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The second Death Star rained down debris that burned above them while Vader burned in a copse not far off from the Ewok village. The rest of them celebrated not dying in the attack. Han had a cup of the Ewoks' strong liquor, brewed with a fermentation process he'd prefer not to consider, and most of a shared cup of something with an even more dubious vintage brewed by the Rebel pilots in the backs of X-Wings and hidden under barrack bunks. He laughed as Leia took a sip of the latter and coughed it back up again, and again as Luke passed it along untasted."Hey," he said, catching Luke alone between glad congratulations from so many other faces he knew he wouldn't remember in another day.Luke's face lit up. "Hi." For half a second, Luke was nineteen and stuck on some sandball of a planet with no hopes except to escape gravity with a rangy old codger who'd had his own plans for the kid. By the light of the torches and the Ewoks' fires, he was young and happy. Experience looked good on him but glimpses like this reminded Han he'd always looked good."Long day, huh?"Luke teetered and fell back into the speculative, sad expression he'd worn since his return. "Yes."Han was the first to admit he hadn't understood most of what Leia in hindsight probably hadn't understood much of either. He latched onto the piece he thought he could grasp. "You two are twins?"Luke nodded solemnly. "Ben told me we were separated to protect us from our father. It was a good decision," he said, distantly, like he was still determining if he agreed with the words. "If our father expected to find twins, he'd never find two single children who didn't know each other, and if he only expected to find one child, the other would be safe."Han could see the logic but he wasn't as stupid as some people thought. He could see the fallout, too. He'd known something that very first day, written in Luke's desperate insistence they rescue a pretty girl he'd only seen in a recorded hologram. He'd read the fear and horror on Leia's face on Hoth when they'd discovered Luke was stuck out in the storm with no contact, and the long hours of his recovery after. And he remembered that kiss, which was more than a little about annoying Han but not only about him.The old stories said Jedi could read minds. That might be why Luke's next words were: "I'm glad Leia has you. She cares about you more than she likes to say out loud, but I think you know that.""Yeah, we're … good."Luke's face radiated nothing but honesty as he said, "I'm very happy for you both. Things worked out better than we could have hoped."The night was warm but Han remembered the freezing winds blowing outside the survival tent on Hoth, remembered how cold it was inside the tent even with his portable heater blasting every erg it had over the overwhelming stink of the dead tauntaun, and the only thing that mattered was keeping Luke alive a little longer. He remembered wrapping his body around Luke's, clothes shed for the sake of shoving as much of his own body heat as he could into Luke's cold skin. He remembered whispering all the words he hadn't dared say while Luke was conscious enough to understand.What Han wanted to do now was grab him by the shoulders and shake him. What he needed to do was break through Luke's hard-earned Jedi calm and demand what he actually thought, what he really felt. As much as Luke had loved Leia, her choice had become crystal clear by circumstances set into play before they were born. As much as Han and Leia both loved Luke, the wall was built between him and them forever. What Han ached to do was pull him close and kiss him and act like none of this mattered as much as what he felt for Luke and what Leia felt for him just as fervently, like they could work past anything including the accident of the twins' birth, if some Jedi vision about a dead man could even be trusted to tell the truth.But if Luke was the last Jedi, he had a different responsibility to the galaxy that Han couldn't begin to fathom, much less ask him to set aside, not for love, and not now that they knew all the history that had led them here. Maybe it was the various brews coursing in his veins but Han felt the same stomach-curdling despair as when he'd seen Qi'ra stuck on the other side of that gate on Corellia the day they thought they'd both get free. There'd been nothing he could do about it then, and nothing now as someone he loved stepped away from his life.He said, "Yeah. I guess they did."The Imperials were crushed at Jakku, finally and for good, at least according to the NR propaganda blasting on every frequency. The Emperor and his dark servant had been dead for a year and their remaining Admirals, Generals, Moffs, Principals, and hangers-on utterly defeated. Mon Mothma's rule of the New Republic was now undisputed. The galaxy was as free as it was going to get.And Han had a son.He was aware of the rest. The battle had gone well for their side, losses and all, but Leia had been safely delivered of a healthy boy and that was literally the only thing he could latch onto as a fact."We have to find a name for him," she said, while Han only stared, amazed all over again. She wanted her son to be named after her father, the one who'd raised her and loved her rather than the sperm donor who'd captured and tortured her twice. Han recalled his own father's name, remembered a kind pair of hands wrapped over his own as he'd learned to disassemble parts and hold a control yoke. Neither seemed right.Luke came to visit as soon as he could, his arms full with an enormous pile of gifts which he exchanged for a chance to hold his tiny nephew, awe cascading over his face. Han watched him, heart caught in joy and the briefest sorrow. Luke should have been there for every moment, including the night Han and Leia had created this tiny, perfect being. But he was here now. It was enough."Hi," Luke said, jiggling his arms in a gentle soothing motion. The baby was still learning the feel of comfort, which came most naturally in Leia's arms with her nipple in his mouth. But today he rested easily in Luke's arms like he belonged there."What would you name him?" Leia asked, tired from too few hours in the night to herself."You know me. I'd call him Ben."Han snorted. The day he'd met the old guy, he'd have sworn Kenobi was trying to get the kid off-world for purposes Han was happy to file under the 'no questions' part of their deal.Luke said, "That would be odd, though. I've learned more about what happened when our father fell." Leia's face darkened but she didn't stop him as he said, "The two of them fought bitterly. Ben defeated him and left our father to burn to death, or so he believed for years."Leia met Han's eyes. Han nodded. "Ben," she said firmly. "We're naming the baby Ben."Luke glanced at her. "Are you sure?"Han said, "Kid, she's never been more sure of anything in her life." He lifted his son from Luke's arms. "Hi, Ben."The baby grinned toothlessly at him and Han's heart melted at the sight.Life hadn't been what Han would call normal prior to Endor or Jakku. The closest he'd ever come to something like normal was when he and Chewie had been between jobs, out there looking for paying cargo before his big screw-up with Jabba's load. 