Edit: I don't know how that happened. Hopefully it's ok now.
Leia approached the Millennium Falcon, her earlier conversation with Wesley fresh in her mind. Guttervrelt. Who does he think he is, telling me who I can spend time with? And implying...
How dare he imply that something was going to happen between herself and Han. For one, Han certainly wasn't her type. And two, he was with Bria Tharen. Okay, he was handsome, very handsome. But so was Wesley, in a more classic way.
What was wrong with being friends with the man? Although Wesley and Luke were not friends, the older man was not overcritical of her friendship with him. Why did he have such a problem with Han? Because he was a smuggler? Certainly, Han could be hard-headed, argumentative and cocky as all hell. But there was more to him than that, she could sense it almost from the first moment she met him. He could also be understanding, funny and unexpectedly thoughtful. If nothing else, he took her mind off her misery. She almost never thought of Alderaan when she was with him. Whether he was relentlessly teasing her or telling her one of his endless stories of outwitting authorities, bounty hunters, and other shady characters, Han managed to distract her from dark thoughts and make her laugh.
Perhaps Wesley reminded her too much of her past. She often thought of Alderaan while in his company. Of course, that wasn't his fault, she thought, that familiar, dreaded pang wrenching her heart again. She took a deep breath and continued her trek across the hangar. The ramp was lowered, a sign that they were waiting for her. She ascended, calling out to the three friends inside.
"We're here!" She heard Han bellow. "Come on up!"
Smiling in spite of herself, Leia found them in the main hold, sitting around the holochess table, the sabaac cards and a bottle of Corellian brandy on the tabletop.
They all smiled at her, making her feel at home, cared for and loved, somehow. She wasn't certain why such a feeling enveloped her at the sight of Han, Luke and Chewbacca, it simply did. It made her feel vulnerable, but strangely safe at the same time.
She grimaced. "Sabaac? Again?" She groaned aloud.
Han stood suddenly, arms raised defensively. "No, no," he said quickly. "I've got a new game for you, Sweetheart." He grinned, that cocky, crooked grin that always told her he was up to some sort of mischief.
She eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of game?" She walked closer to the table but did not sit down yet, deciding to make him sweat, thinking she might refuse.
"It's a pretty simple game. Here, have a seat." He gestured for her to sit on the acceleration couch, next to Luke. She raised a dubious eyebrow at him, then sat down carefully, smiling warmly at Luke before returning a suspicious gaze to Solo. He dropped down to sit on her other side, grabbing a glass and filling it almost to the top with brandy. He placed it on the game table before her.
She looked at the generous portion in her glass. "You don't actually expect me to drink all that, do you?"
He shrugged. "It's your choice." He began dealing cards to each of them, causing Chewie to bark shortly.
"All right, all right," Han sighed. He turned to Luke and Leia. "Okay, these are the rules: You leave your cards face down, and don't look at them!" He slapped Luke's hand away, as he was about to do just that. Luke turned an amused look on the Princess, who smiled back. "At each turn you pick a card at random. If it's a negative card, you have to take a drink. If it's a positive card, you get to ask a question of anyone in the group, and they have to answer." He leaned back, satisfied. "Got it?"
"You want to play a silly drinking game?" Leia asked incredulously.
Luke chimed in. "Don't you think we're a little old for that?"
Annoyed, Han stood. "Well, what then? You wanna play sabaac again?" He looked at each of them in turn. "Fine! I tried to come up with something different, no one appreciates that though." He began gathering the cards, until Chewie's howling protest and Leia's hand on his arm stopped him.
"All right, Han. Let's play." She squeezed his arm gently before returning her hand to the tabletop.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
She nodded with false enthusiasm. Han looked at Luke, who smiled encouragingly. Chewie growled his agreement.
"Okay," Han sniffed. As he sat back down next to Leia, she caught the tiniest smirk of satisfaction in his expression, causing her to wonder at his sincerity. Her eyes were drawn to his strong hands as they dealt the cards again.
