Kess was feeling a little feisty, and she had to practice her skills anyway, so the minute she crossed the threshold to the Senate Chamberlain's office complex, she stepped aside and made herself scarce. She had no official business being there, but she probably wouldn't get in trouble if she got caught. Though she'd only visited Leia's new offices once so far, Kess was sure everyone she would run into would likely already know who she was.

Dressed in brown pants, tall brown boots, and bone colored tunic, she probably looked more the part of a traditional Jedi than Luke usually did, but this gave her the added benefit of blending in a little better with the regular office staff who didn't dress up in fine robes or uniform-looking get-ups. With the Senate not in session today, political operatives were thick as flies in here, talking on commlinks, writing speeches, reading security reports, or standing in clumps in deep discussion on how to get something done. Even if Kess hadn't clouded their minds as she passed, she wasn't sure if they would have noticed her anyway. The Purple Guard should have been a different matter, but Kess noticed the guards saw her and recognized her before she succeeded in a mental subterfuge, and yet they didn't blink an eye to just let her walk in.

Still, the inner offices were a little different. Everyone was hard at work, even in Leia's grandest office at the far end of the hall. The big double doors were wide open to show the immensity of the main desk. The twin couches and guest chairs were loaded with staff, all taking notes and discussing status reports with the Chamberlain sitting behind her desk.

Kess sidestepped out of view before Leia could look up. She skirted the outside corners of the meeting rooms, lobbies, and staff offices until she poked a sneaky head into the data library.

Threepio saw her first and Kess quick hushed him with a finger to her lips and a wink. The gold droid did a double take, realizing her intent quickly as Kess snuck up behind Yana and covered the other woman's eyes.

Yana paused briefly, pulled the hand from her face, and turned with a smile. She shook her head and shook her finger in a silent scolding at Kess for bugging her at work, but she was sparkling happy about the visit itself. She peeked around the corner to verify the meeting was still in progress, then grabbed Kess and pulled her deeper out of risky view.

Face to face, eyes bright, Kess didn't say anything because she knew Yana couldn't. The old roommate had half her brown hair shaved off her head for the surgeries, and now wore a long teal wrap tightly over her scalp, part bandage/part embarrassment for the missing hair. The bright color of the cloth made her eyes look that much greener, and her pale complexion reminiscent of a porcelain doll.

Yana lifted an index finger for Kess to pause her words and reached into her tunic pockets to pull out a pair of datalinks.

But Kess stopped her efforts with gentle hands. What she came to announce didn't need speech or text. As soon as she had Yana's attention, she reached up to her neck with one hand and began to fish out the wedding locket from her tunic.

Yana smiled at the first sight of the black string. She rushed to pull the datalinks out anyway so she could say something.

Before the locket came out of her collar, however, something on the Force alerted Kess's attention. She had been spotted. People were suddenly paying attention to the two women in the corner. Kess saw a small knot of chatting staff had stopped their conversation to stare. Another staffer paused a call in suspense at this development. Then Leia herself stepped down the center aisle of the workstations until she reached the angle to have a clear view of the data library and the two people in it.

"Oh shit." Kess murmured as she stuffed the string back under her collar, pretending quickly that she had only been scratching her ear. She smiled big, sweet and guilty as she stepped out to the main room to greet the Senate Chamberlain and future sister-in-law.

As a back-office workday, Leia wasn't dressed in the fluffy garb of facing the Galactic Senate, but she still looked rich and official in a royal blue jumpsuit and long black vest. The woman was so small and skinny that her belly clearly plumped out with child, but her body was straight and strong, handling everything about her world with the skill of a superhero.

Kess felt the woman deserved to have her own comic figurine, complete with a flowing cape.

Several staffers watched from behind Leia's open office doors to see what interrupted their meeting. Others stopped their tasks to pay attention why Leia came out of her office. As Kess stepped out of the data library and Yana stepped out at her flank, Leia lightly clasped her hands in front of herself and lifted a brow. "Jedi Lendra," she smiled, and her voice was warm honey, "How kind of you to stop by."

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Kess thought hard and fast but maintained her pleasant smile and nodded. "Chamberlain, it's good to see you again . . . but, actually, I came to see her." Kess squinted an eye and thumbed over her shoulder at Yana, adding with a wince. "No offense."

"None taken," Leia assured warmly, and then lifted her chin a little too high, eyeing Kess with a powerful gaze and a humored spark. "Get your ass in my office."

Kess glanced back at Yana, sighed audibly, and nodded at her fate. "Yes, mayam." Without a hitch, Kess marched past the Chamberlain to follow the order.

Leia didn't move right away. Shining brown eyes now landed on Yana. "You too."

Yana bowed her chin and rushed in behind.

Inside Leia's giant spread, Kess looked over the waiting staffers with a genuine apology. "Sorry to interrupt."

