He was still smiling to himself when he cautiously re-entered the delivery suite.

Annish, Kat and Gauch were nowhere to be seen. Leia was now wearing a white medical gown and lying on what looked like a regular bed, a baby in her arms.

"You better hope your Wookiee allergy has subsided, 'cos I don't think I'm gonna be able to hold Chewie back once we get home. Winter sends her best and I asked Luke if he'd take us home when we can get out of here." Han leaned against Leia's bed, wrapped his arm around her and moved the blanket aside to take a look at the baby she was holding.

"You want to hold her?" Leia asked, holding her arms toward him.

Han didn't need asking twice.

He carefully scooped his daughter from her mother's arms and cradled her tiny form, turning so Leia couldn't see his face.

"Annish said they'd probably be quite alert for a little while before they were ready for their first feed." Leia lifted their son from his crib and cuddled him to her. "After that, they're likely to fall asleep for a few hours. She suggested we should get an hour or two ourselves and then we would probably be able to go home."

"Ahuh." Han responded, only half hearing her.

He was busy studying his daughter's face, her perfect pink rosebud lips, a tiny hand curled around one of his fingers. And staring deep into her eyes, he made a decision.

"Jaina." He mumbled, then turned back to Leia. "We're calling her Jaina."

"Jaina..." Leia let the name roll around her mind. "I like it. Old girlfiend? Lover?" She asked with a grin.

"It was my mother's name." Han told her.

Leia smiled. Han rarely spoke of his family. When he did, despite his proud Corellian heritage, he always did it with a slight mist in his eye.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. Jaina and..." She considered. "How about Jacen?"

"Old boyfriend?" Han asked.

Leia just smiled back before returning her attention to her son.

"Jaina and Jacen Solo. Works for me!" She said.

"Here. Take her a moment." Han placed Jaina in the crook of her mother's right arm.

"Where are you off to now?" Leia frowned, settling the twins into her arms.

"I put the 'vid in your bag when you weren't looking." He said, searching for it. "Ah, here it is."

"Han no! I look a fright!" Leia moaned.

"You look beautiful. You always look beautiful." He told her, setting the holovid on a stand. "Besides, you just gave birth to our twins and I want to record us all together."

He set the timer and hurried back to her side.

"Shove over Sweetheart, make room for daddy." He nudged her gently as he squeezed himself onto the bed beside her, curling a long arm around her shoulders and across her middle to cradle both his wife and babies. He leaned his head against hers just in time for the tiny light to blink.

"See? Wasn't so bad." He said as he tilted her face to his and gently kissed her lips just as the light blinked again. And again as his hand caressed her cheek and once more as they leaned together, noses rubbing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." Annish said from the doorway. "You're not supposed to be up there, you know!" She gave Han a disapproving glare.

"Gimme a break Angel, my wife just had twins." Han appealed.

"Well...all right. But only if you stop calling me Angel. Kat and Gauch won't let up until I tell them how you know me well enough to call me that." Annish smiled. "How's everything going?"

"I think this little bundle is getting hungry already!" Leia said, indicating Jaina.

"Are you going to breastfeed? Not everyone does and twins can be a challenge." Annish answered.

"I want to." Leia told her. "I know how important it is to their immune system."

"What Leia means is 'my husband travels a lot and brings back all manner of bugs and germs which the air scrubbers on his ancient flying machine don't always eliminate so I can't afford to be too careful'." Han translated.

"Why Han!" Leia blushed. "You do listen to every word I say after all."

Annish transferred Jacen to a crib and helped Leia get in a comfortable position, indicating that Han should take note so he could assist once the couple were home.

Han had chuckled and pointed out he was something of an expert when it came to female mammary glands and observed that Leia's were presumably off limits to him for the foreseeable future.

A warning glare suggested the rest of her would be off limits to him too and for a whole lot longer if he didn't behave himself.

It took Jaina only a moment's search before finding Leia's nipple, latching on and sucking hungrily.

Leaning against her bed, Han slipped one arm around Leia's shoulders and one beneath the arm cradling Jaina wanting to be as much a part of the process as he could.

Large, unseeing blue eyes gazed upwards at her mother as Jaina suckled away.

Leia hitched herself a little, the sensations both within her breasts and her abdomen feeling strange to her.

"How's it going?" Annish asked.

"Feels a little odd. Kind of ticklish somehow." Leia answered, not taking her eyes from her feeding daughter. "How do I know when she's done?"

"She'll slow or stop suckling altogether. But don't worry, you'll know." Annish told her.

"Thanks Ang...Annish." Han corrected himself. "Thanks for everything."

"Just doing my job." Annish smiled. "Looks like she's about done. And just in time, your Son looks like he's hungry for his mama now!"

