"They can be . . . a bit overwhelming," Sabé admitted. "But they mean the best. It's just that they're quick to excite. And when they're excited, they can get a bit loud. They'll be all over you, 'scoping you out'. They really are my family. I'm like their daughter. That's how we all treat each other."

Ducchi glanced towards the door for the umpteenth time. He asked her, "So, they are your family, your parents, your sister. Should I be worried?"

"Not at all! Don't worry. Ruwee doesn't know how to be harsh," Sabé laughed. She reached for his arm and pulled him back to her side. "It'll be fine. They're loving people. Just act natural. Be the same you I adore and everything will be fine. They'll love you; I'm sure of it."

Ducchi smiled at her reassurances. She gave him a nod and he nodded back, taking her hand. Sabé turned to the door and knocked. "Coming!" someone was quick to respond and a few seconds later, the door flew open to reveal Pooja standing there. "Sabé!" she screeched and pulled her inside as well as into a huge hug.

"Loosen up! My dear, you're choking me!"

Pooja laughed, finally letting go of her. She stepped back and spotted Ducchi standing just behind Sabé. "And there he is! Come in, please."

"This is Pooja, one of Padmé's nieces," Sabé gave a quick introduction as she pulled him inside with her. They stepped into an open room and the rest of the family hurried in to meet the guests. Jobal and Ruwee came to the front of the assembled group and hugged Sabé before turning to politely shake hands with and hug Ducchi.

"Welcome to our home!" Jobal greeted. Ducchi kissed her cheek as was only Alderaanian custom and she smiled brightly. "Ducchi, right? We were only first hearing about you at Leia's baby shower. Unfortunately, our conversation came to an early end."

"But we feel very fortunate to be meeting you now," Ruwee said.

"Thank you," Ducchi smiled back. "Sabé has told me much about your family. I've been anxious to meet you as well."

In response, the couple smiled at Sabé. "She's always too kind," Jobal laughed. They stepped aside and Sola came forward with two others.

"Ducchi, this is Sola, Jobal and Ruwee's daughter," Sabé introduced them both as well. "And this is her husband Darred and their older daughter Ryoo. Lastly, Ryoo's husband and daughter." They all shook hands and from there, Jobal directed everyone to the dining room. "I have dinner waiting," she told Sabé and Ducchi. "You came just in time. The rolls are about ready and everything else is still nice and hot. Go ahead and take a seat."

Ducchi waited for Sabé to sit down and he took the seat right beside her. She tossed him another reassuring smile.

"Do guests here always eat first?" he asked.

Pooja and Ryoo had just come in and the two sisters laughed, taking their own seats. "That's just how Grandma is," Pooja explained. "Can't let anyone leave without eating!"

"I still remember when Anakin visited us that one time," Ryoo spoke up, surprising Sabé. She was such a soft-spoken person, but to be talking about Anakin, too? Immediately, she had Sabé's full attention. "It was the biggest meal she'd ever fed us." And Sabé didn't doubt it.

Ruwen and Darred pulled an extra table over and added it to the one already there. Ducchi helped bring out more chairs and everyone took their seats while Sola and Jobal brought out the meal.

"Thank you for the meal, ," Ducchi said, wiping his mouth as he finished. "I don't think I've ever had quite a fulfilling meal. At least, it's been a very long time."

"How unfortunate is that!" Jobal almost broke into a grin as she glanced at Sabé. "Well, you'll have to visit more often." This time, Sola caught Sabé's eye and winked at her for her mother. Sabé didn't have to flush this time. She just smiled broadly back.

"Now," Ruwee began once he came back from the kitchen and dropping everyone's plates in the sink. "From my understanding, I think the women were talking a bit about you when we visited Alderaan. We got to talk, too, but, at the time, I hadn't realized that you two were together."

Darred chuckled in agreement, seeing where he was going. It was about time. "It seems like the two of you have a lot of explaining to do."

"That development is actually . . . kind of recent," Sabé told them honestly. "We just-"

Things were about to get awkward. As far as she'd been able to tell, Sabé could find no way to fix it. She was just bracing herself.

"Complicated!" Ducchi quickly and suddenly interrupted her. "It was complicated," he repeated and half the table burst into laughs as he smiled at his own response. Sabé couldn't help but join them. She took his hand and, in just a look, she tried to convey a simple message to him: I love you. In response, Ducchi squeezed her hand. Yes, Leia, he makes me very happy.

"It's always complicated," Sola muttered.

Sabé began the tale, laughing a little. "We met my first night on Alderaan," she told them. "I was struggling with . . . Padmé's death. I was vulnerable and broken, but Ducchi was very kind and caring and he helped me pull through. Whether he meant to or not, it didn't take him much to have me hooked. After that, it just took me a while to admit it to him."

