A/N: Thanks to DiplomaticPrincess for beta reading this chapter!

They weren't able to talk about it right away. The team sent to free them from the mostly collapsed passage had made contact as Leia and Han stared at one another, both clearly processing what had just occurred. After that, Leia had been busy nearly every minute with discussing the possibility of filling level eight back in and floating the idea that they might need to resign themselves to a seven-level base rather than the originally planned ten-level. Three meetings with architects and engineers, two comms with various members of High Command, and one hurried meal with the construction crew later, and she was finally able to think about boarding the Falcon.

She did think about it. She even stepped into the hangar where they had landed earlier in the day, fully intending to board the ship for the evening. How she ended up back in the empty mess hall, pacing between rows of tables and holding a cup of rapidly cooling caf from the mess dispenser, she wasn't sure.

She needed to get her own thoughts and feelings sorted out before she spoke with Han. Kissing him hadn't exactly been on her to-do list — in fact, that very item would have been on her absolutely-do-not-do list, if such a thing existed. But she had been overcome by the emotion of the moment, and he had seemed to respond positively. She didn't regret acting on the impulse, bold as it might have been.

Does he regret it?

She had spent months wanting to be with him. She still wanted to be with him. But what she wanted wasn't always what was best, and what she wanted in this instance was…was…

Complicated.

It doesn't have to be, some part of her whispered, and, oh, she longed to believe it. Their situation had the potential to be refreshingly simple: working together, spending their downtime with one another, enjoying each other's company on and off the clock. The majority of her current duties centered around outfitting Echo Base, and Han was now contracted to help with that very task until the base was finished, at which point…well, she wasn't sure what his plans were exactly, but he planned on staying with the Alliance at least. They could be together, and it didn't need to be complicated.

As charming as the thought was, Leia knew better. There were still a slew of issues that needed to be addressed if there was even mutual interest. Naj had said Han didn't get involved with people he worked with, and Han himself had told her that he didn't want to drag someone he cared about into the mess he'd made with Jabba. It was possible he had changed his mind; Leia herself had once sworn off the mere idea of romance until the Empire fell, and she had clearly reassessed some things. But even she had to wonder how wise entangling herself so thoroughly with someone was when her attention would soon be eaten up by helping run a militia base.

As they often did during times of self-doubt, her parents made themselves the momentary focus of her mind. She recalled many a conversation around whether or not it was acceptable to enjoy events and people and things when their work was so important, so pressing. Both her mother and father had impressed upon her the importance of not taking those opportunities for granted. 'We don't know when the opportunities will cease, so we love as much as we can whenever we can,' Breha had said on more than one occasion. It felt like an appropriate sentiment now, all things considered.

Leia's caf was slush by the time her pacing slowed, and she realized very abruptly that there was a huge variable missing from every bit of analysis she had attempted to perform that evening: she still didn't know what Han wanted. He cared for her in some way that clearly tested the bounds of simple friendship, of that she was sure, but that didn't mean he necessarily wanted anything to come of it. She wouldn't know one way or the other until she spoke with him about it.

At the very least, they needed to discuss the kiss. She supposed they could decide where to go from there together.

The Falcon's lounge was colder than the ring corridor by at least ten degrees and almost completely dark when she boarded the ship. Strips of battery powered emergency lights offered the only illumination in the lounge, and it took a moment for Leia's eyes to adjust well enough to the low lighting to notice that two panels had been torn away from the bulkhead. Han was halfway buried in wires, a headlamp lighting up the spot directly in front of him.

"Everything all right?" Leia asked trepidatiously.

Han jerked to attention and turned to look at her. He smiled slightly, but there was a nervous energy about him that Leia had rarely experienced before. He flipped the headlamp up toward the ceiling, casting his face in dramatic shadow. "Yeah, just been meanin' to rewire the lighting in here and figured since we're stayin' a few days, I might as well. Everything all right with you? You okay?"

She nodded and stepped closer to him, touching his arm. "Everything's fine. I was hoping we could talk."

Han nodded, sending beams of light bouncing every which way. "Yeah. 'Course. Figured you might want to." He twisted a cap onto the end of the wire he held and wound it around a durasteel beam in a haphazard manner clearly meant to be temporary.

"Preferably somewhere well-lit and somewhat private," Leia added.

Han gestured vaguely toward his cabin door, but apparently thought better of it and attempted to recover by acting as if he'd merely intended to remove the headlamp and run a hand through his hair. He seemed almost lost on his own ship, and Leia realized she was going to have to take charge entirely for the moment.

"Hold three?" she suggested, walking toward the hold and brushing his wrist with gentle fingertips. Han followed.

As soon as Leia was in the hold, she hopped up onto one of the crates to sit, feet dangling over the side. The height of the crate placed her at eye level with Han, which seemed to only serve to make him more nervous. He glanced to the side and cleared his throat.

"Look, I know what you're gonna say. I know. It was a mistake. We can forget it ever happened. Nothin' has to change."

