"I want to hold them."
Han could have sworn she'd said the exact same line at least a billion times that month. At least, it had seemed like a thousand times the first day. Every time, she said it more casually. Like she expected he already knew what she wanted and she was just waiting for him to allow it. That was true. Before she said it, she'd get that look in her eyes and Han would know exactly what she was about to ask for. And more often than not, he had given into her maternal demands. That first day, though, Han had struggled to tell her no as the day had drawn to a close and her eyes desperately fought sleep.
It was about time Leia get some sleep. The night had come and Han could tell how sleepy she really was. She wasn't doing very well at hiding it. Leia was exhausted and she had every right to be, but she couldn't care less and all she wanted to do was-
"Please. Just let me hold them once more before bed."
"Sweetheart, all you do is hold them." Han kissed her forehead and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. "They'll still be there when you wake up. They always are. But it's bedtime and the babies are going to be up all night and you deserve some actual sleep. So, sleep while you can."
Leia sighed. Unwillingly, her eyes surrendered to Han's order and they fluttered while Leia fought slumber. "It's okay. Go to sleep and when you wake up, you can hold the babies again."
Leia moaned in protest, but it took not even a minute for her eyelids to fall heavy and her breathing to even out. She was out like a lamp.
Han sat beside her on their bed, stroking her hair and rubbing circles on her back. He just watched her during her peaceful sleep. Until one of the babies woke up. He gave a light sigh, standing up and hurrying over to the cribs before the baby's cries could wake Leia. He quickly and smoothly scooped up the crier, who happened to be Eile, and started rocking him. "Hey, there, little guy. Don't you want to sleep? Don't you think it's a bit late to be staying up? See, I was thinking maybe 14 or 15 and then we can start that, but not a month old!"
Eventually, Eile's cries quieted and he fell asleep again. Until Eissa and Evern both woke up.
It wasn't the first light of a new day that woke Leia up, but the cries of her children wailing from their cribs. It took her only a couple seconds to wake up and decipher the noise. Briefly eyeing the time on her nightstand, Leia could have died. She sat up in bed and was about to swing her legs off the mattress when she caught sight of her husband; he was already up and working to soothe the little ones.
Han yawned, rocking two babies in his arms. "Don't you guys want to get any sleep? Don't you want me to get some sleep? Hmph. Well, at least quiet down so Mommy can get her rest. She deserves at least that much, wouldn't you agree?" He sighed. "We can't keep getting up like this. Hopefully, it won't be long before you guys actually start sleeping at night."
Leia smiled, watching her husband with their kids for a moment, thinking to herself, and this is why I love him so much. With one last glance toward the scene, she lied back down to sleep.