Tea and sympathy wasn't exactly the Corellian way, and it certainly wasn't Han's. So standing with a bunch-load of people he barely knew with a tiny cup and saucer in his big hands, instantly reminded him of the diplomatic dinners he'd had to endure with Leia early on in their marriage.

Now, as she did then, Leia glided from person to person looking serene and asking if there was anything anyone wanted. Han had secretly attended more funerals than he cared to remember over the years, yet this was the first he'd actually been forced to see through to the wake.

Ending her circle of the room by her husband's side, Leia smiled up at him. "It's gone well, I think." She commented.

"Yeah. When can we get outta here?" He intoned.

"Han! She was your sister!" Leia reminded, her voice indicating he should show more respect.

"Ahuh." He agreed. "And I wanna honour her with a drink. A really good, strong, Corellian man-drink." Leia tutted and turned her attention to another of Freya's children...Anil?...Han couldn't remember.

"Anoos." Moishe told him.

"Huh?" Han asked.

"You were wondering who Aunt Leia was talking to. It's Anoos." Moishe answered.

"Oh, right. Middle girl...I think." Han said, concentrating.

"Middle boy, actually." Moishe corrected. "Now a girl. Long story."

"Well." Han said, with a quick rise and fall of eyebrows. "Can't say Freya didn't have a colourful life."

"Says the man who married a Princess." Moishe chuckled.

"Yeah." Han chuckled, then turned his full attention on the lad. "How come you don't think I'm an asshole for turning my back on your Mom?"

"Who says I don't?" Moishe asked.

"You're the only one talking to me." Han noted.

Moishe laughed. "They don't think you're an asshole. They think I am." He said.

"How come?" Han queried.

"I'm the only one of them who didn't turn my back on Mom." Moishe replied.

"How come?" Han repeated, draining his cup and leaving it on a table.

"Because she deserved better. Dad was a waster and every one of us knew it, but Mom loved him and I can't condemn her for that. We've all fallen for the wrong person, it's just that some of us have the fortitude to stick with our decisions. For better, for worse." Moishe said.

"That the voice of experience there kid?" Han asked.

"No, that's the voice of inexperience." Moishe laughed.

"You gotta way o' getting us outta here?" Han queried, voice low.

"I could show you Mom's vegetable patch." Moishe suggested.

"Freya grew vegetables?" Han asked.

"Nope. But they don't know that." Moishe told him, indicating the rest of the family. He guided Han toward the garden unnoticed and within a standard half hour they were climbing the boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon.

"No! Way!" Moishe exclaimed, treading carefully into the Falcon's central compartment, eyes wide with excitement. "I can't tell you how many times Mom called this thing the fastest hunk of junk in the Galaxy."

"She got the fast bit right." Han commented.

"She also said she was your one and only true love." Moishe added.

"Not true." Han shook his head and lowered his voice. "That'd be Leia, but don't let the Falcon hear you say that."

"Should I, maybe, take my boots off?" The lad asked.

Han chuckled. "Don't sweat it kid, the ship'll let you know if there's anything she don't like."

"She really does that? I mean, Mom implied she had a way about her." Moishe said.

"You can say that again. If it hadn't been for the Falcon giving Leia an' me a nudge in the right direction, I don't think we ever woulda gotten it on." Han confessed, not for the first time, as he made his way over to the galley. "You wanna beer or anything?"

"Beer'd be great." Moishe agreed.

"So..." Han asked, handing Moishe a bottle of Corellian Ale. "What happens now?"

"Well, they'll store the ashes for a maximum ninety days then you collect or they'll destroy naturally." Moishe said.

"One, destroy naturally? And two, 'I' collect?" Han queried.

"Basically, they'll scatter her with all the other ashes nobody wants. And, yes, you get to collect her ashes because she named you as her beneficiary." Moishe told her.

"Me? What the Hell for?" Han scowled and, quite suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck start to prickle. "Your siblings, those brothers and sisters of yours who so studiously ignored us earlier. They don't think you're an asshole at all, do they?" He asked.

"Nope." Moishe confirmed.

"And I'm guessing they never turned their back on their Mother either, did they?" Han questioned.

"Our Mother was the best, so why would we turn our back on her?" Moishe asked.

Han scratched along his cheekbone at an itch that wasn't there. "An' nobody takes a weapon to a funeral, right?"

Moishe smiled to the backdrop of a stampede of Solo feet pounding their way up the ramp and into the Falcon's interior.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Leia inhaled and held her breath at the sound of Han stumbling into the small lodging, crash through the space and slam into the 'fresher. She understood that sometimes Han liked to drink, she also understood that sometimes he needed to drink.
Today was one of the latter days and she exhaled at the sound of Han retching into the sluice. He'd regret his overindulgence in the morning, once his hangover wore off.

