A/N: Thanks to Claire1976 for the beta and working with me through the story. And thanks to Zyra M for the continuing beta reads. The support and encouragement have been great and much appreciated.

And btw, this is rated M for a reason.

It was the longest hour of Leia Organa's life. There were probably times that were so much worse than this, but this easily ranked right up there among them. Han had left for the cockpit almost a full hour ago and had yet to return. She knew it was silly to be so nervous and on edge. And she was pretty sure some of it was carrying over from what they had gone through that day. She tried to remind herself constantly that Han was fine, that he was only a few hundred feet away. It wasn't like he was missing any more. But the distance seemed too great and part of her wouldn't be convinced, wouldn't relax, until she knew he was safely back with her again. She lost track of how many times she had started towards the cockpit intent on bringing him back, only to stop herself.

She rose from the bunk she was sitting on and began pacing the small space as she had done repeatedly over the last hour. Fiddling with the end of the braid hanging over her shoulder, she swung her gaze around the room searching for something to distract her for the time being. She sighed, realizing that there was nothing much left to do. She had tried to read, but found she couldn't focus. She had already rebraided her hair twice. Most of her things were picked up, the bunkroom fairly spotless, except for the gold metal bikini sitting in the corner of the room. She figured she and Han could decide how to dispose of it later. She'd even considered cleaning other parts of the Falcon. But she had a feeling Han would never let her hear the end of it if she did and she wanted to be here when he returned. Who knew she needed a scruffy looking scoundrel to calm her down?

The bunkroom hatch opened with a whoosh and, as if he had materialized from her thoughts, Han walked in with a beaming smile on his face. He seemed happier than she had ever seen him, grinning from ear to ear. As the hatch closed and he stepped further into the room, Leia could feel the tension finally leave her body.

Han stood staring at her and enjoyed taking in the sight before him. She looked so beautiful standing there. She was much more covered than before, dressed in a simple asymmetrical blouse and casual pants, but she was just as alluring to him and the sight of her gave him a sudden, pleasant jolt. A sense of relief washed over him when her brown eyes lit up with warmth and welcome. He had wondered on his way from the cockpit if she would be there like she had said. It would be just their luck for another chance to be together to slip away. And he prayed to whatever gods were listening that maybe they'd get the next bit of time alone.

Leia didn't say anything immediately. She had been thinking about this moment for so long, about having him back. Now that she had it right in front of her, she wanted to absorb it as much as she could. Eventually, she couldn't resist closing the space between them and started to cross over to him, Han meeting her halfway.

"I take it things went well," she said with a raised eyebrow. She knew he'd have a good time flying his ship, but it was still amusing to see him so happy.

"It did. The ship sounds great, better than she has in years. And I couldn't get over the snap to hyperspace. Loved seeing the old girl make the jump. It was something else."

"You must have had a good time. You were gone so long, I was beginning to wonder what you were up to."

His arms snaked around her waist, his grin turning into a lopsided smirk. "Miss me, sweetheart?"

"Something like that."

Despite the teasing, she let him draw her to him, stepping into his embrace. Her arms slipped around him as he started to bend down to kiss her. Their lips were almost touching when her nose crinkled up. The smell of melted carbonite, sand, and sweat was overpowering and Han winced from his stiff, scratchy shirt digging in. They both pulled away laughing.

"Guess I could use a good stint in the refresher." He winked at her. "Think you could spare me for a little longer?"

Leia rolled her eyes at him. "I'll do my best."

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before he moved past her towards the closet. She turned to watch him as he pulled out fresh pants and a shirt for himself. Although they were closer than before, they hadn't gotten that close and she knew it was probably an appropriate time for her to give him some personal space.

Leia cleared her throat as she started towards the door. "Don't take the whole trip back to finish, ok?" She was about to open the hatch when he put his hand on her arm stopping her.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," he told her, his brow furrowed with concern, his eyes filled with longing and disappointment. "I wouldn't mind the company."

Leia was a little surprised he was taking this step. And a little pleased he was letting her further into his world. Emboldened and relieved by his choice, Leia smiled. "Ok."

He appeared happy with her answer, his face relaxing. Smiling warmly at her, he gave her a soft, gentle kiss before entering the refresher.

Leia stared after Han for a moment before shifting to stand near the refresher door. He had left the door partially open as he was prone to do. She had discovered on the way to Bespin he was a little lax about such things. For her though, it was another sign of the openness he was willing to share. She leaned against the bulkhead, closed her eyes, and sighed. Listening, she could hear everything he was doing and the sounds were oddly comforting, true signs he was back with her. She smiled as she heard the sonic shower run a second time. Hadn't she done exactly the same thing a while ago?

