Leia was hesitant to fully believe what her senses were telling her. She'd been planet-side, on Damerra in the FT-942 Sector, for only a few days, on a diplomatic mission. In that short time she'd grown to yearn for Han in a way she hadn't on the ship. She was too logical to give in to the wild abandon she felt in her heart; she remembered growing up on Alderaan, remembered what foolish love felt like. She ignored the nagging feeling within that this was different.

What was certainly no different were the physical sensations that stayed with her long after the moment Han had swooshed the Falcon into hyperspace. She'd had to take a moment in the washroom before an important meeting with the Queen-ruler of Damerra, in order to shake off the perpetual faint she felt when thinking about Han. It was a miracle she'd been able to make it through the working week.

After a few months of living on the Millennium Falcon, Leia had become accustomed to remote meetings and taking long lunches in her quarters with Han. Being planet-side, back in the role of diplomat seeking justice, Leia would have felt strange regardless; without Han, she felt unmoored.

Returning to her temporary lodgings in the Damerra Esquire Inn, Leia reminded herself that it was indeed not a miracle that she'd had a successful week. She felt her mission clearly, to bring Alderaan to justice, to lead and serve. Give yourself some credit, kid. She heard Han's voice in her head.

Leia trudged up the many flights of stairs to her room. Damerra was cold and rainy, and the large windows in her suite overlooked the city: tight-knit buildings, all lower than 10 stories to accommodate high-altitude winds, crowded in a spiral shape, twisting toward the center of the capital city. Dameron-1 was populous yet anonymous, and therefore allowed for discrete Rebel operations.

Shedding her rain-soaked parka, Leia shivered slightly. The great windows seemed to emanate frigid air. She went to the stately fireplace in the center of the suite and turned the large iron key; the grate click-clicked for only a moment before purple-blue flames shot from the center, engulfing the faux logs above. Immediately the warmth flowed across Leia's body, sating her.

While it was no great difficulty for Leia to give her all in her work, she also relished the idea of a few days off ahead of her. She felt exhausted, and she wanted to figure out why she couldn't stop thinking about Han. She poured a spirit from the kitchenette into a paper cup and settled into the loveseat by the fire.

Once her joints felt defrosted, and the drink started to warm her from within, Leia let her thoughts return to Han. Return, as though they had been anywhere else as of late. She knew that deep down, this was different to the school-girl crushes and loves of her youth. She had never burned this way for another person, not even that time when she'd almost run away with the Algonquian magister.

Leia felt two distinct feelings wash over her at the thought of Han: firstly, sensuality made her skin erupt in gooseflesh, arousing her to her core; secondly, and more surprisingly, she could think of no word other than safety. She felt safe thinking of Han. She didn't feel the need to run, or hide, or perform. She felt seen, she felt she saw him. The realization made her drain the rest of her drink.

Standing up to pour herself another jig of spirit, Leia heard the faint twinkle of her holoreceiver. She was surprised to have an incoming message this late in the evening, and hoped it wouldn't be a holo-request. She had already taken down the intricate, professional braiding common on Damerra. Her cascading tresses would be seen as intimate.

Leaving her drink on the counter, she went to the bedroom of the suite where her small desk had been setup. The blue blinking light of the holoreceiver patiently alerted a text communication. Leia clicked the button to display the message.

thinking about you, kid

No signature or receiver number, but Leia had little problem imagining who sent it. The text hovered over the holoreceiver, dimly illuminating her bedroom with blue light. Speak of the devil... Leia thought. She knew the Falcon was in hyperdrive in order to send encrypted messages direct, and she imagined Han at the helm. He probably wasn't shirtless, but that's how Leia chose to imagine him. The thought sent warmth to her middle.

She supposed she should respond, as he wouldn't stay in hyperdrive long. Emboldened by the drink, Leia punched a message into the holokey and sent it with a whoosh before she could think too hard.

wish you were here x

Leia knew it was rather tame, but she still flushed deeply red at their delicate conversation. A relic of Queen Breha's expectations of a princess, Leia preferred to err on the side of coyness. After all, Chewie could be co-piloting. Best to spare him of anything too immodest.

Leia barely had time to take another sip before the twinkling sound repeated, and a blue flash winked at her.

i want you so bad.

i think i'm going crazy, princess.

send help.

Leia laughed, and her heart ached a little bit. She was realizing that she had something of a diamond in the rough on her hands. She typed her rejoinder.

this princess is unable to grant request for help in that department - perhaps the pilot should have more luck returning planet-side for some respite?

Leia sent the message, knowing Han would read through her pith to see that she missed him as well. Besides, most of the nights she had spent on Damerra, she had closed her eyes and imagined Han bursting through the door and ravaging her.

It took a few moments for Han's return message to come through. Leia leaned against the desk, swilling her drink and waiting. She had begun to feel heated, as she had already been ruminating on the way Han made her body react. She ran a hand through her hair, fanning it off the back of her neck.

A message twinkled in and Leia pressed the button before it had the chance to light up.

exiting hyperdrive soon.

see you sooner rather than later.

That was it? Leia was confused. She had hoped they would keep trading messages into the night, Leia swapping between typing on the holokey and caressing herself. For their conversation to be cutoff was not just disappointing to Leia, but it also confused her. Sooner rather than later? She had two more weeks before the Falcon was scheduled to pick her and R2 up; Leia was never explicitly informed of their plans, but she assumed the Falcon would take the time for maintenance and repair somewhere in the FT-942 sector lightmonths away.

She could hardly dare to hope that she'd see Han any earlier than a fortnight from now. Her head was a little dizzy from the drinks, so she chalked it up to misunderstanding. As much as she might wish for him to return to her bed, Leia was sure Han would remain half a parsec away until their scheduled reconnaissance.

Noting the late hour, Leia decided to turn in. She twisted the iron key to deaden the fire to a low glow. Stretching, she changed into the silken nightgown she had taken to wearing on the Falcon. The way it tightened against her breasts as she breathed reminded her of Han's hands on her body. It made her feel wistful, and she climbed into her bed, relishing the feeling of the sheets on her skin. Thinking of Han, she closed her eyes and let her hands travel across her body.

To be continued.