A/N: so, welcome to what i call the - last arc of this story (and i know yall have been waiting for it for a looooong time now)

Luke Skywalker dropped what Han judged to be the biggest suitcase he had ever seen in front of his feet, and Han Solo eyed him suspiciously. Never mind that Luke was an all-powerful Jedi, he was still under the impression that Han would do him the favor of carrying his luggage.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Luke asked, indignant. For once in his life he couldn't think of anything he might have said or done that would have Han start mocking him. He had simply — stood there.

"Your bag is bigger than Leia's," Han pointed out with a gesture, his other hand firmly on his hips. "We're going on a small trip, Luke. Whatever you have inside there, I doubt you're going to need it."

Luke rolled his eyes. "There's nothing small about this trip, Han. Honestly, if you were Force sensitive, you would know just how high tensions are running as of the moment."

"Small mercies," he grunted. Dealing with Leia's anxiety was already enough for him; he didn't need to know the state of mind of the rest of the galaxy.

Not that he minded taking care of her and being supportive. But doing the same for the rest of the galaxy? He wasn't that good of a man.

"Where's Leia?"

"Hm? She's at the Falcon already, going over every single case scenario in which they won't like her and coming up with contingency plans if they do end up hating her."

Luke made a face. "They're not going to hate her. Why would they hate her?"

"You go try talking some sense into her, then," Han commented. "Don't you know your sister at all? If she doesn't have every situation under her tight control, she'll collapse."

"She can't control this," Luke pointed out the obvious. "Padmé's the same, actually."

"Great," he moaned, "We'll just lock those two in a room for the entire trip and let them pull each other's hair off."

"That's very dramatic of you," Luke huffed.

"I can't believe you, of all people, aren't stressing over this."

Luke shot his shoulders up and down. "What can I say? I'm a very likable person."

Han scoffed. "Did Padmé tell you that?"

"As a matter of fact, she did," Luke replied, ignoring Han's insinuation.

"The same Padmé that told Leia just last week that she had made some delicious pancakes?"

Luke made a face remembering how horrible Leia's pancakes tasted, then his expression dropped as he saw where Han was heading with that.

"I'm gonna go get a second opinion."

"You do that."

Luke was just about to leave to ask Leia how likable she thought he was when he saw Padmé and Ameera approaching them. They were idly chatting within themselves, but when the conversation abruptly stopped as the two girls approached the two boys, it was noted that their conversation only belonged to them.

Ameera dropped Padmé's luggage next to Luke's, which turned out to be slightly smaller than Luke's. Han offered him a pointed glare.

"Hey—Padmé is going home. Of course she doesn't need to take many things! All her things are already there."

Padmé laughed uncomfortably at the mention of home, but she did her best to swallow her uneasiness.

"Han, remind me to show you pictures of when I was the Queen of Naboo once we get there," she commented, "Once you see all the apparatus I had to wear and therefore carry everywhere I went, you'll never complain about Luke's unusually big luggage again."

Han huffed but seemed to accept that.

"Are we all set to leave?"

"Yeah," Han conceded, "We were just waiting for you."

"Where's Leia?"

"Probably taking the hyperdrive apart so we'll delay our departure."

"Hm," Padmé hummed. "Guess I have no choice but to join her."

"Don't worry, the Falcon will most likely let us down either way," Han offered her his trademark smirk.

"You can't possibly pride yourself on that," Ameera accused, disbelieved.

Shaking her head, Padmé stole Ameera for herself before she and Han started bickering.

"You're sure you don't want to come?" she asked for what seemed the millionth time.

"Padmé, as much as I might love you and your twisted children, I really don't get paid to sit through your family drama."

Padmé chuckled. "It's not going to be that bad… Is it?"

Ameera tilted her head and placed both her hands over Padmé's shoulders. "They're going to be thrilled to see you again, Padmé."

She let out an anxious breath. "I can't help but feel that they'll hate me. That they'll never forgive me for deceiving them."

