In the open doorway to their apartment Han held Leia in his arms, his lips suckered to hers.
He squeezed her tighter to him, feeling her breasts crush against his chest through the thin fabric of her gown and the even thinner fabric of his shirt.
"For goodness sake Captain, let Her Highness breathe!" Winter growled and grudgingly the couple parted.
"Remember your promise." Leia whispered.
"Which? The 'be nice to her' one or the 'behave yourself'?" Han whispered back.
"Both!" Leia reached up on tiptoe and kissed him once more. "Now go enjoy your bachelor party and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Oh sweetheart I nearly forgot, can't make it tomorrow. You don't mind too much do you?"
"No skin off my nose flyboy, I'm sure there'd be someone in the congregation who'd be more than happy to step into your shoes." Leia countered.
"Hmm. And if I wake up to find the Falcon door welded shut I shall know exactly which Prince to hunt down and kill!" He told her, nuzzling her neck.
"Are they always this nauseating?" Daarla grumbled from inside the apartment.
Daarla Melilea was a recent addition to Leia's inner circle of friends. She was an administrator to the Council and although Leia had her reservations, Mon Mothma considered her a valuable asset.
"That's nothing." Shuk Danmire, lowered her voice and leaned into Daarla and Winter. "I hear they hump like banthas!"
Shuk had been added to the Wedding Shower party at the request of Daarla Melilea.
"No way!" Daarla exclaimed.
Shuk nodded. "You can hear them clear down the Hall. Isn't that right Winter. I mean, you used to live with Leia and now you live right down the hall, so you'd know, right?"
"What people do in the privacy of their own homes is entirely their own affair." Winter said, sharply and rose to gather the champagne and glasses.
"She's even more nauseating than those two!" Shuk whispered to Daarla who agreed with a knowing nod.
"Ah, Captain Solo. Are you coming or going? Mon Mothma's voice announced her arrival.
"I know which I'd prefer." Han said to Leia, his eyes dancing fire.
"He's just on his way out." Leia assured her friend and blew a kiss at Han.
"Goodnight ladies." Han called, giving Leia a knowing smile. "No shenanigans now, this little lady's got a big day ahead of her tomorrow."
"Goodbye Captain!" Leia said and shoved him gently into the corridor, closing the door behind him.
"Damn!" Daarl giggled. "I went and left my shenanigans in the shuttle on the way over, you brought yours Shuk?"
"Fresh out of shenanigans." Shuk shrugged, laughing.
"Girls!" Mon Mothma frowned. "A little more decorum please."
"Left that behind too!" Daarla side-lipped to Shuk.
Both girls stifled a laugh as Leia joined them and Winter returned with the Champagne and five glasses.
"Is this it?" Daarla asked.
"No. Saschia, Aquila and Ana will be meeting us at the restaurant." Winter replied.
"I meant just the one bottle!" Daarla whispered at Shuk who stifled another laugh.
"What is it with you two?" Mon Mothma admonished, her brows almost knitting into one.
"We're just excited for the Princess." Daarla replied. "It must be so wonderful knowing that tomorrow you get to marry the man of your dreams."
"Yes. It is." Leia answered accepting a glass from Winter.
"Of course, I imagine there'll be a few broken hearts at the ceremony. I mean, he is quite a catch." Daarla continued. "You're not worried he might find himself in a compromising position tonight and skip out on you?"
"Daarla!" Is that really necessary?" Mon Mothma chided, also accepting a glass.
"I'm just saying, talk is he's a complete stud and if he's out with the Rogues...well, temptation won't be too far away." Daarla said, taking a glass and sniffing the bubbles.
"I trust Han. Completely." Leia replied, already tiring of Daarla's innuendo.
"Ah, how very...trusting of you." Daarla commented.
"Han has never given me cause to miss-trust him." Leia countered.
"No." Daarla said through pursed lips. "If you say so."
"So, where was it you two met?" Shuk asked, trying to diffuse the increasing tension.
"Captain Solo rescued Her Highness from the first Death Star." Winter told Shuk.