It wasn't long before the noises quieted down and became more intermittent, indicating he was almost through. With as short of time as he had been in there, he must have sped through his routine.

"You still there, sweetheart?" he called out softly.

"Yes. What else did you do while you were up there? You had to do more than the hyperspace jump."

"I was talking with Lando and Chewie a little. They were telling me about some work they're going to do in the back hold on the way back. And about all the modifications they made recently. The ship does sound good, but you know I'll want to check out everything they did." Leia laughed and he paused. "What?"

"Chewie and I tried to tell Lando that you'd feel that way, but he insisted."

Han scoffed. "Don't worry. Nothing's staying unless I approve."

Leia laughed again and shook her head. "Did you talk about anything else?"

It grew quiet for a moment and Leia wasn't sure if he was still listening. "They might have mentioned how long I was out of it."

It was Leia's turn to fall silent now. She had hoped to be the one to tell him. To ease the blow if need be. She didn't want him wondering how much things might have changed. She swallowed nervously.

Han stepped out of the refresher and Leia was momentarily distracted by the partially clothed Corellian in front of her. Her mouth went dry. Although there were tired creases under his eyes and his hair slightly tousled, she thought nothing had ever looked quite so good. He was dressed in soft pants, but he hadn't fastened his shirt yet and it hung open in the front.

"Six months, huh?" Leia finally nodded and Han shook his head. "Just seems so odd. To me, it feels like we're still on the trip to Bespin. But I know so much time has passed." Han took her hand in his, a chance to reassure himself that things hadn't changed that much.

"Han, when we get back to the fleet…" She hesitated knowing he was going to hate what she was about to say and could see a frown come to his face. "When we get back to the fleet, I want you in the med center right away."

"Now look," Han started to say, fully prepared to argue with her, but the words died in his throat. The irritation from her he was so used to was there, but so was something new – tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Ok," he said quietly.

Leia's brow creased in confusion. When was the last time he agreed with her on anything? Except maybe on the carbon freezing platform when she told him she loved him. The expression on her face was incredulous. "You're not going to fight me on this?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm sure you have your reasons."

Leia wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, letting herself enjoy the feel of him in her arms again. "Thank you. I don't want to lose you to some unknown complication from the carbonite when I just got you back." She hugged him even tighter. "You don't know what the last few months have been like without you."

"I'm sorry, Leia. I'm sorry I dragged you into all this," he said gruffly. He slipped a finger under her chin and as Leia raised her face to his, she could swear there were tears in his eyes. "The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt. I love you too much."

Leia smiled, relieved to finally hear those words, to hear what she had suspected all along to be true. "I know, Han. It's ok. If it meant the difference between being with you or not, I wouldn't change a thing."

She stood on her toes and drew him into a kiss. Not the same searing kiss as on the carbonite freezing platform. But a slow, steady burn. It sucked him in and filled his senses so that for a while he wasn't aware of anything but her lips and body pressed against his. Her hands fluttered over him periodically only adding to the fire building in him and causing him to slip that much deeper. He was so caught up, he was only vaguely aware of her pulling him down to her height, of her cautious step backwards towards the bunk.

Once again Leia was leading him one step after another and at first he followed without a thought. Only when their progress halted and they bumped into the bunk did reality break through. Normally, he wouldn't have resisted. With any other girl, he would have given in already. But this was Leia. Leia.

He broke the kiss, trying to clear his head. But it was kind of hard when her hands slid under his shirt, running over his skin, making it hard for him to retain his focus. But he had to. He loved her and knew her level of experience in this area was limited. He couldn't let her rush into this. "Leia, you sure about this?" he asked, shooting a pointed look at the bunk.

Leia let her hands run over his chest for a moment longer and looked up at him. So many emotions were running through her eyes, he couldn't tell exactly what was going on or how she felt. But there was one emotion pushing through the surface. One he easily recognized, but not one he had ever associated with her - desire. She smiled at him, a soft, but confident smile, like she knew what she was doing.

"I want you, Han," she whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "All of you." As she kissed him again, the heat of her lips and passion ripped through him, stirring his own. Any resistance went up in flames as her desire inched its way into him. Cradling her in his arms, he lowered her carefully to the bunk, his mouth devouring hers the entire time. He only hoped Chewie and Lando had meant what they said and would be occupied for a while.

Leia felt herself on the verge of getting lost. His kiss threatened to drag her under, drug her with wanting. But she caught herself and remained alert, not quite to the point of hyperawareness. She wanted to remember this moment; all of it – the weight of his body as it covered hers, the texture of his skin as she traced the contours of his chest, the sensation of pushing his shirt off his shoulders, the warmth of his lips grazing against her skin.

