Thanks so much for all your support! Hope you enjoy this chapter where everyone's favorite Jedi returns!
Time passed, as it is apt to do when you are so wrapped up in life and love. It was their two month anniversary of their mind's time travel, though neither of them realized the milestone. It was just another cozy night for the Organa-Solo family; a nice dinner whipped up by Han who was improving his skills in that category every day, Rayah was speeding through the hallways with a blanket around her shoulders, watching how the fabric billowed behind her, and Leia was supervising her little runner after another day of Senatorial work.
Leia's work had moved on from decisions around the Flotilla; the space station was well into its planning phase and almost ready for construction to commence - It was amazing how rapidly government funds and goods could transfer when the destruction of an entire planet was involved. With that project thriving on its own, Leia had turned to more interplanetary negotiations, quickly getting back up to speed about the situations on Mandalore and on Jakku.
Han knew it wasn't smooth sailing for her. He had witnesses her slog through the door many evenings with another story regarding some key piece of information that she should have known going into a meeting or negotiation and didn't, leaving herself vulnerable to being out maneuvered. He had discovered all the right words to say and actions to take in such cases; hold her tight against his chest, press his cheek to her temple as he reminded her how far she had come, how strong she proved to be, and how valued she was. That was usually the point where Rayah came racing into the foyer with her smile brighter than any uncharted star, and every last worry Leia had evaporated completely.
Han's two months were not quite as rocky as Leia's. He now had a steady run for the military that kept him away from Tuesday morning through late Wednesday night. It wasn't monotonous, different systems each time, different targets, different cargo. Was he ever in any danger? Sure, but nothing near the close shaves he'd gotten out of before. And he was always sure to have a warm space to crawl into bed every Wednesday night. After a quick check on the littlest sleeping Organa-Solo, he crept into their bedroom, now a proper shared space with his pillow stationed beside hers and his socks strewn across the nightstand and floor.
Everything felt good. They were good. More than good on some days, like the night after they got their shots up to date. They still rowed fiercely, passionately. She still drove him to anger with her stubbornness and he still set her teeth on edge every time a cocky remark fell out of this mouth. They never expected themselves to change so dramatically that they would have a boring, monotonous relationship.
Nothing about their life could ever be considered monotonous, especially with a little almost two year old running around the house like a loth cat.
"I'm coming for you!" Leia called as she stalked down the hallway after her. She could hear the shrieks of laughter come from in the nursery.
Han was in the kitchen wiping up plates and covering the leftovers as quickly as he could, ready to join in the fun that was obviously happening on the other side of the wall.
A bell sounded.
"Leia!" Han called as he observed his sticky hands from the sticky plate Rayah had left for him.
She figured out what his call meant, as he noticed her silhouette round the corner and head for the front door.
He wasn't sure what he expected, maybe Chewie decided to stop by after all. Or maybe this was one of those late night 'the government will fall without Senator Organa' visits. But he did not expect the cry he heard as he placed the last dish in the washer.
"Luke!" Her voice rang clear through the apartment and seemed to echo through his head.
His feet were pumping and agile by the time he heard a muffled "Leia," from a stranger's voice.
"Oh, you've changed!"
"It's grown a bit."
Han knew immediately what change Leia was referring to. The farm boy he remembered was indeed only a memory now. This being before him was a man. A man with the working of a new beard and even shaggier hair. His robes were dark, pitch black and he had his lightsaber strapped to his left hip. Yet, the appearance didn't change Han's greeting.
"Hey kid!" Han's grin couldn't have been more genuine. "Never thought you'd be a more welcome sight than when I found you in the snow, but this might beat it."
The man before him drew his lip to the side with an amused snort. "Han."
"Come here," Han said as he pulled his friend in for a strong embrace, forcing Leia to step aside from her own hug.
"Uke!"
Their springy girl had no trouble recognizing their visitor. She tore from the hallway and charged full speed at her uncle.
"There's my favorite niece!" Luke caught her and swung her upwards before settling her on his hip.
"You have more than one?" Leia asked.
"One and only." He shook his head. "There aren't any other mysterious siblings."
That thought had never occurred to Han.
"Good," Leia laughed as she took in her brother.
"Luke?" Han asked, taking him in as well. "What's with the beard?"
Luke's hand went to stroke the significant stubble dangling from his chin. "Well, it is longer than…"
"Is that a wrinkle?" Han pointed to a crease beside his eye.
Luke swatted the accusatory finger away. "Look at yourself old man!" He paused. "So you guys really don't remember anything from the past four years?"
"Nope." "Nothing." They both shared.
His bewilderment matched their initial reaction. "How are you coping? I've been thinking about the two of you from Hoth and…"
"Hey!" Han cut him off with his protest. "We're doin' fine, great actually."
"It's been a transition, but…" Leia looked at him, a glimmer in her eye. "Han's right."
"Han's right?" Luke's head spun between the two of them. "Okay you two have grown up from my Hoth memories."
