Chapter 2:
There was no delicate way of putting it. Princess Leia Organa was drunk. Or if she wasn't exactly drunk, Han Solo thought, she was at least well past tipsy.
Despite the fact that he'd come to know her in a variety of settings and situations over the few months since they'd established the Rebel base here on Serricci, she'd always maintained a consistent control over herself, even during those times when she seemed at her most relaxed. But this was turning into a night of revelations.
The section of the general barracks that housed the Rogue Squadron pilots was packed with people, the efficient rows of two-tiered bunks and personal storage crates that made up the scant furnishings serving as makeshift seating arrangements and spontaneous tables. What had started as a small gathering of his friends and close colleagues sharing a quick toast to celebrate the Majority Day of their Commander, Luke Skywalker, had now blossomed into a full party, as word within the lower ranks spread. Han really couldn't blame them. It was probably the first such informal celebration that any of the Alliance personnel had enjoyed since before the destruction of the Death Star five months ago.
While most of the celebrants continued to make an effort to keep things quiet and below the notice of High Command, the music volume kept creeping up and the buzz of conversation kept growing louder to match it. Han realized that it was probably only a matter of time before the party spilled out of the now claustrophobic quarters and word reached the wrong ears. Under normal circumstances—or what might have passed for normal circumstances—Han would have been inclined to head back to his ship before the authorities arrived, but his motivation to leave the party suddenly melted away when an inebriated princess landed a little hard on the edge of the lower bunk, in the spot beside him that had opened up moments before.
"Goddess, what is this stuff?" she murmured, peering into the rather large tumbler someone had evidently borrowed from the Mess Hall.
"You probably don't want to know," Han grinned back. "The Corellian brandy I brought is already gone. They're calling this stuff 'jungle jet juice'."
Her pretty face scrunched up into an expression of disapproval, but she took another cautious taste anyway. He couldn't help chuckling as she downed it, made the face again, then sighed and leaned heavily against him.
Han raised an eyebrow in surprise at the casual intimacy. He'd noticed with some disappointment how Leia had actively avoided him all day, and how she'd stuck close to her friend Lieutenant Aldric all evening, while mingling with others at what he suspected was a safe distance from himself. He'd wondered if that was her way of dealing with the simple kiss that had caught them both by surprise the evening before.
Throughout the day, his own thoughts had continually returned to the memory of the quiet interlude on the Command Center rooftop, where he'd found her musing over her own looming Majority Day. He'd offered her a kiss in lieu of a gift and, to his lasting astonishment, she'd accepted it. In fact, she'd seemed to enjoy it as much as he had, and he'd spent the rest of the evening back at the Falcon feeling very pleased with himself. Her subsequent avoidance this evening, however, made it seem as if she were regretting the episode.
For the moment, however, her friend Keris seemed to have disappeared, and the princess had either succumbed to the need to sit, or she was taking advantage of the opportunity. He peered down to where her dark head rested against his upper arm.
"Happy birthday, Leia," he murmured in a voice low enough that only she could hear him. She'd discovered only last night, during the course of their rooftop conversation, that she shared a galactic birth date with Luke—even down to the exact year. For reasons she hadn't needed to explain, she'd asked Han to keep that information to himself, and he had. He knew the occasion must be more bitter than sweet for her, but he didn't want the day to pass without at least one good wish from a friend.
She tilted her head against his shoulder to glance up at him, and gave him a melancholy smile. "Thank you."
This was the first time all evening that he'd gotten an up-close view, and his practiced eye spotted the tell-tale signs that this cup full of booze wasn't Leia's first. It certainly explained the relaxed demeanor she was showing in public. Not that he was complaining. Although she was dressed in standard-issue uniform khakis with her head wrapped in practical braids, the heat in the overcrowded barracks had brought a flush and a fine sheen of perspiration to her skin that reminded him of how she looked whenever he saw her in running gear, after one of her half-mad circuits through the Serricci jungle. He dragged his gaze away for a moment, scanning the jostling, noisy crowd of Rebels around them, then redirected it back down at his matching mess hall tumbler.
"Better take it easy with this stuff, Princess. It's sweet, but it'll catch up with you," he cautioned, even as he took another swallow from his cup. His own eyes had begun to glaze over after he'd downed a generous quantity of the base-brewed spirit, in addition to the healthy measures of Corellian brandy and the flask or two of ale he'd imbibed.
