Untangle the Lies, You Must

7~Han

I blinked once. Twice. Three times. Anger bubbled but I pushed it away with hardly any effort. It was the salt that stung my eyes that took the effort of pushing away. I looked away from Chewie and Obiwan. I would not cry here. Especially in front of Obiwan. Again. My shoulders straightened as defiance hit me. I wouldn't do it.

I realized Luke's hand never left my side when his thumb rubbed my hip bone under my vest. I blushed and found his blue eyes to look into instead. He looked down into my green ones with vibrant curiosity.

"If you would, Chewbacca, bring us your captain." Obiwan made Luke and I look away from each other as Chewie gave another roar. He turned and headed out the door and Obiwan beckoned the two of us to the back corner while avoiding my eyes. I finally realized the two droids weren't anywhere to be seen.

Alarm made my heart skip a beat. I looked at Luke and found he was ready to answer my question. "Apparently they don't serve droids here."

My brow furrowed. "I don't recall that rule. They must have changed it since the Stormtroopers came here looking for them."

Luke nodded as Obiwan paused to let us take our seats. His arm left my waist, leaving it open to a wave of chilly air. His eyebrows rose as he caught my blush. "I thought the same thing but I've never been here before."

I took the inside chair but left one and the booth open on the left, now my right side, as I settled on the uncomfortable seat. Luke sat next to me, between Obiwan and me, leaving Obiwan on the outside chair. I hid the smile that appeared under my hood. He would soon regret that decision.

Even though Obiwan wasn't looking in my direction, stating he wasn't trusting me and was angry, much like a child, he wasn't done with me. "Do I even want to know anymore? I know you never told me what happened when you came back but this is going much deeper than I imagined, Eliza. How can I protect you when I don't even know you?"

Luke leaned back, looking down in his lap with his arms laid on the table with his fingers laced together. I grinned lopsidedly as I realized he was already regretting his decision. "No, but I guess you are about to find out whether I or you want yourself to know. Much less Luke." Luke looked up at me but realized I wasn't done talking to Obiwan yet and kept his mouth shut with his eyes on me. "And to answer your last question, you do know me, Obiwan. You just don't know my past or half of what I've been through."

Obiwan finally met my eyes with understanding dawning in them. "You're wiser than I thought."

I laughed. "I'm just experienced. I don't see how you say that when you know how cocky I can get."

Obiwan grinned as I lightened his mood. His anger never lasted. He and I both knew he couldn't hold a grudge forever or even for an hour. Now Luke asked his question. "What was that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head as I realized I couldn't keep the mood lightened for very long either. "You won't trust me after this. Only two people and one Wookie have ever fully trusted me and it seems the Wookie may be the only one that gives full trust in me."

Luke frowned and his blue eyes searched mine. "I told you, you hide too much."

I winced as I recalled his previous words and the closeness of his body. "I told you why, Luke. I guess you'll have to learn it to see my why."

He shifted his weight in the seat. His knee bumped mine under the table, startling me with his touch. I shifted my own weight and found him smiling with a pink tint on his cheeks. I looked away and bit my lip to keep from blushing. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. There isn't a lot of room under this table and the seats are very uncomfortable."

Luke chuckled and leaned back to put his hands behind his head. "We agree on that." His smile was breathtaking as his chest heaved a heavy breath after the chuckle. I bit my lip and looked away again. I could barely see Obiwan watching our actions as Luke asked another question. "You opened up to this Han person, didn't you?"

The weight of emotions pressed on me again but I managed to swiftly avoid the wall that came crashing. "I did."

Luke leaned toward me, his breath hit my face as I turned to face his eyes. "He's the one that hurt you."

I sighed and looked away from Luke again. I pulled my hood closer around my face as I glumly answered, "Yes, Luke. He's the one I opened up to. He's the one I become bound with. He's the man I fell in love with."

Obiwan's eyes went hard and Luke shuddered apparently from the rush of pain he received from me. I looked past Obiwan's shoulder and saw the man I thought I would never lay eyes on again with Chewbacca by his side. Han Solo.

He sat next to me in the chair, allowing Chewie access to the booth. His gaze passed over my very hidden one and his eyes measured Luke up before settling on Obiwan's hooded but lighted face. Obiwan's emotions were gone but Luke glanced at me concerned before looking at Chewie cautiously and settling on Han.

"My name is Han Solo. Chewie told me you needed a ship." He grinned cockily and his eyes warmed with pride as he probably thought about his ship. My stomach fluttered as he glanced at Chewie, giving him the cocky look I knew.

I replied before Obiwan even opened his mouth. "So I hear the Millennium Falcon is the fastest ship around."

Han's brown eyes bulged as he looked at my cloaked figure fully. I warmed under his gaze as he leaned forward trying to see under my hood.

Luke froze and Obiwan shifted his weight, waiting for Han's reaction. Chewie gave a cry and upon finding he wasn't going to be able to identify my face, Han's right hand reached forward. I understood his intention as he cautiously and softly traced my jaw line with his rough fingers.

I shivered under his surprisingly blazing touch and his fingers paused before they clasped around the side of my neck. The heat from his hand made my skin tingle and crawl. My own right hand reached up and carefully wrapped around his wrist, feeling the strong and steady beat of his pulse.

His brown eyes squinted as powerful recognition hit him. They suddenly warmed with tenderness as I leaned into his touch and traced the pulse in his wrist with my thumb. I took a slow breath as I breathed out his name. "Han."

His lips quivered but he didn't speak. The affection suddenly written on his face made me smile with joy... and love. I had not felt like this since the last day we were together. I couldn't remember the time when sorrow did not nip at my heels like a predator.

My hand softly fell to the crease of his elbow as his muscles twitched and lifted his hand from my face. I felt chill bumps rise on his arm where my touch cooled his skin. His hand gripped my hood and pulled back.

My braid fell loosely, as it always did, down my back as it saw freedom. I released a breath as I saw him grin. It was the grin he always wore. It was the one that drove me insane.

I let him silently observe me as my eyes traced new and familiar muscle contours. His blaster was still glued to his side like mine, only it was under my cloak. His shirt came down in a V, revealing some of his defined chest but not a whole lot. His brown hair was grown out and long. I smiled as I found myself memorizing the curves of both his hair and arms.

His cocky air was gone as his lips finally moved with the sound of his voice. "Eliza?"

I nodded as his hand left me and my hand dangling in thin air. I relaxed the arm and sighed as the first question left his lips. "How?"

The tenderness left and hurt emerged in his eyes, making me relive the memories he too probably had running through his head. Before I could say anything, Obiwan found it a wise time to intervene. "I'd like to know what happened between the two of you so we all can be caught up in this story."

Luke looked like he was stuck debating between a decision as he glanced between Obiwan and me. I could feel the air of irritation from Obiwan as Luke sheepishly let his gaze fall on me.

I began bristling as I shot Obiwan a hard look that fell right off his back. I looked at Han and saw he was analyzing the tension between the two of us. However, his eyes were alert, now glancing back and forth between us and the crowd to look for any signs of danger.

As he noticed all eyes around the table fall on him, he found himself back in a corner. I glanced under the table and saw his hands trail the trigger of his blaster. I reached out with my own hand and rested it on his knee. He gazed at me curiously but understood the message and rested his hand on top of the table.

We were in this together. He wasn't going down without me.