Aftermath

by Let-The-Wookiee-Win

Loss can do strange things to a man, even to a man such as Han Solo. But losing Chewie, Han's truest and dearest friend, at Sernpidal, is only the beginning. With his finger firmly pressed to the self-destruct button, Han risks losing far more than just his one, true friend. (Still rubbish at summaries!)

2. Chapter 2

Even now, twenty years after their first meeting, Han Solo found it difficult to talk about his innermost feelings with the one person with whom he knew he ought to find it easy.

After what had become a twelve week period of unofficial separation, Han and Leia had arranged to meet on neutral ground whilst their only daughter fulfilled her lifelong ambition to fly as part of Rogue Group.

Leia had frowned with worry when Jaina told her of her plans, but to her credit she'd held her tongue fearing that to have voiced her concerns would merely have led to further discord within her family.

Whilst Han delivered and registered Jaina with the Squadron, Leia greeted her eldest son with a heartfelt hug and a flurry of kisses to his cheek. Where Anakin would have baulked at such a display of tenderness, Jacen positively glowed.

"Look how you've grown!" Leia exclaimed, holding him at arms length.

"Barely an inch Mom!" Jacen blushed.

"Well, you seem a lot taller to me." She said, sitting on a sofa and patting the seat beside her. "How have you been?"

"Okay I guess." He replied with a shrug and sitting also.

"Only okay?" She seemed a little agitated.

"Dad's drinking less." He told her. "Either that, or his system's so used to the alcohol it's no longer so obvious when he's drunk."

"Don't be too hard on him. Chewie was more than just a co-pilot, he was his best friend. Losing someone like that..." Shaking her head, she trailed off recalling her own downfall after the loss of Alderaan and the misery that had brought her.

"You don't have to defend him Mom." Jacen sulked.

"I'm just saying..." She started.

"You know I asked him." Jacen interrupted.

"Asked him what sweetie?" Leia asked.

"Why he said what he said, did what he did." Jacen answered her honestly.

Leia swallowed. So there it was. Jacen had known. Not just about their heated row, but about the events leading up to it too.

"He couldn't answer me. He had no explanation. And no apology either!"

"Jace..." Leia whispered, covering his hand with her own.

Jaina and Jacen were twins. Though, much like their Mother Leia and their Uncle Luke, that was where their similarities ended.

Jaina, first born and fiercely independent, was too much like her Mother for the two of them to truly find a comfortable ground with each other. For now at least.

Jacen, Force-sensitive and prone to express his emotions, was more at home with the tenderness of his Mother's caress than the detachment displayed by his Father.

"Well, she's all suited up and raring to go!" Han said, striding into view and interrupting them.

He glanced at Leia's hand gently resting on their son's.

"Nice to see a little Mother-Son bonding taking place." He added, sarcastically.

"I'll go say 'hi' to Jaina before she gets too immersed with the Rogues." Jacen rose, kissed his Mother's cheek and quickly passed his Father, head down.

"Must you embarrass him all of the time?" Leia asked.

"Must you treat him like an infant all of the time?" Han countered.

"I'm his Mother. I think giving birth to him earns me the right to care just a little about his welfare." She snapped back.

"What? And I don't?" Han bounced onto the sofa beside her, staring her down.

"Well, it's not for the first time in my life I've found myself wondering if you really do care about anything. Or anybody." She retorted.

"At least I'm not still trying to suckle him to my breast!" He sneered.

Leia glared right back at him, lips pursed, breathing heavily.

"You'd look pretty silly if you did." She told him quietly, an eyebrow arching as her face softened.

After a moment, his lips twitched into his trademark cocky half smile. The same cocky half smile Leia had fallen in love with twenty years ago. And the same cocky half smile she had missed so desperately the past twelve weeks.

"Ah Leia!" He leaned back in the sofa, resting his arms across it's back. "What are we doing to one another here?"

"You tell me." She said, smiling weakly. "You always thought you had all the answers."

"Maybe. Once. Of course, back then I had Chewie to keep kicking me into touch." He conceded.

"Do you..." Leia cleared her throat. "Can we go somewhere to talk? Just the two of us."

Han studied her.

She was every bit as beautiful as the day they had met. More beautiful if he was honest. On the day they had met on the first Death Star she had been just a teenage girl. A confident, opinionated, feisty, teenage girl granted. But just a girl all the same.

Now she was a woman. A confident, opinionated, feisty woman.

A confident, opinionated, feisty Princess, he corrected himself, who had chosen him over others. A little thicker round the middle than at that meeting on the first Death Star but hey, she'd given him three beautiful children and it wasn't like he hadn't gained a few pounds over the years too.

"You know..." Leia raised a single shoulder at him. "Talk?"

"I'd like that." He answered her, his cocky half smile curving into a full grin.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jaina Solo, resplendent in a form-fitting white flight suit, circled her training vehicle trailing a hand along it's hull unconcerned by the admiring gazes her petite frame received from Rogue pilots and cadets alike.

Jaina's attention was directed exclusively on her x-wing. Her fingers grazing the surface whilst she used the Force to probe for any imperfections that might affect it's performance.

"A thing of beauty." A voice from behind her broke her concentration.

"Yeah." Jaina responded, turning to the young man. "Isn't she?"

"I was talking about you actually..." He checked out her name tag. "Candidate Three."

"Does that line ever actually work for you?" Jaina smiled.

"Usually. Yes." The man grinned at her and held out his hand. "Fel. Jagged Fel. My friends call me Jag."

He leaned against the x-wing, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Though you," he pushed himself away and took a step closer to her, his arm sliding along the x-wings hull, "can call me any time."

"I'm supposed to be in warm up." Jaina flashed a toothy grin, still ignoring his proffered hand.

"Looking pretty hot to me already." Jagged was virtually on top of her.

"Give me a boost?" She asked coyly.

Jag's eyes drank in her all-too-feminine curves and dipped his head.

"Follow me." He told her.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the ladder on the other side of the x-wing.

Closing in behind her, he placed one of her hands on a rung and the other a rung lower.

"One high, one low. All you need to remember." He said into her ear, sliding his hands along her arms and down her back to rest on her hips.

"Same with the legs?" She asked over her shoulders.

"Oh yeah. Real important that you take it slow though. Wouldn't want you slipping and hurting yourself." He said, admiring her shape further.

With a gentle push from Fel, Jaina started climbing slowly up the ladder.

"Like this?" Jaina called.

"Oh yeah." Jag breathed.

Watching the soft sway of her hips as she climbed, Jagged Fel wondered if she looked anywhere near as cute out of that suit as she did in it. With a sly smile creeping across his lips, he followed her up the ladder.

When he reached the top, Jaina had already seated herself on the rear of the cockpit opening, feet spread-eagled across the open canopy. Jag sucked in his breath, concentrating hard on containing his growing lust whilst trying not to focus on the enticing V of her suit pants. He just bet nothing else could taste so sweet!

"Did I mention to you that 'three' happens to be my lucky number?" He asked, temporarily pushing his improper thoughts from his mind.

"No. No, I don't think you did." Jaina answered and reached down to pull the helmet from her seat.

"You know why it's so lucky for me?" Jag asked.

"No. But I feel sure you're going to tell me." Jaina said, adjusting the helmet strap.

"I was Candidate Three when I tried out for Rogue. Flying this very craft."

"Amazing." Jaina placed her comm unit on and prepared to pull on her helmet.

"They told me I had four attempts at the course, I did it in three."

"Wow. Really?" Jaina commented, not really listening.

"And the third lucky thing? I met you three minutes ago and already I know where I'm going to be sleeping tonight. And with whom." He leered.

"You don't know anything about me. You don't even know my name." Jaina looked him straight in the eye.

"I know you look like you were born to fly with Rogue." He held her gaze. "And I know when our two bodies meet as lovers the only words from my lips will be 'oh yeah baby'."

Jaina regarded him.

"My father is Han Solo." She told him. "General Han Solo. You may have heard of him?"

She watched the colour of his skin pale.

"My mother is Leia Organa Solo. Princess Leia Organa previously, of the planet Alderaan."

Jag's lips quivered and thinned.

"So...so...that...er...that makes you..." He stammered.

"Out of your league!" Jaina smiled sweetly and lifting her feet dropped into the cockpit, pulling her helmet into place.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Triple chocolate, please." Leia told the waiter, closing her menu. "And another caf."

"You always did have a sweet tooth." Han laughed at her.

They were seated across from one another in a small tapcafe across from the base. Jaina was the third candidate to fly so they knew how long they could spare before they needed to be back. Neither wanted to miss the try-out and neither wanted to risk the fall-out if they did!

"Anything wrong with that flyboy?" She smiled back.

"You know me Leia," Han ran a hand through his hair, "I like a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it."

Leia just rolled her eyes, then smiled her 'thank you' to the waiter delivering her triple chocolate dessert and caf.

"So." He said.

"So." She echoed.

"You been okay?" He asked.

"Little 'ole resourceful me?" She forked some dessert into her mouth. "What do you think?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "You been okay."

"Mon Mothma's been keeping me pretty busy." Leia told him, filling her fork.

"I heard. I saw." He said, watching her face. "Border dispute wasn't it?"

"Among other things." She told him, not meeting his gaze.

"You get to spend any time with him?" He asked.

"Him?" Leia knew he knew she knew who he was talking about, but the question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Isolder." Han leaned his arms on the table. "Him!"

"We spoke, yes." Leia took another mouthful of dessert.

"I suppose he declared his undying love for you along with all manner of other mushy stuff." He sniffed.

"A woman likes to hear those things from time to time Han." She tutted. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Seems to me I've been pretty successful with women without any of that pap." He sneered.

"Yes. I suppose you have." She sighed and swallowed another mouthful of dessert.

"Not recently, I don't mean." His grin fading. "I didn't mean that I..."

"I know." Leia interrupted. "Jacen's been keeping in touch."

"Figures!" Han mumbled.

"Meaning?" Her fork clattered on her dish.

"You know how I know about you and Isolder?" Han asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"There is no 'me and Isolder'." Leia corrected.

"I saw the two of you on the Holonet." He continued. "Looking pretty cosy too."

"What you saw..." Leia started.

"What I saw was your one-time lover with his hands all over you." Han grunted.

"What you saw was Isolder escorting me back to my ship." Leia pushed the remainder of her dessert away from her. "And we were never lovers, as you very well know."

"What I saw was his hand on your butt like he thought it belonged there." Han glared.

"It was on my back." She countered.

"It was on your ass." He hissed.

"Oh, what's the point. You don't want to listen. You've never wanted to listen." She turned her face away from him.

"Okay. So you tell me." He leaned back in his seat, arms folded across his chest. "I'm listening."

