Han Solo sighed and stretched luxuriously upon the wide, cushy hammock. It was slung between two walls of a hut meant for much smaller beings, yet the strong hammock of vines and leather had been constructed especially for him. The Ewoks had made all four of their larger companions each their own hammock in their own hut, but Princess Leia Organa preferred not to sleep alone.

As Han pulled back from his stretch he let his arms fall naturally around Leia's figure, reveling in the joy it gave him just to know she was there. As he gently rubbed his hand over on of her arms, he felt the tight bandaging on her upper arm beneath the fabric of her sleeve; an injury she'd sustained during the battle which had taken place the previous day. "How's that arm feelin'?" he asked her.

"Much better," she replied contentedly, "Thanks to the medi-droid."

"The medi-droid?" Han feigned his outrage, "Aren't I the one who carried ya to safety and patched ya up?"

" 'Patched me up' is an overstatement." asserted Leia good-naturedly.

"Why don't ya go sleep with the precious medi-droid, then?" teased Han.

"Maybe I will." replied Leia. "She moved as if to get up, but Han put his hands on her waist and gently pulled her back into the hammock. Then, grinning, he reached down and kissed her.

"Admit it-" he told her, "I saved your life out there with my quick thinkin'."

"You saved my life?" asked Leia incredulously, arching an eyebrow as she twisted to look at him. "I don't know where you get your delusions, Captain Solo, but I certainly remember it the other way around."

"You'd been shot, I'm sure you weren't in your right mind."

"Then I suppose I just imagined it when you said you loved me." quipped Leia.

Han laughed, wrapping his arms more snugly around the Princess and kissing the top of her head. "All right, your Worship; guess you were more lucid than I thought."

"Lucid enough to take out a pack of Stormtroopers with one hand." she teased.

Han chuckled, "One o' the reasons I love ya so much." he whispered into her hair. The rhythmic swaying of the hammock combined with the enticing smell of Leia's flowing hair was lulling him to sleep. Her head, resting on his broad chest, rose and fell with each breath he took. Leia drifted off to the comforting beat of his heart with a contented smile on her lips. It was the first good, real sleep she'd had in years.

He had to admit it- he was gonna miss these weird furry dwarves.

It was the eve of their departure from the Endor moon, and the Ewok Tribe was throwing them yet another party. They had been devastated when Han had forced Threepio to break the news to them. Wicket had let out a despairing wail and had run at Han's legs with such force that he nearly knocked him down. Leia had laughed, but it was her turn next.

"Don't worry," she said consolingly to the downcast Ewok, petting the head which rested in her lap. "We'll come back to visit often." She made sure that Threepio had translated this last bit to them.

"We should probably get goin'." Han said as soon as Wicket had released his hold on the princess. "Chewie!" he called out.

The Wookie barked back from amidst a crowd of admirers. Han rolled his eyes, "You're the one who was so anxious to go in the first place!"

It was true; it seemed that their furry little friends were reminding Chewbacca of own family back home on Kashyyk, whom he hadn't seen since his last visit two years previously. Han admitted that it would be nice to see the Wookie family again, and made preparations to leave. That was a week ago. They had found it hard to leave their hospitable little friends.

Han looked down at the petite princess standing beside him. "You sure you'd rather come with us to Kashyyk?" he asked her.

Leia looked up, brown eyes brimming with affection for the handsome smuggler-turned-general. "Of course I'm sure." she said for what felt like the hundredth time that week.

"What about the Alliance? Mon Mothma and those guys; won't they need your help establishing the New Republic?"

"They can survive without me for a while."

"What, and I can't?"

Leia tilted her head, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Of course I do!" Han stated immediately, repositioning himself so that he stood directly in front of her. "I just..." he began, not wanting to sound stupid, "I wanna make sure you're doin' what you want."

She smiled gently and reached out on the tips of her toes to kiss him. "How many times do I have to tell you before it penetrates that thick skull of yours? This is what I want."

With one of his characteristic, lop-sided grins, a reassured Han placed his hands on the princess's waist and his lips upon hers. Leia's stomach jittered pleasantly at the sensation, as it always did at Han's touch.

When their lips at last broke apart, Han said in his low, velvety voice, "This is all ya want? You've never thought about anything more?" His glittering hazel eyes bored into her warm brown ones, making Leia's heart race. Of course she'd thought-no fantasized- about it. He had no idea what just one look, one kiss could do to her. Or maybe he did... Before Leia could respond, Luke, still wearing his black robes, approached them with a grave, yet genuine smile on his young, yet matured face. He was followed by a diligent Threepio. "Hi, guys. Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

Han straightened to his full height, an annoyed look on his face. Leia grabbed his hand before he could say anything snarky, and told Luke, "No, of course not. What's going on?"

Luke glanced briefly at Han's forced smile. "I just wanted to make sure you're still all right with me tagging along."

Han's face softened into a genuinely affectionate expression, and he clapped a hand to Luke's shoulder. " 'Course we're all right with ya." he said warmly, "Question is, are you all right with us?"

Both Luke and Leia gave him confused looks. Han gave them a lop-sided grin, "Ya know how some brothers can be about the guys their sisters date."

"If I didn't know any better," said Luke with the hint of a mischievous smile, "I'd think you were asking my permission."

"Then it's a good thing ya know me better," admonished Han, "Cuz ya know that I don't need permission for anything."

Luke's eyebrows rose slightly, and he glanced at his new-found twin sister. "Now I'm a little worried." he said.

Han opened his mouth to retort, then quickly closed it again when he realized what he'd said. Instead of arguing with Luke, he turned his attention down to Leia. "I didn't mean it like that, Sweetheart." he said apologetically. Her mouth tightened, but not from anger like Han thought. She was doing her best not to laugh at the uncharacteristically helpless look on his face.

"Honest, Leia, I'd never-"

She laid a slim finger over his lips, and he shut up immediately, hazel eyes wide. "I know." she said simply. Han let out a low, irresistible chuckle which caused Leia's stomach to flutter and her heart to melt. Unable to resist, she threw her arms around his neck and ardently met his lips with hers.

Luke regarded them with his head slightly tilted, unsure about what had just happened. "Am I missing something?" he muttered.

"I believe, Master Luke, that Mistress Leia and General Solo are referring to the moment when they first expressed their true feelings for one another." said Threepio matter-of-factly.

Luke looked over at the golden protocol droid. "When was that?" he asked wondering how in the world Threepio knew something like that.

"As I recall, it was on Bespin, just before General Solo was encased in carbonite." answered the droid promptly, "Mistress Leia was quite distressed. She told General Solo most heart-wrenchingly-"

"That's all right, Threepio." Luke interrupted quickly, "I don't need the details." he looked back to Han and Leia, wrapped in a close embrace as they smiled widely at each other. He could feel the intense emotions coming off of them in waves; pure joy and love, and for a moment, he felt his own twinge of sadness. Would he ever have that with someone? He sighed and turned away. Anyone who had that kind of a bond was very lucky. Luke grinned to himself as he walked through the village. Only Han Solo had that kind of luck.