Han shot up in bed, wide awake and heart racing. He gave himself a few seconds for his eyes and brain to adjust to the dark cabin.

Leia's hand went to his arm. "What's going on?"

She sounded groggy and confused, which was fair enough. It was the middle of their sleep cycle and was likely out cold before he woke her.

"Myka's booster." He turned to look at her, knowing his expression was shifting into a crazy wide smile. "Supposed to be an additional power source."

"You were dreaming about Myka's booster?" She rubbed his arm affectionately. "That's disappointing. I would have hoped for something a bit racier."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He threw back the covers and crawled over her. "Didn't dream about it. More popped into my head."

He started the process of finding clothes in the dark, whatever he left on the floor. "If we hook it up, maybe we can get the hyperdrive moving. Or bump up the sublights."

Han squinted as the lights came on. She was sitting up in the bunk.

"Do you think that's true?"

"Dunno." He quickly pulled on socks then grabbed his boots. "Gotta look at it over. We won't get full power or hit hyper but it might be enough to get us somewhere faster. Bespin, rendezvous, wherever."

Han paused long enough to kiss her forehead before leaving the cabin. He was yelling for Chewie while still making his way along the corridor.

He'd only looked over the prototype briefly, right after he got back from the med center. They talked about trying it out but things got hectic as they set up Hoth and it didn't really slow down after. So it was easy enough to forget it was there. They'd been in sublight for ten days and he'd gone through their supply and parts list a dozen times looking for some way to boost their speed. Somehow, he'd missed that one entirely.

[What do you want?] Chewie looked up from the glass tubes he was polishing. He was set up at the games table with a drink and bowl of nuts, probably glad for those few hours alone.

"That booster Myka made, could we hook it up? Would it do the job?"

Chewie took a second to process what Han was talking about then quickly stood up. [I'll get it.]

Han carefully cleared away the tubes, making sure that none broke and he didn't mix up the order. They might be on to something important but he didn't want to mess up Chewie's project. They were living in too close quarters for too long to deal with a pissed off Wookiee.

They'd all managed to keep the peace for the most part. He and Leia had a couple blow-outs but they didn't last long. They were a lot better at making up, too. In truth, Chewie was more irritated by how well he and Leia were getting along. They weren't making out all the time but enough. And Han always seemed to have an arm over her shoulder or wrapped around her waist. Leia liked to sit tucked into his side, almost on his lap. Basically, they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

[How do you expect to fly the ship when it's time? You'll have to let go of her for more than five minutes.]

But Chewie didn't get it.

When she told him she was pregnant, Han was mostly stunned. The only part that sunk in was Leia looking scared and upset. He was reacting to that bit more than anything else. He was calm because he wanted to calm her down. Keep her from spinning out after everything else that had happened. Course he didn't know about Mothma's assistant and attempt on Leia's life at that point but evacuating Hoth was more than enough.

He meant what he said, though. They'd figure it out. They were stuck in sublight for weeks so they had time. Of course, he had no idea how or even where to start and talking or thinking things through weren't exactly his strong points.

His head was a jumbled mess. The Empire on their tail, the Falcon failing him, or maybe he failed the Falcon by leaving her to that cold for too long. Facing Lando in Bespin and dealing with all the shit that may bring. They went way back and he might actually put Lando in the mostly-friend category but they'd also had a history of screwing each other over. Jobs that went south. Deals that went sour. And Han wasn't looking forward to Lando pulling his charming guy act on Leia. Definitely not in the mood for that one.

Han wanted to take care of Leia. Protect her, sure, but that was an impossible task most of the time. Keeping her safe was the goal but she needed to do what she needed to. He wasn't going to stop her from being Leia. It was the other stuff he wanted to fix. Knowing she was in turmoil meant he went into a caretaker mode he didn't know he had. Wanted her to feel secure, if not safe. More than loved. Love seemed like too simple a version. She was everything. But once he had a minute to take it in, pregnant, stuck in a slow crawl in space, he couldn't pull his thoughts apart enough to get a handle on any of them.

He always knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that getting pregnant was a possibility. He was always damn careful in any casual encounter. He and Leia had been at it so long, almost a year, and they both had the shot. He sort of forgot that might be a thing. They didn't talk about the future beyond upcoming missions and they definitely didn't talk about having kids.

Having a family was never on his radar. He was never going to be tied down or to one person. He was a spacer, a pilot, a criminal. Who in their right mind would ever tie themselves to him? There were a few who tried to convince him it was a good idea but he got out fast. He was a good while it lasted kind of guy.

So it was surprising the idea that kept bobbing to the surface, no matter how much he tried keeping it down, was he wanted this kid. He wanted this kid with Leia. And that was an insane thought! How did he land there? If he ever thought about kids it was how to avoid them. He liked some of them well enough, Jacen was a fun kid, and that was it. But as he was worked on the sensor array with Chewie, looking over at Leia and thinking this was something people likely considered a mess, he knew it was the life he wanted.

