CHAPTER 2:

Han Solo found himself short of breath by the time he caught up with Princess Leia, but he did manage to catch up with her, and he rationalized that that was all that mattered. She recklessly turned down an adjacent hallway. Han shoved his blaster into his holster before he snatched the girl off of her feet and pinned her to the wall.

"You're gonna get us killed, Your Worship," his eyes narrowed to emphasize his anger over her foolhardiness.

But the young princess didn't seem perturbed, "They caught me, already. Remember?"

"I'm the one who's caught you," Han lifted her off her feet to punctuate his words.

Leia rolled her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, "They're not looking for us." She furrowed her brow, "Me. I don't know about you. We've got to find Luke."

An unexpected heat ran up his spine, and he tried to remember the eminent danger of their situation and her apparent intoxication. And he obviously wasn't completely in his right mind. If he was…"Your reasoning is lackin' in reason, Leia," he gently put her down and disengaged himself from her sloppy embrace. "We need to get—"

Her hands flew to her hips, "What about Luke?"

"I was gettin' to that," Han huffed. "You just never shut up, do you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Well?"

"Chewie's handlin' that part," Han placed his hands on her cheeks and peered into her large brown eyes. He expected his eyes were just as glassy as hers. They were being way too careless. "Whadda bout all that crap you said about keeping your wits?"

"I thought you were taking care of that," she whispered.

Han found himself staring at her pouty lips. I am. "I am," he shook his head. "Come on," he took her hand. "I'm sure Chewie and Luke are waitin' on us."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Han pulled her along, "You never shut up, do you?"

Leia stopped in her tracks and yanked his arm. Han grit his teeth, "We don't have time for this."

"You're going the wrong way," she yanked again. Han riled himself up, ready for a fight, and Leia quieted him by placing a hand against his chest, "We go out the front, we'll be caught for sure."

"There's no other way—"

Her hand clapped over his mouth, "Now who's the one who won't shut up?" Leia dropped her hand and arched an eyebrow, her smugness radiating out of her every pore, "Come on."

This time it was Leia who grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Han wasn't sure he liked this arrangement much, especially since he wasn't the one in control, and he wasn't certain about how in control his companion was. Nevertheless, she led him with purpose, and his doubt about her condition faded with each step until she stopped in front of a wall and reached out. Han's fury simmered into a boil, and just when he was about to explode, her hand wrapped around a rail. She tugged his arm as she started up a stairwell that appeared out of nowhere.

Han froze, forcing Leia to turn around. She drew her blaster and glanced in the direction he was looking, expecting an ambush. But none came. She smiled down at him and put her blaster away, "Cool, huh?" She brought the hand that held his close to her waist as she dragged him up the rickety stairwell, "It's some low-tech holo affect."

But Han was no longer fixated on the rebel's cheap special effects. Leia held his hand so close to her body that his hand kept brushing against her waist. The sway of her hips mesmerized him, and he found it difficult to keep his footing. His free hand found her waist as he tripped. To his surprise, she placed her other hand on his, pressing it against her body, and keeping him steady on his feet. Her strength awed him, and he wondered how she managed her way up the shaky steps with her shoes partially laced when he kept stumbling. Then again, she wasn't climbing up the stairwell behind herself.

The princess came to an abrupt halt, and Han slammed into her. He waited for her verbal assault and prepared his retort, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, she dropped to her knees.

"You okay?" Han gathered her loose hair in his hands to get a look into her face.

"Of course," she patted the step in front of her. "You?"

Han looked up. They were just a few steps away from an open door, and Han could see the first signs of dawn. "Why are we stopping?"

Leia looked up, "That leads to the roof."

Han rolled his eyes, "I figured that part out."

She turned her large brown eyes on him, and Han could see their clarity, "We'd be trapped up there." She returned her attention to the step in front of her and fiddled with it some more. Han brushed her unruly hair to the side in an attempt to see what she was doing. She let out a satisfied yelp before shining her smile upon him, "This is our way out."

Han scrutinized the hole she uncovered and returned her smile, "Brilliant. Can we go now?"

Leia boldly dropped into the hole before Han could stop her, "Leia? Leia!"

Han jumped in after her. The moment his feet touched the ground, his blaster was drawn and ready. He found Leia kneeling down, her long, dark hair covering her face and most of her body. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at him. She stood and rocked back on her heels. Han expelled a forceful breath as he examined her neatly tied laces.

"Always the perfectionist," he quipped as he scanned their damp environment. "Which way?"

"This way," Leia maneuvered her way through a tangle of rusty pipes. "Where's the Falcon?"

Han slammed his head against a pipe for the second time. He was failing miserably at keeping up with her, "In a cavern behind Twrele Ridge. Well hidden."

"Good," she squeezed between two large pipes. "You think Chewie and Luke are safe?"

"Luke was the one who told me where you were," Han stopped to survey his next move. He flattened himself against a pipe and shimmied his way through, "Why'd you split up?"

"You expected us to share a room?" Leia looked over her shoulder, her brow creased with indignation.

"Maybe," Han's brow rose with curiosity.

"Maybe we should have," Leia stopped, waiting for Han's reaction.

Han gazed back at her stone-faced, "It would have made things easier for me and Chewie."

Leia turned away and continued navigating her way through the pipes, "I suppose it would have. Why did you guys split up?"

"Luke was inebriated by whatever they put in the air," Han dunked under a nasty looking pipe. "You're a lot lighter than Luke," Han shrugged even though she wasn't facing him. "They should already be back at the Falcon waiting for my call."

The princess slowed, "Hhmm..."

"What?"

"I…I don't know," she paused briefly before moving on. "It all seems too easy."

"Easy?" Han mimicked in an exasperated tone.

But Leia was too occupied with her own thoughts to notice Han, "I have a bad feeling about this." With that, the princess drew her blaster and opened a small door. A burst of brisk air blasted the pair in the face.

"Why don't you ever have good feelings?" Han quipped as he drew his blaster and joined Leia at their escape route. "Oh."