Chapter Twelve

A/N: Many thanks to everyone who has commented or sent a message about this story. Hearing from you is so appreciated. Very happy to know some people are following along. Thank you!

Luke knew it was strange he had been in so few homes in his life and that this was maybe the first apartment. Farmhouses and homesteads on Tatooine were so spread out that they didn't do a lot of visiting. Then it was rebel bases, staying in barracks on a large frigate like the Freedom or the crew quarters on the Falcon. The fact that people lived in, essentially, a box surrounded by other boxes, was odd and intriguing.

"This place makes me claustrophobic." Luke leaned against the back of a couch. His legs were stretched out in front of him and arms folded across his chest.

"You fly in an X-Wing. You often sleep in a bunk room with three other pilots. The Falcon is essentially a tin can hurtling through space." Leia didn't turn around from the window. She refocused the binocs to get a better view of the building across the street. "How is this apartment any worse?"

Luke shrugged. "Guess it depends on your point of view."

They arrived in the apartment that morning and didn't know how long they would stay. They came to Sieggaro to purchase heaters, thermal couplings for wires and pipes, and massive amounts of insulation for their new base on Hoth. It was a quick and successful mission but their contact informed them of suspicious activity at a storage facility. So, they set up in an apartment with a view of the warehouse and kept a close eye on all the comings and goings.

[Solo probably heard that tin can comment from blocks away.] Chewbacca was busy adjusting the levels on a receiver. They'd managed to place a bug and small camera near the warehouse door, hoping to pick up grainy holos or snippets of conversation as people passed in and out.

Leia lowered the binocs and laughed. "I'll be sure to repeat it when he gets back. To ensure it lands properly."

She made notes in her datapad, recording all activity and time stamps. Their contact reported increased activity and this was the third visit that day by Pacifix Courier accompanied by a pair of Stormtroopers. There were no boxes or crates delivered. Instead, a single being was escorted in and a different one escorted out.

[He's been gone a long time. How long does it take to find food?]

Luke and Leia ignored Chewie. He had been complaining that Han was taking too long five minutes after he left.

"So, I've been thinking." Luke shifted slightly, like he was trying to work up the nerve to speak. "I might ask for some leave."

Leia spun around to look at him. "What?" It sounded like he said he was requesting leave but that couldn't be right.

"I'd like to check a few things out. I still haven't looked into the stuff I found in the library on Kochi." Luke tried to sound positive. Like it was no big deal if he was gone.

Leia knew she should be supportive. Learning more about the Jedi, training, becoming more attuned with the Force were important to Luke. She needed to keep that in mind. She also needed to keep herself from feeling potentially abandoned by the people she counted on most.

"We have to get everyone to Hoth. Then set things up." She crossed her arms over her chest. Even with these new supplies they were at least a month away, probably two. "You're squad commander. People are depending on you."

Luke shifted in his spot again. "I haven't asked yet. Just something I'm thinking about."

She gave him a small smile. Luke was sweet. And he was always trying hard to please everyone, especially her. "How long would you be gone?"

"Not long. Maybe a couple of weeks."

Leia turned to look out the window again. "Han is threatening to leave, too. Then the both of you will be gone."

"Han is always threatening to leave and he's always here right when and where you need him."

"One day he'll be gone. There's nothing we can do to stop it."

Luke stretched his leg out and nudged her foot with his, trying to break the spell. "That mess with Jabba isn't good. I'm terrified of the Hutts and I've never even met one. Living on Tatooine does that to you. But Han's tried leaving before and he never gets very far."

Leia picked up the datapad again to review her notes rather than respond.

"It's all a part of his act." Luke turned around to look at Chewie who only shrugged in response. "He wouldn't want us to think he actually cared about us. Or the Rebellion and defeating the Empire."

"Yes, I've noticed his indifference every time we've had to evacuate a base." She shook her head, almost smiling, as she scrolled through the datapad.

They had made a fast escape from Chomre only a month earlier. They were lucky in that they had a few hours warning—thanks to a last-minute message from a Rebel spy embedded in the Imperial fleet—but it was still a harrowing experience. They lost a half dozen fighters but all the transports got away. Leia knew, as did most of the escaping Rebel forces, that the Millennium Falcon played a big part in that success.

