Thank you all so much for continuing to read, follow, and especially for taking the time to review!

To the guest reviewer who asked about Leia chasing after Han: It will happen! This story is maybe 1/3 of the way through. Leia is still struggling with how she feels about Han and uncertain about his feelings. Be patient, good things come to those who wait ;)

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Tinkering beneath the Falcon's underbelly, Han's eyes were caught by the sight of a short, blond figure talking to a darker, taller figure. His hands stayed their movements as his gaze fixed.

Luke and Bail Organa were engaged in a very friendly conversation, the younger man smiling and staring up at the older man with clear admiration.

As Han watched the exchange, an uneasiness fell over him like the dimming of the sun. Now that was the type of guy a man would want for his princess daughter. Granted, Luke was not royalty, but he was honorable, respectful, and purely dedicated to the Rebellion. In other words, the exact opposite of Han.

With a tightening of his lips, he returned his attention to repairing his ship, fingers turning the spanner in his hand automatically. Once the panel popped open, he removed a faulty part, replaced it with a new part, and let the old part fall to the floor with a clunk. He removed goggles and a microfuser from the tool box by his feet. Placing the fuser under his arm, he wound the goggles around his head, leaving them clamped against his forehead.

As he took the fuser in hand, he noticed that Princess Leia had appeared to make the pair into a trio. The three humans stood, talking and smiling, causing Han to grip the fuser more tightly. With a grimace, he yanked the goggles over his eyes, turned on the microfuser, and began burning the new part into place.

One happy family, he thought, teeth grating together. He was used to being apart, used to not belonging to any group. So, why did he feel so excluded?

Something had subtly changed since he met Chewbacca. He hadn't even realized it at the time, was only now becoming aware of it. Some sort of bond had grown between himself and the Wookiee. It had happened during their bondage on Nar Shadda, leaving Han with that sickening sense of responsibility that he hadn't experienced since childhood; a time when he had been naive of the way that people could use you then throw you away. Before he realized that he couldn't trust anyone but himself.

Having spent a lifetime of distrust and solitude, he now seemed to have a lifetime companion. Instinctively, he trusted the giant furball, more or less against his will. He continued to prove his unflagging loyalty and Han grudgingly accepted it more and more.

But, that acceptance left him wide open. He didn't like to think about it, but he was becoming comfortably accustomed to having a Wookiee at his back. And Han did not like to feel accustomed to anyone, did not like to take for granted that someone was going to stick around. It was easier to remain alone and not reliant on anyone than it was to experience loss.

And now it seemed as if letting that damned fuzzball closer was making him soft. He found himself liking the kid too. It was hard not to, but still…Han was used to having acquaintances, not friends. And he couldn't deny that Luke was now his friend.

And then there was Leia…

Reflexively, his eyes flew back to where he had last seen her, only to find that all three were gone now.

His feelings for her were much more muddled than they ever had been for anyone. At first, he had fought the attraction that slowly pulled him towards her, knowing it was pointless. Suspicion that she might be open to his advances only reigned him in more tightly, like a Jawa breaking in a wild ronto. The moment her eyes had practically begged for a kiss left him with such a powerful longing, it rendered every past desire irrelevant.

But, overhearing her words to her mother had doused that desire like an icy wave that boosted with it a tide of anger and self-hatred. How could he have been so stupid? She was a Princess. And as she said, he was no one. A smuggler, a slave that she owned.

He realized he was gripping the microfuser so tightly that his hand hurt. Slackening his grasp, his lips contorted rigidly around the thoughts bounding around his mind.

The worst part was, he couldn't seem to defuse the attraction he still felt for her. Every time he saw her, his heart leapt while an upsurge of anger welled within him. It was a most confusing combination of feelings.

He was so deep in thought, he did not hear Chewie's approach, but was startled by the sudden bark beside him. He jumped slightly.

I really am getting soft.

Chewie chuckled and Han grimaced sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm almost done. What about you? Did you lock down that leak in the thermoreactor?"

He gave a short, positive growl. Han nodded acknowledgement and Chewie roared a question that caused him to immediately shut off his microfuser and pull the goggles from his eyes.

"What're you, watching my every move?"

He roared defensively.

"She's just not worth my time," he muttered, examining his handiwork.

