It had been a really, really, long time since Leia had set foot on the Millennium Falcon. In fact she was pretty sure it had been when they'd dropped Breha off to spend a month with her uncle and brother at Luke's temple. Leia had had a month off from the senate and she was going to spend part of it racing on the Falcon with Han, but Breha had desperately missed her big brother and had begged them to let her visit him. If only they had said no, if only they had kept her with them on the Falcon, they wouldn't have missed a decade of her life. Instead of mourning her on her tenth birthday they would have celebrated, and Amilyn would have dyed her hair any colored she'd wanted, just as they'd promised. On Breha's sixteenth birthday Leia should have been able to watch her daughter enjoying her day with a bittersweet pinch in her heart for that would have been Breha's Day of Demand, the day she would have declared her right to be her heir. Leia's heart ached for all the time she'd missed out on with her daughter. It's at times like these, when she is longing for her children this way, that almost makes her understand the myth that her birth mother had died of a broken heart.

"Leia?" Rey called out with concern when she noticed her mother had stopped in the doorway, her hand resting on the frame as she leaned into it. Shaking her head to herself, Rey realized that hadn't felt quite right to say, so as she closed the distance between herself and Leia she said, "Mother?" That felt better, but still very weird. It was so strange knowing this woman was her mother but having this huge gap of time in her head between the last time she knew her and now. Her memories were still a jumbled mess, but her feelings were firm. Deep inside she knew who this woman before her was, she held no doubt in that. It would just take time for her to sort all of this out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Rey." Leia reassured. Stepping further into the ship she put her hand on the wall and a bittersweet smile pulled at her lips. "It's just been a long time since I've been aboard this old bucket of bolts." She chuckled softly as she reached up to finger a few loose wires and some wall padding. "She certainly has seen better days."

"Haven't we all?" Han said from where he stood across the room, leaning in a door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

Rey turned and for the first time saw Han as he truly was, her father. The man who would set her on his shoulders so she could see the ships race from the viewing stands. The man who taught her how to fix the Falcon, and think on her feet, and cheat at cards. The man who would let her wear two different shoes and would do her hair in any silly way she wanted, who would tell her the most amazing stories, and would make her mother laugh and roll her eyes.

Han squirmed a little at the way Rey was looking at him. Looking past the girl he look at Leia, not that seeing her on the Falcon again wasn't also making him feel things, a lot of things, a lot of very complicated things. "Why is she looking at me like that?" Leia just smirked at him and shrugged like she didn't know but he knew she knew and it made him grumble before looking back to Rey. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What? Isn't this how every girl looks at their father when they finally remember who their father is?" Rey replied cheekily.

Again Han looked past Rey to Leia. "You told her?!"

"Not exactly." Leia replied as she moved closer to Rey.

"Luke's lightsaber wasn't the only thing Maz gave me." Rey explained as she pulled Leia's music box from her sack. "She also gave me this. The song it plays, it made me feel safe, secure, and I didn't want to risk losing it, so I kept it hidden."

Han listened to Rey explain how Leia had found her in the supply closet, and how she had managed to undo the Jedi mind block Ben had done. Luke always said that if Leia had been properly trained she'd have been an incredibly powerful Jedi. He thinks that's part of the reason she only ever allowed Luke to teach her the basics. Leia had understood that if she could have been a powerful Jedi, she could have also been a powerful Sith, and she wasn't willing to take the risk. Leia also did things Leia's way, and she wasn't about to limit herself with one version of the Force over the other. She was perfectly content to continue using it as a natural extension of who she was. This was the perfect example of that. Rey had needed her, needed her help, her comfort, her support, and Leia gave her what she needed. She found a way to help who needed her the most.

Watching the way Rey held the music box, the way her fingers brushed it's surface like it was something sacred; Han could understand why she'd kept it a secret. Pushing off the door frame he closed the distance between himself and his family. "I remember that old thing. It use to sit by your bedside." He smiled as he shared a look with Leia. "It was your mother's secret weapon." Then he looked at Rey once more, soaking her in now that he could, now that he didn't need to worry he would give to much away. "You were always fighting sleep, you never wanted to miss a moment, and whenever your mother couldn't get you to sleep easily she would open that box and sing that old Alderaanian lullaby."

