AN: I know all of you were wondering what happened next and of course, everyone already knows tensions are high. So in this we find out what Leia thinks (more about that later) and well… Read it.
Also I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and pms I get for this story. It really flatters me when people inbox me their ideas for stories that they'd like me to write for them. I saw one that I found intriguing that would feature a character I don't know if I'm comfortable writing, but I liked the idea. However it would take me back into my other Dark Ahsoka universe, and I'm trying to leave that universe alone right now (I've made a note of it in my notebook though). But I love you ideas and feedback from in-depth critiques about what you liked and things I can improve on to simply telling me 'good job' and I just wanted to thank you for it. Know that it is all appreciated.
Read, enjoy, and review!
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Chapter Eight
The tension was obvious when Leia stepped into the kitchen the next morning and she knew almost immediately that something wasn't right. Ahsoka was silently packing her lunch while Threepio made her breakfast and her father sat at the table looking over reports that were no doubt for the empire. On the surface, a person could just say that they were into what they were doing, but Leia knew that they were purposely ignoring each other and having a hard time doing so.
Leia took a seat next to her father and looked between her guardians for a moment before becoming fed up and saying, "Did you all have a fight or something? Because the air is so heavy I can barely breathe."
Vader and Ahsoka looked up at Leia, briefly glanced at each other, and then went back to their tasks. Leia concluded that it had been something more than a fight because usually they both would have made a smart comment toward each other (Ahsoka would have done that), then someone would get angry (usually Vader), and they would fight again. If there hadn't been a fight, then what had happened?
"Come on princess. I'll take you to school," Vader said to her as he stood up and abruptly left the kitchen when Leia was done with her breakfast.
Leia groaned. She had hoped he forgot about taking her already limited driving privileges. She grabbed her lunch off the counter and kissed Ahsoka good-bye before following him albeit a little upset that she couldn't take herself.
Vader was already waiting in the speeder and barely gave Leia the chance to get in before he took off. Leia groaned in frustration, but not at her dad's refusal to let up on her punishment. He had sped off a little too fast for her liking which only confirmed that something had happened between her father and Ahsoka, and now they were avoiding each other.
"Daddy," Leia said her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Yes princess," he said to her.
"Why are you and Ahsoka trying to avoid each other?" she asked. She came to the conclusion that just saying things outright came across as more innocent so that her guardians wouldn't think she was up to something.
Vader wasn't surprised. More and more lately he had the feeling that Leia was playing her hand in the affairs of adults. But she was only speeding up the process of things that were already there in the first place if Vader thought about it (not that he would admit it aloud), if that's what she was doing at all.
"What makes you think that?"
"You were acting different this morning," Leia said trying to say what she wanted without making it too obvious. "You wouldn't look at each other, so I'm guessing you were ignoring each other. You weren't having your usual silly arguments that you usually have in the morning and Threepio gave you coffee this morning. You don't drink coffee unless you're stressed or something's on your mind."
Vader had no idea Leia noticed so much and might have been impressed otherwise, but he was done playing games with and humoring Leia now.
"What are you up to Leia?" he asked bluntly.
Leia froze. Uh-oh… "What are you talking about?"
"You're up to something and it has to do with me and Ahsoka. In fact, you've been manipulating whatever it is for years," Vader said.
Leia bit her lip. She should have known her dad knew she was up to something. But why hadn't he said anything about it before then?
"My master is the most manipulative, conniving, man in the universe Leia. Of course I'd be able to see when you were up to something, but I must say you would fool any lesser man," Vader said to her with a smirk.
Leia sank down in her seat. If she revealed her plan now, it would ruin everything and her dad and Ahsoka would never get together. The speeder stopped and Leia had never been so happy to see her school as she had been that day.
"So are you going to tell me?" Vader asked.
"I would. But it's a long story and I don't want to be late for class so maybe at another time," Leia said climbing out the speeder and remembering to grab her book bag. "Love you daddy. See you later."
With that, Leia ran into school before Vader could possibly run after her and catch her.
