The darkness was thick and unforgiving. But after many years of not using the Force, Obi-Wan had grown used to it. Waiting for the Inquisitor did not bother him. If anything, he was somewhat looking forward to breaking the monotony and hearing what fate she had decided upon for him.

However, he was somewhat worried for Leia. She was only a child, after all. He turned to look at her, swallowing uncomfortably. He did not want her to see whatever it was the Inquisitor had in mind for him.

She should have her father by her side, holding her hand to comfort her. Not rotting away in this cell on a planet that isn't hers.

He would do it himself, but he could not bring himself to reach out. It felt wrong, as if he was a greedy thief stealing precious moments from her rightful parents. From her rightful father.

From her real father.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his upper lip quivering nervously. He tried not to look at the shackles on her small wrists.

Leia stared back at him and shrugged, putting her hands in her lap. She did not want him to see the shackles and become sad again. Every time he looked at them, she could feel the atmosphere around him grow more depressing.

Are all old people this sad, or is it just him? She wondered.

Shuffling closer to him, she quietly leaned her head against his side. The old man stiffened, but allowed it, forcing himself to relax. The two of them sat in silence for some time.

"I'm sorry, Leia," Obi-Wan murmured. "I was supposed to help you escape."

Leia frowned. "Stop apologizing," she said bluntly, assuming as much authority as a ten-year-old child possibly could. "I'm fine."

"No, it's not," Obi-Wan murmured, his hair falling into his eyes as he hung his head remorsefully. "I was supposed to be...your father's last chance. And I failed you."

"My father on Alderaan? Or my real father that you don't want to talk about?"

Obi-Wan froze.

"You knew him, didn't you?" Leia asked.

Obi-Wan did not reply.

Leia sighed and looked at the older man again. "You know, you're not a very good liar," she said. "Didn't you ever receive interrogation training?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "Of course I did," he replied in the same huffy old Coruscanti accent that made him sound like a little silly to Leia's younger ears. "But dishonesty is not the Jedi way."

"Yeah? Well how about getting caught?"

"..."

"Well, if anything, at least you're a master at that," Leia remarked.

The older man turned his head away and sulked. Leia watched him as he quietly hit the wall with his forehead. He seemed to have a lot of thoughts on his mind.

"Are you pouting?" she asked, craning her neck and trying to see his expression.

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. "No."

"Well, it kind of looks like you were," Leia pointed out. Obi-Wan groaned and covered his face in his hands.

She really is her daddy's daughter, he thought to himself. Even pint-size, she had the same unabashed audacity and bluntness and refusal to cooperate. I daresay when she's older, she's going to be the one bossing around everyone else. Assuming we survive this, he thought darkly to himself.

"So...how do you know my father?" Leia piped up again. "You don't sound like you're from Alderaan."

Obi-Wan turned to face her, his eyes weary. She made eye contact with him and stared intently at him. It made him uncomfortable, almost as if she could peer inside his mind and read all of his thoughts.

"Did you owe him a favor or something?" Leia whispered.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No."

"Then how do you know him?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "We fought in the war together," he replied simply. "He saved my life. Now we are friends."

"Friends?"

"Old friends," he replied simply. Leia waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. "Are you cold?" he asked, turning to look at her again.

Leia shrugged again. "No, the coat keeps me warm," she replied. "Are you my real father?"

Obi-Wan froze again.

For someone who says he was in a war, he is surprisingly easy to read, Leia thought drily.

"No," Obi-Wan replied stiffly.

Leia stared at him even more intently. "But you know something about him, don't you?"

"I don't!"

"You don't?"

Obi-Wan's face softened and he inhaled shakily. He did not like seeing small children being upset. "I may know a thing or two about him," he admitted tiredly. "But it's better for you to not know."

"Why?"

"Because that information is dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You should sleep, Leia," he said. "They have not fed us yet and who knows when they will come again. It is best to conserve your energy and nap while you can."

