Light Up The Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Chapter 8: Bail Returns, and Vader Gets With the Program

"Leia, I have a surprise for you." Vader winked.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, really? What is it?"

"The Senate is supposed to be in session today."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's your surprise?"

He chuckled. "No. My surprise is concerning a certain Senator who is currently on the capital. From Alderaan, I believe." He stopped, letting her figure out what he was really saying.

"You mean Father's on planet?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, he is."

"Can I see him? Oh, please say I can!"

He laughed. "Of course you can, child. I've already contacted him; he'll be here around 1300. I'll be in a meeting then, so you two can spend some time alone."

"Thank you so much, Mister Vader!" She hugged him tightly.

He returned the embrace. "You're welcome, princess."

Leia twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Does the Emperor know about this?"

"Not exactly, but he hasn't said you couldn't see your father."

She nodded. "So we share a philosophy then."

"What do you mean?"

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission."

He laughed. "I suppose so."

*L*U*D*

Leia stared out the viewport that allowed her to see whoever was coming to the door. She had been watching for her father since 1230, just in case Bail was early. Finally, at exactly 1300, his speeder pulled up. She flung the door open. "Father!" She raced past the clones guarding the outside into her father's arms.

"Leia!" he greeted, clinging to her.

"Oh, it's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!" She tugged him inside and closed the door.

"It's wonderful to see you, too, dearest. So…how have you been?" he asked casually.

She huffed. "I'm fine. I've not been hurt…by my own daddy."

He looked confused. "What?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Father. I know perfectly well that Lord Vader is my daddy. And if you didn't want me to find out, why did you give me a holo of him and Mama?" She put her hands on her hips.

He took a deep breath. "I didn't know you'd wind up living with him, Leia! And I didn't think that he would let you see him without his hood." He sighed. "Does he know?"

"No, I don't think so. I haven't told him, and he hasn't acted like he does know." She winked. "And he didn't let me see him."

"I see." He touched her shoulder. She shrugged his hand off. "Leia, let's not argue while we're actually together. I don't know if or when we'll get another opportunity like this."

She sighed. "I know. Sorry, Father. Come on; let me show you my room."

*L*U*D*

The next morning, Leia woke up early. She showered and went to find her daddy. He was downstairs, training. She watched with wide eyes as he, from the other side of the room, lifted a box into the air. "Whoa! Can you teach me to do that?" she cried.

He whirled around. "Leia, you scared me. What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep. Can you teach me?" she begged.

He sighed. "Leia, the Force is not something that can simply be taught. You have to be born with the ability to use it."

"And I wasn't?"

"No. I've seen your records; your midichlorian level is too low for you to use the Force."

She cocked her head. "What would happen if it had been higher? And what are midichlorians?"

"Midichlorians are microscopic life forms that live inside the cells of every living thing. People who have a large number of them are able to touch the Force. With a high count of them, had you lived during the Republic, you would have been taken to the Jedi Temple to train."

"And now?"

"Now…now most Force-sensitives are either taken by the Emperor to be trained as his servant, loyal to him alone, or…"

"Or what?" When he didn't respond, Leia took a guess. "They're killed, aren't they?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, then, could my parents have had someone change the records to protect me?"

Vader bit his lip. "I suppose it's possible…but usually Force-sensitivity is inherited, at least in part, and neither Bail nor Breha is even close to sensitivity."

She huffed. "So I haven't mentioned that I'm adopted?"

He raised his eyebrows. "No, you haven't."

"Well, I am. Can you do the test and see? Please?" She stared up at him with those wide brown eyes that he knew he had no chance against.

"Oh, all right. Come on." He led her to an upstairs room where he had a testing device. He took her hand, saying, "I'll need to prick your finger, Leia."

She nodded. "That's fine."

After withdrawing a small amount of blood into a syringe, he watched the machine as it began to read the blood sample. The reading appeared on the screen. Vader's jaw dropped. "That can't be right."

"What is it?" she asked, trying to see the device.

"I've only seen one count higher than this."

"Really? Whose?" she queried excitedly.

"My own, which is the highest ever recorded. Yours is only slightly lower."

Her eyes widened. "So…about teaching me…"

He laughed. "Why don't you go get started on school for the day, and, after school, I'll start your training."

She sighed and nodded. "That would probably be best, I suppose." She left the room, going to her own. Vader stared at the reader in his hand for another moment before shaking himself and going to shower. How is this possible? he continued to wonder for the rest of the day, especially as he began training her that afternoon.

*L*U*D*

Leia had taken to using the Force remarkably quickly, though Vader was only teaching her to use the Light Side. He couldn't bring himself to teach the sweet girl the Dark Side. Once she was in bed, he finally decided to run a test to find out who her birth parents were. He took the sample of blood he had used earlier and ran it through the old Jedi Temple records, which he had access to. The test took a few minutes to complete, but soon the result appeared on the screen. Vader's jaw dropped as the last name he would have expected met his eyes, the name of Anakin Skywalker.