A/N: I am OVERWHELMED by the amount of love and reviews that have welcomed me back. Can we keep that up? Because it puts a big 'ole smile on my face! Chapter title and other things inspired by the Jason Aldean song: "Night Train". Enjoy this chapter. Also, see if you can spot my nod to what Harrison Ford said in an interview the other day…

Han and Leia were silent for a few moments as they rode side by side down the sloping, grassy hill beyond the barn and towards the clearing amid the sparse forest where Leia had taken off to alone only a few days prior. Han looked around, not really focusing on anything, and scratched the back of his head absently.

"We do need to talk, you know," he blurted out suddenly, still not looking at her. Leia tried to keep her own gaze focused on the path in front of them, and only let herself look at his faded Wranglers out of her peripheral vision. The sway of their bodies and the gait of the horses created a soothing rhythm, and Leia was putting off answering Han as long as possible.

"I know…"

"I've never…God I feel ridiculous," Han laughed nervously, "I've never had a virgin and I don't know what to feel. Mostly because I think you have it in the pretty little head of yours that I am going to run away and leave you lonely because you don't know any better."

"You aren't far from the truth," Leia said vaguely, still keeping her eyes locked on the clearing ahead.

"And you know what? A couple of years ago…I might have run. Hell, I feel like taking off right now. But I can't Leia, and it's not because of guilt that I was your first, so don't think that…." Han continued and Leia was so taken aback that she pulled a bit on Princesses' reins and the horse stopped short. Her eyes followed Han, who circled with Falcon back around so he was facing her head on.

"So, then why are you still here Solo?" she sat up straighter in the saddle, trying to feign confidence, but he saw right through her act.

"Because you aren't a girl to give up on or take for granted. Look, I like to be alone…clearly…but ever since I started here, and met you…I want to spend time with you. Crazy. I know."

"You were just getting bored of being anti-social," Leia tried to blow it off, trying to pose her face in what she hoped was a bratty, uncaring look. She desperately wanted to show as little emotion as possible lest she betray the fact that she was falling in love with him.

"Cut the pouty shit Leia, you don't understand what it means to me to want to spend time with someone else like that. You drive me insane, like right now for instance, but I like it. You are fun as hell to be around. And damn it all I even like your brother, alright?" Han told her, his face forming a lopsided smile when he was finished. She could tell he was sincere, and even slightly uncomfortable in admitting it, and she knew she owed him more than her indifference.

"I don't regret a second of what has happened between us Han, really. And I think you are amazing…but what is the point of us?" she asked, her stomach turning uncomfortably in protest of words she didn't want to say.

"Are you saying we are destined to just be one of those once-in-a-lifetime, star-crossed summer lovers? Because I don't believe in that bullshit. I know I have a few years on you, but it means I've experienced a little bit more and I know that if people are stupid enough to give up something like that, then they don't deserve it," he shrugged, "And I don't know about you, but I think we kinda deserve this."

Leia patted Princesses' back to give her hands something to do while she took in his words. She couldn't believe how sweet he was being, in his own way, as she had seen so many other sides of him and this was a new one, "But I'm going to be a thousand miles away come September."

"Yeah, that keeps fucking coming up…" Han said, suddenly angry, and instead of continuing the conversation further, was annoyed in her response and pulled hard on Falcons' reins, causing him to rear up and then break into a gallop once his front feet hit the dirt again. With a sigh, Leia urged Princess to follow him.

~o0o~

"Padme, I'm tired of this…" Anakin Skywalker's voice was more than a little agitated. He had been on edge all day and was currently fixing his tie in the mirror as his wife watched on, slumped in a rather depressed-looking state on the bed.

"So am I…" her voice was cold, and extremely sad as she watched the handsome figure of her husband turn around to face her.

"It's not my fault that you don't trust me…"

"Annie…we've only been here a few weeks and the rumors are awful. You don't understand the looks I get when I go into the supermarket, or bible study…Austin is bigger than Savannah…there shouldn't be this much gossip about you having an affair…" she looked ready to break. There were tears welling up in her eyes as she silently pleaded with him to prove to her that all of the rumors were false.

"I'm not having an affair. If all these busybody southern women want to gossip about me taking this election seriously, then that is unfortunate," Anakin told Padme, but there was no feeling behind his voice, and he hardly seemed apologetic, "You don't understand what a win like this would do to my career…"

"But at what cost?" Padme spoke up, her voice a little bolder, "I know the kids see it…I know they are affected by what is going on…and are you really going to lose your oldest friend over politics? Ben has always been there for your Annie…he's always been there for us. He was there when Luke and Leia were born!" she tried reasoning with him but he seemed a million miles away, cold and detached in his navy suit as he walked towards the doorway of their bedroom.

