a/n: tags on tags on tags
Meet Noura
Grinning broadly, Bail strode through the quiet halls of the private Med Centre's maternity wing with a very sleepy three-year-old in his arms. Yawning sleepily, Jaina peered at her surroundings with calm interest as they walked, her small arms wound around his neck and holding onto him lazily. She smacked her lips to herself, still half in the throes of slumber.
It was early, just after dawn; the sun had been glittering with its soft, burgeoning yellow light when he left his residence with the dozy toddler in tow. The flight to the Med Centre was quiet, as the usual traffic had not burst into full swing yet. Jaina had snoozed most of the ride, blithely accepting the strange turn of events.
It wasn't often that she was roused from her sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Usually, Jaina was the one doing the waking. This particular morning, Bail thought it best if they got a head start, for several reasons. He suspected introducing Jaina to her new baby sister would be a smoother process if Jaina were still in the thrall of sleep, rather fully alert in all of her vivacious Jaina-ness. He had no real basis for that theory, other than blind hope. He also knew that there was a certain amount of Media interest in the birth of another Solo baby, and he was less likely to be noticed jaunting over to the Med Centre if it was still frightfully early.
And, of course, there was the fact that he was beside himself with excitement, and didn't have any interest in waiting to meet his second daughter for a second longer than he had to.
So, he'd woken with the first rays of the rising sun, gently plucked Jaina out of the bed she was sleeping in at his place, and ventured out. Rouge, Luke, and many of the others, would trickle in and out to see Leia throughout the day, as she would stay another night in her suite before the family returned home, exhausted, happy, and one person larger.
"Baba," Jaina said conversationally, reaching up and grasping one of the fluffy ears on her hood. "Why wake up?"
She yawned again. Bail had let her stay in her pajamas, bundling a cute robe over her that fastened snugly in the front and had a velvety soft hood with animal ears poking up on top of it.
"We," Bail said, turning down another corridor, "are going to see Mommy and meet your sister," he answered. "You remember I said you have a baby sister?"
Jaina nodded placidly, her eyes on his. She clutched lightly at the furry animal ear on her head, pulling the hood down a bit so it shaded her eyes. She smirked at Bail from underneath the fabric.
"Like Mar," Jaina said.
Bail nodded.
"Yes, like Mar," he agreed - Jaina referred to Winter's daughter, Marisol, by the shortened nickname. "Only this baby will be smaller than Mar – small as Mar was when she was born, if you remember," he said, "and she'll come home and live at your house with Mommy and Daddy."
"I know," Jaina said primly.
She pursed her lips and poked Bail's shoulder thoughtfully.
"Go get Zozy," she said. "Bring Zozy to meet."
Bail snorted.
"Zozy can meet Noura at home," he placated.
Jaina gave a long-suffering sigh, but did not argue. Bail smiled at her, and approached a nurse's station outside the entrance to the maternity ward. He waited until he caught someone's attention – they were likely busy, and he did not want to interrupt their work – and then informed them who he was there to visit.
"Leia Or – Solo," he said, correcting swiftly. He adjusted Jaina on his hip, and patted her head. "I believe this little one needs a scan before you let us back," he added.
The nurses would take the usual precautions before letting a toddler back to see an infant. This one came around the station's counter, a handheld scanner in her hands, and gave Jaina a friendly wave.
"Good morning, little miss," she said pleasantly. "Do you mind being very, very still while I give you a quick scan?" she asked.
Jaina eyed her suspiciously, and then shrank back a little.
"If Baba says," she retorted cautiously.
Bail grinned, brushing her hair back. Han and Leia sure had succeeded in instilling appropriate wariness of strangers in their eldest daughter. He nodded.
"It's okay, Jaina," he said brightly.
Jaina nodded, and the nurse calibrated her device, looking up, and then carefully projecting a infrared scanner over Jaina from head to toe. Though she moved slowly and deliberately, she was fast about it, and stepped back a moment later.
"No fever," she murmured, "no evidence of microbes, surficial or internal," she trailed off, read something else, and then nodded and looked up, pointing off to her right. "There is an antimicrobial station right over there," she said, "to wash her hands – she's all set. Healthier than most, actually. Leia Solo is in suite eleven-nineteen. "
Bail nodded, giving Jaina an exaggerated look of excitement as he took her over to wash her hands. He stood before the hand washing station and messed with the water until it was lukewarm. He held Jaina down a little so she could reach better, and she shook her head.
