I'm really sorry, because
one, this chapter in absolutely horrible, I hate it, but my friend liked it, so I decided to publish it,
two, although my PSLE ended on Oct 11, I didn't publish immediately. I watched the Lake House first (it was wonderful), then the next day, my teacher told me that my CCA teacher had passed away. I was so upset about her demise that I cried twice in school, and got hugged by my form teacher and the vice-principal.
anyway, this is chapter 3. Please read and review.
A couple so close, so madly in love, what exactly could separate them? Halley mused, twirling her pen around idly. She was sprawled on the bed of the unit she had just been given. It was last in the row, next to Jeri's, two units away from Leia, and three, just three houses away from the hunky Corellian. How could he be so near, yet so far?
She grabbed a notepad and scribbled in her haphazard handwriting
WHAT DRIVES COUPLES APART?
1. Arguments
Han and Leia had such a perfect relationship, she doubted they even disagreed with each other.
2. Financial matters
They weren't married yet, and as far as she knew, there were no bills or anything they had to share the cost of.
3. Fidelity to each other
just as she scrawled down the 'y', she sat up and blinked, then grinned widely. That was it! The slightest notion that a person's lover was cheating on him or her could easily cause a serious rift in their relationship.
Previously lethargic and enervated, she suddenly felt incredibly awake. So should she make it seem like leia was cheating on Han, or Han on Leia? Since it was Han she wanted (quite literally), that means the latter would be a more sensible choice. But how?
She settled back against the pillows. She would do it when an opportunity appeared.
Leia read the piece on Bothan culture, all the while scribbling notes onto a notebook. The next week, a delegation would be coming for negotiations, and she was head of the team.
She yawned and glanced at the clock. It was ten-thirty at night. She was about to continue when a knock stopped her.
She saw a person standing at the other side of the door connecting Han and her adjacent apartments. Smiling, she pressed her finger on the pad and the door slid open smoothly.
"hey Leia," it was Han. "why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'm still reading up on the eating habits of Bothans for that event." She covered her mouth as she stifled her yawn.
Han laughed. "Get some sleep. Oh, tomorrow Wedge, Luke, Jeri, Halley and I am going to the bar. You wanna come?"
Leia reeled back in shock. "Bar? No way!" she replied, aghast. How could Han expect her to go to such a lowly place?
"We're just playing pool, that's all!"
Leia shook her head firmly.
"Really, no drinking, I swear!"
Leia smiled. "Am I supposed to believe that after you got drunk last week and passed out, forcing Luke and Wedge to carry you back?"
Han held out his hands in front of himself in protest. "That was nothing! It's just that your stupid brother made me drink all that!"
"No way. Anyway, I don't know how to play pool."
"I can teach you!" Han sounded surprisingly earnest.
Leia sighed. "All right then."
Han grinned. "Good! See you tomorrow then." He kissed her forehead then walked out of the room.
The following night……
Han banged his fist against Leia's door. "Hurry up, Leia! The others are waiting already!"
Leia's muffled voice filtered through the door. "What am I supposed to wear?"
Han yelled, with a lecherous grin, "A mini-skirt and a tank top will do!"
"No!" Leia was mortified. Han heard her rummaging through her cupboard. A skirt caught her eye. It was bright crimson, and went to just above her knees. Flustered, she grabbed that and randomly picked a white blouse, ignoring the intermittent pounding from outside. She hurriedly wore them, then pulled on her boots and opened the door.
"Finally!" Han heaved a sigh of relief , then grabbed her hand. They ran all the way to the bar where Jeri, Halley, Luke and Wedge were waiting. They were standing around the table deciding on the teams.
"Let's do ladies against men," Luke suggested.
"No," Wedge said, a sly glint in his eyes. "Let's do couples. Han and Leia in one team, Jeri and I in the other. And the singles," he grinned smugly at Luke," will just join each team."
Leia nodded. they started off with Han's team.
After a while, it came to Leia's turn. She stared at the stick in her hand, perplexed. How was she supposed to hold that weird thing? Which ball was she supposed to shoot in?"
She felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It was Han. He adjusted her fingers properly, then held both her hands steady, all the while explaining the rules of the game to her. Leia felt incredibly warm and secure, a nice feeling she never wanted to end. she longed to be in his arms the whole night. She could pretend to be a very slow learner and have Han teach her like this all the time. That thought crossed her mind for a fleeting moment, but she was jarred ouf of her reverie when Han hit the white ball. She watched with bated breath as it rolled towards another ball, then cheered, elated, as it hit another ball with a resounding clink, causing it to fall into the hole.
the rest of the game proceeded pretty smoothly, after which Jeri, Leia and Halley walked back together. Han, Luke and Wedge had decided to stay back for a while and have 'a drink or two'.
"What've you got on tomorrow?"Jeri asked Leia.
"I have a meeting with that Ivan guy from the weapons supplier at the Plaza Cafe for lunch. Mothma said that I have to negotiate the price with him." Leia sighed, her forehead creasing into an annoyed frown.
"What's wrong with him?" Halley asked curiously.
"He's always flirting with Leia. Can't seem to accept that Leia's already got Han."Jeri paused, then she smiled. "Why don't you tell him you are pregnant with Han's child?"
Halley's heart almost stopped. She felt jealousy well up inside her.
"I am not!"
"Are you sure?" Jeri said teasingly. "I bet you guys made love before."
"We have not!" Leia's cheeks were pink now.
Halley barely heard the rest of their conversation. a man hitting on Leia? She definitely had to use that opportunity, and well.
Midnight. Halley opened her door silently and cast a furtive glance around. Most of the rebels had turned in for the night, and all was silent.
Halley sprinted to thecontrol center of the rebel base. Only two guards were on duty that night, and they immediatly stepped aside to allow her in upon seeing the insignia on her uniform. She sat on a chair in front of the lit computer screen and saw the icon 'weapons'. Her heart palpiting painfully in her chest, she clicked it and scrolled down until she saw 'Ivan Gerkof', and a contact number underneath. Someone had even, very helpfully, typed there: meeting Leia Organa regularly for negotiations.Tearing off a page from a notepad, she grabbed a pen and jotted the number down. then she walked casually out of the building, taking out her comlink on the way.
"Hello?" A voice with evident animosity said when she dialled the number.
"I am Halley, is this Ivan Gerkof?"
"Yes." Even from that one-word curt reply, Halley could sense his suspicion and hostility.
"Tomorrow when you have lunch with Leia Organa, could you get a window seat and hit on her very obviously and blatantly?" Halley knew that after 1100 hours, it was the rebels' free time, so all she had to do if Ivan agreed was to devise a plan to make Han go there. Anyway, even if he didn't, most of the rebels knew about Han and Leia, so they would see and a particularly garrulous one would leak it out.
"What's in it for me?" He was sceptical. "What makes you think I haven't tried?"
"If you do it, she will break up with her boyfriend. And she would be all yours to seduce."
Ivan let out a short, derisive bark that Halley supposed was a laugh. "All right then."
"Thank you." Halley felt an urge to cheer but concealed it, trying to sound professional.
After that, she looked for Plaza Cafe. It was at the plaza, whimsically. She noticed that right next to it there was a supply shop for parts of ships, which apparently specified in three ship models, one of which Halley recognized as Han's.
Halley turned back and headed for the Millennium Falcon. It was large, a dark silhuotte against the night sky. She noticed it was closed, but not locked. She strode up the ramp and pressed the button. It slid open noiselessly, and Halley padded into the cockpit. She glanced at the controls and saw the handle for the engine. From her experience and the position of the handle, she concluded that the engine was right beneath her.
She clambered off the ship and ducked under it. She pried open the panels, exposing the engine and the thrusters, and reached for a screwdriver she had brought along with her. She fiddled with the controls and settings, then she jabbed the screwdriver in roughly, causing a shower of sparks. All of a sudden, her grip on the screwdriver loosened, and it dropped on the floor with a metallic clank. She froze and glanced around, hoping fervently that no one had heard it. Slowly, she bent down and stuffed it in her pocket.
At that moment, a large roar was heard and a huge creature with a furry head appeared in front of her. Her mind raced and she seemed rooted to the spot. She regained her composure quickly and set off running. It loped after her, running at an amazing speed compared to its size.
Halley led it around the block, then suddenly ducked into the public 'fresher. From crack in the wall she saw him, it, rather. It glanced around, its muscles tense, then with a sagging of its shoulders it seemed to give up, and lumbered back to the ship.
Halley was breathing heavily, and rivulets of perspiration ran down her back. She didn't jnow what that horrid monster was. After waiting for a moment, she ran all the way back to her unit, feeling triumphant for a plan well executed.
