a/n: the classic three scene chapter squished between the two-sceners!
12 ABY
Coruscant
The volume in the Solo penthouse could be described in one word: loud. It was pleasantly loud, but loud all the same, and it wasn't necessarily due to any one thing. It was just a general cacophony, the sort that came from having several adults in and out, and three more children than usual.
The Naberries – some of them – were on planet, and though Ryoo had taken her husband's name and generally styled herself as a Vex; Leia still generally referred to all of her biological mother's people collectively as 'the Naberries.'
Ruwee, Jobal, Sola, and Ryoo had traveled to Coruscant to attend an event at which the Queen of Naboo was honoring Pooja. Darred and Whyler had stayed back in Theed – Darred for work, and Whyler because Indy was in debate competitions he didn't want to miss – but at the last minute, Han and Leia had convinced Ryoo to bring the little ones and spend some quality time with Jaina.
Maiah and Iver she had met, of course, when she was about a year old, but she hadn't yet been introduced to Ryoo's last baby, Niaz – and Han and Leia hadn't met him, either. They kept in contact, so it never felt like it was that long since they had last seen the Naberries, but as Leia sat on her sofa watching two-year-old Niaz work on a colour block puzzle on the floor, she found it hard to believe she'd never seen him in person.
"It doesn't feel like it's been that long," she murmured, tilting her head at the little boy.
"Oh, I know," Ryoo sighed. "You know how it is now, especially with your own kid," she said. "The time absolutely flies. I can't believe he's two."
"And Whyler still can't believe he has a fourth baby," Sola joked, coming in from the kitchen.
Leia leaned back, laughing.
"I have apologized," she said primly – Ryoo very often, and very loudly, accused Leia of convincing her she wanted one more baby. Meeting Jaina, and playing with her, had stoked the fever, and about a year after Jaina was born – along came Niaz Vex.
Ryoo blew air out threw her lips, rolling her eyes.
"He loves it," she sang, gesturing at her youngest son. "And he was amazed at how easy this one was compared to the twins," she snorted. "One baby, one diaper, one nap to handle," she listed, whistling lightly. "And, we'd both already done it before, so you're an old pro," she added.
Leia sighed, resting her chin on her palm with her brows raised.
"Here's to hoping," she murmured.
She was happy to give Jaina the chance to interact with her cousins, and always eager to observe her with other children as she and Han prepared for the new baby. Jaina was not around other children her age too often, though Rouge often took her to the child education center at the Alderaanian embassy, to immerse her in Alderaanian language and let her get to know the culture.
Still, more often than not she was with Han, or Yorev, or Chewbacca – Leia just didn't see the need to put her in daycare when they had their own support system, and Jaina's needs could be tricky, when her Force sensitivity was taken into account.
They heard a thud from upstairs – and they had been hearing thuds all day – and all of the women looked up, Sola raising her brow.
"Are we sure Han is okay up there?" she asked dryly.
"Trial by fire," retorted Ruwee, with a small smile.
Han had been upstairs playing with the twins and Jaina for almost an hour, and the thuds were getting suspicious, but no matter how vaguely worried Leia got about them, Ryoo was firmly of the opinion that as long as there was no crying, thudding was better than silence.
"If he can wrangle three by himself, he can wrangle two," Jobal said pleasantly.
Shortly after the Naberries had trickled in, Han had offered to entertain the kids – Maiah and Iver were excited to see him, naturally, and Jaina's attention span was not conducive to sitting around quietly while adults talked. Niaz, however, had some pretty significant stranger aversion, and he'd shied away from Han and wanted to say with his mother.
So here he played, quietly, while the adults talked, and Han practiced being a parent to more than one child at once.
Leia nodded, widening her eyes. She let her hand rest at the top of her abdomen, glancing down thoughtfully. She supposed she was the one who needed more practice with two by herself. Han was into his third week of his temporary re-commission, and there was a chance he'd take on a deployment or two before it was over.
"You've been better lately, haven't you?" Sola asked, crossing her legs. "Pooja mentioned your first trimester was really rough."
Leia sighed, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"It's still rougher than things were with Jaina. The constant nausea has faded, which is the nicest," she said grimly.
"It's fascinating how things vary," Ryoo said, nodding sympathetically. "My pregnancy with Iver was a breeze, and the twins were decent," she nodded down at Niaz. "His was okay, but I had a bunch of obscure symptoms I wasn't used to," she laughed, "and I had never had a delivery that long," she snorted.
Sola laughed.
"I finally got my payback," she crooned smugly. "Forty hours of labor with Ryoo, and I watched her pop out three kids in under four hours each," she gloated.
Ryoo rolled her eyes, waving her hand at her mother to placate her. Niaz turned, and offered a block up to Ryoo.
"Mama, this block. Geen," he said politely.
"Yes it is!" Ryoo said animatedly. "I love green."
Niaz beamed excitedly, and went back to his work. Ryoo sighed.
"We thought he was colour blind, for a little bit, but it's hard to tell when they're that young. He just wasn't learning colors," she said, frowning. "Then, we thought he was just being stubborn – until Whyler caught Indy teaching him the wrong colours."
Leia laughed.
"Like a good older brother," she said. She arched a brow. "I can see Jaina doing something like that," she added dryly. "She's a little trickster."
"A cute one," Sola said. "Leia, that baby is so gorgeous, it's unbelievable."
Leia blushed proudly.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"She's Bail's pride and joy, we know that," Jobal murmured.
Ruwee nodded, and then looked up, peering curiously at the top of the stairs.
"Jaina!" Leia heard Han yell, his voice faraway and muffled.
"Looks like we have a visitor," Ruwee said.
Leia turned, craning her neck. She saw Jaina standing at the top of the stairs, peering though the slats.
"Mama," she called. She yawned, and then took a step.
"Jaina," Leia said sharply. "You come down those stairs like we showed you."
Jaina whined, and slowly slid to her bottom as if she was being tortured. Then, she painstakingly went down the stairs by herself, stair by stair, until she reached the bottom, hopped up, and ran over to the adults.
There was another thud upstairs, and Han yelled something that sounded like – hang on!
He appeared at the stairs a second later, Maiah close at his side.
"Jaina?" he asked.
"We've got her, Han," Jobal said calmly.
Leia tilted her head back.
"I think she's tired," she offered.
"Yeah," Han snorted. "Nap time was two hours ago."
"Han, Iver is going to win," Maiah moaned, grabbing Han's hand.
