"Mmm," said Han through a mouthful of Corellian stew.

"How can you eat that like that?"

She was referring to the incredible speed with which he was making the fiery meat disappear while she allowed her mouth to cool enough to nibble the edge of a vegetable.

"I'm hungry! I've had nothin' but gray slime for the past two and a half months!"

She laughed softly and took a mouthful of water to ease her burning tongue. Han seemed to be having no trouble, but then, he was used to this.

"You're gonna be sick."

"I've been sick for the past two months. Now I want food. Real food."

"Slow down."

Han shook his head.

"Uh-uh," he mumbled. "Make me."

She grinned and stood up.

"Make you what? Forget your food?"

"Yeah," Han nodded, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin, then throwing it onto his now empty plate and slouching back in his chair with a satisfied sigh as he pushed back from the table.

She walked slowly around the table, swaying her hips as she went, and lowered herself onto his lap.

"Ooh," he said quietly, his smile vanishing, and he shifted his hips uncomfortably.

"Sorry!" she said, jumping to her feet as his eyes closed in a wince. "Oh, Han."

" S'okay," he grunted. "Just gimme a sec."

He moved his legs a little, shifted his hips again and then moved his arms back.

"Okay," he said, the smile returning and she sat down again, slowly in case she should hurt him further, but he just grinned and held her close.

She noticed, as he did, that he was getting much of his strength back and she snuggled as close as she could get. He kissed the top of her head and sighed again.

"Han?" she said, as casually as she could manage.

"Yes?" he said cautiously after a long pause.

"I thought you might like…a little company or…"

"Aw, Princess," he murmured. "I got company already."

Damn. Why didn't I ask first? she thought.

"So I…um, I invited Luke over. He'll be staying for a few weeks; he has work to do. He gets here tonight."

"Oh," he answered.

Leia bit her lip. Perhaps he wasn't as ready for visitors as she thought he was.

"Oh….Okay, well, I could always tell him-"

"What? No! No, no! I was just tryin' to figure what we could cook for him."

Leia turned her head to look at him. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

"Can't do the stew; he's too used to that shipboard food; my stew'd kill him. He doesn't like the tubers I do; I tried him with 'em once – we both regretted that for days. I'm not doin' the traditional homecoming meal."

"Why?"

" 'Cause I don't know how."

Leia laughed.

"Oh, I know!" he said suddenly, with such enthusiasm and vigor that she almost fell off his lap. "I'll do Juanejtilia!"

Leia smiled, recalling the trouble she had had when learning that word and the patience with which he had taught it to her.

"He likes that?"

Han stared at her with mock sternness.

"And you're meant to be his sister! I made a sweet salad for him once, on that mission to Delina that time. You remember?"

"Oh yes!" she whispered with a grin. "Gods, he went on about your cooking for days!"

Han grinned.

"I make a nice sweet salad."

"You make nice everything," she nodded. "I'm really very lucky, you know. Not only am I with a man who's good at cooking but he enjoys it, too."

"I'm lucky, too," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Oh?"

"I got you."

Leia turned her head and kissed him softly, turning her body to follow it after a few seconds until she was more comfortably settled to kiss him. She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her body to him, sliding one leg either side of his and grinding her hips slowly. After a few minutes of this, however, she pulled away, glanced down pointedly, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?" she asked.

Han sighed.

"Nothing," he replied honestly.

"Mmm," she replied. "I can see that. Why not?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno. Must be lack of practice."

She grinned and slid off his lap to stand in front of him.

"Let's see if we can remind you, shall we?"

She leant forward and kissed him, slowly, and then she drew away for long enough to move her head before kissing his chin. Then she kissed his neck, pushed his collar open and kissed his chest, and kept going until, finally, she was kneeling down.

Han, she saw when she looked up at him, had let his head rock back and his eyes were half closed.

She ran her hands up his thighs and he shivered a little. She knew he would enjoy this; it had been months since he had last had any kind of pleasure, of that she was sure.

But when she unfastened his belt and leant forward, he gasped and moved away sharply.

Leia stared at him. Since when had he ever shied away from this?

"Wh…What's wrong?"

His eyes were wide and his breathing had quickened. He shook his head.

"You…I…"

She nodded, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm, uh…I'm gonna clear up the dishes, okay?"

And he took their plates out into the kitchen, leaving her dumbfounded for a moment.

She followed him into the kitchen.

"Han! Han, talk to me! What's the matter?"

He swallowed hard as he turned to look at her.

"It hurts."

Leia stood, open mouthed.

"I'm sorry," she eventually managed. "I didn't know! Why didn't you tell me?"

He shook his head and stood.

"It didn't occur to me. What in hells..?"

He was across the room and by the window before she could ask what the problem was.

