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"I think I can see again," Han commented to Chewie and Lando.
"And you know this how?" Lando said skeptically to his friend.
"Because you guys are ugly," Han retorted.
Leia laughed as she came into the cockpit.
"So Leia, do you think Han can see well enough to pilot?" Lando asked her.
"Let's just say that if you don't get out of the left hand seat, he might inflict bodily harm on you," Leia remarked dryly.
"Are you just saying that because you're still mad at me?" Lando said uneasily.
"Forgiveness is a process, Lando!" Leia reminded him.
"I think she's still in the process," Han said to Lando, his expression warning him not to cross his beloved.
"All right, all right, you drive!" Lando said, laughing.
"We're only about thirteen hours out from the rendezvous," Leia stated. "Chewie, take a break."
{Gladly}, Chewie said. He needed no persuading. {We need provisions}.
"No! You're kidding!" Han remarked sarcastically as he moved into the pilot's seat. Leia took over Chewie's. "We always need provisions!"
"Okay, boys, that's enough," Leia said firmly. Chewie and Lando didn't want any more trouble, so they skittered down the corridor into the living areas of the ship.
Leia shook her head. She sighed as she made herself more comfortable.
"I really need to come up with a reversible modification so you and Chewie can both pilot," Han remarked. "There seems to be something of a height difference between you two."
"Oh, really?" Leia remarked. "Did you just notice that?"
Han laughed. One of the things he loved most about Leia was that she could hold her own regardless of the situation.
"Well, just in case there was any question as to my being able to see," he said, his tone dry but his lopsided grin fully in place.
"You ARE going to medical when we get to the rendezvous," Leia reminded him.
"I'm fine!" Han protested.
"And you know this how?" Leia asked archly.
"Because I'm dying to make mad passionate love to you!"
Leia was in shock for a moment, but then burst out laughing. "Yep. You've recovered, all right. But you're still going to medical."
"Hmm. Maybe I can stretch this trip out a little longer," Han said, grinning impishly. However, he knew that it was important for them to get to the rendezvous as quickly as possible, and he was going to fly as fast as he could.
Chewie lumbered back to the cockpit. He was looking rather sad.
"Didn't I tell you to take a break?" Han scolded the Wookiee.
{I am on break}.
"What's wrong, Chewie?" Leia asked gently. Chewbacca was generally upbeat. But he was clearly distressed about something.
{Tomorrow is Lovers' Day}, the Wookiee mewled unhappily. {I miss my Malla}.
"Chewie, you know you're free to come and go as you please," Han reminded him.
{No. I swore a life debt. Malla would be angry if I didn't honor it. But I miss her}.
"Chewie, anytime you want to visit your family, just let us know," Han said to his large, furry friend as he disappeared.
Leia shook her head sympathetically. "I'd forgotten that Lovers' Day is tomorrow. But due to circumstances beyond my control, we've been a little bit busy."
Han smiled at her. "Haven't we all."
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The thirteen hours passed quickly. Lando replaced Leia for a while in the co-pilot's chair so that Leia could catch some much needed sleep. Leia had been keeping watch over Han since they returned to the Falcon. She hadn't slept much and there was a lot going on at the rendezvous.
"So what are you gonna do for her for Lover's Day?" Lando asked his friend as he waggled his eyebrows.
"Well, I thought I'd get her safely to the rendezvous," Han remarked tartly. "I've got a feeling the frigate doesn't have much in the way of florists or romantic restaurants."
"Too bad. She's quite a woman."
"You just noticed that? You always were slow," Han shot back.
"I noticed it the moment you met me on the platform – and it only took you three years to kiss her!"
"I waited till she was ready."
Lando burst into laughter. "You were the last guy in the galaxy I'd have expected to fall in love."
"Even the losers get lucky sometimes. There might be hope for you yet."
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"We're finally here," Leia said, letting out a long breath as the Falcon's landing claws gripped the landing pad.
"You thought I wouldn't get you to the rendezvous?" Han said to her, with his lovely lopsided grin.
"Well, the thought had occurred to me that you'd spirit me to a neutral planet with excellent beaches and room service," she teased him.
Han gave her a warm look, his eyes soft. "When this war is over, I'm going to do just that."
