First, thank you to all the Guests that have been reviewing! I can't thank you personally since you are not signed in, but I appreciate everything you are all saying nonetheless and I hope it continues. :D Of course, thank you to those members that are reviewing as well. Everyone ready? Maybe cover one eye or something...aw, it's not going to be that scary... yet. ;)

xxxmtfbwyxxx

Chapter 19: This Was Not the Plan

Han sunk to his knees, hands behind his head as ordered. Dammit to all hells! This guy should've never been able to get the drop on him. He's smarter than that, but he had been distracted thinking about Leia waiting for him in the Falcon.

Today was the last day of their bet and he was hoping she would be open to continuing to grow their relationship at this point. He had really believed she was coming around to the idea of having a real romance with him, not just a sexual relationship. Now he had to figure a way out of this and keep Leia safe from it at the same time. Great. Just great.

"Where's you hairy co-pilot, Solo?"

"Not here." Han answered sarcastically knowing it would earn him punishment from the bounty hunter and not caring.

The metal-knuckled glove back-handed across Solo's cheek, succeeding in drawing a bloody gash over it. "Next time it won't be the back of my hand. Answer me!"

"I told you. I'm alone." Han snarled, hoping against hope the hunter would believe him somehow. Unlikely, but he had to try. With Leia waiting for him in the ship, she was a sitting target and the only reason he was being this cooperative in the first place. He had to try to draw Fett off somehow, but Fett wasn't as stupid as most bounty hunters.

Solo's answer drew the butt of the hunter's rifle to his other cheek, knocking him clean to the ground and then the business end of that blaster doing its best to embed itself into the back of his head. "You know me, Solo. You know I don't play games."

"Go ahead and kill me then. It's not gonna make Chewie suddenly appear on planet and you lose out on your big payday." Han swore he heard a slight digitized chuckle emanate from under Fett's helmet.

"I could take the dead bounty on you and the live one on the Wookiee and come out even, maybe even a little ahead. You see any reason I shouldn't do that?"

"You're too greedy for that, Fett."

"Or I'm too smart. I know you don't go anywhere alone these days, Solo. So you're gonna get up nice and slow and we're gonna walk towards the ship. We're going inside and if by some miracle, you're telling me the truth. Then, I'll use your ship to go find the Wookiee. If not, then I'm going to kill whoever I find in there including you."

"You think you're gonna get me, Chewie, and my ship?" Solo was incredulous. His tone turned ominous, "Over my dead body."

"Right on every count. Now move!"

Fett kicked Han in the kidneys to get him moving. Normally, Han would've made a grab for Fett's foot and tried to pull him down into a fistfight, but Fett on the lookout for that maneuver and Solo knew it.

Sticking relatively close as they walked, Fett was obviously aware that the ship's sensors would recognize its captain and anyone standing close enough to Han. That way, there was no risk of setting off the approach sensors inside the ship. Every good spacer had that same setup. However, Han had specially modified it so a small click and twist of a knob on his belt would allow the sensor to go off even it was him approaching. Leia would hear the alarm and at least have a fighting chance. If he could only reach the knob without Fett deciding to shoot him….

His thoughts raced as they came close enough to the Falcon to lower the ramp. Han knew a few tricks, but Fett was right about one thing. The bounty hunter was smart. He doubted there was anything he could try that Fett didn't already expect. Perhaps the only thing Fett didn't expect was Solo's desperation level to warn Leia.

Pretending, or almost pretending, to drag his feet as they walked through the docking bay might have been his only edge. They were less than ten steps away from the hull. His clumsy beat-up walk gave him a perfect excuse to fall…

Sidestepping Han's purposely crumpled form, Fett immediately kicked him in the back again causing Han's torso to open into an arch. "Get your hands out in front of you and get up. NOW!"

Solo complied, but had just enough time to hide the movement of his hand near his belt. Hope you're hearing that, Sweetheart.

xxxmtfbwyxxx

Leia's ears instantly picked up the sensor's warning clinging through the ship. A few second later she heard the ramp being lowered. Who else could've just started to approach and disengaged the locked ramp so quickly unless it was Han? After all, wasn't he supposed to be coming back right about now, not to mention being the whole reason she was lounging about naked except for his shirt in Cargo Bay #3?

Move now, questions later, she ordered herself.