Disclaimer: I do not own SW, or any of the characters. Too bad.

Strider: Thank you. Here's more for ya.

Relyan:Glad you like it so far. Yes, I know the dream was dragged out, but...aw, what the hell. I know that part sucked, lol, but it was the best I could do. As for Leia finding out, she won't for a long time.

Part II

Luke's POV

I had not seen Leia for over a day. Not a glimpse. Oh, she was still there, I knew she hadn't left. Where could she have gone, anyway? She had nowhere to go. The last time I'd seen her, she'd brushed me away - I suppose she wanted some time alone. That is understandable, of course. Lately, she had had it much worse than me, what with losing Han and all. I'm still numb with shock. At times I find myself wondering where he is, only to remember that he is gone. I never thought I'd miss him as much as I do.

No, he isn't gone, at least not forever. We don't speak of him, as if he had died in battle. Leia mourns him, even though we'll find him again. I only hope that we do so soon, for Leia's sake. I try to tell her to hang on, that this will soon be over, only I'm not so sure myself. We have to be strong, even though there are times when all we want to do is stop breathing – just lie down and die. My strength fades. I only hope the same cannot be said for hers. I heighten my pace as I walk down the corridors. The walls are such a pure white that they hurt my eyes. There are no words to describe how dirty I feel against their pristine color.

Wedge had said that High Command wanted a word with me, but nothing could have prepared me for this. For a second or two I gaped at the officer in disbelief, before regaining my composure and asking him to repeat what he'd said. Bemused, the kid stared at me. He wasn't much older than I was when I joined the Alliance and seemed to be the type that put me on a pedestal and regarded me as some kind of deity. I still hadn't figured out why anyone would want to worship a cold-blooded mass murderer.

"Commander Skywalker, you are under arrest on the charge of treason. You are to come with me." My blood froze, my heart pounded, my mind raced. No, they didn't know... There was no way they could have found out. This had to be something else, a mistake that could be straightened out. I struggled to keep my breathing regular. I stared at nothing then averted my gaze toward him.

"Wait a second—"

"Come with me." Before I could protest, I heard the sound of a blaster being loaded behind me. Two more guys, whom I had previously not noticed, stepped forward. They were both somewhere in their thirties, armed and the tough-looking, no-nonsense type of people. Obviously they had no qualms about killing the rebellion's poster boy. I followed them as they led me to a holding cell of some sort. I could have taken the three of them down easily, but I was in the middle of a rebel cruiser. Where could I have run?

I sat there in the dark for what seemed like hours. Usually I could have been found doing something to kill time and to keep myself from thinking too much. I would spend hours tinkering with my X-Wing, but here I found myself with nothing to do but think.

My thoughts always ended up straying toward the same subject – what was going on? What had made them think I was a traitor? It had to be something I'd done. Was it my going AWOL after Hoth? Yes, that had to be it… I found myself arguing with myself. No, if that was the case, the charge would have been desertion.

The only answer I could come up with was what that spiteful little voice at the back of my head kept repeating. It's because of who you are. It's because you are the son of Vader. You are Vader. I tried to shut it out, to shut it up. I couldn't think of this now. I stowed it somewhere in the depths of my mind.

No, that just wasn't logical. There was no way in hell they could possibly know. I was getting paranoid. Maybe I was losing my sanity…This was getting ridiculous. I was attaching everything to the fact that he was my father – which was probably not even true, or so I told myself. It was most likely yet another ploy of his. I wouldn't have put it past him. Obviously this was coincidental. It was only natural that I would immediately associate it with what Vader had said. Still, once I thought of it, it would stay on my mind for hours. Stars, how I wished Leia was here.

Ironically, she walked into the cell only seconds after I'd finished that thought. I got up and came forward to meet her. She wasn't smiling, nor did she speak. I broke the silence.

"Umm…Hi, Leia…" I blushed like the stupid farmboy who died on Bespin. Leia frowned harder and her eyes grew steely. Obviously she wasn't in the mood for conversation. She spoke, her voice a low growl, a tone reserved for people she despised.

"I suppose you are wondering what is going on." She seemed almost – almost – amused. I failed to see the humor in this situation.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was about to ask you what all this is about." Leia smiled frostily.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" She sneered. What was wrong with her? I was getting tired of this game. My anger rose in me, and I tried to push it down for fear of it controlling me. No, there was no way I would ever become like him…Anger was of the Dark Side…wasn't it? Still, I was losing my patience.

