Beyond - Legends Leaping for Joy [2012 Calendar Challenge]--Tycho/Winter fluff

I'm going to preface this by saying that this is not usually the genre I write. I am the self appointed "Master of Fluff" and this is...well it's not. But I had a little bit of extra inspiration today. Consider this your fair warning: you may want to locate some tissues.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Promises

They had been together for years, through some of the happiest times of his life as well as the worst. They had raised three children together, and buried two of them. They?d fought countless wars, gone on more undercover ops than he could remember, and through all of it they had come out alive. She had been the strongest woman?hell the strongest person?he?d ever known.

It just didn?t seem right that in the end it was some microscopic, all-too-common disease that finished her life. She was an extraordinary woman. She didn?t deserve to die like this. She should have gone out in a blaze of glory, fighting like she had done her entire life.

The last days of Leia?s life were a blur. Doctors came and went, friends visited, well-wishers sent their condolences, and through it all, her family was there.

Or what was left of her family.

Han sat on her right, Jaina on her left. The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing from one corner to the next. Han clutched his wife?s hand tightly in his own, both as a sign of comfort and a lifeline tying her to this world for as long as possible.

?Promise me something.? Her voice was raspy, the kind of edge that came with years of fighting against all manner of opposition.

Han swallowed hard, willing his voice to be the confident tone she remembered from their years together. ?Anything.?

?Promise me?you will?.will always re-remember me.? The request brought on another round of coughing, this one worse than the last.

?Always,? he swore.

?And always?always remember the?family you have left. Love?each other.?

Jaina swiped at the tear sliding down her cheek. ?We promise, mom.?

The room fell into silence, each occupant dreading the seconds to follow. Each tick of the chrono was another wound inflicted on their psyches. When the moment finally came, when Leia?s ailing lungs finally gave into the tiny particles invading them, it was mercifully quick.

?They?re waiting for me?my boys are here.? Those were her dying words. Her eyes were clearer than they had been in the last week as they focused on the far wall. Blinking away tears, Leia Organa Solo, former Princess, Chief-of-State, loving wife, mother and grandmother lost her final battle.

That evening, after all the arrangements had been made, Han sat on his couch a tumbler of Corellian brandy in his right hand. Beneath his left arm Jaina leaned against him, the occasional sob wracking her petite body. He tightened his arm around her shoulders, giving whatever support he could muster.

?They were here, you know?? The words were so soft that for a moment Han wondered if they had been spoken at all.

?Who??

?Anakin.? The name brought fresh tears to both their eyes, and in light of recent events, neither tried to hide it. ?And Jacen. They came to help her.?

?Help her what?? Han croaked.

?Become one with the Force.? Jaina sat up, her red-rimmed eyes seeking out her father?s own. ?She?s okay, dad. She?s happy now.?

He didn?t bother to wipe at the tears rolling down his cheek. Those eyes were exactly like her mother?s, so full of wisdom, so caring. So Leia. ?Promise??

She nodded slowly.

?Always.?

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

This story is dedicated to my great Aunt Catherine who passed away on New Year's Eve.

 

I am a hutt. I do not cry. I do not, do not, do not!

I just cried. That was beautiful. I need fluff now.

 

Yup, definitely teared up. I expect some fluffy drabble from you shortly, Lori.

And Jacen and Anakin... Heartbreaking but sweet at the same time- how is that possible?

Man. Very nicely written. Very powerful.

 

Stunning and beautiful. Anakin and Jacen united with their mother

 

Wow Lori - No, this is definitely not what you usually write. You're like me-unabashed fluff is the default.

But this was lovely! Touching and great in the family closeness.

Beautiful promises Leia requested, and very much in her character.

 

Very sad. My father died a year ago. He died at night in the hospital after visiting hours were over. In a way I was glad I wasn't there. It would have been too heartwrenching to see his last moments. But at the same time, I would have liked to been able to comfort him...to hear his last words.

He had five kids. I had to fly across country to see him. I was the last kid to arrive at his hospital bedside. I knew he was waiting for all of us to be there before he left this world.

A year before he died I visited him and found him watching the soap operas my dear departed mother loved. My father always hated those shows. I asked him why was he watching them. He said he started watching them the day my mother died. He figured when he saw her on the other side she was going to ask him what was going on with her soaps. That is true love. They were married 56 years. I can imagine Han and Leia having the same strong connection.

Very well written, but so, so sad. Man I was going to write some funny fluff this morning, but now I am in my office all teary-eyed. Well, you warned me.

Great job!

 

Beautiful!

A wonderful way to remember you raunt.

 

I'm sorry for you loss!!

A beautiful and fitting end for Leia. To have her children all there with her--two in spirit, would have been what she wanted. Especially Jacen, after the agony of his downfall.

 

So sorry for your loss.

Aw, that was beautiful!

 

This was very touching. It was sweet how Han was trying to both comfort Leia and anchor her there for a little longer. I really liked that description.

