WHO: Jacen Solo and Tenel Ka Djo WHAT: They have a date for the first time ever! WHEN: Backdated a few days. WHERE: Hyperion, the restaurant, the beach RATING: Fluffy with a side of angst! STATUS: COMPLETE
Many many wars. Unspeakable horrors. Enemies who would for so long seem unbeatable. But for the first time Jacen Solo felt nervous. Which was ridiculous because this was Tenel Ka he was talking about. The woman he'd known for most of their lives, the woman he loved. And yet the simple idea of taking her on a date was actually nerve racking for him. He actually spent time considering what to wear for kriff's sake. In the end he'd settled for a suit, but left the tie, leaving his shirt open at the collar instead.
Knocking on the door he shifted the flowers to his other hand. He had followed Sarah's advice and gone for orchids. They reminded him of one of the flowers in the Palace Gardens on Hapes, even smelled like them too. Those had been some good memories, walking the gardens with Tenel Ka. The only times he'd ever felt really free to be himself.
Times he hoped to recreate here.
He tried to not fidget too much as he waited for her to open the door.
Tenel Ka Djo. The Hapan Queen Mother, who had attended every function possible to attend on sixty three worlds, who knew etiquette and protocol for every social occasion was nervous. And this was Jacen. A date with Jacen. It should have been something simple. But even after a day spent shopping with Sarah and Faith she was none the more prepared for the night ahead. She wore a simple dress, off the shoulder and in dark green, fitting without looking like something Alema would be comfortable in. She had even worn one of her necklaces, one of the ones she'd had on the day she arrived in the city. A Hapan design of course and on Sarah's advice used a perfume she had shown her.
This was all very strange to her but as the knock came on the door that could only have been Jacen, Tenel Ka found her heartbeat quickening for no logical or rational reason. And there was only one man in any galaxy that could do that to her. She stood, slipping her shoes on as she did before moving toward the door and opening it. He was holding flowers. Sarah and Faith had not informed her of that. Was she supposed to get something?
Eyes widening for a moment she quickly recovered and stepped back from the door taking in his appearance with a smile.
"I believe I'm almost ready" she told him suddenly shy. Around Jacen?. This was decidedly odd.
Jacen's eyes widened, just slightly, at the sight of Tenel Ka. "You look amazing," he told her softly and genuinely. And she did. As much as she always looked good, whether it was in patrolling leather or simple training gear, now, in the dress, she looked incredible. If a little flustered. That fact made him smile slightly, inwardly relieved that he wasn't the only one feeling so unnerved.
"Good, it's good that you're nearly ready," he nodded, trying to feign some calm, before he held the flowers out for her.
"I got these for you," he half shrugged. "I understand it's an Earth tradition for the man to buy the woman flowers and these reminded me of Hapes somewhat."
She took the flowers gratefully, they really were rather like some that would have been found in her Palace Gardens, she decided this was an earth tradition she liked, liked a lot. She was still more than a little nervous but the flowers had had the odd side effect of calming her somewhat. Also the compliments about her dress didn't hurt.
"They're beautiful" she told him setting them on a nearby table. She would put them somewhere more appropriate later. This done there was nothing else left to do but leave.
"Shall we?" she asked with a glance toward the door
So far the reactions to the Earth traditions had seemed favorable. Jacen made a mental note to thank Sarah later and get her advice again in the future. Maybe Kennedy's as well, or would that be a really bad plan? The young Slayer would probably show another similarity with Jaina and tease him mercilessly.
But that was for the future and right now he had a beautiful woman to take to dinner. He offered Tenel Ka the cheeky smirk that he grudgingly admitted he inherited from his father and offered her his arm.
"We shall. I made a reservation at an Italian restaurant, not under the name Solo I hasten to add," he rolled his eyes faintly even if the smirk remained. "That name is far too recognizable, even in a different galaxy."
Tenel Ka took the arm offered and turned to him with a brilliant smile at the comment about the reservation, of course it could not have been made under his name. In either Galaxy. Back home he either would not have needed one or...well in many places would not have been given one without at least four separate assassination attempts.
"I hope you didn't make something up to amuse yourself thats going to make me laugh when we get there. It wouldn't be proper etiquette" she said teasingly, her tone the only thing probably keeping him from comparing her to Threepio. They made their way downstairs reasonably soon after and Tenel Ka moved in to sign the book as out for the rest of the evening and leaned back waiting for Jacen.
