Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luke knew that something was wrong as he sat with Leia in the medical facility, anxiously anticipating the medic droid's diagnosis. He couldn't quite explain it, but he could feel that something was amiss in the force. And it seemed to be coming from Leia. She seemed to notice this too, as she turned to look at him. To anyone else, she would've appeared the picture of calm composure, but Luke knew her well enough to pick up on the signs. The set of her jaw as well as the tiniest glint of fear in her eyes.

Then there was the obvious pallor of her skin. Although, that could have simply been from her being sick for over a week. That was why they had come to the medic in the first place. She'd been nauseous almost constantly, unable to keep any food down and barely managing to sleep. Being as stubborn as she was, Leia had fought against the idea of going to the medic for several days, insisting that it was just a stomach bug and that it'd pass with time. After a full week of this, Luke finally managed to convince her to go on the conditions that he go with her and that it be done privately so as not to attract attention. The last thing she wanted was to alarm the Rebellion.

“What's taking so long?” Leia asked impatiently. “I mean, how long does it take to read a scan? Threepio could have done it faster!”

Luke shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say to either of those questions. He couldn't deny that it did seem to be taking longer than usual, considering the medic's admittedly advanced programming. It made him worry what the droid had found. “I'm sure it's fine. He's probably just taking his time, making sure he doesn't accidentally miss something.”

Leia grumbled something inaudible, but conceded the point and leaned in to him as he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Sure enough, the medic droid soon returned with the blood sample. Both Luke and Leia straightened at his approach, though Luke kept his arm around her, his grip tightening slightly.

“Well?” Leia urged. “What did you find?”

The medic droid rolled to a stop, pulling something up on a screen before turning back to them. “You appear to be undernourished, no doubt from your lack of appetite, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. I’ll prescribe you some medication to help with the nausea and you should be fine.”

“So, there’s nothing wrong?” Luke asked. He had to be sure.

The medic droid shook his head. “Affirmative, they both appear to be in good health.”

The wave of relief that washed over him was overwhelming. He felt some of the tension lessen from Leia’s shoulders. However, it was short lived as he realized the droid’s strange response. “What do you mean by ‘both’?”

“Miss Leia and the baby of course.” The droid started to turn away, moving towards his station, none the wiser to the effects such a statement had on his patients.

“What!?” Luke and Leia exclaimed in unison.

Luke’s head felt like it was spinning out of control, struggling to grasp the information he had just been presented. Leia and the baby… Then that would mean…

“I-I’m pregnant?” Leia stammered, her whole body going tense once more.

The droid nodded. “Nearly five weeks along from the scan.”

The two of them remained sitting there, almost as if frozen in place. Five weeks along… That would mean… Luke never got to complete that train of thought as Leia tore herself from his arms and ran. Snapped from his own shock at her actions, he reached out to try and stop her, but she was too quick and evaded him. Without thought, he got up and went after her, pursuing her down the hall and through the base.

Almost everyone had retired for the night, but a few staff still remained and turned to them in passing, no doubt wondering what was going on. Luke didn’t allow himself to dwell on it, his focus solely on Leia. He chased her all the way to her bedroom, where she promptly dashed in before slamming the door behind her. Luke heard the lock click moments before he reached to open it.

“Leia, open the door,” he called out to her. Moments passed without any sound of movement on the other side. She was always a stubborn one. “Please, just let me in!”

If he listened closely, he could make out the sound of muffled sobbing. She was crying. The thought alone broke something inside of him. Leia wasn’t one to cry easily. The only time he could recall her ever doing so was right after he had rescued her from the Death Star when she was mourning the loss of her home planet. The fact that she was crying now spoke volumes.

There was a part of him that thought it might be better to let her be, to give them both a chance to process everything better, but at the same time he feared that if he left she might never open up to him again. The thought of that pained him more than anything else. And so, taking a step back, he reached out a hand and reached out with the force, willing the door to unlock for him. He acted quickly once he heard the tell-tale click, pushing open the door and stepping inside before she could try to stop him again.

Inside he found Leia collapsed across her bed, her face buried in her pillow, fingernails gripping the bedding so tightly that he could see the whites of her knuckles. And now that he was inside with her, he could determine that she wasn’t merely sobbing, but also screaming hysterically. He quickly reached back to close the door behind him. This was not something she would want any random passersby to witness.

He approached her slowly and reluctantly, not entirely sure what she would do. He didn’t reach out to pull her to him or even so much as touch her, but instead sat down on the edge of the bed beside her while he waited for her to calm down. This allowed him enough time to put his own thoughts in order.

Leia was pregnant. He could hardly believe it, and yet he knew it to be true. If he reached out with the force and focused really hard, he could just barely make out a tiny life hidden within, glowing with the force. The medic droid said she was about five weeks in, which meant… It wasn’t his.

Eventually she stopped screaming and sobbing and picked herself up enough to wipe her eyes. And even after she sat up, she purposefully avoided his gaze. That only served as further proof. “It’s Han’s, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.

She laughed, and Luke was taken aback by it. Usually he loved the sound of her laugh, how pleasing and musical it was, but this was different. There was something deeply disturbing about that laugh. Something broken and wrong.

“I almost wish it was,” she spat. “Anyone would be better than him!”

Luke furrowed his brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

She was silent for a spell, in which he could tell she was fighting against her anger, her fists clenching and unclenching regularly. Her eyes shut tightly, as if trying to push some thought from her mind. “Five weeks ago was when I was held prisoner on the Death Star,” came her reply.

It took Luke only a minute to figure out what she was referring to. He felt the blood rush away from his face as the realization hit him like a herd of banthas. Leia had never spoken much about her time on the Death Star. She downright refused to, either snapping or changing the subject whenever anyone asked about it. Now he knew why. She hadn’t just been tortured. She’d been raped as well.

“Do you know who it was?”

She nodded her head, slowly turning to return his gaze. And he could see it in her eyes that it wasn’t good. “Darth Vader.”

To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He didn’t really know what he had been expecting, some random empire general or perhaps even a stormtrooper perhaps, but this… He couldn’t help but think back on what Ben had told him about the Sith Lord.

He’s more machine than man now, Ben had claimed. Clearly he was still man enough to rape and impregnate Leia. A former pupil of mine, who served as a Jedi Knight before he turned to the dark side… He betrayed and murdered your father… Luke had never been one to hold grudges or even truly hate someone to the point of wanting to kill them, but Vader seemed to be an exception. An exception that he wasn’t unwilling to make. Force knows he had more than enough reasons to hate him.

“I’m so sorry, Leia,” he croaked, lowering his head in shame. “I didn’t save you soon enough.”

Soon after, he felt her draw close to him, reaching out to lift his head so that he was looking back at her. Her brown eyes shone with both sorrow and understanding. “It’s not your fault, Luke,” she insisted. “There was no way you could have saved me from him. It happened almost as soon as I was captured. You hadn’t even found Artoo and Threepio yet.”

He knew that deep down she was right, and yet it did nothing to squash the guilt that had welled up inside of him. If only he had found the droid sooner. If only he'd gotten to her sooner. He shook his head. There wasn't much use in dwelling over it. It wasn't like he could go back in time and stop it from happening. He didn't know all that much about the force yet, but he didn't think it was possible. Or if it was, he wasn't powerful enough to do so.

All he could do was live in the moment and be there for Leia. And that was exactly what he planned to do. Wrapping an arm around her once more, he pulled her into his embrace, which she thankfully didn't fight against. She clung to him the same as he clung to her, both finding strength and solace in each other's arms.

“What are you going to do?”

Leia shook her head. “I don't know.”

“Whatever you decide, I'll be there to support you.”

She pulled away from him just enough to look up at him, a weak smile tugging at her lips. “I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, Luke.”

And then she reached up to kiss him. Luke leaned in to kiss her back, pouring out every ounce of love and adoration he felt towards her. He felt the same way as her in the way that he didn't know what he had done to deserve her either.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about this?” Leia whispered.

Two weeks had passed since the startling discovery of Leia’s pregnancy, and Leia had made her decision. Her and Luke currently stood preparing to enter the main hangar where all the pilots of staff had gathered upon their request.

Luke nodded his head as he reached out to link hands, giving hers a reassuring squeeze. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life," he assured her.

She smiled back at him before assuming her usual confidant stance, shoulders squared and head held high. Only then did they step forward to greet the waiting crowd, silence falling over the hangar at their approach. Han and Chewie stood at the front of the crowd, noticing their joined hands before giving them a knowing look.

“Thank you all for taking time to be here today,” Leia began. “I know these are trying times we live in, and it is my hope that this announcement will bring some much needed light and hope to our lives.”

She took a deep breath, casting one last glance towards Luke, to which he nodded his head in reaffirmation, before continuing. “I’m sure that at least some of you have noticed that Commander Skywalker and I have grown closer recently and have been spending more and more time together.”

The pilots nodded, mumbling amongst themselves, making it clear that most if not all had noticed this.

“We all know you’re together,” Han called out. “You’re not exactly good at hiding your feelings for the princess, kid!”

Chewie roared in agreement.

A chorus of laughter broke out among the crowd. Luke ducked his head to hide the flush of his cheeks. Leia couldn’t help but smile. She had to agree with them on that. Luke wore his heart on his sleeve. Not that it was a bad thing. On the contrary, it was one of the things she loved about him. And she reached up to kiss him on the cheek to express that exact notion. Judging by the way he looked at her, his eyes shining with love, she knew that he understood.

“Luke and I are indeed together, and we are pleased to announce that there will be a new member of the rebellion in the coming months.”

The room was once more engulfed in silence as the full meaning of the announcement washed over them. Leia couldn’t help but stiffen, fear rising within her. Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze, shifting slightly so that he was a bit closer.

However, their shocked silence soon gave way as cheers rang out, the sheer volume of their applause filling the hangar. Leia felt herself relax, and Luke lessened his grip on her hand. Staff members and pilots came forward to congratulate them, not even bothering to contain the joy that was evident not only on their faces but in their voices.

Leia did her best to smile and appear every bit the happy expectant mother. She was happy, or at least a part of her was. However, there was a part of her that couldn’t help but be reminded of the truth of the situation. That the baby wasn’t actually Luke’s. It was a secret that she and Luke had decided to take with them to the grave. No one else would ever know who the real father was. No one else could ever know. She wouldn’t allow it.

She had to admit that she felt guilty about it all, especially the idea of dragging Luke into it. Technically she hadn’t dragged him in at all. His willingness to stay with her despite it all was honestly astounding. She would have understood if he hadn’t wanted anything to do with her. A lesser man probably would have ran off and abandoned her, but not Luke. He truly was one of a kind. And she honestly didn’t know what she would do without him.

“Might I just say a hearty congratulations to you Mistress Leia and Master Luke,” Threepio said.

Artoo let out a string of happy beeps before the two droids shuffled away to make room for the next well-wishers. And before long, Han and Chewbacca stepped forward for their turn.

“You sure didn’t waste any time, kid,” Han joked as he reached out to ruffle Luke’s hair. “What’d you do, sneak off with her as soon as we got off the Death Star?”

Luke let out an awkward chuckle, reaching up with his spare hand to scratch at his neck. “Something like that.”

She knew that Han was just teasing, as he was well known to do, but still she felt a bit uncomfortable with how close it was to the truth.

Han chuckled as he slapped Luke on the back. “If you ever get tired of changing diapers and being nagged by her worship over here, you come find me, alright? We'll have some fun.”

Leia scowled with disapproval at the nickname. She never did like it when he called her that. And maybe she did nag him a bit, but it wasn't that bad. And besides, she nagged Han more than she ever did Luke. Unlike him, Luke didn't need to be nagged.

Luke rolled his eyes. “Sure, Han.”

Some of Luke’s pilot friends from Rogue Squadron came to congratulate him next. “So, does this mean you're going to put a ring on her finger? Make her Mrs. Skywalker?” Wedge elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

Luke swatted his arm away. “Maybe, I mean, I'd like to one day. That is, if she'll have me.” At that, he cast a quick, nervous glance over at her, as if he thought she'd reject the idea.

Leia just smiled. “I'd love to be Mrs. Skywalker some day.”

Luke’s face practically lit up at that, like she had just made all of his dreams come true. And perhaps she had. Luke Skywalker truly was too good for this galaxy, and definitely too good for her.

Later that night, after everything had calmed down from their announcement, Luke and Leia returned to their room. They had decided that it was better for them to share a room rather than each having their own, as it would no doubt make it easier for them in the months to come. Luke was lying in bed, wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms, his mind lost in thought as Leia finished getting ready in the refresher.

