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She opened her eyes to see light. This was an immediate clue that she hadn't been dreaming and was not waking up back in her ice bunker on Hoth. There was no natural light in her Hoth berth, so that must mean she was waking up on Chandrila, in Hanna City, in her apartment, in her bed.

She was laying on her side on the left of the bed. She deduced that was her side from the government contents on the holo pad in the top drawer of the left bed table. Unfortunately, she looked in the bottom drawer first and nearly turned as red as the Tatooine suns when she saw what was there. Han would definitely not be learning about those contents any time soon. It made her even more nervous to open what she assumed were his drawers.

But her curiosity got the best of her. Shockingly, his things were mild compared to hers. She found a lock box that opened to her finger print that held four blasters. She had to smile at that. They hadn't changed that much. In his top drawer, she found half the Falcon; nuts, bolts, a Harris wrench, some strange looking mechanism she didn't recognize.

In addition to the mechanics, she found his own holo pad and a few stray holos. She flicked one on and it revealed an image that felt so foreign. It was the two of them, smiling at each other with his arm wrapped around her waist and hers pressed against his chest. The people in the image looked undeniably and blissfully happy, completely unaware anyone else was capturing the moment.

She decided not to look at any more holos.

And so that is how she spent a good part of the night. She hadn't expected to actually fall asleep when she laid down. But the fact that she was now opening her eyes in the daylight meant she must have found some rest.

She pushed herself up from her position on her stomach and turned her head both ways. Yes, everything was still there. This new world was still her reality. A new reality where the Empire had fallen, she was a Senator in the New Republic, she was married to Han Solo, and they had a daughter, Rayah.

Rayah. It was't that she forgot about the most important new development, but the thought of her sent a wave of energy through her still sore body. Shifting her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood up. She took a moment to appreciate the incredible view out the floor to ceiling windows that opened to the terrace. That was something she wouldn't have a problem getting used to. She debated about getting dressed already or not. After a moment's hesitation, she decided it would be best to greet the day fresh with a dip in the 'fresher and clean clothes.

And so that's how she spent the first part of her morning, luxuriating in the gloriously hot water and deciding on one of the sumptuous adornments in her closet. She didn't realize she missed having a selection of clothing that wasn't purely functional until that morning as she ran her fingers over the silky fabrics. And with the large array of color choices she had now, there was no way to suppress the giddiness that filled her stomach. In the end she chose a half functional and half for looks dark indigo jumper with a matching sheer robe that belted at her waist. She found a pair of shoes that matched it, but decided against wearing those since she would most likely not be going out that day.

With her hair mostly dried, she contorted it into a simple crown braid and found more than enough hair pins in her vanity drawers to suffice this and any other elaborate style she used to indulge in.

During her morning activities, she heard very little movement outside. She checked the monitor on her bedside table a few time to find no movement in the nursery. But on her final check after finishing her hair, she saw no baby in the bed.

Chewie. That was her first thought as she made her way out of her room and followed the hallway back into the main living area.

She crossed into the living space first, the light fully streaming through those glorious windows as well. Her wave of optimistic calmness continued as she set eyes on the scruffy looking man currently sprawled out on the sofa with both feet dangling off the edge, the blanket covering half of him, his hair mussed in every which way, his mouth parting with each exhale, and his eyes still shut.

She was glad to see he too was eventually able to get some sleep. After they parted ways the previous night, she wasn't sure either of them ever would.

Allowing him his moment of rest, she moved quietly towards the kitchen where the first hint of action was developing.

"Good morning," she said with a small smile as she walked into the sights and smells of breakfast.

Chewie turned his head away from his focus on the stove to her with a growl of a greeting.

She nodded in acknowledgement, but her eyes were drawn to the little girl still in her night clothes sitting in a strapped in chair with a protruding tray. The mother's eyes glowed in delight as the little face lit up.

"Ma-ma!" She stretched out the words as her hands stretched, grabbing the air.

Leia took that as a sign and walked over to the lively little morning person. "Hi Rayah," she greeted, reaching for the tiny palm as she sat down beside her daughter.

Rayah used her free hand to grab for the dry, grained oats in a bowl in front of her. She picked up a few in her pinchers and brought them to her mouth.

"Are you hungry this morning?" Leia asked.

Rayah's response was to wiggle her body in her seat and make grunting noises while she chewed.

Without taking her eyes off the playful girl, Leia spoke to the other adult in the room. "Thank you for staying last night and for getting her up."

[Of course, Princess,] the Wookie replied as he continued his work. [How are you feeling?]

She sighed at the question as Rayah let go of her hand in favor of double fisting her breakfast. "I've been better," she finally decided on. "Physically, the bacta and pain meds are doing their job. But… I'm not sure about everything else."

Chewie took a moment to turn his gaze towards her, his words were slow and the tone of his growls showed his concern more than words ever could. [I'm here for you, Princess.]

