Thanks so much for all the positive comments on the first chapter. I'm happy it's serving as a distraction from the madness happening all over. I really appreciate every single review! Here's more:

XXXX

Han lay in his temporary bunk in the crew quarters, sharing the tiny room with Luke. His mind was on the last hand of sabaac they had played., and the shattering disappointment he had felt when Chewie showed his cards. He hadn't known, until that moment, just how much he had wanted that kiss. He knew it was stupid. What could really have come of it, right there, in front of everyone? Nothing. And, most likely, nothing would have come of it even if they had been alone.

He had thought about her in a way that involved more than simple friendship a number of times, and it bugged him to realize just how strong the attraction had grown. It wasn't as if he had never seen beautiful women before. He had seen, and been with, plenty. So, what was it about the Princess that got to him in such a profound way?

It was simple lust, it had to be. It couldn't be anything more than that. The thought was laughable. He couldn't allow himself to entertain the thought of having more with her. Surely, she would feel that he was beneath her. And that would just infuriate him.

He had to stop thinking about her. No good could come of it, and he would just end up endlessly frustrated.

"Han?" Luke's quiet voice startled Han in the dark stillness.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated briefly. "Why'd you do that before? To Leia?"

Han sighed, annoyed at having his actions questioned. "I dunno. Seemed like a good idea at the time."

Luke was quiet for several minutes, and Han thought gratefully that he had fallen asleep. No such luck. "Han...do you...like her, or something?" The kid sounded as if he were in pain.

Han chuckled, denying the truth, even to himself. "She's okay, Kid. I guess I like her. Just don't tell her I said so."

Luke sat up in his bunk and turned toward Han. "No...That's not the kind of like I mean."

Realization dawned, and Han forced himself to laugh. "You think I like Her Worshipfulness like that?" He snorted derisively. "Not hardly."

"Well, I can't think of any other reason why you'd want to kiss her," Luke responded defensively.

"Why do I do anything I do when it comes to her Holiness? To get on her nerves, that's why. To wipe that royal look off her face, bring her down a notch. You're reading way too much into this, Luke." He decided to turn the tables on his young friend. "Besides, you're the one who really wants to kiss her." He grinned in the darkness, imagining the color rising to Luke's face.

"I-I never said that!" Luke sputtered.

Han held back the laughter that bubbled at Luke's predictability. "Kid, it's written all over your face, every time you look at her."

After a moment of silence, Luke asked quietly. "You don't think she knows, do you?"

"Nah," Han lied good-naturedly. "I doubt she does. Don't worry about it." Han had certainly teased Leia about it enough times, he knew she was well aware of Luke's crush. For a time, Han had been certain that Luke and the princess were going to end up together. They had such similar beliefs and dreams. Plus, they got along so well. They seemed to be made for each other. But here they were, almost two years later, and it hadn't happened. Han wasn't sure why. Perhaps Her Worship thought Luke was not good enough for her either.

"Good," Luke whispered, then fell silent. After a time, Han heard his breathing grow slow and even.

Han continued to lay restlessly, thoughts of the Princess harassing his mind. He turned on his side, resting his head on his arm. He had a feeling that beneath that cold, hard exterior that she presented to the galaxy was a fiery passion. He had certainly seen that passion surface in other ways, and it led him to believe that in matters of love, she would be no different.

Love? What the hell am I thinking here? He mentally shrugged it off, thinking that, as much as he would love to melt her, he was not going to be the one to have that privilege.

He finally settled down to sleep, surprising himself by not dreaming of the young Princess of Alderaan.

XXX

Leia poured herself a cup of kaffe, grateful that no one else was awake yet. It was very early, earlier than she would normally wake up, but that nightmare had badly shaken her, and she had been unable to lay there in the darkness any longer.

A dull pain nagged insistently at her heart. Her hands were still shaking as she brought the cup to her lips and slowly sipped the steaming liquid. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to expel her demons with it.

The nightmares were less frequent now, but no less terrifying. This time had been one of the worst. The one with Vader and Tarkin. The one where she struggled to save Alderaan, to reach the lever that would keep her home planet from being blown to dust.

She closed her eyes as a wave of grief and loneliness swept through her. She replaced her cup on the galley counter but did not remove her hands from it, trying to steady her trembling fingers, as well as her trembling emotions. The tears welled in her heart, but she pushed them aside, unable to allow herself to be that weak after all this time. It amazed her how the pain had barely faded at all, even after close to two years. It still felt as if it had happened just yesterday.

