Chapter Text
Leia took a sip of her vanilla latte. She was trying out a new cafe this chilly morning and so far, this warm beverage and cozy corner suited her just fine. She had recently retired from her position as Alderaan's senator and moved to Theed on Naboo. Han was running around the galaxy with Chewie in the Millennium Falcon doing who knows what ever since they separated years ago, though she still saw him occasionally, so it didn't matter to him where she lived. She also wanted to live closer to her brother Luke, who lived just outside the city running a martial arts school and took in foster kids. Moving here had absolutely nothing to do with her son living somewhere on this planet. She most definitely did not look him up on the holonet to see if he was listed on any company profiles. She for sure did not discover her estranged only child worked for a law firm in this city. It's not like it would be easy to find him here, if she were hoping to accidentally bump into him, which she wasn't.
The bell above the cafe door chimed as customers slowly trickled in and out. The city always seemed to be alive with activity no matter the time of day being Naboo's capital and all, but Leia must have found that small perfect quiet time between not too early and not too late in the morning. Leia took another sip from her drink, looking away from the window next to her and to the customers waiting at the counter. A tall man with thick black hair wearing a navy suit stood next to a woman, her dark brown hair pulled into a bun on top of her head. They must have been together, because her face was tilted up towards his with her smiling lips forming words Leia could not hear. A moment later, the man turned towards the woman next to him, holding out one of the cups he took from the barista to her, which she took with a smile before leaning up to kiss her companion. The man pulled away, face pulled into a big grin as he regarded the woman in front of him. Leia could make out moles dotting his face and dimples... moles and dimples she would recognize anywhere, even with the facial hair covering his chin and upper lip. Probably to hide his slightly crooked mouth like he hid his ears under his hair.
Leia got up from her table, cup forgotten. Time seemed to stand still from the moment she saw this man, but it was really no time at all and now here she was standing right next to him. "Ben?"
The tall man who certainly had to be Ben turned his head to the much shorter woman suddenly next to him, smile turning into a frown. "Come on, Rey." He took his companion's hand and pulled her to the entrance.
"Ben!" Leia couldn't let him go, his reaction to her confirming her suspicion. "Wait!" She put herself between him and the exit, holding her arms out in front of herself to stop him.
"Can you just?" Ben's shoulders slumped. "We have to go."
Leia shifted to her right when Ben made a move to go around her, causing the woman whose hand he was gripping to stumble and clutch her cup to her chest. "I just want to talk. It's been so long."
The last time Leia saw her son, he was begging her to come home to Chandrila after a big fight with his uncle. It was something about Ben once again injuring a classmate in a spar, which turned into yet another screaming match between nephew and uncle. Ben complained that he hated living there and his uncle was too hard on him. Leia encouraged him to finish out the school year on Naboo as he was almost done, then he could move into student housing at Theed University as planned. It was the place to study law and politics on Naboo and therefore extremely difficult to get into. Ben had been thrilled at the thought of attending. Leia was so proud of him, thinking his time living with Luke helped him to achieve the great things she knew he was capable of. As a child, he had always been bubbling over with unstable energy. A change in scenery and maybe learning martial arts from Luke would be good for him. Or so she thought. She never expected the last words Ben spoke to her to be, "I'll never forgive you." He never moved back to Luke's, he never went to Theed University, and she hadn't heard from him again. Until now.
Brown eyes swimming with pent up anger glared at her. "Whose fault is that?" Ben spat out angrily, gone were the happy dimples. Leia was in desperate need of answers. What took his dimples away? He couldn't still be mad about her siding with Luke.
"What's going on?" asked the young woman next to him, taking a sip from her cup and shifting her eyes between the other two. How much had Ben told her about his family? About why he seemed to have dropped into a blown up Death Star?
Ben let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I'll tell you later, sweetheart. But right now I need to get you to the greenhouse." He looked back at Leia with an expectant get out of my way look.
Being a planet full of natural plant life, greenhouses were plentiful here due to the high demand of florals and fresh foods on the ecumenopolis planets. These planets with cities sprawling across the entire surface had very little to no natural land left for growing anything, relying on imports to supply their markets and small gardens scattered around to give citizens a feeling of a bit of natural green life. Naboo couldn't grow its lush greenery fast enough, the wealthy quick to pay the highest price. Leia wondered as she regarded this young woman with her son if she worked in one. She was dressed the opposite from Ben in dark leggings, a long sandy colored tunic and matching arm wraps, a glittering ring on her left hand which was resting on...
Leia's eyes widened before glancing at Ben's left hand that was wrapped around his own cup, noticing a band on his ring finger. "You're married? And you're expect—"
"Aaaand we're leaving...." Ben tried to sidestep her again.
"No!" She threw her arms out to the side this time. "I know it's been a long time and you probably don't want to see me..."
Ben scoffed.
"But," Leia continued, persistent, "please, Ben. I miss you."
Ben pursed his lips thinking a long moment before replying, "It's too bad you didn't think of that before you sent me to Luke's. I'm not doing this. We need to go now."
Ben never wanted to live with his uncle and he had made that known after that fight with his uncle when he returned from visiting her on Chandrila to Naboo, setting his uncle's school on fire.
"I thought I was doing the right thing," Leia pleaded with him as he walked past her, "but wasn't burning down your uncle's school a bit dramatic?"
Ben didn't answer, continuing to the door. Leia didn't try to stop them this time. Feeling defeated, she turned around after the door chimed signaling their exit and looked out a window. Theed was a beautiful city with its domed buildings and tree lined streets, but she was more focused now on the couple hurrying down the street. It looked like the poor woman... Rey, Leia remembered him calling her.... struggled to keep up with Ben's long strides. They had to be married, judging by the rings, and she had to be pregnant with her son's baby. Her grandchild. And quite far along too. Leia choked back a sob. She was about to become a grandmother and her own son hadn't spoken to her in over 10 years, still didn't want to speak to her. And now her chance to make amends was rushing away from her. Would he come back? Leia walked slowly back to her table in the corner, sitting down and taking a sip of her latte. It had gone cold. Short of going to his place of employment and angering him further, she knew her chances of accidentally bumping into him again in this city were slim. This cafe was her only hope.