A Change of Plans: Chapter 10 (Revised)
By KnightMara
A/N: Sorry, but I haven't been on FF.N for a LONG while, and I had not realized that there was a hiccup in the posting of Chapter 10. For all of you who were left in the lurch, I am profoundly sorry! I had no idea. So here is the corrected version of Chapter 10 for your reading pleasure. I hope you can enjoy it and forgive me.
Han had the momentary pleasure of seeing the Princess of Alderaan speechless. It was a priceless sight that he wouldn't have missed for the galaxy. Of course, he knew it was just a fleeting experience, and he quickly brushed past her before the onslaught came.
He hesitated a moment too long. He was almost to the medcenter exit when she called, "Han!"
Han paused, as though jerked backward by an invisible tether. Wait, a second! Had she just called him by his name? He could count the number of times she had done that on one hand, and usually it was just a slip or an exasperated plea. Which of these did this qualify as?
He stopped but did not turn around. "Yes, Your Highnessness."
There was a long moment of silence during which neither of them spoke. Han waited, staring at the exit, wishing he could just walk through those doors and out of this topsy-turvy world he'd found himself in. Behind him were the Princess and the kid. Before him were Chewie and the Falcon. And, he had to admit to himself, a bunch of crazy kids who wanted him to fly with them. He glanced down, shaking his head at his own mental chaos. He hadn't felt this much weight on his shoulders in a very long time. He'd forgotten how it felt.
It was getting to be too much. "Well," he began, breaking the silence, "I'll let you get on with seeing Luke." He stepped toward the door.
"I didn't come here to see Luke!" she cried, bringing him to a jarring halt mid-step. "I came here to see you."
Han craned his neck around and stared at her in disbelief. Did she really expect him to buy that one?
She sighed, "They told me you were here. Well, actually, Chewie told me."
"Since when do you speak Wookie?" Han snapped, turning his full body to face her.
"Okay, fine," she admitted, obviously reaching the limits of her own patience as well. "He gestured and growled and got frustrated trying to explain, and eventually I figured it out."
Han continued to stare at her. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a nod of understanding, or a reply of words. No, she had brushed him and his efforts off as easily as so much dust. Whatever she had to say, he was going to make it as difficult for her as possible. It was hard not to smile at the cracks that were forming in her perfect diplomatic façade.
"I came here to apologize," she finally said.
Well, this was better than he thought. Again, he wordlessly watched her, waiting for her to continue.
"I shouldn't have acted the way I did," she continued, "and I'm sorry for misjudging you and your intentions." She stopped and waited for his reply.
He was torn between wanting to acknowledge her apology and wanting to see her squirm a little longer. As he stared at her, it was clear that she was feeling some definite guilt over what she had done. That fact pleased him at the same time it made him want to forgive her for her actions. After all, she had a right to feel guilty. She had been out of line in there, and he had wound up making a fool of himself because she had pushed his very last buttons. But now what?
The prolonged silence after her apology was enough for the Princess. "Don't you have anything to say?" she cried.
Han took a step toward her. "What do you want me to say? That I accept your apology, that all is right with the universe?" He shook his head. "No, because it isn't. You don't get it, do you? Because you don't get me. You can't place me under a neatly crafted label because I don't fit into any of your categories. You said yourself that there was more to me than money, and you were right. But you just can't figure out what that means. I've got to drop everything and join this little rebellion of yours, take an official rank, and trade in my ship for an X-wing before you'll trust me and believe me when I say I'm not going anywhere. But I ain't Luke! I'm not about to give up a life that I can still live in order to join the Alliance! That's not me!"
"Then what are you?" Leia shouted.
"I'm a guy who's changed more than he expected to in the past two months," he shot back angrily. "More than he wanted to, to tell ya' the truth!"
Leia crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And how have you changed?"
"Because two months ago there were only three things in my life that mattered to me," he replied, taking another step closer to her. "Myself, my first mate, and my ship. That's all."
To her credit, Leia stood her ground, looking up at him as he moved even closer. "And how has that changed?"
