Bastion- Tuesday
Unsurprisingly, Han was not dealing well with his daughter moving off to Imperial space to be a Jedi empress, and the baby news hadn't exactly made him feel better about it. Leia had gone off to try and talk him down, and after almost half an hour came back to Jag and Jaina's living quarters, where Jaina was still waiting.
"Went that well, huh?" she asked.
"He'll come to his senses," Leia assured her, reclaiming her seat. "It's a lot at once for him."
"Gotta say, I'm getting a little tired of everybody looking at me like I'm about to start cackling and throwing Force lightning," Jaina admitted. "I'm long past that, and I never once cackled."
"Sweetie, it's not about that," Leia told her. "You're our last one. And you're off somewhere your father doesn't like or really understand, doing things he never would. And our grandchildren are going to be part of that."
"It's not like I'm going to be keeping them from anyone," Jaina protested. "You guys are out traveling all the time, having adventures. You'll see them as much as you would have on Coruscant."
"I know that and you know that," Leia said. "Han does too, even if he's not admitting it."
"Because he's mad at us," Jaina said flatly. "Even though we haven't done anything wrong. You guys wouldn't have done the same thing? If it came down to putting a stop to another Palpatine, you wouldn't do what you could to stop it?" She didn't exactly buy that.
"We'd have done it differently." Leia shrugged. "Spending that long in a rebellion makes you sneaky. You- and Jag- are more direct about it. Also, I was never happier to leave a job than when I got out of politics."
"Thanks," Jaina said dryly, but considered her. "How did you handle it? Heading up half a galaxy without losing your mind, I mean."
"Who says I didn't?"
"Seriously."
Leia frowned after a moment. "I don't think you've ever asked me for advice before."
"I'm sure I have." She had to have. She was thirty-six. Who got to thirty-six without asking their mom for advice?
"No. You never needed it," Leia said. "And honestly, I doubt you do now."
"Oh, I beg to differ," Jaina said.
"I thought you said Jag would be doing most of the work."
"He is. But… He hated being Head of State. Hated it. He was always stressed, never thought he was good at it even though it was scary how good he really was… When I agreed to this, I agreed to take on the responsibility, too," Jaina reasoned. "This would be a terrible marriage if I let him just suffer alone."
Leia smiled. "I was waiting for you to say something like that."
"Like what?"
"There's never been anything you haven't thrown yourself into," she explained. "If you'd been Head of State's wife you'd probably be in the same place."
Jaina frowned at her. "I don't know that that makes me feel better."
"You're going to be fine. It's just that your life is in the process of changing in a lot of ways you don't understand yet, and your priorities are going to change, and then you'll adjust."
That worried Jaina, because she'd seen Leia's priorities adjust, and they'd adjusted away from her kids a lot, but she wasn't about to bring that up. They'd hashed out their issues there a long time ago.
But, at the same time, when you were faced with something like this and your badass mom had faith in you to be okay about it, that meant a lot. "Thanks."
"But do it quick, because once you're sleep-deprived from being up all night with crying children it's going to throw everything off," Leia added, helpfully.
Jaina sighed. "Why couldn't you just stop while I was ahead?"
[NFI, etc. etc. etc., you know the drill.]
"Went that well, huh?" she asked.
"He'll come to his senses," Leia assured her, reclaiming her seat. "It's a lot at once for him."
"Gotta say, I'm getting a little tired of everybody looking at me like I'm about to start cackling and throwing Force lightning," Jaina admitted. "I'm long past that, and I never once cackled."
"Sweetie, it's not about that," Leia told her. "You're our last one. And you're off somewhere your father doesn't like or really understand, doing things he never would. And our grandchildren are going to be part of that."
"It's not like I'm going to be keeping them from anyone," Jaina protested. "You guys are out traveling all the time, having adventures. You'll see them as much as you would have on Coruscant."
"I know that and you know that," Leia said. "Han does too, even if he's not admitting it."
"Because he's mad at us," Jaina said flatly. "Even though we haven't done anything wrong. You guys wouldn't have done the same thing? If it came down to putting a stop to another Palpatine, you wouldn't do what you could to stop it?" She didn't exactly buy that.
"We'd have done it differently." Leia shrugged. "Spending that long in a rebellion makes you sneaky. You- and Jag- are more direct about it. Also, I was never happier to leave a job than when I got out of politics."
"Thanks," Jaina said dryly, but considered her. "How did you handle it? Heading up half a galaxy without losing your mind, I mean."
"Who says I didn't?"
"Seriously."
Leia frowned after a moment. "I don't think you've ever asked me for advice before."
"I'm sure I have." She had to have. She was thirty-six. Who got to thirty-six without asking their mom for advice?
"No. You never needed it," Leia said. "And honestly, I doubt you do now."
"Oh, I beg to differ," Jaina said.
"I thought you said Jag would be doing most of the work."
"He is. But… He hated being Head of State. Hated it. He was always stressed, never thought he was good at it even though it was scary how good he really was… When I agreed to this, I agreed to take on the responsibility, too," Jaina reasoned. "This would be a terrible marriage if I let him just suffer alone."
Leia smiled. "I was waiting for you to say something like that."
"Like what?"
"There's never been anything you haven't thrown yourself into," she explained. "If you'd been Head of State's wife you'd probably be in the same place."
Jaina frowned at her. "I don't know that that makes me feel better."
"You're going to be fine. It's just that your life is in the process of changing in a lot of ways you don't understand yet, and your priorities are going to change, and then you'll adjust."
That worried Jaina, because she'd seen Leia's priorities adjust, and they'd adjusted away from her kids a lot, but she wasn't about to bring that up. They'd hashed out their issues there a long time ago.
But, at the same time, when you were faced with something like this and your badass mom had faith in you to be okay about it, that meant a lot. "Thanks."
"But do it quick, because once you're sleep-deprived from being up all night with crying children it's going to throw everything off," Leia added, helpfully.
Jaina sighed. "Why couldn't you just stop while I was ahead?"
[NFI, etc. etc. etc., you know the drill.]