"So maybe they do hold a grudge," she prompted, "Their happiness for having you — alongside two fucking grandchildren that they didn't even know about — back will still overcome any sourness."

"And if you're wrong?"

"When have I ever been wrong in my life?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No," Ameera refuted. "Listen, Padmé. Just take a deep breath and relax, okay? This is no different than when you first met Luke and Leia, and look how well that turned out."

"It took us some several months."

"So long as it works out in the end, it's fine," Ameera grunted but offered Padmé the most genuine smile she had. "Go now. Enjoy your time with the twins and with your family, and — try not to miss me too much, alright?"

Padmé carefreely laughed at that. "I make no promises regarding that."

All too pleased with the answer, Ameera picked up Padmé's bag and threw it at Luke, who nearly stumbled to the floor with the sudden throw.

"If anything happens to her, Evil Spawn, I'll blame you," she threatened very seriously.

Padmé rolled her eyes but still gave her upper arm one last squeeze before the three of them marched towards the Falcon.

They found Leia deep into conversation with Bria by the ramp of the ship and she surely resembled a whole more composed than Han made her be.

"If you need anything, anything at all, you'll comm me, alright?" Leia spoke very clearly, and the three of them didn't need to be part of the conversation to know she was repeating those instructions to the point she was most likely driving Bria insane. "I don't care if it's the smallest or stupidest thing. I'll be connected all the time."

"You shouldn't."

Leia's eyes startled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Be connected all the time! Come on, Your Highness, you're going on vacation! You're supposed to chill a little."

Luke had to hide his sneer at Leia being so bluntly called out.

Leia, meanwhile, folded her arms against her chest. "It's not a vacation. And I'm chill."

Bria scoffed, looking down at the datapad in her hands. "If you say so, Your Highness."

Leia blew a puff of air. "Anyway, I'll be online should any emergencies happen. Mon Mothma is also aware of my leave of absence, and she's prompt to answer for me if needed. So, in case an emergency does happen, you can go to her before going to me. I trust you to use your best judgment accordingly to the severity of the emergency."

Sticking the datapad under her armpit, Bria took her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Yes, Ma'am. I shall not disturb you at all."

Leia rolled her eyes. "That's not what I said."

Bria shrugged. "You don't have to worry, Princess. I've got everything you've told me to do off the top of my head. Make sure the rebellion won't crumble in your absence? Check. Follow closely the treaty between the New Republic and all the worlds that wish to join us? Check. Tend to Mister Chewbacca so he doesn't feel lonely at least once a day? Check. Certify that Miss Ameera Lassen isn't starving herself? Check."

Padmé scoffed at that last one. "Is Ameera aware of that?"

"She will be, eventually," Leia conceded, turning her head back to Bria. "I trust you not to set the New Republic on fire while I'm gone."

"I wouldn't dream to, Your Highness," Bria smiled unapologetically. "Now go. We've got everything under control."

"Alright," Leia ceded with a sigh. "Oh, and Bria?"

"Yes?"

"Call me Your Highness one more time and I'll fire you."

Laughing loudly to herself, Bria turned on her heels to leave. "Whatever you say, Your Highness."

"She's impossible," Leia grunted to nobody in particular.

Luke walked past her and gave her shoulder a hard pat, following up the ramp. "You understand what I have to deal with, now?"

Leia went after him. "I have no idea what you're implying."

"Alright, kids, how about we have a peaceful, calm journey to Naboo?" Padmé suggested, Padmé begged. "Let's not tear each other's head off until we get there, okay?"

Leia and Luke synchronously sat down and buckled in. They all trusted Han to take off on his own without any major problem.

Trusting the Falcon, however—

"Come on, mother. You need some normalcy before you start losing your mind."

"The two of behaving like this makes me want to lose my mind," Padmé said, taking the third seat.

"We'll behave, you don't have to worry about us," Leia answered diplomatically, but she didn't fool Padmé in the slightest — extreme politeness and an overuse of diplomacy was Leia's favorite method of hiding her anxieties from everybody else.

Padmé was no fool; this was going to be a very long trip for the both of them.

