While the content of this particular scenario may seem to have been inspired by our current world-wide situation, I actually began writing it back around Halloween when there was discussion of a "Movember" sort of challenge, that would have something to do with Han not shaving. So that's where it originated but then I never quite got around to finishing it until now. Hope you enjoy.

Leia Solo slowly opened her eyes as she heard the faintest noise from down the hall. The light pouring into the large bedroom window told her it was morning before she even had to check the chrono. At least one of her children was up, but it only took her a moment to sense that whichever one it was, it was likely just an early morning 'fresher visit, and there was no reason yet to get up and investigate.

The twins were seven years old and Anakin was five. Occasionally she missed when they were babies, but lying there now, still groggy with sleep, she was grateful that they were firmly out of a phase where they required her immediate assistance first thing in the morning. Sure, maybe occasionally she missed the sight of a happy toddler holding their arms up to be lifted out of a crib, but being able to stay in bed longer was a pretty nice consolation.

She'd been curled up on her side facing the windows, and rolled over to see her husband still sleeping soundly facing her. His face was pressed into his pillow, and he had the blankets pulled up snugly over his shoulders, his mouth slightly agape as he breathed deeply. She smiled a little as she reached up under his mussed hair to press the backs of her fingers against his forehead. This had become a routine over the last ten days or so, because Han had been sick. While not life threatening, the Wurbian virus was enough to knock a human off their feet for up to two weeks, leaving them weak, nauseated, achy, usually running a fever, and completely exhausted. The only way to get past it was lots of rest, and Han had spent most of the time in bed. Well, except for that first day, when at breakfast he'd tried to tell her that he was fine and then she left the room for two minutes and came back to find him passed out at the kitchen table. It had not taken him long to admit that maybe he needed to go lie down. You knew it was bad when Han Solo admitted he wasn't feeling well.

So every morning when she rolled over, she would find him still sound asleep. And every morning she would reach over and touch his forehead to check his fever. In the ten years they'd been married, this was the longest he'd ever been sick. She found it unsettling to see him suffer, but she had at least been able to convince herself for the most part not to worry too much. If the fever did not get out of control within the first few days, the virus would simply run its course. The other interesting thing about this particular virus was that an unknown percentage of humans were somehow immune to it. Leia fell into that percentage, and it appeared that her children had inherited that immunity as well. It was fortunate that however Han was feeling, none of the other Solos would have to endure it.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to sleep. Was it possible to actually miss someone when they'd been spending so much time lying right next to you? It seemed that it was, because she felt that way now. What little time he hadn't spent sleeping he'd barely had the energy to do much more than take an occasional visit to the 'fresher or take a few bites of some food Leia would bring to him and insist he eat. He could at least still offer her the occasional reassuring smile, and she didn't care how long they were together, his smile would never stop having an effect on her.

The house had been quiet all week, and Leia didn't like it. Under the circumstances she appreciated that the kids had been uncharacteristically subdued, but she also found it almost eerie. Normally they had more energy than Leia thought it was possible for any human to possess in unlimited quantities. But those kids were also very intuitive. They could acutely sense it when something wasn't quite right, especially when it came to their parents, and usually reacted accordingly. Leia quietly thanked the gods for this small favor, otherwise it would have been a rough couple of weeks. Still she longed for the controlled chaos that usually coursed through the hallways when Han was fully functional and there was plenty of high-energy playfulness running rampant.

Rolling onto her back, she let out a deep breath and stretched her legs before getting up and heading for the ensuite 'fresher. It was the weekend so the children didn't have to be at school. She had dialed back her work anyway so that she could be there to look after her husband but on this particular day she could move leisurely as nobody needed to be anywhere.

When she returned to the bedroom she saw Han's eyes flutter open and settle on her. He offered her a weak smile from beneath a stubble-covered face. Han was usually one to shave daily, but he hadn't touched a razor since he had fallen ill. She was just glad to see he was awake. "I know you're sick of me asking, but how are you feeling?"

Han rolled over onto his back, his eyes opening a little wider and he appeared to be considering his answer. "I'm almost afraid to say it, but I think I might almost be ready to sit up for an extended period of time."

She climbed back into bed next to him and propped herself up on her side, her hand instinctively coming up to brush his mussed hair away from his face. He still looked pale, but some color had returned to his face beneath all that stubble. Then she brought her hand down to rub the coarse hair growing on his jawline.

"You like it, sweetheart?"

