Leia waited impatiently as Dak's ship set down. A medical team rushed onboard and, moments later, carried Luke out on a stretcher. Leia strode forward, intent on berating Solo for gallivanting off recklessly. She heard the engines whine down and Dak stepped off alone.

"Where is Captain Solo?" she asked more sharply than she had intended.

"We got attacked," he responded rapidly, and Leia's heart froze. "Captain Solo ordered me to leave when I had Luke onboard. I'd go out there after him, whatever it was clawed my wing to shreds. I'm lucky to have gotten this far."

"Clawed?" she asked. "What attacked you?"

"I'd say whatever got to Luke had a mate somewhere." Leia nodded and patted him on the shoulder absently.

"Good work, Dak. I'll relay your report and send a second scouting party out after Solo."

"Your Highness, my wingman went back for Captain Solo, but couldn't find him. He gave Luke the radio equipment, so there's no way to find him out there; even if he is still alive."

"There's always a way," she said, looking at the Wookiee that had just entered the bay. She intercepted Chewbacca before he got to Dak. He growled something at her and, though she couldn't understand him, his meaning was clear: Where's Han?

"Chewie, he's still out there," she told him calmly. "I'm sending out another patrol unit to find him." Chewie growled a phrase at her and she nodded. "We're both going out there."

"Just great, Solo. You go and play heroics and look what it gets you." Han surveyed his arm and grimaced as he realized he could see bone. "Well, at least I got ice on it right away," he muttered, looking up at the sky. The second scout ship had passed close by about half an hour ago, but he'd seen no other traffic since. "They probably think I'm dead," he mused. "Good, let em worry. Maybe Her Royal Highness will admit how she feels now." He sat under an outcropping, shielding himself from the blistering wind.

He thought of Chewie, and secretly hoped the Wookiee was searching fervently for him, as Han knew he probably was. Still, it wouldn't be long before Han collapsed from blood loss or hypothermia. Or both, he thought cynically. Figures, just when I'm about to clear my name, I go and die in the frozen wastelands of Who-Knows-Where.

His fingers started to ache, and he knew frostbite was starting to set in. His gloves had been ripped off in the fight, and he'd managed to pull his back-up blaster and kill the beast before it wounded him too badly. Han blew into his hands, trying to warm them up, but grimaced when he moved his arm. I hope someone comes soon.

"Anything on the sensors?" Leia asked as she peered out into the white landscape. Chewie rumbled a negative and continued his scans. "This is where Dak reported finding them," she said after a glance to her scanners. "Set down here." Chewie complied and set the small scout ship down. It was barely big enough for her and Chewie, and Leia briefly wondered how they were going to fit Han in if they found him. When, she corrected herself, when we find him. She felt the ship touch ground and she synched her winter hood about her head. She followed Chewie down the ramp and began scouting around the ship for any sign of Han. Any tracks would have been covered by the wind and snow, but as she rounded the bow of the ship, her breath caught in her throat.

An unmistakable dark red stain contrasted in the bleak whiteness. It wasn't a lot of blood, but it was enough to make Leia worry. "Chewie! Come here!" she screamed over the wind. The Wookiee ambled over to her and mrawled at the sight of the blood. He moved closer and sniffed, letting out a mournful cry as he recognized the scent. Leia swallowed a lump in her throat and gazed around, looking for any clues as to the outcome of the battle. As if sensing her distress, the wind died down for a moment, allowing her a glimpse of a mass lying about 100 yards away. She started running, Chewie right on her heels.

"Han!" she yelled as they got closer. But as she approached the mass, she realized it wasn't Han; it was a large creature, about two and a half to three meters tall. Its right claw was stained with blood, but its mouth and chest were clean, indicating it hadn't eaten whatever it had clawed. Leia looked around, shielding her eyes and trying to see anything. The wind had picked back up, and Leia could barely see Chewie standing next to her. He growled something, and the little Wookiee she had picked up allowed her to recognize the word scent. He started off toward a small cluster of boulders, Leia directly behind him.

The wind cut around him, shielding her from its harshness, but the cold still settled deep within her, and she wondered how much longer any of them could survive out here; how Han had managed this long. Chewie's mrawl of elation pulled her from her thoughts, and she peered around him. A heavily cloaked figure was huddled up under one of the boulders, using it as a wind screen. She ran over, calling Han's name, but he didn't answer. She pulled off her glove and stuck her hand into his coat, trying to feel for a pulse. His skin was cold and dry to the touch, but his pulse was there – faint, but there.

