Leia sat contemplating in her office. The disaster with Starkiller base had been narrowly averted, thanks to the efforts of the Resistance pilots led by the fearless

Poe Dameron, as well as her husband and Chewbacca, and their new ally, Finn, the former stormtrooper. This thought brought her back to what had happened earlier –

she had just been standing there when all of a sudden it felt like a knife tore through her gut – she could feel her own husband, Han, dying – from a lightsaber wound -

inflicted by their own son! How could that be? Was their son, Ben, whom she had nursed as a child and raised him up the best she could, really that far gone? How

could this have happened? Did he really hate his father that much? All these questions would go unanswered for now, but at the moment she still felt sick to her

stomach. She couldn't believe her Han was gone. Despite their separation and the endless arguments - after everything they'd been through, after all the battles they

fought together - ever since the day she met him in Detention Block AA-23 on the first Death Star, where she angrily responded to him and took over the "rescue"

mission...until the day they said "I do" on Endor's moon - it was all gone now. She hung her head and fought the urge to cry. She had always prided herself on staying

strong, never showing weakness...but nobody was here, no one to witness it...her face tightened in grief and pain and she allowed the tears to fall...

Her thoughts turned to the last good man left in her life, her beloved brother, Luke. He had always been a mainstay in her life, someone she loved and trusted. She'd

felt a connection with him ever since the day he burst into her cell on the Death Star and exclaimed, I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you! - but she couldn't

explain the connection at the time. Then she remembered that time on Hoth, shortly after he'd been injured by the Wampa - oh my stars, I kissed my brother! Full on

the lips! For a long time! She covered her face with her palm, shaking her head. But that was before you really knew that he was your brother, she argued with herself.

You only did it to spite Han...no, Luke deserved it. Let it go. Stop kicking yourself for that. It was just a kiss. Although Leia hated to admit it to herself, if she and Luke

hadn't been related, she thought he might have made a better mate for her than Han. Han was brash and restless, and they often fought. He just wasn't the kind of

man to be tied down. Maybe that's why his relationship with his son failed, why their marriage failed. Luke, on the other hand, was sweet, loyal, loved her to a fault and

would rarely have fought. The fact that he was a Jedi as well made him more balanced and wise. She thought he would have made a wonderful father - which brought

her thoughts to Rey. Yes, she thought. I knew who she was the minute she stepped off the Falcon. She was older and taller, but the face was the same, and I hadn't

seen her for 15 years. That's why I had to hug her - and because we shared grief over Han.

Would Luke even be the same anymore? It had been 15 years, after all. Being a recluse for that long with no human contact would drive most men insane. But Luke

wasn't like most men. Oh Rey, she thought, please find him and bring him home. We need his help. I am desperate.

A messenger arrived at her office. "General," he said. "Ship approaching – a YT-1300. It's the Falcon. They are requesting a medical unit to meet them."

"LUKE!"

Luke sat at the old Holo-chess game, but not paying attention to the little creatures beating each other up – instead, he was meditating. He was wondering what it

would be like seeing his sister again after all these years. Will she be the same? Will she be angry with me for leaving? Will she blame me for what happened to her

son?

"Father," Rey interrupted his thoughts, "We're about to land on Ilenium. I've requested a medical unit be ready to meet us." She paused. "I didn't tell them why. I just

went to check on Han's status. He's hanging in there."

"Good, thank you," he replied. "Well, moment of truth..."

Everyone who had watched Rey, Chewie and Artoo leave in the Falcon were assembled once again to watch them arrive. The ship gracefully lowered to the ground

and the repulsorlifts engaged. Leia watched with anticipation as the ramp slowly lowered to the ground. Who would come out first?

Her question was immediately answered. Rey came down the ramp first, followed by Chewbacca and Artoo. She could see no immediate sign of her brother, but Rey

was smiling. She paused momentarily to give instruction to the med team that was standing nearby, who then proceeded up the ramp. She walked up to Leia and

embraced her again, but this time said, "Aunt Leia...I have a surprise for you." They both turned and looked toward the ramp. She could see the figure of an old

bearded man in his mid-60's, dressed in Jedi robes descending the ramp. His over-long, dirty grey/blond hair fluttered in the wind, and two-toned beard hid most of

his face, but his eyes were unmistakable. He made eye contact with her, and her heart skipped a beat. Luke? "LUKE!" She called out. She started walking hurriedly

toward him, as quickly as her aging body would allow, and he started doing the same, his robes flowing behind him. They met in the middle in a crushing embrace as

he lifted her up and spun her around. "Leia," he whispered to her. The entire audience erupted into thunderous applause, roars of approval and shouts of joy. They

also had been waiting for the return of the Jedi Grandmaster for what seemed like forever. All the myths and stories surrounding his disappearance were

meaningless now.

"I love you," Leia whispered back to Luke. "Don't ever leave me again. I need you."

