This chapter is late; I am aware that my page breaks went missing, I will fix that at some point in time… Anyway this was by far the hardest chapter to write and it is only due to Khalthar it got written.

Yes I have that much cash that I bought Star Wars from Disney when no one was looking. NO, I don't own Star Wars.

A young man stood silently by a tree with a small smile staring off into space. In the background a funeral pyre burned with a dark black suit. In the distance, only seen by him, stood his father next to two other Jedi. A young woman embraced him and led him back to the celebrations. His father, who he had never had the chance to get to know, was dead.

As a shuttle exited the battleship, Coruscant cried out in jubilant excitement. The end of the war was near. People streamed out of buildings and shouted in joy. The air was soon clogged with traversing speeders, as they raced to join friends in celebration or simply enjoy themselves. The Holonet was blaring the victory and the cantinas were overrun by joyful customers.

Blood washed down the walls and Luke cradled his love. She had been so beautiful and accepting of him, a brilliant fencer. But Mara Jade had been felled by a Sith's blade. The cauterized wound taunted him and he sobbed heartbroken. There had been such an opportunity for life, for growth. They had wanted a family and sworn nothing could tear them apart, yet death had done just that. He wanted to die, to keep his promise, but tender arms kept him back.

Medical barges weaved through traffic to reach the injured that were being landed. Their sirens screamed, but the citizens paid them no mind. The battle had been won and now was the time to celebrate, not mourn. So the barges crawled through aerial traffic and for every second belated, death neared.

A baby was crying and Luke cradled it gently, "He's so cute Leia."

"I know."

The baby opened his brown eyes and ceased his wailing. Luke made a silly face and the baby raised his arms happily, grabbing a fist load of hair.

Luke winced, "Strong little bugger he is."

Laughing Leia gently took the baby from him and began to feed him, "He will be a fine young man one day."

Clones watched over their brothers worriedly as they waited for the medical barges. First aid kits were distributed through the forces, but they were low on rations. Angry eyes glared at the sky, as fireworks were sent off. The medical barges had yet to arrive and the first clone died in agony. There was a nagging feeling that told them, their brother hadn't needed to die if he had received medical assistance. Perhaps the end of the war nearing, lessoned their use. Did their commanders simply think of them as disposable?

A stoic face viewed the recording, as his Padawan was mutilated before his eyes by a Sith. An ancient anger burned in his belly at his student's death. He could not understand how someone could revel in such pain. The Darkside was so very near and promised to allow him to avenge his Padawan, but the laughter of a young six year old child, stilled his mind. He would not cater himself to the Darkside and abandon his family. There was a young child waiting on him and he had a sister who loved him beyond death. Rick would be avenged, but not at the cost of his family.

"I'm sorry Rick. One day I will join you. Wait for me."

The Jedi in the temple sat still as they meditated. Through the Force they could feel lives slowly departing and others desperately clinging onto life. Some worried for their comrades, while others reveled in the joy surrounding the planet, driving the darkness away. But each one could feel something through the Force, it was big and unknown. So they held their breaths.

There was no time to react and debris hurled through the air, killing the ten year old. He had never had the chance to live. A furious yell sounded through the air, as Han Solo charged forward to avenge his son. Leia, filled with equal fury, stood up and ignited her lightsaber to join her husband in the fight. A blaster bolt finally found its mark and Leia fell to the ground cradling her husband. Luke swallowed tightly, the fight had to end. Power burst from him that he didn't know he had, as he called upon the Force. There was no Lightside or Darkside, just a satisfying grey.

Leia continued to cry for her love as Luke vanquished his enemies. Finished, he approached Leia, so he could give a semblance of comfort.

"I'm not going to be a Jedi Luke," she whispered, "I will fight with words, where there is no death."

"Words can kill."

"Not directly or without warning. Why did he have to die? They killed a child, who had so much to live for."

Luke could give no reply as his heart shattered.

