Leia looked at the timepiece on her wrist. Again. "Threepio, when was Captain Solo expected back?" She paced the small apartment, warmly insulated against the snow and wind of the ice planet. Her quarters here on Hoth were spartan compared to the palace she had occupied on Alderaan, but she cared little for creature comforts.

The golden droid, if he had a human brain, would have sighed. Instead, he was blessed with infinite patience and answered in his mechanical clipped, fussy voice. "He is now overdue by three hours and seventeen minutes, your Highness. But please don't worry about him. The Wookiee concept of time is very different from yours."

It was Leia who sighed. Han and Chewbacca had taken the Millennium Falcon to Kashyyyk, Chewie's home planet, for some well-deserved vacation time. Chewie hadn't seen his wife in months, and she was due to give birth to their daughter. Leia knew his age to be around two hundred years, but she understood little of Wookiee physical characteristics - and not much of their peculiar guttural language. Their only son was around Han's age. It must be tough raising children by herself, Leia thought, with Chewie tearing around the galaxy as Han's copilot.

As she paced, Leia glanced at her reflection in an ornate mirror above the sofa. Her dark hair, usually swept into a complicated updo, hung loosely around her shoulders. Her silken robes brushed the heated, carpeted floor. In her bare feet she appeared even shorter than her diminutive five feet two inches. She turned toward a small commotion at the front door.

"You don't need to announce me," Han's voice boomed through the small space. "I practically live here!" He brushed past the shiny droid, who was sputtering in some obscure language. Leia smiled and shook her head as Han swept into the room.

"It's a girl!" he announced with a grin. "Have you ever seen a newborn Wookiee, Leia? She looks like a tall Ewok with big brown eyes!" He stopped, staring at Leia in her uncharacteristically feminine attire. "Wow. You look…" He never finished the sentence, as his arms encircled her small form and his lips were suddenly occupied with kissing her senseless.

C3PO muttered to himself and secured the front door before retreating to the small galley and powering down.

Han smelled wonderful - fresh air, leather, and a unique spicy scent that was distinctly his. Leia squirmed from his grasp and took a step away from him. "And everyone is okay? It would have been nice to hear from you before now," she added, a little breathless from his exuberant kiss.

"It's been a little crazy," he explained carelessly. "Did you miss me?" His crooked grin threatened to lure her in, but she shook her head.

"I've been busy myself - you know, managing the entire Alliance without a lot of help."

"Oh, come on, Your Highness!" He chuckled softly. "You've got armies of generals, admirals, soldiers, droids...I think you missed me."

Her eyes narrowed. "I've asked you not to call me that, Han."

His large hands rested on her hips, and his hazel eyes stared into hers. She inhaled sharply as he bent to kiss her, and her mouth willingly opened to his probing tongue. She shuddered as his callused hands moved over the filmy fabric, searching for cool, tender skin, and she whimpered when they found their prize. He located the hidden clasp among the voluminous layers of fabric and flicked it, pushing the robe off her shoulders where it puddled on the floor. She smiled then, standing naked before him. "One of us has too many clothes on," she quipped as she reached to unbuckle his gun belt.

Later, lying entwined on her bed, her head rested on Han's chest, fingers dancing lazily over his ribs. "I guess I might as well admit it now. I have missed you," she said softly. "Did you manage to get some rest on Kashyyyk? It must have been hectic with the new baby and all."

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips with a smile. "You know I'm ticklish, Leia. But mostly exhausted. No, it wasn't very restful, but I'm glad Chewie was there for the birth. It's a vastly different world, up there in the trees. No doctors, no hospitals. And Wookiee babies are much more independent than human ones."

Leia drew in a sharp breath. "Speaking of babies, Han, we have to be more careful. We tend to get carried away…" Their attempts at birth control were, at best, intermittent. Condoms were not at the top of Han's agenda, especially when he returned from a long absence. The couple were monogamous, so it didn't seem that important to him.

He touched her lips with his index finger. "My fault, Leia. I'm sorry. I was just so happy to see you, and I missed you so much. But that's no excuse. I'll be more careful." He groped on the floor for his pants and fumbled for a pocket.

