WELL! I couldn't update because wouldn't let me sign in. I'm guessing it was the same with you guys, too? Anyways, I encourage you to go to my website and check out the new 'I Am Me' biographies, complete with new pics. I think you'll like it! And whoever signed my guestbook, took my poll, and did my votecaster, MANY THANKS! I have just redone the site a little bit, so feel free to visit. Just go to my profile and click on homepage. Ten reviews this time! Keep it up!

This interlude is almost over! And then, you know what comes after that...

RavenRulzRF: Am I going to have RTSL? Is the sky blue? OF COURSE! Since the majority of the reviewers loved it, I am putting it back in. Oh, but please try to make your dialogues shorter, because I want to fit everyone's in without making it too long. Thanks for reviewing!

Jinn Twins: Thank you! there's more surprises coming up shortly!

Jessica-Angel-Skywalker: Thanks for your review!

Pip B: You screamed? That's too funny! Good idea, Han's a bit younger. You'll have to wait to see who the assassin is!

JediMan: You werent' expecting that? Neither was anyone else! Look up one reply to Pip's, cause Pip screamed! I liked that part about the Force sensitive, too. Thanks for reviewing!

Super Tinfoil Man Part 2: Yeah, this is gonna be different. You'll see how it all plays out. So your new connection is slower than your dial-up? How odd! Thanks for reviewing!

Writin' Dude: Hmm... you'll see! Mwa ha ha ha! This story's almost over. Thanks for reviewing!

KeiraAchiOkanabe: Yes, he was. Nice to have you back! Thanks for reviewing!

ILUVZIM: Sure, whatever color you want. Wait and see who the assassin is! Most of you probably won't recognize him.. but I got him off of Wookieepedia. Thanks for reviewing, and mtFbwy! He he he!

Adame shmi Skywalker Vader: Yes, Deathstryke moment in there. Glad you recognized it! Speaking Wookiee IS cool.. thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Me? Own this utter splendidity? Of course I own Elena! Everything else that doesn't really matter... belongs to Lucas. But who cares about that?

Elena and Jix headed back to the palace, talking about what their new plan was going to be about. They decided not to directly go after the assassin after careful consideration. Somehow, however, their conversation ended up turning to something entirely different….

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Jix randomly asked her as they walked through the halls.

Elena gaped at him. "Wha…?" She was speechless for a second.

Jix cast an annoyed look towards her. "I said, do you have a boyfriend?"

Her mouth was still hanging open. "No!" she finally managed to get out. "I don't. Why in Hoth's name would you ask a question like that?"

"I don't know," he honestly answered, "It's just, you're beautiful, young, are the daughter of the second richest person in the entire galaxy, smart, witty, kind… I mean, what guy wouldn't want a girl like you?"

She eyed him. "Are you saying that you want me to be your girlfriend?" she asked him suspiciously.

Jix blushed. "Good Force, girl, that wasn't what I was saying at all," he chastised her. "I was simply wondering."

"Well I don't," Elena replied, somewhat amused.

"Hm," Jix snorted.

Elena sighed and rolled her eyes. "Jix, sometimes you're so weird…"

"I know, but you love me anyways," Jix answered, grinning cheezily at her.

"Whatever," she mumbled in reply.

They finally decided, after a while, instead of trying to find the assassin, that they would journey to a different planet and wait until Vader returned to Coruscant. In the meantime, they would hide out, hoping that the assassin wouldn't track them down.

"And now, which planet…." Jix mused, tapping his fingers on the table.

Elena thought for a minute. "How about Naboo?" she asked.

Jix frowned and shook his head. "Nope, too watery. I don't like water." At this Elena rolled her eyes again.

"Fine," she retorted, "Alderaan?"

"That's a possibility… I'll think about it."

"Saleucami?"

"Nah… that place gives me the creeps."

"Utapau?"

"No."

"Tatooine?"

"I hate that place. Don't like deserts." This earned a tired and annoyed sigh.

"Fine… Kamino?"

"Nope."

"Don't even think about Falleen…" she warned.

"Hoth?" Jix suggested.

