The rebels had found a new location for a base on a forest moon in the Outer Rim, uninhabited and far out of the scope of Imperial patrols. A group of new recruits was sent out under Leia's command to clear an area of trees big enough to land troop transports. Han had agreed to go as well, a decision he was fast regretting. Rieekan had failed to mention how hot and humid the moon was, and he'd begun sweating from the minute he was off his ship.
Leia, not one to lead from the sidelines, had begun stacking timber and hauling brush from the moment the first tree hit the ground. The recruits worked intrepidly all day and Leia looked out over the clearing, inspecting their work. She caught sight of Han on a ladder several meters above the ground taking branches off a tree. She let her eyes linger on his muscular frame for a moment and watched in horror as he fell backwards to the ground.
She calmed, however, when the clearing was filled with Corellian expletives the instant Han had his breath back. Leia smiled in spite of herself and resumed piling branches on the growing fire that was doing nothing for the temperature in the clearing.
They finished a few hours before dusk and after looking over the newly-erected camp, Leia dismissed the men.
Han wiped his dripping brow and scanned the edge of the clearing for the overgrown trail he'd seen from the ladder. It probably led to the river and had been made by some animals during the migration season. He found it and slipped off into the underbrush. He'd kept it a secret, knowing that a dunk in the spring would be a perfect way to cool off after clearing brush all day. He checked over his shoulder a few times as he crashed through the underbrush to make sure no one had followed him, as the addition of a few other sweat-drenched men would make his hideaway less than ideal.
After vaulting over a fallen tree and tripping through a patch of brambles, he heard the waterfall trickling. Coming through the last of the brush, Han found himself in a beautiful pocket of the forest. The waterfall was on the far side of a glimmering pool of water that looked to be endless in the rock beneath his feet. Copper glinted in the rock wall behind the waterfall. The pool emptied into creek that snaked off, out of sight, through the forest. He quickly divested himself of his shirt before kneeling to take a drink. His hands stopped just short of the water, however, as something began to surface rapidly from the depths.
Han was suddenly nose to nose with Leia Organa. She opened her eyes once her face was out of the water and started violently.
"Han! What are you doing here?!" She demanded once she'd recovered her breath.
"I could ask you the same question," he replied, sitting back on his heels and watching her float out to the center of the pool. "I saw this place when we came in and I thought it might be nice to cool off." He kicked his boots off and tossed them next to his shirt. He noticed a uniform, her uniform, folded and placed neatly on a rock not far from where his shirt had landed. Han's head snapped back out to her head bobbing in the water, but the rest of her body was obstructed by a cloud of brown hair. As if reading his thoughts, she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, of course, hotshot," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "there is a camp full of men 300 meters away and I decided to go skinny-dipping." She pulled her hair out of the way to reveal what was probably a standard-issue white tank top and shorts. He didn't reply, just threw his pants with the rest of his clothes and jumped in in his boxer shorts.
The water felt heavenly. It washed away the sweat, dirt, blood, and sawdust and replaced the overbearing heat of his skin with a cool feeling. Leia, in the meantime, had moved over to the waterfall and was floating beneath it. He watched her pull herself up onto a shelf of rock behind the curtain of water and he swam over to join her.
"This is incredible. There weren't many waterfalls like this on Alderaan," Leia said, looking around the small hollowed out space hidden behind the waterfall. He smiled at her. It was rare that she so freely offered any insight into her life on her former planet.
"There are supposed to be a few on Corellia, but I never made it to any of 'em." They stood in silence for a moment, appreciating the rumble of the falling water. "I've been on base so long that I forgot there's other sounds besides engines and air recyclers," Han chuckled. Leia smiled.
His eyes swept quickly over her, appreciating the way the water made her shirt cling to her skin. In his appraisal, however, he realized that her shirt was far too big for her and definitely belonged to a man.
"Whose shirt is that?" He asked quickly, cringing at how madly possessive and jealous the question sounded. She looked at him hard, as if assessing his motives for asking.
"Sergeant Dameron's," she answered after a minute. Hold on.
"Dameron? Kes Dameron? Kes Dameron's married!"
