Another Recovery Missing Moment by JainaDurron7

Here is another missing moment to fill in some of the gaps from Recovery. Thanks for the submission!

"I want to sit with you."

 

Han almost laughed aloud as he lowered her datapad to look at his wife. "What's that?"

Leia struggled to sit up in her medical bunk. She repeated, "I want to sit with you."

 
Leia had been in recovery for just over a month now; her legs were still healing from an encounter with a gang of Yuuzhan Vong who had been in the middle of sacrificing Leia to their gods.

Han had nearly lost her.

Now, not only was Leia in the middle of a long physical recovery, but the two of them- together- were in the middle of a long recovery of their marriage. While some parts of it had been quick to heal, Han knew it would take a while for things between them to be comfortable again. It would be a while before Han could speak to her without her wincing as she remembered harsh words he'd screamed at her in grief and confusion. It would be a while before Han could speak or even look at her without feeling consumed by his own guilt. Leia seemed to be eager enough to fix things between them. It was like she'd missed him so much, she needed him at all times; she needed to know he was still there and that he would never leave her side again.

And Han hated himself all the more because of it.

He looked at her now, his gaze avoiding her swollen, purple legs. "Sweetheart, you're in no condition to leave that bed-"

Leia stopped him there with a deathly glare. "I've been lying in medbunks for a month now. Han, please, I just want to sit with you. Your chair looks so much more comfortable."

While Han didn't doubt that his chair in her medroom looked much better than her own bed, Han knew that wasn't really the reason to her words. He chuckled a little. "Trust me; it's not as nice as it looks."

Leia shrugged. "I don't care. Han, just let me sit with you."

Han got up and stood at her side, gently pushing her back down on her bed. "You need to rest, first. That is, if you want to get out of this bed as much as you say you do."

"Han!" Leia whined. She looked like she was so frustrated, she could burst into tears at any moment. It broke Han's heart. "I spent a month in a medbed on Corellia, then all of our time on the Falcon in either the medbunk there or the repulsor chair. I just want to sit with you, Han."

He really couldn't stand to see her so upset and Han could see how vulnerable she was in this rare moment. More than anything, Han wanted to concede to her wishes. If she felt anything like he did, Leia just wanted to be with him as they hadn't in so long. Because Han had left her. She just wanted to sit with him, sleep in the same bed as him like a normal married couple. Like they hadn't in months. Because Han had left her. And he would never do that to her again.

Han circled around her bed where Leia's fluid drip hung on a hook and more machines and tubes were stationed that were all connected to her. They were all hung on the same post and Han rolled the post to stand beside his chair. Leia's face brightened. Han returned to her side and slipped an arm beneath her shoulders. "This is going to hurt, sweetheart," he warned her even though she already knew.

She repeated simple, "Han, I just want to sit with you."

Without another thought, Han put his other arm under her legs and he lifted her out of the bunk. Leia screamed, but she silenced herself, burying her face in Han's shoulder so she could muffle her groan against his shirt. Carefully and slowly, Han sat down and kept his wife curled up in his lap. He held her in his arms like a child and when Leia looked up at his face with tears of pain dotting her cheeks, Han wiped them all away and laid a tender kiss on her forehead. Leia tilted her head back so his lips were now on hers. It was brief, short-lived, but- for now- it was a step forward.

"I missed you," she whispered, resting her head against his chest.

"I missed you too," Han responded and it wasn't a lie. He'd always subconsciously known he'd spent months away from Leia searching for something, searching for a peace in her heart that he didn't know how to achieve. Now, though, Han knew that that peace he'd been searching for was exactly what he'd left behind. He'd been searching for Leia without realizing it.

"You're never leaving me again, Solo," she said in a sort of slur. She was hyped up on so many painkillers, it killed Han.

"I know-"

"No!" she vigorously shook her head and Han cupped her head in his hand to calm her. "I'm not letting you go. Never again, Han. Next time you want to run, I won't let you."

"I know you won't. And you should know I won't ever consider it again."

"You won't," Leia agreed.

