#(what a supportive husband breha loves him so much)

[skywalkr-nberrie]

One of the reasons why Anakin and Padmé were so compatible was because they didn’t just exist to be each other’s lovers. They wanted each other in all the categories within their lives. Whether that be connected to their work/duty, as friends, or as power duo, or as teammates who support each other in times of need. Their relationship goes beyond just that of husband and wife.

Whether that be in the form of a best friend, companion, ally, teammate, etc. Anakin and Padmé were so close that their love took form in every way. Hypothetically, if they had both decided not to get together, they both would still be very intertwined in their paths and involved in each other’s lives. And this would, without a doubt, be a conscious choice on both their ends.

Had Padmé or Anakin simply wanted only a wife/husband, they would’ve asked one another to leave behind their duty for the sake of their “love”, which we know they don’t do until they really wanted too like we see in ROTS. So I just wanted to take the time to discuss how close Anakin and Padmé were, they were honestly as close as Bail and Breha were, and I think it’s so slept on.

For starters, we know Anakin and Padmé immediately took a shine to one another in TPM, and became good friends after just meeting. Padmé makes mention of precious Anakin has become to her in her Episode 1 Journal, and we know from Anakin’s POV in TPM novelization that Anakin feels the same way about her.

Further along we get AOTC, and I just can’t help but notice how well Anakin and Padmé got along right away, after not seeing one another for 10 years. Padmé even makes mention of this, and how she couldn’t believe she had quickly she had opened up to Anakin despite not seeing him for a long time, she described the feeling as being at ease and feeling comfortable around him.

They already feel a connection to one another, even though they hadn’t been in contact for 10 years, it was the inevitable magnetism between them that inevitably pulls them toward each other. Later on in AOTC, after they’ve settled down in Naboo: They let loose, talk about their lives, open up about their insecurities, laugh, play, have fun on riding Shaak backs, and roll around in the grass. Once again reminding us how easy it was for the both of them to become close and feel allowed to be themselves for once.

But AOTC isn’t where it ends. Even after they marry, Anakin and Padmé remain great friends all while being husband and wife whom are madly in love with one another! Some of my favourite moments of this, is in the comics itself. (Specifically Star Wars Adventures, #5 and #12 and Halycon Legacy.) They sparred together for fun, joke and tease each other all while on duty and went on missions together when the occasion called for it! And we know they always wanted more time to spend together.

They incorporated so much of their work life into their personal lives as well, because they can’t imagine being separate from one another in those aspects of their life either. Anakin and Padmé are best at having fun while on duty. Whether it be finding time to spar for fun, have dinner together, go to the theatre and see a play, and walking hand in hand in a menagerie, observing interesting creatures. They were the best at making the most of what they had, even if it collided with their work. It takes a level of trust and dedication to be able to mix up work life with family life.

Their devotion and support to one another is part of what makes them so good for each other!

(I have a follow up meta post for this one!)

[politicalmamaduck]

Mother of the Rebellion

Padme Amidala survives Mustafar, and goes on the run with her babies.  With the help of her four dearest friends, they sow the seeds of rebellion across the galaxy. Read it on AO3 here.

(Author’s note: After three years, I’m finally writing this again. I hope you’ll join me for the journey; I am hoping to update weekly.)

Chapter: 1 | 2

Halfway across the galaxy, Obi-Wan Kenobi commed Alderaan. He breathed deeply and trusted the Force. He had not yet been discovered, and he preferred to keep it that way. His weekly conversations with Bail Organa’s new political aide were his only contact with the wider galaxy. He had work to do that depended on the utmost secrecy. For now, Tatooine’s desert and twin suns were his only companions. 

He both hoped and dreaded the day he heard from Padmé Amidala again, for he knew what she would ask of him when he did. He would do right by her children, though he failed their father. He remembered his promise to his dying Master; he trained the boy, but at what cost? 

Obi-Wan did not allow himself the solace of emotion. There is no emotion, there is peace.

He repeated this to himself while he waited for an answer. He knew his contact would be busy; it was nearly noon on Alderaan. He settled in, listening to the moisture vaporators hum, and told himself that everything was due to the Force’s will.

On Alderaan, Sabé Carbonell, alias Salia Colometa, former handmaiden to the Queen of Naboo, slipped out of Senator Organa’s offices and down the hallway to her private quarters. She would not risk the Senator being implicated in anything that could harm his political career, though she knew what he discussed with Mon Mothma and Padmé before her disappearance. She could not think of her best friend as dead, even though she knew she needed to. She wept real tears at the funeral; that was not an act. The outpouring of grief in Theed’s streets moved her desperately, and she longed for the day when the streets would once more be filled with light and laughter, instead of mourning and sorrow. 

When Padmé returns, she thought. 

In the meantime, she looked forward to her weekly conversations with the lost Jedi Master. There was something so comforting, so soothing about him, even in this time of duplicity and upheaval. 

She smiled as her comm pinged, and sought to take refuge in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s voice. 

…

Padmé loved her children dearly; she always wanted to be a mother, a young mother like her beloved sister Pooja. 

She never planned to live a furtive life, but she started down this path the minute she told Anakin Skywalker that she loved him. 

She was unsure whether she had lived two lives, or half of one. Would it have been enough? Would anything have been enough?

For three years she spent her days fighting for what she believed was right, and nights entwined with the man she loved.

She knew her life would change dramatically when she realized she was pregnant. She did not expect it to change as dramatically as it did. 

The Republic’s collapse, Palpatine’s machinations, Anakin’s betrayal, the Jedi Order’s destruction. 

Far too many good lives were lost, including Padmé’s own, supposedly. 

She needed time, but she knew every moment was borrowed. She needed to grieve, to adjust to being a mother, to find allies and build a rebellion. 

She could trust Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. 

She knew her sister like her own mind--Pooja would coordinate with her handmaidens on Naboo. 

And Sabé, dear Sabé, the sister of her heart, her loyal decoy and bodyguard--Sabé and Tonra went to Alderaan to support Bail and Breha. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi went to Tatooine, where they knew Anakin would never look. 

But now it was time to begin to set their plans into motion. It would be difficult, but Padmé would do anything to build a better galaxy for her children. 

She thought she was building a better galaxy all those years as Queen and Senator. She would not let those years go to waste, all the dreams and plans and legislation she left behind. 

She would continue to speak out against slavery, to free as many slaves as she could. They hadn’t done enough to save Anakin’s mother, and she would regret it for the rest of her life. In Shmi’s memory, she would do everything she could to keep fighting until her last breath to end slavery across the galaxy. 

Padmé spent her days writing as quickly as she could her many ideas, plans, and attempts to reconstruct legislation she abandoned in her office on Coruscant. She would not refer to it as Imperial Center. The Senate still existed, though it was entirely useless due to the Emperor’s decrees and dictates. Bail and Mon would keep fighting there, however. They would not let democracy’s light be extinguished. 

But without the Jedi, without anyone to physically fight for that light, how long could they all last? How could they protect Force sensitive children across the galaxy? Padmé was certain Palpatine already developed nefarious plans for children like hers. 

