From a Certain Point of View
"It's not funny."
Han worked on controlling the upward motion of the corners of his mouth while Leia glowered at him. "Who's laughin'?" He asked, showing a few too many teeth in the process. The aching muscles in his face rejoicing in the freedom of movement temporarily granted them.
"This is all your fault, anyway," she replied as she turned away from him, tugging at the tunic that was at the heart of the current issue.
According to what Han could gather, either that tunic - which had been about the only thing that Leia could wiggle into for the past month - had shrunk, or Leia's little bump of joy had grown exponentially since she had tried to shimmy into that tunic last, which was about four standard days ago.
"My fault? I didn't force feed you that third nerf steak last night, sweetheart." Han said it and Han regretted it – all in the same instant.
Leia whirled around on him, eyes afire and mouth hanging open like a Sarlacc on Tatooine. Any remnants of his smile evaporated immediately.
"I am eating for two." She replied hotly. And then as if by the flip of some hormonal switch that Han had yet to locate the bypass for, her eyes cooled and her mouth clamped shut. She turned away from him and said, "You told me you thought I looked beautiful."
He watched as her hands continued to pull at the guilty fabric of the shrinking tunic and he shook his head. Letting out a quiet breath, he dropped his head back, shaking it in surrender and amusement as he studied the ceiling of his cabin. If Leia had been a woman that was hard to figure out before, the addition of raging pregnancy hormones was more than any man should be expected to take.
As he brought his eyes back down on the jumbled up bundle of emotions standing in front of him, he stepped toward her. Clasping his hands on her upper arms, he said, "You are beautiful, sweetheart."
"Oh, blow it out your ass," she replied as she shook his hands off of her and walked to the dresser.
Han chuckled but failed to come up with an appropriate reply.
Turning around to face him, her eyes clear and hard now, she asked, "Are you sure the Falcon will be ready by tomorrow?"
He drew in a deep breath as the hormonal switch, switched once again.
Han had been working for four days nonstop on rebuilding the sabotaged code on the Falcon. Chewie joined him each night and the pair worked together, Han only sleeping and eating when Leia outright forced him to. They were to report to the temple to finalize plans for their previously scheduled departure the next day, which is why Leia had to get dressed in something other than Han's old clothes.
Clearing his throat, Han said, "Yeah, we should get it tonight."
"Should?" Leia asked pointedly while she held his hand for support as she slipped on her shoes.
"We will, don't worry."
She looked at him. It was an understood reaction between the two of them to distrust whoever may utter the words: 'Trust me' or 'Don't worry'.
Leia straightened up, having slid her shoes onto her swollen feet. He still held one of her hands in his and he used it to pull her to him. He wrapped his arm around her and brushed the hair out of her face as he whispered, "We almost got it last night. We should finish up early, so…make room for me in that bunk because I am sleeping the entire way to Coruscant."
"Han…"
She breathed his name out in that way that only she could do and almost instantly his insides tingled in response. He knew everything she wanted to say: that she didn't think they would ever make it to Coruscant and that time was running out for them and that she was sorry for everything from Alderaan to his broken ship. Han could feel the frivolity dissipate from between them while the gravity of their situation wrapped around the cabin like so much spacers tape. But that only made him hold on to her even tighter, silencing her words if not the thoughts that flowed relentlessly between them.
So what if the galaxy's evil was bearing down on them? As long as there was a them, he would be happy. He smiled down at Leia and he could feel their baby kicking him in the gut as if in an effort to snap him out of his delusions. Leia's lips were still parted and she took a breath as if to argue with him, but he refused to let either of the women in his life bring him down so he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her hungrily, cutting off whatever it was that she had planned to say.
As he felt Leia opening her mouth to him and clinging to him possessively, he knew that when they were like this, none of it mattered. When he held her and she held him, time itself stood still and there was no pain and regret behind them and no danger and heartache ahead, only this moment and that's what he liked to live his life for – for the moment - and in particular, for this moment.
