Father. Daughter

Disclaimer and Author's Note: SW belongs to George Lucas and Lucasfilm. Just a thing I thought of. Thought I'd be nice to explore Bail and Leia's relationship and his feelings about Vader a bit more. Oneshot. Will shut up now …

Senator Bail Organa was finally beginning to relax. This function was turning out better than he thought it was going to be. He had never liked this side of the job, all pomp and circumstance, preferring debates and doing things that would benefit people. His normal feelings of apprehension had been made worse by the knowledge that virtually a whole squadron of stormtroopers were going to accompany an Imperial ambassador. Bail knew the so-called 'friendly' visit was a thinly veiled way of keeping Aldaraan in line, considering its known preference for the 'old ways'. Then again, he doubted the Empire had the ability to be subtle about anything in spite of it's leaders intelligence and cunning. He could almost have called the atmosphere cheerful without the troops and was beginning to tolerate, if not enjoy, the evening. After all, his old friend Representative Deston from Kavin had broached the subject of family and they were sharing holos of each others children. "Goddess, she's getting tall!" said Deston of a shot of Leia "better watch out!". Bail laughed. Where's she got to anyway?, wondered Bail of his daughter and he casually scanned the bustling room for her.

The sight that greeted him simultaneously made his blood freeze and his heart race, a very unpleasant sensation. Oh, God! Its him! The've sent him here! Standing over his daughter was the dark, nightmarish silhouette of Darth Vader and his respirator aided breathing suddenly filled the room, at least in Bail's eyes. The man, if, indeed, you could call him that, dwarfed the girl.

Bail's first impulse was to rush her out of there. This was the very thing he had been supposed to protect her from. He had never wanted her to meet or know her biological father for who he was. Possibly when she was older but certainly not now. No child of ten years old should have to deal with such knowledge.

However, his professionalism reasserted itself. He walked over to Leia and stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him, a half smile greeting him. Bail nodded and looked up at the other man present. "Lord Vader. What a…surprise. I was not told of your visit" he said in clipped tones.

"The Emperor does not make a habit of revealing the identity of his representatives" Vaders low voice answered in a tone that implied 'You answer to the Empire, not the other way around'.

"Indeed" Bail said, an eyebrow barely raised. A silence passed between them before Bail thought some small talk was in order, especially with all these people watching. The encounter was unsettling. He had only been in close proximity to Vader three times and he did not become less intimidating with acquaintance. Quite the contrary. After all, last time he had met Vader, he had been giving evidence at the hearing of one of his friends, charged with treason. "I see you've met my daughter" he said, patting Leia on the shoulder.

"So this is young Princess Leia Organa" Vader said looking down at her, his stance superior.

"That's right" she replied, completely unfazed by the introduction, outwardly at least "Lord Vader" she added. Bail was pleased to note the polite tone had no reverence. She had, after all, been raised to dislike, if not hate, the Empire and by association, this man. The man who had once been her father.

"I did not expect to meet you at a gathering such as this"

Nor did I thought Bail. "My father thinks it's important for me to learn about how politics and matters of state work" Leia replied, with an affectionate nod to Bail.

"And have you found this evening to be educational?" asked Vader.

"I…yes. Besides its been good to see some old friends again" she answered quickly.

"And to find new ones? It is certainly good to find friends loyal to the Empire" Vader said.

Leia clearly did not know how to respond. Luckily, she didn't have to. A brass gong was sounded and the guests began to file towards the table. "Well, dinner is served" Bail said, false cheerfulness covering up his relief. Vader would not be joining them. He never ate or drank except in his private chambers on the Star Destroyer Executor. Nobody had over seen him unmasked since his turn to the dark side. Or else they didn't live to tell the tale thought Bail, grimly. It was quite sad when he thought about it. What had become of the headstrong and idealistic young man that he once was?

"Senator Organa" Vader said by way of goodbye. Bail nodded equally curtly.

Leia looked confused, after all she was not stupid. She had picked up on Vader's hints and the general atmosphere without quite understanding it. She quickly noticed Winter, though and moved off to join her. Always there when we need her, that girl thought Bail and went to find Breha.

Later, Bail had just bid Leia goodnight. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. You really hate Vader don't you? I saw how you looked when you saw him" She said.

"Hate, Leia, is a strong word. It is, after all what made him what he is. Hate and fear. But I do dislike him and hate what he has done. The destruction of the Jedi, his role as enforcer" he turned back to her out of his reverie "I just mean to try not to hate people, just ideas. Like the Empire".

She nodded. She felt that, since they were on such topics, this would be a good time to approach a subject that had been bothering her. She never usually liked to raise the subject of her real parents, who had died soon after her birth, mainly because it wasn't a comfortable topic for her mother. "Dad…how did my parents die? I want to know more about them. And don't just say 'they were a lot like you'. Is that okay?" she added quickly.

Bail nodded, questions like this were bound to be inevitable "Well, I knew your mother, Padme better than your father. We were colleagues as senators of the Old Republic and became friends. She was a very principled woman, supportive of the old democratic ways. She would have been among the first to join any rebellion against the Empire. She was a kind woman, fiercely loyal to her ideals, like you I suppose. Your father was an idealist, too but rather more impulsive than your mother. He was a bodyguard of sorts, hired to protect her. They weren't supposed to, but they fell in love and got married in secret. Soon she was pregnant with you. But after your father was killed as a soldier in Order 66, your mother passed away. Just after she gave the world you."

Leia looked enchanted by the romantic story and she was. It was good to know of her biological parents but she still thought of it as just that, a story. Apart from a vague, dreamlike memory of Padme's face that might have been an actual dream anyway, she felt no connection to those two people. Her real parents were Bail and Breha Organa as far as she was concerned and Alderran was her home. The story, stangely, only asserted that in her mind. She hugged Bail as she voiced this to him. He left her bedroom to go to his own, smiling and considering the night's events. Parenting, he decided, was a very thought-provoking thing.

Hope you liked! Please r and r! Please forgive the spelling mistakes, too (I'm sure there are some!).