The bandages peeled off her bruised skin leaving Arya to sigh in relief dramatically. She hated wearing the enormous gauze on her face. Thankfully, there were amazing treatments back at the Alliance base and she only had to feel like a fool for a couple of hours.
Her nurse let out a small laugh at her antics and continued to gently clean off the dried blood left from her run in with Boba Fett. Arya eyed her nurse with amused curiosity, this was the same girl Eli had spent a lot of his time with, the same girl that gets him flustered when he talks about her.
Arya searched her brain, trying to remember her name. It had been months since she'd seen her and an even longer time since she'd seen her with her brother.
"You're Zara, right?" She asked, holding back a wince as she nudged a particularly sore spot.
She rushed an apology and continued her work. "Yeah, that's me." She spoke nervously, an embarrassed smile on her face. She seemed very shy and reserved. All the times Arya had walked past her she didn't think she had said two words to her. But for some reason, whenever she was with Eli, her mouth never stopped moving.
"I haven't seen you in awhile. I'm surprised Eli hasn't dragged you along to all our cantina nights." Arya spoke hoping she sounded casual and not like she was prying, which is exactly what she was doing.
"He did ask me a few times but I didn't want to impose. You're guys are such a tight knit group, I didn't want to get in the way." She shrugged it off, her eyes avoiding Arya's.
"What? That's ridiculous, we would've loved to have you come along. I know it would have made Eli very happy." She teased, grinning widely at the young girl who was now blushing wildly.
"Nothing's going to happen between us." Zara stated casually but Arya could see the frown beginning to form. She could read her pretty easily and the sadness radiating from her was unmistakable.
"Why do you sound so sure?"
"We talked about it and we agreed that things would be easier if we didn't go down that road." Arya furrowed her brows and gave her a quizzical look. Zara sighed, her motions stopping as she sat next to Arya, we hands resting in her lap. She was nervous but she continued her story.
"After you got taken, Eli went crazy. Even after you got back and we were on Hoth, I didn't see him for at least a week. He was so focused on you, we just didn't have time for a relationship. Not that I'm blaming you! Oh my god, that came out really wrong." She muttered, hiding her face in her hands.
Arya felt her shoulders sag at her words. "So you guys aren't together because of me?" She asked slowly, feeling more guilt at the situation than she thought possible.
"No, no! That's not it." She said frantically. Arya felt bad that she was making this girl more nervous than she already was. "Things are really hectic right now, especially with the Empire still out there. It just makes sense that we do our own thing until the mess is cleaned up."
Arya nodded thoughtfully, her lips pursed as she contemplated her next words. She didn't want Eli to put his life on hold because of the war going on, she wanted them to be together. Before she could begin to explain this to Zara, the door hissed open and Eli stepped through, his stride slowing to a halt as he noticed who was in the room with his sister.
He stood frozen in his spot, his wide eyes locked onto the timid nurse who was blushing furiously at his intense gaze.
"Hi!" Arya broke the long, uncomfortable silence quite awkwardly. The couple seemed to snap out of their daze, Zara moving from her spot next to Arya as she began to clean up her supplies.
Eli scratched the back of his neck, exhaling loudly. "Luke's just about done. I thought you might wanna see him." His voice was uneven. He cleared his throat and tried not to smile too widely as Zara walked past him, saying a quiet goodbye to Arya and throwing him a shy smile.
"Ok I've held it in for too long. What the hell is going on with you two?" Arya asked excitedly as soon as the door closed leaving just the two of them in the room.
"What? Nothing!" He yelled defensively, his voice a higher pitch than normal.
Arya rolled her eyes and let out a noise of annoyment. "Eli, it's so painfully obvious that you like her. She told me you guys aren't together because you'd rather spend your time babysitting me." Eli gave her an incredulous look, his brow raised in knowing disbelief. "Ok, she didn't quite word it like that, but it still doesn't make any sense. If being with her makes you happy then do it."
Eli looked down at his feet for a moment before groaning loudly in exasperation, his hands covering his eyes and running down his face. He sat next to his twin, his head hung low.
"She is the sweetest, most innocent person I've ever met. She's so kind, I don't think she's ever even yelled at someone her whole life." He explained like a lovestruck teenager, a certain twinkle in his eyes Arya had never seen before.
"I'm an 'enhanced'. I'm out on the battlefield, going toe to toe with the Empire. Darth Vader knows my weakness, he's already played that card more than once and I doubt he'll stop until he gets what he wants. There's no way I'm putting her in the crossfire. I already worry enough about you, I'm not letting her get hurt because we have some sort of attachment. If we don't act on our feelings, Vader can't use her against me and she stays safe."
Arya listened to him thoughtfully, her teasing gaze forming into a frown. She understood what he was saying, she thought the same about Luke. At least he was a commander now, he was used to being apart of the fighting. Zara was an innocent civilian.
"It's ok. We don't have to talk about it anymore." She said softly at seeing the upset look on her brother's face. It absolutely killed him that he had to stay away from the woman who had stolen his heart. It hurt to see Arya and Luke so in love and know that he couldn't have that, at least not anytime soon.
