Amidst the Flowers and the Trees
                                                                                        by Dant Solo
 

 General Han Solo was tired of waiting.  There was always something
 getting in his way.  If he wasn't being called away on some mission, she was
 dragged to a meeting to go over some crisis somewhere.  Well, he wasn't going
 to take it anymore.  He was going to march into her office and pull her bodily, if
 necessary,  from whatever she was doing.  Today they would spend some time
  together.

It had been two months sine the Battle of Endor;  two months since he
 had finally declared his love for Princess Leia Organa.  He smiled in recollection.  Of
 course she'd known.  He imagined it must have been written all over his face on
 Bespin, in the carbon freezing chamber.

Since then, after Bakura,  their time together had been limited.  Not that they
 hadn't tried.  But something almost always seemed to come between them.   She was
 his entire reason for being with the New Republic, and yet he hardly ever got to see
 her.

They both had quarters here, on board the Star Destroyer Rebel Dream,  but
 he rarely spent time in his own quarters.  As soon as he returned from a mision he
 would head directly to Leia's quarters.  Many of those nights she would return very late at night, exhausted, but needing him as much as he needed her.

Han walked down the corridor towards Leia's office, his mind intent on a
 sole purpose.  They deserved some time to themselves.  And he was going to insure they got it.
 He had taken care of everything.
 

 Princess Leia Organa sighed deeply and rolled her eyes.  If she received one
 more communication from the leader of Matrikos, she was going to scream.  Leia was
 scheduled to journey to Matrikos the following week, to begin negotiations for an
 alliance between their system and the New Republic.  But with every message she
 received, there seemed to be new conditions and guidelines for her visit.  Everytime
 Threepio finished updating the file on Matrikos,  there was suddenly more
 information to be added.

She smiled weakly to her aide.  "Thank you, Sefta. I'll look over this
 right now."

Sefta placed the package of datacards on the Princess' desk.  She gave
 Leia an encouraging smile.  "Don't worry, Your Highness.  By this time next
 week you'll be there. The datacards will have to stop coming."
 Leia smiled wryly and reached for the package,  effectively dismissing
 Sefta.  As the young aide went back to her position in the reception room, Leia
 popped a datacard into her terminal and began reading, her expression growing more
 grim as she scrolled down the page.

Halfway through the document,  her inter-office comm system bleated.
  She reached over and turned it on.  "Yes, Sefta?"

Leia could hear the shy smile in the young woman's voice.   "Princess,
  General Solo is here to  see you.  Leia couldn't help but smile, first at the crush  Sefta
 seemed to have on Han, then at the thought of actually seeing Han, even if it could
 only be for a few minutes.

"Send him in, please."

Before she could look up at the door,  it was opening and Han was
 striding towards her,  that lopsided grin that never failed to make her weak
 planted firmly on his handsome face.  He came straight to her desk, bypassing
 the brown, nerf-hide chair before it, and leaned over, palms flat on the desktop, to
 bring his face close to hers.  As always, her stomach did a little flip as she looked
 into those dark, captivating, hazel eyes.

He kept his face inches from hers,  caressing her with his eyes.
  "Hey."  His voice rumbled in a deep whisper.

Her breath caught at the look in his eyes.  "Hey," she responded
 breathlessly.

 He smiled softly, then closed the distance between their faces,
capturing her lips with his own in a long, deep, slow kiss that made Leia's head spin.
 He ran his tongue across her lower lip, causing a shiver to run down her
spine.  He lingered at her mouth, reaching up to brush the backs of his fingers
 across her cheek.  When he finally pulled his lips from hers, they were both a bit
 breathless.

"Wow," he breathed.  "I almost forgot what that was like."  He cocked a
 challenging eyebrow at her.

Leia lowered her eyes contritely, then looked back up at him.  "I know,
 I'm sorry I've been so busy since you've gotten back.  After the trip to Matrikos
 next week I'll-"

 "Nice try,  Princess," he interupted.  "That's not gonna make it today."
  He cupped her cheek, slowly stroking her lower lip with his thumb, intently
watching the caress.