He wanted a life with Leia. He wanted kids if she wanted kids. It was all vague, even less of a plan than he had with Q'ira which amounted to get ship then fly, but that didn't deter him. They'd figure it out. Well, they'd figure it out if he ever told her how he felt but that seemed like a remote possibility in that moment. Figuring out anything didn't seem possible. Even working on the Falcon wasn't straightening him out. Lucky he didn't connect the envirosystem to the fuel valve.

Leia didn't notice much cos she was in her own world working away but Chewie caught on. Nudged him a few times to stay focused. Slapped him on the back of his head when the nudge didn't work. Thankfully, he waited until she was up in the cockpit before actually saying anything.

[You knew she'd be mad when you said you're leaving. Stop sulking about it.]

"I'm not sulking and that's not it!" He grunted his reply but a hint of sulking slipped in. "Or it's not the only… it."

Han stepped back from the panel and did more than one shoulder checks before speaking in a low voice.

"Listen, gotta tell you something and I don't want you making a big deal about it." He did another shoulder check. "And maybe don't say anything to Leia until I give you the okay."

He managed to get that far but then didn't know what else to say. Looked at his boots for a few seconds.

[You've done something.]

"Yeah. But not just me." He let out a slow breath. "Leia's pregnant."

Chewie stared at him, holding the hydrospanner in midair, then slowly started nodding his head.

"You gonna say anything?"

Chewie continued with the head nodding. Han was getting close to shouting at him when the Wookiee shrugged instead.

[Not too surprising.] He went back to the sensor mechanism. [You are very active.]

"We used protection!" He was still whispering. Listening for small feet coming down the corridor. "We got the shots."

[Shots fail.]

"Apparently."

He turned back to the open panel. Having something to do with his hands seemed like a good idea.

"Haven't figured anything out yet." Two wires that shouldn't touch connected and Han yanked his hand back at the small spark. "Haven't talked really. She told me then we had to get at all this."

He was glad she came back out to help. Knew she needed the distraction and he could keep an eye on her. She spun out when he left her alone too long last time.

[You're handling this better than I thought you would.]

"You thought this would happen?"

[Like I said, not too surprising.]

Han looked toward the corridor. He didn't want to be caught having this conversation and maybe that wasn't a great sign.

"Guess I'm not really upset about it." He shrugged. "Maybe it's not such a bad thing."

Chewie nodded again and turned back to his work.

"That's it? You got nothing to say?"

[It's not me you need to say that to.] Chewie stood tall in front of Han. [If you want my opinion, you'll make a great father. Not sure you think that's true but that's my opinion.]

Han had no idea what a good father did, though doing anything was more than what he had as a kid and he made it through fine. He couldn't be any worse anyway. Could he?

"Still gotta deal with Jabba. And she's got the rebellion."

He hated feeling like he had something to lose. Everything. Slipping away before he held it.

[She's coming.] Chewie turned back to his work and two seconds later she rounded the corner looking flushed and beautiful.

Myka's booster was designed to fit perfectly into a YT-1300 of the Falcon's vintage but the Falcon didn't look much like that anymore. Their engine was larger and had more than a few add-ons.

"We'll need to remove at the secondary processor."

He and Chewie, both with arms crossed over their chests, had been staring into the hyperdrive engine room for several minutes in silence. Each running through all the wires and circuits and modifications they'd made over the years.

[Maybe we could work around the fuel injector in the sublights to get to the combustion chamber.]

Han turned as Leia leaned against the wall close to the door. She was wearing her sleep clothes still, the t-shirt and leggings with socks pulled up almost to her knees.

"Do you even know if the booster works?"

[He gave me a demo with an external battery. It looked pretty impressive.]

"But it might not actually work." She cocked her head at them. "I want to make sure I'm following along."

"Where's your faith, Princess?"

"I may have misplaced it somewhere on Hoth's tundra."

Her voice was light but there was an edge to it. It's what Bets used to call kidding on the square.

"Hang on." Han snapped his fingers. "We can sketch this out."

He started looking in the lounge but it was so neat he didn't where to find anything. When Leia got bored, she organized. Ten days into their trip, all the storage lockers, two of the holds and all of the tabletops were unrecognizable to Han. He was about to give up on the search when she called from the corridor.

"Is this what you're looking for?" She held out a datapad and stylus.

He was about to complain about her messing with his stuff but instead wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. "Thanks, Baby."

He bent her back and kissed her as he took the datapad from her hand. Her arm went around his neck, a knee raised against his thigh. It was a sweeping, exaggerated kiss like the holos. He felt her laugh against his lips.

His brain had calmed down a lot since telling her what he was thinking. He didn't like that she refused to consider anything other than returning to the fleet but it wasn't a huge surprise either. He'd never admit to feeling some disappointment that she said no to having the kid but he meant it when he said she was the important part. The rest would fall in place.

