CHAPTER 12:

"There are worse ways to go, Han," Leia tilted her head back so that her hair was pressed against his nose, "but I have no intention of going anywhere but out of here."

"Lemme see," Han nuzzled his face in her neck, "you are going to use your Jedi powers to undo these ties that bind us. Or wait! You're going to use the Force to turn off whatever is comin' from those hoses over there!"

"You read my mind," she quipped in a flat emotionless tone.

"Too bad Luke's not here."

"Can you reach into my dress?"

"Huh?"

"Can-you-reach-into-my-dress?" she repeated as if she was speaking to a small child.

"Maybe it's good Luke's not here," Han immediately started pulling up the folds of her dress.

"No, you idiot!" Leia sighed. "Into my dress. Not up my dress! If I didn't know you better, I would think that whatever is coming from those hoses has gone to your head."

"Hey!" Han's brow lowered, but then he couldn't figure out why he felt slighted. His mind was wrapped around on what the princess was asking. He stretched his bound hands toward the low neckline of Leia's dress.

"Can you scoot down a bit so I can get a look at what I'm doing?"

"You're such a roigi!" Leia retorted though she did as he asked.

With a wicked grin, Han clumsily slipped his bound hands down the front of Leia's dress. His hands slipped between the satin undergarments and her smooth skin. His fingers then felt their way around to his heart's content.

With her eyes half-closed, she whispered, "I hate to spoil your fun, but there's a reason I asked you to—"

"Feel you up?" Han's voice lowered.

"Yeah," Leia had to wonder if the gas was getting to her as well. "I slipped a spoon into my corset."

"What good is that gonna do us?"

"Just find it, nerf herder," she dropped her head back against Han's chest. The awkward position was putting strain on her arms, but resting against Han seemed to alleviate some of that discomfort. "Try feeling under my left breast."

Han's hands moved around, stretching the neckline of the dress.

"Your other left."

"Ah, right," Han sported his lop-sided grin.

Leia's eyes fluttered closed as Han explored her bosom. Maybe Han was right: this wasn't a bad way to go. Her head felt as if it were floating above her body, bouncing against the vaulted ceiling. Meanwhile, her skin tingled under the heat of Han's touch. She couldn't deny the pleasure that fired through her nerves. At the rate Han was going, he wasn't going to find the spoon. And even if he did, there was still the chance that it wouldn't be useful in breaking their binds before the noxious gas killed them.

"Leia?"

"You find it?" She opened her eyes and yawned.

"I think I felt the tip of if, but I can't get a hold of it," Han said as he continued feeling for the spoon.

"I thought the great Han Solo would know his way around a woman's breast," she quipped as she watched him fumble around.

"Yeah, well, having my hands tied together makes it a little more difficult."

"I'd help, but since my hands are tied behind your back…"

"I always have to do everything." He shifted his hips to get a better reach. "Slide down a little more."

Leia's arms were stretched as far as she could almost bear, but she slid down as much as possible.

"Uh…don't you think there'd be a better time for that?"

Leia's large dark eyes flew open and wide, "Luke!"

"I got it!" Han yelped in triumph.

Even in the dark, Leia could see the deep flush on Luke's cheeks.

"He's found the spoon," Leia explained.

"Huh?" Han looked up from the spoon that precariously balanced between his fingers to the dark figure before them, "Luke? Whaddya doin' here?"

"What's that smell?" Luke asked as he held his hand to his nose.

"Whatever is intended to kill us," Leia answered. "Can you help us out before Han loses anymore brain cells?"

With one hand secured over his mouth and nose, Luke approached the broken hoses. He moved his head around as he examined the problem, "I don't see a way to shut it off."

"Hhmm?"

"Should I put the spoon back?" Han asked as he began slipping it, and his fingers, back between Leia's breast and undergarments.

"No," Leia yawned. "We need it."

"For what?" Luke asked.

"I don't feel so well."

"Leia?" Han jostled his knees.

"Stop. That's not helping."

Luke came over to their side, "Leia?"

"Move us away from the stove," Han ordered.

Luke grabbed the back of the chair and pulled as hard as he could, but the chair wouldn't budge. He repositioned himself before trying again. "You're too heavy."

"Aren't you supposed to be a Jedi?" Han rolled his eyes.

"Right," Luke closed his eyes.

Han looked over his shoulder, "I was being sarcastic. Luke?"

The young Jedi swayed. He opened his eyes and shook his head, "I'm having a bit of trouble concentrating."

"Must be somethin' in the air."

"Why don't you cut us free with something?" Leia shook her head.

"Where'd that spoon go?" Han's fingers delved back down the front of Leia's dress.

Luke pulled a vibroblade off of his belt, "Han, hold your hands out please."

"I haven't found the spoon yet!"

"Han!"

He scowled as he pulled his hands from Leia's dress. Luke took Han's left hand in his as he activated the blade.

"I expect to have all my digits when you're finished, Kid!"

"You will," Luke said as his eyes squinted. Finally, he found a small space between Han's flesh and the plasti-cuff.

Han rubbed his wrists as soon as he was freed, and Luke went to work on Leia's binds. Once Luke liberated the rest of their limbs, Leia stood up but immediately fell back into Han's lap.

"Miss me already, Sweetheart?" Han wrapped his arms around her torso and spoke close to her ear.

Luke rolled his eyes and grabbed Leia's arms, hefting her to her feet, "Come on."

Han started to stand, but he found it difficult. With one hand supporting Leia, Luke extended his other hand to Han. Using Leia's and his own weight to counter Han's, the young Jedi pulled Han to his feet. Then Luke tucked one shoulder under Han's arm and the other under Leia's, and the three of them felt their way toward the door through which Luke entered.

"Wait!"

"We don't have time to wait!" Leia snapped.

"My foot's stuck on somethin'."

"Han don't—"

"Too late."

"What?"

"We need to get outa here now!" Luke dragged his friends as fast as he could through the door.

Once they were close to the woody area that surrounded the house, Luke stopped and the three of them collapsed. Leia swallowed as much air as she could before she turned her attention to the house.

"What was the hurry?"

As if on cue, the ground shook and a ball of fire slammed through the windows and doors of the evacuated house.

Leia blinked her eyes, "Oh."

"I must've tripped some kind of trigger when my foot got stuck," Han held his hand to his eyes, blocking the offensive light.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Luke stood up, "Come on. I don't want to be around when the authorities arrive."

Han stood up and held a hand out for Leia.

Smiling sweetly, Leia took his proffered hand, "Thank you, Captain."

"Always a pleasure, Your Highness."

Luke froze, "Leia—"

"Uff!" Han doubled over and grabbed hold of his stomach. "Why'd you hit me?"

"You better not tell anyone about what happened back there!"

"What happened?" Han rested his hands on his knees as he looked up at her.

Leia's large dark eyes widened and retracted, "Han Solo—"

"Leia!" Luke shouted.

The princess whirled around and punched Luke in the gut, "And you!"

"What did I do?" Luke croaked.

"You never saw him with his hands down my dress!" she planted her fists on her hips.

"See?" Han managed to straighten. "This is what you get for rescuin' her, Kid. Should've left her right where she was."

Luke recovered from Leia's attack and shook his head, "On your lap?"

Han's lip slid into a cocky lop-sided grin, "Exactly."

Leia pulled her arm back, but Luke caught it before she could do any more damage to Han, "I can't believe you two! Let's go."

Leia and Han glared at each other, but they managed to reign in their ire as they followed Luke deeper into the woods.