Ok, so I'm techincally an hour late plus a fwe minutes. Sorry about that. Hopefully all of you will have a heart and cut me a little slack this time? So, without further delay...

Chapter 14: Knot means not. All Clear?

Han Solo and the Princess left the palace from a hidden exit in a commonplace landspeeder provided by King Antropo's security detail to avoid any fanfare from the local press that might be lurking about. Refusing a driver or guard escort of any sort, Solo had insisted on driving himself to stay as inconspicuous as possible and also so that he was in control should a situation arise. For good measure, he wound around the streets in a maze-like fashion, keeping a close eye peeled for anyone that might be tailing them. After a long fifteen minutes, he nodded satisfactorily to himself. "Looks clear," he announced, not necessarily talking the Princess.

When Solo once again turned the speeder the opposite direction from the spaceport, Leia's expression became concerned. "I thought you said it was clear?"

"It is," Han answered, not elaborating.

"Then where are we going? The spaceport is back that way," she indicated, pointing in the other direction. For all intents and purposes, Leia thought Han seemed lost. The tenseness in his features only served to confirm that feeling. Wasn't it Han who always took every opportunity to spout on and on about his superior sense of direction?

"I know. I have to make a stop first," he said quietly, his voice tight.

Leia was about to ask him what this was all about when it finally occurred to her. He was going to the Hall or Records to file the dissolution before they left. She turned her face to the side viewport of the enclosed cabin not wanting Han to see the uncontrolled instant reaction she was suddenly desperate to hide. Staring hard at the passing scenery outside, she focused on not feeling anything. While doing her best to force herself to think about anything except the last few days, Leia noticed that her head still hurt and her stomach suddenly felt even worse than when she first woke up that morning. She made a mental note to raid the Falcon's medkit once they were in hyperspace.

A heavy silence stretched between them as the speeder made its way down a long thoroughfare that led to the enclave of official government buildings within the center of the capital city. Keeping his eye on traffic, Han spared a quick glance at subdued Princess and noticed that while she was making an effort at indifference, her body posture was rigid and her hands were clenched tightly where they rested on her lap. Checking the controls in front of him, he saw that his own hands were gripping the steering yoke rather forcefully, too. Unlike Leia, the thoughts streamed through his mind at a blinding speed. Han warned himself that there wasn't much he could do about the situation. This is the way Leia wanted it. She had placed her approval on the dissolution decree almost immediately after the ceremony. Solo reasoned that if there were any chance of things being different, that would have been the point where she would have changed her mind.

He recalled how they had locked gazes during the ceremony and how adorably flustered Leia had been trying to get through the vows of love and commitment. At that point, Han had believed her true feelings for him had been showing through.

Now, he wasn't so sure. It hadn't been long afterwards when the King had presented the dissolution decree to her and she willingly approved them. Sure, she was rattled a bit by it, but then again, there were plenty of other reasons for her to be on edge already. Maybe she reacted that way because it was the last thing in a string of stressful events.

Han parked the speeder on the street adjacent to the Hall of Records in a position where Leia could see the entrance. Without looking at her, he grumbled, "Leave it running. This won't take long." Then, he climbed out and headed off.

Leia watched him walk away and felt her stomach lurch again. An empty feeling invaded her as he disappeared into the large doors of the building. Having given up trying to distract her thoughts, she repeated the mantra: 'It wasn't real. It wasn't real.' However, the more she affirmed it in her mind, the more her body wouldn't believe it. The knot in her stomach tightened and a strange depleting numbness worked its way down her limbs. As tears began to threaten, she brought her fists up to her eyes to stifle them. She would not cry.

Han walked into the foyer of the Hall of Records and the reception droid that reminded Han of Threepio politely directed him to the Minister's office. He stepped into a vacant lift and requested the Minister's level. Han fingered the tiny datacard in his chest pocket and took a deep breath as the doors opened.

"I'm here to see the Minister," Solo announced as he stepped over to the assistant stationed outside of the Minister's inner office.

The humanoid assistant smiled pleasantly at the Corellian's gruff announcement. "Can I help you sir?"

