Luke had been sleeping for an hour while his friends and Vader waited patiently in the adjacent room, sometimes talking, sometimes sharing the silence. Just letting time pass, knowing that with every tick of the clock the young Jedi's health kept improving.

Dr. Vilk entered the waiting room and his eyes opened wider on seeing them all there.

"We decided to let him sleep without any of us watching over him like Roonian hawks," Leia explained for them.

Vilk nodded his agreement.

"That's good. He needs to get back the sense of normalcy he's been missing since he fell ill. That's why I think it's time for him to stand on his own two feet again."

"Metaphorically or literally?" Vader asked.

Vilk smiled at Vader's question. There was so much more to that inhuman beast than he'd thought at first.

"Good catch," he praised the Sith Lord. "In this instance, I mean it literally. It's never good to keep a patient in bed for too long. They need to stand as soon as they regain a fraction of their strength. I doubt he'll be able to stand for longer than a few seconds, but the sooner we start the better."

"Please, wait a minute," Leia told them as she headed for the door.

Vilk and the others shared a fast look, wondering what the Princess had in mind. She returned a couple minutes later, holding Luke's slippers in her hand. Vilk nodded at her, and walking past them, she entered Luke's room to bring the happy news. The door closed after her.

Vilk turned to his patient's friends.

"I'll need one of you to give me a hand," his eyes turned to Han. "Do you volunteer?"

"Sure!" the Corellian took one step forward. "What do I have to do?"

"I'll stand to one side of him and you to the other. His legs probably won't be able to hold him up and he'll collapse, so I'll need you to keep him from hitting the floor," his eyes turned apologetically to Vader. "I'm sorry, but you're too tall for this."

"I understand, doctor," Vader nodded.

Just then, the Princess exited the room. She looked flushed and slightly breathless. Her gaze was lost and her eyes skittered around the room indecisively, as if she was looking for an answer or fighting an internal battle.

"Are you all right?" Lando was the first to ask, seeing that everybody else appeared speechless by her behaviour.

Her eyes raised to Lando's and they suddenly cleared.

"Yes, yes... I am," she looked down, biting her lips nervously. "Ahhh..." she looked around again, but then her features hardened and her expression grew resolute. "I have something very important to do. If you'll excuse me..." her decision made, she dashed for the door. "Please, take care of him!" she told them on her way out.

The group stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to make of the young woman' actions. Finally, Vilk decided to shrug off the incident.

"All right, let's get in," he said.


Luke was awake and sitting up in his bed, leaning back against the two propped up pillows. The first thing everybody noticed, was his reddened eyes. Nonchalantly, he rubbed them with his fist.

"When I woke up they stung like hell," he said.

"It happens sometimes," Vilk nodded. "I'll go find an ocular lubricant," his eyes turned to Luke's friends. "You can move him to the edge of the bed if you want, but keep him there until I return!" he warned before he left.

Han and Lando walked up to the young man's bed. Luke's slippers were right beside it.

"Did Leia told you...?" Han began.

"Yes," Luke smiled, moving the bedcovers aside. "I don't think my legs will hold me up, but they never will unless I try, right?"

"Right."

Everybody was appalled by the sight of Luke's legs. This was the first time they got to see them and they looked as bony as the rest of him. His white gown reached right above his knees and it looked too much like a shroud for comfort.

Han shook himself out of his sudden gloomy mood. The kid would look better as soon as he started eating real food.

"Can you move over to the edge of the bed or do you need some help?" he asked.

"I think I can manage," Luke said, dragging himself from the centre of the mattress to the very edge, letting the lower part of his legs dangle over it.

Vilk returned with the eye drops.

"Move your head backwards and keep your eyes wide open," he instructed.

Luke obeyed and only flinched a little when the drops fell into his eyes.

"Good," Vilk nodded. "I'll leave the eye drops here on your table. Use them whenever your eyes get dry or red."

Luke nodded, avoiding the doctor's gaze.

"Now, are you ready to stand a little?" Vilk asked cheerfully.

"I'm ready, doctor," the young man nodded.

"All right. Slide your legs all the way down to the floor and put on your slippers," Vilk said.

Luke did so.

"Good. Now, wrap one arm around my shoulders and the other around your friend's." He looked at Han next. "Wrap your arm around his waist and I'll do the same. That way, we'll hold him up if he starts dropping down."

"You got it," Han nodded assent.

Luke tried to stand up, but the muscles in his legs started trembling with the effort of holding his own weight. Seconds later, they gave out. Automatically, Han and Dr. Vilk tightened their hold on his waist and on his forearms, keeping him from hitting the floor.

"It's all right, we've got you," Vilk calmed his patient. "Do you think you can try and hold your own weight again?"

