Mergers and Acquisitions
by suezahn
Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, etc. My only profit is in the form of readers' feedback. Please be generous!
Note: This story was originally written in 2000 and has now be revised and updated for consistency with the rest of the Kismet series. Please note that the OC name Kristin Aldritch = Keris Aldric now. I decided the old name was too "Earthy."
The original story was awarded STAR aWARdS Best Long Story 2000.
A very special thank-you to my lovely proofreaders: Erin Darroch and Marjorie Joyce.
Chapter 25
Wrapped in a thick towel that she kept conveniently stashed in the spare cabin, Leia stared down at the motley assemblage of clothing she also kept in the storage locker. You've made yourself right at home here, haven't you? No wonder they all talk.
She was reminded of the possessions they'd been forced to leave behind back in their hotel suite. Being familiar with cost made it no easier, particularly when she had so little to begin with these days. But the loss of Keris's borrowed jewelry and the dress from Han—they were only possessions yet the cost was priceless. She could only guess at the jewelry's sentimental value to her friend. And the symbolic dress.…
She reluctantly admitted that dwelling on the matter wouldn't change anything. They were lucky they'd escaped alive and intact. A few physical possessions was still a small price to pay for what they'd come away with from Ord Mantell. Her mission had been a huge success; she'd proven herself to those who'd dared to question her practical usefulness; and with Han's announced plan to stay on indefinitely, she felt real hope and enthusiasm on that front as well.
She still hadn't totally forgiven him for being evasive with her about the bounty hunters, but it hadn't changed how she felt about him. Those emotions were so new, so novel and wonderful, that she wanted to coddle and nurture them. She also felt a surprising need to pick up where they'd left off before their idyll was interrupted. His attentions were addictive. The only trouble was—she didn't have the slightest clue about maintaining a boyfriend.
Leia frowned. Boyfriend? That sounded so immature considering the man in question. She was pretty sure that "lover" wasn't exactly accurate yet, either. How was she supposed to know how to act when she didn't even know what to call this? How was it that she could be such a capable adult in every other aspect of her life, yet feel reduced to nothing more than a schoolgirl when it came to Han?
How useless all those lessons in deportment and politics seemed now. They'd taught her how to be a princess and a politician, but no one had taught her how to be "Leia."