"Come here often?" a voice intoned behind her ear.

Leia's heart nearly beat out of her chest at the sound of Han Solo's familiar baritone so close, let alone the feel of it on her neck, but she played it cool. She was incognito, after all, waiting for Sodus Bay-- Alliance contact in the Half Moon sector--here at The Yellow Card in the capital city of Colosse, and she couldn't let on that she knew this Corellian ne'er-do-well.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she muttered behind an inviting smile, appearing to the foozball fans that packed the bar as if she were accepting Solo's pass as he joined her in the cramped, shadowy booth she occupied.

"Thanks, gorgeous, don't mind if I do," Solo said loudly as he folded his lanky frame--clad in the usual white broadcloth shirt, black Bloodstriped pants, and dark blue flight jacket--onto the bench across from her. "Your disguise almost worked," he lowered his voice and continued. "You look so much like a woman I barely recognized you."

Leia's cheeks grew hot, but if they were getting red you couldn't tell. She was heavily make-upped, with her ample hair down and free and wild about her face and shoulders. A deep green dress clung to her, its plunging neckline filled with gold chains to match her gold bangle bracelets and hoop earrings. The meeting with Sodus was to appear a tryst, and a lack of genuine trysts in her life inspired her to play this part to the hilt. She really did look stunning, certainly nothing like Han, Luke, or any other Rebel had ever seen her. In the old days, on Alderaan, though...well, anyone who knew her then was gone, murdered en masse a year ago by the Empire. She drained the last of her drink and set the glass down with a thud on the black metal table. Her glance fell to the silver ashtray to her left, and she noticed the reflection of a ceiling fan spinning in it.

"Captain," she said as she drew a deep breath, "you're supposed to be far, far away, helping Luke deliver supplies to Oran. Why are you here?"

"Please, Your Worship," Han whispered and mock-scolded her with a finger, "some discretion." A waiter droid came to a hovering stop before their table.

"Your order?" the floating silver orb monotoned.

"A Corellian ale for me, and..." Han said, turning his head from the droid to the Princess with a grin, "what's the lady's pleasure?"

"A Colosse Crusher," Leia said nonchalantly.

"Very good," the droid replied and hovered to the next booth.

Han leaned back with a smile, stretched an arm along the back of the bench, and thrummed his fingertips on the top. "A Colosse Crusher?" he repeated with raised eyebrows. "This is going to be a long evening, isn't it?"

"Not for us, flyboy," Leia said through her teeth as she leaned forward into the circle of white light cast by the brushed red metal lamp dangling above the table. "You're going away now. I have business to attend to, and you're not part of it."

"Depends on what kinda business you're talking about, don't it?" Han leered and leaned forward to meet her.

"In your dreams, Solo," Leia shot back with a dazzling smile. "You know, I don't appreciate your checking up on me like this, either. I'm a big girl, you know. Are Chewie and Luke here, too?"

"Big? I beg to differ, Your Shortness," Han said with a smile. "And nope, they aren't with me here. Oh, and I definitely don't mind checking you out like this," he added, giving her a liberal once-over.

Leia sat back, fought the reflex to cross her arms by gripping the bench beneath her instead, and sighed. It was useless trying to have a legitimate conversation with him right now. "You're really full of yourself tonight, aren't you?" she said with an involuntary smile.

"Yup," Han said as he reached for the drinks the server droid had rolled up with. Leia glanced at the short droid, and an image of Artoo Detoo serving drinks in a dark room flashed through her mind. For a second she stared at the space just above the droid's head.

Han caught her look. 'She's spending too much time with Luke, staring into nothing like he does,' he thought.

"Sweetheart," Han said, nudging her hand on the table with her glass. "Your drink?"

The feel of something cold and wet on her fingers snapped her out of it. "Thanks," Leia said, reaching for the glass and pretending she hadn't been in another world just then.

Han rolled his eyes and put the incident in his "Things I Can't Figure Out About Her Worship" file, then pretended along with her. "To the Cause," he said, tilting his drink in a toast toward Leia. "May it bring many more occasions for getups like the one you're in tonight. With this one, sister, you've charmed me completely."

