A/N: And we're back ladies and gents...Let's see how Solo fared, shall we?"

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Raucous laughter rang out through the cantina as a group of men gathered around a table, swilling ale and telling bawdy stories.

"Face it, Solo, you're whipped." Hobbie chimed in a slammed his tankard down. "Get married, get whipped. Plain and simple."

"Klivian, you're just jealous because I have someone to go home to ever night, and you go home to…well, no one."

Hobbie made a face.

Han took a shot of whiskey. "Besides, I'm not the one whose literally whipped…or near thereof...that would be Luke's department."

Several brows went up at their table.

"Literally whipped?" Wes echoed.

"Or near thereof?" Lando mimicked.

Realizing his blunder, Han took another swill of his drink. "Kriff!" He set the glass back down. "Forget I said anything."

"Nuh-uh, Solo." Corran Horn leaned in. "You're not getting off that easily. Spill."

"Nothin' doin'. I promised I wouldn't."

"But…" Wedge piped in. "You already spilled…so…" He indicated to the bartender for another round of drinks. "You might as well, tell the rest."

Han narrowed his eyes, lips thin.

"Now, you were saying something about being whipped…" Hobbie prodded.

"Or near thereof..." Lando added again.

Corran studied Han, making hmmming sounds. He clicked his tongue a few times then said, "Now, let's assume Luke would engage in that type of play, I don't see him actually utilizing anything whiplike…not in his nature…Mara maybe…but…." He paused. "Now, there is that phrase….what was it again, Boys?"

"Near thereof." They supplied.

"Yes, near thereof." He steepled his fingers. "So, if not a whip specifically..something close to a whip...or whip-like play." He looked around the table. "Any guesses?"

The men smirked.

Wes offered, "Maybe, something like…BDSM…without the SM of course, since we're ruling out whips."

Han's lips remained clamped.

Wedge raised a brow. "You're not suggesting bondage, are you?" He looked to Han.

"Luke Skywalker….and bondage." Lando murmured. "Those two things….don't quite go together do they?"

"I believe it." This came from Tycho.

All eyes turned toward him.

He shrugged. "I mean, with Mara…I could believe it."

"He's got a point. Hobbie said agreeably.

"Guys…stop." Han begged. "Please."

Lando sobered. "He's right. We shouldn't be talking about Luke like that. Much less Mara."

The men at the table thought about the woman in question and shuddered.

Wes: "Yeah…"

Corran went back to drinking.

"Hey, Pups, what's going on here?!" Booster Terrik's voice interjected jovially.

"Nothing, Booster." Corran muttered, avoiding his father-in-law.

He frowned and turned to his compatriot. "Now, I don't think that's true. What do you think, Karrde?"

"They're up to something." Talon Karrde agreed.

"Why would we be up to something?" Hobbie inquired.

Booster retorted, "Because you all at a table, laughing, drinking, and looking all conspiratorial, always looks suspicious."

They all remained silent.

"Now, I could have sworn I heard something about Mara...isn't that right, Karrde?"

"I think I heard something like that, yes." Talon looked around the table. "If Mara finds out you're talking about her in any fashion other than respectful, she'll skin you alive. All of you."

"Why only us?" Hobbie said.

"Yeah, Solo's the one who blabbed." Wes added.

Talon and Booster turned toward Han.

Han glared back, not the least bit flustered by the two men.

"If anyone's going to be a deep poodo, it's Luke." He defended childishly.

Booster smirked. "Oh and why is that?"

"He actually told you?" Wedge asked.

"Well…sort of…"

"Sort of?" Talon and Booster echoed.

"I kind of...well…inferred it."

"You inferred." Talon repeated.

"He dropped the mug of caf."

"Is that all?" Booster said, looking exasperated.

"He insisted he didn't want to talk about it!" Han threw his hands in the air. "What ELSE was I suppose to think?!"

"Maybe have the courtesy to not pester him about it…which I'm sure you did. Those kinds of things are sacred, Solo."

"Hey," Han got up. "I'm not to blame…He and Mara were playing with..."

Eyebrows went up again.

"Playing with what?" Wes asked, excitedly.

"No way, I've said enough."

"Oh, now you get a conscience." Hobbie groused. "Just a minute ago you were shooting off your mouth!"

"He's clamming up, because he's smarter than you lot." Booster barked then looked back to Han. Solo looked positively drunk out of his gourd. "And that's saying a lot, seeing how drunk he is. Should have known." He shook his head then waved the waitress. "Don't give him anymore." He instructed her. "He's cut off, officially."

"Hey, I just serve 'em, Mister."

"Yeah, well, they're trouble."

"Oh."

Booster looked back to the group and turned back to the girl disgusted. "In fact, cut them all off. Lest they make more jackasses out of themselves then they already have been."

"Allright." The woman shrugged her shoulders then walked off.

"Spoilsport…" Corran mumbled under his breath.

"What was that, Horn? Now, I'm sure you're not giving me attitude, because I'm positive your drunk ass had something to do with his drunk ass. Am I right?"" His father-in-law leaned in, giving Corran a stern look. "Nothing to say? That's what I thought." He bit his lip, "Now, since it seems that I'm the only one.."

A throat cleared.

"Well, since we're the only ones with reason, I'm going to have to talk some sense into you."

"With all due respect, Sir." Lando tried.

"Pipe down, Calrissian, you were in on it too."

Talon grinned.

"Now, I know most of you are half drunk out of your gored so you currently don't have a lick of sense to you." He turned to Wes and Hobbie. "And some of you never had any to begin with…So let me tell you how this looks…Bad. In fact, it's shameful. Downright shameful. You're not greenhorns...you're seasoned veterans. Grown men, who should be acting like grown men. Not behaving like a bunch of space jockies.

"A person's marital life is sacred…it's not to be bandied around like some third rate bawdy joke." He glared at five particular individuals: Lando, Han, Corran, Tycho, and Wedge. "Something five of you should be aware of...since you are married. In fact, one would wonder what your wives would say."

Talon said, "One would."

Corran looked annoyed. "Is that all?" He ran a hand through his hair, staring at Booster through bloodshot eyes.

Booster looked around the table at the similar displayed faces and then made a sound of disgust. "Forget it. I'm done…Let's go get a drink, Karrde." He turned his head over his shoulder. "Don't come crying to us when it all blows up in your faces—which it will."

"Right behind you, Booster." Talon called back-and couldn't help but feel sorry for them. There would be hell to pay when Mara found out.

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A/N: All right, Solo failed...so can we trust the boys.. .or will they cave...yeah right..