Never Alone

Three missing moments, wherein Han and Leia tend to each other's injuries.

ESB, then two from ROTJ.

Han looked away from his work and watched Leia as she slaved over a terminal router; one of the main systems of the Falcon. He had offered to help her multiple times, but she refused his assistance.

"No, Han, I've got it."

"No, Han, I'll handle this!"

"No, Han, I am doing this alone!"

Eventually, he gave up. He would watch the little princess play with welding torches and sharp tools. Leia was good with the ship and its facilities, fix-its and what-not, and Han had faith in her. But he and Chewie had worked on that router for hours. There was no way they could fix the gods-forsaken terminal stationette. And if he couldn't do it, what were the chances that Leia could?

Many times, Chewie growled at him, urging him to continue his own work and stop focusing on the Princess. Han would counter with the fact that Chewie never allowed him a stolen glance at the girl he'd kissed in that same control room days ago; and that the Wookiee had confessed he was in favor of their getting-along, so he should let the "process" work out on its own. And by "process" he meant staring at Leia's adorable expressions whenever her fingers fumbled; or anything else about her. She was turned away mostly, so everything was open for stares. Unless she turned around; then he'd focus on his work.

Han did have to admit, Leia wasn't doing a terrible job. From what was visible to him, she had already rebooted the faulty self-charging service the router had failed to provide prior. But that wasn't the main issue, so he wasn't beat yet.

"Cub!"

Han whipped around, facing a grumpy Wookiee. "Those bolts aren't tightening themselves, and if that hatch opens when we hit lightspeed, those cords will rip right out, and we'll have ourselves a nice electricity outage."

Han frowned. "They're tightened."

Chewie gave him a look, reached over and jiggled the hatch. It was obviously too loose for travel. He leaned back on his paws and replied sarcastically, "Seems tight to me."

Han smiled and stood. "Great, so I'll just-"

"Han," Chewbacca reprimanded him. "Sit down and tighten those bolts before someone gets hurt."

Suddenly, Han heard a short cry of pain erupt from the control room. "Too late," he mumbled, turning and walking toward the control room. What could Leia have done now?

He caught Leia examining her right forearm, but she turned around and covered it before Han could get a good look at it. He stepped toward her. "What happened?" That seemed to be a common question, lately.

Leia shook her head, favoring her arm. "Nothing. Just a scrape." She smirked, though her eyes spelled pain. "You can go tighten your bolts, now."

He rolled his eyes. "Let me see." He reached out for her arm, but she jerked it out of his reach, taking a step back.

He eyed her, walking forward. "C'mon, let me see it."

"It's fine, Han!" She shook her head.

Han didn't believe her. "I know you, Leia. If it was fine, you wouldn't have made a sound. Now let me see it, I'm serious."

"So am I."

His brow furrowed. He reached out, grabbing at her arm, but just missed as she pulled away. He tried again, this time catching her arm and causing her to wince. Han took his hand back at her gasp, coming back with blood on his hand. "Right."

Han took her hand by the fingertips and brought it toward him gently, getting a full view of the gash. A long cut ran from her wrist down to her elbow, diagonally. It bled freely, causing him to cringe. She was crazy if all she did was yelp a little at that.

Leia watched his eyes; he felt it. Han didn't look up and catch her in the act, though. He was too focused on her arm. He mumbled "What happened?" again, and the serious rumble in his voice caused her to answer quickly.

"I-it was that thing," she pointed to a large, sharp-edged lever protruding from the wall. "I don't know what it's called, but I was fixing a broken cord on the router, up there, and I slipped and cut my arm all the way down." He noticed some blood on the lever, verifying her story. "It's pushed down now, and I couldn't get it back up. I-is it important?"

Han laughed sadly. "Hardly. That controls the hot water distribution. We're now at a shower's worth each, but I'll fix that later." He turned her arm back over, making sure the upper side was okay. When he decided what he'd need to do, he wrapped his fingers around hers and began to lead her out of the room. Leia froze in place.

"C'mon, Princess. We gotta get some bacta on this."

She shook her head. "Just go get it, please. I'd rather not go back there."

He didn't understand her response, but did as he was told, then returned to her, holding a long bandage and some bacta gel. He sat her down on the ground and joined her. "Hold out your arm."

"Han, I can do-"

"Leia," he cut her off, using her real name. "hold out your arm, please." He stressed the last word, and she conceded. She extended her arm and Han went to work, ignoring the tingling feeling he got whenever he touched her skin.

He spoke to her as he worked. "So, what do you got against the medicine bay?" She looked up at him. "Not fancy enough for Your Highness?"