Leia's heart sank and her stomach twisted. Maybe she had been too bold. She tilted her head and forced herself to look at Han. Was that kiss entirely unwanted? Did he feel uncomfortable? She hadn't asked, and he had obviously been surprised, but he had kissed her back. Maybe he didn't know what else to do. The thought made her queasy.

"Is that what you want?" she asked, her voice a nervous whisper. "To forget?"

Han furrowed his brow, apparently confused by her response. He met her gaze and shook his head slowly. "No." He stepped closer to her.

Her stomach and heart settled. She rested her fingers on his wrist, finding the contact reassuring. "Me either."

The smile that lit up Han's face was infectious. He looked down briefly before meeting her gaze again. "What are you wantin'?"

Leia looked at him quizzically, wondering how he could possibly not understand. "You," she said, lacing her fingers through his.

The raw affection in his expression was so intense, Leia nearly looked away. Han cupped her cheek in his palm and murmured, "You already got me, sweetheart."

He initiated this time, his lips first brushing tentatively against hers before fully committing to the action, as if he were worried she'd change her mind. Leia wrapped her arm around his neck and returned the kiss, free hand touching the collar of his jacket.

They parted with matching grins followed by nervous laughter. Leia wasn't sure that they had discussed everything they needed to discuss, but—

Do not overthink this, the same part of her that had insisted earlier that their situation didn't have to be complicated begged. You both want the same thing. It doesn't need to be more complex than that.

She still had questions, though.

Leia took Han's hand between both of hers and looked him in the eye. "How long have you felt this way?"

He touched her cheek and smiled. "Guess when we were back on Home One. Figured I'd miss you when you got pulled from the pathfinders, but didn't realize how much…Kinda realized then."

Leia raised her eyebrows. "So long? You never…I didn't know."

Han glanced away for a second and shrugged. "Didn't think it was likely you'd feel the same way, and I didn't wanna make you uncomfortable, so I've just been…tryin' to not think about it, I guess."

She snorted softly. "How's that been going for you?"

"Oh, real well," he said sarcastically. "Clearly."

Leia laughed. "Yeah. Me too. Clearly."

She bit her lip. Part of her wanted to raise half a dozen more questions or voice half a dozen concerns, but it had been a long day, and she wasn't certain any of her questions would prove themselves helpful anyway. Instead, she pulled Han close and kissed him again.

She didn't think she'd be able to sleep much that night, though for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, her insomnia had nothing to do with nightmares. Han didn't seem particularly inclined to go to bed, either.

"Wanna help with the lounge?" he asked after the third time Leia declared that she was too wired to sleep. Chewie had already turned in, and Han said he could use the extra hands, though Leia was fairly sure he mainly wanted her company.

She agreed and they were soon elbow-deep in the inner workings of the Falcon, swapping out wire. They worked in companionable quiet, though Han seemed to shift away from her after several minutes spent standing silently next to her. Leia noticed his expression darken somewhat, and he cleared his throat nervously.

"Y'know, I tend to keep my private life private," he said as he twisted two wires together and wrapped the splice to secure it.

He said it as if he was hinting at something or making an offer of some sort rather than simply making conversation, and the change in tone piqued Leia's interest. She stopped stripping the wire she held abruptly and looked at him, flipping the headlamp she had been using upward to avoid blinding him. "Okay," she said, her voice betraying some confusion. She hoped he would explain what, exactly, he meant without much prodding.

Han stared steadily at the wires he had joined together. "I just mean, if ya don't want anyone to know…I'm used to that."

Leia frowned slightly and shook her head. "Not right away, but…we will have to disclose eventually, at the very least to Carlist."

Han hesitated before nodding. "Right. 'Course. Besides that, though, I mean."

She studied him in the diffused light of their headlamps. Given the number of eyes on her at any given moment, she had always thought it prudent to keep any new relationship somewhat private for a time, regardless of its nature. Even simple friendships could be scrutinized into oblivion or turned into ugly rivalries by the public before a bond truly had time to form. She wanted to keep whatever this was with Han quiet at least until they knew for certain that it wasn't a passing infatuation, something to just get out of their systems. What he was suggesting seemed more extreme than temporary caution, though. There was a sort of hesitance in his tone that he attempted to cover with his usual casual demeanor, and Leia felt the need to reassure him.

"I don't want to jump to going public with anything immediately," she said carefully, "and I don't think a memo needs to be sent to the entire Alliance even if we decide to be more open later on. But I have no intention of going to great lengths to hide anything long-term." She pursed her lips, considering his apparent discomfort with the idea. "Are you wanting to keep this secret?"

Han glanced at her briefly before looking away again. He shook his head, dropped the wires he had been holding, and rubbed at his jaw nervously. "Nah," he said without further explanation. He seemed to gather himself and shot her that lazy, lopsided grin that she had grown so accustomed to over the years, the change in expression feeling akin to whiplash. "You're not worried about what it'll look like, you slummin' with a wanted man?"

She arched a brow. She had, of course, considered what such a relationship would look like to outsiders, but…old customs and social hierarchy hardly seemed relevant to her current life. She was a criminal, same as Han. He sacrificed himself for the Alliance's cause time and again, same as her. They were more alike than different, and the implication that she might not want to be seen with him was wildly off-base.