Han ran interference through the Star Destroyers, pulling TIEs away from Rebel ships and causing general chaos and confusion across the battlefield. Per usual, the Falcon was the last ship to make the jump to hyperspace, ensuring no one else was left behind.

Which is one of the reasons Leia preferred riding in the Falcon during evacuations and battles—even if she did shout and complain about Han's flying and the state of the ship—because she hated the unknown of waiting, sometimes days, for the Falcon to arrive at the rendezvous. Not knowing if they survived or if they would return was an unspeakable fear for Leia.

So unspeakable, in fact, that she never knew how to react. He finally showed up after Chomre, four days late with the Falcon's hull marred and marked by blaster and cannon fire. She had to actively calm herself from running to the landing platform. But when he stepped off the ramp and gave her a wide, cock-sure grin and said, "Worried about me, Princess?" she was torn between laughing and punching him.

Leia looked up from her datapad at Luke. "We need you right now." She wasn't pleading but wanted him to understand. "Do you mind waiting until we get settled on Hoth? There's still so much to do. We've lost so much lately."

He nodded. "Sure." He thought about stepping closer, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but he wanted to give her space. Sometimes Leia didn't like to be crowded. "Like I said, I don't have definite plans. Just wanted you know that I'm thinking about it."

She gave him a thank you smile.

With their latest evacuation, and two other bases pulling up stakes, the Freedom and smaller frigates in the fleet were overcrowded. Thankfully, with the supplies they purchased, they could start building the Hoth base in earnest. The heaters and insultation would help the equipment and speeders work and would hopefully make the base somewhat hospitable for the Rebel forces.

They could afford the supplies they needed, the massive amounts of insultation, because the donors came through. She was certain the incident at the cabin would frighten them off but it had the opposite effect. Daushan and Szahan saw the need in sharp focus, the seriousness of the threat and the Rebels determination to fight it, and a donations-supply chain was established.

[I need to adjust the camera.] Chewie stood up from his table.

"How will you do that?" Luke stood up, too. They attached the camera and bug by shooting them across street and getting that close to the door again seemed dangerous.

[It won't be difficult.]

Chewie walked through the door without another word. Luke and Leia looked at each other and laughed. The Wookiee had a temper, there were moments of rage and neither of them doubted his ability to rip arms out of sockets. But most of the time he was unflappable. He was the perfect foil for Han's often chaotic energy.

Luke moved closer to Leia, sat on the opposite side of the window. "Is Han talking about leaving again? Is that why you're fighting?"

"We haven't had a fight in days." She sounded mildly indignant as she turned back to the window.

"You're doing the fighting-not-fighting thing." He gave her another nudge with his foot. "It's unnerving."

Leia tried to keep her voice calm. Casual. "Madine thinks he has intel about the bombing."

"Really?" Luke leaned forward. "And?"

She let out a small sigh. "He thinks that Pyrtor might have had something to do with it. And possibly with the Empire discovering our location on Chomre."

Luke was stunned. He gave his head a quick shake. "That's… a lot. It's a bit shocking that Pyrtor would have so little disregard for your safety. That's pretty much all he talked about at the cabin. Chomre was a close call, too."

She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. "He did make contact. He wanted me to meet him. To talk. That's one of the reasons Madine thinks the intel is correct. If I had gone, I would have been off-planet during the Chomre attack."

"Wow." Luke looked shocked. "And this is what Han is mad about?"

"He doesn't think I should meet with Pyrtor anymore."

"Are you? If Madine thinks he's working for the Empire, that's probably a good time to stop. Right?"

Luke had never been in a relationship and didn't know the extent one would or should go for the other. On Kochi, Leia and Pyrtor seemed more polite than passionate and she didn't look pleased when he showed up at the cabin. She rarely mentioned him or their relationship but Leia was a private person. Maybe these were things she didn't like to discuss.

"Madine isn't sure. They suspect. They are hoping to learn more. Determine whether or not he is involved. What, if any, information has been leaked. If there is another leak."

Leia realized that she needed to speak with care. Her Pyrtor narrative—not revealing they were long broken up, admitting there might be some security concerns, trying to maintain control over her involvement and what she thought was necessary for the rebellion—felt complicated. She needed to watch what she said and to whom.

"So, you're going to see him to find out." Luke wasn't asking questions because he knew Leia.

"I've been asked to attend a meeting and see what I can learn."