She had been in there for a while, and Luke had reached out with the force more than once to check up on her. She was still feeling nauseous, mostly whenever her medication wore off, but otherwise was doing well. Thankfully, she had been eating better and getting more sleep. Still, he couldn’t help but worry about her. It never went away, and a part of him suspected that it wouldn’t until the baby was born. Or perhaps it would only increase when that happened. Then he’d have to worry about both Leia and the baby.

He was going to be a father. It hadn’t entirely sunk in yet. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder whether he could actually do this. He didn’t have much experience with kids, having grown up an only child with no cousins to play with. He never even had a father himself. The only person who had even been remotely like a father figure to him was Uncle Owen. Their relationship had never been all that great. There were many things they fought about over the years. Owen was always strict, and wasn’t afraid to punish him when he did something wrong, which often seemed like everything.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that he didn’t want to be like him. He might not be the baby’s biological father, but he swore that he’d do his best to make sure it had a happy upbringing, that it would know that it was loved and wanted. He would never raise his hand to physically harm the child, no matter what happened or how bad it acted.

He tore himself from that train of thought in time for Leia to slip out of the refresher, now dressed in only a thin, white nightgown. Her hair was undone and left hanging in long loose waves that spiraled down her back and to her waist. The sight of her took his breath away, and he was reminded of the first time he had ever seen her laying there in her cell. She was so beautiful. There were no words to properly describe her.

And the way she glowed with the force. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something about it that drew him instinctively to her. Noticing his gaze, Leia’s cheeks flushed pink as she crossed over towards him and climbed into bed with him. Luke gave her a few minutes to settle in before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close against his chest.

It was strange sharing a bed with someone, though not necessarily in a bad way. In a way, it was nice to have someone there, to hold in your arms and wake up to in the morning. After having lost so many people in his life recently, it was a comfort to know he wasn’t alone. He might have lost one family, but he had gained another where he least expected it.

“Did you really mean what you said?” Leia asked. “About marrying me, I mean.”

He shifted her around so that they were laying face to face. “Of course I meant it. I’d marry you right here and now if you wanted.”

Something in her eyes softened as she lowered her gaze. “I wouldn’t want you to feel obligated to do so, just because of my… situation.”

Reaching out, he cupped her face in his hand, gently urging her gaze back to meet his. “I’m not doing anything out of obligation. I’m doing this because… I’m in love with you, Leia. I have been ever since I first saw you on that hologram. And I’ve fallen even more in love with you every day since we met.”

Her eyes, which had started to mist with unshed tears, widened at his proclamation. “You… You love me?”

Luke nodded his head. “I’ve seen both you at your worst as well as at your best, and I can honestly say that there isn’t a single thing about you that I don’t love. I truly and deeply love you. Nothing in this entire galaxy could convince me to leave you, not willingly anyway.”

She bit down on her lips, pressing her eyes closed tightly as if trying to fight against the urge to cry. The hormones had made her a bit more emotional than she usually was, something that she hated with every fiber of her being. She had been forced to be strong for so long that she had convinced herself that to let herself cry was a sign of weakness. And Luke considered it his duty to prove to her wrong in that aspect.

“I love you too, Luke.” She reached up to wipe away the stray droplets of water that had managed to fall. “And I would be honored to be your wife.”

Not able to hold back any longer, Luke leaned over to close the distance between them and claim her lips under his own. His hands couldn’t help but wander down the sides of her waist, tracing her delicate curves that had yet to change, and she let him do so. Still, he was careful about the way he touched her, just as he had been every time they were intimate with one another.

At first he thought it was just because she was apprehensive to be with him, but now he understood that it was because there were scars, both internal and external from her experience on the Death Star. The last thing Luke wanted was to cause her to remember him. That was another thing Luke considered to be his duty. To make her forget. He knew it was unlikely that she would ever forget it entirely, and he didn’t expect her to. He just wanted to replace the one bad memories with enough good memories to outweigh the bad.

It wasn’t long before all remaining articles of clothes were off and their bodies were joined together. And they made love to each other until they were both too tired to go on, eventually falling asleep in the safety of each other’s embrace.

Chapter Text

Luke could fix moisture vaporators with his eyes closed, bullseye womp rats in his T-16, and even hit a thermal exhaust port to blow up the Death Star, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out how to properly put on a fancy dress suit. He let out a sigh of defeat, letting his arms fall back to their sides after what felt like the hundredth failed attempt.

A chuckle sounded from somewhere beyond his line of sight. “Need a hand there, kid?” He turned to find Han standing there, leaned up against the doorway, with a teasing grin tugging at his lips. Luke rolled his eyes at him. Despite being the best man, Han had opted out of wearing a formal suit, much to Leia’s disapproval. Instead he had gone for a slightly more well kept version of his usual clothes.

“Do you even know how to put on a suit?” Luke asked.

Han nodded as he pushed himself away from the door and crossed over towards him. “Just because I don’t like them, doesn’t mean I’ve never worn one.”

It was hard for him to imagine someone like Han wearing a fancy suit. Then again, he supposed it was possible he might have worn one in order to sneak into a high class party to smuggle something. Either way, he let his friend take over from him, watching as his surprisingly nimble fingers fastened each button and folded correctly.

“I’m sure her worship will be able to help you out of it come the honeymoon.” Han winked at him as he finished and took a step back.

Luke’s cheeks flushed at the comment, but otherwise he brushed it off as he turned to look himself over in the mirror. He still looked like himself, and yet at the same time he had clearly changed. There were a few key features like the tan of his skin from long hours spent working out under the heat of the twin suns, as well as the long, sun-kissed blonde hair, that stood as a testament of his origin, but he wasn’t quite so scrawny anymore, having developed more of a healthy body weight. His facial features had lost almost all of the softness of youth.

If Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru had still been alive, they would have said he looked like a man. As much as it hurt to think about them, he still found some comfort in thinking that they would have been proud of him. Maybe not for going with Old Ben to try and become a Jedi like his father, but for everything else he had achieved. There he was, twenty-years-old, a pilot for the rebellion, soon to be a husband and father. At the very least he knew Aunt Beru would be proud. Unlike his uncle, she always hoped he would go off and follow his dreams. She always knew he was meant for more than that of a farmer’s life.

“How are you feeling?” Han asked. “You ain’t getting cold feet, are you?”

Luke shook his head. “Not a chance.”

“Good.” As much as Han and Leia didn’t get along, he knew that neither of them truly hated each other. Han cared about her in his own way too. There might have been a time when Luke feared he might try to steal her for himself, but he knew better now. Han had made it clear that he wouldn’t get in their way.

“Thanks for being here.” Luke knew that Han would have to leave eventually. He still had to pay back his debts to Jabba the Hutt. Still, Luke hoped that he’d come back when that was done. The Rebellion would miss having a good pilot like him. And he would miss having a good friend like him.

Han, who had never been one to be overly emotional or sappy, just waved it off. “We better get going,” he said, as he started back towards the door. “Wouldn’t want to keep her worship waiting.”

Luke grinned as he followed after him. No, he definitely didn’t want to do that.

The entire Rebellion had gathered for the ceremony in the base’s grand hall, forming two groups on either side of the aisle. Luke stood before the altar at the very front of the room, doing his best to compose himself in the face of so many people. To his right stood Han, followed by Wedge, Chewie and Artoo, who had been appointed as groomsmen. Then there was Threepio, holding in his hands a small cushion with a pair of nearly identical gold rings.

It felt like just yesterday he was standing up on that podium alongside Han and Leia to receive his medal of service. And now he was standing there, waiting for the first glimpse of his bride to be. It felt almost too good to be true, like a dream he'd wake up from at any moment. He picked himself for extra measure, a wave of relief washing over him at the pinch of pain he felt. It wasn't a dream. It was all real.

A hush fell over the room soon after and the doors were flung open to reveal the procession behind. Luke’s eyes flew at once to that of Leia. He couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped his throat at the sight of her. She looked like an angel as she started down the aisle towards him. She was dressed in a gown of pure white lace, with a swooping neckline and long flowing sleeves. Her hair was mostly left hanging, with a single large braid wrapped around the top of her head and two smaller ones hanging from either side.

As she grew closer, he was able to see her face more clearly. Her skin was practically glowing, a small, bright smile tugging at her lips. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as they met his gaze. And then she was at his side, and it took every ounce of willpower not to take her in his arms right then and there. There would be more than enough time for that later.

No sooner were they standing side by side, then the officiant stepped forward to begin the ceremony. “Thank you all for joining us today, as we gather to celebrate the blessing of matrimony between these two people,” the officiant began. “The love that Commander Skywalker and Princess Leia share is proof that even in a world that is consumed by darkness, there is still light to be found.”

Leia reached out to take his hand in hers, giving it a meaningful squeeze, as if to affirm the officiant’s words. That he was the light to her darkness. He squeezed her hand back to show that he returned the sentiment. If he was her light, then she was his.

The officiant went on to speak more about the sacredness of life and the bond that all living beings shared in the force. Out of the corner of his eyes, Luke caught sight of Han rolling his eyes, not even trying to suppress the yawn he let out. No doubt he was tired of listening to him ramble on. He never had been one to believe in the force. Leia clearly noticed this too, as she shot him a warning glare.

The officiant turned to face him. “Do you, Luke, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in times of sorrow and joy, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

Luke nodded his head resolutely. “I do.”

The officiant then turned to face Leia. “And do you, Leia, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in times of sorrow and joy, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Leia nodded with equal resolution.

Threepio stepped forward then to present the rings. A blessing was said over the rings before they both took turns sliding them onto each other’s finger.

“Then by the will of the force, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The officiant clasped his hands together in finality. “You may kiss the bride.”

Luke didn’t need to be told twice, as he reached out to take Leia by the waist and pulled her into him, claiming her lips in a passionate kiss. All at once the hall erupted with the sounds of thunderous applause. Artoo let out a series of overly excited beeps. Chewie roared loudly. Even Han couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his face. Happiness truly was infectious.

There was a short reception dinner to follow, where they were served fresh fruit and cuts of meat, the best that the Rebellion had been able to find on such short notice. Some of the staff members, who also happened to have come from Alderaan, pitched together to bake them a wedding cake. Luke was in awe of the creation, never in all his life having seen such an extravagant looking cake. It was a three-layered, vanilla cake with white buttercream frosting and decorated with what he’d been told were Alderaanian roses. Leia looked as though she were doing her best not to cry, clearly appreciating the thought behind it.

After everyone was finished eating, they got up for the dance that followed. And Luke couldn’t help but get a bit nervous at that. He had never been much of a dancer to begin with, but with Leia’s guidance, he managed to make it through the steps with relative ease.

“So, if you’re a princess, does that now make me a prince?” Luke asked as they swayed slowly in place to the music, Leia’s head resting on his shoulder.

“Sorry to disappoint you, flyboy.” Leia giggled. “You’re only a prince in my eyes.”

Luke smirked at that. “That’s more than good enough for me.”

Eventually the reception as a whole came to an end, and everyone followed the newly weds off to the hangar where a ship was ready and waiting to take them to their honeymoon destination. It had been difficult to arrange, what with the ongoing war, not to mention the empire’s presence on almost every habitable planet, but Luke had managed to find a lesser known system in the outer rim.

There was an tropical island on the planet, mostly uninhabited save for the local wildlife, and best of all, no imperial presence. It would be just the two of them there for a whole week. Well, the two of them and Artoo, who insisted on coming along as an extra precaution. Luke thought it was unnecessary, but didn’t argue the point. He’d never say no to having Artoo around.

Waving goodbye, Luke and Leia boarded the ship. Luke sat down at the captain's seat and took hold of the controls, and after flicking a few switches and pushing buttons, they were off zooming through hyperspace.

Chapter Text

Leia was seriously starting to wish that Darth Vader had blown up along with the Death Star. At least then she would have had some peace of mind that the monster was dead. Unfortunately, he was still very much alive and still very much hunting after them. Hence why they were currently rushing to board the Millenium Falcon, practically abandoning their base. She didn’t know how he had found them, but somehow he had.

Her initial instinct was to stay behind as long as she could to make sure everyone else got out on time. She had protested against the idea of being among the first to evacuate, but eventually gave in at the thought of what would happen if Vader found her again. The mere thought of seeing him again ignited the panic in her, along with memories that she had fought tooth and nail to suppress.

Sometimes at night, as she lay in bed asleep, she would dream that she was back on the Death Star. The dreams always started the same, with her being shoved into her cell, soon to be joined by Vader himself. She would refuse to acknowledge his presence at first, as she did her best to not appear frightened or show any sign of weakness in front of him.

“Padme…” It was always the same name he called her.

