Wow, there's only one chapter left after this! But, as always, I have another fic all ready to post. It's called 'Dawn to Dusk' and is the first of three (Shackled actually being the third) that I wrote about Leia being the one to pursue Han. I started thinking that he is always the one chasing after her and I wanted to write about her chasing after him. But, under what circumstances would Han be resistant? The first thing that came to mind was "What if Leia were too young for him?" So, in "Dawn to Dusk," Leia is sixteen when her path crosses with Han. Of course, being Han and Leia, they clash...at first ;)

I hope the notifications are fixed, I know that notifications were not sent out for the last chapter. Thank you to all who still found them, read, and reviewed! :)

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Wide awake for some time now, Han watched Leia as she slept soundly. She hadn't moved a muscle. So much had happened in such a short time. The battle had been draining enough, but the revelation about her father had done her in.

It was almost unbelievable…Leia had fought tirelessly against the evil of this man/machine, and he turned out to be her biological father. It was insane.

Han still had a lot of questions for both her and Luke. How had they come by this knowledge? How could they be so certain it was true?

But, for now, the questions would hold. She was in no shape to deal with more than she absolutely had to.

His eyes travelled across her features. She looked so small and delicate in sleep. No one would ever guess at the fierce spirit that lie within. She was so beautiful…sometimes, when she was sleeping or distracted by something else, he just watched her in awe. There was a flawless gracefulness to her, no matter what she was doing; whether it be welding some part of the Falcon, firing a blaster, or scrambling over a fallen log.

And in sleep she was simply stunning.

He wished she could hold onto the peacefulness of slumber, but when she woke up and returned to reality, he knew all traces of tranquility would disappear within seconds.

She still hadn't answered him.

I would marry you in a heartbeat, Han.

It wasn't quite the same as saying yes, although it made him hopeful. But, until she actually said it, his nerves would remain dangling precariously in the air.

Her hair had still been wet when she'd fallen asleep, and now it spread across the bunk in long, dark waves. He smiled, eyes following the billowing trail and, when he looked back to her face, he realized her eyes were open and she was watching him, expressionless.

"Good morning," he said with a tender smile.

"Good-," Her voice came out a croak and she paused to clear her throat. "Good morning," she said more clearly.

"Seems like you slept well."

"I don't remember the last time I slept so deeply." She remained in place, unmoving, voice impassive.

"Good." Their gazes held for a long moment. "How do you feel?" he asked with an optimistic raise of his eyebrows.

Her gaze fell away, drew inward. "I don't think I know yet."

That didn't surprise him. "Kaffe?"

"Not yet. I'm not ready to start the day. Too much to deal with." She still hadn't moved. Her eyes returned to him. "How do you feel?"

He stuck out his lower lip and tipped his head slightly in contemplation. "A little uneasy," he answered honestly.

She sighed and, finally, shifted to hug the pillow beneath her head, staring at the sheet below. "I don't blame you," she replied quietly.

His brow drew downward in momentary confusion.

She sighed again, more quietly and her eyes rolled upwards with a small shake of her head. Her expression grew to one of resigned sadness. "Han…"

His heart plummeted. She was turning him down. He tried to compose himself but could feel his face fall. He looked away in dread, steeling himself not to react with as much disappointment as he felt. "Yeah?" His voice sounded dead to his own ears.

It took a moment for her to continue. "I…I'm not going to hold you to your proposal. I understand why you're uneasy. The news is…disturbing, to say the least." Her tone was hard, but the undercurrent of pain was apparent.

He looked at her in shock. "Is that what you think of me?" He was incredulous. "That I'm gonna let you go over something that doesn't matter at all?"

She sat up suddenly, hair spilling around her. "Han, it matters," she said calmly.

He sat up as well, facing her plaintively. "How does it matter?" he asked, without allowing her a chance to respond. "I don't even know who my parents were, does that matter to you?" For so long, he had thought his confession might affect her feelings for him. Only now did he realize how little it made any difference for either of them. "For all I know, the Emperor coulda been my dad." He gave a short laugh. "Wouldn't that be something?"

The hardness disappeared from her expression, leaving behind only surprise and confusion. She spoke very quietly. "I don't want you to do something you might regret later."

He shook his head slowly. "I could never regret a thing about you."

Their gazes locked and her expression slowly softened, eyes growing wide with wonder. Han took her hand in his, raised it to his lips, and kissed it.

"Did you mean it?" he asked with serious eyes.

"Mean what?"

"That you'd marry me in a heartbeat." He held his breath, waiting, his own heartbeat slamming against his ribs.

A slight sheen of tears glazed her eyes and her lips curved up tentatively. "Yes," she said softly.

Han grinned so widely it almost hurt his cheeks. "Well, Your Worship, looks like you've got yourself a husband."

Her grin was just as wide and she threw herself at him, throwing him off balance and sending him sprawling across the bunk, Leia on top of him.

He kissed her, one hand holding her head firmly in place.

A husband. Something he never, ever thought he would be.

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High up in the trees of the Ewok village, the warmth of the sun beamed around Leia. This was a monumental day, indeed. The Empire was dead. Of course, remnants would remain, but now a new Republic would rise up to reinstate democracy to the galaxy. They had done it. She tipped her face up to the sky and breathed in air that seemed fresher than any before.

Footsteps…she turned in hopes that it was Han. Almost as good, it was Luke.

"Hey." He came over, placed an arm around her, and hugged her into his side.

"Hey." Focusing on all that was good, she couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Han just accosted me. Lots of questions."

She nodded. "I'm not surprised. I didn't tell him much." She lowered her gaze. "I couldn't."

