Hope everyone had a great holiday! Merry everything :)

OOOOOOOOOO

Han paced the main room of the suite, surprised he had not yet worn a hole through the marble floor. This was their fourth day on Commenor and the only places they had seen were conference rooms, assembly halls, and this suite. Han was going stir crazy.

He was waiting for the Princess to emerge from her bed chamber. He had ordered breakfast for them and was hoping that if he made a point of being nice, she might agree to actually go out and see the sights. Or anything. He would be happy to do pretty much anything at this point.

He wasn't entirely sure what to make of her. She was way too serious. But, every once in a while, she said something so witty it delighted him. Something about her, beyond her looks, enticed him.

She was difficult to read. One moment, she seemed as if she could barely tolerate him. The next, she was watching him sleep and getting jealous of some other woman. And it had to be jealousy. Nothing else made sense.

There was a lot to be said for physical attraction. Han was far too cocky to be unaware of his good looks. He didn't give it much thought. It was a fact, like his exceptional piloting skills or the instant draw of his blaster. Women liked him. And the Princess was a woman.

Mostly, he didn't think he had a chance with her. But, in the face of a challenge, Han Solo only became more stubborn.

He turned and looked up at the sound of the door. The Princess emerged, wearing a long, white blouse with billowing sleeves and matching pants. White made her look softer. Her braids were crisscrossed on top her head. Han thought back to how stunning she had appeared with her hair falling all around her and wondered how it would feel if he ran his hands through it.

"Morning, Princess." He smiled.

"Good morning," she replied guardedly.

He gestured to the table at the far right. "I ordered us some breakfast."

Han saw her look of surprise as her eyes followed his gesture.

"Thank you." Her expression remained reserved but he saw her relax slightly.

She followed him to the table and, on impulse, he held out her chair for her.

Her brow rose in surprise. "Thank you, Captain."

"Han."

"Han," she conceded in a subdued tone.

He lifted the covers from both their dishes and placed them aside before he sat down. The Princess looked down at the poached cayman eggs and liisen sausage on her plate.

"It looks delicious," she said with a small smile. Han smiled back. She took a bite and her smile grew bigger. "It is delicious."

"Glad you like it," Han said and meant it.

They ate in silence for a time until Han decided to strike up a conversation.

"How'd you end up getting involved with the Rebellion, anyway?"

She looked mildly surprised by the question. She swallowed the food she was chewing before answering. "My father was part of the Rebellion since its inception. He was one of its founders." A sadness shadowed her eyes and Han felt a little badly for bringing it up. She shrugged it off and continued. "I was prepared for it at a young age. The plan was always that I would become a Senator and work against the Empire from within."

Han thought it almost sounded as if Leia had been conceived strictly to fight against the Empire. "Always?"

She shrugged in response.

"So, what, were you told this as a baby?"

Leia paused in thought, then answered, "I don't remember being told." She was pensive for a moment. "I just remember always knowing." She shrugged again. "I can't recall a time when I didn't know the Empire was evil and corrupt.

"Well, yeah, of course it is," Han agreed. "But everyone in power is."

"That's not true," Leia protested.

Han gave her a skeptical look.

"It's not," she insisted. "My father was the most honest, noble man I've ever known." The haunting pain reentered her eyes.

He was not about to argue with her about the character of her dead father. Even he was not that callous. "Well, I guess there are exceptions to the rule. But, not many."

"You're not exactly an optimist," she observed.

He smirked. "If you'd seen the things I have, you wouldn't be either." He was aware of her studying him and decided to change the subject. "So, what made you find that old Jed Knight from Tatooine?" He used the term 'Jedi Knight' loosely.

"My father always told me that if I were ever in real trouble, I should seek out General Kenobi and he would help me in any way he could." She sighed, looking down at the table. "When my ship was captured by the Imperials, my only thought was that he would get the plans safely to my father." She turned her eyes back to Han. "I knew it was a long shot but it was the only chance I had."

"It was a long shot but it worked. That was pretty smart, putting the plans in that little droid. You were lucky the Imps didn't shoot down that escape pod."

She smiled wryly. "I know. So many variables. It could have gone very differently." The smile slowly faded. "And I would be dead now."

Han thought back to his exchange with Luke on the Death Star.

'But they're gonna kill her.'

'Better her than me!'

He supposed Luke would have gone to rescue her without him. But then she probably wouldn't be sitting here with him now. And, somehow, that thought chilled him to the bone.

"But, you're not," Han said soberly.

She nodded but her eyes were empty. She pushed her plate away ever-so-slightly. She hadn't eaten much.