"Chewie! Go get the ship!" He roared something back at her, and she pieced together its meaning. "I don't care if we won't all fit." He replied with something about weight limits and she cried out in frustration.

"Well then why didn't you say something before we left! We could have brought the Falcon!" Another reply, and Leia didn't even realize she understood the entire phrase. "I know it takes two people to fly it, but I'm not completely useless!" She reigned in her temper, knowing it would get them nowhere. She looked at Han's limp body and sighed. "Chewie, go back to the ship and take it to base. Grab another pilot and bring the Falcon. I'll stay here with my transponder so you can find us." Chewie roared and Leia shook her head. "I'm not arguing with you about this. The longer you stand here, the less chance we have of saving his life. Go get the Falcon!" Chewie looked at her one last time, shrugged off his large winter coat, and draped it around her. He took off at a run back toward the ship, and Leia knelt down next to Han.

Her eyes roamed his body, checking for any sign of injury. They lit upon his arm, and she winced as she realized his blood had frozen rather than clotted. Not good, she thought as she sat next to him. He had picked a good spot, she mused as she realized the wind was whipping around them, but not on them. She took off Chewie's coat and draped it over him, trying to warm him up. Pulling the med-kit off her back, she opened it and began re-wrapping Han's arm, careful not to disturb the makeshift dressing Han had concocted.

Han awoke as he felt something tugging on his arm. His eyes fluttered open, stinging in the bitterly cold air, to see Princess Leia sitting next to him bandaging him arm. He was covered in a large coat that smelled distinctly like Chewie, and he immediately looked around for the Wookiee.

"Han!" Leia's eyes shot up as he turned his head, and he looked back at her.

"What are you doing out here?" he accused her. She looked indignant for a moment before returning to his wound, not meeting his eyes.

"Dak came back without you. Chewie demanded to go out looking for you."

"And you just had to come along?" he shot back. When she didn't answer, he smirked. "Seems to me your finally realizing how you feel about me."

"Are you still on that?" she barked. "I came out here because no one else was willing to." It was a low blow, she realized, but the combination of the cold and his biting comments was bringing out the worst in her. His eyes flashed with pain, but Leia couldn't tell if it was from her comment or his arm. "How's that?" she said, looking at his newly bandaged arm.

"Well, I still can't move it, but that's probably because it's frozen solid. You need to get back to your transport before you freeze to death." She looked down at the snow, and his heart sunk. "Where's your ship? Where's Chewie?"

"I sent him back for the Falcon. It's the only thing we have that can hold all three of us. They didn't really expect us to find you, so General Rieekan allowed us only a small scout ship," she replied proudly, not wanting him to sense her fear.

"Great, Princess…just great. Now we're both gonna die out here." He readjusted his position on the cold ground, groaning as he did so. He realized he couldn't feel his legs or arms – the intermediate stages of hypothermia – but he wasn't about to alert Leia to that fact. She sat close to him, as if unconsciously drawing from his body heat, and Han sighed. Willing his good arm to move, he grabbed Chewie's coat and draped it over both of them.

"What are you doing?" she bit out, secretly grateful for the extra warmth.

"Keeping us warm," he replied. "Body heat is the best thing we have right now." His voice held a mild hint of suggestion, and she scoffed.

"Don't expect too much body heat, Solo," she said. "Chewie will be back soon. Rest now." Unconsciously, she crept closer to him, and he smiled, lifting his numb right arm. Without a comment, she nestled into him, drawing and giving warmth, praying that Chewie would hurry.

Leia awoke warm and cozy in a bed. The walls around her were white and she could hear the hum of a droid somewhere close by. She looked around the medical bay and her eyes fell upon Luke and Han lying in beds close by. Carefully, she pulled back her covers and stepped out of bed, pulling the thick robe tightly around her. She glided over to Luke's bed and noticed he looked a lot better than when he'd come in. Probably spent some time in a bacta tank, she thought to herself. She ran her hand through his hair fondly before moving over to Han's bed. He looked peaceful despite the redness around his eyes and ears. She could see the color returning to his arms and legs, but they were marred with white and red blisters. Before she could reach out, the medical droid walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but it is not wise for you to be up right now."