Padmé was not sure if she was ashamed to admit she prayed her children would not display their father’s gifts, but even at their young age, she knew they both inherited Anakin’s power. Her babies had a bond she would never understand, and they would need help as they grew older. 

She needed help, though she was loath to admit it, and she was lonely. 

She could risk a comm, then she would move again. She had few possessions that truly mattered anymore. She traveled as lightly as she could, though with two babies and their assorted paraphernalia, light travel was not truly possible. 

Padmé had never traveled light as a Queen or Senator. There was always makeup and a wardrobe that came with her, plus the many people in her security detail, and various droids. 

Padmé was fortunate that she never experienced depression until after her children were born. Those first few days were a blur of Padmé sobbing and her children wailing, all adjusting to their new life, their new normal. 

Obi-Wan, kind and patient, came by her room to check on her every few hours and hold the babies, helping to soothe them. 

He was as gentle as he could be when he told her what happened on Mustafar. Though Padmé had not believed him on Coruscant when he told her Anakin turned to the Dark Side, she could see the truth of it in Obi-Wan’s haunted gaze now. 

In her labor and delirium she didn’t notice his wounds or the scorch marks on his worn tunic, but she did during their quiet conversations in the first few days of Luke and Leia’s lives. He took care to launder and darn them as best he could, but once they left Polis Massa, he could no longer wear a Jedi’s garb, for far too few survived Order 66, as they now knew it. 

Padmé wept for the man who once was her husband. 

Padmé wept for Anakin Skywalker, in all his potential, what he could have been for the galaxy. 

Padmé wept for Darth Vader, cursed to live in the hell of a mechanized suit by the Emperor’s side.

She wondered what the point of living was until one of her babies cried again, and somehow, she found the strength to emerge from bed and clutch her child to her. 

This continued for the few precious days they all spent together on Polis Massa, and then for the next few months Padmé hid with her children in a small apartment on a long forgotten world. It was as safe as anything could be, a nondescript planet inhabited mostly by humans. Though she would not admit it, Padmé desperately missed adult company and conversation. She missed her fulfilling career, her colleagues and friends. She missed her husband. 

Each day blurred into the next in an endless cycle until Sabé commed her from Alderaan.

Padmé knew she looked exhausted and disheveled, and would not have cared save for the concern and love in Sabé’s eyes. She offered to come and help with the children, but Padmé assured her they were doing fine, and it was not worth the risk. 

The next day, Padmé started writing. Sabé managed to access not only the security data from Padmé’s old office on Coruscant in the first days after the Republic’s fall, but also the many files containing draft legislation. They were safe with Bail on Alderaan, and he would put them to good use. 

Padmé wished she had them, but they did not dare risk the file transfer. She wrote as much as she could remember, and made notes whenever they came to mind.

She started journaling, trying to make sense of her conflicting emotions and how she had lost the two things she loved the most. She would learn to love her children even more than her husband or the Republic. Each day they grew stronger, and each day she worried that somehow, someway, the Empire would find them. 

[ariainstars]

The Sins of the Fathers

Does anyone wonder why the Skywalkers never knew how to be a happy, united family?

I did, a few days ago.

Obi-Wan taught Anakin the ways of the Force, but he did not make him feel loved and appreciated. He did not encourage him to develop his uniqueness.

The Jedi took Force-sensitive children away from their families when they were still small, and educated them to emotional detachment. Anakin was a passionate, enquiring nature, someone who would urgently have needed a father figure; which is why in the end he fell prey to Palpatine’s lures.

How should Obi-Wan had known how to be a good father, when he most probably had been separated from his own family as an infant?

Luke never got to be a father; he was an uncle, although not always an understanding one.

Surprising? No. He never knew his parents and had no role model for a father. He was raised by Owen, his uncle, who protected him but did not really understand his nature, so dissimilar from his own.

Also, like his father figures Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke spent the last years of his life as a hermit.

Anakin didn’t have a father. He wished to be one, but he never got to. His fall to the Dark Side happened at the same time that Padmé gave birth; “Vader”, the dark, the evil father, was associated with his new identity right from the start.

Did he ever realize that the girl he had referred to as “your sister”, talking to Luke, was actually the one he had imprisoned and tortured on the Death Star?

Vader prevented his son from patricide and opened his eyes on the self-righteous ways of the Jedi, and later he saved his life by committing murder before his eyes. Idealistic and heroic to the end, but not exactly a fatherly attitude.

It was parental neglect that pushed Ben Solo to the Dark Side. And Leia’s words on seeing her husband again were not of accusation, only of regret of having sent her son away from home.

Again: how should his parents have known how to be good parents?

Leia was a loving but often absent mother due to her political duties. Being the adopted daughter of the Queen of Alderaan, she probably hadn’t learned to be another kind of mother. Breha loved Leia, but she had a lot of responsibilities and probably not much time for her daughter.

The only ones who were always close to Leia were the droids, 3PO and R2.

Han never knew his parents, so he had no role model for being a father either. He had to allow his son to commit the terrible deed of patricide to make Ben feel at last that his father did love him.

We do not know what kind of father he was as long as he was around, but Ben made it clear that he felt abandoned by him.

Again: where should Han have learned how to be a father, i.e. to give his son the emotional support he would have needed to become a strong and mature person, someone who would use the Force in a responsible way?

The gentle, wise, protective and patient Qui-Gon was a natural father figure, and Anakin quickly learned to trust him. It was a sad blow for him to lose him, and one that had many bad consequences.

How had Qui-Gon learned his attitude? We do not know. Maybe he simply had a natural talent for fatherhood. Differently from the other Jedi, he was compassionate. He was also somewhat rebellious, not always agreeing with the ways of the Jedi, although he never left the Order the way Count Dooku did.

The role of Darth Maul as Qui-Gon’s murderer cannot be stressed enough; he had obviously been hired by Palpatine for no other end. Qui-Gon was the only Jedi who believed in Anakin and the importance of his role for the Force.

Palpatine’s act as the mild-mannered elderly guy who calls him “son” won Anakin’s trust and eventually drove him to his doom.

I am positive that if the tormented galaxy is ever to find lasting peace and the Force to come to balance, it can only be through the good father.

There is only one scion of the Skywalker family left. And he is now in the position where Palpatine used to be - the Supreme Leader.

Despite their good intentions, Ben’s family had made a great mistake: they tried to rebuild the past. They wanted the Republic and the Jedi Order back in place as they were. But having seen the prequels, we know that it wasn’t all as good as Obi-Wan had told Luke. To enhance this, Luke gives Rey a short synopsis of that world when they talk in the temple on Ahch-To.

Shortly after that, Rey gets to know Ben Solo’s view of his experience with his uncle. Appalled, Rey has to realize that a Jedi is not necessarily a supernatural being the way she thought; that even a powerful, wise and well-meaning Jedi can get it wrong.

Why Ben’s cryptical words to Rey, “Let the past die”? He probably was announcing his intention to kill Snoke, but I believe there is more to that.