Jacen's mouth was popping like a pet fish Leia had won at a School fate when she was just a little girl.

Detaching Jaina from her chest, Han took his daughter from her mother's arms and propped her on his shoulder, gently rubbing her back and waiting for any wind to surface.

Revealing her left breast, Leia gathered Jacen into her arms to feed.

"I tried to reach out to Jaina when she was being born, but she just pushed me aside." Leia told Han. "She's going to be the feisty one."

"Must get that from her mother!" Han whispered and kissed Leia's temple.

"Jacen, however, he reached right on back to answer me. He's going to be the sensitive one." Leia said.

"Gets that from his papa." Han answered with a lopsided grin.

"He's not latching!" Leia said concerned.

"Sure doesn't get that from me!" Han mumbled a tiny bubble escaping his daughter's lips. "That's my girl."

Han caressed the downy hair at the back of his infant's head and kissed her tenderly as he returned her to her crib.

"What am I doing wrong?" Leia moaned.

"You're doing just fine Leia. Some babies take a little longer to find their target is all. Han..." Annish called to him. "Think you could lend a hand here."

Annish showed him how to cup Leia's breast and guide it toward Jacen's opening and closing lips.

"Come on Son. Show your old papa how it's done." Han encouraged.

"Just relax Leia, remember he'll sense your tension." Annish added.

"You have no idea!" Han teased. "You don't know what it's like living with these Force-sensitive types, and now I've got three of 'em!"

With a lip-smacking sound, Jacen found his mother's teat and started sucking.

"That's it. Well done Leia." Annish smiled at them again. "After you've put him down, try to grab yourselves a little sleep. I'll be back in two or three hours, check you and these two over and then you can all go home. How does that sound?"

"Sounds wonderful." Leia answered, her whole being desperate to have time just to herself, Han and their children.

"I'll go arrange discharge and be back shortly." Annish told them and left.

Han cuddled Leia and sighed.

"Home." He said. "With our family. Feels okay doesn't it?"

"More than okay. It feels like it was meant to be." Leia sighed in return.

"Er...honey..." Han started. "When did they say I could show you just how grateful I am for giving me two beautiful children?"

Leia just stared.

"I've just delivered twins. I'm numb from the waist down. And I have a two inch strip of synthflesh knitting back together the flesh your daughter ripped when she came into the world. You did not just say that to me!"

Han nuzzled her neck.

"Leia, I'm a Corellian. You know we're a 'shoot first, apologise later' race. I may not be very eloquent but when I married you I thought my life was complete. Now, seeing and holding these two...now Leia, now, I'm complete. And it's all because of you." He said, planting a warm, inviting kiss on the shell of her ear.

Leia studied his chiselled face and the sincerity it displayed.

"Nice save flyboy." Leia flashed him a grin and pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

"Hey lady. Not in front of the kids!" He chided, lightheartedly.

With Jacen fed and falling asleep, he was transferred back to the crib he shared with his sister whilst Han managed to wriggle himself behind Leia as she lay on her side watching the twins sleep.

"I'm afraid to close my eyes in case I wake up and find it's all been a dream." Leia said quietly.

"If this is a dream..." Han told her, his fingers interlacing with hers. "I never want to wake up!"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Despite their wanting to stay awake, in moments both were asleep.

In due course, Annish came and checked that mother and babies were well and happily discharged them all.

Luke was as good as his word. Within minutes of Han's call, he was at the Medical Centre and, after being introduced to Jaina and Jacen, transported them all back to their apartment across the City.

At their apartment door, Han turned to Leia and kissed her tenderly.

"Home." He stated.

Leia keyed in their code and entered first followed by Han, each carrying a baby in a travel crib, with Luke bringing up the rear.

"Oh. My..." Han started.

"Goodness!" Leia finished for him.

Their apartment was filled with just about every one of their friends.

"So many people wanted to see you and welcome you home," Luke told them, "it was the only way I could think to accommodate them all."

Leia exchanged an expression, part-awe and part-exhaustion, with her brother.

"They're under strict instructions, a 'kiss on the cheek', a 'shake of the hand', a 'congratulations', then out the door." Luke whispered to them.

"Your Highness!" Winter swept up to Leia and almost crushed her in an embrace. We're all just so...so very...oh Your Highness!"

"I think Winter means 'congratulations'!" Tycho kissed Leia's cheek and shook Han's hand.

"Come on dear," Tycho tugged at Winter who was cooing at the baby in Leia's crib. "You know the rules."

"Oh nonsense! The rules don't apply to us." Winter admonished her beau.

"Maybe, we should sit. Let them all get a proper look at their bounty." Han suggested.

Leia elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

"What?" Han questioned with a wry smile.