She heard movement from the doorway and cursed silently. Please, let it be anyone but-

"Mornin', Princess," Han said boisterously.

Damn. "Good morning," she mumbled. She should have gotten dressed, she realized, instead of venturing out in her sleepgown and robe, with her hair down and unbound. But she honestly hadn't expected anyone else to be up at this hour, least of all the temperamental captain of this vessel.

He came to stand next to her, reaching for his own cup and pouring himself some kaffe. "How'd ya sleep?"

From the corner of her eye, Leia could see him raise the cup to his lips. "Fine," she said shortly. Her tone must have alerted him to something, because he turned to face her, the kaffe cup halted midway to his mouth. She looked at him, attempting to affect her usual demeanor of indifference.

He frowned. "What's the matter?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Nothing."

He looked at her more intently. "You're lying. Something's wrong." He put his cup down on the counter, gaze still intent on her.

Why couldn't he just take her words at face value? "Nothing's wrong."

He stepped closer, looming over her. She forced herself not to take a step back. She stared at his wrinkled white shirt, silently willing him to go away. When his hand reached out to gently cup her chin, she was surprised. He guided her eyes back to his and studied her features.

"You're pale," he said bluntly. "And you're shaking. What the hell're you so upset about?"

She shook his hand off her chin, and now she did step away, her expression hardening. "It's really none of your concern, Captain. Since when is my emotional well-being on your list of priorities?"

He smirked. "Well, I figure if you're not in the right state of mind for this mission, it'll just drag on and on...and then I'll never get out of there." He paused and moved closer to her yet again. "Now tell me what's buggin' you."

Leia sighed in exasperation. "Fine. If it will make you go away, I'll tell you just about anything as this point." She glowered at him before continuing. "I had a nightmare, all right?" She turned her eyes to the floor, certain that he would tease her mercilessly about that one. He was silent for a long moment, and she was afraid to look up and see his expression.

When he finally spoke, Leia was stunned. "Alderaan?" He guessed with surprising insight.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide with shock. "How did you know that?" she whispered harshly.

His lips pressed together grimly. "What else could it be?"

She looked away, hating that he knew her so well, wondering how it was possible that he did; and mortified that he knew something so personal.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked quietly.

"Not really."

His smile was surprisingly gentle. "You sure? You'd be surprised at what a good listener I can be."

His tenderness was unnerving. Was this really the same man she had played sabaac with the night before? "No, thank you," she said in a more subdued tone.

Han shrugged. "Suit yourself." He leaned back against the counter, picked up his cup and returned to drinking his kaffe. "Ya know," he said between sips. "On Corellia they say that your nightmares are your greatest fears or worst memories. And your good dreams are your greatest desires. Or memories."

She nodded, wondering vaguely why she was still standing there with him. "Yes, we have a similar saying on Alderaan." With a sharp pang in her chest, she realized what she had said. She swallowed hard, glancing downward, then met his eyes again. "Or at least we did have," she finished softly.

Han was silent for a moment, then unexpectedly he reached out to run a lock of her dark, silky hair over his fingers. "It looks nice down. You should wear it down more often."

The gentleness of his tone surprised her. He was just full of surprises this morning. Filled with a sudden discomfort, Leia averted her eyes shyly and felt her face grow warm. "Thank you. But it's difficult to go about my Alliance business with my hair always getting in the way." Her eyes returned to his and found that he was studying her hair with an almost wistful expression on his face. His fingers were still twined in her hair and she glanced at them meaningfully.

With a slightly sheepish expression, Han removed his fingers from her hair and looked down at his cup as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing he had ever seen. "Well," he said distractedly, "I better get to the cockpit."

Leia nodded, grateful.

As he passed her, he leaned close and whispered into her ear, his tone containing a teasing leer. "If you have any other nightmares during the trip, feel free to come to my bunk for comfort."

Leia's jaw dropped in shock and she turned to look at him just as he grinned wolfishly and swaggered away. The nerve of that man! Gods, he was so infuriating!

And confusing. One minute he acted like a decent human being, the next he was an insensitive jerk. Who was the real Han Solo? She would probably never know.

With an aggravated shake of her head, Leia returned to her cabin, unaware of how quickly he had caused her to forget her nightmare.

XXX

Han entered the main hold, where Leia and Luke were seated at the holochess table, eating ration bars and discussing the mission. He mused at the fact that he hadn't been invited to join the conversation. In the past, Leia had always insisted upon Han's participation, but had soon become perturbed with his flippant comments. He sat down at the engineering console and pretended he wasn't listening.

