Well, here's Chapter 3. I guess no one is interested, based on the number of reviews Chapter 2 got... I had this ready at almost the same time as Chapter two but I thought I'd wait a few day so I could respond to your reviews when I posted this... That didn't really work out though.
Well, I am going to assume no one saw Chapter two yet because this got burried so quickly, so here's chapter 3.
I'm not going to threaten not to finish because I will do that whether anyone reads this or not. That darn bunny followed me to work yesterday, I have to get rid of him before he causes any trouble. To those of you who reviewed...
MistiWhitesun: I'm pretty sure the last time I saw 7 AM it wasn't cause Iwas up early, but because I was up very late! I don't do mornings at all. (I'm always shocked when I find out someonw posted at like 6 AM, I think, 'what on earth would posess anyone to be up at such an ungodly hour?' but thats me.) Time zones are waht really throw me. Some one will ask if I was up early or late when I reviewed their story at three AM and It was really two in the afternoon! I'm at GMT -06:00 if anyone was wondering.
I was quite proud of the mural idea myself. I'm glad you liked it. We already know that Shmi painted the one in the kitchen, so I figured she would have painted others too. Not to mention I feel about the same as Beru (imagine that!) about what happened to the poor woman. I just don't think it was fair. So, anyway, there it is.
Namonaki Pharoh: Yeah, I like the mural too. I really wanted Luke to have something to show off to Leia. I got the idea from my grandmothers house. She didn't have a mural or anything, but there was this one bedroom upstairs that I just loved when I was little...
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A/N I put a lot of Luke/Leia stuff in this one, I hope you like it. I'm still not sure about the dream sequence so let me know what you think. I also did some Jedi stuff. I've never really written that before so let me know if I got it wrong. Basically, this whole chapter is kinda iffy, so I need lots of help!
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"Isn't Anyone Going to Say Anything?"Chapter 3
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Dinner wasn't anything special and the conversation alternated between the Skywalker family history and the events of the last four years. Han and Chewie both had little to contribute on either subject, but found the conversation fascinating. The story sounded like something from a holovid. Several times the person telling the story, usually Beru, had to back up and start over because one or more of the persons at the table became confused.
Han, for his part, couldn't stop watching Leia. He was seated on the same side of the table as Beru and Chewie, so Leia was nearly across from him as was Luke and Owen. He couldn't help noticing the way she smiled when some one mentioned her mother. The way she tilted her head to the side when she asked a question didn't escape his notice either. Also when ever she took a drink from her cup, for just a moment, she would look up through he eyelashes and for just an instant she looked so soft and vulnerable that he wanted to hold her close and protect her.
But he didn't mention a word of this. In fact, Han Solo barely said a word all through out dinner. Owen Lars was the only one who noticed. As the twins only male relative he felt an obligation to protect the two of them. Watching their friends was an important part of that duty. Owen watched Han very carefully and noticed the way the man was looking at his niece. He wasn't sure yet if he liked it.
"What in the galaxy would I do on Coruscant?" Beru laughed at the idea. "I've done one thing in my life, that's farm. I haven't ever been there, but I hear there isn't much call for farmers on Coruscant. No, dear, I think I'll just stay here."
"But Aunt Beru..." Leia started, not willing to give in that easily. She should have known better.
"My dear, I am perfectly happy living on this backwater world that is, in my nephew's phrasing, 'as far from the bright center of the universe as you can get.' I have no need to uproot myself and my husband just to reduce flying time."
"But Aunt Beru..."
"No 'but's' child. I'm not moving to Coruscant just to sit around a stagnate. I like it here."
Luke saw the look on his sister's face and broke in. "Better leave it alone Leia, you won't convince her. Believe me, I've tried."
"Traitor. I thought you were on my side."
"In this instance, I'm on the winning side." Luke said.
Leia gave the most proper response she could think of, one she had spent years perfecting in the royal courts on Alderaan. She stuck her tongue out at him.
Luke threw a piece of food at her. She reached for some of her own food and Beru called a truce. The two agreed to a temporary one and silence ruled the table.
Everyone had pretty well finished eating my this time and it was starting to get late. Luke said as much and stood, starting to clear the table.
"No, dear, you go. I'll get this." Beru took the dishes from him and shoed the guests away from the table. "Go on. You can show our guests around the farm, Owen and I will clean up."
So Luke, not particularly wanting to clean up anyway, led Han, Leia and Chewie around the farm. "That's about it. It ain't much." Luke told them afterwards as they stood outside in the rapidly cooling air. When he spoke he unconsciously slipped into a slight drawl.
