Saga While I'm alone--A Leia post-ESB songfic to "Dream a Little Dream of Me"--Vignette 25

Stars shining bright above you

It was one of those nights that could have been called perfect. Spring had finally arrived, bringing the air that made Leia want to breathe deep in order to take in the aromas of life that filled the atmosphere. The skies were clear and the moons were bright, so she should have been able

Instead, she awoke too many times with her breath coming in sharp, sobbing gasps. At other times, her eyes would snap open and she would find herself staring at the perfection of the stars while trying to remember how to breathe.

It was a perfect night, but she could never believe that.

Night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you."
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me

For all its perfection, the night was empty, so she closed her eyes once more and drove her thoughts back to another time and another place. It was easiest to keep the nightmares at bay when she could remember the almost idealistic life that Han had encouraged.

No restraints.

No regrets.

No looking back.

She had been too foolish, had held back too many times so that her voice had only found the words to love him out loud when she might never see him again.

No restraints.

She had restrained herself and she could not give a single good reason why. It had been pride or stupidity or simple blindness.

No regrets.

She regretted so many things that she had said and so many things that she had left unsaid.

No looking back.

She could do nothing but look back because there was so little promise for the future. She might die on any given day and he might never be released from that metal prison.

Say 'Nighty-night' and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me

But there was hardly anything to cherish about the past. She could remember the perfect way their arms wrapped around each other, even during the first kiss.

In her darkest moments, she simply let herself hear the words "I know." Before the trip to Bespin, she might have thought that they were words of arrogance, but she recognized now that they were a promise that her words would give him something to live for.

For the time being, they seemed to have succeeded.

While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me.

He was alive. Lando had confirmed that and claimed that the first hours were the most risky, but those all seemed to be empty promises.

The longest he had heard of someone being trapped in carbonite had been five days. Today, it had been four months.

Reports varied, but it was generally acknowledged that the prisoners were sometimes awake. She could not imagine what it was like to be trapped in that eternal moment of agony, but she found herself hoping that he would slip out of consciousness more often than not.

Stars fading but I linger on, dear,
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear,
Just saying this

She should have used the time that the nightmare had forced her to live. There were so many things that she could be doing.

Until she had something to distract her from the nightmare, however, she would not be able to work. So, instead, she inhaled the spring air that reminded her of a first embrace on Yavin or a conversation on Abrax and remembered.

She had learned quickly that, if he held her close enough, her muscles would still remember the pressure of his arms against her back or the pressure of his lips against hers. She had concentrated hard in those first days on retaining the memory.

She hated herself for every time she was unable to even remember by instinct what he smelled like, much less how strong his arms felt.

Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

Bail always said that wishes were worth as much as the air that saying them expended and that actions were as valuable as their intentions. Every day, she found a different way to continue the search, to

 

Not cheesy. Good try.. just purely sweet and romantic. But then I love Sap

 

Yes, sweet and I think a little cheesy, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

Definitely not cheesy. Flowery and romantic with a touch of sadness, all done tastefully. I like it, at any rate.

 

Well, it might have been cheesy if it wasn't a song that couldn't be so obviously tied to this particular situation. But guess what? It can (and to think that another person besides myself noticed the possibilities of this song and the Han/Leia/carbonite angle).

Very short and sweet. Again, it works very well with the lyrics, and if you're going with the Cass Elliott version, it also can work in an odd and wistful way with the stand-up piano and guitar in the background. Put both together, and you create a dreamlike, vaguely melancholy, yet semi-optimistic kind of feeling. (Now, if you're going with some of the earlier jazz versions, those might be a little too polished. Not so wistful, although still nice in their own right).

Sorry, rambling...anyway, gorgeous piece you wrote.

 

___Sithspawn___--Oh, good! I like flowery and with a touch of sadness. Thanks!

leiamoody--Okay, well, glad that definitely worked. I have long wanted to make this connection. Yes, that is exactly the version I was doing it based on. Thanks!

 

Great viggie. I've been gone or I would have posted sooner.

 

Perfect! Poor Leia, her pride (& his) prevented them from recognizing what they had until the last minute. Now she's stuck with the dreams and regrets.

 

Nice songfic! Wonderful job (as usual)