Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 3! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, as always. J

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. There's lots of fun, action, danger, and romance in store. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

The Corellian Conflict: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 4/?

"Gotcha Kimmy," Luke said, as he pulled back the brush, revealing his little sister. She pouted."How come you always find me first?" Kimberly whined.

"Well, don't tell anybody, but you're my favorite sister and I like it when you help me find the others," Luke told her. Her eyes lit up.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yep. Hop on and let's find everyone else," Luke said, as he lifted her onto his back.

~*~

Jayden squirmed around in the brush. Hide and seek wasn't his favorite game. He thought it was boring. It usually was just a big contest between Luke and Leia to see who could outwit the other. His attention perked when he saw Natalie sitting by the fountain. Usually they found a hiding place together, but Leia, being her bossy self, made them split up. Jayden felt the heat rise to his cheeks, as he looked at her. She was so pretty. He knew he really wasn't supposed to like girls yet and truthfully, he didn't. Leia and Jenna were annoying, even though he loved them anyway. Kimberly was sweet to him, so he didn't mind her at all. But the other female padawans in the Temple were down right irritating; always giggling and looking at him. They always tried to get close to him too. Natalie was different though. When she giggled and tried to be close to him, he got butterflies in his stomach. Yep, he was pretty sure he loved her. Most adults told him that he was too young to know what love was. But that was the great thing about his parents. They seemed like they understood his feelings for Natalie, even as young as they were. They always told him that love was absolutely everything. He watched Natalie toss a coin into the fountain and as she turned her head, he noticed that she was crying. And his heart nearly broke in two.

"Natalie…" he said, as he ran to her.

"Oh Jayden…" she cried. He noticed her skinned knee.

"You got hurt," he said, as he knelt down beside her.

"I tripped, but that's not why I'm crying," she replied. Jayden took her hand and she looked into the blue eyes.

"What's wrong Nat?" he asked.

"Mommy has been sick lately. Daddy and I are really worried," Natalie cried. Jayden sat beside her and hugged her tightly.

"There's something wrong, but the doctors don't know what," Natalie explained.

"How come she hasn't told my Mom? She needs to see the Temple healers. They can help better than regular doctors can," Jayden said.

"I know and Daddy wants her to. But Mommy says no. She says it's nothing and it will pass. But it won't Jay. She's really sick and I don't know what to do," Natalie sobbed. Jayden stood up.

"Come on, let's go find my Mom and Dad. They can help," Jayden insisted.

"But I promised Mommy I wouldn't tell anyone," Natalie replied.

"My Mom says that it's okay to break a promise if it's gonna save someone's life. And we can do it together. In fact, I'll tell them and take the blame. Everyone knows I have a big mouth," he joked, making her giggle.

"Thanks Jayden, but I can tell them, as long as you're with me," she replied. He took her hand.

"It'll be okay Nat. I'm always going to be here for you," he said.

Natalie threw her arms around him and Jayden's cheek's reddened. They joined hands and trekked back toward the garden exit.

~*~

"Ha…I found you!" Luke called proudly. Leia glared at him, as she hopped down out of the tree.

"You got lucky, laser brain," she replied.

"Come on Leia. In a tree? I think you're losing your touch," he teased. Leia growled and Luke gulped nervously, as she stamped her foot down.

"You take that back!" she demanded. Luke smirked and put Kimberly down.

"You gotta catch me first!" Luke called, as he pulled her ponytail and ran.

"Uh oh…" Jayden said, as he watched his older sister get red in the face.

"Let's get out of here, before she blows a gasket," Jayden told Natalie, as they went inside in search of his parents.

"Take cover!" Jenna joked.

"You are so dead when I get my hands on you…Lukie Pukie!" Leia yelled, as she gave chase.

"Wow…she's really mad. Luke's in trouble," Mara said in amusement. Suddenly, they heard someone yell at Leia for colliding into them and they all ran to see what had happened.

~*~

"Come back here Luke!" Leia called.

"Geez…girls are soooo slow," he teased. She glared at him.

"You're so mean! I'm telling Daddy!" Leia called.

