Okay, just a warning, the beginning of this story is going to be filled with a lot of harsh emotion and angst but I promise, it will get better, so just hold tight and take the emotional ride as it comes okay? Also wanna thank those that followed/faved/reviewed

Arianna Le Fay, Corii00, Ktap4321, Ree923, XvampiresXwolverineXOmG,

You guys are awesome and pushed me to get the next chap up quick. From here I'm probably gonna post once every couple days as I get the chapters edited and completed, so hopefully I'll be johnny on the spot about it, but again, I make no promises. Now without further ado, on the with show!

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Going Under

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She sat despondently on the small bunk opposite the door, trying desperately to distract herself from her thoughts. She'd been able to block her emotions during all the excitement and explanation, but now, sitting in the quiet gloom of her tiny cell, there was nothing but her memory.

Tears slid down her cheeks as she fought to escape the images her mind seemed intent on dredging up. She saw her graduation day, her shoulders heavy with braids and the clasp of her Graduate Hood getting slowly tangled with the long chain she wore under her robes. Suzie was there, just like she'd always been, hugging her tight, her own braids pulling and snagging until they had to be untangled by Suzie's laughing parents. It had been such a happy day, so long coming and so hard fought.

The happy sight was replaced with a void of nothing, sucking and screaming around her as Suzie's hand clenched around her own. There were no words spoken, no pleas of "don't let go", just panicked breathing and grunts of pain as tendons pulled and popped. Her hand clenched into a tight fist as her memory self redoubled her efforts to drag her friend back from the edge of oblivion. She felt the burning heat of the threads of her reality slipping through her fingers as they were both pulled agonizingly slowly away from the safe tunnel they'd created.

Time stood still as she saw Suzie's eyes go wide, her fingers going slack as the final bit of connective tissue pulled free from the bone. Her hand became suddenly too malleable, too limp, the bones and muscles compressing down in her tight grip. Suzie screamed, one hoarse shout before the mangled mass of her hand slipped from Ori's grasp.

She gasped as she was released from the memory, a fresh wave of sobs bursting from her chest, sending fire up her parched throat. She knew she was in shock, logically, but just as when her mother had passed, she was helpless to stop it. Nothing her rational mind could conjure would stop the pain and fear from rolling through her, ringing her body dry of every last tear, and there was nothing for her to do but weather it as best she could until it was over. Grief would come later, the quiet, silent, tearful remembrance that was common at funerals and memorial services, for now there was only deep, biting Loss.

Her pain made her deaf and blind to her surroundings, the figure in the now open doorway going unnoticed by her until a gentle hand closed over her own. She didn't know who it was, didn't particularly care, all she knew was that someone was offering her comfort in a moment when she had lost everything, and she latched onto it like a life line, her hand closing over the slender digits in a tight grip as she emptied her soul of the pain that threatened to eat her alive.

This was how she remained for what seemed like an eternity, her mind and body bowing fully under the weight of all she'd lost, until finally, with one deep gasping breath, she went numb. This was when the shock truly set in. Her mind and body both were exhausted, the latter carrying injuries that slowly began to throb and ache as her mind fell into a fuzzy blankness that left her feeling exhausted and almost drugged.

She barely managed to raise her head enough to see the face of a woman, her features blurred by tears. Ori knew her, the company alone was enough to give her identity away, but decided not to press the issue just yet. It didn't matter who she was or why she'd come into Ori's cell, all that mattered was that she was there.

"It'll be alright." She said, moving to sit on the bunk beside the still shaking scientist. "I know you feel like you've lost everything, but it will be, in time." A slender arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close, gentle warmth slowly seeping into her chilled body. They remained that way for some time, with Leia offering silent commiseration to this strange woman who had lost more than she could ever comprehend, and Ori slowly finding her feet, until she realized how hungry she was. A faint growl from the vicinity of her stomach broke the peaceful atmosphere and earned a quiet laugh from Leia.

