A/N: There's this scene in Empire Strikes Back where Leia stares at Vader for maybe half a minute before Han gets frozen in carbonite. I started thinking about why she would've done that. Here's what I came up with.

Disclaimer:Star Wars is the property of Mr. Lucas. I own nothing.

Just for a Moment

This was wrong, this shouldn't have been happening.

We were supposed to be safe here. The Empire was supposed to be unable to set foot here. Han had trusted Lando, no matter what he said to the contrary, with our safety, and Lando had betrayed us, for his own interests.

I wanted to cry as I listened to Han telling Chewie not to fight back, but to protect me, to look after me. I knew he loved me, but I'd never wanted him to sacrifice himself for me. But there was nothing I could do.

Something passed over me, and I turned, mouth open slightly, in the direction the feeling had come from. It hadn't been something I'd felt myself.

Vader. It had come from Vader.

It was almost impossible to describe. It wasn't really a feeling, so much as a presence. It's true I'd always had a kind of fuzzy impression of what someone's presence felt like, and it'd always been so strong with Vader.

But this presence was different. This presence felt… cold, but not in the cruel way Vader usually felt. This cold was almost sad, like a shadow of sadness, a shadow of some terrible memory.

There was something else too, just for the faintest second, Vader felt like someone else entirely. Someone… someone lost. Someone fighting.

He turned his head toward me, and even with that nightmarish mask over his face; I could tell he was staring at me. What kind of a stare, puzzled, questioning, or simply hateful, was beyond me.

I didn't look away, but started to shrink away, back toward Chewie and his waiting comforting arms.

Han needed my attention, I needed to give him my attention, I might never get to again.

I pushed that moment to the back of my mind, but still, something frightening lingered and made me shake more than I already had been.

That other presence, that not Vader presence had been familiar. So familiar.

End