He found her out on the balcony, where they often went to relax. Their apartment looked over the splendor of Coruscant. The sky was typically filled with airspeeders on their way to and from work. Right now, the city was barely awake, the dark blue of the night's sky giving way to the light purple, yellow, and orange of the sunrise. He couldn't see the sun yet, but it would only be a matter of minutes before the giant star peeked through the skyscrapers. It was a truly beautiful sight. When Han woke up without Leia by his side, he realized that she was out on the balcony. He decided to take his breakfast out with her, but soon he discovered she wasn't relaxing.
She wasn't even looking at the breathtaking sight in front of her. Her attentions were instead focused on the small holographic figure of their Chief of State, Mon Mothma, a datapad switched on and stylus moving across the screen furiously as the leader talked. Han could see some official seal on the corner of the document opened on the pad, and he rolled his eyes. She was fully dressed, her hair braided and up, indicating to Han that she wasn't going to take a break today.
He knew that even if he did announce his presence, she wouldn't hear him, so he just took a sip of kaffe and pulled up a deck chair. It was far too early to start an argument, frankly, it was too early to be doing much of anything, so he kept quiet. After another half hour of the silent treatment though, he began to get annoyed.
Han was about to say something, when Leia replied to something Mon said that really ticked him off.
"Yes, I'll be there in a few minutes."
He frowned at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "No you won't! It's a Saturday."
Leia, for the first time that day, looked at him exasperatedly. "Can we talk about this in a second? Sorry, Mon."
"No problem, I'll be in my office waiting to go over the document with you."
"I'll be there." She then pressed the button to end the call and turned toward Han. "Han, what was that about? We were talking about something very important."
"What was that about?" he repeated incredulously. "Do you even know what day it is?"
Leia waved her hand and began to pack up her work bag, sorting it and getting ready to leave. "It's a Saturday, you just told me."
"No, that's not it." He stood up, his finger pointing down at her. "I can't believe you sometimes," he called back to her, storming into the kitchen where two plates sat cold on the table. She followed him, unable to keep up with his long strides.
"What about you? I was in the middle of a-" she stopped abruptly as she took in the scene, the two cold plates, the impatient look on his face. "You made me…?" She stood in disbelief as he poured another cup of kaffe.
"Yep, neachy on flatbread. With honey. Your favorite." He stood in the corner, sipping from his mug, but Leia suspected that he was much more upset than he was showing. She often worked on Saturdays, but it seemed that today was different.
"Why?" she asked incredulously.
He still didn't look up at her, instead pouring himself another cup. "If you haven't figured it out by now, it's not worth explaining. When you're done with whatever life or death thing you're doing with Mon, come see me in the hanger."
"But I have other-" The look he gave her over the rim of his cup shut her up. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she arched her brow. "Fine," she replied tightly. "I'll be there."
"Do you want something before you leave?" he asked half-heartedly, already knowing what her answer would be.
Leia briefly considered reheating the breakfast Han made her, but shook herself out of it once she thought of how Mon was waiting for her. "I had a bagel when I got up this morning. I'll see you later."
"No, you didn't."
Leia pursed her lips. "Fine, I'll have a bagel when I get to the office."
"Good girl. Now come over here and kiss me before you leave me." He gestured her over casually and she rushed over to peck him on the cheek.
"I really have to go…" Leia almost scolded as she picked up her bag and left the kitchen. Han could hear her muttering as they strode out of their living area, and the door slammed behind her.
He sighed and sat down to eat his cold breakfast alone, as he often did.
Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars
Though the meetings with Mon were often boring, Leia wondered for the umpteenth time since it started if she'd ever been in one this boring. Trade rules and regulations often excited her, but today it seemed as if it were her least favorite subject. She found herself tracing the cracks in the wooden chairs with her fingernails, her mind buzzing with everything but the topic on hand. Leia almost had the feeling that on this day she wasn't supposed to be here, and Han's odd behavior this morning had certainly added to the feeling. Every part of her was itching to be somewhere else, and at a break in the official conversation, she gazed outside at the city, thinking.
After a while, Mon finally smiled at her in a final sort of way. "Thank you for listening. I'm sure when you get back, we'll be able to form a more concrete solution."
Where am I going? Leia mused to herself, but then determined that her Chief of State must be talking about the next time she goes to her office. "We have a pretty good outline down; it should be easy enough to finalize." She stood and began to organize the documents scattered across Mon's desk, shoving them in her bag, excited to be out of there for some reason.
Her leader gave her a small knowing smile that unnerved her. "I don't want you to worry about it until you come back," Mon said in her soft spoken voice- the voice that the universe somehow managed to all listen to. Leia was beyond confused at this point, but nodded in affirmation and turned to leave. "Oh, and Leia...congratulations."
She paused, but thought of Han in the hanger bay and decided to let it go. "Thank you."
Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars…
As long as I'm here, I might as well be fixing something, Han thought to himself moodily as he ripped a wire out of a small console. He'd been fiddling around all day, making up his cabin, picking things up in the cockpit, unwilling to get to the dirty stuff. When two hours had passed and Leia still hadn't gotten out of her meeting, he decided he might as well get something tangible done. However, just as he'd ripped out the wire that controlled the power to the small device, he heard the padding of small feet coming towards him. He sighed, thinking that his luck today had just about run out.
"I thought I'd find you here," Leia smiled softly, resting against the doorframe.
He discarded the object half-heartedly and stood up to greet her. He put on a smile, trying to shake off the bad mood that had been accumulating all day for her. "Took you long enough." He winced once the words came from his mouth, knowing they'd been too harsh.
Leia frowned, but ignored the comment. "The meeting took far longer than I'd expected. Now, can you tell me why people keep congratulating me? I'm not pregnant…"
"Yet," Han commented slyly.
She gave him a look and continued. "It's not my birthday, it's not your birthday, Luke's not married, we're not married… what is it?"
He raked his eyes over her, smiling. He knew that if it were the other way around, he'd be getting yelled at for forgetting such a grand occasion, so he took pleasure in seeing her confused. "You can let your hair down, since you're not going anywhere else today." With that, he left and made his way to the cockpit. Slowly, Leia reached up and began to undo her braids, slightly annoyed at Han's vagueness. She was convinced that the galaxy was playing a trick on her. She followed him into the cockpit, and sat in Chewie's unoccupied seat.
She noticed that he seemed to be preparing the Falcon to leave and she frowned in confusion. "Where are you going?"
"We are going on an adventure for a day or two." She opened her mouth to protest and he cut her off with a finger. "Don't start lecturing me on your busy schedule, because I've already cleared it. A few days ago while you were in the shower, I canceled all of your meetings for the next two days." He flipped a few more switches and Leia could hear the ship come to life, the engines roaring in response.
"But…you can't do that!" She was stunned, angry, relieved, and maybe just a little impressed. She'd been extremely busy for the past year with hardly any days off, and maybe a vacation was just what she needed. It still didn't erase the fact that he meddled with her job, though, and for that she was angry.
"To hell I can't! Now strap yourself in; we're leaving."
"But my clothes! I haven't packed or any-"
"I packed for you, and I doubt anything matches, but where we're going, it doesn't matter. It's in the cabin." His gaze softened as he looked at her tenderly. "C'mon Leia, let's have an adventure."
One thing about Leia was that she knew when she was cornered. Knowing it was no use to argue, she sighed and buckled herself in. Soon, they left the hanger and were soaring for the skies, through the other vehicles, and past the skyscrapers. It was always somewhat of a novel feeling going from the atmosphere and into the vast never ending wonder of space. She was quiet for a moment as she looked down at the planet they just left, feeling the worries and responsibilities fall from her shoulders.
Curiosity finally got the better of her and she turned to Han with a teasing smile. "Now, will you tell me where we're going?"
"Manaan."
She frowned. "The water planet? You chose a water planet for our vacation? And isn't it pretty far away?"
Han shook his head. "With the hyperdrive working, it shouldn't take too long. Only a few hours. It's in the Pyrshak system, in the Inner Rim, so we only have to cut through the Core and part of the Colonies." They were far enough from Coruscant at this point to use the hyperdrive, so he flipped the switch to send them into hyperspace. He turned to her once the star lines ran across the view screen, and seeing that her hair was down, he took a lock and pulled on it a little. "You'll find out when we get there. Have you ever been to a water world on vacation before?"
Leia hesitated, thinking about it for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I went to Mon Calamari with my father on a mission once, but that was so long ago." She looked away from him, lost in memory of the trip with her father. She had been bored out of her mind, but now she wished more than anything to relive those moments, for now they were gone.
Han made a face, trying to divert her attention to thinking about her father. "Mon Calamari? That's not a proper water planet. There, the fish talk to you."
Leia smiled gently. "That's not very nice."
"I know," he winked. "Now, what do you want to do with all the time we have before we get there?"
Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars… Star Wars…
Manaan was a rich, dark blue, the color of the ocean on Alderaan on a calm day. There were patches of white, fluffy clouds periodically, but for the most part, the planet was all blue. There wasn't a piece of land to be found. Leia briefly recalled some of her history classes on her home planet, and remembered that, like Cloud City on Bespin, there were some floating cities. Leia assumed that Han would be taking her to one of those, and remembered with bittersweet fondness of how beautiful Cloud City was.
During their traveling period, Leia had changed into the practically nonexistent red bathing suit that Han had brought for her, with some persuasion from him, and he had changed into his own plain black suit.
As they neared the planet, Leia noticed that Han was directing the ship to a spot without a
floating city.
