Chapter 2
Their nighttime routine completed, Han tucked the still-giggling twins into their "bed," which in reality was a makeshift sleeping pallet that the kids had constructed on the floor in the far corner of the room, using all the actual bed's covers except the bottom sheet. It wasn't very soft, with only a folded blanket between their little bodies and the floor, but the twins seemed thrilled with their creation.
"It's like camping," a smiling Jaina remarked as she crawled under the sheet and snuggled her head into her pillow.
Jacen poked his head up from where he lay beside his sister. "Yeah! Can we go camping? I wanna go camping for real!"
"How 'bout we see how well tonight goes first," Han replied with a chuckle, then looked over at Anakin. "Lie down, pal. You're not gonna sleep like that."
Leia leaned over to kiss Anakin. Their youngest sat in a jumble of covers on the loveseat, which had pulled out to become a single bunk, thus at least partially solving their sleep space problem. She knew immediately what he was about to say even before she noticed his big saucer-shaped eyes.
"But I'm not tired!"
"Neither are we," exclaimed the floor sleepers.
Han smiled at them and shook his head. "We've been flying for 17 hours. I'm tired, so you're definitely tired!"
In years past, he would have scoffed at feeling worn out after flying for that relatively short amount of time. Traveling with Chewie across the galaxy was one thing, he reminded himself. Traveling with kids? That was something else.
"Good night, kids. We love you." Leia dimmed the lights to low and turned the air circulation to high, both for comfort and for the system's sound muffling qualities. She followed Han to the entryway, stepping around the cart to stand near the door.
Han and Leia faced each other, and she smiled up at him as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to return the luggage cart and bring back extra bedding. You need anything?"
A shiver of excitement traveled down Leia's spine in response to Han's low murmur. Even after so many years together, that voice never ceased to thrill her. She slipped her hands between them and placed them on his chest. Flashing a flirty grin, she glanced up at him through her eyelashes and whispered her reply. "What do you have in mind, Captain?" Her eyes flickered in the direction of their children, then back to his hazel ones. "Given our current situation, of course."
"Plenty." Han responded with a lopsided grin and her heart skipped a beat. "But the good stuff will have to wait."
"I know," Leia replied. She stood on her tiptoes, ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, drawing him toward her, their lips meeting in a light yet lingering kiss. Pulling away, her eyes met his and she gave a little smile. "Don't be long," she said in a breathless tone, and her smile grew when she felt his heart rate increase in response.
They disengaged, and Leia opened the door for her husband. He pulled the cart into the hallway, winking at her on his way out. She thought she might melt.
Once the door closed, Leia crept over to the dresser, slowly opened a drawer and rifled through her clothing. Unable to see more than dark amorphous shapes, she chose two items that felt like the sleep shorts and camisole she'd packed. Soft, well-worn, and rather modest, Han had jokingly deemed them her "family friendly" pajamas, as they differed greatly in style from those she donned when they were alone together.