HOMECOMING

Jacen Solo was the happiest man in the galaxy.

The war in Hapes had ended several months ago. Tenel Ka had stayed behind for six months after that, and both she and his mother were responsible for declaring a truce and then formulating a treaty that would now allow Hapes to have democratic elections. He'd missed them both, especially Tenel Ka. She had been recommended by her allies that she stay on and become prime minister, but she refused, indicating that it was time for her ancestral family to move away and, even more important to her, that she would join the family she and Jacen and Allana composed.

Jacen had seen Tenel Ka three months back; there had been little time, but they had taken every moment they could. As lovers, their connection, if anything, had become more secure. The Living Force bound them. They were no longer children trying to manage adult responsibilities; they were adults, a man and a woman.

He and his father and Chewie were aboard the Falcon, heading for Hapes to bring Tenel Ka back. Allana, who'd been staying with Jacen for nearly a year on Coruscant, was staying with Leia until they'd arrived home with her mother. He loved Allana more than life itself, but he needed to see the love of his life alone.

Things had transformed in so many ways. When they learned they were expecting Allana, they'd not been together for very long. They were both children themselves. Jacen was in veterinary college; Tenel Ka involved in her Jedi training and teaching. After Allana's birth, Tenel Ka was forced by circumstance to return to Hapes, and she had taken her tiny daughter with her. As conditions went from bad to worse, Allana then was returned to live with Jacen, and cared for by Leia, Han, Chewie, Jarik and even Threepio. But she missed her mother, and the longer Tenel Ka was gone, the more unhappy Jacen was about it. He dreamed about her long red hair, usually in braids but when they were alone, it flowed down her back and over her shoulders, creamy white with many freckles, which she hated but he adored. He remembered how she made him feel the last time they were together, which was, simply put, like a man. A man with responsibilities and purpose.

And that purpose had expanded: he wanted to marry Tenel Ka.

{You're daydreaming}, Chewie said, chuckling as he looked affectionately on Jacen. Chewie loved all of the Solo kids; he was their fun uncle who'd let them stay up past their bedtimes and consume far too many sweets.

"Well, it's been a while," I say to him.

"I know what's on your mind," Han kidded him. Jacen, the most shy of the Solo kids, blushed.

{Don't do that!}, Chewie scolded Han. {You can get away with it with Jaina, but not Jacen}.

"About four standard hours till we get there," Han said to Jacen.

"Appreciate that we can pick her up," Jacen told him. "She said she'd take a transport."

"There's no way in hells that she's gonna take a transport," Han retorted.

{Yes, she felt like slumming}, Chewie laughed at Han.

"You can be ejected," Han reminded him.

"I'm gonna practice some music. Can I use your acoustic?" Jacen asked Han.

"Don't change the tuning on it or you'll be ejected, too," Han warned him. Jacen laughed as he headed for the hold. He'd forgotten to bring his own acoustic guitar, and he'd written a song for Tenel Ka that he wanted to practice. He didn't have an engagement ring; Tenel Ka eschewed jewelry. She had a few pieces from her mother, but it was all she wanted. Tenel Ka was a woman of simplicity. She could be elegant when she chose, but usually, she was much more of the land than the sky.

Han smiled to himself. He remembered being a young man and falling in love for the very first-and last-time. He was fortunate to be married to her and to have sired four kids with her. And if anything, their love was more powerful now than it ever had been. He wished nothing less for any of his kids.

{Do you think they'll get married}? Chewie asked.

"I'm damn sure they want to. I think it would have happened sooner had the war not come up. War's got a way of taking things from people, as we know all too well."

{You got Leia}.

"And to this day, I'm not sure what she sees in me."

{Neither do I}.

"Laugh it up, fuzzball!"

"Chewie, you insulting the old man again?" Jacen called from below.

"I'd be careful if I were you!" Han shouted back. Jacen laughed out loud. "Old man, my ass."

{I didn't say anything}!

"Yeah, you just thought it."

Han smiled to himself. The trip to bring Tenel Ka back reminded him of the beginnings of his and Leia's relationship. War was the background of how they came together, and it wasn't all that different from what Jacen and Tenel Ka were going through. They'd experienced very long separations and had gone through hells. And yet, they were more passionately in love than ever.

Han had been married to Leia for over twenty-five years, and it seemed that they loved each other more than ever. He hoped that for Jacen, that would be true. Every couple faced hardships.

He thought back on the day they met. She was to be executed and with no plan whatsoever, a whiny farmboy by the name of Luke Skywalker and an eccentric old man named Ben Kenobi pulled him into far more than he'd bargained for. The princess was, to Han's first impression, remarkably haughty for someone whose life was about to be terminated. He felt like killing her, until he realized that he was starting to like her. Her spirit was not that of a damsel in distress. She was tough, smart and cool.

Han had found that very, very sexy. After that, he had trouble thinking of anything else.

Jacen and Tenel Ka met very young; Leia had been in her late teens, Han already pushing thirty. And while Han wasn't sensitive to the Force, he knew his son, and he could see much of Leia in his son's woman. They were more reserved, but it was easy to see when the two were together.

AHan smiled as he heard Jacen playing the instrumental piece he'd written for Tenel Ka.

{He's a much better musician than you are}, Chewie needled Han.

"You've mentioned that. More than once." Han was a proficient guitarist and a decent back up vocalist. But Chewie never stopped ribbing him.

Jacen continued to come back to the cockpit to check on how much longer it would take to get to Hapes. After what felt to Jacen like an eternity, Han told him to strap himself in for landing. He could see the excitement and some worry on Jacen's face.

"Everything's gonna be fine, buddy," Han said reassuringly. "She wants to see you as much as you wanna see her."

"You think so?" Jacen asked.

Han smiled at him and returned to landing the Falcon. There was a hoverlimo sent from the Fountain Palace, and for Jacen, the trip seemed to take forever. Han laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

And there she was, standing in the hallway, no servants, just Tenel Ka and her luggage. Jacen and Tenel Ka raced towards each other, hugging, kissing, laughing and crying.

"You gonna miss your home?" Jacen asked her as Han, Chewie and he carried her luggage.

"Jacen, with you, I am home. I'm home free."