"And Han is against this plan."

"Even though it's none of his concern!" Her tone was sharp, indignant. "I haven't decided to accept the mission yet but if I do it's my decision, my concern, not his."

"You don't believe it? That Pyrtor's involved."

"It doesn't sit right with me that he willingly provided information to the Empire. I'm not saying he isn't the leak but I'm also not certain he would willingly betray me."

"I guess you don't want to think that about someone you're close to. I get it."

Leia was silent for a few minutes. She kept her gaze on the building across the street but she was lost in thought. Luke never questioned her actions, not really. He would never suspect that there was an alternate version. He trusted her. Leia felt that now too familiar flash of guilt and she quickly pushed it aside.

"Did you get a read on him?" She needed Luke's opinion. She had come to trust his ability to sense others. She didn't know if it was the Force but he seemed to sense things that others didn't.

"Everything was so heightened at the cabin. Hard to know what was real and what was adrenaline." Luke placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward in thought. "I sensed scared. Angry. Confused. Conflicted, maybe. It was a jumble."

"Part of that would be Pyrtor processing that he wasn't in control." Leia shook her head slightly. "That's a foreign state for him. He's used to getting what he wants."

There were three quick raps at the door—the signal it was one of them—and Han entered the apartment. He was carrying several bags that he placed on the table and turned to face Luke and Leia. He noticed they were sitting close and in, he assumed, deep conversation.

"Where's Chewie?"

"Said he had to go fix the camera." Luke expected Han to grumble, complain that the Wookiee should know better, but he didn't seem put out. Han clearly knew something about Chewie that Luke didn't.

Han pulled food and supplies out of the bags, working mostly in silence, trying to maintain some distance. He knew he shouldn't still be pissed at Leia. It was her call, her boyfriend, her ass. He just couldn't understand why she refused to see how the Alliance treated her. War was dangerous enough and now they were asking her to stay close to someone who had probably betrayed her to the Empire and almost got her killed.

They'd had a huge fight about it, a shouting match like they hadn't had in a while. Han was fine with that, in principle, but he knew he went too far. She insisted she wouldn't be in any more danger than usual. The mission would be well-planned. They would have backup and security measures in place. She knew what she was doing.

But he was furious that she couldn't see the truth, that she let her blind faith in the cause, the rebellion, cloud her judgement. She was so willing to do whatever was asked of her, whatever was needed, to make a dent, any dent, in the fight against the Empire that she didn't question anyone else's motives. Only his. She questioned him and he was one of the only people who truly saw her as more than a princess, senator, leader, but as a real person who could very easily be hurt. Again.

Mid-fight he had leaned in close and said, They're using you as a honeypot, and he immediately regretted his words. Her face turned a bright red and her brown eyes almost black. He wanted to apologize but felt paralyzed. He knew he'd hurt her. He knew he went too far. He waited for the slap or the punch. But, instead, she hissed, Fuck you, and stormed out of the room.

A week later, they still moved with care around each, conscious of the bruises left behind.

"Did you bring sandwiches for everyone?" Luke nodded to the wrapped package on the table.

"Chewie." He grabbed a few things from the bags. "I'll make something to last a couple of meals. Easier. Cheaper. But Chewie needs something faster. Otherwise, he won't shut up."

Han walked into the kitchen and Luke moved to examine the contents on the table. Looked like there was a stew in the works. Eggs. Bread. Fruit, jogan, peaches, things Leia was likely to eat. Luke waved a box of tea, the kind she drank, and she nodded. Bottles of ale, blue milk.

There were also seemingly random pieces of electronics. Coils of wire. Batteries. Old, partially assembled commlinks. Toggle switches that looked like they came from an Old Republic ship.

"Stuff's always hard to find." Han nodded to the switches as he grabbed a few more things from the table. "Good to have extras onboard. Never know."

"Sure." Luke played with the switches. "Makes sense."

Three not so light raps on the door and Chewie was back in the apartment.

"How'd it go?" Han called from the kitchen.

[Fixed.] Chewie looked through the supplies on the table. [You found some. You should have got more.]

Luke noticed Leia looking intently out the window. She then turned back to him and shrugged. They both laughed. Despite her vigilance, she hadn't noticed the Wookiee make any adjustments to the camera. One of the mysteries of Chewbacca was how someone so large, and often so loud, could also be so stealth.

