Valentine's Challenge: The Sequel. Submission #11

No, we're still not done with these.  Another from Amara Z.

Leia laid stretched out face down across her bed unable and unwilling to move. She knew she should move. Ought to move. But just couldn’t. She was in too much of a languid state of bliss to even consider it. And all she really could do was stare out of the window, watching the light turn to gold as the Coruscant afternoon turned into night.

 

She knew she wouldn’t go that far anyhow. Before she had left on a weeklong diplomatic mission alone, she and Han had promised they’d spend the day together when she returned, preferably in bed. And they had certainly held to that promise. She couldn’t think of anything right now that would drag her away, content to lay there with Han and let day slip into night.

 

“How many times was that?” she asked quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

 

She could hear Han shift on the bed and felt his hand come to her back, gently caressing the skin there. “I dunno. I lost count.”

 

Leia somehow managed to turn her head towards him and cocked an eyebrow. “You did not. I know you keep track.”

 

A soft smile came to his face and he trailed his hand down her back until it reached her backside and started to knead. Her eyes closed momentarily at the feel of his touch against her skin.

 

“Not counting today,” he replied. “But five or six at least.Got to make up for lost time.”

 

That they did. Not that they couldn’t do without each other if they had to, but neither of them seemed very happy when they were apart. And it made her that much more grateful for these times together. Leia felt Han gently tug on her hip and finding a hidden bit of energy, followed his lead and snuggled into his embrace.

 

They laid there silently, Leia carefully tucked against his side, her hand playing with the hairs on his chest. Han’s caresses continued, his fingers trailing along her skin. It wasn’t long before Leia’s breath was coming short and her body starting to respond to the constant stimulation. She reached up to give him a long, soft kiss as her hand moved further down, exploring other, more sensitive areas.

 

Han broke the kiss, laughing as he did. “Sweetheart, not that I’m not interested, but I think I’m going to need a nap before we go any further. We’ve been busy today and a man can only do so much before he needs to recharge.”

 

Leia nodded giving him the impression she agreed, but without a word, she slid on top of him. Her legs straddled his hips and she let her hands and lips roam across him hungrily without apology. When she rubbed her body against his, letting her slick folds glide across him, his body quickly hardened in response.

 

Leia slowed her movements, pushing herself to sitting, and looked down at her husband. She inhaled deeply as Han’s large hands slid lightly up and down her back in a way that only confirmed his own growing need. “Feels like there’s a little charge left in there after all,” she said with a sly smile, stroking her hips against him again, evidently pleased with her efforts.

 

“Apparently so,” he replied and pulled his wife back down to him for a kiss.

 

Short but sweet.  Thanks for the submission!

Valentine's Challenge: The Sequel. Submission #10

Thought we were done, did you?  You know us better than that.  This one comes to us from a first-time Han and Leia author, StatsGrandma.  If you like what you see, please let her know.  Enjoy!

AIR AND WATER

by: StatsGrandma

 LEIA:

He is water.

Water is essential for life in all of its varied planetary forms.  It constitutes 70 percent of the galaxy, as it does for individual humans.

I watch as he tinkers with the Falcon.  When we're not trying to get out of a tight situation because the hyperdrive has failed yet again, he possesses a nearly Zen like calm as he works with his hands. To the casual observer, he is a happy grease monkey.

He tells jokes with his friends, many of which are not repeatable in polite company. He's always up for a game of sabaac, and he'll calmly bet the spaceship on a smashball tournament.

He's a hail fellow well met when in public.  Leadership is something he wears easily and naturally and he doesn't appear to take it too seriously. 

He would give the impression that he is a rather shallow pool.

That impression would be wrong.

The sparkling hazel eyes are merely the shallows near the shores.  Once past them, the water rapidly becomes deeper, and at times, darker.  Han's emotions are bottomless, and he guards them carefully.  His passions are always roiling beneath the surface, something very few ever witness.

He chose me to not only witness, but to be engulfed by them.  I was terribly frightened at first.  I had been groomed to be self contained, constantly in control.  My destiny, as I understood it, was to be that of service to my world and to my galaxy. A private life was never discussed.  I was duty bound.  There would be no room in my world for the deep waters of private passion.  I'd defined myself as my father had defined me.

And then, the tsunami struck.

The first time it hit me was at the awards ceremony, where I was to give Luke and Han their medals for valor.  I remember Han's face, looking around as if he didn't know quite why he was there.  But then I placed the medal gently around his neck, and he looked up at me...

And winked.

It took everything I had not to melt into liquid at that moment. 

Later that night, many liquids were consumed, in vast quantities.  It was late and I was feeling more than a bit tipsy when Han came over and asked me to dance.

I didn't want this to happen.  I needed to push these feelings aside, because I knew that if I gave in, I'd drown. Drown in a deep ocean of love, unable to navigate the waves.

He smiled at me in such a way that it was impossible for me to refuse.  I stretched out my hand and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. We danced.  I thanked him and rushed away, my mind a storm of feelings. 