"How romantic." Shuk beamed. "Don't you think it's romantic Daarla?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't listening." Daarla pointed to her glass. "This isn't Alderaanian Champagne is it?"
"Alderaanian Champagne is so rare now." Mon Mothma interjected.
"Yes...yes, I suppose it would be." Daala reflected.
"There will be a bottle or two on the Wedding table tomorrow." Leia said, giving Daarla a smug smile. "What a shame you won't be there."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Okay boys, this rounds on me so what's it to be?" Wedge asked.
Despite Wes Janson attempts at blindfolding him, Han had arrived along with Luke Skywalker, Gavin Darklighter, Wedge Antilles and Wes at the 'Dawn Horn', a cantina and 'dance' club Wes had chosen for Han's bachelor night out.
It wouldn't have been Han's choice. He had a feeling Leia would not have approved, not that she would have said so, had she known. Nor would she complain when she found out, as she almost surely would.
But what Han disliked most, was that he also had a feeling it had been chosen for that precise reason.
"Corellian Ale." Han said, knowing how well he could handle that particular beverage.
"Could we get a jug of iced water too?" Luke asked.
"No offence Luke, but this aint the kinda place that serves iced water!" Wes advised, making his order clear to the bartender.
"Don't worry kid, I'll look after you." Han whispered to him.
"I was thinking about you. Leia won't be happy if you turn up with a hangover tomorrow!" Luke whispered back.
"I can hold my ale Luke. Don't you worry about that." Han confirmed.
"What time's the floor show?" Gavin wanted to know.
"Soon as they see the colour of your credits, the girls'll start dancing." Wes answered. "But the best shows are always right before dawn."
"Is that why they call it the Dawn Horn?" Luke asked.
Han cringed inside. Did he really just ask that! He thought.
The Rogues - Gavin, Wes and Wedge - roared with laughter.
"You wanna tell the kid or shall I?" Gavin offered, directing his question to Han.
"What I say?" Luke queried.
"A Dawn Horn is when a guy wakes up a little on the...excited side." Han told Luke.
"Also known as Morning Glory." Wedge offered.
"Or a Woody?" Wes said, looking for any recognition from Luke.
"Even you gotta have had a hard-on once or twice in your life Luke!" Gavin added.
"What? You think because I'm a Jedi I lost the use of my genitals? It's the terminology I'm not familiar with." Luke said.
"Yeah, leave the kid alone." Han told them.
Two pitchers of Corellian Ale arrived along with some glasses and Wes held up a couple of credits.
"We'd like some entertainment too. Our friend here's getting married in the morning, want to give him a last night of freedom to remember." Wes tossed a wink around the table.
The bartender examined the credits.
"You want Red?" He asked.
"She good?" Wes enquired.
"You want good, I'll send you Red. You want real good, I'll need a couple more credits and you can have Angel." The barkeep told him.
"Angel it is." Wes replied and pulled two more chips from his pocket and handed them over.
"You got yourself a promotion Janson you been keeping to yourself?" Wedge asked.
"I got a little put by. And what better way to spend it than on my good ole buddy Han Solo's last night as a free man. Besides, I like the atmosphere here." Wes explained.
A way too tall, long haired blonde woman swayed her way over to the table.
She wore a silver halter neck dress that tightly hugged the swell of her breasts and just about skimmed the curve of her buttocks.
"So, who's the lucky fella?" Angel asked.
Wes, Wedge and Gavin pointed at Han.
"Hi. I'm Angel." She breathed. "You want anything special?" She licked her upper lip seductively.
"Whatcha got?" Han grinned.
Angel perched herself on the edge of the table and leaned forward, placing her hands on his shoulders and her mouth against his ear.
"I gotta do the standard lappie, it's kinda like in the rules. But if you want anything extra, we can make a private arrangement about that. I don't do rough stuff, I don't do cuffs or bonds and I don't do anything without seeing proof of vaccinations." She told him.
Han considered a moment before pressing a credit chip into her cleavage.
"How about we save the lap dance for now and you show us what you've got on the pole. I don't want to keep you all to myself, this is my friends' night out as much as it is mine." He replied.
