AN: We're back with the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Dameron! So this chapter contains some "world-building"-we get a little backstory about both Han and Leia. Sorry if that's a little boring to you, but it will be beneficial information to have, I promise! Thanks to all of you who've stuck around, especially to those of you who reviewed! I read and appreciate every review!

A Wedding

November, 1965

In November, Kes and Shara hosted a small dinner party so that the members of the wedding party could all get acquainted before the wedding. After the meal, the group had quickly separated to men and women, the men congregating in the living room to discuss whatever men discussed and the women gathering in the kitchen to wash the dishes and fuss over wedding details. Han and Leia were the last ones to leave, and Han caught her before she could begin her walk home.

"You wanna get a drink?" She eyed him suspiciously. "I need one after all that wedding nonsense, and I only had to deal with the men. You were with Shara and that gaggle of crazy women, so I thought you might need one, too. Just as a friendly thing, you know, best man and maid of honor. You probably don't have anyone to complain to. First round's on me. Come on, I hate to drink alone."

"Fine. Just one," she acquiesced. They walked down the block to the tiny neighborhood bar, her heels clicking on the sidewalk.

"I'll have a gin and tonic," Han asked when they were seated at the bar.

"Jack Daniels, please," Leia requested. The burly man nodded and turned towards the rows of glass bottles and decanters.

"Where'd you learn to drink whiskey? Most girls your age can't hardly handle a few glasses of wine."

"I'm from the South," she replied, "and I have had just about enough of this wedding. I am so sick of pretending to give a damn about the difference between eggshell and ecru and ivory."

"Just be glad you don't have to listen to Kes drone on about mortgages and the PTA…He and I moved some folks to Philly last week. That's three hours, one way, not including loading and unloading time. They're not even married yet and he's already got their kids' lives all planned out."

"At least you don't live with one of them. All Shara ever talks about is this wedding! This morning over breakfast, I was trying to read the paper and she asked me to help open the RSVP's." The bartender put their drinks on the bar.

"Here's to wedded bliss and wedding hell," Han toasted. Leia snorted and knocked back her whiskey. "Damn, sister. Remind me never to try to get you drunk." She smiled. This was a side of Han Solo that she'd never seen before; they fought like cats and dogs when Kes and Shara were out of earshot (and shot each other death glares when they were). She was beginning to find, however, that he was quite the conversationalist.

"You don't sound like you're from the South."

"I went to boarding school in New York, and law school in Boston. Not many people took me seriously as a woman becoming a lawyer, and the accent just made me even more of a joke, so I learned how to fake it. Eventually it became habit when I'm not around other people who speak that way. But it comes back easily," she explained. "Few more of these and you'd think we were in the middle of Alabama," she kidded, gesturing to her whiskey.

"Law school, hmm? I always wondered what you did, why you're always dressed like you're workin' for the president." Leia fingered the collar of her light wool dress self-consciously.

"I was a lawyer, for a short time. Now, I assist and advise a senator on matters of both state and federal laws so that he may make better-informed decisions and legislations." Han nodded.

"Hmm. Sounds…interesting."

"It's a job. It promises advancement. The dress code could use an update," she acquiesced, adjusting her sweater.

"You don't like wearing pointy-toed shoes and scratchy dresses all day?" he teased. Leia rolled her eyes and recited from the employee handbook.

"'All skirts must fall below the knee. Heels must be worn by females at all times. Dresses preferred to blouses. No jewelry except for a simple string of pearls.'"

"And you'd like to change that, hm? Let me guess, sneakers? Or are you a leather boots kinda girl? And of course, above-the-knee hemlines. I bet you got some pretty knees, princess." She almost laughed at that one.

"Actually, I'd prefer pants. And shoes that tie," she added as one of her slip-on shoes clunked loudly to the wooden floor beneath her dangling feet. "But, if this is what I have to do to be taken seriously, then so be it. I practiced law in Alabama, and I could have dressed in a ball gown and it wouldn't have been formal enough to get some of those men to take me seriously. What about you? You work with Kes?"