Chewie gave a few barks and Han translated automatically even though the kid now seemed to understand most everything the alien said. "He wants to know why, when you and Leia and everyone came to rescue me, you didn't stop by and see your folks. You know, at least tell them you were okay?" Chewbacca had originally thought that Luke didn't get along with his family, something he had recently come to understand, but now that he had met them and seen the way they got along, that didn't seem to fit.
Luke just stared out at the setting suns. Leia came up beside him and took his hand for support. After a long enough time Han was considering repeating the question, Luke answered. "I don't know for sure. I guess I was worried about what they would think of me."
"I don't know much about family, kid. I never really had one myself, but they seem to be proud of you. I may be out of line, but why wouldn't they be?"
The first sun dropped below the horizon as they watched and Leia sighed. Luke was holding tightly to her hand as if it were a lifeline. He chuckled softly for just a moment then answered with a question. "Knowing what you do about my family history, what do you think my childhood was like?"
Han thought about it for a moment. "Well, I guess they would want to protect you."
"That's right." Luke agreed, prompting Han to continue. "And how would they do that?"
"Well, I guess you stay out of sight. No putting your name anywhere any imperial might see it. And they wouldn't want you to do anything that might call attention to yourself." That was the basic set of rules for hiding no matter who you were.
"That's right. Nothing even remotely interesting because they might find me, but I couldn't know that because I might let something slip. You wouldn't think of this, but I've always had strange things happen to me too. Knowing things before they happen, hearing things like the electron fence going down when everyone swore it didn't make any sound audible to humans. Knowing where the missing hydro spanner was. I know no that was the force, but I didn't then. I got in trouble for it anyway though."
He stopped and looked at Han to see if the old smuggler was making the connection. What he didn't realize was Han had caught on long ago. "Old habits die hard?" Han said with a wry grin.
Luke nodded. Chewie said he still didn't understand.
"Even though they gave their blessing, Luke here still felt like the old rules were still in effect. He felt bad every time something happened that he thought his aunt and uncle wouldn't approve of." Han filled in the blanks for him, putting it much more bluntly than Luke would have.
"Which was most of the last four years." Luke finished when he saw comprehension in his eyes. "I guess I was afraid they wouldn't approve and it was easier to be afraid than to risk finding out my fears were well founded. I'm glad I came now though."
"I'm glad you did too." A voice said from the doorway. The trio turned away from the remaining sun, which was now nearly invisible, to see Owen Lars standing at the top of the steps. "Don't miss the sunset on my account. It's the best part of having two of them you know."
Leia turned back first and the rest of the group followed. "You know I envy your getting to see this everyday."
The old farmer shrugged. "I grew up here. I've been a few other places, but this is what I know. I'll pass on something I learned in my life, Every place has it's advantages and disadvantages. You have to take both no matter what."
"Now there's a life lesson if I ever heard one." Han said. "Sounds like an old smugglers saying. 'Every deal has a pay off and a cost. Happiness is picking the deals that come out even in the end.' "
Owen looked at the smuggler, who wasn't looking at anything in particular. He thought he was starting to like the man. "Words to live by. I was coming out to say I'm turning the power off soon. It would probably be a good idea to move the party inside. Oh, Han, the electrofence comes on automatically in about twenty minutes, so I would recommend you get to your ship before then, since you're parked outside of it."
"Thanks for the warning." He turned to Chewie, "What do you say fuzzball, time to turn in?"
Chewie howled an affirmative and made a comment about long days and too much information. "I agree whole heartedly. I know I'm ready for a good old fashioned space battle, all this mushy stuff is gonna rot my brain."
As they were walking away, Luke and Leia caught Chewie's comment about Han's brain already having been turned to rot thanks to all that 'fine Correlian ale' that he insisted on drinking even though it smelled like something that had been dead too long.
"Come inside now, Beru will think the raiders got us if we stay out here much longer." Owen said taking the twins by the hand and leading them to the stairs.
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Once inside, Owen sat down with his bookkeeping and Beru dragged Leia into the sitting room to look over some holos or something and Luke was left on his own. He wandered the house idly for a few moments and found himself in his own bedroom for the first time in four years.
For several moments, he just stood in the middle of the room. Everything was exactly as he left it. Everything. He picked up a datapad off his desk and discovered, when he turned it on, that it was on the same page he had left it on. It displayed an almost complete application to the Imperial Academy and a low power symbol. He set the pad back down and sat on the edge of the bed which Beru must have put fresh sheets on this evening by the lack of mustiness in the scent.
