Back on schedule :) Thank you so much for reading!

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Han woke, feeling disoriented. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, and a sliver of fear shot through him. He realized quickly that he was in his bunk and experienced a moment of confusion, thinking they were on their way to Bespin. But no, Bespin had been six months ago, and the events on Tatooine came rushing back to him. He reached for Leia but she wasn't there.

He glanced at the chrono and realized he had slept for ten hours. That was probably a record for him. They would be arriving to rendezvous with the Fleet soon.

Han was beginning to feel more like his old self but was aware he had changed. He couldn't put it into words, but it was there.

And Leia…

Leia had changed, too. The last vestiges of girlishness and innocence had disappeared. She was more womanly now. It suited her but, it made him sad. She had faced so much loss already. Now, she had been pushed through that last threshold by more loss, and it was because of him.

With a small, private smile, Han recalled the shy, tentative Princess he had first kissed. Had that really been seven months ago? He shook his head to dismiss the lapse in time. He would have to get past it. There were more important things to worry about now.

He loved her. He knew he loved her. She probably knew it. Yet, the words had stuck in his throat. He had never said them before and it was not easy to say them now. If it bothered her that he had yet to return her declaration of love, he couldn't tell.

Having almost lost everything, Han now wanted something he had never wanted before: a sense of permanence. The Falcon was the only thing that had ever been home for him. Now, Leia felt like home. And he wanted to show her that he wasn't going to leave, now that he had a choice in the matter. He could tell her, but Han Solo was a man of action more than of words.

As soon as they arrived at the Fleet, he would become an official member of the Alliance. Leia had wanted that from him all along. He had refused to give it to her. But now, he wanted to show her that he was committed to her. And her cause. It was hard to believe, but Han didn't want to be anywhere without her.

He got up, threw on some clothes, and went in search of her. In the crew lounge, Lando was sitting at the computer console.

"Hey, you're up," Lando said congenially. "Wasn't six months of sleep enough?" He was smiling his rogue's grin at Han.

Han was only half amused. "I guess I had a little too much fun on Tatooine," he replied without humor. "Where's Leia?"

"I think she's in the cockpit." He paused and his expression grew serious. "That woman really loves you."

Han nodded, smiling inside. "I know," he said simply.

Lando almost seemed envious. "You're a lucky man."

Now Han's smile was outward. "I know that, too." He turned and headed down the access corridor to the cockpit.

He palmed the cockpit door open and Leia swiveled the Captain's chair in his direction. Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. It made his heart pound. How could such a tiny woman have such a huge effect on him?

She stood and put her arms around his torso and Han returned the embrace.

"I missed you," she said easily. "How do you feel?"

He rested his cheek on top of her head. She fit him perfectly. "Pretty good," he murmured into her hair. "How else could I feel when you smile at me like that?"

She hugged him more tightly then pulled back to gaze up at him. "How are your eyes?"

"Perfect. Just like the rest of me." He grinned.

Her brow raised. "I see your vanity is still intact."

"Did you doubt that?"

"I don't know what I was thinking," she said wryly. Her expression became concerned. "Seriously. Do you feel sick?"

"No."

"Tired?"

"No."

She smiled in relief. "Are you hungry?"

"Actually, yes, but not for food." He pulled her close and placed soft, open-mouthed kisses along her neck.

"Mmm," Leia sighed near his ear and a thrill ran through him. Her hands meandered languidly through his hair.

His tongue travelled downward, lightly licking her collarbone, then lapped at the cleft between her breasts.

Passionately engaged, they were both oblivious to the opening of the door.

Chewie grunted loudly about old times and Leia jumped, startled.

"Sorry, Chewie," Leia said, trying not to laugh. Han marveled at the changes in her.

He roared extensively, ruffled Han's hair with his paw then gruffly shoved him towards Leia. He reset a control on the forward panel then left the cockpit.

Leia laughed loudly. "What was that?"

Han chuckled and pulled her back in his arms. "He said he's so happy to see us kids back together and we should carry on and mate all over the ship."

Leia laughed harder. "He did not!"

"Would I lie?" He offered his best innocent look.

She eyed him suspiciously then smiled.

"I think we should take Chewie's wise advice," Han declared.

She placed a hand on his chest and gazed at him longingly. "Oh, how I wish," she said wistfully. "But we'll be arriving at the Fleet soon and I have to update you on the current situation."

