Jag?" he asked curiously. "Why not your mother or me?"

Her jaw took on a defiant set that was remarkably evocative of Jaina, especially when she was younger. "I knew that he would tell me the truth."

"You didn't think we would?"

She hesitated. "I thought you would tell me the same truth that you told me four years ago; not the whole truth."

Pursing his lips, Kyp sighed. Maybe she was right, he couldn't know for sure. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he finally managed. "Believe it or not… we had already decided that it was time you knew the whole story, we talked about it after I returned from Ossus. But maybe we did put it off too long, and we should have told you everything before you left."

"Aunt Mara said you were trying to protect me."

He shrugged. "Perhaps we were too ambitious in our idealism." She frowned in confusion. "I mean… maybe we spent too long imagining that we could shield you from the unpleasant facts forever." Sighing heavily, he sat forward and leaned his elbows on the table. "But now you know- you're upset at being misled, lied to even, and I understand that. But what I need to know now, before we can start over… does it change anything?"

She stared. "What?"

"Leyla, I didn't even know you existed until you were almost two years old. And then I spent more than five years, watching you from a distance, proud of you but unable to show it, to tell you. And for the last four years, I've been honored to share a part of your life that, before, had only belonged to Jaina and Jag, and the time we've spent together… I'm proud to be your father, Leyla, and it made me happier than I ever imagined to have you finally consider me as such. But now you know about a different side of me, a side that has been dead since before you were born, but a side that, for good or bad, you would not be here without. So- does it change anything? Between me and you, you and your mother- does it change anything?"

For a long minute, she stared at him with big, brown eyes- and then her resoluteness began to collapse, and her eyes began to water. Squeezing her eyes shut, her breaths became shallow and gasping, and she scooted forward and stumbled out of her chair, covering the space between them in a step and falling into Kyp's waiting arms. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I don't know why I said those things…" she drew a shuddering breath and Kyp rubbed her back comfortingly.

"We all say silly things when we're upset," he murmured. "And you had every right to be upset, and for many reasons."

She took deep calming breaths, still wrapped up in his embrace. "I love you, daddy," she sniffed.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he pulled back and smiled sadly at her. "And starting now, we're going to do things right, no more secrets from each other, okay?" She nodded gravely. "But what I'm going to tell you now is a secret- a very big one, and it's very important that you keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed nervously, perching back in the chair opposite Kyp.

He leaned forward and spoke in low tones. "Leyla- many people in the galaxy have already started speculating that the supposed accident that killed Jag and his father was not really an accident at all." Her brown eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. "Most of the Jedi are inclined to think that as well, but we have no proof, and I don't know that we'll ever be able to get any.

"In more tumultuous times in Chiss history, when a feud was started against a family line- a clan- the conflict would not be ended until that line was completely eliminated. By traditional custom, these clan lines are carried through blood, not marriage- meaning Jag's mother and your own are not considered true Fels, and are therefore not likely in any danger. You on the other hand… you would be, but rumor had already started that you were not Jag's daughter, and Luke confirmed it in order to protect you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she whispered.

He sighed and steepled his fingers, regarding her closely. "What the Chiss don't know- what they can't know- is that your mother is pregnant."

Leyla blinked slowly a few times. "She is?" her voice was uncertain.

"Yes; she only realized it herself about a week ago, and she's only about a month along. You understand what I'm saying though, the danger that this puts your mother in, as well as your unborn brother or sister?"

She nodded solemnly. "Is that why grandma and grandpa took mom to the temple?"

"Sort of," he inclined his head. "Your mother- and most of the rest of the family, I suppose- are meeting with Cilghal to talk about how to protect the baby- and to do that, it has to appear as though there is no way that Jag could be the baby's father."

"How?" her voice quavered.

"By using the Force to slow the baby's growth; if your mom can add just two or three months to the normal time… it will appear implausible that your dad is the father."

Leyla frowned lightly, looking away as she took all of it in. "But then… who will she pretend is the father?"

Kyp shrugged. "It doesn't matter; she will probably just keep quiet about it until people stop asking." Leyla bit her lip but said nothing. "If you'd like-"

He was cut off by the beeping of his comlink. Frowning, he pulled it from his belt and held it up. "Yes?"

"Kyp, it's Jacen," the tinny voice replied. "You may want to go ahead and bring Leyla down here now."

"I think we were about to leave," he replied slowly. "What's wrong?"

There was a slight hesitation. "This… isn't working. We may need to start brainstorming a different plan."

X-X-X-X

After getting Leyla hurriedly dressed and ready to go, they arrived at the temple just under half an hour later. They headed quickly up to the medical wing, and were met by Jacen and pulled into a quiet room for an explanation.

"I thought Master Skywalker said that this was a relatively straightforward process?" Kyp asked tersely.

"And it probably would be," Jacen countered smoothly, "for someone in a better emotional state than Jaina."

Leyla looked up with wide eyes. "What's wrong with mom?"

Jacen spread his arms in a hopeless gesture. "There's nothing wrong, per say… not physically. But the effort to touch the life growing inside her… it's having something of a slingshot effect." Kyp quirked a brow questioningly. "She's pulled herself in close to try to protect the baby," Jacen said softly. "And every time she extends her own awareness through those shields and senses the baby… it hurts her, because it's one-half Jag, and that makes her sad, obviously, and also guilty because she never got the chance to tell him…" Jacen's voice choked up a little. "And she sort of rebounds out once she starts feeling those things, because that's why the shields are there in the first place, to protect the baby from the negative emotions that are… well, everywhere right now."