"But you know who he is! My real father!"

"Your real father is on Alderaan, Leia. That is the father who raised you."

Leia frowned.

"Well, what about my mother then?" she asked. "You must know something about her. Tell me, what was she like?"

A line appeared in the old man's forehead as he creased his brows. Suddenly, all the tension returned to his face, and he looked several years older than he already was. "I don't remember what she looked like anymore," he admitted sadly.

"But you must have seen her before. At least a few times?"

Obi-Wan shut his eyes and shook his head as if he was trying to shut out a painful memory. "Yes," he inhaled shakily. "I did." He opened his eyes and stared at Leia. "She was...well, very brave for her age. I remember the first time I met her, she was not much older than you. I thought she was too young to run a nation." Leia blinked, continuing to stare at him and making him swallow uncomfortably. "But, I was wrong. She was indeed more than capable. I think she may have been the only person who could truly fix things," he added regretfully.

"How did she meet my father?"

Obi-Wan flinched again. "Well, your father and I...met had a mission together," he muttered quietly. "We were tasked with protecting her. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, they had gotten quite close."

"A mission? You used to work together?"

"Indeed," Obi-Wan replied. Leia's eyes widened. "I think you should go to sleep," he muttered. "You look very sleepy."

"I'm not tired!" Leia protested. "Did you get along well with my father?"

Obi-Wan laughed drily. "About as well as anything," he replied. "Now, time to sleep-"

"Was he like your Master or something?"

A part of him bristled at this. "No, he was not," he replied.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am positive."

"I thought Jedi weren't supposed to be dishonest," Leia pouted.

"And I am telling you, I am not!" Obi-Wan sulked.

"Then who was your Master?"

Obi-Wan shuddered slightly, and for a second it looked as if he was going to cry. Leia decided perhaps he had been pushed enough, but then he opened his mouth and coughed hoarsely. "My Master was a man named Qui-Gon," he mumbled, looking like a lost child. "He was killed by a Sith Lord right in front of my eyes."

Oh. Leia felt sorry for the old man. No wonder he's always so sad. "Did you ever get to avenge him?"

"Yes."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Leia watched him closely. The old man fiddled with his thumbs wordlessly. She still had a hard time picturing this broken-down, hunched-over man as a resplendent and fierce Jedi warrior. But it seemed like he had been through a lot.

"Do you ever miss him?"

Obi-Wan hung his head mournfully. "Yes," he admitted. "Not a day goes by that I don't call out to him. Before, I used to think I knew everything, but now...I'm just lost and confused without my Master to guide me. I wish he would respond to me. I don't know why he won't answer me," he frowned.

"You talk to him?"

"Of course I do." Obi-Wan stretched out his shackled hands in front of him, feeling the air around them. "The Force extends everywhere. When my Master died, he became one with the Force. In theory, this means I should be able to contact him." He frowned. "But the truth is...I cannot. I do not know how to."

Leia leaned her head against him, trying to comfort him. "What about my parents?" she asked, interested. "Can you also hear them?"

Obi-Wan finally turned his face and made eye contact with her again. For the first time, he stared balefully at her, before finally shaking his head in a defeated manner.

"No," he replied. "I cannot."

This time, he seemed to be telling the truth. Leia decided to leave it at that. She turned away from him and leaned against the wall, sulking quietly.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan mumbled. "I can't tell you much about them. But..."

He reached down and pulled something out of his overclothes. A small white pendant, carved out of Tatooinean japoor. Small, unassuming, and unnoticed. Something that had little value and would not sell for much on any particular market. Yet, to the knowing eye, it was a gift of unspeakable value.

"I can give you this," he murmured.

Leia turned around, staring at him with eyes as wide as the twin suns. She reached up and he slowly lowered the necklace into her small hands, letting her grab onto it herself. Leia held the pendant up to the light and examined it closely, inspecting the markings all over it.

