AN: Thank you to all who reviewed! I was so happy! :P Oh, and by the way, does anyone know how to make a line break? I type them in but they never show up online. I feel like they would be helpful.

To anonymous (since I can't message you): You saying that the story was well written made my day! Thank you so much! And I'm glad you love the flashbacks they're my favorite thing to write!

To GirlFromThe North (since I can't message you either): Thank you so much! I love the flashbacks too!

Princess

Leia Skywalker had never seen, or imagined, Obi Wan ever looking that weak. Oh, he had come back to the Temple injured, had even been sick once or twice during the time she's known him. But he never looked like this. His body was emancipated, the poison slowly eating away at the hard-earned muscles, and his face had turned to almost the exact shade of his graying hair.

She couldn't imagine him not being there. He simply always had. Force, its a running joke around the Temple, and even in some parts of the Senate, that the Skywalker twins have three parents. How could he be dying, fading out of their lives? He'd been a part of her life since before she can remember.

"Shhh! If your mother hears you I won't be able to sneak you even a crumb." Six-year-old Leia tried her best, but the anticipation was eating away at her resolve. Little giggles kept bursting from her.

"Goodness! That cookie jar is awfully high. I don't think I'll be able to reach it." Ben looked down at her in a parody of distress. She wasn't worried though, Ben would think up a plan, he always did.

"Maybe it's because you're so short. Daddy told me you were." She put on her best innocent face (although it was slightly marred by an impish grin) and looked up to watch Ben's expression turn even more amused...and more exasperated.

"Well, Daddy and I will have to have a little...'chat' next time I see him. In the meantime I think you could reach the cookie jar if you stood on my shoulders." Leia already knew that Ben could probably get the cookie jar down using the Force, but he knows Leia likes to be included. She eagerly jumped into his waiting arms and was soon balancing precariously on Ben's broad shoulders. She managed to get two cookies out of the jar before they heard footsteps. Ben immediately swung her down and deposited her behind his back.

"Abort! Quick, Princess! Cloaking Technique!" Which of course meant that Leia hung onto Ben's back piggyback style and the long, brown, Jedi robe went on over her. She got situated just moments before Padme walked into the kitchen.

"Leia, sweetheart, I need you to-Why hello Obi Wan! How have you been?"

"Hello Padme, I was just...hoping to catch up with Anakin."

"Why don't you just stay for dinner then? He always turns up once the food is made."

"Ah, yes. Never before though." Padme laughed at that and Leia couldn't very much help the little giggle that bubbled up.

"Exactly. Anyway, I have a few more things for the Senate I have to get done before dinner. I won't be long, so just make yourself at home. Feel free to snack a little bit, but DON'T SPOIL YOUR DINNER!" That last part was said very pointedly and loudly, but Padme simply exited the kitchen without a comment on the fact that Obi Wan doesn't giggle like a six-year-old girl, nor does he usually sport cookie crumbs down the front of his tunic.

He let her down immediately after that and ruffled her hair. She giggled and offered him one of the cookies before devouring her own.

"Can I have one more, Ben?" She opened her brown eyes wide and gently puckered her bottom lip. To her satisfaction, Ben did have to look away, but he still answered negatively.

"No, Leia. I'm spoiling you enough as is."

"Which is completely unfair because you never tried to spoil me! You're all strict with me and then spoil my kids so that I have a hard time!"

"Daddy!" Leia ran over to warmly embrace Anakin's knee. Ben just rolled his eyes. After all, The Chosen One had suspicious looking cookie crumbs all down the front of his tunic too.

LINE BREAK

Leia shoved Luke rather roughly through the open doorway and then immediately palmed the door shut. Then, and only then, did she allow herself to laugh.

"I can't believe we got away with it!" Luke, despite the fact the he had never been as mischevious as his twin, was still grinning from ear to ear. And Leia couldn't help but grin back, but she still hadn't let her guard down.

"Don't yell Luke! If he catches us...well lets just say I don't feel like having Master make me meditate until my head explodes."

"Oh don't worry. He'll never know it was us and even if he did find out, we all know that Master Windu could never cause your head to explode, just to start smoking a little." He patted her hand sympathetically but amusement danced in his blue eyes.

"Lets just stick with 'they'll never know it was us' okay?"

"Too late."

Both nine-year-olds whirled around to find themselves face to face with Uncle Ben.

"Master! you...uh...you said that you were going to be meditating in the Room of A Thousand Fountains for a few hours didn't you? What are you doing back so soon?" Luke looked absolutely shaken.

"Lets just say, we're going to be working on sheilding again, Padawan." Leia almost hit Luke for being stupid, but her angry thoughts were interrupted by even more angry footsteps bounding down the hall. A pair of blue eyes and a pair of brown looked pleadingly up at their honorary uncle.

"Oh alright. Go hide. And Luke? Sheilds up. That's better. Honestly, Leia! Why did you feel the need to prank your own Master? He'll probably find out even without my help." Luke and Leia ducked behind the sofa.

A knock on the door is answered by Ben and both twins hold thier breath to stifle the giggles, even Ben seemed to have problems keeping the smile off his face. After all, it's not every day one could see Master Windu in a purple afro wig.

