Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed! Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter as well!

United We Stand

Chapter Two

Luke stepped off the transport ship and looked around anxiously. He had thought that he would never get here. Even if changing transports on different planets hadn't been necessary for security reasons, he probably wouldn't have been able to get from Tatooine straight to Alderaan. Why would anyone from an Outer Rim, Hutt-controlled planet like Tatooine have any kind of reason to go to such a respectable planet as Alderaan? Asking around for a ride directly to his destination would definitely raise a few eyebrows, which was why he had been stuck on transport after transport for the past two days.

Luckily, here on Alderaan, he didn't have to worry about finding a way to get to the country home of the royal family to meet with his sister. Bail had arranged everything on planet for him.

As he stepped into the speeder that was to take him to Leia, he smiled to himself in appreciation of his sister's foster father. No, he was more than just Leia's foster father. Bail, with his open affection to Leia, and himself on these visits, had become somewhat of a second father-figure to him.

He relaxed in his seat as the speeder zoomed across the land. It seemed that, on Alderaan, nothing could happen to him or anyone he loved. It was far too peaceful to allow any evil to occur. No matter what happened elsewhere in the galaxy, Alderaan would always be a symbol of peace to him.

OoooOoooOoooO

Leia waited impatiently for Luke to arrive. She couldn't wait to see her brother again. As his speeder pulled up, she ran outside to meet him.

"Luke!" she yelled, running into his open arms.

"Leia," he whispered as he embraced her. He was suddenly struck by a terrible feeling that this would be the last time he would be able to do this. He quickly shook the feeling off, resolved not to think about such things now, not here, not in these peaceful surroundings.

He reluctantly pulled away from his sister, only to be pulled into a fatherly hug from Bail.

"Luke, my boy, it has been far too long," Bail said, pulling back and holding the young man he considered his son at arm length. "You have grown since your last visit here. I regret that I was unable to join Leia on her visit to your home last year."

"You are a very busy man, sir, and I do not doubt that whatever detained you was very important," Luke replied.

"Never too busy for one of my children, and don't think that I don't consider you one of my own, young man," Bail stated seriously. "And now, shall we all go inside and get something to eat. I'm sure you are starving after your journey here. I've eaten the food on public transports. I know what you've ate for the last two days."

OoooOoooOoooO

As always, the time the twins spent together seem to be over before it even began. When it came time for Luke to leave, reluctance to let go of each other was prominent in both twins. Somehow, they knew that it wouldn't be like this for a long time. Something was going to happen soon, they just didn't know what.

"Be careful," Luke whispered earnestly at their parting.

"I promise," Leia said sincerely.

Bail then bid Luke farewell.

"Good-bye, sir," Luke said, while being struck with the finality of that at the same time. On impulse, he hugged the man, somehow feeling that this may be his last chance to relay how much the older man meant to him.

After many tearful words with Leia, he began his journey back to the Outer Rim.

Tbc…

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