A/N: These two updates in quick succession are because I have a lot of work to do soon and I may not post for a while. Wish me luck and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. xx

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Han stood at the observation window, his wife's arm on his.

He sighed softly.

"We lost so many," he said, half to himself. "What were loyalists doing after so long?"

Leia stood on her tiptoes and kissed her husband's grimy cheek, running her fingers through his disheveled hair.

He glanced down at her, a grateful smile on his face.

He had returned home to assure his family that he and Chewbacca were safe, although they had already sensed it, and then he had returned to the hospital. Leia came with him, to check on Luke and to offer her husband her support.

Although he rarely admitted it to anyone but her, Han hated times like these, when he and the men he worked with had done everything in their power to aid the helpless and had failed so many anyway. But Leia never saw it as failure, Better to save these few than none at all. There was, after all, nothing else that could have been done.

He sighed again and let his head tip to rest on the top of hers.

"I really wish there was something else we could do," he said, his voice becoming muffled as he turned his head to kiss her hair.

She pulled away from him and reached up to trace the livid bruise that ran across his throat, then kiss it softly.

"You did all you could and I'm proud of you for it. You saved a good few tonight, my love."

"But we lost so may, too."

She touched a hand to his cheek.

"You mustn't dwell on it, Han. Yell me, what would have changed tonight?"

He nodded slowly and looked down at his boots.

"I guess nothing," he said softly.

She nodded and slipped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his armored chest, missing the warmth that vest kept from her but silently thanking the Gods he'd been wearing it. There was a rather nasty blaster burn on the front of it and it looked like it would have been fatal if he hadn't been protected. As though sensing her distress, he held her tighter.

"I love you," he whispered solemnly. "I love you and I love my family."

"We love you too," she whispered back, in no mood for the usual 'I Know' that was the running joke. "I love you, too."

"General?"

They broke their embrace to turn and face the young man at the door.

It was Calder.

"The Doctor wants to see you. About the girl you found."

"Tirinide!" Han said, without thinking.

"Yes, Sir," Calder answered, a little puzzled. "The Doctor wants to ask you some things."

Han nodded, then turned and kissed Leia's gently, avoiding the temptation to open his mouth lest he be detained. Calder still flushed bright red and this, at least, brought a smile to Han's face.

"Easy there, Calder," he grinned. "And Leia, this is the man I was telling you about – the one who saved me from being throttled. Arrived just in time."

Again she traced the bruise on her husband's neck.

"So I see. Thank you, Captain Calder. I am in your debt."

She stepped forward and kissed his cheek.

If possible, Calder went even redder as he cleared his throat.

"Not at all, Ma'am," he said, raising a hand to his collar which had suddenly become very tight. "It was, uh, it was, uh, nothing, Ma'am."

"Oh, it wasn't nothing," she said, momentarily grasping her husband's hand.

"Well, uh, Your Highness, you're welcome."

She smiled and bowed her head to him.

Then she jumped as Han walked by her and gave her behind a quick squeeze before giving her a parting wink as they left.

She was pretty sure Calder hadn't seen but she gave Han a stern glare nevertheless, which only broadened his grin.

Once the door was closed, though, she allowed herself a small smile.

--

Han stared at the withered body in the bed before him.

"She needs liver," one of the doctors was telling him. "The wound went in from the side but damaged hers."

"She needs a new one?" Han asked.

"Either that or part of one. She's human. One will grow if she has enough to start with. But her type is rare. She needs help quickly and I'm not sure who'll qualify."

"I see which of the men wants to be tested," Han said, without hesitation. "And I'll go first."

"You realize, General, that if you or one of your men is found to be a match, you'll be having the operation tonight?"

Han nodded.

"Fine by us."

"You may want to inform your wife of the proceedings."

"Yeah," Han said, pulling out his comlink.

--

Ten minutes later, Leia watched as her husband rolled up his sleeve, the first of a long line of men. She was insanely proud of him for doing this, however unlikely it was that any of these men would match.

The doctor stepped forward.

"I must warn you now," he said, "that the odds of finding a match in time are about three thousand to one."

Han gave Leia a look but said nothing.

The doctor took blood from Han's arm and placed it on the table beside the girl's – Tirinide. Then he swabbed Han's arm and held a small piece of gauze to the puncture. Then he walked over to the station and placed the first phial in. A small reading came up but the doctor ignored it. It was only when he placed the second sample in that he frowned.

"My apologies, General. I must have mixed up the samples. I must retake."

Han nodded with a sigh and the doctor repeated the process. But he frowned again.

"I'm most terribly sorry," he said. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

Han frowned as the doctor came for a third sample.

"What am I, a damned pincushion?"

"Here," said Leia, reaching forward with a pen. "Let's label them, shall we."

The doctor nodded slowly, as though afraid that if he did anything quickly, he might accidentally kill someone.

He then took Han's blood and labeled it clearly. Then he continued and tested both samples.

"I don't understand," he said miserably. "It can't be."

"You haven't got them wrong again," Han said irritably, "have you?"

"I can't have. We labeled this straight away but-"

"Then what's the problem?"

The doctor looked at him.

"They appear to be identical."

"What?" Han said suddenly at exactly the same time as Leia.

They both moved forward to stare at the screen and saw, much to their amazement, that the doctor was completely correct.

"Here," said the doctor, "Let me try this."

He punched in a couple of commands and shook his head, astounded, as the results came up.

"They are exactly the same, except there's a Y chromosome here where there's and X chromosome here."

Han shook his head.

"But that's not even possible," he said. "She'd have to be a relative, wouldn't she?"

The doctor shook his head solemnly.

"I'm afraid not, General Solo. For this kind of match to occur, she'd have to be an exact genetic copy, with a few chromosomal changes of course."

Leia looked at Han, then at the Doctor, wide eyed.

"You mean she's…"

The doctor nodded.

"She's a clone."