Smiling, teased, "Scruffy-looking nerf herder." He smirked at their old joke before she continued. "I'll take that face however I can get it, but I think I'd probably like it more if I didn't know that this is only here because you haven't been able to stand up long enough to shave."

"Yeah, sorry I haven't been much help around here lately."

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry. We were fine. I'm just glad you're getting better. I don't like seeing you like this."

"Yeah, well I don't much like being like this, but at least it's nice to have you to look after me."

Leaning down she gently pressed her lips against his forehead. "Of course. That's what I'm here for."

There was a sudden knock at the door and a young, muffled voice from the other side said, "Mommy?"

Leia recognized her youngest son and briefly looked at Han, who offered her a quick nod before Leia replied, "Come on in, Anakin."

Their five-year-old walked in, still wearing his pajamas and clutching under an arm his ever-present, stuffed friend Wookiee. He approached the side of the bed to stand next to his mother. "Good morning, sweetie," Leia said as she reached down to run her hand over the dark brown hair on his head. "Everything okay?"

Anakin nodded and then looked up and asked, "Can I say hi to Daddy?"

"Of course you can," she said as she reached down to lift him up onto their bed. In his current state, Han hadn't been able to spend very much time with the kids. So their main interaction had just been brief, sleepy visits to check on Daddy and be reassured that he would be all right soon, he was just tired. It had gotten to the point where they were even bickering about which one of them might get to deliver a glass of water or a sandwich.

Han was bare-chested as he sat up a little, letting the blankets fall to his waist and shifting so his back and shoulders rested on the pillows. With the beginnings of a beard and his hair sticking out in all directions he looked like he had just been rescued from a prison camp or something. "Hi, buddy," Han said with a little smirk. Leia's heart always melted a little with the way it was so apparent when Han was happy to see one of their kids.

"Hi," Anakin replied as he sat on his knees and Leia hugged him from behind, partly to make sure that he didn't decide that now would be a good time to see if Daddy wanted to wrestle. "Daddy I want you to take Wookiee for now," he said as he held the stuffed animal out in front of him. "He'll make you feel better."

Han reached up and took the stuffed animal from his youngest son and said with true appreciation and sincerity, "Thanks, I'll take good care of him."

"No, he takes good care of you," Anakin clarified.

Han smiled down and then opened his arms in invitation before Anakin eagerly climbed over to get his hug. Han squeezed him tightly and then leaned down and made exaggerated kissing noises against his son's neck, making him giggle.

Once Han released him Anakin smiled and said, "Your beard is all scratchy."

Han reached up and touched his cheek. "What, you don't like it?"

Anakin shook his head.

"You want me to shave it?"

Anakin nodded.

"Okay, well, as soon as Wookiee makes me feel better, I promise I'll shave it off."

"Good."

Leia pulled her son back into her arms and leaned down to his ear. "Why don't you go and brush your teeth and I'll be out in a few minutes to make breakfast."

"Okay, bye, Daddy!" Anakin said as he wriggled free and scooted off the bed and back out the door.

Leia looked down at the stuffed Wookiee in Han's hand. "You should feel pretty honored. You know how much that means to him."

"Oh, I do," Han replied as he shifted back to lying down. "Wookiees always make me feel better. Just ask Chewie."

She smiled down at him. "What about me, do I make you feel better?"

"Always," he said without hesitation.

She leaned down and placed her hand on his forehead again. "You don't feel as warm today. That's good."

"Wookiee must be working already."

Leia laughed. "I'm going to go get the kids started on breakfast, but do you need anything right now?"

"No," he said. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him quickly and then climbed out of bed.

"I'll come check on you in a bit but let me know if you need anything."

"I love you," he said quickly before shutting his eyes and snuggling back under the blankets.

"Love you, too," she replied before making her way out of their bedroom.

After yet another nap, Han rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. The chrono told him it was nearly mid day. He was so tired of being tired, but that damn virus was apparently only helped by rest. Well, he'd had more than enough rest for now. And as he lifted his head up off the pillow and propped himself up on his elbows, he realized that for the first time in nearly two weeks, his head wasn't pounding.

He hadn't been sick like that in as long as he could remember, but he was relieved at least to find out that nobody in the rest of his family would get it from him. He was also relieved that he had Leia to take care of him that entire time, because he couldn't imagine how much worse off he'd have been without her. She always made him feel better. He brought his hand up to rub against his chin, feeling the scratchy growth that Anakin had complained about earlier. He really did prefer shaving, but so far even that had seemed too daunting. As he sat up, waiting for the surge of throbbing that had been running through his head for too many days, but not feeling it, he realized he might finally be on the other side of this thing.