He grinned when the cards were distributed. "Ladies first." He gestured to Leia.
With a look of apprehension, she picked up a card. Negative. Damn. With a long-suffering sigh, she took a tiny sip of her brandy, wincing at the unpleasant sensation burning a fiery path down her throat.
"You call that a drink?" Han put his face too close to hers, his expression expectant.
Leia matched his look with an inborn stubbornness. "That's the best you're going to get, flyboy."
He turned his face away, shaking his head sadly. "I didn't realize I was playing with a bunch of children."
"Luke's turn," Leia said quickly.
Luke smiled sheepishly, taking a card from his pile and turning it over. Negative. He grimaced and took a big gulp from his glass, just to satisfy Solo. He tried to maintain his cool, but could not help the shudder that passed through him at the strong taste of the brandy.
"Well, all right!" Han enthused. "At least someone knows how to drink like a man." He looked pointedly at the Princess.
She raised a brow in his direction. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a man."
His eyes roved over her body and he wiggled his eyebrows. "Hmmm…I hadn't noticed that." His eyes snapped to Luke. "Did you notice that?"
Luke blushed as he stammered, "Um, yeah...I-"
Han and Chewie laughed loudly, cutting off Luke's awkward reply. This was going to be a long night...
Han shook his head, watching Luke with amusement. The kid'd had way too much to drink. Leia had also, she just handled it better. He nudged Leia gently.
"Your turn, Princess." He had to admit he was feeling no pain.
Leia chose a card, turned it over and grinned triumphantly. Positive. "Solo," she declared, turning towards him. She looked at him thoughtfully, deciding what to ask. She had already gotten his time as an Imperial out of him, much to his chagrin, and his history with Chewie. Han hoped fervently that she would not bring up his childhood.
With a wicked gleam in her eye, she asked, "Are you in love with Bria?"
Huh? He wasn't sure if that question was better or worse than what he had feared. He looked at her, eyes narrowing. Chewie guffawed from the other end of the table, slapping his hand on the tabletop over and over, showing Han that he too had drank too much.
He looked at Luke for support, only to find that the kid's expression had sobered somewhat. Han wondered what that was all about. Finally, Han's eyes rested on the Princess. "That's too personal."
She grinned. "Oh, so suddenly you don't like the question and you're changing the rules? I don't think so, Han."
Chewie only howled harder, and Han reached over, smacking him up the side of his shaggy head. The Wookiee stood up, roared mock menacingly, and picked Solo up bodily, holding him over his head with a triumphant howl.
"Put me down, you furry lunatic! What the hell's the matter with you?"
Now Luke and Leia joined in his laughter, the former's good humor restored as he nearly fell from his seat.
"Chewie, put me down! Right now!"
Weak with laughter, Chewie plopped Han down on the floor, sinking back into his seat and holding his side. The three amused companions took deep breaths, recovering from their gales of amusement.
Han shot Chewie a dirty look and began to scoop up the cards.
"Hey!" Leia protested. "You never answered my question!"
He grinned at her. "Sorry, Sweetheart, game called on account of a crazy Wookiee."
Chewie sat back with a toothy grin, placing his hands behind his head. Luke leaned close to Leia, whispering conspiratorially. "They planned that, wouldn't you know it?"
"Hmph...I think you're right." She cast a suspicious glance at Chewie, then Han. They both smiled back.
"Well," Luke said. "I guess that's it for tonight." He stood up, but stumbled suddenly.
Han laughed and rolled his eyes. "Chewie, get Luke back to his quarters."
"I'm okay."
"I'll feel better if Chewie takes you."
Luke sighed as Chewie stood up and walked towards him, arms poised to lift him as he had Han. Luke took a step back and said quickly, "I can walk, okay?"
Chewie laughed again, and made a quick, dashing movement towards Luke causing the young man to jump involuntarily. They all laughed again, Chewie most of all, causing Luke to glare at each of his companions in turn. Then he turned to Leia. "Goodnight, Leia," he said shyly.
