A/N: I apologize for the delay of writing. I had been following Star Wars Celebration, attended the screening of The Killing Joke, planned a trip to California, work, and so on... Hopefully, I can get back to this soon!
I have also been so thrilled to locate some stories that I had put up under a different pen name that I no longer have access to as I have lost the password and email on that account. I hope to repost some of those soon after I have checked them through - they were written yearssss ago!
III
The instructions from Mon Mothma were clear: go to the bunk, dress in the outfits of honor dropped off, and arrive at the docking bay no later than two standard hours later. It was enough time for Han and Leia to catch a wink of sleep before they begun to prepare themselves for their leave.
Upon arriving back at his bunk, Han had undressed down to his boxers and catered to the wound that was almost fully healed on his leg. It appeared to be much better than the day before when Leia had helped him apply his remaining bacta gel on the area. Once he finished cleaning it off for what would most likely be the last time, he collapsed face first into the pillow on his bunk. The bed was small, but once he rolled over onto his side, Leia was able to squeeze in with him.
Laying her head on his shoulder, she gazed at the wall across from them, hoping it would somehow transform back into the plains on Alderaan or the walls of the Falcon on their way to Cloud City. The last thing she wanted was to be sent on another mission – as much as she loved the Alliance, she was ready to forget the Empire had ever existed. All it caused was pain, and she hated feeling so lonely.
"Han?" she questioned quietly, tilting her head up towards his chin.
He grunted, encouraging her to continue.
"Do you really want to do this?" Leia asked, letting her fears out.
He pressed his brow together, then winked an eye open and caught her gaze. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the tough Princess is starting to want out."
Leia sighed. Of course he wouldn't understand. It wasn't about the Rebellion, it was about him. They had finally won. They had finally ended the war. They had finally gained a moment to themselves, if the Alliance stopped creating other plans for them. But he was right – she was a rebel and the Alliance was her home. There was no turning back now, only joining her.
"It will be a boring mission," she whispered, almost as though trying to convince herself that as well.
"I'll make it more exciting," he murmured, flashing a hint of his crooked grin at her.
He felt Leia roll her eyes on his shoulder, knowing full well she would hate his sense of humor at such a time. But he knew if he didn't try to make her smile, she would worry the entire time they were gone.
Then, Solo rolled the two over until he hovered over his Princess. He held his face close to hers, until their lips barely brushed. "We have a few more hours, you know," he told her in a persuasive tone.
Leia chuckled – he was even more of a dog than before they had first been together on the trip to the rebel base after leaving Jabba's Palace. But he was right, and that mixed with her fear of losing him after he witnessed how she used to act in royalty convinced her to go along with his plan.
After Han's decision to seduce Leia for only the second time in their relationship, the Princess and the smuggler both agreed to try to get a small amount of sleep. What seemed like moments later, the two were blinking their eyes open again to the pounding on the door from Luke, ready to escort them to the docking bay. Hurriedly, Han pulled on an outfit similar to the one he had been given after graduating from the Imperial Naval Academy – not the Stormtrooper's piloting armor, but the Navy blues that went along with his Corellian blood stripes. It was the first time he had been in formal wear since leaving the Empire's clutches so long ago.
Solo gazed into a small mirror on the door, taking in his professional dress for the first time since he had joined the Alliance. He kept a steady face, but his insides were tearing him apart. Memories of Dewlanna and Shrike flashed by, reminding him of all the reasons he vowed never to live on the fancy side of things again, no matter which side he was on.
But those days were nothing compared to the royalty Leia portrayed. Even though Han felt overdressed, he was not on the same power ranking of the Princess, and that was made clear. Stepping back into her days on Alderaan, she was forced to dress in white – not a gown, as though she imagined she would be in, but a full bodysuit, slightly armored, with a defining cape draped over both shoulders. It reminded her of something her father used to wear – her real father, not her birth father.
There was something appealing about seeing Leia in a more masculine outfit, but Han kept his words to himself. Instead, he let her look him over, a small frown of disapproval curbing her lips down as she patted down his collar until it lay just the way she thought looked well. Ignoring the gesture that reminded him she was once a Princess, Han held out his arm to her, similar to as he had on Bespin before their delivery to Darth Vader.
"Ready, sweetheart?" he asked, his crooked smile beaming across his face.
