Leia had set the scene and waited.
I'll get rid of them. Han had promised. If it's Jaina or Jacen, you'll only end up in conversation with them. Which, of course, Han never would.
And if it's Lukash... Leia sighed and rolled her eyes. She could only hope Han hadn't upset the man! Leia had a feeling the 'maverick' might harbour more than a slight streak of self-doubt.
When waiting turned to worry, Leia slid back into her clothes and headed through the house in search of her missing husband. Since the door was still locked and the 'speeder still out front, she was relieved by the thought that at least he hadn't taken off, and was further relieved when she finally found him sitting on the steps of the rear porch.
Sensing the moment had very likely passed, Leia crouched down to sit by his side. "Cold feet, hotshot?" She asked with a light smile.
Han leaned forward to scoop up a small handful of gravel, tossing it one small piece at a time into the grass. The view from the rear porch was calming to the senses; rolling hills broken only by the occasional distant homestead whilst the scent of the grasses and green foliage helped to ease any tension.
"It was Jaina." He finally admitted.
"Is she all right?" Leia asked, concerned.
"This guy was lookin' for me. Found her instead." He drawled.
Leia's stomach did a flip. "Han..." She breathed.
"Oh! Oh, no!" He said, shaking his head, realising how that must have sounded. "Not lookin' for me for a beatin'; lookin' for me with information. It's just he didn't realise I wasn't on Coruscant any more. Found Jaina, gave her a message for me."
"Old friend then." Leia assumed.
"Kinda." He said, dusting any remaining gravel from his hands.
Leia watched him for as long as she could stand. "Are..you..going to tell me..." She started.
"It's Freya." He stated.
"Your sister?" She queried.
"She's dead." He said and swallowed.
Leia exhaled, letting the news sink in. "I'm so sorry Han." She said simply and moved to link her arm through his. He shifted, avoiding her touch. She didn't attempt to repeat the move.
"It's not like we were even that close. I mean, we were...as kids..." He said, trailing off.
"She was your sister. The same proud Corellian blood that runs through your veins ran through hers. It's not surprising it would affect you." She noted.
"The truth is, I hadn't thought about her in years." He confessed. "Cale, that no good, useless waste of space she shacked up with for so long...I tried to get her away from him but she wasn't having any of it. So, I decided a long time ago she'd made her bed and she was just gonna have to lie in it."
"A lot of people said I shouldn't be with you." Leia reminded.
"No! What people said, was I shouldn't be with you." Han corrected, pointing an angry finger in her face.
"Isn't that the same thing?" She queried.
He turned away from her, glaring into the distance. "D'you ever wonder Ley, what woulda happened if I hadn't come back with that first Death Star? I mean, the kid was a 'pretty' good shot, all things considered. An' what with that dead old man twittering in his ear, there's ev'ry chance he still woulda taken that thing out without any help from me or Chewie." He posed his question.
"Maybe." She agreed. "Then I imagine the Rebellion would still have found itself on Hoth, that the base would have been located and that we would have had to evacuate. In time, I like to believe, we'd have defeated the Empire. Then I probably would have married Isolder, or another handsome Prince and we would have made an incredibly beautiful Royal dynasty together to secure the bloodline for the New Republic."
"And we all lived happily ever after." He scoffed.
"I'm not sure I'd go that far." Leia said.
"D'you ever..." He cleared his throat. "D'you ever wish you'd listened to all those people who said we shouldn't be together?"
"No." She answered, too quickly for Han's liking. He arched a dubious eyebrow at her. "I don't regret a moment with you Han, not one single moment." She insisted.
"I can think o' one I regret!" He recalled. The moment he spoke of was clear to them both. It had been after the loss of their beloved friend, Chewbacca, when Han had lost his way for a time. "I might just, you know, take a little walk. You know, clear my head a little." He told her, pushing to his feet.
"I'll be waiting." She promised. Han gave her a weak smile before plunging his hands in his pants pockets and strolling off into the grounds. Leia watched him go, head down, deep in thought.
