I always loved the picture I get in my head during this next scene: han is the pool. hope you enjoy!
A sprinkling of water fell across Leia's bare legs. She had pulled up the bottom of her dress to her knees, in order to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Of course, Han saw this as a perfect opportunity to splash her from his position in the vortex pool. She looked over at him and scowled.
"Come on, Your Worship. This would be a perfect opportunity to relax."
She tried desperately not to notice the way his hair looked, slicked back against his head, the moisture that collected on his bare chest, the glimmer in his eyes as he grinned at her boyishly.
The large, luxurious vortex pool was made of gray metalstone. It was divided into sections, and Han sat, arms stretched out across the back of the pool wall, in the section nearest to Leia.
"I'm busy," she muttered, returning her gaze to the datapad in her hand. She was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the finances of the Rebel Alliance that she was preparing to present to King Birinsi.
"Yeah, right," Han said under his breath, but just loud enough for Leia to make out.
She shot him a cold glare, then returned to the datapad. She heard the sound of the water splashing and couldn't help but look up to see Han's lean form swimming in long, graceful strokes across the pool, against the mild current. She watched him for a long moment, admiring the strength of his body, until a nearby voice broke through her thoughts.
"What are you doing, big sister?"
Leia looked up to find Princess Tellesia smiling at her. "Telly! I've barely seen you since I've been here. Please, come sit with me."
Telly sat in the chair facing Leia, legs crossed in front of her.
"How have you been?" Leia asked.
"I've been fine. More importantly, how have you been?" The young Princess asked intently.
Leia glanced away. "Oh, I've been all right."
`"How is that possible? I mean, I know you can handle anything..."
Leia looked up at Telly's teasing tone, found her smiling softly.
"But seriously. I can't imagine what it must have been like."
Leia found her eyes filling with tears.
"Oh, Leia, I'm so sorry..." Telly leaned over and hugged Leia to her.
Leia silently berated herself for losing control so easily. She had a feeling it was caused by the pure, raw emotion Han had been causing to surface within her since they had arrived on Rallorin. She took a shaky breath and pulled away from Telly's embrace.
"I'm okay. Really," she said, as she wiped away a stray tear that had slipped down her cheek.
Telly smiled. "Let's talk about something a tad more cheerful." Her eyes wandered to the pool. "What is your companion's name?"
"Captain Han Solo."
"He's very handsome."
"He certainly thinks so." Leia picked up her water glass from the table beside her and took a sip.
Telly laughed. "He's your lover, correct?"
Leia coughed, almost choking on the water. "No, no, it's nothing like that," she spluttered. She returned the glass to the table, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. She turned back to Telly. "What would make you ask such a thing?"
"You can tell me the truth, Sister." She grinned. "I've seen the way the two of you look at each other. It's written in both your eyes."
Leia's gaze was drawn to where Han was swimming back in their direction. Eyes set firmly on him, she told Telly, "Seriously, he's not my lover."
She leaned closer to Leia and dropped her voice to a whisper. "He obviously adores you."
Leia's eyes snapped back to her friend. "Why do you think that?" I don't sound too hopeful, do I?
"It's obvious."
Leia wasn't so certain about that.
Telly continued before Leia could form a response. "Don't be embarrassed about having an affair with someone who is beneath you. I'm having an affair with our speeder attendant. He's gorgeous!"
Leia never thought of Han as being beneath her, and she wasn't sure that she liked her friend implying that he was. "I never said Han was beneath me," she said defensively.
Telly's hairless brow rose.
Leia groaned inwardly at how bad that sounded. "But nothing is going on between us," she added quickly. "He's just a good friend." She looked away from her friend.
Telly just grinned. "If you say so, Sister."
Leia had reluctantly allowed Han to lure her out for a meal outing. He had somehow appropriated a meal basket from the private kitchen, and was returning them to the secluded area with the fountain that they had discovered their first day on Rallorin. The midday sun beat down upon them, bathing them in a warm glow as Han emptied the contents of the basket.
She refused to admit how sweet she found his gesture. It's my mission in life to teach you how to relax, Your Worship, he had said. She smiled in memory.
Han was surprisingly quiet as they ate on the blanket he had spread out beneath them. When they finished their meal, Leia went to sit on the bench, where she had a better view of the rock fountain. For several minutes, Han remained where he was, on the blanket. Then he came over to the bench and sat next to her, unexpectedly swinging his body around to lie with his head in her lap, body sprawled awkwardly across the length of the bench. He didn't say a word, only closed his eyes and rested there.