Han returned to the living area. "Bought everything they had." He pointed to the wire and small pile of electrical circuits. "Figured you could use those to enhance your receiver. And I found these." He pulled headphones out of a bag. "Better than the ones you got."

Chewbacca nodded, grumbled something close to a thanks, and returned to his workstation with headphones, wire and the sandwich.

"Looks like you found plenty to fill your coffers." Leia was often amazed at Han's ability to find something useful, or reusable, in a pile of junk. Luke could do it, too. She guessed it came from a lifetime of making do and making things last. It was a skill Leia had only recently acquired.

"Don't worry, Princess." Han didn't look at her as he grabbed the last of the kitchen things. "Used my own money. Didn't dip into the precious Alliance funds."

Luke looked at Leia to make sure she was okay but she had already returned her gaze out the window. She wore a neutral expression but Luke saw a hint of hurt.

Despite the obvious layer of tension between Han and Leia, Luke could see the ease and comfort that existed. It was more than using the Force to gain a sense of them. Their interactions were different than what he first noticed on the hijacked tourist shuttle. That felt like the spark of something new, an undiscovered country. This was well-worn, charged, integral.

Their conversations often seemed private, heads leaning in, speaking in lowered voices, even when the topic was inconsequential. They moved around each other fluidly, knowing where the other was at all times. They didn't touch, nothing like Leia's fingers through his hair or his soft nudge against her shoulder, but they were connected. Luke knew they were being wary of each other, still feeling the effects of their fight, but Luke saw them on solid ground. They just needed to look down, look around them, to see they were no longer lost, untethered.

They all slipped into routines, working around each other. The stew was made and ready whenever hunger struck. They took shifts watching out the window, recording any activity. Leia and Chewie compared notes, hoping something new could be added from the bug or camera. On two of the delivery runs the same man joined the Stormtroopers and passengers but they still didn't have a good holo of him. They organized a schedule for sleeping, either on the couch or in the bedroom. They all understood each other well enough to know when someone needed space and when someone needed company.

It was past midnight on the second night when Han took his turn at the window, Leia stepped out of the bedroom and Luke stepped in for his sleep time. She grabbed a cup of kaffe, attempting to chase away the haze of her three-hour nap and sat in the chair opposite Han.

"Princess." He nodded at her and took a sip of his kaffe.

"Captain." She nodded at him and sipped her own hot drink.

[I am going to sleep on the roof.] Chewie had his bow caster, just in case, and a thermos. [Watch the receiver.]

"We've got it, Chewie," Leia reassured him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they both looked out the window. The Pacifix Courier speeder still arrived at regular intervals but they had nothing new to report or record.

"Maybe we need a new plan." Leia was feeling frustrated. She knew patience was a big part of surveillance but they had no evidence, other than things looked a bit odd, that anything was going on. "One of us should get in closer."

"Let's give it a cycle." Han took another sip. "See if the pattern changes. Need to know when we can get closer cos we don't want to be over there when the Stormtroopers show up."

"You're so knowledgeable on the subject."

"I've cased a lot of joints." He had a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He didn't look quite so pissed anymore.

She laughed softly. "It is your particular skill set."

She reviewed the notes on her datapad again. She didn't really need to. She knew when the next drop-off was most likely expected but it was something to do. It was something to do with her hands. Something to distract her mind. Leia didn't look up as Han stepped away and returned a moment later, dropping the recently acquired commlinks in her lap.

"You're giving me a broken commlink?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You said you wanted to learn more about electronics. How to fix 'em. So, fix 'em."

She looked at him, assessing, for a moment. "Do I get tools, too?"

Han nodded toward the bag of tools sitting beside Chewie's workstation.

They didn't apologize often. Saying I'm sorry was almost unheard of. But they made small gestures. Little things that knocked down walls, opened things up, let each other back in. It might be a cup of kaffe or offer for dinner or help on a job. He might leave something acquired on a supply run in her office. She might locate that part he needed. Or one of them might remember a comment, like wanting to learn how to fix electronics, and quietly provide the means.

This time, Leia decided to take it a step further. Perhaps not quite an apology but offer an explanation. An attempt to clear the air. Even if he had moved on and wasn't thinking about her comment, it still bothered her.