"What time is that meeting?" He asked her in between kisses, while his hands traveled over her body and his fingers began to lift the fabric of her tunic.
A small hand grabbed his and he heard her say, "I am not putting this thing back on."
He pulled away from her and smiled. "C'mon, I'll take full responsibility."
"No," she said as she took a step back. "Tonight. In celebration of fixing the Falcon."
He leaned into her, reclaiming the distance she had placed between them. "You sure know how to motivate a man," he drawled in agreement as he began to kiss her once again.
The couple walked along the wooded path towards the temple; Han cradling Leia's hand in his as she waddled along the leaf-strewn trail beside him. The morning light streamed through the cracks in the forest canopy above them like the blurred star lines of hyperspace that Han had begun to miss so much. He dreaded every step away from the sanctity they had enjoyed on the Falcon. The droning sound of voices in the distance seemed to mock him as they neared the Academy.
When they finally reached the clearing outside of the temple the pair stopped. There was a transport; a large ship resting on the grassy landing with its gangway lowered. A crowd that seemed to be comprised of the entire Academy stood around in groups chatting excitedly. Near the lowered ramp stood Orren, Seth and Roman speaking to a man in uniform.
Han looked down at Leia, the blood drained from her already-paled complexion. "You alright?"
"Yes," she answered absently and then motioned for them to keep walking toward the transport.
They stood for a moment on the outskirts of the crowd that had gathered before Orren made his way towards them purposefully.
"Isn't it wonderful? What a relief." Orren offered as he approached the couple.
"What did they say? Where have they been?" Leia asked.
"Some sort of mix-up in communications from what we can gather. They didn't even know they were late. This was their scheduled stop, the last one having been overlooked or inadvertently cancelled, we can't be sure."
Leia was shaking her head and looking at the Frigate, "Something's wrong."
"What?" Han asked, squeezing her hand in his.
"Princess, are you quite alright?" Orren asked worriedly.
Before she could respond her knees buckled from beneath her and Han was lucky to grab her before she hit the ground.
"Oh, my she's fainted," Orren quickly stated the obvious.
"Is her doctor onboard?" Han asked, cradling Leia in his arms.
"Yes, yes. Good idea. Bring her to the medical wing."
With all her moods and bossiness, her cravings and achiness, and yes even her weepiness, Han never looked upon Leia as anything but the strong, independent woman that he had fallen in love with. The woman that could hold her own in a verbal argument, a blaster fight, lightsaber battle or drinking game. Holding her now, unconscious and defenseless, all of that suddenly fell away and she became something else entirely. She became his.
Han was up the ramp, down several corridors and on the turbolift before Leia came to. Her eyes fluttered open as she stirred in his arms. She looked around in a daze and then at Han. She had never looked more confused and vulnerable to him than at that moment. He couldn't stop the dopey smile he felt spread cross his lips. "You alright?"
"What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?" She wriggled in his arms as she eyed the walls of the turbolift.
"You fainted."
"Where am I? Put me down." She was wriggling furiously now as if she meant to escape.
So much for the damsel in distress, he thought with a roll of his eyes. "Easy. Alright, Your Worship," Han replied as he tilted her and lowered her gently to her feet.
Keeping his arm wrapped tightly around her, she swayed slightly and grabbed his arm to steady herself.
"See, your stubbornness?"
She pressed her hand to her forehead. "I'm fine and quit calling me names or I just might come to my senses about you."
"Is that right?" Han laughed but was quickly cut off by the sound of the turbolift door opening.
"Yes, no, I don't know," Leia stammered, still looking confused. "There's something not right with this ship."
Han led her out of the lift and down the hall. "The ship, right. Let's just get you checked out and then we'll be outta here."
Leia's doctor, Dr. Vail, was a tall, lanky man with a mop of curly black hair on his head. He looked thin from missing too many meals, probably with his head buried in medical books. He held himself with a confident but relaxed air and, to Han, he reeked of high breeding.