'Normal' had meant checking how many credits they could scrape together between them and hoping they'd manage to refuel at the next station plus buy whatever food they could afford to keep them from eating each other before the next port of call.Han had never had a normal like this but it wasn't bad. Leia was part of the new government on Chandrila, therefore they had a place on Chandrila, big enough for her to have an office and Ben to have a playroom which doubled as a guest room. Chewie had his own place a few kilometers away, decorated in what Han was learning was his best friend's own taste rather than what they could manage inside the Falcon's tiny cabins. Han bonked his head several times on the beams that passed at angles through the bungalow's wide rooms before he finally learned to duck while visiting. He could already tell Ben was going to love it when Uncle Chewie babysat.Uncle Luke was a different story."I'll be by when I can," he promised, as he always said and rarely did."Come soon," Leia always said, but her eyes said something different Han could never read. Even before they'd discovered their relationship, Luke and Leia had shared a strange empathy with each other. They spoke without words, conducting entire conversations Han couldn't listen in on and didn't hope to understand. It could be a Jedi thing, but Han wasn't on good enough terms with any other Jedi to ask.And that was the official reason why Luke was busy, or why he'd found a good excuse to be. Han had been under the impression all the other Jedi had been lost or killed, but after Jakku they'd crawled out into the sunlight. To be fair, and Han didn't want to be fair, some of them had good reasons for staying gone during the war. Syndulla, who'd been a pain in his backside since the day they'd met, had kept secret an extremely important piece of information even from Rebellion Command: her Jedi husband had taken their then-newborn into hiding. The guy's apprentice, upon discovering their plan, had insisted on going with them, allowing the rest of the galaxy to assume the two were dead. Han might grumble about leaving the hard work to the rest of them, but every time he shimmied Ben's little limbs into his soft baby clothes he knew he'd have done the same to keep his kid safe. It was one thing to have a price on his own head, but knowing the Empire would have stopped at nothing to seize his own child with the Force was enough to freeze Han's blood even now.Other Jedi had appeared, popping up like rainflowers after a storm. Luke had gone from being the only Jedi to having nearly a dozen colleagues around. More potential Jedi were in training, while others played the game that they weren't really Jedi, merely interested onlookers like Leia's old pal Fulcrum. Han hadn't even believed in Jedi the day he'd met Luke, not really. They'd been a story, something to tell the kiddies to get them to shut up before bedtime. Now they were the reason Luke was occupied establishing what passed for a new Jedi Order. Luke wasn't alone, which meant he ought to have time for his family but instead he had no time.But Han wouldn't push. He didn't dare. All he said to Luke over the holo call was, "See you soon, kid."Ben was a handful. Han wasn't surprised by this. He'd been a little bit of a nightmare himself as a kid and that was without telekinesis. They moved along with the government seat, and Ben's rooms on every world held the same pile of flung toys as the last house. One of the cabins aboard the Falcon was filled with his toys, which spilled out of the cabin and cluttered the walkways."I'll help you clean up," he always said, glaring at Threepio for wittering about the mess again. Goldenrod's servos got stuck if he tried wading past Ben's room. He was Leia's protocol droid rather than a nanny droid, as he reminded Han and Leia at every opportunity, and not inclined to pick up scattered or broken pieces of ships or play figures resembling the heroes from Ben's favorite holoshows."Who's this guy?" Han asked, holding up a permanently bent toy he didn't recognize."Captain Spark," Ben said, taking the plastoid from him with his tiny fingers and launching into a story about the last adventure he'd watched, or maybe one he was making up as he chatted away. Han was amazed by his imagination and how he used his infant powers to make his toys move and fly."They do that," said Syndulla's husband a few rotations later as the two of them watched their kids play together while the moms talked shop at a table a few meters away. Han had learned the word 'playdate' meant Leia wanted to spend time with old friends, and their children were the perfect excuse even if these particular kids weren't the right ages to play well together."Do they normally get their powers this young? Luke couldn't do anything the day we met and he was almost twenty.""He probably could and didn't know that's what he was doing. Leia, too. Luke says his family kept it hidden even from him. They must have known Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi and that the Empire would come after his kids."Han tried to picture Luke or Leia as little kids making their toys dance the way Ben did. Leia's parents would have stopped her even faster than Luke's aunt and uncle. They'd have been afraid of the Empire, and of the specific threat from Vader himself. Han glanced at Kanan, knowing the guy couldn't see his expression. Luke and Leia had chosen not to reveal what they'd learned about their father's true identity. Han knew. Leia said she thought Fulcrum knew. The way Kanan had spoken suggested he didn't know and Han was not about to tell him."How did you manage? I just about lost it the first time one of Ben's diapers hit the ceiling.""I can usually sense when Jacen's about to use the Force. I learned to catch the diapers before they flew away.""Leia had a nanny droid to deal with that," Han said. "No idea how Luke's family managed.""Same way we did. Practice." He gave a small chuckle."Something funny?""Just picturing Ezra's parents chasing flying diapers. He didn't access his powers often until he joined up with us, and he was fourteen by then. Maybe he was an easier baby than Luke."Han finally asked the real question he'd been dying to breach. "How is Luke?"Kanan looked surprised. "Fine? Why do you ask?""You spend more time with him than I do. He's always off doing Jedi stuff with you.""Not with me."Han waved his hand vaguely. "Aren't you all putting together some new Jedi Order? That's taking up all his time.""I wouldn't call it an Order." Kanan laughed to himself. "At best we're a club. He and Ahsoka