Thank you all so much for all the reviews for the last chapter!

So, many of you seem to think that I am about to embark on an AU trip to Bespin. Sorry to disappoint, but we are nowhere near that part of the timeline. The latest events take place less than a year after the destruction of the Death Star. But, I will tell you this: I am currently writing another AU that does have an AU trip to Bespin. So you will eventually read that :)

For now, here is the conclusion of the evacuation from Yavin. Chapter 18 will bring new and interesting events.

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Her head throbbed with a massive pulse that seemed to come from everywhere. She groaned softly, which only made her head hurt more.

"Leia."

A deep voice seemed to echo around her and she tried to open her eyes but the effort felt monumental. She felt herself edging towards unconsciousness again and the pull felt so lovely and peaceful, she wanted to succumb to that drifting sensation…

"Leia?"

The voice was louder now and jolted her from the fuzzy unreality that beckoned her.

"Leia!"

The urgency pulled her closer and she felt more compelled to open her eyes. She struggled to raise lids that felt heavy, as if mired down in sinksand. When they finally opened a miniscule amount, bright light poured in, blinding her and causing her to grimace, which only increased her stabbing headache. She closed her eyes more tightly but could feel herself coming to.

"Leia, how do you feel?"

The voice was familiar, but the pounding in her head competed with her ability to identify it.

"Can you dim the lights?" she mumbled.

Behind her closed lids, the brightness faded.

"Is that better?"

Han. That was who the voice belonged to. The back of her mind registered surprise and wondered what had happened, but she felt too awful to ask any questions. Slowly, she opened her eyes, squinting in the low light.

Concern was etched deeply in his features, eyes wide, brow wrinkled. His lips pressed together and curved to one side as he gazed into her eyes. He looked slightly fuzzy, but leaning so closely over her, she could see him well enough.

"How do you feel?" he asked carefully.

She took inventory of herself. Other than the pain in her head, she seemed okay. "Like a thermal detonator exploded in my brain."

A tiny smile curved his lips for just a moment then returned to frowning concern.

"What happened?" She closed her eyes again.

"The base was hit."

It came back in a flash. Running to her office to retrieve her datapad, the sudden blast that came from seemingly nowhere then…darkness. Her eyes opened reflexively.

"Where are we?"

"On the Falcon, headed towards a rendezvous point in the Outer Rim."

Panic seized her and she opened her eyes and gripped his arm. "My father…?"

"He's fine," Han answered reassuringly. "He left Yavin on one of the transports."

She released an anxious breath.

"I scanned you as soon as we hit hyperspace. You have a concussion."

That explained the immense headache and the slightly blurred vision.

"Does anything else hurt besides your head?"

Now that she was more alert, she realized her right side was sore, most likely bruised. She felt mild pain along her outer thigh and upper arm.

"No," she lied.

"Good. I'm going to give you a hypo for the concussion."

Leia tried to sit up but was overwhelmed by dizziness. She laid back on the med bunk with a groan and the room stopped spinning.

"I don't want a hypo." She closed her eyes.

"Yeah, cause you feel just fine, right?" His tone was gruff and impatient.

"I'm a little dizzy. But, I'll be fine."

He muttered under his breath and she distinctly heard the words 'stubborn' and 'princess.' She cracked open one eye and saw his lips were tightly pressed together.

"You know what a concussion is?" he sneered.

"Of course I know what a concussion is!" Her own volume only hurt her head more but she forced herself not to wince.

"It means your brain's been shaken in your head. And that's a pretty bad thing. So, stop being all brave and stupid and take the hypo."

"Stupid?" she seethed quietly.

"Yeah. Anyone who doesn't take treatment for a concussion is stupid. So, be smart about this."

Both eyes now open, she stared up at him impassively. Any change of expression just increased the stabbing pain. "Fine. I'll take the hypo."

He reached for something out of her vision and came away with the hypo. Placing one hand on her right shoulder, he instructed, "Stay still."

As she lie down with his hand warm on her shoulder, standing so closely over her, it brought back those intense feelings of attraction. He was being so protective and gentle…it quickly erased the negative feelings of late.

He pressed the hypo against the side of her neck and she heard the hiss as the medicine penetrated her skin. And then his touch was gone and she wished she could bring it back.

The swimming feeling in her head decreased greatly and she slowly sat up. Han had tossed the hypo in the recycler and was watching her carefully.

"Better?"

She nodded and now the movement did not hurt, it only left an aura of a headache.

He nodded curtly and started to move past her towards the corridor. Leia grabbed him by the arm and he halted, brow raised in a question.

