Author's Note: Many thanks to .2021, HighQueenP, JediLukeSkywalker, LOVEM, RedLight16, and princesselsaamidala22 for all their love and support through reviews, as well as to my silent readers.

CHAPTER 170 - DYSFUNCTIONAL DYNAMICS

When Leia was sure Ben was asleep, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and left the room.

She groaned when she saw Han waiting in the hall for her. At least Chewie had enough sense to get out of the firing zone.

They stood across from each other, staring, not knowing what to say. Han's hands rested on his hips while Leia crossed her arms. Minutes dragged on without either budging a centimeter.

Han tilted his head and smirked, about to say something. He waved his hand in dismissal and turned his back on her. Before he moved five steps down the corridor, he turned back.

Leia rushed to him. "Hold me," she said as the tears poured down her face.

The tall smuggler wrapped his arms around her, smoothing her back and nestling her head in his shoulder. More minutes passed as Leia moved from silent tears to hyperventilation to weeping.

After a few minutes, she composed herself, wiping her tears and pushing away slightly.

Han asked, "Better?"

Leia nodded her head. "I can't believe you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be? Our son might have died—still might never walk again, Leia." Worry lines creased his brow, lines Leia had rarely seen during their marriage.

"But you were never there when he needed you years ago, Han. How was I to know you'd show up now?"

"How about you? I haven't noticed you around the last six years. You sent us away and turned your back on us. Why, Leia?"

Leia turned her back to him. "I can't tell you, Han."

"What, there's something more important in your life than your husband and your son?"

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Ben awoke to hear the voices in the corridor outside his room—voices he had heard argue many times before. They haven't even been together for five minutes, and they're fighting already. Can't you guys get along for even a day?

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"Yes," Leia said, in tears again.

"What's more important than family, Leia?" Han grabbed her by the arms.

Leia struggled to break free. "I can't tell you, Han. Please, don't ask."

"Luke said you were protecting someone. Is that true?"

Leia looked up, shocked that Luke had told Han anything. She nodded.

"Ah, so it is true. I knew it. When I get my hands on that guy …"

"Han, no, it's not another guy. I'm—I'm protecting a little girl," Leia said, coming too close to the truth for her liking.

"Who?"

"The most precious little girl I've ever met," Leia said, missing her daughter desperately. I wish you could meet her. She's so much like you. Maybe …

"Did you bring her with you?"

"No, she's back on a N— she's back home," Leia said. "Her grandfather is watching her while I'm away."

"Why does it have to be you? Couldn't you let Grandpa watch her for the rest of the time? You and I could run away together on the Falcon."

"She's special, Han. If the First Order finds her … she's my responsibility. I agreed to this mission six years ago, and I'm not going back on my word now."

"Fine, bring her with you. Can't be any safer than on the Falcon."

"The Falcon?" Leia asked in disbelief. "You think a pirate freighter is the place for a little girl to grow up?"

"Hey, I'm an honest freight hauler now. Been hauling monthly shipments for the academy for years now." Han placed with his hands on his hips. "And the Falcon's a lot nicer than some places I've been—sure a lot better than Jakku."

"Well, it's not happening, so stop thinking about it," Leia said softly, looking into his dark blue eyes.

Han smirked at her once more. "Oh yeah?"

Han took Leia in his arms and kissed her lips softly.

"That's not what I was talking about."

Han pulled him to her again. "So, this is happening?"

Leia ran her hands down his back and slipped them under his holster belt. "You always were a great kisser, Flyboy."

"You weren't so bad yourself, Your Highnessness," Han said before he kissed her again and cupped her rear. "Come on, let's go home."

"You scoundrel," Leia said playfully as Han wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she wrapped his around his waist. If only there was a way Ben wouldn't know. No, he'd know the first time we touched down on Khalkha. There's no way to hide Breha from him there. Or is there? Maybe I should talk to Luke.

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The next day, Han and Chewie visited Ben when visiting hours opened at mid-morning. They started off by watching some shockboxing together and then moved onto the Sabers races. Ben feigned interest in the sport Han was absorbed by, but he did not understand the thrill of orbiting a planet multiple times.

Ben dozed off in the middle of the race, waking up when Chewie howled for his favorite to win. Both Han and Chewie cheered as their racer came in first. "Wonder how much we'll make off that one, Chewie," Han said. "First place and the underdog."

Chewie roared in anticipation.

"Hey, Ben, what did you think of that?" Han asked. "Exciting stuff, huh?"

"If you say so."

"Well, one day, when I'm all done with freight hauling, that's what I'm going to do."

"Dad, you're twice their age. You can't race."

Chewie agreed.