"What are you doing?" she laughed fondly at him.
He grinned lopsidedly. "Patience, sweetheart. You'll see."
He flew closer and closer to the water until they were hovering above it using their repulsor lifts. Leia heard the sound of balloons being filled with air and she looked at Han quizzically, knowing he wouldn't answer her. She sighed as he lowered them into the water, only half surprised to find out that they were floating.
"YT-1300's come with platoons," Han explained to Leia as he unsnapped himself from the seat.
"Ah," she answered, looking out the window. She could tell that Manaan was in the latter half of the day cycle and getting pretty close to sunset. She guessed it would only be a few hours before the sun went down. Han got up and walked briskly to the hatch, which he lowered.
"Wait here," he ordered, and he turned on his heels and walked down the corridor.
Leia looked down at the wavy water, wavy but not violent, interested as to what Han's theory was. He came back in a matter of moments toting with him a hovering jet speeder. It looked similar to a landspeeder, only with two skis at the bottom if the rider wanted to turn off the hover option. The handles had some buttons on it, and the seats looked just big enough for two people. Though it was recently painted black, it could hardly cover the fact that the speeder was a few years out of date, and, knowing Han, probably more than a little dangerous.
Han had a backpack slung over his shoulder, which he stuffed into the small back compartment of the speeder when he reached Leia's side. When he stood, he smiled proudly at Leia, who looked skeptical. "So, what do you think?"
"Do you think it will run?" she asked, shaking her head in bemusement.
Han rolled his eyes and began to walk it down the ramp. "Of course it will." He led it into the water and straddled it, turning the handle and the engine roared beneath him. "Told you so," he grinned.
"Smart ass," she smirked back.
In response to her insult, he patted the seat behind him invitingly. She quickly tied her hair up so the wind wouldn't whip it around. Uncertainly, she walked down the ramp and slung a leg over the speeder, then finally sat down completely on it. The speeder bobbed down a little from the extra weight but soon stabilized. Quickly, before she could change her mind, Han closed the ramp and he steered them away from the floating ship.
Leia looked out, seeing the sun reflecting across the waves, and watching the birds fly across the water. Periodically, a fish jumped out, only to get caught in the talons of a flying bird. These birds were exotic, as they had both feathers and scales, and were all uniquely colorful.
The wind brushed against her face, and she looked down at the speeder gliding over the water in a way not to cause a single ripple. She slithered her arms around Han's waist and leaned her head against his back, feeling more relaxed than she had been in a long time.
They glided along like that for some time, but then Han turned around. "Do you want to get this party started?" he asked roguishly.
"Wha-?" And before she could even finish her answer, Han dropped them into the water on the skis. They parted the water easily as Han revved up the engine, and they zoomed across the waves, bumping when they hit a particularly big one. Once, they passed another sentient fish on a speeder and he gave them a giant wake. They rode it, and when they dropped down Leia let out a loud call of delight. The front of their jet speeder submerged and Han laughed with her. Her hair had long since been taken out of its confinement and was now flying free behind her. Sometimes a spray of water would hit them and they'd laugh.
The sun was getting lower in the sky, and Han finally stopped the engine and they hovered once again above the water.
"Could you hand me the sack I put in the compartment behind you?" he asked. Leia was beyond suspicious and excited for whatever surprise Han had in store for her, and so she handed him the sack and he rummaged through it.
He produced two A99 Aquata breathers, small devices that allowed air breathing creatures to breathe underwater for a period of time, and handed one to Leia. She raised an eyebrow at him but slipped it over her head just the same. He fit his in his mouth and dived into the water. They couldn't talk with the devices in, so when he resurfaced, his hair all wet and plastered adorably on his forehead, he just raised a challenging eyebrow at her. Rolling her eyes, she put her own breather into her mouth and dived in after him.
The water was the perfect temperature, and beautifully clear. The bubbles swirled around her and she took in a deep breath through her breather. She couldn't see much of anything yet, except the clear blue of the ocean, but she understood what Han was getting at when he took her hand and started swimming down.
They swam for a while, and new sights were unveiled to her. There were fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors that swam alongside them, brushing against them and some even curiously following them. Aquatic plants were attached to sculptured rocks, and Leia assumed that the Selkath, fish creatures of Manaan, took it upon themselves to sculpt the rocks. She saw rock formations of droids, of tauntauns, of banthas, and even a few of humans. There was even one that came from Alderaanian folklore, a woman with a fish's tail.
She even saw a few Selkath swim by, their blue skin nearly camouflaging them against the beautiful blue of the ocean. They waved gentlemanly at them, and continued with their conversation in their fishy language. They passed another group of smaller Selkath passing a ball of woven seaweed around and Leia thought with awe that they were playing a game.