I couldn't allow myself to be dragged away in the undertow. 

For the longest time, I avoided him as much as possible. 

He took it as a challenge, and he'd show up everywhere that I was.  I told myself that as soon as we'd moved operations to Hoth, he'd be gone and that would be that.

But he didn't leave.  And he seemed to delight in taunting me like a schoolboy. 

Some schoolboy.

Any notions of that vanished the day we were doing repairs on the Falcon.  He had come over to assist me and, not wanting to fall further into the undertow, reacted with my typical hostility.

He wasn't buying it.  He took my hand, and I began trembling in fear of going too far into the depths.  And when he kissed me, it became apparent that I was so far in over my head that it was pointless to continue to deny how I felt about him.

Today was the death of the space station.  It was near twilight, and then suddenly, there was a great burst of light in the sky. Han looked at me with those beautiful eyes of his, and I knew then that I would swim with him forever.

HAN:

She is air.

No one can breathe without air.  The composition may differ in places, but without it, everyone and everything's dead.

Including myself.

Before her, I was living pretty good.  My life consisted of playing sabaac, getting drunk with my smuggling buddies, and transporting illicit goods for big bucks.  It was a lifestyle that allowed me plenty of time and money to goof off, which worked for me.  No entanglements.  No commitments.  Just good times and decent pay.

I felt empty sometimes, but Alderaanian ale in sufficient quantities would take care of that.  There was the hangover the next day, but I could still outrun Imperial ships with my head throbbing and my mouth tasting like a Tauntaun. 

And then, I was boarded.  And Jabba wasn't in a forgiving mood.  I was totally screwed and was having a hard time breathing; if something didn't get me out of this mess soon, I'd have no need of breathing.  While drowning my sorrows at the cantina in Mos Eisley one afternoon, I was approached by an old man and a kid about a transport to Alderaan. They were paying good bank and I figured I was home free.

What was supposed to be a quick and easy transport turned into the incredible life changing event. 

Because of her. 

I think it was when we were back on the Falcon that I felt my breath hitch in my throat.  She had the power to suck out every bit of air in my lungs. 

I found that I needed her near me to breathe at all.  I ended up staying on for the revolution that wasn't mine, to be near her.  Not that she didn't leave me sucker punched for what felt like forever. I'd follow her about, trying to feel alive.

I realized the life I'd been living wasn't living at all.  I'd been dead inside. 

And then, there was the day in the circuitry bay.  She'd been having trouble with a latch, and I came down to help her. She pushed me away, but I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I pulled her close.

I had never been so breathless -- or so alive.  It was like fresh oxygen pumped into my entire body and the soul I didn't know I had.

Threepio does not know how lucky he is that I didn't dismantle him permanently.

Fortunately, after that, she kept kissing me, and loving me, and...well, other things.

That she wakes up next to me is what gives me breath every day.

Like air, she is a force that cannot be contained.  Air gives her the fire that drives her, conflagrates her passions.  She can be a gentle breeze or a gale force wind, and believe me, I've experienced both. She is the most exciting, passionate, complicated woman I've ever known. 

A look, a touch, and I'm alive again.  I can float away with her to places I never knew existed in me.

Because of her, I live.

 

Thanks so much for the submission!  And like I said, people, don't be shy about the comments!

"Confession" Challenge. Submission #1

You all continue to step up to the plate with the submissions, so now we are posting our first submission to the "Confession" challenge Zolo posed.  We've still got some more mushy fics to post but this one came in first, so thank you, Amara Z!

I Must Confess

 



Leia was a very content woman. Bordering on euphoric.It didn't get much better than this. Laying back in her soft bed, resting on a mound of pillows, sunlight streaming through the windows, with a handsome ex-smuggler lying at her feet. No, it really didn't get any better than that.

Leia stretched slowly, carefully bringing her muscles back to movement, still wanting to luxuriate in the remains of her orgasmic high and enjoy every bit of the feelings that only Han seemed able to bring up in her. Her eyes roamed over her lover and constant companion in satisfaction. All long lines and lean muscles, he struck quite the figure, naked and stretched out across the foot of her bed. He was obviously coming down from his own high and looking quite content, watching her with a lopsided grin on his face.

Leia stretched again and smiled, pushing her legs towards Han. He scooted a little closer and caught her legs in his hands. He was only too happy to continue his ministrations from earlier and carefully ran his hands across her legs, exploring, and enjoying the feel of her skin under his hands, slowly making his way down to her feet.

His hands began to work at her feet, massaging them gently. He smiled confidently as Leia sighed and relaxed further into the bed and he knew without a doubt she was enjoying the sensations. An extra hard rub against the arch of her foot earned a low “Mmmmm” from Leia and had him grinning.

“Like that, Princess?”

Leia nodded, unable to prevent her head from lolling back against the pillows, letting Han continue his sensual massage of her feet. “You have no idea,” she said quietly. She could feel a shift and then his warm breath against her skin and Leia saw Han had her foot a hair’s breadth away from his chin.

