"You too have that power in you, Princess. You could learn to wield it."

Darth Vader to Leia - Chapter 1

XxX

Chapter 12: Obi-Wan needs therapy

Day 132 - Taugnsday

Leia POV

Leia woke up again to thirteen scratches on the wall. She did not expect to get out of this loop today and in fact just wanted to use the day to plan her next steps with Luke. Therefore she did the exact same thing she did during the last two loops; keep silent and avoid contact with Vader until the rescue team arrived.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet when the door swished open and Luke-

Leia froze.

That wasn't Luke in his too-large Stormtrooper armour standing in her door. It was Vader.

"Good morning to you too, Leia", Vader said, his sarcasm flowing freely through their shared bond. Leia was startled. His words seemed to carry some sort of echo with them. She realized he was talking both aloud and in her mind. When she briefly shifted her focus more on the flow of the Force, she was hit by a staggering realization. The bond between them, already strong and thick before, seemed to have grown even more dense. What's more though, it felt somehow... lighter. Less tainted. When she visualized the feeling, Leia would liken the Force flowing between them to golden water, which became dirty like sewage the closer she moved to Vader. Now though, the water on his side was only a little bit murky, like the water in a natural lake.

"As promised, today is the day you're going to be free", Vader interrupted her bewildered musings and handed her a bundle. She took it hesitantly and gazed down. It was an Imperial Naval uniform.

"I'm not joining the Empire", Leia said on reflex.

She could feel Vader rolling his eyes but also his amusement. "It's a disguise. You have three minutes to change. I'll take you to your transport."

With that he left the cell.

Leia remained behind, baffled.

She didn't understand why Vader had come to her before Luke. Was her sense of time that screwed up? She could only measure it by the amount of meals a trooper would push through a flap into her cell door. Her gut told her it was around the time, or maybe even shortly before Luke should arrive but maybe she was wrong? Maybe Luke had gotten distracted or taken a wrong turn somewhere or even been killed. Maybe something Luke had said had caused Obi-Wan to take another turn as he looked for a way to shut off the tractor beam, causing him to avoid Vader's notice. Maybe Obi-Wan had gotten killed way earlier, which caused Vader to accelerate his plan to smuggle Leia out? Maybe Luke, after failing to rescue Leia in the last loop, had chosen to go a completely different way and the Falcon never landed on the Death Star? That would be the best outcome actually. It was what she would've liked to suggest to him today.

That didn't explain why Vader felt so different in the Force but what other reason could there be? Taugnsday was repeating and the only changes made to time would come from the decisions Luke and Leia made.

Leia changed into the provided uniform reluctantly. She hid her two distinctive hair buns under the cap, pulling it as deep as it would go. The uniform wasn't a perfect fit but Vader had guessed her size close enough that nobody was likely to notice.

When the door opened again, she was ready. Vader let his gaze wander over her form for a moment. Then he nodded and said:

"Follow me." Over their bond he added: "And don't talk aloud."

Leia did as she was told and fell into step a bit behind Vader as he marched past a pair of snoring guards.

"Discipline is declining, huh?" Leia made with a slight smile.

"Give them a break, they're under the influence of a mind trick", Vader returned amused.

"So what is the plan?" Leia asked once they were out of the detention centre, walking down the hallways and past occasional groups of Stormtroopers and other personnel. None of them even gave Leia a second glance, only stopping to salute to Vader as he brushed past them.

"Do I just take a Starfighter down to Alderaan? The planet should be safe since you've sabotaged the Death Star."

"Not quite", Vader replied. "While it is true that your planet is safe from the superlaser, once Tarkin gets impatient when repairs go on for too long, he might use other means to attack it. Especially once he learns you've escaped. Even without a superweapon, this is still a moon-sized battle station with millions of ships in its hangars. There's more than enough firepower gathered here to make your planet permanently uninhabitable. Alderaan will have no defence. They have no naval power to speak of and their only allies were destroyed at Scarif a few days ago."

"Yeah, by your forces", Leia added with disdain.

"Yes, that is rather inconvenient now", Vader agreed. "Anyway, it wouldn't be safe for you to head down to Alderaan alone."

