Recap: Leia and Han find an old message for her from Obi-wan and accidentally get sent to the past where they meet Anakin and Padmé, end up on Geonosis and kill Dooku before he leaves the planet. Anakin didn't lose his arm, his mother is still alive and the Sith Apprentice is dead. Things are looking up, right? Well, there are still repercussions and it looks like the Clone Wars are going to happen one way or another, unfortunately. Leia has been interrogated, and now it's Han's turn..

Han Solo had never been one to hold back his thoughts. He had no real problem lying when he felt it was necessary, and living with his wife had taught him some tact, but for the most part, he simply did not care to cater to other's wishes and whims. Now that he was annoyed, that held especially true.

So, when he flopped into the chair provided for him in the interrogation room, he knew he'd surprised the stuck-up stiffs that passed themselves off as Jedi. The blonde, at least, looked particularly offended when he put his feet up on the table and his hands behind his head. He really wanted to get across that Jedi didn't intimidate him. Unfortunately, Fisto looked amused and the other woman unfazed.

"Could you please put your feet down?" the aquatic Jedi finally asked after the three had taken positions across from him, although he didn't sound annoyed in the slightest. "This is, after all, an official questioning."

Han conceded, mainly because he liked Fisto. He was considerate and didn't seem to be afraid of much. Instead, he seemed to find humor in everything, and that was definitely something Han could appreciate.

Didn't mean Han wanted to make it too easy on them.

"Sure, whatever," he said nonchalantly, allowing his feet to fall to the durocrete floor with a dull thump.

"Thank you," Jedi Fisto said with a conceding nod. Must be a Jedi thing. Luke's Jedi did that a lot too. It always had driven Han nuts. Actually, it had usually just added one more thing to his list of 'Reasons why I'm glad I'm not a Jedi.' Nodding and bowing and scraping and diplomatic junk like that had never been a strong point of his, and he wasn't too keen on making it into one. He could leave that to Leia or Jaina...okay, Leia or Luke. Jaina seemed to have taken after him a bit when it came to that. Come to think of it, he needed to tell her that he was proud of her for that the next time he saw her.

And he would see her.

Somehow he figured if he kept telling himself that, it would make it true.

Jedi Fisto nodded and glanced down at the data pad in front of him. "Alright. We can get started now. Since we've already got a confession from Mrs. Solo, we would—"

"Wait, what?" Han interrupted warily. "What did she confess to?"

The other Jedi blinked at him almost simultaneously. If he hadn't been so worried, he would have congratulated himself for taking Jedi by surprise. He would never tell Leia, but he could see why Fett seemed to have some sort of obsession with it.

"She confessed to setting the explosives," Jedi Fisto said.

"Oh," Han replied, relieved despite himself.

"Oh?" the blond Jedi (he could not remember her name for the life of him) asked, a little heat in her voice. "She confessed to murder, and that's all you have to say?"

Han couldn't help but laugh outright. "Sister, if you guys got her to confess to murder, then you're all better than any reputation says. She set explosives hoping to stop a war. That's what I'm betting she confessed to, and I doubt you got anything else of any real use from her."

The three Jedi exchanged glances. Well, Kit and the blond did. The third continued to watch Han calmly. It was something Luke had gotten into a habit of doing, too, but that didn't stop her lack of response from being...well, creepy. He refused to show any discomfort though.

"You seem to know your...wife rather well," the dark-skinned lady finally said slowly. Han almost snorted and resisted saying something snarky. There was a difference between being difficult and belligerent, after all.

Instead, he shrugged. "We've been married and living together, on and off, for more or less forty years. I'd hope I know her."

"On and off?" Jedi Gala (Gallia? Gayla? He still couldn't' remember) asked.

Han turned a scowl on her. "Not that it's any of your business, but every relationship has problems." And he wasn't going to go further into that no matter what they said. He had a hard time talking to Luke about some of his issues with his wife—heck, he'd had a hard time talking to Chewie about it. He wasn't going to start going off about how their children's deaths had affected them, or how Leia's work had come between them more than once (be it that of the New Republic or the Jedi) or how his best friend's death had sent him into a depression so deep even Leia had had a hard time pulling him back, or how Leia would joke (sometimes very caustically) about how she knew Han would always have two loves: her and the Falcon. She wasn't far off.

"Would those problems have anything to do with her status as a Jedi?" Fisto asked cautiously, obviously either sensing or realizing from Han's body language that they were treading into dangerous territory.

"Remember how I just said it's none of your business?"

