The wall of the condensed office was painted bright orange and Leia could already feel a headache coming on from the color, but she hardly paid it any attention. Her nerves were too busy, racing. The desk was tan. The flower vase was blue. The flowers in the vase were orange. They were tullulas. The bookshelf made of fine wroshyr wood and was unpainted. She looked at her shaking hands which she had folded in her lap. She'd painted them just last night with Eissa, Memily, Sabé, and Romé. They were light blue.
Leia sighed, throwing her head back in her fight to remain patient and optimistic. Han sat beside her in front of a desk and he laughed at seeing her so stressed. He held his arms out to her. "Come here." Leia was quick to jump from her seat and sit in her husband's lap. He held her tight. "What's wrong?"
"Why did they call us in?"
"Because they have good news," he quickly answered her.
"How do you know that?"
Han shrugged. "I don't. But why would they waste their own time calling us over here to tell us things aren't going to work out?"
"It's a formality, Han."
"Exactly! Why waste time with such formalities?"
Leia could only sigh.
"Hey, Princess! Why do you always have to doubt? We're going to get this and our lives will be better because we did."
A small smile managed to take over Leia's lips and she leaned back in his embrace. "And this is why I love you."
"I thought you loved me because-"
Leia knew where he was going with his objection by the tone of his voice and Leia quickly stopped him with a sharp jab to his ribs. He groaned and she laughed, but he caught her hand and hid it under her own leg. "You like me because I'm a scoundrel," he whispered enticingly in her ear. Leia did her best not to smile. "I happen to like nice men."
"Well." Han moved his hands to her hips. "Then, what happened to that?"
Leia laughed.
"There's that beautiful smile I love."
Leia calmed herself, staring him down. "You really are confident."
"Well, it feels a lot better than the alternative."
"You're right. It does."
Not a minute later, the door to the office opened and the Solos' agent entered, wearing the same coral blouse she'd worn at their first meeting. She composed herself at the door, then smiled broadly at Han and Leia as they stood to meet her. "Welcome back, Mister and Missus Solo."
"You called us here?"
"I did." She took a seat behind her desk, her smile never fading. She set down a folder of documents and folded her hands together atop her desk. She paused for a moment, letting the dramatic effect sink in before telling them tersely, "I found you two a baby."
Han nudged Leia, but she seized his arm and forced it back down. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed.
"Absolutely not," the woman assured her, still beaming. "I'm completely serious."
Han leaned forward in his seat and it was only then that Leia realized she had too.
"There's a mother who just came to us. Only this morning, actually. She's expecting and due soon. With babies, we don't like to keep them in an orphanage long. I was hoping you two would want to take this chi-"
"Of course!" Both Han and Leia exclaimed immediately and simultaneously, leaning even closer to the desk. The agent's smile turned to one of amusement. "So . . . is that a yes?" Han and Leia exchanged a single, quick look and both nodded vigorously. The agent laughed. She opened her folder and pulled out a couple of the documents. "Just a couple things. When I said the baby is due soon . . . " She looked up suddenly. "I meant soon."
"Okay," Han nodded. "How soon?"
"Soon as in . . . any minute now."
Leia's eyes widened. "That is . . . soon. We weren't expecting that you'd find us a child so quickly."
"I'm guessing you aren't prepared to take in a baby right now."
"No! It's fine! We're fine. Right, Han?"
"Oh, yes! This is . . . " Han put his index finger and thumb together, holding up the other three fingers. "Perfect timing."
"Well, that's just perfect! I'll send you a comm when the mother goes into labor."
"Baby?" Anakin asked, poking Leia's stomach. The mother laughed, looking to her son. "No baby in there," she explained to the one-year-old. "Baby in a different mommy's tummy." Leia knew he wouldn't understand, but she let him try and turn that around in his head. It seemed to keep him busy as he sat down beside Han's pile of crib parts and stared at his mother's flat abdomen. Leia chuckled to herself as she finished hanging up a baby mobile and stepped back down the ladder.
