a/n: almost there! deployed Han this chapter. sort of.
12 ABY
Coruscant
The days were long, and the years were short – it was a cliché Leia had often heard, and one that had often been leveled at her by acquaintances or co-workers who had children. It had always seemed like a fond, well meaning, filler type sentence to her, as Leia's experience with Jaina seemed to proceed in just the right fashion – ebbing and flowing, fluctuating between chaos and peace, but unfolding at the right tempo, as she and Han encountered each new challenge with trepidation and a sense of exhausted adventure.
However, with Han gone, and she herself just over the edge into her third trimester, she felt she was really beginning to understand it.
There was a monumental difference between – at least most of the time - coming home to Han and Jaina, and knowing she always had him there to help, and coming home as the lone caregiver after a long day of work. And of course, on the days when she took Jaina to the office with her, there was little break at all.
She didn't hate it; not at all. It was just starkly different, and quite eye opening – and she had plenty of family support and outside help. She couldn't imagine being a working mother in a single-parent type situation as a reality.
Han had been gone for two weeks, and was expected back in ten days – not all too long, in the grand scheme of things. He had kept his involvement controlled, and generally, close to Coruscant; Leia knew there would probably be a massive operation coming up in which he'd be gone for longer, but she maintained what she'd told him originally: that she support his work, encouraged it, even, and she was doing fine.
After all, she was an adult, perfectly capable of coping with adjustments like this – certainly able to miss him, and still function, to know he was coming back; it was Jaina who had struggled at first, as she wavered between appearing to understand that Han was off planet for a little while, and forgetting, and dissolving into tears several nights in a row at bed time when she hadn't seen him all day.
Even though she knew Han would be back, it broke Leia's heart to see Jaina cry, and feel her confused fear that Daddy was never coming home, and she knew Han would be devastated if he knew – so she only told him that yes, Jaina missed him, and no, she hadn't forgotten him.
The three-year-old had adjusted, though, and Leia was sure that when Han came back, she'd be startled at the sudden return to her old normal, and have another period of confused adjustment. Hectic or disruptive as they could be, Leia considered the occasional changes in lifestyle good for Jaina; they helped her learn to cope with things well and understand that her entire life would not always be exactly the same. There would be new babies, maybe moves, different planets - and with the right guidance, Jaina could handle it, and was learning to handle it, and it very subtly encouraged her independence, too.
Han made Holo calls home daily; he had only missed making the connection once or twice. Leia had told him repeatedly it wasn't necessary to call every single day; they knew he loved them and missed them, and all would be well if he was on radio silence for a few days - but Han could not be dissuaded, and expressed extreme guilt over the times he missed a call, and so Leia was just patient with him. She didn't want him to feel as if he was bothering her - he certainly wasn't. And Jaina looked forward to his calls, particularly if he was able to call during their evening routine - as he had tonight - and tell her a story, or talk her to sleep.
Currently, he was finishing up yet another Alderaanian fairytale, one he knew by heart, thanks to how often Jaina requested it. She was half asleep in Leia's lap in the little home office, her eyes hazily fixed on Han's shimmering blue figure. She was quite used to the flickering image now - the first few times, despite having seen Holos before, she inexplicably kept trying to reach forward and hug Han, and burst into angry tears when she was unable to, which Leia was sure had emotionally compromised Han for days. All was well now, and for the past hour, Leia had been working quietly, occasionally stopping to listen, or answer a soft question, while Han regaled Jaina with a long-winded interpretation of the fairytale.
"Hey," Han said gruffly. "Hey, Leia - think she's out for good," he said abruptly.
Leia looked up, then looked down at her lap, and jostled Jaina a little - only slightly. Jaina smacked her lips and her head lolled back sleepily. She did not wake up, and Leia smiled, leaning back heavily. She couldn't help a small wince, and Han noticed it immediately, leaning forward in the image as if he could somehow get closer to her across the galaxy.
"What's wrong?" he asked pointedly.
Leia rolled her eyes gently.
"My back hurts, that's all," she said. "In a normal way."
Han grumbled, sitting back.
"How's your day been?" he asked.
Leia shrugged gently, so as not to disturb the sleepy toddler too much.
"I worked from home," she said. "I was having false contractions all morning."
Han looked alarm.
