Vader didn't know what to think of Beth. She was more than she appeared, and she wasn't like the Jedi he once knew. She appeared to be like him, in the state of having relationships outside the Jedi Order, that is. But she had something that he didn't have. The thing he struggled with the most, even now, in his early forties. And that was patience. She knew how to control herself around others, and he pondered on how she had survived.

There was nothing, really, hidden from him when he had scoured her mind, and yet, everything was. She had protected something, he now realised. She knew something that he didn't and he was furious that he didn't know what it was. Beth had been too clever for him to give it all away about the Rebellion. Positive that the information Beth had held back from him was about the Rebellion, he swore to himself that he would find out what that information was and destroy all traces of it.

He would bide his time, and in one swift stroke, he would see the destruction of the Jedi and the Rebellion. The last remnant of Jedi…

c d

"Good," Beth said crisply. She had been watching Leia progress with amazing skill over the last three months, but Leia had a way to go to be level with Luke. "Do it again."

Leia groaned. It seemed that it was incredibly difficult to impress Beth. Beth shot her a look that made her regret protesting.

Beth sighed as Luke came into the cargo hold. "Master, I've done that," he said cheerfully. "What do I do now?"

Beth turned to him. She was running out of ideas to give him to do to keep him occupied. But then, there was one thing that he hadn't done… "So, you think your balancing is good?" Luke nodded. Beth turned to Leia and called. "Leia, you can stop that now."

Leia thumbed off the lightsaber that she had borrowed from Beth and took the helmet off. Walking to them, she asked Beth, "Is it time to have a break now?"

"No time to rest. Help me set up some of those boxes in a row, you two."

They did without complaining and then Luke asked: "What are you going to make us do?"

"Not both of you, just yet. First, it's you, Luke. Leia's done this a few times already. Leia suppressed a laugh, quickly silenced by another glare from Beth.

"So what am I going to be doing?"

"Leia, care to demonstrate?" Beth asked sweetly, already knowing the answer.

"Heck, no."

"Oh well. Just remember, you are doing this after Luke." Leia's face fell at that. Smiling to herself, Beth looked Luke over. "I want you to walk along the tops of these boxes, and I don't care if you fall off, or if some of them wobble and that the tops of the boxes are uneven. You will do this until I'm satisfied."

Luke groaned and hopped onto the first box. Beth looked at him and he started off. He was slow and clumsy at first, but soon, he got the hang of it. "Faster," Beth told him. Luke sped up a little bit. "Faster!"

Luke did, now feeling the unevenness of the surface and sometimes, he almost lost his balance.

"Run." Beth said as he neared her standing position.

He stopped on the last one. "You can't be serious."

"Run. And don't say it can't be done. I have done it and survived. Now you can do it."

"Show me."

"You must learn to trust not only your eyes, but your feelings too."

Luke nodded and started off again, slower than he had been going before. "Run!" Beth scolded him, and he speed up to a run.

He was finding it quite a bit easier after he was told to use the Force. Something distracted him and he lost concentration. He stopped and ducked, but he was on a wobbly box and he fell.

"You lost concentration," Beth stated.

Luke looked up at her from the floor. "What was I supposed to do?"

"These objects, in seven they should be," Beth told him. The two objects that had distracted Luke floated several inches above her hand.

"Please, no."

"I'm doing this for your own good. Now get up and do it again."

"Do I have to?"

"Sure. I had to again and again. I don't see why you don't have to." Beth smiled.

c d

Piett looked up as Beth entered their quarters. He could see how tired she was. He had already put Myrrha into bed. Getting up, he moved to her and led her to the couch.

"Can I get you anything?"

"My shoulders are so sore," Beth said, reaching back behind her neck to try and ease the pain.

"Here, let me do that." Piett moved to stand behind Beth and began to massage the knots out of her shoulders and back.

"Thank you," Beth whispered. "It's been a tough day."

"Well, you deserve a break."

"I can't. Those twins need all the help and training I can give them. They have to be ready to face Vader."

Piett didn't say anything more on that matter. Instead, he changed the subject. "Myrrha's going so fast. She's grown heaps since I first saw her."

"She's a growing girl, Firmus. She has changed a lot, hasn't she?"

"Yeah. We should expect her to, Bethie. She can't stay our little girl forever."

"I just don't want her growing up too fast."

Piett smiled at his wife's remark and continued to work the knots out.

c d

Luke and Leia had never experienced a more tiring day, but they both knew that Beth was more exhausted than they were. Still, they couldn't hide their surprise to see that Beth was still going on, though.

"This will be the last lesson of today before you get the evening off."

"Beth, how can you still be going?"

"That's what this lesson is about, Farmboy. Now stop complaining." Beth sat cross-legged and waited for Luke and Leia to mirror her position. "If you think I'm tough, go back to Master Yoda."

"No thanks. He's an evil little troll."

"And you were only there for two months." Closing her eyes, Beth reached out to Luke with the Force, and then to Leia. Follow me.

They followed her lead into a bright, refreshing light. Beth pulled out of it slowly after refreshing herself slightly. She made it so that neither twin knew of her departure from the Force meld. Turning, she looked up at Piett. His hand was on her shoulder. "What is it?" she asked softly.

"I can't find Myrrha," he told her, just as quietly. He helped her to her feet and they made their way as stealthily as possible from the room.

Beth stopped just out of earshot from Luke and Leia and pulled Piett to a halt. "Where did you see her last?"

"In our quarters. Sometimes, I don't think she listens to me, Beth. She doesn't obey me half the time."

Beth looked at him. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because she grew up only knowing you."

Beth reached out with the Force to find the location of their daughter. "She's with Han. And he's coming here. Don't worry, sweetheart. She'll be alright."

