Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Location – Imperial Palace Medical Center
After almost ten hours of waiting, Leia had cried all of the tears she had within her, but still felt like she had been gutted. She was in shock over seeing Din dying before her. She felt solely liable for what had transpired. Din wouldn't have recklessly jumped into harms way had she not strangled the Twi'lek with the Force. He had prevented her from killing him to keep her from slipping further down the dark path and had potentially paid for her sins with his own life.
A doctor had not come out to give her a status on his condition. She took this as both a good and a bad sign.
Padmé sat next to her with an arm around her waist. She had cried with her daughter after she had rushed down from the penthouse of the monstrosity that was the Imperial Palace. Both women loved Din, just one as a mother and the other as a lover. Both would feel dead inside if he succumbed to his wounds.
Din's squadron had brought Wedge a change of clothes so he could shuck out of his armor. They sat at a respectful distance away, so Leia would have some privacy if the news turned out to be dire. Din had been the only one with grievous injuries, the rest had escaped relatively unscathed from the pitched battle.
Leia sighed and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the wall.
"I don't know what I'll do if I lose him, mom", she said.
"We can't give up hope, Leia", her mother said. Her voice betrayed her call for bravery, she was in despair as well.
"Hope left when I saw him lying on the floor, bleeding to death", Leia replied.
Padmé winced at Leia's words. She herself remembered when she lost hope the day her husband had attacked her on the hellish world of Mustafar. She had been in so much grief, she had nearly died of a broken heart. Her wounds were only mended when she found her husband and turned him back to the light. But, Anakin Skywalker had suffered a spiritual death. Leia would have to deal with physical death if Din didn't pull through. She wished her husband were here. How differently things may have turned out if he had been.
And then there was the fact that Din was ready to propose to Leia. How cruel the galaxy was to those who just wanted a little bit of happiness in their lives. Padmé could not hate the Slaver Confederacy any more than she did at that very moment. She wanted her husband to defy the Senate and send every last warship the Empire had on a blistering campaign for what they did, damned be the consequences. However, that would mean more Imperials would die. More parents, children, and spouses that would be without the ones that they loved.
Suddenly, the doors that lea to the operating wing of the facility swung open. Leia bolted to her feet and stood visibly shaking as a doctor walked toward her. Blood stained his scrubs and the man looked exhausted.
He looked at Leia and gave a small smile. "He's alive and stable."
Leia nearly passed out in relief and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Tears of relief.
"When can I see him?", she asked as her mother hugged her shoulders. Both women emotionally drained from the ordeal.
"It'll be about a week. We have him in a bacta tank to heal his wounds", the doctor said.
"Is he conscious?", Leia asked.
The doctor shook his head. "No, he's under heavy sedation to prevent any discomfort."
"What about his recovery afterwards?", Padmé asked, remembering Din's tribulations of recovery after his Tie Interceptor burned in on Ord Mantell.
"It really shouldn't be long at all. No major muscles or bones were damaged, and he didn't sustain any head trauma. He should be up ad about after we pull him from the tank", the doctor said.
Leia let out a cry of relief, overjoyed at the news. She felt faint and emotionally drained. Her knees buckled and the doctor caught her with steady hands and sat her in the chair.
"Are you alright, your highness?", he asked.
Leia nodded. "I'm just so exhausted."
The doctor looked up at Padmé. "My Empress, I believe the Princess would benefit from a meal and some rest."
"You're right, doctor. I'll see to it. We are eternally in your debt for saving him", Padmé said.
The doctor smiled at them both. "I'll leave you to it. Please, go rest and celebrate. He'll be awake before you know it."
Leia turned and looked at Din's squadron. All of them were staring towards Leia, anxiously waiting for an update, and not wanting to misconstrue the body language of the two women.
She stood and walked towards them. She had never seen such battle-hardened men look the way they did. They were fraught with anxiety, it rolled into her mind like a thunderstorm.
Leia took a deep breath before she spoke. "The doctor said that Din's going to be alright. He'll be in a bacta tank for maybe a week, but he should recuperate fully."
After she spoke, she was assaulted with waves of relief from the men. They exhaled and looked at her.
"We're sorry we weren't able to back him up", Tycho said as his voice shook. "We let him down."
Leia shook her head. "No, the fault doesn't rest with any one of you. Din loves you all very much."
The responsibility resides with me, she thought.
"We love him too, Your Highness", Derek said. "We all would've gladly taken his place if we were able."
"None of that, gentlemen", Padmé said. "We both know how difficult your professions are. You mustn't hold yourselves accountable for the evildoings of those who're actually responsible. The men you liberated my daughter from are the ones to blame, no one else." She squeezed Leia's hand at the last to remind her daughter of the fact as well.
