An epilogue to Second Kiss is still in the making. But in the meantime…

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful reviews and feedback that keep me motivated and tapping away.

When she thought back, Leia struggled to remember the moment she almost died. But ironically, hindsight also made things clearer.

A near death experience was such a momentous event, you'd think every second would be ingrained in minute detail. But it wasn't. It was a hazy jumble of adrenalin, frozen pictures and heightened emotions. Considering everything she had endured at the hand of The Empire, meeting her maker in a mundane access passage, deep within the bowels of the rebel base on Hoth, certainly wasn't where she envisioned her end to be.

It happened so quickly.

Flakes of snow and small chips of ice were always dropping at inconvenient times onto rebel alliance heads from the ceiling. Even in the command room. It was to be expected in such a high traffic area with snowspeeders and service vehicles constantly on the move above. Their hurried relocation to Hoth with the Empire hot on their tails didn't exactly allow time for luxury. Leia had learned to ignore it like everyone else.

As she strode through the winding passageway on her way to tactical, Leia's mind, as usual was on other things. She'd just had another run in with Captain Solo. The man was insufferable. If she could just get him to officially sign up, then she'd have the very great pleasure of stripping him of his rank, assigning him fresher duty and finally winning an argument for once. The conundrum was, the Alliance needed him. And he knew it. Dammit.

Still muttering under her breath, Leia almost overlooked a slight shudder that preceded a loud crack, before a veil of white powder dusted uncomfortably down the back of her snowsuit. Brushing it off as simply the result of heavy machinery traveling overhead she kept striding through the winding corridor. But after only a few more steps, an ominous, dull roar followed by severe quaking made her stop short in her tracks. Suddenly, misshapen bricks of ice haphazardly plunged down, striking her back and shoulders, making vision virtually impossible. There was nowhere to run.

It fell relentlessly - a sea of razor-sharp shards, snow and boulders that hurtled down with an incessantly ruthless momentum.

There wasn't time to scream. All her energy was channelled towards the primal need of protecting her head and finding shelter from the onslaught, instinctively throwing her arms up and around herself, stumbling towards and curling her body up against the meagre protection of a cavity provided by a large service pipe that jutted out from the wall. The noise and movement was interminable as Leia huddled against the sanctuary of cold metal.

For a second, a tiny flash of calm within the terror, Leia thought of her loved ones. There weren't many left. But she still felt the resounding void of their loss nonetheless. Her mind conjured up their dear faces; Luke's boyish energy and their puzzling bond, Chewie's gruff affection, General Reeikan and Mon Motha's stoic and parental care….and Han….. what about Han? Now she'd never know.

As the ice continued to hail down with unforgiving abandon around her, Leia stifled a sob and closed her eyes tightly as the roar became a muffled drone.

"I'm sorry. So sorry…Han."

There was another long and terrifying crack and a huge wave of white plummeted towards her. The entire world had splintered open.

Then everything went black.

"Come on Gorgeous. Open those big brown eyes for me."

Something was gliding softly around the curve of her cheek as a coaxing words washed over her. The voice was close and it sounded familiar but the tone was one she hadn't heard before. Demanding, anxious but tender.

Was she dreaming? Leia tried to turn her head and let out a quiet moan.

"That's my girl."

Wearily, Leia opened her eyes to slits.

Han's familiar, albeit slightly fuzzy face gazed back.

Han? What was Han doing here? He should be stationed at the east entrance, finishing up preparations for a scouting mission. She'd checked in and bickered with him this morning. Come to think of it, why was she so cold? And lying down? She opened her eyes a bit further and blinked, focusing on his face and the hand that still gently stroked her cheek.

"Hey. Hey there you are. You sure know how to get a guy's attention. Usually you just yell at me."

With his face partially lit by a small lantern half buried and propped up near the side of her head, Han waggled his eyebrows for effect and was obviously waiting for her lob a retort back, but her head was pounding. When she offered no reply he frowned.

"Can you move? Take it slowly."

Thanks gods she dressed warmly this morning. Snow and chunks of ice were blanketing her. As Han watched her closely, Leia tentatively moved her limbs one by one, feeling awkward and stiff. It was disconcerting how his eyes hadn't left hers since she opened them.

"My head hurts."

Han smiled nervously and moved his hand from her cheek, hovering it tentatively across her forehead. "You have a bump the size of a baby bantha on your temple. Can you sit up?"

Leia tried to hoist herself up but the effort made her arms shake violently and she lay back down. She'd never felt so weak and disoriented.

"Okay. Good idea Honey. Have little rest first."

"I'm not your Honey."

