Chapter 3, Happy Everafter
Han lounged across the port couch of the cockpit to a sleek sailing yacht as it cut swiftly across the Naboo Lake country towards Varykino. The wind passed through his hair his chest open to the breeze in a light cotton shirt, complete with mustard stain from earlier hotdogs, swim shorts still drying from and earlier swim. He smiled contentedly his left hand trailing lightly in the water as it passed his right holding a frosty bottle of ale. He watched, through a pair of ridiculously old fashioned sun glasses that Leia had insisted where totally his style, as his ten year old twins, Jacen and Jaina, double teamed a winch tightening the main sail under Leia's direction.
The twin's had the type of dark tans that only a summer spent under the sun could accomplish despite the despotic nature of their mother's sunscreen applications. They both wore appropriate swim attire for children their age with t shirts and hats pulled on after the swim for further protection from the sun. Their eight year old son Anakin dressed similarly to his siblings stands the helm hands on the wheel his face the picture of intense concentration.
Leia stands directly behind Anakin her arms around him as she helps him steer the boat. Han is momentarily mesmerized by his wife of almost twelve years. The mother of his three children is stunning as she calmly gives instructions to Anakin. The black bikini she wears is conservative, despite Han's best efforts, without being old fashioned. The white long sleeved shirt she wears was pilfered from his closet that morning the long sleeves are rolled up revealing arms that while still pale are darker than he would have ever thought possible. Her suite top has soaked through making the shirt tantalizingly transparent. The spell is broken by the twins who having completed their task on the winch have come to petition for their turn at the wheel. Han realizes with shocking clarity that his wildest dreams have in fact come true and with that clarity he wonders about Leia's dreams. She has never mentioned them and he knows that defeating the empire qualified but the other private dreams she's never mentioned. He watches her with their children around a sip of his ale and thinks on this.
Leia had noticed Han's pensive mood since they returned from their day trip. The kids had been exhausted and where quickly in bed after dinner. She moved through the house in a light dress turning off lights here and there as she went. She returned from checking on them to find him sitting on a chaise situated on the patio off their bedroom his earlier lake attire replaced with loose shorts and another open shirt. He was staring out over the lake in intense concentration.
"Whiskey for your thoughts?" She asked holding out the tumbler of Wyren's and ice she had made for him on her way out and sitting on the foot of the lounger. His frown deepens as he takes the glass and shifts his concentration to her.
"What are or where your dreams Leia," she smiles at his question as he continues, "it dawned on me earlier today that all of my wildest dreams have come true, but in all the time since you got that book," he paused to think, "hell all the way back to Bespin aside from taking down the empire and establishing a new republic I don't think I have ever heard you mention dreams for the future." She smiled deeply watching him take a sip of his drink as he waited for her answer. She didn't make him wait long.
"You had me pegged from the start," she said taking a sip of her wine before continuing, "after Alderaan I stopped thinking about the future past the defeat of the Empire, and to be honest I did not expect to make it through the war." She watched his frown melt to be replaced with trepidation as he processed this not quite new information. "Defeating the Empire was my big dream," she continued, "and you helped make that come true everything else has gone beyond my wildest dreams." She leaned forward to kiss him lightly, "although," she paused their kiss blushing furiously, "before Alderaan was destroyed when I was younger," she had Han's rampant attention now, "I always had this secret desire to throw away my title and crown and run away with a hero." She leaned forward and kissed him again, "you made that dream come true too."
Post note: This is where I'm ending this I have some more snippets one that I was going to use as a third chapter but it was getting to unwieldy to fit in with this and I feel like it was me trying to do too much in too little space. When I get it where I like it I will add it as a follow up along with other pieces kind of additional looks into this au.
Thanks for reading hope yall like it
ccp