At that, she turned to face him. She had no idea who that was, but she got the impression that he had mistaken her for this ‘Padme’. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but never got the chance as she felt something tighten in her throat, preventing her from breathing. It didn’t take her long to realize what was going on, having heard reports of Darth Vader’s sorcerer's ways before. How he could manipulate the force to choke a person without even laying a finger on the person.

“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t see through this disguise of yours?” he asked as he slowly advanced towards her.

Leia wanted nothing more than to back away, to get as far away from him as she could, but found herself unable to. It was almost as if her whole body had been paralyzed.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you betrayed me!” Vader snapped at her. “I loved you! I would’ve given you the galaxy, but you chose him instead. And now look at me. Do you see what your precious Kenobi did to me? Do you have any idea what lies hidden behind this wretched suit?”

All she could do was listen as she gasped for air, feeling a painful pressure begin to press against her lungs. She thought she was done for, but then Vader took her by surprise and let her go. At once, the spell was broken and she collapsed to the floor at his feet in a heap, breathing heavily to catch her breath. However, her relief was short lived as he reached out with his actual hands this time and hauled her up to her feet.

“I won’t let you leave me, not this time.”

Then, before she could even fully process what was happening, he had slammed her back against one of the cell walls, pinning her in place against the cold, hard exterior of his armor. She fought to get away, but his hold on her was much too strong. What happened after that was something of a blur, as she had closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see what was happening. She remembered the sharp, agonizing pain that shot through her when he forced himself upon her. She remembered screaming, lots of screaming. And then she blacked out for a while. The next time she came to, Vader was gone, but the evidence of what he had done to her was obvious.

She shook such memories from her mind, forcing herself to focus on her current reality. Not only was Vader after her, but he was after Luke as well. They couldn’t afford to let Vader find them.

No sooner were they on board, then the ship shot out into space, hurtling through various different maneuvers to dodge any and all pursuing imperial fighters. Leia couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it all, which wasn’t helped at all by the bout of nausea she felt. With Luke’s help, they managed to reach the refresher in time for her to empty her stomach of every last piece of food she had eaten so far that day.

Luke was soon called away by Han, who needed him to help man the guns. Apparently they were going to need to blast their way out. She didn’t dare venture too far from the toilet as she waited with bated breath for the battle to be over and the unsettling movements with it. And she cursed Vader yet again for his relentlessness, causing her additional discomfort.

It was only after the ship’s movements had steadied and she could no longer hear the sounds of gunshots being fired that she got up and started towards the crew quarters. There she was reunited with Luke, who helped her recline back in one of the bunks.

“I take it we got away?”

Luke nodded his head, his eyes looking her over as if to make sure everything was alright. “How are you holding up?” he asked in response.

She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned her head back against the padded wall, her hands reaching out instinctively to rest against her belly. She couldn’t help but stare at it. She was nearly six months along in her pregnancy now, something that was made painstakingly obvious by the sheer size of her belly. There was no use trying to hide it, as there wasn’t a single thing she could do or a single article of clothing she could effectively wear to cover it up. It was there for the galaxy to see.

“How far are we going to have to go in order to hide from him?”

Slowly, reluctantly almost, he reached out to place a hand over hers. “Until we find somewhere that's safe. I've heard some of the higher ups in the Rebellion talking about building a secret base on Hoth. That should be safe enough.”

She had heard the same. Hoth was a barren arctic planet that very few dared to visit. The Empire practically ignored it, seeing as the conditions were considered unfit for most life forms. In theory, it was the ideal place to hide. Relocating there would buy them some time, perhaps a few years if they were lucky. At the very least, it should give them safety long enough for her to give birth.

She shivered, not sure which disturbed her the most; being stuck on a frozen planet or giving birth.

“What's wrong?” he asked, as if sensing her change in mood.

“Nothing, it's just…” she hesitated to share, not because she thought Luke would think poorly of her because of it, but because she herself felt guilty. “Do you really think I’ll be a good mother?”

His gaze softened. “Of course I do.”

Luke was always so optimistic, always able to see the best in others, even when they couldn’t see it themselves. And he never seemed anything less than sincere. It was clear to see that he genuinely thought that. It was one of the things she loved most about him. She only wished she shared in his confidence.

“What if I don’t love the baby?” she asked. “What if I’m reminded of him whenever I see it.”

He shifted closer to her, and keeping one hand pressed against her belly, raised the other to cup her cheek. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. I think that, in your own way, you already love the baby, even if you don’t realize it. You wouldn’t have decided to keep it if you didn’t. You wouldn’t be going through such an effort to keep it safe and away from Vader’s clutches.”

He does have a point there, she begrudgingly acknowledged. She had never considered herself the most maternal person. She knew she could be difficult at times. Her tongue was known to inflict just as much damage as her blaster. Sometimes even more. She remembered that her father used to claim that she was just overly passionate. And that was true. She both loved and hated with such a passion that it threatened to overwhelm her at times.

Her heart ached at the thought of her father. And of her mother, both of which she never even got to say goodbye to. It was this feeling of loss that had, at least partially, convinced her to keep the baby. While the baby’s conception might have been less than ideal, to put it mildly, it was still hers. She had lost so much. Her family, her world. And in those hours that she had spent locked up on the Death Star after witnessing Alderaan’s destruction, she had felt like she was all alone in the world. And then she met Luke. Luke and this baby were her family now. The only family she had left.

“I’m not going to let the Empire take my family away from me again,” she vowed.

Luke nodded his head as he reached out to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going to let that happen either.” And she knew he understood exactly how she felt. They were the same in that way.

Chapter Text

Luke hadn’t thought it was possible to love Leia anymore than he already did, but the later months of her pregnancy spent on Hoth had proven otherwise. It was strange. He was so used to her being the strong one, always keeping everyone else in line, that it had taken him a bit off guard to see her increasingly leaning on him for his support and even help. The more her belly grew, the more simple, everyday tasks became a challenge for her.

Now, at nearly nine months pregnant, she could do little else but stay in bed all day, much to her frustration. She hated the idea of being helpless with every fiber in her body, and told him so quite regularly. Luke took it all in stride, knowing that despite everything, she did appreciate him.

However, it was in the quiet moments at night where they cuddled together in bed, with nothing between them but a blanket, that Luke found himself most content. He couldn’t help but marvel at the woman in his arms, his eyes tracing over every inch of her bared body, slowing at the swell of her breasts and coming to a complete standstill at her belly. Their hands entwined as they moved in soothing circular motions over the firm stretched skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.

Leia must have heard him, as she let out a scoff. “I think you’re blinded.”

He shook his head at her, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. “Blinded by love, perhaps.”

She rolled her eyes, but he noticed the way her lips twitched upward ever so slightly. She liked being told she was beautiful, even if she didn’t entirely believe it at times. And he had absolutely no quarrels with telling her so.

Noticing her shiver, he pulled her closer into his side while also pulling a second blanket over the two of them. To say that it was cold was an understatement. If ever there were a place that was the complete opposite of Tatooine, it was Hoth. Such an abrupt change in temperature had gotten to him only a week into their stay, causing him to catch a cold. His body clearly wasn’t used to such frigid temperatures.

Leia took a few moments to reposition herself, heaving herself from flat on her back to her side, an act that rendered her out of breath as she collapsed back against him, letting her head drop to his shoulder. And in that position, her massive belly was firmly pressed against him, giving an idea of the sheer weight in which Leia had to carry around on a daily basis. No wonder she had trouble moving.

“I still can’t believe there are two of them in there,” Leia said with a slight groan. “That stupid, defective medic droid.”

Luke could hardly believe it himself. It came as a surprise when the medic droid announced that Leia was carrying twins. Apparently he had been unable to tell during the initial scans. Leia was so mad that, had it not been for the weight of her belly holding her back, she might have made a lunge at the poor droid and tried to dismantle him.

He chuckled, which earned him a stern glare from Leia. He responded in turn by pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Maybe we should look into updating his programming.”

She nodded her head in agreement. “Who knows how many patients he’s misdiagnosed at this point.”

That was indeed a troubling thought. How many more lives could have been saved on account of having a fully-updated medic droid. And even more disturbing was the thought of complications arising during the birth of their children and the medic droid making yet another mistake. The thought of losing Leia like that… It filled him with dread.

No, he shook those thoughts from his head, refusing to let himself even think like that. Leia was one of the strongest people he knew. If anyone could pull through giving birth to twins, it was her. Still, he decided that he would personally see to it that the medic droid was fully-upgraded before the birth occurred. At least that was something he knew he could do. He had always had a knack for fixing things.

Just then, as if sensing that he was in need of a distraction from his thoughts, there came a nudge against the palm of his hand. Leia winced at that. The twins were kicking again, much to their mother’s annoyance. They had a habit of being particularly active at night when she was trying to sleep. Between their kicking and her having to go to the bathroom every half hour or so, it was a wonder she managed to get any sleep at all.

“I’ll be so happy when they’re out,” Leia said with a sigh. “At least then I can actually tell them off when they misbehave.” Despite the words themselves, there was no malice to be found in her tone, or even in her expression. Frustration and irritation, yes, but not hatred. If anything, her eyes softened when she felt one of them kick her hand.

Luke let his hand rest there for a while, reaching out with the force to make a connection with them. It took a little while, but eventually he found them, two miniature life forms that shone so brightly in the force. He felt a wave of relief wash over him everytime he felt their warm, light. They hadn’t inherited Vader’s darkness, something he was grateful for. He and Leia had agreed that the twins would never know the truth about their conception, that they would never know who sired them. As far as they were all concerned, Luke was their father.

And even though he didn’t like the idea of lying, he was more or less alright with the decision. It was strange, but he already felt like their father. His heart swelled with more love than he had thought possible when the two tiny force signatures reached out to meet with his own. It was something like a force hug. It was clear that they recognized him and accepted him as such.

“I can’t wait to actually hold them in my arms,” he admitted. “To see them with my own eyes and watch them grow.”

Leia smiled at that, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair fondly. “You’re so sweet, Luke Skywalker. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d be fine.”

She shook her head adamantly. “No, I don’t think I would be.”

Leaning in, Luke pressed a gentle yet passionate kiss to her lips. “You don’t have to worry about that, because I’m not going anywhere.”

She hummed with contentment as she kissed him back with a fervor that left his head spinning. Her libido, which had greatly increased during the second trimester of her pregnancy, had since been tamed. Although, that was partially due to the fact that her belly made it increasingly difficult. Still, Leia was determined to make love to him as much as she could while she was still pregnant. She had made it very clear that she had no intention of falling pregnant again anytime soon, if ever again.

Luke couldn’t hold that decision against her. It was only fair, considering everything that she had endured in the duration of her pregnancy. Besides, he figured that they’d be much too busy raising the twins to even think about it for years to come. If they were anything like Leia and the stories she had told him about when she was a child, they were in for one heck of a ride.

Chapter Text

The twins had the absolute worst timing, as Leia found out when her water broke in the middle of a mission briefing. She had been experiencing spells of pain off and on the entire day, but initially thought nothing of it, having had numerous false alarms before. It was just Braxon Hicks. Or so she thought. Her theory was promptly eliminated when she felt something pop, followed by a stream of warm liquid trickling down her leg.

She immediately stopped mid-sentence and looked down at her feet. A puddle had already begun to form at her feet. When she glanced back up, she saw that the eyes of the entire rebel fleet were on her, waiting with confused expressions on their faces. She silently thanked the force that they were seemingly unaware of what was going on.

“Leia, what’s wrong?” Luke stepped forward to join her at her side. It didn’t take him long to take notice of the liquid sloshing around his feet, his eyes widening with realization. “Is that…”

She nodded her head. “It’s time.”

Chaos broke out as one by one each of the rebel pilots caught on, and it soon became clear that the mission would have to be postponed. The younger pilots were all freaking out, clearly at a loss for what to do, while the older pilots kept more of a level head and tried to calm them down. Chewie let out a piercing roar as he and Han fought their way through the crowd towards Luke and Leia.

The next thing Leia knew, Luke had swept her off her feet into his arms and started carrying her out of the hangar to the medical facility. Han and Chewie and the two droids followed shortly after. More than once she tried to insist that she could walk on her own, but Luke didn’t listen. It surprised her that he never once faltered or showed signs of dropping her, as she knew all too well just how heavy she was. He didn’t necessarily look it, but Luke was strong.

A wave of particularly strong pain struck her as they came upon the medical facility. She let out a groan as she forced herself to breathe through it. Luke stopped in his tracks to let Han and Chewie duck in front to open the door for them for them to pass. Leia was changed into a plain white medical gown and settled into position on the bed. Han and Chewie were promptly shooed from the room by the newly updated medic droid went to check her dilation.