The medical barge arrived at the shuttle and an elderly woman was carried out. Her friends and allies also boarded the barge, as they watched over her. Happy cries in the distance mocked them. An old man was carried away in Force-repressing binders.

"I'm not aging Leia."

The middle aged female looked at her much younger looking brother. Despite a few scars he was a carbon copy of the man who had burned his father's armor on Endor. She smiled sadly at him and Luke turned away.

"All beings die Luke."

"I died a long time ago Leia. I died when my nephew died, when my love died, when my Padawan was murdered, when Han got shot, and when Chewie followed his friend."

She shook her head with sorrow, "No, you just need to live again," with sudden conviction, "Take another Padawan or student. You are an excellent teacher and the student will teach you in turn."

"For you," Luke promised.

The sadness that hung around him dissipated slightly and the following day he was busy teaching, unaware of anything, but his student.

The medical facility was alive with activity as droids rushed through the depressing white corridors to tend to their patients. In a small quiet room, seven people waited anxiously for the droids to finish their medical scans. Behind the glass wall, Leia slept quietly as droids hovered around taking blood samples and analyzing their data.

Luke gazed into the fire, his face expressionless. Beside him others cried, but he couldn't find within him a single tear. Slowly he turned around, walking away. Everyone he had known in his youth was dead, with the exception of Leia. She was all he had left.

Leia was his sister… his twin. At that moment in time, he knew that he would never be able to adequately express to her just how much she had come to mean to him. He had now seen far too many loved ones die. Some had died in battle, fighting against the odds, but others had died from the attritions of time. Children, grandchildren, and even great, great grandchildren had grown old and died, while he had not even aged. It wasn't something that he could help, and that tore at Luke's heart. He knew that he was getting close to breaking under the strain… and who wouldn't? Everyone he had ever known was now dead and gone while he was not. Everyone that is except one solitary individual who was stubbornly compassionate, and dauntlessly fearless in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and he knew that he continued to live because of her… because of his sister… Leia.

"I need to speak with one of the patient's relatives regarding confidential information," said the droid approaching the party.

Dea turned around, looking at Luke briefly. She knew that he would not be able to handle any bad news at this moment.

"I am her granddaughter."

The droid seemed to eye her skeptically, "Would you be willing to consent to a DNA test to confirm your claim?"

No, "Time is of the essence. Please tell us what is happening."

The droid stood still, processing the information. Under normal circumstances it would have never shared any sensitive information regarding a patient, but Dea grew worried as the droid gave no more protests.

"The patient's cell structure indicates that she is over a thousand years old. Has the patient suffered or perhaps undergone any medical procedures to explain this phenomenon? Humans rarely surpass one hundred and sixty years, and never are over two hundred years of age."

"She is almost three hundred years past one thousand," Dea informed the droid.

The droid shook slightly as it processed the data, "That is not possible; the patient's genetic information does not match up with the proper time period. In fact, the recorded mutations in the genome indicate that the patient would have been born at the earliest one hundred years ago."

The other occupants of the room, with the exception of Luke focused their attention on her in surprise. Mace was frowning slightly in sudden realization.

"You and Leia are from the future too?"

Dea nodded and turned to him, "How did you know that?"

Before Mace could reply, the droid interceded, "That information lies outside of my programming. ~Adjusting Programming to Allow for New Data Input~" it paused and stood still for a minute, "~Program Alteration Complete~ The patient is from the future."

She glared at the droid for wasting her time, a small noise startled her, and she turned around to look at Luke who had gotten up.

"I'm her twin brother," Luke said choking, "Please tell me about her condition."

Around the room, she could feel various eruptions of surprise at the statement.

"The patient is suffering from severe abrasion as well as multiple burns. There are various minor fractures in the skeletal structure produced by an unusual amount of blunt force impacts, as well as a serious injury to the spinal cord. The patient's heart rate remains unstable and is fluctuating as well as blood pressure. Furthermore the patient is suffering from shock due to the accumulated injuries."

She watched in morbid fascination, as her former Master's blood drained out of his face.