"Kenobi...do you know the meaning of this?" Windu's voice made both twins shivver. Anger isn't the way of the Jedi but cold, controled fury is still terrifying.

"The...heh...the meaning of what, Master?" Ben's voice was strained with suppressed laughter.

"DON'T YOU 'THE MEANING OF WHAT, MASTER' ME!" All semblence of Jedi calm was gone now. Most would find this outburst terrifying. To the Skywalker twins? It was hilarious.

"THIS!" here Mace inserted at point to the wig in question, "THIS WAS SUPERGLUED ONTO MY HEAD WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING! WHO'S RESPONSIBLE? IS IT THAT WILD FORMER PADAWAN OF YOURS! I SWEAR THIS IS THE LAST STR-"

"Why don't you go down to the healers and see if they can get it off before you run around accusing Anakin? After all, he probably wouldn't take you very seriously in your...er...current state."

Mace let out a very frustrated "hmph" and a muttered "fine." Then in a slightly louder voice he added. "I'll talk to you later Obi Wan, and if you see my Padawan remind her that she has a four page essay due this afternoon." Mace exited with as much dignity as he could muster (which wasn't much, due to his current hairstyle).

The Skywalker twins emerged laughing hysterically.

"Did you see his face?" Leia gasped.

"who's responsible! WHO'S RESPONSIBLE!" Luke impersonated which made his sister laugh even harder.

"I have to say I'm very much impressed." Ben's dry voice interrupted the celebration. His eyes were twinkling and there was a slight smirk on his face but both twins could sense that they were in for it. Maybe not as much as they could have been, but in for it just the same.

"So impressed that I'm going to send Leia back to her quarters to finish that essay-and I know you're not finished with it Princess, you were complaining about not even having started it yesterday-and Luke here, I think it'd be a good idea if you came and meditated with me."

"Yes, Master" "Yes, Ben"

"Oh and by the way...fantastic idea"

Both twins grinned.

LINE BREAK

"Why so glum, Princess?" Ben's greeting startled Leia a little but she didn't spin around with a smile as she usualy did, instead one hand came up to scrub away the shameful tears.

"It's nothing, Ben," She hoped he'd go away, let her avoid the question, but she knew he wouldn't. He had never, in all the time she'd known him, let her escape a question. Her father told her that Ben used to let him avoid questions when he was a padawan, and no good came of that. He sat down next to her and hesitantly curled an arm around her slightly shaking shoulders. "Come on now, tell me."

His voice was so gentle that she found herself spilling everything-how that pilot, Han, who works for the Jedi Order, is so infuriating and how she hates seeing him go out with other girls, and how unfair it is that while he is dating other girls, he keeps flirting with her-all the while Ben listened intently, occasionaly nodding.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Leia, boys at age 16 are rather dimwitted. Trust me, he'll come around."

"How do you know?"

Ben chuckled, "Just because I remained unmarried after the Jedi eased the attachment rule does not mean I don't know what a crush feels like. If I know Han, and trust me I DO, he's probably just trying to make you jealous. At 16, that seems like a brilliant idea."

There was a slight pause. "Why didn't you go to your parents over this?"

"Do you really think Mom or Dad would approve of me and HAN?"

Ben laughed again, "Actually, I think your father does like Han, but he might stop liking him if he found out that his 13-year-old daughter wanted to date him." Leia smiled just a little and Ben smiled in his gentle way before he cupped Leia's chin quickly.

"Cheer up, Princess. It's only a three year age difference."

Princess. He always called her that, ever since she could remember. It was because when Ben first met Mom, she had been a queen. Or maybe it was from the fact that he "spoiled" her.

Her breath hitched. And now he was leaving them all. He'd never see her knighting, never see her inaugerated into the Senate, never see her and Han's wedding...

Two strong hands gripped her shoulders and she looked up to see her Master standing over her, a look of compassion on his face. WIndu could be rather cold, even emotionless sometimes, but he had a soft spot for her since she was four. She'd been told that her apprenticeship to Windu ended a long feud between her father and Mace. She had always been grateful and proud to be Master Windu's padawan, but that could never mean that he could replace Ben. Ben couldn't replace Master Windu either. They were both important.

A very soft touch to her cheekbone brought her eyes back to Ben. He awoke and was painstakingly attempting to dry the tears she wasn't even aware of.

"D-Don't cry, P-P-Princess...Everything'll...be...alright." The effort of sitting up and just whispering a few words cost him and he fell back against the pillows. Leia grabbed his hand and squeezed tight. She tried to smile for him too, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

Because Ben lied. Things would never be alright without him.

*With the attachment rule lightened, (more on that later) I think Obi Wan would spoil Leia because he doesn't have to raise her. She's Anakin, Padme, and Windu's to raise. He has to raise Luke but I think old age probably mellowed him a little bit. And besides, he's kind of a big softie at heart anyway.. 3! For some weird reason, Leia being Windu's padawan just amused me. The next chapter may be a tad difficult for me because that's when I have to figure out just how Anakin balanced the Force without turning. It'll be from Padme' s POV (btw, I can't figure out how to create a little accent above her name so if you could forgive that typo). Please Review and have a wonderful day!