Wedge leaned against the ladder of his ship, waiting. Han's call had been unexpected, although not unwelcomed. It would be a nice break from the norm, and he never missed an opportunity to talk ships. The only thing he had planned this morning was a bit of maintenance and making his 'baby' look pretty. Not every ship could pull off the battered- Falcon look.

Hearing children's voices, he looked up. Han Solo was marching towards him, holding both Jaina and Anakin's hands. That's a sight that's going to take some getting used to!

"Good morning, Miss Solo, you are looking strikingly beautiful this morning!"

Jaina's cheeks flared red, and she giggled as she spoke, "Thank you, Wedge. Do you like my hair? Daddy plaited it for me this morning. I'm going to teach him how to do lots of different styles!"

"Your dad did that? It looks lovely," Wedge was contemplating hundreds of sarcastic remarks when Han interrupted in a low growl.

"Not a word, Antilles. Not one word!"

Wedge turned his attention to Anakin quickly, "So, young man, ready to look at my ship?"

"Yeah!"


"Wes Jansen, you say? Well, I can't say I'm surprised. It has his name all over it. Right, moving on, I have just read your report on the supposed Organa-Solo children...No, I don't believe it for a second! I was hoping you were going to tell me this was also some hideous prank...No it certainly isn't sweet...it's impossible...Excuse me, General Rieekan, I have just seen our venerable Princess."

Abruptly ending the call, Mon Mothma changed direction in order to catch Leia up. Luckily for her, Leia appeared to have come to a standstill, so she could casually saunter over. It would not be proper for her to be seen chasing the Princess.

"Good Morning, Princess."

Leia appeared startled as she spun around to face her. The leader of the Alliance had just been about to request Leia join her in her office when she noticed the small boy holding Leia's hand. Her breath caught, he had Leia's eyes. If she looked hard enough, she could clearly see Han Solo in this boy. Although she was loathe to admit it.

"Good Morning." Leia made no move to start a conversation, likely hoping it would go no further than a polite greeting. Mon Mothma had other ideas.

"Leia, I would like you to accompany me to my office. Alone." The pointed look she shot Jacen left no question as to what she wanted to talk about.

Mon watched as subtle changes took over Leia's face. At first, she appeared anxious and apprehensive. Then she looked down at the child and a visible change took over her. Her shoulders squared, and determination radiated from her being.

"Mon, first, allow me to introduce my son, Jacen." Leia's voice was even, her gaze ever fixed on her adversaries.

Jacen took a slight step forward and bowed, "Pleased to meet you, Madame Chief of State."

He just called me Chief of State. What would possess him to do that? Before she had chance to ask, Leia spoke.

"Why did you say that, Jacen?" Her tone was gentle, yet questioning.

"That's how you taught us to greet her at formal dinners. Do I not call her that here? Does she have a different name?" The confusion was evident in his voice as well as his features.

"Same name, different title, sweetie." Leia smiled affectionately at her son, then turned back to the elder woman, "I will come to your office, and so will Jacen. I will not leave him on his own. Whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of him."

Oh, well played, Organa. Crafty - just like your father. I can hardly speak freely in front of the boy. Well, there still may be a chance to make sense of this yet.

"Very well." She couldn't be certain, but Mon thought she saw Leia's confident expression slip for a split second, "If you would follow me."


"So this is an Incom – T-65, more commonly referred to as the X-wing. Up here, you can see there are four realspace engines, attached to them are-"

"Aerodynamic S-foils, we know all this. It's textbook! Can we sit in it now?" Jaina pleaded.

"Yeah, I wana sit in it!" Anakin echoed, hoping from one foot to the other.

Wedge sighed. So much for imparting my knowledge, go figure Han's kids would be know-it-alls!

"No, you can't sit in-" Wedge was cut off from a sharp cough, followed by a scowl from Han, "Well, I suppose - if you don't mess with the chair. I have it just right."

Wedge suspected that Han would not have let his children sit in any other X-wing here, purely for the fact that they stood a fair distance from the ground. However, his was now lowered for maintenance with a raised platform against it, making it much safer to climb in and out of. Although, Wedge had to wonder how Leia would feel about this.

Anakin was the first in the pilot's seat. He sat there for all of 3 seconds until he declared, "This doesn't feel right...can I wear your crash helmet, Wedge?"

Wedge let the request bounce around in his head for a bit. My helmet is special; it's my life saver, not just anyone can wear it...

"Of course you can, kid." Han said, lifting the helmet from its resting place, just above the seat, "It might feel a bit heavy."

