It was still early morning by the time that Camie returned home. She would have to work hard if she was to be done with her morning chores before the heat of mid-day. Only in late afternoon would it again be cool enough to make it tolerable to complete her day. She did not want to get behind … her margin of survival was thin enough as it was …
Camie worked with a vengeance to catch up. After days sharing her home with other people, the silence was deafening. She did her best to set aside her fear for Luke and the others, but the effort was exhausting her.
The vaporators were as balky as ever, but they did their job, and the ones that Luke had fixed for her were doing even better than she had expected. If they stayed operational- never a given due to Tatooine's harsh climate- she might even manage to set aside some money when the season was over. It would be nice to get ahead for once.
She made a mental list of the things to work on when the heat became too high for her to coax moisture out of the sky. The solar cells that powered her house could use a cleaning. She had clothes to mend, shoes that needed to be resoled. The work was never ending, and normally she would be too busy with it to think of anything else.
But now … now she could not stop worrying about Luke and the others.
She tried not to think about what Jabba could be doing to Leia and Chewbacca- especially Leia- right at this moment. She tried not to imagine how Jabba would react to Luke's intrusion on his palace … she even tried not to visualize all the creative ways that the droids could be destroyed …
But she could not stop herself from worrying.
She knew she had been right to stay aside. She could not have helped them- she would have only made their task that much harder if she had accompanied any of them. She knew that it had been the right thing to do.
It still felt like a betrayal.
..**..
She took a nap when the heat became too much. It was something she did often; there was no point wasting energy that could better be used later on when dusk fell. At night she was normally too tired to dream … or at least remember her dreams. But during her naps … those she remembered.
She didn't always want to.
Fixer laughing … holding her hand as he asked her to marry him … working together on the Lars homestead to turn it into a working moisture farm again. Hours of work followed by lazy embraces, lying in bed late at night and talking about their plans for the future …
The landspeeder crash … staring helplessly as Fixer's lifeless body burned in the wreckage … wanting to crawl to him … wanting to burn with him …
Coming home with his urn in her hands … back to the farm … her parents pleading with her to come home with them … that they would find a way to make it work … her proud refusal … the aching loneliness of her empty bed …
And then Luke and the others coming into her life. The sounds of laughter. Of camaraderie. Of not being alone …
And the looks that Luke gave her … the looks that she had been certain she would never see again … feeling alive again ….
Now … now she dreamed of Luke dying … of being shot to pieces by Jabba's guards … of Chewie being fed to one of the Hutt's pet monsters … Leia being forward to dance for the monster knowing that such servitude would be worse than death to a woman like her … Lando screaming as Jabba's men smashed his handsome face in …
She woke up screaming.
And then her bedroom door burst open as Luke Skywalker charged in with a drawn light saber. "Camie!"
Camie stared at him in confusion. "Luke?"
Sheepishly, Luke deactivated his light saber. "Sorry. We just got here. I heard you screaming and thought … well, sorry."
"You're back. You're here? You're really here?"
"Yeah." Luke smiled at her. "We're all okay, Camie. We found him. We got Han back." He held out a hand. His synthetic one. She noticed that it had been shot, but it seemed to be in working order. "We can't stay long, but we just wanted to let you know we're okay."
They were safe … they were back … but they were going to leave.
Of course they were. They were part of a Rebellion. They couldn't stay here forever. This was just another mission for them … for Luke.
She took his hand and let him pull her up.
They were standing close … closer than she had stood to anyone since Fixer died.
"Are you okay, Camie?"
"I'm fine." She smiled softly. "Just some bad dreams. Are the others inside?"
"Yes. They all wanted to see you before we left."
Camie ran a hand self consciously through her sweat-streaked hair. "That's very nice of them." She took a deep breath. You knew they would go- that he would go. "Let's go see them."
..**..
Han Solo is a scoundrel.
She doesn't have to spend more than five minutes with him to know that. But there's a tenderness in the way that he looks at Leia. There's an obvious bond he shares with Lando. And even though they're different species, Camie can tell that Chewbacca is more a brother than best friend to Han.