She snuggled against him and closed her eyes. "Okay, don't worry. I'm sure it will be fine."

But of course that was wishful thinking. The morning sickness started about eight weeks later. Han tried to follow her into the bathroom, but she slammed the door in his face before expelling her recently consumed breakfast into the toilet bowl. Pale and shaking, she emerged five minutes later.

Han sat on the edge of the bed, concern evident on his rugged features. "Leia? Are you okay?"

She sat next to him and nodded. "I'll be fine, Han. I figure...in about seven months."

He looked momentarily confused, and she watched his face change as understanding dawned. It was almost comical, watching the range of emotions - from worry, to confusion, and finally to shocked comprehension. "Are you sure? I mean…" He wasn't sure exactly what he meant, and his gaze held her captive.

"Yes, I'm sure." She placed a hand on his and looked up into his face. "Don't worry. You don't have to marry me or anything."

"Marry," he repeated, his voice dull. He shook his head. "Well, yes. Of course I'll marry you, Leia. If...if that's what you want. You know I love you."

Her smile was a trifle sad. "I know you do, Han. And I also know you have no desire to be tied down. What we have - it works for us. It's kind of you to offer, but marriage isn't what either one of us wants. We'll work it out; we have plenty of time."

Plenty of time. In the sixth month of her pregnancy, Leia lay on her velvety brown sofa. She was propped up with pillows, her feet resting on Han's lap as they each stared at a hand-held computer. Leia's sizeable baby bump shifted and swayed, unnoticed, as they studied their individual assignments.

Leia was the first to put her work aside, and she spoke softly as she set the comp on a table. "Han?"

"Mmm hmmm?" His eyes never left the scrolling figures as he responded absently.

"Are you almost finished with that?"

He turned to her then, a frown creasing his handsome face. "You okay?" Flicking the 'off' switch, he set his mini-computer on the table next to hers and gave her his undivided attention.

She shook her head, her hands moving to gently massage her stomach. "I'm fine. I was just thinking...do you think the baby is a boy?"

He grinned, rubbing one of her feet with his warm hands. "I'd bet money on it. He's our immortality, Leia. Boy or girl - that baby will bring a little part of you and me into the future of this world. It's an amazing thing, isn't it?"

She smiled. "I hope he'll have the best of both of us."

Three months later, all that sand had somehow slipped through the hourglass. Leia lay, panting and sweating, in the delivery room of the local hospital. "Okay, one more big push, Mrs...I mean princess...that is…" The poor doctor gave up, and the delivery room nurse droid uttered a very human-like snicker.

"'Please, call me Leia," the mother-to-be gasped. "I'd say we're close enough…" The end of her reply was bitten off by a scream, as the worst pain yet ripped through her tired body. Leia couldn't believe in all this time they hadn't discovered a more humane way to bring babies into the world. She squeezed Han's hand harder, and he swallowed audibly.

"I'm sorry, Leia, I don't…" He shrugged as she glared at him.

"Just. Don't." Her jaw tightened as she bore down, managing to expel the tiny creature from her womb with this final push. She didn't have any more fight left in her. The relief was evident in her face even before her son wailed his displeasure to everyone present. After nine months in darkness and security, he was not happy to be thrust into this noisy, too-bright world. His little face reddened as the doctor quickly wrapped him in a warm blanket.

"It's a boy," he said simply as he laid the small bundle on Leia's shoulder.

She blinked, then smiled as the baby immediately stopped crying. Kissing his face, she whispered "Hello there, Ben." She released Han's hand and looked up at him. "We have a son. How about that?"

Han's eyes misted over. "Marry me, Leia. Please. I love you. Ben needs two parents."

"He has two parents, Han! We don't need a piece of paper to tell us that." She smiled tenderly at the baby, now sleeping peacefully in her arms. "It really is okay. He'll always know that he's loved. By both of his parents."

She handed the baby to Han, who held him close and whispered to his newborn son as the doctor tended to Leia. "I know we'll face some tough times, son, but just remember - your mom and I will always be here for you, no matter what. That's a promise. We love you, Ben Kyle Solo." He gently kissed the sleeping baby's forehead.