She opened her mouth with a retort in mind, then closed it, shaking her head. "It's not the fanciness that bothers me."

Han eyed her. "What do you mean? What is it, then?"

She didn't speak. He continued. "Is it me?"

Leia raised her eyebrows. "You?"

Han nodded. "You know how small the med bay is. You just don't wanna be so close to me?" he asked grimly.

She was still silent. Han was officially offended. "It's okay. I get it. What does a princess, senator, and rebel leader have to do in a tight room with a pirate like me, huh?" he ranted, Leia's eyes on the floor. "That's it, isn't it?"

Leia yanked her arm away from him before the bandage was attached, causing a fresh batch of blood to flow. "It's not you, okay? It should be, but it's not, so cut it out!" She turned away, cheeks pink and eyes closed. "You wouldn't understand."

He blinked, anger seeping out of his body. Han reached out for Leia's hand, but came back empty-handed. "Leia, I'm sorry. It's your business. You don't have to prove anything to me, so I'll just shut up and finish up, okay?"

Leia turned to him, distrust and tears in her eyes. He offered her his hand again, trying to convince him. "It's okay. I'll drop it."

She stared for a moment, then nodded slowly, taking his hand. He had more blood to clean up, but she seemed more willing. He began again, keeping silent.

Leia spoke up first, surprisingly. But of course, Leia was full of surprises. "It's the smell."

Han looked up at her, puzzled. She continued. "Of the antiseptic. The needles and the smell of sterility. It..." She inhaled sharply. "It reminds me of the Death Star."

"The Death Star?" That was the last place he expected to smell clean.

Leia looked up into his eyes. "The drugs. The needles. The torture. The smell..."

Han blinked at her, without words. It reminded her of her torture.

This was a total revelation to him. It explained so much. Why she didn't follow him into the med bay. Why she didn't go to the clinic when she had a flu on Hoth. Why she never helped clean wounds on the field, even though her father trained her in triage. It all made sense.

Han frowned. "Leia..."

She shook her head, silencing him. That was the end of it; they both knew. He didn't know how Leia had the power to decide this, but she did, so she did.

They sat quietly as he finished bandaging her arm. She nodded her thanks and stood up. Wordlessly, she fixed the router, to his amazement, turned it on, and waltzed out of the room, leaving Han wondering if that was a bad thing or a good thing that just happened there.

Han's vision was starting to return as he boarded the Falcon, Leia under his arm. It was spotty, but he could make out a few things in the blur of colors; Luke's sandy-blonde hair and wind-slapped face, Chewie's eyes amongst the big brown blob of color, and Threepio's golden hand in his face as he spoke to Leia. Leia was the only problem. The one person he'd wanted to see more than anything: her big brown eyes, pouty pink lips, long brown hair done up in whatever she was doing these days (what "days" were they, anyway? No one would answer him.), everything; invisible to him. It almost seemed as if fate, or the gods, or the Force — whatever flies your ship — was kind and awful at the same time: it had him frozen for who-knows-how-long, had something terrible happen to Leia (don't ask how he knew; he could just tell by the way they spoke.), and gave him the displeasure of hibernation-sickness and temporary blindness. But whatever "it" was, it had got them all out alive, if a little bruised along the way.

"Captain Solo! It's so good to see you-"

"Cub, I'm setting the coordinates to-"

"Han! How are you feeling-"

The weight under Han shifted, and the room fell silent. He'd guessed Leia had shot them a look; a very Leia thing to do. But then, had the Leia "things" changed since he'd been gone? Was she in love with someone else? Had she forgotten him? Had the Alliance done anything stupid to them all while he wasn't there to scream at them? They were all likely.

These thoughts wracked his brain, causing him to fall dizzy. He started tipping forward, but Leia shook him out of his thoughts as she lifted him back up. He heard her quietly explain to the others of his condition, and that she was going to lay him down. Footsteps separated from each other, until the sound of four breathing patterns melted into one.

"Han, just follow me, okay? I'm gonna take you to your cabin so you can rest."

He shook his head, but followed her anyway. He hardly had the heart to argue with the woman he'd longed for for so... long, but he couldn't go to sleep without seeing her face. He knew that the others looked relatively normal, but she could look totally different. She was a girl; they changed their looks often. The last memory he had of his love was her looped braids, tearful brown eyes, and her lips quietly forming the words "I love you". Was this the same woman?

"Leia, I can't," he choked out when he heard the door to his cabin zip open. The small feet carrying him didn't stop, but he knew Leia heard him.

