8 years later.

Naboo.

"Hello, mother", Leia greeted formally. Padmé gave a quick nod without taking her eyes from her work.

"Hello, darling. How was your day? Did you find anything you want to do for the summer?", she asked plainly. Leia stepped closer to Padmé's desk and took a deep breath.

"Yes, I found a family exchange program in Alderaan. I stay with a family from other planet while you stay with that family's child here", she suggested, her voice shy and shaky.

"No. Nothing productive can come from that experience", Padmé objected in her hard senatorial voice.

"Mother, the galactic exchange program requires that each child goes to someone else's home in another planet to learn new costumes and traditions. I would be learning a great deal out of this experience, and so would you", Leia explained. Padmé lifted her gaze from her datapad and smiled at her daughter.

"You really want to go, don't you?". Leia nodded enthusiastically. Padmé laughed and left the datapad on her desk. Turning on her chair she opened her arms to her daughter. Leia cried out in excitement and jumped to her mother's arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!", she repeated over and over again. Padmé giggled and kissed her little girl's hair.

"You are welcome, honey"

*

At the same time, in Courasant.

"Hey, dad?", Luke said. Anakin turned his lightsaber off and looked at his son. "There's this really cool exchange program in Alderaan were you get to go to other planets and stay in someone else's home for a couple of weeks…", he paused hoping that his father took the hint. Anakin shook his head and smiled.

"And…?", he prompted. Luke smiled too and gave him a chip.

"I'd like to go. All the information is there. I wouldn't have to skip school because it's on my vacation. So I would be learning new things in my vacation. The best part is that you would also have a kid here living with you and you get to teach him about how your life is! Very educational and fulfilling. Isn't that just wonderful?", he asked hopefully. Anakin tried to ignore him but couldn't fight his smile. Inserting the chip in his computer, he sat down and read the information.

"Hmm… It's a little over my budget, kid", he said.

"It could be my birthday present…", Luke implied. Anakin turned to look at him and gave him a half smile.

"If you put it that way, then yes. You can go". Luke gasped and gave his father a quick hug.

"Thanks, dad! You are the best!"

Anakin chuckled and patted Luke's back. "I know, I know…"

*

Five days later.

Alderaan.

The galactic exchange program took place in Alderaan. Thousands of children from all around the galaxy gathered in groups according to age and planet of origin. Each child had access to a computer containing all the data of each participant. Children could make an advanced search to find with whom they would like to exchange lives if only for a couple of weeks. If they found someone they liked, they could get together and discuss the possible exchange.

Leia had been searching the data bank for two hours and she couldn't find any family that appealed to her. Everyone seemed the same as the rest! They all had both parents, and Leia didn't think she could bear living with a happy and well founded family. After all, she was used to just being her and Padmé.

//I'm the only kid here with a single parent…//

Sighing, she clicked on advanced search and typed 'single parent'. Maybe there was someone who shared her background. It took the computer only a couple of seconds to complete the search.

Matches found: 203

Leia repeated the search and specified on species typing 'human'.

Matches found: 89

"Hmm… I'll put age, too", she mused out loud. She typed her age and waited for the results to appear on the screen.

Matches found: 2

"Now we are talking!", she smiled. Two pictures and brief profiles appeared before her. One of them was a girl that just like Leia only had a mother. The other one was a boy who only had his father. Feeling curious about the boy who only knew a father figure, she clicked on his name and his entire profile popped up.

Name: Luke Skywalker

Species: Human

Age: 8

Planet of Origin: Naboo.

Currently residence: Courasant.

Parents: Father only.

Name of the parent: Anakin Skywalker.

"Wow, he was born in Naboo just like me…", Leia whispered. She kept reading the boy's profile and wrote down his code. Reaching for her comm. link she dialed  the code and waited until it made a connection.

"Yeah?", the hologram greeted.

"Hello, my name is Leia Naberrie. Do you think we can have a pre-meeting?", she asked. Luke shrugged and then nodded.

"Yeah, sure", he replied. Leia smiled and gave him instructions as to when and where they were to meet.

