Joint Story: The Sequel - Chapter 25

He could feel her warm breath against his shoulder, heat radiating from her body beneath him.  Having wanted this for so long it was difficult to comprehend what had just happened, and it had been even better than he imagined it could be.  After a few moments of just wanting to remain within her forever, he lifted his head and looked down at the beautiful face looking back at him. 

Her brown eyes reflected the awe and love he was feeling, and he couldn’t help but lean down and place a few more gentle kisses against her lips.  When he finally pulled away again, her quiet voice broke the silence.  “I’m sorry.”

For a brief, terrifying moment he wondered if she had regretted what they had just shared and he wasn’t sure he could handle it if she did.  But her face and the fact that her fingers were still playing with the sweat dampened hair at the back of his neck told him that he had nothing to worry about.  “For what?”

There was the slightest hint of a smile in her lips when she replied, “For not doing this sooner.” 

His body relaxed and he let out a slight laugh and smiled as he bent down to nibble on her ear and whisper, “It’s all right.  I know exactly how you can make it up to me.”

Her body wrapped around his again pulling him tightly against her as they went about making up for lost time for the rest of the evening before finally falling into an exhausted sleep. 

When he awoke with her warm body in his arms he had to wonder if it had only been a dream until she stirred and smiled at him and kissed him good morning.  “So,” Leia began.  “What are we going to do now?”

“We still have another week of marriage counseling.”

She leaned up against her hand.  “I think I’ve had enough of marriage counseling.”

His eyebrows raised.  “Is that so?”

She nodded.  “You know, after we watched that holo, I remembered the rest of that night.”  She paused, waiting for a reaction, but not getting any before continuing.  “I remembered when we went to that room and all I wanted was to do, well, this, with you.  And then I remembered when you wrapped me up in the blanket and put me to bed.  Why did you do that?”

The pain and frustration he had felt that evening had now been completely evaporated after the previous evening, but he certainly remembered the rush of thoughts that had run through his head.  “Leia, I have wanted this with you for a long time.  But if it happened… when it happened, I needed to know that you wanted it just as much as I did.  That you wouldn’t regret it for one second, and that your head was clear and this was you making that decision.”

Her hand came up to cup his cheek and already he was thoroughly enjoying even the slightest bits of physical affection from her.  “I think this is what I really wanted all along.  I’m sorry it took me so long to admit it.”

“Just don’t deny it ever again.  I’m a patient man, but I’m not that patient.”  He reached over and felt the smoothness of her hair as he gently stroked it.  “I do love you, though.”

“I love you, too,” she said with a smile that he knew he’d never get tired of seeing.

“So, then maybe we should forget about this counseling thing and stop treating our marriage like the biggest mistake of our lives.  Go back to the Alliance, get on with our lives and just see what happens from there.”

It seemed like an extreme statement to make.  And for a moment he wondered if she would panic, but instead she smiled and leaned in close to him and whispered, “I think I’d like that,” before pulling him in for another kiss and then continuing their trend of making up for lost time. 

When their need for food and showers became too overwhelming to bear, they finally left the sanctuary of the captain’s quarters and decided to go break the news to the counseling group.  For the first time since they’d been on that planet they walked hand in hand, smiling and laughing as they went.  Why had they waited so long to do this? 

The day’s session had already been underway for more than an hour, and when the couple entered the room they were greeted with a knowing smile from Ava along with a few similar ones from other members of the group.  One notable exception was Lohree, who was looking at Leia like she was trying to strike her dead by sheer force of will.  Han gripped Leia’s hand a little tighter. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Solo,” Ava said.  “So good of you to join us.”

“Actually,” Han said, “we came to say that we won’t be joining you.”

“Is that so?” Ava asked, but Han could tell she knew exactly where this was going.

Han nodded and said, “We completed our special assignment, and it turns out you were right.  We’re going to give this marriage thing another shot.”

“I’m so happy to hear it,” she replied.  “I am glad any time a couple from my group has a change of heart.  I had a good feeling about you two.”

“I’m starting to see that, too,” Leia said as she looked up and smiled at Han.

“Well, you need nothing further from me.  You are free to go.  And I sincerely hope that I never see you again,” she said with a smile as she reached out to shake both of their hands.

“Same here,” Han said and then pulled Leia along with him out the door.

“That was fun,” she said as soon as they were alone again in the hallway.  “Can you give me a second?  I just need to go use the ‘fresher.”

Han nodded as she disappeared around the corner. 

It didn’t take long for him to hear another female voice behind him.  “Hey,” she said, and Han turned to see a disappointed looking Lohree looking up at him.

“Hey, yourself,” Han replied, suddenly incredibly grateful for walking out on that woman the previous night.

“What happened?  Your wife would barely look at you before.  You can’t possibly believe that things are going to be any different.”

“Actually I’m pretty sure they’re going to be a lot different.  You don’t know her like I do.”

“I know what I see.”

“So do I,” Han said, this time not talking about his own marriage.  “Look, I know you and your husband are miserable but we’re different.”

“No you’re not.  You’re just like the rest of us.  Your wife is going to go right back to being cold and distant.  You have no idea what you’re missing with me.”

Before Han could respond he heard a familiar voice behind him.  “I think you need to step away from my husband.”

Han turned to see Leia giving Lohree the kind of icy glare she’d have given him not so long ago.  It was almost humorous to see Leia acting jealous over him, and he decided it would be fun to see what she was going to say.  

She slid up against his side and took his arm, ensuring that both women knew who he was really with. 

“Maybe you should let him decide,” Lohree said and both women looked up to Han.

Han simply put his arm around Leia’s shoulders and pulled her even closer.  Lohree’s skin became visibly redder. 

“You know she won’t keep you satisfied.”

Before Han could protest, Leia stepped forward and stated simply and clearly, “You, of all people, have no right to say anything about anyone’s marriage.  Anyone who knew you for ten minutes would know exactly why you married your husband, and I’m sorry that you’re so unhappy, but that’s your own fault.  And I intend to keep him completely satisfied.”

To illustrate her point definitively, Leia turned and pulled Han down into a deep, long kiss.  He complied without objection, pulling her body flush against his and feeling her hands gripping at his hair.  If this was what it was going to be like to be happily married to Leia, he wasn’t going to complain. 

Somewhere in the midst of the kiss Han could hear Lohree indignantly stomping back into the room, but he and Leia had forgotten where they even were.  Eventually Leia finally pulled away and Han kept her close when he said, “You sure told her.”

Leia simply laughed.  “I guess we need to go back and explain to Chewie.  And then we need to get back to the Alliance.”

“You know, they’re not expecting us for another week.  And I know this hotel room we spent a night in but didn’t get to spend our wedding night properly.”

Her eyes lit up.  “If we’re not careful I think we might hurt ourselves with all of this making up for lost time.”

“I’m willing to take that risk.  Now let’s go, Mrs. Solo.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him as they walked off.