GOING BACK TO YESTERDAY #17
The Later Adventures of Han Solo
HAN AND LEIA'S PRIVATE PARADISE
Walking slowly down the Falcon's hatchway ramp, Leia was more convinced, by what she saw, that her husband had picked a bad place for their private time away. Outside, there was an even more dense tangle of roots, brush, tall grasses and prickly, climbing vines.
"Han Solo, you're going to pay for this!" She exclaimed pulling a stray vine from her hair.
Han walked before her, with a 'czhat that had swallowed the glouse' grin holding aside branches and vine clumps so she could pass.
"Oh!… Oh…." Leia jumped on one foot trying to untangle her leg from a grasping vine. Han reached down and ripped it away. She gave him the 'look' again. He took a deep breath; he
had gotten used to that 'look'.
With the last swipe of the overgrowth, Han opened a view that took away Leia's breath.
Staring, open mouthed, Leia panned the view before her from left to right: gentle, mossy
slopes. Trees, with tiny white leaves, swaying gently; blue, aqua and rust colored moss
growing under the trees, the musical gurgle of a waterfall in the distance; flowers throughout
the scene, a large lake, with white cap breakers rolling slowly to the sandy beach; and, finally,
her view stopping at several, two meter high, slanted, tan colored monoliths to her right. Blue sky and sunshine bathing all in bright light.
She turned to look up at Han. "How did you find this place?" Han smiled.
"This was my hideout when I was…..smuggling."
She gave him an 'I don't believe it stare.'
"All smuggler's hideouts don't have to be dark, dirty, ugly places." He told her.
"It's about quarter of a size of a small moon…easily overlooked. I'd come here when
things were too hot for me, or I wanted to 'disappear' for a while. Oxygen saturation and gravity pull in my range. That tangled area is the perfect landing place for the Falcon…won't even cast a reflection if ships in the area are using search lights. From above, this place looks as cold and desolate as those other rocks and there aren't any other beings or animals here." At Leia's continued astonished look Han just shrugged.
"You never brought Chewbacca here?"
"He doesn't even know about this place."
"It's amazing that the overgrowth hasn't destroyed the area." Leia commented.
"When I was here, I walked a perimeter, using my blaster to burn a meter wide break,
around a large area; no overgrowth will advance past the burned area." Han explained.
Then, a twinkling light came to Leia's eyes and a promising smile played around her lips.
"You like it?" Han asked.
"I sure do." She moved to give him a tight hug and love filled kiss, which Han returned whole heartedly.
Making her way to the smooth, tan monoliths, Leia placed a hand on one. "It's warm."
"It's a heating stone." Han told her. "Thermal energy from the ground. Here," He indicated the small, smooth slab in front. "Sit down and lean back." They both sat on one, close enough so they could hold hands; Leia trailing slender fingers of her other hand in the cool, soft grass beside her.
"This is nice. …I'd like to have one of these at home." Leia commented, closing her eyes, as the warmth began penetrating through her tension-tight shoulders and work-tired muscles. Han squeezed her fingers and in the quiet of the place, they both drifted into a restoring sleep.
Leia woke, stretching as she opened her eyes. Han was gone. She sat up quickly and saw him
at a distance walking toward her, carrying some objects in his arms.
"I brought us something to drink." He said kneeling and reaching into his pant's pocket, drawing out a small knife.
"What's that?" Leia questioned about the twisted, pink, round object he was holding.
With the knife, Han cut off the top and handed it to her. "Hold it up and drink the juice."
She gave him a skeptical look but turned it up…a light, sweet liquid flowed into her mouth.
"That's good." She told him sucking the juice from her fingers. Han had finished his and was wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve.
"Want more?"
Leia nodded and they drank from several of the gourd-like pods.
"Now, you can eat the rest." Han told her.
"Let's take a walk around the lake." Leia suggested, a light wind rolling the small waves to the shore..
Arms around each other's waist, they wandered slowly down the pebble strewn path, savoring each moment….not even needing to talk. Stopping at one of the white leaved trees, Leia reached up and plucked a one from a thin branch. "They're so tiny…delicate…" she turned it around in her palm, "about the size of my fingernail." Han tugged her hand and they sat in the shade beneath the tree. In a sudden warm breeze, a swirl of leaves floated down around them, several landing in Leia's hair. "It's like snow."
Han smiled, and began plucking the white specks from her hair, then, silently, with both hands, loosening the plaits, fanning her hair out and drawing it over her shoulders like a cape. "I like your hair this way." He spoke slowly.
Leia blushed, surprised at her school-girl reaction with her husband. "It's not very practical for
fighting a war or conducting government business."
"No shop talk." Han whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.
Leia caressed his shoulders as they moved to a laying position on the soft, aqua moss. Arms entwined.
"Han…..Han…"
"What?"
"Do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"Please take off your blaster, the holster is cutting into my leg."
With a quick laugh, Han unbuckled the blaster belt and drew it from around his body,
laying it on the ground behind him.
Leia smiled up at him, mischief in her eyes. Han's heart skipped a beat; he'd not seen that look in her eyes since all those years ago on Bespin.
"Now," Han gave a quirky smile, as he lowered himself into his wife's
welcoming arms. "What were we doing?"
MORE TO COME….Dec. 10th.