AN: Nothing to say except thanks for the reviews and I hope you're all having a Happy New Year. I start school Wednesday but that also means I'm coming into some money from my financial aid! (Does happy dance). Good thing this is already written. Can't say the same for Light of Liberty, but I actually write better during school amazingly enough.

And have you all seen the trailer for the new Clone Wars season! There's a part where it looks like Ahsoka turned to the dark side or something and I'm like WTF! You will definitely find me trying to watch that. Besides, it has the night sisters in it and I'm all for things dark. Okay. That's all.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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Chapter Four

The next day, the doctor was amazed to find Vader walking about on his own and growing increasingly restless about staying any longer. So the following day, Vader was given permission to walk on the grounds of the facility-not that Vader cared about having the doctor's permission since he had planned on doing so anyway-and it was decided that if the doctor determined Vader could get around on his own, he wouldn't need the physical therapy (Ahsoka had already told the man Vader wasn't going to need it), and he could leave the next day. However, he didn't need to do any strenuous activities before he was fully healed. Again, Ahsoka doubted Vader would follow that rule either.

Ahsoka watched from the facility as she saw Vader doing laps on the grounds. She shook her head. He was always stubborn about his health and maybe that was why he couldn't be kept down for long, even when it seemingly defied the odds. He was a Sith, but he still kept some of the traits of his former self and knowing him, he was going to leave as soon as he got back from his run. She didn't blame him though. Although they hadn't used their bond in a while, she could feel his excitement (or something akin to it since she wasn't sure Sith felt excitement) about his new body. It was still partly artificial, but she could sense that he felt more alive and attune to the force than ever.

When he got back, he proved her assumption correct.

"Prepare all the troops and get ready to leave. I can't stand to be here any longer," he said to her and Ahsoka raised her eyebrow before going back to looking out the window.

"I gave you a command," Vader said agitatedly.

"I know," said Ahsoka.

"Then why aren't you doing it?"

"Because you commanded me," Ahsoka replied.

Ahsoka sensed Vader's annoyance and he struggled to try not to lose his temper with her as they were trying to act a little more civil to each other.

"Don't be smug," he muttered when he felt her attitude through the force. "I'm trying to be nice."

Ahsoka laughed. "If this is your definition of nice, then I'd hate to see your definition of mean…"

"Ahsoka," Vader said in a warning tone and Ahsoka sighed as she turned around with a smirk.

"Okay. Fine… I'm going," Ahsoka said airily. "But if you're going to try to be nice, you're going to have to do better than that."

Vader watched as Ahsoka left the room and closed the door behind her. She was a bit of an enigma to him. On one hand, she could so easily remind him that she was a stubborn Jedi that hated him because he was a Sith and that just because she took care of his daughter didn't mean she was going to make his life easy or at all accept him. On the other hand, he could sometimes ignore that she was a Jedi, especially since she wasn't exactly a conventional Jedi (she had brought him Leia when the Jedi wanted to hide her anyway). Sometimes she was just the strangely comforting person to be around, the one person he knew that, despite their differences, he could always go to when he needed help even if he didn't want to admit it.

It seemed Ahsoka needed him to have this surgery as much as he needed to. Ahsoka didn't have Padmé's heart. The suit would have never blocked Padmé from seeing him. But Ahsoka couldn't see it that way and that was one of the ways she was different from Padmé. In fact, he wondered if she hadn't been so close to his wife if she would have brought him Leia to begin with.

He didn't like to dwell on his past. A Sith wasn't supposed to care about having friends, but Padmé and Ahsoka had been two of the only people he could ever completely trust or would trust. They had come after him even when they didn't agree with him and he was sure he could have convinced them both to join him had Obi-Wan not shown up and ruined everything…

Perhaps this surgery was the first step in getting back some of the understanding he used to have with his former student, as he didn't too much care about friendship. But understanding was within his parameters. He was still a sith and she a Jedi-they both made that very clear to each other-but perhaps they could overlook, only for Leia's sake of course.

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"Where's Leia?" Vader asked when they came into the house.

"She's next door, I haven't gone to pick her up yet," Ahsoka said. "But I doubt I'll need to. She can sense you a parsec-."

They both heard the front door open and close.

"…away," Ahsoka finished as the girl ran into the living room.

"Daddy!" she said jumping up and down, dressed in a denim jumper with her hair tied in a ponytail.

She stopped jumping when she caught sight of Vader and squinted her eyes. Ahsoka smiled. It was what the girl did when she was trying to recognize someone by their force signature. It amazed Ahsoka that though the girl was untrained, Leia recognized or noticed people's force signature first and their appearance second. When she found Vader's signature to be correct, Leia ran into his arms.

