My thanks to MultiFandomGirl1424, freshman11, jeanmarie3, EsmeAmelia, chibijem, MrsScruffyNerfherder, Book girl fan, and everyone else who has followed, favorited, and commented on this story.

The only good thing about having another migraine is that it inspired a new chapter. Hope you enjoy. :)


When Leia opened her eyes, she was startled to find that she had somehow fallen asleep in Han's uncomfortable guest chair. A blanket covered her lower body and a cup of now-cold tea sat on the table beside her, indicating that someone had been by earlier to check on Han and had thought to care for her as well. Probably Luke. It was the type of thoughtful gesture she'd come to expect from the farm boy.

Leia tried to gauge how long she'd been out. There was no way to tell time deep in the ice bunker unless a chrono was handy. She remembered sitting beside Han for quite some time after his outburst, watching him while he slept, and she knew she'd eaten her dinner in this chair. After that, her memory was fuzzy.

Turning away from the wall, she found only one other person in the room. Han was sitting up in bed, clear-eyed and awake. "Good morning, your highnessness," he rumbled, giving her a slight smirk. She was so relieved to hear him sounding like himself that she let the nickname slide.

"Han!" Leia jumped up and impulsively gave him a hug before she thought through what she was doing. Touching Captain Solo in public? What was she thinking? The Rogues didn't need any more fodder for their gossip machine or holograph material for their posters. She took a step back. "How're you feeling?" Inspecting him more closely, she asked in alarm, "What did they do to your head?"

Han was wearing what Leia could only describe as a medical crown: a metal circlet ringing his temples. The attached protruding wires plugged into several stationary machines, all of which were cranking out strips of flimsy marked with various readings. Leia marveled at the sheer sight of it. How she had managed to sleep through the installation of this monstrosity boggled her mind.

He reached for her hand. "I heard what you did for me. General Rieekan came down here earlier to apologize on behalf of Echo Base. You got that doctor a week of latrine duty and a permanent transfer to pathology." Han rubbed her knuckles with a calloused thumb. "Thank you." Leia had never heard him sound so sincere, and she could feel her cheeks growing warm. She pulled her hand away.

"It was nothing, really," she murmured, staring at the floor, wondering how this scruffy pirate could render her so bashful. She was a princess, for gods sake, and he wasn't even royalty. But this, Leia was starting to realize, was exactly why she liked him. He didn't put on airs to impress her title. He acted like a nerfherder - like himself - around her and it made her feel ... something. Emotional? More human? Loved.

Gods, he makes me feel loved. She swallowed hard and changed the subject. "What's that thing you're wearing? Do I have to crack some more heads around here?"

Han actually laughed at her lame joke and Leia couldn't help but smile back. It was the most relaxed he'd sounded since she had found him on the refresher floor of the Falcon. "This is the easy part. Now that they've flushed most of the pain meds outta me, they want to take some readings before they start poking on me again."

"Baseline monitoring," Leia clarified, and Han nodded. "When does the real testing start?"

"A few days. I think they wanted to give me a break to rest up. And I wanted Chewie to have a decent night's sleep." Leia was relieved to hear Han speak so tenderly of his friend; the memory of Chewie restraining Han to avoid his flailing limbs, followed by Han screaming his hate of the Wookiee, came flooding back. She shuddered.

"You need to make sure that they mark down the name of the medicine you're allergic to. That needs to be in your medical records." She shivered again.

"Are you cold?" Han asked, handing her a soft linen. "They keep bringing me heated blankets."

Leia didn't think that she was cold until she wrapped herself in the warmed cloth. "This is nice."

Han smirked and Leia knew that he was about to invite her into his hospital bed. But the expected invitation never came. He raised his eyebrows suggestively and then ... "Ow." He rubbed his forehead. "Guess I can't do that with this monitor on."

"Serves you right."

"What?" he asked, the perfect picture of innocence.

"You know perfectly well what, Captain. You were about to make a lewd reference to us."

He grinned at her. "So we're an us now? I like that."

Her eyebrows knotted. "I never said that."

"Yes, you did." A lazy grin spread across his face. "You said - "

The door burst open and a serving droid arrived, carrying a tray. "Your meal, Captain."

Han took the tray without comment, while Leia goggled at him. As soon as the droid had left, she said, "I thought the doctor agreed to keep droids out of your room."

He shrugged as he took a bite of eggs. "Just the med droids. I don't mind droids too much if they ain't yappin' and they're not pokin' on me." He gestured at the tray. "You want some? It can't compare to the Corellian feast I cooked ya, but it's not too bad."

Leia's stomach growled, and they both laughed. "What time is it, anyway?" she asked as Han handed her a forkful of meat. She hoped it was less spicy than his Corellian nerf sausage.

He shrugged. "Can't tell much in an ice cave. But based on the food they're offerin', I'd say it's morning."

"Morning?" She nearly choked on the food. It belatedly occurred to her that he had greeted her with a reference to morning; she hadn't realized that he had meant that literally. "How long was I asleep?" she asked, handing back his fork.

"Six, eight hours maybe?"

"Eight hours! I haven't slept that long since ..." Her voice drifted off and she crossed her arms protectively.

He stopped eating and stared at her. "Since what?"

"Since Alderaan was destroyed," she whispered, staring at the floor. Leia could feel her eyes growing misty. "I need to go," she said, rising to stand.

"No, you don't," he ordered firmly. "Come here." He set the tray aside and patted the bed beside him. "I promise, I won't bite." Gesturing at all of the medical monitoring equipment, he said, "Look at me! How much more defenseless can I get?" He smiled at her.

Unnerved by the pirate's perception and lonely for companionship, Leia inched her way over and sat tentatively beside him, sniffling and trying hard not to cry.

"It's okay," he soothed, rubbing her back. "It's okay to be human." He stroked her hair away from her face and the tears she'd held onto ever since the Death Star finally fell.


Author's note: While most of Han's treatment is purely fictional, a headband to treat migraines has been developed in Belgium. According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, the device is worn across the forehead and sends electric currents to facial nerves.