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Part 6: As we dream by the fire….

Han stretched out on the comfortable sofa with his bare ankles crossed and one arm tucked behind his head, absently staring into the fire as he waited for Leia to return. He'd stoked the blaze high after she disappeared to the fresher, and it was once again crackling merrily, filling the cosy room with a golden, flickering glow. He was in a pleasant sort of stupor, feeling deliciously drained and utterly relaxed as he pondered over his own good fortune and gazed, mesmerised, into the dancing flames.

His primary ambition in stealing away with Leia had been to enjoy some time alone with her, and to see her truly relaxed and carefree, if only for a little while. The weight of her responsibilities and the burden of her unhappy familial secret were two elements that never left her, and probably never would. He knew in his gut, though, that it wasn't good for her to dwell too long in either of those mental states—weary and distressed—without a break. He had been in need of some time off, too. Still reeling from the whirlwind of events that had followed his release from carbonite and his rescue from Tatooine, it was only within the last month or so that he'd begun to feel that his body had fully recovered. It was certainly nice to have a few days to breathe, sleep, and recoup. The boon he hadn't seen coming, though, was how time spent alone together, free of obligations and the near-continuous demands of duty, could bring such clarity and closeness to their relationship. Although he hadn't anticipated that things between them would develop so far and so fast, he wasn't complaining; he'd never been more sure of anything in his life. He smiled to himself, thinking of the thoroughly enjoyable day they'd spent together so far, and how many more there were still to come.

The quiet snick of the bedroom door opening alerted him to Leia's return, and he lifted his head and craned his neck around to watch her approach. She'd disappeared to go to the fresher without bothering to get dressed first and, to his delight, she was still in the nude as she passed between him and the fire. The sight of her lithe figure made his heart thump hard and sent his pulse beating a little faster, even despite his thoroughly satiated condition. She was so pretty, and seeing her so perfectly comfortable walking around in front of him without a stitch on was deeply satisfying, fulfilling some essential need within him that he'd scarcely acknowledged, let alone examined. Whatever it was, it felt good. She hadn't put her hair up, he noted with approval. It swung around her like a silken curtain as she dipped down to retrieve her discarded underwear from the floor and started pulling them on.

Han sat upright and frowned. "Hey, hang on a minute, Princess," he said, shooting her a mock scowl. "What's your hurry?"

"I'm starting to get cold," Leia replied, picking up her pyjama bottoms and shaking them out.

Reaching out, Han snagged the garment from her grasp, and then caught her hand and tugged her gently toward him as he dropped the unwanted clothing to the floor. "C'mere, then. I'll keep you warm."

With an indulgent smile, Leia complied. Wearing nothing but her Alliance-issued skivvies, she swept her hair over one shoulder, dropped down and settled onto the sofa beside him, tucking her knees up and curling her body into his as he reached for one of the cabin's ubiquitous woven throws and dragged it across them both. They sat, cuddled together in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the crackling fire and watching the flames leap and dance in the open hearth.

"I've been thinking," Han said at length.

Leia's dark head stirred against him. "About what?" she murmured.

"Married life." He paused, and then angled a look down at her. "It ain't so bad, is it?"

Leia laughed quietly and craned her neck up to look at him. "I'm not complaining."

"So far, so good, anyway," he smiled, and then his expression grew more solemn. He was about to try and put something into words that had been building up in his heart for years, and he wanted to do it right. "The truth is...I don't need it." He winced, seeing Leia's eyes widen perceptibly, and then hastened to clarify. "What I mean is, I don't need someone else to say words over us in public, or tell me what I already know." He chewed on his lip for a minute, choosing his next words with care. "All I'm trying to say, Leia, is that I've been 'married' to you for a long time. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And if you want to...well, I'd like to make it official."

He held his breath, tightening his arm around her, trying to add the weight to his words that only his touch could convey. When Leia tipped her face up to his, he saw that her dark eyes were bright with unshed tears. She had never been one to cry easily, and there was something about the shine in those deep brown depths that made Han's throat tighten. He could see by her expression that his heartfelt words had hit home, and he finally released the breath he'd been holding, and gave her a faint smile. She searched his face for a long moment before stretching up to meet his lips in a lingering kiss.

When they finally parted, Han drew back and met her gaze, holding it with a questioning look. "What about you, Princess? Think you could stand to have me around that long? If we can work out the logistics?"

