CHAPTER FIVE.
Solo woke and opened his eyes to darkness. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't ache and his head was a maelstrom of confusion. Shifting a little, he gauged that he was lying in a bed; could feel the roughness of the bedclothes against his skin, and tried to remember where he was.
He couldn't, and moved a little more in the hope that it would give him more data without putting himself at risk. There was a body beside him. He could tell by the depression of the mattress and the bedclothes. And, now that he concentrated, he could hear her breathing.
Her?
Leia.
He knew it was her. Didn't know how he knew, but he was sure.
Solo tentatively moved his arm out from under the bedclothes. The air felt cool and he retreated back into the warmth of the covers, reached out and touched the warm body beside him.
Leia.
Memories of her in his bunk on the Falcon came to the fore and for a moment he assumed that was where they were. Although it wasn't usually this dark in his cabin. Maybe the lights had failed? He ignored the painful protesting of his joints as he rolled to embrace her. Pulled her against him and revelled in the feel of her body spooned against his.
The fact that she wasn't naked flummoxed him a little, but he was slightly reassured when running his hand across her hip enabled him to slide it in underneath the wrap she was wearing.
He slid his hand across her stomach, enjoying the warm, silken feel of her skin as his hand travelled upwards, as well as the anticipation of cupping the delicious, soft fullness of her breast. The breast was fuller than he expected, and much firmer.
Leia stiffened and Solo frowned. He had the distinct feeling he'd forgotten something. Something important.
"Han?"
Her voice was hesitant. Whispering.
"You were expecting someone else?" he rumbled into her hair.
She rolled over to face him and Solo adjusted himself accordingly, straightening his legs and readjusting the covers to accommodate the changes. He still couldn't see her face in the darkness and voiced his concern.
"Why is it so dark in here?"
Solo felt her hand caress his face and smiled. Then he heard her say, "It isn't," and felt a deep-seated panic blossom in his gut.
"You have hibernation sickness," she continued, running her hands over his skin and reassuring him with her touch.
It was marginally effective. Solo remained where he was instead of leaping out of the bed in a literal blind panic. Disconnected images were flashing through his brain. Images that were meaningless yet terrifying.
"Your eyesight will return in time."
How much time?
"Where are we?" he asked, unable to disguise the tension in his voice, and heard her sigh.
"We're still on Tatooine," she said softly.
"Tatooine?!" Now he did sit up. "How the hell did we get to Tatooine?!" What the hell had happened to him and why couldn't he remember? "I thought we were heading for Bespin!"
There was a long pause, then Leia finally said, "That was over a month ago."
"What?"
"Vader was waiting for us on Bespin," she explained. "He had you frozen in carbonite and delivered to Jabba."
Solo's blindness had made him hypersensitive to the inflections in her voice. He could hear the tremor. Something terrible had happened.
"Why can't I remember?" he demanded.
"You've suffered a major physical trauma, Han. It's not uncommon for there to be memory loss."
Physical trauma? That explained the pain he was feeling.
"Vader had me frozen?"
"Yes."
"What'd he do to you?"
"Nothing."
Solo could hear the evasiveness in her voice. It was definitely not nothing.
"Put me in a cell," she continued. "Luke helped me escape."
"Luke? Where'd he come from?"
"It's a long story, Han."
She sounded horribly tired, but he needed to know.
"Leia…"
"I need to use the 'fresher," she said, deliberately changing the subject, and he felt her leave the bed. "Do you want to try getting up or would you rather use a bottle?"
"A bottle?" It took Solo a moment to process what she meant, then a wave of disgust settled over him. Just how helpless had he been and for how long?
Leia must have seen his reaction and understood his need for some dignity because she said quickly, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
Solo listened to her move out of the room and tried to ignore the stabbing pains in all his joints as he shifted to the edge of the bed. He could hear Leia talking to someone in another room but couldn't recognise the voice. Damn it, why wouldn't she just tell him what the hell was going on?