"Sir, I am registering a severe fluctuation in both your heart rate and blood pressure. Are you alright?"

No, he isn't alright. But, he's not going to say so. That's his sister in there laying on that bed! Dea looked at him worriedly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He briskly shrugged it off and continued to solemnly stare at the droid.

"Will she make it?"

Dea felt her heart constrict and stared at the droid, who seemed rather flustered at the question, "Invasive operations have already begun. The patient should survive the procedure."

"Should?" Luke asked with a deadly calm.

"The likelihood is very small and almost infinitesimal, but death is never impossible because of the uncertainty principle."

Luke nodded a small smile on his face and sat back down. Looking at the elderly woman, who had assisted him so often in life, he couldn't help but smile. Everything will be alright.

While Luke sat down, leaning against the wall with relief, Dea paced the floor. The room was silent in apprehension and she couldn't stand it. Through the glass she could see the droids beginning the operation and averted her eyes. Her sight once again was drawn to Luke and his prone figure. She worried for him.

He sat there totally vulnerable to outside forces and she prayed to the Force that Leia would be alright. That she would sit up and greet him with a smile. That she would be able to remind him that there was something for him to continue living for. She feared what would happen, if Leia's body were to remain cold and stiff, if it would cough, if it would collapse, if pain would surround it, if the spark of life went out and she died.

The droids operated quickly and efficiently and she could feel the powerful spark in the Force that represented her life-force growing. Luke who was also aware of this, seemed to sit up straighter, but his haunted eyes still tore through the room.

Then it was done.

Luke was the first to rush into the room and he immediately went over and kneeled beside Leia's bed, "Leia… Leia, I was so worried."

Dea walked awkwardly into the dark room watching Luke stare at Leia and comfort himself in the fact that she was still alive.

"Luke," she rasped her mouth twisting into a small but saddened smile, "Remember I love you."

Luke grasped her hands, "I know, but you'll be fine."

She coughed slightly and turned her head to get a better look at her brother, "I still remember the short Stormtrooper that burst into my cell on the Death Star."

Dea leaned on the wall, feeling out of place in the intimate moment. Curious stares burned in her back, at the mention of the Death Star. You can ask, but I won't answer because I don't know. I wasn't even born then.

"You shoved me in the garbage chute. I never got over how weird it was that you kissed me."

She blinked in surprise at Luke's words. His sister had kissed him? That was beyond wrong on so many levels.

Leia seemed to agree as she grimaced, "Let's forget that, please? It's all Han's fault anyway, he was so…"

"Han."

Leia laughed slightly and it turned into a cough, "That's sums my husband up well," she paused, "Luke I feel so tired. I'm not going to make it," with a great sense of urgency, "Please stay strong for me."

Everything froze and Luke was already shaking his head in denial, "You can't go! You are all I have left," he was sobbing now, holding Leia's hand, "Please…"

Luke's grief ran through the room and the Force like a deadly plague. Dea's heart went out to him and his palpable emotions. Occasionally people would accuse him of being emotionless, but such things could never have been more wrong in comparison to now. He never showed his emotions, except to the select few that he could welcome in his heart. She reflected; that such a long life was not the greatest thing to have ever happened. He had seen his friends die and there were rumors around the temple how his nephew and first Padawan had been killed in front of his eyes. The rumors had been exaggerated beyond reasonable proportions, but within every myth lay a grain of truth.

"Please Leia. You can fight, I know you can."

Her eyes bored into Luke's skull, "They are waiting for me."

Dea wondered who "they" was. Perhaps she meant her husband and her rumored son. Perhaps she meant her comrades. Perhaps there was someone else calling to her.

Leia continued softly, "We both knew this would happen."

"You'll be fine," Luke promised, clinging to his last hope, "We are going to travel the galaxy. You always wanted to show me that smuggling moon."

She smiled indulgently and Luke continued frantically, "We will take the Falcon and fix the hyperdrive. Of course Artoo and Threepio will need to come along-"

Someone was frowning and Dea could swear it was Anakin.

