Ben Solo

I

A little dark-haired boy dashed around the corner. Leia glanced over her shoulder from where she was sitting next to Han in the Millennium Falcon.

Han looked at her. "Tell that boy to sit down."

Leia raised her eyebrows at him. "He's your son too."

"But not while I'm piloting."

She sighed and yelled over her shoulder, "Ben Solo! Sit down!"

Ben ran around the corner again and sat next to the little playing table. It turned on and he giggled as one of the alien characters threw another.

"Did you have to yell?" Han complained.

"I can't get up," Leia pointed out.

Han shifted his shoulders. "Alright. Ben, you ready?"

Ben nodded.

"Is he ready, Leia, I can't see." Han said, leaning over.

"Ben, honey, are you ready?"

"Yes, Mama!" Ben said cheerfully.

"He is." Leia said, turning back to the front.

"I heard." Han pushed the Falcon into hyperspace.

Then they dropped out of it again.

A large green planet came into view.

As they descended onto the planet's surface, people underneath began to wave up at their General and her husband.

Chewbacca stood below and waited until they landed.

As soon as his parents opened the doors, Ben was out and jumping onto Chewie.

Han walked down and pulled his six-year-old son off the wookie.

"Sorry, Chewie."

Han turned to chide his son, but the boy had already run off to see his best friend.

Ben found his friend, another dark-haired boy, sitting by his mother's X-Wing.

"Poe!" Ben yelled.

The boy got up and ran to his friend. "Ben! You're back!"

"Yup! It wasn't too long after all!"

Both boys had been expecting months of separation, but in reality it had been less that a week.

"My mom said she'll teach me how to fly an X-Wing someday." Poe boasted

"My mom said she's going to teach me how to run the whole base." Ben said.

"Well, I'm going to be the best fighter the Galaxy has ever seen!"

"I'm going to be the best Jedi the Galaxy has ever seen!"

"Aren't I already that?" a voice came from behind them.

They spun around to see Luke. He smiled and rubbed his nephew's head.

"I see you are home," he said.

"Yes," Ben said, slightly peeved at his uncle for stating the blatantly obvious.

"Good. I have matters to discuss with your mother."

Luke walked off.

"Boy, I hope you're not in trouble," Poe commented.

Ben made a face and Poe chased him to the mess hall.

They sat at a table with Luke, Leia, Han, Aura Dameron, and Chewbacca.

Leia put her hand on Ben's shoulder to stop him from stuffing food into his mouth. "Slow down. It's not like you haven't eaten for a week."

Poe poked Ben in the side and he almost spat his food all over the table.

"Take care of him," Han said to Leia.

"He's your son also, Han." Leia responded as coolly as she could, pushing the two boys apart.

"You're closer to them."

Aura whispered a chiding word to Poe and he sat politely.

Ben followed his friend's lead.

The rest of the meal passed relatively smoothly, with the exception of one platter of rolls being tipped over the entire table, and water from Ben's cup soaking each of the pieces of bread after he spilled it.

Ben was sent to bed as soon as they had finished cleaning up his mess.

He sat down on his bed and kicked his feet, waiting for his mom to come and tell him a story and tuck him in.

Instead of the stories you'd expect a mother to tell her child, Leia's stories were of her and Han and Luke's adventures.  Though her stories were usually wrapped up with, "And we all lived happily ever after, do you see?"

And Ben would nod, seeing that everything really had ended happily, though not forever after.

And, sure enough, Leia came in.

"Ben, you're not in your pajamas," she said as she helped him get dressed.

"Can you tell me about when Luke and Dad saved you from Jabba the Hutt?"

"Not tonight, Ben."

"What about grandpa, and how he was trained by Obi-Wan."

"Ben, mommy's really tired, okay?"

Ben pouted.  "Do I get a story at all?"

Leia sighed and gave in.  "Alright.  A short one."

Ben bounced onto his bed and flung the covers over him.

His mother sat next to him and tucked the blankets tight around him.  She began to tell about when Luke and the other pilots blew up the Death Star for the second time.

Ben listened, totally engrossed in the story.

"And we all lived happily ever after, you see?"

"I see," Ben said.  Then he thought for a second.  "Except for grandpa."

Leia nodded.  "Yes, except for grandpa.  But Luke gave him a Jedi funeral."

"That's good.  I wish I could have met grandpa."

"I'm sure you do.  But remember, he almost totally sold himself to the Dark Side."

"Yes, mother." Ben nodded.  He knew all the stories Luke told him about the horrible things that could happen to someone who turned to the Dark Side.  Not all were true, of course, like getting warts or loosing all your hair, but others had a ring of truth.

"Good night, Ben," Leia whispered, and kissed her son's forehead.

"Good night, Mama." Ben turned his head so he was facing the door.

She touched the button next to the door and the lights shut off.  Then she went out and the door closed.

Ben sat up on one elbow and stared out the window at the moon, all big and yellow.

Poe had once told him that he could see the Rebellion insignia on the moon, upside down, but Ben had never been able to pick it out, so he figured the boy was bluffing.

But the moon had always intrigued him.

He lay back down, the moon still within sight, and fell asleep.