~AUTHOR'S NOTE~ I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I've just been very busy what with the musical I just finished, school, and work. But I'm back now and this is my first story to be updated! Hope you enjoy!
I should warn you that this chapter contains spoilers for the end of Return of the Jedi, so just be warned!
~DISCLAIMER~ Nope, still don't own anything except my stuffed Care Bears and my Star Wars action figures ;)
The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were already assembled when Wish Bear and Playful Heart returned. But they were all surprised when the man followed the two in. His eyes grew wide at the assembled Care Bear family.
True Heart Bear, leader and mother figure of the Care Bears, spoke. "Welcome."
"Uh…hi?" the man replied uneasily.
"Don't be worried. We are all friends here," said Noble Heart Horse. Noble Heart was the leader of the Care Bear Cousins.
"He's a little confused," explained Playful Heart. Wish Bear nodded her agreement.
"Maybe talking about it will help!" suggested Friend Bear.
"Uh…sure. I'll talk." The Care Bear family smiled as Luke said that. "My name is Luke Skywalker. I have no idea where I am, but I know that it's nowhere near where I am from. And I don't know how I got here."
"Well, we are the Care Bears," stated Tenderheart. "You are in our home: the Kingdom of Care-a-Lot."
"Care-a-Lot?"
Braveheart Lion nodded. "And we," he said, motioning to all who weren't bears, "are the Care Bear Cousins. We live in the Forest of Feelings. You can see it down in the distance."
Luke nodded. He had seen it. "But…what exactly are you?"
"We are the Care Bear Family. We are the guardians of all the kindness and caring on Earth," Tenderheart explained.
Luke was even more confused. "You aren't Jedi?"
The Care Bears and Cousins looked at each other quizzically. "Jedi? What are Jedi?" Harmony Bear asked.
"Only Jedi use the Force."
There was a confused silence. "We don't understand," Braveheart said, speaking for the whole room.
Luke sighed. 'Time to tell my life story,' he thought. "Okay, I can explain, but you'll all have to listen closely. This—my life—can get very confusing."
~~~~~
"So then, just as the Emperor had me on the verge of death, my father turned against him. Against his own master. And by saving me, he denounced the Dark Side of the Force and rejoined the Light Side. By saving my life, he was forgiven for the horrible things he had done in the past to both my sister and I as well as the rest of the galaxy," Luke finished his family's story. The creatures seemed in awe.
Most of them were of one species: bears. They looked a little like Ewoks, Luke decided.
The bear that had brought him here, Wish Bear, spoke up. "He gave up evil that easily? How?"
"He had not been completely consumed by the Dark Side."
"You mean, the evil side of that Force that you mentioned?" Share Bear asked. Luke nodded.
Bright Heart Raccoon broke into the conversation "What is the Force?" he asked.
The rest of the family turned to Luke, waiting for an answer. After all, Bright Heart didn't usually ask questions like that—he answered them. Luke just shrugged. "No one knows exactly. Ben and Yoda, my two teachers I mentioned before, described it as an energy field created by life itself. Only certain people are able to touch it, to use it."
"And you're one of them?" asked the ever inquisitive raccoon.
Luke grew troubled again. "Normally, yes. But since I arrived here, I haven't felt it. it's like it doesn't exist." His eyes grew wide. "Except once! Wish Bear, she used it!"
True Heart looked at Wish Bear, who looked just as surprised as Luke. "I didn't do anything wrong! He was upset and I just thought…" she cried.
"The light! From the symbol!" Luke continued.
"The stare! That's all I did!" Wish Bear was scared.
"What is the stare?" Luke demanded. When he saw her face, he softened. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you or be so harsh, but I have to know why I can't touch the Force or even feel its presence. I've never gone to a planet so full of life where the Force just doesn't exist!"
"The stare, or call for the Cousins, is our way of turning our love and caring into energy. By focusing the light on an enemy, eventually the kind feelings will melt away the evil within them," True Hear explained.
Luke looked thoughtful. "Have you always had this power?"
It was Noble Heart's turn to look thoughtful. "Well, the children have always had it."
"But you and True Heart have not?" Noble Heart shook his furry head and Luke continued. "When did you realize you had this ability?"
"Well, we gathered all of the other Bears and Cousins when they were cubs," True Heart explained. "The Great Wishing Star then gave us the symbols on our stomachs that you see. Only after we got them could we stare."
That was it! "But the others could always do it?" Luke asked for good measure.
"They were given their symbols when they were cubs."
Luke nodded. He needed time to think this all over.
~~~~~
R2-D2 rolled back and forth, warbling mournfully. He was guarding the place where he had seen his master disappear into thin air and was anxiously waiting (if a droid could be anxious) for help to arrive.
The whir of repulsorlifts was a welcome sound as the Millennium Falcon landed outside the cave. Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, C-3PO, and Chewbacca the Wookiee all exited the starship and started for the cave entrance. R2 rolled out to meet them, beeping loudly and pathetically.
"He says that Master Luke has disappeared," C-3PO translated.
"Whadaya mean, disappeared?" Han asked. R2 twittered again.
"He says that there is a small glowing crystal in that cave. Master Luke touched it and vanished."
"How do you know he's disappeared? You say disappeared like he's gone for good. Maybe he's somewhere else on the planet."
"He's not," Leia said quietly. Han, Chewbacca, and 3PO looked at her expectantly. Chewie growled a question.
"Yeah, how can you be so sure?" Han asked.
Leia looked at him, her eyes full of pain. "He's my twin brother, Han. If here were anywhere in our known universe, I'd know. He's not."
"You mean he's…" Han let the end of his sentence drop. R2 wailed despairingly.
Leia firmly shook her head. "No. I'd have felt it if he died. He's just…not here."