"You're a gentleman. I can tell. Make sure you're friends keep their hands to themselves and that private arrangement I mentioned, it'll be on the house." She told him, her breath hot in his ear.
Han nodded his understanding and Angel pressed her thumb to a pad on the table and her credit chip into a slot.
Like a symbolic phallus, a silver pole extended from the middle of the table high into the ceiling.
"She must like you." Wes grinned across the table. "They don't usually get 'ramrod' out until much later!"
"Ramrod?" Luke hissed in Han's ear.
"Don't ask!" Han answered him.
Angel swivelled herself around onto the table, affording Wes, Gavin and Wedge a magnificent view of the skimpy silver thong covering her crotch which she pressed firmly to the pole before grasping it with her hands and hauling herself skyward, the heels of her thigh high boots clattering against the table.
"Look at her mount that thing!" Gavin spluttered, spitting ale across the table.
"Hey Solo, you and the little lady ever try this in your down time?" Wes chortled.
"Leia prefers the Theatre." Han answered.
"I don't mean the club Solo!" Wes said, stating the obvious. "I meant the pole."
"There's only one pole Leia likes to ride and she don't like it on the table, says it's unhygienic." Han grinned and winked back, catching sight of Luke squirming uncomfortably.
Whilst Wedge, Wes and Gavin were admiring Angel's performance, Han sat back and in a hushed voice spoke to Luke.
"I have the utmost respect for Leia, you know that," he explained, "but I gotta play along with the innuendo, it's all part of a bachelor party."
"I get that." Luke said. "But she is still my sister."
Across the table Gavin's jaw was almost on his chest as Angel spun around the pole, her movements almost a blur.
"How does she do that without getting the pole all slick?" He asked.
"They give 'em some kinda shot, so they don't secrete nothing." Wes answered.
"How'd you get to know so much?" Wedge queried.
"I've been around." Wes shrugged.
He glanced over at Han and Luke deep in conversation.
"Whadaya think boys, should we up the stakes?" Wes challenged his Rogue colleagues.
"What you got in mind?" Gavin asked.
"And is it legal?" Wedge demanded.
"Just a little something to peak the boys interests." Wes said. "Back in a minute."
Wes rose and headed toward the bar.
"Too much for you Janson?" Han called.
"He's gone for more Ale. Thinks you aren't nearly drunk enough for a man facing purgatory tomorrow." Gavin responded.
"I'm marrying the woman I love, where's the purgatory in that?" Han replied.
Angel executed a perfect landing on the table in front of Han, hands and arms caressing the pole above her head, legs spread wide and dangling over the edge of the table.
"How'm I doing?" She smiled.
"Just as cute as can be." Han beamed back.
"It's getting hot in here." She told him, her head tilted to one side. "Help me cool down?"
"Sure sweetheart, what you wanna lose first?" Han asked, a lopsided grin spreading across his face.
The silver booted heel of her right leg landed firmly on his left shoulder.
"Boots are always the first." She advised and watched as he unlaced the ties slowly before slipping the boot from her leg and dropping it to the floor. She flexed her ankle and ticked his ear with her toes.
Rolling around the edge of the table, Angel's left leg connected with Luke's right shoulder in a similar way.
"How 'bout you blondie. I bet you got real soft paws." She purred.
Despite his best efforts, Luke's fingers trembled as he tried to untie the laces. Until Han leaned over and helped undo the knot Luke had inadvertently made. Finally, Luke removed the boot and tossed it under the table.
"New to this aren't you sailor?" She murmured and turned her attention to Han. "You his keeper?"
"Brother-in-law. As of tomorrow." Han answered.
"You should keep your eye on your friend at the bar. He's spiking your drinks." Her voice was low so only Han could hear over the noise of the other patrons.
"Thanks for the tip." Han said and slipped another chip between her breasts, which she deftly removed and dropped into her tips slot.
"No. Thank you." She said with a gentle smile before performing a backward roll up onto her shoulders, wrapping her legs around the pole and pushing up into a handstand.
"She's incredible!" Luke gasped and grabbed the offered liquor from Wes, downing it in one.
"No!" Han tried to stop him. "You...er...you should take it easy."
