Chapter One
Leia woke with a start.
When the children were young and constantly under threat from Cadaro Pault's alliance with Tamin Nar, waking with a gasp had been an everyday occurrence. Before that, nightmares of Alderaan, Bespin, and Coruscant had kept her half on-guard even in her sleep. Now, finally, it was an unusual way for her to wake.
In the past few years, as she and Han saw their children grow strong in the Force, reach their majority, and strike out on their own to further training, studies, or careers, Leia slept a bit more peacefully in the knowledge that they were well-able to protect themselves (although, sometimes, she slept fitfully wondering exactly what trouble Bail and Jax were getting themselves into with girls). Only the youngest of their four, Jaina, remained at home full-time, and only for another year. Fortunately for her two very tired parents, Jaina was the spitting image of her dad, right down to the same unbelievable piloting skills and utter lack of Force sensitivity. The three older Solo children teased Jaina mercilessly about how they'd probably spend half their lives rescuing her; Jaina often made her parents smile by responding to her siblings that they should consider how many times their "normal" father had saved their Force-adept mother.
Leia did a quick inventory to sense the living presence of their brood. Jaina, Bail and Jax were all present and accounted for, since the boys were home for Risarva, the ancient Alderaanian celebration of the return of the light to the capital at the end of winter. The Alderaanian remnant people had kept that holiday alive, and though Leia was many years estranged from her people and now considered Corbis in the Corellian system to be her home, her husband had insisted that the family celebrate the holidays of her youth. Many years ago, when the children were young, he'd argued that she hadn't abandoned the Alderaanians; they had abandoned her, so she should celebrate on behalf of her parents and all the good people of Alderaan who perished, not the snaky politicos who survived by sitting out the war on Coruscant and still called themselves Alderaanians. So celebrate they did, and between the Corellian and Alderaanian holidays, Luke had commented more than once that it was always a celebration at the Solo home.
Only Caia couldn't join the family this year, as she and her husband, Dak Jarrid, were on Naboo awaiting the birth of their first child – Han and Leia's first grandchild. Leia had quickly sensed, as did all their Force-adept offspring, the child's sex, but Caia had asked them not to tell Han and Jaina, as she wanted it to be a surprise to at least someone in the family. Han and Jaina still had their noses a little bit out of joint about that. Leia couldn't really disagree with Han and Jaina about that, but her oldest had inherited the stubborn streaks of both parents combined. Luckily, Dak, whom Caia had met while training at the Academy, had almost preternatural powers of patience.
Caia…Leia focused harder on her. She felt her daughter's presence but...Leia gasped. That was why she had woken with a start. Labor. Her daughter was in labor. She felt all of Caia's attention directed on the small human being she was trying to bring into the galaxy. Leia sent out a calming thought nonetheless.
I love you…Be strong. But not so strong that you don't lean on Dak. You will find you need each other now more than ever and love each other in a whole new way.
She rolled over to see Han still sleeping peacefully beside her. She didn't dare wake him – the second he found out that his firstborn was in labor, he'd want to jump in the Falcon and race to Naboo, and Leia would have to stop him. Caia had insisted that she and Dak be alone with their child for the first moments of his life. Leia suspected that this was because Caia didn't like Dak's mother very much and didn't dare to keep only one family away, but in any event, the Solos had strict orders to stay home until they were invited to come. As soon as he was awake and knew what was going on, Han would be like a wild teresias on the stalk until they got word.
So instead of waking him, Leia simply looked at her husband. He wore his fifty-eight years well. Although his hair was rapidly going gray and there were scars from too many battles, he was still lithe and strong, a handsome man by estimations less biased than her own. Leia was so used to the looks that she rarely noticed them anymore. What she never failed to notice, even now, was his deep commitment to and love for the family they'd created. He'd never expected a family, a wife, or a home, so when something beyond his wildest dreams actually happened to him, he protected it and adored it with every ounce of his being. She suspected that he'd remained a reserve general in the Republic armed forces even after injuries from their last battle with Pault and Nar caused him to leave the military because, despite his move into contract complex shipping with Chewie, he was still, even now, ready to jump back into battle if anything threatened his family's safety and security.
She laughed softly…who'd have thought that jackbantha she'd met on the Death Star so many years ago would become half of the foundation of a family. Who'd have thought that the snappish girl she was would become the other half of that foundation. Who'd have thought they they would both find the gentleness and patience with each other and with their children that they needed to make marriage and family work. Although she knew she was probably making a mistake by waking Han, she couldn't resist; she shimmied over to him and lightly kissed his chin.
With a satisfied sigh, Han's sleepy eyes flickered open.
"Happy Risarva, Princess," he murmured, pulling her close.
He was the only person in the galaxy who still called her Princess. She'd been Leia Skywalker Solo ever since her final departure from the Alderaanian remnant, when she willingly threw the title back at them and less willingly gave up her status as the sole living member in the House Organa, thus brining the noble family to an end. Ever since then, Han had been even more adamant about calling her "Princess" in public and writing her name, whenever he had to, as "Leia Organa Solo," just because he'd never forgive her people's treachery against her. In private, though, "Princess" wasn't a statement of rank, but a statement of value, and she never tired of hearing him say it.
"Happy Risarva, my scoundrel," she replied, resting her head against his chest and wondering how quickly he'd jump up and get dressed if she told him about Caia.
"You're beautiful in the morning," he whispered.
"Are you trying to get lucky?" Leia laughed.
"Always," he smiled sleepily. "But I'm also just statin' fact: you're beautiful in the morning."