She was at six centimeters, whereas she needed to be at ten, which could take many more hours to reach, as the medic droid informed her. Had it not been for the fact that she needed the medic droid for the delivery, she might have tried to rip him apart with her bare hands. She calmed down once the pain relief they administered kicked in. Luke, bless his soul, took to the role of doting husband and soon-to-be father with ease, offering her endless support in every way he could think of. He let her lean on him when the contractions came and helped her to get up and walk around in an attempt to speed up the process.

Eventually the time came for her to actually give birth. The droid reached out to spread her legs in preparation. Leia flinched at the cold, mechanical touch on her skin and she closed her eyes to repress the memories that came of a similar touch. She forced herself to focus on Luke’s touch instead, feeling the reassuring presence of his hand on her shoulder, the other holding firmly to her own.

The next couple of hours happened as if in a blur with Leia pushing with all of her might. There was more than one instance in which she was tempted to give up, but she pushed through it. She had come too far to give up now. The twins needed her. Luke needed her. The rebellion needed her. She was nothing if not a fighter.

“You’re doing great, Leia,” Luke encouraged her. “Just one more push.”

She wanted to snap at him. He just kept repeating the latter part over and over again. One more push, one more push, one more push. It never seemed to end. She tried to stay positive, but it grew increasingly hard the more time went on.

And then she heard it. A piercing cry filled the air as she felt the first baby successfully leave her body. She allowed herself to let out a shaky breath, her eyes watering as she turned her head to look over at Luke. Her eyesight was blurred a bit from all the water, but she could still make out that he was smiling. Their attention then shifted, and Luke let go of her hand as he went to go and take the baby from the medic droid’s arms.

Reaching up with her hands, she rubbed the water from her eyes in time to see Luke return with the newly swaddled bundle in his arms. Her heart was beating so fast that she was half convinced it was going to shoot clean out of her chest. She was equally excited as she was afraid at that moment. Excited to finally meet her baby, but at the same time afraid of what she’d see.

Luke must have sensed her confliction as he reached out in the force to send her a wave of reassurance. It was strange, but there was this close bond between them that had been there basically since the moment they first met. They understood each other in a way that no one else did. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a girl,” he announced as he leaned over her side to show her the baby. “A beautiful baby girl.”

A girl…

It took a few moments for that to register in Leia’s mind. A girl… She had a daughter. Some invisible weight was lifted from her chest as she turned to look into her newborn daughter’s face. Her skin was bright red from crying, her eyes scrunched tightly shut, but all of those things were to be expected. There was absolutely nothing abnormal about her appearance. She had a cute little button nose and tiny pouty lips. And from what little she could see of her head underneath the blanket, she appeared to have a head full of dark brown hair. The same as hers.

“S-She’s perfect.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time to focus on just how beautiful and perfect she was, as she began to feel the urge to push again. There was still one baby left inside of her, trying to get out.

The second round was somehow both easier and yet harder at the same time. If anything, her determination to see it through to the very end was renewed. Having already seen her firstborn, she was reassured that there wouldn’t be anything abnormal about the second either. Before long, another set of lungs joined the chorus of crying as the second baby made his arrival.

Luke went to collect it as well, adjusting the baby already in his arms to make room for its sibling. “It’s a boy,” he announced as he came back with both of them.

Leia couldn’t help but stiffen slightly at that. A boy… She had a son. A hint of reluctance crept back in as she gazed down upon him. However, it vanished a moment later, as she realized that he was the same as his sister. He was beautiful and perfect in every way. They both were.

“Do you want to hold them?”

She nodded her head, reaching out with both arms towards them. He handed her the girl first, giving her a moment to get settled with her before handing her the boy as well. With both of them laid out across her chest, they started to calm down enough to stop crying. They looked up at her with their big, matching blue eyes. There was nothing of anger or hatred towards her, only the purest love. It was as if they already knew who she was.

Something shifted in Leia at that moment, and she knew that she would never be the same again. If ever there had been any doubt about her ability to love those babies before, it had completely vanished. The love she felt for both her son and daughter was overwhelming. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. There were no words to describe the intensity with which she loved them. And casting a glance over at Luke, she knew that he loved them the same.

She was so wrapped up in the love she felt for her family that she barely even noticed the medical droid as it took to cleaning up the after effects of birth and roll out of the room. A little while later, the medical droid came back with Han and Chewie following after. The big, rough and tough smuggler stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on the four of them and Leia could have sworn she saw his eyes soften.

He broke free from his temporary paralysis to join Luke at her bedside. “How you feelin, your worshipfulness?” he asked as he flashed her his signature cocky grin.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Tired, but otherwise alright.”

He nodded his head in acknowledgement before turning to Luke. “What about you, kid?” He gave his shoulder a squeeze. “How’s it feel to be the father of twins?”

Luke’s gaze never wavered from that of Leia and the twins. He looked at them the same way he used to look out into space. In awe. “Out of this world.”

A period of comfortable silence followed. No words were needed. Everyone was content in the moment. The twins took to breast feeding with next to no trouble and fell asleep soon after. Leia offered to let Han hold them, to which he adamantly refused, insisting that he’d probably just end up dropping them. Leia doubted that, but didn’t press the matter.

“So, have you come up with names for the munchkins yet?”

Luke and Leia exchanged a look, seeming to have a silent conversation before they nodded their heads to one another.

“Jaina and Jacen Skywalker.”

Chapter Text

Luke swore his heart would give out on him when he woke up in the middle of the night to check on the twins and found that Jacen wasn't breathing. Or at least, he wasn't breathing properly. It was just barely audible over the sound of his crying, but if you leaned in really close, you could hear that he was wheezing with every breath. It was a startling revelation. He wasn't crying because he was hungry or even needed his diaper changed. He was crying because he was in pain.

A sudden panic overtook as he sprung into action, rushing back over to bed where Leia still laid, trying to get some sleep. “Leia, wake up!” he shouted, shaking her awake. Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to wake, reaching up to rub her eyes as she rolled over to face him. Then she stopped, no doubt sensing his panic. He felt her panic rise as well.

“What's wrong?” she asked, her voice groggy and disoriented. “Is the base under attack?”

“Something's wrong with Jacen's breathing!”

She was up and out of bed in the blink of an eye, racing over to the crib that the twins shared on the other side of the room, Luke following soon after. Carefully she scooped him into her arms and lowered her head so that her ear was almost pressed to their son's chest. Her face turned pale dramatically as her head shot straight upward soon after.

“We’ve gotta get him to the medical facility!”

Nodding his head in agreement, Luke moved to grab both his and Leia’s coats, helping her slip hers on before slipping into his own. Then he scooped up Jaina, who was crying as well, no doubt sensing her brother’s pain, and hurried with his family out the door. They ran as fast as they could through the base. All the while, Leia held Jacen firmly against her chest underneath her coat , hoping and praying that the skin to skin contact would keep him going until they could get him help.

Somewhere along the line, Artoo joined up with them, beeping up a storm as he seemed to realize what was going on. He followed them all the way to the medical facility, where he helped them power up the medic droid, which was powered down upon their arrival. It took the medic droid a few moments to orientate himself enough to function properly enough to get to work.

Laying Jacen down on the same cot he had been born on only a week before, Luke and Leia watched closely as the medic droid strapped an oxygen mask that was much too big to his face. After a few moments of having it on, he seemed to calm down considerably and stopped crying, which in turn made Jaina stop crying as well. With Jacen seemingly stable for the time being, the medic droid was able to conduct a full body scan.

Those minutes they waited to hear the results were the longest either of them had ever experienced. Even worse than when they were waiting to hear what was wrong with Leia all those months ago. Eventually it got too much for Leia. “What’s wrong with him?!” Leia snapped.

The medic droid, which had been leaning over Jacen for the duration of the scan, straightened and turned towards them. “There appears to be an extensive amount of damaged tissue in his lungs.”

Luke didn’t consider himself an expert in the field of medicine, but that didn’t sound good. Even Artoo seemed to think so, as he let out a sound that sounded oddly like a whimper. “What does that mean?” he asked. They had been taking good care of the twins, or so he thought. They’d been careful to make sure they were perfectly safe and secure in their crib and made sure they stayed nice and warm. He couldn’t think of a single thing they had done that would have damaged his lungs.

“It is a chronic illness, not entirely uncommon among newborns,” the medic droid explained. “It usually occurs in those who were born prematurely, but there have been some rare exceptions.”

“So, it’s not fatal?”

The medic droid shook his head. “Negative. The survival rate of newborns with Chronic Lung Disease are high, though the symptoms do occasionally return later in life.”

“Any idea what might have caused it?”

“It could be caused by a number of things, but all things considered, it seems most likely to be something he inherited.”

And just like that, the cold seemed to press down on both of them, every inch of warmth fleeing from their bodies as they turned to exchange a look with one another. The murderous look in Leia’s eyes was all that Luke needed to see to know that she was thinking the same thing. Vader. It was a well known fact that Vader had a respirator built into his suit. He could hear the sound of his mechanical breathing echoing in his head, taunting him almost.

They had initially thought that they had gotten lucky, that the twins were without any evidence of their unfortunate sire. Clearly they had been wrong. Jacen had inherited something of Vader’s lung problems. It made Luke wonder… What else had the twins inherited from him.

“Can you check to see if Jaina has the same damage in her lungs?” Luke requested as he stepped forward to lay her down on the cot next to her brother.

The medic droid nodded and rolled himself around to scan the girl as well. Minutes passed as he ran the scan rays up and down her squirming body. Apparently she wasn’t all that fond of being scanned. Or maybe she was afraid of the droid itself. It was hard to say.

“Negative. The girl does not appear to have any such damage to her lungs. Or anywhere else, for that matter. She is in perfect health.”

It came as a relief to know, even if not a complete relief. The fact that Jacen was struggling with such damage, and likely would for years to come, was still a pressing factor. They kept him on the oxygen mask for a while before attempting to remove it. He seemed to be able to breathe normally on his own after that. The medic droid suggested they keep an oxygen mask on hand from then on, in case Jacen should suffer a relapse, and to bring him in regularly for check-ups. They promised to do just that and took their leave.

Leia managed to keep herself surprisingly held together until they returned to their room and settled the twins back into their crib. No sooner were the twins asleep then Leia made a hasty retreat to the adjoining refresher. Luke followed after her, shutting the door behind them so as not to disturb the twins.

Leia was leaning over the edge of the sink, her body trembling uncontrollably, and through her reflection in the mirror, Luke was able to catch sight of tears streaming down her face. Reaching out, he gently moved her around to face him. The murderous look in her eyes was still there, only dampened by the water welling up in them.

“I’m a horrible mother.”

Luke shook his head as he reached up to cup her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “No, you’re not.”

“My son is suffering because I selfishly chose to bring him into this world,” she exclaimed, clenching her hands into fists. “I should have known that Vader would find some way to curse them from the very beginning.”

He didn’t say a word, mostly because he didn’t know what to say. Instead, he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead and pulled her against him, holding her as he let her cry it out. He wasn’t exactly unaffected by this turn of events either. Biological or not, Jacen was still his son. He loved both him and Jaina with every fiber of his being, and the thought of either one of them being in pain broke his heart.

It really wasn’t fair when you thought about it. Jacen was completely innocent. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t deserve to suffer, especially not for someone else’s mistakes.

“It's not your fault, Leia. There was no way either of us could have known this would happen.” It wasn't anyone's fault. As much as he would have liked to blame Vader, it was unlikely that he had anything to do with it. He didn't even know that he had a son, let alone that he had passed down some of his lung damage to him.

After a while, Leia pulled away and proceeded to put herself back together, just as she always did. “You're right. What's done is done. And now we need to learn to live with the consequences.”

“We'll do all that we can to help him, and if it comes down to it that he needs further treatments, we'll get them for him.”

“Even if we have to travel halfway across the galaxy and bribe the doctor to secrecy.” Her anger was replaced by a look of pure determination.

On that, they both agreed. They had already gone to great lengths to protect their family. Luke honestly couldn't think of anything he wouldn't do to keep them safe. Safe and alive.

Chapter Text

Two years had passed since the twins had been born. It was honestly crazy to think that so much time had passed, as it seemed to have flown by to Luke and Leia. Jaina and Jacen were now at an age where they were walking and talking, mostly on their own. Their sentences weren’t always easy to understand as they had a tendency to babble in their own made up language, but they were getting there. They knew how to ask when they wanted something, which was proving to be a problem in Luke’s case.

“We go with you, daddy?” Jaina asked as she toddled up to him alongside her brother, staring up at him with those big blue eyes that had changed very little since they were born.

