Disclaimer: No I do not own Star Wars or the song "The Dance". George Lucas owns Star Wars and Garth Brooks owns "The Dance." When you're fifteen and your parents won't let you get a job, you own nothing. So I own nothing. Oh and feedback is appreciated since this is my first Star Wars fan fic.
Leia had been sitting watching something on her data pad for quite some time. She'd hardly moved for an hour and seven minutes. Not that Han was timing or anything. He was just casually looking at the clock every few seconds. Fighting (and all the screaming and shouting that went along with their fights) with Leia he could handle. But her silence was totally unnerving. She was just sitting on a chair staring at that data pad.
He'd gotten stuck transporting her holiness to the new rebel base on Hoth. How, he didn't know. But she'd somehow managed to miss her transport and had no other way out. He'd begun to tease her about it as usual, but then she'd called him a "nerfhearding, bantha brained, son of a sith." After that he decided it might be in his own intrest to leave her high and mightiness alone for a while. It had been two days and she hadn't said a word to him.
So, Han, being the curious, but loveable smuggler that he was, decided to try to make peace with the princess and see what she was doing. Not that he cared or anything, he was just a little curious. He walked across the cabin and took a seat next to her. "So, princess, what's up?"
"What do you want Solo?" she asked not even looking up. "And if you say anything about me declaring my undying love for you I will use my blaster to personally make sure you never have children."
"Well since you brought up the topic…" Han replied with a devilish grin. Unfortunately he had failed to notice the blaster Leia had strapped to her hip. When he saw her hand go for it, he immediately tried to make amends. "Sorry princess," he said holding his hands up apologetically. He wasn't really sorry, but he knew if he made Leia mad enough, she might use her blaster to carry out her threat. "What are you watching?" he asked peering over her shoulder.
"Nothing that concerns you," she answered coldly and promptly stood up and started to walk away.
"Why?" Han asked snidely. "Because I'm not part of your precious Rebellion?"
"The Rebellion had nothing to do with this," Leia replied with a glare. "This is one of my private files if you must know."
"Sothe ice princesshas a private life?" Han asked teasingly, completely unaware of the fact that Leia's temper was about to explode. "Now this I've got to see."
"I hate you Han Solo," Leia cried, rushing from the room so he couldn't see her tears. But in her rush she accidentally dropped her data pad. She hardly noticed until she was in the safety of her cabin, with the door securely locked. She threw herself across the bed and let her tears fall.
Meanwhile, Han stood there shocked. He and Leia'd had some fights. Some of them had been pretty bad, but she'd never said she'd hated him before. He knew he had to have said something horrible. But as he mentally ran over their conversation, he couldn't think of anything he'd said that was truly offensive. He hadn't mentioned Alderaan, or called the Rebellion a worthless cause. Why had she gotten so angry? Han looked over to the door Leia had rushed through. Her data pad was lying harmlessly on the floor. He knew if Leia found out, she'd be furious. But he needed to know why she was so angry with him.
So, he went over and picked it up. Leia's face was frozen on the screen. But it wasn't the Leia he knew. It was a younger Leia, probably about six, in a pink tutu, with her hair braided in a halo around her head with little pearl clips here and there, and she was looking up at someone adoringly. Han was shocked at the unabashed admiration that shone on her young face. The little girl looking up at him looked so happy and carefree. Han pressed the play button and watched the little girl come to life.
"Daddy!" six-year-old Leia called. "Did you see me daddy? Did you?"
"I sure did princess," Bail Organa replied from behind the video camera. "You were the prettiest fairy on the stage, wasn't she Carlist?"
"She sure was," Carlist Rieekan replied, taking the camera from his friend.
"Up Daddy!" Leia cried, lifting her arms in the air. Bail obliged willingly, lifting his daughter into the air and twirled her around. Leia giggled and snuggled into her father's embrace. "I love you Daddy," she said so softly the camera almost didn't pick it up.
"I love you too princess," Bail replied, shifting Leia onto his hip so he could have one arm free. Leia was such a tiny little girl. It was as easy to pick her up when she was six as it had been when she was four. He smiled softly as the day's events caught up with Leia and she fell asleep, resting her head against her father's shoulder. "Hand me her jacket Carlist?" he requested.
The camera jiggled a little and an arm reached out and handed Bail Leia's jacket, a light pink windbreaker. Bail draped it over her small shoulders and grabbed her bag with his free arm.
"How do I turn this thing off Bail?" Carlist asked, as the camera was turned upside-down.
"Press the little red button," Bail informed him.
"What little red button?" Carlist inquired.
"The one next to your finger," Bail sighed. " Go back to sleep baby," he told Leia softly as she stirred and lifted her head. Leia mumbled something that sounded like "daddy," and then let her head drop back to its resting place on her father's shoulder.
