Han had to struggle to calm his overheated body. It took every bit of willpower he possessed not to follow Leia into the shower. He could just imagine the water flowing down her body, caressing her skin and soothing her with its warmth. He shook his head in frustration.

"Get a grip, Solo!" he said aloud, trying to focus his thoughts elsewhere.

Love certainly did strange things to a man. He had always been a risk-taker and had given his body a wide range of freedoms. However, he had been immune to powerful emotions until Leia had stolen her way into his heart.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I'd been paying more attention to the kid's Jedi meditation lessons."

Long repressed emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted desperately to show Leia the depth of his feelings, to join with her physically and spiritually. If only they weren't in such a dangerous situation. Still, maybe there was a way to keep them safe, yet enjoy the time they had alone together.

Han immediately set to work. First, he used the Falcon's camera to check the hangar for suspicious activity. When the camera revealed nothing but normal spaceport operations, he turned to the holonet for research. After a careful survey of their surroundings, he plotted the best escape route, and positioned their bags in the most convenient place for a quick exit.

Once that was accomplished, he programmed the holonet to scan for recent reports featuring either Han or Leia. The Imperials would never think to look for them here unless they received some suspicious news reports. Besides, even if some reporter caught wind of their location, it would take awhile for the Imperial machine to be put in motion. By that time, Han and Leia would be safe in hyperspace.

The truth was they were probably much safer here in this suite than on a rebel base. They had a wonderful opportunity to be alone together—an opportunity that wouldn't come again for a long time. They certainly wouldn't have such time together when they returned to base. She would go back to running missions for the rebels, and he would be gone for weeks at a time on smuggling runs for her Alliance.

How would he and Leia function there? Would she openly admit her love for him or would they have to sneak around so that Alliance bigwigs wouldn't be offended? How would they handle their living arrangements? Han knew he wanted Leia to be with him on the Falcon every night, but Leia might be more comfortable in her own suite. Should he give up his sense of freedom for her comfort?

Then, there was the matter of Luke Skywalker. Han was very well aware that the kid was smitten with Leia, and he had never intended on betraying his young friend. How would Luke handle the newfound romance between his two friends?

Han's mind struggled to grasp all of the ramifications of this new situation, but he realized such projections were futile. He needed to stay attuned to the moment and deal with the immediate circumstances. He and Leia would be able to work everything out, assuming they survived this particular venture. To that end, he switched on the holonet and began scanning the local programs for items of interest about the Imperials.

When Leia arrived in the room, Han was intently watching the news.

"I never saw you as the news type, Han. I always assumed you'd be more interested in sports or…other things."

At the sound of her voice, Han smiled and turned toward her. She was dressed in a shorts and a t-shirt, and her hair was damp and loosely plaited at her back. Despite the simplicity of her attire, Han had never seen her look more beautiful. "C'mon over here, Sweetheart."

Leia gave a genuine smile in reply, and moved gracefully toward the couch. As she sat down beside him, Han said, "I'll take a bad smashball game over boring politicians any day, but it's sometimes best to know your enemy."

"Did you find out anything?"

"Nah, but I've got the net programmed to alert us if our names are mentioned in any recent news stories."

"Good. Can you turn it to something else, then?"

"Why, Princess…" he said, in mock surprise, even as he changed the channel to a romantic music station. "I thought you lived for politics. You mean you don't want to hear about the latest intelligence reports?" he said, leaning in to kiss her neck.

"No, Han, I…" she started, but then forgot what she was going to say as his lips met her skin.

"What about committees?" he asked, his tongue tracing a path to her ear.

He felt her tremble under his ministrations. "Filibusters?" he whispered into her ear, feeling her shudder beneath him.

Turning his attention to her other ear, he whispered, "Parties?"

Struggling to regain her faculties, Leia took his head in her hands and said, "You are the only party I'm interested in, Flyboy." She then kissed him hungrily, feasting on his lips and running her hands sensuously down his back.

