Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone! Wanna know what my friends and I say around Christmas time? Happy Halloween, bitches! Inside joke lol but thought I'd share.

This chapter was a little hard to write because I'm not an emotional person by any stretch of the imagination, so that's why Kal is pretty laid back, confused, and angry for the most part. But character development is extremely necessary, so here is this chapter with her opening up a little more and bonding with Luke over Obi-Wan's journal. Hope you like it!

2 ABY

Kal and Luke exchanged a glance. A book. Her father had left Luke a book. Sometimes that man made no sense. The two practically didn't know what to do with it. Books were almost obsolete at that time in the galaxy. Most things were stored on datapads, in holorecordings, or in holobooks, not real books. Luke moved the box from his lap to the floor, never taking his eyes off the book.

"Are you going to open it?" Kal asked, also staring at the leather cover of the book.

Luke ignored her question and asked one of his own. "Did you know he was writing a journal?"

"Every time I think I knew him best, something happens to remind me that I definitely didn't." She didn't sound too particularly disappointed with that knowledge. And she truly wasn't, at least not anymore. "Open it."

Listening to her, Luke opened the book to the first page and began reading aloud. "'As hard as it was to become a Jedi, it was even harder to stop being one. But I did. By the time of the Great Drought, it had been years since I'd touched a lightsaber. Years spent hiding on Tatooine. Years spent almost completely alone. I wasn't General Obi-Wan Kenobi anymore. I was no longer a Jedi Master. I was only Ben. Quiet Old Ben who lived far out in the Dune Sea, where nothing but womp rats and Tusken Raiders ever dared to go. Ben the Forgotten Hermit. Ben the Relic. One day blurred into the next, with little to distinguish them. Instead of Sith Lords and bounty hunters, my days were spent battling monotony and inactivity. All that kept me going was my daughter, who with every passing day looked even more like her mother.'

"'I should have been busier than ever. I should have been training two younglings instead of one. But his uncle never allowed it. And I supposed there was a part of me that couldn't blame him. The last Skywalker I tried to train was gone. They were all gone. All the Jedi. And sometimes I wondered if I should have gone with them. But I did still have a job to do. And I did it the best I could. If I couldn't train the boy, I could at least keep him safe and hope there would come a day when he'd realize for himself that he was meant to be more than just a farmer. I'd train my daughter as best I could, knowing she was meant for more as well.'"

Meant to be more. The words echoed in Luke and Kal's minds as Luke paused while reading.

"'It was the worst drought anyone could remember. The moisture farmers could barely gather enough water from their vaporators to keep themselves alive, let alone to trade in town for food and supplies. Especially with Jabba's thugs collecting 'water taxes.' Rumor was that the bloated gangster took lavish baths all throughout the day, lest he perspire in the heat. But I didn't believe that rumor. I'd met Jabba. Jabba had never bathed in his life. But it was no rumor that people were dying. And I was letting it happen. One day I went into town to trade black melons that grow in the Jundland wastes but Jabba's thugs interrupted my conversation with one of the vendors. The townspeople were angry and the thugs tried to shoot them, but I used the Force to cause the guns to malfunction. The people chased off the thugs.'

"'I shouldn't have done that and I knew it. There was too much at risk. After that day, I decided it was best if I didn't go into town anymore. I tried to commune with Master Qui-Gon to get answers, to get strength, something, anything, but I sensed something else.'

"'I could sense it from across the Dune Sea. One of the jobs I still had left, I had just failed at. Leaving my daughter alone was hard, but I tracked the boy to a group of Jabba's thugs. They wanted to take him as a slave for standing up to them. I stopped them but the boy got hurt in the process. He was just as brave as his father at his age. His aunt and uncle were happy to see him safe but not happy to see me.'

"'The farmers got their water back. Enough to survive a bit longer. About a week later, the drought finally lifted and their vaporators started churning again. Jabba was enraged and vowed to scour the desert to find the thief. But no one knew who he was. Not the guards he'd beaten or the farmers he'd helped. No one knew what he looked like. No one knew to call him. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last of my Order. But this is not the end of the Jedi. All it took was a young boy's courage and the growing strength of my daughter to assure me of that. Let us hope that someday soon I can tell that boy this story. And so many others.'"

