Six years ago, elsewhere in the multiverse...

"Officer Darvis Melyan?

He was just sitting down at his desk in the squad room when an uncertain feminine voice demanded his attention. Darvis turned to find a woman he didn't recognize wearing a gray tunic and black pants, and staring at him as if she could have bored a hole right through him with just her eyes. "Can I help you?"

She smiled slightly. "I have some questions for you, sir."

"All right... what about? And what am I supposed to call you?"

"My name is Elsie." She set a datapad on his desk. "And I need to know about something that happened in the Corellian system. It's... weird, I know."

He studied the information presented on the small screen and then frowned at her. "Why do you want to know about pirates who were caught, tried, and sentenced more than five years ago?"

Elsie blinked at him, as if she didn't believe her ears. "Come again?"

"They were caught."

Suddenly, she relaxed and smiled. "Thank you. That's what I needed to know. And I'm glad."

"You didn't answer my question, miss."

She just looked at him for a long moment before gesturing for the datapad. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Darvis. Trust me on that."

"Oh? I've seen a lot in my time," Darvis told her as he gave the requested item back to her. "And I like stories."

Elsie hesitated as she started to walk away, then looked at him again with raised eyebrows. "This one had a happy ending. For all that would have been involved. Even you. And that's all I can say about it."

Darvis was left frowning as she walked away into the controlled chaos that was the squad room. If it had a happy ending, why had she been worried in the first place? It was just one more thing on a long list of things that didn't make sense.

Four years ago...

Luke noticed the door they'd been decorating for the baby open as he walked down the hallway to their bedroom. He frowned and looked in to find Mara slowly cleaning up a mess. "What happened in here? It..." His frown deepened when she barely glanced at him and shook her head. "Mara?"

Mara shook her head again and continued to carefully pick things up that had been strewn all over the place. "Just be glad that nothing is broken... that there wasn't really anything to break. Just soft things, and this." She held up a drawer to show him. Other than being where it wasn't supposed to be, and having inexplicable scratches across the surface, the drawer was intact.

"I don't understand," Luke said as he entered and watched her put the small drawer back in the dresser.

Mara sighed. "It's not important, Luke."

"Did you..."

"No."

Catching her between tasks, Luke pulled her into his arms. He didn't need to know what had happened or why it was upsetting, just that she was upset meant something. "It's all right."

"Is it?" Mara pulled away slightly to look up at him. "Really?"

Something in her question startled him, and holding her now he could feel how upset she was. "Of course it is, Mara." She stared into his eyes for long moments before nodding and letting herself relax into his arms again. "Why do you ask?"

"We had a talk," she mumbled into his chest. "Neesta and I. She was upset... and that's why there's a mess."

Luke looked around the room for a long moment, understanding only now what he was seeing. How upset their daughter must have been, how upset Mara was now. It made sense suddenly, what she'd asked. "Is she still here?"

"No."

"Would you like some help cleaning up?"

"Just hold me, Luke. It can wait a while."

Quietly, he led her from the room. As she'd said, it really could wait a while.

Days ago...

Samir stood on the Jaden front porch, knowing very well that he could have gone inside without knocking or ringing the door chime. He perferred to do this right, and that meant standing here like, feeling like an idiot.

Barely a minute later, the door opened to reveal Widia. She stared at him for a moment before smiling in amusement. "The door wasn't locked, Samir. And you could have gone around back."

"No."

"Really..."

"Can I come in? There's something I need to ask you."

Still smiling, Widia stepped aside to allow him entry. There had to be a good explanation for why he'd shown up in his best clothes, and she wanted to hear it. She led him to the kitchen and the both sat down. "So. To what do I own the pleasure of your visit, hmmm?"

"I came here today to ask for your blessing," Samir told her solemnly. "I would have ordinarily approached her father, your husband, but..."

Widia held up a hand, both forestalling him from finishing that painful sentence, and also curious. Did he remember what day this was? That this was the anniversary of the end of the Naboo rebellion, if not the rebellion as a whole? She had a pretty good idea what he was trying to ask, but wanted to hear him say it. "My blessing? For?"

"I want to marry Renna."

Slowly, Widia turned and glanced at one of the few surviving holos of her husband that she kept in the kitchen. There hadn't been much, just what they'd been able to take with them, and the resistance wasn't big on doing things that could get everybody killed by association, so taking holo's had not been high the list of things to do. Not even to mark a birthday. What would he have said in this situation? Widia wanted to believe that he would have said what she was about to. Turning back to Samir, she studied him curiously. "You waited a long time to ask, Samir."

"It was worth the wait."

She could find no fault in that statement. "You have it."

"What?"

"Provided she says yes, you may marry my daughter."

Samir let out the breath he hadn't quite realized he'd been holding in. "Thank you. Now I just need to ask her."

"Do it in person," Widia advised helpfully.

"She's still on Coruscant."

"And?" Internally, Widia was laughing at his slightly down-trodden expression, knowing that teasing him would definitely not be good.

"Nothing. Just a fact which isn't really an obstacle."

Widia glanced again at the holo, and at last made up her mind about something. "I'm going with you."

"Why?" Samir wondered with an intrigued frown.

There were many reasons, but chief among them... "I want to see my grandchildren." Because, really, stories told her second hand by an overly excited translucent child were not the same as actually being there.

Now it was Samir's turn to nod in understanding.

Yesterday...

Elsie stared out the window of their newly re-moved-into apartment, unable to shake the feeling that they were missing something. Something important. Was it the day? She calculated in her head... no, that couldn't be it. Unless something was supposed to happen and she was just jittery because it didn't. "That doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Chris asked from the doorway.

