CHAPTER 17:

By the time the princess reached the cockpit, Chewbacca was doing his best to avoid the TIE fighters that pursued them as Luke punched in the code for light speed. Wedge was in the navigator's seat. Chewbacca stole a short glance at Leia and greeted her. At least she hoped that's what that little growl meant. Luke didn't bother to turn around.

"How is he?" Wedge asked.

"Itching to join all the action," Leia rolled her eyes. "Can you keep eye on him, make sure he stays where he is?"

"Sure, Your Highness," Wedge exited the navigator's seat, and Leia took his place.

Luke leaned in to the comm, "Prepare for the jump to light speed." He gave the other rebels a few short moments before he punched it.

Leia watched the stars zoom by. Chewbacca swiveled in his seat and faced the princess, clearly asking her a question.

"You should go see him, Chewie," Leia said, her eyes downcast. Chewbacca roared and immediately left the cockpit, leaving Leia and Luke in the cold silence.

Leia pulled her feet up to her chest and fiddled with the hem of her dress. She waited for Luke to say something, say anything, but he remained facing the canopy.

So Leia decided that she'd open the lines of communication, "Thank you for coming after Han and me."

"You should thank Chewie," Luke muttered. "And the Rogue Squadron."

Leia bit her bottom lip, "Of course."

"Alotta good it did them," he mumbled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked without a hint of anger.

Luke finally faced her, "You could've gotten yourself killed. You endangered the whole squadron with that stunt you pulled."

"We were trapped, anyway," she whispered.

"And what good did your going out there do?" Luke countered. "Wedge could've gotten killed when he went after you."

"I…I wasn't thinking," Leia sighed.

"That's obvious," Luke folded his arms and Leia looked up.

"I was just so worried about Han," she countered. "Luke, I'm sorry."

Luke pushed passed her without even looking at her, "I'm going to see how he is."

The cockpit door slid shut with a cold hiss and a clank, leaving Leia with the zooming stars all to herself. Leia hugged herself as she watched the light show outside. She felt just as alone and small as she did the day Alderaan was destroyed. She loudly inhaled in an attempt to push down the tears that now threatened to come. She did not cry when Alderaan blew up right in front of her eyes; she would not cry now.

Leia pushed herself out of the navigator's seat and headed toward the lounge.

"Hey!" someone yelled joyously, "There's our Jedi princess!"

The revelers held up their glasses in honor of the girl. Despite the knots it caused in her stomach to hear herself being called that, Leia smiled and saluted them. "So do you think I have enough courage to join the Rogue Squadron?" she joked.

"Enough for all of us," Faren laughed.

"Join us for a drink?" Wedge held out a bottle of ale.

"Thank you," she bowed her head slightly, "but I think I'll pass. It's been a long day."

"Suit yourself," Wedge smiled at her, "But if you change your mind…"

"I know where to find you," Leia returned his warm smile and hastily retreated out of the lounge.

The princess continued on around the Power and Circuitry Piping and found herself in the storage/repair bay.

"Stupid, no good ship!" she cursed as she looked around.

Nothing on this ship made sense. Everything seemed backward or out of place. What Leia really wanted was a place to curl up and fall asleep. Not that she thought she'd be able to sleep. Even if she managed to find her way to the crews' quarters, she'd have to double back and pass the reveling rebels in the lounge. And even if she did find the crews' quarters, she wasn't sure which one was for her. She wasn't even certain there was one for her.

So maybe the storage/repair bay wasn't such a bad place to be. So what if it was cold? There wasn't anyone else around. The girl sighed heavily and slammed her fist against one of the storage lockers. When that didn't help much, she hit the locker several more times and several more times after that. When she tired of beating up the locker, Leia leaned against the one next to it and slid to the floor.

Leia filled her lungs with as much air as she could fit in them and opened her mouth. But before she let any sound escape, her hands flew to her mouth, and she pressed them against her face as hard as she could. She expelled the air, careful not to expel any sound. Leia closed her eyes and repeated the process a couple more times, but even this action brought her no relief.

The princess rested her elbows on her knees and buried her head in her hands. She swore to herself she wasn't going to cry. She had showed way too much weakness over the passed couple of days. She wouldn't show anymore. Leia slowly raised her head. No one was around, so would it really hurt to let a few tears loose?

It would hurt her pride, and right now, that seemed to be the only thing she had left in the universe. Leia couldn't read Chewbacca very well, but if someone had forced her to abandon her best friend and then put that friend through what Han went through, she'd hate that person to her core. Luke's feelings toward her were more transparent. He wasn't going to get over this one very fast. Leia's eyes rolled unconsciously. She wasn't even exactly certain why Luke was so angry with her. After all, everyone managed to get out alive. If Han had done the same thing, Luke would have been all starry-eyed.