"You know, I wasn't accusing you of using Alliance funds." She had already pulled apart two of the commlinks to get at their innards. He was watching her work but didn't say anything. Apparently, this would be a lot like learning to fly the Falcon. Unless they were in mortal danger, he was going to let her explore and learn on her own.

"Huh?" He looked up at her confused.

"Yesterday. When I said you bought a lot of stuff. You seemed to think I was accusing you of using Alliance credits. I wasn't. Honestly."

"Okay." He still looked confused. Maybe not so much about the incident as her need to apologize. "Got it."

His gaze moved between the window and watching Leia work. She was concentrating on the commlinks. Figuring out which pieces worked and how they could all fit together. He knew she was making a mental catalogue of functioning parts and inner layouts.

There was a part of him that wished he could keep her busy with these kinds of projects more often. Something done in a chair, in relative safety. Even though one of the things he most admired about her was her bravery and determination. She demanded the best from herself. She expected the best from others. But he wanted her to be all those things and be safe. He knew it wasn't possible but a guy can dream, right?

"After this, we'll get you to fry an egg. Fill in more of those gaps in Princess training." He offered her the lop-sided grin.

"I'll have you know, I can fry an egg." She picked up another commlink, assessed its damage and usefulness. "I could make an omelette even. Bake a cake."

"I stand corrected."

Leia laughed but didn't look up from her work. "I think that's all I can do. And it's been a while but I could probably still manage it."

"Gonna tell me how and why you learned to do those three, and only those three, things?" Han looked through the binocs at a person stopping in front of the warehouse doors. When they moved on, Han put the binocs back on the sill.

"When I was going to Coruscant to intern with father, my boyfriend's grandmother thought I should be somewhat self-sufficient so she taught me to make those three things because those were the only three things she knew how to make."

Leia felt confounded by the commlinks. They all had the same inner workings. She understood what most of the parts did. She could see what was wrong with some of them. But she wasn't sure how to assemble together a working one from the various parts.

"Of course, I never put those skills to use because we had a cook in Coruscant for those few meals I ate in the apartment. And no one is giving me access to a stove now."

"Let's forget the eggs and get back to the boyfriend bit." He nudged her chair with his foot and she responded with an eyeroll.

"It's not fair, you know. I reveal too much and you reveal nothing."

"I know all my stories. Why would I want to hear them again?"

"Sorry, Flyboy." She popped the casing off one of the commlinks and removed some wires. "I'm not revealing any more information, especially embarrassing early dating stories, until I get something from you."

"You're giving me embarrassing early dating stories and not gonna follow through? Is this some kind of torture?"

She gave him a pointed look. "The smashball's in your court."

Han laughed. "Let's make a deal. Show me yours and I'll show you mine." He laughed again when she threw him a scowl. "Give me this story and I'll give you one."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I am very trustworthy."

Leia thought about it for a moment, briefly glancing up at Han. "And you're not going to double cross me?"

"It pains me that you even have to ask."

"A story of equal worth."

Han put a hand over his heart.

"Okay. But you have to work for it." She popped the casing off another commlink. "Ask questions."

Han kept vigil out the window, didn't lose sight of their target, but he was smiling as he glanced at Leia. He had a good feeling about this one.

"Before you went to Coruscant. So, sixteen?"

"Yes."

"Who was this boyfriend?"

"His father was a member of the Alderaan parliament."

"First boyfriend?"

"Yes." Leia used a mini-fuser to reattach the wires from one to another. "First real boyfriend, I suppose."

"What made this one real?"

Leia gave him a long look and his head fell back in laughter.

"I see." His smile spread wide across his face. "He took your virtue."

She chortled. "You read too many romance novels."

"Name?"

"Leia."

"Well-played."

"Derri."

"And you spent a lot of time with his grandma?"

As Leia snapped the casing back on, she slipped and sliced her finger. She let out a quick gasp as she watched the blood rise up along the small cut. Han indicated she should keep watch. He returned a moment later with a small med kit.

"I had aunts but no grandparents. I was fascinated, enthralled, by Derri's family's domesticity." She stopped her work on the commlinks as he carefully applied a bandage to her finger. "His family seemed so... ordinary. Compared to mine. In reality, they were still very privileged. Servants. More than one home."

"But none of those homes were palaces."

