Chapter Fifteen

Luke and Mara accompanied Queen Leia and her mother-in-law back to the Palace in their Royal hover-limo. Leia had also invited Lando to ride with them, which seemed to put Queen Filamina in a dour mood, as she kept her focus out of the window and ignored her guests.

Because of the lack of privacy Luke could not explain to Leia about Han, and also to inform her that he had not known about Han's existence until a month earlier. He felt Leia was still annoyed with him, and he wished he could have a moment alone with his sister.

Lando had never cared much for uncomfortable, long silences, so he finally tried to have a conversation. "Did you enjoy the concert, everyone?"

After a brief hesitation, Leia replied, "Yes, it was amazing." Especially when she considered who it actually was. She gave a thoughtful gaze over at Lando and wondered if he knew Evin's real identity. She suspected he did not. "I loved the last song."

"When Evin told me he was going to include that particular song in his set tonight, I tried to talk him out of it," Lando informed her. "He refuses to use voicorr. You know, the program that fixes mistakes when beings sing out of tune? I was worried he wouldn't be able to hit and hold that last note, but I guess I shouldn't have been concerned."

"How long have you known Evin?" Leia questioned the Corellian.

"Only a little over three years now," he responded. "For some reason though, it feels like much longer. When I first met him I couldn't put my finger on who he reminded me of, and then one day it just occurred to me...he reminded me of Han." Lando noticed Leia's slight intake of breath, and he felt his face flush a bit. "I'm sorry, Leia. I guess I shouldn't have said that. We all still miss Han very much. It's just that Evin..." he trailed off for a moment considering his words, then continued, "he sometimes says things and does things exactly like Han would do, so much so that it's eerie. Impulsive things, like jumping off that stage and heading into the audience. I could see Han doing something like that, just to get under a person's skin," Lando gave a furtive glance over toward Queen Filamina. "If you understand where I'm coming from."

"Yes," Leia agreed, not looking at Lando but at Luke. "Evin reminded me of Han instantly."

The small group was surprised when Queen Filamina suddenly turned her gaze from the window and addressed Lando. Due to her and Leia's Royal Status, both women faced forward in the limo while the others were facing toward the back. "I would like to purchase that man from you. The singer."

Lando blinked. "Uh, what? Who?"

The older woman gave a sigh, like she was so very tired of dealing with imbeciles. "The singer. You own him, and I would like to purchase him. Would twenty million in Hapan gemstones be sufficient? Or I could supply you with New Republic credits, if you prefer something less refined."

"I don't own Evin," Lando replied, still trying to wrap his mind around this woman's offer. "I'm his agent. "

"Is not an agent considered an owner on your backwater system, Corellia is it?"

"No, it's not," Lando responded, looking rather aghast. "Evin pays me. If anything, he owns me." He looked over toward Luke and Mara. The former assassin was struggling not to laugh and Luke's eyes were wide with surprise or perhaps concern. They were not being much help, so he turned to Leia. "Queen Leia? Can you tell your mother-in-law that Corellians don't own other Corellians? And no one owns Evin Daysun, except maybe Coruscanti Labels. But that's only until his next contract negotiations come along."

"Queen Filamina -" Leia started to explain, but was interrupted.

"Then you will need to contact this Coruscanti Labels being and pass my offer along to him," Queen Filamina told Lando. "Is he human? Or hopefully he is a Bith? Biths are very receptive to receiving large sums of credits in exchange for something they own."

Mara could no longer help herself and burst into peals of laughter, which earned her an intense, angry stare from Filamina. "I'm sorry, but this is too funny. I can't wait to see Evin's reaction to your offer to have him become a Hapan concubine."

Filamina was not amused. "I can only imagine how honored he will be to serve me in that capacity. After he is thoroughly cleansed, of course."

"Cleansed?" Luke managed to insert, confused and looking at his sister for explanation.

"You don't want to know," Leia mumbled, refusing to meet Luke's eyes. She was embarrassed and flushing.

Although Luke tried to stop Mara with discreet pokes, she only laughed harder, not really concerned about how she was offending the Queen Mother. "Honored... yes... that's how he will feel. I'm positive he'll be honored."