"She is definitely a girl," Dr. Vail stated as he performed his ultrasonic scan of Leia's stomach. "Your Force driven midicholorian blood cells did not steer you wrong on that bit of information."
Han felt his chest swell as he exchanged a long glance with Leia. He stood next to her, near her head and was holding one of her hands. The sound of their baby's heartbeat swooshed in the background as it pulsating strongly through the monitor. Each rhythmic beat seemed to jumpstart Han's own heart.
"A fine looking baby, indeed," Dr. Vail added. "She's grown quite a bit since I saw you last."
"So it isn't my clothes that are shrinking," Leia joked back and Han squeezed her hand.
"No, no, it would be safe to say that that would not be the case," Dr. Vail replied as he began to pick up the ultrasonic equipment. "And that fainting spell was probably just a combination of low blood sugar and excitement. You should really try to eat a substantial breakfast each morning."
Han could tell that something about the doctor's demeanor had changed, but not knowing him very well, couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"That's fine, but what else is it, Dr. Vail?" Leia asked as she politely ignored his advice and sat up on the exam table. Apparently reading her doctor as well, if not better, than Han did.
The doctor stopped what he was doing with the equipment and looked straight at Leia and said, "Nothing. Everything looks perfect, your baby is perfect."
"Dr. Vail, has any of your research taught you not to attempt to lie to a Jedi?" Leia asked, not at all placated by the doctor's demeanor or words.
Dr. Vail smiled and said with a sigh, "It's what we talked about before, about your size and the baby's position."
"But I still have several weeks; you said I wasn't even dilating yet."
"If the baby hasn't turned yet, chances are she will not. There just isn't any room for her to move around in there."
Leia took a deep breath.
"What does all that mean?" Han asked, wondering why it suddenly felt like the room was spinning.
"It means, Captain Solo, that the Princess will not be able to deliver naturally. Your baby is feet first and will most likely remain that way." The doctor took a step toward Leia and placing a hand on her knee, he said, "There is nothing wrong with a surgical delivery, Leia, they are perfectly safe."
She shook her head heavily and replied, "I know."
The doctor took his hand off of Leia's knee and said, "I'll leave you two alone while you get dressed and then we'll talk some more in my office."
"Alright. Thanks, doctor."
Leia slid off the table as soon as the doctor had left the room and then stepped behind a small partition where she had left her clothes.
Han stood in the silence of the room for a moment, the room strangely calm without the background noise of his baby's heartbeat. He turned his head and looked at the curtained partition that Leia now stood behind, everything becoming more real and more dangerous than it had ever seemed before.
Finally, he walked toward the partition. Peaking around the corner, he found Leia standing solemnly in place, a forlorn look on her face and holding her crumpled up tunic pressed to her chest.
"Sweetheart?" Han whispered as he walked toward her and pulled her into an embrace. "You heard the doctor, everything's gonna be fine. Our baby's healthy, that's all that matters, right?"
"I know, don't worry, I'm not falling apart again," she assured him as she wriggled out of his arms. "It's just that…"
"What?"
"Well, first of all, I can't get this tunic back on," she replied with a whine as she held up the offending garment.
Han laughed and took it from her. "Finally, a problem I can handle," he said as he scrunched the fabric in his hands. "Arms up, Princess."
Leia held her arms up like a child and Han pulled the tunic over her head and down her body with ease.
"See?" Han asked with an I-told-you-so grin and a wink. "I told you I could get this thing back on you."
Leia smiled and replied, "Forgive me if I was skeptical, but I'm pretty sure that was the first time in history that you ever put clothes on me."
He held her eyes for a moment and was brushed briefly by an emotion that felt like gratitude. Having taken Leia's conversation about trust to heart, Han had found that he could read her a lot better lately. He was positive that her gratitude wasn't in response to his dressing her, but for something much greater than that. But as he tried harder to grasp it, it quickly faded. She smiled at him and he let it go as he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly.