"Looks like the kid likes it." Wes commented and indicated to the bartender to send over another round before handing shot glasses around the table.
"Yeah. But he's not used to strong liquor and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if he turns up drunk, late or not at all for the Wedding tomorrow." Han criticised. "You know how upset Leia can get."
"Frightened she'll cut off your conjugal's Solo?" Wes laughed, retaking his seat.
"Frightened she'll cut off your testicles Janson?" Han countered.
"Boys, boys, boys!" Wedge cut in. "Can we just enjoy the dancing here."
"You drinking that?" Luke asked, pointing at Han's glass before helping himself to the drink.
Luke seemed to shake from his head to his toes before proclaiming. "Wow! That's good stuff."
"Yeah, lighten up Han." Gavin added. "When did you get to be so rigid...or should that be frigid? That Princess of yours must be rubbing off on you?"
"What did you say?" Han bellowed, standing and leaning over the table.
"Hey, siddown, I can't see!" Luke moaned.
"Do we have a problem over here gentlemen?" A burly man, obviously security, approached seemingly from nowhere.
"No." Han assured. "No problem. Just a big mouth and tiny little brain. Kinda like what's in his pants!"
Han sat back down and took a big swig at his ale.
"Didn't mean no harm. You know that Han." Gavin said. "I think she's a great girl. A real catch. How you managed to reel her in I'll never know."
"Maybe it's because I treat her like she's a woman, not some kind of exhibit to be looked at and never to be touched." Han responded.
Angel slid back into view, crotch pressed to the pole, ankles crossed around it. Propped on her elbows, her chin to her knuckles, she smiled at Han.
"She sounds a peach. But just so you know, I get paid for the entertainment around here so come on boys, let me entertain you." She sighed.
"Just setting the record straight." Han replied.
"Good for you soldier. I like to hear a man defend his woman, especially on the eve of his Wedding to her." Her face tilted, her eyes looking up at him coyly. "But my boss likes to see three things rise, temperatures; profits and guys pants. I have no control over the thermostat, nor the chips in your pockets, but if one of you fella's don't stand to attention soon I'm gonna find myself looking for another job!"
"I'm kinda preoccupied with my forthcoming nuptials, don't take it personal sweetheart." Han told her.
"She as hot as me?" Angel drawled, raising herself up on her arms, breasts thrust toward him.
"Hotter." Han said smugly.
Angel gave him a cheeky grin and sat back on her haunches. Her eyes never leaving Han's, she tilted her head back toward Wes, Wedge and Gavin.
"The clasp on this dress needs adjusting. You think one of you kind sirs could help me out with it?" She panted.
"Sure, okay." Luke answered, jumped up and with his face almost pressed into the valley between her breasts reached behind to unsnap the catch at her halter neck.
Eager hands started tugging at her dress until the burly bouncer grabbed Luke's shoulders and pulled him back down into his seat.
"Let's leave it to the professionals, shall we sonny?" He said, before stepping back into the shadows.
"Whatever you bozo's put in our drinks, better wear off before the morning or Leia's gonna get herself three new pairs of furry earmuffs!" Han commented.
"It was just a little chill-pill." Wes explained. "I aint never seen it affect anyone like that before."
Angel meanwhile had unclipped the back of her dress and was shimmying out of it. Beneath it she wore a tiny silver g-string and matching silver tassels obscuring her nipples.
Wes and Gavin roared their approval, whilst Wedge looked over with concern at Luke.
"You think he's all right?" Wedge asked.
"Sure he's all right. Aren't you Luke?" Han nudged his friend.
"I don't feel so good." Luke said, his mouth sounding thick.
"If he's going to spew, you need to get him out of here. I get paid for oils, not vomit!" Angel pointed out.
"You get paid for compassion too?" Han asked testily, helping Luke to his feet. "I'm gonna take him home."
"Hey, I'm up here working my ass off night after night so guys like you can get your rocks off thinking about some little cutie that I'll never be!" Angel shot back. "The least you can do is show a little respect."
"You want respect?" Han spat. "Get a more respectable job."
Han dropped a handful of credit chips into her tips slot.
