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[sith_happened]

Anakin had dreamed about Padmé again last night, feeling an almost irresistible draw back to the island (which he had damn well resisted, thank you very much. He was here because he had a job, not because the island wanted him), and was feeling guilty and cranky Anakin wasn't one to trust feelings of calm, warmth, and love. He wasn't really used to feeling them.

And the feel of waiting that the island seemed to be exuding had set the skin on the back of his neck crawling. His hand kept twitching toward the lightsaber he wasn't wearing on campus.

The door was open, but be wary of the twitchy Jedi.

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[sith_happened]

"Tell me," Anakin said. "I am made of time today."

[solo_sword]

She sighed, slumping in the seat a little. "I didn't want a time limit on having to leave. I didn't feel like my time here was done, and so I wanted to stay long enough to know what I was supposed to accomplish here. And then pretty much immediately I don't feel right being here anymore, everyone's sort of talked me out of staying, and I know it was all wrong."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded, not without sympathy. "And Sheppard being back can't be helping much," he offered.

[solo_sword]

"That turned out to be an unexpected complication," Jaina said honestly, and a little sadly. "Who knows, maybe that's what I was supposed to figure out here: when to give up without a fight."

It wasn't.

[sith_happened]

"Perhaps," Anakin said, sounding a little dubious. "What's your plan now?"

[solo_sword]

"I'm still formulating it," Jaina admitted. "Trying not to make the wrong move this time. I'm going home next week for a mission and some other stuff, I figure I'll use the time to decide what the plan is." Yeah, yeah, Jaina Solo was being cautious. Hell did freezer over the other week, it could happen.

[sith_happened]

"Good," Anakin said with a small smile. "From everything you've mentioned, Luke could use all the Jedi he has. You have a destiny, Jaina, and it's not at Caritas. That much I'm sure of."

[solo_sword]

"I know. I just thought there'd be more to it than there is." Maybe she'd been hoping that she wouldn't end up being exactly as Luke had depicted, who knew. "But there's really nothing I can do about that, right?"

[sith_happened]

"You're 22 and think you've got your destiny figured out already?" Anakin gave her a slightly indulgent smile. "Oh, Jaina. What, exactly, did your prophecy say?"

[solo_sword]

"I'm the Sword of the Jedi, always at the front lines, mine is a restless life, I'll never know peace, but that's okay because even though I'm alone, I protect everyone else." She was never forgetting that speech of Luke's. Never. "It sounds pretty straightforward."

And she wasn't complaining, she just thought there'd be a loophole that maybe let her be happy.

[sith_happened]

"That sounds decidedly unprophetic," Anakin observed. "Mine didn't have anything about 'but that's okay' in it." He leaned back in his chair and thought about it for a moment. "I believe that the key to it lies in the interpretation of 'peace.' If it means galactically, then it's probably true. Ben's life certainly seems to be full of strife. But I don't think that inner peace will elude you." He looked into her eyes. "You already live a restless life. You don't stay still. But you can be restless like the sea: it's part of its nature, and nothing that needs to be changed or fretted about. Does that make sense?"

[solo_sword]

"It does," she said, really considering it. "I don't know. I was happy. I think I figured that would mean there was a shot at some kind of conventional happiness later down the line. What you're saying makes more sense."

[sith_happened]

"Think of all the Jedi you know," he said. "Can 'conventional' describe any of their relationships?"

[solo_sword]

"Depends on your definition," she answered immediately.

[sith_happened]

"I'll rephrase," he said. "When you thought of conventional happiness, what were you envisioning?"

[solo_sword]

"Mom and Dad, Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara," she said simply. "Like I said, depends on your definition of conventional."

[sith_happened]

"I thought you didn't like how you were raised," Anakin said quietly.

[solo_sword]

"I don't," she said. "But that doesn't mean I'd do things the same way. My kids who would show up after prom seemed to come from a pretty normal homelife, all things considering. Of course, I speak in hypothetical here, since as of right now I'm never dating again so there's nothing to worry about there. It'll pass, probably." She'd been through this before.

[sith_happened]

"Jaina, there is an infinite variety of options between eternal celibacy and one specific timeline of consequences," he said. "Please don't shut yourself off from them. The 'alone' doesn't have to mean 'your personal life, forever'--just that no other Jedi would be able to catch up with you."

[solo_sword]

"Damn straight." She managed a little smile. "I know. It's just that the first week is going to be the worst. I'm past anger and tears and have moved on to self-deprication and acceptance. It's just hard to think of the rest of my life and forever right now when at the moment the most sensible thing seems to be 'nope, not doing that again.'"

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled back. "Preaching to the choir. I was burned very badly."

Pause.

"Um, literally."

[solo_sword]

Oh, Anakin, you did not just make Jaina want to laugh at that. So wrong! She held it back, but warned, "That was the worst phrasing ever, Grandfather."

[sith_happened]

"It really was," he admitted with a rueful laugh. "I do like setting new standards, but perhaps in terms of break-ups it's best not to emulate me."

[solo_sword]

"Yeah, okay, you win that one," she said with another little smile, and teased, "Next week I'll bring you a trophy." Yes she was joking.

[sith_happened]

"I'll put it next to my 'Galaxy's Best Dad' mug that Luke sent me," Anakin said. "I didn't know my son had a sense of irony." He gave her a slightly wary look. "Do you need a hug?"