She arched an eyebrow at him.  "And just what is that supposed to
 mean?"  His attitude was quickly breaking through the haze of desire he had
 caused to wash through her.

He grinned. "It means, Princess, that I'm taking you out of here for the
 afternoon."

 "I'm afraid that's just not possible, Han."  She sighed.  She would like
 nothing more than to go with him, leaving her responsibilities behind.  She could
 think of nothing more enticing than an afternoon in her scoundrel's arms.  But
 unfortunately, she knew that was not an option, not with all the work she still had to
 do.

 "I'm not asking, Leia."

She saw the determined glint in his eyes, and realized suddenly that she
 might just be in trouble here.  "Stop joking around."

He took her face in his hands and fixed her with a hard stare.  "Do I look like
 I'm joking?"

 Dammit.  "Han, I'd love nothing more than to spend some time with you this
 afternoon, but I simply can't."

"You've got two choices,  Your Worship," he began, eliciting an angry
 glare at the old, teasing nickname.  "Either stand up and come with me quietly,  or I
 can pick you up and carry you outta here."

Leia's entire body went rigid.  "You wouldn't dare," she whispered,
 regretting the words as soon as they left her lips.

 His grin grew wider.  "Wouldn't I?  You should know better than to
 challenge me, Leia."  Without another word, he came around to her side of the
 desk,  picked her up in his arms  and, ignoring her cry of protest,  walked
 towards the door.

"Solo, you put me down!  Put me down right now!"

 He held her tightly, seemingly oblivious to her attempts to get free.  She
 continued to sputter as the door opened and they entered the reception area.
  Sefta looked up, eyes wide.

Leia pushed ineffectively at his chest.  "You're out of you mind, Han!
  Let me go!"

"Sefta, please cancel all the Princess' appointments for the rest of the
 day."

Leia was seething.  "Han Solo, you have some nerve!"  He started for
 the door leading out into the corridor.  "I won't stand for this!  If you think-"

 One hand poised on the controls for the door,  Han cut her off with a
 quick kiss.  "Leia, I'm about to open this door.  If you don't care who hears you
 yelling at me, well, that's fine.  But keep in mind, it's your royal reputation on the line
 here."  His eyes glittered with amusement.

 Her sense of propriety won out.  Eyes still blazing in outrage, she said
 through clenched teeth,  "Alright.  You win.  I'll go with you. But trust me, I'm
going to make your life a living hell."

He smiled and lowered her to the floor, slowly, forcing her body to slide
 down his.  He didn't respond to her vow, just palmed open the door and led her
 though.  He laughed silently when she shrugged off the hand he placed on her arm.
  He didn't mind her anger.  He had all day to soften her up.
 

 Han Solo piloted the Millenium Falcon the short distance from the Star
Destroyer Rebel Dream, to the Mon Calamari vessel,  Mon Remonda.   Beside him,  in
Chewbacca's oversized seat, Leia sat, fuming silently.  She hadn't said a word to him
 since they had left her office.  He wasn't worried though.  He'd break her down.

When he received clearance to board, he gently docked his beloved
 freighter in the docking bay and shut down all systems.  He stole a glance at
 Leia, found her sitting rigidly, her jaw set in  familiar anger.

Han stood to leave, but Leia sat firmly in place, staring out the viewport.
 "You coming?"

When she didn't answer,  he placed his hands on his hips and sighed.
  He would have to start repairing the damage now, apparently.  He went behind her
 and rested his hands on her shoulders.   "Sweetheart, don't be mad."

Her head snapped around.  "Don't be mad?  Han, who do you think you are?
 Some barbarian who can order me around?  What's next?  Are you going to drag me
 out of this ship by my hair?"

 He crouched down so that his eyes were level with hers.  "Ahh,
 Sweetheart,  I just missed you, that's all."

