CHAPTER 21:

Han Solo tossed his and Leia's bags in the trunk of the speeder and then held the door open for Leia.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll drive."

She walked to the driver's side. Han scuttled after her.

"No, you're not."

Leia opened the door, and started to climb in. Han grabbed her around the waist, picked her up, and spun her around. He dropped her onto her feet and began to climb into the speeder. Leia jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Han stumbled back. Just as he was about to fall backwards, Leia plopped to the ground and made a bee-line for the open door.

Han recovered his footing and grabbed Leia's belt, jerking back.

"Oh!"

Han smiled impishly as Leia struggled to free herself. He pulled her towards him until he got a hold of her waist. He then wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to his body. He turned around and backed himself into the open door of the speeder. He let her go the moment he sat himself behind the steering wheel. Leia huffed and stamped her foot.

"You can drive on the way back," Han flashed her his famous lop-sided grin. "Oh, yeah. This is a one-way trip. Next time."

Leia's eyes widened and then narrowed on him. She pressed her lips together before she walked to the passenger side and climbed in. Han tried to bite back his amusement, but it proved to be an impossible job. After he pulled out into traffic, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. He chewed the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing at the pouting princess next to him.

"When can we return to Home One?"

Han shrugged. "I thought you were enjoyin' my company."

"I a—" she crossed her arms and looked out the window. "You haven't been nearly as irritating as I thought you'd be."

"I do have my charms," he winked at her.

Leia looked at him and snorted. Han laughed as well. Leia then became quiet as she stared out of the passenger's window. Han tried to focus on driving, but the way the bright neon lights lit Leia's face made that task difficult. He programmed the address of the docking bay into the speeder and put it on autopilot. Afraid she'd get annoyed if he looked at her, he stole side-glances. Lost in her own world, she didn't notice.

Han's brow furrowed. Should he interrupt her thoughts? Leave her be? Her large brown eyes harbored a sadness, and Han couldn't help but try to draw her out of her own mind.

"You okay?"

Leia looked at him and offered him a closed-mouth smile. "Sure."

Should he push it? "You don't seem okay."

She shrugged and stared out the windshield.

He bit his lip then pulled a lop-sided grin again. "You're just bummed cos our time together is over."

She turned her head towards him, and he winked. He was delighted when she smiled back, even though it was a small one. He would take what he can get. She then looked at her hands that were knotted together.

"You are bummed about leaving Ord Mantell."

"I…I had a good time," she said. "Why do I feel so guilty?"

"You needed that break."

"You might recall, there's a war going on."

"It goes on whether you're in the middle of it or not."

"Beings were dying for the Alliance when I was having a good time."

"Leia, life is short—especially in the middle of a war. You need to learn to have fun."

"I know how to have fun."

"You know how to have fun? When was the last time you had fun before this trip?"

Leia bit her lip.

"Taking a break now and then is important for your health."

She was quiet for a moment before shrugging again. Han glanced down at her entwined fingers, so small and delicate. He fought the urge to take her hand. He worried about her as much as he worried about Chewie—maybe more than Chewie. Han feared that Leia would herself to death, or worse: forget what was truly important in life. While both of their occupations—hers as a leader of the Rebellion, and his as a smuggler—weren't good for their lives, she lived in the future, and he lived in the present. Han wanted nothing more for her than to teach her how to live in the present, to appreciate the moments of joy in her life.

And maybe Han needed to think about the future more. Was he going to be a smuggler the rest of his life? He had no ambitions beyond making money to pay off Jabba the Hutt and to survive day-to-day. The longer he stayed in the game, the shorter his life would be. What would he do if he weren't smuggling?

Maybe Leia could teach him something about looking to the future.

Leia was good for him, just as he was good for her. He admired her dedication towards her dreams, however impossible they seemed to him. Her fervor made him wish that he had something as important to him. Han inhaled; something was important, and she was sitting next to him.

And he planned to leave her. If he didn't pay off Jabba, he would spend the rest of his life (or Jabba's, but Han didn't foresee Jabba dying any time soon) running from the Hutt's bounty hunters. However, if he left the Alliance, he took a chance of losing Leia either to the fluidity of locations of the rebel bases or to death. His heart slipped to his feet at the thought of her not in his life. Paying Jabba off and looking for her after would be his smartest move. Maybe she'd stay in one spot long enough for Han to fulfill his debt and return. Maybe she'd give him a way to find her if she was transferred to another base. There had to be a way to find her…

How much of a future did Han really have? Jabba wouldn't let Han off the hook even if Han paid him double what he owed him. The odds of Jabba letting him live were next to nil; he had taken too long—three years longer than he promised the Hutt his money—to square off his debt. The gangster would have to use Han as an example.