"That's what you think." He threw her smirk but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Leia made a half-hearted attempt to roll her eyes but it only succeeded in making her nauseatingly giddy. The fact that Han was lying so close, almost his entire body pressed up against hers, one arm wrapped around the back of her shoulders didn't help. It was comforting but also perturbing – being with him like this.

Han was never comforting. He was more like a highly antagonistic, insubordinate nerf-herder with a dollop of heavy sarcasm on the side. To hide her confusion, she closed her eyes again, and that was when the questions flooded in.

"What are you doing here? Where am I? What happened?"

"Never mind all the where's and whatnots. Let's get you out of here and warm and toasty first."

Her hackles instantly rising up, Leia opened her eyes again and pinned them to Han's.

"What HAPPENED?"

Han sighed and scrubbed his face. "There was a cave in. You were its number one target. And before you ask, we're looking for others now."

"What others? A cave-in? But how - "

" – Sweetheart I'm happy to do the royal interrogation thing later –

" But - "

"- But nothing. Right now I'm more concerned getting you straight to medical."

His brusqueness was more annoyingly dismissive than usual.

"Fine! Don't tell me then!" she exploded.

For the first time, Han produced a real smile. His eyes lighting up with relief. Keeping them firmly upon hers, Han inclined his head back slightly towards what seemed a dark hole.

"She's awake and in fighting princess form boys. I'll have her out in minute. Just be ready."

A youthful voice, thick with barely disguised unease, echoed back. "Yes sir."

Leia released a much-needed huff since she regained consciousness. That was it. She wanted answers!

"Ready for what? What's - ?"

Leia squeaked in surprise as Han quickly pressed two warm fingers up and against her lips. Dark eyes narrowed and piercing. Challenging her to continue. When her face flared up in anger he pressed them once again in warning.

"Shh. Just switch off and let someone take care of you for once. Okay?"

While his actions were bold and almost bullying, he had never sounded so tender and poised. So… artlessly sexy.

When she obligingly shut up, hypnotised by this unfamiliar Han, he slowly took his tantalising fingers away, reverently gliding them over her pouting bottom lip.

He leaned in, his lips slanting agonizingly close to hers, warm breath caressing her chilled face as his eyes flicked down to her lips and then back up. Leia swallowed roughly, her eyes widening.

He smiled again. This time in amusement and, careful not to go near her injury, before she even had a chance to register it, gently and affectionately kissed her forehead. Chuckling slightly at her gaping, he manoeuvred his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Come on. Up and at em' Sweetheart. "

Leia let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Quit man-handling me, will you? I'm fine."

She wasn't fine, but snapping at Han was a pathetic attempt to recover her shaky composure. He merely curled up a lip and punctuated her remark with a flippant snort.

"If you say so. But believe me Darling, you'll know when I'm man-handling you. But I'm not in the mood now." He feigned a double take and cocked an eyebrow, " - unless you are of course."

Resisting her Han-jerk compulsion to automatically fire back, Leia paused and for the first time since she woke up, focused on solely on him.

Interesting. In typical Han style, he was letting rip his usual easy-going levity with a trademark smirk and careless flirtation. But all this time it had felt forced and his slightly shallow breaths and occasional licking of dry lips called his bluff. Something was very, very wrong.

" Han – "

"Can it Princess. You just had half the base fall down on you. By some miracle you're still in one piece. Now, put your arms around my neck."

This was an order, not a request, so Leia lifted her heavy limbs and settled them over his shoulders as his wrapped his more securely around her waist.

"There you go. Piece of cake."

While she had suspected it, it wasn't until she dizzily sat up and looked around, that Leia confirmed they were utterly alone. Just her, Han and a whole heap of dull white snow. Except for this small tomb-like air pocket, its top making them crouch their heads, they were surrounded by snow and ice. It reminded her of hiding in cupboards and under the bed when she was a child. The world shut away. Her senses honed in the darkness.

Her breath and Han's was only sound that she could hear. As the claustrophobia settled around her in the dim light of the flickering lamp, dread crept up and settled deep inside her chest. Pulling back slightly, she watched as Han's eyes swung to hers. In the stillness she watched him read her feelings and the exact moment he stopped fighting to hide the truth.

With an arm still tucked around her, he lifted one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers, attempting an earnest smile. Leia braced herself, but oddly, it was reassuring that it was Han who was here and the one about to break the news. He hesitated, so Leia, doing what she did best, provided a diplomatic opening.

"It's bad isn't?"

Instead of immediately responding, he let go of her hand and briefly traced the sensitive skin along her jaw line, breathing softly and calmly. Centring himself. Then determined eyes snapped back to hers. The instinct to fight had returned. A man with mission.

"Not if I have anything to do with it Princess."

TBC….