The lights were too bright. That was his first thought. Then he wondered if he had fallen asleep or something and his eyes needed to adjust to the sunlight. As things started to come into focus, instead of sunlight he saw a faint white mist appearing and he wondered where he was and how he had gotten there.

"Han?" He heard his name being spoken by a woman. Except it wasn't the woman who he most often heard say it. At the same time, it was also quite familiar.

He saw her hair first, reflecting the light that seemed to come out of nowhere and without casting shadows. Then it was her hazel eyes and her loving smile aimed at him.

He couldn't believe it. "Mom?" He suddenly felt like a small boy once again, a boy who only needed his mommy.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, sweetheart. It's me. Baby, I'm so sorry I left you."

He shook his head at her, still not sure if this was really happening but choosing to take the opportunity to say what he wanted to say to her. "No, it's my fault. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I tried-"

He couldn't finish the sentence and she reached out to him as though to rest her hand against his cheek where a few tears fell. It didn't feel like skin on skin, it simply felt like the comforting warmth of her presence. "It wasn't your fault. Don't you ever think it was your fault. There was nothing you could've done. I'm so sorry about the things you had to go through after I was gone."

"I know. It's all right. Things worked out pretty well in the end."

The end? Was this the end? Was this why he was here?

She smiled and nodded. "I know. She's a wonderful woman. I wish I could've been there to see you get married."

Han knew that if his mother had been there to raise him he probably never would've even met Leia. It was unfair that you couldn't have everything in life. "And your children are beautiful. They look like you. I'm so proud of you, Han. The family you have, all of the things you've done."

He never knew what it was like to experience the pride of his parents. It felt even better than he expected it to. "I missed you."

"I know you did, sweetheart. I missed you, too. And you'll see me again someday, but not yet."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not time yet, Han. Your family still needs you. You need to go and be a good husband and take care of your wife, let her take care of you, and be a good father and raise my grandchildren. Tell them I'm proud of them, too."

Han nodded, wishing that he could spend just a few more minutes with her. "You remember how I told you I'd always be with you?"

Ever since the memories had come back to him so unexpectedly the other day he couldn't get every word of her last moments out of his mind. He nodded.

"I meant it. And I'll still always be with you, a part of your strong, caring heart. I'm so glad that you're my son and even though I couldn't take care of you I'm always going to be watching over you. But you need to go back now, before it's too late. They need you."

Han looked back over his shoulder and thought he heard faint words of distress. Turning to his mother he took a good, long look at the woman who had been such an important part of his life for too short of a time. Somehow he felt like even though he had been so alone growing up, there was always a faint voice in his head telling him that it would all be all right.

There was really nothing left to say, except, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Han. Now go. I promise you'll see me again someday."

He wished he could hug her, instead simply trying to etch her face into his memory forever. He turned his head back over his shoulder and without warning felt as though he was suddenly gasping for air.

Leia worked with one of the crewmen frantically to get Han to come back. She breathed long and hard into his mouth, attempting to get air into his lungs while the man pumped Han's now-exposed chest. His body felt icy cold, and Leia's heart was beating fast enough for the both of them at the moment as she looked at Han's purple lips and wanted to scream for him but knew she needed to keep calm. "Han, please, gods, wake up."

She slapped his face a few times and then leaned down to give him another breath, and she suddenly felt water spurting back at her as he coughed and sputtered and she leaned back and felt her heart rise to her throat when she saw him turn his head to get the rest of the water out. She grabbed his upper body and pulled him to her chest. "Han!"

His hands came up to rest against her back as he returned the hug with what little strength he could muster. "Thank the gods. I thought I lost you." He simply continued to enjoy the feeling of being able to take long, deep breaths again.

Leia pulled away and held his face in her hands as she spoke. "What happened? Did you slip or something?"

With trembling fingers he reached down and held up the important item hanging off his neck. "I dropped it. I tried to go get it and I went down too deep, and-"

She pulled him in to hug him again, wondering why he had risked his life for a necklace but thinking if she had nearly lost something of sentimental value of her father's she might have done the same thing.

The adrenaline was wearing off and the effects of the cold water had finally gotten to them as they started shivering in each other's arms. She whispered in his ear through chattered teeth, "Don't you ever do that to me again."

He just nodded and then heard his daughter's voice. "Mom, Dad? What happened? Did you guys go swimming?"

"You told us there was no swimming on the boat ride, and how come you're in your regular clothes instead of your bathing suits?" Jacen added.

Han and Leia still held each other tightly as they laughed at their children's complete unawareness of what had just happened. They were incredibly relieved that their kids were busy fishing and had not had to witness their father's near drowning.

"Sir," the crewman, having returned with two large, wool blankets that were thrown over each of their shoulders, said, "we're going to bring the boat back to the marina and get you checked out."

Han nodded, normally adamantly against medical attention but not caring about much else at the moment as he pulled the blanket tightly around him. On top of those four other people he loved who were right there with him on the boat, it turned out he had a mother who loved him and was proud of him. As he pulled his kids down into a hug - which they protested because their parents were soaked - he knew he was going to continue to make her proud.

Their little bodies were much warmer than Leia's had been, and he reached over and took her arm to pull her closer. He thought about telling her what he'd seen. The mother-in-law she never got to meet and what she thought of her grandchildren. He wondered maybe if she had ever gotten a chance to talk to Bail in the same way. While he didn't want her to have to come close to death in order to do so, he wished there was some way she could experience a similar encounter. Maybe someday he'd want to tell her what his mother had said.

For now, all he wanted to do was hold his family.