Summary: AU fic where Han and Leia have met once, before the Death Star

Note: Han is two years older than Leia in this fic

He couldn't get her out of his head. The girl, no, woman, he mentally corrected himself. That woman he had rescued from the Death Star weeks ago. Han laughed quietly to himself. Okay, she had rescued him and the kid but he wasn't about to tell her that. She was so familiar to him, her face and her hair. But definitely not her temper.

Could she be that little girl from so long ago? Han thought back to a more distant time, a time before Chewie, a time of living in an orphanage. There was one tiny bright fleck of a memory he often reflected on: the parade.

"What did you say?" Leia questioned next to him.

Han hadn't realized he had said those words out loud. Han and Leia were in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon on a supply run. Chewie was getting some sleep in his quarters. Han was initially on watch by himself, alone with his thoughts, when Leia quietly walked in, sitting in the co-pilot's chair, not saying a word. A haunted look had crossed her face. Alderaan, he mused. She had had another nightmare.

"Well, are you going to say anything?"

"Did you have another nightmare?" He was expecting Leia to lash out at him, but instead she just quietly replied: "Yes." Han noticed the dark circles around her eyes.

"When I have nightmares, I like to think of my happiest memories. I don't have a lot of them, but they do help."

Leia smirked, "Let me guess, they're all about your precious ship?"

Han chuckled, "Maybe a few, sweetheart, but not my happiest memory." Han continued, "When I was younger, some royal family came and visited my home planet, Corellia. I saw them in a parade. But who I really saw was their daughter. I was drawn to her. She was one of the few people who didn't look at me with disgust."

A look of shock crossed Leia's face, but all she said was, "Will you tell me about that day?"

Han looked a little unsure, but he thought maybe it's her. Maybe she'll remember too.

"It was awhile ago. I was ten. I still think of that day now and then. A parade and a girl, and a crowd of thousands."

Han recalled that the entire orphanage was invited to attend the parade. It was for a royal family that was visiting. Han didn't know why they were there or which planet they were from. Had they been from Naboo, Hapes, or Alderaan? At that time, all he knew was that he was out of his hell house temporarily. He remembered watching the floats, desperately looking for the one containing the royal family.

Then, from a distance, they appeared. They were hard to miss with all of the guards surrounding their float. The man on the float was tall, had tan skin, and a kind smile. The woman, the queen, he corrected, was beautiful. Her hair was in an elaborate braid. She looked absolutely regal. Then his eyes fell to the little girl sitting between them.

"She say straight as a queen. Only eight but so proud and serene. How they cheered, how I stared, in that crowd of thousands."

Han remembered how he started running towards the float shouting, "Princess, Princess!"

"Then I started to run and to call out her name as the crowd on the road went wild. I reached out with my hand and looked up. And then she smiles."

Han would never forget that smile or the kindness that radiated from the girl. The one person who looked at him like he was worth something. He sometimes saw that same smile on Leia, could it be her? He then recalled how the guards began dragging him away from the float.

"You're making me feel I was there too." Leia drew him out of his thoughts. She was remembering all of the parades she had been in as a little girl.

Han laughed, "Maybe you were. Make it a part of your story. Tell me Leia."

Leia had been in numerous parades as a child, but the one on Corellia jumped out at her. But no, he had to be talking about a different family. Maybe from Naboo. But she'll never forget what happened in Corellia.

"A parade passing by. It was hot, not a cloud in the sky. Then a boy caught my eye, in a crowd of thousands."

Leia recalled sitting between her mother and father, gazing into the crowds. She didn't wave; she was bored. These parades were all the same to her. Her mother suddenly cleared her throat and shot her a gentle but firm look. So she straightened her back and tried to appear as a princess. And then, she saw a commotion in the crowd. People were getting pushed to the side but she didn't know why. Then the answer to her question came running toward the float.

"He was thin, not too clean. There were guards but he dodged in-between. Yes he made himself seen, in that crowd of thousands."

She remembered the boy had started shouting, "Princess, Princess!" Just like Han said, Leia suddenly thought. She was getting nervous. Was the little boy from so long ago right in front of her?

"Then he called out my name and he started to run through the sun, and heat, and the crowd. And I tried not to smile, but I smiled. And then, he bowed."

Han was stunned. That's what he had done before the guards took him away. How did she know this?

"I didn't tell you that," Han stuttered.

"You didn't have too!" Leia gasped, "I remember!"

"The parade traveled on," Leia continued.

Han broke in, "With the sun in my eyes you were gone. But I knew even then, in a crowd of thousands, I'd find you again."

Han had found the girl from so long ago. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry but he needed some time alone to process this. He stood from his seat and began to walk out of the cockpit in a daze. Leia rose and put her arm out on his shoulder, "Han…"

Han glanced back and simply said, "Your highness." He gave a little bow like the one from all those years ago and walked to his quarters.

Leia lamely sat down in her seat and could only think that it was the first time Han had said those words without malice or mockery attached to them. One thing was for sure, she wasn't thinking about her nightmare anymore.