"Last I checked, I was the most-wanted woman in the galaxy," she said, keeping her tone light.

Han's focus settled on the wires he had previously abandoned for the conversation, apparently needing to busy himself with some distraction. "You're wanted for noble stuff. You know it's different."

Leia shook her head. "A bounty's a bounty," she said, though she knew that wasn't quite correct. But she also knew that, whatever his past held, it didn't change who he was presently.

He nodded, but didn't say anything more. Leia finished connecting the length of wire she had been working with and stepped closer to Han. "Hey," she said softly, "when have I ever said I wanted something that I didn't actually want?"

A slow, careful smile spread across his face. He peered into her eyes and shook his head, chuckling softly. "Not a single kriffing day that I've known ya, that's for sure."

"Exactly." She moved even closer and Han dropped the bundle of wires he had been examining. Leia brushed her fingers from his elbow to his wrist and slipped her hand into his. "So, when I say I want you, I mean it." Leia stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "All right?"

Han nodded and squeezed her hand. "Yeah. All right."

They worked until the lounge again had light. Once their tools were put away and all discarded bits of wire had been gathered to be thrown out, they retired to the dejarik booth for the last couple of hours before the sun was set to rise on Hoth, sipping on caf and sitting just close enough for their arms to touch while resisting any sort of entanglement that would be difficult to quickly release if Chewie ambled in. Leia's datapad chimed, alerting her to a message from Carlist, a response to the brief overview of the run on Kinyen that she had sent his way a couple of days prior. She found this odd, especially since Carlist had already let her know that he had received the report.

Glad you're both unharmed.

Just received these from RAI.

The public now knows to look for you together.

Be careful.

The attached surveillance images had been scraped from Imperial transmissions by Rebel Alliance Intelligence and featured Leia and Han in the market on Kinyen. In a couple, Han's hand rested on her back, in a few others, they held hands and appeared to be running if the blurriness of the images indicated anything. The images were accompanied by Imperial bounty details for both of them, and Leia noted that both of their bounties had been raised considerably compared to the last time she had checked them.

"Bad news," Leia said wryly. She shoved the datapad in front of Han. "You're now a known associate of Public Enemy Number One, Leia Organa. Think your reputation will recover?"

Han chuckled softly and absently brushed the pads of his fingers back and forth over the wrist she rested on the table, causing a faint thrill to travel through her body. "Probably not. She's a corrupting influence."

She nudged him with her elbow. "You worried about what it'll look like, you slummin' with a wanted woman?" she asked, mimicking his question from earlier in the evening.

He shot her a smile and shook his head. "Nah." Looking again at the datapad, he added, "Bounties've gone up."

Leia nodded. "I saw. Mine went up more than yours."

Han rolled his eyes, a mild smirk on his face. "S'not a competition."

"That sounds an awful lot like something a person who's losing a competition would say," she mused.

"If you add up my Imperial and my Hutt bounties—"

"Doesn't even come close."

He held up a finger. "But percentage-wise, I got you beat easy. Yours has gone up five hundred thousand since Yavin. That's only five percent more they're willin' to pay for your treasonous ass. Mine's tripled since then."

Leia leaned in closer to him, smile playing on her lips. "I didn't break a galaxy-wide record because of a percentage increase."

Han opened his mouth to speak, paused, then changed his trajectory entirely and planted a quick kiss on the end of Leia's nose without attempting a rebuttal. A giggle — honestly, giggling?— broke free from deep in Leia's chest, and she clapped her palm over her mouth, hoping she hadn't woken Chewie.

The new…situation meant new complications, and, though Leia liked to plan for as many variables as possible, she wasn't exactly sure how to best navigate her one-on-one interactions with Han once they left Hoth. The ice-covered planet held no particular magic; it wasn't as if the location alone made obscuring portions of her personal life simpler, but Chewie's combination of mechanical skills and brute strength were often needed while they were at Echo Base, which meant there were entire swaths of time during which Han and Leia could be confident that they were alone. This would be far from the case when they were flying, a scenario in which being on high alert and keeping tabs on the Wookiee's location would be crucial if they wanted to keep the latest development in their relationship private.

Chewie's senses were certainly better than those of humans, but Leia didn't know exactly how much better they were, so she more or less took her cues from Han, who seemed to have a decent grasp on what his copilot was likely to hear.

"Background noise kinda obscures conversations," Han said as he manned the single burner in the lounge during their final evening on Hoth. He stirred a dubious-looking concoction that had been rehydrated from Alliance rations while Leia sat on the nearby counter, watching him move about the cramped space. "Even something like this." He nodded toward the sizzling foodstuff.

"Has Chewie heard just about every conversation we've had with him aboard?" Leia wasn't sure how she felt about the idea. Chewie was a trustworthy friend, but she liked to be in control of how she presented certain pieces of information, and she and Han had discussed enough topics she wanted kept entirely private that it worried her a bit.

Han shook his head. "Nah. He really tries not to listen in, especially when he can tell he's not s'posed to. But he can't always ignore everything, even when he's tryin' to. I'm just saying we may want to keep that in mind."

