A/n: This is my very first attempt at a Star Wars story. I am very new to the fandom and the very large universe that is Star Wars but I love it all and wanted to write some happiness into the lives of these poor people. It's definitely post ROTJ but diverges from the canon that leads into TFA….because I need happy Organa/Solo family feels. It's a one-shot for now but definitely can be expanded upon if requested! I hope you enjoy!
Leia awoke with a splitting headache. Any attempt to open her eyes was thwarted quickly by a bright, blinding light. She groaned and as she came to realized her entire body ached.
"You are awake Miss?"
There was a kind, quiet voice of a woman beside her, speaking in a thick accent.
She finally cracked open her eyes, wincing against the light but soon the room came into a blurry view.
When her vision finally cleared, she was met with the smiling face of a purple faced woman, dressed in bright white robes.
"Hello Miss." The stranger greeted warmly.
She tried her voice but found her throat was dry and there was the taste of dried blood in her mouth.
What happened?
She was in a daze as she tried reaching for memories.
"Here you are Miss." The purple woman grabbed a glass from a nearby table and handed it to her. "Please drink, you will feel better."
Leia groaned as she slowly sat up, wincing at the sore muscles in her abdomen. Her hand flew there to steady herself. She thanked the woman as she took the glass and gently but eagerly sipped the water.
She let out a small sigh of relief, the water like heaven to her parched throat, and rested back against the bed.
"Thank you." She said after she finished, her voice a little hoarse. She looked up weakly to the woman, who must have been a nurse if her care-taking was anything to go by. "What is your name?"
The nurse bowed respectfully. "I am Shilere."
"Thank you Shilere." She offered the woman a small, polite smile and then took a look around the small room. There was a wall full of shelves of what looked to be medical supplies. The wall closest to her on her right was filled with monitors of a quality she had never seen before. Wherever she was, the technology was advanced.
The furthest wall to her left was blank and the wall behind her was only filled with more medical supplies.
The room seemed to have everything except one very alarming thing - a door.
She took another careful sweep of the room and her heart lurched at the confirmation. There was no visible door.
"Where am I?" she asked politely, trying to keep herself calm. There could be a very reasonable explanation for all of this.
"You are on Maszdar, Miss." said Shilere, once again bowing politely.
She didn't recognize the planet's name but who knows how far they had gone while flying through hyperspace.
"Why? What am I doing here?"
"Your ship, it crashed here, Miss."
"What?"
Her chest tightened and suddenly the dull ache in her body, every injury flared to life with pain and she gasped as the memories flooded.
She had rushed into the cockpit after a few sudden jerks, preparing to knock Han one over for once again messing around and showing off.
Instead of finding her husband laughing and his trademark smug grin, the cockpit was a frenzied mess of Han and Chewie out of their seats, frantically pressing buttons and alarms ringing.
"What's going on?" She demanded.
"I don't know!" Han exclaimed, grunting as he slammed his fingers down on the controls. "There was some kind of force field and then she just started fritzing out! Come on baby." He growled, tugging desperately at the control stick.
Leia accredited herself to many talents but flying was not one of them. Han had taught her to fly the Falcon and even Luke gave her a few pointers and she could fly the Falcon pretty well considering the Falcon was the Falcon, but as she approached the control board with every intent to help she knew she was helpless. There were no two better who knew the Falcon than Han and Chewie.
"Han." She gasped, looking out the window as the two pilots frantically tried to get the ship to function.
"Kriff!" Han shouted as a burst of electricity shot out of the control panel above his hand. He shook his hand, wincing but quickly returned to work.
"Han!"
"What?" he snapped in frustration.
"I'm not a pilot but I think that planet is getting a little too close to us." Leia thrusted her hand out, pointing at the large silver planet quicky getting larger.
Han froze, his eyes following her hand. His eyes widened for a moment and then he sprung to life, shouting orders at Chewie.
She was stuck in between a flurry of fur and man as Han and Chewie worked furiously to get the ship back in control to no avail.
Han took another quick look through the window, where nothing but the planet's quickly approaching surface could be seen.
A look of horror spread across his face and he looked quickly over his shoulder.
"Leia, get out of here!"
She frowned, planting her feet. "No way in hell."
"Leia." His voice was sharp and usually she wouldn't take that tone from him but she knew his fear, she felt it too and couldn't blame him for snapping.
She locked eyes with him. "If we go down, we go down together."
He stared back at her and there was nothing but the sound of alarms and the controls short circuiting, and the sound of crushing metal as the ship hurtled toward the planet.
His jaw tightened, his eyes flashing in panic and anger for a moment but then softened and he nodded. "I love you."
She reached forward, her hand finding his. "I know." She kept their eyes locked for another long second and then broke contact, looking down at the controls. "Now focus flyboy, you've got us out of worse."