"As if that takes much," she said and took a long drag of her drink. "You live to be impressed, Solo--especially by women."

"Now you're getting personal," Han said with a sheepish look. "That almost hurt."

Leia leaned forward again and spoke under her breath. "Look, as much fun as this may or may not have been, I'm going to hurt you if you don't leave--now. My 'boyfriend' is going to be here very shortly, and we don't need you around to possibly tip off any tail that might be following him."

"OK, OK," Han said, corralling his drink and sliding out of the booth. Shifting his pockets, he pulled out enough bills to cover their drinks, folded them carefully together, then walked toward Leia. He leaned close to her, breathed in her perfume, then very deliberately tucked the bundle into the neckline of her dress. "Just remember, sweetheart," he said, slowly moving his swirling hazel gaze from her neckline to her eyes then cupping her chin, "I'll be around later for any unfinished business you need to conduct."

Trapped in his stare, Leia realized she was holding her breath. He was so nearly palpable, she was dizzy. Or was it the Colosse Crushers? Either way, she had to keep it together.

"Please," she said disdainfully and rolled her eyes.

"I love it when you do that," Han said with a sincerity that surprised even himself.

"Go away!" Leia exclaimed as she laid her hands flat on his jacket and pushed, laughing in spite of herself. As he parted with a lopsided smile, she watched him disappear into the crowd and took an even longer drag of her drink.

"May I sit down?" asked a wavy red-haired, green-eyed,
fresh-scrubbed-faced man standing before Leia's table.

"I think so," Leia said with a cautious smile. Either this was Sodus Bay, or she'd been waiting so long alone now that someone was actually trying to pick her up. Could be interesting in any case, she figured.

The man swept his short, tan cape aside and took the bench across from her. "Thank you," he said, "You see, when I saw you from across the room, I knew this was made for you." He slid his hand inside his cape and pulled out a thick gold rope-chain. Diamond-cut, it sparkled in the dim light of the booth.

Leia smiled. The chain was really quite beautiful, as well as the designated overture for her meeting. She played her part to recognize him. "You shouldn't have, honey," she said as her smile turned into a grin and she cupped her palms together in the air. He dropped the chain into her hands.

"Sodus Bay?" she asked quietly as she draped the chain around her neck. He stood up, then she stood and turned her back to him. "At your service, Your Highness," he murmured as he fastened the necklace, and they sat back down.

He'd played his part perfectly. It was indeed Sodus Bay, an extremely competent, reliable, and respected--if not young-- member of the Alliance Half Moon sector. Otherwise he was known for an impossible mixture of painfully good manners and brutal sense of humor. His slogan in social circles was known to be "Extra mean equals extra funny."

He was all politeness now, though. This was, after all, his first meeting with royalty. Sodus hadn't seen the Princess since her days in the Senate (and even then it had just been over the HoloNet), and the fact that she'd grown into an extremely attractive young woman did not escape his well-known keen powers of observation.

"I apologize for being late," Sodus began, "I failed to compensate for the traffic from the game in town."

"Apology accepted, Mr. Bay," Leia replied, toying with the necklace he'd just given her. "I think this lovely chain more than compensates for anything. Now, if you don't mind," she continued as she leaned forward, "let's get down to business."

"Of course," Sodus said, leaning forward to join her in the light, which revealed just how young--and freckled--his face was. 'Could he be younger than I am?' Leia silently wondered as he began his report.

* * * * * * * *

It ended up being a long night after all. Sodus' news was complicated; Half Moon was a treacherous sector for the Alliance to operate in. Meanwhile, the foozball game the bar patrons were watching was turning out to be a particularly contentious one full of bad calls and lucky scores. Fans on both sides were getting restless, and Leia sensed aggression in the room that ran higher than the usual sporting event engendered. Plus, she hated to admit it, but the Colosse Crushers she'd been drinking ostensibly as part of her cover had knocked her for a loop. Truth was she was afraid to stand up for fear of falling down.

