take the spade from my hands (and fill in the holes you've made)

Chapter two

Leia slumped over her papers, completely disheartened. She was sitting at a small desk in the Mos Eisley archives house. She had poured over the records of from the last eighteen years, and Obi-Wan Kenobi had been frustratingly absent from every single one of them.

Not that she was entirely surprised. If Tatooine was renowned for anything, it was its lack of law and order.

She leaned back in her chair, running a hand over her face, and stretched out her legs. Dressed in a pair of beige linen trousers, white button up top, and light blue cloak resting on her shoulders, she looked more like young eighteen year old girl than a princess and senator. The small wooden pendent hung around her neck, resting on her chest.

Well, at least this wasn't a total loss she thought to herself, thumbing over her notes. She looked up any boys named Luke that have arrived on planet around the time of her…their birth.

There were none.

But then she looked through all schooling records corresponding with their ages, and she found two. Two Luke's:

Luke Dryyard and Luke Skywalker.

Luke Dryyard lived in Mos Eisley, while Luke Skywalker lived about 80 kilometers from Mos Eisley, near a small town called Anchorhead.

She picked up her satchel from the floor and placed it on her lap. She opened it and carefully rummaged within its content, finally picking up a rectangular device. It was small portable bio-sensor. It not only tested glucose, cholesterol, and toxin levels, but also DNA.

She held the device to her finger, and winced as it pinched her, drawing a minimal amount of blood. She glanced at the screen and watched as her information flashed onto it. She saved it to the system and put it back in her satchel.

Leia almost wanted to give up all hope. What were the chances that she'd every find this hidden General or this long lost brother? Especially on this dump of a planet. She should give up now. She would, if she was only looking for General Kenobi, but she wasn't. She knew if she went home now, she'd wonder about Luke for the rest of her life. Did he look like her? What was he like? Was he happy? Did he feel like there was something missing, too?

Don't give up said a soft voice in her head. Don't give up.

She stood up, feeling strangely empowered. She slipped the satchel on under her cloak, pouch resting on the hip opposite her blaster holster. She flipped her hood over her plainly braided head and walked out of the building.

Leia walked into eleven cantinas before she was able to get any information on Luke Dryyard. When the bartender pointed out a man at a round table of six hear heart skipped a beat. Luke Dryyard had broad shoulders and dark brown hair cropped short to his head. She felt slightly sick with nerves.

Could this man be her brother?

He laughed at a joke made by one of the others and took a large gulp of his drink. Leia took hold of herself and opened her satchel. She removed the miniature lab and lowered her hood. She walked up to the table and cleared her throat. The men looked up at her.

"Excuse me, are you Luke Dryyard?" she asked, shifting from one leg to the other.

Luke raised a thick eyebrow to his friends before standing to meet her. He was taller than her by a foot at least.

"Sure am," he answered, shifting his belt buckle with his hands and looking at his friends again. "And who just might you be?"

"Um, well," she said, knowing there was no easy way of doing this. She stuck him with the bio-sensor. If he was her brother than she'd explain; if he wasn't…

"Shavit!" he exclaimed, putting the stuck part of his hand in his mouth. Leia stared at the machine.

Not a match.

Her shoulders sagged. This man was not her brother.

"Sorry," she said, beginning to turn. "I thought you were someo-"

She felt at strong hand on her wrist and was pulled against Luke Dryyard.

"You don't go 'round sticking people like that. Who the frack do ya think you are?"

"Let go!" she said, trying to pull away from him. Her other hand reached for her blaster but he grabbed her other wrist in his other hand before she could grasp it. His friends laughed.

"Oh what are you gunna do about it, huh?"

"Let me go, or else!"

He laughed along with his friends. "Oh yeah, I'm real scared now, missy."

"Let her go, Dryyard."

Leia looked over her shoulder to see a man standing there. He was tall, with light brown hair. He had navy pants with a faded gold line going down each leg, navy vest, with a white shirt underneath it.

"Piss off, Solo. This ain't got nothin' to do with you."

"Sure, sure. But the lady don't look too happy."

"She-" but that was all Dryyard was able to say. In the interim of talking to this man, his grip had loosened on Leia's wrist. She slammed her fist into his jaw with all her might.

"Fracking bitch!" he exclaimed, letting go of her completely and grabbing his face. His friends made motions of standing up, but she pulled her blaster out of her holster before any of them were able to blink.

"Don't follow me," she said coolly, glancing at 'Solo' and noting that his blaster was out as well. She quickly backed out of the cantina, Solo mirroring her movements. She briskly walked into the bright moonlight and rounded the corner of the cantina. She stopped shortly, causing Solo to bump into her.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No, it's fine" she said, pulling her cloak around her and turning to face him. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said, looking at her face critically. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He held out his hand. "Han Solo."

She took it and shook it. "Leia."

He smirked slightly at her, not letting go of her hand. "You got a last name with that?"

She paused, wary to give out her real name. "Leia…Skywalker" she said, using the first name that came to mind.

He nodded and let go of her hand. "Nice to me ya, Leia Skywalker."

"Likewise, Han Solo."

They looked at each other for a moment. He is rather handsome she thought to herself. He had hazels eyes and…

She looked away. "I've got to get back to my ship."