"Reservation or not its refreshing to just be ourselves, and to be able to do it away from the confines of my chambers is something new altogether, haven't been able to do that since before...well, in quite some time"
"I didn't," Jacen protested, his eyes betraying his humor. Force it felt good to have humor again. It had been too long, far far too long since he felt free to be himself, to joke around and not worry about the fate of the galaxy. It was the cost of being a Solo, to feel the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. The wondrous legacy from his parents.
He turned to brush a light kiss against the top of her head. "It really is," he murmured before leading her out to the cab he had waiting. Sooner or later he would learn to actually drive one of these vehicles himself. He could fly a StealthX, how much harder could one of these be? He gave the driver directions to the restaurant before opening the door for Tenel Ka to get in.
The journey passed relatively quickly amid conversation and joking, leaving the Hapan Queen surprised when they arrived at the restaurant. It looked lovely though of course she knew little to nothing about Earth food bar what she had picked up from months of living in the city. The decor was certainly beautiful. Jacen paid the driver and together they walked inside, she stood waiting for a moment as Jacen confirmed the reservation and they were led to a table and left for a moment as the Waitress went to find menus for them.
"Another wonderful choice. You don't do things in half measures do you Jacen?" she said smiling softly "You shall have to order for me, I'm still not entirely sure what foods one can choose from. I know Italian Food includes Pizza. Picked that up from Faith months ago but its possibly not appropriate"
She cast a gaze around the room taking in what others were eating and enjoying.
"You'll have me being adventurous again. Like old times."
Jacen smirked as he too glanced around the restaurant. "I don't think the kind of food Faith likes is exactly on offer here." He meant no disrespect to the brash Slayer, but she wasn't exactly the type to seem at home in a place like this.
""You and me, adventuring into the unknown again," he smirked. "Not quite exploring the galaxy, but it's close enough."
When the waitor returned, Jacen ordered a bottle of wine that sounded relatively good, and judging from the expression on the waitor's face seemed to be considered well enough. But when it came to ordering the food, he was no more knowledgable than Tenel Ka. So he went for a couple of random starters, with some sort of fish. Seemed as good a place to start being adventurous as any.
He held a glass of the wine up, still with a trace of that smirk on his face. "To being adventurous."
She clinked her glass against his and couldn't resist a slight smile of her own, adventurous was it?
"To adventure and to rediscovering ourselves here" she told him and settled into dinner, it was beautiful. The starters, the main course, they even ended up sharing some kind of divine chocolate dessert. And her toast hadn't been in vain, they talked of old times, old friends and old stories, neither mentioning how things had ended.
"...Do you know Jaina refused for weeks after to let me mention you? Said I got all... 'soppy' But then would blush if I so much as mentioned the name Fel?" she finished, recounting another memory as they got to grips with the desert. "Didn't you once catch them kissing, he'd been waiting on her in her quarters or something...?"
It was comfortable and easy, even the mentions of Jacen's twin sister not as strained as usual. Tenel Ka glanced across the table and wasn't sure she had ever loved him as much as she did at that moment.
Talking of his sister was a strange experience and Jacen felt a peculiar mixture of love, anger and grief towards Jaina Solo. He'd been so angry with her during the fight, the fight where she'd put her lightsaber through his heart. But ultimately he did still love her. He always would. While he could turn his back on his parents, his twin was a different matter. He smiled fondly at the memories of her and Jag Fel.
"Oh yeah, I caught them kissing one time. He'd been waiting for us to come back in her quarters and pretty much jumped on her," he feigned an innocent expression. "I offered to rescue her, but oddly enough she didn't seem to want me to."
Talking of the good times, the good memories. Of them all growing up together in better years. It felt good. Jacen offered Tenel Ka the last bite of the chocolate dessert before he grinned.
"So, would you like another drink, or should we head out somewhere else?"
"She glared didn't she. I can imagine there was a great deal of glaring."
