After Birth - E/C #36 - PG
Apr. 30th, 2012 09:52 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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lukeandmaraPresenting Ben Skywalker...
He was finally here. After months of pregnancy and hours of labor, Ben Skywalker finally made his entrance into the world. Mara was tired, sore, and just generally out of it, but she had never looked happier.
Luke sat in a chair next to the bed, hardly ever leaving her side during labor and delivery. He’d only left to greet Han and Leia, who’d shown up early in the morning after dropping off the kids with some of the newer Jedi. There were rumors of the entire Rogue Squadron roster showing up to toast the newest flyboy, and Mara had threatened to have them all arrested if they did so. She may not be Empress any longer, she had said, but she still had the power. But she’d smiled while saying the words, and Luke knew that she’d be thrilled to have her old friends show up to share their joy.
But for now, it was just the three of them. The new Jedi healer, Cilghal, had finally left the room, proclaiming Ben to be in excellent health. Luke relished the silence, knowing that it would not last for long. After many years, his family had grown, just the way he wanted. And he, too, had never been happier.
Mara glanced at him. Her eyes were glazed over and the effect of her painkillers was clearly evident in her muddy movements. And yet she’d never been more beautiful. “Such a sap,” she murmured to him.
Luke smiled. She’d always been able to sense his thoughts, but had gotten even better at it since starting her training a few months ago. Normally they shielded from each other in an attempt to retain some privacy, but right now he saw no reason to. “Yes, I am.” He ran a finger over Ben’s cheek. Their son had his mother’s pale skin and red hair, but his father’s bright blue eyes and mischievous smile.
Luke wondered about his son’s future. Would he choose to be a Jedi? Would he want to be a politician? Would he be drawn to the life of a pilot? Whatever he decided to do, Luke hoped that his son was happy. They’d fought long and hard for freedom, and his son having the choice to be what he wanted in life was the ultimate victory.
Luke also wondered what they would tell Ben about his family’s past. It was something that often plagued Mara’s thoughts. What would Ben say when he learned that his mother had once been the Emperor’s Hand? Would they tell him about the nightmare that began on Cloud City and didn’t end until Endor? What would they divulge about Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the duel with the Emperor? Luke and Mara didn’t want to keep secrets from Ben, but they didn’t want to overwhelm him, either.
“I guess we’ll have to let the Force guide us,” Luke had said one night, when they’d both been unable to sleep.
Mara had laughed. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Luke had kissed her tenderly. “One day, you will, my young apprentice.”
Now, Mara smiled at the baby swaddled in her arms. “You were right, you know.”
Luke strained forward in his seat and cupped his hand behind his ear. “What was that? Could you repeat what you just said?”
Mara smacked him with an invisible hand. “You were right, dummy. None of that stuff matters. The Force will guide us. It always has.”
Luke returned her smile and caressed his son’s head. “Yes. And it always will.”
After a moment, Mara turned to him. “Okay, this is getting a little too heavy for my tastes. Go tell Solo and Leia to get their butts in here and meet their nephew.”
Luke laughed. “As you wish, Apprentice Jade.”
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Date: 2012-05-01 01:58 am (UTC)I SO needed this today. So needed it!!! I love the joy, the love, the sweet ache of it. And Baby Ben--to think they have him after all they've been through. It's a miracle!!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee/Ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
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Date: 2012-05-01 05:54 am (UTC)no subject
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