If he had said something, anything at all, Leia would have forced him up immediately. But something about the way he looked with his eyes lightly closed, his expression serene, made her allow him to stay where he was. A feeling of unreality settled over her, and she found her hand straying to his hair, stroking it with a gentle, feathery touch that brought a soft smile to his lips. His eyes remained closed, letting her study his features unobserved.
She really liked his face. She liked the curve of his lashes; the slight crookedness of his nose; the fullness of his lips, which she knew, from the briefest of kisses, were surprisingly soft. And she liked that sexy scar on his chin. He was...a beautiful man. She had never before thought of a man as beautiful, but that was the word that came to mind when she looked at the way his imperfect features came together. Her fingers continued to stroke the hair back from his forehead.
"Han," she found herself whispering.
"Mmm?" His face was a portrait of contentment.
"Tell me what happened at Ylesia."
His features tensed for a moment, then relaxed again. He didn't speak for a long moment, and Leia thought, without surprise, that he would not answer. She knew something painful had happened there, but he had never discussed it before.
He sighed and began speaking, eyes still closed. "I banded together a whole bunch of smugglers. But you know that." Before he continued, his hand found her free one, where it rested on his chest, and he held it tightly. Her tender caress of his hair did not cease.
"So," he continued, his voice sounding dead to her ears. "We get there, and we do what we're supposed to do. I was working with Bria, and Chewie of course." He paused. "So, after the fighting is over, the Rebels arrive, and start taking all the stuff in the little museum they had going there. Plus, all the spice. Meanwhile, I had promised a cut to all the smugglers. After everything they risked, they had nothing to show for it."
Leia could hear the pain and regret in his voice.
"Here's the best part: Bria knew all along. She knew they were gonna get screwed out of what they were owed. But she let them risk everything anyway. She didn't even tell me. She didn't even tell me what was going on. She let me just believe, the whole time, that we were all going to get our fair cut." His eyebrows were drawn together in an expression of hurt and anger. "It wasn't even the money so much. It was the way she just lied to me. That hurt like hell."
She didn't know what to say. Seeing Han Solo so vulnerable cut her to the quick.
"I lost a lot of friends that day. They all thought I knew about it. That I was a part of it. When I never knew anything."
She wanted to ask a million questions. How had he forgiven her? Why was he still with her? How could he still love her? Instead, she found herself bending over him, pressing her lips tenderly to his forehead. His eyes popped open in surprise, and when Leia withdrew, his eyes held her captive in their warm, lingering embrace. The feelings that had been brimming to the surface now threatened to overwhelm her. She felt strangely protective of him all of a sudden. She wanted to go to Bria Tharen and scream at her for what she did to Han. How could she possibly put him in that position?
Lost in his eyes, all thoughts of Bria fled her. A steady ache settled in her heart, inciting that familiar, unnerving vulnerability. Uncharacteristically, it did not make her want to run. Instead, she sat where she was, hand buried in Han's hair, eyes locked on his. Time stopped, and neither one of them moved.
After an eternity, Han let go of her hand and sat up slowly, eyes never leaving hers. He cupped her cheek in his hand, and she returned his unwavering gaze. His mouth opened to speak, then closed again. He averted his gaze, dropped his hand from her face, then sighed deeply. After a long moment, he stood and began tossing the meal items back in the basket. Without a word, he picked up the basket. He came back to the bench, took Leia's hand and began to lead her back to the Palace.
Confused beyond words, Leia didn't allow him to see the tears that sprang to her eyes.
Han twisted between the sheets of his bed, unable to still the longing in his heart. Thinking of Leia in the next room, lying in her own bed, was threatening to drive him mad.
That afternoon, sitting with her on the bench, he had seen more in her eyes than ever before. And it had frightened him. It had brought him right to the reality of the situation. She was no simple conquest to him. This was serious. If he threw caution to the wind, allowed them to both surrender to this, there would be no turning back. He would be in this with his whole heart.
He wasn't sure he could handle this, now that it was upon him, no longer a simple, teasing game. It would mean changing everything, including his priorities. She was undeniably tied to the Rebellion. If he were to be with her, he would have to share that.
And there was Jabba to consider. He was going to have to pay Jabba back, and soon. Which meant he would have to leave her. He knew that would not be such an easy thing to do. She was consuming him, with those dark, deep eyes, the sound of her laugh, her gentle touch. She was drawing him in, making him never want to leave her. The strength of those feelings stunned him.