Leia swallowed thickly. She hadn't given much thought to what she'd do if she really got free. Before, when she'd fled with the crew of the Falcon, she hadn't dared go to Alderaan. In part it was because she didn't want to get followed and in part it was because she needed to get the plans of the Death Star into the hands of someone with the means to use them as quickly as possible in case Vader's plan failed or he changed his mind. Now, dressed like this and with Vader to just give her whatever flight codes she needed, she probably could sneak onto Alderaan unseen. But even if Tarkin had no proof as to where she went and even if Vader could hide her escape for a few days, it was still the first place he'd look for her. It was still on top of his list of targets to demonstrate his weapon on. Even if the Death Star was set to destroy itself as Vader had claimed in a previous loop, that would only happen as long as Tarkin truly didn't discover the sabotage first. If he had the time to properly check all systems, he definitely would.

"I can't leave my people alone", Leia said, biting at her lip. The situation looked so hopeless! "What point is there to fleeing to another planet if Alderaan could still end up destroyed?"

"I have a solution for that", Vader replied calmly. "Just follow my lead."

A small, vulnerable part of Leia protested that sentiment. Vader was basically asking her to trust him. Such a thing would've been unthinkable a year ago and Leia was still surprised he had the nerve to ask that of her. What was even worse though was that a part of her wanted to trust him. Knowing what she did now, knowing that he was her... her father, a part of her desperately hoped that he would keep his word. Vader had made a great many admissions to her, getting nothing in return - not even any promise to see him again, to abandon the Rebel cause or anything. She hadn't even been particularly nice to him in the loops he could remember. It... did mean something to her that he would go to such lengths, to reverse time itself for her, because she was his daughter. Growing up, Leia had tried not to muse too much about who her biological parents were. It had seemed ungrateful to do so, seeing as her actual parents were very loving people. She was fully aware that she had grown up exceptionally privileged. But still. But still. Sometimes, she had wondered.

Mostly Leia had assumed that the Organas had been friends with her biological parents, who were for whatever reason unable to raise her. She'd assumed they were dead and she'd assumed that they had loved her - but she hadn't known for sure. And there was sometimes that little doubt in her mind. What if she was wrong? What if she'd been unwanted or an accident or her parents had been abusive and the Organas had to rescue her? Well, they had rescued her, in a way, but... Vader obviously very much did want Leia. That wasn't really a good thing, seeing as they stood on opposite sides of a war, but... It felt good, knowing that. It felt good.

Leia took a deep breath, fighting down her own guilt. It was okay to feel this way, she had to tell herself. It's what she'd told Luke when he had first admitted to similar feelings. She should be objective enough to apply the same rules to herself. It was okay.

...It was not okay to feel even the slightest bit guilty to have manipulated Vader into aiding her, into going against all of his own convictions and loyalties and basically commit treason, something that could land him in serious trouble. She could not afford to feel guilty about that. It wasn't as if she had forced him to-

... Actually, she did force him to help her. But come on, it was literally a matter of life or death for her!

"We're almost there", Vader let her know.

Leia blinked and orientated herself. Wait a moment, she knew this route. It was leading right to...

The final set of doors swished open and revealed the view to a large hangar bay, empty except for a very familiar rust bucket.

"Vader", Leia made, confused and with growing wariness, "what is going on?"

That was the Millennium Falcon. Troopers stood at the side of its ramp, their rifles held at the ready, saluting as Vader came near.

"I will take it from here", Vader told them and made a dismissive hand gesture. "Clear the hangar."

"C-Clear it, my Lord?" one of the troopers asked hesitantly.

"You heard me". Vader returned and, without waiting to see if they would follow his orders, he started to walk up the ramp of the ship. The troopers exchanged one glance, then turned around and started to attract the attention of the remaining hangar personnel. Troopers, technicians, droids, there were nearly twenty people hanging around outside, all of which started to file out of the bay.

"Aren't you coming?" she heard Vader's voice. Leia jumped, threw one last glance back and followed after Vader.

This made no sense. Vader and Leia were entering the Falcon as if they were the first search party, the one Luke and Han had knocked out and disguised themselves as. But Vader hadn't been a part of this party the first few Taugnsdays. Or maybe it was already later in the day and Vader had already tracked down and killed Obi-Wan? Had Luke and the others been captured or killed as well?

"What kind of ship is this?" Leia asked testingly.

"Patience", Vader merely replied. He lead her through the ship with sure steps, as if he'd walked the path a hundred times. Once they reached the cockpit, he sat down in the pilot's seat and motioned next to him.

"Sit", he ordered her and Leia slowly sat down in the co-pilot's seat, more confused than ever. She didn't know what she'd expected. For Vader to start explaining himself, to either detail an escape plan or maybe gloat about his victory about Obi-Wan. She certainly did not expect him to merely start up a flight sequence. The Falcon started to rumble as it lifted off and then suddenly they were out in space, just... flying away. The Death Star became smaller and smaller behind them. They were not being pursued. Vader calmly steered the ship towards Alderaan, still not saying a word.

