Looks like Han and Leia are not on the same wavelength...

Leia looked up from the datapad where she was preparing her proposal for King Birinsi, and found Han, bare arms leaning on the edge of the vortex pool. He was smiling invitingly.

"C'mon, Your Worship," he grinned. "Come in the pool."

She shook her head, smiling at him. "I have to finish this, Han."

"Aw, c'mon. The water's perfect," he called. "Not too cold, not too warm...it's ni-iice," he said in a sing-song voice.

She found herself smiling in spite of herself. "Sorry."

He sighed, mock serious. "I see I haven't done my job."

"What?"

"I haven't taught you how to relax properly yet."

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Leia replied, "I thought I did a fine job of relaxing last night. And earlier this morning." She raised a playful eyebrow.

Han laughed loudly. "I guess I can't deny that." He swam backwards a moment, then stopped. "Ya know, I could just come over there and drag you in. Clothes and all."

She sighed. "Yes, I suppose you could. Then again, I could always sleep alone tonight."

He seemed to consider this before responding. "Hmm. I don't think that would be fun for anyone."

She grinned. "No, probably not. So, you had best behave."

"Define 'behave', wouldya?"

"I think you can figure it out on your own. Despite your lack of intelligence."

He scowled, beneath a smirk. "You should know that what I may lack in formal education, I more than make up for in ingenuity...and skill."

She chuckled, unable to keep up her end of this game any longer. "Perhaps, Solo."

"Last chance, Princess," he enthused. "Before I swim away." He began that backwards stroke again, more slowly this time.

"It's not happening, Han."

"Okay, your loss," he said with a disappointed sigh. Then he was swimming away, off to another section of the huge pool.

She watched him for a moment as he swam away from her, and found herself feeling a strange sense of foreshadowing in his departure.

She was becoming too accustomed to this. It was so easy. It was all an illusion. Their surroundings were so similar to where she had lived on Alderaan. She could almost convince herself that Han and she could remain here forever, safely together. But in reality, this was not the case. In a few days' time, they would be on their way to rendezvous with the fleet, the actuality of their situation intruding painfully.

When they returned, they would have to face Wesley...and Bria. She sighed. She hadn't allowed herself to think of either of them since the night she succumbed to this unavoidable affair.

What was Han planning to do about Bria? Leia hadn't a clue. If he truly loved Leia, it only made sense that he would end things with Bria.

As far as Wesley was concerned, it was already over. Not because of some undying loyalty to Han, but because she honestly could not imagine being with him again. He had been a good friend, getting her through many rough times in the aftermath of Alderaan, but she probably never should have gotten romantically involved with him to begin with.

Her eyes and thoughts returned to Han, who's head she could just barely make out over the rocks separating the other area of the pool. She wasn't sure how to handle him. At the moment, she was caught up in the spell of escapism, denying the future. She didn't know which would be more difficult, continuing their relationship when they returned to the Alliance, or ending it abruptly.

The longer it went on, the harder it would be to let go of. She was painfully aware of that. Already, in the short time they had been intimate, she didn't want to live without him.

All right, she admitted to herself, I was terrified of losing him even before we got together.

And now...

Han chose just that moment to stand up on the rock wall just within her line of sight, wave and blow her a kiss. The casual affection of the gesture brought swift tears to her eyes, stinging with their intensity. She was glad he was too far away to see; she wasn't sure she could hide them this time.

What would he say if she begged him not to leave? The thought was ludicrous, on several levels. He had to go, whether he wanted to or not. He had to pay off the Huttese crime lord. His life was in danger every day he did not do it.

And the thought of begging a man not to leave her went against every fiber of her being. She was too proud for that.

So, here she was, stuck between a meteor and maul'wark. Here, on Rallorin, things were simple, light. Like a fantasy, unrelated to their known galaxy.

To continue it in the real galaxy, where she could only be irrevocably hurt, was insanity. Her life in recent years had been filled with almost nothing but pain. She desperately didn't want to suffer through more. It was far too late to escape this unscathed. But maybe she could cut her losses by taking control of the situation. If the decisions were hers alone, the outcome might seem slightly less bleak.

Somewhere deep down, Leia knew she was fooling herself. Whatever happened, this was going to be the most painful ordeal since Alderaan.

Han was swimming towards her, and Leia attempted to pull herself together, wrenching herself from her thoughts, putting on a cheerful façade. She'd had a lot of practice with that.

Han stood on the balcony of Leia's room, watching her as she talked with Telly in the gardens below. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but he adored watching her. The way her lips moved when she spoke, the gestures she made with her hands, her soft smile. She was simply breathtaking.

Something was bothering her though. She refused to talk about it, but Han couldn't help but see. The way she fell to tears every time they made love was unnerving. He didn't understand it. She tried to hide it, but Han knew her too well not to see the telltale signs.

He knew she had never felt this way before, this strong emotion that she had for him. She still hadn't admitted it to him, but it was as clear to him as the cloudless sky above. He wondered if she thought he couldn't see that she loved him. Did she think she was doing a good job of hiding it? The thought was almost laughable.

Whatever she was or wasn't telling herself, he knew that something troubled her. Either she was scared of the intensity of her feelings for him, which to his way of thinking wouldn't be a bad thing at all; or she was concerned about what would happen with Bria and Wesley when they got back to the fleet.

He knew what had to happen with Bria. He wanted Leia. Nothing else mattered. He hated the thought of telling Bria, of hurting her, but he would have to.

Then there was Wesley. He had no idea what Leia was going to do about him. He couldn't imagine she wouldn't end things with him. Obviously, Han meant more to her than Wesley ever had. He had seen them together. He had never thought that she loved him. She never even seemed comfortable with him. Maybe eventually he would get that story out of her.

On the other hand, maybe he didn't really want to know. He preferred to think of Leia as only his. Ridiculous, childish. He knew that. But he didn't like to think of her with anyone but him.

He watched as Leia and Telly headed down a path, out of sight. He continued to watch the spot where she had disappeared.

He had wondered how she would act outside of this room, in front of the Royal family and their humble servants. She had surprised him by holding his hand, kissing his cheek, paying him devoted attention. She didn't seem to care who saw them together. That simple fact touched him deeply. For so long, he had thought that she would never even consider being with a worthless smuggler.

He wandered back into the room, a small, slightly goofy smile touching the corners of his mouth. But it didn't matter who he was, who either of them was.

He sighed, startled at how loud it seemed in the stillness of the room. If only she would stop crying. It broke his heart to see it. Maybe when she became more comfortable with what she felt for him she would relax. And when they returned to the fleet, when everything was settled with Bria and Tobin, maybe that would help too. He didn't want to be the cause of tears for her. And he didn't like how her tears made him feel. He felt helpless, and Han hated feeling helpless.

He hoped she returned soon. He missed her, every moment she wasn't with him. I

He had to admit he could understand being frightened by the emotions that seemed to overwhelm her. Hell, he was more experienced than her by far, and what they shared kind of scared the hell out of him. Who would have thought that Han Solo, tough Corellian smuggler, could be reduced to this, a love stricken fool, waiting impatiently for his woman to return.

He laughed quietly, shaking his head in bemusement.