Leia narrowed her eyes, studying his face. The years had been good to him, for the most part. A little greying hair at the temples, for sure, and maybe there were a deeper crease or two where laughter lines had once pulled at the corners of his eyes. But as much as she wanted not to, when she looked at him, she still felt seduced by his gaze.

"You may listen Han. But you don't hear. Not really."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned.

"It means..." Leia closed her eyes, inhaled and swallowed before looking back up at him. "It means Isolder is not the issue between us right now. And you have to stop trying to use him, not as your shield or as your weapon."

Han pursed his lips and sighed, his features softening as he leaned forward again resting his folded arms on the table across from her.

"I just can't do this right now Leia. It's too soon. Still too raw." He told her, a sadness obvious in his eyes.

Leia slowly nodded her understanding. Whilst it would be easy for her to argue it was barely a fair comparison, Leia remembered her own despair following the destruction of Alderaan and how Han had helped slowly, patiently, to draw that despair to the surface where he equally slowly, patiently, helped her to extinguish it. Mostly at least.

She reached out and gently laid her hands over his forearms.

"When you're ready, I'll be here." She told him softly.

Han's lips twitched briely into that irascible grin of his.

"I got your word on that? You'll be here. You promise?" He asked.

"I promise." She laughed. "You want me to get the bill so we can head back and watch Jaina's flight?"

"Oh no." Han said, digging in his pockets for credits. "I've met girls like you before. You buy a guy a cup of caf and you think you own them. Before I know it, it'll be 'take the garbage out then get your kit off flyboy.' Now, don't you try denying it."

"I promise not to take advantage of you." She smirked.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jaina leapt the the final three rungs of her ladder and raced into her brothers arms, squealing with delight.

"Did you see? Did you see how great I was?" She said, laughing.

"I saw." He confirmed.

"I smashed it!" She screeched.

"I know. I saw." He repeated.

"There is no way they won't accept me now. Absolutely noway!" Jaina crowed.

"You did great Jaya." Jacen set his sister back on her feet.

"Where...?" Jaina was looking around. "Where'd Dad and Mom get to?"

Jacen mentally noted how their father always came before their mother in her thoughts.

"I left them in the observation lounge." Jacen pointed up to where their parents sat, side by side, chatting and laughing together.

"Well, would you look at that." Jaina grinned. "You see? I told ya I'd fix it!"

"One shared conversation does not mean that they're fixed." Jacen pointed out.

"Maybe not. But it's a step in the right direction, you have to agree with me on that." She replied, stubbornly.

"I suppose!" He grudgingly agreed.

"Come on, let's go join them." Jaina tugged at his arm and pulled him toward the hangar exit.

"Hey! Beautiful!" Jagged Fel called after them.

The Solo twins stopped in their tracks and turned toward the approaching Rogue pilot.

"What did you just call me?" Jaina challenged.

"How d'you know I wasn't talking to your boyfriend here?" Jag answered, catching up with them.

"For one, guys never call other guys 'beautiful'. For two, I saw how 'pleased' you were to see me before I got in the cockpit and for three...okay, I don't have a three, but just so you know he's not my boyfriend. He's my brother." Jaina flirted furiously.

Jag graced her with his most engaging smile.

"For one, guys do actually call other guys beautiful if the occasion calls for it." Jag ticked the points off on his fingers. "For two, I wasn't 'pleased to see you', I was positively delighted. You're about the prettiest, most un-Rogue-like candidate I have ever seen. And for three, I called you beautiful mostly because you are but also because I don't actually know your name. But just so you know, that was the best damn candidate flight I ever saw. Oh, and also I'm still serious about us being lovers."

"Er...just so you know...she's under age. And that..." Jacen interrupted and pointed to Han frowning down on the three of them from the observation lounge. "Is her father."

"Jace!" Jaina scowled.

"Fine. You wanna find yourself abandoned and pregnant at fifteen, then you go ahead." Jacen told her. "But don't you think I'll be defending your honour when Dad finds out!"

"Fifteen!" Jag exclaimed. "You're...you're fifteen?"

"I'm almost sixteen."

Jacen rolled his eyes skyward.

"Hey, I meant no offence...I was just kidding around." Jag held his hands up, backing away.

"No. Really. My birthday's only a couple of months away. Isn't it Jacen? Tell him, it's a couple of months away."

"It's six months, if you're still interested." Jacen said. "Though, knowing the reputation of Rogue, somehow I doubt you'd be bothered about a little thing like that. You coming Jaina or what?"

Jaina glared at her brother, crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her left foot against the ground petulantly.

"Guess I'll wait for you upstairs then." He said to her and resumed on his way.

"We're twins. He's just a little over-protective." Jaina explained to Jag.

"Well." Jag looked her up and down. "Whilst I can understand why, there's one more thing you should know. Despite the reputation of Rogue, not all of it's pilots or cadets will try to get into your flight suit. Or you out of it for that matter."

"I should get back to my family." Jaina smiled and held out her hand. "Nice to have met you Jagged Fel."

"The pleasure was all mine..." Jag shook her hand. "You...er...do actually have a first name, don't you?"

"Sure." She called over her shoulder, skipping away. "It's Jaina. But you already knew that didn't you? Soon as I told you who my parents were."

Overhead, in the observation lounge, Han rejoined his wife on the sofa.

"He's still talking to her." He scowled.

"Good." Leia said. "It'll do her good to spend some time with a young man who isn't her brother. Or a Jedi."

"You had 'the talk' with her right?" He asked. "I mean, she knows how it all works."

"Yes Han, she knows how it all works." Leia patted his hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He sounded concerned. "Has she...?"

"It means, stop worrying. Jaina's a sensible girl. She's not going to get herself into a situation she's not comfortable with."

"It's not her comfort I'm worried about!" He grumbled, adding under his breath. "It's mine."

"She's going to find someone she wants to be with sooner or later." She reasoned.

"Later would be good. Much, much later would be better."

"They're just talking!" Leia exclaimed.

"Hey, all I'm saying is at that age it's all raging hormones and aching gonads." Han continued. "It starts with a friendly 'hey there, how are ya' and next thing you know it's heaving bosoms and steamy airspeeder windows."

Leia laughed, harder than she had in quite some time.

"That's right, laugh it up!" Han huffed.

"Oh, stop being an old woman!" Leia chided.

Han pointed at himself in query and Leia laughed again. He liked that despite everything, they had managed to fall into an easiness around one another. And so long as the conversation didn't stray toward Chewie, he figured there was every chance it could stay that way.

Leaning over, he unravelled a lock of her hair and let it fall across her eyes.

"And you think that's a good look for me?" Leia asked, huge brown eyes raised to look at her hairline.

"No." He admitted, sliding nearer to her. "But in pretty much every one of those sappy, stereotypical holoromances you made me watch over the years, the girl always without exception had an errant strand of hair over her eyes which gave the guy the opportunity to scoop it behind her ear."

He gently curled the lock around her earlobe.

"Thereby permitting him the chance to stare intently into her eyes whilst allowing the tips of his fingers to surreptitiously graze the unbelievably soft skin of her forehead and temples before sweeping her glorious mane behind the shell of her ear." He continued, not taking his eyes from hers. "Often, he'd let the pad of his thumb glide across her cheek before his hand came to rest cupping her cheek right before he kissed her."

"Wow." She whispered. "Not bad for a guy who usually watched those flicks with his eyes closed."

His face drew closer to hers, close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath on her face. Which was when her comlink indicated a call.

Han's lips turned up into his trademark grin. "Is it the prospect of one of my kisses making you tremble Princess? Or is it just your thigh I feel vibrating?"

"Hold that thought." She pressed a finger to his lips, gently guiding him back as she answered her comm. "Organa Solo here."

Leia pushed to her feet, 'ahuhing' as she stepped away to listen and respond to her call. Leaning against the window she watched her daughter and the young man talk a little more before parting. She saw Jaina skip toward the Hangar exit, the young man's eyes following her every move. Jaina Solo had inherited some of her mother's looks, most of her father's temperament and the Skywalker ability when it came to the Force.

And Leia was confident that she could handle herself in just about any situation. Including one involving young men and their advances, wanted or otherwise.

Her conversation concluded, Leia closed her comlink and turned back toward the sofa to find Han looming over her.

Involuntarily, Leia flinched away.

Han, who had been watching their daughter over Leia's shoulder, looked at her in puzzlement.

"Sorry." Leia breathed. "You...you startled me."

"What? Did you think I was..." He started.

And then it hit him. A part of her made her think he was going to strike her.

"You just...startled me." She repeated.

"This isn't going to work is it Leia?" He said solemnly. "I was a fool to think that it would."

"It's just that I wasn't expecting you to be standing there." She tried to explain.

"You thought I was going to hit you again." He stated.

"You didn't hit me before." Leia corrected.

"Only because our teenage son stopped me." He reminded her.

"I was just startled." Leia told him again quietly.

"It'll always be between us Leia." He said, shaking his head. "You know it will."

"Only if we let it." She replied.

Any further discussion was curtailed by an elated Jaina bounding up to them and flinging herself into her equally elated father's arms.

"Did you see me?" She squealed, not for the first time.

"Did I ever!" Han confirmed. "Second most beautiful thing in the sky."

"The second?"

"Well sure." He grinned at her. "After the Falcon."

"Oh Dad!" Jaina buried her face in her father's chest and hugged him furiously.

"Well I thought you were just wonderful." Leia told her daughter.

"You took that second turn a little steep though honey." Han admonished.

"I made it didn't I?" Jaina countered.

"And if you hadn't? Huh? Your Mom and me could have been picking out flowers for your casket." He tutted.

"I knew what I was doing." She grinned up at him. "You should have more faith in me."

"I was saying the same thing to him not five minutes ago." Leia advised.

"Hmm? What was that?" Jaina asked as if realising for the first time that her mother was even there.

"Oh, it was nothing sweetheart." Leia smiled. "Just, well done."

"Thanks. It means a lot." Jaina sounded like it really didn't mean all that much at all. "Of course, if I had my own x-wing, I could be a lot better."

She batted her eyelashes up at her father.

"You know what your Mother and I discussed." Han started striding toward the exit, Jaina held to his side by one arm. "After you turn sixteen."

"And then only if we feel you show enough responsibility to look after it." Leia reminded them, slipping an arm around her son's waist and tugging him along behind.

"Which means a lot of time devoted to study and not much time devoted to...well...to other pursuits." Han added.

"He means boys." Jacen advised.

"We were only talking Dad!" Jaina said, squeezing her father's waist. "But he was nice." She told him, voice lowered.

"Nice and Rogue don't mix." Han stated.

"Hey! Solo." A voice boomed out and Han halted.

Turning, a wide grin spread across his face as he recognised the caller.