"You saved a lot of lives," he said in an attempt to make her feel better.

Her eyes turned soft on his. "So did you, Captain."

Uncomfortable at having it turned back on him, Han squirmed. "Yeah, well, playing the hero comes with great rewards."

Almost inscrutably, her eyes hardened a little.

They said nothing for a full minute. She was studying him curiously, which Han did not like.

"How did you get into smuggling?"

He swallowed the last of his eggs. "Just sorta fell into it," he replied dismissively. Uncomfortable, he left the table and crossed the room to the computer console. He pulled up the map of the superskytower he had been studying earlier. It truly was a city unto itself.

He made a show of examining the screen. "You know, Princess," he began thoughtfully. "There's so much to do on all these levels."

"Forget it," she said brusquely.

He turned to her. "So, we're just going to sit here all day while the politicians meet? All day? With nothing to do?"

"That's right."

"Aw, c'mon," he implored.

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that what breakfast and conversation were all about? Softening me up so I would agree to go out and play?"

"Of course not." He hoped he sounded convincing. He tried a new tactic. "Unless you'd rather stay inside and play," he added suggestively.

Her expression became steely but she said nothing.

Han sighed. "Look, we've been here for four days. I've sat through meeting after meeting. And when we're not in meetings, we're in this room. I'm gonna lose my mind."

"How can you lose something you've never had?" she asked smartly.

Han grinned. Her sharp mouth really turned him on. "Why don't we go out and see if we can find it? My mind, that is."

One corner of her mouth quirked up and Han suspected he had won her over.

"Okay. But just for a little while," she agreed quietly.

He grinned and had the sudden, most insane urge to grab her by the waist and swing her around. He imagined she would slap him if he did so. He settled for a gallant gesture, sweeping his arm expansively towards the door. "Shall we?"

###

Han hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed there was a lot to do there. They strolled through Level 102, which was the number he had asked her to pick at random. There were gambling casinos, bars, restaurants, shows, and holo theaters.

"Wanna see a holo?" he asked in a low voice that gave Leia goosebumps.

"No. We can't be gone that long." She felt particularly small walking beside him.

"Wanna get a drink?"

"No." She glanced up in time to catch his sour look of disappointment. She had noticed that he was either extremely easy to read or completely impossible. He had no middle ground.

He grabbed her hand suddenly and pulled her into the casino to their right. The warmth and intimacy of her hand in his startled her and she felt she should pull away but somehow couldn't get herself to complete the motion.

"This way, quick," he muttered urgently.

At the seriousness of his tone, Leia realized they were in danger. He abruptly navigated her into a small, dimly-lit alcove, spun her to face him, and placed his arms tightly around her. He maneuvered them so that his back was to the wall before she could protest. He pulled her close and pressed the entire length of his body against hers. Every nerve sparked alive inside Leia and she went rigid.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she admonished, in a low, outraged voice. Inside, she was quivering. She tried to tell herself it was from their precarious circumstances.

Han's smile was forced. "We're being followed. Just pretend we're a couple."

She remained stiff in his arms. She could feel his thighs against her abdomen and her body suffused with heat. Her heart was pounding like nothing she had ever felt before.

"Pretend you like me," he mumbled with that fake smile still plastered to his face. "Put your arms around me."

With an indignant sigh, she raised her arms and placed them about his shoulders. They were now face-to-face, their breath intermingling. Leia swallowed, breathing hard.

His eyes bored into hers for a long, endless moment and a sharp, vulnerable feeling gushed through her. Then his eyes shifted to the side and she was able to breathe again.

"I still see him, don't move," he said, practically whispering into her mouth. He smiled at her suddenly. "Maybe I should kiss you to make this look more real."

Eyes sharp as daggers, Leia muttered, "Maybe you'd like to lose a limb." Why did he say these things to her? He threw her entirely off balance, as if she were falling into the abyss.

Han chuckled and tightened his arms around her, eyes returning above her head.

"I think you're enjoying this a little too much," she accused.

He grinned without looking at her. "I think you're enjoying it too."

"Hardly," she gritted between clenched teeth, face coloring, desperately wishing he were wrong.

Without moving his head, his eyes tracked movement behind her.

His expression turned serious as his arms fell away from her and he grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Princess, let's hustle."

She rushed to keep up with his long-legged stride, unable to fall behind as he pulled her along by the hand.

"We'll go back to the suite and lie low," he said, glancing behind them.

"What a novel idea," she answered sarcastically.

When he peeked behind them again, he increased his speed and declared, "Uh oh, trouble."