"Okay, okay."
Han let himself be dragged away, a grin plastered on his face, and Ryoo half-heartedly called after them –
"Maiah, what are you two little monsters doing to him?"
"Nothing, Mommy!" came the muffled response, and Ryoo frowned, glaring up at the stairs landing.
Leia patted the seat next to her gently, and Jaina looked at her hand, and then chose instead to sit down on the floor with Niaz, crossing her legs. She watched him play, and yawned again. Leia let her hand lie still. She was glad Jaina seemed to police herself about her exhaustion today – more often than not, she just got overtired, and went into attitude overdrive.
"Play nicely, Jaina," Leia instructed.
Jaina reached out and patted Niaz's head. He looked up at her and squinted.
"Hi," she said. "What's your name?"
Sola laughed.
"You know his name," Leia snorted. "You're being silly."
"Maybe she forgot," Ruwee said, grinning. "They did just meet."
Niaz said nothing to her, but handed her a block. Jaina shrugged and pushed some of them around, helping him put things together. Leia raised her brows with interest, and leaned back, watching them thoughtfully.
"Well, I don't want to jinx it," she said quietly, "but I hope she's as good with her sibling as she is being right now."
Leia looked up, looking around intently at all the experience – they were here to visit, of course, but she wanted to draw on their experience for the real questions.
"How was it when you introduced a second one to your kids?" she asked the women in general.
Sola sat forward.
"Well, for me, Ryoo and Pooja were so close together, Ryoo just dealt with it," she snorted dryly. "We talked about the baby, and we would tell her it was happening, but," Sola waved vaguely at her daughter. "She didn't get it. Do you remember us bringing Pooja home?" she asked.
Ryoo shook her head, snorting.
"No, Pooja was just always there," she said.
Sola grinned, and put a hand to her chest.
"I very, very vaguely remember Mami and Papi bringing Padmé home," she said smugly. "I think I was about Jaina's age – "
"You were four," Ruwee corrected.
"Ah, well," Sola corrected. "I was a year older than Jaina, then. And I don't really have a firm memory of being told, but I do remember how much she cried at first," she laughed. "And I just got told to go back to bed."
Jobal rolled her eyes kindly.
"Oh, you act so abused," she said lightly. She sat back thoughtfully. "We spent time telling Sola that we were having another baby," she said. "Rather like Sola said, we'd talk about the baby – and we had a name picked out, and knew it was a girl, so we would call her Padmé, and talk about Padmé's room, Padmé's clothes, and such. I don't know if I would say she understood, though."
She looked to Ruwee, and he shrugged.
"Ehh, I don't know," he said. "She started to mention Padmé the way we did, but I think she was just mimicking us. She did seem to understand after we brought Padmé home that she'd lived inside Jobal, but only after."
Leia tilted her head at Jaina, and looked down at her abdomen thoughtfully. She glanced over at Ryoo. Ryoo shrugged.
"Indy was five when I had the twins. So he knew what a baby was, and he had friends who had siblings, and he knew that two would be coming to live with us, so he had the understanding – but we had some adjustment after," she said honestly. "I'd been with Whyler for two years, but somehow I think Indy was still scared he might be replaced, and he acted out. He never bothered the babies, but he conflicted with Whyler sometimes. Jealous, nervous, all that," she explained.
Leia nodded.
"I would not worry about that with Jaina," Ryoo said frankly. "At least, not fear of being sent away," she amended cautiously. "Jealousy is sort of – "
"Par for the course," Sola said flatly. "With Pooja and Ryoo it flared up when they were older, but I think I used to get mad that Padmé got so much attention, especially from my mother," she said honestly.
Ruwee nodded, his brows arching.
Jobal looked over at Sola.
"You used to climb up on me while I was nursing and poke at Padmé's face," she said.
Leia snorted faintly, looking at Jaina again. She could see something like that happening, too. Jaina really did get so much one-on-one attention from everyone, especially Han. She did wonder how she'd react to another child in the home, one that Han was also deeply attached to.
Sharing Han with her cousins was fun, exciting – that was one thing. With a whole second baby –
Leia frowned.
"Is she aware you're having a baby?" Sola asked.
Leia sighed.
"I don't think so," she said. "Han and I have not sat her down and explicitly told her yet," she said, looking up and around. "We talk about having a baby in front of her, but we've been holding off," she admitted.
She hesitated.
"I was waiting until things eased up in the second trimester. I was just so sick that even though I was fine, I was – "
"Worried, of course," Jobal said soothingly. "We've all been there. And it's hard enough to explain new life without having to take it all back if, Sith forbid, the worst happens."
Ryoo sighed, pursing her lips.
"Yes, life is one thing…asking a toddler to deal with death is awful, I don't blame you for waiting."
Leia shrugged.
"She's been affected on and off by how I'm affected," she murmured. "When I'm sick, she's restless, when I'm irritable, she's more hyperactive – depending on how well I can mediate my emotions. I can't tell if she's strong enough to sense the new baby, and Luke isn't sure if she does, either."
Leia bit her lip.
"If she does, she doesn't know, or understand, what it is, or what it means."
"Ah, the bliss of youth," Sola said dryly.
Ryoo grinned.
"We're going to tell her soon," Leia murmured, watching Jaina play with Niaz. "Han and I have been back and forth on whether we want to keep Jaina's room as Jaina's room, or use it as a nursery and rotate them out," she said. "I've read some things, and on one hand, there's the idea that kicking her out of her space and bringing a new baby home is a lot of change at once, but giving her a new room to help make her own might ease the transition," she trailed off.
"Eh, maybe if she was a lot older," Jobal said calmly. "At her age, you should do what's best for you," she advised. "If the current nursery is closer, maybe that works. Or if it's the biggest room," she shrugged. "It might be fair to let Jaina stay in there, as she's oldest. Less fighting later."
"Oh, that's an idea," Leia murmured. She looked up wryly. "That room has the best little window seat. It reminds me of one I had on Alderaan," she admitted. "I do tend to think of it as Jaina's room, not merely the nursery."
Jobal nodded.
"Proximity doesn't matter. I kept Jaina with me until she outgrew the bassinet. I think I'll do the same again," she added.
"I certainly got more sleep that way," Ryoo said, whistling. "Just rolling over and sticking a tit in his mouth was great."
"Ryoo," Ruwee muttered with a scowl, rolling his eyes.
"Gran-Papa, don't get offended when I use slang to talk about nurturing a child," she retorted.
