Work Text:
Sam’s first word is ‘no.’
Han, dealing with a sedate Bee, looks across the room at Leia. Sam squirms at the idea of being put to bed. It’s usually like this, but it’s the first time she’s put up a verbal fight.
“Come on, it is time for bed,” says a harried Leia. Her days are longer than his; he feels badly she’s dealing with their more contentious daughter now.
“No!” Sam repeats with even more force.
“Sam,” Leia warns, but it is Bee’s small reaching hand that catches Han’s attention.
“Sam.” Han looks down at Bee, still stretching as far as she might towards her sister.
“Hey, Leia, why don’t we let them share tonight?”
Leia huffs, but picks up Sam all the same.
Quietly, as she places Sam in Bee’s bed, “I did this exact same thing with my parents: the tantrums, the pleas at bedtime. It made my parents terrible pushovers.”
“Yeah, and kind of made you –”
“Whatever it is you’re going to say Han Solo, it can wait until we’re out of the room.”
Tucked under the covers, the girls lock hands and settle down quietly, fights about bedtime all but forgotten. Han wraps an arm around Leia’s shoulders; Leia fits her head under his chin. They stand in silence for a few minutes.
Han cannot see Pres and Chewie the main living area from the girls’ door in the hallway, though the light and both their laughter filter in.
Leia moves to get Pres; to begin the process of putting an overactive Solo kid to bed, but Han grabs her wrist to stop her, “It didn’t take Pres this long to start talking, did it?”
Han tries to remember as many details as he can, the ones he was there for, pieced with the ones he wasn’t. (Pres’s first was ‘mama;’ Han’s ego was perfectly appeased his second was ‘da.’)
“It didn’t… are you worried about them?” Leia’s brow furrows.
“Not necessarily, although I’m surprised you or Luke didn’t think of it.”
Actually, Han’s surprised the thought didn’t occur to any of them.
“Thought of what?”
“Well, why would they need to talk when they’ve got Jedi twin telepathy?”
“Oh, oh,” says Leia as it dawns on her, exhaling the air she’d held in nervously. Then, out of nowhere, she punches him lightly in the ribs.
“What the hell –” he says, maybe a little too loudly. The noise from the living area stops abruptly.
“Don’t scare me like that, thinking there’s something wrong with them!” she whispers, but then quick as lightning, she’s on her toes kissing him.
They don’t notice the hands tugging at their knees right away.
“Mom, Uncle Chewie says it’s bedtime.”
Breaking apart from Leia, Han looks down, “He’s probably right.”
Leia scoops Pres up and carries him off to his room.
The living area’s bright too bright and Han squints before throwing himself face-first into the sofa. (So what if his boots are still on.)
Chewie, serious for once, says he’s impressed with how well Han handles himself.
“Yeah, well three’s it.”
----------
She is referred to her title less and less, but technically, yes, Leia Organa is still a princess.
And through Alderaan’s remaining inheritance laws, her children carry on their grandmother’s legacy. (Bee’s fair hair is in contradiction to her namesake, but she has all of her sweetness.)
Leia does what she can to keep the children out of Alderaan’s affairs. Maybe it’s because Han grouses under his breath when the other Alderaanian officials put on airs for him, act as though he’s an interloper. (If he’s an interloper, she’s as good as one too.)
Maybe it’s because it’s been almost thirteen years and they’ve finally found a new system for those who want to fill the gaping hole Alderaan left, the idea of a long-gone system devoted to the voice of the people still needing a monarchy seems esoteric to the sharp-eyed Leia. Especially when most of those titled royals are under the age of four.
Maybe it’s because when she sees them play with each other, or Han, or Luke, or anyone else she’s reminded they’re Solo and Skywalker through and through. (She is the last Organa.)
Everyone else has been more than satisfied in the homes they have found in each other; Coruscant merely the convenient landing spot. Leia feels a desperate tug for the mountains at odd hours of the night.
New Alderaan is a small system on the cusp of the Mid and Outer Rims. There were objections to its distance from the center of the government, but most were appeased when they saw how it resembled the old world.
Leia meditated on it for hours. Anakin Skywalker is convenient to reach and willing to speak for Padmé Amidala, although Leia can reach her on her own if she tries. Bail and Breha Organa prove more difficult, but she finds them, in the end.
They approve.
“This snow’s going to make it difficult to land,” Ahsoka says over shoulder. Han only vaguely nods, which makes Leia smile. Any other day, Han would be annoyed he has no control over flying the Falcon, but ensuring Pres, Bee, and Sam are all ready is a different story.
Fastening the last button on Bee’s coat, Leia looks up to where she told her youngest to stay put.
“Bee, do you know where your sister went?”
“Dat way,” she points out beyond the cockpit.
Taking her leading hand, Leia tries not to worry too much that Sam’s gotten into a hole she they won’t be able to get her out of. The girls learned how to walk here and although the Falcon isn’t completely fool-proof, Leia’s reasonably assured there isn’t too much mischief the children can get into on it.
Sam’s huddled under the chess table. Leia moves to get to her level, but Bee reaches her first.
“Why are you hiding down here?”
“Don’t wan go.”
“Why not?”
“You be sad.”
Leia would feel completely ridiculous if the circumstances were different: formal dress under a layer of winter wear, but still sitting under a gaming table on a rickety freighter.
One arm goes around Sam; the other around Bee.
“This isn’t going to be sad today, this is going to be happy. Lots of people are going to have a new home.”
Then Bee speaks up, “Miss mama and da.”
Leia begins to say she and Han are going nowhere, but Bee interrupts the thought, “You miss tem.”
Not letting her voice get too thick and failing anyway, “Yes I miss them very much, but I have you two and Pres and dad. I don’t need anyone else, do you understand?”
They’re still far too young for any of the meditative Force exercises used with the padwans, but they’re intuitive with each other and Leia’s already reached out to Pres. (All Force-sensitive parents and their children will understand this new part of being Jedi. Leia is first, Luke and Mara second.)
And because the Force cannot replace physical affection, she hugs them even tighter and kisses them both.
Han and Pres find them still under the table.
“You ready to get this party started?”
“You’re the one who’s been obsessing over this dedication ceremony for days,” Leia teases back.
Chewie and Ahsoka, following behind, roll their eyes as the ramp lowers into the fresh snow. All three children shriek in delight. Leia realizes none of them have seen snow before.
Mountains loom overhead, but her eyes fix on the tiny figures jumping in the white.
Han loops his arm in hers.
It will be wonderful to come back here in the spring.