Han sighed. Time for business. "Okay. But only if you sit on my lap while you update me."

"Of course," she replied in an airy tone. "That's how I update every member of the Alliance."

He suppressed a smile and affected a tone of disappointment. "And here I thought I was special."

She reached up and traced the scar on his chin. "Well. Maybe you're a little bit special."

"That's more like it." He scooped her up in his arms and sat down with her on his lap. She placed an arm around his shoulders and he could see her shift into official mode.

"Things don't look very good for the Rebellion right now."

He suppressed a grimace and waited for her to continue.

"That datacard we got on Ord Mantell." Her eyes shifted to the floor and Han knew something bad was coming. She continued without looking at him. "It's another Death Star." Her voice was profoundly quiet.

Han's stomach sank. Leia's worst fear. "You're sure?" Stupid question, Solo. But it was all he could think to say.

She met his eyes. "Very," she replied soberly.

He pondered the implications. "So, what's the plan?"

She sounded solemn and uncertain. "When I left, a mission had been launched to retrieve plans for the Death Star. And then hopefully we can find a weakness."

As her words sunk in, Han realized that Leia had left the Alliance at a pivotal time. Without knowing if he could be rescued. Without knowing how long she would be gone or if she would even make it back, she had risked herself when she was desperately needed by the Rebellion. As Lando had said: this woman really loved him. Even more now, he had to join the Rebellion and make it official.

"Hey," he called quietly, seeing her drift off to some familiar place of grief. "We took down one Death Star. We'll take down this one too."

Her responding smile lacked confidence. Han knew it was temporary. He had seen her like this before, with fears and doubts. The waiting was the hardest part. Once she was able to take action, that all disappeared. He had never known anyone as determined and relentless as Leia.

"So, when we rendezvous with the Fleet…" He trailed off questioningly.

She sighed. "I'm hoping they've acquired the plans. We'll find out what's next when we arrive."

Han nodded. His arms tightened around her. If they were going to set out to destroy the Death Star, he would have to be a part of that. He needed to do this, for Leia. He knew the full extent of her anguish and grief over the destruction of Alderaan. He knew how it frightened her to imagine the Empire doing that to another planet, causing billions of deaths in one fell swoop. And he knew how personal this was for Leia, how she had unjustifiably assigned herself responsibility for the fate of Alderaan. He knew what it would do to her if another planet met the same fate. It would shatter her. And he couldn't let that happen.

Leia pulled herself from her dark thoughts and nudged him gently. "How does it feel to be back in your Captain's chair?"

Han forced a smile, his thoughts still on Leia's worries. "Like I'm back where I belong."

She traced his jaw with a gentle finger. "Yes, you are," she said with quiet emotion. "You belong with me." Her eyes roamed his features with an adoring expression and Han was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I do." It was an almost frightening admission to make aloud. But, it was true.

"It was so hard, being without you all these months. Not knowing where you were or if you were all right." Her voice was a barely audible whisper and her eyes followed the movements of her fingers as she fidgeted with the edge of his collar.

Han wondered if he was the reason she had become so thin. He knew that stress and determination often made Leia forget everything, including the need to eat. In the aftermath of the battle at Yavin, Han hadn't seen the Princess for a few weeks, and when he did, she had almost looked like a different person. Between the weight she had dropped and the standard issue Rebel clothing she wore, Han almost hadn't recognized her.

He kissed her tenderly. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I'm sorry I got us all into that mess."

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, it is." He finally admitted the guilt he had felt on the trip to Bespin and, even more profoundly, once they'd been captured at Cloud City. "It was my hyperdrive that failed. And it was my idea to go to Bespin."

"First of all," Leia began in that argumentative voice that seemed to be reserved for him. "If you hadn't come for me in the Command Center, I would've been captured by the Empire and I'd be dead by now. Secondly, we had no other choice but to go to Bespin. Third, this happened." She paused to kiss him, long and slow and when she pulled back, her voice had softened. "So, I don't want to hear any more about it being your fault." Her eyes dared him to argue.

He smiled crookedly. "Yes, ma'am."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is this the new and improved Han Solo? I think I like him. He's less inclined to argue with me."

"Well, don't get too used to it," he replied lightly. "This is after a good night's sleep." His stomach was growling now and, more importantly, he needed to get Leia to eat something. "I'm starving. Let's eat something before it's time to bring this baby in."

Arms wrapped around each other, they slipped out the cockpit door.