Leia stepped around her desk with a gentle order. "May I have the office, please." Questions murmured, and Leia sat down with a clear assurance. "We'll resume in few minutes. This won't take long."

Staffers filed out, Kess and Yana crept in, and Leia offered the front guest chairs. "Please. Sit." Leia sat down the same time they did. Although her mood seemed light, she leaned her elbows forward on the desk in business mode. "Have you and Luke received your invitations to the Senate Ball?"

Kess blinked to bring her mind to the topic. "Uh, yes we have. I'll make sure we fill out the RSVPs tonight."

"Good." Leia turned her eyes to Yana, "If I could ask you a personal favor?"

Yana blinked and shrugged. Sure. Anything.

An index finger came out of Leia's hand and pointed. "You take her shopping for a gown."

Yana tossed her head back and laughed.

Kess whined a new smile. "Awe, man."

Leia tried to contain her own grin to insist it. "No Jedi uniforms. No rebel uniforms. And no looking like homeless monks like the old Jedi Order used to do. It's a formal event and I expect you both to wear formal attire for it."

"He's not going to like that," Kess warned.

"I don't care what he likes." Leia said strongly, smiling more. "When you're on my turf and you guys are going to play by my rules."

Kess cleared her throat and nodded obedience. "As you wish."

Leia nodded at her desk with a new sigh. "Next order of business. . . . " A brown eyeball shifted over and drilled into Kess.

"What?"

Leia cocked her brow expectantly. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Kess's head hung sideways and a breath of grinning regret escaped her throat. She glanced at Yana, who was now scrunching a smirking face as if to brace for a blow. Kess eyed Leia again and didn't bother to wonder how Leia found out about it.

The powerful gaze on Kess might have been misconstrued as some kind of Jedi Power Trick if anyone else saw it, but all Leia needed was a kind-grinning stare.

Kess sighed in defeat. "I was going to let him tell you."

"I haven't seen him."

"Well, everyone's been so busy-"

Leia waved that off as she rolled her shoulders back. She clasped her hands together and leaned one elbow on one armrest, but the powerful gaze was still intense. "When did he ask you?"

"Just a few days ago. We're trying to keep it out of the press until we have answers to the first round of questions."

Leia was on board with this. "What questions?'

"When. Where. Will there be babies. Stuff like that."

Leia blinked slow and smug, "And?"

"Well if I knew the answers already-!"

"I'm just asking what you have so far," Leia assured with a shake of her head.

"Oh, well, probably . . . after the academy is built, at the academy, and . . . I don't know yet."

Leia's eyes lowered to her desk in thought.

Kess shrugged in defense, "This all just happened a few days ago. He and I haven't had a chance to talk about any of this."

"No, I'm sure you haven't. But," Leia lifted her face at an angle, eyes warm, mouth grinning, "For what little vote I have in the matter, I would approve of babies."

Kess nodded with discomfort, yet met Leia's gaze with respect. "Consider your vote tallied."

Leia nodded conclusion and pushed out of her chair. "How the academy coming?"

"It's a mess right now but . . . one step at a time. Y'know?'

Leia stepped around her desk to show them out, and Kess and Yana got up to leave, but Leia motioned her to pause. "Can I see it?"

Kess gladly fished the wedding locket out of her tunic and let it hang by the black string around her neck. Leia's eyes changed to look at it. This wasn't just a symbol of a marriage proposal, or of her brother finally securing some lifelong company, or even a hope that breeding of more Jedi was on the horizon. Leia thumbed over the carved designs on the two knots of fused bone with a lingering gaze, and Kess felt the woman's heart wither with lament.

The last time Luke saw Han was when the man handed half the locket to him, back on Yavin 4 before the launch. The Tatooine bone nugget was a secret gift from Solos as a familial approval in case Luke was thinking about it. Through others, Kess learned the last time Leia saw Han was only a few minutes later that very same day, when Han reported to his wife that Luke took the gift with a smile.

Leia let the moment pass and met Kess's eye. "Welcome to the family."

It wasn't until that moment that Kess truly realized the 'family' of which she was about to become a member. The air hollowed from her chest to envision Darth Vader as a father-in-law. And I thought my dad was bad.

Leia half turned to eye Yana, but asked Kess. "With your permission, I'd like your Best Lady to keep me informed of the developments through back channels. Let me know if you need anything."

Kess flicked her eyes to Leia's belly and nodded in heartfelt agreement, "You too."

"Oh, I will." Leia stressed a new smile, then shifted to usher the two women out. "In fact, if you could pass a message on to Luke for me?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Tell him," Leia thought for a moment as if just now making the final decision on this. "Tell him her name will be Breha."

A slow smile spread across Kess's face. A baby girl! She bowed with Jedi respect and nodded. "Will do."