Epilogue: Children of the Force

There were two women standing beside the Jedi starship inside the temple hangar. Light danced across the floor, transforming even the most industrial of the buildings into a magical haven. The younger of the two was stroking her ship affectionately. "It's pretty funny," she remarked, "how I wasn't taught to fly by the other Jedi pilots, and yet they still let me go on these missions."

"That's because you're the best of the best, my young apprentice," her master replied with a proud smile. She ruffled the girl's hair, a gesture that seemed more motherly than anything else did. The older woman looked around cautiously at the other masters bidding their Padawans goodbye. A pair of blue eyes caught her own, and she bowed her head instantly.

"Master Skywalker," said the Padawan. "That's what's been bugging you, isn't it? I haven't seen you this down except for when they cut off air traffic from Corellia and they weren't letting their pilots leave." She offered her master a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. People who live in glass houses still shouldn't throw stones, even if he did try to stop you." There was an announcement over a loudspeaker for all those who were flying to board their ships. "Well, that's my cue."

She turned to the ship, but her master stopped her. "Gracie," she said, a tone of foreboding in her voice, and the Padawan rolled her eyes. "Stop that! I was just going to say, be careful. And don't you dare do anything stupid!"

"Relax, Master," the girl reassured her. "You said it yourself, I'm the best of the best, and the best of the best of the best trained me. It's in my genes, remember? After all, you do know which of my parents I take after." Judging by the older Jedi's expression, this wasn't helping to calm her nerves. "Enjoy the time off. I got wind of a few rumors that a certain pilot of a certain Millennium Falcon would be dropping off a load of cargo here." Here she winked at her master. "Maybe he'll say hello to you. Well, I gotta fly, literally! Take care, Master, and may the Force be with you."

The Jedi master gave Gracie a quick hug. "And with you, my daughter," she whispered into her brown hair. With one last glance at her dancing hazel eyes, she backed up to give her room to take off. The Padawan waved at her one last time before putting on her helmet and climbing in. After the fleet had left the hangar, she began to walk back to her quarters, but stopped and pulled into a shadowy corner.

Almost instantly after the hangar was cleared, it became occupied again, but this time by a large ship designed for more than one individual. Her heart was racing as she watched from her hiding place. The ramp was going down and three figures could be seen: a tall, furry outline, a slightly shorter one, and a very small child. The man came down first, followed by the boy. "You stay here, Chewie. Guard the ship," the child said, and the furry figure, the Wookiee Chewbacca, growled contentedly, ruffling the boy's hair.

The Jedi master got into position as the man entered the temple, his footsteps echoing as the floor changed from the harsher metal of the hangar to the smooth marble of the temple interior. He looked around, scratching his head and completely overlooking her. She may have been smaller than he was, but she had the advantage of surprise. As he backed up slightly, she reached her arms around him from behind, one hand over his mouth to muffle any screams, and pulled him into the shadows.

Han Solo had been expecting a quiet entry to the Jedi temple, but often this was not the case. He didn't think that the calm, peaceful guardians of the Republic would ambush him on sight. Still, his reputation wasn't the best these days, and he was prepared to defend himself. Opening his mouth slightly, he bit down firmly on his captor's hand. There was a familiar female yelp and the hand was gone. Something in that voice…"Leia?" he asked, turning around.

"Here," she said quickly, sucking on her hand as soon as she'd answered him. "But you just missed Gracie, she was flying with that last fleet. There was a separatist rebellion in a small system and there weren't enough of them to defend it. Oh, and thanks for the welcome, nothing says, 'Hi, honey, I missed you' like an injured hand. I wouldn't be surprised if you had rabies!"

"Didn't know it was you," he muttered, turning away for a moment to look at the small boy, who was running around curiously. "But now that I do," he said, turning back to her with a mischievous grin, "Hi, honey, I missed you a lot when I didn't see you for the past three and a half months." Leia couldn't stand it any longer; she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss, which would've lasted longer if the little boy hadn't found them.

"I knew it!" he yelled happily as he ran up to the master. "I could tell, I swear. I got the Force sense, Mom. I can do it!" She hugged him tightly, then grabbed him by the shoulders and gaze into his familiar brown eyes. "We got over here fine, but the hyperdrive was busted and I had to fix it up, and I made my first patch for the Falcon today, you wanna see?" he rattled on. "Where's Gracie?" he said suddenly, his expression becoming concerned.

"She and her fleet just left," Leia explained quickly. "But there'll be more Jedi on their way soon, and we better head back to the apartments before anyone gets suspicious. You know that Jedi aren't allowed to have families, and even coming here is risky for you!" The trio headed out of the shadows and into the corridor, where Han and his son distanced themselves from Leia.

"You know," Han whispered as they neared the apartments, "the Jedi order has become seriously corrupt! Master Skywalker, now you, and even Gracie is an illegal Padawan. Are there any other we should know about?" The boy instantly erupted in laughter, causing his father to ask, "What's so funny, Ricco?"

He took a breath. "Master Yoda!" His parents laughed just as hard as he did, and for a moment they seemed like a normal family.

It was later that night, and Han was tired. Leia's apartment was tiny, and Ricco was already staying in Gracie's room while she was away. He sighed, then turned to Leia. "Why do we keep putting ourselves through this?"

"What?" she asked casually. They were sitting on the end of Leia's bed, the tiny flat things most Jedi owned.

"Don't get me wrong," Han began, "I love you, and I love being with you. But I hate coming home only to compare which of us is doing a better job with our kids, and even when we're getting along we never have the courage to say what's on our minds."

Leia smiled wearily. "We have the Force, Han. I'll always know what you mean, and I promise I won't keep my feelings from you. But I understand how you feel. I feel it too, especially when I know that Ricco may never get much farther than having small Force senses because he can't be in the order with Gracie. It's too risky, and already I'm risking a lot by training my own daughter."

"Why, then, do we constantly put the strain on ourselves and our children? Ricco and I haven't seen you in so long, and a kid can't live without both of his parents. Trust me, Leia, I know, and it's no way to grow up. He's not the only one; I need you, too, even though it sounds kinda stupid. But why do we do this?"

She kissed him on the cheek. "First of all, that's not stupid, it's sweet, which is probably why you said it was dumb. And as for why we do this, it's because we love each other, and because we love Gracie and Ricco, too. We knew it would be like this, my parents knew it would be like this, and the kids knew it would be like this. But life goes on, Han, and we'll still have each other, even if we are across the galaxy. You know, I can feel your presence even when you're miles away."

"That's pretty deep. You know what?" he said with a smile. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

To Be Continued In Run Between The Raindrops