He'd do anything to make her happy. Find some way to give her a reprieve from working constantly to save every last being in the galaxy. Make sure she understood how much he loved her cos every time he thought he hit his limit there was more.

Bottomless. Endless. Forever.

Han and Chewie sat in the lounge, drawing plan after plan and talking each one through. They considered a dozen scenarios involving by-passing engine parts and modifications but the only one that didn't present a snag involved switching out the boosters for the sublight acceleration motor and connecting to the high current power base on the hyperdrive.

"But won't that affect speed?" Leia walked in from the corridor dressed in her leggings and one of his white shirts and a belt. She sat down and curled up on the bench beside him. Sitting farther away then he'd like.

"She'll still be a fast ship." Han shut the datapad off and pushed it to the side of the table. "Just not the fastest."

She looked between the two of them. She was either suspicious or confused. "And if this doesn't work then you can put it back?"

Han shook his head. "The sublight booster will be done and we won't have the bump for the hyperdrive."

"Okay." She pulled her mug, clasped in both hands, on to her lap. "You're hesitating for some other reason. Why?"

"To do this, we gotta drop out of sublight. We can be as prepped as possible but it still means time tearing down and hitching them back up."

"And what happens if it doesn't work?"

"It'll work."

"Amuse me." She didn't look amused. "What happens?"

"We can hook everything back up but we'll lose the accelerator motor. Sublight travel will be a bit slower. We get to Bespin, fix the hyperdrive and get us wherever. Just not as fast as usual." He paused probably because he didn't want to say the next one. "Back to the fleet."

"If something happens, how quickly can you get engines working again?"

"Not as quick as I'd like but quick." He was trying to be reassuring but she wasn't falling for it. "Look, we're already exposed travelling sublight. We're in a remote system but that doesn't mean no one's there. If anyone's looking, they could pull us out easy enough."

"I know." She didn't like it when he repeated the obvious.

"We've still got ten days till we hit Bespin and that's if nothing goes wrong and the sublight keeps this speed. Fuel and water's fine but the food is gonna be tight." He saw she was about to cut in. "I put a positive spin on it. We're not gonna starve but that's a lot of ration bars for someone who throws up when she smells half of 'em."

She narrowed her eyes at him but didn't respond.

"But if this works, and I think it will, we could get close to a hyperspeed jump. Probably a few if the booster charges like it's supposed to."

"We can avoid Bespin."

"Yeah."

She was convinced Bespin was a bad idea. Even though she'd never been there and didn't recognize anything in her nightmares, she insisted it Bespin. That danger of some sort awaited them. She suspected Vader but was willing to concede he might be in her nightmares more as a symbol then an actual presence.

"I can't predict the future but I trust my instincts."

She was usually panicked when she woke up. Eyes wild and desperate in the dark. Often calling out his name and sometimes Luke's. Han got pretty good at knowing when he could touch her again, stroke her hair or back. Listen as she talked it through, trying to piece it together. It was never the same dream twice but there were similarities. He was there and then he was gone. There was mist or fog. An orangey glow. And grief. She was always left with a profound sense of loss.

"I know this probably all ties in to you going to Tatooine, or maybe it's stress from years at war. Every time it happens, I think I'll find a way to stop it but you always disappear. Sometimes Luke, too, but always you."

They didn't fight about it anymore since there wasn't much he could say. He didn't know exactly what to expect from Lando but a suckerpunch was likely the worst. He might refuse to fix the Falcon without a hefty payment but Chewie could probably talk him down. Leia had a lot going on, plus Han had no idea what being pregnant might do to her dreams, so made some sense the danger was focused on him. Besides, they were too far gone to change course now. Bespin wasn't the best of what was available, it was the only thing available.

She turned to Chewie. "What do you think?"

[I think it will work. It's a risk sitting without engines for a few hours but we have a better chance of getting to the fleet before they relocate.]

"If they haven't already." She almost mumbled.

"I'm okay with not finding them but I'll get you back to wherever you want to go."

She gave Han a hard stare and somehow managed to not mention the obvious. So he did because, apparently, that's who he was now.

"I told you, Leia. I'm not taking off." He leaned on the table toward her. They were close but not touching. "We'll figure all of it out. I promise."

Han gave Chewie a quick signal, asking for some time alone, as Leia shifted in her seat. She didn't look pleased with any of the options. He kept his voice low even though Chewie was out of the room.

"Know you don't want to hear it but we should get you checked out."

"Checked out?" She straightened in her seat. "There is nothing wrong with me."

"Want to make sure you got whatever you need. Don't want you to not get it cos you're stuck on my ship."

She gave herself a moment. Considered his comments and her next move.

"If it was just the two of you on board, would you do this? Destroy the sublight and risk exposure for a few hours?"

He looked at the table, slowly exhaled.

"No. We'd ride it out." He cocked his head. "Probably get in some high-stakes sabacc game when we got Bespin."

He was trying to make her laugh but she wasn't falling for it. Things didn't feel tense but they were circling each other, looking for a way in.

