Where Am I Going To?

Part Two

Chapter Seventeen

It really wasn't her fault. She'd never understood it, she didn't now, why all these guys insisted on locking her up, professing love or lust or whatever else they wanted from her. She'd never been pretty as a teenager. Her father had said differently, of course, but Bail Organa had doted on his adopted daughter with all the intense love a parent has. Leia missed him so much whenever she was unlucky enough or stupid enough to let her mind drift to Alderaan.

Sure, they couldn't just date me when I was a teenager…they've got to abduct me from age eighteen to twenty one.

How could she have possibly gotten that much more attractive that Imperial men found it necessary to lock her up and try to throw away the key. Sending flowers would have done tons more to endear themselves to her.

This seriously bites.

"I must insist you come and eat with me."

Leia didn't dare turn around to look at Xizor. He'd been standing there for some minutes, just watching her, and she had yet to look at him. She felt so…dirty around him. Oh, he'd failed, ultimately. Whatever trick it was he'd tried to get her into his bed had not succeeded, but she felt like she'd betrayed someone, Han especially, for her brief moment of weakness. Even now, the back of her mind considered it for a split second, but she had enough strength to shoot the idea down before it could take hold.

"I'm not hungry," she said in a monotone voice, staring out into the hustle and bustle of Coruscant. "Thank you." Luke hated Coruscant, he'd told her so.

Luke….

She was starving, in reality, and she could almost feel a tinge of disappointment. If Leia was a master at controlling her emotions, Xizor's had been dashed all to pieces. He didn't understand why or how she affected him the way she did, but there it was. She was his weak spot, this twenty one year old girl. She was only barely old enough to be called a woman, and he was many, many years her senior. Of course, he was a Falleen, he aged differently. He wasn't quite sure what the butterflies in his stomach were when he was around her, merely that he wanted to be closer. Maybe it wasn't even sexual, which was even more odd. He just wanted something from her, and to be able to give whatever it was she wanted back. He'd made the point of displaying his wealth, an attempt at showing her everything she could have once she had him.

"I can give you everything you could possibly want!" he'd argued in a rage with her a few hours before. He'd now returned far more level headed. "Why can't you just agree, I could make you very happy!"

"Because you could never, ever make me happy!" she'd replied with a cool sort of ferocity, and the Falleen had – of all things – backed down.

What did she want? He'd give it, if he only knew what it was!

What did Leia Organa want? She wanted out, for one. She wanted Han, for a second. And Luke….

Luke was a strange case. He could get her out of here, or would at least die trying. But she did not want him anywhere near the state of death. Not again. Not ever.

Stay far away, Luke. Stay safe.

"Then may I invite you for the pleasure of your company?" he said with forced politeness through gritted teeth.

"Thank you very much for the offer," she replied – and yet she would not look at him! Why wouldn't she look at him? She still possessed all the etiquette of a princess when she wasn't arguing or being obnoxious, and all the tact of a senator. A tough case to crack, that girl. "But I have a slight headache. I'd rather stay in." They both knew quite well her only way in or out of that bedroom door was with him, and maybe then it would only lead straight to his own bedroom – but it was a change of scenery, and beggars couldn't be choosers. It didn't matter. Leia wasn't giving an inch of any sort of ground.

Xizor briefly wondered what his life would have been like had he ever been sensitive to that flighty substance known as the Force. Most certainly, he would have Vader as well as Skywalker beaten by now, he might even be ruling the galaxy. The Force had that wonderful ability of deceiving minds. He questioned if maybe it could trick a heart into loving. Oh, maybe it was a scam for the both of them, but at the moment, he would have taken whatever he could get.

How, he asked himself, do I make her love me?

How on earth could he simply just tell her he loved her when he'd never been in love before? And if he had, he'd long since forgotten it, so curled up and twisted and blackened with his schemes for revenge for thirteen long years. Thirteen years of toeing the line of niceties with Vader and all out viciousness.

"Would you like me to get you something?" he asked, knowing that she might have made up the headache. But, if she weren't, he could at least prove he was a provider. Not that he already hadn't.

"That's alright, you don't need to trouble yourself. It will pass."

"It's no trouble at all."

She turned – oh, Force, she turned! – and seemed to pierce right through him with those big, chocolate eyes. She had just beautiful eyes….

"No thank you."

