AN: So glad you're all back again! This week has been hectic and I've tried to respond to reviews, but I am certain several of you slipped through the cracks-I am sorry, and I do truly appreciate them! The name of the game this week: miscommunication. I hope you enjoy this little round of Han and Leia being very Han-and-Leia-ish.

The Other Man

June, 1966

Han had no idea why Leia kept agreeing to go out with him or why he kept asking in the first place, but they kept going out, and they kept arguing.

He had absolutely no idea what the hell this woman's problem was. She could make an argument out of any little thing he said, and it seemed she wanted him to argue back. It was like someone had given her a list of every topic that would make him boiling mad and told her exactly what to say to set him off. He'd never argued so much with another person.

And he liked it more than anything he'd ever done in his entire life.

The only thing he wanted to do more than argue with Leia Organa was kiss her, but he hadn't gotten the signals yet, and he knew that pushing her into it before she was willing would be disastrous on all counts.

His singular consolation was that their arguing had become far less lethal. In fact, it was downright flirtatious. He could only hope that such a shift meant she was warming up to him.

Han wondered if things might change if he asked her to go steady. Did people even do that anymore? He'd been out of the game for a while, and Leia was a few years younger than he; what was she expecting? They'd been on how many dates now? Ten? Fifteen? They'd even spent a few of those dates at his house, electing to have a quiet, homemade dinner rather than face the crowded D.C. streets again. How many dates did you have to go on before a relationship was just assumed? Did such a number even exist?

Chewbacca nudged him out of his wonderings, looking anxiously between Han and the door. Han checked the clock and scrambled into his shoes. He was supposed to meet Leia in the park in five minutes.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to at least ask Leia what she wanted. Yeah. It was a perfect night for a long stroll. There would be a chill in the air once the sun was down, so he could lend her his jacket…or even put his arm around her. It was almost a full moon, too, and it would rise above the pond. It would be romantic. Girls liked romantic, didn't they? Maybe tonight was the night that she'd finally give him the signal.

Han stopped abruptly as he came around the playground. Leia was there, waiting on the appointed bench. And she wasn't alone. Han approached slowly, trying to come up with an explanation.

Maybe the man had just sat down next to her and, not wanting to be rude, Leia had stayed. But they were sitting awfully close… Maybe he was just someone she knew, an acquaintance. But acquaintances didn't put their heads on each other's shoulders and wrap their arms around each other.

Han's stomach dropped as the man pressed a kiss into Leia's temple. Was this why she'd asked him to meet her here tonight? To introduce Han to her boyfriend? Han continued down the path he was on rather than taking the curve that would lead him down to the bench where Leia and the other man sat. Chewbacca ambled happily along beside him.

What were you thinkin'? You know nothing about this girl. She could be anybody. Whatever happened to 'she's gotta be somethin' special if she's gonna be with Han Solo?' Hmm? One hot little thing comes along and gives you the time of day and suddenly you're signing your life away. What's wrong with you, Solo? You used to be better than this. His mind was overwhelmed with these thoughts and a thousand more like them.

She's different, he insisted. At least, she was supposed to be.

00

"It's getting late, Leia," Luke said, checking his watch.

"I really thought he'd come. He's never stood me up before," she replied, not even trying to mask the sadness in her voice. He was her twin, and even though they'd spent their childhoods apart, he still knew her better than most anyone else.

"I'm sure something came up. Maybe he called after we left," he suggested. "Now come on. I bet we can find an ice cream man on the way home." Leia gave a small smile.

"Ok."

When they got back to her apartment, she tried calling, but no one answered.

Leia was sure he had a good reason. He wasn't like the few other men she'd dated. He was different. He was kind and thoughtful, and she didn't even mind when he drove her crazy. They argued a lot, but she enjoyed it. He challenged her on a mental level that no one else ever had, but could also make her laugh like nobody ever could. The other day, they'd argued over whether you had to wait for the water to boil or not before adding the spaghetti noodles and had decided to settle it by making a pot of each. But when he brought them to the table, Han couldn't remember which dish was which. It was the first time she'd laughed all day.