He saw her expression begin to soften slightly, then she caught herself
and her eyes hardened again.  "That does not give you the right to disregard
 my wishes like this."

He nuzzled her neck and whispered,  "I'm sorry, Leia."  He placed his
 cheek next to hers, enjoying the silky softness of her skin.  "Besides,  I have a
 surprise for you."

 She pulled her face away from his and eyed him suspiciously.  "What
 kind of surprise?"

"Well, now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?  I can tell ya
 this..."  He gestured towards a corner of the cockpit where a small, gray, plasteel
shipping crate sat.  "Part of your surprise is in that crate."

 Intrigued in spite of herself,  Leia sighed in resignation.  "Alright.  I'll go with
 you.  But don't think I'm through being angry with you."

He flashed her his most disarming grin.  "Sweetheart,  I wouldn't dare
 assume that."
 

 Hmmm....they were headed towards the arboretum.  She wondered what sort
 of surprise he could possibly have planned there.

The doors to the arboretum were locked.  That was odd, the arboretum
 never closed.

 Han flicked on his comlink.  "It's Solo," he called into it.  Seconds later, the
 door slid open, shutting behind them with a swish and the click of the
 locking mechanism.

 In spite of her confusion, Leia couldn't help but admire her
surroundings.  The Mon Calamari were truly masters of illusion.  As far as the
 eye could see, there was lush greenery and exotic flowers of every hue, from
 hundreds of systems.  It was easy to forget that you were even on a ship.  Trees
 from Ithor, Endor and many other planets extended into the holographic sky.
  Sensors regulated the lightning  to resemble the daily cycle of the ship, which
 was set to standard Mon Calamiari time.  Oddly, although it was midday,  the
 "sun" appeared to be setting.

An old Calamari male approached,  smiling at Han.  "Everything is set,
  General,"  he said in his gravelly voice.

 "Thanks,  Prelot."  Han took Leia's hand in his and smiled at her.
  "Looks like it's a go, Your Highness."

"What?  What are you talking about?"

 He didn't answer, only leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.  "You'll
 see."  He turned back to the Calamarian.  "We're set.  See ya in a couple of
hours."

 The Calamarian turned and disappeared through the trees.  Han, toting  the
 crate under one arm, led Leia down a path, over a small, covered bridge,  and past a
 row of tall bushes covered in yanora berries.  As they rounded the corner  behind
 the bushes, Leia realized that the bushes themselves formed part of an intricate maze.
  She allowed him to lead her through the beginning of the maze.  When they reached
 what seemed to be the middle, a large area about twenty square feet,  Han stopped
 and put down the crate.   Here, the bushes bloomed aromatic flowers of yellow with a
 starburst pattern of orange extending from the middle of the blossoms.  Leia had
 never been inside here before.  It was quite beautiful.

 He turned and wrapped his arms around her waist.  "Well,  Princess,
 what do you think of your surprise?"

 She smiled uncertainly.  "Well...it's beautiful here."  She gestured
 around them, then shrugged.  "But I still don't know what we're doing here."

He smiled gently, then bent his head to kiss her softly on the lips.  She
 returned the kiss, anger completely forgotten now.  When he pulled his lips from
hers, his eyes glittered.   "Now let's see what I have here in this crate."  He knelt
down and removed the lid and began pulling out dishes, a bottle of wine, and  packs
 of food.

 Leia's eyes widened in genuine surprise at the sight of Han yanking a
 blanket from the crate and spreading it across the ground.  "You brought us
lunch?" She asked dumbly.

