Just as she predicted, after ensuring his vitals were stable, Leia departed from Vader's company and never acknowledged or spoke of the night she had spent weeping upon the weakened Sith Lord.

When she informed Luke of Vader's suicide attempt, she conveniently omitted her own instigating role in his death wish.

For the remainder of their secret stay aboard the Rebel ship, a paranoid Luke almost never left Vader's side; instead, he hovered over him in a way that was, by turns, both reverent and paternalistic. Leia thought it was sweet in a pathetic way; Vader didn't deserve Luke's devotion—a reality that she sometimes feared that Luke did not understand.

Even so, she could not deny that Vader seemed to bask and flourish under Luke's undue attentions.

Leia's conclusions on this matter did not rely on mere anecdotal evidence; it was undeniable that the man physically improved under Luke's care. Over the next few days, the Princess always knew when Luke had been forced to begrudgingly step away because the lowest scores on her prisoner's vital readouts—the ones the repaired nurse droid transmitted covertly to Leia's quarters—always coincided with the times her brother was in conference with Mon Mothma or other leaders of the New Republic.

In light of her own experience, this fact did not surprise Leia. It did, however, irritate her. Though she could not quite express why, this minute observation dogged her thoughts each time his vital reports came in.

When Luke managed to smuggle the now-stabilized Vader out of her med bay overnight, the daily reports abruptly ceased, and, to her own surprise, Leia found that she missed them.

For safety's sake, Luke didn't tell her when he was leaving, and he most certainly didn't tell her where he planned to go. It was better that way. The less she knew, the less evidence to implicate her if the truth were discovered.

But as months passed, she began to wonder and wish that she had some way of contacting them. The strain of establishing the New Republic was very nearly as great, if not greater than that which it took to tear down the Empire. She and Han had begun to bicker erratically, her own frustrations clouding her reactions to otherwise minor offenses. More than anything, she missed her brother, and loathe though she was to admit it, she wondered what had become of Vader.

It had almost been a year when a single anonymous message was delivered to her personal comm: Both safe. Returning soon.

She read and re-read the message, cherishing the sense of closeness it brought to her brother. Surely, his reference to both of them did not mean he was bringing Vader back with him? After a moment, she shook her head as if the idea was ridiculous. Of course, he wasn't bringing him! Leia could not fathom why her mind had even entertained the idea.

~0~

When Luke eventually appeared, he returned with an older and calmer demeanor than he had ever before possessed, even more so than before he went willingly to the Death Star.

She had returned from an evening meeting to find him sitting on the bed in her quarters as if he had never left.

After embracing him with relief, she ordered a meal brought to her quarters and sat down to eat at her desk as Luke informed her that he had begun preparations to rebuild the Jedi Order and of all the force sensitives he had encountered on his journeys to collect artifacts that had been scattered or stolen by the Empire. Her brother's tales lasted for an hour, during which time Leia began to grow impatient until, at last, she found herself snapping at him.

"Listen, Luke, this is all very interesting, but you left here with a half-dead Sith Lord, and you come back talking about Jedi relics!" Her voice became shrill, even to her ears, as Luke's eyes widened. "You are secure in these quarters. I want to know what happened: Where. Is. Vader?"

Her brother blinked quickly in surprise, caught off-guard by her sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, Leia." He almost seemed to fumble for words. The shy farm boy of his youth rising to the surface. "I-I just didn't think you wanted to know."

Leia fell silent, considering his words. She supposed that was fair.

"I might not have before, but…" Leia sighed heavily, her voice softening. "…now I do."

Luke smiled; his face was suddenly eager. Leia realized then that he must have been dying to tell her but that, with his silence, he had been trying to respect her wishes.

Over the rest of the evening, Luke described the trials he had undergone in keeping the fugitive Vader from being recognized and how, on one feverish night, Vader had undergone a half-dozen surgeries at the hands of a Corellian underworld doctor, for which they had been unable to sedate him.

Leia did not miss the torturous pain that passed over Luke's face as he described being forced to restrain Vader throughout the surgery to prevent him from destroying the medical bay and everyone in it. She felt sick as her brother recounted how Vader had screamed for Obi-Wan as the scalpels sliced through him, as if, on some level, he believed the man he had murdered might still come to save him.