Luke sat there on the edge of his old bed and opened up that connection to the force that he had shut down somewhere in orbit. He hadn't wanted to have that on his mind too when he arrived, but now that everything was quiet, he accessed it again. He felt Leia, first. While she wasn't trained, she could feel him open up and reached for him unconsciously. He reassured her that everything was alright and turned his attention away from her.
Next he looked for and found his aunt and uncle. Beru shone with love, caring and strength, just like he had thought she would. Owen showed a similar strength and an unexpected tenderness. Luke smiled at that. He had always known that his uncle cared more than he let on, but it was nice to see it.
The farm in general just felt familiar. The Jedi could remember feeling this in a vague way before, and was reassured that nothing much had changed. Luke grinned as he 'heard' the electrofence come on.
After a few more moments of reminiscing, Luke turned to his desk and started straightening things up. He put most of the flimsies in a drawer and dropped the datapads in a pile. Chuckling quietly at his recent tendency toward neatness, he tossed a few sheets of flimsy in the recycle bin next to the desk. After a while, someone rapped quietly on the door. "Come in" He called to whomever was waiting.
The door slid open and Leia walked in, now dressed in plain sleep clothes with her hair down. She flopped on the bed and looked at him. "What are you doing?"
He shrugged. "Just cleaning my room. It's a new habit I seem to have acquired."
Leia looked around appraisingly. Her brown eyes took in the narrow shelves filled with holochips and trinkets. She spotted the models hanging from wires in the ceiling and she noticed the quickly filling recycle bin next to the desk. "I'm not sure I would want to come back to my old bedroom after four years away. It must be terribly disconcerting." She stood and wandered toward the shelves on the far wall.
"Just a bit. So much has changed, and so much is exactly the same."
Leia picked up a stack of holochips and read off the titles. " 'The adventures of Commander Wes Trevor, Acrobatics to impress your friends, A history of interstellar navigation...' :"
"Give me those." He took them from her and set them back on the shelf. His sister chucked at him.
"A bit obsessed with flying?"
The Jedi shrugged, knowing he didn't have to explain.
Leia fingered a small model of an x-wing. It was smooth and cool, almost like... "That's metal!" She said surprised. Models were usually made of plastic and simply fitted together. This one was metal and looked like it had been welded.
"Yeah, I couldn't make the plastic look right when I reshaped it so I started using metal." At her blank stare he backed up. "I didn't have enough money to buy the models I wanted so I looked up the schematics for ships when I could find them and found pictures when I couldn't and made them from scratch."
The princess picked up the toy reverently, realizing the hours that must have been spent on it. She opened the cockpit canopy of the tiny fighter and could see the almost microscopic heads up display painted inside.
She set it back in it's space and reached for another on a higher shelf. Even on tip toe she couldn't quite reach. Luke was about to step forward and help her when the model leapt off the shelf into her waiting hand. Leia dropped the toy as if it had burned her. To her amazement, it dove toward the floor then rose back up and started orbiting her head as if the Y-wing was actually being piloted.
Leia turned to her brother, furious. "You scared me! Don't do that with out saying something first!"
"I just saved myself the trouble of having to repaint it. They don't make that particular shade anymore you know."
"You mean you didn't..." Leia sank to the floor in shock. The fighter settled inconspicuously back on the shelf as Luke joined her.
"Nope, that was all you. You should probably get used to it, it used to happen to me all the time. I'm surprised it hasn't happened to you before." Luke considered telling her that she would be able to stop things like that from happening if she trained in the force, but decided this was not the best time. They were both tired and on information overload and the last thing he wanted was to upset her further.
"It... I... I'm not..." Leia stuttered for a bit, then gave up and shook her head.
"It must be all the time you've been spending around me. Your picking it up subconsciously." Luke took her hands in his and she drew comfort from his touch. Luke caught her eye and said, "Your doing it again you know."
"Doing what... I am?"
He nodded. "You are automatically reaching out. You do it every time you get upset or frustrated."
Leia's demeanor changed from shock to anger. Luke sensed it and was glad he hadn't said anything a moment ago. "I don't want this! I don't need this happening to me too!" She said, letting go of him and standing. Luke caught her shoulder and held on to her. She was beginning to wonder if this trip was such a great idea after all.