His hand slid out from hers and back to the controls and hers moved to a comforting place on his shoulder.
If she wasn't in a panic, she would have been in awe at the ease and skill at which his hands sped across the dashboard, knowing exactly which buttons to press, that in any other situation would have had them slowing down and turned around away from harm.
"It's no use," Han whispered, his head lifting, his hands freezing on the controls. "We're going to crash." His tone was definitive in it's hopelessness and that alone was enough to strike fear into her heart. If there was something to count on, even in the most dangerous situations, it was Han's confidence in his own ability to get them out of it.
Han quickly stood from his seat, turned to Leia, wrapped a strong arm around her and tugged them both to the back of the cockpit. Leia fell into her husband's arms, burying herself in his chest as she watched the planet's surface only getting closer and closer. They had already broken through the atmosphere and she could start to see the detailed rock formations they soon would be hitting.
Chewie gave a last few good natured tugs at the controls and then let out a resigned whimper and left his seat to come over to them. He threw his larger body over them both, shielding them and blocking their view.
Leia's stomach rolled and she buried her face into Han's chest, the fear of near certain death rising in her.
She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and taking in every bit of him she could.
She suddenly lifted her head, reached up with both hands, grabbing his face in hers and planting a hard, desperate kiss on his lips.
His hands tightened around her, his mouth moving roughly, passionately against hers.
She pulled away after only a few seconds, the roar of the falling ship becoming near deafening.
She looked into his fear filled, teary eyes and despite the fact she was trembling, matched it with an opposite look of love.
"I love you." She whispered and she knew he couldn't hear her over the noise but he nodded and kissed her again before pulling her to his chest.
The next thing she knew, there was a loud, deafening screech as the Falcon made contact with the ground and then there was nothing but dark.
"Han." She gasped and her heart leapt into her throat. Fear coursing through her veins and tears suddenly blurring her vision, she sat up frantically. "Where is he?" she demanded of the nurse.
Shilere slowly reached her hand out, guiding her back to the bed. "You must rest, Miss. You have had many injuries. You and your child are safe but you must rest."
She pulled sharply away from her touch. "I don't care about that. I need to know where my..." she trailed off as the nurse's words finally sunk in. "My... what?"
Shilere moved towards a large monitor on the wall beside her and Leia followed her movements.
Shilere tapped the screen and it flickered to life and a few images appeared. Several different test and scan results littered the screen, none of which Leia could make any sense out of with her heart in her throat and those words echoing in her mind. Shilere tapped one in the right corner and it expanded to fill the whole screen. Shilere indicated to the image in the center of the screen with a reassuring smile.
"Your child, it is not hurt."
Leia gaped at the screen, at the image of a pea sized object just below the woman's gloved finger.
As Shilere lowered her hand, she raised hers and reached out a shaky hand towards the screen, brushing her fingertips across the image.
Her hand was covered in bruises and scrapes but she couldn't concentrate on her injuries with the shocking image sat before her.
A child.
She snapped her hand away as if the image would burn her but couldn't take her eyes off of it.
Your child, it is not hurt.
You and your child are safe.
Your child.
She had been feeling unwell over the last few weeks but she attributed it to eating at the pit stops Han claimed were safe. Granted, he never got sick but he was used to constant travel and she always ribbed him for his diet.
But a baby.
Without even realizing it, her hand found its way to rest over her abdomen.
She looked down, threw the blanket off of her and lifted her shirt.
There was a large bandage on her right side and dark black and blue bruises covering almost every inch of her left.
Your child, it is not hurt.
She brushed her fingers lightly over her damaged skin, her eyes watering.
All of this time, she had been so careless whilst her child grew unbeknownst within her. A little life that she and Han had created.
Han.
She snapped her head up, her eyes narrowing. "Where is my husband?"
The nurse stared at her blankly and she felt her fear growing.
"My husband, Han Solo." She repeated and nearly growled in frustration at the continued blank stare from Shilere. "A man of my species, brown hair, this tall…" she raised her hand a good few inches above her own head.
He had to have survived, he always survived. He was a survivor if there ever was one.
"Miss you must rest." Shilere repeated, reaching out to her again, completely ignoring her questions about Han.
Leia growled and ripped herself out of the bed and out of any medical monitoring. The alarms shot off and Shilere gasped.
"Miss!"
Leia whirled to her furiously. "If you tell me to rest time I will not be so nice." She hissed at Shilere looked a little taken aback but didn't move to stop her. Leia moved as quickly as she could around the room, trying to ignore the pain in her legs and stretching across her abdomen. She pressed herself against the blank left wall. "How do I get out of here?" she moved her hands slowly up and down the wall. "Where is the door?"
"Leia!"