"I'll try," Luke said, "but I don't think I'll be too successful," he ground his teeth in frustration.

"Don't worry," Vilk encouraged him. "This is the first time, so it's all right if your legs don't cooperate. Ready?"

"Yeah," Luke grunted.

Together, Han and Dr. Vilk held him up so that he could straighten his legs under him.

"Here we go," Vilk said. "Try to hold all your weight on your legs only."

Little by little, Vilk and Han released their hold on Luke's waist and forearms, but never moving their hands away. The young Jedi managed to stand a bit longer this time, but when he made the bold move of putting his left foot forward to take his first step, he lost his balance.

"Woa, kid! Where do you think you're going?" Han exclaimed with a start, holding him by the waist and grabbing his forearm hard. "It's too soon to walk!"

"It's a commendable try, but foolhardy," Vilk chided. "Go back to bed. Tomorrow will be another day."

"But..." Luke turned his head to him.

"You're just not strong enough," Vilk's tone of voice was final. "Tomorrow, with more food inside you, you'll do much better," he met the beseeching blue eyes. "For what you've gone through and the state you're in, what you've done is remarkable. You'll be walking in a couple days, you'll see."

Vilk and Han dragged the young man back to the bed and helped him sit. Leaning back against the pillows, Luke wrapped the bed covers around his lower body.

"Well done," Vilk applauded sincerely. "Now rest a little before dinner. We'll try again tomorrow." He turned to Han. "Thanks for your help."

"Any time," Han said to the retreating doctor, who saluted them all before leaving the room.

Vader walked up to the foot of his son's bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Luke started rubbing his thighs and legs briskly.

"My muscles are cramping a bit."

Vader walked over to the side of his child's bed. Gently, he pried the young man's hand away.

"You don't need to do that," he met the boy's eyes. "Lie back and close your eyes."

Luke stared at his father interrogatively.

Vader nodded.

"Trust me."

With a sweet smile, Luke obeyed.

"You don't need to say that. You know I trust you," he took a deep breath and relaxed.

Vader studied the placid face, shaking his head in wonder. Reaching out his hands, he placed them on his son's legs.

"It's astonishing," Luke whispered seconds later. "How're you doing that?"

"I'm channelling my strength to you," Vader said. "Better now?"

"My muscles aren't spasming anymore," Luke grinned, blinking his eyes open. He felt his legs with his hand. "Thank you, Father."

"You're welcome," Vader straightened up, placing his hand on top of the blond head affectionately.

Luke's adoring smile was cut short by a sudden thought.

"By the way, where's Leia?"

"Dunno," Han shrugged. "She said she had something very important to do."

"Oh," Luke's eyebrows arched at that. But a moment later, his eyes glazed over as something came to his mind. "Well, she had... She made some... difficult decisions when... When I was... I hope she's not in trouble with the High Command for it," for the first time, he seemed to realize the situation and turned frantic eyes to his friends. "Please, is she...? Is Leia...?"

"Easy, easy, kid! Don't get ahead of yourself," Han soothed him with one of his cocky grins. "Our Princess is one of the top leaders of the Alliance. That gives her sufficient leverage to sort things out to her convenience. I'm willing to bet she's got everything worked out already. Now calm down and forget about it."

Luke's eyes moved from Han to Lando and finally to Chewie. All of them nodded to him earnestly, doing their best to convince the convalescent young man there was nothing to worry about. Luke appeared to accept the Corellian's explanation and lay back, saving his strength.

Not daring to break the silence lest they upset the young Jedi more, everybody sat down and stared at the wall, immersed in their own thoughts. Vader took his seat beside his son's bed and took hold of his hand, knowing that his touch had a soothing effect on him - and knowing also that Luke's acquiescence was nothing but a temporary reprieve.

Leia turned up fifteen minutes later with a happy smile on her face. Her eyes sought Luke's.

"Congratulations!" she complimented him joyfully, "Dr. Vilk just told me you've..."

"Is everything all right, Leia?" the young man couldn't keep the anxiety from his voice. "Are you in trouble with Headquarters for what you've done for me?"

"What?!" Leia asked, taken completely off guard by Luke's outburst. "No! Why do you say that?"

"Luke came up with the wild idea that you might've gotten into trouble with the High Command..." Han explained with an involuntarily arrogant tone of voice, trying to downplay the situation.

"Do NOT patronize me, Han," Luke warned the old pirate, looking daggers at him. "I'm not a fool to be tricked so easily."

'Luke, don't speak to your friend like that. You're not being fair,' Vader berated his child, deeply regretting that this confrontation was happening because of him.

Luke's head snapped to his father. Half-angry, half-hurt, his flushed face was a symphony of emotion.

