"Face Without a Name"
By EsmeAmelia
AN: Sorry about the long gap between updates (why do I keep saying that?). Well, if you've read my story "My Mother," you'll notice some familiar details, but hey, why should I reinvent the wheel for a short story like this?
Chapter 2
Leia and Han both shifted nervously as they descended the ship's ramp behind Senator Naberrie. Upon their reaching the ground and stepping into the nighttime air, thousands of snowflakes the size of fingertips showered down on them, wetting their hair and heavy coats. They pulled their coats around them, silently following the senator wherever she was leading them.
"Ya know, we ain't exactly dressed for a baby shower," Han brought up after a while, his tone bordering on desperate.
"I keep telling you - that doesn't matter," said Pooja, her boots digging into the snow that was at least six inches deep. "She'd just like you there."
Han growled softly before grabbing his wife's arm and pulling her to his side. "Honey, have you noticed that this lady's crazy?" he whispered through his teeth.
Leia gave no answer, not even looking at her husband, instead gazing up at the domed buildings on either side of the street, their roofs dusted with snow.
"Leia?" Han persisted.
As if suddenly in a hurry, Leia quickened her pace until she was quite a few steps ahead of her husband, leaving him to stare at the back of her coat as it whipped around her legs in the chilly wind.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Siran!" Pooja exclaimed when a blonde-haired man answered the door to her sister's house.
"Pooja, Pooja, Pooja!" the man exclaimed in a jolly voice. "So very glad you could make it. Your sister and I were starting to think the senate would keep you away from us!"
"Oh come on, do you really think I'd miss Ryoo's baby shower?" After giggling for a second, Pooja turned and extended her arm to the couple behind her. "I've brought some special guests with me."
Siran's eyes widened at the sight of Leia and Han. "My goodness...Leia Organa and Han Solo themselves."
"Yes." Pooja nodded, extending her hand to the man and her attention to her guests. "Leia, Han, my brother-in-law, Siran."
"Nice to meet you," Leia said mechanically as Siran shook her hand in amazement. She had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at him. Hero worship was not something she enjoyed.
"Yeah," mumbled Han, who didn't like hero worship any more than his wife did.
"Well what are we standing around for? Come on in!" Siran said in a jolly voice. "My wife has talked about nothing but meeting you for some time now. Well, except for when she talks about the baby, of course."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After entering the large living room, the four had to elbow their way through the immense crowd of guests before they could get to the couch where the expectant mother sat. She had straight, dark brown hair that went past her shoulders and a smooth, mature face. Her large stomach looked anxious to poke through her dark blue dress.
It was Pooja who reached her first, smiling like a child. "Ryoo!" Before her sister could even greet her, she sat down on the couch next to her and put her hand on her large stomach. "The three essentials for happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. A baby covers all three."
Ryoo gripped her sister's face and pulled it towards her so she could kiss her cheek. "So glad you could take time off from your busy schedule to come here." Her voice was deep, almost a mumble.
"Of course I could!" Pooja exclaimed, patting her sisters stomach. "And I swear that I'll be heading back here the instant my little niece is born."
"So you already know that it's a girl?" Leia interjected without remembering to introduce herself first, as if Ryoo were an old casual friend.
The pregnant woman jumped slightly in surprise, abruptly jerking her head upward. Upon seeing who addressed her, her eyes grew wide, as if staring at a childhood hero.
"So...she actually came..." she mumbled.
"Yes," Pooja said gently. "She came. Her husband's here too."
"I'm sorry," Leia quickly cut in. "I don't know why I said that without introducing myself..."
"It's all right," interrupted Ryoo, her eyes still widened. "I...I'm glad you came...I mean, I know this whole thing must seem strange to you..." She cleared her throat, hesitantly offering her hand. "I'm Ryoo."
Leia gently took her hand. "Leia." She extended her other arm behind her. "And this is my husband, Han."
"Yes, I figured," said Ryoo, shifting her glance only slightly, seeming hesitant to look away from Leia.
"Just so you know, this invitation kinda sprung on us," Han said uneasily. "So if you were expectin' a present or anything, don't hold your breath. Oh yeah, and we don't usually come to strangers' baby showers, so don't go expectin' us to make this a habit."
Ryoo actually smiled for a moment. "Don't worry, I'm not. Anyway, you'll both know why I invited you here soon. We may not be such big strangers after all."