She gasped, her eyes flying toward the direction of the distant sound of her husband's voice.
She searched the wall until finally she found the crack in the wall that was the hidden door.
She felt around until she finally found a small lever and flicked it.
The door hissed open and she stumbled out into the hall. A sharp pain shot up her leg but she ignored it, turning her head in either direction. The corridor was long in either direction but she saw a familiar head of brown hair disappear around the corner to her right.
"Han!"
Seconds later he appeared in the corridor, dressed in the same white outfit she was. Even in the dim lighting and at the distance she could see his face covered in bruises but relief flooded through her at the sight of him.
She limped toward him as fast as she could and noticed his usual brisk pace was also dampened by a limp. They finally met and stopped only inches from one another.
Han gently reached out, cupping her face in his hands. "Hiya Princess," He cooed quietly, frowning as his thumb gently caressing her cheek, under the bruise around her eye. "Are you alright?"
Her hand found his and she leaned into his palm. "Yes, I'm alright. Are you?"
She gave his face a careful lookover, he had a gash across his forehead, covered with a bandage and various other scrapes and bruises.
"Better now that I've found you."
He smiled at her, his classic grin and she wasn't sure why, perhaps it was the fear of having lost him, the relief of seeing him and the newest of revelations that she was carrying their child, but tears filled her eyes and she fell into his arms in quiet sobs.
"Oh, Leia, darlin…" Han gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. "I'm here, we're safe, we're okay." One of his hands combed through her hair as he sighed. "Not sure if I can say the same for the Falcon, however..."
She couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled from her lips.
"Hey, there is nothing amusing about the loss of that ship."
She sniffled and lifted her head with a small grin. "The Falcon has been through a lot. It's tougher than you at times."
"Hey!"
She laughed again and shook her head before she leaned up on her toes to kiss him. His large hand cradled the back of her head as he returned her kiss softly, both of them cautious of the other's injuries.
She pulled away and looked into his eyes and longed to tell him what she had found out. Her stomach twisted in anticipation, and she knew the baby was small but she could almost feel it's weight like a knot in the center of her.
It wasn't the right time, they needed to be certain they were safe and she wasn't certain of that at all. Wherever they were, they had been saved and mended, their wounds attended to. A full scan had been done on Leia, providing the proof of her previously unknown pregnancy.
His hand once again found her face, his thumb brushing over the bruised, scraped skin of her cheek.
"How did we survive that?" she wondered.
"I have no idea." He murmured with a frown.
"Have you seen Chewie?"
Han's frown deepened and he shook his head. "No, haven't even heard him which doesn't bode well."
Leia sighed and dropped her hands to his forearms. "If we survived he must have too. He must be around here somewhere."
"Wherever here is." Han muttered, his eyes narrowing inquisitively. "The nurse was particularly unhelpful in answering my questions."
"You're telling me. I asked about you and she looked at me like she didn't know what I was saying." She sighed deeply. "I was afraid, Han…after that crash I thought…"
Han looked back down at her, his lips twitching up. "You think you can get rid of me that easily?"
Her lips twitched at the corners. "I must admit, if I did want to rid of someone sending them crashing down into a rocky planet's surface might be a good option."
His face softened and he leaned in to press a tender kiss to her forehead. "I thought I'd lost you too."
They spent another long moment just taking in each other's presence before Leia pulled back.
"It does beg the question, however, what is this place and why did they take down the Falcon?"
Han raised a brow. "You think she was sabotaged?"
"Han, I've seen you manipulate that ship through storms and every kind of malfunction you could name. By the stars, I know the Kessel run story as if I were there and done it myself." His eyes sparked with the familiar smugness of that particular story.
"Yes," She confirmed with a solid nod, "I believe someone or something fried the Falcon."
Han's smile faded and his eyes narrowed. "I think it's time we find out who's in charge around here. Nobody crashes my baby and gets away with it."
Leia's heart jumped at the word and her hand drifted to her abdomen. An action that had not go unnoticed by her husband who raised a concerned eyebrow at her.
She smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, just a little bruised." She dropped her hand to find and squeezed his.
He eyed her suspiciously but any questions were interrupted by a call from down the hall.
"Miss!"
Leia groaned and turned around, Han furrowing his brow, standing protectively behind her.
"I do not need to rest!" She snapped at the nurse now standing in the corridor. "I am fine and since you so purposely kept my husband from me I would like to know why. I would also like to know where our Wookiee friend is and why you took down our ship."
Han smirked proudly from behind her. "What she said."
"Miss," Shilere slowly walked towards them and Han's hand slid protectively on her hip.
"I am General Leia Organa of Alderaan." Leia announced. "This is my husband Captain Han Solo. I will not ask again, where is our Wookiee friend?"