He'd been economical in his re-telling of their time apart. A little business here, a private charter there. Nothing to set the New Republic on fire, which was probably a good thing bearing in mind Leia's standing in the Galactic Government at the time of their estrangement.
It hadn't bothered Leia. She had confidence in Han and he had never let her down in the past. She'd left him to work his way through his feelings then and couldn't see any reason why he wouldn't do the same now. Except...
Except for this nagging feeling...
Leia shook the feeling away.
Han wasn't a very open man. It wasn't the first time she'd had the same sense of looming calamity only to find it replaced by optimism just as quickly.
Returning to the house, she set the caf pot to simmer while she reviewed her messages. There was nothing of note. Especially, there was nothing from Jorge Lukash which left her both surprised and a little deflated. She'd hoped for at least a comment, a compliment would have been nicer, even a simple acknowledgement would have been welcome. But "nothing" left her wondering if he was pleased, displeased or if he'd even bothered to read her revisions at all.
Her fingers had hovered over the message key for several minutes when strong arms circled her body from behind and soft lips pressed against the flesh beneath her right earlobe. Leia smiled.
"Okay. But you better be quick, my husband's out back brooding." She said, swivelling around on her stool to look into Han's deeply troubled eyes. Her smile faded and she reached out both hands to take his. "Caf's hot." She offered. "It's that Corellian blend you like, good and strong."
He gave one, short nod of his head and she hopped down from her stool to pour him a cup. Accepting the caf, Han's gaze fell into it's dusky depths. Why the man found it so damned hard to open up to her, even after all this time together, was a mystery to Leia.
"Do you know if a funeral has been arranged?" She asked. Han shook his head, once. She flicked her tongue between her lips, wetting them before pressing onwards. "Should we..." She started.
"Tradition dictates she be cremated." Han said, rolling his cup between his hands. "Since Cale isn't in a financial position to arrange that for her, he wondered if I might see some way of helping him out." He shook his head again. "Useless, excuse for a man can't even scrimp together the few credits it'd cost to give her a half decent send off!"
If the caf had been whiskey he'd have tossed the glass back in one. As it was, he settled for shoving the caf cup over and letting the contents spill across the worktop. Leia mopped the liquid up and removed the cup from Han's immediate vicinity.
"Are you mad over a few credits? Or did you just not want the caf?" She queried.
"It's not the money." He insisted.
"Just the caf then!" She assumed, as he took over mopping up his mess.
"I went to see her." He said, rinsing the cloth he was using and sanitising the work surface. "That year after..." He trailed off, rinsed the cloth again, pulled out a stool at the kitchen island, his backside landing heavily against the wood. Leia sat opposite and waited patiently for him to continue. "She laughed at me, good as." He finally admitted. "Can't say I blame her o' course. Han Solo, the great moralist of our time; the man who tried in vain to get her to leave a guy he thought was dragging her down, only to prove all his own doubters right when they said he didn't deserve to marry a Princess."
"You told her what happened?" Leia queried.
"Yeah I told her. That's why she laughed. An' why I left her to stew in that mess of her own making." He replied.
"You regret not trying harder." She said, aware that particular expression had been the catalyst of so many arguments before their eventual separation.
"I regret leaving her behind." He stated, shaking his head. "I never should have left her and Mom. I shoulda taken 'em with me or never left in the first place. It's because of me she ended up with that idle piece of..."
"Han, you are not repsonsible for all the ills in the Galaxy." Leia placed a hand over his and squeezed lightly.
"Aint I?" He barked. "Cale only came calling after I left. She was sixteen, just about, when he got her pregnant the first time and then again about every ten months or so until she couldn't have no more kids, and then he went an' found someone who could! She didn't die of old age, or get hit by a passing asteroid, she died from a broken heart Ley! She died because after he'd leeched every last gasp of life outta her, he took off the same way I did an'..."
He was breathing so heavily Leia thought he was going to expire on the spot. She was out of her seat and by his side, cradling him and soothing his pain the only way she could until his words were lost in the tangle of her hair, her shoulder and his own painful sobs.
