MORE THAN JOY

(Han)

I didn't think it was possible to be more blissful than I'd been for Winter Fete the year before. It was our first married Winter Fete, and Leia and I had never been so happy.

Sure, we'd had Winter Fete during wartime, but wringing any joy out of it was pretty tough. The last year of it, Leia had gotten sick, and it was one of the times she'd let me be nice to her. A few weeks after that, well, that kind of sealed the deal.

Leia had objected to having kids, but time and circumstances won her over. She knew how much I wanted kids, and once she got past her resistance, no one was more eager to be a mom.

And now, we're expecting a baby around my birthday in summer.

I had no idea what happiness was before this.

The Fete last two weeks and is seen by a whole lot of sentients as an excuse to stay drunk the entire time. Coruscant's a city that never sleeps and that's amped up on steroids during Winter Fete.

Luke and Mara are already on Coruscant but their first stop is the Jedi Temple. Luke's leading the services that are conducted - the festival is over 5000 years old - so we have a couple hours before they arrive. Leia's been napping; she's still dealing with nausea and being tired all the time. I've done the cooking; she's learning and she's getting better at it, but I don't mind. She's given me the greatest gift anyone could: the chance to be a father. I'm so excited that I could burst.

I stuff the waterfowl with a simple stuffing used on Alderaan. Leia didn't grow up eating spicy dishes, and since nausea seems to be her constant companion these days, I'm keeping it bland but with some flavor. Luke and Mara like spices, but they'll understand. It's their niece or nephew that's cooking up inside Leia. I'm making mashed tubers and a salad of cold greens and fruits, and there's flatbread baking. I don't bake desserts, but Leia got kavasa tarts. I'll warm them during dinner.

I open the door to our bedroom a crack. The sun's on its way down and soon we'll need light, but I catch a glimpse of her sleeping peacefully on our bed, the bed where we conceived of the baby she's now carrying. It never ceases to amaze me how she'll grow our baby in that tiny body of hers. Right now, it's not obvious that she's pregnant, but at some point, it'll become apparent that she's going to be a mother.

I've furtively caught glimpses of her looking at her belly. I can imagine our baby growing inside her, how she'll look as she's farther along. I've always felt protective towards her but now it's her and our baby, and I need to care for them both at a level I've never before experienced. I'll do everything I can to see to it that harm never comes to either of them. Not that I have firsthand experience, but I'm pretty sure that's what dads do.

This Winter Fete is a joyous one, but I'm willing to bet next year's is going to be even better.

There'll be three Solos instead of two.