Despite telling Han of her assurance of his survival, she wasn't so certain of the fact and feared the worst. Chewie had shielded them, no doubt taking the full force of the crash as the Falcon nose dived onto the planet.
A few other nurses, dressed similarly to Shilere came running down the corridor in the direction Han had come from.
"We've got more company." Han muttered, looking grimly over his shoulder at the three nurses who now had them surrounded.
"Sir, you must come back to bed." One of the nurses said urgently.
Han scowled. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Shilere." Leia addressed the nurse as she approached and she once again bowed respectfully.
Leia resisted a small sigh. "Please, there was another passenger aboard our ship. You must tell us where he is."
The species was so far not hostile and there was no immediate threat but Leia was losing patience with the lack of answers.
"He's a tall, furry fellow?" A new male voice entered the scene and their attention was drawn behind Han to where a purple skinned man, dressed in navy blue robes, parted through the nurses.
"A Wookiee, yes." Han corrected tensely.
The man nodded once, long and deep. "We have your friend. I am Kalipo, the chief medical physician."
"Oh good, a doctor," Han turned to face him, keeping a protective stance in front of Leia though she stepped out from behind him. "Finally, look, we have been trying to get some answers-"
"Thank you for saving our lives." Leia cut in gently and Han gave her a side-eye. She squeezed his hand gently, keeping her attention focused on Kalipo. "As my husband was about to explain, we've been trying to question Shilere and the others about our reason for being here."
"Ah, yes...you must pardon my nurses, they are highly skilled in their field and caring after their patients is what they do best….and you were all gravely injured." His eyes, a bright green color, shifted between the pair of them. "Not to mention, of course, they are not used to seeing strangers."
Leia frowned, her jaw tightening. "Survivors, you mean."
Kalipo's green eyes flashed with delightful alarm and his lips pulled into a slow smile. "We mean you no harm."
"Somehow I'm not sure I believe that." Han remarked.
Kalipo ignored his snide comment and slowly extended his arm out. "Come with me, I will take you to your...Wookiee."
He slowly turned around, the nurses bowing around him as he walked down the corridor. Han and Leia exchanged silent glances and then Leia lifted her chin and followed behind Kalipo. Han cautiously followed behind her, their hands gripped tight.
They were led first to Chewie, who had sustained a few more injuries than either of them, but he was recovering.
They then met with the security team who then led them to one of the governors of the planet.
After being fully interrogated and being cleared of all threat, they were finally led to the crash site where the Falcon lay broken but not irreparable.
Han refused to let anyone else but himself or Chewie touch the Falcon and a two man team to rebuild an entire ship took it's time.
It had been over three weeks that they were stranded on the planet and it wasn't easy for Leia to keep the secret of her pregnancy, especially with the over caring nature of the nurses.
She and Han had been given their own private room but she felt the only right place to tell him was on the Falcon. It was their home, where they had begun their family and where it would continue to grow.
Besides the matter, Han was exhausted by the end of the day. A hot and sweaty, sometimes grumpy mess and certainly not in the frame of mind to learn he would be a father.
One of the first nights after working on the Falcon, he was so tired and sore, still recovering from the crash itself, she led him into the bathtub to share a bath.
He was tired but they took turns slowly washing the other, each wincing as they brushed across a sensitive, painful area.
When Han brushed his calloused hands over her sensitive, bare abdomen, she shuddered against his touch.
He went to withdraw his hands, an apology already on his lips but she stilled his hands, quietly shushing him.
Her eyes closed as she relished in the feel of his warm touch, his large hands unknowingly cradling the place where their child lay.
She longed to tell him in that moment and almost had but held back as he sighed with exhaustion, kissing her shoulder and then rested his head on her back.
Almost every night, Han almost protectively cradled her to him, his hand resting on her lower abdomen as if he somehow could sense it.
She still could hardly believe it when Shilere had run each weeks test on her and that little object was still there and was growing.
Shilere told her after a few questions, that she had been carrying the child for approximately six weeks.
For over a month she had unknowingly been pregnant, going on dangerous treks with her husband. She wondered how she went so long without realizing her monthlies had stopped.
Every week she had another scan and every week she watched her baby grow. By the third and final week she was there the baby had grown into something small and vaguely human shaped and she could even see it's little heart beating.
She saved a copy datapad to show Han but wished every moment she could share with him. She hated she was keeping three weeks of their child's development from him but it was her body doing all of the work and not much to see of the baby up until that point. And now that she knew of her pregnancy, she felt it. The extreme fatigue, the nausea, her tender and swollen breasts, the near constant need to urinate...she knew she would not be looking forward to another six or more months of that.
Between the two of them, with her pregnancy hormones and his exhaustion from working all day, it was any wonder they fell into each other's arms at night and didn't try to tear each others heads off.
