Chapter 9

The sun was high and was shining directly on the doors of the jewelry store. From the distance Mara Jade could see the expensive jewelry shining in the display windows. She knew that anytime the unsuspecting couple of Han Solo and Leia Organa would be coming back to the store. She could see Daarik waiting impatiently, she knew he was angry for her not acting earlier but she knew she couldn't blow it. She patiently watched the street and soon picked the couple out from the crowd. She saw Daarik's look at her when the couple entered the store.

"Welcome back!" The lady behind the counter said to Han and Leia as they entered the store. "Your rings will be ready shortly."

Han and Leia smiled at her then at each other. This was just one more step for them to spend the rest of their lives together. They watched the jeweler step into the work room and soon she stepped out with two small boxes.

"Ok, I want you to try them on to make sure the fit properly."

Han and Leia took their rings and tried them on. Leia admired her hand and how perfect the golden band looked on her finger. She then took Han's hand and smiled. "They're perfect."

Han looked into her eyes and said, "Yeah perfect." He leaned in and kissed Leia sweetly on the lips.

The lady smiled at them, "Good, then let's get them wrapped."

After they had their package Leia and Han started out the door. Leia took one last look at the lady behind the counter, 'Gods she seems so familiar', she thought. Han had the door opened waiting for Leia to exit when Leia turned around and went back to the lady, he gave her a curious look as Leia spoke.

"I know this is kind of short notice, you've been such a help. Would you like to come to our wedding?"

The lady smiled. "I would be honored." She smiled again and said, "You know on Naboo there is a tradition that the bride has something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue on her wedding day. There is something I'd like you to have." She then pulled at the leather strap on her neck and pulled the necklace that she was wearing off and handed it to Leia. "Something old."

Leia looked at the carving, "I couldn't take this, this looks like something important."

"It is; I want you to have it. Your mother would have wanted you to have it."

"My mother, you knew my mother?"

"Yes I knew her very well," the Lady winked at her. "This was given to her by your father, when they were very young. When you were born she wanted you to have it but Obi Wan misunderstood and gave it back to her."

Leia suddenly felt dizzy, she didn't know what to think. Han stood beside her and steadied her. "Sweetheart, you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just the past few weeks I've learned so much. How did you know my mother?"

"I was one of her handmaidens."

"Then I'm glad that I invited you to the wedding, you probably knew my mother better than anybody." Leia smiled and thought back about her relationship to Winter, and how she was brought up beside her to be her handmaiden.

Mara Jade watched the jewelry shop and was getting impatient. 'How long does it take to pick up kriffin' rings?' She thought. She suspected that Solo and princess knew something was up. She spied Daarik glaring up at her. 'I should shoot him, but then again I won't get paid.'

Several minutes later she saw the jewelry store's door open, "Finally," she said out loud. She raised her blaster.

Leia and Han stepped out of the store. "Thank you for everything you've done for us," Leia said to her mother's former handmaiden.

"It was my pleasure, Leia." She smiled, "Your mother would be so proud of you."

Leia leaned in and hugged her. Han smiled at the women and then held his arm out for Leia. "Ready sweetheart?"

"Yes," Leia said, she smiled again at the lady as she went back into the shop. As they turned Leia suddenly felt that strange feeling come over her again, she took Han's arm and looked around. Somehow she felt a familiar presence. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Suddenly she saw in her head Han lying on the ground and herself being dragged away from him. She then stepped in front of Han.

Mara pulled the trigger as the jewelry shop lady went back inside, without warning the princess stepped in front of the smuggler. "Stang!" She shouted as her bolt hit the princess.

"Leia!" Han yelled as she fell into him. It took him a second to realize what had happened as he felt her warm blood on his hands. "Oh gods no."

Leia looked up at Han, "I'm….so…co..l..d." She felt herself wanting to fall asleep.

"Sweetheart stay with me."

The door to the jewelry store swung open. "General Solo, come we must hurry."

Han picked Leia up and followed the lady, he felt as if he was going through a tunnel. His head was spinning. 'This can't be happening,' he thought to himself. Leia was barely holding on to consciousness. "Leia please stay with me. I love you."

"I…lllove yoo...," she said before she passed out.

Luke Skywalker sat meditating in his grandmother's gardens when suddenly he felt his sister in great pain. "Leia!"

Chewbacca looked up at the young Jedi, ["What's wrong?"]

"I don't know, but I think Leia is hurt."

If it wasn't for the situation Han would have been amazed by the sleek design of the Nubian cruiser. He followed the lady from the jewelry store into the ship as she started to power it up.

"We must get her to a med station, I know the best and it's not far from here," she told Han.

Han took Leia to the medbay on the ship and did what he could do to stop Leia's bleeding. "Leia just hold on sweetheart," Han said. He ran the scanner over her and her vitals didn't look good. He felt the ship lift off.

