A few hours later the party was still going strong. Han couldn't remember the last time one of these parties had gone on for so long, but it wasn't every day that there was an event of this magnitude. He had actually managed to have a good time once Lando had dragged him reluctantly to meet the Rogue pilots. He got caught up in their youthful enthusiasm and actually enjoyed talking to them, seeing how they were genuinely interested and not just making conversation - interested not just in what he had done, but in specific piloting maneuvers he had pulled off. It wasn't that often that he got to discuss those kinds of things with people who actually understood what he was talking about, and their apparent awe was also starting to grow on him. They reminded him a bit of himself at that age, which was a nice change of pace from the old men Han usually got stuck talking to.
He was already on the Kessell run when he heard the voice of Mon Mothma echoing through the loudspeakers and calling for the attention of the room. Why did speeches always have to ruin a perfectly good party? Nobody ever wanted to listen to people talk, anyway. With his eyes focused on the Chief of State, he didn't notice the slight form of his wife approaching before she slipped an arm around his waist and rested her head against his chest while the sweet smell of her perfume wafted into his nose.
Han didn't hear a word Mon Mothma was saying. His head was lost in his own memories of the war and its climatic conclusion. Had it really been that long ago? He was snapped back to the present when everyone in the room raised their glasses high in the air, Leia doing the same by his side. Han raised his own.
"To the end of the war, and peace in the galaxy."
The room erupted into applause and Han took a sip of his drink, only now realizing how long he must've been holding it since it was warm and flat. He decided to set it aside and get a fresh one later.
The orchestra began to play another tune, and Han turned to look at his wife. "Another dance?"
Leia merely smiled, took his hand and led him back to the dance floor.
Several dances later the crowd had begun to thin. No matter how great a party was, it had to end sometime. Han and Leia were intermittently saying goodbye to people, and Han was reminded by a sharp growl from his stomach that he had forgotten to eat dinner. He tapped Leia on the shoulder while she was saying goodnight to General Rieekan. "I'll be right back, sweetheart."
Leia just gave him a nod of acknowledgement while Han slipped over to the buffet to see what was left. It wasn't much, but he got a few remnants of what was probably once a delectable spread and was now simply cold and chewier than he figured it should be. He turned to stand with his back to the table, defeated and still hungry. He tried to form a mental picture of his kitchen back home and remember if he or Leia had remembered to restock the pantry.
The picture vanished in a flash as he felt a hand slide onto his behind. "Hey!" He instinctively arched forward, but quickly relaxed when he saw that familiar red dress.
"Sorry, you never had any objections to my doing that before." Leia said.
"I didn't know it was you."
"What, do you get a lot of strangers who come up and touch you like that?"
"Can you blame them?"
"Nope." She stood in front of him and slid her hands into the back pockets of his pants. A bold gesture in public, but with his back up against the buffet table nobody could see it. "Are you ready to go home?"
The gleam in her brown eyes told him there was only one obvious answer. "Without a doubt."
They exited the grand ballroom, hand in hand. The few remaining guests were all awaiting one of the many droid escort cars that had been arranged for rides home for what would surely be a room full of inebriated guests. Han wasn't drunk, but he also knew enough to realize when it was best for him not to be in operation of a vehicle. Besides, not having to concentrate on driving gave him the opportunity to get the best part of his evening started with Leia in the back seat.
The droids assigned for these tasks typically were hard-wired to keep their attention on their flight path. So it was no problem for Han who was hard-wired to focus his attention on his wife. Well, his attention, and his hands, and his lips...
From the moment they had entered the vehicle and Han had told the droid where to go he had his hands on Leia's back, pulling her towards him for a devouring kiss that he had been dying to give her since they had left their apartment seven hours ago.
Leia responded with equal fervor and he felt her starting to pull the jacket off his shoulders. She must've suddenly remembered where she was because she stopped herself and instead rubbed one hand against his back while the other slid up into the hair on the back of his head. He loved it when she did that.
Now he was forgetting where he was, because a wandering hand started to slide up the outside of her thigh and under her dress. He felt her hand clamp down on his and she pulled her lips away. "Slow down, hotshot. We're almost home. I can't have you ruining my public image. Someone might see us."
"That's what makes it so exciting." He playfully nibbled at the side of her neck and got the laugh he was looking for. They would be back at their apartment in less than five minutes, but to Han at the moment, that seemed like an eternity.
She placed her hands on Han's cheeks and brought his face to hers for one more taunting kiss. "You waited years the first time, you can handle a few more minutes now."
