TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 1

Han and Leia were in their bedroom. The kids had finally gone to bed and they could relax for a little while. Having three teenagers and a five year old made this challenging. They snatched whatever moments they could.

"Where did I get the delusion that if I took a leave of absence, I'd have time to kick back?" Leia asked, yawning.

"Nature does abhor a vacuum," Han said, yawning as well. Dressed only in sleep pants, he laid down next to his wife and leaned over to take her in his arms. She was in one of his T shirts that she'd absconded with, one that read, 'I see the assassins have failed. Again.' It was old and soft and comfy and no matter how many times it was laundered, carried the lingering clean scent of her beloved husband.

"Some vacuum. I used to think, while the three older kids were small, that we'd have more spare time. What was I thinking?" Leia said, rolling her eyes.

"How about we don't think about anything right now?" Han asked in a soft, seductive tone. "Except maybe getting naked."

"I can do naked," Leia said, and began to slip the waistband of Han's sleep pants down and Han begin working his hands under her shirt.

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"I've got a run to make to the Outer Rim coming up," Han informed Leia the following evening. "Next week."

"How long?" Leia asked him. She was currently working along a holoshow that taught cooking. She'd been working diligently at it since going on leave, and her efforts were paying off; no one claimed that she'd poisoned them anymore (except Anakin, who still ate little beyond pasta and cheese).

"Two weeks." Han reached into the chiller for an ale and popped it open. "Leaving in three days."

"Well, I'll just have to content myself with my vibrator," Leia said, swatting him lightly on the butt. Her former assistant and now good friend Najia had given her one as a gag gift for her last birthday.

"You mean you can't just think of me and get off?" Han teased.

"You do think highly of yourself, don't you, Flyboy?" Leia said, laughing. "I need to get Jarik. Want to come along?"

"Only if I can drive."

"What's wrong with my driving?"

"Nothing, except that you seem to be oblivious to whole idea of brakes." Leia was what she called an 'aggressive' driver. Han termed it 'suicidal brunette.' Leia was more amused than anything at his reluctance to let her drive. She was excellent at piloting the Falcon, but that she did only rarely and never with a traffic jam.

"Who needs brakes. If you wanna drive, Flyboy, go for it." She laughed.

Who'd have thought I'd be the conservative driver in the family, Han muttered to himself.

They were about to leave when Jacen arrived home. Jaina still attended Praxium but after a disastrous stay at Yavin six months earlier, both decided it would be best if Jacen wasn't involved for now. It seemed to be working; he was doing, to the minds of his parents, so much better. He was getting better grades at school and the medication he was taking for depression seemed to be working.

He missed Tenel Ka, that much they knew. She was still at Praxium but things had improved between her and her mother, and she was spending some of her time on Dathomir. Jacen and she communicated regularly; their comm bill was evidence of it. But Leia and Han liked the young girl and she seemed to be good for Jacen. He spent most of his time at home. Making friends had never been easy for him. But he and Jaina were friendlier with each other now, and he and Anakin had no more than the average number of arguments to be had between two teenaged brothers.

"I gotta do my homework. Actually," and he squirmed a bit uneasily, but not so much that it was noticeable, "I have some new friends at school and I wanna get together with 'em later. If that's okay." He saw the hesitation between Han and Leia. "No, they're not into drugs, okay?"

"I'd feel better if I met 'em first," Han told his eldest son. "Leia?"

"I'll give you an answer when I get home," Leia said to her son. "We're going to be late, Han."

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Jacen comm'd Ryker, one of the friends he wanted to get together with.

"So whassup?" Ryker asked him.

"I'll be there."

"Mom and Dad still treating you like a little kid?"

"No, they're cool." Jacen knew well that they weren't exactly on board with the idea, but he was going, anyway. He'd been staying home and not having fun for long enough. Six months he'd been keeping his nose clean, literally. Tomorrow wasn't a school day. It was time.

And he was craving. Oh, was he ever.

He had to admit that it hadn't been all bad. He and his father were composing music and he was getting more proficient. It had made them closer. The only problem was that while Dad may have been a little more attentive to him, his shipping business was thriving, and he was often gone for as long as two weeks at a time.

On the downside, Dad would be far less understanding if he screwed up again. Dad was patient and forgiving - to a point. Jacen was pretty sure that point had been reached. As for Mom, she was far more lethal - it took a great deal to piss her off, but once pissed off, she had a habit of staying that way. Nobody could do grudge like Leia Organa Solo. Her kids were well aware of that.

But it was lonely, too. He talked to Tenel Ka regularly, but she was immersed in her Jedi training.

He really wished he could enjoy it the way she did. And an unfortunate byproduct was that he resented her a little for it.