"I said false, Han."
"What does that mean?"
Leia shrugged again.
"Sort of like my body is practicing," she said. "I didn't have them, with Jaina, but Dr. Mellis says they're common. And I," she reached up and tapped her temple smugly, "know nothing is wrong."
Han still looked tense, his expression wary.
"It's too early," he grumbled.
"I'm fine," she said. "She thought they were hilarious."
Han tilted his head.
"Who, Jainy?"
"No, her," Leia said, gesturing at her swelling abdomen. "She was laughing at them. Really cheeky, actually."
Han's face lit up. He sat back, and smirked.
"What a little brat," he said smugly. "You can tell she's laughing?"
Leia cocked her head.
"Well, maybe not laughing. She doesn't have a concept of 'laughing,'" she said. "But I could feel an emotion, and I could sort of just…sense that she'd be laughing, if she could."
Han put his hands behind his head, still smirking.
"That's cute," he said.
"Pretty cute," Leia agreed. She sighed, rolling her head to the side. "Cuter when she's born," she muttered.
"Still feeling terrible?" Han asked sympathetically.
"Everything is just…vaguely worse than with Jaina," Leia sighed. "Not debilitating, really, not since I got past that first trimester but," she waved her hand, "my baseline is just…a constant, slight nausea, and everything sort of hurts."
"Fucking rough," Han muttered.
"Han."
"She's asleep, Sweetheart."
"I swear, she learns things through osmosis, though," Leia protested suspiciously, glancing down at Jaina. "You're back with the military, and you're going to come home with that pilot mouth I've tried to train out of you – "
Han rolled his eyes, snorting.
"'Cause you never swear," he muttered.
Leia gave him a prim look. She reached up to stroke Jaina's hair back, looking down to admire her, and then looked up and over the holo projection when she heard a knock on the door. Her father poked his head in, and she smiled, her brows going up.
"Ooh, good timing," she murmured. "I didn't want to shout for you and wake her up. You know, it would be nice if I could talk to everyone in my family like I could talk to Luke."
"Who're you talking to?" Han asked.
"Dad," Leia said, as Bail shuffled closer. She started to shift Jaina gently so he would be able to take her. "Here," she murmured. "Thank you," she said preemptively.
Bail reached down to gently extricate Jaina, transferring her to his shoulder and cupping the back of her head. She grumbled sleepily, but didn't really wake up, and Han took a moment to turn and nod at Han.
"H'lo, Han," he greeted.
Han lifted one hand and gave him a slow, easy wave.
"How's the good fight?" Bail asked.
"Y'know," Han drawled. "Just keepin' drugs away from my babies," he retorted.
Bail snorted, shaking his head fondly.
"Truly reformed," he said, looking at Leia. She smiled tiredly, and rested her hand on her abdomen. "Feeling okay?" he checked.
Leia just nodded.
"She may wake up a little when you put her down," she said. "She's not totally used to that new bed yet."
"Well, if she does, I'll just lay there with her until she goes back to sleep," Bail said matter-of-factly.
Leia nodded, both relieved, and grateful.
"Thank you," she said again.
"No need," Bail said, tilting his head to watch Jaina sleep. He took a few steps back. "She's a little angel."
"Whose kid is he talking about?" Han asked, snorting.
Bail glared at him, but gave a wave, and started out of the room.
"Leia, I brewed some of that Wookiee herbal tea for you, for later," her father said. "The roots are steaming now."
Leia nodded, giving him a little wave as he exited. With Jaina gone, her shoulders relaxed, and she shifted around, reveling in having the three-year-old's weight off of her. Han sat forward, tapping his chin.
"He been over a lot?" he asked, referring to her father.
"Mmm-hmm," Leia said. "Luke, too," she said, and then cocked her head. "And Mara, actually."
"Mara came over to help with Jaina?"
"Twice," Leia snorted. "The way she interacts with her is hilarious," she added fondly. "She never smiles, but you can tell she thinks Jaina's fascinating, maybe because of her presence in the Force alone. Children are very…different than adults," she explained.
"Glad people are helpin' you," Han said gruffly.
"It's been a blessing," Leia agreed. "You being gone makes me appreciate you all the more," she said honestly. "You take so much weight off my shoulders when you're here, with all you do for Jaina."