Han reeled a bit at her sudden redirection. Her response had left him with all sorts of questions…she used to be a lawyer? She wasn't that old…it seemed strange that she'd given it up to come be a glorified secretary. The lawyering thing actually made sense, he supposed, with the way she could argue and spin words and shift attention.

"Yeah, yeah. Just bidin' my time, though," he offered, sipping his drink.

"Until what?" Damn, if this woman didn't have the propensity for asking the questions that cut right to the chase. Lawyer, he reminded himself.

"Got a few more months to go yet before the company will pay for my CDL classes. Loyalty and all that, making sure you're a good investment. 'Til then, I'm stuck moving couches and dressers with the likes of Dameron. But, like you said. It's a job. Room for advancement."

The conversation grew increasingly more personal as they sat together, ignoring their glasses. They mostly talked about work but alluded to hints of their pasts that made them both want more.

"Do you ever think you'll get married?" he asked. Leia wondered if she'd somehow had more alcohol than she realized as she began telling him the honest truth.

"I don't know. It will be hard with my career, being that I work so much. I hope to run for office, someday, too. That would make it even harder. Longer hours, traveling between here and Alabama, campaigns…It would put a lot of stress on a marriage."

"But, for the right person…"

"I don't know if such a man exists," she teased, running a hand over the small coil of hair on the back of her head, tucking in stray strands. "What about you? Do you think you'll ever take the plunge?"

"I like being single. Lots of options out there. Like at this wedding. Three bridesmaids—besides you, of course…"

"What do you mean by that?" she demanded quickly.

"Nothin' personal, Your Worship. You just never go after the maid of honor. She's too busy being at the beck and call of the bride. Sidetrack her, and you risk facing the wrath of the new Mrs. Joe Schmoe. No, you gotta make a play for the bridesmaids. The cousins, the old high school friends, the ones who are there just because they have too much dirt on the bride if they don't get a dress and a bouquet."

"Oh, no you don't. You aren't allowed to go after one of Shara's cousins and leave me all alone at the reception."

"You take all the fun out of it," he teased, taking a sip of his gin. He became serious. "I was close, once. To gettin' married. We were high school sweethearts and I asked her the night after graduation. My granny hated her. I shipped off to basic training two months later and got a 'Dear John' letter by Christmas. It was for the best, though. My granny was thrilled I'd gotten rid of her. Looking back, we probably would have been divorced two times over by now. I guess, someday I might get married. She'd have to be something pretty spectacular."

"And until then, we drink with strangers," Leia finished for him, raising her newly-filled shot glass.

"To strangers who become friends."

00

April 17th, 1966

The wedding day was finally upon them. Leia looked over her reflection in the mirror and gave another shudder. The dress…it wasn't exactly flattering to her petite frame. Lace sleeves and a sheer cape did not do anything for its appeal. It almost appeared to be wearing her rather than the other way around. The peach color didn't do wonders for her pale complexion, either. She looked to the counter where the pillbox hat with the little veil waited. This is for your best friend on the happiest day of her life. This is for your best friend on the happiest day of her life, she reminded herself as she pinned the tiny hat on. She practiced a genuine smile before leaving the bathroom and going to check on the flowers.

Leia watched quietly from behind the floral arrangements as Han paced in the back of the church. He was already the most handsome man she'd ever seen, but in his white tuxedo coat…Leia began to feel warm. She opened the box of boutonnieres and pulled one out for him.

"You look…wow," he began when he took notice of her.

"Hideous, I know."

"No, not hideous," he insisted. "It looks good." She swallowed a smile, pinned the carnation to his white lapel, and went on with her mental checklist.

"There. You're all set. How's the groom?"

"More nervous than the day he proposed to her. How's Shara?"