That was only the first entry. Luke quickly flipped through the pages in the hopes of finding something useful, but he didn't. Granted, he didn't look very closely anyway. He turned in a huff to look at Kal. She was equally annoyed. "Stories. I nearly died fighting your old mentor, and all for what? All Ben left me was a book of stories." He shut the book. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this. I don't see where this book would tell me anything about being a Jedi and using the Force. What if you weren't with Han on that random day and we hadn't met? This is supposed to have helped me?" He waved the book around, not amused in the slightest.

Luke didn't say anything else which allowed Kal to think over the book. It had mentioned her. Not her name, per se, but it might later in the book or enough clues for someone to figure out her identity. "What if. . ." she started, trailing off for a few moments. "What if it was a way to force us to meet? Think about it. It might not have explanations or a step-by-step process outright, but it mentioned me. If you didn't actually know me but you found out Ben had a daughter who he was training, wouldn't you try to find me to get trained?"

"You've got a point," he conceded. "It's still frustrating."

She offered him a smile. "I'm not saying it isn't."

He slouched against the wall of the ship with sad eyes. "I'm sorry I sound ungrateful. I was just expecting more, I guess."

Kal would forever wonder why he apologized so much. Having feelings and expressing your opinion wasn't something that someone should be sorry for. "I'd be pissed, too. I kind of am on your behalf. Don't worry."

Luke tried to put on a smile. "Did you find anything before we were rudely interrupted?"

Chuckling, Kal rubbed her wrist as she thought about what happened back at her old hut. The destruction of it alone was hard to process. She had almost forgotten what she had found. "He barely touched the cellar since I'd left. It had been my room. We've now got lightsaber parts."

The more time he spent with Kal, the more Luke was able to point out her tendencies and hidden feelings. It was a slow process, but it was progressing. At that moment, he noticed the sad and conflicted look in her eyes, in the slight downturn of her lips, in the way she wouldn't look directly at him. "He left you something, too, didn't he?" Although posed as a question, Kal knew it wasn't. Luke watched as she bowed her head, her armored grip tightening on her other wrist like it was something to ground her."Why don't you wanna open it?"

If she couldn't be honest with Luke, who could she be honest with? She spent so much time putting up walls and searching for answers, that maybe she just needed to talk. Let it out. Sighing, her grip loosened on her wrist, forcing herself to let go and release the tension. "I guess I'm just scared," she admitted. She almost couldn't believe she had said something. When was the last time she truly spoke about something she felt without deflecting or taking her anger out on someone? "I hadn't left on good terms. And when we split ways on the Death Star, he said he was proud of me, but there's always been a thought in my mind that says he wasn't really."

Luke leaned forward and rested a hand on her arm. "What are you talking about? Don't say that. He was your father, of course, he was proud."

She stared emptily at the other bench in front of them, ignoring how close to her Luke sat and the warmth spreading from his hand. "How could he? I'm not a Jedi. I became a bounty hunter: the same thing that killed my mom. I've captured and killed for profit. I've done nothing truly good with my abilities, except relaying information to the rebellion. And as much as I try to train you, nothing seems to work. The only things you've learned from me is history and how to fight. Is that all I'm good for? Wielding a lightsaber and shooting a blaster? Even my connections don't seem to last very long. My mother is dead. My father is dead. My mentor is selfish. All three Jedi I've met and grown to care for have died. My thing with Hobbie is just pure sex, not even a real relationship. I barely ever see Han, Chewie, Sabine, or Leia. You, Wedge, and Hobbie are almost always busy. As much as I like to say that I've found my own people, I'm still alone. And I know that all of you would be perfectly fine without me no matter how much I care about you."