Quickly enough, Leia fell asleep in his arms. Han cradled her close, whispering all the promises he could think of. I'm never leaving you again. You'll never be by yourself again. I'll always be there with you and the kids. I love you too much. I will never let anyone hurt you again. I will hold you in my arms for the rest of our lives.

A Missing Moment from Recovery by jediofgrace

Anyone still here? It's been awfully quiet lately. Jediofgrace was awesome enough to send us a missing moments piece to fill in some of Recovery. So this is also your reminder that any missing moments from these books are strongly encouraged. 

Author's note: This is set during the short story Recovery by Troy Denning. If you haven't read the book, briefly I will say Leia has been recovering from severe leg wounds inflicted by the Yuuzahn Vong in the previous book. In Recovery it talks about her doing her recovery exercises around an empty pool, which seemed like a wasted opportunity to me. The first few spoken lines are from the book, but then I take over. 

---

Leia took his shirt collar, and, unable to rise on her toes, started to pull him down to kiss her. 

"Not so fast." Han disengaged himself and walked to the edge of the pool. "If you want to do that, you're going to have to come over here," Han said, holding his arms out for her. 

"You're going to make me work for it?" 

"Yep. Now c'mere." 

She walked towards him, her braces clanked as she walked, echoing in the large room. She made it to him though, her heart melting just a little as he allowed her to kiss him. It had been so long since they'd been alone together and she had missed him. A lot. Too quickly he ended the kiss as he pulled back to look at her. 

"How would you like to get out of those braces?"

"I'd love to, but I thought you said I had to finish my exercises." She wasn't sure why she was putting up a fuss! Her legs were shaking from her effort of only a few laps around the edge of the pool. And while she was thrilled to be able to put her arms around him, she also needed to hold on to him to be able to keep herself standing upright. 

"You do have to finish. But let's finish in the pool." 

She looked at the water. "Han, I can't swim yet. I can hardly walk!"

He picked her up and took her to her chair, setting her down in it. Then he started unstrapping the braces from her legs. 

"Han, it's okay, I'll finish my laps." 

"Do you trust me?" He stopped working and looked at her. 

"Of course. I just-"

"All right then." He dropped the last piece and sat down in front of her. After removing his boots and socks, he rolled up his pant legs then stood up and picked her up again. 

"In our clothes?" she said as he headed straight for the pool. 

"Well, someone could come in, so I figured you wouldn't want your clothes off. But if you do..."

"No, I don't." Although she wouldn't mind such a scenario... if the doors were locked, that is. 

"Good." He chuckled as he stepped down into the water. She felt him take each step carefully as he couldn't see his feet with her in front of him. She held him tightly as he was finally deep enough for her to feel the water. 

"Too cold?" he asked. 

"No. It feels good. I haven't been in a pool in a long time." She tried to kick her feet, but she couldn't make much of a splash. Finally he was deep enough that she felt like she was floating in his arms. Her legs rejoiced with the temporary reprieve from the pain of gravity. 

"There. See? Not too bad. Your husband knows a thing or two." He gently let her legs sink down, while holding her up with his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck again as he walked slowly backwards, letting her feel the water flow past them. "Try to move your legs." She did. She put a small effort into making her legs do a swimming motion. 

"This feels a lot better than the braces," she said. He raised her up enough to reach her lips and softly kissed her. 

"That's your reward for trying." 

She smiled up at him. Loving the feeling of his arms holding her up. She pulled against him to give herself enough leverage to wrap her legs around him. It took her a few seconds, and she gave him a satisfied smile when she finished. "I did it! Now I get another reward." He laughed and pulled her close again. Kissing her longer this time, she savored his lips and warm body pressed against her in the cool water. Months of separation and stress seemed to evaporate as they reacquainted themselves with each other. At last he pulled back, smiling down at her. 

"Let's try this," he said as he turned her around so her back was against his chest. He held her tightly again. "Kick those legs." She tried, but the muscles needed to bring her legs to the surface were still too weak and her tired legs were starting to burn. After a few more steps he seemed to sense her struggle and stopped. He pulled her close, letting her legs dangle, his arms still around her waist. He gently kissed her neck. She leaned her head to the side, giving him all the access he wanted. His fingers pulled the edge of her shirt up until he could slip his hands underneath. "Hey, that's not fair," she said, pretending to pout. 

