I originally wrote this story about ten years ago for the Nerfherders Playground. My dear friend JennyCBS found it and prompted me to get it published. So, after another year, and MUCH help from her, here we have it. Thank you, Jenny!

...

Protected from the intense midday heat under the shade of a palm tree, Leia watched as Han tore some tangled vines loose from the underbrush of the jungle. Since he'd recently recently discarded his shirt, she was able to fully admire his broad shoulders and shifting muscles as he worked.

Whatever he had been doing in the ten months he'd been gone obviously included more than flying his ship around the galaxy; his muscles were much more defined than she remembered. Leia ached to feel those strong arms around her again. Her body was not listening to her mind telling her to be patient and wait for Han to come around.

Leia stood up from the log where she'd been sitting, working on her datapad, communicating with everyone who was wondering where she was. She'd done her best to assure them, and especially her kids, that they would be fine for one night. She hoped they'd be better than fine, but she kept that to herself.

Stretching lightly, she continued watching Han. At one point, when his back was to her, she'd looked on in appreciation as he took a vibroblade and hacked at a branch until he had cut it to the size he wanted. Leia's first instinct had been to go to him; to run her hands down his chest, wrap her arms around his torso…

Leia sighed. It wasn't yet time for that. Han had only been back a week, and still he slept on the Falcon. Leia had hoped their time alone together on this short mission would provide an opportunity for them to begin rebuilding their relationship. But as of yet, he'd remained quiet and somewhat distant.

Not willing to wait any longer for Han to approach her, Leia walked over to where he was now sitting on a log, tying branches together with some of the vine he'd pulled out.

"Hi," she said.

Han looked up, his eyes briefly touching hers before returning to his work. "Hey."

Leia felt stung at the absence of any endearing nickname or title following Han's greeting. Even after all these years, he insisted on calling her Sweetheart or Princess, more often than not. Or at least he had, until Chewie…

Leia tried not to dwell on this as she sat down beside him on a fallen tree and listened to the thick jungle sounds, mixed with Han's breathing.

"So, what do you think?" she asked with a lightness she did not feel.

"'Bout what?"

Us. The war. Me?

"This." Leia gestured vaguely in front of them. "Our little situation here. Do you think we'll be alright tonight?"

Han looked around and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think it'll be okay. Be careful though, don't go traipsing through the brush. I saw a couple of nasty looking bugs earlier."

"I'll be careful."

He nodded and returned to his work.

"Can I help?" Leia asked, hoping for something… anything, to break this wretched ice between them. She tentatively touched his arm; his skin was hot and damp from his work. Han flinched slightly and cleared his throat.

"Do you think you could find me some more of this vine?" He lifted a piece to show her. "I need to weave it through these branches to make a bed so we can sleep off the ground and away from the critters."

"Sure," Leia replied casually, trying not to feel rejected. She needed to give Han time, she reminded herself. She squeezed his arm gently and got up. "I'll look over there."

...

After several hours of hard work, Han, with a little help from her, had succeeded in building them a nice little camp. Tree limbs made a comfortable shelter in case of rain, and he had cleverly woven the vines together over some logs, then covered them with soft leaves, to make sure they would sleep up and off the sand. The bed was just big enough for the two of them, and even if nothing else happened tonight, Leia looked forward to sleeping close to him.

Leia sat on the sandy ground, listening to the gentle waves lapping against the shore. She watched as Han stirred the fire with a stick. While it was too hot to really need a fire for warmth, it lent a cozy, even romantic atmosphere to their makeshift campsite.

In the firelight she could make out his profile, and particularly his creased forehead as he studied the fire. For the past few hours Han had been fiddling with the shelter, the fire, their shellfish dinner, or just wandering around the beach; anything, it seemed, to avoid sitting with her where a difficult conversation might take place. When he finally sat, he was still at least an arm's length away from her.

Leia knew Han felt badly about staying away for so long. It was obvious his regret and guilt were eating him up. He had all but deserted her in his quest to hide from his grief. He'd hurt her; she wouldn't deny it. But deep down, she'd known he would come back to her. Whether it was the Force or an intuition borne from years of being married to Han, she couldn't say. But she'd clung to the hope of his return until finally, he'd come home.