"How did I end up on the Falcon?" she asked quietly.

His posture stiffened and his expression went blank. "I carried you onboard," he replied in a thick voice.

Her hand was still on his arm but she loosened her grip. "You found me in my office?"

He grunted with a nod.

A well of gratitude formed in her chest and she smiled softly, all those familiar feelings being stirred up again.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, eyes wide and wistful.

His expression turned sullen. "Cause if I didn't, your father would've gone back for you and gotten himself killed." His voice was cold and passionless and he shrugged her hand from his arm to flee the medbay.

Leaving Leia hurt and lost. Her eyes dropped to the floor, and once again, she felt foolish.

When would she realize that any caring pretense Han made was all about business? He kept proving it over and over.

But, if he didn't care, what had been the motivation behind the trip to Naboo? What had passed between them that morning, before her mother had interrupted?

She would probably never know. And she needed to rid herself of this ridiculous fantasy. Why couldn't she be attracted to someone else? Anyone else?

A high pitched alarm sounded, causing Leia to jump. Without hesitation, she ran towards the cockpit, thankful that her headache had settled to a dull pulse at her temples.

At the end of the cockpit access corridor, she skidded to a halt, almost slamming into Han, who bolted past her towards the main hold.

"What's happening?" she shouted after him.

"Thermoreactor leak!"

Chewie ran past her, barking anxiously.

Han stopped as he yanked up the cover to the maintenance pit. "You didn't replace it?"

The Wookiee growled and barked a response.

"Patching it isn't good enough!"

He snarled defensively.

"What good is that gonna do us if…" He tossed the cover aside. "Forget it. Go get the tools."

Chewie lumbered quickly from the room.

"What's happening?" Leia asked again.

He dropped down into the maintenance hatch, his head staying up just a moment longer to reply. "If I can't stop the leak, we're gonna pop out of hyperspace into who-knows-where."

Chewie's heavy footsteps sounded and soon he was beside the pit, handing tools and a roll of heavy duty tape to Han.

"Keep an eye out up front," he instructed his co-pilot. Chewie growled and wound his way through the corridor. Han disappeared below.

"What can I do to help?" Leia asked.

"Nothing!" he yelled up at her. "Go lie down and rest."

"I'm not going to rest when there's work to do!"

"There's no work for you to do!"

Leia sat down on the floor and peered down at the top of his head. His fingers moved quickly, winding a length of thick tape around a long hose.

"Is that going to hold?"

He spared her a brief glance. "For now."

"What do you mean, for now?"

He spewed a violent breath. "What do you know about ship maintenance?"

"Well, nothing. But, I'm fast learner."

"Ya know, it's customary to rest after a concussion."

"I'm not one for customs."

That comment brought his head swiftly up to look at her. "Okay, Fast Learner," he sneered. "Reach into my toolbox and get me a hydroclamper." He waited, a challenge in his eyes.

Resigned, she rose to her knees and peered inside the box. She had no idea what a hydroclamper was, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. Affecting an air of confidence, she rummaged through the tools, examining them. Finally, she decided on a vise-like appendage with a handle. She removed it and placed it in his waiting hand.

His brow rose in surprise and he took the tool and disappeared into the bowels of the pit. Leia smiled to herself, pleased. After several minutes, during which the only sound was metal on metal, he rose again and handed back the hydroclamper.

"Get me a cutter."

This one had to be easy. She replaced the clamper and found a large cutting tool. Silently, she handed it to him.

"A smaller one."

She returned to the box and exchanged cutters, placing the smaller tool in his palm. He disappeared again without a word.

Perhaps she had impressed him, a prospect that brought a smile to her lips. She waited patiently for some time and, finally, Han handed her all the tools to replace in the box and hauled himself back up to the deck. He stood and Leia followed.

"That'll hold till the rendezvous. Then I can replace the hose." He rubbed his dirty hands on his pants and looked at her. "You should send your father a message and let him know you're all right."

Tentatively, she placed a hand on his arm. "Thanks to you," she said softly.

His hands stilled their movements and his gaze fixed on hers, eyes seeming suddenly darker, more intense, the dollops of green appearing to blend and fade to an almost brown color. A flash of inexplicable emotion shone for the briefest of moments…then quickly disappeared behind that commonplace mask of indifference that irked and frustrated her.

"You can use the computer terminal over there." He jerked his head in the direction of the computer.

Leia allowed her hand to drop from his arm and before she could blink he grabbed his tool box and was gone.

She sighed, a weighted pall falling over her.