Camie woke up to the sounds of quiet conversation.
"Han wouldn't just walk out on us," Luke argued softly. "Neither would Chewbacca."
"He's left before," Leia said softly.
"Han and I have been known to do us each other a bad turn or two," Lando said as he polished the barrel of his rifle blaster. "And Chewie's first loyalty will always be to Han."
"I refuse to believe Han would abandon us after we just saved his life," Luke insisted firmly. "You should know that better than anyone, Leia."
"I know," Leia admitted. "I don't want to believe it … I don't believe it, but Chewie and Han are gone … and so's the skiff. Maybe some of Jabba's men caught them outside …?"
"What's wrong?" Camie asked as she walked into the living room. It was still dark outside, hours earlier than her normal wake up time.
"Han, Chewie, and the sky skiff are gone," Lando told her. "We may be slightly delayed in our departure. I had an old … acquaintance drop us off earlier. I can contact them again for a pickup … but if the Falcon is gone transportation off world could be expensive."
"You can borrow my landspeeder if you need to," Camie offered.
"You'd have to come with us … at least one of us," Luke pointed out. "We don't want to put you in any more danger than we have to."
Camie nodded. She glanced at the others. Luke looked certain that Han had not left them high and dry. Leia seemed doubtful … and Lando more bemused than anything else. "Until Han returns to us," she said with what she hoped was conviction, "why don't I go ahead and make you an early breakfast?"
"That would be lovely, Camie," Lando murmured with a smooth smile. "Thank you. I can help, if you like." He smiled flirtatiously. "I know my way around a kitchen … among other places."
"That won't be necessary, Lando," Luke said quickly. "I'll help Camie. You can keep a lookout for Han and Chewie."
"The droids can do that better than I can, but I suppose it won't hurt to take a look." Lando smiled at Camie. "Another time perhaps, young miss."
Camie found herself blushing. "I'm sure you're an excellent … cook, Lando."
"I am indeed." Lando smirked and then walked outside.
Leia watched him go with a momentary amusement that temporarily overrode her concern for Han. "I'll try to reach them by radio again."
Camie walked over to Leia. She felt an urge to hug the other woman, but there was a look in the other woman's eyes that dissuaded her. She settled for giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'm sure Han will be back soon."
Leia smiled at her but said nothing.
Luke was waiting for Camie when she walked back into the kitchen. "It's amazing how much of it looks the same as it did when Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen owned it."
"Well, we did remember it fairly well," Camie said as she started mixing some grain cake batter. And the house wasn't totally destroyed." She smiled at him as he awkwardly poured the batter into the frying pan. "You probably didn't help Beru in the kitchen too much, did you?"
"Not since I was very little. As soon as I was old enough, Uncle Owen had me working on the vaporators with him." Luke closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "Sometimes I wonder what he'd think of me now." He shrugged. "I doubt he'd consider Jedi Knight as being a particularly practical occupation, and Owen Lars was always a pragmatic man."
"He loved you, Luke." Camie smiled at him. "Men like Owen- like my father- they aren't always great at expressing it with words, but they love fiercely. I'm sure Owen is proud of the man you became."
"I hope so." Luke gathered some plates and silverware. "You know... I never really knew, but from that holo Owen and Beru were not my blood relatives. Cliegg married Shmi after my father left Tatooine."
"You know that doesn't matter. They loved you just the same."
"I was adopted too." Leia stood in the doorway, looking at them.
"You never told me that," Luke said in surprise.
"You never asked. It didn't really matter. Bail and Breha were my parents. Alderaan was my world. Nothing will ever change that." Leia sighed. "No word from Han."
"Do you know when he left?" Camie asked.
"He left when we were asleep." There was a definite trace of annoyance in Leia's voice. "They both did. They told Threepio that they had an errand to run, and would try to be back soon."
"Maybe they did ..."
"Han has been in carbonite for months. Chewbacca has been working with the Rebellion. What kind of errand could they have on Tatooine for kriff's sake?"
Camie shrugged. "I don't know." She looked at them. "But when Han looks at Leia it's not with the eyes of a man who wants to run away."
Lando joined them, and they ate quietly.
"I know that Han would regret missing out on this breakfast," Lando complimented Camie. "After choking down what Jabba served his people for meals for days, this tastes like paradise."
