A/N: This story was previously published as a stand-alone and titled "Five Years After the Victory" A terrible title to be sure, which is probably why hardly anyone read it. I had always wanted to expand on it and have it be the beginning of a much larger story and I've finally done that. So most of this first chapter, with some additional material at the end, has already been up here for those of you who might find it familiar. Hopefully you enjoy and feedback is appreciated.

Also, thanks to ShouldIGetOutandPush for the help and for making me publish this. Without you, it would just be another file on my hard drive to never see the light of day.

It had been five standard years since the second Death Star had been destroyed. It seemed odd to Leia Organa Solo to celebrate a war, but she could not deny the significance of the event. A new government had come to rule the galaxy, and she had been instrumental in its inception. Those within this New Republic had decided to commemorate the defeat with a formal party to celebrate all that they had accomplished.

Leia stood in front of the mirror in the large bedroom she shared with her husband, Han. When they had fallen in love in the middle of that war she had never imagined that they would end up as they had, living in a luxurious apartment overlooking the vast city of Coruscant, but her life was nothing if not continually surprising.

Leia finished getting her long, chestnut hair up and away from her neck as it spiraled into a tightly-wound bun, allowing a few stray curls to dangle at her temples and then inspected her full-length reflection. She was dressed in a simple yet revealing scarlet red dress. The hem sat a few inches above her knees revealing a bit of her thigh, and the v-shaped neckline dipped lower than she normally liked, tightly clinging to her skin and accentuating her breasts.

She had to suppress a laugh. It was no wonder Han had picked the outfit. He was never one for formal functions, but he agreed not to complain if she promised to wear the dress he had bought for her. It seemed like a simple enough thing to do if it would keep him from whining, but she had to wonder how she would be viewed by the many other guests at the celebration. She was fumbling with the clasp on her silver necklace when Han emerged from the 'fresher and noticed her trouble.

"Here, let me," he said as he reached up and fastened the jewelry as the touch of his warm fingers on her cool skin made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "There you go. Now turn around so I can look at you."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "You look absolutely stunning, sweetheart," he said with a grin. "Wow."

"Thank you." She reached up and gently slid his hands from her shoulders, grasping them and taking a step away so she could look him up and down. She so rarely got a chance to see him dressed up like this. He wore plain, black pants tucked into his perfectly shined boots. She didn't think she had ever seen one of his double-breasted white shirts so well pressed, worn underneath a simple, open black jacket that ended right at his waist line. He had even combed his hair more neatly than she had seen since their wedding four years prior, now quite a bit shorter than it had been when she'd known him those first few years. She took a moment to appreciate how his pants seemed to fit just tight enough to accentuate his toned physique.

She playfully swung his hands back and forth in her own and couldn't help smiling at him. "I had no idea my husband could look so dashing. You clean up pretty nice."

"I wouldn't do it for anyone but you, you know."

"I know. Thank you." Sliding her hand up to the back of his neck, she pulled his head down and gave him a quick kiss on his smooth, freshly-shaven cheek, resting just a moment to inhale the musky scent of his aftershave.

Han looked disappointed. "What, that's it?"

"What did you have in mind?"

He reached a hand around to the small of her back and pressed her entire body up against his own. "Something like this," he said as he leaned down to give her a long, lingering kiss.

A few moments later, she pulled away just enough to speak. "You know, we're never going to make it to the party if we keep this up."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

She felt the heat of his breath on her lips as he spoke and her internal desires started overriding her brain which was telling her that it was time to leave, no matter how appealing the alternative. It took what seemed like all of her willpower to give him one more quick kiss before she pressed her palms to his chest and pushed him away. "Later."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely." She gazed at him one more time, now getting a full view of him in his finest. "You know, it's ironic that an outfit can make you look so good that all I want to do is get you out of it."

The seductive glimmer in his hazel eyes and the familiar, lopsided grin that crossed his lips was almost enough for her to forget about the party again. "I feel the same way, Princess."

