This was inspired by a post over on tumblr, talking about about how Luke knew Leia, and how "And he knows that, if Leia falls, that will mean he will either have to kill her, or join her. And he knows he won't be able to kill her." It was first posted in June, and I've realized I need to post it over here as well.

"Leia."

Leia Organa (Skywalker) turned toward Darth Vader as he said her name. "Yes, Father?"

He was holding a datapad in hand. "Our spies in what's left of the Rebellion recorded this conversation, I thought you would want to see it."

Leia took the datapad and turned it on. The image was, for the moment, static. Two men, one older than the other, sitting side by side on a box somewhere. She could just see the Millennium Falcon in the background. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Her brother, and the man she loved.

"Why? I know what they think of me now," she said.

Vader shook his head. "No, my daughter. You don't. And you are far luckier than I," he added. "Watch the recording. You might be surprised with what you will learn."

He didn't leave, however. He'd probably felt her desire for him to stay with her.

She started the recording. The sound quality wasn't the greatest, but this was the first time she'd seen or heard either of the two of them in nearly six months.

"How you doing, kid?" Han asked.

Luke sighed. "Not so great," he said. He looked around, but apparently, the spy was far enough away that he shouldn't have heard them. "It's just..."

Han looked around too. "The family situation?"

Luke laughed briefly, bitterly. "Yeah, that."

"Yeah, I get it. It's a bit of a..."

Luke looked down at his hands. His right one was still gloved, like it had been the last time she had seen him. "You know, I spent 23 years thinking I was an orphaned only child, only to, in one year, learn I had a father still alive, a twin sister, and find out my father was part of the very Empire I was working to destroy, and lose my sister to our father. It's all..."

Han nodded. "I miss her too," he said.

Luke smiled sadly. "She's..." he shook his head. "It gets worse, Han," he said.

"The whole Jedi and Sith thing, I know," Han said.

"No, it's even worse than that," Luke said. "I'm a Jedi. They're Sith. We're supposed..." his voice broke. "There's only three outcomes if we ever meet again, and..." he swallowed

Han reached out and draped his arm around Luke's shoulder. "What is it, kid?" he asked.

"The Jedi and the Sith have long been enemies, Han," he said, trying to regain his composure. "Almost every time Jedi and Sith have met, one of three things has happened, unless someone runs away. The Jedi kills the Sith, the Sith kills the Jedi, or the Jedi joins the Sith."

"The Sith has never joined the Jedi?" Han asked.

Luke shook his head. "It might have happened, but I can't find any record of it."

"Not that you've had time to look."

Luke smiled sadly. "Right. Not that I've had time to look."

Han sighed. "So..."

"I can't kill my sister. I can't kill Leia."

Han leaned back against the nearby wall. "Of course not," he said. "No one expects you to. At least, no one I know." He shook his head. "I don't understand why anyone would think you'd need to."

Luke gestured, and a nearby bit of metal lifted off the ground. It floated in front of the two men before dropping down again "You know why," he said.

"That's a stupid reason," Han said. "Look... I'm no fan of your father, probably never will be. But Leia?" he looked away. "I'd do almost anything for her, always. She's..."

Luke smiled. "I know," he said. "And I understand."

"So... what happens when you see her again?"

Luke shrugged. "I can't kill her," he said. "I won't even try. So either she'll kill me or..."

Han crossed his legs. "If the Jedi would want you to kill her, and I really doubt the Sith want her to kill you, seeing as the only two Sith in the galaxy are your father and sister, and you know you can't kill her..."

"And I don't want to Fall," Luke admitted, almost too quietly for the mike to pick up.

"That, I can't help you with, kid," Han replied. "Except that I'm all for not killing Leia."

Luke smiled sadly. "Why are you still here, Han?" he asked. "You've never been an idealist. I know you only stayed for Leia."

"Not just Leia," Han said. "There was this irritatingly idealistic kid I met, you might have known him once. Somehow, he grew on me, and now he's like a kid brother to me. Besides, I doubt I could get to Leia, and I don't have anywhere else to go."

The recording ended. "They..."

"They don't want to lose you, Leia," Vader said. "They still love you. Luke may still be foolishly clinging to the Light, but he doesn't want to kill you. And that smuggler of yours seems amazingly loyal to you."

Leia looked down at the image of Luke and Han sitting next to each other. "They..." she took a deep breath. "We have to find them and bring them here," she said. "I don't care if Luke wants to stay weak or not. But I want them here."

Vader didn't move. "I agree," he said. "With Sidious dead, and you here with me, I can afford to indulge him his foolishness, at least for a time." He turned his head. "However, we will not give up on turning him. Luke is far too powerful to waste his potential the way he is doing. And your smuggler?"

Leia smiled. "I wonder how he'd feel about a spring wedding."

Vader didn't say anything for a long moment. "He cannot know they are being recorded in that, but be careful, my daughter. Some beings, when faced with changes in the ones they love, cannot cope."

Leia nodded. As he turned to go, she bent over the datapad again. She almost couldn't believe what she had seen, but she wanted to watch it again.

There will be a sequel.