Biting Days
a Star Wars story
by Hermione Eveningfall
The hot Tatooine sun shone on the necks of the five travelers, who wearily made their way across the soft desert sand. Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, a wookie known by the name Chewbacca and two droids, all stopped suddenly. "There it is," Luke called, pointing to a familiar shape in the distance. Leia wiped a hand across her forehead, grateful to reach a spot with shade.
"It's about...about time," Han panted.
"Oh gracious, Luke, it's in shambles!" Leia gasped, once they drew closer.
"Storm troopers destroyed most of the place when they came searching for Threepio and Artoo," he muttered, remembering the sad day. To see his Aunt and Uncle's skeletons lying in heaps of rubble broke his heart, and to this day, he missed them terribly. Following the trials of the past months, he decided it wouldn't hurt to visit the hut again, especially after having found out that Leia was his sister. She deserved to know where he came from, to know a bit of his history.
"Wow," Han added, whistling softly, and Chewbacca let out a small roar of woe.
"You still miss them." Leia put her arm around Luke's shoulder, noticing the sad expression on his face. The skeletons were gone, probably devoured by one creature or another, and Luke shuddered with erieness as he glanced at the spot where they once lay.
"I know I'll always miss them," he replied, turning to her, his eyes brimming slightly with tears. "But life goes on in either accord. Not a day will go by without thinking of them."
Han cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable, and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Well, life is short," he spoke up. "Let's speed this up before it starts getting dark. Last thing I want is to be wandering back to the speeder at night."
Leia glared at him, and, with her arm still hugging Luke, walked with him towards the front door of the hut. Half of the structure had caved in from the fire, but shockingly most of it still remained in tact. "Be careful," Luke warned, taking Leia's hand and helping her step inside. "Watch your head." He sniffled, dust swirling around, along with bits of debris.
"Go in, Chewie," Han ordered the Wookie, who gave a reluctant roar.
"Perhaps we'd better remain out here, Master Luke," Threepio suggested, peeping in and noticing the cramped space.
"We'll be all right. Come on in."
"You're sniffling," Leia told him, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket. He stepped down into the slightly damaged kitchen, accepting it.
Both twins heard a loud thud, rawr, and a curse, and turned to see Han rubbing his forehead. "I warned you," Luke told him, his breath quickening with the sudden urge to sneeze.
"HutCHHHHSHH! HehTSHHHH!" Luke buried his itching nose into the cloth, blowing hard.
"Bless you," Leia told him, rubbing his back. "It is dusty in here." She coughed, waving a hand in front of her face.
Chewbacca let out a rawr of alarm, and clung to Han's waist, trying to hide behind him. "Chewie, you big coward! Dammit, he just sneezed...stop being so jumpy." He gasped as the wookie released him, and moved towards Luke.
"Are you all right?" he added, and Luke nodded, sniffling again.
"I'm just allergic to dust, that's all."
"The kitchen table is even still in tact," Leia announced, walking over to it, and touching the scorched wood. Three chairs sat around it, and the humans sat down, grateful to be off of their feet.
"Forgive me, sir, but do you mind if I shut down for a bit? My joints are dreadfully frozen up," Threepio announced, and Luke nodded.
"All right. Artoo, if you want, you can rest a bit as well."
The R2 unit gave a satisfied whistle, and both droids made small clicking noises as they turned themselves off.
"There are markings," Leia suddenly discovered, having ran her hand absentmindedly along the edge of the table. She fingered them carefully, peering close. "They look like bite marks!"
Luke stared at her, startled. "Bite marks?" Still clutching the handky in his hand, he got up and went over to her. She moved her hand so he could see, and he blushed a deep shade of crimson. Han noticed this, and smirked.
"Aha! Is that embarrassment I sense from the great Jedi knight?" he teased, and Luke raised an eyebrow.
"Funny, Han."
"Are they bite marks?" Leia asked, and Luke sighed.
"Yes."
"You?" she added, sniggering, and covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry," she added, more giggles erupting.