"If she's a Jedi, then it is our business," the blond woman said, voice cold and she wasn't holding back on the glare, either. Fortunately she had nothing on Jaina or Saba or half the women Luke had trained...and none of them could even touch Mara, so he found he could stare back quite effectively.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can take your questions about our relationship and shove 'em where the sun don't shine. I don't kriffing care whether you want to know or not. That's between her and me, not any o' you guys."

The blond seemed like she was about to rebut, but Fisto cut her off.

"I apologize for intruding, but it's just that the Council would like to know to what extent she has been trained in the ways of the Jedi."

"Then why don't you ask her?" Han shot back, not caring how defensive he sounded.

"We did. We just wanted to confirm a few things."

Yeah, right. He highly doubted Leia had told them anything about their relationship.

"Alright, then here's what you want to know in a nutshell. We met during a rebellion. I was a smuggler; she was a leader. We had a rocky start, dated on and off for about eight years, and then finally decided to tie the knot. Want to know about our bedroom life, too? I have some really steamy details." Not that he would ever share anything like that with them, either, but it did have the desired effect. Even the calm Jedi looked shocked and somewhat abashed.

"No," Fisto said, sounding a bit more flustered. "No...that's fine."

"It was just a question," the blond muttered. To Han's delight, her face had gone bright red.

"Well, sister, would you want to tell people you just met—people you tried to help, mind you, but they threw you into a brig for all of your trouble and kept you separated from your significant other for no reason other than that they're uncomfortable about the fact that some people don't adhere to their way of thinkin'—about your love life? About anything you cared about, really?"

Fisto must have realized they'd gone too far because he sighed. "Again, I have to reiterate that we were following standard protocol. We're sorry for the inconv—"

"Poodoo," Han cut him off. "Standard procedure would be puttin' us in a room. Kriff, I can even see you puttin' us in separate rooms so we didn't hatch some sort of plan, but puttin' us in separate, cramped cells deliberately where we can see and talk? Nah, you guys wanted us to talk. I'm bettin' you got a bunch of what we were discussin' before we found those bugs. Not that you'll understand any of it."

He knew he was correct. He could see the frustration begin to show on Fisto's face. The exotic-looking lady had gone back to stoic, and the blond had turned her back to them, but he could see how her muscles tensed.

"You're right," Fisto said, smile gone. "We did. It is still a tactic that is within our right to do. If you wish to double-check that, look it up somewhere under Article 269. I think it's in that area."

"It is," Jedi Gala confirmed tersely.

"So," Han said with a smug smile coming to his face. "Now that all of that's out in the open, what did you want me to confirm?"

"You met with Jedi Skywalker and his charge on an outer rim planet—Tatooine, correct?" Fisto said, any humor in his voice completely gone. Han hated to see the being's good mood ruined, but really they should have known better.

"Yup."

"You helped rescue one of Senator Amidala's distant relatives?"

The only thing that could have possibly given away his surprise at that would have been the raising of one eyebrow. Why in the universe had they been told that story? Why would Anakin do that? He still liked the kid, though, and even if he would turn into a monster some day, he wasn't now, and so Han had little problem protecting him.

"Yup."

"In exchange for your help, you bartered for a ride off planet because of your own mechanical failures?"

"Yup." They were really making this easy on him. Somehow, he was pretty sure this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Most interrogations asked him to explain things. They must really want to speed things along. Sloppy of them.

"You offered to help them rescue Jedi Kenobi, correct?"

"Yup."

"And you made the explosives your wife, Leia Solo, used to destroy Count Dooku's ship?"

At that, Han frowned. "Yes."

"For that purpose?" Jedi Gala asked, having regained any serenity she'd lost. Han had to give her credit.

"No. We thought we'd be able to get through a few locked doors or somethin'."

"You did not intend to kill the count?"

Han shrugged. "Only if we had to. The guy was puttin' people on rigged trials just for bein' part of the Republic and then executin' them. What would you want us to do, sit by and watch? We had to do somethin'."

"But did you go in with the intent to kill?" Jedi Fisto pressed.

"I was pretty sure those fireworks could kill," Han returned with a scoff.

"Please answer the question."

"No, we didn't go into the whole thing to kill him. I suggested it, but Leia said no." Alright, that might've not been a hundred percent true, but that had been the spirit they'd gone into the whole thing with. "We wanted to stop the war and save the kid and the girl."

"Who you let go into a dangerous situation alone to begin with?" the blond asked, still not turning to face him.

"The kid's a Jedi. I figured he could handle himself. Had no idea who Cordé was. Figured she was some sort of fighter who could take care of herself, too. They didn't want us to get involved unless we had to. Said it was their business."

