This chapter seems like a filler to me, but it's actually one of the more important chapters in this story. Weird how that works, right? Next chapter things return to what is deemed normal in this galaxy far far away.

Chapter Nine

When Luke woke up again, he heard the soft sounds of snoring and the cold absence of his sister's presence in the Force. He forced himself awake, calling upon every technique he knew to wake himself up. Eyes wide and feeling stronger than the past few days, he sat up and looked around.

A mass of bundled robes lay next to him in the chair by his bed, heaving up and down with steady breathing. A small monitor lay next to him, finding his heartbeat via the line connected to his wrist.

"You're up," a soft voice said from the door way and Luke looked up into the shadowed eyes of his father.

"Yeah," he nodded and realized the robed person sleeping next to him was his mother. "How long has she been here?"

"She bounces between your and Leia's room," Anakin said, setting the cups of caf he had brought with him down on a small table. "I do as well. We don't want you two to be alone."

"If you're both here, who's with Leia?" Luke asked, a touch of urgency in his voice.

"Senator Organa and his wife are with her right now," Anakin said, quietly grabbing another chair and positioning it next to his bed.

"How is she?"

Anakin's expression turned grim and he looked over at his sleeping wife still form. He didn't know how to phrase it. How do you tell someone you're dying? That they're dying?

"Luke..." he started but Luke cut him off.

"Just say it to me straight," he said abruptly. "I can feel all the pain and turmoil in the Force."

Anakin nodded and inhaled deeply, blowing out the gust of air in release. "They... The Healers, they scanned you. You and your sister have tumors in your brains."

"Tumors?" Luke asked and Anakin nodded. He glanced over at the sleeping form of his mother once more. "How bad are they?"

"Bad."

Luke nodded, not really seeing anything. "I suppose they can't do anything?"

Anakin shook his head and Luke sighed.

"You said Leia has them too?"

"It's common for Force Sensitive children such as yourselves to share odd traits," Anakin shrugged. "You fainted nearly a minute after she did from what I've gathered."

"I suddenly couldn't feel her," Luke explained. "It was like shutting all the light out. I still can't feel her."

"That's odd," Anakin said, running a hand through his hair. "But you can feel me?"

Luke nodded.

"If only Master Yoda were still here," Anakin sighed.

"Where is he?"

"Kashyyyk," he responded. "Separatists are attacking. Yoda knows the Wookiees well."

"I didn't know that," Luke said, leaning back against the pillows. Anakin merely shrugged.

"Ani?" a mumbled voice sounded and the robes shifted, revealing a bleary eyed former senator.

"Right here, Angel," Anakin said, reaching for her hand. "Luke's awake."

"What?" she asked, sitting up fully and turning to Luke. "Oh, how are you? Are you okay? Do you need me to get something?"

"No, I'm alright," Luke assured her, but the motherly gaze never faded from her eyes. "Stay put. You don't need to be on your feet so much."

"I'm so glad you're awake," Padme sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," he nodded. "Not nearly as tired. How long have I been out, anyway?"

"Now?" Anakin asked with a smile. "About five days. You woke up on the second day, do you remember?"

"Not really," Luke shook his head.

"Doesn't matter," Anakin waved dismissively. "I'm going to go check on Leia. Maybe she's woken up too."

"Alright," Padme nodded and Anakin bent down and kissed the top of her head before leaving. It was only after he left that Padme glanced up and realized Luke had seen them.

"You should see a doctor," Luke said, with a smile. "You know, in case something goes wrong."

"Please don't say anything," Padme whispered so Luke almost didn't hear her.

"Why would I?" he asked with a shrug. "Not everyone is evil and out to ruin the lives of others."

"Thank you."

"There isn't a need to."

"How's Leia?" Anakin asked as he walked into her room. Bail looked up from his data-pad and gave a slight smile to him.

"Same," Bail said. "Luke?"

"Fully awake and functional," Anakin said and Bail grinned.

"That's wonderful," Breha said from her position opposite Bail. "Maybe Leia will wake up soon."

"I was half expecting her to already have," Anakin said. "She and Luke's symptoms were mirrored so closely. I just thought..."

"Don't worry yourself too much, Anakin," Bail said and stood. He walked over and patted Anakin on the shoulder a few times before smiling down at Breha and Leia.

"Let me know the moment she-" Anakin was cut off by the slight moan and shifting from Leia.

"Leia, sweetie, can you hear me?" Breha asked, playing the role of the dutiful mother perfectly. It was times like this when Bail felt horrible for Breha's inability to hold a child for more than four months. She was perfect with children.

"Mom?" Leia asked, dazed.

"She called me father when she woke up the first time," Bail murmured to Anakin and the latter nodded.

"No, it's Breha, Bail's wife," Breha said soothingly. "We're right here. Can you focus?"

