She caught herself caressing her flat belly. Quickly, she stopped herself there, sighing aloud at herself. She couldn't get attached. She just couldn't. That was the last thing she needed, but she supposed it was too late for that. Sabé had forbidden herself from doing all the little things Leia had used to do early on in her pregnancy. No talking to the bump, no stroking it, not even silently talking to it. But what was the point anymore? With another sigh, Sabé dropped her datapad on the nightstand beside her and joined her other hand with the first, rubbing the skin of her abdomen. She hated herself for it, but she loved her child. Already. She'd quickly found that she couldn't help it. Padmé, Aryn, Leia. They'd all been right. Sabé was attached and she couldn't bear the thought of losing her baby. But she forced herself to, dropping her hands to her sides.

"Hey."

Sabé turned her head to see Ducchi coming out of the refresher, drying his wet hair with a hand towel. "Hi."

"Are you alright?"

"Why is that always the first thing you say to me, now?"

Ducchi chuckled, coming to join her on their bed. "You look sad. I don't like it when you look so sad, Sab."

She moaned, her head falling to the side to rest on her husband's shoulder. "I'm not sad. I'm tired."

"Something tells me that's a half truth."

"Oh?"

"I think you're sad and tired."

She moaned again. "It bothers me that you know me so well."

Ducchi chuckled. He raised a hand to stroke her head, his fingers combing through her long tresses. "Well, that I cannot apologize for. Listen, Sab, I think it's time we talk about the baby again."

"Oh, Ducchi, please . . . "

"You know you're pretty lucky that Leia hasn't noticed yet."

Sabé brought her head back up, thinking back. She could almost smile at her own success. "I know. It's surprised me."

"Now, with that in mind, I think you should tell her soon. It's not going to be long now until this," he said, covering her stomach with a hand, and continued, "will get hard to hide."

"You know that I wasn't expecting it to last this long-"

"So, do you have faith yet?"

Sabé didn't say anything, at first. She just held his gaze for a second, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ducchi, but I can't let my borders drop like that. Not yet."

Ducchi sighed, lying down and pulling her with him. "Just one day," he said, "I would love it if you could just enjoy this with me."

Almost at once, the tears started to trail down her face.

"Oh, Sabé!"

"It's hard, Ducchi! This is too kriffing hard and I hate it! I'm sorry, but I can hardly take this!" She sobbed into his chest and he held her there, nearly overcome by the force of her emotions. Like a sixth sense, Ducchi had always been sensitive to her feelings and emotions. After all, one of her breakdowns had been the foundation of their relationship. Like that was a normal foundation for a relationship. Feeling her fear and pain crash over him like a tidal wave, instinct drove him to hold her closer until he'd pulled her into his lap and had her cradled in his arms like a child. It felt so natural. She wept into his chest and cried and cried for minutes. He hated seeing her like this. Sabé was such a strong woman and it always felt odd now whenever her hormones got the better of her and she broke down bawling. "There, Sabé," he spoke softly to her. "It's okay. I'm here. We're alright. We're going to be just fine." After a while, her cries quieted and she sniffled. Her head slowly turned up and she said softly, "I hate hormones." Ducchi laughed. "It's alright, darling. I'm still here."

"Need some help?" Sabé laughed as she descended the staircase, seeing Leia hurrying about with two of her babies in her arms.

Looking horribly scattered, Leia nodded, immediately reaching out to hand off a child to her. "Please! Luke will be here soon and we don't have a room ready for him."

"Luke's coming?"

Leia nodded quickly, spinning around to grab a couple pacifiers from the floor. "Yes. In an hour. I think. Could you help me?"

"Of course!" Sabé laughed. "That's what I'm here for." She winked at Leia, turning to head back up the staircase. "Don't worry. I got this. You just relax." She hurried to another floor, away from what she'd once heard Bail call the "Married Corridor", and chose a random room. She closed the door and set the babies down on the floor out of her way. Sabé turned to the closet, pulled out a few blankets, and started making the empty bed. Halfway through her work, she heard quiet giggles and looked over the bed's edge to see Eile laughing. Inevitably, Sabé burst into laughter and picked him up, cuddling him to her chest. "Is something funny? Huh, Eile? What are you laughing at that's so funny?" She tickled a finger across his chest and his gurgles of laughter grew louder and stronger. Then, Eissa joined him. Still in Sabé's arms, Eile grabbed her finger and started swinging it in his inexplicable joy and Sabé felt her heart lurch. Quickly, she set him back down. "Alright, you two. I'm almost done. Then, I can give you both back to your mommy and daddy."