He followed Leia to the sofa and helped her get comfortable, then placed Jaina in her arms to a chorus of "ahh's" before sitting beside her and lifting Jacen into his own arms to an echoed "ahh".

Han half rolled his eyes at Leia and draped a protective and loving arm around her shoulders.

One by one, Generals, Admirals, Rogues and other key personnel filed past advising them on how to feed, wind, change, bathe and generally raise their children whilst all agreeing they were the luckiest of parents with the loveliest of babies until only Rieekan, Mon Mothma, Lando, Chewie, Winter, Tycho and Luke were left.

Jaina was stretching in her mother's arms and Leia feared she was nearing another feed, but she quickly settled with a gentle Force caress from her Uncle Luke.

Leia smiled her gratitude and cuddled her daughter close.

"Leia, I never thought I'd live to see this day. But I have, and if the Gods decide my time is over, I can die a happy man." Carlist Rieekan declared.

"Carlist! You have years left in you." Leia blushed as he kissed her cheek.

"You flatter an old man." He told her, then turned his attention to Han. "Solo, I'll be honest. I wasn't sure about you when you first came to us. You were brash and loud and too damn cocksure of yourself for my liking."

"And that's just his good qualities." Leia chuckled into Han's shoulder.

"Turns out I was wrong." Rieekan continued. "Turns out you were exactly what this little spitfire needed." He grasped Han's hand and pulled him up close to whisper. "But if you ever let her down, or hurt her in any way, rest assured I will skin you alive!"

Han nodded his understanding.

"I too had my doubts." Mon Mothma said. "I was worried Princess Leia would just be another notch on your bunkpost before you moved on and found yourself another conquest."

"I never realised your opinion of me was so high!" Han muttered.

"But I too was wrong. And I'm not ashamed to admit it." She extended her hand to him. "You're not just a good warrior Han, you're a good man. And I'm honoured to know you."

Han accepted her offered hand and shook it warmly before Mon Mothma leaned down to kiss Leia's cheek.

"All that matters, is that he makes you happy." She whispered.

Rieekan and Mon Mothma left, all smiles.

"Well Han old buddy," Lando slapped Han's arm a little harder than was really necessary. "I gotta hand it to ya, you got the girl and the family to go with it. You are one lucky bast...er...guy."

"Don't I know it." Han grinned, kissing his wife's temple.

"Yeah. A family man now. Big commitment. Lotta responsibilities." Lando continued.

"The Falcon's not for sale or for loan. So you can get that idea out of your head." Han said.

"Aw, come on Han!" Lando said. "How you gonna transport two little one's as precious as they are in that unreliable old rust bucket? I'd be doin' you a favour here!"

"Goodbye Lando." Han waved a hand.

"Fine! But when you can't give that old crate away, don't say I didn't offer." Lando huffed. "Oh, an' by the way, I didn't know whether to get you blue or pink so I..er..I gotcha both! Figured I could take the one you didn't need back."

Lando placed two fluffy banthas on the table and made his exit.

Chewie yarled something.

"He is Chewie. Underneath it all, he's almost a good guy." Han reflected. "Say big fella, you want to hold 'em?"

Chewie shook his head and shrieked something at Han.

"Well in that case, you get to take the pictures." Han told him. "There's a holovid in the bag."

"Oh Han, not again!" Leia complained.

"You want pictures of our first night home don'tcha? You holding our babies, me holding our babies, Uncle Luke holding our babies. Hey, kid, you heard anything from Red?"

Chewie howled a question and held up the holovid.

"Kid's first lay. Long story. I'll tell ya later." Han answered hurriedly and placed Jacen in his mother's arms.

"She's not my...oh, never mind..." Luke mumbled, letting Han have his moment.

"Come on kid, time's precious between feeds. And trust me you do not want to be here for diaper changing. How anything that small and innocent can make something that looks and smells like that is beyond my meagre comprehension!" Han rolled his eyes.

"You one side, me the other. No wait, does that look a bit weird? Like I'm the dad of one and you're the dad of the other." Han reasoned.

"Could we just get on with it? They're getting restless." Leia pointed out.

Luke joined them on the sofa one side of Leia, Han the other, both with their arms around her.

"And smile." Han said.

A light flickered and blinked, forever capturing the moment.

Han threw a wink at Luke and they both leaned in to kiss Leia's cheeks as the light blinked again.

Han and Luke were next to cradle a babe each, Leia still in the middle one hand on Luke's knee the other, dangerously high on Han's thigh.

"Winter? You want in?" Han asked.

"I couldn't. No, no. I couldn't possibly intrude." She blushed.

"Hey, I got an idea." Han pronounced. "Chewie in the middle, Winter on one knee with Jacen, Leia on the other with Jaina, Luke and me either side and Tycho taking the picture."

"Han!" Leia barked.

"Okay sweetheart." Han said pouting. "Maybe next time."