Okay, Solo, I hope one day I have kids, and those kids will be learning all about the Falcon. I will also be teaching them about hyperdrives by dismantling yours! Wedge's private tirade was cut off by Jaina.

"Commander Skywalker, this is Counsellor Organa-Solo. What's the situation up there?"

"It's not good, I'm afraid. The Rogues are surrounded on all sides. This may be our final goodbye sis-"

"ANAKIN! Will you stay in character, I am not your sister – I am your friend!"

"Oops, sorry."

Both, Han and Wedge remained blissfully unaware of the major slip-up Anakin had just made. Han for his part was wondering why Anakin had chosen to play Luke and not himself, while Wedge was having a hard time contemplating the Rogues ever allowing themselves to be surrounded.

Anakin tried again, "This may be our final goodbye, my friend...Oh wait, there might be hope yet!"

"What is it, Commander Skywalker? Tell me what's happening!"

"The enemies are getting picked off one by one. I can't see who it is..."

"There is only one person with enough skill and foolishness to be able to pull something like that off..."

"Han Solo!" Both children shrieked in unison.

Anakin carried on making battle sounds while Jaina was tugging at her father's sleeve asking if it was her go yet. Wedge just stood and watched them. This whole situation was so surreal, he had to pinch himself, but deep down he knew it was real. Han was the same old Han, but there was something else there, too. Han was open, displaying his love and pride in his children for anyone to see. This was incongruent with his past self, who's only self confessed love was for his ship. Wedge was filled with curiosity about how this was changing Han and Leia's relationship. I bet they're sleeping together now, since they know it happens. I can't see Han wanting to wait.


Mon Mothma was seated at her desk, eyeing the Princess critically. Leia sat opposite on a large seat that was designed to fit any being. Right now it allowed Leia to be seated while her son lay with his head on her lap. Mon had purposefully spent a while talking of supplies and other mundane bureaucratic nonsense until Jacen's eyes had fallen shut.

"Leia, I need you to explain to me now, what is going on?" She spoke in soft tones but the sternness was still evident. When Leia didn't answer straight away, she carried on, "I have a report from General Rieekan stating that you have children from the future who have come back in time to stay safe. Is this correct?"

"Yes, that is correct. We ran DNA tests to confirm. I am definitely their mother."

"How can you be a mother when you are practically a child yourself?" Mon Mothma virtually spat the words with disdain.

"With all due respect, I was practically a child when I joined the senate. The second I watched my home being blown up...I stopped being a child. Also, as I am sure you are aware, had my planet not been blown up, I would likely have had a marriage arranged for me by now. But this is all beside the point. I have not, as you imply, made a decision to become a mother now. It is something that has happened in my future. I can't alter that. Nor can I tell these children that I am too young to be their mother so they're just going to have to wait."

She made a good point, Mon had to admit. That didn't change the fact that this wasn't supposed to be the Princess's future. "Leia, have you thought about what this actually means? You will have... conceived these children with Captain Solo. Now, there may be a chance to rectify this yet. I have not personally come across the subject of time travel or studied the concept of time itself, but I seem to remember the Jedi of the Republic had a saying, 'The future is always in motion.' Therefore, what you may have been given here is an incredible gift."

"Sorry, I don't think I follow."

"Leia, it is clear that somewhere along the way, a terrible mistake has been made. Now that you know what to look out for, it can be avoided."

"By terrible mistake, I assume you are referring to Han."

Mon Mothma made sure to keep her voice low, as much as she reviled the idea of the Princess ending up with someone like Solo, she did not want his son to hear. "We both know that he is well below your level of class, Leia. I just can't imagine how terrible this must be for you. The mind boggles as to how this happened in the first place."

Looking into Leia's features, Mon found herself feeling at a loss to explain the emotion there. She thought she could see sadness and hurt there. I should be seeing relief there; relief that I am willing to help her sort out this mess.

Leia looked down at the boy sleeping against her. Taking a deep breath, she lightly stroked his cheek, and then turned to meet Mon Mothma's eyes. "With all due respect, you don't even know Han; this is a man who has put his life on the line countless times to save my life. A man who-"

Well this is unexpected. Oh, Leia, please don't tell me it's too late! "Have you been intimate with Captain Solo, Leia?"

"Excuse me? I fail to see how any of this is you concern."