"Daddy! You don't have on your mask!" Leia said in excitement.

"I know princess," he said sitting down on the couch with a bright smile… by Sith standards.

Leia pulled away from him and inspected his face, putting her hands on either side of it.

"Your hair isn't brown like mine," she said running her fingers over the new growth on Vader's head.

"I know," he said. "Your hair looks like your mother's."

"But your hair looks like Luke's," Leia said offhandedly shocking both Ahsoka and Vader. Vader looked past Leia to glare at Ahsoka, who shook her head in denial

Vader looked back at Leia. "Who's Luke princess?"

Leia answered him without missing a beat as she inspected his hands. "Luke's my brother."

"But sweetheart," Ahsoka said. "You don't-."

"He's going to come here one day, and we'll meet and then I won't let anyone take him anyway again."

"Leia," Vader started but Leia put her hands in her lap and looked at him.

"You look nice daddy. I like your face," she finally said softly and then frowned. "You're not going to put the mask back on are you?"

Vader decided he'd ask about Luke another time since it was obvious Leia was more concerned about him.

"No princess. Not when I'm with you," he said.

Leia grinned. "Good. I'm going to go get my speeder bike daddy. I fixed the engine! It works."

With that Leia ran back out the door to go get her bike. Ahsoka smiled after her. It was easy to forget that this was Vader and not Anakin she was looking at when Leia was around her father. It was when she left that Ahsoka remembered reality and reality was certainly returning as she nervously looked at Vader. He turned to her, and sensing his anger, Ahsoka shook her head.

"I swear I didn't tell her about Luke. I don't know how she knew," Ahsoka said to him as she felt that he was about to unleash his wrath on her.

"Then how did she know?" Vader asked.

"I don't know. Ask her if you want to know. I'm just as baffled as you are!"

"You're lying. The only way she could have know was if she learned some aspect of the force and you're the only one here to teach it," Vader accused. "Either that or you told her."

"I may not always agree with you, but I usually respect your wishes. I didn't teach her anything and I didn't tell her about Luke even if I don't see the big deal," Ahsoka said not backing down.

"You liar," Vader said and Ahsoka felt the force gathering around him warning her he was about to attack her.

"I'm not lying you bastard! And if you would get over your emotions and use the force to see that instead of jumping to conclusions and trying to attack me like you attacked Padmé, you would know it too," Ahsoka yelled. There went trying to be civil…

"Don't bring that up!" Vader warned.

"Why? Because you don't want to face it huh? You don't want to face the fact that it's your fault she died!" Ahsoka said before she thought about what she was saying and to be quite honest she didn't care.

"Daddy," Leia said running back into the house. "Come look at my-."

Leia stopped sensing the tension in the room and obvious anger between her father and guardian. Ahsoka and Vader both turned to look at her when they sensed her sadness, both forgetting their anger at each other when they noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Leia," they both managed to say before she flew up the steps to her room and slammed the door.

Vader cursed under his breath in huttese and Ahsoka sighed with her hands on her hips.

"Now look what you did," Ahsoka snapped.

Vader looked at her out the corner of his eyes. "Me. You're the one who got angry."

"Because you jumped to a conclusion about something that wasn't even my fault," Ahsoka shot and then added, "And you're one to talk about anger Mr. Sith Lord."

Vader didn't reply and instead headed up the steps. Ahsoka groaned.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To talk to Leia," Vader replied curtly.

Ahsoka followed him and before Vader could even knock, Leia said, "Go away."

"Princess," Vader said getting frustrated.

Ahsoka stood next to him. "Getting angry with her isn't going to work. You can't treat her like you treat officers in the fleet."

"Do you have a better idea?" Vader snapped.

Ahsoka knocked on the door. "Leia. Can I come in?"

"I want you to go away too Ahsoka," Leia replied.

"You were correct," Vader said, sarcasm laced in his tone. "That worked much better."

"Well at least I wasn't trying to treat her like a soldier," Ahsoka shot.

"I do not treat my daughter like a soldier."

"Not always."

Vader started to reply when Leia shouted through the door, "I hate it when you fight. Just stop it!"

Vader and Ahsoka exchanged a look and then grudgingly ceased their argument. Vader, having grown impatient with Leia swiped his hand over the lock and opened the door.

"Princess," he said in a softer tone then earlier.

Leia was laying on her bed with her back to them. She was quiet for a moment before she finally asked, "Why do you two fight so much?"

