Here we are at Endor, with only two more chapters to go! Thank you for reading :)
###Lying next to Leia's sleeping form on a pile of soft, furry animal skins, Han was more confused than he had ever been. After returning to the Ewok village, she had fallen asleep quickly, which she rarely did. All that crying had clearly worn her out.
It was so unlike Leia to cry like that. He had seen her shed tears a couple of times before, both times over Alderaan. But it had been quiet weeping and it had not lasted long. This time, she had sobbed into his shirt, refusing to talk about why she was so upset.
He didn't understand. Even in their worst moments of acrimony, he could always get her to talk to him. This time, she was locked up like an Imperial detention center.
It worried him deeply. Every time his mind saw Leia's hand lingering in Luke's, and his retreating back, he felt sick to his stomach.
His first response had been reflexive…walk away, relationships aren't worth it. It was his old standby response. But after his first step away from Leia, a swift sense of loss had engulfed him and the sound of her tears had ripped him open. He simply could not walk away from her pain. It was impossible. He would rather suffer than allow her to hurt. So, before he had made it five feet away, he had stopped in his tracks. And with barely a hesitation, had turned back to her. Repentant, he took the few steps back. What could he say besides 'I'm sorry'? He was sorry for his harsh tone, sorry he had walked away, and sorry for her pain. He loved her too much to ignore her suffering.
What would happen now? In the morning, they would begin the first phase of the battle against the Death Star. And if they didn't die tomorrow…well, Han had no idea what to expect.
Moonlight through the window of the small hut illuminated Leia's delicate features and Han's heart constricted. Was she in love with Luke? It made no sense. Everything she had risked for him…her declarations of love…
Was she torn between the two of them? Was that it? If she had feelings for Luke, why did it have to happen now? She'd had three years to pursue it. Then again, there had been no one else for her to turn to while Han had been in suspended animation.
Yet, here she was, lying next to him. Was she afraid to break his heart? And it would. It would shatter the heart that he had been careful to guard all these years. And here was the reason why he had remained alone: when you let people close, they only caused you pain. He'd learned that lesson as a kid.
In the murky darkness, his eyes again lit on Leia. He couldn't deny it had been worth it. Knowing love for the first time had made him happier than he ever believed possible. He couldn't regret it.
What could Luke offer that he couldn't? Respectability, Han realized. Luke was a hero, a real hero, not just one of circumstance, like Han. And Luke was exactly the type that someone like Leia should fall in love with. A ne'er- do-well smuggler was hardly the kind of man anyone would expect a Princess to end up with. People would shine on a couple like Leia and Luke. The Princess and himself however…Han was quite certain there would be snide comments behind their backs.
Then again, she had openly embraced him in the briefing room in front of the entire Alliance. That would imply that she wasn't concerned with what others thought.
Gods help him, women were too blasted confusing. He was making himself crazy and needed his wits about him in the morning. He settled down under the fur blankets, wrapped one arm around Leia, and spooned his knees behind hers. He tried to blank out his thoughts but it was some time before he finally fell asleep.
###
Leia lay on the hard, cold slab in the Imperial detention center, but the room somehow seemed too big and bright. Her mind was still reeling from the destruction of Alderaan, but she tried to push it aside and blot out the thoughts of loved ones lost. But her father…wasn't her father still alive somehow? She was confused. How could he have survived? Somehow she knew he had.
The door to the cell slid open and a stormtrooper was in the doorway, silent, his head cocked to one side. He was the shortest trooper she had ever seen.
"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" she quipped, not one to be intimidated.
"Huh?" he answered through the filter of his helmet. "Oh, the uniform." He reached up and removed the helmet. "I'm Luke Skywalker and I'm your brother."
"You're not!" Leia yelled back. "You're not my brother! I have no brother!" Her heart pounded in stubborn denial.
"We have to rescue our father," Luke said calmly, as if she hadn't renounced his words.
"My father died on Alderaan!"
"No, our father is here, on this space station."
"You're lying!" she seethed. How could Luke do this to her?
He shook his head, still dead calm. "There is still good in him, I've felt it." He stepped closer to her and took her hands. Suddenly, he was no longer wearing the uniform of a stormtrooper, but was clad all in black, with a glove on one hand. When had he changed?
"No," Leia moaned, taking a step away from him.
"We must turn him back to the good side," Luke whispered.
Suddenly, Han was behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Without turning to look, she knew it was him.