"What's not?" His hands moved up her sides.

"I can't touch bottom so I'm stuck here while you have your fun." She kept her arms very loose as she held his arms in front of her so he could reach anything he felt like reaching. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." One of his hands slipped down to her backside and back up. "I can touch your bottom just fine. Come on now, kick those legs." His hand found the edge of her bra and quickly ducked underneath. He continued to walk slowly backwards, keeping them moving and also keeping them out too deep for her to touch. 

"You'd better be careful, hotshot. The doctor hasn't given me clearance for any of your...special exercises yet." But oh how she wished she had...

He turned her around to face him again. His voice low, he said, "so you're saying you'll work hard on your regular exercises and see if you can't get clearance soon?"

"Are you saying you'll take me swimming again?" She would be talking to Cilghal today, for sure. 

He kissed her before answering. "You bet I will. Come on now. Back to work. Kick kick kick." 

"Afterglow" - A Missing Moments Piece by Claire1976

As a nice distraction from the crazy news, how about a new story?  It's been a while since we've had one of these.  This story takes place after Tatooine Ghost and after... well, you'll be able to tell pretty quickly what else it is after ;)  This is its first time published and this is Claire's first fanfic.  So please, if you like it, COMMENT.  I think some of you who don't write have no idea how much it means to hear even the smallest bit of praise or just mention that you enjoyed reading something.  Especially for a first time author.  Without further ado:

AFTERGLOW

"Hey, you asleep?" Han whispered into Leia's soft chestnut hair.

Her arm, which was draped across his bare chest, moved just ever so slightly. "No," she

replied, as she snuggled more closely against him, her head resting in the crook of his
arm. "I'm just languishing in the afterglow." She let out a small, but satisfied sigh and brushed her hand gently over the fine hairs that adorned his chest.

Their lovemaking a while earlier had begun tenderly, but had soon turned fiery and passionate, leaving both of them sweaty and exhausted. Their arms wrapped tightly around each other as their laboured breathing slowly settled, and the last waves of orgasm faded away.

Leia smiled contentedly to herself and thought how much more comfortable this new double bunk was compared to the cramped single one they had been sharing on the Falcon for the past four years. Yes, it had been cosy and it was nice to be able to cuddle up so close together. However, there was no denying the fact that it was rather awkward and far from ideal.  Leia had often thought that if she hadn't been so small, there's no way they would have tolerated it for so long. Upon their marriage six months earlier, Han had finally decided that it was about time they had a proper, full sized bed onboard, and she certainly had no complaints about this latest modification. For once, Han's incessant tinkering had definitely paid off.

"This isn't going to take us long, you know," Han said confidently.

Leia frowned, slightly confused as to what he was referring to. "What isn't going to take us long?"

"Making this baby."

He couldn't believe he had said those words. They were going to try for a baby. At last,  Leia had changed her mind on starting a family, and Han couldn't have been happier. He was surprised by how much he had wanted them to have a child. Part him, part her. A tiny person created by their love for each other. But despite his longing for a family of his own, he had respected Leia's wish never to have children for fear of them one day suffering the same dark fate that befell her father. Deep down he hadn't been happy,  but he loved this woman with every fibre of his being, and he had finally accepted that she wasn't likely to change her mind on the issue. But, he tried to remain hopeful that maybe one day, she just might.

"Oh, really?" Leia said, teasingly, as she lightly twirled a couple of his chest hairs around her fingers.

"I mean, we've had plenty of practice."

Leia laughed. "We certainly have."

"And we're pretty good at this, y'know."

"I can't argue with that," Leia said with a wistful smile.

Han thought for a second before feeling a familiar lopsided grin pulling at the corners of  his lips. "And, uh, you know what they say about us Corellian men?"

Leia pushed herself up on her elbow and looked into her husband's beaming face. "Oh, don't tell me. This is going to be about how amazingly virile they are and incredibly fertile, and..."