Han flashed a confused and irritated look at his wife before Pooja spoke up. "Tell them what your daughter's name will be."
The pregnant woman rubbed her lips together, as though she thought the baby's name had to be kept a secret until it was born. "Would...would you like to know the baby's name?"
"Sure, why not?" Han said with a sigh. "Maybe that'd make this slightly less weird."
Ryoo tapped her fingers on her belly as she gazed up at Leia. "What about you?"
"Why wouldn't I want to know the baby's name?" Leia began wondering why she suddenly felt so comfortable, as if Ryoo and Pooja were old friends.
Ryoo's eyes gazed down at her stomach, effectively hiding from Leia's stare. "Her name will be Padme...after my late aunt."
"Late?"
Ryoo looked back up at her. "My aunt Padme died when I was a girl. She...she was a great leader."
Padme...why was that name tugging on Leia's mind? She couldn't recall ever knowing anyone with that name...so why did she feel like she was connected with it? Padme. Had she ever even heard the name before? Padme...Padme...Padme. Why was she repeating it to herself?
"It's...it's a beautiful name," she managed to say.
"Thank you."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The party progressed with what seemed like dozens of strangers gushing over Ryoo and her family. Not wishing to become the center of attention themselves, Leia and Han eventually settled themselves near the back of the room by the snack table. Soon Han was sampling the rather large pastries while Leia found herself wandering along the wall, her eyes running over the various holos on it.
There were a good many holos of Ryoo with her husband, some of two little girls Leia guessed to be Ryoo and Pooja when they were children, some of large gatherings of people that were perhaps parties or family reunions. She only gave each holo a passing glance that barely registered in her mind...until she spotted a holo of a young woman, and her eyes widened.
The woman in the holo had wavy brown hair, sharp brown eyes that seemed to be looking directly at Leia, a smooth, round face, a wide, inviting smile...Leia froze, unable to look away, unable to even blink. She was back in her dreams...they had found a way out of her head and into the real world.
"Leia?" Han's voice asked. "You okay?"
Leia kept staring, barely aware of her husband's presence, unable to think of anything beyond the face in front of her. The woman from her dreams...she was real...she was real...she was real.
"Leia, do you remember your mother? Your real mother?" When Luke asked her that question, she hadn't been sure whether or not she was telling the truth. Her answer had perhaps been a wish rather than a true memory - a wish that the person from her dreams was connected to her.
"Han..." she finally managed to say. "Han...that's...that's her."
"What?"
Before Leia could give an answer, a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked dark hair, wearing a royal purple dress trimmed with gold thread, approached the couple. "Hello there," she said in an accented, hesitant voice, offering her hand. "I'm Sola Naberrie, I'm Ryoo and Pooja's mother."
Taken aback, but unable to stop thinking about the holo, Leia had barely shaken her hand for a second before blurting out, "Who is she? The woman in that holo?" Whatever restraint she had been taught to hold her entire life ebbed away - her voice carried desperation.
Sola sighed, gazing up at the holo, seeming to make a point of not looking Leia or Han in the eye. "Her name was Padme Naberrie Amidala. She was queen of this planet a long time ago. Then she represented us in the Galactic Senate...before the Sith killed her." She inhaled deeply, as if trying to prevent herself from crying. "She...she was my sister."
"Sister??" Leia and Han reacted together.
Sola's gaze lowered. "She's...she's actually the reason why you're here." A long, uncontrolled sigh emitted from her mouth, highlighting the lines in her cheeks. "I-I-I...don't know how to tell you this...maybe I'm not the one to tell you..."
Han stuffed a small cake into his mouth, making loud smacking noises as he chewed. "Should I be here for this, or is this somethin' private only for Leia?" he said with his mouth full.
Sola sighed once again. "It affects you too...just not as greatly as Leia."
Leia's face was stoic, but her mind was spinning. Sola's face was blurring in front of her eyes, mixing with the woman from her dreams every time she blinked until they seemed to be a single entity.
"W-we're...we're related, aren't we?" As soon as the question exited her mouth, it didn't matter whether or not Sola had the courage to answer. She already knew. Perhaps she had known the instant Pooja invited her to Naboo. There could only be one possibility, one reason why the face of Sola's sister haunted her so.
Sola breathed in. "I...I think I'm your aunt."
