The Beginning of Forever

Han woke slowly, his head full of fog, mouth full of cotton, limbs full of lead. Where was he? He finally convinced his eyes to open…it was dark, and definitely not familiar. Was he dreaming? Maybe, because there was Leia's rosy perfume, and he could feel her little form curled into his side.

"Sweetheart?" he mumbled. She sat up quickly and placed her hand on his arm.

"I'm here."

"Sweetheart," Han murmured again, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly to his body. His parched throat cried out for water, but his parched soul cried out for her, as much as he could touch and take in. She let him hold her like that for a few moments, tucking her face into his neck and twining her fingers into his hair. Han let his hands roam, feeling for the warmth of her skin beneath her nightgown.

"I love you, Sweetheart, Leia, God, I love you," he murmured over and over and over again. She repeated his chorus, reveling in him, in hearing those words flowing so freely from his mouth.

"Stars, Han, I missed you," she whispered back.

"I'm sorry, Leia. I'm sorry for this whole damn mess. The mortgage and the gang and...the fire, I'm sorry you had to come out here to this mess," he apologized, leaning into her shoulder, seemingly afraid to look at her. Leia leaned back, forcing him to look up at her, laying a gentle finger over his lips.

"Shh. Shh. I'm right where I want to be," she promised, leaning in to kiss him.

"I love you," he repeated.

"Happy anniversary," Leia replied. He smiled and kissed her again.

"Where are we?" he asked suddenly, looking around the room.

"We're in our cabin, Han. While you were gone, all of our friends came. They worked so hard for two days and helped us rebuild our cabin and our barn."

"They did that? For us?" he asked. Leia nodded. Han looked around the room with new appreciation. He leaned back against the pillows and Leia snuggled up beside him.

"They told me we might not find you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"But you broke into the saloon and found me anyhow," he praised, kissing her forehead. Leia nodded again and leaned up for another kiss. Han's arms tightened around her, leaning into the kiss. "I can't believe we've been married for a whole year," he marveled.

"Me either. It's been quite a year," she giggled into his ear. He swallowed up the last traces of her laughter in another kiss. "Do you think the rest of our marriage will be this exciting?"

"Well, I sure hope it's exciting, but for different reasons," Han replied.

Leia sat up suddenly, looking at him seriously.

"Han, I...I want to be your wife. In every way." She ran her hands over his chest, offering a kiss. He took her up on her offer, holding her closer than he'd ever held her before.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

00

Months later, at the end of the summer

Han's fingers brushed over the lacy edge of her nightgown and Leia moved deeper into the circle of his arms.

"You know, wakin' up to you is a hell of a lot nicer than wakin' up to chores," he rumbled. Leia smiled and kissed him.

"I should hope I rate higher than mucking Millennium's stall," Leia retorted.

"Mm, barely," Han teased, stealing a kiss.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to a lady."

"A thousand pardons, ma'am," he drawled, leaning to steal another kiss.

"Excuse me. I'm going to kiss someone who rates me higher on their list," she teased, pushing him back and climbing out of bed. Leia smirked as she slipped out of his reach and scampered toward her petticoats. Han crawled to the end of the bed and Leia giggled, slipping just beyond the length of his arm as she pulled the skirts on over her head and fastened them at her waist.

"Get back here. We got heaps a' time before I gotta go to chores," Han demanded.

"The sun's already up," she returned, reaching for her hairbrush. "It's a wonder that no one's come to see what's keeping you."

"I'm the boss, and I got a wife. They know what's keepin' me and ain't nothin' gonna change that," Han replied. "Now get back here," he repeated. Leia ignored him and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Han's hat was hanging on a peg beside her dress and she picked it up, turning saucily to face him.

"Look at me," she bade, placing the hat just so on her head and perching her hands on her hips. "I'm Han Solo. I can shoot anything and ride everything and I can be defiant even when there isn't anything for me to defy." Leia sauntered toward Han, her petticoats swishing around her ankles. "I can defy the dust, and the bugs, and the dawn. Whomever and whatever the hell I please," she finished, ending her little trek across the cabin standing directly in front of him. Her small stature and the height of their bed put them almost exactly at eye level and they were both still for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, each daring the other to make the first move.

Han grabbed Leia by the waist and pulled her against him. The hat fell off as they tumbled back into the quilts. Leia smiled into his kiss, relaxing against his muscular form, toned from working incessantly on the ranch.

"I gotta get my kisses now, before I'm off on the cattle drive for three weeks."

"You could always kiss the cattle. I'm sure we could arrange that," Leia teased.

"I'll stick to kissing you," Han decided, and he did just that.

AN: And with that, we've reached the end! Thank you for all of you who've stuck with me this far, especially to all of my wonderful betas who have helped to make this process successful. A big special thank you to Graciecatfamilyband/Imnothere24 for her brave commitment to stick with me from the very beginning, when this story was but a gleam in my eye. Love you, mom (heart emoji).

I'd truly love to hear each and every one of your thoughts now that we've wrapped up! Please leave me a review or send me a note on tumblr!

With that, ON, over and out.