"Yeah, it's all true, but don't forget,"  Han said, cutting her off. "I am not just your average Corellian man."

The look on his face was so smug that anyone else would probably have slapped him. "Oh, there's absolutely nothing average about you," Leia said moving closer and softly kissing his rough cheek.

"And of course, the famous Solo luck, now that has to count for something, right? That has gotta be on my side."

"Um, excuse me, flyboy, but you're not doing this on your own, you know. I do believe it takes two of us to make a baby," Leia said in mock indignation. "In any case, I'm a Solo now, so it's only fair I get a bit of that luck too. Don't you think?"

"Sweetheart, I think you've already got it. Look at how you've been winning at holochess  lately. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Chewie has been giving you secret lessons," Han replied with a smirk.

Leia shook her head. "I don't even like holochess." It was true, she didn't. She could never see the sense in it. But they had to find some way to occupy themselves on these long flights, and Leia had to admit, she was becoming rather good at it. She had put Chewie to shame on several occasions, frustrated Threepio beyond belief, and totally dumbfounded Han.

"Well, then it has to be luck," Han conceded. "Plus, you get to be ravaged by me every night. I'd say that makes you pretty damn lucky."

Leia laughed, gently punching his chest. "Scoundrel."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way."

Leia settled back down and cuddled into him, snaking her leg over the top of his, as Han kissed the top of her forehead. Then for a long moment there was peace, stillness; only the soft, comforting rumblings of the Falcon's engines, and the delicate, repetitive whirring of the cabin's cooling system breaking the silence. Leia closed her eyes, and floated away, breathing in the gloriously rich, musky scent of the Ithorian Mist aftershave still prominent on Han's skin.

"Hey, I'm sorry we didn't get your painting," Han said, stroking the smooth skin on her arm.

"It doesn't matter," Leia said, pulling him a little closer.

"It does matter. I know how much you wanted it. And I'd have done anything to make sure you got it."  He meant that. He would quite willingly go to the corners of the galaxy for this woman, do anything to make her happy. He couldn't help the feeling that somehow he had let her down.

"I know. But it wasn't to be, Han. I lost the painting, but I think I found something much more important."

"Like what?" Han enquired.

"Like knowing I can now have a baby. Our baby. And not be afraid anymore. I always wanted this, Han, deep down, it was always there.  But I knew it would never be an option, not with my family history. I couldn't afford to take that risk."

For a split second, Leia's mind drifted as she tried to picture holding a baby in her arms, a baby that she and Han had created. She imagined what it would feel like to love that baby unconditionally. The small child's beaming face was staring up at her, its dark eyes glistening, and the outpouring of emotion from the depths of her soul was overwhelming. She realised now, more than anything, just how much she wanted to be a mother.

"I guess we have your grandmother to thank for all this then. If you'd never found that diary, well....I'm just glad that she managed to knock some sense into you. No one is inherently evil, Leia."

She considered the truth in Han's words for a moment as she reached across for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"He was just a normal little boy, Vader. That monster. Just a normal boy, with friends, like any other child and with a mother that loved him so much. She adored him, Han. It broke her heart to have to let him go like that. A child isn't born evil and I can see that now.  Every child follows their own path. We can guide them, yes, but in the end, only they can shape their own destiny."

"I love it when you get all philosophical," Han grinned.

"But it's true though, isn't it?"  She pushed herself up, leaned across his chest and Han knew instantly from the look in her beautiful dark eyes that she was deadly serious.  "I really want this baby, Han."

"Yeah, me too. I love you," he said with a soft, but heartfelt smile.

"I know. And I love you."

Leia leaned forward and tenderly ran her finger along the scar on his chin, before giving it a gentle kiss. "As soon as we get back to Coruscant I'm going to see about having my implant removed. And then we can really start working on it."

"That sounds good to me. But the first thing I've gotta do is get my other baby sorted out," Han said gesturing with one arm towards the outer wall of the Falcon. "She's beat up pretty bad. Gonna take some work."