"Which finger?" Carlist asked slightly panicked. "Oh that button!" Bail kissed the top of Leia's head and chuckled softly.
The screen went dark for a moment and Han sat back and sighed, a small smile played at the corners of his lips. Leia had been a cute little kid. She'd obviously adored her father. The smile widened at the thought of General Rieekan not being able to work a video camera. But he still couldn't understand what Leia was so upset about. Could it have been the 'private life' joke he'd made? That wasn't one of his cruelest jokes. Could it be that this was about her father? Han sighed again and watched as another picture popped up onto the screen. This one was of a door. Han pressed the play button and watched as the video started playing.
Leia opened her bedroom door and stepped out. She was wearing a pair of plaid blue pajama bottoms, that only the bottoms were visible of and a fuzzy blue robe. Her hair was in loose, messy curls hanging down her back. Silver framed glasses were perched on her nose and she was holding a manila folder in her hand "Daddy I have some questions about…" Leia trailed off, looking up at her father. "Daddy!" she cried. "Turn that camera off!"
"Nope," Bail Organa replied teasingly. "I'm getting just about every minute of your first day in the Senate.
"Now Daddy…" Leia began in her well-practiced diplomatic voice
"I'm not turning this camera off princess," Bail said firmly. "I recorded your first ballet recital and I'll record this too."
"You recorded all of my ballet recitals," Leia said, putting one hand on her hip. "Don't tell me your going to record every day I spend in the Senate?"
"Just the important ones," he replied with a grin.
Leia rolled her eyes and turned around. "I'm going to get a shower and get dressed," she informed her father. "And don't you dare video tape that!"
Leia walked out of her room a few minutes later. She was wearing her white Senate dress, but her hair was loose around her head. "Daddy!" she cried, holding up her brush and bobby pins.
Bail chuckled softly and set the camera down on a high counter so they could still be seen. He took the brush and bobby pins from Leia's hands and started brushing her hair. He parted it and expertly twisted it into buns, one on each side of her head.
"This style's itchy," Leia complained softly.
"But you look beautiful princess," Bail replied kissing his daughter's cheek. Then he got up and turned the camera off, knowing how nervous Leia was. He didn't want to make her more uncomfortable.
Han rubbed his hand over his eyes. He was beginning to understand why Leia had gotten so angry with him. These were all she had left of her old life. The life where she'd been a dancer and a senator rolled into one amazing package. He looked down at the data pad and saw there was one video left. This one had a title. It was called, "The Last Dance." He pressed the play button and music started to play.
"Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd never say goodbye"
Leia was on stage dancing alone. Her hair was done in the same halo she wore it in for all her dance recitals with the little pearl clips. She was fifteen and it would be her last recital. So far her performance had been flawless. She nailed all her jumps as if she had no fear of falling. The audience gasped as she jumped into the air, higher than she ever had ever jumped. She positioned herself for someone to catch her and there were sighs of relief as a boy stepped out from behind the curtain.
"And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance"
Leia and the boy danced together. Soft whispers were heard of how lovely they danced together. When they danced, their souls combined. He threw her up in the air and caught her seamlessly. Leia showed complete trust in the boy's abilities. If she was the least bit hesitant about whether or not he would catch her, she didn't show it.
"Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I the king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all"
The dance came to an end and although the music continued to play, the volume was decreased. Someone walked out onto the stage and handed the boy a voice amplifier. "Leia Organa," he began sinking down onto one knee. "I love you, will you marry me?"
Leia covered her mouth with her hands and the camera zoomed in one her face. There were shiny trails on her cheeks left by tears. "Yes!" she cried happily. "Yes I will marry you!" Then the screen went black, but the music continued to play.
"Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance"
Han hadn't heard Leia leave her room. He looked up at her and expected to feel the full force of her wrath. But, instead she just looked sad. "His name was Alex," she said softly. "We were supposed to marry two weeks after I got back from my mission to Tatooine. But then…" Leia trailed off and looked away.
"I'm sorry," Han replied. "I didn't know…" When he'd seen that last video, he'd understood Leia's anger. She'd obviously loved the boy in the video. Before Aldeeran's destruction, she was engaged to be married. All the sacrifices she made had turned her into the ice princess she had become.
"What for?" Leia interrupted with a sad smile. "For looking in my private files, or for Alex dying?"
"Both I guess," Han said holding out a hand to Leia. She took his hand and he drew her to him, settling her on his lap. She rested her head against his shoulder and let her tears flow. They were content to sit like that for a little while. Two lonely hearts sharing their pain, for after a while Leia felt Han's tears mingle with hers. So, while on their way to an ice planet, they started warming up to each other. Of course, both would have denied the incident when they got to Hoth if questioned about it. For both had shown weakness they could let few know about. But for a few minutes, they'd exposed their tender side to each other. And in those few minutes, Han, for the first time, seriously considered joining the rebellion.