Test Flight

Leia slammed the cup down in the sink so hard, it made her sister-in-law jump slightly. From the second Mara had entered the kitchen, she'd known something was bothering Leia, and this just confirmed her suspicions.

"Had a bad night?" Mara asked cautiously.

The Princess spun around to face the red-head. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Um. No?"

"My anniversary!" Leia replied hotly. "Sixteen years. I've been married to that thoughtless Nerf for sixteen years!"

"Are you and Han having problems?" Mara questioned, not certain she wanted to hear the answer.

"I didn't think so," Leia responded. "But, apparently, sixteen years of marriage means nothing to that scruffy laser-brain I'm married to. I know sixteen isn't some big galaxy-altering event, but wouldn't you think it means something? That he'd acknowledge our anniversary in some small way? Even just a nice dinner out? But noooo... he's been working on that stupid ship of his night and day for the past week. He hasn't even thought about me!"

"Maybe he has a surprise planned," Mara suggested.

"Ha! Not a chance. I know him better than I know myself. He's forgotten all about our anniversary."

"You don't really know that."

"Whose side are you on?" Leia snapped.

Mara stood up from her seat, slowly backing out of the room. "Side? I have to pick a side?" When Leia put her hands on her hips and glared, Mara quickly added, "I have to go now... Luke's expecting me."

As she hurried out the door, Leia called out, "Luke would never, ever forget your anniversary!"

Later...

Luke stopped at the foot of the lowered ramp, staring up into the well-lit interior of the Millennium Falcon. "Han?"

A clattering of tools sounded, and a second later Han Solo stood in the doorway, covered in grease and holding a filthy rag. "Hey, kid. What brings you over here?"

The Jedi approached his long-time friend, stopping just inside the entryway. "I just had an interesting conversation with Mara."

"Huh. Is 'interesting conversation' a synonym for an argument?"

"I don't argue with Mara."

Han rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't. And a bantha don't stink, either."

"I doubt one bantha thinks another bantha stinks. They probably think we stink."

"Speak for yourself."

"I didn't come here to discuss body odor," Luke said, sighing.

"Good thing, or I'd start gettin' worried about you."

"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

Han thought for a moment. "The seventh?"

"More specific."

"The seventh day of Amozyn?"

"And?" Luke prodded, thinking he was going to side with Leia in this issue.

"And..." Han started out, frowning. Then his eyes grew wide as he remembered. "SHIT! Tomorrow is Amozyn seven! Why didn't you remind me?"

"After sixteen years, I didn't think it was necessary," Luke said dryly. "I guess I was wrong."

"It's not my fault!" Han argued weakly. "The hyperdrive coils went bad, and then I had to order a new unit, and it was back-ordered... and then the stupid company sent me the wrong model so I had to send it back and they kept arguing that I was the one that ordered the wrong part and I'd have to pay a restocking fee before they'd send me the right part so then I had to threaten to send Chewie over to their factory and pull some arms outta sockets before they finally agreed to send me the right part - "

"Leia's not going to care," Luke interrupted. "Mara said she was pretty upset this morning."

Han groaned. "What am I gonna do?"

"I'd suggest getting her a gift, at the very least."

"What kind of gift? She's got more jewelry than she needs, and I've got no idea what to buy clothes-wise."

"I can't really say what to buy her," Luke said. "But you'd better come up with something, or it's going to be a long, cold year until number seventeen rolls around."

The next morning...

"Han?" Leia called up into the dark interior of her husband's precious ship. "Are you there?" She stomped loudly up the ramp. "You called me out of a meeting, I'll have you know. Fey'lya wasn't pleased one bit that I left."

"Do you really care what that self-inflated Bothan thinks?" Han's deep voice sounded from behind the Princess, making her jump slightly.

"Not really," she replied, grinning despite the fact she was annoyed that he had yet to remember their anniversary. And Leia had no intention of reminding the nerf-herder, either. If he couldn't manage to remember something this important on his own... well, she'd have to think of some appropriate punishment later. "What's the big emergency?"

"I got those hyperdrive coils all installed," Han told her, hitting the 'close' button on the ramp. "And I wanna give the old girl a test flight."

Leia held her temper in check with effort. "Are you telling me this was your big emergency? That meeting was important - "

"They're all important," Han interrupted dismissively.

"And," Leia continued, glaring, "you couldn't test the 'old girl' with Chewie's help? He's your co-pilot, last time I checked."

"Ah, Princess," Han said, shaking his head. "I was talking about you when I said 'the old girl,' not the Falcon." When she took a threatening step toward him, Han backed up, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Kidding, sweetheart... just kidding." He waved toward the cockpit. "But as long as you're here, let's take a quick spin around the system."

Without waiting for her response, Han turned and headed toward the cockpit, forcing his wife to follow. "Han... I'm not sure I have time for this..."

"Sure you do," he called back over his shoulder. "One time-part, tops. They'll never miss you, and when you get back, just put the blame on me."

"I will," she answered, plopping down in Chewie's over sized co-pilot's seat.

The old freighter lifted off, turning and roaring into the blue sky, which soon changed to the inky blackness of space. The planet rotating peacefully below as Han gave a wide turn and to Leia's surprise, headed further into space. "Where are we going? You said 'a quick spin,'" she pointed out.

"I did, didn't I?" Han agreed. "But scoundrels have been known to lie... or even kidnap beautiful princesses."

"Han! If you wanted to waste the day flying around space, you should have taken Chewie, not me."

The ex-smuggler turned in his seat. "Chewie couldn't help test these new parts if he's watchin' the kids, can he?"

Leia wasn't amused. "Where are you taking me?"

"Bakura."

"Bakura?" Leia spluttered out. This trip was obviously going to take a lot more time than a time-part. "Why?"

"Because they have really nice restaurants. And..."

"And, what?"

Han flushed slightly. "It's our anniversary, and I thought we'd go back to the hotel where we, um, you know... the first time we made love." He smiled at his surprised wife. "I won't even have to listen to your brother lecture me afterward, either."

"Luke lectured you?" Leia asked, surprised at that admission and pleased that Han remembered their anniversary after all.

"Yup. Warned me if I didn't take proper care of you, he'd chop me up with his lightsaber."

"He did?"

"Well, maybe not exactly that," Han replied with a snort. "But it was something along those lines. I remember I was sorta miffed at the time, too."

"What did you tell him?" Leia asked, curious.

"I told him I'd never hurt you, 'cuz I loved you," Han said slowly. "And guess what?"

"What?"

"I still do love you, more than anything."

Leia smiled. "More than the Falcon?"

"More than my own life. Happy anniversary, Princess."

Leia moved out of the co-pilot's seat, and sat on Han's lap, kissing him long and slow. When she finally drew back, she answered, "Happy anniversary, Han. I love you, darling, but it's a good thing you remembered, or I'd have had to chop you up with my lightsaber."

THE END