"Han, don't worry about the reconditioning," Leia soothed. "I know the ship needs a lot of attention, but I don't want you spending every hour of the day working on it once we get back."

"Yeah, but..."

She placed a finger to his lips to stop him saying anything more. " I can pull some strings you know, and I'll get the very best New Republic mechanics to work on it. I'm going to need you around for a little while." Her voice took on a distinctly sultry tone and she whispered huskily into his ear. "Besides, once my implant is gone, you're going to have some serious reconditioning to do to me, now, aren't you?"

"Oh, I like the sound of that." Han smirked, somewhat distracted as Leia began nibbling seductively on his earlobe.

"Do you, now?" she said teasingly.

Leia slid on top of him and stared deeply into his warm hazel eyes, as Han gently ran both his hands up the smooth, delicate skin on her back, caressing every inch as he went. Even after four and a half years together, his touch was still electrifying to her and ignited something deep within her very core.  She leaned down and kissed him hungrily. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer into him, devouring her mouth fiercely in return. When their lips finally parted, Leia could feel a familiar warmth lower down, a stirring beneath the top of her thighs, as Han's arousal gradually became apparent.

"I think maybe we should get in a bit more practice," Han whispered, a mischievous gleam sparkling in his eyes. "Just to be sure." He leaned forward and began trailing kisses slowly down her neck.

"You know, hotshot, I think you might be right."

 

Thanks again for sharing the wonderful story, Claire!

Then You Stand - A Missing Moment from Seams2Be

The following is a missing moment submission from Seams2Be.  It takes place during the book Tyrant's Test when Leia witnesses Han's beating.

Then You Stand– Missing Moment from Tyrant’s Test

Her shaking was relentless and uncontrollable.  Fear shivered through her soul.  Leia tightened her arms around herself as she stood in front of the viewing screen in the small consulting office for the New Republic Strategic Defense.

An image came into focus on the wall mount monitor.

It was Han. 

Leia’s heart stopped.  Through her terrified deep brown eyes she saw Han being thrown into a non-descript room by two equally non-descript Yevethan guards. 

Han looked terrible, dressed only in some grungy oversized drawstring pants, no shirt or boots and from the looks of him, she knew he had already been worked over. Her husband looked like he had been in some notorious bar fight somewhere with one eye purple and swollen, hair a mess, and bruised welts covering his exposed body. 

“Oh, Han,” she whispered.

If she were with him, she knew he would make some wise crack like, “You think I look bad, you ought to see the other guy.” But no, this was no joke, no trick, no Force vision. This was real.

Inhaling a small gasp, Leia noticed his arms.  Han’s upper arms were bound together behind him by what looked like a thick nerfhide belt, rendering them useless. She frantically tried to reach out to him through the Force but all she could manage to do was search out his face on the monitor.

It was set and determined.  Leia knew that look, it was the bring it on you kriffin' bastard look.

Suddenly Leia’s really bad feeling became desperately worse.

The barbaric leader of the Yevetha, Nil Spaar, had just entered the view screen.  He must have been waiting in a corner of the room, just out of camera range, Leia thought to herself.

Without a word, Spaar punched Han in the gut, causing him to double over.  In a split second Han came up out of his hunched over status slamming Nil Spaar’s chin with his head, causing the Yevethan to hit his head on the bulkhead, inflicting a gash above his temple.

Han, whom had all odds against him, was not going down without a fight.  Leia knew he would keep fighting until he was unconscious or dead.  She feared both.

The taunting game continued. Spaar seemed to relish in his supremacy as he sideswiped Han’s legs, collapsing Han backwards on top of his tied up arms. The crunch of shattering bones was deafening.  Leia put her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.  Then Nil Spaar stomped on Han’s stomach, pinning him in place on the floor.  Blood was already trickling from Han’s nose and mouth.  Extending his razor sharp dewclaw, Leia saw that Spaar intended to gouge out Han’s un-swollen eye.

Haaaaan!!!  Leia’s inaudible screaming thundered through her head.  Let him go, she silently demanded.  Please stop hurting him, Leia quietly begged.  No, she whispered to herself as she swallowed her tears.  To the rest of the New Republic officers in theviewing room, Leia was soundless and stoic, she only pressed her hand to her mouth a bit more.