"Those extras? Think you can handle the three of them by yourself?" Han indicated Gavin, Wes and Wedge. "Knock yourself out."
"Just so you know." Angel answered him back. "This pays my way through School."
"Let me guess. Cosmetologist." Han speculated.
"Close." Angel replied. "Oh Bee Gee Why En. I've seen so many twats in my line of work, it's made me wanna be a gynaecologist."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Han chose not to risk a shuttle in case Luke failed to hold onto his stomach.
The walk back toward Luke's rented apartment should have felt more arduous than it did But then, as soon as they were a sufficient distance from the club Luke seemed to gain considerable strength and sober up all at the same time.
"You seem remarkably chipper all of a sudden." Han observed.
"Yeah..." Luke said, ruffling a hand through his hair, "about that...I kinda used a bit of the old Jedi trickery. Let's face it I was well out of my depth in there. You don't mind do you?"
Han stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"You know what?" He said grinning. "I couldn't be happier."
Han slung his arm around Luke's shoulders and they started on their way again.
"What say, we have a nightcap on the Falcon and an early night?" Han asked.
"What about we skip the nightcap, go our separate ways and just get the early night?" Luke suggested.
"She got to you, didn't she?" Han guessed, stopping and turning to face Luke.
"She? She who?" Luke tried to look innocently back.
"You're not that good an actor kid." Han sighed.
"If there is the tiniest aroma of alcohol, the slightest scent of a woman or even the shortest of hairs out of place tomorrow, Leia will have four new pairs of furry earmuffs! And I've grown kinda fond of my 'nads where they are." Luke explained.
Han considered his options.
"You're a good kid Luke and an even better brother." Han said. "Don't be late tomorrow."
"You either." Luke cautioned.
They hugged one another, slapping backs as they usually did and after exchanging a knowing look, went their own way.
Han quite enjoyed taking in the night air.
He couldn't help but smile at Luke's lame yet effective act at extracting him from the club. Nor could he fail to feel guilty for his unpleasant comment to Angel who had, in Han's considered opinion, been a pretty good distraction.
In a few days he'd go back. Apologise. Maybe take her some flowers.
Okay, no flowers. That would just be creepy. Not to mention inappropriate.
No, an apology would be acceptable. And an apology would be what she'd get.
Approaching the Hangar, he was disturbed to see that the Falcon's ramp had been lowered.
He'd talked to Chewie no more than an hour ago and both he and his son, Lumpawaroo, were still en route from Kashyyyk, due to arrive in the early hours of the morning.
So, why was the ramp on the Falcon lowered?
Han withdrew his blaster and stealthily crept higher, keeping his body low.
He was inside before he saw the movement.
A lone figure, sitting in the dark, wiping away a tear from her all-too-sad yet incredibly beautiful face.
Han, his heart pounding, replaced the blaster in it's holster and stepped out of the gloom.
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be out dancing the night away with the girls." He said, walking over to join Leia where she sat.
"I could say the same thing to you! Too much titillation for you to handle?" She asked, sounding sad.
"Nah, I can get all the titillation I want right here." He answered, slipping his arm around her shoulders. "Besides Luke said he wasn't feeling too good, so I offered to help him home."
"Is he okay?" Leia asked, concerned.
"Turns out he was lying. Someone wanted to make sure I got back sober and alone." Han snuggled in closer. "Sure wish I knew who that was. I'd like to thank them for getting me out of that joint."
"Not your scene any more flyboy?" Leia teased.
"Who wants fizzy water when you've tasted champagne?" He rubbed her nose softly with his own, a silent Corellian expression of love, and placed a light kiss on her cheek.
It tasted salty.
"So, why aren't you still out celebrating. And why the tears." He asked her.
"Turns out you were right. Daarla is not my friend." Leia answered and held up her right hand, middle finger raised whilst the rest were curled inward. Her nail showed a badly filed break and there was blood around the cuticle.
"What she do to you?" Han sighed and gently pulled her hand to his lips, tenderly kissing the tip of the afflicted finger.
"Winter gave me the facial. Then Shuk gave me a pedicure and Daarla said she'd do the manicure.