A quick glance at the chrono was enough to snap Leia back to reality. "We're going to be late. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door.

"Just don't forget your promise," Han said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"I don't think that's going to be an issue."

The celebration was held in a cavernous ballroom that was made to look even larger by a circular skylight that took up most of the ceiling, revealing the stars overhead. If she had to guess, Leia would bet there were at least five hundred in attendance, dancing to the live orchestra, sampling the vast spread of gourmet food from the farthest reaches of the galaxy, sipping on expensive wines and champagnes or simply mingling with others.

From the moment they had walked in the door she and Han had been separated. It was certainly not voluntary, but given what the celebration was commemorating and their significance to said event, it was no wonder that many guests required their attention. She wondered what it must be like to be able to walk into a party like that and just be able to blend in and avoid the constant barrage of people. And although she did have to admit that she liked the way her dress looked on her, she was feeling particularly exposed without Han by her side.

She was in the middle of listening to some diplomats discussing how things had changed for the better while she sipped on her wine and waited for an appropriate break in conversation to sneak away. She glanced across the room and noticed Lando, who appeared to be having the time of his life. From the looks of his emphatic hand gestures, he must've been regaling the surrounding pilots with the story of how he had led the fight to destroy the Death Star and the subsequent escape.

Her eyes moved to the opposite side of the room, where she found whom she was looking for. Han was leaning against the wall, sipping on something Leia couldn't quite make out, but she was pretty sure it was strong because she knew how much he hated events like this - not so much the party, but the endless talking. Like it or not, he had become quite a celebrity, which meant that he had to deal with strangers who just wanted a chance to hear the amazing stories straight from the source.

What they didn't know was that Han no longer enjoyed bragging about those kinds of accomplishments. He could talk for hours about the modifications he had made on his ship and how fast she was, and he had no problem talking about all of the things that Leia had done. But for whatever reason, he tended to downplay his involvement in the defeat of the Empire. He always said that he was just doing what needed to be done, and anyone in his position would've done the same. Either that or he figured that if he didn't elaborate too much, maybe people would leave him alone.

He looked particularly annoyed at this point, staring into the copper-colored liquid in his glass and only occasionally looking up to either nod or give what looked to be one-word answers to the smiling group of older gentlemen whom Leia couldn't quite make out but looked to be generals from somewhere who were doing most of the talking. As though sensing her eyes on him, Han looked to Leia and gave her a look that seemed to plead, "Help me!"

Leia merely smiled. It was far too early in the evening to let him off the hook just yet, and she gave him an almost imperceptible shake of her head and mouthed, "No". He returned with a mock-hurt look before giving her a wink and taking a gulp of his drink, then returned his inattentiveness to the conversation he was stuck in.

Leia nearly jumped when she felt someone put an arm around her shoulder but was relieved to when she turned to see her brother. "Luke, you startled me. Are you having a good time?"

"Normally I'm not much for parties. But considering the occasion, I'd say I'm enjoying myself. What about you? You must be so proud of everything you've done and how far we've come in the past five years."

"Of course I am." The truth was, what she was most proud of was the fact that she had stepped aside years ago to allow others to take the forefront. She maintained an active role in the senate, but it was nowhere near the high rank or level of involvement she had early on. From the time she could speak she had devoted her life to serve others, always letting her duty come before herself, and that sense of duty had almost cost her the love of her life. She had spent years denying her love for Han simply because she believed that people such as herself didn't have time for selfish things like that when so much needed to be done. She would be eternally grateful for Han's persistence and the fact that he never gave up on making her relent and let herself come first for once. Most men surely wouldn't have been nearly as patient - and she knew that firsthand. Her new position allowed her just enough involvement to have some influence, but not so much that it took over her entire life.