"Wedge Antilles! You old soak!" The friends shook hands, hugged and back-slapped their greeting.

"What brings you to fraternize with Rogue. Not thinking of signing up are ya?" Wedge teased.

"I'm here supporting my kid, Jaina." Han thumbed in Jaina's direction.

"Jaina?" Wedge blinked. Then rubbed his eyes. "That's never little Jaina Solo!"

"Hey Uncle Wedge." Jaina smiled at him broadly.

"Ssh! Don't go calling me that in public little Princess. They'll think I've gone soft." Wedge winked at her.

"Wouldn't want that now, would we?" Han gaffawed.

"What number are ya sweetheart?" Wedge asked Jaina.

"Three. I just got back from my flight." She replied.

"Three you say?" Wedge consulted his datapad and shook his head. "Figures."

"What? Something wrong?" Jaina asked.

"You took that second turn a little steep." He said, looking at his pad.

"Told ya!" Han muttered.

"They're gonna ask you to repeat." Wedge told her.

"Repeat!" Jaina exclaimed. "But I smashed it."

"Yeah. But you see, that's the problem. You were too good." Wedge said.

"Too good." Jaina's mouth fell open, gaping.

"The thing about Rogue is, it's not just about being the best of the best. It's about being a part of the whole." Wedge confided. "You want my advice? Repeat the flight. But this time, do it like you're carrying the most precious gift for the one person you love most in all the world. And if you take a turn too steep or a barrel roll too fast you're gonna break the gift...and your loved one's heart."

"Thanks Uncle Wedge." Jaina smiled again.

"'Course, you never heard that from me." He winked at her again and turned his attention to the rest of the Solos.

"Leia. That old cuss looking after you?" He hugged her affectionately.

"Always." She replied.

"Good." Wedge scratched the back of his head. "Because I gotta tell ya, I heard a couple o' things."

"Oh? What kind of things?" Leia enquired.

"Oh...you know...someone knows someone who heard someone say someone saw Han leaving the apartment with a bag and the same someone said they heard someone say they know someone who logged Han's flightplan to who-knows-where for who-knows-how-long. That kind of a thing." He said, sheepishly.

"Couldn't be further from the truth." Han grinned, wrapping his arm around Leia's shoulders.

"Hey! I always knew you two were rock solid. Just retelling what I heard." Wedge shrugged.

"Yeah, well talk like that can really get between some couples." Han scolded.

"Except you two, huh?" Wedge looked from Han to Leia and back again. "Look, I have to get back but maybe we could get together later?"

"I'll give you a call." Han shook Wedge's hand and they back-slapped again.

Wedge headed off to his duties and Han put a little distance between him and Leia.

"Gossips!" He grumbled. "Great. Just great! I suppose our meeting this afternoon will be all over the Holonet."

"Probably." Leia agreed. "But only the good bits, of course. The folded arms...the look of distrust in your eyes...the disdainful sneer on your face."

"The triple chocolate dessert?" He offered.

"Only if I'd pushed your face in it." She shook her head. "Listen, I have to drop by the Senate. Why don't you and the kids get settled into the apartment and I'll catch up with you a little later."

With a slightly awkward kiss to the other's cheek, Han and Leia parted company.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It was late when Leia finally managed to extricate herself from Mon Mothma's side.

Returning to her apartment, Leia found the living area surprisingly tranquil and the table set for dinner for two.

"Wow!" She said, eyebrows raised. "What d'you do with the kids, drug them?"

"Bribed them actually." Han replied. "I promised Jacen more flying time and I promised Jaina a top of the range x-wing when we buy her one."

"Han!" Leia frowned.

"You saw her today, she's good. Damn, she's not just good, she's about the finest pilot I've ever seen...after me...and she's only fifteen! Can you imagine what she'll be like when she's got the experience and maturity to command her own fleet?"

When it came to piloting skills, Leia had to admit that Han knew best. Still, Leia was concerned. Not about the x-wing itself. More that once again, Jaina's father had offered her exactly what she had wanted. While her mother...her mother had not.

Mothers and daughters often have an uneasy relationship. And Leia's and Jaina's was probably as uneasy a relationship as any could be.

"You all right?" Han asked, concerned.

"I just...I wish you would discuss these things with me before you go promising x-wings and such like." She snapped.

"You weren't here." He shrugged.

"Even so..." Leia rubbed a worry line on her forehead.

"You look tired. Sit down, I'll get you some dinner." He offered.

"I'm fine. Really." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Spent too much time with Mon Mothma. Let me just take a quick shower and I'm sure I'll enjoy much better whatever it is you've prepared."

He smiled and watched her go, realising too late what she would find in their bedroom.

Slowly, she reappeared in the doorway between the living and sleeping quarters. Her face betrayed her coolness.

"Were you planning on telling me over a romantic dinner for two?" She asked.

"It's not how it looks." He replied, defensively.

"So, you just packed your stuff for what, to see if it would fit in your bags?" She queried.

"I got a charter. A real good one." He explained.

"So...you thought now was as good a time as any to walk out on me." She stated.

"No. Leia. Let me explain..." He started toward her.

"Explain what?" Her temper rising along with her voice. "That you're leaving me? I can see that quite clearly for myself."

"No. Leia. Would you just listen..." He continued.

"I waited for you to come back." She took a step closer to him. "I never waited for anyone in my life, but I waited for you! I waited for something, anything, just some small sign that you were coming back to me. You didn't even have the decency to keep in touch."

"I didn't think...after what happened...I didn't think...I didn't know what to say to you." He sighed in frustration.

"You didn't even try Han!" She almost exploded. "And this afternoon? What was that all about?"

"I don't know Leia, I thought maybe we could put the past behind us and try again." He ran his hands through his hair then stuck his fingers stubbornly in the back of his pants. "Until you ruined it."

"Until I ruined it!" She was shouting now.

"Okay, I didn't mean that. But you were scared. Be honest Leia. You were scared of me." He taunted.

"I was startled." She insisted.

"It's just not gonna work. You know it. And I know it." He said quietly.

"If you leave, you'll destroy us." She told him, equally quietly.

"If I stay, I'll destroy us and likely as not drag your career down with me. And I won't be responsible for that." He said. "I'm not leaving you Sweetheart, I just think we need a little time apart."

They stood looking at each other for several minutes before Han finally broke the silence.

"I'm gonna head back over to the Falcon." He said.

"Yes. I think that's a really good idea." Leia told him, her eyes following him into the bedroom. He emerged a few minutes later, bags in hand.

"Jace'll join me in the morning." He said. "And I'm sure he'll keep you updated with our progress."

Leia nodded, unable to speak.

"If anyone asks, I'm fulfilling a contract that'll keep me away for a few months. That should keep the gossips off your back for a little while at least."

"You're too kind." Leia said, coldly.

"Leia...I..." He started, but having no idea what he was going to say to her chose instead to give her a half smile before turning and leaving their apartment.

Leia watched him, trying to stop her lips from trembling.

Princesses don't cry. She reminded herself of her father's words, unaware that Jaina had watched her parents exchange from the doorway to the bedroom annexe. It was only when Leia turned back to the room she saw her daughter standing there.

"Jaina. Sweetheart." Leia moved as if to hug her.

"You let him go!" Jaina accused.

"Jaina..." Leia sighed.

"Why didn't you stop him. You just let him go!" Jaina spoke through gritted teeth.

"Jaina, you don't understand."

"You should have made him stay." Jaina cried, her voice breaking.

"What was I supposed to do, tie him to a chair?" Leia asked angrily.

"You didn't even try! Not really." Jaina sobbed.

"I did try." Leia countered. "But you just can't make someone do something they don't want to."

"Well, you should have tried harder!" Jaina screamed and crying, crashed her way back into her bedroom securing the doorlock behind her.

The words were like a slap in Leia's face.

Her husband's words. Spoken from her daughter's mouth.

Leia slumped into a sofa, buried her face in her hands and, ignoring her father's voice in her head, wept tears of utter anquish.

She wasn't aware of Jacen beside her, until she felt his arm creep around her waist and pull her gently against the pillow of his shoulder.

"Don't worry Mom, I won't let him do anything stupid." He told her.

Leia smiled in-spite of her tears and held onto him for comfort. Her beautiful, gentle, sensitive, almost enigmatic eldest son. He held her right back, wanting nothing more than to cradle away her heartache.

"Jaina did great in her repeat flight by the way." He said.

"I'm glad." Leia replied.

"It's not official yet, but the whisper from Uncle Wedge is that she'll be asked to join Rogue soon as she turns sixteen." He continued.

"And I'm sure she'll be the best damn pilot they ever had." Leia said rather sadly.

She pushed herself away from her son, wiping her face dry with her hand.

"You should get some sleep. Your father will want to be away at first light." She smiled at him weakly.

"We're dropping Jaina back at Yavin Four first, then we'll be picking up our cargo and heading to the Outer Rim." He said. "Will you be okay?"

Leia smiled at him broadly and gently stroked his cheek.

Oh my beautiful boy.

"I'll be fine." She promised. "Mon Mothma's asked me to cover her schedule for the next week or so. That'll take my mind off things for the time being. I'm leaving tomorrow myself, delivering humanitarian aid to Tabir. The irony is, I was going to ask your father to act as my escort. I've heard it's beautiful this time of year."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Tabir was indeed beautiful.

The circumstances under which Leia found the planet, however, was not.

Home to xenophobes, the planet's ruling governments had reluctantly agreed to external assistance only when their own medical teams were too exhausted to continue.

By then close to a third of the population had fallen victim to, and died as a result of, a plague ravaging their planet.

Following nearly a month of prolonged negotiations, Leia had finally persuaded one of Tabir's many neighbours to provide emergency supplies and was preparing to oversee their collection when the fatigue hit her.

At first, she considered herself to be suffering from a simple lethargy exacerbated by the pressure of her faltering marriage. However, her health continued to deteriorate until without warning she collapsed and was hospitalised alongside others showing the same symptoms of Tabir plague.

Failing to trace the current whereabouts of Han Solo, Leia's faithful aide C3PO had first contacted Luke Skywalker on Yavin Four and then Prince Isolder on Hapes.

C3PO was gifted, in his own words, in over six million forms of communication. However, he had never quite mastered breaking bad news gently. Conducting a four way conversation between himself, Luke, Isolder and a clearly upset Jaina, C3PO did little to allay anyone's worst fears.

After some discussion, it was agreed that Isolder would make the relatively short journey from Hapes to Tabir to be at Leia's bedside soonest. Meanwhile Luke and Jaina would continue to endeavour to contact Han whilst making their own way to Tabir in due course.

However, no one could have anticipated the arrival of the Vong!

The Yuuzhan Vong came from another Galaxy and planet by planet commenced their intended 'cleansing'.