Han Solo, it was often noted, was a Corellian. Corellians did not wear their heart on their sleeve. Their emotions were buried so deep sometimes it was difficult to believe they even had any, and when they did bubble to surface they took a while to subside.
"It was Papillary Fibroelastoma. A thing, you know, a tumour in the heart." He told her after he had calmed down.
"So, not a broken heart." Leia suggested with a wry smile.
"Okay, not an actual broken heart." He said with a roll of his eyes. "But I still bet it wouldn'ta been there if it hadn't been for Cale!"
"About the arrangements..." She started.
"I told him we'd take care of everything. That's okay, isn't it?" He asked. Leia's soft smile told him everything. "She was my sister." He shrugged. "She might not have had all that much in this life, but I'm gonna see to it she sure as Hell gets the send off she deserves into the next one."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
The Falcon settled onto her landing struts with a hiss of satisfaction. If Han didn't know her better, he'd suspect the ship was glad to be home.
Leia had left Han to shut down while she placed a call to Terrendoc to check on the status of their son, Jorj, who was staying with Jacen and Tilly while his parents were away. Leia had advocated Jorj attending the ceremony with them in order to prepare him for a time when he need do so for his departed parents. However, Han had vetoed the suggestion on the basis that, if the reports were true, any preparations would be around a hundred or so years premature.
Leia suspected it had more, if not everything, to do with Han's worry that his emotions may end up taking over. Though she kept her thoughts to herself.
"We good to go?" He asked, as Leia concluded her call.
"Jorj is all settled in and Gambe's going to be dropping by the house to make sure there's nothing amiss." She reported.
"So, are we good to go?" He repeated.
"Just need to get my bag from the bunkroom." She replied.
"Leave it. I'll come by later or get one of the kids to come pick it up." He said.
Leia could see from his stance, from the nervous dance he was doing first on his left foot and then on his right, how on edge he was feeling. In an effort to relieve any further tension, she agreed and slipped her restraints without further debate.
Securing the Falcon, Han hailed a hovercab and commanded. "Sixth and Fifth."
"What number Sir?" The pilotless 'cab requested.
"Just Sixth and Fifth. We can find our own way from there." Han growled. Inside the 'cab, Leia reached over to cover one of Han's hands with hers. "I'm all right." He insisted, a little sharper than he meant.
"You're clearly not Han." She countered.
"Been a while, is all." He sniffed.
"Don't shut me out Han, please." Leia begged.
Han exhaled and forced a smile to his lips. "I'll just be glad when it's all over." He said. Leia smiled in return and drew his fingers to her lips to kiss his knuckles.
"Sixth and Fifth." The 'cab's synthesiser announced and slowed to a stop. Han paid the fare and stood looking at the house his sister had occupied for much of her adult life. In his head he could hear the happy laughter of a brightly lit family home. In reality, he heard only silence and saw only darkness.
Taking two tentative steps, Han had just raised a fist to hammer on the door when it swung open. The hand hovered, then lowered.
"You gotta be Uncle Han. Dad said to expect you." The man at the door said.
"You are?" Han asked.
"Moishe. You don't remember me." The man narrowed his eyes at Han.
"It's been a long time, kid." Han drawled. Moishe stood aside for Han and Leia to enter. "My wife..." Han started.
"Leia. Aunt Leia; Princess Leia. Yes, I remember." Moishe gave Leia a bow from the neck.
"It hasn't been Princess for quite some time now. But, thank you, the honorary was greatly appreciated." Leia smiled and offered her hand. Moishe considered the appendage, wondering if he should shake it or kiss it. He opted to take the hand and squeeze it gently.
"Your old man not around?" Han queried, his eyes taking in the still sparse living quarters. Little seemed to have changed since his last visit, more than twelve years earlier.
"He..ah..he.." Moishe struggled.
"No need to sugar coat it, son, I'm the first to call him a bum." Han said, sinking into the offered chair.
