Princess and recently ex-Senator Leia Organa looked in the mirror as she braided her long ponytail for the award ceremony that afternoon in the Massassi Great Temple on Yavin and barely recognized herself.

She'd worn her hair likes this dozens of times before at formal occasions, though she'd had an attendant to put it up for her. She'd worn an ample-necked white gown like this before, too, though it had been covered in shimmersilk, and she'd had attendants to help her put it on.

Those attendants were gone now, though, massacred with the rest of Alderaan. She didn't even want to imagine how they'd died. Perhaps Father was home with them when it happened. Perhaps he was downstairs in the study when the--

She winced and slammed a hairbrush on the stand she sat in front of. "I can't think about this now," she said to herself, "I'll think about it tomorrow." She'd been fighting off these thoughts for a week, and was tired from the struggle. Tired from the bodily trauma she'd suffered at Vader's hands aboard the Death Star, too. And the physical therapy the Alliance medics had assigned her on top of that. She stared at the floor and slowly--barely feeling the strands between her nerve-damaged fingers--finished her braid, then looked back up to her reflection.

Yes, she used to have a lot of things, but the person in the mirror didn't anymore. She reached out to touch the looking glass and point at herself. "That person," she whispered, "is you."

A knock echoed from the makeshift door in the stone archway of her room in the temple that served as Alliance base. Leia rose, took a deep breath and ignored her ribcage's twinge at the effort, and strode halfway to the door to stand with hands clasped in front of her. "Enter," she said with a lift of her chin.

White-haired, white-bearded General Jan Dodonna walked in with his duster rippling behind him. "Good afternoon, Your Highness," he said, stiffly bowing. "Are you ready for the day's festivities?"

"Yes, General, I thank you," Leia answered, "but are you and the rest of Command ready for the party tonight? I suspect it will break all kinds of galaxy carousing records."

Dodonna laughed heartily. "That it might, Princess," he said, "that it might. Quite a fuss is being made over your three latest recruits, you know."

Now it was Leia's turn to laugh. "I wish I could take credit for bringing Luke, Han, and Chewbacca into the cause," she said then bowed her head, "but we owe them to General Obi-Wan Kenobi, as we do so many other things." Dodonna nodded solemnly.

Leia looked up with a wry smile. "As for their newfound stardom, who can blame them?" she said. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes."

"Quite true, my dear," he replied, "and well put. Your talent will be missed in the Senate." "Thank you, General" Leia said, "and I will not miss the Senate."

Dodonna smiled pensively, then reached into his pocket. "If you would, Your Highness, a member of the Alliance gave this to me for you. She said she thought you might need some jewelry today." He held up stretched between his hands a necklace of silvery square pendants. Leia involuntarily gasped at the sight and reached to touch it.

"Oh, Jan," was all she could manage to say.

"Take it," he whispered.

She turned the necklace over in her hands. It was an exact if not inexpensive imitation of the necklaces worn by Alderaanian royalty that had been so popular of late. "Of course I'll wear it," she said with tears in her eyes, remembering her own genuine version of the necklace, along with the rest of her royal jewelry.

"Who gave this to you?" Leia asked, peering from under her brows at the General.

"Chele Taaker," he answered. "She got it during a recent visit to Alderaan, where her brother and his wife lived. Shall I call her for you?"

"No," Leia answered a little too quickly, then hastened to correct herself. "What I mean, General, is...well...I can't talk right now about Ald--"

Dodonna laid a hand on hers. "Of course, my dear," he said. "No need to explain. We all understand." He gave her an encouraging smile. Leia saw her father in his smile, and so returned it and rushed back to the mirror with the enthusiasm of a child. She raised the chain up around her neck and fumbled with the clasp. Damn. Her fingertips couldn't feel the catch. She had a long way to go in her nerve therapy. Would she ever recover from everything that happened to her on the Death Star? She fought back the tears that threatened to return to her eyes.

"Shall I?" Dodonna asked, standing next to her with hands raised to the necklace.

"Yes, please," Leia said and swallowed hard.

Dodonna fastened the necklace and stood behind her as they admired the way it caught the light in the mirror. Her reflection seemed a little more familiar to her. She looked at Dodonna and wondered who Chele was. Then remembered Luke and Han, and the towering wookiee Chewbacca. She may have lost a lot, but she'd gained some things in her life, too.

"I'd never been in a room with that many people in my life!" Luke exclaimed to Han and took a healthy swig of his drink as they rehashed the award ceremony during the party held that night in their honor. The fun was in full swing. Sweaty life-form packed next to sweaty life-form into the large antechamber of the Great Temple that had been turned into a bar. Chewbacca stood behind Han taking in the revelry.

The brown-haired, hazel-eyed smuggler laughed and took a pull of his own drink. "Not me, junior," he said with a smug grin. "The way I saw it, I was finally drawing the crowds I deserve. Face it, Luke--I'm a star!"

The moisture farmer-turned-space pilot smiled good-naturedly and raised his glass to Han. "That's fine with me, buddy...cuz if you're a star, I'm a superstar!"

