With everything that had happened that day, Leia was still able to fall asleep with ease.
Han had a more difficult time and spent the next couple of hours studying the maps of hiking trails leading to the famed Datokerrin Falls. He was just about to doze off when he heard a scream from the other room.
Grabbing his blaster, he rushed into the other room, prepared to fight to the death to save Leia. As it turned out, Leia was trapped in the middle of a nightmare and would not wake up. Desperate to calm her, Han climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She fought him for a minute, then relaxed into his embrace. Han gently wiped the perspiration from her face and soothed her with his voice.
After a few minutes, he tried to get up and leave. However, Leia became agitated and would not calm down until he held her. After trying to leave several times, Han finally gave in and allowed sleep to envelop him.
It started out as the same nightmare from her childhood—she was lost and she could not find her way home. She ran through a seemingly endless forest, crying out for her parents, begging for someone to find her.
However, the dream soon morphed into her most recent nightmare--her torture and the destruction of Alderaan. Machines, mechanical breathing, the pain, the explosion—the images battered her until she could take no more. She crumpled to the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was the sound of naked anguish, of fear and desolation, yet no one would hear it. The vacuum of space devoured it, leaving her to suffocate in impotent silence.
When she had lost all hope, the scenery suddenly changed, placing her in a realm of beauty and utter calm. She found herself on an immaculate white sand beach, the vast blue ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. Before her, she noticed two shells, one brightly colored and one pale green. The green one stayed within her reach, but the brightly colored one kept drifting out to sea and back again.
Her frustration mounted because she could not seem to touch the object that had so entranced her. In that moment, however, she felt a man wrap his arms around her. The shells forgotten, she felt immediate joy as she turned to see Han Solo dressed in the same navy swim trunks she had seen him in earlier.
"C'mon, Sweetheart," he said softly. "Let's go inside."
Han could not believe his good fortune. The presence he had felt in his dreams his entire life was now standing before him in the beach house.
"I must be dreaming again," he said.
"This is no dream, Han. I love you."
With that, Leia kissed him tenderly. Though she initiated the kiss, there was a hint of shyness in her approach. Convinced he had all the time in the world, Han cupped her face in his hands and kissed her back gently.
Comforted by Han's patience, Leia deepened the kiss and began exploring his body freely with her hands. How often have I daydreamed of this? she thought. Surprised by her own boldness, Leia trailed her lips down Han's body, marveling at the feel of his skin against her own.
Han was momentarily stunned by Leia's ardor, but soon responded in kind. He ran his fingers through her flowing hair, kissing the top of her head with reverential tenderness.
Leia sighed softly at his touch and sought the comfort of his mouth once more.
Han ran his hands slowly down her back and up her arms, caressing her body in a tantalizing fashion. He then eased the strap of her bathing suit from her shoulder and melted into her kiss. At that moment, he was surer of himself than he had ever been. He pulled away from her gently, looked into her fearful, questioning eyes and said, "I love you, Leia."
Tears came to her eyes, and he softly kissed them away. His kisses then trailed down her face, stopping briefly at a tender spot behind her ear. As his hands brought her suit down lower, his kisses followed. He was just about to reach a particularly sensitive spot when a loud noise startled them both. He awoke to find Leia in his embrace, her shirt partially open. They held each other tightly, though Leia quickly pushed him away when she fully awakened.
"What are you doing?" she shouted.
"Leia, I…." How can I explain this?
"Get out! You have no right to be here."
"You were having a nightmare and I…."
"And you thought this would help? You're disgusting!"
"It's not what it looks like," he said, even as he left the room.
Recovering from the shock, Leia realized that her dream was real. The truth was that she desperately wanted him in her arms and that scared her more than the Empire itself. "What have I done?" she wondered aloud.
Before leaving the suite, Han paused to leave a voice message for Leia. He told her that he was going out, but would return in time to make their planned hike. He wanted to say more, to explain what had happened, but he decided it wouldn't help the situation. He would give her some space while he tried to figure out how to fix this mess.
He ended up wandering aimlessly around the hotel, finally pausing at the entrance to the hotel casino. Nothing like a little gambling to take my mind off my problems.
Han walked directly to the Sabacc room, gauging the action before choosing a seat. The gamers in his section were clearly inexperienced and ripe for the picking. With a few breaks here and there, he could earn the money to pay off Jabba and still make it back in time to meet with Leia.
After his most recent encounter with the princess, Han Solo was due for some good fortune. The Corellian goddess of luck smiled upon his cards, clearly feeling sorry for the besotted smuggler. Unfortunately, Han missed a few key opportunities, distracted by mental images of hot tubs and beaches.
He still made quite a bit of money in his two hours of gambling, but his bounty was not nearly as plentiful as it might have been. Worse, Han's distracted state affected his normally keen observation of his surroundings. He never saw that shadowy figure watching him with such great intensity. It was a mistake Han would soon come to regret.