Luke shook his head, his eyes softening as he knelt down in front of them, a task that was made relatively difficult thanks to the thick snow suit he wore. “It’s way too cold out there for the two of you,” he reasoned. Technically, it was way too cold for him too, but he didn’t dare say that out loud. That would just make them want to go with him all the more.

Both Jaina and Jacen pouted at that, their eyes watering as if they would start bawling on the spot. “We wanna play in snow,” Jaina insisted. “We wanna ride Tauntaun!”

“Tauntaun! Tauntaun!” Jacen repeated as he rushed past Luke to where the two Tauntauns were tethered and waiting for their riders.

Luke hurried after him, managing to scoop him up into his arms before he could get too far. Jacen proceeded to put up a fight, flailing his arms and legs as he tried to get to the two legged beast. For reasons that were beyond his understanding, the kids seemed to be obsessed with Tauntauns. Jacen in particular. After a while of fighting, Luke gave in and brought both of the twins over to see the beasts.

To their credit, neither Jaina nor Jacen seemed afraid in the slightest as the Tauntauns bent their heads down to sniff and nuzzle them. They squealed with delight as they reached out to wrap their pudgy arms around their long, furry necks. Meanwhile the Tauntauns seemed to be loving every minute of the attention.

“You’re kids are weird, you know that?” Han remarked as he came up alongside them, dressed in a black, fur-lined snow suit. “The fact that they can love a beast that smells that bad is proof.”

Jacen, who happened to be hugging Han’s Tauntaun, pulled back to look over at him. “Uncle Chewie smells. You love him.”

Han opened his mouth as if to reply, but promptly closed it a moment later at a visible lack for words. Luke couldn’t help but chuckle, to which Han rolled his eyes and mumbled something inaudible under his breath. While it was true that Chewie did smell at times, he didn’t smell nearly as bad as the Tauntauns. Unfortunately, they were the only means of transport for ground patrol. The speeders they had weren’t able to withstand the dangerously low temperatures on Hoth.

“You just about ready to go?” Han asked as he moved to ready his stead.

Luke nodded his head, pulling the twins away from the Tauntauns, much to their displeasure. Glancing back, he spotted Artoo and Threepio making their way towards them, no doubt looking for the twins who they had been meant to look after. He didn’t blame them though. The twins were nothing if not sneaky. Crossing over to meet them halfway, he handed off the squirming two-year-olds to Threepio, who then proceeded to chastise them for running off.

“Try to keep them out of the hangar if you can,” Luke instructed. “The last thing we need is them tampering with the ships.”

Jaina in particular was known to do that. Whereas Jacen loved animals, his sister loved ships. She seemed to be taking after him in that regard, a fact that made him practically beam with pride. The idea of one day teaching her how to fly, teaching them both to fly… It was like a dream. He looked forward to it, but at the same time he wasn’t quite ready for them to grow up that much. They were already growing fast enough as it was.

“Of course, Master Luke,” Threepio replied with a slight nod of his head.

With nothing else left to do, he leaned over to press a kiss to each of the kids’ heads before turning to start back towards where Han was waiting for him. However, he hadn’t gotten far before the twins started shouting after him.

“Daddy!” they cried. “Don’t go, Daddy!”

Leaving them behind was never easy, not even when he knew it was just for a short while. And to hear them cry like that… It broke a small part of his heart. Still, he forced himself to keep walking and not look back, knowing that if he did, his resolve might crumble. He might be a husband and a father now, but he was still a part of the rebellion the same as Leia. The most important thing was keeping everyone safe. And the best way to do that was to make sure no one found them.

Making sure that all of the supplies were securely strapped to his Tauntaun's back, he grabbed hold of the saddle and hoisted himself up. He couldn't help but wave back at the twins as Threepio and Artoo started with them out of the hangar. They were still crying, fighting the droids hold on them every step of the way. He promised himself that he'd make it up to them later.

“Come on, kid,” Han urged him. “The sooner we go, the sooner we come back.”

Luke nodded his head. And then, with a flick of the reins, they were off into the blunt of the frigid cold elements.

It wasn’t long after they had left the base that Han and Luke decided to split up and go their separate ways, figuring that they could cover more ground that way. Luke was all too pleased with the idea of being done faster. Ten minutes outside was all it took for him to start to feel the effects of the cold. He could barely feel his toes in his boots and the face warmer he had on wasn’t doing all that much to protect him either.

Coming to a stop atop a snow cliff, he tore the piece of fabric from his face and pulled his goggles off to have a look around with his own eyes. His breathing came out in visible puffs as he scoured the surrounding area for any sign of anything out of the ordinary. They had been sending out patrols almost daily and nobody ever reported any signs of life forms. The sensors he and Han had been sent out to place ought to help with that, but still.

That’s when he saw it. A flash of light caught his attention just in time for him to spot something crashing down from above, exploding into a nearby snowdrift. Grabbing his macrobinoculars, he raised them level with his eyes to try to get a closer look. Unfortunately for him, there was nothing to be seen but the mixture of snow and smoke that had been left in its wake. It was probably nothing, just a piece of fallen space debris or a meteorite, but for some reason Luke felt the pressing urge to investigate it closer.

“Echo Three to Echo Seven,” he leaned in to speak through the communication device on his wrist. “Han, do you read me?”

“Loud and clear, kid,” Han came back in a gruff, static voice.

“Did you find anything on your end?”

“There isn’t enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser.” Han let out a huff of sarcastic laughter and Luke couldn’t help but chuckle himself. “Sensors are placed. I’m going back.”

Luke went on to explain about the meteorite he had found and that he wanted to check it out. Han agreed to meet him back in the hangar, mumbling something about saying goodbye before he left. The fact that Han was leaving didn’t surprise him all that much. He had known it was coming for a long time. However, he couldn’t deny that he was a bit sad at the prospect of losing him as a friend. They worked surprisingly well together.

He had just cut off the line between them when his Tauntaun began to act up, roaring and jerking as if frightened of something. Luke pulled firmly on the reins, reaching out with his other hand to try and calm the beast while also avoiding being bucked off. It took a few minutes, but he managed to stabilize both of them. He looked around again, trying to figure out what could be bothering it.

Then he froze a moment, the force practically screaming at him as he slowly turned to look behind him. A giant snow monster shot out from seemingly nowhere, letting out a deafening roar as he bore a mouth full of long, sharp teeth at him. The next thing he knew, the beast had reached out with an enormous furry paw and knocked him off his stead. A startled shout managed to break loose from his throat as he felt a piercing pain shoot through his face, the monster’s claws having slashed him in the process.

Everything was a blur for the minutes that followed. He felt himself land with a thud in the snow. He heard the sound of the monster’s continued roaring, as well as that of his Tauntaun. He couldn’t see clearly, but still he could make out basic shapes, enough to see the monster tackle his stead to the ground. And he knew at that moment that he was likely to be next.

He could feel himself drifting off into unconsciousness, but fought against it, knowing that he might never open his eyes again if he did. His mind was racing with thoughts of everyone he would be leaving behind. The rebellion… Han… And most importantly, Leia and the kids. He couldn’t die on them now, not when they needed him the most. No, he needed to find a way to get back to them. And in his last conscious moment, he pleaded with the force not to take him away from his family. Then he was out.

Chapter Text

Leia couldn’t quite explain it, but she was suddenly struck with the feeling that something terrible had happened. She cast it off initially in favor of focusing on her work, but it wouldn’t seem to leave her alone. If anything, it grew stronger the more time passed, making her feel anxious and uneasy. She had a feeling it had something to do with Luke, considering the bond they shared. They had often been known to sense things from one another, seemingly no matter what the distance.

She kept telling herself that everything was fine, that any minute Luke would come walking through the door with a report from his latest patrol. Minutes passed, turning into hours, and still there was no sign of Luke's return. Now she was starting to really worry. He should have been back by then. And so, she quickly finished up the last of her work and went to find some answers. Someone was bound to know where he was.

However, she didn't get far before she encountered Artoo and Threepio, who were trying and failing to console her crying children. “Hush now, Mistress Jaina and Master Jacen,” Threepio said. “I'm quite sure Master Luke will be quite alright.”

“What's going on?” Leia asked as she stepped forward to make her presence known.

At the sound of her voice, both Jaina and Jacen pulled themselves away from the droid's hold and ran towards her. Leia knelt down to meet them, reaching out to catch them as they eagerly jumped into her arms.

“Daddy's gone!” Jaina sobbed. “Bad happened to him!”

Leia’s heart skipped a beat at that claim. “What do you mean? Where is he?” When the twins failed to respond, too busy crying into her shoulders, she turned her attention towards the two droids, Threepio in particular. “What are they talking about?”

“I'm afraid I don't entirely know, Princess,” Threepio admitted. “They keep insisting that Master Luke is gone, and that they can't find him.”

That was when the realization struck her. They couldn’t find him in the force. The feeling of dread came back full force as she stood abruptly, adjusting her hold on the twins in order to carry them properly. Something was definitely wrong.

“Where's Han?”

Artoo let out a series of beeps.

“I believe he and Chewbacca are currently preparing their ship to leave,” Threepio answered.

They were leaving? This was news to her. Last she had heard, they had decided to stay indefinitely. “That scruffy-looking nerf herder!” she cursed as she started towards the hangar where she knew the Falcon to be docked. How could she have been so foolish? She should have known that he would try to sneak off on them eventually. And to think she actually thought he had changed for the better.

Judging from the clanking of metallic limbs and beeping that seemed to echo from behind them, it would seem that Artoo and Threepio followed after. Artoo sounded particularly worried.

As luck would have it, the Falcon was still docked in the hangar, and sure enough, Han and Chewie were busy at work trying to get it ready. “Han!” she called out as she stormed over to him. “Where do you think you're going?”

Han startled at the sharpness of her voice as he slowly turned towards her. He didn't know how it was possible, but somehow Leia still managed to look intimidating even with a kid balancing on each hip. “Look, it's nothing personal, but I've gotta pay off my debt to Jabba the Hutt. Otherwise I'll be a dead man.”

“You'll be a dead man even sooner if you don't tell me where Luke is!”

He furrowed his brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“He hasn’t returned yet.”

A look of dawning realization as well as horror washed over Han’s face. It seemed that he didn’t know where Luke was either, which made the situation all the more frustrating as well as terrifying. Dropping the tool in his hands, he rushed past them, yelling for the deck officer. Leia hurried after him, handing Jacen off to Threepio in the process. It didn’t take long before the deck officer came over to see what was going on.

“Do you know where Commander Skywalker is?”

The deck officer shook his head. He hadn’t seen him either. “It’s possible he came through the south entrance.”

“It’s possible?” Leia didn’t like the sound of that. And judging from what she could see through the hangar doors, it was starting to get dark out.

From there, the whole group hurried off to the south entrance in the fleeting hope that the deck officer was right. Sure enough, that hope was soon dashed. No one in the entire base had seen Luke since before he left for his patrol. Meaning that he was still out there somewhere in the cold. She knew Luke enough to know that he wouldn’t waste time out there unless he absolutely had to.

“Daddy gone!” Jaina wailed.

Leia felt a crushing weight take hold of her, threatening to pull her down into unimaginable depths of pain. However, she didn’t let herself fall to it. No, she refused to give up hope. Holding her head up high, she turned full general mode and started barking out orders for a search party to go out looking for him. The only problem was that none of the men seemed to want to go out, explaining that the temperatures were dropping too rapidly and that they wouldn’t make it.

The deck officer hung his head. “I’m sorry, princess, but it’s likely already too late.”

Leia clenched her jaw, feeling her anger rise as she stepped forward to stand toe to toe with the deck officer. She had just opened her mouth to tell him off when Han stole the words right out of her mouth.

“Not on my watch,” Han stated as he pushed past the officer towards where a herd of Tauntauns were tied up. Selecting one that was already saddled and ready to go, he heaved himself up onto its back, and grabbing the reins with one hand, reached up to pull his goggles on.

“Sir, your Tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker,” the deck officer tried to reason with him.

Han shot him a glare. “Then I’ll see you in hell!”

Then, with a flick of the reins, Han was off. Leia was left standing there watching him go, trying desperately to hold on to the hope that Luke was still alive out there. That Han would find him and bring him back to them. One thing was certain. She had been wrong to doubt Han. He really had changed for the better. He was still very much himself, only now he cared about more than just money.

Leia managed to calm the twins down enough to get them to sleep, reassuring them repeatedly that Luke wasn’t gone and that he would be back by the time they woke up in the morning. She stayed and watched them for a while even after they were fast asleep. Not that the twins necessarily needed to be monitored while they were sleeping. They had had a rough patch early on with Jacen when he had trouble breathing, and while he still did at times, it wasn’t nearly as often. Nor was it nearly as terrifying. She knew what to do when it happened.

