AN: So it's been a while since I did some fanfictioning so please be kind. I don't own the rights to Star Wars; I just own a shelf's worth of expanded universe novels. Set across a number of years, I will apologise in advance for not knowing much of the subtleties that occurred during the Yuuzhan Vong War as I've not read any of the New Jedi Order series.

Han Solo is always my favourite character to write for and I've done angst before now so this time I wanted to do something a little gentler.

As always please review if you read!

Flowers are good for any occasion…

Flowers
By LostTimeLady

After a second star

"Leia!" Han called out down the corridor from the cockpit of the Falcon.

"Yes?" An irritated voice reverberated back from somewhere aft.

"Leia!" Han called again, this time trying to disguise something like a smile in his voice.

"What?" Leia grumbled as she headed down towards the cockpit, "for goodness sake, wha-" Leia froze in the entrance way to the cockpit. Han was desperately trying to hide a grin beneath one of his trademark lopsided smiles. In one hand he held a bunch of her favourite flowers (so that's why he'd taken an interest in the gardens of the Alderaanian Palace!) and in the other a wrapped box. Strung up behind him, hastily, was a flimsi banner reading 'Happy Birthday Leia!'

"Han, I really don't think this is the time…" Leia began before being silenced with a wave.

"Really isn't the time for what? Celebrating your birthday? It only comes around once a standard year!" Han said thrusting the flowers at her.

"Yes but I mean, it's not really my birthday today."

"I know, it's in three weeks, but in three weeks you have to share it with Luke." Han said. Leia shrugged. Growing up in a Palace with a lot of adults and a very well mannered best friend, things like surprise birthdays never really happened to her. Slowly a smile crept across her lips and her eyes lit up.

"So this is why you wanted me to help you with the Falcon today? Want me all to yourself do you?" Leia said with a grin and stepped forward and up onto her tip toes to kiss Han. Han kissed her back, a long slow kiss only breaking away when he found that he was smiling too much.

"Princess, you make me the luckiest space bum alive." Han said, finally handing over the silver wrapped present. Leia sniffed her flowers (Chandrillan Roses, wonderful!) before placing them down on the co-pilots chair then unwrapping the box with both hands.

"Oh Han, it's beautiful." She held up the present, a single piece of living ice shaped into a snowflake on a gossamer fine silver chain. Leia handed it to Han who obliging put it around her neck.

"I thought you could wear it with that white lower cut formal number of yours out to dinner tonight." Han said casually, although Leia could tell he'd thought about it a lot.

"Ok, you set course for dinner and I'll go and put these in water." Leia said gesturing to the flowers. She returned ten minutes later and insisted that they be wedged in the cockpit.

A fortnight later, even with the best care in the galaxy, the yellow roses began to fade but the smiles remained.

After a new addition

It had been a long day, a long week in fact but for the moment there was peace, or as much peace as there could be with two, no now three (that's going to hit home soon!) young children. Leia lay sprawled out on the bed under the soft weight of the duvet enjoying the faint reddish glow of the sunrise stream between the window blinds. Han had left before she had woken up, probably with some job to do before the next hectic day took all their time away. Leia stared at the ceiling and breathed a sigh.

Leia heard the recognisable footfalls of Han in the corridor and rolled over, feigning sleep. The bedroom door opened and Han quietly paced in.

"Leia," he whispered, "are you awake Princess?" Leia gave no reply; instead she deliberately slowed her breathing.

"Leia…" this time a little louder, she'd pulled this trick before but every time it had fooled Han into thinking she really was asleep. Han rocked her shoulder lightly and bent over to kiss her forehead.

"Leia… I'm not sure you're asleep, you never sleep this deeply." Han said resolutely. Leia couldn't stand it any more and rolled over to face him with a grin, stifling a laugh.

"I got you, just a little, right?"

"Yeah right, Princess. Here." Leia noticed what Han was holding as she sat up.

"Oh Han you shouldn't have!" She whispered, taking the bundle from Han as she said so.

"Yes I should, it's the least I could do when Winter was looking after the twins and I was too chicken to hold your hand." Leia had forgotten that little detail about their new son's birth.

"Well yes." Leia said, with false grumpiness in her voice. Han held his hands up in defence.

"This isn't me trying to make it up to you, this is the 'sorry' part."

Leia placed the bunch of flowers, two dozen Corellian orange poppies on the bedside table and kissed Han.

"Quite right too. Your first job will be looking after the twins today while I take Anakin over to see Luke." Han let out an almost inaudible sigh, he'd hoped the flowers would make up for it and she'd let him off the hook. But if that had been the case, she wouldn't be Leia.

After a lost friend

The pain wouldn't stop. It just stabbed at him over and over and over again. Chewbacca was gone. Being in the Falcon made it all the more horrible. For hours he'd first sat in the captain's chair, then paced in circles around the aft storage compartments then lay on his bunk. His dreams replayed the first time he'd met Chewie, then other unwelcome faces (with red hair) smiled to him in the same dream and he woke angry with a sense of guilt and betrayal, his own.