He rolled his eyes again.
"Winter's almost full term at this point," Leia added, "and I thought it might be nice to introduce Jaina to a newborn that way."
"Ohhh, that's a good idea," Ryoo said. "I'd have loved to expose Indy to a newborn before we brought the twins home – luckily Maiah and Iver had met Jainy."
Jaina turned around at the sound of her name.
"I'm Jaina," she said smugly.
"Yes, you are," Ryoo said, with a hearty clap of her hands. "Jaina what?" she asked.
"Vane," she answered.
Leia laughed.
"Han calls her Jainy-Vaine sometimes," she said. "She doesn't know her full second name yet."
"Well, come here, Jainy-Vaine, and let me snuggle you," Ryoo said.
Jaina got up and sauntered over obediently.
There was a thud from upstairs, this time followed by a resounding crash. Every adult in the sitting room looked up at the ceiling, as the sounds were followed by an unusually suspicious silence.
A moment later, Iver and Maiah came tearing down the stairs.
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Ryoo snapped, glaring at them over Jaina's head. "What did you do? What happened?" she demanded scarily. "Where's Uncle Han?"
"He's upstairs," Iver said. "Can I have some juice?" he asked, turning to Leia.
"Yes," she started to get up.
Ruwee hissed at her and waved her down, standing up and beckoning to his great-grandson. He took him into the kitchen, and Maiah climbed up on the couch next to Leia, looking smug.
"Han tripped over something, but he's fine," she said. "Iver tied his boot laces together when he wasn't looking."
Leia burst out laughing, cocking her head to listen to footsteps upstairs.
"Han, are you alive?" she yelled.
"Maiah Vex!" snapped Ryoo, picking Jaina up and sitting her on her hip. "You and your brother cannot - we are guests in this home, and Uncle Han is old, you can't just knock him over – "
"Who you callin' old, Ryoo?" Han grumbled, coming down the stairs. He was clad only in socks, now, and he shot a glare at Maiah. "And you had me thinkin' you were the sweet one, huh?" he accused, crouching down behind the couch. He poked her in the shoulder gently, then ruffled her hair and stood up, moving over and placing his hands on Leia's shoulders.
Ryoo was still glaring at her daughter, offended, and Han shook his head.
"Ah, s'no big deal," he said. "We were playin'. They got the best of me."
Ryoo still glared.
"You're good with them, Han," Sola said fondly, sitting back and crossing her legs again. "I don't know how they didn't burn you out after ten minutes."
Han shrugged, rubbing Leia's shoulders.
"He likes kids," Leia murmured, glancing up at him.
"Kids make sense," Han said bluntly. He looked over at Niaz. "Don't they, buddy?" he asked.
"Think your next will be a boy?" Jobal asked.
Ruwee came back into the kitchen with Iver, who slunk over to Maiah's side wryly, snickering at Han. Han pretended to glare at him angrily.
"Dunno, Leia's gonna withhold that information from me," Han answered brightly.
Leia just rolled her eyes.
"Oh, what was that about rotating 'them' through?" Ryoo asked suddenly, snapping her fingers. "Them?" she asked. "Twins?"
"No," Leia said emphatically, and then shrugged. "I only meant that, well," she pointed at her abdomen. "This won't be our last," she said simply.
"Do you mind if I ask how many you want?" Jobal queried.
Leia pursed her lips and hesitated.
"We're going to have three," she said.
Sola glanced up slyly at Han.
"You want four, don't you?" she asked.
Han shrugged; he crouched down again, and rested his head on the back of the couch, looking over at Leia contently. He'd thrown out that number, but they had agreed on three.
"Wee-eell," drawled Sola, "here's to hoping you don't get twins on the third try."
"Ruwee, will you find me something to throw at her?" Leia asked her grandfather pleasantly.
He laughed. Ryoo grinned, and stroked Jaina's hair, kissing her cheek. Niaz looked up, saw the affection his mother was lavishing on another child, and squawked in annoyed confusion. He launched a block into the air, and it rocketed right into the side of Jaina's head.
Startled, Jaina stared at him, clutching her temple. She looked around.
"No one react," Han said pointedly. "She's fine. Don't make her think she should – "
Niaz got up, toddled over, and grabbed Jaina's foot. She kicked at him, and he fell back on his bottom, shocked.
"No touch without ask," Jaina screamed at him.
Niaz started to cry.
"Ugh, shut up, Niaz," Maiah wined.
Chaos broke out. Seeing the look on Ryoo's face, Sola got up and grabbed Jaina, removing her from the cluster of jealous, and Ryoo swept Niaz up, rolling her eyes, looking to Leia apologetically.
"Is he okay?" Leia asked, concerned. "Jaina," she snapped, narrowing her eyes.
Jaina's face blanched at the tone.
"But he touch without ask!" she wailed.
Leia hesitated – she wanted Jaina to react to unwelcome touching that way, but – Niaz was a toddler, too, and –
"Oh, for Sith's sake, he's fine – calm down, Niaz – "
Han went over to tend to Jaina, and Leia sat up, catching Jobal's eye through all the chaos. Her grandmother smiled at her, genteel and warm, and lifted her shoulders as if to say – it's a circus, but it's beautiful.
It was always anyone's guess whether the bedtime routine would be an adorable, peaceful affair, or something more akin to trench warfare on Hoth. Sometimes Jaina loved baths and pajamas and brushing her teeth, and other times she acted like she was being methodically tortured.
This particular evening was an in-betweener; Jaina was alert and kind of rowdy, but she was engaging in the routine fine. After her bath, she was quasi-submitting to her hair being combed out. Wrapped in her fuzzy terry-towel robe, with the hood and the ears, She sat in between Leia's knees on the window seat of her room, playing with one of the books Leia had told her they would read in juuuust a minute.
She was extending bedtime a little longer than she'd planned. She and Han were telling Jaina about the baby tonight, as she'd had her viability ultrasound – what Dr. Mellis called the one that took place beyond the threshold at which early labor would be a death sentence – and everything was on track.
Han was just –
"Where's Daddy?" Jaina asked.
Leia glanced over at the colourful chrono hanging on the wall.
"Oh, he's on his way," she said breezily. "It's strange when Daddy's the one who works late, huh?" she asked.
Jaina nodded. She flipped through her book.
"But you like spending time with Mama, right?" Leia asked.
Jaina nodded, interfering with Leia's attempts to gently comb, but warming her heart all the time. She yawned, still poking through her book.