She shook her head. That was probably another thing no one other than Han called her anymore: beautiful. Bearing four children – some of whom had to be brought into the galaxy in less than ideal circumstances – hadn't been easy on her small frame. She had her scars too, both from Essag's attack on Coruscant and from the showdown with Pault. But it didn't matter what anyone else thought. After twenty-six years of marriage, four children, and more struggle than anyone outside the Skywalker-Solo family could comprehend, her husband still thought she was beautiful, inside and out.
"Hey, uh, guys?" Bail barged right into the room without as much as a knock.
"It's called knocking, kid," Han replied. "Good thing we know when to lock you all out—"
"Great, Dad. Thanks for scarring me for life with that Appreciate it."
"Least I can do," Han yawned as he threw back the blankets to get up.
"Yeah, so, while I try to clear that image from my mind," Bail pushed back his messy brown hair that was as unruly as his father's, but currently much longer than Han's had ever been. "Mom, you know that Caia's in—"
Han jumped out of bed. "What? What's wrong?"
Jax and Jaina joined their brother at the door.
"You didn't tell the normals, Mom?" Jax asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"Tell me what!" Han shouted. "Did the baby come?"
"You know, if I were in labor, I'm pretty sure Dad wouldn't be this unglued," Jax observed.
"Honey, if you were in labor, I promise you that everyone in this family would be very unglued. Very," Leia replied as she got up and put on her robe.
"Is she alright?" Han turned to Leia, worry and pride all over his face.
"Alright?" Leia teased him gently. "Was I ever alright when I was in labor?"
"Maybe I should longtrans comm her. Or Dak."
Leia gave the kids the look and quick glance at the door that they knew from long experience meant "get out of here, I need to talk to your father," in the same way they knew that Han's quick, sharp point toward a doorway meant, "beat it, I need to talk to your mother." They didn't always comply, in case there was something interesting going on, but today, since there were gifts to be opened and a playoff smashball game on, they quickly made themselves scarce.
"We should go," Han said definitively.
"Han, you know what your daughter said. Give them ten seconds to be new parents before this horde comes barging in."
Han started to argue, but Leia silenced him with one finger to his lips. "Han. Let them be alone for one of the most breathtaking moments of their lives, okay? Just like we were."
Han nodded. He still wasn't happy about it, but he'd respect his daughter's wishes. Maybe not his son-in-law's wishes. He still wasn't entirely convinced that Dak Jarrid – even though he too was Force-adept and worked as a facilitator for the Republic justice tribunal – deserved his daughter. He wasn't quite sure anyone deserved his daughters.
Leia watched her husband's brow furrow as she took off her nightclothes to dress for the day. "That's not your usual expression when you watch me take my clothes off, General."
He shook himself out of his reverie and grinned. "No, I guess not." He sat down on the bed. "I'm not sure whether I feel old or ecstatic or just…that baby Jep put in my arms is having a child of her own. That baby I fell in love with the first time I held her, even though I was goin' crazy with worry for you…"
Leia shivered. Of all the struggles that they'd gone through raising their children in this crazy galaxy, the two months after the birth of Caia, when Leia had been held prisoner on the Force-blind planet of Shrisun, not knowing whether Jep had managed to safely deliver her daughter to Han, were some of the toughest. In the end, knowing about that Force-blind planet had allowed them to protect Caia and Jax from Nar and his insidious ways of using the Dark Side to attack their growing children, but still…those months…
She looked at her husband, and without even reaching out with the Force, she sensed all the emotions churning in him. Han and Caia had always been extraordinarily close, in part, Leia suspected, because of those two months, when Han had desperately searched the galaxy for his abducted diplomat wife. He'd refused to leave Caia behind, despite everyone insisting he do so, and instead loaded Jep and the baby onto the Falcon. He spent every moment he wasn't actively searching for Leia with the infant, holding her, talking to her, playing holos of Leia so that when they found her – and he insisted they would – their infant would remember her mother's voice, and providing their newborn child with the care and protection Leia could not.
Leia had fallen in love with him all over again when Jep told her about Han's actions over those two months and baby Caia, well, she was clearly as smitten with her father as he was with her. The relationship between father and daughter only deepened over the years. And when Caia was badly tempted by the Dark Side after a failed Jedi mission to Moraband when she was 18, and Leia was frantic with her own inability to save her daughter, it had been Han who pulled their child back, just by sheer refusal to let go of her, literally or figuratively. When the Dark Side spectres of Moraband left Caia crying in physical or emotional pain, it was Han who – even though he couldn't really understand what was happening – held her until she could chase the pain away, and told her how much she was loved, ahd how she needed to fight for the light, until she finally overcame the temptation by the Dark Side that every Skywalker seemed doomed to face at some point.
Seeing that her husband was still trying to wrap his head around the fact of his little girl having a child of her own, Leia sat down next to Han and embraced him. He sunk into her arms, not entirely sure what he was feeling.
"We have some very lucky children," Leia said softly. "Because you're their dad."
Han shook his head. "No. I'm just a guy who had the brains to want to live up to my wife's example."
He leaned over and kissed her, his lips soft against hers, his hand gently caressing her cheek.
"Hey, are we having breakfast out here? You know, Risarva, gifts, big eats?" came Jaina's voice from the hall.
Han broke the kiss with his wife. "Grandparents, huh?" he asked, shaking his head, before calling out to Jaina, "Are any of you ever learning how to cook?"
"No," came the response of three young voices.