"You're suggesting this because I have a bad feeling about Bespin." She laid her hands in her lap. "Because I want to return to the fleet as quickly as possible, even though you think it's more dangerous for me to be there."

"Don't think it's the best idea."

She bit her cheek, trying to hold back her small smile. "You won't have the so-called fastest ship in the galaxy."

"We'll get it back. Might take a while is all." He leaned back, stretching an arm over the back of the bench. "Besides, still got the Kessel."

She mouthed great and he laughed.

"Why you having such a hard time with this? Stalling the Falcon is risky but not the craziest thing we've done and it gets you what you want."

"I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this. The Falcon is your pride and joy. You call her baby more than me."

"She's just a ship, Leia."

She gave her head a few quick shakes. "That's not true."

It was true. He'd give up the Falcon to save Leia. He'd learn to get by without his ship. He didn't want to figure it out without Leia.

"Your call. Sublight to Bespin, so ten, twelve days, then another couple days to rendezvous. Longer if they've moved. Or we risk stopping now and if it works we're back in two, three days tops. Doesn't work, we're a few hours behind."

"That's a lot of we." Leia raised an eyebrow. "You're going to give up on the plan of dealing with Jabba to stay with me. Officially join the rebellion."

"Okay, Sweetheart, take it down a notch. No one said anything about joining up." A corner of his mouth curled up as he watched her smile. "Yeah, you got the idea."

"No more threats to leave."

"I go where you go."

"What about go where you want when you want?" Her voice became quiet. "Belong to nothing or no one. All you need is your ship and your Wookiee."

"Like I said, things change." He slid closer to her. Put his elbows on the table and leaned in. "Not giving anything up. Shifting course is all."

She didn't appear to be breathing. He could see the pulsing of her vein along her neck but there was no rise and fall of her chest. She was watching him carefully, examining every inch of his face. Looking for something, perhaps reassurance. He held her gaze and waited.

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Then let's get working, Princess."

He sent Leia to the cockpit to keep watch. They could handle the job on their own.

They worked quickly and mostly in silence. They'd already planned it out so knew what to do and that left Han with too much time to think. He didn't want to get back to the fleet so quickly, not when they didn't know who was after Leia, but there was no dissuading her. He knew it was a long shot, getting her to consider something else, so he'd have to work with Rieekan's plan. It was a good sign she agreed to it and hopefully that meant she wouldn't fight it with every assignment.

At this point, he was more worried about how much time she spent hovered over the sani. It was always smells and not always obvious what would set her off. He had to navigate between Chewie, who ate a lot and liked it spicy, and Leia, who could only be around food she called beige. They were both trying to be understanding of the other's dilemma but they also both expressed their frustrations to Han, which meant he did a lot of nodding and saying, "Yeah, I get it."

She wasn't sure about him being there the first couple of times she hit the fresher. It was a vulnerable position to be in and despite everything that had happened between them they still weren't great with vulnerable. But then she got used to it and if she had too long on her own she'd look up with a scowl and grumble, "Where the hell have you been?"

He sat with her if she needed company. Got her fresh water. Cursed himself for not having mouthwash or anything minty. Rubbed her back. Sat on the floor beside her and told stories or jokes to pass the time. She looked exhausted, her face drained of all colour but the dark circles under her eyes, but she listened, smiled and laughed, so he figured he wasn't doing too bad a job.

"Where did you learn how to take care of pregnant women?"

He shrugged. "I've been around."

Her eyes got wide and he knew she had more questions but wasn't sure if she wanted to ask.

"Not mine!" He said that a bit too quick. "People I knew."

Her face relaxed and he felt a pang of guilt. He definitely wasn't good at this part. He appreciated that she didn't ask him many questions unless he brought something up but wasn't crazy about her thinking he was hiding important things from her. Like he had other kids out there somewhere.

"Might be a stretch to call some of them women." He handed her the cup of water. Didn't know if she was thirsty but it gave him an extra second or two. "The Worms weren't big on health care. Of any kind. I had a good side hustle going for a while selling condoms and meds."

Until Proxima found out. He probably still had scars on his back from that one but he hadn't looked or thought about them years.

"So you were well-prepared for your on base stores."

"I just filled a need since the Rebels thought the shots covered everything."

"Not everything apparently." She rested an elbow on the sani, looking almost casual.

"They weren't too big on any kind of fraternizing. The Worms." He was talking now and didn't feel the need to stop. "Hell, they didn't even like it if you made close friends. Encouraged the everyone for themselves mentality."

"You and Q'ira got away with it."

"Not sure how much they knew. Kept it pretty quiet." He smiled at her. "See? More prep for Rebel bases."

It occurred to Han in that moment that he'd never had a relationship completely out in the open. It was always about sneaking around and only behind closed doors. He also realized he wasn't the one wanting to stay hidden but didn't feel up to delving into that one.

"But stuff happened and not a lot of guys stuck around. No one wanted to get blamed if they were with the Worms. If they were from outside then they really didn't give a shit."