Leia nodded and reached for Han's hand. It was a strange idea, she thought, just how much she craved his touch. They had first kissed only three days before, but acknowledging their mutual feelings seemed to have stoked the desire to have him close. It shouldn't have surprised her; she had always been a physically affectionate person. But she hadn't anticipated wanting near-constant contact.

Han squeezed her fingers lightly as he stirred their dinner. "Y'know, Chewie won't spill to anyone. He's real good at keepin' secrets."

"I know." Leia traced along his knuckles with her thumb. She lifted her chin slightly to look him in the eye. "I sort of want something to be just ours for a bit. Not forever, but for a little bit."

Han clicked the burner off and set the spoon he'd been using to stir on the counter before stepping closer to Leia and gently touching the mostly healed scrapes on her cheek. "You don't have a lot that's just yours." He sounded as if he was just realizing that fact.

Leia shook her head and shot him a small smile. "Not really, no." Nearly everything she owned was Alliance-issued, nearly everything she did was Alliance-directed or refugee-centric. "We'll tell him soon," she promised. "Even if we don't tell anyone else for a while, Chewie will be made aware."

He nodded, then kissed her temple. "Got it."

They sat in the dejarik booth, fingers tangled together as they ate. The food was barely tolerable through no real fault of Han's, and Leia found herself reminiscing about far better meals she'd had aboard the Falcon over the years.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Leia asked.

Han snorted softly and swallowed the bite in his mouth. "This ain't cookin'."

"No, but you have before, and it's always been good. I never learned to cook much outside of noodles and ruica, and even those are only passable."

He shrugged. "Chewie an' I got a lotta free time flyin' during jobs and I like to keep busy. Found an old book once with lotsa details in it about cooking for humans, and learned from that. Practiced usin' what we had access to and got better over the years."

"An actual book?" Leia asked in surprise. Books — physical books with bound pages — were all but extinct outside of academic libraries and personal collections. Datapads could hold multiple volumes and were easier to carry, so most of the galaxy used them for reading. Leia had only seen books at school, in her father's study, and in the Senate records room.

He nodded. "Sure. I still got it somewhere. I can try to find it."

"I'd like to see it."

"How'd you learn what you know?" Han asked. "Always figured you wouldn't need to cook for yourself. Even noodles."

Leia huffed softly, her chest tightening in a wild combination of amusement and grief. "Ah, yes, I also figured that, and my mother was appalled when she realized she had sent me off to Coruscant relying entirely on others to make any meal that wasn't instant porridge. She felt I wasn't taking care of myself while the Senate was in session, and took it upon herself to teach me to cook some simple dishes during a visit home."

"Your ma cooked? Thought she'd have droids or staff to do that bein' queen and all."

Leia tilted her head slightly, amused by his surprise. "Not often, but she liked cooking for fun. I don't know how much she would have liked it if she had had to make every meal herself." She pressed her lips together. "I was so irritated when she made me learn to make a few meals. Now, I'm just glad we had that time together. We were apart so much once I started with the Senate."

Han slid his arm around her shoulders. "Bet she loved havin' the time with you even if you were grumpy about it."

She leaned against him. "She did, I think. She loved me so much. I never…it's strange, but I rarely even thought about my biological parents. Maybe it's because I know they're dead and that my father knew so little about them — he didn't even know their names — so trying to find out more is impossible. But my parents cared for me so thoroughly. They even liked me. They wanted to be around me."

"Who wouldn't?"

The question sounded so genuine coming from Han, Leia hesitated to counter it. But…well, he knew she wasn't perfect. "Someone at this table once referred to me as a 'whiskey-thievin' pain in the ass', so I think you're well aware I have my moments."

"Who said that?" Han glanced around the lounge in feigned suspicion. "Sounds like a total moof-milker. Need me to take care of him for ya?"

Leia laughed. "No, I think he meant it fondly. Besides, I sort of am a whiskey-thievin' pain in the ass. Sometimes. Just like you're nerf-headed. Sometimes."

Han squeezed her shoulders. "Sometimes, maybe." He dropped his arm and slid his hand around hers. "Can't imagine what your ma would think of you sittin' here with someone like me."

Leia bit back a mischievous smile and swallowed a mouthful of the unidentifiable rations. "She'd probably have thought you a scoundrel," she said, fighting for a serious tone.

Han drew his brows together, but nodded. "Yeah. Figures."

He did his best to cover it, but there was a wounded quality to his words that filled Leia with a panicked need to correct his understanding of her intent. She rushed forward, placing her hand gently on his stubbly cheek and looking him in the eye. "And she would have been a little devastated when she realized what a kind, good man you are."

He frowned. "Huh?"

She chuckled and slid her hand to his shoulder. "She told me it'd do me good to fall for a bit of a scoundrel once in a while. Finding out I was seeing a smuggler only to dash her hopes when she discovered he's a rather nice man would have been a bit disappointing for her. But I imagine she'd have approved of you eventually. Probably even really liked you."

He took a moment to process her words, then scoffed playfully and shook his head, the hurt from moments before apparently soothed. "Scoundrel?"