Seeing him smiling at the memory made her happier than she had expected to feel. Jaina was someone that Tenel Ka hadn't worked out her feelings toward yet. She knew it had to be done, what Jaina did. Knew Jacen had even stopped the fight to save herself and Allana. Warn them. But Jaina had still killed the man Tenel Ka loved and there was a part of her that was still more than a little bitter at the fact. But Jaina Solo had once been a good friend to her, probobly still was. Things could never be the same between them though.
"Perhaps going somewhere else, I've already had altogether too much wine, unless that was your intent Colonel" she reasoned with a grin. "Did you have somewhere planned?"
Of course he did, it was Jacen. He would have this entire night planned to the letter, even allowing for moments of spontanaity. And it would be perfect. She knew.
"Would I ever intend to get you drunk your Majesty?" Jacen grinned cheekily before he caught the waiter's attention for the bill.
"And I may have plans, just vague ones, but plans." Inwardly he made a mental note to thank Sam Winchester and Sarah later. They'd been good ideas. Needed ones. Needed for them to have the chance to spend time away from being the Colonel and the Queen and even from being the Jedi's at Angel Investigations.
"So, if you think you're up to staying awake a little while longer?" His tone was light and teasing in a way it hadn't been for many years.
Tenel Ka watched Jacen as he took care of the bill and still just couldn't seem to stop smiling at the entire nights events. "I would not presume to question your intentions for me Jacen, Not on a night like this" she said.
And then he challanged her, with that same teasing tone he always used when he wanted to get her all riled up. In a good way of course.
"I think I could manage it. Do you presume to think you can keep up?" she joked and stood slipping back into her coat. Purchased as well on the shopping trip with Faith and Sarah. She would have to thank them later.
"Lead on" she told him, holding her arm out for him to take.
"I can keep up with you any day," Jacen retorted playfully, settling the bill complete with a healthy tip for the waiter who had treated them very well and grinning at the friendly smirk he got in return.
He took Tenel Ka's offered arm and led them both out. The restaurant was close to the beach, quieter at this time of year than he suspected it would be in the warmer months to come. The moon was still quite low in the sky, the soft light reflecting off of the water. Mindful of the darkness, Jacen did have his lightsaber on his belt, tucked away just in case, but there was still no one to be seen for miles it seemed.
"I'll say one thing for this planet," he said quietly. "It has its problems and dangers but at times and in places it really can be quite beautiful."
It was beautiful, she would agree with that.
"Peaceful. Haven't felt this comfortable since you came to Hapes that night we..."
The night Allana had been concieved. He had come to the Palace, snuck past or defeted her guards and gotten to the Queen in her private gardens, and she had applauded him for it. Before the second civil war to strike the galaxy in a century, before Caedus.
"We should come here again, if ever we both just need a break from things, if ever we need peace, come here in the darkness with only each other and the moonlight for company. It can just be ours sometimes do you think?
She kept her arm linked to his as they walked.
The sounds of the water against the beach was soothing and Jacen took a long, slow breath for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds.
Peaceful was a very appropriate word. Like Tenel Ka, he was remembering that last calm night on Hapes, before all of it.
He turned his head slightly and softly kissed her hair, enjoying feeling close to her again.
"I like that idea," his voice was barely above a murmur as he shifted his arm to lie instead across her shoulders, tugging her close to his side as they walked.
"I think I may approve of these Powers That Be after all you know."
"I've approved of them since they gave you back to me. Things are so different here but its good. You and me we finally have a chance"
The closeness was something it had taken her time to get used to again, but this night, in her arms. Tenel Ka forgot all the reasons she 'shouldn't' all the reasons she had decided to take things slowly. She for a time just became who she had been back then, walking through the palace gardens teasing her courtiers, kissing him in full view of them knowing they would hate it, and him, knowing they would plot his demise but knowing too that Jacen could handle anything they might throw at him.
The gossip around the Palace the next day had been amusing to say the least.
They continued walking and Tenel Ka, just like in the gardens on Hapes took the inititive and pulled Jacen into a long slow kiss.
Jacen kissed her back, sliding both arms around her as he held her closely. It was almost as though the bad years between them had just melted away, leaving just them, the way it should have been.
As they paused to breathe he smiled slightly. "I love you." Always had done. Always would do.
Later they could go and wander back to the Hyperion, and go back to regular life, but right now it was just them, the ocean and the moonlight and he had no intention of going anywhere for as long as he could.