Growing Up Solo

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Two weeks had gone by since Ben's attack on the Jedi Academy and on his mother/unborn sister. Luke and his Padawans were searching for him daily, as were Han and Leia. The couple would be on foot, with Luke and his group on speeders.

Today, both Han and Leia decided to get up earlier than normal, trying to get a head start on the others. Most of the crew back at the base wouldn't be up yet, and perhaps they would have a better chance of seeing Ben this early in the morning. It was the third day since the search party started. So far, no tracks of Ben's had come across either group, but no hope was lost. Both Leia and Han knew that they would find their son. Luke knew it too.

Han and Leia walked through the thick forest, looking for any sight of Ben. Leia held her ignited lightsaber as Han held his blaster. "Princess, what're you going to do if you come across him? Slice him in half?" Han asked her, a hint of sarcasm rolling off his tongue. "By the way, I'm sure the noise that thing is making isn't making this manhunt any easier."

Looking up at Han, Leia realized he was right. With a deep sigh, the Princess pulled the blade back in, placing a hand on her forehead. "Honestly, I don't know what I would do. I hope he is okay," she said, looking up at Han, who draped his arms around his wife, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I know you do. Mother's intuition," he whispered to her, placing a kiss to the top of her head. With a rub of her back, Han could feel Leia starting to pull away. Not wanting to push her any further, he let go of her in his tight hold.

As the pair continued to walk, Han took a glance at Leia. The past two weeks had been hard on his wife. He'd wake up with the bed empty next to him, only to find her in the nursery, looking over what was suppose to be Jaina's crib.

Han rolled over in his sleep, expecting to feel Leia's warmth radiating off of her bare shoulder. As he moved his hand up and down the cold mattress, his eyes fluttered open, followed by a deep sigh.

Pulling the covers back, Han's feet met with the wooden floor beneath him. He slipped into his trousers and picked his white shirt off of the floor, maneuvering his tan arms into the sleeves. Leaving the shirt open, he made his way to exactly where Leia would be; the nursery.

Han stood in the doorway, seeing his wife's back to him. From what he could see, he saw her petite hands holding a firm grip on to the bar of the crib. Han knew that Leia knew he was present, yet he still walked quietly over to her, the wood creaking beneath his every step.

For a long moment, neither one said anything to the other. Han knew Leia didn't want to talk about it. It did surprise him that she was the first to speak.

"I don't know why I keep coming in here. Nothing I can do is going to bring her back," Leia whispered, finally breaking in silence, her hands gripping onto the guardrail. "I wish we hadn't been so hard on him," she added, closing her eyes and leaning her head down.

Han looked down at Leia as she spoke. For once, he did not have a witty comeback. He leaned his forearms on the rail, placing his head in his hands. "I know, sweetheart. I wish she was here too," he said softly, moving a hand to Leia's lower back.

Leia instinctively placed her head on his should, letting out a deep breath. "What are we going to do now?" She questioned, her eyes staying closed.

He thought for a moment. What should they do? "We could go search for him," he suggested, looking down at Leia. "We could search the whole moon, Leia. Ever piece of it. We're bound to find him at some point," Han said to her. He watched as Leia lifted her head from his shoulder, listening to his proposal. "We could even get Luke and his Padawans in on the search," he added, running a hand through his hair.