"Never again," replied Luke. "I'm here to stay." They hugged each other tighter. It seemed like forever before they finally relaxed their grip, and Luke gave her a kiss on

the forehead, as he did that night on Endor after telling her their family secret.

There are only four things I need from you right now," he said, with the hint of a smile.

"Anything," she replied.

"A shower, a shave, some real food and a change of clothes."

She burst into laughter.

"And in exchange, I have a surprise for you as well," he said. He turned and gestured toward the ship just as the med team was coming down the ramp, carrying

someone on the anti-grav gurney. Curious, Leia started walking over to see who it could be. Luke followed.

Leia looked upon the patient and saw who it was. Her legs turned to jelly and she almost collapsed on the ground, if Luke hadn't caught her in time, and helped her to

stand again.

"HAN!" she exclaimed. "But...I don't understand...? How...?" I thought he was dead?"

Luke turned to the med team. "He's still alive. He has a lightsaber wound through his chest. I was able to heal a good portion of it, but he still needs medical attention.

Please get him inside immediately. And keep it quiet. We don't want his son to know about this yet."

"Right away, sir," they replied, and quickly started moving him toward the base. Leia turned to Luke. "Luke, I don't understand. What happened?"

Luke looked grave. "Your son did this to him. On purpose."

He confirmed what she had already sensed before. "I know," she said sadly. "I felt it."

"Leia, you know your son has been controlled by the dark side of the Force for a very long time. He killed my students and my family, and stole my daughter from me."

He gestured to Rey. "Happily, we've finally been reunited. She knows who I am to her now. But Leia, your son is no longer the Ben you raised. He is Kylo Ren now –

completely evil. And he must be stopped."

"But there's still good in him, I know it," she replied. "Just like you turned Vader back into Anakin Skywalker, even after all the horrible things he did – after all the people

he murdered and tortured – including us - I believe there is still hope for my son."

Luke knew she was right. It was his faith that there was still good in Vader that ultimately allowed him to succeed. The least he could do was offer the same faith for

her only son.

He sighed. "You're right, Leia, we should give him the same chance. I will do everything in my power to try to turn him back to the good side. I get the feeling he is still

struggling with the light. We can only try."

"How about that shower now? And I'm starving." Together they turned and started walking toward the base. The crowd parted and stood respectfully for Luke,

applauding for him out of joy that their hero had returned, and now there was hope for the Resistance. There were small personal cameras everywhere. This was

going to be all over the Holovid...

Luke, Leia and Chewbacca came into the med-bay to see Han and check on his progress. Han lay in a comfortable bed in the med-bay after a prolonged soak in the

bacta tank. Now he knew how Luke felt on Hoth after the Wampa attack. The stuff was gooey and viscous, and he was only able to breathe through a respirator while

he was in it, his nose clamped shut. Not the most comfortable stuff in the world, but now he was clean and dozing occasionally. The last 24 hours had taken a great

toll on him. Luke and Leia came in to visit him, and were greeted by the med-droid, 2-9N.

His bacta treatment went well," said the droid. "He seems to be out of imminent danger. However, it is imperative that he not be moved for at least 2 weeks. He needs

to heal."

Leia approached the bed. "Oh, Han," she whispered as she placed a hand on his arm, rubbing gently. This caused him to crack an eye open, just barely. "Hey, honey, I'm sorry, I'm

so sorry...I couldn't bring him back."

A lump formed in her throat. "No, no, shhhhh...It's alright...don't worry about that. You just worry about getting better, OK?"

She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the lips, for old times' sake. She felt bad that he had actually felt guilty about that. It was foolish of her to send him off to confront their son,

knowing how dangerous he'd become.

Chewie, seeing that he was awake, gurgled a greeting to him. Han acknowledged him by patting a hairy arm. "Hey, you old fuzzball," he said."Good to see you, buddy."

Luke came over to join her. He was clean now, his hair was cut and his beard trimmed. He was wearing a black outfit similar to his uniform he wore on Endor, with

black boots and a grey-and-black shawl/cape that hung over his shoulders and left arm. His green lightsaber hung from a belt. He looked quite handsome now for a

man his age, Leia noted.

"Luke," Han said, "I gotta hand it to you, kid, whatever you did back there, that was amazing. I think I recall..." he paused, "...years ago,when you rescued me from Jabba,

I doubted you when Chewie told me you had become a Jedi Knight. I thought you had gone crazy...but now..." he paused to take a painful breath - "Now I can see that you..

.are a VERY...POWERFUL...JEDI MASTER...and I'm very glad you're on my team. You've grown a lot, kid, and I'm really grateful to call you my friend. Thanks again."

At that, Han fell into a much-needed deep sleep, his wounded body resting and healing.

"Get some rest, Han," said Leia, as she kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well, my friend," said Luke.

THE END (for now!)