"Well, I can't wait to get there," Luke obtusely stated, and the smile stamped across his face was authentic. "It's going to be perfect. I can just feel it."

Padmé and Leia looked at him skeptically.

"It's going to be very tense, Luke," Padmé reminded him, despite Ameera's efforts of having her forget about the tension and focus instead on the happy outcome. "We're coming in unannounced, and—"

"We're going to ambush them," Leia provided the words that Padmé couldn't find. "They're not expecting us. They think their daughter is dead, and heaven knows how long it's been since Padmé came back."

Padmé swallowed uncomfortably at the implication. "I couldn't go to them earlier, Leia."

"Couldn't, or wouldn't?" she asked, although there was no accusation there. "It's okay, Padmé. I can't say I understand your decision to delay it, but I respect your decisions nonetheless."

"Thank you," she said with a hoarse voice. "I don't suppose there's an easy way to do this. No matter how I approached them, it would still feel like an ambush."

"You could… Have called them?" Luke suggested, making a face. "Let them know that you were alive, just that it would be a while until you could see them again."

Glares fell on him again.

"Because Padmé's family surely would have accepted that," Leia criticized. "Their daughter who had been dead for over two decades just rang them from the grave, surely they'll please themselves with a call and won't feel the need to see Padmé for their own eyes."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, Leia, your definition of family is a little too outdated for me. Had I called Uncle Owen to tell him I was alive, he'd simply throw at me that I hadn't been gone long enough."

Leia's face dropped, but not at the poor definition of family that her brother had growing up.

"They're going to have questions."

"Of course they are," Padmé concurred, frowning. "They're not going to accept idly that I forged my death and—"

"No, not about that," Leia interfered softly. "I mean, they're going to have questions — about us. Luke and I. They didn't know you were alive, but they didn't know we were alive either. That's going to hurt them, to know that we were also stolen from them."

Padmé breathed out heavily, clasping her hands together in front of her face. "You're right. They won't be pleased."

"Logically, I can offer them several explanations as to why we were kept from them," Leia said. "Emotionally? That won't matter. It won't matter because Luke was thrown to Anakin's family without a second thought, so why couldn't he have been placed with Padmé's family instead? Because it would have been too obvious? Well, so was giving him to the Lars. And then, there's my father — was he acting logically, too? Unlikely. He wanted a daughter and he found me. He might as well have been acting on his emotions rather than on his reason."

Padmé looked at her funnily; it wasn't very often that Leia would even hint at a critic of her adoptive parents. In fact, Padmé couldn't remember a single time she had done it in her presence; from what she had come to understand, Bail and Breha Organa had become two saints that nobody was allowed to touch, not even Leia herself.

"He wouldn't have brought Vader's daughter to the center of the Empire without giving it some thought, Leia," Padmé suggested.

"Wouldn't he?" Leia corked up her eyebrow. "That sounds very much like what he did. Nobody in their sane minds would have brought a Force sensitive child to a Core World and given her a crown, nonetheless. It was too risky, he risked the life of every Alderaanian by bringing me home."

"Leia," Luke looked at her sadly, "Is this what this is about? You think you would have spared your world if only you hadn't been given to your family in the first place?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Leia retracted coldly. "Never mind that, I was just thinking."

Han came in from the cockpit, a sign that they were safely in hyperspace, navigating towards Naboo. He took a seat next to Leia, blissfully unaware of the awkwardness of their conversation.

"So, if things go smoothly, we're set to arrive in about twelve hours," he calculated, "Which will make it just after sunset at the Lake Country."

"After we dock, we'll take a gondola to Varykino," Padmé offered details, sparing them all from their previous conversation. "It'll take us about one hour to reach my family estate in Varykino. It's a small island, very private. There will be no one there to disturb us."

"You say it like it's a curse," Han remarked.

"It's not, but," Padmé stuttered, "Family can be very loud. And very overwhelming, no matter how big and quiet a place might be."

"What she means is, tensions will be running high," Leia laid it out. "From both sides. It'll take some time to get used to — everything."