Vader and Ahsoka didn't quite know how to answer her and for once they were in agreement that whatever they said needed to pacify Leia's concern about their relationship or lack of one, but they'd deal with that later.

"It's complicated dear. You'll understand when you're older."

Vader rolled his eyes. That excuse hadn't worked on him when he was Leia's age and if she was anything like him it wouldn't work now.

"I do understand. I get that you're a Jedi and you're… you're… you're just not a Jedi whatever it is daddy, but does that mean you can't at least like each other?" she asked.

Ahsoka sat on the bed and pulled Leia to her.

"Why does it bother you so much little one?" she asked.

"I don't want to pick a side," she muttered. "Like when we pick teams at school."

"What makes you think that?" Vader asked raising his eyebrows, not thinking it would be good to mention that one day Leia would have to choose between the Jedi and the Sith. However, why did she feel that there was a need to pick a side now? As much as Ahsoka got on Vader's last nerve and triggered his temper, he tried not to force that attitude on Leia. He didn't too much like how attached Leia was to her guardian, but even he understood that she was six years old. What was he supposed to expect?

"There's a girl in my class and her dad's moving away because him and her mother don't get along and now she has to choose who she wants to live with. I don't want to do that," she said softly, waves off fear rolling off her in the force.

Ahsoka and Vader exchanged a wry look. The two weren't anywhere near being married, but they both knew Ahsoka was the only mother figure Leia had as much as Ahsoka denied it. So that was why Leia was so bothered with their fighting. Although Vader's and Ahsoka's relationship was complicated enough, it wasn't nearly as complicated as a marriage that was falling apart.

"You don't have to choose between us," Vader said trying to comfort her.

"But you said you would get rid of Ahsoka if she bothered you too much," Leia said.

Vader went through his memory and recalled several occasions where he had said something along those lines (he was impressed Leia had the intuition not to say it as harsh as he had), but he wasn't aware Leia had been listening in on them. He would definitely be soundproofing the walls.

"I didn't mean it," Vader reluctantly said to comfort his daughter's fears. It wasn't quite a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

"Then why did you say it," Leia asked with her arms crossed as she looked at her father expectantly.

"When adults get angry with one another, they sometimes say things they don't mean. I'm not sending Ahsoka anywhere any time soon," Vader assured knowing that his words would come back to haunt him later judging by the amusement he felt coming from Ahsoka at his attempts to calm his daughter. Ahsoka was definitely going to use that against him.

"You promise," Leia asked.

Vader paused. That would prove to be a difficult promise to keep but if Leia wanted it then so be it. He could live with it… for now.

"I promise."

"And will you stop fighting," Leia asked them both.

Vader's and Ahsoka's eyes met, both knowing that if they said anything to Leia now, they would have to genuinely mean it or she would sense their half effort.

"We'll try," they both finally said grudgingly.

Leia was silent and then deciding she was happy with the reply said, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Alright Leia. I'll stay here," Ahsoka said running a hand through Leia's hair.

"I meant both of you," she said with a shy smile.

"You're pushing it," Vader said starting out the room. "I'll be next door if you need anything."

"Daddy please!"

Ahsoka knew Vader's resolve was gone at that and she groaned. This was going to be awkward, really awkward.

"Go get ready for bed," he said. "We'll be here when you come out,"

When Leia was in the bathroom Vader sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"What would the fleet do if they knew the only person that could bring Vader to his knees was a six year old girl," Ahsoka teased dryly.

Vader grumbled something under his breath as he took off his boots and pulled off his tunic. Ahsoka turned her back to him as she removed her boots just as Leia came out the bathroom in her nightgown. She went to the corner of her room where all her stuffed toys were and picked out an angel before climbing in the middle of the bed.

Ahsoka and Vader both laid down next to her on either side with their back turned to each other, and if they had both turned around they would have seen Leia roll her eyes with a knowing smile.

"Good night Daddy," she said kissing his cheek. "Good night Ahsoka," she said doing the same.

"Good night princess," the both finally said as Vader turned out the lights with the force.

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AN: I must say, writing Leia has been an enjoyable experience as was writing this scene. I wonder if any of you picked up the hint that I threw in at the end but if you didn't, you'll know soon.

I really do enjoy writing this love/hate thing between Vader and Ahsoka with Leia being their only common thread and Vader's musings are really fun too. All in all, this story has all the aspects of a story I love to write and so it was easy to write all the way through in the week it took me to write the three fourths of it I had left when I decided to go ahead and finish it.

Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!