Fair warning! This is a complete piece of fluff! It is meant only to be warm and fuzzy. For those of you who read The Practice Child, this is what happens next.
Claws and Effect
"Ouch!" Leia pulled her foot back, tucking it underneath her husband's leg. Unperturbed, a pair of amber eyes looked hopefully at the foot that remained unprotected except by the thin bedsheet.
"Don't even think about it, you furry little rancor! If I get my hands on you…" she snarled.
"Hey, your Worship, take it easy! He's just a baby." Han Solo stretched his arms languorously over his head, and Leia found herself momentarily distracted from the prospect of imminent attack by the movement of the lean muscles on her husband's bare torso. Crossing his hands behind his head, he grinned crookedly at her.
After a long, appreciative stare, Leia reminded herself to breathe. Gods, he was gorgeous. She shifted onto her side to face him, and felt a set of claws tap insolently at her leg.
"He's not that much of a baby anymore," she observed with a pained grimace.
Indeed, the tiny handful of silver and black striped fur her husband had brought home and irreverently christened Spot had grown into a gangly adolescent with ridiculously long legs and an insatiable penchant for getting into mischief. When he'd brought the little beast home, Han had explained to her that if they were going to have children, they needed to practice parenting. If Spot was a portent of things to come, maybe this baby thing wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Don't be mean to him," Han admonished. "Come here, Spot." He patted an open patch of mattress. "Good boy!" he said encouragingly.
With one last look at Leia, Spot crooked his tail up over his back and marched along the length of Han's outstretched leg and hip before jumping lightly down between the two of them on the bed. He offered his head to Han, who obliged the animal by stroking its chin with one gentle finger. The resultant purr reminded Leia of the Falcon when she was powered-up and ready to lift off.
"Don't worry, Spot, I won't let the meanie hurt you," he assured the pittin.
"Oh, ack!" Leia groaned. She rolled over onto her other side and peered at the chrono on the nightstand. She groaned again.
"Time for work?" Han asked.
"I'm afraid so." Slowly, Leia raised herself to a sitting position and dropped her legs over the edge of the bed. Today wasn't going to be one of her better days, she suspected. She felt uncharacteristically sluggish—and her big toe hurt from where Spot had nipped it.
"You okay?" Han had propped himself up on one elbow to look at his wife, though he still had the pittin cupped protectively against his chest.
"Yeah, I'm just tired this morning."
Han flashed another lopsided grin. "Well, I'm not surprised. We had quite a workout last night," he said with insufferable pride.
"I was there, too, Flyboy!" she reminded him.
Leia leaned over to press a featherlight kiss on his lips, then turned and reached for the silky robe she'd tossed across a chair the previous night, wrapping it around herself as she headed toward the 'fresher.
Yawning, she splashed cool water on her face in an effort to wake herself up. She was exhausted this morning. Usually, after a night of creative and energetic lovemaking, she felt revitalized, but this morning she could barely move. Everything about her felt heavy.
Shutting off the water, she scrubbed a towel over her damp face. Leia was just about ready to step into the shower, when she heard voices. Or rather, she heard Han's voice. From the tone, soft and conversational, he obviously wasn't talking to Threepio, who they had somehow inherited. Even after all this time, the protocol droid still had the uncanny ability to irritate her husband, just by his sheer existence.
He must be on the comm, Leia thought. I hope there isn't an emergency. For him, or for me. Curiosity getting the better of her, she grabbed the robe and stuck her head out of the 'fresher door. Shock froze her in her tracks. She watched Han, mesmerized.
Her husband was on his back, with the pittin lying on his chest. The two were nose to nose, and Han was talking to him.
"You know, Spot, Mommy really loves you," Han addressed the animal. "I know she sounds mean sometimes, but she isn't." He reached out a finger and ran it along the creature's skull between its furry ears. "She has a lot of work, and a lot of responsibilities—more than any one person should have. She gets tired, sometimes, and frustrated." Han chuckled. "You really should be careful not to irritate her. Trust me, I know; I've been irritating her for years. That's more than enough for anyone." He grinned, and moved his finger to tap the pittin on his pink nose. "You and me, we just need to be a little more…"he hesitated, pondering what exactly it was they needed to be "…a little nicer sometimes. Especially you, little man!" He picked up the pittin and planted a quick kiss on the silvery stripes of Spot's forehead.
Leia felt a wave of loving warmth spread through her. Han Solo would never cease to amaze her. Or impress her. He was so sweet, so tender, with that little pittin. She could only imagine what a wonderful father he would make.
It hit her then, all at once, the way things did sometimes, very much like a stun shot from a blaster. How tired she was, how heavy she felt—suddenly it made sense. Leia backed into the 'fresher. She cleared her mind, the way Luke had taught her. Using the Force, she reached inside herself, deep within, and there it was. It was just the faintest of pulses; she wouldn't have felt it at all if she hadn't been looking for it. There was another life within her. They'd done it! For a long time she stood there, just sensing the new life within her.
"Hey, boys," she said, as casually as she could, when she went back into the bedroom. "Are we having a little guy talk?"
Han looked at her past Spot's head. His brow furrowed as he watched her come back to the bed, and sit on its edge.
"You're not getting dressed for work; are you sure you're okay?" He reached out a hand, the one not cradling the pittin, and took hers. He squeezed it with gentle concern.
Leia pivoted, so that her back was against the headboard, her feet out in front of her on the bed. Spot looked interestedly at her toes. Leia's lips turned upward.
"I think I'm going to comm Winter, tell her to tell Mon Mothma I'm sick."
Han sat up now, carefully moving Spot to one side. "You're never sick," he said dubiously.
Leia's smile grew wider. "Well, I can't very well call in pregnant, can I?"
She watched with tender amusement as Han processed this statement. At first, his face registered shock, then incredulity, finally ending up with a grin of pure joy. He pulled her in, and kissed her tenderly, almost tentatively.
"You're sure?" He pulled back to look into Leia's dark, sparkling eyes.
"Well, I haven't used the home test the OB-droid gave me yet, but I'm sure." Leia moved forward, pulling Han back to her. This time the kiss was longer, filled with passion—and promise.
"You're sure," Han murmured, his lips against hers.
Minutes later, Han leaned back, and stroked his wife's cheek tenderly. Then he turned to address the pittin, who was sitting at the end of the bed, watching the proceedings with a curious disdain.
"Did you hear that, Spot? You're going to have a baby brother or a baby sister!"
Spot's eyes narrowed, and his whiskers twitched suspiciously at this news.
"Hey, don't worry, little guy," Han reached over and scooped up the pittin. "We'll still love you just as much."