It's a snowy day here, trapped inside, so I thought it would be nice to update! Stay warm those who are in the same situation.

###

"Why don't you speak to the General about this?" Luke asked.

With a shrug, Han's eyes flitted around the hangar before settling on Luke. "Probably better coming from you."

"What's wrong, Han?" Luke's expression was a cross between knowing and teasing. "Don't want anyone to know you care about someone?"

He sneered in return. "Just cause I don't want her gettin' killed don't mean I care about her."

Han had just finished filling Luke in on the events on Montalto, the irrational way that Leia had tried to risk her life. As their transport had risen to the skies, the violent vibration of the explosion caused the ship to shudder, and Han had tossed Leia a smug look. Had she gone back inside, she would have been blown up along with the shipyard. She met his knowing look with an icy glare.

Luke smirked back. "Whatever you say, Han. Look, I wasn't on Montalto, so I don't think it's my place to talk to Rieekan about what happened."

Han glowered and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But," Luke continued, with the raise of one finger. "I will talk to Leia."

Han gave a resigned sigh. He hoped Luke could talk some sense into her. In the meantime, he would have to be the one to go to General Rieekan, which he had been hoping to avoid.

"Great," he grumbled before lumbering past Luke and leaving him behind. Han went to the closest lift and took it one level down to Rieekan's office. With an explosive sigh of resignation, he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Rieekan bellowed through the door.

Han palmed it open and stepped inside.

"Solo," he greeted with a pleasant smile. "What brings you to my office?" He sat behind a small desk that looked to have seen better days.

Han paused just inside the doorway, hands on hips. "Uh, I'd like to talk to you about something."

Rieekan's brow rose at the uncertainty in his tone. "Have a seat." He gestured to the chair before his desk.

Feeling rather awkward, Han sat down in the chair, trying to decide how to begin. "I wanna talk to you about the mission to Montalto."

"Okay."

"I'm a little…concerned. About Princess Leia."

He frowned. "I was under the impression that she did an excellent job leading that mission."

"Oh, she did. It's not that."

The General folded his hands together on the desk. "So, what is it, Solo?"

Suddenly uncertain, he tried to come up with words that did not sound critical. "Well…don't you think her talents are more in the diplomatic realm?"

Rieekan sat back and smiled. "Funny, I said something similar to her before Montalto. But, she pointed out a few missions she ran for her father, when she was younger." He paused with a head tilt towards Solo. "In fact, she met you on one of those missions."

Han's lips tightened. "Yeah. But, now the Alliance needs leaders more than soldiers."

"And the Princess is leading. Out in the field, where it's most important. Honestly, Solo, I had the same thoughts about this before Montalto. But, she pulled it off flawlessly. Unless you have something to add to her report."

He hesitated a heartbeat too long. "No, General. I have nothing to add."

"All right then."

This had been a fruitless endeavor. He made one last ditch effort to salvage it. "General, if it would be okay, I'd like to volunteer to accompany the Princess on her next mission."

Rieekan regarded him thoughtfully. "Any particular reason?"

Han glanced away for a moment then returned his gaze to Rieekan before answering. "I guess I…kind of feel responsible for her."

"How so?"

"Well…" Han was rarely at a loss for words, but this situation was making him very uncomfortable. "Her father, he asked me to watch over her all the time. So, I kinda feel I owe it to him." A bit of an exaggeration, but it would do.

The General stared at him steadily for a long moment, adding to his discomfort.

"All right, Solo. Next time, I'm going to assign you as her second-in-command."

Oh, she's going to just love that. "Great. Thank you, General." He stood and offered his hand. Rieekan rose and shook it in return.

"See you later, Solo."

As Han turned to leave, he shook his head internally. That had not gone as he had hoped.

If this was the best he could do, he would have to take it. All he would be able to do is watch Leia's back from now on.

###

"You're a sickening excuse for a human being."

From behind him, Leia's voice was a low snarl. He turned around from where he stood in the Falcon's med bay, taking inventory of medical supplies. Placing his datapad on the counter, he flashed his most charming smile. "It's always such a pleasure to see you, Your Holiness."

Her eyes were slits of durasteel, her mouth a fine, hard line. "You went behind my back to Luke and Rieekan!"