Luke and Jaina's attempt to reach Tabir was curtailed by their somewhat pressing attempt to keep the Vong at bay. They did, however, receive regular if rather erratic updates from Isolder and in time were heartened to hear that Leia was finally on the road to recovery and being transported home to Coruscant by private shuttle.

The Tabir plaque had claimed more than thirty million lives and was cured by a vaccination developed by scientists from the New Republic less than forty eight hours prior to Leia falling ill. Had it's development been delayed, it would have been too late to save her from the plague's inevitable conclusion. As it was, her initial recovery had taken the best part of three months and she had not been left completely unblemished by the disease.

But she still had her life and for that she was immensely grateful.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Whoo-Hoo!" Jaina wailed into her commlink. "Got another one."

Throughout Leia's fight back to health, Jaina had been inducted into Rogue Squadron and was now part of the elite fighting force battling the Yuuzhan Vong.

"Cut the chatter Rogue Three!" Luke called into his headpiece. "Concentrate on your flight pattern."

Luke loved his niece with all his heart but he worried her youthful exuberance and natural gung-ho nature would result in way too much heartache as she matured.

After a courtship even more prolonged than Leia and Han's, Luke had finally married Mara Jade six years earlier, ten years after she had first captured his heart.

The pair had encountered the Yuuzhan Vong the year after their marriage, at which time Mara had been forcefully infected with a biotoxin that had since steadfastly nibbled away at both her immune system and her resolve. The toxin had rendered Mara virtually unable to conceive, or at least, unwilling to risk what her doctors advised could be untold damage to herself, her child or both.

Whilst both Mara and Luke desperately desired a child of their own, Luke couldn't bear the prospect of losing his beloved wife and therefore resigned himself to doting on his niece and nephews instead.

"They're retreating!" Rogue Eleven announced.

"My scope shows...no...no wait..." Jaina checked her readouts and grinned. "Full retreat. They're in FULL retreat!"

"Rogue Leader, this is Control." a voice broke through the euphoria.

"Rogue Leader here Control." Luke answered.

"Retreat confirmed. Repeat retreat confirmed. Return to base. Control out." the voice said.

"You heard him boys." Luke reported, smiling. "Return to base."

Rogue Squadron turned per Luke's instructions and returned to their base, emerging from their cockpits and into the arms of their respective group of friends or family.

Jaina raced into Jagged Fel's arms. He hugged her and spinned her around, watched from a respectful distance by Luke.

With her father somewhere across the Galaxy engaged in a battle with his own demons and her mother fully occupied with either the defence of Galactic and New Republic space or the increasing difficulties in accommodating the numerous refugees displaced by Yuuzhan Vong attacks, Luke had taken it upon himself to act as Father, Mother, Uncle and Commander.

"You were incredible!" Jag told her.

"You had my back Jag, I'd be nothing without that." She assured him.

"Feel like celebrating?" He asked her, circling her waist with his arm and leading them through the hangar.

"You know what I really feel like doing?" She asked.

"I'm guessing it's not drinking with the Rogues." He answered.

"Quiet night in. Hot bath, real hot with real water not those sonic one's we have in the locker room. Scented candles with scented soap and bubbles." She told him, dreamily.

"Sounds...wonderful." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her. "I could get your back again. You know, if you wanted me to."

"I don't think my Uncle Luke would be too happy about that." She said, shaking her head.

"You're sixteen now." He reasoned with a shrug of his left shoulder.

"So because I'm considered legal now, we have to sleep together?" Jaina queried.

"Yeah..." Jag scratched his head. "That's not quite what I meant, but I guess it's kind of how it sounded, huh?"

"Go have a drink with your buddies." She kissed his cheek. "Give me a couple of hours to soak and unwind, then stop by the apartment."

"Should I..er...bring anything?" He asked.

She smiled at him and arched her eyebrows.

Jag and Jaina had been seeing one another since the appearance of the Yuuzhan Vong and Jaina's early draft into Rogue Squadron. Whilst she had still been a couple of months under sixteen, and a full three years younger than Fel, Jaina had been allowed into Rogue under the direct supervision of Luke Skywalker, though Mara too had taken their niece to her heart.

The young couple were without doubt falling in love, though much like her Mother, Father, Aunt and Uncle, Jaina had no intention of rushing the relationship forward.

Times were as uncertain now as when Luke, Leia and Han had first met and whilst at such times many romances led to a lifetime of happiness together it could also lead to broken hearts and devastated lives. With her parents marriage teetering on the edge of the abyss, Jaina was eager not to repeat any of their mistakes. Consequently, of course, she was making mistakes all of her own.

Whilst Jag enjoyed a glass or two of Corellian ale, Jaina sank into the hot waters of the bathtub soaking until the water became just the tepid side of cold.

Although she despised sonic showers, Jaina tolerated the warm air dryers and was soon dry enough to slip into the lingerie she had bought herself with her first pay from Rogue.

Nervously, she admired herself in a full length mirror. A lace camisole and matching cami knickers she thought would show Jag she was serious about being with him, even if there were limits to how far she was either prepared or able to take their relationship at present.

Pulling on a satin robe and looping the tie around her waist she beamed a smile at Jag on answering the doorchime to him.

"Wow!" He swallowed. "You look...er...wow."

Blushing she led him through the living quarters and towards the bedroom.

"Ah...Jaina, wait." He tugged her to a stop. "What I said earlier. It was stupid and I wasn't thinking. I don't want you to feel I'm rushing you."

His face was earnest. It was the thing she loved most about him. He was aware of her limitations and never attempted to overstep them. Even if his teenage hormone's demanded he try.

"Did you bring something?" She asked.

"I...er...I never thought." He shrugged. "You know, the guys were drinking up a storm and it kind of slipped my mind."

She stepped in close and draped her arms around his neck as his hands moved to her hips.

"Good, because I'm really not ready to take that step with you just yet. But that doesn't mean we can't move a little closer to a time when I am."

She slipped her hands into his and walked backwards, leading him into the bedroom. As the back of her legs hit the end of the bed, she sank down onto it.

"You mind if I use the 'fresher?" Jag asked.

"Course not." She indicated the adjoining room. "It's through there."

Jag gave her a smile, entered the 'fresher and leaned both arms on the sink for support. He exhaled deeply.

"Get a grip Fel!" He mumbled at his own reflection in the 'fresher cabinet mirror.

He and Jaina had made out a few times. Careful touching and gentle, exploratory kisses. Getting to know one another, little by little. It wasn't like he was a complete stranger to the female form. But somehow it was different with Jaina Solo. And not just because of who her parents were. Something told him that if they played it just right, they could be very happy together.

Given time.

And if the Vong didn't keep interrupting them.

Jag dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out the pack of contraceptives he'd picked up in the bar before coming over to the apartment. Deciding that it's unwelcome appearance risked driving a wedge between them, Jag stuffed the package behind some cosmetics in the cabinet, intending to retrieve it later.

He emerged from the 'fresher to find Jaina reclining, propped on one elbow, her head at the foot end of the bed being framed by the glow from the light in the corridor leading from the bedroom.

He sighed inwardly.

"Jaina." He nibbled his lower lip. "Are you sure about this?"

"Do you find me repulsive?" Jaina asked.

"Hell no! You're gorgeous." He replied. "Don't you know how beautiful you are?"

"Then why am I lying on my bed..." She licked her lips. "And you're not?"

"I thought this was your parents room?" He queried.

"My parents aren't here. So being the eldest, I get first refusal." She lay back, slipping out of her robe.

"Your Mom gone away again, huh?" He asked, stalling.

"Might as well be an orphan as far as Mom's concerned." Jaina huffed. "But that still doesn't explain why I'm lying here all alone."

Cautiously Jag sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her.

"Look Jaina. It's not that I don't want to. Because I do." He smiled a nervous smile at her. "I think you'd have to be another teenage male to truly understand just how much I really want to lie down with you."

"Then, lie." She patted the bed beside her.

"We've only been seeing each other a few months." He told her. "Don't you think maybe we're moving a little too fast?"

"We're only going to be making out Jag." She propped herself up on her elbow again. "Besides, you don't want me to have wasted my first pay packet on this lingerie do you?"

"I'm warning you Jaina." Jag said, shaking his head and tugging his shirt over his head. "I can't guarantee you're not going to tip me over the edge."

She giggled as she lay back, brushing her long hair out beneath her head.

With a waggle of his eyebrows he tossed his shirt on the floor at the end of the bed and with consummate ease followed it with his boots and pants.

"Nice shorts!" Jaina commented as Jag slid down beside her, slipping one arm beneath her neck whilst the other rested against her hip.

"They're called 'jocks' and all the guys are wearing them." He told her, staring into her incredibly intense brown eyes. "Besides, I didn't know you were planning on wearing 'special' underwear. Do your parents know you bought these...things?"

His eyes were roaming her curves.

"Did I ever tell you about Jabba the Hutt?" Jaina asked.

"Jabba the what?" Jag's eyebrows knitted together.

"Hutt." Jaina started toying with his hair. "Back in the day, my Dad owed him big time. So this Jabba put a huge price on his head and this Bounty Hunter tracked Dad down and delivered him to Jabba in his Palace on Tatooine."

"Where your Uncle Luke used to live?" Jag queried, his fingers tracing lazy circles on her waist.

"Mom and Uncle Luke and Uncle Lando had to go rescue him." Jaina continued. "Only something went wrong and Mom got herself captured by Jabba and his goons."

"How terrible." Jag leaned forward to nibble her earlobe.

"Mom said he was like an enormous slug, with a big slobbery mouth and little stubby hands that he kept trying to grope her with." Jaina's back arched involuntarily off the bed as his lips pressed lower onto the sensitive flesh below her ear. "She never told Dad that bit, said it would just make him angry."

Jag mumbled something that sounded like 'I'll bet', but Jaina couldn't be sure.

"Anyway, this Jabba made Mom wear this real sexy gold bikini slave outfit so he and his guests could ogle her." Jaina closed her eyes, her breathing quickening as Jag's kisses trailed from her neck to her shoulder-blade. "She looked real good back then. Apparently."

Jag moved again, veering south toward her cleavage.

"So because of that..." She caught her lower lip between her teeth. "She's only ever worn..." And lolled her head back as his lips reached the valley between her breasts. "Military style skimpies under her clothes."

Jag's head jerked up.

"You're kidding me!" He said.

"Uh-uh." She replied, shaking her head and catching her breath.

"Wow!" He considered. "Better keep that one to yourself. Your Mom's undergarments are the topic of quite a lot of speculation among some of the Rogues."

"Now you're kidding me!" She accused.

"I can name at least three guys who would give up their pensions for a crack at your Mom." He told her.

