For those of you following my efforts, thank you. I feel it's important to each and every one of us who write and share our ideas/thoughts/stories that they be seen by others for what they are – our own little delve into the lives of the characters we love. I probably paint Leia in a softer light than the movies maybe do, but perhaps these are the moments between the one's we see on the silver screen? And I think I've maybe made Han more mellow, but then love can do strange things to men, and the one thing I have always clung onto is that Han and Leia are deeply, I mean deeply, in love with one another.
For your information, this is the last story I wrote when I was tapping away constantly on my little old laptop. I have more ideas in mind, I just have less time to write than I had before, and I would really like to read some other works which I've been neglecting while tidying up these. I will be back, so keep looking out for me...
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Leia exhaled a sigh of relief, then turned to her guest. "I thought he'd never go!" She said, moving from the window to the sofa to join Opi who was sipping at a caf contentedly.
Leia had agreed to a second interview on the condition it was conducted in the same manner as the first. Opi had gone one further and arrived with a single assistant who set three recording devices at strategic points around the living room and then retreated to an audio and visual monitor at the far side of the room.
"He's certainly devoted." Opi said of the departing Han.
"He's certainly defiant!" Leia hissed. "I asked him to take Jorj into town so that we might talk in peace, and he deliberately hung around to annoy me." She sank into the sofa beside Opi and narrowed her eyes in the direction of Opi's assistant. "You're sure he's all you need? No make up, sound or lighting guys?"
"These beauties can make you look ten years younger if that's what you want them to do." Opi replied, indicating the recorders.
"That's more than a good cosmetologist could do!" Leia laughed.
"And I trust Finn, he's one of my most loyal assistants back at the studio." Opi advised and lowered her voice. "Plus, I'll let you into a little secret. Finn over there, he's my son."
Leia's jaw dropped open, a puzzled frown crossing her brow. "I thought you said you didn't have children."
"According to the official bio, I don't." Opi said, casting a fond look at the young man with his back to them and earpieces in both ears. "Finn was born when I was fourteen. My parents refused to accept him into the family and he was given to an aunt to raise. We found each other a few years ago and he's been working with me ever since. So you see Leia, you're not the only one with a skeleton in her closet."
"Dark Lord of the Sith trumps an illegitimate child hands down." Leia suggested.
"You got me there." Opi laughed.
"Okay ladies, we're ready to go when you are." The young man, Finn, said.
"Thank you." Opi called, adding under her breath and wearing a sly smile. "Son." The three recorders blinked rapidly then settled into a steady glow as Opi straightened and looked at one of the devices. "Good Afternoon. I'm here once again with the one time Rebel Leader and Chief-of-State of the New Republic to hear her exploits as part of my series, 'In Her Own Words'." Opi turned her attention to Leia. "Leia, welcome."
"Good to see you again, Opi." Leia smiled.
"As you know there has been an overwhelming response to my broadcast following the release of, what I understand to be, the first installment in your life's story." Opi reported.
"Well..." Leia chuckled. "As I understand it, the producers are gauging public support for more holomovies. And as for your broadcast, I heard it's viewing figures were well above those of the 'movie on it's initial release."
"Would you like to see your memoirs turned into visual art?" Opi queried.
"My memoirs are nothing like the holomovie. Most of them follow events after the fall of the Empire, or at least after the destruction of the second Death Star, and centre mostly on my work in the Senate and with my family." Leia pointed out.
"You're not prevented from talking about your time in the Senate?" Opi checked.
"I don't have a 'gagging order' if that's what you mean, nor was I asked to sign a 'disclosure agreement'. I do, however, show a sense of discretion in my writing." Leia replied.
"No names, no pack-drill." Opi surmised.
"No specifics." Leia corrected.
"Away from your political career..." Opi said. "Tell me about...Leia."
"Me?" Leia asked, sounding slightly astonished.
"You. Tell me about Leia the wife...the mother...the lover." Opi said, her eyes sparkling.
"Wife, mother, lover..." Leia inhaled as she repeated the words, slowly.
"In any order. Your choice. How about...Jorj. Why not start with him." Opi suggested.
Leia's lips curled into a fond smile, one that silently spoke of amusement and of unconditional love. "Jorj is...ah..." Leia's smile turned into a beaming grin. "He's our little miracle."
Opi arched her eyebrow while she waited for more.
"More caf?" Leia asked.
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The two ladies freshened their drinks and resettled on the sofa. Finn counted down on his fingers three, two, one and they were recording again.
"We'd had our family, or so we thought." Leia started. "Then, out of nowhere, came Jorj."