"Maybe so," Leia sighed, eyes fixed on her daughter. "Rayah's made it necessary."
"You want some dinner?" Han asked as the group walked further into the apartment, Rayah climbing down her uncle and running back into her room.
"No, Mr. Host. I already ate."
"Just tryin' to be polite," Han scoffed at the josh.
"I want to hear everything, Luke." Leia had him cornered beside her on the couch the moment he sat down. "What else can you tell me about us? Our family. How did you find out?"
The vigor and command with which she questioned him would have brought anyone into submission. But Luke simply chuckled as he sat back on the couch and averted his eyes to the far corner of the room. "We've got time... I'll be here for a week at the least."
"Stayin' at ours, then. Moochin' off our food..."
"Of course, dear, sweet brother-in-law."
Han's nose wrinkled at the tone of the title.
"Anyway," Luke began, sitting forward as his elbows rested on his knees. "You're welcome."
"For what?" Han's arms crossed as he sunk into the chair opposite them.
The twinkle in Luke's eye showed he was pleased to hold more information than his uninformed company, extremely uninformed company.
"I guess I can tell you now. Mon didn't want you even more burdened than you already are."
Han's mind was spinning as Luke continued.
"We found the guys who did this to you." He reworded after receiving two confused faces. "The group who tried to kill you by crashing into your speeder. That's what I've been doing these last two months."
The notion that someone had tried to kill them was completely foreign to Han. Never once did he contemplate how they crashed the speeder or why it had happened. From the bewildered look on Leia's face, it had completely slipped her mind as well.
"Who was it?" Leia asked.
"It took some time to trace through the multiple layers of bounty hunters, but at the end of the line was Bib Fortuna."
Upon hearing the name, Han didn't know whether his increased blood pressure was from fury or amusement. "That Hutt suckin' leach? Jabba's shoe shiner?"
Luke nodded. "He eventually took over Jabba's syndicate."
"And he still held my debts over me... all these years later? Tryin' to off not only me, but Leia too?"
He realized it was the 'Leia too' that had his adrenalin running. He knew his recklessness and choices would come back to haunt him, but he had more to lose now. Much more. He was finding the thought that his past life could have ended Leia's a crushing weight.
"Shockingly," Luke's voice raised an octave. "It wasn't your fault this time."
Not his fault? Han waited for an elaboration, his lips pressed together.
"Leia was the target."
"Leia!" he exclaimed. "What did she do to..." and then it clicked. "Oh, she killed Jabba, right?"
Luke nodded, his eyes wide and on Leia. "And they haven't forgotten that fact."
Leia, of the three, seemed the least disturbed that a whole crime syndicate attempted to assassinate her on her home planet. "They better try harder next time," she muttered with a smirk of resiliency and grit.
Neither new how to respond to her unflappable utterance.
"You got him, I assume?" Leia asked.
"Yeah," Luke responded. "Or I should say, Boba Fett did. Kind of a poetic ending if you ask me."
Han didn't understand what was poetic about it, but Luke apparently found it amusing.
"Since we have no idea what you're talking about," Leia quickly moved them onto another topic, one that she had been dying to learn more about. "Tell me what you know about us. Start at the beginning."
Han watched the younger man swallow. His posture shifted, eyes darkened slightly. It wasn't a look Han remembered on his friend. Any playfulness disappeared and it took Luke more than a moment to clear his throat and begin speaking, his fingers clenching against each other in his lap.
Luke began. "Well... Obie Wan was there when we were born. So was your father... Bail Organa." He quickly clarified.
"Our mother died in childbirth, shortly after she gave us our names. I was sent to live with our aunt and uncle on Tatooine and the Organas adopted you."
"They always wanted a child," Leia shared, a truth that clearly aligned with the people she knew her parents to be. "So I'm a Skywalker." It was both a statement and a question. "Anakin Skywalker was our father."
Han watched the young Jedi swallow hard before answering. "Yes."
That was the news Leia had been anticipating. She mentioned it to Han one day, completely out of the blue, speculating the name they knew as Luke's father would also be hers.
"And," Leia continued, this time into the unknown. "Our mother?"
Han waited in rapt attention.
"Her name was Padmé Amidala Naberrie."
"Padmé..." Leia tried the name on her tongue. "The Queen and then Senator from Naboo?" At Luke's head nod she continued, her words tumbling from her mouth as she worked overtime to process this. "I remember hearing about her. She founded the Rebel Alliance... and they blamed her death on the Jedi Rebellion."
"Another lie of the Galactic Senate," Luke said bitterly.
"I remember... but maybe it was just my own imagination." Leia turned her head down as she stopped herself mid thought.
Han's eyes locked on her. "What do you remember?" he prompted.
"It can't be real," she said. "But I remember an image of a woman whom I thought was my mother. She was sad."
Han was waiting for Luke to deny that memory, but his silence confirmed it.
"Luke..." Leia began, lifting her eyes to her brother with trepidation and curiosity. "Why was she sad?"