She turned to look at him. "Having a feeling... does droids exploding mean anything to you? Because I keep coming up with bubkiss."

Chris frowned in thought, then pulled out a datapad. "It might." He blinked at something he saw on the datapad. "This is 13 years after the first Death Star was destroyed."

Elsie frowned at him, not making the connection to what that meant. "And?"

Chris shook his head. "That's why you're getting that feeling, Dusty. Droids blew up. Injured a lot of people."

Elsie crossed the living room to get a look at what he was reading. What she was left her blinking, startled. "And that's why I'm jittery. Something was supposed to happen, or did happen, but not here because things are different. And Kueller isn't Kueller here. He's Dolph and his parents are fine. So nothing, nada, blew up. Only... If nothing is going to happen, at all, why am I still feeling like it's going to?"

Chris handed the datapad to her and shrugged as she studied the data. "You can go to the senate tomorrow and scope things out."

"No, we're supposed to meet with Darvis to fill out paperwork."

"That doesn't require both of us," he said as she handed the datapad back to him and their eyes met. "You go, I'll handle the paperwork."

"Sweetie, are you actually telling me to skip out on work and go talk to politicians?"

"Yes. You'll be absolutely impossible otherwise."

Elsie laughed. "Then skip out, I shall. Can't promise I'll be having fun, though."

"Politics is fun?"

"According to Susan, it can be. I think she's been watching C-SPAN too much again or something." They sunk down onto the couch together. "But that's tomorrow. Not here and now."

Chris motioned toward the window. "Here?"

"One way glass," she told him, smirking.

"I'm a grandfather, you know."

"Come here, Grandpa." The passion of the kiss she laid on him made him not want to leave the couch for a good long while.

Hours ago...

As they disembarked from the ship, Widia nudged him. "Go on. Find her."

"But we just got here, Widia," Samir protested.

"So? Go on. I'll meet up with you two later. Besides, I used to live here... a very long time ago."

Samir stared at her. "You're going sightseeing while I propose to your daughter?"

"Not exactly. More exploring than sightseeing." Widia smiled at him, shaking her head as he continued to stare at her. "And if you need me to say it again, I'll break my vow and spank you with invisible Force hands."

With a final exasperated sigh, Samir went. And Widia was left to smirk after him, wondering how they'd managed to fall in love in the first place.

Chris handed the flimsy forms back to Darvis, chuckling. "The affidavit is a bit much."

"I want you two to stay this time."

"Got that part, Darvis."

"Good. I'm glad you're clear on it. Anything interesting happen at home?"

Chris nodded. "Our third grandchild was born last month. They named her Cynthia Destiny."

Dravis frowned at how tight-lipped the other man was. Something was off. "There's more, isn't there?"

Chris looked away, trying to consider his words carefully. "The... Senior Field Leader that was our supervisor died right before we left. Hadn't talked to Major... Colonel Walker in a while, so it came as a surprise."

"Who?"

"He was the one who basically babysat Elsie and I when we were trainees."

"Oh. Sorry to hear about his passing." And then Dravis frowned. "Third... grandchild? You..."

"Don't look near old enough? I know." Chris shrugged. "Chalk it up to oddness."

"Right... I think I will." Darvis was going to say more, but a very strange six note alarm when off, startling them both. "What was that?"

"Being paged," Chris told him as he pressed a button. "Elsie, please tell me nothing blew up."

The voice that responded sounded a little more than shaken. ["No. Nothing blew up. Meet me at Coruscant Medical Center, Senate District."]

Darvis frowned again. "Was she afraid something was going to blow up?"

"You want me to give you a straight answer?"

"Not really, no."

Chris motioned to the flimsies laying on the desk. "We done?"

"Until your wife can fill her own out, yes. Go meet her. And Chris?"

"What?"

"Don't ever leave for a year again."

Chris smiled. "The only way you're getting rid of us is if there's an interdimensional emergency. And even then, not for very long."

"Glad to hear it."

Winter opened the door to find a woman with red, graying hair and an anxious expression standing there wringing her hands. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," the woman said, timidly. "I stopped by Renna's apartment to wait for her to get home with Samir and got Mara's message about the kids being here with you. You... are Winter, right?" At Winter's frown, the woman hesitantly held out her hand, which Winter took slowly. "Sorry. I'm Widia Jaden. Didn't mean to startle you like that when you don't know me from Palpatine."

Winter's eyes widened as she studied the woman for long moments... someone she'd only heard about in passing from Mara and Luke. "Oh. Yes, they're here. Isn't this a long way from Naboo?"

"Samir needed moral support and I wanted to see my grandchildren."

"Samir?"

"Hopefully, by now, Renna's fiance."

Winter had only just stepped aside to allow Widia entry when a little person attached themselves to Widia's leg. "Grandma!"

Widia shared a startled humorous look with Winter before reaching down and prying Ben off her leg and picking him up to hold him close. "Hey there, little one. Careful next time, all right? You could have knocked me over."

"Aunt Leia hurt," he told her without preamble.

Widia nodded as she stepped inside and allowed Winter to close the door. "I know."

"Will she get better?"

That question gave her pause, for it was something unexpected from someone so young. "Yes. What do you feel?"

"Less pain. Like sleeping.," Ben told her after thinking about it for a moment. Widia had to force herself not to sigh in relief or chuckle. Even worried, he was cute. "Daddy helped her!"

"Well, if your Daddy helped, then I think she's going to be okay. Don't you?"

Ben nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

Widia smiled, hugged him a little more, and then set him down on his feet on the floor. "So what have you been doing here with Winter, hmm?" She let him pull her along to the family room, all the while feeling from the woman behind her a profound sense of relief... and thankfulness.