"Leia tells me that you gave them a place to stay while they were planning on coming to my rescue." He has trouble seeing- a side effect of extended carbonite hibernation- but he has nice eyes. (Well, not "nice" per se, but definitely "attractive.") "Thanks for your hospitality."
"It was an honor- and I'm grateful that the help they gave me with my farm."
"If you like, Mistress Camie, I could have a talk with the Vaporators to make sure they are doing their hardest for you," Threepio offered.
"That would be wonderful, Threepio."
Artoo whistled. "Artoo says he will also go supervise me." Threepio balked. "Supervise me? You bucket of bolts ..."
The two droids filed out the door.
"Miss Camie, it is indeed an honor to see you again." Lando smoothly kissed her hand, and Camie's surprised at how easily she blushed. This man was dangerously charming.
"I'm glad to see you came out of your mission intact, Mr. Calrissian." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Luke watching. Was he frowning?
"Please. It's Lando." He smiled again. "I only regret that we have to take leave of you so soon."
That's right, she remembered. They had a war to win. They couldn't stay. "I'll be sorry to see all of you go," Camie said honestly. "But I am glad that I was able to meet you all."
"The pleasure was ours," Lando told her. He glanced over at Leia who stood apart from the others, wearing what Camie knew to be a slave girl outfit. Plainly things had not gone quite as well as they might have liked. "I'll make arrangements for our departure."
"It's getting too late for you to travel," Camie reported. "It'll take you several hours to get back to Mos Eisley. You should wait until dawn. It's much safer to travel in the daylight." She glanced over at Luke who was hovering near Leia. Camie fought down the hot surge of jealousy. Luke isn't mine. "You know that right, Luke?"
The Jedi Knight nodded briefly. "Camie is right. It would be safer. Jabba's sky skiff is pretty well known. Traveling at night would just make us all that more memorable for anyone who happened to be looking for us."
"I'll check the skiff out to make sure it will take us where to go. In the morning, then." Lando smiled at Camie again and walked out.
Leia had wrapped her arms around herself. "I need to clean up. I can still feel Jabba's slime against my skin."
Han blinked. "What?" He had apparently missed some things. However close his vision was to returning, he obviously had not yet been able to see Leia's outfit.
"Nothing, Han."
"Leia, what did that slimy-"
"Han, Chewie, I think we owe it to Camie to finish her chores," Luke said quickly. "It'll help you take your mind off your vision."
"In a minute, Luke. Leia-"
Chewbacca barked, and took Han firmly by his arm and led him out into the darkness with Luke. He waved at Camie and Leia as they left.
Leia looked at Camie, and looked away.
Camie would have been prepared to listen if Leia wanted to speak- to offer a hug if the princess asked for it- but she was momentarily uncertain of what to do.
"I feel dirty," Leia said softly.
"I know what to do. Come with me." Camie took the other girl's hand- Leia gripped her fingers tightly- and led her into her own personal bathroom. There was a shower- a luxury that Camie seldom afforded herself, but she had kept it in working order. "I've got some soap and shampoo. Nothing probably as fancy as what you're used to, but it will do the job."
"Camie-" Leia looked at her gratefully. "You've already given us so much of your water, I can't do this."
"You can. You will. It won't kill me, Leia." I can recycle the water for my hydroponics. I can't dishonor Leia by using it for drinking. "It's fine. Get yourself cleaned up. I think my clothing will fit you if you'd like to wear it. I've got a spare sleep suit that's clean."
"Thank you, Camie."
Camie smiled. "Luke just drafted your boyfriend to help take care of my chores. I owe you."
Leia laughed. "A little honest work will do him good, the scoundrel."
It was good to hear Leia laugh again.
Camie would not have blamed the princess if she had lingered in her shower, but, mindful of the cost to Camie, Leia kept it short. After drying herself off and donning the sleep suit that Camie provided her, she sighed and fingered her hair. "I hate to ask for another favor, but could I borrow a comb?"
