Disclaimer: Han and Leia are not mine, although I love them as if they were my own. :)

A shiver shook through Leia's body as she sat down for lunch in the mess hall. Hoth had been experiencing abnormally warm weather for about a week, and Leia hadn't needed to wear her thermal vest around Echo Base. It was oddly freeing not to wear the vest. Leia wore it so often it practically felt like a second skin. Unfortunately, the temperatures had dropped again throughout the morning today, but not before Leia had left her quarters for the morning without the proper attire.

"Need me to warm you up, Sweetheart?"

Leia huffed and rolled her eyes at the voice behind her. Han Solo came around and plopped down across from Leia at the table.

"Did I say you could sit there? What if I'm meeting someone?" Leia snapped.

"I know you only have fifteen minutes for lunch today. Definitely not enough time for a proper meeting. You, Miss Perfect Protocol, should know that. Tsk, tsk..." Han crossed his leg and propped it against the table, folding his arms with a smirk on his face.

Leia's eyes turned into slits. "Shut up, Han. Did it ever cross your mind that I just don't want you to sit with me?"

To Leia's shock, a small reaction of hurt flickered across Han's smug expression. It came and went so quickly, Leia wondered if it even happened at all. Maybe she was imagining that Han actually cared about spending time with her.

"Well, Your Worship, maybe I don't want to sit here either. Perhaps I come over here because you look lonely, like you could use some company. I'd much rather join the pilots and talk about ship parts and whisky!"

Leia glanced down at her untouched food, biting her bottom lip. Do I really look that pathetic to people? I usually don't eat with the others because I don't have time. Everyone realizes that, right? I'm not lonely. Just alone.

Han noticed Leia's forlorn expression as she stared at her food. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings. I would much rather sit with her every day than listen to those Rogues blather on and on about hyperdrives and sublight engines.

The pair drew their gazes back up to meet each other's. Han opened his mouth to say something, but words failed him. In response, the side of Leia's mouth turned upwards in a halfhearted grin before she started to eat her food. As she began, an immense tremor coursed throughout her body.

"Seriously, Leia, you seem really cold," Han said. "Do you need a jacket? Why aren't you wearing your vest?"

"I thought our little heat wave would continue into today." Another shiver. "Now its too late for me to go back to my quarters and get my vest; I have meetings back to back today. It's fine though, I'll survive."

Han leaned forward in his seat, wishing he could rub her arms to warm them. "Do you want me to go get it for you?"

Leia's eyes snapped up, surprised by this sudden offer of kindness. Was he merely trying to make up for earlier?

"Han, it's fine. I've dealt with a lot worse than the cold," Leia replied tersely, hoping he'd drop it.

"I'm going to get it, you shouldn't have to suffer for another half of the day. Are your quarters unlocked?"

Leia brought her fingers to her temples and sighed. Two stubborn people...

"Yes, they are unlocked. I have a meeting in ten minutes though, so you have to hurry."

"Sweetheart, I made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. This is nothing," Han stated with his signature, lopsided grin as he turned away, walking briskly to her quarters.

Han easily knew where to go to find Leia's quarters. He remembered picking her up and carrying her there when she fell asleep at her desk one evening. Another time he was strolling by her quarters late at night, but backtracked because he heard crying on the other side. Turned out Leia had nightmares every night and it wasn't out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was Han cradling Leia in his arms that night, whispering "It's going to be all right" into her soft, brunette hair.

Before he knew it, Han was standing inside of Leia's quarters once again. It was months since he'd been in there, and something seemed slightly different. Bed was the same, closet was the same...

Suddenly, Han noticed that her dresser surface was now adorned with multiple holos. Leia never seemed like the sentimental type, and out of curiosity Han drew closer to examine them. He scanned them quickly, not immediately recognizing anyone in the images. Soon, he realized that one young girl throughout the holos eventually became a woman that resembled Leia.

Han recalled Leia mentioning about a month ago that she received a box of things salvaged from her father's apartment on Coruscant. She had told him about the box indifferently, as if it was a mundane piece of information about a mission. Honestly, Han was surprised she could handle opening the box at all.

In a much more deliberate fashion, Han's eyes traveled across each holo. The first one was clearly a baby portrait done in a studio. Leia couldn't have been more than six months old. She was laying belly-down, with a toothless laugh spread across her face. Han wished he could reach out and pinch her rosy, chubby cheeks. He let out a chuckle at the hideous, frilly dress she was wearing, with a big bow on the side of her head. Her eyes struck him most of all, because he would recognize those eyes anywhere. He thought that the depth in her swimming, kaffe-colored eyes had come with life experience, but he now knew she was born with it.

Leia was much older in the next holo, maybe six or seven. Her hair was drawn up into short, messy pigtails that stuck out on either side of her head. She wore a romper with tiny blue flowers on it, leaning up against a wall with another toddler. The other girl's appearance was a stark difference to Leia's, with bright blond hair and a gleaming smile. Leia, on the other hand, had her face contorted into a silly expression with her tongue hanging out. Han was beaming; he had never seen this side of Leia before. Sure, she had laughed and made jokes with him on occasion, but she was never outrageous and silly anymore.

