OK, yes, this is Ord Mantell, so I can't promise that things won't go wrong... BUT I can promise an AU trip to Bespin coming up soon...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Leia felt both terrified and exhilarated. It was almost magical. Sitting across the table from Han, watching him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Not having to worry about quickly looking away, lest he catch her staring.

Clad in only a short-sleeved, white shirt, she had finished eating the meal Han had ordered for her. Now, she sat with her knees up, huddled in the corner of her chair. She couldn't stop looking at him. Nor could she stop smiling.

He caught her eye and froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. He smiled, part pleased, part self-conscious.

"What?"

The corners of her mouth curled further upwards as she shook her head slightly. "Nothing."

He completed the motion of placing the food in his mouth and chewed, gaze still on her. His eyes flicked to her plate. "You're done?"

She nodded, still smiling.

He appraised her with a quick rise and fall of his brow. "Well…it's more than I've ever seen you eat before."

She glanced down at the leftover food in front of her. Her smile slid to a crooked grin. "I do think this is the most I've eaten in…three years, I would say."

"We really worked up an appetite." He winked lasciviously.

She blushed faintly and lowered her eyes. It was difficult to get used to this new dynamic where they did not avoid discussing what happened between them. Acknowledging what had previously been the huge, unspoken bantha in the room.

He snickered at her embarrassment. After making love a second time…

Love? She pushed the word aside.

Han had declared he was starving and ordered room service. Leia had been too overwhelmed to even think about eating. But, when the food arrived, she realized she was famished.

When had she last felt so good? She couldn't recall. Everything seemed suddenly brighter, clearer.

She supposed the destruction of the Death Star was when she had last felt joy…but, even that was tinged with despair, as she had as much to mourn as to celebrate.

Right now, in this moment, everything felt good and right, hope shining down on her for the first time in so long. She was excited, yet at peace too.

"You're not gonna finish that?" Han asked, gesturing towards her plate.

She shook her head, still smiling, and he exchanged his empty plate for her half-full one. As he continued to eat, her eyes perused his bare chest, the short tufts of hair that outlined his pectoral muscles, the faint line that disappeared beneath the table top. She had always admired his muscular form, as far back as the Death Star, when he had bounded off with Chewie, in pursuit of the Stormtroopers that outnumbered them. She had thought him foolish, crazy, and faultlessly brave.

And outlandishly handsome.

She still believed all those things about him. And so much more…

"We should go check out this place, case it out for the meeting tomorrow." He placed his utensils on his plate and sat back, looking utterly satisfied.

"We should." She tried to force a sober expression, but her lips turned up in protest.

He smiled in response, eyes soft and twinkling. "C'mere." He gestured with a slight nod.

When she reached him, he pulled her gently into his lap. One hand curved through her unbound hair, thumb stroking her neck. They smiled into each other's eyes before he drew her close and kissed her. Slow and lingering, it was what she had never allowed until today. She lost herself in the intimacy, the galaxy dimming around them.

Their lips parted reluctantly and Han's eyes were dark and hooded. "Not that I really wanna leave this room," he murmured, breath against her lips.

She smiled in return, thinking that it sounded like a wonderful idea to her, remaining here together, just so. He kissed her again, more briefly but just as passionately.

"Gotta do the right thing, though, be on the safe side." His fingers raked down her back to cup her buttocks and he kissed her once more, mouth demanding. Utterly compliant, she returned his fervor.

When his lips left hers, his eyes were closed and he pressed his forehead to hers, gripping her more possessively.

"Aw, to hell with it," he whispered gruffly. "They'll be open all night." He lifted her into his arms, carried her to the bed, and crushed his body against hers.

It was fast and frenzied this time, as if they could not get close enough to one another. Afterwards, he held her tightly to him.

"Princess," he whispered in a tight voice, and Leia waited for what he would say next, but it never came. They lay in silence, stroking each other's skin in harmonious rhythm.

"I can't get enough of you," he finally whispered into her hair.

A tiny, pleased smile touched her lips. "I feel the same. It's always been that way." She placed a small kiss on the softness of his chest, the velutinous hair tickling her lips. "Even when I've wanted to kill you." She chuckled softly.

A burst of laughter rumbled from his chest beneath her cheek. "That was just about every day."

Leia moved her head to offer him an affectionate smile. "Maybe every other day."

Replacing her head on his chest, their earlier conversation began to replay in her mind. She had come so close to losing him forever. He had relinquished the foolish pride that she could not.