She lifted her glass. "Look away."

"What?"

"Look away."

He turned toward the door and heard her swish the water around her mouth then spit into the Sani.

"Okay, I'm done."

"You know…"

"If you ever want me to do that thing you're about to draw comparison to again, you'll stop talking now." She put the glass down and rested her forehead in her palm.

"Yes, your Highnessnees."

She was getting some colour back in her cheeks. Her eyes looked less strained.

"Did you sell them water and tea?"

"If I thought they could pay me." He gave her a cocky grin. "You know I don't do anything for free."

She smiled, her head still resting in her hand. "It was nice of you to help out. They must have been scared."

He wasn't sure why he tried to help when there wasn't anything in it for him. But he knew what it felt like being alone and losing the little you had.

"They didn't stick around long. Proxima found out or they ran off." He crossed one leg over the other. Leaned his head against the wall. "I know at least one got the money together to get to a clinic. No idea what happened to her after."

Kids came and went all the time. Some got nabbed by the authorities, a few were sold off to other syndicates, but most were unaccounted for. He used to hope they found a way out or maybe found their family but he knew that was unlikely. He knew it was probably better not having the information.

"I wish I could have met teenage Han."

He laughed. "You would've hated me, Princess."

"No more than I did on the Death Star."

"Well, that was a lot."

Leia stretched her leg out to nudge his thigh. She sat up, attempted to smooth down all her stray tresses.

"Don't worry about it." He nodded to her hair. "You look beautiful."

More colour appeared in her cheeks and he felt the twinge. He liked how this woman made him feel.

"Did you ever think about having kids before? With Q'ira?"

He had to look away . "Nah. It wasn't like that."

"Like you didn't want to have kids or you didn't think about that kind of future?"

"It was a long time ago, Leia." He spent so many years being hurt and angry with Q'ira, pushing any of the good parts down, it was hard to remember what it felt like then. Only that he believed in something. "We never talked about anything like that. Didn't talk about much past getting away from Proxima and the Worms. Think I thought that was enough."

"It can be a good place to start."

"Don't think Q'ira was using me as a way out. She cared. Cared as much as she could anyway." He always knew that was true. Even when he ached from her fucking him over and taking off, he knew she did the best she could when they were kids. "But she would've taken off before long. She wasn't gonna be satisfied with me and a ship and some adventures. She had bigger plans."

"Like Crimson Dawn."

"What can I say? I got a thing for women in positions of power."

She let out a deep throaty laugh. "Just my luck."

He and Chewie had just pulled the acceleration motor from the sublight engine and were about to start the process of pulling it apart when her voice came over the intercom. It wasn't like the startled scream when she saw the mynocks. It wasn't panicked but it was insistent.

"Get up here! Now!"

They were in the cockpit in seconds. She was in the pilot's chair, hitting buttons on the console to up the power to the front shields. She spoke without turning around.

"A ship." She pointed out the viewport. "Popped up on the scanner but I can see it now. It's getting closer."

She got out of the seat as Han slipped in. There was no point checking the monitors. They could all see the ship and it was coming in fast. It was a C-class hauler and, by the looks of it, heavily modified. It would have to be to move that quickly. Those ships were built for endurance not speed.

[On it.] Chewie headed back to the engine room.

"Should I go with him?"

He could hear the touch of panic in her voice now.

"No." He fired up the lower cannons. "Need you to run Chewie's side. Maybe do the turret."

Chewie was going to need ten, maybe fifteen minutes, to get the sublights back online. This was a mistake. A big fucking mistake. If the hauler was in wait for passing ships, it might've grabbed them out of sublight anyway but at least they would've been able to make another run for it. He thought they'd have more time if they spotted a ship. He didn't expect this speed. He was trying to get Leia out of a precarious situation. Away from things causing nightmares and reigniting her trauma. Make sure she had everything she needed. Now he needed a new plan and fast.

He charged up the rear thrusters. He wouldn't be able to get them far but being a moving target was preferable to a sitting one.

"Load the concussion missiles." The Falcon shot forward as the thrusters fired. "Get ready to fire when I say."

He needed to find a vulnerable spot on the hauler and that wasn't going to be easy. It was going to take a few more bursts to get the bridge in their sights and then take a damn precise shot to hit the viewport.

"If Luke hit the…" He was mumbling. Trying to calculate trajectory and speed while staring out at the ship getting closer by the second.

"What?" She caught his eye. "What about Luke?"

The Falcon shook as the tractor beam took hold. He saw Leia grab the console to steady herself. They should've been too far to get caught but looked like the hauler had more modifications than expected. Even if they had the engines going at full blast they'd be stuck. Han hit the intercom.

"Chewie! Forget the engine. Meet us in the lounge." He stood up, moved quickly to the hatch. "Plan B, Princess."

He stopped in the open hatchway when he realized she wasn't following him. She was still leaning against the console staring out.

"Leia! We need to move."