"I've kept you too long," Sodus said as he rose from his bench. "Shall we?"

"Let's," said Leia, taking his hand as he laid his other hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the exit.

Before they could get to the door, though, voices started shouting, bodies started jostling, and blaster bolts started flying. The crowd was stampeding. Sodus was knocked down, and Leia was swept out of the bar amidst a sea of panicking patrons into the street. The cold, fresh air rushed into Leia's lungs. She gasped at the sensation. Then someone ran into her from behind, snapping her neck back. Her head started to spin and she spread her arms out, fighting to keep her balance.

Walking out of The Brewcaster a few blocks away, Han heard raised voices. He looked down the street and saw a mob pouring out of a building. "What the hell?" he wondered, walking then running toward The Yellow Card when he realized that's where they were coming from.

'She's probably long gone,' Han thought to himself as he weaved through onlookers, 'especially with my threatening to return,' he added wryly. 'Better make sure, though...she should be easy to spot anyway--just look for someone short with lots of hair.'

From the perimeter Han scanned the widening spill of people outside the bar. Soon he was engulfed and found himself working against the tide when he spotted a petite woman in a green dress getting bounced around like a pinball.

"Sweetheart," Han shouted, not wanting to use her actual name with so many ears around. "Sweetheart!"

Leia closed her eyes and tried to anticipate the bodies coming near her by the air they displaced and the heat they radiated. She'd honed the skill, though she'd never told anyone about it, during childhood games of hide-and-seek and blind-bully. Besides, Force knew all her other senses were dulled at the moment. "Slow down! Take it easy!" she shouted to no one in particular.

What could Han say to catch her attention, to get her to work her way toward him, without causing too much suspicion? As usual, inspiration struck him in a flash. "Luke!" he shouted. "Luke!"

"Luke?" Leia repeated to herself. "Is he here after all?" She spun around, opened her eyes, and saw Han.

Eye contact established, Han started handing bodies down to get to Leia. Conveniently, someone flew into her side and sent her directly toward him.

"Whatever it took to get you into my arms tonight," Han said into the top of Leia's head. He left her against his chest with an arm wrapped around her, and with his other arm fought to the edge of the teeming crowd. In another minute they were free and walking toward a hotel at the end of the block. Han turned to the sound of litter clattering in a whirlwind in a cul-de-sac to their left. Adrenaline still pumping, he was nearly crushing her on his chest.

"Han...uh, thanks, but I need to breathe," Leia said, pushing away from him, "and I can walk on my own now."

"You sure?" he asked with a furrowed brow as he stopped and released her. Leia nodded once and stood steady for a moment...then her head fell back and her knees started to buckle.

"Right," Han said wryly, catching and pulling her back up, then tucking her back against his chest. "Stubborn," he added as they walked on. "Bullheaded," she said into his jacket. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to a hotel," he explained, "not where you're checked in, and nowhere near the spaceport or the Falcon and Chewie, just in case anyone there can put two and two--and us--together."

"Mmm. So Chewie IS here. Seems you've put you and me together all by yourself," Leia slurred.

"That's right," Han said with a laugh. "We've got unfinished business, remember?"

"Right," Leia said with a snort, then stopped and turned around woozily. "Mr. Bay!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering.

"Who?" Han asked, grabbing her shoulders to keep her on her feet.

"Sodus Bay, my contact," she explained with wide eyes. "We were separated in the bar."

"So?" Han said simply.

"Han, it was a stampede! He could have been hurt," she said impatiently, looking over his shoulder into the distance.

"Sweetheart, you made it just fine," Han counseled. "I'm sure he did, too. He's a big boy. Besides, there's nothing we can do for him that wouldn't do more harm than good at this point," he said, his hazel eyes soft and searching her face. "We've got to get out of public right now, OK?"

Leia still hesitated. He's so young, she thought. But he had been appointed contact, she reminded herself. "OK," she said, nodding hazily. Han tucked her once more against his chest, and they quickened their pace.

