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.
Months passed. Vaiya's 16th birthday approached. And just as Mara feared, Jaid showed her attentions that Derrin Nightbringer had suddenly ceased to give.
Only a few days after introducing Derrin to her famous aunt and uncle, Derrin had stopped noticing Vaiya. Mara was extremely nervous about that at first, in light of what Luke had told her. She didn't want to give the boy any mixed signals. But she quickly figured out why Derrin had suddenly cooled his flirtatious ways.
Her name was Drianna Scrent. She had thick dark hair that she wore in a braid down her back, and she sported flight suits like the kind Mara used to wear. Mara had liked the girl at first, and then felt a naturally defensive dislike of her when she saw that Drianna had gotten Derrin's full attention. Sure, the boy was a compulsive flirt and charmer. But the rest of the female sex did not exist for him when Dria was in the room. The pain Vaiya felt over it was the only thing keeping Mara from demanding that she stay away from Jaid. Jaid was the only person who could make Vaiya forget it for a time.
As the months had passed, Jaid and Vaiya became friends. He was younger than Derrin, but he seemed so much older--at least to Vaiya, at times. There were times when they talked that she felt like he only looked young, but was an old man on the inside. It wasn't that he had any particular wisdom, but the stories! Planets Vaiya had only seen in her childhood he'd visited in the full bloom of adulthood, the time for adventure. The stories only lasted a few months, though, because after all, he said, he was only 20. There would be more after he finished his training and went back out to explore space again.
So much for Father's "a Jedi craves not these things" lecture, Vaiya thought.
As Drianna and Derrin became more and more visible, however, Vaiya found herself growing hostile. She found that she didn't even care about learning the real, dark story behind her parents' lives anymore. When her 16th birthday was only a week away, Luke made a comment at dinner. He was stunned to see her face impassive.
"Whatever," she said.
Mara nearly dropped the dishes she was carrying to the washerdroid. "Excuse me?" she said. "Did someone clone you or something? Who are you and where is our daughter?"
Vaiya stood up, and for the first time her parents realized that she had aged. Her feeling for Derrin had obviously been pretty serious, and the sudden cold-shoulder was really hurting her. She looked like she could be as old as Jaid, now.
Luke reached over the table for Vaiya's hand, which she didn't pull back. "Sweetheart, do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, sadly. "There's nothing to say that anyone around the academy can't tell you," she announced.
Mara jumped. "What do you mean?"
"Apparently," and here Vaiya sighed heavily, "Derrin has been making it known to his friends that he had the affections of a certain Skywalker's daughter, and that he wasn't interested. He also didn't want to look like he was kissing up to you anymore."
"Where did you hear that?" Luke said quietly, running his mind through calming techniques to quell the urge to run to the dorms and ram his lightsaber down the young man's throat.
"Jaid heard him just the other day. I tried to say that Jaid was just being jealous, because I always thought Jaid liked me a little more than I liked him. But after Derrin being so nice to me and then acting like this, how can I know anything anymore? How can I know when someone likes me or that's just the way they are? Are they using me or do they want me? What's the difference?" She sighed again and turned to head for her room. "I'm going to bed, but let me know if Jaid calls."
After she had gone, Luke turned to Mara. "You make the call," he said evenly.
"Oh, sure, thanks for sticking me with that," Mara scowled.
"I mean it, Mara. Should we do anything, or just let it go?"
"I'd like to get her away from Jaid, I confess that. I don't like that they've gotten so close. But still," she added, "I don't doubt that Derrin played her like this. The man seems to have a vice for it. I don't want to cut her off from Jaid if he's the only person she can stand to be around right now."
"Exactly the cause for alarm," Luke pointed out, keeping his voice low. "That isn't good."
"No it isn't, Skywalker, but cutting her off from even that would really scar her right now, and I don't have the heart to do it." She shoved the rest of the plates into the droid and slammed the hatch shut. "The pitfalls of adolescence, I guess. Sometimes I wonder if the fact that you and I never had real parents is doing our little girl some real damage. We're so indulgent on some things and so strict on others. What if it should be the other way around?"
Luke gave a little shrug. "I don't know. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were good parents to me, but they were night and day. Aunt Beru was so sweet and encouraging, and Uncle Owen just wanted me to stay on the farm." He shook his head. "I think all parents make mistakes with their first child because they're still growing up too."
She laughed. "Say that when you look in the mirror, Skywalker."
He approached her with wide open arms. "I've been told that I still look sixteen years old," he said smugly.
"No, you've been told that you act like you're sixteen years old," Mara corrected.
"Hey, I mean it. Even you've managed to hold up in your old age. Of course, get any older and I'll have to trade you in for two 30's. I mean, there's my image to consider and all."
He was grinning and Mara turned on him, riled like and angry cat. She had a towel in her hand and raised it to swat him across the face. "Who are you calling old, farmboy? You were still a virgin before our wedding night!"
"Who told you that?" he asked, throwing his hands up to defend himself from the towel.
"Callista!" Mara shrieked, and then pulled back and started to laugh at her own joke.
"Oh, Mistress Skywalker, you will pay for that one," Luke said darkly as he advanced on her and abruptly threw her over his shoulder and carted her into the bedroom.
"But what about the dishes!" she yelped.
"Forget em'!" he growled. "I'm going to get you un- domesiticated if it's the last thing I do!"
She slapped him on the bottom. Hard.
"OW!"