They made their way to the bunk, Leia seemingly contemplating what to say. "What do you mean, Han?"

Han shook his head vigorously as she laid him down on the bunk (had she added blankets? It was so much warmer than he remembered it.), though it sent stars and a pang of dizziness through his head. "I can't go to sleep, Leia. I need to see you."

He lay silent as she pulled the blanket up to his chin, hand lingering on his jaw gently. "Han, you need to sleep. There will be plenty of time to see me when your sickness wears off."

"I can't wait," he decided quickly, squinting his eyes. He felt extra weight on the bed, meaning Leia must have joined him. "I can't go to sleep without seeing you, or it'll be just like going into the carbonite again."

Leia set a cool hand on his forehead. "Han, you have a fever, and your vision won't fully return for at least a day. Please try to get some sleep?"

He grabbed her hand quickly, squeezing it. "Just stay for a minute."

Leia squeezed his hand back. "Of course." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "If you promise to go to sleep."

Of course.

He sighed. "I'll try." He blinked a few times, willing his vision to work. For a second, he caught a glimpse of his princess, but that turned out to serve more than satisfaction.

Part of Han wondered if it was his imagination, but the other part had expected it. He'd expected Jabba to pull something like this on someone he loved most, but he hadn't wanted to be right.

He had made Leia his slave.

He closed his eyes and examined his short memory of the sight, burning it into his eyelids. She wore some kind of scanty bikini, seemingly metal, which would explain the clanking he'd heard every once in a while. Her hair was in a braided ponytail high on her head, different decorations weaved into it. Her big brown eyes were same as ever, if not bigger and more beautiful. And amongst all the beauty, a broken chain hung from a collar on her neck, ringing his worst fears true.

He blinked again and again, trying to see her again, until Leia used her index and middle finger to close his eyelids gently. "Just go to sleep..."

"What did he do to you, Leia?" He asked, hands wandering until they found her shoulders. Han slid them down her arms, then back up, content to finally feel her again, to know she was real and here with him again. It was almost relaxing enough to ease him asleep.

Almost.

"Han, I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you, Leia?" The name tasted sweet on his lips, like a syrup or a cake. He'd never had much of a sweet tooth, but saying the name made him happier than he had been in a long time, though the Jabba aspect still loomed overhead. "Answer me, please," he said shakily, feeling as if he was losing her. Of course, he wasn't. Her hand still warmed his, fingers entwined together. But the fear was enough.

"Just a few bruises. Luke got to us before anything... bad happened." She kissed him gently, and Han knew that he'd never sleep at this point. "I don't even feel them."

His hand worked its way up to her shoulder again, then eased over to the collar. He gently grazed the skin on her neck, feeling her cringe when his finger came in contact with a bruise. Han shook his head, sighing. She wouldn't talk about it, so he moved on.

"How long was I gone?"

This seemed to strike her. She paused, then spoke. "A few years."

His eyes snapped open, this time making out her face for a longer period of time. "A few years?" He tried to keep the panic out of his voice.

She nodded. "It seemed longer, though. I missed you." Leia moved some hair out of his face, and he closed his eyes.

She really had missed him. That was almost enough to put his heart at rest. But there was one more thing he'd have to get off his chest; something he should have said a long time ago.

"I love you, Leia."

She kissed him again, a smile on her lips. As he slowly fell asleep, Leia whispered in his ear:

"I know."

"It's not that bad, Han."

Han shook his head. "Leia, it is 'that bad'. Why didn't you tell me how much it was bleeding before now?"

Leia shrugged, obviously hurting her bleeding shoulder. "Han, we're in the middle of a war. There are more important issues than a shoulder-wound."

He rolled his eyes, annoyed at her self-deprivation. Always thinking about the greater good. Why could she never think of herself?

"Lift your arm." Leia complied, pulling up her sleeve. She revealed a deep burn from the laser blast she'd received in the field earlier. He winced at the sight, staring in awe at Leia's calm expression. She was a force to be reckoned with, alright.

"This might hurt a little."

Leia eyed him. "Honestly?"

He blinked, then nodded. "Alright, this is gonna hurt a lot, so give me your hand." She took his hand in her cold, small one and looked at him trustfully, face drained. Where did she learn to trust a space pirate like me?

Slowly, Han peeled the torn garment out of her wound. Her fingers clenched around his, squeezing tightly, and she gasped slightly. Han grimaced at her painful-looking gash, only sparing a small glance up into her wide brown eyes.

Soon, the pain was over, and she exhaled. "I'm glad that's over."

He shook his head. "Well, the rest won't be a picnic."

She snickered."Tell me something I don't know."