Han. Leia didn't even know what to think when it came to him. First this arrogant, selfish man does the most unselfish thing by coming to rescue her even after he was ordered not to. And all the trouble he went through…Leia pressed her palms against her closed eyes as she tried to squelch the image of Han lying injured in front of her. Why did he do all that for her? He barely knew her, and he had made it clear that he found her snobby and annoying and loud, even though he was the one who started most of the fights between them. It wasn't like either of them went out of their way to be nice. But he had been nice to her at times during this ordeal. It was fair to say that they got along quite well, considering the circumstances.

"Oh!" Leia dropped her head back against the metal locker and let her legs splayed before her. Han thought of her as a child. That seemed to bother her the most, though she wasn't quite sure why. Maybe she felt as if he was dismissing all that she had accomplished. She was a Senator! She was a leader of the Rebel Alliance! How dare he insinuate that she was just a mere child!

But Han had been present when she had lost control. He was there that first night in the speeder when she had a nightmare. He had comforted her without any leering or vulgar behavior. He wiped away her tears when they were facing death, and he managed to get personal information out of her with a small gesture or look. And, in her opinion, all these behaviors were childish. Still, she didn't like that Han considered her a child.

She never remembered being this out of control before. So maybe she had never seen her home world destroyed and was entitled to a few outbursts. But as her father would tell her, people look to her for strength. Emotional outbursts in public are not appropriate for Organas. How she wished he was here with her! Well, maybe not at this moment. He wouldn't be very proud of her. Leia pulled her knees together and pulled her spine straight, a posture more fitting for a princess.

And then Leia let her body collapse into a more comfortable position. No one was around, so for whom was she fronting? She glanced at the locker to her right. It was open just a crack. Leia stared at the crack. The proper thing to do would be to close the locker. She reached out with her pinky finger and tapped the locker door. It clanked as it hit the latch, but then the door swung open again.

The girl's dark eyes shifted to the right and then to the left, and she chewed the inside of her lip. In her previous life, which wasn't that long ago, she'd do the honest thing, put more effort into closing the locker, and leave it be. But now…what would she do? Had her honesty and integrity changed since she joined the rebellion and had taken part in illegal activities?

Leia slowly ran her finger along the cold, metal ledge of the locker door and gave it a harder push than before. The door clanked shut.

"Find anything you like?"

Leia jumped with a start. She looked up at the owner of the voice, "I…I was just closing it. It was open." She shook her head, "I didn't…I didn't even look inside."

"That's okay," Han sat down in front of her, leaning back on his hands. "I don't got much to hide."

Leia pulled her body into a more regal sitting position, "How are you feeling?"

"As good as new, now that I found you," he winked at her, and Leia found herself blushing.

"I don't think you should be up and about," she looked away. "The drug the Imperials use…You need to rest."

"Aw, I've had plenty of rest," Han answered. He tilted his head and peered into her face, "Whadda bout you?"

"Me?" she lifted her large brown eyes to his, and Han's breath unexpectedly caught in his throat. Fortunately, the girl didn't seem to notice. She pasted a diplomatic smile on her face, "I'm perfectly fine."

Han slowly nodded his head up and down. Clearly he didn't believe her, "so… whadda ya' doing here all by yourself?"

Leia pressed her lips together and shrugged as her eyes fell to the floor, "Guess I got lost."

"Guess you did," Han acknowledged. He smiled at her, a twinkle gleaming in his eye, "Sure you didn't peek into that locker?"

The princess' eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, "Captain Solo, are you calling me a liar?"

Han held one hand up, "No, I'd never do that." He shrugged and puffed his cheeks out while his eyes shifted around, "I just thought that if you did, you might like what you found in there."

"But I didn't!" Leia countered a little louder than she intended.

"I thought we were in agreement about that fact," Han said, delighting in the fire on her cheeks. "I was just saying that if you did, you might like what you found in there."

Leia's brow peeked with curiosity, "What's in there?"

Han stretched his body and then leaned back on his arms again. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, and a lop-sided smile spread across the man's lips, "Why don't you open it and find out?"

The princess stared at him for a few seconds, not sure what to make of this man.

"Go on," Han urged her. "Whaddya waiting for?"

Leia turned toward the locker and pulled on the latch. The locker door popped open, and she jumped. Han chuckled, but her curiosity outweighed her irritation, and she yanked the locker all the way open. Han felt a tickle in his stomach as the girl's large eyes grew even larger when she caught sight of what was in there. She turned those eyes upon him.

"So," Han's brow rose, "What's in there?"

Leia tilted her head, "I thought you knew?"

"Maybe I forgot," he continued his ruse. "So are you gonna show me?"

With the uppermost care, Leia lifted a bottle filled with amber liquid. "Alderaanian oplume wine," she whispered.

Han took the bottle from her hands and twisted around to get a look at the label, "So it seems."

Leia eyed her companion suspiciously, "What are you—" But then she stopped and adverted her eyes.

