She ran up the stone steps to the beautiful stone villa positioned at the edge of the lake. The signal had led her here, to this place. The ship sitting abandoned at the side of the lake, had still been warm to the touch, in contrast to the cold night air. This was the only house in the area, so he must be here. Rounding the corner she came to a large wooden door. She unhooked her blaster from the clip in her belt, before pushing the door open carefully. It was unlocked.

There was no sound as she entered what appeared to be a long dark corridor. It was hard to see in the dim light, but she could make out several doors off to one side. They were all closed, except the one at the farthest end. He was in that one, she could feel it. Not bothering to walk quietly, knowing it would be pointless, she moved quickly down the corridor and entered the room.

He was standing in front of a large window, his back to her. Overlooking what looked like a garden. Legs slightly parted, with his hands clasped behind his back. Though he no longer wore his cape, he had taken to wearing a dark, hooded robe. She had briefly wondered if it was Luke's. The hood was down now, exposing his bald head. Though she knew he had sensed her, he did not turn around.
The only light in the room came from the full moon, shining down through the trees to the window. Illuminating the room in silver. Gripping the hilt of her blaster tightly, she raised it up and pointed it straight at his back.

"You would not shoot an unarmed man in the back would you?" The voice was stronger now, yet sounding nothing like the voice she was used to hearing from him.

She scoffed at his words, not lowering her blaster "Unarmed? You dont need a weapon, you are a weapon!"

"True enough" he agreed.

Scrutinizing the room, she could not see much of interest. It was sparsly furnished, what little furniture there was, all covered in white sheets or dust. Likely no one had lived here for quite a while.
" What is this place anyway, one of the emperor's hideouts? Here to make contact with his remaining forces, before you make your own bid for power? Is that why you wanted to come here? It's no secret that this is the planet that spawned him." she said coldly.

He spun on his heels, turning to face her, the movement so quick she had to resist the urge to take a step back. Angered by the impulse she stood her moonlight was making his scarred face look more pale than usual, it was not a pretty sight. A small breather covered the lower half of his face.
"This place has nothing to do with him" His voice cool. The hand holding the blaster felt varm and clammy, but she tightened her grip on it anyway. Levelling it at his chest.

"Then why are you here. Luke trusts you, yet you reward his trust by running away in the middle of the night."

"I did not run, I came here for a moment of solitude. You were the one that decided to follow me" He sighed, and folded his hands across his chest.

"If that is true you could have said something."

"Would you have let me? I imagine you would have insisted accompanying me. Having you scowl at me for an hour, is hardly my idea of solitude" He pointedly looked down at the blaster in her hand.

The idea that she had the power to tell Vader what to do, struck her as ridiculous. They both knew, he could leave anytime he wanted. Blaster or no she would not be able to stop him. Still she was not putting it away.

"If it was up to me you would be rotting away in some cell, until justice can be served. I am only doing this for Luke. He for some unfathomable reason wants know you. I know all I'll ever need to know" she spat.

" Tell me, is it justice or vengeance you seek?" He was looking at her now, his expression intent.

"This is no longer the empire, everyone gets a fair trial. Even you!" she bristled at his implication. Yes she hated him, however she would still follow the rules. They were nothing like the empire.
He kept her gaze for a few moments more, like he was searching her eyes for something. Before he finally looked away from her face, and let his eyes wander around the dark room.

" This was supposed to be your room, or at least this is what I think she meant." he said quietly.

She? Wait,was this her mother's house? The impact of that infomation hit her straight in the gut. She let her gaze run across the room again, taking it all in. The view in the window was beautiful, or would be in summer. Now winter had left the garden mostly dead. There was nothing but ghosts in this place.
" I see a nice corner over there for the torture droid. It would have been cozy I imagine" she spat. Her words cruel, but she could not help but wonder what it would have been like to live her, with her mother, with Luke, not him. She could do without him.

"Leia I.." He took a small step towards her, letting his hands fall down at his sides. Raising the hand not holding the blaster, she fended him off.