She truly appreciated him. Even on Hoth she had come to know Chewie as more than Han's loyal other half. No one she had ever known could match his loyalty.

[When Cub chose you…]

She recognized Chewie's pet name for Han.

[You became part of my family. And so did Rayah.]

She would contemplate the meaning of Chewie's life debt later, but his mention of her daughter brought her eyes back to her miniature. "She's a cute thing."

Rayah took that moment to decide to eat half her dried grains and let the other half stick on her wet lips.

The Wookie agreed. [She has your eyes and her dad's mouth.]

The idea of her having Han's mouth made her chuckle, her weight shifting back on her chair. "A loud, stubborn thing, are you?"

"Somebody talkin' 'bout me?"

He picked the perfect moment to make his entrance, bed head and all.

Her chortles continued at the sight of him standing there with a bold swagger that would have looked absolutely ridiculous if she was't so attracted by it. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she quickly swept it away to deal with at a much later date.

"You assumed right," she answered his question.

"Da-da!" The little girl cheered again. It seemed she had at least mastered two words.

Han took his swagger over to the bouncy little thing. "Hey, kid," he greeted with a light buoyancy that was new to her. He walked behind Leia's chair as his hand reached out to cup Rayah's head in his palm. The move seemed so natural, and his confidence seemed so genuine, she almost believed he had done this before.

"I'm just gonna go get changed," Han said mid yawn as he passed by Chewie to move back to the door. "Thanks, buddy. I owe you!"

It was just the three of them again when the Wookie spoke, flipping something on the stove as he multitasked. [Cub hasn't changed.]

Leia chortled. "You mean he didn't grow out of his own toddler phase yet?"

She heard the laugh in his voice before he spoke. [He's always going to be, as you say, a scoundrel.]

Yes, that's exactly how Leia would describe him.

[But he has allowed for a more sensitive side to show since you came around to him.]

She took note of what he was sharing. However strange it was for her to learn about her life from someone else, she had a lot to learn.

[And since Rayah was born.]

Yes, Leia could easily see that to be true. Even watching him last night and overhearing his conversation in the nursery. And before that… She would have had to be blind to not notice how attached Han had become in the past two years to the Rebellion, to his fellow pilots, to Luke, and, yes, to her. His loyalty and commitment had proven themselves.

Leia shook those thoughts, grinning as she reentered this realm and saw a clean bowl on the child's tray. "It looks like she's finished."

[She loves that bran as her breakfast and as a snack throughout the day.]

Another notion Leia put into her memory bank.

Her next move was deliberate as well as instinctual. Standing to her feet, she turned her full attention to her daughter. "Should we get dressed for the day while…" Her mind spun before guessing on a term of address for the Wookie. "…Uncle Chewie finishes breakfast?"

He didn't deny the name, so she assumed she got it right. [I'm almost finished. I can take her.]

"I can do it." She knew Chewie was trying to take any responsibility off of her while she got her bearings, but she needed to do this. "I've held a number of babies in my day."

Again, with both instincts and deliberant confidence, she reached under the girl's arms and with a little wiggling, she lifted her onto her hip.

"Hi Miss Rayah." She felt her lips involuntarily turn up with the comfortable extra weight settling on her.

Rayah pursed her lips as her hands traveled to her mother's chest, her eyes looking towards Leia's head. "Ma…ma…"

"I'm here." Leia felt her forehead drop down to her little girl's.

Rayah's head jolted back unexpectedly, her feet wiggling against the older woman's stomach. "Mamamama…"

Leia tried to adjust her arms to make the little girl more comfortable. "It's okay sweetheart," she soothed as she found herself starting a bounce and rock rhythm.

That didn't seem to work. Rayah let out an indistinguishable whine as her back bent to pull herself away, her arms stretching away from the discouraged woman.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked both the clearly upset toddler and the Wookie who came to take her into his own arms.

Chewie insisted as he lifted Rayah away, [She's just fussy.] Her whines didn't end, but they turned to whimpers and her hands found themselves clutching Wookie fur.

Leia watched, her face showing the storm ripping through her as the girl calmed in her friend's arms. "It's like…" Her hand went to her head, needing to move as her muscles were agitated. "She knows I'm an imposter."

[It's not that,] Chewie insisted with a confident edge.

"Maybe it is," she raised both her arms, her eyes widening. "Or maybe I'm just not what she needs."

Her shallow breathing was as unsteady as she now felt in this new dimension. One of her greatest fears was playing out right before her. Leia Organa, Senator, prisoner, soldier, was not equipped to be a mother.

It was as if that unfailingly supportive Wookie was in her head. [Princess, you're a wonderful mother.]

She shook her head, a clear resignation in her voice as she muttered. "Maybe I was."

Chewie gave her space, turning back to the plates he was working on. When he turned back, Leia was sitting back at the table, her head down and eyes somewhere in space as they stared at something out the window.

[Here, have some breakfast.]