are tight, and he gets along with Ezra well. We talk sometimes but I assumed you would see him pretty often. He's Leia's brother." He said the last part with almost a question.And how to answer that question to someone who hadn't been around for the good times or the hard times? Leia and Luke hadn't known about that, had only known that here was someone with the uncanny ability to know she'd had a bad day or he'd been thinking about something wistful, without either ever saying so. If Han had been a little more reckless that night on Hoth, he'd have taken Leia with him and used her as a compass to find Luke out there in the snow. She might have found him faster. (Han still wasn't sure how he'd found him at all, and wondered if the Force was sometimes willing to work through someone a little less worthy of its attention.) They hadn't known about their family connection, only known that they loved each other completely, and Han had been a little jealous and a little pompous understanding they'd loved him too even if none of them ever used those words before Bespin.Han knew Luke had loved Leia with all of his soul even before he'd met her in that cell. They'd had six months alone together while Han had been a frieze on Jabba's wall, and though Leia had never said if anything had happened between the pair of them, he was positive if they hadn't it was a matter of circumstances getting in the way. He was pretty sure circumstances hadn't.All the stories Han knew said Jedi didn't date. But if they never did, Luke and Leia wouldn't have existed, and the smug General who'd always gotten on Han's nerves as they'd tried outflying each other back in the Rebellion wouldn't be chatting with Leia while they glanced over to make sure the boys were still playing nicely. Come to think of it, the Force alone knew what was up with Fulcrum and her own padawan. Half the time they seemed to be arguing and Han would place hard creds that the other half of the time, they were making the two-backed bantha like any other pair of idiots. Jedi seemed to date frequently as long as they didn't talk about it. The only girl Luke had ever unofficially dated had married someone else Luke had never officially dated.And now Luke avoided them."You know how it is," Han said. "Not everyone hangs out with their old war buddies when the war's over," he said, nodding over at Leia and Hera. "Some want to forget it.""Could've fooled me. Luke's always talking about you two."Han was the last person in the galaxy to talk about his own feelings. He could tell Leia he loved her, and he tried to remember to tell Ben every night when he tucked him in with a tussle of his unruly dark hair, but these had been learned behaviors. Part of him flinched inside when he said the words to his wife, expecting a sharp face and a growl and a bite. She never did, not for that, and he was learning to stretch his neck out, willing to let her stroke his soul. They argued over other things, little picks and larger fissures, and each time he wished Luke was there to step between them like in the old days."I miss him," he said. The hour was late, Ben had been asleep since sunsdown, and it wouldn't be first dawn for a long time as they settled into bed.Leia was nearly asleep, but woke at the words, her eyes slitted open in the dark room. She didn't ask who. She'd been on a holocall with Luke earlier, mentioning he should come visit and biting back her irritation when he made another excuse."He's busy. Jedi things."Han rolled over. "What Jedi things? Kanan said they're not putting together a new Order. Or if they are, apparently he's not invited and his buddy Ezra hasn't told him."She sighed fondly. "Ezra cannot keep a secret. That's probably why he went with them. He would have told someone a day after Jacen was born.""Then you should ask Ezra what's got Luke so busy he can't come see us."Leia went quiet. Han nudged closer to her. She said, "You know why he doesn't visit."Too many replies, none of them helpful and all of them exposing his heart too openly even here in bed with Leia. Things he'd never said out loud to her. Questions he'd never asked her. He rolled to face her and juggled words inside his head for a while. He was good at conning people and bad at honest conversations even and especially when they were overdue."I want to ask you something. There's no answer you could give that would change what I think about you or how I feel about you." His mouth felt weird but he was almost sure the words were right.Leia tensed. He felt the covers move around her, cocooning her in safety as she pulled a centimeter away, maybe not even realizing. "Then don't ask.""While I was off being Jabba's favorite decoration….""Han." There was the growl, the threatening tone before the snap and the bite.He backed down. "All right. Forget it."He was almost asleep himself when she said in the softest voice she'd ever used, "Of course we did." He woke fully and instantly, straining for the sounds. "We missed you and neither of us could think straight knowing you were out there, in pain, and lost beyond where we could save you. You may as well have been in the bunk with us." Her words were filled with remembered sorrow and anger and loneliness that had driven her into the one place she'd have felt safe and loved for a little while.He reached for her now, feeling her shudder away from his touch before leaning into him. "I thought maybe. I'd've done the same thing if you'd been the one in carbonite."She didn't seem surprised by his admission but Leia had always been perceptive. She'd have noticed how much Han cared for Luke, and when he'd gone out into the night and the storm to find Luke, everyone else had probably figured it out, too."After we found out, right after he told me, he turned himself in to Vader. I thought it was suicide because he was ashamed. I couldn't stop him."But Luke had lived and Vader had perished, and Leia had married Han even before they'd left Endor. And now Luke lived away from them and lied about why he couldn't come see them, why he wouldn't visit Ben even though he'd named the kid, and sent gifts, and chatted for hours over a hologram safely away from him. Leia knew Luke's emotions as well as he did, and if she thought shame was mixed into the cocktail her brother felt about her she was probably right. Han didn't believe it was the only spirit in there. Love was hard."I love you," he told her now, because it was true, and because he didn't say it enough, and Leia curled into him.What he needed was a plan, and a plan presented itself a few rotations later. Leia was handed a diplomatic mission to visit some system that had stayed out of the old Republic's reach and under the Empire's radar. Now they wanted to open talks with the New Republic.Leia fixed Han with a stare as she informed him. "I need to know if you ever visited Tadona or nearby systems." What she was really asking was if he and Chewie were wanted by the