OLD QUEENS AND MAMA'S BOY1
Chapter 1
Han and Leia sat down with Jacen and Tenel Ka to work out a plan for Jacen finishing his studies and having a decent place to house a new baby. In the end, the four agreed that staying at Leia and Han's was the best alternative. Leia didn't say it to the kids, but she was concerned with how young the parents were, and Han, who'd been a much older first time parent, remembered how overwhelmed he'd felt at the beginning, even with a great deal of life experience.
Nothing prepared you for parenthood, both he and Leia agreed. Jacen had had the advantage of caring for younger siblings, but both of his parents realized that that would be almost useless knowledge.
It wasn't all sweetness all the time; having two extra people at home at a time when Han and Leia were winding down, having only one child at home, was much more chaotic. Jacen got up very early, Tenel Ka followed him, and sometimes they'd drink all the kaf without remembering to prepare another brew. Jacen had his datapads strewn everywhere; Jarik would get frustrated that his older brother had to study and couldn't play with him, and there were some unpleasant words exchanged from time to time. Han and Leia felt that it would have been impossible to find anyone as sloppy as their four seemed to be, but Tenel Ka was, if possible, worse. She did try to clean up what she and Jacen had done, but other times she forgot. They had put together the twins' two beds for the both of them, and Han swore that they were allergic to turning back the covers and fluffing pillows, at the very least. The floor of their room was covered in clothing and datapads and the large bundle of baby clothes that Leia had been shopping for. Leia never seemed to return home without something for her new grandchild, especially upon finding out it was a girl.
Han swore that they were going to drown in pink. He remembered that there was plenty of pink for Jaina but never like this. Leia had bought pink blankets, pink sheets, pink sweaters, pink dresses, pink jumpsuits, pink pajamas and other forms of pink the likes of which Han had never seen, not even with Jaina. Lately she'd been buying pink stuffed animals and other toys in pink. She was clearly a woman on a mission to make sure her granddaughter did not suffer from a lack of pink.
Tenel Ka was fine with handing over her credits from the Praxeum, but Leia was hoarding them so that once Jacen graduated, they'd have a down payment for a decent place. Tenel Ka and Jacen had no idea she was doing it. Han approved; as the months went on, he was feeling that the apartment had gotten much smaller and even less tidy. He'd long ago realized that the Solos were never going to win awards for neatness, but the disaster was getting to him.
He and Leia were in their bed, working. He was completing the texts he was writing on attack and defense maneuvers. He liked the subject matter but he grew tired of writing. He groaned.
"Why'd I ever agree to do this?" He asked Leia.
"Because you're an expert on the subject."
"There're other experts."
"No one compares to you, Flyboy, and I mean that in every possible way." She tossed her datapad. She was helping to draw up a constitution for a newly formed alliance of a group of worlds on the Outer Rim. They were the least populated, the most ethnocentric, and the most difficult to bring to any kind of agreement, but progress was being made. She hoped.
"I have a lot of days where I think trying to get people to work together is an exercise in futility," Leia said, her frustration evident.
"Just look at our family," Han muttered. "What were we thinking, having them live here?"
"That we could help them," Leia responded simply.
"Dammit, I hate it when you're reasonable sometimes," Han said to her. She chuckled and leaned her head on Han's shoulder.
"It's not that much longer. Tenel Ka delivers in a month, Jacen graduates in four. It'll be all right," Leia said, taking Han's cheek in one hand and drawing him in for a kiss. "At least they don't fight all the time."
"Well, let's face it, our start was a little on the rocky side," Han said softly.
"At least we gave everybody something to talk about," Leia said, smiling.
"There were bets on us," Han recalled with a smile.
"You can stop right there. I don't think I want to know," Leia said, laughing.
"Wedge Antilles walked off with a fair chunk of credits."
"He's my second cousin. The bastard." Leia was laughing.
The two enjoyed a private, silent moment. Tenel Ka was teaching Jarik some lightsabre tricks in the living room and Jacen was studying at the dining room table. Jarik would never go to Praxeum, but he liked the swordplay element, and he was easy for her; she was eight months pregnant and wasn't moving too fast these days. She'd be going on leave in a couple of weeks.
"I've got a question for you," Han said to Leia.
"Yes, of course I'm horny." Both burst out laughing. "You know, when Mon Mothma was alive, I really wanted to comm her one morning and tell her I was calling in horny." This caused Han to laugh even more.
"Do you think it's odd that no one in Tenel Ka's family knows about her pregnancy?" Han asked.
"I'm sure they must know," Leia said, frowning slightly. It hadn't occurred to her that Tenel Ka seemed to not miss her family. She didn't speak much of them. "Maybe they're upset because she likes it here on Coruscant. She's said she has no plans to return to Hapes. I don't blame her. You've seen her father."
"That moron? The less of his DNA she got, the better."
"Teneniel was no prize, either. Tenel Ka has no interest in ascending to the throne of Hapes. She wants to have what she considers a normal life, whatever that is."
"Do you think that's odd?" Han asked. "She's living here on Coruscant, teaching at the Praxeum, and making like nothing."
"I totally sympathize with her."
"You've had the royal experience."
"Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be."
"The money's not bad," Han mused.
"It's about the only thing that isn't."
"What, ever wish you weren't born into politics?"
"More and more with each passing day." She sighed.