"I'm used to drinking wine, but this…" Leia gave her cup a deliberate wobble.
"You like wine, huh?" That little revelation piqued Han's curiosity. He looked down at her, smiling faintly at the way her cheek was squashed up against his arm. She'd clearly had a bit too much of the mystery punch already. "You have a favorite?"
"Mmm, " Leia straightened up and seemed to sober slightly, to give the question careful consideration. "I love wine. There was a vineyard on Alderaan, owned by friends of the family. Faenel Vineyards." She blinked slowly, her thoughts far away. "They made the most delicious brandy. And beautifulwine."
She lifted her dark eyes then and gazed up at him, licking her lips. "Do you think you could find me a bottle from Alderaan?"
Han was certain she hadn't meant to look so seductive when she asked the question, but the effect on him was much the same as if she had. He couldn't stop the smile that began to spread across his face as he looked at her. It was very unlike Leia to request anything specific from his smuggling runs for her personal use, although she seemed to appreciate the small items—Kavasa fruits and the like—that he sometimes brought back just for her. Her habitual reserve seemed to have vanished tonight, though, washed away on a tide of jungle jet juice. It felt like he was looking at Leia now—not the princess, nor the senator, or even the Rebel fighter—but Leia herself. And she was looking right back at him. In that moment, he thought he'd be able to find her a bottle of anything she wanted.
Before he could answer her question, though, they were interrupted by the arrival of Luke Skywalker as he parted the standing crowd in front of them.
"There you are. I've been looking all over for you two." Luke gave them a bright, slightly tipsy, grin.
"You found us," Han smiled back, realizing as he said it how it sounded as though they'd deliberately tried to slip away for some privacy. With an odd thrill, he also realized how much he liked that idea.
Skywalker seemed to be holding his own liquor fairly well tonight, Han observed. He suspected it was because the kid had gotten a bit of drinking practice living on that boring dustball of a planet as a teen, but he could nevertheless detect a new and distinct lean to port in Luke's stance.
"Come on, they're taking holos over there." Luke gestured toward the door that led out into the main hallway of the barracks.
"Ah, no, kid, I'll skip it," Han refused with a shake of his head. He was never fond of having his holo taken, and he wasn't about to abandon this new and fascinating spot beside an intoxicated princess.
"Oh, come on!" Luke looked to Leia for support. She appeared even less inclined to get back to her feet, but when Luke held out his hand to offer help, she cast the quickest apologetic glance at Han before taking it.
Han watched as the younger man pulled Leia to a standing position. Like Luke, she was somewhat unsteady on her feet, and the two of them rebounded off of each other, lurching and laughing at their own clumsiness. Leia clutched at Luke's khaki shirt for balance and then, as if on impulse, she reached up to cradle his face with one hand, and planted a kiss on his lightly stubbled cheek.
"Happy Majority Day, Luke," she said, smiling up at him in open affection.
"Thanks." Luke's flushed cheeks went a shade darker and he ducked his head with a grin.
Han lifted his cup to his mouth to disguise the disquieting surge of emotion he felt when he looked at them. He couldn't even put a name to it, but it was unfamiliar—and unpleasant. With a grimace, he tilted his head back and drained the rest of his cup, and was then surprised to feel Leia grab his free hand and give it a tug.
"Come on, Captain. You're coming with us."
Whether it was the extra dose of alcohol coursing through his system, or the teasing glint in her dark eyes that drew him, he allowed himself to be pulled from his seat and dragged through the crowd.
They arrived at the doorway that led into the wide corridor, where a clearing had formed, with a tall Wookiee standing in the middle. Han should have guessed that his giant friend would be at the center of the gathering, his favorite holo-recorder in his big hairy hands. "Chewie, you are the biggest sap here!" Han called out over the heads and voices of the rows of people separating them.
Until you arrived, Chewbacca hooted back. Get over here. It's your turn.
Someone in the crowd called out for the heroes of the Battle of Yavin to pose together, a sentiment that was picked up by a second voice, and then suddenly they were surrounded by chants of "Pose! Pose! Pose!"