Leia could not believe her own boldness. Less than a week ago, she was afraid to even touch this man, but now she was the one escalating the intensity of their contact. Her body seemed to be a separate entity, seeking what it needed without any direction from her mind.

She had always prided herself on her use of logic and reason, but her passion for Han had carried her to the realm of pure feeling. This was clearly unfamiliar territory, but Han's guidance made it feel like home. All she could do was marvel at the sheer power of the love they had finally allowed to flow between them.

Her hands moved of their own volition to Han's chest. She ran her fingertips slowly over the contours of his body, then moved to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. Han's lips were nipping tantalizingly at her own, causing her to lose her concentration and fumble with the first button. Finally successful, she ran her hands lightly through his chest hair on her way to the next fastener.

Just then, the holonet burst to life around them. "According to her best friend, Princess Leia Organa was brainwashed by rebels," the news reporter said in a dramatic, gleeful voice.

Leia momentarily forgot what she was doing. She whipped her head around toward the projection and yelled, "What?"

An image of Leia shooting imperial soldiers appeared, followed by the face of a blonde haired woman. "She was my best friend, and she would never do such a thing unless she had been brainwashed."

"I don't even know who you are," exclaimed Leia crossly. "How dare you say that about me? Wait a minute…I do know you. You're Tarkin's spoiled brat daughter," she spat bitterly.

Smiling wryly, Han said, "Those Imps aren't stupid. They're using your actions to make the Alliance look bad."

Leia couldn't believe she had forgotten about Han. "I'm so sorry, Han. I just can't believe they'd pervert my actions this way."

"It's alright, Leia…just as long as you save some of those actions for me," he said suggestively.

Leia was just about to make a smart remark when Tarkin's daughter continued, "This is the man I hold responsible for the corruption of such a good girl." Han Solo's image flashed before them as she said, "Han Solo is a known criminal has been seen with the princess on several occasions." An image appeared of Han and Leia's mission to Ekelam. Both were wielding blasters and holding some innocent looking stormtroopers prisoner.

"I would give anything to have my best friend back," the girl lamented, closing her interview with the reporter.

The reporter nodded, saying, "If you have any information which would help to free the last princess of Alderaan from her evil captors, please call this station or your local authorities. The rebels must be stopped before more young and innocent girls are ruined."

Han turned off the projection, knowing he would have to deal with a very angry Leia Organa.

"The nerve of those people," she sputtered, fuming. "They just made a mockery of everything I stand for, everything I've worked so hard to accomplish."

"Calm down, Leia. You know how propaganda works. Besides, they did get one thing right."

"What's that?" she said cautiously.

"I certainly have corrupted you…or, at least, I was about to before we were so rudely interrupted."

Shocked for just a moment, Leia soon laughed in spite of herself. This was one of the things she loved best about her pirate—his irreverent humor never failed to bring a smile to her face, even in the worst of situations.

"You should be careful," she said seriously. "There's a high price to be paid for the crime of corrupting a princess."

"Oh, really," he said, playing along. "What's the punishment for such a terrible offense?"

"It's awful, Han," she said, lowering her head to kiss his neck. "First, they torture you," she said, running her tongue along his earlobe. "Then, they leave you at the mercy of the person you offended."

"Really?" Han croaked as Leia dragged her lips across his cheek and brushed them against his mouth. That simple touch overloaded his senses, and his brain could barely formulate a response. Stammering, he managed, "And…uh…then what happens?"

"You pray I'm merciful," she said, crushing his lips with hers and moving her hands to finish what she had started earlier.

The holonet roared to life a second time, blaring, "This just in…"

"Sith," Han hissed out of sheer frustration. "This just isn't fair."

An older woman appeared, saying, "My brother left me an urgent message about seeing Han Solo on Ord Mantell. He went after that despicable killer of our other brother alone, and I haven't heard from him since."

"Ugatph," he said, rising quickly from the couch. "Leia, we've got to get out of here now."

Leia, was already way ahead of him. She had leapt over the back of the couch, adjusted her clothing, and donned her backpack.

