BLUSTERY NIGHT
"I can't wait to get home," Leia said as she stepped off the transport that had taken her back from nearly two weeks on the Outer Rim. Traveling to the Outer Rim was always difficult, and not simply because of the distance. Convincing those residing on many of the planets to join in the GFFA was not an easy task; many of them had suffered so much under Imperial rule that they were suspicious of any form of government save for anarchy and commerce that was strictly black market. More than a few of them had been supportive in wartime, but once victory had been achieved, they were largely resistant in aligning with one another, let alone the GFFA as a whole.
Leia was not sure that her delegation had made much progress.
Adding to the sheer misery of it was the fact that she was nearly three months pregnant. The nausea was beginning to abate, but the weariness was a constant reminder of her new and sometimes confusing condition. Leia normally kept her emotions in check when conducting business, but she felt as if her feelings were all over the map. Which confused her because once she decided she wanted to have children with Han, she was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a mother.
The one thing that kept her spirits up was that Han was returning as well, at roughly the same time. He'd comm'd her to say that he and Chewie were tying the ship down, fueling, making minor repairs, and generally getting ready to vacate the premises. He'd taken the speeder and parked it in his hangar, and he promised he'd wait for her comm so that he could pick her up. The prospect made her smile; she did not relish the thought of taking the monorail or one any other public transit form. Not because it took so long; it was more that she was weary from being around so many sentients without a break, and being on a transit with 50 thousand of her most intimate friends didn't sound appealing.
And, she'd missed Han terribly. They'd been so busy as of late; it felt at times as if the universe was conspiring to keep them apart. But both agreed that Leia should start slowing down and that Han was going to lighten his load, especially after the baby came.
Of course, that meant Leia would have to inform Mon Mothma of her pregnancy, and that was not something she was looking forward to. Not that she could put it off much longer; pretty soon her condition was going to be obvious to even the most casual observer. But first, she was going to take a few days off, and Han had said he'd do the same.
She comm'd Han and mentioned to him that they needed to pick up some dinner; she was in no mood to cook and she very much doubted he was, either. The foods she'd eaten on the journey hadn't done much except give her heartburn. She was looking forward to something like Bakura Barbecue, and Han would be agreeable.
It was now winter and stepping outside to the passenger pick up/drop off area, Leia noticed that the wind was gusting heavily. Not that wind was unusual this time of year; it normally was windy, wet and at times icy. Leia, even pregnant, barely weighed over 100 pounds and was having a hard time remaining upright. Han indicated that he'd left the hangar; traffic was thick, but Han drove a speeder the same way he drove the Falcon, which was to say, he treated other speeders like asteroids. Leia had learned to deal with it somewhat calmly, at least relative to the first time Han had flown into an asteroid field on the Falcon. Despite the cold and the crush of species surrounding her, she had to smile, remembering their first kiss in what they thought was an asteroid but turned out to be a space slug.
The wind blustered about, and rain began to fall; soon the rain would freeze and be even more miserable.
While it had seemed to take forever, Han actually arrived in a fairly short amount of time. As Leia climbed in, he pulled her into a strong kiss. Others began to grow impatient as he lingered, and he could not have cared less.
"You look tired, sweetheart," Han observed once they'd disentangled themselves.
"Tired doesn't even begin to cover it," Leia said with a yawn.
"You feeling okay?"
"I'd like some real food for a change, if that's what you mean. Bakura Barbecue sound like something you'd be interested in?"
"Say no more," Han said, grinning as he maneuvered sharply through the intense traffic. Leia didn't close her eyes; she knew if she did, she'd be asleep long before their food would be ready. And she wanted to spend time with Han and not all of it crashed out on the sofa.
"Did you make it to Mos Eisley?" Leia asked him.
"I did, three of my fellow criminals were there, and no one shot at us." Han grinned. "But more importantly, we didn't shoot each other."
"I can believe that that happens every now and then," Leia laughed, still yawning.
"If someone cheats at sabacc, it's grounds for annihilation."