However, his being home, and actually being home with her, seemed to be two different things.

Han leaned forward, putting another log on the fire.

"Are you warm enough?" He looked her way.

"Yes. I'm only just finally feeling comfortable. I forget sometimes just how hot a sun can get."

Leia wore only her bra (not military issue, she'd made sure before leaving for this trip), and the silky slip she'd worn under her skirt. She and Han had both hung out their sweat-dampened shirts on a nearby log, in hopes of letting them dry overnight.

Han nodded slightly before turning his gaze back to the fire.

"It's nice here," she commented, watching the sky.

Han followed her gaze. "Yeah, not a bad place to be stranded,..better than a lot of other places I've been stuck." He glanced over at her. "We've been stuck," he corrected.

Leia smiled as she picked up a rock and tossed it into the fire, watching the sparks as they disappeared into the night.

"I don't imagine it will take them long to find us once they realize we're gone," Leia mused out loud, hoping to keep some kind of conversation going.

Han looked again at the sky, as if his ship might be coming now. He seemed to be concentrating awfully hard on everything but her, so she scooted over to him, leaning slightly against his shoulder. He poked the fire with a stick.

"How's Jaina's squad doing?" Han asked.

"Really well. They practice hard. I almost pity the Vong they go up against."

"Good."

Then all was quiet again. The ocean, invisible in the blackness, quietly lapped at the shore. The fire crackled. This stilted conversation was going to drive her insane. Maybe she should be the one to start talking. Leia wanted to tell him how desperately she had missed him, how the kids had missed him, but the words stuck in her throat. Would Han even respond? For a brief moment she wished she could read his thoughts, but she knew Han trusted her to keep out of his mind, at least with the Force.

It had been a hard year, to say the least. Leia had worried about Han constantly, only hearing rumors of his whereabouts occasionally. The Yuzhaan Vong were everywhere and she had feared that at any moment Han would take one chance too many, wind up dead, and she'd never even know.

Now he was back, but would he stay? Perhaps she assumed too much; just because he had returned did not mean it was anything more than a stopover. Maybe as soon as the kids were back with the Falcon he'd take off again for unknown regions, leaving her alone and heartbroken once more… Leia sighed and flicked a bug off her knee.

Han stretched and shifted his leg to rest against hers. Leia felt her heartbeat quicken, but again reminded herself to be patient. The longer this day went on, the lower her hopes were sinking. She did scoot a hair closer to him though, hoping he would sense her encouragement.

Silence.

Han took a deep breath. Leia waited, but he said nothing. She finally took a deep breath of her own and rested her head against his shoulder. Maybe he had nothing to say. Maybe this was all she had left; a quiet moment just to sit near him...

"I had to go."

Leia raised her head to look at him. He'd spoken!

Han cleared his throat and started again. "I had to go. It had nothing to do with you or the kids...I just

needed to get out there. To try and find…something to...make sense of it, I guess."

Leia nodded silently. With one hand she propped her head up against the log, and with the other, she reached to squeeze Han's hand. He turned to face her, his eyes finally meeting hers. "It had nothing to do with you," he repeated. "I needed to escape the…" His words faltered, but he took a breath and kept going. "Not you. Never you." Leia moved her hand up to caress his face. He closed his eyes and covered her hand with his. "I'm…"

"I know, Han."

Han took her hand and kissed her fingers, then turned his face back to the fire. Leia looked at his hand, still tightly holding onto hers. She didn't hide her small smile as she wrapped her other arm around his.

Han turned towards her again, not looking at her face, but gently trailing his fingers up her arm. She watched his face, hoping she wasn't imagining the softening of his features. His hand reached her shoulder and absently played with the strap there.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Leia asked quietly.

Han continued to play with the strap; his fingers trailing down to trace the outline of delicate lace against her chest. After a moment he spoke. "Close enough." He drew a long breath before speaking again. "I think what I needed all along was you. It seems to take a long time for things to get through my thick skull sometimes."

Leia hoped she wasn't imagining the twinkle in his eyes as she gave him a bright smile. "Chewie would have agreed with that," she said as she placed a soft kiss on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Han chuckled. "He told me as much. More than once."

"I miss him," Leia said softly, almost holding her breath as she did so, but determined to push forward.