local authorities for any previous activities they might have performed while visiting, or if he had any outstanding warrants. Again."No," he told her a little more sharply than he could have. "I'm allowed to go."She nodded. "Ben can't go. They have laws about transporting young. We can find someone to watch him if you join me. There's another thing," she said, her eyes moving away from his. "They've requested I bring a Jedi along. Back when they were trading with the Republic, they trusted Jedi to be present and give the proceedings legitimacy under the watch of the Force."Hope burst into his chest like he'd swallowed a hot ball bearing. "Call Luke.""I did. He wants Cal to go."Han grumbled. "Lie. Tell him they requested Luke Skywalker personally."Leia's mouth twitched into a smirk. "I can't. Luke knows when I'm lying. But he's never able to tell with you.""Really?" Han chewed on this piece of information a moment, and understood Leia was even better than he was at making plans. "I'll tell him Chewie has to watch Ben for us and I need a co-pilot.""Don't overplay it," she warned him, and went to their transmitter to dial in Luke's code.Ben was the first one to greet Luke even before he reached the door, and there was no mistaking the love plastered over Luke's face as he picked up his nephew to wax about how big he'd grown. Ben launched into telling Luke about his new favorite holoshow, and about his friends from nursery school, and how he'd fallen and hurt his knee but the scab looked really neat.With Ben in his arms, Luke stepped inside and saw Han waiting. "About time you got here," he said. "Leia's still packing and if you didn't show up soon, she was going to take half the house along for this trip.""Good thing we're taking a ship with extra cargo spaces in the hold," Luke said, finally setting Ben down and coming close with his hand extended. "It's good to see you."Han took the hand and pulled him into a hug. Luke tensed, then returned the embrace. Han didn't chide him for having been gone so long this time, didn't ask if seeing them was so good why he'd stayed away. "Glad you came."When Luke stepped back, he face was a jumble. Words he'd never put together, words turned to dust against his tongue from the revelations of his birth that still shook him years later. Han didn't have the words in his own mouth to push past them. Instead he said, "Ben, go see if your mom has your clothes ready to go to Uncle Chewie's.""Okay." He waved at Luke and scampered down the corridor as Luke followed Han inside to see their newest home. Leia's touches were everywhere, and Han's pushed back in places, colliding in what Leia called 'eclectic' to her friends when they visited and 'a mess' to Han when they were alone."It's nice," Luke said, but Han shrugged."The government seat will be moving again soon. Time to find a new place.""When we met I never would have imagined you as the guy to pick out curtains in a new house every few years.""Leia doesn't let me choose the curtains," Han said with a scoff. "I'm lucky I get to pick where my chair goes." He rested his hand on the back of his favorite comfortable seat."Luke!" Leia said, hurrying into the room and throwing her arms around his neck. Again the slightest pause before he hugged her back. "I'm so glad you could join us for this. It's an important mission for the New Republic. The Tadonans value Jedi very highly.""I'm glad to help. You're sure Ben can't go with us?""Not unless we want to wind up in Tadonan prison, where Han swears he's never been." She said the last part with a pointed look at Han."Hey," he said, raising his hands. "I never lie about prisons I've been in." They both fixed him with a stare, and all over again he wondered how he'd never noticed before how alike they were. "That was once," he amended and watched them sigh identically, and he knew all over again how much he loved them both."Master Luke! How wonderful!" Threepio shuffled into the room from where he'd been charging in preparation for the trip, and greeted Luke with obvious joy. Luke took the chance to step away from Han and Leia, allowing Threepio to lead him on a guided tour of a house they would soon be leaving behind forever.He'd been flying with Chewbacca for twenty years, a number that still caught him up when he thought about it. Luke was a capable co-pilot, something Han had known for almost ten years, but things weren't quite the same. For one thing, Chewie was taller and could reach. Luke knew the Falcon's controls as well as Han himself did but rather than standing to reach, he flicked the switches with the Force. Han tried not to stare."Do much flying these days?"Luke shook his head. "Not as much as I'd like. I've been planetbound except when Ahsoka needs something.""That new Jedi Order you're getting together.""Yeah.""Is she the head of it?"Luke continued setting the course on the navicomp, not making eye contact. "That is a very good question which we are all going to have to find an answer to at some point.""You're looking good. Sitting around meditating about the nature of the universe has been good for you."Finally Han pulled a chuckle out of him. "Right. It's a lot more reading old books and looking through old holocrons as we can locate them."Han made a face. "Dull.""More interesting than you'd think." He did look at Han. "Or maybe not for you.""Better you than me, kid."The ship settled into hyperspace. Leia was already in the lounge poring over a datapad as she researched everything they knew about Tadona. She didn't look up as they joined her, Han passing through to the galley to get the caf started while Luke sat with a solid space of bench between them.After a moment, he breathed in and relaxed. "I forgot how much I missed this ship.""She's like that," Leia said, still reading. She reached out her hand and placed in over Luke's dark-gloved hand. "I get tied up with work for weeks, then we have to travel and suddenly I remember all over again how safe I feel here.""Hey," Han said, bringing the mugs and plonking them onto the table in front of the two of them. "I've been saying this is the best ship in the galaxy since the day I met you. Not my fault you both keep forgetting."Luke took his mug, coincidentally pulling away from Leia's touch.Without looking up Leia said, "I'm sure it is your fault somehow." The easy barbs and banter sunk into him like water after a trudge through a desert. The back and forth he had with Leia was different when Luke wasn't around, more guarded. Han always felt safe here, but for the first time in an age he felt alive.He and Leia had been on enough trips together that this cabin was their second home. They'd talked long into the ship's night with Luke before retiring. Han had hesitated one second too long, wishing he could find the right casual invitation to bring the man they both loved into the room with them. Instead Luke wished them good night and hid behind Chewie's closed door.Han