It felt good to get her thoughts off her chest. It felt good to finally say what was constantly humming in the back of her mind, the thoughts even she barely dared to admit to herself. A huge weight felt like it was lifted off her shoulders. She didn't have to hide it. It was out in the open and plain for the world to see. Well, "world" meaning Luke. It still plagued her, but the denial was over.

The two sat in silence for longer than they'd care to admit. Neither knew what to say or how to proceed. Luke realized Kal had been struggling far more than she let on. She let them see the face that protected her. She didn't like feeling weak or vulnerable, but for some reason, she confided in him. And Luke was overcome with the urge to try and help her the way she helped him. Finally, he worked up the courage to speak, still holding onto her arm with a gentle grip.

"You wanna know where I'd be without you? Scrambling. Lost. Confused. I'd feel just as alone. You may not see it, but you were an important calming presence for me. You still are. You gave me answers which helped put my mind at ease. I finally feel like I'm doing something worthwhile because of you. Even going on missions doesn't really help with that. . ." His quiet, soothing voice trailed off as he mustered up the courage to continue speaking, not noticing her change in expression from sadness to awe. "As much as I believe your dad was proud of you, who cares?" Kal turned to face him. She wasn't expecting that from Luke, the person who seemed to care about absolutely everything.

He kept going. "Who cares what he thinks? Who cares what anyone thinks? You've been through so much. You're strong. And you know what? You shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. Stop relying on others. Don't let your dad's problems hold you down. Don't let Fett's words get to you. Their opinions don't matter. It's your life, not theirs. Keep moving. Keep going. Do it until you feel comfortable. Do it until you know exactly what you want and exactly what you need. No one else will be able to tell you. But I'll gladly be there every step of the way if you'd have me. If you don't want to look in that box, that's fine. But just know, I'll be right here with you no matter what, the same as you have been with me. And I know the others would say the same."

His stern, quick voice cut off to make way for a softer, more reassuring turn. "You give so much and you care so much, but you refuse to let it show. You help everyone around you and you can't even see it. Let us in. Allow us to help. You might just like the results."

Hobbie had said something similar that fateful day of the destruction of the Death Star.

All I'm saying is you spend so much time having fun without a care in the world that maybe you can let yourself care for once.

She always cared. Never outwardly, though. She liked to act like she didn't. It was easier. It was safer. But that didn't mean it was better. Maybe that was the only thing from Jedi training that had stuck with her.

There is no emotion.

Except there was. There always was. The only thing she allowed herself to show was anger. And it needed to stop. Luke was right. No one else could do it for her. But they would support her.

Brushing his hand aside, Kal reached out with her arms and pulled Luke into a hug, burrowing her face in his shoulder. It only took Luke a moment to overcome his shock before he wrapped his arms around her, gladly hugging her back and resting his non-injured cheek on the top of her head. It was comforting to simply sit there and hold onto each other, letting all their worries and fears fade away. Their limbs, joints, and muscles let go of all the tightness embedded inside, allowing the two to relax fully and completely as time seemed to slow during the embrace.

"Thank you," Kal whispered. Luke barely heard her, but since he did, his arms tightened around her. The hug was nice. A lot nicer than their previous one. Neither wanted to let go. In each other's arms, it was as if the galaxy only had the two of them. No Empire. No Rebellion. They both knew it couldn't last forever.

When Kal pulled away, she immediately wanted to hug Luke again, but she forced herself to sit up. Looking in his eyes, she knew he felt the same. She turned away, gazing over at her pack discarded by the pilot seat. Reaching out with the Force, she carried the backpack over to them, grabbing it with her hand once within distance. She opened the top flap and pulled the metal box out. Her name was still etched on the lid as she let the bag fall to the floor. Kal looked back up at Luke and he nodded with a reassuring smile. He wasn't going anywhere unless she told him to.

Prying open the box, Kal scanned the inside with her eyes and immediately froze at the contents. Her training lightsaber, the crystal she had left, and a holodisc sat inside. With her long shaky fingers, Kal picked up the lightsaber.

"Who's lightsaber is that?" Luke asked, studying the black grip and silver trimming.