Leia shrugged, smile on her lips. "That's what she told me."

"Your ma sounds like a riot."

She laughed, finding the idea of Breha Organa, Queen of Alderaan, being described as a riot hilarious, though not entirely wrong. "She was a lot funnier than her public persona demanded she appear. Wise, too, and so loving, and strong. She was the bravest person I've ever known."

"That's something, comin' from you," Han said fondly.

Leia shook her head. "I just…I handle what I'm given. She made herself do things that scared her. She nearly died when she was sixteen falling down a mountain. She had to have pulmonodes put in. I can't imagine how scary that was. And then she accompanied me on the same trip when I was sixteen. Just looked right at the thing that almost killed her and went for it." She looked at him. "I still can't get a shot without falling apart."

"Maybe it's less scary when it's your choice from the get-go," Han offered. "Sounds like she chose to go with ya. You've really only had shots forced on ya since you were hurt."

Leia nodded, deep in thought. "She kept her pulmonodes visible on purpose. She said they were a reminder that she survived that horrible ordeal. I've fantasized about someday having access to my funds so I can have every reminder that I survived something removed from my skin." Shame weighed heavily on her as she admitted to still desiring to be free from her scars. She didn't obsess over them, but she still would prefer them gone while her mother had welcomed the reminder of her struggles.

"Both valid choices."

She looked at him and shook her head. "Not exactly the same level of bravery is all I'm saying."

"You didn't exactly go through the same stuff, either."

"She nearly died."

Han nodded. "Right, in an accident. I'm sure it was real bad, terrifying, even. But you went through days of interrogations specifically created to mess people up in the head. They were tryin' to break you, Leia. That…that kinda thing sticks with you."

Leia nodded and stared at her mostly eaten dinner, stirring what little was left, and not saying anything more. Han squeezed her hand lightly and let out a resigned sigh.

"You've never watched an interrogation, have you? Never seen a recording?" he asked quietly.

She lifted her head and squinted at him, stomach churning at the mere idea. Watched? Why would I need to watch one? "No, I've found living through one to be more than sufficient for my lifetime," she said coolly.

"Of course. I just mean…you've never seen what you survived from the outside. You seem to think you shoulda done somethin' better or should be doin' better now somehow, but what you went through…there's not much that coulda been worse. If you'd've disappeared when we left Yavin and hidden for the rest of your life, no one coulda blamed you. But you're out here, leadin' whole teams and kickin' ass. It's incredible. You're incredible, Leia."

Leia swallowed and smiled at him. "Yeah," she murmured, lifting his hand to her lips so she could kiss his knuckles. "She would have really liked you."

"This is such a relief," Caari murmured, balancing Zylle, her toddler on her hip as she oversaw the unloading of the crates from hold three on the Falcon.

"We are glad to be able to help," Leia said, glancing up at Han with a small smile. He had been so reluctant to take any sort of responsibility for his own generosity that she was hesitant to mention it in front of any of the refugees, but she didn't like the idea of implying that she or the Alliance had been the primary benefactors, either. Han seemed comfortable enough with the vagueness of we, so Leia didn't explain further.

"Anything for the children is most welcome," Caari said, shooting a timid smile Leia's way. "We try to make as much as we can last, but…"

"Children should have the freedom to be a little messy," Leia said. "I certainly tore my share of dresses when I was young. We hope having extra clothing on hand will help ease some of the stress you've no doubt been feeling just trying to exist the past couple of years."

"It does." Caari kissed her daughter's forehead and took a step toward Leia. "Your Highness, I wonder if I might have a word with you?"

Leia felt Han's fingertips brush her elbow, but kept her focus on Caari and nodded. "Yes, of course."

They stepped just far enough away from the small group of people unloading supplies that their conversation would be private. Caari glanced off to the side, teeth pressing into her bottom lip nervously. Leia watched her shuffle from foot to foot for a moment before she made eye contact with her again.

"I wanted to apologize to you for…I was quite uncharitable during our initial encounter," Caari began. "I know it was a long time ago, but we've never discussed it. I was incredibly frightened and angry about our situation and I made some unkind accusations. You've been so helpful to us, and I appreciate it. I know everyone else does as well."

"You were scared," Leia said gently. "You were uncertain of my motives. I'm not upset with you, Caari. I never was." She paused. "And I certainly can't take credit for everything that's been done here. It has been a group effort."

Caari pressed her lips together before smiling slightly. "Captain Solo says you throw every spare credit you have access to toward the settlement."

Leia glanced in Han's direction. "Yes, well, unfortunately, the number of spare credits I have access to these days is quite limited. The Alliance and Captain Solo himself have both contributed as well." She smiled at Caari. "I want to be able to do more. You are all so important to me."

"You've helped a great deal. Mama said you were the one to speak to the Alliance about helping us in the first place. We're grateful for that alone. Living in the safe house on Gatalenta was…difficult. Being in the Core had me and many of the others on edge. I am grateful that we had a place to go when others looked at us so suspiciously, but here we can live freely without worrying about who is keeping an eye on us. It's such a relief, and I know you had a hand in that."

