Star Wars and its characters are owned by George Lucas. Please don't sue me for writing fan fic...

Weight of the world on my shoulders

The Eiffel Tower. She was standing on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. Erin almost bounced with excitement. Okay, so it wasn't REALLY the Eiffel Tower, but the recreation of the acclaimed landmark that sat beside the Paris hotel was probably the closest Erin would get to the real thing.

She smiled as she stared out into the night. The night air was cool and crisp. The neon lights that were standard to Las Vegas stood out in bright contrast against the darkness. Paris wouldn't have such garish decorations, but there was vitality to Las Vegas that was hard to deny.

The place made her feel just as vibrant as those flashing lights. As if she could throw aside her past and embrace the future. Even if the future wouldn't include Ton and Face. Nope, I'm not going to think of that. I'm going to enjoy every moment of this vacation and face reality when I'm back at college.

It was a strange concept for her, to ignore the future in favor of living in the moment. But the decision FELT right. Especially when Face Loran was standing beside her.

He looked damn good with the shadows and colored light playing over his face. She'd seen all of his holos once they had been imported onto Earth, but the adolescent that had starred in those silly films was nothing compared to man that was steadily charming her out of her mundane existence.

"It's beautiful up here." He spoke softly, gently jolting her out of her thoughts. His words surprised her. She'd assumed that to someone who had seen dozens of planets would find Vegas bland in comparison. But Face seemed to find the city as exciting as she did. He gave her a wry look. "Does this place ever sleep?"

"Never," she chuckled. "No rest for the wicked."

He gave her an innocent look. Which meant, she was sure to be in trouble soon. "So does that mean you sleep soundly or that you're an insomniac?"

"I am not going to comment because anything I say will get me into trouble," she answered tartly before returning her gaze to the skyline. Erin glanced at him, hoping he wouldn't notice. He was studying her, as if trying to decide if she fit in the "innocent" or "wicked" category. She wondered which label he would decide upon.

Eventually, he took her hand and watched the flashing lights. "From what I've read, Paris is one of the most romantic cities on your planet." Erin bit her lip as his fingers traced patterns against her palm. Her skin tingled as he continued playing with her hand.

"I. . . I guess it is. I've never been to Paris. I've only seen it in movies."

"Life is nothing like the movies," Face said stiffly. His fingers stilled for a moment, then he laced them between her own. "You know everyone thought my life was perfect because I was in the movies."

"I know it wasn't. At least from the books they wrote about the Wraiths, I know it wasn't." She shrugged. "I don't know if they're anymore accurate than the movies."

His smile, for once, didn't show off his handsome features or those stunning pale green eyes. Instead, it was filled with sadness and acceptance. "If you read the books you know that I made propaganda films. That I helped the Empire recruit thousands of innocent men into service. If it weren't for me. . . "

His voice trailed off, giving Erin time to consider how to deal with this confession. She knew that Face was dealing with the consequences of what he had done when he was younger. But she also knew from how Ton treated his Wing, that sympathy might not be the answer. "If it wasn't for you, Ton would be dead. The Wraiths wouldn't have your leadership abilities." She nudged him in the ribs. "And I would never have gone on a roller coaster. Seems like you've done quite a lot in your life."

She expected him to make some silly joke. Or to at least give her a real smile. But her words went unheeded. She wasn't sure if he was ignoring her or if he was too wrapped up in the past that he couldn't comprehend her words. "All those young men, rushing off to join the Empire. They all believed that the Imps were good and just." His hand slipped from hers, clenching the railing in a death grip. "They wanted to be a hero like the ones I played in the movies. It was all my fault."

"Garik." It was the first time she hadn't called him by his nickname. It seemed to clear away enough of his guilt to allow him to look at her. She wasn't sure if he expected her to condemn him or empathize with him. Which would help him through this pain?

Neither.

Face truly did believe he'd killed those men. Which was ludicrous. He had done nothing wrong. Ton and the rest of the Squad believed he was innocent of those supposed crimes. In her heart, Erin knew that he had done nothing wrong. But Face couldn't see past this baseless delusion. Which meant, she'd just have to help him break it.

"Garik," she repeated, making sure she had his attention. Then she continued. "That's the biggest load of bantha crap I've ever heard!"

Loran blinked at her in surprise, his jaw dropping almost comically. She would have laughed at his silly expression if the situation wasn't so serious. "What?"

She squared her shoulders and glared at him. "You heard me! That is the biggest load of bantha crap I have ever heard!"

His hands unclenched slightly as he took a step back. Surprised that I can be this vehement, flyboy? Well you ain't seen nothing yet!"But I. . ." Loran stuttered.

"You what? Made a few cheesy holos? So what?" Her temper was beginning to bubble. But not at Face, not really. It was aimed at an Empire that had used a trusting soul to lie to an entire Galaxy. Face had been used, just like every other member of the Empire. But Face, like the special few that had joined the Rebels, had learned the truth about the Imperials and had acted to stop the evil that was infecting the Galaxy. Too bad he couldn't see how rare that sort of courage was.