Luke's face lit up. He spotted a distraction waddling into the living space. "Rayah! You wanna play with your Uncle Luke before it's bedtime?"
The enthusiastic uncle was out of the room before another statement could be uttered by any.
"He's hiding something."
Leia was pacing the length of their bedroom. Her eyes were turned down towards the solid floor, allowing for her mind to collect more intricate thoughts.
"Damn right he was," Han confirmed as he grabbed his sleep pants from last night and slid them on. She was more invested in her cloaked annoyance than he was, but he was happy to throw supportive comments when she threw them his way.
"Was he abusive towards her?" Leia speculated. "Did he leave her? Did he even love her?"
Han noticed all the questions were framed as though Anakin Skywalker was the purveyor of this misfortune Leia remembered. He lugged his sleepy body around to what was now officially his side of the bed. "Well, the easiest way to find out is to successfully corner your brother out there."
"I will, tomorrow."
She paused in her pacing at the foot of the bed as her arms folded, eyes still tilted downwards but mind miles away.
Han tossed back the crisp white sheets that covered the bed and gave his pillow a few punches. "The kid's slippery as a marlin when he wants to be."
Leia sighed, her arms finally relaxing at her side as her shoulders dropped their tension from the day. "I'm sure he actually is tired and wanted to get to bed early."
He turned towards her, stepping up to face her as his hands worked on her shoulders to do their part in releasing further tension. "Tomorrow," he whispered into her ear, a kiss followed his words on her lobe.
That was the first of a trail of kisses that peppered her hairline and down her neck. The past month had taught him many things, none more important than the blueprint for how to completely melt the woman he loved. And he became quite proficient at it.
Just as she was on the edge of complete submission, she pulled back and stepped from his arms.
"Let me finish my hair first."
She was already in her sleep shorts and top, but the labyrinth of twists and knots atop her head were still tightly in place.
He didn't like the fact that his body was now colder than when she was beside him, so he made the only suggestion to remedy that as soon as possible. "I can do it. I mean..." He rephrased upon seeing the curious gaze she threw at him. "Can I do it?"
She paused before giving him her answer. "You can, if you want to."
He nodded. "I do."
And he really did. He had stroked through her tresses many times in their past month of exploring each other. He was looking forward to that opportunity again. This time with a genuine goal of making her feel good, helping her to relax and unwind from the day.
She lowered herself into a sitting position at the end of the bed and held her brush over her shoulder. He was behind her almost instantly, taking the brush from her and setting it beside him. He sat, one leg bent and the other stretched around her right side. And so he began, his fingers working to remove the pins from the outermost plait.
"I've never known anyone with so much hair," he said as the first braid fell to almost her hips. "Except for Chewie."
He heard the humor in her voice at that comparison. "Believe it or not, this is slightly shorter than it had been. I can't do some of the more intricate weaves like I did on Alderaan."
He couldn't picture it any longer. When he finished winding his fingers through the end of the first braid, it fell well past her hips.
"It's really soft." He let his fingers gently massage her scalp where the plait had pulled. "I like it."
He heard the hum of pleasure from her mouth. "The braids I had in today are more traditional than usual."
"What about the buns? I liked them."
She scoffed. "Married women never wear buns."
He was about to contradict the married notion, but the he held up the ring she now wore constantly on her finger. "Damn, I guess this still counts."
"It counts," she insisted as he started on the largest section of her hair. "The press and public would notice instantly and make all kinds of absurd speculations."
"Well, then... maybe you can wear them just for me."
His wry suggestion brought a bubble of low laughter to her chest. "Just for you, laser brain."
Now he grinned and held in a laugh. He was starting to like that pet name, as long as it was coming from her mouth.
He had the third and final braid out and was rubbing her scalp with one hand while brushing with the other.
"Alderaanian women are always so fixated on their hair," she said. "I never really felt that way... until Alderaan was no more. Now I feel obligated to carry on their traditions. Even if I don't completely agree or understand them."
He kissed the back of her head as the brush went through the last tresses cleanly.
"Another hair tradition you should know about," she said tilting her head back to look at him. "The act of taking down someone's hair is extremely intimate."
"Really..." Now he let both his hands freely explore her locks and her scalp.
Her voice lowered. "It means I trust you and I can be vulnerable around you."
He listened, appreciating fully the gift she was giving to him. His hands stopped their ministrations, moving to reach around and pull her to him.
Before he had her in his arms, she turned, knees on the bed so she was facing him. Her hands now coming to gently caress the nape of his neck and her eyes staring deeply into his own.
"It's an act of love... And I do love you."
"You do?" He said on an immense inhale.
He wasn't sure what his expression showed, but Leia must have found it amusing as her smile leaned in, turning into a kiss against the corner of his lips. "I do."
"Leia," he felt the name drip from his lips like the sweetest wine in the galaxy. His lips didn't let her get far away before drawing her back. "I love you too." He kissed her again and again, only pulling back when he wanted her to see the euphoric expression lighting up his face. "Have for awhile."
"I know."