"Hey, just talkin' to someone isn't going behind your back." He vowed to remain calm. She was angry enough for the both of them.

"It is when you're talking about me!"

Chewie loomed in the door suddenly, rumbling to ask what the fuss was about.

Leia smiled sweetly at the Wookiee, venom spewing from her eyes. "I'm going to murder your Captain."

With a soft whoof of laughter, he barked at her to carry on.

Han shot him a dirty look. "Thanks a lot, ya Giant Mountain of Fur."

With a shrug, Chewie asked him if he deserved it.

Han and Leia both answered at the same time.

"No!"

"Yes!"

Chewbacca chuckled and, with a dismissive gesture, left the med bay. Han turned back to Leia.

"What're you so mad about?"

"You undermined my authority!"

"How'd I do that?"

"You told them I can't handle field assignments."

Han raised a halting finger. "Now hold on. I never said that."

"You might as well have!"

"I just told Luke you were taking too many risks."

"And that implies I am not fit for command in the field."

"Ahh, it does not." He waved the accusation away with a casual hand.

"It does! And it's bad enough you went to Luke. How could you go to General Rieekan and say that?"

"That's not what I said to Rieekan.

"Oh, really? Then, why did he ask me what happened on Montalto that has you so concerned about me?"

He faltered for a moment, unable to remember what his exact words had been. "Look, I didn't mean to make anyone think you're not capable. I know you're capable. Everyone knows you're capable."

"Then what the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is, I don't want to see you end up dead. And I don't think you've got your own personal safety down as a priority right now."

Her eyes grew stormier. "Why do you even care? You'll be leaving in six months anyway." There was a sudden resignation mixed with the anger in her tone.

For a moment, Han didn't know how to respond. Why did he care? He had been deliberately ignoring that question for quite some time now. He decided to deflect it. "Look, even you know that if you'd gone back, you would've been killed. And I think you knew it then. You wanna be some sort of martyr for the cause? If you're dead, you can't fight anymore. Don't you wanna be around to see the Empire fall?"

Her head tilted to the other side, her brow raised, and her tone was crisp and precise. "I thought this was a lost cause? According to you, that won't happen in my lifetime."

He was really sticking his foot in his mouth today. He softened his tone. "Yeah, well, if anyone can make it happen, it's you."

The austere lines in her face gentled slightly and her reply was delayed. "Well, thank you for the vote of confidence." Her tone remained distrustful.

"You're welcome," he answered impassively, a bit uncomfortable now. They fell into silence, awkward and seemingly endless. Finally, he cleared his throat noisily. "I've gotta finish this inventory."

"You volunteered for my next mission?" she asked, as if he hadn't spoken.

"Yeah." His eyes automatically dropped as a sliver of self-consciousness crawled through his veins.

"Why?" Her anger had fled and now she was serious and intent.

His mouth opened a moment before he found a reply. "Like I said, I don't wanna see you dead."

Their gazes held for a long moment, unspoken questions dancing heavily in the air between them, like a fine, dank mist.

"Well," she finally said lightly, "I don't want to scare you again, I'll have to watch my step."

"Hey, I don't scare that easy. But, you watch your step and I'll watch your back." How had the mood lightened?

She almost smiled but it quickly faded. "I guess in six months, I'll no longer have my own personal bodyguard."

An irrational sense of guilt coursed through him. "Guess not," he said stiffly.

She nodded, eyes glancing away then back. "What will you do when your term with the Rebellion is up?"

He hadn't thought about it. The idea of his departure didn't seem real. "I dunno. Guess I'll go back to smuggling." He shrugged. "Especially now that I have my own ship."

She was nodding again, although Han wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You really should consider a commission. You're a natural leader."

Exasperation nagged at his patience. It irked him to realize that he wanted her to ask him to stay. But, he wanted her to ask because it was what she wanted. Not for the sake of the Alliance.

"Sorry, Sweetheart," he said snidely. "I've told you, this isn't my fight. And the outcome doesn't matter to me."

The shift in her expression was visible: her open features closed up again, eyes smaller, lips tightened. "Oh, yes," she snipped. How could I forget? I suppose I just assumed that after more than three years, you would have become sympathetic by now."