"We will stop by Yavin and Hoth. We could even visit Endor. Yes, remember the times when we thought we would die tomorrow while we ran from the Empire? We never died, although we came very close. It's going to be just like that, the time I spent next to you convinced that you were going to die and then we will be telling the others of this story. It will seem stupid and silly in hindsight, but right now… it's just scary."

"Oh, Luke."

Luke closed his eyes leaning his head on Leia's chest, "I'm scared Leia."

A comforting hand rested on his head, "Don't be. There is nothing to be afraid of."

Luke ignored her and leaned back in the chair, rocking himself as he cried unashamedly. Leia's weak arm tried to grab him, but he moved too strongly. He sobbed even harder into his knees, curling himself into a ball.

"I can't live without you," he cried desperately between his sobs, "I'm never going to die. I want to die. I want to see my loving wife and my friends. To see my father beyond his ghostly apparition. I want to see Yoda and Ben. I want to see Biggs, race with him through Beggar's canyon again. See Wedge and hear his silly jokes. I need to tell Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen that I love them. I have to apologize to them, for letting them die. But it will never happen, because I. Can't. Die!"

Leia watched her brother with increasing worry as his sobs increased. Finally she resorted to shouting, "Listen to me Luke Skywalker!"

The shout startled Luke enough that his sobs stopped, and Leia continued gently, "Whatever happens you will be strong. There is still father and he will still aid you. He will be there for you; he will always be there for you! But promise me one thing," she paused with her eyes holding Luke's, "Take another Padawan. Teach Asajj Ventress to be the Jedi she wants to be… the Jedi she needs to be."

Luke nodded mutely and they sat still in relative silence.

Luke had always preached to Dea the importance of accepting death, that it wasn't the end, but here in the medical facility, his own words of wisdom were forgotten. Perhaps, Dea pondered that he didn't have the comfort of his own death. There is death, yet the Force. That was the mantra of the Jedi code. The Force allowed for beings to reunite after a long journey away and so in every death one could take comfort that they would see their loved ones again when it came time. Luke would never have that option.

"Promise me," Leia whispered her hand slipping down to the bed, "Promise me…"

"I…" Luke choked on the words as he stared into the brown eyes, "I promise."

She smiled softly at him and closed her eyes, "Thank you... I... love… you… brother…"

The room was filled with silence as the old woman's chest ceased to rise and fall as breath and life left her body.

Dea could feel the shock, surprise, and confusion resonating through the Force. She knew that it was partly caused by Luke's name, and by the fact that Leia had just died even though she shouldn't have. The grief that she could feel emanating from her former Master was physically painful in its intensity. But strangely, she felt something very similar coming from Asajj Ventress. Turning her head to look at the shaven headed woman with twelve tattooed stripes on the sides of her head, she could see tears of sympathy in that woman's eyes.

It took a few minutes, but droids began rushing in as they took blood and recorded body temperatures. Luke let them go around their work as he stared at his dead sister. The sister he had learned of only later in his life, but someone who he did not know how to live without.

Promise me…

The droids whistled and buzzed around, as Luke stood still emotionless.

"It does not make sense. There is no understandable reason for the patient to have died," the droid paused and spun around to face the room, "Patient 3485 is dead for unexplainable reasons. With permission, the facility would like to perform an autopsy to understand and explain the cause of death."

"No," Luke said softly, "Her body will not be desecrated."

Promise me.

He turned around and slowly walked to Asajj, giving a deep bow he asked, "Asajj Ventress do you consent to be my student?"

Asajj looked at him, sadly, obviously understanding his grief because there were large tears shining on her face as she gave her answer, "Yes, I do… Master."

"I in turn accept being your teacher and guide. I will guide you to the best of my abilities, so yours may be used for the betterment of the galaxy. This I promise you."

I will keep my promise Leia.

Asajj nodded solemnly and graced him with a deep bow, "Thank you Master."

Hopefully the line breaks went through…

And no, this isn't a late April Fools. I published my other story on April Fools and didn't realize it though. :)