"That's sick." Jaina complained. "She's like, fifty or something!"

"Pretty fit though." Jag commented.

He covered her body with his, careful not to press her down with his full weight.

"Fit!" Jaina tilted her head to watch as he planted kisses on her midriff and across her ribs, fingers softly caressing a path. "You think my Mother is fit?"

"Hell, yes." He answered. "Although..."

He raised himself on all fours and, careful not to kneel on her, crawled back up her body to eye level.

"I think her daughter has a few nice features too." He grinned down at her.

"Nice?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Comely then." He teased.

"Comely?" She narrowed her eyes. "What the Hell is 'comely'?"

"It means 'becoming'..and..'pleasing'..." His eyes sparkled with mischief. "And 'handsome'."

"Handsome!" She glowered. "You better not be calling me handsome Jagged Fel or so help me..."

He fell on her, his mouth covering hers, his tongue tracing the line of her lips, tasting her. Inhaling her full fragrant beauty, his fingers slipped readily under the lace seams of the camisole at her ribs and began easing it higher.

Removing her arms from his neck, she raised them above her head to allow him to slide the camisole free.

Their kiss resumed, Jag cupped a breast and began a gentle massage. Occasionally a thumb or the palm of his hand swept across her hardened nipple.

When he finally broke the kiss, it took all of his concentration to quell the growing desire in his shorts.

"How'm I doing so far? You know, for a novice?" She asked, huskily.

"You're doing just fine." He breathed. "I'm the one dying here!"

She giggled slightly.

"Jaina, can I ask you something?" He said slowly regaining his composure.

"I'm just not ready yet Jag." She said quietly. "I'm sorry. But sex is just such a huge commitment."

"And this isn't?" He sounded incredulous.

"It's not the same. That kind of intimacy...it needs so much trust...and so much love. Besides I believe sex can seriously ruin a good friendship."

He twisted his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." He told her. "But that wasn't what I was going to ask."

"Are you about to use the 'handsome' word again?" She quipped.

"I was going to ask if you'd ever had an orgasm?" He shifted to her side and watched as she nibbled at her bottom lip. "It's not a trick question Jay! I'm not trying to get you to confess to necking with half of Rogue Squadron. I'm just asking 'cos...well, you know...if you know what feels good..."

"I..." She started, still chewing her bottom lip. "I kind of...I like...you know...like this."

She took his hand and guided it between her thighs, pressing his middle finger against her soft folds.

"Do you trust me Jaina?" He whispered down at her.

"Wouldn't be here if I didn't." She whispered back.

"I swear to you, I won't do a thing you don't want me to." He looked her in the eyes, the truth behind his words evident there.

Jaina's smile confirmed her belief in him and he leaned down and kissed her again, a long, warm, tender kiss that moved from her lips to her neck, to her breasts and lower, as he pushed on down her body. He paused at her belly button to swirl his tongue in and around it, fingertips slowly curling back the top of her cami knickers.

"Okay?" He asked her, pausing for her to nod her approval. "If you want me to stop..."

"I'll tell you to stop." She assured him.

Leaning back on his haunches, she lifted her hips so he could slide the lace garment down her legs and let if fall to the floor. He smiled at her knees tightly clenched together.

"Nothing you don't want me to do, I promise you." He told her.

"I just feel...I feel so exposed." She said, her hands fluttering around her chest not quite covering her breasts.

He pushed to his feet, pulled his shorts down over his ankles and whirled them around his index finger until they flew off somewhere over by the door before sinking to his knees as she laughed at him.

"Now, we're even." He offered and placed his hands on her knees before repeating. "Nothing you don't want."

He sensed her relax and with only the lightest of touches, he felt her thighs part.

Jaina closed her eyes as his lips created a trail of kisses from the inside of her knee, down her thigh pausing momentarily before she felt them brush against her most sensitive spot. She sucked in her breath and grasped the bedclothes as Jag deepened his movements, lips twisting, tongue darting and flicking for maximum effect. Her breathing became more ragged, her hips responding to his touch, bucking and squirming against the sensations created by his lips and tongue lapping, sucking, nipping, teasing her ever closer to her peak.

Soft moans she didn't mean to make, groans she couldn't stop from escaping her lips and a sudden stillness as her orgasm overtook her then subsided, told him he had been successful in fulfilling her.

He licked her sweet juices from his lips and moved to lie beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her close.

"You okay honey?" He asked and felt her nod into his chest. "You sure?"

She lifted her head, covered his mouth with hers and pushed him onto his back spreading herself across him.

"I've never been more sure of anything!" She told him excitedly. "Except for maybe one thing."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" He asked with a smile.

"I can't wait 'til you fuck me for real!" She grinned at him and grazed the hair at his temples with her fingers, while his hands grasped the cheeks of the cutest butt Rogue Squadron had ever lusted after.

Neither noticed the figure slowly filling the doorway, until it's owner's shadow blocked the light from the corridor.

It was only when they both looked in it's direction that the figure spoke.

"You wanna tell me what the Hell you think you're doing with my daughter?" Han growled, even the dimmed lighting could barely conceal his dark anger.

Jag jumped up, dumping Jaina unceremoniously on the floor beside the bed, and grabbed tufts of bedclothes to cover his embarrassment.

"Cap...Captain Solo...Sir...it's not what it looks like..." Jag's voice rose an octave too high. "I mean...well...clearly, it's kind of what it looks like...but not really..."

"You!" Han pointed a finger at Jag. "Outside. Now."

Doing his best to keep his groin contained within a cupped hand, Jag clambered off the bed and reached for his shorts.

Han stepped forward, his foot entirely covering the boy's underwear.

"Now!" He ground out, angrily.

Swallowing, and with a furtive look to Jaina cowering the other side of the bed, Jag hurried out of the bedroom.

"And you." Han pointed his finger at Jaina. "Get dressed. Then, and only then, you can join us outside."

"But...I don't...I haven't any clothes in here." Jaina said.

"Then look in your Mother's closet and find something suitably modest." Han's lip curled into a sneer.

He grabbed up Jag's clothes and strode through to the living quarters where Jagged Fel nervously awaited what the young man could only assume would be a damn good verbal, if not physical, lashing.

Han looked the lad up and down.

"Might as well drop the hands Son. You aint got nothing in there I haven't got a whole lot more of!" Han growled.

Jag tentatively let his hands drop to his sides, any engorgement well and truly deflated now.

Han tossed the boy's clothes in his general direction and watched as he swiftly gathered them up and dressed haphazardly.

Presently, and without another word passing between Han and Jag, Jaina hesitantly slid passed her father to stand beside the young man.

"She's sixteen. You know that, right?" Han finally demanded, glaring at Jag.

"I know Sir." Jag answered, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.

"And you're what, twenty?" He asked.

"Nineteen Sir." Jag replied.

"Nineteen, huh." Han repeated. "You responsible?"

"Sir?" Jag queried.

"I'm not going to find myself a Grandfather any time soon, am I Son?" Han barked.

"Dad!" Jaina weighed into the conversation. "We weren't doing anything."

"Son?" Han continued, ignoring Jaina.

"Jaina's telling the truth, Sir." Jag explained. "We didn't...that is, we haven't...you know...not yet."

"Yet?" Han ground between gritted teeth.

"Dad!" Jaina scowled.

Jag's mouth opened and closed, twice, three times. Unable to think what to say, he shut it and kept it shut.

Han turned his attention, and his anger, on Jaina. "You were in bed. With a horny kid. Naked. And you expect me to believe that nothing happened?"

"We were on top of the bed!" Jaina thundered back. "And yes, when I tell you nothing happened, I expect you to believe me. Because I'm not a liar Dad and you know I'm not!"

"We were just making out Sir." Jag added innocently.

"You know Son," Han turned his head back toward the boy, "I kinda figured that much out for myself."

"Stop talking to him like that Dad!" Jaina blurted and slipped her hand into Jag's, clutching his arm to her. "Jag and I have been dating for a while now and..."

"How long a while?" Han interrupted.

"And we felt strongly that we were ready to take our relationship to the next level." Jaina continued.

"How. Long." Han hissed.

"Three months. Sir." Jag mentally collapsed under Han's stare.

"Almost four." Jaina corrected.

"I think you should go." Han said to Jag, adding a vehemence to his final word. "Son."

Jag nodded slowly and turned to plant a kiss on Jaina's cheek or forehead.

"Not in here." Han said, halting them. "You're both going to go out and kiss in the corridor. One kiss. No tongues. Like you've just had an afternoon chatting and parting as friends. Now Son, there are six security cameras out there and when I view the footage of each and every one of 'em later, I wanna see a guy who's had a great afternoon not one who's just been kicked out by the father of the girl he's been fondling! Clear?"

"Quite clear Sir." Jag assured him and, with a gentle smile to Jaina, followed Han's instructions to the letter.

In the corridor, with Han Solo observing from his vantage point inside the apartment, Jag and Jaina kissed and hugged.

"Just so you know," Jaina whispered. "He lied, there are eight security cameras not six. And you can be sure he will watch every one of the recordings!"

"Just so you know," He whispered back. "I don't regret one moment. You are a beautiful woman, no matter how much your Dad wants you to stay his little girl."

They parted and locked eyes until they heard Han clear his throat, then with a sly smile Jag left to head back to his own quarters at Rogue's base. Jaina was still smiling when she re-entered the apartment, right up to the point where she caught sight of her father's disapproving glare.

"I'm not sorry." She told him. "I like Jag, I'm not going to stop seeing him and you can't make me!"

"Take a shower." Han said flatly. "Then we'll talk."

Jaina watched with a puzzled expression as her father made his way into the secure communications suite and secured the door behind himself.

"About what?" She queried, to herself in the absence of her father. "Where you've been for the past who knows how long?"

While Jaina showered, Han put a call through to Luke who, in due course, answered stripped to the waist and dripping in sweat.

"Han!" He beamed. "Sorry for keeping you, Mara and I were just working out."

"Must be something in the air!" Han growled.

"Huh?" Luke queried.

"Doesn't matter." Han shoved the comment aside. "D'you know where Leia's at?"

"She was on Bilbringi but she's due back any day now." Luke told him. "Why? Where are you?"

"Home." Han said simply.

"You mean here, on Coruscant?" Luke asked.

"Do I call anywhere else home?" Han queried sarcastically.

"The Falcon. At least you used to think of it that way." Luke said with a smile he hoped would lighten the mood.

"You speak to Leia, you tell her I need her to call me urgently." Han said, with little humour in his voice.

"Han? What is it? Is there something wrong?" Luke probed.

"Yeah. Something's wrong." Han growled. "Just get her to call me. Solo out."

He ended the call, thought about trying to contact Leia directly, then reconsidered.