Han grabbed his own pack, took her hand, and guided her swiftly through the patio door. They figured they had a few minutes before the news was filtered to the local authorities, so Han and Leia moved at a seemingly casual, but fast, pace.

Eventually, Han and Leia made it to the busy spaceport. Everything appeared normal, but there were some Imperial officers milling around the entrance, engrossed in conversation. Passing by them would be risky, but they really didn't have much choice at this point.

Communicating silently, Han led Leia to the entrance, positioning himself between Leia and the Imperials. She was a more recognizable figure than he was, and he didn't want the Imps to get a good look at her. They had just made it past the officers, when one of them called out, "Hey, do I know you?"

Han stopped, assumed his most innocent look, and turned toward the officers. Using a horrible backwater accent, he replied, "I don't think so, sir, but I'm mighty glad to meet ya. Name's Sol." He held out his hand to the officer and added, "I sure want to thank you boys for keeping the galaxy safe. You don't get enough thanks for what you do."

The officer still looked a bit skeptical, but his expression lightened considerably upon hearing such a compliment. "You're welcome. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"No problem," Solo said affably. "The wife and I are just going to get something she left on our ship. Maybe we'll see you around."

With that, Han and Leia turned to leave, making a beeline for the Falcon.

"Do you think that worked?" Leia whispered. Han was about to reply, when a blaster bolt streaked in front of him.

"Guess not," he said, taking shelter behind a small ship directly across from his beloved ship. "We're gonna have to fight our way out of this one."

Han swiftly surveyed the situation. They were lucky in that only a small group of officers were positioned across the hangar. They would have to hurry, or they'd be fighting a much bigger force.

"Okay, Leia, we're going to have to make a run for it," Han said. "You go first, and I'll cover you."

Normally, Leia would have argued, but she knew they didn't have time to discuss their options in committee. Instead, she reached up, planted a firm kiss on his mouth, and said, "See you on the other side, Flyboy."

"I love you," he said earnestly, stopping her for a moment as she turned to go.

"I love you, too, Han," she responded, conveying the depth of her feelings with her eyes.

Leaving him then, Leia raced swiftly across the hangar. She managed to get off several shots as she ran, taking down at least one imperial officer. Han was also quite accurate with his own volleys, taking down two of the hated Imps.

The ramp of the Falcon reached down to greet Leia, and she paused to fire a couple of shots in order to protect Han. Before Han could start his run, however, the imperial that had recognized them earlier targeted Leia and fired.

Han could only watch in horror as the blaster bolt slammed into Leia's shoulder and sent her flying backwards. Her head smashed into the ramp support, and she crumpled to the ground.

"No," Han screamed. Rage welling up inside him, Han dashed toward her. He fired angrily at the Imperials, targeting the three remaining officers with deadly accuracy.

Heart pounding furiously in his chest, Han moved quickly to Leia's side. To his relief, she was still breathing, but a small pool of blood had already formed beneath her head.

Scooping her in his arms, Han raced inside the ship and activated the ramp. He carried her to the medbunk, removed her pack, and set her down as gently as he could. He triggered the startup sequences to the ship by remote, even as he desperately searched for the supplies he needed.

Finding a bacta bandage, he wrapped her head quickly while speaking to her disturbingly unresponsive form. "Leia, can you hear me? I'm gonna get you out of here, Sweetheart. You'll be fine, I promise." He kissed her quickly on the forehead, strapped her to the bunk, and raced in the direction of the cockpit.

He willed his shaky hands into action, maneuvering the Falcon out of the hangar and into the path of a huge Star Destroyer. Han cursed himself aloud, blaming himself for exposing Leia to such danger. He had never been one for praying, but he entreated every god he could think of to keep her safe. "I'll pay any price," he said over and over. "Just spare her life."

As if in answer to his prayer, the night sky was filled with light and the Falcon was rocked with blaster fire. Their situation grim, Han made a silent vow. He would save his princess, no matter what the sacrifice.