"If you were anyone else, it would not be my business. Leia you are a Princess, and whether you like it or not you have a reputation to uphold. So are you in love with Captain Solo? I can understand he is an attractive man and could easily persuade a young, naive girl like you-"

"No, I have not, and am not currently having an intimate relationship with Han and I am not in love with him at this specific time. From what we have found out from the children, it appears that we fall in love, get married and then have children. We have not found out any specific dates, but-"

Becoming tired with Leia's apparent disregard for the inappropriateness of it all, she interrupted, "But this will disgrace your reputation! Han Solo is nothing more than a-"

"I beg you not to finish that sentence in front of my son!"

Leia's tone stopped Mon in her tracks. She had almost forgotten the young boy was there. She looked at him now, nestled into his mother's lap, sleeping evenly. She watched as Leia smoothed the hair back from his face.

"I understand that this is a romantic notion for you. Regrettably, you lost your entire family and here you have been handed a new one. I implore you not to be hasty, though. Now that you have had this revealing glimpse into your future, you may be able to do something about it."

"I don't know when or why, but something will change between Han and me and we will fall in love. I am not going to set out to sabotage that because you have a problem with it. Do you think after knowing and loving my children that I would set out specifically to make sure they don't exist?"

"You could have children with someone else, Leia."

"Just not Han, right?"

A silent standoff took place between the two women, each as adamant as the other that they were right. Mon looked deep into Leia's eyes and saw something there that had been absent for a while: hope. She had just been about to try and convince Leia from a different perspective, when the boy started to murmur and move restlessly. His words were difficult to make out, except for two; Mommy and Daddy.

"Its okay, Jace, I'm here." Leia softly cooed to her son.

Abruptly his eyes popped open, "Mommy!"

"I'm right here," Leia hugged her son to her, "you were just having a dream."

"I was at home but I couldn't find Jay or Ani. So I looked for you and Daddy and you were having dinner but you couldn't hear me shouting at you! You were just talking about going somewhere in the next couple of days."

"It was just a dream, baby."


"Still, it must be pretty cool, knowing you're going to marry a Princess - a beautiful one, no less." Wedge had been gently probing for the past hour, for information on Han and Leia's relationship. So far, Han had been less than revealing. He's probably onto me!

"Yeah, I suppose. My first instinct was to rebel against it. I'm not having any one, thing, or situation dictate how my life is going to turn out. But, then I looked at Leia and the children and thought, how many men would kill for a family like this? It's perfect. Plus, it won't actually happen for a while yet so I have time to fully adjust to the idea."

"And sleep with as many women as possible before you get tied down!" Wedge joked, but Han didn't respond as he would have expected. He just shrugged and said, "Well, maybe."

Their conversation ended abruptly as Jaina came running over, slightly breathless, "We need to find Jace, he's upset! We need to go now!"

"Slow down, kiddo, how do you know he's upset?" Asked Han, puzzled.

"I know...because...I'm his twin!" Responded Jaina, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That doesn't mean you can know what someone else is feeling, Jaina." Han patiently explained.

"Dad, do you have a twin?"

"No."

"Well then, I don't see how you could possibly know!" Jaina answered back.

Wedge burst out laughing then, "She has you there, Han," turning to face Jaina, he said, "You, young lady, are exactly like your mother!"

"Thank you, Wedge. Now let's go, Dad!" With that, she took off running.

"Kest! Wedge, take Ani back to the Falcon. Chewie should be there."

Han took off after Jaina, leaving Wedge smiling after them.


Jacen had calmed down considerably and now sat next to his mother, tightly grasping her hand. Mon had decided she wasn't getting anywhere talking sense into Leia, and could hardly carry on with Jacen awake and alert. Instead, they were now discussing the practical matters of children living on the base.

"I would like to put in a request for fresh supplies. Han is running out and the children need more nourishing food than what is served at the mess."

"You want more, of what little supplies we have?"

"Yes, and considering how much of myself and my money I have given to this cause I would have thought this was a reasonable request."

Suddenly Jaina burst into the room, and flung her arms around Jacen.

"More of your offspring, I presume, Leia?"

"Jaina, what are you doing –" Leia was cut off as Han burst into the room, breathless and supporting himself on the door frame.

Ignoring the other occupants of the room, Han marched up to Jaina, "Don't you ever run off like that again, Jaina! I'm serious – you have no idea how dangerous this place can be. If you had waited and asked, I would have brought you here safely."

"But, I was safe, Daddy. Nothing happened."

"That is beside the point. You couldn't have known that before you set off!"

"Sorry, Daddy, I promise I won't do it again."