"I will not do that," she told him flatly. She crinkled her nose. "Yuck."
The Viceroy gave a small roll of his eyes. Han had mentioned that Jaina had developed some stubborn sensitivity to the feel of soaps and lotions, as well as their smells. He said he'd lathered her up with shampoo in the bath a few weeks ago and she'd tried to scream the entire apartment complex down.
"Here," Bail said calmly. "I'll go first."
He crouched, placed Jaina on the floor, and made a show of happily washing his hands, humming a little to show he enjoyed it. Jaina snaked one arm around his shin, looking around at the room, and then up, her eyes narrowed. Bail shook off his hands, and showed her.
"See? Clean, easy," he said. "You want to try now?"
Jaina scowled at him.
"No."
Bail smirked, and bent to pick her back up.
"Well," he drawled, pretending to try and think of something else. "Hmm. What can we do? Let's see. What if we use only a tiny, tiny bit of soap, and lots of water, so it doesn't feel too slimy?"
Jaina looked suspicious, but Bail put a smidge of soap on his thumb.
"Like this?" he suggested.
Jaina still looked unhappy, but shrugged, and agreed to wash her hands. Pleased with having averted a crisis, Bail helped her finish, dried her palms, and made a mental note to harass Han about what a weird kid he had produced – because he was willing to swear that none of Jaina's idiosyncrasies came from Leia's side or Leia's upbringing.
With the disinfecting taken care of, Bail resumed his stroll down the appropriate hallway.
"Soap in my eyes," Jaina said, patting her cheek.
Bail gave her a quizzical look.
"You can't have," he said. "You didn't touch your face."
"No," Jaina said, giving him a gloomy look. "Soap hurts in eyes. Don't want it there."
"Ah," Bail said, a little uncertain. He guessed Jaina might be trying to explain why she'd developed an aversion to soaps and the like. Thinking about it a moment, he finally ventured: "Did you get soap in your eyes recently?"
Jaina yawned. She reached up to close her hands over the ears on her hood, sighing.
"Soap on hair," she said pleasantly. "Drip, drip."
Bail nodded again – perhaps she'd gotten an eyeful of shampoo in the bath or something. That would fit Han's story about her freak out into a larger context. She'd get over it, Bail was sure. Children had plenty of experiences such as that which were eventually forgotten or laughed about later.
Jaina continued to hold onto her makeshift ears, sitting up in his arms and slowly becoming more alert. Bail rounded a corner, and slowed his pace when he saw Han coming out of a door at the end. His son-in-law looked up, paused, then grinned at Bail and gently closed the door behind him, striding forward. The two men met halfway down the hall, and Jaina made a delighted cooing noise.
She wrenched her hands away from her furry ears, nearly blinding Bail with an unintentional right hook in the process, and thrust her arms out towards Han. She opened her mouth wide, and Han swooped forward, gently putting one finger against her lips.
"Inside voice, Jainy," he said quickly, his voice soft. "People are sleeping!" he warned.
With some obvious internal struggle, Jaina swallowed the shriek she'd been preparing. Instead, she used a whisper to scream:
"Daddy!"
Han, if it were possible, grinned even harder. He nodded, and held out his hands. She leaned away from Bail, and Han took her, lifting her up over his head easily and watching her burst into giggles. He bent his elbows, brought her face closer so he could kiss her nose, and then settled her on his hip and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Mornin'," he greeted, tugging her hood playfully over her eyes, and then rumpling the ears as he adjusted it so he could see her face again. "You have a good time with Baba?" he asked.
Jaina nodded.
"Stay up late," she said smugly.
Han pretended to yawn.
"Me too," he said. "We had a long day and a long night, but everyone's doin' fine," he continued, smiling at Jaina, and then looking up. He lifted his chin and rested it gently on her head, meeting Bail's eyes. "Though you might be on your way," he said.
Bail shrugged.
"Well, I was restless, and I thought Jaina might be more manageable if she was still a little sleepy," he said. "How's Leia?"
"She's tired," Han said honestly. "She didn't really get to sleep until a few hours ago," he explained.
"Noura?" Bail asked.