"Master Qui-Gon Jinn. My dad's former master. The one who learned how to continue on through the Force after death. I used this lightsaber to train with as a child before I built my own." She set it back down and picked up the green lightsaber crystal. "This is a kyber crystal. They're Force-attuned crystals that focus the energy in a lightsaber and create the blade. When my dad thought I was old enough, he gave me a handful of crystals to choose from. I took most of them with me. Except for this one. I didn't want to leave him without an extra crystal just in case, and I thought it was wrong to take the lightsaber with me."

He stared at the green crystal between Kal's fingers. "I guess this is his way of giving them back."

"Yeah." She set the crystal back in the box and grabbed the holodisc. "Wonder what's on this." She climbed off the bench, set the box down where she had just been sitting, and shuffled over to the dash, sliding the disc into the holoterminal.

A hologram flickered on of a woman holding a baby. Kal straightened her back when she saw it, which Luke didn't miss. The woman gazed lovingly down at the small bundle in her arms as she swayed back and forth and started singing. "In the morning when you rise/I bless the sun, I bless the skies/I bless your lips, I bless your eyes/My blessing goes with you/In the night time when you sleep/Oh, I bless you while a watch I keep/As you lie in slumber deep/My blessing goes with you/This is my prayer for you/There for you, ever true/Each every day for you/In everything you do/And when you come to me/And hold me close to you/I bless you/And you bless me too." As the message ended, the hologram turned off.

Kal stared blankly at where the hologram had been. It was her and her mother. She knew it. The woman had the same necklace that Kal always wore. Kal had the same dark hair and eyes. Kal could see why her father always told her she looked like her mother. As she stood there, she realized there was a tear resting on her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and sniffled then wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She didn't hear Luke come up behind her until he spoke. "Was that-?" He broke his question off as she nodded. "Are you okay?"

No, she wasn't. Kal whipped around and burried her face into Luke's shoulder again without a thought. Gray beeped sadly from his spot next to the holoterminal as Luke held Kal in his arms. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to be held.

An hour later, as the ship continued through hyperspace, Kal and Luke sat on the floor of the small transport with their shoulders pressed against each other and legs spread out in front of them. Kal's head laid on Luke's shoulder as he read aloud from her father's journal. It was the closest thing either of them could get to having old Obi-Wan Kenobi there with them.

"I can't believe you killed a krayt dragon at thirteen," Luke said as he finished Ben's rendition of the story. "The Sand People practically revere anyone who can do that."

"Wonder what I'd do with everyone bowing down to me," Kal joked in return. "I might make a holiday where everyone has to tease Han."

Luke chuckled. "Isn't that every day?" Kal laughed at his response. "But seriously, I think you'd be a great ruler. Definitely better than the Emperor."

"Wow, those are some really high standards. Whatever will I do?" she asked sarcastically. "Thanks so much for the faith you have bestowed upon me. Bow to your new Queen."

Luke bowed his head and did a little flourishing gesture with his hand in a mock bow without actually moving from his spot next to her. He didn't want to give her a cause to move from his shoulder, but he still liked hearing her laugh, which she did.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. It was easy-going and allowed for them to get used to being relaxed in each other's company and recall the long day they had had away from the main rebellion. Until the Empire was defeated, they would never truly be away from the rebellion, but the time away from the fleet, away from the main fight, was a close as they could get, and their day had been spent on their home planet, searching for answers, and fighting a bounty hunter.

As Luke thought over the events of the day, he remembered something he hadn't thought about at that moment. He turned his head towards the box Ben had left for him. It had come out of seemingly nowhere during his fight with Fett.

Kal could feel his confusion and conflict through the Force, but since neither of them had said anything, she didn't know why all of a sudden he was feeling the emotions. "What's wrong?" she asked delicately, moving her hand to his while picking up her head from his shoulder to look at him.

"It's-it's nothing, it's just. . . " His voice trailed off as he looked at the metal box. "During the fight, I think. . . I think I used the Force."

"Really?" Kal wanted to burst into a grin but held off, waiting to gauge his reaction.