"Fine. Be a tattle tale!" Luke called back. He knew his father would chide him for teasing Leia, even though she was being a baby, but it was worth the lecture, in his opinion. Leia was so bossy sometimes.

"Don't think I won't! All I have to do is cry and Daddy will yell at you!" Leia threatened, as she started to tear up.

"Aw…Leia, that's not fair. You know I didn't mean it. Don't cry," he pleaded. Her tears worked, as she noticed he had stopped. She smirked.

"Gotcha now," Leia said, as she ran toward him. Unfortunately, she ploughed right into another, bigger boy and was knocked down.

"Hey…watch it, short stuff!" the older boy snapped.

"Leia, are you okay?" Luke asked.

"No," she sniffed.

"Should have been watching where you were going, dummy," Han goaded. Leia gasped.

"I'm not a dummy! You ran into me!" she yelled. He scoffed.

"Whatever," he replied, as he started to walk off.

"Hey, aren't you going to apologize or are you too rude?" Leia asked.

"I don't apologize, especially not to spoiled little princesses' like you," Han replied.

"Spoiled? Well, at least I'm not a scruffy looking urchin," Leia spat back.

"That's not nice Leia. Mom wouldn't be happy if she knew you were being mean," Luke scolded, as Han glared at them.

"He started it. Besides, Mom isn't here. And if you tell her, I'll tell Daddy you pulled my hair and were mean to me," Leia threatened. Luke sighed. He could never win with her. She was impossible. Neither of them were really acting their age at all right now.

"Scruffy? Just who do you think you are, you little brat!" Han growled.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Nerfherder," Leia spat back. Luke sighed deeply again.

"I apologize for my sister. My name is Luke and her name is Leia," he said.

"Don't apologize for me Luke," Leia snapped.

"I'm Han. But I don't have time to stand around and play with a bunch of babies. See you around, Luke. Later, Ms. Bossy Pants," Han said, as he walked away. Leia fumed.

"My name is LEIA, your Nerf!" she called back. Han chuckled.

"I like Ms. Bossy Pants better," he laughed. Leia growled.

"Ugh…what a jerk!" she cried.

"Calm down Leia. You were really rude," Luke chided.

"Well, he was mean too!" Leia said.

"Even if he was kind of cute," she added silently, as she walked off.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"I'm going to find that boy and make him apologize," Leia said.

"Let it go, Leia," Luke replied.

"Not a chance, laser brain," she replied. Luke rolled his eyes and then shrugged. At least she wasn't going to run to Dad and tell him that a boy had been mean to her. He knew her game. She always omitted all the details about how she was mean back. The sad thing was that their Dad fell for it every time.

"Hey Skywalker…are you up for a spar?" Mara asked.

"Sure," he replied. Kimberly sat by the fountain to watch them.

~*~

Padme giggled, as her husband twirled her again, before spinning her back and pressing her body close to his, leaving no daylight between them. They swayed slowly, as they gazed into each other's eyes. Love flowed effortlessly and wordlessly between them. Padme's heart quickened, as her husband's lips drew closer to hers. Even after all these years, his kiss still excited her and still left her body tingling all over. She kissed him back, her lips moving with his in a passionate rhythm. Padme laid her head on his shoulder. She suddenly noticed Lauren's envious stare boring through them. She turned her head the other way and tucked it beneath her husband's chin, before sliding her arms around him in a tight squeeze. She wanted to scold herself, as the silly, old self conscious Padme was rearing her head. She never had and never would doubt her husband's love and devotion to her. Lauren didn't have a chance in Sith hell. Still, her own insecurities sometimes got the best of her.

"You're the only woman I could ever love or ever want to be with, angel," he said aloud, sensing her thoughts.

"I know. I'm being silly again. I know that you only want me," she replied.

"Good. I'm glad you know that. But a little proof never hurt anything," he said, as he captured her lips in his own. Padme's eyes closed, as she gave into the passion between them. Their hearts joined and Padme went limp in his arms, as he whispered words of love to her through their bond. It was magical, just as always. He finally broke the kiss and she sucked air into her starved lungs.

