DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc, 20th Century Fox, Timothy Zahn, Barbara Hambly, YKW and the other writers of the expanded Star Wars Universe. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
"Come on, Derrin, you have to meet my parents," Jacen Solo said, giving Derrin a light tug on his arm. They stood in Derrin's quarters, not much bigger than a dormitory room, and Derrin was putting the finishing touches on his Jedi garb.
"I don't know," Derrin muttered, straightening the wrinkled fabric where Jacen had pulled at it. "I've got to meet the Master after dinner. We're going to discuss taking the next step in my training."
"Then there's no problem," Jacen said, grinning so hard Derrin was sure he would split open his face. "My parents are with the Skywalkers."
Derrin turned and gave his friend a sharp look. Sure, he and his twin sister Jacina were leaving tomorrow, but the Master didn't meet with Jedi parents flippantly. Besides, Jacen had never told him who his parents were. He treated it like it was some big secret. Maybe it was time Derrin found out what the secret was.
"Since you put it that way," he said with a grin. "Let's go."
So Derrin followed Jacen all the way to the Skywalker's private home on the far side of the schoolgrounds and even allowed his friend to just open the door and walk in without requesting permission. Derrin hesitated in the doorway, unwilling to have whatever wrath that was in store for Jacen for such a lack of manners descend upon him as well.
Then he saw who was in the living room. The Chief-of- State Leia Organa-Solo, and her husband, the war hero, former General Han Solo.
Jacen ran over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As the woman bent forward to receive it, Derrin saw Jacina at the table behind her, working hard on a lightsaber. Jacen joined her, giving her unwanted pointers.
"Hello, Derrin," came a familiar voice from the nearby stairs. "You can come in, you know. They won't bite."
Derrin turned his head to see Vaiya sitting half-way up the flight of stairs, her legs crossed under her. He stared at her for a long moment, searching her face. She did look like Mara, in some ways--the curve of her lips, the setting of her eyes. Her hair shone a much paler shade of red-gold than Mara's rich waves, but it fell as free and long as a mane.
She was stunning for a 15 year old. Unfortunately, she was a good decade behind his interest area.
Vaiya stood up--she was all limbs, really, peeking out from underneath a loose-fitting tunic-cloak that bore more of a resemblence to a robe than clothing. "Wanna meet them?" she asked, standing in front of him. She was only a little over a foot shorter than he.
"Your aunt and uncle," he said, glancing at the real-life celebrities. "You never told me who they were."
Vaiya shrugged. "Father and my cousins decided that they didn't want anyone to treat them any different, so we didn't tell anybody." She gave a little snort. "I see Jacen couldn't resist the last minute urge."
Derrin grinned at her. "I'm glad he didn't." He paused, and then said, "Just don't let me babble like an idiot to your uncle, okay?"
She giggled. "Okay. But I have to warn you, it may be a futile effort. You see, Uncle Han is rather...protective of me."
It didn't take Jedi tuition to know what that comment meant. Perhaps it was time to put some serious distance between him and the future Jedi Knight Vaiya Jade Skywalker. The last he wanted was both the Master and his war hero friend chasing him around the galaxy for breaking their little girl's heart.
"What do you think?" Mara said as she wrapped her arms around her husband from behind. Luke snuggled back into her, a little sigh of contentment escaping from his lungs as they lay outside, underneath the bright sky of Yavin IV. The night was slightly chilly, and the big fire was dying down too quickly.
"Of what?" he asked sleepily.
"I don't know. About anything."
He chuckled. "Typical Mara. You evase your own question."
She kissed his ear, her teeth brushing the soft skin. "You know about what, Luke," she said, her voice deep with seriousness.
Luke opened his eyes and grunted. "Do we have to talk about that?" He turned his head and looked at her suggestively. "Can't it wait until morning?"
At that, she let go of him and turned away, her face scrunched up into one of her own grimaces. "I'm serious, Luke," she muttered.