"Yeah, we were struggling on the floor. He was trying to get my lightsaber and you had just cut open the cellar door. We were both stunned by the noise and he was hit by the box. It came out of nowhere. Nothing else makes sense. Unless you did it, but you were kinda busy. Could it have been me?"

"What does your gut tell you?" she countered. He had to answer it himself. He had to believe it before she could confirm it. Kal definitely hadn't used the Force on a random box she hadn't seen before. Not to mention, the burst of emotion she had used to will the cut pieces of the cellar door and refrigerator unit was the first time in a long time she had used the Force to such an extent. She didn't immediately use it on a small box right after the initial display of power. And there was no way Fett had hit his own self in the head.

Luke slowly nodded, not looking anywhere but the box. "I think I did. . . I did. I-I used the Force." He quickly turned to her, eyes bright and grin wide. "I used the Force. I finally used the Force." Luke hugged Kal as tight as he could, knocking the wind out of her as she laughed lightly at his excitement. After months and years of him being unable to let himself open up to the Force, he had finally used it to move something. She was proud.

Once he pulled back, their eyes met. For a brief moment, Kal and Luke stared, their emotions running high in the charged atmosphere of the small ship. Both felt a sudden urge to lean forward. And they did, a tiny fraction of an inch before they immediately stopped and turned away, embarrassed and hoping the other didn't notice.

Kal cleared her throat and looked at him again, trying to get over her awkwardness as fast as possible. "You should try and move the box again. This time not instinctually."

"Right, yes, of course."

"Oh, and, uh," Kal stammered as she opened her box back up again, grabbing the crystal from it. She turned back to Luke and held out the green rock. "This might help with focusing."

The return to the Rebel Fleet seemed slower than their journey to Tatooine, but the moment they landed in the hangar bay, the two immediately began making their way to the crew's quarters, trying to avoid interacting with anyone lest they question the roughed up state of Luke and what they carried. The only friends that saw them were Han and Chewie, but Han snickered at their quick footing and the two smugglers carried on their repairs for the Falcon.

Due to Luke's status as an officer, he had his own quarters, compared to enlisted personnel. Granted, none of the personal quarters were big, but they had their own refreshers, and that was good enough for Kal and Luke if they wanted to keep their altercation with Boba Fett on the down-low.

Kal hopped up onto the counter after grabbing a rag and soaking it in water. "Come here," she ordered. Luke stepped closer to where she sat and she grabbed his jaw to get a better look at the cut on his cheek and keep his head steady. The wound had stopped bleeding, which they were both happy for. Kal dabbed the cut with the damp cloth to clean it as well as the surrounding area.

"You know, I can clean it myself," Luke said, trying his hardest not to be flustered at how close her face was to his.

"A man's version of cleaning wounds never seems to be the same as a woman's." Luke took a sharp intake of breath as she pressed on the wound. He tried to move away, but her grip on his jaw only tightened. "Don't be a baby. It looks deeper than I thought it was. You'll probably need bacta."

"I think there's a medkit in the cupboard." Kal pulled her feet up onto the counter so Luke could open the cupboard under the sink to grab the kit.

"At least I'm not taking you to the infirmary for some synthskin," Kal said as Luke handed her the small box of medical supplies. She popped it open, pulled out the small tube of bacta ointment, and set the kit aside. With Luke's cheek clean, Kal squeezed out a small amount of bacta and spread it evenly over the long cut. "You should clean the rest of your face. You're covered in sand and grime. And maybe put some bacta on your busted lip. Take it easy for the next few days. I don't know how Fett handed your ass to you, but don't be surprised to find bruising everywhere. And drink some water. You might have a concussion if your inability to stay upright without swaying is anything to go by." She rattled off the advice like she was used to it. Luke figured she had probably patched up Han or Fett a few times. Or herself. She looked deep into his eyes. "Get some rest."

Luke hadn't missed the bags under her eyes. She was just as exhausted as he felt. "You should, too."

It had been a long day for both of them. Neither wanted to admit that they needed to rest, but they would do as the other told them anyway.