Fortunately, Luke believed that, for once, the extent of Vader's injuries worked in his favor. Once freed of the life-support suit, Luke claimed he had become utterly unrecognizable, enabling them to move about more freely in search of a new home for the Jedi Order.

Apparently, her brother thought he had found that home on a planet called Ossus.

"And where is Vader now?" She asked, interrupting his descriptions of the planet's favorable climate and close connection to the Force.

Luke appeared confused. "On Ossus, of course." He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Leia eyed him dubiously.

"He may have saved your life, Luke, but that does not make him a Jedi."

Luke's brow furrowed, his face suddenly sober as he met her gaze.

"I am not claiming he is."

"But you're treating him like one." She argued.

Luke leaned forward and squared his shoulders, his face a mask as he leaned toward her. Even as she met his eyes, she was immediately reminded of how much older he looked.

"I am treating him as our father, Leia. Nothing more."

Leia forcibly relaxed her shoulders as she realized there was no point in debating the matter. Luke had made up his mind.

After a moment, she took a breath and reached out a comforting hand to his shoulder.

"I trust your judgment, Luke. I just want to protect you."

His face softened as he moved to place his hand on top of hers, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I know, Leia. I know he can be dangerous. But that's why I wanted him near me. He needs people, Leia. I waited till now to contact you because I wanted to be sure he could handle my absence…He became Darth Vader because he thought he'd lost all the people he loved."

Leia's eyes widened with sudden interest.

"It was the fear of losing our pregnant mother that drove him to the Emperor's service in the first place. Palpatine promised to save her. He didn't, of course, but once she died and father thought we were gone, he had nothing left but the Empire."

Leia fell silent, reeling from the revelation. It had never occurred to her that Vader might have joined Palpatine for anything beyond the pursuit of power.

"He told you this? How can you be sure he wasn't lying?"

Luke smiled sadly. "He hasn't told me anything. When he became agitated and delirious during his recovery, I entered his mind to calm him. I saw his memories, Leia. At least the ones that were on the surface. He could not have deceived me, even if he had wanted to."

Leia gave him a skeptical look. Silence fell between them as the pair regarded one another. After a moment, Leia took a breath and dared to break the silence:

"Do you expect me to pity him?"

Luke seemed to consider her for a moment, his eyes steady and calm.

"No." He said carefully, choosing his next words with noticeable precision. "But anger will not serve you, Leia. In the end, you will only become its servant."

Her brow knit as she studied him. She trusted Luke and his counsel implicitly. Even so, what he was asking seemed impossible. What was she supposed to do? Claim him as her father? Pretend he had not been the one to carve a warpath that scarred her, Luke, Han, and the rest of the blessed galaxy?

Her thoughts trailed off as Luke interrupted the quietude:

"I don't expect anything from you, Leia. You know that, right? And for whatever it's worth," Luke added, "he doesn't either."

Leia felt herself release a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. That was…unexpectedly relieving. For a moment, Leia had feared that a relationship with her brother was about to be conditioned on her excusing the actions of their blood-father. To hear him affirm otherwise gave her a measure of comfort she hadn't known she needed.

Lost in thought, the two lapsed once more into companionable silence. After a moment, Leia moved to sit beside her brother, her head falling upon his shoulder as she leaned into him and savored the comfort of his familiar warmth. The two stayed that way until the chrono on the wall indicated they were only an hour from Reveille. It was only then that Luke finally spoke, breaking the peace and comfort that had reigned as a sanctum.

"I must return to Father. He will be growing restless, and Artoo is hardly enough to keep him company for long."

"I don't want you to go," Leia whispered quietly.

"I know," he said softly, turning to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But I'll visit soon, Leia, I promise. In the meantime, spend some time with Han, for me, will you? He looked awfully forlorn when I passed him in the hangar."

Leia smiled, a bittersweet feeling blooming in her chest as she rose to bid her brother goodbye. Her feet felt like lead as she escorted him to the hangar bay and to the cockpit of his X-Wing. As Luke started the fighter and began to close the canopy, he looked up abruptly, his voice suddenly carrying over the roar of the engines.

"By the way, Leia, you know what I said about anger making you its servant?"

She looked at him bewildered, her hair fluttering in her face.

"Don't attribute that to me," he yelled, "I was only quoting someone who learned the hard way."

And with that, the cabin pressurized, and then he was gone.

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