"No, just no. I dont want to hear it"

At her words he stopped dead,shaking his head and letting out another a sigh "None of this was supposed to happen" he said sadly.

"Then what was supposed to happen? What part of you thought any of this was a good idea?" Her anger flared, and the temptation to shoot him made her finger twitch on the trigger. Remorse, it was too late for remorse.

"The desperate part." his voice was very quiet now.

"I am not Luke. I will not fall for this. I love my brother, but he can be too soft, if you hurt him or anyone else again I will do what is needed."

To emphasize the threat, she moved across the room in defiance of her earlier fear. Not stopping until she was close enough that she could reach out and touch him. A part of his breast panel was visible through a gap in his cloak. A stark reminder of just who she was dealing with. Not some scarred old man, that kept gazing at her with deceptively kind eyes. But Darth Vader himself.
"Is it even real?" she whispered as she pointed the tip of her blaster where his heart was supposed to be. Or was it just another piece of metal. Cold, dead and empty.

"Yes" he said looking down at her, apparently understanding her meaning.

"But if you seek to stop it, I recommend a lightsaber. That thing wont do much damage."

"I doubt Luke would lend me his for the occasion" She had not come her to kill him, however standing this close brought back memories of the last time she had been this close. The same one that haunted her dreams, an image that had been burned on to her memory forever. The day her world was literally burned away, turned to nothing but rubble and dust. Never again would she stand on it's surface and breathe the fresh air. Never again would she hear her father's voice. Yet this thing lives. Her hate for him flared to life with full force, turning her vision red. She did want him dead, if she lifted the blaster just a bit upward she could end it. No armor protected him there.

He just looked down at her unflinching. "I know you are not Luke, but I also know you are not me."

She stepped back as if he had slapped her, looking down at the blaster in her hand with disgust. Horrified with herself she threw it into the darkness, where it landed on the floor with a thud.
"No, and I never will be" she said, feeling sick at the thought of how nearly the rage had taken controll.

"I suggest you watch your anger then" he said, eyes never leaving her face.

" A little late to play the father now." she snapped.

"I know, and I am not going to go down on my knees pleading for your forgivness. You and I both know we are far past that point" he said solemnly.

An image of Vader kneeling before the emperor flashed before her eyes. She had seen it enough times at the imperial senate. The thought made her shudder.

"And I truly was not running away, I intended to bring you both here in the morning, so I would only have to do this once"

"Do what?"

"To tell you of her. I know I took something from you, when you found out I am your father, and this is the only thing I can ever give you back. As little as that may be." He sounded hesitant now, and did not meet her eyes.

"Something? How about everything! The only good thing you have ever given me is Luke, and like everything else you tried to take him away from me." Her earlier rage threatened to resurface, she took a deep breath to keep it away, nearly shaking with the effort.

He shook his head. "True but that's not what I meant, I took away some part of your certainty in who you are. Giving you the belief you are the child of something foul, and hence something foul yourself" Now he looked her directly in the eyes, his words sounding so much like an echo of the thoughts she had been struggeling with since learning the truth. She could not help but wonder if he had read her mind.
"I know who I am." she retorted, though not convinced by her own words, and neither it seems was he. He continued.

"You are a part of her as much as a part of me. She was everything I am not, and she would have loved you Leia. Would have been so proud of what you have achieved. What you both have." He turned away from her as he spoke, letting a gloved finger trace a path along the surface of a small table by the window, leaving a trail behind in the dust.

"I just wanted you to know her" he said so quietly she could barely hear him. Then he looked back out the window towards the moonlit garden.

She did not know what to say at this point, her emotions all muddled in her mind. Everything from rage to sorrow. Grief of what she had lost, and now grief for what she didn't even know she had lost. Who had her mother been? Who had she been to him? Now partly a machine, once a man. Once even capable of love? Then what had gone so very wrong? The silence between them was deafening, and she found herself once again staring at his back. However this time she was unarmed.

Notes:

Well so Vader did not run away to rejoin the empire:)

Thanks for reviews, favourites and follows. I am honoured so many have liked my story so far.