Leia woke up to her newest alarm: the soft mewls of her babies. She yawned, stretched out her arms, ignoring the protest in her sore muscles. Everything hurt, but when she opened her eyes her newborn children were the first things she saw, and all the excruciating pain she'd spent the day enduring was forgotten.

Han was still right at her side. Nakia had dragged the rocking chair into their room, and Han was seated in it, shirt off, cuddling little Jaina and Jacen to his bare chest. "It's been a pretty exciting day for you guys, hasn't it? Yeah, it's been crazy for me and Mommy too. See, we didn't know there were going to be two of you. At least, Mommy didn't tell me there were two of you, and I don't think she would keep that kind of a secret 'cause she knows I was hardly ready for one of you!"

Leia smiled, relishing the moment. This was never something she had ever dreamed she'd be lucky enough to see. Soft Han Solo. Vulnerable, enraptured father gazing down helplessly into the faces of his children. And those were her children, and Han was their father.

"Mm, but it looks like Daddy was more prepared than he thought he was."

Han looked up, surprised, at the sound of her voice. "G'morning, Mommy. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt everywhere," she said bluntly. "But it's well worth it. Especially if this is what I get to wake up to from now on."

"I wouldn't get too excited. Something is starting to smell over here."

"Have you been holding them since I fell asleep?"

He nodded.

Leia opened her arms out to him. "Let me hold them again."

"I'll let you have one."

"I don't care which one. I just want to hold them again."

"I'll give you the one I think the stink is coming from."

"I don't care."

With the utmost care, Han rose from the rocking chair and stepped to her bedside so he could deposit one of the babies into Leia's waiting arms. She helped, cradling her arms around the babe before Han could set them down.

"Which one is this?"

"Uh, Jacen. We wrapped him up in your blanket, and Jaina in mine."

Amidst all her new fears, Leia was glad she wouldn't have to write their names on their feet or some equally ridiculous method to tell the babies apart. With that thought, she was amused it was the one clear thought she'd had since the birth. It didn't seem real that she was now officially a mother let alone to twins. When she'd reached the realization in the middle of her labor, the moment had required calm and clear thinking— she couldn't have been panicking more before becoming hysterical and stars knew how it would have gone had Leia not been able to comprehend what had been happening. She could only imagine how she would have reacted had Rewa been the first to realize it and told her. But they were both here now, and Leia still couldn't quite grasp it.

Leia looked down at the baby in her arms— Jacen, her baby boy. She had spent a solid hour just staring at the babies immediately after their birth, but her view had been cloudy through the rush of tears. It hit her that this was her first real look at them, and she fought from crying again at the precious sight. His eyes were closed in dreamless sleep, a perfect picture of peace and innocence. His lips were puckered close, the bottom one pouting out just a little. Entranced, Leia ran her thumb over his mouth, and he pursed his lips as if to suckle. She brushed her hand over his head, relished the feel of his perfectly soft skin and dark, downy hair between her fingers.

"I still can't believe it's real," Han murmured, standing with Jaina, rocking from foot to foot. "That they're real. It seems too perfect."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Abruptly, Han looked up at her. "How did you know? That there were two of them. You knew. Before Rewa saw." He shook his head and stared at her through squinted, wondering eyes. "How did you know? You didn't know yesterday, did you?"

She laughed once to herself, glancing back down at Jacen. "I didn't know this morning. It was just … Remember when we were talking about the sixth sense thing? I told you about how I was convinced I was feeling emotions that didn't belong to me. You compared it to the Force."

"It was a joke, Leia. Mostly. I mean, that's just what it reminded me of— the way you were explaining it."

"I'm not offended. Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if you were right."

"Sweetheart, I was joking."

"I know." Leia closed her eyes, focused on the weight of the baby in her arms. As if his umbilical cord was still connected to her, she felt connected to him, still felt his emotions as intensely as she had two hours ago. He wasn't as afraid anymore. Somehow, he knew he was in safe arms. He was content, at peace in Leia's arms. "But I'm not."

He turned his head up sharply, surprised. "Leia—"

"I know it sounds crazy, Han! I know it sounded crazy then, and it still sounds crazy now, but I don't understand what I've been feeling, and I can't think of anything else to explain it. I felt the emotions again— during the labor. I felt this fear that wasn't the same as mine. It was this anxiety, this fear of— of separation! It was right when Jaina started coming, and they were afraid of being separated! I felt their fear. I soothed them."

