Growing Up Solo

Chapter One *Revised*

The mood was bustling with excitement. Everyone from Ewoks to Rebel pilots gazed up at the afternoon sky, seeing debris clutter the atmosphere, indicating the destruction of the second Death Star and the defeat of the Empire.

Leia looked up at the exploding Death Star and smiled slightly to herself. She knew Luke had made it off of the Battle Station. She could feel it, even if she didn't have much experience with the Force, unlike her brother.

"I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew," Han assured her as they sat on the forest floor, looking up at the blue sky filled with debris.

"He wasn't, I can feel it," Leia said with a shake of her head, looking at the forest around her, lost in her own thoughts.

Han studied Leia's facial expressions. He had no connection with the Force, but he knew what she was thinking. "You love him," he said, watching as Leia turned her gaze to him, "Don't you?" He asked, preparing for her answer, even if it wasn't one that he wanted to hear.

Leia stared at Han, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. "Well yes," she said.

Han looked at her and nodded his head slightly. Just as he predicted, it was an answer that he expected, but wished it was different. "Alright, I understand. When he comes back, I won't get in the way," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. Han watched as Leia smiled a bit at him, confusion clouding his mind.

Leia reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small scoff. "It's not like that at all," she said to him, seeing the confusion on his face. "He's my brother," she added, waiting to watch his reaction.

Han sat in silence as the truth was revealed to him. Her brother?! The whole time he thought she had feeling for Luke he was her brother! This was the best news that Han could have ever received. He turned his gaze back towards Leia when she moved a hand from his shoulder to his cheek. The shocked look still lingered on his face as she leaned in, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.

When they both finally pulled back, Han was smiling from ear to ear, as was Leia. That's when Han swooped in for another passionate kiss, tangling his fingers in her braids behind her head.

Her brother was alive, the Emperor was dead, and the objective the Princess and her father, the one that raised her, had been aiming for most of her life was accomplished.

She should have felt like cheering, but instead, a nagging fear kept tickling at the back of her neck. How was she going to tell Han about her father? The man responsible for all of this was her father.

Her fears were temporarily pushed aside as celebrating humans, Ewoks, and a certain large Wookiee caught the Princess and Smuggler up in their joy.

Later that evening, Leia had decided to come clean to Han about her family. She told him everything that she knew, from finding out Luke was her older twin brother to Vader being her father.

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Han looked over at Leia as she greeted the fellow Alliance members, thanking them for their help in the fight against the Empire. She was absolutely breathtaking. He found his eyes following her as she walked through the gathering, making sure no one made a move on her. Han propped himself up against a tree, smiling at Leia as she rolled her eyes with a grin and a shake of her head.