"Wow…" she said dreamily, as she cuddled against his chest. Sure enough, Lauren had looked away with a scowl on her face, while Bel remained oblivious to her distraction.

~*~

Bel watched Lauren down another scotch.

"Keep them coming," she told the bartender.

"You're really kicking them back tonight," Bel mentioned.

"I like feeling numb," Lauren mumbled. Bel kept noticing her gaze drifting in the same direction. He followed it and noticed it was on Anakin.

"You never told me you knew Anakin Skywalker," Bel said.

"It never came up," Lauren replied.

"You know, glaring at Padme isn't going to make her burst into flames," Bel half joked. Lauren set her drink down.

"It's that obvious, huh?" she asked.

"Lauren, you're my friend and I don't want to see you get hurt. If you're holding out the hope that he'll stray from his vows to his wife, then you're going to be hurt in the end," Bel stated.

"I know. Why would he want the riffraff when he has the Queen," Lauren replied.

"You're in love with him," Bel stated.

"I have been for years. I accepted it when he left to become a Jedi and I guess I was never really prepared to see him again, especially with a wife and kids," Lauren replied.

"Yes, and you need to accept it," Bel advised.

"Easier said than done," Lauren replied, as she took another sip of her drink.

~*~

"Hey Bail, where did Breha go?" Padme asked, as they sat down on his table.

"I took her up to our room. She wasn't feeling well," Bail replied.

"Is everything okay? Maybe she should see a doctor in the morning," Padme suggested.

"Mommy's already seen all the doctors, but she's still sick, because they don't know what's wrong," Natalie chirped, as she and Jayden stood before them.

"Natalie…" Bail said.

"I'm sorry Daddy, but Mommy isn't getting better," Natalie cried, as her father lifted her onto his knee.

"Breha's been ill? For how long?" Padme asked. Bail sighed.

"A couple months," he replied.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Padme questioned.

"She doesn't want to worry anyone. She's being very stubborn about it. The doctors can't give a diagnosis. They really don't know what's wrong with her," Bail said, worry lacing his voice.

"You need to have Breha on the first transport back to Coruscant tomorrow morning. She needs to see Bant," Anakin insisted.

"I've already suggested it, but she keeps putting it off and she won't slow down in her work at all," Bail replied.

"Bail, you need to go talk to her. Convince her that it's the best thing for her and your family. Tell her if she won't do it for herself…then she needs to do it for Natalie," Padme said. He nodded.

"I'll go talk with her. Will you look after Natalie for a bit?" he asked.

"Natalie can come spend the night with the kids. You take care of your wife tonight," Anakin said. Bail nodded.

"Thank you both for being such good friends. I'll see you in the morning, Princess," Bail said, as he dropped a kiss to her head.

"Night Daddy. Will you tell Mommy that I love her?" Natalie asked. Bail smiled.

"Of course," he replied.

"Come on you two. Let's go get you ready for bed," Padme suggested.

"Okay," they chorused.

"I'll go round up the others and we'll be up soon," Anakin said, as he kissed her tenderly. As Anakin was on his way out, he ran into Luke, Kimberly, and Jenna.

"Hi Dad," Luke said.

"Hey, I was just coming to get you guys. Mommy already took Jay and Nat upstairs. Where's Leia?" he asked, noticing her absence. Luke winced.

"Well, we were chasing each other and another boy ran into Leia as she was running. He was older and made Leia mad when he wouldn't apologize. So she went looking for him to get her apology," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"What was this boy's name?" Anakin asked.

"He said his name was Han," Luke replied.

"Well, if you're looking for my Han, he's probably tinkering in with the ship in the docking bay," Lauren said.

"Han is your son?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, come on. I'll take you to my ship. And I'll even make him apologize to your daughter," Lauren replied.

"Well, I'm not sure that will be necessary. Leia's a little headstrong," Anakin said. Luke snorted.

"A little," he mumbled incredulously

"She doesn't exactly let things go when she should sometimes," Anakin added.