She didn't give him a chance to respond but instead turned in his arms and leaned her back up against his side. "It is pretty amazing, isn't it?"
Han had no idea what she was referring to; his mind was only focused on one thing at the moment. "Huh?"
"How much has happened in the past five years. How different things are. Not being at war anymore."
"Oh," that certainly hadn't been where Han's train of thought had been headed. "Yeah. Never would've happened without you."
"Or you."
"Me? Nah, you would've found some other smart-ass to do the junk that I did. You're the one that led them."
"Oh, will you stop trying to play it so modest? It's pretty out of character."
"Hey, I'm just trying to get you into bed. And that, sweetheart, is very much in character."
"Well then, you're about to get your wish, because we're here."
The vehicle pulled up to the front of the building that housed Han and Leia's apartment. Han exited first and extended his arm to assist Leia. The cool night air gave Han a chill, and seeing as he was considerably more covered than Leia, he moved quickly to get her inside. They waited, hand in hand, for the repulsorlift to arrive in the lobby. Once inside, Han was surprised when Leia pinned him against the wall and moved in for another kiss.
"Not worried about your reputation anymore?"
"I figure we're safe by now," she responded before kissing him once again, opening her mouth to slide her tongue against his. Han had never regretted so much choosing an apartment on the 237th floor. Why did all of the buildings in this city have to be so damn tall? After another eternity, the doors finally slid open and Han just managed to stumble forward after Leia detangled her leg from his.
They made it across the hallway and were finally in the privacy of their own apartment. All along Han had been thinking about the bed, but his anxiousness only got him as far as the couch about two meters from the door, where he promptly collapsed on top of Leia as gently as possible, never breaking their embrace.
"I thought you said you wanted to get me into bed," Leia said.
"This was quicker," Han replied as his mouth worked against the sensitive skin on her neck.
"I hope you don't plan on doing everything the quick and easy way."
That stopped Han cold and he pushed himself up on his arms to give her a mock-hurt look. There was a wicked smile on her lips, and he could tell that she knew she had said just what she needed to say to get exactly what she wanted.
"Never." He swept her up in his arms and carried her towards their bedroom.
Leia smiled at Han as his eyes never left hers while he carried her. Reaching the foot of the bed, he lowered her carefully onto the mattress and moved to hover over her. She expected him to pounce immediately, but was surprised when he paused and simply gazed at her adoringly. She reached up to run a hand along his cheek as he pressed it into her palm.
He leaned down and kissed her slowly at first, just a touch of his lips on hers. Her response was quick and unquestionable as one of her hands slid up through the hair on the back of his head and Han immediately became incredibly frustrated by the fact that they were both currently fully clothed.
It was Leia who moved first to remedy that situation, moving her hands to the collar of his jacket and harshly pulling it down his arms. He shook the garment free without breaking the kiss.
She moved next to the buttons of his shirt, trying her best to work the fasteners quickly but finding it difficult. In his frustration, Han quickly sat back and pulled the shirt off over his head, tossing it aside and smiling down as Leia admired his well-muscled chest.
Han leaned down on his elbows and slid his hands underneath Leia's back, quickly finding the zipper of her dress and sliding it down. "You know how much I love seeing you in this outfit, but it can't even compare to seeing you without it."
"I did tell you it was going to be worth the wait."
He slid the straps away from her arms and then pulled the dress down and away from her body, pressing his lips against her as he worked it off. Not having been able to wear a bra with the dress left her breasts exposed immediately, a fact that Han took advantage of as he circled his tongue around her hardened nipple, causing her to shiver.
She never, ever got tired of his touch, his caresses, the way he made her feel. She sometimes had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't just a dream that she got to spend the rest of her life sharing a bed with this man. She gasped as she felt his mouth between her legs, pressing against the lacy fabric of her panties, suddenly wishing that she had foregone that undergarment as well. But Han made short work of them, taking the waistband in both hands and sliding them under her hips, down her legs and onto the floor.
Watching Han undress her had always been a secret pleasure of hers and never failed to make her smile. Every time it was as though he was unwrapping some special gift and he couldn't wait to see what was under the wrapping paper, even if he already knew every centim of her body by heart. He kicked his boots off quickly, as though only just then noticing that he still had them on. Then he crawled back over her, kissing her lips, her neck, anywhere he could reach. Every nerve ending in her body tingled as his warm hands caressed her skin, one of them slipping down between her legs and setting her afire.