Jaina and Jacen looked a lot like her for the most part, but there were some features that she didn’t recognize. Jacen’s nose was different and they both had blue eyes instead of her brown. It was peculiar, but sometimes she swore they had the exact same eyes as Luke. She considered this a blessing. It was almost as if the force had directly intervened in their genetics, giving her this small gift to try to make up for the past.

After a while, she got up and headed into the refresher to get ready for bed herself. While she was in there, she couldn’t help but check in with the control center on her communicator to see if there were any updates. There weren’t any, or at least none that were good. All the patrols had reported back in, all except Han and Luke. The shield doors had to be closed for the night. She had given them the go ahead to do so, all the while screaming on the inside.

The logical part of her knew that there was nothing more to be done that night. Rogue Squadron had promised her that they would go out and look for their missing leader first thing the next morning. Still there was a part of her, the not-so-logical part of her, that wanted them to leave the doors open all night, to send the Rogue Squadron out immediately, regardless of whether they all froze to death as a result.

These were dangerous thoughts, thoughts that she shoved back as she forced herself to finish brushing her teeth and head back into the bedroom. She had just climbed into bed when she noticed Jaina begin to stir, sitting up in her crib with a yawn. Meanwhile her brother slept beside her, seemingly oblivious to his sister’s movement. Leia got up and went to scoop her newly awakened daughter from the crib, carrying her back to her own bed with her so as not to disturb Jacen, who was luckily still asleep.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching out with her fingers to play with the fine brown strands of her daughter’s hair. “Did you have a dream?”

Jaina shook her head. “I found daddy. Then he went bye-bye again.”

Her eyes widened at that. “You found daddy?” she asked, trying to keep her voice down. “Is he alright?”

Jaina scrunched her face up, an expression that Luke always said reminded him of her when she was concentrating really hard. “He hurt. He run and fall.”

The things that Jaina and Jacen could do and sense through the force never ceased to amaze her. She wasn’t entirely sure if they were aware of what they were doing, or if they even knew that they were special powers. Luke worried that the Empire would track them down if their powers got too strong, and she had to admit, the thought did cross her mind as well. However, it was at times like this that she was grateful for their powers.

“Try to go back to sleep,” Leia said as she laid back in bed, cuddling her daughter close to her. “And let me know if you find Daddy again.”

Jaina nodded and curled up against her.

At least she knew Luke was alive. She could only hope that Han found him before it was too late.

Chapter Text

“Ben…?”

“You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi master who instructed me.”

“Ben…!”

Luke awoke with a startle to find himself not still lying out in the snow, his limbs numb from the cold, but rather submerged in a bacta tank. If he squinted hard enough, he thought he could make out figures standing outside. Han and Chewbacca were a dead giveaway, but those beside him… Leia! It must be Leia and the kids. And a glimpse of gold told him that Threepio was there too, meaning that Artoo was likely there as well. They were all gathered around him.

Everything started to come back to him. Being attacked by a snow monster. Dangling upside down from the ceiling of an ice cavern. Reaching for his lightsaber with the force and cutting himself down. Slicing the monster’s arm off as he made his escape. And most importantly, seeing Ben again for the first time in years. Or rather, he thought he saw Ben.

He started to propel himself towards the top of the tank, where he pushed his head past the surface with a gasping breath. The medic droid was there in a heartbeat to help him out, handing him a towel to dry off with, as well as a basic set of robes to put on afterwards. No sooner was he dried off and dressed, then the medic droid escorted him over to the cot in the center of the room, Leia and the twins following eagerly after him.

The twins started crawling all over him, finally coming to plop themselves down on either side of him where they promptly flung their little arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged them back without restraint, feeling all too happy to be able to do so. There had been a moment there he thought he never would again.

Leia leaned down to press a kiss to his lips, which he returned with equal fervor as well. Another thing he feared he’d never get to do again. “I was so worried about you,” she said as she reached out to brush a stray piece of hair away from his face. “I thought you had died on me.”

Luke let out a huff of a laugh. “You and me both.”

“Daddy okay,” Jaina insisted. “Daddy not gone.”

Leia went on to explain how the twins had been able to sense when he was in and out of consciousness. Somehow they knew that he had been hurt, that he had been running for his life and had fallen into the snow. It was an astonishing revelation. And thinking back on that day, he found himself wondering if they hadn’t known that something bad was going to happen to him before he even left. That was why they were so upset. They were trying to warn him.

He hugged his kids even tighter. Their abilities in the force were getting stronger, there was no doubt about it. It was a worrying thought, as he knew it wouldn't be long before the Empire eventually found them. And Luke feared he wouldn’t be strong enough to protect them when that day came. Sometimes it seemed that the twins knew more about the force than he did. He knew some, but not nearly enough. After all, his training with Ben had been cut short.

That particular train of thought soon ended as Han and Chewbacca stepped forward to greet him. “How you feeling, kid?” Han asked. “If you’re strong enough to tackle those kids of yours, you oughta be strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark.”

Luke chuckled at that. “Thanks to you.” It was a bit blurry, but he could vaguely recall Han finding him passed out in the snow, calling out to him as he made his way towards him. He was in and out of consciousness so often at that point that it was hard to tell what was a dream and what was reality. One instance he was fairly certain was a dream, was Han stuffing his head inside the body of a Tauntaun. Or rather, he hoped it was a dream.

He swore he saw Han’s eyes soften for a moment before he immediately brushed it off. “That’s two you owe me now, junior.”

The first one being the time Han swooped in to offer him back up so that he could make the shot that destroyed the Death Star. Han liked to make him think that he was holding these debts against him, but Luke could see right through him. At the end of the day, he didn’t care if he repaid the favors or not.

Soon after, Han and Leia got into another argument where Han teased Leia about her trying to keep him around as long as she could. Luke didn’t pay them much mind. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought Han was flirting with her, but he knew his friend well enough to know better. That was just the way he was.

“I don’t know where you get your delusions, laser brain.”

Chewie let out a roar of laughter, to which Luke and the twins couldn’t help but join in. Han rolled his eyes back at them. “Laugh it up, why don’t you?”

Luke began to recall everything that had happened after he had cut off communications with Han. Or at least everything he could remember. He described the snow monster to them, and Threepio was able to identify it as a Wampa, which was apparently a native to the frozen planet. He purposefully chose to leave out the part about his Tauntaun getting eaten, as well as him cutting the arm off of the Wampa, knowing that it would likely upset Jacen.

They were then interrupted by the sound of a voice echoing through the intercom. “Headquarters personnel, report to command center.”

And with that, Leia was called away. Luke got up to follow after her, but was promptly stopped in his tracks by Threepio and the medic droid, both of which advised him to stay and rest instead. Han followed after her instead, promising to let him know if it was anything important. With a sigh, Luke relented and leaned back against the cot. And Jaina and Jacen snuggled up against him on either side, content to have their father back safe and sound.

For the time being…

The Empire had found them. Apparently the meteorite that Luke had been intending to check out had actually been an imperial probe droid. Han and Chewie managed to destroy it, but it was highly likely that it had already spotted the base and sent images of it back to their command ship. Meaning it was only a matter of time before they were swarmed by Imperial star cruisers.

“What’s happening?” Jacen asked with a whimper, as he clung to Luke’s side. No doubt he was sensing all the tension radiating from within the base. Jaina didn’t seem quite as affected by it, but she still stared up at him with big curious eyes, waiting for him to answer.

Luke struggled with how to explain it all to them. This was the first time they had to evacuate since the twins had been born. Luke couldn’t help but think that it might have been easier to evacuate with them when they were newborn babies. Sure, they’d cry more, but at least they would be easier to carry and ask less questions.

“Someone bad is looking for us. We think he might have found us, so now we have to leave before he can hurt us,” he settled on.

“Somebody hurt us?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to either of you,” he vowed.

Leia returned soon after with an update. Imperial ships had been sighted entering the sector. The order to evacuate had already been issued and they were readying the first couple of squadrons to head out at that very moment. She didn't say it, but Luke could tell from the look in her eye that she was worried.

“What are we going to do?” he asked. “Is there any way for us to slip past unnoticed?”

Leia shook her head. “Not likely. They'd be on us before we could even lock into hyperspace.”

Two years… Two years of relative undisturbed peace. Luke understood now that they had likely left them alone on purpose, to lull them into a false sense of security. And now they were left scrambling. Although, they weren’t entirely unprepared. They hadn’t let their guard down completely. Leia had made sure of that.

“Are you feeling up to leading Rogue Squadron?”

Luke nodded. The medic droid had advised him to take it easy, but hadn’t mentioned anything about not being able to pilot a ship. “Yeah, I think I can manage.”

And so it was agreed that he’d go join the rest of his squadron in the hangar. He handed the kids unwillingly off to Leia as he hurried to dress, climbing into the bright orange jumpsuit. Then, once he was ready, he leaned in to kiss his wife and kids goodbye, promising to meet back up with them once the path was clear. And then they went their separate ways.

In the hangar, Luke ran into Han and Chewie, who were making some last minute fixes to the Falcon before take off. Han had agreed to stay a bit longer, at least until they had gotten out safe and established a new base. Luke was grateful towards his friends for all that they had done to help him and his family. Unfortunately, there was one last favor he needed to ask.

“I need you to promise me that you’ll get Leia and the twins out on time if I’m not around to do so,” Luke requested. “And above everything, you can’t let Vader get anywhere near them.”

The last request was spoken with a desperate urgency. Han knew he couldn’t refuse Luke this. He knew enough about Vader to know that he was not an enemy to be taken lightly. “I’ll do my best, kid.”

That was all Luke needed to hear. And with a big, furry hug from Chewie, he was off, making his way over to where Rogue Squadron was getting ready for take off. He quickly found his X-Wing, greeting his gunner in passing as he climbed into the cockpit. With any luck, he’d be back with Leia and the twins in no time at all, and Han wouldn’t have any need to fulfill his promise to him.

Of course, he probably should have known better. Old Ben always did say that there was no such thing as luck.

Chapter Text

The entire base was in a state of chaos. People were running around frantically to and fro, trying to get to safety before it was too late, ducking every so often when everything began to shake from the battle that was waging up above. Some sections of the base had already caved in on themselves, stranding anyone who happened to be inside. A few brave souls had stayed behind to try to dig them out, but had urged everyone else to go on ahead.

Leia had never liked the idea of running away, but she wasn’t foolish enough to stay and risk not only her own life but the lives of her children as well. The twins were absolutely hysterical, crying and screaming at the tops of their lungs, and while it was hard on the ears, she didn’t entirely blame them for it. This was the closest encounter they’d had since well before they were even born. She refused to let it show, but she was terrified as well.

The three of them struggled to make their way through the corridors, with Threepio following after them, calling for them to wait up. Eventually they ran into Han, who came to a screeching halt when he saw them. “What are you doing?” Leia had to yell to be heard over the twins crying, not to mention the loud booming of the imperial walkers above.

“Getting you out of here!” he yelled back.

Just then, another earthquake occurred, knocking all five of them off balance. Leia felt herself start to fall, but was thankfully saved as Han reached out to steady her. A few moments later, the quaking evened out and they continued on their way again. Han must have realized that carrying both the twins at once was slowing her down, as he promptly reached out and grabbed Jaina from her. Jaina didn’t exactly fight his hold on her, but she didn’t stop crying either.

“Where’s Luke?”

“Last I heard he was still trying to take out those walkers!”

With everything that was going on, she couldn’t really get a good sense of whether Luke was okay or not. The twins hadn’t said anything about him being gone yet, so she considered that a good sign. At least, she hoped it was a good sign.

Unfortunately for them, their luck was about to get even worse. “Imperial troops have entered the base!” a voice echoed through the intercom. “I repeat, imperial troops have entered the base!”

Leia felt her blood run cold at that announcement. If the imperial troops had entered the base, then that meant… Vader was probably there as well. With an increasing desperation, she picked up the speed, gripping her son even tighter to her chest as she broke out into a full-fledged run. Han did the same with her daughter. Memories of her last encounter with Vader came spiraling back to the surface, as well as images of what would happen if he found them.

Through no small amount of effort, they managed to make it to the hangar where the Millennium Falcon stood waiting for them. Every other ship had already left. They were among the last to get out. Leia mentally berated herself for her own stubbornness. Had she not insisted on staying back until the last moment, they might not have had to cut it so close.

