Author Note: Ok guys, this will be my last post until after boxing day now...sorry to make you all wait so long, but hopefully this is an extra long chapter to make up for that...and if it doesn't the next one will! HAHAHAHA! (festive spirit! lol!)

Enjoy!

Oh, and thanks so much for your great reviews, they are great to read and I'm always shocked to find I have about seven or eight waiting in my inbox to read every morning, so thanks for being such great readers and supporters!

After the shock of realising that Leia was her daughter, Padme was in such a state of elation that not even her looming death sentence could dampen her spirits. Mind you, this wasn't the first time she'd been sentenced to death, so she wasn't really worried.

All she wanted to do was find out everything she could about her children, right down to their favourite colours. Of course, Leia didn't really know much about Luke's early life, but she told Padme as much as she knew about her brother.

Their conversation would occasionally mention Anakin, but both were quick to steer clear of him for the moment. Padme didn't want to talk about him because she'd heard of his death last year and was still too upset to talk about him just yet, and Leia didn't want to talk about him because she hated him, and everything he had done to the people in her life, including what he had done to her mother. Padme hadn't told her what had happened, but Leia had seen the vision and didn't need to be told.

Leia knew that she'd have to talk about him sometime, because Padme would want to, but as far as Leia was concerned, the longer she put it off, the better.

Hours went by and it seemed that the death sentences were just empty threats, supposed to scare them, but then, in what must have been the early hours of the morning, Padme heard footsteps and the jangle of keys. There were voices too, but the door and walls were so thick that they were hard to make out.

This is it then, She though to herself. I finally find my family again, only to be torn away from them hours later...life is so cruel!

She glanced over at Leia, who was fast asleep in the corner, wrapped up in Padme's cloak. She looked so peaceful and happy as she dreamt, twitching or murmering slightly every now and then. Padme could have watched her forever.

But the key was in the lock now, and it slowly turned. The door groaned and creaked open and Padme took a deep breath, steadying herself, getting ready for what would come next.

However, no amount of preparation could have prepared her for what did come next.

oOo

Mara groaned as she sat up in the bed and looked around. She was still in Echo base, that was obvious from the icicles hanging from the ceiling, but she was in a medical centre, and there was a working medical droid over at one of the consoles.

It turned when it heard that she had woken and came hovering back over.

"Greetings Mistress Jade...I am DT-49. How are you feeling?"

"Cold...and sore," Mara replied as she sat up a little more and felt her side. It was aching, but it was only a dull ache, like she had a slight bruise there. Then she realised that she wasn't dressed in her thermals anymore, she was in a plain white gown, and her hair had been tied up neatly into a pony tail at the back of her head. Clearly she'd been out of it for some time. She saw a bacta tank, still full of liquid, and guessed that that was why she wasn't feeling much pain in her side.

"Where are the others?" she asked, suddenly remembering that she hadn't been alone.

"I'm afraid they are scheduled to be terminated in approximately nine minutes -" the droid started.

"WHAT!" Mara cried, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and hopping onto her feet. However, they gave way underneath her and she toppled into the droid's outstretched arms.

"There is no need to worry. Captain Solo has gone to help them. He gave me strict orders - very strict ones actually - that I was to...now how did he put it..." suddenly the droid's voice changed to an almost perfect immitation of Han's ,"...'you make her good and ready for me when I come back, ya hear? Otherwise I'll turn ya into spare parts for my ship'...so that is what I have done. Now if you are to be ready for when he returns, you must rest."

"But Han needs -" Mara started as the droid directed her back into her bed.

"Master Solo gave me strict orders, so I must follow them," the droid said a little more forcefully, and Mara gave in, pulling herself back into the bed.

She felt a sudden sting, and saw the droid inject something into her arm. Almost immediately she felt drowzy and knew that it must be some kind of sedative, or sleeping drug. Before her head hit the pillow again and her eyes closed, she thought one last time about the others and hoped that they were safe. She also hoped that Han cold manage on his own, and wasn't relying on her help, because she certainly wouldn't be able to help him now...

oOo

As it happened, Han didn't actually need any help at all.

Ok, it had taken him a few hours to finally find the cells, but once he had, he'd caused a cave in a little way along the tunnel, then hidden in the shadows as several guards ran past. Once they'd gone past, he carried on, and found only one guard remained in the detention block.

"Alone at last," he had joked as he disposed of him and grabbed the keys, then he set off down the row of cells, opening every door he came to. The first people he'd found were Luke and Chewbacca.

Chewie was so pleased to see him that he'd almost crushed him in a bear hug, and it was only thanks to Luke's intervention that Han hadn't been strangled to death or snapped in half.

"Its good to see you too, buddy," Han coughed as Chewie set him back on his feet again and patted his head. Han's knees almost buckled under him, but he somehow managed to remain upright and began telling Luke all about Mara.