"Me too."

Leia drew up her leg, running her foot along the length of Han's. He still wore his pants and boots, despite the heat. She had to smile again; always the spacer, this man, and she loved him all the more for it.

Han continued gently fingering the outline of of her strap, tantalizing her with the brief touches of his fingers against her skin. But he seemed careful not to commit himself to anything. Was he afraid she would pull away? Could he not feel her own desire, amidst her love and forgiveness?

"You're allowed to take it off, you know," Leia said in a playful tone, gently encouraging him. She moved to sit up straighter beside him, making sure Han had all the access he might need. But he surprised her with his quiet, serious reply.

"I'm afraid if I do, I won't be able to stop." Han's eyes held hers, and the uncertainty she saw there broke her heart into tiny little pieces. But, just under the remains of his guilt, she also saw hope. Hope for them and their future. And love. So much love.

"Then don't stop."

Leia reached her hand around to her back, and with a flick of her fingers released the clasps herself. Han, his fingers still around the strap, slowly lowered it off her shoulder. His gaze flickered back up to hers before continuing. His eyes had lost some of the shadow of the previous days, replaced by a rising heat that she had missed so very much.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know."

"I never stopped. Not for a second."

"I know," Leia said again as she moved to sit on his lap, her legs on either side of him as she brought her face close to his. "I know, Han. I know."

She kissed him then, finally. After all these months, and all the loneliness and fear, she was here in his arms at last. Leia had to swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in her throat. Han, her beloved, her mate, her companion, her lover. His loss would have been the only thing she couldn't handle. Leia needed this man like she needed air to breathe. For her, there was no life worth living without him.

Han returned her kiss, finally relaxing into her and kissing her hungrily, pressing his lips against hers again and again, returning her ardor ten-fold. Leia felt his work-roughened hands grip her back, pulling her tightly against him. She scooted closer, as close as she could get yet still not close enough.

As Han picked her up and carried her to their bed, she buried her face in his neck, holding him tightly. His familiar smell and feel penetrated her very soul; cleansing, healing, restoring.

Han was home.

...

The waves rolled lazily to the shore, skimming their feet as they walked. Leia's shirt hung from Han's back pocket. Han's arm lay gently on her bare shoulders, her hand tucked into the waistband of his pants. The opportunity for such intimacy and solitude had been rare during their lives together, and now more than ever, Leia wanted to savor it.

Han squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, which was still damp from their earlier swim.

"Why didn't we ever have a rebel base by the beach?" Han wondered aloud. "We probably could've gotten more recruits."

Leia smiled but didn't answer. Silently rejoicing at Han's light mood, she could feel the heartache and strain of the last year continue to drain away from both of them as hope for their future filled her. She knew, of course, that the war was far from over, and the galaxy was always an uncertain place. But knowing Han would be at her side, no matter what, left her with a sense of peace. She just had to shrug at the rest. They would face it all together.

Suddenly, the sound of Han's forgotten comlink beeped in his pocket. Leia's heart sank a bit at the mechanical intrusion, even though she knew it would be their son.

"Dad? Come in, Dad," Anakin's voice chirped. Han pulled away slightly from her as he reached for his comlink.

"Yeah, kid. We're here."

"We found a place to land about a kilometer north of your position."

"Okay, sounds good. We'll meet you there in an hour or so."

"'Kay. Um…Dad? Tell mom that um…we're here." Anakin cleared his throat. "See ya'."

The comlink beeped as the connection was broken. Leia realized Anakin would have had them on his scanner screen and quickly pressed herself to Han, trying to grab her shirt from his pocket. Han laughed as he held her tight. Leia looked up at him, seeing once more the Han Solo she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Without a doubt, she knew that his hearty laughter would do more to repair his soul than any medicine or therapy ever could.

Han quieted enough to look down at her and brush the damp hair from her face.

"The kid has my timing, I'll give him that."

He chuckled again as he held her shirt in his hand. She reached for it but he tossed it away and instead pulled her closer.

"Not so fast, Princess. He doesn't have us on screen anymore. Besides, we have an hour."

"Han! It'll take us that long just to-"

Leia was cut off by his lips on hers. His warm, salty lips. She decided Anakin could wait.