"I don't know what's going on here," Leia chimed in, all authority, all composure, "but whatever gave you that idea, couldn't be further from the truth."

Everyone's heads turned to the Princess now.

"Yes, I talked to Mon Mothma," she nodded her confirmation. "I'm waiting for her to get back to me later, but I assure you all no one's in trouble here," she met the surprised blue depths. "Use the Force if you want. I've got nothing to hide."

The two youths stared deeply into each other's eyes, and Luke's agitation abated.

"I... I believe you," he said in a hoarse voice. "I'm very sorry, I thought you were trying to..."

"Keep you from the truth," Leia said the words for him. "Even if we tried, it would be useless, so why bother?" Leia shrugged matter-of-factly.

Luke had the good grace to blush at that. Then, he turned apologetic eyes to Han.

"Forgive me," he asked contritely.

Han waved his hand dismissively.

"Not one of my brightest moments either, kid. Forget it."

A long, comfortable silence followed. Vader squeezed his son's hand, immensely pleased to see that his boy didn't have an ounce of pride in his body. Blessed child.

Luke returned the pressure and rested his head on the pillows.

"This is worse than watching paint dry," he moaned a few minutes later, staring at the ceiling. "Pleaaaase!" he whined exaggeratedly.

"If you'll excuse me, master Luke," Threepio spoke for the first time, "I'm programmed with approximately seven billion jokes from all around the galaxy. If you wish, I can..."

"No, Threepio, thank you," Luke hurried to stop the well-meaning droid before he drove them all up the wall. "It's almost dinner time anyway."

Apparently, there was something worse than being bored to tears, and that was hearing Threepio tell jokes. A rumble of muffled laughter filled the room.

Just then, the door opened and a robot nurse entered, carrying the bed tray with Luke's dinner. On seeing her, Luke covered his eyes with his hand.

"Don't tell me!" he exclaimed. "Let me guess..." he made a dramatic pause. "SOUP!"

Lando stood and took a peek at the dish.

"All too easy," he shook his head in a pretend disappointed gesture, and returned to his chair.

"Dr. Vilk wants you to know that your diet will be more varied tomorrow," the nurse reported.

"No kidding!" was Luke's instinctive response, grabbing the spoon. He wasted no time to ingest the so-called nourishment, and he actually sighed in relief when the nurse left with the tray. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight about the food that awaits me tomorrow," he dropped back on his pillows.

"Whatever it is, it can't be worse than what you had today," Han commented with a commiserating grimace.

"That's definitely NOT a comfort," Luke rubbed his eyes with his fingertips tiredly. A yawn escaped him and he covered his mouth with his hand. "Sorry."

"I think that's a sign for us to leave," Leia stood with a wink at the others, who followed suit.

"No!" Luke raised his head from the pillows. "I didn't mean to..."

With a loud laugh, Leia wrapped her arms around the long neck and kissed the flushed cheek.

"Rest now, Luke. You need it more than you think," she moved back and squeezed his shoulders. "I'm looking forward to being surprised by you tomorrow."

The young man flashed her a wide smile.

"I will surprise you. I promise," he said, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Goodnight you all. Thank you for keeping us company," he waved at the others.

Han, Lando, Chewie and the droids bade the young Jedi and his father goodnight, and left the room in high spirits.


"You told her everything?!" Han's voice raised in utter shock. "Leia, do you realize the possible consequences?" he asked helplessly.

Leia's body tensed at her beloved's words, but she didn't turn from her observation of the stars. She needed the peace they provided.

"I do realize the possible consequences, Han," she nodded serenely. "Yes, contacting the Alliance's Headquarters was an impulsive reaction, but once I was informing Mon Mothma of the situation..." she sighed heavily and ended up shrugging, "...it just felt the right thing to do," she turned to her friends, "the honest thing to do. Hiding the whole truth would only make matters worse, and besides..." she squared her shoulders. "I don't regret it one bit. Not one bit!"

Lando, Han and Chewie looked at each other. It was done now and there was no going back. They could only gave Leia all their support.

"And what did she say, exactly?" Lando asked the question uppermost in everyone's minds.

"We've been following a parallel course to the edge of the galaxy," Leia explained. "She ordered us to approach the Kathol Sector."

Han's features softened and he walked over to the Princess and held her small hands in his own. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

"No. What did she say about him? Did she believe you when you told her he's defected?" he smiled at her lovingly.

"Oh," Leia shook her head at her misinterpretation of Lando's question. It spoke volumes about her state of mind. "She did when I started relaying all the information he gave me," she looked away, remembering their candid and open conversation after that. "She asked me if I truly believed he'd changed, if I believed he could change at all, and I told her what I think." Her gaze turned inwards and conviction coloured her voice. "No; what I *know.* I told her about Luke's illness and what drove me to betray my every oath, everything I am, to seek out Vader. I told her what I've seen, what I witnessed with my own eyes," she closed them at that, and a searing wave of guilt and remorse washed over her. "May the heavens forgive me, I told her they're Father and Son!"