"You hadn't planned for or talked of having another child?" Opi queried.
Leia's thoughts drifted back over her life. She refused to let herself dwell on the loss of her home world or her family or her people. Instead she focussed on all she had gained. "I was opposed to children, as I said before. But, in the same way Han had worn me down to his charms, so he wore me down to the idea of having a family." Leia said. "Han's home life hadn't been the best. He and his sister lived with a mother they adored, and a father they feared. Like many who live on a poor planet, from a poor background, all he wanted was for more than he had. Escaping Corellia was a start, then obtaining a ship was his next step. After that his life should have been plain sailing, no pun intended, except he'd taken a wrong turn. Wrong place, wrong time was how Han explained it. Had to ditch his cargo and ended up in hock to the Hutts, notorious crimelords and residents of the planet Tatooine."
"Where Han was hired by the Jedi Master and your brother, Luke." Opi interjected.
"He was looking for easy money. Or possibly any money, since he was on Jabba's personal most wanted list. So he took the charter and the rest, as they say, is history." Leia explained.
Opi narrowed her eyes at Leia. "And Jorj?" She pressed.
"Telling Han the identity of my birth father was about the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Leia said, licking her lips. "Fighting is easy, when you believe in what you're fighting for. Leading is easy, when you believe you know where you're going. Admitting a truth, especially one so damning and painful when you have no control over that truth, that is fraught with danger."
"He reacted badly." Opi recalled.
"Laughed in my face and stormed off to get drunk. Probably very drunk." Leia elaborated. "Then came back with a bunch of flowers he'd stolen from a public display and a heartfelt apology. After that, we both settled into our new roles; I began my work with Mon Mothma building the New Republic, the Senate and governing bodies and Han took a job advising the military and security services. And we settled into a comfortable place with one another too; comfortable that is, until Isolder appeared on the scene."
"Isolder...Prince of Hapes, I believe?" Opi questioned.
"Prince and would-be suitor." Leia acknowledged.
"Let me guess, Han reacted badly?" Opi asked.
Leia laughed. "You could say that. There was much support for a match between Isolder and I, and I admit I was flattered by his advances, but there was one thing missing for me."
"A fast starship?" Opi suggested with humour and Leia snorted a laugh.
"Love." She replied. "After losing so much I had wrapped my heart in way too much cotton-candy and it took a brash Corellian to break down my defences. Isolder was a handsome, titled, smart match for a Princess without a home world to rule, but Han..." Leia exhaled, her eyes closed. "He didn't so much unwrap that cotton-candy, as set fire to it."
"Corellians do have a reputation, I believe." Opi grinned alluding to the assertion that Corellian males made the best lovers. Leia blushed pink. "Not without reason I suspect." Opi's grin widened.
"My heart started skipping a beat long before we became intimately acquainted." Leia said, hoping to steer the conversation away from sex.
"Can you remember when you first realised he was the 'one'?" Opi asked.
Leia tilted her head while she thought. "I remember the moment he first made my stomach flip..."
"Care to share?" Opi pressed.
"We were..somewhere..I can't recall the specifics now. Trying to get out with our lives, which was pretty normal for back then. I had this plan to make my escape while shooting at the stormtroopers chasing us down. Han was pointing out the flaw in that plan; the flaw being the stormtroopers shooting back. I told him..barked at him, I guess..that the alternative was just as unappealing; the alternative being shot at and not making it out. I was about to break out and start my run when he grabbed hold of my arm, scowling down at me. And not just with his eyes, with his whole face." Leia replied. "Being raised as a Princess to serve and rule her people, getting grabbed, roughly, by the arm was generally frowned upon. I glared up at him, then down at the hand. He lessened his grip, but still held me and, if anything, moved a little closer. When I looked back up at him, his face had changed. He was no longer scowling, he was looking like..like he wasn't angry or frustrated with me, just concerned. There, right there, in the middle of a fight for our lives I felt some.." She shrugged a shoulder. "..thing."
Leia remembered all to well. The smell of blaster fire in the air, the threat to their lives, the fear of dying in some backwater when what she should be doing was leading this fight all the way to its successful conclusion. Meanwhile what she was actually doing was gazing into a tall Corellian's eyes and seeing for the first time that the feelings she was beginning to suspect existed inside of her might, just might, be reciprocated.
He'd loosened his grip but was still holding her, moving closer, protecting her. She'd looked up at him and softened her voice. I can do this. She had insisted. Trust me. And he had. He'd released her arm and allowed that lip of his to curl momentarily, then hunkered down to cover her race for freedom.