"I already told you. I'm here to see the Minister," Han repeated, already on edge.

Recognition began to light in the man's eyes. "Your name sir?"

"You don't need to know my name. He'll see me," Han insisted, staring down menacingly at the assistant who looked as if he was about to call security. Many times, Luke had told him the story of Kenobi using a Jedi mind trick to evade the Stormtroopers in Mos Eisley. Not one for such nonsense, Han had always considered a good old-fashioned threat to work just as well in many cases.

This was not one of those cases, he decided. Solo took another breath and calmed down. He just wanted to do this quickly and get it over with, not start any trouble. He smiled, "Look, he's expecting me. So just tell him, alright?"

Solo stood warily expectant while the assistant buzzed the Minister. A few seconds later, the Minister himself appeared at the inner office door as it whooshed open. "Ah, so pleased to see you. Please, come right in."

Han walked past him into the room, unable to stop himself from throwing the assistant an 'I told you so' look.

Once the door closed, the Minister began speaking again. "King Antropo told me to expect you and to keep your identity as secret as possible. Sir, allow me to personally congratulate you and the Queen on your bonding. I can assure you that all of the licensing and so forth has been properly filed and is secured from prying eyes. I saw to it myself," the Minister finished proudly.

"You did?" Solo made his confusion over the situation appear to be appreciative of the Minister's efforts. Apparently, the King had not informed the Minister exactly why Solo needed to see him. "Well, thanks."

"Yes, of course, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Ah…" Han reached towards his jacket pocket and stopped, just pulling on the lapel instead. "…no. That'll be all. Thanks for your help."

"It was an honor to be of service, sir. If there is anything I can do in the future, please feel free contact me at your convenience," the Minister reiterated as he opened the door for Solo.

Han nodded and made his way back to the waiting lift. Stepping inside, his thumb and two fingers of one hand rubbed at opposite sides of his temples. I hope I know what I'm doing. His mind refused to form the words that he had just opted to stay bonded to Leia.

His hand dropped from his face and pulled out the datacard. Why was the lift taking so damn long to get down? Finally, the doors slid open. Han walked to the entrance of the building and stopped near the huge windows that formed the front wall of the foyer. From where he stood, Han could see the parked speeder with Leia waiting inside. Through the darkened windows of the speeder, he could just make out her shadowed form.

Having composed herself and gotten control of her emotions, Leia kept a lookout for Han. He should be coming back any minute now and there was no way she wanted him to suspect that she was upset. Soon they would be well on their way back to base and this will have been nothing more than a memory. Just one more crazy memory in a slew of misadventures she had shared with Han over the last couple of years.

Leia was sure it would be much easier to handle once they were on their way and she convinced Han to keep quiet about the whole thing. Then, they could go back to their well-worn routine of infuriating teasing and incessant arguments. Granted, she would miss the Han Solo she had seen while on Uluruan. The one who had lent his support without an uproar of complaint at every turn, the one who was charming to the royal dignitaries, and especially the one who had tenderly kissed her without taking advantage when even Leia wouldn't have blamed him for doing so.

Although, their usual version of a friendship left a lot to be desired, Leia knew they had to return to it. Doing otherwise was too dangerous. Her focus needed to be where she was in control of her emotions. She would not allow anything or anyone to distract her from her mission to bring down the Empire. - no matter how unbelievably mesmerizing those hazel eyes could be, dammit.

The driver's side door of the speeder hissed open and Solo climbed in. A little thrill ran down his spine at the mere sight of Leia and the thought of her as still his lifemate. Why was it that he wanted to kiss her every time he looked at her? However, he forced his expression to remain neutral. If she had any idea what he had just done – or not done, to be more exact – she would probably kill him. Not trusting his voice to not betray him this time, Solo threw her a questioning acknowledgement as if to say 'Ready?'

Leia thought she felt a strange vibe coming from Han as he had climbed into the speeder, but she couldn't begin to guess what that feeling was or why she felt it. She nodded to his questioning look and they took off towards the spaceport. Neither spoke a word the entire way there. In fact, they maintained silence until blasting into hyperspace, speaking only when necessary regarding the Falcon controls.