"Conniving, manipulative, little girl," Vader muttered staring after where Leia had run. "Great characteristics of a future Sith Lady though…"
Leia meanwhile sat in her usual spot in class and her friends, noticing how panicked she seemed looked at her in concern.
"What's your problem?"
"My dad," Leia admitted.
"You didn't get in trouble for that stunt yesterday, did you?" Lana asked.
"Your dad's going to kill us isn't he?" Abdul asked in fear and Leia rolled her eyes.
"I'm not talking about that although he did take my keys. I'm talking about my plan," Leia muttered.
Lana and Abdul paused and Leia waited for them to catch up.
"Oh that plan," Lana said as it dawned on her. "What's wrong?"
"They were acting different this morning and when I asked my dad about it, he flipped it on me and asked what I was up to. Lucky we got to school and I ran in here," Leia said tapping her fingers.
"They were acting different?" Abdul asked. "How?"
"I thought they had argued again at first, but when I said something, they would hardly look at each other. Usually they would have started saying mean things to each other. Then my dad seemed in such a rush to get away like they were avoiding each other. I know something happened. I just don't know what?" Leia said leaning on her arm.
Lana looked at Leia curiously and then said, "I think your plan is starting to work."
"Huh?" Leia and Abdul said to her.
"Well, my mom was watching these crazy space operas on the holo-vision-I don't know what she likes about them-but whenever there's a scene where the two people are avoiding each other or acting different, it means they kissed or something and now they're uncomfortable with it," Lana said simply.
Abdul rolled his eyes and started to tell her she was being ridiculous, but Leia sat up and said, "You think so?"
"It's either that or they talked about getting together or something and one of them is uncertain. I think your dad and Ahsoka are embarrassed or don't want to talk about it, so they're ignoring each other," Lana said. "Or at least, that's how my mom explained it to me before she sent me out the room."
"That's great!" Leia said excitedly.
"But you don't know that," Abdul said to the two excited girls. Honestly, they were basing real life off a holo-vision drama!
"True, but that's why it's my job to find out," Leia said happily and then they heard Stanton's name being called over the com. The boy got up and headed to the principal's office.
"I wonder what he's in trouble for," Abdul asked and his two female friends shrugged.
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Ahsoka knew it was cowardly, but she'd rather face an entire separatist army along side of her former master and Master Obi-wan with the odds against them than face Vader after yesterday. So she had gone over to see Lana's mother. She was essentially an assassin that worked for Vader, but one wouldn't know it with the way she mothered Lana. Ahsoka guessed it was just like no one would know she had been a Jedi.
"So nice to have you over dear," the dark skinned woman with her hair in a puffed ponytail said putting some tea down in front of her. "I see Leia doesn't have you all tied up as usual."
"Not today Tamara," Ahsoka said picking up her tea. "But maybe that's because her father's home and so he's dealing with her."
Tamara smiled. "You know you wouldn't trade it for the galaxy," she said softly putting sugar and cream in her own tea.
Ahsoka smiled and sighed as she took a sip of her tea. She needed to get away.
"What's wrong Ahsoka?" Tamara asked.
"Nothing Tamara. Just tired," Ahsoka said wearily.
"I don't think that's all," Tamara said raising her eyebrows. "It had something to do with you-know-who, correct?"
Ahsoka looked at Tamara over her cup and frowned. "Is it really that obvious?"
"I would never assume such a thing if it weren't for Leia. She's very vocal about you two when she's talking with Lana. Lana will ask how you two are doing and then Leia will sigh and say 'they're arguing again,' or 'they aren't talking to each other right now,' although I must say she used to say it all the time every time her father was home. I don't hear it from her that often anymore. I take it your relationship has improved."
"Only slightly," Ahsoka grumbled. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
Tamara laughed. "To be quite honest, I don't understand why you and Lord Vader don't get along. Every time he takes off again, he tells me to make sure you and Leia are taken care of. And any other person he would have gotten rid of a long time ago the way you must irk him."
"You think so," Ahsoka said sighing. "He has an incredibly odd way of showing it."
Tamara gave him a pointed look. "He's Lord Vader Ahsoka, a military man. What do you expect?"