"It wasn't love. I know that now, because I know what love feels like and that wasn't it. But there was definitely something there, for both of us." Leia clarified. "I think Han recognised the signs much sooner than I did. He certainly gave that impression."
"Really? Han doesn't seem the kind of guy to give too much away when it comes to affairs of the heart." Opi commented.
"Oh, he does. So long as you know where and how to look for it." Leia confirmed to Opi's obvious surprise. "There was this one time, Luke and I had..interrupted..Han and his..companion.." Leia considered her words as she recounted the occasion.
Thinking back, it was actually the 'companion' who had interrupted Luke and Leia as they sat with Han discussing the need for a new, safe freight route. The destruction of the first Death Star and the establishment of a permanent base on Hoth had brought with it an influx of new and eager recruits. New and eager recruits who needed nourishment.
Han had been identified early on as an authority on safe routes through the Galaxy, though his brush with the Hutts had been, at that stage, somewhat understated.
….. "Well I think..." Luke started, his thought process interrupted by the sound of the Falcon's proximity alert.
Han checked his monitor and allowed access to his visitor. A nerve twitched in his cheek as he avoided eye contact with either Luke or Leia.
"Sorry..." The female Han failed to introduce apologised. "Didn't know you had friends."
"It's just Luke and Leia." Han drawled, shifting in his seat. "Didn't you leave already?"
The female smiled coyly and said. "Think I might have left something behind."
"Oh, well, you know the way." Han answered, sweeping his open palm in the direction of the sleeping compartments.
"Just be a minute." She said to Leia and Luke with a bright smile. Leia watched the woman sway her way through the ship with obvious familiarity to its layout.
"Who..." Luke started.
"Acquaintance." Han interrupted.
"She sure seems to know her way around." Luke commented.
"Yeah, well she's been around a bit." Han replied.
"Really? I don't remember seeing her around the base." Luke noted.
"I don't think that's what Han means when he says she been around." Leia offered to Han's growing grin.
"Right where I left it." The woman said, an item of underwear dangling from a finger. Luke's gasp was audible and the woman giggled and stuffed the strip of fabric into a pocket of her jacket. "Well, I guess my transport won't wait..." She said, eyes shining up at Han who rose from his seat. "It's been...a blast."
For the love of the Maker! Leia thought, observing the woman's somewhat desperate lunge toward Han in an effort to initiate a farewell kiss. Han may have caught sight of Leia's half raised eyebrow and the half roll of her eyes. Whatever his reasoning, he met the woman's lips with his own in a searing kiss that seemed to go on and on. Luke's jaw dropped further open and Leia fidgeted, her own lips pursed.
Han's eyelids fluttered open, noted Luke's look of shock and Leia's barely concealed attempt at avoiding any appearance of observation, and deepened the kiss further adding an approving growl for extra emphasis.
When the pair finally broke for air, the woman thanked Han once again for his hospitality and made her exit with something of a spring in her step. Han watched her go with his back to Luke and Leia, fingers hooked into the back of his pants, hitching them over his hips.
"I'm surprised she can still breathe!" Luke mumbled.
"I'm surprised she isn't pregnant!" Leia added …..
"He wouldn't look at me after that. Not while we continued to discuss transport routes at least. I knew it had been for my benefit. He'd never made a show of his liaisons, of which there were many, I'm sure." She added a wry smile. "He is Corellian, after all."
"So, along came Isolder..." Opi prompted.
"Along came Isolder and with him a whole new possible future." Leia said. "There was considerable support for a marriage between the Prince of Hapes and the last Princess of Alderaan. A lot, that is, except from the last Princess of Alderaan herself and very definitely non-existent from the last Princess of Alderaan's..." She paused, searching for the right word. "...Consort." Leia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Ahh, you have no idea how much debate there was over the word used to describe Han."
"Consort is good." Opi suggested.
"Consort implies someone of a lesser standing in society." Leia explained. "Boyfriend sounded immature and the alternative, lover, was simply unacceptable. Consort was agreed upon as the lesser of the evils but I know Han disapproved. He wasn't, and still isn't, comfortable with labels but if he had to wear one, it wouldn't be as a subservient."
"Was there any point when you thought Isolder might be worth at least considering?" Opi asked.
Leia wore an embarrassed smile as she confessed. "For about a minute and a half. I'd spent an all-too-enjoyable evening in his company and discovered he was actually quite nice. At least he was familiar with the sort of circles I had moved in. Han...Han could sometimes feel like an outsider, regardless of how much I tried to include him." Her expression turned wistful. "Of course, that was one of the things I found most attractive about him in the first place. He treated me the same way he treated everyone else and he had little regard for ceremony or rank."
