Authors' Note: "Ummm... apparently we're writing 7 chapters (so far) solely about their first night together in their new place. Sorrynotsorry."
Me and You
By Erin Darroch and Justine Graham
Han kept one doting eye on Leia as he buckled his holster rig around his hips and then bent to fasten the tie-down around his right thigh. The princess was once again fully dressed in the elegant ivory tunic suit she'd worn to work, and her long brown hair—so recently splayed in wild disarray across the carpet of their bedroom floor—had been smoothed back and arranged into a stylish chignon at the nape of her neck. She was leaning with her forearms folded on one of the polished granite counters of their new kitchen, her eyes fixed on the datapad lying atop the gleaming surface, seeming utterly absorbed in whatever information was displayed on the small screen. Han regarded her with deep affection, fascinated as always by how swiftly she could regain her perfect composure, giving no outward sign whatsoever of their recent amorous activities. In his mind's eye, however, he kept replaying the vision of her arching, naked and wild beneath him, her dark eyes riveted on him with love, lust and joy in equal measure, and her pretty skin flushed pink with exertion and pleasure. He cleared his throat and gave his head a little shake to dispel the erotic image, feeling acutely conscious of the fact they'd only just gotten their clothes back on and it was probably too soon for him to be thinking about taking them off again.
"Well?" Han prompted when Leia didn't appear to be forthcoming with any information gleaned from her perusal of the datapad. He retrieved his blaster from the countertop where he'd left it and slipped it neatly into its holster as he approached her side. "What's the forecast? Any sign of it letting up?" Outside the windows of the spacious dining area opposite the kitchen, the Chandrilan weather seemed determined to answer Han's question in the most dramatic fashion possible. Although it was only dusk, the deep indigo sky looked ominously dark, and there was a slightly greenish cast to the air—or at least, Han thought so; it was difficult to see through glass distorted by sheets of windblown rain. The sound alone was enough to tell the story, though; the whine of the wind and the clatter of falling water on the balcony could be heard even through the building's thick walls and window panes.
Leia sighed and shook her head at the datapad. "Not only is it not going to let up anytime soon, there seems to be a line of even stronger storms moving in. I thought this part of Chandrila was supposed to be renowned for its moderate climate," she remarked, frowning. "This storm is almost hurricane strength. You'd think there would have been some warning of it in the Senate House today."
"Don't think anybody expected it to be this bad. And besides, would you have noticed if there was a warning? Something tells me you had more important topics than the weather on your mind, Sweetheart."
"I suppose." Leia glanced up with a rueful smile. "The best we can hope for is this," she tapped one slim finger on the edge of the datapad, calling his attention down to the screen. "Looks like a tiny window of opportunity between the current band of weather and the next front, crossing our location in the next twenty minutes or so... We could make a run for it then and maybe make it to the speeder without getting drenched?"
Han peered over her shoulder at the satellite image on display, then gave a resigned sigh of his own. "Yeah, I guess we could," he agreed. "Or…," he allowed his voice to trail off on a suggestive note.
Leia glanced up at him. "Or what?"
He slanted a knowing look down at her upturned face. "Or we could stay here for the night."
Han didn't need to see the dimpling of Leia's cheek or the spark that kindled in her eyes to know that she found the idea appealing. She'd been delaying their departure for the past half-hour, seeming to want to linger in the new space. Drifting unhurriedly from room to room on a second, more leisurely tour of the property, she'd found hidden amenities to admire, new angles from which to appreciate the view, and clever little domestic features to explore. Having set aside her earlier trepidation over embracing a future that was out of their hands, she seemed truly to enjoy being here now, and Han smiled to see her so excited about their new joint personal endeavor. His own deep pleasure at seeing Leia happy was a sensation that he acknowledged inwardly with some bemusement. At some mysterious point along the way—long ago, and without Han realizing it—Leia's security and happiness had become more important to him than his own. To his complete surprise, he found he actually had feelings about their new shared abode. Despite his ingrained habit of trying to play it cool and his cynical brain telling him it was "just a place to live", he found her enthusiasm for this venture contagious, and the prospect of a night with Leia all to himself in their new home deeply alluring. It was with some dismay, therefore, that he saw the spark of excitement that had flared in her eyes quickly fade.
"As nice as that sounds," she demurred ruefully, shifting around to face him, "we should probably be sensible and just head back to the Falcon." She made a weak gesture at the empty apartment. "We don't even have so much as a pillow here, or a change of clothes." She bit her lower lip, and her pensive expression told Han that she was debating with her inner voice, the one that for years had urged her to be practical, responsible—and, as she put it, sensible.