She could berate him for leaving her to find her own way back if she chose to, but for now she was content to lie on her side and pretend to be asleep while her husband cursed every deity and vomited most probably the same volume of liquor he had imbibed from his system.

Leia lay and listened until his groans became less urgent, then she lay and listened some more until she was sure he was through the worst. She lay until she felt the tug of sleep against her eyelids, then pushed herself to a seated position and then to her feet. Stretching her back, she took tentative steps toward the 'fresher, pressing an ear to the door and listened again. There was a grunt, some more groaning, another retch.

Satisfied he should make it through the night, Leia returned to bed and slid between it's sheets to wait for him to join her, contrite and apologetic for his behaviour.

It wasn't until the morning sun warmed her features that she even realised she'd fallen asleep. It took a moment more for her to realise she was alone and that Han's side of the bed was cold. Padding back to the 'fresher, she found him with his back to her, kneeling over the sluice, his cheek pressed to it's horseshoe seat.

Leia sighed. It had been a long time since she'd seen him quite so badly inebriated. A deep frown worried at her forehead. Had she, in fact, ever seen him that way. "Han." She prompted, then louder. "Han." His head wobbled, something unintelligible sputtering from his lips.

Her head shook faintly. This was going to take a while in recovery. "Come on hotshot. Let's get you into bed." She sighed, stepping over his curled legs to slip her hands beneath his armpits. It was only then that she saw his face and recoiled, shocked. "Kriff Han! What happened to you?" She gasped and hurried to grab her comm.

It took emergency services longer than Leia considered acceptable to transfer her badly beaten husband to the local medical centre. Longer still for him to be seen by a medic and an almost unbearable period before he finally jerked awake, eyes wide with fear and fury until they rested on Leia and he was able to relax.

"Feeling better?" She asked. He groaned and shifted against the pillows at his back. "According to the medics, you told them a couple of guys jumped you on the way back from a quiet drink in town." She said.

"Might have been three." Han lied.

"Ahuh. Or four, or five, maybe?" She queried.

"It's not my fault." He stated.

"Never is." She commented. "So why don't you tell me what really happened?"

"It's just a couple of scratches, Ley, can't we just draw a line under it." He suggested.

"One cracked rib, two broken ribs; one of which narrowly avoided puncturing a lung; a black eye, a split lip and you lost a tooth." She read the list of injuries. "They managed to screw it back in though, so I won't have to puree your nerf."

"I used to be better at this." He groaned.

"Beatings? Or lying?" She questioned.

"Seriously, it was nothing." He insisted.

She tossed his medical flimsy onto his bed and folded her arms across her chest. "I beg to differ." She intoned.

"A misunderstanding is all." He explained.

"Go on." She prompted.

"Leia..." He chuckled, trying not to wince.

"Fine. I'll go ask Moishe." She said, pushing to her feet.

Han reached out and grasped her wrist firmly. "You leave that family alone." He commanded. Leia glared at the hand gripping her wrist, daring it to continue. Slowly, he released the tension until her hand slipped free. "You know...they're in mourning, is all." He mumbled. Leia's eyes rose to regard him from beneath her lashes. Han sighed and rested his head back. "Used to recognise an ambush before I walked into one. Once. Way back. When I was young." He groaned.

"You still are young." She insisted.

"On Terrendoc maybe. But here on Corellia, I'm just an old man!" He scoffed.

"Han...please..." Leia pleaded softly.

"Freya left everything to me. The house, the shack, that crappy 'speeder she's had like forever, everything." He told her.

"Everything." Leia repeated, puzzled.

"Even her ashes come to me." He added. "You can bet that sure pissed them off!"

"Who?" Leia pressed.

Han turned his head toward her. "Moishe, Kai, the rest of 'em..." He answered.

"Moishe...why would Moishe..." Leia started, realisation already dawning. "Freya left everything to you, to thank you." She said, watching his face confirm her suspicions. "You supported her. Right from when you first left Corellia."

"I hate it when you do that!" He accused.

"I'm not reading your mind, I just...I know how you operate." She offered.

"It started with Mom and Freya, sending them whatever I could afford so they'd at least get a decent feed." He explained. "Then, after Mom passed and Cale had gotten his claws into Freya, seemed like it was only natural to just keep doin' what I was doin'." His eyes met hers once more. "It's family, you know?"

Leia's concern melted into love and understanding. "Yes. I know." She agreed, smiling lovingly. "I'm guessing, however, that Moishe, Kai and the others don't."

"She was my sister." Han's half-grin crawled the side of his cheek, telling her knowingly. "But she was their mother."

Han tried not to flinch as Leia's hand reached out to cup and stroke his cheek. "To think..." She noted. "I coulda had me a Prince an' I picked the scoundrel."