"Barely," Leia mumbled. "Where am I?"

"The Med Bay in the Jedi Temple," Anakin said. "You fainted about a week ago. Do remember?"

"Yeah, I had just used the Force to-" she cut off and opened her eyes wide. "Where's Luke?"

"He's fine," Anakin assured. "Woke up about five minutes ago."

"I need to talk to him," she said. "I can't feel him."

"He said the same thing about you," Anakin told her. "We'll have to look into that."

"What did you use the Force on?" Bail asked. "You were standing only ten feet from Padme, Mon Mothma and I. We never saw you do anything."

"I wasn't trying to move anything," she said, trying to sit up. Breha rested a hand on her shoulder and laid her back down gently. "I just wanted to try something."

"Try what?" Anakin asked and Leia opened and closed her mouth a few times in decision.

"I.. I can't..." she whispered, a tear running down her face. Breha squeezed the young woman's hand reassuringly and most of the tension immediately left Leia's body. How long had it been since Breha was well enough to comfort her?

"It's alright, Lelila," Breha whispered. "We'll see if we can get you to see your brother."

"Thank you," Leia nodded, brushing the tear away from her cheek with her free hand.

"I'll switch with Padme," Anakin said. "I'm sure she wants to see you."

Leia watched as Anakin left, suddenly torn between wanting those that had raised her and those that should have raised her. A small bubble of warmth grew next to the bubble of love that was reserved for Bail and Breha. She new her real parents. Not the original outcome.

"Leia, there's something you should know," Bail said, taking his original seat. Breha looked down, her face suddenly in mourning. "When the Healers did a scan of you, well they found something."

"What?" Leia asked, suddenly wondering if she was going to mysteriously end up pregnant like in all the bad Holo-Dramas.

"There was a tumor in your brain," he whispered and Leia felt like someone opened the airlock mid sub-speed light.

"What?" she choked out.

"We asked, there was..." Bail heaved a sigh. "There was nothing they can do."

"I'm dying?"

Breha squeezed her hand again, and looked into her eyes, the tears reflecting Leia's reflection.

"There's, uh, more," Bail said again. "Luke... He..."

"No," Leia said, her heart finally breaking. "No that can't be! He can't die too! He's the first of the new! Yoda told him so! And Ben! He has to train the Jedi!"

Leia was hysterical. Her breathing increased and she felt like she was spiraling out of control. All those years... All those years she was one step from death and never cared. Now she was free of the Empire, finally winning the war and she was still a step from death.

"Leia?" Padme called from the doorway, deducing easily what had gone down in the interim. "Oh, Leia, Baby."

Leia's sobs grew worse as Padme took a seat next to her. Leia immediately threw her arms around Padme's shoulders, crying heavily into her collar bone. Padme made soothing noises, brushing Leia's long hair back.

"It'll be alright," Padme whispered. Breha ran her hand down Leia's back, and with a sickening realization Leia recognized the gesture. All those years as a child when she'd been wracked with horrible nightmares... Breha had always comforted her that way.

It only made her cry worse.

"Leia, Sweetie, you need to calm down," Padme whispered as Leia scrunched the Former Senator's robe's in her hands. "Leia, can you hear me."

Leia nodded in response, but her crying was finally slowing. She didn't let go of Padme though, savoring the feel of warmth that was her mother. Leia reached out with the Force gently so as not to kick herself back into a coma and touched baby Luke's presence with in Padme. The small child kicked between the two woman and Leia jumped slightly. Padme smiled and reached down to rub her belly affectionately. Breha smiled forlornly, her hand drifting to her empty stomach. Leia caught the motion and grasped the woman's hand, holding it reassuringly. Breha smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Leia?" Luke's voice called from the doorway and Leia looked up into the blue eyes of her brother.

"Luke!" she cried out and her smile grew widely. He walked over to her bed, careful to shift his med robe so as not to expose himself. Padme stepped back just in time for Luke to be the recipient of Leia's hug.

"Luke!" Anakin called, skidding to a stop in the doorway.

Padme raised her eyebrows at Anakin in question.

"Don't do that! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Luke," Leia said slowly, extricating herself from Luke's arms. "What did you do?"

"He ran away!" Anakin cried, throwing his arm out in a wild gesture. "Hopped out of bed, pulled the heart monitor off his wrist, and ran all the way down the hall!"

"Really?" Leia asked, a small smile playing at her lips. Luke shrugged and looked down at the bed.

"You shouldn't do that, Luke," Padme scolded. "You're not well enough to be in the field, let alone running down the hallway."

"I'm fine," Luke said. "Really, you know. Except for the really big thing."

"Oh, Luke," Leia sighed and again hugged her brother. "What are we going to do?"

"Same thing we've been doing," he nodded firmly. "Live everyday like it's our last."