"No more brush," she said a little grumpily, trying to pull away.
"Hm-mm," Leia chastised gently, pulling her back. "A few more minutes," she bargained.
"Then book?"
"We're going to have a little talk when Daddy gets home," she said.
"No, thanks," Jaina said.
Leia laughed. She heard a noise downstairs, and a few seconds later, a blue and green mass of feathers went dashing past the doorway, chirping excitedly. Zozy, having heard it, too, was performing his excitable greet-the-humans routine, which he always engaged in as if he had truly never expected to see them again.
A second later, Leia heard Han's muffled, affectionate swearing. Zozy had an, ah, endearing habit of darting in and out of the legs, constantly tripping Han. Jaina, perking her head up at the sounds, leapt to her feet with surprising agility.
She ripped the comb through her own hair, and then gave a protracted, wounded shriek, turning to glare at Leia, her lips falling into a pout. Leia blinked at her, raising her eyebrows.
"Jaina, if you sit still while I brush, that will never happen," she informed her.
Jaina frowned and massaged the back of her head. She took a few steps back and leaned against the wall.
"Daddy's home," she said.
"Yes, and he'll come right up here, I promise."
Jaina stuck her tongue out, and turned to take a flying leap off the seat. Leia lunged forward swiftly and grabbed her around the waist, catching her. Jaina sighed dramatically, bowing her head glumly when she was placed back on the seat.
"Wait," Leia ordered.
Jaina scowled.
"He's not going anywhere," Leia negotiated.
Jaina gnashed her teeth. Leia leaned back slowly, pressing her hand to her ribs – that was probably the last heroic Mom-lunge she'd undertake for a while. She wasn't necessarily huge yet, but she was certainly showing more than she had with Jaina at this stage.
A few moments later, Han walked into the room, having divested himself of shoes and jacket. Zozy pranced at his heels smugly, hopping over to the window seat to swish his tail at Jaina happily.
Jaina sat up straight when Han walked in, and looked about to bound off the window seat. She eyed him for a minute, and then shrugged and sat back, waving at Zozy and patting her seat so he'd jump up with her.
Leia snorted.
"Jaina look, it's Daddy," she coaxed. She looked over at Han. "A second ago she tried to race Zozy to see you," she added.
Han gave Jaina a look.
"Jainy," he called.
She gave him a piercing look.
"He look the same," she said decisively.
Han blinked, taken aback. He looked at Leia quizzically, and she arched her brows, curious herself.
"Hmm?" she asked. "Of course he does," she said, catching Jaina's eye. "Why did you think he would look different?"
Jaina gave Leia a serious look.
"Well, I don't know," she said, and then turned to press kisses to Zozy's face. "Hi, Zozy," she said, and picked a handful of feathers from his tail.
"Hey," Han drawled, strolling closer. He picked Jaina up, sat down, and put her on his lap, clicking his tongue. "No plucking Zozy, Jaina," he reminded her. "What if someone just snatched all your hair off your head?"
Jaina slid the feathers behind her ears and preened. Zozy swished his tail wildly happily, obliviously unconcerned with the plucking. He had been good with Jaina since the day she was born, more often than not sleeping in her nursery, just under her crib, ever since Jaina had been moved out of the master bedroom.
Jaina crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Mommy pluck all my hairs," she accused.
Han grinned. Leia handed him the brush.
"She brought it on herself, but you try," she said, sighing without malice.
Han kissed Jaina's head, and then began to brush gently. Jaina sat back smugly, reaching over to pat Zozy as she was pampered. Han settled back, tilting his head back to look at Leia.
"That strategy meeting ran late last minute," he said dryly. "Sorry about – "
Leia waved her hand, clicking her tongue airily.
"No, don't apologize, Han. We both know we don't deliberately stay away from family, so no apologies about work," she reminded him.
He nodded. He was still getting used to it, though. Thus far, his re-commission had been almost entirely Coruscant based; strategizing, planning, directing very realistic training runs – but in the upcoming weeks he'd be off on a short deployment, and they were both anxious to see how Jaina would handle it.
Of course, Han was also anxiously worried about Leia handling it, but she just rolled her eyes and pointed out she'd handled worse. More often than not, she felt relief that Han had found something that meant something to him, and he was working again – still on his own terms, and in a way that suited him.
No matter how many times he said he had no problem being essentially the stay at home parent, she always wondered – and maybe that was a matter of her projecting what would be her own issues onto him but still, she wondered. And she felt it was important for him to stay involved in something even while the children were little, because surely he'd get bored when they were all in school and, further down the line, out of the house.
"Did they decide how long the deployment would be?" Leia asked.
"Definitely two weeks, no longer than four," Han said gruffly.
Leia waved her hand.
"Easily manageable," she murmured.
She had wrung a promise out of Carlist that he'd do everything in his power to make sure Han was planet side for his second child's birth, and she knew Carlist would make that happen for her unless it was absolutely necessary Han be gone.
"You're still kind of sick some days, though," Han said reluctantly, working out the remaining knots at the ends of Jaina's hair gently. "Lot more than last time."
"Well, I've survived before, being sick while you were gone for long periods of time," she said mildly. "Months, as it used to be. During Reconstruction."
"Sick?" Han asked. "You weren't sick then."
"Not physically," Leia muttered.
He tilted his head, thinking about that, and then nodded. She had a point – given the adjustment struggles they'd had in the months after the final battles of the war, and after Bail's rescue, he imagined she'd been in her own personal hell by herself during all of the time apart, too.
"Believe me," Leia said dryly, "this kind of sick is much more bearable."
Han grunted.
"So, we gotta break that news to Jainy, too," he said quietly. "Me bein' gone."
Leia nodded.
"We will," she soothed. "One thing at a time – frankly, Han, as much as she adores you, her concept of time passing is still on our side," she comforted.
"Yeah," Han muttered, setting the brush aside and bending to kiss the top of Jaina's head again. "All done," he announced.
Jaina threw her head back and beamed.
"Now we read?" she asked. She swiveled her head. "You both read?" she asked, brightening ecstatically.
"In a minute," Leia agreed. "Daddy and I want to tell you something!"
Jaina straightened up a little, looking at Leia curiously.
"Present?" she asked.
Han snorted.
"No," he drawled. "Well, kinda," he added. "Depends on how you look at it."
Jaina folded her arms, a perfect little picture of impatience, and Leia nodded at Han – he'd told her he wanted to be the one to tell her. Han straightened up a little and looked down at Jaina seriously, raising his brows.
