When the message arrived from Leia's school, Bail Organa had been reading a report from the Senate on his data pad and eating lunch. Both now lay abandoned on his desk as he marched down the halls of the academy, his heart pounding to the rhythm of his echoing steps.

He and Breha had known this day would come. That knowledge was not making his task any easier.

Bail rapped his knuckles against the administrator's door and entered. There was Leia sitting in a chair, head and shoulders drooped dejectedly.

"Thank you for coming," whispered the administrator. "I'll give you two some time alone."

Bail walked slowly to Leia's side and knelt. "Leia? Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"Yes," Leia said.

"I'm sorry your mother couldn't come, too, but she's in a meeting."

The little girl avoided his eyes. "My mother? My real mother?"

Bail slipped a finger under Leia's chin and lifted it gently. "Tell me what happened, sweetheart."

Leia took a deep breath and nodded. "I wanted to play spies with the boys during recess. They said princesses don't make good spies, so I- "Leia hesitated, her face guilty. "I may have walked on top of the monkey bars."

Bail tried not to imagine the child balancing on the monkey bars; It was far too easy to imagine the spectacle followed by whimpers of pain and broken bones.

"You walked on top of the- "Bail stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "We are going to have a talk about that later, Leia."

Leia had been expecting as much and simply nodded.

"What happened next?" Bail asked softly.

"The boys were going to let me play after that, but one of the girls said I was an embarrassment to you, and that they weren't surprised that I couldn't act like a proper princess- "Leia's words came out in a rush, and a tear slipped down her cheek. The next words, even expected as they were, sent shivers through Bail's skin. "-because I'm a-adopted."

Leia, who had been staring at her lap, swiped away her tears and met Bail's gaze. "I shouted at her, and the teacher heard. I told her to tell them it wasn't true, but she wouldn't answer me. That's when I knew. It is true, isn't it?"

"Yes, Leia," Bail said. "It's true." He and Breha had already prepared their story. "Your birth parents died during the Clone Wars when you were a baby. Your mother was a very brave and generous woman; She would be very, very proud of the independent young lady you have become, Leia."

Leia's wide brown eyes stared earnestly into Bail's. "And my father?"

"He was a very skilled man, and he certainly did his part for the war effort," Bail said carefully. That much wasn't a lie. He could feel his heart cracking that he couldn't tell Leia the whole truth- he and Breha had made a point to never lie to their daughter- but how could he possibly tell an eight-year-old that her father had become a monster? A monster who had slaughtered thirty children little older than Leia, no less? And Leia and her brother themselves could have died when Anakin had tried to Force choke Padme…Bail blinked hard, trying to ignore the thought of what life would like without his smart, stubborn little ray of sunshine. How could a good man have almost done that to two innocent children- his own two children? Nothing else could have been more conclusive proof that there was only Vader inside that suit now. Yes, Anakin was dead.

"Leia," Bail said, squeezing her hand. "Listen to me. The children were right when they said you were adopted, but do you know what they were wrong about?"

"What?" Leia asked.

"That you are an embarrassment to me. You make me proud every day, and the people of Alderaan couldn't hope for a better princess than you. Being a ruler isn't about your clothes or eating with the right fork. It's about doing what needs to be done, and that can include diplomacy, wielding a blaster, or going undercover just as much as it can mean hosting dinners in the palace. Leia, it's about serving your people with courage, and loyalty, and generosity. I have already seen those things in your heart, and I know they will grow even more as you do. I would trust my life in your hands, my darling, and I can count on one hand the number of politicians I can say that about."

A smile spread across Leia's face. "It's because my father was such a good example." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

He wrapped his arms around her slender body and snuggled her close. "I love you, Leia."

"I love you too, Daddy."

O0o

Luke's usual chatter was absent from the supper table, and he had barely taken two bites of the bantha steak soup that was usually his favorite. (At the Lars household, though, it was just known as steak soup. Luke adored banthas.)

"Uncle Owen? Why don't I call you father, and Aunt Beru mother?" Luke finally blurted out, looking up at the couple with wide, troubled eyes. "Aren't you my parents?"

The clink of utensils and the sound of food being chewed abruptly stopped. Owen and Beru exchanged glances.

"Well, Luke," Owen said clearing his throat. He shifted in his seat and laid down his fork. "Actually, we aren't."

"I'm not the one who gave birth to you, my child," Beru said. "Your mother was in poor health, and she wasn't strong enough to live through the birth."

"And your father, my brother, was a navigator. On a spice freighter." Owen wasn't sure if that was true or not. For all he knew about his stepbrother, it could have been the truth: Maybe the Jedi ran spice in their free time.

He remembered back to what that crazy Jedi hermit had said as he had laid Luke in their arms.

"Wait, what are we supposed to tell the boy someday about his father?" Owen had said, suddenly feeling a spark of desperation as Obi-Wan began to stride away.

"Tell him he was a navigator on a spice freighter," the Jedi had called back breezily over his shoulder.

Well, whether it had been the truth or simply an example of screwed Jedi humor, that was what Owen had told Luke. He wondered if Kenobi had believed he would actually tell Luke that; He suspected he hadn't.

"Oh," Luke said. He sat there swinging his feet and staring at his wiggling toes, his eyes lost and filled with confusion.

Beru caught Owen's eyes and nodded toward Luke. "Say something to him," she mouthed.

Owen glanced at the top of the boy's head helplessly. Beru rolled her eyes and rose from her seat, coming to kneel by Luke's side. She wrapped a warm arm around his shoulders and hugged him close.

"This is hard for you, isn't it, Luke?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh."

"You know, we may not be the parents that gave birth to you, Luke. But in our eyes, you are our son- and there is no one we love more than our sweet, energetic little boy."

With one arm wrapped around Beru's neck, Luke turned his head to stare at her solemnly. "Really?"

"Yes. And we'll always be here to do all the things that mothers and fathers do, like care for you, and teach you, and- "

"And make sure I drink all my blue milk?" Luke interrupted.

Beru laughed. "And make sure you drink all of your blue milk. We love you, Luke."

"To the twin moons and back?" the little boy asked hopefully, turning to Owen and stretching out the arm that wasn't already squeezing Beru's neck.

Owen had never been much of a hugger, but stars above, how could he resist that bright grin?

He stood and wrapped his arms around his wife and his nephew- no, his son.

"Yes, Luke," he said. "All the way to the twin moons and back."

So, this was a bit more serious than the other ones in the series, but I hope you still enjoyed! Thanks for reading.