"I'm holding you to that," Leia said gently, leaning over to kiss him on top of his thick mop of brown hair. "But before you do anything else, you're going to medical." She held up her hand. "No arguing." Chewie entered the cockpit, chuckling, and Lando was about to make a comment, but Leia gave him her best 'I've had enough of you bastards' look. Lando clamped his mouth shut.
General Rieekan had been notified of their return, and was there to greet the foursome.
"Glad you're safe," he told Leia as he hugged her, and shook hands with Han, Lando and Chewie. "Good to see all of you. Solo, we need to talk."
"Not until he's seen by medical," Leia stubbornly insisted. "He's had hibernation sickness."
"I'm fine, General," Han insisted.
Rieekan studied him. "I'm going to have to agree with Princess Leia. But once you've got a clean bill of health, come and see me."
Leia couldn't help but flash a wicked smile at him, as if to say, I win.
"You'll pay for this," Han said to her.
"I sincerely hope so," she said, never losing her smile.
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Rieekan had a small office aboard the frigate. The walls were half transparisteel, but it had a door that could be locked.
Han knocked at the door more tentatively than he would have liked. But Rieekan smiled at him as he gave him ingress.
"I'm taking it that you checked out fine," Riekkan told Han.
"I did. Remind me never to go to Tatooine again."
"It's a pretty godsforsaken place," Rieekan agreed. "Let me get to the point. We're waiting on some crucial intelligence. But whatever happens in that regard, I need some good generals to lead the mission. Our next battle is critical. Crix Madine will require someone to lead the ground mission and another to lead the air attack. I know how you've felt about taking a commission, but I would really hope you'd consider. You're an excellent strategist and tactician and you've proved time and again that you can think on your feet. You're the perfect choice for a ground commander. What do you say?"
Han pondered the older man's question. Both were silent for a few moments.
Han went quickly through the events of the past four years. Rieekan had always paid him fairly. He treated Han as if he were one of his own, and he had always been supportive of his and Leia's relationship. It had been Rieekan who'd permitted Leia a leave of absence in order to find him.
He owed the general and the man as well.
"I accept the commission, sir," Han told him.
Rieekan smiled as much as he ever smiled. "Thank you. We've had a lot of victories, but this next one will determine if we're victorious or if this war is going to drag on for years on end. Which I hope to all the gods will not happen. We're all tired."
"That we are," Han agreed, and stood to rise.
"Please sit down. There's another matter."
Han frowned. "Yes?"
Rieekan opened a container and pulled out a small box.
"I'd gotten this for my Elyana for Lover's Day the week before Alderaan was...destroyed. I never had a chance to give it to her." He opened the box and handed it to Han. "I've held it all these years, not wanting to let it go."
Han nodded.
"You and the Princess have a relationship that reminds me so much of what mine and Elyana's was like." Rieekan's gaze became wistful.
"You mean arguing for three years instead of saying what we really felt?" Han stated bluntly.
Rieekan laughed. "We got off to what might be politely termed a rocky start. But I knew she would be the love of my life. And she was. I miss her every day. This was the gift I was going to give her." He lifted a small locket of pink gold from the box. Han frowned at the inscription, done in old Alderaanian script. "It says, 'pulse of my heart.'"
Han looked at it. It was beautiful, and it would look lovely on Leia.
"I want her to know that this was from you," Han said. "It's not as if she'd believe I had time to shop." Both men laughed.
"You give it to her in whatever way you're comfortable with." Rieekan extended his hand and Han accepted it. "I wish you the happiness Elyana and I shared. And thank you for the accepting the commission."
"Sir," Han said, and stepped out.
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Han and Leia had spent the night in one of the crew quarters' rooms. It was tiny, but it was private. It was the first opportunity they'd had to be intimate, and they'd taken full advantage of it. Neither cared that the walls were thin; Han's feeling was 'let 'em be jealous.'
They hadn't had a great deal of sleep, but both awoke refreshed and relaxed in the small bunk, Han's arm holding Leia to his chest.
"Happy Lovers' Day," Han said, kissing the top of her head.
"It's Lovers' Day?" Leia asked. She then sighed. "It was always a big deal on Alderaan. Too big of one, if you ask me."
"It's a big deal on Corellia, too," Han said. He agreed with her assessment; men and women both would agonize for weeks over what to get their beloved, something that said what their hearts felt. Han had previously considered it a blatant attempt to to get men to part with their money so that women could brag about how great their guy was.
And now, he wished he was in a position to do just that.