"So," he started. "You know Uncle Luke, right?" he started. "Mama's big brother?"
Leia rolled her eyes at the mention of Luke's seniority – still rubbed her the wrong way, after all of these years.
Jaina shrugged.
"Twin," she said knowingly.
"Yeah," Han agreed, nodding. "Well, what'd you think about having somethin' like your own Luke?" he asked.
Jaina patted her chest, staring at him.
"Twin?" she asked. "Another Jaina?"
Han blinked.
"Huh? Uh, no, not a twin," he said hastily. "That's – no, you can't have a twin, 'cause – "
Leia feigned clapping, tilting her head back to stifle laughter. She gave Han a thumb up signal, and he glared at her, shaking his head with a mock scowl.
"Let's start over," he mumbled. "No, Jaina – here, you remember Maiah and Iver?" he asked.
Jaina nodded.
"Twins," she insisted.
Leia laughed outright.
"You really picked a running theme there," she teased.
Han narrowed his eyes at her.
"Sounds like everyone wants you to have twins," he retorted.
Leia gave a soft groan, and sat forward a little. She tickled Jaina's foot.
"Pay attention to Daddy, honey," she coaxed, and Jaina turned and looked at him seriously, listening hard. Han met her eyes, raising his brows again.
"You," he said gruffly, touching her nose, "are going to be a big sister," he said. "Big sister," he repeated carefully. "Like Maiah is Niaz's big sister."
Jaina squinted at him. She put her knuckles under her chin in a serious thinking pose, staring at him for a long time, until Han flicked his eyes up warily, and tilted his head at Leia.
"You think she gets it?" he asked under his breath. "Or is she pissed?"
"Han, that's a word on the list," Leia reminded him.
"Oh, c'mon," he griped, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Jaina, and bounced her a little. "What do you think about that?" he asked. "Huh? Me and Mama are going to bring home another baby."
Leia sat forward some more, gently catching Jaina's attention. She held her hands out, and they placed Jaina between them. Leia took Jaina's hand and rested it on her abdomen, pressing the tiny palm against her.
"Feel this," she said gently. "Be very patient, and still," she added – she knew the baby was awake.
She was calm and at peace and – Leia startled suddenly, blinking, and lifting her head sharply, her eyes flickering.
"What?" Han asked sharply, noticing the expression. "You okay? Leia?"
She caught her breath, gently reaching out again – she? Leia had never automatically assigned sex to this one before, just as she hadn't with Jaina – was that an intuitive assumption, or was she being told something?
She hesitated, pursing her lips.
She felt movement, a sleepy kick, and Jaina cocked her head, letting out a shrill giggle. She drew her hand back and flexed her fingers. She pointed.
"Daddy," she squealed, laughing. "Dancing," she decided, naming what she'd felt.
Han grinned. He swept her up and hugged her, nodding.
"Yeah, it's incredible, huh?" he asked, animated. "That's a baby," he said. "You were in there once," he said, "now there's a new baby."
Leia ran her hand over the spot, her fingers moving gently, her sensitivity turned inwards. Gently, she ran a welfare check over herself, wondering if she'd feel that certainty again – and unsure if it was because this baby was just more talkative, in the Force sense, than Jaina had been, or if Leia herself was more preemptive earlier on, due to experience.
"S'gonna be a baby brother, or sister – "
"Sister," Leia said, looking up and catching his eye firmly. "Sister," she said again.
Han paused, looking over. His eyes widened a little.
"Yeah?" he asked slowly.
Leia nodded, leaning back. She pushed her hand back through her hair, biting her lip softly.
"Yeah," she said. "It's another girl."
"You just know?" Han asked.
"She," Leia emphasized primly, "just told me. Us," she added. She laughed softly. "She's telling us."
Han looked down at her abdomen, a grin caught on his face.
"Well, we better get it right for her then," he said huskily, turning to look at Jaina with mock sternness. "You're gonna have a little sister," he said quietly.
Jaina reached up and scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm," she hummed, staring at him. She swiveled and pointed at Leia's abdomen, her brows going up curiously. "More Jaina?" she asked, her voice high, and piping.
Han snorted.
"S'a good way to put it," he decided, touching her cheek with his nose. "Sure, Jainy," he said. "More Jaina," he quoted smugly.
Leia rested her head back against the wall, smiling fondly. Jaina leaned back into Han, and gave an exaggerated, loud yawn, smacking her lips. She grabbed the book she'd been fixated on since the end of bath time.
"Read book now?" she whined.
Han stroked her hair to placate her, and Leia shifted forward, holding her hands out. Jaina shifted herself over to Leia, draping herself into the crook of Leia's arm.
"You want me to read?" Leia asked, snuggling her closer. "Or," she said, looking up at Han slyly. "Daddy can read to us both," she suggested.
Jaina gave an excited gasp.
"Yes, Daddy read," she said, waving at him. She scrunched her nose, and gave him a pleading, adorable look. "Daddy read. Voices," she added seriously. She pointed at him. "Make funny voices."
"Yes, Han," Leia insisted, pursing her lips in the same pout. "Read us funny voices."
Han shook his head at her, slouching back, and flipping through the book to see which one it was. He rolled his eyes affectionately – he was pretty sure that for a year now, they hadn't read anything but this damn fairytale, one particular to Alderaan. Rouge had given it to Jaina for her second birthday, and they read it so much that Han could even read it in Alderaanian now, with almost perfect accent.
Before he started, though, he paused.
"You think she gets it?" he asked quietly, his eyes searching Leia's earnestly.
Serenely, she merely shrugged. Now that they had introduced the subject, Leia would work with Jaina gently over the next few months to try to connect her to the essence of the life, and get her used to its particular signature. It would likely prove to be eye-opening work – and she was sure Luke would be interested in it.
She felt little anxiety over it at the moment, though. Families expanded all the time. She felt, quite contently, that things would fall into place.
Han gave her a quiet grin, and flipped to the first page of the book. Making a show of getting ready, he settled in, and cleared his throat dramatically – and he began, in a charming, showy tone, for the thousandth time, to read Noura of the Castle Lands.