"I met with some sentients whom I'd like you to have shot first."
"Outer Rim's a pretty strange place. Always has been."
"They were supportive during the Rebellion, but it feels like now that it's over, they want to go back to being isolated."
"If anyone can get 'em to agree, it's you."
Leia smiled at him. "Thank you, honey. However, you may have overestimated my abilities."
He threw a rakish grin at her. "Honey, I never overestimate your abilities."
Leia had comm'd the order to the restaurant. The parking area was packed as usual.
"Wait here while I get the food," Han instructed her as he slid into the delivery lanes. Not legal, but that never disturbed him. Leia leaned back and closed her eyes. She could smell the scintillating aromas that emanated from the restaurant. She could taste the nerf steaks already.
A few minutes later, Han emerged with a large bag bearing the trademark BB logo, and its slogan, 'when you're ready for real food.' Leia thought, they're not kidding.
Han carried the food and Leia's and his own luggage.
"Han, I can handle my own luggage," Leia protested.
"You're pregnant."
"And...?"
"Just looking out for ya, sweetheart."
"I'm fine, Han. I'm just tired, and you must be, too."
"I was tired. But then I saw you." He winked at her. "Let's eat and then we can relax."
"Best offer I've had in I don't know how long."
Han flipped on a few low lights and laid the table. Leia joined him eagerly. They dug into their meals as if they'd been starving half to death.
Leia was describing one of the negotiations she'd had with the Exchequer of Dantooine, which had been irritating at the time, but being home bought a sense of distance that allowed Leia to see the humor in the situation. Han's comments about it were equally if not more entertaining, and she shot asteria water out her nose at one point.
"Now look what you made me do!" Leia teased, still laughing. Han was about to make a witty comeback when the apartment was suddenly shrouded in darkness. The two had been so deep in laughter and conversation that they'd not noticed the shrieking gusts of wind and the pounding of a heavy rain, which may well have frozen as night fell.
"Looks like we'd better break out the candles," Leia said, making her way in the dark to the drawer in the kitchen where they kept some candles, and Han went to the storage cabinet where they kept a few oil lamps. Soon, instead of being completely dark, soft lamplight and candlelight cast a glow that was, to the minds of the couple, incredibly romantic. They returned to polish off their dinner, including a fruit pie that Leia loved.
"I'm going to weigh a thousand kilos soon," Leia laughed, taking a bite and savoring it.
"Actually, your medic's kind of concerned that you haven't gained much weight," Han reminded her. Leia had thus far gained less than two kilos. She had experienced nausea and vomiting in the beginning of a pregnancy.
"I know, I know," Leia said. She pointed to Han's half eaten slice. "Are you going to finish that?"
"No."
"Great." Leia grabbed the plate and enjoyed the rest of it, much to Han's amusement.
Han looked out the window. "No lights anywhere. Unless we get the power back soon, it's gonna start getting cold in here."
"We're pretty good at keeping each other warm," Leia purred seductively.
"I have an idea," Han said, grinning boyishly at her. He opened the fireplace and began to set a fire. "But wait, there's more!" He vanished into the storage closet and emerged with the inflatable mattress that they kept for when Luke and sometimes Mara came to visit.
"I can see where you're going with this," Leia said happily. "I'll get some bedding."
"No, you will not. Let me take care of you. Scoundrels like me live for this stuff."
"Then don't let me stop you." Leia smiled. She was nothing if not a self sufficient woman, but it was nice to be cared for by Han. He could do it and not make her feel diminished. When the heat was on, she was expected to pull her weight and she never failed in that regard, but Han loved taking care of her, and she finally was comfortable admitting that she, too, loved it, especially since she was pregnant and more emotional than usual.
Bedding having been applied, Han came to his wife and held her hand as he drew her up and dipped his chin down to kiss her. The two continued to kiss for a long period of time, breathing in each other, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.
"I missed you so much," Leia said once they'd come up for air.
