It all happened so fast; the shooting, the smell of burnt flesh, her screams. One minute, we were fine, just on our way to the Falcon. The mission on Ord Mantell went smoothly; we got the file, and there were no signs of trouble. So when the sudden sound of blaster shots filled our ears, we didn't know how to react. On instinct, I quickly drew my blaster; shoot first, think later, like I always said.
I was fast, but he was faster. Before I could blink, I had been disarmed, and his hands were wrapped around the girl's neck. "One more step, Solo, and the girl dies," The bounty hunter rasped. The girl squirmed in protest, trying to loosen his grip. I noticed that my blaster was held tightly in his hand. She gasped as the cold butt of it met her temple. "She's so pretty, too…it'd be such a waste," The alien feigned remorse.
"Killing her with my own blaster? That's a little harsh, isn't it?" I replied dryly, raising an eyebrow at the bounty hunter. He responded by grinning and pulling the girl even closer to his chest. Now that made me angry. I hated when other people touched her. I felt the jealousy burn inside me. "I'm the one you want; let her go," I growled, clenching and unclenching my fists at my sides.
"I heard she has quite a big bounty on her head, as well, Solo. The Emperor pays better than Jabba, you know. Especially if they've caused as much trouble as her," He smirked, running a scaly thumb along her rosy cheek.
"Don't touch me," She gritted through her teeth, desperately trying to wiggle out of his grip. "You're gonna regret this," She warned, her voice bold and confident. Our eyes locked; her dark, brown eyes said something else. I saw fear in them, and a burning hatred I've never seen in her before.
The alien ignored her. "Whattaya think, Solo? Think she'll let me have a little fun with her after I killed-" He finished with a yelp of pain and surprise as the girl's teeth dug into the knuckles on his scaly hand. She had a split second to grab our blasters from him, toss mine towards me and roll out of the way.
She rushed to my side, although he recovered just before she could make it. He got a clean shot at the girl's calf, making her lose her balance. The bounty hunter approached her and pushed her to the ground, her head landing on the concrete with a loud thud.
Enraged, I shot at him once, twice, three times. One got him in the thigh, the second in the arm, and the last one, in his chest. I barely noticed him collapse; I ran straight to my only passenger on this trip. My prettiest cargo was none other than Princess Leia Organa, sole surviving heir of Alderaan.
We landed on Hoth five days later. Leia still hadn't woken up. I replayed the scenario over and over in my head; she couldn't have hit her head that hard, could she? She was short, barely five feet off the ground. It should have just been a mild concussion…yet, here she was, lying in the medbunk, barely breathing.
The charts showed that her heartbeat was steady, which was a relief. What really worried me was how uncomfortable Leia looked in her sleep; usually, she looked peaceful, calm and innocent. Now, she looked as if she was in serious pain; her eyebrows were furrowed, and her mouth was set in a deep frown.
I wasn't into any religious crap, but I must have prayed to the gods hundreds of times over the course of our trip back to the Rebel base. Let her wake up. Let her live another day. Bring her back to me.
Don't let me lose her.
"Han!" My friend, Luke Skywalker, called, running up the ramp to meet me. Concern was evident in those deep blue eyes of his. "I got your transmission. How is she?"
I cringed, awkwardly shifting my weight from one foot to the other. I hesitated a few moments before telling him; the news was going to be hard on the kid, I knew. There was always talk on base about him having a crush on the princess, and judging by how differently he acts around her, I can confirm that the rumours are true. "Not too good, kid. She still hasn't woken up,"
"She was asleep this whole time?" The Tatooine native asked, incredulous. He was obviously on the verge of having a panic attack. I nodded my head, avoiding his piercing blue gaze. "Then what the Kriff are we still doing standing here? Han, help me take her to the medbay."
Three days. That's how long I was in the medbay for. I never left the princess' side; I ate there, slept there, waited for her to wake up there. I felt as though it was partially my fault, so I made a silent vow to stay here for as long as it took for her to wake up. Luke came a few times, also, and Chewbacca, too. They didn't understand my devotion; I didn't bother telling them what had happened.
I studied her face intently, willing her to wake up. I checked the monitors for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Her heartbeat was fine, and her breathing was normal now…why wasn't she waking up?
Moving from the plush chair across the room, I sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. On impulse, I reached forward and stroked her cheek, her pale skin cold under my touch. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through her long tresses. That was really the only upside to this whole situation; she'd kill me if I was touching her like this.