Han shrugged. Jaina was his daughter. He didn't think it a hassle or a favor to be there for her and take care of her. He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"How are you going to appreciate me when I get back?" he asked roguishly.
Leia laughed dryly, pointing at her abdomen.
"By being very sexy," she said sarcastically. "You know, if they send you off on the final arc of the mission after she's born, that could be a benefit."
"How'd you figure?" Han asked warily.
Leia shrugged.
"The six-week waiting period," she reminded him. "It won't be as rough. You'll be away – though I'm sure I made it easy to stay away last time," she added, laughing. "When I wasn't showering for days, and my hair was filthy, and everything was torn and mangled – "
Han rolled his eyes.
"You can't make yourself unattractive to me, Leia."
"Is that a challenge?"
Han wiggled his eyebrows, then shifted, leaning forward on his arm. He looked at her intently, and shook his head.
"Still don't want to be off-planet after she's born," he said. "I know you got plenty of support, and s'not that I think you can't do it. You can do anything," he snorted. "Just don't like it. Even though 'm happy with what 'm doin' on these interdictions."
Leia nodded.
"It won't be so bad," she said softly. "At least with her being so little, you won't miss any real milestones," she soothed. "I know how you feel, Han. Every time I came home from work and Jaina had done something new that I missed," she trailed off. "It's hard, but we both make good choices. The things we do are worth it, at home and at the office."
Han nodded. He leaned back.
"Yeah, I saw you had a big breakthrough negotiating with the remnant Imperial faction in the Reaches," he said. "Sounded good. I know they got a little more than you'd have wanted, but people were talkin' nice about you."
Leia raised her eyebrows.
"You're following my politics?"
Han scratched his chin.
"Yeah," he said again. "'Cause I miss you, and that way I see you on the Holos," he muttered.
Leia raised her brows, and leaned forward as best she could with her abdomen.
"Will you say that again after I hit record on this message?" she teased.
"No," Han said smoothly.
He grinned at her, and winked.
"Jainy's in her new bed, huh?"
Leia held up five fingers.
"For five nights," she said proudly. "Pros are that she's getting used to it, and she preens, because I keep telling her what a big girl she is," she listed. "Cons are she seems to be mad there's a new room she doesn't get to sleep in, and she can pretty easily climb over the rails on the toddler bed."
Han winced.
"So now she's creepy," Leia snorted. "She'll sneak out of bed and come into our room and stand there and stare at me until I wake up."
Han laughed out loud.
"What a little weirdo," he said fondly.
"The three times she's done it I've taken her back and laid with her until she went back to sleep, but," Leia sighed. "It's not cozy with all this," she pointed to her stomach.
Han grunted in understanding.
"Who's been helping you with the new nursery?" he asked.
They'd been doing it together before he left, after finally deciding that they were going to let Jaina keep her room, just take her crib and the baby furniture and replace it with her 'big girl' items. Leia had contracted the Alderaanian sculptor to make things again, and it was slowly coming in.
Jaina did have some jealousies over the crib going to another room, though. Leia felt a little sheepish over it – Jaina probably should have been in a toddler bed a year ago, but she'd slept fine in the crib, and it was safe and familiar, so neither Leia or Han had bothered to get the ball rolling on that until the new baby become a reality.
"Rouge," Leia said, lifting her hand and holding up fingers. "Luke, when there's furniture involved, and Tavska," she noted.
Han arched a brow.
Leia nodded, lips pursed.
"Her wife is pregnant," Leia said. "So she's getting ideas."
Han nodded.
"Her kid can grow up with ours," he said. "Like Winter's. How's she?" he asked.
Leia waved her hand back and forth hesitantly.
"Okay," she said softly. "Tycho thinks she's having too hard of a time. It's all still new, though," she said. "Rouge has been there a lot."
Han nodded again.
"I went ahead and asked Jobal if she'd like to come stay with me for a week or so after she's born," Leia added. "I thought she might like that. And I think I'll be more relaxed than I was with Jaina, so it would be nice to sort of have…a mother figure around."
"She up for it?"
"She was thrilled with the idea."
Han looked relieved. He scratched at his jaw, looked down for a moment, and then looked up almost nervously.
"I was thinkin' about names," he said slowly. "'Cause, uh, I got a lot of late nights on watch," he added.
