AN: I know you all already know Vader's not at all happy. But you're going to love this. Yes he's not going to let this sit and there's more banter and interaction between Ahsoka and Vader. This kind of wrote itself because it got out of hand and the next chapter that was supposed to be part of this chapter ended up being its own chapter. My mother calls me long winded because I talk like I'm telling a story and it gets on her nerve. But that's what makes me a good writer.
Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!
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Chapter Ten
Vader was getting irritated (more than usual anyway) and Ahsoka knew if she didn't hurry up and explain to him what she had in mind, he'd go in and do things his way. She could only hope he wouldn't kill whoever had attacked the school on sight, or else they were doomed.
"We'll go in from behind the wall," Ahsoka said as they looked at a layout of the school.
"What's the wall?"
"The wall blocks where the old school used to be. It's not that high and no one goes there so I bet me and you can get over it without anyone noticing," Ahsoka said to him.
"Except whoever's guarding that wall," Vader said.
"Shouldn't be too much since these teens probably don't think anyone can get over the wall faster than they can call for back up," Ahsoka said giving Vader a meaningful look.
"And you two can do that?" the lieutenant asked skeptically. "Get over the wall quickly I mean?"
"Yes," Vader and Ahsoka said shortly, both ignoring the man's doubt.
"From there we move in and take out the attackers," Ahsoka said simply.
"You two sure you're capable to handle this. I could send in some of my-."
"We'll call you when we're ready," Vader said already heading back for the speeder.
Ahsoka gave the officer an apologetic look before going after him. She scowled at Vader and slid into the seat next to him as he took thee to the other side of the school district where the old school was located, right on an old street that was parallel to their current street.
"You didn't have to be so rude. He was only trying to do his job," she said.
"Apparently he wasn't doing it as effectively as he could have been doing it if something like this happened," Vader muttered.
Ahsoka sighed. "Haven't you learned that you can't stop every bad thing that happens by now?"
Vader paused for a moment before saying, "Yes. But I can try to prevent them."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "That's the same thing Vader," she said pointedly.
Vader was uncharacteristically silent after that and Ahsoka realized he was feeling something that hadn't gripped him so severely since he told her about the nightmare he had about Padmé dying in childbirth.
"Leia will be fine. If it was really that urgent, you'd know it," Ahsoka said and then added, "I'd know it."
"But it started out like this before," Vader said. "And I couldn't save her."
"Your vision of Padmé came true because you tried too hard to stop it from happening," Ahsoka said. "And even then it wasn't your fault. I told you."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Vader said curtly.
Ahsoka looked at him startled. He was never this honest and open with her.
"Then who…?" Ahsoka didn't know whether she should ask or not. She never knew how Vader was going to react.
"My mother," Vader admitted and Ahsoka sensed that was the end of the conversation.
They pulled up to the old school and Ahsoka climbed out after Vader heading swiftly toward the back of the building where the wall was.
Vader snorted. "Not that that high. Sure," hesaid. It was twice as tall as he was.
"Not for a former Jedi and a Sith," Ahsoka said with a smirk.
"Last I checked, you were still a Jedi," Vader said seriously.
"And when was that?"
"When you mentioned it last night," Vader said and without waiting for Ahsoka to reply, he stepped back to get a good running start, ran towards the wall and jumped, landing on top of it with practiced ease and grace.
Ahsoka stared at him deciding now wasn't the time to start a debate about what she told him the night before. Instead, she went back a few feet to make her own jump.
"How long has it been since you've done something like this?" Vader asked with his arms crossed a smirk on his lips.
"Since before Leia was born," Ahsoka admitted wishing he hadn't reminded her.
"Can you get up here or do you need some help?" he asked.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, ran jumped doing a flip in the air, and landed on the wall to prove her point. Unfortunately, she had lost some of her old balance and wobbled a little. Vader grabbed her hand to steady her and Ahsoka gained her balance letting out a sigh of relief.
"I guess you still have it in you," Vader said and then added smugly, "Somewhat…"
Ahsoka glared at him before turning her attention to the girl guarding the back door with her arms cross and then the two leaning against the wall. She rolled her eyes.
"I know them. They're the girls Leia got to fighting with a couple of weeks ago," she muttered.
"She fought off three of them?" Vader asked.
"No. It was two," Ahsoka corrected.
It was impressive still, Vader thought.