Han shook his head. "You just don't get it! If it ain't a cause, you can't figure out what is so important. Well, I'll tell you one thing: I didn't turn the Falcon around and come flyin' back toward that Death Star for a cause! And you were right that I didn't do it for money, either! I did it because a dumb kid was about to get himself shot and a princess who can be as difficult as she is beautiful was going to blow up with a bunch of other people who didn't deserve to die! That's why! Not for the Rebellion, not for some ridiculous ideal you think I should be fighting for! No, I did it for a couple of people who had managed to become somewhat likeable under bizarre circumstances! I did it for you!"
Once again, Leia was speechless. And Han was glad, afraid of what she'd say in response to what he'd just said. What had he just said? Where had all that come from? Where was his selfish side?
"And for myself," he added, defensively. "'Cause I couldn't live with myself if I'd let you and the kid die that day."
At that, Leia's pale shocked face softened with something resembling a smile. Puzzled by her expression, Han decided he'd said enough and should wait for her response. She looked like she was going to say something anyway.
He was right, although it took her a few moments to formulate the words. They were not what he expected.
"Well, I guess then I owe Luke an apology."
Han didn't quite know what to make of her words. "Huh?"
She shrugged. "Well, he said you were a softie at heart, but I told him he was a dumb farmer who didn't know what he was talking about. Guess I was wrong."
Han immediately went on the defensive, although most of his energy had already been spent on his earlier declarations. "Hey, I'm no softie!"
Leia arched her brows slyly. "Beautiful, huh?"
Han only stared, stunned at her suddenly playful attitude. He had called her that, hadn't he? Of course, he'd called her difficult as well. Which, judging from the look on her face, she was very well aware of. He'd knocked her down a peg, as she had deserved, and she'd taken it like a princess. Looking into her big brown eyes, he was aware of the fact that she knew she had been wrong, and that she now understood things a little better. Was this, then, her way of trying to mend things between them? If so, he liked her style.
At Han's lack of response, Leia tilted her head. "Or was that just to soften the blow?"
Han favored her with a lopsided grin. "Well, you know me, always the gentleman."
Leia grinned at that.
"Although Luke thinks you're absolutely gorgeous, so who knows?" he continued, teasingly.
"Well, then I shouldn't be talking to you," she remarked with a laugh. "I should be in there talking to him, now, shouldn't I?"
Han gave a careless shrug, stepping a little bit closer to her. He had to admit that the kid had been right. She was beautiful. Especially from this distance. "Well, I think he said something about trying to get some sleep," he lied, "so I'm not sure if you should really bother him right now."
"Oh, really?" Leia laughed. But she didn't look away self-consciously or shyly. Instead, her brown eyes held his own as she took her first step toward him.
"Hey," Han said, trying to appear serious, even as his heart was beating wildly in his chest. "I'm just lookin' out for the kid."
"Sure you are," a voice from behind Leia called.
Han quickly looked over her shoulder just as the princess spun around to see who had spoken. An amused Luke Skywalker sat in a chair watching them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Leia asked in disbelief.
"Keeping an eye on you two," the kid replied. "After I heard all that racket, I wanted to make sure you two didn't kill each other."
Han narrowed his eyes at the kid, although Luke appeared oblivious. He was sure the kid had other motives. Motives which involved sending a potential moment to a grinding halt. "Yeah, yeah, well we appreciate your concern," he said. "Now get back in bed before I have to call Chewie to see to it that you stay there."
Luke raised his hands. "Okay, okay. I'm going. Go back to your reconciliation. Don't let me get in the way."
Han grinned darkly at him as Luke made his way shakily back to his room. He noticed that Leia was watching the kid with concern, and Han sighed. Well, so much for the possible little scenarios that had rushed fleetingly through his mind as her body had moved closer to his. With a grimace she couldn't see, Han forced himself to take the gentleman's stand. "Well, maybe you should see to it that he's okay," he said. "I've got to talk to some of the pilots, anyway."
Leia looked back at him and smiled sheepishly. "Of course, Captain."
It was agony to pull himself away, but he somehow managed. "See you around, Princess."
He turned and left the medcenter. He chuckled to himself as he realized that he was voluntarily walking away from a beautiful woman and toward an Incom T-65 X-wing starfighter. Chewie was certainly going to get a howl out of this. Still laughing, he shook his head at the course his life appeared to be taking. At this moment in time, he wasn't sure where his new course would take him, or what it would eventually cost him. But he knew one thing for sure.
None of this was ever in any of his plans.
