Hello again! Trying to be more on top of updates while I can be. These next few chapters are already written. Thank you for all the support, patience, and encouragement! You guys are awesome!

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Posing as Leia's bodyguard seemed fairly ironic to Han. He spent so much time looking after her, worrying about her safety, both mental and physical, that it was the most logical task he could be assigned. The fact that it was supposed to be a cover for his real assignment provided him with a degree of amusement. Regardless of the assignment directed to him, his primary objective would always be Leia's safety.

The rebel spy from Alderaan, for whom Leia seemed to feel a personal responsibility for, had gone off the grid two weeks ago. Against General Rieekan's wishes, Leia insisted she take on this mission. The General had finally relented, insisting that Han accompany her.

Han wouldn't have it any other way. And he knew he had the necessary skills.

"Let me do the talking. Remember, you are just my bodyguard."

He looked down at the woman walking beside him. His eyes were drawn to the neckline of her white blouse that only showed a hint of cleavage. Her dark hair was arranged in a small twist of a bun above and slightly behind each ear, with a curled tumble hanging down each side. She distracted him to no end.

"I know who I'm supposed to be," he grumbled.

She raised a brow in his direction. "I don't want another mistake like on Pashmir."

He grimaced. "Well, you didn't tell me who that guy was."

"I shouldn't have to tell you. You should just play your role." Her voice held that icy, regal tone that was used to being obeyed.

Entering the building, Han bit back a retort, playing his role. How many times had he come through for her, and for the Rebellion? One mistake and he could never live it down.

Leia approached the giant reception desk, Han standing slightly behind her. She gave her name as Genna Hawks, the agreed upon code name, and they took a seat in the waiting area.

They sat in silence for what felt like a long time, leery of listening devices. Finally, a man strode from the 'lift and headed in their direction. He was about twenty years older than Han, with thinning, gray hair, and was dressed in a very expensive-looking, navy blue suit. They both stood as he approached.

"Ms. Hawks, it is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Expecting a handshake, Leia met his outstretched hand. Instead, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes steady on hers.

Why did men always kiss her hand? It irritated Han to no end. Of course, this man knew of Leia's royal status, even while he played along with her alias.

Leia smiled diplomatically. "Marko Intessia, I presume?"

He held her hand for a moment longer before releasing it. "You presume correctly." He smiled with a glint in his eyes. "Please, join me in my office."

They followed him into the turbolift and Leia gestured towards Han.

"This is my colleague, Malor."

Intessia held a hand out to Han and the two men shook firmly. Arriving at the twelfth floor, they were led to a large, fancy office. Intessia sat behind his wide, metal desk while Han and Leia sat in the two chairs before him.

He folded his hands on top of the desk and smiled at them. "Now, we can speak freely, Your Highness. My office is swept three times a day for recording devices."

Han glanced at Leia and found her expression inscrutable. "I must admit, I was quite surprised when I received word of your interest in the Alliance."

His responding smile was just as unreadable. "There comes a point when we must make the right decision, rather than the expected decision."

Han's innately suspicious nature was sending out a warning klaxon. What was this guy's game? Was he playing both ends? He was obviously not in this for the sake of morality.

"What is this new technology that is said will win the war?" Leia asked, getting right to the point.

Intessia smiled, stood, and began pacing the room as he spoke. "What we have designed is called the Targeting Superlaser. Virtually any large ship can be equipped with this superlaser. It merges several smaller superlasers that can zero in and destroy a single city, without causing damage to surrounding areas. While superlasers are not new technology by any means, this one has a targeting computer that hones in on very specific coordinates to contain the damage to a very specific area."

Han quickly processed this information. This was technology that the Empire would use with reckless abandon. The Rebellion, on the other hand, might never use it at all. If they did, it would be to eliminate the most dangerous Imperial Strongholds. The intel was correct…this could win the war, for whichever side gained the technology.

It didn't take Leia long to respond. "And what is the price of this technology? Surely, you are aware that the Alliance does not have the funds that the Empire possesses."

He stood, hands behind his back, and smiled ingratiatingly at her. "Well, Your Highness, that's what negotiations are for."

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As Leia unpacked her belongings in one bedroom, Han searched the hostel suite for recording devices and was relieved to find none. He threw himself in a corner chair of the main room, hanging one leg over the armrest.

"All clear," he told her when she joined him in the room.

She folded herself neatly on the sofa that faced him. "Thoughts?"

"I don't know what his angle is, but I don't trust him anymore than I'd trust a hungry gaznor at my throat."

