Chapter Nine

Hi everybody - trying to keep to my promise to myself of posting something every Monday night, but it was a rough week, so this a a short one, just a little "moment." Bigger Han/Leia chapter up next...

Leia's hair danced in the breeze as Chewie's speeder raced them to their destination. She breathed in the cool, clear air of the Kashyyk night, relishing the thought that the last of the Imperials had been chased off the planet yesterday, and, even more, relishing the thought that she'd soon be alone with her husband in the treehouse suite Chewie had reserved.

Chewie had warned them when they arrived that he and his family believed their wedding celebration had been too small, and the Wookiees intended to correct that problem. They'd thrown a raucous wedding/victory celebration crowded with Wookiee elders and culminating in the traditional Wookiee mating call, which was perhaps the loudest noise Leia had ever heard emanating from a sentient. She'd had to fight the desire to cover her ears as the call rang out through the forest.

She'd watched Han closely throughout the celebration; he had had been so happy to see some Wookiees he'd known for a very long time. They had been equally happy to see him. While Leia knew that Chewie's family was the closest thing to a true family that Han had ever had, she'd wondered if the other Wookiees greeting him so happily – and hugging Han's new mate so bone-crushingly – were among those he had rescued from the Imperials, but there hadn't been time to ask as the Wookiees insisted that the newly-mated couple take part in the raucous dancing…well, Leia corrected herself, it was more like jumping and stomping to very loud drums.

Chewie braked the speeder to a halt as they came to a circular staircase winding its way up the wide trunk of an ancient tree. Leia eyed the staircase dubiously – even those things that Wookiees designed for human guests were designed for tall humans, and these steps were no exception. The hike up to the treehouse would be strenuous. Good thing she had not imbibed in too many Kashyyki Turbinos, a surprisingly sweet – and surprisingly potent – drink that adult Wookiees favored. Han couldn't stand the stuff, but Leia had found its fruity sweetness very appealing, although the fact that these powerful creatures whom many found terrifying favored drinks that on other worlds would be garnished with a flower or a paper umbrella made her giggle.

"You ready to climb, Princess?" Han offered his hand to help her out of the speeder, which hovered a hundred feet in the air next to the first step of the spiral stairs.

"I thought you would offer to carry me," Leia teased.

"Nah," Han grinned back. "We've been married for a day. Gentleman time is over."

**You could always use the vine system** Chewie growled. **Take the vine on your left to that platform** he pointed, **and then the vine on that platform will land you right outside the treehouse.**

Han looked a little too intrigued by the idea for Leia's comfort. She had experienced the stomach-churning feeling of flying free on a rope across nothingness below once, on the Death Star, and she was sure she didn't want to repeat it for fun.

**It has a harness** Chewie said. **You will not fall.**

Han wondered how he was going to get his wife on that vine, because he was too curious not to try it. It sounded like a whole lot of fun to him. He turned to Leia, ready to cajole her.

"No," she replied before a word was out of his mouth.

**I will leave you here to argue. Have a good night.**

"You too, Chewie," Leia replied warmly. "And thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, pal," Han seconded.

With a wave, Chewie floored the pedals and sped away.

Leia raised an eyebrow at Han, who had one hand on the vine. She knew he expected to convince her to ride the vine by turning smart aleck and arousing her ire. She had an entirely different plan.

"Race you," she said, taking off at speed up the giant steps, holding her skirt up to avoid an ugly fall. At least the Wookiees believed in stair railing, unlike some of the less intelligent beings of the galaxy like, say, Imperials and their ilk.

"Hey, no fair!" Han called out. The Princess was fast, but she'd have to hike these big steps, and that would slow her down. He started up after Leia, but soon had a much better idea. He harnessed himself to the nearby vine and pushed off hard, arcing down and then up to the large platform on a giant Cyprian tree. As he untethered himself, he spotted Leia making her way up the stairs. He could tell she'd lost steam a lot quicker than she usually did and felt a twinge of guilt at not following her up the steps. Then he had an infinitely better idea because, even at her slowed pace, she was going to beat him and he wasn't going to let that happen.

"Hey sweetheart," he called, waiting for her to circle the tree again so she could see him.

