a/n: so the setting her is basically two-ish/three-ish years post ROTJ. it utilizes TFA canon (specifically that JJ, in all of his idiocy, decided to have Ben be born 9 months after Endor), and in this particular instance, the information that Darth Vader is Luke and Leia's father has just been revealed to the public.

Little Lord Vader

Leia Organa Solo was in the middle of a casual lunch meeting when one of her aides hurried into the room, an apologetic look on her face. Leia looked up in surprise, sitting back in her chair; it wasn't the most formal of meetings, but she had asked not to be disturbed. She wanted the delegation to be at ease with her – and of late, no one was at ease with her; recent revelations had set her diplomatic abilities back decades, through no fault of her own.

"I apologize for the impromptu interruption," the girl said, darting over to Leia.

She bent down close to her ear, sucking in her breath anxiously.

"I'm sorry-I'm sorry-I'm sorry," she repeated quickly, the words running together in a rush. She covered her mouth to avoid any chance of lip reading. "General Dodonna is here with the Press Secretary," she began.

"What happened?" Leia asked tightly – she hadn't gotten through one day without a tussle with the Press Secretary lately, and if Dodonna was involved –

"Well, Captain Solo's back from Kashyyyk and he had an – um, an altercation – "

Leia was already riding from her seat.

"If you'll excuse me," she said politely, nodding her head gallantly at the delegation from Ryloth – her stomach flipped at the uncertain, suspicious looks on their faces; the Twi'lek had been so devastatingly used by the Empire, and she almost couldn't bear when they looked at her like that. They hadn't always been so cool to her, not before the truth had come out. "I need to handle something – it should be quick."

She sidestepped her chair, and the table, and followed her aide from the room. Once they were outside in the hall, and out of earshot, Leia reached forward and took the younger woman's elbow, pinching it gently.

"What happened?" she asked again.

The aide's eyes widened, and she compressed her lips.

"I don't think it was Han's fault, but Gen'ral Dodonna is so angry – "

"That isn't what I asked, Sorona."

"From what I can tell, the press was harassing him, and he was sticking up for Ben."

Leia gripped the girl's arm a little tighter.

"Is Ben alright?" she asked, even as she searched her emotions, and reached out through the Force to find that small, powerful entity of warmth that she identified with her son – safe, a whisper told her. In distress – temper tantrum, it sounded like, but safe.

She took a steadying breath – Ben was the only reason she ever used the Force, she'd let Luke train her that much, and it was an utter blessing in moments like these. She nodded, and released the girl's arm with a sigh.

"Go on, then," she said calmly, following to her private office.

Just inside stood General Dodonna, his face red, and the Republic's uptight, highly excitable press secretary. He managed to look unhappier than usual, and Leia grit her back teeth, steeling herself – Han wasn't good with the press, he never had been and he claimed he had no intention of ever being good with them – the secretary hated him for it, and Dodonna – well, Jan had never quite forgiven Han for bringing Leia back from Endor in a state as he put it.

The state being pregnant – and because Jan was unable to feel any animosity towards the Princess he'd sworn to serve, he took all of his outrage out on Han, even years later.

For the third time, Leia asked: "What happened?"

She shut the door behind her, dismissing the aide, and in response, the press secretary turned on Leia's large office holoscreen. He hit the remote so violently Leia was impressed that it didn't shatter, and she took a final glance at the scowl on Dodonna's face before she turned to view the footage.

The media swarm she was familiar with: it surrounded her pretty much any time she went out in public. It had plagued Han, to a lesser extent, in the early days of the scandal that their elopement caused, but they'd learned to leave him alone – and they'd learned the hard way. Attention on Leia had even faded to a solely political focus until recently, and the press had always been surprisingly respectful about avoiding Ben, but this –

The scene before her took place in the public gardens near the Falcon's landing bay, right next to building their penthouse was in. It seemed innocent enough at first; Han strolled off the ramp, shot a nasty look at the reporters, and Chewbacca followed with Ben clinging to his shoulders, laughing. Ben's smile disappeared when he saw all the people and he started to cry, which prompted Chewie to hand him over to Han – Han said something unintelligible to Chewie, and Chewie handed over a toy of Ben's and then went about securing the ship while Han started away from the fray, covering Ben's head with his hand.

