FORCE OF LIFE
CHAPTER ONE
Disclaimer: I own nothing! I make nothing!
AUTHORS' NOTE: This story is actually a joint collaboration between 2Old4This2 and myself. I appreciate everything she brought to this story-and it was a lot. So send her love, too!
THE OTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been an experience—and a pleasure—to collaborate on this story along with StatsGrandma57. I hope you enjoy our joint voice.
Leia excused herself from Ben, pleading hunger. Which, when she thought about it, was only the truth. She hadn't had a chance to grab any breakfast before she'd answered her son's request that morning, and now it was almost lunchtime. Also, she needed to contact Han and Luke to let them know about her conversation with Ben.
"He's going to go through with it," Leia told Han, speaking softly into her comm. She realized she might be acting paranoid, but she didn't want anyone to overhear this particular conversation.
"Can I comm you back? I've got a job that has to go out tomorrow, I'm trying to get Nien Nunb to take it. We're arguing over the split," Han explained.
"Han! Give him the job and listen to me!" Leia ordered, her irritation at full volume. So much for not being overheard, Leia thought ruefully. Properly chastised, Han asked her to hold for a moment and then returned.
"You know I'm only getting ten percent off this job," Han reminded her. Leia wanted to smack him—there were more important things to worry about than money—but she could hear in his voice that he was running on nervous energy.
"I don't care if you have to pay Nien for the entire thing," Leia barked at him. She was running on nervous energy, too. "Now, as I was trying to explain to you, Ben has decided he's going to allow Luke to perform the" she paused, hesitating over the last word. "...removal." she finally finished.
Han was quiet for a moment; the gravity of the situation becoming clear to him. Leia heard him cough slightly, and his voice quavered. She suspected that tears were forming in her husband's eyes. "He's sure?" Han asked softly.
"Yes," Leia sighed, as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. "We need to talk to Luke. But before I do anything else, I need food," She looked at the hand holding her comm—it was shaking. "My blood sugar's leveled out somewhere in my toenails."
"You know to never eat in the medcenter cafe, don't you?" Han warned her.
"I know the food is terrible, but right now, I'd eat a stale ration bar if I had to," Leia groaned. "I don't want to step outside and risk being noticed."
Leia could hear Han's lopsided grin through his gusty sigh. "I suppose I could pick-up something tasty for you on my way over," he offered. His instinctive kindness could still melt her heart into a small, gooey puddle. "I'll even bring something for the boy," he continued. "He could use a little meat on his bones." One of the things that Han and Leia had agreed upon when Ben had been admitted was that while they were willing to be with him as much as he wanted, they were not going to make this stay comfortable for him. They didn't want him to consider his confinement in the medcenter pleasant.
"To hear him say it, starvation is preferable to the cuisine he's being forced to endure," Leia said, rolling her eyes. "Somehow, I don't think eliminating Ben's Force sensitivity will get rid of his ability to whine."
"He can whine all he wants, as long as this stops him from screaming and wrecking things," Han grumbled. "I really don't want him driving me to drink any more than he already does."
"How soon can you be here?" Leia asked.
"Just as soon as I can grab some Bakura Barbecue," Han said. "I guess we need to talk to Luke
as well, let him know," he continued. "But let's make sure Ben knows we're both there for him before we bring him in."
"Luke will need time to prepare, too. Do you want me to comm him, or do you want to do it?" Leia asked, secretly wishing that this wasn't something she had to discuss with her brother.
"I'm getting lunch," Han remarked. "You get to talk to your brother."
Leia's heart sank. She suspected the process was going to be as difficult for her twin as it was for her son. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation.
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Han stood in the queue for pickup orders at Bakura Barbecue, his eyes scanning the lunchtime crowd. He thought he'd spied one or two reporters staked out next to the restaurant—it was one of his family's favorite eateries—but he couldn't be sure. He could have used his influence as Leia's husband—and hero of the Rebellion, he thought with a wry grin—to jump the line, but his wife would never do it, and neither would he. Han was a working man, and an independent businessman, no better than any other being standing in the line—and he had punched out enough holoreporters in the past that they knew enough to leave him alone while he was grabbing lunch. The unwanted attention their family had suffered through in the early years had diminished over time—at least until Ben was put under medical care.