"Maybe not in the orbital sprints, but I could in hyperspace runs."

"Whatever."

"Hey, what else do you want to watch?"

"Nothing. I'm not into vids and such," Ben said. "Where's Mom?"

"Getting ready. You know women …" Han smirked. "How about we play some cards to pass the time away?" Han pulled out a Sabacc deck and a portable suspension field from a bag on the floor.

Chewie roared an agreement and pulled up his chair to the bed.

Ben rolled his eyes as Han placed the portable suspension field on Ben's lap.

Han dealt the first hand and took it with ease. Chewie dealt the next hand, but lost it by two points to Han.

Ben, fed up with it all, decided to use the Force to win the games. With a combination of Force-telling and mind probes, Ben took the next five games in a row.

Han raised his eyebrows at his son. "Hey, you could come in handy at the tables, kid. You ever think of leaving the Jedi and joining us on the Falcon?"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Really, Dad?"

They were in the middle of the tenth game when Leia entered the room. She kissed Ben on the forehead and rumpled his hair as he played. "How are you doing today, kiddo?"

"Still in pain, but dad's been trying to distract me," Ben said with a wink. Ben made a mental pass at Leia's mind once again, running into exceedingly strong shields.

Leia looked at the cards he held in his hand and frowned at him. "Ben," she admonished with the tone the teen remembered and even longed for.

"What? What's he doing?" Han asked, flustered. He was losing again.

"Stop cheating, Ben."

"I'm not."

"You are. Stop reading your father's mind," Leia said. "And mine, while you're at it. You won't breach my shields."

"That's how you've been winning?" Han asked. "I thought I was losing my edge. Well, I'm not playing with you anymore."

"Good. I didn't want to play anyway," Ben said with an edge in his voice. He threw the cards on the suspension field and asked, "Can I just have some time with Mom?"

"Fine, if that's how you want it. We're leaving. Come on, Chewie," Han said in a huff.

"Han," Leia called as he left, but he did not turn back.

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A few days later, Leia said, "I've got to leave, Ben."

"Why? Can't you stay with me until I'm out of here, Mom?" Ben asked with a tremor in his voice.

Leia shook her head "no" as she took his hand. "My transport leaves tomorrow. I have responsibilities I need to get back to, Ben."

"What about me, Mom? I'm your son. Don't you care about me?"

"I do care about you, Ben. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't worry about you, but you're not my responsibility anymore. You're nearly a grown man, a Jedi, and the responsibility of your uncle," Leia said.

Han butted in on the conversation. "Besides, you're on the road to recovery. You'll be up and about in no time."

"What if I'm not, Mom? What if I can never walk again? Can I come live with you?"

Leia bit back the tears. "No."

Han asked, "Why not, Leia? You said it yourself, a freighter is no place for kids."

"No, Han. You know why."

"Is it because of the girl?" Ben asked.

Leia asked in shock, "How do you know about her?"

"Your fight in the hallway the other night—it woke me up," Ben said. "So that's it?"

"Yeah, that's it, Ben. Your mother is more concerned about her responsibility to some stranger than to her own family."

"She's not a stranger, Han. She's like my own daughter."

"Where are her own parents? Doesn't she have a family of her own?"

"It's complicated, Han. Her dad left her mother. Her grandmother was a friend of my parents," Leia said. "I can't abandon her."

"But you can abandon your own family?" Han asked with his hands on his hips.

"It's different, Han. You were never around anyway. And when you took Ben to Luke, I lost both of you."

"You pushed us both away, Leia. You told me not to come back. That was your choice, not mine," Han yelled.

"Stop it," Ben yelled. "Stop fighting. I thought you two loved each other. Why can't we be a normal family?"

"We do love each other, Ben," Leia said with ferocity. "Your father's just being an idiot, as usual."

"I'm the one being an idiot? I'm not the one that ran out on his family and is running out again."

"Just stop. Please!" Ben begged.

Leia took a deep breath and kissed Ben. "Good-bye, Ben. I love you."

"Good-bye, Mom."

As Leia left, Han grabbed her and kissed her roughly. Leia pulled away and stormed out the door toward the birthing wing.

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Leia straightened her blue dress and knocked on the door. "Naluma? Luke? It's Leia. May I come in."

The door swooshed open to reveal Naluma waving her hand from the bed. "Of course, Leia."

Luke embraced his sister and kissed her on the forehead. "Thanks for stopping by."

"I can't stay long," Leia said while sitting in a hard-backed chair. She grimaced. "Han—" She stopped, not knowing how to start.

Luke rolled his eyes and snorted. "You've all be fighting. We could feel it—almost hear it—through the Force."