"You can't possibly be angry with him for avoiding the media," Leia remarked stiffly.

"Oh, just wait," the secretary snapped sardonically.

Leia compressed her lips, nettled.

Han was – essentially swarmed as he walked away. He was somewhat used to that, with the caveat that he'd never actually been assaulted by the press when he had Ben with him, and Leia could already tell where this would go. She focused her eyes, watching the nosy camera zoom in and out, watched Ben lift his head, his eyes wide and distressed, his arms around Han in a vice-like grip. Her stomach clenched – she hadn't expected them back from Kashyyyk today, or she would have been monitoring his feelings better and been able to calm him.

In quick succession, it happened: Ben lashed out with the toy in his hand, hitting a camera just right and knocking it to the ground; he whacked the annoyed reporter in the head with his toy – a model lightsaber Luke had made for him – and then, before Leia could blink, Han had switched Ben to the other arm, whipped around, and decked the guy so thoroughly he landed on his backside three feet from where he'd been standing.

Leia brought her hand up to her mouth and winced, her heart racing – something told her Han was reacting to something that had been said. Though, if she were honest with herself, she wouldn't be surprised if he'd punched the guy just for looking at Ben sideways – Han had no tolerance for slights towards Ben or poor treatment of Ben. Leia didn't either – she was just more diplomatic about it.

The screen in front of her froze on someone bending down to help the reporter, and, unfortunately, Han laying his hand threateningly on his blaster and probably threatening to shoot anyone who came a foot closer.

Leia stared at the paused shot for a moment, and then turned around, her fingers brushing her lips lightly. She cleared her throat quietly.

"I thought Han was coming back two days from now," she finally remarked, her voice neutral.

The secretary made a high-pitched, almost comical squawking noise.

"That is your response to this – to this – publicity disaster?"

Leia resisted the urge to point out that it was hardly the first time Han got himself into trouble, publicly. Considering how touchy Jan Dodonna still was about the subject, she chose not to remind the secretary that Han's biggest publicity disaster had technically been knocking up the Princess of Alderaan and marrying her without telling anyone – of course, Leia had backed him on that one, as a voluntary participant in all events.

"I don't know what you're expecting to hear from me, Mr. Secretary," Leia responded.

"Your Highness," Dodonna said, through gritted teeth. "Han broke that reporter's nose in three places, and he hadn't even laid a hand on – "

"A member of the Republic's military assaulting press members – when we continue to try to create a liberal, uncensored system of free media – "

"—this isn't his first strike; his temper is out of control, he's irreverent, he causes trouble for your position – "

"—behaving like a wild animal, taking a swing as if it were a common bar brawl – "

Leia held up both of her hands and silenced them, taking a moment to consider them both before she spoke again.

"Is that all the two of you see when you watch that clip?" she asked, her voice taking on a razor sharp edge.

"What else is there to see, Your Highness?" the secretary asked. "It's a reaction that's frustratingly typical of your husband."

Leia ignored the dig at Han, and gestured stiffly behind her, her expression tight.

"When I watch that clip, the first thing I notice is how quickly my son when from laughing to crying when he saw all of these people," she said coldly. "I see him crying in distress while Han's trying to get him out of there – do you have any idea how a heightened-stress situation like can overload his senses?"

"Princess – "

"He's only two," Leia snapped, her lips pulling back in a demure snarl. "I don't expect Han to let the press get in his face in that way."

"There's a huge difference between ordering the press to back off and assaulting them – and threatening them with a blaster!" the Secretary fired back shrilly. "He went too far – "

"He was clearly reacting to something that was said," Leia said sharply.

"So he attacked someone?" squealed the Secretary.

General Dodonna looked at Leia stiffly.

"You know this isn't the way to handle situations diplomatically – "

"Han isn't a diplomat, Jan," Leia said, exasperated. "The constant barrage he got when he married me was hard enough for him, and it's been tenfold that since the Galaxy found out about," she paused tensely, "about my bloodline." She hesitated again, and shook her head. "He isn't going to stand for these vultures deciding Ben is open game, and frankly, I will not stand for it either."