She didn't turn back to him and she didn't sound panicked when she spoke. She seemed almost mesmerized.

"I think I know that ship."

He grabbed her upper arm, not too hard but definitely not gently. "Hey! Move!"

She snapped out of it, nodded once, then followed him out.

Chewie had already gathered some weapons, his bowcaster, a collection of detonators, and handed Han his holster and blaster.

[For you, Princess.] He gave her a smaller blaster. [Hasn't been used in a while but it's clean and fully loaded.]

They all grabbed whatever was nearby to steady themselves as the Falcon shuddered again. There was a loud thud and a scrapping noise as the hauler attached to the airlock.

"Fuck." It was insane that his first thought was damage to his ship but old habits die hard. He turned to Leia. "Get in the smuggling compartments. Chewie and I'll hold them off."

"Hold them off? How do you propose to do that?" She didn't move from her spot and he wasn't in the mood for this fight. They didn't have time.

"We've managed it before." He pulled up the trap door. "It'll be dark down there. No time to find a light."

"I'm not going down there."

They all looked at the sound of the hauler's airlock opening.

"I'll keep back, act as extra protection that they might not suspect, but I'm not hiding in there."

He slammed the trap door shut and pulled his blaster from its holster. "Then move."

She disappeared down the corridor as he and Chewie took their places on either side of the airlock hatch, weapons raised and ready.

"Got any big ideas for this one, Pal?"

[Might be a good time to start praying.]

"Probably too late for that one."

There was a loud grinding noise then the smell of burning wires. Whatever they had cutting through the locking system was powerful and fast.

The hatch opened enough for six sentry droids to quickly slip through. Four were in position in a matter of seconds, weapons focused on Han and Chewie, while the other two took off. One to the lounge and the other the cockpit. Han looked over at Chewie. It would be hard to pick off all four before one of them got hit. And they still had to worry about the other droids eventually finding Leia.

"Hello in there!" A deep, booming voice called from the airlock bridge. "We'd like to keep things simple so please step out into the open."

Four more sentry droids appeared on the bridge side of the hatchway. Han aimed at one and the red light on its blaster started flashing. Chewie shook his head. They were surrounded and needed to play it calm for now.

"You turning around and leaving us alone sounds simple enough." He tried keeping his voice as fake friendly as the pirate's.

"Lower your weapons, step into the open, and we'll make this as quick and painless as possible."

Chewie moved first. He let his bowcaster drop to his side as he stepped forward. He emitted a loud, shattering growl designed to terrify the invaders.

[They have sentry droids, Princess! Stay hidden.]

Han shook his head. Chewie always assumed beings didn't understand Shyriiwook. One of these times he'd be wrong.

"Ah, a Wookiee!" The guy gave a deep chuckle. "It's been some time since I've seen one of your kind. Good to know the Empire hasn't enslaved all of you."

[Fuck you.]

"And your friend. We'll need him to step forward, too."

Han moved into view. He stayed a few feet from Chewie and didn't lower his weapon.

It was two Chessapians. The older one, clearly the one in charge, was over six feet and maybe 250 lbs. of solid muscle. They looked similar and Han guessed the younger, much smaller one, was a son. They were both decked out in some serious gear, including leather vests and gloves, and weapons. The kid had his blaster locked and loaded. The big guy looked like he didn't rely on his blaster so much as his size and intimidation. His amber eyes an odd mix of friendly and dangerous.

"'Fraid we're not in the mood to conduct any business today." Han kept his blaster on the big Chessapian. "We got some place to be."

The big guy stepped forward and the sentry droids changed formation.

"We'll take a look around. See if anything interests us." He stopped a foot away, letting the nose of Han's blaster almost rest against his chest. "But if you prefer, we can take possession of your whole ship. It won't take my droids long to pull her apart."

"Look, Pal." Han tried for friendly again. Turned the charm up. "We stopped for repairs. The old girl's not what she used to be. Got nothing of interest here. I mean, look at her."

Han nodded his head back toward the lounge and the general shabby shape of his ship. The big guy laughed.

"Then scrap heap, it is." He snapped his fingers and small crew of salvage droids appeared at the hatchway.

Han tried not to look impressed at the Chessapian's set up.

"Look! I don't want to fight about it…" He paused when he noticed the big guy look over Han's shoulder.

Fuck. That could only mean one thing.

"Princess?"

The big guy's amber eyes went wide. He stepped past Han, almost pushing him out of the way. Han and Chewie did a quick double take, noticed the pirate's kid seemed just as confused, then turned to look at Leia.

"Hello, Xinnam." She smiled and put her hands on her hips. It was a relaxed gesture but her hand was also close to the blaster at her side. "It's been a long time."

The Chessapian's head fell back and he laughed, a loud, almost Wookiee-like boom of a laugh.

"What strange fates to bring us together like this." His hand went to her shoulder. "We meet in the strangest places."