Languid, hazy afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of the maternity ward. The column of light fell in a way that glittered off Winter's white-blonde hair like a halo, creating an angelic vision of new motherhood. Knowing Winter would find such a description saccharine, it was hard to resist pointing that out to tease her - and yet, Leia remained silent. Standing at Winter's side, she let a few moments pass to bear silent witness to the miracle of the scene - and it wasn't, blasphemous as it might seem, the miracle of childbirth that captivated Leia - it was the fact that Winter was here at all; it was the knowledge that she and this woman, her sister in all but blood, her best friend, had found themselves in a position to raise their daughters alongside each other.
It was one of those fleeting, schoolroom childhood fantasies that had once been a devastating impossibility, one of the potential dreams ripped away from Leia and left to rot in Alderaan's wreckage, and now it was an endless, tangible horizon, brought back to her as extraordinarily as her father had been brought back to her. Scheming, frivolous nursery memories bubbled to the front of her mind, and Leia thought of all the times when they were very young that she and Winter had played tricks and leaned lessons and run from nannies and braided each other's hair - and here, before her, was possibly a second generation of that, and not even the vast difference between then and now could take the humbling brightness of such a thought out of Leia's heart.
She remained quiet, for a little while after Tycho led her in, touching Winter's shoulder gently, and looking between the two new parents, basking in the serendipity, in vicarious joy for them, in the fond memory of when she'd been a new mother, when Jaina was born three years ago, and in anticipation of when she'd do this again in a few month's time.
Finally, she bent to kiss the top of Winter's head affectionately, squeezing her shoulder, and leaning against the bed lightly as she gave an approving nod to Tycho, as well.
"She's gorgeous," Leia complimented sincerely. She let her hand slide down Winter's arm, and delicately ran a finger over the snug little cap on the newborn's head.
"She's very pink," Tycho said proudly, folding his arms. He laughed breathlessly. "Winty hates pink," he noted, his voice soft, and affectionate.
"Hmm," Winter sighed, shifting her arms every so gently. "This is more of a lively red flush," she argued smartly.
Tycho laughed, unfolding his arms and sliding them into his pockets. His movements were restless; full of anticipation, excited, nervous, and uncertain. When he'd come out to meet Leia and lead her back with him, he'd said sheepishly that he knew he drove Winter crazy throughout the delivery, but she seemed as content as could be, and not at all irritated with her husband.
Their baby girl had been born in the early hours of the morning before sunrise, healthy and happy, after a handful of minor to intermediate complications, the updates on which had kept Leia herself anxious and awake all night - to Han's chagrin. Leia worried about Winter, Tycho, and their new baby; Han worried about Leia and his new baby, and it was a few hours on end of calm anticipation and tense waiting - and with a sign of relief, all was well in the end.
Her name was Marisol, and Leia was meeting her for the first time hours after she had been born, having given Winter and Tycho time to bond and recuperate a little and mentally prepare for visitors. Bail had gone to the Med Centre to wait, as he had for Leia, but in general Leia felt it best not to crowd around and had given them their space. She and Han had made their way over, with Jaina in tow, and at first Han had stayed back to take Jaina through a specialized health screening before she was allowed back to meet the baby.
Leia knew - and Winter would come to find out - that there were plenty of warlike mommy soldiers out there who would probably clutch their pearls at the idea of a germy three-year-old meeting a newborn, but Winter was laid back, the medic had cleared it as long as Jaina was cleared of microbes and washed her hands, and Leia loved the idea of using this as a way to get Jaina really acclimated to the idea of a tiny new baby.
They'd be taking their newborn home to a germy three-year-old and a feathery little mooka in a few months, anyway, so judgement be damned.
"Tycho," Winter murmured, looking up. "Why don't you go see if Jaina's cleared, and bring her and Han back?"
"Sure, babe," Tycho agreed. He started to move away, searching her face earnestly. "Want me to grab anything else? Water, herbal juice...?" he offered.
"Flavored ice chips," Winter requested, wrinkling her nose a little. "I feel a little nauseous," she murmured.
"Might be an effect of the epidural," Leia offered.
Tycho nodded. He hung by the edge of the bed for a moment, peering down at his daughter, then grinned widely, and ran a hand over his jaw before he turned on his heel and hurried out after the task. Winter looked up, watching him with a lopsided, fond smile, and when the door to her recovery room closed neatly, she gave Leia a wry look.
"Did he get lost trying to find you and bring you back?" she asked knowingly.
Leia bit her lip, gave an apologetic wince at betraying Tycho, and nodded.
Winter clicked her tongue, smiling.
"I knew it," she said, and then looked down at her daughter, reaching in to tickle her chin just slightly. "I knew it. Daddy is a mess."
Leia tilted her head.
"How's mom?" she asked intently, nodding at Winter.
Winter let her head fall back, her eyes wide. She pursed her lips, sniffing in disbelief.
"'Mom,'" she quoted. "There's a concept," she murmured. "Do you ever get used to it?" she asked.
"You get used to having that particular word screamed at you in many different iterations and decibels," Leia snorted. She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "But, do you get 'used to it,'...well," she shrugged. "Every day with Jaina is something new, something I'm not used to, because I haven't done it yet, and sometimes when she's crying and she reaches to me for comfort, I can't tell you how much it scares me that she sees me as her savior, but," Leia winked, and rested her hand on her abdomen. "I'll let you know if I'm used to it when I'm on the second baby."
Winter laughed.
"Sit down," she urged. "Sit, Leia, I know you're back's hurting," she noted. "Mine still is, and mine's out now," she griped.
"Oh, that, you get used to," Leia said dryly.
Again, Winter laughed, and Leia did perch on the edge of the bed, leaning her shoulder into her friend's. She looked down at the contently sleeping baby, bending her head forward to admire it more. Marisol Celchu had the edges of Winter's maternity braid - a traditional classic style that she'd had Rouge do right before she went to the Med Centre - pinched in her tiny clenched fingers, oblivious to the scrutiny.
"She's got the most incredible blue eyes," Winter murmured softly. "I read that all human babies tend to have blue-ish eyes, but hers - "
"They'll stay blue," Leia agreed preemptively. "If they're anything like yours, they're dominant," she added admiringly - as a girl, she'd always been jealous of Winter's icy, piercing blue-gray eyes. As a woman, she'd come to love her own for the things they'd seen, and the biological mother they connected her to - but it did thrill her a little to know there'd be another little girl with Winter's stunning eyes.
Winter smiled. She nudged Leia's shoulder, and Leia put her arm around Winter's shoulders, inching closer with a content sigh.
"You did it," she sang softly.
"Mmhm," Winter murmured. She glanced at Leia, arching a brow. "Can I tell you the awful thing I'm thinking?"
