Out of the Mine

Water was dripping from the ceiling of the shaft, falling into a puddle with a hollow plop. Sometime in the night, Han and Leia had pulled her shawl across them as a blanket against the chilly air. It had been a long time since Leia had felt so trapped, so helpless-she remembered the day well, almost exactly a year ago. The day she'd realized she had only enough money left for a few months, and had seen Han's advertisement. The day she'd made a half-cocked decision to leave everything she'd ever known to marry a man she'd never met. Leia wondered how many solutions like that remained for her.

Leia wasn't sure how long they'd been left alone before the elevator returned, carting Vader and a few others. One replaced the tallow candle, bathing the room in yellow light again.

"Him first," Vader decided, not wasting time mincing words. His henchmen unlocked the chains around Han and dragged him to the elevator. Han gave a sharp kick and managed to nail one of the men in the shin. The other, however, quickly retaliated, bringing the back of his pistol down onto Han's head.

"Stop it! You can't keep us here-we've done nothing wrong!" Leia yelled, knowing that it wouldn't do any good.

"Look who just volunteered to be next," Vader sneered. The gang left with Han's limp frame in tow, and Leia didn't stop pacing until the elevator returned nearly an hour later.

Han was thrown into the cave room and the gang members cranked the elevator up again without a word. Leia rushed to where her husband was lying on the floor, anger and resentment burning in her throat. Concern for Han, though, trumped those feelings. She helped him sit up and he leaned into her, groaning as his body protested.

"Why are they doing this?" Leia murmured, carefully stroking his forehead, pulling his hair away from the wound on his cheek. He was trembling slightly, and she wanted nothing more than to take all his pain away.

"I dunno," Han replied. Leia used part of her torn petticoat to wipe the dirt and sweat from his face. She pressed a kiss against his brow and leaned her cheek against his face, knowing there was no way she could ease his pain. Blood oozed to the ground from his shoulder, and she was sure there were more wounds in his back from the bite of Vader's whip.

With each gentle pass of the cloth, Leia tried to imbibe the wound with tenderness and love. He'd helped heal so many of her wounds-bee stings, burns, a twisted ankle, a cut from when she wasn't adept at peeling potatoes. Every time, his ministrations had made her feel much better-loved, cared for, looked after. Like he'd do whatever he could to ease her pain. She could only hope that she made him feel that way, also.

The elevator dropped back down into view, bringing Lando and two gang members into their prison. Anger gave Han sudden strength, and he shoved himself off the ground to lash out at their betrayer. Chewie, too rushed forward, but his shackles wouldn't let him get close. Han's fist connected with Lando's eye before he was shoved back to the ground by the butt of a rifle.

"I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems." The man's head hung in shame as Han and Chewie glared at him.

"Yeah, you're a real hero," Han spat, blood dripping down his cheek.

Lando and his escort boarded the elevator once more, and Chewie helped Han settle on the floor.

"You certainly have a way with people," Leia teased, dabbing at the blood on his cheek.

The flame of the candle once again dipped low and came close to flickering out, and they were left in near darkness.

00

It was several hours before someone descended on the elevator. The remaining stump of candle had burned out long ago, and their prison was lit only through the faintest glow of daylight from somewhere far, far above.

There were four men, and they came down with their pistols aimed. Chewie, Han, and Leia all had their hands bound tightly with rope before being shoved into the small space.

"We demand to know where we're being taken," Leia said boldly as they ascended. The men just chuckled dusty laughs.

The elevator stopped in a dim corridor. They were dragged up the long sloping path, and after a moment, true daylight could be seen up ahead. Men were silhouetted just inside the mouth of the mine, and horses hitched to rigs could be heard standing impatiently outside.

Jabba stood beside Vader. Han's insides roiled at the thought of those men in cahoots.

"Take Solo and do with him what you will. She's for me," Vader grinned sadistically at Leia. Han's blood boiled, cursing the man for whatever he'd even consider doing to Leia.

"And these three?" one of the henchmen asked, nodding his head toward where Lando, CP, and Chewie were being held.

The outlaw shrugged. "Not my concern."

"Take him away," Jabba instructed Fortuna. The slimy man produced another set of shackles from a wagon and locked Han's legs. The rope with which they'd bound his wrists in the mine shaft bit into his skin.

Han looked Chewie in the eye.

"Take care of her," he demanded.

Leia's heart broke, wondering if she was about to lose her husband forever, the same way she'd lost her parents. So many things unsaid, so much left unresolved...He'd said they could handle anything together, but would she be able to carry on if she had only his memory? Or was she closer to her death than she knew, forced to watch him carry on with life from a heavenly plain?

"Get on with it," Jabba demanded. Fortuna gave Han a shove, but his fight wasn't yet gone: he elbowed Fortuna in the chin and lunged past the Empire gang. They managed to catch hold of his arms. With his last bit of strength, Han yanked away from his captors and lunged toward Leia. She met his kiss desperately, pouring all her unsaid emotions into it. Jabba's henchmen wrenched him away, forcing them to break the kiss.

"I love you!" she declared. He had to know. She'd loved him for months, if she were being truthful, and if this was to be their last moment together, she had to tell him.

"I know," he responded. The look in her eyes as she clung to Chewie told him she knew, too. He'd known all along. She was the last thing he saw before the sack was thrown over his head and he was flung backward into the wagon. Jabba and his employees jumped up into the wagon and it rattled away into the dust.

"That was a...touching goodbye," Vader yawned. "Appropriate, seeing as it was your last. You know, I think I'd like to get this all over with right now. The wife and the foreman first," he decided.

The other gang members yanked Leia and Chewie forward, pulling CP and Lando to the side. The gangster raised his guns, one aimed at each Leia and Chewie.

Leia closed her eyes, not giving Vader the pleasure of seeing fear in them. She forced her mind to call up a special, calming image...the first thing she saw every morning: the peaceful expression on Han's face, the first droplets of morning sun splashing over him, his hair all in disarray and a shadow appearing across his chin.

She heard the shot, and didn't feel any pain. Maybe when she opened her eyes, her parents would be waiting to meet her, bring her to the other side…

Slowly, her lashes parted.

The scene before her, though, wasn't the afterlife. It was the dusty entrance to the mine, the Empire Gang gathered around. Vader lay face-down on the ground, Luke standing behind him with a smoking gun.

"Luke! You saved us!" CP cried. Leia was too shocked to move.

"I've completed my training. I couldn't find anyone at the ranch, so I followed the wagon tracks toward Cloud City. Saw a rig making fast time back toward Mount Eisley, and I figured it couldn't be a coincidence...I got here just in time."

One of the gang members quickly raised his gun, but Luke was quick to draw and fire just past the man's ear.

"I wouldn't try anything. I've seen enough to put all of you away for the rest of your life-if you're lucky enough to be spared the gallows."

One of the hands groaned and threw his weapon down into the dust near Vader.

"Wha...what should we do now?" asked one of the gang members nervously.

"Run. Get far, far away from here, and clean up your act. You can be sure that if I ever see your faces again, I'll lock you up," Luke promised, raising his pistol.

"Ye-yes-yes sir!" The men ran like the wind, not one of them turning to look back.

Luke rushed over, pulling out his knife to cut at the ropes that bound his friends.

"I'm so glad you're back," Leia whispered, hugging him tightly.