Han quickly cycled through Leia's stories. Teenage Princess on a solo humanitarian mission. She did the Leia-thing, detoured to help out with something and got caught in Imperial-Rebel crossfire, her ship destroyed. In her scramble to get back to Alderaan, she got hooked up with pirates and convinced them to take her back with the promise of a substantial reward.

Where have I heard that one before?

"I thought I recognized your ship." She didn't push the pirate's hand off her shoulder. Han wasn't sure if she was bidding time or genuinely happy to see him. "Though it looks like you've made a few changes. I don't recall a tractor beam that strong."

"Business was good for a few years. The Empire wasn't too concerned about the mess they left behind so there was always plenty to clean up."

Han took that to mean things hadn't been great lately. Not what you wanted to hear from a pirate.

Xinnam stepped back and waved the kid over. "This is my son, Aldis. My oldest. He's working with me now."

The son didn't move from his spot, kept his blaster poised, and nodded.

"Aldis, this is Princess Leia of Alderaan. We took a brief trip together many years ago."

"It's nice to meet you, Aldis." She smiled at the kid. Worked her diplomatic charms. "Your father often mentioned you and your siblings."

What in the actual fuck was happening? Leia was acting like she was at a damn cocktail party. Xinnam seemed to have forgotten all about them but the sentry droids hadn't. Their blasters were still aimed and ready.

"Alderaan?" Aldis' voice did not match his father's. It was much higher, tentative. It was going to be a while before he commanded a ship with any kind of authority. Han couldn't tell how old he was so maybe the kid had a few years to catch up. "That's…"

"Destroyed." Leia filled in the blank. "Thanks to Governor Tarkin and Lord Vader."

"It is a tragedy beyond measure." Xinnam bowed his head to her. "I was much relieved to hear you'd survived. And were leading the fight against those monsters."

She said a soft thank you and Han noticed her two quick blinks. She was keeping herself composed.

"Your father and I worked together a few times. The occasional pick-up and delivery."

"He never said." Leia smiled. "He didn't tell me everything, of course. It was best to keep a few things secret."

"He could be very persuasive. And he paid well." The booming laugh was back.

"This reunion is nice and all but could we move things along?" Han gave a hard stare when everyone turned to look at him. "Got some place I'd rather be."

Leia could play the relaxed diplomat all she wanted but he didn't trust this guy one bit. He boarded the Falcon, probably damaging her hull in the process, and he hadn't told any of his droids or son to stand down. Han kept his blaster raised and ready.

"You fight with the rebellion?" Aldis narrowed his eyes at Leia. He didn't look much relaxed either.

"She is the rebellion, son." Xinnam chuckled.

"Your father is being generous." She gave the pirate a small smile before turning to Aldis. "I've fought with them since I was younger than you."

The kid lifted his blaster higher. "Then maybe the money's in your bounty and not this run-down ship."

Xinnam chuckled, put a hand on his son's shoulder. "He'll be taking over this ship before you know it."

Leia stayed perfectly calm, like she'd heard it all before and expected nothing less. "I feel certain you would prefer to avoid any close contact with Imperial forces."

"These are desperate times, your Highness." Xinnam responded to a small beep on his commlink, smiling when he read the message. "We've had to make a few unwanted concessions recently in order to stay in business. I'm sure you'll understand that it's not personal."

"Not her!" Han stepped forward and quickly holstered his blaster when he saw the droids shift position. "I got a bounty."

[What are you doing?]

"It's high, too." He held his hands up to demonstrate his surrender. "And you won't have to go near the Empire."

"Stop talking." Leia spoke in a crisp, authoritative voice.

He ignored her and Chewie and stepped closer to Xinnam.

"You know she's the real deal." He felt a slight panic and tried to regulate his breathing and heart rate. "You got no love for the Empire. That's obvious. It does you no good to turn her in. You know she's gonna save the galaxy. Make it better for everyone."

"Han." She was sounding angry now. "Stop talking."

"I've got Hutt money on me and it never hurts to get in good with a Hutt." That wasn't true, clearly, but a pirate could always use a few more connections. "You've got my bounty. You got my ship. Only asking that you drop the Princess and the Wookiee with the Rebels."

"Sounds like it's our lucky day." Xinnam took full advantage of his height to stare down at Han. "Your Hutt money. Her bounty. The ship. Why would I not take advantage of these riches?"

"Because you know her. You knew her parents. I'm betting you've pissed off the Empire a few too many times or you wouldn't be trolling out here with your fancy set-up. I'm also betting that Bail paid well but you did plenty for free. I know cos I've done the same thing."

He looked at Leia briefly. She was nervous, worried, but he promised he'd figure it out and he meant it.

"You want something better for your kids. You don't want them living under a regime that wipes out planets or starves a population because they want the land or enslaves an entire species. You want your kids to choose what they want to do and not go into the pirate business cos there's nothing else for them. You've got to help her cos she will do anything to help you. You know what she's already lost and she's still fighting."