Han rolled his eyes and tried to head back towards the main room, but Leia still had a grip on his hand, and he found himself being pulled forward as the small crowd parted for them. This fiasco was his own fault for letting them take all those ridiculous propaganda holos of them back on Yavin IV. Now everybody expected it of them.
"I'm gonna need more fortification for this," he groused, and felt a cup being pressed into his hand before the words had left his mouth. He gave a nod of thanks to the Rebel who'd supplied it, took a deep swallow of the sweet brew, and grimaced.
"Me, too." Leia mimicked, tipping her own tumbler up. She followed it yet again with that scrunched up face that seemed to get funnier every time he saw her do it. "Okay, Chewie, take your best shot!" Leia then called out, which launched a whole new round of cheers from the onlookers.
This time Han did laugh. No doubt about it, he was seeing a new side to her—an exceptionally relaxed and friendly side—and he liked it.
Get them together, Chewbacca encouraged Han, gesturing with one hairy paw to the trio while peering through the viewfinder on his holo-recorder.
"Yeah, yeah," Han responded. He was a little surprised to realize Leia's hand was still firmly clasped around his, so he pulled her closer, while simultaneously holding out his other arm, cup still in hand, and indicating that Luke should step in. "Chewie says get closer." The kid seemed happy to oblige and the three of them managed to hold still for a few moments.
Once the holo was captured, he felt Leia release him. She took an unstable step away and turned a bright smile on him and Luke. "Now you two!"
If my eyes roll anymore, they're going to fall out and roll away, Han mused even as he slipped his arm higher to wrap around Luke's neck in a quick headlock as his copilot recorded another holo.
Luke was laughing along, and as soon as Han released him, he swung around and pointed a finger each at Han and Leia, indicating that they should pose together, too.
Han glanced at the princess, and for just an instant he thought he detected a hint of surprise and uncertainty in her muddled eyes, then her broad grin resumed and she returned to his side, this time boldly sliding her arm around his waist to hug him tightly. On instinct, his arm draped down around her back and his hand rested on her hip to hold her there, and for just a moment time seemed to stop as he marveled yet again at how well she seemed to fit up against him. It had been five long months ago, during their triumphant return to the Yavin base following the battle, when he'd last felt her holding him close like this—it was a brief moment that had oddly burned into his brain and haunted him ever since. In fact, she looked so comfortably ensconced at his side now, leaning into him, that it was easy to imagine they'd been doing that for years. The warmth of feeling that he sensed emanating from her as she embraced him was an aspect of Leia he'd only suspected, but had never been able to confirm until tonight. She was lively and cheerful; openly affectionate, too, beaming a smile up at him as he tugged her in even closer.
It was another instinct that made him duck his head down to whisper just loud enough for her to hear, "Whaddya say we blow this joint and go back to the roof?"
He wasn't at all sure what sort of reaction he was expecting, but he was pleasantly surprised when she laughed and gave him a playful rebuff, before leaning in to give him another tight squeeze. On impulse, he pressed a kiss to her temple, and she glanced back up with those impossibly dark, but somewhat hazy eyes to give him a direct smile. It must have been the lighting in the corridor, or more probably that second cup of jet juice, that made her eyes look so fathomless, as if he could fall right into them and drift in zero g.
"Alright, break it up," Luke nudged Han.
The spell was broken and Han glanced up, then around, to realize that Chewbacca had moved on and was capturing holos of other groups of friends forming around him.
"Awkward," Luke supplied with a stern frown in their general direction before leaving them and beginning to angle back through the jostling throng toward the main barracks room. "My cup is empty."
Han grinned and shook his head as he watched Luke go, feeling pleasantly surprised at how the evening had taken an unexpected turn. Far from avoiding him or keeping her distance, Leia now seemed content to stay close. She remained tucked under his arm, pressed against him and laughing as she tipped her cup back yet again. He scanned the corridor, trying to decide whether or not to battle the crowd and return with her to the main room for a place to sit, or to take her outside for some air. Then he felt Leia's grip shift around his waist and she tugged at the hem of his vest.
"My cup is empty, too," Leia announced, leaning into him and tilting the empty vessel towards him in illustration.
