Leia was exhausted. She couldn't remember taking a nap in - well, EVER. But keeping up with a baby and commanding the rebel base was taking its toll. She yawned and stretched before turning on her side and noticing the empty crib in the adjoining room. How strange. Ben had been napping when she lay down. Han must have come in while she was sleeping. She shoved her feet into slippers, flipped her hair back from her face, and went to look for them.
It didn't take long to search through the small apartment. Leia felt a fluttering in her chest when she found it empty, and her breathing quickened. "Don't panic," she told herself. She grabbed a jacket and rushed out into the snow in her slippers. The blast doors to the base were closed, but she pressed her thumb against a keypad and the massive steel doors slid open, just wide enough for her to squeeze through, then slammed shut again. She headed toward the main hangar, which housed the Millennium Falcon as well as a fleet of X and Y wing fighters.
"Chewie! Have you seen Han?" He had his back to her, tugging at a maze of wires in the open panel. She hated the panic in her voice, but the Wookiee waved his wrench in her direction and bellowed a greeting. He turned his shaggy body to face her and she gasped. Strapped to his chest, beside the usual bandolier, was a sling containing her infant son. He was sucking on a pacifier and had a firm grip on a fistful of Wookiee fur. She ran toward Chewbacca, who leaned forward so she could reach the child.
Han's head popped out of the engine compartment, and he grinned at her. "Hey, Leia, did you have a good nap?" His grin faded when he looked at her feet. "Did you forget your shoes? Leia, it's cold out there!"
Leia grabbed the baby and cuddled him close to her chest. Suddenly robbed of the Wookiee's warmth, he started to cry. "I was looking for our son," she snapped, rocking the baby in an attempt to quiet him. "I had no idea what happened to him. I woke up and he was just gone!" Her leather coat was cold and wet, and the baby continued to fuss.
"Jeez, Leia, you know he didn't walk away on his own." Han glanced in Chewie's direction. "Sorry, pal, we know you wouldn't let anything happen to him." He glared at Leia. "I can't very well use a soldering iron with a baby in my arms. And Chewie does have two children of his own, you may recall. He knows what he's doing!"
"Not helpless children, like human babies," she fumed. "Ben is only eight months old! But that's not the point - you could have left a note..."
Their argument was interrupted by a loud klaxon. Leia and Han each activated a wrist communicator, and Chewie reached for Ben, who was screaming louder now, plucking him from Leia's arms and shielding his ears. The baby clung to the Wookiee's fur and quieted immediately.
"...TIE fighters, General Solo..." a calm voice squawked from the speaker.
Han looked at Leia. "They're short range fighters," he said unnecessarily. They were both familiar with Imperial spacecraft. "Where could they be coming from?" The question was rhetorical, and he sprinted toward the nearest X-wing.
Chewie bellowed in frustration. "Sorry, buddy," Han yelled over his shoulder. "These things weren't designed for an eight foot pilot!"
Leia took a single step toward the command post, then stopped and addressed Chewie. "Can I leave Ben with you, Chewie? You'll both be safe in the Falcon." Chewie nodded and waved her on with a chuff of frustration. He was not happy about sitting on the sidelines, but Leia knew he would protect Ben with his life. He disappeared into the ship and closed the hatch as she hurried off to her post.
A half hour later the mission was suddenly aborted. All the pilots returned safely to the hangar. The blast doors were still sliding into place when Han hopped out of his fighter and hurried down the ladder. He met Leia coming toward him across the cavernous space and shouted over the clatter. "What the hell were you thinking? We had them on the run!"
Leia shook her head. "It was my decision, General Solo. Just because the threat is invisible doesn't mean it doesn't exist." She stood her ground, hands on her hips. "They must have perfected their cloaking device, and God only knows what kind of ship is lurking out of sight. I can't justify risking my pilots…"
He interrupted her angrily. "Your pilots, or your son's father? Are you sure you're being objective, your Worshipfulness? Maybe it's time to step aside...or grow a pair!"
Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped dangerously to just above a whisper. "A pair of what?"
"Awww, why do I even talk to you?" He stomped up the entry ramp to the Falcon, pausing only to kiss Ben's cheek as he passed Chewbacca. Chewie handed the baby to Leia and growled something unintelligible.
"Thanks, Chewie." Leia sighed, accepting the squirming bundle. "I'm taking him home, in case the baby daddy asks." Chewie guffawed, shaking his shaggy head as he turned back to the Falcon. He shuffled up the gangway and found Han, fully dressed, sprawled on one of the extra-large custom berths in the sleeping area. The Wookiee stood, his head cocked, waiting patiently for the captain to acknowledge his presence.
Han opened one eye, then sat up. "She makes me crazy, Chewie. We were this close…" he held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart "and she calls us back to base. THIS close!"
Chewie parked his oversized body on the opposite bunk and looked at Han. He didn't say anything, just stared at his friend.
"Okay, maybe she's right - to a point. I mean, they are short-range fighters, and they had to come from somewhere nearby. And yeah, there aren't any planets close enough." He sighed. "The more I listen to myself, the more it sounds like it could have been a trap. So maybe she's just doing her job." He ran a hand through his hair. "But why do you always take HER side?" he grumbled.
The Wookiee laughed and shoved Han toward the door. "I'm going, I'm going." Han grinned. "But I'm not apologizing."
"I'm sorry, Leia." Han had let himself in and found Leia sitting on the edge of the tub, bathing Ben. He was happily chewing on a rattle while she washed his hair. She looked up when Han entered the room and knelt beside her. "I guess you were right to be cautious, but we had them in our sights. It's just frustrating, ya know?"
Leia was thoughtful. "I do understand, but sometimes I have to make life and death decisions based on the available information - and sometimes even a gut feeling. This was one of those," she continued. "It suddenly felt like a trap."
He nodded, unfolding a hooded towel for Ben. Scooping the baby up in his arms and folding the towel snugly around him, Han carried him into the nursery. Leia handed him a blanket sleeper, and Han deftly diapered his son and then dressed him. They climbed onto the bed, one on each side, and played with Ben until he started to yawn.
Leia smiled at the baby. "Okay, big fella, time to hit the sack." They both kissed him good night, and Leia laid him in his crib and covered him with a light blanket. He was asleep before she turned out the light, and she flipped on his night light on her way out, leaving the door open just a crack. Han was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Can we talk, Leia?" His voice was calm.
She nodded. "As long as we don't end up shouting - or getting sarcastic. Which would be a first, I think."
"Deal," he agreed, patting the bed beside him. "Do you think I'm threatened by dating a strong woman?"
Leia laughed, running a brush through her tangled locks. "Yes, Han, of course I do. Don't you? But just at work. At home, you can be the boss." She grinned and shook her head, sending silky waves shimmering over her shoulders.
Han leaned back on his hands, admiring the view, and smirked. "Well, it does take some of the fun out of it when I have to get your permission to be the boss." He reached out and stroked the soft strands.
Leia laughed and turned to him. Tossing the brush on the nightstand, she crawled up beside him and kissed him. "I think I know a way to make you feel better about...everything." She leaned in and whispered into his ear.
His eyes widened as he listened intently. "You serious? I've been trying to talk you into that for years!"
She shoved him onto his back and grinned at him. "I love you, ya big jerk!" She kissed him hungrily, her hands sliding up under his shirt. "And sometimes we just need to keep things interesting."
Later, they lay on their sides, facing one another. He took her chin in his hand and looked into her eyes. "Marry me."
Leia blinked, then smiled lazily. "Nope. You know it would never work. We'd end up divorced, maybe not speaking - this is better. It works for us. Living in sin." She chuckled. "I like the sound of it."
He kissed her slowly. "I want to make you mine."
She turned serious. "You know I love you. But we've had this discussion before. I won't belong to anyone, Han."
He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around her. They fell asleep skin to skin, hand to heart, but in spite of all that, still independent.