"But we'll behave," Luke imposed, and he seemed to be imposing over the girls. "We'll do our best so that things will go as swiftly as possible."

"Luke, you can't expect them to just welcome you with open arms," Leia spoke gravely. "They might be your blood relatives, but they don't know you. No matter how happy they'll be that they've got their grandchildren back, it'll still be awkward."

Luke looked down on his lap. "It wasn't like that when we met Padmé."

"Except it was, Luke," Leia said. "Luke, we don't know them. At all. I don't want you to go there only to have your heartbroken when they don't receive you warmly."

"Not everybody is as unforthcoming as you are, Leia—"

"Thanks a lot, Luke," Leia groaned, bothered that he would still view her as some cold, emotionless person.

"I don't mean it in a bad way, Leia," Luke emphasized. "You know that I respect every single of your traits."

Padmé and Han looked at each other, confused. They were doing it again.

With her arms crossed, she asked, "Whatever did you mean, then?"

"We're family, right? We ought to have inherited some personalities from them," he prompted. "They might be as reserved as you are, or they might be as clamorous as I am."

"Or you could just ask me, instead of discussing the personalities of my parents telepathically," Padmé pointed out with a gesture.

Leia tilted her head. "That does make sense."

"Well, mother?"

"Well," Padmé took her time. "I would say that my mother is really warm and welcoming. She'll make a family out of everybody who'll come on her way. My father, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He's very loving, but it takes a while for him to demonstrate his affection to strangers. He's rather reserved as a person."

Han huffed. "Doesn't sound familiar at all."

Leia threw both her legs over him both to shut him up and give him something to do — he distractedly started to run his hands alongside her thighs.

"Luke," the princess turned to her brother, despite the weird position of her body, "For sake of my sanity, don't go calling them grandma and grampa the moment you meet them."

Luke offered her a look, "Who do you think I am, Leia?"

"I think you're a person very prone to do just that," she argued. "I think that's exactly what you did after you met Padmé."

"You're wrong," Luke protested, "I waited a whole day."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think that's going to help your case?"

"Anyway," he decided to shut his sister off by talking to Padmé again, "I am so excited, mother. I know that the two of you are going insane and doing your best to pretend you're fine, but I only expect good things to come out. It's family! Even the bad will be good."

Padmé smiled at his innocent enthusiasm. "I pray that you're right, Luke."

"If things do go smoothly," Leia started, "Or if they don't at all and tension is so high that we'll all need a break from each other — I was wondering, Padmé, would you mind if I stepped away to Theed for one day?"

Padmé looked at her funnily; she wouldn't exactly mind, but she was a little offended that Leia was already seeking an outlet to escape her family members.

Leia seemed to sense that, for she was quick to amend, "Naboo has yet to pronounce if they're going to take part of the New Republic or not, and one of my friends from the Imperial Senate was the senator from Naboo. I'd like to reach out to them again, it's been years since we last spoke to one another, and maybe even start inserting Naboo into the New Republic—why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think, sweetheart, Padmé is a little offended that this is your vacation and instead of enjoying yourself, you're already planning to work," Han pointed out, his hands still rubbing the fabric over her legs.

"No, it's not that," Padmé said, "Leia — what's the name of that Senator?"

"Pooja," Leia replied without thinking, "She's a few years older than me, but we were still one of the youngest politicians at the Imperial Senate. Her heart was at the right place, although she was very scared to speak up against Palpatine's cruel deeds, and I can't really blame her — after all, Palpatine was from Naboo. I can't imagine the amount of power he'd hold there. Anyway, if I could contact again—"

"Leia," Padmé interrupted her midway through her musings. Her eyes on Leia would be intimidating if Leia weren't used to being stared at. "What was her name, Leia?"

"I told you, Pooja Nab—"

She stopped abruptly, taking a pause to absorb a thought, tilting her head comically until she blurted out—

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What?!" Luke asked with a high-pitched voice, his head vigorously turning from Padmé to Leia to Padmé again and neither of them seemed to pay him attention. "What?!"