When she was done, Sabé carried the two babies downstairs just as Leia was inviting her brother inside. The Solos, Bail, his sisters, and Memily all stood crowded around the door, welcoming the young Jedi in. Cheers went around as Bail and Han clapped the young man on the back before Leia got the chance to hug Luke. "And your other nephew and niece should be around here somewhere," Leia said, her eyes flicking around the foyer until they landed on Sabé at the foot of the staircase carrying her babies. "There are my babies!" she squealed in her now-typical baby voice. She took them both into her arms to show Luke.

Ducchi snuck in a quick hug first, though, and moved to join Sabé, slipping an arm around her waist. As Leia presented Eile and Eissa to their uncle, Luke's gaze flicked between them and the Evillardes, distractedly. Finally, he settled his gaze on Sabé as Leia tried to push Eile into his arms, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, a beam lit up his face and it was directed straight at Sabé. With Leia's focus still trained on Luke, Sabé quickly shook her head, a silent dread creeping into her system. Simultaneously, Ducchi's hold around her waist tightened. But Luke didn't stop. He spoke to her excitedly, "Sabé, congratulations!" Sabé's body went rigid.

Leia's gaze swung to the single Nabooan as did all of the Organas' and Han's. The startled look on Sabé's face must have been a hint enough for Luke because his grin quickly disappeared and he looked to see the expressions of the others. Nervously. Luke had really messed up.

"Congratulations?" Leia asked curiously, keeping a steady gaze on her aunt. "Congratulations for what?"

There followed a long moment of silence and all Sabé could do was watch everyone stare at her, panting for no reason other than that Luke had caught her by surprise and now there was no way of escaping.

When Sabé still didn't respond to Luke's cheer of congratulations, Leia looked to him. She asked again, "Congratulations for what?" Sabé could see the guilt on his face and he just shook his head, dropping his gaze to the floor. Leia turned back to Sabé. "Congratulations," she repeated, "for what? What's he congratulating you for?"

"Noth-"

"No!" Leia laughed. "You know what he's talking about. I can see it in your look. What did he say 'congratulations' for?"

Sabé held a hand over her stomach and clenched it. All but Memily and Luke gasped. "Sabé?" Leia croaked, but Sabé fled from the foyer.

She could hear the thumping on the stairs of Leia following her. They both made it to the top and Leia reached forward to seize her wrist. "Sabé Evillarde!" she exclaimed.

Sabé spun on her. "That's not fair! I only get to call you by your full name! . . . Leia Organa Solo!"

At once, Leia's features softened and she let go of Sabé's wrist. "You're pregnant? Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known?"

"Leia, it's been hard-"

"How far along are you? Sabé, this is amazing! This is so great, so exciting! Why didn't you want us to know?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter-"

"Yes, it does! Actually, it matters a lot! How long have you known?"

Sabé looked away as she murmured her answer. "Three months."

Leia gaped. "Are you kidding?!"

"Look, I didn't expect it to last this long, okay? I figured that it would have ended a while ago."

"You've been expecting yourself to miscarry. That sounds miserable, Sabé. Is this what you've been doing for the past three months? Just waiting?"

"Leia, the past three months have been so hard for me! It's been a lot to think about and I've barely managed to stay sane. But telling everyone else-?"

"You're really that scared of losing the baby?"

"Weren't you?"

"Oh, Sabé!"

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it's been hard enough. Ducchi couldn't be more excited and I don't want to get my hopes high."

"You've made it this far," Leia pointed out, her voice hushed and gentle. "Couldn't you take that as a good sign? I mean, one whole trimester-!"

"Really, Leia, I don't want this to be a huge deal."

"But it is!" Leia sighed and threw her arms around Sabé. "You're scared of hurting from loss and that's something that I understand, but trying to keep your hopes low isn't going to make a difference. I should know that, from the moment you find out, you're hooked. And then there's no going back. It's too late, Sabé, and I know that you already know that. It's too late, Sabé. Let go and let yourself feel. Let yourself be happy."