"He..ah..said he just couldn't face it." Moishe confessed.
"It or me?" Han growled.
"Han!" Leia admonished, shaking her head slightly. Han was close to, if he had not already, crossed a line. Moishe laughed once, nervously before offering them a drink. While he was in the kitchen, Leia took the opportunity to remind Han that they were guests.
"May I remind you who's paying for this little shindig." Han hissed.
"Your nephew is not the one to have slighted you." Leia hissed back.
"It's only regular caf I'm afraid." Moishe apologised, returning with their drinks.
"Regular's fine. Thank you." Leia said, accepting the offered cup. Han relieved Moishe of another cup and thanked him.
"Oh...an' I was supposed to give you these." Moishe fished in his pocket, pulling out a set of keys which he handed to Han.
"The shack?" Han queried, examining the keys. "I told Freya to sell that place years ago."
"Guess she couldn't bear to part with it. Mom had two streaks running through her, the 'old romantic' and the 'bit nostalic'." Moishe said.
"Hard to know which one was worse." Han observed, lightheartedly.
"I..er..kinda figured you might wanna stay there tonight." Moishe suggested. "They way Mom told it, I figured it might rekindle a few memories."
"She had a point." Leia said with a wry smile.
"Yeah. She did at that." Han said, wearing his own smile and shoving the keys into his pants pocket. "So, what's been happening this past decade?"
"To me personally, or the whole brood?" Moishe queried.
"Well, let's start with you and see where that takes us." Han said, sitting back and crossing an ankle over a knee.
"Well, I spent the past three years studying flight mechanics at the Academy in Coronet City. Passed out just a fortnight ago. Mom was at the ceremony, glowing with pride she was." Moise beamed.
"You're a pilot?" Leia asked.
"I am now. Bona fide one too." Moishe replied.
"In my day you didn't need no piece of paper to prove you could fly, you just needed a ship." Han growled.
"Got me one of those too." Moishe said, waggling his eyebrows. "Worked whatever hours I wasn't in school, doing whatever paid, until I had enough to buy this sweet ride."
"Whatcha got? Swoop or 'speeder?" Han asked, smugly.
Moishe grinned. "A Why-Tee Thirteen Hundred Light Freighter."
"Bantha! Shit!" Han cursed.
"True as I'm sitting here. I mean, she's a bit beat up, but nothing I can't fix given the time and effort I plan on putting in on her." Moishe said.
"Can you believe that honey? Another appreciator of fine craftsmanship in the family!" Han crowed.
"Imagine." Leia mumbled. She hugged her caf and listened to the two exchanging information, details and ideas. Leia couldn't help but smile as she listened and observed the two in their natural habitat. Or at least talking about it. Then she found herself considering...since Freya and Cale never married, did Moishe and his brothers and sisters take his mother's last name or his father's. She thought she might ask, if they ever came up for breath!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Leia wasn't aware of drifting off to sleep until Han shook her gently awake, his face wearing an amused grin. Apologising to Moishe, Han and Leia took another 'cab to the old property in the hills where they had previously briefly lodged and first consumated their relationship thirty years earlier when, in a fit of pique, Han had kidnapped Leia in order to persuade her to fall in love with him again, unaware that she had never fallen out of love with him in the first place.
"He's a really great kid, you know?" Han said, putting his shoulder to the property's front door for the second time.
"Hm. You said. Twice already." She reminded him.
"Well, I'm just saying Ley. He's a really..." Han said, rolling his shoulders and preparing for a third attempt.
"Great kid. I know." Leia finished for him as the door finally caved under her husband's pressure and swung wide.
"Well dear, here we are." Han announced.
"Hasn't changed a bit." Leia said, her eyes roaming the cabin. It had been updated, a little. Redecorated, windows cleaned, new bedding and a fresh flower arrangement had been placed on a table beside the open fireplace.
Han bounced onto the bed, raising himself onto one arm and patting the quilt by his side. "See what you mean. Just how I remember it." He sniggered.
"It had more charm back then." She sneered.