Leia nodded. "I care for you all, and I intend to keep doing what I can to help the settlement here, along with the rest of the diaspora. You are my people. I don't want anyone to feel as if I've forgotten you."

"We don't," Caari assured her. "I can't speak for the entire diaspora, I suppose, but here…we know you haven't forgotten us."

Leia smiled, her heart feeling full. She nodded. "I'm so glad to hear that," she said softly.

Zylle, apparently having enough of being held in one place, squirmed in Caari's arms until she set her carefully on the ground. Caari kept hold of Zylle's hand and addressed Leia. "This one probably needs her…" She paused and mouthed the word nap silently. "And I know my mother is excited to discuss the greenhouse with you. She's been in there half the morning, scheming."

Leia laughed. She, Han, and Chewie had plans to meet with Ysta about possible ways to supplement the few plants already in the greenhouse, but hearing it described as scheming tickled her. "Yes, I ought to head down there." She placed a hand on Caari's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before releasing her. "Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it."

Caari nodded and, after saying goodbye, led Zylle toward their home. Leia walked toward the greenhouse, eager to find more ways to help the little community establish themselves and become more self-sufficient. When she arrived at the lovely transparisteel building, she spotted Han, Chewie, and Ysta inside right away.

"—don't know much 'bout growin' things myself," Han said as Leia opened the greenhouse door. "Her Highness has more experience than I do there."

"I do?"

Chewie, who had a good view of the door and thus of Leia as she entered, waved in greeting. Han and Ysta turned to look at her, the former seemingly unable to resist grinning as soon as he saw her.

Han nodded. "You said you and your ma used to grow plants together."

Leia blinked, wondering how many months ago she had mentioned her mother's beloved orchids. She only recalled talking about them once, while on night watch during some mission with SpecForce, and he'd apparently filed that detail away…

She tilted her head slightly. "Only orchids," she said. "Which are very temperamental plants, but they aren't edible. I've never grown food before."

"We have a few members of the community who kept small gardens on Alderaan, but the soil here is very different," Ysta said. "I've been researching what I can regarding what works well for greenhouse growing, and I have a list." She handed Leia a piece of flimsi filled with careful handwriting.

Leia skimmed over the list while Han looked over her shoulder and read along. She was aware, so very aware, of how close he was, and wondered if Chewie would find their proximity odd. She hazarded a glance toward the Wookiee, but he appeared to be more interested in examining the plants already in the greenhouse.

She returned to the list. Some of the items were Alderaanian in origin, but most were fruits and vegetables that were more readily available galaxywide. Leia tapped one of the Alderaanian items with her finger. "I saw a couple of kebroots at a market recently, but we had to make a run for it before I could buy them."

Leia felt Han shift slightly behind her at the vague mention of the Kinyen incident. They hadn't discussed it much, but the pained expression Han had worn any time he had noticed or come in contact with the wounds on her cheek had communicated more than he probably intended to. Her being trapped like that had clearly shaken them both. Leia was just glad all evidence of her encounter with the Army Trooper was gone. Her cheek had healed cleanly, and she hadn't had nightmares since…since…well, since she and Han had first kissed, though she doubted the two things were related.

Ysta closed her eyes. "Mmm. I never imagined I'd miss kebroot, but I suppose we often don't know what we have until it leaves us."

Leia nodded. "I've been looking when we go to procure supplies for other locations, but Alderaanian goods are often viewed with suspicion outside of the black market right now, and most of our contacts don't deal in fresh food. The profit margin is too volatile. I've asked about seeds, but if anyone is selling them, our most trusted contacts don't know about it, and I've been warned to not widely advertise what we're looking for to others because they could create counterfeits to offer us. I promise, I am looking, though."

"I have no doubt," Ysta said with a gentle a smile. "I think anything that we can grow is better than nothing. We would, of course, love fruits and vegetables from home, but I do not think they're a necessity."

I want to get them for you, though, Leia thought. It was, she felt, the least she could do.

"We'll be able to bring ya something," Han said. "Can't always promise it'll be exactly what you're lookin' for, but Chewie an' I have contacts. We'll be able to find something that'll work."

"We've yet to be disappointed by anything you've managed to bring us," Ysta said encouragingly.

Leia nodded again. "We'll have something for you the next time we come by," she promised.

They had one last stop before they returned to Saijo for a couple of weeks, which meant Leia had the entire trip to Ord Mantell and the entire trip back to Saijo to practice being normal around Han while in front of others while she generally wanted to be close to him.

Others really meant Chewie in this particular case, and as far as Leia could tell, they had managed to keep the new development in their relationship under wraps even while sharing space with the Wookiee. But Chewie seemed to be worried about something, which she thought might be distracting him from noticing any growing closeness between Han and her. On the third night in a row that Chewie excused himself directly after dinner for an early bedtime, Leia grew suspicious.

She liked the alone time with Han. She had almost immediately slid in closer to him as soon as she was certain Chewie wouldn't reappear. She enjoyed resting her head against his shoulder and lacing her fingers through his as they talked for a few hours before parting for their respective bunks. It was a nice routine, but…she was still worried about Chewie.