Chewie let out a piercing roar, waving them over with his big hairy paws. She hadn’t thought it was possible, but the twins seemed to be crying even louder than before. And it didn’t take Leia long to figure out why. She couldn’t quite explain it, but she felt a wave of bone-chilling cold wash over her, different from the typical cold that was a constant on Hoth. It was a cold that she had only experienced once before, back in her cell on the Death Star.

Leia knew he was there, even without glancing back. She didn’t allow herself to slow down for even a second, despite her haggard breathing, not until she had safely made it up the ramp and into the confines of the ship’s hull. No sooner were they all inside, then Han punched the button to close the ramp, handing Jaina back to her before racing over to join Chewie in the cockpit. It wasn’t long before she felt the ship jerk as they lifted off.

Leia took the twins towards the crew quarters to try and calm both herself and the twins down. They had managed to get away again. She only hoped that they’d manage to get past the imperial blockade in one piece. After all, Luke wasn’t there to help Han man the guns this time around. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought of him. Where was he? Was he even still alive? She liked to think that she would have sensed it if he was, or that at least the twins would have said something.

Shoving all such worries from her brain, she focused on the task of soothing the twins. This was by far an easy task, what with the sound of guns blasts echoing through the entire ship, but after a while of rocking them both back and forth, rubbing their backs in soothing motions as well as repeated reassurances, they finally calmed down enough to stop crying.

Both Jaina and Jacen were quiet for a while, and for a moment Leia almost thought that they had tired themselves out and fallen asleep. However, then she felt the twins start to pull away from her. They looked up at her with big, fearful eyes.

“Who that man, Mommy?” Jaina asked.

Leia furrowed her brows in confusion. “That was your Uncle Han.” The twins knew who Han was, having been around him enough by that point. She’d never forget the first time they called him ‘Uncle Han’. She was half convinced that Han had frozen solid at that moment, he didn’t move for the longest time. Clearly he hadn’t expected them to call him that.

“Not him.” Jacen shook his head, his dark brown curls bobbing slightly from the movement. “The mask man.”

Leia felt her heart skip a beat when she heard that, all the worries she had previously pushed away came flooding back again. “The mask man?” The twins saw Vader? How was that even possible? Had he been that close that they managed to get a good look at him while they were trying to escape? “When did you see him?”

“During nap,” Jaina started to explain. “Mask man big and scary. He looks for you, Mommy. You and Daddy.”

They had had a dream of him similar to the one they had of Luke. And it shook her to the very core. She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to fight against the rising panic. She hadn’t stopped to consider that they might be able to sense Vader. It made sense for them to have some sort of connection through the force. Unfortunately, it also put them further at risk. If they could sense Vader, then who was to say that Vader couldn’t sense them in return.

Again, she forced herself to clear her mind and think more logically. It wasn’t certain that was the case. Until they had proof, she refused to let herself worry about it too much. And even if he could sense them, it didn’t mean he necessarily knew who or where they were. Still, it couldn’t hurt to get them as far away as possible. Luke would agree with her on that. Wherever he was.

Meanwhile, back at the rebel base on Hoth, Vader had entered the hangar just in time to witness the Millennium Falcon take off. His troopers started to shoot at it, but by then it was too far out of range to actually land a critical hit. Vader stopped in his tracks and reached out with the force, trying to see if he could sense anything.

Luke didn’t appear to be on board, or if he was, he couldn’t sense him. However, he could sense someone else.

Leia… The girl who was the spitting image of his Padme. He had looked into her over the years since their encounter on the Death Star. Needless to say, his initial theory had been disproven. There was no way that she could be Padme in disguise. This girl truly was who she claimed to be; the adoptive daughter of Bail and Breha Organa of Alderaan. It was a mistake on his part, his judgment clouded by the past. A mistake that he paid for dearly upon his master’s discovery.

He learned his lesson. He needed to let go of the past. And he had, that was until he learned the true identity of the rebel pilot who blew up the Death Star. Luke Skywalker. He hadn’t believed it at first. There was no way it was possible. Then the bounty hunter, Boba Fett, told him what he had managed to uncover of the boy’s past. How he had grown up on Tatooine in the care of Owen and Beru Lars.

Suddenly it all started to make sense. And Obi Wan’s lies started to unfurl. Padme must have lived long enough to give birth, dying in childbirth just as he had foreseen. Obi Wan took the child soon after and fled with him to the one place he knew Vader wouldn’t dare to venture. Just another way the old man had betrayed him. He could almost feel his presence hovering over him, as if he was rubbing it in his face even from the afterlife.

He knew that he had to find Luke, preferably before the Emperor learned of his existence. That was, if he didn’t already know. It wouldn’t have surprised him if he had known all along and kept it a secret to later use against him. He dreaded to think what would happen if his master got his hands on the boy. No, he shoved all such thoughts from his mind, focusing on the task at hand.

“I want you to follow that ship,” he ordered, turning to the troopers assembled. “Capture its occupants and bring them to me.”

“Yes, sir!” They saluted him and went off to do as they were told.

Seeing no reason to stay there any longer, Vader turned to go as well, only to stop moments later as a strange sensation washed over him. It was almost as if someone was watching him. Spinning back around, he drew his lightsaber and ignited, ready for a surprise ambush. No one was there. He extinguished the glowing red blade, casting it off as his own paranoia.

He started off once more, only to sense someone again. This time, he didn’t allow himself to jump to conclusions and instead reached out with the force to see who it was. What he found took him off guard. He was able to sense two small, but surprisingly strong force signatures. Who did they belong to? And where were they coming from? That, he couldn’t tell.

“Sir, is everything alright?”

His focus was distracted as he noticed one of the troopers had stayed behind. The connection was lost. He could no longer sense the two force signatures. He was half tempted to force choke the trooper right then and there, but he held off. It was just as well that he had lost it. It was probably just some force sensitive children somewhere in the galaxy, unknowingly projecting to him. Let the inquisitors track them down. He had his own child to find.

Chapter Text

Luke had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He should have been trying to catch up with Han and Leia, having seen them taking off in the Millennium Falcon back on Hoth. He had sensed that Leia and the twins were all on board, much to his relief. Instead, he had chased after what he was starting to suspect was just a dream to the Dagobah system. The result led to him crashing his x-wing into the swamp and nearly losing Artoo to a swamp monster.

He shook his head as he hauled the last of his supplies from the ship onto shore, plopping himself down on a trunk as he caught his breath. Artoo stood beside him, recharging from the long power cable he had connected to his portable generator. “I don't even know what I'm doing,” he muttered to himself.

He had no idea what Yoda even looked like, let alone whether he even existed. Still, he had this strange feeling, almost like the force was guiding him here for a reason. Of course he wanted to continue his Jedi training. It was the main reason he had left Tatooine in the first place. When Ben died, everything came crashing down on him. And it seemed that everything that had happened to get him to that place had been for nothing.

He was hardly the Jedi that Ben seemed to hope that he would become. Sure, he knew how to swing his father’s lightsaber, but he was still a bit clumsy with it. And he only had a basic understanding of the force. “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together,” he remembered Ben explaining to him. It seemed straightforward enough, but it wasn't.

Just then, his stomach gave a loud, painful rumble, reminding him of the fact that he hadn’t eaten anything since he was discharged from the medical facility on Hoth. Digging through his stuff, he managed to find his food supply. Forgoing his usual manners, he dug in and grabbed a bunch of random things. The first he tried was a stick of dried meat. None of it was all that tasty, lacking moisture or flavor, but he forced himself to eat it regardless.

A chill settled over him gradually, making him feel oddly on edge. He couldn’t deny that the place was creepy. It was the last place he would have thought to find a Jedi Master. Then again, he wouldn’t have expected to find one on Tatooine either. Artoo let out a string of beeps that sounded nervous. Clearly he wasn't too fond of the place either. It was strange but it felt almost…

“Feel like what?” a croak of a voice snapped him suddenly from his train of thought.

He had his blaster out in the blink of an eye, spinning around towards the source of the sound. “Like we're being watched!”

A small creature stood before him with wrinkled green skin and big protruding eyes. He couldn’t identify its species, as he had never seen anything like it before. Could it be that it was native to this remote system? It made sense.

“Away, put your weapon,” the creature exclaimed as it raised its small, shriveled hands to protect its face. “I mean you no harm.”

After a few moments, Luke relented and lowered the blaster. It was clear that the creature had been watching for a while, meaning that he could have also attacked him if he had wanted to. He thought it safe enough to let his guard down. Besides, the creature hardly looked intimidating. By the looks of him, he was an elder.

“I am wondering, why are you here?”

Luke sighed and put the blaster fully away. “I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking?” The creature lowered his hands to reveal his wrinkled face once more. He, or at least Luke assumed it was a he, was dressed in an old, miniature set of robes, the sleeves bearing many holes in them. “Found someone, you have, I would say.” He let out a strange cackle of laughter at his own joke.

Luke refrained from rolling his eyes, offering a slight smile instead to be polite. He offered to help him, but Luke shrugged it off. It was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this creature, as he shuffled his way forward and proceeded to dig through his food. He spit it out almost as soon as he had it in his mouth, pulling a face of pure disgust.

“How you get so big eating food of this kind?” the creature asked him.

Clearly his species preferred a different diet from his. For all Luke knew, his species could have been herbivores. There certainly were enough plants and vines around for that to be the case. Luke tried to explain his situation to the creature, while also trying to stop him from making a mess of all his supplies. Honestly, the creature was almost as bad as his kids. Especially Jaina, who was always trying to play with his tools.

Eventually the creature stopped digging through his stuff, his focus on a small lamp he had found. Artoo tried to wrestle it away from him, but that just upset the creature, who then proceeded to start whacking the droid with his walking stick. Luke heaved a sigh and told Artoo to just let him have it. If there was one thing he had learned from having two-year-old twins, it was that some things just weren’t worth the trouble.

“I’m not looking for a friend, I’m looking for a Jedi Master.”

A look of dawning realization seemed to wash over the creature's face as he turned back to face him. “Yoda. You seek Yoda.”

At this, Luke knelt down so that he was level with the creature. “You know him?”

The creature nodded and started to walk away, motioning for him to follow as he started deeper into the thicket of vines and trees. Luke followed him without delay, his spirits lifted and his resolve renewed. Now he knew that it hadn’t been a dream after all. Ben really did appear before him back on Hoth. Which meant that was also his voice he heard right before he blew up the death star. Yoda really did exist, seeing as this creature clearly knew him.

Luke followed him all the way to a little hut hidden deep in the wilderness, which he assumed to be the creature's home. Confused by this, he asked him if he could take him to see Yoda, but he just insisted that they needed to eat first. After several attempts to persuade him otherwise, Luke gave in and crawled into the hut with him.

The hut itself was just as small and cramped on the inside as it looked on the outside, meaning that he had to walk hunched over to avoid hitting his head. Then there were the snakes that were crawling all over the place. He even had to pluck one off of the table in order to sit down to eat. The creature cooked him up some sort of stew, which proved his previous theory about him being a herbivore. It tasted like roots.

Despite the bitter taste, he forced himself to eat it, not wanting to get on his host's bad side and risk having the creature change his mind about taking him to see Yoda. Although, he was starting to doubt whether the creature even knew Yoda in the first place or if he was just pretending to know him. As frustrating as it all was, he could understand how the creature could be lonely and in need of company. As far as he was aware, they were the only life forms on the entire system.

“Why wish you become Jedi?”

Luke paused and considered the question for a moment. “At first, it was mostly because of my father, but now…” The more he thought about it, the more he realized that his motives had changed. Sure, he still wanted to become a Jedi like his father, but now there was another reason. “I need to protect my family. I’m not strong enough the way I am now.”

The creature stopped abruptly in his tracks, a strange look washing over his face that Luke couldn’t quite pinpoint. It was almost as if he was lost deep in thought. Then the creature turned away from him, shuffling further away. Time passed and he said nothing. Luke took that as a sign that the conversation had ended for the time being and returned to his food, refilling the tiny bowl with another heaping helping. The stew became less bitter with each spoonful he ate.

“I cannot teach him,” The creature’s voice was quiet enough that Luke almost didn’t hear him. “The boy has too many attachments. Too much anger. He’s too much like his father.”

Luke furrowed his brows at this, craning his neck to see who it was he was talking to. There was no one else there. Just the two of them. Then he heard it.

“Was I any different when you taught me?” It was unmistakably Ben’s voice.

That’s when the realization struck Luke. The creature standing before him didn’t know Yoda. He was Yoda. He could hardly believe his eyes. If he hadn’t recognized Ben’s voice, he might not have believed it to be true. That tiny green gremlin was the Jedi Master that Ben had sent him to find.