He knew he shouldn't do it.

But once would be okay. He didn't have to get hooked again. Just this once. He needed it. No one had a clue how difficult it was for him to go day to day.

His parents never had to find out. And they never would.

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"Hey dude!" Jacen said, grabbing Jarik by his feet and swung him. Jarik laughed hysterically at this.

Jacen was nearly as tall as Han now. He'd filled back out after breaking his addiction but had ceased to have the slight chubbiness that had been the hallmark of his young years.

"Can I go sleep at Squirrely's tonight?" Jacen asked his parents. Squirilino aka Squirrely's family had moved into the complex over the summer. His father was the minister of the interior on Coruscant and his mother an attache to the consulate. Leia knew them from work; they were good people and they'd chat once in a while.

"Do his parents know about this?" Leia asked him.

"I dunno!" Jarik continued to screech with laughter as Jacen carried him on his shoulders.

Just then Leia's comm went off. It was Deirdru, Squirrely's mother.

"Would it be all right if Jacen came to spend the night?" she asked Leia.

"You are welcome to him for as long as you want," Leia told her.

"Oh, that's great, because we're going to the Raging Rapids waterpark tomorrow." Once winter was over, things became warm on Coruscant in a hurry, and this spring was no exception.

"I'll give him some credits."

"No need. We get a steep discount, remember?"

"Sorry. My brain is taking this leave of absence thing a little more seriously than is probably healthy," Leia said.

"Bring his swimwear and we'll see him around 1800? He can eat dinner with us." Squirrely was their only child, and they took Jarik on outings frequently. The two boys had great fun and made plenty of noise, and Leia was more than happy to let someone else pick up the volume.

"Thanks," Leia told her, smiling.

"We're down one kid," Han commented, reaching for an ale. "That leaves three to go."

"Well, I'm sure Anakin will be busy, just because he's Anakin," Leia said. Anakin had no enemies or strangers in his life, only friends he hadn't met yet.

Anakin burst into the apartment. "Hey, parents, I'm heading off to the 53rd floor!" He announced breathlessly.

"Which friend's on the 53rd floor again?" Han asked.

"Oh, just Crix, Fang, Jesima, and Lowrie," Anakin said. "But the 17th has a couple people coming up, too."

"And whose parents are going to suffer through this?" Leia demanded.

Anakin stopped for a moment, his brow wrinkled in concentration. He looked like Leia when he did it.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure they'll be around!"

"We'll wait for CoroSec to get back to us," Han remarked dryly.

"Thanks!" Anakin headed out the door with his normal alacrity.

"Never knew a kid that had that many friends and never left the building," Han muttered.

"Oh, he knows plenty of them who live elsewhere," Leia assured him. "Besides, the Drednoughts know what to do if they get crazy."

Jaina arrived home from Praxium, her long hair slick with sweat, her uniform reeking. "I gotta take a shower!"

"And hello to you, too, Ms. Solo," Han said. "Good thing everyone else is clean, or we'd all be taking a cold one."

"And when was the last time you needed a cold shower?" Leia whispered teasingly.

"The last time I was on a delivery that lasted three days. Oh, wait, that was my last job." He kissed his wife and flashed her a devilish grin.

"So Dad? Mom? Can I go?" Jacen was taking advantage of whatever moment his parents were sharing and he was quite certain he didn't want to know the details.

The two looked at each other. They really needed a night away from the kids. Most of the time, at least one of them had to be home with Jacen.

"It's been six months," Leia said quietly. "Maybe it's time."

"Yeah, okay, kiddo," Han told him. "But no weirdness."

"There's not gonna be any weirdness!" Jacen sounded defensive. "Gods, I just wanna get outta the house for a change, okay? I've been stuck in here for six months! I've done everything you asked me!"

"Whoa, Jacen! We said yes!" Han reminded him.

"Thanks." He smiled at them. "Don't worry, you won't get a comm from CoruSec."

"Good plan," Han said. "That just leaves us Jaina to get rid of."

"No challenge there," Leia commented. Her sixteen year old daughter was barely home; she and Han referred to her being at home as 'Jaina sightings.' As in, she'd fly in and jet out at maximum speed.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Leia whispered wickedly into Han's ear.

"Same thing we do every night without children around," he whispered back.

"Try to take over the galaxy?" she teased back.

"Oh, there's plenty to be taken over." He hugged her.

"Guys, get a room," Jacen grumbled. "I'm out."

"Be home by 0030," Han informed him."

"I will, I will!"

Once in the hallway, Jacen heaved a giant sigh of relief.

Just this once, he told himself. Just this once. And then never again.

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