She caught his gaze as he finished with the bandage. "I sound very spoiled, I know."

"It's all you knew. Not the same thing." Han moved back to his seat by the window.

"So, you're at his house, pretending you're not a princess for a bit and he offered to show you his etchings?" He smiled at her cold stare. "Recited poetry to woo you? Articles of constitution? A trail of flower petals and a stuffed thranta?" He laughed when she gave him a quick, furtive glance. "Oh, Sweetheart!"

"It wasn't quite that but close enough." Leia sounded defensive but there was a small laugh. "Look! We were young. Inexperienced. He was very... earnest."

"In love?"

"No." She dropped the defensive tone. "At least I wasn't. I cared for him. He really was..."

"Earnest?"

"Kind."

He watched her for a few moments. She had reassembled two of the commlinks. She was so precise, careful, in everything. The work she did, the words she chose. But there were times when she let go. Laughed, deep and bold. It was like riding a tidal wave listening to her. Sharing that moment. And the few times he had seen her cry. Not the time he made her cry, that was something else entirely. Those times when she was comfortable enough to let go and feel her grief, her pain. She was always Leia and Leia had more angles than anyone expected. She was all things at once.

Everything, Han thought. That's the word.

What made her an effective leader, and a sometimes-frustrating mission partner, was the same thing that gave her that competitive side and made her untangled, freer side so appealing. She noticed every detail and never let anything go amiss if it was relevant to the story. It could be a fucking pain to be seen by Leia sometimes but she was the only person he ever considered peeling back a layer or two for.

"That probably sounds naïve to you. Innocent." She hit the switch on one of the commlinks but nothing happened. Frowning, she removed the casing again. "After everything that's happened, the fact that Derri and his grandmother are both gone now, everything is gone, it seems ridiculously innocent to me, too."

Han was about to offer some reassurance but decided to wait it out. Give her a bit of space to decide where she wanted the conversation to go.

"Sometimes it feels like a life someone else lived. Maybe it was a fairy tale I read and I've claimed it for my own."

"Like you're having some kind of fever dream?"

She chuckled. "I'd prefer if the war was the fever dream and I could return to the fairy tale." She didn't look up at Han but he could see a change in her expression. "I don't mean that entirely. I'm very grateful for many things in my life now. That I wouldn't want to lose."

"You know, innocent's not so bad. Not that I know much about that stuff." Han shifted in his seat. "Probably good you had that. A nice memory." He suddenly realized he didn't know if it was a nice memory. Or if he was nice for her to hold any of these memories right now. "I guess."

"I wasn't naïve in the sense that I thought we would be together forever. I knew it was a temporary thing even then. I was already on a much different path. But it was nice. He was nice."

She had four commlinks laid out in front of her, contemplating her next move. Leia realized she had taken on one of Han's characteristics. She was clearing her mind of other anxieties while puttering.

"When I think about it now, I'm glad there was a time when I still had some naivety. When someone said I was beautiful and I believed them."

"What does that mean? Saying Derri's the only person who said you're beautiful? Or he's the only person you believed?" Was she fucking insane?

"Oh no, I heard it all the time." She gave him a stern look when he laughed. "I realize that makes me sound shallow but it's what you say to princesses. And young senators. Sometimes it was a way to put me in my place. Most of the time it was a negotiation tactic. A means to impress me or my parents. Get in our good graces. Get closer. It rarely meant anything. Not anything genuine. It really wasn't anything to be trusted."

"You think it was a way to get in your pants?"

She laughed rather than the scowl he expected.

"Or simply closer to that seat of power." She looked at him knowing he was smiling. "Not that seat of power. It was something I was always very cognizant of. I had to always consider ulterior motives. And if someone wanted to get in my pants, who were they going to sell the story to after?"

"But not with Derri."

"I don't think it would have occurred to him to be anything less than genuine. I knew it wasn't a great love story but it was nice to know I could accept those moments as simple truths. He said it, he meant it and I believed him. I felt beautiful with him." She smiled to herself. Sometimes it didn't break her to think about those she lost. She knew it was because she felt safe talking to Han about it. The memories didn't slip through her fingers when he helped her hold them. "Last I heard, he was getting married. I didn't know her but mother said she was friendly, kind. I'm glad he found that happiness."

Han gave her a few moments before speaking again. He didn't want to pull her from a happy Alderaan moment too soon.