"You're a very smooth talker, Lando," Camie told the older man with a blush. Before Fixer, before the accident, many men had flirted with her, but she was years out of practice now. And even if she weren't, Lando was probably one of the most charming men Camie had ever met.
"Camie is a very good cook," Luke agreed with an agitated tone in his voice. "She always has been." Luke smiled at her. "Though I do think you've gotten even better."
"I've had plenty of practice." Camie looked away … only to catch the amused eye of Leia Organa. "What?"
"Nothing." Leia took a bite of her grain cake. "Nothing at all." She cocked her ear. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Camie asked.
"The sky skiff." Leia jumped up from her chair and rushed outside.
Now it was Camie's time to smile. She glanced over at Luke and saw the look of relief on his face. She smirked when he looked back at her, relief obvious on his face. "What? I knew he'd come back."
"Of course you did." Camie got up and followed Luke outside.
The double suns of Tatooine were just on the verge of rising. The sky was red. Jabba's sky skiff came to a stop in front of the house.
Han Solo stood at the controls, a cocky smile on his face. "Sorry for the delay, but there was something I needed to get from Jabba's palace before we left."
"Loot." If Leia's eyes had been blasters, Han Solo would have been a dead man … or at least a heavily stunned man. "You risked your life-"
Chewbacca roared.
"Chewie's life- just so you could go looting Jabba's palace. I swear, every time I think that you have a modicum of common sense you do something like this and prove me wrong ..."
"Hey, this was something I had to do, sweetheart. Chewie, let's get those casks down."
"Casks? I swear to the Maker if you went back to Jabba's for alcohol I will put you in carbonite myself-" Leia began.
"Not alcohol. Even I ain't that crazy, sweetheart." Han looked over at Camie. "Water."
"Water?" Leia asked in surprise.
"Water. Camie here helped you out- and that means she helped me. I owe her." Han smiled at Camie and she couldn't help but blush once more. "The place was already being picked over by the time Chewie and I got there, but we got what we could."
The casks were large enough that not even a Wookie could handle them by himself. Han and Lando sweated and cursed as they helped him haul the first one down. "Want to give us a hand, kid, or are you just going to stand there and supervise?"
Luke smiled. "Actually, I thought I'd just do this-" Luke gestured and the remaining two casks floated off the sky skiff and into the garage.
Han glared at him.
"It's okay, Han. You guys can get that one. Come on, ladies, let's check these out."
Camie followed Luke in a daze. The casks were nearly as tall as she was, and nearly as wide as she was tall. "These casks … this is nearly half a season's worth of water. And the casks themselves … they're much more resistant to evaporation than the ones I use." Camie had not cried since Fixer's death (water was too precious), but she could feel her eyes growing damp. "This is so much ..."
"You deserve it," Luke told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You've given us so much in the short time we've been here."
"Luke is right." Leia smiled.
Finally, Han, Lando, and Chewie managed to bring the last cask in. Han glared once more at Luke. "Kid ..."
"Yes, Han?" Luke was the picture of innocence.
"Ah, what am I going to do with you?" Han rushed forward and embraced Luke, playfully locking his arm around Luke's neck and then tousling his hair. "Guess it's true. You're a Jedi now. You're nearly as annoying as that old man was..."
Luke sighed. "There's still so much I have to learn ..."
"That can wait," Leia said firmly. "Now that we have Han Solo back where he belongs" and Leia slipped her hand into his "it's time we rendezvous with the fleet. We still have a war to win." She looked over at Camie. "We have to go now."
"You're right." Camie looked away from them. "You did what you came here to do. You- all of you- belong out there." She looked back at Luke and smiled through the tears that she could no longer control. "Just like I belong here."
"I'll come back," Luke told her softly. "When this is over, I'll come back and tell you what happened. If I—" He paused. "I'll come back."
If I live.
The words were unspoken but Camie read them in his eyes. Fear hit her- fear of losing him … What am I thinking? He's not mine. If he's anyone's he's Leia's...
She hugged him.
Surprised, Luke wrapped his arms about her. "I'll be back," Luke promised. "I'll be back, Camie."
Camie said nothing. She simply did her best to remember everything about a moment she was certain would never come again.
An hour later, they were gone and Camie was alone again.