"Tell us about the marks,"
Luke started to answer her, but sneezed again instead. "HutCHSHHHH! EtSHHHHHH! I'm sorry..." he apologized, and groaned.
"Bless you." Leia chuckled. "My poor Luke."
"If I can stop sneezing long enough to tell...ESHHHHH!" he doubled over, nearly falling. "I did make those marks," he added, after clearing his nose again. Han and Leia leaned forward, listening with deep interest as he began to tell the story.
**Many many years before...**
"Bot, bot, bot, no! Bot, bot, bot no!"
Beru Lars stood by the kitchen stove, stirring what was to be the family supper for the evening. She glanced over her shoulder as the toddler Luke sat on the floor, banging a wooden spoon against a pot rather violently.
"What are you doing, my love? Trying to create music?" Beru asked, tasting the soup, and walking over to lift the child into her arms.
"No!" Luke added, sniffling, for he was recovering from a bad cold. She felt his forehead, checking his temperature. "There's my sweet boy."
"Maki!" Luke added, which probably meant "Yes, of course I am." He clung to her, snuggling against her chest as she sat him carefully in one of the three wooden chairs. Luke was a fairly skinny baby, having been born with a weak immune system due to particular circumstances not allowed to be mentioned here. His hair, thickening and dirty blonde, curled slightly, and his cheeks were a bit rosy. "Ena!" He shrieked, and Beru chuckled.
"Yes, darling, I know you're hungry. Just a moment, while I prepare a bowl for you, love."
At that moment, her husband Owen burst through the hut door, grumbling under his breath. "Equipments' falling apart," he told her. "I'm going to have to make a trip to Mos Eisley one of these days to get spare parts for that sowing droid. It just seems to be a never ending pile of rubbish anymore." He sat down in the chair beside the boy, and stared as Luke set his four sharp teeth on the wood.
"Beru?" Owen announced. "I think...I think Luke is a bit impatient for his dinner, don't you?"
She turned, noticing the situation, and cried out in alarm. "Luke! No, no, love! The table is not for eating!" she went to pry his mouth from it, but Luke refused to let go.
"Nmmmmph!" Luke muttered, clamping down harder.
"Well, he must be teething," Beru pointed out, shaking her head. "He's been biting anything he can get his teeth on that happens to be hard."
"Like your slippers?" Owen grinned, remembering his wife scolding the toddler for having the shoe in his mouth when she left him alone in their room for a bit.
"We'll have to make some teething toys so he won't get into anything else," she added, trying desparately to pull the baby away from the table. "Oh Luke, love, please let go...you'll hurt yourself," she begged, accidentally kicking the chair back. Luke, however, continued to hang from the table to both of their surprise, by his teeth! Both adults were now standing, watching with utter shock.
"That boy has a strong jaw if not anything else, I'll give you that,," Owen announced, for Luke didn't even whimper from being left to hang there.
"Grab him, will you!" Beru ordered, and Owen finally managed to release the baby from the table, and only then did Luke begin wailing fitfully.
"Deepo!" he sobbed, stretching his hands towards the spot with the teeth marks, and Owen bounced him up and down, trying to soothe him.
"Deepo, yes," he replied, "your Auntie is going to get you some better-tasting food for supper."
Soon the family sat down to eat, Luke spending the rest of the meal on his Uncle's lap. Eventually the baby grew tired, and Beru decided to tuck him in for the night. She snuggled him down in fluffy blankets, placing a stuffed bantha inside of the crib. He cooed, clutching the animals' tail between his teeth, and watched as his Aunt sat downt o sing him to sleep.
**Return to present time**
Leia and Han were both doubling over with laughter as Luke finished the story, and he merely smiled at them, blushing slightly.
"Oh that is funny," Leia giggled. "You were hanging from the table by your teeth!"
"Sometimes I wonder if maybe the Force was just coming out in me, and that's how I had my strength to do so," Luke suggested, and Han snorted.
"I can't believe you had a stuffed bantha," he added, and Chewbacca gave a sarcastic rawr, raising his large, furry arms in the air. Han glared at him, folding his arms.