Once again Leia found herself in an eerily familiar position: silently helpless, witnessing the unspeakable. First it was her planet and now her whole world. 

Focusing harder on the view screen, Leia watched as the Viceroy continued in his quest to claw out Han’s good eye. Leia didn’t know if it was Han’s stubbornness or his unyielding will but he was able to cleverly deflect the blinding attempt by spitting into the Yevethan’s own eyes, causing Spaar to miss his intended target, inflicting only a cheek wound instead of the alternative. 

In that same instant, Han was able to kick out Spaar’s legs from under him, resulting in an embarrassing fall for the supreme leader.

However, also in that moment both Han and Leia simultaneously knew Han’s luck had just folded like a bad Sabacc hand. 

Enraged, Spaar went in for the kill and all life drained from Leia’s face.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kriffing fool!” Leia wailed out loud to herself.  “Kriffin', kriffin' fool.”  She choked as she struggled to breathe.  Leia held her hair back again as another round of retching ensued. 

She couldn’t remember how she even got back to her private office, let alone how she made it to the refresher before vomiting. 

She only knew that she had watched helplessly as Han was beaten to a bloody pulp.  He was probably dying if he wasn’t already dead and she was to blame.  She would never forgive herself.  The entire situation was her fault.  So many paid the price for her decisions or lack there of, especially Han.

Nil Spaar had played Leia for a fool.  For months he led her on, under the pretense of peace, all the while committing sabotage within the senate and the entire galaxy for that matter. She couldn’t believe that she was so blind, so gullible and so stupid to not see through his elaborate schemes. 

She threw up again.

Pulling her head from the commode, Leia crawled across the refresher floor, curling up on the rug in front of the sink. Though the cold stone floor was where she thought she belonged. Just like Han, lying dying on a cold floor somewhere a million light years away from her. 

Tears streamed down her face, dripping from her chin and cheeks as visions of  bloody shadows haunted her.

She was inconsolable, which was fine since there was nobody to console her anyway. “I’m so sorry Han, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered aloud between sobs.  Speaking only to the air.  She was alone, so alone.  For a long time she lay on the hard stone floor, all the while thinking, How did I let this happen?

Whether it was five minutes or five hours, it didn’t matter to Leia.  Time was meaningless.  However, after a few more minutes lying on the refresher floor, Leia started to regain a bit of her sensibilities.  Her tears finally ceased and a new set of emotions kicked in.  The children, she thought to herself.  I’ve got to pull myself together for the children’s sake. Han would expect no less from me,  she added silently. 

Slowly she made her way from the floor to the refresher sink, splashing cold water on her face.  Looking into her own reflection, Leia didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her.  What the hell happened to me?  When did I lose my way? she pondered as she stared at the unrecognizable stranger in the mirror.

In that moment, she realized the brilliant ruse that Nil Spaar had pulled off.  Not only did he master the realm of physical torture, fear, and domination, but he managed to accomplish the most intimate personal type of torture; manipulation of the psyche. 

Gripping the marble countertop, Leia realized how she allowed Nil Spaar to plant the seeds of doubt within herself.  It was brilliant.  The vermin queen, Solo’s wife, Chief of State of the New Republic, oh how he managed to make her dance to his tune, orchestrating all the movements like a grand symphony.  Savagely beating her husband was probably for his own sadistic pleasure as much as it was meant to intimidate her into submission. 

“Over my dead body,” Leia finally uttered to the woman in the mirror, gripping the countertop even tighter.

Anger.

Rage.

Hatred.

Revenge.

She wasn’t sure if she was angry with herself for beingso easily duped, yes, but more likely her intense rage centered around the scum that devised the elaborate plot to begin with. 

When Leia thought about how she fell victim to the Yevethan’s ploy, words fell fast and furious out of her mouth…“You manipulative mother kriff………“ a string of intergalactic curse words spewed off her tongue with such ease and fluency, no one would ever expect a princess, let alone the Chief of State, to even know, much less utter, such vulgar dialogue.

