Standard Disclaimer: These characters belong to G. Lucas. No copyright infringement is meant.
Dedication: To the beautiful people on SWSB – especially JediJade88, RedGold, The Good Twin, and Ginchy.
Rating: PG-13/T
Spoilers/Timeline: After The Corellian Trilogy but before "Vision of the Future". Set in the "Lightheaded" AU.
A/N: Do read and review. I'm not sure if this can be read with much enlightenment if you haven't read Lightheaded. You could try, I guess. I'm not planning for this to be very long. Actually, I don't plan anything at all; fics just write themselves.
Chapter 3: The Discovery
"Did you send that holotube recording to Luke?" Unwinding with some wine over dinner, the children were in their rooms playing while Han and Leia spent some time together. Chewy was out, opting to have his dinner raw somewhere else.
"Yes, I thought he should know about the sludgenews on him. There was another report the other day, about him and a brunette which had him all worked up." Leia stood up and started moving the plates to the recycler. Han stood up to help her.
"Oh really?" He hoped he sounded casual. "Did they say who it was?"
"No idea, but he met up with that law underclassman to sort it out. I don't think they got very far though, Mara Jade joined them midway in the discussion. Which reminds me, Luke gave me a package for you the other day." She walked over to the fake fireplace and picked up a package on the mantle.
"I think you'll like it."
Han took the package from her and opened it. And started guffawing in laughter.
"Have the kids seen this?"
"Not yet." Leia grinned as she took another sip from her wine glass.
He held up the holostills, his shoulders still shaking with laughter. "Who took these? Luke's in most of these shots, so it's not him. Was it one of the Noghri?" His eyebrows lifted at his own suggestion and he turned to Leia.
"No, Mara Jade did."
"She what?" His eyebrows lifted higher.
"Mara Jade took the pictures. Seems like they ran into each other at the carnival." Leia shrugged. "She took the pictures."
"Hmm." Han regarded the pictures and grinned at one depicting Jacen in the middle of turning green. I'm gonna put these up in their room, just for fun, he thought.
"Funny how she's getting more involved in our lives," he remarked to Leia. "Wayland, then the setting up of the Academy, then Corellia, and now with the holostills…" He drained his glass.
"Well, we work with that smuggler's coalition, and she is the liaison officer for that group, plus she's almost a Jedi, and Luke's good friend." Leia turned to the family holo and smiled at her brother's countenance. "Don't forget that she's saved our lives many times, and kept our children safe too," she chided gently. "I'm not going to begrudge her a few holostills." She plucked one of the holos from Han's hands and sniffed. "Even if they look rather unbecoming."
"The kids will love them," Han said, returning the pictures into their package and placing the package back on the mantle. He wrapped his arms around Leia, her back towards him, and they stood and swayed a little to unheard music, gazing at the family holo.
"We've got a beautiful family, highnessness," he whispered against her hair. "Have I ever told you how lucky you are to have me?"
He felt her whuff of laughter. "Nerf. I love you."
"I know."
And they stood there for a while longer, just rocking to that imaginary beat.
Suddenly, Han felt her stiffen and pull out of his arms. She bent forward and looked closely into the fake fireplace.
"Han Solo!" Reaching in, she drew out the thong. "Whose underwear is this?" Her eyes narrowed, and her voice became very quiet.
"Han?"
Luke, I love you like a brother, but there is no way I'm taking the fallout for this. You faced Vader; I'm sure you can handle your sister.
He held out his hands in front of him. "Woah, woah, princess. That's not mine, that's Luke's!"
"Luke's?" Leia frowned, bewildered. "I really don't think it's…"
"No, I mean, it's Luke's, but it's not his!" Great going, Solo. Put your foot in it.
"If it's not his, then… oh!" Leia's eyes widened in understanding. "But whose is it? And what is it doing here? Don't tell me Luke was…" Leia's eyes opened even bigger, and she dropped the thong. "Was he… doing… I mean… here?"
Han had to laugh a little at her consternation.