"Yeah. Never knew how lucky you were gonna be back then did ya hon?" He grinned.

Leia leaned forward to kiss Han lightly on the lips. "I need to go call Jorj. Plus, I have a dozen messages from Kennedy I need to respond to but I'll be back, soon as can."

"You're not gonna, you know, go lookin' for them kids are you? 'Cos, like I said, they're in mourning." He reminded her. Leia smiled softly and kissed him again before slipping from the room.

Han's head swam as he rested back against the pillows, a hand tentatively testing his ribs. Bone knitters had attended to the worst of the damage before he'd even gotten to the medical centre. The cracked rib was fine, the two that had snapped were going to be painful, but nothing Han couldn't cope with.

Stay away from the kids! Huh, like Hell she would! He thought. With a groan, he dropped first one then the other leg over the side of the bed, toes curling as they connected with the cold med suite's floor.

Shuffling across the suite he located his clothes in the storage locker and quickly dressed. Back in the day, Han Solo and his trusted co-pilot and personal friend, Chewbacca, had broken into and back out of any number of heavily fortified establishments. So breaking out of a medical centre on his home world should have been a breeze; and it would have been, if he hadn't been foolish enough to fall in love with and marry a woman with just as much in the way of smarts as he had.

"Kriff!" Han cursed before making a clicking noise behind his teeth and deciding to go ahead anyway.

Exiting the medical centre didn't prove all that tricky. He got a few curious looks but kept his head down and kept going. He figured so long as he didn't make eye contact with anyone then he was free and clear.

Out on the street, the plan seemed clear, all he needed to do was work out where Leia would go first and that would be the house. Obviously. So, now all he had to do was work out how to get there without raising any suspicion.

A smile crept over his face as the solution presented itself in the shape of an attractive off-duty nursing assistant. Han sauntered over, cursing as he felt about his pockets. "Don't that just about beat all!" He said to himself as well as the young female.

"Problem Sir?" The woman asked.

"Eighteen hour shift and some jackass has stolen my wallet, my id, even my ignition keycard. Probably the same guy who gave me this black eye in triage! I mean, seriously!" Han shrugged dramatically. "Not that the old rust-bucket was worth all that much, but she knew her way home. Especially after a long shift. Oh well, guess I'll just have to walk the hundred or so blocks. Don't matter to that asshole I'll miss the twins bedtime for the tenth night in a row or what that's gonna do to my marriage!"

"You have twins?" The woman asked.

"Eight months." Han grinned. "Boy an' a girl, cutest damn things you ever did see. I got holos here somewhere." He began digging in his pockets again.

"No need, really." She shrugged the offer away. "You say you work here?" The woman's eyes flicked toward the medical centre and back again.

"Yeah, I know. I don't look old enough." He laughed. "Seriously though, you know nursing, medicine, caring for the sick and needy, it's a calling. Right?"

"A hundred blocks you say?" She queried.

"Ah, nearer eighty." Han admitted, running a sheepish hand through his hair.

"Well...I guess, it wouldn't hurt...I mean, the charitable thing would be to offer you a lift, you know, at least part of the way." She said.

"You know, when I saw you, I knew you were one of our finest." Han said, smiling and pointing a finger in her direction.

The ride would have been more enjoyable if the young female hadn't insisted on questioning Han on just about every aspect of his supposed medical appointment. Mercifully, spying Leia entering his late sister's property, Han thanked the young woman for her kindness, promised to discuss the possibility of promotion with her line manager and climbed from the 'speeder without waiting for her to fully stop.

Leia was inside before Han could catch up with her which could mean only one thing, Moishe was home to greet his visitor.

Jogging up to the house Han considered knocking but decided that surprise was the better option. Bracing a hand against his forearm, he inhaled and exhaled in preparation for the excruciating pain shouldering the door open was going to produce.

Assuming the position, he swung his arm once, twice and was heading toward a third time when the door opened revealing a surprised Leia the other side. "Han!" She exclaimed.

"Ley!" He answered, his eyes scanning the space behind her. Leia twisted her head to look at the empty room for herself. "You alone?" He asked, puzzled.

"I was. Until you arrived." She replied, returning her to attention to him. "Han, what are you doing here?"

"Following you. I knew you wouldn't leave the family alone." He told her.

"They're not here." She said.

"So I see." He agreed. "How'd you get in?"

"Ah! Observe." She said and stepped out onto the street, letting the door close behind her. Showing him the pad of her index finger, she placed it over a scan-grid and a moment later, the door swung open again.

"Huh!" Han grunted, his lip curled. He strolled into the house, his eyes still searching for any sign of his nieces and nephews.

"Han, why are you here?" Leia repeated, following him.

"Told you, I followed you." He replied. "Why are you here?"

"I left my padd after the ceremony yesterday." She answered, indicating the comm padd tucked under her arm.