Finally she had the strength to meet her gaze head on in the reflective glass.  She took a good long hard look into her eyes. She half expected to see Vader’s mask in the mirror, especially after the obscene verbal barrage she just unleashed.  Anger leads to the darkside, why does that saying always come into my head she wondered?  Well kriff that, it’s just one more way to make me second-guess myself, she thought.

If this was the path to the dark side, so be it.  But Leia wasn’t going to the darkside, no she was already someplace beyond.

War. 

She was about to bring all the hells of the universe upon Nil Spaar and his kind, ending his conquest to control the galaxy.

Releasing her grip on the refresher’s vanity countertop, Leia squared her shoulders and set her jaw, just like Han. She continued to stare into the mirror.  

From somewhere deep inside, Leia found what she had lost or had at least temporarily misplaced. 

She rediscovered the courage of her convictions.

She intuitively knew what was right and what was wrong, it was the essence of who she was. No more political correctness for fear of offending this senator or that trade group.  No more going along to get along.  No more self doubt.  She knew what she had to do.

It was as if a heavy, wet fog dissipated from around her.  With her new-found clarity and focus, she was determined to follow what she knew with all her heart was the right thing to do. 

She would not linger in the past, not even the recent past.  Pulling herself up by her proverbial bootstraps, she knew it was time she went home and comforted her children.  She had to be there for them and for all that was innocent. 

Turning to unlock the refresher door, she took one last look in the mirror. She knew it was time for her to stand.

Thanks for the submission!  And again, if anyone has any stories or missing moments they would like to see posted here on the blog, please feel free to contact us!

Stars on the Water - A Missing Moment by Seams2B

The following missing moment story was submitted by Seams2B.

This story fills in the missing beach scene moment from Book 2 of The Black Fleet Crisis: Shield of Lies.

Stars on the Water

As they continued in an intimate silence, Leia cast her gaze about her at the sea, the beach, and the sky. “This is nice, Han,” she said, as Anakin looked up from his sand sculptures and came running toward them.  “Thank you. I don’t feel quite so much like one of the squibs out here.”  Page 227-228 of Shield of Lies.

“Good, because you know what I think of squibs,” Han replied curtly

as he spied their three kids running full speed along the wet, sandy shoreline towards him and Leia.

In a split second, Han spontaneously scooped up his wife in his arms and started running with Leia in tow, into the tranquil sea waters.

Motioning with his head and voice for the kids to follow him, Han yelled in their direction, “Come on, kids, it’s about time Mom goes for a swim!”

Completely caught off guard, Leia suddenly felt her sandy toes brushing the surface of the water, threatening and laughing at the same time she screamed, “Han Solo you put me down this instant!”

She realized as the words left her lips that was exactly what her husband had in mind.

She heard Han utter, “By your command, your highness,” and her slight figure sailed through the air as he tossed her into the waves, reminiscent of her comm-link he threw into the water earlier.

Han was grinning like a nexu cub after a full meal, thoroughly enjoying throwing his wife into the ocean. Maybe the shock will snap her completely out of her business mode. If not, there will be hell to pay he thought.

Surfacing from her submerged dunking, Leia grinned a playful ‘oh, you are going to pay for that’ grin and pushed a wave of water towards him with pitiful results. 

“Ha, is that the best you’ve got, Princess?”  Han chided back to her with that look in his eyes.

Catching his mischievous gleam, Leia playfully responded, her grin and gleam matching his.  “Just you wait, Flyboy, you may never see my best again.” Smiling a self-satisfactory smirk, Han knew he finally broke the wizard’s spell.

 “Me too, me too!” Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin all cried at once while jumping and climbing all over their dad.

“Throw me, Daddy just like you did Mama,  pleeeeease,” Anakin begged, barely able to contain himself.

With a swoop and a toss, a squealing Anakin was air-bound and splashed into the water next to his mom.  Laughingly, Leia helped Anakin to the surface of the water, “Again, again!” he cried excitedly.

“My turn!” both Jaina and Jacen screamed in unison.