Finally, after three long weeks the Falcon was finally flight ready. Not perfect, but enough to get them home where Han could do more proper repairs.
She let her mind drift to Luke, wondering if he had any inkling they had run into trouble. She often traveled with Han and Chewie for months at a time, so their month stay on Maszdar wouldn't shouldn't have worried him. Still, she and Luke always had a way of knowing when the other was in danger.
Nearly six years after learning about Luke's relation to her and she was still a little baffled by the strength of their connection. They were entirely different people, raised entirely different ways, yet Leia felt a connection to him like no other.
Han was her husband, her lover, her friend.
Luke was her brother, her confidant and best friend. He was the one she ran to when Han got on her last nerve. She told him everything, which had been new for her. She never trusted someone so blindly. Not that Luke hadn't earned her trust, even before she knew that they were twins, she spent three years caring about the sweet young boy who was too short to be a stormtrooper.
She had had her parents, Bail and Breha Organa, and she loved and missed them dearly. She still had trouble coming to terms with the fact that Vader had been her biological father. She knew hardly anything about her biological mother but Luke was a real and constant presence in her life. They saved the galaxy together, they were friends and siblings.
She grew anxious to see her brother again, to let him know they were alright and to tell him their exciting news.
As Han appeared with a satisfied grin, she shook off the thoughts of her brother and focused instead on telling Han.
Her heart pounded at the thought and she hated that. She looked Vader square in the helmet and hadn't felt as nervous.
It was Han and it was good news. It was ridiculously silly of her to be nervous.
They thanked the governor of Maszdar, with Leia thanking Shilere specifically, for their hospitality and then Han took her hand and led her out to the hanger.
She had watched the Falcon's progress and even helped on occasion but she still felt relief to see the ship (almost) whole again.
Han certainly was beaming with pride and she briefly wondered if he would show the same love and pride to their child.
Another silly thought she brushed off, because of course he would.
Han loved the Falcon, it truly was his pride and joy, but Leia had become his heart and he told her as much. He had come along way since that cocky smuggler who only cared about his payout.
He was still cocky and still smuggling but his heart was open and full of love for her, for Chewie, for Luke and she knew soon for the baby.
They met Chewie at the ramp and she stood between them, nodding with a smile. "Let's go home boys."
After settling in, Leia joined them in the cockpit, watching with a small proud smile as they readied the ship for take off.
When the ship hummed to life they all lit up in relieved smiles, Han flashing a grin over his shoulder.
The take off was a little shaky but they left the hanger and headed towards the sky. They held their breath until the Falcon cleared the atmosphere and they were safely drifting in space.
"And we're clear." Han let out a sigh and rested back in his seat, hands still on the controls but now relaxed that they were safe.
Leia stood up and approached the back of Han's chair. She slipped her arms around him, draping them onto his chest. "Captain Solo…" She purred against his ear and his brow raised, a smirk forming his lips.
"Yes, my dear?"
"Would you be able to step away for a few minutes?"
His eyes sparked to life, as he grinned, grabbing gently onto her arms.
"Chewie, you're in charge." He told his friend and co-pilot and Chewie answered knowingly, giving him a nod.
Han spun in his chair and rose to meet her. She met his eyes and smiled, sliding down her hands to grab his.
She led him out of the cockpit and as soon as they were out of Chewie's sight, he saddled up behind her, pressing against her, attacking the nape of her neck with kisses.
"Han…" She whispered breathlessly, quietly giggling against the tickling sensation of his lips.
He hummed in response and she felt the vibrations and it sent a familiar fiery warmth to the pit of her stomach.
She knew she had to stop him before they both got caught up in the heat of the moment. Part of her longed to take him to their room and celebrate their freedom and safety but she knew she had to tell him before anything else now that they were finally alone and on the Falcon.
She suddenly cut him off, whirling around to face him. She almost laughed at how her sudden actions left him gaping like a fish.
He blinked, confused and furrowed his brow, finally opening his eyes.
"You know, that isn't nice…"
She smiled softly and rested her hands on his chest. "I'm sorry but there's something I need to tell you."
He frowned, taking in her serious look.
"What's wrong?"
She smiled wider to pacify his nerves and shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong…" she looked around the corridor and softly bit her lip. "Not here…"
"Leia…"
She reached down to grab his hands. "Trust me, there's nothing wrong. It's just a conversation I would prefer to have in absolute privacy."
She led him to their bedroom and closed the door behind them. "Sit, Han, please."
His frown only deepened. "You're asking me to sit down? This must be serious."
"It is but there's nothing to worry about."
She motioned again for him to sit on the bed. His eyes narrowed but he obeyed and fell back onto the bed.
"Leia, I have never seen you act like this. You claim nothing is wrong but your pacing says otherwise. What is it?"