expected Leia to pull up her side of the blanket and insist on getting some sleep. Instead she fell upon him hungrily, and he responded in kind, pleased with her sudden interest. She couldn't read his mind, he was sure of it. Leia couldn't know that he wondered deep inside if she was using Han tonight as a fleshy dildo while she pretended she was making love to her brother. She gasped and cried, keeping her voice low like she always did in consideration of the Falcon's thin bulkheads, and she came in his arms with tears prickling the edges of her eyes. They knew each other's feelings. Was Luke in his own cabin twisting in the same throes as Leia clenched around him, spoiling the borrowed bunk? Could he feel Han thick inside him in sympathy to his sister, jerking to the same deep thrusts? Han's brain shut down as he came, warm and full.In the morning, Luke was as polite as any friend, not sharing as much as a single knowing glance with either of them. He had to have known. Han made an effort not to stare as he drank his own caf and poked at the eggs cooking in the galley's one good pan. And what could he ask? Had Luke felt it when Han worked Leia's clit with his thumb? What did it feel like for him when Han pushed into her wet heat? Not questions he could ask, not and risk pushing Luke away forever.He made an excuse after breakfast to duck into Chewie's room later, not giving himself a reason why, and rested his hand for a moment on the stiff crust left to dry on the sheets.Leia had said when she'd slept with her brother that Han might as well have been in their bunk with them. Last night, in a way, Luke had been in theirs.They really needed to talk about this but Han was damned if he knew what to say.Tadona wasn't as impressive as the Tadonans seemed to think it was. Han had seen too many plush worlds fat with wealth and pomp to be taken in by precious metal inlays and gems surrounding a palace entry. Part of him still assayed what the value would be if he pried out a handful of lesser gems at eye level along with their settings, especially if he could get them to a planet with a flexible approach to ownership documentation, but he wouldn't be himself if he didn't think about it.Leia took his hand and squeezed, hard. She might not have a mental connection directly into his brain but she knew how Han thought, too.The Tadonans were Near Humans, their flesh covered with decorative chitin scales denoting family status. The higher-ranked members of the government had similar gemstones as in their doors implanted in their own scales, flashing and glittering in the many glowglobes overhead. The high walls of the palace were decorated with inlaid stone mosaics of previous leaders or important mythological figures; Leia seemed to know which, asking questions via Threepio and offering praise and commentary at the answers.Han caught Luke's eye. Luke gave him a blank look and the smallest of shrugs. One of his Jedi friends had been a well-known Rebel artist but Luke had as little interest in the subject as Han did.They were brought to the meeting room which had been set aside for the negotiations. Han knew when he wasn't needed and took a seat to the side. He'd play Leia's consort, escort, bodyguard, or bravo as needed; with the most renowned Jedi Knight in the galaxy in the room sitting next to Leia, Han was extraneous for all but the first role. He tried to stay awake, using the time to think about an upgrade he wanted to make to the Falcon's power converter. He'd learned to act like he was paying polite attention while his mind wandered. The research nerds at Coronet had come out with a new transducer model and the Holonet reviews on the enginehead sites said with a few tweaks they could be retrofitted to older Corellian models without sacrificing performance. Han nodded along with his internal plans, thinking about rewiring the primary relays.One of the Tadonan bodyguards sat near him at the side. In halting Standard he said, "You agree with these terms?""I've heard worse." Han had no idea what the deal was. He'd picked up that Leia and Luke weren't here to nail down terms, but to ratify what the detail-oriented clerks who'd been sent here previously had already worked out between them in their own diplomatic way. Leia was there to sign as the NR representative and Luke was there as a lucky amulet to bring good fortune on the agreement.Han's focus went back to the two of them. They'd been seated next to each other. Leia shone like their gems with every movement and word, set on charming their hosts while confirming the trade deal was equitable for her side's interests, with the occasional graceful nod to her favorite annoying protocol droid as he translated tricky phrases. Luke remained silent, remote. Not rude, obviously, but detached, which seemed to impress the Tadonans. The Jedi might be part of the New Republic and this Jedi might be the brother of the woman signing the deal but they trusted him to be neutral, and he played that part. There may as well have been a solid wall between the twins, Luke paying his sister no more attention than the tabletop. Anyone else looking at them would agree their Jedi was an unbiased observer who cared no more for Leia than he did for the diplomat handing him the datapad to read. Anyone who knew what they were really seeing would understand what had been in front of them all this entire time.Luke was still in love with her.Han stopped paying attention to the treaty and gave all his attention to the two humans he'd shown up with, finally noting Luke's stiff pain carefully disguised as indifference. Leia had to know, had to have known for years if half the emotions they picked up on each other were anything to go by, but Leia had been compartmentalizing since the day they'd met. She could set aside her feelings while she was working. If Luke's distance hurt her today, if the now obvious reason for the years of distance didn't strike her to the core, she didn't show anything on her face or in the way she sat or spoke.The meeting concluded after hours of boring talk. Respectful bows went around while Threepio twittered his delight in multiple languages.Han stood, stretching his back. He didn't used to get stiff sitting in one place for this long, but he didn't used to have gray hairs peeping out along his temple either. He took a rangy, careful stance beside Leia, noting Luke take a similar stance to her other side. Sure, everyone signed and they were all friends now, but don't forget the NR rep had her ex-Rebellion General husband with her, not to mention her brother the famous Jedi. And their droid, because Han had been places where even Artoo and Threepio's names had been respected after the war, and wasn't that weird? If Chewie and Artoo had come along instead of staying home with Ben, they'd have a full hand of famous Rebels.The famous Rebels were led down another corridor to the guest suites to refresh themselves. "We will