"This isn't a game, Han," she told him defensively. Leia knew Solo had never been in such a formal circumstance, but she did know he was one for dangerous situations, which would aid her in their effort to recover the Senate.
Solo looked almost offended – his expression faded from amusement to confusion as she took his arm. Holding onto his forearm, Leia avoided his eye contact as they began their parade to the docking bay, the Jedi guiding them the entire way.
As they passed through the members of the Rebellion in the metal halls of their vessel base, Solo leaned down slightly to whisper on Leia's ear without nearby people catching his words. "You'd think they'd never seen a guy in a suit before," he muttered as they entered the docking bay, glaring at a pilot who seemed shocked to see him in classic navy dress.
Leia kept her gaze steady ahead of her, not noticeably acknowledging him. She wanted to assure Mon that taking Han with her was not a mistake, so the more formal she acted, the better the takeoff from base would be.
"Even I haven't seen you in uniform before, General." Leia tried to add some humor to her voice, but Solo caught on to her nervousness.
He stood tall once more. "Don't worry, your Highness," he muttered. "I'll behave until we leave the bay."
He didn't have to see Leia's face to know she relaxed a small bit. A slight grin sparkled from her eyes as she attempted to ignore his last comments before they boarded his beloved Falcon.
"Chewie's just starting her up now," Luke informed his fiends once they reached the loading ramp of the ship. "He's not too happy about being left behind," he added after a brief glance at the unit.
"I'm sure he'll be fine with you, kid," Solo decided, shrugging off the guilt of leaving his copilot behind. "He can join us on the next one."
Behind them, the roar of a Wookie sounded as he replied to their discussion about him – something he was able to pick up even though he was inside the iron walls of the ship.
Han shook his head and looked at his home. "I sure hope she makes it back from this one…" he muttered. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Then, he faked a smile and left Leia with Luke as he boarded the Falcon. "I'll see ya when we get back," he told his friend as he embraced him in a quick hug.
"I hope you're promising that," Luke replied, understanding why Han was so hesitant about the trip. It was new territory – new goals for them to achieve while still keeping everyone at peace. Putting Leia in the middle of that was not the best of plans for her sake, but it was the best hope for the Alliance to regain order.
Then, for a brief moment, Solo gazed back from the middle of the loading ramp, taking in what had become his second home. He watched over it and the hustle that was going on between pilots and engineers who were waiting to get them launched as though he would never see it again.
Leia frowned as she watched him from Luke's side. "He's not sure about this one," she told her brother in hopes that he could tell her if he had felt anything about the outcome of their mission. When he was silent, she turned to him and added, "We thought that would be the end of this."
"It doesn't change things instantly," Luke reminded her. "We needed the Empire gone, and we did it. Now, it's our time to restore the galaxy to what it used to be."
"To what it was before our father…" Leia whispered.
Her brother pulled her into a tight hug, wishing her well on their journey. "Someday, you will understand him. I know it."
Inside, Leia knew he was right. Her anger towards him would dissipate if she was able to sense him like her brother could. But until that day came, all she had of him was the memory of all the pain he had caused her. He had taken Alderaan from her, then Han, and then she had almost lost Luke, as well. It would be a long time before she would forgive him.
As she backed away, the voice of Mon Mothma sounded from behind Luke's body. Her approach was quiet, yet anticipated. "Princess," she greeted, holding out two hands in front of her, revealing a small screen tablet. "Your plans are documented specifically in this journal. Records of the important members of the Old Senate and democracy on Coruscant are included in your files. I suggest you review them on your trip into the core."
Leia accepted her gift. "I will," she vowed, and bowed her head in thanks for the information. "Thank you."
Then, from beside her - "Leia!" Han's voice echoed down the loading ramp as he summoned her to her copilot's chair. IT was time to begin their journey.
Leia turned toward the ship and prepared to board, sadly leaving behind all that she had left in the world besides her pilot.
"Leia!" Luke called, mimicking Solo. He couldn't let her leave without a goodbye.
The Princess turned toward her brother with relief plastered over her face. She was reluctant to leave, and was glad that he was keeping her feet on solid ground for just a few seconds more.
Her eyes said it all – without asking Luke what was on his mind, he offered her his thoughts. "May the Force be with you!" he told her, a small hint of a smile pulling his lips up at the corners of his mouth.
She returned the favor and grinned brightly. "And with you," she granted.
And then, it was time to join her companion in the cockpit.