"Okay, sweetheart." Han smiled at his daughter and looked up, suddenly realising where they were.

Mon Mothma made sure her face did not betray her amusement, but Han Solo's face had been a picture when he realised where he was. So this is their daughter. She looks exactly like Leia as a child. Although, perhaps a bit thinner.

Leia stood up and gestured towards her daughter, "This is our daughter, Jaina."

Without being asked, and in the same fashion Jacen had, she bowed, "Nice to see you, Madame Chief of State."

Jacen leaned over and whispered to his twin.

"Oh, isn't she?" Jaina flared red as she spoke, embarrassed at being wrong.

"Nice to meet you too, Jaina. Can I ask, since you have both said it, am I Chief of State where you are from?"

The twins nodded their heads in agreement.

"Curious." She pondered that for a few seconds before turning to Han, "Captain Solo, would you explain as to why you and your daughter burst into my office...unannounced?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Jaina was worried about Jacen and ran off to find him, and we ended up here."

"Jaina, how did you know we were here?" Leia asked.

"Oh, he's my twin...I could tell what direction he was in." When no one spoke, Jaina tried again, "It was a lucky guess!"

There was a short silence before Leia broke it with a panicked question, "Han, where is Anakin?"

"Relax, will you, he's with Wedge. I wasn't going to just leave him with anyone."

Mon watched the two interact. They were different. On the times she had seen them in the same room, they were at each other's throats constantly. Now, Leia smiled when she spoke to him, and his voice, although still slightly sarcastic, had a warm edge to it. Oh, please tell me they are not falling in love already. I thought I'd have a bit more time to come up with someone better for her! The Princess and the smuggler, it's just laughable.

"Permission granted for extra supplies. Leia, if you could inform me the minute you stop playing mother, I will have you put straight back to work. I know you must be itching to get back to it."

"Now hold on one second, I won't have you talking to her like-" Han started before Leia stopped him.

"Han...don't, please."

Mon watched as Han breathed deeply for a few seconds before nodding and staring sullenly at the ground. Well, that may be the first time I've ever seen or heard of Han backing down. Perhaps he is falling faster than she is.

Leia turned to her and plastered an overly fake smile across her face as she spoke, "Thank you. The supplies will be a great help. Now, if you'll excuse us, we shall take our leave."


The second they were back in the Falcon, Han skulked off to the cockpit. Wedge was seated playing Holochess with Anakin and Chewie. Jaina and Jacen immediately went straight over to watch. Leia took the opportunity to search out Han.

Stepping into the cockpit, she could clearly see him seated in his pilot's chair with his feet raised onto the controls. Without asking permission, she walked over and sat in Chewie's seat. When he didn't speak for a while she decided to start.

"I'm sorry I cut you off like that. I didn't mean to talk to you like a child; I just didn't want you to give her any more ammunition."

"I didn't like the way she was speaking to you."

"I didn't much care for it either, but I don't need protecting, Han." When he still refused to look at her, she added, "But I appreciate the fact you wanted to."

That brought a small smile to his lips. "She's lucky I didn't have my blaster. How can you let her talk to you like that?"

"It's just politics, Han. You get used to it."

"Why would you want to spend your life in a career like that?"

"Maybe I should have said politicians, instead of politics itself. To get what you need to be able to help people, you have to be able to fight for it verbally. Some politicians forget to confine it to the senate, and use to gain advantage."

"Leia, what did you mean by not giving her any more ammunition?"

Do I be honest with him, even though it might hurt his feelings? What if he goes back and starts waving his blaster around. No, I don't want to lie to him.

"She was less than enthusiastic at the prospect of us being together." She spoke tentatively.

"You mean she can't stand the idea of a Princess being with a lowlife smuggler, like myself."

"I wouldn't take it personally. Although she's never actually said it, I get the feeling she would like to keep me reserved for any future political alliances."

"What? They would do that to you; treat you like a piece of meat? Would you have gotten a say in it?"

"It's not that uncommon and pretty standard for royalty. I guess I figured that now I had no world..."

"That doesn't seem fair. Wait, Jacen was with you..."

"Yeah, she spoke about supplies and funding and battle tactics until he fell asleep. He didn't hear anything about her disdain for us. In fact, he interrupted her nicely with a bad dream."

"A dream? What about?" Han asked frantically.

"I don't know, something about being at home and not seeing Jaina and Anakin...Oh, and he was watching us eat dinner but he couldn't get our attention."

Han looked out the viewport at the pilots and mechanics ambling about. He didn't speak for a while.