Sorry, everyone! Between school and clubs and sleep and all I've been kind of putting fan fiction on the back burners, but now I feel guilty so I'll try to update much more often. I usually edit all the chapters, but right now I'm putting up everything as is, so some things might be overly sappy or ridiculous or whatever, but hopefully everything's fine.
SoloKenobi – I'm glad you liked it! You'll see what happens with Ty in this next chapter.
Sweetdeath04 – I'm glad you think it's funny! I'm always worried that someone is going to take every little thing seriously and think that my story's stupid or something.
Freetrader – Thank you for getting me back on track! I'm flattered that you like the story so much! Sometimes I get lazy and need a nice swift kick to the rear to get me going again. Don't worry, you don't sound like a jerk. I would post all of the chapters at once, but it takes so long to edit everything and submit each chapter that I have to do everything in pieces. I'll try to be better about posting more often, though.
Chapter 18
The next morning the Solos took Ty in the rented speeder with the intention of looking at adoption agencies. They had forgotten, however, that it took weeks; months even, to find a home for an orphaned child. As they left the tenth agency their hopes were crushed and they were becoming jaded about the whole institution. When did such a personal thing like adoption become so steeped in bureaucracy?
As they exited the brown, dull building and headed toward their speeder they saw a couple, probably in their early thirties, enter the building. The woman had dark-blonde, long hair and bright hazel eyes, and the man had thick jet-black hair with gray-blue eyes. Their clothes appeared clean, new, and stylish, and Han and Leia presumed that they were rather well off, though they did not appear snobbish in the least. Rather, they looked hopeful, and held hands as they stepped inside. The Solos glanced at each other and headed back inside the building with Ty walking between them. At the front desk a bored teenage girl sat twirling her hair as the couple they had seen outside told her their situation.
The man looked patiently at the disinterested girl as he spoke, "We came here from New Alderaan to adopt a child. We can't have children ourselves, though we desperately want one, and there is no adoption agency on our planet. Can you please help us?"
Han and Leia looked into each other's eyes hopefully; maybe this was where the Force had intended for them to go.
"Sorry, Mister, but you can't adopt children here if you don't live on this planet. I don't make the rules."
"But we've tried everywhere else! I'm sure that there are children here who need a home urgently, and we're willing to provide one! Can you please make an exception?"
"No. Rules are rules. It might even be a law, I dunno. Go talk to the government."
The woman now chose to speak, and she was slightly more daring than her husband, "We have talked to the government! We live on New Alderaan, you know. There's no law against adopting a child from a different planet, that's just a rule made by agencies!"
"Lady, I will tell you one last time: I don't make the rules. With your attitude, I'm starting to think that maybe you shouldn't adopt children after all," the girl said spitefully.
The woman burst into tears and fled from the room, hands covering her eyes. The man glared at the girl angrily, though she didn't even seem to notice, and followed his wife. Han, Leia, and Ty followed after them.
Once outside Han ran toward the couple, now sitting on a nearby bench, arms wrapped around each other. He cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, but I think I might have a solution to your problem."
"Who are you?" The man asked, turning his head away from his wife to glance at the stranger. His tone was not harsh, it was only curious.
"Name's Han Solo. My wife and I have been to all the agencies on Corellia looking for a home for our little friend over there," he said with a nod in Ty's direction. "We found him on the streets and want to find him a permanent place to live, but none of the agencies are working out. He's a real good kid, though. Do you want to meet him? His name's Ty Glenner."
The two were staring at the former smuggler with slack jaws, trying to compute everything he said.
"Let me get this straight," the man said after a moment, "You're saying that you're General Han Solo, here on Corellia with your wife, Senator Leia Organa Solo, and the two of you are wondering if we want to adopt your friend?"
"That's about the gist of it, yeah," Han said.
"I can't believe it, Gerry," the woman said to her husband. "The Force really does exist."
"I can't believe it either. Sir, I'm sure that you're telling me the truth, but just to be sure, I have to ask you a question that only Han Solo could answer."
"Go ahead."
"So, how did you and your wife actually hook up? I've heard stories, but I'm sure the real story is completely different."
"Gerry!" scolded the woman.
"No it's okay," Han said with a grin, "I like his attitude. It's a pretty long story though, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Of course! But why don't you bring Ty over here so we can sit with him while you tell us? We really want to meet him," said the man named Gerry.
Ty and Leia walked over to the couple, and the woman turned to her husband and whispered, "Gerry, I know for sure that's Princess Leia. You don't need to make the poor man tell you that long story."
"I know," he whispered back. "But I really want to hear it."
As Ty came close by, the couple looked at him in joy and awe. In their eyes he was the most beautiful boy in the galaxy. Ty looked downward with a slight blush as he saw that he was being stared at, but the woman kneeled down so that she was eye-level with the boy and put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to move his gaze upward.
"Ty," she said kindly, "My name is Helena Bengley and this is my husband, Gerry Bengley. Would you like to sit with us and listen to a story?"
Ty nodded his head and asked, "Are you going to adopt me?"
She smiled. "Hopefully. If you want us to, that is."
Ty nodded again and sat up on the bench between Helena and Gerry. Gerry gazed down at the boy with fatherly pride and hoped fervently that they would be able to adopt him.
Han and Leia stood close together and watched the three interacting. They really looked like a family. The Solos let the newly acquainted future-family get to know each other for a few minutes before Gerry looked up at them again.
"So, are you going to tell us the story or just stand there?" he asked with a grin.
"Oh yeah," Han responded, a lopsided smile forming on his face. "It all started as we were being slowly digested in the belly of a space slug…"