What perplexed Leia was why he hadn't tried to kiss her yet. She'd given him plenty of opportunities, when he walked her home, when they'd done the dishes… The only thing she hadn't done was come right out and demand it.

Wait.

What if he didn't want to kiss her?

He hadn't asked her to go steady, to be his girl, yet, and they'd been out together at least once a week since the wedding over two months ago…did he think they were just friends? Is that all he wanted to be? Leia was overcome with another wave of disappointment. Had she been reading too far into this the whole time, or had he lost interest partway through?

Maybe it was her work. She'd been busy lately, and she'd had to cancel more than once on him because something came up. Maybe he was sick of vying for her attention. That would explain the brush-off tonight; he wanted her to know what it felt like to be pushed back, forgotten about.

Leia sighed. She liked Han. A lot. To think that she'd driven him away…it hurt.

00

Han knocked on Leia's apartment door the next night. It was opened by the man he'd seen with her in the park. He swore under his breath. He'd known Leia was looking for a new roommate, but…

"I am so sorry. I had no idea," Han began apologizing to the other man before he could even get a word out. "I never even realized…" He swore again. How could I have been so stupid? I was dragging my heels, and she wanted to move faster than I did, so she found someone else… "Please, believe me. I never would have…"

"I...Come in, please," the man invited. Han awkwardly followed him in to Leia's pink-tiled kitchen. "Hey, Leia?" She appeared from the back hall.

"Han! Where were you yesterday? Is everything alright?"

"I was fine."

"I was worried something happened! You didn't call."

"How could you not tell me about him? Hmm?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you two together in the park yesterday. What kind of fool do you take me for, Leia?"

"The park? You were at the park? Why didn't you say something? I was expecting you!"

"I was there, yeah. But there was some tender little thing going on with you two that I didn't feel like interrupting!"

"Tender?—Han! This is ridiculous! I can assure you that whatever you saw was not what you thought it was."

"I know we aren't official or anything, but I would have at least liked to know when you two got together. It wouldn't have been a problem. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"Will you leave my brother out of this?" Leia demanded. He stopped short. Brother? "Yeah, hotshot. Brother," she repeated triumphantly when she realized where his mind had taken him.

"Twin brother, actually. Father Luke. Err, Luke Skywalker." The man held out his hand and Han shook it half-heartedly. It was only then that Han realized the man was wearing a cassock and a crucifix around his neck. How had he missed that?

"Luke was in town for our first foster father's funeral. Remember, Ben Kenobi? I'm sure I said something about it. Didn't I tell you my brother was going to be staying with me for a few days?" Leia asked. Han got the feeling of a cross-examined witness as she stared up at him, unblinking. Now that she mentioned it, he did remember something of that nature coming up in conversation.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Solo."

"He knows who you are, Han," Leia captioned. Luke nodded.

"Han Solo. Groovy. It's good to finally meet you," Luke greeted. "I've heard a lot about you. A lot." Leia elbowed her brother sharply in the ribs. Now that they were standing side by side, Han could see some physical similarities in their stature and facial features. Same little nose, same little unassuming hunch to the shoulders, same little nervous twitch in the fingers. There were definitely differences, though. Luke had tanned skin and sun-bleached hair in contrast with Leia's milky skin and dark hair, but Han remembered her saying something about Luke growing up with some of their distant relatives in Arizona or New Mexico.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, are you ready to go?

"Go? Go where?"

"We had a date tonight, or is that canceled because I'm dating my brother now?" she asked snidely.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere with a bar. I need a drink."

"Uh…do you want to come and have a drink with us?" Han asked Luke.

"Did you seriously just ask a priest to come to the bar with us on a date?"

AN: Tune in next week to this same station to learn more about Leia's mad lawyer skillz, and to see Han and Leia finally work out a few things between them! The next two chapters are definitely my faves, so do come back!

As always, I always love reading your reviews, theories and questions here and on tumblr! Please take a minute to drop me a line if you enjoyed it!