A/N: A Han-Ben fic after a long time! Set sometime between LOTF and FOTJ.
Dedicated to my own Han Solo-in-the-kitchen who's rescued me far too many times from churning out culinary disasters :)
"Whatcha makin'"?
The question came from a wide-eyed seven-year old head, propped up over the counter.
Han Solo half-turned and flashed his granddaughter a lop-sided grin as he rolled up his shirt-sleeves.
"Nerf steaks in gravy. The ol' Han Solo classic!"
"Did someone with the last name Solo say the magic words 'nerf' and 'steaks' in the same sentence?"
"Aaaand here comes their biggest fan."
Han looked up at his nephew's characteristic flashy entrance with mock exasperation.
"You're late, kid. I asked you to get here fifteen minutes ago."
Ben Skywalker shrugged non-chalantly, shoving his little cousin playfully as he leaned back against the counter. She shoved him right back.
"Had to wake the old man from his afternoon nap and make him his tea."
Han Solo's eyebrows almost raised themselves.
"He's going to catch you saying things like that one of these days and then you can kiss your dreams of wangling a speeder out of him good-bye."
Ben scowled.
"Like I had much chance of that in the first place, Uncle Han," he grumbled, in typical teenage fashion.
"He's as stingy as a Toydarian these days!"
He pulled a face, contorting his features and pitching his voice several notes higher.
" 'If you want a speeder, my young apprentice, you should build one. Your grandfather did.' Some days it sucks to be a Skywalker!"
Allana giggled.
Han smirked, looking in her direction.
"See? This is why you don't want to be around boys anytime soon, sweetheart. All they ever do is whine!"
The young man scowled again at his uncle and cousin, having a laugh at his expense.
"Anyways, enough about my woes, you need me to start chopping those up for you?"
He indicated a small heap of vegetables on the kitchen table with a nod.
"Be much obliged, son."
Allana watched the two men work diligently, surprisingly graceful in tandem as, with only a few words exchanged, they made short work of the dinner preparations being held in Han and Leia's apartment. After swearing her to secrecy, Han took out a secret bottle of Corellian brandy and poured himself a couple of shots to accompany him as he worked. Even Ben quickly snorted a snifter when offered. He kept humming and singing dancing tunes under his breath as he worked, keeping Allana entertained with twists and slides across the kitchen floor and ridiculous facial expressions. Han watched the two of them out of the corner of his eyes and smiled indulgently whenever he heard the little girl burst into peals of laughter at her cousin wiggling his hips or juggling the vegetables behind his back. It was one of those family moments he kept carefully stored away in a safe compartment of his brain to look back on when such times were hard to come by.
"Now the secret to making great, not good, but great nerf steaks, is tenderizing the meat."
Han looked around at his two apprentices very seriously.
" My secret- and now I need you, Allana, to swear on every drop of Corellian blood you possess that you will never let this out to anyone outside the family...?"
He paused. Allana nodded vehemently.
"...is pak'pah juice. Now," he said, leaning forward and picking up a citron fruit from the table for added emphasis.
"Everyone says citron juice is enough. But citron and pak'pah? That's when the nerf meat is going to melt in your mouth."
Ben caught Allana's eye and nodded gravely to affirm his uncle's pearls of wisdom.
"And just a little grated citron zest sprinkled on top. Makes 'em go wild everytime, isn't that right, Uncle Han?"
Han winked at his nephew and then the two of them prepared to lift the heavy baking dish and put it in the oven.
Allana frowned, pertly considering something, then posed a question.
"Grandpa? How come you don't let Grandma help you out in the kitchen?"
Ben and Han caught each other's gazes and burst out into simultaneous guffaws of laughter.
"Oh honey, you wouldn't want to do that!" Han chuckled.
"Why not?"
Ben leaned forward, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Kid, I got two words for you, 'spice' and 'loaf'."
Allana's eyes widened and for a moment she looked faintly sick.
"Ok. I get it."
"Yeah, you remember that disaster, don't you? You don't want to let the women with either the Skywalker blood or the name near a cooking area and expect to survive."
Both men nodded sagaciously remembering their own experiences of such occasions.
All of a sudden, as though summoned by the very mention, a whirlwind seemed to materialize in the kitchen doorway.
"What are you all still doing?" it screeched, hands on hips.
"Jaina and Jag will be here any minute! Han! You're still not dressed!"
Han nodded absently, wiping his hands on a cloth, not looking concerned enough for his wife's satisfaction.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, there's plenty of time."
This made Leia glare at him all the more fiercely.
"Yeah, Grandma. It's almost done. I helped", Allana put in, hoping to garner a few unearned credits for it.
Leia only fussed over her as well.
"You too, Allana. Go and change your clothes. And see that Anji's fur is brushed thoroughly. I want her on her best behaviour tonight. I don't know what you and that nexu get up to, but she's got grass and twigs in her fur!"
Han bent down and kissed Leia on her forehead.
"Leia, I just need to watch the steaks, ok? I don't understand why you're getting so worked up all of a sudden! It's only family."
Leia gazed up at him beseechingly.
"Han, I just want us all to sit down to a civilized dinner like a normal family for once. And Jag's coming to our place for the first time. I have a feeling about him and Jaina."