Luke could feel his sister's presence diminishing. He couldn't tell if it was because she was dying or that she was leaving the planet. Luke gathered the droids and found Winter. Luke looked at his grandmother and aunt.

Sola put her hand on his shoulder, "Can you tell if she's okay?"

"She's in great pain, but it's like she no longer on the planet."

Suddenly Luke's commlink buzzed.

"Skywalker here."

"Luke, Leia's been shot. We're heading off planet now. We're heading towards a medical station called Polis Massa." Han told him, "Get to the Falcon and meet us there."

"How is Leia doing?" Luke asked.

"Not well, she passed out and is losing a lot of blood."

Han was covered in Leia's blood. He held her hand. She was stabilized but deathly pale from the loss of blood. Han wondered how much longer it would be before they reached the medstaton. He placed his hand upon her slightly rounded belly. He knew how grave the situation was. He could not only lose the woman he loved but his child as well. He jumped when he heard the lady's voice.

"I should only take about an hour to get there."

"Who exactly are you?" Han asked.

The lady looked at Leia with much sadness, she took a deep breath. "Twenty-four years ago I was secretly married to a Jedi Knight. I was pregnant with his children when he turned to the Darkside." She told him. "In order to protect them from their father and the Emperor I made the most painful decision of my life."

Han's mouth hung open for a few seconds when the realization took over him, "You're Leia and Luke's mother."

"Yes," she said.

"Why did you tell her you were one of your handmaidens, why didn't you just tell her the truth?"

"I didn't think she was ready to know it, she was told by Bail Organa that I died giving birth to her." She sat down next to her daughter and stroked her hair, "I was surprised when she came into the shop. I knew who she was right away."

"Well she does have a pretty famous face, she grew up in public."

"That I was grateful for, I got to watch her grow up over the Holonet. I only wish I got the same privilege with Luke."

Where she was it was dark. She sat up on what looked like a cot. She tried to speak but no sound came out. She tried to remember the last thing that had happened. The vision, she had seen Han shot and she was being dragged away. She put her hand on her belly, it was flat. 'The baby,' she thought, 'what happened to my baby?'

She jumped when she heard the voice say, "Your baby is with your body."

"So I'm dead?"

"Not quite, that man of yours is stubborn and is doing everything to he can do to save you."

Suddenly the room lit up and Leia could see a holoscreen in front of her. She watched Han desperately trying to stop her bleeding.

"Am I going to die?"

"The future is always in motion, if you're going to die that I cannot tell you."

"What am I supposed to do?" Leia asked. She watched the holoscreen as it changed. It showed Han on top of a building, unshaven standing on edge. Leia desperately called out to him, "Han no!"

He didn't hear her as he stepped off the building. Leia put her head in her hands.

"Ah, yes he'll take your death very hard." The voice said.

"How do I stop this, I want to go back," Leia said.

"You have to figure that out yourself."

Leia sat on the cot watching the holoscreen as it showed all the possible scenarios of what would happen should she not survive. Everything from the Empire rising again and what disturbed her most Luke turning to the Darkside.

Suddenly she heard someone call her name off in the distance…

Luke arrived at Polis Massa and ran through the halls looking for Han and Leia. He was directed to her room where she was now on life support. Han was still covered in Leia's blood; he refused to leave Leia's side for anything. He could tell by looking at his friend this was destroying him.

Luke knew he could donate blood that could help extend Leia's life, but he also knew that his body did not contain enough to save it. Luke put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He looked at a lady who was sitting on the couch in the room, something seemed familiar about her and she looked at him like she knew him.

Han looked at his friend, "Is there anything you can do, Luke?"

"In the old days there were Jedi healers, I do not possess those powers. But there is something I know how to do, but I've never tried it on anyone else."

"Whatever you have to do, do it," Han looked in his friend's eyes, "I can't lose her."

Han watched as Luke crawled into the bed with Leia and wrapped his body around hers. He watched Luke as he went deep into concentration.

Luke used the Force to enter Leia's mind. She was far off, he could feel her fear. He called out to her but felt something blocking him. He reached deeper and deeper; finally he found where she was at. "Leia."

"Luke, is that you?" Leia asked.

"I'm here Leia," Luke said.

"I'm scared Luke, I'm scared for Han."

Luke could already feel the forces trying to pull him out of Leia's mind. He knew if he didn't act quickly he would lose her. "Leia you have to trust me."

"Luke you know I do."

"I'm going to put you into a healing trace; it will speed up the healing of your wounds."

"What about the baby?" Leia asked.

"I don't know Leia; I don't know the effects the healing trance will have on the baby." Once again he could feel the forces pulling her away from him. "You must make your decision, I can't stay here forever. I feel you slipping away already."

"I trust you. Do what you have to do," Leia said.

"Tell me what you want to trigger your awakening."

Leia smiled she knew what she wanted to hear upon her awakening. And Luke set the password that would awaken her.