He turned with her. "Hey, it's your own fault for nibbling on my ear," he said, grasping her hand and bringing it to his lips. "But seriously, this kid who claims to be Cal Saphringer's son...I mean, it's kind of written all over him. He looks exactly like the man."
"Too much like him," Mara said softly.
Luke shrugged. "There you go. He claimed to be named after you, for Yoda's sake! Is it so unthinkable that a man like Cal would sow some wild oats while he was grieving over you?"
She sat up straight. "Would you PLEASE stop it?" She didn't shout, but her voice was very sharp.
Luke put his hand up defensively. "Sorry." Then after a moment of silence, and a careful study of Mara's downturned face, he said quietly, "It isn't the fact that he's Cal's that bugs you, is it?"
She shook her head, her eyes turning back to him. "He's about the same age your son would be," she said, her voice hoarse.
Luke sat up. "That occured to me." Then, gently, he probed her mind. Always with her there had been such concern over finding Callista's son. So much so that it had made Luke's own hopes seem casual. No one could want to find his son more than himself, but he had somehow always known that it would be a long time before he did. Plus, there was the thought that his son might be perfectly happy with some adopted family, and that he didn't want to burst in there and wreck everything. Still, his pain over never really having known Anakin Skywalker still burned in his heart, so he let Mara do whatever she wanted, trusting her completely, and having every confidence that if it could be done, she could do it.
This evening, there was something different.
She was older now, just a little past 50, and the most toll age had taken on her was a few laugh lines and some stray grey hairs. Being a Jedi was said to keep you young, but both he and Mara had taken much advantage of that advantage.
Her hair, hanging a bit past her shoulders, was thick in his fingers as he twined the locks, a conforting guesture. She looked at him, the eyes a smoky green. Her lips parted, and her voice came out raspy.
"I wanted another child, Luke."
He started, surprised.
She swallowed hard and then gave a little self-depreciating laugh. "Doesn't that sound nuts? Sith, if Karrde could hear that, I'd never get the end of it. But I do. I love Vaiya so much, maybe too much. I want another child to love--and it sounds terrible to say this, but maybe even to take some the pressure off her, too. I mean, I always believed that I'd have another child. I guess I feel...jipped....that I didn't. So I've been chasing after Callista's child, picturing in my mind a little baby, no matter how silly or irrational that was."
"Not so irrational," Luke comforted her, his arm around her now. "If he's trapped in a statis block somewhere, he will still be a baby when we find him."
"If we find him. And I don't think you or I will ever find him." He frowned at her. "Now why are you talking like that?"
She shook her head, angrily supressing tears. "I don't know. It's just a feeling I have."
Luke just nodded. "Would you humor me for a moment, Mara?" he asked gently. "What does this have to do with Jaid Saphringer?"
"He told me that he was looking for his father," Mara said, calming. "He gave me bits and pieces of a story about how his mother had died, and that he wanted to find his father to tell him, but that he doubted the man would care. I felt so sorry for him...for this stranger who reminded me of someone I totally despised! I mean, I wanted to blame him for his father's sins, but I couldn't."
"That was a good thing."
"I know. But it feels wrong. And I'm scared that Jaid will bring back a lot of memories I don't want to have, and that he's got his father's darkside tendencies, and that one day Cal's going to show up here and find him and then all Sith will breath loose." She chuckled over the lump in her throat, a strange, broken sound. "I sound nuts, I know." Then she scowled. "Worst of it is, he was looking at Vaiya early this morning during exercises."
Luke laughed lightly. "Don't worry about that, Mara," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Vaiya doesn't have eyes for anyone except Derrin Nightreader. And Derrin doesn't have eyes for anyone but you."
Mara looked up at him, her eyes wide. "What?"
He laughed harder. "Maybe we'd better go to bed." He stood up, pulling her with him.
She gave him a cockeyed grin mingled with a scowl. "What is it with you men from Tatooine? You all have a thing for red- heads or something?"