Thank you all for your enthusiasm over the last chapter! You never know what surprises will be around the corner... :)

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With a glass of wine in her hand, Leia sat with her mother on the sofa, talking about good times on Alderaan. But, the back of her mind was firmly fixed on Han.

After a hearty laugh at the memory of the visit from Prince Freederick, who had arrived asking for Leia's hand in marriage, she took a sip of her wine, and her mind wandered back to the intense moment after breakfast that morning.

So close to Han, touching his face so intimately, she had found herself staring into his eyes. What she saw there had both surprised and thrilled her.

It was more than just the interest she had been suspecting of late. Something deep and emotional had been present in his serious, hazel eyes. They had been dark with passion and yearning. In the moment, she had no doubt. Her eyes had yet again been drawn to his full, tantalizing lips, and she had seen the light of recognition in his eyes, and his intention had been as clear as if he had actually said the words.

He had barely had the chance to incline his head towards hers when her mother appeared. She had been ripped apart between disappointment and mortification. She wanted that moment back, desperately. It was the culmination of what had been surging inside her.

"Leia," her mother intruded on her thoughts. "I know I have always told you that I wish for you to marry for love. Which is why I've never encouraged you to marry into royalty."

She almost groaned aloud, certain that her mother was approaching the subject of what she had stumbled upon that morning.

"I saw what was happening outside this morning."

"Oh? Are you referring to the flock of valor birds that were nesting in the bushes?" she asked sweetly. "Or perhaps you refer to the dinnmites that built a mound in the dirt."

A raised eyebrow met her sarcasm. "You know quite well what I am referring to."

"Mother, I am a grown woman. I'm fighting a war, shooting down enemies and drafting plans for attack. Please don't dictate what I should do with my personal life."

"I am not dictating to you," she said stiffly. "In most situations, you are more than qualified. But, when it comes to romance, you have little experience."

Beginning to grow angry, Leia's voice rose. "You hardly know all the experience I've had."

"Feel free to regale me with your exploits," her mother said dryly.

Leia dropped her eyes, embarrassed that her mother immediately called her bluff.

"Leia, you need to think with your head and not with…any other parts."

Her face suffused with heat that soared down her neck. "It's not like that!"

"I know exactly what it's like. I was your age once."

Leia placed her glass on the table beside the sofa and tried to regain her composure.

"I already told you the reasons it is such a terrible idea."

"But, you left out the most important ones, the ones that really matter to you," she lashed out. "That he's just a smuggler, a no one. He has nothing but a heap of a ship. And let's not forget that I bought him, so he's my slave."

Breha's voice lowered to almost a whisper, a subtle tactic she had always used when Leia's voice and temper grew out of control. "If these were my concerns, I would keep them to myself. Because none of those cause me to worry for you. Leia, I am only looking out for your emotional well-being. This is not a man you can count on in the long term. And with everything you currently have on your plate, with everything that is at stake, you cannot afford to be blindsided by a man who is just passing through."

As had been the case for years, Leia's voice lowered in response to her mother's. "I will keep your words in mind. But, I know what I am getting into and my eyes are open. I will always honor my duties to the Rebellion." Her voice grew softer. "But, just this once, I want to follow my heart."

Breha sighed. "And that is what worries me. That you will give your heart away to someone who will not cherish it."

"Perhaps it's a chance I have to take."

"You have always been my stubborn, little mulacub." She smiled gently for the first time since the conversation had begun.

Leia's responding smile was equally tender. Feeling slightly drained, she reclaimed her wine glass and drained the contents.

###

Breha had been stuck to Leia's side all day, like a mynock attached to the hull of a ship. Han had not found a moment's opportunity to speak to her since that mystifying moment that morning. Now that something between them had been exposed, he needed to find out exactly what that something was.

She hadn't been in her bedroom, so Han wandered downstairs. To the left of the staircase, he heard Leia's voice and followed it towards the main room. It meant she was still most likely with her mother, but he could wait until Breha went to bed.

As he approached the room, Leia's voice had grown louder and her words caused him to stop mid-stride, a sudden cold knot settling in his stomach.