“I kind of noticed you like it when I do this.”

She lifted her head slightly to stare at him. “You pay attention?”

He pulled her foot even closer and nodded. “I pay attention to anything that puts a smile on your face, sweetheart.”

“And anything that parts me with my clothes.”

“That too,” he replied with a grin. “But I noticed you especially like this.” Putting her foot againsthis mouth, Leia felt him press his lips into her sole, his teeth graze her skin, and she inhaled sharply. Her head slipped back again as he continued and she tried to bite back a moan, but it escaped before she could stop herself.

The sensations eventually ceased and Han went back to his previous motions, gently rubbing and stroking her skin. Leia’s gaze met Han’s. He looked like he had just hit the sabacc jackpot

“Looks like I found a new move.”

Leia just shrugged. “It’s ok.”

Han eyed her skeptically. “Just ok? That sounded like a lot better than ok to me.”

“Do you want to know something that I really like?”

Han was all ears. Anything that had Leia enraptured was a good thing. “Absolutely.”

“I’ve always wanted you to suck my toes,” she admitted sheepishly, her cheeks flaming red. Not that it mattered and she could tell Han just about anything. But there was something about revealing such an intimate detail that had heat rising up her neck.

“You mean like this?” Han asked before taking her toe and giving it a long, hard tug with his mouth.

Leia’s eyes closed involuntarily, a shudder running through her body. He slowly repeated the process on another toe and she arched into the bed, shifting restlessly as if he had done something much more intimate to her. When Leia’s eyes finally fluttered opened, Han was watching her with great interest.

“So how did you find this out? Had a bunch of guys sucking on your toes?” He was grinning when he said it, but she could tell from his demeanor he was intensely curious.

“It doesn’t matter how. Besides, you already know there’s been no one else.”

Han kept kneading her foot, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Which makes me wonder how you found this out. Unless you have a palace slave around here I don’t know about,” he said mischievously.

Leia shoved at him with her foot drawing a chuckle from him. She clucked her tongue. “I thought you were my palace slave.”

“Trying to be.” He let her foot slide from his hands and leaned onto the bed, hovering over her lower torso. “C’mon, sweetheart. Tell me.”

Leia averted her eyes and bit her lip, not sure she was ready to admit this. “When I was a little younger,” she started to say, taking a moment to swallow. “When I was younger, I liked the feeling of the water empting out of the tub after my bath. I used to sit there and enjoy the sensation of it while all of the water drained out. One time, my toes accidentally got sucked into the drain and I realized I liked the sucking feeling on them. It was quite…nice. And I kind of started doing it all the time. My aunts used to wonder what took me so long at the end of my bath.”

Leia hesitated, her eyes finally finding Han’s. “I suppose you think I’m weird.”

Han appeared a little stunned, but he recovered quickly. “No, no. Of course not. But, wow. Who knew you would like kink?” he asked with a wicked grin.

Leia turned from him growling. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Han laughed and turned her back towards him. She began to roll away again, but he started up the bed, crawling up her body, dragging his skin along hers the entire way. He settled against her and smoothed a hair away from her face. He showered her with tiny kisses, wanting her to relax and know that she could trust him with anything she wanted to tell him. “Sure you should have.”

He smiled as his hand stroked down her arm and came to rest on her hip, his fingers tracing a lazy circle on her skin. “How much do you like it?”

Her cheeks pinked again. “A lot.”

He kissed her gently then, letting his hands move across her body to all of the areas he knew she liked best and they let themselves get lost in the passion for a moment. His hand found the apex of her thighs, searching out the wetness he knew was undoubtedly already present, giving her a long, drawn out rub with his fingers. "Better than that?" he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

It took a moment for Leia to respond, her ability to think clearly rapidly fading. She shook her head. “Nothing is better than that, Han. But don’t think you can neglect my toes either.” She draggedher foot slowly up his leg, wiggling her toes against his thigh to emphasize her point.

Han laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart,” he replied and bent over to kiss her, pulling her tightly to him.

 

Thanks for the submission, Amara!  And to the rest of you, definitely consider writing something for this fun challenge!  Just remember the criteria:  Must center around Han and Leia, must involve a confession from one of them to the other, and must take place somewhere between Truce at Bakura and Courtship of Princess Leia.

Joint Story: The Sequel - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Hey, we’re all gonna go grab a bite to eat. Wanna join?”

 

Han looked down at Leia. "Up to you."

 

She paused. The meeting had actually relaxed her and she felt a bit adventurous. It wasn't often that she got to dine out anymore and as good a cook as Han was, even he had his limitations.  Finally, thoughts of another night cooped up in the small lounge of the Millennium Falcon flitted across her mind and she answered with a casual shrug of her shoulders, "Okay."

 

**

 

The motley crew of estranged couples had commandeered a large table at a local pub. When they had arrived the atmosphere had been that of a quaint restaurant with low lighting and mood music. After their meal and as the night wore on, however, the music’s tempo and volume changed and some empty tables had been moved to give way to a dance floor. The previously barren bar at the far corner of the establishment was quickly filling up with rowdy patrons ordering pitchers of ale and smoking herb sticks that filled the air with pungent scents and a smoky haze.