He nodded and smiled gratefully at his twin. He gave her a quick hug and pulled away, wanting desperately to change the subject.
"Your nose doesn't look to bad." He exclaimed, tilting her chin up to get a view of her bruises. Arya just glared at him in response.
"I look like a corpse. My face is practically purple." She complained, a deep pout on her face making Eli laugh at her.
"You look fine, even Lando agreed." He mentioned making Arya scoff, remembering their encounter earlier.
She hadn't seen Lando in years, she had only been a young teenager, barely fifteen when she had last been in Bespin. Lando had come to visit her before he got ready to board the Falcon with Chewie and had some glowing compliments for her.
She had laughed at the way Luke glared at the suave man who told her how well she grew up, his dashing smile meaning to sweep her off her feet. Arya had smiled widely and rested her head on Luke's shoulder lovingly, telling Lando she was flattered but not that flattered.
"Come on, Luke's dying to see you. He hasn't shut up since you left." Eli teased, snapping her out of her memories.
She eagerly jumped off the bed, excited to see him. Her fast pace towards the door staggered as a sharp pain pierced her temple.
"Careful. You hit your head pretty hard, you gotta take it easy for a couple of days." Eli explained, linking his arm with hers as they began to walk lazily down the hallway to where Luke and Leia were.
As soon as the doors opened and she saw Luke, Arya immediately pulled herself away from her brother and ran towards her boyfriend, ignoring the pain in her head. She embraced him tightly, careful not to jostle his right hand that was currently being worked on.
After everything that's happened the last couple of days, all she wanted was to relax in his arms. She felt Luke wrap his free arm around her waist, holding her close to him. She pulled away and pressed her lips to his forehead, not wanting to show too much pda in front of her brother.
Luke's smile on his face upon seeing her immediately vanished as he looked at the dark bruises around her nose. His jaw clenched in anger, his sad eyes never leaving her face as he brought his hand up to her cup her cheek.
Arya rested her forehead against his and kissed him gently, pulling away after a few seconds. "I'm fine." She whispered, knowing that that still wouldn't be enough to reassure him but thankfully he let it go.
Arya watched in amazement as the medical droid worked on the wires where his wrist used to be. She gently ran her fingers over the palm of his hand, it looked exactly the same as before.
"Do you feel that?" She asked quietly, eyeing him expectantly. Luke nodded, a weak smile on his face.
He had been shaken up by his encounter with Darth Vader and Arya still didn't know why. Obviously losing his hand was traumatic but she knew something else happened, something terrible was weighing heavily on his shoulders.
Arya accepted his silence and told herself that he would open up to her when he was ready. She had to remind herself that she had closed up after being held hostage on the Death Star and he had been patient with her. It was only fair that she did the same for him.
Luke couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine at the feather light touch he felt on his palm, one he always felt when Arya touched him so lovingly. But he couldn't ignore the knot he felt in his stomach, even when he was embraced by the love his life, it wasn't enough to lift the darkness in his mind.
I am your father.
Vader's words replayed over again making him tense and feel like his chest would constrict, cutting off his breath.
Luke's com link buzzed, breaking his thoughts off. He knew it was Lando who was just about to takeoff. He could tell from the worried expression on Arya's face that she wasn't going to relax until they found Han.
"Luke, we're ready for takeoff." Lando informed him, an air of confidence in his voice that made Arya smile with hope.
"Good luck Lando." Luke responded, reaching out to Arya to intertwine their fingers, he knew she was fragile after what happened, she blamed herself that he was taken. She felt like she had failed him.
"When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter we'll contact you."
Luke practically sneered at the mere mention of Boba Fett. Arya looked down at her feet, as if hiding her bruises would make him feel any better. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tatooine." He concluded.
"Princess, we'll find Han. And Restov's, don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone." He teased causing Arya and Eli to share endearing smiles. They certainly caused a lot of mischief for the two older men the last time they visited.
"Take care you two. May the force be with you."
They heard Chewie give one last goodbye causing everyone to smile. The large Wookie had been reluctant to leave, especially after seeing the rough shape Arya was in. But there was a collective agreement that Han needed their help more than anyone. They all wanted their friend back.
Leia grabbed Arya's hand and pulled her to the window to watch the Falcon depart. The princess was upset, that much Arya could see but, she was holding together well. She was a strong woman, she always left Arya in awe of her strength.
She felt a nudge at her side. Eli had bumped her hip with his, catching her attention. He gave her a reassuring smile, one she recognized from her time in captivity, one that said we'll find our way out of this mess. Everything will be ok.
Eli wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she smiled weakly, still not believing that Han was not here. She expected to hear some smug retort about them showing emotion or something just as cocky from the smuggler. It was strangely quiet without him. Arya didn't like it, the quiet was unsettling.
She didn't know how long she stood there watching the ships. It wasn't until she felt Eli move away that she realized Leia had already left and her brother was just about to leave as well. He said goodnight and placed a kiss to the top of her head. Once she heard his retreating footsteps her gaze was back out the window.
Luke watched her for a few moments, debating whether he should disturb her or not. She probably would stay there all night if he didn't interfere.