"I absolutely will not tell them about that," he ordered, and Luke smirked.
"Oh come on, Han. I gave you my embarrassing story. I think a tough guy like you should be able to do the same."
Han pursed his lips, but finally sighed. "Fine. I er...well, had a stuffed...Ewok when I was a boy."
Leia sniggered, holding Luke's hand. Normally, Han would have felt distinctly uncomfortable about this, but since he knew they were related, there was no harm in it. They'd missed so many years with each other, that it was overpowering to both.
"Nothing to be ashamed of," Leia added, just as Luke sneezed yet again.
"HutSHHHHH! EtSHHHHH! I don't know about you two, but I need to go to another room...at least move around. My head's about to explode. HahKSHHHHH!"
"Might we see your bedroom?" Leia asked, and he nodded.
"If it's still safe to go into." He checked on Threepio and Artoo, who were both dozing away in the corner. Chewbacca chuckled, making Han glare at him.
"Laugh it up, fuzz ball." He snarled, and followed the siblings down a tight corridor. Thankfully Luke's bedroom was one of the few rooms not too damaged by the fire, and Luke entered it with a queer feeling in his stomach. His things still remained as they had the night before he'd come in contact with Obi-Wan, including the model ship Owen had made for him, which still sat on the windowsill.
"I got really sick the week before I met you two," Luke told them. "So my Uncle Owen made the model space ship for me."
"You seemed to be sickly when you were younger." Leia told him softly.
"Well, I was born with weak lungs. I don't know why...I think it had something to do with the conditions our mother gave birth to me in. You didn't seem to have any trouble though, Leia."
Leia shrugged. "Oh, I had the usual childhood illnesses, but nothing too serious. You definitely seem stronger now." She watched as he went over to the closet, opened it, and found the stuffed bantha. An eye had been torn out, and though the fur was still scraggly, it just had a wonderful feel to it. He tossed it to Leia, who hugged it.
"You two," Han shook his head. "All right, let's make it back to the ship and head into Mos Eisley."
"I think we should stay here, Han. It's getting dark," Luke announced, and the general's face fell.
"Here? You've got to be kidding, Luke! Half the place is caved in!"
"We'll be safe in here. I don't want us to go traveling around until we have plenty of daylight. Besides, I have to do this, Han. I have to spend one night here, because I haven't seen my home since the day..." he cleared his throat. "Well, you understand."
Han started to protest further, but Leia held up her hand. "I understand. Han, we'll stay the night."
"Where are we going to sleep exactly?" Han asked, and Luke pointed to his bed. "You two can share that, and I'll just take the cot. I don't mind."
Han and Leia glanced at one another, and Han seemed to change his mind almost instantly after this offer. "Don't get any funny ideas," Leia warned, as she helped Luke prepare the sleeping arrangements. When he went to inform Threepio and Artoo of the change of plans, Han and Leia sat on the edge of the bed, not looking at one another for a moment.
"I'm glad you and Luke finally get to catch up," Han spoke, startling Leia. "It really must have been a shock to find out he was your brother."
She shrugged. "Well, as I told you, I think I always knew. I don't know...just...we had a certain type of connection that I couldn't quite understand at first."
Han managed a grin. "Well, Leia, I'd rather you got into the bed first, because that way I'll be the one to fall out if one of us kicks."
Leia grinned. "How nice of you." She kissed him on the cheek, just as Luke came back.
"Artoo's going to keep watch at the door," he told them, "just to be safe. We've all had a long day, so get as much sleep as you can, all right?" He watched as Leia removed her shoes, refusing to take off any of her clothing. Soon all three were comfortable and in their beds, hoping for once, to have a peaceful rest.
The characters names/places do not belong to me. They belong to George Lucas, and I am only borrowing them for my own amusement.
Inspired by "A Series of Unfortunate Events", by Lemony Snicket. This takes place after the death of Darth Vader, a peace time when Luke takes Han and Leia to visit the remains of his relatives' home on Tatooine. Along the way, Han and Leia discover bits of Luke's past.