Living up to his reputation, his blaster was in his hand before Leia could register it and he pumped laser fire behind them, igniting panicked screams through the crowd. Return fire went wide in their direction and beings everywhere took cover behind whatever they could find.

So much for keeping a low profile, Leia thought. She wanted to grab the holdout blaster from her boot but couldn't manage it with Solo pulling her along.

They flew into a restaurant, the patrons fussing as a table fell over, food flying everywhere. Outraged grumbling turned to shrieks as a blaster bolt sizzled behind them. Han and Leia ran through two more large dining rooms, reigning chaos on their surroundings, until finally they were fast approaching an open balcony that led out into thin air.

"Han!" Leia yelled, panicked.

He didn't slow their stride and they were fast approaching nothingness ahead.

"Han!" she yelled more loudly.

"Trust me! Jump!" he yelled back as laser blasts landed close to their feet. Then she was leaping up as he grabbed her around the waist. They went soaring over the balcony rail and Leia's stomach dropped to her toes.

Free-falling and terrified, she held onto him reflexively as everything blurred and streaked past them. She heard him scream, "Hold your breath!" and finally looked down to see bright blue rushing up at them and right before they hit it, she realized what it was, sucked in as much air as she could in those last moments and then they hit hard and flew under the water in a warm, violent splash. Everything slowed down suddenly and she realized Han's arm was still around her. She opened her eyes to see him trying to swim them to the surface with his other arm.

Lungs straining, she pushed at him until he let her go, then swam to the surface, broke through, and gasped for air. Throat burning, she coughed and sputtered. Han surfaced nearby, coughing violently.

Noises of shock and confusion filled the air as Han pulled Leia towards the shore of the man-made ocean. Dripping and cold, they ignored the crowd that gathered around them. Leia struggled to get her breath under control as Han continued to cough.

"We've gotta get outta here fast." He coughed again. "He'll be down here before we know it." He slicked his hair back with one hand.

"I'm not going to argue," Leia agreed.

"That's a nice change, Your Worship," he muttered.

They took off at a fast pace towards the nearest turbolift. Once inside, Han pressed a series of buttons then took out his comm and contacted Chewbacca. He updated him about the latest circumstances then asked him to check all current alerts. After some silence, Chewie roared at length over the comm. Han grimaced.

"That's what I was afraid of," Han replied to his co-pilot.

"What?" Leia asked anxiously.

Han ignored her and spoke into the comm. "Get the Falcon up an' running. We'll be there as soon as we can." He clicked off the comm and reset the setting on the 'lift.

Leia turned on him. "We are not leaving," she said stubbornly. She reached over and pressed the emergency stop button on the 'lift. It halted instantly. She turned back to Han. "I'm not leaving until the negotiations are finished."

"Listen, you're on the Empire's Most Wanted docket! It was released yesterday. Your holo is all over the place. That guy with the blaster? I'm sure he's itchin' to get his hands on the reward money for killing you!" He towered over her, hands on hips.

Leia was more annoyed than surprised. "That's a risk I have to take." She returned to the 'lift controls and set it for the level of their suite. She felt the 'lift begin to move.

Han followed immediately, pressing the emergency stop button and it halted in place again. "Do you have a death wish?"

Leia remained calm. "We're returning to the suite. Those are my orders."

He snorted. "I don't take orders, Sweetheart!" He reset the 'lift to the highest level, the top of the superskytopper.

She pressed the emergency stop again. Han stepped closer to her, eyes blazing.

"Don't test me, Your Highnessness. I can do this all day." He pressed the button to start them moving again.

She stopped the 'lift. "So can I, Captain," she seethed.

At a standstill, they stared at each other with twin expressions of murder. Leia wished he was at least a little intimidated by her. It would make things a lot easier.

She took a deep, cleansing breath and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her composure. Screaming at each other would get them nowhere. When she opened her eyes, she was calm again.

"Han," she said in a quiet tone. "I understand the danger. But, I can't leave until I've completed the negotiations."

His anger appeared to lower a few notches and the hardness left his expression. He stared at her for a moment. "We'll stay on one condition. We stay on the Falcon."

Leia's anger flared again. She was tired of him acting like he was in charge. Outwardly, she remained serene. She needed to see this through. "All right, Captain," she agreed coldly. "We will stay on your ship."

The mild look of triumph on his face made Leia want to smack him. He pressed the button to start the 'lift's journey to the top level. Leia squeezed some of the water from her hair and hugged her arms around herself, suddenly aware that she was shivering.

Han looked at her. "You cold?"

She didn't respond and he took a step closer to her. She raised a halting hand in his direction. "If you put your arm around me you're going to pull back a bloody stump."

Han just snickered and crossed his arms.