Author's Note:
This is loosely connected to my Endor story, "After the Battle" and a direct follow-up to my one-shot "Pillow Talk".
Like "Pillow Talk", this is a missing moment that takes place during Kathy Tyers' book, "The Truce at Bakura"
Luke and Leia have a conversation on the rooftop and then the next time we see everyone, it's the next day.
Here's my take on what happened next, while the book spends several endless pages catching up with the Ssi-ruuk plans to take over the galaxy.
"[Luke] "I'll see you in the morning."
[Leia] "Hold on!" She straightened. "You're not sending me away."
"Only for a while, Leia. Go to Han," he murmurred. "I'll leave you alone."
She stared into his eyes and took several breaths, plainly iritated.
Finally she sprang up and hurried off. "
- The Truce at Bakura, chapter 12
Chapter One
Fleeing Luke and the chill of their rooftop conversation, Leia returned to their suite, her thoughts a jumble.
Han and Chewie were seated in the lounge pit, playing a game at the holo console. The Wookiee's gaze flickered in her direction as she entered the room, and lingered for a long moment, but he didn't comment. Solo's eyes remained firmly fixed on the game board. "Next time you decide to wander off alone, let someone know, all right?" he remarked, as his hand wavered between two choices. "We were about to send a search party." Selecting one of the items on the display at last, he waved an arm at his partner. "There. Your move."
Chewbacca chortled and pressed a button on his own panel gleefully. It was clear that Solo had made exactly the move the Wookiee was hoping he'd make. Han scowled as three of his game pieces flickered and disappeared.
"Well, damn," he muttered, staring at the table in dismay.
The knee-jerk "I can take care of myself" response he'd been expecting to hear from the princess never came. Her voice, when she spoke at last, was so soft that it was nearly lost beneath the sound of the Wookiee's deep laughter. "I wasn't alone. I was with Luke."
Han looked up at this, not sure he'd heard correctly. "You were with Luke?" He craned his neck to look around her, as if Luke might be concealed under her shawl. "Do we need that search party after all?"
She bristled. "No, I left him, up on the roof. Meditating. Or something." Or something, all right. Luke had, in fact, summarily dismissed her and all but directed her to go to Han with her worries.
Han cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly and she felt a guilty flush building on her cheeks as she remembered the conversation she'd been having with her brother. She wondered if Han would be upset if he knew she'd been discussing their relationship with Luke. If so, she couldn't exactly blame him. After all, it was none of Luke's business what she and Han did. Averting her eyes from his curious gaze, she toyed with the ends of her shawl, nervously twisting the fabric around in her hands.
Despite her obvious discomfiture, it didn't occur to Han that the siblings had been talking about him. He was more concerned with how dramatically her mood had changed in the few minutes she'd been gone. He could imagine several reasons Luke would want to be alone, but none of them seemed likely to have sent Leia back to their suite upset.
So, Han concluded, it probably wasn't just Luke wanting to be alone. More like, Leia walking away from him because she didn't want to continue the conversation.
Unfortunately, he hadn't a clue what, specifically, Luke might have said to upset her. And he wasn't sure he had the energy to probe for answers tonight.
Sighing heavily, Han returned to the game and settled for rolling his eyes surreptitiously at Chewie, who rumbled a low growl in response.
Leia caught their exchange and her expression darkened. "I can leave again if you two want to have a private conversation."
Taken aback by how sharply she'd spoken, Han looked up. "Hey. Take it easy." Catching a glimmer of hurt in her eyes, he added, in a gentler tone, "You mad at Luke, or at us?"
Normally she appreciated how well he could read her, but not tonight. She'd gotten quite enough of that from Luke. And since she already knew she was letting her annoyance at Luke spill over onto Han and Chewie, it stung even more to have Han be the one call her out on it.
"I'm not mad at anyone."
Chewie snorted aloud at this and nearly added his own opinion, but the look in Han's eye changed his mind. Humans.
The game continued and Leia sat with her arms folded across her chest, brooding. Her head was turned as if she was watching their game, but her eyes were staring distractedly off into the distance. All at once the Wookiee roared in triumph and the console trilled a brief victory tune. The sound startled the Princess out of her reverie and she looked around hastily, trying to conceal her confusion.
Han flung up his hands in defeat. "Aww, no! Not again!" The Wookiee chuckled at his partner and mockingly offered him another chance. "No, thanks. That's three, Chewie, I give up." He held out his hand and the Wookiee slapped it with a hairy paw. "One of these days, pal, you're going down."
Han stood, stretched, yawned elaborately and suggested it was time they all got some sleep.
Chewie gave a low whuff of amusement and indicated the Princess, still sitting alone on the sofa across from them. ["Yes, I'll leave you two to work out your... sleeping arrangements."] His nose twitched as he sniffed the air in the room, casually.
Han's eyes narrowed. "Not funny, fuzz ball." He knew exactly what the Wookiee was doing. And he wasn't amused.
Chewie shrugged and growled a suggestion that would have caused Leia to blush to the roots of her hair, had she been able to translate it. Han's eyes cut to the Princess and her confused expression told him she hadn't caught the off-color insinuation. He certainly had no intention of enlightening her, and shook his head warningly at his friend, hoping Chewie would have the sense to let it go. The big Wookiee chortled, but to Han's relief, didn't expand on his suggestion.
Instead he simply growled a ["Good night"] to the two humans and headed for his own room, shaking his head and mumbling to himself in Shyriiwook about the oddities of human behavior.
Han turned back to the lounge pit, intending to sit down again, beside her, but Leia had already risen from her seat and she marched past him, barely glancing sideways as she waved at the door panel, and disappeared into her room, without a word. The door slid closed silently on its repulsolifts, leaving Solo staring after her in dismay.
Well, damn. This was not how he'd been planning to end his evening. She'd been much more relaxed with him earlier today, and he'd had high hopes for tonight. He'd thought she shared his enthusiasm - but something had obviously ruined her good mood.
Maybe he should just let it go. Cut his losses and go to bed. There was always tomorrow.
No.
She was fine, she went for a walk, she ran into Luke⦠and now she was upset.
So, she was upset because of something Luke had said. Something she didn't want to talk about.
Well, all right, then.
Han didn't need the Force to take a guess at what that would be.
He decided he wasn't going to leave it alone, after all.
