Permanent Mark

Chapter 25

"C'mon kid! We gotta go!" 

"Leave her alone, Han. She's coming." Leia called out to her husband. He just winked at her. 

Leia placed her hands in Rey's. 

"Don't let him push you around. Show him who's boss." Leia winked at her. 

"I love you Leia" Rey responded and hugged her. This woman meant so much to her and she'd miss her deeply over the next few weeks. 

"I love you too Rey. Take care of him, okay?" Leia said with a nod at Han. 

Han walked over quickly. 

"We really gotta go. Sorry." he said sheepishly. He hated to rush their goodbye. 

Rey turned and walked away, bounding up the ramp of the Falcon. 

"Take care of our girl, you hear me?" Leia told him, her hands resting on his broad chest. 

"I'm more worried about you, sweetheart. You sure you'll be okay without her?"

Leia wrapped her arms around her husband, sighing. He wrapped her tightly. 

"I'll miss you, old man. Get back here quick."

"Hey," he whispered down at her. 

She looked up at him and the deep brown of her eyes swept him away, again. 

"I love you, Leia Solo. You know that?"

"I know," she responded with a kiss to his lips. "Now, go. She's waiting."

He hugged her once more and turned to go. 

"I still hate watching you leave," she calls out to him. 

"I know, that's why I still do it," he called back at her over his shoulder. 

She smiles. 

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Takodana always took her breath away, from the first time she saw it as a girl. 

Han watched her from the corner of his eye, smiling. 

"I remember what you said, that you'd never seen so much green."

"It's still my favorite green planet" 

"Maz will be so excited to see you again."

"I missed her too."

They landed on a bluff overlooking a beautiful lake. In the distance stood Maz's Cantina, housed inside an old castle. The two, accompanied by Chewie, walked towards it and the closer they got, the faster Rey walked, eager to see her friend, which she considered a grandmother. 

They entered and it took all of 5 seconds to hear the shout. 

"Rey!! There's my girl!"

Rey knelt down to accept a hug. When Maz reached her, Rey was once again amazed at how strong the small woman was. She grasped Rey's face and squeezed. Rey had braced herself but still let out a gasp. 

"Look at you! So beautiful! All grown up!"

"Thank you Maz. I've missed you."

A deep sigh resounded from above Rey and Maz. 

"Just ignore me then...I'm used to losing attention to beautiful women…."

Maz reaches up to Han, grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him down. He laughed.