She shook her head and stepped closer to stand between his open legs. "There's nothing to worry about." She repeated and took his hands in hers and then let out a sigh. "There's something I've been hiding from you and I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you weeks ago but with both of us injured and the Falcon needing repairs...the time needed to be right. We needed to be here."
"Leia," She could hear his patience waning, "What is it?"
"On Maszdar, when they found me they did an entire scan on me, to check all of my injuries."
He nodded, they had done a few for him too.
"Well they found something, Han." She slowly led his hands to rest against her abdomen, which had grown the slightest with the growth of the baby. "Or should I say, they found someone."
"Someone?" Han's brow shot up in alarm. "What does that…"
She smiled at him, pressing his hands further against her abdomen. He frowned and looked down at the action, to her hands covering his over her belly.
She watched, holding her breath, as his mind worked. Then slowly his eyes widened and his eyes darted back up to hers. "No."
She smiled and nodded. "Yes," She whispered in confirmation, and said the words for the first time aloud, "I'm pregnant."
He gaped at her and then glanced back down to her abdomen.
He gently moved his hand across and then down, slipping his fingers under her shirt.
He rolled up the fabric to reveal her bare, healing skin. His head turned, his eyes widening in wonder as he traced the soft swell of her belly. It was barely noticeable but it was there especially on Leia who always was rather trim.
He slowly leaned in and pressed his ear against her skin. The longer he sat there in silence, she laughed, happy tears stinging her eyes and she threaded her fingers through his hair.
"You can't hear him, Han."
He slowly lifted his head up to meet her eyes. "Him?"
She smiled softly, moving to caress his cheek. "I don't know. We won't know until he's born but I have this feeling…"
A small smile of disbelief tugged at his lips. "This is real."
She laughed again. "Yes, it's real. I've known for weeks, I've watched him grow, I've seen his heart beating, I know…"
She let out an undignified squeal as Han suddenly pulled her into his lap and sought out her lips.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him, laughing against his mouth.
"Are you happy?" She wondered, looking down at him.
"Am I happy?" He echoed with a laugh. "Am I happy that I married the woman I never thought could love me. Am I happy that she's safe? Am I happy that my best friend is safe? That my ship is functional and we're on our way home? Am I happy that my beautiful, strong, wonderful wife is going to have a child? Our child. My child." His voice softened with every word and she smiled at the emotion in his voice as his hands once again landed on her bare abdomen. "Yeah, I'm happy." He grinned up at her. "Are you?"
She nodded and shifted so she was straddling his waist. Her fingers tangled in his hair. "Han, I know we didn't get the chance to really talk about this part of our life together and I knew it would happen sooner or later I just didn't expect it to be so soon. It was a surprise to me and I'm sorry I didn't tell you at first, I could hardly believe it myself and with you working on the Falcon I didn't want to distract you…" she narrowed her eyes, trailing off as he grinned at her.
"What?"
"I have never heard you ramble on like that, Princess."
She rolled her eyes and pinched the back of his neck to which he only laughed.
"Leia," he continued, more seriously, "it may have been a surprise but it's the best kind there could ever be. You," he kept one hand on her belly, the other moved to the strands of hair sticking out from her braid. "Are going to be such a wonderful mother. And," He shook his head, "don't apologize for not telling me sooner. If you had told me on Maszdar, well...you're right, it would have been a distraction that didn't need. You're telling me now and that's all that matters. You, me, the little one...here in the room he was conceived."
She laughed. "You don't know that for certain. Over the last eight weeks, you have been very handsy."
"I have been handsy? Who was it that pulled me into the circuit closet?"
"Are you suggesting our baby was conceived in the closet?"
"I told you, I think it was right here and I think…" his hand traveled to her back and hitched her hips closer. "We should give him a brother."
"That's not how it works."
He rolled his eyes. "I know that, I'm just trying to be a little seductive here."
"You're the father of my child, I have been waiting to tell you for three weeks. My pregnancy has not been overly kind to me with how it is affecting my body but.." she moved her hand to her face, tracing over the sudden frown on his lips, "It has also made me very, very attracted to you."
His smirk returned and he tightened his grip on her and gently rolled them over to pin her to the bed.
"Your Worship…" he leaned over her and tenderly kissed her lips. "My wife…" he smothered tiny little kisses across her jaw and down her neck and she gasped, arching her back at the sensation.
His hands grabbed the edges of her shirt and quickly worked to remove it, leaving her exposed to the air.
His eyes trailed down her body, pausing at her chest and his brow rose. "I definitely should have noticed that."
She whacked him across the chest and he grinned, and continued the path of his mouth downward.
She gasped again, wincing slightly as he worked her tender breasts. "Han, be gentle…."