Queen Filamina glared at the red-head, finally understanding Mara's sarcasm.

Leia was very glad Mara was along to express what she could only feel, but was unable to say out loud.

Lando had invited the wealthy Hapans that attended the concert to the after-show party. Five members of Han's band were also in attendance, although they were there to provide the background music and were currently setting up around a huge, antique keyboard panel embossed with real gold piping. Lando certainly hoped the keyboardist took care not to damage the item, because he wasn't certain he had enough in his bank account to cover it.

Most of the guests had arrived, and finally Leia entered the room with Queen Filamina. She looked around at the gathering, trying to find Han but was unable to locate him.

Luke came up to his sister, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "He's not here yet."

"That is totally unacceptable," Filamina huffed out. "The Queen is always to be the last guest to arrive and the first to leave. Royal Protocol cannot be ignored by commoners like that singer." Not waiting for Luke to reply, she headed toward a large group of the rich Hapan guests, who bowed low at her appearance.

Luke took note that no one was bowing toward Leia. "I hope he shows up," Luke murmured, mostly to himself.

"We're alone, finally," Leia said softly. "How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I found out only last month, and he made me promise not to tell anyone."

"He told you!"

"No, I found out the same way you did - through the Force, and only when Lando introduced us. Han wasn't happy about it, either."

"But -"

She got no further, as the room suddenly stilled and all eyes turned toward the huge double doorway. Evin Daysun was entering the room, along with Corran Horn and his wife, Mirax.

Leia felt her heart give a small lurch. Han looked so unlike the Han of old. He was wearing a shiny, teal colored shirt, silver ornate belt and black trousers, with a gray scarf tied loosely around his neck. But his Force-sense was exactly like the Han Solo she remembered. He was cautious, eyes sweeping across the scene, his expression guarded and his senses on high alert, with his fingers hanging down on his right thigh as if he very much desired to have a blaster rig strapped to his hip. Immediately he was surrounded by the invited Hapans, who abandoned their Queen Mother to stand alone, and excitedly tried to get his attention.

"How am I going to get to spend time alone with him?" she whispered. "Away from all these people?"

"Give the Hapans half a timepart with him, and I'll make sure you will," Luke responded. He nodded toward Lando, who was hurrying over to them.

"Hey!" Lando said excitedly. "Corran just told me why they're so late. Apparently it takes a long time for Evin to extract himself from a tight flight suit that he's been heavily sweating inside for well over a timepart. Corran told me he had to help peel it off his torso since it was practically glued on Evin's skin." Lando laughed heartily. "Horn informed me that since apparently he'll have to do that after every concert, he expects hazard pay after this tour is over."

The image of Corran helping Han strip was at first funny, until Leia imagined herself helping Han, instead. Then it turned erotic, and she forced the image out of her mind. It was too distracting for her to think about right now.

"Do you think Evin will ever wear a flight suit again after that experience?" Luke asked, smiling, unaware of his sister's wandering, impure thoughts.

"He'd better," Lando said, smirking. "After the reaction he got, that's his 'calling flimsi' from now on... plus it's all he's got to wear onstage."

Luke kept his word, and after what seemed like an eternity - although it was truly only half a timepart - Han finally appeared poolside where Leia had been not-so-patiently waiting under the twinkling light strands draped overhead.

"Hey," he said quietly as he sat down on the stone bench next to her, his heart racing in anticipation of their upcoming conversation. "You okay? I've been worried about you ever since you fainted backstage. That' ain't like you."

"You mean to say you don't think I was so overwhelmed by your gorgeous good looks that I simply swooned?"

Han chuckled, recalling his long-ago words back on Hoth when he called himself 'gorgeous' just to get a rise from the Princess. "Glad to hear your voice again, Princess. Even if it's just mocking me."

She realized that she didn't want to mock him, and immediately felt ashamed. "You sing amazingly well. Thank you for remembering the name of my father's song," she said, looking down at her hands folded primly in her lap. She didn't know why, but she was shy and nervous around him, and could sense he was feeling exactly the same way about her.