Then suddenly there were noises behind them. Leia flinched and turned around just in time to see Luke stumble out of a hallway and into view, shortly followed by a very worried looking Obi-Wan. The Jedi made a move as if to grab Luke and pull him back but the boy evaded him. Leia froze in horror when she spotted the two. It was one thing to know Luke had failed to get to her and died on the way. It was another to see him getting murdered by Vader when he flew into a vengeful frenzy over spotting his former Master. She whirled around to look at Vader. A glance at the console told her he'd set the ship to a slow orbit around the planet. Now he was turning around, facing the two unexpected newcomers.

Leia's heart sank. This could only end in a blood bath.

XxX

Luke POV

"Oh no", Obi-Wan muttered from where he was lying in the hidden compartment next to Luke. There was such a palatable feeling of dread rolling off of him that Luke could feel it even through their weak bond. He didn't have to guess what caused it - Vader's mechanical breathing could clearly be heard accompanying the cyborg's heavy footsteps overhead.

"Shut up, old man, you're gonna give us away!" Han hissed.

"It's too late for that", Obi-Wan said, closing his eyes in pain. "He sensed my presence. Force, I am so sorry..."

"It's okay", Luke whispered back even though he wasn't sure it was. "He won't be able to pinpoint your exact location, will he? Maybe he'll leave and search the hangar if he doesn't find us here."

The only reason Vader would be part of the search party when he hadn't before was if Leia had changed something in the sequence of the day again. Luke had to trust that she knew what she was doing.

"Who are you talking about?" Han asked angrily.

"Be quiet!" Luke warned him when the steps were coming closer. They all collectively held their breaths and - miracles did happen - the steps passed them by. There was another, lighter sound of steps following behind, nearly drowned out by the noise Vader was making.

The four rebels waited. And waited. The steps never came back. However, after a few more minutes the ship suddenly came to life below them and before long, they could feel it moving.

"What the - are they transferring us to another hangar?" Han asked perplexed.

No, that would make no sense, Luke knew. Whatever the reason was for this deviation, Leia must have something to do with it. Luke closed his eyes, trying to reach out for her. He might've only gotten to know the Princess recently and they didn't share a bond like he did with Obi-Wan. But she was Force-sensitive and if things were starting to deviate already, maybe they would have to repeat Taugnsday a lot more than initially hoped. In that case, no time like the present to start building a bond.

That's what Luke was thinking when he started to concentrate on the Force. But before he could even find Leia, his being was immediately drawn away to something much bigger.

There was a second Force-bond next to the one that connected Luke to Obi-Wan. It was much stronger than the former, like a thick set of cables compared to a thin wire and though he had only met him once before, Luke immediately recognized the presence on the other side.

Darth Vader.

Luke was already lifting the tiles of the compartment and crawling out of his hiding place before the thought had even fully formed in his head. It was pure instinct that drew him towards that presence, a powerful, welcoming presence. Obi-Wan made a protesting sound and grabbed his arm.

"Luke, what are you doing!?" he hissed.

"I have to go", Luke said as if in trance.

He had a Force-bond with Vader. With his father. He could hear him calling, as if from far away, come here, come to me, my son. It wasn't actual words, not like Leia had described her mental conversations with Vader, just... a feeling.

If Luke had a Force-bond with Vader, and such a strong one too, when he hadn't before and didn't remember forming one, it could only mean one thing.

"Luke, stop!" Obi-Wan tried again but Luke shook him off and hurriedly climbed out of the compartment.

"What is he doing!?" Han whispered furiously and Luke could hear Obi-Wan climbing out behind him but he didn't stop to look. He was already halfway to the cockpit.

Vader had been looping. It was the only explanation. And he must've done so a lot for there to be such a strong bond. It was exactly like the situation Leia had described to him before. She too had formed a bond to Vader in the loops over time, yet to Vader it had appeared sudden.

If Vader had been looping, he probably knew Luke's identity by now. They must've met and talked dozens, maybe hundreds of times. Luke's heart was beating faster and faster, hope swelling in his chest. It meant that his father had made an effort to get to know him. Sure, maybe he'd tried to draw him to the dark side, but if that was the case, surely Luke would've woken up in a torture chamber or something-

Luke burst into the cockpit, barely registering that Obi-Wan had followed him, tried to pull him back.