"We'll find him. I promise." He whispered, his arms snaking around her waist from behind.
She nodded silently and rested her head against his strong chest, her hands gripping his arms.
"I hope so." She whispered. It was scary to think she would have to do this without him. She didn't think she could handle the war against the empire without him there to comfort her.
She let out a sigh and turned her body to face Luke, her arms snaking around his neck, her fingers twisting the ends of his hair.
"We should go to our room, you look exhausted." She pointed out, a wave of guilt hitting her. Luke had been through far worse, his new hand evidence of that, and he was the one comforting her.
The couple walked hand in hand down the corridor to their new room. Luke missed their room on Hoth. It had been their safe haven, a place where they forgot about the outside world and spent many nights lost in passion and lust.
He doubted he would ever find a happy, carefree place like that again. He wondered if everything would be tainted from now on. His eyes squeezed shut as he forced out the bad thoughts. Focus on Arya, don't let her see you suffer.
They arrived at their room and he immediately got into bed, sighing in relief at the soft mattress, the hard ground on Dagobah was not a suitable place for a good nights sleep.
Luke's eyes refused to close, his mind swimming with questions and worries. He kept his gaze on Arya who was slowly taking off her rings and getting ready to sleep.
"Can I ask you something, my love?" He asked, his head almost buried under the covers.
She nodded at him, a curious look on her face. Shouldn't I be asking him that?, she thought to herself, still dying to know what happened with Vader.
"When you had your...episode on Dagobah, what did you see? What made you so scared?" He worded carefully as to not offend her. It had been clawing at his mind since it happened.
Arya stopped her motions, her shirt halfway off her body. She slowly pulled it over her head, revealing the nervous boy in front of her. Luke bit his lip, awaiting her response, wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut.
"I saw...it was basically a slideshow of every bad thing that happened to me. I was stuck in my cell from the Death Star and forced to watch it play out." She explained, moving to sit on cross legged on the bed beside Luke who was propped up on his elbow, watching her with a frown his face.
"I saw the day we got taken, the experiments and…" She trailed off, inhaling sharply at the thought of her flashback. "I saw what they did to me." She summarized, refusing to go into any detail. He knew what she meant.
Luke swallowed thickly, watching as she struggled to keep her composure. His fists clenched at her words, it never got easier to hear about what she went through.
"But that wasn't even the worst part. It was terrible to see myself being violated like that but what still haunts me is the memory of when we got taken. Vader carried me out to his ship. I feel disgusted just knowing he held me so close." She spoke softly, her eyes fixed on her fingers that played with the blanket below her. She missed the way Luke looked like he was about to throw up. His face paled and his throat went dry, he truly felt sick.
Arya expected him to reach out to her and pull her in his strong arms, holding her until they awoke the next morning. She looked up when she noticed he hadn't moved or said anything. Whenever she spoke about her past and got upset, he would spend hours talking about how happy he was to be with her, how sorry he was that she went through that. But he said nothing.
"Luke?" She questioned at seeing his horrified expression.
He blinked a few times, shaking his head slightly as he snapped himself out of his thoughts. "I'm just so sorry that you had to go through that." He felt a pang in his chest at the lie he told.
Of course he was sorry that his girlfriend had to go through that, it killed him knowing she had been so hurt. But what really was troubling him was the fact that it had been his own father who hurt her. It made him feel responsible for every bad thing that happened. Every tear, every nightmare, every scar was because of him, his own blood.
He wondered if his father had ever held him, if he ever saw him as a baby. Did he turn before I was born or after? Was I the reason he did turn?
A million questions ran through his mind and he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer.
"Yeah, me too." Arya answered, bringing him back to the present. She eyed him suspiciously causing him to grow nervous.
Why did my girlfriend have to be super powered?
He gave her a small smile and reached up to place a soft kiss to her lips, trying to act on their normal routine. She smiled and kissed him back passionately, her hands running through his hair causing him to stiffen and pull away. He laid back down and rolled over, pulling the blankets up to hide his face, mumbling a quick 'goodnight'.
He just couldn't face her, not with the horrible things that clouded his mind. Arya sat in shock at his actions. She obviously had something else in mind at that kiss. She slowly got under the covers and laid on her back, staring at his back that faced her. She frowned and closed her eyes, trying to sleep despite the loss of her boyfriends body intertwined with hers.
A sharp pain hit her temple causing her to wince lightly. Arya wondered if it was just from when she hit her head or if it was Luke's weird behaviour that was causing her head to throb. She noticed Luke tense at the noise and felt a wave of irritation when he stayed still, refusing to turn over and pull her in his arms like he normally would.
Luke squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of her in pain. He knew he should do something. He just couldn't bare to look at her in pain. All it did was remind him who had caused it all, his father.
Arya sighed and closed her eyes, her mind on Luke and what could have possibly happened to him. She had no idea that next to her, Luke was fighting a war in his mind. His thoughts torturing him through his sleepless night.
Hope you guys are enjoying it!
And to the guest reviewer, don't worry, I'm pretty happy with the next couple of chapters, so they're not going to take too long to come out ;)
