I really like this flashback and hope you do too!

Enjoy!

Chapter 23

Ben had never seen his father looking so frantic. His mother noticed. Ben heard her ask his father why he was acting so weird before she went to meet and pick up Luke from his transport. He heard her say that she and his Uncle Luke were planning to go out for a drink and have some time to catch up before they came back home where Uncle Luke was staying with them.

Ben had also never seen their apartment so full of people. He had done so well at keeping the secret. He was feeling so proud of himself! He almost slipped up last night as she was putting him to bed, but his Daddy stepped in and ushered her out of the room before she could ask him what he meant by party.

His Daddy had jumped into, what he called, 'why don't we have a cleaning droid' mode as soon as his Mommy left the house. Ben helped by picking up his toys and taking a duster on the table. He also carried the plates and cups to the table. BX and Chewie were in charge of the food. Ben watched as the Wookie laid out all the delicious goodies on the table, all his Mommy's favorites.

After all the necessary preparations were made, they used the rest of the time to quickly, as his Daddy called it, 'throw some decorations around and call it a birthday party.' Ben liked the purple balloons and placed them at as many different locations as he could find. He kept two special balloons, a purple one and a green one, to give the birthday girl and boy.

They were still decorating when the guests began to arrive. That was when his Daddy got even more jumpy. Ben was feeling a bit overwhelmed as the somewhat familiar faces piled into his home. He stuck close to Chewie and held his Ewok toy in his elbow as his Daddy greeted even more guests.

Now, Ben was in charge of watching down from the balcony to scout for his Mommy's speeder. He was supposed to alert his Daddy when he saw it. He had one false alarm, but he got it right on the second time.

"They're comin' up," his Daddy announced from just beside the entrance as the group hushed and the lights went dark. He felt his Daddy crouch down beside him and wrap his arm around his shoulders. "Remember to yell out surprise when you see them."

Ben was ready. He had been waiting for this for days.

The door opened and the two figures took a step inside. Suddenly, the lights flickered on and he saw his Mommy's eyes widen and her mouth open with a just as shocked Uncle Luke beside her.

Ben was about to say the word nice and loud, but everyone else beat him to it as a loud roar of 'Surprise' came from the gathered crowd.

His lip pouted. He didn't like it, didn't like the noise or the people or the whoops that came after the surprise. It was too much for his little body to handle.

Leia was truly shocked. She prided herself on her perception, but she had no clue this was in the works. Perhaps she had been so focused on Luke's visit for their birthday… She scanned the crowd as they let out some claps and shouts. Wedge was there, and Norra Wexley, Evvan, and General Rieekan, Chewie, a few people she recognized as Luke's pilot friends. And there was Han, undoubtedly the mastermind behind all of this, his face beaming and eyebrows twitching at her in a way that said, 'gotcha.'

And there was Ben beside him. Her face fell immediately when she noticed her son's eyes did not match the aura of the room. When his little lip pouted, she saw what was coming.

"Ben, sweetie," she called to her frightened little boy as she bent down and reached out an arm.

He took a few rocky steps to her as his eyes reddened and nose dripped. She held him closer to the ground level before the first audible sob emerged. That caused the crowd to let out their own audible 'awe.'

"It's okay, sweetie," Leia stood with him still in her arms. She gave her guests a small smile as she bounced and twisted. "It's okay."

Han looked devastated from his spot beside her. He did a good job with the party, but apparently not a good job prepping their boy for the atmosphere.

She let her son get out a few wails before pulling his head back and addressing him. "Did you and Daddy do this, a surprise for me and Uncle Luke?"

Ben nodded his head as he focused only on her and not on everyone else.

"And did you decorate too?" She asked now looking at the few streamers and balloons around.

Ben nodded again and remembered his special balloons. He wiggled down from his mother's arms and wiped at his eyes as he got the special balloons that he dropped beside his father.

He picked them both up again, a struggle when you only had two little arms and an Ewok in one of them. He proudly presented his Mommy with her purple balloon.

"For me?" Leia acted like it was made of diamonds. "Thank you bubba."