"I've taken a long enough break." Leia interrupted his thoughts. "I need to get back. We don't know how long we'll be on Eros."

Han pressed his lips together.

"We don't need to stay on Eros," she said.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." She frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want reality ruin your vacation."

"Vacation?" Her voice rose in volume and pitch. "We're here because someone tried to kill me!"

"You just said you had fun."

"Unlike you, I have responsibilities."

"I have responsibilities," Han argued.

"Oh yeah? Name one."

"Keepin' you safe."

Leia opened her mouth then closed it. "Yeah, well, I can take care of myself."

"Right. You don't need anyone."

"I never said that."

"You're afraid of takin' a chance on people."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the passenger window. "I take chances on people. I took a chance on you."

Han looked at her. "A half-hearted chance."

She didn't say anything, and Han felt bad for saying that. She did take a chance on him; she loved him. And the reason she restrained herself was because he planned to leave. Han never wanted to be caught up in the rebellion. It was a losing cause. However, he wasn't sticking around because he believed that they would win.

"So, who tried to kill me?"

Han turned his attention to the view outside of the windshield and switched the controls from autopilot to manual. "I didn't ask."

She whipped her head around and lowered her brow. "You didn't ask."

"You'll find out soon enough when we get back to the base."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Look, we have a job to do here. Can we focus on that?"

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Chewie told me not to tell you," Han lied.

Leia huffed. "Why?"

"I dunno. Can't we just drop it?"

"No."

Han turned the speeder around the corner. "You know, I was thinkin' of stickin' with the Alliance permanently."

She relaxed her arms and turned her torso towards him. He felt her large brown eyes scrutinize him as she waited for an explanation.

"I'm thinkin' it's not a bad gig. You know?"

"It's been steady work."

"Yeah. And," he shrugged, "it's a good place to hide from Jabba's thugs."

Leia nodded. "It is."

"Maybe…I dunno. Maybe I could do some good."

"You've been an asset to the Alliance."

Han frowned before recovering his optimistic expression. "I'm gonna stay."

Leia looked down and nodded. Han caught her smile as she settled in her seat and looked out the passenger window.

"Looks like we're here."

Han steered the speeder into the docking bay. He stopped at the security booth and handed the guard his flimsies and 250 credits.

The guard studied the flimsies. "There seems to be a problem."

"Oh yeah?" Han removed another 200 credits from his pocket. He handed it to the guard. "Does this clear up the problem?"

"Almost."

Han looked at Leia. She pulled out the credits from her pocket. "This is all I have since you didn't let me keep my winnings."

"You were able to keep your head."

"Here." She shoved the credits into his hand.

Han counted them: 115 credits. He then gave them to the guard. The guard scanned the flimsies again and gave them back to Han. "Looks like everything's in order."

"Thanks. Can we be on our way now?"

"Just so you know; the Imps have been monitoring the docking bay. They've been hasslin' customers and randomly checking cargo."

Han and Leia exchanged looks. Han then nodded to the guard. "Thanks for the warning."

"Happy skies," the guard saluted and deactivated the guard rail.

Han drove the speeder through the narrow driveway and into the open hangar.

Leia surveyed the area. "I don't see any Stormtroopers. No sign of any Imperials either."

"Good. The faster we get outa here, the better."

"I can't argue with that."

Han pulled the speeder next to their ship. They exited the speeder. Leia walked over to the driver's side. She placed a hand on Han's arm. "I'll load the speeder and make sure the cargo is secure."

"I'll get the ship ready for take-off."

Han wore a silly grin and stood akimbo as he watched Leia climb into the speeder. The cargo ramp was located on the other side of the ship, and he followed the vehicle with his eyes until she maneuvered it out of sight. Han felt light and giddy, and his stomach felt as if it was floating. Leia was happy—he made her happy—because he decided to stay, and she wanted him to stay because she loved him. If only he could get her to admit it. They were moving in the right direction, though. It would take some time—he was sure of that—but he knew one day she would admit it. Although he wasn't usually a patient man, she would be worth the wait. Now that he was staying with the Alliance, he had all the time in the galaxy to love her.

"Solo!"