She'd already managed to provoke me, then during the manicure she broke my nail, filed it - badly - before finally jabbing a cuticle stick right in under the skin!" Leia glowered.
"My poor, sweet love." Han soothed.
"It bled all over my dress, so I had to change before we could go out." Leia continued. "We went to the most fabulous restaurant, where she complained there was nothing on the menu she liked. And after she finally managed to order something that she claimed 'would do' all she did was pick at it."
Han held his tongue until she was finished.
"And the final insult? When Winter and Mon Mothma called it a night, Daarla insisted we go for one final drink. A toast to the happy couple she said. She ordered three bottles and as soon as the first was empty decided we should play a game." Leia exhaled. "It took me four truths and a dare before I realised the bottle had been weighted and the spin was always going to land on me."
Han swallowed back the laugh he so desperately wanted to give release to and pulled Leia onto his lap.
"Okay. First off sweetheart, just so you know, this..." He held up her one-finger-raised hand and shook his head. "Not a nice gesture to make. Second, I did warn you about her. And third...okay, I don't actually have a third."
"Oh, you're no help!" She shrugged him off and headed toward the exit.
"Hey, wait up." He caught up with her, taking her hand in both of his and drawing her to a gradual stop. He hit the ramp ascend button to prevent any further attempt to leave. "Leia, you've been coming to me like this for the best part of six years. You know you can talk to me about anything. What was it, the finger, the truths or the dare that upset you?"
"Oh Han! It was all of it." She told him.
Han smiled, kissed her forehead and led her to his cabin.
"This is supposed to be terribly bad luck." Leia complained as she watched him settle himself onto his bunk, back against the pillows, and open his arms for her to join him.
"Let's see." He said reminiscing. "I was taken as a slave and beaten regularly by a pirate. You were a Princess, captured by the Empire, imprisoned on the Death Star and made to watch while your planet was blown up. I was encased in carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt to hang as an ornament on the wall of his Palace. You found out you actually have a twin brother and that your father was a Dark Lord of the Sith. Seriously, how much more bad luck could two people hope to attract?"
Leia laughed and climbed onto the bunk, fitting perfectly into his embrace.
"Besides." Han said, his arms encircling her in love and warmth. "The bunk is marginally more comfortable than the seats out there and I have a feeling you need a little comfort."
"She started by suggesting I shouldn't trust you." Leia said.
"She doesn't even know the first thing about me, why would you be worried by that?" He asked.
"Because she reminded me you were out with the Rogues and, well, they can behave a little ill-bred at times." She countered.
"They're damn good pilots to a man. They work hard and they play hard, that's all." Han defended.
"Then she criticised the champagne for not being Alderaanian."
"You tell her to read more history, maybe then she'd understand why it's pretty rare nowadays." He pointed out.
"I taunted her by saying there'd be some she wouldn't get to taste on our table tomorrow. I should have known better than to bait her." Leia asserted.
"Probably not the best idea, under the circumstances." Han confirmed.
"Then she tried to amputate my finger and when that didn't work she took to humiliation tactics in the cantina. I preferred it in my cell on the Death Star!"
Han chuckled and hugged her to him.
"It couldn't have been all that bad." He chided.
"No? Truth number one, is Han the best kisser you've ever had?" She started ticking the questions off on her fingers.
"Perfectly reasonable question. Answer, yes. Obviously."
"Truth number two, do you and Han engage in shower sex." Shed said, ticking a second finger.
"Is she suggesting I have a problem with personal hygiene?" He frowned.
"Truth number three, does Han prefer to be on top or underneath for sex." Leia ticked another finger.
"I hope you told her I'm pretty damn impressive either way." Han grinned.
"Truth number four, how much do I love your aunt Connie Lingus. I told her you don't have an aunt Connie Lingus!" Leia bemoaned.
Han rocked forward laughing, taking her with him and sliding them both down the bunk as he rolled back. He wriggled to his side and looked down at her nestled in his arms.
"Oh my beautiful bride-to-be, she was brutal!" He told her and kissed the tip of her nose. "Connie Lingus is a euphemism for...um...something else."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out from the way she roared with laughter too!" Leia looked crestfallen.