"Only the best for a Princess."  He removed wine glasses and candles
 from the crate.  He stopped to light the candles, using the flame from his multi-tool.
 The Princess was touched beyond words.  This was the sweetest, most
 romantic thing Han had ever done.  It astounded her that it had even crossed his
 mind.  She recalled the meal outings she had shared with her family as a child on
 Alderaan. They had usually journeyed into the forest surrounding the palace,
  servants carrying intricately carved baskets of golden leaves, filled with many of her
 favorite foods.  The memories brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back,
 returning herself to the present.  She smiled, comparing Han's shipping crate to the
 elaborate meal baskets of her youth.  Somehow,  the crate touched her in a surprising
 way.

She knelt down next to Han and placed one hand across his cheek.
  "Thank you," she said simply, then kissed him tenderly.

He smiled, that goofy, adorable smile, before  losing himself in the
 sweetness of the kiss.   His hands moved to her shoulders, holding her firmly in
 place.  When Leia felt his hands sliding slowly down her back, she wrenched her
 mouth from his.

"Han, what if someone comes?" She whispered self-conciously.
 His mouth moved to her neck, sucking gently at her soft skin, making
 her forget where they were.  "No one's gonna come, Princess."  He slid his
 tongue up to her ear, his warm breath tingling against her skin.  "It's closed for
 the day.  I took care of that."

 "How..." She tried to concentrate on her words, but it was becoming
 increasingly difficult.  "How'd you manage that?"  She breathed,  her mind
 turning to mush at the heat of Han's mouth.

Suddenly he pulled back, just enough to look at her.  He grinned.  "I am a
 General, Sweetheart."

 As he tried to return to her neck,  she pushed at his chest, forcing him
 to stop and look at her.  "You ordered them to....Han, that's abusing your
authority."  The mild anger had returned to her eyes.

He sighed mentally,  realizing he had chosen a poor moment to admit
that to her.  He smiled contritely, not wanting anything to ruin their time
 together, especially when he had worked so hard to get them here.  "I just
wanted to do something special for us.  We hardly ever see each other
anymore."

 The boyish look in his eyes made Leia forgive him instantly.  Besides,
 he really had gone to a lot of trouble for her.  "Why don't we just eat, Captain."

He grinned and began opening food packs as Leia put a plate and a
wine glass out for each of them.  The sharp cry of a bird broke the silence around
 them.   They sat in the middle of the blanket and Leia poured the wine.  She peered at
 the contents of the food packs.  "Did you  bring anything good?"

He gave her a mock-wounded look.  "Hey, Princess, I brought myself.
  What more do you need?"

She tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile.  "Smartass," she muttered
 under her breath.

He cocked his head to the side.  "What was that, Princess?"

 "Nothing."

 "I'm almost certain you said something very unprincess-like."

 "Who, me?"

His face moved closer to hers,  gazing playfully into her eyes.
  "Yeah...," he drawled slowly.  "You."

She looked at him a long moment, trying to keep a straight face.  She bit her
 lip to keep from laughing.  "I would never."

He grinned wolfishly.  "That's what I always thought...till the asteroid
field."

 Leia moved her mouth towards his, then at the last second, lifted her
wine glass between them, grinning at his disapointed expression as she took a
sip.

He sighed deeply.  "That's okay," he quipped.  "I'll wear ya down."  He
 returned to the food, placing several shellfish on their plates.

Leia looked at her plate, then raised an eyebrow at Solo.  "Aren't those
 Raveelion arch crabs?"

"Yep, they sure are," he answered in a seductive tone.  "Try one."

Her voice took on an accusatory tinge.  "Aren't they said to be
aphrodisiacs?"

He stared deeply into her eyes and replied in a comically sexual voice.
  "Uh huh.  Try 'em.  Then I can have my way with you."  He wiggled his
 eyebrows suggestively.

She looked around them, then peered in the direction of the crate.
  "Where are the utensils?"

 Han's expression turned to confusion, then annoyance.  Eventually, he
looked at her sheepishly.  "I guess I, uh, forgot the utensils."

She surprised him by laughing and throwing her arms around his neck.  "I
suppose I should have expected that."

Indignant, Han was about to toss back a choice insult of his own when
 she stopped him with a quick kiss.

