TITLE: Strong Enough to Say Goodbye
AUTHOR: Pebbles
CATEGORY: H/L romance, married, mid-The New Rebellion
SPOILERS: Minor one, for The New Rebellion
SUMMARY: Han and Leia say goodbye before a mission
RATING: PG-13? Please, please, puh-leeze honor the rating, kids. This
is an adult story
ARCHIVE: Not without permission; please play nice
THANKS TO: Brandon, Kate, Kelley, LeiliaXF, and Noelle
FEEDBACK: Adored at [email protected]
DISCLAIMER: Oh, yeah, they're not mine. Dang it.



He kissed her deeply, passionately. As if he would never be able to
kiss her again.

He had nearly lost her in the explosion that rocked the Senate Hall; had
nearly lost her many times over the years, too many times to count. Han
was suddenly, acutely aware that the next time Leia was in peril, his
luck could run out. If she had never known it before, tonight Han
would make sure his wife knew exactly how much she meant to him.

He tightened his arms around her, drawing her body closer, overwhelmed
by the need to love her right here, right now. Leia came willingly,
trembling in his embrace, and Han felt the familiar heat begin within
him.

Tearing his lips away from hers with a low groan, he buried them instead
in the crook of her neck, below the dark waterfall of hair that hung
well past her knees. Leia's breath caught in her throat, her head
lolling to one side in silent invitation for him to further explore.

For countless moments he worshipped at the altar of her neck, enjoying
the taste of her skin, her scent wafting into his nostrils and fueling
his growing desire. Nothing in life for him equaled the pleasure of
making love to this woman, his woman -- Leia, his princess forever.

Slipping an arm beneath her knees, Han scooped her off her feet and into
his arms, holding her close while his mouth worked at the delicate skin
behind her ear. Slowly and deliberately, he backed towards the large
bed that lay waiting just a few short steps away.

He reached it in a heartbeat, and lowered her gently onto its surface,
her hair fanning out beneath her as she lay against the coverlet. She
was the most beautiful woman in the universe. And she was his.

It frightened him sometimes to realize how much he loved her. She made
him ache. She made him whole.

"I love you," he breathed, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to tell
her, before he had to leave her again. Before they might be torn apart
forever.

She smiled tenderly, brushing his hair back from his brow, her manner
soft and loving. "I know," she murmured, her eyes filling with tears.
"But show me again," she finished in a whisper.

So he showed her.

He showed her by praising every inch of her skin with his lips, his
hands moving smoothly and skillfully over her body, stopping between
tours to return to that exquisite patch of skin beneath her ear. He
made her alternate between moans and sighs for a timeless period,
finally bringing her to cries when he claimed her again as his own.

They rocked together, skin on skin, intimately attached, their souls
joined as soundly as their bodies. Before long her cries escalated so
that he covered her mouth with his and took her shriek within himself,
crossing the point of no return as the excitement of making her feel
this way took him to nirvana.

Afterward he turned them onto their sides and held her close, her ear
pressed against his thumping heart, her breathy "Han, Han, Han" stirring
the hair on his chest.

"I've got you, Princess," he told her, tightening his arms, turning her
face up to him so that he could kiss her mouth. He brushed his lips
against her cheek and was not surprised to find moisture there. He knew
she wept for what might be, with the knowledge that every time they made
love, it could be their last. All he could do was make it good for her
each and every time. In all their years together, there had never been
a bad time.

He kissed her tenderly, smoothed her tousled hair away from her face.
"I love you, Leia," he rumbled in a voice choked with emotion. "Love
you with everything I've got. Don't you ever doubt it. Don't you ever
forget it."

Her eyes filled again with tears, tears that brimmed over and fell
heedlessly as she kissed him fiercely, her arms holding him tightly.
"And I love you, dearest husband," she breathed against his lips.
"Carry that with you tomorrow when you go. And bring it back to me when
you come home."

Tomorrow he would have to leave her. Again. Tonight belonged to them,
and to them alone. In case there never was another.

They loved each other throughout the long night, and in the morning were
strong enough to say goodbye.



Feedback makes Pebbles' toes curl. Curl 'em at [email protected]