A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a small delegation of New Republic personnel, led by General Han Solo and his wife Minister Leia Organa-Solo, is sent to a rural village on a planet in the Outer Rim for a routine mission. On the way from the space port to the village, their speeder breaks down and the group is forced to spend the night in a centuries-old wooden dwelling in a forest that is rumored by the locals to be haunted by spirits of the departed. The group turns in for the evening, and a few hours later, Leia hears a noise in the hall…
Objectively, Leia knew that whatever was in the hall was probably harmless, if there was anything out there at all. It could just be the house settling; she'd read that wooden dwellings often did that. At least the door was on Han's side of the bed. She closed her eyes and listened to his steady breathing, willing her own lungs into a similar pattern.
Rain began pinging the window pane, followed by a brief flash of lightening and distant rumble of thunder. The floor in the hallway creaked again, and this time, she was sure she heard footsteps.
Leia was never one to back down from a fight. After facing off with countless politicians and coming out on top in numerous blaster fights, she had no reason to doubt her ability to protect herself from anything. But as the creaking continued and adrenaline began surging through her veins, nothing sounded better than Han's protective embrace.
She nudged his shoulder until the snoring stopped and he rolled over. He didn't say anything as she pulled him over top of her and snuggled into his chest.
A sudden, bright flash of lightening coupled with a near-instantaneous clap of thunder startled them both into full alertness.
"You alright?" Han asked when he realized that she was buried beneath him.
"Yes. I just thought I heard something in the hall and it frightened me," she admitted sheepishly.
"Is my little princess afraid of things that go bump in the night?" he mumbled teasingly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Your scoundrel will keep you safe," he promised, kissing her temple. His head fell into the crook of her neck, his forehead resting beside her, sharing her pillow. Leia let the fuzzy feeling of being protected flutter through her.
The footsteps began again, and this time, Han heard them, too.
"I can see why that bothered you," he conceded, rolling off her and sitting up. Leia drew up beside him. "Can't you tell who it is?" he asked, referring to her Force abilities.
"I'm too worked up to focus deeply enough."
"I'm sure it's nothin'. Someone probably just can't sleep," he postulated. The footsteps began pacing quickly in front of their door.
"I don't like this place, Han," she murmured, their eyes never leaving the door.
Han was just about to reply when the rusty door knob rattled. Leia's hand clenched around Han's arm. The knob turned with a grinding screech and the door creaked open. Leia wasn't breathing. A shadowy figure peered around the door at them.
Han flipped the bedside lamp on.
Luke was peeking at them from behind the door, squinting at the sudden light. He blushed when his eyes finally adjusted to the light. Han and Leia were still sitting up in bed, Leia tucked protectively behind Han. Han wasn't wearing a shirt and Leia had on only a thin night-shift.
"Kid! You scared us half to death," Han scolded, drawing a few deep breaths.
"Sorry, guys. I thought this was the 'fresher," Luke explained.
"One door further," Leia directed. Luke muttered something between a 'thanks' and a 'goodnight' and shut the door behind him.
"See? Just your brother, bumpin' around in the dark," Han teased. "Nothin' to be scared of." He shut the lamp off and pulled Leia close again.
"Don't tell me you weren't scared for a minute there, too, flyboy."
"Naw. Nothin' scares me." They lay together in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain.
The confused footsteps sounded in the hall again and Han sighed.
"Got lost on the way to the 'fresher, got lost on the way back. It's a miracle the kid didn't make a wrong turn on the way to the Death Star," Han muttered, climbing out of bed to go direct Luke back to his room. "There's nobody out here," he told Leia.
"You were probably just hearing things," she replied. He shut the door and the footsteps passed right by the door. He threw it open and looked up and down the hall before slamming it shut again. He was back across the room and in bed in two giant steps.
"Not scared of anything, eh?" Leia teased as they huddled together in the dark. The footsteps resumed and were accompanied this time by a low, maniacal laugh just on the other side of the door.
They slept with the lights on for the rest of the night.
AN:Please R&R!