Leia nodded, listening.
"You been thinkin' of any?"
"Here and there," Leia said. "I'm not set on anything."
"Well," Han said. "What'd you think of Noura?" he offered.
Leia laughed softly.
"Like Noura of the Castle Lands?" she asked, referring to their daughter's favorite fairytale, the one Leia had known growing up, and the one Han had memorized in three separate languages.
"Yeah," Han said gruffly. "S'kind of grown on me. Uh, and I like…y'know, her whole…story."
Leia nodded – Noura's story was all about nobility and preservation. In the fairytale, she was a local peasant princess of a sect of early Alderaanian settlers, who fought to preserve the ancient art and homes of the Killik people.
"And it might make Jainy happy," he added finally.
Leia nodded again.
"I like that idea," she said softly. "I picked Jaina's first name. I think it's fair you pick," she paused, "Noura's." She paused again, and smiled warmly. "I like it," she said firmly, somehow cleaving to it immediately. "Noura Solo."
Han brightened proudly. He nodded.
"Got any ideas for a second name, then?"
Leia sighed.
"Don't put me on the spot," she murmured. She tilted her head, leaning back heavily. "I think I'll find a way to tie her to the Naberries somehow," she decided.
"Noura Naberrie?" Han suggested smugly.
"You know I hate alliterative names, Han."
Han snorted. He had no idea why she was so against them, but it amused him to tease her about it.
Leia pursed her lips.
"Winter's little girl actually gives me some ideas," she murmured, but railed off, and didn't elaborate. There was still time to decide, and she would let it come to her, rather than think too hard on it.
That Winter had taken 'Tay' from Sheltay, because she wasn't sure of the whole name, was sweet and trendy, and Leia thought she could do something akin to that with Padmé – the Nubian diminutive for nicknames could work –
She didn't voice that to Han, though. In fact, both of them lapsed into silence, comfortable with it, until Han took a deep breath, and sat back, his shoulders straight.
"You look sleepy, Leia," he said gruffly. "Go on, sign off and go drink your tea."
She smiled, and nodded, reaching forward to fiddle with the switch of the holo projector.
"I'll drink my tea, and get some sleep, and know when to ask for help," she assured him.
"Yeah, okay, and I won't get hurt," Han told her.
"Deal," she agreed.
"And tell Bail I'm always gonna be Jaina's favorite, doesn't matter how much he bribes her," he added smugly.
Leia rolled her eyes.
"I love you," she told him.
"Love you too, Your Worship."
Han gave her a little salute, and a grin, and a moment later Leia signed off. She leaned back in her office chair, running her hand over her abdomen gently. She felt the peacefully, sleepy stirrings of the baby, asleep and resting contently, and she let her eyes rest closed for a moment, mentally ordering herself not to fall asleep in this office.
She needn't have worried, though; barely five minutes later, the baby – Noura, she told her softly, reaching out to soothe her through their connection, and introduce her to her identity – woke up and started hiccuping, and Leia knew she wouldn't be sleeping until they subsided.
Han was feeling pretty damn smug as he snuck into his own home just after midnight, four entire days earlier than he was supposed to be back. It hadn't been easy to get things done so that this was possible, but he'd made it work – and he'd only made it work when he'd assured himself that it would be safe for his men, and the mission.
The successes that brought them all back early also served as an ego boost – he may be Han Solo, reformed smuggler, retired rebel hero, husband, father – but he still had it.
He was looking forward to surprising Leia when he showed up early. It was hard to describe how much he missed her – he'd missed her before, been separated from her before, but this was different. He missed her, he missed Jaina, he missed watching her play with Jaina and interact with Jaina, he missed the daughter that wasn't even born yet – missing his whole family, as individuals and as a unit, was vastly different from only missing a princess who – at the time when he'd often been away from her – he hadn't had this rich of a history with yet.
It was his home, so he was able to disable all alarms and silence all codes as he entered, and he dropped his bag, coat, and boots by the door in the hallway as he locked everything back up. He ran hand through his hair, and made his way through the entrance all on memory alone, slowing to a halt only when he started past the living room, and found that the Holo was on, and one lamp in the corner was still glimmering lazily.