"She's just jealous, don't let her get under your skin." He reasoned.
"It's not just that they were such asinine questions. It's...well...so much of my life is documented for all to see. Everyone knows I was held captive on the Death Star. Everyone knows I was made to watch while Alderaan was destroyed. Some like to think they know how I was treated by the Imperials." Leia's face softened as she stared into his warm, hazel eyes. "Someone does know how I was treated."
Han rubbed her nose with his as he had done earlier.
"So many people know, or at least think they know me. But us...what we share...it's just ours. And I won't accept that I'm selfish for wanting it to stay that way, for wanting some part of my life to belong to me...or in this case, to belong to us."
He understood. Of course, he understood. Han understood Leia like no other.
"So, what was the dare?" He asked after a while.
"Must I?" Leia begged.
Han cocked an eyebrow at her.
"There was a group of men over at the bar. She dared me to go over and kiss one of them." Leia confessed.
"That all?" Han asked.
"I was going to do it just to shut her up! Then I realised the man she was indicating was...well, it was someone I knew. It was about then that I realised just how badly I'd been suckered and all I wanted was to get out of there with what tiny bit of dignity I still had intact. So I refused and told her she was being childish. She didn't take it very well."
Leia tucked her arms between her and Han's chest and fingered his shirt nervously.
"What did she do?" Han demanded.
"She didn't do anything. Said a lot though!" Leia replied. "She said that was the reason I don't have any girlfriends, because I don't join in or take part or share like any normal female would. Then she said we were welcome to each other, the self-centred princess and the selfish braggart pirate!"
"Who's she calling a braggart!" Han said, annoyed.
Leia extricated herself from Han's embrace and sat up, her back pressed into the pillows, knees drawn under her chin, arms hugging them to her.
"It wasn't the outburst." Leia continued. "I could have taken her rant if it just hadn't been so loud. The man at the bar came over to see if everything was all right and she started all over again."
Han pushed himself up to sit beside her, watching her expression change.
"He's so like you. So like you in so many ways. And yet in other's, so very different." She said quietly.
"Who?" Han asked.
"Isolder." Leia looked up at him. "Isolder was the man at the bar. The man Daarla dared me to go kiss."
Han hadn't wanted him invited. But Leia had insisted.
It was another of those things, she'd told him, that she didn't really have any control over. Whatever may have transpired over the previous few years, one thing would remain: she would forever more be considered the last Princess of Alderaan and as such there would be certain protocols that had to be observed.
Their Wedding, for example, would not be theirs at all. Not really.
Both she and Han would have been perfectly happy with a quiet ceremony, a few close personal friends and an officiate but Mon Mothma wouldn't hear of it. And so the guest list had included members of just about every Royal House still in existence and almost as many from those in exile.
Han's love for Leia was as deep as the deepest, darkest black hole. His displays of affection ranged from small, personal, intimate offerings to grand gestures designed to please the many, not just Leia herself. Despite this, his mouth found it difficult to form the words 'I Love You' without them somehow being accompanied by a hint of sarcasm or a tinge of cynicism.
So when she heard him say them now, just three little words, with a strange quiet to his voice she was somewhat taken aback.
"Because I didn't kiss him?" She asked.
"No. Just because I do." He told her.
"I better go. Winter will be birthing a bantha!" Leia climbed off the bunk.
"You weren't tempted then?" Han pushed.
"Tempted?" Leia frowned.
"Isolder. Only, when I got here you were obviously upset. Not changing your mind about tomorrow are you?"
"I was upset because I realised Daarla was right, I don't have any girlfriends." Leia replied.
"You got Winter. And Mon Mothma." Han pointed out.
"Winter's my aide and Mon Mothma's my boss." Leia corrected.
"You got Luke." He offered.
"Luke's my brother. And not a girl!" She countered.
"That's a matter of opinion." He shrugged.
Leia's lips twitched into a smile.
"No. I wasn't tempted. I'm not having a change of heart. And I love you too flyboy." She said, leaning forward and placing a light kiss on his lips. "Until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Han echoed.