A/N: I will be updating my other stories shortly...but for now, here's a one shot to hold you all over.

The Snowstorm

Leia stared at the big, metal doors that stood like barricades at the entrance to the Rebel base on Hoth. She wondered about their strength and how they had been put together. She wondered how many men it took to dig out the wall in the snow cavern to form the base. She wondered how long the Alliance would be able to call the camp home. She wondered a lot of things, but right now, she was desperate to wonder about anything other than what was really on her mind.

The Princess from Alderaan had been in charge of scouting missions sent out once the base has been declared functional and the transports had landed in the docking bay. After the doors she was watching were put up, they were ordered to land and start developing their base to plan a way to destroy the Empire. The planet was supposed to be safe, but it was cold, snowy, and barren, as far as any of them knew, thus their decision to send men out into the tundra to see what they could discover.

Before the meeting, Leia had to contemplate who would be best taking the first men into the outdoors. Their radar was picking up a strong storm system coming in, but it wasn't due for at least two hours. Now, two hours later, the scouting trip had still not returned. Slowly, Leia had begun to worry – she had sent Luke out as lead of the trip.

Leia pondered for a moment longer about the doors. In reality, she wasn't interested in their build; she was hoping they would open at any moment and bring her friend and the rest of the Alliance members back safely. Each passing moment in the snow storm that had begun a little over a half hour ago in standard time meant more and more trouble for the group.

She sighed. She pushed herself off of the Millennium Falcon's base, where she had been leaning for the past few minutes. It was the best place to wait – she knew it well, and she knew the Captain wasn't going to be taking her out anytime soon, so there was no chance of her being in the way. She stood straight and paced toward the halls that lead deep into the base. She wanted to wait longer, but the Alliance would not need her if she were drained when they did come back. It would be best for her to retire to her bunk until she heard word of anything else.

Around her, everything was quiet. The preparation teams had been sent to the north passage, attempting to strengthen their blockades on that end of the base in case the Empire located them. Out of the corner of her eye, Leia caught four guards standing by the south entrance doors with blaster rifles at their sides – they would alert the Alliance leaders if anyone came back.

Leia continued on toward the south passage halls, eager to return to her bunk. Perhaps some rest on her mattress would allow her to keep her mind off of things.

"Hey, Princess!" a familiar voice called from behind once she turned to walk away.

Her heart fell – the last thing she wanted to deal with was a sarcastic Han Solo bickering with her. She didn't have the fire in her to fight back, but she knew she would never hear the end of it if she suffered a loss.

"What do you want, Captain," she spat, spinning on her heels to face the Falcon. Leia crossed her arms, taking her best defensive stance.

Solo pulled off his yellow and black Falcon gloves as he walked down the loading ramp – he must have been working on his beloved ship while Leia was waiting for Luke's return. She felt her face turn red from embarrassment and sucked in a deep breath of cold air. Her snowsuit kept her warm, but not always warm enough.

"Relax, your Worship!" Solo demanded, stepping closer to her. He shoved the gloves into his back pocket. "I just need a little help is all."

Leia rolled her eyes. "Can't you get your friend to do that?"

"Who, Chewie?" Han asked, acting genuinely confused. It was his best attempt at being kind. "He's helping goldenrod with his oil bath since Luke's out."

Luke. Luke was the last thing Leia wanted to think about right now. For a second, she had forgotten what she had been waiting for. Thanks to Solo, she had been reminded.

"There's nothing I can help you with," she told him quietly, sadly turning back towards the south passage where she was headed before. There was no edge to her voice this time – she was ready to leave, and she was letting Solo know not to try and bait her.

Han frowned, but followed her into the hallways. He would be retiring to bed soon, anyhow, so it just saved him some time to accompany her back toward their bunks. He jogged to catch up to her, working a slight sweat onto his tanned skin.

"Hey, wait up, Princess!" Solo slowed as he reached her side, beginning to walk with her instead.

"Not now, Han," she told him simply. Leia turned sharply, leading into the main hallway.

Han reached for her and spun her around by the shoulder, stopping her from advancing too far. "Wait a minute, will you?"

Leia studied his face. His jawline was perfectly cut, his eyes were a blended hazel, and his hair fell perfectly in his eyes, as it always did. She never missed noticing his handsome features, but it would be her dying day if she ever admitted to finding the pilot attractive. After all, she was a Princess, and even if he had saved her from Darth Vader and the Empire, he was not boyfriend or husband material.

She let her arms flail out and shrugged her shoulders to get him to let go of her. "Don't touch me!" she demanded. "I'm a leader of this Rebellion and do not need your smuggler's temper interfering with my plans!" Then, the Princess stalked away toward her bunk door. She keyed in the door code, punching in the numbers one by one until it granted her access.

"Okay, Leia, fine." Han lifted his hands in defeat and walked backwards a few steps, back toward the docking bay.

Immediately regretting her foul words to the Corellian pilot who had given his time to her dear Alliance efforts, Leia slumped her shoulders down and let out a breath. She stared at the wall, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she told Solo sincerely. "It's just…"

"Luke?" Han guessed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "He'll be back before you know it."

Leia lifted her head slightly and caught his eyes with hers. Hers were full of concern and worry, obviously wishing she had never sent Luke out into the weather she knew was approaching. But they were also clouded with self judgement, knowing she had sunk to a new low by calling Han a name that actually insulted him. He had been abandoned on Corellia – his lifestyle had never been his choice.

