Disclaimer: nothing at all is mine. I'd be rich otherwise.

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In Love, All Is Spoken

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The only time General Leia allows herself to think about Han is when she looks at Finn and Rey.

Somehow, with his death, the pieces of her soul she'd kept hidden all these years have been exposed to the light: the shame of failing as a mother, the knowledge that she'd never needed to be a mother, or a wife, the eagerness with which she'd pushed her son into Luke's arms, the lonely hours lamenting over her lost family, the tiny piece of relief at finally being on her own again, missing Han, not missing Han, loving him all the while, and slowly hating herself. Where she has always shined is at the forefront of the revolution. Fighting for the common man, the underdog, is what's kept her heart beating. But family had soothed the aches in her muscles, coated the throat sore from screaming, and gave her sweet dreams to sleep to. And even then, it wasn't enough; she still shoved it away like a classified document so she could march forward with her fist in the air, wailing a great battle cry. The woman in her was supposed to be fulfilled by family-everyone around her had always said so-but family didn't set fire to her blood. It didn't give her purpose, determination, a set goal to reach. Mother Leia always came in second to General. And the worst part is, she had never minded.

What she did mind was never having made peace with her father, like Luke had. Never having seen his last moments, like Luke did. Never having talked to his Force ghost-like Luke did. It never stopped hurting her heart: the fact that Vader could torture her and destroy her world without ever noticing the Fore within her, but when Luke Skywalker came around, suddenly Vader's sense were tingling. It took Luke and his lightsaber to bring out the truth. Leia only had her years of rebellion. She had a blaster, not a lightsaber. She had wit, not the Force. Despite feeling every loss and connection with her family members, she never could meditate in a tunic and reach out to her father during a healing trance. Only Luke. Always Luke. General Leia knows now that it's an unfair jealousy; Luke hadn't asked for the burden of changing the world's destiny anymore than she had asked to be thrown into war. But years later, it still stings.

And then she loses her son to darkness. And then she loses her brother to guilt. And then she loses her once-lover to her son. It hard enough being her before nursing the wounds the men in her life had left behind. Only one wound has started to heal; with Luke's return after so long, there is no time for a cold shoulder or a personal vendetta. Now, he is all she has left. She clings to him like the young girl she once was, and he apologizes over and over until she shakes him lightly. "Damn it, Luke! I know! I feel it, remember?"

It's only with Luke that she lets her guard down. The rest of time, she blocks out emotions and throws herself into her work with gusto, occasionally grumbling that she's too old for this shit, and wouldn't it be nice if the Dark Side could just shove it up their ass forever?

And then, every once in a while, she looks at Finn and Rey.

They've attended every meeting together and sat barely an inch apart. They've shared side glances from across the room like the secretive lovestruck teens they are. They've engaged in arguments in low hisses with their heads bent together in the corner. They've even had the audacity to grasp hands during missions, right before they raise their blaster and lightsaber and deflect stormtrooper shots. She had sensed their bond when Rey returned from training-who didn't?-and she had kept her mouth shut and her nose out their business. But the intensity of their connection is calling to her today, on the day Finn comes back from a horrific battle, as the only survivor. Rey had been pacing the grounds outside with BB-8, who is trying to keep her calm.

By the time Finn's Starfighter lands, she's been sitting on the cargo frantically biting her nails for the better part on an hour.

General Leia observes the former stormtrooper hop out of the fighter with haunted eyes and a clenched jaw, bend over and dry heave. The stubble on his jaw is the only indicator of his manhood-he is still too young to be here., General Leia laments. And Rey, who stands up and drops her staff, looks so much like Luke when he was a boy-fearful and unprepared, with the burden of the galaxy on his shoulders. The only difference between the two Jedi is that Rey's scars are all internal; there is no mechanical hand to tell a story of her hardships, just the naked fear on her face as she waits for Finn to calm his breathing, look up and see her.

When he does, he drops his helmet with a shuddering breath and takes two steps in her direction. She takes off running faster than the speed of light and embraces him so fiercely she could knock him over, but Finn doesn't even stumble; he grabs her just as tightly, burying his face in her hair as she cries into his neck.

General Leia knows it is unbecoming of her to eavesdrop. But the temptation is overwhelming, and she needs to be reminded of the good in humanity, so with the Force, she opens her ears and peeks in. Luckily, Rey has not fully mastered the art of shutting out probes, and if she has, she's too hysterical to care.

"I couldn't feel you," Rey is whimpering. "I tried to find you, I couldn't feel you at all-"

"I know, I know," he murmurs back, "It was touch and go, that's all-"

"I should have gone with you, I knew I should have-"

"No, Rey, no-"

"You almost died, Finn-"

"I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere-"

"I almost lost you-"

"I'm right here, Rey, I'm right here-"

"You can't leave me," Rey is sobbing openly, "You can't, you have to come back to me-"

"I came back for you," he says gruffly, taking Rey's face in his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze. "I will always come back for you."

The fierceness of their kiss, in the middle of the Rebel Base in broad daylight, pays homage to another fierce kiss, given decades ago in a carbon-freeze chamber on Cloud City. That kiss was broken early by circumstance, but this kiss last as long as needed. That kiss was affirmed with, "I love you," and, "I know." This kiss needs neither. Their arms are locked tightly around each others bodies, Finn's hand still cupping her face, Rey's tears staining his cheeks. It is not an affirmation, but a confirmation, and General Leia can't help but wonder: is it a crime to feel jealous of two lovers with a brighter future than she and Han?

Because even from here, she can see that Finn and Rey are more in sync than they even realize. Both left alone, both deprived of affection and human contact, both forced into roles unsuited for them. . .and by some miracle, they found each other. No, she admonishes herself. Not a miracle. She knows better-it is the will of the Force. The same Force that has either blessed or doomed her to a life of rebellion. The same Force that took away Han and brought back Luke. Sometimes the Force is an emotional roller coaster. And it has taken hold of Rey, who in turn has latched onto Finn, who defied every bit of his destiny and made a new one for himself. . .unless that too was the will of the Force. But then, what will the boy's true destiny be?

When Finn and Rey finally break apart, they take each other's hand and shakily walk away, off the cement and onto the untouched hills, where a cluster of trees and lakes are hiding. General Leia lets out breath she didn't know she was holding in, gazing tenderly at their retreating backs.

The world of Force and Fate has always ruled her life with an iron grip, and she knows it always will, as surely as she knows it will rule theirs. But if the Force creates challenges without Fate to guide them, perhaps they will guide each other, in their own peculiar way. They are a balance of fire and water, calming the storm and fueling the flames all at once. It reminds her of a rogue pirate with a crooked grin and no Force or Fate, but who always knew.

Look at them, she thinks to herself. They're not like us. . .and yet, they're just like us. They'll be fine.

General Leia turns away abruptly to get back to work. There's no time for dwelling over young love. She has her own fate to worry about.

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A/N: So it's a little different than expected, but I thought it'd be cool to write from an outsider point of view. I recently posted a story called "Carry Your World," and the subject was about the Force abandoning a character to figure out their destiny alone. That concept inspired the idea of Leia, always with the Force, analyzing her life and Finnrey's through those lenses. And I had to pay homage to Han Solo. (Still can't believe he's gone. It was very well done, but heartbreaking all the same.)

And that's it for this five part story! I think I could write a sequel of sweet Finnrey moments if I come up with enough. I am so touched and honored by all the feedback you've given me, be it through a review, a follow or a favorite. The issue with reviews is still happening but I'm trying to respond by directly PMing. Let's hope the problem gets resolved.

Thank you all so much and Happy 2016!