"Ben believes in things I no longer do. What good is anything without money, Padme? We have this huge ranch to pay for, two college educations…and in case you forgot…I'm not making any money until I get that office. I have to go," he said briskly, not looking at his wife before leaving the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

Luke, in his bedroom down the hallway, had left his own door ajar and had listened to his parents' entire conversation. There was a sinking hole in the pit of his stomach as he heard his mother burst into tears as his father's heavy footfalls retreated down the stairs and out of the house. His father had never been like this. Luke and Leia had had an amazing childhood filled with love and strong memories of it, but since they had moved to Texas, Luke had barely talked to his father-something had changed and he was going to find out what it was.

~o0o~

After dinner (which Anakin did not attend), Han and Leia sat on the porch bench watching Luke play fetch with Chewy. The pair watched the sun set over the ranch when Han suddenly had an idea. He jumped up from the bench and grabbed Leia's hand, pulling her through the screen door and into the house.

Padme was sitting in the living room with the TV on, but not watching it. She looked hopefully up at Han and Leia when they walked in.

"Mrs. Skywalker, could I take your daughter into town for ice cream?" Han said and both Padme and Leia arched one eyebrow and gave him the same look. He wanted to laugh: like mother, like daughter.

"Um…sure, of course," Padme said, without argument and without waiting, Han moved back towards the front door with a 'thanks'.

"Ice cream?" was all Leia could find the words to say when they were crossing the grass towards his truck, with Han waving goodbye to Luke.

"Yeah, 'ice cream'", Han winked at her, opening the passenger door so she could hop up in the bed of his truck and he climbed in the drivers' seat. In a few moments, they were hauling down the long dirt driveway.

"Why would you…how…my…" Leia was surprisingly at a loss for words, which made Han grin wider as he drove.

"Look, sweetheart, your momma isn't stupid. I might as well look like I have innocent intentions with you…" Han continued.

"She…she doesn't know…" Leia tried to deny it in horror, but she remembered the way her mother's eyes crinkled up happily when they had walked in the room.

"She doesn't know everything, and we are going to keep it that way, but yeah, I think she suspects something."

Leia knew her mother, even if she was accepting, would be a battle for another day, so she moved on, "What do you mean by innocent intentions…"

"Well," Han tried to fake a very seriously voice. They drove along the main rode for a while and then he turned left down a back road as the sky darkened, "I do have innocent…or rather, good intentions with you…but not tonight. And I don't know about you, but I'm really not in the mood for ice cream."

Leia looked out the window at the trees they passed, which got thicker around them, "Where are we going then…"

"You'll see…just a little bit farther…"

They drove the rest of the way in silence feeling very different emotions. Leia was slightly annoyed and curious and Han was downright full of nerves. He pulled his truck off the back road, onto a little trail and came to a stop.

"Come on…" he urged Leia as he hopped out of the truck and reached over into the bed of it, pulling down the tailgate and climbing into it. Leia crossed her arms and watched him as he seemed to be moving some things around before he waved her to join him.

When she walked around to the back of the truck, she saw that Han had set up a little makeshift bed in the back of his truck, with a few pillows and blankets from the back house and he had a cheap bottle of wine and some paper cups. With a little help from him, she made it up into the bed of the truck and sat down on the blankets with a small smile creeping up her face.

"What is this, Han?"

"Well, this is one of the few places in the world I feel safe. I discovered it a few months ago and I come out here to think sometimes. And lately, when I do come here, it's the middle of the night…and I come to think about you. I didn't bring you here to talk about California…but I did bring you here to show you that while you are around, I want to show you the real me. Not Solo, but Han. And I want to make you smile," he explained and Leia's heart lurched with happy emotion. She was falling so hard for him-he was, despite all of the facts that looked bad on paper, the perfect guy for her. He opened the bottle of wine and poured some in each cup before handing one to her.

"The night trains start passing by here, at about eight," he said and Leia looked around, seeing that the train tracks were maybe 50 yards from the car. The sky was a dusky blue and the cicadas were loudly singing, "And I thought it might be romantic to listen to them, and maybe do a few other things…" his boyish grin made Leia blush to the roots of her hair and they touched their paper cups together before taking long sips. Han opened his arms and leaned back against the back window of the truck, beckoning Leia to come lay in his arms, which was exactly what she did.

A/N: Sexy time next chapter! Who is excited?