"How is he?" she said, ignoring the droid.

"He has suffered third degree frostbite on his hands, left arm, and face. We treated him with a warm bath to reheat the areas that were affected, and we had to debride his blisters to prevent thromboxane-mediated tissue injury. His arm should heal nicely with a little more treatment. With the proper antibiotics, he should be ready to leave tomorrow."

"Thank you, I feel much better now. I'm returning to the command section. Let me know as soon as one of them is awake." She nodded her thanks at the droid and, with one last look at Han, she left for her room to change.

Leia had just finished her debrief with the scouting party when a comm came through for her. "Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker is awake and asking to see you." She acknowledged the transmission and cut the link. After authorizing the next team to leave, she left the command section for the medical bay.

When she entered, Luke was sitting up in bed, eating something that looked like soup. He grinned as she walked in and reached for her hand. She took it and sat at his bedside.

"You're looking better," she commented.

"I feel better," he agreed. "How's Han?" he spared a glance for his friend lying on the bed next to him. "Chewie was in here earlier, but without the medical droid around, I didn't know what to tell him."

"Han is fine," Leia said coldly. She felt something well up inside of her before she exploded. "He's such an idiot!" she stood up and started pacing wildly around the room. "He could have been killed, and where would that have left us? He's a good pilot; he can't go around trying to kill himself when we need him!" Luke watched her for a moment, captured by her beauty, before he responded.

"Leia, he saved my life. Sure he can be a bit reckless at times, but I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for that recklessness." He tried to use reason to calm her, but she wasn't having it.

"Reckless! That's an understatement if I've ever heard one. He's nothing but a stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder!"

"Who's scuffy-lookin'?" a voice rasped from behind her. She whirled to see Han propped up on his elbows staring at them. Leia rushed over to him, but pulled up short once she realized what she was doing. Luke rolled out of bed and hobbled over, clasping Han's hand in his own.

"How you feeling kid?" Han asked slyly. "Ah, don't look so bad to me. Strong enough to pull ears off a gundark."

"Thanks to you."

"That's two you owe me, junior," he kidded, and Luke smiled. Han shifted his attention to Leia. "Well, your highness, looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer."

"What makes you think I had anything to do with it? I certainly didn't order you to go gallivanting off on some crazy rescue operation. Besides, you couldn't leave now even if you were able. General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for anyone to leave the system until they've activated the energy shield."

"That's a good story. I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight." He grinned, but Leia only crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled.

"I don't know where you get your delusions, laserbrain." A deep chuckle resounded through the room, and they all turned to see Chewie leaning against the wall, laughing at Han's once-again-failure with the Princess.

"Laugh it up, fuzzball," Han drawled, but secretly he was pleased that his friend had decided to visit. Chewie came over and ruffled his hair affectionately, wrapping Han in a careful hug.

"I have to go," Leia said abruptly, "Some of us have important jobs we must attend to." She drew herself up and began to walk out, but stopped when she heard Han's voice.

"Must have hit pretty close to the mark to get her riled up like that, huh kid?" Fuming, Leia did the only thing she could think of to get him to shut up. She strode over to Luke's side, making sure to throw in one last jibing comment at Han.

"Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet." She kissed Luke deeply, surprising him as well as Han. Without another word, she stormed out, leaving three very dumbstruck males.

Several days later, on their way to Bespin, Han found Leia alone in the galley. After thinking and rethinking, he decided to join her at the table. He poured himself a cup of kaffe and sat down across from her. His arm was almost completely healed, thanks to the medical supplies they'd put on the Falcon before take off. He bit back a grimace as the bandage rubbed against the wound, and Han realized it was probably time to change the dressing. He reached over with his good hand and grabbed the med-kit off the wall.

Leia watched him silently undress his arm. She winced as she saw the state of his wound; it looked better than it had, but the frostbite that had set in was slowing the healing process. He struggled a little with applying the antibiotics, and Leia shifted around to sit beside him.

"What –?"

"Quiet," she ordered, grabbing the med-kit from him and began working on his arm. "This has to be done right or it will get infected."

"I didn't know you cared," he shot back lightly.