Ben’s family hadn’t let the past die. They had not looked squarely at the truth, keeping the good parts and rejecting the bad ones. It was up to their son and nephew to get the skeleton out of the closet (see his talk to Vader’s mask, which looks like an old skull).

To Ben, it represents power; it also stands for is unimaginable pain and sorrow.

Ben Solo’s family always had compassion at its core, but something always got in their way.

Anakin became a cold, murdering villain.

Leia and Luke were both idealistic but not introspective.

Han was good at heart but not at showing his feelings.

Why is their son, nephew, grandson and heir the oversensitive, doubtful, rebellious Ben? At the end of The Last Jedi he is neither hero nor villain. But he is free at last from every father figure, personal influence or controlling power from the outside at last.

What will he choose to be?

Who will he want to be?

According to his mother, he was born with a rebellious nature but a kind heart, much like Anakin.

Had he not been stifled by the Jedi Code, I believe Anakin would have been a creative person, someone who could have influenced the Jedi and the Old Republic in a positive way and contributed to build something new and better. The ruthless Vader who knows nothing but violence and destruction is a perversion of the man he should have been.

But his grandson promised he would finish what Vader had started. I believe Ben to be a creative person, too, someone who could indeed “let the past die” to start something new and better. He needs someone to show him the way to his and his grandfather’s final redemption.

And there are Force-sensitive persons in the galaxy who need a teacher, a protector and a loving presence in their lives.

They need the Good Father. 

[captainshadowgirllostfan]

Hi! I just want to add to this post because I am also ambivalent to anidala. I don’t hate it, I don’t like it either. I see a lot of great anidala fics and with how caring Padme seems to be and maybe because we see Padme mostly from Anakin’s eyes in the movies, with how he sees her as an angel, his savior, it’s easy for me to fall into this trap that she truly is the only one who could’ve helped him. And I do believe she is because of how much weight Anakin puts on her in respect and someone to listen to. Someone he feels understood him better than anyone...

but when watching ROTS and seeing nobody addressing Anakin’s decline when it was so obvious, when you get Padme asking Anakin to comfort her when he reveals he doesn’t feel like he’s the Jedi he’s supposed to be, that he feels lost, and his stress with the Jedi and the Chancellor, and most of all his worries of her dying in childbirth due to his dreams, especially after witnessing the aftermath of what happened the last time he had a vision of the future... like come on Padme, you’re thinking about the Republic instead of your husband whose worried for you, wth?

I mean it’s that, that makes me not into anidala and I don’t get why people think of them as perfect. I mean I think it’s a great relationship of intense love. But it’s definitely not the romantic fairy tale you see in fanfics.

And man seeing that romantic fairytale both repels and attracts me. I mean don’t get me wrong it’s such a great relationship (when written in fanfic) but at the same time it’s so superficial (in the cannon) and sometimes with the way fanfic writers portray them it’s hard to see how passionate they are for each other, they don’t really have a solid foundation that will get them going for a long and happy marriage like say Breha and Bail or Owen and Beru who are both supportive and loving to each other. 

Personally I think Anakin needed to learn to love himself. That’s the relationship I want for him most of all. 

Hello again! Wanted to ask about Padme. Most pro Anakin bloggers also tend to like Padme. Why are you indifferent towards her beyond the reasoning of the power imbalance of Anidala? Would you like her better if she were lower class?

What kind of woman do you think Anakin should have married?

@synapticjive , this is for you dear. Also @fanfic-lover-girl for bringing this ask to me, as I’ve been meaning to make a long post about this for a while.

TLDR;

Besides the power Imbalance, (not to do with age but to do with Padme’s class status) in my opinion Padme is more in love with her fantasy of Anakin and not as much the real Anakin that exists. She sweeps under the rug massive red flags about his mental health (the sand people situation anyone ) when he’s been on the verge of a mental health crisis long before Revenge of the Sith. It isn’t her job to fix him, but as his partner I do think she should have encouraged him to seek mental health help or encouraged him to tell others about the Tuskens. I also don’t think she is as invested in Anakin as he is with her. In my opinion, she likes to keep him and her fantasy world totally separate from her loved reality as a senator (using Anakin as a kind of escape from that life) and so any real world or serious problems he has she puts away until they blow up massively.

Explanation:

In the new cannon material “The Queens Hope”, the newest novel by E.K. Johnston in a trilogy including “The Queen’s Shadow” and “The Queen’s Peril”, Anakin and Padme’s relationship is discussed and illustrated in detail. In combination with this book, the novelization of ATOC and TCW series, I have come to these conclusions about Anidala:

Padme is Anakin’s last in the flesh reminder of his mother. Anakin was raised in a single parent household, and I believe a portion of his love fro her stems from his desire to have a family again after losing his mother, and Padme remember his mother. This ties them together in his heart for importance. After shmi dies, Padme is Anakin’s only lifeline, meaning if their relationship goes south (for whatever reason) that Anakin’a chances of going off the deep end mentally are high.

You would think that stress that he is under to fulfill others expectations of him to his own detriment would be a red flag for Padme to encourage him to leave the Jedi or to at least lessen the power imbalance between them so he wouldn’t feel like he had to live up to these expectations where she is concerned. That he could be himself around her, so that he can form a healthy attachment to her. Instead she continues this idea of burdening him with her own high expectations of him by convincing him time and time again to stay in the Jedi Order to remain as a Jedi Knight. She does this even when he states multiple times how unhappy he is there, how badly the Jedi treat him (btw she always sides with the Council and Obi Wan when he brings up how they make him feel. She goes as far as to laugh at him in ATOC) and how much stress he is under living up to their idea of what he should be.

In the novels and in TCW she is quite taken with Anakin as this masculine adventurer ideal, a role that he plays for her but struggles with in moments of insecurity and difficulty. She makes him feel like he is supposed to always be a strong hero when he really needs someone who can understand his need to have a safe place to feel weak. It’s natural to want to relax and to not to want to be at war all the time. However, She loves him as her knight in shining armor, so when he wants to leave the order she is horrified. He says “I don’t care about all this deception I don’t care if they know we’re married” and she immediately corrects him “Anakin don’t say things like that”

Padme encourages his codependency by placing herself on a pedestal with him, and accepting her role as his Courtly Lady/Madonna. This is particularly important when we consider why Padme, an accomplished politician with charisma, grace, social accumin and wealth would want to marry someone she just spent a week with. The answer to me is that the danger, the adventure, the forbidden aspects are exactly why Padme wants to be with Anakin at all. Padme has lived her whole life in a super serious responsible bubble, and Anakin is her chance to let her hair down and be wild. There wouldn’t be anything wrong with this if this wasn’t the only thing holding them together, but honestly to me it is.