"I still remember when she was very young," Darred said as he and Ducchi walked through the backyard gardens. "She was new to the family, I guess you can say. At least, newer than I was. I was only Sola's boyfriend then. I remember, though, she melted into the family pretty quickly. It helped that Padmé was always bringing her over. At first, she was having dinner with us a few times a week, then sleeping over several times a month. Until Ruwee found out about her childhood . . . He and Jobal got the paperwork to adopt her immediately. She was over so often, the only difference was that she officially lived with us. I assume she told you about that?"

Mute for a long moment, Ducchi just nodded. "She still has explicit memories from earlier in her life. It wasn't easy for her to talk about."

"I'm sure. At any rate, it felt very natural once she officially moved in. I know Sola already looked out for her like she did Padmé. She was family here. We loved her. Padmé loved her."

"She talks about her a lot. Padmé, I mean. Often, Sabé will just briefly mention her, but it's been enough that I've heard quite a bit about her."

Darred chuckled. "Yeah, well. The two of them were very close. Sabé was always supposed to keep Padmé safe; that was her job, but Padmé was always looking out for her, too. They were close like that. It wasn't all sleepovers and handmaiden slash queen business. They were sisters. And Sola! Sola was always proud of her younger sister for what she'd done for Sabé. Padmé was close with all her handmaidens, but her relationship with Sabé was something else." He paused a moment, stopping where he stood and turning to smile at Ducchi. "All of us are very thankful that she has found you. We're happy for her, for both of you. You have to understand how much it means for us to see her so happy. She really still is part of our family."

"I don't doubt it," Ducchi agreed. "And I do understand. I know how Padmé's death affected her and how it still does. She likes to take responsibility for it, insist that there were ways she could have saved her . . . but, at the same time, she knows so much better than that. I've been trying to help her, do what I can to ease her suffering-"

"Ha! We can all see that! It's been a long time since we've seen her so happy. When Bail and Sabé explained to us about Leia and Luke and what really happened to Padmé, we weren't mad at Obi-Wan for lying to us or mad at Bail for not telling us sooner. No, we understood what good had been done. Not only for the twins, but for Sabé, too. I think that getting to work with Leia for so long really helped. And, obviously, everything that you've done for her. We can tell you've done a lot. Whether it may seem like it to you or not, you've saved her, brought back the old happy Sabé. She was always the serious one of the handmaidens, but she was at least happy and her mood and aura were lighter. You've brought that back to her as well as a constant smile that wasn't there before. We've never seen her so happy. What you've done for her, and still doing, is something I doubt even Padmé could have done." Darred reached out and put a hand on Ducchi's shoulder, gratefulness shining in his eyes. "Thank you for that."

"'Where can I take thee, whom has seen the stars and sailed across them all?'" Sabé recited. Once she finished, she turned a smile on Ducchi, hoping she'd impressed him. He laughed. "Sorry, that's the only Emerjinn poem I have memorized."

Ducchi shrugged at her effort. "'Where can I take thee, whom has seen the stars and sailed across them all? Where can I take thee that the horizon fades and the waters don't fall.' Not too bad, handmaiden."

Sabé laughed at herself, returning to Ducchi's side. "I thought it would be the perfect moment to whip out that line," she told him. "You showed me Alderaan and everything it meant to you. I want to show you Naboo and everything Naboo means to me."

"I would love to see more of this beautiful place."

"You think it will inspire more of those beautiful words to fall out of your mouth?"

"Do you think it will?"

"I think it is that beautiful, yes."

"Then, show me, Sabé."

Sabé gave a single nod before turning out of the street and down to a busier road. She waved a hand to hail a speeder and when one stopped, she whispered something to the driver. He nodded and Sabé pulled Ducchi into the speeder's back seat with her. "I need you to help me," she said. "Can you do that?"

"Always."

"I need you to hold me together."

Confused but simultaneously mesmerized, Ducchi agreed. He watched her eyes carefully and she stared back for a few seconds, but she suddenly turned her head away and didn't say another word throughout the entire drive.

After a while, the speeder came to a stop outside a graveyard. Ducchi gazed upon all the stones, stunned. Quite honestly, he was a little scared, but he followed Sabé as she got out of the speeder and began striding straight through the area. He hurried after her and quickly realized that she was headed in the direction of what looked like a miniature room in the middle of a graveyard. And that it literally was. It was painted a deep, pastel-like purple and was covered in slanted letters of praise for brave and heroic actions, Ducchi read. It was surrounded with flowers and notes and gifts, the ground around the room littered with these things. It must be a mausoleum, he realized. Sabé stopped several feet before the place and gasped. He stood beside her and watched the tears fall down her cheeks. Her chin trembled and her hands shook, but her gaze didn't falter from the mausoleum. "22 years," she cried. "It's already been 22 years and this is the first time I've ever visited her." Ducchi's gaze snapped ahead to the memorial. So, this was the final resting place of Padmé Naberrie Amidala. He asked her carefully, "Why haven't you gone before?"

Sabé actually smiled when she looked back to him. Keeping that smile, she answered, "I've been waiting for someone like you to take me. Hold me together. Please?"

He nodded. "Promise." He took her hand and held it firmly in both of his and, together, they walked inside.