have a great feast this evening to celebrate.""Thank you for your hospitality," Leia said. "My droid will help your serving droids bring our bags.""I'm going, too," Han said, because he didn't like the idea of strange droids boarding his ship without him. Before they could argue he turned and followed Goldenrod down the corridor. He wanted to get a better feel for the layout of this place in case something came up and they needed a quick exit. That had happened many times back during the Rebellion: Leia would get sent to negotiate with potential allies to find a new base site or set up covert supplies, Luke or Han or both would go with her as backup, the Imps would find out or someone would betray them, and they'd fight their way back to their ship and Han would have three point two seconds to launch or else they'd all die.Sometimes he missed the old days.By the time he'd confirmed his ship was fine and had returned with the droids hauling their bags, Leia had already stepped into the adjoining 'fresher area of the suite. Water sang in the pipes as she bathed, clearly expecting Han to bring her a change of clothes. Luke stood examining one of several mosaics on their wall, this one showing two Tadonan figures in what appeared to be some sort of dance."Hey," Han said agreeably and nodded to the droids where to place the bags. As soon as the palace droids left, Han hefted Leia's bag onto a small table on one side of the room and began digging out her things. This one needed to be hung on the extendable rod. That one needed a spray from her anti-wrinkle formula, which added a light scent as the fabric unraveled. Onto the same rod it went.Luke watched him. "You're a little too good at that.""I learned how to avoid arguments. You know what Leia's like about her clothes." He nodded at the small bag with Luke's things. "Are you going to change?""Into what?""Search me. Do they expect you to dress up in Jedi robes?"Luke made a face and Han saw the kid he'd met a decade ago. "I hope not."The water turned off and Leia cracked the 'fresher door. "Is that Han?"Han said, "You want the gold one or the blue one?"She paused, and he could only imagine what she was thinking. She understood the significance of the architecture around them, what would be seen as complimentary to their hosts and what might be taken as appropriative. "The blue. Luke, what are you wearing?" Han handed her the dress through the crack."The same thing I wore earlier.""Change your shirt," she said, and it was phrased so strongly as an order Luke already had his bag open before he paused and turned with an amazed smile at the closed door."Here," Han said, passing him the anti-wrinkle spray. "You'll want this."Han dug out what she'd packed for him, noticing the military insignia along with the insignia indicating he'd retired. He began shucking his clothes, pausing when he was down to his shorts while Luke froze, then turned his back before he undid the fastenings on his own shirt, leaving his trousers on."What?""I've gotten used to privacy.""No big get-togethers where all the Jedi go skinny dipping?"He couldn't see Luke's face but the sudden movement of his back muscles told him Luke wasn't sure if he was horrified or ready to bust out laughing at the image. "No.""You sure? Fulcrum's kinda hot.""Han," came Leia's voice from the 'fresher in a warning tone.Han grinned to himself, and Luke turned enough to see the tease on his face. Luke sighed and Han swore he heard Leia sigh at the same time from the other room. Han dressed, moving so he wasn't staring at Luke's bare torso. They'd seen each other in their skivvies plenty of times but it had been a while and Luke had put on more muscle on his arms. His strong back narrowed down to his still-covered backside. He'd always been good-looking but he'd fully grown into his looks and his comfort with his own body, shyness or not.In a few minutes, Leia stepped out. She hadn't washed her hair, which was good or they'd be there for hours. She pulled out her mirror from her case, hurriedly unbraiding certain strands, repinning others, and generally tidying up her appearance with wickedly fast movements Han had never been able to keep up with. Luke had his fresh shirt on and was watching her openly."How do you do that?""Practice," she said curtly, a pin between her teeth. She took it, rammed it into place in a spot that looked like any other spot but apparently kept a forest of braids locked into position. "Better."Her hairstyle had changed from earlier but Han didn't have the words for the difference, only knew all over again that she was the prettiest woman he'd ever known. And for a moment, he saw the same expression on Luke's face before he locked it away under false serenity and placed a polite smile on his lips. "Ready?"Han was used to attending fancy dinners as Leia's escort. Some parties sat them together, others moved their guests around to give them the opportunity to mingle. They'd developed signals for her to tell him what to do with his fork or fork-equivalent and when he was being too loud. The food was rarely good, no matter how Leia praised the preparations and offered their gratitude, but she could gesture at items he would like more than the others."My thanks," Luke said as the serving droid floated by with a flagon of water, and demurred at the offer of local wines. "I cannot." he said with a reluctant smile and the implication that as a Jedi he was forbidden to drink. Han knew it had more to do with the kid overindulging the night after their Death Star escapade at the celebration party and making himself so sick he'd sworn off the stuff for good.Han himself had neither prohibitions nor a low tolerance and took a taste. Not bad. A little dry with an aftersensation that burned. He stuck to water for the rest of the meal, coaxing Luke into telling one of their Standard-speaking and Jedi-impressed hosts a story about a scrape he'd gotten into with Ezra while the two of them had been investigating a rumor about Imperial remnants. Han pictured the story as Luke unfolded it, two Jedi in over their heads and not knowing it until they were stuck together in a semi-functioning brig cell in a half-derelict Star Destroyer. Luke might claim to be planetbound most of the time but it sounded like he was doing exactly as he'd always done, helping people and fighting the remains of the Empire long after the war was over. Leia was occupied talking to their hosts but he knew her tells; she was listening in to Luke's story, too, desperate for some insight into the life he'd chosen over them.As the last of the food was cleared away, Luke asked, "Will the droids take my bags to my suite?""It is the same suite as your companions," said the Tadonan next to him. "You are family?""Yes," said Leia."Families room together.""This is your custom?" she asked before Han could butt in, and was given an affirmative. "Thank you for the suite. It's perfect for our needs." Luke