1. They have totally different personalities that do not mesh. Anakin is passionate and firey with an intense insecure while attachment style Padme is cool and detached and rational at all times. Really Padme makes a better Jedi mentally than Anakin (don’t shoot me for this, Obi Wan says almost the same thing “you should have been a Jedi) for how Padme conducts her life, emotions can be dangerous. Even Sabe warns her that her love for him will prove fatal as well stating “You always said when you gave your heart to someone it would be a disaster”, because Padme in love throws caution to the wind for her idea of fantasy romance. Padme in love is Padme entrenched in her deepest ideal with blinders on to everything but what she wants. The problem with Anakin is that he has severe mental health issues that can not be ignored. He is being groomed by sidious and he is being emotionally abused by the Jedi, yet Padme doesn’t see any of this becuase she only sees what she wants to see; Anakin the Hero With No Fear conquering all and coming home to sit at her feet and do whatever she needs him to do. Anakin loves Padme because she is the Madonna who gives his life purpose. These are two incompatible ideals.

2. Anakin needs Padme more than she needs him. Padme had a life before Anakin, and she would have a life after him if she were to leave him. Padme has a sister and parents and nieces and nephews. She has a network of best friends she has known since she was 14, and a further network of senate colleges and friends on planets all over the galaxy. She has a job she loves and finds worthwhile and she has a childhood of safety and love to draw on.

In contrast if Padme left Anakin, Anakin would lose all he has left. He does have Obi Wan in a sense, but considering his desire to leave the order and Obi Wans attitude towards those who leave the order it wouldn’t go well, (he no longer associates with them the same way, he wouldn’t antagonize Anakin but he’d make it known he didn’t approve and would probably shun him like Ashoka). Anakin lost his mother and all of his childhood friends remain in slavery. His childhood was hard on him.

Thus, Padme became Anakin’s sole personal emotional support. This brings an imbalance to their relationship which fuels Anakin’s attachment insecurity. This causes the jealously and the fear of losing her to increase 10 fold. In the Queen’s Hope, Anakin thinks of Padme all the time while on missions while he almost never comes up to her when she is on her own time with friends or family. Even though they just married she barely reflects on Him, never thinks of him personally except to remark how handsome he is (Anakin is so much more than just his looks), which leads me to believe that her reasons for marrying him were mostly sexual. Since I headcannon Anakin as demisexual based on his interactions with her this screams incompatibility to me.

3. Lastly, when Padme Anakin are at home they are always without exception doing one of 3 things, having sex, discussing the war, or fighting. The only positive interactions they have are when they are physically intimate(cuddling or getting in the mood). They talk about the war but never about what towels to buy or what food to eat. This has some issue to do with the action style way that the movies and books are written. There is very little room for domesticity. However, even in The Queens Hope, a book revolving around issues of them trying to balance domestic life with duty, Padme never compliments Anakin’s personality, just his looks, and to that end whenever we seen them together they are either , A.) Cuddling, or B.) Being erotic with each other. Padme does rearrange her schedule so that Anakin can sneak in at night to see her, but because of their need for secrecy Anakin is treated more like a secret affair than a marriage partner. Which brings me to my last point.

4. We’ve discussed that Padme is unable to bring up Anakin’s mental problems to him and prefers to bury them, but a similar thing could be said about Anakin. He is unable to accept any moral ambiguity in Padme at all. Any time she strays a hair from her ideals he is in her like a flea. It’s understandable to me that Anakin feels this way considering Padme is all he has, but in the long run he has to be able to see her as a fallible human being capable of being wrong. At the same time she needs to stop feeding into this desire he has of putting her above him. Even as a submissive he should not feel actually beneath her.

I’m conclusion: I think Anakin would have fared better with someone who either A.) was born in similar circumstances with similar trauma that could help him through his complicated feelings or at least relate to them; or B.) was able to remove themselves from the pedestal Anakin puts them on to make a more equal partnership that he can lean into. Anakin is needy and while for me I don’t consider that to be a bad thing it can be a bad thing of the other person doesn’t help the insecure person to feel safe and secure in the relationship. Padme is not capable of this to me for a number or reasons, namely the fact that she is more married to her job and ideals than to Anakin.

I hope that clears up some of my thoughts for you all. I know I probably left things out, please feel free to comment on here with your opinions. I know that was long.

[lajulie24]

Head canon on Leia’s relationship with Bail and Breha pre ANH? Would Bail and Breha have gotten along with Han in an AU?

Great questions! First, a necessary disclaimer: these thoughts are a smattering of headcanons / ideas that I’ve either thought about, read and liked in fics, or probably read about on Wookieepedia somewhere and incorporated into my brain. I haven’t read the NuCanon Princess Leia novel, so they’re not necessarily compliant with that.

Caution: long post ahead.

Leia’s relationship with Bail and Breha pre-ANH

Bail: I assume that Bail and Leia were extremely close to each other, and that she learned a lot of what she knows about how to move in galactic politics from his example and/or tutelage. While I think Leia received a lot of lessons in various things that would be somewhat uncommon for a princess (e.g. how to shoot a blaster), I don’t think she was being groomed with the intent of making her a weapon against the Empire or anything.

I think Bail was constantly torn between wanting to keep Leia safe and not wanting her to give up her childhood, and the fact that at every turn Leia was seeking out opportunities to be a part of the fight, to be a leader, to contribute. And she was so good at it and so happy to be a part of it that it felt like crushing her spirit to deny her that (although he did try to warn her and shield her when he could).

I think Bail was overjoyed to have a daughter when Leia came to them, though that joy was tempered by the thought of what had happened to his dear friend Padmé. Bail was a really involved father and just delighted to be a dad. He set boundaries for her and provided good discipline, he had high expectations for the way she treated other people, but he kind of cheered when she pushed back against authority. Both he and Breha were very physically affectionate; lots of hugging and snuggles in that family, lots of love. Although he had a very busy schedule, he made a special effort to take time out for the family. Also, if they couldn’t all be together on a particular special day, for them the holiday was when they all got to be together.

I think Bail and Leia got even closer to each other when Leia started working as a covert agent for the Rebellion; there were a lot discussions that could only be between them, and they relied on each other a lot. Breha felt a little left out sometimes, but Bail and Breha had made an agreement early on that Breha should be left out of some of the inner workings of the Rebellion, since she couldn’t betray information she didn’t know about in the first place.

Breha: Leia may have been closer to Bail in some respects, or more likely to follow in his footsteps, but she learned a great deal of what she knows about diplomacy and actual governance from Breha. Breha also was the parent who gave Leia a lot of the life advice that guides her even decades later, and always had a special ability to soothe and comfort her daughter. (Leia has a tendency toward overthinking and getting caught up in worrying and in her own head. Breha always had a number of little reminders that helped to calm Leia.)

Breha also fostered a drive toward learning and was always very supportive of Leia’s intellectual curiosity and need to know things. She was always a huge supporter of the arts and an advocate for how the arts and culture actually enhance scientific or logical thinking. Also, Leia got from Breha the sense that there were a lot of different ways to be a woman, that you could have layers, that you could be a strong, assertive leader for your people and be a compassionate, tender person, that it wasn’t an either-or scenario. (Also, the talent Leia has for being extraordinarily diplomatic and polite yet making it clear that she abides no bullshit? Learned from Breha.)