He paused, faltered, tried to decide if he should charge or retreat. "Of course." He settled for neither for the moment, crossing his arms behind his back. "You know, Leia, I-"

There was a dull, rumbly boom, like a small explosion, and a slight tremor. Xizor could hear a distant alarm, and privately cursed ill timing.

"My prince!" Some guard came skidding to a halt at the door, which he'd left open – he was trying to create the illusion for her that she wasn't his prisoner, she was his guest. They both knew better. The man saluted, and Xizor merely glared at him in severe distaste and annoyance.

"Well, what is it?"

"Sir, there was a small time bomb set off, mostly for show, and not destruction. This wouldn't be an issue, my master, but it was a diversion to let someone into your palace!"

Xizor felt a slow, cold combination of dread and anger pour through him. "What?" he said slowly, wishing he was Force sensitive just so he could choke people without trying.

"Forgive me, my lord, we're shutting down all the levels and alerting security. Do you want me to-"

"I want you to get out and catch whoever it is!" He roughly seized the guard, his lizard-like claws leaving great bloody gashes as he tossed the man to the hall floor. "And make sure they didn't blow a hole in my palace!" He slammed the door with authority, boiling with rage.

"Having problems?"

He wheeled to see Leia, who had risen to her feet, stretching and watching him with amused contempt. He hated her. He hated her because he loved her, and he didn't understand it, and it wasn't fair, and…Some of his anger diffused into lust, and he could feel pheromones trying to build, his finger tips turning slight orange with the chemical change.

"Nothing I can't handle," he smoothed over, counting to ten in his head.

She shook her head. Well, if Luke hadn't listened to her silent plea to stay far away, he'd certainly get her out. And that was something, at least.

That blasted alarm was still blaring in the distance. Now Xizor had the headache.

"If there's a problem, we should probably go to my inner sanctum, I have it specially constructed for a very good reason."

"I'd rather not, thank you."

"Who said I was giving you a choice?"

She said nothing, rotating her wrist in a circle to work out the stiffened joints. Oh, it was too much. He seized said wrist, planted a kiss on it, before dragging her against him and planting a kiss on those soft, perfect lips. Before he could even begin to pull up the pheromones, she'd shoved him off, disgusted, far more angry than before.

"I thought I'd made it perfectly clear, I will never be yours in any way shape or form."

His shoulders slumped – a total defeat. Still, he had to win the war, didn't he? "I hate you," he pleaded. "And I love you. And you confuse me. God, who are you? Aren't I good enough for you?"

She moved to the doorway, prepared to follow him in silent protest to the thick, solid walls of his inner sanctum. "No. No, you're not."

…

It was a good two days before all this occurred that Luke had switched on his new lightsaber for the very first time on board the Millennium Falcon.

Don't be red, don't be red, don't be red, oh please don't be red.

It had been his most fervent fear above all else that something would go wrong, he would have made a bad crystal, or just something and he would come out with a bloody red lightsaber, like every other one he'd made in his lifetime. The only time he hadn't had a red lightsaber was when he'd used his father's discarded one. Now only the Force knew where that had gotten to. Wherever his hand was, he supposed.

Sucking in a breath, he called the Light around him, smiling, reveling in its caressing touch, it's comforting, wordless whisper.

He turned on his lightsaber.

With a flash hiss it ignited, gleaming a glittering green in the smuggling ship, making Luke's breath catch in his throat. It was beautiful, astounding. Agile enough for his lithe frame, it also allowed for his body strengths. It was the perfect design, the perfect length, width, height. The perfect color….

He sighed again, smiling as he did a few test swipes. R2D2 buzzed appreciatively, and Luke smiled at the droid.

"Pretty nice, huh, Artoo?"

The astro droid agreed, its lights blinking colorful patterns. Luke switched his saber off, humming to himself, waiting for them to get nearer Coruscant. He wasn't afraid, not anymore.

I'm coming, Leia. And nothing can stop me.

To Be Continued…

The long and the short of it is that the contest is void and that I need a lot more reviews. Oh, and I got a cell phone, but it's bugging me right now, so lets not talk about that.

Myotismon13: I really liked this chapter, I think you will too, hopefully.

Stephanie C:….And? I didn't say WHAT got explained, just that stuff gets explained.

xInuyashaxangelx: I have done so

denique: Yeah, glad to hear it!