Dodonna gave her a hasty look, and held up his hands defensively.

"Of course, of course – no one is suggesting the press can ah, do what they will with your son. We all care for Ben, it's just, ah – as usual, we need Captain Solo to comport himself with more, ah, dignity – "

"He cannot just fly off the handle if a member of the press approaches the boy," the Secretary insisted. "He's as much of a public figure as you are, and I know you're both used to a certain amount of restraint when it comes to Ben, but there's more interest in him now –and he did smack the reporter with that toy of his - "

"Morbid interest," Leia interrupted icily. She was silent for a heartbeat. "I'll reiterate that Ben is two and he's not capable of controlling his emotions. I'll pretend I didn't hear you try to vilify a toddler for defending himself from a stranger with a toy."

The secretary's mouth clamped shut; and Dodonna stepped forward, sighing, clearly ready to try and defuse the situation.

"In any event, it might be best for you to issue a statement," Dodonna began.

"Certainly. I'll issue a public condemnation," Leia began, as Dodonna smiled in relief, "of any member of the press who comes within twenty standard measurements of my son, and I'll state that I have no way of controlling Captain Solo's reaction if they do," Dodonna's smile faded instantly, "or my own," she finished.

"That isn't what I meant, Princess," Dodonna said dryly.

Leia looked at him defiantly for a moment, and then she folded her arms, sighing tiredly.

"Jan," she said, ignoring the secretary altogether. "Han took Ben to Kashyyyk because of how chaotic it's been lately," she confessed. She'd asked him to – and she'd wanted badly to go with them, and hide from all this – but she needed to remain public, and proud, and she had a job to do. She had gone from the beloved Princess of Alderaan to the bastard offspring of Darth Vader in mere seconds when an Imperial Loyalist had uncovered the truth and leaked it, but no matter what her background, she was still a key actor in the new government they were so desperately trying to build.

She shook her head heavily.

"Ben doesn't understand any of this. He doesn't know who Darth Vader is. When he learns about his history, it won't be from some pushy, disrespectful gossipmonger, is that clear? Ben is off-limits to the public. I won't apologize for Han, and I won't censor him."

Dodonna's frustration was evident.

"You don't have any idea what he did – you're putting yourself on his side – "

"I married him, Jan," she snapped loudly, her nostrils flaring. "I married him, we have a child together – none of that is going to change, and it is damn time you accept that reality!" she told him harshly.

The Secretary stared at her with wide eyes.

"Han won't serve a Republic that won't respect him, and I can't say I blame him. You'll all push him too far, and you'll lose him – and I don't know if I can see myself continuing in a public position if it negatively affects both of them."

Alarmed the Secretary spoke again:

"Princess Leia, if you're issuing some sort of ultimatum – "

"It's not an ultimatum," she said calmly. "I've worked my entire life for freedom from the empire, and I have a duty to this Republic, but Ben is young and if I need to – step back for some time," she paused, "I won't hesitate."

She didn't mean she'd give up her position to stay home with the baby all day – she hand Han were good at balancing work with their son, but it might do her some good to become less public for a while; the public reaction to her parentage was so damaging in some respects. She could find other ways to serve, ways that didn't put her front and center in the holovids – and in any case, the very strange thing was, throughout the whole war she'd considered herself a diplomat, and now, back in diplomat's shoes, she felt only like a soldier.

The Secretary rubbed his forehead.

"So – you won't issue an apology or a statement, and you won't ask Captain Solo to?"

"I will either issue a statement aggressively implying the press can approach Ben at their own risk, or I will say nothing and tacitly remain on Han's side," Leia said flatly. "Your choice."

"The latter," the Secretary said faintly. "The last thing I need is you making the boy a mysterious icon."

"Thank you for your concern," Leia retorted dryly.

The Secretary glanced at her, glanced at the screen, and then glanced at Dodonna, and swallowed, giving a sort of tortured bow as he exited the room. Leia, alone with Dodonna in the office, considered him quietly before breaking the silence.

"Jan?" she asked.

"I did not think," he said crisply, "I'd ever see the day when you chose passion over responsibility."