A small amount of trepidation set in as Han started to move his way down her neck, his fingers undoing the fasteners on her blouse and then her bra. It dawned on her that that this was real; this was happening. But as their gazes locked and she stared into his deep hazel eyes, she knew she could trust him with this as much as any adventure she had shared with him.

How many of his dreams had started this way? Only to be interrupted; only for him to wake up to a less than satisfying reality. As he finished opening her tunic, he had a feeling reality was going to well surpass anything he had ever dreamt. Oh, and it did. She was beautiful. Perfect. Her skin was silky soft to the touch, all unblemished ivory.

She let out a breath as his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts. And when he took a nipple into his mouth, her moan strained the limits of his restraint. It was music to his ears. His hand grasped her hip, cupping her backside, fingers digging into the flesh there.

He couldn't resist against taking all of her in and there was a gentle tug and shift as he began to undress her. Her clothes slid away without effort or resistance under a barrage of kisses and caresses. No part of her went untouched as he showered every part of her body with attention, worshipping her like she should be worshipped.

Leia's breath was coming hard and fast, the sensations all too much for her. She felt like she was about to go up in flames. She tugged gently on the drawstring of his pants loosening them. Her hands instinctively darted under his waistband. He groaned as her hands blazed a trail across his skin, setting him on fire.

The urge to join together, to possess each other overwhelmed and consumed them both. Neither of them could deny the need to be with one another and their lips met in a crushing kiss. He shifted, eager to assist her in removing his pants, discarding them without a thought on the floor. He whispered words of love and desire as he returned to her, settling above her again. Nothing meant more to him right now than her happiness – their happiness.

There was a small amount of pain as Han entered her gently, as her body released the last of its resistance and accepted him fully. But as he began to move within her, her mind filled with intoxicating sensations, the likes of which she had never felt before.

The sensation of her body surrounding his completely consumed him and Han was too overcome at first to set anything but a slow pace. Now that he was here, he wanted it to last and enjoy every possible moment. He loved her slowly, deeply, and steadily increased his rhythm until Leia was grasping the sheets and moaning his name.

Leia's body tensed, her senses going into overdrive as all the nerves in her body fired at once. She exploded into a million pieces in a flash of pleasure more intense than a thousand stars going supernova. Han's control slipped as he heard her cry out his name. He quickly joined her on that ultimate wave of pleasure as he spilled into his own release.

So this is what it's like, she thought as she spun back down, congealing back into one solid being. This is what she missed out on all these years. Maybe Han had a right to brag after all. Nothing could have prepared her for the sense of rightness and floating that enveloped her and ran through her body.

Han knew he wasn't much further behind Leia. Drifting back into reality, his breathing slowed to a normal pace. Exhausted, he rotated to a more comfortable position on his back, cradling Leia in the crook of his arm as he did. He leaned over and gave her a long, slow kiss before sinking back into the pillows.

Han sighed contentedly as Leia nestled in beside him. The bunk was so narrow she practically had to lay on top of him. Not that he was complaining. It certainly didn't get much better than having Leia pressed up against him. They laid like that for a while, just the two of them, listening to the sounds of the Falcon's engines and the sound of their breathing.

Some time later, he shifted on the bunk and Leia raised her head to look at him, concern evident on her face. "You ok?"

"Fine. Great actually," he replied as a slow smile played across his lips. It crossed his mind that she hadn't said anything about what had happened between them and he looked at her quizzically. "What about you? You ok with all this?"

Leia nodded as she returned his smile. "More than ok." She moved to settle back against him, her gaze shifting away thoughtfully, something obviously on her mind. It wasn't until his hand brushed against her cheek that her eyes met his again. "Han? What are your plans when we return to the fleet?"

"Well, first thing I'm going to do, after the medical center," he replied after her pointed look. "I'm going to get a bigger bunk put in. I love being this close to you, but we're going to need it if this is any indication of how things will go in the future."

Leia gave him a shove. "That's not what I meant. I'm serious, Han."

"So am I," he replied with mock indignation. He pulled her closer, tightening his arms around her, and pressed a kiss into her hairline. He knew what she was asking. She wanted to know if he would stick by her. Nothing could drag him away. Not before. Not now. And it was about time he told her so. "I'm not going anywhere, Princess, if that's what you're asking. I'm here for you as long as you need me."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like some kind of Wookiee life debt."

He grinned. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, sweetheart."

Leia felt her whole body practically light up with his words, at the sincerity in his eyes. As she leaned in to kiss him lightly, she realized the distance to what her heart wanted most hadn't been that great after all. He had been with her the entire time.