Han stiffened perceptibly at this.
"A good feeling, Han! And I want to make a good impression. Please don't ruin this? Now go."
She nudged him towards their bedroom.
"But Leia! The steaks!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Han. I'll watch them." Ben finally spoke up from his corner, where he'd been standing unobtrusively, content to let his aunt rail at her husband and granddaughter. But now her attention was drawn squarely to him.
"Oh no you don't. You are going to go straight home and drag your father here. Luke has no sense of punctuality when it comes to social occasions as opposed to Jedi Council meetings!"
"But- Aunt Leia! The steaks!" he tried to protest as well.
His aunt marched in and dragged him out.
"I'll watch them. They'll be fine. Now go. And please change your shirt, Ben," she said, wrinkling her nose at him in disgust.
"I have no idea what you've spilt on it, but you positively stink!"
"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly, to no avail as he was unceremoniusly shoved out the door.
"Forty-five minutes, Leia," Han warned her before he left. "Please set the timer."
"I will!" she huffed exasperatedly, feeling as though he considered her to be a child.
The two Skywalkers, the Solos and Jagged Fel sat comfortably around the Solos living room, chatting about topics ranging from arguments about the latest bolo-ball Galactic Premier League statistics and comparative specifications of the Besu'liik and StealthX starfighters to Imperial politics: Royal pain in the behind through the ages. Jaina had just gotten up to get herself a refill of Alderaanian wine and Allana was just vociferously arguing just how much smarter Anji was than any circus sand panther, unable to realize that her cousin was mercilessly pulling her leg, when a voice called suspiciously from the kitchen.
"Uhh...hey, Mom?"
Leia looked up towards her daughter.
"Is there supposed to be smoke coming out of the oven...?"
In the next instant, the Solos' living room witnessed a miniature stampede.
"Leia! I told you! Forty-five minutes! Didn't you set the timer?!"
"Oh no! The nerf steaks!"
"Oh no! The oven!"
"Uhh... I think it's about time somebody told me where the fire extinguisher is kept. You guys do have one...don't you?"
Leia was the first one into the hazard zone and when she came out, her expression had crumpled. The dish she levitated out with the help of the Force had only a black charred smelly mass inside and severe scorching around the sides. As one, the entire party groaned and several shoulders slumped.
"Oh great! Now what are we going to do for dinner?"
"Toydarian stir-fry anyone?"
"YELCH!"
"Alright alright! I was just suggesting!"
Han Solo heaved a sigh and clapped his hands together.
"Well. That's that. That's not even fit for a dianoga on Dagobah!"
He looked over at his nephew with a weighted stare.
"I suppose it's time to call out the reinforcements."
Ben gave a curt nod and dashed out the door. All the rest turned to stare at him, frankly astonished.
Soon Ben returned, effortlessly levitating two large foil-wrapped dishes in front of him.
"What's that?" Allana asked, her arm around her nexu and her eyes round.
"Plan B", said her grandfather.
Ben set them down and set to unwrapping them, pulling off the foil triumphantly with a flourish.
"Ta da!"
There, before the eyes of the shocked Skywalker and Solo clans and one Jagged Fel, sat two baking trays of succulent nerf steaks soaked in a rich, aromatic gravy. Just a whiff of them made Anji mewl and start to wriggle in Allana's grasp.
Han walked over and clapped a proud hand on his nephew's shoulder who stood beaming over his surprise.
"Did you remember the pak'pah like I told you?"
Ben looked wounded.
"Of course, Uncle Han. And the citron zest garnish."
"Well then, I now pronounce you Knight of the Culinary Order!"
Uncle and nephew grinned equally lop-sidedly at the bevy of startled faces all around them.
Leia was the first to find her voice.
"Ben... you made these?!"
Her nephew nodded proudly.
"Yep. All by myself! Had to put Dad to sleep first, so he wouldn't interfere."
"Hey!" Luke interjected indignantly.
"Sorry, Dad. But you'd probably have been as bad as Aunt Leia, forgetting the steaks, and going into meditation and letting the house burn down. I have to be the responsible one when it comes to handling the food, you know."
His father had no answer to that.
The genial host of the evening once again drew everyone's attention.
"Ladies, gentlemen, Goldenrod and nexu, since dinner has been so fortunately served," he gestured toward the dining table, "Shall we?"
As Leia slipped into her place beside him, Han audibly cleared his throat. His wife looked at him reproachfully.
"Fine. I'll admit it. This was one of your moments. You don't have many of them, but you do have them."
Han cleared his throat again and leaned his cheek closer towards her.
Leia huffed, but planted a kiss on him anyway.
Ben watched the exchange, through lowered eyes, then reached over to kick his little cousin under the table.
"Oww! Nerf!"
"The nerf's going into your stomach."
He nodded over at his uncle and aunt.
"See? 'Boys' can come in handy sometimes. And that's something you might want to remember, little Hapan princess!"
And with that, he smirked cheekily at her and winked.
THE END
A/N 2: It has been pointed out to me that there is a continuity error in this story. Allana doesn't get Anji until sometime in between the books Omen and Abyss in the FOTJ series. But somehow, I find it very hard to visualize Allana without her pet. My bad. I shall put up corrections as soon as I think of them! Until then, please excuse!