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…Love will still remain.
They heard the 'fresher sink turn on and off.
Luke's eyes grew three sizes and his face began to turn red. "Han Solo, is there someone else here?"
He had nothing to say, so he turned away and tried to convince himself that everything would be alright.
A voice called out from the other room. "Honey, be sure to tell him about the leak in the bedroom."
Now his face went full tomato and he stood. If he hadn't known any better he would have sworn that voice was… Only he knew better.
"You got a girl here?" Luke asked, pure embarrassment radiating from him and then enlightenment. "Is that why… you're getting a divorce because there's another girl?"
Han opened his mouth to retort but found himself silent.
Luke was finally walking towards the door, ready to get out of there, but not before giving his friend a piece of his mind. "Han, I consider you a friend, but this is low. Cheating on your wife with another woman…"
Han had no more control over what was on his face. He had no clue what to do.
He was left without a choice when the third person called again. "Han, I spotted it the other night and…," Leia opened the bedroom door and froze, staring at her brother who was halfway out the door. "Luke!" She exclaimed. "Kriff, what are you doing here?" If there wasn't a wall behind her to keep her up, she would have surely keeled over.
Luke's red face quickly turned white as his jaw dropped all the way to the floor. All the Jedi training, the months in meditation, never prepared him for a shock like this. He couldn't speak, even if he knew what to say.
Leia eyes him. "Han, I think he's going to faint."
Luke somehow found himself being guided back into the apartment. With a tap on his shoulder, he sat back into the sofa and tried his best to bring air back into his lungs.
Leia came closer to him, afraid he was actually ill. "Han, get him a glass of water."
Han was glad to escape the room, if only for a minute. He handed the water to Leia and she held it out to Luke.
He didn't take the offered glass. His eyes kept twitching between the pair of them. He didn't know what to make of this.
With a large inhale, he felt his voice come back. "Leia… what are you…" His eyes fell on the man who was standing over her shoulder. "And Han… but… you hate each other… or you did…" He calmed and then released his wrath again. "Will someone explain to me what the hell is going on?"
Leia sat on the coffee table and Han stood behind her. They were caught and needed to tell him the truth. They explained everything: their full relationship during the war, why they went their separate ways, their bickering, and then their reconciliation in Corellia that lead to two divorces and them sitting there together.
He sat, stunned. "So, you were in love during the war?"
"Why's that so hard to believe?" Han questioned. "You knew us then."
Luke nodded. "Yes which is why I never thought of you two…" He paused. "Sleeping together? Yes. Everyone had bets on that… But in love?"
"What?" Han and Leia said at the same time.
Luke didn't respond to their reaction, he just shook his head perplexed. "I can't make myself believe it. I just cannot…" He looked to both of them suddenly. "Do Isolder and Qi'ra know?"
They shook their heads. "We hoped nobody would know until the divorces were finalized," Leia began, ready to defend them.
"Well, I ruined that!" He spat.
Leia grabbed her brother's hand. "You'll keep our secret, will you?"
He moved his head in a circle, not committing either way. "Leia, you're my sister, but…"
Leia drew her lips together. "Luke," She edged closer to him. "Please, I beg of you, don't tell them yet. We just need some time for the divorces to go through. The press could pick this up and nobody wants them getting involved."
She continued her plea, speaking softly but with passionate conviction. "I love him, Luke. So much. We didn't mean for it to happen. I thought we parted for good years ago and gods know we never reconciled. That is until recently."
"You loved him back then, when you were set up with Isolder?" He asked his sister for her honest confirmation.
Leia nodded confidently. "Yes, I loved him then and I love him now."
Han sat on the table beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He rested his head on her back.
Leia continued. "You know I never wanted to marry Isolder. And he never gave me what I needed. And Qi'ra never gave Han what he needed. And now… he is what I need more than anything."
Luke couldn't cope with Leia's response. He never witnessed Leia plead so much for anything. Hell, he didn't even think his sister could possibly be so outwardly emotional. And then there was Han. He rubbed her side trying to reassure her. He was a good man and a good friend. Even Luke saw he and Qi'ra didn't work.
"Leia, I don't know what to think right now." He sighed, resigned to his unsatisfactory decision. "I'll keep your secret. But I hope you know what you're doing and you tell them sooner rather than later."
Leia pulled Luke into a mighty hug and kissed his cheek. "Oh, Luke, thank you!" She exhaled as relief washed over her.
"You're alright, kid," Han said while letting out his own great sigh of relief. "And it won't be for long."
Leia sat back into Han's chest and his hands began to rub her upper arms.
Luke still couldn't wrap his brain around it. Here they were, living together when before they would be tearing each other's eyes out. He wasn't sure which he liked watching better at the moment.
"Well since you are already here," Leia began. "Why don't you stay for lunch?"
Though reluctant, Luke eventually surrendered and stayed.
The excitement for their first house guest drove them into motion. Leia led her brother into the kitchen area with Han following behind. She rushed over the kitchen and removed three of their new plates from the box. "And you will be the first to use our new plates."
She rinsed them before handing them to Han who checked the stir-fry. "Lucky I made extra. And don't judge me. I'm new at this."
Luke awkwardly sat at the kitchen table. He watched them casually fall into a rhythm, handing utensils to each other and shuffling around the kitchen. Han's hand skimmed her back as she went past him and more than a few 'Sweethearts' left Han's mouth. Luke was the only one of the three still feeling uncomfortable with the new situation and their new rhythm.
