Author's Note: Such a long chapter, in fact, that I split it in two. :-) enjoy. thanks to my super beta, there will be more to come, soon. thanks for your patience and reviews. (hint hint)

Four

Chewie, who had been patiently answering Leia's questions about his family back on Kashyyyk, paused in mid-sentence to stare pointedly at Han's palm, where it had settled on Leia's waist, but made no comment.

The Wookiee picked up the story as if there'd been no interruption, but he hadn't missed the shift in mood between his companions. Clearly it was time for him to make a discreet exit. He knew when he wasn't needed anymore.

Finding his glass empty again, Han disentangled himself from the Princess and gathered her drink up with his own. "Another round for everyone?" he asked, cheerfully, reaching for the Wookiee's glass as well.

Chewie kept his drink firmly in his paw and shook his head. ["No more for me. I've had enough. You two go on"]. There was amusement in his blue eyes as he added, with a casual sniff of the air, ["Someone should go take over for Threepio in the cockpit soon anyway."]

Han knew exactly what the Wookiee was doing and he felt his neck growing warm with embarrassment. Was it that obvious how much he was enjoying her company? Even if it had been brought on by the wine, her bubbly enthusiasm and her laughter were impossible to resist, and there was no harm in having a good time.

"Knock yourself out," Solo muttered, covering up his own discomfort by sloshing a good amount of wine into his own glass and Leia's. "More wine for us." He settled back onto the bench and dropped his arm firmly around her shoulders.

She took her glass from his other hand and snuggled closer. Lifting her glass to clink it against Han's, she laughed merrily, "More wine for us. I'll drink to that!"

["That's not a proper toast,"] Chewie argued. ["You can't drink to drinking."]

"Why not?" asked the Princess, pretending to sulk.

"To the Falcon, then," Han proposed carelessly.

"The Falcon?"Leia considered this solemnly. "You know, I think we should drink to her," she decided, lifting her glass again. "She may be a bucket of bolts, but without the Falcon, I'd probably be in a pile of ice right now."

"'scuse me?" Solo gave a snort of laughter, lowered his glass and stared at her, incredulous. "Did I just hear you say something nice,about the Falcon?"

["I heard her call the Falcon a piece of junk,"] Chewie pointed out, sitting back and folding his arms in mock indignation on the ship's behalf.

"No, no, th'other part," Han drawled. Grinning down at Leia, he teased her, "C'mon your Holiness, admit it. I think we're growing on you." He gave her an affectionate squeeze, half-expecting to get shoved away.

Instead, the Princess tipped her head back against his chest and smiled at him, upside down. "Don't get cocky, Flyboy. It's the Falcon who's growing on me, not you."

There was a guffaw of laughter from the Wookiee, who lifted his glass, amused, and offered a renewed toast. ["To the Falcon, then?"]

"To the Falcon," Han agreed solemnly, and then with a knowing wink at Leia, added, "and ladies who grow on you."

She grinned at him and touched his glass, and Chewie's, with her own. "To the Falcon," she echoed, carefully ignoring the rest of his toast, and the flush that had risen to her cheeks at his words.

The Wookiee added his glass to the salute, but only touched it to his lips, before setting it down on the table. ["I really am going up front now."] Slapping Han heartily on the shoulder, he chuckled. ["You two behave yourselves."]

"Always do," Han quipped, and he and the Wookiee glanced automatically at Leia, both expecting her to jump on this obvious opening to tease him.

Instead she raised her glass. "To behaving ourselves."

Chewie flashed his Captain an amused look and Han touched his glass to the Princess's. "To behaving ourselves."

"G'night, Chewie!" Laughing, she blew the Wookiee a kiss, which Chewie pretended to catch as he departed.

Han held his own drink at half mast, suddenly silent.

She was giggling.

Leia Organa didn't giggle.

"What's wrong, Captain?" she asked, pulling a face to mock his own serious one. Her smile was contagious and he found himself lifting his glass to his lips after all.

"Nothin's wrong," he said, giving her his most winning smile. "Nothin' wrong at all. What more could a man ask for? A glass of wine in my hand and a pretty girl beside me."

He drew her more firmly into the curve of his body and she dipped her head to rub her cheek against the softness of his shirt.

"Nothing wrong at all," she echoed.