 “Uh-oh, double trouble,” Han growled through his grin and with the reflex and strength of a Wookiee, Han gathered both kids at once and launched them into the water. 

“Whoa, a double dunking, impressive, most impressive...” Leia chuckled.  She helped the twins just as she did with Anakin. Over and over the kids reveled in their daddy’s airborne soakings.

The children giggled, splashed, and played as they swam around their parents.

Conspiring with her children, Leia whispered,  “Let’s get Daddy.”  At once Anakin enthusiastically yelled, “Attack!” 

Swiftly, the Solo offspring surrounded their daddy, playfully attacking him.

Encouraging their giggles and animated cries, Han did his best “Oh, you got me” fake death, causing the kids to squeal even louder. 

“Help me, Princess, you’re my only hope.” Han pleaded to his wife.

To which Leia jokingly responded, “You should have thought about that before you threw me into the water.”  Her smile was brighter than the noon day sun.

Han’s classic “who me?” expression beamed across his face.

Leia felt a wave of calm and peace wash over her as she watched her husband, father of her children, acting like a big kid himself.

His wet hair shimmered about his head, water glistened off of his bare chest and he just stood there in the waist deep water letting his spirited children use him as a human jungle gym.

Catching Han’s eye, Leia put two her two fingers to her lips and pressed into them, then turned her fingers towards Han, sending him her secret kiss.

He returned her silent kiss with a lopsided grin and a wink as he plucked Jacen off his back and tossed him into the sea.

Finally having enough roughhousing, Han said to the kids  “All right, kids, time to give the old man a break.”  He waded his way over to his wife.

He gestured towards Leia, “Dad’s got to make sure Mom’s not getting a sunburn.  Uh-oh, too late,” he winced as he peered under her shoulder strap of her azure blue tankini top.  “I’ll have to put some cream on that later,” signaling her with his sultry smile.  “Hmmmm.” Was Leia’s only reply.

“I’m hungry.” Anakin whined as he crawled up into Leia’s arms and rested his head on her sunburn shoulder.  Kissing his little forehead, Leia suggested, “Now would be a good time to eat lunch.  Come on, let’s go see what Daddy packed for us to eat.”

“Hey Dad, Dad, Daddy,” Jacen repeated trying to get his father’s attention.

“What, sport?” Han asked as everyone was making their way back to the shore.

“What do the Dathomir witches eat when they go to the beach?”  Jacen was excitedly gearing up to tell his joke’s punch line.

“I don’t know, Jace? What do Dathomir witches eat when they go to the beach?” Han took hold of Jacen and Jaina’s hands.

“Sand-witches.” Both Jaina and Jacen laughed hysterically at Jacen’s comedic impromptu.

Holding the twins’ hands and Leia carrying Anakin, the Solo family made their way back to their shaded sand cabana. After a full lunch of sandwiches, drinks, fruit-salad, and even a treat, Han and the kids quickly fell asleep in the shade of their tent.

Leia packed up the rest of the lunchtime picnic and sat down at the edge of their cabana, digging her toes into the soft sand.  She stared out across the water, taking in the serene surf and the brilliant blue sky.  It’s hard to believe this is still Coruscant, she thought to herself.

The sun is so bright and the sky is so clear and just look at the sea, how it sparkles like stars, almost reminds me of some of my childhood trips to the shore.  She continued her silent reflection.

At least I’ve have a chance to relive childhood a bit again through the eyes of my kids. I promise to do things like this more often.  She pondered and turned her head to watch the napping foursome, she couldn’t help but laugh at their syncopated snoring mixing with the sound of the surf.

“No matter what happens we have this special memory. I have this memory. I love you all, my family.  You mean more to me than you will ever know. Thank you for bringing me here.”  She softly whispered to them.

Gazing back out upon the sparkling sea, and tracing random lines in the silky sand with her finger, she happily sighed and reflected, I will always remember this moment when we played and laughed together in the ocean, beaming, shining just like stars on the water.

Thank you so much for the lovely contribution!  As always, anyone can feel free to submit a story for us to post on the blog.