A pair of friendly looking mammals swam up to them, and Leia recognized them as the same creatures Mon Calamari used for transportation on their own world. Han grasped the fin of one, and Leia quickly grabbed the fin of the other, and the fish swam down with them on their backs. As they zoomed by, Leia could see a light getting closer and closer. She could only just make out the tall pillars of gold and she realized they were close to an underwater city. She wondered with a thrill if this was the designed location of the trip.
Once they were within one hundred yards of the city, Han released the fish and Leia followed suit. They nuzzled into their hands fondly, then swam off.
They made for the city, but Han stopped only to scoop up an ugly looking circular rock.
Soon enough, they pushed up on the dock of the underwater city and removed their aquatic breather. Though the sensation of the breathers wasn't altogether that bad, she still took deep breaths of the oxygen of the city.
The city was bright, but not with any form of electricity. There were giant bugs that almost looked like butterflies zooming around everywhere, emitting a golden light. Leia reached up in awe to run her hand over the wing of one of them, and it flew away quickly. Han was putting the rock he found into his pocket, then went to join her.
"It feels like velvet," she murmured in awe.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Come on, let's find a place to dry off. We can walk around, have dinner, but then we have to get back to the surface before the sun sets."
The Selkath living in the city walked upright, and were speaking in their native tongue. They seemed uninterested in the visitors, but Leia was clearly very interested in them. She hardly noticed any more that she was barely wearing anything, and whatever she was wearing was wet; she was too intoxicated by this new world to care.
"Here we are," Han said proudly as they reached a restaurant. "They have fantastic seafood, and they give you towels."
"You've been here before." It wasn't a question, and Han only nodded.
They were able to sit them right away, and the interior was decorated with mainly golds, blues, purples, and pinks. A fish waiter pulled out her chair for her, and Han sat across. They had a view of the city and the ocean outside, and were able to make out the fish swimming to and fro. The waiter then returned with two extremely fuzzy towels, and Leia nestled in hers while Han gave their drink orders. Leia always preferred it when Han ordered her drink- he always knew what she liked anyway.
"This is amazing," Leia commented, still awestruck at how the day had gone.
He looked at her before responding, the still sopping wet hair framing her beautiful face, and the small bit of swimsuit peeking out between the edges of the towel. He laughed, and she joined in.
"You're amazing," he breathed when he stopped.
She blushed a little and took a small bite of the flatbread they put in front of them, realizing now how hungry she was.
Their Selkath waiter soon returned to take their orders, and they just talked. They talked and talked as they hadn't had the chance to in months. They discussed everything, and even when their dinners came they just kept on bonding. Leia never wanted these moments to end- the moments when she could just be herself with the man she loved more than anything.
Unfortunately, sooner than she would have liked, it was time to go. The swim back wasn't as hard or as long as the swim down, as they found another pair of excitable creatures to tow them back up. It was peaceful, seeing the ocean pass by. These creatures hardly had any worries, and Leia wondered what it would feel like. She briefly considered leaving the universe behind and disappearing into the ocean with Han, living without cares. But she knew she'd never belong; she always had to be doing something, helping someone.
When they finally resurfaced near their speeder, the sky was a colorful mess. They quickly hopped on and zoomed along the water to get back to the Falcon before the sun completely disappeared beneath the horizon. Leia watched the sun set, the sky turn into a painting.
Just as they reached their ship, the sky was turning into one of the night and the planet's eight moons were beginning to show. Guided by the light of the moons, Han was able to open the ramp and they trailed the speeder inside.
"I was thinking we could stay here for another day, just out on the water. What do ya say,
Princess?" he smiled gently, lovingly, down at her.
"I have nowhere else better to be," Leia responded, linking her fingers with his. "You made sure of that."
Han seemed to be lost in thought, but suddenly snapped out of it. "Follow me," he ordered teasingly and pulled her to the kitchen, where he took out the rock he found. "This is for you." He gave it to her, and Leia took it with a confused look, her hands closing around the rock. Then he chuckled. "Right, you don't know what this is."
He then took the rock back and slammed it suddenly against the countertop. When it didn't garner the result he was looking for, he slammed it again, and the rock split in two. Jewels of every color poured out of the cracked pieces and fell onto the counter and some on the floor. Leia gazed in awe at the apparently ordinary rock, and trailed her fingers along the beauty that it contained.
"These are really rare, I'm surprised I found one. They're all real," Han commented casually, though his eyes showed how pleased he was with her reaction. He used two fingers to tilt her chin up to look at him. "Happy anniversary." He grinned, his eyes now mocking her.
Her eyes rounded out and her mouth dropped into an 'O' of surprise. "I… I didn't know…" his princess sighed. "You're never going to let me forget this, are you?"
He leaned down and kissed her gently. "No, never." Then he looked back at all the stunningly beautiful gems. "Pick your favorite, Princess, because that'll be the one that goes on your engagement ring."
He very nearly fell on the floor due to the assault by a very excited princess.