 

Han and Leia sat next to each other while the chairs surrounding them were vacated by couples getting up to dance, mingle or otherwise distance themselves from one another. Just as their waiter set a tall glass of wine in front of Leia and a mug of Corellian ale down for Han, Leia heard a familiar voice from over her shoulder.

 

"I'm stealing your husband from you. You don't mind, do you?"

Leia looked over and found the tall blond from the meeting, Lohree, with her hand resting on Han’s shoulder and a wide smile plastered against her face. Her lipstick was freshly applied and it was evident that her perfume had been also as a pleasant aroma emanated off of her competing with the smokiness of the bar air. Leia looked down at Han and instantly read the look on his face. He was praying for a rescue, his head barely shaking back and forth in silent protest.

Her first inclination was to give in and save Han from this apparent predator as part of her felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of someone else dancing with him anyway. It was the mischievous part of her that won out, however, as she nodded an affirming 'yes' to Lohree and worked, quite unsuccessfully, at hiding the triumphant smile from Han as he begrudgingly rose from his seat and followed Lohree to the dance floor.

Watching the couple depart, Leia took a sip of her wine. The thought had been that the bold move would negate the unwanted feeling of possessiveness that had come over her, but, as with most of her clumsy attempts at besting herself, it quickly blew up in her face when Lohree slung her arm low around Han's torso and Leia felt a red hot heat blossom in her belly and spread up her neck and face. Her triumphant smile was all but forgotten and the pleasant mood of the day seemed deadset on following it wherever it had gone.

The next several moments were spent in a constant battle between Leia and her eyes as she tried in vain to look anywhere else but at Han and his dance partner but yet succeeded only in finding them every single time. She took a long, slow sip of her wine. Lohree was taller than Leia and as they danced and she lifted her head to speak to Han the distance (or lack of it) between their lips made it look way to tempting and easy for Han to tilt his head only slightly forward and kiss her. Not that Leia thought Han would, but the thought was there all the same. And as easy and tempting as it looked, Leia knew - or at least strongly suspected - that Lohree would not have a problem with the current situation unfolding in just that sort of manner. Leia gulped the last of her wine down in one large, unPrincesslike swallow, hoping that the warm liquid would push the conflicted feelings crawling up her throat right back down into the depths from where they had come from.

"My situation must look wholly pathetic to young eyes such as yours."

The statement came from over Leia's left shoulder and was accompanied by someone filling her empty wine glass. It was Lohree's estranged husband, Kabe. Leia found her voice as he slid into the chair next to her. "Thank you, and no, not at all."

"You’re being polite. I appreciate it, but it isn't necessary."

Leia studied the older man thoughtfully as he found the same couple on the dance floor that she herself had been watching. She knew how she felt, unjustifiably as she had no real claim to Han, but this man had all the justification in the worlds to feel choked by possessiveness. This man wasn’t playing a game. All of a sudden she and Han’s situation didn’t seem so intolerable. "It's not politeness but self-preservation," she finally replied as she took a sip of her wine. "It seems we are all in the same situation so if yours is pathetic than so would be mine." The words weren't entirely true, but she wasn’t about to belittle the man further by telling him so. The older man relaxed his shoulders and smiled and Leia returned the smile knowing that her words, at least, had had the desired effect.

"To love and marriage," he replied with a lift of his glass.

Leia lifted her own glass and clinked it against his as she returned the sentiment.

"The pair doesn’t get the respect they deserve," Kabe said thoughtfully, his eyes on the dance floor.

It took a moment for Leia to realize what he was speaking about - their toast to love and marriage - and not about what he was currently staring at - his wife dancing with Han.

"I worked hard all my life," he continued into Leia's silence. "In my studies when I was young and later as I grew into a man. People called me driven, dedicated and ambitious. I had clear goals of what I wished to achieve, to realize during my lifetime. Honor and responsibility were my partner to get me there."

Leia watched him as he spoke and couldn't help but think of her own ambition-driven childhood and life.

"I was a fool," Kabe whispered wistfully as he finally dropped his gaze down into his drink.

"You seem very successful," Leia responded. She recalled what she had thought of him as he and his wife had done the demonstration earlier. Pity and perhaps a tinge of distaste or disappointment that he seemed to have been a man that had married for looks.

"I am," he answered proudly, his chest inflating a bit before one long exhaled breath drained him of all that pride. "I did everything I set out to do and more." He took a sip of his drink and let his eyes travel back to the dance floor. "But it turns out that honor and responsibility make damned lonely partners."

An uneasy feeling crept back up Leia's throat until she swallowed awkwardly and looked out to the dance floor, easily finding Han.

"Does he make you laugh?"

The question caught Leia off guard and when she looked back at Kabe he hitched his chin out to the dance floor, indicating that he was speaking about Han - her estranged husband. Her eyes dropped for a moment of introspection but when she looked back up at Kabe she answered honestly, "Yes, he does."