"Of course," Leia said. "In fact, now you have to. My interest is piqued."
Winter arched an eyebrow. She lowered her voice.
"I'm sitting here, gazing at her, admiring her," she said, "thinking...I could have had the same result if I had adopted one," she whispered.
Leia tilted her head back and laughed.
"Winter, never stop being you," she said.
Winter flushed.
"You aren't going to chastise me?"
"Over being resentful of what pregnancy does to you?" Leia asked. She shook her head, straightening her chin. "No, of course not," she said gently.
She squeezed Winter's shoulder tightly.
"It wouldn't be entirely the same," she offered. "If you had adopted, Marisol wouldn't have those gorgeous blue eyes of yours. Or Tycho's silly ears," she added wryly, pointing down at the baby.
"I know, I know," Winter whispered sheepishly, peering down at the sleeping infant. "The pregnancy, the birth, though," she sighed, and Leia turned her head, kissing Winter's temple gently.
She felt for her. Winter, who had so easily known she wanted children, who had always been a little amusingly squeamish about the process – she'd had such a difficult pregnancy, littered with scares and false alarms, bed rest, blood pressure issues, she'd been miserable, hated the physicality of it – and then to finally come to the moment of delivery, when it would all be over, and having to confront the fear and uncertainty of a breech birth – it felt unfair.
Winter pursed her lips ruefully.
"I only mean that I wonder if I might have had a more wonderful time preparing for her if I hadn't been so miserable," she murmured. She looked over at Leia again. "Of course, I'm not saying I don't love her. More than anything – "
"Yes," Leia said. "I understand."
"It doesn't seem like you hate pregnancy," Winter noted, nodding at Leia's abdomen. Her eyes searched Leia's with curiosity, and Leia rested a hand on the curve of her abdomen thoughtfully.
"Well, this one has been rougher," she admitted thoughtfully. "No, I don't hate it," she murmured. "That doesn't mean I love it, though," she added frankly. "It's an experience. It's a fact of life. It's difficult and for a little while you don't belong to you, but," she sighed. "There is something powerful to it."
Winter nodded.
"It is powerful," she said huskily.
Marisol began to stir, and Winter lifted her to her shoulder, running her palm gently over the baby girl's back to soothe her.
"I think I struggled more with the loss of owning my body, so to speak, than I thought I would," she said softly. Her brow furrowed. "I felt trapped. And then I would think about…being trapped, after Alderaan," she said. "Odd."
Leia nodded, her head cocked with interest. She let her head fall back so she could watch Marisol's sleepy face as the baby looked around, eyes unfocused and barely open.
"Keep an eye on yourself, Winter," Leia murmured. "Take care. Post-partum can be a really hard time. Rewarding," she noted, "but so hard."
"Thanks, Leia," Winter said sincerely, her voice soft. She turned her head, and kissed the baby's cheek. "I already told Tycho I think I'd prefer to adopt next time," she said. "Do you think that's strange?"
Leia shook her head.
"Winter, if you want more children, but you don't want to be pregnant, then do what's right for you," she said honestly. "Having a baby with the man you love is incredible, but so is giving a home to a baby who doesn't have one. We both know that."
Winter nodded, and Leia gave her a teasing poke in the shoulder.
"Just remember, if you adopt one from a homicidal maniac, try not to let it find out unexpectedly."
Winter laughed huskily. Marisol started to fuss a little, and Winter shifted her back into a cradle. She loosened her gown a little, and shifted Winter towards her breast, frowning.
"The nurse showed me how to do this," she said. "I don't know if it's me, or her, who can't get the hang of it."
After a moment, Winter looked up.
"Will you help?" she asked.
"Mmhmm," Leia said, shifting a little.
She removed her arm from Winter's shoulder, and gently cupped Marisol's head, guiding her. She bit her lip, eyeing the baby for a moment, and then nodded at Winter's hand.
"Tickle her feet," she said.
Winter looked amused.
"What?"
Leia nodded, reemphasizing what she'd said. Winter looked skeptical, but gently tickled Marisol's feet. The baby blinked, a little more alert, and began rooting more enthusiastically.
"You have to wake them up sometimes," Leia said, grinning.
She helped Winter adjust the baby more comfortably, and then sat back, this time facing Winter. Winter sighed in relief, and then leaned back, more relaxed.
"Did you struggle learning to feed Jaina?" she asked.
"Not at first," Leia said. "She was easy until she was five months old or so. Then she just," Leia shrugged, sighed. "It was like she forgot. It was harder after that."
"You kept doing it, though," Winter noted.
Leia shrugged again.
"I have a love-hate relationship with it," she said dryly. "Right now I miss it. I'm sure I'll feel differently once I'm doing it again."
She watched Winter a moment, and then arched a brow.
"Want to hear a secret?" she asked.
Winter eyed her, and nodded.
Leia pursed her lips.
"A fed baby is a happy baby. No matter how they're fed."
Winter smiled at her slyly. She looked down at Marisol, watching her nurse. Leia lifted her chin, looking at Winter intently.
"I'm so happy for you, Winter," she said, "and so proud."
Winter looked up, her expression reflective.
"I'm glad I did this. I'm glad I had the experience of carrying her, delivering her…I don't think I'd trade that," she murmured, "but I don't need to ever do it again."
Leia laughed.
"Fair enough. Oh," she added, perking up. "Her second name, what is it? Did you go with Sheltay after all?" she asked.
There had been some indecision, she knew. Winter shrugged.
"After a fashion," she said. "We shortened it to Tay," she said. "Marisol Tay Celchu."
"Lovely," Leia said.
The door to the suite began to open, and Tycho stepped in, peering around at them. Leia straightened a little, holding up her hand to indicate he should pause.
"I'll have Han wait until you're – "
"Oh, it's okay if he comes in," Winter said, waving a hand flippantly. "Unless you're not okay with it," she added, snorting.
"I actually have a recurring nightmare in which Han sees you breastfeeding and immediately divorces me and runs off with you," Leia said, deadpan.
Winter rolled her eyes.
"Let them in," she said. "I can't wait to see Jaina meet this baby."
Leia beamed. She got up, and beckoned to Tycho after all, gesturing him in. He led Han in, and a few moments later, Jaina trotted in at Han's heels, clearly sulking. Leia glanced at her, amused, as she pulled over tow chairs for herself and Han.
Tycho was quick to return to Winter's side, sitting down net to her gingerly and leaning over.