"Not tired," Han answered, snorting. "Real good at nursing, though," he added as an after thought. "Listen," He said, shifting his weight, and clutching Jaina's side gently to hold balance her weight. "I wanna let Leia sleep a little more, so'm glad I ran into you out here. She wants to see it the first time Jainy and Noura actually meet, but I was on my way down to the nursery if you want to take a peek at her, then grab some breakfast and wait."
Bail nodded at the suggestion, happy to do what was best for Leia.
"The nursery?" he asked. "Noura isn't with Leia?"
When Jaina had been born, she had stayed with Leia save for the hour when she was taken to be bathed, examined, and vaxxed. She hadn't slept in the larger nursery at all.
Han shook his head.
"She was. Leia bonded with her, then they did their thing, the nurses, then brought her back and she nursed, but," Han shrugged. "Leia needs sleep. She's got to get it while there's a whole slew of people here to make sure Noura's fine."
Again, Bail nodded – that was a fair point, and a luxury Leia had not been inclined to take advantage of the first time, probably due to Jaina being her first baby. Though Han was plenty helpful at home, always pulling his weight, and Leia had family to help her as well, there wasn't much chance of uninterrupted sleep when someone else getting the baby just meant Leia could hear her muffled crying down the hall.
"I'm glad she could be prevailed upon to see the reason in that," Bail said. He glanced over Han's shoulder, and folded his arms. "I would like to see her," he said earnestly.
It would assuage his excitement a little, just being able to take a peak at the baby. He certainly understood Leia not wanting to miss Jaina and Noura meeting for the first time. He also suspected she wanted to use her abilities to make a more ethereal introduction in terms of the Force.
"Good," Han said gruffly. "C'mon, I'll show you the way," he offered, stepping aside, and then around Bail. He looked down at Jaina, his brows going up. "You wanna see your baby sister?" he asked.
Jaina tilted her head back and let her hood fall off her head.
"I want to see toast," she said, very matter-of-fact.
Han smirked.
"I'm makin' note of your priorities, kid," he said.
Bail fell into step next to them, and with Jaina growing more alert by the moment, they carried on down the halls that wound to the nursery where Bail and Jaina both would be able to catch a coveted glimpse of the newest baby Solo.
Though Leia felt no less wonder over Noura than she had over Jaina, there were plenty of peripheral feelings surrounding the birth of her second child that were markedly different. She had no anxiety about letting Noura out of her sight, to be gently cared for in the nursery while Leia herself got some sleep. She had no apprehension about nursing, rather just a frank belief in her own ability to get it going smoothly when she figured out Noura's preferences and habits. She also had almost no crisis of confidence in herself – other than the normal fears that accompanied motherhood, which she had developed when Jaina was born and which had faded, but never gone away, she knew she was perfectly capable of handling an infant.
"There," Leia murmured softly to the baby, touching her tiny nose every so gently and rocking her as she soothed her fussing. "You're warm, and safe," she whispered. "Your sister is three whole years old, so you know I can get you that far," she added, smirking at her own little joke.
The nurse had brought Noura back to her a few minutes ago, and Leia, awake, and feeling much more refreshed, had nursed her a little and calmed her down. Han should be in soon with her father and Jaina – the nurse had told her they were here, having breakfast while she had slept.
Leia nodded to herself, her eyes fixed on Noura's curious, bright face.
"You are in good hands, little one," she assured her.
The only new aspect of all of this would, of course, be having two children instead of one. She knew Noura would be her own individual, and her babyhood would by no means be exactly the same as Jaina's, but it was still babyhood – and Leia and Han had survived that before. They still faced newness in every new day with Jaina as she grew, and experiencing the two together would be a fascinating journey.
Then there was the little fact that in two weeks Han would leave on a six week deployment, so that aspect of Leia's maternity leave would be vastly different – but she had more than enough family to draw on for help if she needed it, and she planned to do so, thus she elected not to dwell on that less-than-appealing reality right now.
Noura gazed at her, quick to settle, her eyes wide an unblinking. Swaddled up, she was quite content to be fawned over by her mother, and Leia guessed she would allow it from others as well. She could sense that Noura was already closely bonded to Han. She assumed Han had spent most of his time while Leia was asleep hovering around Noura in the nursery.