"I don't think Luke would do that to you, sweetheart. No, I found that in the dry cleaning."
"What dry cleaning?"
"The dry cleaning that you had me pick up today," Han said pointedly. "It was slung over Luke's new Jedi robes, the ones that you just had made."
Leia frowned and chewed on a nail. "But they never make mistakes."
"Precisely."
"I went through eight dry cleaners before I found one which wouldn't lose garments along the way."
"Yep."
"Which means it came with the dirty ones that I sent in."
"Right." Han was wondering how many ways there were to say "yes" without really saying the word.
"And Luke only wore that once… oh." Leia's eyes opened wide in astonishment. "Mara."
Han smiled smugly. "Mara."
"Mara."
"Mara."
"Mama, are you okay?" Anakin had appeared in the middle of Leia's shock. "You feel funny." He touched his head and rubbed his left temple.
She turned to him and held out her hands. "Yes, darling, I'm fine." As Anakin walked toward her, she hissed to Han: "Han! Pick it up!" Han bent over and stuffed the thong into his pocket. Mara Jade would have my head on a platter if she knew, Han thought.
"Can you tell me the story now?"
"But it isn't even bedtime yet!" Leia was surprised, looking over at Han.
"But I'm sleepy," Anakin said, rubbing his eyes and giving a fake yawn. Leia tried not to smile as she saw through his tactics at getting his story early.
"Why don't you go get ready for bed, and I'll come by when you're ready?" She pushed him towards his room, and he trotted off obediently.
"Maybe that bath took more out of him than I thought," Han said. Leia turned back to him.
"What are we going to do about Luke?"
Surprised, Han looked over at her. "What do you mean, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know, this thing with Mara…"
Han smiled incredulously at his wife. "Sweetheart, we can't do anything! It's his life!"
"Yes, but…"
"But nothing. What happened to not begrudging Jade a few liberties?"
"But… Luke's my brother!" Leia walked over to the sofa and sat down, and Han followed her. He stayed silent, somehow feeling that Leia had to work this out on her own. She leaned back into the couch.
"I mean, they work well together… but she wanted to kill him… and then with Corellia… but he's never… and then Callista…" Han listened to her mumbling with amusement.
Finally, she sighed, and sat up. "You're right. This is none of my business. I just wish…"
Curling her hair behind her ears, he asked, "Wish what, sweetheart?"
"I just wish he choose someone less…"
"Less…?" he prompted.
"Less… oh, I don't know! Less Mara!" Leia was exasperated at her inability to form a coherent sentence.
Chewy chose this moment to arrive back in the apartment.
/Good evening, princess./ Chewy had never gotten out of the habit of calling Leia "Princess", and Leia had given up reminding him.
"Chewy! What do you think of Luke and Mara?" Chewy looked over to Han in askance, but Han just shrugged. Just say whatever you think, pal.
/I think they are both good people./
"No, I mean together! As mates!"
/Ah./ Chewy looked at Han. /This must be about the undergarment we found, is it not?./ Han made a gun with his fingers and pretended to shoot it. Bulls-eye, pal.
/They are good together./
"And?"
Chewy cocked his head at Leia's prodding.
/How would you wish me to answer?./
"With the truth."
Chewy regarded this for a moment.
/You have asked an interesting question. They are good together. The pairing is perfectly matched, and if I am not mistaken, it will be a life bond./
"Life bond!" Two voices said this in unison. Chewy looked amused.
/You asked for truth./
"Yeah, pal, but I think that was more truth than Leia could take." Han rubbed Leia's back soothingly. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Leia looked a little lost, and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. Looks like I'm just gonna have to get used to this. Thanks, Chewy."
/My pleasure, princess./ He moved towards his room and shut the door.
Leia looked over at Han ruefully. "I wonder when they started." Han shrugged. "You could ask him…?" Leia's eyes opened wide at the suggestion, then narrowed thoughtfully.
"You know, that might actually be an idea…"
Anakin wandered into the living room in his nightclothes, looking for his bedtime story, and there was no time for Han to ask her what she meant by that.