"Ooow. Harsh! Under the current circumstances." Han commented.
"Why didn't Freya sell it like you asked her to?" Leia asked, circling the small room.
"Who knows! Maybe it was like Moishe said, and she just couldn't bear to part with it; it had been part of her childhood too, you know." Han said.
"Where did you and Freya sleep?" She queried.
"Up in the roof." He answered, pointing upward. "Back when we was kids the 'fresher used to be a sluice in a shed down aways and what is now the 'fresher was then the kitchen. Freya an' me had a room each in the loft. Although, when I say a room I'm actually talking about a bunk and a small chest for our clothing. It was a simple life for simpler times, I suppose."
"Simple? Or just plain hard?" She questioned.
"Either. Both maybe. It was all a very long time ago now Ley." He shrugged. "Just because we didn't have very much doesn't mean we couldn't have fun. We just had to be a little more creative."
"And you haven't changed since." She noted with an arched eyebrow.
"Ha-ha! You noticed." He laughed, laid back and patted the bed again.
"I need to call Jorj." Leia said.
"Relays can be a little...temperamental...around these parts." He reminded her.
"Then I'll have to keep trying until I get through." She told him.
"Aw Ley!" Han groaned.
"I promised." She reminded him. "You know what he's like. I don't want him sulking around Jacen and Tilly, not with Tilly being pregnant and the children with their force-sensitivity."
"All right, all right, all right! I'll get the signal booster out." He moaned, sighing as he rose off the bed.
"Thank you." Leia smiled and pulled him down to meet her lips in a kiss.
"Hmm. That the best you can do?" He asked, running a thumb against the corner of his mouth. Her lips pursed in amusement as she pulled him down again into a fiery kiss. "Hmm. Better." He agreed.
"Get the booster, you pirate!" She told him, slapping him playfully.
With the signal booster attached, Leia placed her call and waited patiently for Jorj's face to appear on her screen. "Jorj, sweetheart, it's Mommy." Leia beamed.
"He knows that hon." Han said into her ear.
Leia nudged him away. "Are you all right? Are Jacen and Tilly looking after you?" She asked.
"When are you coming home?" Jorj asked.
"We explained to you we'd be away for a couple of days and you said you were all right with that. But we'll be home soon, sweetheart, I promise." She reminded him.
Jorj leaned into the screen. "Tilly's throwing up. Like all of the time!" He moaned, his eyes rolling.
"Well..." Leia offered, with a wry smile. "That can happen when a lady's pregnant."
"Been thinking 'bout that and...I don't want babies any more." Jorj said.
Leia glanced up at Han. "You don't? How come?" She asked.
"I talked it over. Decided it wasn't the right path for me." He shrugged.
"That's..really..mature of you, Jorj. Who did you talk it over with?" She queried.
"Does it matter!" Han hissed, squeezing into view beside her. "We're real proud of you son. A decision like that, it's not an easy one to make but you made it and you made it all by yourself and we're real, real proud of you." Han could feel Leia's eyes boring into his profile.
"Why's Daddy talking like that?" Jorj queried.
"Good question." Leia muttered.
"Your brother there?" Han asked.
"Ahuh." Jorj agreed and called for Jacen to come to the comm.
Jacen ruffled his brother's hair, much to the boy's disgust, as he came into view. "Hey. How's it going?" Jacen asked.
"S'okay." Han replied. "What about your end?"
"You mean with..." Jacen dipped his head toward Jorj. "Good as gold. He's been looking after Tilly and helping pick and peel the vegetables, he's even been serving the customers."
"There are laws against child labour, you know." Leia pointed out.
"He's being well paid for his time." Jacen promised.
"An' I get free ice cream." Jorj butted in.
"That's some sweet deal you negotiated there, son." Han grinned.
"We'll call you again tomorrow Jorj." Leia promised.
"Bring me something back." Jorj reminded.
"We will. We love you." Leia smiled.
"Love you more." Jorj sing-songed. The connection closed and Leia sighed.
