Han drank from a mug of water, surveying the scene in front of him. The Ewok village was bustling, even at this early hour. The sun had risen just an hour before, and the air was still cool and damp from the night dew.

Next to him, Chewy sat, engaged in what might oddly be termed a conversation with some of the Ewok leaders. He could hear the grunts of his friend, talking about repair and rebuilding, supplies, things of that nature. They owed these little furry creatures. Without their help Han and his team might not have gotten to the shield generator, let alone blown it to smithereens. Han grinned to himself. He was a general now, and not without influence. He didn't like the title, or the uniform, but that didn't mean he wouldn't use it to his own advantage, or the advantage of others.

Loud voices caught his attention, pulling him away from Chewy's conversation. Turning, he saw Leia standing near her brother. Luke had one of her hands in his, but she was pulling away. "Just stop, Luke! I can't do it!" And with that outburst, she pulled her other hand free of him and ran over the wooden walkways. Her head disappeared from sight as she ran down the stairs.

He sighed, and rubbed his face. Even though he hadn't heard any of their conversation prior to Leia's cry, it was no mystery to him what they were talking, and arguing about.

What a whirlwind of events the past few weeks. Having just gotten back on his feet after being treated for carbonite poisoning and hibernation sickness, he'd finally accepted a commission from Alliance command - that of General, no less. Then flying to Endor, leaving his girl in the hands of Lando. Meeting the Ewoks, fighting, Leia getting hurt, blowing up the shield station. And then. And then the revelations he'd never imagined, not in the three or four years he'd known Luke and Leia. They were brother and sister, fraternal twins, separated at birth to keep them safe from their father. A former Jedi Knight turned evil. Who'd tortured his own daughter, cut his son's hand off, and put Han in a carbon freeze. Among many, many other terrible things.

It was a lot to take in. Easier for him than the two of them, anyway. Everything he'd ever known or believed to be true about himself wasn't shaken to the foundations, like it was for them. Even though there were still many unanswered questions, it seemed to him Luke and Leia were handling the news that they were siblings pretty well, keeping the same easy camaraderie they'd always had. The same friendship that used to make him feel confused and jealous.

What was less easy to accept was their paternity. Who wanted to admit, to even know, that their father was essentially a monster? Han had been up late, tossing and turning the night Leia had told him. It didn't change a single thing for him, knowing who her father was. He was in love with her, not her lineage. Han was very worried about her, what she was thinking, how she was feeling. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like to hear the news that Darth Vader was her father. Leia had always been so hard on herself, so critical. Han just knew she was feeling guilty, like it was her fault in some way.

If word got out about their parentage - rather, when word got out - there were plenty who would scorn them. Hate them. Ask for Leia to step out of any political role. Maybe some would want to kill the two of them. He couldn't allow that to happen, not now, when he was free and healthy and knew without a doubt that the woman he loved was really his.

But right now he had other problems. Luke needed to stop pressuring her. He wanted Leia to forgive their father, and he wanted her to take up Jedi training. Han knew the kid had spoken to her about these things a few times already. But Luke had had several months to process the knowledge of Vader as his father. Leia had had just two or three days. Not nearly enough time. Not even close.

Personally, Han didn't care what Leia did as long as she was happy. And she wasn't. She was back to the not sleeping, not eating patterns that had plagued her in Echo Base back on Hoth and drove him crazy to watch. More in love with her now than ever, each nightmare, each tear, each time he looked at her and saw those big brown eyes filled with pain, it was like a thousand knives in his heart.

Groaning a bit, Han got to his feet, to address the first of his problems. He slowly walked over to Luke, who was looking at the ground. "Hey kid, what's going on here? I saw Leia run off just a few minutes ago." Luke looked up suddenly. Han took in the look of disappointment on his face. "I - I - she's not accepting it. Not forgiving him. She doesn't want to train as a Jedi."

"And maybe she doesn't want to do those things because she's scared." Han sat heavily down next to Luke. Even though the kid had changed a lot during his Jedi training, he was still acting like the innocent, naive farm boy Han and Chewy had picked up on Tatooine. Han wondered, with Luke's training in the Force, how he could not read his sister. How he could be so clueless about her right now. "She may accept things someday, but she's not ready. For crying out loud, you just told her about all this a few days ago. Hell, I'm still stunned by it, and he isn't my father."