"Has Chewie been feeling okay?" she asked Han, mindlessly tapping two fingers against his elbow.

"Think so," Han said. "He hasn't said he's not. Why?"

"He's gone to bed early three nights in a row. I thought it was odd yesterday, but I'm getting a little worried now."

Han shifted in his seat slightly. "Oh, that. Don't think that has anything to do with him not feelin' good."

"He's acting normal during the day, so I can't imagine he's upset with us about anything," Leia reasoned. "Do you think…Are we nearing an anniversary or holiday? Could he be missing home more than usual?"

Han looked down at her and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, a soft smile on his face. "Not any anniversaries or holidays that I'm aware of. He's probably fine, but I can check in on him in the morning."

Leia lifted her head and studied his face carefully. He knew something that he wasn't saying, of that she was certain. And, while she didn't want to pry into Chewie's business, she got the feeling there was a very good chance that this had less to do with Chewie's private life and more to do with theirs.

"Does he know?" she whispered, almost embarrassed by the thought. It was…it was fine if Chewie knew, but the idea of her affection being observed without her realizing it was unnerving.

Han grimaced slightly and shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't tell him," he said.

His words were chosen far too carefully, no matter how careless he attempted to sound. "But he knows." Leia tapped his chest with her palm softly and groaned. "Of course he knows. He walked straight past us while we were cooking dinner last night and acted like he didn't notice us at all, but he could probably hear us down the corridor."

In all truthfulness, cooking dinner was an extremely generous description of their activities the night before. Rations had certainly been rehydrated and heated and, in fact, had nearly burned, allegedly because Leia's mere presence was distracting. But there had admittedly been more kissing and flirting than stirring going on.

When a few seconds passed without an answer from Han, Leia continued. "How long has he known? It's only been a week. How are we unable to keep a secret for a kriffing week?"

Han snorted in amusement and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, apparently ready to 'fess up. "He heard us talkin' when we were heading to the settlement."

She blinked in disbelief, certain, certain she had been more careful than that. "So, what, we kept a secret for four whole days?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Maybe five."

She shook her head and huffed dramatically. "Unbelievable. I was a double agent for two years and I couldn't even keep this under wraps for a week. I've lost my edge."

Chewie's heavy footsteps sounded down the ring corridor and Leia jerked her head around to stare at the entrance to the lounge. He stuck his head in the room, a grin on his face. [To be fair, I do not think your Senate work involved keeping Cub from flirting shamelessly when you were within earshot of a Wookiee,] he said. [I am sorry to have ruined any fun you might have been having sneaking around, though.] He followed the apology with an offer to pretend not to notice the cuddling and a word Leia wasn't familiar with.

She glanced between Chewie and Han, brow wrinkled in confusion. "Sorry, Chewie, that's a new word for me. Cuddling and what?"

Han shot Chewie a glare and the Wookiee grinned mischievously. "Would ya knock it off, fuzzball?" He looked to Leia. "He's mainly teasing me. Don't worry about it."

She arched an eyebrow, intent on asking Han about the word later. Before she could respond, though, Chewie continued with his teasing.

[Perhaps I could increase the excitement by almost walking past the entirely open doorway of the common area you are kissing in and turning around at the last second. Again.]

Leia's cheeks burned scarlet, but she let out a flustered laugh. "Stars, I have lost my edge."

[I think maybe you just feel very safe here on the ship,] Chewie said seriously. [You are used to letting your guard down with us, so you weren't as alert.]

She nodded, eyes squeezed shut for a moment. When she opened them, she again looked from Han to Chewie. "Have we been very annoying?"

Chewie grinned mischievously again. [No, not very annoying. Cub is now too preoccupied to bother me with complaining. It has felt like a holiday.]

Leia laughed and looked up at Han affectionately before focusing back on Chewie. "We don't want you to feel unwelcome around us," she assured him. "You don't need to leave as soon as dinner's over. I like you being around."

Chewie nodded. [I do not feel chased off,] he said. [I was merely giving you some space since it seemed as if you wanted to keep this private.]

She smiled at him. "I appreciate it. But, really, you don't need to disappear."

[I will keep that in mind. But, I do think I will turn in early tonight the way I planned to.] He grinned at them both and said goodnight before heading back down the corridor.

Leia immediately focused on Han. "What did he say?" she asked.

Han raised his brows. "You just had an entire conversation with him."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "You know what I mean. The word I haven't heard before. What does it mean?"

He sighed in a manner that Leia felt was a tad dramatic, then kissed her forehead. "You really don't want to know."

She bristled. "I'll be the judge of that. What did he say?"

Han placed his palm on her cheek, amusement clear on his face. "He claims he knew because he heard us flirtin' and kissin', and also because he smelled a change in our individual pheromones. That was the word you hadn't heard: pheromones."

Leia wrinkled her nose, somewhat regretting her own demands to be told. "I think I could have gone my entire life without knowing Chewie was subconsciously monitoring my pheromone levels and been a lot happier," she admitted.

Han snorted and pulled her into an embrace. "Told ya."