"Worked every time." Leia said softly, her eyes watching Han's face and then Rey's.

"Use to piss her off once she figured out what you were doing." Han said with a smirk. He had stopped just in front of Rey, and now that he was closer he reached up as if to touch her but stopped, unsure if he should, if she'd want him too.

Rey noticed the hesitation. She smiled at her father as she put the music box back in her sack, letting him know it was ok and when he reached out to cup her cheek she leaned into it. His hand felt overwhelming familiar, warm, soft but calloused, despite not being able to recall a clear memory. She took a deep shuddering breath and it felt as if she were breathing for the first time in ages, like she had been holding her breath and now it was safe to breath again. Just like with Leia, Rey needed more than just a touch, and she launched herself into Han's arms. She hugged him as tightly as she had hugged Leia in the storeroom and held on to him for dear life.

Han held Rey as tight as he could, his eyes closed as he just soaked in the feeling of her. When he opened his eyes his gaze locked with Leia's and he knew she was in the same state of mixed emotion. This was all happening so fast it was hard to catch their breaths, hard to accept it was real. They had grieved for their child for so long that it was hard to let go of that and fully embrace the fact that she was there in their arms again.

Without looking away from Han's gaze Leia walked over to him and Rey and was easily enveloped into the hug. A sense of peace she hadn't felt in ages washed over her, and tears of happiness flooded her dark eyes. A lifetime spent fighting one war after another, one form of evil after another, took its toll and sometimes it was hard to remember that good things happened. That the Force didn't just take things away, sometimes it gave things back.

When they parted Han had to clear his throat before he could ask Rey how she was feeling. He could only imagine if he and Leia were knocked loopy, Rey must be feeling pretty overwhelmed.

"It's strange, and overwhelming, and..." Rey admitted. "I have this huge gap between who I know I am, or who I was, and who I have been since I was left on Jakku. I remember bits and pieces, phantom fragments, but mostly I just feel it, and everything else is just..." She shook her head and waved hands around her it as if she were trying to shake something loose or back into place. She groaned softly as she let her hands drop and then said, "I feel like I have a Gatalentan sea storm in my head."

"It's going to take time, Rey." Leia said gently as she pressed her hand into the small of Rey's back. "Your memories will sort themselves out, and even though you couldn't remember, you have always been you."

Rey sighed softly as she asked, "But who am I? I mean, I'm not really just Rey from nowhere, but I don't really remember being Breha Organa Solo either."

"You're both." Leia replied. "You are who you life experiences make you. You're not the little girl you use to be, and you won't be the young woman you are now forever either."

"Yeah kid; Rey, Bay, Breha, you're still our kid, and that's the important part." Han added.

Rey smiled, reassured that whatever happens next she was no longer alone. After all this time, all the waiting, she'd finally found what she had been waiting for. She wondered if she might have been able to find them sooner, if the Force would have found a way to bring them together if only she'd been brave enough to actually leave Jakku on her own, and for a moment she was angry at herself for not trying harder to find them herself instead of just waiting around. But before she could get to lost in those feelings she sensed something, someone, outside and her eyes lit up. There still had been one last piece to put into place before Rey could truly feel she had her parents back. She smiled at her mother and father and turned on her heel and ran for the ramp.

"Was it something we said?" Han asked Leia, confused as he watched Rey seemingly flee the Falcon.

Leia was smiling a huge bright smile as she shook her head. "No, we said all she needed to hear from us for the moment. But there is someone she stills needs to know is there for her."

Amilyn had felt the flare in Leia's power in the Force, had sensed her distress and then the sheer magnitude of her joy. She knew that this had something to do with Rey, but she wasn't sure how. She kept her distance, respecting the boundaries put into place long ago when it came to Leia, Han, and their children. She focused instead on work, giving Leia the much needed time to focus on her family instead of the Resistance. Finn had been an excellent source of information regarding the First Order's new weapon, and Amilyn had been able to send out a well prepared recon team to monitor it. She had just returned to her star charts and the map fragment when she'd felt someone call out to her in the Force, and it nearly caused her to gasp openly when she realized it wasn't Leia.

