A/N:

Hey. Before all, I want to thank those of you who have kept reading this despite my more than irregular posts. You all deserve an apology. I, am not going to keep writing this fic. Lots of reasons to that, all revolving around my mom who's been ill for months, and the fact that it is getting too trying to worry about so many things at once. I *know* this is really irritating for readers when the author just gives the fic up, but I'm sorry, really! If anyone wants to continue writing, or if you want to use the idea for a new fic altogether, please be my guest =) Just contact me first please, at , or drop me a PM at the JC forum. We can talk a bit about the plot, if you want to? There's this scene with Sagan (remember, the nice Imp from chapter 1?) finding a Naboo history book and looking up at the Anakin Skywalker entry that I'd really love to read some day =)

Sorry about everything, and thank you for your patience! A special hug to LadyZ for being the most fantastic reviewer ever =)

The first part of this chapter is taking place on Endor; I'm afraid there's a time-line problem, this is supposed to take place just after the Endor battle, *before* the Imp shuttle reaches Naboo. Ahem.

The second part is from Luke's point of view, and is normally taking place after chapter 3. Big spoilers for AotC.

Safe Again: Chapter 4

Force

They still had to hear from her brother. Although Leia knew, somehow, that he was still alive, she could not help but worry. Last time she had 'felt' him, he had been in pain. Such a pain that it had made her lose contact with her own surroundings long enough to get shot. But she still kept some hope: right after that, all Darkness was gone.

It was a strange experience, really. During the past couple of hours, she had come to realize that all the strange feelings she'd had since she was a girl were real; they came from that flow of energy known as the Force. Ever since she was a young Alderaani princess, she had in a way known whether the people she cared about were safe or in pain. She had always had a thing for 'hearing' others' strong feelings. She had once attributed it to her feminine intuition; unfortunately, now that she knew it was something else, she no longer managed to interpret was those sensations meant.

What had happened to her brother? He had told her he was to try and get Vader back "to the good side". Had he succeeded? Was it why the Darkness was gone? But why had she felt so much pain? Perhaps that was not Luke's pain she had felt after all, but… his… right before he'd died?

She was scared. Scared to lose her only living family right after she had found him. She wondered if he had done the right thing, telling her they were siblings. Because if she was to lose him now, knowing who he really was would only make things worse.

"Sweetheart?"

She turned around to put her arms around her love. "Has anyone heard from Luke yet?"

A pause. "No. Leia, if he was on that thing when it exploded…"

"He wasn't. Don't say that. He can't…" Her voice broke. "I can't lose him, Han."

She felt him nod against her hair. "You love him. Don't you?"

She said nothing. She was shivering in his arms, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

"I'm sorry Princess. I should have know. I shouldn't have…"

"Han, what are you talking about?" She looked up at him and he saw her tear-rimmed eyes. He brushed her cheek softly with his thumb, looking even more awkward than he'd had at Jabba's, when he was blind.

"I shouldn't have gotten in your way. I'm sorry, Leia."

She stared at him for a long while before understanding came. She buried her face in his chest and sighed softly.

"He is my brother, Han."

"He's your what?"

She smiled sadly. "You heard me. My brother. And I didn't know. We didn't even know…"

She broke down at last. He held her tightly, patting her head in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "They say many shuttles fled the Death Star before the explosion. Hopefully, he was in one of them…"

She managed to nod. "I'm sure he was, but in what condition? He's been in so much pain… Why isn't he back yet? What's happened to him?"

All around them, people were happy. Soldiers were singing, Ewoks were yubbing in joy. Somewhere among the stars, Anakin Skywalker was looking on his son, wondering how he had been able to cause so much pain to the children of his love.

On that Endor moon, night was falling. The fires lit up among the trees gave the impression that Darkness was being chased away once more. Leia and Han did not join the celebrations. When their friend Lando came to find them and noticed Luke Skywalker's absence, he just sat down by the couple's side.

Some people would say that a friend's life was a price worth paying for a victory.

The end of a war certainly does not always mean the end of suffering. And what they had won was just a battle.

"I'm sure he is still alive, Han," Leia whispered at last. "And I swear I will find him." I also swear Vader will pay.

She was in pain. The woman in Luke's dream, she was in pain. Tortured, probably. But there was more. Her suffering was deeper. She was afraid, apparently. Afraid that she would die without knowing what the little boy with the laughing blue eyes had become. Who was she? There was something oddly familiar with her. She was looking… She was looking a bit like Leia. She was trying to tell him something. I love… I love you? Who was she talking to?

She took her last breath. That was it, she had died in his arms. His own pain was terrible. It was too much to bear. So he did the only thing he could think of. He destroyed those who had done that.

A different place, a different time. The fear was similar, though. Someone wanted to destroy one he cared for. There was hardly any light again. As if the suns refused to witness such a scene. He would not let… Obi-Wan? …die as his mother had. Was it Obi-Wan? He looked so young! But his presence… It was him all right, but different. Less sad. Less bitter. He had not realized that Obi-Wan was a sad and bitter man before.

He jumped. He ignored his own pain and jumped to save his friend, his father. The blow was deflected. He started fighting. He was too slow, hurting too much. He did not see the blade. And a tearing pain went right through his arm.

Now that was familiar. The cry of anguish, the smell of burnt flesh. He fell to the floor.

Was it over yet? He could not stand any more pain, not now. But he could not die. He didn't know if she was alright.

She had fallen off the ship. He had wanted to come to her help, but instead he had come to understand that this was not what she wanted him to do. He had to keep on, for her.

It was not all dark anymore. There were flashes of light here and there. Some kind of a strange danced fight. Then he saw something dark and huge falling towards him, and…

… And he realized the dream was not his.

He felt a hand brushing away a strand of his hair, and he opened his eyes. A woman was standing above him. She too looked somehow familiar. She too looked a bit like Leia, but in a different way. He could see a bit of himself in her face as well. Was she…?

"Mother?"

TBC?