There he was. Darth Vader turned around without rising from the rotating chair in the pilot's seat, calmly watching Luke with his arms crossed. Next to him sat Leia, wearing a naval uniform, looking at Luke with bewilderment that quickly turned into horror. But Luke didn't spare her more than a glance, his eyes fixed on Vader.

"Father?" he thought really hard, torn between hope and vulnerability.

The bond came to life immediately, as if it had just waited for him to take the first step. It was so easy to feel and hear over this bond.

"You're always the first to figure it out", he heard Vader's voice, accompanied by a burst of pride and affection that wasn't his. "Your twin sister needs another moment, I believe."

Wait, twin sister? A huge smile split Luke's face as he understood. Of course, it all made sense now. That was the connection between Leia, Luke and Vader! That's why time kept repeating when either of them died. His father cared about him after all, about him and Leia. He did not see them as enemies, even though they were helping the Rebels. There was still good in him, despite everything he'd done in service of the Empire. Maybe it had even been his care, his love? for Luke and Leia that had made him find that part of him and strengthened it. Whatever the reason, Vader's presence felt noticeably lighter in the Force than it had the last time he'd seen him.

"Darth Vader", Obi-Wan said behind Luke. "What game are you playing?" He sounded tired and his voice was quiet yet all attention turned to him anyway. Luke felt a brief sense of alarm. He'd totally forgotten about the old Jedi for a moment and quickly glanced back at Vader, gauging his reaction. But Vader remained entirely calm. Of course, if he'd been looping, he must've met Obi-Wan many times by now.

Suddenly something was shifting in the Force. Luke felt a strange draw and a sudden disorientating sensation, as if something snapped into place that hadn't been there before. Another presence glowed brighter at the edge of his senses now and a third mind brushed his own, filled with incredulity and worry. Leia, he recognized. Then Vader spoke in his mind and he heard it echoing in hers and realized with a start that Vader must've somehow connected all three of them with each other.

"Messing with my old Master is always fun. Do you two mind playing along? This is going to be the last Taugnsday and I do so enjoy seeing him cry."

Though his words were ominous, they were accompanied by amusement and carrying only a small mean streak.

A quick burst of incredulity, shock and a conflicting mess of fear and hope from Leia made Luke wonder if she had only realized what had happened to Vader now. Then she asked. "We're not going to help you torture him."

"You won't have to. I no longer need to kill him. Just follow my lead. Everything will become clear soon."

The connection dimmed but didn't vanish as Vader rose from his seat.

"Luke", he said, holding one hand out for him. "Come here, my son."

Luke didn't hesitate. Though Leia still looked wary, he stepped forward readily, ignoring the pained sound Obi-Wan made.

"Luke, no!" the old Jedi said. But Luke trusted Vader. The looping, the bond, the way the Force felt around him, it all made him sure that this was the right decision. Vader put an arm around his shoulder as he came to stand by his side and Luke looked up at him in wonder. He'd never thought this day would come. Him, standing at his father's side. Finally reunited.

Then Vader turned to his other side, looking down at Leia. He offered her a hand to.

"My daughter", he said.

Leia glanced uneasily between Luke and Obi-Wan's crestfallen face. But when Luke nodded encouragingly towards her, she took his hand, allowing Vader to gently pull her up from her seat to stand beside him.

"This is a grand day", Vader said and Luke could feel his genuine, deep affection caressing them over the bonds. "Our family is finally reunited. We shall never be apart again. In the Force, we will always be connected."

"No... Luke, Leia... don't do this", Obi-Wan whispered brokenly. "Vader is poison. He is darkness. He... He is not your father. Whatever he tells you, don't believe it. He's just a twisted caricature of the man he once was."

"Obi-Wan", Luke said disappointed. "How can you be so blind?"

"The ignorance of the Jedi... They claim to follow the Force but they close their hearts to its true call", Vader said. He released his hold on his children, turning his attention to the viewscreen showing Alderaan. To Alderaan and the Death Star still hovering threateningly above it. "Consider yourself lucky, Kenobi. You get to witness the day..."

"No", Obi-Wan whispered weakly, desperately.

"...that I leave the Empire."

...

"What?" Obi-Wan made.

"What?!" Leia exclaimed.

Luke burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard he had to hold his side and he felt Vader's amusement spike, echoing his own.

"Oh", he made finally when he caught himself, pointing at Obi-Wan, "you so deserved that!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Leia asked confused.

