TITLE: "My Sassy Princess"

AUTHOR: Maiden of Endor

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the copyright of Star Wars. The song "Can This Be Love" is sung by Sarah Geronimo, and composed by Ryan Cayabyab.

SUMMARY: This chapter is the first of two song fic chapters in these series. A song fic chapter, this describes the growing feelings of Han and Leia with each other. But their inhibitions are holding them back from expressing what they truly feel.

CHAPTER X- Can This Be Love?

Two days had already passed by, and Leia tried to go on with her daily routine; go to the Rebel Alliance Headquarters, talk about Alliance business, go home, and go to sleep. Han had gone away for a trip to Tatooine to settle his smuggling debts. Leia kind of enjoyed the peace and quiet that dominated the entire pad in the apartelle, knowing that Han won't be around for a long period of time. I'm so glad the nerf-herder is not here these days. At last, I'll be getting a break from all his teasing and sarcastic remarks, she thought, relieved. My mind should be at ease by now, right?
Wrong. The fiery tempest brewing inside her was just starting. And it bothered her a lot.

Can this be love I'm feeling right now

I know for certain I'm feeling right now

I don't recall ever feeling this way

Tell me what does one say

To one who makes me feel this way

She never entertained such thought before, but it was so hard to shake it off her head. Is this love? She asked herself. No! It can't be! I can't be feeling this way for that nerf-herder. My focus is on the Rebellion. I should worry instead about Darth Vader and the Emperor finding out all of these, getting caught, and, heaven forbid, getting these whole Rebellion thing eradicated. But instead, all I ever think about is that scruffy looking, laserbrain, nerf-herder. Captain Han Solo. Leia found herself smiling more often these days with him in mind. She would be more conscious at the mention of his name, and there was even one time that she lost hold of her eating utensils during lunch with Luke and Lando, when the topic of their noontime conversation was about him. Later that day, Luke approached her and asked if she was missing Han. Instead of being able to come up with a "Why would I miss him?" reply, Leia found herself at a lost for words to say. She stared at Luke blankly for a long time, and Luke ended up saying "Oh sorry… have to go," and walked away from her, looking embarrassed. The poor guy must have thought that I don't like to talk about Han. Or am I getting too obvious already? But why, why can't I help but feel this way? I know how to be cool, calm, and collected even in the face of danger, but when it comes to him, I can't control my emotions? He's just nothing to me, but why I am longing to be with him all the time? This is not funny anymore.

Can this be love I'm feeling right now

I am not sure of this feeling somehow

Why do I tremble whenever you're near

I can't seem to say my words so you'll hear

"Threepio, you're so lucky to be a droid," Leia said to C3PO, the protocol droid, one afternoon while spending her time at the pad.

"What makes you say that, Mistress Leia?", Threepio asked as he walked awkwardly and sat beside her.

"Because…" Leia stopped for a while. "Because you don't have to be bothered by unwanted feelings."

Threepio looked at her quizzically, mechanical eyes blinking on and off as if trying to comprehend what she had said. "Unwanted feelings?" he asked.

"Feelings that you don't have to worry about," she explained. "Like trying to get off your mind a person you used to hate."

Threepio got her point. "Are you talking about Captain Solo?" he asked.

Leia was shocked at what she said. A person you used to hate. She can't believe she actually said that. She could feel herself blush from the roots of her hair.

"Oh I understand what you're feeling!" Threepio exclaimed as he stood up. 'It's that thing called… uh, what is it again? It's… oh I know! LOVE!"

At the sound of the L word, she stood up from her seat and ran to her room feeling ashamed for telling Threepio about her dilemma. I can't believe even Threepio knew something about human emotions, she thought as she slammed the door shut.

Meanwhile, Threepio was still speaking, unaware that Leia had already ran off to her room.

"Oh Mistress Leia," he rattled off, "How wonderful it is for you to be in love! But with Captain Solo? Why does it have to be him?" Threepio turned around and found out that he wasn't talking to anybody. "Mistress Leia, where are you?" he asked aloud. "Are you there?" Then he finally concluded, "She's in love, after all. No wonder, she's not her usual self these days. Oh, the magic of the human heart!" Threepio exclaimed dreamily.

This is the first time I'm gonna say I love you

It's the first time I ever felt so helpless deep inside

If I had to say a thousand times

I'd tell you once again

This is the first time I'm gonna say I love you

Inside her room, Leia could still hear what Threepio had told her. IT'S LOVE! Love. L-O-V-E. That unexplainable, unfathomable, four-letter word.