Han blinked. He looked back down to Jaina in his arms, then back to Leia. He walked up to her bedside to kiss her forehead. "Sweetheart, you're exhausted."

"Han."

"You've been up all day, and you went through a lot. I love you, Princess, more than ever. But you need to get some rest."

He thought she was going crazy. Honestly, Leia couldn't even be upset. She wondered herself, was she crazy? She was exhausted, certainly, still riding on the pregnancy hormones. Her thoughts and feelings were a scattered mess, torn between her sheer exhaustion and tremendous joy. And the labor had been so long, so tiring, the pain excruciating. How could she rely on any of her thoughts during the process to be lucid?

But these were feelings they were talking about. Emotions so strong like physical caresses, and she believed in what she had felt, believed that they were real and she hadn't just been imagining some kind of paranormal phenomena. It had been so real, every time throughout her pregnancy when her awareness had been overwhelmed with those feelings that weren't hers, the joy and peace emanating from within her. And during the birth— the anxiety, the fear of separation— it had been so real, so tangible. What else could it have been? What else could have touched her so deeply or given her such impressions of a very specific kind of anxiety which she hadn't been feeling for herself? What separation had she had to fear? There was no other possible answer. Unless she was crazy.

She frowned in frustration, apparently at an impasse in her argument. She never thought she was one to fall for delusions even when greatly stressed or tiresome, but what did she know? She was a mother of two now; all sorts of rules to her life were being flipped upside down.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

"Couple hours. You could definitely use a few more."

"You should sleep too."

"I can wait my turn, sweetheart."

Leia looked at him, watched him as he continued to rick Jaina, head bowed so he was staring down at her. She wondered, and somehow she knew to wonder aloud, "Did you fall back asleep last night? After I woke you up?"

Her contractions had begun in the middle of the night, and she'd awoken to them, thus waking up Han. Of course, he'd been concerned, begun fussing over her, frantic, making sure everything was okay and quite ready to grab Rewa. For her part, Leia had been able to relax after realizing she was having real contractions and had maintained a calm enough composure to ease Han somewhat and return to sleeping. But she was beginning to wonder if Han had ever fallen back asleep before her labor had started in earnest.

"Don't worry about it."

"Han. I know you haven't gotten a minute of rest once we got out of bed. Did you ever fall back asleep?"

He shook his head, refusing to meet her gaze. "I was excited."

"Han."

Finally, he did look to her, then back to Jaina— neither of them could stop staring. "I was anxious. I wanted to make sure I was there for you. And that I wouldn't miss anything."

It had to be the hormones, but fresh tears welled in her eyes, and Leia wanted nothing more at that moment than to melt into Han's arms and mold together their lips. She'd never loved him so much. Never loved him more since they'd become parents together. "I love you," she wept aloud, her vision quite blurry with tears.

Han chuckled softly. "I love you too, Princess. But I think we both need to get a lot of sleep."

It was a strange sensation, Leia could have laughed at herself as she considered, to no longer be carrying her children within her, but outside, in her arms. Her first step out of bed following the birth was liberating, but also so … odd, and she felt lost for a moment when she showered and clothed herself and she had to find looser-fitting dress closer to her regular size. But then she rejoined Han in their living room and her precious babies were in Han's arms. They switched places so Han could get cleaned off too, then he helped her wrap Jaina up in a sling for Leia to wear, and Han carried Jacen in his own carrier. Together, they strolled over to the river where many of the women and children would likely be starting their chores for the day.

It was a lively yet relaxing morning as the women congregated to gather their trades for the town markets, and several men were casting small nets into the river to catch their dinner for many nights to come. Children helped with this and that, retrieving small things to help their mothers, and taking note of how to fish as they stood with their trousers and skirts pulled up in the low waters. Casual banter and friendly laughs echoed down the bank until Han and Leia approached, and many heads turned to see the newest members of the community. They were praises of congratulations, different ritual songs sung in welcoming. Isa, Guada, and Mari— Rewa's youngest girls— were the first to sprint to Leia's side and stand on tippy toes to catch a glimpse of the baby. Nakia's daughter and son Zawadi and Kiburi were at their heels, raising themselves up by pushing on the smaller ones' shoulders.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Nakia frowned and called to her children. "What do I tell you about respect? Give Miss Leia some space."

