Thanks so much for your continued support! I have one more chapter for you tomorrow and then an epilogue. We're coming to the end!

The ding of the lift was never a more welcome sound.

"Hup to it, General Solo," she said as her hip nudged the side of his leg, encouraging it to move.

His leg lifted and took a step, first one, then another. She kept one arm around his waist to steady him. If she could, she would have tried to take on some of his weight as he gingerly stepped forward. But she was too small and he was too large. He'd crush her.

So instead, she guided him off the lift and straight into their apartment. Hours had passes since they were last on the Falcon and even more hours passed since they were in their apartment. Midday was well and truly gone to make way for the evening. She didn't realize how long they had been gone until stepping outside and realizing the Chandrila sun was setting.

She hated that Luke was put into a spot where he was forced to babysit for longer than anticipated, but she was glad to see the smiling face of one happy little girl eating her snack on the sofa. Uncle Luke was a successful babysitter.

The man who proved he was up for the test rose from his seated position on the floor when they entered.

"Leia!" He exclaimed before going silent, obviously noticing something was off with his brother-in-law. "What…"

"He's okay," Leia assured, repositioning her hand against Han's back. "He just had a shock."

A shock indeed.

"A shock?" Luke questioned, coming to quickly prop himself in front of the two of them. "What, like waking up 4 years in the future with amnesia isn't shocking enough?"

She looked up at the man whose pallor was still too light for his usually tanned skin. "He'll be fine. I took him to the med center and they said with some fluids and rest, he'd spring back."

Luke was skeptical as he gave Han a once over. "But… He's not talking."

"Eerie, isn't it." She reached her hand higher towards the back of his head as she spoke. "Believe it or not, the silence is a choice."

As if to prove he could still talk, Han squeezed his eyes shut and flinched as her fingers touched him. "Aack!"

"And he hit his head when he fainted."

Now Luke's eyes bugged out, gone was the stalwart Jedi and back was the innocent farm boy looking up to a mentor. "Fainted? Han?"

Yes. Leia expected a reaction from Han when she shared her suspicions, but this was more than she accounted for. The man's face went snow white before he tried to stand up. He realized that was a bad idea, but not soon enough to stop himself from tilting over and down against the edge of the Dejarik table. She didn't think it looked too bad at first, but when she found blood and Han's color wasn't improving, she drove him against his will to the med center.

"Rest and fluids," she reiterated what they said at the med center. "Can you help him into bed. I'll get a glass of water."

Luke didn't question her as he took her spot under the larger man's arm and walked him back through the hallway.

By the time the two men were out of sight, Rayah had made her way over to her mother, both arms raised with some of her snack still clutched in a fist.

"Hi baby," Leia said as she lifted the girl first to her lips and then to her hip.

"Nack!" Rayah informed her mother as she raised a piece of food to her mouth.

"It looks like a good snack." Leia carried Rayah with her into the kitchen where she found a cup and filled it was water. She walked them both back down the hallway and towards their bedroom.

"Han, what happened?" She heard Luke inquire as they came within earshot. The curious spy in her came out as she stopped just on the other side of the door, listening.

"Huh… I ca…n't…" She could just picture the stuttering man, unable to form a coherent sentence as he had been doing for the past few hours. "Need… Talk to Leia…"

They hadn't talked about it yet. At the med center, Han was rushed one way and she was rushed another. She avoided all conversation on the way home. But something had to be said sooner or later.

"She'll be back. Come on and take your shoes off."

It was silent for a moment

"Fine…" the younger man grumbled. "I'll take them off for you."

She curled her lips under her teeth as she heard the awkward groans before two boots clattered to the floor. Peeking in, Han was now laid out on the bed over the covers with his back propped up and knee bent. His sore head pillowed on a soft cushion.

"Here, Han," she said as she approached, the glass presented in front of her. "Drink up."

His eyes changed when he saw her enter, seeming both frightened and relieved, a complete oxymoron.

He swallowed. "Leia… We've really gotta talk…"

Yes. They really did need to talk. But that could wait.

"Just rest for a bit, okay?" He needed some more time to recover.

"Rest? Leia…"

"For me, Han. I need a moment."

She certainly picked the wrong moment to tell him, but having the father faint at the news was not an encouraging sign. She didn't know what Han was thinking. As evident from his reaction, she expected he was as surprised and scared as she was. But when that passed, would he find himself pleased? Yes. She knew him and Han Solo would be over the moons with joy.

"Alright," he reluctantly acquiesced, settling back down in the bed.

"Rayah." Leia held the little girl so she hovered over her father. "Give dada a kiss before he has his nap."

She knew what that meant. Stretching her neck, she made a smacking kiss noise against his cheek.

Han gave his own kiss and a brief squeeze as he muttered, "Night… littl' princess."

Rayah settled back on Leia's hip. "Say 'I love you.'"

"Wuv you," the little girl said loud and clear.

Those two precious words were enough to heal and entire army, so they did wonders to the healing of the man receiving them.