"It was the leader who's about sixteen and her thirteen year old friend. I think. But it's some feminist anti-alien group. She told Lana that one day the galaxy would be rid of their kind thanks to their efforts or in shackles where they belonged and Leia grabbed-get this-an umbrella and smack her across the front with it," Ahsoka explained.
Vader wondered what was so big about an umbrella until he realized it was long with a handle like a light saber and when let out while wrapped up, it resembled one.
"The two of them got expelled because of Leia," Ahsoka said. "Leia was almost suspended for attacking without physical provocation, but I managed to convince the principal otherwise."
And she called him unethical, Vader mused.
"They were expelled?" he asked to make sure. "The leader you say?"
"She was preaching it around the school like some kind of cult or clan leader," Ahsoka replied.
Vader cursed. "If she happened to remember Leia, do you think they'd want to get back at her?"
Ahsoka grimaced. Maybe Leia was in more danger than she thought. Vader prepared to go down, lightsaber in hand, but Ahsoka shook her head and handed him a blaster.
"We'd like to avoid revealing who you are if that's possible," Ahsoka said and Vader groaned not liking having to use a blaster.
Even so, he spun it in his hand before he jumped down and swiftly stunned all three girls. Ahsoka jumped down beside him.
"Stun?" Vader asked.
"I knew you would shoot to kill and ask questions later. They're just kids," Ahsoka said as she opened the door and stretched out with her senses before going inside, Vader following behind her.
"Leia's that way," he said pointing to one of the connecting halls leading to the elementary school before Ahsoka could point it out.
Ahsoka ducked behind the door so that no one could see her through the glass on the door and Vader did the same.
"I don't know what they're about to do but those girls are gathering all the non-humans in that hall and lining them against the wall," Ahsoka said.
"Did you see Leia?" he asked.
"I saw her. She's against one of the walls by herself. She knows we're," Ahsoka said.
"Good," Vader said risking a glace through one of the windows. "What are they doing? Some kind of execution?"
"I told you. Anti-alien group," Ahsoka said. "We've got to be careful."
"I know that," Vader snapped and Ahsoka started to reply when they heard voices coming down the adjacent halls.
The two readied to shoot if needed as they came closer.
"I told you we should have gone the other way. This is the back of the school."
"Have you learned nothing from Leia? The back is always the less guarded."
"But what if they know people like us are going to think like that and put all the guards at the back instead," the voice distinctly male and familiar to Ahsoka said.
"Vader wait," Ahsoka said as the two people started to crossed where they were, but Vader already had his blaster trained on whoever it was.
Lana gasped and Abdul shrieked, putting his hand up in surrender. Vader frowned and lowered his blaster.
"This is the first time I've ever been happy to see Leia's dad," Abdul muttered to Lana but it was heard plainly by Ahsoka and Vader.
"Get down," Ahsoka said sighing. "You're going to blow our cover."
The two children, much less intimidated by Ahsoka holding a blaster, knelt down beside her.
"How did you two get out?" she asked.
"Leia said she felt like something was about to happen and we hid before they came," Lana said.
"How come she's in there then?" Vader said unable to contain his fury.
"We got separated," Abdul said cowering under Vader's glare.
"Skyguy stop it," Ahsoka chided and the children looked at Vader confused.
"Skyguy?" they said and then burst into giggles.
"That's enough," Vader finally said. "We have to figure out something."
"You need to contact Leia," Ahsoka suggested.
"How?"
"You're her father," Ahsoka said pointedly.
"I know that but-. No," Vader said catching her drift.
"Vader," Ahsoka said.
"No."
"It's our only hope. You have to open that connection with her or we won't be able to stop this," Ahsoka said.
"But the emperor-."
"Are you more afraid of the emperor or the fact that your daughter's in danger?" Ahsoka snapped her panic now taking over as she felt the urgency in the force.
Vader looked at Ahsoka who until then had been keeping a calm and cool head. But now he was starting to feel her carefully concealed fear which was quickly turned into angry frustration that she was now directing towards him because he was being so difficult. It then dawned on him, that Ahsoka was just as worried, if not more worried than, about Leia as he was. He had never thought about it until now, but just like Leia more than likely saw her as a mother, Ahsoka saw Leia as her daughter whether she would admit to it or not. This wasn't just his and Padmé's child anymore. This was his, Padmé, and Ahsoka's child, if that made sense.