Leia leaned back against the pillow fortification behind her, smiling. She winced a little as she adjusted her legs, careful of the soreness. She was slowly weaning off a mild painkiller, and her body was eager to remind her of what she'd just gone through. Fleetingly, she was extremely grateful she hadn't needed a surgical delivery. The recovery time would have been infinitely harder to manage with Han away so soon.
"Oh," Leia sighed fondly. "He's really going to hate being away."
She pursed her lips, clicking her tongue very quietly, and looked up a moment later as the door began to open slowly. Han poked his head around the edge, eyes scanning the room. He smiled when he saw her awake.
"Xio said you were up," he said gruffly. The midwife had stopped him in the hall to say Leia had woken up and immediately asked for Noura. "You ready for the stampede?" he joked.
Leia looked wary, and Han grinned.
"Kiddin', it's just Jainy," he said, opening the door wide.
Their three-year-old skipped around him cautiously.
"Ah, that stampede," Leia said warmly, her eyes alighting on Jaina.
"And Bail," Han added, as the Viceroy followed him into the recovery suite, shutting the door neatly behind him.
Leia sat forward, and Han was at her side quickly, adjusting her pillows more comfortably without prompting. He puffed up a pillow under her elbow, just where Noura's head was, so she'd have extra support. Jaina sidled up to Han's side, barely able to peer over the edge of the bed.
Wide, expressive dark eyes gazed at Leia. Jaina rested one small hand on the sheets, remaining silent.
"Good morning, sunshine," Leia greeted softly. "It's as good a day as any for life to change."
She shared a look with Han, and he nodded, bending to take Jaina gently at the waist and lift her up. He put her feet firmly on the edge of the bed, holding her against his chest so she could stand and peer down better. His grip was loose and protective, and he rested his chin on top of her head, inclining pointing at the baby.
"Look, Jainy," he said. "You know we did all that talkin' about you gettin' a baby sister?" he asked, reminding her yet again. "There she is. Noura," he introduced proudly.
Jaina studied her, and raised her eyes, turning to look at Han.
"Noura of the Castle Lands," she quoted promptly. "Fairy book story."
"Yeah," Han agreed quietly. "Just like your favorite story."
Bail took a few steps closer, bending down to press a kiss to Leia's temple. He squeezed her shoulder, and she turned her head a fraction to give her father some attention, too. He gave a soft sigh, looking more closely at Noura than he'd been able to thus far.
"Lovely," he complimented, touching her snugly swaddled feet reverently. "She's just beautiful."
"My genetics are real overpowering," Han quipped smugly, and Bail gave him a mild scowl for old time's sake.
Leia beamed at her father.
"Thank you," she whispered, nodding - she was biased, of course, but she utterly agreed with his pronouncement. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked.
"Very much," Bail said rapidly.
Leia shifted over some.
"Sit," she said, nodding at the edge of her bed. "Here, take her – oh, no fussing now," she said, laying her palm on Noura's forehead as she transferred the baby, and Noura's face took on a look of indignant panic at being removed from her mother's familiar warmth.
Leia's hand lingered on the infant's forehead, and she pursed her lips, a deeply introspective look on her face.
"Baba," she said, softly and clearly, her fingertips moving over Noura's crown as if blessing her. "Baba," she murmured again.
Noura settled, and Bail looked up in admiration.
"You were telling her who I am?" he asked.
Leia nodded.
"I can familiarize them – my babies – with their caregivers, there family," she said. "It was easy to bond Jaina to Han when she was born, but as she got older I got better at creating a sense of safety through the force, for them to associate with people I want them to feel safe around."
She paused, hesitating, and then said.
"Noura is a bit – ahhm," she broke off, unsure if it was correct to say 'stronger.' "Sensitive," Leia decided, giving the word the particular enunciation she used to associate it with the Force, rather than tremulous sensibilities. "She connected to Han without my nudging her."
Leia drew her hand back. She nodded with satisfaction when Noura did not object, and turned, holding her arms out to Jaina.
"You come here," she coaxed, smiling brilliantly. "Come here, Jainy, come get closer."
"Don't pounce," Han said sternly, letting Jaina go.
She inched forward, then dropped stealthily to her knees and crawled over into Leia's lap, curling up and making herself rather small. She hung over Leia's arm and peered closely down at Noura, a look of pure concentration on her face. Leia kissed the top of Jaina's head, stroking her hair.