Nearly a month. He had been frozen for nearly a month.
He thought he heard Chewbacca's distinctive rumble and swung his legs off the bed preparatory to getting up, but he didn't fancy wandering around naked as well as blind. He heard someone enter the room and, assuming it was Leia, asked, "Why don't I have any clothes on?"
[They were a mess,] he heard Chewbacca say. [We had to throw them out.]
"Chewie!" he said, relief and delight at the sound of his best friend's voice tempering his confusion. Had he been frozen fully clothed? Every other cryogenic facility he'd heard of insisted on the patient being naked.
[Hello, cub,] the Wookiee growled affectionately, and Solo felt fabric settle across his shoulders. Catching on, he helped Chewbacca feed his arms into the sleeves of the garment then felt large, strong hands under his arms, helping him to his feet.
Blindness aside, Solo felt the world spin, and was deeply grateful for his friend's support. But he couldn't stop himself from hissing as pins and needles, more painful than he had never experienced, shot up his legs the minute he put his weight on his feet.
Determined not to give in, Solo distracted himself from the pain by asking, "Who else is here?"
[Luke and Lando,] Chewbacca replied, helping him walk.
"Lando?!" A bizarre feeling of deja-vous assailed Solo and he paused. What was Lando doing here and why did thinking about his old friend fill him with rage? "Leia-"
"I'm right here, Han," he heard her say from somewhere nearby.
Then Chewbacca was directing him into the sani, helping him to sit and stopping him from falling off as dizziness took hold once more. Solo groaned; a vague protest at the indignity of needing so much assistance. His head had started to throb.
[It is good to see you up and about,] Chewbacca rumbled softly.
"I feel terrible," Solo moaned.
By the time Chewbacca was helping him back into bed, the pain had become quite profound and Solo wanted nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep. But it seemed Leia had other ideas.
"I brought you some water," he heard her say as she sat beside him. "You need to drink."
"I need to know what's going on," Solo replied tersely, but he sat up a little and let her help him drink.
The water felt wonderful going down, and he emptied the cup. Then it hit his stomach and started doing something nasty. Leia tried to get him to drink more, but he shook his head.
"Han, you have to drink."
"I'll be fine."
"Han, I don't have another infuser; you have to drink."
She had used an infuser on him already? Just how sick was he and how long had they been here? Where was here for that matter? Solo let her help him drink again, but made sure he only took a small sip. If anything, the protest from his stomach was even worse this time.
He lay down in an attempt to find some relief, but it didn't help. Vader had been waiting for them on Bespin. Had captured them. Had Leia been tortured? What had his stupid ship cost him this time? Why wouldn't she tell him?
Solo groaned into his arms as he felt her caress his head. "Everything hurts," he growled. My body, my head, my heart… What'd he do to you?!
"I'll get you something for the pain," she said, and he felt her leave the bed.
"That'd be good," he said flatly.
She didn't go far, and he listened to the distinctive sounds of her charging a hypo with a pressurised cylinder. Felt the cool of the metal as she pressed it against his neck.
"Ow!" he complained irritably as it discharged, then berated himself as she apologised. She was only trying to help him.
[What's the last thing you remember, Han?]
Chewbacca's voice seemed to come from a long way away, and Solo shook his head, afraid to answer the Wookiee in case his stomach really started to protest against the water.
"Do you remember landing on Cloud City?" Leia asked.
He shook his head.
"Do you remember leaving Hoth?"
Solo considered for a moment, then nodded. He had started to wonder whether the memories he had of Leia in his bunk were simply wishful thinking, then decided that, from the way Leia had been letting him touch her, they must have been real.
He wanted to reach out to her, but not moving was less painful.
"Leia…" he murmured.
He felt her hands cup his face, almost flinched at the strength of her grip, and her lips met his in a kiss that was anything but gentle. Desperation was the first description that leapt to mind, and Solo wanted to back off a little, but suddenly found himself struggling to get his thoughts into some sort of order. He'd wanted to ask her something and now he couldn't remember what it was. What had she been saying?