He sighed. The jedi never felt things as deeply, if they felt at all, as he had and it was easy to forget Ahsoka wasn't that passive even though she claimed to be a Jedi. Ahsoka was probably the only exception to that passiveness he'd met, which was the only reason he kept her around.
Vader reached into the force and touched the connection that he had been careful not to touch up until then and opened it up, mentally tapping on the bond to gain Leia's attention.
Leia!
There was a long pause and before the girl finally answered.
Daddy?
What's going on?
Leia was obviously confused on how it was possible to hear her father's voice in her head, but didn't ask questions about it.
They're going to kill all the non-humans.
And why are you there? Vader asked
Because I got their leader expelled a few weeks ago and she's mad at me, Leia said.
Did they hurt you?
No. I just hurt my ankle when I jumped out the ceiling vent, Leia said.
I need you to-. Hold it. You jumped out a ceiling vent? What possessed you to do something so reckless? Why were you even in the vents in the first place?
I wanted to see what was going on. So when we were in the bathroom I-.
You mean they didn't know you were here? You could have gotten away and you needlessly put yourself in danger because you wanted to know what was going on? Vader asked with obvious displeasure.
Well, it sounds bad when you say it like that. But I knew you were on the way so what was the harm?
Vader made a mental note to sit Leia down and explain to her what she was to do if she were ever in an emergency situation like this again or to simply avoid them in general. Rule # 1: Never needlessly and recklessly put yourself in danger. It would erase half of his worries for the girl and extend his lifespan significantly. In fact, he should have done so ages ago, after the time Leia decided she was going camping by herself because Ahsoka and Vader refused to take her. However, there would be time for lectures after he got her out of this disaster alive.
I need you to get out of the way so Ahsoka and I can handle this. Vader said and Leia sent a mental nod.
But how?
You need to get through these doors. But I don't want you to do anything reckless, Vader added quickly.
But Leia didn't reply as she was already on top of what she needed to do. Vader looked into the glass again and to his surprise found Leia concentrating on one of the girls who had and extra blaster on her belt. Slowly and shakily, but surely, the blaster lifted out her pocket and came into Leia's waiting hands.
"Whoa!" Abdul and Lana said simultaneously as they watched the girl levitate the blaster.
"Where'd she learn to do that?" Abdul asked.
"I'm wondering the same thing," Vader said glancing at Ahsoka out the corner of his eyes.
"Don't look at me," Ahsoka muttered. "I haven't used the force like that in years since she saw me that time."
"I guess it stuck," Vader said grudgingly.
"Tell her to hurry up," Ahsoka said feeling the urgency in the force.
Leia-.
But Leia had already readied the blaster and in two swift shots she had knocked out the two girls in front of her.
"And that's our cue," Ahsoka said feeling safer about this now that Leia was armed to protect herself. She went through the doors and getting one of the girls that had turned on Leia to stun her.
"Get everyone out of here," Vader said to Lana and Abdul who crawled under the blaster fire that was coming their way before getting to the other side and nodding to all the non-humans on the wall.
"Forget them," the red headed girl Leia had decided was their leader. "Don't let that scum get away."
"Get her Dad," Leia shouted. "She's the leader!"
Vader tried his best but in all the chaos, it was proving hard to do so, especially with the girl firing bolts at everyone she could fire at. After a few of the non-humans had been shot down Vader cursed what Ahsoka said and reached to grabbed his light saber. However, to his surprise, Ahsoka grabbed hers and slashed the two nearest to her in the chest.
"I thought we weren't supposed to use light sabers," he said pointedly drawing his red blade.
"We weren't, but this girl had gathered a bigger following than I thought. Besides, you can only attack with a blaster, not defend," Ahsoka said with a smile.
"What the hell," one of the girls said when she saw the blades just as Vader struck her down.
"Get out of here!" their leader yelled amongst the chaos of the fleeing non-humans who were now trying to get out wherever they could. She turned to Leia who was trying to scurry away on her hands and knees though she couldn't walk. The girl grabbed her and forced her to stand up. "This is all your fault!"
"I told you my dad would come," Leia said and then closed her mouth as the girl pointed the blaster to her head.
"Vader," Ahsoka yelled not seeing where Leia had gone but sensing her fear. "Where's Leia?"