"Don't listen to him," he said low in her ear. "We have to get out of here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the other direction, to a second door she hadn't known was there. He was dressed all in white, an outfit that was nothing like anything she had ever seen on him. He pulled her through the corridors of the Death Star, searching for the Falcon and escape.
Han was her salvation. He would get her off the Death Star. As she tried to keep up with Han's long-legged strides, the black corridor turned to gray then white and suddenly Leia was cold and the ceiling before them came down in a hail of avalanche, snow spraying in her face.
Where was Han? She looked around but he was nowhere to be found. She looked to the downed wall of ice and snow in front of her. Was he trapped, frozen? No, no, no! Where was he?!
A high-pitched alarm rang, deafening in her ears.
A voice blared from nowhere. "Imperial troops have entered the Death Star. Imperial troops have entered the Death Star."
She would be captured. Where was Han? She spun around and the snow and ice were gone. The room was dark and there stood Luke, still dressed in black.
"Where's Han?" she asked desperately.
"He's on Alderaan," Luke replied, his tone placid.
Before Leia could voice her confusion, Darth Vader stepped beside Luke, the hiss of his breathing mask eerily loud and horrifying. Terror and dread filled Leia as she gazed upon the monster than had helped murder her family and ripped Han from the safety of her arms. 'Not again,' she thought in abhorrence.
"It's time," Luke said with a small smile. He gestured behind him and Leia tried to scream but no sound came out. The viewport was filled with the blue and green sphere of Alderaan.
She swallowed her panic and turned to Luke. "No. I won't allow you to murder my family."
Luke's smile grew broad. "Your family is right here."
"No!" she screamed. Her stomach turned and she began shaking her head, refusing to believe Luke's words. Her entire body began to tremble.
Silent, Vader reached up and began to remove his helmet.
"Nooo!" Leia's voice grew hysterical. "No! Don't take it off! No! I don't want to see!"
But the helmet continued to rise and instead of the face that was rumored to be in ruins, she saw the scruff of a small, well-trimmed, dark beard and olive skin. At the sight of the familiar lips that had kissed Leia good night thousands of times, she began to hyperventilate. And then there were Bail Organa's dark eyes, the arch of his eyebrows, and Leia screamed, an inarticulate, terror-filled cry that echoed through the chamber, mingling with sudden laughter from Luke…
Han's voice was in her ears, drowning out all other sound, and Leia was thankful, so thankful!
"Leia! Leia!"-
"Leia!" Urgency in his voice and Leia bolted upright, heart thudding furiously, the horrified moan dying on her lips, tears splattered against her cheeks. Han's hands were on her shoulders, gently jolting her from her nightmare.
"You're safe, Leia. You're safe," Han reassured in a steady voice.
Her eyes flew to her surroundings and Leia realized it had been a dream. She tried to calm her breathing, still the hammering of her heart.
Han's hands surrounded her face and he gently drew her gaze to his. "I'm right here, Leia. I've got you."
Her eyes focused on his and she saw his relief as he registered her recognition. Tenderly, he wiped the tears from her cheeks then pulled her close to him.
Leia surrendered to his comfort, her breathing beginning to slow to something akin to normal. He leaned them back against the furry pelts and she felt like a rag doll in his arms.
A dream. Or rather, a nightmare. That was all it had been. But it was indicative of reality. The reality was that Luke was her brother. Which brought with it a familiar comfort. Hadn't she always felt a familial affection towards Luke?
But that lead to…no. She couldn't even think the words. She needed to deny it or she would never get through this mission. She would deal with it later, when she did not have to focus on such important matters. And if the mission failed, it might not even be relevant.
Han's voice was deep and low over her head. "You wanna talk about it?"
Part of Leia felt badly shutting Han out so completely. But, the rest of her unapologetically refused to discuss it. "No," she said simply. She felt him stiffen ever-so-slightly at her response and knew she had wounded him. "I'm sorry," she added softly. She felt tears threaten again and mentally dampened them down. "There's just too much to worry about right now. When all this is over, we'll talk." She silently pleaded for him to understand.
The tension did not leave his , but she heard him sigh and softly kiss the top of her head. Leia's smile was tiny and filled with relief. He would not push her. She could always count on Han to give her whatever she needed, whether it was an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, or the space to deal with things on her own. This man was everything she needed. And with him, she knew she could get through anything.
She snuggled closer to him. "I love you, Han."
He said nothing, but she felt him relax into her embrace. She released a deep sigh, letting go all of the pent-up, bad feelings and vanquishing them into oblivion.
For now.