AN: Again my thanks to everyone who is reading and to those who are kindly commenting.

This is the shortest of the Interludes and is VERY VERY VERY heavily based on the Hoth corridor scene from ESB (read almost exactly the same). I tried to make it a slightly different version to fit in with the Dark Times universe and avoided most (not all) of the movie dialogue. I want to explore Han and Leia's relationship without Luke in their lives to see how they fared without him. I also needed to use it to show where we were time wise in the Star Wars universe.

Disclaimer: Star Wars characters and situations belong to Lucasfilm and Disney. For this Interlude I I tip my hat to George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan for the ESB scene on Hoth between Han and Leia and admit that I merely re-worked it to fit into the Dark Times universe - forgive me please.

My thanks to Kazlynh for beta reading.

Alliance

"Leaving?"

Leia hated the way her voice sounded. Hated hearing the tremor that shook the word. It just made her angrier.

Han trawled a hand through his hair and looked around the ice corridor, aware that they were arguing in a public place. "Look, Leia, I never made any promises."

No," she agreed, bitterly. "You didn't."

She paused, closed her eyes and pushed away her anger, trying a different tact. "Han, we're short of pilots, short on everything. We need you!" She hated that she was pleading, that he had reduced her to begging.

"We?" Han's eye brows shot up, he stepped forward, demanding, "Who's 'we?'"

She looked at him like he didn't have a clue. "The Alliance, of course! Han, you can't leave now when…"

A trooper, carrying a crate, squeezed past them.

"…. we're trying to get things back together!" she hissed.

"The Alliance," Han echoed with a roll of eyes. "Of course, it's all about the Alliance."

"Of course, it's about the Alliance," Leia confirmed, "What else would it be about?"

The Corellien looked angry, hurt. "Leia, I thought maybe…"

"Maybe what…?" she snapped, defensively, knowing exactly what Han was trying to say.

Don't ask me. Please don't ask me.

"I thought maybe you'd want me to stay because of how you felt about me."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

She couldn't do this, couldn't allow someone to become so close. She had duties to the Alliance, to the fight. To consider what Han was looking for from her was out of the question. It was ridiculous, it was foolhardy. Anything could happen to him, to her, like it had with Luke.

"Of course I do," she tried to placate him, tried to keep his suggestion within reason. Tried to let him down gently as though she had no feelings. She had to be like this planet; ice. "You're a great help to us, a natural leader and…."

"That's not it," Han barked and turned on his heels, walking quickly up the corridor. "See you around, Sweetheart."

Leia held back, watching his back recede down the corridor, watching him disappear around the corner and caught her breath. Cold realisation finally hitting home. It was not unlike grief. It was a blow, a hard hitting punch – much like those she still suffered when memories of Luke entered her thoughts.

She was losing Han…. He was leaving.

"Han!" She ran after him, caught up with him at the entry to the hanger bay. She could see the Falcon, could see Chewbacca climb down from the top of the hull.

"What?" he stopped, turned around, anger colouring his face.

Desperate to prevent him leaving, she said the first thing that came to her. "What about Luke?"

If anything the Corellian's face darkened further. "Leave Luke out of this… he's gone. He has nothing to do with my decision."

"He'd want you stay!" She was aware she was pleading, begging. She couldn't lose them both, not now…

"He doesn't want anything, Leia!" he burst, furious that she had brought Luke into the argument. "He's dead!"

He spun on his heel, ignoring Leia's distress and the stares from the Rebel personnel nearby, ready to march away... but he stopped, dropped his head and turned back around with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," he said, he stood awkwardly with arms hanging loosely by his side.

Leia swallowed, her tears too close to the surface, not trusting herself to say anymore.

"Just ask me, Leia," he implored. "Just ask, that's all you have to do."

She hesitated, heart hammering in her chest, the thuds so loud that she was sure the Corellian could hear them. Yet, she hesitated, was afraid to acknowledge to him how she truly felt. Afraid of what he was asking and what it would mean for them both.

Solo looked down, shook his head and began to turn away.

The words tumbled from her. "Han. Stay. Please."

He stopped, tilted his head, pleased, but not fully satisfied. "For the Alliance?"

"For me," she conceded, no longer caring who heard or saw them. "Stay for me."

Two quick steps and his arms wrapped around her. She placed her head against his chest, her own arms encircling his waist. He was warm, he was gentle, and he smelled of fuel, oil and sweat and it was the sweetest of fragrances.

"That wasn't too hard, now, was it," he admonished, whispering.

"You'll stay?"

"For you, Leia. Only ever for you."

ooOOoo

To be continued...