"I remember everything you ever told me."

"Including how I told you to have a nice life while you were dying?" she asked so softly he strained to hear her words. She could only wonder, how could Han be so ... forgiving? If the situation were reversed, if he had left her for another woman, Leia wasn't certain she'd be so calm right now.

Han reached over and took her hand. "You didn't know that at the time. I never held it against you. I was never, ever truly mad at you, at least not after I was able think clearly. I gotta admit I felt a lotta hurt back then, but I ain't a machine."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Leia. It worked out, I guess. Like I told Luke, if you would have stayed with me then I'd be dead. But this way I'm still here, even if I'm in a body that was meant for Palpatine."

Leia looked up sharply. "What?"

"Luke hasn't told you yet?"

"No, we haven't had time alone."

"Oh. Well, long story short... this body was made by an Imperial scientist and his aide for ol' Prune Face to take over usin' that Ssi-ruuk transfer technology. But the crazy Sith didn't think the body had enough Force hocus-pocus in the blood, so he killed the scientist and then the aide took this body and the Ssi-ruuk machine to Corellia. Then the old doc decided I was the lucky candidate to try out the machine, and boom, here I am. Alive and, um, not me, exactly, but alive."

"Oh."

"That's all ya got? Oh?" Han sat back, frowning. He honestly expected a bit more of a reaction; after all, how many times did someone elude death by getting stuck inside a different body?

"Why didn't you start smuggling again?"

"Kinda didn't have a ship anymore. Or even references to get a job as a co-pilot."

"So you just decided, what the heck, I guess I'll become the next Big-Thing-Singer-Holo-Star one morning?"

Han laughed. "Not exactly. First I got drunk-" At this, Leia chuckled. "Don't interrupt my story, Your Highness. Like I said, I got drunk and sang a song, just for a joke, mind you. Then I kept tellin' everyone I wasn't a singer, but it didn't seem to matter, 'cuz no one believed me. So then, somehow, I turned into a singer. But it wasn't my fault!"

Now Leia really laughed. It was so like... Han. "I wonder how many other smugglers have accidentally turned themselves into singers over the past millennium?" she asked.

"Don't say 'millennium,'" Han groused. "I get crabby thinkin' about my poor old ship."

"You have a new ship, correct?"

"Yeah."

"What did you name it?"

"Her. Ships are always female."

Leia rolled her eyes, smiling at Han but indulging him. "Her, then."

"Um..."

"Imaginative name, 'Um.'"

"The Wookiee Princess."

"What!? Are you trying to tell me you think about Wookiees when you think about me?"

"Well, ya both do have a lot of hair," Han pointed out, then added in a more serious tone, "I wish I could've rescued you from this life."

"I kept hoping you would show up, too," Leia said sadly. "Then Luke told me that you had died. After that, I didn't care anymore what happened to me."

"Aw, Sweetheart," Han murmured, suddenly feeling guilty for all drunken the hours he'd spent in righteous anger over her abandoning him, when it was now obvious she had been just as miserable as he'd been. "You shouldn't have felt that way. But I always felt you'd wake up and leave me someday, anyway. It was only a matter of time. I was never good enough for you."

Leia blinked back tears. "You didn't think you were good enough for me? But Isolder, a man of Royal upbringing and title, who treats me like I'm invisible, is good enough?"

"He's taller than me," Han joked, trying to lighten her mood. "If that ain't an important quality in a husband I don't know what is."

"I believe you used to be taller, too."

"Hey, now you're just tryin' to hurt my feelings." He grinned and admitted, "This body is two centimeters shorter than I was, before. Talk about life bein' unfair."

Leia laughed and gave Han a playful push on his arm. He leaned down, took her in his arms, angled his body and bent his face toward her. Leia knew he fully intended to kiss her, and oh, all the Goddesses of Alderaan how she wanted to be kissed, and not those quick pecks he gave his fans earlier, either. The weight of the last three years seemed to fade away as his warm lips met hers...

Then an angry Hapan male voice called out from the opposite side of the pool, "Leave my wife alone, you no-talent gigolo!"