She remembered asking her father once when she was young about this. It was a sunny afternoon in Alderaan, and, upon seeing her dad sitting by the palace balcony, she approached him and asked, "Daddy, how do you know when you're in love?"

Bail Organa chuckled and lifted up young Leia, sitting her on his lap. "Lelila, sweetie, why are you asking me that question?" he asked. "Are you in love?" he joked.

Seven year old Leia felt a bit embarrassed. "No, I'm not!" she vehemently said. "It's because I saw our chambermaid Jenna with a guy this morning in the garden. And you know what? They were kissing! Eeeewwww!" Leia could still recall that when she played in the garden that morning, she saw from afar a couple walking around hand in hand. She recognized the girl as Jenna, one of the palace chambermaids, with a guy she didn't know. She secretly followed them and hid in the bushes, and much to her surprise, Jenna and her male companion started exchanging "I love yous" followed by a deep kiss on the lips. Totally grossed out with what she saw, Leia couldn't take watching the scene anymore and went back inside the palace.

"It's really yucky, daddy!" Leia exclaimed in disgust. "Do people in love have to do that? Do you have to get kissed just to know that you're in love?" she asked curiously.

"No you don't," Bail replied, groping for the right words to explain to his daughter about the matters of the heart. "It's an expression of love. When you're in love, you'll just know."

"What! But I thought that when you're in love, angels will come down from heaven and you'll hear them singing to you."
"It's not like that, my child," Bail continued. "You'll know you're in love when you have no second thoughts, not even a first thought, about saying 'I love you' to a person. Love will enter your heart without you knowing it. That's why it's called 'falling in love'." Bail smiled at Leia, who was trying to figure out what she just heard.

"Maybe you're right, dad," she finally said after a moment of silence. "But I don't like boys! And I would never kiss a boy, ever! Boys have cooties!" she exclaimed in childish disgust.

Bail laughed. "Right now, you may hate boys, but one day, you'll dream of kissing one," he said good-naturedly.

"Eeeewwww, dad, stop it!"

Time passed by, and Leia soon found herself experiencing her fair share of crushes, puppy loves, and a little fling here and there. Most of the time, she concluded that it was the real thing, but would be heartbroken when her dad would say "It's just puppy love, my child." Once, she would cry over a crush who liked another girl instead of her, but then later on, she'll realize that she never really loved the boy. It was a superficial kind of love, the kind that would fade away easily. She longed for the day when true love would find her at last.

All sorts of thoughts filled her head as she lay down on her bed. Leia stared blankly at the ceiling, and asked again that question she used to ask her father.

How do you know if it's love?

When it's your heart that speaks, and not your head. Love will just enter your heart without you knowing it.

She soon found herself day dreaming of Han kissing her deeply. The kind of kiss that'll make you want to faint. Leia realized that she never felt this desperate before. So that's why they call it 'falling in love'. You don't force yourself to fall, you just fall, she thought. And I can't believe I've already fallen for this scoundrel.

Can this be love I'm feeling right now

I love the feeling it's giving me now

A voice inside me is telling me now

It's guiding me now

To take your hand and say

This is the first time I'm gonna say I love you

It's the first time I ever felt so helpless deep inside

If I had to say a thousand times

I'd tell you once again

This is the first time I'm gonna say I love you…

It was the real thing she was feeling all along. Even if Han might not take her seriously, she concluded to herself that her heart has never felt so right before.

But one thing still bothered her.

Am I heading myself for another heartbreak? I wish that what had happened with my ex- before won't happen again.

Still, she relished in the feeling this was giving her. Leia was now dead-serious about pursuing her feelings for Han. Never mind what people would think about me. I hope he'll get to see right through me, and appreciate me for who I am. And I'm willing to look like an idiot for you.

This was the first time Leia felt like saying "I love you" to Han.

A/N: I've read before in a Star Wars novel that Lelila was the childhood pet name of Leia, so it's not really my idea. I think it's in the novel wherein Leia and Han's children got kidnapped, and I forgot the title, so don't sue me!

Acknowledgements to the book "Conversations with God for Teenagers" by Neale Donald Walsch, as that's where I based Bail's love advice to Leia. I recommend you guys this book. Lots of inspirational insights from the Big Guy in the Sky Himself! Lovely!

I know the song I used for this chapter is not that well-known internationally. But anyways, it's an awesome song composed by a Filipio artist. If you're really that curious, be free to download an mp3 of this song on the Net. Just be patient, as it's not that easy to find. But I tell you, no regrets when you hear the song!

Thanks a lot for reading! Pls. review!