"She needs a good hiding, that's what she needs," Piett growled.

"I'll talk to her Firmus." Beth smiled at him. "Don't worry. Mia will be told." Han appeared in the corridor with Myrrha holding his hand. She clearly didn't want to be there. "Thank you, Han. Luke and Leia are just finishing off what they're doing, and they have the evening free, if you'd like to join them?"

"Sure, Beth."

Beth looked down at her daughter as Han moved off. She crouched in front of Myrrha. "Mia, why don't you listen to Daddy?" Myrrha smiled at her new found freedom and scooted off. "Mia!" Beth called after her. There was no resulting reply. Sighing, Beth stood and sighed.

"Mommy! Daddy! Play!" Myrrha's voice came to their ears. "You have to find me."

"I don't have time for this Mia. Neither does Daddy."

"No, Beth," Piett told her quietly. "Give her what she wants. I'll be able to find her."

"This is the first time she's done this to me. I think I need to help find her." Beth suddenly smiled. "Anyway, I can probably find her quicker than you can."

c d

"You two have had three tough months," Han said. "I hear you have the evening free."

"Yeah," Leia laughed. "Where's Beth?"

"Sorting out a trouble maker."

"So what did Mia do?" Luke asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Beats me." Han shrugged. "How about going for a drink? The Rogues have been asking me what you've been doing."

"Really."

"Sure."

Luke followed Han and Leia out of the training ship and into the main part of the Rebel Base. He smiled at the affection shown between his two friends and felt something good was going to come out of it.

c d

"They're ready," Beth quietly told Piett. It was a week since Myrrha had wanted to play hide and seek with them. "I can't delay not telling them, now."

"I don't think that you are meant to tell them, sweetheart."

"Firmus, would it sound better coming from me or from their father?"

"You've got a point, sweetheart. It'd be best for you to tell them now, gently."

"I know. It's just that I don't know how to tell them. I'm scared."

"There's no need to be scared. They're both mature adults, so everything should be fine."

"I know. But he tortured Leia. I hate lying about it and no matter what you say, it still feels like lying to me."

"Bethie, maybe you're not ready to tell them."

"I'm not ever going to be ready, but they need to know, and they are ready to hear it. I don't like it, but I know they have to know. Otherwise, they will never be ready to face him."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Being tortured by him myself doesn't make any excuse for me. I can't hide them from the truth forever." Beth swallowed and looked her husband over. "I need all the help I can get."

Han came into the room. "What are you talking about?" he asked, a frown on his face.

Beth looked at him, her face full of pain and sadness. "Han, do you know where I can find Luke and Leia?"

"Sure. They're in the Flyer. Are you alright?"

Beth nodded. "I think you need to hear what I have to say to them as well."

"Do you think I should?"

"If you want to support Leia in any way possible, then yes. You'd want to know this information."

Beth left before either Piett or Han could refuse.

c d

"Luke, Leia, remain seated, please. Han, I'd suggest you find a seat too," Beth began, looking at each in turn. "I need to tell you something about Vader. You may not have realised why he knew me, back on Bespin." She sighed. "And I need to tell you what I know of my brother, Anakin."

"What do you know of Father?"

"You told me that you didn't know much about our father because you said he died when you were young."

"I did say that, and he did die when I was young, Leia. Well, not physically dying as such, because Anakin exists still, clouded by darkness."

"What's this got to do with…" Han started before he stopped. He finished his sentence by saying, "Vader?"

Beth swallowed, her face showing her pain. "Vader knows who I am, because he knew all the Jedi applicants in the Jedi crèche, and I was one of them. He remembers each face of the Jedi he's personally killed, and he knows of all Jedi who have died at the hands of his servants. And he remembered that my name wasn't on that list."

"So he killed Father?" Leia asked.

"Yes, and no. Vader killed the good man that had been your father. He didn't kill Anakin's body, but took it over, forcing his way in through hate, fear, and anger."

Han cursed. Luke and Leia looked at Beth with unbelief clearly written across their faces.

Leia's face paled considerably. "Are you telling us that that monster is… was…" she stumbled across her words, not knowing how to completing her sentence.

"I'm so sorry to be the one who told you, but you need to know what you are facing. I hate this as much as you do, but that is the truth."

Luke stammered, "He lied. He lied to me."

"What Master Kenobi told you is true, from a certain point of view. For a long time, I believed that he was dead, killed by Vader. I would still, if it had not been for the fact I felt Anakin's memories buried within Vader's hatred, and that he was trying to surface again."

"When did you learn the truth?"

"I always knew the truth. Vader killed Anakin. Not to the point of death, but to the point that I no longer recognised him to be my brother." Sighing, she continued. "Well, I found out that his memories are still there, Anakin's memories, that good man I claim to be related to. Anakin is still there, within all that hatred and anger."

"How do you know?"

"My confinement onboard the Executor and then in the Imperial Palace. I gave myself up to see whether or not I could reach him, and I did. If he is ever going to turn back to the light side of the Force, it will be because of you two, not me."

Luke got up and said hoarsely, "I need to be alone."

He left the room, closely followed by Han and Leia, leaving Piett and Beth alone. "Do you think that I've done the right thing?"

"You've done all you can for them, Bethie. Now it's time for other things."

Beth looked up at him. "You're right, Firmus. I have to let them sort this out on their own. I've been neglecting my own family for long enough."

Piett smiled, moving to Beth to pull her to her feet where she had sunk to after the trio had left. "You've done great. I'm proud of you."

He cupped his hands around her cheeks and leaned down into her. Beth smiled back, enjoying the feel of him close to her. Her eyes closed as he kissed her lips again and again, finally deepening into a long, passionate kiss.