Yoda shook his head. “He is not ready.”

“I am ready!” Luke insisted as he glanced around the room, trying and failing to find some glimpse of Ben as he had before. “Ben, tell him I’m ready.” For a moment, he forgot where he was and started to stand, only to hit his head on the ceiling a moment later, forcing him to sit back down.

That certainly didn’t help convince Yoda. “What know you of ready?” he demanded. “For eight-hundred-years have I trained Jedi. My own council will I keep on who is to be trained.”

Luke took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He supposed it was partially his own fault. He hadn’t exactly left Yoda with the best impression of him, what with mistaking him for someone else and nagging him constantly. For all the times Yoda had told him to be patient, he hadn’t exactly listened.

From there, Yoda went off on a tangent, explaining how he had been watching him his whole life, pointing out all of his flaws, or rather what he saw as flaws, in the process. Apparently it was wrong for a Jedi to crave excitement and adventure. It was wrong to look towards the future instead of dwelling on the present. And then he started to list all the reasons why he could not train him. First he was too reckless, then he was too old.

“But I've learned so much already,” Luke pleaded with him.

At that, Yoda actually stopped and seemed to consider him, staring at him as if trying to get a good look at him. “Will he finish what he begins?” He seemed to be talking to Ben again.

“I won’t fail you,” Luke promised. “I’m not afraid.”

Yoda let out a huff of a laugh. “You will be.”

Luke felt a shiver run through him at that, feeling greatly disturbed by the ominous way he spoke. It was almost as if the Jedi Master knew something that he didn’t.

Chapter Text

Leia was in desperate need of sleep after the day she had. Learning that her kids had unknowingly connected with Vader… Hiding out in one of the craters of a large space rock, only to find that it wasn’t a crater at all, but rather the mouth of some sort of giant space slug… Thanks to some quick maneuvering on Han’s part, they managed to make it out of there in one piece. They were currently in the process of looking for a safe haven to repair the ship. If such a place even existed.

Heading back to the bunks, she was greeted by a truly miraculous sight. The twins were curled up together on one of the bunks, seemingly fast asleep from the rise and fall of their chests as well as their evened out breathing. Seeing them laying there so peacefully, and safe most of all, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. At least she wouldn’t have to spend the next hour or so trying to calm them down.

And so, not wanting to disturb them, she quietly slipped over to one of the other bunks and climbed under the covers for some much needed rest.

It was only a matter of moments before she felt her consciousness being pulled away. Her eyes fluttered closed and the world around her became dark. She wasn’t sure for how long she slept among the darkness before she felt another pull, this one being intimately familiar. Without thought, she allowed herself to follow the pull, her body feeling as if it was floating through space itself.

When next she opened her eyes, she was no longer aboard the Millennium Falcon, sleeping on the bunk next to her kids, but rather she was in what appeared to be some sort of jungle, the air being almost oppressively moist. Climbing to her feet, she started to look around to see if she could figure out where she was, only to stop short when she spotted him.

Standing there amongst the forest of thick vines was none other than the blonde haired, blue eyed farm boy turned pilot that she had fallen in love with.

“Luke!” she exclaimed as she ran towards him. He took a single step forward to meet her, eagerly catching her in his arms and wrapping her in their embrace. Leia clung to him as if for dear life, allowing herself to relax into him. “Is it really you?” She had to be sure that he was real. That it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her.

Luke nodded his head, pressing a gentle kiss on top of her head. “It’s me, but how did you get here?” he asked, pulling away just enough to look at her face.

“I don’t know myself,” she admitted. “One minute I was asleep on the Falcon and the next I was here.”

A look of understanding washed over him as he nodded his head. “It must have been our connection in the force. It knew that we were desperate to see each other again, and so it brought you to me.”

Leia didn’t pretend to understand the ways of the force. She hadn’t even been aware that she was capable of having it until she met Luke. There were many questions about her connection with him that neither of them knew the answers to, but she found that she didn’t particularly care. She wasn’t particularly bothered by it. If anything, she was grateful that it had led the two of them to one another, and continued to do so even when they were millions of parsecs away.

“Where are we anyway?” She turned her head to look around further. It was far from where they had been meant to meet up with the rest of the members of the rebellion.

From there, Luke went on to explain everything that had happened to him since they had separated. How he had received a vision from Obi Wan Kenobi telling him to seek out an old Jedi Master named Yoda on the planet Dagobah. He admitted to having crashed his X-Wing into the swamp and only just nearly avoided losing Artoo to a swamp monster living within.

“So, you’re basically stuck in this swamp with no way out.” She leveled him with an unimpressed look.

Luke looked away sheepishly. “I wouldn’t say there’s no way out,” he said. “Yoda says he can teach me how to use the force to levitate the ship out, but that I’m not ready yet.”

“And when will you be ready in his eyes?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“I’ll get Han to turn around and come pick you up.” Leia heaved a sigh. “Of course, it could take a while before we can find somewhere to fix the ship.”

“What’s wrong with the Falcon?”

She rolled her eyes. “What isn’t?”

She filled him in on everything that had happened on their end. “There’s something else you need to know. Luke, I think the twins accidentally made contact with Vader.”

“WHAT?!” The sheer volume of his shout echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds somewhere in the distance. “How did this happen? Are they okay?!”

Leia quickly reached out to reassure him. “It happened just as we were leaving the base. They asked me who the ‘mask man’ was and said that he was looking for us. They said something about seeing him while they were taking a nap.”

Luke didn’t reply at first, as he seemed to be processing everything that she had told him, while also trying to calm himself down. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” he rationalized. “We need to keep them away from him now more than ever.”

“Do you think Vader already knows?”

“I can’t explain it, but I get this feeling that he doesn’t. That he would have stopped at nothing to prevent you from leaving if he knew the truth.”

He did have a good point. As relentless as Vader was in pursuing her and Luke, she also got the impression that he could have physically stopped their ship from departing if he so desired. The reports she had heard of him in the past stated that he indeed had such an ability.

“I’ll talk to Yoda and try to convince him that I’m ready to learn force levitation,” he stated with a newfound determination. “Then I’ll get off this planet and come find you.”

Leia nodded her head. “I’ll let you know where we’re at once we find a place to repair the ship.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised her, reaching out to take her face in his hands. “I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you or the kids.”

She believed him, just as she had always believed him. And drawing closer to him, she reached up on her tip-toes to close the gap between them and claim his lips with her own. Luke immediately returned the gesture by deepening the kiss, his lips nudging their way past the entrance into her mouth to explore.

There was something about being with Leia that just felt right, as if their bodies were specifically designed to be together as one. All those years he had spent living on Tatooine, he had always felt as though he was missing something. Like there was a gaping hole in his chest that was begging to be filled. And now he had finally found that missing piece of him in Leia. This woman, who was as beautiful as she was strong and fierce, was his very own wife. His soulmate. His everything.

“I still can’t believe that you’re actually mine,” he thought out loud. “You could have had anyone in the entire galaxy, but you chose me instead.”

Leia shook her head at him, brushing a stray piece of blonde hair away from his eyes. “I could say the same about you.”

“Nobody compares to you, Leia.”

“And nobody compares to you, Luke.”

Yoda was already in bed, fast asleep by the time Luke returned. Not wanting to wake him up and risk getting hit in the knees with his gimer stick, he backed away slowly and went to return to his own makeshift camp to sleep as well. Climbing into his sleeping bag, he took a few minutes to get somewhat comfortable before eventually settling down. He found it strange sleeping alone, especially after over two years of sharing a bed with Leia. And then there were the twins, who almost always ended up climbing into bed with them at some point during the night. They were in that phase where they were trying to obtain some sense of their own independence, yet still needing their parents comfort when they suffered from nightmares.

And upon falling asleep himself, Luke found himself being sucked into what seemed like a nightmare, only that it felt far too real. In his dream, he saw Leia and the twins in some unknown city in the sky. The twins were crying while Leia had positioned herself in front of them, blaster in hand, pointing it at some unknown person beyond his range of sight.

“Chewie, take the kids and run!”

He heard the unmistakable roar of the Wookie as he appeared in the scene, reaching down to scoop the two crying kids into his furry arms. Then he ran with them. And Luke could just briefly make out that of a man dressed in bright, flashy clothing standing opposite to Leia.

“I had no choice,” The man tried to reason. “Vader made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Leia scoffed. “And you believe him? Mark my words, Lando Calrissian, he will destroy everything you hold dear before he ever helps you.”

Luke didn’t have the chance to hear any further, as the scene began to dissipate as his consciousness began to resurface. And he woke with a startle, body drenched in sweat as he bolted upright in his sleeping bag, causing Artoo to let out a series of surprised beeps. It took him a while of breathing deeply before he was able to fully process that he was still on Dagobah, and not in the clouds.

What was that? Was it just a dream, or was it something more? It was unlike anything he had ever dreamed before in the way that it had seemed so real. And he dreamt of people and of places that he had never encountered before. For some reason he couldn’t shake the feeling that the dream was a vision sent by the force of what was to come. Either way, he knew that he couldn’t afford to ignore it.

Getting up, he crossed over to his supply crate and found his clock, which told him that it was currently early in the morning. With any luck, Yoda would already be awake, meditating on some rock somewhere in the jungle. All he had to do was find him and explain the situation to him. Surely he wouldn’t be opposed when the force had clearly reached out to warn him.

And so, he went off in search of the jedi master. Sure enough, he wasn’t in his hut, just as he thought, so he went off to search in the usual spots he knew the green-skinned jedi master to frequent. All the while he practiced the moves that Yoda had been teaching him, swinging from vines and leaping over thick tree branches. Yoda had had Luke running such an obstacle course every day for weeks, sometimes while carrying him on his back. Thankfully Luke wasn’t entirely unaccustomed to carrying such weight, as he was used to giving his kids piggy back rides.

Finally, he caught up with Yoda, who was seated on a large, flat surfaced rock, seemingly deep in his meditation. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to him and quietly sat down in front of him while he waited for him to be finished. His willingness to wait seemed to pay off, as Yoda soon opened his eyes to consider him.

“Troubles you, what does, young Skywalker?” he asked.

Luke hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how to approach the matter. “Does the force send people visions of what is to come in the future?”

“On occasion,” Yoda stated. “Had a vision, have you?”

He nodded his head. “I saw my wife and kids, but they were in a place I didn’t recognize, and they were being held hostage by someone I don’t know. Someone who apparently made a deal with Vader. I think it was a warning.”

Yoda did not respond for the first while, as he appeared to be deep in thought, raising a wrinkled, green hand to rub at his chin. “This vision, how did it make you feel?”

He thought back to the dream he had, surprised by just how vividly he could still recall the details even in his waking moments. “I was afraid… angry… It was cold, as if I would never again feel warmth.”

“Anger… Fear… Signs of the dark side, these are. Pay no mind, you must do.”

“I can’t just disregard it,” Luke argued. “What if it’s true? What if my family is in danger?”

Yoda let out a sigh, closing his eyes wearily. “Too much like your father, you are.”

This wasn’t the first time he had heard Yoda say that. He had tried asking him more about his father, but the jedi master refused to answer him. It made no sense to him. Did Yoda not like his father? He got the impression that might be the case. He couldn’t see why. Old Ben had told him stories about his father, how he was the best pilot in the galaxy, and a great jedi. If he was truly so much like his father, then wouldn’t Yoda hate him as well.

“What should I do then?”

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

He couldn’t wrap his head around what he was hearing. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of being a jedi? Old Ben told me that the jedi were peacekeepers. That you defended the galaxy as well as its people. Why would you help people if you don’t care about them?”

“Misunderstand me, you do. Encouraged, compassion is. It is attachment that leads to the dark side. The unwillingness to accept the natural order of the universe.”

It took Luke a while to wrap his head around what Yoda was saying. The ancient jedi master was confusing at the best of times, but he was slowly but surely learning how to understand him. “You mean obsession?”

“Precisely what I mean, that is. Those who allow themselves to be blinded by their attachments fall victim to the dark side.”

“Do you truly think this vision comes from the dark side?”

Yoda nodded. “Heard of such visions before, I have. Depends on the person’s actions, the outcome does.”

What Yoda was saying, if Luke wasn’t mistaken, was that the vision could be true, but only if he followed a certain path. And by rushing out to go and find them, he could very well be leading them into danger. The Empire was after him and Leia, there was no doubt about it, and they could follow him straight to Leia and the kids if he wasn’t careful. Still, how could he be certain that they themselves weren’t heading towards that city in the clouds as they spoke. Leia had mentioned that they were looking for a place to fix the Falcon.

Then he had an idea. “Can you teach me more about force telepathy?”