Ben turned to his elusive Uncle for the first time and handed him the green balloon.

"Thanks, Ben," he said with almost just as much enthusiasm. "It's good you see you! You've grown since I was last here."

Ben tucked his chin and grinned, evidence of his tears all but gone.

His Uncle Luke had not grown or changed much from how Ben remembered. Ben was just turning 3 when his Uncle last visited. He still had that fuzzy beard Ben thought felt funny and he still wore a white robe which Ben thought looked funny. And then there was the lightsaber attached at his waist. Uncle Luke let him hold it once. It was heavy.

Ben turned back around and saw that his Mommy had gone to greet the other people, but his Daddy was still nearby.

As he turned, he felt his Uncle's hand on the back of his head and then he felt it penetrate, into his mind. It was like his Mommy did when he had a bad dream, but Uncle Luke found a way to put him immediately at ease and much less afraid. The people in the room were only friends and the noise was happy noise. He didn't need to be scared.

Han was watching his boy closely ever since Ben surprised him with that overwhelmed scene. He felt terrible. This was supposed to go well for Leia, and Han should have noticed Ben's feelings sooner.

The fact that he was watching Ben carefully allowed him to see the motions of his brother-in-law and his son's reaction. Ben was fine. But Han wasn't.

"Luke," Han grunted his first greeting to his brother-in-law in anger.

The other man seemed surprised at Han's perception. "What?" He defended. "I didn't do anything Leia doesn't already do. See, he's calmer."

Han still didn't like it, but he wanted everyone to enjoy the party so he stepped forward to draw the man into a hug. "Good to see you, kid."

Luke chuckled at his nickname that never seemed to die no matter how long his beard got.

"Go enjoy your party," Han encouraged, nodding his head at the cacophony of guests that were waiting to greet him.

Luke grinned and then turned back to Ben. "You wanna come with your Uncle Luke?"

Ben nodded up at him vigorously, excited to spend some time with the man he had heard so much about but rarely saw. He reached his hand up to take the Jedi's.

It was going well. There was plenty of food, the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, Leia was laughing her genuine laugh. Later into the night, Han stood back and took a moment to pat himself and his partner on the back. "We did good, Chewie," he said as he leaned against the sidewall. "She was really surprised and they both seem to be havin' a good time."

Chewie growled in affirmation.

Han's eyes narrowed as they fell back on Ben. He had barely left his Uncle's side all night. Leia practically dragged him away to get some food into his belly, but other than that Ben was Luke's shadow. They were now sitting on the sofa, Ben leaning back and seemingly enthralled by the story Luke was telling a few others.

[Don't be jealous.]

Damn it. Chewie was too attuned to him for his own good. "I ain't jealous," he tried to convince Chewie and himself.

[Yes, you are,] the Wookie insisted. [But let's not talk about it now. The Princess is coming.]

As soon as he heard Chewie's words, he felt a hand tug his jaw down and to the side. He happily accepted the kiss he found there.

"It's Ben's bedtime," she informed him.

The already late hour surprised him. "I'll take this one. You enjoy your party." He gave her another quick kiss before moving to the couch and reclaiming his son.

"Ben, buddy," Han said as he stepped around the structure. "Bedtime."

He expected the reluctance, so he took steps beforehand.

As soon as Ben offered the slightest protest, he reminded him, "Remember what I said we would do tomorrow if you went right to bed?"

Ben certainly remembered which is why he jumped up on the sofa and reached for his father's help in getting down.

"Say goodnight to your Uncle Luke," Han happily reminded him.

"Can Uncle Luke tell me a bedtime story?" Ben asked his father with joyful hope.

Han was reluctant. "Not tonight kid. It's his birthday party…"

"I don't mind," Luke interrupted with a smile. "I'll sneak out for a bedtime story with my favorite nephew."

"He's your only nephew," Han reminded him before submitting, although reluctantly. "Alright kid. Let's get you jam-jams on and then Uncle Luke will tell you a story."

That kicked the little boy into high gear. Han didn't remember the last time Ben dressed and brushed his teeth so quickly. When he was tucked into bed with his Ewok, Han stepped back into the hall to find Luke walking towards him.