"I've been dreaming about this since, well, since the last time I kissed you," Han told her, his voice a low, silky rumble. Leia slipped her hand under Han's shirt and began to massage the small of his back, an area that had begun bothering not that long ago. Her touch made him shiver and moan and he reached for the buttons on the back of her dress, taking his time as he did so, revealing just a sliver more skin with each fastener, his hands tracing patterns on her bared skin. The softness of her skin never ceased to amaze him. They joined lips together and Leia bit down gently on Han's lower one, a gesture that she knew he liked, assuming she didn't bite too hard, but she'd mastered that, and he moaned along with her as each button fell away. Her hands traveled up and down his back; Leia could feel the stiffness in his muscles melt away from the waist up, and some hardening below.
Han had removed enough buttons that the bodice of her dress fell to her hips, and he gently unhooked her bra.
"Well, what have we here?" he said, cupping one of Leia's breasts in his hand.
"They're the same ones I've always had."
"I've always liked them, but they've definitely grown." The pregnancy had begun to work its magic and her breasts had swollen, nipples enlargening and darkening a bit from their usual pale pink. He gently thumbed her nipples and Leia began to unfasten his shirt, her hands running gently through his silky chest hairs. She felt that he had the perfect amount; he didn't remotely resemble Chewie, but had just enough to let it be known that he was a man, a real one, and only she knew just how incredibly male he was.
He slipped his hands to her back again, unfastening more buttons, until there were enough that made her dress fall to the ground in a silken pool and ran his hand over the curve of her stomach. It still wasn't obvious that she was pregnant to the casual observer, but Han knew that along with her breasts, her belly was now increased in size. It was his child she was carrying, and it made him love her all more.
"It's going to get a lot bigger," she warned him playfully.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said breathlessly as she began to unzip his Corellian bloodstripe pants, stopping every so often to touch his erection. Each gentle touch made him gasp.
Naked now, Han helped lower Leia to the bed and joined her, her head on his chest, his arm around her. She'd begun teasing his erection more, and moved her way to his testicles. The bed was covered in soft fleece sheets and blankets but neither had noticed the lack of heat previously; passion provided the warmth, which between the two of them, was growing more intense by the moment.
Leia rolled on top of Han and began kissing him from the forehead, moving down to the tip of his nose, his chin, his Adams apple, and down to his nipples, which were intensely sensitive; Leia knew to go gently there. He was writhing under her touch as she moved to his navel and to the good things below his waist. He raised himself a bit and let his lips rest on one of her nipples, making her cry out from pleasure.
"Han...more..."
Han tried to speak but his breathing and heartbeat were so intense that speech eluded him. It had been over two months since Leia had felt up to making love, but she was making up for lost time now.
Han's hands moved towards her belly again, down into her curls which were now damp with pleasure, sliding a finger into her and watching her arch her back and whimper. She moved on to her back.
"You look beautiful," Han said, low and sexy.
"I'm going to be huge in a few months."
"You'll be sexier than ever."
"You're kidding."
"Sweetheart, there's nothing sexier to me than you carrying our baby." Their mouths locked again, taking in the taste of each other, arms around each other, the salt taste of sweat in all of their kisses.
"I want you inside of me," Leia whispered, her voice low and sultry.
Han frowned. "It won't hurt the baby, will it?"
"We have lots of time to get creative, my sweet scoundrel. But let's do it like we did the first time, on our way to Bespin." Han gently lowered Leia on to her back and mounted her carefully, pressing their hips together, him taking pains to enter her slowly, watching Leia climax twice before he fully entered her. He kept his rhythm slow at first, holding out as long as he could before he finally gave a moan and shuddered violent in a bursting climax.
Neither spoke for a while as they rested in each other's arms, the glow of the firelight casting gentle shadows across them. The power was still out, meaning the heat was off, but they were warm and comfortable.
"What a wonderful welcome home," Leia said, her voice drowsy.
Han cradled her closely, his own exhaustion taking hold.
"I always did like a blustery night," he murmured as the two drifted off to sleep.