"So, the Paranians are an emphatic species?" Luke asked.

Threepio came toddling over before Leia could answer. "The Paranians are indeed empathic, Master Luke," Threepio declared proudly. "They can sense the emotions of almost all species, and have many customs and rituals revolving around that skill."

"Thanks, Threepio," Luke dismissed the droid.

Threepio didn't take the hint. "For example, they do not believe in the dissolution of marriage. They feel that a couple with a connection strong enough to bring about the marital bond can overcome their discord through a strengthening of their empathic bond. They have many-"

"Thank you, Threepio," Leia interrupted pointedly. "But I don't think that information will be necessary for our mission."

"Of course, Your Highness," Threepio responded with a hint of resentment.

Luke turned back to Leia. "Do they use the Force to sense others' feelings?"

"No. It's a chemical thing, involving brain waves. It has nothing to do with the Force."

"But they can't read our minds, right? They can only feel what we're feeling."

"That's right," Leia assured him.

Han spun around in his chair to face them. "Well, well," he drawled. "It looks like they'll be able to tell how Her Worship feels about me. Of course, I know already, but it'll be nice to have it confirmed." He smirked.

Leia rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, flyboy."

"Maybe in your dreams," he countered, grinning.

Luke looked from one to the other in exasperation. "Back to the mission..."

Leia's attention drew reluctantly away from the grinning Corellian, back to Luke.

"The most important thing to remember is to remain as impassive as possible. Amongst themselves, the Paranians are difficult to offend, with their culture being so obviously open. But with outsiders, since we are unfamiliar with their customs, they can be very sensitive. So, we must keep our feelings calm and rational, under all circumstances." Her eyes returned to Han. "Perhaps our esteemed Captain should remain on the ship." She raised an eyebrow.

Han's eyes took on a light of challenge. "Hey, I can remain as calm as the next guy."

Luke snorted, Leia chuckled, and Artoo, who was standing nearby, whistled and tooted with mechanical laughter.

Han's posture shifted defensively. "Well, I can."

"Of course, you can, Han," Leia humored him.

His eyes narrowed to slits before he turned back to the console and resumed taking readouts.

As the triumphant smile faded from her lips, Leia continued speaking to Luke. "Parans is a very wealthy system. And they've been suppressed by the Empire for a long time. I remember from my days in the Senate that they were discriminated against because the Emperor didn't trust their empathic abilities. I'm sure he must have felt threatened."

"So, you think they'll agree to provide the Alliance with funds then?" Luke took another bite of his almost forgotten ration bar, wincing at the tasteless substance.

"I'm almost certain. The most important thing is that we don't insult them in any way. That we remain on their good side."

Luke glanced over his shoulder at Han, and said quietly to Leia, "Maybe we should ask Han to stay on the ship."

"I heard that, junior," Han snapped. "You wanna see calm? You're gonna see calm alright. Calm and unoffensive. That's me." He jerked a thumb toward his chest.

Luke and Leia grinned at each other. "This I've got to see," Luke laughed.

XXX

The past three days had been filled with teasing, disbelieving comments from Luke and Leia. Even Chewie had joined in. Han was beginning to get annoyed. He never should have promised that he would be pleasant when they arrived on Parans.

The thing that bothered him most was that several times, the Princess had hit him with a choice insult that had actually left him speechless, unable to come up with a suitable retort. He hated to let her have the last word.

The entire thing had put him in a foul mood. Worst of all, in a couple of hours, they would arrive at Parans, where he would have to make good his vow.

Chewie tramped into the cockpit, commenting on their imminent arrival with uncharacteristic glee.

Han glowered at him. "What're you so happy about?"

The Wookiee's response caused Han's expression to darken further.

"I don't want to hear another word about it. Everybody thinks they're so funny," he grumbled.

Chewie laughed softly, berating his Captain for being unable to take what he so ruthlessly dished out.

"You think I can't take some teasing?" He exhaled harshly. "You think that's the problem? Listen, I can take it just as well as the next guy."

Chewie didn't answer, only sat in his co-pilot's seat with a dismissive shrug.

Han turned back to the control panel, scowling. It wasn't just the teasing that was putting him into a foul mood. It was Her Worshipfulness' certainty that he couldn't behave like a decent human being. What did she think he was, some sort of barbarian who couldn't control his impulses? And Luke seemed to agree with her.

Well, he would show both of them that he could be both polite and respectful. When he wanted to be.

But when they were unobserved, he was going to make her pay for this torment. He wasn't yet sure how, but he would think of something.