Elena only glared at him. "Be serious," she snapped.

"I was… what about Corellia?"

She paused for a moment. "You're dismissing all the other planets just because you want to go there, aren't you?" she accused him.

"So what if I am? I can't help wanting to see my home planet," he admitted shamelessly.

"Is that what you really want to do?"

"Yep."

"Fine. To Corellia it is. You do realize, however, that when Dad hears about this…. You're dead?"

Jix grinned impishly. "Of course," he answered, "That's part of the fun. Go ahead and pack, but only pack light. This is no vacation."

"Did I ever say it was?" she muttered.

---

She and Jix left early the next morning in a fairly large ship. They had droids as the pilots, so they were free to do what they wanted, such as talk over their plans, double check their weapons… or just hang out.

"It's… not… fair…" Jix panted as they played a game of hoverball. "How did you get to be so fast!"

Elena smirked. "Either I am naturally born that way or I just run a lot," she answered.

"I'll take your word for it," he returned. "I need a sonic shower… see you later."

She nodded and went up to the cockpit, where she found the droids.

"We're approaching Corellia, Lady Skywalker," one of them told her.

"Good," she replied. "Thanks, I'll relay that message to Jix. Put us in for a smaller hangar, we don't want to attract too much attention."

She walked back to find Jix in his room, changing. "Jix…" she said loudly, "We're coming towards the planet, so get your butt out here."

On the other side of the door, she heard a smashing of something, an "OW!", some colorful language that she wouldn't like to repeat, and the heavy paces of feet coming towards her. The door opened, showing Jix, his hair askew, clothes wrinkled; and he was rubbing his head.

"Is… this a bad time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He glared at her. "Yeah," he spat. "That stupid gun just fell on me!"

"Well whose fault is that, the gun's, or yours?" she asked sensibly, folding her arms over.

"Shut up," he grumbled, storming back into his room.

Elena merely smirked, flouncing back up to her quarters. It was rather funny to see him like that. She got what bags she had together and put them by the door. As she grabbed her backpack, a comic book fell out. She picked it up using the Force and stared at its cover. She then put it into her pack and went to the mirror, looking at herself carefully. Remembering the last time she had done that four years ago, the question came back to her all of a sudden.

Who am I?

She paused, lost in her thoughts. Her back shifted shapes quickly, and there morphed two great white and beautiful wings, each longer than the length of her entire body. She smiled dryly. Angel? She asked herself. Mutant? Sith apprentice? The last answer caused her to shudder as she didn't want to picture herself as that. Never.

The rapping at the door startled her out of her reverie, and she quickly shifted back to normal and opened the door. Jix was standing there.

"You coming or what?" he asked, somewhat composed by now.

She nodded, taking in a breath. "Yeah, be right there." Snatching her bags, she followed him out of the ship, which had docked, and into the Corellian spaceport. It was one of the smaller ones, but many people were still there.

"So…" Elena began, "Where exactly are we staying?"

Jix reddened immediately. "Uh, nowhere important," he said hurriedly, "Just at a regular hotel."

Elena narrowed her eyes, knowing that he was certainly hiding something from her. Frowning in concentration, she quickly read his mind, trying to figure out what was going on. Her eyes widened in shock.

"We're staying with pirates?" she squawked.

Jix turned to face her, startled. "How in Vader's name…" he began, but paled when he realized the truth. "Blast it, Skyler," he growled, "You know I hate it when you Force people read my mind!"

"It had to be done," she retorted stubbornly, glaring at him. "You weren't telling me the truth."

"And I intended to keep it that way," he muttered, scowling at her.

She whisked her head quickly to turn and glare at him angrily. Seeing her sparking gaze, he swallowed uncomfortably and muttered something incoherent.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," he grumbled, acting quite childish. Elena, frankly, was growing rather tired of his behavior and stopped walking.

"Now you listen, mister," she told him, getting in his face, "If you don't start acting your age, however old you are, I'm gonna slap you upside your head and make your life as miserable as it possibly can be. Got it?"