"So we give her more time," Kyp responded. "Don't make her do this now."

There was a few seconds' silence. "How much time, Kyp?" Jacen queried softly. "What if she can't do it in another month, in two? In four? Time is a factor, and assuming that the pain will lessen in time to make the ruse work… that's a pretty big gamble to take. And the effort this takes, the strength it will cost her…" a shadow passed over his face. "Honestly, I'm not sure she'll be able to do it. We're talking months of sustained contact and awareness here."

Kyp pursed his lips and looked down. "What's the backup plan then? Anoth?"

"Well," Jacen started, but Leyla cut him off.

"Wait," she said, looking distantly away, thinking hard. "There's… I know how it'll work…"

Eyes still glassy and distant, she spun away and sped out of the room. "Wait, Leyla…" Jacen called and rushed after her, Kyp close behind. She darted into the room where Jaina was sitting hunched on a bed, looking exhausted and upset, Luke, Han, and Leia standing and sitting at various points around the room, Cilghal studying a monitor of some sort.

"Leyla!" Jaina exclaimed, unfurling a bit as she sat up straighter in surprise. "What's wrong…?"

"Kyp can do it."

Jacen and Kyp slid to a halt in the doorway, and all eyes swung to the young girl. "What?" Kyp asked slowly as Jacen pulled the door shut behind them.

She turned and looked between her mother and father a few times. "You can do it," she insisted to him. "You can make the baby grow slower so that it won't be born as early."

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. "Leyla," Luke said softly, "if it were that simple… the personal connection necessary to maintain the link with the fetus, even the effort to get past the defenses that your mom is using to protect the baby…"

"If he can use the Force to make her have a baby, then can't he use the Force to touch the baby and slow down the growth?"

Jaina's eyes went wide and darted to Kyp, who looked slightly shell-shocked. Luke and Cilghal looked mildly thoughtful, but Han, Leia, and Jacen were staring at Leyla in utter confusion. "Leyla, sweetie," Leia said uncomfortably, "it doesn't really work like that. The Force is part of all living things, but that doesn't mean that Kyp… used the Force…" she trailed away and looked to Jaina for help… but Jaina was now staring at the healer, as though asking a silent question.

"It… might be possible," Cilghal conceded quietly.

"I'm not tracking here…" Jacen said slowly.

Kyp sighed heavily. "Jag really did tell you everything, didn't he?" he muttered, passing a hand over his eyes.

Leyla seemed to realize that she'd said something that wasn't common knowledge. "I…" she stuttered, looking between her confused uncle and grandparents, before turning back to Kyp uncertainly. "He wanted me to understand that you didn't want to hurt mom…" she spoke softly, lip trembling slightly. "That you just wanted her to be with you again… and that you thought she would be if you had a baby together…"

"So you used the Force to make it happen?" Han demanded, going slightly wild-eyed.

Kyp grimaced. "Not my proudest moment, Han."

"Look," Jaina spoke up loudly. "This really isn't the time to get into this. Long story short- yes, he used the Force; it made me sick because it conflicted with the hormone treatment I was on… oh, honestly," she rolled her eyes as Jacen narrowed his, "Jag and I have been…" she stumbled and closed her eyes for a moment, "were… married for a decade, you're really that concerned that we were sleeping together first?" Kyp hid a snort of laughter as Han went slightly red. "And to add a nice chapter to the end, we found out six weeks ago that Jag and I couldn't have a baby- we'd been trying for a few years- because of what Kyp did. Kyp undid what he'd never meant to do in the first place, and that's why I'm pregnant now, at the worst possible time…"

And then she was crying again, and Leyla was climbing up on the bed to hug her, and Jaina pulled her close to her side while she mastered her quickened breathing and tried to calm down. "Sorry," she muttered bitterly, before lifting her gaze to Kyp's with obvious effort. "Kyp- I know it isn't fair to ask it of you- but can you do it?" He opened his mouth a few times but no words came out. "Kyp?"

"I-" he stammered. "It isn't my child!"

Cilghal interrupted with her gravelly voice. "Oh the whole, Master Durron, I suspect it matters not."

"But… Master Skywalker said… you need that personal connection…" he trailed away and looked at Luke helplessly.

"Can we have the room for a minute?" Jaina spoke up softly. She tightened her grip around Leyla's shoulders. "Stay," she murmured. "This is as much about you as us."

In various levels of confusion and grudging acceptance, Han, Leia, Luke, and Jacen filed out, leaving Jaina, Kyp, and Leyla alone with the healer. "Kyp," Jaina murmured. "Everything that we talked about six weeks ago… whether you meant to or not, you do have a connection with my body, even if not with the baby itself."

He sat heavily and put his head in one hand. "Even if I could… you realize it would probably mean that we'd have to stay connected constantly, a ten or eleven month-long mind meld…" he looked at her desperately. "We'd have to stay reasonably close to each other that entire time, Jaina…"

She nodded. "I know," she whispered. "But that will only make it more convincing."

"Will make what more convincing?"

A guilty flash crossed her features. "The story that you're the baby's father."