When he returned to the living quarters, Jaina was sitting on the sofa wrapped in a thick robe. Her legs were drawn to her chest, arms held tightly around them. Her hair was still damp and so was her face. And if Han wasn't mistaken, she'd been crying.

"So. Go on." Jaina said, sulkily. "Let's have the lecture."

"I'm not about to lecture you." He told her. "We brought you up to know you're own mind and follow your own path."

"But you are angry with me." She concluded.

"No. I'm not angry with you either." He assured her.

"Then what?" She asked.

With a sigh he perched himself beside her.

"You probably think being a Princess, your Mom had a pretty great childhood." He shook his head. "But that couldn't be further from the truth. When she wasn't being groomed for her future as Alderaan's ruler, her childhood was dominated by political intrigues and although my life was very different from your Mom's, I had to grow up far too quickly too. The only thing we ever wanted for you and your brothers, was for you to grow up slowly like other kids your age. That's the reason we fought so hard against you training to be a Jedi. Why we had our reservations about you joining Rogue. And why, just because you're sixteen, doesn't mean you have to sleep with the first guy who..."

His face broke into his trademark lopsided grin.

"Guess there was that lecture after all!" He said.

Jaina smiled up at him, her eyes pink from fighting back tears.

"It's hard Dad, you know, trying to fit in. I'm the youngest person in Rogue and though the guys are okay...mostly...I know what they're all thinking; that I'm only there because of who you and Mom and Uncle Luke are. So I have to be twice as good as them just to look like I'm at the same level."

Han moved forward to encircle her in his arms, his hand guiding her head to his shoulder.

"Jag's not like that." She continued. "He accepts me for who and what I am. I like him. I mean, I really, really like him Dad. And I think...I think if we tried, we could really be something together. And I don't just mean in the bedroom."

"Glad to hear it!" Jaina felt her father's voice rumble through his chest.

He released her, took her face in his hands and stared her directly in the eyes. "Just promise me you won't do anything because you think you have to. Don't ever be afraid to say no. Not to anybody. Not ever."

"I promise Papa." She smiled.

"Papa? It's a long time since you called me that!" He noted.

"It's a long time since I felt like I had a papa." She countered.

"I guess I asked for that." He moved to sit in the chair opposite. "And I guess it's about time I started putting things right."

"Finally!" She said.

"I guess I asked for that, too." His grin returned.

"Where's Jacen?" Jaina suddenly asked.

"I brought some supplies back with me that I thought might be useful." He explained. "He's making sure they get unloaded and transported to the right places. Turns out, he's quite the little smuggler."

"Like father, like Son." Jaina quipped.

"What say, in a few days, after your Mom's home and after I've had a chance to start putting things right, what say we have a big family dinner." He smiled at her lovingly. "You can invite your...er...friend over to meet everyone."

"You mean it?" Jaina beamed.

"If that doesn't make him think twice about putting a foot wrong with you, nothing will!" He answered, to Jaina's giggle.

"Come on. Let's go see how your brother's getting on." He rose and extended his hand to her.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The journey home from Bilbringi took longer than expected.

Yuuzhan Vong incursions into New Republic airspace, though infrequent, always resulted in additional security. Even when the carrier is of Hapan origin and the clearance codes confirm the occupants to be of Hapan and Alderaanian Royal descent.

When the Queen's Behest finally landed and Leia descended the ramp, she was met by Winter Celchu.

"This is a surprise!" Leia noted Winter's nervous smile. "What's wrong? Is it..."

Leia's heart leapt.

Jaina!

Something had happened to Jaina! She'd felt something while she was away. Something that felt vaguely pleasurable so she'd not worried. Until now.

"No, no." Winter assured her. "The children are fine. I just...I wanted to warn you...I mean..."

"Winter, whatever is it?" Leia took her friends hands in her own.

Winter glanced around nervously.

"You wouldn't have seen from your entry trajectory, but the Falcon's here. Docking Bay seven, eleven." She reported.

"The Falcon." Leia repeated as Winter nodded, adding breathlessly. "Han!"

"I was at the apartment earlier, preparing it for your return." Winter added quietly. "He's definitely back."

"You spoke to him?" Leia asked. "What did he say? How did he seem? Was he well?"

"His things were there." Winter told her. "But he wasn't."

"Another highly successful trip, Winter." Prince Isolder claimed as he laid a hand against the small of Leia's back.

"Something wrong my dear?" He directed his question to Leia.

"No. Nothing wrong. Nothing at all." Leia replied.

"Are you sure?" Isolder's eyes sparkled when he spoke to her. "You seem a little...I don't know..."

"Everything's fine, thank you Isolder." Leia returned her attention to her friend. "And thank you Winter. As always, thank you for everything."

With a smile and a knowing nod, Leia turned back to Isolder.

"I must go and present my report to Mon Mothma. Your kind assistance figures quite highly, of course." She told him.

"The pleasure was all mine." He bent low and placed a lingering kiss to her cheek. "Do you have plans for tonight Leia?"

"I...er...I may have. Yes. I...er...I'm just not sure." She blushed. "I'm sorry Isolder, but I really must go."

With a squeeze of Winter's hand she hurried off to her meeting before heading for home. Isolder watched her go with a sigh.

"Perhaps you should return to Hapes now that your mission is over, Your Highness." Winter advised.

"Tell me Winter, is it my imagination or is your disapproval of me even greater than it was for Captain Solo in the early days of their romance?" He asked.

"No, Your Highness. It's not your imagination." She told him, unashamed of herself. "My condemnation of your actions far outweighs any feelings I may have previously held for Captain Solo."

"May I ask why?" He enquired sweetly.

"Captain Solo was, quite simply put, beneath Her Highness's station in life." She answered.

"Then, shouldn't you be rejoicing that she now finds herself in the company of one of equal standing?" He asked, almost crowing.

"If circumstances were different, I should welcome you with open arms." She gazed up into his dark eyes. "However, circumstances are not different. Her Highness and Captain Solo are married. Happily so. And your continual incursion into her world attempting to drive a wedge between them can at best be described as deplorable."

"Does she speak so highly of me?" He pushed.

"Of course she doesn't speak highly of you!" Winter snapped.

"Then, at least she doesn't speak ill of me either." He grinned. "You have set my mind at ease Winter. And I thank you."

With a polite bow, he returned to the Queen's Behest as Winter glared at his back. She'd been suckered by him and she knew it. And she did not like that, not at all.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Presenting her report as rapidly as she dared, Leia quickly raced home to her apartment. She'd hoped to find Han reclining on a sofa in the living quarters, or preparing something in the kitchen. Instead she caught up with him as he left their en suite 'fresher, a towel wrapped casually around his hips.

He was still damp from the shower, unruly hair spiky, droplets of water highlighting his muscular arms and thighs.

"So." She said, trying to keep her voice even. "The rumours are true then, you're back."

"In the flesh." He said, his lopsided grin melting her.

"And Jacen?" She asked.

"His room." Han answered with a raise of his shoulder. "Where else?"

"You're well? Both of you?" She went on to ask.

"We are." He smiled. "You?"

"Had my ups and downs." She blushed and shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"You want nerf for dinner?" He asked, smiling.

"I..." She half laughed.

"I thought I'd cook us all nerf." He told her. "You know, you, me, Jacen, Jaina. Not quite the whole family, but close enough. For now, at least."

They gazed at one another.

"Everybody gotta start some place Ley." He said quietly. "Nerf's as good a place as any."

"Nerf sounds great." She smiled, after a moment.

"Good." He snatched away the towel from his waist and whipped it lightly against her thigh, winking at her. "Wear something nice. Oh, and lose the headscarf!"

Her hand touched the scarf, it's tails dangling around her neck. He doesn't know!

Leia left him to dress while she quickly went to see Winter.

By the time she returned Han was busy in the kitchen singing some half bawdy Corellian drinking song whilst boiling this, mashing that, slicing something else and preparing nerf steaks for flash frying in his favourite sauce.

Jaina, wearing a grin almost as wide as her face to greet her mother, was buzzing around laying the dining table. Jacen, meanwhile, attempted to help his father by washing and clearing pots or by mostly staying out of his way.

Han tended to view assistance as unwanted interference when he was cooking.

"Isn't it just wonderful Mother!" Jaina said brightly. "Having Dad cook for us again."

"Yes. Wonderful." Leia replied with a faint smile.

She wanted to tell her daughter not to read too much into her father's sudden reappearance, but knew it could only risk yet another argument and so held her tongue. As she had learned to do quite a lot around her teenage daughter of late.

"Are you wearing that for dinner?" Jaina asked, her face conveying undisguised disapproval.

"Actually, I was just about to change." Leia said, defensively.

"Why don't you wear your blue dress?" Jaina's eyes sparkled. "You know the one. Dad can't keep his eyes off you when you wear that."

Leia opened her mouth in protest, again reconsidered, simply nodding and smiling as she headed off to the bedroom to shower and change. Choosing a simple pair of black slacks and a cream blouse, Leia was almost ready when he called to her from the living quarters.

"Hey, sweetheart, you almost done in there?" Han asked.

"Just..." She swallowed, looking at her reflection. "Just fixing my hair."

"Well, shake a leg would'ya honey, your nerf's almost cremated!" He called.

With a final check in the mirror, Leia pulled the cowl collar over her head before joining her family.

"What happened to the blue dress?" Jaina asked, disappointed.

"It wasn't suitable." Leia explained, tugging the cowl collar about her ears.

"Ladies..." Han said, pulling out a chair for Leia to sit.

He bent low and smiled at her as she tucked her chair under the table.

"Dad, the nerf's burning." Jaina said, sniffing the air at the same time as the doorchime sounded.

"Is it just me, or do you make bells ring?" He whispered to Leia.

"Dad!" Jaina urged. "The nerf!"

"Huh?" Han returned his attention to the room. "Ooohhh, the nerf!"

"I'll get the door." Jaina advised, as her father charged toward the kitchen.

Han was still cursing when Jaina returned to the table with their visitor.

"Mom." Jaina interrupted her mother's conversation with her brother. "He said he wasn't invited, but that you wouldn't mind."

"Who, sweetie?" Leia asked looking up, her smile fading at the arrival of Isolder.

"If I'm not intruding, of course." Isolder said and produced a bottle of very fine Alderaanian port.

"Crisis averted. A couple just got a little chargrilled" Han announced, entering with a platter of nerf steaks. His face changing on seeing Isolder. "What's he doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing." Isolder quipped, then explained. "It concerned me that Leia could be without company tonight. And it pained me to think of her all alone."

"Well, as you can see," Han told him, placing the platter in the middle of the table, "she isn't. So, you can just shuffle on your way, Your Highandmightyness."

"You all know each other?" Jaina asked.

"Our paths have crossed." Isolder answered. "On occasion."