"Maybe, but Han can be a little rude. He hates when I make him come to these parties, so he's a little irritable tonight," Lauren replied. Anakin smiled.

"Kids," he said.

"Yeah…your children are beautiful, by the way," Lauren mentioned.

"Thank you," he replied, as they rounded the corner toward the docking bay.

~*~

"There you are," Leia accused, as she stared up at him. Han looked down at her from the top of his ship.

"Well, Princess Bossy. You just couldn't stay away, could you? Of course you couldn't. Not from a gorgeous guy like me," Han boasted. Leia scoffed.

"Hardly. I followed your smell here and I'm not leaving until you apologize for being a jerk," Leia replied. Han hopped down from the ship's hull.

"Well, you're going to be waiting for a long time, Princess," he retorted. Leia fumed. He was so infuriating! Fine, if he wanted to play that way, she was game.

"Is this your ship?" Leia asked. Han smiled with pride.

"Sure is. Ain't she a beauty?" he asked. Leia shrugged.

"Kind of looks like a hunk of junk to me, especially compared to all my Daddy's ships," Leia retorted. Han glared daggers at her.

"This ship may not look like much, sister, but she's the fastest ship in the galaxy. Bet your Daddy couldn't fly her," Han retorted.

"Ha! Daddy is the best star pilot in the galaxy. It was his design they used for the new Mach Stealth fighters, after all," Leia bragged.

"Yeah, those aren't so great," Han lied. They really were amazing ships, but he wasn't about to admit that to her.

"So, do you live on Corellia?" Leia asked curiously.

"We're from Corellian, but we travel a lot," Han replied.

"Doing what?" Leia asked. Han paused.

"My Mom does a lot of freelance work," Han replied.

"Where's your Dad?" Leia asked.

"Don't have one," Han answered back quickly.

"Oh," Leia said regrettably.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be. You can't miss what you never had, can you?" he asked, rhetorically. Leia nodded mutely. Maybe Han wasn't so bad. Leia knew she usually let her temper get the best of her. Her mother was always warning her about it. And then, Leia couldn't imagine not having a father. Her father was always there for her; always teaching her things and protecting her. Han didn't have that and her heart went out to him. Her mother would tell her that the right thing to do would be to show him kindness and forget their differences. And her father would tell her to be compassionate to others.

"Look, I'm sorry I was so mean in the gardens. I shouldn't have yelled and called you names. It was wrong. My mom and dad wouldn't be very impressed with my behavior right now," Leia said. Disappointing her loving parents was Leia's worst fear. Han shrugged.

"S'okay. I'm sorry for being a jerk and knocking you down," Han replied. Leia was about to say something else, when a voice startled her.

"I'm looking for your mother, kid. Where is she?" Xizor demanded. Leia glared at the Prince. He was a very bad man. She could sense it.

"She ain't here," Han shrugged.

"I know that, you stupid brat. Where is she?" he demanded.

"I don't know. I'm not her keeper, you green freak," Han spat back.

"Watch your tone, boy. I'm not someone you should cross," Xizor spat, as he left, continuing his search for Lauren.

"Your Mom is friends with Xizor's?" Leia asked.

"More like business associates," Han replied.

"He's a bad man. Daddy says he's dangerous," Leia said. Han shrugged.

"Yeah, he's a jerk, but it's just business," Han replied. Leia looked skeptically.

"There you are Leia," she heard her father call.

"Hi Daddy!" she chirped.

"Han, are you being nice to Leia?" Lauren asked.

"Yes. He apologize and I apologized too," Leia replied politely.

"You apologized?" Luke asked in amazement. Leia stamped her foot.

"Why's that so hard to believe, laser brain?" she challenged.

"All right you two, that's enough. Mom's upstairs waiting for us. Let's go," Anakin said.

"It's nice to meet you, Han," Anakin called. Han nodded, slightly intimidated, as the "Chosen One" stood before him, though he would never admit that.

"You too, Sir," he replied politely.

"Bye Han!" Leia called.

"Bye!" he called back.

"Good night Lauren," Anakin said.

"Good night Anakin," Lauren replied, as she gazed at him, until he was gone…