Han's heart ached upon seeing the next holo. Leia and her father. The two of them were standing at the peak of a mountain, wearing more relaxed hiking gear. Her father was stroking her nose affectionately, while Leia's face scrunched up in annoyance. However, from the gleam in her father's eyes, Han could tell this gesture was a common inside joke between them that Leia secretly loved. Is this holo the last image Leia has of her home planet's landscape? Han wondered.

Realizing time was running out to bring Leia her vest, Han moved slightly quicker through the last two. He laughed out loud at an awkward holo of preteen Leia preparing for a ball. While it was sweet that her mother was styling her hair into two buns in the holo, Leia was grimacing and exposing a full set of braces on her teeth. I suppose even a princess can't escape that awkward phase of life.

The last holo was of Leia upon her induction into the Senate. This Leia was closer to the Leia Han knew: calm, composed, regal. While he admired the Leia in this holo, a part of him yearned for her to reclaim some of the innocence from her younger holos. His mind filled with dread as he realized that Leia would suffer tremendously not too long after this last holo was taken.

THE VEST!

Han snapped out of his reverie and hurried towards her closet. He grabbed the vest and turned to leave when one more thing caught his eye. He saw two more holos on her bedside table. Why are these separate from the others? There's plenty of room left on the dresser...

Han's breath hitched as he looked at one of the holos. It was them. Leia, Luke, Chewie, and him. He remembered the moment. The image was taken about two years ago at one of the Alliance's "let's-blow-off-steam-for-once" parties. Leia had insisted she had mountains of work to do, but somehow Han convinced her to come. The four of them danced, laughed, and talked for hours. As they were leaving with their arms slung around each other's shoulders, a random Rebel asked them to turn around for a holo. Luke was grinning like an idiot, Leia rolled her eyes, Chewie was mussing up Han's hair, and Han was looking over at Leia with a stupid grin on his face.

Finally, Han laid his eyes on the other holo and his heart started beating faster than a womp rat's. His hands trembled slightly as he picked up this holo. Just him and Leia. She had a holo of just the two of them. At some point last year, Chewie had found an old holocamera stashed away on the Falcon while they were cleaning. He went to find Han and show him, instead capturing a holo of Han and Leia during a playful moment. They were joking around on the ramp of the Falcon, Leia held tightly in his arms. They had both looked to the holocamera in surprise, their faces lit up with joy and laughter. Leia must have asked Chewie for a copy of this holo specifically-

"Planning on stealing my holos, Captain Solo? I thought your smuggling days were over."

Han whipped around to find Leia standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and a quirky smile on her face. Blushing furiously, Han placed their holo back on the bedside table.

"I had a feeling you'd get distracted by these, especially since you have only one minute left to bring me my vest," Leia continued.

"Oh yeah, here." Han held out the vest to Leia, running his other hand through his hair. "Listen, I'm sorry I was snooping-"

"It's all right," Leia cut in. "A part of me is relieved that you now know I'm not made of stone. Or ice, as the others say."

"I never say that, you know. That you're made of ice. Never thought it either."

"Han, you don't have to say that to be nice. I know I'm not the little girl in those holos anymore."

"But look at these." Han gestured towards the holos on her bedside table. "These are proof that a piece of that little girl is still in you. And Luke, Chewie, and I see that, always have. Even when others don't."

Leia's eyes watered at the rim, and she blinked rapidly hoping to chase them away. "I honestly don't know why I keep all of these out. It's so painful sometimes. Especially knowing my father would look at these on his desk while he worked, counting down the days until he could come home and see me. Now I stare at them, knowing I'll never have a countdown again. It hit zero for the last time the moment Alderaan disappeared before my eyes."

Leia hadn't noticed during her moment of vulnerability that Han had walked directly in front of her. He reached up to her cheek and wiped away a rogue tear with his thumb. Then he simply wrapped his arms around her and held her there against his chest. Leia didn't cry anymore, but instead listened to Han's steady heartbeat against her ear. It was soothing and alive.

"But I can countdown to you," she whispered.

"Huh?"

"When you go on missions and runs, I can stare at our holo and count down the days until you return."

Leia smiled as she heard Han's heartbeat become faster.

"Maybe I can have a copy of our holo? So I can count down too?" His voice croaked with nerves.

Leia separated from his chest, looked up with those born-deep eyes, and simply nodded.

"Princess Leia. What are you doing? The meeting's begun."

The voice of General Riekkan broke Han and Leia from their trance. Leia blushed and apologized profusely to the general before hurrying out the door.

After her long day, Leia palmed open the door to her quarters, turned on the light, and found her vest laid out on the bed. She now remembered that she dropped it on the floor when Riekkan surprised her. She fingered the cloth in her hands, grinning from ear to ear. After Han's comfort and embrace, she hadn't felt cold the rest of the day.

A.N. This was an idea I've had stuck in my head for a while, and I decided it was time to write it! The whole Bail-stroking-Leia's-nose thing is inspired by a frame from the Marvel Princess Leia comics. Ever since I saw it, I've thought it's the most precious thing in the world. The Han and Leia holo is directly inspired by that adorable behind the scenes photo of Carrie and Harrison from ESB (you probably know the one). Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to review with your thoughts!