He cocked his head. At this point, it had to be uncomfortable as hell for Leia to be sleeping on the –
"Luke?" he asked under his breath, as he approached and realize the figure half-buried under a blanket was not his wife, but his brother-in-law.
Luke twitched, and Han straightened up, coming closer. He grinned, and then unceremoniously whacked the bottom of Luke's foot, startling the kid into wakefulness.
Luke gave a quiet yelp, fell off the couch, and bolted upright, looking around in alarm. Han sat down on the edge of the sofa Luke had just so gracefully vacated, and stifled a loud laugh, shaking his head.
"Some Jedi instincts," he teased. "That's how you're protectin' my family while I'm away?"
Luke grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Welcome back, jackass," he muttered.
"Hey," Han said, amused. "Ain't that pretty angry?" he prodded. "Callin' me names doesn't really fit your peace beatnik agenda – "
Luke scowled, and heaved himself up, taking the blanket and tossing it onto an armchair. He yawned, ran a hand through his hair, and then scrubbed his palms over his face, waking up.
"Why're you here? You and Mara have a fight?" Han asked. "You know we got a guest room, right? We got like, seven," he pointed out dryly, sometimes still in awe of the relative penthouse mansion he and Leia lived in.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Luke muttered. "I feel asleep watching – " he looked up, gesturing, and then noticed some sort of racy soap opera was undulating on the screen, and he yanked his hand back, horrified. "Something else was on when I fell asleep!" he protested, panicked.
Han smirked, and Luke groaned, rubbing his face again.
"Mara's on Dagobah," he said dismissively – no, they weren't fighting.
Han's smirk faded a little, and he turned his head, glancing at the stairs.
"My girls okay?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," Luke said through a yawn. "Yeah, fine. I was just helpin', and visiting with Leia, 'cause I was on Tatooine all last week," he said. "Jaina is on a mini strike against her bed, apparently, 'cause Leia went upstairs to put her back to bed," Luke frowned, eyes widening. "And I guess she went to bed, too, 'cause I fell asleep here," he trailed off.
Han nodded.
"She's on a bedtime strike, huh?" he asked dryly.
"I don't know. Kind of," Luke said. "The way Leia tells it, she won't always stay in her new bed."
"Oh," Han muttered – that was still going on? Leia hadn't mentioned it.
Luke shrugged.
"Think it's kind of frustrating. We were taking turns putting her back in there. But Leia says she just lets Jaina in her bed sometimes."
Han looked at Luke like he'd just spoken gibberish. Leia, bringing Jaina into their bed? She hadn't even liked doing that when Jaina was nursing. Most of the time, she'd made it a huge point to put Jaina back into her bassinet, and after they had moved her into the nursery full time, Han remembered exactly one time Leia had been exhausted enough to let Jaina sleep with them.
She was very firm about training the baby to sleep in her own room, and very adamant that their room remain as adult and private as was possible. Han didn't really care, but then, Han wasn't the one who was attached by the nipple to a baby for the first few months of its life, so maybe that separation was a desperate need for Leia.
"Damn," Han muttered. "She must be tired as hell," he decided.
It made him feel a little guilty.
"Maybe you have to sleep in Jaina's bed now," Luke snorted.
Han gave him a look, and then Luke's brow furrowed.
"Hang on, what are you doing here?" he asked, as if it had just clicked. "It's not – "
"Trounced the operation early," Han said smugly. "Got it into my head to come home early, surprise 'em."
Luke smiled.
"They'll love it," he said, yawning again.
Han nodded, and leaned over to clap his shoulder.
"Sorry for wakin' you up like that," he said.
"You are not," Luke groused.
Han grinned, and nodded in agreement. He jerked his thumb at the stairs.
"Take a guest room," he said. "S'too late to fly home, no point."
Luke thanked him.
"Yeah, okay," he said. "'Least I can count on you for a good breakfast."
"Got that right."
Han got up, followed by Luke, and Luke flicked the Holo off without so much a glance at the remote. He stretched, following Han quietly up the stairs, and paused at the top, where he went to split down the hallway that lead to guest rooms.
"Han," he muttered, turning slightly. "Just so you know, Jaina's awake," he said, sensing it. "She's calm, but she's up."
"Hmm," Han muttered, arching a brow – that was interesting. "Leia's not?" he asked.