This fact would prove to be especially important soon enough, as she and Han had been talking about starting a family. Only a few short months ago they had decided that it was something they both wanted and had stopped taking any sorts of precautions to prevent having children before they were ready. It wasn't an easy decision to make, given the knowledge of Leia's parentage, but in the end, they decided that they couldn't hold back out of fear of what any child of theirs might become. All they could do was raise any children to the best of their abilities and hope for the best. It was really all any parent could hope for.

"Han sure looks like he's having fun, as always," Luke said as he pointed towards his brother-in-law, who looked even more disinterested than before.

"You know how much he loves small talk. What about you, though? How did you get a free second? I figured you'd be the hit of the party."

"Oh, I have been." Luke lowered his voice. "But I decided to give myself a bit of a break, so I sort of suggested to that last group of young pilots who wanted to hear about blowing up the first Death Star that they would much rather go get something to eat than listen to me talk anymore."

"That doesn't seem like a very Jedi-like thing to do... but would you please teach me?"

Luke had to laugh. "Sorry, sis. It's a pretty advanced technique. But why don't you go over there and save your husband from an evening of misery? You're here together, why don't you at least try and have a good time?"

By that point, the group of men Leia had been somewhat-conversing with had begun to talk amongst themselves and it seemed like the perfect time to slip away unnoticed, so she slowly stepped away from them with Luke in tow. "Thanks, Luke. I think I needed to be reminded that this was a party and it's supposed to be fun."

"You're welcome. Now please, go stop him before he drinks himself into a stupor just from trying to forget where he is."

"Will do. And you go enjoy yourself, too."

"I will."

They parted ways and Leia focused her attention on the handsome but miserably bored-looking Corellian on the other side of the dance floor. The orchestra had begun to play a particularly lovely piece of music that Leia recalled by an Alderaani composer. She had heard it many times at functions such as this that she had attended when she was a child, and fondly remembered seeing the adults dancing slowly to the rhythmic melody, hoping one day to have someone of her own to dance with. She kept her eyes focused on Han, who was staring into his now-empty glass so intently that he didn't even notice her as she approached.

She slid a hand down his arm, took the glass out of his hand and placed it on the tray of a passing server-droid. "Care to dance, General?"

Han looked at her with a combination of relief and excitement. "Excuse us, gentlemen," Leia said to the group of men Han had been 'talking' to. They hardly even seemed to notice as she led Han by the hand to the center of the dance floor, placed one hand on his shoulder and stretched his other to meet hers. He entwined his fingers with hers and rested his other hand at the small of her back before they began moving to the soothing music.

"This is much better," Han said.

"I agree."

"You know, I'm starting to have second thoughts about asking you to wear that dress."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you look incredible in it, but I'm starting to get a little jealous of the way these other guys are looking at you."

"You don't have to be jealous." She slid a hand up to the back of his neck and pulled his head down so that she could whisper in his ear. "You're the only one who gets to see what's underneath."

She could feel his lips on her ear as he replied, "I'm going to take you up on that later."

"Promise?"

"Mmmm..."

They swayed to the music and seemed to forget that there were hundreds of other people in the room, many of whom had also coupled up and joined them on the dance floor. Leia put her head against Han's chest and shut her eyes, drinking in the clean scent of his soap and aftershave, as well as the hypnotic movements to the ancient tune.

"Can you believe it's been five years?" Leia said against his chest, feeling his thumb gently stroking the small of her back.

"No, but I also can't believe it's been eight years since I met you. Or how I survived before that."

"Now you're just trying to flatter me. I already told you that you're getting lucky tonight."

"I'm just stating a fact."

"Well, thank you for continuing to pursue me no matter how much I tried to resist or how many awful names I called you."

"The challenge only made it more fun. And I knew you were worth it."

She paused for a moment and just listened to the music, allowing the memories of the last time she'd heard it to permeate her brain. "They used to play this song all the time on Alderaan at big functions like this that I would go to with my father. I had forgotten how beautiful it is. I used to watch all of the grown-ups dance and dream about when I was older and had my own dancing partner."

