Xizor brought Leia outside of the building and into his enormous, elegant ship, which was resting nearby. Things obviously hadn't changed much for him, always needing to make a grand show of his vast wealth. He led her into a room that looked like a lounge, with a bar and a large, inviting couch. She wondered what he could possibly want with her. Only one thing came to mind, and that sure wasn't going to happen, pheromones or no pheromones.

"Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable," Xizor said as he gestured toward the couch.

"I'll sit, but I'm afraid it's impossible for me to be comfortable here alone with you."

"Just give it some time, Princess. Just give it some time. Would you care for a drink?"

"No thank you," Leia said.

"I hope you don't mind if I have a little something," he said as he mixed himself a drink.

"Not at all."

After pouring himself a glass of copper liquid, he strutted over to the couch and sat down next to Leia so that his leg was touching hers. She immediately slid away from him, leaving a gap. "You know, there used to be a time where you didn't mind me so much."

"If you'll remember correctly, there were about five minutes when I didn't mind, and you had to resort to chemical influence to make me that way." Leia was still doing her best to keep her voice calm, but being alone with Xizor and knowing how he felt, she was becoming increasingly worried that he might become angry enough to resort to more physical tactics. She wasn't so much worried for herself, as Xizor seemed to be so infatuated with her that she found it unlikely he'd hurt her. But she was greatly concerned that he might do something to Han.

"You are truly a worthy adversary. I only wish you would realize how wonderful we could be together." By this time Xizor had set his drink down on the table and leaned in much closer to Leia once again, speaking more softly this time. "You could do so much better. When are you going to get rid of that low-life smuggler and realize how much more I can offer you?"

Leia remained quiet for a moment. She wanted to defend her husband, but she knew it was useless. Xizor was obviously so delusional he would never see anyone more fit for Leia than he was, and it made her wonder if his pheromones worked so well that they actually worked on himself.

Finally, she responded, still maintaining her cool demeanor. "I know what you can offer me, and trust me when I tell you that I'm much better off the way I am now."

"We'll just wait and see," Xizor said as his eyes scanned her body. For the past three days she had been wearing the same tank top and loose-fitting cargo shorts; hardly looking her best. "Why don't you go on in there and put on something a little cleaner and nicer. You can have anything you want." He gestured towards a large closet across the room, surely filled with dozens of elegant women's clothes in all sizes.

"No thank you. I'm fine the way I am."

"Yes, you keep telling me that. But why don't I believe you?"

He was really starting to get on her nerves, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to hide the irritation in her voice. "I don't know why you wouldn't believe me, but it's true. I'm quite happy the way I am. Not the current situation, mind you – being held hostage here by you - but everything else is just the way I want it."

"Let's just give you a glimpse of what it could be like then, shall we?" Xizor leaned into Leia and put his hand on her knee. She quickly stood and walked away, as though his touch had given her an electric shock.

She turned to glare at him. "What more do I have to say to you to get the message through?" Her voice rose as the hostility increased. Xizor was obviously not going to give up, although up until that point she hadn't sensed a hint of his pheromones; either that or they simply had no effect on her anymore. Whatever the reason, she felt absolutely no attraction to him.

"You're an incredible woman, Princess. You realize I could have my way with you if I wanted. But that would simply be too easy. I think you may come around, eventually."

He gave her a seductive glance that initially made Leia's stomach churn, but almost instantly she felt a change in the atmosphere and found herself looking at Xizor in a different light. The anger she'd been feeling seemed to have disappeared, and she found herself physically drawn to him in a way she thought she had forgotten. She knew how to fight this tactic as she'd done it before, but she was having difficulty rationalizing the lustful feelings she was having and she seemed to be losing control of her thoughts.

Han was digging furiously at the wall. What had started as a tiny crack was now a fairly sizeable hole, yet still not big enough for him to fit through. He knew he needed to work fast as there was no telling when Xizor might be back. The exertion had made him sweat profusely, so he had tossed his shirt to the ground and used it occasionally to wipe the sweat of his brow or to wipe his hands. His fingertips were raw and bleeding from digging into the wall, and his fingernails had been worn down to the point of becoming completely useless, but there was too much at stake to let a little pain stop him now.

He decided to reach his arm out through the hole and feel around to see what he could find. The room they were kept in was almost entirely beneath the surface, so by reaching through the opening near the ceiling, he was feeling around the ground. His bleeding hand came in contact with a fist-sized rock, and he used it to start chipping away at the hardened clay. Already he could tell that this would make things go much faster, not to mention the relief of no longer using his injured hands.

He could only hope that he would be able to escape before anyone came back, and he hoped that Leia would still be somewhere he could find her.

If he hurts her in any way, I swear I'll tear his arms off and beat him to death with them.

The next few swings he took with the rock were fueled with the rage he was feeling towards Xizor, and he was quite pleased with the progress he was finally starting to make, but there was no time to stop and think about that.

"Your thoughts are changing on the subject," Xizor said. "I can see it in your eyes. There's no need to fight it. I can change your life. Give in to what you know is right for both of us."

Her head felt like it was swirling, and Leia found herself almost wanting to give in. But she knew she couldn't. She didn't really want to, did she? It was all an illusion, just the pheromones at work. She didn't want to change her life. She loved how it had turned out. She loved Han.

Han. Just think of Han.

The image of her husband and all of his strength and devotion filled her mind and she was immediately reminded of the deep love she shared with him. That was all she needed to remember if she was going to resist. That, and the hatred she still held for Xizor.

Her eyes had been shut tightly as she tried to compose herself, but now that she found herself in control once again, she had a hard time keeping from smiling when she looked back to the Falleen prince. "I don't think so."

Xizor leaned back on the couch, still refusing to cede. "You'll come around. I'm a patient man. I can wait."

"You're going to be waiting an awfully long time, you know."

"Probably not as long as you'd think."

Leia rolled her eyes. Yes, the pheromones must work better on himself than anyone else.

"Come on now, you've had a rough couple of days. Why don't you go ahead and freshen up?"

This time he signaled towards the 'fresher next to the closet. With the door open she could see it was absolutely huge. Leia wanted to laugh, knowing of Xizor's tendency to have surveillance cameras recording everything within his ship. She didn't care how nice a good shower would feel, she wasn't going to give him an opportunity to see anything. She also couldn't believe that he still hadn't given up.

Having finally gotten the hole big enough for him to fit through, Han had escaped the holding cell and was making his way through the thick foliage to the front of the ancient building. The exterior was almost camouflage with the layer of thick, green moss that covered it. When he reached the corner, he peered around the front and saw a large, luxurious ship and figured that if Xizor had taken Leia anywhere, it would be there.

There were no guards outside, as there was likely nobody else on the entire planet, and Han was supposedly locked in his cell. Han hoped he would have the opportunity to take some of his aggression out on Xizor, as he was unable to escape the barrage of terrible images that kept coming to mind of what Xizor might be doing to his wife. Or, more accurately, with his wife. If he had done anything to Leia, there was no doubt in Han's mind that he would kill him.

He took one last look around and then he slowly made his way to the entrance ramp of the ship. He climbed up, careful not to make too much noise and entered the main hold. It was similar to that of the Falcon, but it was bigger and far more elegant than was needed for any ship. He spotted a large, metal rod leaning up against the wall and grabbed it so that he would have something to help defend himself if he ran into anyone. Now he only hoped he could find his Princess, and that it wasn't too late.