"Well, that's great." Jaina said enthusiastically. "There's more than enough to go around, isn't there Dad?"

"I don't think now's really such a great time." Leia tried to say, but Jaina was already clutching one of Isolder's arms and pulling him into the chair to her mother's right.

"Did you know them when they got together?" She asked gliding into the seat the other side of him. "Were you in the Rebellion with them? Did you fight at the battle of Yavin?"

"I'll get another place setting!" Han mumbled and indicated Jacen should take the vacant seat to Leia's left.

Noisily dragging a chair over, Han sat at the far end of the table.

"Well, this is nice." He said, a far from convincing smile on his face. "You know, boy-girl, boy-girl. Boy!"

He looked from Jacen to Leia to Isolder to Jaina before spearing a nerf steak and plopping it onto his plate while Jaina uncovered the dishes.

"This is creamed Ashtak, which is really yummy. This one's just extra sauce." She told Isolder, peering into first one and then another of the dishes. "And this is mashed Yati."

She looked up at him, eyelashes batting.

"It's actually pretty nice." She said. "If you can get past it smelling like vomit."

"I'll try to remember that." Isolder responded with a gentle smirk.

"You didn't say how it was you knew Mom and Dad so well." Jaina pressed.

"Eat your dinner Jaina and stop bothering Prince Isolder." Her mother admonished.

"You really want to know?" Isolder asked, leaning in Jaina's direction. Her eager nod spurred him on. "I first met your Mother when she visited Hapes on a diplomatic mission. She wasn't aware of my presence. In fact, I think it's fair to say she didn't even know I existed. But I saw her..."

Isolder glanced at Leia, admiring her steely resolve not to return his gaze.

"She was, just as she is now, utterly enchanting." Isolder said, his voice almost a sigh.

"Oh stop it!" Leia complained.

"I begged my mother to allow me to woo her." Isolder continued.

"Woo?" Jacen queried.

"You begged your Mother?" Jaina asked in amazement.

"I can't believe your parents haven't told you about this." Isolder stated.

"Oh you know how it is, we started to tell them but something more important got in the way." Han scowled. "I needed to pee or something."

"Hapes is a Matriarchal society, you know that much don't you?" Isolder asked, receiving a confirming nod from both Jacen and Jaina. "Well you see my Mother, the Queen Mother, was concerned that Leia's affiliation with the Rebel Alliance and then the New Republic might prove a distraction as well as extremely unpopular with her people."

Han watched through narrowed eyes as Isolder's hand covered Leia's.

"But this beautiful lady had captured my heart." He gazed upon her once more. "And I informed my Mother that I would pursue her with or without her approval."

"That's when things got nasty." Han said.

He speared a second steak and dropped it on his plate.

"Yes, you see when I came to barter for your Mother's hand, your Father, expecting he would lose the battle, kidnapped your Mother." Isolder explained.

"I did not!" Han argued. "I simply promised to take Leia to Corellia sometime, saw a window, and..well...took it."

"Then what happened?" Jaina asked, chewing on a piece of nerf.

"I showed her a good time." Han mumbled.

"One of your Father's old associates claimed he owed him money and tried to use me as collateral." Leia corrected. "And, once again, your Father came to my rescue."

"And then I showed her a good time." Han grinned at the memory of that night and their first carnal encounter.

"Then he brought me home." Leia told her children. "Now eat!"

"I had already made my declaration." Isolder continued. "So, I petitioned the Council for her answer. Of course...I expected her to say yes."

"But she didn't." Han crowed. "She chose me."

"A lamentable mistake, I'm sure." Isolder said, staring at Han. "As my wife, your Mother could have been Queen Mother to all of the Hapes Consortium."

"Wow!" Jaina said. "I wish you'd been my Dad."

Han's cutlery clattered to his plate in both anger and astonishment.

"Jaina Solo! That's a dreadful thing to say." Leia berated her daughter. "And after your Father cooked this lovely dinner."

"Whaddaya mean, 'after he cooked a lovely dinner'! It's a dreadful thing to say, period!" Han barked.

"I just meant, if Prince Isolder had been my father I'd be a real Princess." Jaina said.

"You are a real Princess!" Han growled.

"Of a planet that doesn't exist. It's not like being a really real Princess." Jaina countered.

"The New Alderaan Council officially acknowledged that, despite the planet being a Republic, your Mother would always be known as the last Princess of Alderaan. And that you, as her eldest daughter, will succeed that title when your Mother passes. And your daughter and her daughter and so on." He argued.

"It's still not the same as being a real Princess." Jaina said, sulkily.

"You know young lady, for someone who thought she was mature enough to sleep with her boyfriend," Han picked up and pointed his knife in her direction, "you're doing a damn good impression of acting like a child."

"What boyfriend?" Leia frowned and glared at Jaina.

"You're sleeping with Jag?" Jacen asked, spitting nerf.

"We're not sleeping together!" Jaina denied.

"Jag? Jag?" Leia's mind whirled. "You mean Jagged Fel? You're sleeping with Jagged Fel? Since when?"

"We are not sleeping together!" Jaina repeated.

"I came home and found them together, naked, in our bed." Han told Leia.

"You're only sixteen and he's what, twenty?" Leia scowled. "I'd like to know what his Mother has to say about this."

"Way to go Jaya!" Jacen grinned.

"We were not in the bed, we were on top of it. And we were just making out" Jaina cried. "And he's not twenty, he's only nineteen. Which is only three years older than me."

"That doesn't make it all right young lady!" Leia argued.

"And a whole five years older than Dad was when he slept with that prostitute!" Jaina angrily blurted.

Isolder covered his mouth in an effort to hide his smile.

"That is completely different and you know it." Leia continued, frowning at her daughter.

"You told her about that?" Han asked Leia, perplexed.

"You slept with a prostitute?" Jacen asked his father.

"You'll probably be wanting these back too." Han, side-stepping Jacen's question, dug in his pocket and tossed a box of contraceptives across the table at Jaina.

"They aren't mine!" Jaina complained.

"I found them in the 'fresher cabinet, stuffed behind some of your Mother's face creams and such." Han said.

"They're not mine!" Jaina maintained and looked between her Father and Mother. "They're not!"

"I'm getting you an implant." Leia commented.

"I don't need an implant." Jaina replied. "Because we are not sleeping together."

"She's not getting an implant." Han stated. "She doesn't need one since she's using those."

"I'm telling you they are not mine!" Jaina insisted.

"Well they sure as Hell aren't mine!" Han shouted.

Father and daughter glared stubbornly at one another as another thought invaded Han's thoughts. The box had been behind Leia's toiletries. So if they weren't Jaina's and they weren't his...

"You slept with a prostitute?" Jacen asked his father for a second time.

"I did a lot of things I'm not proud of kid." He said to Jacen before turning his attention back to Jaina. "But I never wished I was someone I'm not."

"I just said it would have been nice to be a real Princess. That's all." Jaina said.

"It's not nearly as nice as you might think." Leia told her.

"I hate this family sometimes." Jaina added, sullenly.

After the mood had calmed a little, Isolder issued a pleased sigh.

"Mmm. The Ashtak is yummy. I shall ask cook to learn the recipe." He smiled.

"So...Leia..." Han looked at her and changed the subject. "What's with the head scarf and stuff?"

Jaina's eyes flashed to her Mother, a look not missed by Han.

"Come on." He grinned. "What gives?"

Leia thought carefully before reaching up and slipping her cowl off her head and down onto her shoulders.

Han's breath caught in his throat and his lips twitched.

"You...you cut your hair." He stated. "Wow...that's...wow."

Her hair was cropped short, almost shorn against her scalp and whilst she still retained all of her femininity, if Han was perfectly honest, it wasn't really to his taste.

"I like it." He lied. "But...why'd you cut your hair? I thought it was tradition to keep it long."

"Dad!" Jaina urged, eyes pleading.

"I mean, it's okay. I guess. But I kinda liked it better long." Han said, truthfully.

"Dad!" Jaina said, more urgently and kicked him under the table.

"What?" He asked.

"Mom was on Tabir." She told him.

Han shrugged a 'so what' at her and Jaina rolled her eyes.

"Tabir Plague mean anything to you?" She hissed. "Mom caught Tabir Plague. She didn't cut her hair. It fell out. Most of it anyways."

"One of the peculiarities of the disease is that it damages the hair follicles." Leia explained.

"She lost every hair on her body. Except her eyebrows and eyelashes, for some reason." Isolder said, smiling at Leia and squeezing her wrist.

"And you'd know that how?" Han asked, eyeing Isolder's all too intimate interest in his wife's hand.

"I was there for her." Isolder replied.

"Threepio tried to contact you but since the Vong keep knocking out our relay stations I guess the message never reached you. When he couldn't find you, Threepio contacted Luke and then Prince Isolder." Leia explained.

"I was the closer and with a ship at my immediate disposal, I offered to be at Leia's side." Isolder clarified. "I nursed her back to health."

"How gallant." Han sneered.

"She almost died Dad." Jaina said, dramatically.

"Don't exaggerate, Jaina." Leia chided.

"You were pronounced. Twice." Jaina insisted.

"It was only once. And the Registrar explained and apologised for the mistake." Leia advised.

"Mistake? How do you mistake alive for dead?" Han queried.

"Very easily, when you've been on your feet for seventy-two hours straight." Leia replied.

"So...you...er...you came to her rescue this time." Han said to Isolder, adding a grudging thanks.

"And that's the reason for the head scarf." Leia said, not taking her eyes from Han's. "At least until it's grown back some more."

Jaina nibbled her bottom lip and watched her parents as they silently read one another's signals.

"It's growing back already." Jaina pointed out. "And you watch Dad, it'll be just as long as it used to be in no time."

"Jaina..." Leia sighed.

"You should've seen Mom when she first came home." Jaina laughed. "She was as bald as Aunt Winter back then."

"That's very unkind Jaina." Leia chided her again.

"I'm just saying, Dad's going to see a difference every day now your hair's going through a growth spurt. They said that might happen, that it could grow quite quickly at first." She reported excitedly.

"Who says your Father's going to be around that long?" Leia suggested, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, of course, he's going to be around." Jaina persisted.

"Drop it Jay." Jacen cautioned, sensing his parent's unease.

"You're back for good, aren't you Dad?" Jaina asked, puzzled.

"Well...honey...the thing is..." He started.

"But you said so." Jaina pushed. "You said you wanted to put things right. You can't do that if you're not here."

"The thing is sweetie, it's not my decision to make alone." He told her, glancing at his wife.

Leia just shook her head at him. "Unbelievable!"

"Leia..." He began.

"You turn up here..." She leaned forward over the table toward him. "You don't think of contacting me first. In fact, you don't think of contacting me at all. You make promises you have no intention of keeping..."