"I know." Han said. "He's growing up way too fast."
"To look at. Then when he speaks..." Leia noted.
"He's still a little kid." Han finished. Leia buried her face in her hands and squeezed her eyes against the rush of emotions. "Hey! Come on now!" He chided, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"If I could just go back...recognise the signs..." She sniffled.
"What signs? There were no signs. Jorj wasn't like Hannay. He was a surprise from start to finish." He insisted.
"Still..." She complained.
"Hey! Are you saying our son isn't worthy?" He half-growled.
"No, of course not." She said.
"Well...Good." His mask dropped, a smile starting to spread. "'Cos if I thought you were..."
"Put your proud Corellian heritage back in it's box. I'm just feeling a little emotional, nothing more than that." She told him, smiling.
"Hey! He's doing great. And he's doing great because of you." He used one finger to tilt her face toward his, then dipped his head to place a quick, light kiss to the tip of Leia's nose, his hands sliding to cup her cheeks until she recovered her equilibrium.
"It's not really Jorj, it's this place. Being back here after so many years, remembering..." Her eyes fell to the bed. "And you can wipe that grin off your face, it wasn't that good." She cursed.
"Who are you kidding? I'm always that good." He boasted. Leia couldn't stifle a slight laugh. "What? You need proof?" He asked.
"It may have escaped your notice, stud, but our things are still on the Falcon." She reminded him.
"It may have escaped your notice, Your Worshipfulness, but that's the best way to enjoy the full Solo experience."
"You are so damn cocksure of yourself, aren't you?" She teased.
"Wanna try to prove me wrong?" He drawled.
"Close the drapes." She told him.
He turned back from the windows just in time to see her untwist the first of her braids. "You ever think of cutting it?" He asked, slipping the vest from his shoulders.
"It's not the Alderaanian way." She replied, releasing the second braid.
"No...but, you know, since Alderaan is no more..." He continued, removing his shirt and tossing it aside.
"Not that that's not the least bit insensitive." She commented.
"I just meant..." He started, one boot flying free.
"It'd be quicker?" She finished for him.
"It'd be like making a statement." He amended.
"Would you like me to cut it?" She asked, shaking her locks loose.
"I'm not sayin' that." He argued.
"Then what are you saying?" She asked, blinking up at her half naked husband.
"I'm saying, whatever you think of doing with it, I'm cool with that." He said, letting his hands rest against her upper arms. Her arched eyebrow told him she expected more. "I like it long." He shrugged. "That time, after you'd lost it, I kinda missed the feel of it. You know, under my fingers...in my face when I wake up...clogging the shower stall..."
"It doesn't clog when I wash it." She said, taking a step closer to him. "Must be you, doing it all wrong."
"Yeah." He grinned down at her. "That'll be it."
"Are you stalling for time hotshot?" She asked, her fingers at his belt buckle.
"I like it when you do that?" He told her.
"What? This?" She queried, fingers deftly undoing his belt and then his pants.
"Yeah. That." He drawled. "I especially like it when you don't take your eyes off of mine while you're goin' it."
"I don't need to look where I'm going to get there." She said, his pants pooling at his ankles. "See?"
"Damn, you're sexy!" He said, voice husky with lust.
"Have you been as nature intended all the way here or did you slide out of your undercrackers when I had my back turned?" She smirked.
"Used the 'fresher back at the house. They're in my vest pocket." He answered.
Leia laughed, heartily. "You are incorrigible!" She said.
"You're still fully clothed." He noted, helping her out of her blouse and adding it to the pile on the floor.
"Do you know how much that thing cost?" She queried.
"I should. I bought it you." He reminded. "Same as I bought you this." His fingers gathered the hem of her camisole, raising it over her head to follow her blouse. "Matching knickers too if I remember correctly."
"You'll just have to wait and see." She teased, pulling his head down to capture his lips with her own. Shifting his weight first this way then that, he manoevred her backward onto the bed without breaking their kiss. Hands connected with body parts, temperatures rose. Then Han stopped, lifted his head and listened. "What?" Leia asked, eyes darting around the room.