Her accusatory tone rankled him. "I'm sympathetic," he said, nodding. "I just don't wanna make this Rebellion my whole life."

She grimaced. "Okay, Han. That's your choice."

"That's right. No one's gonna make it for me." He was aware of the defensiveness in his voice, but couldn't seem to stop it.

"Well, then, maybe you shouldn't accompany me on my missions."

"Why not?"

"Because it might be better if I just get used to you being gone now!" With a haughty cant of her head, she was gone.

Han was left confused, mouth dangling open.

Why did his interactions with Leia have to be so confusing? In the space of a few minutes, things had gone from hostile to friendly, back to hostile again. How did things with Leia always seem to leave him so baffled by what had just happened?

Six months.

He had been dutifully ignoring that deadline. Now, the thought brought with it so many mixed feelings. He would be a free man, but to what end? Where would he go?

Funny how, when he had been captured by the slavers, he had been such a loner. Now, it had become hard to imagine his former solitude. Of course, Chewie would remain with him when he left the Rebellion. But Leia and Luke…

It was difficult for Han to think about never seeing them again. A large part of him wanted to stay. Another, smaller part felt he should run away while he still could. Before he became even more attached.

When he struck this deal with Leia, he had never expected it to become more than business. But, there had been something different about her from the start. Even with everything that had happened, even knowing that she looked down on him from her virtual throne, he couldn't deny that she was a special woman. And he supposed she needed a special man, one befitting a Princess. He was delusional to think he could ever measure up.

It was going to be difficult to leave. But, he couldn't spend the rest of his life longing for her. Out of sight, out of mind.

###

Sitting in the chair, Han had propped his feet up irreverently on her desk. Leia scowled at the heels of his boots.

"Must you?" she asked coldly.

He looked up at her over the tops of his boots. "Must I what?"

With one hand, she gestured towards his feet, eyebrows raised.

Half his mouth shrugged up into a lazy grin. "My feet? What's the big deal?"

"It's rude."

His grin broadened to the point where she thought his cheeks must hurt. "Never claimed to be polite."

She slapped at his boots and his legs jerked back as he laughed heartily. He sat up straight in the chair just as a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in!" Leia called.

As expected, it was Luke. He greeted them both and came to sit in the chair next to Han's.

"What's up, Kid?"

Luke looked from one to the other and expelled a loud breath. "I wanted to tell you both the news at the same time, before I report to anyone else."

Leia frowned, anticipating trouble. "What is it?"

His lips pressed together anxiously and he turned to her. "Please don't be mad, Leia."

Placing her hands on the desktop, she leaned towards him, increasingly worried. "What's going on, Luke?" Her voice had grown unwittingly harsh. "Just come out and say it."

He took in a long breath. "I'm taking a leave of absence from the Rebellion." The breath drew back out in a quick rush and everything was silent for a long moment.

Her mouth dropped open and she felt her eyes go soft with keen disappointment.

Han broke the silence. "You?" he asked incredulously. "You're taking a leave of absence? I'd think if anyone was gonna, it'd be me."

A cloud of hurt gathered in Leia's chest and she stood to come around the desk and stand by Luke's side. "Why?" She was unable to hide the sadness in her voice. "What will you do? Why would you abandon us like this?" After the words left her mouth, she wasn't sure if she meant the Rebels, or herself and Han.

He turned to face her and his eyes dropped guiltily.

"Hey," Han interjected calmly. "I'm sure he's got his reasons."

His mild reaction just irritated her and she tossed him a dirty look.

"I do have a good reason," Luke said with more reassurance in his voice.

Han shot Leia a smug, knowing look and she just rolled her eyes at him.

"I had a dream the other night," Luke said.

From the corner of her eye, Leia saw Han do a double-take.

"A dream?" he asked disdainfully.

It was her turn to sport a smug expression, but Han was too busy staring at Luke to notice.

Luke sat back, his hand gently extricating from hers. "But, I don't think it was really just a dream."

Han's voice was deadpan. "So what was it? A hallucination? What spice are you on?"

Luke just shook his head with a smile and Leia ignored Han completely.