He paused only for a moment and then continued, softly kissing one and then the other and continued down to her navel. "Leia," he kissed it again and again, "Thank you for this. For bearing my child. I love you." he kissed it again, more gently. "I love you." he whispered again and her emotions swelled as she realized he was talking to the baby.
The love that filled her soon turned to hot desire and she suddenly sat up, briefly meeting Han's curious eyes, before securing her lips feverishly to his.
He deepened the kiss, one hand moving to the back of her head, the other securing to her hip. Her hands worked quickly tearing off his clothes, first his vest, then his shirt, all in between fevered kisses.
She latched onto his back, and he wrapped his arms around her and they fell back onto the bed in the heat of desire and love.
A while later Leia lay on her back, Han's head resting gently on her belly as he drew small circles with his fingers and she played with his hair.
"He really is okay?" Han asked, his fingers brushing over her almost completely healed skin. There was a long pinkish scar on her right side and the last remnants of yellow bruises on her left.
"So they say." She breathed, a hint of a smile on her lips. "It's a miracle really. He's small but tough. He's a survivor."
Han hummed, smiling against her skin. "Gets that from his Mama."
Her smile widened, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "He gets it from both of us."
Han lifted his head, his eyes soft and tired but full of joy and amusement. "What if he is a she?"
"We will love her just the same." she said simply.
He hummed again and lowered his head back to her belly. "Another little princess for me to spoil."
"You do not spoil me but I have no doubt you'd spoil our daughter. You'd spoil our son too. As soon as he's old enough, maybe even before, I can just picture you sitting him or her in the cockpit and teaching them how to fly the Falcon."
He tried to look offended. "What sort of reckless father do you take me for?"
She raised an eyebrow silently and his lips twitched up.
"Fine." He relented. "I won't put him or her unnecessarily into any danger."
She scoffed a small laugh. "Oh, that's comforting."
"He or she is a Solo, it will be in their blood. The Falcon will belong to them."
"Our family legacy." She hummed with a small smile. "This broken, old, piece of junk…" she laughed as Han gently, jokingly tickled her sides.
He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes, hovering over her. "Don't talk about my baby that way."
She looked up at him with a grin. "I say it with the utmost of affection of course."
"Oh of course." His eyes narrowed further and she laughed, her hand moving to his cheek. "You and your brother…" he sighed and shook his head and then settled back down at her side, his hand covering her belly. "Don't you getting any ideas from your Mama or Uncle Luke you hear me? There is no grander ship than the Falcon and it will be all yours one day. You'll take great care of her, I know it."
With Han gently stroking the slightest swell of her abdomen, talking to the baby, talking about the future made it all so very real. She blinked away tears and took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions at bay.
He lifted his head again, furrowing his brow. "Are you alright?"
She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine." She softly caressed his cheek. "I love you, you know."
His face softened into a smirk and he leaned up to kiss her softly. "I know." He whispered against her mouth.
"Leia…" He frowned as he pulled away, bringing his hand to catch the tear rolling down her cheek.
She shook her head. "You better get used to this, I'm sorry to say it's only going to get worse. The sickness, the moodswings, if you thought I was bad before…"
"Bad? You? Never." He leaned in to kiss her again. "You're growing another person inside of you. A person that will be our child. Whatever it takes to get him safely into our lives, I'm in full support of you, just as I always have been. Lest not forget how much you detested me when we first met. If I fell in love with you then…"
He slowly grinned as she narrowed her eyes playfully. She forcefully shoved at his shoulders, pushing him off of her and onto his back beside her. Then she rolled over him, straddling his waist and grinned wickedly, pressing her hands to his chest.
"Lest not forget how annoying you were when we first met." She slid her hands up his chest, her smile growing as his muscles reacted, shuddering against her touch and his breath caught in his throat. "You stuck up," his breath released in a shudder as she pressed her bare chest to his, still keeping their eyes connected, "half-witted, scruffy looking…"
She gasped as his hands gripped tight onto her hips, pressing her against him. He lifted his head, barely brushing his lips against hers. "Who you calling scruffy, princess."
His hot breath against her mouth sent a pleasurable tingle down her spine. She closed the remaining distance between them with a smothering kiss.
They kissed slowly, tenderly, letting hands wander freely.
It was only when Han's hand brushed across her abdomen, his hand lingering there for a few seconds did she remember there was something she needed to show him.
She sat up quickly, breaking their kiss and he frowned, first in confusion and then in alarm as his eyes opened to look up at her.
"What is it?"
"There's something I need to show you."
He smirked. "Oh?" he asked suggestively but his smile faded as she rolled off of him. "Oh. You have to show me something right now? We were kinda in the middle of something."
Leia looked over her shoulder, first at his face and then lower to his waist and her brow lifted.
"It doesn't seem that way to me."