But there was another aspect to Leia. Hidden beneath her composed exterior was a bold, adventurous and playful spirit that no amount of training in etiquette, protocol and proper behavior could ever extinguish, and it was that element of her nature that Han most enjoyed eliciting.
"So we don't have clothes," Han shrugged. "Who needs 'em?" He gave her a suggestive eyebrow, and then broke into his most charming smile. "And you can rest your pretty head right here." He patted the pectoral muscle just over his heart, and was rewarded with a roll of Leia's eyes, though he could see her trying to suppress a smile of her own.
"And where will you rest your pretty head, Hotshot?" she returned with mild disparagement. "As much as I would like to spend the night here," she admitted, seeming uncharacteristically shy as she said it, as if confessing to something embarrassing, "it wouldn't be comfortable, would it? We should probably just go…."
Han shook his head in negation. "You said it yourself, Princess: you're not planning on doing anywork while the Senate's not in session for the weekend, right? So, we got no commitments, and nobody's expecting us to be anywhere or do anything. We're free; we can do whatever we want."
"But…."
"C'mon," Han rested both hands on Leia's shoulders, and dipped his head down a little to whisper conspiringly in her ear. "You wanna stay here tonight, Princess, and so do I."
Leia reared back to give him a searching look. "You do?"
"Sure I do. It'll be fun. No Wookiees, no Jedi, no droids. Just me and you here, all alone, all night, watching the storm roll by." He paused, and then said meaningfully, "And no interruptions."
Leia's attempt to hide her smile was no more successful the second time she tried it, and Han's own grin broadened as he watched her wrestle inwardly with what she wanted to do and what she thought she ought to do.
"Tell you what, Princess," he offered, going with his gut to try and tip her over the edge. He gestured through the distant, rain-streaked windows and the harbor beyond. "There's a good-size retail market across the harbor, lots of little shops clustered together that should be open for at least another hour, and probably one or two shops that never close. When the rain lets up a little, I can make a dash for it, grab some stuff to see us through the night, and maybe get back before the next front hits."
"How would you cross the harbor?"
"Footbridge." Han jerked a thumb in a slightly more inland direction. "About a hundred meters that way, at the narrowest point of the channel." Seeing Leia hesitate again, he added, "I can make it."
"I'll go with you," she offered. "Help you carry things..."
Han took a step back, trailing his fingers down her arms to capture both of her hands in his, then cast a meaningful glance down at her bare feet. "Did you bring any shoes other than those sexy little heels you had on?"
He grinned at Leia as she rolled her eyes in exasperation at his comment. She could protest that those shoes were modest, strictly business-level footwear, not sexy at all—and she had done exactly that when he'd first commented on them—but Leia wearing dainty little heels of any height was pretty damn sexy in Han's book. And Leia wearing nothing but dainty little heels was a sight he hadn't yet managed to see. Perhaps, he mused, this weekend would present the opportunity. Before he could derail his own argument with that erotic image, he dragged himself back to the point.
"You'd break your neck, trying to run in those shoes in this weather. And anyway, you'd only slow me down." He paused for a moment, allowing Leia the opportunity to shoot him the hot glare he knew he had coming; she didn't disappoint. He smirked in amusement and satisfaction at his own skill in both predicting and provoking that look from her. Before she could respond verbally, though, he deployed another sure tactic by drawing her into the circle of his arms and lowering his voice an octave. "I'll be fine; I'll be back before you know it."
Leia seemed to be considering his proposal, though Han imagined he could almost feel the direction of her thoughts in the responsiveness of her supple body against his. "I wonder...could the concierge help?" she mused. "Perhaps he could find us some bedding...just the basics, a couple of pillows, a blanket or two…then all you need to worry about is food, a few essentials..."
Han nodded his encouragement of her thought process. "He did say, more than once, that if there's anything we need, all we gotta do is ask, right?. Let's take him up on it," he urged. "Give the guy a chance to demonstrate that efficiency he's so proud of."
Leia's gaze flicked up to meet his. Her answer was clear, manifesting in the joyful spark of anticipation that returned to brighten her deep brown eyes, along with a radiant smile that warmed Han all over.
"I'll go get my comm," she said, stretching up on tiptoe to brush a promising kiss across his lips.
As he watched Leia heading for the foyer, padding softly in her bare feet across the hardwood floor, another flash of lightning lit the darkening room, followed closely by a menacing rumble of thunder. As he trailed behind her to retrieve his boots, Han slanted a glance back at the tall balcony windows and smirked.
Give it all you got, he challenged the threatening sky; it was going to take more than a little rain to dampen his spirits tonight.
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