"Sure." Camie paused. "If you like, I could help you. I've got a sister. We used to do each other's hair all the time."
"Of course." Leia sat down in front of Camie's mirror.
Leia told her something about how important braiding was to Alderaan culture. She spoke almost mechanically. "Even now … it's hard to believe that I'll never have my mother braid my hair again …"
Camie squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Thank you." Leia patted her hand. "I killed him."
"What?"
"Jabba. I killed him. I strangled him to death with the same damn chain he put on me." There was a momentary savage exultation in her eyes.
"You killed Jabba." Camie blinked. She knew that it could make things worse for Tatooine in the short term, but what she said was, "Good."
"Good?" Leia asked in surprise.
"He was a terrible person. I would have done the same thing in your place." If I could. If I was strong enough.
Leia smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Camie- for everything. Han- and the others- are good men, but I think I just needed to be around another woman for this."
Camie lightly embraced the princess. "I'm glad I could be here for you, Leia."
..**..
Night had fallen when the others came back inside.
"Between us, we managed to get another two Vaporators working," Luke reported with an air of pride that made him seem more like the innocent farm boy of old rather than a Jedi Knight.
Camie smiled. "Thank you, Luke."
"I helped," Han said proudly. "My eyes are just about back to normal now." He blinked when he saw Leia. "Wow. You look … wow."
Leia smiled. "Thanks."
Luke smiled at her. "Han is right. You look lovely, Leia." He smiled at Camie. "And so do you."
Camie self consciously stepped back. "It's kind of you to say so." I was never as beautiful as Leia, as strong as Leia … I wish I were. Kriff, I wish I were. "It's getting late, but I can fix you something to eat … I can heat up some bantha stew I have left over." She had been saving it for a special occasion- the end of the season if she made a profit, for example- but it felt like there would never be a better time. She smiled at Luke. "My mother's recipe."
Luke's eyes lit up. "Guys, you have to try this bantha stew. It's amazing."
Camie smiled. "Mom would be happy to know that her stew gets the Jedi seal of approval."
"Camie, are you sure? You've given us so much." Leia squeezed her hand. "One missed meal won't kill us- not even Chewbacca."
The Wookie roared a mild protest and then shook his head in agreement with Leia.
"I'm sure. It'll be worth it."
"Fine." Leia glanced at the men. "Bring in the emergency rations and our water." She looked at Camie. "They aren't nearly as tasty as your cooking, but it can at least provide a cushion if you need it. We didn't bring much water, but we'll leave you with what we have."
"Wait a minute." Han frowned. "Camie's been sharing her food and water with you? For how long?"
"Just a couple of days." Camie shrugged.
Han frowned. He looked at Luke and the others.
They nodded as one.
"Come on, guys. Let's do what Leia said."'
The four men filed out.
"You don't have to do this, Leia-" Camie began. "You're my guests ..."
"Camie, we were going to use those rations to sustain us while we planned our rescue of Han." She smiled. "Trust me, once you've eaten a few of them you won't feel quite so grateful. Let me help you."
Camie laughed. "Somehow I didn't think princesses were trained to know their way around a kitchen."
"Not so much," Leia agreed. "But as a member of the Rebellion I've learned to strip down, clean, and reassemble a blaster rifle. I'm sure I'm capable of at least putting out some plates and glasses."
The men returned in with a couple of small chests of rations and two liters of water. Camie knew they had been supplementing what she had shared with them from their own supplies so there wasn't a lot left over, but even this small amount of water could be the difference between life and death. The rations weren't going to be nearly as welcome- she had never eaten them, but their reputation for tastelessness had reached even Tatooine- but she was much too pragmatic to turn her nose up at them. "Thank you- all of you, thank you for this. I really do appreciate it."
"You shared water with us," Luke murmured. "And real food. We're in your debt."
"Yeah," Han echoed. Again he glanced at the others. "We are."
All of the men nodded again.