"…just a smuggler, a no one. He has nothing but a heap of a ship. And let's not forget that I bought him, so he's my slave."

The knot slowly heated to a simmering anger that steeped in his chest. He remained against the wall, well outside of their view, and continued to listen to the scene playing out.

Whatever Breha's response was, Han could barely hear a low whisper and couldn't make out the words at all. No doubt, she was agreeing with her daughter.

Jaw now taut like durasteel, he turned and walked stiffly back to the stairs, returning to the bedroom he had been assigned. Behind the closed door, he allowed himself to curse the Princess to hell.

What had he been thinking? Had he lost his mind? A princess and a guy like him…it was insane to imagine it.

Never before had he been swept away by romantic notions. He had never let his guard down with a woman, had always kept things casual and meaningless.

Never again…he was never again going to even entertain the thought of a woman meaning anything more than a good time.

Her face flashed in his mind, the sweeping vulnerability in her eyes as she glanced longingly at his lips. Clearly, it had been simple lust. Did she want to know what it was like to screw a commoner? A smuggler, a no one?

Fury heated him from head to toe and begged for release. Fists clenched, he took a few deep breaths. This was not the place to discharge his anger. And the Princess was not worth it.

All this, after he had gone out of his way to bring her to Naboo, a selfless action that he wanted to kick himself for.

Well, this was it.

He was done.

###

Leia was confused and hurt. She had been unable to speak to Han the night before. Once her mother had gone to bed, she had sought him out, even stopping at his room to knock on the door. There had been no answer and the door had been locked. With a deep sigh of disappointment, she resigned herself to the fact that he must be sleeping and she would have to wait until morning.

When morning arrived, he remained in his room much later than usual. She finally ran into him in the corridor, where he had been cold and dismissive. He maintained that demeanor throughout the day, avoiding her when he could, ignoring her when their paths did cross.

What had changed in the space of a day? Leia accosted her mother and accused her of interfering. She swore that she had not said a word to Han and Leia believed her.

So, what had happened?

Now, they sat, side by side in the cockpit, readying the Falcon to enter hyperspace. Leia had finished her part of the operation. Now, she waited for Han to complete the process so that she could gain his undivided attention and broach the subject.

She sat silently, patiently waiting. Finally, he pulled back the lever and they soared into hyperspace.

"Did I do something to upset you?" she finally asked.

His eyes flitted to her briefly, barely seeing her. "Nope.

She continued to watch him as he checked various readouts. He seemed so distant. Perhaps he had something on his mind.

He stood to leave, but Leia didn't want to lose her opportunity. She grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop in place. He frowned down at her and she dropped his hand, suddenly nervous.

"I, uh…want to talk to you about yesterday morning."

"What about it?" he asked brusquely.

His curt demeanor gave her pause. "When I got the eyelash out of your eye."

"Yeah?" He frowned.

Her eyes fell to the floor and she felt her cheeks color. This was not going as she had anticipated. "What happened? Or…what was happening?"

"What do you mean?"

She returned her gaze to him, stomach clenching. "Between us."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Unsettled and embarrassed, she struggled for a response. His expression remained impassive, revealing nothing of what he might be thinking.

"Never mind," she dismissed, face burning.

He shrugged and quickly left the cockpit.

If she had found Han Solo to be confusing before, she now thought him a total conundrum. She couldn't possibly be so out of touch with reality that she had imagined what had passed between them. It had been there in his eyes, a strong emotion that invited her closer. He had been about to kiss her, until her mother interrupted with all the grace of a drunken bantha.

So, why did he now deny it?

She didn't understand at all. Was she so naïve in matters of romance that she was reading too much into things? It wasn't like her, she was fairly practical and realistic in all things.

Perhaps it had been foolish to even contemplate a romantic relationship. She had so much ahead of her, she would have time for little else. And, Mother was right. In three years, Han would fly away without a backwards glance. She needed to let go of this fantasy.

So, why did she feel as if the galaxy had just swallowed her whole?