"Let's just say I used to know him before all this, but now that I think about it, he's always had the same difficultly expressing his feelings. He was just a much lighter person," Ahsoka muttered.
"So you were friends before? No wonder he's so tolerant of you," Tamara said offhandedly.
"He's grown accustomed to being tolerant of me. He used to be my teacher," Ahsoka said absently.
"Your teacher?" Tamara asked confused. "How old are you dear?"
"Twenty-six standard years."
Tamara looked at her in surprise. "Wow… You're so young. I always knew you looked young, very young. You looked younger than twenty-six actually, but I was under the impression that you were much older than that."
Ahsoka wasn't surprised. Typically her species aged slower than humans after puberty. In fact, in standard years she was twenty-six, but if she went by torgruta standards, she was maybe twenty.
Tamara continued. "And Leia's nine so… Whatever happened to her mother?"
"Died when Leia was born. I was her friend and took Leia under my care," Ahsoka said simply.
"All that on you when you were so young…" Tamara said. "I don't know what I would have done if that had happened to me at that age. I was busy training and working as a spy for the republic. I didn't even meet Lana's father until I was thirty and at that time Lana was just a baby."
"Now you're making me feel old," Ahsoka said sighing.
"But you're not. You need to get out a little. I know. You can leave Leia here and go out to town and have some fun. You work too hard for a woman your age."
If only Tamara knew the entire story. But she was right about the young thing. Jedi and force users in general could live to hundreds of years if given the chance to. She had a good two hundred years left if she wasn't killed before then. It would be a long time to spend alone and no doubt taking care of the Skywalker generations for the rest of her life. She couldn't picture a future where she wasn't involved with them.
The doorbell rang and Tamara went to open it. Ahsoka nearly dropped her cup when she heard who it was.
"Lord Vader," Tamara said.
"Hello Tamara," Vader said as Tamara let him in the house.
Ahsoka wished she could disappear right then and there. She should have known he was going to come looking for her. Vader was like that. When he wanted something, he never waited for it to come to him. He went after it.
"I apologize for disturbing you," Vader began and Ahsoka rolled her eyes. He never apologized for anything. "But I need Ahsoka's assistance with a task."
"Oh," Tamara said turning to Ahsoka."I guess your visit is cut short."
"I guess it is," Ahsoka said trying not to scowl. "Thanks for the tea Tamara. See you later."
Ahsoka got up and walked past Vader to the outside. Vader nodded to Tamara who looked between the two confused before closing the door.
"If you wanted to talk, all you had to do was say so," she said walking ahead of him to their home across the street.
"I wasn't lying. I do need your assistance…" Vader said almost awkwardly.
"With what?" Ahsoka asked not bothering to use the security access code to the door, opting to use the force instead.
"No need to be so snippy," Vader commented as he went up the stairs to his room.
Ahsoka groaned and followed him. She stopped in the doorway of his room, the only room in the house she had never been in. No one had, not even Leia. Initially it had been the only room in the house where he could remove his mask and breathe so of course she hadn't gone in, even when he was gone. After the surgery, it was still somewhat of an unspoken rule even though she might have been curious about it… very curious. But there was nothing to be curious about. The room was pretty plain, only the bare essentials and Ahsoka guessed that the lack of want for material things had crossed over even when he turned.
However, after last night, Vader's room was hardly the place she wanted to be. In fact, it was the last place she wanted to be.
"Are you going to just stand there in the doorway all day or are you going to come in and help me," Vader asked.
"With what?" Ahsoka asked started to come in when she realized Vader was taking off his tops. "What are you doing?" she asked and then forgot the question completely when she saw that his back was red and raw, with what look like fresh burns.
"What happened?" Ahsoka asked no longer intimidated at the thought of being in his room as she crossed the distance between them and inspected his back. Now she was furious. There was no telling how long Vader had gone around with his back like this.
"This is what I need your help with," he said simply
"How long has it been like this?" Ahsoka asked using the force to summon a first aid kit from the hall closet and to her side and she sat Vader on the bed.
Vader shrugged. "Three days I suppose."