echoed his thanks in a murmur and didn't look at her.There was another reception after dinner. Luke was mobbed, politely, by Tadonans eager to meet a Jedi, peppering him with questions about the Force, about his adventures. One piped up with a familiar question: "Is it true Jedi do not wed?""It's not encouraged," Luke said. "Some do, such as my father. Others prefer the company of the Force and prefer not to have the distraction of a spouse or family."When he had a moment free, Han nudged his arm and said, "Your family's a distraction?""I didn't mean it that way.""Right." The motion of the party moved them away again, and Han only caught glimpses of Luke even as his own movements brought him closer to Leia.They returned to their suite with Leia practically bubbling. "I have a very good feeling about this treaty," she said with a pleased sigh. "The New Republic needs more trading partners with this kind of wealth.""I'm glad it worked out," Luke said, glancing around the room with a sweep. "I like it when they don't turn out to try to kill us or sell us out to the Empire.""It's a whole new galaxy, kid," Han said, and shrugged off the scratchy shirt with the insignia.Luke cleared his throat. "Threepio and I will head back to the Falcon. We can leave when you're ready in the morning.""We're invited to another reception for brunch," said Leia, pulling pins from her hair and rebraiding into something more practical for bed. "And they expect us all to stay in here tonight. It's an insult to their hospitality if any of us prefers to sleep back aboard the ship."He saw the discomfort move over Luke's face as he looked at the circular bed. "Fine. I'll kip on the floor.""You will not," Leia said. "Threepio, please go charge in the kiosk beside the 'fresher. Low power mode. We'll activate you in the morning.""Of course, Princess Leia. I must say, I would like a rest." He went into the charging cube and powered down.Leia said, "It's fine, Luke. Remember when the power to the heaters went out in the barracks and you and I piled into the Falcon for a couple of nights because Han's and Chewie's cabins were the only places that had heat on the base?"The memory hit him like a mallet. Han recalled the three of them, awkward at first, eventually tangling like kittens, and just as innocent, and kind enough to each other to ignore the solid wood in two sets of shorts come morning. He remembered the feel of Leia's breath on his neck that night with Luke's head resting on his arm, and feeling completely warm and happy. He saw Luke trying not to remember."The floor will be fine.""Can you pretend for one night that you don't hate me?" Her voice was rough, holding back half a decade of tears. "Just one?"Luke's face went slack. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you."She smiled without humor. "You don't think I can read it in your head whenever you see me? I thought things would be better when you were here but you've spent all day loathing me." Han knew her angry moods, clouding over and ready to storm. "Every time you've looked at me today, I could feel how much you hate me.""Not you," he said, shaking his head like he had flies batting against his ears. "Leia, no. That's not."She waved at Han. "It's barely better when you look at Han. You hate us.""It's me." Where her voice had been rough, his was soft like falling leaves. "I hate the decisions I've made. I hate having told you about our father when you were so much happier not knowing, would have been happier never knowing." He clenched his right hand. "I hate that every day I remember what happened to you both back on Bespin because of me. I hate that I did this to you and every time I look at either of you, it hurts." The hurt tumbled out between them on the thick carpet.Leia approached him first. Later Han would remember that his own feet had felt bolted to the floor, but Leia had been able to take those steps, grasping Luke's wrists and holding him, making him look at her."Tell me," she ordered him."I did.""No. Tell me." She locked eyes with him, and whatever passed between them, Han couldn't hear it. The Force moved in ways he couldn't imagine and right now it moved between the two people he loved at the speed of thought and blame. Hell of a thing.She kissed him suddenly and Han felt his jaw drop as he watched, Luke standing limp and impassive at her touch, only the twitch of a muscle in his cheek betraying he was even alive. A high, thin moment stretched out and his shoulders relaxed and his hand moved to her face and he kissed her back like she was the first taste of water he'd had in a year. Or five years.When they broke, Leia said, "You aren't allowed to hate yourself. You are the best person I have ever known."He shook his head again. "A good person wouldn't feel this way."Finally his feet were free. Han stepped closer, carefully, not wanting to startle Luke. He placed his hand on Luke's shoulder and even through the shirt Luke gasped like it burned. Ache and want churned in Han's gut but all he did was press his lips against Luke's temple.Leia said, "The last time I checked, the Jedi didn't think love was a bad thing to feel. Some of them even get married.""But not to their own sister. The two of you have each other."Leia said, "But we're only complete when you're with us. I love you, Luke. I have for years and you've known it because I can't lie to you. And if you don't hate us, then I know you love us and you have to let go of the other because that one is bad for Jedi.""It's not great for non-Jedi either," Han said, and the two of them turned to look at him with such matching annoyance that he laughed and before he let himself think, he kissed Luke. Han had kissed a lot of people in his life, and his favorite person to kiss was standing right there, but the moment his mouth finally met Luke's after a decade of idle wishes, he felt like he'd closed a circuit in his brain and suddenly everything flowed for the first time. Luke's lips opened to his, sending shudders through Han's whole body as he grasped Han's arms.They let go, finally, and Han was uncomfortably aware of the growing interest in his own pants. He wondered if he could find a way to adjust things without being super obvious about it, then whimpered as Leia reached for Luke again, pulling his left hand against her breast while she kissed him, drinking in Luke's deep groan. Every sight and sound drove electric sparks though Han, made worse when Luke's free hand found his, tangling their fingers together while he kissed Leia, gentle with a grip that could crush durasteel.Desire had driven some of Han's worst ideas over the years. A few of his best ones, too. Desire pulled him against Luke again, nuzzling his cheek then brushing his lips down across Luke's throat, enjoying the bob as Luke gulped at the sensation of Leia's mouth against his and Han's mouth at his neck."You love me," Leia said between kisses. "You love us."Luke whispered, "Yes," against