"Painkiller's kicking in," he heard her murmur, and Solo wasn't sure he knew what she was talking about. He tried to respond, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of garbled grunt.
"Don't fight it, Han."
Her voice seemed to come from a long way away, yet he could feel her hand caressing his face.
What a waste, he thought, dimly aware that her lips were touching his again. He'd never been able to comprehend painkillers that just put you to sleep. What was the point if you weren't awake to enjoy the pain-free time?
xxxxxx
Leia felt Solo's lips go slack beneath hers and moved back a little so she could focus on his face. Studying him, aware of the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, Leia wasn't sure that the expression on his face was one she could call peaceful. She thought he simply looked unconscious. But at least he was out of pain. For the moment anyway.
Chewbacca rumbled something that she didn't quite catch, squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring way, then left the room.
Guilt that she had not yet managed to determine or identify whatever it was that had triggered her ability to heal Solo on Hoth assailed Leia once again, and was tinged with panic. Leia knew that fear was her greatest problem. She was afraid of failing, yet even more afraid of succeeding. Afraid of using the Force successfully and falling to the Dark Side in the process. . Why was she able to heal so effectively when Luke, who was far more experienced with the Force, couldn't? It just didn't make sense.
Leia lay down and ran a hand lightly along the side of Solo's face; closed her eyes and listened to the soft rumble of male voices from the room above to stop herself from thinking about it. Turned her thoughts to the child growing inside her.
Divided your attention is. Hard for you to focus will it be.
Yoda had certainly been correct about that. Nevertheless, as Luke was incessantly pointing out, she had healed Solo on Hoth.
"I wasn't pregnant last time," she mumbled softly, and closed her eyes while she sought out the comforting presence of her daughter. Little Organa-Solo, she thought fondly, mentally caressing the child and using the title the medic, Gizela Shalleron, had given her with some amusement.
Or should it have been Skywalker-Solo? Leia wondered suddenly, opening her eyes and staring at Solo's profile.
No! she thought defiantly. That would be giving her biological father far more recognition than he deserved! Leia allowed herself a small moment of smug satisfaction; infinitely pleased that her daughter was carrying the name of the man Leia had always considered to be her real father.
Smiling softly to herself, and comforted by the gentle innocence of her daughter, Leia snuggled against Solo and told the child growing inside her, This is your daddy. And, for the first time since they'd rescued him, allowed herself to feel joy that Han was there beside her. Alive.
Half asleep and deep in the flow of the Force, Leia instinctively reached out to Solo and, instead of trying to heal him, satisfied herself with simply loving him.
xxxxxx
Sitting across from Chewbacca and Calrissian, regarding them with an air of endurance while they 'interrogated' him about his familial connections to Darth Vader and Leia Organa, Luke felt it. Felt a deep stirring in the Force and knew at once what it was. He looked at the others with a mixture of shock and delight, saw confusion on their faces, and couldn't stop himself from grinning.
She had done it! Somehow Leia had overcome her anxiety and was healing Han. Without a word of explanation to Lando or Chewie, Luke rose and hurried downstairs.
Leia appeared to be asleep which, Luke decided, made sense. That was when her defences were at their lowest, and she was able to tap into the Force without fear clouding her instinct. Yet, as he let his Force sense join hers, Luke felt another sentience helping, and, with wonder, realised it was Leia's child. A whisper of concern flashed across his mind; that the child was too young, that such an exposure to the Force could be draining or detrimental in some way. For a fleeting moment he considered blocking the child somehow, and was shocked to feel an instinctive response from her. A response that told Luke in no uncertain terms that she would push him away if necessary; throw him out of the link, and Luke hastily reassured her. He could consider the ramifications later. Right now Han needed all the help he could get.