They talked as he worked; a thing they'd always done whenever she got hurt. He took a cloth, wet it, and began cleaning the wound. "I hate this planet."

Leia raised her eyebrows. "Endor? Why?"

He humphed. "Why not? These teddy bears try to kill us, then exploit our location..."

"They welcomed us into their tribe," she interrupted, "and helped us fend off the Empire. You can't say you resent them anymore than you do Threepio."

Han smirked. "I won't lie; it's close. But I guess they haven't been as much of a nuisance," he admitted. "At least they have the decency to knock."

Leia laughed quietly, but it was short-lived. She sucked in a breath as antiseptic spray came in contact with her skin, resulting in her fingers tightening around his. He grimaced at her expression of pain, but knew she wouldn't want him to stop after they'd made it that far, and continued with the bacta gel. A breath hissed through her clenched teeth when his calloused finger rubbed the thick paste on the wound painstakingly, trying not to cause her pain. She didn't cry out, though not to his surprise, but instead forced out a laugh. "At least your hands aren't as cold as the medic droid's always were," she stated humorlessly.

He smiled teasingly. "Even if they're a little dirty."

She rolled her eyes, slowly lowering them to the bandage he now tied around her arm. "I'll never live that down, will I?"

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded off, sending them both out of their conversation. Cries of excitement and joy were released from the furry creatures surrounding them at the sight above their heads: the Death Star had been destroyed.

Han looked at Leia quickly, curious as to her reaction at the abruptness of the inevitable end to a war she'd fought for a good deal of her life. First was shock, then joy, then an expression difficult to register. He instantly remembered that Luke was on the Death Star, which was the obvious cause of her worry.

He leaned toward her, catching her eye. "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew up."

She glanced back at the sky cryptically, then shook her head. "He wasn't... I can feel it."

He swallowed. That certainly wasn't the response he was expecting.

Distaste spread across his face. "You love him."

She looked at him quickly, blinking at his directness. "Don't ya?" he finished, trying to keep his face from portraying his dejection. It was a question that had burned in the back of his mind since the day he'd met the two hopefuls on the first Death Star. It still haunted him after years, leaving him doubting himself more than he was comfortable with. He was Han Solo, for the gods' sakes! He didn't need anybody to complete him! What was it about Wonder-Woman Organa that compromised that?

Well, whatever it was, it was certainly a cruel thing indeed. For when she responded so blatantly, "Well, yes." looking him straight in the eye, it literally took him to pieces.

So that was it? She really did love the kid? All the years he'd spent protecting her, fighting for her, and almost dying for her, for nothing?

Well, that's just great! After thinking there was something special between them for so long; being strung around like he never had allowed before; that was it? His worst fears confirmed, Han was in knots, so much that he couldn't respond at first. His mouth went dry and, though the war he'd lived and nearly died for had just ended, he felt completely and utterly crushed. He let his guard down once in twenty years and it resulted in this? I should have known!

After regaining composure, he inhaled and quickly spun off a mature response, all of which was underlined with an innate bitterness at letting himself be so fooled. "Alright. I understand," he snapped. "Fine. When he comes back..." Han eyed her, biting back harsh words for the sake of his two friends. "I won't get in the way."

Leia's eyes seemed to soften, understanding his response. She let out a small laugh, pissing him off even more. "No, it's not like that at all."

He watched her carefully as she leaned closer. She whispered in his ear, and these were three beautiful words which he'd never forget for the remainder of his life, "He's my brother."

Han froze, mouth open, eyes wide. Her brother...

His anger dissipated as the truth sank in. He's her brother! She doesn't love him, love him! He's her brother! He didn't even care to wonder how that was possible! He didn't even care to ask when she knew or how or anything! He was struck completely and utterly dumb.

Leia thankfully did most of the reacting for him, pulling him into a kiss as he processed the information. Luke was Leia's brother. Leia was Luke's sister. Leia loved him. He loved her.

And with the war over, Jabba dead, friends safe, and the love of his life in his arms; that was all that really mattered.

Well, what did you think?

I, for one, am very pleased with how this turned out, seeing as I wrote this three years ago and fixed it up just for this kind of occasion. Hope I captured the characters well enough for the esteemed Han/Leia fanbase I've been trailing for so long under the name "Anonyma" :)

That little review button is a kind young sir, just waiting to be clicked. Why not humor him a bit?

* *-TheSongbird341-* *

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, own Star Wars, Han, Leia, or creative rights. Just pray that Disney doesn't have them wearing Mickey Mouse ears or turn the whole franchise into a Disney Channel screw-up.