"That is beside the point," Jedi Fisto cut in. "We've gotten off topic. All we needed was to verify your intent when they infiltrated the building on Geonosis. As you have said that you did not go in with the intent to kill, that can conclude this session.

"However, that does bring us to another point. Because you are not a Force-sensitive, you technically do not fall under our jurisdiction. We've only been keeping you here because of your relation to Leia Solo. As such, we are required to turn you over to the Republic Authorities for statements. Most likely, you will be asked to relate your story and released either later tonight or tomorrow. I don't think it will be a concern, but we are asking you to stay on planet so you can come before the Council for your wife's trial."

"Of course I will," Han growled. "Do I at least get to see her before I go?"

The Jedi exchanged glances, and Han almost expected them to say no. He was composing a nasty little spiel if they wouldn't let him, but finally Fisto sighed and stood.

"Very well. Follow me."

Han fell into step behind him as quickly as he could, not caring if the other Jedi followed or not. He did, however, note that they did. As they walked, Jedi Fisto finally spoke up.

"I must apologize again for prying into your personal life. The Council is understandably curious."

"Well the Council has no business there," Han returned, although he couldn't bring himself to sound angry or defensive. To his annoyance, he realized his voice sounded more resigned. However, he still did like Fisto and didn't particularly want to be on his bad side. "But you were just doin' your job. Apology accepted—just...don't do it again." That was all they were going to get out of him, so they'd better appreciate it.

Fisto did look over his shoulder, and while his smile hadn't returned, he did not look nearly as severe. "Thank you."

"No prob."

They turned down the hall that lead to the detention block in silence. It only took a few minutes to stop in front of Leia's room.

"Han?" she asked uncertainly, rising from a cross-legged position as she eyed them all uncertainly.

"'Cause I'm not a Jedi, they gotta turn me over to the 'proper authorities'," he explained tersely.

Her brow furrowed, but to Han's surprise, she looked more worried than angry. "As in the Coruscant Authorities—under the Republic?"

"Yeah," Han responded, confused as to why she was so worried. "They said it'll just be a few questions and then I'll be released. Don't worry—you know I can find a place to stay if—"

"Han," she said softly, cutting him off. "Who is in charge of the Republic?"

Han paused to consider that and then felt his own worry rise inside of him. "This won't gain any notice," he responded, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "It's just a simple questioning."

The problem was, Palpatine's apprentice (he assumed Dooku was the apprentice—Luke had said something about a rule of two when it came to the current Sith, right?) had just been killed, and Han was a part of that. Plus, they'd been with Anakin, whom Sidious was undoubtedly watching. Would the Sith connect those dots? Probably. Would he act on them? That was anyone's guess. He might wait and see what was going on, or he might jump in and try to figure out who Han was now. They just didn't know.

She stepped close to the ray shield. He could even see her begin to sweat from the heat it produced.

"Be careful," she whispered. "Don't count on that. Watch what you say." In other words, don't mention anything having to do with him and Leia being connected at all. Palpatine might pick up on an unlawful Jedi marriage. If he thought Han was just some bystander that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it would decrease the chances of him acting.

"All right," he said, forcing a put upon sigh. "I'll do it your way. Quiet like."

She smiled. "I don't think my family has ever been 'quiet'."

"True," Han conceded with an obviously false thoughtful expression. "But your way's still the quieter way."

And there was that smile he wanted to see. She looked away and shook her head.

"Hey," he said quietly, causing her to look up at him. "I love you."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "I know."

xXx

The first thing that jumped out at Kit Fisto when he interrogated Han Solo was the heightened accent. He'd heard the man speak in perfectly understandable tones with barely a hint of any accent, but the moment he became agitated, his words became clipped, rustic and most definitely inner rim. Corellian perhaps? It became extremely pronounced when they had started questioning him about their relationship.

Looking back, he was almost ashamed of himself, but Leia had been so cooperative, if misleading, that he hadn't realized just how invasive their questions had been. Of course, Solo had shut them down rather effectively. He didn't seem to do diplomacy, but that didn't mean he couldn't hide secrets and dodge questions in his own way.

His method seemed to compliment his wife's rather nicely, actually: his rough to her smooth; his blunt to her subtle; his force to her grace. Yes, they complimented each other quite well. He could also rather easily see how such personalities could clash.

He really found the whole thing fascinating. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. Things like this—a trained Jedi not from the Temple who seemed to know their code but cherry-picked what she would and wouldn't follow, who was openly and happily married (not to mention what she'd told them about her twin)—well, it just wasn't seen often. And unfortunately, it looked like light wouldn't be shed on the subject any time soon. The best he could do would be to make educated guesses as to what she truly knew, what she believed in, and what kinds of effects their relationship had on those beliefs.

