This isn't exactly Tosche Station, huh?

Not that he hadn't appreciated the effort, because he had, but Luke had to admit that his first joint birthday party with Leia had been a bit of an experience.

And not just because someone had left Janson unsupervised with the food. In his worst kitchen experiments with Gavin, Luke had never managed to turn something that shade of purple.

It had been nice to have some down time, though. Rogue Squadron's missions had increased in tempo and Luke had barely had time to breathe, let alone remember things like dates. The surprise part of the party had been complete: mostly because he'd forgotten it was his birthday at all. Leia had teased him about that for an hour.

He flopped onto his cot--a perk of being in command meant he didn't have to share his admittedly tiny quarters--and fiddled with something mechanical and complicated that Wedge had given him, enjoying time to himself. Artoo burbled happily in the corner, checking for new communications.

[OOC: Open for calls or emails. Up early for great SP justice!]

"And AND AND I flew off of a horse! And off of a table! And my bed! And we tried to get on the shuttle to give cookies to Yoda but this lady stopped us and now Yoda will be green forever! Oh! AND Gavin called me a girl."

Luke had been babbling into his comlink for ten straight minutes.

There was a long pause from the other end. "Okay, who is this really?" Leia asked.

"'s Luke," Luke replied. "Still."

There was another pause, then a prolonged laughing fit. "Is Artoo taking holos?" she asked.

"Yes," Luke said, "and now I have to go. I'm gonna call Daddy and Daddy's fancy in Connect-the-cat."

Leia was still laughing when Luke ended the call and called Anakin.

Luke had written down several outlines of what he wanted to say to Leia.

He'd also written down a page of Things Not To Say Ever, Ever, Ever and had them in prominent view when he locked the door so he'd have warning if Z was coming in, then picked up his comlink.

Telling his twin that their father was getting remarried. He had a bad feeling about this.

( Yay, Leia! )

[OOC: Preplayed with the lovely trickster_twin. NFI, totally for broadcast, Luke's around in his room after the conversation…]


Fix You - Coldplay

Luke scanned the sky nervously as he waited for Leia's ship to arrive.

He wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be when she saw him, but he wasn't ruling out getting hit.

And he wasn't entirely convinced he wouldn't deserve it.

[OOC: For the guest star, please.]

The Lucky One - Alison Krauss & Union Station

After the third recitation of Threepio's history of the Alliance, Luke had to get some air.

He slipped out and stared down towards the forest bottom a hundred feet below them, trying to screw up the courage to do something potentially stupid.

Leia's voice came from behind him almost immediately. "Luke? What's troubling you?"

He bit back a wry smile. Of course she'd picked up on that. It was their father in her.

But the other half would be easier to talk about.

"Leia," he said, turning to face her. "Do you remember about your mother? Your real mother?"

Maybe she'd gone with Leia. Vader had never said. Neither had Ben.

Leia gave him a confused look. She didn't, but he seemed to want to know so badly..."Just a little bit. She died when I was very young."

That's what her father had told her.

Luke's eyes lit up. "What do you remember?"

Crap. Leia hedged. "Just images, really. Feelings."

"Tell me," Luke insisted.

"She was very beautiful," Leia said, keeping it general. "Kind...but sad." Something else her father had told her. "Why are you asking me about this?"

Luke sighed and stared off into the mist. "I have no memory of my mother," he said, his tone without accusation. He knew Leia had been making most of her memories up. "I never knew her."

Leia bit her lip. "Luke, tell me. What's troubling you?"

"Vader's here," Luke said. "On this moon." Or near enough.

The color drained from her face. "How do you know?"

"I felt his presence," Luke said quietly. "He can feel when I'm near. That's why I have to go." He turned to face her. "As long as I stay, I'm endangering the group and our mission here." He swallowed hard. "I have to face him."

Leia blinked. "Why?"

Because I promised Rory. Because it's what Ben wanted. Luke finally went with the absolute truth.

"Because he's my father."

She recoiled. "Your father?"

Luke moved closer. "There's more. It won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must. If I don't make it back, you're the only hope for the Alliance."

Leia stepped away. "Luke, don't talk that way. You have a power I--I don't understand." She smiled nervously. "And could never have."

He shook his head. "You're wrong, Leia. You have that power too. In time...you'll learn to use it as I have." He took a deep breath. "The Force is strong in my family. My father has it...I have it..." he looked into Leia's eyes..."And my sister has it."

Leia stared back, realization slowly dawning in her eyes.

"It's you, Leia," Luke said quietly.

"I know," she replied, voice sounding far away even to her own ears. "Somehow...I've always known."

Luke nodded. "Then you know why I have to go," he said.

"No!" she said sharply. "Luke, run away! Far away. If he can feel your presence, then leave this place. I wish I could go with you."

Luke was reminded sharply of Rory only a few days before. He shook his head.

"Why must you confront him?" Leia asked, holding back tears.

"Because...there is good in him. I've felt it. He won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save him. I can turn him back to the good side." Luke shrugged. "I have to try."

Leia flung herself at him, holding on for a long moment before finally letting go.

There was really nothing left to say.

Luke, completely unaware of Artoo's edits to his messages, stopped his intensive study of the wall by the foot of his bed, took a deep breath and then reached for his comm equipment.

He had some disturbing news to tell Leia. Not the part about her being his sister--that needed to be told in person.

There was no sign of Han here. And there was a project going on at home that was big enough Vader was required to check on its progress. That was never good.

He took another breath, then turned on his comlink.

A few minutes of conversation later and he was back to staring at the wall. "Why did Han have to be on Tatooine?" he whined to the room. "Stupid Jabba."

Leia was waiting for Luke when he was finally released from the bacta tank.

"You'll never do that again, right?" she said. "Tell me that you won't go up against Darth Vader on your own with a lightsaber and only the vaguest idea of how to work it?"

Luke pouted. "I know how it works," he protested weakly.

Leia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Do I need to point to the med-droid who just gave you a new hand, Luke?"

Luke sighed. "No."

Leia looked at him for a long moment, then reached over and gave Luke a crushing hug. "Don't scare me like that again," she whispered fiercely in his ear. "I don't like coming back to a hundred frantic messages from you checking up on me and then finding out you tried to kill a Sith Lord by yourself."

Luke's face tightened. "I won't be trying that any time soon," he said finally, "but I have to go."

"Because the ghost of Ben Kenobi told you so?" Leia repeated, looking deeply skeptical. "We don't know what kind of pain killers they had you on in that clinic, Luke."

"He was real," Luke insisted, not for the first time. "And I have to go."

Leia sighed. "You're taking Artoo with you."

Luke blinked. "I am?"

"Someone needs to be able to fly the next time you get yourself into trouble," Leia said with a fond smile and a kiss on his forehead. "The rest of us are heading to the new rendezvous point. Take the ship—and Artoo—when you're cleared for duty." Her eyes darkened. "And call me if anything goes wrong. At the Falcon."

Luke blushed. "Because the comlink signals are blocked from space when you're hiding so the Empire can't find you," he recited sheepishly. "I'll remember next time."

Leia tousled his hair and kissed him again. "Be careful," she said.

Luke nodded. "I will be."

She gave him another lingering look then left the clinic.

Luke blew out a breath. Maybe Artoo would know where the Dagobah system was.