"Yes. To Shara Bey, my pilot, who lent it to me," she said triumphantly when the look of realization and then embarrassment crossed his face. "I do believe you're jealous, Captain." She gave him a playful shove and he fell backwards through the curtain of water.
Hearing the splash, she peeked around the edge, waiting for him to surface, worrying when he didn't after a few moments.
"Han?" She called. She tried to discern where he'd gone in from the ripples, but the waterfall made it impossible to tell. "Han, what are you doing?" There was still no sign of him 'That's a three-foot drop, Organa! There's bound to be sharp rocks under there. And after he fell from that ladder this afternoon… What the hells where you thinking?!' She thought to herself. "Han!"
Suddenly, Han appeared, feet finding purchase on a ledge near the waterfall. She screamed as he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back into the water with him. They surfaced together, both shrieking with laughter, and he kept her from drifting too far away with his hands gently on her hips.
"That'll teach you," Han teased, smiling.
"Han, you scared me to death!" She scolded playfully through her laughter, smacking him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, who was close to death? You shoved me off a blind ledge," he shot back, making sure to keep the smile on his face so she would know he only meant to tease.
They'd drifted over to the side of the pool by their clothes and he gently set Leia on the edge. This put them at an even height and he took advantage of the rare opportunity to look straight into her eyes. His hands slid up her back until they rested near her shoulder blades. Her eyes searched his face and lingered on his lips for a moment before settling back into his gaze.
She didn't fight him as he gently tugged her forward. This is really going to happen. She was going to let him kiss her, after all this time. He leaned toward her and she tilted her head up to meet him. Han's palms were sweating—how long had it been since he'd been this nervous about a kiss? He could feel her breath on his chin and his nose bumped her cheek. Suddenly, there was a crashing in the brush.
"Princess Leia, I heard you scream and—oh." Han looked up to the forest behind Leia. Shara Bey was halted just inside the clearing, blaster drawn and raised.
"We're fine, Shara," Han said gruffly. Shara made herself scarce, but the moment had passed. Leia was already ringing out her hair and pulling on her uniform. Han raked a hand through his hair and pulled himself onto the rock. By the time he was dressed, she was gone.
Leia avoided him for the rest of the day. He saw her across the camp, setting guards and securing camp. She showed up late for the evening meal and sat for only a moment to eat a few bites of the rations. The rosters showed that she was supposed to sleep on his ship, and he returned from checking systems for the night, he saw that the door to the bunkroom had been shut.
'This is a mess,' he thought to himself. He walked into the galley and was startled when Leia walked in behind him.
"I just…need some kaf," she mumbled, not meeting his eye.
"I was about to have a drink," he offered, holding up his glass. She nodded and he passed her a glass. He tilted his glass towards her and knocked it back. She reciprocated the gesture.
"Han, I… I'm not angry," she said.
"Good. Me either." He replied. She had to know that he didn't resent her for closing herself off. She didn't look away. Maybe he could try that kiss again. He tugged her into his embrace again and tilted his head down to meet hers, pleased to see that she wasn't pushing him away. They weren't quite as close as last time when Luke came crashing in.
"I didn't mean to interrupt… sorry," Luke said, not sounding very apologetic. Leia tensed in his arms.
"What is this, some kinda sick joke?" Han muttered. He looked down at Leia, who was beet red and avoiding eye contact. She gave a small, insincere smile.
Han looked over to where Luke was still standing and gave him a 'get the hells out of here' look. Luke, however, seemed not to notice. Leia pulled out of his embrace and put more than a reasonable amount of space between them.
"What do you want, kid?" He asked, trying but not succeeding to keep the anger from his voice.
"I just got off shift. I came to see what you guys were…up to," Luke said in his emotionless jedi way.
"I'm going to bed. Don't forget that the officers' briefing is at 0700," she stated. Han watched as she tightened her shields again, running for cover behind her station and title. Luke muttered that he'd be there. Leia's bunkroom door slid closed again and Han and Luke were left staring at each other.
"Sorry," Luke mumbled again with little conviction.
"T's'alright, kid." Han grumbled back, throwing back another shot of whiskey. This is an absolute mess.
AN:Poor Han and Leia! I wonder if they'll ever get together...
Please R&R!