"Yes, Your Highness", the men replied in near unison.
Wedge spoke up. "Guys, I'm sure the Princess and the Empress would like to get some rest. Let's go do an after-action brief. We'll see the Commander once he's on his feet."
Leia smiled her thanks at the young Lieutenant. Din was truly fortunate to have so many loyal men under his command. He undoubtedly had earned their respect time after time.
Padmé and Leia took many lifts to reach the upper portion of the Palace.
"Are you sure you don't want me to fix you something to eat?", Padmé asked her daughter as they arrived in front of Leia's apartment. "You need to maintain your strength."
Leia shook her head. "I'll be fine, mom. I just want to shower and get some rest. I'll be sure and eat something later."
Padmé sighed. She detested seeing her daughter like this however she understood how she felt.
"Alright", she said. "But I'll be back in the morning to check on you."
"Okay, mom. Thank you", Leia said as the two women embraced.
Leia closed the door to her apartment and pressed her back up against it to steady herself. Her hands trembled from the intense emotional rollercoaster she'd been on throughout the last twenty-four hours.
She slowly made her way up the staircase and walked into her room, only to pause at the mirror on her vanity. She had Din's blood on her clothing and a smudge of it on her hands and cheek.
Leia furiously stripped out of her clothing and ran into the fresher. After she slammed the water on, she began to viciously scrub her skin, mortified that she hadn't noticed the blood earlier. It was nearly the only thing she had been left with, but it made her remorse only intensify.
She slid down in the shower and nearly fell asleep. After a while, she picked herself off the tiled floor and turned the water off.
Leia grabbed a towel and dried herself off before she dressed in a simple gown. She walked to the bed she shared with Din and sat down with a longing look to his side of the bed. She recalled the previous night where she stroked his hair until he fell asleep and cursed herself for taking the moment for granted. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
After she laid down, she fitfully tried to go to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come to her. She went downstairs and poured herself a drink of brandy and sat on the couch, the very one she and Din had made love on many times, as she took small sips of the beverage. Soon after, she finally felt her mind relax enough to be able to fall asleep. She grabbed a throw blanket from the back of the couch and curled up on the leather and finally fell asleep.
Leia opened her eyes, and she was in the corridor again. The beast was grotesquely chewing on flesh as it sat on its haunches. It looked up at her and sneered.
Instead of falling into a panic, Leia felt herself become enraged.
"You lost. Din is alive", she spat.
The creature just laughed, and she heard a sickly whisper. "His time has yet to come."
"If you come near him, I'll kill you", she promised.
The creature threw its head back and sniggered.
Leia bolted upright and struggled to catch her breath. She glanced at the chrono on the wall. She'd been asleep for nearly seven hours, but that was the only dream or better put, nightmare she had. She tucked her legs in and took several calming breaths forcing herself to meditate.
As she focused on the ticking of the chrono, she slowly felt herself become centered and at peace. The dark side wouldn't take hold of her she swore to herself. There wouldn't be a second time.
Two days later. Location: Skywalker Residence
Anakin Skywalker sat in his chair, numb from the news of Din's brush with death. The mere description of his injuries and Leia and Padmé's reaction made him want to gag in horror. There was no doubt in his mind that he shouldn't have gone to the Empress Teta System. If he had been there, he would have decimated the terrorists with a few flicks of his hand and lightsaber.
He was no stranger to combat. Most of his teenage and adult life had been spent fighting. Then, there were the haunting memories of when he had donned the title of Darth Vader. He had dealt casual death just as the terrorists had and had barely been able to forgive himself for it.
He took a sip of his bourbon and his mind whirled with a conflict. Anakin was enraged at what the Slaver Confederacy had done to his family. Yes, Din was a part of his family. He would never admit it to anyone, but he loved the man like a son. As much as he loved Luke and Ben. In some ways, even more so given how similar they were. Both having had to endure the bondage of slavery and the trials of combat at an early age.
Anakin vividly recalled the moment he had learned that Din was near fatally wounded as a Stormtrooper. His wife had been incensed with anger towards him and he the same at himself for allowing Din to go off at such a tender age.
Now, the young man had fallen madly in love with his eldest daughter to only be at the cusp of death again. Anakin was certain that the Force was still punishing him for his prior transgressions. His family was having to pay for his sins, and it tore his heart to pieces.
"Are you alright, Ani?", his wife asked from the doorway of his study.
Anakin looked up at her and slowly shook his head.
