Han & Leia | You Could Use a Good Kiss

Why Are you Still Here?

A/N: It's been a while since I've updated this one! So finally, here's the last bit, thanks for all the lovely comments and for being patient with me <3 Hope you enjoyed this little fic.  

Leia finished relaying the plans to the rebel squadron. The Empire had discovered their base at last and they needed to be prepared to both evacuate and hold off the enemy as long as they could. She hadn't seen Han since...well...since she'd run away from him. She had made sure to avoid him, yet he hadn't exactly come in search of her either. He was probably preparing for his trip to pay his debt to Jabba after all. She hardly blamed him. Perhaps it was for the best...perhaps his presence was a hindrance...her weakness...distracting her from what needed to be done...besides, how could she expect him to stay when she wasn't even entirely sure herself why she needed him?

The impromptu kiss in the south passage notwithstanding.

Never mind that kiss, she needed to stay focused on the current situation. She headed back to find the General. Her ship was already prepared and ready to go, but she needed to stay behind as long as they could hold up the fight. She certainly wasn't going down without one.

Han finished up the last of the repairs in the Falcon, mindful of the blasts from above. Well, that's it, he thought to himself grimly, time to leave. He'd been fairly patient, waiting to hear that Leia needed him to stay for her, but in all this time she hadn't bothered to seek him out. True, they were in the middle of an attack at the present moment, but she had plenty of time earlier to stop him. And he'd delayed leaving for far too long. Why? For her.

"Stubborn little fool," he muttered to himself under his breath. What did he expect? That she'd join him to repay his little money problem? The woman wouldn't leave her troops if her life depended on it...the notion struck him sharply. She probably hadn't left yet...

"Chewie, hold on," he told the Wookie, "I need to check up on something."

"Has the Falcon left yet?" Leia queried.

"Not yet, I just passed the hangar," Ryles responded.

She thought quickly. She needed to leave, she'd already given out the evacuation code on the General's request. But, she needed to make sure Han got to safety first. Damn her feelings, she wasn't about to leave without him. C-Threepio followed, mumbling fearful precautions that went mostly ignored.

She headed down the passage quickly, stumbling as the base shook with the force of the explosions, one so violent it knocked her into-

"Han!"

"Princess, why the hell are you still here?" he grabbed her arm, pulling her out, "We need to get you to your ship!"

Without giving her a chance to say anything, he ran with her in the very direction, only to be stopped by another explosion that sent a small avalanche of snow tumbling around them. He pushed her to the ground, covering her with his body. She shut her eyes tight, breathing heavily before she felt him get up and push at the blocks of ice and snow that impeded their path. He contacted the pilot of her ship, alerting him that he'd get her out on the Falcon. Typical Han. Didn't even ask her permission.

"C'mon," he grabbed her arm again, pulling her off of the ground. He got her to the Falcon, the ramp closing behind them.

Han went immediately to the controls, where he had made his recent modifications, "How's this?"

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" Leia queried dryly.

He turned to look at her, "It might!"

Well, some things would certainly never change.

Clones surrounded them, with Vader in their midst, prominent amidst the stark white, there was a blockade to get past and they still hadn't managed to get in the air yet. "Punch it!" Han told Chewie and finally, finally they lifted off and up into the air. "Hold it for me till we get company," Han told his friend, grabbing Leia's arm and pulling her out into the corridor.

"Han, what-"

He held on to her arms tightly. "Leia, why are you still here?"

"What are you talking about?" she evaded, "I'm here because my ship-"

"When I came to check up on you, you weren't heading in the direction of your ship, Your Highness," he said sharply, "You were heading to mine."

"Han, this isn't the time-" she tried to move, but he held her fast, pushing her back against the wall, just as he'd pushed her against the door of the storage room in the south passage. Retrieving his answer.

"Why?" he repeated, eyes keenly holding hers.

"For you," she said finally, "I heard you hadn't left yet either...and..."

"And?" he prompted.

"I wasn't about to leave without you," she said, swallowing hard, "Because you were right. I need you."

He held her gaze fast, not saying anything, his expression carefully blank. She was beginning to regret that little confession, she'd basically handed him her heart on a silver platter and he was about to burn it to a crisp in the oven-

"We've got company!" Chewbacca growled in Shyriiwook, startling them both.

And then it happened. He smiled.

Not just any smile either. The trademark, slow, crooked, cocky, attractive Han Solo smile that made her toes curl and heat coil low in her stomach.

And he said, "I know."