He found that he had to take every opportunity to kiss her lately and that she somehow understood that need. Neither willing to admit that it was because they were running out of time. But there was something about this kiss, a reluctance from Leia that he hadn't felt earlier in the Falcon.
Han pulled away, breaking their kiss and then whispered against her cheek, "What's the second of all?"
"Hmmm?" She asked, her body leaning against him.
"You said first of all, that usually means there's a second."
Leia pulled away. "No, that was it."
Han grinned at her and shook his finger, sure he had hit on the matter at hand. "It doesn't work that way anymore, sweetheart."
"Please, Han. Let's just finish up here."
She still looked so fragile to him, yet her set jaw told him she was anything but willing to talk right now. "Alright, but I'm not letting this go," he said as they left the exam room and headed to the doctor's office. "I have a mind like a trap, you know."
"Oh, I know all too well what kind of mind you have, sweetheart."
"I'm sorry I cannot be any more concrete, but the human body is a complicated piece of machinery," Dr. Vail stated. "It would be best if we perform the surgery before you begin to labor naturally, but imperative that we do so as soon as possible afterwards."
"All things being ideal, when would you normally schedule my surgery?" Leia asked.
"Thirty-eight weeks, and I still will when we get to Coruscant, as long as your body cooperates."
"But I'm only thirty-four, that's plenty of time."
"You'll be thirty-four in a few days, which presents its own set of problems. Your baby may not be ready to breathe on her own yet, she may require her own special medical care if she were born within the next two weeks." The doctor drew in a heavy breath and said, "Leia, if you labor now and you aren't in reach of the correct medical equipment it could be detrimental to both your life and the life of your unborn child. I cannot make it any clearer than that."
"We'll leave on the frigate," Han replied quickly. And when Leia turned to look at him astonished, he added, "We'll come back for the Falcon, it's only a ship."
"Then we're set?" Dr. Vail replied, obviously relieved.
"No, I think we should discuss this alone," Leia replied, her eyes on Han.
"Okay," Han answered her evenly and then turned to Dr. Vail, "we'll get back to you this afternoon."
"Takeoff is scheduled for tomorrow at dusk, as far as I'm concerned you have until then."
Han and Leia said their goodbyes to the doctor and as they were walking out of the room, Dr. Vail called, "Oh, Princess?"
"Yes?"
"You can swing by my laboratory and pick up your Artoo unit. I do believe he's a bit homesick, if that's possible."
"Oh, for him, I believe it is, Dr. Vail. Thank you, we'll pick him up."
"What exactly was the doctor doing with the little bucket of bolts?" Han asked as they stood waiting outside of Dr. Vail's laboratory.
"Some sort of research on midichlorians and genetics," she responded as Artoo wheeled out of the lab.
The little droid beeped and rocked back and forth excitedly at the sight of his owner. "Hello, Artoo. Of course, I missed you."
Upon receiving his own warbled greeting from Artoo, Han said, "Welcome back, buddy," and tapped the little droid on his domed head.
They were walking down the halls of the frigate, Artoo now part of their entourage, as Leia whispered, "I don't like the idea of being cooped up on a ship that we have no control over with the entire Academy in tow."
"I agree," Han replied as they stepped onto the turbolift and then turned to face Leia. "But how about you tell me about that 'second of all' that we talked about earlier?"
Leia let out an exhaustive sigh. "Han-"
"Leia, I mean it," Han cut her off, his voice forceful.
She looked at him while she drew in and released a heavy breath. "I've seen the birth…over and over in my mind, Han. In my dreams, visions, whatever you want to call them."
"And?"
"And…I'm not in a hospital and I'm not in surgery."
The turbolift door slid open in perfect synchronization with Han's heart dropping down to his toes. "What-"
Han's words were cutoff when someone else entered the lift. He followed Leia into the corridor and continued, "What happens, is the baby okay?"
