AN: I don't own Star Wars. Fete is a real winter holiday in the SW universe – I didn't make it up.
"Fete Family Holo"
By EsmeAmelia
"Dammit, this thing itches!"
Han was pacing around the lobby of the family holo studio, endlessly scratching away at the red-and-green patterned Fete sweater he was wearing. "Do they even try these things on when they make 'em?" he exclaimed. "Doesn't anyone tell 'em how damn itchy they are?"
"Not everyone's skin is as sensitive as yours, sweetheart," Leia said from the green-carpeted floor, where she was supervising one-year-old Ben as he played with the foam blocks from the holo studio's toy box. Both of them wore sweaters identical to Han's and yet neither of them were scratching like hell.
"Hey, I do not have sensitive skin!" Han protested while still ferociously scratching, unable to reach every spot where it itched. "This thing just itches!"
"Well, then find something to distract yourself," said Leia. She gestured at the Fete tree set up in the corner of the lobby. "Like the tree, for example."
Han looked at the tree. In addition to the generic colored lights and glass balls, it was also decorated with little ornaments showing holos of various families, all of whom seem to have had their holos taken at this very studio. "Think they'll put us on the tree?"
Leia shrugged. "I'm not sure what the process is to get your family put on that tree."
Han slid down to the floor next to them. "Well they should put us on the tree so people can see how cute Ben is." He reached over and tickled Ben's chest, making him giggle. "Yeah, you're the cutest kid in the galaxy, people deserve to see how cute you are."
Ben babbled happily as he picked up a yellow block and put it on top of a green block.
"What'cha makin', son?" Han asked. "Are you buildin' a tower?"
Ben babbled some more in a way that almost sounded like he was trying to make actual words even though his vocabulary hadn't expanded much beyond "Dada" and "Mama" at this point.
"Oooh, a temple," Han said as Ben added a red block to the stack. "Gotcha. It's startin' to look like the temple we had our base in back on Yavin 4."
Just then, a human blonde-haired woman wearing a red dress emerged from the back room, carrying a datapad. "Mrs. Organa and Mr. Solo?" she called. "We're ready for you."
Leia picked Ben up and she and Han scrambled up from the floor, after which Han immediately went back to scratching like hell. At least Ben had been able to distract him for a little bit.
. . .
"Welcome!" said a blue-skinned Twi'lek woman once the family entered the dimly-lit studio. "Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo, such a pleasure to meet you." Either she didn't notice how both Leia and Han grimaced at the hero-worship or she chose not to acknowledge it, since her focus went straight to the baby in Leia's arms. "And this must be Ben, what a cutie!"
"Yes, he is," said Han. "In fact, I bet he'd look super cute on your tree out there!"
"Well, we'll see about that," said the holographer. "For right now, have a seat over there." She gestured over to a bench that stood against a background of shiny holographic material.
Leia and Han obeyed, Han still scratching like hell until Leia passed Ben over to him and the baby settled in his father's lap.
"Scoot a little closer to each other please," the holographer instructed, adding, "There, perfect," after they obeyed. "Now, what would you like your background to be?"
"Something festive," said Leia. "This is our first family Fete holo and we want it to be special."
"Something festive, got it," said the holographer, pulling a small holorecorder out of her pocket and turning it on. "We have several festive backgrounds available. How about a snowy scene?" A scene of a snowfall over a snow-covered field popped out of the holorecorder, causing Ben to reach out for the dancing snowflakes.
"So we look like we're freezin' our asses off?" Han exclaimed. "How's that festive?"
"Han!" Leia gently swatted her husband before addressing the holographer. "Sorry about that, my husband doesn't like the cold."
"And you wouldn't either if you'd been through carbon freezing," Han muttered.
"Gotcha," said the holographer. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of other festive scenes. How about this one?" She changed the scene to a cozy living room with a Fete tree on one end and a roaring fire on the other, with twinkling lights hanging on the walls.
Han studied the scene for a moment before nodding. "I like it."
"It's perfect," said Leia.
Ben cooed as if giving his approval as well.
"All right," said the photographer, pressing a button on the holorecorder, which filled the formerly-blank background of the studio with the cozy Fete room. Leia glanced behind them at the hearth, where the fire was crackling so realistically that she found herself wishing that it would give off the heat and smokey smell of a real fire.
"Scoot in, scoot in!" said the holographer, heading over to a desk and picking up a tiny toy porg. "Hey Ben, look, it's a porgie!" She held the porg up as she sauntered back to the bench, squeezing it and making it squeak. "Squeak squeak squeak! Look at the porgie!"