"The kid's ready," Han announced stepping to the side as Luke walked into Ben's room, cracking the door behind him.

Luke took in the tiny figure in the bed. So much energy in him, physical and spiritual.

"Okay Ben," Luke took a seat on the edge of the bed, meeting the little face peeking from the covers. "What story do you want to hear?"

Ben thought for a moment before announcing his choice. "The one about the pilot flying to the Kessel."

Luke had to laugh at that. "Well, I'm sure your father tells that story better than I ever could." Luke offered another option. "How about a story about the brave Jedi and the droid army."

Ben nodded and Luke told the story with a flourish and a passion that had Ben hanging on his every word.

Ben thought about the story for a moment. "You's a Jedi, Uncle Luke?"

Luke nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Did you's fight a droid army?"

"Well, no," Luke answered. "But there are lots of important jobs for Jedi like me to do today."

"Like what?"

"We bring peace to the galaxy," he stated his deepest held beliefs.

Ben thought for a moment. "Like Mommy does at her office?"

Luke shook his head. "It's different than that." He tried to think of a way to talk about this. "The Jedi use the Force for their work. The same powers that you have inside you." Luke tapped his nephew's head before stating what he wanted to say, what he wanted the young boy to know. "You could be a Jedi someday."

Ben thought for a moment. "No," he said, and then let out a humungous yawn. "I's gonna be a pilot."

A smirk formed in the opening crack of the bedroom door. Yup, that was his kid alright.

This was the second time in the last few hours she sensed her family.

"The Millennium Falcon is close," she announced to the team and then to herself, she muttered, "Leave it to Han to choose the worst possible timing."

She paced the headquarters from one holo to another, monitoring the progression of troops.

As soon as she felt Ben's message through the Force, she ordered the Resistance into action, manning the ships and sending all fighters out. They quickly pulled out a documented plan for occupation and modified it to work under these circumstances. Their mission, occupy the now powered down Supremacy, Snoke's own Mega-class Star Dreadnought.

The crew back at the base were on hold for another hour or so until the first of their deployed troops arrived at their destination to begin the occupation.

"Is Luke Skywalker with him?" Someone asked her with hope.

She turned and shook her head. "I don't know. I can't feel Luke, but Han is definitely near."

Sure enough, a few moments later another of her monitors called out to her. "General, the Millennium Falcon is requesting landing instructions."

"Give clearance for the nearest landing pad." Almost all their fighter ships were gone, so they had quite a selection of landing pads to choose from.

"Hold things down for me." She mentioned to her crew as she exited the headquarters and walked outside to see the glorious return of that hunk of junk. It took her back to times gone by, watching as the Falcon passed over her head, her heart soaring with it. And the times she would welcome Luke, visiting her and her family on Chandrila. Oh, but how times had changed.

The ship landed smoothly on the ground in front of her, the engine roar sizzling out as she settled. And then the ramp lowered, the familiar boots showing themselves.

He strolled casually down the ramp. When his face became visible, it wore his signature smirk with a special glint he saved just for her. She took a few steps towards him, stopping at the bottom of the ramp with her eyes and lips turned up.

His forward pace brought him to her. He stopped for a moment, breathed in the fresh air around him and her presence. Leaning down, he captured her lips. "Hey, sweetheart."

She gladly reciprocated, her hands pressing at his waist and diving in for another. "Is Luke with you?"

Well, that killed the moment. He exhaled and pulled back. "I'm great, how are you?"

She didn't let him go far, instead, she rubbed her hand over his upper arms to try and soothe his ruffled feathers.

Han let his eyes roll back to the ramp. "He's here."

Leia felt her stomach jump with anticipation, joy, and worry. She looked past him to the empty ramp.

Han explained. "He didn't want to cause a crowd when the legendary Luke Skywalker returns." Han looked around to see that the paraded welcoming they expected was not happening. "I see you really brought out all the stops for us…"

She kept her eyes on the ramp, the path to her twin, as she answered. "They're heading to Snoke's ship."

His eyebrows drew together as he took a step back. "Kriff, what did I miss?"