"It's not happening to you, your doing it." Luke snapped, barely stopping his own frustration from getting the better of him. He continied more gently. "Besides, it won't hurt you. The force is all around you, you probably aren't doing anything you haven't done all your life. Don't fight it just because you know why now." Leia calmed slightly at his words. Of course he was right. It must be the stress of today. She thought. There has been so much happening, and I've learned so much...
"I'm sorry, Luke. I don't know why I got mad."
"It's okay. I think Han was right. It's been a long day. Come on, I'll walk you to your room." He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and guided her out the door. It felt so nice to be taken care of that Leia relaxed and allowed it. In the guest room he turned down the lights and pulled back her covers.
"It's been a long time since anyone tucked me in." She gigged as she slid into bed. "I am tired though. How do you always know exactly what I need?"
He laughed "I'm your big brother, it's my job."
She yawned and Luke started for the door. "No wait! Would you stay here for a while?" She asked quietly. Blame it on the stress of the day. She thought when she realized what she'd said.
Luke came back and crawled into the other side of the bed. They lay and faced each other without saying a word until they both fell asleep.
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He saw a pair of brown eyes, She saw a pair of blue ones. He reached out with a hand that did not yet know what it was doing and saw her reaching back. Their fingers touched and both of them giggled. A warm familiar voice said, "I won't do it, not even to save their lives. It's too cruel."
Some one else spoke, a voice they didn't recognize, "That is what it will come to."
She was angry. The warm voice was sad and She didn't like it when the warm voice was sad. "It's not fair!" said the warm voice.
The stranger spoke again, "No it's not fair, but you know it has to happen. You don't have a choice unless you want to lose them both."
"I won't do it yet. Give them a few days at least. It's the least we can do."
"A few days, no more Padme. I'm not sure we can spare days but we will delay as long as we can."
He looked at Her and tried to memorize Her. She did the same. Both knew they didn't have much time. They didn't have to understand what the stranger said, they could feel it.
"Padme, I don't think we can wait a few days." There was fear in the stranger's voice.
"What! Why not?"
"They are reaching for each other. I can feel it. If I can feel it, so will he. He is their flesh and blood."
"But how can they, that are only hours old. They can't possibly do something like that." The warm voice denied the strangers claims.
The stranger answered "Who knows what they can do? We have to keep them safe."
Suddenly He was ripped away from Her. His hand was taken from Hers and she couldn't see him, couldn't feel him anymore. She screamed.
"What did you do!" The warm voice cried, picking Her up.
"I'm blocking them. If they keep that up every force sensitive in the galaxy will be drawn to them. We have to put so much distance between them that they can't reach each other under any circumstances. I can't keep blocking them. Even at my most subtle, I'm still very visible and he's looking for me too."
She was being held close to the warm voice. Nearby she saw the source of the other voice and then spotted Him. She reached for Him again and brushed Him for just a moment, then He was gone again.
"Padme, we can't wait. She just pushed me aside like I wasn't even there. I'll have to hope they are stronger when they are together or else no place in the galaxy will be far enough away."
The warm voice was trembling with tears when it said, "Go then. Take care of him."
"Like he was my own M'Lady."
He felt Her touch and tried to reach back but She was gone. He felt the warm voice kiss Him and He felt a tear on His forehead and then the stranger took Him away.
He reached out every day after that. Sometimes, when He was hurt or scared, He could find Her. She always reached back. A few times She found Him. He always reached for Her when She did. As time passed they went for longer and longer periods of time without even trying. Sometimes, though, they still found each other, like right now...
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Luke woke slowly to the sight of Leia doing the same. The dream that wasn't a dream was still there and he knew that she'd shared it with him. He felt a tear fall down his cheek and Leia reached for his face to brush it away.
"I missed you." He said.
She leaned toward him until their foreheads touched. "I missed you too."
"Do you think it really happened that way?"
"Probably."
"Was that how mother really was?"
"All the time."
"I wish I remembered her."
"I wish you did too. I wish I remembered you." She said
"Me too." He agreed.
They lay like that for a long while, just basking in their shared memories and the feeling of each others presence. After a time Leia said "I wonder what time it is?"
"Oh, just after first sunrise."
"Do you think anyone else is up yet?"
He smiled. "You forget, your on a farm. Uncle Owen has been up for hours. Aunt Beru always gets up at first dawn."
"Oh. How long do you think before breakfast is ready?"
"It's probably waiting on us." He told Leia, still looking into her face from only a few inches.
"Good, I'm starved."
"Me too. We should probably get dressed and get something to eat."
