Leia drifted slowly toward consciousness, the quiet hum of the Falcon's engines a comforting sound to wake to. She squinted, somewhat able to make out Han's still form in the darkness of the cabin.
He appeared relaxed, carefree, cute, even, curled on his side and turned toward her. None of the stress of the last…who-knew-how-long seemed to afflict his features in his sleep. Leia smiled.
We needed this.
The break had been borderline mandated, something Mon had highly suggested with Han present. He had seemed seconds away from physically dragging Leia aboard the Falcon and taking off in the direction of the nearest hyperspace lane when Leia surprised everyone by agreeing to taking some time away while they had the chance.
'Not much,' she had warned, and she had mostly meant it. They had work to do; rebuilding a government was hardly a quick process, and she intended to do her share of the labor. But the last push of the war prior to their final victory had been wearing, and she still wasn't certain she had processed the various revelations about her biological family that had been dumped in her lap. A break felt like a welcome interruption.
They were supposed to land later that day. Han had suggested they each pick a surprise destination, and his was first. Leia had not brought up the fact that he was terrible at keeping surprises…surprises — she had figured out they were going to Kashyyyk five minutes into packing when Han had shoved a gift he'd bought for Chewie into his bag. She also hadn't revealed her own choice of destination; she was half-convinced she'd change her mind, anyway.
Being on land would be nice, but Leia liked just traveling with Han. She had always liked traveling with him, but traveling only with Han was a newer development, possible only because Chewie had returned to Kashyyyk after the war had ended. The privacy was precious, especially since so much of their life now involved public attention, and…well, she simply enjoyed being around her husband.
Leia shifted slightly, eyes still focused on Han's face. He was so very handsome — nearly unbelievably so, really — but, even more important, being with him, seeing him, talking and laughing and crying with him, it all felt like being home.
He is home. The thought felt more true than anything ever had.
She reached over, tempted to touch his cheek, but dropped her hand to the space between them, unwilling to chance waking him up earlier than necessary. He had been exhausted, too, after all. He deserved rest.
Leia rolled to her back, though she kept her eyes on her husband. Han apparently felt her move, because he inhaled sharply, drew his eyebrows together, and reached for her all without opening his eyes.
"You're with me, baby," he murmured sleepily. He slid his arm around her and pulled her closer until Leia's head was tucked securely under his chin. "I got you."
The words were familiar — phrases he usually said to help her reorient herself as she came out of a nightmare — and her heart felt full. She wondered if it was a habit, reassuring her if she merely moved suddenly to pull her out of a bad dream before it really began. She knew he comforted her when she woke him by tossing or crying out, but he was usually fully awake by the time she was aware of what was going on, and she knew her nightmares generally caused her to do more than just roll over.
The arm he draped across her waist relaxed and his breathing slowed. Leia tilted her chin up slightly, her nose brushing against his neck. She slid her fingers through a patch of hair on his chest, resting the flat of her palm against warm skin.
Another sharp inhalation from Han followed by his hand tracing a slow, circuitous path from her hip to her shoulder. "You all right?" he asked through a yawn.
"I'm all right."
"Bad dream?"
She smiled gently and shook her head. "No, I just woke early."
"Bein' creepy?" He smirked, nudging her cheek with his nose.
Leia huffed indignantly, though her smile remained. "As if I haven't caught you watching me sleep a hundred times." She kissed him. "I thought you could use the rest."
"Always takin' care of me," Han mumbled fondly, returning the kiss.
When they parted, she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "Someone needs to now that Chewie's home."
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, eliciting another smile from Leia. "As long as it's you."
"I'll be glad to see him and Malla today." She realized her mistake a second too late and grimaced. Cracking her eyes open, she bit her lip before looking at Han.
He stared at her for a moment. "You weren't supposed to check the navicomputer."
Leia rolled her eyes. "I didn't. I've known since before we left the apartment."
"How?"
She pressed a gentle kiss to his shoulder and ran her hand down his arm. "I saw you pack that book you bought for Chewie. There would be no reason to bring it if we weren't going to Kashyyyk."
Han sighed — a bit dramatically in Leia's opinion — and flopped onto his back. "Was supposed to be a surprise."
Leia slid closer to him and rested the point of her chin on his chest. "I know." She reached up and smoothed a lock of hair off his forehead. "Wanna make it even?"
He eyed her for a second before breaking into a smile. "Seems only fair." He ran gentle fingers between her shoulder blades.
She closed her eyes, drawing enough strength from his touch to commit to the location she had been considering changing last-minute. "I was thinking about Naboo."
Han didn't say anything right away, though she felt his fingers stutter across her back. "Naboo?" he said evenly. "That's where she was from, right?"
She. He had never — not once — referred to Padmé Amidala as her mother, and Leia loved him a little more for it. She meant no offense toward the woman who had given birth to her; Leia knew she had been an extraordinary person. Padmé had been spoken of so highly in the Organa household that her relationship to Leia had seemed almost obvious the moment it had been revealed, the same way Luke being her brother just seemed to make sense. Still, Leia had been raised by Breha Organa, and Breha Organa was her mother. She imagined it might be possible for her to refer to Padmé as such someday as well, but in the meantime, she appreciated her husband's consideration.
"I haven't been since I was a teenager," Leia said. "I'd like to see it again now that we know, I think."
"You don't wanna go with Luke?"
She worried her lip with her teeth and shook her head slowly. "If I were meeting her family…our family, I suppose…I would want him there. But that's not what this trip is about. I just want to see it. And I want you with me for that." She paused, attempting to read his expression. "Do you mind?"
Han shook his head. "'Course not. I'll go anywhere you want, Princess."
Leia smiled and allowed her head to drop to his chest. His slid his fingers against her scalp in a soothing sort of massage. A sigh escaped from her body as she relaxed, savoring the feeling of his other arm encircling her.
We needed this, she thought again.
They would no doubt be busy when their trip was over, but the time away felt imperative, and she was glad she had agreed to it. The worries of the galaxy would be ready for them when they returned. For now, she was just glad they had some time with one another.