His words were like a slap in the face, and she thought he was seeing it all wrong, but she took the judgment with her chin up and her shoulders back, and she let the silence linger, hoping he regretted his words as they echoed. Her lips turned up at the corner.

"I have a passion for responsibility, General," she said succinctly.

He inclined his head to her respectfully, and after a moment, she put one hand on her hip.

"Han isn't the hothead he used to be, you know," she said softly. "He's mellowed. He's a good father. Whatever happened," Leia gestured at the screen. "That reporter deserved it."

Dodonna nodded curtly, but said nothing else. Despite the fact that he'd been waiting for her here, she dismissed him pointedly, and then turned, staring at the frozen screen for a moment. She wrapped her arms around herself – life never seemed to get easier. She fixed her eyes on the image of Ben, and reached out again through their connection – not crying anymore, her senses told her; laughing, with Daddy.

She steeled herself to go back into her meeting, cataloguing the incident in the back of her mind – she wanted to hear Han's side, but more than that, she was relieved they were back, and she couldn't wait to see them – missing them was exhausting, but so was the dread that started to creep up her spine as she fully realized what a media magnet Darth Vader's grandson was going to be.

She went about her day with the utmost attention to routine, focusing on mundane things and the political events on her schedule. When she did find a camera or a microphone in her face, she point-blank refused to acknowledge that she even knew what had happened with Han and the reporter, and she left the office an hour early to thwart the reporters that would line up to accost her on the way out.

She slipped into the penthouse apartment she shared with her family, and quietly closed the door behind her. She stood in the doorway a moment, thinking of a way to announce her early return, and settled for reaching out through the Force and giving Ben a gentle, affectionate nudge. When she heard him respond with a delighted shriek, she smiled. It only took a moment for him to poke his head around the corner, and then run down the hall unsteadily, his arms held out in front of him.

"Mama," he cried, big, brown eyes widening excitedly when she reached down to catch him and pick him up.

"Hi," she greeted, ruffling his hair and giving him two quick kisses on either cheek. "Ooh, look at your nose, you're burned," she murmured, smiling at him. She kissed his nose lightly, and hugged him. "I missed you," she murmured, combing her fingers through his hair.

"Mama," he said contently, grabbing her hand and clinging to her fingers. "Saw big trees," he told her, just as Han came down the hall.

Leia shifted Ben and held him on her hip easily, meeting Han near the living room and rising on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He smiled at her tightly, and tickled Ben's ribs.

"You're getting good at that runnin'," he said to the boy, a bit dry. He glanced at Ben's face, and then glanced sheepishly at Leia. "Missed a spot on his nose with the sun lotion. Sorry."

She looked a little closer at the redness; it wasn't too bad, and Ben didn't seem bothered.

"Malla chewed me out, though," Han said, moving past her and entering the sitting room. Leia followed him, running her hand up and down Ben's back.

"It's fine, Han, he'll live," she murmured, sensing he was on edge. She looked at Ben for a moment, and smiled encouragingly. "Can you play on the floor while I talk to Daddy?" she asked softly.

He nodded, and she let him down at her feet, folding her arms and watching as he dropped to his knees and crawled under a round table to get to the mass of toys kept in his little nook in the corner. Ben picked up a child's action figure and gave Leia a smug look, as if to show her how well he could follow instructions – the look was all Han, and she laughed under her breath as she sat down on the sofa next to him.

She sat close to him and rested her hand on his thigh, looking at his profile until she got his attention. He sighed shortly and turned his head to her defiantly.

"Look," he began edgily. "I didn't mean to make stuff harder on you, and if Dodonna wants to dress me down publicly, I don't care, but I'm not going to apologize – "

"Han," she interrupted quietly. "I'm not angry with you."

He blinked, glancing over at Ben briefly. He looked back at her, and arched a brow.

"I broke a guy's nose," he told her.

"I know."

"On camera."

"I saw it, Han."

He gave her a skeptical glare.

"That time I pulled off a reporter's glasses and stepped on them, you were pissed for a week."

Leia nodded, and lifted her shoulders.

"This is different."

"How?" he demanded.

