Fame and the Force

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Coruscant

Three weeks later

Han wasn't surprised to see Leia standing inside his hotel room when he returned for the day from recording his holo-movie scenes. He smiled and gave her a lengthy, lingering kiss. He drew back stating, "I've missed you."

"I know," Leia responded, using their old return banter.

"So, Mara an' Luke are getting a taste of what watching a little kid full time is like," Han said, remembering that Isabell had remained behind on Corellia while Leia traveled to Coruscant for a few days. "You must be trying to give 'em some experience for when they become parents."

The Princess laughed. "Isabell's been a real terror the past few weeks, ever since adjusting to her new home. I was worried about putting her in her own bedroom, but she's taken to it like a real trooper." Isabell's nursery, the room across the hall from Han and Leia's bedroom, had been made available when Tenel Ka moved in with her older sister, Teneniel Djo.

"I'm glad," Han said quite honestly. "I was feeling a bit, uh, restrained with having her sleeping in our bedroom."

"I noticed."

"Notice we're alone in this hotel room?" Han asked suggestively.

"Yes, Han. I've noticed," Leia said, shaking her head in amusement. "It's got to be later. Chewie and Malla are coming over very soon and we're having dinner brought up to the room for the four of us. I don't want them to interrupt us mating, as Chewie so delicately puts it, and they'll certainly know what they've interrupted."

"But Chewie's real good about pretending he doesn't know what we were doing."

"Later."

Han put his hand over his heart in mock dismay, watching as Leia moved over to the sofa and sat down.

"Part of me was looking forward to seeing you after almost a month, and the other part is dreading what's coming tomorrow," Leia said with a sigh, thinking about the reason she had traveled to Coruscant - the sentencing hearing tomorrow in Coruscant's High Court.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be going at all if you weren't insistin' on being there," Han remarked. The mere idea of having to see Isolder and his mother again made him feel angry and a bit shaky. It was only this week that he'd finally been able to stop wearing the spice patches which prevented him from having withdrawal symptoms from the drugs Isolder had pumped into his system. And, although he was loathe to admit it, his nightmares over being tortured and frozen in carbonite on Bespin had returned. Solo hadn't been plagued with those for several years but his latest ordeal on Hapes managed to resurrect them, much to his dismay. "The Judge sure doesn't need us to be there. Those Hutt Slimes have already plead guilty. This is just their sentencing. We could both skip it."

"I was asked to speak prior to the sentencing, and I have every intention of doing so," Leia said to Han. "They're going to have to look in my face and hear what I have to say, especially after the garbage they said publicly about me. I've already told you, you don't have to be there."

"The Judge asked me if I wanted to speak too, but I don't have anything verbally I'd like to say to them," Han commented darkly. "What I'd like to say would work a lot better if I had my blaster shoved up their royal... nostrils. If I could do that, then I'd agree to have my say." He looked down at Leia with renewed determination. "I'm gonna be there, Princess. They ain't gettin' the satisfaction of thinking I don't have the nerve to face 'em."

Leia smiled proudly at the man she loved. "I've never doubted that you have nerve, Flyboy. But one day, you'll substitute your weapon of threatening choice from blaster to lightsaber."