The children took no heed of their mother's warning and anxiously peered over each other's shoulders. Leia laughed, hardly minding, and joined Nakia where she sat with Rewa, Himah, and Isab. She readjusted her sling so Jaina's face was turned out of Leia's chest, and tucked her blanket tightly around her so the young girls and Kiburi could still see.

"Is that your baby, Miz Leah?" eight-year-old Zawadi asked as she fell right onto her butt to sit between Leia and her mother.

Leia smiled at the little girl. "Yes. Her name is Jaina."

Nakia pulled her daughter closer to herself. "Jaina is small and fragile, and she can get sick very easily, so you have to be careful. Understand?"

Zawadi mumbled a half-acknowledgment and waved at her mother, leaning closer to Leia's arm. Han joined the group, taking a seat on Leia's other side, some space away from the gaggle of children, but they all gasped and lit up with excitement when they realized that there were two babies to drool over. Nakia gently shooed at the group to get her own look, cooing and grinning at little Jaina. "They look healthy. How did the night go?"

"Hardly slept a couple hours," Han answered.

"I think we're still living off the adrenaline," Leia agreed. "Jacen slept through most of the night, but he woke up whenever Jaina did. He's fairly quiet, though. Is that normal?"

Nakia smiled, amused. "It can be. Sounds like you two might be lucky and Mister Jacen is just a quiet one."

Kiburi softly poked Leia's elbow, and he looked up at her with big and hopeful eyes as he asked her, "Can I touch your baby?"

Leia nodded. "You can touch her head very gently. She's sleeping."

"But it's the day!" Guada giggled. "You're supposed to sleep at night."

"Little babies don't know that yet," Rewa explained. "They will sleep whenever they want to."

"I wish I could sleep during the day," Kiburi, age five, muttered, and Leia rolled her lips together to stifle a laugh.

"Alright, you saw the babies. Now, go help Baba!"

Some moaned or made terrible faces of pity, but the crowd finally dispersed, running off to play their own games of house and babysitting. "They act like they've never seen a baby before," Himah laughed.

Nakia rolled her eyes. "Births in the community are a great deal," she explained to Han and Leia. "They will be respectful and keep their distance, but everyone will want to congratulate you two or lay a blessing on the twins."

"Everyone cares for everyone's children in the village," Rewa elaborated. "If you need support, you have it."

"It was very similar on Alderaan," Leia said, "in neighborhoods and communities. Royal births were a whole fanfare. There would be parades and all other sorts of celebrations help by the people to welcome the new heir." She rubbed her thumb along Jaina's rosy cheek and tucked her fuzzy blanket more securely around her. "Part of me is grateful for having this instead. Living in a quiet little village, away from peering eyes and galactic holojournalists. But it also feels too small. My adoption into the royal family was celebrated for weeks. Even though I had not a trace of their queen's blood, they welcomed and accepted me as their future leader. A really big part of me wishes Jaina and Jacen could have that too. They are half-Alderaanian. They will always be descendants of the Organa bloodline to me."

"Only rightly so," Rewa assured her. She reached over to give Leia a reassuring squeeze on her leg. "That is your heritage. That is your family, your bloodline."

She couldn't help it, but her old grief had started to seep back in, like a chamber steadily filling with water. Alderaan had a planet religious to its traditions and ceremonies. Today, she couldn't help but think about how she and Han should be introducing Jaina and Jacen to their people and the people to their heirs. They would present the twins to Leia's parents who would plant their blessings on their grandchildren—

Leia bowed her head to reach her lips to Jaina's forehead, planting a soft kiss on the smooth skin. She kept her lips pressed there, trying to suppress the grief and tears. She felt Han's hand settle on her back, and she leaned into the touch, grounded. "I want Leia's background to be part of 'em, too. That's why we gave them Leia's family name."

Just as Nakia and Himah reacted with shock, Leia shook her head, correcting, "Actually, we gave them both our names. We couldn't decide between Organa and Solo. So, they get both. 'Organa' is their middle name. Jaina and Jacen Organa Solo."

"That's beautiful, I think." Rewa leaned over to gaze upon the angel faces for herself. "In your children, you have preserved your home."

"I guess I never thought of that before. But it relieves me to think that I might be able to do that."