The most worrying thing, though, and why he found them so intriguing, dealt with the fact that he felt no resistance between them through the Force. On the contrary, when they were together, it felt right. It went against everything he knew and everything he had known for a good portion of his life. Their mere presence shook the very foundations of his entire world. He doubted they realized what kind of impact their relationship had and would have on the Jedi Order in the future.

And all of that would be without the repercussions of Leia's actions on Geonosis.

Kit sighed as he watched Han walk into the office building that housed this sector's security force, surrounded by guards. Standard protocol, but he still looked like a man being led to his death. Even though he knew that wasn't the case here, Kit couldn't help the image that came to his mind. He made a mental note to check up on him later, make sure he had some place to stay before and during the trial. It was the least he could do.

After the group had disappeared inside, he shook his head and turned back to the speeder, he climbed in beside Adi Gallia and they made their way back to the Temple.

xXx

"So, corroborate, their stories do?" Master Yoda asked Kit, Adi and Siri, who all stood before the Council.

"Yes, Master," Jedi Fisto said with a firm nod of his head. "Both claimed that they did not initially intend to kill anyone. They both reiterated that the action was a last resort. Honestly, they both seem like old warriors, people who hate fighting but don't really know how to do anything else. I have no doubt that they wish to avoid death, but neither one are strangers to it."

Mace glanced over at Adi. "Do you agree, Master Gallia?"

She inclined her head. "Yes."

He glanced at Siri. "Knight Tachi?"

Siri looked over at the other two Jedi before returning her gaze to the Council. She seemed a little more stiff than the other two, but that could just be her age.

"They're hiding things," she said finally. "They cooperated on the surface, but Mrs. Solo could dance around answers like a professional politician while her husband outright refused to answer some things."

Many of the Jedi on the Council frowned. "Do you think these secrets have anything to do with the upcoming trial?"

Her lips thinned. "I couldn't say. They might, but she outright confessed to setting the explosives. She did seem remorseful, and I can't begin to know what else she would want to hide, but that doesn't mean that we haven't missed something."

Mace turned his gaze on the other two. "Would you agree with Knight Tachi's assessment?"

The two masters seemed to hesitate for just a moment before nodding.

"Have suspicions as to what they are hiding, do you?" Yoda asked, frown on his face. He didn't seem to like where all of this was going. And why would he? His Padawan had been killed. Kit could understand that. If anything had happened to his own... Well, he wouldn't be nearly so understanding. The fact that the old Master was almost as calm as ever showed his mastery over himself, and Kit could only marvel at it.

He filed the thought away for later contemplation and focused on the question. "They didn't seem too happy to answer questions about their relationship. It could be that. Or it could be anything else. We know very little about them and couldn't find anything on them when it comes to identification. That could be because they are hiding something or because they've spent an unknown amount of time in the outer rim and unknown regions."

"For all intents and purposes," Mace summarized, "everything they say could be a lie."

Kit frowned and shook his head. "I don't think so. There was an air of truth and right about them both. The questions they answered, they answered truthfully. Of this I have no doubt."

Mace raised an eyebrow and looked at the other two for confirmation. They both nodded, although Siri seemed to do so reluctantly.

"Then perhaps we should focus on what they didn't answer," Mace said after a few moments. "Very well. The Council has each agreed to listen to the recordings separately. We will continue to discuss the trial at our convening tomorrow."

All masters in the Council nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Jedi Tachi, you are excused. The Council will move onto the next item of discussion. Masters Gallia and Fisto, please take your seats."

Both of the Council members did so as the younger Jedi bowed and exited the room.

Once the door had closed, Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi stood. "The Senate has called for our aid in the war against the Separatists. The next discussion will be if we as an Order will answer that call."

Mace nodded. "The floor is open for discussion."

Kit repressed a sigh. This would prove to be a difficult debate.

xXx

So yeah, not dead!

I'd like to thank the-writer1988 and Carradee for all their help in getting this chapter out. I feel kind of bad for giving you guys such a short chapter after such a long wait, but it is what it is.

Why did it take so long? Well, I lost my muse to it, and found myself rather blocked (ah, writer's block, how I despise thee). Then I finally managed to get this chapter out and sent it off to my beta reader...who then found real life suddenly got in her way and she couldn't get it back to me for a few months. Funnily enough, the day I asked someone else to beta read it instead, I get it back from my first beta. lol ^^; Eh, they both had good things that helped me with this chapter anyway.

I know where I want to go, mainly, I'm just not sure how to get there, but I don't plan on truly abandoning this story any time soon, promise!