Author's Note: Sorry, guys... This is unedited. No time to beta.

The memory of their time together was bittersweet. One side of Lena's heart ached to laugh with her mentor again, to feel the woman's embrace and see her warm, proud smile. The other side of her heart throbbed with anger at what she perceived to be her master's failure.

What she saw in her mind when she closed her eyes was the image of Kara's arms holding her tightly, and as she pictured this, Lena could even feel their bodies pressed together, the tender gesture filling her with hope.

But when she opened her eyes, Kara saw only passionate hate and anger.

"Lena," Kara warned. "Don't go there. My failure and yours are separate, and equally responsible for where we stand now. But blame gets us nowhere. All that matters is now and tomorrow. And now… now I want to help you."

"Where were you when I needed you?!" Lena screamed, tears flooding over. "Falling in love with the Force! What about me?"

Eyes wide, Kara stared at her pupil and asked dumbly, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Lena hissed. "I mean, Master, that my love for you was there all along. My devotion to you was unending. But you failed me. You loved the Jedi Order so much that you didn't even notice my suffering! Let alone return my love…"

"Love?" the Jedi asked, her voice cracking.

"You must have lost all of your precious wisdom," Lena sighed, angrily reaching up to wipe her hot, furious tears. "After all this time, you still don't understand."

"Maybe I am without wisdom," Kara confessed, stepping closer. "So explain it to me."

"You're too late!" Lena shouted, shoving her mentor backwards. "Your kindness is too late. Your attention is too late. Lena is dead."

"Then that makes you…?"

Lena stared blankly into the blonde's eyes and coolly replied, "A ghost."

"Lena… You're not dead. You're—"

"A ghost of your failure," the brunette interrupted, ignoring her teacher's protests.

"Are you sure I'm too late?" Kara whispered, taking one more daring step closer, nearly closing the space between their bodies as she reached up and touched Lena's warm, wet cheek.

"D-Don't touch me," Lena stammered. "I—"

"What if I told you that I've loved you all along?" Kara asked gently, without moving her hand away.

"Don't… Don't—"

"Because I have."

"LIAR!"

When Lena shoved Kara back, the blonde stumbled and nearly fell over.

"You kissed me, just now," she challenged. "Why?"

Hesitating before her reply, the Sith answered, "You know the Dark Side calls you."

"Lena," Kara warmly chided. "You call me. And you are not the Dark Side."

"I am the Dark Side!"

"I love you, Lena," Kara whispered, once again stepping boldly forward. "And I am so, so sorry."

"Stop. Stop talking," Lena snapped. "I can't hear myself think."

"Then block me out. Control your thoughts."

Mouth hanging slightly open, the brunette stared at Kara, her face contorting in shock as she heard her teacher's voice in her head.

I love you, Lena. It doesn't have to be this way. I sense a change in you. I know you sense this too.

"GET OUT!" Lena wailed, suddenly gripping her head in her hands.

"Block me out. Do it."

"I can't!"

"Try. You are strong enough. Control your thoughts."

Falling to her knees as Kara's confession of love echoed in her mind, Lena covered her ears and whimpered, "I don't want to."

Gently lowering herself to the ground in front of her former student, Kara took Lena's hand in one of her own and lifted her chin with her other.

"There is good in you yet, Lena," the blonde told her softly. "I know this to be true. Choose the Light. Choose me."

Raising her gaze as her master lifted her chin, the brunette looked into Kara's eyes, her own still flooded with tears.

"I do," Lena breathed. "I do choose you. If what you say is true… if you truly do love me… then I will do anything to prove to you that I can find balance in the Force, that I can trust its ways, and that I can trust you." Then, as Kara started to smile, the Sith had a revelation and announced, "I will overthrow the Emperor."

"What?" Kara gaped, not believing what she'd heard.

"I'll fight with the resistance, even if it leads to my demise."

"Lena, you can't take him on alone."

"I know him better than anyone, Kara, and if you truly do return my love, then the battle will be worth it to prove to you that I can do this."

"Lena…"

"This will be my trial."

"Lena, listen to me. You'll need help. You'll need—"

"I am strong enough to do this on my own."

Biting her lip, Kara lowered her head and mumbled, "But I don't want you to."

For the first time since the middle of her training with the Jedi Master before her, Lena smiled.

"Good," she said brightly. "That gives me all the strength I need."

"I don't want to lose you to the Dark Side. What if—"

"You won't," Lena vowed. "I promise you that. You have given me everything I need to succeed."

"Your training was—"

"No, Kara. Not my training. Your love."

Hugging the Sith tightly as their tear-soaked cheeks pressed together, Kara allowed herself to cry.

"I will redeem myself," Lena swore. "I will be the woman you always wanted me to be. And Kara…"

"Yes?" the Jedi managed to squeak out, voice cracking through her tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"For… For what I did to you. I cannot deny that the Dark Side has been a powerful mistress."

"You can resist. You are stronger in the Force than I ever could be. I know you can do this."

With a sigh, Lena left her kneeling position and sat fully on the ground, telling her former master, "Your faith in me gives me that strength. Without it… my mind is weak."

"You have my faith, Lena. Unending and unconditional faith. I always knew you could reject the Darkness within you. Within all of us. But I'm scared I won't see you again…"

"You said you had faith in me."

"I do. I know you can do this. But the fear is still there…"

"Hold your faith in me. I will come back for you, Kara. How could I not, when you've offered me everything I've ever wanted?"

"But… the power of—"

"Power was never what I wanted. I wanted freedom. Freedom from my emotions. Freedom from the pain of infatuation. The pain of caring. My emotions trapped me. I see that now. But I also see that your love is not binding. It's liberating."

"Let me go with you," Kara blurted, squeezing Lena's hand. "I don't want—"

"I have to do this alone. This is my trial."

"Lena—"

"Let me do this. Have faith in me."

When Kara nodded reluctantly, Lena started to rise to her feet, pressed a tender kiss to the top of the Jedi's head, and turned to walk away, leaving Kara alone with her overwhelming flood of emotions.