Leia held on to Han tightly, leading him back to the hotel room with a purposeful, almost frantic, pace. As soon as they entered the suite, however, she seemed to lose her nerve. She disengaged from Han's embrace and walked silently toward the window.
Wondering how he should approach her, Han opted to give her a moment to reflect. He then moved behind her, placing his arms around her waist. They stood there for a moment, gazing out over the city and marveling at the sensation of simply being together. Leia covered Han's hands with her own, then leaned back into his embrace.
Gaining her courage, Leia then turned to Han, lifting her face to meet his gaze. She placed one hand on his cheek, caressing him lightly, while her other hand stole around his neck. She pulled his head down to hers, kissing him with a fervor that surprised them both. The passion that had been locked away for years exploded to the surface, unleashing itself in a frenzy of hands and lips, whispers and moans.
Their motion stopped abruptly, however, and Han Solo was jerked out of his reverie. They had reached the entrance to the suite, and Leia was using her key to open the door. Han still had hope that his daydream would become a reality, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Leia's cold, businesslike demeanor returned. Han moved toward her, intent on caressing her cheek. Skittish, Leia backed away quickly.
"Our mission went well," she stated matter-of-factly. "I don't think anyone suspected that a transaction took place. I'm going to my room to get some work done."
Shocked at her demeanor, Han asked, "You don't want to talk about this?"
"Talk about what?" she said coolly.
Raising his voice a few levels, Han moved in close to the princess. "You're gonna just ignore what happened?"
How could I possibly ignore it—I'm shaking all over.
Covering, she said, "Ignore what? The drop was successful and now I need to prepare for the next phase of the mission."
Unconvinced, Han wrapped his arms around the princess, pulling her close. Looking directly into her eyes, he said, "I don't believe you for a second. You are a quite the politician and actress, but I'm not buyin' it. You felt something!"
Masking fear with anger, she pushed him away and haughtily replied, "The only thing I felt, Captain, was you taking advantage of the situation and…and…putting the moves on me. You're lucky you didn't feel my wrath with a well-placed knee." Liar, her heart screamed.
Angry now, Han lashed out. "Lemme tell ya something, Your Worship. There isn't anyone in the whole rebellion that hasn't felt your wrath! You're a bitter, unfeeling tease. As for putting the moves on you, forget it. A guy would have to be insane to try to reach a heart that isn't there."
Stunned, Leia decided to fight fire with fire. "Well, what about you, Solo? You're just a mercenary willing to prostitute yourself for the almighty credit! Judging from the fact that your only possession is that junk pile you call a ship, I'd say you weren't worth all that much on the open market."
She regretted her words immediately, but she knew that she had struck a nerve. The normally unflappable Han Solo opened his mouth in shock and then turned to walk away. He collected himself quickly, however, returning to fire another volley in their ever-escalating conflict.
"I'm a prostitute? Oh, that's rich, lady! At least I have some respect for myself. I don't waste my life sucking up to politicians not fit to lick my boots, and I didn't allow my daddy to send me out on some suicide mission just to further his own cause."
"His cause was my cause, and I did what I had to do to help other people. All you do is use people, then you leave when you're through with them. It's disgusting!"
Though she was speaking in the abstract, she had essentially laid her fears out in the open for Han to see. She wasn't fighting him because she hated him. She was fighting him because she loved him, and she was afraid he would leave her. Han was too immersed in the fight to seize the opportunity, too intent on counterpunching to call a mutually beneficial truce.
"Don't think for a second that you don't use people as well, Your Worship. What about all those soldiers you send out to die for the cause? Do they mean nothing to you? And what has all this gotten you? You're a lonely, closed off woman with no friends, no family and no home."
The mention of Alderaan and all the soldiers who had died for the Alliance sapped Leia's fighting spirit. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that she had no voice. Fearing that she would break down in front of Han, she turned and left the room as quickly as she could.
His anger replaced by shame and regret, Han left the hotel room and went for a long, painful run. He would punish anyone who dared to hurt Leia, most especially himself. Yet as angry as he was with his own harsh behavior, he realized that he was also running away from her words. Had he prostituted himself all these years without having realized it? Did he really have anything of value to offer the princess?
When he finally limped back to the room hours later, he found a note from the princess. She would meet him at the dining room at 1900 hours for a formal dinner. "Great," he muttered as he dragged himself toward a hot shower. He had no idea how to make the situation better.
The princess, meanwhile, had spent her afternoon at the hotel spa. The visit to the spa had been pre-arranged, and Leia hoped that it would ease her troubled mind. She had spent the better part of an hour crying in the hotel room as she tried to banish their brutal conflict from her mind. Wouldn't Han be happy to know that?
Han's words had cut her deeply, but she found that she cried more for the cruel and patently unfair accusations she made about him. Han Solo might have his faults, but he was a good man with an undying loyalty to his friends. Had she lost that? Was her tentative friendship with Han destroyed? Why did she keep pushing him away when she clearly needed him?
"Oh, that's ridiculous," she chided herself. "I don't need anybody. I only need victory for the Rebellion."