The sky was dark out; he didn't know how long he had slept. Groggily Han stood, stretched and shuffled towards the cockpit to do… nothing. Again. Meandering through the ship he passed by one of Chewie's favourite spots, the game table. Giving it a sad glance as he passed he stopped and doubled back. Sitting in an old beer bottle was a single Mon Cal white lily. Han let out a shuddering sigh and headed towards the exit ramp to find Leia and kiss her a thousand times.

After a shining light

No, no, no, no, no, no, no…

Why?

"Why…" The words formed on Leia's lips as a soft whisper then whispered them again and again and again. Her son, why her son, why not anyone else's or no one's at all? She lay on her bunk in the Falcon, on the wall next to her were mocking reminders of her children; printed pictures on flimsi, holograms and children's drawings. One in particular caught her eye, a drawing of a vase with cloud-shaped petal flowers in bright colours. Below the drawing in crude handwriting were the words:

'For mummy, love Anakin'

Leia rolled onto her side and wept.

After another battle

Han looked around at the devastation and then back to his wife. She was exhausted, he was exhausted, they all were exhausted. Han held out his hand and Leia took it, allowing her to be pulled towards him and kissed. The ground was charred and blasted, the forests nearby smoking gently. Han kicked the rubble under his feet to reveal a single, solitary daisy. Han bent and plucked it from the soil and pushed it into Leia's braid behind her ear.

After a fallen son

"Mum?" Jaina's voice was soft as she called down the corridor. Threepio had let her in but apart from that the apartment was eerily quiet.

"Mum?" Jaina called again. Jaina had hoped that her father was out doing something else, perhaps will their new adoptee.

"Jaina…?" Leia's voice carried an air of suspicion; Jaina could almost feel Leia shrink away from her through the force.

"Mum, I…" Jaina didn't really know what to say. Jaina rounded the corner to find Leia sitting on the settee, a photo frame in her hand, a family photograph taken on Yavin 4, so long ago. Everyone was smiling, all five Solos, with Luke and Chewbacca there to complete the family.

Leia set the photo down and turned to her daughter.

"I was thinking how much our family has changed." Leia said with a kind of air that she used when she spoke in political circles, but it was a cracked voice this time, and hid stifled tears.

"It has…" Jaina said, "Err… I brought you these." Jaina held out the bunch of flowers she'd been holding.

"I guessed that Dad would have forgotten that it was Alderaan Day." Jaina felt a pang of pain shoot through Leia but it was quickly subdued.

"Oh Jaina..." Leia said standing and taking the flowers. The bunch was mainly made of multicoloured Alderaanian grasses with star shaped dainty flowers intermixed. "They're lovely."

Jaina gave a shrug and a weak smile.

"Mistress Leia." Threepio appeared at the door, "Master Han has just 'commed to say he'll be running late for dinner."

"Tell him we've got company for dinner tonight but he can take his time." Leia said, giving a smile to her only child, "You'll stay, won't you?"

Jaina gave a sigh and a gentle smile, "Of course."

After a new beginning

In the short time Han and Leia had been parent to Allana they had already been thrust into one too many adventures and intrigues yet somehow normality was becoming something that happened to the Solos more often. Han had promised to look after Allana for the day while Leia took some well earned rest and relaxation with Winter.

"Come on sweetie, we're going shopping." Han said to Allana, lifting her into the speeder, "Gosh you're getting big!"

"No I'm not getting big, I'm getting tall." Allana corrected and Han had to resist rolling his eyes, that kid was a bright young thing but also possessed a sharp tongue that he worried she was getting from him.

"That's what I meant, honey." Han said with a grin.

They headed to the nearest shopping district, but they ended up caught in the early morning traffic so their journey was slow.

"Why are we going shopping, you hate shopping." Allana declared.

"No, I hate certain types of shopping. If Leia wants to go dress shopping she knows to take Winter not me." Han said resolutely.

"Are we shopping for something for the Falcon then?" (Wow, that girl's sharp!)

"Not today but a good guess."

They pulled up into a parking garage above one of the many buildings that sold agricultural produce.

"Are we getting food for dinner?" Allana said.

"Not quite." Han ribbed as he climbed out.

"Oh tell me!" Allana demanded, feigning stamping her foot in frustration.

"You'll find out soon, come on." Han took her hand and headed towards the turbolift.

They stepped out of the lift and were caught in a great waft of perfumes and scents for a thousand worlds.

"We're buying flowers?" Allana giggled, "I thought you didn't like girly shopping."

"Well no, only when I'm buying them for Leia." Han said grumpily.

"But it's three weeks until her birthday; it's the same day as Uncle Luke's."

Han gave Allana a smile. "Oh yeah, but today I always buy her flowers."

End

AN: thank you once again for reading, please review, comments and critique is both happily received.