She turned and walked away, a smug grin on her face. Jix sighed and trekked after her, seemingly defeated.

"Glad you're starting to listen to me," Elena called out.

Jix jogged a bit to catch up to her. "Well hey, it's not like you're gonna Force choke me or anything, so I'm not too worried about what you're gonna do to me. Just don't end up like Uncle Dee and we're good."

Elena fought back a snort. That's going to be harder than you think, Jix, she thought to herself. The Dark Side is hard to resist.

--

A few hours later, the two of them pulled up to a long line of apartments in the heart of Corellia. Jix hopped out of the speeder and grabbed some of the bags. He went up to the door and pressed the doorbell.

Elena followed him slowly, glancing around her dubiously. She wasn't sure how safe the place was. Blast, Jix, what on earth have you got me into this time?

Jix waited anxiously as he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. It opened soon, revealing a young man with reddish brown hair, broad built, and sparkling green eyes. He looked very friendly.

His mouth hung open for a second before he compose himself. "Blast it all to Coruscant, it's Wrenga Jixton!" he shouted, slapping Jix on the back. "How've you been, man?"

"Never better, Dash," Jix answered cheerfully, "I just came by to say hello and see how you guys were doing. What's going on with you?"

Dash Rendar grinned broadly. "Nothing much, the usual," he replied. "Been traveling the galaxy… trying to avoid you-know-who and his agents as much as possible," he rolled his eyes.

Jix nodded seriously. "Yeah, and you aren't the only one who's got a problem with that reptile," he responded. "My friend's got a major grudge against Xizor. Lived with him for thirteen years, if you can believe it."

"Where is this exceedingly brave man?" Dash asked, "I want to meet him! Although I must say it's hard to believe anyone could live with Xizor for that long a time."

Jix shifted. "Ah, well, you see, it's not exactly like that…" he began uncertainly.

Dash stared at him. "What is it?"

"It's not a 'he'. It's a 'she'." Jix jerked his head towards Elena, who was getting most of the bags out of the speeder's trunk.

Dash stared at her. "Who in Vader's name is that?" he asked, staring at her unabashed.

"That's the girl I'm taking care of for a while, she's trying to be killed by some dangerous assassin," Jix replied in a low voice. "I think you might recognize her."

It was then that Elena came over to see who Jix was talking to. She studied Dash, interested. "Hi, I'm Elena," she said, holding out her hand.

Dash's jaw dropped. "In the name of Hoth…" he started in disbelief. "So you're Vader's daughter?"

She blushed. "Yeah…."

Jix gave Dash a warning look that clearly told him Elena was off limits.

"I'm Dash Rendar," Dash replied good naturedly, shaking her hand. "I'm glad to meet you, Elena. I've heard a lot about you from Jix… and the holo news."

"Thanks," she said, blushing further.

Suddenly Dash's face became strange as he stared at her as if trying to remember something. "Wait a minute…" he trailed off. "I know you. Hold it, do you know a guy called Han Solo?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I met him a few nights ago. Why, do you know him?"

"Han? Yep, he and I have been good friends for some time now. I spoke to him earlier today, he told me that he met Lord Vader's kid," Dash said.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a kid," she growled.

"OK, OK, don't get all angry at me, here," Dash chuckled, holding up his hands. "Come on, it looks like you guys are gonna be staying here for a while… am I right?"

Jix nodded as they entered the apartment. "Yeah, we got to keep a low profile," he answered, dropping a bag on the floor. "We don't know who the heck this assassin is and we sure don't want him to find us. He's extremely dangerous."

Dash frowned. "Sounds like fun," he said sarcastically. "Anyways.. there's not much here, a few bedrooms, kitchen, living room… make yourselves comfortable. You're lucky that I'm here, this is one of the rare times I'm actually home."

Elena went into a bedroom and unpacked what belongings she had with her. Deciding that she needed some alone time, she shut the door using the Force and sat down on the bed, looking out the window. All her thoughts were concentrated on the assassin. For some reason, it didn't seem like any normal assassination. The hunter was far too clever and devious for that. She felt like he was goading her, baiting her. Waiting for the right moment to strike. But what exactly was he waiting for? She hoped to death that he didn't know where she was. But even as Elena remembered him shooting at her, something felt odd in the pit of her stomach.