"Does he care about you? Can you talk to him? Do you trust him?"

She drug her bottom lip gently across her teeth while her eyes traveled back out to the dance floor. "Yes, on all accounts," she whispered.

Kabe leaned toward her. "Then stick with him. Forget all this divorce stuff. Life is too short to assume you'll find someone else that does all of those things." Before she could protest he continued in earnest. "I always thought they'd be time. My personal life always took the backseat to my business and my obligations. And now, now that I have everything, all the money in the world to buy whatever I want, I can't buy the one thing that I want...the one thing that I need the most." He looked back out to the dance floor and Leia suddenly felt very pensive. "She's not a bad person,” Kabe continued. “I knew she didn't love me, that's not her fault. I thought I had enough money to keep her happy, in that way I failed us both. She thought all she wanted was money but the more I gave her the more she found that it wasn’t enough. When she finally leaves me, she'll probably fall in love with some schlep living on a shoestring budget and find that she's never been more happy. That's the thing about love; it's got a never-ending bank account."

Leia contemplated his words. There was a time in her life when she would’ve been able to work at love, to interview her suitors and to date them. That time had been ripped away from her. Even if she wanted to she was in no position to participate in that social dance. The night before she had confessed to (a probably sleeping) Han that she was attracted to him. But did that attraction equal love? She certainly didn't feel ready to connect those dots. However, if she never acted on the attraction (save one drunken night) then whatever came of it would never get a chance at a breath of life, be it love or heartache or what-have-you. Maybe whatever she and Han had been doing was as close as she would ever get to dating someone, getting to know them, and falling in love. The train of thought wasn’t altogether uncomfortable.

Leia closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, the wine was taking its affect on her mind - fuzzying her thoughts. The Alliance, Alderaan, the Empire. All those things that usually took precedence in her life came clawing their way to the surface of her thoughts, clamoring for her drunken attention. But Kabe's speech echoed its warning. The Alliance, Alderaan and the Empire would make fairly lousy and lonely partners somewhere down the road. Hells, they made fairly lousy and lonely partners now.

"You alright?"

Leia opened her eyes to find two concerned hazel eyes looking down on her. Han had returned from the dance and Lohree was sitting stiffly next to Kabe already pouting about something. "I'm fine,” she replied. “I think I just need some fresh air."

Leia stood and made to walk to the door as Han grabbed her arm at the elbow saying, "I'll come with you."

She felt grateful for Han's assistance as she made it through the crowd, her vision hazy from the alcohol and the smoky cantina. It was a shock to her senses as they entered the cool, dark nighttime air of the city street. They walked past the crowd of people waiting to get in and finally snagged an empty alcove that belonged to a closed business next door. Leia leaned gratefully against the sturdy wall of duracrete.

"You need to sit down?" Han asked fidgeting.

"No, I'm fine. I just had to get out of there." Recalling her hasty exit, she then added, "I should've told Kabe we were leaving. I didn't even say goodbye."

"He'll get over it. He has his hands full, I'm sure."

Han's posture was rigid and his eyes were never fixed on one place for too long. It took her several moments to comprehend it. He didn't like being out like this in the middle of the night, not with her feeling woozy and his back to the street and no Wookiee backup anywhere to be found. He was always taking care of her. Thinking about the situation, the risks, even when she wasn't. Like, perhaps that night that had started all of this. How many other men would've left her with her dignity, much less her virginity, in tact when thrown into the same situation? Why did he do that? Her brain wrapped itself around that question, toying with it and absorbing it. The fogginess started to give way to a pleasurable warmth that she secretly associated with Han Solo.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asked him.

His alert demeanor gave way to shock for just a millisecond, and then he squared his shoulders and said casually, "Once or twice, I guess. Never really thought about it."

She studied him carefully, he was a perfect contradiction to her in that she liked to believe that she had him all figured out but didn’t understand him at all. She sighed, her head dizzy and then what would have usually remained repressed somewhere near the tips of her toes came out unbidden. "What do you mean you've never thought about it? Either you have or you haven't."

"Well,” he stammered. “Have you?"

She stared at him for a moment, and then answered simply, bravely, "No."

"Hmph," he answered, plainly intrigued. "I thought a Princess would've had her share of suitors."

"Perhaps," she replied, ignoring the slight slur of the syllables. "But I've never said the words. I've come close to wondering; thinking possibly but...never quite convinced enough to commit to it."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Why do you say that? Wait, no, you're drawing me off subject. We're supposed to be talking about you. Have you ever said the words?" He smiled down at her, seemed...amused. The fogginess was lifting off her brain, yet she allowed it to hover there to her advantage. She found Han most pliable when he didn't think she was at the top of her game.

"Yes, I've said the words, once or twice, just like I said."

"So, you've been in love." 

He shrugged his shoulders and his eyes got that distant look. She thought a moment of what she wouldn't give to take a ride to where those thoughts were going. "Like I said, I guess," he replied, his gaze coming back to meet hers. "Looking back, now...they were probably just words. Wishful thinking."