He deserved an explanation before she diverted all her attention to her brother. Turning back to him she felt her eyes open wider as she relived the awesome feeling she had when she first felt what they had done. "It was Ben and Rey."

"What'd they do?" He asked with more breath in his voice.

"Ben got them in…" She was still processing, but she was crystal clear in her next point. "He killed Snoke."

"Our Ben?" Han asked as the corner of his mouth twisted with surprise.

She full-on smiled. "The same one!"

He took the time to process as she continued.

"They disabled the shields and cannons before leaving, preparing the Supremacy to be easily boarded and occupied. They're on their way back now and the Resistance is set to arrive ship side in about one hour."

Han listened. "You mean you don't need Luke after all? And I just spent all this time alone with my brother-in-law for no reason?"

She rolled her eyes at his lament. "How is he?"

Han turned serious, his head positioned low. "He's… feeling more guilty than I expected."

That was exactly what she expected from Luke.

"Only reason I got him to come is because I convinced him you really wanted to see him."

"I do," she answered solemnly.

He knew she did. With a tug on her hand, he motioned her forward. "Come on then."

She followed him up, into his ship.

"He'll be happy to see someone who isn't me or Chewie."

Speaking of Chewie, the copilot appeared at the top of the ramp and gave Leia a welcome greeting.

[Don't worry, Princess. They were civil.]

She gave him a quick hug. "I've no doubt you're to be thanked for that miracle."

Chewie didn't disagree as he let them pass.

The bright lights from the ship immediately illuminated the man who sat slumped over along the booth. His once youthful cream robes now appeared long and heavy with the weight of living, of tribulation. His head was down, but she had a clear view of the full gray locks that fell down from his hair and face. He was there. Physically he was there, she could see him. But she still couldn't feel him. She hadn't been able to for years.

"Luke," she felt the air leave her mouth.

He raised his head, then stood.

Now she could see his eyes, she swore they changed. No longer the bright bold blue, but instead a mix between the color gray and pain.

She stepped closer, her head tilting with concern and her eyes transmitting compassion and strength. "I'm glad you're here."

"Wish I could say the same," he finally spoke, his voice the same timbre she remembered.

She quirked her lip. "Your hair changed."

"So has yours," he commented back as his posture seemed to relax slightly. He swallowed, bringing his chin closer to his chest and raising his tired eyes. "I'm sorry, Leia."

"I know you are," she felt her voice whispering back. "I don't blame you."

Luke heard the words but didn't internalize them. "He does," he nodded towards Han who stood behind Leia.

Han raised his hands and widened his eyes. "Not as much as I used to, okay."

Luke shook his head at his old friend and brother-in-law. "He's growing up."

Leia concurred. "We all are." She bit her lower lip. "And all three of us hold responsibility and regret."

Luke brought his eyes back to his sister, his twin. The person he cared about most in the entire galaxy and the person he had utterly and completely failed. "I don't know what I can do for you, Leia." He couldn't be what she was asking of him.

She took another step forward. She was close now. Close enough to reach out and take his hand, his left hand, the one that could still feel. "You're my brother," she reminded, looking up at him over her eyelids. "Just being here… it's enough."

His eyes squinted as his head bowed. "You're the strongest of all of us." His other hand went to cover theirs. "You never gave up."

"I played my part when it was needed, formed the Resistance, kept the spark of hope alive in the galaxy." She nodded over her shoulder. "Then Han did the next step, brought back Ben."

Luke's eyes widened as he heard the next part of the story.

She took a steady breath before proceeding. "And because of that, Ben Solo killed the Supreme Leader and destroyed any chance of the First Order's retaliation."

"Ben…" Luke could hardly believe it. "Ben did that?"

Leia nodded. "Ben and one of our recent recruits, Rey."

Luke's eyes lightened as he finally let himself believe what Han had been saying the whole time. "So he's really back."

"Yes," she nodded in subdued but jubilant consent. "He is. Piloting his way home right now."

Note: I always saw Leia addressing Luke similar to TLJ. Enough time has gone by, she never blamed Luke like Han did, and she just wanted her brother back.