After a few, wonderful days without leaving home, Han and Leia had fallen back into their normal routines. Work had taken over their days while evenings and days off were spent together or with friends. On one particular morning, several weeks after the party, Leia had awakened to her alarm and rolled over only to find her stomach feeling queasy. And, in spite of the fact that she knew she had gotten enough sleep, she still felt unreasonably tired.

"It can't possibly be time to get up already," she said.

"'Fraid so, sweetheart," Han said groggily from beside her. "But if you decide to call in sick I promise not to tell anyone you're lying."

"Thanks. I know I can always count on you for back-up, but I think I'll go in today. I'm going to take a shower. You getting up anytime soon?"

She rose up out of the bed and Han simply grabbed her pillow, snuggled into the bed and shut his eyes again. "No, thanks. I think I'll call in sick today."

"Oh, good. If you're staying here then the kitchen could really use a good scrubbing," she teased.

Han opened an eye to look up at her. "Nah, maybe I'll go to work."

"That's what I thought," she said before disappearing into the 'fresher.

While her day had progressed as normal, she couldn't help but feel that something was… different. Her attention was continually drawn to her stomach; sometimes queasy and other times another feeling she couldn't quite place. She couldn't help but wonder if this was finally what she and Han had been trying for all these months. Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to go and visit the doctor, just to make sure.

She'd thought about calling Han, but she didn't want to get him excited only to be let down if it turned out to be a false alarm. Also, if this was, in fact, what they were hoping for, she selfishly wanted to be the one who got to tell him the news. Han had not held back his enthusiasm at the thought of having children with her, and she had found herself often picturing what he'd be like as a father. The image never failed to make her smile.

Seated on the examining table, her hands were clasped tightly and her feet were dangling and kicking involuntarily while she waited not-so-patiently for the doctor to return with the test results.

The woman smiled at her and Leia could hardly believe her ears. Pregnant. Not that this wasn't exactly what they had been trying for these past few months, but thinking about getting pregnant and finally receiving the confirmation that she actually was were two entirely different things. She didn't think that anything could've prepared her for the knowledge that in about nine months she was going to be a mother. And Han was going to be a father.

A warm tingle started in her spine and spread throughout her entire body and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. She was elated and nervous and overwhelmed all at once and practically raced out of the doctor's office. On her way home she continually fought the urge to call Han and tell him the news before she even got there, reminding herself that a large part of what she was looking forward to was seeing the look on his face when he heard.

A mother. She hadn't really believed she was up to that sort of task. For some reason leading a band of Rebels against the Empire seemed simpler to her. She never thought it was something she'd want, but sometime after falling in love with Han and suddenly hoping for a much brighter future, actually having a family of her own started to seem like a pretty good idea. And there certainly wasn't anyone in the Universe she'd rather start one with.

"Han, I have to tell you something."

He had been lying on the couch in their living room, half asleep while watching a smashball game. It was his favorite way to unwind after work if Leia wasn't home yet. Through half-opened eyes, he glanced up at her standing behind him. For a brief moment, he was worried about what she might have to say, for normally she wouldn't preface a statement with much of anything, she'd just go ahead and tell him.

But when he saw the look on her face and the faintest hint of a smile he could tell she was trying to conceal, he got the sense that whatever she had to say wasn't necessarily going to be bad news. He swung his legs down off the couch and held his arm up to her. "Sure, sweetheart, sit down." She plopped down next to him and placed her hands on his knees. "What is it? Nothing's wrong, I hope."

She shook her head and smiled. "No, no. Nothing's wrong at all. In fact, everything is perfect."

"Okay, so what do you have to tell me?"

She reached up and placed a hand against his cheek and smiled at him. "Han, we're going to have a baby."

It took him a moment for her words to sink in. Although he had never told anyone until he and Leia had discussed it, he had always longed to have a family of his own since it was something he'd never had. Not to mention that other than his cousin back on Corellia who he'd rather never be in contact with again, he had no blood relatives that he was aware of. He could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of finally starting something that he had been missing his entire life, having a child that was both his and Leia's.

"Really?" He said, not sure he was ready to believe it and unembarrassed at the tears that started to sting his eyes.

"Yes, Han. You're going to be a father."

He cupped her face gently in his hands and leaned in and kissed her tenderly; inadequate thanks for giving him the greatest gift he could ever receive. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly, burying his face in her neck. "I love you so much, Leia."

She laughed then. "Does this mean you're happy about the news?"

He laughed back at her, then leaned back so he could kiss her again before placing a hand on her abdomen. "How long have you known? I mean, when did we… uh…"

"I just came straight from the doctor's office. I think it was a few weeks ago, after the big party. I thought I felt a little different afterward, but I had to wait to make sure."

Han remembered that night fondly, when they'd spent much of the celebration dancing and then thoroughly enjoyed themselves back in their bedroom for much of the remainder of the evening. He couldn't think of better circumstances for the conception of their child.

His hand hadn't left her stomach, and he leaned down and gently kissed her through the material of her shirt. When he leaned back again, she wiped the moisture from his eyes with her thumbs.

"Now, Leia, you realize that this means that now you're really never going to be able to get rid of me."

She gave him another gorgeous smile. "I wouldn't want it any other way, Han."

He leaned in and kissed her more deeply this time, realizing that somehow over the course of their little conversation he suddenly loved her at least twice as much as before.

Stopping to take a breath, he asked, "So, how do you feel?"

Her arms were still wrapped around his neck as she pulled away from the kiss, slightly out of breath. "Good. Really good. Not really all that different yet."

He pressed his forehead against hers and slid a hand up her thigh. "Does that mean you're up for celebrating this properly?"