The thought of a Han Solo that would wish to be in love made her insides flutter. "No, you can't take it back now,” she argued. “You were in love, just...maybe not the forever kind." Her own words sounded childish and idealistic as they came out of her mouth. She thought, as she pressed her hands against her lips to suppress a giggle, that perhaps the fog hadn't completely lifted yet.

"You're drunk," Han finally stated the obvious, but the fact seemed to sour his mood instantly and greatly as a solid wall of seriousness slammed down between them.

"I'm not," she argued as she drew in a deep breath of the nighttime air. "Just...liberated," she finally said, because that was how she felt.

"We're getting you some coffee," Han replied quickly as he took her once again by the elbow and began to lead her down the street.

"Han Solo, just because I'm talking about feelings and love, doesn't make me drunk," she pouted as she walked two steps behind his quick pace. “And why did you have to dance for such a long time with that floozy?”  Clearly she had no control of her tongue at this point, she thought - all at once embarrassed.  I had better steer clear of Han's mouth, then...  That thought brought another round of suppressed giggling.

Han continued walking, perhaps more quickly and she heard him mumble something along the lines of 'just like the last time'.

"Wait," she said, yanking her arm free from his grasp. "What do you mean just like the last time? 

Why don't you ever tell me what happened that night? Don't you think I have the right to know? Don’t you think I should know what I did? Did I-?" She stopped, not entirely sure that she wanted to know the answer should she decide to ask the question, but then pressed on, "Did I say anything...like that? That night?" Leia held her breath as she watched Han process her question and calculate his response. She waited eagerly hoping that if perhaps her subconscious self had already drawn the conclusion and conjured up the nerve to talk about love with Han Solo then it would make it that much easier for her conscious self to catch up. Maybe.

Han dropped his hand down from where he had been holding her at the elbow and let out a long, deep breath. He looked around a little bit before his eyes finally landed back on hers and he seemed ready to speak. Leia curled her toes inside of her shoes, preparing herself for whatever earth-shattering news Han Solo might finally be ready to deliver to her. She watched as if in slow motion as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know about that night."

With a thud in her belly that was her heart, Leia opened her mouth to reply, but he pressed his finger over her lips to silence her.

He continued, "When you're ready to talk to me about it without being inebriated and in the light of day."

The muscles in her face relaxed as disappointment crawled across her face. Her first inclination had been to argue, but she was sober enough to know that she wasn't quite sober enough to win that argument. And there was something in his eyes that stopped her, too.  It was not the normal sparkle of mischievousness that both enthralled and infuriated her but a gleam, a hard shine that dared her to look further but only succeeded in forcing her to turn away.  Han waited in silence as she accepted what he said and then took her arm again and started walking in silence. 

The buzz of a headache began to twist inside of her forehead, yet even in her foggy state, something nagged at her about what Han had said. And in the light of day. She looked up at him, studying his profile as he guided her down the street, his jaw tightly set and the lines of his face more angular than usual. Had he heard her the night before? And if so, why hadn't he said anything? 

She looked back toward the spaceport coming into view ahead of them. Each day since they had been there seemed to prove more interesting then the next. When Han finally let go of her arm so that he could punch the access code into the Falcon, she briefly chanced wondering what tomorrow could possibly hold in store for them.

Episode VII: The Speculation Continues

Check out this article:
http://www.movieweb.com/news/mark-hamill-confirms-himself-harrison-ford-carrie-fisher-billy-dee-williams-and-anthony-daniels-are-in-talks-for-star-wars-episode-vii

For the basics, Mark Hamill is confirming that the big 3 plus Billy Dee and Anthony Daniels are "in talks" about Episode VII.  There are no official mentions of anyone having signed anything.  But honestly, I think this is a pretty good sign.  I'll admit that originally I was kind of less than thrilled about the idea of them all coming back, for fear of what they might do to them.  But, well, nostalgia is getting the better of me and how can I not want the opportunity to see my favorite movie characters ever on screen again after over 30 years? 

Of course I still have fears of what awful things they might do to them.  But I think we need to take that chance here.  I'm not sure they could screw things up worse without them than they would with them.  The other good news is it mentions they would not recast if someone didn't want in.  They'd simply write them out.  Let's be honest: these guys aren't having their doors pounded on to get them to do acting gigs.  I don't see much potential downside to them reprising their roles.  It's not like they have to worry about being type cast and ruining the rest of their careers.  Their careers are almost over, as sad as that is to say.  There is really not much reason for them to not accept this role and I have no doubt the money would be worth it. 

So, come on and discuss how you feel about this news.  And remember, it's much easier to comment now, so get to it!

Comments!

All right, people.  I've heard the complaints.  So many of you have said that you have trouble commenting, or have literally never been able to do it.  Well, to help you out, I've changed some settings here.  You should still log into your accounts to post from so we can see who you are, but you no longer need to log into anything to post.  Or at least I believe I've fixed it so you don't.  If you have a typical screen name you use, please just put that in there without actually logging into anything.  It won't link anywhere but we'll know who you are, and it's a bit better than just being posted as anonymous.  You also no longer have to do that annoying word verification thing.  That should also help.