Leia tried to not smile but failed as she laughed slightly. The tension was broken once more.

The Healers cleared them for next day departure and Padme had Bail retrieve their few belongings from the Embassy and moved into her apartment. Luke and Leia protested to a point, but Padme insisted. Bail simply didn't have the room or he would have done the same in a heart beat. Breha would be over nearly everyday as she waited for Bail to get out of work at the Senate to help Padme out in any way her droid couldn't.

And things returned to the normalcy of the current Galaxy.

The War was still going, the Senate was still losing power, and Leia and Luke were still conspiring together to save their father.

Leia was sitting on the small balcony to Padme's apartment when Luke came out and sat in the bench next to her. Padme had long since retired for the night, and Threepio and Artoo had shut down. They were alone, in almost all aspects of the word.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, looking up into the hazed night sky.

"Yeah," she said. "I've been thinking though."

"Congrats."

"Luke, seriously," she said. "We have the exact same medical issue at the exact same time? Force or no Force that seems odd to me."

"I guess," Luke shrugged. "What are you getting at?"

"What if our minds are simply deteriorating because the future we come from no longer exists?" she asked and Luke looked at her.

"You mean we've already changed things? Saved Dad?"

"I didn't say that," she sighed. "He might die instead of falling. You never know. But I think we've changed it enough that that part of the timeline is crumbling."

"You sound like those scientists that create Hyperspace Theories," Luke laughed. When he realized Leia wasn't laughing with him his laugh died out quietly.

"Luke, I'm trying to be serious," she said, focusing her gaze on the various Sky lanes.

"I know, I'm sorry, Ley," Luke said and grabbed her hand. She glanced down once as his fingers intertwined with hers before looking back up into his shadowy face.

"I think we just need to make sure everything is in order before we die," she said. "We have two weeks now. We lost a week here and now everything is going to compact at once. I still don't know the missing orders for the clones and how they fit into everything, and we don't know whether or not Dad is still falling, and now I'm seeing both my mothers everyday and it's driving me mad!"

"I thought you'd be happy about Bail and Breha?" Luke whispered and she sighed.

"I am, I really am," she said. "Apparently when I woke up both times in the hospital I referred to them as 'Daddy' and 'Mom."

"They probably passed it off as the lethargy of being in a coma."

"They did," Leia said, pulling her knees to her chest and rest her chin upon them. "But now I'm the weak dying girl."

"Leia, you're not weak," Luke said.

"I am too," she looked at him. "When I found out I was dying, you know what I thought? It was something along the lines of fairness. How unfair it was that I had just escaped imminent death with the war against the Empire to die of a brain tumor."

"That doesn't make you weak," he said, squeezing his hand against hers.

"I don't think I'm ready to die, Luke," she whispered so low Luke barely heard her. "All these years, one step from death, ready to die for the cause because I had nothing... Now I have a brother, a best friend, and Han. Whatever Han is, I have him. But not anymore. I will never see him again."

"You will," Luke assured her. "We may be in the past right now, but that doesn't mean that we won't live again. We just might not have our memories."

"Luke, where I am right now, I'm okay," she said. "I don't want to lose the memories of everything. Maybe of Tarkin, maybe of watching Han tortured, but I don't want to lose a lot of other thoughts. Getting stuck in an asteroid field and kissing Han the first time. How it felt to finally hold him in my arms after I unfroze him. Those things. The party after the Battle of Yavin. I don't want to lose them."

"And you think I'm ready to give up my thoughts?" Luke asked. "To give up meeting you or Han or Chewie? Of finding out my heritage as a Jedi? Maybe saving our father. I kinda liked that ending. But I'm only a little more ready to die than you are, Leia. I just have accepted that it's not the end."

A tear rolled down Leia's cheek as she stared at the passing speeders, absorbing what Luke said.

"We need to see Ahsoka, catch up on what we've missed," she said, deciding in the end to just change subjects.

"We'll get Padme to request her presence or we'll have father bring her over," he said. "I think you need your sleep."

"I do," she nodded but made no move to get up.

"Leia..."

"Just let me sit here a moment longer," she said and glanced at her brother hopefully. He nodded, standing up and leaving the grip on her hand.

"Goodnight," he said and she mumbled something along those lines back to him. She fell asleep out there that night.

I really love writing Leia's interaction with Bail and Breha. There's just something about it that clicks with me. Leia's kinda in a vulnerable state right now and I love that too... Anyways. I feel in a real posting mood right now since my writing muse is back. I went from chapter 4 to chapter 8 in the sequel to this in three days so I'm excited to share that stuff with you.

But this comes first unfortunately! So until then... You have this.

Oh, and Fallon, not to single you out, but I seriously smile every time I read your reviews. You just make me feel like a famous author every time!