Author's Note: Disclaimers in first chapter. Everything belongs to George Lucas, Star Wars guru. I'm just a 17-year-old who likes to play in his universe.

I really really should make you guys wait until tomorrow to read this chapter. But I'm hopeless...I can't hold off posting a chapter that I've already finished writing. So here it is. Enjoy! - Kaitie

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The memory of her death had fueled Vader with yet more anger, rage, and hate. He pressed on, ever harder…and in a dizzying moment of exhilaration, Kenobi's lightsaber went flying from his hand.

Vader raised his lightsaber high, and swung it at Kenobi for the death blow.

Who promptly ducked, tripped, and sat down in an ungraceful heap.

Had the situation been less grave, had Vader been Anakin Skywalker, had this been the Jedi Temple…well, it was none of these things, and Vader had not the slightest temptation to laugh. He simply stepped forward and raised his saber again. "You will die as she did, killer!"

Obi-Wan Kenobi made no move to resist. It was over.

"NO!"

All eyes in the hangar turned towards the voice. It was a female voice, shrill with disbelief, with anger, with shock. For a light-headed moment, Vader thought it was her ghost.

A little girl darted from behind a cargo ship, where she had evidently been hiding a moment before. She ran across the hangar in Vader's moment of hesitation, and planted herself squarely between Vader and Kenobi.

"Don't you dare touch him, you big…bully!"

Vader stared at the child in bemusement. About three or four, perhaps. Although she is very small and it is hard to tell at that age…probably three. Though quite articulate. When do children start to talk, anyway?

"Run, child! Run!" It was Kenobi's voice. "Run as far away from here as you can!"

The child didn't turn around. "No I won't. The big bad man will hurt you. And I'm a grown-up girl. I don't run away when I'm scared."

Vader felt Kenobi try to reach out to the child's mind. Probably going to try some kind of Force persuasion. Not that the girl would get far anyway.

Do you want her to die horribly, Kenobi? He sent the thought over the bond; for some reason he did not want the girl to hear his threat. Perhaps it was because she was very young. Why that would suddenly matter to him, he had no idea…he had slaughtered many young Padawans before.

"Why are you hurting Ben?"

He jerked his gaze back down to her face. She repeated her statement, with a scowl. "Why are you hurting Ben? You're a mean man, to knock people down and talk to them in a mean voice."

Kenobi was radiating all sorts of unpleasant emotions, although he did not try to project to the girl again. Vader quirked an eyebrow. This might prove interesting. "Aren't you scared of me, girl?"

She looked up at him, hands on hips. A tendril of hair blew across her flushed face, and her brown eyes stared at him hotly. She reminded him of somebody…

"My name is Leia, not girl. And I'm not scared of you. I'm mad at you!"

"And why is that, Leia?" He enjoyed Kenobi's discomfort – the Jedi remained frozen out of fear for the girl - but she herself was beginning to intrigue him. Ever since he had become Darth Vader, he had become used to the all-pervasive fear those around him radiated. This girl was a new sensation.

She narrowed her eyebrows, and again Vader felt like he had seen her somewhere before. "You made my daddy go away. I know, I heard Mommy and Ben talking about him. And Mommy cries at night because Daddy is gone."

Vader suddenly realized where he had seen that expression before. It was Kenobi's expression. The one he had used on his "very young Padawan" when said Padawan had gotten into some awful mischief.

Her lips trembled, however, something he was sure Kenobi's never had. "I think he's dead." Her voice quieted, and Vader thought he saw a tear in her eye.

Then she blazed forth again. "I think you killed him, you Sith-spawn. I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!"

Is it every child's nature to be so emotionally unstable, or just every girl child's nature?

The little spitfire continued. "And now we have to live with Ben because Daddy is gone. And Ben scolds and won't let me do things and won't…" Suddenly she turned around and threw herself into Kenobi's arms. "I'm sorry, Ben! I really do love you! I'm sorry I'm such a bad girl all the time!"

Kenobi's eyes met Vader's.

Vader opened his mouth. "Child…"

The girl – Leia – twisted around to glare at Vader again. "You…you Sith-spit! Leave me alone!"

She continued ranting, but Vader was no longer listening. When she had turned, her dress had shifted, and a chain had fallen forward into view. Dangling from it was something that Vader had never thought to see again.

The japor snippet.

His mood changed in a moment. He had been quite pleased with his accomplished revenge, intrigued by the child, mildly amused by the rather interesting position his old Master was in - it wasn't every day Kenobi sat awaiting death while his Padawan screamed curses at his former Padawan, and then hurled herself crying into his arms.

But it was different now.

The girl continued to rage, hurling childish invective at him…Kenobi sat, haunted blue eyes still staring steadily at him…and her specter stood there beside them…mute, eyes intense, hands reaching out to him...

In a fit of weariness he knew that Kenobi could not have killed her.

He stepped one step forward and bent down to her level. He reached his left hand out and snapped the chain, curling the japor snippet deep within his palm. He straightened back up.

The girl fell silent, amazingly. Her mouth was slightly open – Offended? Angry? Indignant? – but she made no move to take the trinket back. She looked steadily at him, unafraid, out of deep brown eyes…her eyes.

Padme, my love. I could not make you happy, could not even save your life. Can you hear me, in that other world…oh, Padme, oh my Padme… even in his mind his voice broke, on that beloved name, as he reached back across eternity to the memory of their time together, for the first time in years - as he saw her again, laughing, happy in her love for him, in their shared love. Oh, Padme, my love.

Ani. And time blurred, the boundaries between past, present, and future seemed to melt away. He reached for her hand, strained for it with every fiber of his being - and her hand slipped into his, her comforting presence soothed him. Ani, love.

I am Vader now. Darth Vader, Sith Lord.

You are still my Ani. Come back to the Light Side, back to the Ani I knew and loved.

He could not bear to tell Padme that there was no going back for him, that he was forever irreconcilably linked to the Dark Side of the Force. Already she slipped away from him, back into the spirit world.

I love you so much, Ani darling.

Oh, Padme, you cannot know how much I love you.

A whimper intruded on his concentration, and he realized that he was staring straight into the depths of the girl's brown eyes.

He reached out to Padme one last time. This girl has your eyes…let this be my last gift to you, Angel.

He blinked harshly. Whatever trance he had been in had abruptly ended. He was once again in a small hangar, facing down his mortal enemy and his enemy's Padawan. He was once again Darth Vader, Sith Lord.

Vader's soul ached. He would deal with that later, however, when he had time to meditate and re-immerse himself in the Dark Side of the Force. He would sorely need it - that weak Jedi Anakin had wreaked havoc in his mind today. But before he sought dark serenity, there was an unfinished matter to attend to.

He looked over the child's shoulder at Kenobi. "Get out. And take that brat with you."