Leia stopped walking and looked at him. "I don't know. Everything blacks out before…"
"Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?" He asked, as they began to walk down the corridor again.
"I wasn't sure if they were anything to worry about."
"Can't these visions change? The future isn't set in stone, right?"
"I don't know-"
Han grabbed her by the arm. "If you don't know, then maybe we oughta stay on this ship, near your doctor and all his equipment."
"The Force isn't steering me that way, Han. This frigate is not where I belong."
Han's mind raced. "We have until dusk tomorrow. The Falcon should be fixed by tonight. Hopefully, this will all just be a wasted discussion." He pulled Leia closer to him as someone walked past them in the corridor. Taking advantage of their closeness, he whispered to her, "But if the Falcon isn't fixed by liftoff, then we're leaving on this frigate, Leia."
She stared at him, defiance swirling in her eyes. But she replied, "Fine. But you promised me the Falcon would be fixed tonight. So, as you said, this should be a wasted discussion."
He motioned for her to begin walking again and spoke as he kept pace beside her. "I'll go find Chewie and now that we have Artoo to help us, it shouldn't be a problem."
The droid tweedled with optimism.
"Alright. I guess I should go and touch base with Orren."
They were walking down the gangway as Han said, "No. No, I don't want us separated."
Once on the ground, Leia turned to him. "We're running out of time, Han. I'll be fine."
"No, I'll come with you to see Orren."
"Alright. Actually, we should send Artoo to find Chewie, that'll be less obvious."
Artoo beeped in affirmation.
Han winked at her as he hitched his arm out for her to take. "Perfect."
As the best laid plans usually are, Han found his and Leia's were very short-lived. As the couple made their way to the temple they saw the jubilant young Jedi, Zacari hurrying toward them. As the young boy approached Han and Leia, he recited his rehearsed speech, "There's a mandatory gathering in the main hall. Everyone is to report there immediately."
While Zacari continued onto the frigate and bounded up the gangway, Han and Leia exchanged a frustrated glance.
As they entered the large assembly hall it didn't take the Force to feel the anxiety in the room. The arrival of the frigate appeared to serve as both a relief and a concern. For the majority of the Jedi, remaining on Yavin was still a distinct possibility and the temple reeked of unrest.
"I guess they're gonna tell everyone about the evacuation," Han leaned down and mumbled into Leia's ear.
"They had better, the natives are restless."
The couple spotted Orren waving for Leia to join the group of elder Jedi on a raised dais. Han grabbed a spot against the wall close enough to keep a watchful eye on Leia as she joined Orren and began to talk with him. On the other side of the room, Han traded glances with Chewbacca who had been joined by Artoo.
It was Orren who finally began to speak over the persistent din of nervous, chattering Jedi. As he began to discuss the flight of the newly arrived frigate and the decision to evacuate the entire Academy back to Coruscant, his news stirred up the temporarily quieted crowd as conversations exploded with reactions that consisted of panic, dissension and relief.
Orren tried unsuccessfully to bring order back to the room but the group began to break up disobediently. Jedi scrambled between one another in an apparent search to find those that were of like mind regarding the news. Han kept one eye trained on Leia as she stood across the room, huddled in conversation with Seth and Roman.
At first Han tried to ignore the distant humming that began to reverberate throughout the chamber's walls, struggling to concentrate on the bits of conversations that he could make out around him. But as the noise grew louder, it seemed everyone in the room began to tilt their heads up in an effort to identify the foreign noise and pretty soon all conversation had ceased and it was only the noise that remained.
Too late, Han identified it, his spine snapping to attention and his eyes immediately scrambling to find Leia. It was the sound of repulsorlifts. The transport outside was warming up its engines.
The crowded room of Jedi swelled into a panic as everyone realized, as Han had, what the noise was and in turn what it meant. There was a violent stampede toward the door and Han fought against the wave of beings as he tried to make his way towards Leia. He watched as she was swept out toward another exit, and he cursed under his breath as he fought his way through the crowd to follow her.