Chapter Three

by Saber Girl Leia

No new reviews! Sigh Ah, well. If you do read it, please review, even if you dislike it. Constructive criticism rocks!

AN: Yes, Zenriffi is my creation.

I know this is kind of tell, not show, (not much dialogue also) but I didn't think it would be very interesting to have long blather about them landing and buying a house and everything. If you all want to hear it, review and tell me and I might backtrack in the next chapter.

A bit later (Probably several months)

(AN: this originally said 'about a month' but that was unrealistic and has been changed. If you notice any discrepancies because of the time change, please review and tell me so.)

"I guess that's about it then," Luke sighed. He smiled at the blonde girl at his side as he put the last few pieces of her new bedroom furniture in place. Han and Leia were helping with the colorful decor.

With the new addition, the family had known that going back to live on Coruscant right away would not be the best idea. Not only was there no room for a second person in Luke's apartment, but a giant city did not seem the best place for someone like Ellie to be raised.

So the Solos, Luke, and Ellie had moved, at least temporarily, to Zenriffi; a neighboring planet to Coruscant. There they had found a good-sized house for sale. As it needed quite a bit of repair, the selling price was good. Mara had huffed and puffed about it, but ended up staying to help the group fix up the house.

Zenriffi was a combination of urban and rural areas. The new house was at the edge of a town, and several miles from a small beach. There was a good-sized city not too far in the other direction. As the planet was not far from Coruscant, Leia could commute, and Han was happy that the family was finally getting a vacation. The kids were thrilled to live near a beach, and Artoo and Chewie seemed amenable to the move as well. Only Threepio complained. But that was to be expected.

Thankfully, conversing with the native Zenriffis in their own language seemed to cheer him up. They were something like lizards with thick, bulky bodies. Zenriffis had pale red skin with hunched backs and an extra eye in the middle of their foreheads. Most were roughly human-sized.

The planet was also inhabited by small bouncing blobby creatures- Cyos. They were usually a bright blue with oversized eyes of nearly all imaginable colors. No one really knew whether they were intelligent. Cyos did not communicate with other species, or at least had not that anyone was telling, but they had become the object of many 'Riffi legends.

It was said to be good luck to feed or help a Cyo. If the blobby creature crossed one's path in the morning, they would supposedly have one extra stroke of good luck during the day. But if the paths crossed after noon, there would supposedly be one less.

Ellie had originally been terrified by the 'Riffis, but had loved the Cyos at first sight.

So here they were, with the house halfway repaired and Ellie's first ever bedroom completed. "I think this calls for a celebration," Leia said with a twinkle in her eye. The others agreed. Even Ella clapped her approval.

Luke surprised himself with a fleeting wish that Mara could have been with them for this. She had become almost a part of the family- in truth it was as if the Skywalker/Solo family was more or less a conglomerate of all the family-less come together.

And Luke had already started the process of legally adopting Ellanore Callista Ming Skywalker. He did not know Geith's last name, and though he did not want to admit it, a slight twinge of jealousy would have fought against his keeping it in Ella's name even if he did. If it had indeed ever been meant to be a part of her name.

The group made a lunch of fish sandwiches. Chewbacca had taken the Solo kids to the beach with a picnic, so they didn't have to worry about that and were free to spend the rest of the day as they chose. Except that whatever they did had to be something they could do with Ella.

Luke was thankful that Leia and Han were there to help him, though he knew it couldn't last forever. Sooner or later Leia would be needed on Coruscant, and Han would need to take the kids home for school. They had offered to have Winter take the kids, but Luke declined, knowing that it was important that the family stay together as much as possible when they had the chance. But he also said he wouldn't decline if Winter was to come help with Ella.

There had to be some woman there, he had decided. Leia was currently toilet-training the girl, and Luke prayed that that little issue would be taken care of by the time Leia had to leave. He certainly couldn't change Ella. She had an adult's body, even though her brain was a baby's. It did not seem at all appropriate.

And Luke could no way see Mara volunteering for that job. So maybe Winter would have to come.

He sighed. "You okay kid?" Han asked.

Luke looked up to see Leia and Han looking at him worriedly. He hoped he had been shielding his thoughts, at least from Ella. He looked to see her munching the mush she had turned her sandwich into contentedly. Good, she had not caught onto his anxiety. "Yeah, I'll be all right."

"I really do mean it when I say I can miss some work and the kids can miss some school. You need us, so we're here for you. Please don't get all worked up about it."

"But you're the President! They need you," he continued in a whisper, "almost as much as I need you."

"Right, kid. And the President," Han threw an arm around her shoulders, "needs a vacation. And some more Jedi training..." he said slyly.

This, of course, caught Luke's attention, though perhaps not entirely in the way Han had wanted it. "The students! Who's gonna teach the Academy while I'm here?"

"Kam and Tionne and the others who are mostly trained," Leia supplied. "If you'd like to train me a little first, I could go check on them eventually."

"Unh. Right. You and your kids and Ellie. I'm gonna be even busier than I thought."

"Hey, you said yourself recently I'm almost trained. If you help me finish up, I can help you teach."

"S'an idea," Luke replied with a yawn.

"Why don't you take a nap," Han suggested. "We'll hang with Ellie."

Luke reluctantly complied.

Not far away, a certain redhead landed her prized ship due to an annoying bit of conscience...

"Darn you Skywalker!" she groused. "I coulda been out there doing my stupid job, if it weren't for you and your stupid freak baby! What do you know about raising a kid, for goodness sakes?" It apparently never crossed Mara's mind that she knew no more of it, probably less, than he did.

Her philippic continued as Mara caught a ride to a hotel near the town Skywalker and the Solos were staying in. At least this place looks prosperous enough. I can probably get some trading done.

And hopefully Karrde won't decide I'm playing hooky from his organization and completely reassess his opinion of me. Mara growled at herself in annoyance. She didn't care what anybody thought!

Please review, even if you dislike it. Constructive criticism rocks!