Never Rains But It Pours
By Elektra
(elektrasfic (at) yahoo.co.uk)
Authors note: This is a challenge from the OZ list. Keep your eyes peeled for…
1. A Thunderstorm
3. A restored antique landspeeder
2. The color
indigo
4. A long lost letter
5. A practical joke.
The rain pounded down
relentlessly, the thunderstorm unleashing its fury on the planet below. The
road leading along the valley had effectively become a river, making pedestrian
travel impossible. The small speeder was almost invisible, pulled up under a
rocky overhang in an attempt to escape the torrent. As she watched a tree being
felled by the force of the water, Leia Organa reflected that this trip was not one of her better
ideas.
They'd set out an hour
earlier to inspect the positioning of the sensor network, despite adverse
weather warnings, in a restored antique landspeeder
the Alliance had picked up. Sadly the restoration had not extended to the
engine compartment, the bottom of which was now lying in the road. Along with the engine.
A blast of cold air caught
her by surprise as the driver's door opened and shut. She turned in time to see
a drenched Han Solo leap into the seat, spraying icy droplets over her. A
lightning flash illuminated the cockpit, revealing the water streaming down his
face from his slicked back hair. She watched intently as he stripped off his
blue shirt that was soaked to a deep indigo, admiring his muscular silhouette.
He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, his harsh breathing the only
sound in the cockpit. Looking over at his companion, he stated flatly,
"You people do not pay
me enough for this." Leia had to smile at that.
Here they were, practically shipwrecked and the man was quibbling about his
wages. Some things never changed.
"Han, according to you,
we don't pay you enough for anything."
"Very
true." He squelched as he
shifted in his seat to face her. "I'll have you know I've got an ever
temperamental ship and an ever hungry Wookiee to
support."
Leia raised a sceptical eyebrow. "It seems to me
that Chewie spends most of his time eating out the
Mess."
"That's only because he
doesn't like my cooking."
"You can cook?"
she asked in surprise, fishing for an invitation for some real food.
"What's it worth?"
He leaned toward her suggestively, his grin evident from the tone of his voice.
"Nothing you're going
to get Solo." Leia was surprised at her teasing
tone. Usually this was the point where she got snappy. Apparently having Han
Solo semi-naked only inches away was good for her tolerance levels. Although
not good for the part of her brain involved in rational thought, as she found
herself admiring his biceps for the third time in the past minute.
"So what are you going
to do when we get back to base?" It was a clumsy attempt to restart the
conversation, but if she didn't get her brain back on track soon, some of those
"Ah, fend of the scores
of beautiful women hungry for my body, wait for the
long lost letter telling me I'm the sole heir to untold millions, the usual
really." She had to laugh at that, was there anything this man took
seriously?
The ear-splitting thunder
crack made her jump out of her seat in shock. As she landed in his lap, Han
pulled her in close to him.
"Han, cut it out!"
she protested, trying not to enjoy the body heat he generated. Her fingers
tingled as she contacted the bare skin of his chest while trying to push him
away.
"C'mon Princess, what
are you afraid of?" His breath whispered in her ear and she had to
suppress a shiver.
"Your clothes are
wet." She had a sinking feeling she'd lost the fight already.
"So they are." His
mock surprised tone didn't give her enough warning. In one fluid movement he
opened the door, scooped her up and bounded out into the rain.
She squealed as the cold
water hit her, trying to curl herself into a ball to keep as much of her dry as
possible. She could feel Han's laughter through her increasingly wet clothing
and took a swing at his head. Before she could detach herself from his arms and
really vent her anger, searchlights cut through the curtain of rain. An