"I don't, but Chewie and I can't get all the way to Bespin without you."

"So you admit it; you need me." She was about to tear into him with a biting comment, but the look on his face told her he had only been kidding. She allowed herself a smile in his direction briefly before turning her attention back to his arm. She continued applying the cream, then the bandage, in silence. When she was done, she packed up the med-kit.

"How's that?" she asked as he surveyed his arm.

"Not bad, Princess, not bad at all." He smirked at her and stood, finishing off his kaffe and leaving the galley. Leia watched after him before standing herself and replacing the med-kit on the wall. She followed him to the cockpit and took her customary seat behind him. He didn't say anything, but she knew he was aware of her presence. After several long moments of silence, Han turned around.

"Something I can do for you?" he asked. There was no malice or sarcasm in his voice, but genuine concern, and Leia was taken aback for a moment.

"Chewie's in the hold repairing our deflector shields. Threepio's working with your computer to try and cut a few more days from our travel." Han nodded absently.

"Yes, but what are you doing?"

"At the moment, I'm checking on you. Then I have to go over the plans for our next mission. We're obviously not going to make the rendezvous point soon, but hopefully I'll be able to get an encrypted message to Mon Mothma telling her where we'll be and what our next move is."

"Can't they run this rebellion without you?" Han asked jokingly.

"Sometimes I think not," she said exasperatedly.

"Hey, hey, hey," Han said, turning in his seat to face her. "You can't possibly accept the responsibility for the entire Rebellion. No one person in indispensable."

"Han, do you honestly think if something happened to me that the Rebellion wouldn't suffer a great loss? The morale alone would – "

"Hey, Leia, I'm not saying we wouldn't miss you," he said, not realizing he'd used a first person pronoun, "But if anything, your death would strengthen the Rebellion, not dissolve it." He paused for a moment, looking in her eyes, before turning around abruptly. "What the hell are we talking about this for anyway? Nothin's gonna happen to you, so stop worrying." It seemed to Leia that he was scolding himself, rather than her, but she ignored it and waited for him to say something else – she had never seen Han so serious about something – but nothing came. She paused for a moment longer before leaving the cockpit for her bunk.

Han sat alone in the cockpit, ignoring the throbbing in his arm. Leia talking about her own death had upset him more than he wanted to admit, and that disturbed him. It was a long trip to Bespin, and Han didn't know if he would be able to keep the distance she had so carefully established. Chewie came by an hour or so later to take over watch and ordered Han to go rest.

"I'm going, I'm going. Listen, I'll be back to take over in a while."

"Threepio's taking the shift after me. You need to rest."

"Threepio! No way is that bucket of bolts taking over my ship," Han protested.

"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen. If I see you up here before tomorrow, I'll personally incapacitate you until we reach Bespin."

Han smirked and left the cockpit nodding. But he found he wasn't very tired, so he decided to visit Leia in her bunk. I have to update her on our situation, he told himself. He walked to where the crew bunks were located and paused before walking around the corner.

"Leia?" he called softly, in case she had fallen asleep. He heard shuffling, so he poked his head around the corner. She was curled up on a bottom bunk, trying to get comfortable on the hard bunk. She didn't seem to have heard him, so he assumed she was sleeping. He grabbed a blanket off the shelf next to him and draped it over her. As he reached up to tuck the blanket under her chin, she shot up, banging her head on the top bunk.

"Ow!" she clutched her head after glaring at him ruthlessly.

"Geez, are you alright!" he placed his hands on her head carefully, massaging the lump that was already forming. He sat next to her as his hands ran across her scalp. She relaxed a little into his ministrations, enjoying the feel of his hands. He placed a soft kiss on her head and stood, grabbing her hand.

"Where –?"

"My room," he said simply. She yanked her hand from his forcefully.

"How dare you assume that –"

"Would you unclench for just a second!" he yelled back, stopping her tirade. "Those bunks aren't very comfortable. Actually, they're designed to discourage anyone staying for too long. My bed is infinitely more comfortable, and you need some rest." He began walking again, and she followed silently, mulling over what he'd said. Does that mean he wants me to stick around? He can be so confusing sometimes. Han opened the door to his room and ushered her inside ahead of him.

"Refresher's over there," he said pointing to the back, "and there are some spare clothes in that closet."