Leia gazed up at him, her expression soft and sincere, and lifted a hand to stroke her fingertips across his cheek. "There's no 'if' about it, for me, Han," she said quietly. "I love you. This is what I want, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."

Han stared at her, feeling his face flush hot and his mouth go dry, and then one corner of his lips tipped up in a lopsided smile. "Well, then…what are we waiting for? We can go back into the village tomorrow and find Joro's mother the magistrate…."

Leia gave a low, affectionate laugh and reached to smooth his hair back from his temple. "We could do that, if you want. But…."

"But what?"

Leia hesitated a beat. "It's just that...well, I'd really like for Luke and Chewie to be with us when we take that step. They're our family, after all."

Han nodded sagely. "Plus, Chewie might pull my arm off and beat me with it if we elope."

Leia snorted a laugh. "It's not wise to upset a Wookiee," she intoned, mimicking Han's oft-repeated phrase. "Have you already discussed this with him, then? Does he know what you've been thinking?"

Han gave her a meaningful tilt of his head. "Chewie's been way ahead of us all along. You know that."

Leia nodded, her expression a little rueful.

"And no, I haven't talked to him about it," Han continued. "Not in so many words. But I know he'd be upset if he thought he was gonna miss out on a party."

He felt Leia tense slightly under his arm, though she didn't speak.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Han queried, looking down at her pensive face. "Something wrong?"

"No," Leia said hesitantly. "It's just that there's something else we should probably discuss, while we're speaking of parties."

"Okay," Han said guardedly. "Go ahead."

"Well, an occasion like this...with people like us...it's bound to be big news," Leia began. "It's not something we'll be able to keep quiet."

"I don't want to keep it quiet, Sweetheart. I want to celebrate it."

"Yes, well, that's what has me thinking. I don't think we'll get away with having a private ceremony and nothing else. Considering our prominence in the public eye at this point, and my position in particular..." Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, looking mildly regretful.

"So, you're saying we're gonna have to have a big fancy party, instead of a quiet little shindig on Kashyyyk. Does that mean I'm gonna have to let Lando pick out my clothes? Ah hell…."

"Worse than that, I'm afraid," Leia smiled. "You know what the galactic gossip mongers are like already, with the whole 'princess and the general' fairytale nonsense. They'll be all over us, which means we'll be all over the news..."

"I can handle that," Han said, and then amended, "I'm willing to handle it, Leia. Small price to pay if it means we're together for sure, no questions."

"For sure," Leia echoed, smiling. "No questions. But I was thinking perhaps we could have our quiet little 'shindig' on Kashyyyk first. We can be married in a private ceremony. Just you and me, with Luke and Chewie, and the Wookiees as witnesses. Then we can go through all of the public ceremonies a bit later."

"Sounds good," Han concurred, and then brightened a little as a new thought occurred to him. "Just think, Sweetheart, when we do it for real, we get another 'honeymoon', right? We could go to Spira and laze around on the beach, or hit the Uphelia Fire Festival on Larwock. I hear that's a pretty good time."

Leia mused over those suggestions. "Or we could come back here, in time for Lunasa." She looked up at him with such a hopeful expression, he couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, Sweetheart. Whatever you want." He nodded his acquiescence and then added, "I'm glad you like it here."

"I love it," Leia said, resting her head on his shoulder. "We've made some good memories here already."

Han sighed with contentment and turned his gaze back to the flickering fire, absently stroking Leia's bare thigh under the blanket as he pondered over their future together.

"So, that's our time frame," he ventured after a long moment. "We'll get married in private on Kashyyyk, and then have the big public ceremony around this time next year, just before Lunasa, so we can come back here for our official honeymoon?"

"Yes." Leia curled her arm around his bare waist and burrowed into his side under the sheltering blanket. "I think that's a perfect plan."

"Okay, Sweetheart," Han pressed a kiss into her hair and laid his cheek atop her dark head. "Sounds good to me."

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A/N: This isn't quite how we originally imagined this scene (or planned to write it), but we've always leaned away from the idea of a formal proposal of marriage by either Han or Leia, being more in favour of a gradual "understanding" developing between them that it's what they both want. We're also cheating a little by devising a way in which we can give them several celebrations, private and public, and multiple honeymoons. Hah!