Chapter 1: The Mon Mothma Push
"Leia, Captain Solo, thank you for making the time for this holo call. The Rebel Alliance has been pushed to the brink financially. We lack supplies, recruits, good morale and most urgently, the hope to spark a rebellion is dimming. I have reviewed your proposal of leaking the holos of you two - a rebel love story. We would like to immediately move forward with this plan. You are free to be public with the relationship both on base and during a carefully orchestrated mission, as long as you remain professional during duty hours and conduct yourselves privately as would be expected of a House of Elder Princess and her consort. We believe that the holos will spread like fire through private messaging and other means that can avoid the detection of the Empire."
Mon Mothma smiled warmly from the holo projector at Han and Leia, who had tightly controlled looks of horror written plainly on their faces.
Leia glanced at Han in desperation. Her little plan to leak holo footage of her and Han pretending to be honeymooners as a public relations stunt was backfiring on her spectacularly. Han looked back, equally bewildered, yet slightly amused.
"Mon..Supreme Commander Mothma, I believe there has been a misunderstanding. Are you under the impression Captain Solo and I are in a real relationship? As much as I respect the captain, that simply isn't the case. We are friends, of course, and occasional partners on missions and covert operations, but we aren't together..that way," Leia trailed off awkwardly.
"Han, it's just Han, not Captain Solo. And the Princess is right, we aren't like that." Han stated annoyed. Did they even know he was in the room?
"Leia, the fact that I freely call you your given name in front of Captain Solo, or Han rather, and you do the same for me is quite telling of the respect you and I both give to the partnership you two have. Having spoken with Carlist, I understand you enjoy a spirited relationship. That despite your differences in upbringing, you two are well suited for each other, both brave, natural leaders, brilliant, and of course stubborn. Having met Han on several occasions, and witnessing his fine character and numerous contributions to the Alliance, I am most certain Breha and Bail would be supportive of this match."
Han's mouth gaped open, dumbstruck. Mon Mothma and Carlist Rieekan thought he was good enough for Leia? He looked over at Leia to see if she was about to burst out laughing, but she had turned pale, a haunted look plainly on her face.
Leia was absolutely floored. Sadness, profound sadness and loss threatened to swallow her. Her parents were dead and this wasn't a real relationship. Mon's acceptance, her faith that her parents would approve of her and Han even though there was literally nothing to approve of. It would have meant so much if it had been real. But it wasn't and her parents were gone. She would never know the joy of them expressing approval of who she loved as a grown woman. She would never be able to seek their council or approval on love or any other topic. Would her parents welcome Han? Did she? How did Mon and Carlist see something she would not allow herself to picture? This was too much. One more fuck than she could emotionally give right now.
She had to get out of here. She couldn't deal with this now.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this. Please excuse me." Leia fled without a backwards glance.
"Leia!" both Mon Mothma and Han Solo exclaimed at the same time.
Han looked at Mon Mothma supremely upset.
"Mon, Ma'am, with all due respect, what could you have possibly been thinking saying that to Leia? She thinks of you as a surrogate mother, from what little she has shared with me. And I can tell you, she certainly doesn't view me the way you say you and Rieekan do. You overstepped. You should have saved that little speech for when she was actually in love."
"Han, I have known Leia since she was a baby. Her adopted parents were dear friends of mine. She was trained from childhood for a life of service and devotion to her people and the plight of beings the universe over. She has never been one to choose her own happiness if she thought it might conflict with her duty. I told her nothing that wasn't true and I can assure you, the timing of my little speech, as you called it, was entirely appropriate. Sometimes we need to give those we love a bit of a push when they are stuck. You two protest so vehemently that you aren't a couple, but let me ask you this – if she needed you, asked for your help, what would you be willing to do for her?"
"Anything." Han said this simply, aghast at his unmasked honesty with the leader of the Rebel Alliance, yes but also with himself. Despite Chewie's insistence otherwise, he had convinced himself that she was just a friend and sometimes friendly rival that he found devastatingly attractive. What he had just admitted to himself and Mon Mothma was entirely different.
"Go after her Han."
"Yes, Ma'am," Han shot with a cocky two finger salute to her as he walked off her screen.
Mon chuckled at his cheekiness. She had watch Leia privately pine after and be challenged by this man for almost three years. Although she felt a little guilty for her manipulation, she felt that as Leia's stand in mother, a little push in the right direction was justified and would have met with the Organas approval.