"You're telling me that you really never connected the dots?" Padmé prompted, almost belittling her for it.

"No…?" Leia said, "I haven't thought of her in years."

"Not even when, I don't know, you met me?!"

"You'll just have to forgive me, Padmé, I was too busy antagonizing you to think properly."

Han leaned forward, over Leia's legs, and his index danced in the air as he pointed to Leia and to Padmé.

"You see this, kid? This is how we feel whenever you and Leia start playing psychic."

Luke rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore him altogether. "Will somebody tell me what's going on?"

"You see, Luke," Padmé spoke loudly, giving Leia a dirty look, "Your sister here never stopped to realize that she was best friends with a Pooja Naberrie from Naboo."

Luke frowned. "Wait, isn't Naberrie your surname—oooooooh."

"Exactly," Padmé agreed, "Oh."

Looking at Leia's perplexed expression, Han muttered as well, "You've got to be kidding me—really? You're telling us that Leia was close friends to a blood relative of hers and she didn't know they were related?"

"I didn't know I was a Naberrie myself until a few months ago!" Leia yelped in self-defense.

"Still, sweetheart, the subject must have come up," Han teased her.

"It didn't!" she screeched again. "I'm glad I know now."

"It really would be awkward if you got to the Naberries' place and just ran into her," Luke suggested, laughing to himself. "Honestly, Leia, I'd expect this sort of behavior from me, not from you."

Leia narrowed her eyes at him. "At least we agree that you're still the faulty one in this family."

"I guess this calls for a family tree," Han suggested, "Before Leia starts misplacing even more family relatives."

She smacked him in the arm, and Han pretended to be hurt.

"I think you're right," Padmé agreed, the amusement gone from her voice. "Of course there will be introducements as we go, but — you might be helpful that you have a general idea of who each of them is."

Luke leaned on his knees, his eyes sparkling with interest. Although she had spoken about her family to him before, he wanted to hear it all over again.

"My mother's name is Jobal, and my father is Ruwee," she began listing them. "I have a sister called Sola, who gave me the most adorable nieces — Ryoo and Pooja. They're — your cousins, and they're a few years older than you two."

Luke was fascinated; Leia was carefully storing information in her mind — unlike her brother, she had never made any questions about Padmé's family.

"Does Sola have a partner?" Leia asked, not intending to shame Padmé's sister, but simply desiring to be as in control of the environment as possible.

"Oh no, Sola was rather — aromantic, I think that's what she used to call herself," Padmé reminisced. "She was never interested in boys, or girls, but she still wanted to raise children, so she got pregnant through in vitro. Ryoo and Pooja were always the loves of her life, the only ones she had eyes for."

Luke smiled brightly at that, and Padmé once more felt her heart beating against her throat at the notion that, before she came along, he had never experienced that sort of unconditional parental love.

"That's as far as I can tell, actually," she announced, looking down on her lap. "I don't know what happened after I died, if Sola found someone to marry or if Ryoo has had kids. I followed Pooja's public career as much as I could, but she was always rather private, so no news of her family ever made it into the holonet. God, I—I don't even know if they're all still alive. If I arrive there only to learn that one of them has died before I got to make amends to them—"

Leia reached for Padmé in one calming gesture; she better than anyone understood how it felt to have her family taken from her before she got to pay her goodbyes.

"It's going to be okay, Padmé," Leia assured, never thinking their roles would ever switch and that she would find herself offering comfort to her mother, yet pleased that she got to repay some of everything that Padmé had done for her. "You did what you had to do, both for your survival and for theirs. They will be hurt, yes, but they will do their best to understand. They will forgive, because you came back to them, and they won't expect any redemption from you."

Although incapable of establishing eye contact, Padmé squeezed Leia's hand tightly.

"It's all easier on theory," she whispered. "Theoretically—of course they'll be thrilled that I'm alive, that their grandchildren are alive, but… Human emotions are complicated. They'll be happy, but they'll also feel — confusion, betrayal."

