CAN WE STAY HERE FOREVER?

Chapter 12

The final days of vacation passed with swimming, building sandcastles, grilling nerfburgers and avan, throwing the kids into the water, playing cards and enjoying their time as a family.

Brendahl had headed off for Bespin, for the sabacc tournament, Han and Leia having posted her stake. The last night before she left, Han and Leia headed off for their last romantic dinner.

"If heaven exists, it must look a lot like our vacation," Leia said as she sipped her wine.

"Sweetheart, this is heaven," Han said, smiling, as he enjoyed a high end Alderaanian ale. "And we're gonna be back someday. I'm kinda looking forward to coming home to what's supposedly my homeworld."

"I think this is one of the best vacations we've ever had," Leia said.

"Out of all our vacations, or just the family ones?" Han teased her as a bread basket was silently slipped on to the table. The restaurant was the sort where you didn't need to flag down a server; they hovered silently and invisibly.

"I think it's been good for all of us," Leia said, with a wide smile. "We've done a lot with the kids, but we've had time just for the two of us. The kids have behaved well and they don't seem to be so desperately clamoring for our attention as they do at home."

"That's because we've been around. Which I think we have to make a priority," Han said, a serious note in his voice. "I know Brendahl will help a lot, but we need to be around more. You remember Caryn and Corvus?"

"From Chalmun's? The twenty-year off-again, on-again romance?" Leia asked. "Did they ever get married?"

"Caryn hasn't said it's time yet," Han laughed. "Anyway, I sent them a datacomm. They're joining Less Than Twelve Parsecs Shipping."

"Really!" Leia was pleased. She'd never really hassled Han about it, but she knew he was less than happy about being away as much as he was.

"Well, they've got their own ships, and when they're not fighting they fly together in Caryn's. You didn't think I'd let them fly the Falcon, did you?"

"I know how you feel about your old bucket of bolts," Leia said affectionately.

"Hey, that bucket of bolts plays a big role in our lives!" Han reminded her. "Did then, does now."

"Absolutely. I have a lot of good memories from your ship. Well, not all good!" Leia laughed. "I can't say I enjoyed the asteroid field or the space slug. I still can't believe we had our first kiss in the gut of that slug!"

"We don't do it like anyone else, do we?" Han said, giving her a lopsided grin.

"No, we don't," Leia agreed. "I think that's a good thing."

"It's good 'cause of you," Han said, his eyes full of love. "I wouldn't have this life without you."

"If I hadn't met you...I'd still be making politics the center of my life...and by now, I'd be disillusioned and frustrated. Okay, I am disillusioned and frustrated by work right now. But I know that I have the family I never thought I'd have, and I have it with the love of my life. I didn't even realize I wanted a home and a family until you came along. Once, of course, I admitted to myself that it was really happening."

"Took you a while," Han teased her gently, reaching across the table to slip her hand in his. "I decided early on I wasn't gonna rush you."

"That was the day we met, right?"

"It was after the trash masher," Han told her, grinning. "That white dress when it got wet-"

"It was filthy and smelled terrible!"

"And it was clingy. I liked that part," Han winked at her.

Leia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You have," Han said. "And all for the better."

"Nice save, Flyboy," Leia commented as their dinners magically appeared. The food, as it had been every time they'd been there was wonderful.

After taking a few bites, Leia said, "I'm ready to go back to work and start working on my next life. "I think I'm ready to go back to work and start working on my next life, now that I know there's a end in sight. It's going to take some time to get to it, but now it doesn't feel as if the agony will go on forever," She laughed a bit, and Han grinned. "And I plan to travel much less. Sometimes nothing substitutes for a face-to-face, but it's not necessary in most instances. Not every problem requires a large-scale meeting. We do have to pay attention to the unrest on various worlds, and that will require some personal visits. But right now, the economic health of the galaxy is better than it's been since we formed the GFFA."

"I dunno, since I deliver a lot of industrial stuff, things are getting a bit soft as far as demand. I hope that'll turn around," Han said. "It's not hurting my business, but I know that there's pressure on pricing."

"You know, I get better info from you than I do from a roomful of economic ministers," Leia told him.

"I'm in the trenches with it," Han said, shrugging. "Economic ministers come and go to work in their hover limos and never see the people who have to unload the stock and assemble the machines and do the grunt work. And there's a reason I go and have drinks with the friends I've made on each planet. You get the real story."

Leia nodded and smiled. Han was actually her best source of input on economic realities. It gave her an edge in assessing a situation. He was a keen observer of beings as well.

"What are you going to do about training pilots?" Leia asked him. "You seem to enjoy it, at least most of the time."