"Thanks," he nodded to Han as he placed his meal in front of him.
"Would you like wine, fizzy drink, water…" Leia asked, trying her best to make Luke as comfortable as possible given his generosity towards them.
Though only midday, he knew what he needed. "Wine please."
"Sure. Han…" Leia gestured to their wine rack that had a half-empty bottle from the night before.
He took the cork out and poured three glasses.
Luke took his glass and noted the glass placed by Leia's place. "Wine, huh Leia?"
She sat down beside her brother. "Yea…" she said sheepishly. "It turns out it is pretty good when you try it with an open mind."
Han smirked at the memory, sitting down with his own meal.
They managed a normal conversation mainly revolving around Luke and Mara's recovery from their food poisoning.
"I think you owe Mara and I quite a favor." They looked at him, confused. "If we never ate that fish you would have never found each other again."
They laughed at that admission. "How can we make it up to you?" Han asked.
Luke thought. "You can join us on another beachfront vacation next year. Mara and I still have scads of patterned clothes we never had the chance to show off."
That had them all laughing at the imaginary picture.
"We'll see," Han stated. "Leia has another election coming up as she runs for senator again."
Luke couldn't say he was shocked. He knew she would like to serve another term "Do you now?"
Leia shrugged her shoulders and chewed her food. "I think this is still where I'm meant to be. I've learned a lot through my first term and know more about how the dynamics of the New Republic are shaping up. And I certainly want to do my part in creating the vision I see of a peaceful galaxy."
"And I'm sure that vision does not include a front-page headline of how you are divorcing your husband and sleeping with you wartime lover." Luke's words were crude but true.
"Luke, please." Leia defended him. "The press would have an absolute field day if they ever found out. Not to mention…"
"The hurt to Isolder and Qi'ra," Han finished for her.
"Since when did worry about Isolder's feelings?" Luke thought back to a few years ago when Leia was just entertaining the idea of a political alliance between Hapes and Alderaan. "I remember many heated words between you two when Isolder first entered the picture. Although with this context, I'm beginning to see why." Luke turned to Leia as another memory jumped into her mind. "And didn't you end up throwing a mug at his head?"
Leia shook her head, "No, that was during…"
"…Cards," Han finished for her swallowing the last of his wine.
"Oh that's right," Luke drew out, mentally adding this to the long list of times they fought. "It was when Han upstaged you at that gala that really lit you both on fire."
Leia chuckled remembering back to their notorious row. "I certainly remember that."
"Oh yea!" Han chimed in. "I still can't believe you ratted me out in front of the entire room for not wearing your traditional Alderaanian approved clothes."
Leia raised her eyebrows at him. "I believe I discussed in detail beforehand how you should be dressed if you wanted to attend the gala. I remember making myself rather clear and then having you defy my specific instructions. I pulled you aside…"
He stared her down, "Sweetheart, you were more than forceful when you yelled at me in front of the entire room." He pushed his chair back and took his dirty plate to the sink. "Besides, I didn't have time to change from my JOB," he emphasized those words "With the New Republic military."
She listened to him, barely believing what she was hearing. "You are mistaken, honey." She pushed her own chair back and carried her own dish to the kitchen counter. "You had plenty of time to make yourself decent, but you wanted to make me mad and take my attention away from the important guests that I needed to speak with."
"I remember it right, baby." He stated firmly, turning away from her to place her own dish in the sink. "I think your memory's foggy."
"Oh I remember!" She pushed his arm back to make him look at her and raised her voice. "I understand perfectly. You chose to mess with me and ruined our relationship with the ambassadors from Carida."
"Do you really think so, Leia'?" He asked, his voice rising to her pitch. "Do you think I had nothin' better to do than to pine for your Worship and scheme for any ounce of attention you would throw my way. Even if it was a loud shouting match in the middle of your important people."
She stepped up to punch into his personal space bubble. "Don't call me that! I never said you pined for my attention. But you sure got it with your little show, Hotshot!"
He had to move his head back slightly to get a clear view of her face at such a close distance. Her cheeks reddened with the adrenaline that was obviously pumping through her heated veins. Her eyes exuded a fire and passion that he only ever found matched in himself. Her wine-stained lips spoke with such passion.
Instead of letting his fervor fly out as words, he chose to release them in the form of tiny kisses all over her, from the creases in her forehead to the dip of her chin and everywhere in between.
She must have anticipated his break in their argument, because no sooner had his lips descended than she raised her hands to lock behind his neck, stroking the nape with her fingernails and raking them up his scalp.
Turning back to an enraptured Luke, Han pulled her into his chest and leaned his head against hers. "She's right. I did it just to make her angry."
Leia moved her hand to his chest. "I really did lay it into him. I was boiling mad."
Luke was less than enamored at the way they related to each other; a knockdown fight turned into sweet caresses. "It's like Hoth with an act 2," he said automatically before turning away. "Well," Luke turned to the table and pushed his chair back. "This has been quite an enlightening visit and I think I'll go home and process these new developments." He stood and nodded as he left the kitchen. "Thank you for lunch. It was delicious."
Leia walked her brother to the door. "Thank you, Luke. I really am very happy."
"We both are," Han chimed in from his place in the kitchen doorway.
He looked between the two of them, resigned to the one fact that he couldn't dispute. They were both very happy. "I know."