Amilyn made her way to the surface but still kept her distance from the Falcon. She stood several meters away, tall and imposing, hands clasped in front of her. Rey appeared at the top of the Falcon's ramp and instantly Amilyn knew something was different about her, she just couldn't pinpoint what until Rey saw her, their eyes meeting, and Rey called out to her.

"Ammy!" Rey called out as she ran down the Falcon's ramp towards the tall, vibrate, pink haired, woman who had been in her life from the very start. Ben had always called Amilyn Auntie, but that had never been good enough for her, had never felt quite right, because Amilyn had always been so much more to her. Amilyn had soothed away nightmares, and cradled her when she was sick. She taught her the names of constellations, and recited poetry to her as she tucked her in. They had grand dress up tea parties in their home garden, and mack air battles through the house that made her mother shout at them to stop running around like drunk ewoks before they broke something. Amilyn braided her hair, teaching her what each braid had meant on her mother's lost homeworld, and she let her wear whatever she wanted no matter how silly it might have looked to others. Amilyn praised her for offering to share her lunch with a sad looking little Nikto in the senate gardens, and scolded her for kicking Threepo in the shin because she'd been angry at her mother. Not that Rey remembered any of that in detail, she simply remembered the feelings shared between herself and Amilyn, as brightly and as vibrantly as Amilyn's hair. Amilyn was as much her parent as Leia and Han, and Ammy had sounded a lot like mommy to a very small Breha Solo.

Amilyn's eyes actually went wide and began to burn with the start of welling tears when she heard Rey call out that name. That's what the flare was in Leia's powers. She had somehow managed to undo the block in their girl's mind. Amilyn had barely enough time to shake off her delighted surprise and brace herself for Rey's embrace. She laughed at the force of it and gladly returned it. "Hello Starlight. I've missed you."

"I longed for you, for all of you, I waited so long." Rey said, her voice cracking with fresh tears, her body trembling from all the emotion. A damn had broke and she feared she'd be swept away with the rush, so she held onto Amilyn a little tighter.

"I know, sweetheart, I know." Amilyn replied as she held Rey and rubbed her back. "But you're here now, you're home, you are where you belong."

From Poe's X-Wing he and Finn looked on, confused, concerned, a little freaked out as they watched the scene near the Falcon unfold. Rey rushing into the arms of Admiral Holdo, General Leia and Han Solo watching with smiles from the top of the Falcon's ramp. What the hell was going on?

"Poe?" Finn questioned as he watched Rey cling to the Admiral.

"I have no idea, buddy." Poe answered. "None whatsoever."

"Should we go over there and see what's going on?" Finn asked as they watched Leia and Han walk down the ramp and over to Rey and Holdo. He tilted his head as he watched Rey and Holdo part, Leia reach for Holdo's hand, Rey tuck herself into Han's side.

"I kinda want too." Poe admitted. "But I feel like we'd be intruding on something. Best wait and let Rey come to us if she wants too." BB-8 beeped and chirped happily and Poe smiled. "Yeah, yeah, she does look happy. Whatever's happening down there, I think it's a really good thing for Rey."

While Poe went back to tinkering with his X-Wing and muttering under his breath about punching Solo in the face if he hurt his General again, Finn continued to watch until the four disappeared into the bunker together. He could definitely seen there was something different about Rey, and he was genuinely glad to see her looking so happy, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going on, and what it all meant for Rey's next move. While Poe kept insisting he was safe here, Finn was still struggling with the urge to run. He couldn't see how these people honestly kept believing they could beat the First Order. There was no winning against the First Order, didn't they all understand that?

"Hey." Poe called out when he saw the troubled look on Finn's face. "What's wrong?"

Finn jumped, turned to look at Poe and shook his head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"I guess with those buckets on your head there's no need for stormtroopers to have poker faces." Poe said as he tossed his wrench into his tool box.

