Author's Notes: Thanks for reading.

This story takes place on Hoth, Post-ANH and Pre-ESB

I don't own Star Wars, doh.

Irrational Fears

by Cinquain

Princess Leia Organa was afraid of nothing.

But as she lay in an empty bathtub by the light of a dim generator, she realized that there was an (irritating) exception.

It had all started when Han Solo had invited himself into her room.

"Gee, are you the only one with a heater on this ice cube?" was the first thing Leia heard that announced his arrival. She scowled as usual, looking up from her datapad.

"Well, don't you live on a ship?" she shot back. "I wouldn't be surprised if the bucket of bolts can't even generate enough heat to keep your butt warm." It was Han's turn to frown now.

"She is under repairs after a part of the roof squashed the main power generator," he corrected sharply, but the Princess only rolled her eyes.

"Excuses, excuses," she muttered, turning her attention back to the glowing pad.

"Whatcha doing there?" he sauntered over to her side, peering over her shoulder.

"Nothing!" she growled, immediately flipping the datapad over. Han grinned.

"Aha," he said, snatching for the pad. Leia jumped to her feet, stepping back as she quickly shut the electronic off. "What is it? What's so important?"

"Leave me alone," she said in a warning voice. He only reached for it again. She pulled the datacard out and swiftly tucked it into a pocket.

"Aw, come on," he purred, but she only turned around. The comm twittered, and she strode to it, Han following. "You can tell me."

"No, I can't and I won't," Leia bristled, turning around. "Can't you take a hint? I have my own privacy, just because I am a princess doesn't mean every little thing I do is public!" she found that he was looming right over her, and she pushed him away with both hands. "Get back." She blushed slightly, clenching her teeth. Han surprised her by taking her hand, keeping a firm hold on it.

"Why?" he said softly, with emotion that surprised himself. "I like it like this." He drew nearer as she backed up against the scraped ice walls. They were incredibly close when a loud crash interrupted the two. Leia jumped, shoving him away again and gathering her composure, her face now quite pink.

"What was that?" she said, her voice as even as she could get it. She opened the door and an avalanche of snow and ice buried her up to the chest. She screamed, and Han immediately pried the large chunk of ice that pinned her off.

"You alright?" he asked, the awkward moment long gone. She dusted the snow off of her legs and winced.

"Might have broken something," she managed to let out, biting her lip so she wouldn't moan. Han carried her over to the couch, laying her down gently.

"What happened?" Han finally said as Leia assessed the damage on her right leg.

"Probably a cave in," she responded. Han walked over to the comm station on the wall and finally the message was played.

"Do not exit your rooms," said General Rieekan's worried voice. "The ceilings have been disrupted and may cave in at any time. If you have been trapped, use your emergency packs located in the refreshers until help can arrive. Do not panic." He advised, and the message ended.

"Well, now it's too late," Han sighed. He turned back to an injured Leia, who was whimpering softly in pain. "Where's the pack?"

"Under the sink," she grunted.

He returned soon with a medium sized red pack, labeled 'EMERGENCY PACK'. He opened it up and was about to dig through when another crash sounded and the lights went out. A cold gloom immediately settled down on the room, and Leia gasped.

"Han," she said urgently, and he found and squeezed her hand in the utter darkness.

"I'm right here, Leia," he said, abandoning nicknames for the time being. "Let me find the generator." There was a rustling and clinking before a weak orange glow lit up a seven foot perimeter. Han found Leia with her eyes squeezed shut, the pant on her right leg rolled up showing dark bruises and a deep cut from the ice. Crimson blood welled up and dripped onto the white fabric of the couch. Han flinched as the ugly sight hit him full in the gut.

"I'll get you fixed up," he breathed, trying to control his heartbeat as he quickly sorted through the pack. He found bandages coated with bacta and a splint. He braced the leg, wrapping the bandages carefully and using the splint to demobilize the broken limb. Leia had fainted at one point from the blood loss and pain, but now her eyelids fluttered.

"Do you feel better?" he asked softly.

All she could manage was a feeble moan. Han laughed humorlessly. He kissed her gently between her eyes, and for once, she did not mind. Leia knew it was more of a friendly gesture that anything else, something to reassure her. He emptied out the pack, and he determined that the supplies would last for a week at the most, more than enough. Frowning, he pulled out an insulated blanket. There was only one, and he realized that with the power and heat out and living so deep into the ground, that one person would either freeze to death, or they would have to share. The other blankets on Leia's bed would have to do, he decided. He switched the comm on, punched in the code printed on the top of the now dead comm station on the wall, and activated it. It immediately chirped, and he wisely listened.