Luke shook his head.
"No, but ev'rything's fine," he muttered confidently.
Han watched Luke shuffle off, interested, and then turned to stare down the hallway. He decided to check the nurse—no, Jaina's room - first. He had hoped that he'd find Leia, and see Jaina in the morning – Leia would have an easy time going happily back to sleep next to him, but Jaina was likely to burst into hyperactive excitement, in which case Leia would probably murder Han for disturbing the peace.
He took a peek into Jaina's room, and found it empty. Curiously, he moved on to the room they'd chosen to make the new nursery, and stood in the doorway peering in. The necessary baby furniture had all been moved, and it looked neat, and almost ready. The artwork on the walls was clearly indicative of Rouge's design – there was even a dewy moss painting above Jaina's old crib – but it looked nice and cozy.
Han backed out, smiling, and then went down the hall to their bedroom, nudging the door open very, very slowly. He peeked in, squinting in the dark – there were no lights on in the room other than the blueish glow of Leia's chrono by the bed. He gave himself a moment to let his eyes adjust, and then was able to make out Leia, apparently asleep, and next to her, sitting up and watching her, Jaina.
He furrowed his brow, interested, and then opened the door a little more, slipping in. He crept around the bed to watch. The more his eyes adjusted, the more he could take in the scene. Leia was asleep, dead to the world, in fact, curled awkwardly on her side. Jaina was facing her in the middle of the bed, one hand flat against Leia's abdomen, tilting her head back and forth.
It sounded like she was singing, and once or twice, she giggled. Han slipped his hands into his pockets, fascinated, and tilted his head. Jaina cocked her head suddenly, straightening.
She turned, alert.
"Daddy," she whispered. "Daddy, I know you here," she said, searching the darkness. "Feel you!"
Han grinned – it never ceased to amaze him that Jaina could sense him the same way Luke and Leia said they could. Leia said she could only do that with him, and with Luke – Luke because he had such a strong presence in the Force, and Han, because he was her father. She was too young to positively identify anyone else's signatures.
"Shhh," Han said, very quietly. "C'mere, don't wake Mommy," he encouraged.
Jaina got up gingerly, clearly excited, but doing her best not to wake her mother. She tiptoed over, and let Han pick her up. She gasped with quiet delight and tried to climb up to his shoulders, hugging him tightly.
"Daddy!" she hissed. "Miss you!"
She buried her face in his neck, and Han smiled, holding her close and giving her little kisses on the top of her head.
"Missed you, too, Jainy," he said gruffly. "What're you doing in here, huh? Givin' Mommy a hard time?"
Jaina pulled back and twisted in his arms, pointing.
"Mommy sleep," she said earnestly. "Baby not asleep," she told him. "Me," she pointed to her chest, still whispering as she'd been told to, "sing to baby. Mommy stay sleep."
Han pushed her hair back, staring at her intently.
"That's nice," he said huskily. "You can do that? Make the new baby hear you?" he asked.
Jaina flexed her hand.
"Sing and touch," she said. "Baby No-uh."
"Baby Noura, yeah," Han agreed. He grinned, and kissed Jaina's cheek. "You been sleepin' in here with Mommy?" he asked.
Jaina nodded pleasantly. She bit her lip, and then her excitement seemed to bubble over, and she turned.
"Mommy," she said loudly. "Daddy home!"
Leia twisted in her sleep, sighing.
"Four more days," she mumbled, barely even waking. "Sleepy time, Jainy. Night-night," she encouraged, then yawned, and put an arm over her face.
Han stifled a laugh. Jaina frowned.
"No, Mommy, Daddy home now!"
Leia moved her arm down and blinked, staring. She squinted.
"Han?" she asked sleepily.
"In the flesh," he said, sitting down to let Jaina back down on the bed.
"Haaaan!" Leia gasped happily, still half asleep. Han felt a flash of guilt for waking her, but it didn't last long. She yawned, and lifted her head. "I'd jump up excitedly, but," she waved to her abdomen, and Han laughed.
"I'll take a rain check," he said, leaning over to kiss her. She threw an arm around his neck and pulled him close.
"Hi," she breathed. "What are you doing home?" she murmured. "Sithspit," she swore under her breath, "did I entirely lose track of four whole days?"