"Would you really have left?" she asked in a timid voice.

Han cleared his throat, paused, and answered in a low timbre. "I dunno. Couldn't really see much reason to stay. As things stood."

"You stayed for this long," she said wistfully.

"Yeah, well." His tone was sheepish. "A few things kept me around."

Warmth shot through her chest. "And what few things might that be?"

"You already know," he dismissed.

Leia remained quiet for a moment, deciding what to say next. Her fingers grazed across his chest. "Maybe I need to hear it," she said very softly. "After all the other reasons you've given me."

He gave a gruff sigh and stroked her hair absently. It took several moments for him to answer. "Look, you know you're the main reason I've stuck around," he growled defensively.

She spun quickly to her stomach and gazed up at him through her lashes. "Am I?" she breathed.

His head inclined to one side and his lips scrunched up. He berated her with his eyes. "Yes. All right?"

She allowed a soft, sighing laugh before turning serious. "I never wanted you to leave. But I couldn't let you know that. I didn't think you would stay because I wanted you to." She paused to give him a pointed look. "And, I didn't want to fuel that ego of yours."

A grin tugged at half his face. "That's okay. Knowing you wanted to have sex with me all the time was a pretty big boost." He chuckled when she gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

"I didn't want to want you," she confessed, still smiling. "I wanted to hate you."

"Not possible. I'm too likeable." His eyebrows wiggled teasingly.

The roll of her eyes only earned her another kiss from Han. "Actually," she enunciated every syllable. "It's that you're not as good at pretending as you like to think you are."

He frowned. "Whadda ya mean?"

"That you act all tough and heartless. But you tend to care more than you want to admit."

"Hm." He sniffed. "I'll have to work harder to keep up my reputation."

"Too late. I think you've blown it."

"Nah." He waved her comment away. "I'll recover."

Her eyes rolled to the heavens again but she couldn't restrain her smile. "You had me convinced at first. But your actions didn't always match your words."

"How's that?" he asked, brow knitted.

"You often went too far out of your way for Luke. And me," she added knowingly.

His lips pursed with a disgusted exhalation. He turned the tables. "You, now. You've got that Ice Queen thing down solid."

"Ice Queen?" Her brow lifted in disbelief.

"You didn't know that was what they call you?"

"Who's they?"

He shrugged. "Everyone."

Leia was less than pleased. But, having grown up in the public eye, she knew these things came with the territory. "That's quite misogynistic."

"How ya figure?"

"I'm being called the Ice Queen because I don't walk around smiling and friendly, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"If I were a man, no one would call me that for maintaining a serious demeanor. Am I right?"

"Well," he answered with that familiar crooked smile that served to both charm and anger her. "Probably not 'Queen.'"

She glared pointedly. "You know what I mean."

He smirked. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"No one criticizes Generals Dadonna or Willard the way they judge me. Because they're men."

He seemed to gauge her for a moment. "Look, you want the truth?"

"Always," she replied firmly.

"You don't see it. Dadonna and Willard are serious, but they're approachable. You're…" Hesitation caused him to pause. "Well, no offense, but you're cold."

Defensiveness stiffened her posture. "I'm not cold. I'm professional. I have to be, I'm a leader and I need to earn respect."

He dipped his head down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips, most likely to soften the blow. "Listen, I know you're not cold." The crooked grin returned. "You're damned hot, actually."

A pleasant warmth dampened her annoyance, but only slightly.

"But, I gotta admit," he continued. "Till I started to see through it, I thought you were stuck-up and too good for the rest of us. I thought that's why you kept your distance from everybody else."

Insulted, she glowered. "I never thought I was too good for anyone," she replied petulantly.

"I know."

She stared sullenly at his shoulder. "Well. I suppose we have more in common than I realized."

"Huh?"

"We both hide our true selves." A glance upwards showed Han frowning thoughtfully. He looked suddenly uncomfortable but shook it off.

"Hey, we should get dressed and check out this place."

Leia felt an urge to continue the conversation, but didn't push it. After all this time, they were finally communicating and she didn't want it to end. But she knew Han might shut down if she pursued it.

"Okay. Just let me shower first." She made a movement to leave the bed but was surprised when he pulled her roughly to him.

"You're not getting in that shower without me. That's a fantasy I've had for a long time now." His eyes were dark with renewed passion.

Her mood brightened as her pulse raced. She nodded enthusiastically, took his hand, and led him to the refresher.