"So, you had an earnest and kind first time."

She shook her head, raised her eyebrows and glared. "Is that the story you're going to tell me? Your first time?"

"Sweetheart, my first time didn't last as long as this story." He pulled up the binocs again. The courier had returned. "How would you describe your first time then? Give me one word."

Leia thought about it for a bit. She watched out the window as the Stormtroopers and passenger, who looked like someone who left the day before, accompanied by the same man walked to the door. Han moved to Chewie's workstation. He flipped on the audio recording and watched the camera feed, trying for screenshots as all four approached the door and entered the building.

"Wet."

"What?" Han looked up from the receiver. That was definitely not one of the words he expected her to use.

"No! Not like that!" She was suddenly flustered and embarrassed. "I mean he was a very wet kisser." She held her head in her hands and couldn't stop laughing.

"How wet?"

She was laughing so hard she could barely speak. She sounded like she was sobbing.

"Stop to wipe my face with my sleeve kind of wet. Very distracting, maybe unnerving amount, kind of wet."

He was back to his full-throttle grin, laughing. She was a gods-damn delight and there was no denying it.

"Did you break up with him cos he was a bad kisser?"

She wiped tears from her eyes, shook her head then laughed some more. She looked at him and shrugged. "Maybe?"

"I did not expect the story to take this turn."

Leia tried to calm herself down, wiped away her tears again, but she couldn't stop laughing. Her face was bright red and her body shook with silent laughter. She took deep breaths, calmed herself slightly and looked at him but that sent her into further convulsions. He looked at her with a mix of amazement and amusement and it was simply too much. Finally, after more deep breaths, she managed to focus on the commlink in her hand. She clicked the button and it lit up. She twisted the end and it picked up a signal from somewhere nearby.

"I did it!" Her eyes were now sparkling with tears and excitement.

He took the commlinks and looked them over. "Good job, Sweetheart."

"Does it pass inspection?"

"It works so it's right." He looked over the ones she had used for parts. "But you didn't have to do all this stuff to get the one working. You could have fused these together." He indicated some wires in one of the commlinks. "And I think this one just needed a new battery."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She sounded slightly irritated. Leia sought perfection, not work arounds.

"Because now you know how to assemble a commlink. You know what all the parts do and how they fit together." He tossed the working commlink back to her and piled the rest beside the receiver. He kept his eye on the camera, ready to grab a holo when the troopers or men came back out.

Leia switched seats. The obvious reason was it gave her a better view of the warehouse but it was also a better view of Han at the workstation. He was focused on the receiver, checking dials, ensuring the best frequency. He held the headphones, ready to pull them on if it looked like anyone would speak. So far, everyone had passed in and out without a word.

"It's your turn, Flyboy. What's your story?"

He grinned. "Got no embarrassing kissing or sex stories. Everyone is always happy, completely satisfied."

"Asshole!" She sat up straight, considered what she could throw at him. "You swore. You crossed your heart."

Han gave an exaggerated, what are you going do shrug.

"I can't believe I trusted you. Never again!" She tried to sound angry but she was smiling. She gave an exasperated sigh. She put herself in this position. She knew the odds of him keeping up his end of the bargain.

He watched her for a bit, letting her stew. He probably shouldn't enjoy her almost comical irritation so much but it was hard to resist. "Okay, there was this one time."

She looked at him, clearly not quite trusting where he was heading. He wiped his hand over his face as he figured out what to say, and kept his focus, mainly, on the camera feed.

"So, I'd spent an awful lot of time working this woman. Way more effort than usual. I mean any effort was more than usual so this one was kind of unheard-of."

She pulled her legs up in front of her, wrapped her arms around her knees. She rested her hand on the binocs. "Okay, I'm interested. Go on."

"You know the drill. One half-assed stunt after another. She was driving me crazy for a long time but she was pretty tied up in her job and she had a boyfriend. Was pretty sure she was interested in me but, you know, boyfriend so making a move was tricky."

She laughed. "You were bothered because she had a boyfriend? That's not your reputation, Captain Solo."

"Like I said, this was a special case." He played with the headphones, giving himself a moment to find the words. "And I wasn't much interested in being the sidebar for this one. Wanted the main spot."

She nodded, a faux solemn gesture. "That must have been very confusing for you."

