Characters all belong to George Lucas...

Jedi Princess

Leia watched as the second Deathstar exploded over Endor. She felt a sudden emptiness, the feeling that she had lost a part of her. She looked at the man next to her, who was tending to the wound on her arm. He looked back at her with a concerned look; he seemed to know what she was thinking.

"I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew." Han told her. She didn't acknowledge that he had said something. The look on her face told him that she knew something he didn't. "Leia…" he began. He placed his hand under her chin and looked into her eyes. The single tear that fell from her eye told him everything he needed to know. Luke was dead. How she knew was a mystery, Han didn't know; she had always had a strange connection with Luke from the moment they met. Han knew that he had to be there for Leia; he took her in his arms and held her close. She broke down in his arms. After several minutes Leia looked up at Han. "You were in love with him, weren't you?"

She nodded then said, "but it's not like you think," she wiped her nose, "he was my brother."

"Your brother?"

"That's what we were talking about last night. There's something else…" She was unsure how she should tell him about her biological father. In her head she thought she heard Luke say, 'Trust him, Leia, he'll understand. He loves you.' "…Han, our father, Luke's and mine, he is; was Darth Vader." Han's jaw dropped, he was stunned. Leia hung her head and began to cry again.

Han pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He kissed her on the forehead. "It's alright, sweetheart. It'll be alright." He tipped her head so he could place a light kiss on her lips. "I love you, ya know, and nothing is gonna change that."

They were in no mood for the party. While rest of the Alliance was celebrating the victory over the Empire and the death of Vader and Palpatine, Han and Leia retreated to the Falcon and mourned the loss of Luke. Han wrapped his arms tightly around Leia as they lay in his bunk. She felt safe but no comfort. She had just found out that she had a brother, only to have him taken away. She was afraid.

One year later…

After Endor the Alliance had nothing but luck in taking down rest of the Empire. One by one planet's all over the galaxy joined the New Republic. Coruscant was the biggest challenge, but nine months after Endor it finally fell. In the three months since the New Republic took over the senate was restored, and they were building a strong and stable government. Soon after they relocated to the capital city, Han had surprised Leia, and rest of the council, by proposing to her. They were married soon after.

Leia lay awake in her bed wrapped in the embrace of her husband. Just married, three days ago, Leia finally was beginning to be happy for the first time in several years. She couldn't sleep, it was the first anniversary of the battle of Endor, and the first anniversary of the day she learned she had a brother and the day she lost him.

At first Leia thought she was seeing things; a humanoid shape, with a blue glow around it, lighting the room, stood at the door to the bedroom. She sat up to get a better look and saw who it was.

"Luke," she whispered.

"Don't be afraid, Leia," the ghost of Luke told her. "I am here with you."

"But you're dead, I felt you die."

"My body may be dead, but my spirit is one with the Force," He said. "I have come to tell you that you need to learn the ways of the Force. I will be here to guide you."

"I don't know if I can."

"You must! The Jedi Order needs to be restored and you're the only one who can do it." He sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "You and your children are the hope for the Jedi."

"Luke!" She shouted, "I don't think I want children, I don't want anyone to bear the burden, or live with the danger that they can become…him." Han stirred behind her. She lowered her voice, "maybe the Jedi are meant to die when I do."

"Leia, there are other force sensitive's. They will need someone to guide them, since I'm not there; it is up to you, sister." He moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "It is your destiny."

"Destiny," she said bitterly. "More like a curse." She looked at him. "What if it's not the path I want to take?"

"Leia, the moment I touched your mind on Bespin, it became your path. But you must take that path in the light; the force is strong in you and in," he paused, "your unborn child." Leia looked into her brother's spirit's icy blue eyes. "If you don't train, then you'll never be able to protect him from the dark side."

Han stirred behind her again. "Leia, I must go now. Please think about what I said. I'll be with you even when you think you're alone." Luke then faded and the room was once again dark. Leia didn't know what to think, or what to feel. She placed her hand on her abdomen, was she really pregnant? She closed her eyes and stretched out as she had done when Luke touched her mind. She could feel her husband next to her, his dim force signature; then she focused on her own body and she felt him, small but a strong force presence. She felt the tears fall.