In a soft tone, Chewbacca voiced his observations of their interactions.

Han's head turned swiftly towards him. "How does she look at me?" The hopeful sound in his own voice sickened him.

His gruff reply boosted Han for just a moment, then his thoughts returned to Naboo.

"I don't know what you mean, cause I don't look at her any particular way. Except for when she pisses me off."

The Wookiee growled softly.

"Look!" Han said harshly, glaring. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

With a roll of his blue eyes, he muttered something under his breath and sighed. Han watched him another moment and was finally satisfied that his friend was dropping the subject.

"Run a full diagnostic," he said more quietly. "I wanna make sure we don't have any problems like we had on the way back from Fallinor."

He grunted an affirmative before heading back up the ramp. Han watched him go, wondering at how observant he was. He wasn't used to anyone being in his business and he didn't like it.

Returning to his ship, he closed the panel and opened another to check it. After finding another faulty part, he began the tedious work of replacing it. About an hour had passed when a loud announcement sounded over the basewide comm.

"Attention all personnel! Imperials have been spotted approaching this system. Begin evacuation proceedings! I repeat…"

Bursts of panicked chatter surrounded Han as beings began to run about, trying to figure out what to do first. He swore and flicked on his commlink.

"Ya hear that, Chewie?"

A growl filtered through the comm.

"Keep that diagnostic running for now, I'm gonna drag some equipment on board."

The roaring response only added to his irritation.

"Great. Well, start fixing the inhibitor. That's most important. Hopefully nothing else will pop up." He flicked off the comm and looked around, trying to gauge the situation and decide what needed to be done first.

###

"We're just going to have to take off without fixing it!" Han yelled into the comm over the din of shouting in the aftermath of the blast that had been fired on the Temple. A pillar had fallen and crushed an A-Wing to jagged metal scrap. Everyone was moving as fast as they could to evacuate before the ground troops arrived.

Han was just about to bolt up the ramp when he spotted Bail Organa sprinting from the hangar back into the Temple, exactly the opposite of the direction he should be going. An uneasy bolt quivered down Han's spine.

"Organa!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

The older man froze, panic clear in his eyes. Han ran over and grabbed him by the arm.

"What's wrong?"

"Leia. No one knows where she is!" He was poised to flee.

Han didn't hesitate. "Get to your transport. I'll go find Leia and take her out on the Falcon."

"I can't leave without her."

Han quickly found the words to convince him. "You're too important to the Alliance. Go. I'll get her out, I know what I'm doing."

Their gazes held for a long moment until finally, Bail's eyes lowered and he nodded with resignation. When he looked back up, he gripped Han's arm and spoke with desperation.

"You have to find her."

"I won't leave here without her."

Bail nodded, clapped Han on the shoulder and ran towards his waiting transport.

With a hurried stride, Han brought his comlink back to his mouth.

"Chewie, it's gonna be a while before I board. I've gotta take care of something."

###

Han ignored the worry gnawing at his stomach. He kept his mind focused on reaching Leia. He had grappled between searching at her office or her quarters and finally decided that, knowing her, the office was more likely. Now, as he burst through corridors and saw the large chunks of stone that had fallen, he pushed himself to run faster.

The Temple was deserted and the only sound was the pounding echo of his own feet on the stone floor. It seemed to race at the same pace of his heart as he fervently hoped she was okay.

This deep inside, the hallways were narrower and he began to feel a bit claustrophobic, as if the walls were closing in on him. Normally, such close quarters were not a problem, but coupled with his concern for the Princess' welfare, he was beginning to feel as if his breath were being sucked away.

At her office door, his breath caught altogether before he swallowed his panic. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't inside. Time was running out.

He hit the panel and, when the door slid aside, the sight of Leia sprawled on the floor caused a tremor to fly through him and his heart skipped a single beat.

Vaulting forward, he slid to her side, barely taking note of the cracks in the stone floor. What had she been doing when the first blast had hit? Why hadn't she been on her way to a transport?

When his trembling fingers found the steady pulse at her throat, he released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Gently, he picked her up in his arms, trying not to worry about how badly she might have hit her head. There wasn't time to assess her injuries.

He held her tightly in his arms as he ran back towards the hangar.