AUTHOR: Maiden of Endor
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Wars.
SUMMARY: Han is jealous when he finds out that Leia spent the day with Luke.
CHAPTER VII-JealousHan had been walking around back and forth in the living room out of boredom. Three hours had already passed, and still, Leia was not yet home. Where could she be? Han wondered. It's not like her to stay out for a long time after the Alliance meetings. I'm sure she won't be going to Stairway to Heaven, because that's the least likely place that she'll go to. He sat down on the sofa, tired from doing such a monotonous activity, and tried to think further about what Leia could be doing outside. If she did went to Stairway to Heaven, who's she with right now? Then the thought of Leia getting abducted by Storm Troopers suddenly crossed his mind. Or what if Storm Troopers kidnapped her? Han shook his head furiously and tried to brush away such a thought, when the door creaked open. Han lifted up his head and, much to his surprise, found her standing outside and waving her hand at somebody.
"Thanks for the time, Luke. See you tomorrow." Han heard Leia say as she waved her hand goodbye. Han looked closely and saw Luke Skywalker behind her, who was about to go upstairs to his own pad. Luke waved back at her before he retreated.
The moment Leia entered the room, Han looked at her suspiciously. Leia could feel his eyes drilling right into her very being, and sensed that he wasn't very happy to see her. Why is he looking so worried, and so fuming mad at the same time? She thought.
"Your highness," Han started with a tone of superiority in his voice. "Where have you been?" he asked.
Leia tried to think of an excuse to say to him, when Han spoke again. "Don't you know that you shouldn't spend your time outside at this hour? You should have been home by now!" he exclaimed.
The tension was too much for her to bear. Why is he acting this way towards me? Is he worried about me, or does he still thinks I'm a child that should be home at about six in the evening? "And why should I be home early?" she asked Han. "Why the big fuss about me going home late?" she added.
"Because... because..." Han couldn't think of a reply to her question. He breathed heavily, and finally blurted out what he wanted to say. "Because I feared that Storm Troopers kidnapped you! What if they did abducted you, and you will never be able to go home alive?"
Leia shoved him away as she sat down on the armchair. She felt sarcastically amused at what she had just heard. Storm Troopers kidnapping me here in Cloud City? How funny! "And since when did you start to worry about me, Captain Solo?" she asked, looking up at Han from where she sat. "Isn't it that you like it so much when you have the whole house to yourself, don't you?"
Oh yes, I do, Han thought back. He pulled Leia up from her seat, forcing her to stand up to him. Leia was obviously offended at what he did. She stared up at Han and looked straight into his eyes, glaring. Han was silenced and glared back at her before he could finally think of a rebuff to her statement. "Admit it. You like it very much whenever you spend your time with Luke, isn't it?"
"And what if I told you yes?" Leia shot back, now inching further away from him. Then he heard her say the words he didn't want her to say. "You're jealous of him, aren't you?"
Han looked like as if a cold bucket of water had been splashed on his face. Jealous. I didn't know this was what I'm feeling right now, he thought. But he tried to deny it to himself, saying, "Why would I be jealous of him? Am I your boyfriend?"
"Oh I forgot!" Leia exclaimed mockingly. "Why did I ask you that question, anyway? I'm nothing to you in your life!" she cried out. "Stop acting as if you have the power to dominate me, because the truth is, we're totally nothing to each other! I'm twenty-two years old, I can go out as late as I want to, and I can hang out with the people I want to be with! And that includes Luke!" She lowered her voice and continued, "I can even choose him to be my boyfriend, if I want to. In fact, I like him better than you, because he's nicer to me! I'd choose him over you anytime!" With that, Leia stormed off angrily to her room and banged the door shut. Han, outraged at what she did, ran up to her bedroom door and knocked on it noisily.
"Leia, you bitch, go out there and talk to me! I'm not finished with you yet!" Han shouted while he knocked at the same time. How dare could she walk out on me! His patience was all gone, and before he could lash out another insulting word at her, which he felt like doing some more, the door suddenly opened.
Leia looked at him, offended, and exclaimed, "Stop acting as if you're my mother, you asshole!" before she banged the door in his face.
For a long time, Han stood outside her bedroom door, speechless, and felt guilty for how he acted towards her. Inside the room, Leia sat on the foot of her bed and felt the same way too. I felt offended when you cussed at me like that. She recalled how she used to have "princess lessons", and remembered it all too clearly: "Rule # 5: A princess behaves properly and doesn't speaks bad words, no matter how angry or annoyed she feels." If my teacher was here right now, she would have slapped me on the face so hard after breaking a rule in the book, she thought. But who cares? I'm so tired of having to act like the perfect princess all the time! Why can't I be free to be me? Leia felt her anguish slowly eating her up. Then she thought of what Han said. I was worried you were kidnapped. It made her smile a little bit, thinking, He was concerned about me, after all. I should have not taken it the wrong way. Even if she was still angry over Han calling her an insulting word, she felt the need to forgive him for what he had done. You cared for me, after all, so I forgive you for what you have done.
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Han tried to think about what he had done to Leia. Sorry, princess, for calling you a bitch, even if you are that way most of the time, he thought. His anger had died down, and was replaced by a feeling of remorse. I shouldn't have said it to you right in your face.
He thought about whether he really felt jealous over Leia being with Luke. For such a long time, he had grown accustomed to being with her that he just can't imagine Leia being in the company of another man. But all we do whenever we're together is fight, and then make up, and then fight again. I can't blame you if you like Luke better than me. You were right. I'm an asshole. At that moment, Han resolved to himself to be kinder to Leia, and to treat her better. It's not yet too late to change. I'll do my best to give you the treatment you deserved, fit for a princess like you. Then he added, maybe we can be more than how we ought to be. Who says we can't be lovers?
Thinking about this made Han smile for a little while. But he thought about Luke again, and felt a pang of aching in his heart. His jumbled mind cleared up, and soon realized what that painful sensation deep inside of him was actually called:
Jealousy.
A/N: One very angst-filled chapter, isn't it? Sorry for the bad words, as I have to add it to the story to bring out how Han and Leia really felt for each other, as their anger is going past the brim. I'm not sure if Leia is 22 years old, so please don't sue me if I got it all wrong! Writing this chapter is a good way for me to release my tension over my recent midterm exams, of which I feel so harrowed about! (Don't worry, it's all over! Yipee!) Oh yeah, please review! Thanks:)