"Usually 'bout now is when we get in'erupted." He said. "I'm just giving it a minute, 'cos once I start proper neither one of us is gonna wanna stop until, you know, we stop!" Leia laughed and slapped him playfully. "Seriously!" He insisted. "I'm just gonna count to eight...nine...ten. Okay, that's it. If the comm buzzes now, it'll have to wait."
Leia laughed again and fell into his embrace once more. Kisses led to fondling, fondling led to more urgent manipulations, their urgency led to a frantic coupling, followed by a period of reflection followed by a period of sustained and immensely pleasurable slow and tender lovemaking. Satiated, they lay tangled in one another's arms and legs, breathing deeply, cooling down and reminiscing.
"Where did you hear that?" Leia asked.
"It's a well known fact." Han shrugged.
"Really?" She questioned.
"Oh yeah. I mean, I don't know exactly where I heard it but I was right wasn't I? It was better on top." He said.
"Hard to tell." She answered.
"It was okay wasn't it?" He queried, puzzled and a bit concerned.
"Han, there's only ever one first time. How am I supposed to know what it would have been like the other way." She pointed out.
"Hmm. See what you mean." He said, considering. "I figured I was being considerate."
"You were. I was so nervous." She remembered.
"You didn't seem nervous. Inexperienced, for sure, but not nervous." He chuckled, rubbing his hand along her upper arm.
"You noticed that, huh?" She sneered.
"Oh yeah." He confirmed. "Last time my gonads were mauled like that, Chewie mistook me for an intruder!"
"Sorry." She apologised.
"Don't be. I liked it." He tilted her chin up to face him. "You were still a whole lot gentler than he was, I can tell you that for sure!" Leia chuckled again and Han dipped his head to kiss her, licking his lips afterwards. "You always did taste the best." He growled, low and huskily. "Now you."
They had begun by remembering their first visit to Corellia. For Han, naturally, it had involved another of their 'firsts', the first time they had made love. Right where they currently lay, in the bed in which they now cuddled. Leia didn't mention that at the time she had been so tired of fighting with him, all that was left for them to do was make love.
Not surprisingly Leia's finest memories of Han were the one's that left her open-mouthed with wonder. "Well..." She started, as her comm buzzed.
"Yeah! That'd be right!" He scoffed.
"We could ignore it." She suggested.
Han sighed and struggled to untangle himself from her. "It'll be Jaina, Jacen or your good friend, Lukash. None of which will take the hint and call tomorrow so I might just as well get out of bed, find the damn comm and answer it now an' save us the aggravation." He moaned, bending to search through their pile of clothing. "And don't think I don't know what's going through your mind with my ass in the air, you pervert."
Leia giggled. "Leave it Han. They'll call again." She insisted.
"I can hear the damn thing buzzing, it's gotta be here somewhere!" He groaned.
"My padd's on the table." She pointed out.
"Fine! I'll pick up the call on there. Maybe then whoever it is will realise it's the middle of the night, buzz off and leave us alone." He moaned some more, grabbed the padd and aligned the reception while he climbed back into bed beside his wife. Hissing, he recognised the call sign. "Jacen! I shoulda known!"
"I hope Jorj is all right." Leia fussed, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts. Han rolled his eyes at her and answered the call.
"Dad! Mom!" Jacen exclaimed.
"In the flesh." Han stated.
"I..er..I wasn't expecting you two to, you know, be in bed." Jacen sputtered, looking between his parents.
"Yeah, your Mom and I should probably have talked to you about that before we came out here. See, thing is, we've been sleeping together a while now son..." Han started, Leia slapping him to quieten him.
"Jace, is it Jorj? Is everything all right?" Leia spoke up.
"Yes. It is Jorj, I mean, yes. And yes, everything's all right." Jacen confirmed.
"Oh that's good. Well, good night then." Han offered.
"Han! Stop being a nerfherder!" Leia admonished. "What is it sweetheart?"