"You're not their enemy," Leia put it simply.

"Yeah," Padmé forced herself to agree. "I'm sorry, I am just — panicking. I'm certain things will go a lot easier than I'm anticipating, but I can't help it. I haven't seen them in twenty-three years."

"Mother, think of it this way — this will definitely be easier and a lot less stressful than trying to get on Leia's good grace."

Padmé choked a hollow laugh at that, even more so when Luke fell victim to Leia's smack too.

"I do believe things will be better because you'll be there with me," Padmé said, "They'll be mad at me, but they'll be so honored to meet you, to know of the grandchildren they never got to meet. They were so excited when they learned I was pregnant, I can't depict their heartbreak when they lost both their daughter and their grandchild."

Dreading to let Padmé fall into that line of thought once more, Luke dully changed the subject, "I was wondering, in fact, well—what is it like to have grandparents?"

Per usual, the goodheartedness behind his words broke the tension in the air.

"I wouldn't know," Leia chipped in, "My mother was already the appointed ruler of Alderaan by the time I was born, so — I never got to meet them. All I know is that my grandmother was a great Queen."

"Grandparents are the kind of family I never even dreamed of having," Han grunted.

"It seems like I am the authority on the matter, then," Padmé spoke up, truly appreciating Luke's outlet. "Grandparents are like our second parents, but since they no longer have the obligation of raising us, they tend to — spoil us rotten."

Han gave her a funny look. "Well, considering that you are the twins' second mother, and you also don't have the obligation of raising them anymore, and you also spoil them rotten — are you their grandma, Padmé?"

Luke kicked him in the sheen, while Leia had to repress her amusement, knowing that even though the comment had been addressed to Padmé, Han was instead aiming at Luke — and his hit was successful.

Laughing, Padmé shook her head. "No, Han. The dynamics are still quite different."

He shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Personally, I think the two of you are about to bargain for more grandparents than you ever asked for."

Padmé rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of family affiliations — and I hate to be a killjoy," Leia announced herself, her voice graver than before, "But it is vital that I ask. Did they know about Anakin?"

Padmé shot her shoulders back, taken aback; she hadn't been expecting that question — even though it was a logical one.

"I understand that you and Anakin had a clandestine marriage, but I suppose that your family would have questions if you just showed up pregnant one day," Leia continued, refusing to look directly at Padmé. "Unless you labeled yourself as an aromantic, like your sister."

"I didn't," Padmé quickly said; she would never label herself as something she wasn't, not even for appearances — or, lack of. "They came to know about Anakin. Not a first, no, at first they only suspected. But later on, I had to tell them. I couldn't keep such a big part of myself hidden from them, especially when I wanted them to be part of my child's life. I trusted my parents — and my sister — with my whole life, I knew my secret was safe with them."

Leia dragged her head up and down. "Which implies we're going to face a very awkward conversation that their daughter married and got pregnant from the Devil."

"Leia, that isn't fair," Luke scolded her.

"No, it's okay," Padmé waved her hand towards Luke. "In the end — that's essentially what it is. And yes, we'll have that conversation. As soon as possible, if I have any control over it. I don't want to hide this from them."

Compressing her lips in a line, Leia leaned against Han. "I mean — if you look at it from that angle, they might just understand why you had to run away and we had to be hidden away. Vader — Vader would kill us all, if he knew we still lived."

"Or maybe we might have just been able to bring him back sooner," Luke commented softly, knowing they — Leia — weren't particularly interested in that point of view of his.

"It doesn't matter. What is done is done," Padmé mended carefully, dreading to have yet another argument about Vader happen; she'd rather leave the stress and chaos for once she had already reunited with those she loved. Once that weight was lifted from her chest, she'd gracefully endure any drama.

After that, they entered an uncomfortable but familiar silence.

Padmé stepped out of the gondola with shaking limbs, and the slippery mud between the port and solid ground didn't help her find her balance. Lucky for her, Luke came right behind her and intertwined their arms together.

She breathed in a long breath. Almost there; they were almost there.