"You had Ben with you," Leia said simply. "If a reporter makes a lewd comment about me, that's part of the price I pay as a public figure, and you have to ignore it and get over it. If anyone gets near Ben," she paused, her expression remaining light, but her eyes dead serious, "or if anyone looks like they're going to get near Ben and scare him, or hurt him, shoot them."

Han drew back slightly, startled. He arched both eyebrows, and she compressed her lips, a little unnerved by his expression.

"I saw the video, Han," she said flatly. "He looked petrified."

"Yeah, well, he was," Han said, his anger flaring. "I knew there'd probably be press around, but you know how he is with strangers – and since when do they mob us like that when Ben's around?" There was a strange flicker in his eyes, and he still seemed edgy. "They were yellin' at him, Leia," he said tensely. He reached up and tugged at his collar, showing her five thin, angry red nail scratches on the back of his neck. "That's how scared he was."

Leia put her hand on the scratch marks, her blood boiling. She traced the marks with her fingertips, and leaned forward to kiss them, sighing tiredly. She rested her head on Han's shoulder, her eyes on Ben as he played. There wasn't much she needed to say – she didn't blame Han, and she truly wasn't angry, and she was horrified Ben had been frightened enough to cling to his father that tightly.

"They're lucky I had 'im, and not Chewie," Han said grimly. "He'd have ripped arms off."

Leia nodded silently. After a moment, she said:

"I wasn't expecting you back for a few days. Why - ?"

Han shrugged lightly.

"He wanted you," he answered. "The tree houses stopped being a novelty after a while. And when he gets so – in one of his – when he can't sleep," Han admitted grudgingly. "I just…he needs you."

"Did he have a lot of trouble sleeping?" Leia murmured worriedly – even after she'd learned to keep the connection between herself and Ben calm and stable, he'd never been good when it came to sleep. He woke up often, he was restless, and it seemed he had more nightmares than was normal for a human his age.

Han tilted his head back and forth.

"Same as usual," he decided. "Malla made 'im something to soothe him, from some root on Kashyyyk," he said. "Seemed to help. So I had Chewie bring back the recipe."

"I'll talk to Luke again," Leia sighed.

She fell silent, and watched Ben playing. He got up, darted over, and handed her an abstract structure he'd made by sticking some of his blocks together. She smiled at him and took it, placing it reverently on Han's knee.

"Where's your lightsaber, Ben?" she asked. "I saw you defend Daddy with it today."

Ben nodded fervently, and made some noises, imitating the lightsaber. He grinned adorably, and pointed at Han.

"Daddy took 'way," he said brightly.

He turned and went back to his toys, sitting down and picking up a child's educational holopad. Leia raised her brows, amused, and tilted her head up. Han rubbed his jaw, and glanced down at her.

"He was hittin' me in the knees with it!" Han protested. "It was annoying."

"He doesn't seem to angry with you," Leia laughed.

"You shoulda seen him earlier," Han snorted.

Lea drew her feet up on the couch and snuggled into his side contently, glad to have him back. She relaxed against him, and he leaned back, slouching down some. Absently, he messed with the block on his knee, clicking one block off, and snapping it back on again repeatedly. He cleared his throat quietly after a moment.

"Leia, I'm gonna resign my commission," he said gruffly.

She didn't look up right away. She took a deep breath.

"Because of what happened today?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"That," he said. "And I'm tired of servin' under Dodonna," he said flatly. "There's other stuff I can do."

She thought about it quietly, and nodded.

"I understand," she said softly. "I don't blame you," she added, sighing, and tilting her head back. "I don't know if I'm going to put my name forth in the next round of diplomatic nominations." She paused, hesitating. "Ironically, I'd almost rather ask Carlist for a commission."

Han laughed good-naturedly.

"General Princess?" he teased.

She elbowed him. He put his hand on her head and slid his fingers underneath her braids, loosening them lazily.

"I don't know if I want to stay on Coruscant," Leia ventured. "It's too volatile – I don't want him attacked like that, Han. Maybe we need…to be more secluded for a while." Her voice was small, but she found she wasn't afraid to admit she was feeling this way; they'd been thrust into this so fast. Ben had happened so fast – so unexpectedly – and they had dealt with that, but the pressure was killing them.

