#foundling verse

Chapter 33

Han finally marries Leia.

Chapter: 31 Dreams

More Foundling ‘verse.

Laughter, eh?

After Alderaan, Leia never thought she’d laugh again. Sure, she’d laughed out of relief when Artoo stopped the trash compactor and she’d laughed incredulously the first time she’d seen the Falcon, but a real deep laugh that she felt throughout her body, that reverberated deep in her bones? No, she never thought she’d laugh like that again.

She was content to wander around the base from task to task ordering her troops around and hiding behind her ‘resting bitch face’ as she’d heard Jensen call it. It hurt, sure it hurt but it’s not like they saw her as a living, breathing human with feelings that could be hurt. No, not Her Royal Highness, she felt nothing, right? Even Luke had a difficult time not following the lead of those around him. In fact there was only one person who refused to see he as some sort of frigid, closed off bitch.

Han Solo.

Han would quietly make sure she was taken care of, brining her smuggled Alderaani goods any time he went on a mission or a supply run. Bringing her food when she would hide in piles of intelligence paperwork. Reminding her to sleep, making her leave her office, or his most common act, just being nearby. His presence, she learned kept her night terrors from overtaking her and she spent a lot more nights on the Falcon or with Han sleeping on the floor of her quarters than she’d ever admit.

Finally, a few weeks after turning twenty after dinner and a little Corellian whiskey, not enough to be intoxicating but just enough to loosen her up a bit, she found herself sitting in Han‘s lap staring intently into his soft hazel eyes.

“What do you see, sweetheart?” He spoke gently, his hands resting on her hips willing his body not to react.

She shrugged.

“Whatever it is, must be pretty interesting.” He spoke keeping his hands still on her hips.

“Do you think I’m a bitch?”

“Sure.” He spoke simply, honestly. He’d never lied to her no matter how much he wanted to sometimes.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. “Of course you do, you all do. Sure, a strong woman is always a bitch.“

Han sighed reaching up and stroking her cheek. “Ain’t a bad thing Leia. You’d‘ve done yourself in by now if you weren’t such a bitch. Living out of spite don’t make it easy to be around you all the time, but it’s kept you alive.”

She looked down and away. “It’s getting late, I should probably go.”

“You’re staying right here. I know what day today is.”

She nodded remembering the promise he’d made weeks ago to not let her be alone on the anniversary of the destruction of Alderaan.

She nodded looking too long at his lips.

“What?” He spoke, noticing her face flush just a bit.

She looked into his eyes again and he watch hers soften and without any real warning she’d kissed him. Pulling back when she felt his body respond.

Han cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

She smiled at him.

“Just ignore him.”

“He’s very responsive.” She spoke, making no move t get up.

“He‘s kind of a dick, but he’s harmless.“

Leia laughed, light laughter at first.

Han smiled at her. “You think it’s funny, huh?” He growled into her neck, his three day beard tickling her causing her to really laugh. “What’s the matter your ticklishness?” He spoke as fits of laughter over took her.

“Gods.” She laughed. “If my mother could see me now.” She spoke wiping her eyes. “In the arms of a Corellian smugger, drinking whiskey and contemplating going to bed with him.”

“What would she say?”

“She’d ask me if I had my diaphragm with me.” Leia deadpanned.

Han raised his eyebrows and Leia laughed at the shock in the eyes of the oh-so-cavalier smuggler.

“The look on your face.” She laughed leaning back against the holo-chess table.

He smiled at her.

“What?”

“I don’t think I‘ve ever seen you laugh like that.”

She smiled at him.

Yes, I’m posting Chapter 24 tonight.

For @followfire

“Do you think we should have waited?” She looked at his hand.

“Waited for what?”

“Until I was older?”

Han shrugged. “Neither of us are getting any younger.”

“True, but I’m only 22.”

“And I’m only 32.”

Leia looked at him, she always forgot how much older he was. She nodded. “But do you think people will talk?”

“People will always talk Lei, we haven’t gotten married, they’ll talk about that.”

She nodded placing her hand over his. It was odd, she was used to him always having his hands on her, but usually at the small of her back or since her hair cut, running his fingers through her hair. It still felt odd to her to feel his hand against her stomach for such an extended period of time, in a non sexual way.

“There will always be something for people to talk about Leia, we’re ten years apart, we’re not married, you used to be a princess and I used to be a smuggler and a scoundrel.” “You’re still a scoundrel.” She spoke feeling his whiskers against her neck, the contrast of soft lips and his coarse beard.

He chuckled.

“Does the age difference bother you?”

“Less and less the older you get.”