"Goodnight, Luke." She smiled softly
. "See ya, Han," he said more gruffly to the Corellian.
Han nodded and watched his two friends go. He turned to Leia as she stood and faced him
"I should go also."
He nodded, his eyes taking in the few wisps of hair that had escaped her bun to dance softly at the back of her neck. He had the craziest urge to brush his hand against them. "I'll walk you back."
She laughed softly. He loved the sound of her laughter. "That's okay, I'm fine. I don't need an escort."
"Well, maybe I need a walk to clear my head," he countered gently.
"I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl."
"I can see that." His eyes never left hers, and he felt something spark unexpectedly, yet undeniably, between them. An electric feeling ran down his spine, quickening his pulse. Did she feel it too?
For the tiniest moment, there was a vulnerability in her eyes. Then she recovered, turning away from him slightly. "Fine. Let's go."
Without a word, Han took her hand and led her from the Falcon.
Leia walked down the corridor beside Han. When they had gotten outside the Falcon, he had dropped her hand from his, making her feel surprisingly disappointed. But of course, he wouldn't hold her hand in public, he was with Bria, and she was with Wesley. It made perfect sense. So why did she find herself wanting to take his hand in hers again? Must be the brandy, she thought ruefully. She had to admit she felt a little lightheaded.
The silence between them was disconcerting. "Mon Mothma will be visiting next week," she said, just to say something.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance in her direction. "Yeah?" He was silent a moment. "Bria will be thrilled."
She thought she detected some disdain in his voice, but wasn't quite sure. "I can imagine." She paused. "She'll be back the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah." For some reason, Han always felt uncomfortable discussing Bria with Leia.
The silence returned, and Leia could not recall ever feeling so uncomfortable in Han's presence before. Normally, she felt a sense of quiet contentment, a security that she seemed unable to find elsewhere. At the moment, however, there was an uneasy swirling in her stomach that she could not quite identify.
Finally, they reached the door to her quarters, and Han leaned against the wall, looking at her strangely. She looked back at him, wishing the sudden, new tension would leave them. As they stared at each other, a furious warmth spread through her, and she could feel the flush on her face. Eyes locked on his, Leia noticed, not for the first time, how beautiful his dark, hazel eyes were. She watched as he opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. The action drew her eyes to his lips, causing her to wonder how they might feel against hers. Were they as soft as they looked?
Shaking her thoughts from this insanity, Leia averted her eyes, embarrassed. What was she thinking? This was crazy...
"Well, goodnight, Princess," Han whispered softly. Her eyes hesitantly returned to his as he leaned close to her.
Oh Gods, he's going to kiss me. An intense fear built up inside her as he drew closer. She could feel her defenses rising, the threat of this intimacy, with this man, far too much for her sudden, fragile state. As his lips went to softly kiss her forehead, relief flooded her, mingled with a sharp sense of longing and disappointment. At the contact of his lips, her eyes closed, almost without her realizing it, and she drew a sharp whisper of a breath. The warmth of his lips, the feeling of his breath on her skin, was overwhelming.
When he withdrew, Leia felt an unexplainable urge to cry. Her hands were shaking, and she drew them behind her back so he would not see. The spot on her forehead where his lips had touched was still warm from the caress. She couldn't speak.
He never smiled when, after an eternity, he turned from her and ambled down the corridor. That serious, earnest expression lingered in her mind long after he was gone.
With a deep, shaky breath, Leia entered her quarters and found Wesley sitting on her bed, shirtless, with one arm behind his head. No. She didn't think she could deal with him right now.
In a flash, he was before her, eyes pleading. "I'm sorry, Leia," he whispered in a tortured voice.
It was too much for her. She felt like she was falling apart. His arms went around her, pulling her close, making her wonder what was real.
"Shh, don't cry, I'm so sorry."
She let him hold her once again, allowing him to believe what he wanted about her, knowing that truly, he didn't know her at all.