His frown deepened and he huffed rolling onto his side as she laughed and started toward the edge of the bed.
"Give it a little more time, Princess, you wiped me out earlier."
She now stood by the bed and threw a smirk and a wink over her shoulder before heading to the other side of the small room. His eyes followed her, enraptured by every move of her swinging hips as she walked to where she had discarded her belongings upon first getting on the Falcon.
She reached down and rifled through her bag until she found her datapad.
She stood up and went to head back to bed but froze at Han's intense stare.
"What?"
A smile slowly spread across his lips. "You are beautiful, Leia."
She had never felt self conscious in front of Han, and she was used to his compliments but in that moment she felt the burn in her cheeks and was acutely aware of her bare form.
"Get your looks in while you can." She said quietly, walking back to the bed. "There will soon come a time when I won't be so desirable."
Han reached for her as she approached and she gave him her hand. He gently guided her back to the bed and he rose up to meet her, kissing her.
"There will never be a day that you are undesirable." He muttered against her mouth, his voice deep and husky.
She smirked against his lips and then pulled away.
"You say that now," she said as she settled her back against the pillows. Han cuddled to her side, bringing the blanket up to cover their legs. "I've heard many women complain how their husbands wont so much as touch them during their last few months of pregnancy."
He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Those men are foolish and clearly do not love their wives. As long as you want me, I will always want you."
She turned her head and they shared a smile.
"Now what was so important you had to show me?"
She gave him a look at his almost mocking tone.
"You'll thank me in a minute." She told him as she turned on the datapad and flipped through the various files until she found the one she was looking for.
An image flickered to life on the screen, an image of the last scan done of the baby just the day before they left.
Han narrowed his eyes curiously, scrutinizing the screen and Leia held back a laugh as he tried to work it out.
The image was grainy and not as clear as the one on the high tech monitors in the medbay on Maszdar and the baby itself barely looked human yet.
"I feel like I'm supposed to know what this is but I have to confess I'm really not sure."
Finally a small laugh bubbled from her lips and she kissed his temple before he turned to her in confusion.
"It's the baby." She told him and his eyes widened for a moment. He took the datapad from her hands and brought it closer to his face to get a better look.
"Leia…" he started slowly, his voice dripping in skepticism and a little concern and he peered over the data pad to her. "Darlin, how tired are you? That is just a black blob on some other grayish blobs."
She stifled a giggle. "No, Han, it's our baby." She told him patiently. "There." She traced the so called black blob on the screen, drawing his attention back to it. "I know, he doesn't look like much yet but he's grown a lot in the last three weeks. Look, there are his legs just beginning to form." She pointed to little whispers of darkened color jutting out from the dark blob in the center.
Han's hand moved to cover hers, his fingers brushing across the image, his face dawning in realization and then awe.
"It was a better image on Maszdar and I wish I could show you that but…"
"This is perfect." Han cut her off quietly, a smile tugging at his lips. "This is amazing." His eyes remained glued to the screen, quickly flickering back and forth as he took in every little detail. Finally he looked up at her, "Did you know this was possible?"
Leia shook her head with a smile. "No, but the technology they have on Maszdar, well, you saw, it was extremely advanced."
He nodded dumbly and looked back to the screen. "That's a real, living being….that's ours, we made that."
She laughed again at how dumbstruck in awe he was, smiling in affection, remembering when she felt the same. She was still in awe of the miracle of that image.
"I told you you would like it."
He turned to her with a bright grin and it was so full of love and joy, she had to lean in and kiss him.
"I can't believe I would ever say it but thank the stars we crashed on Maszdar. We wouldn't have known for who knows how much longer you were pregnant and we wouldn't have this…" he brushed his hand lovingly over the image.
Then he dropped the data pad onto the bed gently and slid himself down until he was eye level with her abdomen.
Once again, he ran his hand gently, in awe of the slight swell of her abdomen as if he were seeing it for the first time. In a way he was, connecting the image he saw on screen to the real being that rested inside of her.
Then he smiled and dropped a soft kiss to her navel. A shiver ran through her at the tickling sensation and he turned his head toward her with a grin.
His bright blue eyes were shining with joy, the only other time she had seen him so happy was on their wedding day.
There were moments where Han got on her last nerve but then there were moments like these, gentle moments, loving moments, happy moments that made every argument they have had or would have in the future count for nothing.
She was filled with such a love for him in that moment it was almost uncontainable. She reached down and lovingly ran her fingers through his messy hair.
She wished for nothing more than to have Han at her side for the rest of their lives, as her husband and now the father of her child.
The universe was a frightening place, there was so much still to be done and she had no idea what kind of world their child would be born into or what he might become….
She shook off all thoughts of worry. There would be time for worry.
For now it was just them - herself, Han and the little one, the newest Solo - and that was all that mattered.