"C'mon, Leia," I murmured, running my thumb along her full, perfect lips. "Wake up…please," I found one of her small hands and intertwined my fingers with her long, slender ones. "Everyone's worried sick; we need you here, Princess. I need you here," I felt a wave of tears threatening to escape. Seven hells…
She mumbled something unintelligible, rolling over onto her side. She tightened her grip I had on her hand, but whether it was subconscious or not, I wasn't sure. But it must have been a good sign…right? It was as if she wasn't really gone, as if I still had a connection with her. I brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, relishing in the silky feel of it.
Her eyes fluttered open, and I realized how much I missed seeing the warm brown. She looked dazed and confused, but she was awake, and that's all that mattered. The princess had returned.
I smiled goofily, so relieved that she had awoken. "Hey, sweetheart," I spoke softly and gently, not to overwhelm her. "How're you feeling?" I squeezed her hand, slightly surprised that she hadn't pulled away.
"I'm alright," She replied, her eyes flashing from my face to our intertwined hands. "How long was I out for? I hope I didn't miss too much," She yawned and rubbed her eye with her free hand.
"Eight or nine days," I answered, stroking her palm.
"Were you here this whole time?" She asked quietly after a few moments of silence. I nodded my head. The princess slowly sat up to look me in the eyes. I'd never seen such an…intensity in those wide orbs of hers before. Before I knew it, her perfect, pouty lips were pressed against mine. The strange thing is that I didn't kiss her. She kissed me.
I pulled away, utterly baffled. "W-what was that for?" I managed to blurt out. Never in a million years did I think Princess Leia Organa would kiss me. The scoundrel, she called me. The nerf-herder. Just a couple weeks ago, she had said I had the breeding of a bantha! A bantha!
She looked almost…amused at my astonishment. Laughter was in her bright eyes, making me even more confused. "And I thought I was the one to get a concussion," She giggled girlishly. This wasn't the Leia I remembered. Not by a long shot.
"Seriously, what are you talking about?"
The smile fell right off her face. The young woman sitting next to me a mere minute ago was gone, and she was replaced with the princess again. "Han, we're married…aren't we?"
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Married? She must have hit her head harder than I thought…unless she was trying to play a practical joke on me? No, not likely. And it would be cruel to do it now.
"H-Han?"
I shook my head, coming back to reality. "W-what?"
"You never answered my question," She spoke slowly, as if I was the one who had gotten concussed. I was still vaguely aware of the grip she held on my hand.
I hastily pulled away and hopped off the bed, sticking my head out the door. "Medic!" The droid came in seconds later. "She's acting…strange, to say the least," I glanced quickly at the confused girl sitting on the bed, then back to the med droid. "What's wrong with her?"
"It appears she hit the frontal part of her brain in the fall," The robot explained. "Her emotions and actions are barely controlled by her anymore,"
"Is this permanent?"
"No, she should be fine within the next couple of days," 2-1B assured me in his mechanical voice. "Just let us keep her here for one more night, and she leave tomorrow morning," Before I could ask any other questions, he exited the room, leaving me alone with the…troubled princess.
"Han?" Organa stared at me with dark and innocent eyes.
"I should…" My voice sounded foreign in my ears. I, Han Solo, Corellian smuggler, had just kissed the princess, but it wasn't how I imagined it would be. No, it wasn't exactly that. It just wasn't the right time. "I should go," I quickly left without letting her say another word.
I practically crashed into Luke on my way to the Falcon. "Sorry, kid," I mumbled, trying to slip past him. He caught my wrist in a firm grip, preventing me from leaving.
"I got the news," How the Kriff did he already know? She woke up half an hour ago, at most. I looked up and saw a gleam in his eye I hadn't seen since the medal ceremony almost three years back. "How is she?"
"She's…fine, I guess," I replied, pulling my arm away. I casually fixed my jacket, still avoiding his gaze. I brushed past him. As an afterthought, I threw over my shoulder, "Now's not the best time to see her,"
He reached out and spun me around to face him. "Why? You said she's fine!" For a moment, the matured Jedi was gone, and the whiny farmboy was back.
"Yeah, but give her some space!" I unintentionally snapped loudly. He flinched. I cleared my throat and took a step back from the kid. "Luke, I didn't mean to snap-"
"It's fine, Han," Luke cut me off sharply. "Look, I'll just go see her tomorrow, okay? Happy?" Before I could answer, he stormed off. I could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. I sighed heavily. That was another mess I'd have to clean up.
The soft steps padding on the deck of the Falcon abruptly dragged me out of sleep; they were quiet, but I was a light sleeper. My hand instantly flew to the blaster I kept on my nightstand. Pointing it at the door, I barked, "Who's there?"