A quick glance confirmed her claim and, despite his own solid buzz, Han felt the first stirrings of real concern. Her large tumbler had still been half-full when they were seated, just a few moments ago, and it should have been enough to last her the rest of the evening. He frowned as he looked down at her now, realizing with some dismay that he would have to reconsider his plans. Leia's behaviour was becoming noticeably more uninhibited by the minute, and the last thing he wanted to see was the princess damaging her reputation with a drunken display. She'd moved from tipsy to decidedly drunk in a short period, and she'd just downed another generous measure of booze. Time seemed suddenly in short supply, and there was a whole new complication to consider. With a disappointed sigh, he shook his head.
"Yeah, I think that's the last thing you need right now," Han told her as he cast a glance across the crowd that had spilled out of the room into the wide corridor, looking for a familiar face he could trust. Then he spotted one and called out, "Keris!"
Fortunately the lieutenant was already heading in their direction and she perked to attention when he called her name. She worked her way through the revelers to finally reach them.
"There you are," Keris said to Leia, although her brown eyes continued to scan them both, taking in the scene before her.
Leia held out her tumbler. "Have you tried this stuff? It's delicious." She pouted slightly at her empty cup. "But I'm all out."
Keris demonstrated her own level of experience with this sort of situation by instantly assessing Leia's condition, and then locking her keen eyes on Han's. "Bar's closed."
"My thoughts exactly," Han agreed. "Problem is…" He glanced around again and then tried to give her a pointed look. "I need your help. I'd rather not do this alone."
Keris hesitated only a moment to read his intent, then she nodded in delayed understanding. "Come on, Leia. It think it's probably time for us to bow out for the night, before any generals show up."
"Alright," Leia drawled agreeably enough, but then—without releasing her grip around Han's waist—she leaned towards Keris with a conspiratorial air, and gestured back at Han, tapping his chest with her empty cup. "But can we take him with us? He's starting to grow on me."
Keris bit her lip, and studiously avoided Han's eyes as she dipped around to Leia's other side. She extricated the tumbler from Leia's grip and pressed it into the hand of a fellow Rebel nearby, then gently tugged at her friend's elbow to draw her away from her cozy position. "Come on."
Leia balked and caught Han's hand once more, leaning in to smile up at him with sparkling, unfocused eyes. "You're coming." Her words had the ring of a royal decree.
Han knew for certain then that he'd done the right thing by encouraging her to curtail her evening, as well as in calling for reinforcements. "Fine, let's just get out of here."
His agreement seemed to be enough to get Leia moving, and she offered no resistance as Keris helped Han walk her through the packed corridor and out into the humid night air. Aside from a sprinkling of other partygoers who had escaped to get some fresh air or to turn in, the circle of area within the blue artificial lighting was deserted.
"That was way more fun than I thought it'd be," Leia pronounced, swaying against Keris with a beatific smile on her face. "We should definitely, definitely, definitely do that more often."
Han stood a good head taller than both women, so he easily peered over Leia to meet Keris's amused glance. "Glad you had a good time, Princess, but it looks like the party's over. We'd better get you to your quarters."
The last thing they needed was a chance encounter with Generals Dodonna or Rieekan. In unison and clearly of one mind, Han and Keris ushered Leia toward the side entrance to the Officer's Quarters where her own private room was located.
They finally reached the door and entered, but Han paused, never having been in this particular structure before. Keris nodded to indicate which way to go. "Down this way." They passed several doors before she brought them to a halt. "This is our stop. Okay, we need your help, Leia."
"Oh." Leia pulled her arm away from where it had been wrapped around Keris's waist, and slapped her palm against the access panel a bit harder than she needed to. The narrow door slid open and Han moved in sideways, leading the trio into the small room.
Keris triggered the door closed and the two of them paused to exchange relieved expressions as Leia swayed between them. "Good call, Han. That could have been awkward."
He nodded in agreement. "Can you take it from here?"
The lieutenant smiled. "Yes, thank you. We're good."
"Alright. Good night, Princess. Lieutenant." He released Leia and turned to go, but lunged to grab her again as she began leaning at an alarming angle. Leia clutched at his arms and laughed.
Completely oblivious to the fact that she'd nearly plummeted to the floor, she beamed up at him and drawled, "Hey, I wanna tell you somethin'."
"Tell me tomorrow," he advised, looking down into her bleary eyes. Whatever Leia wanted to say, he had a feeling she wouldn't want an audience for it. Before she could speak again, Han gave Keris a pointed look and gestured with his head for her to help him.