He presented her with a full plate of pancakes and sticky syrup. It certainly looked good. She gave a sad nod of thanks as she raised her fork.

Han made his second entrance in full Han regalia with his signature presence and energy. Naturally, his first remark was about the second plate of pancakes on the counter. "You've outdone yourself, pal." He picked up his plate with one hand and held the other out to the now cuddly little girl in their furry friend's arms. "Right, kid?"

"Da-da!" Raya's gleeful shout sent an obvious jolt of excitement through the man's heart just as it nicked the woman's heart with a knife.

Chewie was smart enough to identify the tension and redirected his friend. [Sit down and eat first. You need your strength.]

Han didn't need to be asked twice to eat. He sat down with his plate and immediately dug into his food with gusto. Leia opted for her dignified and controlled pace.

"Hey, Chewie," Han began before he swallowed. "We still got the Falcon?"

The roar of affirmation was mighty and triumphant. [As if she would ever die before you did.]

"I knew it!" Han's grin could light a thousand ships safely to port. "I told you she'd outlive me."

Chewie sat in a seat across from them, setting Rayah, who was content to busy herself in his hair, in his soft lap. [That day almost came, Cub.]

This half dampened his jubilance of the Falcon news. "I had a close call, huh? And not just yesterday I'm guessin'." He paused, raising his fork to point to the Wookie. "Jabba ever catch up to me?"

[He did.]

Leia watched as he swallowed, taking that in, his eyes narrowing. "Go on."

Leia was glad he asked. She needed to hear this as well.

[Vader tracked us down on Cloud City…]

As soon as the image of Darth Vader entered her head, she couldn't unsee it. Of course he caught up with them again. But apparently that was't the part of the story Han found most interesting.

He let out a huff before opening his mouth drolly. "Lando…"

"Who's Lando?" She asked for clarification on the name she'd heard twice in this dimension.

"Lando Calrissian," Han shared, breaking temporarily from the story. "Ex-smuggler, an old friend of mine, lives in Cloud City."

She nodded her head, connecting this old friend as the General who led the air strike at the battle near Endor.

Chewie continued with the next shocking news. [You were frozen in carbonite.]

"Carbonite?" Han contracted as his eyebrows crossed, more skeptical about the process than aghast. "I survived?"

Chewie nodded. [Boba Fett brought you back to Jabba to claim the reward.]

Leia watched him process. He obviously trusted Chewie's story, but she could tell he felt so removed from this version of the past. Just as removed as she felt from a tale she never experienced.

"But you found me?" Han both questioned and stated.

Again, the Wookie nodded. [Took six months, but we did. Me and Lando worked as scouts. Luke played his part.] He turned to the other occupant at the table before growling out his last recognition. [But it was the Princess who deserves most of the credit.]

And now Han's head turned towards hers. His mouth opened in an oval as his eyes became hesitant and hopeful. "You came lookin' for me?"

She didn't have the answer to that question anywhere in her memory bank, so Chewie filled in the rest.

[She wouldn't rest until you were safe. Planned out the whole thing, got the intel…] He paused for dramatic effect before roaring out the pièce de résistance. [Strangled Jabba with her own two hands.]

Her jaw almost dropped as that bomb exploded, but his actually did. His hectic gaze flew between the table occupants. "Jabba's gone? She killed him?"

The Wookie nodded slowly, his free paw raising to point directly at the rescued man. [For you.]

For you. She did it for him. Though she had no recollection of this action, she knew it meant a lot. It shaped her, shaped them together. From what she could piece through, this didn't sound like an Alliance sanctioned mission. Which meant she went off grid, separated herself from the rigid structure she had built and known since her teenage years. And for what did she bend her moral code and put her life on the line? For him.

He was still staring at her, empty fork hanging in midair, probably trying to process this as much as she was. Finally, his eyes blinked, once, and then again. His lips parted in a smirk that was genuine. "Thanks, sweetheart."

Funny. That term of endearment always felt like a slight in the past. But here, it felt different. More like a caress.

She sniffed her nose as her back straightened. Her professional persona took over. "Though I remember nothing about any of this, your welcome."

With his eyes still on her, he let out a snicker and then dug back into his breakfast. "Chewie, is the Falcon on planet?"

He howled an affirmative to the delight of the other man.

"I think she deserves a visit." Chewie seemed to agree, so he only had one person left to respond. He turned to Leia. "That okay?"

She put her fork down, her eyes widening as her shoulders shrugged. "I'm not your ball and chain."

What did it matter to her where he went? Yes, they would have to figure something out with Rayah. Someone had to watch her. But he was free to do as he pleased in her mind. Who was she to be consulted?

She could tell something about her reaction annoyed him. His face hardened, eyes narrowing, chin jutting forward. But his retort was nothing she could counter with a well placed verbal barb.

"No," he shook his head. "Well then never mind, sweetheart."

Now that time, the endearment stung.