"Han, it's just me," Leia answered coyly, leaning against the doorframe. "Can I come in?" I nodded my head. She approached me, sitting on the edge of my bunk. "The doctor let me leave this afternoon,"
"I can tell," I replied awkwardly, sitting up. I placed the blaster back on the small table. "What made you come here?"
"I wanted to see you," She admitted quietly. "I also wanted to ask you why you left so suddenly this morning," She chewed her lip, staring me straight in the eyes.
"I-I was caught off guard, sweetheart," I cursed myself inwardly. I shouldn't be calling her that in her current state. "You…I mean, when you woke up you were…different," I said lamely.
She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Kriff, Leia," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "You think we're married, for Kriff sake,"
"But we are!" She scooted closer to me, her lips jutting out into a pout. "Han, how come you're denying it?"
"Because it's not true!" I shouted. After seeing the look in her eyes, I immediately regretted it. A stab of guilt cut through me. "Leia, I-I'm sorry," I took her small hand in mine. "But I-I mean…its true. We're not married. You got a concussion, so that's why you're thinking like that,"
She sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her other hand. "What if I want it to be like I think it is?" Her eyes met mine, and she leaned over and kissed me for the second time today. This time was different, though. It wasn't the soft, shy one like this morning. This was passionate, intense and it made me see stars. Driven by only Force knows what, I deepened the kiss, pulling the princess closer to me. I unbound her braids, letting her locks fall around her pretty face. She held onto my bare shoulders as I slipped off her vest. Her hands traveled up to tangle themselves in my hair.
She pulled away to unzip the top of her snowsuit, revealing a black lace bra. She pushed the rest of it off, the matching black panties appearing. Organa wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. Only when I felt the tug of her finger on the waistband of my boxers, I knew I had to stop this.
Breaking off the kiss, I pushed her off of me, making her land softly on the other side of the bed. For a while, there was no sound except for our heavy breathing. We just stared at each other, both of us trying process what happened- or what could have happened. The tension in the air was so thick, I'm sure Luke could have cut it with his lightsaber if he were here.
"Why'd you stop?" Leia pouted, bringing her knees to her chest. Hurt and disappointment were evident in her wide, dark brown eyes.
"I don't wanna take advantage of you," I murmured, my head hitting the pillow. A second later, the Alderaanian was hovering over me, a smirk on her face. I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"
"You're such a softie," She chuckled, rolling over and lying down next to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and snuggled up to my side. Within a couple of minutes, she was sound asleep. I kissed her on the forehead. Maybe I was turning into a softie…
I awoke late the next morning, my arms still wrapped around the princess. I craned my neck to see the girl; she was in a deep sleep, using my chest as a pillow. Her full lips were slightly parted, letting in and out air. I smiled to myself as I heard her snoring softly.
Quietly and carefully, as to not wake Leia, I slipped out of bed, heading to the 'fresher. I stepped into the shower and let the water wash my worries away. I'm sure Leia had gotten the message last night; of course, I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind how things would have been if I let her have it her way…
I shook my head, clearing my mind of those thoughts. Sure, I wanted it, I wanted her…like I told her; now wasn't the right time. The cocky part of me thought that it was bound to happen sooner or later. I had feelings for her, that was for sure; hopefully I had made that clear with my constant flirting and teasing.
But how did she feel about me? She was a princess, after all, and I was just some stupid, low-life smuggler. Still…maybe her never-ending nagging had a purpose behind it. I didn't believe a word she said about the Alliance 'needing me', or any crap like that. Maybe she wanted me to stay for her. I know that that was the reason why I was still here in the first place.
Of course, I wasn't willing to admit that.
Stepping out of the shower, I dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist. Taking slow and careful steps, I walked back into the bunkroom and headed straight for my drawers. After pulling out a pair of boxers, I headed to the closet. Pulling a pair of trousers from its hanger, I let the towel fall to the floor as I slipped into the boxers and the pants.
Just as I was pulling a shirt over my head, I heard the princess stir. I glanced at her over my shoulder; she was on her side, her back towards me. Turning away, I bent down to grab my pair of boots.
"Han Solo!" Leia's harsh tone pierced through my ears. I spun around and I instantly took note of the fire in her eyes. "What the Kriff am I- are you-" Her own words caught in her throat. "Why am I here?" She managed to blurt out.
"You came here last night," I replied cautiously.
She was suddenly aware that she was only wearing a bra and panties beneath the sheets. Her face turned a deep red. "Han Solo, if you tried to do what I think you did-"
"Leia, I would never-"
The princess crawled out of bed and headed straight towards the pile of her discarded clothes at the foot of the bunk. She quickly dressed, still infuriated. Storming out of the room, Organa left without another word.
Well, I was certain of one thing; the princess had returned. For real this time.