My Least Favourite Character (Han Solo Fanfic) #Wattys2016

Chapter 4 - A nasty surprise

Blackout. That's what happened to Gray Osborne, although she wasn't even able to notice it. Next thing she knew, her back felt something soft and comfortable under it. Her head started to ache and seemed to gain weight. It took her some time to realise she was on a bed. Her bed. It was only a nightmare, Gray concluded with a deep sigh of relief.

"Kid. Wake up. Can you hear me? Oh, great. This is starting perfectly. I knew it, I knew it! I'll get him for this... this really wasn't supposed to happen."

Gray put all her energy into trying to lift her eyelids. Everything was blurry, but coloured. Someone had turned on the light.
When at last she was able to focus, she saw a face. A very familiar face.
She leapt up on her bed and her eyes were at the same level as the man before her. She knew she'd seen him several times. But how many times didn't disturb her. It was where she'd seen him.
That man, that man with brown hair long enough to cover his ears, hazel eyes and a confident expression, was the same one she'd seen countless times on the television, when Tom was watching...Star Wars.
It can't be... she thought. What was famous actor Harrison Ford doing in her house?

"You're Harrison Ford..." she whispered in incredulity.

"I'm Harry son what?" his nose wrinkled and he raised an eyebrow.

Gray gave a little nervous chuckle. "Come on, Mr.Ford, I know it's you. What are you doing here?"

He didn't smile. She understood at once that he wasn't getting a word of what she was telling him.
But there was something wrong.

"Wait...how old are you?"

"I'm thirty-two." he answered promptly.

Gray didn't know what to say. Harrison Ford had been that age...in the late 70's.
And it was year 2014.
She attentively observed him. He didn't seem to be fooling her. If she hadn't known any better, she'd say he wasn't older than thirty. She was completely perplexed.

"Stand up." she ordered dryly.

"What?"

"Stand up, please."

He stood up, looking ever so confused. Gray's eyes widened: she saw clearly now that he was wearing a dark blue jacket with many pockets. Under it, and originally designed white shirt. An elaborated battle belt hung form his waist, on brown trousers with small yellow stripes on either side of the legs. These were half-covered by tall black leather boots.

"Oh," he finally said. " to avoid you mistaking me with other people, I'll introduce myself, alright? Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon. I came for-

"No." Gray gasped. "No, this can't be true. This is a nightmare, I'll soon wake up, wake up, wake up!" she dug her head fiercely into her pillows.

"Hey, chill, kid. Am I that scary?"

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

Only a few seconds later, hurried steps climbed up the stairs. Gray went pale. She jumped out of bed, waving her arms and whispering aggressively.

"Quick! Hide! My mother's coming! Into the closet, now!

To this, she pushed a very bewildered Han into the closet where she'd first seen him, before she'd fainted.
Exactly when she slammed it's door, her mother burst into the room in her night gown, panting.

"What's going on?!"

Gray leaned on the closet, trying to look relaxed.

"Nothing, Mum. I was just now going to the toilet."

"Why did you scream, then? And what were those noises? And who were you talking to?!"

"Mum, you must've dreamed it. Nothing happened. I'm okay, don't worry."

She gave an exaggerated yawn and pretended to be going back to bed. Mrs.Osborne looked at her daughter doubtfully and left without another word.

Gray turned her eyes to the shut closet. What was she thinking? She could've given him away. Everything would have gone back to....well, she couldn't exactly say normal. If she was just mad, and if she'd gone screaming "Han Solo's in my room! Help!!!" her next destination would most certainly have been the psychiatrist.
She opened the closet reluctantly and sat on her bed, her back to Han.

"What was that about?" she heard him whispering in exasperation.

"No! Stop talking to me! You're a hallucination, just a silly hallucination, and in no time you'll disappear, and everything will be normal again!" she snapped, but more to herself than to Han.

"Hey, who gave you the right to boss me around? And to push me inside a closet!"

Gray didn't respond. She crossed her arms and breathed deeply as she talked to herself.
Han discretely sat next to her and watched her going on under her breath about how she was crazy and he was only her imagination.

"I suppose you have a name, right?" he asked.

"Why are you still here?!"

"Will you stop that?! I'm real! Otherwise how would you have suddenly appeared on your bed when you were on the floor?"

"You..." Gray begun as he smirked. "Gray."

"Sorry?"

"My name is Gray."

"Oh." he said, eyeing her. "I see. They named you after your eyes, didn't they?"

That was true. Her name was due to the unusual gray light she'd had in her iris since her birth.

"Yes." she said coldly.

"And, I guess, after your mood, too."

"That was not funny."

They didn't speak to each other for a good while, until the essential question popped into Gray's head:

"What are you here for anyway?"

"Ha, you finally admit I'm real, then."

"I still think I'm mad."

"Right. I'll tell you all that....tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Don't you worry, I've had worse. The closet will do just fine for me."