"Perhaps we should all be going." Winter said and took hold of Leia's hands. "I'm so proud of you Your Highness. So proud. You clever, clever girl!"

Winter beamed at Leia, then smiled at Tycho.

"Tycho and I have been talking, and, well...we thought instead of a memento there was a much more useful gift we could give you." She said. "We decided that I should move back in here, just for a short while, the first few months is all. Just to help you while you're settling into a routine."

"No. Oh no, Winter, that wouldn't be fair on you or Tycho!" Leia protested.

"I'd only be down the hall Your Highness." Tycho added.

"But..." Leia started.

"It would be an honour and a privilege." Winter continued.

"And, it's what we want." Tycho completed, then spoke to Winter. "And then next year, with Your Highness' blessing, I thought Winter and I might marry. And maybe start a family of our own."

He smiled at Winter's look of surprise.

"Are you...?" Winter asked.

"Proposing? Yes." Tycho answered with a light laugh.

Winter threw her arms around his neck and kissed him everywhere she could reach.

"I'd take that as a 'yes' Tycho and be glad it was only in front of us and not the whole of the Senate Assembly." Han quipped.

With a few kisses and handshakes, Tycho and Winter left to make arrangements for the transfer of her possessions and to celebrate their own good news.

"I thought he was never going to ask her!" Leia said, lifting Jaina onto her shoulder to comfort her now slightly agitated daughter.

"We'll be going too." Luke said. "But first, our gifts. Chewie's claimed the first year's babysitting rights and he's already drawn up a list of birthdays, anniversaries and important dates for you to observe when you have no option but to leave the apartment and go out either somewhere on Coruscant or off-World. And I...well I also figured you'd get more than enough cuddle-bears and commemorative cups. And I thought you'd probably want to organise your own Alderaanian-Corellian naming ceremony. So, when you're feeling up to the journey, I'd like you to bring the twins to Yavin IV and I want to perform a traditional Jedi blessing."

"What? No teeny-tiny lightsabers?" Han copied Leia with a now disgruntled Jacen.

"Come on Chewie, time to make ourselves scarce!" Luke said.

He exchanged a kiss and a hug with his sister, a hand shake and a back slap with his brother in law.

Chewie, meanwhile, threw his big arms around all of them, howling his congratulations.

Leia held her breath, lest his fur make her sneeze and Luke smirked.

With an assurance that they would all meet again soon for more kisses and cuddles, Chewie and Luke left.

With Han on hand, Leia fed both babies and whilst she prepared herself for bed Han took charge of the diaper changes.

When Leia emerged from the 'fresher, she found Jaina perched on her pillow and Jacen on Han's. Leia arched her eyebrow at her husband.

"It's only while I finish getting their crib ready." Han told her, tucking a blanket into the base of the crib he had himself chosen the day after learning he was to be a father.

"Come here Han." Leia said from the end of their bed.

"Okay. What did I do wrong?" Han asked sulkily as he approached her.

Leia leaned against his chest and turned her head to look at their twins.

"Look what we did. What we made." She whispered.

"Yeah." Han answered, a smile tugging the side of his lips. "Pretty damn incredible when you think about it."

"Pretty damn incredible." Leia repeated before playfully slapping Han. "Take a shower. You stink!"

"They're called 'pheromones' honey." Han asserted. "It's my own special brand."

"Whatever!"

With a kiss to her forehead, Han headed into the 'fresher. On returning he found Jaina now wrapped in a blanket in the crib and Jacen wrapped in his mother's embrace.

"Hey, we agreed. No kids in the bed with us." Han chided.

"He likes to be held." Leia said, a finger tracing the red mark on Jacen's neck.

"He's not even a day old. He doesn't know what he likes yet." Han said, observing the concern etched on Leia's face. "It'll fade you know. Angel said it would only be temporary."

Han climbed into bed beside her and slid his arm beneath her shoulders.

"No kids in bed with us, honey. We agreed." He repeated as large brown pools of molten chocolate appealed up at him.

"But that was before." She said.

"We agreed." He whispered.

Sighing and slipping her legs over the side of the bed, Leia gently laid her son in the crib beside his sister and carefully wrapped him in his blanket before sliding back against her husband.

"Happy?" Han spoke softly into her ear.

"More than I ever thought possible." She answered. "You?"

"Yeah. You could say that." He agreed and held her to him. "He'd be so proud of you Leia. Your father would be so proud." He tilted her face to his. "You know that, right?"

"I know." Leia whispered and kissed him tenderly before settling into his warm embrace.

Their perfect lives together may not last forever.

There might and would be tears along the way.

But for this night, there was only each other, their family and their love.

And nothing else mattered.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Happy Mother's Day everybody (at least it is in the UK).