It seemed like they had been walking forever. The thick forest trees blocked the sun almost completely, and it reminded Leia of the forest on Endor with the exception of this planet – whatever planet it was – being a great deal warmer. The air had gotten stickier as they got further and further from the ocean. The combination of the humidity and the physical demands on their bodies from the hike made Han and Leia sweat uncontrollably.
Leia had her hair pulled back away from her neck and was wearing a sleeveless shirt and loose-fitting shorts. Her clothes were wet with sweat, and they clung uncomfortably to her skin. When Han's short-sleeved shirt had become completely soaked, he decided he was better off without it and he had stuffed it into his pack. The hair on his head was dripping and he had to constantly wipe his brow to keep the sweat out of his eyes. Though immensely tired, Leia still took the opportunity to admire Han's body. His skin glistened with sweat, accentuating the hard muscle beneath. And she noted that it was far too rare that she got to see the man wearing cargo shorts, allowing her such a great view of his legs as he walked.
Earlier she had caught Han giving her a similar appreciative glance once he noticed the way her white shirt hugged her skin and had started to become transparent. It was the kind of thing that might've made her uncomfortable had anyone else been around, but since it was only her husband, she had to admit that she enjoyed the fact that he still so obviously found her attractive. So far she hadn't gotten tired of looking at him, either, and they exchanged knowing smiles before continuing their journey.
They hadn't spoken in a while, as they were too exhausted to bother. They just kept on walking. Leia didn't know how she was going to be able to keep it up much longer. It had been hours, and her breath was coming short, and the muscles in her legs burned from exertion. Han looked to be suffering a similar fate, but just as he looked like he was opening his mouth to break the silence, he stopped for a moment before heading off in a direction they hadn't originally been heading.
Leia followed, suddenly hearing the sound of rushing water. Trailing behind Han as he marched determinedly off, she finally saw what he had headed for. They emerged in a clearing, and there in front of them was a towering waterfall that must've been hundreds of meters tall. The water in the river below was flowing slowly, creating a very inviting pool. Lush greenery lined the water, as well as big, beautiful flowers in at least a dozen different colors.
Leia looked up and saw the sun getting lower and glowing orange in the purple sky, feeling the mist from the waterfall soothe her heated face. Without a word Han dropped his pack on the ground and walked directly into the water. He dipped his head under and sighed with relief when he came up for air and ran his hands over his face. He looked at Leia and smiled as he signaled for her to join him.
She was more than willing to comply as she dropped her pack next to his and walked into the cool, clean water. Her clothes were soaked already, so a little swim wasn't going to make much of a difference. She waded over to where her husband was standing and put her arms around his neck. He could stand easily where he was, but she, being quite a bit shorter, preferred latching onto him to keep herself up rather than treading water. He seemed to like that idea better as well.
"It's beautiful here, Han. You picked a nice place for our vacation. Too bad we can't enjoy it the way we're supposed to."
"Hey, I'm enjoying it," Han said. "Listen, it's going to be pretty dark soon and we're both too tired to walk any further. This seems like the perfect place to spend the night."
"So you want me to just spend the entire night next to this gorgeous waterfall with you?"
He gave her his famous grin, and it almost made her wish that they'd never be found. "Yep, that's pretty much the idea."
"I like that plan." She pulled herself to him and kissed him.
After a few moments, he pulled away. "I like my plan, too." Then he leaned back in and kissed her harder. His hands reached under the water to pull her shirt up over her head, allowing the refreshing water to lap against her bare torso. "As long as we're in here, we might as well give our clothes a chance to dry."
Leia thought that sounded like a good idea, even though she knew that having dry clothes wasn't the primary reason Han had thought of it, but she wasn't about to argue. Moving behind him, she held onto his shoulders as he pulled them back toward dry land. Once they were out of the water Han placed Leia's dripping shirt over a tree limb to dry. He then started to remove his own sopping wet cargo shorts, revealing the gray briefs he wore underneath that were clinging to his body in all the right places. He looked up at Leia who was watching him. "You're not the only one who needs some dry clothes, you know."
"Don't worry about me. I'm just admiring the view."
"Well, maybe now I'll give you something even better to look at." With that, he reached down and slipped out of his briefs. No, Leia was pretty sure she would never get tired of looking at him, but she was momentarily snapped back to reality when he spoke again. "And what about you? Wouldn't it be nice to have some dry shorts to put on when we finish with our little swim?"
"Good thinking. I guess I better just leave these here then, huh?" She said as she started to remove the remainder of her clothing. Being one of the most recognized couples in the galaxy, it was nearly impossible for Han and Leia to share an impulsive skinny dip under most circumstances. This crash landing was getting better all the time.
"Well, it would be the best place for them to dry," he responded. She handed him her clothes and he hung them next to her shirt on the limb and then added his own shorts. When he turned around, Leia had already gotten back in the water, waiting for him. He merely watched her as she reached up and let her hair down before she dipped her head under and came up to find him still staring at her in what could only have been described as intense love.
She smiled up at him, attempting to convey the same back at him. Unable to take her eyes off his naked form before her, she wondered how she could let politics come first so often when she was married to the man in front of her. She determined it must've been a curse; a sense of duty she'd been born with that she'd never been able to get rid of. She'd been doing better lately, which was why she was on this vacation in the first place. But it still seemed that she was never able to put her own selfish needs above the needs of others. Fortunately, at the moment, there was no other alternative.
She was surprised when Han didn't get right into the water, but instead walked along the shore and up onto some rocks above the river. He stepped up to the edge and dove headfirst into the water. Leia looked around, waiting for him to surface, but she had lost sight of him. When he hadn't yet appeared, she was momentarily worried that the water was more shallow than he had anticipated and he might've hit his head. But suddenly, she felt strong arms grab her by the legs, and she screamed as he hoisted her up into the air on one shoulder.
"Put me down, you scoundrel!"
He lowered her and she slid down his body before she was at eye level with him. "Scoundrel? I like the sound of that."
Leia smiled at their old joke and he leaned in and began to kiss her, starting at her lips and then continuing to her ear, down to her neck and collarbone. Her head fell back and Leia wondered how could anything be more perfect. Well, maybe if they hadn't just crashed the Falcon, but that was the last thing on Leia's mind at this point. All she knew was that she was here, in the middle of the warm water of a gorgeous river next to a towering waterfall surrounded by beautiful flowers with the man that she loved.
Her legs were wrapped around his waist and she was basically floating. Only Han's head and shoulders were above the water as he brought his mouth back to hers. Her hands slid up from his neck and she ran her fingers through his wet hair as they continued to savor a long, slow kiss.
They made love in the water, under the setting sun. It momentarily erased any worries about why they were actually there. If this was what life was going to be like on this planet, maybe it wasn't so bad to be stranded after all.