Han kissed her temple.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said softly. "Naboo," she offered thoughtfully. "The Lake Country."

Han nodded, and shrugged in an open sort of way – he could find work doing a lot of things, in a lot of places. He wasn't set on abandoning the new world he'd helped fight for, he was just concerned about what it was doing to his family. Leia was always exhausted and stressed, he was constantly undermined by people who really hadn't taken his relationship with Leia well, and they had a kid to think about – and after what had happened with Ben today –

"This Republic means the world to me," Leia murmured. "It wouldn't be forever."

Han grunted, quietly agreeing.

"What did they say to him?" Leia asked.

"What?" Han questioned.

Leia sat up a little, turning towards him.

"What did the reporter say?" she asked. "To you, or to him." She nodded at Ben. "I told Jan you wouldn't have gone that ballistic if you didn't have a good reason."

Han didn't look at her. He stared at Ben, and then he glanced away uncomfortably, his jaw twitching.

"It doesn't matter, Leia," he said tersely.

She sat up straighter, alarmed.

"Han?" she asked. "What did he say?"

He finally looked back at her as if he were pleading with her not to make him repeat it, and she grit her teeth – she wracked her brains for something that might offend Han badly enough to keep him speechless, but she really couldn't think of anything. The only reason he'd be reluctant, then, was if he thought answering was going to hurt her.

"Han," she said, an unspoken command in her tone.

He opened his mouth stiffly.

"You saw Ben hit that guy with the lightsaber thing Luke gave him?" he asked curtly.

Leia nodded.

"After he hit him with it, the guy smirked and called him Little Lord Vader," Han told her.

Leia felt the air rush out of her lungs. The colour drained from her face, and Han shook his head, holding his hand out towards Ben.

"Is that what he's gonna hear his whole life?" Han demanded hoarsely.

Leia looked over at Ben. He sat there quietly, fascinated with a game he was playing, colours and lights illuminating his playtime, and she felt overwhelmed by how hard every day was, and how she worried about him, and their ability to do right by him, and ultimately how much she loved him. She turned back to Han, and wiped her eyes on his shirt, hiding her face a moment.

She didn't think she could handle it – the world couldn't do that to Ben, they couldn't say things like that to him; bombard him with subliminal words and images. She barely had the strength to come to terms with her relationship to Vader, and now the whole world was weighing in, and on top of that she had this incredible responsibility to somehow explain it all to Ben and put him on the right path.

She licked her lips and turned to Han, resting her hand on the scratches on his neck again.

"Resign your commission," she said huskily. "I'll take a leave of absence – we'll take a break," she decided. "I can't turn my back on this Republic, but for a little while – "

"It needs to be just us?" Han finished, gesturing between them all. He looked relieved. "Say the word, Leia."

"I am saying the word."

Han took a deep breath, and put an arm around her – he knew it would be difficult for her to explain herself the people like Dodonna and Mon Mothma, but she needed this as much as he did. They'd gone straight from the honeymoon phase of an affair that started during a war to being parents, spouses, and leaders in a new world order, and they'd never just had time to themselves – and now, with Leia's heritage public, the walls seemed to be closing in.

Leia got up and swept Ben into her arms, kissing his forehead and carrying him over to the couch with her. She put him on Han's lap and curled up at his side again, reaching out to comb her fingers through Ben's dark hair. He turned to her and smiled, his face so young and innocent, and her chest felt tight.

They'd never had half a moment to stop and think about anything, and to know that there were people out there already branding Ben, whether it was in jest or not, was to wonder if her worst fears about continuing Anakin Skywalker's bloodline would be realized.

a/n - i'd place this in the same universe as my fics 'Whisperings' and 'The Threepio Analogy.' kind of sets up some reasons why Leia may have ended up a General as part of a fringe in the New Republic, and why Han strayed away from legitimacy (though I will never accept the canon that he bailed, sorry). i think it's silly to have Leia and Han have a baby immediately after ROTJ, but the reasons why I think it's horrible are also reasons why things might have gone south for them.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed.
-alexandra
story #291