The Snow Han
"Alright, Chewie, try it now!"
Grind… Clang… Clink… Ping…
"Shavit!" Solo flung the hydrospanner against the top of the ship. "What in seven hells is wrong with this thing?"
Chewie climbed up and joined Han. "Patience, Cub. She is delicate. She must adjust to the weather changes before she will bend to your will." He reached inside the open compartment and pulled out a burned out unit.
"Patience…" Han mumbled to himself. "Not one of my virtues."
Quick footsteps echoed in the huge cavern that protected the aircraft from the savage elements of Hoth. "Great, just what I need, the ice princess," Han mumbled to himself. His frustration was about to reach new heights as Leia stopped at the base of the Falcon, arms folded in her usual indignant stance.
"Han, I need to speak with you," Leia commanded.
"Nice to see you too, Your Royal Pain in my…"
"Han! The princess is not the cause of the Falcon's trouble. Be respectful," Chewie barked.
Han smirked. The princess and trouble just seemed to go hand-in-hand, especially when she was near him. "And to what do we owe the honor of your presence at our humble broken down ship, Your Eminence?"
Leia bristled. "Must you call me that?"
"Would you prefer, Your Grace?"
"I would prefer it if you didn't call me anything at all."
"Fine, lady. Now tell me what you want and get out of here so I can get back to work."
"I don't want anything at all from you, Captain. It's Luke."
"What about Luke?"
"He's volunteered to place the sensors around the perimeter of the base."
"And?"
"And he's from a desert planet. He has no idea what he'd be getting into out there."
"And?"
"And I think you should go with him."
'The Kid… It's always the Kid with her,' Han thought to himself. "And what will you do for me if I do?"
Leia's eyes narrowed. "Always the mercenary, aren't you? Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?"
'Oh, what I'd give to shut that mouth of yours, you spoiled...' He chose not to argue. "Who said anything about credits?"
Her cheeks bloomed hot pink as she fumed. 'Oh, what I'd give to wipe that smirk off your face, you scruffy-looking…' Leia stared him down. "Forget I ever asked!" She turned on her heel and felt his eyes bore into her back as she ran away from him.
"Cub, why didn't you tell her that you were already planning to go with Luke?"
"Come on, Chewie, now what would be the fun in that?"
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Too soon, those same footsteps clipped their way across the hangar and Leia appeared in full outdoor gear. This time she didn't stop at the Falcon, but continued out past the doors.
'Now what is she doing? Doesn't she know it's dangerous to be out there alone?' Han scrambled down and followed her to the entrance. He watched from the shadows as she paced back and forth, mumbling to herself. Guilt tugged at his conscience and he retreated to the Falcon.
Leia stopped her pacing when a figure approached her holding a steaming mug in its hands. She took a step backwards when she realized who it was.
"I thought you might need this," Han offered.
"What is it?"
"Hot chocolate, and no, it's not spiked."
Leia accepted the mug against her better judgment, and sipped while Han turned away and started to pile snow into a mound. As the brew warmed her, she wondered what would possess him to build a snowman, of all things. When completed, the snowman took on the crude shape of a man and stood almost as tall as Han himself.
Han then reached into a bag he had brought with him. 'Now for the final touches.' He placed a vest on the 'shoulders' and stuck two short lengths of cable into either side of the figure as the arms. After he wrapped an empty holster around the middle, he ran a red strip of cloth down the sides of both legs.
Hands on his hips, he stepped back to admire his work. "What do you think?"
"You really are delusional, you know that!" she shouted. "You're the only person I know who is arrogant enough to build a snow statue of himself. Am I supposed to worship it now?"
Han shook his head and chuckled to himself. 'If she only knew what really goes on inside this head of mine.' He took a handful of snow and formed it into a perfect snow ball. He took a step towards her and she backed away. Han reached out with his free hand, took the mug from her grip and replaced it with the snow ball.
He pointed towards the snow figure. "Go ahead."
"Go ahead what?"
"Throw it."
"Throw it?"
"Throw the snow ball at the snow Han."
She stared at him, wondering what the 'catch' was.
He held his hand up. "Wait a minute. I forgot one thing." Han swaggered up to the frozen figure and drew a lopsided smile onto its face. Satisfied, Han draped an arm around his likeness and went cheek to cheek with it, his patented grin mirroring the snowman's.
'This is just too tempting.' Leia felt the weight of the ice ball in her hand and flung it at her target. Quick reflexes saved Han's face, but her aim was true as she knocked the head off the snow Han. 'Oh, that felt good!' She scooped up a handful of snow and fired another shot, hitting the snowman in the chest.
Ducking behind his figure, Han made his own ammunition and lobbed it overhand. He couldn't have hit his target better if he had aimed it. It landed squarely on the princess' head and the snow sprayed in all directions.
"You dirty rotten…" Leia was furious and feverishly threw handfuls of snow at him. She flushed Han out from behind his protection and chased after him. He circled around the snowman and egged her on as she wore herself out scooping and tossing snow as if her life depended on it.
The more he teased her, the angrier she became. Leia stopped to catch her breath and Han took that opportunity to grab another handful of snow, but Leia was determined not to give him another chance to hit her. She lowered her head and ran straight into his gut, tackling him to the ground.
Han struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out of him. 'Sith, she's tough.' Despite his discomfort, Han lost no time in taking advantage of the situation and held her fast around her waist as she struggled to get off him.
"Let me go," Leia demanded.
Han couldn't respond as he tried to catch his breath and Leia immediately realized that he was in trouble. "Han! Are you alright?"
He shook his head 'no' and Leia slid off his chest and helped him into a seated position. She knelt beside him and rubbed his back. "Take a breath. Oh, Han, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
He tilted his head towards her own and was just about to make contact with her lips when she pulled away and shoved him hard into the snow.
"Oooh, you, you…" Exasperated, Leia stomped her way back into the hangar.
Han lay there until he could breathe normally again. Finally, he stood and brushed himself off. Gathering his belongings, he saluted his headless snow self and sauntered back into the ship. Another job well done. 'This is too good to fly away from. Maybe, just maybe, I'll stay.'
The End