"Unless I get a class of idiots, which does happen on occasion, it's fun. But I'll see what happens when we get closer to moving."

"Well, we'll most likely have to live near Coronet City," Leia said. "But not in the city itself. It's beautiful, and I know it's got docking facilities that are the best in the galaxy, but I've had enough of urban insanity."

"Lots of nice areas around the city. We don't have to have fifty banks of elevators to get to our apartment. We can just walk in the front door," Han said, smiling happily. The idea of living on his birth world was something he was excited to do. He loathed Coruscant even more than Leia had come to, and he'd been sick of it for far longer. As in, when they moved in.

"The kids can enjoy being outside without us worrying if they're going to be choked by the smogs and fumes," Leia added. "I loved being outdoors when I was young. My mother would take me to pick flowers in the garden; the grass under my feet was so soft. I want our kids to know that."

"I remember that from when I was on Alderaan," Han admitted. "That, and having my blaster confiscated. Oh, and in the welcome message there was this really cute little girl in a white dress."

"Do you have any idea how much those braids hurt?" Leia informed him.

"I think you've mentioned it." She had, more than a few times.

The evening lingered, love and laughter surrounding the couple like a soft veil.

The invisible server made himself visible. "Pardon my asking, but are you two newlyweds?"

Both Han and Leia burst into laughter.

"We've been married for twelve years and we have four kids," Han finally told him, once he was able to catch his breath.

That made the server smile. "May you ever be mistaken for newlyweds."

Both were touched by the sentiment, but as they finally departed the restaurant, they started to laugh again.

"I'd like to think I've improved since we got married," Han said to Leia, his arm over her shoulder and hers around his waist.

"Trust me, you haven't," Leia assured him. "And I wouldn't want it any other way."

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"Do we really have to go home?" Anakin whined as the family packed for the journey back to Coruscant. "I wanna stay here forever."

"I know what you mean, kid," Han said. "Did you find your shoes?"

"I don't know where they are. I think I lost 'em."

It occurred to Han that the last time the kids had worn real shoes was the day they took off for vacation. "Don't worry about it," he told his middle son. Anakin was shocked at first to hear this from his father, but then he shrugged and smiled.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Try not to leave anything else behind."

"I won't!" Anakin headed up the stairs.

Han could hear Leia up in the loft, urging the twins to get moving and pack their bags, and indicating that now would be good. Han could hear them protest, and smiled. It had been a great vacation. Work and school beckoned, but they were ready to re-enter their lives.

Jarik, who was now capable of running at one point five past lightspeed, was pulling things from Han's bag as he was trying to pack it. "You know, buddy, you're not that helpful," Han pointed out to him. Jarik thought this activity was hilarious and laughed at his father. Han picked the little guy up-he was getting big very fast. The toddler had grown on the trip and looked to have his father's long limbs and height, along with his love of fast movement. "Okay, big guy, gimme back my shirt," he said to Jarik, who finally handed it over, only to grab another garment from the bag.

That kid's already following in my footsteps, Han shook his head, but had to smile.

Leia returned to their bedroom. "And how is this one behaving?" she asked Han as Jarik loudly called out, "Mama!"

"I've repacked my bag about four times so far. I put something in, he takes it out," Han said, shaking his head.

Leia picked him up. "Let's let your dad get ready, okay? We're going to be on the Falcon soon!"

"Fa-ton," Jarik pronounced. "Fa-ton."

"I could be wrong, but I think he's trying to say Falcon," Leia said to Han. Jarik, apparently enjoying his newfound word, kept saying it over and over.

Han grinned. "It's a great first word! Wait'll he gets to no."

"I can hardly wait," Leia said. "C'mon, little man, let's get you ready to go." She picked him up as he continued to say what she was certain was meant to be Falcon.

Jaina came barging into Han and Leia's room. "Dad, can I pilot on the way home?"

Han looked at her. "Think you're ready to make the jump to lightspeed?"

Jaina contemplated the question. "I think so. You've shown me lots of times."

"Okay, you can do it, but if things get hairy, you're in the navigator's chair. Deal?

"Deal. I'm gonna give you the best ride ever!" Jaina squealed as she exited.

"Somehow," Han said, muttering softly, "I doubt it, but the kid's gotta start somewhere."

Jacen came down, dropping his bag to the floor. "Did you mean it when you said someday we'd come back and stay here forever?" He looked directly at his mother.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," Leia assured him. "It's going to take a long time, but we'll get here." Leia figured three years seemed an eternity to a ten-year-old, even if she felt that three years would race by for her.

Han smiled at her. "Yep. Someday, we're gonna come back and stay here forever."