They both sat up at the same time and Luke headed for the door. Leia found some clothes in her travel bag. Ten minutes later they met in the kitchen fully dressed in clean clothes. As predicted, Owen and Beru had been up for quite some time and breakfast was waiting on them.
"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Aunt Beru asked as they settled at the table.
"Like a baby." Luke answered, earning a giggle from Leia who was still a bit sleepy. She was enjoying not having to be instantly alert for a change.
Beru noticed the look that passed between the two and knew something had happened, but was pretty sure that is wasn't anything bad and could therefore wait until after breakfast. She poured juice for Leia and set a plate in front of Luke who didn't wait for his juice.
Han and Chewie arrived in the kitchen a few moments later. Han was wearing clean clothes and he had obviously just scrubbed his hands but the grease smear on his cheek said that he's been up early working on the Falcon
"Good Morning everyone." the smuggler said earning a chorus of mumbled 'Hi.'s and 'Mornin's.
Han was not deterred from his cheerful mood. He had just discovered that a shop in Mos Eisely had the parts he needed to upgrade the sublight engines. Between that and the marvelous dream he'd had about Leia last night, nothing could get him down. "Something smells wonderful Mrs. Lars."
Beru was also in a good mood and wasn't going to let a compliment go by unnoticed. "Well, you should sit down and eat then. I made plenty but it's getting cold."
"Well that is just not acceptable." Han agreed. "What do you say we solve the problem for her Chewie?"
Chewie didn't say anything, having burned himself badly trying to patch a bulkhead this morning which put him in a bad mood.
Owen walked in a few moments later and Han was in a good enough mood that he risked asking for a favor. "Mr. Lars, I was wondering if I could get a ride to Mos Eisley today. I wanted to pick up some parts for the Falcon and I hate to have to deal with traffic control for such a short hop..."
Owen didn't get a chance to answer. Beru spoke up. "I'd be happy to give you a ride. I was planning on going to Anchorhead today but I could just as easily get what I need in Mos Eisley and they have a better selection there. I'm afraid the speeder only seats four though, so some of us are going to have to stay behind."
Chewie barked an answer right away and Han translated, "Chewie doesn't like speeders so he'd just as soon stay here."
"Problem solved then." Owen said. "I don't like Mos Eisley so I'll stay too."
"Perfect!" Beru said cheerfully. "Luke, Leia, you two are coming right?"
They agreed and the whole group headed out as soon as the breakfast dishes were done. Leia went back to change clothes before they left, wanting something less conspicuous than her senators garb. When they left, she was dressed in some of Luke's old clothes, which were a bit too big but would fit in nicely. Han stuck with his smugglers garb and Luke was dressed the same as yesterday, a long tunic and light colored pants.
For the trip in, Beru drove with Han in the passenger seat and Luke and Leia sharing the back. After they got in, Luke reached over and tugged on one of Leia's braids. She had twisted her hair into two of them, one on either side of her head, and they hung down her chest to the hem of her tunic. "You do realize you look about twelve dressed that way?" He teased.
"Yeah, well, I never got to be twelve so I thought I'd try it today." She retorted, not really caring how she looked. She had spent most of her life so far worrying about what impression she would make on others and today she was taking a day off.
Luke just smirked at her and she raised an eyebrow at him, an expression that frustrated him because he couldn't do it. He tugged at her braid again. "Aunt Beru, he's touching me!" She called to the front of the speeder, startling Han.
"She started it!" called Luke, not willing to give up the game.
"Did not!
"Did too!"
Beru glanced back at them and caught on when she saw the mischievous grins on their faces. She played along, not wanting to spoil their fun. "Don't make me stop the speeder." She warned, merry eyes spoiling her harsh tone.
Han was lost and a bit worried that his friends had finally snapped. He turned in his seat to look at Leia with concern. She saw the look on his face and doubled up laughing. Han was relieved.
"Luke, we better stop, were scaring Han." Leia managed to catch her breath enough to say.
"Han needs to lighten up. The war's over old buddy, have some fun!" Luke told him.
Han muttered something about insanity apparently being a Skywalker family trait. Beru stared straight ahead so he wouldn't think she was laughing at him. She was glad her family was home and happy. There had been far too much sadness and seriousness lately and she was content to surround herself with happy, laughing people for as long as it would last.
As the speeder pulled into Mos Eisley Beru turned to Han and said, "Welcome to the Family dear."
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End Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is coming but it will be a few more days. I might get it up sooner though if I get some reviews...