"Sorry about that." She chewed on her lip before continuing. "I think I've been wrong … staying away all this time."

"You had your reasons, Leia." Luke patted her hand. "Breha is just as important as Ben, and she's needed you."

Naluma nodded.

"But she's older now, learning fast." She smiled at Naluma. "I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear now that you're pregnant, but are you ready for a five-year-old Padawan? I've been teaching her, but she's so powerful, and I don't think I'll be able to control her like—"

The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

"Is there a way we can keep her relationship private?" Leia finally asked.

Naluma spoke up. "We could shield her, but someone would have to either always be with her or with Ben to keep him out of her head."

"Can you teach her how to shield herself?" Leia asked. "I've tried, but either I just don't have the ability, or she's just not understanding or—"

"What are you going to do?"

"Work things out with Han. See how the shipping business works. Maybe help him get set up in the orbital races he wants to try. I've had my dreams. It's time for him to pursue his." She sighed. "Between the Rebellion and the Senate, he hasn't had much of his own life to speak of. Besides, he'll still be making shipments for the academy. I'll be able to see the kids then."

Luke straightened in his chair. "No. That's not a good enough reason, Leia. We've never taken a Padawan that young, and she'll bring additional problems. You want to get back with Han, then I think you need to introduce him to his daughter first, let him spend some time with her."

"But Ben would know then."

"I'll monitor them when Han visits. But a few hours every month is a lot easier to manage than full-time shielding on a Force-user."

Leia drew her face in anguish. "Luke, Naluma, I can't train her or even protect her anymore. We keep her isolated, but we've caught her levitating just about everything, and her mindspeech has even been affecting Lor San Tekka, and you know he's not Force-sensitive. I promise I'll tell Han about her. Kriff, I'll even have him bring her to the academy, but I'm not going to make the same mistakes I did with Ben. She needs training, training I'm not capable of giving."

"Two months." Luke said. "Before you leave, I'm going to record a few lessons on shielding for her. You are going to work with her for two months every single day until you both get reaction headaches. Build up your tolerance. Teach her how to evade hits as well, and get her running as fast as her legs will carry her. And, instead of forbidding the levitation, build her up with larger items. After two months, contact Han and bring her to me."

"But she can't come as a Skywalker, Solo, or Organa. And definitely not as Breha. Ben will recognize his grandmother's name right away," Naluma said.

"Naberrie. Rey Naberrie. He doesn't know about his biological grandma's side. And we already call her 'Rey' sometimes. I'll start using it from now on." Leia stood and hugged her brother, kissing his cheek. "Two months."

"I'll walk you out. Naluma, I'll come back after I finish the recording and see Leia off."

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Leia skittered up the ramp of the Falcon, glancing around for any witnesses. When she reached the cockpit, she took a code cylinder from her bag and placed it on the shielding console with the following note: "Chewie, in two months, follow the coordinates in the code cylinder. Then destroy it and wipe the hyperdrive once you two arrive. I need passage for four: Lor San Tekka, Threepio, me, and a young girl. Don't let Han know until that time, and please don't let anything slip to Ben."

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Han stayed with Ben for another week as he underwent the agonizing physical therapy. With his dad's encouragement, he pushed through the pain, forcing his limbs to work again. During this week, Luke returned Naluma to the academy, and then raced back to Koda Station to assist Ben through physical therapy.

Han left to make the academy delivery and then returned in two weeks. A month had passed, and Ben was making steady progress toward walking on his own. His legs were bearing weight and not buckling under him, but moving them into the right positions took concentrated efforts.

After another two weeks of therapy, Ben was moving slowly but surely on his own. He could not wait to return to the academy to contact his master, Supreme Leader Snoke. Now that his mother had left, Ben felt the calling the dark side above all else. It was no longer a calling to be decided upon—it was compulsion that must be answered.

He had to transfer the coordinates to the academy before anyone found out he had them. Time was pressing in on him.

At the end of the sixth week, the doctors released Ben. Han flew him back to the academy on the Falcon, glad to have his son with him for even a little longer. Dark Force-dreams still haunted Ben, even after stopping the pain meds. He still saw the catwalk in the middle of the dark shaft, the ray of sunlight streaming in through the door high above. He still saw the red lightsaber in his hand, activating it with his father directly in front of him.

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Did you know . . .

● According to The Art of the Force Awakens, a major tragedy happened in Han and Leia's lives that led to them splitting up once more until The Force Awakens. In the novelization of the movie, during a flashback, Han is scene searching a forest and calling for "sweetheart." I am rewriting the ending of this story to accommodate what I think JJ had in mind for those two things.

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Tell me what you think . . .

● What vision is haunting Ben?