"Mom, where's Dad?" Jacen asked. It was mid morning, and Han still had not returned after storming out the night before. Leia hadn't slept much. After managing to get the kids to sleep, she'd spent much of the night tossing and turning in her empty bed, angry at Han for having walked out on them and wondering when he'd be back. She never expected to wake up that morning to find that he still hadn't come home.

"I don't know, Jace." He's being childish and trying to prove a ridiculous point. "I'm sure he'll be back soon, though."

Leia heaved a sigh from her spot on the couch, one eye on her data pad and the other on Jacen's small form disappearing into his bedroom with his brother and sister while she tried to keep from giving them any indication that something was wrong.

The longer Han was gone, the more Leia realized that he might be right about a few things. Somewhere along the line they had gotten so caught up in being Mom and Dad that they forgot how to be Han and Leia. It was obviously just something they were going to have to work at and make a priority much like caring for their children.

She realized she missed the more intimate moments she used to share with her husband. Not just the physical either, but simply being in each other's company and talking about anything and everything, staying up late, sipping wine and laughing with each other. Once upon a time they'd barely been able to keep their hands off each other. Sure, priorities had shifted a bit, but as far as she knew, they were still in love and they both deserved better than what they had now.

She decided that she and Han were going to have a long talk once he got home, although first she was going to let him know how angry she was with him for having walked out for such an extended period of time. Surely he had proven his point by now. Once she got that out of her system, they might talk about how to reclaim their relationship.

"Mom!"

Leia heard Jaina's voice calling from the children's bedroom, and instinctively trotted off toward the noise. "What – "

She stopped when she took in the sight of her three little angels. Jaina was standing, looking quite proud of herself for calling attention to the situation. Jacen and Anakin were kneeling, facing one another. Anakin's slightly pudgy belly was exposed, his shirt lying on the floor next to him. Jacen was looking at his mother, fear in his eyes at knowing he was in trouble. The red marker in his hand dropped to the floor, evidence maybe he thought his mother might not have seen.

It was one of those moments when she knew that she was supposed to be angry, maybe even furious. Severe punishments needed to be handed out in spite of the fact that all she wanted to do at that very moment was break down and laugh hysterically and take a few holos to record the situation. She instantly wished Han were there so that they could laugh about it later.

The majority of exposed skin on her youngest son's body was covered in red doodles – obviously the work of the five-year old artist who had dropped the marker. His face, his belly, his arms, even his little bare feet were covered in ink as she finally took in his entire appearance.

"See, Mom? Look what Jacen did!" Jaina pointed triumphantly.

Leia took a deep breath to compose herself, finally feeling like she could say a few words without bursting into laughter. "I know, honey." She put on her stern mom-voice. "Jacen, why did you do that to your brother?"

Mischievous brown eyes looked up at her, and for a moment the young boy reminded her an awful lot of her husband when she'd had to yell at him in the past. Where was that stubborn Corellian?

"I thought… I mean, he said it was ok."

"Jacen, your brother is only three years old. He doesn't know what's ok and what's not. Would you like it if he drew all over you?"

Jacen thought for a moment before answering. "Yes?"

Hmmm… wrong question. "All right, since we're all here, I just want everyone to know that it's never ok to draw on anyone, is that understood?" It never ceased to amaze her just how specific one needed to be with young children. What seemed obvious to most was never obvious to these little ones. She loved to blame their impishness on her husband, but the truth was, she knew that she was no perfect angel when she was little, either.

All three of them looked at her and nodded, "Yes, Mom," they said in unison.

"Ok, now, Jacen, I want you to pick up all of the toys and markers in this bedroom while I clean Anakin up. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, Mom."

"What about me, Mom?" Jaina asked. It never failed that if one child was left out of being in trouble they were always incredibly pleased with themselves.

"You just try not to let anyone get into anymore trouble, ok? But don't give Jacen a hard time."

"Ok."

Leia hoisted her youngest son up off the floor and carried him off to the 'fresher to see just how well this marker of Jacen's worked. Once she had him in the tub and started scrubbing with a washcloth, she was glad to see that the marker seemed to come off fairly easily.

"Don't you let your brother or your sister convince you that it's a good idea to be their sketch pad again anytime soon, ok Ani?"

"Ok, Mommy." Anakin was mostly distracted by the bath toys he was darting in and out of the water while his mother continued erasing the evidence of Jacen's artistic abilities.

Suddenly, the blue eyes looked at her while she finished getting the last of the ink from his little nose. "Mommy?"

Her hand cupped his small chin and she stopped scrubbing to look at him. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Where's Daddy?"

She sensed a genuine concern coming from her youngest son. For a three-year old, he had already proven to be particularly perceptive. Han had gone away for days at a time often in their young lives, but they were always informed as to where he was going and when he'd be returning. It wasn't often that there was an unexplained absence… unless he was in trouble. And it frightened her that it seemed that her Force-strong children could often sense their father's pain on some level.

"Daddy just went out for a little while. He'll be back soon. Don't worry."

"Is he with Uncle Chewie?"

She wished he was. "No, Anakin. Uncle Chewie went back to visit Malla for a few days. I think Daddy's just working on the Falcon but he'll be back soon."

She hoped he'd be back soon. Had he finally been pushed too far? Had he actually abandoned his family for good? Leia wasn't sure whether she should be hurt or furious. And she found herself wishing he'd brought up his concerns before they'd gotten him to this point.

You don't think I sometimes feel like I've lost part of myself? Will you please just come back so we can talk about this?

Anakin didn't look convinced at his mother's answer. Leia reached over to throw the switch to drain the tub before grabbing a large towel to wrap her son in. "Come on. Let's get you dressed so you can go play with Jaina and Jacen. I'll see if I can find out when Daddy will be back."

"Ok."

Once the children were playing somewhat quietly in their bedroom, Leia decided it was time to see if she could get in touch with Han. She was growing increasingly impatient with him. His point had been proven. He hadn't come home and she'd noticed. The children had noticed. In spite of her anger, she missed him and she knew the children did too. They'd both said what needed to be said and they needed to resolve things.

When Han failed to answer his comm, Leia grew even more impatient with him. Stop acting like such a child, Han, and come home!

She decided to check and see if the Falcon was still docked, which it was. The security logs indicated that nobody had been in the hangar for at least 48 hours. She thought for sure he would've retreated to the sanctuary of his ship, but that didn't seem to be the case.

So, what, did you go off somewhere and get drunk last night? Are you sleeping on Lando's couch because you're too afraid to come home now? You know what? Maybe we don't need you around here if this is how you're going to treat us. We seem to be doing just fine without you.