"I should go back for her. The Vongs may have found her," Luke said as Han carried on unlocking all the cells. There was no windows in the doors, so he couldn't tell if anyone was in them or not.

"Alright, take Chewie with you and meet me back at the Falcon," Han called as Luke grabbed his lightsaber from the table in the detention area and started back down the tunnel. "And Luke?" Han called. Luke stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Go careful, Kid," Han said and Luke smiled, before making off down the tunnel again with Chewbacca following.

The next people Han came to were Ryoo and Pooja. He helped the two women out of the darkness of their cell, and directed them back to the main detention block area, where they stood, shivering, despite their thick layers of clothing. Then he found the droids,and told them to go and stay with Ryoo and Pooja whilst he opened the last cell. He prayed that it was the one that held Leia.

It was. But Leia wasn't the one he first saw when he opened the door.

There, standing in the centre of the cell, as though waiting for something, was a woman. She was old, in her fifties at least, and yet she was still young looking. She only had two or three well hidden grey hairs, but the rest of her hair fell almost to her waits in chocolate curls. Her eyes were intense and a deep shade of brown, much like Leia's. Infact, she looked alot like Leia, but there was a certain feeling of calm around her that reminded him of Luke. She was quite small, but Han could tell that this made her no less of a fighter. She reminded him of someone who had seen many battles in their time.

"You alright?" he asked as she stepped a little closer to take a look at him. There was a tiny trickle of dry blood down her neck, and Han realised that she hadn't had any medical treatment for it, and there was a possibility it could be infected.

"Yeah...um...you must be Han, huh?" she asked as she took in his tall frame and mop of untidy hair. "Leia's told me all about you."

"Are you Padme?" he asked and the woman nodded. "Pleased to meet ya," he held out his hand, and she shook it politely. Han was surprised at just how soft her skin felt to his rough, battle worn hands.

"Where's Leia?" he asked after a moment, peering into the darkness.

"I'm right here, Han," Leia said as she emerged from the shadows, handing Padme's cloak back to her.

"Great, lets find your brother and get outta here!" Han exclaimed, rushing back down the tunnel to where the others were waiting.

Leia wasn't impressed by his greeting, but then, Han never was one for soppy hugs and kisses in the presence of others, especially not in the present company of his mother-in-law. She looked at Padme, who looked a little alarmed at Han's greeting towards his wife, and smiled.

"Don't worry. He's alright once you get used to him."

"I'll take your word for it," Padme replied as the two women started down towards the others.

When Padme saw her nieces, she hugged them tight, so relieved that nothing had happened to them. Ryoo's nose had finally stopped bleeding, but she was stained with blood, and Padme wouldn't stop fussing over her until she was sure that she was alright.

"Look, I hate to break up the little family reunion, but we gotta go," Han said at last, slightly annoyed. Leia glared at him, but he pretended not to see and started off down the tunnel.

Luke had already cut his way through the ice blockade, so they had no difficulty there, and when they got to the medical room, Mara was nowhere to be found, so Han guessed that Luke and Chewbacca had made it safely.

On their way out, they met many more guards, but Padme proved just how skilled she was at fighting when she shot a narrow rope holding up an ice chandelier. It came crashing down on top of the guards and the others all diverted round it without difficulty.

Han was impressed, but he didn't dare say anything because he was already in Leia's bad books, and telling his mother-in-law that she was the best fighter he'd ever seen would definately secure his place on the sofa that night. He decided it was probably best if he said nothing at all as they ran out of the back entrance and into the freezing snow.

As she had run across the hanger, Leia had noticed that the last ship had gone. Luke and Chewbacca had probably used it to take Mara back to her ship, but would he come back for them? After all, some of them were struggling with the cold and desperately needed to get back to the warmth of the ship quickly, her being one of them (although she hated to admit it).

Padme, however, wasn't one of these people. Infact, she was right up in the lead with Han, battling on against the wind, and Leia was finding it hard to keep up with them.

At last, there was the sound of engines and three ships decended from the sky to land infront of them. Chewbacca was piloting Mara's ship whilst Mara lay in the back, Luke was flying the Falcon and his X-wing was being towed behind.

In no time at all, everyone was onboard one of the ships, and the group was heading back for Naboo, Luke piloting his X-wing with Artoo, Han piloting the Falcon, with Ryoo, Pooja and C-3PO onboard, and Chewbacca piloting Mara's Jade Saber, whilst Mara rested and Leia and Padme tidied up the wardrobe area.

Luke, although excited about the prospect if finally meeting his mother, kept out of her way whilst the ships were being boarded because he wanted their reunion to be special...not a rushed greeting on this horrendous ice planet. He caught a glimpse of Padme as she boarded the ship and knew that at last, she was going home, just like he'd promised his father.