For once, Han found he was grateful to Mon Mothma. She couldn't suppress the media—it would have been a bad idea for her to even attempt it—but she'd not only forbidden anyone employed by the government to speak in regards to their family situation, she'd also publicly requested respectful treatment for the Organa-Solo family. Not that the media ursai had paid much attention, there were still hordes of them camped out by the medcenter, but he and Leia had been able to avoid most of them. And confidentiality rules disallowed commentary by anyone affiliated with the medcenter. It was as good as it was going to get. Now if only he could retrieve lunch in peace; Han had enough on his mind without worrying about an idiot looking for a byline.
Han shifted nervously from foot to foot as the line inched forward. He'd expected to feel overjoyed with the news that Ben had made the decision he had. So why was he so anxious?
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It was only when he was standing in front of the locked service door in the back of the medcenter that Han remembered he'd handed his pass key to Leia that morning. He had just begun a creative litany of Corellian curses at his own stupidity when the door opened. One of the cleaners, a Duros, was pushing out a repulsor cart filled with empty cartons, destined for the medcenter's recycler. His lipless mouth split into a friendly grin as he stepped aside to let Han enter the building, his red eyes dancing with delight as he sniffed at the takeout bag. "I'd be happy to help you with that," the green-skinned Duros offered.
"Not after how long I had to wait in line for this," Han joked as he went through the work area and made his way out into the medcenter corridors. But his voice sounded stiff to his own ears, and he knew his jovial manner was forced. He found himself dragging his feet, nervous about facing Ben, now that the decision had been made.
Why? Han asked himself, yet again. This is what we wanted, isn't it?
Han drew in a sharp breath and willed himself to be calm; he would not make his wife and son more nervous than they already were. Leia had tried to keep her tone light during the comm, but Han hadn't been fooled, he could hear the stress in her voice. But he'd also recognized that she was genuinely hungry. He hoped that the quick meal, shared between the three of them, would relieve some of the tension.
He was the husband and father, he reminded himself, and it was his role to hold things together. It might not have been the most common way of thinking in the galaxy, and certainly he and Leia were partners when it came to parenting their children, but Han held to a very traditional Corellian view of what he needed to do. And that was to be their strength.
Seeing his wife and son sitting next to each other cross-legged on the bed, he gave a perfunctory knock at the entrance to the plasticine cube.
"Oh, thank the gods!" Leia gasped in relief when she looked up. Han got the impression she wasn't just talking about lunch—the tension was obvious.
"Please tell me there's something in there for me. The food here doesn't even deserve the name!" Ben said excitedly, his chocolate-brown eyes lighting up.
"I took pity on you, buddy," Han said, leaning down to kiss Leia and ruffling Ben's hair. Ben glowered, mostly out of habit; the boy obviously found his father's casual gesture comforting. Han handed out the boxes to his eager wife and son. Ben dove into his like a krayt dragon on an unsuspecting womprat. Never stand between a growing boy and his food, Han thought with some bemusement, remembering how hungry he'd been growing up.
Even though she was hungry, Leia only picked at her food. Han understood why; she was nervous about Ben's decision and what was coming next, just as he was. He took her small hand in his and squeezed reassuringly as he addressed their son.
"Your mom tells me you've made a decision." Han never had been one to dance around the subject at hand—well, at least not since he'd revealed his true feelings for Ben's mother, so many years ago—and now was no different.
"Yeah," Ben confirmed through a mouthful of fried tubers.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Leia admonished him automatically.
"It's not my fault," Ben mumbled as he chewed. "Dad tried to talk to me while I was eating," he told her. Leia shot her son The Look. He shuddered and closed his mouth.
Han, in turn, threw Leia a look that said: Eat! It took him back to their days in the Rebellion, when she often simply forgot about food. Not that the Alliance cuisine had been anything beyond calories, but she had desperately needed to fuel her body then. And, back then, he'd been able tempt her with something a little better than rations, every once in a while. Today he'd been smart enough to play to Leia's weaknesses, bringing along a slice of chocolate cake for her. Han knew his wife—no matter how bad things were; she was unlikely to allow chocolate cake to remain uneaten.
Leia began to pick at the lunch before her, but once she'd taken a few tentative nibbles, her hunger took over, and the princess began to eat in earnest. It was not lost on her that this was likely going to be a long, long day, and might well extend into the night. She wasn't sure when her family would have a chance to eat again.
Jana and Kira!
