Thank you for reading :) Off to Tatooine they go!
Leia was relieved when Lando and Chewbacca had agreed to return to Tatooine as quickly as possible. With an air of haughty confidence that had almost dared him to challenge her, she had displaced Lando from Han's cabin.
She was clad in the well-worn shirt and shorts that belonged to Han. She had felt a sharp sense of disappointment when she realized that Lando had essentially wiped out the scent of Han throughout his cabin. Immediately, she changed the sheets, refusing to allow Han to be replaced. It was fine for Lando to use the cabin while they searched for him. But now she was here to reclaim it for him.
She took another sip of kaffe. She had been subsisting on extreme amounts of the hot beverage for the past six months. She couldn't sleep. Or, more precisely, she didn't want to. With sleep came the dreams of Han and she couldn't bear them. Worse than the nightmares were the dreams that they were together again. When she awoke, alone and desolate, it destroyed her.
Leia was well aware of how she appeared to others. Only Luke, Chewie, and Lando knew about her relationship with Han. To everyone else, she imagined that she appeared to be having a breakdown. Twice, Mon Mothma had pulled her aside with quiet concern. As the months passed and there was still no word of Han, she had slipped deeper into a state of anxiety and depression that she had never thought possible of herself.
She had never felt as alone as she had these past six months. After Alderaan was slaughtered, her misery and loneliness had been abated by Luke, Han, and Chewie. She had welcomed the distraction. But now, with Han gone and Chewie searching for him, Luke was all she had left. And she couldn't begin to talk to Luke. He was somewhere else entirely. And every time he gazed at her with that newfound calm, she wanted to throttle him.
At least now they were on their way to Han. The inaction had been driving her mad. She laid down on his bunk and hugged the pillow to her. Memories of their trip to Bespin flooded her with more ferocity now that she was on the Falcon, in the bunk where they had slept and made love.
She ached to be in his arms again. Tears pooled on her lashes and threatened to spill. She took a deep breath, fought to calm her emotions, but lost the struggle. Hot, angry tears poured down her cheeks before she could stop them. A swell of heartbreak flooded out through the tears she had been holding back for months.
She cried until she had no tears left. Sitting up, she felt somewhat renewed and ready for what was to come. She left the cabin and went to the fresher to splash cold water on her face. After drying with a towel, she leaned against the door and gazed at the shower, recalling intimate moments with Han. She would get those moments back. She had to.
Leia left the refresher and padded through the corridor. She needed to be with someone who understood how she felt. She sought out the one being who missed Han as desperately as she did. When she reached Chewie's cabin door, Leia knocked softly. When the door swished open, she stood, forlorn, neck craned to meet the tall Wookiee's gaze. His eyes were gentle and questioning.
Her lips parted but no words came out. He must have seen the misery in her eyes because he stepped aside and beckoned for her to enter. He hooted very softly.
Leia walked to his hammock and Chewie hoisted her up and placed her inside. He climbed up after her, scooped her in one furry arm and was still. Huddled against the Wookiee's warm fur, Leia felt comfort for the first time in six months. If anyone could share her grief, it was Chewie. Leia knew that Chewbacca, like herself, would save Han, or die trying.