Han woke hearing his wife crying. As he sat up he ran his hand up her back. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" He knew she was going to have a hard time once the anniversary of her brother's death came. As she turned to look at him, he pulled her to his lap. She buried her head in his shoulder.

"I don't know. Just when I begin to be happy…." She looked at her husband. "Luke was here."

"What?" He pulled his wife closer to him. "How is that possible? What did he want?"

"Somehow he has become one with the force," she paused for a few moments. "Han, he wanted me to become a Jedi. He said it was my destiny to rebuild the Jedi Order."

"As if you already didn't have enough responsibilities on your shoulders…" he traced her face with his thumb, "are you going to do it?"

"I don't know. What he wants me to do would cause me to give up my position in the Republic. I just can't do that. Not after all that I put into restoring it." She rested her head on Han's shoulder. "What message would it send out to the galaxy if I just suddenly got up and left to restore an order that has been dead for over twenty years?"

"You know sweetheart, whatever you choose, where ever your path goes….I'll be right there by your side." Han gave her a light kiss, when he felt her respond to it he deepened it.

During the weeks on their honeymoon, wherever she and Han went she could feel Luke's presence. She knew her brother wanted her to make a decision on her training, but she was getting annoyed with him.

"Would you just leave me alone for a few days?" Leia shouted and a few moments later she continued, "I just want to enjoy the rest of my honeymoon without you around." After a few moments of silence she began again, "Would you just go away! Dissipate, or whatever you force ghosts do…."

Han looked out of the 'fresher and saw his wife pacing around the bedroom, in what seemed to be a conversation with herself. "Sweetheart?" He asked with confusion.

She looked at her husband, then back in the direction she had been before. "Just go, Luke. Go before Han starts to think I've gone nuts!" Han walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

With his chin resting on top of her head, "He's really pressing this issue isn't he?" He glanced in the same direction as his wife and saw nothing.

Leia leaned back to her husband, "I wish he'd just go away for the rest of our honeymoon, this time is supposed to be about us, not about whether or not I become a Jedi. But he's always around." She glared back at the corner of the room.

Han suddenly felt uncomfortable at the idea his deceased brother-in-law being around. "Luke's not around when we…"

"Noooo, for that he actually leaves. But it's not long after he shows back up." Leia turned around to face her husband. Leia ran her hands through his hair and tucked it behind his ears. "Could you give us a few moments?" She sighed.

"Of course princess," Han turned and went to the living quarters of their suite.

Leia looked at Luke who was still in the corner waiting for her. "Look, Luke, all I want to do right now is enjoy my time with Han. This isn't just some vacation that we're on, it's our honeymoon. This is probably the only time in our lives that we're going to get to be like this; to be just 'Han' and 'Leia'. I promise you that when Han and I return to Coruscant I will seriously think of training. But for now, I just want to enjoy what little time I have left."

"I know this time is important for you and Han, but your son grows stronger each day," Luke told her. "The sooner you begin your training, the better you'll be able to protect him." He then faded and she felt his presence leave.

Leia's hand rested on her abdomen, for the first time she felt a tiny flutter. She understood why Luke was pressing the issue, it would be important to protect the baby, but she didn't want to be burdened with this now. This was the first time in her adult life that she had gotten a chance to relax, having secretly committing herself to the rebellion when she was sixteen while she was still attending university, then becoming a senator shortly after her eighteenth birthday and running the rebellion until just a few months ago, she was ready for a break. At twenty-four she sometimes felt as if she were a hundred years old. She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt her husband put his arms around her. He laced his fingers with her fingers that were resting on her belly. She hadn't told him about the baby yet, she wondered how she would tell him that the night they consummated their marriage, they also created their first child. She leaned back into her husband's embrace, wishing things could stay this simple, and that they could go through life as just 'Han' and 'Leia' with no titles attached to their names.