"Erin, you don't understand," Face sighed. "I helped recruit those people. If I hadn't. . . "

"Some other handsome actor would have done the same thing!" Erin finished for him. "Wow, you're really feeding those ego powered shields tonight! Do you think that you're the only actor that they could have hired to play their shining hero? Do you honestly think that you were so damn important that YOU single handedly recruited the entire Imperial Armed Forces?" She reached out, grasping his forearms tightly. Shock illuminated his green eyes. Maybe that means I'm starting to get through."Garik Loran you did NOT force those men to join the Imps. You made holos. You didn't put a blaster to their heads and force them to sign up!"

He shook his head, "You're wrong. It's my fault."

"No I'm not!" She blew out a frustrated sigh. "How old were you when you made your first holo?"

"Six," he muttered, looking over her shoulder. He couldn't meet her eyes. Not with this remorse eating his soul.

"And what is the age of majority in the Galaxy?"

"Sixteen."

"Who decided to put you in the holos?"

"My parents."

She leaned sideways, left then right, trying to force him to make eye contact. Reluctantly, he met her gaze. "So your parents decided you should make holos and which holos you should make?"

"Yes."

"So how are the holos your fault? You weren't even of legal age when you started making them."

He scowled down at her. "But I made them after I was of age."

"You may have been of age, but you were still a kid. A kid that believed the system worked. That the good guys wore white and the rebels were trying to destroy the Galaxy. How many kids believe the same thing until the world gives them a hard knock to prove them wrong?" Tentatively, Erin reached up and gently touched the scar that marked the left side of his face. "You paid for your idealism. Just like all the other Rebels. You've proven your worth to the Wraiths. Isn't it about time that you let go of all that guilt and let yourself prove your worth to the person who really matters?"

"And who is that?" he asked quietly. There was something very unsettling in his gaze. Like she should say that SHE was the one that mattered. But that was silly, right? She couldn't matter. In a few days he'd be back on Coruscant. And she'd be back in her lonely dorm.

Anyway this wasn't about HER, it was about HIM.

No matter how much she'd like to be someone that mattered.

"You're the one that matters. You have to prove it to yourself. Until then, you're still being used by the Empire."

His lips twitched faintly. Almost a smile, but not quite. "I expected a different answer."

"Like what?" Suddenly she had the sense that he was toying with her. Nothing manipulative. Nothing that cruel. More like he was testing her.

"I expected you to say something about proving it to you."

"You don't have to prove it to me, Face Loran. I already know that you didn't do anything wrong."

He chuckled and suddenly Erin found herself pressed against his chest. Instinctively, she snuggled into his embrace. "Thanks, Red Leader."

"For what?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt. She tried very hard not to focus on how wonderful it felt to be this close to Loran. Those thoughts were BAD. And they led to ones that were both BAD and naughty.

"For not letting me get too egotistical. You and Ton are right. I didn't do anything wrong." He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. "But that doesn't make forgiveness any easier."

"Forgiveness of self is one of the hardest lessons to learn."

He pulled away, and then gently tipped her head up to look into her eyes. "Have you been talking to Yoda? 'Cause that's very deep."

"Thanks . . . I think." She studied him carefully. "Don't you think I can be deep?"

"Yes, but after your blaster-like attack, suddenly changing to a vibroblade is surprising. But in good ways." He kissed the top of her head. "So how did you learn that lesson?"

"The hard way," she muttered.

He stilled. "Who taught you that?"

"I taught that lesson to myself. It was helped along by my ex-boyfriend." She shrugged. "It's no big deal. He was a jerk. He cheated on me. I blamed myself. I'm over it now."

Face gave her a knowing look. "Okay, okay," Erin sighed. "I'm sort of over it. It's nothing that time and some fun won't heal."

"Fun, huh?" Loran backed away. "Well, thanks to my little mental meltdown, you've been lacking in fun this evening. Which I need to remedy."

Like a scene out of one of his holos, Face bowed low in front of her. "Red Leader, may I have this dance?" He looked up at her, watching her reaction, pale green eyes bright with laughter.

Suddenly, Erin again became aware of her surroundings. High atop the Eiffel Tower with neon twilight illuminating the cool desert air. It wasn't Paris, but it was the next best thing. The weight of Face's worries and her own past slipped away, leaving behind an emotion she could only describe as giddiness.

Erin couldn't remember any time in her life that she'd been giddy. She decided she liked the feeling.

As Loran watched her, lips twitching as he fought back a smile, Erin found herself curtsying. I didn't even know I COULD curtsy.But curtsy she did. Just like one of the heroines in those holos she had watched dozens of times. She almost wished that she was wearing some lovely gown or at least some flirty sundress instead of her jeans. But then the moment would have been predictable, just like one of Face's movies. This. . . This was real.

And it was pure magic. . .

As he took her hand, she couldn't stop herself from grinning up at him. He looked like the dashing hero that she remembered so well from the Princess and the Rogue. No, he looked better, Erin decided. He looked like a real hero, not some holographic imitation. "You know what?"

His arm slid around her waist. "What?"

"This is better than the movies."

As he led her through the first steps of a waltz, he couldn't stop himself from grinning down at her. "You know what?"

"What?" she asked, spinning around, and then stepping back into his arms.

"You're absolutely right. This IS better than the movies."