Vader turned towards her. "Since you and Luke both refused to join the Empire and I obviously can't let you traipsing around the galaxy unsupervised, I've decided to retire from my position in the Empire. That way I'll have more time for you two."

Luke kept laughing even harder. He was filled to the brink with with happiness because this was better than he'd ever dared to hope. But it also was so incredibly funny, especially seeing Obi-Wan's dumbfounded expression. Who knew his father could be such a prankster?

"Are you serious?" Leia asked incredulously. "But... But that would be treason. The Empire will hunt you. And nobody will give you shelter, not even the Rebellion. Especially not the Rebellion."

"Leia, my child", Vader said in a slightly admonishing tone. "Who ever said I would be leaving on my own?"

And as if on commando, suddenly the empty space around them started to fill with dozens, then hundreds of ships all jumping out of hyperspace.

Death Squadron, Darth Vader's personal armada had arrived.

"Now if you'll excuse me", Vader said and sat back down in the pilot's seat. "I have a speech to make."

Luke was still giggling when he moved to make room for his father. Leia stepped to his side and grabbed his hand.

"Did you know about this?" she asked him confused.

"Nope", he answered. "But I'm not too surprised. I mean, just feel him. In the Force. It's like he turned away from the dark side over night. I guess it's true what they say, fatherhood does change people." She laughed some more at his own joke. Leia looked first confused but then, finally, she too seemed to get it and gave a little chuckle too.

"How long do you think he's been looping?" Leia asked, her voice sounding faint over the borrowed bond Vader had build for them.

"I don't know. At least as long as you were repeating Primeday, I'd say. I didn't have any connection to him before and now I can hear his voice clear as day."

Meanwhile Vader had hailed the Imperial fleet.

"This message goes to all personnel of Death Squadron.

For years, we have served the Empire with loyalty and strength, believing that we stood for order and security in a galaxy plagued by chaos. We have crushed rebellion and sown fear, all in the name of peace. But today, I must reveal a truth that will change the course of our mission.

As I speak, Grand Moff Tarkin and his lackeys prepare to unleash the full power of the Death Star—an atrocity unlike any the galaxy has ever witnessed. Their target: Alderaan. A planet of innocents. Millions will be obliterated in an instant, wiped from existence to send a message of fear.

This is not war. This is not peace. This is destruction for the sake of cruelty.

I have seen the face of the Empire we serve, and it is corrupted. The Emperor's grip has slipped. His highest officials now seek power through terror, sacrificing entire worlds to feed their ambition. They no longer seek to rule through strength or wisdom but through madness and devastation.

I cannot—will not—allow this slaughter. I did not join the Empire to oversee the massacre of the innocent. No security, no peace can ever be built on the ashes of a dead planet. The destruction of Alderaan would not only stain the Empire forever but drag us all into a pit of darkness from which there is no return.

The Empire's apparatus has become tainted. The Emperor has lost his way. His rule has fostered cruelty, callousness, and madness. It is time to purge this rot before it consumes us all.

Death Squadron, you are my finest. I call upon you now to stand with me—not as mindless instruments of terror but as warriors of order. We must stop Tarkin. We must destroy the Death Star before it destroys Alderaan. Before it becomes the symbol of a twisted, brutal regime that cannot distinguish between rebellion and innocence.

We are the sword and shield of the galaxy. Let us show that we do not stand for slaughter. That true order cannot rise from the remains of planets reduced to rubble.

Join me. Together, we will send a message to the Emperor and the galaxy: that we will not follow madness into oblivion. We will cleanse the corruption from the Empire's heart and reclaim the order we once believed in.

Today, we fight for the future. Not for tyranny, but for a galaxy where strength is tempered with justice. For an Empire that stands for order, not annihilation.

Together, we will rise and make the Empire whole again.

For order. For justice. For a future built on more than the dust of the dead."

XxX

Leia POV

Leia could hardly believe it. She listened in baffled silence as a number of well-known and feared names of the Empire highest military ranks answered Vader's call, all reaffirming their loyalty to him, all willing and even cheerful to follow him into battle. Against the Empire.

But that was not all. Though Vader had addressed his personal armada only, he'd done so on an open channel. Which meant that both the Death Star and whoever was listening on Alderaan had heard him. Vader had just unmistakenly and irreversible declared himself an enemy of the Empire.

It didn't take long after that until the Death Star started to spit out thousands of smaller ships that started to engage the suddenly rogue fleet. A group of TIE-fighters went after the Falcon.

"Luke, do you want to do the honors?" Vader asked as he engaged in evasive maneuvers.