"So I guess someone filled you in on how I got here then?" Ori asked, accepting the offered hand that pulled her to her feet. It felt odd to be having this kind of interaction with someone who wasn't supposed to exist, someone who, in her world, was dead, but it was nice to see a friendly face.

"Han." Leia said, a smile on her face. "He still doesn't believe you, but Luke does, and that's good enough for me. Now come on, let's see about getting you something to eat." She pulled on Ori's hand, the tension sending a flash of memory through her mind, her hand tightening for a moment as the fear rolled through her. When she came back to herself, Leia was looking at her with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

"Sorry, I'm okay." She said, forcing a smile and motioning for Leia to lead on, dropping her hand to her side in what she hoped was a casual manner.

Luke could feel her pain, her fear and her sadness as if it was his own. It was a new experience for him, one he wished he would never have again, and one he wished he could stop. He'd tried meditation, blocking out that whole part of the ship, even sleeping, but nothing would stop the flood of grief and terror that seemed to be draining away from her. But then, just as suddenly as it had come, it stopped, replaced by a buzzing kind of blankness that only made him more concerned.

But along with the blank buzzing was another person, a warm calm influence that he knew very well, and he felt his nerves begin to abate. If his sister was with her, then he had no need to worry, she would do more than he ever could to help calm their strange passenger. Now free from the torrent of emotions she had accidentally exposed him to, his mind returned to the problem at hand.

She hadn't been lying when she said she wasn't from their universe, he'd seen that much from the surface thoughts that flashed through her mind when he'd touched her. He'd seen himself, along with his friends, going through battles and adventure, but it had seemed strange, like it was viewed on a holoscreen. He'd caught a word, "movie", but he lacked the context he needed to understand what it meant.

This knowledge had not so much destroyed his view of the universe, as the woman had put it, so much as alert him to a danger he hadn't even been aware existed until now. He'd been so consumed with keeping the galaxy at peace following their defeat of the Empire that he hadn't given any thought to what lay beyond it. Now he knew there was so much more than he could ever imagine, and while their first visitor appeared to be benign, what if others were not?

He sighed, pulling his racing thoughts to a stop and standing from the bunk he'd been sitting on. There was no use in worrying about it now, they were on a mission after all, and it wouldn't do for him to be distracted when they reached the Senate, he was the key speaker after all.

A knock on his door drew him fully from his mind, Leia's warm aura radiating faintly through the door letting him know just who was on the other side. He felt a smile tug at his lips, feeling a fresh rush of happiness at the knowledge that he even had a sister, let alone one as good and bright as her, and pressed the latch that would open the door, coming face to face with their mystery woman.

"Oh, hello." He said, his smile remaining firmly in place despite his shock. He watched a faint touch of color brush her cheeks and was reminded of the other thoughts he'd seen in her mind, that he'd been one of her first crushes when she was young. His smile took on a somewhat roguish quality. She seemed to sense the change in his attitude, her blush deepening until Leia cleared her throat.

"We're getting food, are you hungry?" She asked, her voice a little harder than he was used to. He turned a somewhat shame faced grin on her, a silent conversation passing between the two before he nodded, stepping out into the tiny corridor with them.

"Han isn't going to like her being out of her room." Luke said, walking shoulder to shoulder with his sister, keeping the woman behind him.

"I don't care what he likes. She hasn't done anything wrong that we know of so she isn't staying in that water closet with no food or water." Leia said, her tone final. Luke knew better than to argue any further, and he didn't particularly want to. He hadn't agreed with Han's idea to lock her up, especially considering the whole conversation had consisted of simple looks and gestures, giving the woman no chance to defend herself.

"I don't want to cause any trouble for you guys. I can stay in the room." Ori said, feeling just how acutely removed she was from the whole situation. She wasn't from this place, she didn't know these people, despite how much she felt like she did, and she didn't belong. It may hurt to be alone with her thoughts, but at least there she didn't have to feel like an outsider.