He laughed again.
"No, I'm home early," he assured her.
She let her head fall back, stroking his arm, and smiled. He leaned back, and then got up, pointing at Jaina to make her stay put.
"'M changin' into pajamas," he told her. "Ran into Luke downstairs. He's stayin' in a guest room," she added.
"Luke? Ohhh," she sighed, wincing. "I forgot Luke was here. I left him," she snorted sleepily. "My mind is gone, Han," she whined. "Noura is bound to be a little genius; she's taken all my working brain cells."
She started to sit up, and Han waved her down, throwing on sweats and a t-shirt, and standing by the bed for a moment.
"Want me to try to get Jaina to sleep in her bed?" he asked.
Leia shook her head immediately.
"No, let her stay. You come to bed," she insisted. "Stop wasting time."
Han threw the sheets back further, and settled in. Jaina threw herself down between them.
"Where's Zozy?" Han asked her.
Jaina flung her arm out, and accidentally hit Leia in the nose. Leia flinched, and pretended to gnaw on Jaina's arm. Jaina giggled and pulled it back.
"Zozy sleep in 'freshy," she snickered.
"He's confused," Leia murmured. "Because of all the moving around. He's malfunctioning."
Han snorted. He slid his arm under Jaina, and she happily snuggled into the crook of his arm. He reached over her and took Leia's hand, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
"Damn good to be home," he muttered.
"How did you manage…?" she asked, her eyes on his.
"I'm me," he said smugly.
He rested is chin on Jaina's head and watched Leia.
"She really hate the new bed that much?" he asked quietly.
Leia smiled wryly.
"Well, she gets restless, sneaks out of it when she wakes up," she murmured. "I think she feels less secure without the crib rails."
"She's allowed in here now?" Han asked.
Leia closed one eye sheepishly.
"I got lonely," she whispered.
Han scooted forward and kissed her forehead.
"Sleep okay while I was gone?"
"Mostly," Leia murmured. She reached out and touched Jaina's cheek. "She's like a little human dream catcher," Leia said in wonder. "I have nothing even close to nightmares when she's in the room."
Han smiled.
"Peeked in the new nursery," he said gruffly. "Looks nice."
"Rouge had an artist paint a mural of the castle lands on the ceiling," Leia murmured. "She's thrilled about the name."
"You been tellin' people?" Han asked curiously.
"Only Rouge, Dad, and Luke," she murmured. "I decided on a second name," she added.
"Yeah?" Han asked.
She nodded.
"Mé."
"Mé," Han repeated carefully.
"Mmhmm," Leia murmured. "I stole the idea from Winter. Marisol's middle name is Tay, which is a shorter version of her mother's name, Sheltay," she reminded him. "Mé is the second syllable of Padmé," she pointed out, "And Ryoo and Pooja always called her Mé-Mé."
She licked her lips.
"And it's painfully easy to say in any language, so if she ever wants to go by that someday for more fluidity, it works."
Han nodded.
"Noura Mé," he tried. He nodded again. "S'nice," he agreed. "Pretty, like Jaina's."
"Oh, good. Because I was considering giving our daughter a hideous name, but went with pretty instead."
"Half asleep and you still got a mouth on you," Han grumbled.
Leia giggled quietly.
"I'm glad you're home," she murmured, snuggling into the covers more cozily. "I had a sexy dream about you two days ago, and it made me miss you more."
Han shot an alarmed look at Jaina, who was still on her back between them, playing with Leia's hair, and listening. Leia laughed.
"Don't worry," she murmured. "The sexy part was I woke up, and you were making me breakfast, and you had gotten Jaina before she came in and pounced on me," she whispered.
Han grinned.
"You're in luck, Sweetheart," he murmured. "S'exactly what I planned on doin' for you tomorrow."
"Work," she murmured. "I have to go to work."
Han made an outraged noise.
"Your deployed husband came home early," he retorted. "Take a personal day."
She suppressed a grin into the pillow.
"Okay."
"Yeah. You should, you been workin' hard lately and – wait, what?"
"I said okay," Leia murmured.
Han rose up on one arm, looking a her in surprise.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," Leia repeated.
"Like that," Jaina repeated emphatically, wagging her finger at Han. She laughed. "Like that!"