"I imagine that went down well with the Alliance hierarchy." Opi said.
"They were constantly at odds." Leia sighed. "But, Han's expertise with a blaster, his knowledge of the Galaxy and his ability to fly the Falcon like it was an extension of his body meant those who least liked him had to get over themselves and those who did like him, well, they could just sit back and slap themselves on the back every time the Corellian done good!"
"So Isolder became the path untraveled; you married the Corellian that half of your advisors said you shouldn't and you both lived happily ever after." Opi offered.
"Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of fairytale Princess." Leia laughed. "Our marriage started with extensive periods of separation. Han was a free spirit, I knew and accepted that and never asked nor wanted to tie him down. Meanwhile, I had an obligation to redress the balance after the fall of the Empire. And then came the baby thing."
"The baby thing?" Opi queried.
"Knowing the identity of my biological father, I made it clear that I didn't want to have children. After all the suffering the Galaxy had endured at the hands of the Emperor and Vader, with my heritage how could I risk giving birth to the next generation of tyrants. Han thought I was being overly dramatic but, since his lifestyle didn't lend well to fatherhood he happily accepted the decision." Leia said. "When he changed his mind, ahhh..." Her sigh was long and deep and spoke of protracted arguments. "I could have cheerfully throttled him!"
"Then what changed your mind?" Opi asked.
"Han, in part at least. After endless arguments, we stopped long enough to talk at great length about parenthood. I tried to make him see my reservations, he tried to make me understand how much being a father meant to him. In the end we agreed to leave things to fate and a short while later, I guess fate stepped in." Leia said.
"With twins no less." Opi said with a bright smile.
"And a year later the twins were joined by their brother." Leia said, with another roll of her eyes. "I could have throttled Han for that too!"
"The New Republic was in its infancy and here you are, with three children under one. How did you cope?" Opi questioned.
"My aide, Winter, without her I never would have survived!" Leia admitted. "I mean, Han was a wonderful father, don't get me wrong. But he still had a role within the New Republic, as well as establishing his own freight business.
"Han was a stay at home dad?" Opi asked, her voice indicating no small amount of amusement.
"Technically, we shared the responsibility." Leia replied. "But in actuality Han did the majority of the parenting, especially when the children were small. He loved it. Every last moment of it. And he was good at it too. Better than he'd like his old smuggling buddies to know and a whole lot better than he gives himself credit for either."
"I think I'm getting the picture here." Opi said, amusement still evident across her face. "While you parented the Galaxy back to a place of safety, Han parented your family."
Leia shook her head and smiled. "Han used to say he had one job and that was looking after me. Truth was, he had any number of jobs and looking after me was only one of them. He cared for our children. Ran his own business. Held down a position in the New Republic and even managed to find time to continue a little smuggling operation on the side. He thinks I didn't know about that but you know, women always figure out the truth."
"Would you say life was good?" Opi queried.
Leia inhaled and considered before answering. "It had it's moments, but for the most part, yes. I'd say for quite a long time, yes, life was good."
Opi nodded and waited for more. Leia was well aware that this was what she had agreed to; a second interview which would delve into life behind the facade of her writings. She just hadn't anticipated the nervous fluttering Opi's questioning would produce. "Leia." Opi prompted, possibly not for the first time Leia realised.
"I'm sorry." Leia apologised.
"Would you like a moment?" Opi queried, indicating to Finn that he should cease recording. The lights on the recording devices blinked out and Leia exhaled, feeling abashed.
"I really am sorry." Leia apologised again.
"It's fine. Take your time, just like we discussed. It doesn't matter if you repeat yourself, Finn and I will clean it up in the editing suite." Opi encouraged.
"I feel so foolish!" Leia babbled. "I find writing so cathartic and yet, sitting here, talking about the events that shaped my life...I feel inexplicably afraid."
"Have you ever spoken with a counsellor?" Opi asked.
"What makes you ask that?" Leia queried.
"Have you? Was it of your own volition?" Opi pressed.
"I don't see how..." Leia started.
"I've learned through other interviews that counselling can release feelings long supressed." Opi offered. "You're probably experiencing those same feelings now.
"Could we skip the counselling part of the story?" Leia asked, averting her eyes from Opi's.
"We can skip over or revisit anything you like Leia." Opi responded.
Leia relaxed. "You er...you hungry?"