I headcanon that Breha knew that Leia was Padmé’s biological child and figured out most of the rest without Bail actually having to tell her. Similar to Bail, she was overjoyed to be a parent and was determined to be the best mother she could.

Would Bail and Breha have gotten along with Han in an AU?

I would be remiss in answering this question if I didn’t cite a couple of my favorite AU fics in which Bail, or Bail and Breha, actually are alive and interact with Han. Those are @madame-alexandra ‘s amazing Identity (and others in that series), and @chancecraz ‘s Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns (a WIP).

I think Bail would have struggled with Han a lot at first, but ultimately would do his best to give him a chance because of Leia’s love for him. I think his major objections or concerns would come from two places: a) the large age difference between Leia and Han, especially considering that they met when she was still nineteen (even if they didn’t get together for several years), and b) his worries about the past repeating itself–that is, a sense that Padmé made a mistake by getting together with Anakin, and that perhaps this is a mistake as well. He probably wouldn’t love that Han used to run spice or work for Jabba either, but he also has more of a sense of the fact that especially in the Imperial times, people kind of did what they had to do to get by.

I actually think Breha would rather adore Han, and kind of be inspired to take him under her wing. She would probably also advocate with her husband on his behalf. Her concerns would mainly be–is he good to Leia? Does he treat her with respect? Does he love her for herself and not any other reason (Breha’s seen a lot of princes in her time who aren’t interested in a life partner so much as they’re interested in a title and some money)? I think she would find it kind of charming that Han doesn’t care about protocol at all and treats Leia as a person and not an object of reverence or worship. She would see Han as a good match for Leia’s spirit.

Thank you for the ask!

[swfanficbyjz]

SW AU - Fate of the Master Chapter 26

<- Previous Chapter

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, I know you both just returned." Obi wan said as Anakin and Ahsoka came in the room behind him. He was busy trying to move furniture around the newly remodeled council room.

"Is everything alright?" Anakin asked concerned.

Obi wan finished moving the last chair into place and turned to look at them. "Yes and no." He said at last, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"How can we help?" Ahsoka asked.

Obi wan slumped down into a chair and gestured for them to sit too. "I've been giving some thought to this whole grandmaster of the new Jedi order thing, and I'm not sure I'm up to it after all."

"How can you say that, master? You're the most qualified person out there." Anakin said quickly. Obi wan half smiled but then stroked his beard in deep thought.

"Well, not exactly. But the reason I called you here is because I need a favor."

"Of course," Ahsoka said without hesitation.

"I will continue my role as grandmaster on one condition..." Obi wan said slowly. Enjoying their anxiety more than he should. "That the two of you agree to sit on the council."

"What?" Anakin exclaimed standing up.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Master Kenobi." Ahsoka said.

"Calm down, Anakin, hear me out." Anakin grumbled something under his breath and sat back down. "Look, I know that given all we've each been through, none of us is truly qualified to restart the order as it once was. Both of you have pointed out its many failings on more than one occasion. And even though I used to believe strongly in the old code, I see now that it was outdated and did not truly serve the best interest of both its members and the people of the galaxy. So even though you two have both severed ties with it, I feel as though I cannot truly serve others without your perspectives and ideas."

Obi wan went silent for a few moments so that Anakin and Ahsoka could mull over what he was saying.

"Anakin, you taught me time and time again, that though I tried to help people, I never really saw them. Or understood them. Your perspective on delicate situations, I regret to say, I never fully appreciated before. I spent entirely too much time believing I knew better and you just didn't get it. But I see now that I was the one that didn't get it. You showed me faces and individuals when I only saw numbers. Ahsoka, you taught me that wisdom comes at all ages and in many forms. You showed me that the path ahead is not black and white, but that with confidence, fearlessness and love, even impossible tasks become possible. You've shown me resilience and maturity that not even the old masters possessed at such degree. Your thoughtfulness and insights would be invaluable in creating an environment that would truly serve the people of this world and all the others."

Obi wan watched as they glanced at each other, hoping that he had convinced them.

"I know you both have doubts about rejoining the Jedi order. I know that you feel as though you are unworthy to hold that position again. I understand, but I need you here. I can't do this without you."

"Will you actually listen to us this time?" Anakin asked finally.

"Yes." Obi wan replied.

"Then we'd be honored to be a part of it again." Ahsoka said, reaching for Anakin's hand. He still looked a little uncertain but he nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Obi wan said with a sigh of relief.

–-

*New Jedi Order Open House, 19 years after the great Jedi Purge*

"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! I'm so glad you came!" Luke exclaimed happily, greeting his aunt and uncle with kisses on their cheeks as they walked nervously into the foyer of the restored Jedi temple. They looked around timidly. Anakin smiled to himself as he watched them take in the contrasting world of force users and the big city to what they were used to on Tatooine. It had taken a lot of convincing to get them to come, but ultimately they'd agreed. Anakin was pleased. It was important to Luke that they be a part of such a momentous occasion, even though they'd always been against him being a Jedi. "This is my twin sister, Leia!" Luke introduced her to the Lars'. She greeted them politely. They looked a little overwhelmed.

Anakin stepped forward at last, "Hello brother, glad you could make it." He extended a mechanical hand to his half brother, Owen who looked up at him in surprise. Owen shook it hesitantly, as Anakin pulled him apart from the group for a moment. "It means a lot to Luke, that you're here." He spoke low so they wouldn't be overheard.

"I didn't want to come," Owen admitted. "But I realized that even though I don't agree with his choice to follow in your footsteps, we did raise him and we do love him."

Anakin nodded thoughtfully brushing off his pointed remark. "I know you do. And I'm eternally grateful for all that you've done. You did what I could not. And I want you to know, that it's because you loved him and raised him well, that he will not become like I had. He will be a Jedi. And he will not fall like I did."

Owen seemed satisfied with Anakin's response. "I thought Jedi were secretive, what's this all about?"

Anakin smiled, "we used to be, but we've learned a few things over the years. We used to think it was better to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, believing that distance would enable us to do what we must to save as many as possible. Now we've come to understand that relationships with the outside world, contact and support from our families and friends, is immeasurably important. Luke and Leia are the best examples of that. Because they both were given a chance to be raised in loving environments with great support systems, there is a far smaller chance for them to be tempted by power or anything else the dark side could offer." Anakin could tell that his brother didn't fully grasp what he was saying, but seemed to be pleased to hear the more progressive views of the Jedi. And it occurred to him that he would likely encounter that reaction a lot throughout the day. Between the holonet news and the rumor train, views on the Jedi were as varied and mysterious as Coruscant itself. He hoped to change that.

"Uncle Owen! Look at this," Luke called, and Anakin let him rejoin the rest of the group as Luke pointed out places and things as they moved the tour throughout the temple.  

---

On the second level, they met up with Bail, Breha and Ahsoka. As introductions were made all around, it was Leia's turn to lead the tour and they all continued along as a big group while Anakin and Ahsoka followed a few steps behind.