It seemed like… well, none of his shots were directed exactly at my head… and his blaster was never set on the highest level… what on earth does he want? She was growing frustrated. At first I thought he wants to kill me… because that's what it seemed like at first… but now I'm not sure. There's more to this than meets the eye.

Elena knew she would have to watch her back.

"Uh… Miss Vader?" Dash's voice called out from the other side of the door, "We're going out to get some chow. You want to come? I'm guessing you're kinda hungry."

She sighed, opened the door and smiled at him. "Sure, I'm starving," she admitted. "Oh, and you don't have to call me Miss Vader… I prefer Elena."

Dash gave her a surprised glance. "No offense, but with a father like yours, I expected you to be a lot more… I don't know…"

"Dangerous?" Elena broke in. "Evil? More Sith-like? About to strangle someone if they don't do whatever you say?"

Dash stared at her. "Uh… yeah."

She shrugged. "Well, no offense taken. But I'm not like my dad. Except for the fact that I'm a bit stubborn at some times."

"A bit?" Jix said dryly as they walked out towards the speeder. "Can I get back to you on that one?"

Elena glared at him. "Oh shut your trap," she snapped, jumping into the speeder.

"You see? You see what I have to deal with?" Jix complained to Dash as they drove away.

"Well, judging from what I've seen so far, you deserve it," the other Corellian replied, grinning at Elena.

She punched the air and let out a "YESS! Finally someone who sees it my way."

"Thanks for backing me up, friend," Jix glowered sarcastically.

"Anytime."

The three were then silent for the rest of the trip, each in their own little worlds: Jix, sullen; Elena, triumphant; and Dash… just along for the ride. They finally reached the restaurant, where they got out, entered inside, and ordered their food.

After a nice dinner, the three drove home and got out of the speeder. Jix was the first one to notice that the lights were on inside the apartment.

"Hey, Dash," he began, "Did you leave any lights on?"

Dash, who was talking with Elena, answered, "No, I made sure to turn them all off. Hey!" he cried, noticing the lights. "Someone's in–"

Elena's hand slapped up against his mouth. "Shhh," she hissed, "We don't want to alert whoever's in there of our presence. It's better to have the element of surprise. Jix, do you have your blaster?"

The Imperial agent nodded as they promptly hid themselves behind a building wall. "Yeah, what about you?" he whispered.

"I'm good. Dash?"

"I never leave home without it. So what's the plan, Jix?"

"… The plan… uh… Elena?"

"What?"

"The plan?"

"I thought YOU were the one who made up the plan!"

"No, I just tag along."

"But you got me into this whole mess in the first place!"

"Yeah, but you were the one who brought me to Coruscant to baby-sit you!"

"Baby-sit me! I just needed backup!"

"Same blasted thing!"

"Is not! You take that back!"

"No way in Hoth! Now what's the plan, Skywalker?"

"… WRENGA. JIXTON. YOU. ARE. SO. BLASTED. DEAD!"

Dash rolled his eyes. "Will you two stop this stupid bickering and just shut the heck up? You're acting like two year olds! We need a decent plan, and we need one now!"

Elena and Jix, who were glaring daggers at one another, glanced at him as he was staring at them.

"Fine, I'll make a plan," Elena said, narrowing her eyes at Jix. "Since someone here is too blasted lazy."

"IN THE NAME OF–!" Dash began angrily.

Elena quickly cut in. "So, here's the plan. You go from back, try to cut him off, Jix and I will come in from the front. We surprise him so he can't escape… set your blasters to stun, though, okay? Now can you both handle that?"

The Corellians nodded stoutly.

"Fine. Let's move."

AH HA HA HA! Got you AGAIN! You guys should know Dash Rendar, right? Of course, since this is AU, he's gonna be pals with Jix. Hope you liked it! And this time, I gave it a bit of a cliffie. Nothing big, of course... don't forget to review!