"And you were in such a rush to come see Leia that you couldn't get a medic to look at it?" Ahsoka said in frustration as she began to curse in her native language.
Vader didn't say anything as he simply waited for Ahsoka to figure out why he hadn't gone to see a medic. She stopped her muttering at Vader's agitated silence and said, "Oh yeah."
"But still," she continued. "You couldn't have told me about this yesterday?"
"I was going to after Leia went to bed, but…" Vader trailed off and Ahsoka got his meaning.
"If you had told me I would have done it, despite everything," Ahsoka muttered rubbing the bacta cream on his back. "How did this happen?"
"Mission gone wrong," he muttered. "A group of rebels thought it would be a good idea to attack me using torches."
"Why would they-?" Ahsoka cut herself off again. Vader was terrified of fire, even if he would never admit it. That day on Mustafar had scarred him more than with just the burns that were still on his chest and back from that day.
"They tried to torch the facility but we were able to get everyone out and anything that was important before the blaze became too much to control. This happened when one of the rebels turned out to be a force user and I underestimated his abilities," Vader said.
Translation, Ahsoka though to herself, Vader had been gripped with fear at the sight of the blazing torches and done something stupid that resulted in someone managing to burn his back. And no doubt the suit slowed him down when he was in it so it was probably awkward to have to defend himself in addition to all of that.
Ahsoka didn't say anything else as she bandaged his back up and then closed the kit before putting it back with the force.
"You should rest so that can heal," Ahsoka said heading out the room trying to pretend she didn't notice how much more built Vader had become since his surgery three years ago.
"I'm not doing anything until you stop avoiding me," Vader said with his arms crossed.
Ahsoka put her hand on her hips as she looked at him. "You're one to talk," she said.
"Does it look like I'm going anywhere?" Vader asked pointedly.
"Get some rest you," Ahsoka said turning out the light deciding it wasn't worth it to argue with him right now.
"Stay with me," Vader commanded more so than asked. Either way, it was a bold request.
Ahsoka turned back around to see if he was joking or not. But Vader never joked. "Wha-What?" she stuttered in shock.
"Stay with me," he said again and when it looked like she was just going to continue staring at him, he sighed impatiently and summoned her to him with the force. Normally Ahsoka would have been able to resist it but she was so stunned by his request, she lacked the concentration to do so. She fell awkwardly on top of him and Vader chuckled at her obvious discomfort, succeeding in stunning her again. It had been a while since she heard him chuckle.
"Skyguy," Ahsoka said rolling off his chest and trying in vain to pull out of his grip.
"Am I really asking too much?" Vader asked amused as she struggled to break free of his grip.
"Yes you are especially after that stunt you pulled last night. I don't know what's gotten into you but you're-."
"Relax. Just stay with me. I'm not trying to pull another stunt as you say," Vader said obviously amused by her embarrassment at the whole situation.
Ahsoka sighed and ceased her struggles.
"And you one to talk about someone needing rest," Vader said to her closing his eyes and completely relaxing for the first time in months. "You didn't sleep well last night either."
Ahsoka started to ask if he could truly blame her. It was his fault. But she held her tongue Vader was showing her a side that he only shared with Leia and even then it was just barely. Something had changed.
"Who are you and what have you done with Darth Vader?" she asked though she did relax.
"I don't feel like being Darth Vader right now," he said half sleep. "No titles right now Snips."
Ahsoka turned around to look at him in surprise but to her disappointment he was already asleep and no doubt, he would deny what he said when he awoke.
She sighed. There was no way to get out of this one.
"Alright," she said closing her eyes. "You win this time Skyguy."
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AN: Wasn't that so sweet? I love writing this back and forth stuff. The conflict is far from over though. Vader and Ahsoka are too stubborn for it to end that simply. And I loved writing Leia and her conversations with her friends. Getting their references from something of a soap opera seemed realistic to me because now that I think about it, my ideas of romance came from television at that age and when the girls started talking about it, the boys would roll their eyes and be like really. At that age it seems boys do have a more realistic idea of love now that I think about it. Anyway, more to come.
Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!