"How do you think it's going?" She asked him, slipping an arm around his waist.

"I'm feeling a lot of positive energy." He replied resting his arm around her shoulders. "People seem excited about the changes and getting to be a part of it."

"Indeed," Ahsoka responded. "It's different, but it feels good. Like we're finally doing something right, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." He said squeezing her closer.

"How do you feel about Leia's choice to join the government leadership academy rather than finish her Jedi training?" She asked him.

"I think it's the right choice for her. I admit I would have loved to see her as a Jedi knight, just like Luke, but her strategy and leadership skills far surpass my own. I think she'll make a brilliant general."

"Me too," Ahsoka replied. "And of course, she'll still have some classes here, so it's not like we won't ever see her."

"True." Anakin replied.

"Hello there," Callista said as her and her husband Geith came through a door on their right.

"Callista! It's so good to see you!" Ahsoka said excitedly and embraced her.

"It's been too long," her friend said. "You remember Geith?"

"Of course, how are you both?" Ahsoka asked, shaking his hand.

"We're doing well," Geith replied in a deep voice. "Have you met our daughter, Karmen yet?" He asked indicating a tall thin, red headed girl behind them.

"I have not. How do you do?" Ahsoka asked.

"It's nice to meet you." Karmen curtsied.

"Karmen is a Jedi marriage counselor and officiator now." Callista said proudly. "Which I know was something you weren't very comfortable with a long long time ago." She giggled.

"Ah yes... well time certainly changes things," Ahsoka said squeezing Anakin's hand. He smiled back at her. "Is master Altis and the others still alive?"

"I'm afraid not," Geith said sadly. "We're all that's left of the Altisian Jedi."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm hoping that all those that were lost will find a home here forevermore." Ahsoka replied. "Both in flesh and spirit."

"I'm certain Master Altis would be pleased to see the Jedi order now. I know you weren't so open minded when you were just a padawan, though I can't say I blame you. It's hard to break tradition." Callista commented.

"Ain't that the truth?" Ahsoka replied. "I guess it took life forcing us to change perspectives to figure out what was wrong with our traditions."

Callista smiled. "Well, we should get going, Karmen wants to see the gardens."

"Of course," Anakin nodded to them. "See you around!"

Anakin and Ahsoka caught up with the rest of their group.

Last Chapter ->

[kitsunesongs]

Major Star Wars AU idea

Okay so I’ve had this giant AU idea (well, two AU ideas, one of which is giant and overly detailed) stuck in my head for awhile and need to tell other people about it or I might explode. You seem nice so I’m humbly offering it to you. (Help me tumblr user, you’re my only hope.) Both AU ideas involve a born-as-girl Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is still her name.

The first AU pretty much follows the canon but has several significant changes: 1) Fem!Anakin falls in love with Obi-Wan. He eventually returns her affections and they secretly get married sometime during the Clone Wars. 2) The 501st and 212th and Ahsoka suspect it and ship it. Padmé knows. She ships it too. 3) Padmé and her handmaidens are Anakin’s girl squad. They get together and chat about relationships and injustices in the galaxy. They also go on random adventures trying to right said injustices and get into lots of harrowing and troublesome situations that they somehow always manage to get out of. 4) Ahsoka eventually joins the girl squad. 5) Obi-Wan is in a constant mixture between worry and exasperation whenever they get together. He tries (with the help of Bail Organa) to keep them from causing too much damage, but also kind of lets them be because they actually accomplish a lot. 6) Whether or not Anakin falls to the dark side is up for debate. 7) I also have this really weird idea that Luke and Leia aren’t siblings in this AU. Luke is Anakin and Obi-Wan’s son, but Leia is Padmé and Bail’s daughter. Padmé and Bail get married at some point during the war too and become a force to be reckoned with in the Senate. (Maybe Breha is Bail’s relative or something, idk.) This idea is in part due to the fact that I am very attached to the father/daughter relationship between Bail and Leia and in part due to the fact that I love the concept of Senator Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan–and Naboo too, sort of.