Ben did indeed look at the porg, eyes wide.
"Yes, yes!" the holographer continued, waving the porg back and forth. "Keep looking at the porgie! C'mon, can the porgie get a nice big smile?"
Then she squeaked the porg right in Ben's face.
And Ben started to cry.
"Oh no!" the holographer exclaimed, her mouth suddenly agape. "I'm sorry, the porgie didn't mean to make you cry." She squeaked the porg again, gentler this time. "Look, see? The porgie wants you to smile."
"Yeah," said Han, kissing Ben's head and wiping his tears. "Come on sweetie, it's okay, it's okay."
But Ben refused to be comforted – in fact, every time the holographer squeezed the porg, it seemed to make him cry harder.
"Here, would you like to hold the porgie?" the holographer asked, her voice getting desperate now. "Come on, the porgie would like you to hold it."
Ben curled his little fingers around the porg and for a moment it seemed to have diverted his attention away from crying, but then he dropped it on the floor, causing the crying to start up all over again.
"Sweetie, it's okay, it's okay," Han murmured, bouncing Ben on his knee. "C'mon buddy, it's okay."
Leia, meanwhile, could sense the intensity of Ben's frustration flowing from him – the frustration for which crying was his one and only outlet. "I'm sorry," she said, rising to her feet. "I think we'd better take him home. Can we schedule this for some other time?"
The holographer nodded. "Of course. Just follow me and I'll get you rescheduled."
. . .
They were rescheduled for next week and Ben calmed down on the way home. Once they got back to their apartment, Han put Ben on his playmat and started some Fete songs on the music player, thinking that Leia might need some cheering up, but she took no notice of the festive music. She just sat on the couch, vaguely gazing at Ben lifting the cloth flaps on his playmat and babbling at the squeaky animals underneath.
Han settled himself on the playmat next to Ben. "Hey buddy," he said, "I'm glad you're feelin' better. I bet Mommy's glad too."
"Dada," Ben said in response, touching Han's cheek.
Han always had to give a big dopey grin when Ben said "Dada." "Yeah sweetheart, you're a sweet boy, yes you are." He let out a sigh. "You would've been so cute on that tree they had."
Then Ben pointed up at his mother on the couch. "Mama?"
Leia leaned forward and smiled down at her son, though it looked like a forced smile. "Yes, sweetie?"
Ben babbled something in baby talk that sounded strangely concerned about his mother's well-being.
"I'm fine, honey," said Leia, answering as if he'd said actual words. "Mommy was just looking forward to our first Fete family holo, that's all." She let out a sigh as she turned her gaze to their Fete tree. "Back on Alderaan, we had our holo taken every year. I mean, we were the royal family – we kind of had to, and my parents would send copies to important friends and allies as Fete gifts. I hated the dressing-up part of it." She smiled wryly at Han. "Yes, I definitely know what it's like to have to wear itchy clothes for Fete holos."
Only then did Han realize that none of them had changed out of their Fete sweaters yet. Was it his imagination, or was his sweater not itching as much anymore?
"But we always had ornaments made of the holos too, and we hung them on our tree." Now Leia was blinking at the tree. "They were like little preservations of each Fete." She took a deep breath, her blinks more rapid. "Those ornaments are gone now. Every single one of them."
Han gulped, a lump suddenly forming in his throat. He rose to his feet, picking up Ben in the process, and settled next to his wife, Ben in his lap. "Sweetheart," he said, reaching over and caressing her hair, "I'm sorry things didn't work out today."
Ben reached out to his mother, babbling as if offering his own apology.
"Yeah, see?" said Han. "Next time she'll know not to squeak the porg so loud. We'll still get that Fete family holo."
Leia gripped Ben's tiny hand in her own, running her finger over his soft baby skin. "It's not just that. Ben cried, it happens, babies cry." Again she was blinking at the tree. "Today just reminded me of how much I would love to show Ben those ornaments of my family. I know, I know, at least I still had those ornaments even though they're destroyed now and at least I didn't lose my family until I grew up . . ."
"Hey, don't feel guilty cause of how I lost my parents when I was a kid," Han interrupted. "I had a few Fetes with my parents too and I miss 'em too. You and me both lost our families way too soon." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "But now we can make new memories of itchy sweaters and squeaky porgs and our little guy growin' up. And those memories are gonna exist with or without Fete family holos."
Leia turned to face her husband and son, leaning over and kissing Ben's head.
"Mama," Ben replied, smiling at his mother.
Leia smiled back at her son, ruffling his hair. "Yes," she said, "we can make new memories."
THE END