"I need to get someone to take care of the girls," Leia announced, realizing what she'd done as she was about to take a bite of her grilled avan sandwich. She was horrified that she'd been so caught up in the morning's events that she'd nearly forgotten her own daughters. This wasn't her normal manner of operations, and she hated feeling out of control.
Then again, it wasn't every day your son announced that he was going to eliminate his Force sensitivities.
She was about to return to her meal, now hurrying to finish in order to find a caretaker for the girls, when her comm went off. It was Mon Mothma. Leia groaned.
As she clicked the device on, Leia resisted the temptation to tell the older woman that she was absolutely unavailable. When she heard Mon Mothma's first words, however, she was glad she'd held her tongue.
"Leia, I'm so sorry to interrupt, and I don't know how things are going, but I wanted to ask if there was anything you needed," Mon said solicitously.
Leia could have kissed her in that moment. "I might be here for quite a while, and I haven't made arrangements for the girls. Chewie's not available, and they really run roughshod over Threepio. Do you think you could ask—"
"I'll be happy to take care of them myself," Mon Mothma told her matter-of-factly.
For a heartbeat, Leia stared blankly at her comm, shock having struck her momentarily dumb. "It could take quite a while, and I know you've got important—" she hurried on, still not believing what she had just heard.
"Nonsense. I'll care for them as long as necessary. Do what you need to do; the girls and I will have a lovely time." Mon sounded wistful. Leia remembered that Mothma's son had died during the Alliance defeat at Hoth. Now that she was a mother herself, the princess wondered how the older woman bore the loss.
"Thank you," Leia said softly. "I'll keep you apprised."
"Just pay attention to matters at hand. It's what you've always done best. And don't worry about anything else." Mon Mothma terminated the comm.
"Well, that was startling," Leia remarked, turning back to her family. "Mon Mothma is taking care of Jana and Kira."
"She's a nice lady," Ben commented as he polished off his oversized ground nerf sandwich.
Han was about to point out that Mon Mothma was the reason for most of Leia's absences during Ben's younger years, but Leia treated him to The Look as well, and he had to agree with his wife that this wasn't the time or place. Besides, the woman hadn't sworn at him in years, and she was caring for Jana and Kira.
"Mom, you gonna eat that?" Ben asked, pointing to Leia's cake.
Leia's eyes blazed at him. "Ben, do you know what happens to people who even look at my chocolate cake?"
Ben shuddered, and retreated to a safe distance. "Forget I asked. Can I finish your tubers?"
"Have at it. I can get to the cake sooner that way," Leia said, rolling her eyes slightly as she handed her container to Ben, who pounded down the remaining tubers. Secretly, she was relieved he was eating; he was thin to begin with, and he'd lost weight in the medcenter.
Han polished off his nerf steak sandwich, crumpled the detritus into his container, and aimed it for the trash receptacle, smoothly tossing the contents into their intended target.
"Lucky shot, Dad," quipped Ben.
"It's all skill, kid." This brought forth a laugh from both Leia and Ben. Then Han became serious. Now that they'd finished eating, it couldn't be put off any longer. "Mom says you've made a decision," he said again.
"Yeah." Ben grew quiet. "I'm gonna do it."
Han nodded and turned toward Leia. The look that passed between them wouldn't have been discernible to anyone else, but it had become a form of subtle communication between the couple, built over many years. It confirmed that things were serious.
"But one thing," Ben told his parents, looking up. "I don't wanna do it here. Not in the medcenter. I hate it here. I wanna be somewhere quiet. Like home."
Han and Leia couldn't help but laugh. Leia put her arm around her son's shoulder. "Sweetie, the last time we checked, which I believe was this morning, our home was anything but quiet."
"But it's home," Ben protested.
Han frowned. "Ben, I don't know if that's a good idea. For one thing, we need to talk about all the medical stuff with your Uncle Luke and Seven-Three-H."
"I don't wanna do it here," Ben objected. "I hate this place!"
"We don't like it here any better than you do, son," Han said, laying his hand over Ben's. "Believe me, my back is reminding me of that every moment."
Leia spoke softly to him. "Let's talk to Luke and Seven-Three-H and see if they have any suggestions. We do need to make sure you're medically safe during and after the procedure."
Tears welled large in Ben's dark eyes. "I just wanna go home," he sobbed.
Han and Leia put their arms around their son and glanced knowingly at each other.
It was time for Luke to step in.