"What?" Finn replied sharply. It was going to take him a long time to stop being defensive about being a stormtrooper. It hadn't been something he'd chosen to do, it had been forced onto him. And when he was finally given a choice, he choose to save Poe and run.

Poe laughed. "I mean, you're a terrible liar." After wiping the grease from his hands Poe reached for his water canister and a couple of ration bars. "You still trying to figure out why we're all here? Why we keep fighting?"

"Something like that." Finn said as he accepted one of the bars.

Poe nodded and motioned for Finn to sit with him under the wing. Reaching into his shirt he pulled out a chain with three dog tags hanging from it. "Both of my parents were Rebels. My mom was part of the air strike against the second Death Star, and my dad was on the ground with General Leia and Han on Endor. They fought for the peace and stability I had as a kid. And I'll be damned if I let those First Order bastards take that away."

"There's no way to win this, Poe." Finn said sadly. "It's impossible."

"I'm sure there were plenty of people who thought the Empire couldn't be beat." Poe replied. "Nothing's impossible, Finn. You just got to find a way to make it possible and believe you can do it."

"You make it sound so easy." Finn replied as he turned his head to look at his friend.

Poe smiled. "As easy as escaping a heavily fortified First Order base and making our way here."

"There was nothing easy about any of that!" Finn argued with huff.

Poe smiled one of his charming dopey smiles. "And yet here we sit."

As is normal for Leia's life, she gets a small amount of time to bask in her joy and then reality comes back to smack her in the face. On Endor, she's reunited with Luke and he tells her the truth of who they are to each other. The horror of finding out her birth father is Vader is nothing compared to the joy she feels when she finally understands the strange connection she'd felt with him from the moment his too short to be a stormtrooper self walked into her holding cell. And then Luke turns himself over to Vader, and she and Han fight their way into a trap they have to fight their way out of. On Coruscant, she's laughing as all the blood rushes to her head because she's tangled herself up in Amilyn's skyfaring scarves and Amilyn, in the seriousness of her youth, was scolding her as she tried to untangle her carefully only for the both of them to fall the few feet to the floor in a heap because of Leia's squirming and laughter. Amilyn lands on top of her, and Leia looks up into those incredibly blue eyes, and just as Amilyn's about to push herself off Leia, Leia reaches up and pulls her back down. She kisses her, and they spend the rest of the afternoon tangled in each other rather than the scarves. Then her father sends her off with a data tape she needs to pass off to a small Rebel cell, and Amilyn's off to pass messages to Mon Mothma. Now here on D'Qar, she is finally reunited with the daughter she thought dead and the husband who'd run off, soaking in every second of time she gets with them. Marveling in the way it feels when Rey calls her mother, and basking in the warmth of Han's smiles, that crooked smile that's just for her. Savoring the moments when she catches Amilyn looking at Rey with such awe, and delighting in the way even Threepo's pessimistic point of view seems to change at the news of Rey's identity.

And then they are called to the command center, and she stands around the main table with her admirals and officers as they listen to the first reports come in from the recon team. The First Order's weapon is operational, it's bigger than anyone could have ever imagined, and it was powered up and ready to fire. Leia stood breathless, watching helplessly, waiting for the answer to her demand. "Where is it's target?"

"The Hosnian system." Someone responded.

Leia felt as if she were stuck in this odd moment of both the past and the present and she once again watched helplessly as a planet, as a whole system, was destroyed. The disturbance in the Force was unlike anything Leia had ever experienced before, and as she looked around the room she knew that every Force sensitive person around her felt it too. There were tears in Amilyn's eyes, a look of horror spread across Rey's face, and much to her surprise a look of utter terror and confusion in Finn's eyes.

"How long before it's able to be used again?" Amilyn asks, the tears in her eyes not taking anything away from the authority in her voice or the steel in her spin. She had friends on Hosnian Prime, she'd had a life there once, and now it was gone. Her gaze darts quickly to Leia who was living through this for a second time and then to Finn who was explaining the time it would take for Starkiller base to suck up enough power from a sun.