"Well, of course, you can." Rewa pulled herself to her feet, and the other women made to join her. "You're a primary source of what's left of your planet. You have plenty to pass on. Now, if you would excuse us, the day is early and there is work to be done." She nodded to the babies in the parents' arms. "Enjoy your first day."

The friendly commotion of the villagers carried down the river bank towards the forest, but Han and Leia remained in their place simply enjoying the view. Leia's heart was filled with such pure joy, she felt herself close to tears when it was just her and Han there and she could take it all in. The river before them flowed peacefully, lapping along the sandbank as it drifted along. Its headwaters were a healthy hike from this point. There was a hill just some distance beyond where Reecee's sun cast its most brilliant glow— or, so Isab insisted. Just past that was where the wild began, an expanse of trees just barely great enough to call a forest. From where she and Han rested, Leia could make out the tips of proud trees. There was the village behind them, a generous clearing spotted with small cob homes and larger structures which were used by the residents for community events and gatherings. Then, of course, there were the people. So friendly and welcoming were all there faces, so cheerful and bright, exchanging jolly pleasantries whenever one passed another. They were all one great family, and life was a celebration they were meant to eternally spend together. It was unlike any place Leia had ever been before. Already, she couldn't imagine easily parting with it.

Leia leaned onto Han's arm, closed her eyes for a moment. "Have I told you yet how much I love it here?"

"You wouldn't rather rejoin the fleet?"

"I wouldn't rather go anywhere else but here. With you. And the twins."

"It's been a pretty great place to start a new life, hasn't it?"

She snuggled closer against him, content to rest like that while the gentle breeze blew at the hairs stray from her loose braid. "I could never have imagined a better place to start a new life."

Han stretched an arm to wrap around her shoulders and pull her even closer. He spoke closely to her ear, "You like this life?"

"How many different ways do I need to put it to reassure you?"

"Hm. Try at least five more."

Leia rolled her eyes in goodnatured humor, leaning up to kiss Han's stubbled cheek. "I love my new life, living here, with you and the twins."

"Sweetheart, we've only had the twins for just over a couple days. You might want to wait a while before you say that."

She knew Han only meant it in good humor, and she laughed in agreement, but the twins were not even half of a week old and Leia didn't want to imagine her life without them. Jaina and Jacen both were an irreplaceable part of not only her life but herself that she knew would be as great a loss to her as Alderaan.

Damn hormones. She swiped away a lone tear before Han could see, momentarily turning her gaze downward. In the confinement of her swaddled blanket, Jaina stretched and her mouth opened into a great 'O' shape as her nose crinkled and Leia's heart surged. "Jaina's waking up." She and Han had been going back and forth the past couple days like this, narrating every little move either of the twins made. And the other would always snap around to see, and it would feel so cheesy and wonderful at the same moment.

Jaina's lips settled into an odd quirk that dimpled her cheek, and Leia internally gasped. "She's going to have your smile," she told Han.

"My smile? What does my smile look like?"

"It's that lopsided thing your mouth does."

"Oh, the one that drives you wild," he teased, and Leia could practically sense said grin on his face though she wasn't looking at him.

"There are many more things your mouth can do that I wouldn't say your grin is the one thing that drives me wild."

"Oh?"

Leia certainly was not in the shape for such physical activity, and she wondered how soon she'd be feeling well enough that it would make for anxious waiting until Rewa gave the all-clear. Though, she supposed she and Han were more likely to become too exhausted from late nights with the twins before then.

"Someone's feeling flirty."

Leia shrugged, feigning indifference. "Blame the hormones. I used to be much better at governing my impulses."

"Just another loss after I corrupted you."

She laughed, nodding in agreement. "Oh, all the permanent marks you've left on me …"

"I'm not gonna' lie, I'm pretty proud of some of those marks."

"I'm sure you are," Leia murmured, and she was quick to turn her gaze back to Jaina as she felt a familiar tingling heat crawling up her neck. That warmth only increased when Han bent to whisper in her ear, "You wanna' know what my favorite one is?" She felt one of his hands slide around her hip, and then he held Jacen just beside his sister. "These two."

All the excited tension rushed from her body as she exhaled. Attention once again affixed to the babies, she was mesmerized for a moment how her entire world now balanced on Jaina and Jacen's tiny hearts. She agreed aloud, "Mine too."