"How come Freya gave you fingerprint access? I was her brother an' I never even got that!" He queried, changing the subject and sitting on a sofa.

"Ah! Funny story. You see, Winter spotted an anomaly in the accounts." Leia said.

"Winter does your accounts?" He asked.

"She used to keep a cautious eye on expenditure." She replied diplomatically and joining him.

"So! She was looking for what I was creaming off." Han grinned.

"She discovered a regular payment, well hidden, but she found it." She said, turning her head to observe him. "And then she investigated."

"She figured I'd got myself a woman." Han's grin broadened. "I bet she was one pissed personal assistant when she discovered the woman in question was my sister."

"She didn't discover it. I did." Leia told him.

Han turned his head to regard her. "You knew it was Freya?" He asked.

"I guessed. Then when I got here, Freya confirmed you'd been her financial sponsor ever since you'd earned your first pay packet." She answered.

"D'you ever tell Winter?" He queried.

"And spoil her naturally suspicious nature?" Leia arched an amused eyebrow.

"I don't remember you visiting Corellia." He said.

"It was in an unofficial capacity." She said.

"Undercover, huh. Who flew you, Chewie or Luke?" He asked.

"I am a capable pilot myself you know." She countered.

"Chewie." He nodded. "Never trust a Wookiee with your wife!"

Leia laughed. "On the bright side, you should hear what he would have done to you if it hadn't been Freya you were supporting."

"I can imagine. Something to do with ripping my arms out of their sockets." He surmised.

"Not your arms, no. But you do have two of 'em. And they sure would have kept my ears warm on Hoth." She chuckled.

"He had a soft spot for you." Han drawled, smiling at the memory of his late co-pilot.

"So, what are your plans for your inheritance?" She asked.

Han leaned his head back and glanced around. "Dunno. Corellian property law's not really my speciality. I'll sign the house over to Moishe, I guess, assuming I can. There wasn't a whole lot of money and what there was will be swallowed up by death taxes and legal expenses. I think I'd like to keep the shack, for a while at least. Gotta lot a good memories wrapped up in that place." He replied.

"And Freya's ashes?" Leia queried.

"Traditionally they're compressed into pure blue-white synthetic diamonds and incorporated into pieces of jewellery. You know, for those lucky enough to be able to afford that." He told her.

"Why don't we do that?" She suggested. "Maybe a lapel pin for the boys and a hairbob for the girls. Should we ask them first though, canvass their opinion for ideas?"

"I got a couple o' ribs already had that discussion and they're not looking forward to any further opinions." He groaned.

"Only because the family don't know the truth." Leia pointed out.

"And they're not gonna. I told you already, I don't want those kids thinking their mother leeched off of me..off of us.." He insisted, correcting his statement and regarding her again. "How come you never asked me about the money?"

"It was your money." She shrugged.

"Not always it wasn't. If Winter found an 'anomaly' that can only mean she was picking over your expenses. She must have seen I'd liberated some funds, you know, when I'd had a bad month..." He commented.

"When you'd lost big at sabacc, you mean." She interrupted.

"Point is, sometimes the money was yours. Technically." He said.

"Technically, it was ours. I never asked you about the money because I never felt the need to know." She replied.

"Until you did. Otherwise you never woulda come to see Freya." He noted.

"That was to shut Winter up. She wouldn't let it drop so I did what I had to do to diffuse the situation before it got messy." She argued.

"What was she gonna do? Report me to CorSec?" He scoffed.

"No. Mon Mothma." She replied.

"There's a spiteful streak in that woman!" Han growled.

"Han, I need to get you back to the medical centre." Leia said, changing the subject.

"Aw, Ley, I don't feel that bad any more!" He moaned. He didn't look it either. The bruising around his eye was fading thanks to Leia's continued application of bacta gel overnight. His lip, likewise, was repairing and she didn't doubt that his ribs were almost recovered also.

"You need to be officially discharged though and, it may have escaped your notice, but you're missing your boots." She told him.

Han looked at his feet where they rested on a caf table, socks flopping around his toes. "I thought you'd hidden them so I couldn't escape." He said.

Leia laughed. "They're in your bedside cabinet, along with your wallet, id and ignition keycard." She replied, pushing to her feet and extending her hand. "Come on, flyboy."

"All-right." He sulked, rising slowly. "But only because they're a damn fine pair of boots!"

Leia laughed again, taking his hand and drawing his fingers to her lips as they left the property.

From his position at the top of the stairs, Moishe Solo had been able to hear the whole conversation whilst remaining unobserved. He hung his head in shame. He'd known in his heart his Uncle and Aunt were good people but had allowed his brothers to suggest otherwise.

With a deep sigh, Moishe knew he needed to correct that mistake; as a Solo, he had a responsibility to put things right.