The next AU involving female Anakin is much more AU and much more crazy. It is also really elaborate and long. Sorry. –Anakin is not found by the Jedi. During the events of TPM Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan manage to get to a planet that accepts republic currency and simply buy the needed ship part before continuing with their mission. (Disclaimer: I got inspiration for this from somebody else’s girl!Anakin post. I think that AU is called Unfathered Daughter. I only briefly looked at it so I don’t really know what it’s about. So that’s where the similarities and borrowed ideas end as far as I know.) - At some point Ani starts a revolution that results in the freedom of all the slaves of Tatooine and the formation of a new governing system. - The freed slaves put Anakin in charge of the planet. She starts reforming Tatooine and determines to spread freedom across the galaxy. That is her mission. - Shmi lives. She is the voice of reason and sort of advisor. She may end up married to Cleigg at some point because I firmly believe that Owen and Beru need to be apart of this story somehow. - Anakin develops a close relationship to Owen and Beru, they become like siblings to her and are an important source of support. - Kitster is around and is also like a sibling to Ani. He acts as her right hand man. - Once Tatooine is stable, Ani begins to try and start revolutions on other Outer Rim planets but finds that she doesn’t have the resources or man power to do so. Tatooine is still a dustball planet after all. - This is where the Jedi come in. The Order finds out about her efforts and they want to help end slavery and bring justice to these systems. However, because of their close ties to the Republic (and some more recent legislation courtesy of Palpatine) they are technically not allowed to get involved. But this is important to them, so after a lot of digging and research they manage to find a loophole that allows them to help. - The loophole? A marriage between a Jedi and Anakin, head of the resistance. (Don’t ask me why, I haven’t thought it through. That’s just the way it is.) - The chosen Jedi ends up being Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Again, don’t ask me why. I don’t know.) - Side note: In my mind there is only a 5 year age difference between Obi and Ani in this AU. It just works better in my head for this story. Plus, it kind of provides extra opportunity for a baby-faced, clean shaven young Obi-Wan. - So, Anakin and Obi-Wan set aside personal feelings about this and get married for the sake of the resistance (which I’ve been calling the Freedom Alliance btw). Marriage of convenience trope all the way. Then, they start working together to help people in need and to bring freedom and justice to the galaxy. They travel from planet to planet starting revolutions and helping to set up democratic governments. - The revolutionaries and the Jedi Order work very closely together throughout this and learn a lot from each other. They develop very strong friendships and alliances with each other. - True to form, Anakin falls in love with Obi-Wan hard and fast. She then takes up the personal mission of wooing her husband. - Now, Obi-Wan is super perceptive and is great at reading people–except when it comes to other people admiring him. He is too humble/self-conscious to really believe that people might genuinely admire him. Thus, Ani’s efforts to woo him go right over his head. One one hand, Anakin finds that really frustrating. On the other hand, she finds his obliviousness endearing. It’s quite the dilemma. - Meanwhile, Obi-Wan does fall in love with her but he’s still a Jedi so he refrains from doing anything about it. And of course he has all of those feelings of guilt and inadequacy because Jedi are not supposed to love. - Thus they both end up pining for each other even though they are married and together a good majority of the time. - Obi-Wan teaches Anakin to dance. I headcanon that most Jedi learn various traditional dances to assist them in negotiations and political functions, and for some reason Obi-Wan decides to teach them to Ani. It’s not easy at first because dancing has negative connotations for her (she remembers how other slaves were forced to dance for their masters’ entertainment), but Obi-Wan helps her to understand the difference between those slave dances and what he terms “real, proper dances.” He shows her how such dances rely on equal partnership and mutual trust and she learns to trust him enough to let him lead her. - He teaches her to swim too, when they are on a planet with water. - Ani and Obi end up with a force bond. Obi takes it as a sign from the force and low key starts teaching her force control and lightsaber techniques. - Eventually the Jedi find out about the clones. The Freedom Alliance and the Jedi are horrified and immediately set about giving them their right to choose. And they are able to do so since there isn’t a big galactic war going on because they have been unknowingly messing up Palpatine’s plans for years. - (Sidious is constantly stewing in fury and has all of them on his hit list. Especially Ani and Obi. Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common. Lots of shenanigans with bounty hunters, assassins, and various Sith/dark force users ensue.) - (Shenanigans with pirates are also common–they live in the Outer Rim after all. Obi-Wan is just so done with it and Anakin is protective.) - Anyway the clones all become citizens of the Freedom Alliance and get to choose how to live their lives. A lot of them settle into civilian life, but a lot decide to join the army in order to support and help the cause that gave them their freedom. - Most end up under the command of Jedi, who they have a lot of admiration for due to their role in helping the clones. They form very strong relationships based on mutual trust and respect. - Ahsoka joins Ani and Obi’s little family around this time. (I haven’t figured out why yet. Maybe she ends up as Obi’s padawan.) - Then, a couple years into their marriage, Obi-Wan and Anakin go on a trip to Coruscant for some kind of political reason. - Anakin meets Padmé and they become bffs. Obi-Wan is long suffering. - Obi-Wan gets some revelations on this trip courtesy of Qui-Gon (who is still alive) and Yoda. - Apparently when he was an Initiate there had been more than one Jedi interested in taking him as a padawan but Yoda was determined for him to be Qui-Gon’s padawan so he’d guided them away from it. That whole Bandomeer incident could have been avoided. And Qui-Gon reveals that Obi-Wan had been ready for knighthood at least a year before Qui-Gon actually suggested him for the Trials. He hadn’t been ready to let Obi-Wan go. Both Yoda and Qui-Gon had since acknowledged their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions by apologizing to Obi-Wan. - Obi-Wan being Obi-Wan of course forgives them and they all go about healing the rifts created by those mistakes, but the world as he knows it has been shaken. All those years he had thought that he was inadequate and not good enough, and as a result he has these low self-esteem issues, but it turns out that it wasn’t really his fault? The whole thing causes him a lot of hurt and confusion that he has to work through. - Ani finds out a lot about Obi’s past during this and feels a lot of indignation and anger on his behalf. - But this all kind of works out because not long after Obi-Wan realizes his mentors can be fallible and that the Jedi Order is wrong about some things. Some things like attachment. - So soon enough he just goes,“Oh what the heck I’m already married to her anyway” and tells Anakin that he loves her. She is overjoyed and wholeheartedly returns the sentiment. - They both just kind of give up on being subtle (not that Anakin ever was) and are constantly being overtly affectionate with each other. This includes but is not limited to: hugs, kisses (including forehead, cheek, and nose kisses), wrapping arms around each other, and liberal usage of endearments and the terms “my wife” and “my husband.” - The Jedi observe this and it causes most of them to start rethinking views on attachment (among other things) because Obi-Wan is still firmly in the Light–and Anakin too, who has gotten noticeably stronger in the force (and who hasn’t been influenced by Sideous in this AU). Plus, just look at all the good that has come from their relationship. And so, the reforms that started taking root in the Jedi Order the second they partnered with the Freedom Alliance begin to really bring change. - One of the more stern and disapproving members of the Jedi Counsel takes it upon himself to confront Obi-Wan about his blatant defiance of the Code and Obi-Wan is so fed up that he’s like “Well what did you expect?! I’ve always been considered attachment prone–what made you think that marrying me to someone as incredible as Anakin wouldn’t result in attachment?! How?? Does that?? Make any?? Sense??” And nobody really has anything to say to that so they leave it alone and Obi-Wan gets to remain a member of the Jedi Order. - Once the no attachment rule is removed (a ways into the future), lots of Jedi finally have the chance to pursue relationships (e.g. Tahl and Qui-Gon, Aayla and Kit) - Yes, this is also a Tahl lives AU. This is essentially an everyone lives AU. - Except Sidious. He dies. The trip to Coruscant also results in his reveal somehow and he gets taken down. So do his followers. - In the midst of all of this someone finds out about Order 66 and our heroes manage to get all the chips removed by some miracle. Disaster and devastation is thereby averted. - Without the influence of Sidious the Senate is finally able to start putting to rights the mess that he had made of the Republic. Padmé and Bail are at the head of this process. - All in all, it was a very eventful trip to Coruscant. - Ani eventually manages to move the Freedom Alliance’s base of operations and her family from Tatooine to a different Outer Rim world that is full of green plants and streams and babbling brooks. She says it’s because it is a more convenient location but her family knows that it is really because she hates sand. (Some things never change.) - She also eventually steps down from her position as leader of the Freedom Alliance and another is elected in her place. Democracy is one of the foundations of the Freedom Alliance. She continues to go all over the galaxy helping people though. Or, more accurately, Obi-Wan receives Jedi mission assignments and she tags along. - They get involved in all kinds of other do-gooder activities and missions in between said assignments. - Obi-Wan and Anakin have several children and are continually adopting more as the years go by. - Of course Luke and Leia factor in somehow, but I haven’t yet decided whether or not that Not Siblings idea carries over to this AU. - Potential adoptees: Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, Bodhi Rook, etc. - (Finn/Rey and Cassian/Jyn are ships that eventually happen. Please let it be so.) - In conclusion Obi-Wan and Anakin have the biggest, happiest family in the galaxy and they all travel the universe helping people.

Seriously, I don’t even know where this all came from. I don’t even ship the main ships. (I generally only ship canon ships (especially Obitine) plus Finnrey and Cassian/Jyn.) But please join in me in this disaster I’ve created anyway. Contribute, tear it apart, react–whatever you like. If someone were to write a (clean) fic about either idea it would probably make my week. Just please take it so I’m not by myself in this silly and chaotic but fun and entertaining mess that I’ve got here. ;) ~Anon

[theysentushope-blog]

My Best Friend’s Wedding (Bail x Reader) [Part Seven]

A/N: This is such sugary-sweet fluff it makes my teeth ache. Like, I’m pretty sure that I’ve never written such schmoopy romantic sappiness in all my life and probably never will again but....well, I needed it. I had so much fun writing this story and I hope y’all enjoyed it!