She furrowed her brows at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well.” He spoke contemplatively. “I’m not sure I’d have slept with you when you were nineteen.

“You wanted to.”

He smiled at her. “I did, until I found out how young you were.”

She shook her head.

He shrugged. “I don’t know Lei, I thought the right thing was to wait a while, at least until you were twenty.”

“Who knew Han Solo was cautious.” Leia deadpanned.

“Hey, would you want an almost thirty year old man fooling around with our daughter when she’s nineteen?”

Leia cringed. “Well, when you say it like that...”

“Kind of makes you understand your mother’s reaction a little better, doesn’t it?”

She nodded.

“So you can understand how I might’ve felt like a pervert.”

She smiled at him. “I was a grown woman, Han.”

“Barely.”

“Enough of one.”

“Eh, sort of, but if your father had been around, he’d have cut off my balls.”

Leia laughed. “He would have, had he caught you. I was pretty good at sneaking lovers in and out of the palace.”

“Sure boys, your age. I’m a grown man.”

“They weren’t all boys, Han.”

“Yeah, yeah I know I’m not talking about girls. I’m a grown man, they’d have sent you away if they’d’ve caught me in your royal bed.”

“Boarding school?”

He nodded.

“I went to an all girls boarding school, Han.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Bet you enjoyed that.”

She bit her bottom lip and smiled at him. “I enjoyed it enough to get myself into quite a bit of trouble. I was asked to leave.”

“The Princess, asked to leave?”

“For participating in activities unbecoming of a princess.”

“And those activities were?”

She cleared her throat. “Being caught in the act with other girls on more than on occasion.”

“So, what did the folks do?”

“Sent me to University early.”

“I’d bet that’s not what your headmistress had in mind.”

Leia smiled at him.

“You used to get into get into all sorts of trouble didn’t you?”

Breha had watched Leia push her dinner around her plate all evening, choosing instead to sip carbonated water, busy herself with making sure Kira’s food was cut into precise pieces and pretending that everything was fine. She’d also observed Han’s hand and how it stayed planted in the small of Leia’s back for almost the entire evening.

“Mumma.” Kira looked at her after dinner after they had adjourned to the lounge for after dinner caff.

“Yes loved?”

“Someone here to visit.”

Leia smiled and smoothed her hair gently, Kira had been taking about a visitor for the last couple of weeks and it wasn’t until after the positive pregnancy test that afternoon, that Leia had realized that she was feeling the force signature of the life taking shape deep with her her body. “Hush loved.” She spoke gently.

“But mumma, someone here to visit.”

“Where?” Breha asked simply.

Leia looked at her her mother knowing exactly where and wondering if Kira did as well. They watched Kira move from Han’s lap to Leia’s.

“Well, go on.” Breha urged gently. “Where is this visitor that you are so insistent is here?”

“Right here.” Kira spoke, still struggling not to pronounce her Rs as Ws and placed her hand against Leia’s stomach. “Someone here to visit.”

Han and Bail stopped their conversation and looked at Kira and Leia.

“Who there mumma?”

Leia shot Han a helpless look.

“You’re pregnant.” Breha stammered. “Oh!” She pulled her into her arms. “This is so wonderful.”

“Congratulations.” Bail spoke clapping Han’s shoulder.

“Now.” Han spoke firmly. “It’s early yet, you know and we’re still real cautious at this phase.” He looked at Leia taking her hand in both of his. “We hadn’t planned to tell anyone just yet.” He looked at Kira.

“Sorry.” She spoke quietly. “Sorry daddy.”

Breha and Bail knew more than anyone else in the room about wanting to wait just to be sure the pregnancy took before telling anyone. They both nodded sympathetically and Breha smoothed Leia’s hair in that same gentle way that Leia smoothed Kira’s.

Leia looked at her mother and smiled tightly.

“It’s alright sweetheart.” Han soothed Kira gently, picking up on her concern. “Isn’t it Lei?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong loved.” Leia spoke gently. “You just wanted to know who was here.”

Kira nodded. “But who mumma?”

“That’s your little brother or sister.” Breha spoke up without thinking.

“They come to visit?”

“Not for a long time yet, but you can feel them can’t you baby?” Leia spoke gently smoothing her hair.

“Uh huh, can you mumma?”

Leia nodded pressing her hand to her stomach. “Pretty neat huh?”

Kira nodded pressing her hand next to Leia’s. “I in there?”

Leia looked at Han.

Han smiled and hooked his hands under Kira’s arms. “C’mere bitsy.” He spoke sitting her on his lap.

She looked up at him.