"Looks like you're going to have to admit defeat, moon jockey," she called back, increasing her pace to be sure of it.

"Oh, yeah?" he said, a glint in his eye at the thought of both winning AND making her laugh, which sounded like the galaxy's best combination to him. "Only if you actually DON'T want to see what you said this morning you wanted to see me do tonight."

Leia, winding her ways around the far side of the tree, heard his taunt and scanned her memories of what she'd said this morning. When she recognized the reference, she froze for a moment. He wasn't seriously going to…she peeked out around the trunk and…yep, he was doing exactly that. He'd removed every stitch of clothing, except his boots and his holster, and was busy shoving his Alliance uniform into his satchel and throwing it over his head.

"I'm ignoring you," she called out. "And I'm still going to win." She tried to force herself to keep climbing and ignore his antics, but she could feel a laugh coming on, and she really wanted to watch this, if only to be able to tell their friends exactly how her husband managed to mangle his penis while swinging on a vine naked on the first night of their wedding trip. It was almost worth losing this race. Almost.

"You can't resist," Han called out as he harnessed in and pushed off, crowing "Yahooooo" as he swung through the trees like…like someone who was going to get to their suite way before she did.

"Dammit, he got me," she muttered, allowing herself one more second to admire his lean, muscled body before she took off up the stairs, arriving at the entrance to the treehouse just in time to see Han leaning against the doorframe, totally naked except for his boots and blaster. She couldn't quite decide if he looked ridiculous or delectable, but he did have an irresistible look on his face, a boyish combination of smugness and glee.

She burst out laughing, the kind of deep, belly laugh that she hasn't laughed in so many years. She laughed until there were tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks, until she had to lean against Han for support. He more than willingly took her in his arms, feeling like he would burst with joy at seeing her helpless with giggles.

Finally, she got a hold of herself for a moment, looked down at his boots, and burst into a fresh round of laughter.

"You…" she wheezed, "…you look ridiculous…naked except for spacer boots and a holster."

"Maybe," he agreed, his smile as bright as the Orias starcluster, "but I won."

"I demand a judge's review. I was interfered with – a hot, naked Corellian crossed my path."

Suddenly, he became serious, his hazel eyes locking on hers. A thrill of excitement made her suddenly warmer than the race up the steps had.

"No," he said in that unbearably sexy voice of his, "I definitely won, because I made you laugh like that for the first time in a very long time."

She nodded wistfully, acknowledging the truth of his words, before he leaned in and kissed her, his tongue gently teasing hers. She felt every nerve in her body responding to him and pulled him closer, her hands clutching his hair as his lips traveled down to her jaw, down further to the throbbing pulsepoint in her neck…

Then he quickly pulled her up and stepped away, his eyes focused on the forest as they both heard an approaching speeder. He pulled on his shirt and grabbed his blaster, sensing rather than seeing that Leia, next to him, already had her blaster in hand. They glanced at each other quickly asking, without words, the same questions: Could the news have been wrong? Did Imperial fighters still patrol this forest?

The motor went silent about fifty feet beneath them. Then came a scratching sound, as if something, or someone, was climbing the tree trunk. Han started to breathe normally again – it was definitely a Wookiee – and Leia caught a momentary sense of a friendly sentient.

Their tension dissolved as first Chewie's head, and then the rest of him, popped into view. Chewie looked his half-dressed friend up and down and let out a guffaw.

**You're an idiot, Solo.** He dropped Han's dress coat and bloodstripes on the platform next to his friend. **Good think I hung around to make sure you didn't break your neck. Next time try to remember to close your satchel when you do something stupid to impress your mate.**

Chewie turned away with a wave, still laughing at the foolish things males of every species did to impress their mates. He remembered some of the dumb things he'd done to make Malla smile when they were first mated. Heck, he remembered some dumb things he'd done last time he'd been home. Fortunately, Wookiee anatomy did not allow his foolishness to allow his genitals to flap in the breeze on a vine that may have—

**Solo** Chewie called as he climbed down to his speeder. **You might want to take a shower. There can be itchbugs on those vines.**

Han's eyes grew wide. He looked down. He turned to Leia. "I'll be back in a sec."

With that, he hurried into the treehouse, found the fresher, and turned the shower on full-blast.