Commenting keeps the blog going.  It keeps the writers writing.  It's like a dagger in the heart when someone writes something and they get no feedback on it.  It doesn't take much to make a writer feel good.  And it's never too late to comment.  Just to prove to us that the new method words, please take a little time to go comment crazy.  Keeping in mind that we can still delete stuff if you start being a jerk! 

Challenge responses are also still trickling in so feel free to continue to submit because we love hearing from you.  And hopefully we'll get some more comments going now that we might have fixed the issue that was keeping so many of you from doing so!

Valentine's Challenge: The Sequel. Submission #9

This submission comes from Claire1976 and is a follow-up to her previously published story, "Afterglow."   It's not totally necessary to read it to understand this one, but if you haven't already, I suggest you check it out because it is worth a read and a nice lead-up to this one.  Enjoy!

RECONDITIONING

Leia was momentarily distracted by the distinctive whoosh of the apartment's door, as Han entered the living room.

"I wasn't expecting you back yet," she called from the kitchen, the surprise evident in her voice. She peered into the adjoining room, catching Han as he swiftly removed his blue jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

She could tell immediately by the sour expression on his face that he probably hadn't had a very good afternoon at the reconditioning bay. Following their recent mission to the planet Tatooine to retrieve the painting Killik Twilight, the Falcon was in need of serious repair, and had spent the past seven weeks in the care of the New Republic's best mechanics, very much to Han's disdain. He would rather have undertaken the job himself, but since deciding to start a family, he and Leia were devoting most of their spare time to the more important task at hand. But several times a week he would pay a visit to the reconditioning bay to check on how things were progressing.

"Well I thought I would call it a day and head back,"  he grumbled as he flung himself heavily onto the cream coloured couch. "Besides, the Dreadnaughts are playing later tonight," he added as he began taking off his boots.

Han reached out to the small, ornate glass table in front of him, and picked up the holo tube remote control, flicking it on as he settled back into the comfortable couch. He gave a weary sigh and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. "Leia, remind me never to trust those goons with the Falcon again," he called out.

Leia exited the kitchen area and glided over to the couch. Han felt his jaw drop slightly as he absorbed the glorious sight of her. She was dressed in a shimmering royal blue gown that fitted in all the right places, tight round her hips and low cut to her breasts, and maybe, just maybe, a little bit see-through, unless his tired eyes were starting to play tricks on him. Her beautiful long, chestnut hair was plaited in a thick braid that hung down over her left shoulder.

The lopsided grin didn't take long to make an appearance. "You look...gorgeous," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Leia just smiled as she leaned in to give him a kiss that lingered perhaps longer than she had first intended it to.

As their lips parted the grin was quickly replaced with a frown, followed by a look of total bemusement. "What's the occasion? I don't get it. Did I miss somethin'?"

Leia took a seat next to him, a devilish gleam in her eyes. "No, but I missed something."

His frown became more intense as his confusion grew. What exactly did she mean by that? Probably nothing Han thought, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Han broke the silence. "Anyway, as I was saying, damn fools, they don't know one end of a hydro spanner from the other."

"I don't think I want to know," Leia said with a sigh.

"Trust me, sweetheart, you don't."

"But, I get the impression you're just going to tell me anyway, right? And then, I have something I need to tell you," she said with a smile.

"Really? That's great...but listen, the entire aft stabiliser is just screwed. I don't know what in the nine Corellian Hells they did to it, but it was practically hanging right off. Seriously, Leia, I couldn't believe it. Seven weeks of this Bantha crap, and for what?"

"Well, we needed the time together." Leia pointed out.

"I know, and I ain't complainin' about that," Han reassured her with a wistful smile.

His mind was quickly filled with brief flashes of all the times they had made love over the past seven weeks. In the bedroom, on the floor, in the 'fresher, the hot tub, Leia's office after everyone had gone home, on the kitchen table, and countless times on this very couch.  Their sex life had always been healthy, but trying for a baby had most definitely given it a renewed vigour that even he didn't think was humanly possible. It was more urgent somehow, more meaningful, and they simply couldn't get enough of each other. It was no wonder Han was so tired, and Leia had complained about trying to conceal her weary yawns from the beady eye of Mon Mothma during provisional council meetings. Neither of them had been getting much sleep, but gods, it had been so much fun. Well, apart from the one occasion when Luke had made an unscheduled visit to their apartment and found them deep in the throes of passion on the living room floor. Han thought that Jedi were supposed to be able to see things through the Force ahead of time, but clearly that wasn't always the case. He didn't know who was the more embarrassed, them or Luke. But he later made sure to get the access codes changed, to prevent anything like that happening again.