* * * * * * * *

The warmth and stillness of the hotel hall was a blessed relief to Leia. At last the spinning world was beginning to slow down.

"Wait out here," Han said, leaning her up against the wall next to their door. "Just gonna check inside for stormtroopers," he finished with a wink. She slid her head up and down along the wall in acknowledgement.

In another moment he came back out. "All clear," he announced. "Can you make it on your own now?" he asked, gently pulling her hand with her away from the wall.

"Yes," she said. She'd been semi-allright as long as she was in the dark and moving. But she'd been standing still and staring at the bright hall lights. Her subconscious told her body she was safe with Han, and she shut down at last, collapsing before his eyes. With pilot's reflexes Han knelt to catch her before she hit the floor. "OK, Princess," he murmured, looking down with a grimace into her face. He'd never seen her so peaceful. "I think you can use the rest anyway."

* * * * * * * *

With the city lights sparkling beyond the privacy-tinted window of the hotel room, Han stood next to the bed with a glass of water and looked down at the Princess. Truly she'd never looked more like the woman he knew she was under the Alderaanian royalty and Alliance masks she wore to keep herself from falling apart. Her hair flowed wild and free on the pillow and under her shoulders, just as he always imagined it would. The gold of her jewelry glinted in the lights from the window, and her chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths. He noticed a thick rope-chain among her necklaces that he hadn't seen earlier. 'Where'd that come from?' he thought. Tossing the question aside, he leaned down to leave the glass on the nightstand next to the bed, and found himself hovering over her.

"Princess-Senator Leia Organa," he said to himself, "you're beautiful."

He'd finally admitted it. Sure, he'd been flirting with her for the last year; that's what all Corellians did with practically every woman they met. But he'd refused to entertain the notion that there might be something behind the rapport he and the Princess had. Could it be he actually found her attractive...desirable? Yes. Now that he'd thought about it, the idea wasn't so bad. In fact, it sounded pretty good. Smiling to himself, he walked around to the other side of the bed, stripped off his jacket, unfastened his blaster rig and hung it on the bedpost, and sat down to work his boots off.

"Well, Your Worship," Han thought out loud, "this bed is big enough that we don't have to touch each other. Not that I'm against touching. But I know you are. And Luke wouldn't be thrilled about it either with that crush he's had on you since before you guys even met." With a sigh he laid down, crossed his ankles, and laced his hands behind his head. "Here's another one you owe me, kid...so much for sleep."

"Sleep, Han," Leia murmured.

Han turned his head to see the Princess' profile. "You awake?" he asked.

"No, I'm just talking in my sleep," she said dryly. Han smiled at the ceiling. She still had a sense of humor, even with a hangover on the way.

"Thanks, Han, for checking up on me. And for not going away. You've charmed me completely."

They rolled over to face each other. The city lights shone in each other's eyes, and a long peace stretched between them. Then she reached out to him. Wordlessly, he slid close to her, tucked an arm around her, and rolled her onto her back. As he moved his lips over hers he realized...she was out.

Han kept his lips close to hers. "Unfinished business?" he said. "Yeah, I think we've got some, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead, then laid his head down above hers with his arm left tucked around her.

* * * * * * * *

When Leia awoke she could sense Han next to her. He wasn't
there--he was kilometers away still in carbonite on Jabba's wall--but she could sense him, the smell of his skin, the warmth of his body close to hers, the feel of his arm around her. She smiled to herself, then rose and set her feet on the cool earthen floor. Beyond the blanket in the doorway Leia could hear Artoo beeping; Luke was working with the short, scrappy droid to finalize his hologram for Jabba.

They were going to get Han.

Leia padded silently out of her room to join them in the living area. Luke was crouching down and facing Artoo with his back to her.

"Good dreams?" Luke asked.

"In the end, yes," she said, laughing at herself for still being surprised that Luke knew where she was without seeing or hearing her. Artoo rolled backward, and Leia walked up behind Luke. She laid a hand on his shoulder as they watched the droid play the hologram one last time.

They were going to get Han.

back to
You Do Have Your Moments
home page