"Hey, look at her eat!" he praised.
"Leia helped me," Winter murmured.
Han came to stand beside Leia, crossing his arms. Leia tilted her head up.
"What's wrong with the princess?" she asked in a low voice.
"Ah," Han sorted. "She didn't like the smell of the soap the nurse washed her hands with," he said solemnly.
"Hmm," Leia hummed, clicking her tongue. "I hope she forgives us."
"Will not," Jaina mumbled at her grumpily.
Leia smirked, and Han then seemed to notice she was till standing. He glared at her, and pointed to a chair, and Leia rolled her eyes and took a seat. She was by no means far enough along to need to stay off her feet, but her feet did hurt –
Han stepped forward before taking his seat, boldly looking down.
"Nicely done," he said smugly, nodding at both Winter and Tycho. "Cute little thing. Said her name's Marisol?" he asked.
"Yes," Tycho said. "Marisol was a species of snow flower on Alderaan. Grew in the mountains."
Han nodded.
"Snow flower. Snow, Winter. Marisol," he noted. "Clever."
"Mommy," Jaina piped up, sidling up.
Curiosity had clearly gotten the best of her, and she'd gone from pouting, to peering around. She rose on her tiptoes, and Leia reached for her, helping her up onto her lap. Han took a step back and sat down, turning to Jaina seriously.
"R'member what we talked about, Jainy?" he asked. "Aunt Winter had a baby, and you're going to meet her. You got to be real gentle."
Jaina nodded, peering forward. Leia helped her stand up on her lap, but held her loosely around the waist, waiting.
"Let her finish nursing," she murmured, and looked over Jaina's shoulder to Tycho. "I hear you got a little light-headed," she teased gently.
Tycho laughed.
"Well, see," he blustered. "I was all ready to see a head, I was prepared for that. I got ready to help deliver her, so I'd be the first person she met, like Winter said you told her was good, and there was a foot sticking out," he trailed off, shaking his head. "All's well that ends well," he finished.
Winter grinned, finishing up. She neatly tucked her gown back down, and Tycho leaned over and propped two pillows under her arm so Marisol was elevated. Leia scooted forward a little, and Han pulled his chair closer, leaning on the bed.
"Jaina," he said gruffly, nodding at the baby. "This is Marisol. She's a baby," he introduced bluntly.
Jaina stared at Han while he spoke, and then turned back to eye the scene quietly, eyes wide with fascination. She leaned forward, bracing her palms on the bed and looking down at the drowsy baby.
"You see her?" Leia asked softly, speaking in Jaina's ear. "See Aunt Winter's new baby?"
"Ba-by," Jaina said softly, peeking forward. "Baaa-by," she cooed thoughtfully.
Leia let her lean forward even more, holding her loosely. Jaina placed her small hands on the edge of the bed and clutched at the heavy hospital blanket tucked around Winter. She stared down at the crook of Winter's arm, looking up hesitantly.
Winter nodded at her, her face bright.
"You can touch her," she encouraged gently. She pointed to the baby's head. "You can give her a little pat, or a kiss," she said. She mimed leaning down and kissing Marisol's forehead lightly.
Jaina turned to look at Leia, and Leia nodded. Han leaned back a little, resting his elbows on his knees, watching with interest. Jaina bent forward, gazing down at Winter's baby curiously, and clicked her tongue. The baby stirred slightly; she yawned, and closed her eyes. Jaina reached out and gently patted her entire palm over the baby's face. Leia frowned, and took her wrist lightly, moving it so that Jaina was patting the crown of the baby's head.
Winter laughed quietly. Han snorted.
"At least she didn't smack her," he offered dryly.
"Baby," Jaina repeated, sitting back a little. She pointed, and twisted to look up at Leia. "Baby?"
Leia nodded.
"That's a baby," she agreed brightly. She ducked her head closer, pointing. "We're going to have one, too," she murmured, hoping maybe Jaina would really understanding. "A little baby, just like this one, remember what Daddy and I told you?"
Jaina looked at Han. Han nodded at her, reaching up to tickle her foot. Jaina smiled. She cocked her head, and Leia sat back a little, shifting Jaina over to Han's lap. He took her, and Leia beckoned, taking Jaina's palm.
She pressed it against her abdomen, reaching out to nudge the new baby gently. She was awake, she had been all morning, but she'd been calm and quietly for the most part. When she felt Leia's touch, she somersaulted a little, and Leia pressed Jaina's hand tighter, then very carefully reaching out to touch Jaina's mind as well.
Jaina blinked hard, and went very still. She wavered on Han's lap, and Han grabbed her to steady her, startled.
"She's okay," Leia murmured. "Jaina," she said, catching her eye warmly. "Baby," she said. "Sister."
Winter sat forward, rocking Marisol.
"Sister?" she asked.
"You two havin' another girl?" Tycho asked curiously.
Leia smirked. Han looked up, and nodded smugly.
"Yeah," he said. "Only told a few people, though. She told Leia last week."
"Who told Leia?" Tycho asked.
"The baby, of course," Winter told him flippantly.
He arched a brow, but accepted it.
Jaina was leaning even closer to Leia, scrutinizing her. She pulled her hand back and clutched it to her chest, her little brows furrowing, her dark eyes dancing as she worked out the connection.
"Things startin' to click, Jainy?" Han asked lightly. "You startin' to realize you gotta make room for someone else?"
Jaina whined a little, and sat down on Han's lap, still looking at Leia with interest. She did a little gnashing thing with her teeth, and tapped her head, blinking wildly a few times. Han watched her warily, frowning.
"Jaina?" he asked. He looked up. "She okay?"
Leia nodded.
"She's adjusting to the presence," she said. "I introduced them."
"Why's she so twitchy?" Han asked.
Jaina pursed her lips. She settled down after a moment, but still seemed a little on edge, agitated.
"It's just new for her," Leia murmured. She leaned over to kiss Jaina's cheek affectionately. ""It'll be very new, Jainy, but you'll get used to it," she promised.
She ruffled her daughter's hair, and then sat back, meeting Han's eyes contently for a moment, and then looking back to watch Winter gingerly hand Marisol to Tycho, and lean back to rest as she watched him snuggle the newborn. Smiling, Leia looked back at Han again, and though he was a little busy struggling to keep Jaina from launching herself onto the bed to hug Winter, he took a moment to meet her eye, and grin – Jaina finally grasping the general idea was one thing, but the reality of a new sibling would be a whole new world.
- alexandra