Han lowered the bottle and looked at the girl. "What is a guy like me doin' with something as fine and as expensive as Alderaanian oplume wine?" he accused.

"I didn't mean—" Leia started.

"Yeah ya' did," Han huffed.

"I didn't mean to insult you," Leia quietly apologized.

"You didn't," Han lied. "If you bother to get to know me better," he leaned in provocatively, "you'll find that I'm a guy who appreciates the finer things in life."

Leia slightly pulled back, and Han countered her action. "Whaddya say about opening this bottle and having a drink?"

The princess' eyes brightened and she smiled. But the smile abruptly faded, "What about Chewie and Luke and the rest of the Rogue Squadron?"

"They retired awhile ago. In fact, you and me are the only ones still awake."

Leia quickly pulled herself to her feet, "Maybe I should go to sleep as well." Han stood up at a slower rate than she, and Leia winced when she realized he was still experiencing pain, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Han masked his discomfort with a lop-sided grin. "Nothin' wrong a good drink won't cure." He raised the bottle, "Of course, this stuff is too good to drink alone." He raised an eyebrow, "Don't you want to help me get better?"

Leia's fists found her hips, "I don't think drinking is going to make you better."

"But it'll make me feel better," Han waggled his eyebrows, and Leia rolled her eyes. "You want me to feel better, right?"

Leia jutted out her right hip, "I'm not so sure of that, Captain Solo."

To her surprise, Han just laughed. He reached out a hand to her, "Come on. I know you're dying to have a taste of this wine, and it's too good to drink straight out of the bottle. Not that princesses ever drink straight out of the bottle."

Leia took his hand. "How many princesses have you known?" She asked, not certain she liked the tone of his last sentence.

Han looked down at her and winked, "You're my first."

Leia blushed, "Then if I were you, I wouldn't go around making assumptions about princesses."

"As long as you don't go around making assumptions about smugglers," Han challenged.

"Fair enough," Leia conceded as she allowed Han to lead her back through the lounge and into the galley.

Han handed Leia the bottle of wine and then retrieved two glasses. He held them up to the artificial light and watched Leia's eyes. She took one from his hand, "Is that Nubian crystal?"

"Only the best," Han smiled as he took the glass back. He dug around in the drawer and pulled out a corkscrew.

Leia smiled, grabbing the corkscrew from his hand, "What are we waiting for?"

"Nuh-uh," Han waggled a finger at her before he took the bottle from her, "Can't trust you with this."

"And why not?" Leia asked.

"Obviously, you aren't used to the finer things in life," Han took off.

"Of course I am," Leia argued as she followed close on his heels.

Han abruptly stopped and faced her. He held the bottle and glasses away from his chest as she crashed into him. Her eyes narrowed on him, "You did that on purpose."

"Now why would I do that?" Han asked, but he didn't wait for her to answer. He turned around and continued on his way, "If you were used to the finer things in life, then you'd know that you don't drink a bottle of wine this good just anywhere." Han stopped again, but this time Leia was ready, "But then maybe you're just too young to understand such things."

"Oh!" she stamped her foot, "I am not too young for anything!"

Han leaned close to her, "Anything?"

Leia's mouth opened and closed a few times, and Han wore a huge smile as he whirled around and continued toward his destination. He loved it when he flustered her. He palmed the controls to the door of the cockpit and headed straight for his pilot's chair. As he waited for her to catch up, Han uncorked the wine and poured himself a glass. He swirled the liquid around, admiring the way the amber wine captured the light of the stars zooming by. Han then stole a glance over his shoulder to see where the princess was.

When she wasn't standing in the doorway like he expected, Han found himself profoundly disappointed, and this emotion flustered him. He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself. Why was he letting this girl get to him? He put the glass of wine down without taking even a taste. What was he doing? Was he trying to seduce this girl? She wasn't the type he usually seduced. So what was he doing?

An image of the frightened girl spooked by some unnamed nightmare flashed before him. Han's heart sped up as he remembered that first night they spent in the speeder. She had trusted him enough to let him comfort her. He wanted nothing more than to keep her safe. Not that he did a very good job of doing that. Han ran a hand through his hair. He almost lost her when they scaled the cliff. His eyes instinctively closed, and a tingling sensation ran down his spine and settled in his stomach as he recalled what it felt like to have her cling to him as tight as she possibly could. He could relive that moment a hundred times. And then there was that awkward kiss they shared while they waited for death by the hand of the Doni. He wasn't even sure it was fair to call it a kiss, but it was nothing like he'd ever experienced before. He sighed. There was something about her…something that made him want to bend over backwards to keep her from harm's way. When did her safety ever become his responsibility?

Han picked up the glass of wine. Why was he torturing himself like that? It was best to drop this girl back at the rebel base and high-tail it out of there before he no longer could. He raised the glass to his lips.

"I thought you said that this wine was too good to drink alone?"