"The ceiling is still extremely unstable, and it has been decided that everybody in the danger zone (wing D3) must evacuate to the refresher. Please remember to take your pack with you and nothing else." The message ended. Han frowned, glancing at the ghostly pale Leia. He quickly stuffed the items back into the bag and it with the generator clipped onto it over his shoulders. He gently shook her.

"Hey," he whispered. She opened her eyes weakly.

"I heard it," she said softly, and with a pained grunt, sat up.

"Here," he offered his shoulder, and she limped along slowly, her eyes determined as they hobbled towards the fresher door. Han kicked it open and sat her down on the counter, setting the pack beside her.

"Where are you going?" Leia called after him as he walked back out of the door.

"Be right back," he assured her. He dashed quickly to Leia's room. He was grabbing a couple of pillows and blankets when a formidable cracking sounded from above. Han's stomach lurched and he beat it for the 'fresher as the ice roof fell behind him. He heard Leia shouting to him, but his mind was numb to everything as he evaded falling bits of sharp ice. The only thought that ran through his head was to come out unscathed. Leia needed him to nurse her, no matter how much she denied it. He could not burden the delicate princess with both herself and him injured. He skidded to a stop in the fresher, shut the door, and set down his load, panting. He wiped his sweat away from his eyes and turned to a concerned and relieved Leia.

"What in the galaxy were you thinking?" she scolded, even if she was injured, she could still pack a verbal punch. "You heard the General. The pack and nothing else." Han glowered at her.

"Would you like to freeze to death, then?" he shot back angrily, hurt by her ingratitude and sharpness. "I risked my life for your comfort!"

Leia did not speak.

"I'm sorry." she said finally. Grumbling, Han set a pillow and blanket on the bottom of the bathtub and helped her into it. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself, shivering. He knew the temperature was dropping quickly, and that soon they would be depending on the weak power generator. He remembered that it was still dangling from the pack that lay on the counter. He unclipped it and handed it wordlessly to Leia before hanging the pack on a vacant hook reserved for towels. He pulled out the thermal blanket, layering it the best he could over her. He braced himself for the frigid night ahead.

Han soon found himself staring at Leia, who was sleeping. He felt guilty of snapping at her, and he knew she was suffering from her wounds. Her face was finally relaxed from the upset expression, and he wondered if everybody looked younger when asleep. The princess looked like only a teenager, her pale, innocent face closed and withdrawn to the warm waters of slumber. The sight carried on with him through his dreams.

He chased the young girl, clad in white, over valleys and mountains and deserts. Whenever he reached her and grabbed her hand, she dissipated into a cloud of dust, only to reappear a few feet ahead of him. She always had a teasing smile and twinkling brown eyes, and Han ran like a man in a trance.

Han woke to a cry of pain. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as Leia whimpered rather pitifully, clutching her leg. He kneeled next to her, gently rolling away the bandages.

The bacta on the bandages was all used up, and Han knew that her cut would require an artificial flesh graft if it was to heal properly and quickly. Unfortunately, the medical kit did not have the advanced technology for it, and Han was reduced to cleaning and placing more bandages on the wound. He replaced the splint and sat back, utterly worn out. He searched though the kit and found a can of pain relievers. He handed one to Leia with a canteen of water, and she gulped it down listlessly. The young woman's breathing slowed to a normal pace, and she realized her companion was chattering.

"Come here," Leia said, nodding to him. Han blinked at her doubtfully. "You'll freeze." She shivered herself as she carefully made room for him. They sat awkwardly for a moment.

"Oh, for the love of gods," Han shook his head. "We're not conserving any body heat at this rate." He cautiously scooted closer to Leia, and she tentatively did the same. "I'm not going to eat you," he joked dully, and Leia finally gave in and reached around him, hugging him as the coldness began to seep away. She rested her head on his chest, and for once, she felt safe and warm. Han's arm went around her, pillowing her head and comfortingly squeezing her shoulder. The two lay together, drifting slowly off into sleep.

Han could feel himself losing consciousness. He enjoyed the little princess clinging to him like that, and he decided to take it a step further. His lips gently brushed her forehead, and Leia immediately knew that it was in a different league than the soothing kiss before. She snapped back to awareness immediately and drew back her arms and head from where they were. Han was disappointed.

"Let go of me, please," Leia said softly with a rather sudden and irrational fear. His arm did not move. "Please," she said a bit more firmly. He wordlessly withdrew his own arm from around her, and they stared up at the ceiling, one frustrated and one rather fearful.

So now Leia sits, wondering how the heck she managed to get into bed-no, bathtub- with Han Solo.

A/N: Reviews or no next chapter. ;)