Padmé breezed into the room to sit in the chair next to her husband. She didn't have to be sensitive to the Force to know the thoughts that were cascading through his mind. She took his hand into hers and looked at him with sorrow.
"This isn't your fault, Ani", she said. "None of it is."
Anakin looked at Padmé with a tears in his eyes. She was wrong, it was all his fault.
"But it is", he said weakly. "I allowed him to walk this path and time after time he's brushed death, except now it's even more detrimental since he and Leia are in love." He choked the last words out.
Padmé's expression melted into a tormented sorrow.
"Ani", she began, "Din would have still walked the path he set himself on had you allowed him to enter the military or not. He told me as much himself after he bought the ring for Leia. He's a warrior at heart, just like you."
"Warrior", Anakin said. "I honestly never thought the boy I rescued would become such a thing. I'd hoped that he would live a life a peace after living through hell, but he's continued to live in hell for most of his life." It wasn't a mere statement; it was an undisputable fact.
Padmé nodded weakly, her own emotions threatening to spill out.
"Now our eldest daughter is suffering and there's not a thing I can do to help her", Anakin continued. "She's having to live through torment on the same level that I put you through. Both mentally and through the Force. I have prayed to the gods for the Force to guide her to peace, but she's in agony."
"She's also in love, Ani", Padmé said. "True love, just as you and I were when we were younger and still today. Event though I lived through torment, I wouldn't trade our love for anything, and I believe that Leia feels the same with all of my heart."
Anakin looked at her. "I pray that she never has to feel this way again, but I know that she will. Something in the Force just won't let me shake that feeling, Padmé. It drives me mad with anguish just thinking about it."
His wife merely nodded in response. Deep down in the very depths of her heart, she felt the same way. She would never be able to shake the feeling that the tormented man that she loved as a son would have his life extinguished by a violent death. It threatened her sanity at times.
After a few minutes, she found her voice. "All we can do is love him and our daughter, nothing more. Whatever becomes of the both of them will simply be the will of the Force."
Her husband took a deep breath and as he exhaled, he choked on a sob. He set his glass of liquor down and buried his face in his hands and cried, releasing the dam of emotions that had plagued him for many years.
Padmé knelt before him and wrapped her arms around his neck, providing comfort in the only way that she knew how.
Both just stayed that way for what seemed like hours, unable to move, and barely ablet to breathe.
Several floors down, Leia was in her own emotional hell. Every time she began to feel peace, her mind twisted her very core until she could no longer hold back her tears. She knew the man she loved was going to be alright, but for how long? Her visions troubled her greatly, no matter how defiantly she stood up against the beast. It seemed all to certain that it would become a reality.
One thing she did know was that no matter what happened, she would always love the man she knew she was supposed to be with. She couldn't and wouldn't have it any other way. She accepted that he would always be a soldier, hellbent on exposing himself to mortal danger. It was who he was, and she loved every part of him, no matter what it would do to her.
I must be strong, like he's strong for me, she thought. He nearly gave his life to spare my soul from continuing to touch the darkness that threatened to take hold of me. What kind of man would do that for a woman? What kind of man had that amount of strength? My lover does, he is the reason for my breath. I exist to be with him through the good and the bad.
She felt her mind repeating the same thoughts repeatedly. Leia could not wait until he was released from the bacta tank so she could show him how much she loved him, appreciated him, and needed him. She would show him that her love was unwavering and without any pretext.
The memories of that day still reverberated in her mind, like a cello that wouldn't cease its deep harmony. She accepted the dark memories because they were intertwined with the good ones as well.
She took a deep calming breath and forced herself to regain her composure. Leia focused on her dreams of Din holding her in his strong arms and thanked the Force that it had been him, not some other man that had come into her life. This reality that she was living was the one true reality and she knew that if she had been with another man, it would've ended poorly, her heart would've been torn to shreds by a man so callused that he would never be satisfied with her love.
Four days later. Location: Imperial Palace Medical Center
Din regained consciousness while he was still in the bacta tank. At first, he thought he was in a dream as he floated in the healing liquid. Then, the haunting memories of Leia looking down at him surfaced. He panicked and begun striking the glass of the tank. He had to get out, he had to let her know that he'd survived his grievous injuries.
His thrashing increased as his anger grew at the barrier between him and his lover. Din looked up and began to assault the top of the tank, beating it with his fist as hard has he could even though he knew that his body was in a temporarily weakened state.
Just then, a medic entered the room and shouted for a doctor. One rushed in and they paused for a moment at the sheer strength Din was displaying. They had yet to see someone in such a state after waking up from bacta treatment.