"Dad," she murmured, amused, resting her cheek on Jaina's head. "Why didn't you dress her?" she asked, noting with some exasperation Jaina's pajamas and robe.
Bail shrugged, hardly concerned about that. Leia shook her head again – men. She calmly watched Jaina watching Noura, relaxing into the Force to see how they felt among the purring, golden threads that Leia associated with her power. Both of the girls were glimmering bright spots in her world, shining with their own unique presence.
She watched as Jaina's shimmers crept out and nudged against Noura's. The baby fidgeted, turning her head from side to side, but did not cry.
"Jaina," Leia murmured, looking down more closely at Noura, and nodding encouragingly.
Jaina sat back, holding up her hand.
"Can I touch?" she asked.
Leia nodded.
"Soft, though," Han said gruffly. "Don't put your whole hand on her face," he advised, cocking an eyebrow and remembering exactly how Jaina had greeted Winter's Marisol.
Jaina obediently rested her palm on the top of Noura's head, where a snug knit hat was fitted over her sparse hair. After a moment, she gave a soft, amazed squeal, and then turned, pointing directly at Leia's ribs.
"She was there!" she chirped. Her head swiveled wildly, from Leia, to Bail, to Han. "Baby No-uh!"
Han laughed, nodding.
"Yes!" Leia agreed, thrilled. "She was, she was here," she confirmed, resting her palm against her abdomen. "You could sense her, couldn't you?"
Jaina leaned forward and hung her face over Noura's closely, staring at her intently. She nodded whimsically at Leia's question.
"She is very pink," Jaina proclaimed serenely.
Bail laughed.
"It's because she's so new," he said.
Leia smiled, but kissed Jaina's temple dreamily. She didn't tell her father that she was fairly sure Jaina wasn't talking about Noura's literal colour. It was something deeper – some way Jaina had of identifying her sister that she only had the verbal capability of defining as a colourful presence.
Jaina sat back a little, leaning against Leia, who held her comfortably.
"What d'you think, Jainy?" Han asked softly, leaning down and bracing his knuckles on the bed so he could move a little closer. "You mind if we bring 'er home with us."
Jaina burrowed closer to Leia.
"You see?" Leia murmured, stroking her hair. "There's still room for you right here," she said pointedly, happy to let Jaina monopolize her lap for a little while, particularly while Bail was smitten, hoarding time with Noura, and Han was there for the baby too, if Bail got tired.
Which did not look like it was going to happen.
Impulsively, Leia turned to look at Han brightly, and he leaned over, catching her cheek in his palm and kissing her firmly. She pulled away, and nudged his cheek with her nose, pleased. She sighted contently, and turned her head back towards Bail.
"I assume Luke and Rouge will be along later?" she asked earnestly.
"At your convenience," Bail said, tearing his eyes away from his newest granddaughter. He looked over at Han. "Chewbacca, as well. When I left, he was rousing everyone for what smelled like a promising breakfast."
Han snorted.
"I bet he was," he muttered.
With all the attention diverted from her for even a hint of a moment, Noura suddenly gave an outraged squeak. Four pairs of eyes immediately turned to tend to her – or rather, three pairs, because in letting his eyes flick over both of his daughters, Han realized Jaina was fast asleep against Leia.
"Aww," Han said, making the noise before he could stop himself. "Sweetheart," he mumbled affectionately, touching Jaina's hair very gently. "Let me – " he started.
"No," Leia countered firmly, wrapping one arm possessively around Jaina. She held her closer. "Let her stay here. I don't want her first memory of meeting Noura to be that it meant she got pulled away from me."
Han drew back thoughtfully, nodding. He hadn't looked at it like that. Instead, he folded his arms loosely and straightened back up. Noura seemed perfectly content where she was at the moment anyway; Leia was right, there was no need to disturb Jaina.
Bail smiled a little wryly.
"My, they both look so peaceful," he pointed out, his eyes glinting.
Leia and Han looked at each other, sharing bracing, but exhilarated glances. They were both sure that all hell was sure to break loose eventually, now that they had not one but two Force-sensitive little girls in their care, but they knew it would be a beloved hell.
-alexandra
story #389