Luke's grin threatened to split his face in two. "On it!" he said and hurried towards the laser canons. On the way he ran into Han Solo.

"Who is shooting at my ship?" the smuggler complained.

"Just a few TIE's, come on, let's take them out", Luke answered and dragged him with him.

Meanwhile Obi-Wan had sunken to the ground by the wall, face ashen, watching everything in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Leia, you're going to have to hail the palace landing place so we don't get shot at from two sides", Vader brought her attention back to him.

"Ah, yes", she made and returned to the copilot's seat.

"This is Leia Organa speaking", she spoke into the micro after establishing a connection. "I'm on the freighter Millenium Falcon. We're coming in hot with four... three fighters on our tail", she corrected herself when she heard Luke whooping from a distance.

A bit of white noise, a few seconds of tense silence while Vader flew a crazy zickzack down towards the surface. Then came the answer.

"Here main palace control, we'll sent you support. Glad to have you back, Princess."

Between a small squadron of starfighters rising up to meet and escort them and Vader giving out orders to specific ships to form a blockade around the planet, protecting it from incoming fire, they soon lost their tails and set down on a landing pad near the Alderiaani royal palace. Leia's home.

As the engines started to power down and the excitement abated, Vader stood and once again offered her his hand, pulling her up. Leia felt the surge of warmth go through him as their hands touched. If they didn't have witnesses, she suspected he would've already tried to hug her. And she probably would've let him. He continued to hold her hand as they walked out of the cockpit.

"Is this real?" a small voice asked and Leia turned to see Obi-Wan cowering hunched over in the Falcon's common area. He sounded so vulnerable and looked so desperate as he gazed up at Vader.

"Anakin... Are you truly leaving the Empire?"

"I am", Vader confirmed steadfast.

"And... the dark side?" he asked and it sounded like he was afraid of the answer.

Vader tilted his head. "That will take longer, I suspect. It has been a long time. But the dark side is more hindrance than help to me now." He put his arm around Leia's shoulder again as he said this, pulling her toward him with a hint of possessiveness. She felt the fierceness of his determination, of his protectiveness and looked up at him in wonder. The message was clear. He was doing this for her. For Luke too, of course, but objectively speaking Vader probably could've found some way, some compromise to keep Luke at his side without all of this. It was Leia who had proven her stubbornness, her willingness to die for her path and her path only again and again.

"There he goes. Never gets old", Vader said amused as Obi-Wan's started crying. Within seconds the legendary former Jedi general was reduced to a sobbing mess, muttering over and over: "I'm sorry."

"You are cruel", Leia told her father without any true heat. She finally got his joke. Vader had not meant to hurt Obi-Wan... not physically, at least. But the Jedi had spend almost two decades in exile, thinking his former student to be lost to darkness and evil and that there was no way to ever change that. To smash all of those beliefs to pieces, to meet him not with a lethal weapon but with humor, that was strangely similar to the old Vader, who would've loved to break the old man's spirit. But instead of breaking his hopes by bragging about corrupting his children, now he was ripping open old wounds by giving hope. It was probably hurting just as much and Vader obviously still enjoyed seeing that hurt. But this was the kind of pain you went through before you could start healing.

"What can I say", Vader said unapologetically. "That's something my daughter taught me."

Leia rolled her eyes but could still not surpress a smile.

"Will this truly be enough for you?" she asked as they walked past Obi-Wan, leaving him with his shattered beliefs. "I know what he did to you. You were so keen on killing him, before."

"I killed him over a hundred times already", Vader replied evenly. "He always welcomes death. No, at this point, life is a harsher punishment for him. If he wants to join the Force so badly, he'll have to find someone else to send him there. I won't concern myself with him any longer."

Luke joined them just as Vader and Leia reached the exit, still grinning from ear to ear.

"What happens now?" he wanted to know.

"Now we watch the fireworks", Vader declared.

XxX

AN:

The last Taungsday! The very last day! And sure, Vader isn't perfectly good yet... But hey, that kind of revenge on Obi-Wan is a HUGE step forward for him. I thought it fitting that the first characteristic a Vader going reform would regain from his Anakin-days would be his humour. And hey, that scene with Luke and Leia 'joining' Vader, with a clueless Obi-Wan watching? That's such a gold moment, worth every word in this months-long story I wrote. At least, I (in my very humble opinion) think so. Leave a kudos if you agree ;-)
Happy holidays to all and I'll see that I upload the epilogue either on 31st or 1st.