"How do we defeat something that size?" Ackbar asks as they all stare at the massive planet sized weapon.

"What do you mean how?" Han said as he looked around the room. "It's just another Death Star, sure it's a hell of a lot bigger, but it's still a damn Death Star. We blow the damn thing up."

"Han's right. We can do this, we've done it before, and we'll do it again." Leia said with a nod. She looks around the room at her people, giving them the hope they all need and then says, "Ok, now tell me how to blow the damn thing up."

They manage to work out a plan that feels very familiar to Leia, one that involves shooting at one small vulnerable spot and hoping for the best. Then her people scramble to prepare, and she's left to face the harshness of her reality. She and Amilyn find a moment to slip away, not to say goodbye, they never say goodbye. Amilyn holds her hand and smiles, a promise to return. She brings Amilyn's hands to her lips and kisses her knuckles before looking into her lover's eyes and saying, "May the Force be with you."

"Always." Amilyn replies and they share a soft kiss. Then she slips her hands from Leia's and makes her way to the Ninka.

Leia watched Amilyn go and then heads up to the surface herself. She made sure to take a moment with the pilots and crew she passed on her way to the Falcon, reassuring and reaffirming that this was a battle they would win. She stops a few feet away and watches as Han barks orders at Chewie, and warns Finn about the explosives. She smirks when Chewie growls back that he knows what the hell he was doing. She returns her focus to Han and smiles fondly, lovingly, as she says, "Ya know, no matter how much we fought, I always hated watching you leave."

Han turned slowly and smiled one of those dashing smiles that was only for her. Back in their heyday he and Amilyn would sit with a bottle of something expensive and strong between them, and talk about what it was like to love Leia Organa. They had both fallen fast and hard for their princess, and they both understood without any doubt or regret that they would love her for the rest of their lives. She was a force all her own and had become just as much a part of them as the Force was apart of her. "That's why I did it." He replied as he closed the distance between them. "So you'd miss me."

"I did miss you." Leia admitted, her heart pounding in her chest.

"It wasn't all bad was it?" Han asked her. "Some of it was good."

Leia nodded, a playful but loving smirk on her lips. "Pretty good."

"Some things never change." Han replies as he reaches for her, overwhelmed by the need to hold her again, to press her to his chest and feel her breathing against him, to feel her warmth.

"True." Leia replies as she allows herself to be pulled into his arms. "You still drive me crazy."

Han closes his eyes and breathes her in as he holds her against his chest. "I have always, and will aways, love you."

"I know." Leia replies, her voice a soft husky whisper full of a decade's worth of pent up emotions.

He kisses the top of her head and pulls away. He gives her one more, just-for-her, smile and then turns to head up the ramp.

"Han." She calls after him.

He doesn't give her a chance to say it. He just turns to her and smiles. "I know."

She says it anyway. "I love you too."

The hardest one to see off is hiding behind a stack of crates. Leia gives herself a few moments to compose herself after Han has disappeared into Falcon, and then calls out, "You weren't actually thinking you'd have to sneak aboard did you?"

"No." Rey squeaked, and then came out from behind the crates. "I wasn't sneaking. I just didn't want to interpret."

"Mmmhmm." Leia replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her girl.

Rey sighed softly. She walked over to her mother and unfolded Leia's arms so she could take one of her hands. "I have to go."

"I know you do." Leia replied as she sandwiches Rey's hand between her own. "I don't want you too, I just got you back, but I know you have too."

"Ben will be on that base." Rey said, feeling the need to explain even if she knew she didn't have too. "Maybe I could still be the key to bringing him back."

"I know sweetheart." Leia reassured. "I just wish I could come with you."

"No matter what happens, Mother." Rey said as she and Leia pull each other into a hug. "I promise I'll come back."

"You had better." Leia replied, holding Rey as tight as she could. "And you had better not keep me waiting so long this time."

Rey chuckled softly as she pulled away. "I won't."

Reaching up Leia cups her daughter's face in her hands and brings her close to kiss her forehead. "May the Force be with you."

"Like Ammy always says," Rey replied. "Always."