Ok, so it's almost Friday and it was a short chapter last time. How about a longer chapter and a little early this time? I hope you like this one. Thank you as always for reading and especially for any reviews or pm's that you send me. It's fun getting to know the readers [and writers] here.

Chapter 9: Bonding Present

Enjoying the way Leia's small hand lightly gripped his bicep, Han was less inclined to let her go for the evening. He hadn't seen her all day and, well, he missed her.

Once out of earshot of the others, Solo leaned down towards her ear and whispered hopefully, "How 'bout a drink, Sweetheart?"

Leia was weary from the long day and thinking about the next one made her even more so, but she wouldn't mind a few quiet moments alone with Han. She wanted to thank him again for agreeing to this whole mess before the bonding ceremony and coronation. Knowing how busy tomorrow promised to be, Leia wasn't sure there would be time before the big event. At least, this was the reason she gave herself.

"Okay, maybe one."

Instantly turning on his heel, Han lithely ran back and absconded with a bottle of whiskey and a couple of glasses from a passing droid in charge of drinks at the party. They made their way to her rooms and settled in the outer lounge area as Han poured the drinks.

He handed a glass to Leia. They shared a wry smile as they clinked glasses and each took a sip. "How are you holding up?"

The Princess sighed, "As well as can be expected. How did it go at your end?"

Solo pursed his lips, "Not bad, actually. They're not such a bad bunch and they do seem pretty loyal to the King. So, we should be alright. How'd it go with the women?"

Leia shook her head and closed her eyes in exasperation of her experience, "True to form. They had a string of questions about us."

He perked up at that. "Oh yeah? What'd you tell them?"

"Pretty much what we said yesterday. That we met basically by chance. From there, they led themselves into believing it was love at first sight," she groaned half-mockingly.

"Love at first sight, huh?" Han raised his eyebrows and his voice a notch in challenge. That would be about right, anyway. Wouldn't it, Sweetheart? He stared into her eyes intently, waiting for an answer.

Feeling suddenly shaky from the weight of his stare, Leia willed herself not to react. She knew she had to redirect the conversation fast. The only topic she could think of was Han himself, although she knew that would work just fine. Solo always enjoyed talking about how women loved him.

"They were very interested in you," she goaded with just the right amount of mystery to her tone.

"Of course," Han replied smugly, exactly as the Princess knew he would. "Obviously, they're all in love with me."

Leia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. For such an unpredictable man, Captain Solo could be very predictable on certain subjects.

"If you're waiting for me to confirm that, you're out of luck. I'm not about to feed that Wookiee-sized ego of yours," she warned him caustically. Then she smiled, seeing a rare opportunity coming about, "Besides, I just told them what I actually know about you."

"Which is?" Han asked, openly leading her to the information he wanted to know.

She shrugged, "That you're Corellian." Little did Solo realize that he was falling straight into the Princess's carefully laid trap.

"Aanndd?" Han pushed.

"Well, that is all I know," she said innocently, taking another sip.

"How can you say that? You've known me for almost three years," he balked defensively, now getting the feeling where she was heading with this. "You've even been there when I've told some of the more interesting stories about me and Chewie." Solo wasn't sure why he had risen to the bait, but he had. Maybe he wanted Leia to feel like she knew him.

"But you've hardly ever said anything about what you did before Chewie. And don't think the same few stories you've let out over the years qualifies as background," Leia countered decisively. She was not going to let this opportunity pass by that easily.

"Hey, Sweetheart, I'm pretty much the same now as back then, only older. I'm a 'what you see is what you get' kind of guy," He grinned with wide eyes, spreading his arms expansively in an open gesture.

Leia smirked knowingly. How could he think she would go for that? "I might believe that about Luke, but not you, Captain."

He sighed. Han knew she would see right through that, but he had needed to buy some time to decide what to do. He loved her. That was exactly why he didn't want to associate his harsh past with his relatively promising present. By the same token, if he loved her, didn't she deserve to know about him? How could he ever have any hope of winning her over if he stayed mute on the subject?

"All right, Sweetheart. I'll tell you what. I'll give you a bonding present: I will answer one question of your choosing…" He wagged a finger warningly, "within reason."

"And I didn't get you anything," Leia quipped sardonically. A myriad of questions came to mind. There were so many things she wanted to know. What happened to his family? Where did he learn to be a pilot? How in the galaxy had he earned the coveted Corellian Bloodstripe? What did it feel like to kiss his lips?

"Well, okay, if you don't like that offer, then we can forget it," Han challenged, draining the last bit of his glass and refilling it. He knew she wouldn't turn down this chance and he had a feeling he was going to need another drink.

"Just give me second, Solo." As she mused over the possibilities, she tried to rank them in order of what she wanted to know the most – not including the more… private… ones on her part. All right, it was decided. Interestingly enough, it wasn't a question from his missing past that kept returning to her, but one that she had continually been asking herself for almost three years. The same question she had asked him the night before, as a matter of fact.

