A/N: Hi! I'm back with this story from the dead. Literally, I had just about given up and announced the time of death. But then, lo and behold, I received a PM from Solo Smirk offering a plot bunny that I then went running with - life blood pumping through the veins of my story once again! So this chapter is dedicated to Solo Smirk with great thanks on sending that PM and waking up my muse from where she was resting.
I would also like to thank, as always, my beta reader, Zyra and two new beta readers that have also been a fantastic help: Solo Smirk and Lady Peter. I hope this chapter and those that are to follow will prove to have been worth the wait. :-)
It is Your Destiny…
The Lounge of the Millennium Falcon – One Day Later
Leia Skywalker watched in silence as Han, Chewbacca, Luke, Cracken and Madine discussed their path forward. War, it would seem, was inevitable. She, in all her young years, had never seen war. In childhood stories, her father and that previous generation of Jedi had prevented war. When she flew her simulators and practiced her drills, war had been a romantic notion of sorts. Heroes were made in battle. Bad guys always fell to the good. Yet all of that had been shattered by the harsh reality of death. Obi Wan and Bail were gone. The Light had not completely obliterated the Dark. It was all still very difficult to comprehend.
She watched as Han Solo spoke with the other men. He looked different, brooding. She hadn't really seen him since he had supposedly defected and she took a moment to study him. He had gained some weight and his hair was no longer in a military clip but more shaggy with disobedient locks sticking out wildly here and there. There was a uniform-length carpet of stubble on his face and she wondered if it was intentional or just a byproduct of the hectic pace over the last few days. He was handsome, especially now with that determined set to his jaw. Her heart twisted at the thought. The irony of it all wasn't lost on her; now that she was old enough (and inclined apparently!) to pursue a relationship she'd only vaguely contemplated before, she had sworn off all childish shenanigans involving him. So how he looked, what she felt it was all a moot point.
She thought back to the message that had started the entire ordeal. The small holo of a woman pleading with her about a future that was now etched upon her mind as it once had been in the innards of Artoo Detoo. Whoever that mysterious messenger had been, however, it hadn't been her, she decided. It hadn't been this Leia sitting here now facing this particular future. And this Leia would no longer entertain thoughts of some other being that had lived some other life, some time ago. This was her life and it would be different.
"Leia, what do you think?"
The question came from her brother and she could tell from his expression that he knew full well that she hadn't been listening.
Luke pressed his lips together, his rising annoyance with her evident. "She'll come back to Coruscant with me," he said to the others without waiting for her to respond. "We have to report to the Jedi Council, regardless."
Even though her brother was speaking, all eyes remained trained on her – studying her as if trying to figure her out. Cracken and Madine looked worried and confused; Luke, impatient and annoyed. Chewbacca, the Wookiee and the most difficult to read, looking as best as she could tell…sad. And Han. Han, for his part, looked simply resolute. She lowered her gaze to the table, unable to face all of their scrutiny any longer and with that, the conversation continued.
Listening half-heartedly to the rest of the meeting, it was evident that the New Republic had indeed all but declared war and their response to the Imperials' actions against herself and Bail Organa were to be swift and sure. It would be interesting to report to the Jedi Council and find out if they would respond in kind. Leia looked forward to getting back to the Galactic Capital and regaining some normalcy in her life. It felt as if her entire universe had been tilted on its axis and up and down and left and right weren't where they were supposed to be anymore. She had a great pressing urge to be 'righted' and she only hoped that stepping foot on Coruscant would do the trick.
Cracken and Madine were the first to exit the airlock and return to their docked ship. Next, Han coupled the Millennium Falcon with Luke's StealthX and the twins bid a temporary goodbye. When Han finally docked with Leia's X-wing it had been Chewbacca that escorted her to the airlock and attached the docking ring. In fact, if theWookiee hadn't continued to hail Han over the intercom (against Leia's wishes), she had been convinced that the man would've been content in letting her leave without even saying a final goodbye.
But arrive he finally did, all the while muttering apologies and excuses about something going awry on the ship all the while wringing his hands clean with a grease-smudged rag. Chewbacca warfled his farewell to Leia and then seemed to offer Han some assurance that he would fix whatever it was that had broken. Han gruffly thanked the Wookiee and Chewie lumbered down the curved corridor leaving the two humans alone. And there they stood in an awkward silence as Leia lamely performed another cursory check of her equipment and Han looked upon her as if she were not real.
"Hey," Han finally spoke. "I didn't get to tell ya, but I'm real sorry about everything. 'Bout the Viceroy and Kenobi."
Leia nodded, taking his condolences for what they were. Disregarding everything, they had at least become friends. "Thank you," she replied. And at the prospect of another long silence, she continued, "You know, there'll be memorials for them both."
Han's posture tensed up. "Yeah, about that. I'm…not the funeral kinda guy." And then added quickly, "Besides, it's not exactly like I can go showing my face around those Republic circles anymore."
She nodded, accepting his second excuse as more palatable than the first. He was an undercover agent now, how could she have forgotten that? "You're right. I wasn't thinking."
"Hey, uh," he stopped and seemed unable to find the right words. "Tell Winter..."
Leia nodded knowingly. "I'll tell her."
Later in her X-wing during the quick jump through hyperspace Leia wondered if she would ever see Han Solo again. Not to fall in love, not to catch a glimpse of some future he was supposed to hold for her, but just…because.