Han pretended to bite her finger, and she squeaked and turned towards Leia, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Who are you?" Han whispered sneakily at Leia.
She laughed.
"Healthy and well adjusted," she retorted. "I've done very exhilarating things since you've been gone – taken half days, asked for help when I need it, and frequently, and I stopped researching mothering tips entirely," she added dryly.
"But how are you doing anything right without the input of everyone on the 'net?" Han asked, feigning confusion.
"I decided if Jaina dies or ends up a complete disaster I want it to be my fault, and mine alone, with no outside influence," Leia whispered.
"Can I take some credit?" Han asked solemnly. "Y'know, if this one," he tickled Jaina's ribs affectionately, and she giggled, forgiving him for the play bites, "ends up bein' defective or somethin'?"
"I'd be honored if you shared blame," Leia said.
Han grinned. He sat up a little more and looked down at Jaina.
"You gonna be a disaster, huh?" he asked seriously. "You gonna grow up and do all kinds of wild stuff to put me in my place?"
Leia rolled her head on the pillow, yawning.
"By what definition of 'wild' would we judge if we were comparing her to you?" she snorted.
Han leaned down and kissed Jaina's nose.
"You won't have to do anything Daddy had to," he assured her gruffly. "'Cause I got your back."
Leia smiled at him fondly. She yawned again, and gently took some of her hair from Jaina's hand, holding the little girl's fingers gently.
"Was she awake when you came in?" she murmured.
"Uh-huh," Han said, smirking. "She said she was singin' to baby No-uh," he imitated. "You believe that?"
"Yes," Leia said quietly. "I've noticed she senses it more, especially when Noura's awake. She was sitting with me in my office the other day, and the baby woke up, and Jaina sat up and said 'Hi, baby,' out of nowhere."
Han arched his brows, incredulous.
"Damn," he breathed. "Maybe adjustment won't be so bad, if they already got a bond," he said.
Leia nodded. She released Jaina's hand and nudged her cheek with her nose.
"She'll be a good big sister," she said. "Won't you?"
Jaina twisted to look at Leia. She nodded, and put her hand to her face.
"Jaina," she said, then pointed at Leia's abdomen. "Baby No-uh."
Leia nodded.
"And who is Baby No-uh?"
"Sissy," she said, and turned to look at Han.
Leia smiled, and Han looked impressed.
"She's been learning a lot in your absence," Leia murmured.
"Yeah, now I know how you felt when you missed her walkin'," Han said hoarsely.
Leia clicked her tongue gently.
"She knows she's loved," she assured him. "By both of us."
Han nodded. He tickled Jaina's stomach again, and she kicked her feet.
"Han," Leia murmured. "Don't rile her up too much."
He grinned, and settled down, throwing his arm over both of them as best as he could.
"Sorry she's invaded," Leia said through another yawn.
"Don't be," he said. He rubbed her arm. "Go back to sleep," he encouraged.
"'M really happy you're back," she said again, softly. "I mean it…if I wasn't so…ungainly and, tired, and," she trailed off sleepily, "I'd be all over you."
"We got time for that later."
Leia mumbled something incoherently; clearly falling back to sleep, and Han shared an amused look with Jaina, who was still staring at him, wide-awake. He rested his hand calmly on her stomach, retraining from tickling this time. He tilted his head.
"You know we ain't replacin' you, right?" he muttered. "You're always gonna be the first."
Jaina put a thumb in her mouth, and as Leia'd told him to, he gently removed it, and held it to distract her while she forgot she wanted to do that. Jaina rolled towards him, giving him a little smirk, and scrunched her nose.
"Daddy make pancakes," she hissed threateningly. "Now."
Han yawned, but looked at her mischievously. He glanced at Leia – back into a dead sleep, and then he very slowly, quietly, picked Jaina up, and went to take her downstairs with him.
"Han," Leia sighed, rolling over in bed, shaking her head fondly as she swallowed and readjusted herself to sleep. "You're an absolute pushover," she hissed affectionately, kicking her foot at him.
He grinned, settling Jaina on his hip, and he could tell Leia probably thought the same thing he did – that on the homestretch, right before she was no longer the only little girl occupying all their attention, it couldn't cause too much harm to get up and have a pancake party in the middle of the night.
-alexandra