Just then an elbow flew into Luke's back and sent his drink sloshing...directly onto the sleeve of Princess Leia, still in her ceremonial array.

"Princess! What are you doing here?!" Luke asked, not knowing whether to smile or frown as he handed his drink to Han and scrambled to sop up her sleeve with the edge of his tunic.

Han nonchalantly raised both glasses in hand to her. Leia noted he was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing since their trip to Yavin aboard the Millennium Falcon. Did the man really not have a change of clothes?

"Sorry," Luke mumbled and shook his dirty-blonde-haired head. He meant to get close to the Princess tonight, but not like this.

"Don't worry, Luke," she said gently. "It's a wonder we're not all soaked in beer, it's so crowded here."

"A beer-wearing contest? Sounds like fun," Han said with a wicked grin, handing Luke his glass back. "Princess, can we get you a drink?"

Leia rolled her eyes and laughed. "No, thanks. Charmed, I'm sure, though. Anyway," the no-nonsense part of her plowed on, "have any of you men of the hour happened to have met Chele Taaker, a member of the Alliance here on Yavin?"

Luke shook his head and turned his soft blue gaze to Han.

"Blonde-haired cheekboned chick?" the Correlian asked.

Figures he'd know her, Leia thought. Give him the night and he'll probably know every woman on base.

"I don't know what she looks like actually," Leia said. "I've never met her."

"Why do you ask?" Luke queried. "Are you looking for her?"

"She loaned me this," Leia said and laid a hand on the necklace she was wearing.

"Wow," Luke said, admiring the necklace as well as the petite hand on it, "that was nice of her."

"Yeah," Han drawled, "I don't recall hauling your royal wardrobe along with you off the Death Star."

"That's right," Leia shot back, "Your ego took up all the cargo room in that excuse for a ship."

Chewbacca chortled and Han scowled at her latest swipe at his pride and joy, but he laughed inside himself. This woman could be a lot of fun if she let herself.

"Now come on," the Princess pressed, "is she here?"

Han nodded to his left and said, "I think she's busy right now."

Luke and Leia turned to see a short-blonde-haired young girl engaged in lip-lock with Tigran Jamiro, an Alliance logistics officer.

"I see..." Leia said, blushing along with Luke and absently reaching for the nape of her neck. "Well, we all escape somehow."

"Is there anyone here you'd like to escape with like that, Your Regalness?" Han leered.

Luke glared at him behind the Princess. The pirate shrugged innocently.

"It certainly wouldn't be you, flyboy," Leia answered, dropping her hand from her neck and continuing with a sweet smile, "One escape with you per lifetime is my limit, thanks."

Luke grinned to himself and took a long satisfied drag of his drink.

"You get points for trying, though," she added with a raised eyebrow.

Luke gagged on his last swallow.

"I'll score however I can," Han replied with a wink. He was enjoying this banter a little too much for his own good; he'd better watch it or he might admit to himself he liked her and stick around for more. He and his first mate Chewbacca had places to go, debts to Jabba the Hutt to pay off.

"I'll let you heroes get back to your fun," Leia said, then cupped Luke's cheek and kissed it. He was just so easy to dote on! Luke blushed and rounded his eyes before smiling at her. If Han hadn't such a well-established high opinion of himself, he might have started to feel a little neglected.

"See you later, Luke," she whispered then left. They watched the jammed crowd around them swallow up her white form.

"But we were just having fun!" Luke and Han called to her over Chewbacca's roar.

* * * * * * * *

"Princess!" Chele shouted, catching up with Leia at the antechamber archway. The Alderaanian turned to face a flushed blonde-haired young woman with liquid green eyes and a strikingly defined countenance.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness," Chele said, recovering herself and bowing.

"Chele," Leia said, extending a hand to help her up. "I'm glad you found me. I wanted to thank you for loaning your necklace to me. It was extremely thoughtful and kind of you."

Chele smiled quietly. "Thank you, Princess, for wearing it," she said. "It brought tears to my eyes to see you standing up there with it on this afternoon."

"As it did me when General Dodonna brought it," Leia answered softly. "Please allow me to return it," she continued, reaching behind her neck and fumbling with the clasp. Dammit, she still couldn't feel the catch.

"Oh, no," Chele said. "I wish you'd keep it...I mean, I know it's not worth much...but I thought you might like it. All your belongings must have been lost on...."

Chele's voice quavered, and Leia's lips trembled. Both had been trying not to think about what they'd lost on Alderaan. They swum in each other's tear-filled eyes, then at the same instant reached for each other and embraced, bodies shaking with sobs. The drunken world around them faded as Chele remembered the family she'd lost, and Leia remembered...everything.

* * * * * * * *

"Hated to break you two lovebirds up, Jamiro," Han said, handing the officer a beer, "but the Princess had been looking for Chele. She put on a good show for us, but...." "We figured they both needed to talk," Luke finished. Tigran nodded, and along with Chewbacca they all turned back to the archway to see Leia and Chele walking arm in arm to a stone bench just outside the antechamber. This time, the heroes had been in the right place at the right time.

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You Do Have Your Moments
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