"Love, too," Han said, his hand reaching out one more time to brush over his daughter's tiny foot.

Leia, a brilliant grin on her own face, finally stepped away. "I'll be out here if you need me..."

"I need you." His response, immediate, instinctual.

"You've got me," she assured him with a curl of her lip and a nod of her head. "Rest, please."

—

"What?" She asked.

Her brother followed them out of the bedroom and back into the living space. His amused demeanor on display.

"Nothing…" the Jedi insisted.

"Tell me. I don't need any more secrets from you."

That was bound to get him to speak. "It's nice to see you two like this. Reminds me of the weeks we got Han out of carbonite. You both needed each other nearby, especially then."

She could imaging the person she was then. How having Han back beside her would make them both clingy. They needed each other then. And they needed each other now. "Especially now."

"Leia…" Luke's address suggested a reluctant chance in topic. He made sure she was facing him full on before he continued. "I'm sorry I had to tell you all this, again. I didn't like it the first time."

She swallowed. Rayah slid down her side and to the floor. This topic of conversation was inevitable and she was more ready for it than last time. "I'm sorry for running."

"Don't be." He shook his head. "I ran away last time I told you."

Her cheeks sucked in as she learned that information. "Then I'm glad you got a taste of your own medicine."

His mouth curled, she saw that innocent smirk she remembered from years gone by. "I've been dreading this for two months…"

"Well, I'm not so happy about it either."

He looked down before meeting her eyes again. "I don't expect anything else of you, Leia. Your other self rarely acknowledged... this and never brought it up with me."

"Good." Her jaw tensed. "I don't think I want to immerse myself in a new world where somehow I'm okay with this."

"You don't have to be. But I'll make you one offer…"

Leia was growing extremely hesitant upon the opportunity to hear another one of Luke's declarations. The first revelation was a thrill; she had a brother, Luke, one of her best friends, and she discovered how to connect with her daughter. The second revelation… she wished she didn't have to hear it.

Luke's third remark was simply a word. "Padme."

Leia's eyes squinted. She hadn't yet had the time or energy to consider this former Senator and Queen as her mother. Knowing her positions, Leia was fascinated to learn who this woman was. Knowing that she somehow fell for Darth Vader… What kind of woman was this?

She crossed her arms as she stood to full height. "What about her?"

Luke's voice was light and kind against her defensive tone. "I'm open to speaking about her with you whenever you want to. She's someone you'll want to know."

She's someone you'll want to know. Leia breathed. She hoped that was the case.

"Thank you." Leia's exhale was more than just carbon dioxide. She also let out the last ounce of stress from her brother's tumultuous news. She wasn't going to let something so disturbing that she had no control over seep into the other more pleasant emotions swirling around inside her.

She stepped up to him. Raising an arm, her fingers caught the end of his cream ropes, so similar to the ones he wore when she first met him. "I can't begin to tell you how happy I was when you told me you were my brother."

That was the right thing to say to bring about the joy on his face. "I liked that conversation."

She brought her other hand to his arm, pressing her fingers into his wrist. "Family," she confirmed.

"We were always family," he insisted. "Now we know we're just blood related."

"Brother, brother-in-law, and uncle!"

Luke chuckled at his different titles. "Uncle is my favorite title. Rayah is perfect, Leia."

She glanced towards the little girl currently walking around the living space with her green blanket dragging behind her full of her stuffed creatures. "I know," she grinned. "I never thought…"

Luke finished when her voice failed. "You never thought you would be a mother, get married, find love. In reverse order that is."

He was completely right. She continued to stare at her little girl in a trance as she spoke of yesteryear. "The war was my life. There wasn't room for anything else, especially attachments, misplaced trust."

Luke's voice was soft as he took her own arm in his. "It takes time to train your mind to think about life beyond survival. But you are. You're surviving and thriving."

"Some days… I feel so guilty for that. Like, here I am living when so many died."

"We've all experienced that. It's not easy, but Leia, you've chosen you path as a sitting Senator to pay tribute to all those who aren't here to help build this government."

She heard him. "Then it's my duty to see that their sacrifice is not in vain, that we will succeed." She felt the steady, determined voice of a young, wide-eyed ambitious girl come from her mouth. Someone she recognized instantly and knew would always live inside her. "For my child to inherit a better galaxy than I did."

"Children."

Her head snapped to his. "What…" Eyes wide and ears attuned.

"Children."

He stated it in the same voice, a curl of his lip the only sly hint at what she suspected he was saying.

"Rayah," Luke called to his niece without providing Leia any opening for questions. "Are you getting hungry for some dinner?"

"Din, din, din!" Rayah squealed as she ran to her uncle's outstretched arms, bouncing as he tossed her into the air.

The mother in the room swallowed and took a hesitant step back towards the hallway. "I'll do it."

"Uh, Leia!" Luke called to her, his voice raising three octaves.

She had rarely seen the farm boy so panicked and she had certainly never seen this aged Jedi with such raw fear. She raised a hand. "Relax, I'm doing carry out."

"Thank gods someone told you."