"It's really beautiful here," Leia commented to herself and to anybody else who cared to listen. They had arrived earlier than expected — which prompted a whole session of Han boosting his ship — just as the sun started to descend into the horizon, providing them the most beautiful view of the sun disappearing into the water as they traveled towards Varykino.

It was peaceful; it almost reminded Leia of home.

"It is," Padmé agreed absently; it was even more beautiful than she remembered. The gold of the sun against her skin, the sound of birds chirping in the trees, the green of life surrounding her.

It was so peaceful; it was — home.

"Come on," she snapped herself from her trance. "It's a small walk uphill and we'll be there."

Han and Leia carried the luggage while Padmé — and Luke attached to her arm — led the way.

"You're nervous?" Han asked, feeling Leia tense next to him.

"Terrified," she admitted. "I'm trying to pull it together for her, I know how scared she is, but — truth is, I'm scared too. I haven't met or seen family in so long."

"What about us?" he prompted, without malice. "We're your family, too."

"Found family," she corrected him. "Despite Luke and Padmé and I's blood ties, that's what we are — found family. The family we chose for ourselves. Walking to that house full of family members…"

"You said it yourself back at the Falcon," Han reminisced, "They're not your family. Not yet, at least."

"Yeah," Leia agreed hoarsely. "I guess that's the thing, isn't it? They're not my family."

He leaned down to kiss the top of her heart, unable to understand for himself her pain; that she was about to walk into a room full of Naberries when those weren't the family she longed for.

"You're going to survive this," Han promised her. "And maybe, Leia, even though they'll never be the people you lost on Alderaan, they might just make up for it."

They reached the house at the hilltop a few minutes later, and the path to the entrance of the mansion was illuminated both by streetlamps and the moonlight. The gardens were beautiful, full of flowers blossoming and trees big enough to provide shade during the day. There was a pond, there was fencing, there were a big arch and benches — human touch was visible, but nature reigned the most.

"You grew up here, Padmé?!" Luke asked, enchanted. Growing up, the only color he was ever around was — the dull brown of the barren desert; he couldn't even depict how invigorating it would be to grow up in a place so full of life.

Padmé hummed in acknowledgment, but it was evident that her mind was elsewhere. Luke didn't bother her anymore with any of the many questions he had; there would still be time for all of them. For now, it was about Padmé — only Padmé.

The mother walked hesitantly towards the porch, and no matter how slow her steps were, she would still eventually get there. When she finally did, she froze just before the steps leading to the door and turned back around.

"This is a bad idea," she said, decidedly. "We didn't think this through. It's a bad idea."

"It's not a bad idea," Leia responded calmly, "There's nothing to think about."

"There is!" Padmé exclaimed, horrified that Leia, the most calculating person she had ever met, couldn't see it for himself. "Am I supposed to just knock? What if a servant answers the door, how am I supposed to identify myself? And what about the two of you? Are you Master Skywalker and Senator Organa or are you just Luke and Leia? Are you the heroes of the galaxy or are you my children? Fuck, we should have thought this through."

"Padmé," Leia placated once again, "You're overthinking."

"Well, surprise, Leia! Overthinking runs through the family!"

Leia rolled her eyes, taking no offense at Padmé's sudden erratic behavior.

"This is your moment, Padmé," she continued, "We'll be here, of course, Luke and Han and I will be right behind you, but we won't interfere. This is your moment, yours only. Who we are — we can make introductions later. But for now, only you and whoever comes through that door matters."

Luke nodded, leaving words to his sister — that was her virtue, after all. His specialty remained in a different realm: he concentrated on Padmé's presence in the Force, found the feelings of warmth that spiked whenever she thought of her family, and amplified it.

Padmé looked at the twins, side by side to each other, and for reasons she thought she was past already — she teared up at the mere sight of them.

"I found you and cultivated your presence in my life, yeah?" she spoke to herself aloud, "This will be a piece of cake in comparison, yeah?!"

"You survived the loss of your husband and of your children," Leia clasped her hands in front of her. "This will be the opposite of that. Embrace it."