"I bet I can make you forget about work," Han said, his eyes full of mischief.
"I bet you can, too," Leia said. Han moved in close so that he could kiss her, softly, gently. The two kissed this way for quite a while. It took much longer to climax these years, but they both loved it; it was a perfect excuse to make love in a tender, leisurely way, exploring each other all over again each time.
Things were just about to get more serious when Jarik barged through the door.
"Mom! Dad! Get up!"
"Why?" Han demanded as he rapidly disentangled himself from his wife.
"'Cause Tenel Ka's mom and dad and grandma are here!"
"What the hell?" Han said. "You mean here, at our apartment?"
"Well, outside. Tenel Ka doesn't want me to let 'em in."
"I can certainly sympathize with that. Jarik, go ahead on let them in," Leia said wearily. "We'll work out the details."
"Okay."
"I can't believe this," Han grumbled.
"Yeah, I know, we forgot to lock the door."
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Han and Leia's concession to the annnouncement of late night visitors was Han putting on a T shirt, one with a message that could be interpreted as an obscenity. As it was past 2200 hours, they felt that anyone who interrupted them deserved what they got.
"Where is she?" A greying blonde man who once might have been muscular and was now gone to fat shouted at Jarik.
"I dunno," Jarik said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Where are your parents?" demanded an elderly woman.
"Look what the lizards dragged in," Han said acidically. "Y'know, generally, when people come to visit, and they're gonna be late, they give the courtesy of some form of communcation."
"Isolder, Ta'a Chume, Teneniel. What a surprise." Leia didn't make much of an attempt to hide her irritation. She'd never liked this family, and appearing at their home unannounced late at night made her like them even less.
"Where is my daughter?" Teneniel responded.
"Gee, what is this, you show up on our doorstep, you don't call in advance and you start making demands? Here's my advice. Get a room. We've got plenty of decent hotels nearby," Han said archly.
"Where is Tenel Ka?" Isolder repeated.
"With Jacen, somewhere." Jarik had delayed the three adults long enough so that the couple could hide.
"And what is it that this child is up at this hour?" Ta'a Chume remarked, glaring at Jarik, who stuck his tongue out at her. "And, such horrible manners." That made Jarik laugh.
"It's the weekend, just in case you forgot," Han reminded them. "Jarik, bud, make yourself scarce, okay?"
Jarik scurried off to the safety of his room. It had a door adjoining it to Jacen's room. Jacen's walk in closet had less crap in it than Jarik's and the couple had taken up refuge in there. He locked the door behind him, opened the adjoining door, and made sure Jacen's door was locked completely.
Tenel Ka was upset, and Jacen was trying to comfort her.
"Why are your mom and dad and grandma so mean?" Jarik asked Tenel Ka.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down already!" Jacen hissed.
"There's something you can do for me," Tenel Ka told the ten year old boy.
"Whassat?"
"Get near the door and see if you can hear what they're talking about."
"They're just kinda yelling at each other right now."
"I know that. Now do you understand why I like your family better than my own?" Tenel Ka said to Jarik.
"Yeah. Yours are assholes."
"Don't say that in front of Mom and Dad," Jacen warned him.
"Okay, okay!" Jacen headed back to the door, lying on the floor and listening closely.
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"I need some wine," Ta'a Chume said, addressing Leia as if she was a house servant.
"First you tell us what you're doing here," Leia snarled at her. "Then I'll decide if I'm going to play hostess."
"For your information, Tenel Ka is the Queen Mother, or will be, when I am gone," Ta'a Chume said unpleasantly. "She must return to Hapes at once to deliver the princess."
"No, she needs to come with me to Dathomir!" Teneniel shouted.
"There's no way in the nine hell's she's going to Dathomir!" Isolder roared at the woman they'd assumed to be Isolder's wife. Rumor had had it that Isolder and Teneniel had been separated for some time, and this pretty much proved that it wasn't idle gossip.
"Excuse me, ladies," and Han's expression said that Isolder was included in that description, "but you seem to have forgotten a few things. Such as who the baby's father is, for example."
"He is of no consequence," Ta'a Chume informed Han, her face hard. "If he wants to be Tenel Ka's consort, fine, but he's going to live on Hapes. If he refuses, he will not see the child."
"You're out of your minds," Leia told them coldly. "And as of right now, you're to leave our home. We can discuss this when the three of you can be rational, if you even know what it means."
"We aren't leaving," Isolder said, rather timidly. "Right, Mother?"
"We are not going anywhere," Ta'a Chume repeated. "Not until I see my granddaughter."
"Have fun sleeping on the floor. Leia, let's go." Han then pointed his finger at the three, but the emphasis was on Ta'a Chume. "And if you wake up anyone in this house tonight, I'll call the constabulary and have you arrested. In case you've forgotten, my wife has a considerable amount of influence, so it could look real bad for you."
They left the bickering trio and headed back to their room, where they were certain that they weren't going to get much sleep, or any sex.
"If you want me to use my blaster, I'll be happy to do it," Han said to Leia. "And I mean that literally. No jury would convict me."
"I know I wouldn't. How come I have a feeling they're going to raid the chiller and the intoxicants?"
"Because that's what rude assholes do. They show up without being invited, drink all the good stuff, eat the food, punch holes in the wall and refuse to clean up after themselves."
"I hope the kids are going to get some sleep, because I have a feeling we aren't getting any."