Her lip trembled as she fought off a wave of tears. Rebellion leaders never showed emotion, and neither did senators, or Princesses, for that matter - they were similar to the Jedi in that sense. Right now, she didn't feel very much like any of those things.

Han sighed and did his best not to look disgusted as he moved towards her and took the Princess into his arms. At times, she was tolerable, but he was never one to show sympathy or empathy. He felt awkward enough when they were having a serious conversation, as rare as they were. Trying to soothe her fears was even more uncomfortable.

Solo patted Leia's head strangely, as though he didn't know what to do with his hands. "Okay, come on now," he muttered, pushing her back out of his arms.

"You're being nice," Leia stated matter-of-factly, wiping the hint of a tear from her eye and smiling slightly up at the pilot.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," he warned, rolling his eyes. He knew being nice to the Princess would hit him back hard in the face as soon as he made the decision to help her out.

His eyes fell back onto her deep brown eyes, which were scanning him over. Sometimes, she looked cute…sometimes. Her tight braid circled her head perfectly, tucking away any stray pieces that may fly into her face. He wondered momentarily if she would ever let him see her with it down. Then, he studied her cheeks, pink and smooth, probably from being so upset. Still, they matched her lips perfectly, which were parted just a smidge as she smiled gently.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Realizing he had been quiet for quite some time, Han ruffled his brow and shook his head. "Nothing." He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. "Don't get so excited, Princess."

"I could find anything else more exciting than you, Captain," she hissed, narrowing her eyes in disbelief. His moment of kindness had instantly vanished.

He smirked his sarcastic grin. "I know how you feel about me," he cooed.

"You're wrong," she declared, breaking their eye contact and looking at her bunk once more. Sadness fell over her in a new wave as she remembered her internal fight between the Corellian and the boy from Tatooine.

Han's temper kicked in again. "Let me guess, you like the kid?"

Leia snapped her head back up definitely and faced her accuser. "You have a lot of nerve bringing Luke into this!"

"But I'm right, aren't I?" He folded his arms in triumph.

She shook her head in astonishment. "It's a wonder you've made it this far."

"Just tell me you like the kid and I'll leave you alone," Solo offered. He closed the distance between them as a few members of the Alliance crossed their path, too deep on conversation to excuse themselves.

Leia stomped her feet in denial, turning toward him and pointing her nose high in the air, showing her authority over him in the slightest way. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Solo leaned forward so he was inches from her face. "Admit it."

"Admit what?"

"You like one of us, so tell me which it is!" Han tempted.

Leia gazed at him in confusion – she was at an utter loss for words. Part of her was scared. She was scared if she told him she liked Luke just to win, Solo would walk away for good, as he promised. The other part was scared she really did like one of them, and even more scared that she knew which one it was. She wished for a moment she had the courage to do something about it, but it wasn't her style.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leia repeated boldly.

Han sucked in a breath and shrugged. "I guess you'll have to tell Luke when he gets back, then," he sung, turning away from her.

"Tell Luke what?" she called after him, suddenly anxious that there was something important she was missing.

But Solo turned back to the Princess quickly. "That I was right," he whispered as he caught her by the waist and pulled her against his chest. Then, he grasped the back of her head with his left hand and held her steady as he crushed his lips against hers.

The kiss was eager and needing – both the Captain and the Princess were in denial of their true feelings. But Han didn't give in, he let his hand drop to her neck and cupper it gently, lifting his lips from her slightly to make his advance more kind. He wanted to take her by surprise at first, and could tell by her rigid stance that she had not known what to do. But as soon as he licked over her bottom lip with his warm tongue, she allowed him in and instantly melted against his body. He dropped his hand to her waist where the other waited, and then slowed their kiss.

Solo pulled away slowly, keeping his face close enough to allow their cheeks to brush. He felt Leia struggle to catch her breath as she blew warm air onto his cheek. When he blinked his eyes open, she still held hers closed, obviously trying to comprehend what had just happened. For a moment, he hesitated. He was always the tough guy…the sarcastic jerk that made things difficult for the Senator. This was a side of him she didn't know.

After what seemed like forever, Solo decided Leia had no intentions of pulling herself out of his hold. He studied her face as she breathed in and out, still in shock. Then, his desire swept over him and he kissed her again. He lifted her up with his arms around her waist and carried her into her bunk while they shared the new kiss. He stumbled to find his footing, but eventually was able to key the code in to shut the door behind him with on hand and no sight. Then, Han took the Princess to her bunk and laid her down.

As he landed on top of her, he intensified his kiss. It became more demanding as he bit her lower lip and felt her run her hands up his back and over his shoulder muscles. It had been some time since he shared a kiss as emotional as the one he was currently in. He was right, she did care about him, even if she denied it. And as much as he hated to admit it, he liked the Princess more than he intended to at first.

Solo broke away from Leia's lips and grazed her warm mouth across her cheek and onto her neck. She felt his teeth nibble at her skin and suddenly, she was aware of her situation.

"Han," she choked out, attempting to sit up and push him off of her at the same time.

He tried to hush her, asking her to relax, but didn't succeed. Leia kicked at his lower body and wiggled herself free. She pushed her body up into a sitting position and stared at him, ashamed of the coward she was. She liked him, yes, but she didn't want to commit to him, or anyone. Not here, not now.

"Sorry," he muttered, pushing off the bed with his strong forearms. Once he came to a stand, he ran a hand through his hair and shook out his jacket. "Listen, sweetheart, I'll have Chewie let you know when Luke's back," he replied scornfully before taking off into the hall in a hard stomp, furious with himself for his decision to open up to the Princess.