Keris intervened then, sliding an arm around Leia's shoulders and steering her towards the bunk.
"Come on, Leia. You need to sit down."
Han assisted from the other side and the two of them maneuvered their friend to a seat on the edge of the narrow bed.
He sighed. "I sure hope she doesn't get sick. She downed that last glass before I could stop her."
"I'll get her some water," Keris offered, and disappeared into the adjoining fresher.
Han crouched in front of Leia, keeping a wary eye on her as she swayed on her perch. Her eyes drifted closed and remained that way, even as he lifted one foot to wrestle her boot off, and then attended to the other. He took hold of one ankle with the intent of pulling off the sock, but hesitated as his encircling fingers touched smooth skin. Her small foot wriggled against his hand as he dragged the sock down, and suddenly the simple act of removing that garment felt like the most intimate thing he'd done in a long, long time. The jungle jet juice was taking its toll on him as well, slowing his thought processes and making him hesitate far longer than he should have over what to do next. For a moment, he considered shoving the sock back on her foot.
I need to get the hell out of this bedroom.
But he was already committed to the act, so he finished the motion, dropped the sock to the floor and then, on impulse, covered the newly bare foot with his hand. Her skin was warm, impossibly soft and smooth, and for a brief moment he allowed his thumb to trace the delicate bones underneath. He looked up at Leia's face then and felt his pulse elevate as he saw her returning his look through slitted eyes. She gave him the faintest of drowsy smiles. He released her then and sat back on his heels, feeling a familiar flicker of desire and a wash of some other emotion he couldn't quite name.
Do you have any idea what you're doing, Princess?
She smirked at him and leaned back on straightened arms. "What about this one?" She lifted her other foot and waggled it in his face.
From the fresher, Han could hear the sound of running water and the light clatter of Keris rummaging around. Looking at Leia's sock-clad, wiggling foot, he shook his head, unable to suppress a grin at her playful teasing.
"Alright, but hold still," he admonished.
In response, she extended her leg and planted the sole of her foot against his solar plexus, dutifully holding it still for a moment, then began scrunching her toes against his chest. He could have sworn he saw a glint of something in her brown eyes that said she knew exactly what she was doing. Taking her slim ankle firmly in hand, he lifted the foot, stripped off the sock with quick efficiency and released her. She sat up then, gripping the edge of the bunk, and swayed a bit with her legs dangling off the edge. Her eyes drifted closed again, her smirk gradually fading. Han remained crouched in place to make sure she didn't pitch forward, listening to the sounds of Keris still rattling around in the fresher as he watched Leia's somnolent face. He couldn't decide just how much of this playfulness was the real Leia peeking through, or just the effect of too much booze.
"Y'know…," Leia mumbled, eyes still closed. "What I need is an assistant." In her drunken state, her words were so slurred as to be almost unintelligible. She opened her eyes then, and tried to scan Han's face, but seemed to have trouble focusing. Leaning forward, she cupped her hands over his ears, in an apparent attempt to hold his head still. She squinted down at him for a moment and then nodded her head, eyes drifting closed again. "Mmm, you'd do." She let her hands drop back down to rest limply in her lap.
Han couldn't suppress a laugh. "You think so, Sweetheart?"
Leia's eyes drifted open again and she poked a finger at his chest. "You. Are. Not. Bad." Leia enunciated each word carefully, narrowing her eyes and giving Han an appraising look. She mumbled something about his credentials. "But I needa check you out first."
"You can check me out later. I promise."
At some point Keris must have emerged from the fresher because Han heard her snort softly from behind him. "You're telling me you haven't shown her your credentials yet?" she asked, while setting the glass of water on the desk next to Leia's bunk. In her hands, she also had a damp face cloth, a dry towel and a handful of smaller items she'd collected from the fresher.
Han glanced around and up at the lieutenant with raised eyebrows, surprised by the blatant double meaning of her words. "Believe me, I've offered."
Keris grinned back at him. "So I've heard."
"She's not interested. At least, not when she's sober." Han shrugged a shoulder, attempting to feign a level of indifference that he was beginning to realize—with growing dismay—no longer applied to the woman swaying on the bunk in front of him.
"That's not entirely true."