"Leia, just tell me, will you?" She scrunched up her eyebrows, as if in concentration.

"Umm…no," She said in a sing-song voice, offering me a fake smile. " I think I'll let you figure it out yourself." I sighed in frustration.

"Leia, this isn't funny. I want to know." She laughed, then frowned again, pinning me with a stare. It was unsettling how she was reminiscent of a snake.

"You know exactly what is going on," She spat.

"Tell me!" I ordered. Leia smirked.

"Oh, come on…haven't you inherited any brains from…your father?" She asked, spiteful. I felt as if I had swallowed a ton of ice. No, she didn't know. She was just poking fun at how I had worshiped my nonexistent father. Hell, she was probably just trying to irk me, though this was not the time for it. I set my jaw.

"Leia…" I warned. This was definitely not the time. She flashed me another parody of a smile. I was not amused.

"But you do know – don't you…Vader?" My blood turned to ice, my heart stopped, my breaths shaking within me. I twisted my face into a mask of total indifference, but my true state was poorly disguised. I struggled to keep my face straight. Leia smiled cruelly as she realized that she had struck a chord.

"Vader…?" I rasped. I could feel my eyes widen and my vision blur. I shut my eyes. I could not show any sign of weakness, not in front of her. Her eyes glittered.

"Yes, Vader. Do you know what they're doing now?" For a moment I stared at her, bewildered. Then I realized that she was referring to the brass. I shook my head.

"They're currently debating on what to do with you. Some of them want to execute you, some of them don't," She said, her upper lip curling in disgust. "And you know what, Vader?" She asked, stabbing me in the already open and festering wound, twisting the knife again and again. She paused, as if to wait for a response, but then continued, her voice soft but deadly.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that you do die." I gaped at her, then gritted my teeth.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I bit out, shaking. Leia didn't answer.

"Leia?" My voice cracked.

"If you'll excuse me. I have matters to attend to. Good day to you, Vader." With that, she departed.

"Leia, wait!" Too late. She was already gone.

I sunk back against the wall, resting my forehead against my knees. I was alone again, in every sense of the word. I felt a burning sensation behind my eyes, a tightening in m y chest. I bit my lip to hold everything in. Crying was for wimps, and I could not afford to be weak. Lately it had taken all my strength to keep from unraveling and falling apart, but now that I was all alone, I broke. There was no one there to see me so vulnerable.

I wondered how much longer I could hang on. What kept me going? What kept me from simply letting myself wither and die? At times I walked the line. At times I would almost break under the weight of it all – Obi-wan and his tangled web of lies, the alliance, who would one minute glorify me and betray me the next, Vader…

Vader was with me, wherever I went. No matter what I did, he stayed in my mind, his Force presence clinging to my own. He stayed with me, even when I slept. He was always watching me. He wanted me, he was always hunting me, like the predator he was. He never relented and wouldn't rest until I was in his grasp. He left me in a constant state of fright.

I had never felt so forsaken. Forsaken – by all of them. The Jedi they'd used me and had shamelessly, thoughtlessly lied to me, or at least Obi-wan had. The alliance – the people I fought with, the ones I had trusted with my life, they'd jumped to the conclusion that I had been a traitor all along, despite my obvious if misplaced devotion. My father – my real (unreal?) father – had suddenly chosen to disappear, being replaced by my most hated foe. Sith, was I disposable? Something you could use and then carelessly throw away?

And now Leia. Why Leia? Why her, damnit? Not only had I trusted her with my life, I had trusted her with my soul. I would have done anything for her, anything. I would have died for her without a second thought. I would have lived a life of misery for her. I had loved her. No, not the romantic way, but that changed nothing. She was the one I loved the most. She had said she would stay with me forever, no matter what happened. But she had broken the promise. She had abandoned me, her words forgotten. And she had left me broken and bleeding.

Why, I asked myself. Why had she betrayed me? Leia wouldn't do this. She was too compassionate. It just wasn't in her nature to hate. Unless she had reason to. And she had...My face was wet with tears. Or was it blood that stained my cheeks? It had to be blood, their blood. The blood of all the ones I'd killed. It was like a curse. Everywhere I went, death followed. Darkness flowed from me, and it drove them all away. I had often wondered what it was. Now I knew. It was a curse, one I'd been born with, one I'd been born into.

A/N: Like it? Hate it and think I shouldn't be allowed near a keyboard? Speak your mind.