He had never imagined he could feel like this about anyone. He had thought he loved Bria, but that paled in comparison to what he felt for Leia. He wanted her; he wanted her dreams, her thoughts; he wanted her lying in his arms, blissfully content; he wanted to show her that she could trust him, that he would always stand beside her.
He was going mad. He simply had to take this risk. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anyone, anything. He needed to feel what she made him feel.
She was everything to him. He could no longer deny it.
He was almost certain she felt this as strongly as he did. And if he was frightened, she was shaken to the core. But he was going to force her to let go of her fears. He had to.
Leia rolled restlessly to her side, unable to get comfortable in the large, lonely bed. She couldn't get that moment on the bench with Han out of her mind. For just a minute, she hadn't cared about all the problems between them. It hadn't mattered. And she'd known that if he kissed her then, she couldn't possibly have stopped him.
But he hadn't kissed her. He had stepped away. Leaving Leia more baffled than ever.
It's probably for the best. I'm glad nothing happened. I can't allow him that near again. I won't let myself feel that vulnerable again.
She sat up in the bed, swinging her legs over the side and sliding down to the floor. As she poised to walk to the kitchen area for a drink, the door to Han's room swooshed open. She froze.
"Leia?" His voice was a whispered plea, touching her to the core of her being.
No, please. Not now. I don't think I'm strong enough right now. She didn't answer, only stood there, transfixed by him. She watched as he came closer, and she felt her entire body beginning to tremble.
He was before her then, his hands on her shoulders, his face painfully near hers. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered softly.
She felt his breath against her lips, felt her own breathing quicken at the sensation. The warmth of his fingers as they slid down her back made her weaker with each passing moment.
He sighed deeply, bending his head to bring his cheek to rest against hers, allowing her to become accustomed to this suggestion of intimacy. His breath now at her ear drew an involuntary shiver from her, causing him to pull her closer within his powerful arms.
"I would never hurt you, Princess," he whispered low in her ear.
You already have. This hurts more than I ever thought possible. Aloud, she was unable to form words.
Soft, feathery kisses near her ear, across her cheek, at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't breathe. Her lips fell open in undeniable anticipation. A stray thought of protest rose to her lips, barely audible.
"This is wrong," she breathed.
"No... it's the only thing that's right," he sighed against her lips.
And then his mouth was brushing gently against hers, soft, warm, more beautiful than she had imagined. She couldn't move, could only stand there, lost in the sweet sensations washing though her. For an endless time, his lips continued their tender caress, and eventually Leia was swept up in the kiss, her own lips beginning to dance beneath his. Her awareness of the galaxy around them had disappeared entirely, as her hands came up to gently rest on his bare shoulders. She felt him sigh silently at the contact of her hands on his warm skin.
He kissed her forever and they both reveled in the union of their mouths. Leia's heart filled with tears at the gentle beauty of the moment. She could almost feel the same emotions coming off Han in quiet waves.
She was barely aware of how she arrived on the bed, how their clothes ended up on the floor nearby.
His mouth on her mouth, on her body, inflamed her senses and touched her soul in a way that left her weak and helpless. The sensation of his body against hers, within her, was an experience of such exquisite beauty, such radiant perfection, she would never have believed it possible. She lost herself completely to his touch, to the deep, raw feelings he stirred in her, as their low moans of pleasure mingled in a sensual duet. Leia felt as if their souls merged as their bodies expressed emotions too deep for words.
"Look at me, Leia," his voice whispered huskily. Her eyes opened of their own accord, finding his instantly, two dark, hazel flames, burning into her own. The expression there, the emotions laid bare to her, mirrored her own exactly.
Fierce desire. Vulnerability. Love. She could see it; she could almost feel it.
His hands moved to her head, stroking the disheveled hair away from her face as he made love to her, slowly, as if they had all the time in the galaxy. His eyes intently into hers. "I love you, Leia," he whispered in a voice choked with emotion.
The tears were instantaneous. She blinked them back as she held his unwavering stare. Her throat was too tight to allow a response, so she kissed him instead, her mouth passionate and loving, saying the things her voice could not.
"I love you," he breathed over and over into her mouth.
When waves of unbearable pleasure finally claimed them, they clutched each other tightly, the intimacy and sheer adoration of the experience that was too profound for words.