"I did no such thing." He interrupted. "I never made any promises."

"And it just makes me the bad guy." She rose, throwing her napkin onto her plate. "Again!"

"I just said I wanted to try and put things right." He rose to face her. "I never expected things to go back the way they were before I left. Not right away."

"But you discussed it with Jaina before you discussed it with me!" Leia argued. "So what happens now Han, huh? If we can't 'put things right', if we're just too broken to be fixed?"

"You want Dad here don't you?" Jaina pushed to her feet also, looking between her Mother and Father. "Well, he's here."

"Please stop Jay." Jacen spoke quietly.

"Why are you doing this?" Jaina shouted at her Mother. "You still love Dad don't you? You still want to be with him don't you?"

When Leia failed to answer her questions and more, when she wouldn't even look at her daughter, Jaina stormed from the table, knocking her chair to the floor.

"I hate you!" She sobbed as she went.

"If we can't 'put things right'..." Leia answered for Han. "If we're too broken to fix? Then, I get to pick up the pieces. Thanks Han. Thanks a lot!"

"I'll go talk to her." Han said.

"I'd rather you just left her alone." Leia told him, sinking back into her chair.

"She's still my Goddamn daughter!" He barked and left the table to find Jaina sobbing in her room.

He rapped softly on the door, receiving a 'go away' for his trouble.

"I'm gonna keep knocking 'til you let me in." He called softly, still knocking.

"It's not locked." She told him, sniffing.

He entered cautiously, expecting a stuffed bear or half empty cup to be hurled in his direction. When neither occurred, he moved closer to the bed and sat near but not quite beside her.

"I hate her." Jaina repeated.

"Yeah. You said that." Han said.

"Yeah, well I hate you too." She told him.

"Why? What did I do?" He asked, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

"Just...because." She said, trying to hide her smile.

"Hate's a strong word." He said, watching her face. "One I bet your Uncle Luke frowns upon."

"I study psychology Dad. Just say whatever it is you came in here to say." She said pointedly and flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

After a moment, Han turned and lay back on the bed beside her.

"You don't really hate your Mom, do you?" He asked softly.

"Sometimes." Jaina replied, before revising her answer. "No. Of course not."

"'Cos you only get the one you know." He told her. "And sometimes, not for nearly as long as you would have liked."

"I know." She said and after a pause propped herself on one elbow to look at him. "She really did nearly die Dad. We didn't know where you were. Didn't know how to contact you. Didn't even know if you cared enough to come back if she had died."

She fell back on the bed, swallowing back another tear.

"Well of course I care enough." Han said, copying her move by propping himself on an elbow to look down at her.

"Then why didn't you keep in touch?" She asked, turning her face to his. "Why'd you let her go on thinking you just didn't care?"

"I..." Han shrugged a shoulder.

"How long was she supposed to wait Dad. A week? A month? A year?" Jaina questioned and studied her father's face. "Do you...do you still love her?"

"Ah." Now Han flopped back on the bed. "Love!"

"Well?" Jaina persisted. "Do you?"

When he didn't answer, she decided to push a little harder.

"Because if you don't, I know a certain Hapan Prince who would happily fill your boots." She goaded.

"Over my cold, dead corpse!" He spat.

Jaina laughed.

"He been hanging around much?" Han asked, eyebrows beetled into one.

"A bit, I think." Jaina answered honestly.

"That Hutt-spawn, lowlife, pond scum! I oughta kick his ass from here to..." Han started, interrupted by Jaina's deepening laughter. "What?"

"You do still love her." She giggled and rolled onto her side, looking at him.

"Now, I never said that!" Han rolled onto his side to look back at his daughter. "Han Solo don't use the word 'love' unnecessarily."

"You don't need to Dad." She said, seriously. "Just once. Out there. To Mom."

"Sometimes sweetie, it just isn't enough." He took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I've hurt your Mom pretty bad and I just don't know if saying 'I love you' will be enough to get us through this. None of this is your Mom's fault, you know that don't you?"

"It's not yours either." She said, defending him.

"But, you see, really it is." He tried to explain. "I'm the one who pushed her away. I'm the one who pushed you all away. And it's not like it's the first time. For your Mom at least."

"I don't understand." Jaina said.

Han sighed.

"You've heard your Mom, or Uncle Luke talk about how I had a price on my head?" She nodded as he started to tell his story. "Well, back in the days of the Rebel Alliance your Mom was quite the little firecracker."

Jaina smirked at his description.

"I was going on a supply run to Ord Mantell when she told me that she had this contact she needed to meet there." He continued. "I told her Ord Mantell was not the kind of place a nice Princess meets a contact and that I wouldn't be the one taking her. Well after our usual 'you're-not-going,-yes-I-am,-no-you're-not,-try-stopping-me' conversation, I got hauled before Carlist Rieekan, that's General Carlist Rieekan, who 'asked' me to use my expertise to fly her, with your Uncle Luke as her security escort."

He propped himself on an elbow, resting his head against the palm of his hand.

"So, I did as I was 'asked' and piloted her to Ord Mantell." He went on. "I got the supplies, she met her contact and that should have been that."

"But it wasn't." Jaina said, entranced.

"The thing is, it was round about then I started to realise my feelings for her were getting to be a little more than just platonic. So, in an effort to spend a little time alone with her, I set your Uncle Luke up with a woman I knew." He told her.

"A prostitute?" Jaina asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"No. Not a prostitute. Just a woman." Han answered, to her wide grin. "Cheeky!"

"So you set Uncle Luke up on a date, then what happened?" She asked eagerly.

"You can't tell him about that. He thinks he did it all by himself." He explained, shaking his head.

"I promise." She confirmed.

"Well, with Luke out of the way, I offered to show Leia some of the local night life. Obviously, she declined citing paperwork or something but I wasn't about to miss an opportunity like that. So I amended my offer, suggested we go get something to eat, promised to take her some place nice and finally she agreed. After all, everyone gotta eat right?" He felt a little sad at the memory. "And you know, it was really nice. We ate some, we drank a little, we talked a lot, we...we got along."

"Did you tell her how you felt?" Jaina asked.

"We walked back to our rented rooms." He carried on, side-stepping her question. "I never even saw the tail. I was too busy hoping Luke was still out having a good time and wondering if Leia and I might find ourselves having an even better time before the night was over. Anyway, this Bounty Hunter, name of Boba Fett, intercepted us just as we arrived back at the apartment. Unfortunately for him, two other Bounty Hunters were in town too...must have been some kind of Bounty Hunter convention or something...anyway, long story short, they ended up in a shoot out while Leia and I escaped with our lives, the clothes on our backs and very little else."

"Wow!" Jaina sighed.

"We found Luke in way over his head with Audra. Poor kid. Got ourselves back to the Falcon and high-tailed it back to the base on Hoth via just about as many backwater stop-offs and lay-overs we could find." He reminisced.

"But...what's that got to do with you pushing Mom away?" Jaina looked puzzled.

"Back on Hoth I got to thinking." He smiled at his daughter. "Long story short, I nearly got your Mom killed on Ord Mantell and I didn't want to be the one who got her killed because I was too stupid or too arrogant to pay off my debts. I didn't want to be the one who got her killed period. So I made a decision. I decided the best thing was to go face Jabba, appeal to whatever it was that passed for his better nature, pay him what I could and come to an arrangement regarding the rest that preferably included me keeping both my life and my genitals in tact!"

"What d'you do?" Jaina asked.

"I covered my shift and I went and told Rieekan I had to leave. She knew, of course. Probably heard me talking about it with Chewie, unless someone else did and she picked up on the gossip. And to say she wasn't happy would be an understatement. We both said some stuff, but my mind was made up. Then Luke went and got himself lost in a snowstorm. And then the Empire found the base and naturally your Mom, ever the hero, had to stay behind to co-ordinate the evacuation and, long story short, I had to haul that cute, sassy ass o' hers outta there. So..." He said, with his lopsided grin. "Long story short, I never did get to see Jabba again. Not the way I wanted at least."

"But you never left Mom either." Jaina said, brightly. "Not 'til now at least."

Han sighed and sat up.

"So. Do you still love her?" Jaina asked again, sitting up also.

"Ah, love!" He quipped, then noting her far too serious expression told her. "You know I do."

"Then tell her." She pushed, not just with her voice but with both arms against his back until she'd shoved him off the bed.

"All right! All right, all right, all right." He held his arms up in submission. "Just...just don't go expecting her to fall into my arms and forgive me overnight, okay?"

Her huge grin gave him his answer.

Returning to the living area, he found Leia alone and the table all but cleared.

"She's gonna be fine." He said, hooking a thumb in the direction of Jaina's bedroom.

Leia glanced his way, then continued gathering the last of the dishes.

"Where's Isolder?" He asked.

"He's gone." She replied coldly.

"Finally got the hint, huh?" He grinned.

"I asked him to leave." She said, turning to face him. "And now I'm asking you to go."

"Me?" He asked. "I just got here."

"And now I'm asking you to leave." She repeated.

"But I live here." He pointed out.

"You did. Once." She tried not to let her lip tremble. "Then you left."

"I figured we needed some time...but we talked about this already." Han looked puzzled.

"Han, don't you get it? I just can't do this any more." She said, voice even. "I don't have the strength for it. I just don't have the fight any more. Not for you. Not for Jaina. Not for...not for anything."

She sank onto the sofa and rubbed her temples. He studied her a moment before joining her and chancing an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm spent!" Leia confessed.

"I should've called first. I realise that now." He nodded. "I'm sorry. Sorry for just turning up. Sorry for expecting you to be ready to see me. Sorry for getting Jaina worked up about us. Sorry for...sorry for being such a...a..."

"Nerfherder?" She finished for him.

"I was thinking 'asshole', but yeah, that too." He gave her his best lopsided grin.

She leaned into his arm and didn't complain when his hand slipped against her shoulder or when his thumb began a tentative stroke.

"I'm not saying this is forever." She said, relaxing. "It's just that for now, I'm the one who needs some time."

He kissed her lightly on the temple.

"I'm frightened for Jaina every time she flies." Leia continued, letting herself enjoy the feel of his arm about her. "As for Anakin, I barely remember the last time I saw him. Luke tells me he's doing fine but, I don't know, it's been so long now. Then you turn up here, out of the blue, like you've never been away..."

"I know." He hugged her tighter to him. "And I'm sorry. Really I am."

Leia straightened, untangling herself from his embrace.

"Please go Han." She said, not looking at him.

He nodded his understanding.

"You take care now, ya hear?" He said, rising.

"You too." She rose to face him.

"See you around." He bent. Kissed her cheek. Smiled. And left.

"I hope so." Leia answered him softly after he was gone.