*

One hour later.

Leia sat expectantly on the stone bench of the park. Luke was late. 23 minutes late, to be exact. She was about to leave when she finally saw him approaching her. Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips trying to make a statement. Luke stood in front of her and arched a brow.

"Is there something wrong with your hips?", he asked curiously. Leia rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.

"You are 24 minutes late"

"Better 24 than 25, Leia", he shot back with a half smile.

"Argh! Just… just sit down!", she ordered. Luke chuckled and sat next to her. They looked at each other curiously, as if they knew each other from someplace else.

"Let's start over. I'm Luke Skywalker", he said as he extended his hand.

"Leia Naberrie". When they shook hands they felt a strange electricity passing through them. They both gasped in shock and watched awestruck at their joined hands. "What was that?", Leia asked terrified. Luke shook his head.

"I… I don't know…", he whispered. Their glances fixed again and they remained quiet for a while. Feeling uncomfortable, Luke cleared his throat. "So, Leia. Where are you from?", he asked quickly.

"I was born and raised in Naboo", she answered diplomatically. "I read in your profile that you were also born in Naboo. Is that information accurate?". Luke smiled at her politeness. She sure could speak like a grown up!

"Yeah, I was born in Naboo but now I live with my dad in Courasant. He's a Jedi", he said proudly.

"I hope I am not being too rude for asking this, since we just met, but… I would like to know about your mother, Luke".

Luke didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable about the subject. He never met his mother and knew nothing about her, so he never really missed her. Though deep in his heart, he needed her.

"I never met her. She divorced my dad as soon as I was born. I have a holo picture of my dad, do you want to see it?", he asked, already reaching in his pocket for his holo projector. Leia nodded and moved closer to Luke. A small hologram of a young man was displayed before her eyes. He had piercing blue eyes, just like Luke, and they both had the same blonde hair. "This picture is from the day he became a Jedi Knight. It was taken right before he had his pony tail and Padawan braid cut off", he explained.

Leia nodded absently. There was something about that man that intrigued her but she couldn't figure it out. His braid caught her attention and she lightly tapped her small purse.

"You look just like him", she commented. Luke smiled and nodded.

"What about your family?", he asked, returning his attention to Leia.

"Well, I live with my mother. She's a senator for the republic. I have no father. Well, I guess I have one but… I never got to meet him. He and my mother divorced soon after I was born", she said, a glint of sadness in her voice. Luke smiled sympathetically at her.

"We share the same experience", he said. Leia nodded.

"Yes, Luke, we do. We are very much alike".

"So… do you have a picture of your mom?", he asked. Leia nodded and reached for her holo-album.

"Yes, I do have a picture of my mother". Luke smiled at her little correction. Leia smiled back and showed him the picture. "This was taken the day my father proposed to her. I guess she disliked the memory of that day, so she allowed me to keep it"

Luke tilted his head, studying the image curiously. The young woman looked about 20 years of age, and had the same colors as Leia. Her expression was happy and gentle and her look was kind. His eyes fixed on her chest in awe. Leia's face cringed when she noticed this.

"Stop looking at her chest, you freak!", she snapped. Luke's face shot up and he shook his head.

"I wasn't looking at her chest! I swear!", he denied fervently.

"Then what were you staring at?", Leia asked, not at all convinced by Luke's answer.

"At that thing hanging around her neck!"

"It's what my father gave her as an engagement present", Leia explained. She shrugged and looked at the Japor snippet in the hologram. "I guess she also disliked the memory that little thing brought her, so she returned it to him when they divorced".

Luke stared at Leia, unable to speak. Seeing his strange expression, she arched a brow.

"What is it?"

Luke reached inside the collar of his shirt and extracted a small wooden snippet hanging from a thin leather string. Leia's eyes fixed on the object unable to take her eyes away from it.

"M.. my dad gave this to me… a couple of years ago… when I asked him about my… mom… He said… he said this belonged to her", the young boy managed to say. Leia looked up at him and slowly shook her head.

"It… can't…be"