Closing his eyes to aid his focus, Luke sat on the end of the bed, rested a hand on Solo's foot, and felt the healing power of the Force flow though him.
xxxxxx
Chewbacca followed Luke down the stairs, watching as he sat on the end of the bed, rested one hand on Solo, and seemed to go into a sort of trance. Leia and Solo both appeared to be asleep. Deciding they'd be best left alone, Chewbacca went back to make sure Calrissian didn't interrupt.
xxxxxxx
Luke woke with a start. He'd been dreaming about Sandpeople and felt genuinely alarmed. He sat up, momentarily confused, and a sharp pain in his side brought the memories of the day before into sharp clarity.
"It's alright," he heard Lando say quietly from the room above, "they're not stopping." Chewbacca rumbled a soft reply and then Luke heard it again: the distinct bellow of a bantha.
So he hadn't just dreamt it; there were Sandpeople out there. He'd wondered how long it would take them to notice that Kenobi's hut was inhabited again. And now it seemed they'd decided to use the cover of the sandstorm to check it out.
From the soft light in the room, he could see that Han and Leia were still sleeping, and hurried up the stairs without disturbing them. Chewie and Calrissian were silhouettes in the doorway, both wearing goggles and fabric over their faces against the stinging sand, and both had their weapons drawn.
"How many?" Luke whispered, shielding his face with his hand as he joined them in the doorway.
"Ten or so," Lando replied.
"Ten that you saw?" Luke clarified, deciding that, if Lando had seen ten, there would be at least twenty, probably thirty.
"Can't see anything in that," Lando tossed back, indicating the sand storm. "We're just going on what Chewie's heard."
In that case there were probably only ten, Luke thought, and stepped back out of the doorway to consider their best option. Maintaining Kenobi's aura of fear would be ideal, but Luke was not sure if he could pull that off. It would require him to plant a suggestion in the minds of the Sandpeople; a feat he had managed on Vader's ship to help Leia and himself escape. But Imperials were trained not to question their superiors, so it had been easy to trick them into believing that he and Leia were 'somebody else's problem.' Sandpeople, on the other hand, were deeply suspicious and superstitious. Their survival depended on them being on the alert for anything new or unusual. And everything was considered hostile until proven otherwise.
How in the world could he make them believe he was a kryatt dragon as Kenobi had?
Chewbacca growled suddenly and they all saw the shadow pass quickly in front of the door. Lando shushed him anxiously, but inspiration struck Luke.
"No," he said, grabbing Chewie's arm, "do it again!"
"Are you insane?!" Lando hissed, but Chewbacca didn't hesitate; he roared at the entrance and, using the Force, Luke amplified his roar, adding a yell of his own to double the effect. He could feel the Sandpeople through the Force now, and their fear was palpable. He brushed their minds, filling them with the urge to flee; heard the banthas bellowing in response. And could almost see Yoda scowling at him for doubting himself and the Force.
The Sandpeople had fled, and Luke couldn't quite hide his slightly smug smile as he retreated back into the hut.
xxxxxx
Leia was touching him, her fingertips grazing every millimetre of his skin until his whole body was literally humming with desire. There had been pain before, he knew that, but each touch of her fingers seemed to chase it away like ever expanding ripples on water. He could feel her lips too; against his forehead, on his throat and now, ever so sweetly, trailing along his collar bone. And, despite enjoying every caress, he ached for her to hurry up and get to his groin. The ache forced a level of consciousness to the surface, and Solo filled his lungs, savouring the fresh air, but noting its warmth and dryness. Leia was spooned against his back, and he rolled to face her; sleepily embraced her and pressed his nose to the top of her head. She smelled…Spicy. Dusty, sandy, a layer of body odour that made her even more desirable, and…Spicy.
Curiosity piqued, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Some of her hair was across her face and he gently pushed it aside. Glanced past her to take in the small room softly lit by a single luma. Not the Falcon, which disturbed him because he couldn't remember where they were or why, but the fact that she was here with him, like this, was reassuring.