 "I guess we'll just have to feed each other," she whispered
suggestively, causing his heart to pound.

He grinned in return.  "See?  It all works out for the best."  He kissed her
 quickly one last time then moved from her embrace to pick up an arch crab and hold
 it teasingly before her lips.  "Open wide," he said in a low, husky murmur.

Eyes locked on his, Leia opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her the
 crab.  When she had chewed and swallowed, she licked her lips enticingly,  then
 burst out laughing at the look of longing on Han's face.   She briefly leaned against
 his shoulder before picking up a crab and feeding it to him,  smiling contentedly.

Around a mouth full of crab he said,  "This is how I like to see my
 Princess.  Relaxed and happy."

"Well, I don't have much time to relax.  I really shouldn't even be
  relaxing right now."

"But it's worth it, isn't it?  Admit it, you're enjoying yourself."  He
plucked another crab from the plate and placed it in her waiting mouth.

 She ate the crab then favored him with a dazzling smile.  "Of course I
 am.  I always enjoy myself with you.  Especially when you're acting like a
scoundrel."

 "I'll have to keep that in mind," he whispered.

When the crabs were gone, Han opened another food pack,  removing
spicy slices of nerf meat and small, round naridian potatoes.  The aroma of the
meat drifted up to her, making her realize just how hungry she was.  He divided
 them onto their plates and popped a strip of meat in his love's mouth.
 She chewed thoughtfully.  "Han, did you make this yourself?"

 He frowned.  "Why?  Is something wrong with it?"  He examined a piece
 before eating it with an intent look of concentration.

Leia laughed.  "No, it's delicious."

 "In that case, I should tell you I made it."
 "Are you lying to me, Solo?"

He gestured towards himself with a mock wounded look.  "Would I do a
 thing like that?"   Before she could answer, he quickly put a potato in her mouth.
 The young woman looked up at the "sky", which seemed to have darkened
 since they had arrived.  "Are you responsible for this too?"  She pointed upwards.

"Huh?"

"The dusk setting.  It should only be midday here."

 "Oh, yeah.  I had Prelot alter the day cycle."
 
"You thought of everything," she mused softly.
 
"Except the utensils."  He reached for the wine bottle and topped off both
 their glasses, then raised his towards her.  In turn, she lifted hers level with his.   His
 expression grew surprisingly serious.  "Leia, I love you."

 Leia's heart still jumped everytime she heard those words.  She smiled
 warmly.

 "I don't want to have to compete with the whole galaxy for your attention,"
 he continued quietly.  She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed his fingertips
 over her lips.  "Let me finish."
 
She closed her mouth obediently and waited for him to speak again.

 He stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand, a small, tender smile playing across his mouth.  "What I'm saying is, I want us to have more moments like this.  Together.  Alone."  He gazed into his wine glass a moment, then
 met her eyes and raised his glass a bit higher.  "To time alone."
 
Leia's eyes had filled with tears at the unexpected display of emotion,  but
 she raised her glass, echoed his sentiment and joined him in a sip.  Then, with a soft
 smile, she hooked her arm through his, angling her glass to her mouth.  "You are
 such a nerfherder," she said fondly.
 
He grinned.  "So I've been told."
 
She kissed him quickly, tasting the sweetness of the wine on his warm lips.
 His hand reached behind her head, and before she knew what he was doing, he had
deftly removed the clasps that held her braids in place and was running his hands
 through her dark tresses,  allowing them to flow freely down her back.   The
 environmentally controlled breeze caused her hair to sway slightly.
 
When he was done, he gave her a speculative look.  "So I'm a scoundrel and
 a nerfherder...do you have anything nice to say about me?"

 "What makes you think that's not nice?" She chided.
 
He smirked.  "Well, I know how much you like nice men."

 "Nice men are overrated."  She gazed at him invitingly.
 