He smiled at her. "You have no idea. So, I tried all kinds of stuff. Did some maneuvering so we spent time together. Asked her lots of questions. Listened to her talk."

"You listened?" She glanced his way and smiled. "My word. It was serious."

He leaned forward. She had already turned back to the window but he knew she was still aware. She could see him. "Nope. That was always a good part. Easy. Liked listening to her talk. Loved it when she laughed. Especially if I made her laugh."

Leia didn't shift her gaze but she straightened in her seat. She bit her lower lip.

She took a quick calming breath. She asked for this story so she didn't know why there was a sudden knot in her stomach. Told herself that it was because he never mentioned women in this fashion. Never talked about ex-girlfriends or lovers. Always made it seem like there was no one who truly mattered even though she knew that couldn't be true. He was too thoughtful, caring, under all the gruff to have never had someone who mattered.

"I realize now I made a few miscalculations."

"You? That doesn't seem right." She kept her tone light, distracted.

"I know. Hard to believe." He was leaning on his elbows now. "I should have told her she was beautiful. That I didn't care if she looked at me and smiled or looked at me with fury and frustration. Just wanted her to look at me."

Leia shifted again. She kept her gaze on the warehouse. She was feeling nervous. She sensed a turn in the conversation.

"Her job was the most important thing to her so I jumped on whatever gigs I could. Or tried distracting her. Made her dinner. Taught her how to play sabacc. Any card game that made her stick around for hours. I stuck around when I knew I should've taken off. Paid those debts."

She still wouldn't look at him but he knew she was listening and he thought that was a good sign. He didn't know what that sign meant but it was enough to keep him going.

"You know I'm ready for the fight. Any fight. Been doing it all my life. Chewie says that's my big problem cos I don't know how to do anything else but that never felt like a problem before. Kept me alive. Kept things tight so there was only me to worry about. And Chewie. But there was something about her.

"Couple weird things happened. First off, I didn't mind sitting so much. Wasn't rushing for the next job, the big pay day."

She listened to him, amazed at how much he was talking. This was the most she had ever heard him say when he wasn't in a blind rage, yelling about some perceived infraction. His tone was jovial but intense. He was holding her in his story and she felt almost desperate to hear more.

"But there was this other thing. She made me want to set fires, kick down doors, and not just to save my ass. Or her ass, really, though that was a big part of it. I want to do it cos it was the right thing to do. She reminded me that there's more to this world than me. She made me want to make a difference. Leave something better than when I found it. Maybe it was about doing it for her. Cos of her. Only thing I know is it made a bit of a mess for me. Sometimes didn't know which way was up."

He watched to see if she had any reaction but she kept her eyes on the warehouse across the street. One arm pulled her legs tight to her chest, the other hand rested on the binocs.

"One night, I tricked her into telling me some embarrassing story just so I could see her blush and laugh." He noticed her looking down at her hands, trying to compose herself again. "Did I already say that? How much I liked her laugh? Anyway, I knew it might be a mistake cos I'd want to kiss her and tell her all kind of stuff and it would make me want her more but, you know, boyfriend. The job that meant everything."

Leia played with the binocs. Her voice was soft but not unsteady. "How did it turn out?"

Han gave her a beat. "I'll let you know when I know."

He didn't avert his gaze. He waited for her to look at him again. If she turned to look at him, without him prompting her, then he would know she was his. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Maybe loved him.

Han knew he would sit there, maybe not blinking, for as long as it took. She just needed to look at him and he'd know. They'd both know.

C'mon, Sweetheart. Look at me. I'm here. I'm waiting. Leia. Please. Look at me.

Her large brown eyes, somehow soft and bright at the same time, caught his for a second. One quick moment of locking in, recognition, understanding then three raps at the door and Chewie was back in the apartment.

[I saw the speeder. Did you get a holo?]

Han felt enough of a daze that he wasn't angry at the interruption. He had to swallow to get his voice back. Still held her gaze.

"Yeah, I think I got one this time."

Leia smiled, shyly, before lowering her eyes again.

She and Chewie joined Han at the workstation as he pulled up the holos he snapped. The images were slightly blurred but they had two that showed the faces of the men approaching, including the man who had returned several times.

Han moved his leg beneath the table so he pressed against Leia's thigh. His smile only got wider when he felt her pressing back.