“It’s getting close to your bedtime Princess, and you’ve got to help me think of a story.”

She nodded she took their nightly improvisational stories very seriously.

“Now.” He got up. “Let’s go put on our jams and think of a good story, yeah bitsy?” He spoke slinging his shoulder roughly. “Let’s go you little hooligan.” She squealed and laughed with delight at his dad-acrobatics.

“Say goodnight to your lita and your papa.”

“Buenas noches lita and papa, te amo.”

“Te amo, mija.” They both spoke.

“And your mumma.” He swung her down to Leia lap once again.

“Night mumma, love you.”

“Night loved.” Leia spoke gently holding her close to her chest. “I’ll be in later to check on you.” She kissed her forehead. “I love you.”

She nodded. “Mumma?”

“Yes?”

“I say night?”

Leia looked at her quizzically. “What?”

Kira put her hand back against Leia’s stomach. “Night in there, te amo.”

Leia looked at Han.

He cleared his throat. “Come on bitsy.” He spoke gently picking her up. “Let’s go on our adventure.”

“Okay daddy.”

Leia sighed. “I wish Master Ferus were still alive. I just don’t know what to do with her.”

“Train her.” Bail spoke simply.

“She won’t let me and I don’t want to push her.”

“Why won’t she?”

Leia shook her head. “Vader.”

Breha rubbed her back gently. “Give her time.

Leia nodded. “This one is strong too.”

“Obviously.” Bail nodded.

“You’re going to have your hands full if you don’t figure something out.”

She nodded. “I hope that the force isn’t as difficult for her to deal with as it is for me.”

“She’s more attuned to it than you were.” Breha spoke. “You and the force were always in some sort of conflict. You fought it so hard, for her it seems to be more apart of her. It seems more symbiotic.”

Leia nodded, she’d noticed. It reminded her of how Luke worked in the force, peaceful and comforting. “Maybe I can learn something from her.”

“Have you decided how you’re going to explain to her where she came from?”

Leia shook her head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“What was the outcome of Carlist’s raid on the clone base?”

“They destroyed the base and left nothing behind.”

“Did they find anything?”

“I didn’t ask.” She spoke quietly. “I don’t want to know. They took enough from me with my knowledge, I’d rather not know what they took from me without my knowledge.” She picked at her thumb.

Breha took her hand gently laying it across her palm moving slowly and carefully. “Mija.” She spoke quietly. “You’re so hard on your hands.”

Leia nodded.

“These are the hands you comfort Kira with you have to be more careful with them.”

“She does it too.”

Breha nodded. “It might help her if you worked on that together.”

Leia nodded.

“If she watches her mumma stop doing it, she will too.”

Leia nodded. “Han knows.”

“Han knows what?”

“He’s seen the report, Carlist sent it to him on accident. He was so angry, neither of us wanted to know, and now he feels like he’s keeping a secret from me.”

“Let him tell you.”

Leia sighed. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“What if, what if she’s mine?”

“There’s no question in my mind that she’s yours. And I think you know that as well.”

Leia sighed.

“Daddy.” Kira spoke as Han tucked her into her big girl bed, they one he’d built for her, the one that was extra long so that he could fit too.

“Bitsy.” He spoke with mock seriousness.

She smiled. “I in there?”

He sighed sitting on her bed. “That’s a long story bitsy.”

“Wanna know.” She looked up at him with Leia’s eyes. “Please, daddy?”

He sighed. “You mama is going to kill me.”

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, looking just like her mother.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright.”

She shot him a self satisfied look and curled up with her stuffed Wookiee and Han hoped she’d fall asleep quickly.

Han frowned at her trying to figure out how to answer her question. The simple answer was ‘no’, but ‘no’ wouldn’t suffice. It was so much more complicated than just ‘no’. Han sighed, he knew the answer he just had no idea how to frame it for an inquisitive almost three year old. He knew how old she was, she now had an exact birthdate, birthdate wasn’t the exact phrasing he was looking for.

“Daddy.”

He sighed. “Give me a second Bits, I’m thinking.”

Han sat on the sofa with his long legs propped casually across the cushions swirling Corellian whiskey around in a rocks glass. He watched the movement of the slightly viscous brown liquid with one thought on his mind.

Vader.

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Han Solo and Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antillies Characters: Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, Mon Mothma, Chewbacca, Carlist Rieekan, Jan Dodonna, Biggs Darklighter, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Emperior Palpatine, Wes Jansen, The Rogue Squadron Series: Part 1 of The Foundling Summary:

The Foundling backstory, from the Battle of Yavin to Ord Mantell and beyond.