A/N: As promised, this is the follow-up to Waste away the darkest light about the morning after the Battle of Endor. It was inspired by the graphic novel/comic Shattered Empire that is part of the new canon and takes some elements from that story. I don't know if I'll ever write about the night before, but can we appreciate Claudia Gray for writing about it in Bloodline and making it canon? Bless the woman, I loved it.

I haven't been able to reply to any reviews in two days because this site sucks (really, get it together), so I wanted to say thank you to all the latest reviewers, and I'm afraid there's no smut here, only innuendo! The reason is I need alcohol and privacy, and I have neither most of the time.

Thanks to hewouldve for the help! Hope you guys enjoy this one, and let me know when my silly song titles start getting tiring (I'm not happy about 90% of my titles, so what can you do).

I hang my hopes out on the line

The calls of strange early birds outside woke Leia up and, for a moment, she felt disoriented with a sense of déjà vu. She had woken up to birds yesterday, too. Before then, though, she didn't remember the last time something like that had happened. Or the last time she had opened her eyes to the natural glow of dawn, instead of the artificial light of a ship, or to the warm feeling of someone next to her.

Except for yesterday. Leia stood still, staring at the wooden walls of the borrowed tree hut, drinking in every sensation. Today was starting the same way as yesterday, and yet everything was different. Yesterday they had been tense, guarded, wary of each other and the secrets they kept as they prepared for battle. Today was the beginning of a new era. The beginning… meaning nothing was really over; they were just getting started.

'Wake up, hotshot,' she said, gathering her hair and twisting it off to one side before she turned her head to look over her shoulder. 'We've got loads to do.'

There was a muffled groan behind her. Leia chuckled and drew an elbow back into Han's ribs. He stirred, and she had to clutch the roughspun blanket to her chest as he rolled onto his back.

'Didn't I help you overthrow an Empire yesterday, Princess?' he asked, his voice huskier than usual with sleep. 'Let a man rest.'

'You had last night to rest,' she reminded him, turning so that she lay on her back, too.

'I didn't hear you complain.'

'I'm not the one complaining now, either.' In truth, Leia wished they'd had a couple more hours of sleep. She was deep-bone tired, her shoulder still ached where she'd taken a laser bolt, as well as the several little cuts and bruises she felt all over her body, and the late celebrations—including her own in private with Han—had taken away precious resting time. Still, she wasn't complaining.

Han ignored her statement, perhaps knowing that he had no real argument against it and too tired to pursue the banter. He pushed himself onto an elbow instead and looked down at her.

'How's the shoulder?' he asked, nodding in its direction.

'Fine, just a little stingy.'

'We need to get you patched up for real before doing anything else.' Touching a small scab on her arm, he added, 'You could use a slathering of bacta, too.'

Leia rolled her eyes mainly to tease him, though she was touched. 'Yes, sir.'

He made a face and poked a knee into her thigh. Leia's fond smile faded as she stared back at him. 'Han,' she started. 'I'll understand if what you said last night was your first reaction and you want to... reconsider it. I promise I won't blame you.'

He was frowning at her in what she recognized as incredulity, but she had really needed to say it again, make sure he knew he had an out if he wanted it.

'I told you, I don't care where you come from.'

'But Vader—'

'Was your father before you found out,' Han cut her off, repeating in different words what he had already argued last night. 'It doesn't change anything. Not for me.'

He moved a hand under the blanket to lay it on her bare waist, his thumb brushing her side soothingly. 'You're still Leia,' he said.

Overwhelmed by words she knew were sincere and the aura of love she felt from him, like she had been the night before when she had told him, Leia felt the need to insist one more time.

'I don't want to hurt you.'

'You won't,' he said, brushing her hair away from her shoulder with his other hand and bending to kiss it.

'You don't know that.'

'Let me worry about that, sweetheart.'

He was moving his kisses to her collarbone now, the two-day stubble of his chin grazing her skin in a way she'd sorely missed, but she knew he wasn't just distracting her. It was pointless to keep pushing that particular point; he was as stubborn as she was.

Leia slid her arms around his neck. 'All right.' She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking of how to phrase her next matter of concern. 'So... you've finally made an official commitment to the Alliance, General.'

That caught his interest, and Han looked warily at her, as if wondering where this was going. She stifled her amusement before pressing on.

'Do you think, when this is over... do you think you could make a different kind of commitment?'

'If you're thinkin' of restoring the Senate and asking me to join, I'm afraid I'll have to draw the line there, Your Worship,' he said with a deadpan expression. Leia laughed, but the amusement didn't reach deep inside; she needed to hear his answer. He must have seen it in her eyes.

'You sure you want me to stick around?' Han asked, looking serious. 'You know I've got no land, no money, no big name.'

He didn't sound self-deprecating; he was being honest. She could sense his doubts, though. Just like he'd feared her real love was for Luke, on some level he thought that all he was wouldn't be enough for her once the war and the sense of immediacy it brought along with it had ended.

'I know that, and I don't care.'

'Yeah? You won't mind what people will say about you getting it on with a smuggler?'

Leia laid a finger on his jaw, making his eyes stop flitting around her face and stare back at hers. 'Let me worry about that, nerf-herder,' she told him, tilting her chin up.

'Count me in, then,' Han said before closing the space between them and kissing her.

Her insides fluttered as the last shreds of doubt dissolved. There was much to worry about, still, but she had this, something she was finally sure she could count on.

His hand was roving up her body now as the kiss deepened, and he orbited slowly above her. Leia had almost forgotten the reason why they were up this early when a comlink sounded nearby.

Han broke the kiss with a groan and pushed himself up to rummage about for his clothes on the floor. Leia snuggled into the blankets to make up for the loss of warmth as he answered the call. She heard Chewie growling on the other end.

'What was that?' Han asked, his back towards her. 'Yeah. All right. Damn them, yeah, I'll be there. Give me a minute, will ya?'

He started sorting out his clothes and putting them on, talking to her over his shoulder. 'They're decrypting some transmissions, looks like there's an Imperial holdout somewhere on this moon,' he told her. 'Gotta go talk to Madine.'

'We can't leave a group of Imperials here,' Leia said, sitting up. 'It'd be unkind to the Ewoks—they'd be in danger.'

'We won't,' Han assured her, putting on his belt. He saw her reaching for her own clothes and held out a hand. 'You're not joining in on this. Go to Home One with Luke, have someone see to your shoulder. Take the Falcon—if she still flies.' He twisted his mouth, remembering the state in which Lando had returned his ship.

She was going to argue, but on second thought, she knew she wouldn't be much help in battle with her shoulder the way it was, and she was probably needed up there anyway. However, Leia had another objection. 'But—'

'I won't be needing her for this,' Han said firmly before she could start. 'You come back for me later.'

He hadn't been able to pilot his beloved ship since they had flown into Cloud City, and he wasn't amused by that. Giving up the Falcon for Lando to lead it into battle, completing his declared commitment to the rebellion, had been his ultimate altruistic gesture... and now he was giving it freely to her.

Leia nodded, settling back on her elbows. 'Fine. Thank you.'

'No problem.' Han put his blaster into his holster at last, then dropped onto his knees next to her. He slid a hand behind her neck, fingers tangling into her loose hair, and kissed her again. 'See you later,' he said when he broke apart. He stood up and grinned down at her. 'Love you.'

She smiled back, impossibly wide. 'Love you, too.'

'Han?' Leia called when he was almost at the door. 'Make sure you don't take long; we have something to finish here.'

He chuckled, cocking an eyebrow. 'Finish? Sweetheart, we're just getting started.'