A little while later, after a quick shower and one final swipe of his razor, he splashed warm water on his face and ran his hand over his now-smooth jaw. Already he felt dramatically better, and he threw back on his lounge pants and a t-shirt and decided to venture out to see what the rest of the family was up to.

Once the bedroom door opened he was accosted with a wonderfully sweet smell of…. was that something baking?

He turned the corner to get a view of the kitchen where he saw his family all leaning over the counter. Leia was just setting something down from the oven. The kids were all on step stools to bring them to the height of the counter, Jaina stirring something in a big bowl while the boys were setting something out on a baking sheet.

"What's goin' on in here?" Han asked. He hadn't felt legitimately hungry in nearly two weeks but suddenly he felt his stomach rumbling in anticipation.

All eyes snapped up to him and he saw the smiles come across their little faces. "Hi, Daddy," Jacen said. "We're making cookies!"

"Daddy I can see your face!" Anakin said excitedly.

"You like it better?"

Anakin nodded and Han looked over to see Leia smiling back at him. "It smells really good, sweetheart."

"Well these three did most of the work. I know I'm not the best cook in the galaxy, but this is baking. As long as you follow the directions, it usually turns out okay."

He moved closer to her before responding. "Since when have you been one to follow directions?"

She smirked at his joke and then moved to slip an arm around his waist and he hugged her against his side. "It looks really good. What else have I missed all this time?"

He was partly joking. But walking out and seeing such a simple activity as his wife and kids baking together made him realize how much he'd really missed spending time with them recently. His kids really did have the best mother, and he had a feeling they realized that. "You haven't missed too much, I promise," Leia said. "And I promise that once you're up to it we'll figure out some other fun family things to do." She reached down and grabbed a cookie and held it up to him. "Want to try one?"

Han opened his mouth for her to lift the cookie to his lips and he took a small bite. It was warm and sweet and delicious. After a few moments of chewing he looked to see everyone looking at him expectantly. "You guys did great," he said. "You sure showed Mommy how to do it."

He felt Leia squeeze her arms around him again. "Does this mean you're better, Daddy?" Jaina asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Han nodded. "You know, I think I'm just about better."

Anakin looked at his siblings. "See? I told you Wookiee would help!"

Han reached over and mussed his son's hair. "I think he did, buddy. You can have him back now."

The speed at which Anakin jumped off his stool and raced towards the master bedroom told Han that it had not been particularly easy for the boy to relinquish his best friend, even if only for a few hours. It made his chest tighten a bit.

Han turned his eyes back to the counter. "Well, these cookies are great. Thanks, guys. And thanks for being good for Mommy while I wasn't feeling well."

The twins smiled as Anakin walked back in and resumed his spot, this time holding Wookiee. "Maybe tomorrow we can figure out something fun to do. Get out for a little while."

Han wondered how many more years his kids would look that excited at the prospect of simply spending time with him. Sadly, probably not very many, but he would take advantage of the time he had now. "Okay," Leia began, "You guys go get cleaned up and I'll finish with these."

The three Solos hopped down off their stools and headed back to their own 'fresher and Han turned to face Leia and pull her into a hug. "Now," he said in a low quiet voice, "We just have to figure out what I'm gonna do to thank you for taking such good care of me."

Her cheek face was pressed against his chest and he swore he could actually feel her smile. "Well that depends," she replied, "On just how much better you're feeling."

He leaned away from her so he could look down and see her smiling back at him. As he took her face in his hands he took a moment to once again wonder how he'd gotten so lucky. Not willing to wait any longer, he leaned down and kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I know," she replied. "I love you, too. And I think I know exactly how you can make this up to me," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

He looked at her expectantly as she pulled his head down so she could get close to his ear. "You can clean up this mess we made."

She leaned back and laughed at her own joke and he pulled her body against his again, this time tickling her ribs. "You're gonna get it, princess."

Her laughter echoed in his ears and he eventually stilled his fingers. "Oh, I know I'm going to get it later," she said with a wink. "Looking forward to it."

"Me too, sweetheart," Han said as he finally let her go and grabbed the mixing bowl off the counter and brought it towards the sink. "Me, too."