"I'm sorry about the intrusion...I just didn't realise the time difference..." Jacen stammered. There was some quiet off-screen conversation before Tilly came into view.
"Jace is just grabbing a datachip. We're really sorry about the time though, we didn't think to check." Tilly explained, blushing.
"Here we go." Jacen said, dropping into view. "Switch to vid format, but maintain the visual link."
"I have done this before, kid." Han snorted, switching over with Leia's quiet assistance.
"It's a bit unsteady. I was trying to record him without Jorj noticing." Jacen apologised. With him reduced to a small portrait in the screen's corner, the main picture was of Tilly with Jorj by her side, one hand splayed across her slight tummy. And he was singing a lullabye.
Leia's mouth dropped open in awe listening to her son reciting the words she had sung to him what felt like a lifetime ago now. "Is that really Jorj?" She queried.
"Certainly is. He's singing to our baby." Jacen confirmed. Leia's lip trembled and her eyes grew misty.
"It was so unexpected and so beautiful." Tilly said.
"I've made you a copy but we just couldn't wait to show it to you." Jacen told them.
"And, we've been talking. Haven't we Jace." Tilly prompted.
"Yeah. We're not going to say anything to him yet, it's still early days and all, but we'd really like to ask him to be Godfather. I mean, with a voice like that, who better?" Jacen asked.
"We thought it might be better said with you there too. You know, in case he's unsure or has any questions or anything." Tilly added, smiling broadly. "We really hope he says yes though. You should have seen him, he was so excited to know there was a baby inside of me."
"He's fascinated by them." Leia muttered.
"Hm. Wants one in his ear for an hour or so, that'd soon change his fascination." Han offered.
"Sorry about...you know..." Jacen apologised sheepishly. "We'll be sure to check out the time before we call again."
"Don't sweat it kid, no harm done." Han said. Establishing that everything was fine, the two couples bid their farewells and closed the connection. Han knew Leia would be affected by the scene long before she climbed off the bed and pulled her earlier discarded camisole over her head.
"I know you'll think I'm wrong, but when we get back I want to talk to Jorj again about him having children." Leia announced, kicking clothing aside until she located her knickers and climbed into them.
"I don't think you're wrong." He drawled.
"No histrionics, no emotional outbursts, just sensible, reasonable conversation. Maybe with a professional on hand for advice too." She added. "What did you say?"
"I said, I don't think you're wrong." He repeated.
"That's what I thought you said." She commented, counting her fingers. "I make that nine times you've agreed with me."
"Eight. You can't count that time on Mimban, I was only humouring you." He corrected.
"You were not!" She frowned.
Han made a clicking noise behind his teeth and cocked his head to one side. "'Fraid I was." He told her.
"You asshole!" She snarled.
"Point is, I'm not now." He said. "Ley, I might not be the smartest guy you've ever met but even I can smell a womp rat when it's in front of me. It's obvious Jorj only told us what he things we wanted to hear."
"You really think I'm right?" She queried, perching opposite him on the bed, one leg tucked under her.
Han shook his head in disbelief. "You stood in front of Lord Darth Vader and lied to his face...well...mask. You were within sniffing distance of Governor Wilhuff Tarkin and you told him he had a 'foul stench'. You used the same chain Jabba humiliated you with to throttle the life out of that piece of worm-riddled filth. Yet, I agree with you and you're like a little girl asking for approval from her fath..." He trailed off and smiled. "O' course, I can think o' worse things than being compared to His Serene Highness, Prince Bail Organa, First Chairman and Viceroy of Alderaan." He drawled.
"You, like Father, know the very worst of me and never shied away. Besides which, much like him, I trust your opinion." She blushed.
"I really think you're right." He repeated. "But, I also really think we need to seek professional guidance before we embark on that particular conversation again."
Leia slid her hand across the bed to slip into his. "You might not be a 'Serene Highness', 'First Chairman' or 'Viceroy' but I love you Han Solo." She smiled softly and let his fingers smooch hers tenderly.