"Tell me what happened," she implored.

His blue eyes became brilliantly intent. "It was about Ben Kenobi. I think he was sending me a message."

"Isn't Kenobi dead?" Han asked without missing a beat.

"Shut up, Han," Leia shot off sternly. "Go on," she said more gently to Luke.

"He told me to go to the Dagobah system."

"Where's that?" Han asked. "Never heard of it."

"I did some research. It's in the Sluis Sector, in the Outer Rim. It's uninhabited."

"What're you gonna do on an uninhabited planet?" Han's visage showed a dubious expression.

"Well, there is one being there. A Jedi Master."

Leia was hesitant to trust this "dream" of his. But, if this was something he felt he must do, she wouldn't deter him. "And what happens once you find him?" she asked softly.

Luke's chin rose. "He's going to train me to be a Jedi Knight."

"Sure, he will," Han muttered into his hand.

At the last shred of her patience, Leia smacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head and gave her a wounded look that she ignored.

"I have to do this, Leia. I know it's my destiny to be a Jedi, like my father. If there's even a chance that I can find this Jedi Master, I have to take it."

The determination in his voice was almost palpable. "I understand, Luke," she said softly. "We all have to follow our own path. I just hope that once you're done, you'll return to the Alliance." To me, she thought privately. Why was it so hard to admit to personal loss aloud?

"Of course I will." He smiled reassuringly. "I plan to be right next to you while we defeat the Empire. And once I'm a Jedi Knight, I'll be even more prepared to for it."

"What if you can't find this guy?" Han asked.

With a measure of uncertainty in his eyes, Luke sat up straighter. "I have to find him. I have to."

"When will you leave?" Leia asked, anxiety creeping up her spine.

"I'm going to see General Rieekan now and tell him I plan to leave in the morning."

"That's awfully sudden." Leia felt sadness well inside her chest. She had so few she could call friend.

He gave her an encouraging smile that held a trace of his old enthusiasm. "The sooner I go, the sooner I come back."

She tried to smile in response but the corners of her mouth would only raise so high.

"Aw, Leia…" Luke stood and made his way around the desk and she stood to meet him. They embraced tightly and, for a moment, all Leia could feel was how much she would miss him. When they finally let go and stepped back, they shared a meaningful smile that told her he wholeheartedly returned her feelings.

She had completely forgotten Han until Luke turned towards him. His expression was stoic and typical of Han during any moment that held even a modicum of meaning. Luke went to him and, when Han offered his hand, the younger man clasped it and pulled him forward into a hug. Thrown for a moment, Han remained still, one hand between them, Luke's other arm thrown around his shoulders. Leia's eyes were drawn to his expression, and she watched the subtle softening around his eyes as his mouth drew down to a slight frown. After a moment of hesitation, Han placed his other hand on Luke's back and firmly thumped it a few times. When they broke apart, they shook hands briefly and Han smiled self-consciously.

"Take care, Han."

"Yeah, you too. And be careful."

Luke grinned. "I will be." He graced them each with one last smile and left the room.

Han and Leia looked at each other, her curious, him chagrined. He ran a hand over the back of his neck in that familiar gesture of discomfort.

"Huh. Never thought he'd leave before me."

His words only reminded her that he too would soon be gone. And, unlike Luke, he would not return. She substituted anger for sorrow.

"Nor did I," she said in a chilly tone. "But, you'll be right behind him."

His eyes fell to the floor then rose again, and there was a vulnerable hesitancy in his eyes.

"At least I know Luke will be back."

Bending one knee in a more casual stance, he stared down at her, eyes dispassionate. "Yeah," he agreed, and his voice was unexpectedly hoarse. He cleared his throat. "I'm glad he'll be back. I think you two need each other."

His surprisingly astute observation threw her off guard and cracked her tough façade. She felt the sudden lessening of tension in the lines of her face as a wave of emotion rippled through her. How did this man always manage to so violently sway her emotions from one extreme to the other?

Gathering her resolve, Leia steeled herself against all tender feelings. "I have work to do."

His eyes appeared darker as they seemed to peruse her features, his scrutiny adding to her discomfort. He nodded tersely and fled the office.

His departure was both a relief and a disappointment.