Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait folks. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out where I want to take my story. I didn't plan on this being a long one, just a fairly short happy story. After this, I don't think I'll be doing more than another chapter or two. As always, thanks for the feedback and the encouragement. I will try my best to live up to your expectations.

#

Come home.

Pooja growled in frustration which, to her irritation, made Ryoo smile beside her.

"We'll find out what Mother has to say when we get there, relax," Ryoo cajoled as their speeder made its way through the relatively quiet city streets.

Come home.

That's all the message from her mother had said. She was on her way home but she couldn't stop thinking of terrible scenarios that would await her arrival. Perhaps they're being held hostage by rioters. Perhaps stormtroopers are there to take me in for my sympathy for the Rebellion. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Pooja had cried when news of the Rebellion's victory at Endor, the destruction of a second Death Star, and the death of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine had reached Naboo. When the Imperial Senate had been disbanded, her hopes for a return to civility had been crushed. She dared not act openly in favor of the Alliance, not on Naboo and not where her family was so visible, but she hoped desperately that the outnumbered and outgunned group of freedom fighters would somehow triumph.

And they had.

Relief and hope had been the cause of her tears and those tears still shimmered in her eyes whenever she thought of the momentous changes that were surely underway. Perhaps nothing was wrong and perhaps the worst of the chaos had passed. Perhaps her mother was ready for her children to come home.

She'd keep that 'perhaps' in her heart for now.

#

Luke, Leia, and Han were seated across from Sola, who alternated between staring at them and checking the time. Waiting for Sola's children to arrive was wearing on all of them.

"All my time on Coruscant...and one of my few friends in the Senate was actually my cousin," murmured Leia to Han. Not knowing what to say, he just kissed the side of her head and squeezed her to him. Han saw Sola watching the two of them with a smile and offered a shrug.

"How long have you two been together?" she asked.

"Ah...I suppose officially it has only been a few days, but had it not been for an unfortunate incident involving being frozen in carbonite, it would be closer to a year probably," Han said.

"You were frozen in carbonite?" Sola asked, both fascinated and horrified.

Han nodded and muttered so only Luke and Leia could hear, "Vader took overprotective father to a whole new level, apparently."

Luke snorted and Leia grimaced.

Sola only raised an eyebrow but further questions and conversation was halted when the door opened.

"Mom?" came a tentative voice that Leia recognized.

Soon enough, two young women about Leia's age came, both who tensed at seeing strangers in their home.

"Leia?!"

Pooja's mouth had dropped open and she was staring at Leia as if her presence in her home was a physical impossibility.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Further questions from Pooja were stopped by Ryoo who tugged on her arm. "One at a time. Let them talk."

Leia smiled weakly at her old friend and the other two Naberries in the room. Well here goes nothing.

#

"You're Padmé's daughter?" Pooja repeated skeptically.

"Yes," Leia said, patiently.

"And her son?" Pooja asked, her gaze turning to Luke.

"Yes," Luke replied.

"So...you're our cousins...?" Pooja asked.

Han rolled his eyes, "Yes! They are your aunt's children!"

"Who was your fath-" Ryoo began to ask but was cut off by Pooja's exclamation.

"Uncle Ani!"

Everyone turned to look at her and Pooja was attentive enough to see surprise mixed in with generally negative emotions in her mother's three guests.

Luke confirmed her guess with a nod.

"Uncle Ani...?" Han asked, looking somewhat sick.

Pooja blushed and Ryoo answered in her stead, "We were young when Aunt Padmé brought him here. He was serving as her bodyguard at time. He was fun."

"And cute," Pooja grinned.

"Huh," was the best response Han could come up with.

There was a beep from the corner of the room where R2-D2 had stashed himself.

Ryoo and Pooja glanced over and did a double take.

"Artoo!?" was exclaimed simultaneously.

A happy series of beeps confirmed her suspicions.

"Artoo is the one who brought us here," Leia said, "After Darth Vader and the Emperor were killed, he revealed our parentage to use."

"Why was it such a secret? And why were you separated?" Ryoo asked.

"For our safety, we were separated to keep us out of the Emperor's attention. We're both Force sensitive; and either the Emperor or Darth Vader would have realized this."

Luke's response was calm as ever, but his eyes were dark with painful memories.

"So what happened to Uncle An-Anakin? Who took care of you? It was reported that he died, was it true?" Pooja asked in rapid fire.

"From a certain point of view...Anakin did die," Luke said.

Leia gave an irritated look at Luke and glanced at Sola, who gave a slow, sad nod. "Anakin fell to the Dark Side of the Force." Leia paused and swallowed, glancing away from the two stricken looking women, "He became Darth Vader."

A soft 'Oh' was the only thing that broke the silence for the next few minutes.