With that resolved, she cleaned herself up and headed for an afternoon of relaxation. Unfortunately, she felt anything but relaxed as she headed for the dining room that evening. The pampering had reminded her of her previous life as a Princess of Alderaan, and the massage had only stirred up images of the hot tub and a certain Corellian.
Nervous about a possible rematch, Leia scanned the room in search of Han. She had almost convinced herself that he wasn't coming when she felt a hand lightly touch her arm. Surprised, she looked up into the gorgeous eyes of Han Solo.
She had never seen him dressed up for a formal affair, and she was stunned at the result. His suit was exquisitely tailored and hugged Han's lean body in all the right places. His normally unruly hair was immaculately groomed, giving the ruggedly handsome Solo an air of sophistication. Leia actually stopped breathing for the moment, wishing with all of her heart that she could erase the day's events and start over at this very moment.
For his part, Han was just as amazed by Leia's appearance. Dressed in a deep blue cocktail dress, Leia stood out like a brilliant sapphire in a dull landscape. She was more beautiful than he had ever imagined, and he realized that he had no idea what to do or say.
Instinct taking over, he led her in silence to the dining room. As they entered, the young couple from the hot tub noticed them and invited them to dinner. Thinking that socializing could only help the situation, Han quickly accepted on their behalf.
Arjam and Misha thanked them again for the return of the ring, and the conversation quickly turned to other pleasantries. Leia found herself enjoying the evening, much to her relief. She had almost forgotten what a normal conversation felt like, since most of her recent discussions had to do with battle strategies and supply procurement (or, worse, fights with Han).
Feeling the lightness of the moment, Han asked his "wife" for a dance. Leia hesitated for a second, but with encouragement from Misha and Arjam, she accepted her "husband's" hand. Leading her to the dance floor, Han kept his arm protectively at Leia's waist. The music was slow and sultry and, after a few moments of awkwardness, Leia melted into Han's arms.
"Leia," he ventured. "I want to apologize to you for what I said earlier. I…."
"Please Han," she said. "I don't want to talk about it. We were both angry and said things we shouldn't have. Can't we just stay in the moment?"
Han opened his mouth to say something, but he decided to show her what he felt instead. The dance was a physical apology, a tender caress and a promising touch. The music weaved them together into a tapestry of emotion, and as Han lightly touched her face, their gazes locked. In that moment, they discovered one another. They glimpsed all the broken places that, in later years, they would heal with love. Han, of course, would use physical action for the job, whereas Leia would use words and diplomacy. For now, though, they simply reveled in the discovery as the music played on.
When the band played its last song of the set, Han led Leia back to the table and excused himself for a moment. Misha took advantage of Han's absence to comment: "Leia, if I weren't so much in love with my husband, I would be terribly jealous of you. I've never seen a man so completely open with his feelings. That dance seemed more appropriate for a fairy tale than real life. What's your secret?"
Leia was stunned. Could Han really love her or was he just feeling guilty?
"We had a fight, earlier," Leia managed. "I think it was his way of making it up to me."
Boy, did he ever. I'm still tingling from the experience.
"Well, I think it's time I picked a fight with my husband then," Misha laughed. "Come on, Arjam, let's go convince that band to play another set."
At the end of the evening, the couples exchanged addresses and promised to keep in touch. Leia and Han, both tired from a long day, walked slowly back to the room. Leia rested her head on Han's shoulder, wrapping her arm around his waist. Han held her close to him, content, for once, simply to be with her.
By silent agreement, they abandoned the words, both barbed and playful, that had forged a tenuous relationship between them. Instead, they chose companionship and trust, a quiet communion of feeling and touch.
They had begun this journey by playing a role, but now the role was playing them. The dance had solidified the fact that they were a couple in love, though neither had the courage or confidence to formally recognize it. It came to light only in the quiet moments when there was no misunderstanding, no analysis, and no fear.
Eventually, they reached their hotel room, though both were reluctant to break the spell of the evening. Once safely inside, Leia took out the slip of paper they had received from the other couple and began the decoding process. Neither one of them could figure out how to talk about what had happened between them, so Leia settled for a safe topic of discussion.
"Did you notice anyone watching us, Han?"
"Huh?" he replied, clearly lost in thought.
"Was anyone watching us this evening?" she repeated.
"No. The guy from the pool area was there, but he was focused on another couple. I think we're in the clear. I did a quick survey of the dining room and the lobby while I was gone, but nothing was outta the ordinary. Tomorrow's journey should be fine."
"I think we convinced everyone that we were a just a honeymooning couple in love. Even Misha said she was jealous of us."
"Really?" Han said with a smile. "She probably just wants me for herself. I'm quite a guy, you know."
"Oh, please, Han," she said with a hint of exasperation. "Does your ego ever quit?"
"It's not ego, Princess, it's just pure natural charm. All the ladies want me."
"Well, Captain Charm, this lady is done with her work and is going to bed."
He waggled his eyebrows at her and she added good-naturedly, "Alone. Goodnight."
"'Night, Leia. See ya in the mornin'."
He watched her leave for a moment, then added, "Hey…Princess. Leave the message with me, would ya'? I wanna make sure that hike tomorrow doesn't get us killed."
"Sure hotshot," she said, giving him her most genuine smile. "See you in the morning."