"I think we're almost done with the basic necessities," Leia told Han, watching him work on the crib.
"That's good," Han responded, pausing his work. "Pretty impressive for very last minute preparations."
Leia smiled, giving her husband a high-five. "Nice work, flyboy. We just might be ready after all. Once the crib is finished, we just need to put the baby clothes back into the dresser. And we need to make a run for diapers. And formula. But that's all."
"Maybe we should make your brother go get them," Han suggested.
Leia frowned. "Honestly, we might have to. That is, if you need help with that crib like I think you do."
Han playfully glared at his wife. "I think I've got it, but thanks, sweetheart."
"Anytime, flyboy. You know, you don't have to be ashamed.
When Han was just about done piecing the crib back together, with Leia's help, his comm rang and Leia's arm shot out to grab it. She was on her feet as soon as the comm was in her hand and she accepted the call. "Hello?" She was silent for a second, then turned to Han and whispered excitedly. "It's our agent!" She turned her focus back to the comm. "Yes, you were saying? . . . You're kidding? . . . Right now? . . . Of course! We'll be there right away! . . . Okay. Thank you so much." Leia turned back to Han, tears standing in her eyes. "We're going to have a baby!"
"Just in time," the nurse smiled as she came out of the nursery, gingerly holding a newborn in her arms. "This little one's hardly even half an hour old." The nurse carried the baby to them, swaddled up in a green blanket. Leia took the child into her arms and used one hand to peel back the blanket from its face. There she saw a dark-skinned face with big brown eyes and, under the cap, a head of thick, dark curls. Cuddled into the crook of Leia's arm, the baby cried and screamed, but she rocked it gently, from foot to foot, and shushed away the child's cries. Soon enough, the child calmed, lying content in its new mother's arms. From behind her, Leia felt her husband's arms wrap around her to hold their new child with her. His arms bound tight around hers, his hand cupping the baby's head, Leia felt tears surface in her eyes and she didn't bother to try and calm them. They fell down her face like a gentle rain and she smiled down at her new baby. This child, it was hers and Han's. A Solo. Another sibling for their older kids. It was theirs.
It. Leia didn't like that. "What is the gender?" she asked the nurse who smiled warmly at the sight of the parents and answered, "It's a boy."
"Our son," Han whispered in Leia's ear. Her smile brightened. If possible.
"Our last little baby," she cried in response. She stroked her index finger along his chubby cheek and he opened his mouth to yawn. Instinctively, Leia held him closer. "Han, what are we going to name him?"
"Mm," Han hummed. "I've got an idea or two."
Leia turned away from Han to look at him. She raised a brow. Han smiled. "Come on. I'll tell you on the ride home."
"Home," Leia smiled again, returning her gaze to her new son. "Home. Ready to go home? Want to go home and meet your brothers and sisters?"
"He was a good friend of mine," Han told her with a fond smile. "From a long time ago. He worked as a mechanic and gunner for me for a while. We were good friends. . . . He used to call himself Solo and I just let him because . . . Well, I thought he'd earned it. He died about a year before I met you."
Leia smiled thoughtfully, her gaze locked onto the baby in her arms. She tried the name out on her tongue. "Jarik. I like that, Han. Jarik Solo."
Fresh tears sliding down her face, Leia held her baby boy close, soaking in the warmth of holding him and the joy that came with it all. He was theirs. He was their baby boy. Their son. Their precious little Jarik to raise and care for and treasure and love like their own. Like Breha and Bail Organa had done all those years ago for Leia. Never had she thought for a second that Bail and Breha weren't her parents. They'd raised her, cared for her, treasured her, and loved her. They'd done everything for her just like any other parents. They'd given her the galaxy and done their very best. They'd raised her up to be the best she could be. Leia wanted to do the same for Jarik. She and Han would raise him, care for him, treasure him, and love him with every fiber of their being, as much as they did with Eile, Evern, Eissa, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. Jarik was their child. A Solo. He would always be part of their family. A Solo. His whole life, he would always be Jarik Solo.