Han's head swivelled around again, and he saw immediately that Keris had not meant to make that statement aloud. The sudden look of chagrin and panic that swept across her face was a dead giveaway. Han looked at her for a long moment, considering her words.
"You know I'm right here!" Leia interrupted with a suddenly irked tone before she turned away from them and collapsed sideways onto her bunk.
Han turned back to stare at the petite princess, watching as she crawled forward atop the bunk until her head landed on a pillow and she grew still. His own head was swirling with thoughts he had no business thinking. He gripped the end of the bunk to steady himself, then straightened up from his crouch. Serves you right for drinking too much, too, he thought with a measure of disgust.
"I'd better go."
Keris nodded, returning her attention to her friend now curled up on top of the covers of the bunk.
Han palmed open the door and stepped out, but was surprised to find Keris following him into the corridor. She kept the door open to avoid being locked out, but she clearly wanted to say something out of earshot of the semi-conscious princess.
"There's not much more I can do, either. She's just got to sleep it off." Keris shrugged. "She'll hate herself in the morning."
Han nodded, finding himself in the rare situation of not knowing what to say. Although he'd occasionally spoken with Keris in the past, it wasn't often and he didn't pretend to know her well. What he did know was that she and Leia had seemed to form a warmer friendship than he'd seen the princess do with anyone other than himself, Luke, or Chewbacca. And now, more than ever, he was reminded that the two women were probably even closer in some ways.
"Thanks for looking after her," he said simply, and meant it.
Keris smiled. "I was about to say the same thing. I'm glad you intervened before anything too embarrassing happened." She tipped her blonde head to one side and continued to give Han an assessing look, as if she were reaching her own conclusions about him. "Look…We've probably all had too much to drink tonight, and I shared something that I shouldn't have."
There was no question what she was referring to. Han couldn't stop the echo of her revealing words from swimming around inside his head.
"Don't worry about it."
"No…. It was flippant and…now I feel like I need to explain." Keris checked both directions of the quiet corridor to make sure they were still alone, then continued in a soft voice. "How Leia's acting tonight…. We're all adults here, so I'm going to be straight with you, Han. We can all see the attraction going on between you two, but she's under a lot of stress, for obvious reasons, and she's not in a good place to be making any sort of decision like that, at least not right now. I slipped up in there when I said that, but I take being her friend very seriously. You get my meaning?"
Han stared down at Keris. The petite blonde Rebel reminded him of Leia in many ways, but she was closer to his own age, and she clearly understood the darker sorts of things that went on, not only around base, but out in the galaxy at large. Her wise brown eyes lingered on his.
"Loud and clear. I know she trusts you. That's why I called you over to help."
Keris nodded again, as if recognizing that, at least in this topic, they were still on the same page. "Just so you don't go getting your hopes up and pushing her because of what I said. That was my mistake, Captain."
While he was a bit relieved to see someone else as fiercely protective of the princess as he'd become recently, at the same time he was starting to get the feeling he was being chastised. That rankled him, particularly since he thought he'd been on his best behavior lately.
"Look, I know you don't know me from the next guy, but I'm not that kind of man. I prefer my women willing and perfectly aware of what they're doing."
That judging look remained locked on him for another uncomfortable moment, then Keris seemed to relent at last. "Well, okay then. Now that we've gotten that out of the way."
"Right." Han glanced over the lieutenant's head and back through the open door.
Leia hadn't moved. She was still curled up on her side with her back to them. He looked at her for a moment, trying to identify the unfamiliar emotion that stirred within him at the sight of her small, sockless feet. Her heavy drinking tonight was a niggling worry at the back of his mind. She'd downed a large quantity of that concoction in a hurry—and not for pleasure, it was clear, but for its power to knock her out. She'd been through hell on the Death Star—he didn't know the details, but he knew that much—and the occasion of her Majority Day would have been an especially painful milestone in the process of dealing with what had happened to her there. He recognized how difficult it must be for her to endure the passing of her first birthday since the obliteration of Alderaan and the loss of her family. Although he couldn't blame her for wanting to escape from those thoughts and memories, he was concerned nevertheless.
Han became aware of Keris's thoughtful gaze on him. He dropped his eyes back to meet hers again.
"I would never hurt her, Keris."
She returned his look, and he saw the moment when she made up her mind about him. She nodded and then gave him a genuine smile.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I can see that. Have a good night, Han."