"Anyway, as I was saying. The aft stabiliser, hanging off real good.  I could see that from several feet away. So I grab the tool kit and take a closer look. The kriffing thing just falls off in my hand, I barely even touched it, it wasn't my fault!  I knew it was a bad idea getting those clowns to do the reconditioning.  Maybe I should have listened to you and used the military repair droids."

Leia tried hard to stifle her snigger, "So you're saying that maybe for once Han Solo was wrong about something?"

"Oh come on, sweetheart, you know I don't trust droids."

"But, I was right?" It was more of a statement than a question. She raised an eyebrow and gave him "the look". A look he knew all too well. A look that told him you don't mess with Leia Organa Solo.

He then had little choice but to yield. "Ahh, you were right...I guess I should have used the droids."

Leia couldn't hide her laughter.

"But, as I always say, things only get done right if you do it yourself. I should have checked up on them a bit more often. Letting these, well, kids, who know next to nothing about anything recondition your ship, it doesn't pay off."

"Well, I know one bit of reconditioning that has definitely paid off."  Leia said, shifting a little closer to him.

"How the hell am I going to explain this to Chewie? I've got to go collect him from Kashyyyk one week from today. How can I do that with no aft stabiliser?"

"Han..."

"Do you know how long it takes to secure an aft stabiliser? This is just what I don't need right now. It's not my fault."

"Han, I'm pregnant."

"It's not my fault.."

"It damn well is flyboy, and you know it!!" Maybe that came out a little harsher than she intended, Leia thought, but she had been trying to tell him the good news since he had returned home, but Han being Han wasn't picking up on any of her hints. When the Falcon was in jeopardy, it was hard to get any sense out of him.

Han's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Um, what? What did you say?"

"I said it's your fault and you know it."

"No, no, right before that bit."

"I'm pregnant." Leia repeated, her radiant smile lighting up the room.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "You were right. It didn't take us long."

"I'm gonna be a daddy?" Han said, all thoughts of the disastrous reconditioning on the Falcon quickly dissolving as he tried to make sense of those words that sounded so alien in his ears.

"You're going to be a daddy," Leia reaffirmed.

The dumbfounded look on his face reminded Leia of the moment in the fern dell on Endor five years earlier when she had finally revealed to him that Luke was her brother. She fondly remembered his stunned, almost childlike expression and how she had then placed her hand to his face and drawn him in for a kiss. And she now did the same. Gently cupping his cheek she pulled him slowly towards her and pressed his lips against her own. He returned her kiss, softly at first, then with more and more fervour, until they were both lost in the moment.

"How long have you known about this?" Han asked, when their lips finally parted. He took her hand from his face and held it tightly within both of his.

"I just found out today. I planned on telling you over dinner, but I just couldn't wait that long." Han could see the tears welling in her dark eyes, as her smile grew broader. Now it was his turn to reach out and frame her perfect face in his hand, his thumb catching the solitary tear as it rolled down her cheek. "I'm so happy".

He returned her smile, "Me too," he whispered, wiping the tear away. "See, told you my blaster would be fully charged."

"Your blaster is always fully charged, hotshot." Leia laughed.

She snuggled up against him, her head resting against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his strong embrace. Han's mind raced, imaging them as parents. It just seemed beyond comprehension to him, and yet somehow, so undeniably perfect. Would they have a boy, or a girl? Who would they look like?  Han pictured a cheeky young boy with messy brown hair, familiar lopsided grin and eyes sparkling with trouble. Then a pretty little girl with big brown eyes and long chestnut hair, holding a cuddly wookiee toy. He smiled proudly at the thought. He would teach his son to fly the Falcon someday and how to shoot. And his daughter, well, she would be spoiled rotten and would never ever have anything whatsoever to do with boys. Daddy's little girl. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.

"I love you, nerfherder," Leia said softly.

"I know."

For a long moment they just remained there in the comfort of each other's arms, just content to be close, and savouring the touch of the other. Han breathed in deeply, letting the exquisite smell of Leia's sweet perfume tantalise his nose. "You smell really great, y'know," he whispered into her hair.

"It's that perfume you bought me for my birthday," Leia replied.

"Picked a good one then," Han said with a smug grin. He closed his eyes, enjoying the luxurious smell a little longer.

"So are we having dinner?" Leia wondered.

Han was glad that Leia couldn't see the horrified look on his face at that moment. "You didn't cook, did you?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to ruin the evening, now would I? I had something brought in, it's just warming now. It's probably almost done." She stood up, pulling him with her and started to move toward the kitchen.

Han held back, letting go of her hand. She turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"I've gotta comm the reconditioning bay. I just thought of some parts they're gonna have to order for me. But these," he said, jabbing a finger at his own chest, "I'll be fitting myself."

Leia frowned, "It can wait until after dinner, Han. Now come on."

"Nah, this is important."

"What is?"

"A little baby seat with it's very own crash webbing. Gotta be prepared, sweetheart," Han said with a wink.

 

Thanks for the submission, Claire!  To the rest of you, remember, there are no deadlines.  And we also have several other challenges waiting to be answered so don't be shy about submitting!