He ran his hand up her back then threw off the blanket that had been covering them both. They were both wearing the same sort of robe. Solo started kissing her face and opening her robe; needed to feel her warm skin under his lips and fingers, could tell she was about to wake up, but couldn't stop kissing her, touching her. Leia smiled sleepily, and gave a soft murmur of approval. Encouraged, Solo's kisses got stronger, between her breasts and up her neck as he leaned over her, pressing her against the bed. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer, opened his robe and traced lines of fiery desire across his skin. Kisses deepened. A knee between her knees, a gentle familiar shift of bodies.
Leia opened her eyes: those big, dark, liquid eyes that he'd often thought he could happily drown in, and looked at him. Solo smiled and said softly, "Have I told you how beautiful you are?"
Leia frowned at him, her eyes fluttering over his face as she said, "Han?"
"Hey…" he said. Vaguely alarmed at her reaction and wanting to lose himself making love to her, he resumed kissing her.
But she pushed away from him a little and said, "You can see me?"
That made him frown, because a part of him could almost remember not being able to see…
"Of course I can," he started to say, but she cut him off, "Han!" Leia's hand rested against his face. Her voice sounded dry, and full of emotion. "You're all right? You're all right?"
"I'm fine," he said, and resumed nibbling her neck, hoping they could get back to the good stuff. "Better than I've felt in ages actually," he assured her in what he hoped was his most sultry voice.
"Han!" She clutched him to her, hugged him desperately, then pulled back a little so she could look at him again. "I thought I was going to lose you! And then Luke said the sandstorm… and I thought…I thought…" Tears sprang in her eyes and Solo stopped what he was doing. Something had happened. He couldn't remember, but something had happened. Something…bad.
He realised he could hear voices nearby, perhaps in the next room. Male voices in quiet conversation but couldn't make out words. Chewie's distinctive rumble was there too, which was reassuring, but it clarified there would be no rolling under the covers with Leia. Not here. He started to move off her, but Leia stopped him; clung to him desperately, while she cried silently.
"Leia," he said, gently. She had tightened her grip on him and was kissing the side of his face, wetly. "Leia, what's happened?"
"I love you," she said into his ear. Heartfelt.
"I love you too," he assured her, moving onto his side without letting her go. "But I really want to know what's going on." He looked at the room they were in again. "Where the hell are we?"
Abruptly Leia seemed to pull herself together; she sat up, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I told you," he said, hoping the impatience he was feeling was not apparent in his voice. "I feel fine. What's going on?"
Leia touched his face, her hand shaking, then gasped and looked like she was going to be sick.
"Oh no…I'll be right back," she said, then lurched out of the bed and hurried out of the room holding her robe closed.
"Leia!" he called after her, and clambered out of the bed too; had just got to his feet when the sound of someone hurrying down the stairs stopped him following her.
Chewbacca burst into the room and the look in his eyes reminded Solo strongly of the Wookiee's reaction after the cave-in on Hoth. When he had nearly died. Come to think of it, Leia's reaction had been uncannily similar too…
He managed to close his robe and say "Chewie?" before he was enveloped in a great Wookiee hug. Any protests were smothered against Chewbacca's chest and the Wookiee kept repeating, [She did it! She did it!]
When he was finally released, Solo saw that Luke had come into the room behind Chewbacca, along with –
"Lando?"
Lando was looking at him like he'd seen a ghost, fear and trepidation all over his face. Then Leia stepped back into the room, her face pale and tear-stained, and Solo forgot all about Lando. He opened his arms to her, uncaring of what the others might think, and she stepped into his embrace and clung to him. Something momentous had happened; something terrible. Something that had almost cost his life. And Leia had saved him, just as she had on Hoth.
He looked over her head at Chewie, whose eyes were dancing with guarded happiness, then at Luke. Luke's expression was nothing short of jubilant.
"So," Solo said, casting about for some way of lightening what was promising to be a dangerously serious moment, "where the hell are we? And what's to eat? I feel like I haven't eaten for a month!"