As Y/N stood on the edge of the deck, morning coffee in hand, she noticed that the leaves on the trees surrounding the Organa house were just beginning to change color. She had been set to leave Alderaan to return home two days after the wedding, but instead she had chosen to spend the remainder of her summer vacation with Bail. The extra weeks alone with him had only proven to Y/N that pursuing the relationship had been the right choice. Now, as she faced the reality of returning to Corellia for the school year, she found herself dreading the separation in a way she hadn't expected.

"Good morning, cielito." Bail greeted, coming to stand beside her as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Good morning." Y/N replied, instinctively leaning against Bail as they stared out into the trees.

"We'll need to leave soon, to get you to the airport in time."

"Or I could just stay." Y/N said, only half-joking.

"I wish that you could, mi amor." Bail replied, pulling her tighter against him. "But you still have a life in Corellia."

"What if I didn't?" Y/N asked, setting her coffee down and turning to face Bail. "I mean, I have to complete the school year. But after..."

"Would you do that? Move to Alderaan? It is a lot to ask of you, I don't want you to feel pressured."

"I love you." Y/N answered, the words rolling off her tongue as easily as she breathed.

"I love you too." Bail replied, pulling Y/N into a deep kiss that lingered as it faded into lazy pecks. "Go home to Corellia. You have responsibilities there. I have faith in us, and we can talk about this many times before you make a decision."

Four months and multiple weekend trips back and forth later, Y/N was back in Alderaan for Christmas with Bail, Luke, Biggs, Han, and Leia. She had given her notice to her school district before leaving for the holidays that she would be leaving at the end of the school year, waiting for the right moment to tell Bail. On Christmas Eve, climbing into bed after everyone else had gone to sleep, Y/N turned to see Bail watching her from the doorway to the bathroom.

"What are you looking at?" Y/N asked with a laugh, and Bail held up a finger before walking across the room to his dresser, digging through the top drawer.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow morning, but I don't think I can anymore." Bail replied, pulling a small box out of the drawer and bringing it to Y/N, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Merry Christmas, cielito."

Y/N smiled and took the box from Bail. "Well, I'm not going to turn down an early Christ..." Y/N began, but stopped suddenly as she opened the box, finding a simple diamond ring inside. She gasped and looked up to Bail, and it was then that she saw nerves on his usually calm face.

"Bail..."

"I'm sure I should have waited until we were at least living in the same state, but...well, I love you. More than I ever thought I would love again. You're my life, and I want you to be my life forever, if you'll have me."

"Are you going to ask me the question?" Y/N asked after a moment, fighting back the tears as she studied Bail's face. He seemed to relax, a harsh breath leaving him as he smiled.

"Y/N," Bail said, pulling the ring from the box and holding her hand with the other hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Y/N replied, barely letting Bail put the ring on her finger before launching herself at him.

As the next summer rolled around, family and friends gathered at the Organa house once again, this time with Y/N as the bride and Leia as the matron of honor. Leia hugged her tightly as she showed her the simple white gown she had chosen.

"I'm so thankful that you and Dad found each other." Leia said, emotion clearly written across her face.

"I'm so thankful that Han found you. If he hadn't, we wouldn't be here."

"It was all meant to be." Leia said.

"And now the family is growing by one." Y/N said, and Leia looked away before shaking her head and holding up two fingers.

"Wait..." Y/N said, disbelief plastered on her face. "Really?"

"I was going to wait until after the wedding to tell you and Dad."

"Leia, that's fantastic!" Y/N exclaimed, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you and Han."

"Thank you. Now, let's get you married."

Seven months later, Y/N was doing her best to keep her husband calm as both he and Luke paced around the waiting room of the Corellian hospital. They had been kicked out several hours earlier by Leia, who was claiming to be on the verge of madness due to her father and brother's fretting.

"Bail, my love, you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Y/N said, stopping Bail in his tracks. He looked at Y/N and sighed heavily before moving to sit in the chair next to her.

"I'm just worried." He finally said after a moment, and Y/N took his hand and pulled it into her lap.

"I know. But she has the best doctors, and Han is in there. Everything will be fine."

Bail sat in silence after that, until Han came through the doors with a smile on his face unlike anything Y/N had seen on him before. Bail stood up immediately, pulling Y/N with him as they and Luke approached Han.

"Well?" Luke asked, practically bouncing in place.

"It's a boy!" Han exclaimed, seemingly in disbelief. "I have a son."

The room erupted into cheers, the trio pulling Han into a group hug. After answering the usual questions, Han led them all back to the room where Leia and the baby were resting. Bail and Y/N went in first, followed by Luke and Han, finding Leia staring down at a bundle of blankets with a look of contentment on her face.

"Hi mi hija." Bail greeted, moving toward his daughter.

"Dad." Leia replied. "Y/N."

Y/N stood by her husband as they stared down at the tiny child in Leia's arms.

"Oh, he's beautiful." Y/N said, running a gentle finger down the side of his face. She chuckled as she watched his face scrunch up at the touch, but he calmed as Bail placed a hand on his head.

"You did wonderful, Leia." Bail said, kissing Leia's forehead.

"What's his name?" Luke asked, and Leia looked across to Han, who nodded.

"Well, if it's okay with you, we'd like to name him after your dad." Leia replied. "We'd like to name him Ben."

"He would have loved that." Luke replied, and Y/N reached across to place her hand on Luke's shoulder. Her friend had struggled since Ben's death, even with his boyfriend's help and support. "Thank you, Leia."

Bail and Y/N stepped into the hallway after that, allowing Luke to have a moment with his sister and Han.

"You're a grandfather." Y/N said, and Bail laughed and nodded.

"I am." Bail agreed. "I suddenly feel like an old man."

"Not too old I hope." Y/N replied, wrapping her arms around Bail's waist and dropping a quick kiss on his lips.

"Do you ever think about it?" Y/N asked, and Bail raised an eyebrow in question. "Having more children?" She added, and Bail smiled.

"Sometimes."

"Well, I think that we should talk about it. Probably in the next eight months or so." Y/N replied, looking away from Bail's gaze.

"Y/N...are you...?" Bail asked, and Y/N took a deep breath before nodding.

"I found out a few days ago. I guess I was just...afraid. We've never talked about it, and I wasn't sure..."

"Oh, cielito." Bail replied, cupping her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. "I love you so much, and I am so happy."

"Really?" Y/N asked, relief flooding her.

"Breha couldn't have children. When Leia was brought into our lives, it was a blessing that we never thought that we would have. We were content. Then, after she was gone...well, I was more than happy with just Leia. But, then you came into my life in a way that I never expected. You have made my life so much better, and this child will only make our family that much more complete."

Y/N smiled up at Bail, feeling tears begin to form as Bail pushed her away enough to place his hand on her stomach.

"Our baby." Bail whispered, and Y/N placed her hand over his and nodded.

"Our baby." She repeated, placing her other hand in Bail's, knowing that the sure presence of the man in front of her was all she would ever need.