"Okay… I want to know exactly why you haven't left the Alliance to pay off your debt to Jabba… yet." She had to add the 'yet,' more as a reminder to herself that he did plan on leaving eventually and to remember to tread carefully where her heart was concerned. "And don't tell me you were hiding out from Jabba either. I want the real reason."

Interesting choice of questions. He could swear she was hoping for him to say he stayed for her. Of course it was for her. It had always been for her. When he came back during the Battle of Yavin, it wasn't Luke standing on the moon with Rebel base that was about to be blown to bits. It was her. She was incredibly intelligent and quick, how had she not put that together by now? Unless she did and… well, here they were.

His gaze became pointed as he leaned close to her, intentionally whispering, his voice enveloping her like a soft slow kiss, "You know the real reason already, don't you, Sweetheart?"

Leia's breath openly caught at his words, "I- I don't."

She seemed to take his meaning, but obviously was stopping herself from opening up to the idea. Deciding not to push her any further, he straightened up and added more lightly, "I had to stick around and make sure the kid didn't get himself killed over the 'Cause'."

Having regained her more of her composure, Leia shot back, "Luke's been a seasoned pilot for some time now, Han. That doesn't answer the question."

Downing all of his freshened drink in one gulp, Han became increasingly uncomfortable that he was losing control of the situation. He didn't want to tell her the whole truth tonight. First, he needed her to admit to herself that she had strong feelings for him. Otherwise, he knew he could lose her to her stubbornness and the fact that she buried her feelings instead of dealing with them head on. From what he could tell, the feelings that scared her the most were the ones that she refused to acknowledge. While her public empathy and compassion knew no bounds, the overwhelming personal emotions like grief or romantic love were hidden, even from herself.

"What can I say? You've been keepin' me busy on a regular basis with my amazing rescues of Alderaanian royalty," Solo quickly quipped without thinking it through.

He had hit the right button to shut down the questioning by reminding Leia of her original reason for agreeing to have a drink with him. Alderaan burdened her mind once again. It was never far, even after this much time had passed.

Sometimes, when she was with Han that pain eased a little. She would be so distracted by their verbal battles or her own pathetic obsession with his attractiveness that she could forget for a little while. Of course, then something would happen to end that reprieve.

She didn't know if he realized that every time he brought up rescuing her in any capacity, a part of her threatened to bring up those all too painful memories. As it was, she was surprised that she didn't think about it every time she looked at him considering how they met. Yet, that hadn't happened - not with Luke, Chewie, or Han. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was being with that select group of beings where she found the little solace she was able to muster from the ruins of Alderaan.

Her demeanor softened, but before she could say anything, Solo was on his feet.

"I think it's time for some shuteye. Big day tomorrow. We're gettin' lifemate bonded and you're becoming a Queen, Your Worshipfulness," he teased with a wink, his crooked grin now gracing his lips.

Absently, Leia stood and followed him to the door. "Terrific, I wonder what new names you'll come up with for that."

"I wouldn't worry 'bout that, the classics are always best," Han assured her good-naturedly in his typical, tormenting fashion.

She had to chuckle in spite of herself on that one. Solo reached for the door controls, but Leia stopped him. "Han…"

He dropped his hand and looked down at her suddenly serious face. With a questioning look, Solo waited for her to explain.

The Princess placed a tentative hand on his arm to emphasize the sincerity of her coming words. "I wanted to thank you again for doing this. I don't know what changed your mind, but I am grateful for all of your help." Leia hoped she had conveyed everything she wanted to with that. She wished she could find the courage to tell Han how much it meant to her that he was going along with it all with minimal complaint as well as being someone she could lean on, too.

Solo nodded and adopted his previous demeanor from before when she had asked him why he had stayed. His entire being echoed the earlier response of pure attraction. "You already know the answer to that, too, Sweetheart," came the rumbled whisper. Han leaned down and affectionately kissed Leia's cheek. Palming the door open, he grasped her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. Turning, he left without another word.

Leia was left trembling in his wake and didn't even notice that he had kissed her inside her guest quarters where no one could have seen them. He had made his reaction clear and unmistakable. There was no denying the meaning behind the affirmation, especially coupled with the first time he said it. It was now plain that behind Han's roguish façade, his feelings for her went well beyond a friendship. Possibly the same ones Leia felt for him. And here they were getting bonded tomorrow in a ceremony that was feeling more real by the second…

Except, it wasn't.

Tomorrow, they would stand up to declare their love openly, binding them to each other, she would be crowned, and then their bond would be dissolved before they left the next day. Surreal was the only word the Princess could find to describe it all. Her mind reeled. How was she going to get through it all?

It's fun, right?