Chapter 2

Boussh pressed the defrost command of the carbonite slab. Inside the disguise, Leia Organa commended the man she loved to the goddess of her people. This is what you want, right Han? She asked silently.

The lights blinked and the metal surface started to glow. Han Solo's lips moved slightly and then the carbonite disolved completely and he collapsed heavily to the damp floor.

There he lay face down on the ground, limp and pale, no breath in his lungs, no pumping of his heart. Just like the Princess had seen him so many times in her dreams. Her heart joined his for a still moment.

Then suddenly every system in his body came to life again, blood running in his veins, sweat sweeping the toxins from months out of his pores, shaking hands trying to recognize the dark surroundings.

"I can't see," he said hoarsely. Something pricked at his neck and his hand found the hard face - helmet? - of his rescuer. Everything was so confusing. What had he said...? Something about hibernation sickness? To coordinate his thought was so difficult, it seemed as if all of his cognitive processes were trying to start at the same time, and the result was chaos.

The cloud cleared something, somehow, and he suddenly recognized the voice, albeit the meaning of the words got lost.

"Leia!"

Her sweet lips over his opened the floodgates and everything came back at once. All the sweet kisses from the past, al the caresses, all the tears, all the fights, in random order.

"I've got to get you out of here," she said, helping him to stand. His legs seemed enough strong to support him now, and he was feeling better by the second. Then he heard another voice, also familiar but in a dreadful way, and he knew exactly where he was. And why.

They were in trouble. Big trouble.

The High Princess of Alderaan ogled the skimpy dancer outfit Jabba's employees had provided her with. They had made very clear that if she did not comply, Han would suffer the consequences.

"Well, I wanted some sensual undergarments, didn't I?" She mumbled, fidgeting with the thin straps. "The things I do for you, flyboy..."

The biggest irony of all was that Han would probably be the only one that would not see her in it.

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa landed with a loud thud on the skiff.

"Let's go, and don't forget the droids!" The Jedi ordered even before his feet were completely on the deck. Lando obeyed without questioning and the small vessel accelerated steadily after picking up Threepio and Artoo.

The Princess let go of Luke and jumped unabashedly right into Han Solo's arms, her mouth covering his in a fervent kiss. The younger man observed them for a moment, fighting the sharp pang of envy that assaulted him. It was not jealousy because Leia so obviously loved Han and not him; he had gotten over those feelings months ago. It had been so obvious the change in her. Every time someone mentioned Han, her mood would go dark and her eyes threatened to be flooded with tears. She masked it very well, that was true, but she could not hide it from him.

No, it was not jealousy anymore. It was just longing for the one thing that he knew he could never have. Because what sane woman would love the son of Vader like that? With purpose, he turned his gaze to the exploding sail barge. Just in case someone was following them, he told himself.

The lovers remembered after a few moments that they were not alone and broke the kiss, but neither of them loosened their embrace.

"What are you wearing?" Han suddenly asked, feeling Leia's bare back under his hands. His sight may not have fully recovered, but his other senses were as sharp as ever.

The Princess reddened deeply. "Jabba's idea of a business outfit," she answered.

"I'll kill the slug for this," the smuggler swore angrily.

"Too late. I already did it," Leia stated and the smuggler felt her shiver. Hutts were extremely difficult to kill, their physical endurance one of the secrets of their success as crime lords. Even a direct hit with a blaster did not have much effect on them.

"How...?" He started.

"She strangled him with her chain," Luke interrupted, turning his face from the sand. He had taken out his outer tunic and stepped closer to cover Leia's shoulders with it. For an awkward moment, all of the males on board fixed their gazes on the tiny Princess. She thanked him for the garment silently, but did not let go of Han.

"I was... angry," she finally confessed into his chest.

Lando let out an amazed whistle.

I bet you were! Chewbacca laughed sympathetically, clutching his sore ribs.

Han Solo just held her more tightly. Sweet Corellian stars.

The sandstorm was picking up, but the seven friends did not try to avoid it.

"I can't see anythin'!" Han shouted in Leia's ear.

"Nobody can!" She shouted back.

"You sure Luke knows where we're heading?"

"Relax," she reassured him.

He was relaxed. In fact, he was too much relaxed. His legs felt like rubber and threatened to bend under him. He had to rely more and more on Leia's help as time passed. But he stubbornly kept shoving one foot in front of the other.

"The stims are wearing off," Leia informed him. "Just a few more steps, flyboy, and you can rest."

"That's what you pushed into me?"

She nodded in his shoulder but did not clarify further. A stim drug, yes, for his muscles to respond, and a sedative for his mind.

After much roaming the holo-net and digging into university files, she had discovered that they were risking more than death upon thawing him. The first minutes had been crucial for his mental health and that was why she had wanted to be the one to do it. She felt it was her duty to him as well as her right.

A few vitamins had gone to into the cocktail too. It was not that different in the end from the concoction the Imperials had forced into her during her interrogation in the Death Star and she found that fact slightly disturbing.

Suddenly the hull of the Millenium Falcon was in front of them. Good-byes were said in hurry and the group minus Luke and Artoo gratefully closed the ramp to the whirling sand and headed into space.

The Princess helped Han to reach his cabin and lay on the bunk.

"Leia, I feel so tired," he said softly, clutching her hand nervously. "And I still can't see your face."

His strained voice told her that he was about to panic, so she opened a drawer and took med-scanner out of it. She passed it several times over his body and touched it to his forehead to check his temperature. The readings were inside tolerable limits, for the time being.

"You need to sleep, Han, and I need to check on Chewie," she said, taking a hypospray and moving it towards his throat. "We'll put you in a bacta tank for a day or so when we arrive on Sullustan, so this has to last till we take you out." With a delicate gesture, she brushed her lips to his in a long and tender kiss while pressing the release button for the medicine.

"No, I don't wanna..." Han Solo protested upon closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Han," the Princess said, pressing her palm to the side of his face.