He moved his lips down her body slowly, pausing to run his tongue around her navel and then moving lower before she found herself gasping his name. Every move he made brought her higher and higher. When he stopped for a moment to look at her to gauge her reaction she recovered just enough to speak. "You know, I'll never get pregnant that way," she said as she eyed the pants that were still covering his lower half.
He gave her his best lop-sided grin. "I know how it works, sweetheart."
She slid her foot down between his legs and felt his growing need. "I know you know how it works. Although if anyone could manage to get a woman pregnant without even taking his pants off, I'm sure it'd be you. But I'd prefer it if you took them off."
"I like it much better when you take them off for me," he replied, grinning at her.
She didn't need much convincing and sat up quickly, reaching down to release his belt buckle, undoing the fastener and then achingly slowly lowering the zipper while her eyes never left his. She slipped her hand down beneath his briefs, smiling when she saw his eyes shut instinctively and heard him let out a low moan. After a few moments, she finally pushed his pants down off his hips and then brought her hands back up to tug at the waistline of his briefs, finally leaving him as naked as she before she lay back down against the bed.
As he moved to hover over her once again and she saw the adoring look on his face, she was briefly reminded of what they'd been trying for these past few weeks and she wondered if any child had ever been conceived by two people who loved each other so deeply. It hardly seemed possible.
She smiled and curled her leg up around his waist, urging his body closer as his lips met hers. It wasn't until he pulled away from her kiss that he looked deep in to her eyes and slowly pushed into her. It was a sensation that never failed to cause her to gasp, the feel of becoming one with her husband; the most intimate act possible that she would never share with anyone else.
She felt his lips move down to take her earlobe into his mouth, feeling his breathy whisper against her ear, "I love you."
She didn't need him to say it to know that it was true. He was in the middle of loving her with every part of his body, every fiber of his being, and he was trying to become the father of her children. Yet still, every time he said the words, her heart felt a little fuller and she smiled.
She turned her own head, now pressed against his cheek, so that she could mimic his movements and whispered into his ear before running her tongue along it, "I love you so much, Han."
"Oh, Leia," Han replied, lost in ecstasy as he slowly rocked his hips against her.
He kissed his way back up from her ear, across her cheeks and made it to her lips for one more passionate kiss before he finally pushed himself up on his arms to look down at her. She reached up and brushed a hand along his cheek, then wiped the mussed hair from his forehead, only to have it stubbornly fall back near his beautiful eyes.
There were nights when they made love that they were far more vocal, offering words of encouragement and exclamations of pleasure. But tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight the actions spoke for themselves with only increasingly rapid breathing and the occasional sigh or moan escaping their lips.
She relished nights like this, when they both acted as though they had all the time in the universe and only each other to share it with. And she was continually amazed at the way he could make her feel, but somehow knew that he felt the same. They moved slowly for what felt like an eternity, hands roaming each other's bodies and tender kisses being exchanged.
As the tempo increased she found her body beginning to crave release and she saw the intense look of concentration on Han's face as he pulled his head away from her, letting her know that he was getting close as well, his hips moving faster and more pleasurably against her. She clutched at his arms as she felt the warmth building inside of her, starting from where she and Han were united and radiating outwards to her extremities as every muscle in her body clenched, her body arching toward his.
When reaching that point on other occasions she'd often call out his name, but this time all she uttered was a wordless gasp at the overwhelming sensations of complete release and she felt Han tense and shudder above her simultaneously, looking deep into her eyes before burying his face in her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his now-sweaty hair.
Han exhaled a few sharp breaths against her neck and she felt his muscles finally relax before he lowered himself down to her side and lay down beside her, an arm wrapped around her upper body tightly, a leg draped over hers and his mouth and nose trailing against the side of her neck.
"I love you," he said in a low, quiet voice.
She turned her head to look into his eyes, nearly unable to speak while seeing the way he was looking at her. "I love you."
He smiled against her neck and shut his eyes. At that moment, feeling entirely fulfilled and feeling the warmth and love radiating from her husband's body, she felt completely content. Relaxing in his embrace, she reveled in the fact that they had just made love in the truest sense of the expression, and she thought for a moment that there was a possibility that they had just taken the first step in starting their family.
She felt Han's breathing deepen as the warm air escaped against her neck and she rubbed his back soothingly as she drifted toward sleep. She felt a warmth originating right around her navel but had no chance to contemplate it before slumber overtook her.