A deadly silence befell the observation room.

"Leia..." Han's voice sounded as horrified as his face.

A sardonic sneer twisted the lovely features.

"I think that's when she really started to believe me," she released his hands and walked away. "I suppose everything began to make sense then." She looked out of the wall-wide window once more. "It's strange, though," she mused aloud. "Somehow, I got the feeling there was something in her silence... in the faraway look in her eyes. An old history... Something that explained a lot of things for her." She shook herself out of her reverie. "Anyway, what do I know?"

"And that's when she told you she'd get back to you later?" Han walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"She promised to never reveal... their parentage to any other living soul," she lowered her voice, as if protecting Luke and Vader's secret even now. "But she had to discuss Vader's defection and the information he gave us with the Council," she straightened up, and the great leader of the Alliance was back for a moment. "A new strategy is in order. The safety of our Bothan spies is our primary concern. That and the new Death Star. There's a possibility that we could use the Emperor's plan to lure us in to our advantage." Her glassy eyes returned to the present. "But that's in the future. We'll talk again tomorrow and she'll let us know their decision."

She turned pained eyes to the man she loved.

"I think she's on our side, but who knows what...?"

"Shh," Han brought her close and wrapped his arms around her. "You did what you thought best. And maybe it'll also work out for the best. The Alliance is everything the Empire isn't. There's this little act of grace called 'pardon,' and for better or worse, the very foundations of it will be put to the test in Vader's case."

Leia's head moved away from Han's chest and she looked up at him.

"Do you think he's not deserving of...?

He shushed her with a finger to her lips.

"I'm saying that cases like this are the reason why the concept of pardon was created. Pardoning a man who stole food to feed his children poses no ethical conflict. But when we're dealing with a mass murderer, a war criminal who's left countless victims in his wake, here's where the system truly shows what it's made of," he stated vehemently.

Bursting with pride, Leia raised her eyebrows at him inquisitively, and the Corellian threw his head back, making his decision.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but if it depended on me..." he looked back down at her, "...I would pardon him," he nodded firmly. "Yes, I do believe he's changed. I've observed him, I've spoken with him, I've seen the way he treats Luke, I've..." he looked away, deep in thought. "That's not the 'thing' that had me tortured and put in carbonite less than three months ago. The man in that room would lay down his life for his son without second thoughts," his voice softened and he smiled poignantly at his next thought. "Living will be punishment enough, I guarantee you that."

Leia gazed at him in wonder. No words could describe what she felt for that very special man. His compassion, his insight, his profound knowledge of the depths of the human soul and its capacity for the worst and the best. If Han could forgive, maybe...

"Han speaks for me too."

Lando's voice sounded closer, and the couple turned their heads to him in unison.

"For what is worth, I will also support his pardon, if the time comes," Lando smiled kindly.

Chewie let out a few growls as he approached them, and Leia looked at Han enquiringly.

"He'll support Vader's pardon as well, and he says you did the right thing contacting the High Command."

Leia smiled as if the weight of the universe had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Thank you, Chewie," she uttered gratefully, eyes riveted on the gentle giant.

"By the way, what made you decide to contact them in the first place?" Han asked, turning curious eyes to her.

Leia bit her lower lip at that, her hesitation more than evident.

Chewie's eyes regarded her sympathetically and he answered for her.

The Princess' head moved from the Wookiee to Han.

The old smuggler's stance sobered instantly.

"Chewie said he could smell the scent of tears when we walked into the room," he turned back to Leia with a lump in his throat, as he put all the pieces together. "Was Luke crying when you entered?"

Leia looked away.

"Letting his father go is breaking his heart," she whispered in an unexpectedly steady voice. "He doesn't have any privacy with all of us around, and when I barged in with his slippers, he... he was..." she bit her lips again and her eyes misted. "I'd been considering whether I should tell the Alliance or not, but after..." she sniffled, "...I just... I just couldn't..." she shook her head in frustration.

Han held her cheek in his hand.

"I do understand," he nodded.

Leia shrugged somewhat despondently.

"We can only wait now... And cross our fingers," she sighed dolefully.

The Corellian took her face in his hands and brought her even closer, smiling lovingly.

"The Empire doesn't know the meaning of words like mercy or clemency; the Alliance does. Those are the principles that will prevail. That's why we'll win this war. And with Luke's father on our side, it will be soon."

Leia smiled, warmed by his words and profoundly reassured by his confidence.

TO BE CONTINUED...