"If she doesn't forgive, that's the Dark side. I can't have my sister doing that," Luke said stubbornly.

"She knows, she knows, you've told her plenty already." He was getting a little tired of this. No wonder Leia ran off. "How long did it take you to accept the idea that Vader was your father? He told you when he cut off your hand, and that was months ago."

The look Luke gave him was a guilty one. He looked away from Han, back toward the ground, but did not say anything. "She has to figure this out for herself, on her own time table," Han said, a little more kindly. The kid did have Leia's best interests at heart, even if he let himself get carried away sometimes. "Can you just let her be, for now anyway?"

"I suppose," Luke sighed. "There is a lot going on right now, even without our family history to deal with. Leia doesn't need more stress. I promise I won't bring anything up. For now."

Han clapped him on the back, then stood, stretching his long frame. "I'll hold you to that, kid. Now, I've got to go find a runaway princess."

Where had she gone? Han thought she'd be closer, maybe sitting at the bottom of those giant trees that supported the village walkways and buildings. But there was no sign of her. Frowning, he looked around himself, trying to figure out which way to go, and felt a poke in his lower back. A furry Ewok stood behind him, chirping and pointing his spear toward a path between two of the trees. Han could see a clearing open up in the distance. Nodding at the Ewok, he turned and walked briskly away, looking and listening all around him, hoping Leia had come this way.

And there she was, not too far ahead. A small figure huddled on the ground, her long brown hair spilling down her back. As he got closer, he could hear the faint sounds of crying. Not wanting to startle her, he slowed his pace. "Leia?" he asked tentatively, slowly coming up behind her. His heart broke hearing her faint whimper.

"Han."

He sat down next to her, running a hand gently through her hair. Trying to give her some comfort, if she wanted it. "Can I help at all, sweetheart?"

She turned to him then, tears making tracks on her cheeks. He reached over, softly rubbing his thumb through the wetness. "I don't know, I don't know. I don't know anything anymore!" she exclaimed wildly. Han watched her in silence as she got up to pace in front of him. Anger was mixing with sadness on her face.

"I feel so confused, Han! Why did my - I mean, why did Bail never tell me any of this? He had to know there was a brother! He had to! And if he'd lived, would he have ever told me?" Back and forth she paced vigorously, looking at him sometimes, but not really seeing him sitting below her. Han just waited, and watched. Leia needed to get this out, and there just had not been time until now. If she wanted to rant and yell all day, and would feel better after, well, he wouldn't stop her. "Does Rieekan know? He knows I was adopted but does know about - about? Ben Kenobi knew. Is there anyone alive that can tell us anything? Who was our mother? How - how could she, how could anyone be with a creature like that? Who am I now, Han?" Leia stopped pacing suddenly, and came to a stop in front of him.

"Who am I now?" It came out as a small wail. Leia dropped her head to her chest, looking utterly defeated. Not a feeling he'd ever seen from her since the day he met her.

"Sweetheart, you're the same person you always have been." He stood and pulled her into his arms. She came willingly, curling up against him. He loved the feeling of holding her, protecting her, keeping her safe. Han never wanted to let her go. "The same intelligent, brave, caring, ball-busting princess you were the day I met you." He smiled to himself as he heard her give a small chuckle. "I love you, Leia. Who your father was or wasn't doesn't matter to me one bit."

"I know," she sniffled against his chest. "But it matters to me. And Luke's pressuring me, I don't know what to do with it all."

He pressed his face to her hair and breathed in the scent of her. "You don't have to figure it all out right now, you know," Han murmured gently. "And you don't have to do anything alone." He went on as Leia pulled back to look up at him, brown eyes still swimming in tears. "If you want to find out who your mother was, we'll find out. If you decide you want to know more about Anakin Skywalker, we'll search for the answers. If you want to train as a Jedi, we'll do it."

A little joy filled his heart as he saw a small smile appear on her face. "Han, I don't think you can train as a Jedi. You're not Force sensitive."

"You know what I mean," he drawled. "I'll be there when Luke puts you through your paces. If being a Jedi is what you want. Whatever you want to do about all this, sweetheart, I'm with you on it whether you want me there or not."

She reached up to take his face in her hands. "I don't get any say in it, you being around?"

"Nope." Han grinned down at her.

"Then I guess I'm very, very lucky, aren't I, that I do want you around." Leia pulled him down to her. "Kiss me, Han."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," he whispered against her lips.