"Worried about everything. I'll be glad when we can get underway." The church bells chimed once somewhere above them.

"Thirty minutes."

"Did you pick up Shara's grandmother?" Leia asked. They'd been arguing the previous day about whose duty that was: the best man, who was supposed to be in charge of guests, or the maid of honor, the bride's right hand? Leia had finally won when she told Han that she would pick up Mrs. Bey if Han would go to the florist and pick up all the flowers, making sure each arrangement was correct.

"Yes," he replied with an eye roll.

"Good. Here are the envelopes for the organist and the pastor; please make sure you pass them on after the ceremony, before they depart," Leia ordered.

"I'll take care of it!" Han insisted, taking the envelopes and shoving them in his inner jacket pocket.

"Don't forget."

"I'm not going to forget, woman." He shot her an exasperated smile.

"It's my job to make sure everything goes well today."

"Well, relax. Things are fine."

"Did you write your toast?"

"Yes, do you want me to turn it in and get it corrected, teacher?" She ignored this remark and pushed forward.

"Did you bring the poster for Kes's car?"

"Yeah, and I got some cans to tie on, too."

"Nice try, hotshot. That's illegal."

"Excuse me, Miss Lawyer."

"Well, we don't want them to get pulled over while they're trying to go on their honeymoon," Leia reasoned.

"You're quite the nag, you know that?" he informed her playfully. She rolled her eyes. "I'd better take these to the rest of those weirdos," Han said, gathering up the boutonnieres. "See you at the altar, princess. You look beautiful, you know," he threw back with a wink.

An hour later, Leia's best friend was Shara Dameron, and they were standing in front of the church for the photographer.

"Smile!" he called, peeking through the viewfinder of his camera. Smile, Organa. Think of something happy, she prodded herself. He called me beautiful. "There we go!" The bulb flashed.

00

"Do you need help with all that?" Han asked. Leia was weighed down with all sorts of wedding paraphernalia: her dress, Shara's dress, a centerpiece, a vase.

"If you'd hail me a cab…"

"Oh, for goodness sake. I'll drive you home. Now give me that before you drop it," he demanded, taking the vase from her arms and tucking it carefully in the back of his station wagon, shoving some aluminum cans out of the way.

"I don't want to get in the way of your romantic pursuits now that the reception is over. You can chase bridesmaids all you want," she teased.

"Nah. Not when I can stay here and annoy you."

"How lucky for me." Leia shoved a crate full of stuff into his arms and picked up a similar one. After a few minutes, they had his car loaded with everything and were headed in the direction of Leia's apartment.

"You know, now that this wedding's over, we won't be seeing a whole lot of each other," Han offered after several minutes of silence.

"I suppose not." The silence stretched between them again as Han attempted to read into her brief response.

"I'd like to see you again. We can talk about not-wedding things for a change." She only nodded, and he had no idea what to think of the enigma of a woman beside him. He helped her unload all the wedding stuff into her apartment, which was littered with boxes and strikingly empty. It suddenly dawned on Han that Leia was living alone, now.

"Well, I guess this is it," he prompted when everything was stacked in Leia's living room.

"That's right," she said coolly. Han sighed.

"Don't get all mushy on me, sweetheart. So long." She didn't respond and Han nodded succinctly. He was down the stairs and almost to his car when he heard her call after him.

"Han! Give me a call sometime, hotshot," she requested.

Her phone rang an hour later.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Leia? It's Han Solo. You might remember me—we were in a wedding together not too long ago, and you told me to call. I was wondering if you might want to go on a date with me sometime."

Next week: We meet a priest named Father Luke, Han and Leia are back at the park, and the name of the game is miscommunication! I do hope you'll join us, same time and station!

Thanks for reading! Send me your reviews, questions, and theories-I especially love reading where you think Han and Leia are headed next! If you want to see what Leia's bridesmaids dress looks like, I posted a picture on tumblr...it's scary and I would like to apologize to her.