There was quite a bit to discuss with Lloy on that particular trip. There were immediate needs for the outpost on Saijo, which he said he could have loaded on the Falcon by morning. And, then there were the more complicated asks.

"We need cold-resistant starters for T-47 airspeeders. At least fifty."

Lloy pursed his lips and leaned slightly across the cantina table, his fingers tented together in front of him. "How cold-resistant?"

Leia glanced at Han. Even though they had been working with Lloy for months, even though he likely knew they were building something in a frigid environment, they had been able to avoid specifics by requesting particular models of equipment. But these starters would likely have to be custom manufactured by one of Lloy's contacts. He needed to know the temperature ranges they would be in, which meant narrowing down their possible locations.

Han, who had his arm around Leia, squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, though he didn't speak. He handled half the deals with Lloy, but when it came to divulging potentially sensitive Alliance information, he usually let Leia take over. She smiled tightly and turned back to the Chiss.

"Negative seventy." Night temperatures on Hoth appeared to hover around negative sixty, but they wanted a wide buffer.

"I'm afraid such a starter isn't mass produced anywhere."

"I know," Leia said. "We're hoping you know someone who does custom work."

Lloy nodded carefully. "I do, but it will cost quite a bit more than the mass-produced parts."

"Of course."

"I will speak to my contact. I should have an answer for you by the time your supplies are delivered in the morning."

"Thank you," Leia said.

"Anything else?"

Han pulled the piece of flimsi that Ysta had given them from a pocket in his jacket. "Lookin' for sources for plants or seeds for these."

Lloy read over the list, glancing in Leia's direction a couple of times. She had asked once before about Alderaanian goods, and was certain that Lloy had some suspicions about her identity, but he had never asked, and she and Han certainly weren't going to offer that information up unless they had to.

"Some of these should be easy enough to procure," Lloy said, making a few notes on his datapad before handing the list back to Han. "Some are nearly extinct. I don't have any contacts for those."

Leia nodded. "We're aware of their scarcity. We thought we'd ask just in case."

"You've asked about Alderaanian goods before."

"Have we?" Han asked, as if he hadn't been sitting right next to her when she had brought the subject up previously.

His tone was apparently enough to shut any direct discussion of Alderaan down. Lloy hesitated for a long moment before looking at Leia. "Have you ever visited Adarlon?"

She frowned, racking her brain for memory of the planet name. It seemed vaguely familiar, like she might have read about it in a school book or perhaps had heard their Senator speak once or twice. She was certain she had not visited the planet, though.

"I haven't been there, no." She bit her lip, a childhood memory slipping to the front of her mind. Her parents might have negotiated a trade agreement with their leaders or something when she was young. She had vague memories of the name being said at dinner while she mashed ruica around in an attempt to make it appear as though she had eaten some of it. "I think I've heard it mentioned once or twice."

Lloy nodded once. "A group of explorers colonized the planet several generations ago. A fair percentage of them were Alderaanian. The planet is beautiful — very scenic — but it lacks natural resources. The colonizers imported food and supplies from their home planets until they were able to get established themselves. Depending on what they were able to grow, they may have variations of some of the rarer plants you're looking for."

"That sounds promising," Leia said carefully. "Do you have contacts there?"

Lloy shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have visited a few times, but not for work. It is simply information I thought might be helpful."

"Appreciate it," Han said.

Lloy left after they confirmed their requests and said their goodbyes. Leia leaned her head against Han's shoulder.

"Have you heard of this Adarlon?" she asked.

"No," Han said. "I trust Lloy, though. Wouldn't've brought it up if he didn't think it'd help."

"I think he knows who I am," Leia said softly.

Han hesitated. "Think he might, yeah." She felt him press his lips to the top of her head. "Think he's known for a while."

"He hasn't said anything."

"It's easier for him if he doesn't know anythin' for certain."

Leia nodded and lifted her head to look at Han. "I don't know if Adarlon is anywhere near our routes for the next couple of months, but I'll pay for any extra fuel needed for a detour when we have time to spare. I just want…I want to do something right for them."

Han smiled at her, affection clear in his eyes. "You've already done a lot right for them," he said. "But I wanna take you anyway. Don't worry about fuel. We'll figure out a good route."

She bit her lip for a second before planting a grateful kiss on his cheek.

A/N: How are we feeling? What are we thinking? There are only a few more chapters to go, and I'm excited to share the rest of this story with everyone, and am so thankful for those of you who've stuck with this story this far!

I expect to have the next chapter posted by Friday, June 28, 2024.

(Also, a note on Adarlon: this planet existed in Legends as a planet that was colonized by a group of people, many of whom were Alderaanian, which is where I pulled that idea from, but that's pretty much all I'm pulling from Legends for this. In current canon, the planet doesn't really seem to have much established about it, so I'm kind of running with that, but I wanted to at least mention that the Alderaanian colonizers weren't originally my idea.)

(Another note: Breha saying it would do Leia good to fall for a scoundrel is more or less taken from the novel emLeia, Princess of Alderaan/em by Claudia Gray.)

Perspectives companion piece: "The Complete Package".