"I'm going to guess that I am not at all what you pictured."

Leia laughed and looked up at him to answer honestly. "No."

"That's what I'm here for," he said as he pulled her possessively closer, "shattering dreams."

She lifted her head again and gave him a light, playful smack in the ribs. "You know that's not how I meant it. No, I had no idea what it was that I wanted. He certainly wasn't going to be so darn tall, or so stubborn and argumentative."

Han interrupted her. "Or someone who spends so much time hanging out with a Wookiee, broke more galactic laws than you can count with all of your extremities, so clearly doesn't belong at a party like this, getting treated like a hero and dancing with the Princess..."

"And he certainly wasn't supposed to be such a smart-ass," Leia interjected. "But that's what I love most about you. Well, not just being a smart-ass, but being yourself and making me laugh. And being such a brave, kind, giving, wonderful man. Even if you only do those last few reluctantly. And don't tell anyone I told you so, but you're not bad to look at, Solo."

"Well, I definitely never saw myself with anyone like you, either."

"Of course you didn't. I'm way out of your league."

"I don't need you to tell me that." Han replied. "I keep waiting for you to come to your senses and realize what a terrible mistake you made by marrying me."

"I'm not going to change my mind, Han. Like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"Well, I suppose I can live with that. Even if it does make me question your better judgment."

"I happen to be an excellent judge of character. And someday you're just going to have to come to terms with the fact that I love you because of who you are and not in spite of it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to do my best to make sure your feelings on the matter never change."

"Well, you've done a pretty good job so far. Which once again just proves what a smart choice I made."

They smiled at each other then, and for a few moments just enjoyed swaying to the music. Han bent down to whisper quietly in Leia's ear as they continued to dance, "Is it time to go home yet and see what's under that dress?"

She returned in an equally quiet tone, "No, but I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"Always is."

They rocked back and forth to the beat of the music and Leia could almost picture the view she had as a child, watching others doing the dancing. She had a flash of what the scene would look like to her own child, standing on the sidelines watching her parents dance. How comforting it would be to see them not only together, but so much in love.

When she looked at Han's face now she couldn't help but picture the family they were trying to create; the children that would be equal parts of the two of them. It was funny to her that something she'd never thought she really wanted could suddenly become her deepest desire. Then again, she'd had a similar change of heart when it came to the man looking back at her just then.

They'd been trying for a few months without success, but the best doctors had assured her that they were both perfectly normal and certainly fertile - a remark that had made Han smile - and if they simply continued to try then nature would take its course. So that is exactly what they had been doing. And she knew that Han had thoroughly enjoyed his participation in that effort.

The song regretfully came to an end and the throng of dancers turned to applaud the orchestra. Leia hooked her arm with Han's. "Well, would you like to get something to eat now?"

"Sure, I'm starved."

They barely had a chance to add a couple of appetizers to their plates from the grand buffet when Lando patted Han on the back and nearly made him choke on his Taanabian dumpling. "Hey, buddy! Great party!"

Han let out a few throat-clearing coughs and sputtered through a mouthful of food, "Yeah, absolutely."

"Hey, a couple of newer Rogue Squadron pilots are interested in hearing from the source about how you managed to disable the shield generator."

"Eh, what's to tell? You sneak in, you plant a bomb and run away before it explodes."

"Oh, come on, you know it wasn't as simple as that. These kids are dying to meet Han Solo."

Han seemed to be staring longingly at the plate of food in front of him. "Oh, all right. Fine." Han quickly shoved another dumpling in his mouth and set down his plate.

"I'll have him back soon, Leia," Lando said as he put an arm around Han. "By the way, I love that dress."

"Thank you, Lando," Leia replied, almost laughing as she watched Han roll his eyes. "And don't let him drink too much!" She watched the two men walk away and allowed herself a quick glimpse of Han's rear before she returned her attention to the buffet. It would surely be hours before she got him home, and she didn't want to get ahead of herself.