Protect What Is Dear
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine they belong to
LucasFilm. This story is rated R but is part of a series that is rated NC-17.
Author's
notes: No betas have touchedthis.... spelling errors and grammer abound. Deal
with it.
Han looked out over the seedy. Typical
crowded sleazy, dirty place. The clientele were smugglers, thieves... that
sort. Just the sort of place he usually enjoyed. Except this time somehow Luke
had talked him in to letting him come along. What the hell was he thinking
there was no way his boy should be in this place, already there were quiet a
few appreciative looks coming in their direction. Unlike the first time he'd
seen the kid, Luke was aware of the glances, looks, and a few blatant stares
and he shifted closer to Han. He wrapped his arm around the young man snugging
him against his side. "Don't you go anywhere." He ordered softly.
Luke just looked up and nodded his eyes wide. The possessive action put an end
to most of the looks, but not all of them, and Han didn't like the looks in the
eyes of the few he could still see looking.
*** ***
An hour later Han found himself in a high
stakes sabbac game. Higher stakes then he liked but there was no way to get
right now. He watched as one of the other men fluked out and the card that was
about to destroy his hand swirled and shifted in his hand reforming in to the
queen of staves. Damn it. That was exactly what he'd needed.
"Sabbac." The man exclaimed in
delight. Most of the other players dispersed in disgust and the winner
disappeared swiftly all his winnings in hand.
"One more hand." The big man seated
across from Han rumbled as Han made to rise.
"I'm cleaned out." The smuggler
shrugged.
"Ahhh... but you still have one valuable
left in your possession." The man said looking pointedly at Luke.
Han felt the boy move more behind him as
though hiding from the old man's lecherous gaze. "No way."
"I'll give you a two million stake on
him."
"He is not a poker ante." Han
snapped getting angry as he felt Luke's light grip on him turn in to a clinging
hold.
"Five million."
"Look buddy I take it you don't
understand basic." The Captain growled. "No." Suddenly Luke was
yanked away from him. Han whirled to find an enormous man holding his boy.
"Let him go." All that accomplished was getting a tiny blaster raised
to Luke's head.
"Now my final offer is ten
million." The man smirked. "We will play this hand. If you win you
can take your boy and go. If I win. You go. He stays with me."
Han glared furious. "Fine." He
snarled. "But your thug lets go of him *now*. He's mine and he's going to
stay that way."
"Very well." The man waved to his
guard who released Luke who flung himself instantly at his lover. "But if
you fight when I win you'll just end up dead."
"You won't win." Han growled as he
pulled his boy in to his arms pressing a comforting kiss against his temple.
He watched as the cards were dealt his mind
reeling what the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn't lose Luke. He just
couldn't. Suddenly he felt something pressing in to his hand, glancing down he
saw Luke's hand covering his, when the kid slid his hand back up the Captain's
arm he saw what was now in his hand. A skiffter! Flipping it carefully over he
found it matched the cards they were playing with perfectly. Keeping hit
carefully concealed in his hand he reached to pick up the cards he'd been dealt
deftly switching the skiffter with a normal card.
A skiffter was a really low way of cheating
at Sabbac, but right now he didn't care. Unlike the normal cards, which shifted
their faces at random, the skiffter would switch when tapped on the side. He
watched as he other cards shifted and changed, keeping an eye on his opponent
who seem very pleased with his hand.. Suddenly he was holding most of an
Idiot's array. Cautiously he tapped the skiffter hoping it would choose the
right face quickly, to many taps would be a dead give away, and if he waited to
long the rest of his hand would change again and it would be gone.
The little card almost seemed to hear his
thoughts because it's first change brought the exact value he was missing. With
a crow of delight from Luke he thrust the cards in to the glowing field in
front of him that would keep the cards from changing so long as they were
within it's boundaries. "Sabbac." He said quite calmly.
"What?!?" The man exclaimed.
"Impossible, you cheated."
"Really." Han drawled. "Shall
we get the club authorities to examine the deck."
"NO!" The second exclamation was louder
then the first, confirming Han's suspicion that the deck had been rigged.
"Ahh then you won't mind if I keep it as
a souvenir." The smuggler said. "Now about that ten million."
Once the credits had been transferred Han
leaned across the table. "Remember this next time you try to fix the deck
against someone." He hissed, and with that he rose wrapped an arm around
Luke's shoulders and led him to the exit and outside.
"That will never happen again
Luke." The smuggler said in a low voice. The kid just nodded. "I
shoulda protected you better then that."
"You couldn't have expected it."
Luke said in a soft voice.
"But I should have, and I mean it. I
don't know exactly how, but I'll make sure no one can ever take you away from
me."