Her lips pursed thoughtfully. "I don't either. And I guarantee he's responsible for Vinteera's disappearance."

Han frowned. "Didn't know the spy was a woman."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "Just that I didn't know. What was her cover?"

Leia grimaced. "She was hired at an entry level position. She got…close to Intessia. She was promoted to a higher-level position after that."

Close to…? "She slept with that creep?"

Her face colored slightly. "Presumably."

His frown turned to a grimace. "Don't think I could do it."

Her lips curled to a small smile. "Is he not your type?"

He smiled back in spite of himself. "I meant if I were a woman."

Leia's head tilted thoughtfully. "What if Intessia were a woman? Let's say, she looked like Bella Mirren?"

Han recognized the name of the famous, blond holo-actress. He grinned. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Her expression was a mix of knowing and irritated. "That's about what I thought."

Han laughed, lowered his leg, and went to sit beside her on the sofa. "What about you, Your Highnessness? Could you sleep with someone for the cause?"

The previous blush was nothing compared to the red hue that now scattered across her face and neck. She looked at her lap. "I…don't think I could."

He chuckled. "What's the big deal? It's just sex." He paused thoughtfully. "It really only seems like a big deal when it's your first time."

Leia was quiet, eyes still averted. Her expression was suddenly serious and hesitant. She glanced up at him through her lashes then returned to gaze at her hands that were suddenly clenched in her lap. "Five years ago, I wanted you to be my first," she confessed quietly, not looking at him.

His breath left him in a heated rush he could feel throughout his entire body. When it returned, albeit shallowly, his question came out softer than intended. "Who was your first, Princess?" Why he wanted to torture himself with this knowledge, he wasn't sure.

The heat in her cheeks darkened and she smiled shyly but said nothing.

"Don't wanna kiss and tell, Sweetheart?"

"It's not that," she whispered, sparing him the briefest of glances.

He studied her for a moment, heart pounding roughly in his chest. It hit him suddenly. "You're still a virgin, aren't you?" he asked in a wonder-filled voice.

She was positively crimson now, and Han couldn't help but imagine the dark blush spread across her body. A raw ache rushed through him, starting in his chest and flooding mercilessly to his loins.

Do you still want it to be me? The question he burned to ask died on his lips. His usual cockiness was replaced with self-doubt. So many years later, he was certain her feelings were not the same. If they were, she would have let him know by now.

"So, why? Haven't met the right guy?" he asked, the question sounding far more casual than it felt.

That shy smile again, without meeting his eyes. "I wouldn't put it that way."

He watched her carefully, waiting. When he said nothing further, she finally volunteered, "I suppose there just hasn't been the opportunity."

Oh, I could give you the opportunity. The thought rolled through his mind and he acknowledged that he wanted her more deeply than he ever had before. He had spent so much time denying it, telling himself that the attraction revolved around her beauty and the fact that he had never allowed himself to succumb to the attraction he felt. But, it was more than just that. There was a profound, underlying emotion to it.

Would she give herself to him, as she had offered to do so long ago, on Alderaan? When her age had intervened and deterred him? When he had wanted her, but known that the timing was all wrong?

The underlying feelings had been there then, too, even while he told himself she was too young for him, that she had experienced so little of life. It had been those feelings that had led to the attraction. Once past her regal façade, he had glimpsed a kind, caring soul like he had never encountered before. Her idealism, her desire to cure the galaxy of all evils, had surprisingly moved him. She was refreshingly special. He had known that then and he knew it now.

But, she had been naïve, had not given a thought to what it meant to give herself to him, had not cared that her family would disapprove, that he couldn't stay.

She was an adult now, with the awareness that came with it. She was more enticing than ever, but she must realize now what a poor choice a smuggler with a price on his head would be.

He still had nothing to offer her and, again, he couldn't stay. He had hurt her once…what were her words?

'You broke my heart a little when you left.'

The last thing he wanted was to break it again. And if he made love to her then left, if he made her feel those feelings again and act upon them, it would most likely hurt her in a much more mature, real way, unlike a girlhood crush.

He cleared his throat of its pervading tightness. "We should go somewhere and get dinner."

A glimmer of unease, possibly disappointment, shone in her eyes. Then she smiled tersely and nodded. "I'm going to get changed first."

His eyes followed her as she crossed the room and disappeared into one of the two bedrooms, door sliding shut behind her. He released a deep, pent-up sigh, wishing it was as easy to release the whirlwind of emotions Leia's presence always instilled in him.