They came to their senses and quickly entered commands in the system to release the clamps to the top of the cylindrical prison.
Once the clamps were released, Din knocked the top of the tank off. He grasped the top edge and tried to pull himself out.
"Commander, wait", the doctor yelled. He turned to the medic and said, "Get me a sedative, now."
The medic ran to the opposite wall and hastily pulled out a vial and syringe, filling the latter with the calming drug. The doctor grabbed the syringe and ran to scale a platform that was at Din's level.
Din thrashed as he attempted to pull himself out. He saw the doctor approach with the needle. He mustered every last ounce of strength he had and flung himself over the edge and landed on the floor with a thud.
"Stay the fuck away from me", he screamed as he fought a wave of nausea that was common after emerging from a bacta treatment. He knew the sensation all too well.
The doctor tossed the syringe to the medic who quickly stabbed Din in the neck with it. After a few seconds, Din collapsed into an unconscious state. Two more medics entered the room and they struggled to pick up Din and get him onto a gurney.
After they quickly assessed him for injury, they wheeled him into the recovery area so he could sleep off the sedative.
The doctor quickly reviewed Din's chart and his eyes bulged. He was instructed to immediately notify the Empress and Princess of the Empire upon Din's awakening from the tank. He hastily dialed the coms and called the man's family in all but name.
Din opened his eyes and saw the haze of a fluorescent light.
I'm in a hospital, he weakly thought. Then, the memories of his ordeal in the bacta treatment area of the facility rushed back to him. Bastards, he thought.
He suddenly heard a voice an excited voice. "Din, by the Force I'm so happy."
It was Leia. He turned his head to face where the voice had come from and blinked his eyes in an attempt to force them to focus. He felt her hand on his cheek and her face came into his view, mere inches away from his own.
"Hey there, baby", he said, his voice grated from going over a week without the moisture of water.
Leia impulsively pressed her lips against his and he moaned into the kiss, savoring it like it was the very first time. The memory of him kissing her as she leaned against her doorframe rushed back to him.
When Leia finally pulled back, she raised his hospital bed up to a sitting position and pressed the edge of a cup of water against his lips. He greedily drank the water.
"Easy, just a little at a time", Leia said. Her mind flashed back to him after his crash and how she'd done the same after he was taken off a constant flow of sedatives and pain killers.
After his thirst was quenched, Leia set the glass down and grasped his hands with her own. She looked at him and tears came to both of their eyes as they gazed at one another.
"I'm so happy to see you", Din said.
"I'm happy to see you too", Leia said as she fought to keep herself from sobbing.
"How long was I out?", Din asked.
Leia sniffed back tears and said, "Almost a week. You were in pretty rough shape when they brought you here." She was unable to get the vision of the blood-soaked bandages that clung to him from her mind.
"I'm sorry", Din began.
"No, don't you dare apologize. You saved me in more ways than one that day", Leia said as she cut him off. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel remorse over his actions.
Din weakly smiled at her, which she returned.
"I'm the one who should apologize", Leia said as she broke their gaze. She looked down at the floor.
Din reached out with his right hand and cupped her chin. He knew exactly what she was apologizing for and he similarly wouldn't have his lover's mind caught in the turmoil of remorse.
"Sweetheart, you were only doing what you thought was best", he said. "If I was in your position, I might have done the very same thing."
Leia looked back up at him. He moved his hand from her chin to the back of her head and pulled her to him for another kiss. His left arm snaked around her shoulder and his right hand gripped her hair, not wanting to let her go.
She enjoyed the possessive nature of his embrace. It reminded her of the more spirited times they'd made love to one another. She melted her body to him and felt overjoyed that she still had him.
Finally, they broke from the kiss, but Din's firm embrace remained, not wanting to let her go. She looked at him huskily.
"When you get out of here, I want to do nothing but make love to you over and over again", she whispered.
"I think I can arrange that", Din said.
Just then, the two heard Padmé's voice, "By the Force excuse me, I'm sorry." She had walked into the room without looking and saw Din and her daughter in a lustful embrace.
Din let go of Leia and chuckled. "Padmé, you're starting to get into a bad habit of ruining a good thing", he teased.
The middle-aged woman blushed furiously as Leia joined Din and a mirthful laugh.
"Don't feel badly, mom. I think Din is only halfway teasing you", Leia said.
Padmé smiled at the light heartedness of the two lovers. She looked at their firmly clasped hands and felt the anguish and worry that had consumed her wash away. For now, the two were together and happy. Any other tribulations that would enter their lives would have to wait for another day, but they would come more quickly than anyone could imagine.