Although she nodded vigorously, she had yet to move. So Leia offered her one last nudge.

"Do it for all the people out there that will never get to see their families again."

Maybe the comment hadn't been fair of her, but Leia was still pleased to see that it had worked. She grabbed Han's hand and walked over to the side of the path as Padmé climbed the steps up the porch.

She rang the bell, and the sound echoed over and over again.

Each second standing there, facing the hardwood door, was an eternity. Padmé was certain time had frozen around her.

Then, she heard steps on the antechamber; heavy and dragged steps, like the person on the other side couldn't possibly figure who would be visiting them. Padmé drew in a breath and didn't let it out.

The light over the torch lit up, properly illuminating her, and her grey roots, and the wrinkles in her face, and the exhaustion in her eyes. Another anxious wave washed over her body, and Padmé wrapped her arms around her stomach, making herself small, as she realized how much she had changed ever since the last time they had seen her. Would they see through the tricks of time? Would they still recognize her?

Would they still be proud —?

The door finally hissed open, revealing a tall, aged man. His soul seemed quenched; changed, for a long time now, and not even him could tell if for better or for worse. His face was lifeless, almost unbothered, until he squinted his eyes at that figure in front of him, tilting his head.

He looked puzzled, confused. Padmé looked up at him, her lips open in anticipation, and suddenly she was a child again, waiting to be reprimanded by her father for something she had done. She was small, scared even, even though the man before her had only ever brought her love and care.

Ruwee Naberrie stared down at the woman in front of him, his heart palpitating. No matter how much time it had passed, no matter how much they tried to take her from him, he would always, always recognize his little girl — his daughter…!

He looked at her and he thought that death had come for him at last. He looked at her and he believed his daughter had come to take him to his final rest.

Because that was how he would like to go; with the promise that he would see the daughter that was unrightfully taken from him again.

Padmé dug her nails into her palms, anxious that he hadn't said anything, although she understood why he wouldn't. Why he couldn't. She couldn't begin to imagine what was going through his head.

Actually — she could. She had shared his same reaction when she first saw Luke Skywalker on the holovision.

It was the most savoring sensation to know that their loved ones were still alive while still being hit with a breathtaking pain in the chest that they had been stolen from them.

Knowing just how badly her father was hurting right now, Padmé took the first step.

"Papa, I'm home."

Ruwee looked at her, and he struggled to acknowledge his little girl had come back to him.

Instead—

"JOBAAAAAAAAAL!"

His scream was almost deafening, and Padmé could hear the hurt and despair there. After that, he became very quiet and still again.

It was okay; her father had always relied on her mother to properly process things, anyway.

She heard steps narrowing in, following by an elderly female voice, "Ruwee, what on earth is happening—"

Jobal Naberrie froze by the door, her hand firmly grasping to the doorframe so she wouldn't collapse. She looked older all of sudden, but the spark — the spark that Padmé had always admired — remained bright and strong in her eyes.

Padmé had always been told she inherited her mother's spark. She never truly understood until she was there, looking at her mother again for the first time in over two decades.

"Padmé?" Jobal cried, her voice shaking. "Is that you, my child?"

"Mama," Padmé said softly, fighting every urge not to rush ahead into her mother's arms. "Mama, I'm home."

A sob escaped through Jobal's lips, and she threw herself onto Padmé, welcoming her daughter with a hug that had been stolen from her so long before.

"My Padmé," Jobal wailed, wrapping her arms tight around Padmé as Padmé laid her head against her mother's shoulder. Ruwee, at last, stepped in and placed his hand at the small of Padmé's back. "You're alive…!"

"I'm alive," she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere anymore."

Behind them, Luke looked up at the stars, offering them the privacy of their reunion. Leia held both of Han's hands, looking at him intently, content that Padmé got a chance at being home again.

A/N: i know yall have been anticipating padmé's return to naboo, so yall better tell me your reactions to it hehe

kudos to the person who left a comment last chapter saying padmé should just go to naboo already skdjfhsfj