Han felt desperate. He couldn't let Leia go back to Vader. Face that interrogation and torture again. What would happen when Vader figured out she was pregnant? Ending up back with the Hutt seemed justified considering all the shit he'd done. But not Leia. She didn't deserve any of this. He needed to keep her away from the Empire. Keep his family safe.

"Please." He took another deep breath. Swallowed so his voice didn't crack. "Don't take her to the Empire. If my time's up, fine. But not her. Not now. You'll get everything you need with my bounty and you'll know she'll never stop fighting until your kids get the galaxy they deserve."

He'd had a pretty good run. Lot better than he expected. So long as she was okay, he could take whatever happened to him next.

"Please."

The Chessapian didn't flinch. Hell, he didn't even blink the entire time Han was speaking.

"I have a favor to ask." Leia moved into Xinnam's line of vision. He turned to her. Waited for her to speak. "The hyperdrive is broken."

Chewie emitted a low, frustrated growl. [Not you, too.]

Her cheeks were flush and she stood with one hand held protectively on her abdomen. Han doubted she knew she was even doing it.

"If you have any means that could help us fix it, I'd be very grateful."

She was going for a completely different tactic. Acting like none of the conversation about bounties and the Empire had happened.

"Leia." Han's voice was low, a warning. She needed to let him handle it. Negotiating with pirates wasn't the same as a regular trade deal.

She kept her focus on Xinnam and ignored Han and Chewie.

"We can't pay you. I know your droids are searching the ship, looking for credits and anything of value." Her second hand rested on top of the first. "But we need those credits right now. I'm not leaving the rebellion and I will continue doing whatever I can to end the Empire, but circumstances dictate we lay low for the time being. Lower than usual."

"I have a large family to feed. A ship to maintain." Xinnam crossed his arms over his wide chest. Han was somewhat surprised they reached. "This isn't a charity."

"I understand." Leia nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to leave empty-handed. The ship has supplies, spare parts that might be of value to you."

[You want to let them have free reign in the hold? That's exactly what we're trying to stop.]

She took another deep breath. "If Captain Solo and Chewbacca say it isn't something we need in the immediate future, perhaps a fair trade could be arranged. Or perhaps you would accept an I.O.U."

One of the sentry droids raced from the cockpit, navigating quickly around all of them, and sped down the corridor. Han could hear the other one moving near the cabin and fresher.

"I'm being honest with you, Xinnam, because you treated me well the first time we met and my father obviously had faith in you to help and not take advantage of his generosity and need." She stepped closer to the pirate. Lifted one hand off her stomach and placed it on his arm. "I wish we could offer you more."

Han saw Chewie raise his bowcaster slightly as the Chessapian shook his head. But then he smiled and it turned into a chuckle than a laugh and Han's hand hovered over his blaster, ready to react. Starting a firefight was a terrible idea in this small space and with so many sentry droids but that's how last resorts worked.

"I liked it better when you offered me a big reward if I returned you to your parents."

"Those were very different times."

"They were." He raised a hand and held up two fingers. The sentry droids' weapons snapped down. "Aldis, take the Wookiee to the lower hold. I think he'll find something he can use. The Captain can give me a tour of his ship and we'll decide on suitable compensation."

The kid looked surprised by his father's orders but didn't argue. Han nodded at Chewie, saying it was all good, and the two of them headed back across the bridge.

"Thank you, Xinnam." Her hands were back on her abdomen. "I honestly can't thank you enough."

Her eyes were wide and Han knew the look. She was trying to keep tears at bay.

She would never cease to amaze him. There was no end to what she could do, the strength she somehow always found. She brought more into his life than love. She gave him hope and Han wasn't sure if that's something he'd ever had before.

"You'll thank me by winning this war." Xinnam's hand went to her shoulder again. "I wish I could do more but I have my own responsibilities."

"I understand." She put a hand on top of his.

"Alright, Captain." Xinnam turned to Han. "Lead the way."

Han held a hand out, nodded toward the corridor and the rear hold. Xinnam raised a hand again and two droids went first. Han and Leia followed with Xinnam a few paces behind.

"Can you trust him?" Han kept his voice low. Leaning in to whisper as they walked.

"At this point in time, I'm not sure it's wise to trust anyone. But sometimes we don't have a choice."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you including me in that?"

She laughed and took his hand. "Flyboy, you are the exception to every rule."

A/N: Many apologies for all mentions of technical things and anything engine-related. This topic is far out of my wheelhouse and I was trying to find a line between enough information that it might make sense but not so much information that it's obvious I have absolutely no idea how any of it works. Hope that it appears as somewhat plausible.

The story shifts from here. It follows the basic timeline of the OT, hits some milestones, but it is now much more in the AU. I know this story is long (and we're not done yet) and I want you to know I am VERY appreciative of everyone who is still here. I've joked with a friend (maybe mentioned it to someone here, too) that this story is my War and Peace in that it will be very long and maybe three people will actually finish it. So, thank you so much for being with me on this journey so far. A thousand times over.