"Lando, I've made sure that the skiff isn't bugged. It's got enough fuel to get us to Mos Eisley." He glanced at Camie. "If we had more time, I'd sell it for you ..."
Camie shook her head. "Leave it there. I don't want any curious Imperials or Hutts tracing it my way. The credits aren't worth the risk- to anyone."
The former Cloud City governor nodded. "I suppose you're right."
It didn't take long to prepare the stew. There wasn't a lot of it, but there was enough for everyone to have a bowl- Chewbacca enthusiastically agreed with Luke that the stew was very good and asked Camie for the recipe. She wrote it down and handed it to him. "I didn't know you cooked, Chewie."
Chewbacca barked again.
"Hey!" Han protested while Luke and Leia laughed.
"What did he say?" Camie asked.
"He said that if he had to count on Han to cook they would have starved a long time ago," Luke translated.
Han folded his arms in mock anger before cracking a smile. "So I can't cook. I'm still the guy who made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs."
"You can't spend ten minutes with him without him finding an excuse to bring that up," Lando murmured. "And he always forgets to mention that Chewie and I were there too."
"Yeah, well, it was my idea. And I was the pilot."
"It was my ship then," Lando retorted. "He never tells anyone that either."
"I won that card game fair and square," Han growled. "You cheated!"
"There's no proof of that," Lando replied smoothly, adjusting his collar. "And we're not here to bore Camie with tales of your past exploits." His lips twitched. "I'm quite sure that Camie would rather hear about Luke's adventures anyway."
Luke blushed. "I don't know what you mean ..."
"Well, there was that time you and Leia wound up on Mimban ..."
Luke and Leia shifted uncomfortably. "That was years ago."
Camie felt a hot surge of jealousy at how Luke and Leia reacted to the Mimban reference, but she fought it down. "I don't have such exciting stories to tell, but I guess I could tell you why Luke was called Wormie ..."
Luke fixed her with a deadly glare. "Don't you dare."
"How did you and Lando meet?" Leia asked Han. "You never told me."
This time Han coughed nervously. "It was right after I met Chewie. We were part of a team that needed a ship. Lando owned the Falcon and went in on it with us ..."
A few more stories were told that night.
Camie wanted to hear more. She wanted to spend more time with these amazing people who had briefly allowed her to be a part of their lives. She wanted more …
But in the morning they would be gone, and Camie would be alone again.
"I should get to bed." She got up to her feet.
"Good night, Camie," Leia said, giving her a quick hug.
Luke and the others nodded to her.
"We may talk a little longer, but we'll keep it down," Lando promised. "Sweet dreams, dear lady."
"Thank you, Lando." She offered him a tired smile and made her way to her bedroom.
Luke trailed along after her. "Camie ..."
"Yes, Luke?" She was keenly aware that his friends were suddenly finding any excuse at all to look anywhere but at them.
"Thanks … for everything."
"You're a friend, Luke." She reached out and touched his cheek. "And so are they now."
"I'll come back," he promised softly.
"The famous Jedi Knight would find a reason to come back to Tatooine again? Camie scoffed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Luke."
"I never had any reason to come back before." He smiled shyly. "I'll come back and let you know how things turned out."
If you don't get yourself killed, Camie thought to herself with a sudden chill. "I'd like that, Luke. I'd like to know what happened. I hope I do get to see you again." She lowered her hand, unsure of what else to say. "Good night, Luke."
He smiled. "Good night, Camie."
She left him standing at the door, not knowing if he would be gone when she woke up.
She fell asleep wondering how she would be able to live a life that no longer included Luke Skywalker.
Author's Note: I imagine Han would probably not say "Wow" in canon but I could not help myself. For obvious reasons, I don't imagine that Han ever got around to telling Leia about Qi'ra and his first adventure on the Falcon. Mimban was where Splinter of the Mind's Eye … the first official non movie adaption Star Wars novel took place. There was definitely some UST in that novel between Luke and Leia as it was written before they became officially brother and sister.
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