He nodded, still looking at her. "Where is it?"

"It's…" she started and stopped. "It's on the other side of the city," she groaned.

"I'll walk you."

She put her hand to her blaster, eyeing him suspiciously. She didn't know Han Solo, and while he did just help her out, she would be damned to throw all her scruples away over a handsome face.

"Hey, listen," he said, hands out in mock surrender. "This place ain't safe for someone like you to be walkin' around at night by herself."

"Oh? And what does 'someone like me' I look like, then?"

His raised his eyebrows slightly. "Like an off-world easy target, that's what."

She studied his face. He did have a point. "Alright. Thanks."

They walked down the street, Leia crossing her arms under her cloak, Han sticking his hands in his pockets.

"So, why were ya messin' with Dryyard?"

"I wasn't messing with him. I…I thought he was someone else."

"Who?"

Leia sighed. "My brother."

Han's eyebrows shot up. "You thought he was your brother?"

"I don't know. I've never met my brother before."

"Really?"

"No. Never met him, never seen him. I don't even know his last name."

"Why? I mean, how?"

"We were adopted to different families. My father only just told me I had a brother."

"Well, that must have been a shocker."

"You can say that again. I couldn't even be angry at hiding him from me because he was on his deathbed." She didn't know why she was telling him all this. She hadn't said any of this out loud to anyone. She had taken a leave of absence from her office since the Senate was out of session. She hadn't told anyone where she was going.

"Oh," he said, looking down. "Sorry."

"Thanks."

"Well, obviously Dryyard wasn't your brother."

She laughed. "No, thank the maker. All I know that he'd be my age and lives on Tatooine."

"Not much to go on."

"No, it isn't. I just hope he hasn't…I don't know moved or something. I have another candidate…I guess I'll look for him tomorrow, but..."

"I'm sure you'll find him."

"Thanks" she said, smiling. "I seem to be thanking you a lot tonight."

"What can I say? I'm just that accommodating" he grinned. She laughed at him, looking at her boots. Suddenly, a group of rowdy men walked towards them, leering at her. Han moved closer, one hand moving to his blaster holster, the other moving towards her lower back, not quite touching her, but communicating a similar message. She grasped her blaster underneath her cloak, ready for anything.

When the men's voices faded he let his hands fall to his sides, but didn't move away from her. She let her hands fall to her own side underneath her cloak. She could almost feel his hand on the other side of the blue fabric, like he could grab it if he wanted to. She wanted to pretend that he was courting her, something she never really properly had. But no, that was foolish. Extremely foolish and stupid and silly to even think about. But still… She glanced up at him to catch him doing the same to her. They both looked away.

"So…what are you doing here?" she asked curiously. "Do you live here?"

"No, I'm just on a job."

"What do you do?"

"Oh, ya know. A bit of this, a bit of that. Smuggling mostly."

"Where're you from?"

"Born on Corellia. Best place in the universe."

She smiled at the child like pride he had in his homeworld. "And now?"

"Now," he said, opening his arms up, eyes glinting, "I live wherever my ship takes me."

"That sounds wonderful," she said wistfully. To flit from planet to planet. Doing whatever she wished. Not to have an entire people to represent, or a rebellion to take charge of. To be free. Not that I don't love my job she reminded herself. It would just be nice to be plain old Leia more often.

"Can't you do that?"

"No."

"Well, why not?"

"I have a lot of responsibilities," she said, disdainfully. "I'll have to return soon enough…hopefully after I find my brother."

"What do you do?"

"Oh, you know," she said evasively, smiling at him "A bit of this, a bit of that."

"And when ya find him? What will you do then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when ya find him, what are ya hoping to happen?"

"I… don't know. I haven't let myself think about it… I bet he still has family. So, it really depends on him…I mean, I would like to, you know, get to know him but I'm not sure what he'll want. It's different with me because I…" she trailed off, thinking of her father. "I don't have anyone else. It'd be nice if he'd want a relationship with me..." she stopped herself, embarrassed.

"If you did, ya know, have a family, would you still want a relationship with him?"

"Of course."

"Then I wouldn't be worried. I mean, he is your brother. That ought to count for something."

"I suppose so." She looked up, realizing they were approaching the spaceport. They both slowed and eventually stopped. She bit her bottom lip and played with the hem of her cloak. No, she thought, I don't want to go yet. She was being silly again. This man seemed to make her think of the silliest things. She shook her head slightly, smiling at the absurdity of her own thoughts.

"Well," she said, looking up at him again "we're here."

He nodded. She held out her hand and he shook it again, slowly.

"Thanks for your help."

"Like I said, don't mention it."

Quickly, before her senses were able to kick in, she went on her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourself," she said softly, lifting the hood of her cloak to her head.

"Yeah, you too," he murmured. She turned and began to walk away. "Leia?" he called. She turned to face him. "Good luck with your brother. I hope you find him."

She smiled at him softly. "Thank you. I hope so too." And with a small wave, she entered the spaceport, grinning to herself.

Kissing him on the cheek was hardly audacious, but it was bold for Princess Leia Organa. However, it seemed to fit Leia Skywalker just fine.