"Nonsense." Leia said, turning to face her. "The last thing you need right now is to be alone. I've got more than enough space in my bunk for two." She smiled softly, turning back around as the corridor widened out. Ori felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the main room come into view. Everything was just as it should be, the table and bench seat, the mess of wires that seemed to be a constant near the floor, even R2 resting in a small alcove, his lights all dimmed down.

The spike of excitement ricocheted through Luke's mind, pulling his eyes around to watch as she stepped slowly into the room, her eyes flying around to different items that she seemed to have a memory of. She was so engrossed in the room itself that she'd failed to notice that the occupants were all watching as she slowly moved from object to object.

"Why is she out of the brig?" Han's voice broke the quiet atmosphere, drawing Ori's attention the the face of the angry space captain. She felt the fragile peace she'd managed to construct for herself crack and shudder under the weight of his gaze.

"I took her out." Leia said, her tone shifting toward imperious as Han began to puff up his chest. "You had no reason to put her in there." She took a step forward, shielding Ori from Han's line of sight.

"No reason? We don't know how she got here or who she is. She could be an Imperial spy." Han said, sounding almost baffled by Leia's lack of foresight. He looked between the twins, searching for any sign that they were gonna come to their senses.

"Han, we know she isn't. Just because you choose not to believe her doesn't mean she's lying. Or are you saying that you don't believe me either?" Luke asked, stepping up to stand beside his sister. He hated having to pull the "jedi" card, but Han was just so stubborn sometimes. Chewie chose that moment to let out a soft growl, all the sound he needed to gather everyone's attention before pointing to the now vacant spot where Ori had been standing.

Luke felt another rush of sadness race through him and felt his heart break for the woman. He turned a hard gaze on Han before retreating back down the hall they'd come from. He knew where she would be going, the one place she felt she could be alone, and he wanted to at least get a chance to properly introduce himself before she locked herself in. He found her, standing just outside the small make shift brig, staring at the door controls with a look of lost confusion.

"Are you alright?" He asked, feeling sympathy swell inside him as she jumped, her head whipping around to meet his eyes. "Han can be an idiot sometimes. You don't have to go back in there if you don't want to." He held out a hand, exuding every ounce of farm boy charm he had in the hopes of getting her to reach out.

"He's right though, you don't know me, and I don't belong here. I don't want to cause tension between you guys, so I'll just..." She drew a deep breath, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She was so tired of crying, tired of being emotional, tired of her insides knotting up, but even as she tried to swallow them down, she knew that she wasn't gonna make it. She turned her eyes back to the door controls, hoping that the absence of those deep blue eyes would help her regain some semblance of control, but she just wasn't that lucky.

"You aren't alone." His voice was soft as he spoke, his proffered hand coming to rest on her shoulder, steering her away from the panel and around to face him just as a quiet sob escaped her tightly clenched throat. He felt more than sensed the next wave of sadness, sinking to the floor with her as her legs gave way. He had to fight to separate himself from the swirling mass of emotions as her fragile defenses broke down. He'd never experienced such a sense of isolation before.

He drew a shaky breath as she cried, trying to shield his mind while still sensing her. She was so alone, left drifting in a strange ocean, and she was getting tired of holding herself up. She was afraid, her whole future having vanished into a whining void along with the only piece of home she had. But above all, she was so bitterly angry. This was something that had meant so much to her, that was supposed to end so well, to usher in a new age for her world, and it hadn't. Instead, she was stranded, alone and afraid, in a world that wasn't hers, and those she left behind would never know what happened to her. She wanted to scream, but all she could do was cry.

I warned you there would be angst, and behold, there is angst. I've got one more chapter that is angst heavy like this and then we're onto the main event so stay tuned and bring the tissues! Thanks in advance for any follows/faves/reviews, I really do appreciate them and I will see you guys in the next chapter!