"Clothes?" Leia asked.

"Yeah well, they're um…they were…" Leia smiled at his shyness.

"Han, I know you weren't a hermit before I met you. You don't have to be ashamed about your past relationships." She moved to the closet and opened it, pulling out clothes that obviously belonged to a woman.

"Relationships?" Han said defensively, "What exactly do you think is going on here?"

She whirled around and stared at him blankly. "Han, I'm so confused. One minute you're sweet and serious, the next defensive and acerbic. You've done nothing but flirt or fight with me since I met you, yet somehow I've found myself being drawn toward you." Han stood there, frozen in place, unable to speak. "So what do you want to do, Han? I can't stay on this emotional, chaotic ride with you. I'm afraid you'll just throw me off." He stayed where he was, unmoving, and Leia misinterpreted his inaction. "If you have nothing to say, I'll go back to the bunks. I shouldn't take your room from you, excuse me." She made to brush past him quickly, but he grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around. Before she could even ask what he was doing, she was shoved against the wall and kissed forcefully.

As the kiss wound down, Leia's mind refocused on their situation. With a great deal of effort, she managed to push Han back far enough to break the kiss. He stood straight, keeping his body between her and the door, and smiled.

"Well, Your Worship, that was some –" But he never got to finish his sentence. With reflexes so fast Han would have sworn she was Force-sensitive, Leia was out of his arms, around him, and out the door. Han stood there for a moment, replaying in his mind recent events. She hadn't exactly pulled away from that kiss, and she had used the word "relationships" in regards to their current situation. Maybe things aren't as bad as you thought, Solo. He gathered up some clothes from his spare closet, folded them neatly, and walked out the door.

When he reached the crew bunks, Leia was nowhere to be found. He carefully laid the clothes on the bed – along with a note saying his bed was always available should she ever want a decent night's sleep. He waited for a moment, hoping she'd return and, when she didn't, he retired to bed himself. It's gonna be a long way to Bespin, he thought as he shrugged off his shirt and pants carefully and collapsed into bed.

Han woke when he heard his door slide open. Out of habit, he kept his eyes close to keep up the appearance of slumber; Chewie had a bad habit of trying to "keep his reflexes sharp." But the footfalls that moved toward his bed were too light to be Chewie, and too graceful to be Threepio. That left one person, and Han had to keep himself from smiling. A small but firm hand laid upon his shoulder, and Leia shook him slightly.

"Han?" she whispered, bringing her face a little closer to his. He groaned lightly, as if just waking up, and opened his eyes.

"Princess?" he squinted into the darkness. "What's wrong? Does Chewie need me?" he sat up quickly, but she shook her head quickly. Han noticed her hand hadn't moved from his shoulder, but he wasn't about to bring her attention to the fact and have her remove it.

"No, everything's fine. I just…" she paused, looking at something in her hand, and Han looked down to see the note he'd left her. "…couldn't sleep," she finished. Nodding, Han swung his feet around and stood up, offering her the bed in his place.

"Already warmed up for you," he said sleepily. When she didn't move, he stared at her quizzically. "What? Not big enough for you?"

"No, it's too big," she replied. "Big enough for two, even." She lay down quietly, pulling the covers around her and facing the wall. Han sighed and ran a hand over his face. Way too deep, Solo. This is too much for you. Ignoring the nagging voice, he lay down beside her, on top of the sheets, and casually laid an arm around her body. She snuggled back into him, and he could smell her. She smelled of large palaces and galas, and of rough trenches and pain; but another fragrance he couldn't quite place wafted to his nose.

"You're going to freeze," her soft voice floated through the air, and Han interpreted her code. Quickly, he shifted himself so he could pull the covers under him, then around him. They were side by side now, him in nothing but shorts, and Han's arm found its place again around her thin frame. As they both drifted off to sleep, Han's mind identified the unknown scent: him. She had been onboard, and around him, for so long, Han could smell his life on her. The greasy smell of the Falcon's engines, the stuffy air in the main hold, and the musty cockpit. He inhaled deeply, sighing contentedly as he exhaled. As he drifted off to sleep, he felt Leia intertwine her fingers with his. Sometimes too much is a good thing, he thought briefly before succumbing to a much-needed slumber.