"This was a gift from your father," Obi-Wan said. "He made it for your mother. When she died, she gave it to me, but I never understood its significance. Until now."

Leia stared at the japoor snippet for a few moments, blinking slowly. Then, she quickly threw its string around her neck and closed her tiny hands around it tightly in a possessive gesture. She closed her eyes, fingers still tracing the pendant's etchings.

Obi-Wan watched her quietly, thinking perhaps she needed a nap.

"You should sleep," he told her, but she simply shook her head. "The Inquisitor will most likely come to collect me soon... You'll want to rest before then."

"I don't want to," Leia said stubbornly.

"But you have to. You need it," Obi-Wan urged her, trying to imitate the strict tone he had once used on Anakin, many ages ago.

"No, I'm staying awake," she insisted. "I won't sleep!"

Obi-Wan looked confused. "Why not?"

Leia's lip quivered slightly. "Because I don't want to!" she yelled, suddenly feeling her eyes fill up with hot, angry tears. "What if she comes to fetch us and she doesn't let me go with you? What if I wake up and you're gone?" she wailed, starting to feel the tears run down her face.

Obi-Wan's heart froze in his throat, and he immediately tried to edge closer to her, forgetting that he was shackled and chained to the wall.

Clumsily, he reached out and hugged her, looping his shackled hands around her, trying to wipe away as many tears as he could.

"I..."

Don't cry, don't cry, he thought desperately as Leia cried loudly, sobbing and hiccupping.

"I hate everything," Leia whispered. "I hate the people who kidnapped me, I hate the lady who keeps trying to chase you down, and I hate the Empire. Why can't they just leave us alone?"

Don't say that, Obi-Wan wanted to say. Hate is a strong word. But he did not have the strength.

Obi-Wan tried to pat her on the back, but the shackles weighed his arms down and made the motion altogether very awkward. Instead, he reached up and placed one of his hands on her head, trying to calm her down. Leia let out a few sobs then looked up at him, her eyes now red and bleary.

"I don't want you to leave," she said quietly.

Obi-Wan hesitantly reached down and hugged her again. "I won't," he murmured, this time holding her firmly. Her breathing started to calm down and became less shaky. "I won't leave, I promise," he said hoarsely.

You need to let go. You shouldn't get close to her, the voices in his head screamed. Why are you making promises you can't keep, when you couldn't even free her?

Obi-Wan frowned, squeezing his eyes shut.

You don't deserve to talk to her, the voice hissed again. You failed her already. Padme would never speak to you if she knew you let her daughter fall back into danger again.

Images of Anakin and Padme's faces flashed in his mind again...Padme, heartbroken and dying, and Anakin, furious and surrounded by a wall of flames, lightsaber drawn. Obi-Wan shook his head, trying to clear it.

Perhaps so, he thought back. But right now, I cannot crumble in front of her. She needs someone strong. Not a scared, broken man. Fear is what leads to weakness. Weakness is not the path of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan took another deep breath and forced himself to inhale more slowly. Leia grabbed onto the front of his robes and held onto him tightly, like a baby ewok. He let her hold onto him for as long as she wanted. He did not make any attempt to move back or remove her hands.

Several minutes passed until she finally let go and moved back, looking a little calmer.

"Let's wait for her," Leia insisted. "Together."

All he could do was nod.

The two of them finally moved back to their original positions, sitting down and leaning against the wall. But this time, she reached for his hand and firmly grabbed onto it. He did not move away or take his hand back. Together, they sat in silence and accepted their fate.

They did not have to wait much longer. After some time had passed, the door finally slammed open and a tall woman clad in black armor marched through, holding a blazing red lightsaber.

"Hello, Obi-Wan," she crooned.

Obi-Wan lifted his head and met her eyes, refusing to let her intimidate him.

"I'm very pleased to see you finally listened to my orders and decided to stay in one place."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, but did not respond.

"Oh, and don't worry. I already contacted my master," Reva grinned cruelly. "He is most excited to finally meet you."