Vader had already spotted the girl at the other end of the hall and since he wouldn't be quick enough to get to them with everyone in the way. He aimed the blaster he was still holding in his left hand at the girl's wrist and shot.
Leia jumped back in surprise at the bolt and her attacker dropped her blaster as she clutched the hole in her wrist while trying to hold back her screams. Vader met the girl's eyes, satisfied at the sudden terror she felt as he started towards her.
But Vader couldn't get to her quick enough as everyone filled out the hall and she shot out the door on her end and ran. By then the rest of her gang was gone too. Vader cursed as he made to follow behind her determined not to let them get away, but Ahsoka got in his way as she rushed to check on Leia who had sunk to the ground holding her swollen ankle.
"You okay?" Ahsoka asked as she looked at Leia not wanting to take her eyes off her to be sure that she was still alive and well.
"My ankle just hurts," Leia muttered.
Ahsoka let out a breath she had no idea she was holding. She had never known the kind of fear that gripped her when she felt the force warn her that Leia's life was being threatened and didn't even know that kind of fear existed.
"Alright then," Ahsoka said helping her stand up.
Vader, satisfied that Leia was fine, but furious that she was still hurt started out the door to find the rest of those girls. They were still in the city and he would find them. Ahsoka, noticing this stopped him.
"Where are you going?" she asked standing in front of him to stop him.
"To bring those girls to justice," he said.
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "Is it justice or revenge?" she asked.
"What does it matter? They hurt Leia and then tried to kill her," Vader snapped.
"Actually I hurt my ankle when I jumped out the vent," Leia muttered softly not wanting to spark her father's rage further even though it wasn't directed at her or even Ahsoka really.
"But they didn't make it any better did they?" Vader asked pointedly and Leia shook her head.
"And they did try to kill you?" Vader asked to which Leia nodded again. "Point made."
Vader started to push Ahsoka aside but she stood firm.
"It's over Vader. They're gone. Leia's safe. Don't let your lust for revenge motivate you," Ahsoka pleaded angrily.
Vader started to just walk past her and ignore her, but then he noticed something he had never seen her so obviously show. She was worried about him and in that moment he went back to when she and Padmé had pleaded for him to stop, to turn his back on the dark side. She had been worried then too and afraid of the impending heartbreak that she didn't want to feel but was expecting to follow. But he had been so sure that they had betrayed him that day, he hadn't recognized it.
He couldn't make her nor Padmé understand that day because he was so focused on their obvious rejection of him and everything he had done. But he wouldn't make that mistake again. He had to make Ahsoka understand that this wasn't about revenge, well, not completely anyway.
"It's not just about that," he said using a softer, but still determined, tone and rubbing one of her bare arms.
Ahsoka's expression softened but she still didn't move.
Leia was looking on with surprise. She hadn't expected her father to resort to trying to reason with Ahsoka. She thought he would just push her out the way and go, ensuring that they would be arguing for the rest of her father's stay, which would result in her father leaving early just to get away from Ahsoka. She looked on in anticipation.
"Then what is it about?" Ahsoka asked coolly trying not to let on how much his touch affected her.
"It's about Leia. People like that aren't just going to forget about this. Leia will be in danger as long as those girls are out there. I won't have my daughter having made an enemy at nine years old that will come back to take their revenge on her one day," Vader explained. "And I know you don't want that either. So I'm going after them whether you approve or not and you're not going to stop me."
Ahsoka stared at him for a moment. He made a valid point, but she knew part of it still had something to do with revenge. When he was like this, he was all Vader, yet somehow still himself. She stepped aside to let him go and he truly did simply plan on walking past her and leaving until Ahsoka spoke up
"Be careful," she muttered.
And then Vader couldn't resist it any longer. He gave into the longing and pulled her to him in a gentle kiss.
"Yes!" Leia whispered to herself. Finally!
She didn't protest like she had last time and it was probably because she was too busy trying to control her own longing as she kissed him back. He pulled away before she could protest or get mad and walked past her to make good on his intentions.
Ahsoka stood for a moment stunned before Leia reminded her that they had to leave. She lifted the girl in her arms and led her out the hall, into the elementary school, where the local law enforcement met her offering to take Leia.
"I have her," she said keeping Leia in her arms. "Her father went to follow the gang. He'll be back. We're going home."
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AN: It's not really a cliffy but I know you all eagerly anticipating the next chapter and you're going to hate me for it. I know it. Nothing to say really.
Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!