"Han?"

Han leant on the windowframe and craned his neck, as though he were trying to see outside.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?" she asked, exhasperatedly.

"There was someone here, outside, lookin' in. Are you sure you didn't see who it was?"

Leia walked over to the window and stood next to him. He walked to the other side, obviously to try for a better view.

After a few minutes, when he was determined they whoever it had been was not coming back, he tunred to her.

"Listen, I'm beat. I'm gonna turn in."

She let him go.

But she couldn't help feeling something was wrong.

"Hey!"

Luke found himself suddenly grasped in a rough embrace and grimaced.

"Nice to… feel you're…getting your…strength…back, Han," he said, in a voice that was somewhat strained.

When Han released him, he stepped back to ensure he wouldn't grab him again, and grinned, wheezing softly.

"Sorry, Kid."

Luke punched his shoulder.

"Would you stop callin' me 'Kid', ya pirate?"

Han laughed, then held out his hands in mock indignation.

"And throw away the memories of the good old days?"

Luke nodded, closing his eyes.

"Of course, of course, my apologies. I forget how much you enjoyed saving my behind."

"Well if you hadn't needed it so much, Kid-"

"And who is it usually saves your behind these days?" asked Leia's voice from the doorway.

"Hello, Leia," Luke said warmly, and hugged her, too. "How are you both?"

Leia glanced at Han.

"We're good," she decided.

She made as if to slip her arm around Han's waist but he must not have noticed; he moved away before she had a chance.

"So, Kid," he said, deliberately emphasising the nickname, "Wanna drink?"

Luke cocked his head.

"I shouldn't…"

"Go on! One ain't gonna kill you. I ain't gonna drink it and I don't want it going to waste."

Luke looked up at the taller man, a puzzled frown creasing his features.

"Han Solo, not drinking?"

"Medication, otherwise I'd be under the influence right now."

"Ah," Luke nodded.

"Come on, Luke. Have a spice brandy for me, huh?"

Luke shook his head in apparently reluctant acquiescence.

"Alright, but just the one."

"Now that's more like it!" Han beamed at him. "You can have another with your Juanejtilia."

"You made sweet salad?" Luke asked. "Great!"

"Can I ask you something?"

Luke, who had been examining one of the display cases dotted about the room, turned to face Leia, feeling her unease.

"What is it?"

Leia glanced over his shoulder and Luke turned too. Han was busy ensuring that the Rienia did not boil down too much while trying to keep the fried conefruit from burning. And he was doing a remarkably good job.

Which meant he wasn't paying any attention to them.

"I…I think he's hiding something. He wouldn't tell me when he needed oxygen and he didn't tell me he was still in pain. If anything happens I-"

Suddenly, there was an almighty crash from the kitchen.

They both spun about to see that Han was flat out on the kitchen floor and rushed to him together, reaching him at about the same time.

"No!" he mumbled quietly as they knelt beside him and made as if to lift him. "Please, it's just the meds; they make me dizzy; I just fell over. Leia could you stop the conefruit burning?"

"What?"

Luke frowned, then looked at her.

"Yeah, Leia," he said, exaggerating the words, glancing pointedly at Han as he did. "Could you?"

She was puzzled. What on earth was he trying to convey to her?

But she stood – for there had to be a reason he wanted her to – and turned down the heat on the conefruit. When she had moved them onto the counter and turned back Luke was helping Han onto his feet again.

She stepped forward, arms outstretched, to take his arm, but he moved away from them both again.

"Really, I'm fine, it was just the medication. Come on. Let's eat, huh?"

"But-"

Luke held up a hand out of Han's view to curtail her protest.

Wait he said in his mind, knowing she could hear it. Later.

When they sat down to dinner, Han served the food and sat down without mentioning the kitchen and began to make Smalltalk as though nothing had happened.

"I ain't got much work done recently. You can probably guess that just from lookin' at me. But what about you? You look like you've been busy yourself."

After dinner, Luke offered to help Han wash the dishes.

"Han," he said, halfway through drying the frying pan. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," said Han, far too quickly. "Like I said; just the meds."

"If you say so. But that wasn't entirely what I meant, Han. You know I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know. But I'm good, Luke."

He turned and looked at him, face suddenly serious.

"I'm good."

"I'm gonna go to bed," said Luke, pulling himself out of his chair with a groan. "Is that alright?"

Han laughed.

"That's fine, Kid. You know where your room is, yeah?"

"Yeah," Luke chuckled. "Oh, Leia, could I have a minute?"

Leia stood and followed him, a little puzzled.

"It's Han," he said, glancing over at Han, who was now staring absently out of the window. "I want you to help me just…keep an eye on him, alright?"

Leia nodded.

"I was planning to do that anyway."