It was also very moving to hear how Anakin and Jacen were there to help Leia.

I loved Han's and Jaina's promises. Wonderful story!

 

That was very, very lovely. I'm so glad Anakin and Jacen were waiting for her.

 

Here's my response to February's prompt [Leap Year]. This is more my style, as opposed to last month's tear-jerker. I now give you pure fluff!
--------------

Leaping for Joy

31 ABY--Coruscant

If asked to describe Tycho Celchu, most people would say he was a calm, collected individual, great leader, amazing fighter pilot and an even better friend. There were variations on that description, but the sentiment remained the same throughout.

But at the moment, that cool, almost somber Alderaanian had been replaced by what some might consider a raving lunatic. No one had ever seen Tycho so happy, not even his wife who now stared at him in astonished silence. He was literally bouncing up and down, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again, his body thrumming with excitement. Suddenly he froze, turned to Winter and enveloped her in a hug so fierce that her feet left the floor. He spun her around then immediately set her back down.

?I?m sorry,? his voice was somewhere between elation and panic. ?I didn?t hurt you did I??

?No.?

?And the baby??

Winter shook her head and smiled. ?The baby is fine.? She grabbed his hand and curled all his fingers down until only the pinky was left standing. ?Your baby is roughly this big,? she said pointing to his fingernail, ?so I don?t think a little hug is going to harm it.?

Tycho looked down at his finger, dumbfounded. ?That little??

?Uh huh.?

He studied her face for a moment before dropping to his knees and splaying his hand across her abdomen. ?I can?t believe you?re going to have a baby...we?re going to have a baby.?

?I know,? Winter whispered. ?We?ve been trying for so long. I was worried it would never happen.? Her hands found his and lay atop them.

?But now it has,? he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the space between their fingers. ?And he?or she?will he here before we know it.?

One little announcement started Tycho jumping and he didn?t stop for the next eight and a half months.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Roughly six months later, he and Winter were laying in bed, each thoroughly engrossed in their own datapads when suddenly she startled. Tycho was immediately on high alert, as had been his default setting since the beginning.

?What?s wrong??

Her smile immediately settled his racing heart. ?Nothing.? Winter took his hand and placed it against her abdomen, shifting it to the left, then downward. ?You need to feel this.?

Tycho looked at her bewildered for a moment before he felt it. Very faintly, just below the surface he felt a soft lump?and then it moved. Tycho jumped a few inches, his eyes nearly doubling in size when the realization of what he was feeling struck him. ?Is that??

?That?s your son,? she laughed. ?Or your daughter.?

?Or both?? he asked excitedly.

Winter shook her head in adamant denial. ?No, there?s only one in there. Of that much, I am sure.?

He held his hand there for several minutes, his smile growing with each movement he felt, sometimes against his palm and sometimes against his fingertips. Tycho grinned, his body?which had been in a serene state of relaxation previous?was now literally shaking with exhilaration. He knew if there was any chance of sleep tonight that he needed to wind down again. Their apartment complex did have a 24 hour gym, and he briefly considered going for a run until his wife?s cold fingers on his arm drew his attention.

?Yes, love??

?I?m hungry,? she admitted. ?Are there any Banja cakes left??

Tycho laughed, ?I?m sure there are.? For the last three weeks their kitchen had been permanently stocked with the little bite size snacks, ever since they had become Winter?s favorite craving. Tycho enjoyed them as well, but perhaps not in the same way that his wife did. He disappeared from the bedroom only to return moments later carrying a plate filled with the sweet snacks in one hand and a small container in the other. He handed the plate to her, who balanced it precariously on her baby bump and reached for the container.

?Ugh, I don?t understand how you can eat them

 

This really brought a smile to my face. It was adorable. Fluffy yet not overly mushy. Loved it.

 

You are, indeed, a fluffliness master.

But the best part of this whole fic?

Not the cute excitement...

Not Tycho doting on Winter...

Not the finally holding the baby at the end...

Wes.

Hahahahaha. You have an amazing ability at using him for that key punch line to make the silly grin extra wide.

 

a lovely piece with Tycho and Winter and their baby.

 

I enjoyed that. Very sweet.

 

Wonderful and delightful and snuggy response to the challenge. And your pairing pick was great

Daddy!Tycho is awesome.

LOL Any Rogue would make a fantab daddy, their delight would be spilling all over everything and they'd have ready made babysitters in the rest of the squad minus a couple mischief makers

I loved the pervasive sense of happiness as the months passed; you could feel the anticipation!

 

Aww, it's wonderful to see Tycho so happy. I really enjoyed following him and Winter through milestones in her pregnancy and watching as they experienced them together. They'd make awesome parents.

Great work!

 

Wes has two lines but he is most definitely in character

These were both so sweet, even if the first one made me tear up a bit. I think it was just a different kind of fluff, Miss Fluff-Queen