Smiling back at him, she replied, "I'd love to. You already got me pregnant, what more trouble can we get into by fooling around a little?"

He responded with another impossibly wide grin before he moved to kiss her hungrily, her hands winding up into his hair, one of his hands sliding down her back. He couldn't think of a better way to show Leia how much he appreciated what she was giving him.

Han had done his best to be a supportive husband and father-to-be while Leia endured her pregnancy. She wasn't a whole lot different in the initial weeks, aside from seeming incredibly tired much of the time and her occasional bouts with nausea. He'd found her asleep on the couch or at her desk far more often than normal, but did his best to ensure that she always awakened in their bed. She had also developed an aversion to certain foods, but unfortunately it never became apparent which foods exactly until the moment they were put in front of her. They had kept a steadily growing list of these offenders and Han made every effort to keep them away from her at all costs.

While Han had missed out on the initial appointment with the doctor to find out about the pregnancy, he had told Leia that he wanted to be included in any subsequent visits, which she happily agreed to.

Han was especially excited about ten weeks into Leia's pregnancy when the Solos headed into the doctor's office where they would be able to get a first look at their child through a scanner. Han had always despised doctor's offices, but he found that for the first time in his life he wasn't walking in with great dread, but with great anticipation at finally getting a glimpse at the tiny being he and Leia had created.

"Good morning," the doctor said as she entered the room. She was a middle-aged woman with short, dark hair and wire-framed glasses. She gave the couple a warm smile that immediately made Han feel at ease. "Well, let's see what we have going on in there, shall we?"

The pair nodded in agreement and Leia lay back against the examining table and lifted her shirt to reveal her only slightly-swollen abdomen while the doctor applied some cool gel to her skin. Han clasped Leia's hand while his thumb absently rubbed against her palm, both of their eyes fixed on the screen next to them where the image would appear.

"Now," the doctor began, "we won't be able to see a whole lot yet as the fetus is only in the very early stages of development. And we won't get be able to tell yet if it is male or female. When the time comes, would the two of you like to know the sex?"

Han and Leia exchanged glances, each waiting for the other to decide first. "What do you think, honey?" Han asked.

Her brown eyes stared into his as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I hadn't really thought much about it yet."

"Well, we don't have to decide right now."

"No, I suppose we don't." She turned to the doctor. "I guess we'll let you know when the time comes, doctor."

"Very well," the woman said as he applied the scanner to Leia's stomach. Han saw her shiver and he ran his other hand up and down her arm.

A fuzzy image appeared on the screen, and Han quickly became aware that he had no idea what he was looking at. One thing he could discern without needing an explanation, was the faint thudding sound coming at a rapid tempo. "Is that?"

The doctor looked up and smiled. "It is. That's your baby's heartbeat."

Han let out a breath and smiled, squeezing Leia's hand and feeling her squeeze back, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

The doctor's face suddenly looked concerned. "Hmmm… that's something," she said far too casually.

"What?" Han said. "What's something?"

"Just a second," she said, moving the scanner a bit more and staring more intently at the screen where Han still saw nothing but some fuzzy white blotches.

As fast as Han could hear his baby's heart beating, his own heart suddenly felt like it was thundering twice as hard in his chest. He cast Leia a worried glance and she returned it to him, unsure of what 'something' could possibly be.

The doctor turned to the couple and pulled the scanner away from Leia's stomach. "Well, I have some more news for you two," she said.

Han realized he'd been squeezing Leia's hand far too hard and eased his grip a bit. He'd have been more nervous if the doctor looked like whatever she had to say was bad.

"I do believe you're having twins."

"What?" Han and Leia said simultaneously and in complete disbelief.

"I can see the distinct outline of two of them in there, and I am getting two heartbeats. Congratulations."

Han was speechless. He gasped out a couple of breaths and looked down at his wife who appeared similarly shocked.

"I'll give you two a moment," the doctor said with a knowing smile before leaving the room.

"Han?" Leia asked, obviously also suffering from a similar inability to form complete sentences.

He looked down at her and responded disbelievingly. "Twins?"

She nodded. "That's what she said."

"That means two babies at once, right?"

"Last time I checked, yes."

"You really think we can handle two of 'em?"

"Han, I was never one hundred percent sure we could handle even one, but I think we might be able to figure it out."

"You sure about that?"

She reached up and clasped his hand within both of hers. "Han, with all of the things we've been through together, what makes you think we won't be able to handle this?"

Han smiled down at her. "I guess so. They're only babies, right? And they won't even have blasters. I think we can take 'em."

"Yeah, well someday they might have lightsabers."

Han's face fell as he considered how difficult it might be to raise Force-sensitive children, while Leia just grinned at him.

But the smile disappeared from her face and she brought a hand up to cover her eyes. "Oh, gods," she said.

Han suddenly got very, very nervous. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Without looking at him, she shook her head. "Han, how can I possibly fit two in there?" She asked, indicating her mid section. "I'm so small!"

He tried and failed to hide his laughter. "Aw, sweetheart, I'm sure you're not the smallest woman who's ever had twins. You'll manage."

"That's easy for you to say," she replied, finally looking up at him. "I'm going to be huge."

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "And I'll love every extra bit of you," punctuating his statement when he kissed her neck.

Now it was her turn to laugh, bringing a hand up to rest against his cheek as he pulled away to look at her. "You better mean that."

"Of course I do. Have I ever let you down?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Never." She kissed him then, and Han had to lean back once he remembered that they were still in the doctor's office.

"Want to get out of here? I think we've got a few people to tell some good news."

"You think they'll still offer to babysit?" Leia asked.

"I'm sure we can work something out."