her lips."Love us," she ordered."Yes."Clothes were an issue, and Leia's most of all. As with her hair she was by far the expert at unbuttoning, unzipping, sliding, and removing, and she did these as she kissed Luke, kissed Han, pulled away to watch them kiss each other.Han slithered out of his own clothes and groaned as his hand made its way under Luke's shirt to touch the bare skin of his chest. Luke went to remove his own shirt and Han dropped his hand, pressing the heel against the bulge in Luke's pants and enjoying Luke's bit-off cry. Leia had stepped back to drape her good dress over the hook before she ruined it, and this left a space for Han to drop to his knees. He hadn't sucked a man in years but the basics hadn't changed. He undid Luke's flies with ease and slipped his hand into his shorts, pulling his prize free. Luke's shirt was half-off, forgotten as Han's mouth went to work on him, licking and sucking and pulling him deep into his throat."Please," Luke hissed, and for a second Han froze. He'd misread everything. Luke wanted him to stop, needed them to stop. Then Leia stepped behind Luke and removed his shirt the rest of the way, and she kissed him again. Luke's hips thrust into Han's mouth, bruising his lips. Han took the hint and used his hand, his tongue, the gulp he still remembered how to make. Leia tugged at Luke's trousers, leaving his short with only his prick sticking through, puddling the rest at his ankles. Her hand went under his waistband and Han couldn't tell what she was doing but Luke's high keen told him enough. A moment later, Han's mouth filled with salt as Luke shuddered, body falling limply against Leia, who let out a gasp Han knew well.He wiped his mouth with his hand. "You too?"She nodded, her skin flushed pink as the quakes passed through her. "That happened last time."He'd missed last time while he was being hauled away by Boba Fett. He'd missed seeing the worry on Leia's face fade under her passion, missed the awed expression on Luke's face as she took him into her body for the very first time. Luke's innocence would have shattered against Vader's revelation, and another innocence would have been lost again in Leia's arms as they'd rutted their grief and fears into each other, nerves cascading in a unison they didn't understand.Han wondered how many times over the years they'd been parted that Luke had wakened in the middle of the night, wracked with pleasure from Han's fingers and tongue a dozen star systems away, unable and unwilling to explain to Ezra or Cal or whoever he was on a mission with that he'd just felt his sister come. Or was it only when they were close that it was this intense?Here, now, they had a bed. Han's clothes were in a pile on the floor beside it, while Leia, naked and gorgeous as ever, took the extra few seconds to drape Luke's across the other furniture while her own hung primly. Han loved that about her, loved her, and was clumsy in his desire for her as they tussled to the bed. Luke lay next to them, still trembling, curling into each touch as Leia paused to stroke his skin and Han brushed their legs together when he made his first good thrust into the tight clench of Leia's body. They'd been lovers for years but this was a new first time, Leia alive in his arms and Luke's hand loosely on himself, twitching in time with Leia as he watched, eyes round with adoration.She moaned and Luke choked back a cry at the same time, and Han knew Luke was feeling every movement Han made, knew he was balls-deep inside them both and that was enough. He came with a heavy groan, disappointed not to have lasted longer, wanting to lay here with her, with him, writhing for hours without end in her arms.Leia kissed him hard, then slithered over, reaching for Luke. Luke was beyond words, beyond anything, as Leia took his prick in her hand and guided him into her. Han was too tired to even think about helping, resting his hand against Luke's hip as Leia rose and fell above him, soft sobs in her throat at the building pleasure between her legs, drinking Luke's pleasure in and giving hers in return, both knowing exactly how it felt to penetrate and be stretched at once. It must've been like this for them last time. Han wondered at her all over again, that she'd found a perfect lover and still taken Han as her husband.Luke's second time lasted longer, but the moment Leia keened in her own climax, that was it for him, jerking hard into her, filling her, and following her into a second peak right after, then a third as Luke was wrung dry within her.She pulled off him at last and went to lay beside him, limp and sated. Han was too tired to try again but he wasn't too tired to worship her. He kissed her breast then crawled between her legs, tasting his seed and Luke's mingled with her flavor in a pleasing mess. He licked and teased until she moaned again, Luke twitching beside her, utterly spent. Pleased with his work, he crawled back up to Luke's other side, and kissed him deeply, letting him savor the perfect taste. Leia embraced him from behind."Stay," Leia said into his neck. "Stay and love us. Stay and raise Ben. Stay."Luke kissed Han again, his eyes closed. "I'll stay."Han had never seen the place where Luke had been living these past few years, hadn't realized how small and humble the buildings were, or how lonely. The other Jedi were out in the galaxy, living aboard their own ships with their own friends and families. They returned here when they needed to converse but they didn't isolate themselves the same way. Luke had been living here alone with only the occasional trip out and the occasional visitor in, surrounding himself with old scrolls and books and holocrons and self-recriminations for things he could never have known.Leia took one look and said, "You can read your old scrolls at our house. We have room."It didn't take him long to pack.The New Republic capital was moving to Toprawa, according to Leia. Han hadn't even heard of Toprawa before but he hadn't heard of this planet, either. He helped Ben pack his toys, stopping every so often to play with the little plastoid figures before they were packed away, before his son got too old to play with these like he'd outgrown his soft toys. Every day that passed meant he was older, but he was still little enough to play with his dad and Han would take it."We have to get a new house?" Ben asked, placing the figures into the box using the Force, his control still very wiggly even under his uncle's direction."A bigger house," Han said. "Mom's job is moving and Uncle Luke is going to live with us from now on." Another new beginning, he thought. He wasn't about to start believing in happy endings at his age but for the first time in his life he was open to the possibility they happened sometimes."Really?" Ben asked, turning to Luke for confirmation. Luke grinned and picked him up, and Ben laughed. "Forever?""Forever," Luke promised, and kissed his head.