"I'd love to take you to a nice restaurant, but the last time I checked, the only place open was the mess hall," Han said to her. "Can I interest you in some overcooked gorak eggs and pasty hotcakes?"
Leia groaned. "I'd say let's have breakfast on the Falcon, but the pantry's a little skimpy there." She raised herself on one elbow so she could see her lover's face. He was smiling at her tenderly, his green-gold eyes filled with wonder and joy. She smiled at him in return, playing gently with his chest hair. "And the bunk's more comfortable there."
"When the bunk on the Falcon is more comfortable, you know you've gone low rent."
Both laughed out loud. "So, do we want breakfast, or do we want something tastier?" Han said, grinning lasciviously at her.
"What do you think?" Leia said, her eyes sparkling, her tone teasing.
"I think...we need to make our neighbors jealous again."
"You really are a scoundrel," Leia said to him happily as he pulled her on top of him.
"It's why you love me."
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During the previous years of the war, Lovers' Day had been cast aside. The war had taken its toll on lives and relationships. For some, the day held nothing but pain. But there were those who, amid the agony and the insecurity, had found soulmates, or at least someone they enjoyed being around. Leia would have never believed that love could thrive even in wartime. Han had never believed that he'd find it anytime.
The rendezvous frigate was unusually lively. There was a constant hum of activity all times of the day and night, but as Han and Leia stepped into the hallway, they could hear laughter and teasing and an overall sense of happiness. Several women were holding bouquets of flowers and were overcome with emotion.
"I wonder where the flowers came from," Leia mused. "I'd normally blame you, but you were out of it for a while."
"It's amazing how much you miss while you're encased in carbonite," Han assured her, holding her hand as they passed the other beings while heading for the mess hall. They were probably too late for breakfast, but there was always kaf. It wasn't especially good, but it was hot and plentiful.
As they filled their mugs full of the semi-vile brew, they noticed a cluster of beings around a table at the far end of the mess hall. A few couples walked happily away as the female half of most pairs held a bouquet of flowers.
"I wonder who authorized that?," Leia remarked. "And what they cost?"
"Sweetheart, I don't care what they cost," Han said, draping his arm over her shoulder, with her then wrapping hers around his waist. It was, as Han always told her, a perfect fit. "I'm not leaving without getting you some."
Leia smiled happily. Han might be a rough cut in some ways, but there was romance in his soul. She was thrilled to have him with her again. For some, a prolonged absence might have injured the relationship irreparably, but if anything, she felt closer than ever.
They approached the flower table, still covered with a few bouquets. The sign in front of the table said: 'One per customer. We're on the honor system.' Han examined them closely, and at long last decided on one that he felt suited her best. Leia wasn't surprised that it contained the colors and varieties she loved most.
"I've got something else for you," Han told her, leading her away from the flower table till they were away from everyone else.
Leia eyed him suspiciously. "Was there something I missed? You went shopping somewhere between here and Tatooine and I was in a coma?" Her suspicion gave way to gentle teasing.
"No. Rieekan gave me something." He pulled the small box from one of his pockets on his spacer vest. "He wanted us to have it, or, more specifically, wanted you to have it. He got it for his wife just before...Alderaan was blasted into dust." He handed her the box. "I wish I did have something I actually bought for you, but he told me that he and wife had something of rough start, and that we reminded him of, well, him and his wife."
"I remember his wife. She was a kind woman with a great deal of strength and grace."
"Open the box," Han urged her. She did so tentatively, and gasped at the necklace. "This is beautiful," she breathed. "'Pulse of my heart.'" She read the engraving.
"You are the pulse of mine," Han assured her, taking the necklace and putting it around her neck. "Happy Lovers' Day, sweetheart." He leaned in to kiss her. "I promise next year I'll actually buy something."
"I have something for you, too," Leia said, her eyes glinting with mischief.
"Honey, you shouldn't have!"
"You don't even want to know what it is?"
"Well, yeah, sure," Han said, not sure of where she was going with this.
"I'm thinking that...I should drag you back to our quarters, slam you down on the bed and rip your clothes off."
Han contemplated this. "How much time do we have till your meeting with Mon Mothma?"
"Twenty minutes."
"Well, let's get cracking!"
Both laughed as they raced towards their quarters.
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Rieekan had gone to grab a kaf when he'd spotted Han and Leia laughing raucously and shrieking as they making serious time towards the crew quarters.
And smiled.