He began to slowly move his face towards hers.  "Yeah...that's what I was
 trying to tell you...for about three years."  He lowered his voice to an enticing
 whisper.
 
She stifled a giggle.  "Maybe you should have been trying harder."
 
His lips were tantalizingly close now.  "What else could I have done?
  Dragged you into my ship by your hair?"
 
Now she did laugh, in soft embarrassment over her prior anger.  He cut her
 off with a breathtaking kiss,  gently parting her lips, delving deeply into the warm
 softness of her mouth.   Leia didn't know if it was the wine or the arch crabs,  but her
 whole body was tingling at the touch of Han's mouth.  The feel of his tongue was
 intoxicating.  She was barely aware when he gently lowered her to the ground,  her
 head resting in the soft, tickling grass, her body on top of the blanket.
 
His hands slid down her body in a rough caress,  making her forget where
 they were, forget everything but his touch.  He parted the front of her blouse and
 kissed the tops of her breasts,  his thumbs rubbing against her nipples, causing her
to moan softly.  His mouth returned to hers and he kissed her with more passion,  his
 own moans lost between her lips.
 
Without warning,  drops of moisture were falling across her face.  She could
 hear a quiet patter around them and broke away from Han's kiss to look with disbelief
 at the rain that was falling softly upon them.  She looked at Han and found her own
 shock mirrored in his expression.   She began to laugh.
 
"What's so funny, Princess?"  He was trying to keep a straight face, but
  Leia could see the amusement in his eyes.

 "Of all the things to forget..."  Another burst of laughter escaped her.  "Of
 all the..you didn't think about the rain cycle!"
 
Her gales of laughter grew louder, and Han just shook his head at her, that
 lopsided grin creeping slowly across his face.  "It's not that funny, Your
 Highnessness."  He ran a hand through his hair, the wet strands staying slick
 against his head.  He smiled at the delicate droplets that covered Leia's beautiful
 face.
 
Laughter subsiding,  Leia ran her own hand through his increasingly wet
 hair.  Her expression became wistful.  "Next week I'll be leaving for Matrikos."
 He sighed.  "When you get back,  I'll be leaving for the mission to the Tion
 Cluster.  Almost immediately."
 
Her tone grew quiet, and he could just hear her above the sound of the rain.
  "We really don't get enough time alone."  She stared at him intently, through the
 moisture on her lashes.  "When we're apart..."  She hesitated, and Han knew she was
 striving to say something that she felt very deeply.  "I miss you so much, it almost
 hurts.  It reminds me of why I didn't allow myself to feel like this before..."  She smiled
 softly.  "Before you wouldn't let me hide anymore."
 
He smiled tenderly and kissed her forehead.  "That's why we have to make
 the most of the time we have together."
 
"Yes, you're right."  She pulled his face down to her and brought her mouth
 to his ear.  "Maybe we should go back to my quarters on the Rebel Dream," she
 whispered seductively.
 
He kissed her again and slowly ran his hand from her ankle up to her inner
thigh, stopping at the critical juncture, hearing the soft exclamation of disapointment
escape her.  "I don't think I can wait that long, Sweetheart," he growled.

 "But, Han," she protested half heartedly.  "It's raining."

 "A little rain never hurt anyone."  He kissed her again and felt her entire
 body respond, pressing against him enthusiastically, her desire evident.  He leaned
 himself closer to her, letting his hips grind against hers.
 
When his tongue and teeth on her neck were causing her body to resume
 that insistent tingling, Leia realized that the feel of the rain against their bodies was
 not entirely unpleasant.  She arched against him and breathed softly in his ear.  "You
 just...might have....a point there, Solo...."   Her hands gripped his hair, and with a
 mischievous smile she rolled him backwards, levering herself on top of him and
 smiling dreamily into his eyes.  She smirked at the look of surprise on his face as she
 brought her mouth to his in a lingering kiss of passion.

 Soon, they were lost in a passionate fervor, and the rain was all but
forgotten.
 
 

END