He squeezed her shoulder. "He's taking it well."

Leia smiled to herself.

"I asked him if he's staying."

Leia looked at her brother expectantly.

Luke smiled, clearly pleased. "He said, 'I gotta stay. Someone's gotta watch out for you two knuckleheads.'"

They just looked at each other a moment then burst out laughing. Leia grew serious.

"We're getting married." She saw the flash of surprise.

"Wow," Luke replied quietly.

She smiled again. "It is surprising, isn't it?"

"Yes and no."

"No?" she asked speculatively.

He shrugged. "You two make sense. I guess you shouldn't…but you do."

It was one of the nicest things she had heard in a while.

"I always wanted a sibling," he shared. "It was lonely on Tatooine. I used to think about it a lot."

"It seems you've had one for the past four years, you just didn't know it." They shared a smile of sublime pleasure.

"I want to know about our mother."

Leia tensed. "Eventually, I will ask my mother about her. She knew her but never told me her name. But, I'm not ready for that yet."

"I understand." He paused. "What did your parents say about…our father?"

"That they didn't know who he was," she sighed, feelings of betrayal falling over her. All these years and no one had ever seen fit to tell her the truth of her heritage. How was she going to tell her mother that she now knew?

They were silent for a time. Luke broke it first. "He was still good when she fell in love with him."

She jumped back from him as if he'd burned her. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I just feel it. He wasn't always evil. And he renounced it, in the end."

"I don't want to hear it," she practically growled.

"But, Leia, it's true."

"I don't care."

"There's no reason to hold onto hate. It leads to the dark side."

"That's just a chance I'll have to take," she declared stubbornly, crossing her arms at her chest.

"That's probably what our father said."

"My father died at Nimbla IV!" she shouted.

He shrunk back in light of the intensity of her anger.

A louder, deeper voice intruded. "Hey, Kids!" Han called. "Play nice."

Luke's gaze turned to where Han stood, but Leia continued to stare angrily at her brother.

"Luke," Han reprimanded. "Don't try to talk to her about this right now. Give her some time. She's not ready."

Leia was silently thanking him when he called her to attention.

"And Leia. Stop yelling at your brother." He smiled, as if in pride.

"Okay, Dad," Luke said, smiling. "Wait." He feigned thoughtfulness, tapping his chin. "If you're my dad that means you're Leia's dad, too. Uh oh, better call off the wedding."

Han tossed him a sour look, ambled to Leia, and placed one arm about her shoulders. Leia's tension decreased a bit at his presence.

"So," Luke said a little too loudly. "You're marrying my sister."

Leia glanced at Han and found him apprehensive.

"Yeah," he replied carefully.

Luke held out a hand. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you both."

With one of the more sincere smiles Leia had seen on his face, Han clasped his friend's hand and they shook warmly.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone now."

"Luke, you don't have to go," Leia implored.

"Yeah, Kid," Han added. "Stay."

"Its fine," Luke said serenely. "I have some things to tend to. I'll see you guys later." He leaned down, kissed Leia on the cheek, and disappeared down the walkway.

Han and Leia smiled at each other and she realized she was actually pleased they were now alone.

"Hi," she said softly, forgetting everything but him.

"Hi." He came close and caught her around the waist, pulling her fast against him, speeding up her pulse as he bent to kiss her.

Their lips moved in unison, tongues intertwining, inciting that familiar heat at the core of her. The kiss was steamy and filled with emotion.

Breaking apart, they smiled into each other's eyes and Han surprised her once again.

"Let's get married today. Mon Mothma's head of the new government. She can marry us."

Her eyes widened in surprise and Leia was momentarily at a loss for words. Her smile grew apologetic. "I'd like to get married on Naboo, with my mother."

He remained smiling but there was a shift of discomfort for just a moment. "Okay. Sure."

She had said something wrong. She just wasn't certain what. "What is it?"

"Nothing." But there was something in his eyes…

Leia smiled playfully. "You're in such a rush, you can't wait until we reach Naboo?" She ran a hand down his chest.

He hesitated, words clearly on the tip of his tongue.

"What's wrong?" she asked more seriously.

He gazed down at her hand on his chest and covered it with his own then looked up at her again. "I was just thinkin'…what's your mother gonna say about all this?"

She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Is that all that's bothering you? Don't worry, she'll just be pleased that I'm happy."

He wasn't convinced. "I dunno, Leia. She wasn't exactly fond of me before."

"That's only because she thought you would break my heart. But, you didn't." She beamed up at him. "Mother will be happy. You'll see."

He gave her a dubious smirk.

"Luke and Chewie have to come too," she added.

"Yeah, of course."

"And that's it. Just those closest to us."

"Sounds good to me."

She shook her head slowly, smiling. "I never thought I would get married."

"Tell me about it." He smirked.

"I always thought there would never be time, that the Rebellion would be all I would live for."

His eyes grew serious. "The Rebellion's over. Just some cleaning up, taking out what's left."

And now it's just the beginning, she thought realizing suddenly how drastically life was going to change. "Han. You know, I'm going to be an integral part of the new government, right?"

He nodded, looking slightly perplexed.

"I don't know where exactly that's going to take me. There are going to be a lot of changes. I hope…" She lowered her eyes and turned her hand around to clasp his. "I hope you're prepared for that."

He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Sweetheart, I'll never be prepared for what gets thrown at us."

A nervous bubble rose in her chest.

His voice lowered to a soft, rumbling murmur and he leaned closer to her. "But, I wouldn't have it any other way."

The bubble burst and dissipated, and Leia's confidence in them soared.