SailorLeia – Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was funny! Yup, the NJO has messed up things pretty badly, hasn't it? Well, don't worry about writing too much – I ramble on and on all the time.
thejedistarfiregrayson – Thank you! I love it when readers think the story is funny! People think I'm crazy too, eh, you get used to it. ;) May the Force be with you, too!
From-Heaven2Earth – Hehe…hopefully it goes the good way! Here's more!
HanSolosGal – Sup wit chu? I'm glad you liked the chapter.
TheRealLeia – Whoa, whoa, calm down. Everything is going to be all right. Ty's parents just went away for a while. It's okay. Breathe. hands over paper bag
Chapter 42
The next day, Ty arrived at Han and Leia's new house with packed bags and a wide grin. They had told him that he would even have a room to himself, which only increased his excitement. It seemed Ty would be visiting often from now on, so the extra effort was not likely to prove futile.
Han and Leia greeted the boy at the front door, and as he stepped inside the house he took a moment to examine his surroundings. Han and Leia had removed all their possessions from their apartment the day before, and everything was now transferred into the new home. The furnishings were lavish and coordinated; the home looked like a palace. Even though Ty was no longer the "poor little street urchin," the sight of the home astounded him.
"This is the house you guys are gonna live in?" Ty croaked.
"Yeah," Han grinned.
"Wait, I thought you said you were gonna decorate it, Han."
"I did! Well, I had some help. Not too much, though. I did most of it on my own," Han claimed.
"I don't think so. Maybe you hooked the holovision up…" Ty began as the sight of the giant screen caught his eye. He rushed toward the device and immediately began searching the many options that it provided. "Does it have games?" he blurted.
"Yeah, it does. Since when are you so interested in hologames?"
"I have them at my house. I play them all the time. They're so cool!"
Han and Leia exchanged amused glances. This was certainly not the Ty that they had met months ago. He sounded like a "normal" boy now that he had shed his insecurities.
"Why don't you and Han play a game together, Ty? I've heard only the best about Meteor Madness from Han," she suggested with a wink.
"You have Meteor Madness? Cool! Do you want to play, Han?" Ty asked.
"Of course, Kid!" Han agreed as he sat down with the boy, grabbing a control device. "But you know that no one can beat me, right?"
"I don't know about that! I play Meteor Madness all the time!" Ty boasted as he too snatched a control.
The two guys started playing, both lost in the game as the competition grew. They showed utmost concentration as the meteors came precariously close to their ships, and cried out in joy or frustration at various points. Leia had to laugh at how serious they were taking the game, though it did look pretty fun. Maybe she would join in next game.
Leia watched as the ships rapidly darted around the meteors, and saw one of the ships skim too close…seconds later it exploded in a blaze of fire.
"Ha!" Ty exclaimed. "I beat you!"
"I can't believe it!" Han said, throwing the control down and raising his arms up in disgust. After he did it, however, he turned around and winked at Leia.
Leia decided to join the game. It looked fun, and playing it had to be more enjoyable than watching it.
"Count me in this game, boys," Leia told them.
"Okay…do you know how to play?" Han asked.
"No, but I'm a fast learner. Give me a control and leave the rest to me," Leia stated confidently.
"You're starting to sound like me," Han said, but followed her request nonetheless.
Leia took a control from Han and sat down next to them cross-legged. Ty restarted the game, and the three of them began playing.
"You're going down, Solo," Leia boasted, skillfully whipping her ship around meteors.
"I know you are," Han cracked.
"You know what I mean," Leia replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"I know what you mean, but it's not gonna happen," Han countered.
Han and Leia were so caught up in their competition that they did not realize that Ty's ship had exploded. Ty sat back and watched the husband and wife battling, oblivious to everything but their ships and the meteors on the screen. Leia's ship narrowly missed a meteor, drawing triumphant cheers from Han, but Leia got the last laugh. While Han was gloating over his superior flying skills, a meteor came crashing toward him, destroying his ship.
Han stared at the screen, jaw nearly on the ground. How did he, the best pilot in the galaxy, lose to Leia, who had no piloting skills whatsoever?
"Best two out of three," he pleaded.
